Getting In Shape: Crunch Fitness

So my boyfriend has been on my ass to join a gym (at his expense) not because he's a total tool and thinks I'm over weight, but because he thinks it would get me out of a rut and out of the house.  Finally, this weekend I broke and took him up on his offer.  I have joined Crunch fitness and am looking forward to kicking some butt.  My goal is not to lose weight ( and I have been warned by the boy not to lose my caboose) but rather to become stronger and firm up. What better way to keep motivated than to keep up with my progress via the internet.  No judgment going on here (sarcasm).  Wish me luck!

One of Crunch's tenants is no "No Judgments"

Comic Creators Sexist?! NO!!!!!!!

For anyone that thought that sexism in comics was over check out this vivid commentary on sexism within the comic world! (Reposted from A L B):

 akitron:

sammvitch:

Christopher Hart - Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy

Found this on my harddrive, I’m not sure if I downloaded the pdf as a joke or as legitimate help. But copy-pasting the same body for a woman is /not/ how you draw. I was scrolling through this with pretty good hopes that this was going to be a decent explanation of the comic medium in general and how anatomy can be pushed without falling into Esher girl territory.

Nope.

Take most “Lets draw design comic characters” books with a huuuge grain of salt.

i like that basically u can see whats wrong with the way we view women just right here in “body shapes”

this is absolutely ridiculous

albinwonderland: 

    SEXISM IS OVER

Me:  Look at all the variations of male body types in comics versus the one body type for women (all slender!) WT Fudge Sunday!

'via Blog this'

Beaded Thrift Store Dress and Bright Blue Nails

I found this absolutely fabulous dress at the Goodwill!  It has great beaded detail across the bodice and an amazing print on the skirt.  I topped it off with a yellow head scarf and bright blue nails (polish from the $1 store.)  I think it came out pretty snazzy.

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

I recently finished The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott and I must say that it is a great, quick summer read.  We are all familiar with the story of the Titanic and have seen it redone several times over; however, Alcott does give it a unique spin in this tale which focuses on the life of a British girl named Tess.  Tess is an ambitious and talented dressmaker whose dreams are far from realized in her current position as a maid.  However, she soon becomes employed by the great Lucy Van Gordon and takes a trip upon the biggest cruise ship at the time: The Titanic.  While it may seem that Tess' life is extraordinarily charmed we all know too well that things take a turn for the worst in a drastic way.

If you are looking for a quick read to end the summer I would recommend The Dressmaker.

The Look: Smokey Eyed Maven

This is one of my favorite simple smokey eyed looks.  It is quick, simple, but dramatic.  The nude lips are a perfect paring and stays within the theme of "I want to wear makeup but am way too lazy for a full on glam look."

                                        

In a Reading Rut with Maia by Richard Adams

Currently I have been reading Maia by Richard Adams.  I had started reading this book a very long time ago (high school??) but never got to finish it because it ripped in two and I lost the half containing the ending.  I recently found it for sale at the public library and pounced on the chance to own and finish this massive fantasy novel.  

From what I could remember, I had a pleasant time reading this book.  However, my memory has failed me.  As I am reading the book, I cannot tell if the warm feeling that I am having is because this is a good book or because of nostalgia.  The main character of the book is a 16 y.o. dimwit named Maia who I was hoping would mature intellectually as the book went on; however, this does not seem to be the case. Maia's stupidity is so epic that I am finding it hard to finish this behemoth of a book. At around 1200 pages, and me being only on page 400, I am having quite a dilemma.

Hi.  I'm Maia, and I am the dumbest person every.  But for some reason, everyone falls in love with me just because I am absolutely the most beautiful person they have ever seen.  Oh, did I add that I am selfish, judgmental and a nightmare to feminists?

Mercedes Lackey: Why have I been sleeping on you!!!?

Okay. Okay. So, a long time ago a friend and I were discussing fantasy novels and eventually came across the topic of fantasy novels.  He brought up Mercedes Lackey and when I told him that I had never read any of her work, he looked at me as if I had just killed his childhood pet.  Apparently it is a sin in the book community to never have read any of Lackey's work.  

Fast-forwarding to the future: I picked up one of Lackey's books from my volunteer position at the library den and decided to give it a read. OMBuddha!!!  What possibly could I have been thinking!  I now see why her books are a definite fantasy lover must have. 

First, I read Vows and Honors which contains the books The Oath Bound and Oathbreakers.  I am not going to give a word for word review of these books I will just say that they were magical.  I could barely put them down and finished them rather quickly.  If you do happen to read these books, you will pick up on a feminist them that runs strongly throughout this book (and to a slightly lesser extent int he Arrows of the Queen books.)

I then moved on to the books that my friend from times past let me borrow: Arrows of the Queen, Arrow's Flight, and Arrow's Fall.  Let me tell you!  The end of this trilogy had me in tears.  IN TEARS!  This is a fabulous trilogy and you can come to care for all of the characters.  It really is touching.  If I had only one neg critic, it would be that I wished that there was some omni-powerful overall villain. But other than that, these books are fabulous!

Sofn'Free Grohealthy Product Review

Lately, my hair has been weighed down, limp and dull looking; and I finally came to the realization that I needed  to clarify my hair and a true deep conditioning.  For the past year or so, I have been co-washing with Herbal Essence's Hello Hydration and shampooing once or twice a month with ________ shampoo.  This has resulted in my hair not being fully purged of all of the product that I have been putting in it.

Out of desperation and a feeling of guilt for not taking care of my hair, I finally went to Sally's Beauty Supply and purchased Sofn'Free Gro Healthy's Nothing But Clarifying Shampoo and Nothing But Intense Healing Mask.  I decided to try these products out because they were the most reasonably priced natural hair products that were sulfate, patrolatum, mineral oil, parabens, colorants, and phtalates.

It worked!  When I first used the shampoo, my hair felt a bit squeaky/waxy, and I was afraid that the product would not work.  However, once I applied the Intense Healing Mask all of my fears subsided.  I could easily detangle my hair from root to tip without any problems--something that I could not do with my HEHH.  I twisted my hair and once I took them down after they were dried my hair was noticeably thicker, shinier and healthier looking.  For me and my 4a-4b hair, this product is a definite A++.