#wtf do americans put in their vodka

[everyone-with-a-para]

I hope everyone with a para that drinks a lot has a good day

[rodbei]

Barbecue bacon burger

Øhm ok i wanted to do this before the party yesterday but now im doing on the train on my way home home on the train

Yesterdayyyy i woke up gave red their fucking vacumm back and we went to school its fucking foggy all the time rn

We had film to start of with we learnt about editing, and omg were watching bits of this one movie AND I WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENDS am going insane. But we were in a group of me red a dude who ive become freinds with calleddddd "mail" cause its funny we had the edit this one clip and omg its was so funny me and red had to be acting togheter and holy shit we cant act omg. But theyre was this one girl in our class omg i felt so bad they dont say a lot at all and suddenly they just dissapeered and red was talking about how they werent talking alot and they were scared of keeping them iut if the projekt i added it was their own peoblem and suddenly they emerge from behind this cirner say they were sorry they dident talk alot and we felt so badd ahhhh red tried to comfort them but i think they went home after class wa.

They we had history it was fine i understood more this time but i still hate the way it teached cause it such an intresting subjeckt SO WHY DONT I UNDERSTAND SHIT UR SAYING.

Then we had math and i drew smallish beans and red said we should cosplay hermitcraft togheter i hope we can do it could be so fuuuunn.

After school i found out my back bike whell of my bike WITH UNBREAKABLE wheels had a fucking punctured wheel im screaming mail fixes it but the air was out before we were homing and omg i was sweating on my way home it gets 10 degress varmer on the way home every day so its super cold and then its super varm so im always SWEATING on the way home.

But i got home and procrastinated taking a shower for two hours on tiktok when i finally took a shower i realised it hink im losing weight?! And i dont know how to feel about it. At boarding school always felt horrible cause they gave us so much food and we never really did anything physical so i always felt bad eating wich is fucking stupid and now its like im never really hungry in the same was also i bike 10 km every day so i guess its nice but also wtf.

Anyway after my shower i made the best pb and j with banana ever and called my bf to watch 2 episodes of stranger things YIPPE we also just yapped alot and i hung up my posters i live my bf hes so cute.

I was also weirdly overstimulated after my shower but not overwhelmed more in the way that i could feel my hair in my face, my clothes touching my skin and just EVERYTHING also my toes touching and that everything was sticking to my feet ew ew ew.

But i put a hat on some comfy clothes and socks and it was only a midly horrible.

Then i died for tan hour tryin to figure out what to wear to the party cause it was fucking childs birthday themed. I landed on twd shirt with short pants funky socks and converse yippe.

Then i struggeld to find kale to go to rema but o found them we struggeld to find ea who had a car or somthing. And then mail the whimsical just kinda s p a w n e d. But the car dident car so we just walked to rema and i got some smirnoff and energy drink and alchohol and an AMERICAN lollypop i mean it fit the theme but mail kept saying i was patriotic?! BARBECUE BACON BURGER we go tot the party and then we left to make mails gross gross microwave burger and his choclate milk 😭 i had a LOT of energy oh and red spawned even tho they dislike parties. I went back and fourth frlm the party to them and i drank some smirnoff and here it gets a bittt blurry me and mail had a bit with BARBECUE BACON BURGER cause both him and red dont drink so they were just following me around eventually i got a drink from the bar and omfg shit just tasted like straight up vodka omfg it was eww i also paid some one for a party hat but i paid them with the rest of my lollipop pls wtf😭 i also called viggo at some point and me and mail kept screaming BARBECUE BACON BURGER at eachother omg.

I also called viggo at somepoint THEN I WON IN UNO AGAIN RED AND MAIL YIPPE im a god at uno fr fr. I ran around a lot it was fun i also did reds dishesss?? And mail walked me home at like 23 or somthing and called viggo and went to beddd. OH SHIT RED TOOK A VIDEO OF ME OH NO i tried to do the HOTTOGO dance and i failed oh noooooo

Song of yesterday was the meme BARBECUE BACON BURGER

- Redbei 09:06 21 sep on a train so so eepy

[heronducks]

THE LAST HOURS AS VINES

----------------

Matthew: hey guys I'm really sad

----------------

James: is there anything better than p*ssy

James: yes, a really good book

----------------

Christopher: look at this graph

----------------

Matthew (to alastair): imma fuckin ripp your face off, bitch

Christopher: what did he do?

Matthew: cause he fuckin pushed me!

----------------

Christopher: haha thAt is not cOrreCt

Christopher: because according to the encyclopedia of pdldkskoajd

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Matthew: people are constantly asking what it's like to be a sexy–

Matthew: *trips and falls*

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Charles: no off topic questions

Charles: because I don't want to

Charles: no that– no

Charles: permission denied

Charles: that's an off topic question, next

Charles: you have been stOPPed

--------------

Cordelia: hey everyone today my brother pushed me so I started a kickstarter to put him down

Cordelia: the benefits of killing him would be I would get pushed way less

--------------

Anna: hey I'm lesbian

Christopher: I thought you were american british

---------------

Christopher: would you rather kill alastair or–

Matthew: yes. kill him.

Christopher: I didn't say the other–

Matthew: I don't need to hear it.

Alastair: feeling a little unsafe...

---------------

Anna: oh so you're not coming to my tea party?

Anna: Cordelia, I MADE BISCUITS

----------------

Matthew: I don't sing in the shower

Matthew: i PERFORM

-----------------

Alastair: stop saying I look like chicken little

Alastair: he's dumb and he's a coward

Alastair: and I'm NOT a coward

------------------

Christopher: an avocado thanksss

------------------

James and Cordelia: *kissing in the whispering room*

Matthew: wtf is this allowed

Matthew: wtf... is that allowed

Cordelia: stOp

------------------

*the first time in the hell ruelle*

Malcolm: has anybody ever told you you look like beyoncé

Cordelia: nah they usually tell me I look like cordelia

Malcolm: who the fuck is that

Cordelia: me

------------------

Alastair: oh hi thanks for checking in I'm still a piece of garbage

------------------

Matthew: so I'm sitting there, bbq sauce on my tiddies

James: *rolling on floor laughing*

------------------

James: *shoots a chandelier with a pistol*

Lucie: THIS IS WHY MOM DOESN'T FUCKING LOVE YOU

------------------

Matthew: Well, when life gives you lemons

------------------

Thomas: road work ahead?

Thomas: uh yeah I sure hope it does

------------------

Matthew: and just remember

Matthew: nobody is gonna hate you more than you already hate yourself

------------------

Christopher: HEY HEY HEY

Thomas: shhh james is sleeping

Christopher, whispering: sorry

Thomas, also whispering: what's up?

Christopher, still whispering: there's a fire

------------------

Lucie (about matthew and james): two bros chilling in a hot tub five feet apart cos they're not gay

------------------

Matthew: oscar do you want the ball

Matthew: *throws ball into a tower of bottles*

Oscar: *jumps to catch the ball*

--------------------

James: uaAAAAHHH

Matthew: staaahhhp I coulda dropped my croissant

--------------------

jesse: *sneaking on tiptoes through the house*

jesse: *trips and falls* ah fuck

lucie: who's there???

jesse: nobody fuck off

--------------------

James (to Will): you are my daaad

James: you're my dad!

James: boogie woogie woogie

--------------------

Matthew: *is asleep*

James: *pours water bottle on matthews head*

Matthew: hello?

-------------------

James (to alastair): I'm about to say it

James: I don't care that you broke your elbow

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Matthew: hey guys good alternative to recycling

Matthew: when you're done with a glass bottle, eat it

Matthew: fuckin eat the bottle

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Christopher, with his newly invented weapon: don't fuck with me I have the power of God and anime on my side

--------------------

Cordelia: hi im renata bliss and I'm your freestyle dance teacher

--------------------

Matthew: two shots of vodka

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James: don't tell your mother

Grace: kiss one another

James: DIE FOR EACH OTHER

----------------------

Thomas: man do you have any shaving cream?

Christopher: nah I don't like the way that it tastes

Thomas: wait you eat shaving cream

Christopher: no why would I eat it if I don't like the taste

---------------------

Grace: I spilled lipstick in your valentino bag

Tatiana: you spilled– whdoahdhskhaha liPSTICK in my vALENTINO WHITE BAG

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lucie to cordelia: dude I've heard rumors that these stairs are like haunted

lucie: apparently some guy died here when he was like 9 or something

jesse: im 17 so shut the fuck up

-------------------

[caughtred90]

I suppose it's not unique to feel lost right now... I feel lost. More than lost I feel like I can't wake up. I want things to change. I want to wake up so I can stop just existing. This chapter of my life has drug on too long. The story of the last few years of my life is pathetic and embarrassing. So much so I've never told anyone.

