Living through IL seasons hehe

I downloaded the Pandora app a few months ago and have a bunch of stations hehe...I have started to appreciate what the late great Tupac was addressing in his music and I noticed in the movie Tupac: Resurrection that nearly every interview for years was him waking the world up to poor, hungry kids, ghetto life, low paid wages, and yeah, black ppl getting shot by cops & black on black crime. I only knew of his hits: Brenda's Got a Baby, Keep Ya Head Up, California Love, Dear Mama, I Ain't Mad At Ya, Hit Em Up and my fave Changes. Through this app, I have been able to listen to other songs ( minus some overlooking of certain words in the lyrics): Papa'z, To Live & Die in L.A., Trapped, No More Tears, Unconditional Love to name a few and really LISTEN TO HIS MESSAGE ( I haven't heard all the songs but they are all on a playlist for future listening).

I credit the above movie w/ helping realize that when he would speak of bitches n that, he wasn't addressing all women, just the 1 chick and one of songs had the lyric along the lines of ' I don't want sex w/ you if it's that EASY' probably refers to either not wanting 1 night stands, don't have to try too hard or both and it is telling women to value and respect themselves rather than give it up for nothing' and another song speaks of women just giving it up if the dude got $/ buys you something nice, so now you're kind of a paid whore & not respecting yourself that way too...

I then tried listening to another rap group that was in my growing up days,(which I had only heard of maybe 1 or 2 songs) and that was OYNX. Not only did I not like most of their songs but quickly realized their jumbled, all over the place too fast paced & unintelligible lyrics were just basically ABOUT FUCKING NOTHING. There really is one Tupac/2Pac/Pac, his personality and intelligent, cohesive raps, writing and interview style was just truly authentic and is missed:(...


I have enjoyed watching a lot of Native American documentaries/ movies and a few eye opening docs like Elliot Page's There Is Something In The Water dealing w/ environmental racism, meat packing plants affecting the Earth/ water and it's effects resulting in numerous cancers, etc. Ppl in Nova Scotia didn't care about groups protesting for yrs until the company tried to roll their stuff through the white, better off side of town and then OUTRAGE happens..The documentary First Daughter & The Black Snake also dealt with this similar issue of oil rigs and fracking on reservations ( and ordinary grassroots groups fighting more development while trying to shut down the existing plant). I also liked a doc called A Different Kind of American Dream..

The movie Cowboys and Indians telling the true story of a Native American man who was just walking home when he was shot & killed by cops in 1988 Canada bc he 'fit the (vague) description of Native man wearing a black jacket'. The movie Skins was also good and although fictional w/ the characters, the lives played out on one of the poorest reservations in the US, Pine Ridge is not fictional..

Well my hopes of moving almost came to an end last weekend as my Mom was telling me that my current rental budget would only get me something in a bad area ( homeless ppl who are druggies n that means thefts, muggings,and maybe home invasion n sorry but can't get rid of drugs/ druggies once in town), so after a deflated hour of deleting texts between my sister & I, I upped my budget to include an extra $200, found a house/roommate situation and 4 apartments. I have inquired about 2 of the apts, as well as applied for a few more local jobs. Hilo isn't big on doing the reviews on apartments on sites like Apartments for rent or rent.com or even a Yelp, so hoping the 4 I like are in good areas ( at least the 1 w/ the pool also has security)...

I have gotten in quite a lot of workouts ( 3/ wk) and 4 yogas). I am alternating between Gozo and Frost hehe. Today was supposed to be an intense workout but yesterday's shoveling of heavy, wet snow of 6" + a quick NTC workout of 15 mins has me SORE, so I am trying NTC's Athletic Yoga of an hour w/ my guy Collinsworth!

