Collagen Peptides…

…and other supplements I am adding in.

Lately I have been feeling a less good in my body then I think I should. I don’t mean weight wise (although I could lose some lbs.), I mean bodily functions. Maybe it’s part of getting older, maybe it’s part of COVID/Quarantine habits and sluggishness. I don’t know the exact cause, but I am trying a few supplements to combat it. I hope they improve my health a bit or at least make me feel a bit better.

Prebiotic/Probiotic

Amazon.com: Olly Prebiotics and Probiotics Gummy! 30 Gummies Peachy Peach Flavor! 500 Million Bacillus Coagulans! Probiotics and Prebiotics for A Balance Belly! Choose from 1 Pack, 2 Pack or 3 Pack (1

I started taking the Olly Prebiotic/Probiotic to improve my digestive processes. I have been taking them consistently for about a week.

Collagen Peptides

I got this at Costco and it was on sale which was awesome. I used a Christmas gift card. It’s a bit pricey but since I had a gift card, I figured I’d give it a shot. It was featured on Flav City (a person I follow on Facebook who does interesting videos on what to buy and why based on ingredients). I am hoping it improves my skin elasticity and look. Plus, amino acids are just good for you. I am 35 and my body isn’t producing collagen like when you are younger. Today was my first day on this one. I put it in my coffee and could not taste it or even tell it was in my coffee which is awesome.

Protein20

Protein2o 20g Protein + Electrolytes Drink 16.9 fl oz, 12-pack

This was an impulse purchase at Costco. I figure you can always use more protein. I like that it isn’t a chalky/milk based drink like most protein drinks. It uses Whey Protein and you don’t get much better then that. I am also always on the lookout for soy and it doesn’t have any which is awesome. It’s low on sugar and the reviews are great.

A Favor, a Yoga Mat and…

…an in person (outdoor and distanced) workout class completely turned my mood around.

After a missed text I was running late to my workout class. My super cool roommate walked Marty for me so I could run to the class. It was really nice and I really appreciated it. When I got to my class my super awesome friends gifted me with a yoga mat! I didn’t have one (used to use the gym ones) and the basketball court was rough on the knees. It was just so nice and so thoughtful. They didn’t have to do that but they did and proved that the small actions sometimes mean the most. Those things along with my workout really put me in the best mood. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such awesome people. If you are reading this, know that you made my day and I appreciate you so much.

You Can Choose To Be In A Good Mood…

…is a post I saw someone make today that I do not quite agree with.

I think you can try to choose to be in good mood but sometimes you just can’t get there. I don’t think that is a bad thing either. Negative emotions and admitting you have them is not a bad thing. It is healthy to recognize all of your emotions – not just the good ones. My brother once said ‘you control your emotions they don’t control you.’ I think that is very true too. I chose to recognize my emotions and process them as I can. Sometimes that means laughing, crying, screaming into a pillow, or writing about it. That is how I personally feel my emotions and control them rather then them controlling me…mostly.

Sometimes my emotions get the better of me. I think that happens to a lot of us. Usually at night when I am tired and my coping skills are a little off guard. I recognize that it will pass, but I have to cry or walk or do something until they do. Distraction is good sometimes.

Additionally, and I am REALLY sorry if I am about to offend anyone, but the person who posted that is LDS and they tend to project happiness and perfection no matter what they are actually feeling. They believe perfection is attainable and anything less is unacceptable – kind of a fake it till you make it. Of course this is not everyone of this faith just a general trait I have observed (I should mention I have a lot of family in SLC and was born there). So I don’t know how seriously I should take the post but it did make me think. So I hope now you are thinking about it and know it’s okay to have negative emotions and not just positive ones. Feel what you feel.

after writing this it popped up in the latest episode of zoeys extraordinary playlist! Hello universe!

February is the Month Of…

…bills.

Thought I was gonna say love eh? Nope – February is my month of bills. I think we all have one. That one month in which all of our major bills seem to come due all at the same time. For me, that month is February. It consists of car registration, car insurance for six month (save some money paying for six months up front), Valentine’s Day gift (not a bill and I like buying presents but it adds to the month of bills), renters insurance, and every other bill I pay every month. Its a stretch on a non pandemic year when I have full time work and health insurance. So far I have almost everything paid for except the car insurance. It’s a big bill here in CA and it wipes me out for awhile when it comes due. I have faith that it will work out and I will get that and still be able to eat, but it’s stressful. So if you are out there wondering how you will afford that next bill you aren’t alone. I think a lot of us are in that boat right now. At least we are in good company.

