Kamala Harris on Howard Stern - Full Interview

 Anyone who knows me knows I've been a Stern listener since I was a teenager. I really got into listening to every show in it's entirety during the Covid pandemic quarantine. Since I was home all the time, I'd go to do work and instead of watching TV, I was comforted by hours and hours of Stern. 

Both B and I were super excited to hear Kamala Harris on Howard. Hillary, Biden, Harris- the trifecta of political interviews. B and I both felt like if Hillary had gone on Stern prior to the election that she would've won. We'll never know. Here's hoping it moves the needle for Harris. 

For those who don't have Sirius, I just want to put the link to the full interview so as many people as possible get to see it. It's good stuff. Obviously it isn't going to do much for those indoctrinated into the cult of stupidity, but maybe for those on the fence- who knows. I don't understand how it's close - between a prosecutor and a felon who spouts jibberish, lies, and sour grapes 24/7, but I don't understand a lot about Trump supporters. 

Anyway- here you go! 

Hair Removal IPL Ulike Air 10

 

 I haven't reviewed a product in a long time but this one, the Ulike Air 10 is totally warranted. Just as a disclaimer, I don't get anything from this review, except the satisfaction that I actually bought a kind of As Seen On TV product and it actually worked. Now, it's As Seen on Reels or TikTok but As Seen On TV were my first introduction to life hacking gadgets, which I always get suckered in to buying. Some have been good, like the Brown & Serve microwave bags, some not so good, like the Eurosealer. 

I actually don't know how I saw this thing because I really don't go on TikTok. I do scroll Reels for cat videos, little kids saying curse words in context, and Matt Matthews. It's just not something I do on the regular. The Air 10 videos must have just came up and once I watched one, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Then, I did my typical researching the heck out of it. I was comparing all IPL at home devices for a few weeks. The regular retail price is $399 though which is way too steep for me. Except that every influencer making a video was giving some kind of discount, anywhere from $80 off to $130 off. Even the website itself always has some kind of spin-the-wheel coupon for the same type of discounts. I entered my email on their site and got the coupon for $130 off AND I forget the percentage of cash back on Rakuten at the time, but it was high. I received almost $22 back from that purchase. It may not seem like a lot but it all adds up and maybe that could cover the tax. 

From my research, it seemed like the Ulike was a solid choice. I had looked at the Braun Silk Pro 5 but, at the time, it was definitely more expensive. I think it was closer to five hundred dollars, which was totally not even close to in my budget. Now Braun has the i-Expert or something but I don't know anything about that one nor how low you can get the Pro 5 for now. I was also intrigued by the cooling technology of the Ulike Air 10. I knew if I got something that was painful, it would be a waste. I don't have a high pain threshold and you HAVE to be consistent with any IPL device for it to work. I read a lot of reviews and the general consensus was that the Ulike hurt less than any of the others, or was painless. 

 

To start, I have naturally medium to dark brown hair, fair skin and blue eyes. In the summer I do get pretty tan but the rest of the year, I'm very white. I am fairly hairy. As in, I don't have excessive dark hair on my arms. I actually have pretty light hair on my arms. I've never shaved them, I've never had an issue with arm hair. But I have dark upper lip hair. It isn't thick or anything, but it's there. I'd gone for professional laser before, for six sessions. It definitely lessened it, but it didn't get rid of it. If I shaved my legs or armpits in the morning, I'd have stubble by the end of the day. I was getting Brazilian bikini waxes around every six weeks but could've gone sooner than the six weeks. Think about the cost of just the waxes alone. If I was paying for approximately ten waxes a year, at around fifty dollars each time, just for an average, one year is five hundred dollars. If this device worked, it would pay for itself pretty quick. 

I received my Air 10 on July 6th, 2024. I think I actually used it for the first time the next day. A schedule card comes in the directions and I wanted to start on a Sunday. I was also leaving for a trip that coming Thursday. You're supposed to use it every other day, or at least 3x a week, for the first month. I didn't want to have to take it with me and do it on the trip because I didn't know what it would be like, if I'd have time, where I'd be able to do it, etc. I figured if I did it Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, I could just wait until Sunday again when I was home. 

You are supposed to do the first time on the Fast setting, to make sure you don't have any reaction. I did that. Then I moved up to Normal. That was fine, but I think I did the next one on Normal too. Then I moved up to High. All felt fine. It really was painless. There's an option with those three settings to put it on Auto where you just slide it along an area and don't have to put the pulse button over and over. It will just pulse automatically as you move it and it senses hair follicles. If it doesn't sense follicles on an area, you'll see two red lines where the sensor shows and you have to maneuver it until the sensor finds follicles. For example, sometimes it's difficult on the front of your shin, on bone. The sensor window needs to be flat against the area and on bone that can be tricky. You just have to move it around, turn it a little sideways, whatever you need to do. 

After about a week and a half of using it, I decided to go online and just look for any tips and tricks. I was using it on my upper lip, armpits, full leg, the area between my belly button down to my bikini area, and the bikini area sides. I don't know how to better explain this without a diagram. Yes, it's a crude diagram but easier to illustrate this way.

When I say I started with the bikini AREA, I mean everywhere AROUND that square. I didn't go deeper into that square area until I was done with the first month. There were a few reasons why I didn't start there. One was simply, time. I didn't have the time to do EVERYTHING at once.

I ended up on Reddit and read everything I could find that was somewhat recent. The directions that come with the device are typical Made in China directions. They basically give you very little direction. They didn't explain that you're supposed to do 2-3 passes per area. If you're using the Fast/Normal/High modes, there is one one or two pulses per pass over. I forget if it's one during fast and two for other settings, but if you use SHR mode- I think it stands for Super Hair Removal, there are four pulses. It was already taking me like forty-five minutes to do my legs, armpits, belly button to top of diagram square, and bikini line sides on Normal or High. If I was to use the SHR mode it would take even longer. The SHR mode doesn't allow you to use the Auto function so you have to press the button every time. Plus, with four pulses, that's obviously going to take longer per spot than one or two pulses. 