Crime here has been the norm, but quite a few more murders, which the Mayor is trying to use Covid as the scapegoat as a stressor😡😬😤....we had another big shooting scene that made the news for the 3rd year in a row. Last week, Duke Webb, an active Green Beret from FL, walked into Don Carter Lanes, went upstairs to Shooter's Bar and Grill and shot 6 ppl ( 3 of whom died). We also had a guy get shot and killed at a gas station in the middle of the day 3 days later that yeah, didn't make any news except locally...same as the week before then resulting in 5 shootings ( and 2 deaths)..

Good news: I saw a news segment about this vet who makes walking canes out of Christmas trees for other vets and so we are donating our tree as the guy is local:)! I am starting to let certain winter issues 'go' saving me an argument since hey, it won't be my prob in a couple more months...


My Aunt finally got her dog in to see a vet, had bad news but we will see HOW bad w/ a 2nd opinion visit to another vet on Monday ( but at least we got him meds and antibiotics to last for 2 wks).

3:30 PM: Just did Yoga for Sport ( the Athletic 1 seemed hard) and man, it was hard! I am glad I did most of the 3 legged dog rounds ( + variations) for both legs n only quit once w/ 3 moves to go on the 2nd leg before finishing w/ 2 moves. I liked that the cool down was 15 mins, including reverse tabletop and pidgeon poses of a minute each leg. Having to hold the V ups for a few seconds on the lowering part of the exercise, whew, proud I did 9 out of 10....I felt sleepy and now feel noodleish, so that was indeed a workout for 55 mins! Thinking of taking a fat burner hehe ( these have been good btw, no weird effects or anything now, take them on avg 3x/wk)..

Christmas was good filled w/ food, gifts and the like. The day after, a friend surprised me by ordering me Domino's ( bonus social distancing pts I said:)), my Mom treated us to Pamcakes one night a couple weeks ago & since we are getting our crappy stimulus amount ( Trump didn't fool me w/ that video, he knows Republicans won't go for $2K, otherwise this would have gone through back in May when it was also SHOT DOWN by Trump even), I am treating my family & I to lasagna and fish basket for me tonight from the place up the street...

My Mom tried to talk to my Aunt about us cutting the cord w/Dish ( we only have 2 of 4 local stations now) and getting Philo/ antenna service. But my Aunt was having issues w/ it which was then irking my Mom...we decided to just keep Dish for another month..things are also tense because it is Christmas, 1 of her dogs needs dental work, we are away from family, can we get gifts and will they get there in time..we did get a Christmas tree for this year though and to my Aunt's credit, she has given me $65 this month, which has been nice & unexpected..

I was planning on doing a yoga today, but the Dish stuff was also today...I did my Frost workout + yoga Sunday ( 2nd day doing the Fat Burner), a restorative yoga yesterday, so that right there is a lot more than usual,but I do hope to do 1 or 2 yogas and another Frost workout before the week is up..I am glad I figured out how to get my kickstand to work:)!

I have yet to hear from the company I applied for in Hilo or from the realtor so think they are on Hawaiian time hehe..I knew my sister asking me about applying for jobs and telling me about the rental app process ( you get approved first and then you can see the place and sign the lease), but didn't think she would inquire about what touristy things I wanted to do when the trip is still aways away. I emailed the Hawaii Zoning Board to see what is the smallest one sized house I can get away with legally building in Hilo..I am having fun entering all kinds of contests from vacuums, Roku TV's, Air Fryers and even a $138 rug ( cuz why pay when move if I can get it for free?)!

I booked a round trip flight for my visit to Hilo! It is happening Feb 2nd ( will Groundhog Day be playing or have planes stopped doing movies since my last flight to Cali in 2017?) to Feb 9th I leave the island late & get back to Chicago late on the 10th. I tried seeing if doing Spirit half way both ways would be cheaper but it was $170 more & had longer layovers too ( 10 hrs at 1 airport n 5 at another), so I went w/ the $515 w/ only 1 long layover of 3 hrs n an hour and a half on my return flight vs an hour and a half at LAX and 1 in San Diego of an hour ( hope none of the planes are that 737 Max 1). I plan on bringing 2 books, snacks to hinder vending machine touches, my earbuds for my Pandora app/ music once on plane and maybe doing some workout moves if I have enough open space in section of airport chairs..

