Personal Vape LearningTips

WARNING: This post has to do with vaping. If you are under age, please know that I do NOT encourage smoking or vaping for minors and this post is not intended for you.  I don't encourage nicotine use of any kind for anyone. This post has to do with my personal experience as I attempt to stop using nicotine.



This is not a post recommending that you use any particular vape shop. I am just sharing my personal shopping method when looking for vape devices and vape supplies. There will be a little bit of ranting too...

Decent Shop Listings Are Hard To Find

Let's start with a rant: Whenever I do a search for "best vape shop" or "best price on (fill in the blank)", etc. I don't feel a lot of hope. Most lists of "bests" and "recommended" seem as if they were written in exchange for something. Maybe the author is getting some free or discount devices? Maybe they are being paid? And there is nothing wrong with that - as long as there is a lot of honesty. Here are some recent listings that I found to be more credible-seeming than others:

• This is one list that I like a lot. They give decently objects Cons along with the Pros (even though each item is linked to a purchase page..)

Yep. One list. I found a LOT of lists but most were so obviously suck-up sell jobs that I just grew tired of looking. Let me know if you have seen any decent compilations.

MY List of good vape shops

• Electronic Tobacconist (good products & service & site is well-designed)
• Element Vapor (my newest spot; they have more variety than the others)
• Breazy (my first & forever)
• Vape Wild (if you don't have to pay the extra USPS cost for signing)
• EC Blend Flavors (fun juice lab)
• E Juice Club (no longer delivers to my area because of stupid laws)

Now for another rant: It's hard to find good YouTube vape reviewers who are a) not completely silly, childish, annoying, or just plain show-stoppingly narcissistic. I don't mind being entertained while watching the review, but I really do want to know more about the device. Tell me what you like about the device instead of showing off how wild and crazy you are. And be honest. I didn't stop at your channel to listen to you suck up to a brand so that they will send you more free stuff...

MY list of helpful video-reviewers of vape stuff

• Zophie Vapes (She's fun but knows her stuff & does detailed reviews.)
• Wendy Vapes (She sometimes seems a little bit biased, but she does really detailed reviews)
• Vaping With Twisted (He does great reviews & this is the most useful one I've seen for newbies)
• Jai Haze (He can be a bit... intense but he's one of my go-to channels when I'm checking out a device) 
• Speaking of videos, here is one from New Amsterdam Vape on "progressing in vaping" that is old but I think is super helpful for newbies. It's nice to see the parts and accessories that the narrator is talking about. Of course, there are more devices now than then, but basic info never gets too old. Be sure to check out the NAV playlists.

Rant Number 3: Why aren't there more easily accessible online helps for newbies? Here are some concerns I once had or now have that might seem silly, but I bet I'm not the only one:

1. What's more important - the tank or the device? I have great devices that do much better when I replace the tank (I see you over there, Smok, taking over for the Sigelei Shikra...)
2. Is there a list of the most popular coils and the devices they work with? I hate having to hunt around to figure out if there is another brand of coil that will work with one device or another. Often I would like to get one set of coils that will work across devices but I have trouble understanding compatibility.
3. How do I know if an online vape shop is or is not possibly legit?
4. Why does every vaping tutorial on shop sites care more about selling to you than teaching???

MY list of helpful info for the very novice vaper 

• Vape Wild's Info Hub - This was the first help site I used (and still do). It's broken up into sections that you can scroll through. My first stop when I started out explained the difference between PG and VG.  Do check it out.
• Mig Vapor did a nice job giving a brief history of vaping and explaining basics about device and juice types. I love that they were more concerned with educating the user instead of just pushing a particular product.
• Expert Vaping is a site I discovered a few days ago so I'm not sure about anything else on it, but the guides here are nice. This is one of their charts: 

• This chart is from Vaping Hardware (and now I have to go and see what else they have!) They test and review products so it might be a place to check out when trying to decide on a device...

• This similar chart is from Mister E-Liquid (another site I have to check out now! Dang!) 

So, yeah, there are plenty of charts but you more than get the idea. Let's move on to the last (for now) rant. 

How can I figure out if an online shop is legit and decent with good customer service and support, or is possibly scam-ish? Shopping online is always iffy. I do have a few methods for checking out a new vendor before I trust them with my orders and info.

MY tips and tricks for not getting jammed up

• I use sites like Trust Pilot (search by name or type of vendor) and the BBB (search by name & location or just by name). A UK site called Reviews UK is very, VERY similar in looks to Trust Pilot. There are US companies you can review (ie: I reviewed Vape Wild), but you have to verify either and order number or invitation email to post a review. Trust Pilot is my favorite to check up on sites.
• Ask Redditors for their feedback. I generally either search on Reddit, or I will add "Reddit" at the end of a Google or Duck Duck Go search. Redditors will give you the outright down and dirty.
• Do a general search "is -insert company/site name- legit/scam". 
• Another thing to do is look up the About Us info on a site.
• Check where the vendor is located. I'm not telling you what to do but I tend to avoid sites that ship from warehouses or straight out of China. I don't want the Wish version of a vape device...
• Check your browser address bar to check the site's security. There was a time, HTTPS indicated a site was secure. These days, in Chrome at least, I look for the little lock symbol to click on because it will indicate whether or not your info is secure.
• If at all possible, I try to use any debit or credit card payments via PayPal. This is a little more secure, IMO.
• As much as I hate Facebook, if I still used it for other than posting my blog, I would check with people in groups to see if they know anything about a company. You do know there are groups for vaping enthusiasts on there, right?
• If in any kind of doubt, don't use a site. You are giving them a chance to take your money and... do what they will with it. I tend to stick with my proven-safe vendors.