In terms of money we have no money | Best of funny memes | Funny pictures, I love to laugh, Bones funny — I feel ya Gru.

So Many Streaming Services…

…reminds me a bit of cable.

Streaming is great. Watch what you want when you want. Then they threw in some awesome original content that is super great. BUT – I knew the day was coming where everything would be separated into 25 different streaming services and I would have to pay for each one to watch all the shows/movies I want to. Which is basically cable, except I don’t have to wait for a certain time to watch something or watch commercials. Which is still better then cable, but I also liked that streaming was less expensive then cable. Now that I have to pay for all these services it’s about the same. I knew it would happen and I knew it was coming, but come on man I am poor. Can we make some kind of package with a discount or something?

HBO Max is my latest acquisition. I watched a show called Love Life and really enjoyed it. Highly recommend it. It has other great content as well and seems to have everything the ‘regular’ HBO app had for the same price. Why would I not switch to HBO max and get more content for the same price? So that’s my hot tip of the day for my readers who may enjoy TV. Anyone recommend anything else on HBO Max that is good?

I have started reading ‘The Ship of Brides’ and that will be the next Reading with Rachel post. Wanted to let you know in case you want to read along with us! I am also turning all my books from those posts into traveling books! https://www.bookcrossing.com/ is the platform I am using so check it out. I like the idea of books bringing free joy, adventure, and entertainment to someone else rather then collecting dust on my book shelf. Just sanitize before you release your book and I think it is still safe with the Rona.

Reading with Rachel…

…In Five Years

Hi everyone! I’m Rachel and I love to read books and give unsolicited book recommendations to my friends. Andrea recently read In Five Years by Rebecca Serle after I wrote a blurb about it on my Instagram, and I’m so glad she did! She’s asked me to write to all of you what I thought about the book and why I suggested others read it. Enjoy!

In Five Years is a charming book that follows Dannie, a goal-oriented New Yorker who has her life planned out to the minute. Her career as a successful lawyer, her recent engagement, and her entire future are planned out meticulously. Until they’re not. Dannie’s plans are shaken up when she has a vivid dream where she finds herself in a foreign apartment next to a strange man and a seemingly very different life than the one she left behind in the real world. Once she wakes, Dannie can’t help but ponder on this dream and the feeling of fate that seeped from it. The rest of the story follows Dannie as she navigates the next five years of her life with her fiance, free-spirited best friend Bella, and to her surprise, the strange man from her dream who has materialized in her real life.

I’ll be honest: this is not the typical kind of book that I reach for on the shelf. I found this book for a cheap price on Amazon while buying other books in my favored genres of mystery/thriller and bought it on a whim. It’s a pretty short book at around 250 pages so I figured I’d read it for a fun and light read before I moved on to my more heavy subject matter books. After reading the first few chapters of In Five Years I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t the cliche romance novel that I was expecting at all. In fact, I hesitate to even label this book a romance novel. It certainly has romantic elements and the author is tricky, as she writes the first few chapters to make the reader believe this story will revolve around romantic relationships. But I would put this book into the simple genre of: friendship. This is a story about the depths of friendship between Dannie and Bella. I don’t want to give anything else away because I want any future readers to have the pleasure of the surprise of this story, so I’ll leave it at that. This story explores how a friendship can survive the ups and downs of adulthood, can change even the most well thought out plans, and can have lasting impacts that can influence an entire life. It’s a beautiful story and a very sad one. I cried during this one, but they weren’t all tears of sadness. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did!

-Rachel

The Last Day…

…that a woman has never been VP.

I saw that on social media and it struck me. I had never thought of it that way or in that phrasing. WOW. Today is the last day in US History that a female has not held the office of VP. Tomorrow will go down in the history books. It’s pretty amazing and I can’t wait to watch. I hope it all goes as planned without interruption or violence. I am a little afraid of that after the Capital Riots. I hope everyone stays safe and well. I hope it’s a spark that lights the fire of a new era. Thank you Kamala Harris – I can’t wait to see what you do. I am also really happy to have a First Lady I can be proud of again.