You're supposed to shave, at least in the beginning of using it, a day before using the device. They give you a five blade razor to do it with. Again, they don't really go into detail on the directions. They just tell you that you need to shave prior. In reading Reddit and other places, I'd gotten the idea that you're just not supposed to wax because you need follicles there to kill, but it doesn't really matter if you shave the same day, day before or even have a slight stubble. You're also supposed to be free of any lotions or deodorant, so you want to shower or just be free of that stuff when you go to use it. 

I decided by week two that I was going to go a little rogue and do it more but at different times. I'd do it daily but maybe do one pass of the armpits on SHR at night if I showered then and then again in the morning. I would go to sleep sans deodorant and by the next day, if I'd put lotion on after using it, that lotion would be fully absorbed and not impede anything. I actually think you're not supposed to use lotion because it stops the sensor window from getting cold. I got lotion on it once and I noticed it was getting hot. I quickly gave it a wipe down and it went back to being cold. 

 

I did get a little obsessed with it. I was doing it daily or maybe I'd skip a day but I was really diligent with it. Some areas got more attention than others, but then again, some areas were more important to me and also had more hair growth.  I read somewhere that the bottom line is that the more often you use it, the faster the results. I looked all over for any downside to using it more than the recommended amount and couldn't find any reason not to use it as much as possible. I think most people don't and that's why they tell you to do every other day or three times a week because that's way less daunting in someone's head than telling them to use it daily.

Results: I haven't had to shave my legs, armpits, belly button down, or bikini area (outside the square) since approximately August 20th. I wasn't consistent with the lip. I just would forget about it. Or I'd put my face serum on as soon as I got out of the shower on autopilot and I'd just tell myself I'll just get to it next time. So I'm still remembering to do that currently. The influencers like call it dolphin pits and they aren't wrong. I really can't even believe I no longer have to even look at them, let alone shave them. Imagine being in the shower and not having to shave anything. The TIME that cuts down is one major thing. Being able to just decide to go to the town pool and not having to shave first. I have worn a Lands End skirted tankini bottom for years, but before it was partially to hide an imperfect or non-shave. Now, it's just so I'm not ugly naked all over my neighbors. 

 

To the naked eye, my full legs are hairless. You know how a plucked chicken sometimes has a few light hairs still there? In the sunlight, at the pool, I could see some light, fine, plucked chicken hairs on areas of my leg. Only in the sunlight though. I couldn't see them or even feel them otherwise. I also don't think the sensors on the device would get them anyway. On any device. I guess if I was going to a wedding and wearing a formal dress, maybe I'd do a swipe with my Schick Intuition. It would really be just a few swipes though, if I wanted to feel like I was completely fully smooth. But there is no stubble as you know it. Just some wispy hairs. 

The inner square (see diagram above), is another story. I haven't shaved there in years. I've always waxed. I'm afraid of ingrown hairs. I had that happen once and yadda yadda, I had to go to the hospital to deal with the aftermath. I have a bit of PTSD of shaving there because of it. I also just couldn't do all these areas of hair removal at the same time. It was just way too time consuming. I just wanted to the main area that could be visible in a bathing suit to be dealt with at first. Then I would move on. And I did. But I haven't been able to be consistent with it and I will say, that area does pinch a little more than I'd like. Which, is probably why I haven't been as consistent. It's definitely patchy, but not it's not gone. I feel like I have time to work on that though. Summer is over, bathing suits are over now here, so it's only a personal preference kind of thing. 

I would say it was one hundred percent a worthwhile purchase and would encourage anyone tired of razors, shaving cream, waxing or whatever to get one. I would much rather do it myself in the comfort of my home over driving somewhere and having someone else all up in my areas. I also can't imagine getting it done professionally is any faster. When I went for my lip, they told me to space my appointments to once a month. Using this device, I was done with areas after a month. I think you're supposed to do maintenance twice a month, which I have been doing but two times a month is nothing.  I was sick for like two weeks and didn't do it at all and still have no growth.

Now, I'm using it on my fifteen year old son too. He was getting irritated from shaving on his neck area. Since he's never going to want a neck beard, I have no problem doing it there for him. He also doesn't like body hair so I started doing it on the small of his back and chest. We haven't had the time to be consistent but it's definitely slowed the growth down in all those places. 

I'm really happy with this purchase so I just had to share. Who wouldn't want to lessen the time andf money invested in their beauty regimen. I got waxed for Memorial Day weekend and that was the last time. I can't see ever needing to do that again. I didn't buy razors all summer. I had a few in the house and used the one Ulike sent me and the few I had around. I know I dreaded having to shave my legs or armpits or make that wax appointment. Now I don't have to and neither will you! 

**Ulike Customer Service review: Truth be told, my device malfunctioned approximately two months after receiving and using. The sensor wasn't sensing anything so therefore couldn't pulse. There were no lines instead of the two red lines. I was braced for a problem because I'd read their customer service wasn't the best. 

I had a fine experience. I sent them the info they requested. They wanted the serial number on the device- a photo of it. They wanted a short video of what was happening. I took a video. A photo of the receipt- which was easy because I got it from them. It was in my account online. The only thing I'd say that is important and a lot of people may have an issue with- they wanted it sent back in the original box with all the accoutrements. I had all of that because that's just something I do. I save boxes. I had the original box, the glasses, the free aloe vera (not opened), the directions, everything. I don't know if they would've given me a problem if I didn't have all that, but I did. I did forget to sent the original razor back but they didn't hassle me. They actually sent the new one out the day the old one was scanned by UPS when I shipped. They didn't make me wait until they received it to send out the new one. I was very happy with their level of customer service.

Nobody Wants This

 

B and I just binged this new show on Netflix, called Nobody Wants This. Most the Jews I know were excited for this show or already watching and posting about it on Facebook by the day after it came out. We love a good rom-com show or movie with Jewish overtones. We don't get them often but we also don't get them often with Adam Brody and Kristen Bell. Who doesn't want a little Seth Cohen reprieve? 