My final tips for you:

• Don't become a vape junkie. Listen, I was a hair product junkie and that was expensive enough to make me go to rehab. Vapes and vape supplies are fun but, like with a lot of products, there is always going to be the next newer and nicer thing.
• Instead of buying new vape devices, just upgrade your tanks or get some nice clean coils or pods to use. 
• See if a friend wants to swap out vapes with you for a while. My SIL and I check out each others vapes all the time. This is how I learned that, while I really like the Smok pod devices, I don't want one enough to buy one.

I hope this helped. Maybe at some point, I will remember to come back to do an update for 2020. In the meantime, enjoy this brand new year we are in.

Peace

--Free

I thought it would be fun to nod back at my former smoking days. This clip is hilarious and I remember watching it when I still smoked, God help me. This is now the way I feel about vaping...

Take it away, Bebe

**Pre-REVIEW** Cast Iron Skillet Cleaning?

I have a small collection of cast iron cookware. My mother grew up in a home where cast iron skillets, pots, and kettles were all that was used. When I was young, I don't remember ever seeing Mama cook in any other kind of skillet. My sister and I picked up the habit. When I was young and had anemia, Mama would cook liver for me in her cast-iron skillet. That liver was nasty (though I love liver now), but between it and the cast iron, the anemia didn't stand a chance! By the way, there is now more public knowledge and some legit attention given to this idea. You younguns can go ask your grandmamas.

Here is where I posted about some of my expanding set of cast iron pieces - including a teapot that I use daily.

Anyway.

With all this cast iron that I want to last for years and years, I have been looking for easier ways to clean it. IA lot of the time, I can just take the pan off the stove, wipe out any excess oil and I am good to go. Sometimes, though, I have to do a good clean. I have always followed one of Mama's examples when cleaning the skillets. I use some cooking oil and Kosher salt (or margarita salt or any other coarse salt). These are my steps:

•  I will use a sponge to work the oil and salt around for getting any sticky crud out of the pan.
• Rinse out the pan with really hot water - even some boiling water if I must..
•  I almost NEVER use any kind of soap (and if I ever do, I have to re-season the pan). 
• Put the rinsed pan on a low burner for a couple of minutes to dry out the pores.
• Wipe the pan with some lard or other oil. I prefer lard because it's really cheap and I don't use it for anything else.
• 
  

That's it. If you do this and keep up the care of your pans, eventually, they start to really smooth out and become almost non-stick. (If you want other methods, you can also use baking soda and a wet rag to clean the skillet or by rubbing a half a potato over the salt for a scrub (there's something about the makeup of the potato...???) 

The one really old skillet I have is almost as smooth as glass. That's from years of regular use, cleaning and seasoning. I am working toward that point with the skillets I got a couple of years ago and the newest Dutch Oven. I have an online friend who used a sanding head on his drill to smooth out his wife's pans. Smart, huh? By the way, you can do the sanding by hand if you're up for it, I guess. Sanding. Hm. Who knew? And I don't know why the heck manufacturers don't do all this smoothing before they sell the skillets. Pre-seasoned? No way.

Like I said, I am looking for easier ways to clean my cast ironware. The newer pans take some work to get them clean and I don't always feel like scrubbing with oil and salt for long enough. While I don't believe in buying special seasoning oils and treatments, (waste of money, in my opinion), when I heard about using chain mail for cleaning these pans, I flipped my wig. I mean chain mail? What?

These are arejust a few examples of the many random ones that popped up on Amazon when I did a search:

That one on the bottom there seems quite popular but it's pricier than the others for some reason. I don't have any idea if the more expensive ones are any better, but I have noticed from reviews and other bloggers that you should look for a chain that is welded. Apparently, a welded chain is more gentle on the pan. Cast iron is pretty tough though, so... I also have read articles s that suggest having a silicone insert is helpful for gripping while cleaning with the chain. Also, the silicone might help in the actual cleaning process. I decided that, if my grandma and my mom had known about it, they would have tried chainmail, so I will give it a shot. I'm still not spending money on any of those special seasoning oils and treatments - or the 11-ounce, $13 bottle of special "scrub" (aka really pricey salt) that I happened to see online. I'm not trying to impress anyone.

Of course, when I decide on one of the scrubbers, I will have to go or the lower-priced model, but I will try to find one with a silicone insert. There are some random videos showing people using chain mail to clean.It looks "oddly satisfying" as fellow Redditors might say.

The other item that could be useful when cleaning your cast iron stuff is agood  scaper. I looked around at some of these and like the idea but want to try the chain first.

(I have to say that while I do love a Lodge skillet, every last one of their accessories is ridiculously pricey!)

 By the way, I will be adding some of these items to the next post I am doing on Un-Christmas Gifts. I think it's a great idea to get people things they need throughout the year instead of trying to buy impressive items for Christmas, birthdays, etcetera. I hope that doing the Anytime Gift lists will encourage people to be thoughtful all year long.

