The Blues of my Life

As I'm writing this,  I realized that I went all day without mascara and part of me is apalled because if you read my super old post here, you'd understand. And then the other part is ok with it because my allergies have my eyes and nose and face all kinds of itching and runny and ew. But it made me remember that I hadn't done this post yet and I really needed to.

So a bit of a backstory with my mascara, I was not allowed to wear makeup until I was 15. My Quinceanera was a big milestone for me and anyone who's familiar with Hispanic culture knows that the doors open when you turn 15. And when I did I joined the sisterhood that my mom and aunt started. Blue masacara....

Now I know that you know that colored mascaras were a pretty decent trend for a while but from what I found nothing came close to my first love, my ride or die, my forever...AND IT WAS DISCONTINUED!!!!

What Maybelline didn't realize that I tend to stock up on the Great Last mascara in Royal Blue. I know it's not the best thing to have and do but it's a thing and I will not regret that because for a long time I had no idea that Maybelline discontinued my all time favorite mascara that me, my sister, my mom and my aunt wore FOR YEARS as our signature! And I felt blindsided to know that I finished the last bit of my mascara and couldn't restock until they came to their senses and brought it back and I bought two the first day I found them.

In that time before the heavens reopened, I tried a couple other drug store mascaras and had mixed results.

My first was from Covergirl that featured Katy Perry. I don't know if I got a bad one because I swear the moment I opened it, the brush came out clumpy and dry and scratchy even before I attempted it on my eyes. The color was more navy than anything and didn't really show up on my lashes and didn't do much at all. I know I've enjoyed the Covergirl foundation but obviously the eye side needs work.

The second was better. L'oreal Voluminous is pretty awesome anyway and they came out with a blue mascara. I had some real hope for these because I do enjoy the Carbon Black but it has to be waterproof or I am straight raccoon status. In all honesty it was pretty good in terms of the Voluminous quality that I'm already used to and while the color was not as bold when it's dry as my Royal Blue, it's still pretty good and I'll still use it. Now the Voluminous line also has a white mascara primer and if you're using it beforehand, the blue is brighter and it's nice as long as you make sure you cover all the white before it dries.

Now I know that people have mixed feelings about Maybelline and the Great Lash line itself. I've never used the black mascara and for me brown mascara is pointless. I used to use the clear Great Lash on my eyebrows but you can NOT understand my love for the Royal Blue mascara. It's my signature eye makeup. It's my thing. I get compliments on it just about every time I wear it. It is not waterproof but the formula is great enough to where it stays on my eyes until I wash it off. Even when I wash it off it doesn't take an act of Congress and a virgin sacrifice to clean it off without pain and a ton of pulling.


So on that note, it may be time to start restocking.


And in the meantime, check out some of my other posts....



For those with da ta-tas - http://bit.ly/2ezvzOM

Smell Good Stuff - http://bit.ly/2vT879v

Some Summer Favorites - http://bit.ly/2uD9o4o

B3 - Big, Bad, and Beautiful

So even though I've had this blog up for a bit, I still feel like I'm really new. One thing I know I'm still working on is my niche, my thang, my spot in the blogosphere. While I think that will still be a work in process, I know one thing that I can look to and that is the B3.

My aunt actually came up with this a long time ago and it has stuck with me. She said girls like us are Big, Bad, and Beautiful. And as someone who has kinda been an outlier to societies standard, it was really awesome to have someone say that yes, you're taller and a bit bigger than the average girl but that is ok because you are fierce and strong. I've taking those and looked at the women in my life, my mom, aunts on both sides, grandmas, and it needs to be said.

I am not a small woman; seriously, the smallest things about my body are my ears. I've known it my whole life, people have pointed it out to me in a backhanded compliment or just straight up rude comment or a seemingly innocent comment about when I'm due.

I have this friend and to be honest she's one of my best friends; she's the bubbliest person I know with a shape to kill for. She encountered a comment from a guy about her size and was told she should be ashamed of her body and she just took it and said how dare you?! I'm rocking my body because I love it.

Me being the kind of person I am, was like gimme da signal and you have back up STAT but she said no, she wasn't gonna let one person's opinion affect how she sees herself and the world. THAT is being Big, Bad, and Beautiful. Love yourself, stand up for yourself and let your sparkle shine.

I may not know where my niche will come from in order to point my blog in that direction but it will revolve around the three B's and I hope you'll come on this journey with me. 







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It's Gonna Be May! - Monthly Faves

First time of me doing a favorites segments and it's pretty exciting and a little scary because going through the month, some things are instant and some I really had to think about. So here I have a few things that have made life awesome this month.

Makeup -Lancome Juicy Shaker

I could write a whole post on why these are a-freakin-mazing. Granted the $21 price tag is a lil bit of a splurge for me but it is totally worth it. Once I get my words together on this wonderful piece of heaven, I'll link it here.

