ALL the random

[corilannam]

Catching up with my life in random bullet points -

* Writing -- What's the very best, most productive thing to do when you have a Merlin big bang to write and several other stories in progress? Start writing an Eagle story, of course! (I CAN'T HELP IT)

* Mom -- In the continuing saga of my mother's life, she's heading back to the Cleveland Clinic on the 22nd to see a team of doctors, one of which, we hope, will be able to figure out what the hell is wrong with her and how to make it go away. In the meantime, she may be about to lose her housing subsidy because her apartment management made a mistake on a form. No, it wasn't her fault. No, the government doesn't care.

* Shampoo -- So in my slow ongoing effort to rid my life of toxic chemicals, I started researching some non-toxic shampoo options. Extremely hard to find, even among the so-called green brands. I ended up finding Chagrin Valley Soap, which is relatively local and looks pretty awesome. I ended up ordering a sample of all the shampoo bars they had in stock, and the package arrived today! I can't wait to wash my hair (if I can decided which one to try first).

* The Eagle -- I finally finished the book. Then I spent a very long time making helpless squeaky noises. I don't even care what they do with the movie. You know there's a comm (ninth_eagle), right? ninth_eagle, yes. Marcus and Esca are getting me through the day right now.

* Superbowl -- This isn't actually about the Superbowl because I didn't watch, though I did feel a little bad when the pizza guy asked what the score was and I had no idea. So I got chelseafrew to come over for Movie Bowl, instead. And in honor of the big day, I tried to make nachos. Unfortunately, the Velveeta refused to stay melted long enough to dip a chip in it, but it was a valiant effort.

I remember Velveeta cheese from my early childhood, when we used to get blocks of it in the boxes from the food bank, along with powdered eggs (nothing like eggs, but strangely addictive) and powdered milk (which I would not drink under any circumstances). My mom used to melt a slice of it over a fried egg with some bacon bits (of the salty fake kind) to get me to eat egg yolks (nutritional wisdom was a bit different when I was a child!)

Haven't had it since and have no idea what to do with the half-block I still have left. I suppose I should throw it away (see above about eliminating toxic chemicals).

Comments

[movies-michelle.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link to the soap and shampoo! I may have to try the next time I start having bad reactions to my current stuff.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

I'll let you know how they work! They have a lot of unscented stuff, which might work well for you. I'm especially excited about the whipped shea butter I ordered, too, since it's almost as hard to find non-toxic lotion as it is shampoo.

[mellacita.livejournal.com]

Let me know how the shampoo works?

And yay, Eagle fic! I might give it a shot; see if I can find any interest in writing again.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

I will! It all smells delicious, even through the envelope.

Yay, Eagle fic! You should try! It's such a tiny, fuzzy, needy fandom (at least until Friday).

[marryoh.livejournal.com]

I tried a few of Chagrin's shampoos. I wasn't impressed. My hair was disgusting and waxy and so very tangly. I tried a sample and it lasted about two months and my hair still didn't improve after any trial period no matter what else I tried to help with it. I used baking soda a couple of times, lemon juice, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar. When the first sample I tried finally ran out, I decided to just go back to my old shampoos. The other two samples I bought have just become body soaps since they didn't seem to help with my hair either. I was really excited for them to work so I was a bit bummed when they didn't. Just keep it in mind that a lot of people need that adjusting period. Hopefully you'll find one you like though! I'll definitely order from them again, but just for body soaps. I can't do natural shampoos. :(

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a bummer! I am worried about the tangle issue, since my hair is very tangle prone. I got one of their conditioning bars, too, so maybe that will help.

I'll just hope that one works out of all the ones I ordered. If not, I'll have a lot of soap for a while!

[waltzing-mice.livejournal.com]

I guess I need to read that book!

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

You really do. You really, really do!

[lolafeist.livejournal.com]

I just finished The Eagle tonight! Ohhhh, boys. Retiring to farm together. OMG.

I'm really big on non-toxic body products. I've done a ton of research on them because of my kids. I also studied clinical aromatherapy and learned more about essential oils.

I'm using the spicy ginger shampoo from Illumina Organics right now. http://iluminaorganics.com/

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Oooh, spicy ginger sounds yummy. I'll have to check that out (and pick your brain about essential oils!)

Oh, boys! No question who the married couple was at the end of that book. *g* Take note, Arthur!

[rheridia.livejournal.com]

Try out the "no poo" meathod, that involves baking soda and apple cider vinegar, combined with brushing with boars bristle. There is a transition period, but the meathods of washing your hair definitely cut down on the frequency of shampooing that is required even if you decide to not stick with no poo entirely.

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

I did try that, and it was a pretty big disaster. My hair was one big snarl. :-( Maybe I wasn't doing it right. I do like the idea of shampooing less often, since right now I absolutely have to do it once a day.

[sneezer222.livejournal.com]

you can make fudge with the rest of your velveeta. Really.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/81145/velveeta-cheese-fudge.html

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Oh. My. That is rather fascinating!

[blameitonmerlin.livejournal.com]

Velveeta cheese always scared me. Looking back I think it was my brain's subconscious effort to keep me away from all things frommage.

I hope your mom gets a diagnosis and a treatment plan soon! All these organizations are, in theory, supposed to work together for optimal result, but when a glitch enters the system it seems like twice the effort to correct it than went into making the effort. So an easy error to makes becomes a difficult fix. Ugh.

*hugs*

I am always looking to minimalize my chemical intake and so you want to brainstorm more ideas about how to do that I would love to1 <3

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

I tend to love all things frommage, and I have fond Velveeta memories from my childhood. But I think I am no longer convinced that it actually qualifies as part of the frommage family.

Thanks for the kind words about my mom. You're right, it always seems like one little glitch can screw everything up way out of proportion to the magnitude of the glitch!

It's really hard to minimalize the chemical intake, isn't it? I've been working to eliminate as much plastic from my house as possible, and also trying to green up my cleaning supplies. That wasn't too hard, but the beauty products have been more of a challenge!

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

it's true, velveeta is not actually any form of food.

lush has some nice nontoxic stuff, if you haven't one near, you can order online from them, too. just a thought if these shampoos aren't right for you.

sending good thoughts for your mum. sorry to hear that things are so difficult at the mo [*cuddles you both*] ♥

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

Lush was actually the first place I checked out, since I had heard that they used natural ingredients. Unfortunately, when I went to my local store I found out that their shampoo bars do have sodium lauryl sulfate and propylene glycol, which are big on the list of Cancer Chemicals to Avoid. The employee I talked to confirmed that they don't make anything that doesn't have those chemicals in it, so I sadly had to give up the idea of Lush.

Luckily, the Chagrin Valley bar I used last night seems to be doing lovely things for my hair! So far, so good!

Thanks for the good thoughts for my mom - she can definitely use all the good vibes she can get (and so can I!) *hugs*

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

oh, i didn't know that lush was evil, and now i'm sad [*wibbles a little*]

i hope the other shampoo works out ♥

[corilannam.livejournal.com]

I know, I was really bummed, too. I think half my flist are Lush addicts, and I was looking forward to having an excuse to shell out for some of their wares. But alas, it was not to be. :-(