Anyway, that's it and I will, of course, be going a review on whatever chain scrubber I get for the skillets.

Peace

--Free

My sister loved this song and since it would have been her birthday today, I wanted to share it.

Also since it's the season of what we assume to be the birth of the Lord, I think that we need to hear and think about this now more than ever. Let's all try to be great again and then the country will really come together. No matter what you thought of Michael Jackson, he got this so right. Cha-mon, people.

**REVIEW** Walmart Autumn Classic Beauty Box

I was not super-impressed with this box because, while I appreciate the things I received, there was nothing that wowed me. In the past, I've gotten at least one or two things in a box that really made my day - or something that grew on me after a while.

I've gotten good stuff like the Aquafor spray-on lotion and Pantene foam hair conditioner (Spring 2018). The Winter 2019 box had a cute little cosmetics zip-up bag, Curel Hydratherapy  Lotion that I came to love, and some Garnier face and hair masks that I actually went on to purchase in full-sizes. The Summer 2019 box - probably my least fave before this one - at least had the Blistex Lip Serum that I still use to this day because it turned out to be better than I expected. And this box? Well...

I don't see myself looking back on this and being really thrilled about having any of this stuff.

Here is the breakdown from my favorite to worst...

I might try the Rose Petals scent

I like this for the nice, light feel going on and that there is no strong scent. Out of everything in the last couple of boxes of any kind I've gotten, this is the one product I have put on my shopping list. I like it a lot. Keep in mind that this from the box is an antiperspirant only. I did see on the website that this can be found with deodorant properties added. (UPDATE: I have not been able to find the antiperspirant-only formula on the Walmart site as of 1/12/20)

This Jergens body butter has a really nice rich and creamy texture. I'm not mad about wearing lavender scents during the day, but I do like using this before bed. It would be my Number 1 fave on this list if I had gotten the Sweet Citrus scent... As it is, it's still almost a tie for fave this time.

This Bic razor is nice but it's a repeat. I got one in the Classic Summer 2019 box. I like it because it's affordable luxe and so much better than the cheap razors I tend to use. I'm not hairy so this will last me a while.

So those are my faves. I hate to say it, but nothing else was anything I will even use.


Now, I generally like NYC makeup items. They are cheap and usually cute. Maybe this shade of "Silk Indulgent" would work on someone about 8 shades lighter than I, but...

Maybe it will be a good eyeshadow???

...I can't even show you what this looked like on my mouth because I erased that photo with a quickness! Just picture someone looking "extremely hungry" or "dry as the desert" or portraying a "crack addict". The most horrifying thing is that this stuff has staying power like nothing I have ever seen! Just wiping it off doesn't get rid of the shadow. I had to scrub my lips with coconut oil to get rid of the ghost of Silk Indulgent. Walmart has my profile so I should have at least gotten what the model is wearing (and even that would be too light for me...)

Just look at the extreme chalky-ness that is Silk Indulgent. It reminds me of Kabuki makeup.

<<<<<Goes on Kabuki








           Fades on Kabiki>>>>>>>>>








So, yeah. If only I could find a shade I liked that stayed on so well.

And then there's the last item. I can't say that this is awful because I didn't even bother to try it. It's some of that Collagen Peptide supplement. It's full of amino acids and blah, blah, blah, but I'm not trying to waste70 calories of anything that doesn't have chocolate in it.

yeah, nah

It seems petty of me to complain since these boxes are only $5.00. I was disappointed that this box was so boring after getting such great sets in the past. You can take a look back with me at some of the pretty decent things I got in the other boxes. I guess I have gotten spoiled! I mean, check out what some of the other boxes had in them.

Anyway. I'm going to give away the lip color and peptides. Right now, I am over here waiting for my first Spark Review product - which is a pack of water filters. That's going to be handy if they are any good.

Peace
--Free


Note: I am having to write posts when I can and just pre-schedule most of them down the calendar. If some of the info looks out of sync, you know why!

.

I really like this artist. This song hits me in places.

**REVIEW** SMOK Stick 80W (vape pen)

STOP: this post is ONLY for those of legal age for nicotine use.

See the guide for state-by-state regulations

I hate to keep harping on it, but I am still upset with Voopoo. You might want to skip this little side rant here:

 (That freaking Caliber that I so loved failed me not once but twice. The center pins on those things are too weak and they sink to the point of being useless. Both Calibers I had become unusable because of sunken center pins and Voopoo admitted that they don't recommend the usual fix of using tweezers to lift the pin. Oh, and they had the nerve to tell me that a different tank - from a competitor - might work. My Smok tanks have better-made connections and are now the only thing I have that work with my Caliber. My question to Voopoo is why don't they just make better pins?)

Rant over.

Anyway, why bother getting a Voopoo to use Smok tanks with? Why not just stick to Smok all the way around? That's what I am doing from now on. I'm still using the Caliber battery with my Smok tanks but the vape I have now - battery, body, and tank - is all Smok. This is the boxed Smok Stick 80W:

                                  

       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

2 years old and still rocking

I prefer pen-style vapes over the boxy types. I still love the crap out of my Veneno but it's a box.


 I love the Stick 80W the way I once loved the Caliber.

Note that the Caliber is a bit smaller in 

height and diameter - and, apparently, quality.