 

***Spoilers below- so if you haven't watch, you probably don't want to read any further. 

Ten episodes, about a half hour each. Definitely not enough time. I love a good quickie but there's definitely not enough time to flesh out characters fully and tell a whole story in either thirty minutes or ten episodes. However, this show does do a pretty good job because of the off-the-charts chemistry between Adam Brody and K-Bell. I do feel we are getting a little cheated. Sex and the City was a half hour but we got anywhere from twelve to twenty episodes a season. I really don't understand, aside from salaries, why the much shorter format on every new show. Goof on me all you want for still watching network Primetime shows, but I want more than ten a season. Anyway, Adam and Kristen have amazing chemistry. You can totally forget about Summer and Logan. #iykyk 

 

I read an article by Evelyn Frick fact checking the Judaism through every episode of the show. I appreciate this because, while I am not religious in any way, I do know a little more than the basics, and it's annoying when a show totally disregards reality. At least do the research. Like, on Friends, Monica, Ross and Rachel were all supposed to be Jewish and there were so many bizarre Jewish errors or omissions there. I've written about this before, so if you're interested in that, just put Jewish in the search bar of my blog. I'm sure you'll find those entries. So, of course, I was waiting on Nobody Wants This for there to be some Jewish flubs. 

 

To my shock and delight, especially fact checked by Evelyn in the article cited above, there doesn't seem to be too many glaring factual gaffes. Except one. I think it was episode 7, Noah tells Joanne that she'll meet his friends at the basketball game- ON SATURDAY. He had just made a big deal about Shabbat in a previous episode and now he's playing a basketball game- with other Jews, who I assume are the same level of Jewish, on a Saturday? Maybe they're reform. And we don't know if they were supposed to be playing against other Jews, but it just seemed odd to me when there are five other days of the week they could've played, where it wouldn't have stuck out to have the big game on a Saturday. Especially if he's going for this head rabbi position. 

 

I've already read the other articles about this show, debating as to whether it plays into long told tropes of the whole boring Jewish girl vs hot blond shiksappeal.  I'm not going there. I mean, Adam Brody, Kristen Bell, that's where we are and that's what the story is about. And I like it. A lot. I'm already annoyed that we watched it just as it came out so we'll probably have to wait a whole year for another ten very short episodes. We should've waited like eleven months so we'd be closer to that season number two. 

I like that Noah surprised us. He didn't play into all the stereotypes, probably because there were only ten episodes. They had to move things along. He didn't just cave to his disapproving mom or his boss. He apologized as soon as he was called out for crappy behavior, like hiding Joanne at the Jewish camp. He actually talked about his feelings each and every time. I loved standing up for Joanne  to his mom at the family meal. Raymond wouldn't have done that to Marie - not Jewish, but same kind of stereotype. 

I did think it was weird that the family seems to be kosher, at least in the house, but then Bina ate all the prosciutto. I get that it was a leverage thing they were playing out there but are they kosher or not kosher? I would think that would be a really big deal if they're kosher in the house for her to just eat it like a racoon. I just didn't like that they chose that to make her a hypocrite over. Because it makes choosing to keep kosher seem like a throwaway thing, or not that big of a deal. Maybe I'm just being picky on this one. I just know people who are kosher and then people who are just kosher in the house and I feel like if you really keep kosher in your house, the thought of that would be really gross? One time my cousin's husband thought a restaurant put bacon in his food by accident and he freaked out. And they don't even keep kosher in the house or out but pig is strict no, in or out. I guess I just want to know what level of Jewish are they in the show. It's ambiguous I guess for story's sake and I don't like the ambiguity.

That brings me to the casting. Noah's parents are an odd choice for me. That first generation Russian thing with Bina is hard to relate to and she just doesn't seem like she'd be Noah's mom. While it does seem like they're not trying to play into every old stereotype so they didn't make her Paul's mom from Mad About You, Ross and Monica's Mom from Friends - American Jewish, miserable, etc, she just doesn't seem like someone Noah would think of as his "favorite person". They don't give her any warmth and with the lack of time, we never see any sweet moments between Noah and Bina. They just don't seem all that close or like they have much chemistry together. At least with Noah's dad, they had a genuine moment when they were all at the hospital to make sure Rebecca was okay after her fender bender with the bus. They made Bina so tough, it's also hard to understand how Noah wouldn't have anticipated the reactions.

 

I didn't think about this until I started writing but while I love Noah and Joanne together, I'm thinking they have to be playing younger since he's never married, no kids and is looking to do all that. Or, we have to be wondering what's wrong with this guy who is in his forties who has never been married, has no kids but is a rabbi. Realistically, or at least in my experience, he'd have like three kids, at least, by his age. A single woman in her forties in LA who has never been married and has no kids is more believable, because of the whole coastal elites thing of too many hot people, too little time, too much superficiality, etc. Except if they're supposed to be in their forties, I don't know how much it would matter about them being interfaith because of having non-Jewish children. Not that women in their forties can't have biological kids, but it certainly could be more difficult and it's definitely not a given. I read an article somewhere that they're supposed to be around forty, according to AB.

I didn't get the brother Sasha at first. He grew on me by the middle. I'd say it was the episode he was really high on gummies and had to help his daughter through a friend and boy problem while mom was out. I really loved the whole dad and daughter dynamic going on there. I also loathed Esther at first. I think she was supposed to be loathsome but she also grew on me. Especially in the last episode with the bat mitzvah dress. I don't like that they made her so harsh in the beginning though. I also wish they wouldn't have used her harshness in the trailer. It makes it seem like Jews are only funny or palatable on television as total stereotypes. Esther is actually nuanced, which, again, isn't easy in such a short time. She just didn't need to be introduced so harshly. 