Book(s) - Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas

I don't get to read as much as I would like but Lawd have mercy, when I get going....I get going. One of my best friends recommended this series, hey Kim hey. According to the little tag, it has some feels on Game of Thrones while keeping a 'young adult vibe'. Now lemme be honest with you, I am big into fantasy and the world of magic. I love an easy read and this really started out that way. Typical characters and an interesting little plot and young adult yada yada. But trust me, make it to book 3 and it explodes into amazingness and I couldn't put them down. I even have the new book pre-ordered that comes out in September so my Kindle is waiting with bated inanimate breath.

Shower - Tree Hut Sugar Scrub in Coconut Lime

This was a bit of an impulse buy at the hands of my BFF. He uses the hand cream and I almost got it but looked at this instead. I tried making my own sugar scrub and it definitely did not turn out like I wanted or how my mom's did. I have sensitive skin so I can't exfoliate often but when I do, I just melt. So smooth and if you could smell it through my words, you'd melt too. I have a love/hate relationship with coconut and I've encountered some terrible variations of the lime combo. Just stop by a Walmart or Target, and look it up and smell it for yourself.

Show - Game of Thrones (duh)

Another addiction at the hands of my BFF. He got me in at season 3 and I've watched and rewatched and currently diving into season 6. He's read the books more than once and I am still trying to get through book 2. Great series but it just moves a bit slow whereas the show has you hanging on every second. I'll get through the books....eventually....and maybe he'll finish the next book. Until then, I will continue to endure the winter on Sunday nights/Monday mornings. lol

Technology- Google Opinion Rewards App

To be perfectly honest, I don't quite remember who turned me onto this, but I'm so glad they did. I made the switch from Apple to Android a couple years back and haven't look back. They're just little surveys to do randomly that will give you credit to use in the Google Play Store so hey paid-extensions-for-apps-that-I-don't-want-to-spend-money-on.


Not bad for a first month of faves, and even though I'm a total Backstreet Boys fans, Justin got it this month.

Keep up with my last postings on living alone.
Here's a few perks
and here's a few things to consider

Relationships and Things

I feel compelled to write a bit and pull a Carrie Bradshaw, well kinda. I woke up today and was super annoyed and bummed and it felt like a Monday on crack. Now that your "?" is fully above your head, let me explain.

(Thank you Google for the pics to choose from.)

Thursdays are a day that I look forward to literally every week. My boyfriend, a few friends and I have a thing and that thing is always where we know the peeps working and just have a good time with good friends. And this particular week something came over me...there's no way to explain it other than I passed out. I woke up this morning, fully dressed and wondering what time is was and then it hit me, I slept through our night out.

It really did feel like a Monday but worse because it's Friday. So I showed up to work and went straight for the coffee. Was texting my boyfriend about my dramatic woes because he had texted me about it last night and knew that I fell asleep. Then, he defeated me with his logic when I said that it just sucks that I missed out on the night I look forward to during the week.

He doesn't understand how something this simple just literally shattered my melodramaticness. He tends to have this affect on me and while part of me is asking why can't I just be pissy?! The other part is like woah.... he's right.

See last week, I was stressing about having my annual physical and getting a couple things checked that have been driving me and my nerves crazy. Turns out I did need some meds and am on my way to being healthy again. On top of that, I had an argument that left me super torn and he let me vent about it, comment free. So even with missing out last night, I am in a better place now than I was last week. I just had to look at the bigger picture.

It was, literally, a light bulb. He's always such a happy-go-lucky guy and while I tend to freak, he keeps it cool. He reminds me to look at the bigger picture or a different perspective and it reminds me of one of the reasons I love him so much. And I think that is what relationships should be. Whether it's a significant other or just a friend, we should be encouraging and inspiring each other to be a better person otherwise, Carrie Bradshaw has to wonder.....what are you bringing to the table of your relationship??

I am the person who pops up under the synonym of pessimist in the thesaurus. I'm not saying that it's hard to think positive, because it really isn't. I am the person who hopes for the best, but expects the worst. It's not a trait that I am proud of and it's one that I am trying to work on. He helps with that. With little things like that and my attitude changed for the entire day.

So be kind to others and just think, you may be in a better place this week than you were in some aspect last week. 

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It's Ok to Getaway

Bad skyline of El Paso, Tx

Life gets ya down sometimes. I don’t have to tell you that because Lord knows it can be draining. And sometimes when you suck it up and endure it day after day until weeks become months, you feel like you don’t have much less to give. That’s where I’d been and it had really taken its toll. I was sick with different things at the same time before I had enough and said that I needed a break from life and some home remedies, read about that here. And it came at a perfect time because my bff had an escape route of sorts.