There's a man laying in my bed right now. I've been sleeping on the couch after a "fight." It wasn't a fight though. Even though this was just one of countless fluster clucks in this situationship, it was a wake up call. Wtf am I doing? How is this my life? How can I change this?

This time it had started after I went to the store and picked up a fifth of vodka. I brought it home, took a shot, and laid down for a nap. When I got up I found the bottle almost empty. My SO was standing with his back to me staring out the front window. I asked what happened to the vodka? He turned around and opened his arms to hug me. I saw that he was sobbing. Truly sobbing.

Him: "I must have drank it."

Me: "what's wrong??"

Him: "I'm overwhelmed."

Me: "about what?"

Him: "everything."

I had never seen him like that. He held me for awhile and then abruptly let go. Turned around grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

Me: "babe, wait!! You shouldn't drive, I'll drive you!!"

Him: "it's alright babe."

Me: "well, then let me come with you!"

Him: "no."

Me: "at least take your phone with you!!"

Him: "it's alright babe."

He jumped in his truck and drove off. We live in a rural neighborhood and it takes awhile to get to town. I was hoping he would realize he shouldn't be driving and come right back. I waited for hours with every scenario running through my head. I checked hospitals, jails, and text his mother. Nothing. Finally, I hear his truck pull up. I run out to him through the rain in my socks. As I approached his truck he stumbled out of the truck door. He was holding another almost empty fifth of vodka. He was still sobbing, probably worse than before. Snot was all over his face and he could barely stand. I ran up to hug him, but he pushed me away.

Me: "are you crazy?? Do you know how scared I've been? Let's go inside!"

Him: "stop and shutup, just shut the hell up!"

Me: "babe you're drunk, let's go inside and lay down. Do you trust me?"

Him: "I told you to shut the hell up! Do you trust me? Do. You. Trust. Me??"

Me: (absolutely not) "yes..."

He drags me over to the passenger side of his truck. Everytime I ask what's going on he tells me to shutup. He opens the passenger door and I see that the seat is laid all the way down and there's a pile of what looks like coats in the seat. I could only see the front seat, he hadn't opened the rear door yet. As I go to ask him yet again wtf, something moves under the coats. I gasp and jump back. He moves the coats and I see the legs of a young woman. I lean into the truck to see the top half of her. I see a youngish native woman laying there limp with her eyes closed.

Me: *panicking*

Him: "she's hurt real bad, she needs help. She's hurting really bad."

Me *continues to try to get answers and being told to shut up*

Him: "she needs help! We have to help her!"

I finally got a hold of myself and told him I'm going to call 911. He tells me "don't you dare." The woman leaned up slightly and seemed to mutter "I'm out." He pushed her back down and was hushing and soothing her. I started walking back into the house to call for help with my SO cursing and threatening me. As I got to my phone he ran back to his truck and sped off. I called 911 but only got a busy tone. I finally got a hold of an operator about fifteen minutes after he left. They took my story and said they would keep an eye out.... I told his mom what was going on and asked that if he showed up there to please let me know. I didn't sleep a minute that night. Did he hit her? Is she ok? Is he ok? About six A.M. his mother text me that my SO was passed out on her couch and was heading home. Suddenly all the concern and fear gave way. By the time he got home I was livid.

I told him to pack his stuff and get out. I can't believe he would put me through this. I can't believe he spent the night with some other woman. He was immediately offended and started packing. Saying he can't believe after the night he had I would treat him like that. I finally broke down in tears. He told me his vague story about seeing this woman walking down the street near our house. She was native american and hard of hearing (he's both too). He wanted to help her. He said he drove her around for awhile and then dropped her off near his mom's house. That nothing happened. I countered that's what he used to tell me about his ex.... He swore up and down that was the farthest thing from his mind. I wanted to believe him. In that moment I needed to believe him. I was so relieved he was ok. Eventually, that feeling wore off though. I started thinking about his story. I finally asked what her name was, what was the name of the woman he was with...

Him: "I don't remember. Why?"

Me: "remember. You were with her all night, I'm sure it will come to you."

Him: "nope. I don't remember. Bummer. Why do you want to know anyway?"

Me: "because it matters to me and I want to know."

Him: "well, I don't remember and I'm not going to remember just because you want to know."

I felt my heart sink. Him not answering was an answer. Now, he's doing what he always does. Pretending nothing is wrong and that I'm making something out of nothing.

Even though I've been in a relationship with this man for six years, I have no idea who he is. I don't think I really knew what a compulsive liar was before I started dating him. I had no idea what gaslighting was. I had never had to deal with someone else's sexual issues. I'm not sure if these years have have left anything left of me or if I'm broken.

[b-grademoviemonsters]

The Velocipastor

Premise according to IMDB: After losing his parents, a priest travels to China, where he inherits a mysterious ability that allows him to turn into a dinosaur. At first horrified by this new power, a hooker convinces him to use it to fight crime. And ninjas.

Premise according to us: Every so often, in an otherwise ordinary life, a movie comes along that is so visionary, so transformative and so ahead of its time that your life is never quite the same afterwards. It probably goes without saying that this is not that film. But damned if we didn’t enjoy the heck out of it anyway.

Wow, that’s high praise there. Honestly, coming across this gem after some of the dross we’ve sat through of late was like going to sleep beside the Trumpster (you nestled in your comfy bed, him prostate and unblinking in his cryovac chamber) and waking up to see a shirtless Justin Trudeau standing over you holding a breakfast tray piled high with croissants and a huge bowl of Nutella.

Mmmm, Nutella. That’s so good smeared across croissants! Right... yes... croissants. Because that would definitely not be the only place we would be smearing Nutella in this scenario. But moving right along…

Ah yes, back to The Velocipastor. Now, where were we? Well, I was about to share my general rule of thumb about this kind of movie. Which is that if the words ‘WTF’ come out of my mouth within the first five minutes, followed by vigorous thrashing of the rewind button, then we’re onto a winner. And these guys managed it with the below shot. *cue supermassive spoiler alert*

You see, during the film’s first few minutes or so, a horrific car bomb kills the family of the film’s hero priest right before his very eyes. But instead of a glorious explosion of sound, violence, body parts and middle aged parental polyester across the big screen, the director merely added a descriptive tile in a font I think came standard with Windows Office 98. I mean, have you ever seen a more excellent manifestation of having no budget than this?

Wait, so there was no explosion, no body parts and no gore...  and that’s a good thing? YES! A very good thing. Because it shows they get the essence of B-grade monster movie making, which is that the budget may be small, but the tongue-in-cheek ideas don’t have to be. Talk about happy days!

Still, exploding parents is a pretty awful thing to happen to someone so young, right? Totally. But luckily our hero priest Fr Doug has the wise words of mentor Fr Stuart to ponder as he mourns his loss while sipping - nay sculling - the blood of Jesus Christ in a way we’re fairly certain the Vatican would not be keen on. “Your parents died Doug. That’s what parents do. They die on you.” Dibs putting that on a commemorative T-shirt.

So how exactly does a shattered soul such as Doug then rebuild from there? Well it’s simple. You go to the place where, in the words of Fr Stu, “you think God will not follow.” In this case, China*. And we know it’s China because, despite its resemblance to an everyday tract of north American wilderness, we are offered a few subtle clues. Namely the word ‘China’ appearing on screen in massive type and the sudden arrival of a warrior chick in a white martial arts suit and a vaguely racist bamboo peasant hat. Mind you, we don’t get too much of a look at her since she’s busy copping an arrow straight through the chest from a random ninja in the forest. Then comes the indignity of spending her final moments with our hero priest, who takes one look at the gushing bloody wound and arrowhead embedded prominently in her torso and reaches for the obvious question only a man anyone would ask in the circumstances: “Are you hurt?” Honestly, in her shoes, we would have passed him the cursed dinosaur tooth of the Dragon Warrior too.  *note this film predates the arrival of the coronavirus.

By the way, just rewinding matters for a second, I couldn’t help but notice that Doug somehow managed to drive to China ... from the US: Yes, we clocked that too. But rather than get bogged down in logical exploration, let’s just assume Sarah Palin was the film’s geography consultant and move on.

