Eve and the Firehorse looks like it might be an amusing movie.

Trailer
About the Film

A side note: I made the third concoction recipe from my post about homemade chocolate syrup tonight, replacing the sugar with splenda, and it turned out alright. I may adjust the below recipe to use next time, as it should be creamier:

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:
180-200g dark or milk chocolate (1 went with 2 bars of Lindt 75% dark as I wanted rich but not sweet)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups milk

Preparation:
1. Place chocolate in a small saucepan, then pour over 3/4 cup of boiling water over the chocolate and stir vigorously till the chocolate has melted and is smooth.

2. Stir in the rest of the water and milk, then heat over medium heat while whisking continuously till hot but not bubbling.

3. Serve immediately with some home-made marshmallows, or set aside and reheat just before serving!

Homemade Marshmallows

Ingredients:
2 tbsp + 1 1/4 tsp powdered plain gelatin
3/4 cup cold water
2 cups caster sugar
2/3 cup light coloured corn syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 large egg whites
1 cup soft icing mixture*

* Soft icing mixture is different from pure icing sugar though they look the same. Pure icing sugar is regular white sugar that has been ground into a powder, whereas soft icing mixture is powdered sugar mixed with the same quantity of corn starch.

Preparation:
1. Line a 20cm x 15cm baking pan (or casserole dish) with cling wrap (plastic wrap), then cover with an even dusting of soft icing mixture, at least 1mm thick on the bottom and sides. If you prefer, you can spray the plastic with cooking spray instead (I just didn’t have any)

2. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup of water in a small bowl then set aside.

3. Combine 1/4 cup of water, 1 3/4 cups sugar and corn syrup in a large saucepan and place over a low heat to cook without stirring. Leave till temperature reaches 110 degrees C , then stir in the softened gelatin and stir in till well combined (mixture will go foamy).

4. While the sugars are cooking, beat the egg whites, salt and vanilla extract till foamy, then add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, till stiff peaks form.

5. Gradually pour in the gelatin mixture into your meringue base, making sure to beat well after each addition, then beat for another 3-4 minutes or till mixture is very thick.

6. Pour mixture into the prepared dish, then dust the top with another layer of soft icing mixture. Place in the fridge for up to 8 hours, or till mixture is fairly firm to the touch and your finger springs back when you press it.

7. Dust your bench with more soft icing mixture as necessary, turn out the mixture and make sure that all surfaces are dusted and not sticky. Using a sharp knife, cut the block into 2cm squares. Dust the newly cut surfaces in more soft icing mixture, then store the batch in between sheets of baking paper in an air-tight container (in the fridge if you’re having warm weather).

I left work early today due to the development of an itchy rash from using Tiger Balm the night prior. That and it’s nice having an afternoon off. I told my boss I’d probably head out early one night this week when I was preparing for meeting out of town guests, but since those plans fell through, I went home and relaxed instead.

I thought I had some witch hazel to quell the itch, but found some aloe instead.

I did drag out my bear skin and try to take some pictures of that deck I was talking about before. I don’t mess with divination at all, but recently became interested in this supposed “native” theme deck. It’s alright, but I don’t think divination will hold my attention for long. Though I’ve been starting the habit of drawing a card every morning during my daily piety.

Anyhow, it’s a rather tall deck, and wouldn’t fit into any normal suede bags that I had, but I realized I had a white leather bag that wasn’t being used, that fit quite perfect.

Picture 1
Picture 2 (I think I should have shot these with the sun in front of me, instead of behind me)
Picture 3 (close-up of the bag)

Don’t forget to check out my initial review as well.

Since Lush sent me the wrong soap in my initial order (I originally ordered “Honey I Washed the Kids” soap, but they sent “Sexy Peel” soap instead), I’ve had a chance to try out the products, and also received my original soap order with some extra goodies included.

I’ll start by saying that the shampoo and conditioner in my initial review did nothing but dry out my hair, and I’ve decided the smell is just crap. I can’t even relate the scent of either product to something in nature, it’s just not flattering at all. When I got out of the shower, my hair felt tangled and dry, which I never feel when I’m using Jason’s Natural. After 4 or 5 days of use, I had to stop because my wonderful hair was suffering, so I went back to Jason’s. I am glad to say it is now restored to its natural luster.

The Sexy Peel soap lasted maybe 6 days (the entire bar) and the strength of the lemon got nauseous after a while.

However the Tramp shower gel still smells wonderful, albeit it contains SLS, which is a skin irritant, especially for those that may have psoriasis. So I will probably not reorder this either, and find something else without SLS, probably from Jason’s.

The free order I received today contained the following items:

Honey I Washed the Kids - Initial smell is very nice, but not so much like honey. It’s a creamy fragrant scent, almost like the babydoll scent, but definitely not like anything remotely honey.

Sample: Figs and Leaves Soap - Figs and Leaves with creamy aloe and ylang ylang. I am so glad they sent me a sample of this, because it’s one of the ones I wanted to try the most. Unfortunately to me it smells like hotel soap, whatever scent that is supposed to be. Perhaps it will smell different in the shower, and it’s supposed to exfoliate.

Sample: Alkmaar Soap - honeysuckle and seductive jasmine. Actually another pleasant smell, it smells very similar to the old school hawaiian tropic suntan lotion. Will see how it goes.

Sample: Heavenly Bodies Buttercream - chocolate, cocoa butter, orange juice, rhassoul mud, and the real, natural perfume of cocoa absolute. The other one I REALLY wanted to try due to the description. Smells like old chocolate. Definitely not fresh. I may try it out, but it’s not looking very appealing so far.