I was trying to explain to my sister how things are over here n I hope my sanitizing w/ bottle and wipes & mask are enough to ease my family's worries so I don't have to quarantine ( share kitchen n bathroom n we chats in each other's rooms too), take a test OR wear freaking goggles ( wtf, Fauci? How come NOW Covid is going to try to get in you through the eyes of ppl over 50 vs the last 9 months??)...my Aunt is ordering a face shield so she can go to Walmart past noon ( she won't go otherwise n opts to go the next morning)...now there's some doc talking about toilets again, oh fuckin Christ!

I have quite a list of streets/ rental places to check out once in Hilo and I think I can handle the downtown bums since my work was less than a mile from the homeless shelter here...I did put in an application in Hilo ( nice start work in one month section vs hiring immediately) so looking forward to that ( think I confused Bob in thinking they might not get to my app til Jan as in they won't receive it until Jan hehe). I wanted to do a DayLum rental app, but they want your job income and there's some kind of rule where your rent can only factor out to being so much vs what your take home pay is)...I am planning on going all SHAMELESS and having a bat or 2 ( & getting those sticks so windows can't get slid open, Cali living) in my place & maybe even a taser for at night in addition to my pepper spray. Wish I could have an expandable baton but dk if they are legal there..I just see myself living somewhere I can walk or bike to places easily. Look at NY, if something is 6-8 blocks away, they happily walk that, carrying groceries, going up stairs, you live within walking distance of restaurants and you walk there, no prob..they don't let not having a car define any part of their life. Nor do they get crap about it..


I will have to stay on top of the latest Covid rules re: Hawaii...now they are talking extending the testing prior period from 72 hrs to 96 and doing your 2nd test not when you land, but 3-5 days later...nothing is finalized yet though..

I did not get in my 2 workouts last week due to a really bad sinus headache edging into a 3rd straight day, but today, I did a yoga ( getting better at hip bridges w/ leg extended but seated w/leg extended in V pattern was causing hip twinges:(maybe switch the 2?), an ARMs and am doing standing bicycle crunches, plank jacks every few hours ( man, energy boosting Fat Burner claim is DEAD ON! I did feel heart racing for the 1st hour but that went away n I feel great, not tired, etc)...I really want to do a Frost NTC workout this Friday- weekend w/a yoga to make up for last week...I am only going to use the FB when working out or doing physical all day activity...


Food has been good. The GF cookies were good & tasted similar to the original, but I did finish the original vs bored w/ the other. I have only had red meat 2x this week & everything else has been chicken, tuna, fish and beans. Have been eating applesauce cups for breakfast/ pears for a snack few times, and having veggies often too.


One of my tweets got A LOT of attention last week. It is stalled right now w/876 likes, 33 comments and 175 retweets, which was pretty awesome and dealt w/Ivanka possibly facing jail/prison...


I watched a few movies on Tubi or Roku on Hawaii recently. 1 was called The Islands (shot in 2017-2018) shot in the Big island and about the Christian Missionaries ( John Savage and Mira Sorvino are the 2 main characters ) who converted Chiefess Kapiolani in 1821, the legend of her going into the volcano, living and returning unscathed and then I watched Hawaii: Stolen Paradise about the still controversial overthrowing of the Hawaiian monarchy and the US Statehood ( & how they did try to eradicate Hawaiian culture in the school system much like the schools on the reservation for Native Americans).

I ended it w/ a very local film called One Kine Day ( shot in 2011 maybe) about Oahu teens dealing w/ possible pregnancy, all their friends have babies and the parents get drunk, you either drop out &/ or don't go to college (and it was true to the workforce just being like 10% of undereducated young ppl in low paying jobs), but young ppl just aren't into nature ( - the beach)/exercise/thinking long term and just don't know the realities of how expensive things are...the only big named star in this was Julie Nickson from Walker, Texas Ranger and I think the girl who played Alea..