On the road back home

He had a cousin who was getting married and it was going to be good times. And for some unknown reason I hadn’t met this part of the family before but with him being a professional photographer, there was some requests made for a few photos. I’ve also been wanting to improve my photography in general, and especially for the blog, so we had a whole 4 days set to have fun with his family, unofficially shoot a wedding in parts and the area to get me reacquainted with my Nikon and run around the city of El Paso, TX. This needed me to get a couple days off work and normally I’m a bit leery when it comes to taking days because my official vacation isn’t until October, and you’ll see that later later, but I needed a break from life and so did le bff.

Yup I fed that one and I was more stoked that the kids

A total of four days without phones ringing and professionalism and I only needed time off for two. It was great! We literally drove around the city because I know that I also have some family down in the area but they are a bit more distant and I haven’t seen them in roughly ten years so I couldn’t even tell you their names. But I got to see a lot of the parts that most people don’t think of when you think of Old El Paso and it was gorgeous. The dynamics in the city are great. We ate at restaurants and bistros we’d never heard of as well as some amazing home cooking from his aunt. And went to the zoo where I got to feed the giraffes and it was AMAZING! Sadly I still need some work on the dslr settings to get some decent photos so you have to suffer with the not greatest in-the-moment cell pictures. Sorry, but yea.

Beautiful Mocha from Dlox 

So I’ve decided that mini vacations are a definite need in my life. You can only go and go and go for so long before you really get burned out. So I wanna say to the workaholics and to myself that it’s ok to need a day or two off for your physical and mental sanity. I applaud the people who have their routines set for everything. I wish and want to be that structured in my life but right now, there are days where I’m hanging by a thread. Now I’m thinking about doing some planning and see how I can fit in maybe a stay-cation. 

Fairy Garden at a nursery we went to just because

7 Perks to Living Alone

I’ve always been pretty independent, even according to my mom as a kid, and a lot of that helps me now that I’m working out this adulting part of life. I’ve lived by myself for a long time. Even with roommates in college, my dorm life went from roomy to no roomy for different reasons and my RA just never gave me a new one. Even when I lived off campus with other roomies, we had such different schedules that we weren’t at the apartment at the same time most of the time. And now with no school and no roommates, there’s definitely a lot of upsides to living by yourself.

1.       The ability to walk and be around the house in PJs or less. There’s no one around to be decent or sexy or modest for. If you want to walk around without pants as soon as you get home, then let the trail of clothes begin

Google is on point in the search area

2.       Have it your way. No, seriously. Even in a rental, there are a million things to make your place your own. There’s a living room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen that can all be decorated differently with your own taste with no arguments other than yourself(because yes, that will happen). But double check the ability to paint, because big changes are usually a no with landlords. I’ve been toying with the idea of temporary wall paper. Hang it up and work it out and if and when I move, it is supposed to come off but there’s more research to be done on that end.

Yes this is on my board, follow me there too in the side bar

3.       Have one bathroom schedule to keep or not. Unless you have guests staying over, there’s no Dr. Sheldon Cooper telling you that it’s not your turn or where to keep your toiletries

Ultimate roommate situation - thank you Google Search

4.       There’s no roommates to blame for the dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher. There’s no one else to complain for leaving clothes in the washer and dryer. Everything is up to you and if you want to leave it, that is at your own risk. You can really test your own limits with chores and I feel that it helps get you in gear because if it bothered you with roommates, it will bother you more without them. And if it didn’t bother you, it will now, guaranteed or I have no sanity.

And the internet provides

5.       You literally have your own space. One issue that I had with living on campus was that yes I got my own half of the room but the times where I needed to just be alone and handle my thoughts or life in general, I couldn’t be alone. When you do, yes you have to deal with yourself but you can do that in peace. So if it’s Netflix and ice cream or blaring your stereo to get some energy out, you can just do you boo boo.

It really provides so much truth in life

6.       Sprawl out all over your bed or couch or floor, wherever your little heart desires!!! It’s one thing if you live with roommates or a significant other, but being able to leave the trail of clothes at the door or falling asleep in a starfish fashion on your bed is a great feeling. With roommates, you have to respect each other’s boundaries, but when it’s all yours then there are none. So lay across the couch or paint your toes in the living room with a sheet mask on.

I know I've slept all these ways and maybe a few more lol

7.       Be as quiet or as loud as you want. Trust me both extremes will come into play. Going thru life with roomies, there’s usually something going on. Living on campus, my friends usually had a tv show going on when I came ‘home’ or some sort of music. My older brother is a wonderful musician as is my younger brother, so classical music, big band, Dixieland, and other band arrangements of popular songs were being made at all times of the day and night for a majority of my life. That was the biggest change when I started living alone so the quietness got on my nerves, so I will always have access to movies being played in the background, or music or videos on Youtube to keep my mind from wandering. (Also I’ve gotten to a point where I can measure how much time I’ve spent by how long a song or movie was. Works wonders in the mornings.) But then there are times like me writing this post, where I’m a bit sick from stomach and headache issues, sound is the enemy and it can be quiet for however long I need it to be. No one to remind that I feel like crap and appropriately hiss when they turn on the light, or the tv, or the xbox. 

