#the cheese we buy from shared money is always sliced because she prefers is this way and she's the only one who eats it but like. let me

[drysauce]

noooo my friend just. went and took half of the cheese i bought for myself without asking me so i have to go shopping AGAIN today hhhhhhh

[badgirl2chainz-blog]

! S T A G E C O A C H !

Hi all! SO I am totally not a writer but against my better judgment I wanted to share blogs with whomever cares enough to read them about my experiences at my favorite thing to do in the world – yep you guessed it, attend music festivals. I figured what better way than to take a break from all the regular and rather negative social media talk than to read about something that is becoming so popular. The point of my blogs is mostly for me, to remember my experiences when I’m old and grey and most likely getting wheel chaired into my next festival. But I thought why not share my thoughts and opinions and see if others can relate to yours truly. Most importantly I want to look back and see what a wild time I had.

My first blog is about is California’s biggest country music festival, Stagecoach, otherwise known as Ragecoach, yes I unfortunately was even guilty for writing that on an Instagram caption, once or uhm maybe twice. If you’ve never been you’ve most definitely heard that slogan on the radios from January until the last weekend of April every year. It can get pretty exhausting if you have zero interest in country music, but for every High School senior, it is truly the most exciting commercial to hear.  I can relate because I was that High School senior.

I went to my first Stagecoach my Junior Year of High School. I had always gone to concerts and fun events before this, but never had I gone to 3 day music festival. I was through the roof. My pals and I chatted about what we wearing, what songs should be on our mix CD’s, what classes we were missing, what the weather was going to be etc. etc. etc. Our wristbands were pure gold to us and we kept them on for months after the festival ended. Rather disgusting now that I think about it, but I still have every wristband and every box it has arrived in. Oh and of course my Mom made me go to school that Monday, but that was always the golden rule – if you play you gotta pay. 

Entering the polo fields whether it’s Stagecoach or Coachella, (hopefully my next blog), is truly a euphoric experience. Sounds so lame, but I get giddy just thinking about it. And if you’re with me, or anything like me, it is a scene and a half. Yes you are sweating, yes your buzz might be fading, yes you are tired, yes you are sore, but man you are stoked. You are so proud of your outfit, whether you’re wearing a cute country dress or an American flag vest with a matching doo-rag, you feel like the 10 that you are. You are stoked that the alcohol you poured in sunscreen bottles made it in safely, so stoked that you will literally high five any drunk guy that you pass by. The ferris wheel is spinning and the cops on horses are roaming around and you are ready, ready to get to that 4:00 pm artist who just happens to be Eli Young Band and you had already told yourself you are not going to miss them.

From babies with huge noise cancelling headphones, to adult men wearing nothing but a thong to cover their gentleman parts, stagecoach has it all. It definitely caters to every ones’ needs because, to be honest, not everyone that attends, are actually country fans. That thought never bothered me because the more the merrier in my opinion. Most people pregame to EDM or rap but luckily my friends and I have always kept it festive and pregamed to our favorite Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan songs – whether or not they were performing. We may or may not have thrown in the Tesoro Rap once or twice but hey gotta keep that Titan pride forever baby!!

Stagecoachs attendance has people on both ends of the spectrum, it definitely has those cute families that look forward to Stagecoach all year round and you best believe that they were making Jell-O shots the whole week before to prepare.  It also has those girls that are just excited to wear their $100 cowboy boots for their first time and get that perfect boomerang with the caption saying “Yeeeeehawwww” or “Save a horse, ride Brad”. But my favorite type of Stagecoach goers are those older couples that bring their chairs and blankets and set up a cozy camp so far away from the stage, but you can tell that they are just as excited to see Blake Shelton as you are.

Now lets talk about something rather important. Food and Drinks. Holy Moly the lemonade. Even as an almost 22 year old, I would still prefer lemonade as my poison for the weekend. It is so refreshing and goes great with a nice slice of Spicy Pie Pizza, an all time Mamafred favorite! Getting a wristband to drink is definitely time consuming but most necessary, too many youngins have received MIP’s and MIC’s. A lil tidbit piece of advice would be to eat before you enter because yeah the food can be extremely expensive and if you aren't fortunate enough to have a best friend whose Mom makes a killer bbq chicken salad, then yeah please eat before. Oh and by the way, Stagecoach is actually one of those festivals that doesn’t have designated drinking areas and you can walk around with alcohol in your hands – clutch.

