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Archive for the ‘lifestyle’ Category

Some interesting info on egg-based drinks I’ve never heard of, such as “possett” in addition to the one I love, eggnog!

Why'd You Eat That?

You will all be happy to know that I survived the Christmas office party. But only barely.

I don’t wanna talk about it.

Anywho…

As I’m writing these posts, I’m seeing a trend:

I hate many of these traditional items.

But that’s probably because I’ve only ever tried the commercialized versions. For example, eggnog. I hate eggnog. I think it’s thick and goopy and disgustingly sweet. I’ve only tried the commercialized kind so perhaps that’s why.

Eggnog (or egg nog, whichever one you prefer) is a thick, rich holiday drink made from beaten eggs, spices, cream, sugar, and alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.

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Andy Torres explains “ego blogging” her coined term for what now has become commonplace on the internet, but which she was one of the originators of, back in 2007. Undecided as to her career path, she dropped out of college at a certain point, to pursue her real dream of creating and developing fashion ideas. Taking her love of sewing and modifying outfits, she moved to New York to try to make it as a designer. But when she didn’t find the opportunity she desired at an existing fashion house, she went online. Andy marketed herself and her fashion ideas through her blog, Style Scrapbook, which has since garnered over 75,000 followers…an impressive feat for any company, let alone a single girl.

Andy’s advice to anyone starting their own ego blog is simple.
1. Offer great content, which is useful to the target audience.
2. Include good photos which depict the subject in the best context.
3. Post often, to maintain contact with an audience with short attention span.
4. Share your blog on as many strong social media sites as possible.
5. Above all be yourself, and keep your content genuine and accessible.

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A new way to blog! I’ve now connected StarintheStone to Bloglovin as a new way to connect.
I’d like to invite my followers to join me there as well and keep on lovin’ our blogs! lol

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Source: vogue.com via Vogue on Pinterest

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Vogue, May 1989 This image ran with an article on food phobias by Jeffrey Steingarten. Photographed by Irving Penn. One of Anna Wintour’s selections of favorite Vogue editions, on Pinterest.

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1. Apricot. Apricots contain beta-carotene which stops radicals from damaging the inner structures of the organism and it is also very useful for our eyes. In our body, the beta-carotene form the A vitamin which prevent from developing a series of cancer diseases, especially the skin cancer. One fruit contain 17 calories 1 gram of carbohydrates and does
not contain any fats.

Apricots are an excellent source of beta-carotene and are useful in reducing infections or skin problems. They are a good source of iron and potassium. Fresh juice of apricot leaves is useful in skin diseases. It can be applied with beneficial results in scabies, eczema, sun burn and itching of the skin due to cold exposure. Apricots have an alkaline reaction in the system. They aid the digestion, if consumed before a meal. The fruit is highly valued as a gentle laxative and is beneficial in the treatment of constipation. The fresh juice of apricots, when mixed with glucose or honey forms a very cooling and soothing drink during fevers. Its many benefits include quenching the thirst, and eliminating waste products from the body. In addition, it tones up the eyes, stomach, liver, heart and nerves by supplying minerals and vitamins.

Advice: Try to buy apricots while there are still hard (green). When the apricots become soft, they begin to loose their nourishing properties.

2. Avocados. The oleic acid and the unsaturated fats containing in this fruit decrease the level of cholesterol and increase the quantity of high density lipoproteins. Beside that avocado contain a large quantity of cellulose, iron and vitamin C. One piece contains 81 calories, 8 grams of fats and 3 grams of carbohydrates. In order to fasten the ripping process put avocados in a closed plastic bag with an apple or a banana.

Advice: Try to replace the mayonnaise in your sandwiches with pieces of avocado.

3. Raspberries. Raspberries contain the ellagic acid which helps decrease the growth of cancer cells. These berries also contains the C vitamin, decrease the level of cholesterol and the probability of cardiovascular diseases. Rich in vitamin C, folate, iron and potassium, raspberries also provide high amounts of insoluble fiber (thanks to all those little seeds) as well as respectable amounts of the soluble fiber pectin, which helps control cholesterol levels.

Raspberries contain a large amount of cellulose. Since cooking does not destroy these compounds, raspberry jam may also be beneficial. Raspberry is one of the few fruits whose consumption would not have much effect on the body’s blood sugar levels. A glass of Raspberries contains 60 calories, 1 gram of fats and 8 grams of carbohydrates.

Advice: A natural face mask made raspberries helps protect against the suns rays. Vitamin C’s antioxidant powers help fade age spots and discoloration. It also rounds out the skin to fill in minor wrinkles.