I just did a really good Namaste yoga sesh! Trap muscles and neck feel GREAT! Think it was all the Warrior/triangle poses...doing it again tomorrow! I was freaking out a little re: the fat burner and thought of all those Hydroxycut users who had liver issues while taking the product ( like 1 of my family members), but after seeing that all the new ones have better ingredients, feel better now. It was tempting to see all the new fitness brands ( Red H Nutrition, BioHealth, Cannibal Kraken, IdealLean and Mark Wahlberg's founding/co founding ( truly uses the products of) w/ Performance Inspired) protein shakes, fat burners, pre/ post workout drinks, BCAA's, Casein vs Whey, now there's Glutamine, CLA, Mass Gainers and a few have fat burner + protein shake combos ( usually called RIPPED, in capsule form or powder). I might try PI's Diet and Energy RIPPED in powder form, or Whey Isolate ( better for those toning/ staying lean vs bulking) and a BCAA if prices are right next year...

I know some fitness trainers will say if you exercise and eat right, you don't NEED these products, but there are celebs/fitness ppl who do ALL that + use the products, so it must help, right??

I am hoping my entering sweepstakes can get turned into a side hustle....I am even entering small cash amounts ones for $100-$250 and like that there is a Bowflex Bike one too..I am not going crazy n entering daily for an hour for a month or 2 ( some ppl win w/ 1 entry on the last day), so some are just once/ a day for a while whereas some are 6x/day for the last week..no more than 10-20 mins/ day regardless...


I hope I can be of influence to my sisters soon so they can get back in shape...I was watching THW earlier and the Shepherd's Hut style reminded me of Super Tiny Houses in Oahu ( and even the 'contemporary' style feels like the Nordic style of TH's built by that guy in TN..both interest me for their simple/ rustic style...

I did like that a good Samaritan helped get 4 people out of 2 cars that smashed into each other on Thanksgiving early morning here. 1 car was totaled while the other was hung up on a guardrail. 1 of the cars caught fire as the paramedics/Fire Dept got there! All 4 are in the hospital but hopefully their injuries aren't too bad...

I started to think of Hilo life as being similar to ppl who live in the Bronx or Brooklyn. Yeah, you might go into the City once or twice a month, but you mostly hang around in restaurants, shops, parks in your town....why is it if you live in Topeka, Little Rock or Tulsa, you are seen as being 'dumb' but if you never leave sky rocketing San Fran, that's ok? I think I might visit in Jan and move either by the end of the month or sometime in Feb....December is a hard month to plan a trip esp if something unexpected occurs close to Christmas..this will put off the job apps/ apt apps til mid December...

I hope everyone has a good day filled with great food, good convos, Thanksgiving traditions and family time within your own household ( or small gathering, per Covid19 guidelines, yeah, DON'T BE ONE OF THOSE COVIDIOTS!)....maybe even do some Black Friday online shopping prep...I have already done mine btw! Chris and Heidi Powell have had this DVD set + eBook and meal plan ( hope the ladder comes in print form, 1 day print everything out if not) for $40...it went on sale maybe 2 months ago ( right when I put up my impulse buying entry, so didn't get it) and then it went on sale for $20...still didn't get it...but today started w/ Chris & Heidi offering early Black Friday deals ( every purchase comes w/ the DVD set for FREE! FOR 48 hrs only or til DVDs run out, & w/364 ppl snapping up products as of 8 AM, decided to buy within half an hour!).

I saw stuff I liked and debated on a $15 shake mix or a Fat Burning capsule supplement for $20. Decided on the capsule since it offers appetite control/ fat burning which is similar to the shake ( + might be easier to take everyday, whereas I get burned out on the shakes n chalky taste/ after taste) & clicked on the little box saying "get the DVD set for $0"! N just $6 shipping. I like it bc the capsule can still benefit me on days where I just do a mini workout too...it will be nice to see if this actually helps my fitness goals too...should get it by next weekend!