OK, done. Next minute, we’re suddenly back in the US, where Doug is having some bad dreams and feeling hungry* and a prostitute called Carol is being roughed up by her pimp Frankie Mermaid, whose subtle moniker refers to the fact he’s “swimming in bitches”. Frankie old mate, you are so going to die. But not, apparently, before sending Carol out into a dark forest to drum up some business. *if you get what we mean

Wait, is that really where hookers hang out these days? #askingforafriend Well not if they want to make any money, no. But hey, no sacrifice is too great in the pursuit of #plotdevelopment. And just as we type that here it comes, in the form of an armed offender keen to separate Carol from her cash. If only there was someone, anyone, who could just randomly stumble into the forest and rescue our damsel in distress. Oh wait. Is that Fr Doug? Boy, he looks kind of hungry* *if you get what we mean

Next minute: It’s the next morning and a surprisingly buff Fr Doug is in the hooker’s bed. But not like *that*. Because she just wants to chat. Or at least to engage in some very unsophisticated single entendres about how “last night was amazing” even though “it all happened so quickly”. Fortunately her blow by blow* account sets Doug’s mind at ease, except for the bit where he turned into a dinosaur and ate someone. Which he does not believe. Because, and say it with me here religious zealots, “Dinosaurs never existed.” * Wash your mind out with soap - this is a common expression, not a sexual euphenism... yet.

Of course they didn’t. Well I assume she eventually convinces him he’s part velociraptor and that they should use his powers to rid the world of evil. But we don’t want to give away the rest of the movie do we? No, we most certainly do not want to spoil the sure-to-be-hugely-unexpected plot twists of a movie called The Velocipastor. And honestly, half the fun is in the surprises. So instead, let’s just share a few of the queries we asked each other along the way: * Did that guy really just say he’s going to survive the Vietnam War without taking a single hit? I mean, has he ever seen a war movie? * Really? You bought nunchakus to a fight with ninjas? Really? * Wait, does that exorcist have goblin ears?  * Are they honestly going to boink for the first time under a chenille duvet?  * No, I mean seriously, under a chenille duvet????

Wait, if our hero is a priest, then who is the prostitute boinking? Sorry, can’t answer that. But *cough* The Thorn Birds *cough*.

Well at least tell us Frankie Mermaid bites it bad: Again, mum’s the word. But let’s just say confession isn’t always good for the soul, especially when you may or may not be confessing to a certain earlier car bomb murder.

Intriguing. Well to something you can tell us, did the film get good reviews? To answer this let’s turn to our beloved critics over at the IMDB: “This movie cured my cancer and my acne, my asthma is gone and I don't need my glasses anymore.” Nuff said. Final verdict? Yep! And that’s without even mentioning the best ninjas versus dinosaur fight scene EVER committed to film. EVER. Which I really wanted to film and post here but #respectforcopyright.

Vanilla vodkas needed to sit through it (out of 10): None. And that would be true even if we hadn’t just drunk our own body weight in sugar-free soft drink.

[disranabgui1974-blog]

To understand how interference fringes form on film, you need to know a little bit about light. Light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum it's made of high frequency electrical and magnetic waves. These waves are fairly complex, but you can imagine them as similar to waves on water. After blacking out shortly, I was suddenly outside smoking, and my friends and I were walking to a nearby 24h liquor store. I walked in, visibly inebriated, and bought a mid sized bottle of vodka. The cashier was hesitant, but when she heard I was American, basically just said "Fuck it, go ham.". I don think this is as easy with the Blush Bomb because dotting is like putting little 삼척출장마사지 pink freckles on my face to blend out and I genuinely think that this, combined with the more gel y texture, it what making the blending difficult for me. Idk maybe this is a learning curve issue or maybe it the color i chosen. I definitely want to pick up another, more neutral one in the future and see if this is a problem with the formula in general or just the color. His wife said yes. Turns out he didn And i ended up in debt with my GPA dropping to a nauseating degree and couldn pay back the debt. Still never finished my degree.. Another example: I self sabotage by over spending and impulsive spending to make myself "happy" in the moment. Luckily, I've had great support from family and friends and I send my mom and my best friend a set amount of money each month so they can "save" it for me. They're like my personal bank accounts. With respect, I think it not the issue as what you describe. Because i able to run with my werner lot of times from a defender for a through ball. It is outside of the box and really far but my werner manage to run away from him and score goal. But being the OCS cadet he was, he wanted to push on. Our wing commander then came down to inspect us and when he saw that my platoon mate was looking, unwell, he asked him if he was feeling okay. When the wing commander found out he had a fever, he stopped everything and shouted "FUXK YOU YOU UNDERSTAND! SAFETY IS FCKING IMPORTANT AND IF YOU ARE FEELING UNWELL YPU BETTER 삼척출장마사지 FKING FALL OUT!" He then lectured our whole platoon about the importance of safety and looking out for one another, and eventually for our fellow NSF when we enter into the units. It is possible to do everything right whilst still having a gain. Should this happen, a medical problem may be the culprit. While too much food but not enough exercise are usually the culprit, common health concerns and popular prescriptions may greatly amplify size. This was kind of a shot in the dark. I been researching K beauty a while and saw a TON of hype around this product. It my understanding that it helps your following products and treatments to penetrate deeper into layers of skin and pull in moisture, and that you can also use it as a mask with cotton pads? I only tried using it as a mask once, but it made my skin itchy. Billy messaged me saying he got another message from Allen's Facebook account. So I immediately called Allen and was like wtf is going on. Allen confronted Will asking if he was the one messaging Billy. The waiters reported that they objected to their breakfasts, and especially to the eggs. Thereupon (to translate the Frenchman's own way of putting it) he exhausted himself in exquisite preparations of eggs. Eggs a la tripe, au gratin, a l'Aurore, a la Dauphine, a la Poulette, a la Tartare, a la Venitienne, a la Bordelaise, and so on, and so on.

[slapmeagain-blog]

COVID-19 Life

March 21 - Saturday

Escape from NY....

Last night I tried to sleep without taking any Advil PM.  No go.  I did take two regular Advil but was still awake at 3 a.m.  Oh, yeah. I didn’t even realize it until I was in bed scrolling the news at midnight that Illinois and NY have joined California and declared ‘shelter at home’ states for all residents, meaning we are all supposed to stay at home except for runs for food, medicine, walking the dog and exercise - in public spaces - but to maintain 6 foot distance from others.  That’s 20% of all Americans according to The Times.  Looking out my front door this morning when I went to get the paper (one glove on my left hand to pick it out of the bushes then washing hands glove on, then glove off), there were still so many people out walking, but very few cars on the road.

Just noticed the Saturday farmer’s market down at the corner at the entrance to the park is in full swing. That place is always so crowded.  I hope they’re wearing masks and gloves, whatever good that might be. There’s really  no way to control crowding in that space.  I’m surprised they haven’t shut them down. Sorry for the vendors.

We’re getting the house back in Kingston by month end, and will wait 3 days to let surface virus die, then clean and move in on April 1.  I guess we can’t even have housekeepers anymore.  Please keep paying your housekeepers!!!  

Of course if government announce further restrictions, say on driving or leaving your areas of residence (like they have in Italy), we will head up immediately to Kingston.  It’s impossible to plan without also making plans B, C and D as well.  Will we bring mom with us, even if she says, ‘no’?  She’s 91 and I want to get her out of the city as soon as possible.  I caught her at the beauty shop last week!  And I know she still wants to go to the market.  Grrr.... I don’t know if H is still allowed to work or not.  I don’t think so but who will enforce the rules?  If she does decide to actually work from home, she can get serious about taking care of herself, F and mom.  In Italy, in Marco’s home town, his mom got questioned by police while she walking to the pharmacy, to make sure she was a legitimate resident of the town.  Even with such stringent controls, look at the number of cases there.  Friends in Bergamo aren’t allowed to even leave their homes, period.  

As promised, it’s a chilly but sunny day today.  45 degrees.  Spring is in the air for sure.  Forsythia in bloom everywhere, trees turning red with leaf buds. I walked down to 7th Avenue to pick up an order from Shawn’s liquor.  Wine and liquor sales, Shawn tells me, are considered an essential essential business so they won’t be closing tomorrow with the ‘non-essential’ businesses.  But it it curb-side pick up only.  So I guess I won’t have to worry about a vodka shortage after all.  But just for good measure I bought two more half-gallons of Tito’s.  