The kit comes with the tank, 2 coils, spare parts (gaskets, etc), user cable and manual. Electric Tobacconist - one of my favorite shops - had it on a color sale for $28.99 (Merry Christmas to me) and the 3-pack replacement coils were $8.24 (and a Happy New Year).

 Here are some highlights:

PROS:

• Easily adjustable wattage (from 5 to 80W) and adjustable airflow
• Almost everything about the new Smok TF tank which has it's own multiple positives. (links to a Wendy Vape's video) Best tank feature, IMO, it locks.
• Holds 6ml of juice which is plenty for most vapers.
• Comes in nice colors but, as usual, I went with my favorite of Rainbow.
• Has a nice large firing button that doesn't stick out awkwardly

CONS: 

• Battery lasts me (a moderate use vaper) all day and some but not so for my friend who chain-vapes. The Caliber beats the Stick 80W on this feature
• As with most taller stick devices, this one is prone to tipping over. I am careful to use a rubberized tank band.
• The Stick 80W kit did not come with an extra tank glass. The included glass is that bulb/bowl shape that I only like some of the time
• The coils are specifically made for drop-in replacements. This means you can't use other random Smok coils. (Still, I do love the drop-in coil feature!)
• The numbers on the wattage dial are hard to read. They should have done a black font on a white background. The dial is pretty but squint-causing.

Probably the biggest negative.
This photo has been enlarged

For me, the positives outweigh the negatives. I had looked at the FreeMax Twister when it went on sale a while back, but I guess I am just a true Smok-a-holic. The Stick looks better, in my opinion, and it certainly seems to price better everywhere I looked. Plus, I feel comfortable with the quality of the Smok brand and have never used anything from FreeMax. From other reviews I glanced through, there was more attention to detail in making the Stick 80 than with the Twister- like the locking lid vs the loose-lidded Twister.

That's my take on the Smok Stick80W. I'm really glad I got it. My family was asking what they could get me for Christmas and I am thinking of telling them about the beautiful Smok Morph - and, yes, it's a box mod but I am in love.

$37 at VaporRange now

So that's all for now. I do have the quarterly Walmart Beauty Box on the way so I will be back to review that soon.

Peace

-Free

The Yummy That Is Umami

With my appetite on the decline, I have been trying to find ways to make rice and veggies more flavorful. I was going overboard on the salt, then I tried using chicken bouillon cubes to add flavor - but basically, that's just chicken-flavored salt. Salt is not my best friend because I have too much Afro-blood in my ancestry.

This right here though... This makes any bland food so savory that it's should be a crime. It's umami seasoning (aka MSG):

Less than $6.50/16oz bag from Ajinomoto brand

And, yes, I have heard all the horror stories about MSG but I, personally, never had negative reactions from eating it in foods prepared in restaurants. I did have a co-worker once who said that MSG triggered her migraines. Do your research. I'm just here to talk about my experience using Umami as a seasoning.

So this is called umami seasoning but I just learned that what Umami actually means. 

Umami (/uːˈmɑːmi/, from Japanese: うま味 [ɯmami]) or savory taste is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). It has been described as savory and is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. (Thank you, Wikipedia)

Don't act like you knew that! Okay, maybe you did, but my ignorant self did not. I do know that whenever I tried to make my fried rice, there was always a little something missing from the flavors. It's the umami. As I joked to a friend, umami, my mami, I don't care, just give me the tasty flavors! (She thought the joke was corny, by the way...)

So, savory is the best word to describe this seasoning that I got (from Amazon, by the way). Instead of adding more salt to my fried rice (or whatever) and being disappointed with that something-is-missing feeling, just add some umami and boom, that's it. 

As I mentioned, I am eating a fairly simple diet of rice and veggies. I love rice and can eat it with just a little butter and salt/pepper seasoning, but that gets old after the first 6 or 20 days. I really needed to cut back on the salt but since I only rarely eat my rice sweetened, I had to change things up. What I've done the past couple of days is using the umami on the veggies that I eat. I can actually eat the rice plain and unseasoned as long as the vegetables have some serious flavor. The umami makes me go all Emeril and yell "Bam!" when I use it.

(By the way, when I was looking at customer reviews of this online, quite a few customers mentioned that this is their salt alternative. I forget that some people have many reasons - other than high blood pressure and weight issues - for cutting back on or cutting out salt in their diets.)

Now, the best thing, in my opinion, about the umami (aside from helping me cut way back on salt), is that I only have to use a little. I was worried that a six- or seven-dollar bag was going to look expensive as compared to salt. You know they practically pay you to take the salt out of the grocery stores. However, I put the umami in a little seasonings container and this small part of the 16-oz bag is going to last for months. 

That's what I'm guessing. I'll have to update this post when I have a better idea.

The grain of the umami is finer than salt and looks more like tiny crystal shavings if that makes sense. It's so fine that it's hard to see while sprinkling. I labeled the shaker just so no one mistakes it for salt or sugar. My family and friends are welcome to go into my kitchen like it's theirs so I don't want to accidentally make anyone sick.

This is the size of the bag compared to a standard AA-sized battery.

Back to the main reason that I switched to umami and away from salt. This umami has 125mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon compared to 590mg in the same amount of table salt. And umami packs so much flavor that I don't need to use as much. I doubt that I have used a quarter teaspoon of umami all day. 