GA or VIP? Well I have been fortunate enough to experience both sides. I spent some time in VIP with my family and it was so fun, you are so close to the stage and it’s the perfect time for photo ops. The lines for drinks are so much shorter than in GA, I definitely took that for granted when I went back in GA the next day.  In all honesty, it’s all about preference, I would have to say GA is more fun though, yes it’s more crowded but it’s the type of rowdy you signed up for and should expect. I would suggest you save your VIP money, get a GA ticket and have extra cash for some beer and/or lemonade. Shout out to Mom for buying me a $28 grilled cheese in VIP, I will always love you for that one.

Being able to attend Stagecoach has been one of my favorite parts of going away for college, being able to see your high school crew and your family all in one fun ass weekend is something I will never take for granted. The crew has added new friends over the years and the Freddy’s even got Brady to join in the most recent year. He doesn’t like country but like I said, as a High School senior he still had a grand ole time. My goal in life is to go to Stagecoach with my future daughter and with Mamafred. I have no doubt in my mind that Mamafred and I will be able to show her the ropes accordingly.

One particular pal of mine has been such a trooper and has made her way back to the west coast to attend Stagecoach with all of us. She even surprised us all and let me tell you, I blubbered like a baby, but hey ever since that day I have been so thankful for American airlines for letting me have her for the weekend - they truly helped make our round 5 that much better, together.

There is truly nothing more heart warming than thinking of you and your crew dancing to the Sunday night headliner, singing at the top of your lungs, telling each other how much you love them, and completing ignoring the fact that you have an 8 am in another state.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope everyone who attends Stagecoach this year has a blast, especially since Uncle Kenny’s hotter when the sun goes down.

P.S. meet at the boot ;)

[sayuriart]

8 Strategies for a More Efficient Home

Description :

Life only gets busier and busier. Ever since the industrial revolution, we do more and more. In recent decades, advances in technology allow us to stay far more connected, at the cost of being far busier. Staying on top of your life, and your home, has never been a bigger challenge. 

We’ve identified eight strategies that can help you be more efficient at home. They range from embracing technology all the way down to how you shop at the grocery store. The goal is embrace a few of these tactics so that you can get a little bit more free time without losing your productivity. 

1. Buy Groceries Pre-Cut

You don’t realize how much time you spend cutting, chopping, shredding, dicing, mincing, and slicing as you prepare a meal. And, awhile back, someone brilliant thought it would be a good idea to start selling food in the grocery store where they had already done all of this for you. 

Nowadays, you can buy your cheese shredded and your garlic minced. You can buy your vegetables chopped and your deli meat sliced. You might already be buying one or two of these items pre-cut, but have you ever sat down and evaluated all of the areas you could save time by going all-in on this?

Next time you make a store list, spend a minute going through it and asking the question “Can I buy this pre-cut?” If so, do it. You’ll be surprised by how many things you can buy pre-cut. Not sure if it comes pre-cut? Put a question mark next to it, and look for it at the store. Ask a clerk if you can’t find it easily.

Yes, typically speaking, the pre-cut version of the food is a little but more expensive. If you’re on a tight budget, it might not be the best option for right now. But, in my experience, the amount of time you’ll save far outweighs the slight cost increase. 

2. Purchase a Smart Lock for your Front Door

There are several benefits to having a smart lock on your front door. First and foremost, you’ll be the ire of all of your neighbors with your cool looking dead bolt, and state of the art entry mechanism. And, that’s worth it alone right?

On a serious note, for starters you won’t have to manage the number of keys you have floating around to your house any longer. At a certain point, you start to lose track of how many spare keys you have floating around, and it isn’t particularly safe. Also, you’ll never have to worry about leaving your keys and being locked out of your house. It only takes that happening once for you to realize how frustrating that is (and how big of a waste of time)!

You also won’t have to deal with having to make and transfer a key to family members, friends that are in town, housekeepers and maintenance workers… the list goes on. 

Keyless locks come in two basic types - one’s that utilize a number pad, and one’s that utilize technology. If you’re worried about wireless security, you might opt for the number pad version. However, there are several additional benefits that come with the technologically smart version. 

Your door will automatically unlock as you approach it with your smart phone on you. Also, you can quickly issue access to friends and family through their smartphone, and set boundaries on how long it is accessible for.

Lets take a real life example that just happened to me. I forgot to turn off our lights before leaving for a long weekend. I quickly texted my neighbor, and gave her access through her phone to our front door for 2 hours. She ran over and turned the lights off. Voila!

3. Cook in a Crockpot

If only I had known about this in college. Did you know it was possible to open your fridge, grab a couple of things, throw them into a crockpot, walk away for 4-8 hours, and come back to an amazing meal?