Yasss, Fave feel better movie

Now that you've read 7 perks, check out

5 Lifesavers When Late

10 Beauty Products For the Grown

10 Ideas When Buying For The BF

I don’t know about you, but GUYS are the hardest to buy for!

Granted brothers and dads are standard hard, but let me tell you that my boyfriend is the hardest person to buy for. He tops my dad and brothers easily. I know I’m not the only one in this and with Valentines day literally around the corner, it’s always a struggle to be cute and still show that you put some thought in.

Now to the dudes, I know that some girls are impossible so consider me in how-in-the-hell-am-I-going-to-pull-this-off boat with ya. The thing is that we, in this boat, still come through somehow. Don’t get me wrong, I love my bf. He’s the guy who’s always smiling and seeing the better side of the day with a side of smart, sarcasm, and a positive look on life. He truly makes me want to be a better person in the optimistic sense. And of course he spoils me to no end and insists on no gifts in return. So, ladies (and other guys), here’s some miracles that I’ve pulled off, whether you need it for Valentine’s day or birthday or any other gift-y type day because reciprocity is important.

So check these out via the wonderful Amazon Prime. Understand that this may not be the ideal unless you don’t mind forking over money for one day shipping. Now my bf isn’t big on movies, accessories, clothes. He just got into cologne and bought enough to last the rest of his life (which I’m totally ok with because there is NOTHING wrong with a man that smells good – insert creeper status lol) And he’s not big on clutter, so I try to make my gifts as practical as possible.

Can't go wrong with beer, but it's cute beer

Because a suitcase isn't always necessary when travelling and let me repeat for emphasis, a trashbag is not proper travelling equipment.

Where I use music lyrics and movie references in life, he uses sports references

Because the speaker on your phone isn't loud enough when you need it to be

Adapter goes directly on battery and you set the phone on the charger, BAM no wires. should have bought this for myself lol and I eventually did

Ain't nobody got time for warm beer. Keep it cool even when it's being babied lol

And when you are literally figuring something out last minute, then Pinterest is your friend. These are on my boards. Check out my boards from the Follow Me link in the side bar.

This Girl's New Best Lash Friend

If you read my post on 10 Products Every Grown Woman Needs, then consider this a follow up slash extension. I wrote briefly on one product that is my overall go to, mascara. But I didn’t quite elaborate enough on the why and what I use, so here we are.

Now I have a fairly decent amount of lashes and they are a good length as well, thank you Dad. If I could wear only one makeup product, it would be mascara. Now granted I hated it as a kid who was dipped in makeup for dance recitals, but alas I was young and knew not the amazingness that lies in the power of eyes.

I don’t consider myself a beauty guru by far but I’ve tried a lot of products to get what I’m looking for and I know what works for me and my issues. And for mascara they are:

1.       Is it waterproof like my Voluminous mascara from L'Oreal?

2.       Does it do a better job than my favorite Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Royal Blue?

So my thing is that my skin is not just oily but it also gets to my eyelashes in some ways. Like I mentioned, my lashes are decently long on top and bottom. If I’m wearing a black mascara, more often than not it absolutely has to be waterproof because somehow, if it’s not, then it’s instant rabid raccoon eyes. I’ve been wearing the Royal Blue Great Lash since I was allowed to wear makeup and never had that issue. Is it the formula? Who knows, but my blue lashes have been a signature of the women of my family for a while.

My second go-to is the L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara. A great friend of mine turned me to it in high school and I’ve never looked back. Besides the fact that the formula that can’t come off without an act of Congress, I love the separation it gives my eye lashes. Call it my Hispanic culture, but no one has time for clumpyness. So yes, I have been that stereotypical chick separating her eye lashes with straight pins, pencil lead, etc. Never have to do that with Voluminous mascara.

With these, I’ve never really had a want to dabble into other brands. I’ve tried a couple drug store brands but not so much on the higher end other than samples from Sephora or Birchbox, that is until now. I can say that I am so hooked on Benefit’s Roller Lash. A couple YouTube peoples I follow have talked about it and I understand that you basically either love it or hate it. I love it! I love it! And did I mention that I absolutely LOVE IT!

Now this is only a mini version that I got at Ulta for maybe ten bucks, I had a coupon and redeemable points so I couldn’t tell you exactly how much it was. But because I didn’t know if I would love it or hate it, I just said to be safe and get the mini and I’ll probably be getting the full size very soon and add it to my go to’s, especially if I'm running late, then it goes here.

I can only describe it as a great mesh between my staple mascaras, because my Maybelline formula lets me wear a cool color mascara without the black eyes later in the day or in the morning. As far as I can tell, the Roller Lash is not waterproof but it does have some epic staying power even for my oily issues. The brush isn’t as ‘brushy’, best I can come up with, like the voluminous but the lift and separating power is phenomenal!