The truth is, while some of these stereotypes are true, and someone else wrote that it might just be an uncomfortable mirror to have to look into, which is also true, it's not the whole story, and I don't recall ever really getting to see the other side played out. I've definitely heard shiksas are just for practice, which is definitely not cool. I've also been asked, heard it asked of others, when mentioning a new romantic interest, is he Jewish? To be fair though, at least in my situation, it was because of the other side, which we don't see, where the problem is being the Jew, walking into a WASP house, or an Italian or Irish Catholic situation and feeling the total frost take over. I'll never forget a teen boyfriend of mine telling me his sister asked him, "did you tell mom she's Jewish?". Neither one of us understood why. But it was a thing. It's always a thing.

The writers made Joanne's family totally devoid of religion.  They were written so kooky that Noah being Jewish and being a rabbi totally took a backseat to the idea that a serious boyfriend was making Joanne boring, less sexual, and therefore possibly ruining the podcast she and her sister do for a living. They also made Joanne, a single, dating, sexual being, in LA, so completely unknowing about anything Jewish whatsoever. She'd never been to a bar or bat mitzvah, didn't know basic Yiddish words, had no idea about Shabbat at all? So, in ALL her time in LA, she'd never encountered any Jews before? No Jewish friends? With all the sex she supposedly had and all the boyfriends, there wasn't ONE Jew in the mix? I have non-Jewish friends in the NYC metro area suburbs and they still know the basics. Even Carrie Bradshaw and friends didn't play as Jewish but they knew Jewish stuff because- NYC. Joanne clearly didn't go to Catholic school from her upbringing of no religion besides celebrating Christmas, so I just find it completely farfetched that she has no Jewish knowledge of basic things like the Sabbath.

All in all- it's a really good show because of most of the cast. I'm totally looking forward to a season 2, fingers crossed. I can't imagine it won't go forward, seeing that it seems to be a hot pick on Netflix. Even if you're not psyched about the subject matter, there has to be a little curiosity about a Veronica/Seth pairing. Maybe some of it could've come off as cheesy if it wasn't this cast, but you also can't help picturing Seth Cohen saying a lot of it and it comes off as total geek-smooth. I also love the idea of someone knowing they're too much, showing all their crazy as a defense mechanism, and finding the person that loves their brand of crazy. It's a very there's ass for every seat kind of romantic.

Can we just talk about abortion for a minute?

 It's been a few hours since the Harris/Trump debate ended. I've been watching the pundits do their thing on CNN. Well, I have it on, but I'm not really watching, just have it on as background noise. 

There was a lot of egregious lies told by the twice impeached, disgraced felon, former president but I want to talk about abortion for a minute. He kept saying how this issue has divided the country for fifty two years and he brought the country together by bringing the vote back to the states. He got it out of the federal government. He's proud of the three supreme court justices he appointed who overturned Roe v Wade so the people in the states could vote on it. This whole topic has me unable to go to sleep.

I can't be the only person who finds putting what should be each woman's private health business up for a vote completely insane. I don't care what someone else's religious beliefs are regarding abortion. If you don't want one based on your religion- great, don't have one. But why isn't anyone saying, or brave enough to say- someone's health care shouldn't be dependent on anyone else's VOTE?? How is it acceptable to ANYONE, that your quality or allowance of care basically comes down to the good or bad luck of where you're born or where you've moved to prior to the overturning of Roe v Wade. THERE NEEDS TO BE FEDERAL LAW because you shouldn't have to move or travel just to be able to make decisions about your own body!

There are so many issues with Trump- I could never get into them all. He's the antithesis of everything I believe in, care about, want for the world we're leaving to our children. That is a no-brainer. I can't wrap my head around anyone who believes anything he says, is fine with him saying he wants to be a dictator, and all of Project 2025. But. I'm going to just stick with abortion here. Or not even just abortion, but women's reproductive health care. I'm not sure if people are just uneducated or what, exactly? Think it doesn't apply to them if they aren't of child bearing age or desire? 

Abortion. That word, I suppose, to some people, is just the image of woman, maybe young, maybe of color, poverty, slutty, who just doesn't feel like using birth control, can't keep her legs closed, and doesn't want the hassle or burden of having a baby. I feel like there needs to a mandatory re-education class for adults on reproduction and pregnancy. Because while the word, abortion, may be the same to describe different situations, abortion isn't just one kind of act. There are women who are losing their ability to ever have children because they can't get the proper care they need to save their reproductive system. They are carrying a non-viable fetus but can't terminate legally. 

Trump talked about how the democrats are radical on abortion. Democrats are allowing babies to be born and deciding to execute them on the spot. That would actually be called murder. AND THAT ISN'T HAPPENING. No one is aborting actual live born babies. As far as late term abortions- that isn't really true either. Or, at least, in the way the anti-abortion coalition and the Trump machine are trying to make it out to be. If someone gets to the last trimester- THEY WANTED A BABY. Something tragic had to have happened by that point where the FETUS WASN'T VIABLE. Nurseries have been designed and put into motion. Names have been picked. A life imagined. For any woman to have a late term abortion, TRAGEDY has struck that woman, her family, her friends.

Anti-abortionists will say that someone has to fight for the unborn. Pro-choice people ARE fighting for the unborn. To not be kept alive in a womb while in pain. Anti-abortionists say fetuses can feel pain. Well, if they are considered by medical professionals to be terminal, then anyone who considers themselves humane should want to end the pain in the womb. 

But even if you just don't want a baby, you shouldn't be forced to have one. End of story. Pregnancy happens. Even when you're careful. Sometimes it just happens. And what a woman does about it should remain between that woman and her doctor. 

I also don't understand why the common sense answer isn't just that we don't have a national religion. Christianity is the one with a problem with abortion. I'm not Christian. I don't believe anything about Christianity. Why should Christianity rule ANYONE'S health care choices who don't believe in that religion? 

It is irresponsible at best to have states deciding on what is or isn't allowed by law to do with your own body. It's completely unacceptable that a fourteen year old rape victim has to carry a fetus to term because she had the bad luck to be assaulted in Mississippi versus New Jersey. It's unacceptable the women in NJ might have to wait a month, carrying a fetus they can't take care of or don't want, to see a provider who will perform an abortion because women from other states had to flee their own state to find one to do it for them. Proper health care shouldn't be left to the luck of the geographical draw. 

