Restaurant: The Melt

This place has been on my mind for a while, and even though I've only been there once, I totally fell in love with the place and wish it were closer to my house.

A few weeks ago, I took a friend to the airport.  The night before we were hanging out looking for dinner suggestions.  (A group of us were planning a night to play catch-up since we hadn't really seen each other since the holidays).  One of the places we came across was a new establishment whose name alone caught my attention and piqued my curiosity.  When we clicked the link, I got all kinds of happy.

A few years ago, I saw some place featured on the Food Network that served up grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, and I immediately thought that was such an awesome idea and wanted a place like that near me because I am a HUGE fan of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

Comfort food FTW!!!

Now I couldn't remember the place I saw on TV to save my life, but I knew it was somewhere in the Midwest or East Coast which made me really sad since it was such a fabulous idea but nowhere near me.

Enter THE MELT!

On the way home from dropping my friend off at the airport, I decided to check the place out.  Plus, I hadn't eaten yet that day (a ROCKSTAR energy drink is not a meal) so I figured I'd be killing two birds with one stone: sating a curiosity as well as my stomach.

The location I went to was at the Stanford Shopping Mall, but it wasn't too difficult to spot seeing the bright orange logo shone like a beacon all the way across the lot.  Parking was difficult since everyone and their uncle seemed to be at the mall that day.  I couldn't find anywhere close to park, but that's okay.  I didn't mind the walk.

Immediately when I walked in, I sensed a friendly atmosphere.  Everywhere I looked I saw friendly faces, heard polite chit-chat and laughter.  It was very happy-making.

While I waited in line, I checked out the menu which is pretty simple.  They have several sandwiches as well as several soups.  They even had a few dessert options.

I had originally wanted the Brie/Apple Butter on White Wheat and was leaning toward either the Two Tomato Basil or the Sweet Corn Tortilla Soup.
Creamy Wild Mushroom), but when it was my turn, I ended up getting the special that was being offered that day: The Dirty with Sweet Corn Tortilla Soup.

What is The Dirty you ask?  Sharp cheddar, jalapenos, tomato, bacon and BBQ chips on sourdough.

I also ended up getting one of the dessert melts - the S'more!

They had fountain drinks (Coke products, in case you were wondering) as well as water, iced tea, lemonade, organic milk, and an assortment of drinks in cans (which I think if I remember correctly while waiting in line was Pabst Blue Ribbon).

When you order, two things happen:

1. They take your initials for your order to call out when it's done.  Or you can just look at the giant electronic board (which looks like a huge iPad) to see the status of your order.  And...
2. They ask if you would like to "round up".  The Round it Up Campaign, if I remember correctly, is when you pay for your order, they ask if you would like to round up to the nearest dollar which pays for your meal, and the extra money goes to Feel Good.  (You should really click the link since I think they can explain it better than I can.)

The price is decent and the food is yummy.  The meal comes with a little bag of plain potato chips, each sandwich in its own little basket.

As I sat at the table and noshed on my yummy yum yum food, I noticed the bottom of the order screens talking about their food, how they offer gluten free breads and everything was natural.

There were also NO trash cans.  Everything was either recyclable or compost.

The food is yum. 

The people were nice.

They say "All Natural", "Eco-Friendly", "Wholesome"... and I believe it. 

Would I go here again?: Hell-to-the-YEAH!  This place just filled me with a whole bunch of happiness, why wouldn't I go back.  Next time though... I plan to drag some friends with me.

https://themelt.com/
https://themelt.com/menu
http://www.facebook.com/TheMelt
http://twitter.com/The_Melt

http://www.facebook.com/pages/FeelGood-Official/
https://twitter.com/#!/feelgoodworld/
http://www.youtube.com/feelgoodworld

Mr. Brown Cappuccino Iced Coffee

I gave blood today.

Before I gave blood, I stopped off at McDonald's for lunch.  (You know... to build up my iron and also to not pass out and all that.)

When I was done, I went to the Blood Center, did the whole survey/test thing.  I sat in the automated mechanical chair (which I joked to the tech that it was like a poor man's Disneyland), and proceeded to be poked until my blood slid through the tube like a person in silk pajamas trying to get traction on a bed with silk sheets.

I stopped off to visit a friend since I was in the area.  (Thought I'd say "hi".)  I had meant to chill at a coffee house to try and do some writing, but alas, I lingered too long, and it was getting dark.  I had laundry at home that needed to be done, and I didn't want to be up too late doing it... though the time-stamp on this post would say otherwise (I'm on the last load as I write this).

Anyway, the tech reminded me of all the things I was supposed to do and not do...

Like not to smoke for at least an hour - which I find funny since I enjoy the occasional cigar once in a blue moon, but when they say that, I immediately want to have one... just out of spite.  Or not to drink alcohol for 24 hours... which just makes me pout, but I cope.  LOL!

They also say no strenuous activity (which always makes me wonder if SEX qualifies in that category)... but to drink fluids and not to skip any meals.

While chatting with friends, I was wondering why I was getting so droopy and slothy, and as I was gathering my things and heading out the door, I realized... I needed to eat!

I stopped off at an Asian market (same place I got the Rockstar Coconut Water) and decided to grab some snacks.  The entire time I was there, I kept yawning so since I had coffee on the brain due to my failed writing plan for the day (no one to blame but myself on that one), I went in search for some kind of coffee substitute to wet my whistle.

What is up with his fingers?

I found some coffee drinks in the cooler section while looking for some bottled apple tea I had before from there (quite tasty).  One of which were these little cans of with an image of a man in a white suit, red tie, hat, enjoying a cup of coffee.  He looks like he's sound like Nintendo's Mario and be pushing a gondola through the canals of Venice all the while chucking his tiny cans of caffeine to various passersby as he sings "That's Amore".

