Patience

I'm growing my hair out.  How long?  Well, at first I just wanted to grow out the sides to pull back behind my ears.  (FYI, I brush all my hair back.)  Later, I decided that I wanted that hair to grow long enough to reach the back of my neck.  Recently, my plan has changed again-- now I want the hair on the top of my head to reach the back of my neck.  I'm sure my thoughts on the subject will change again but beyond my ever-changing goal, I've realized that this is really just an exercise in patience.

I have to face facts: my hair (like everyone elses, I'm sure) does not grow as fast as I would prefer-- at least not in the instances when one is really trying to grow it out.  This is especially the case for me since my hair is exceedingly thick and I have never grown my hair out longer than it already is.  It makes it more difficult because you know how you occasionally get those days when your hair-- for whatever reason-- doesn't sit right or stay the way you want it?  You know, a "bad hair day"?  Well, that is currently happening to me every day.  I repeat: every. day.  It's gotten to the point where I have been wearing a hat most of the time I leave the house.  It keeps my hair hidden, down,... tame.

You see, I have my mom's Italian hair; thick, coarse, and uber curly.  When I shower and style my hair with

gel or mousse, I get these big ringlets of hair that stick out away from my head like alien antenae.  When I use pomade, I get better results, but with occasional stray curls and a sticky, hard feel that is honestly repulsive.  And should I let my hair just air dry-- no product whatsoever-- my head is simply covered in what looks like a Brillo pad-- I look like an Italian Einstein!  (Which, admittedly, I kinda dig.)

Ultimately, I have no idea what my hair looks like grown out.  In a couple months, I could have grown luxurious wavy locks that curl down my neck.  That, or I could have grown a dark, flowy lion's mane of hair!  The point is, I'll never know if I don't stick with it.  Don't get me wrong, there are days (currently, more than I would prefer) where I just want to take the buzzer to my scalp and be done with this little experiment but I talk myself out of it, thinking about the end reward-- whether I like it or not, at least I stuck with it! 

I've also upped the ante on myself: I've decided to make this a bigger deal by pledging to donate my hair to Locks of Love or a similar institution.  Not only would that help people in need, but it keeps me determined in my hairy little adventure!

So if you see me around town in the next couple of days and I'm sportin' a baseball cap (my usual hair-tamer as of late) or bump into me a few weeks from now when I'll probably need a better hat to accommodate my mane, just know that however I look, it's because I'm trying out something new-- however small or silly-- and it's really all a test of my patience.

And, by golly, it's gonna be one of the toughest tests I've ever taken!

 

Kiss Notes

12.) Hormones Abound 
Did you know that open-mouth kissing allows for the transfer of hormones from a man to a woman? Mucus membranes in the mouth are permeable to hormones like testosterone, which a man can introduce into a woman's mouth through kissing. The testosterone then increases arousal in the woman, which leads to higher chances of sex!

11.) Make or Break
Remember the scene in "27 Dresses" where Katherine Heigl's character finally kisses her crush/boss and she says it just doesn't feel right? That's because kissing is the ultimate "mate assessment tool" that allows us to find a partner who we are genetically compatible with. That's why first kisses can make or break a relationship. Biology can actually determine whether two people are compatible or not.

10.) Burning Up

Like most physical activity we encounter on a daily basis, kissing burns calories. A quick romantic kiss is

said to help burn around 2 to 3 calories while a passionate kiss can burn 5 or more calories. That means the longer and more passionate the kiss, the more calories are burned.

9.) Healthy Kisses
The taste and smell of a person's mouth can signal health issues -- both in general (to a doctor, for example) and to the partner. Women seek signs of a healthy partner that can provide security for them and their future children. Men, on the other hand, seek healthy women to become mothers and raise their offspring.

8.) Let's Bond
Kissing can definitely lead to emotional bonding, which is why men who seek shorter relationships are hesitant to stay in a woman's bed after sex to cuddle. Cuddling leads to kissing, which leads to intimacy -- and that's just not what some guys are looking for.

7.) Work Your Face
We can do squats for our booty, lift weights for "Python" arms, and leg curls to develop toner thighs -- but when it comes to our faces, kissing is the ultimate workout to keep our facial muscles strong. Our cheeks are kept tight and supple when we engage around 30 different muscles in our faces when kissing.

6.) Exchanging Fluids
Kissing obviously is also an exchange of saliva between two people. But did you know that the salts, minerals, and other substances in saliva that cause the smell of your breath to change can also regulate a woman's receptivity to sexual activities? 

5.) Before & After
Women have a reputation of being cuddle-friendly after sex, so it's no surprise that women are more likely than men to initiate kissing after sex. However, men are actually more likely to initiate kissing before sex!

4.) A Means to an End
We've all seen Hollywood movies depict a man and a woman rushing together for a long and passionate kiss after an intensely emotional fight. In real life, men are more likely to use kissing as an attempt to end a fight.

3.) Kiss Immunity
Kissing has long been recognized as a good way for our bodies to pass along bugs that help build immunity. Once you've contracted a bug, your body then learns to strengthen itself despite showing symptoms of a cold or flu. Kissing merely helps expedite our immune system-boosting processes.

2.) Kiss of a Lifetime
Whether it's a quick peck on the cheek before heading out the door in the morning or a long passionate kiss that marks the completion of a marvelous date, kissing is a commonplace activity. The average person spends approximately 20,160 minutes of his/her life kissing!

1.) Rest & Relaxation
Did you know that kissing creates feel-good chemicals in our bodies that help us feel relaxed? Research shows that kissing increases levels of oxytocin in our bodies, which is a natural calming chemical, and increases endorphins. Dopamine levels can also increase, leading to happy feelings of romantic attachment.