I walked across the street to see if Key Food had posted signs with ‘senior’ shopping hours so those of us considered at higher risk don’t have to shop with everyone else.  Just as I got to the corner, a woman about my age stumbled and fell to the sidewalk in front of me.  I was first to reach her.  Trying play down her mortification, I crouched next to her and said, “For a minute I thought you were me,” and smiled. “You OK?” she smiled then started to reach to get up. “Just sit for a second and when you think you are ok, I’ll help you up.”   “I think I’ll do that.” she said and relaxed into a sitting position.  And while she sat taking stock I told her that I do the same thing regularly, because I forget to pick up my feet. It’s so embarrassing!  After a few seconds, she slowly got up and seemed to be OK. She thanked me and the other lady who stopped to help, and we were all away.  Other passersby politely ignored us.  A few seconds later, we stood side by side, reading the posted sign on the door of the supermarket, “Senior Hours: 6;30-7:30 a.m. M-F.” She asked if I was going in, too.  I said that I was just confirming what the senior hours were that I’d heard about.  She hadn’t known.  “Oh, that’s great.”  She went in, and I turned and walked up Carroll Street toward the park and home with my gallon of Tito’s. 

Earlier this morning, R called from Vermont to say how angry she is that some people are putting so many other people at risk by not self-isolating.  There seem to be fairly distinct camps, still, of those who believe we are over-reacting and those who believe we aren’t doing enough.  I’m still following M’s lead using Italy as a crystal ball for what the situation here will be in 2-3 weeks.  So far, it’s been pretty accurate in terms of growth in numbers of cases and in term of health and safety restrictions being enacted.  I do believe, however, that Italy was better prepared to assist those who are quarantined at home by delivering food etc.  Here, it’s not supervised, social services are providing little, if any support, and even a week after Trump promised that testing was ramping up, there are few signs that anything is getting at all better in terms of more testing, equipment for health care workers, or production of sanitary supplies.  He just continues to jaw-bone, lie, and blow smoke up our skirts like he always does. Quote of the day:  “We’re not shipping clerks.”  (Trump after being asked what was holding up the supply chain.) More than one friend said it feels like we live in a third world country, and the press have noted, that South Korea, who reported their first case on the same day the US did, is in far better shape than us because of early test-kit production and aggressive testing.  Two months in and we’re still not there.  WTF

After lunch, Marco and I decided to go for a walk in Prospect Park to get some exercise and fresh air.  The trees are really coming to life.  I wonder if they sense our anxiety in the air.  I recently read, “The Over Story” a novel about the life and evolution of trees and how they communicate with, and help each other, or are helped by other species such as massive fungus, protecting each other from disease and drought, predators, and more, winding all of that into the lives of the people that live among them.  It won the Pulitzer Prize. You should read it.

Parents urging kids to stay close (meaning to stay far from others), cringing while trying give them space to have fun at the same time.  I’d hate to be a parent of small kids now.  Just as I’d love to be young enough to not be aware of what if unfolding around me!  “Why can’t I go play in the sand box?” would be my biggest concern.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by the numbers of people in the park.  It is a beautiful day, it’s spring, most everything else is closed, and people are looking for distractions.  I understand a little better how Prospect Park was more crowded 100 years ago when there were far fewer amusements for people on weekends.  We tried to look for paths and areas less crowded and ended up on a path through a wooded area behind ‘dog beach’, a little lagoon where dogs can swim, then to one of the roads that bisects the park West of the Nethermead, then wound our way back through the woods on the other side of the steam to the Long Meadow near the Picnic House and along the West drive to Garfield and home.  Nap time.

[shrugman]

all of them ily facetime me

I’m half a bottle of wine in so this is the perfect time to answer this

1. Name: Michelle Bair

2. Birthplace: some airforce base in virginia 

3. Ancestry: general European, Scottish, and Native American

4. Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

5. Biggest fear: Abandonment 

6. Strength/Weakness: For the most part I’m pretty honest / I can’t make decisions if they impact other people

7. Worst habit: braiding and unbraiding my hair / shaking my leg

8. Favorite holiday: Halloween  

9. Ever been in a car crash: thankfully, no

10. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher: Paul omg

11. What do you do as soon as you walk in the house: drop whatever bag I’m holding

12. Age at first kiss: 14? Idk whatever the second half of 8th grade was

13. When did you fall in love for the first time: when I was 15

14. Who Is Your Longest Friend & How Long: Stephanie is my ride or die for like 11 years. Like literally I’d die without her I love her so much 

15. Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year: pump that GPA up a bit

16. What were you doing at midnight last night: trying (failing) to sleep

17. When was the last time you laughed hard: earlier when I was telling Stephanie a story about my dad

18. Who was the last person that told you they love you: My dad 

19. What was the first thing you thought when you woke up yesterday morning: idk man probably a generic sound of unhappy

20. Where did you go for your first date and who was it with: I don’t even know because like what actually counts as a date?

21. Who’s wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsmen: never happened

22. Who did you see in concert first: Jimmy Buffet I shit you not

23. Who was your favorite teacher: Paul

24. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day: I text Stephanie 

25. Who do you think about most: probably Stephanie 

26. Is your ideal occupation? Optometrist 

27. Beer, wine, or liquor? liquor 

28. Favourite restaurant?  Saizeriya (it’s in Japan)

29. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla with cherry 

30. McDonlads or Burger King? McDonalds 

31. Fantasy dinner guest(s)? Kate McKinnon 

32. Have you ever been drunk? When was the last time? I’m like tipsy rn so? now? idk

33. What is the most embarrassing thing you have done drunk? honestly I don’t even known

34. Wonder Woman or Cat Woman? Wonder? idk

35. How many pets do you have? a single dog

36. What would be the first thing you bought if you won the lottery? idk something stupid like some cheese 

37. When was the first time you smoked? Like a cigarette? Never. Weed? Sometime last fall when I went camping 

38. Who last sent you a text? Stephanie 

39. Who did you last send a text to? Stephanie lmao 

40. What 4 things would you take to a desert island? i’d just die

41. Name the 3 most important people in your life? Shit this is hard because like obviously Stephanie but also my family and there are 4 people in that and I can’t pick whos the most important out of them so 

42. Favorite song? I honestly don’t know

43. Favorite movie? Heathers 

44. When did you last cuddle someone? fuck idk like late march early april?

45. When did you last have sex? see above

46. If you woke up tomorrow with no fear, what would you do first? probably either jump off a roof or tell my dad I’m into girls

47. What was your biggest worry five years ago, do you still feel the same about it at this minute? Abandonment, yes. Constantly 

48. If you could change one law of your country, what would it be? There are way to many fucked up things to even choose 

49. What relationships have ended? But you can’t let go? Idk there was one that at first I couldn’t let go but now I can so?

50. Where would you take a road trip? Albuquerque 

51. How do Mondays feel for you? during the summer, whatever. During the year, like i put a vacuum on my face 

52. If you could spend ten minutes with your ‘hero’ alive or dead what would you ask them? Omg Stephanie how did you get to Germany 

53. Do your practice ‘self love’ or ‘self loathing’? a weird combo of both tbh

54. What’s your greatest achievement to date? Idk I guess getting into JMU is p good 

55. What scares you about your future? That I won’t’ do well enough to get into Optometry school 

56. Why does pizza come in a square box? easier to transport 

57. What would happen if you knew you could not fail? so many things 

58. How does it feel to be photographed? sometimes I hate it but i like being able to look back on the moments 

59. If you could erase an event from your mind, which one would you choose? oh god... maybe seeing my dad cry while I went through security out of Japan for the last time 

60. Do you want your children (if you have any) to be ‘just like you’? No. I want my children to be better than me in every way so that once I’ve taught them all I know they can then teach me what they’ve learned 

61. Do you stand for what you believe in or are you pleasing others? I try to stand for it 

62. If money were no concern, what would you do for the rest of your life? If I had the talent, be a stage actor 

63. What are you thankful for, this moment? That surgery went well yesterday 

64. Do you have same sex fantasies? Well I mean, yeah 

65. If you have had sex in a public place, where? a pool locker room 

66. Have you ever cried during/after sex? nope

67. Who is the oldest person you’ve had sex with? Dylan

68. Who is the youngest person you’ve had sex with? Tori

69. Would you rather be in a relationship with a totally submissive partner or a totally dominant partner? Dom

70. How tall are you? 5′10

71. How much do you weigh? 144 which I was hype about because the last time I’d checked I was 150

72. What color is your hair naturally?  like dirty blondeish?

73. What size jeans do you wear? 8 I think but idk

74. What is your favorite color to wear?   black

75. Do you have any piercings?    just ears

76. Do you have any tattoos?    no

77. Do you care how other people see you?    I mean yeah

78. Do you like sports?  I love ballet but other than that no 

79. How do you feel about age differences in relationships?  It depends. Like below 25 if you have more than a few years I’m iffy, but the older you are the more lenient I am 