Don't think this is just a woman problem either. What if you're the husband? The brother? The father? Someone you love can't get the care they need. Sometimes it's care that's life or death. Or life or death of their dream to have a family in the future. Think about that when you're voting AGAINST half the population not having a say over their own body autonomy just based on where they live.

Updated Referral List

 

I haven't done this in awhile- put all my referrals for you to get coupons. Some sites have changed- for instance, Tradsey has become Vestiaire Collective, and I don't think they even have a referral program. Ebates became Rakuten, so on and so forth.

If you sign up for things with a referral, generally you get some kind of discount. So I'm putting all mine in one place in case you like discounts and coupons. 

Save with Capital One. Sign up with my referral link and start getting money back every time you purchase something. It's sort of like Rakuten but I don't even know how I've racked up like $50 on there. I get a pop up whenever I go to buy something, which is great because sometimes it's something that Rakuten wasn't going to give me anything back on. You can redeem the money for gift cards from many popular stores. 

Aspire - If you're thinking of getting filler like Restylane or a neurotoxin like Dysport (alternative to Botox) - you sign up for a rewards program and get points for your next services. Points equal money off.

Fetch - You have to put this app on your phone, it's like Ibotta - where you get money just for letting them be in your business and knowing what you purchase. I don't care if anyone knows what kind of cereal or laundry detergent I buy. Just like with Rakuten (see below), it really is free money. It can take awhile to build up, but it does. I never shop without using these kind of apps and any kind of cash back is nice. They're all legit. With Fetch, you just snap a pic of your receipt after any shop and you get points. The points turn into money. And they take old receipts too. I found a bunch of Shop Rite and Stop and Shop receipts in my car and they took them. 

Cord Blood Registry - Before E was born, we were inundated with information about storing his umbilical cord blood with stem cells. We did it, just in case. It's expensive though. If you use my referral you get $100-$200 off. Now, I don't know many people having babies these days, but it was a lot cheaper when I first started with it, so any money off is going to be helpful.

From the CBR website: Your baby's umbilical cord is made up of tissue and contains blood. Both cord blood and cord tissue are rich sources of powerful stem cells being researched for their ability to act like our body’s own personal repair kit and may be able to help our bodies heal in new ways. Plus, cord blood stem cells are currently used in transplant medicine to regenerate healthy blood and immune systems. Your baby isn't the only one who may benefit from having access to preserved newborn stem cells. The cells can potentially be used by siblings and parents, too. In many cord blood treatments, stem cells from a matched family member are preferred.

Mercari - Especially good for holiday shopping or trying to find that needle in a haystack thing you've been looking for. You get up to $30 in savings when you sign up with a referral. 

Poshmark - Great for buying and selling. I believe you get a free $10 when you sign up with a referral. You have to sign up in the app and use my closet name - AVENUEPOSH. Just go to your app store or whatever you buy apps on with an android device and get the app. 

Posher VA  - if you sell on Poshmark and want a Virtual Assistant, this is the best service I've found. Get money off with my link.

Rakuten - This one, I don't know why everyone isn't already using this, but it's literally free money- both in-store and out. Sometimes, I get a notification that I got money back and I didn't even know I was using Rakuten. For example, in-store, or with food delivery or something. You put all your credit cards numbers in any time it detects you've used one of those cards in-store, you get money back. But, I check it before I make any purchase online. You have to make sure you've clicked it before you make the purchase, but I have it as an add-on extension on my laptop, so if I go on a site they are connected to, the pop up will come up to click on it. Even my little eBay purchases- it's usually only 1% back, but it adds up. I just bought from Nike and it was 8% cash back. Totally worth it. It's also how I gauge if a website is legit. If they're doing cashback on Rakuten, I feel like they're legit. 

Honey  - Another free money site for when you shop online. Some places use Rakuten, some use Honey (which is now partnered with PayPal). Sometimes they use both. Rakuten won't let you use another cash back service when using theirs so I hit Rakuten first, then if Honey comes up with coupon codes I let it run, Rakuten says it's disconnected, and after Honey puts in the coupon codes, I'll hit the Rakuten button again. Sometimes Honey has coupon codes that Rakuten doesn't. That's my way around using both. But now, Honey will ask you if you want to apply your points to a PayPal purchase, which is great.

Coach Outlet - You get $10 if you sign up with my referral on their site. 

RueLaLa - Discount fashion and home goods site. Great deals. You get $10 for signing up with my link.

Name Bubbles - For all your label needs. I use these for camp, school, everything. I just ordered extra small labels for shoes. 

Noom - It's a weight loss app to help you with the whole mind/body/spirit thing.

Factor Food - I just started this food delivery service. I'll update more but this is a big coupon from them if you're interested in healthy food delivery. See my entry about Factor to read all about my meals.

Mixbook - I made the nicest Bar Mitzvah photo album from this company. I can't rave enough about it. I even made a mini-book of it for E to bring to camp to show his friends. I love all the choices for sizes and it was easy to make. I had to use Shutterfly to make a book recently or lose 14 years worth of photos - they are now making you buy something every eighteen months or lose your account. What a mess. It wasn't user friendly and it cost SO MUCH MORE than Mixbook. I should just see if I can download all my photos from Shutterfly and put them on an external hard drive. However, I already had one huge external hard drive get corrupted so I don't trust them.

Evidation - It's a health site where you earn points that turn into money or gift cards by answering health questions. Getting points is slow but I've earned many $10 over time. I go to it when I remember. I just earned like 800 points this morning for answering some demographic questions. It's not fast, but it's still free money and I'll take it. It's nice getting a little $10 gift every now and again.

ThredUp - it's another secondhand clothing site. Use my link to sign up, you get $10 to shop. Some things are really inexpensive- like I'm looking for a certain kind of Gap tank top they don't make anymore. Right now, cropped is in, and I'm not 15 yrs old or a hundred pounds. So I'd like a tank that covers a little more skin. That's what a site like ThredUp is for. Or, of course, name brand designer stuff, but I'm not looking for that kind of thing to go on my treadmill in the house. 