It’s a little more complicated than that, but not by much. A crockpot is a very simple cooking appliance, and it seems that almost everything you put in it comes out tasting good. And, with very little effort. 

Related: 31 Crockpot Freezer Meals for Busy Weeknights

Take this recipe, for example: four frozen chicken breasts and a can of salsa. Dump both into a crockpot, set on low, and when you come home from work or errands, you’ll have an amazing meal. Wrap it in a tortilla and put a little cheese on top, and several of my friends have commented that it tasted better than the local Mexican restaurant. 

Crockpots are amazing because they save you both time and money. The time savings are obvious – the slow cooking components of the process allow you to do very little prep to end up with a great meal. However, you can also save a lot of money with a crockpot. Typically, you can make an amazing meal with much cheaper meat. Again, the slow cooking process breaks down the meat into something quite good. Chuck roast, pork shoulder – these cuts of meat taste amazing in the crockpot, and could usually be purchased very inexpensively.

4. Buy in Bulk

You’ve probably heard this one from your mother at some point, but it is so true. Buying in bulk saves you money, but it also saves you so much time. 

It’s painful at first. It never seems like it's going to be very expensive until you get to the checkout line. Almost as painful is trying to figure out where to store it all. Who has room for 28 rolls of paper towels? And that 5 gallon drum of 409? Ok, I exaggerate, but you get the point. If you live in a small home, or don’t have a lot of storage, you do need to take this into consideration. 

But then the benefits kick in. You rarely have to make those emergency runs to the store to get just one item. Your life is interrupted far less by the need to go to the neighbor’s for an egg. 

And again, the savings are definitely there. You get a discount when you buy in bulk, and you’ll notice the savings over time. Just make sure you have a track record of using it before you buy in bulk. Otherwise, you might end up with a whole lot of something that looked good but didn’t turn out so.

5. Use Technology for List Creation

All this talk of what to buy, how much of it to buy, and how to cook it… you need a good list to keep track of everything. And if you’re still making your lists with pen and paper, or even on a computer, its time to leverage technology for that.

There are a plethora of apps available for your phone that you can create and update a list on in real time. The best part of this is that you always have your list on you, whether at home, at the store, or on the go. Whenever you think of something you need, you can quickly add it to your list.

Another benefit is that you can share these lists with others. So, for example, if your husband or wife lets you know that they need to stop by the store on the way home from work, you can quickly share the list with them and they can grab everything you need.

Better yet, share the app with others in your home that have a role in that list. That way, all can add to it in real time, and all can check it off in real time.

Lists don’t just have to be for the store. They can be for household projects, homework assignments, and long term journaling. I actually have a list on my phone for when I think of a good gift for someone. 

6. Unsubscribe from Junk Snail Mail

Yes, it’s possible. I won’t say that there is an easy button for it, but with a little work, you can rid yourself of the vast majority of junk mail that you receive. I know because I’ve done it. 

For starters, start to think closer about where you are using your address on forms. Try to be more mindful of not giving out your address if possible. 

Your first action item is to contact the Direct Marketing Association and let them know you want to stop receiving junk mail. They call it “offers” that you have participated in, but you get the picture. It’s very easy to do, and will start to stem the flow of endless junk snail mail.

Next, sign up for TrustedID Mail Preference Service. It’s free, and you can search for individual companies that you get junk mail from, and opt out. Spend an evening doing that.

Last, try taking advantage of PaperKarma, an app that lets you opt out of snail mail. As they say “Snap a photo. Stop junk mail and unwanted catalogs”.

Junk mail takes minutes every day to deal with, but those minutes add up to hours and hours every year. 

7. Rethink your Chores

House chores are never ending. Just when you finish a chore, it seems like its time to start on it all over again. And, if you fall behind, it can seem like a tremendous hurdle to get caught back up.

For many, the reason you fall behind on chores is a never-ending spiral that has to do with how you fundamentally approach those chores. As you get behind, the chores stack up. So, when you finally get around to doing the chore, it’s typically more extensive and time consuming to get it completed. This means that it takes longer, setting you even further behind on your other chores. And so the cycle goes.

Try re-thinking your chores. For starters, break each chore up into smaller components that can be done piece by piece. As an example, instead of vacuuming the entire house once per week, try vacuuming one room each day. This is much easier to accomplish, and a lot easier to catch up on if you miss one day.

Next, think about ways to make the chore simpler. Sticking with our vacuuming example, invest in a stick vacuum to put in a downstairs closet near your high traffic areas. These lightweight, easy-to-use vacuums come with cordless models, so you can whip it out and just vacuum the kitchen and dining room in a matter of minutes. 