80. How do you feel about race differences in relationships?    idgaf

81. Do you believe in karma or fate?    yeah

82. Do you keep a journal? no   

83. Describe the last dream you remember: I can’t remember a recent one 

84. Describe your favorite dream: Don’t really have one

85. Where are some places you would like to visit? Canada, South America, Paris, etc   

86. Any upcoming concerts you want to attend? Paramore and Halsey but I’m too stressed about money to buy tickets 

87. What music do you listen to when you are happy? BTR and early 2000s songs rn

88. What music do you listen to when you are mad?  Breakup songs. I have a playlist

89. Do you like to burn candles or incense? Candles, yes

90. What was the last alcoholic beverage you consumed? Wine

91. What are your favorite alcoholic beverages? I like sex on the beaches and vodka mixed with cranberry juice 

92. Do you smoke cigarettes or cigars? What about marijuana? no cigarettes or cigars. Tried weed twice but it didn’t work 

93. Who is your number 1 friend and why is he or she there? Stephanie becuase she’s always there for me and when everything in my life is falling apart she’s always my rock and I just love her so much 

94. Has anyone ever mistaken you for a family member? I don’t know what this means

95. Is there anyone of your friends that you would ever consider having sex with? Of my current friends? Nah I don’t think so

96. Would you ever have sex in the shower or the bath? I DON’T WANT TO DIE

97. Have you ever kissed or had sex with someone of the same sex? yeah

98. Do you think your last ex still wants to be with you? //actual// ex? idk maybe 

99. Ever wondered what it would be like dating the same gender as you? been there, done that

100. What are your outlooks on gay/bisexual people? dude

101. How often do you brush your teeth? twice a day

102. How often do you shower?  When was the last time you had a shower? I try to shower every day. I just took a bath and then washed my hair with the shower head

103. How often do you shave your legs?  rarely lmao

104. Political affiliation? dude

105. Opinion on abortion? duDE

106. Opinion on immigrants/ immigration reform? dUDE

107. Should prostitution be legalized? honestly I don’t know enough to say

108. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? wtf kind of meta

109. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do? it’s easier that way

110. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world? just like... make everyone stop hating everyone else so much

111. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich? acting

112. Would you break the law to save a loved one? 100%

113. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why? well technically I live in both Germany and America so this question is too complex

114. Why are you the person you are? what

115. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend? I try but I’ve had slipups

116. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars? bc ppl suc

117. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you? I’‘d probably be a lot more outgoing 

118. Were you happy when you woke up today? no

119. What’s a fact about the last person who text messaged you? Well my mom just texted me and she really liked turtles 

120. Want someone back in your life? At times, but then I remember they’re gone for a reason 

121. What are you excited for? PRAGUE

122. Are you scared to fall in love? sometimes 

123. When is your next road trip?idk

124. What was the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? told stephanie I love her

125. Do you like to cuddle? yeh

126. Have you ever kissed more than one person in 24 hours? maybe? idk

127. Plans for tomorrow? we’re going to see castles 

128. Do you care too much/not at all/just enough? too much

129. How is life going for you right now? :/

130. If you were offered a shot of whiskey right this second, would you accept? yep

131. This time last year, can you remember who you liked? tori

132. Could you stay in the same relationship for over a year? I mean I never have, but I think I could if the military would butt out 

133. If you could have one super power what would it be? transformation 

134. Background on your cell phone? the lockscreen is a gradient from purple to pink and the background is Tyler on a piano 

135. What are you thinking about right this second? these questions 

136. Last book you read? How was it? I Wrote This For You. made me cry. I loved it 

137. What is the last thing you bought? coffee at the airport 

138. Do you live with your parents? during holidays 

139. Have you ever been caught sneaking out? no

140. Have you ever met a celebrity? not like A-list

141. What are you like when you’re drunk?  super giggly 

142. What are you like when you’re high? idk

143. Do you want children? yeah

144. Do you want a church wedding? no

145. How many pillows do you sleep with? as many as I can 

146. Have you ever been scuba diving? nope 

147. Who was your first real crush? this guy Matt in 4th grade lmao

148. What are you allergic to? grass and pollen 

149. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? rn I like the name Vita but ask again in like 3 months 

150. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? Girl just because I feel like I’d be able to raise her better 

151. How did you get your name? My sister pointed at my mom’s baby bump and was like “Michelle!” and they were like ok

152. Name one thing about your body you love? my cheek bones 

153. What is your biggest goal in life? be happy. Like fully

154. Do you still have feelings for your ex? nah

155. Do you think aliens are real? YES

156. What age did you start drinking? my first drink was at 14 but I started like regulatory drinking at 17 

157. What do you think of President Obama? YES

158. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? nah

159. Describe your dream girl/guy? idk

160. Story of your first kiss? we were at a park 

161. Story of the first time you made out with someone? same as ^

162. Story of the first time you had sex? I went over to her house while her parents were at work 

163. When did you first have sex? when I was 18

164. First time you gave/ received oral sex? ^

165. Do you still talk to the person you lost your virginity to? nope

167. Favorite fictional character (movie, book, tv show)? Holtzman

168. How many followers do you have on tumblr? What about twitter/ instagram? 44/87/19

169. Are you friend with your parents on Facebook? yeah

170. First time you thought you were in love? When did you realize that you weren’t actually in love with that person? 14, when we broke up and I realized I was confusing a crush for love 

171. Do you talk to yourself? wayyyy too much 

172. How old will you be on your next birthday? 20

173. How did you meet the last person you kissed? tinder 

174. Do you have any hickies? not rn

175. Turn ons? being confident without being cocky 

176. Turn offs? acting like you’re entitled to me

177. What qualities did you get from your mom? petty, creative 

178. What qualities did you get from your dad? idiot, hard working 

179. How many siblings do you have? 1

180. Have you ever taken anyone’s virginity? yeah

that took so long omg. ily

[jellybeanisrockin]

65 Questions You Aren't Used To: by rainbowsociety

I warned you,,..... 1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you? sort of but i mostly just doubt everythings existence and human intelligence and emotions 2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you? 1 maybe 2 if i'm walking past a mirror 3. The person you would never want to meet? that dude from that one horror movie you know who,,,,,,that guy,,,. 4. What is your favorite word? bellemy, contingency, or salutations 5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be? idk a dead one 6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought? wtf I'm ugly 7. What shirt are you wearing? a dr. suess shirt i know i'm such a charmer right 8. What do you label yourself as? an anxious lesbian with crippling depression (i kno join the club) 9. Bright room or dark room? meh dark probably 10. What were you doing at midnight last night? looking up the awkward lesbians guide to life on tumblr 11. Favorite age you’ve been so far? -11/12 12. Who told you they loved you last? my dad probably since i am Forever Alone™️ 13. Your worst enemy? trump that bastard 14. What is your current desktop picture? a pic i took of the sky 15. Do you like someone? unfortunately yes cri (Forever Alone™️) 16. The last song you listened to? Breakdown by Jack Johnson 17. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up? Mike Pence 18. Who would you really like to just punch in the face? these turdnuggets in my english class who keep complaining how gay people try to force their gayness on the poor innocent heteros ugh 19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do? shower me with needless affection and cuddle me (or buy me some pez either works) 20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional) idk i guess my facial area is ok i have,,,um,,hair? that is clean,,,,,,?, 21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do? get myself a nice bod and go hang with some hot ladies 🔥🔥🔥 (jk id probably just be a lazy ass and watch netflix all day or something) 22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it? noooooooo,.,...,,,,,,,..cri 23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of? geese and hmm and that whenever i use the restroom i have to check behind the shower curtains to make sure no ones hiding there 24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal. ummm a incredibly large thing with just that expensive ham meat stuff 25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it? caanddy cuz im an idiot 26. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go? id sell it to someone cuz traveling makes me anxious 27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be? bunch of expensive vodka or moonshine that i could sell to get mooooooneeeeeey 28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?  everyone has to be gay 29. What is your favorite expletive? hot damn 30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno? electronic device 31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? end of 2nd grade..... 32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world! oh CANADA🇨🇦!!!! 33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back? my older friends brother 34. What was your last dream about? i was a fugitive and jumping and hiding on roofs 35. Are you a good kisser? hhhhhhhh i d o n t k n o w hhhhhh 36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital? yess 37. Have you ever built a snowman? kindof he was mainly mulch 38. What is the color of your socks? white (im so boring) 39. What type of music do you like? chill or rock music also oldies like Diana Ross and You make me feel so young 40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets? sunsets 41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor? i domt like em -_- 42. What football team do you support? (I will answer in terms of American football as well as soccer) whhhaaaataresports??????..?,,. 43. Do you have any scars? yes one in the middle of my nose 44. What do you want to be when you graduate? an architect or product designer maybe 45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? my body or smile 46. Are you reliable? kind of im forgettful but super loyal if thats what u mean 47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? when will you get a gf u assicle 48. Do you hold grudges? not really 49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create? narwhal and horse 50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had? rainbow dick tats or maybe how do dogs and whales hiccup 51. Are you a good liar? i actually really enjoy small lying and i am quite good at white lies and tricking people into believing random things but i dont usually lie about something important 52. How long could you go without talking? probably a while 53. What has been you worst haircut/style? bangs shudder 54. Have you ever baked your own cake? yes 55. Can you do any accents other than your own? eh kinda 56. What do you like on your toast? dont like toast yuck 57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of? a technical drawing of a subway sandwich and its ingredients along with a very detailed description to my dad 58. What would be you dream car? RAINBOWS!!!!! 59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain. yes as well as some other,..,things., 60. Do you believe in aliens? yes 61. Do you often read your horoscope? sometimes 62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? Q 63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons? dragons 64. What do you think about babies? ehhhh they're ugly