Swim Outlet - you get 20% off your first order with my link instead of the usual 10% for signing up for emails. They have really good prices so it's worth it. I joined their membership which is only $4.99 a year- totally worth it for me because E loses at least one pair of goggles a season and those Speedo Vanquishers are not cheap.

That's all I can think of at the moment, but if I come up with more, I will update.

JSU Glen Rock Support

 

To purchase apparel from the fundraiser- CLICK HERE

 To donate directly to the FIDF - CLICK HERE

 

No Joy of Cooking

 

We all know that I don't really cook. However, since being on Wegovy, there is just no joy in food. Period. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It's just really weird. It feels weird and a little sad. Not sad enough to stop the injections, but you really have to learn to have a new relationship with food.

All this time, my whole life, food ruled my brain. It was- what was I going to eat, when, how much. I have never been a foodie, as in, I have a child's palate. I don't eat spicy, exotic, fusion, or anything remotely even interesting. I ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches my entire school career. I love vodka sauce. Garlic knots. Pizza. You get the idea. 

Now, food rules my brain, but in a different way. By the time it's like one or two o'clock, I think to myself that I have to find something to eat. Nothing seems appealing. Every now and again, something sounds good and I jump on it, but there's no guarantee that it isn't going to turn on me halfway through. It doesn't make me sick or anything, but the thought of it is just gross and I have to throw it away. 

So far, pizza has been okay, but not all pizza. I used to LOVE the chicken parm pizza from this certain local place. I don't know what happened, but I was eating a slice and halfway through it turned. Had to throw it out and now the thought of it is gross to me. From the same place, I love their Hawaiian pizza and luckily, that hasn't turned. Wonton soup also seems to work for me. Wonton soup, an egg roll, and pork fried rice is a perfect meal. Except I can't finish the soup and I can only take a few bites of the rice. But it tastes good. 

The weight is melting off though. I haven't seen this weight since around my fortieth birthday. My body looks different than when I was thirty or forty, but I'll still take it. I don't actually notice the weight gone when I look in the mirror, naked, before jumping in the shower. It's more that I have a few articles of clothing I keep to try on and that's my barometer of my weight. They fit now and I couldn't even get them on a few months ago. 

I do miss enjoying the limited number of food items I did eat before though. I used to LOVE and look forward to garlic knots with vodka sauce. I don't even think to get them now and I don't even know if I could even eat them if I did. I like being thin better, but it just feels so strange to be so ambivalent about food. 

My friend Kate said maybe that's how we're really supposed to be- ambivalent about food. We overeat because it tastes good and we don't have self control, but maybe that's not how our bodies are designed to work. So, these drugs work by making our bodies do what they're really supposed to do. I don't know if that's true or not, but I can tell you it was definitely hard to change the mindset of thinking I want something, mentally, but then getting it and not actually being able to eat it because of no physical desire. 

I normally eat dessert every night. Some kind of cookie, cupcake, brownie, whatever. I was on a Chipwich kick for awhile or Skinny Cow ice cream cones. I've ALWAYS looked forward to dessert. Now, I think I want it, but I'm not sure what I want, and then it never seems to taste as good as it did, or I thought it would. I also can't finish what once seemed like a small portion. Prior to Wegovy, if I had a cupcake, I'd still be looking to eat something else after. Even if it was chips. I can't remember the last time I wanted or ate chips. 

That's really about it. I'm still learning how to navigate this new relationship to food. I decided to stay at 1mg for a second month instead of going up to the next dose of 1.7 because it seems to be doing it's job, I haven't felt nauseated since the first or second week of the 1mg, so I seem to be at a good spot with the current dosage. People keep asking me how long I plan to be on it. I don't have an answer. I'll see how it goes. If insurance continues to pay, I'll continue to be on it. I don't have a problem giving myself the injections and I don't feel like I'm having any adverse effects. I don't necessarily have a goal weight. It's not just about weight though- I've really lessened the amount of candy I eat these days. I used to be able to polish off a bag of gummy bears or whatever and now it's a handful here and there, then I'm done. It feels good. I'll take it!

Welcome Home 2023: Maine back to NJ

 

The OG's, waiting for the White Plains bus to go to camp!

I always write what is basically a love letter to Camp Wekeela at some point when E gets back. I've been too busy to really do anything since he's been back. Instead of just a love letter for a great summer, I want to talk about the mental break with him gone vs him coming home. 

Before he comes home, everyone asks if we're excited for him to come home. Anyone we see after he's arrived back at the nest, asks if we're so happy he's back. The answer is always that it's more complicated than that. What the answer really comes down to is that we'd love to see him, hug him, and catch up, but then we'd like to send him back. 

What? That's horrible! No, no it isn't. It's that for just under seven weeks, he is happy, living his best life, safe, fed, no access to electronics or social media, trying new things, going on trips, and it has nothing to do with us (parents). We can only guess what's going on from photos and a few sporadic letters, but we know it's all good.

You don't realize how much space, energy and time, in your head, your kid takes up until they go away, just for this short stint of time, while they are still supervised. It's different than college where they can do whatever they want and that usually involves alcohol and sex. That is decidedly NOT a mental break. 

When they're a teen and go to camp, you get this beautiful, much needed, mental vacation. Their emotions are so big, perception can be way off, the way they think can be exhausting for parents. It's great to have a kid that's a talker, a sharer. Trust me, I love having the kid who likes to verbally purge and tells us things other kids his age don't usually share with their parents. The flip side of that though, is a lot of talking, a lot of over thinking on his part and ours, and being genuinely surprised and sometimes equal parts annoyed at his hyper sensitivity. 

I know when he's at camp, he's learning valuable life lessons. He's figuring out how to live with other people, in a small area, helping keep that area clean, and keeping himself clean. He's experimenting with how to talk to girls, upping his rizz, and doing all the age appropriate things. He's not being called the f word that rhymes with maggot because he's a musician/actor instead of playing on the lacrosse, football, or soccer teams at school. He's achieved and maintained longstanding, meaningful friendships that have spanned five summers and four school years. 