Sample: Joy of Jelly Soap - jasmine, ylang ylang, and tiger lily. Smells like hairspray. I may just throw this sample out, or see if someone else wants to try it.

Sample: Happy Hippy Shower gel - freshly squeezed pink grapefruits, bergamot and uplifting frankincense, I will try this out tomorrow.

Crystal–So much I could say. Even though we rag eachother, you have become one of my favorite people to talk to. You offer the world a different perspective on life and the world is a better place because of it, at least I am a better person because of it. You are so awesome to me and I know if I am ever having a bad day I can turn to you and you will make me laugh at myself.

Load up on the liquids: Keeping hydrated at work is super important because office air-conditioning can strip the body of moisture which puts it under unnecessary stress. Try leaving a litre water bottle on your desk and finishing it every day. Drinking tea is also the perfect way to stay hydrated and calm down. Studies have proven that herbal and normal tea rejuvenates and relaxes the body. Just avoid too many coffees or sugary drinks — they only spike your energy so high that it comes spectacularly crashing down.

Take a time-out: Your brain is not built to work at full speed for eight hours straight so give it a few reprieves throughout the day. Closing your eyes for 30 seconds and taking a few deep breaths or looking out the window will help your eye sight and your stress levels. If you feel uptight jump on the spot a few times to release the tension. Also be aware of your own stress warning signs. Knowing what sets you off means you can prevent a full blown breakdown before it happens by removing yourself from the situation.

Get and stay organized: It’s a fact. A messy desk does not show that you’re busy and productive, it just resembles your cluttered mind. Taking five minutes at the end of every day to clean your work space and write a to-do list for the next day will make your morning arrival that much more pleasant. Being able to find things first go will also save your sanity.

Know your chill out trigger points: Emotional Mindeze Therapy founder Richard Link believes that by applying pressure to certain parts of your body you can correct imbalances in your energy system. To ease a headache Link suggests sticking your tongue out and biting it as hard as you can without hurting yourself for 10 seconds. To relieve stress Link says that rubbing the back of your head near producing bones will help. You can also ask someone to rub in between your shoulder blades for the same effect. And to calm down when you’re angry, tap your collar bones or hold your temples with your thumb on one side and two fingers on the other for 30 seconds to bring blood flow back to the forehead.

Scatter some inspiration around: Having clear goals will always help you get through the tough times. Remind yourself of why you’re doing what you’re doing and where you’re going by keeping inspirational pictures and quotes handy. Why not put one as your computer screensaver? Also nothing lifts your spirits like some positive affirmation so don’t forget to reward yourself when you do a good job and foster your own self confidence.

Listen to calming music: Soothing music with some deep breathing can help re-focus your brain for productivity. Headphones and music also help drown out distractions to help you be more productive, as well as deter co-workers from bugging you for general chit-chat.

Eat a healthy snack: I know when I feel like I am losing all concentration for the task at hand, a small healthy snack wakes me up and puts me right back on track. Keep things like pretzels, granola bars, dried fruit and nuts, and other healthy snacks at your desk. When you are feeling drowsy, eat a snack, and in return you’ll be helping out your metabolism as well.

Do some work-friendly exercises: Active Living has video instructions on desk exercises you can do at work in order to calm and center yourself. Stretching your limbs encourages the blood and oxygen to flow through your body and help keep you awake. If you can, a brisk walk during your lunch hour will also get the blood flowing again to help you through the 3pm brick wall.

Recipe #1

Ingredients

1 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold water
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preparation
Combine cocoa and sugar and blend until all lumps of cocoa are gone. Add water and salt and mix well. Cook over medium heat, bringing it to a boil. keep boiling until thick, stirring to keep from overflowing. Remove from heat and let cool. When cool, add vanilla. This is great for chocolate milk, hot cocoa, and ice cream topping. Cost Analysis: (30 ounces) Store bought: $1.89 Homemade: 90

Recipe #2

(only slight variation)

Ingredients
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanila

Preparation
Mix cocoa and water in saucepan. Heat and stir to disolve the cocoa. Add sugar, stir to dissolve. Boil 3 min. Add salt and vanilla, pour into jar and store covered in fridge. Keeps several months.

Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup recipe

Ingredients
1/2 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash of salt

Preparation
Combine cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Add water, and mix until smooth. Bring this mixture to a boil. Allow it to boil for one minute, being careful that it does not boil over. Remove from heat and let cool. When cool, add vanilla extract.

Really they all sound essentially the same, but vary on size of ingredients for taste. Looks like some experimentation is in order.

Since taking the initiative over the last couple years to really straighten out my finances, I’ve also been looking at my monthly expenditures. I’ve consolidated service plans, paid off debts, and removed monthly costs and services that I didn’t use.

But there was one bi-weekly expenditure that I had trouble with removing, Schwan’s Service. I mainly started this service for my father, since it would allow me to keep easy-to-make meals in the house, and they had some sugar-free icecreams that he liked.

But 2 months ago I opened up my MS Money that I’ve been using to track every cent that goes in and out of my account for the last 2 years, and noticed that my Schwan purchases since January 2005 were almost $3,500. Talk about a reality check.

Their food is good, but it does not warrant $80/month when I can find the same food cheaper at a grocery store.

But we had become good friends with our delivery guy, and actually I think he had a crush on me at some point, because he mentioned us going out if him and his girlfriend split up. Apparently he’s not used to females that are into hunting and survival, according to him.

So this made it a bit more of a difficult decision, and I kept putting it off. Eventually I decided that I would just cancel the next service, and see how it goes. My father and I certainly didn’t miss the service for that two weeks, so I canceled the next one. For two months I canceled our bi-weekly services and decided that I was now ready to cancel the service completely. I just needed to see for myself that we didn’t need it.