[adventuresaroundasia]

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Taking care of curly hair definitely isn’t easy, especially when you travel or live abroad for an extended period of time. After living in China for five years, I definitely learned a lot of tips and tricks when it comes to caring for curly hair abroad. Now I’m doing the digital nomad thing in Vietnam, and I’ve brought those skills with me!

That said, my eyes have recently been opened to the wonders of the Curly Girl Method, which has completely flipped my life (and hair care routine) upside down. The Curly Girl Method (CG Method) has a TON of rules, so I’ll definitely be going through my experience attempting the CG Method for the first time (abroad!!!) in this post as well.

PS- You should all start the Curly Girl Method right now. My hair has never looked (or smelled) better. 

Flaunting my curls in Beijing

Finding the Right Products Abroad (Non-CG Method)

If there’s one thing curly girls worry about, it’s products. If you’re only traveling for a week or two, it’s easy to bring your products from home with you. However, if you’re traveling for months on end or moving abroad, you need to come up with a few long-term solutions.

Finding the Right Shampoo Abroad

When it comes to regular old shampoo, I’ve never had issues with this abroad. In China, I stuck with Head and Shoulders Shampoo, which I could find pretty much anywhere. Head and Shoulders is pretty moisturizing when it comes to shampoos, and I never had any issues with it. The bottle also lasts forever, since I only wash my hair 2-3 times per week with a little bit of shampoo.

Pantene ProV did its job for the most part

Finding The Right Conditioner Abroad

Obviously, conditioner and styling products are a completely different story. My recommendation is to look into Pantene ProV. I used Pantene ProV Curl Perfection back home in the US and loved how thick and moisturizing it was.

Unfortunately, you can’t really find conditioner specifically for curly hair in Asia, so I looked for other types. In the past, I used the Chinese Pantene ProV with the pink label, which was a super moisturizing leave-in style conditioner. However, in the last few years, I stopped seeing it around, so I went for the one with the gold label, which is supposed to be extra moisturizing for dry hair.

The reason why I recommend Pantene is because it’s super moisturizing and you can find it in pretty much any country. I saw it in Tanzania and here in Vietnam too! Obviously, if you’re following the CG Method, just ignore these product suggestions. We’ll get to you later!

Attempting to contain my hair in a scarf so it wouldn’t go CRAZY on the Seattle ferry

Bringing Products From Home

I’m a huge lover of gel for curly hair, and I’m happy to say that I feel super vindicated after learning that the CG Method recommends gel too! (Take that, stupid hairdressers!)

While I can easily find gel abroad, I’m always disappointed by the quality. Most of the gel I find comes in small bottles and is aimed at men. Either it has a weird smell, or is super alcoholic. My most recent gel I bought in Bangkok literally smells like vodka and has “alcohol” listed as one of the ingredients.

What kind of alcohol is it??!! Is it vodka???! Probably.

I was always a huge fan of Dep Sport gel and LA Looks Sport gel (this one is CG approved!). What I typically do is stock up on gel when I go home for a quick visit. I bring two big bottles of LA Looks and a small bottle of Dep. Then, if I happen to run out, I just attempt to buy a decent gel abroad (and fail miserably).

When it comes to moving abroad or traveling long-term in Asia, I always recommend bringing gel from home, along with other products that are super expensive in Asia, like face moisturizer. The longer I stayed in China, the more products I found that worked (Innisfree and Nature Republic saved my life on many occasions- Thank you Korea!!!). But I still haven’t found a good replacement for an awesome gel.

My travel toiletry organizer

Traveling With Your Products

While some travelers swear by going carry-on-only, I hate to break it to you curly girls… Give up on those dreams right now.

I don’t know about you, but my super long curly hair needs a ton of conditioner and gel to function, so travel-size bottles just aren’t going to work for me. Besides, my moisturizer is also too big, and I need a ton of that too. (Dry skin, dry hair… I’m cursed!)

I find it needlessly stressful and expensive to try and find conditioner and gel while I’m traveling. There have actually been times where I just CAN’T find conditioner. My friends hated me a little while we were traveling in Vietnam and I made them walk around a random town with me for 20 minutes to try and find a store selling conditioner. We failed.

Just pack your products in plastic ziplock bags in case they leak. I also recommend grabbing a bar of Lush solid shampoo, because shampoo is the most likely thing in your bag to leak (I speak from personal experience).

Just be careful to let the shampoo bar dry out so that it doesn’t melt and turn to putty in your little tin container. (I also have personal experience with this one as well).

If only my life was this organized.

Money Saving Hack: Only Check One Bag

If you’re traveling with a partner or friends, my biggest money-saving hack is to only check ONE bag. Decide which bag is largest/most durable and have everyone put their large bottles and products in just one bag while carrying on the others. Then you can all share the cost of the checked bag!

While this wasn’t super necessary for me in China since I always got a checked bag for free, it helped my friends and my fiance and I save money while flying around Southeast Asia using cheap Air Asia flights!

My hair gets pretty long abroad

Getting Your Hair Cut Abroad

DONT. Just don’t. Especially if you’re in Asia.

Cutting your hair in a place where curly hair doesn’t exist is a recipe for disaster. If you’re in Europe, South America, the Middle East or Africa (depending on your texture) you’re probably fine, just check for good reviews online. But if you’re in Asia… good luck.

While there are certain hairdressers in larger cities that cater to foreign expats, I have a hard enough time finding a good salon in the US that won’t mess up my hair, let alone one in China!!

So, what do you do? Personally, I get a really good haircut once a year. Yep- that’s it!

Why do hairdressers always insist on straightening it?

To think I considered making it permanent!

There was a time I considered making it permanently straight

I just tell my American hairdressers how long I need to go between cuts and let them know that they need to give me a great shape that can last me an entire year. After many years of trial and error, I finally managed to find a few decent hairstylists that can do this without chopping all of my hair off.

When I’m super desperate, I take a pair of kitchen scissors and cut my hair dry (which is apparently how you’re supposed to get it cut anyway). I take each curl individually and snip an inch or two off in a diagonal line. It always turns out fine and I get rid of those pesky dry ends!

If you don’t have a hairdresser that knows how to handle curly hair, I highly suggest looking for a Deva certified stylist who has been trained in the art of the CG Method and cutting curly hair. I’m super excited to book an appointment with a certified stylist in Seattle when I’m home!

[button url=”https://www.devacurl.com/salon-stylist-search.html” label=”Find Your Deva Certified Stylist!” size=”large” target=”_blank”]

Starting the Curly Girl Method Abroad

When my friend introduced me to the Curly Girl Method a few weeks ago, I was absolutely HOOKED. I joined the Curly Girl Support Group on Facebook, watched countless Youtube Videos (Shoutout to Curly Susie!) and immediately started searching for CG Approved products.

Unfortunately, I literally could not find ANY CG Approved conditioners in Hoi An or at the large Costco-esque store Megamart in Danang (about 30 minutes away).

Curly Girl Method: No silicones, sulfates, or parabens! (aka what is in EVERYTHING)

After getting some advice from the support group, I used a company called iHerb to order products from the US to Vietnam. While half the products for curly hair don’t actually follow the rules, I ended up finding a solid 15-20 I could work with.

I did a TON of research and ended up choosing 3: Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Conditioner, Beautiful Curls Activating Leave-in Conditioner, and Kinky Curly Styling Custard as a gel.