So if you are on the fence about finding your go to mascara, give the mini Roller Lash a try from Ulta and that way, you can try it guiltlessly and if it works, come to the lashy side. I’m sure we’ll have cookies.


Read up on previous posts

Tales of the Tank - External Batteries

*I read this little article from the Huffington Post the other day about beauty products that every grown woman should have. Going through it, I can agree with most of them. They are pretty vague and basic, and sometimes we need simple and basic, but I think we can also just up it just a tad. So I want to go through Dana Oliver’s list with my two cents and you can take what you will and add your opinion in the comments.

1. Red Lipstick – Every grown woman needs some shade of red lipstick, or lippie as the new lingo goes. If you haven’t heard of the Lipstick Index or the Lipstick Effect, Google it and learn you some because this makes sense in an odd way. Red lipstick is always seen as a classic staple in makeup and has withstood the test of time. So what is noticed is that when financial times, like the stock market or the economy in general, is down or even in great or great tragic events, then the sales of lipstick, particularly in red, skyrocket. They saw it during the Great Depression, after 9/11, and the recession beginnings of 2008. This I totally agree with because anyone can stick with a standard drug store red and look like a million bucks without breaking the budget or have your designer but still not have to worry as much as say the purse or shoes from said designer. But I’d say the more modern way to go is the liquid lipstick or a pigmented lip balm. For people like me who lick their lips too much, it’s just important to know what works for you.

2-5. Facial Cleanser, Moisturizer, Concealer, Eye cream – I don’t know of any woman or girl for that matter who didn’t have issues when puberty hit. In my case, I had and still have extremely oily and crazy sensitive skin. During puberty, I think there was a bidding war between countries to see who’d place ‘dibbs’ on my face. Now, I have the acne scars and the pores remaining from those tough times and still have oily skin. But I do know how to combat them. Part of it is a great cleanser but I think more of it is finding out how your skin reacts to certain cleansers and the chemicals in these kinds of products. Long story short –LOOK AT THE INGREDIENTS!! It doesn’t matter the reviews on a product, if there is oil or certain acids, I put it down and back away. And if times are tough, look into some at home remedies, like warm tea bags (I prefer chamomile or green) over the eyes to help with puffiness or my newer love with le Eye Panda. Pinterest is amazing that way.  

6. Hair Dryer- Now this can go either way depending on how many of you rely on blow drying your hair. I can’t complain when I say that getting the right amount of volume is nice and I agree with Dana when saying a few extra bucks for quality is worth it, but I also know that my $20 Conair hair dryer has lasted about 7 years going over my hair that has ranged in length from above shoulder length, to the middle of my back. So if I am to take or leave this one, I’d probably leave it.

7. Sunscreen – this is not new because Dana is absolutely right when she quote Kerry Washington who said that there’s no excuse to not wear sunscreen daily, even in winter. If your foundation, BB cream, CC cream, etc doesn’t show SPF, then it has no business on your face.

8. Fragrance – Now the post says that they don’t believe that you “need” a signature scent but I beg to differ. Scent is the strongest sense tied to memory. Now do you need to douse yourself every day? No and please don’t, because you’ll stop smelling it on yourself and everyone will smell too much. Mix it up every now and then but having that staple can and will make you memorable in a good way if you do it right. That’s why even now into my mid twenties, I have a mix of great perfume and body spray.

9. Top coat nail polish – ok I wasn’t even allowed to wear nail polish until maybe 9^th grade, the Quinceaῆera milestone, aka Sweet 15, in the Hispanic community is very much strong in my family. But even then I knew if you didn’t have a base and topcoat, then forget about keeping that mani. So I’d leave that off of the ‘woman list’ since that should be learned at a younger age.

10. Mascara- I left this one for last because the sad little single sentence does NOT do this product justice. I love mascara. If I could only wear one thing, it’s mascara. “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Your lashes can be accentuated, appear longer, fuller, and act as an accent without taking the importance away from the eyes. No offense to the false lashes, even I’ll wear them occasionally, but when you find your soul mascara, then you are on top of the world in my opinion. I've got my go-to's and some new loves here if you wanna look that way.


Here's the article btw

Tales of the Tank - External Batteries

First off, Happy New Year to you and yours. If you went out with your squad and were proud that you woke up on the 1st without a hangover, more power to you. I spent the night in with some awesome peeps and went to sleep and even better, didn't have to work on Friday. But if you did, sorry.

Anyway, so goes the never ending quest going through my purse which functions more like a tank. If you’ve read my other posts then you know the high regard I have for the tank. And so go the regard for the tips and trades that bring the essence of Mary Poppins to the modern world.

I mentioned in my Electronics Tale (Read: Here) about how I carry an external battery with me. Now in my mind, everyone knows about these, because they are literally everywhere. I have a few that come from Walmart, Rue 21, Office Depot, you name it. The point is that in this world of technology, ain’t nobody got time for a dead battery. 