4. Mango. A middle-sized mango fruit contains 57 milligrams of C vitamin which constitutes the daily norm for a human’ nourishment. This antioxidant helps to prevent the arthritis, is used in wounds recovery and enforces the immunity system. Pregnant women and people with anaemia are advised to eat this fruit regularly. It is also valuable to combat acidity and poor digestion. Mango also contains the A vitamin. One fruit of mango has 135 calories, 1 gram of fats and 4 grams of carbohydrates.

Advice: Some varieties do not turn red, orange or yellow. If buying these green varieties, look for other signs they are ripe such as a nice sweet fragrance. They should yield nicely to a light press with the fingertip. If they are brought unripe, they can be put in a paper bag in a warm place and they will ripen in a day or two.

5. Cantaloupe. Contain vitamin C (117 milligrams of C vitamin is contained in a half of cantaloupe – a double daily norm) and beta-carotene which stops the radicals from damaging the inner structures of the organism. It also contains 853 milligrams of potassium, which is twice more than in a banana. Potassium decreases the blood pressure. Cantaloupe has antioxidants that help us fight with heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, aging, etc. Cantaloupe is also a very good source of potassium, vitamin B6, dietary fiber and niacin (vitamin B3). A half of cantaloupe contains 97 calories 1 gram of fats, 2 grams of carbohydrates. Cantaloupe is beneficial for arthritis, obesity, fever, rheumatism, skin diseases, high blood pressure, abdominal and stomach gas and many other diseases.

Advice: When choosing cantaloupe, choose a fully ripened melon, because according to research as fruits fully ripen, almost to the point of spoilage their antioxidant levels actually increase.

6. Cranberries. Helps to combat the infections in the urinary bladder, stop the in growing number of bacteria. Cranberry juice can inhibit the aggregation of bacteria that cause dental plaque and based on evaluation of several vitro screening tests, it has been suggested that the proanthocyanidin compounds found in cranberry may exhibit some anti-carcinogenic activity. Some medical professionals and specialists believe that quinic acid abundant in cranberry may help to prevent the development of kidney stones. Recent scientific research shows that cranberries and cranberry products contain significant amounts of antioxidants and other phytonutrients that may help protect against heart disease, cancer and other diseases. In some people, regular cranberry juice consumption for months can kill the H. pylori bacteria, which can cause stomach cancer and ulcers. Drinking cranberry juice daily may increase levels of HDL, or good cholesterol and reduce levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol. A cup of cranberry juice contains 144 calories. There are no fats or carbohydrates.

Advice: Buy a 100% cranberry juice and add water without sugar.

7. Raisins: These little pearls- are the main resource of iron which helps to transmit the oxygen to tissues. The phytonutrients and olenolic acid present in raisins makes them beneficial for the health of teeth and gums. Having antioxidant properties, raisins help keep the blood clean and flowing, by getting rid of al the impurities. Raisins are believed to be good for bone density and have been associated with lower risk of osteoporosis in women. Studies claim that raisins contain additional nutritive compounds that can protect against heart disease and colon cancer. A half cup of Raisins contains 218 calories, 3 grams of carbohydrates. It does not contain fats.

Advice: Raisins are a good source of fiber and can help cure constipation. For the purpose, boil raisins in a saucepan of water, strain the liquid and drink it. Every morning try to add little raisins in your cereals.

8. Fig. The fig is a source of potassium and carbohydrates, it also contains the vitamin B6, which is responsible for the serotonyne – “hormone of pleasure”; it decreases the amount of cholesterol. One fig contains 37-48 calories, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 fats. Figs are high in natural and simple sugars, minerals and fiber. They contain good levels of potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese. Dried figs contain an impressive 250mg of calcium per 100g, compared to whole milk with only 118mg. Dried figs consist from about 60% of sugar, contain a lot of vitamins and it is said that humans could live on figs only.

Advice: Eat dries figs as a healthy energy snack. For extra flavor and nutrients, stuff them with nuts and a little honey.

9. Lemon. Lemon contains limonene and C vitamin which help to prevent cancer. It has a limited number of calories and does not contain carbohydrates or fats. You must know that citrus fruits in general may have a great benefit over our body; citruses are useful for your skin, bones and heart; it’s a well-known fact that citruses are great eyesight defenders and mood enhancers.

Advice: Add lemon juice in your food: salad, beans or vegetables.
via Nutritional-habits

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condensed from How to Repel Men With Style | Luke Leitch
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Left to right: an ‘inexplicable hip extension’ from David Koma, frayed yarn face masks at Rick Owens and a typewriter dress by Mary Katrantzou PHOTOS: REX/VLADIMIR POTOP
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Until his retirement in 2007, Valentino Garavani enjoyed a career rich in fame and fortune, all thanks to his near-peerless skill for doing one thing extremely well. That skill, which propelled him to the apex of 20th-century fashion, was in wreathing the world’s most beautiful women in dresses of devastating elegance. Whether it was Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy or Sophia Loren, Valentino had an unerring knack for transforming celebrated head-turners into unforgettable heart-stoppers.

