Metrics New Album: Fantasies

OoOo today was a happy day! Not only did my morning start off just right but the new Metric CD, Fantasies, came out on iTunes! I purchased and loaded it onto my ipod immediately!! Walking to and from my classes was that much more enjoyable, thanks to one of my favorite bands, Metric :)

I am really impressed with the album. Actually (correction) I am more or less addicted to the album.



I have been a loyal Metric fan ever since I heard the song Wet Blanket..or perhaps it was Dead Disco..or maybe Raw Sugar? Ai, the point is that I really enjoy listening to Metric. I particularly like listening to their new song "Help I'm Alive" when I'm at the gym or driving around. But right now, at this very moment, I can't get enough of Gimme Sympathy (the video above) and Gold Guns Girls - the lyrics are not only brilliant but they give me shivers.

Their new album, Fantasies, features a lot of electric guitar and upbeat songs, which are incredibly catchy.

...think I shall continue listening now :)

Shh it's a Secret

I am curiously fascinated by the blogger site The Post Secret. The Post Secret is a beautiful on going community mail art project, created by artist (and now author) Frank Warren. Post Secret is brilliant; people mail their deepest, darkest, hilariously amusing, and strangely beautiful secrets anonymously on the side of a homemade style postcard.



I can't help but browse the beautiful, sad, and sometimes even disrupting secrets of those without a face, without a name. I find myself scanning each and every post card, smiling, frowning, tearing up, or rereading in bewilderment. Some of them are truly uplifting, and inspiring for all to see.

I also find myself searching for a secret within myself...an OCD habit that no one has ever seen, a guilty or seemingly ridiculous pleasure, a suppressant desire...something, anything, art or postcard worthy. But then I realize, maybe secrets come and go. Maybe secrets arise and burn when you are at a turning point in life or are going through a tough time...or maybe, just maybe, you can't bare yourself to admit that you secretly sneak spoonfuls of peanut butter late at night (I most certainly do..but this is no secret :P).

I think Post Secret is so appealing, comforting, and perhaps even liberating for it's literally a place where millions of people go to set their secrets free.

As I continue to contemplate and attempt to draft my potential "secrets", I quickly realize that they are not secrets at all, for the people I love the absoulte most, already know them :)

Do you have a secret?

Addiction 101

I am truly and utterly addicted to Twitter. I can't stop tweeting! I could tweet all day and tweet all night. Tweet tweet tweetie tweeter, how I love you so. It has become even better that more of my friends have gotten it, because now we can tweet @ each other. It's wonderful, simply wonderful. The concept of micro-blogging is sheer genius. I don't think I will slow down my Tweets anytime soon.

Tweet me @jessgemini

A Poem - Love Exhibition

Love Exhibition

I’m alone in this museum as you stare at me.
Careful cuts chart up my insides
as you disinfect them for your display.
I make myself sick, hoping you will dispose of me
but sterile hands scrutinize, enough to make me better.
Fluorescents mask all shadow and imperfection,
framing a woman that you’ve come to love.
Generous experiments jar my voice but not my breath, and
as I struggle to free the steel pin, you open the doors -
for exhibition day.

- Jess

Feedback is welcomed and encouraged :)

Dark Chocolate

Mmm chocolate. I love chocolate, always have and always will. Sadly, I don't indulge in chocolately goodness the way I used to, it's just not worth the extra high calorie count. However, I have recently discovered a treat that keeps me ultra satisfied, with some healthy benefits toboot. PC organics extra dark chocolate (85%)! It's tasty, affordable, and comes in a big bar so it lasts quite a while.

As you may, or may not, already know, dark chocolate is healthy (healthier) chocolate. Dark chocolate -- but not milk chocolate or dark chocolate eaten with milk -- is a potent antioxidant. However, sadly, this doesn't mean eat chocolate everyday, all day; it's important to balance the extra calories by eating less of other things. Oh chocolate, such an ordeal you are. To make things easy, here are some important facts to keep in mind when buying, and best of all, eating dark chocolate!

1. First, and most importantly, true dark chocolate is usually considered anything at or above 65% Cacao.
2. The higher the percentage of cacao, the more benefits and better nutritional value the chocolate contains.
   
3. The higher up the percentage scale you go (65%....99%!), the less sugar and more protein you're going to get.
4. Studies have shown dark chocolate to lower blood pressure (so, enjoy ;)
   

FOX insults Canada and Canadians

FOX News stoops disgustingly low, yet again. Why is FOX news still on the air exactly? How is this even news worthy? They are simply bashing Canada as if it's a roast on the comedy network. It's insulting, ignorant, and down right wrong. What do you think?