Or something like that.

Have you tried my coffee?

I also think he looks like film producer Joel Silver, but that's just me.

So knowing that I needed to do laundry, I picked up a can of this stuff hoping it would give me just enough of a boost to stay awake until my laundry was done.  As it was I had separated it into three loads, and the washer and dryer in this place are moody bitches that don't seem to like me much.

But that's neither here nor there.

Of the ones the store had, I chose cappuccino and with that, took my other purchases to the register, checked out, and headed home.

I was fine for the most part rejuvenating myself on pork, chicken, vegetables and noodles that I got from the hot case at the store, but then my energy started to wilt some when the first load was in the dryer and the second one had just started washing.

Come here little can... please work some magic.

Now this little baby "ready to drink" can of coffee is just 8.12 fl oz (which according to the nutritional facts on the side is one serving) and is 112.8 calories.

FINALLY!  I'M DRINKING FOR ONE!!!

Ingredients (copied straight from the side of the can):  water, coffee extract, sugar, milk powder, emulsifier (E473, E475, E322), flavor, carrageenan (E407), chocolate.

Now, I get everything in that list (though I'm not touching the weird E-numbers which make me think of high school and college classroom and catalog numbers), but really... what the FRAK is "flavor"?  Is there a bottle labeled "flavor" in the secret coffee lab of this company?

And what's with this statement (which is right above the ingredients): You may occasionally find tiny milk flakes appearing , quality is no problem.  WTFrak is that supposed to mean?  Now I know there's milk powder in it, and there's no instruction like "shake before opening" or some such, but it's more the last part that bothers me.  They could have phrased it better.  MUCH better.  

Anyway...

It tastes all right.  Even though the website thinks claims it's very good! - in my opinion, it's not like "HOLY CRAP!  I NEED TO SHOOT THIS STRAIGHT INTO MY VEINS!"  It's just... okay. 

Would I ever try this again?  Doubtful.  It served its purpose as a "hmmm, I wonder what this is like?" as well as coming the closest to a coffee drink that I could find in the market without having to drag my lazy ass to some coffee establishment nearby.  (Hey!  Lay off!  I gave blood today.  So there!)

All in all, if I was craving a pick me up or something coffee-flavored, I'd either buy some candy or find me the closest Starbucks, Peets or... hell... a McCafe.

http://www.kingcar.com.tw/en/products/ProductList.aspx?cid=10&scid=36

http://www.kingcar.com.tw/en/index.aspx

Product of Taiwan
King Car Food Ind. Co., Ltd.
Taipei, Taiwan
Reg. No. 5448220102

Rockstar Coconut Water

A surprising curious can I see before me.

So a couple weeks ago while I was on my way to my friends' new place to listen to our SoCal friends Dusty, RJ and Sasha's internet radio show Dusty's World, I had stopped off at an Asian market en route for supplies (aka apple juice).

The apple juice was for the rest of the Jager we didn't finish the week before (where we finished off the rest of her sparkling apple cider which we think went flat, but it went well with the Jager so we said "apple juice for next time".)

Shot of Jager, topped off with apple juice.  Pretty frakkin yummy people.  That's all I have to say about that.  (My gal pal Kathy W. fixed up so yumscious credit goes to her.)

While at the market, I decided to peruse the aisles a bit since I hadn't been there in a while, and I like me some Asian markets.

What?!  The Asian likes Asian markets?!  Get outta town!

So of course I checked out the candy aisle where I've bought many a packet of Hi-Chew candy (if you can find lychee flavor, send it my way, thank ya muchly) as well as dried salted plums (great PMS snack) and sesame ball cookies (no need to make that dirty, I can do that myself).

But I couldn't find the apple juice.

Eventually I found the apple juice in the cooler section.  The open coolers that stored things like chicken wings or (from what I saw when I found the juice) whole rabbit.  On platforms above the open coolers were various bottles of tea and juice, but I only saw two or three brands of apple juice, regular sized bottles.  So I asked an employee that was restocking shelves if those were the only sizes he had, and he said yes so I snatched one up and continued to look about.

On the other side from where I found the juice, I found various bottles of coconut water and milk drinks which brought to mind that actress Yvonne Strahovski is the new spokeswoman for SoBe Lifewater with Coconut Water so I thought I'd try to find some and try it out for myself.

Really.  I'm interested only in the drink.  I swear. *grin of innocence*

Unfortunately I was not able to find any SoBe Lifewater with Coconut Water.

But I did find this bright blue can that had a familiar logo on it and made my curiosity say "Go there!  I want to see what the pretty blue is."

Rockstar Coconut Water.

Color me intrigued.

I just grabbed the can and walked off looking for other interesting things that caught my fancy before heading to the register.

It wasn't until the next day when I was on my way to meet Kathy W. back at her place to take her to the airport (she was visiting out-of-state family for the weekend) that I cracked this baby blue bad boy open.

Now the can said to "shake gently" so I tipped it from side to side before opening it.  The can said it was a non-carbonated coconut water energy drink made with 10% coconut juice so in theory I could have shaken the hell out of it, but I played it safe and stuck with the can's suggestion of "gently".

Below the ROCKSTAR COCONUT WATER, it said "Energy + Hydration" as well as "+Electrolytes" and "+High Caffeine".  The top of the can said "caffeine, B-vitamins, taurine, ginseng and milk thistle".  Now I don't remember milk thistle from any of the other Rockstar drinks I've had (maybe the coffee ones), but that's neither here nor there.

