Just My Journal

Moving sucks. Everyone knows it. There are boxes upon boxes upon boxes of stuff, stuff that you forgot even existed. You find old clothes that no longer fit and canned food in the pantry that's probably expired. You wonder how all that stuff even fit in your small 2 bedroom condo. And why do you have 50 scarves? A dozen jackets? Old computer monitors? What purpose does that stuff serve you? But what if moving is an opportunity? What exactly am I talking about? Donation! Tonight I was able to get rid of a table and chairs at my local +Goodwill  ... this set was just sitting in the basement taking up space.  One of these backrests that I bought my freshman year of college and rarely used. A giant dog bed my dog doesn't even use, a hanging organizer for the clothes I never put in it, and a giant stuffed tiger I haven't touched in years. Even just moving out of a dorm room or college apartment sucks! What am I going to do with this eco-shelf after college? And no,...

Never will I ever step into a tanning bed. According to the Melanoma Research Foundation , as much as 90% of melanomas are caused by UV exposure - this includes both the sun and tanning beds. The WHO's IARC classifies tanning beds as a carcinogen! If you are looking for Vitamin D, you won't find it in a tanning bed. If you have a good diet, your Vitamin D levels should be fine. UVB radiation is needed for Vitamin D production, UVA is the type found in tanning beds. I have friends who have a family history of skin cancer, yet they still use tanning beds - especially in the winter. However, this can triple your risk of skin cancer! In other countries (ex. Brazil) tanning is illegal, but it's still legal here in the US. So no thanks, but I'll stick to the sun if anything. However, I did just get my first spray tan at Sun Tan City. It was my birthday and their free spray tan week, so I decided to give it a try with some friends. I wanted a glowing look, not necessaril...

Sensodyne Full Protection +Whitening toothpaste According to it's active ingredients, this toothpaste has 5% potassium nitrate which gives it it's anti-hypersensitivity property. It helps protect your teeth from sensitivity from cold, heat, acids, and sweets. For me, my teeth were getting more and more sensitive to the cold especially. But after using this product my sensitivity level seems to be better! Would buy again Lush Beautiful Shower Gel Although I only bought a small bottle of this body wash, I absolutely loved it. The scent is wonderful and is the same as their fragrance 1000 Kisses Deep . It just makes me feel luxurious. One con is that it contains glitter particles, which I find unnecessary. But if you take your time to use up the bottle, the particles will settle at the bottom. Will buy again Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm in Quenched How many times have you actually finished a lip balm instead of losing it in the void? For me it was zero......

I'm not going to lie... Winter break is highly unproductive for me. I sit around at home and basically just veg out. I'm a self-proclaimed homebody and am perfectly comfortable just sitting around. But when that is the only thing I do every single day, even this girl gets restless. I could be checking out new places, but in the winter it's just so cold. Yeah, it's a lame excuse, I know. But this winter, my sister and I are completely revamping our living situation. She has enlisted in the navy , so over the course of the next 6 years or so, she's not going to be home much. This is part of her motivation to de-clutter. Selling (text)books , clothes , and other items around the house that don't mean that much anymore. This will also give her some extra cash before she flies off. For me, I'm embracing a more minimalist  lifestyle this year. What does minimalism mean to me? It means consuming deliberately. If you were to ask either of us, our mom is a ...

I've only seen a couple segments of Tomi's show "Final Thoughts" via Facebook. But she recently talked with Trevor Noah on "The Daily Show" which I wanted to give my two cents on. During the interview, Tomi related rioting, looting, and burning in the name of the Black Lives Matter movement to it's platform. According to it's website, Black Lives Matter  is "a call to action and a response to virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society." Nowhere on  the website did it tell it's followers to riot, loot, or burn.  The thing is, anyone can say they are doing something in the name of something else. And in fact that has happened! Let's not forget the Knoxville Unitarian Universalist Church Shooting. In 2008, Jim Adkisson, who was a devout right-winger, walked into a church and started shooting at children. He did so because of the church's liberal teachings. In his suicide note he said, "liberals are evil... ...

I love you. Plain and simple as that. I loved you since the moment you walked back into my life. Despite all of the shit you put me through, I never stopped loving you. You make me want to be a better person. You drive me crazy. You support me. Whatever happens, I just want you in my life. Maybe you love me too, maybe you don't. I'm not writing this to change your feelings - I'm writing this to express my own. You told me your secrets - the dark ones. Remember that, because you can tell me anything. I want to be that person for you, the one who will never run no matter what you say. And you've seen me cry. You saw me cry and still didn't leave - so thank you for that. I want you to be happy, I do. And I honestly believe I could contribute to your happiness. No, I don't want to be its source. We both have to be happy on our own first. I know you're not ready for a relationship - you've made that very clear. But when you are ready, I hope you t...

One of the products I've used up is the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser for normal to oily skin types. Actually, I didn't completely use it up because my mother threw it out when I was home for school - but I had almost finished the whole bottle. It is extremely gentle, had no strong scent, and I felt like it didn't strip my skin. I would definitely buy it again in the future. But, for now, the next facial cleanser I'm going to try is the Apsara Neem Facial Cleanser recommended by Kassie AKA +CloudyApples . If you don't know her, I recommending looking her up on YouTube.   Another product I'd like to talk about is the Neutrogena Naturals Acne Foaming Scrub. It has the stamp from the Nature Conservatory. But, it has (natural) microbeads in it and had a pretty strong scent, which is why I didn't actually finish the bottle. Instead I threw it away. If you don't know what the hype about microbeads is about, let me tell you. Microbeads are small,...