Image may contain: 1 person, text that says 'Today's the last day a woman has never been vice president. @cleoabram'

Original, Smart, and Honest…

…all that and more in the movie Promising Young Woman.

I am not being paid to write this positive review (wouldn’t that be nice) as my opinion holds little o no weight, but I will say how struck I was by this movie. I had been waiting to see it for awhile based on previews and it meet and exceeded my high hopes. It was honest in the way the world treats victims of sexual assault versus the attacker. How they wont risk the future of a promising young man versus a woman (even if she is top of her med school class). Every phrase uttered in that movie is something victims of sexual assault (mostly women but not all) have heard from “he said she said” to “we were just kids.” The movie opens on a group of men at a bar saying how the ‘drunk’ main character is ‘asking for it’ and somehow she has this assault coming. The victim is accused of being ‘to drunk’ and ‘putting herself in a dangerous situation’ but the assaulter says ‘oh I was drunk’ as an excuse. Nope you don’t get to use that if it wrong for one but not the other. This film addresses it in an original and though provoking way. It was incredibly well acted and has twists and turns you don’t see coming. No one really wins in it but purposes are achieved. I highly recommend it. I can’t get it out of my head, which is exactly what is needed to change these ways of thinking.

And Just Like That…

…they are reviving Sex and the City and I have mixed feelings.

I LOVE Sex and City. When I was a park ranger and without internet or cable that was one of my only DVD sets. I watched it a lot. I have watched it steadily since I was 19. It’s one of my go to shows when I don’t know what to watch. It was really groundbreaking for the time. Women talking openly about sex and how wonderful and frustrating being a single in your 30’s can be. This show will pick up the story with the women in their 50’s. If the show follows in suit, it might be a little preview of my future life (but I will have less money). I have some of my favorite life lessons presented in this show. One that particularly comes to mind is when Charlotte exclaims that Carrie, Samantha, and Miranda are her soul mates. It was a big declaration for the character who above all believes in perfect love and soul mates.

I am of course excited to have more of one of my favorite shows of all time, but I don’t want them to ruin it. What more is there to explore? Even the second movie addressed menopause already. AND it wont have Samantha in it. I am just not sure I am on board for a remake without the whole crew. Here’s to hoping it’s a great continuation of the story. Now I will have to pay more money to get HBO Max. Oy – dang you HBO!

Sex & the city (@sexandthecityQ) | Twitter

Online Dating and Applying for Jobs…

…and what they have in common.

My roommate and I were discussing how getting a job and the current online application process feels a lot like online dating. You search and you search reading detail about profiles or job descriptions. Then you find one you like and seems to fit you, so you apply or swipe right. You do some research on the company, museum or nonprofit you have applied to and learn more about if it’s a good fit. Same with a person you matched with and are considering meeting in person, you google them to assure yourself they are in fact not a serial killer or Trump supporter. Then you finally get the interview or date. You pick out your best looking outfit for the occasion because that really does matter in both situations. You spin yourself to be more desirable to your date or hiring official. You ‘sell’ yourself as the most desirable candidate or dating app contestant, even if some if it is an exaggeration or not quite true – you can learn what you need to on the fly. whether it be a job skill or common hobby with your date. Most first dates feel just like interviews with cocktails. If the first interview or date goes well then you move onto the next round. The second interview is even more important because now you really have to back up the claims you made on the first one. If you said you like football or art museums on this date, you better have some talking points. If you claimed to have a skill for a job you have examples prepared of how you did it in the past and can apply it to this job. If you have proven to each other, your date or the hiring official, that you are a good fit then it’s time to make a choice. Do you dive in or move the next application or bumble conversation.

So let’s say you do dive in. The honeymoon phase applies to both dating and a new job. It’s the dream at first then you move into the real relationship phase or the nitty gritty oh the job. AND somewhere in the back of your mind you are a little worried about losing it (getting fired or dumped). They really do have a lot in common! Have we made it all the same process to feel more comfortable in our decision making? Just food for thought.