Again the serving portions make me laugh since the serving size is 8 fl oz, and the can is 16 fl oz.  (Woo hoo!  I'm drinking for two!)  And each serving size is 80 calories... so that's 160 calories for chunky ol' me.

For some reason that makes me feel a little fat since it's just a can.  I mean, if it was a steak, that'd be more filling, and I would feel fine with the calorie intake.

Anyway, moving on...

And now onto the ingredients (with my commentary):  

purified water (thank gawd it's purified - Praise Jeebus!), sucrose, coconut juice (10% all natural), taurine, natural flavors (what the frak does that even mean?), phosphoric acid, sodium citrate, caffeine, pectin (which makes me think it comes from "pecs"), sorbic acid, citric acid, calcium pantothenate (the last word makes me think it'd be found in Pantene), niacinamide, panax ginseng extract (I have no idea what "panax" is - it sounds like a convention.), milk thistle extract ("extract" reminds me of a joke I heard on a cooking show where they had to use almond extract and one of the guys said, "How do you extract an almond?" and the other guy answered, "Depends on where it's lodged."  Shut up!  I thought it was funny), pyridoxine hydrochloride, stevia (I like stevia), caramel color (this I find interesting since the drink is white and when I think of "caramel", I think of the color brown, but hey... I'm not a Rockstar mixologist genius), and cyanocobalamin.

Even though I mentioned this part in my other Rockstar review on this blog, I am presently dictating notes that I recorded on my iPhone while driving to Kathy's that day, and I felt the need to share my silly with you.  (Also, the statement is just a standard form letter.  You'll see if you look between the other review and this one.)

Mission Statement (with my commentary):

ROCKSTAR COCONUT WATER is designed for those who need a strong energy boost when it counts - plus maximum recovery and hydration, B-vitamins, caffeine, electrolytes (It's what plants crave!), and ROCKSTAR's potent herbal blend (crack, crack and more crack) are formulated to deliver that extra kick (up your ass).  With its refreshing coconut flavor, made with real coconut juice (remember, only 10%), ROCKSTAR COCONUT WATER is smooth, powerful and easy to drink.

And then in the teeny tiny print below that (which always makes me laugh):

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases.

What comes to mind when I read the above:

Doctor Dumbass: I'm sorry Mr. Smith, but you have the ebola virus just like in the movie "Outbreak".
Mr. Smith: Oh no. Is there anything you can do?
Doctor Dumbass: Well, there's a new experimental procedure that has yet to be evaluated by the FDA, but it might work.
Mr. Smith: (desperate) I'll try anything.
Doctor Dumbass: (goes to mini-fridge, comes back and hands Mr. Smith a Rockstar)  Here.  Drink this.

Oh, and a little extra blurb.

Not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or those sensitive to caffeine.

This just makes me think of some lady pouring a bottle of this into a baby bottle and giving it to her newborn.  "There you go, sweetie.  Drink your Rockstar like a good little baby."  (LOL!)

Okay, on to actually tasting this thing. 

After my first sip, I have to say, it wasn't bad.  It thankfully did not taste like ass.   

Sidenote:  That phrase always makes me wonder... what is your frame of reference in that comparison?  "This tastes like shit!"  (How would you know?  Have you eaten shit?) 

Random comment:  "Shit" makes me think of Divine from Pink Flamingos and "ass" makes me think of porn... not that I've seen any porn.  (LOL!...)

Warning!:  I had not eaten anything for the day when I started drinking this drink.  (I had a granola bar in my bag, but since I was driving on the freeway, I decided to save the granola bar retrieval for when I got to Kathy's.) 

Warning!  Tangent approaching...:  The last time I drank an energy drink without eating... yeah, that was pleasant, let me tell you. (sarcasm)  It was all kinds of weirdness going on.  I was like sleep-drunk and regular-drunk and hyper... but not too hyper. 

Warning!  Tangent commencing in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...:  I've always had an issue with energy drinks that don't really do anything for me.  They don't really give me that "extra kick" they claim to.  In general, things that are supposed to keep me awake and make me tired... don't, and I don't know why.  When I was a kid, I think it was because I was little and still getting used to meds and whatnot, so when I was sick, and my mother would give me meds that said "may cause drowsiness, do not operate heavy machinery, blah blah blah", and I'd pass out.  Now I don't recall if I was actually sleepy before I took the meds, and I just naturally fell asleep, but I just assumed it was the meds.

SO much better tasting than Triaminic!

My mother got mad at me once because when I was sick she gave me the yummy grape-flavored Dimetapp (I say yummy since it tasted WAY better than the Triaminic stuff she gave me and my brother.  Yuk!)  Anyway, she gave it to me one night, but I didn't get tired.  I couldn't sleep.  And since I was little, I couldn't get up and watch TV or even turn my light on to read (like I can now when I can't sleep) because my mom would tell me to go to bed.  So I'd just sit in bed in total darkness listening to the night noises or think up stories (I was a writer even then) or sometimes I turned my radio on really low.  When I told her about it later on, she said the reason I didn't get tired and fall asleep was because I didn't lay down.  Since I was sitting, the medicine couldn't go through my body.

I love my mom.  She's so cute.

Tangent over.  Back to energy drinks.

Now I usually have to have a serious dose of whatever I'm taking to have any effect on me - some amount more than the recommedned dosage.  As far as energy drinks for me go, the perfect combo that does not make me vibrate is a 15/16 fl oz can of whatever (in this case we'll say Rockstar) and a small "5 Hour Energy Shot" size bottle of go-juice in addition to that.

That's perfect.

After my second sip, I can still say that it's not bad.  Not gross.  The taste is pleasant and somewhat happy-making.  