Finally, follow the 80/20 rule, which says that “80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.” In other words, 80% of the effects from vacuuming comes from 20% of your efforts. How does this apply? Basically, it’s better to vacuum frequently, but not spend as much time on it, rather than doing an in-depth vacuum job infrequently.

You can still do a detailed vacuuming job, but perhaps that is best reserved for once per month.

Take the vacuuming example and apply to all the various chores you have. The goal is rethink how you approach your chores to focus on shorter sprints of execution. This will make you more efficient, while still giving you a majority of the results.

8. Go Smart

We talked earlier about adding a keyless entry to your front door, and mentioned that you could do this with a smart door lock. However, you don’t have to stop there. 

“Smart” is the term used of late to refer to home automation, or the automating of tasks at home. In practice, its less about automation, and more about making your life easier through incorporating various technologies. 

Here are a few areas we have added smart technology to our home, with great success:

• Smart Thermostat: Our air conditioning and heating system is now hooked up to a smart thermostat. You can still control it from the unit in your home, but you can now also access through an app on your phone. More importantly, the thermostat learns your patterns over time, and gradually sets the house to the temperature you prefer. This results in ease-of-use, while also saving you money on your energy bill in the long run.

• Smart Sprinkler System: Our sprinkler system now connects to the internet, getting updated on the weather. When it is going to rain, the sprinklers automatically turn off. You can also access this from an app on your phone. On a really hot day, sometimes I’ll turn on my sprinklers for an extra cycle in the evening, from my phone. 

• Amazon Echo: Amazon’s Echo is a hands-free, intelligent, personal assistant that responds to voice commands. It connects to a majority of your other devices. There are dozens of benefits, but my favorite ties in to a previously mentioned tip. You can update your lists simply through a voice command.

Conclusion 

There are numerous other ways to make your home smart, from tying in your lighting to your entertainment to your security. Each comes with an initial upfront cost, but will save you time and money over the long run. 

Our culture of busy can make keeping a home up challenging at times. Combatting this business with some of these efficiency tactics can free up some time for you, while still keep you on task. 

*by andreascy*

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[whimsically-ominously-auspice]

Our old ladies making sandwiches in the Bronx.

I asked the kids "do you know any older people that might need a home? May be down the street or near you? For real cheap? Lesser than they paying now?"

"Yeah! My gramma!!"

"My aunt!"

"Oh shit yeah! My gramma I'm taking off to get her now!"

I wanted single parents we were so lucky to be across the street from the park so we could ask them. Kids are typically more honest than adults.. Have less greed but more worries but have that shelter of an older person to look after them so less desperation to lie.

So we had them old grammas and a young single aunt raising her sister's kids in there making sandwiches. All the time. No peanut butter and jelly unless they asked. Only meat from behind the glass at the deli that was sliced special just for us. They called it the bakery they been there so long. I called it a bodega. They called themself a Grocer. Its still there, too. And we had the cheese sliced special. Only the bread was precut and the kids liked SunBeam best. Miracle whip.

I knew they couldn't afford that kinda stuff and the money my parents left me after their death... I knew that was what they would want. To treat them women good as they went special to get their orders all cut.

I knew back on slavery days they did it often. And they could not eat the meat -- most didn't have the permission. Had to buy a whole chicken and thaw and cook it and cut it themselves. It was the cheapest of ways.

But this way they could go on and get for us and take a pound of meat and cheese home. And a loaf of bread.

For $5 a day and the promise of a house.

I loved loved loved talking to my old ladies but man as the boys tore the houses down, their stories tore my heart apart.

It didn't rake the joy out of me. It helped establish the principle. And one with the worst stories of all she said when she had us ALL crying "please promise me you'll help more black people"

"I can't help but to have to at this point in my career"

"Where do you get the money? You always smile and walk away. Don't you dare walk out that door! I already see you smile all big and bright! Now you tell me or we will all cry again and you don't want that do you? Or do you? You can tell me if you're mean and evil with a smile that bright it is a question!"

I pushed the smile down my throat to stop my tears and keep me from bawling and to give me half the strength of the women before me. I tried to hide behind my legs...,

"I'm an orphan"

"You a what? An orphan?! Then how you get the money? Your parents are all dead!"

I nodded slowly and smiled sadly

"Oh they must been rich then huh?"

And that bright smile came out in me.

"Oh now I see why you always smiling? And you believe they want you to do all this with the meat and all? Oh dear I'm getting choked up!"

Tears slid down my face and the apartment had these Windows that seemd to shine down light like it was from the Heavens.

