Beauty Myths

I watch QVC sometimes when I cook. I like the shows where they take someone and put makeup and hair products on them in like 2 minutes flat. I guess it appeals to my ADD. I am annoyed by how they are allowed to lie to sell their products though.

A lady hawking hair wax was saying that if you shave your legs the hair grows back thicker and more hairs will appear. This is totally wrong. When you cut a hair at the follicle you just make the hair shorter, it does not change the follicle at all.It looks thick when it grows in because of the angle the razor slices the hair.

Scientists have studied the moisturizers that you can buy at the drugstore to use on your face compared to the 100 dollar and ounce stuff you can but at a department store and found they both work about the same. The moisture and barrier are good for your skin and it really does not need to contain goat sperm or placentas or any of that other nasty stuff.

The best foot treatment in the world is putting Vaseline all over your feet and sleeping in a clean pair of cotton socks. I defy anyone to come up with a better cheaper way to get soft tootsies.

And you sir are no Tom Waits

I have known for over a year that the actress Scarlett Johanssen was making a Tom Waits cover album. Whenever a friend would bring the subject up to me I would feel my left eye start to twitch.

I have to admit a part of me admired the fact that she was into Waits, and a small part of me wanted her to really surprised me.Alas that was not to be. I forced myself to listen to 4 songs on this album and words cannot describe how fucking horrible they are. They are very over-produced and fake sounding vocals.What I adore about Tom is his gritty raw voice, his vaudevillian comedy and his sweet pathos in songs like house where nobody lives.

To take the feeling out of a Waits song and put a tinny Cher-esque synthesised voice in its place is like removing the heart right out of each song. It turns a bourbon soaked steak into a fat free potato chip.

That just leaves you with indigestion.

Ugo da Carpi

Envy Chased from the temple of the muses

Genetically Modified Wine

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3682.cfm

I do not want them messing with my vino. Genetically Modified tomatoes taste horrible, I have to try and grow my own heirloom tomato seeds this summer and I suck at gardening.I highly doubt I can make my own wine.

It is so interesting to me that plants and some bugs have more genomes than humans.I know bugs have a lot of junk DNA but still interesting that they are more complex than we are.We really need to stop messing with food genes that we are still trying to understand. Junk science is a very dangerous and profitable industry.

If we keep messing with mutation and selection what is going to happen to the worlds food crops? Everything will become homogenized and lame.Plus there are no long term studies about gene jumping from genetically modified foods into people and other foods growing nearby.This stuff creeps me the hell out.

Shut Up!

Cutest bathing suit ever,
come to Mamma!

Why I love Jennysylvania

http://www.jennsylvania.com/jennsylvania/2008/05/broadcast-news.html

In describing her meeting with Candace Bushnell...And one of is batshit, bugfuck, ham-sandwich crazy and it isn't me.

I love Jenn Lancaster!Nobody does a funny, vulgar witty mean clusterfuck like this girl.

Solar Powered Bra

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24647504/from/ET/wid/18298287/?GT1=45002

That is pretty funny. Finally I have a use for what genetics gave me. I bet I could create enough energy to run my entire house off of my bra!

Toxins

Last week my lab partner and I did a power point on environmental toxins and came across this web site.http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com

Pretty much all the Garnier and Loreal products I use are scored at the worst level of toxins.It may explain why I am such a mutant. Seriously,I am currently reading Growing Up Green by Deidre Imus and it is a great book that I plan to buy for every expectant Mom in my life.She gives great info on everything from mercury,vaccine schedules to homeopathic remedies and how to green clean your home and child's school.

I believe there are both genetic and environmental links to the enormous increase in Autism. When people ask me my opinion I explain it like a big slot machine..when you line up certain genetic predisposition with some environmental influences and you get those three cherries in a row, Poof! You have the pervasive developmental delay spectrum.

Deidre is not focused on autism but more childhood cancer and anything else that may be exacerbated by ennviornmental toxins.
http://www.dienviro.com/index.aspx

Explaining death to a 5 year old

Once you become a parent death takes on some new meanings. I think it is the first time I felt any truth in the statement I would die for my child.My son upon losing one of his pet crabs asked me about death. He said, "will everyone die?" I said yes,he said, "No! I do not want them to". I told him that neither do I but that death is a part of life and is a normal and natural thing. We do not like it but it will happen. I told him that I hope all people that die get to be together, I did not give him the crab heaven bit and he was accepting of this explanation as I though he would be. He prefers an answer even if it is not the answer he wants.

I was talking with my friend last night about death and what we believe and even with our combined catholic educations neither of us are religious. Spiritual maybe, but not religious. I have felt the real presence of people I love that are gone, I believe in their love lasting forever. It does comfort me and usurps most of the fears I have about no god and no heaven. Whatever it is and wherever they go, I seem to be able to summon the faces, the laugh and the thoughts of a recently passed loved one. This is why I think people are stronger than the bodies they are born into.I think the gift they give to you when they go is too surround you with their energy so you can breathe it in when you need it.

Autism and Music

Using Music To Explore The Neural Bases Of Emotional 'Processing' In The Autistic Brain
ScienceDaily (2008-05-14) -- Researchers will use music as a tool to explore the ability of children with ASD to identify emotions in musical excerpts and facial expressions. ... > read full article

I have always found music as a great non threatening way to teach about emotions and feelings for my son. When Jefferson was about four he said to me, Mom, do you know what crescendo is? I said I believe it is when the music goes up and down, he said yes Mom that's right. As usual I have no idea how he knows what a crescendo is but I am nonpulssed by his little pockets of knowlege by now.

If Jefferson likes a certain band I can play it very loudly and he does not mind. Some rock music seems to stress him out but he likes melodies and soothing voices. He digs Sade and Toni Braxton and Alicia keys. You can listen to music and feel it and you do not have to make eye contact with anybody to share it. You can close your eyes and even wear headphones. On the rare occasion that Jefferson is bothered by very loud noises I just let him wear my ipod, he is immediately quieted. I will be very interested in and developments of therapies for Autism that involve music.

This year I am truley bouyed by all of the new media attention and demands for answers to help our children be accepted and understood in this world.