Not like a Monster I once before.  They didn't have any AMP, and the gas station I was at had a very limited supply of drinks.  I think it was the blue one.  It was gross.  

If anything ever tasted of ass... *ick*

This Rockstar actually tastes like coconut water.  It's not like when products say "This tastes like (insert flavor here)", and you taste it, and it tastes NOTHING like that.

And it looks like actual coconut water inside the can (which still makes me wonder about the caramel coloring.  I know certain colors blend together and all, but...)  *shrug*

Would I ever try this again?  Yes indeedily-deed.  It tasted good, and sort of perked me up some (but then again it could just have been the company I was keeping on my drive, and I don't mean just me).  It seems that coconut water is becoming the next health food mainstream craze.  I had tried regular coconut water before, and it was all right.  It seems like the popular food industry has exhausted all the anti-oxidant berries and have started adding coconut water to things.  Makes me wonder what will be next.

http://www.rockstarenergyshop.com/rockstar-coconut-water-905.html

http://www.rockstar69.com/

ROCKSTAR, INC.

Las Vegas, NV 89109 USA

Peanut Butter Creme OREO Fudge Cremes

While staying at my mother's for Turkey Day, she usually has various snacks laying about the place so I am never lacking in the nosh department.

One of the things that I saw at my mom's place was a box that said OREO.  Of course, that caught my attention right away, but I was trying to cram so much into a few days that I never got a chance to inspect the box.

I think on my second to last day my mom and I were watching television, and I was getting a drink in the kitchen when I spotted the box and decided to take a peek.

From the box I pulled a little four pack of fudge-covered peanut butter OREOs.

Cha-ching!

I had once heard a guy on some sitcom talk about how peanut butter is like crack to women.  Now I love me some peanut butter, but by itself?  Not crack for me.  But combined with other yummy tasty treats... like chocolate?  Awww-to-the-yeah, baby!  Not quite crack but hella tasty and happy-making for this chic, right here!!!

Oh exclamation points... how I love thee!

Essentially these tiny TRON discs of love are half a cookie.  You know the usual grab both sides of the cookie and twist?  Well, this is just one cookie part with peanut butter creme on it and then it is all covered with chocolate creme.

I just finished an entire serving... which was four cookies (an entire package).  I've decided not to bother with the calories and all that since it's frakkin OREO COOKIES!!!  I'm sure you know how healthy they are.  If they were fantastic "eat ten of these and lose weight" type cookies, then I'll be all up in their business and telling you about it.

But pretty much y'all know the following...

Warning: too many of these wonderful treats may not be good for your waistline and may cause an increase in size to your posterior, thighs and stomach areas.  Also do not use as a loofah - may cause breakouts.

I'm not sayin'... I'm just sayin'... (duh!)

The package says "contains wheat, peanut, soy" and also is "manufactured on equipment that processes milk, tree nuts".  So there ya go.  You've been warned.

Would I ever try this again? Yes.  They are OREOS!  I have yet to meet an OREO I didn't like.  Now if they just made these cookies with BACON?  Hell, I'd marry me a bag of these sweet treats!


Distributed by:
Kraft Foods Global, Inc.
Northfield, IL 60093-2753
USA

http://www.nabiscoworld.com/oreo/
http://www.nabiscoworld.com/oreo/fudgecremes/

Clairol 'N Easy COLOR BLEND FOAM

What's she smiling about?

My (naturally curly) hair can be a bitch most days, and since I'm not a girly-girl, I usually lose the battle for (not perfect but) personally aesthetically pleasing hair.  I'm not picky.  I just don't want it to be huge and frizzed out like I just played tonsil hockey with a light socket.

Being the diva that it always is, it doesn't leave me with very many options on stuff to do to it.  It used to go down to my ass, but my mom cut it hella short the middle of my third grade year, and that little choice took FOREVER to grow out.

I never want to cut it due to losing length.  (Trust me.  I DO NOT look good with short hair.)  I don't need a perm.  Straightening too often can damage hair, and it costs A LOT of money (which is something I do not have at the moment).

So that leaves coloring.

I could pull this color off, right?

Back in the day when things were growing out, I only needed one box to take care of things.  When my hair got longer, it eventually took two.  And now, I'm at three.  As the number of boxes needed increases, the likelihood of me finding three boxes of the same brand lessens.  Even if it's a common color (like BROWN).  For the longest time, I wanted red - not like Crayola red, but a burgundy color (my favorite color), but that would require bleaching my entire head before dying (I'm naturally a dark brown), and the red fades quickly - quicker than I would like - leaving the blonde, and my hair does not like bleach.  Last time a friend did "highlights" in a few places, the color washed out leaving the bleached bits, and it didn't matter how much conditioner I put in... combing through the blonde parts was cutting my own leg off without anaesthesia using one prong of a spork.

Needless to say... it was uncomfortable.

More "me-looking"... if I had a personal stylist.

The only time it's never uncomfortable is when I get it professionally done, but that costs a lot of money and also fades.  (sigh)  So I've given up on doing anything elaborate with my hair (since it doesn't usually last that long anyway) and have stuck to box dyes and trying to get back to my natural shade which is essentially darkest brown.  (Not black.  Brown.)

Due to my many hair dying experiments (Yes, I was even blonde for a bit.  Don't try to imagine it, it damages the brain.), my hair has become this myriad of colors which aggravates my OCD.  When I wanted my hair to look like Joss Stone's in her "Tell Me 'Bout It" video, that was one thing.  I didn't care that I had various shades and colors in my curls.  But now when I want just ONE color, I get the exact opposite.