The umami here on the left and the table salt (Hy-vee brand) on the left:

Keep in mind, ladies - less sodium equals less water retention... I'm just saying.

I found this teaspoon serving guide on the back label of the bag and laughed. I seriously do not use that even that much umami.

So, I guess I can just sum up by saying that this stuff came into my kitchen at the right time. This umami even makes eggs taste great. I was so tired of plain rice (and rice that I couldn't season quite well enough) that I was cheating and making rice pudding. Talk about calories... Now I am back to the rice with veggies and other mostly-healthy stuff. The umami (I refuse to call it MSG) is making food good again. Savory is definitely the word here.

At any rate, be sure to make sure that you can tolerate MSG/umami before you go out spending your money. You know better than to dive in unawares.

Peace
--Free





And because I have been so sedentary the last few days, I exercise vicariously through these dancing machines...

choreography by Keone  (and Mari, maybe?) Madrid

And my favorites, the Jabbawockeez

If I could move like this, I'd never stop dancing

Needed A Break (or one thing or another)

One Thing

I've been taking a break from social media and even this blog. This is the first time in a while that I haven't had any posts off to the side that I could schedule to have something posted in my absence.

I was prompted to dump social media when I went through a bad life event. Only a very few people knew what happened because there are only a very few people who stay in touch outside of social media. It was only after a few weeks that any more people knew what I had been going through and I realized that a lot of friends and family expect news - no matter how painful and personal - to be shared via Facebook. I refuse

this is SO perfectly my mood

to use Facebook (or Instagram, et al) for some things. I have decided that if someone has my phone number or home address, they just won't be hearing about some happenings in my life on Facebook.. So, basically, I now use Facebook and Instagram for the sharing of general information. My life is not for broadcast. At least the Real Housewives get paid for letting the world into their lives.

Anyway. That rant is over.

The Next Thing

Being away from Facebook and Instagram has been pretty awesome. I hadn't realized how much those platforms are like bad carbs: kind of yummy in the moment but with awful payback. I'm still not on the 'Book or the 'Gram but I missed my blog so here I am.

My body seems to be in rebellion. In just about a month's time, I've had 2 colds. The best thing about all that is that I'm down more pounds than when I am actively dieting. How sad is it that this is a life highlight?

On the serious side, I have lost my appetite for most foods. I am going to have to ask my docs about that on the next appointment. For the past I'd say 3 weeks, all I have been able to eat is rice and vegetables. Brown rice and white rice. I just have no taste for anything else. I did lose one of my back teeth - probably from the bone-depleting meds I am on - but losing a tooth has never stopped me enjoying my food! Right now, I could teach a course in ways to eat rice. I've had rice with mixed vegetables, rice with collard greens, rice with bits of ham, rice with soy sauce, rice with egg, rice with creamed soups, rice with vanilla soy milk and nutmeg, and rice with just a little butter and salt and pepper.

I don't think that the mainly-rice diet is hurting me any because I am no more fatigued than usual. I actually think that I feel somewhat better. If I could kick the fatigue and keep my brain halfway straight for ten minutes at a time, I would be a pretty happy gal.

And, yes, I realize that I am kind of rambling here. This is, after all, a catch-up post. So what else has been happening?

I have jumped onto the probiotics bandwagon. I decided to give them a try when I started losing my appetite. I did a little bit of research and tried one brand that worked great but was out of my budget. I am now trying another brand that is both pro- and pre-biotic. They do seem to make my stomach feel better. I am a lot more, ~cough~ regular than normal. So, there's that bit of oversharing of news...

Another Thing

Let's get back to ranting for a moment. Maybe someone out there will be able to relate to this one better and maybe even help me out with some advice. Let me lay this out for you:

I was using my laptop to check my email one day about a month ago. This was right after one of those irritating Microsoft updates that happened when I rebooted the computer. So, I am checking my mail and I  four accounts so I have 4 tabs open, plus I had another tab up to moderate blog comments. After being online for about ten minutes, my computer started making this noise - like the fan (?) was over-revving. It got to the point where the whole computer was vibrating.

Of course, I shut it down immediately. I was afraid that it was overheating or something.

I felt like weeping. One thing I do NOT need right now is computer problems. I just lowered my cellphone bill and cut back on a couple of other bills. There is no way that I can afford to replace my computer. Honestly, I can't even afford to have my computer repaired at this point.

I used some compressed air to clear out any dust and that wasn't the problem. I am very fussy about keeping my computer clean and maintained so I didn't expect dust to be the problem anyway. I decided to just let the computer rest for the time being.

To keep from using the computer until I could figure out what was going on, I use my phone and search for "Why is my ASUS vibrating and making noise" (or it was something like that) and the first useful responses were to do with the latest Microsoft update causing problems.

This is why I am starting to HATE Microsoft. I promise that when I do get another computer, I am going to have someone help me install another operating system.

I won't go into too much detail, but I have tried uninstalling updates, reinstalling them and not reinstalling them. I did a system restore and everything else I could think of. I am just simply pissed and done with Microsoft. I can't wait to get a new operating system.

That's all still up in the air. I will let you know when (if) I get it sorted.

The Last Thing

I was recently in a battle with my mailman. Because I don't have enough crappy stuff going on in my life. 