I did a post to one of my groups here re: the hesitation I feel towards moving/will it be a failure/ not following through ( remember my kayak I bought a few yrs ago?) if I do try to stick it out here a month or 2 later than planned. It ended up getting some good supportive replies & insight😁😀☺! I am planning on going to the Post Office tomorrow to get some Flat Rate boxes to pack up my books and DVD/CD binders/ moving motivation and that's also pre emptive before the cold front comes in next Monday-Thursday of barely being 35!! I really like that my extra $50-80/Unemployment payment all come in next week so my 3 trips of getting groceries/ winter prep of 2 bags of Ice Melt + today n tomorrow's spending charges can get re couped soon..


I looked into warehouse jobs in Hilo (and saw 24 in Hilo & like 6 in Kea'au), and I might even apply to them before the month is over. There was a Virtual Job Fair so maybe they will do Virtual Interviews vs having to be on da island too? I am hopeful for next year n hope to have like $8K untouched of my $15K saved after I move n hopefully get settled...

My Walgreens was robbed a couple wks ago and normal shootings/home invasions/ armed robberies but to hear that 2 ppl were shot early this morning over on the WestSide ( 1 died) and the other is in critical condition was hard...

So I had to delete 1 of my TH FB groups due to a troll stirring up shit re: affordable housing ( why can't ppl just make more $ or get the job skills needed vs towns having to lower rent so you can live there) and are States/towns that are cheaper but you don't move to is it bc they are 'beneath you' vs reasons for not moving due to weather, natural disasters area, environment, crime, economy, commuting time, etc. She actually said ' get the job skills, don't complain or you will struggle and be unhappy...

I am in IL bc I am NOT struggling, but if I were in Cali, I would be, bitch! I can see her being a DV counselor ha! I said where would we as a society be if all the teachers quit & got higher paying jobs so they could buy a house? She's probably 1 of those Trumpers that think you're poor due to not applying yourself n that $1200 should last 4 months....guess all those ppl who lost their jobs during the pandemic should have moved States if they can't afford rent/food, huh?? You think all those baristas who have Master's Degrees could have afforded their rent w/ the pay cut when the Housing Market crashed?

Having a hard time dealing w/ my neighbors upstairs. They use way too much laundry soap and our level of the duplex reaks of soap for hours and hours to the point where we get headaches, watery eyes and sneezing. Our landlord has been largely unhelpful in this area and we don't want to straight up tell them to cut the soap amount down...and we take their trashcans out/in for the week for a year now and today, the neighbor just brought in their cans and left ours out...I have told my Mom we should let them get their own cans but she doesn't like the look of them being out there til late afternoon...it's her deal..to me, there is a problem/solution and if you don't like it, don't bitch..


IDK what made me look into Emergency Food kits/ Food Buckets that are often associated with the Preppers movement/lifestyle ( maybe it was my day of watching 2012, Geostorm, Deep Impact and I caved and saw Rampage ( it held up to my initial reasoning for not watching it n later disappointed at the plot being wrong). Thinking what would happen if my future small town grocer did shut down for a few days due to Covid19 case or if I did lose power/ access to grocery store in the aftermath of a Hurricane should I move back to my home town. I found 2 companies whose food products look good and are reasonably priced. 1 is Readywise and the other is 4Patriots. Some have better options re: meals, combo buckets and/ or the 72 hour kit and some are also found for more than half price at Costco ( the meat only buckets are tempting)! I did find a few DIYers but I want more selection than just beans/rice or throwing out precooked frozen food that can only last one year, & I am not into canning/ pickling meats/beans/veggies..

I am already planning out how I would handle next year if Covid19 hit again and how I would do food storage Pandemic style of Spam, canned chicken/ tuna, rice, shoyu, spices, beans and rice, jerky, snacks, drinks,frozen pizzas/ frozen meals, canned veggies n fruit, applesauces, PB/ jelly, Mac and cheese boxes, and of course, TP and hand sanitizer. Hawaii travelers had to have groceries delivered, couldn't even shop cuz of the restrictions n never know when something could go wrong w/ the barge or shipments don't last!