I don't give a frak about my white hairs.  I think they add character... like my widow's peak.  It's the light brown on top, dark on bottom, blonde streaks here, weird reddish color there that bothers me.  It lasts much longer than the red does, but it eventually fades (which is irksome), so I dye it again.  I usually save my dye jobs for my mom when I visit her.  It's usually a messy though entertaining experience.  This past Turkey day proved to be more on the messy said.

One of the colors I used.

We went to various stores, and when I would settle on a brand or a color, they'd end up only having one box.  My mom's always suggesting something different than what I told her that I wanted.  But when she suggested the Nice 'N Easy brand, I saw they had a foam option right next to it.  My mom was doubtful, but I continued to look.  They didn't have much in the dark brown department (they had medium brown and lighter), but they had one box of the dark reddish brown which for some reason I was drawn to.  So we snatched it up and headed to another drugstore (same chain, different location) and checked out their stock.  They had no dark reddish brown, but they had the original color brown I wanted so getting tired of driving around for hair dye, I decided to get the two boxes of brown and I'd mix in the little bit of reddish dark brown I had.  (I did this before a long time ago with a different line of Clairol hair dye, and it worked out fine.)  So Mom and I went home, I mixed the dyes evenly (it was standard like all hair dye - add the color to the developer, shake/mix until blended).  Mom applied each bottle to my hair and ta da!

The first bottle I mixed became all light brown bubbles on the inside. Mom used that one first, when she squeezed the bottle, barely anything came out.  The "foam" was the consistency of bubbles, not foam.  Then after after done with that bottle, she used the second bottle I had prepared which had settled to look like cola.  Mom thought it wasn't mixed since it didn't look like the first bottle, but when she squeezed the bottle, it was fine.  The third bottle resembled the second but acted like the first.  My mom ended up taking the caps off and pouring the dye directly onto my head.  Bottle empty.  Hair clipped into place.  I left it in for 20-30 minutes per the directions.

After the time allotted, I hopped the shower and followed the directions and rinsed my hair until the water went clear.  Then I applied the conditioner, let it sit for two minutes at least (I rapped "Bust A Move" by Young MC to help time it and pass the time).  When I got out of the shower, I noticed that the dye my mother tried to clean from my temples, hairline, ears and neck were not completely gone.  She also started giving me grief for not cleaning my hair correctly.  When I questioned what she was talking about, she pointed out the little bits of residue in my hair in various places which I thought was ridiculous since I had paid attention and scrubbed hoping the dye on my skin would go away as well.  Nope.

Since then, when I go to scratch my hair/head, I draw my hand back to find dye residue under my nails.  It's not as thick as it was the day after my hair was dyed, but it's still there, and it's driving me nuts.  It's been about two weeks now, and I'm still getting icky under my nails?  I will concede that maybe that first time I didn't get it all which would explain my mom's findings, but two weeks?  I have washed my hair and even made a conscious point to scrub (once with nails, once with fingertips, once with both) my head from stem to stern, but I'm still getting hair dye gunk under my nails.

This was also the only dye that ever made my head tingle and itch.  The last time that happened was when I got my hair straightened in a salon, but I held out as long as I could and lasted until the timer dinged.  My head didn't start to tingle until my mother was on the second bottle.  I had my own gloves on so I'd itch a bit here and there.  It wasn't constant, and I learned to ignore it, but still.

Neither the ick under my nails or the almost immediate irritation had ever happened before.  I think my hair looks fine though it looked oddly a little reddish on the top.  I think it'd faded since then, but even though my hair looks fine, something isn't sitting well with me.  Also the process in getting to this point wasn't very happy-making at all.


Would I ever try this again?  Most likely not.  The faulty bottles.  The irritating formula.  The only plus through all this was the conditioner, but then again the conditioner is always awesome.  Yeah no. I don't think I'll be foam-dying my hair again (unless they perfect the process a little more).  Too many things went wrong or were something of a problem to make me want to try it one more time.  I think I'll stick to cremes. 


http://www.clairol.com/
http://www.clairol.com/en-US/how-to-page.aspx?collectionid=46&gclid=COO_lPeS7awCFQN-hwodIhfILw 

From their website:

• Call us Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST, or Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST.
• In the U.S., you can call 1-800-CLAIROL (1-800-252-4765) for English, or 1-800-HISPANA (1-800-477-7262) for Spanish.

Fine Bacon Chocolates

My family is so crafty, yo!

My birthday is so close to Thanksgiving that I usually wait to celebrate it with my family when I go home for the holiday.

Ahhh yes.  Turkey, cake and ice cream...

... And chocolate with bacon in it?

Since my niece is DA BOMB, I went to see her immediately to get a good dose of some cutie pie cuddles and sweet adoring kisses.

When I got there, my brother and his family presented me with birthday presents (which I never really expect, but they are always nice to get).  Of my presents, I was surprised to receive an elite box of bacon chocolates.

I had never seen chocolates like this before.

Were they from Paris, France?  Venice, Italy?  Madrid, Spain?

No.  I was surprised to see they came from Fresno, CA.

Well spank my ass and make me say "mama"!

The cocoa beans were imported from Spain, but other than that, the yumscious chocolate treats were made in good ol' Fresno.  (Color me surprised.)

Forever to live on my hips and thighs.

Being a fan of chocolate, bacon, and... well... chocolate AND bacon, I unwrapped the box and dove right in.

Opening the box was reminiscent of the scene from Pulp Fiction whenever anyone opened up the infamous suitcase.  A brilliant heavenly glow shined upon my face, warming my soul and almost bringing a tear to my eye.

I think I even heard a chorus of angels singing the chocolates praises.

Inside I found delectable cubes and hearts of pure love wrapped in tissue papers that were (no doubt) hand-crafted and flown in from Brazil, each paper carefully selected to hug the pure decadent gluttony of each scrumptious morsel.