This is my newest beauty from Amazon. Gotta love cyber Monday and all its discounted glory. It’s a bit bigger than I expected but that is what I get for not looking at the measurements. However, it does stand to reason because this particular beauty is at 10,000 mAh. Here’s the link on Amazon if you’re like me and add to wish lists as a form of window shopping.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JM59JPG?keywords=kmashi%20portable%20charger&qid=1451455266&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

The mAh stands for milli Ampere hour or milli Amp hour. Long story short, the bigger the number, the more juice it can hold for your charging pleasure. They really aren’t pricey if you look in the right place, but some can get up there. This beauty I got is about $14 on Amazon Prime but you could easily find some smaller ones around 1800-2200 mAhs at a drug store or other for about $10 and they've charged my old Iphone to about 70-80% and my Galaxy S5 to about 80% if I'm between 10-20% charge. 

With my smaller battery packs, there’s about 3 that I used to carry but of course this big one could easily replace those. Now will I throw these away? NO way. There is nothing wrong with being prepared. In preparation for Snowmageddon or winter storm Goliath, I had to make sure that I had enough battery power to last the weekend in case my power went out. And the smaller ones help out if I do have to carry one in my teeny pocket or a clutch.

Everyone knows that charging a tablet takes forever and a day and can literally suck the electrical juices out of a port, but these help ease that burden. Forgot to charge your phone last night before work and don’t want to be chained to an outlet??? Then seriously invest in one of these and they could change your life.

I won’t lie when I say that I’m hooked on my phone because I am. My calendars, contacts, unlimited text messages, social media. I’m all about it. And because of that, I tend to run my battery down pretty damn quick. I’ve got wall chargers at home and at work and a car charger in my vehicular, but what about times at a restaurant, or walking around a mall or outdoor event or roaming the strip in Las Vegas. The smaller ones don’t take up a lot of space but since I tend to have a tank on my person, having this big one with a lot more power and a dual hub, I’m gonna be covered for a bit from all angles. (And they make great non-lame gifts for guys and girls.)






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It's Ok, I'm Not Offended

With all the talk lately about Plus is Equal and body shaming, I can’t honestly say that it has had a huge effect on me. I completely support these movements and all, but the fact remains is that it is just emphasized on specific parts of the country, the coast. Sadly where I live, important topics are important but the hottest topic that usually goes around town are politics, religion, and work. Size, I believe is one of those things where it should not be brought up in polite conversation.

The other day though, I encountered something that made me take a step back and think. It’s no secret that I’m the biggest person at work. It’s something that I’ve noticed since day 1, but I’m also the tallest standing at 5 foot 10 with flats on. I’ve had my fair share of customers shamelessly asking when I’m due or what I’m having. It just comes with the territory but it does bug the living hell out of me. That’s when I look them directly in the eye and tell them that I’m not pregnant, I’m just that big. Insert the washing of embarrassment and shame and queue the immediate walking away. I’d like to say that I’m just fat, but I don’t think that would be very professional, however it has almost slipped out. But the bottom line is that it’s just rude, like asking about a woman’s age, you just don’t do it.

Back to the event, I was helping a customer like normal. Wasn’t a huge deal and one of my managers came in to deliver some paperwork. They know each other and so while I was working on his stuff, he struck up a conversation with her. There was the typical polite conversation, questions about how things are going and the family. Then he just stops and looks her up and down and tells her that she looks like she’s lost weight. We, both, have a bit of a surprised face and I quickly go back to my work. Now he’s wanting to know what she’s been doing and how much she’s lost because she’s looking good and every passing second, we both are uncomfortable.

She goes to tell him that it’s unwanted weight loss, how she’s afraid she’s getting sick, like dire-something-is-wrong sick. Explains doctor’s visits and everything because losing weight is not what she wants and it is really worrying her. She's female, of course she has issues with her size, what woman doesn't? We all have something that we think would be better. I'm very much at peace with my size, but even with my own body confidence, there are some problem areas to me. Big girls have them, small girls have them, every one has them, even guys. 

At the end of the day, she says that she needs to speak to me about what had happened. I didn’t get it because if anything I should have apologized for the guy's rudeness. But after all, I think she felt bad about her losing weight and the whole conversation around me, where it’s obvious that I don’t have a lot of luck in the losing weight department. I was like no, no, you’re ok. I know how you feel about it and the whole thing was just rude to you. I don’t think I said it but I do hope that she knows that it’s ok that she wants to be the size she wants and even more so that she's healthy. 

Being happy with yourself and being healthy is so much more important than the vanity. She was made fun of for being thin, I was for being big. Two sides of the same coin, and yet most people would think that having trouble gaining weight is more of a blessing, and maybe to some it is but for a lot of others, it's the opposite. We’ve all got our things and we have built a thick skin to not particularly be outright offended. But a big thing about ‘Murica is that everyone is quick to cry ‘offended’ and ‘bullying’ and ‘shaming’. We got our big girl panties on and are grown women. I can understand not wanting to offend someone by saying something in the wrong way or it comes out weird that so many would just jump on, but while there are too many people out there wanting apologies for every opinion, I’m ok. Thanks for the consideration, but we have other things to worry about.