I am still finding myself being anxious w/ the move even more so w/ Covid 19 affecting things still ( & getting worse in the US). I just feel the moving day looming over me and feeling a sense of failure if I do end up just staying here vs the unknown reality of my hometown's economic rebound maybe taking YEARS while housing/living costs go up. Hawaii can impose more restrictions re: travel and living on the island still too..they might change the 100% 2nd test to travelers down to 20% & I have read articles about the scanning of test results being glitchy and rather than quarantine, 14 ppl went back home to the mainland to see an email saying oops, come back, you ARE nevative...I also wish I could just put all my stuff on a shipping container vs getting rid of stuff since ppl aren't buying from 3rd party sites as much as this time last year due to Covid19..

Here has been typical re: crime ( rare 2 ppl shot 2 days in a row, another shooting in the Mall parking lot, couple home invasions, etc) and dumbass financial endeavors that are on par w/ IL politics and spending $ they don't have. Transform Rockford is partnering w/NIU to offer free tuition to eligible RPS205 students, pretty cool & awesome, right? They plan on funding ( paying back loans or something) it w/ profits made on the unbuilt casino that just got delayed by another 6 months...& bet Hard Rock is going to pull out soon...

Tues will be here in no time! A lot of crap has been going on here that is similar to the rest of the world. Stores have taken off the CDC markings, some still adhere to the 6 feet apart rule while in checkout (but quite a lot weren't) and I just hope certain hand sanitizing stations stay put in stores. The Gov. is getting a lot of backlash for his new restrictions/ cops are checking up on places defying orders but cases here are SURGING ( my County is at 13% right now)...I stocked up a little on TP n snacks just in case...

I got quite a few new snacks including Pepperridge Farms GF chocolate chip cookies ( sorry no name brand Glutino in the health section, dk your rep or taste), a reg pack of their cookies to compare, a Maple creme sandwich cookies offering from Culinary Circle, only 1 potato chips ( from the health section, from a company called The Good Chip, Pringles look too), a jar of JIF All Natural pb ( read they are having trouble, also why I got Funyuns) and Kodiak Cakes Teddy Graham's replica honey flavor! I got 6 meat dinners, one 3 meat pizza hand tossed variety, n a bag of chicken patties....I splurged & got 2 10 oz Hostess donuts bags ( I like that 1 bag lasts me about 3-4 days)..got some teas, broths and still have saimin/tuna in case we have bad weather/ feel sickly..

As much as I love #tinyhouses, I have realized that Tiny House Nation is mostly Zack working WITH the local contractor/TH builder n he only does spatial challenges/crazy additions mostly. I do think some scenes are staged ( ex. Day 3, the clients say oh we wanted a tub or we need the storage area to be a bedroom, I mean, you do that stuff in the consultation phase!)...I LOVE TINY HOUSE WORLD & can watch most the eps over n over. I like Tiny Luxury esp the 160 sq ft typical house.... I really like that prefab sheds are now being geared towards the tiny house movement and I have bookmarked a few ( even 1 in Canada, love the "bunkies" from NorthCountrySheds..just in case)....it is really tempting to check out that Salemi, Italy house auction online soon! A lot of them require minimal work ( n maybe a $2-3 offer vs $1!) but I would need to know that the town has job opps n you can live/work/shop there and if I could do a reno for less than $80K....I know that Lorraine Bracco bought a house in a Sambuca, Italy auction last year but she can afford the reno, the contractor, the designers AND the translator! And she can afford to go outside the city for groceries/work/life...and she got a show out of it premiering soon on HGTV..


