My Review of ExOfficio Chica Cool Hoodie - Women's

Originally submitted at REI

The ExOfficio Chica Cool hoodie, featuring dri-release®, is odor resistant, styled for versatility and is hard working whether you're taking a hike or taking it easy.

ExOfficio Chica Cool Hoodie - Women's

Cute! Versatile! Comfy!

By skullygirl from Northwest Hills, CT on 10/23/2011

5out of 5

Chest Size: Feels true to size
Sleeve Length: Feels true to length
Pros: Dries Quickly, Breathable, Warm, Lightweight, Stylish
Best Uses: Hiking and Camping, Travel, Casual Wear
Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational
Was this a gift?: No

I. Love. This. Shirt.
when i first tried this on, i knew i had to have it. the fit was flattering and feminine, without being too form fitting. in fact, if anything. . i would say it might be cut a bit big. i am a size 12, and usually wear a size M, which is what i have this shirt in. probably could have gone down to a small, but i kind of like the relaxed fit of it. i think the kangaroo pocket is strategic! . . .really helps camouflage any tummy flaws. it is thin enough to pair under a cardigan, but most often, i just throw a tank underneath. this is my new go-to shirt! i've worn this to walk around the job-site of a large construction project, and then worn it out to dinner with the crew later the same night! it's also great for hiking or just lounging around. it pairs well with both jeans and skirts (i love it with my brown corduroy skirt). i have it in the dark pebble. to me, it looks almost like a dark navy. very neutral. the other colours seemed just too bright for my taste.

(legalese)

A First Father's Day

Today was my husband's very first Father's Day! He and I don't typically get caught up in all the hoopla over holidays and such. Neither of us are card-givers, and we tend to veer away from being gift-givers as well.  That's just the way we are. Awful as that might sound to many people, this mentality alleviates us of many stresses, headaches and waste, allowing us to focus on what is truly important -- our family and each other.

Baby Otto with his Papa. 

So, without getting too sentimental about today's occasion, I did want to take a moment to remember his very first Father's Day, as a day that was indicative of the sweet and genuine person he is . . . spending time with all of us, whittling away at the never-ending list of baby duties, savoring a really good meal (or two), doing for others, being super silly (*maybe* this involved a garden hose turned on a passing car. . . ), going with the flow, enjoying the moment for what it is, repairing what's not right and getting his hands really dirty in the yard.

I love you, dear.

The Fasting Diary: Three Days In Review

I just finished a three day cleansing fast this past week. As I had posted in a previous blog ("Three Day Cleansing Fast"), I drank a lemony water mixture (along with plenty of plain water) for three days, without food. I kept a running diary of how I was feeling both physically and emotionally on each day. Here are my memoirs of those three days. . .

D a y  O n e
My first day without food. A Wednesday. A day that I work in my office. Tomorrow, however, I will be working from home, so I'll be interested to see how the days compare.

I made it through (Phew!). I was actually only slightly tempted to put food in my mouth, but the thought quickly vanished when I reminded myself of what my purpose is in doing this fast.

What is my purpose in doing this, anyway?

Oh yah. . . to cleanse my body. Basically, a detox. I had been feeling that my eating habits were getting a little out of control for some while now, and I wanted to do a good cleansing to help get myself back on track.

The morning was fine. Of course I had a few hunger pangs here and there, but not too bad. Oddly enough, around 11:00 a.m., I had my biggest food craving of the day. It doesn't help that many people in my office decide to eat at there desks around this time. So, I had to deal with some pretty strong food smells. I just kept busy with work. Often throughout the day, as I was faced with little pangs in my tummy, I could hear my yoga instructor in my head saying, "feel it, acknowledge it, and let it go", as if he was trying to talk me through an uneasy pose. This was tremendously helpful.

I started observed my hunger pangs. I would watch when they would start, how they would feel, and how they would travel in my body. This, of course, was all fascinating to me, and is certainly unique to each person. I also observed my urination patterns. Well, let's just say, I went a lot! As the day progressed, I did find my urine becoming more clear. Woo! I was on my way. About halfway through the afternoon, I found out that Darren and Emma, who had decided to join me for the cleanse, did not make it through Day One. And that's ok. I told each of them, that this just isn't for everyone. Generally speaking, it was a busy day at work, so before I knew it, I was sitting on Bus #27, making my way back home.