Poem: Profusion

I'm working hard on my final creative writing portfolio, doing my best to rework and revamp some of my existing works. I've decided that none of my work is actually completely complete until it has surpassed the hands of an editor and is printed for publication. Thus, I continue to write, edit, and re-edit. Feedback is welcomed :)

Profusion

As I lie, fire ants bite my ankles.
Inferior to the heartburn,
whose duty it is to beat up my entire body.
I inhale and feel my large intestine strangle my heart
and push against my rib cage.
So I continue to lie, choke, wait, and think of

broken glass, cheesy Polaroids,
cinnamon hearts, leather interior,
Eskimo kisses, blue Gatorade stains,

of myself.
You.

And in the instant of my love profusion, my stomach growls.
Reluctant, I decide to move on, brush away the grass stains,
and attempt to make homemade spaghetti for dinner.

- JM

More Cinnamon Please

A mere teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, almost one mg of iron, over a gram of fiber, and a lot of vitamins C, K, and manganese. It also contains about half a gram of “usable” (non-fiber) carbohydrate. Pass the cinnamon please!

It may seem surprising, but a dash of cinnamon is both extremely powerful and beneficial to your health. Still don't believe me? Well studies have shown that just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol. Not only does it help to keep your LDL cholesterol in check, it also has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

Wait, wait, wait, what exactly is cinnamon you ask?

"Cinnamon is the bark of one of a group of trees belonging to the same family. Many related species are marketed as cinnamon. “True cinnamon” is from Sri Lanka and is more delicate tasting than what is commonly sold as cinnamon in the United States, which is also called “cassia” or “Chinese cinnamon.” Cassia has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. There are many other species of cinnamon, mainly from Asia and Madagascar. Cinnamon “sticks” or “quills” are rolls of dried bark, and can be grated into a powder or soaked in liquid. Most people buy cinnamon pre-ground." - About.com

Cinnamon is both nutritious aaand delicious! It's undoubtedly the number one super spice. I like to sprinkle some on top of my latte's, yogurt, morning oatmeal, ice cream, and anything else I can possibly think of! It's a simple and tasty way to stay healthy and enjoy the foods that you already love.

More cinnamon please :)
- J

Green Beer, Foolisness & Celebrating...err, what exactly?

I look around my school campus and the sights are green, green, green. Everyone is dressed head to toe for the occasion; not to mention, everyone appears to be a tad tipsy, and, or, intoxicated perhaps? And the weather is certainly in everyone's favor for the sun is shining bright (finally:). While most people began their celebrations at 11AM this morning (as soon as the bar's doors opened) I had a big day of gym, classes, etc; however..I will be venturing out shortly. I think I even have some cheesy green attire to throw on :P

Anyway, I started thinking...what is good ol' paddy's day about anyway? And why does everyone go nutso for green beer? I know if I have a few drinks tonight..it'll most def still be my one and only vodka soda ;)

According to my glorious Google searches, Saint Patrick's Day (in Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig) aka St. Paddy's Day is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick, one of the patron saints of Ireland. "The day is the national holiday of Ireland. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland and Montserrat. In Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand, it is widely celebrated but is not an official holiday." - Wikipedia

And ttthen I got to thinking...well, where does that cheesy-but-cute saying "Kiss Me I'm Irish" saying come from? According to WikiAnswers, there are three potential answers. The three answers are...

1. Sounds like something made up by Americans, rather than the actual Irish.
   
   
2. It's a joke the Irish made up for fun! it really has no meaning but people often use it, as a joke as the Irish do!
   
   
3. It is reference to the Blarney Stone. Kissing the Blarney stone brings you good luck so if you can't kiss the stone the next best chance of getting good luck is "kissing an Irish person."

Hmm..what do you guys think?

Either way, I sssuppose if I see rainbow, four leaf clover, or little leprechaun man, I won't pass up the opportunity to make a wish. Who knows, maybe there really is a pot of gold waiting for me ;)

Have fun everyone, play safe, & Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Don't Wait

I think it's important to listen to your emotions, fulfill your goals, and simply act. No one is going to do it for you. No one can make that important decision for you. No one can make up your mind or determine your future. And nor should someone do that for you.

What are you waiting for?
Nobody's gonna show you how
Why wait for someone else
to do what you can do right now?