(On the other hand, if you aren't happy then do something about it, don't complain)

Thoughts on Adulting

During this insanely busy month, the weather has changed and things are starting to slow down and thanks to Amazon Prime, I can basically binge watch one of my favorite tv shows, Sex and the City. I don’t have to explain the fabulousness of this iconic show.  Yea when it started, I was in elementary but I know that I’m not the only one who finds this show completely relevant to the world of women that not a lot of today’s shows have.

But while I was in the thresholds of season 2, the episode of going to the Hamptons with all the twenty something’s had me thinking about how far I had come as an “adult”. I’m 25 now and parts of me feel like an adult and there are parts that have me feeling like I’m still an 18 year old college freshman. Some aspects are exaggerated and there’s still a lot more that’s pretty on point.  Nina G’s party may have looked great and wild but handling pressure when things don’t go smoothly is something that only come from experience. I’ll give Nina G some props for branching out and doing her own thing, however comma, after how she quit Samantha’s firm, karma had put her in her place.

Experience trumps all when it comes to adulting and it’s taken me a while to find out that while there are days like today, where I’m feeling like I’m busy but on point, I can’t forget that I was still almost late from not getting out of bed on time. I think adulting comes slowly over time but the kicker is that you have to do something that gives you experience.  I liked to tell my friends in college who were hesitant about trying new things like wearing a tube top in public or sneaking out the dorm back door to avoid her parents, that ten or fifteen years from now when either your children or someone close to you has children who can come to you seeking advice, what do you want to be able to tell them? That you stayed inside went to bed promptly at nine and declined a spontaneous day trip to the city because you didn’t have parental permission?

We know that life is what we make it and I had some great times as a college kid and now, I can feel the adulting coming in and some days, the top excitement is binge watching SATC online. And sometimes, the awesome special times, I can get days in a place I’ve never been to do whatever I want. If that’s drinking a 48 oz daiquiri walking around the old strip in Vegas during the day and seeing Metallica that night, I can. (and I did and it was amazing.) It’s very easy to get caught up in work and life during this road into adulthood and I find myself doing it a lot. I can’t count the times that I’ve said that whoever glorified being an adult needs to be punched in the face with a chair because yea it’s hard but I find more now that I need to remind myself that it’s going to be worth it.

At least that’s what my plan is as I enter my later twenties and break that threshold into my thirties. Gotta get that experience one way or another because I’m too young to have the regrets I have. I have enough shoulda-woulda-coulda’s. Life isn’t easy and it certainly doesn’t get easier while learning the ropes of adulthood, but it’s all about getting that experience. I may not know where I’m going right in my life but I know where I’ve been and I know that I have to keep going forward and when I forget that, I look at this quote that I found on Pinterest via the Google, and it helps. Maybe it’ll help you too.

And remember to have a little fun because no one is too old for that, it’s like Disney movies.

Lilly Pulitzer - Who's Shaming Who?

If you hadn’t heard already from the Twitter or on the news, there’s been a new wave of so-called fat shaming when it comes to this brand. But honestly in my opinion, I think there may have a point somewhere that’s missing.

To give a short version of a long and dramatic story, The Cut did a story and took a tour of the Lilly Pulitzer HQ. And snapped these pictures that were hanging in an employee’s cubicle. Cue the internet and cue the metaphorical shiz hitting the ceiling fan that was running on high.

(and obviously I don't own these pics) 

Now I can agree with every fiber of my bean (yes, bean) that these photos are not ok to be in a place of business. Does it reflect bad on the company? Absolutely. These were hung in plain sight and no one thought anything was wrong. And of course, they covered their butt when they said that it was an individual’s ‘decorations’ and don’t reflect the views of the company.

And why would they? They just had a deal with Target to offer plus sizes…online only. They were able to get well known bloggers on board to help with the angry herd that is constantly getting thrown out of stores and into the exclusive online store. I can say that I was pretty stoked for knowing about a line that would be a bit more affordable than some of the over options there, but yea. Online. Another mystery of measurements and size guessing. I don’t even have a local Target, I have to drive a couple hours away to get to one, like I do with the other stores that only offer online plus sizes or just aren’t close enough to me to try things on. Big woop. But the point is that I highly doubt that L.P. would purposely sabotage the projected progress they are trying to make.

Everyone is up in arms about these pictures and while I don’t blame them, I do think everyone needs to take a step back and really think about this situation. Was it pointed towards the plus size community in order to show true colors of the brand? I half way doubt it but honestly that’s just something we may never know for sure and even if that is what the general feels are about the b3 women of the world, what idiot would purposely leave that out? That would be a one way ticket out of that job if it was left up to me because like I said, they are trying to expand, even if it’s only online at Target. They are attempting to take that bungee jump of faith, these pictures essentially snap the line that keeps you alive. Businesses don’t do that on purpose.