Thanks Customs…

Wow… Open boxes and everything

Dealing With Customs and Imported Products

My fiance Chris and I went a bit crazy on iHerb and ordered $100-worth of stuff. However, when it all arrived, our box was held up in customs for a solid week. We were informed by DHL that they didn’t believe that our stuff was only worth $100, so we had to send them the receipt and links to all of the products.

When the box finally arrived, we were told we owed customs $50. WTF!!!!???!!! Yeah, thanks Vietnam. Apparently they only really do this to foreigners, and there’s absolutely no way around it except to have a Vietnamese friend order for you.

Also, they had ripped the boxes of our supplements and meal bars open and taped them back up, and the cap to my leave-in was completely off and there was conditioner spilled in my box. Really??

Thankfully the leave-in is super thick, so I only lost a tiny bit of the bottle.

Time to bug mom and dad…

Relying on Friends and Family

Obviously, I won’t be attempting to order products again (unless it’s through a Vietnamese friend). This means I’ll need to have my parents bring me a few things when they visit.

I’m still on the hunt for the best products for my 3 a/b low porosity hair (and this is where I lose everyone…) but I’m hoping to find a few products I can get brought over in big bottles to at least last me until I’m in Australia this November.

When it comes to hair type, 1= straight, 2= wavy, 3= curly, 4=kinky. a= loose curls/waves/kinks, b=medium and c= tight. I’m a 3a/b since my curls range from the size of sidewalk chalk to the size of a sharpie. I have low-porosity hair because my hair has a hard time absorbing moisture but retains moisture (and WATER) very well. You can do a hair test to see what type of porosity you have.

My hair after ONE DAY of using the Curly Girl Method

A Few More Must-Have Curly Girl Lifesavers

In addition to products, I’ll also have my parents bring a few simple hair fixes that I can use anywhere.

Firstly, I’ll be getting a satin pillowcase to keep my hair from getting frizzy while I sleep. While I do put my hair up in a Pineapple bun to save the curls, the underside of my hair still gets frizzy. A satin pillowcase will solve all my problems, and it’s super luxurious!

I also plan on getting a travel hair diffuser. This collapsible travel diffuser fits on pretty much any hair dryer and can compactly fit in your bag, unlike a traditional diffuser or Devafuser. While I normally air dry my hair, it would be nice to diffuse if I’m heading out the door, or if it’s been 3 hours and my hair still isn’t dry and I want to go to sleep (that’s low porosity for you).

Finally, I want to grab a few small styling clips to give my roots volume and help my hair dry. I’ve currently been using large hair styling clips, but these tend to clump my hair in weird ways and make my roots strangely straight if I clip them too tight.

My pre-CG method curls (or should I say waves)

Do I Really Have to Bring All My CG Products From Home?

In Vietnam, I still have yet to see any CG Approved products. Thankfully there are some major brands that have CG Approved products like Suave Naturals, TRESemme Botanique, VO5 Herbal Escapes, Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel, Aussie Instant Freeze, and LA Looks Sport Gel that you MIGHT find abroad.

I’ll keep my eyes out, but at least in Vietnam, this is a huge problem for me. Specialized curly hair products like DevaCurl, Shea Moisture, and Kinky Curly are basically impossible to find in Asia.

I’d like to think that in China might have been able to find some of these products, or at least non-name brand CG approved products by using JD.com or Taobao, but no promises!

I basically recommend packing a few bottles of everything in your suitcase and requesting replacements from everyone who visits you. Worst case, you can pay to import stuff using companies like iHerb.

Ready for bed with my pineapple hair!

My Recommended Packing List for Curly Hair Girls

Now that I’m versed in the Curly Girl Method, there are a few things I wouldn’t travel without! Here’s a quick list of what you should bring

A Low-Poo, non-sulfate gentle shampoo to use 1x week or less

A big bottle of CG Approved silicone free conditioner for conditioning and co-washing

A leave-in conditioner

A Nice big bottle (or two) of gel (LA Looks is fine but I LOVE Kinky-Curly)

An old t-shirt or microfiber turban towel for drying your hair and “plopping”

A travel diffuser (optional)

10 Small hair clips for drying

A silk or satin pillowcase

A wide-toothed comb (optional) – I just use my fingers to brush my hair now!

Invisibobble “telephone wire” hair bands (these things are LIFE) and some bobby pins

Aside from your products, most of these things are super small, so you shouldn’t have a huge issue transporting them. While traveling with a ton of products is never fun, at least your hair will look fantastic??

If you’re living abroad, definitely search for the right products in local stores and online. The less product you have to bring, the better!

If you’re not at all interested in the CG Method, just go for Pantene ProV. It worked pretty well for me over the last five years!

Showing off my curls in Japan!

Any Questions??

Do you have any questions about managing curly hair while traveling? Want to know more about the Curly Girl Method and how I’ve been attempting it abroad? Do you have any advice for me or other curly haired travelers? Let me know in a comment!

I’m always checking back for new comments, so be sure to get in touch and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!

Want to know more about the Curly Girl Method? Get the Original Curly Girl Handbook on Amazon! This is where the entire CG movement began! 

Traveling With Curly Hair – How to Care For Curly Hair Abroad This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.  Taking care of curly hair definitely isn't easy, especially when you travel or live abroad for an extended period of time.

[hannahsdreamjournal]

8.01.18

I was in school and it was New Years Eve and I was with Anna and I lost her on our way out to watch the fireworks and miss Hill seperated me from her and put me in this group that had to watch them from a tv instead of in real life so I was like wtf and jumped the fence to be with her and then we were waiting for the countdown and it counted down from 10 and everyone had their phones out and then they showed a pic of the audience to show how many people were gonna be using their phones instead of actually watching it and then I decided to book a flight to Australia like last minute and I flew to stay with Jake and then when I arrived it was this house and there was an outhouse with loads of really random Philippino people and there was this girl who kept like coming out and staring at me and then I met Jake but it wasn’t Jake it was some guy who looked completely different and he looked polish or Slovakian or something and had a weird Russian like accent and I was confused because Jake had an Australian accent so I was like there is no way this is him and then I went in for a house tour and the house was really odd and there were weird rooms and then I went into his bathroom and found these photographs on a shelf of him as his family and father and they looked like native Americans and I was like so where do u originate and he just sort of didn’t answer and there was a pool and stuff and then he poured drinks from this massive drinks cupboard and he mixed loads of vodka with gin and just said oh they taste the same and it was just a whole cup of that and I was like omg wtf and I told him I had to leave because my mum didn’t know I was in Australia and Anna was telling her that I was sleeping round and I couldn’t be gone longer than a day and he was being really weird about it and then I went outside and was looking on my snapchat maps trying to figure out where Jake actually was because I knew he was not Jake and I was looking on my maps to find him but it kept saying that he was where I was but it wasn’t him

[loveinruins]

Am I in denial?

We went out last night to Bond.

It was me, G, AC, MT and JP.

So he wasn’t going to come out because he said he wasn’t feeling well and just come to dinner but he ended up coming out.

I went and picked him up from his house and he took forever to come out,

We he came out, I had some butterflies I’m not gonna lie, he looked like a cute farmer lol he was wearing this Ralph Lauren red white and blue checkered shirt with jeans and I didn’t look at his shoes.

First thing I noticed was his cologne when he got into the car. it was different to what he normally wears and it was so nice. He gets in the car and was like ‘hey thanks for getting me’ looks at me and goes ‘you look nice’ I said thanks obviously - inside I was like damn straight I look good, I was wearing a black chiffon low cut top with my american apparels and gold mamacita hoop earrings as he calls them. He takes a deep breath in through his nose and goes ‘you smell so good’. 

He cracks open a vodka of some sort and hands it to me whilst I’m driving and I’m like umm drink driving? he goes yeah dw about it its low in percentage anyway. He then asks about my day and whatever and told him what I did whilst on the way to get AC. 

I pick up AC and AC asks what did I do today and I started to tell him and then had a mind blank and I go G I forgot what did I do again today? G you tell him he goes are you testing me to see if I was listening? I laughed and said no I actually forgot and he told AC what I did and I was like oh so you were listening and he goes of course babe.

So we get to MT’s catch an uber to souk, get to souk had something to eat had a drink, JP met us there. We had a bit of banter at dinner and then we get to bond bar at about 10:30. I bought us all drinks to get it started and then the boys bought shots. I saw V for a bit she was there for work and I told her to get us into the booth and she was like yeah I will and then disappeared. 

So we were having a good time whatever then G and MT go off for a chat for what felt like 2 hours but realistically was prob an hour.

Finally when they came back we were starting to sober up a bit and then V pops up and said come to the booth so off we went, we were drinking a fair bit.

