Friday, February 21, 2014

Last night, I rubbed charcoal in my mouth.

Thanks to pinterest, I have become addicted to trying "natural" or "home" remedies for all sorts of things:  vinegar and Listerine footscrub?  "Sure!"  Homemade laundry soap?  "Absolutely!"  Elmer's glue as a pore-cleaning strip?  "Why not?!"    I've been pretty pleased with most of these experiments, and I really do wonder what I ever did before the MOST addictive website existed.

I have to say, last night's experiment pretty much beats all other odd experiments...

I rubbed activated charcoal on my teeth.

I saw this on pinterest (where else?) and decided to give it a go.  My teeth are stained from years of coffee, tea and red wine- and from some bad years of smoking in my twenties. 
Finding the activated charcoal was the hardest part.  (They sell it at Walgreen's- I just didn't know where to look and finally had to ask.) 
Activated Charcoal, aka "Black Magic."

Here's a lovely shot of my "before."  Taking this picture felt very... awkward.
  
The instructions were simple enough:  break a capsule open ((harder to do than I expected)), scrub the black powder on your teeth with your finger or toothbrush for about 5 minutes ((this kills my gums- I brushed for a couple of minutes and then just "swished" it around my mouth for another 3 or 4 minutes)), and then rinse/brush teeth with toothpaste.   The process is a bit odd, as your mouth/lips/chin/fingers turn BLACK.  Don't worry- it won't stain skin.  ((I was extra careful to keep it from getting on my clothes- not sure if it would stain fabric.))   I also IMMEDIATELY cleaned my sink, as I was terrified to stain the hotel sink black.  ((Oh yeah, I'm currently in St. Louis on a work trip...))
 
Here's a lovely shot of the "during"
Again- super awkward.
 
And here's my "after"
Hot, right?
 
Here's a before/after comparison:
Before, Top.
After, Bottom.
 
Overall, I am THRILLED.  I'm planning on doing this nightly for a week, and then cutting down to about twice a week for "maintenance."  From all that I've read, activated charcoal is all-natural and will not harm the tooth enamel.  I'll probably post the "before/after" again after a full week to see if I get any whiter. 
This bottle of activated charcoal cost about $20 and has 100 capsules.  One post I saw stated that you only needed a "half capsule" of powder for one session- but there is no way I'm going to attempt to save a half-capsule here and there.  That powder is fine and black- I can just imagine it getting everywhere.  :)
 
Have you ever tried any crazy home-remedies?  What works?  What doesn't?  Let me know!
 
 

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

No White Flags.

Anyone who knows me- or visits any of my social media sites- knows quickly that I am a big fan of the New Orleans Saints.  I became a fan while following the team in the years after Hurricane Katrina.  I loved the resilience and spirit of New Orleans, and this team seemed to embody all of that strength and pride.   In the years since, being a fan of this team has become so much more than just "who I watch" on Sundays.  Being a Saints fan is a deep part of what makes me, "me."  Some don't get that- many think it's cheesy or overly dramatic- and that's OK.  I know why I scream "Who Dat!"
The reasons are endless, and they are mine.
 
One of those reasons wasn't even a "reason" in the beginning...
 
Steve Gleason will forever be a hero to the Who Dat Nation;  first for the blocked punt in September 2006 against the Falcons, the first game in the Superdome after Katrina. 
More importantly, he will forever be a hero for his fight.

In 2011, Steve Gleason went public with his diagnosis of ALS, also known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease."  His story is one of amazing strength, hope, perseverance, faith and love.  I encourage everyone to read about his story, to donate to his foundation ((Team Gleason)), and to watch documentaries such as this one by NFL Films and the shorter "The Steve Gleason Story."  
 
As if you need another reason to think that Steve Gleason is one of the most amazing men ever, there's this, too:  Steve Gleason is a big fan of Pearl Jam, and has formed a special bond with this epic band.