Today really seemed to be a day of reflection for me. Throughout my day at work, and especially on my bus ride home, I thought about how I've been living my life, and the choices I've been making. Mostly when it comes to food, but this certainly extends to other areas as well. I had been succumbing to every dietary whim no matter how unhealthy (I think I ate ice cream at least three times last week!). My glutinous behaviors need to come to an end. I thought about Buddha and how he teaches us that self deprivation is good for the soul. Self denial is a means to spiritual enlightenment, afterall, and I have not been practicing that much lately.

And then I thought about those of us that don't have a choice about not eating. I wondered if the hunger I was feeling, felt different to them. I am pretty sure that it does.

By the time I arrived home, I believe my family had finished dinner, and I was thankful. I played a bit with Otto, and soon it was time for him to go to bed, and me alongside him. I went to bed hungry, but I was fine. I was just proud that I made it through Day One, more than anything.

{Total Lemon Water: 60 oz  / Total Plain Water: 100 oz}

D a y  T w o
I woke up this morning feeling a wonderful sense of serenity. I can't express just how gentle I awoke, but it was quite wonderful. And not the least bit of hunger. Today was Thursday, and I was working from home. Dottie and I walked Emma to the bus stop. The morning was glorious. There was a faint fog and a slight mist hanging in the air. The temperature was perfect, and it felt good to be walking out in it. I was happy. By the walk back, the hunger was rising and I was determined to not let it take over. I got in the house, grabbed my laptop and a Nalgene bottle full of lemony water, and headed to the upstairs office to start my day early. I got into my working groove just fine. But as the day wore on, I started to feel hungrier. Today, it was harder to just let the feeling pass. I was holding onto it for whatever reason, and I was suffering for it. I also felt much more anxious today. Almost like I was bored with this and it was enough already. But I kept my focus on my work, and luckily, I had a lot to do.

Perhaps it was the lack of two 90 minute bus rides, but I found that I did not philosophize about what was happening much today. I was more in a coping mode. I found that I was clenching my jaw, and breathing deep throughout the day, as the hunger would come to me. In retrospect, I'm pretty sure if I could have just rationalized my hunger pangs a little better, as I had done the day before, I would have fared better physically.

To be quite frank, I also noticed that I was urinating less today.  But then again, I was drinking less water. However, I am proud to report (and I apologize if this is sharing too much), but I finally had a bowel movement today. A pretty normal one I'd say, and I'll leave it at that. By lunch time, I was having a hard time focusing, and decided to get my mind off the lunch hour. I treated myself to an express pedi, and within forty minutes, I was refreshed, and back at work. That was probably the best thing I could have done today. It really got me out of my head. . . and my belly!

Later in the afternoon, a wave of sleepiness came over me that was almost overwhelming. I didn't lay down and nap, but let's just say, I certainly could have! I knew I should have been drinking more water throughout the day, but I just didn't feel like it. The thought just turned my stomach. But I am sure the lack of water was probably contributing to my fatigue.

By the end of the day, the troops were milling about the kitchen, formulating a plan for dinner. Before the grill was even fired up, Otto was in his stroller and we were walking the neighborhood. It felt great to be outside. Otto dozed and we took our time. By the time we got home, dinner was over and I was making preparations for bedtime.

A few times in the evening, my family saw I was having a hard time. They suggested I stop, since I'd come so far already. I appreciated their concern, but decided to hold steady my course and stick to my plan. So again, I would go to bed hungry. But yet again, the feeling of hunger was overshadowed by the feeling of pride, for having exhibited great fortitude, when faced with the challenges of the day.

{Total Lemon Water: 45 oz  / Total Plain Water: 80 oz}

D a y  T h r e e

Again, I woke up this morning in the most peaceful way. Just lovely. I wish I woke up so gently every morning! And again, no feelings of hunger. Today was my last day on the fast, and it was Friday. Today, I will take the #27 bus into Hartford. I had a rough day yesterday, but I knew today would be better, because I was almost done. Up until today, I had not experienced any headaches. Just some irritability yesterday. Well, sure enough. . .they showed up today in full force! I had heard that the headaches will come as you are releasing toxins from your body. All day I had them. I also had a sharper little pain at the base of the back of my skull. This was interesting, and it is something I will investigate further. Today I was met with a lot of positive vibes. Compliments from friends telling me how great I was doing, and even a compliment on how wonderful my skin looked. How about that? That was enough for this gal. . .I was gonna make it! 