I love how Trump makes fun of mask wearers and hopefully his supporters will see that this is his general attitude & not his BS I have ALWAYS been for masks/nothing against them..I find it funny that he said all his supporters are going to wait til Election Day to vote, so does that he mean he KNOWS that the 80 Million votes right now are mostly for Biden??? Ppl waiting out in the rain, for over 10 hrs, ALL FOR BIDEN! I really was disappointed when I found out BallotTrax isn't available in my town/County, despite being the 2nd biggest city aside from Chicago.. I did a quick search and found a ballot tracker on the board of elections website n my ballot was received ( doesn't get counted til 7 PM Tues, but at least didn't get rejected)...

So my Aunt is currently ' under the weather' right now & it's bad enough that she wants a ride to the hospital later tonight. I told her about broth being a good source of electrolytes so maybe it can help her last til my Mom gets home from her new job! Yeah, she got a referral from her last employer, met the fam last week n is on a 4 day/ week trial. My Mom did gain 5 lbs due to her not going to the gym for the past few weeks but she also did eat a lot of carbs ( donuts, garlic bread, croissants, etc the past week alone). She has kind of switched her mentality re: meat and realizing she needs the better animal protein than trying to jam pack specific protein veggies in everyday. + she is not big on beans...she so far has had fish once, ground beef 2x this week and 2 hotdogs...

I came home yesterday after errands to find I had gotten a package. I opened it and was delighted to see the title of the book, The Dirty, Lazy Keto Dirt Cheap Cookbook n 8 oz bottle of Chocolate Zero chocolate syrup! Looking inside, spot a letter was attached saying I had won it ( oh yeah, I remember entering earlier this year)! I flipped through the book and was really surprised to see the range of cuisine featured. There were a few Hawaiian dishes ( Spam is a perfect macro food for Keto so I knew it could get featured) and I wasn't expecting the Huli Huli chicken recipe! This and the breakfast sausage/eggs recipe will get used... There were a few Tex Mex recipes with cauli rice ( might have to try it again, maybe taco seasoning is a better flavor magnet than my last recipe attempt of broth/ garlic powder), a few tasty Creole recipes ( 1 is a fried battered fish and another is a shrimp/ sausage dish like my Dirty rice from Zatarian's that I like), a few Indian 🐔 recipes ( wow, kind of shocking n freaky considering my last post hehe) and I might even try the veggies full masala recipe since it seems light on the sauce ( not BBQ thick but enough to be a paste). I really hope these taste great bc it is really hard to offer no sugar added/less sodium, additives, etc but still keep all the flavor too, you know?

I definitely want to try 2 of the desserts ( both have peanut butter!), 1 is a made from scratch peanut butter pie ( can always add in chocolate chips if I want) but the crust is only 5 ingredients and just another 5 for the filling and that is totally do able and the 2nd is a chocolate pb cupcake mug cake style ( fast) and only 4 ingredients, all of which I have btw! Idk yet if I want to try the 0 netcarbs sweeteners but I might try a honey or maple syrup swap...I could see myself maybe trying the almond flour for the Creole fried fish recipe and also used in a few baked desserts I also might try also.

I did like that the book is very user friendly, nice chart on the side breaking down the carbs, fat n protein ( aka macros), serving size and cost per serving ( roughly ( depends on inflation/store u pick), but nothing was over $2.50/ serving n A LOT were in the $1.25-$1.75/ serving range!), I do wish each recipe could have had pics but there were enough to make me want to go shopping hehe!

I have been 'inspired' to have tomorrow's lunch be just my garlic butter chicken and green beans and tonight, have carbs w/ the addition of 🍚 n the only carbs I have had today were half a serving of Cheetos & a serving of refried beans/ cheese for lunch...I did try the latest Keto ice cream brand Rebel and did NOT like it, so CADO it is over Rebel, Enlightened, & Halo Top....but the last 2 have a better variety so might revisit new flavors...


I did a great yoga yesterday of Namaste called Sunbird Sequence & hope to do at least 1 more day this week of it. I used my Leg Pillow last night & while I had a little stiffness due to eventually lying on my back through out the night, it was a bigger, better improvement compared to the past few nights ( yoga same day help too? :))..