I am so blessed to have people in my life who not only listen to me, but support everything that I believe in and do. It's amazing to know that I have people in my life who I can truly and utterly rely on 24/7. Their advice, feedback, and support is always helpful especially when (not to sound clique) 'the going gets tough'. However, I know that it is truly up to me to take action and pave my own way toward my goals and ambitions. And that is exactly what I plan on doing. And so can you.

Brainstorming a Bigger Picture

I've been brainstorming a lot lately. The oddest things are triggering a million random ideas for a story, essay, or even poem; it's rather exciting :) But even though my ideas are seemingly concrete, I always seem to feel stuck on capturing or articulating that "bigger picture".

For example, my most recent short story - Driftwood, a non-fiction piece - zooms in on a past relationship that is disconnected and bruised at the core, without a common ground for communication. My story struggles with the idea of conforming to a life built completely by someone else - her boyfriend - but also wrestles with the very thought of leaving him. In writing this story, I kept asking myself "Well, okay, what exactly is she so afraid of?" and "How long can a person lie to themselves in order to sleep, nightmare free, at night?" Currently, I am in the midst of going back to Driftwood in order to dig deeper into the unconscious; and I hope to answer, on a universal level, why do so many people torture themselves in such desperate attempts in order to fix or hold onto a damaged or perhaps disconnected relationship?

Anyway, as I continue to brainstorm this and a few of my poems...I can't help but want to make all my themes, emotions, and lessons connect to people on a greater scale, on a deeper and more universal level. It's sometimes difficult to craft my own personal energy and emotion into a bigger and larger scope for my readers to feel or even understand. Alas, that's both my challenge and goal as a writer. And I truly hope to succeed at that. Even though I'm scared shitless (well maybe more nervous) for my creative writing workshop (since I am after all responsible for poetry) I am really excited to receive lots of positive and critical feedback on my work. Critical feedback is the key to improvement.

For good measure, here is a drafted poem that I am currently "brainstorming" if you will.

Untitled (for now)
lustful panties
irate lips
pop television receivers
clumpy lashes
skinny savage
intangible matte creations
gluttonous glamor
stupendous endings
reenacting barbie dolls
deliberate stupidity
greedy contestants
click, click, boom
passive action
material envy
satellite cable veins
hopeless hope
controlling voices
black hole reciting
proud producers
cheap satisfaction
raw skin claws reality and
we're off, off, to Never Land
- end -

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Sleep well,
xo Jess

Listening Right This Second

"Flow sweetly hang heavy
You suddenly complete me
You suddenly complete me

Flow sweetly hang heavy

You suddenly complete me
You suddenly complete me"
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Match Made in Mascara: Feedback & Support for Shelternet

Matchstick is looking for feedback from you guys; anyone who may have seen my posting regarding L’Oreal Beauty Tubes, "Match Made in Mascara". If you click on the link below and complete the survey, you will be helping them by donating $2.00 to Shelternet, so please Click Here to take their short feedback survey.

For every survey that is completed, Matchstick will make a $2 donation to Shelternet (shelternet.ca), which is a Web-based Women and Children’s Crisis Support Center that provides aid and financial support to locally based women’s shelters across Canada.

As always, your time and feedback is greatly appreciated :)

Happy Friday everyone! xo Jess

Anticipation

I'm currently feeling a heightened sense of anticipation. I'm experiencing that kind of raw, real, and rich anticipation, that soaks up my daydreams and keeps me up at night. I'm a true believer of living and breathing in the moment; but lately, I can't control my thoughts from running at a rapid pace.

I am anticipating ...
tomorrow night
spring
my career
summer vacation
April 8th
the future
a special connection
my collection of short stories
and other things..which I have yet to even wrap my head around

What do you do in the midst of uncontrollable anticipation??

Feedback

I just received the most positive and uplifting feedback imaginable from my professor, in regards to my creative writing portfolio. She told me I had established terrific voice, character development, and powerful emotion throughout my entire works. She not only encouraged me to write more but stressed to submit my works for publication. Specifically, her comments on my creative non-fiction story "Driftwood" made me smile (and perhaps blush). She said, "Wow! Very strong work Jess! Exactly right for creative non-fiction. You have true talent!"

Her feedback made me feel extremely talented and rather credible as a creative writer; it was not only helpful but motivational. I can't wait to put my pen to paper and begin to expand on my existing works as well as craft new ones.

Today is a good day :)

Rethinking A Few Things: Military Satellite Footage

When we are presented with satellite footage and imagery, we are led to both think and believe that these images capture precise accuracy, real time, and the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Many of us fail to question the perhaps unclear or unidentifiable quality of a satellite image for we credit the source from which it came from (i.e. government, military, NASA, ‘space’)...so, we simply accept or believe the explanation that is given to us for a particular image.