The problem I was having is that I do most of my shopping online - from groceries to basic household items - and not every retailer uses UPS (or even the less desirable FedEx). Any time I was expecting something via USPS, there was an issue. Last winter, our mailman was pretending that he couldn't "access" the building. Funny how he could access the building to put mail in the wall boxes but had problems delivering parcels that didn't fit in those boxes... Thankfully, the local Post Office is literally across the street from our building, we could pick up our items on the same day. Once we all started to complain every time we walked over to get our parcels, the problem seemed to be resolved. That was last year.

This year - starting a few months back - we all noticed that the same thing was happening. Because I tend to track my parcels and get updates via text message, I came up with a plan. One day when I had a package due, I went up front and parked myself in the lounge so I could accost the mailman. I watched him sort all the mail into the boxes and start to leave. I stopped him and showed him my text and asked if he didn't have that package with him. 

Oh... The look on his face when he had to hand me the package, knowing that when I checked my box there would be one of those non-delivery slips. Yeah. There have been no further problems. Unless that dude goes postal on us.

So anyway, that is what's been happening. Now that I have all that out of my system, I will get back to doing some product reviews and other informative blogging. By the way, I recently was chosen to be one of the Walmart Spark reviewers. I have already put in for the first item so I will definitely do that review here. Also, I did get another vape pen courtesy a Visa gift card someone sent me for Christmas. I will probably do a review on that device. In the meantime, I am glad to be at least somewhat back and online. If my computer doesn't die soon...

Peace

--Free

I fell in love with this when the kids would play the game. Just so soothing. 

...The Way I Like My Coffee

I don't know whoever started the saying about liking their men the way they like their coffee, but I get it. I like my coffee the way I like my life: dark roast, light roast, and all the toasty roasts in between. It's been more dark than light lately, but that's all right.

Not using sugar or flavored creamer in my coffee was only possible because of a particular coffee brand. For the past couple of years, I have so wanted to learn to enjoy plain black coffee. Black coffee (instead of the sugary, heavily-creamed stuff) has a lot of potential benefits:

• It's low (or no) calorie, free of fat and cholesterol.
• Can be a good source of antioxidants (check my post on ORAC values and if you're a data wonk, check this article. ) The ORAC value for coffee is in the 15,000 to 17,000 range, according to this source. I have not yet looked into the Cascara Powder from coffee.
• "Possibly effective" for digestion, diabetes, gallstones and other issues. You should also always keep in mind the way any ingested item could interact with your medications.

I won't get into all the other debatable claims about weight loss, cancer-curbing, memory-boosting, artery-cleansing, etc. Some of those claims have studies behind them and some are potentially true for some or most people.

As I said, I've had to learn to drink black coffee. A lot of people have the opinions I used to: coffee is not made to drink black, it's too harsh-tasting and... just blecch! What I know now is that it's all about roast, grind, and brewing method. I started drinking Luzianne brand black because it's mellower-tasting the darks roasts I always liked. Now I have discovered 2 other brands:

First one I tried

Number 2

I got the Caribou from Hy-vee for just over 5 bucks for the 12-oz bag. The taste is mild enough to drink black, but I wasn't impressed by the bland flavor. It will do for when I run out of my other coffees.

It is lighter than my Luzianne and Cafe du Monde dark roasts.

Caribou
I heightened the contrast so you can tell it's not
much lighter than the Cafe du Monde or Luzianne dark roasts

The Kicking Horse brand is from Amazon and was 10 bucks for the 10-oz bag. Crazy. I really wanted to kick my own horse for splurging on this one. Except... It's kind of yummy. It's not dollar-per-ounce-yummy but it's nice. The one negative about this one (other than that price) is that I like it better with at least a drop or two of creamer. Minus creamer, it's got a very slightly and pleasantly woody taste; with a touch of creamer, it gets all smoky and toasty-tasting. Yeah, so, nto helping me in the calorie department.

Kicking Horse
is very finely ground too

When it's time to get more coffee, I think I am going to try one that is light roast but has a touch of chocolate. I think I can do anything as long as chocolate is involved.

Overall, if my opinion matters, I would recommend the Kicking Horse Hola (for those who can afford it). The Caribou is a Nope for me because Luzianne is just as good black and is a better coffee all around.

That's my coffee post for now. I will update when I've had the chance to try more flavors/brands.

Peace
--Free

*I do NOT get paid as an affiliate for any of the links in this post

** MINI REVIEW** Swanson Ultra Magnesium Oil from Zechstein Sea

This is not the first or even second brand of magnesium oil I have used. I actually use magnesium oil almost every day and night. During the day, it helps calm me when I get really jumpy anxiety. At night I use it to help me rest better. I actually spray it on my underarms at night because it makes a good natural deodorant. Some people use it for relieving sore muscle pain.

Just under $9 for 8 ounces

The only ingredients on the label "magnesium chloride brine from the Ancient Zechstein Seabed in the Netherlands".

The first brands I used were good and the only problem I had with one of them was the salty residue that left my skin looking way ashy. This one doesn't have that effect, nor does it burn as much. This one does, however, make my skin itch if I don't moisturize after applying it. That's a strange thing since Swanson claims the oil "nourishes and moisturizes" the skin...