These past few weeks have been ok. I should expound on my earlier mention of food/ workouts being affected due to the state of the US and it also includes my starting to read my recently bought books from last year. This week, last week & week before has been a heatwave everyday ( literally had 6 days straight of 90+, 1 day of 88 past 2 wks and we are now in a stretch of like 9 days of 90+ now, so we have had tornado/ t storms warnings weekly too)..For some reason I knew my Mom would think my not talking about moving meant it WASN'T happening whereas I will only mention changes if plans change...so yeah, yesterday had to say I am planning a visit ( got to wait since August 1st tourism reopening is now at risk of extending til the 31st, I can't stay for 3 wks) and the move is still Dec( my sister is finally planning a trip HERE then too). I did a FB group page post for encouragement of my vision to bike, walk, bus and taxi my way around:).

I got some good news lately re: tiny houses in HI. Since I have been thinking lately about long term ( wood houses mean termites n wood rot) & more welcoming floor plans for sleepovers ( but not wide enough to where my fam thinks I will babysit weekly), I am very glad I found a company called Affordable portable housing.com in Oahu ( I think) and they do steel modular houses, shipping container homes and AAC ( cinder block!) and for the mod, there's a 320 SQ ft model and a 480 SQ foot model ( currently getting pre approved by Big Island...and pretty sure I can get my AAC home built to those 2 too).

While the SC looks good n affordable w/ the 40' sometimes getting done w/ $20-$40K, I don't see myself being trustworthy of being inside it during a Hurricane n really like my block 🏠. All the houses get built on either a foundation or pier/post if in flood area. I love that the mod house gets everything done via permits ( & being legal!!) all before it gets delivered to your land and set on foundation ( company even grades the land for you) & hopefully the AAC house doesn't have hang ups there. Definite visit of both w/ seeing 2 in 'natural state' vs 1 w/ vinyl wood siding interior. Don't want to see the steel yurts they offer, lil too cute..

I am pretty pumped that I now can watch The CW thanks to finding out the app is free n free from logins too. Just finished Batwoman ( sucks that is ending on a few cliffhangers that are unresolved now) but hope Javicia kicks butt ( love the # vanlife part of her character too)..finished Roswell New Mexico and Sense8 ( weird as shit show, disappointed w/ outcome of Wolfgang/Kala..but the rest oddly good too) 2 seasons via Netflix.

Found out about the Roswell showrunner getting fired yesterday due to calling out the UK version editing out a same sex love scene while a hetero 1 in the same ep was mostly unchanged...I managed to curb the 3 times I wanted to have food delivered to just 1 of Papa John's awesome Shaqaroni pizza due to not wanting the oven on in this sticky, dry heat...

I have done ok re: snacking to 1-2 servings/day n a 3-4 hour window between snack n dinner...still got a sweet tooth re: ice cream n cookies but am managing just 2-3 scoops some days n 4-8 Famous Amos cookies the other) n some days, fruit!...I am going to work on not stocking up so much re: food. Realized I have freezer stuff that has been in there for a few months hehe. Spending an hour shopping every 2 wks isn't so bad..

I am also wanting to make that fasolakia dish soon ( I have seen recipes where you can use diced, stewed or plain tomato sauce:), eat more veggies in a teriyaki sauce/🍚 dish ( trying a Korean bulgogi recipe specifically for vegetarians too), try green beans n potatoes cooked in my garlic sauce, add shrimp or rotisserie chicken, maybe eggs to either meal for variety n try to make each weekly so at least 3 nights/week:)...these dishes are the closest I will get to Buddha/pesto veggie bowls ( just not into cold pasta)!..I really like that the Med Diet is like or a part of the Blue Zones Diet too😁😀😁😁..


I am still in denial about Naya Rivera's death...I really wanted to text ykw since she was a big part of my life during Glee's run but am good at resisting that instance...