He comes home and we're all back to all the "w's" - who, what, when, where, why. And the "how". What is your plan for today? Where are you going, who are you going with, what time are you going and when do you plan to be back? Why are you dressed like that, it's summer. How are you getting there and how are you getting home? Did you eat? Was there anything that resembles real food that you ingested today? It's almost one o'clock in the afternoon- do I wake you or let you sleep? There are probably more but I got tired just thinking about this paragraph. You get the idea. It's exhausting. For example, today, B said E got out of bed around noon, then went out with friends. I've seen him for about ten minutes in between coming home from being out to going out again.

For B and I, we're back to checking the cell phone. Having to read mind-numbing texts, seeing who is snapping, and making sure there is nothing that needs further discussion. I love having a little over six weeks not having to even look in the direction of a phone that isn't my own. 

Yes. Is this all just part of parenting? Is this what we signed up for? I don't know. I certainly didn't think about reading someone else's texts or checking group texts in 2009. All I was thinking about then was who was going to win American Idol and making sure I napped when he did.

It's funny. When I talk about sleepaway camp and Wekeela to other moms who aren't camp moms, they talk about their ten or eleven year old being young to go. That maybe they'll send them in a year or so. Meanwhile, if I had a time machine, I would go back and send him earlier than I did. He started in 2019, going into fifth grade. I go up there, chaperoning the bus, and I see those little six year olds, getting their first taste of freedom, which turns into a level of confidence you can only achieve from living your best life at a place like that. Not having their brains altered by sitting on screens for hours, away from mom and dad, doing all the new things, having something special, separate from their parents. I see them being loved on by their counselors, climbing them like trees, laughing, making jokes, learning how to do stuff for themselves. It's actually pretty darn amazing.

Is it necessary to start overnight camp so young? No. Of course not. While they don't need it- as there are so many more options, for day camps, the younger they are. Except, once they're in, at their special place, they're IN. They're always building relationships that only get stronger as the summers go on. So when they're in that tween and teen stage, camp becomes their refuge from all the drama and chaos that goes on during the school year. It's their home away from home. Then, when they really NEED camp, when there is nothing good that comes from hanging around their hometown doing a lot of sleeping, hanging out, playing video games, texting, Snapchatting, and lot of nothing productive, they have camp to look forward to and keep them from mindless stupidity and impulsive trouble-making.

I see the all the counselors who got their ten year Wekeela jackets, exchanging knowing looks of pride in getting to that prize. I'm jealous. I'm jealous of the kids whose parents sent them earlier than I sent E. If I only knew what Wekeela would do for E, I would've wanted him to be there all that time. Kids today, without going to overnight camp, will never know what it is to have time away from technology devices. E says to us- "I wish I grew up in your time. It seems so much easier without phones, texting, and social media". He has to have it all to be social, and he IS very social. But that doesn't mean he has to like it. 

Kids today barely have any autonomous time away from their parents. Gone are the days of just roaming around without being tracked or forbidden, trying to get lost, just to see if you could make your way back home. At least at camp, they're learning how to speak to people and resolve conflict, face to face, without having mommy intervene. They learn how to ask for what they want, advocate for themselves, without having a parent speak for them. They're making friends on their own, without parental social engineering. These are all super important life lessons. 

E has one last summer as a camper. It's definitely on the later side to still be the camper. Most kids will probably be working next summer. He'll be fifteen. And he can work. But I can't steal from him that last chance to be a kid. He came home saying that this was the best summer so far, equal to his first summer, which was magical. The bunk was closer, better behaved, cleaner, and more mature than ever before. It was a bit of a smaller group, having finally weeded out the few poorly mannered interlopers who had come from other camps during that covid summer and may have stayed another summer or two. They all jelled and there was really very little conflict to resolve. Next year they'll be the seniors, the big machers. And we wish them the best summer ever...

 

Act NOW

 

Most of you have been reading for years know E has been a part of Actor's Technique NY since he was around four years old. He hasn't always consistently taken classes, but he started in the Tots class - which is for 4-6 yr olds doing improvisation. He took that a few semesters in a row. Then he moved on to the Kids and Teen level classes which is a three class option on a Saturday or Sunday. They are willing to work with you on how many classes you want to take in a day though. I remember when E was doing it, I had to leave NYC by around three o'clock to be able to get home with relatively no traffic. I will say that I live in Glen Rock, NJ and on Saturdays and Sundays at around ten o'clock in the morning, it only took me about thirty minutes to get me to where ATNY has their classes and maybe forty minutes to get home in the three o'clock hour. I'd use the Park Whiz app to get a good deal on a garage for like six hours and I'd walk around the city while he was in class. It was actually pretty great.

 

He did those classes and loved them. He met new people, gained skills in improvisation, on-camera, monologues, audition preparation, commercial acting, etc. Now, because of being on a competitive swim team and meets on weekends, he doesn't have time for the weekend classes. He still remains connected to ATNY though. He has been doing ATNY's cabaret nights which usually feature around 16-20 performances of all singing genres, approximately every three or four months. He's participated in other workshops too. He did a virtual American Idol style workshop which was a lot of fun. 

HOWEVER, ATNY has come to NJ for both on camera/film/tv/audition preparation classes and full length productions. E was just in their off-broadway production of Mean Girls. There were a few casts- I think there were three in NYC and two casts in NJ. In NJ, they practiced in Ridgewood in HeART in Motion and their final performances were in the John Cullum Theatre, American Theatre for Actors in NYC. It was really cool to perform on a real NYC theater like that. ATNY just announced they're doing Newsies in the fall, which is one of our personal favorites, as E played Jack Kelly in a local theatre production of that in the fall of 2022. This time there will be casts in NYC, NJ, and CT! These productions are being directed and choreographed by a Tony winning team of current Broadway professionals.