While I like my other brands, I think that I will stick with this one for the long haul. It's cheaper than the other 2 I tried and it actually works more effectively to help me rest. I might try one of the magnesium lotions but I have noticed that they tend to be pricier than the oils. What's up with that? Maybe I will just add the magnesium to some lotion of my own?

Anyway, I wanted to post this for anyone who might not already have heard about magnesium oil in general. I have a neighbor who takes magnesium in tablet form. I have not read up on that, but it's another rabbit hole for you all to go down.

I will end with a fun fact: Magnesium chloride is also used as a road de-icer. Who knew?

Peace
--Free

This is a 2-song kind of day

**Griot** Bone and Mud

I recently went through a painful life situation. Some people disappointed me with their behavior and morals. Other people disappointed me with their apathy. So I spent a few days lying around in the dark, crying and asking God all kinds of questions that I probably don't really want answers for. Then I remembered a time several years ago when I was in the same kind of situation and feeling the same feelings. My mother was there for me then and she comforted me with some motherly love and wisdom.

My mother was not an educated woman but she was very wise. I came out of my recent hurt-feelings funk by remembering some of the things she told me about dealing with disappointment in others.

One of the things Mama told me was that a lot of the time it's not other people who disappoint us. It's really ourselves we are upset with. We are upset that we care too much about a situation or that we expect so much from others. I was always a very sensitive person. "Feelings like tissue paper" is what my mother would say about me. Mom would remind we all see the world differently. Some of us are tougher than others. Not everyone has your heart, she would remind me. And I know that my mother sometimes wished I could be tougher-shelled, but she was never sorry that I wasn't.

What had me so upset recently was that someone passed away. The other people in his life closed ranks to keep me cut off from even the basic information about the death. These are "Christian" people, some of them daring to stand in pulpits on a regular basis and they behaved like the coldest and hard-hearted people I've ever known. I'm not shocked by their behavior and I guess I kind of expected it. However, it still caused me a great deal of pain.

The only way I was able to pull myself out of my hurt and sorrow was to remember my mother. I could hear a memory of her encouraging me to pray and forgive and move on. When I went through something similar all those years ago - mourning someone I loved while the ugliness of family politics raged around me - my mother told me to stay out of the fray. She reminded me that my only concern should be honoring the dead and dealing with my grief.

I think I have said here before that Mama always said that death and funerals bring out the best and worst in people.

This time around, I got through the initial pain and grief by remembering my mother's advice. It went something like this:

Don't be upset with the way people are behaving. Maybe this is the only way they know how to deal with their pain. All you can do is to behave the way I have taught you. Remember the deceased, honor them, grieve and miss them. All this ugliness going on around the situation doesn't mean anything to the dead. The person you are grieving isn't concerned with the ways and things of this world anymore. All that's left of their mortal being is bone and mud. They no longer care about who is mad at who or who is being petty. Their time for worrying about the living is done with. You just behave in a way that honors their spirit and memory. The Bible tells us that "Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death." (Isaiah 57:2 per NIV)

That's what my mother would say. I know this because, like I said, this is how she comforted me in the past. Just thinking about my mother calms me. I think that I will be able to sleep well tonight and not wake up crying.

I'm calling this a Griot post because my mother would want her grandchildren and their children to know how to deal with this kind of situation. She would want this advice passed down and shared.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Beef Jerky (no dehydrator)

First, let me whine just a little. October was a horrible month. My health took a little dip, I had the blues and then things got so much worse. I'm so happy to see November that I could cry. Anyway. Let me hard segue out of that...

I've been tightening up my budget as much as I can. That means cutting out frivolous food buys (aka snacks). I'm not really bad when it comes to snacking but I do love my queso dip, beef jerky, and 'potato chips. Queso dip is priced like it saves lives and beef jerky is even worse. I've found a suitable and (mostly) affordable replacement for the chips. These have replaced the Good Thins I was in love with.

The other week, I found some recipes for making my own queso dip. I prefer the yellow (salsa con queso) kind while my sister-in-law likes the white (Blanco) dip. The freak. (Okay, let me stop playing and admit that I have never tasted anything but the yellow dip!) This video shows a simple recipe for con queso. That recipe will probably be the only time I use Velveeta and the one reason to keep my old crockpot around.

Anyway.

Last week, I was craving beef jerky. The cheapest prices I could find it for was around ten dollars for a half-pound bag online or twelve dollars for 2 nine-ounce bags (on special sale) at a local store. That's a big ol' nope for me. I can go through a half-pound of jerky in a couple of days. That's a more expensive habit than cigarettes. Also, store-bought jerky tends to be way too sodium-rich for me. I'm not trying to spike my blood pressure or retain gallons of water weight. My only solution was to make my own batch of jerky. One of my nieces in Alaska used to make it for me in her dehydrator and, boy, was it ever yummy. I just had to figure out a way to make some here at home. 

I went to the local butcher and got around 3 pounds of bottom round beef. The butcher is always awesome and he sliced the meat for me into 1/4-inch pieces. Price: just over $15.

Because I don't have a dehydrator, I wanted to find other ways to prep my jerky. So... hello, Google!

I learned that I could use my air fryer or I could use the oven. I opted for the oven because I'm not as comfortable with the air fryer. (Does anyone else have buyer's remorse about their air fryer???)