At present, I am trying to use restraint and not devour them all in one sitting.  (And trust me, I can do it.  Consider it one of my super powers.)

• Serving size: the whole frakkin box
• Calories per serving: delicious
• Calories from fat: even more deliciousness
• Allergy advisory: if you're allergic to yummy things, don't eat this
• Warning: May contain joy and later produce ridiculously silly grins followed by various sighs of contentment.  Also may be addictive.  Proceed with caution.

Would I ever try this again?  HELLS YEAH!!!  People, come on now!  It's CHOCOLATE and BACON!!!  If my brother and niece make these tasty treats for me again, who the frak am I to say no? 

Exclusively distributed by:
My brother and my niece (with love)

Manufactured by:
My brother and my niece (with love)  

everyone says GOOD GOOD EAT - GGE BBQ cube

Why are you pouting, little girl on package?

Last week Friday my friend Lailani had a Harajuku-themed birthday party to ring in her 32 years on this planet.

In keeping with the theme (which is Asian - specifically Japanese), there were tons of Asian nom-noms to nosh on.  There was sushi, fried calamari, rice, katsu chicken... as well as some other crispy snacks like wasabi peas and some Oriental trail mix type stuff.

There were also several bags of Japanese ramen noodle wheat crackers that looked interesting.

The brand: everyone says GOOD GOOD EAT.

Yeah.  You read that right.  Just look to the pic to the left.

Oh you kooky Japanese and your weird names for stuff.

Anyway - there were leftovers so the birthday girl doled out food stuffs to people in true Filipino mama fashion.  (You should see the piece of cake I was sent home.  I think it was responsible for sinking the Titanic.)  One of the snacks I took home was a "good good eat" bag of BBQ ramen crackers.

Ahhh, ramen.  You versatile food you.  Aside from your soupy goodness, I've also had you in salads.  Quite tasty.

Now the bag *I* took home looked different than the pic I found whilst Google'ing.  (Don't worry.  I wore protection.  *wink*)  On my bag, there was a word bubble near the girl's head which had her saying, "GGE BBQ cube".

visual cube example, yo!

I have no idea WTFrak "GGE" stands for (and maybe I don't want to), but let us forget that for the moment and discuss the whole "cube" thing, shall we?  I mean, we all know what a cube is: a solid bounded by six equal squares, the angle between any two adjacent faces being a right angle.

Thanks dictionary.com.

So when I reached into the bag I expected to find a bunch of square pieces of ramen crunchy goodness.  Things similar to the size of a bouillon or sugar cube.

Did I find that?  No.

What did I find?  (see below)

Do these look like cubes to you?

Look.  Go ahead.  Look.  Tell me what you see.

Wanna know what I see?

I see round mini pucks of dried noodles.

During the party while chilling near the snack tables, a group of us tried the various ramen crackers, and at least once we drew a cracker from the bag and held it like Hamlet with Yorick's skull and posed the question with a quirked eyebrow, "These are cubes?"

nerd cube reference just for me

Regardless of it's lack of cube shapeyness, the crackers themselves were rather tasty.  Depending on your heat tolerance, the spices that make up the BBQ flavor can be a bit strong for the weaksauce people or bland for those that love the burn.  In either case, the snack is still salty but yummy and kind of addicting if you like that sort of thing.  (Which I do!)

I was surprised to see the list of ingredients was so short: wheat flour, potato starch, soy sauce (soybean, salt), yeast powder, palm oil, garlic, white pepper, black pepper, chili powder. 

And let's not forget the allergy information while we're at it: contains wheat, soybean.

The front of the bag claims "no preservatives" and "no artificial flavors" as well as being a product of Taiwan.  The nutrition facts on the back state the serving size is 1.05 oz (30 g).  With the bag being 4.5 oz (115 g), that leaves the snacker with a little over four servings.  Since the bag was part of the leftovers, I'm guessing I ate about two which at the rate of 160 calories per serving, I ate over 300.

Whoo-doggie!  Don't I feel piggish!  LOL!

Would I ever try this again?  Sure I would.  I'm all about salty snacks.  This also makes for good PMS food.  Curious as to how many other flavors there are as well.

Exclusively distributed by:
NISHIMOTO TRADING CO., LTF
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670-6336

Manufactured by:
WEI LIH FOOD INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD
No. 465, Yuanji Road, Sec. 3, Tienchung, Changua, Taiwan 

Dr. Pepper TEN

same 23 authentic flavors... whatever they are

On the way home from my friend's house Thursday night, I stopped off to get gas so I wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning.  I also thought it'd be a good idea to stop inside the mini-mart and grab a granola bar and possibly a Rockstar or something for the morning (just in case).  Checking out the coolers, I saw they stocked the new Dr. Pepper TEN.

Being a "Pepper", I bought one to enjoy at work the next day.

I had seen a clip of a commercial for Dr. Pepper's new soda that boasts 10 BOLD TASTING CALORIES which through the magical misdirection of advertising, you don't notice the fine print right away.

Sitting at my desk after retrieving the bottle from the fridge, the first thing I noticed was the big number "10"... with a smaller (yet bolded) number "20" off to the right.  The "20" was in reference to the "20 calories per bottle"  Then I looked back at the "10 BOLD TASTING CALORIES" and saw (in less emphasized text below) "per 8 fl oz".

I was drinking a 20 fl oz bottle... and thus the math is done.

Before I get into what I think of this beverage, I am going to take a moment to give you a mini-rant.