There is more info on the ATNY site HERE but below is the general info for auditions and commitment: 

 

*Virtual Auditions: (Pick 1 day)

(1) Wednesday, August 30th (4pm – 7pm) or

(2) Wednesday, September 6th (4pm – 7pm) or

(3) Thursday, September 7th (4pm – 6pm)

*Once You audition, you may leave the Zoom. If you cannot audition during these virtual times, please send ATNY a video clip for consideration. We can invite you to callbacks if selected.

In-Person Callbacks – Pearl Studios, 519 8th Ave. 12 Fl, NYC

Saturday, September 9^th &/or

Sunday, September 10th

Final Cast selections will be made within a few days of callbacks.

REHEARSAL DATES:

October through December 2023 – NY & CT, Saturday and Sunday afternoons; NJ, Friday (after school) & Sunday afternoons.  Only actors who are rehearsing scenes that day will be called for that day.  Conflict Sheets will be provided and honored.  All Holidays off.

Performance Dates/Tech Week:

New York City-based cast: Jan. 6^th, 7^th 

New Jersey-based cast: Jan. 13^th, 14^th

Connecticut-based cast: Jan. 20^th, 21^st

*Tech week encompasses 4 days before performance weekend, approx, 4pm – 8pm.

Audition Requirements:

• All roles open, ages 7 to 18. (If 19 or over, please contact us to discuss.)
• Must provide headshot and resume, online is fine.
• Prepare 32 bars of a standard contemporary or classic musical theatre or song. Pop ok.
• Track or a cappella ok (online only). Accompanist provided at Callbacks.
• May be asked to stay and dance.  All levels encouraged.
• CANNOT MAKE VIRTUAL AUDITIONS? Please email us an initial audition tape for consideration.
  

And don't forget to check out the on camera/film/tv/audition prep classes being offered this fall in Glen Rock in the Gary Stevens Tae Kwon Do studio at 175 Rock Road, Glen Rock NJ 07452. I love that ATNY has come to NJ. As E gets older and commitments with swim and school get more intense, it's hard for us to get into the city. But he can still stay connected to Todd and the ATNY family by being able to do things right in our backyard.  

**If you're still looking for something for August, there may still be room in their week long Mean Girls camp. E is helping out with that one since he played Aaron in the full length spring production!

New Hair Don't Care

 

After Don did my hair 6/30/23

 I actually do care about my hair. I just didn't know I cared so much. I've been going to Don for, I think, like 25+ years (he calls himself Donny, but I was introduced as Don and that's I roll) to get my hair done. From the giant curls to what I started calling movie star hair during my time on reality tv in the early 2000s. I have proof of that hair back on the Iyanla Van Zant show which I think was in 2002. 

I've had highlights, lowlights, blue hair, magenta hair. I've had long, past the shoulder hair, for most of my life, but there was a stint in like 2012 when I went for that magenta bob. It wasn't a short bob but it was significantly shorter than I've ever gone. I liked it. B wasn't really a fan. He liked the color, just not the shorter hair. 

 

2012 Magenta bob

 

Gray had been coming in, but it really was a slow process. I'd also almost always had some kind of blond highlights, so I don't know- I didn't really see it. It certainly wasn't, and still isn't the kind of gray where, if I don't get it colored, it's like, a gray part. It's more like, gray highlights, and more and more of them as time goes on. There are more of them in the front and they come in faster. 

I always got my hair done every four months. Then I started going every three months. About a year ago- maybe last September, I started doing just a single process to cover the gray. I went darker than my usual blond-ish highlighted summer hair. I didn't LOVE it, not because it was done correctly or it was a bad color- it was just boring. I didn't HATE it either. I just was sort of resigned to this being my hair now, because it was just too expensive for me to cover the gray and do highlights. I was having to come in more like every eight weeks just to cover the gray. 

Before Don did my Balayage 6/30/23

 

I work from home now. I felt like- ok, what's the big deal, no one sees me really. Especially in the winter. I just happened to be scheduled for the beginning of June for my cut and color. Don saw me and he was like- Listen. Your hair needs to be blond and gorge. This isn't you. Let me do a balayage. 

Like I said, I know Don forever. I consider him a friend. I trust him. Summer was coming. I didn't want to be dark brown for the summer. We made me an appointment for a few weeks later. He wanted to do it separately from my gray and haircut. 

What he did was a teased balayage. He was literally teasing it, and then doing whatever else is done. It's for diffusing the roots for an overall lighter color but a softer grow out. Can't argue with that. Sounds good to me. 

When it was done, it looked awesome. I didn't write this right away because I wanted to see how it would look in a few weeks. I actually had it done June 30. It's now July 27, so it's been almost a month. Usually, after I've been out in the sun, in the chlorine, not really taking care of it, the color can change a little. But this actually looks better now. It looked great that day, but what I am really impressed with, is that even the gray around and/or interspersed in my hairline isn't as pronounced. You really don't notice it. 

I've been styling my hair with the Beach Waver S1.25 curling iron, which is another story- it's the best thing I've ever used on my hair. That is saying a lot because it's really the only styling tool I've used consistently, aside from a flat iron. I don't use the flat iron anymore. Just the Beach Waver because it's so quick and easy. I can do my whole head of past the shoulder hair in like ten minutes. The pics I have here of of Don styling my hair, but I'll add pics of my hair currently having styled it myself and I get compliments every time I do my hair. My point, though, is that I WANT to style my hair, because whatever Don did, you can REALLY see it when it's styled. 

It's hard to feel pretty when you're pushing fifty and can't afford plastic surgery. If you can just feel good about your hair, it's pretty nice. I am LOVING this hair. I haven't felt like this in quite awhile. I forgot how important it is to be able to love your hair. You don't get this feeling just covering grays or box dying your own hair. Sometimes, you need that little pick me up of a great, skin complimenting, hair color. 

Don is always moving and shaking, he always has plans. These days, he's in New Milford and here's his info to make an appointment. Hair By Donny - it's awesome to be able to book things online. I wish every place had this kind of system, including doctors. Go see him and let him make you movie star hair - everyone needs movie star hair every now and again!

My more natural hair color in 95/96/97 just for fun. It was boring.

 

New photo a month after initial balayage 7-28-23