He was dancing with me and when I would sit down he would grab my hand to get me up. There were a few times where he would push his ass into mine and I do remember slapping his ass once lol.

As the night goes on he comes up to me and goes ‘your cousin is wild when she’s drunk’ I go why he goes she came up to me like this and goes ‘hey baby how are you?’ and I go are you serious? he’s like yeah..

At that point I felt like I needed to sober up because I knew 

1. I had to look after V

2. I didn’t want things to get OOC

So V is doing some seductive dancing and I see him looking at her and so was AC and I was like greattttt..

It gets to around 3am and he goes when do you want to leave I’m starving? I go whenever I don’t care and he goes to V let’s go and she goes 5 mins so he puts the timer on his phone and goes ok done. 

5 minutes is up and we leave, so as we’re walking out JP leaves to meet her bf and the rest of us needed to catch an uber.

This is when it all started to go downhill - I felt anyway.

So AC was taking advantage of the situation that V was drunk and he was like all over or whatever and as we’re walking G takes a snap and I go nooo delete it and knock his phone out of his hand into a girls face and she cracks the shits and his phone fell and i was like omg I’m so sorry about his phone and he was like full checking it to make sure there was nothing broken and I go if I broke it I would’ve replaced it obviously and he goes nah nah it’s fine.

When we were standing there waiting for the uber he liked pulled me and MT or V in I can’t remember in and goes I’m so cold and either V or MT walked off and it was just him and I there hugging. It felt just really nice for him to be a bit affectionate with me but I know this is all just friendly dw I’m not taking it the wrong way because he has made it loud and clear about how he feels towards me.

So we’re like standing there talking and not sure how but the topic goes to V’s phat ass and I see him like checking out her ass and him and V were talking about her ass for a good 10 mins while I’m talking to JP and I’m not even paying attention to JP because all I’m thinking to myself is is this cunt fucking serious right now? So whilst I’m fuming because sober V would’ve not tolerated this I said to her in teo chew shut up V and she goes what che? are you mad at me? I’ll leave if you want to. I just didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire so I just left it at that.

Then the uber finally rocks up and I get into the back of it hoping he would get in after me and he did. So him and I sat in the back, V and AC sat in the middle and MT in the front.

We all had a bit of banter in the car on the way home and when we get back to MT’s I jumped into my car and dropped AC, G and V home. AC and V get into the back seat and V lies down in his lap - so weird because I know AC is gonna get the wrong idea.

And of course I was right, I drop V off first and as soon as she gets out of the car he goes your cousins cute af and I go ok and he goes she’s such an LG and I go dude stop and he goes why are you so overprotective over her and I go because she’s like my baby sister.

G decides to chime in and goes yeah V is cute she reminds me of like a little kid I just want to pinch her cheeks like this and he pinches my cheek.

Anyway as I’m driving he’s singing and I go shhhhh and put my hand over his mouth and he licks my hand. I was like ew wtf did you just lick my hand he goes yep and AC was like oooooh and G goes bro no.

I was like lol cool you fucking weird fuck, seriously.

I dropped AC off and go to drop G home, he was like I’m surprised how well you’re managing and I go why? If I can drive home with no contacts on after stereo I can do this and he goes you wear contacts? I’m like yeah he goes yeah that’s right you wear glasses, why don’t you wear glasses, they look good on you, I like you with glasses. I’m like really? He goes yeah and I just made something up about how they don’t sit well on my face but realistically I just don’t wear them because I feel like it hides my face and my eyelashes.

I can’t really remember much else except for him sniffing my hoodie and when he got out he goes thanks for dropping me off and hugs me in the car and I’m like no worries.

He then messaged me again as I was driving to say thanks which was really cute.

SOOOOO

Maybe I’m in denial like maybe I’m 80% not 90% over him because JP was like we need to find G a girl and went to talk some random girl at bond to hook him up and I felt sick. Even when she said we need to find G a girl - I was like umm no.

I dunno his actions are so confusing, again I’m gonna try to not read too much into it but yeah I just needed to get this off my chest because I just think he wants me there because he enjoys my company and knows that i’m genuine esp him saying there’s not many girls out there like you..

Sighhhhhhh

This might sound crazy but I’ve never felt like this before about anyone and it just feels right when I’m with him but the timing is off. I think I’m just in a different headspace than him so maybe it’s just my perspective but I just want the universe to send the one my way pleaseeeee - I feel like I am ready.

Anyway, all I can say moving forward is the focus is on T and on how T can be the best version of herself.

Speaking about myself in third person is so weird.

Alright it’s 1:11am gtg, night xxxxx

[107ths]

All the 1s you haven't answered, except those 2 where I have to be creative with the Qs.

an oh god this is going under a cut

1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you? uh yeah sometimes but then i like realize i’m not that creative and it’s fine lmao

2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you? oh shit like 3/4 tbh the dark makes me v v uneasy

3. The person you would never want to meet? dogland trimp

5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be? maybe a bonzai bc they’re small n high maitenence 

6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought? Yikes(tm)

7. What shirt are you wearing? a like navy blue crop top and a flannel???

8. What do you label yourself as? lots of things idk,,, trying to hard for one

9. Bright room or dark room? dark room?? weirdly enough

10. What were you doing at midnight last night? playing stupid flash games and generally being bored out of my mind

11. Favorite age you’ve been so far? i kinda like 19 ngl

12. Who told you they loved you last? my best friend

14. What is your current desktop picture? a picture of some mountain with “someday you’ll blow us all away” in fancy writing it’s v nice 

15. Do you like someone? i like a lot of ppl nice cop out

16. The last song you listened to? HUMBLE.

19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do? maybe my sister so i can force her to relax lmao

20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional) i really like my hair i guess?

21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do? i mean i would assume that i’d just look like a more stereotypically masculine version of myself i think that’s how that could work.,,, unless there’s like a character customization screen bc then idk but i’d probably just like,,, enjoy having rights lmao

22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it? no not really i’m pretty cut and dry

23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of? mirrors i guess

24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal. jokes on you i really only eat like ham sandwhiches like i don’t combine things too often lmao

25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it? i’ll get a sidney crosby jersey probably

27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be? first of all,,, why would an angel be offering me a lifetime supply of alcohol? second,, smirnoff vodka bc u can put that shit in anything

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place? don’t be a dick

29. What is your favorite expletive? it’s fuck it’s gotta be fuck

30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno? my guitar probs

31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? i’ve had a p decent life bud like the only horrible thing to every really happen to me is i got stitches one time

32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world! idk maybe canada?? u never here abt canada getting into shit

33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back? is this like a real-deal thing or more of a resurection stone thing bc if it’s the latter no one that would be awful. if it’s the former idk there’s a girl from my school who got in a real bad wreck n she was really sweet so

34. What was your last dream about? dude i don’t even know it’s been a While

36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital? yeah for those stitches i mentioned earlier

37. Have you ever built a snowman? kinda?

38. What is the color of your socks? grey w black dots

39. What type of music do you like? anything tbh like literally anything

40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets? sunsets

41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor? chocolate

42. What football team do you support? pats for american and atl untd for soccer

43. Do you have any scars? yeah one on my forhead from the stitches and a couple on the backs of my hands from accidentally burning them

44. What do you want to be when you graduate? i wanna be some type of surgeon probably cardio or trauma tbh

45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? i’d probably get rid of my anxiety tbh

46. Are you reliable? i’d say so

47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? how goes it?

48. Do you hold grudges? like a motherfucker dude

49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create? like,,, a unicorn just so that we’d finally have unicorns n everyone could shut up abt them

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had? i’m a pretty awkward person so i’ve had a fair few tbh

51. Are you a good liar? when it counts

52. How long could you go without talking? probably a v long time tbh

53. What has been you worst haircut/style? i used to have a bowlcut when i was a v small child

54. Have you ever baked your own cake? i bake my own cake deadass every year

55. Can you do any accents other than your own? uh, i can do a okay british one, a p good GA one, a solid SC one, n a subpar irish one

56. What do you like on your toast? butter?

57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of? i doodle a lot so idrk

58. What would be you dream car? some all matte black sportscar bc all i car abt is the aesthetic

59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain. i really,,, d ont??? idk why

60. Do you believe in aliens? i think it’s pretty stupid and anthropocentric not to

61. Do you often read your horoscope? i only read the ridiculous tumblr ones

62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? Q was the first one that came to mind so

63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons? dragons wtf they breathe fire

64. What do you think about babies? they’re alright as long as i don’t have to deal w them when they cry