In my opinion, there is no greater hero, no greater example of strength, and no greater role model than Steve Gleason.   On days like today, when I find myself just wanting to be lazy, I think of Steve.  On days that I want to have a pity-party (for whatever undeserved reason), I think of Steve.  
 If I could do no nothing else in my life, I would be happy to know that I helped share his story, and was a part of his Team. 

Monday, February 10, 2014

I'm bad at this.

This may be unconventional, but I'm going to start this new blog-venture with one damning statement:
I am bad at blogging.
I say this for one main reason:  I had a blog for about 6 years, and my readership was never above 50 people.

Truth be told, I never started blogging to get readers.  I wanted an outlet, and I missed writing, so blogging seemed to be the perfect fit.   A girlfriend had started blogging and was finding her niche in this crazy world, so I followed suit.
...Only I never really found my niche.  I found some great new friends- one of whom is like a sister to me now- and even reconnected with some old friends- but I never seemed to "get the hang of it."  And the harder I tried, the more awkward it all felt.  As I'd said, I never started blogging to get readers/followers/fans, but as I watched the followers grow for my girlfriends, I felt a little out of the loop.  It was almost like a clique, and while my friends never made me feel less-than-adequate, the numbers spoke for themselves.  Part of it was my fault-  I always chose to keep my blog semi-private and never shared it with many people I knew "in real-life."  It was important to me to be able to write candidly, and I struggled with the privacy issue often.   I wanted to stay private, but I also wanted to be heard.

Several times I tried to "fix" this.  I'd change my voice.  I'd write more like another, more popular blogger.  I'd participate in "link up" blogs.  I'd force myself to post on days that I really had nothing valuable to say. . . and in the end, I remained in this blogging rut- only each time I tried something "new," I felt more and more disappointment.   Perhaps the biggest disappointment I felt was with myself, because I found myself often measuring the beauty or importance of a post by how many comments were made (or the lack there-of.)  The harder I tried to write something "comment-inducing," the less people would respond.  It was a vicious cycle, and one that I never wanted to get wrapped up in in the first place.  I was no longer writing a blog post because I "wanted" to, or because I felt moved to- I was posting to get feedback.  Eventually, I just stopped.

Recently, my dear friend (and perhaps the BEST thing to come into my life through blogging) and I were talking about how we had been neglecting our blogs lately.  We laughed at how narcissistic and ego-centric the blogging world can be.  We agreed that social media has taken away a large reason for blogging- what we once used as an outlet to update our friends across the country (world, even!) about what we did that weekend can now be done immediately through instagram.   Sure, I miss writing, and I miss reading other posts- but in a world of insta-everything, blogging had become something time-consuming and labor-intensive.  (Just reading this makes me ill.  How lazy have I become?)

Another reason I've found it hard to pick up blogging again is because most of the girls that I "blogged" with are no longer blogging, either.  Over those primitive blogging years, I gained a small network of blog-friends, and I always knew I could count on them to read my posts (and comment!)- but more importantly, I always knew I could log on and read THEIR posts.  Most of these girls no longer blog, and the thought of starting this over again (eeek!  Making new friends?!) seems a bit exhausting.  Again, how lazy do I sound?

I've wrestled with the want/need to get back to writing quite a bit lately.  I miss it.   I've gone back and forth with putting life back into my old blog, or starting over.  I've settled on doing a bit of both-  I can't bring myself to delete the old blog completely- there are so many memories living there.  The idea of starting over completely is insane.  So, I've made my old blog private in order to preserve those posts and have started fresh, here- with elements from the old blog.  (Who can come up with a completely new name, after all?!)

I have no idea what is in store for My Hippie Soul.  I don't know what shape it's going to take.  I can't promise I'll always have purpose.  I can't promise I will post daily.  I can't promise to always be entertaining, or thought-provoking, or silly, or happy, or sad.   I can promise, however, that I will always be honest.

xoxo,
-J.