In an article titled “Planet Patrol”, author Lisa Parks, describes how satellite images become a part of our public discourse. Satellite images are described in her article as imitations subject to imperceptible manipulation and exploitation, reflecting both incomplete and selective views (Parks 148), “As the interpretive process itself becomes an integral part of the satellite image its ontological status becomes that of a site to be read or a site to be spun” (144).

I remember when CNN released several satellite images during the peak of when the US invaded Iraq. The images released were blurry, almost fuzzy, and looked rather scientific. Nothing was identifiable; people, surroundings, and landscape was all translated by a bunch of dots and greenish lazar points. As Parks states, such satellite images “appear to most people as an empty visual field, a site of abstraction that must be infused with meaning in order to signify anything other than its own orbital perspective” (135). These images exemplify the manipulation of both the military and even CNN news for any meaning, any story, can be crafted and attached to these images, whether or not the meaning may be positive, negative, or a blatant lie.

Much of the satellite footage appeared both intangible and inhuman, carrying a notion that the war was safe and under control due to technologically advanced equipment. “Satellite witnessing involves exposing information-based, simulated, and composite forms of violence that often trying to hide themselves or pass in seemingly innocent discourses of “monitoring”, “peacekeeping”, “protection”, or “global security” (Parks 138).

Food for Thought: Entertainment Industry

The entertainment industry, Hollywood glamor, and all that bullshit, is a strange yet powerful phenomenon. I have yet to untangle all my thoughts and opinions surrounding it..

But it is clear that this industry greatly impacts our lives. It feeds and provides us with constant escapement, full of false hope and intangible material worth. In satisfying the thirst and hunger for escapement, we then feel accepted and ‘a part of the neighbourhood’; we feel "normal" as we watch and scrutinize the "freaks" on reality television.

The entertainment industry is also capable - and quite successful - at creating opinions for us. A recent example that springs to mind is the Academy Awards show. The Oscars have always been a big “extravaganza” in Hollywood culture. During the red carpet special, we tend to laugh as the red carpet hosts label and scrutinize both the celebrity’s appearance and attire. If someone is labeled “worst dressed”, the whole world seems to nod and agree with disgust. Similarly, once someone is honored and labeled as “best dressed”, the world agrees with delight. Suddenly, department stores rush to replicate similar styles; and before you can even blink, women are parading around in “Angelina Jolie style”, or whatever the case may be.

In my opinion, the entertainment industry acts as a pincer, forcing people to accept behaviors in order to fit in. A pincer: a military maneuver that attempts to surround an enemy by simultaneous attack from the front and two side columns that curve around the enemy and back toward each other.

This industry essentially makes it impossible to escape.

"Everybody comes to Hollywood They wanna make it in the neighborhood They like the smell of it in Hollywood How could it hurt you when it looks so good"

Thought of the Day

"We have a whole world that's fascinated by weakness and tends to take strength for granted. And you can see this everywhere. To learn about health we study disease. To learn about joy and meaning and fulfillment in life we study depression. There are 40,000 clinical studies on depression and less than 400 on joy. That doesn't mean you shouldn't study depression, the point I suppose is that studying depression tells you nothing about joy.

People think that if you study bad an invert it you'll get good. But we're wrong. You study bad and invert it you get "not bad". And "not bad" is not the same as good."

-Marcus Buckingham

Listening Right This Second

Divine Brown - Sunglasses, co-written with Nelly Furtado.

My Other Half

My best friend, N, is about to embark on yet another adventure to Hong Kong (for two whole months!) She is excited, anxious, and ready (well, almost..minus a few packing details; she tends to leave things till the very last possible minute.) Although I am sad to see her leave, I am completely and utterly excited for her to experience such an amazing opportunity. She has been feeling a little restless, so I know she needs a bit of an escapement. Alas, it's still hard; but I know, once our consistent Skype chats, emails, and Facebook notes get rolling, it's like she has never even left (let alone is living in a completely different time zone).

When she is away, I still learn and experience everything with her, so rrreally..it's like I'm in HK too :) Even though she is miles away, I hear and see it all - from her intense model makeup, to genetically modified apples, to pet pigs, to drunken stories, and to the details about all the friends and boys ;) she meets. Really, she shares it all with me, which makes me still feel like a whole; as opposed to just a half, without her as my other half of course.