I believe in the depths of my heart that a deeper issue lies within the company. Think about it. These are ‘decorations’ in an employee’s cubicle. That employee sees that all day, every day. The bigger issue is that this person is trying to reach out. It could be for help, for attention, for just someone to notice. We don’t know but what you do in your work space speaks volumes about you as a person and an employee. So to that employee, these pictures tell me that you hate yourself and your body. You don’t think you belong there. You don’t love you let alone where you work or what you are doing in life. This is not ok!!!

Any half-assed supervisor or even a cubicle neighbor should have done something. They don’t promote a good message or positive work environment. Just pointing them out to say hey, this isn’t a good idea would have been better than pretending it wasn’t there. Most places have some sort of counseling or guidance and a company as big as L.P. would have somewhere to go or someone to talk to and this employee needs that. This company needs to know what is going on with their employees. This isn’t a train wreck aftermath, this is someone watching someone else stuck on the tracks with the train a few miles out and yet they just set up the lawn chair facing the other direction. Or in plain English, This could have been prevented!

Everyone is up in arms about fat shaming that sometimes we forget that there are other victims out there who are still battling themselves. This person had this toxic message for themselves. How many of us have done that? For a good number of us, our lives were constant messages about how terrible we are for our size and that we should be ashamed. I know I did. I had my voice along with a string of people’s voices saying the worst and it eats you from the inside out. It’s not easy to get out of but it’s possible to get out of that mind set and to learn to love yourself. Isn’t that what our Plus Size Movement is about? Helping us love us for who we are regardless of our size? I think too many of us are missing that in this situation. 

Here’s one article about it that I got the most information from, so read it and maybe you’ll see what I see. And I hope that this troubled person gets some help and realizes that she (probably a she) is worthy of love and should love herself.

 http://www.businessinsider.com/lilly-pulitzer-fat-shaming-cartoons-2015-5

It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know

Well the day has come to screw up our sleep schedules and question which time is the real time. So far I've gotten two clocks changed over with whole Daylight Savings and still need about a zillion other clocks to change or at least that is what it feels like. But there's so much more that goes with today.

Today would have been my Abuelito's 76th birthday. He was almost there and so my family back home went together and had a dinner all dressed in blue to celebrate his life and legacy. 5 healthy, for the most part, children and their spouses with grand kids and even great grand kids. It just goes to further show how much of life we spend. Whether it's on worry or fear or excitement. We have just one life to live and going through the motions in survival mode are not exactly living.

With the change in the time is coming the change in the season and it is sparking a possible change in life. I don't get to many of these and while I do my best to adapt and lead especially for my family's sake, this could potentially be the scariest. I don't want to go into details because all of it is still hypothetical but possible and probable. I'm used to doing things alone but I have found in this short amount of time, that who know has a big impact on how you see things.

My mom always said to me, tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are. And in so many ways that is true, but so much of what even I don't realize is that there are definitely people out there who actually do give a damn. (excuse the French) After this time with my family in their mourning and coming back to somewhat of a routine has shown me that there is a change that needs to happen. I think everyone has these things.

As we grow, not just in year's and experience but just grow, we evolve ourselves. Our tastes changes, our priorities, our everything shifts. That could potentially lead to moving away or changing jobs or even just changing your wardrobe. That's one of the steps I did today with the help of a wonderful person who just started out being on of my customers.

Just like any small town, you get to know the people. And this woman has always put a smile on my face any time I see her. She's so full of life and even when things have brought her down, she still smiles and moves forward. She's accomplished a feat for herself by losing over sixty pounds and counting. She looked fabulous before and still does now, but she had found herself with a wardrobe that hung off of her and her first thought was me. It's not hard to see that I'm the biggest person at work but I do pride myself on being able to dress for my size and shape. She let me into her wonderful walk in closet and all but threw clothes at me to try on. Some I had seen her wear and so many that still had tags. She gave me first dibs and I was able to get about $200 or more of clothes for $40. She talked me up and down and while in the beginning I thought it was only because I could do my job well, she saw me as a good enough person to open up her home to and to even think of me and the joy that this gesture has done.

I, now, am thoroughly excited to go to work tomorrow in a new ensemble. It's a great feeling when people want you to succeed in life and I wish her all the best and will wear these clothes out. She's one of a couple people in my life especially lately that have brought some great meaning into my life that could make these potential future changes happen.

So be careful not to burn bridges. You don't know who else out there can see the good in you. It's like my theatre professors say...that no one can get to the top by themselves. Someone knows someone somewhere who could be the one to change your life. And since we are wanting for the better, know that when you know what you know, keep in mind who you know, because that will be your edge.