WARNING

Holy Fukushima – Radiation From Japan Is Already Killing North Americans

by Jeromie Williams

If you live on the west coast of Canada or the United States, you’re pretty much already screwed at this point thanks to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011.  Radiation levels are already increasing in the food and water, babies born with thyroid issues linked to radiation are rising quickly and governments in Canada and the United States are raising the “acceptable levels” of certain toxic substances in the food being shipped in from Japan.

This isn’t a conspiracy theory, this is happening and it’s happening right now.

The fancy little picture at the top of the article isn’t showing you the flow of happy fun time thoughts from Japan back in March of 2012, it’s showing you the flow of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of 2011.  Yes, that sharp pain you just felt in your chest is the sudden realization that the image shows the radiation reaching almost past Hawaii more than a year ago.

Do the math – If that radiation screamed across the Pacific Ocean that far in one year, just how far do you think it has gotten since then?  Look at what World Truth TV is saying and then you decide.

"Samples of milk taken across the United States have shown radiation at levels 2000 percent higher than EPA maximums.  The reason that milk is so significant is that it is representative of the entire food supply."  According to an article published on Natural News, “Cows consume grass and are exposed to the same elements as food crops and water supplies. In other words, when cows’ milk starts testing positive for high levels of radioactive elements, this is indicative of radioactive contamination of the entire food supply.”

The  Food and Drug  Administration and the Environmental Deception Protection Agency, instead of refusing to prohibit the sale of tainted foods and mandatory testing of foods produced and harvested from the Pacific Coast, have simply raised the “acceptable levels”  of radioactive material in foods.

If that doesn’t scare the ever-living crap out of you, then take a look at the list of foods you are now supposed to be wary of, you know, for only the next 30,000 years.

How can we protect ourselves? First, be aware of what items are likely to be highly tainted.

1.)  SEAFOOD:  Question the origin of ALL seafood.  Fish and crustaceans from the Pacific Ocean should all be considered to be poisoned with radiation.

2.)  WATER:  The rainfall and snowfall are all radiated.  Do not drink any water that has not been filtered.   The tap water that flows from your faucet has NOT been treated to rid it of radioactive particles. A recent report from the NY Times stated, “A rooftop water monitoring program managed by UC Berkeley’s Department of Nuclear Engineering detected substantial spikes in rain-borne iodine-131 during torrential downpours …

3.) DAIRY PRODUCTS:  Milk and milk products from the West Coast states currently have the highest levels of radiation in North America.

4.)  PRODUCE:  Leafy Vegetables, Wines, Tomatoes, Strawberries….all produce from California or any other West Coast State are also likely to be tainted.

5.)  MEAT:  If an animal eats any leafy vegetable all along the West Coast, that animal has consumed radiation, and is poisoned.  This is any animal from cows, pigs, goats, sheep to wild deer and other game.

If you eat the above foods from areas with high radiation levels, you are eating radiation and feeding it to your children. Slowly the radiation levels within your body will build up.  This is PERMANENT.

Infant mortality rates across the United States have increased by more than 35% since the nuclear disaster, according to a court statement by Dr. Sherman with independent scientist Leuren Moret, MA, PhD.  A study published in The International Journal of Medicine indicates that more than 20,000 deaths right here in North America can be directly attributed to the release of radioactive material from Fukushima.

Radioactive isotopes of the type released from Fukushima have a half-life of 30,000 years.  This means that we must permanently change the way we prepare our food.

• Wash your food with soap and rinse it in filtered water. 
• Be aware of the origins of your vegetables, fish, game and seafood.
• Keep abreast of radiation levels to help monitor where your food is acquired.
• Use only filtered water for drinking, cooking and ice.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but that one way trip to colonize Mars is looking pretty damn attractive right now.

The Glass of Water

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." 

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

In short, just remember to put the glass down from time to time.

New Obsession

i like my body when it is with your

i like my body when it is with your
body. It is so quite a new thing.
Muscles better and nerves more.
i like your body. i like what it does,
i like its hows. i like to feel the spine
of your body and its bones, and the trembling
-firm-smooth ness and which I will
again and again and again
kiss, i like kissing this and that of you,
i like, slowly stroking the, shocking fuzz
of your electric fur, and what-is-it comes
over parting flesh...And eyes big love-crumbs,

and possibly i like the thrill

of under me you quite so new





may i feel said he

may i feel said he

(i'll squeal said she
just once said he)
it's fun said she

(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)
why not said she

(let's go said he
not too far said she
what's too far said he
where you are said she)

may i stay said he
(which way said she
like this said he
if you kiss said she

may i move said he
is it love said she)
if you're willing said he
(but you're killing said she

but it's life said he
but your wife said she
now said he)
ow said she

(tiptop said he
don't stop said she
oh no said he)
go slow said she

(cccome?said he
ummm said she)
you're divine!said he
(you are Mine said she)

she being Brand

she being Brand

-new;and you
know consequently a
little stiff I was
careful of her and (having

thoroughly oiled the universal
joint tested my gas felt of
her radiator made sure her springs were O.

K.)i went right to it flooded-the-carburetor cranked her

up,slipped the
clutch (and then somehow got into reverse she
kicked what
the hell) next
minute i was back in neutral tried and

again slo-wly;bare,ly nudg.       ing(my

lev-er Right-
oh and her gears being in
A 1 shape passed
from low through
second-in-to-high like
greasedlightning) just as we turned the corner of Divinity

avenue i touched the accelerator and give

her the juice,good

                              (it
was the first ride and believe I we was
happy to see how nice and acted right up to
the last minute coming back down by the Public
Gardens I slammed on
the

internalexpanding
&
externalcontracting
breaks Bothatonce and

brought allofher tremB
-ling
to a:dead.

stand-
;Still)

 ~ E. E. Cummings (1894 - 1962)