I think of all the adventures we have had, together and alone, and I think…wow, I am so glad that she is my best friend. It makes me smile that, after all these years, we are still attached at the hip. We have grown up into two, beautiful, independent, and successful women. Yes, we still have so much ahead of us, but together we have already come so far.

February 2009
Sean-bons birthday @ The Drake

April 2007
haha ridiculous city adventures

Grade 12, Saturday night...
hmm, definitely heading to State Theater

Summer of grade 11 (good night ;)

Halloween 2008
bare feet + hot spicy sour soup - cabs
= longest night ever

Christmas break 2008
Oh the holidays, amazing as always

N, have an amazing trip. Miss you already. See you in two months (it'll fly right by..it always does :) Love you to the moon and back, with all my heart.
Xo Jess

Dabbling into Poetry

As you may or may not already know, I have a creative writing workshop coming up...a poetry workshop. Yikes. I find poetry to be slightly difficult, particularly in regard to rhythm. Anyway, here are a few works in progress. Comments and feedback is welcomed and greatly appreciated,

full fur
irate lips
pop television receivers
pink panties
skinny savage
intangible world of nothingness
cartoon candy
bountiful botox
raw skin claws reality
and we're off, off, to Never Land
- Jess

My Mother told me I would meet a nice boy,
who would love me very much.
She was right, I met a nice boy, who loved my very much.
And so, I experienced love;
bloody murder, selfish truths, generous experiments,
intangible words, and tear stained pillow cases.
So I safely assume falling in love to be exponentially different.
- Jess

Happy Wednesday (hump day :) everyone!

Rethinking A Few Things

Today, the way we are addressing our world's social, environmental, political, and even personal issues is drastically changing. More than ever, we can easily fulfill our curiosity, ease our concern, and entertain ourselves with the vast array of online user generated content. Cleverly and accurately nicknamed “the explainer” by Wired Magazine, cultural anthropologist Michael Wesch powerfully defines and describes the impact of user generated content. After two years of studying a remote indigenous culture in the rain forest of Papua New Guinea, Wesch has interestingly turned his attention to the effects of social media, online encounters, and digital technology on global society.

His new and innovative exploration on the effects of new media, on both our society and culture, caught on like wildfire. His videos – posted via YouTube – on technology, education, and new information have been viewed by millions, translated in over ten languages, and are even featured at international film festivals and major academic conferences worldwide. Wesch’s work is renowned and well recognized with several major awards, including a Wired Magazine Rave Award and the John Culkin Award for Outstanding Praxis in Media Ecology.



One of his videos in particular, and probably his most profound, "An Anthropological introduction to YouTube" takes a critical look at the way content is being created, remixed, and shared via YouTube. It's truly phenomenal to see how quickly content can travel and transform across the world in so many different and creative ways. From the classic "Charlie Bit Me" to "Scarlet Takes a Tumble", we suddenly see user generated content and participation in many ways; people remixing the very content, participation on comment threads, the millions of views, and the abundance of literal sharing (via blog embedding, emails, etc).

So what does all this mean? And where is this all going? Well, as more, and more, advancements and applications develop, the results are ever changing. A year from now, even 6 months from now, our online user experience will continue to enhance and develop, even further.



I agree with Wesch in that we need to rethink a few things in regard to copyright, government, privacy, ethics, authorship, love, family, identity, and ourselves; for the web is no longer just linking information. The web is linking people. Web 2.0 is linking people. We are linking people. Essentially, we have become the web. We are the web.

Inspirational Motivation

Life is funny in the sense that those bursting moments of inspiration, hope, or power come at times when you least except. Prior to presenting my speech this evening (which went so well, I am so proud of myself :), I was both moved and motivated by the speech of a friend and classmate who performed shortly before me. He was completely and utterly captivating, enlightening everyone on the power of focus, goals, and destiny. Ironically enough, just as I was beginning to feel "plan-ness" and rather "unsure" earlier today, his speech quickly reminded me of how much control I really do have on my future. His speech was beautifully motivational. So I suppose if I don't make it to the speech competition, I hope he does :P

Don't lose sight of your goals, even for a second; for if you do, you will only discourage and detour yourself from your dreams and destiny.

Vulnerable State

Have you ever experienced that feeling when you take a big deep breath in, your chest feels impacted with weight and the corners of your eyes pinch from tears? That feeling when, suddenly, you feel slightly unsure and sensitively vulnerable. You feel almost trapped - in an uneasy state of limbo - between your current tasks at hand and plans for the future. I call this feeling, an emotional chest ache. Because when it strikes, even if only for a moment, it feels as though your chest weavers from every deep inhale; while the exhale, releases yet another thought or ponder over the matter.

