Posts by JessicaRose
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Upcycle
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Ahhh this old chestnut....
I used to sleep very well, by which I mean that I never thought about sleep, I just did it. Or i didn't and then I did later.
Then I had an event, and then I didn't sleep, and then for the next 8 years I struggled with insomnia, which at times was chronic. I find now it comes and goes in waves, usually triggered by stress, however my ability to manage it has increased. There are several techniques that are great for combatting sleeplessness and as with everything, what works for the individual is a combination of these things that suits them.
I agree with Stephen, after rejecting the idea of taking 'sleeping pills', I can confidently say that even 1/3 of a zopiclone can be overwhelmingly helpful when you are stuck in an undesirable sleep pattern. Other things I've tried with success are going to bed and getting up at the same time daily. Exercise during the day and relaxation (not blue screens) for the 2 hours preceding bed. Magnesuim and 5htp suppliments. Moderation in alcohol comsumption. Routine. NOT clock watching, in fact removing all visable clocks (your brain is easliy tricked, knowing how long you are awake for can cause the stress that causes the sleeplessness, not knowing and lying to yourself is actually a better method); and interestingly, imagining solving a jigsaw puzzle....*
*this is based on an article in New Scientist that recommends getting up if you can't sleep and doing an activity (eg solving a jgsaw puzzle) that is brain distracting but not too actively stimulating (as reading or telly may be). Personaly if I get up - I won't go back down but imagining doing the puzzle seems to stop the thought freight train!
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On a bit of a tangent here, I'm interested in the social reasoning behind a bunch of teen guys who feel value in raping drunk girls, and are proud of this acheivement. I didn't see the news article so I'm not completely versed on the senario - (so corrections welcome!), but it appears that this is a prestige club that young gents feel that they want to be a part of and then like to brag about?
So how is society failing them?
Would an element of prevention in this case be 'really not wanting to do it to start with'? So why do they? What kind of upbringinging have they experienced?
Now I'm pretty sure that there are a bunch (I'm going to go on a limb here and say the majority) of young men who don't think raping a drunk chick is something to write home about - but perhaps I'm incorrect?As I said - this may be tangental and possibly some of these questions were already resolved on the telly, but it's been on my mind all morning so I was interested to see if anyone else had anything to say about it. I mean the police can't stop teenagers getting drunk and having sex (that force is unstoppable), but society can alter who is the 'slut' and who is 'shamed' here.
Im struggling to articulate that yes these kids need to be prosecuted for rape, but there is a bigger level... treating a symptom not a disease?
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Hard News: Narcissists and bullies, in reply to Lucy Telfar Barnard,
Brilliantly said Lucy.
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I think I get my 1kg of coconut oil from Davis trading for under $10. I'll price check and share the results.
Still not sure if I should go and risk spending my meagre disposable income on tasty morsels, or if I should eat the ones I already have at home. The comments have both whetted my appetite to go and sated my curiosity about going.
However one thing is settled, I'm definitely going to have to get some of the Empire Tonic, which I have so far managed to avoid on account of it costing almost as much as some gins. -
Personally I got sick of waiting for a marriage to come along so that I could change my name and at the ripe age of 31 I changed it myself without the aid of a man. I'm not sure if that's super-feminist, anti-romantic, (or romantic?), or just plain whimsical.
But I can assure you that changing your name is an expensive pain in the proverbial. Birth cert, drivers license, business cards, credit cards, visits to the JP all end up costing time and money. Having done all this work to get a name of ones own, one that doesn't belong to father or husband, I feel mightily attached to keeping it.
Some questions arise however, if it's not sexist then how come an equal number of men don't take on the female partners name (in a heterosexual coupling), and will 'gay marriage' lead the way in this decision becoming an equal one between partners (alternatively for example, will lesbians have to take the name of a cherished male uncle?); I also stumble on the dilemma of what to call your partner if you are not married (after the age of 18), because I do not feel professional or mature calling him my 'boyfriend', I feel cold and lacking affection calling him my 'partner', he isn't my husband, and 'live in lover' is too descriptive.
And as I've been writing I've been thinking on the naming of children of unmarried couples (or hyphenated marrieds) as this is one I hope to be facing myself one day, couldn't we just adopt a communal name like in Game of Thrones where the child is named for the borough they are born in? I suppose this would come with it's own host of social considerations...
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My favourite magic food trick - put an egg on it, you can make anything into a frittata, left overs, first overs, meat, vegetables, one ingredient, several ingredients, just put them all in a pan and stir in eggs, then you have a whole new meal. Add lime, chilli and coriander and you have a gourmet meal (as we know that combo also works with pretty much any other meal too - so it's kinda two tips).
Also in line with freezing the things (I just noticed that someone else suggested the ice trays on an earlier post) freeze grapes and use to chill wine without watering it down. This will go nicely with your frittata.
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Ice trays for freezing everything!
Not just limited to freezing water, you can freeze (when in season) fresh herbs in olive oil in perfectly measured amounts suitable for popping into cooking - also lemon and lime juices and tomato paste are suitable for this size and quantity freezing method.
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Hard News: Kitchen Hacks, in reply to Gareth,
Plenty is my bible atm. I second the recommendation to anyone interested. I very rarely follow a recipe (I use them as a suggestion), however in this instance I urge following the recipes to the letter. The butternut with lime and cardamom... oh-em-gee!
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I ride for fun and commuting - not as an athlete, and as Emma B mentioned above I also follow the frocks on bikes idea, by which I get about looking like a 'normal' person. No specific riding attire, just jeans if I'm on my road bike and dresses when I'm taking the basket bike as a general rule.
Shoes is where this falls in for me ie. not being able to wear pretty (read heels) shoes if I choose to ride somewhere, I have worked around this by taking a change in my bag (which leaves me with the annoying task of carrying a pair of vans around all night) although I have risked leaving them tied in a bag to my bike which has still been there when I've returned. For the most part this has been where I've given in and now just wear flats (at work it's easy to leave sneakers under my desk and put on work shoes when I arrive).
I agree that the only 'cycling' item that I use (other than the mandatory helmet which I won't ride without) is my riding gloves - my hands suffer in the wind and it almost stopped my wanting to ride at all, so the addition of a simple pair of gloves dramatically improved my riding experience.