Shit like this annoys me.  Some days more than others due to levels of stress and other drama but overall this is a small level of irritated humming in the back of my mind when reminded that advertising mostly lies.  I mean, when's the last time you got a bottle or container or anything without hidden truths or information?  But no, they gotta make the label all nice and eye-catching so Joe-Shmoe Consumer can look at it and fall into its false promises.

Now I will be the first to admit that things like this catch my eye, but I know to look for the things they don't blatantly place in your obvious mind's eye.  But still, I like trying new stuff and am also a Dr. Pepper fan.  So...

• Am I going to try it?  Yes.
• Am I going to read the label?  Usually do.
• Am I going to truly believe this shit is "good" for me?  No.
• Will I care?  Probably not.

Moving on from my random babble "probably makes no sense" rant...

Being somewhat of a soda afficionado since I was little, I can tell when my sodie pop has been altered somehow.  I don't think you need to be an expert since the sweet flavor is, in my opinion, apparent, but it always boggles my mind when diet soda drinkers always swear that diet tastes just like the original.

It doesn't.  (At least not to me.)

Yes, it's still sweet, but it's a different kind of sweet.  It reminds me of the aftertaste you get from an energy drink.  When I drink regular soda, I pour it down my gullet, swallow, sigh with contentment on occasion... and repeat until my tasty beverage reserves have been depleted.  When I drink a diet soda, I pour it down my gullet, swallow, possibly sigh with contentment until I register the sweet (with a tinge of bitter, maybe?) taste at the back of my throat and tongue.

I used to hate diet soda.  (Diet Shasta was the WORST!!!)  But over the years I have embraced diet beverages into the fold of drinks I will consume.  They're supposed to be better for you since they have less calories and sugar, right?  But then you hear about all this unhealthy crap from too much fake sugar as well as reading the label and wondering what the hell all those words are that you can't pronounce without the aid of a translator and some ibuprofen followed by a tequila chaser.

When I was little, I would drink only a couple different sodas.  I grew up with RC Cola and later became a Coke child.  (Remember the Coke/Pepsi wars?)  Pepsi is WAY sweeter than Coke, but hell... they both go well with rum.  *grin*

Now, save a few sodas (I'm looking at you Pibb), my soda tastes have are indiscriminate for the most part though if given a choice, I'll pick Dr. Pepper over Coke or Pepsi.

Do they even make RC Cola anymore?

But back to the soda at hand.

It definitely has that Dr. Pepper taste, but it's an in-between taste.  To me, it's like the middle child between Dr. Pepper and Diet Dr. Pepper.  It's more than diet soda but less than a regular one.

I like it.
It's not bad.
Would taste snazzy with some rum.  *grin*

Would I ever try this again? Sure.  Why not?  It would have had to to thoroughly offended my taste buds for me to put this beverage in the "Awww, HELL NO!" category, and it didn't so it stays in the "yeah, I'd drink that" column.  Still not sure why they bothered making this "20" calorie beverage when most diet sodas are (supposedly) zero calories these days.  (Right?)  Meh.  I don't claim to understand these people or why they do what they do.  I do know that even though I don't take much stock in diet anything really, sodas enveloping you in the gentle hugging promise of 20 calories as opposed to some larger number makes me feel better on those random "moo-cow" days when I feel like I should be left out in a pasture to graze with my other udder sisters.  (Hey, it's always the little things, right?)

Dr, Pepper Company
5301 Legacy Drive

Plano, TX 75024

http://www.drpepper.com/products/#drpepperten
http://www.drpepper.com/

Consumer Comments?
1-888-DRPEPPER

MiO Liquid Water Enhancer - Peach Tea

Any other enhancements to speak of?

So I had seen these commercials advertising these little bottles of flavored goo for you to stick in your water to make it taste like something other than just water.

Admittedly I had been a powder packet girl.  I started off with Propel (the gateway drug as it were) and while at the store browsing Propel flavor choices, I saw all other kinds of options such as Hwaiian Punch, Ocean Spray as well as (my eventual go-to) Crystal Light.  So when I saw the little squirty bottle of water flavoring, I was curious.

It reminds me of chocolate syrup versus powder: you can always tell the difference.  Sometimes powder doesn't mix well.  The worst is when you can taste when it hasn't all dissolved.  (Yeah, not a fan of that, I'm not.) 

But which one tastes better?

Depending on the mixing, both are pretty good.  Finding a good flavor is also a plus.  But I have to say, I like me the MiO. 

The 1.62 fl oz little squeezy bottle of "water enhancement" claims to make 24 servings.  The last box of powder packets I got from the store came in a quantity of ten.

Per the powder directions, you were to add one packet to 16.9 fl oz (500 mL) of water.  The MiO, however, in its convenient packaging makes it easy to add as much or as little as you want.  (I'm usually one that likes a lot of flavor, but - like the bottle says - a little MiO goes a long way.)

The last box of packets claimed 5 calories per serving.  (MiO claims no calories.)

Neither require refrigeration (which I think is a no-brainer, but I typed it anyway).

What I found a little humorous on the bottle on the back above the nutritional facts was the statement "contains 0% juice".  Really?  Seriously?  You mean after all your promises of health and... oh wait, no.  You never proclaimed such things, did you little squirty bottle of MiO?  Sure, the front of your bottle says "natural flavor with other natural flavors", but really?  No juice?  (No worries.  I didn't think you contained any juice to begin with.  But you sure make my water taste yumscious!)

Overall, it's a nice little change up to all the powders I've used and/or have seen in recent years (and I'm a Kool-Aid Queen, born and raised!!!)