Well, I'm currently experiencing a few chest aches; perhaps in regard to all the positive yet scary changes happening in my life. To name a few, I am graduating, looking to start my career (damn this market turmoil), in a new and uncontrollably exciting relationship, my best friend is leaving to embark on another adventure, I am leaving Londy-Lane for good, and my core group of friends is parting in all sorts of different directions this summer.

Yes, it's definitely a season of change. And while I'm embracing every single moment of it, it's still scary to not have a set concrete "plan", especially in regard to my career. Thankfully, I am blessed with supportive parents and have all sorts of options, such as to enroll for my masters. Alas, I just feel a bit lost in the mix of things. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing my favorite people this Friday for dinner, drinks, and dancing. And a few kisses from my someone special wouldn't hurt either.

When experiencing chest ache...breathe in, breathe out. And search for the solutions within yourself.

"I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you." –Oprah Winfrey

Final Speech Debut

Tomorrow night is my final speech debut, drum roll please! I will be giving an 8 minute speech on activism in hopes to enlighten my fellow classmates on the importance to get up, do something, and act.

I decided to write my speech on this subject because I truly believe that we all possess inner-activist strength, but sadly, many of us fail to actually act. We find it too difficult to pause and take a moment from our busy schedules to actually do something. And today, more than ever, we have the means and accessibly to do something; so in order to make a difference; big, small, or seemingly insignificant, we need to act.

I'm super excited, a tad nervous, but well prepared, so everything should go according to plan :)

Wish me luck!
xo Jess

Jessica Muhlbier Dot Com

"Did You Buy YourName.com Already?
All right let’s put this straight: if you read Daily Blog Tips regularly, there are good chances that one day you will become a web celebrity. If that is the case, you should register YourName.com before someone else does.

Now jokes apart, even if you just blog for hobby, I think it would be a wise idea to secure YourName.com. You never know what might happen in the future, what direction your career might take and so on, and for $9, registering your name on the Internet should definitely be worth it. Depending on your professional field, you could also use a website as a resume, and YourName.com is definitely the right domain for such a site.

Finally, owning YourName.com also reduces the chances of someone googling your name and finding the website of someone else. Google ergo sum is what they say. So what are you waiting for?" - Daniel Scocco on June 7, 2008

Hmm, Daniel makes a both very interesting and very valid point. I will likely become a web celebrity therefore I should buy my domain name, and fast!

Doodles

I am an in-class "doodler" and proud of it! I just read in Wired Magazine that doodlers may appear "distracted", but in reality they are probably paying better attention than those whose pencils are still. By occupying the brain just enough to keep it from wandering off into a daydream, doodling can improve memory of what the ears are hearing.

Take that Mr. Forest! (my grade 3 teacher who constantly said "Jessica, quit your doodling and pay attention").

So Long Soymilk

So, I am a big big fan of soymilk. I love it with my cereal, oatmeal, tea, coffee, and sometimes even baked goods. I switched to soymilk when I was 16 or 17 years old. Why soymilk you ask? Well actually, (just a little FYI), pasteurized milk may be good for your bones but evidence proves that pasteurized cow's milk leads to many digestive problems, especially for adults. The culprit isn't the milk itself but actually the pasteurization process. Once cows milk is pasteurized, we lose the ability to assimilate its calcium into our bloodstream.

Since I thought soymilk was far superior and preferred the actual taste, I whole wholeheartedly turned to soymilk. But nnnow I am learning that soymilk contains phytoestrogens, which disrupts hormonal balance and decreases thyroid function. As a female, the last thing I need is hormonal imbalance! Yikes! So, as of today, I am officially banning soymilk from my diet. I think I will switch to almond milk, it seems to be the healthiest alternative for me.

Here are some good milk alternatives (in no particular ranking order):
1. Raw Milk
The calcium and nutrients in raw milk are easy to absorb; however if introducing raw milk into your diet, start with just a few ounces per day until your system adjusts.
2. Goat Milk
Though a tad pricey, apparently goats' milk is rich in proteins and is much easier to digest than cow's milk.
3. Almond Milk
Unsweetened, enriched almond milk is rich in protein and lower in carbs than other nondairy alternatives. I've had almond milk and enjoy
4. Rice Milk
This works well in baking and in hot beverages although the sugar content is almost three times the carbs and 1/8 protein of cow's milk.