"My mom... Would want you and you to have a home, a place to call your own. She used to work in a bar. All of you. My dadda, too. See They died when I was very young. Just a few years ago, not too long ago, and i slept on the bar floor for 3 weeks waiting for my mom to return. We knew my dadda was far too gone... It was a mystery i try to repeat in my head so i can find him, you know...,but i cannot. So 3 weeks ago.. Now now it's been months. Now almost 4 months. And we had news of my dad's confirmed death. And i had millions! So i decided to buy some apartment complexes to make more money. But once i got into I realized my heart didn't care! It wasn't good enough! My mom and my dadda. My real dad would want me to do MORE for the good people of this Earth. I know Because i would see my mommas bright smiling face after i bought these apartments and she looked happy but she told me alwsys in her heart "you could do more" which didn't make no sense. I had enough money for 3 lifetimes! I know she told me,that in a dream! So,she told me about all the people at the bar who needed money but drank it all away because they weren't all happy at home and it had to do with their social life and a lot more. And the last thing she said to me was "teach the kids" so i had all these clues and I didn't know what the hell to do! So we were out there working I was overseeing equipment being hailed up to renovate and this kid, a precious nine year old came up and asked me how much they cost, were they free? And that son of a bitch told me "people around here are poor. They can't afford any new housing" and he disappeared like right before my eyes like a ghost or apperition. And so i thought. Took me 2 nights of dreaming and thinking and tossing and turning. And I thought, that kid is right! I couldn't afford no housing if my parents hadn't left me money! So i did some experiments with a Jesse we call Jesse James and i vowed not to be a hypocrite but a blessing! And so this is what is not an experiment but LIFE. Life for me for all of you And for my parents money to keep on giving for eternity! Now how does that feel for just a bright smile in an answer?!"

They started bawling. I started to laugh.

"Oh y'all dry your tears. Every thing will be alright. You doing okay do you need anything? You all got your food to take home and all?"

"We are tired of this meat!! That's all we eat day in and day out!"

"Well how about some collard greens?"

,...

These were wonderful women. They got $5 per day plus their hours.

One woman got her house done in less than a month. But she wanted to stay cooking.

So, I paid her $100 per day. But she didn't like it. She said it was too much.

She said that $5 per day was wonderful! Saved her So many many times.

So we worked her a plan. She paid each girl $15 and she kept $40

And I explained "you're giving away $60 and keeping $40 that is more than half you're giving away"

And all them girls were so happy... They did celebrate with tears and smiles and hugs. Then when each got $100 they all shared. Exactly the same. $15 to each and $40 for just themselves.

Until finally one day I was paying $500 per day up from only $25 to have sandwiches made or soup or steak or them ole collard greens with the recipe I remembered.

And I was happy.

My parents had left me 13.4 billion dollars. And I intended to give it all away with hard work and dedication.

In one month all across the world single parents and single guardians got homed in 875 different houses.

Iran. Iraq. London. Bangkok. Japan. Australia. New Zealand had 4. South America. Brazil. Hawaii. Alaska. Newfoundland. Holland. Quebec. Alabama. Saudi Arabia would be finished in two weeks. All across the world with the help of the United Nations.

No one country was exempt, they would all have homes provided by me. With just a little labor and love. Mostly single moms and dads with babies, or guardians especially were touching my soul every day raising their family's kids just because they love.

Eventually 12.4 billion dollars was spent and so created the Habitat for Humanity to carry on and make more money to keep building for families all across the world.

Habitat for Humanity was for my parents legacy.

Rock the Vote for Ms Chen's who not only raised me but brought me up and carried me when i needed to be in the political asylum I never wanted to be in and only she could teach.

And for Miss Roberta we did hit those Harlem streets -- hard. The most predominantly black neighborhoods of all. In NYC my homes are 96% in Harlem.

My money makers are 29% in Harlem on low income $15 or so per month never over $100. I save it for a rainy day. Like during Quarentine were paying to keep their lights on. They own but we charge like a condo fee. And if they need a new roof, we pay for it. We pay for all maintenance.

Unlike the others that don't pay monthly, they're on their own if they have any problems.

But i was running out of money and houses were getting too expensive. So we worked that out. And it works just fine. They are fancier, too.

I bought some hardware companies to make it easier on cost and so they got super upgrades on chandeliers and such Which are outrageous expensive to customers but not to the store themselves. Huge Mark up. So we were able to make them much fancier to warrent the monthly fee. Plus the promise to take care of all materials. We still prefer the neighbors get out and help one another for $5 a day plus free food cooked by one of the neighbors.

And i love it. Its like a dream come true.

Its a good world out there if we just look for it when help make it so.