Would I ever try this again?  Seeing as I had pretty much positive things to say about it, I believe it's pretty easy to assume the answer is YES.  Peach originally was the only flavor I could find.  Now I see all their other flavors and am eager to try them all.  (There's a Pokemon joke in there somewhere, I know it!  I'm just too tired to care.)

http://www.kraftbrands.com/mio/

Kraft Foods Global, Inc.
Northfield, IL 60093-2753
USA
(800) 431-1002

Argan Magic - Nourishing Hair Cream

Hello there my lovelies.  (Miss me?)

I'm taking a break from working on a story right now (aka distancing myself from what some may call writer's block) and distracting myself with a review.

And look!  It's not about food, either.  (Bazinga!)

Now, I love me some food, don't get me wrong, but I just haven't had anything too... new and/or interesting to write about.

Instead, being as frolicious as I am, I am constantly in search of products to use on my hair.  Not many people know the curse of the curls.  Sure they're sexy and awesome and are only adorned by delicious individuals such as myself, but I digress.  (LOL!)

Seriously, I would love to find a product that I could use in my hair that would feel like I have nothing in it at all, that wasn't damaging to my locks, looked and smelled good, and (most importantly) didn't cost me an arm, a leg, my first born, and a kidney for something the size of a bottle of aspirin.

Seriously!!!

But as my luck with all sorts of things - toiletries, clothes, medications, etc. - once I find something that works for me, it either gets really difficult to find or (as most often is the case) gets discontinued.

Now admittedly despite popular belief, I'm really not that girly.  I'm more of a tomboy with occasional feminine leanings in the ways of clothes and such when the mood strikes me.  But ever since I was little, my hair has always been a chore.

Post-parental-splittage, my mother cut my once down-to-my-ass-length of hair to hella short.  I believe she did this in an attempt to make shortcuts due to being a newly single parent.  Unfortunately however snickers and jokes from others (mostly children) accompanied with the random pointing and laughing caused me to hate my then hairstyle, and I forbade my mother to ever come at my curls with anything resembling a blade or scissors.

So "The Beast" (as I ever so endearingly refer to my hair) began to grow out and at the rate it grew, snails and turtles were whizzing by me at mach-bajillion, cackling as they spied my hair.

Eventually it grew out and is presently (on an average day) a little over my shoulders.  (I say this since it is its own creature and dries differently each day looking longer one day and shorter the next.)

Welcome to my world...

Conditioner (not that two-in-one shit - I mean in its own separate bottle) is a close personal friend of mine.  Without it, I could not pass a grooming implement of any kind through my nappy waves of wonder.  After a while, it just wasn't enough.  I would use a brush or comb to work through the tangles quickly before it dried (which it does quickly) and would either put it in a bun or braid or something non-poofy.  Then I'd spritz down any fly-aways with some hairspray and voila!

Over the years, I have embraced my curls and don't mind showing them off, but I just can't the poofy crap.  I really can't.  Most of the people who have ever played with my hair always want to fluff it out.  (They're dead now due to my insatiable need to kill anyone who fucks with my hair.... and by fuck, I mean do shit that pisses me off like FLUFF IT OUT!)

What makes you think I want to look like the Bride of Frankenstein?

Ya feel me, dawg?!  (<=== don't ask)

So like Arthur and his knights, I myself have always sought after the Holy Grail of a simple yet aesthetically pleasing way to make my hair not look like a dandelion on crack.

One attempt was made while at the CVS/Pharmacy one day perusing the hair care aisle.  Two go-to products of mine did not seem to be carried by the store, and I didn't feel like trekking across town, over hill and dale, meadow and glen... in search of what I affectionately call "hair goo".  Instead I investigated what they had and came up with this... stuff.

The front of the bottle looked promising with its statements of "hydrates and conditions" and "eliminates frizz" as well as "provides soft, flexible hold".

Now the consistency of the cream is a little thicker than I'd like, but I felt it was something I could work with.  It smelled nice though... wasn't overpowering or nasally offensive.  At times it made my hair feel a little dreadlocky before it dried (and my hair takes FOREVER to dry naturally). Word!

Something I really didn't like about this product was that it didn't blend too well in my hair.  After combing the tangles out, I would put a little nourishing hair cream in my hand, rub my hands together, and then start at the ends since they have the tendency to dry first and stay irritatingly dry if not properly moisturized.

A little more product, repeat to the middle section of my hair.

A little more product... top of my head.

A little more product... flip my head over, hair down, exposing the hair against my neck... and apply.

With my go-to "I know this shit works" stuff, I have never experienced any kind of build up, but alas, this Moroccan Beauty Secret has the tendency to do that on my noggin.

At first I thought "Oh, maybe I'm using too much," but then I would use much less with the same result.

This morning in fact, I used some of the bottle I had recently bought (there's not so much in there anymore) and did not notice until on my way to work that I had white streaks in my hair.  Kind of like when you find you haven't wiped your mouth properly after brushing your teeth, and the people at work think you look rabid.  I took a tissue and tried to blend it in.  It was never a lot, but enough to bother me.

Wait... white stuff in my hair... anyone else thinking about Something About Mary?

Anyway, the only reason I'm using it now is that I haven't had the chance to buy anything else, and as it is, I have various "spells and potions" on my dresser that I'm slowly killing off with the promise of never using them again.

Waste not, want not.  (I don't like throwing stuff out unless I absolutely have to.) 

Would I ever try this again?  Um, no.  Yeah, it smelled nice, and didn't break the bank too bad being around ten bucks for the 8 fl oz bottle, but it just felt too sticky and cakey, and I love my curls a little more than that.

http://arganmagicbeauty.com/shop/index.php/shop/nourishing-hair-cream.html
http://arganmagicbeauty.com/

Distributed by: Jocott Brands
Los Angeles, CA 91406
(Made in the USA)