Now it has been announced that a 100-strong collection of Valentino’s finest couture gowns is to feature at Somerset House’s blockbuster show this November – and I for one can’t wait to see it. For these days, women’s clothes that are designed to reduce any man who sees them into a jibbering, crush-struck wreck are rare indeed.

In the last few years, at show after show, I’ve confronted catwalks packed with ensembles outré enough to make a man’s veins run suddenly cold. Beautiful (albeit sillily thin and inappropriately young) women dressed in a manner guaranteed to wither the male gaze far more efficiently than a nun’s habit.

This withering is not because they look covered up and chastely tasteful. It’s because the outfits they’re wearing make them look like freshly escaped loonies. A few burned-into-the-retina regrets from the Autumn 2012 collections include camel-toe-flashing body stockings in jester’s diamonds, ruffled tulle pink buttock-skimmers wider than anything in My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, and post-apocalyptic cult robes with frayed yarn face masks and death’s-head make-up… the 21st-century womenswear catwalk is all too often no place for men who relish a little black dress.

I – off duty – am one of those men, like any other. And yet I’m also employed to attend these fashion shows, then try and make some kind of sense of them. So as my inner bloke baulks and bolts for the door, I stay, sit and watch – and try to work out what on earth the designers are getting at. Furthermore, why on earth would women want to wear some of this stuff?

Take the peplum. This inexplicable hip extension is fashion’s current equivalent to the appendix: entirely useless yet utterly ubiquitous. Or the current ankle sock with high-heel trend: why subvert a sexy shoe with saggy, granny ankles? And what’s going on with the stupid, sadly not-quite-yet-over neon movement? Surely only paramedics and binmen could wish to dress in that saccharinely virulent shade of orange. Over the past few years I have silently asked myself scores of similar questions, adrift in a fragrant sea of rapturously applauding female fashion editors.

The discovery of a blog entitled The Man Repeller helped me start to square womenswear’s circle of aggressively ugly. Written by a young New Yorker named Leandra Medine, it amusingly recounted her flirtation with fashion fripperies that she not only knows but delights in knowing will send most men running to the hills. And then the comment of a female colleague after one particularly to-the-male-eye unattractive show – “you’ll never understand that! It was brilliant!” – cemented the thought: perhaps some fashion appeals to women precisely because of its burka-trumping capacity to confound masculine attention. Fashion has become an arena in which conventional male tastes, whether we like it or not, are an irrelevance. Sometimes, a designer’s freedom to whip up whatever they want – the loopier the better – can produce brilliant results. Mary Katrantzou’s pencil skirt made of pencils and her red Olivetti dress are great recent examples. Too often, however, contemporary fashion is an impenetrable in-joke as inexplicable as the worst type of contemporary art.

Still, now I can watch bunny-boiler collections that everybody else in the room says they adore without perplexedly wondering what it is I’m missing. Because sometimes women’s fashion operates on a frequency that most men simply aren’t supposed to hear.

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read the article How to Repel Men With Style | Luke Leitch

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fashion, pretty girls, and other things with price tags

The Playground

I spend a lot of time criticising the boys who work on Wall Street, but if you’re not after anything too cerebral they can be quite good fun to hang out with. Fraser and Kathleen started spending a lot of time together in a weird sexless mini-clique. There had been rumours flying round that her job wasn’t as secure as it might be, and I think she was keen to get close to anyone who could help her career.

As a girl, you get used to bawdy comments from guy-friends. One of the things that really shocked me about the city guys was the number of them who had been with call-girls. Usually on foreign trips where nobody knew them, but sometimes at home in New York. “Their work builds up a lot of testosterone,” Lina would say, “they have to let off steam somehow.”

“Does your brother go with…

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what a terrific retrospective of the fashion and feelings of the time…!

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MV Agusta Cilindri.

A classic Italian racer. While a 3-cylinder engine was not exactly a novelty (others had experimented with this configuration) it was undoubtedly the first to achieve such brilliant performance. A full 92 HP at 13,500 RPM, lightness and excellent handling made this 500 the most successful of the MV stable. Following its 1966 debut, it won 7 consecutive world championships from 1967 to 1973 with G. Agostini. That was no easy feat. Wouldn’t you love to ride this machine on a race track?


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Apparently Karl Lagerfeld also loves the classics, as he is seen with a version of this machine here. What a bike; what a guy!
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sailing from The Hatcheries rocky viewpoint

boards parked in the woods at The Hatcheries

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For more information on windsurfing and places to windsurf on the Columbia River Gorge

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