I have heard that jerky done in the oven or air fryer is not as good as that done with a dehydrator. I disagree. My oven-prepped jerky came out pretty awesome. Here is a recipe from online and the following is how I made my jerky.

Tools you need:

• A bowl/container large enough to hold your meat with marinade covering it. (This page has great info about marinading in general. Pay close attention to the part about what types of bowls to use.
• A lid or some plastic wrap to seal the marinading meat in the fridge. The above link suggests using zip bags. I used a food sealer bag.
• Something to hold the meat aloft for air circulation. I used some teepeed tin foil but you can use an oven-safe cooling rack, wooden or metal skewers. The main thing is that there is air under and above the slices of meat. This is the foil version I used since I didn't have anything else. 

  

  except mine didn't look this neat!

• Something to go underneath the meat to catch drippings in the oven. (My foil was on top a baking pan.)

The Meat Prep

• Marinade your beef for at least 12-14 hours in the refrigerator. Some people do a 24-hour marinade.
• Drain the meat and pat it dry.
• Drape the meat over whatever rack/foil you are going to use in the oven. It's important that there is room for air to flow over and under the meat.
• Set oven temp as low as possible. My electric oven is marked lowest at 200 degrees but actually will turn on just under that - about 180 degrees. I don't like gas ovens but if you have one, you probably know to be very careful...
• Let the meat "cook" (or, rather, dehydrate), checking it in 1-hour intervals, depending on the oven temp. With the oven at 180, I checked the meat twice in the first 2 hours, then every 30 minutes after that. My jerky was ready to turn over at the 3-hour mark. I made sure it was fully cooked on the one side, flipped it, then continued for another 2.5 hours until it was done - and I like my jerky softer. The longer you "cook" the dryer the meat becomes. 

Keep in mind that for your marinade, you can add whatever flavor you want. I added teriyaki sauce to one batch and some garlic powder to another.

About "curing" jerky: If you decide to marinate your meat in a "cure", it might last longer because curing combats bacteria. I read somewhere that by using certain ingredients in my marinade, I was already sort of curing the meat. ~shrug~.

Listen, I used enough soy and other seasonings that I don't think bacteria would form... But, seriously, there are products sold to cure the meat so I bought some, but I did not like using it. I have read that as long as your work area is clean and the meat is properly handled, you don't have to use a cure. I heat-seal my uneaten jerky in plastic and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I only make a pound at a time so that I can freeze the unused meat to keep as long as possible. 

Here is a link to info about food safety. Other than handling the meat carefully, it's super important to do a lot of handwashing to cut down on contamination. I hope you do this any time you cook, you freaks. I kid, I kid - not about the handwashing though.

This is some of the jerky that I am actually eating as I type up this post. It's so much better-tasting than store-bought, I think because it's not as salty, dried out, and hardened.

UPDATE:

Now that it's been about a week since I started writing this post, I'm going to add a couple of tips that I've learned after having made 3 batches of jerky:

• For more flavor, after I marinade the meat, I add a few more dashes of sauce (teriyaki and barbeque is what I'm using recently) before I put the meat on the rack. Yes, the meat will be wetter and take a little longer, but it will retain so much more flavor.
• Using wooden skewers to lay across a baking pan is easier than using the teepee-ed tin foil method. Just make sure that the skewers are long enough not to fall into the baking pan. For my widest pan, I secured the skewers with some foil wrapped over them and around the lip of the baking pan. You can wash and dry the skewers to reuse at least once again but they are really cheap at the Dollar Store.

Just turned over to brown the other side
after about 2 hours

• Don't rush the cooking part. My first batch came out well but slightly chewy. I liked that until I accidentally left another batch in for am hour longer and it turned out even better. The meat might look dried and tempt you to take it out of the oven but make sure you taste a piece first. Looking dry and being dehydrated is not the same.
• Always make small batches. My first purchase of 3 pounds of beef is only half gone after I've made four batches. I wanted to try different flavorings to see what most like. My favorite is a mix of barbeque sauce and a separate teriyaki sauce (the thick kind). My least favorite was the plain batch seasoned with just Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper. 
• If you have a few pieces of meat that cut thicker than you like, beat them flatter with a tenderizer tool (for me that is aka a clean and heavy can of soup!). This is also a nice way to get a more store-bought type of jerky. 

One small batch all
done & ready to store

By the way, not only does making small batches stretch out your supply of meat, but it's probably safer. Even I can only eat so much jerky and I'd rather not store a large amount and risk any going bad. 

One of the things I want to look into is using my cast iron dutch oven to heat the jerky. Cast iron holds heat really well and I think that if I put a small rack into the bottom of the dutch oven where air can still circulate around the meat, I might get a faster and more even result. I will let you know.

Ready to be sealed
to store

I am also looking at some of the cheaper dehydrators on Amazon in case I can afford to give myself a nice Christmas gift this year! Here is a search page that comes up for some in the $25 to $50 range of ratings 4-star and above. For the winter, I don't mind running the oven long enough to make the jerky. It helps heat the house and my winter energy bill is lower than during months I run the A/C but, come summer, I try to use the oven as little as possible.

That's it for the homemade jerky. Next recipe/food post will be about Flaxseed. I'm trying to get as much good and healthy stuff into this body as possible!

Peace
--Free

This song drifts into my mind sometimes.

Rest in peace, Tim