Now don't get me wrong, today had it's challenges. First off, on Fridays, my firm provides a bagel smorgasbord for the entire office. Not only did I have to contend with the wafting aroma of toasting sesame seeds and warm cinnamon everywhere I went, but I had to look at nearly every person in the office traipsing around with a bagel hanging out of their mouth! And it wasn't until today that the urge for coffee really hit me hard. Everywhere I turned, all I could smell was hot, rich and delicious coffee. So again, keeping busy, and fighting off the headaches with more water was my plan. Luckily, I didn't have nearly the trouble I had yesterday, getting all my liquids in. My tummy felt generally better. I did notice, in addition to the headaches, my urine changed from being previously clear, to being cloudy. I put two and two together, and made the assumption that my body was truly flushing out more toxins. 

By lunchtime, I had to get out of the office. It was a nice day, so I took a walk around the block, and sat outside for a bit. You feel different when you are on a fast. You are in a zone. What "zone" this is, I cannot say. But you are in a bit of a limbo of reality. You are observing people and their actions from a different point. Not so much from the outside. . .but almost.

I went back inside and finished up my day. I had decided that I would eat that night, since technically, I had completed my three full days of fasting at 7.00 p.m. When I got home, dinner was almost ready. 

It feels strange to end a fast. It was a strange way of living for a few days and to see it end is . . well, I don't want to use the word "sad", so I will just leave it at "strange". It is a journey that I was on, all by myself, from within my own body. It is a personal journey that nobody else can really understand or relate too. I am reminded of the saying that is to the effect of "Every man must do two things alone: he must be born alone and he must die alone". 

And he must fast alone.

{Total Lemon Water: 60 oz  / Total Plain Water: 80 oz}


P O S T S C R I P T
I have been tightening the reigns on my eating since my cleansing, which is easy since I find that I am feeling full more quickly now. Once I broke the fast, I was instantaneously delighted with the array of dietary options at my fingertips. Although I am sure it will be a short-lived appreciation, as I know how quickly complacency sneaks up on us. I am feeling good in the days immediately following my cleansing. While the headache remained for a day following, mentally, I feel balanced and serene. I am surprised at how differently I experienced this cleansing, from the ones I've done in the past. I am older now, and find that I am reading it from a more emotional, rather than physical, perspective.

Will I do more cleansings in the future? Probably. Will I put a stop to my "glutinous" behaviour? This, I am starting to see, is all relative. After Buddha popped into my head on Day One, I decided to revisit some of the writings of "Siddhartha", a favourite book of mine written by Herman Hesse. As I was flipping the pages, I came upon one particular passage that stood out and spoke to me in regards to my fasting experience:

"...he joined a group of five other wanderers like himself. They told him he should fast - eat very little food - and then he would find the truth. So Siddhartha ate just one bean a day, or one grain of rice. He became very weak and ill. One day a milkmaid went past and offered him a bowl of milk. He drank it. Then he ate some food and began to feel strong again. 'From now on I will take the middle way. I shall neither starve my body nor feed it too richly, but will eat just what is needed and no more.' The five wanderers could not believe that Siddhartha had broken his fast and left them."

Three Day Cleansing Fast

Day One's Batch
(enough for three people!)

Several years ago, I was very diligent about routinely doing a fast to cleanse my body. I had heard of a "recipe" from my cousin. Basically you drink a specific lemon water (water, lemons, maple syrup) for three days, without food. It sounded kind of shady, if you asked me at the time, but it was a plan of some sort and she swore it was totally healthy. I ended up really liking the fast and would do it about twice a year, whenever I felt yucky, and it seemed my body wasn't working right. And each time after my fast, I would feel much better, and would not crave junky foods, but rather, had the urge to eat healthy foods.

So, a little while ago, I stumbled upon this blog on holisticworld.com, that gave a recipe for a lemon cleanse diet. I checked out the ingredients, and sure enough, it was the same cleanse I had done all those years ago! Although there was one small difference: the original recipe called for cayenne pepper. Wow! I was amazed to learn that this was an actual legitimate program, developed in the 1940's by an alternative medicine practitioner named Stanley Burroughs. Of course, I saw this as a sign that it was about time I start another cleanse, and so I began to plan for my next fast.

Further research revealed that this cleaning was actually developed, as my cousin had promised, specifically to remove toxins from the body, and even eliminate unhealthy cravings. Burroughs published this diet in the book, "The Master Cleanser". In addition to drinking lemon water and plain water (no food!) for 3-10 days, the book outlines a dietary "ramping up" (or "ramping down", as the case may be) for three days prior to the cleanse, and a salt water flush every morning and evening. I had always just done the fast with lemon water and plain water for three days, and that was what I plan to do this time. But The Master Cleanse website gives all the details along with some really helpful information.

Here is the single serve (10 oz) recipe. The fast requires you to drink 60 oz per day (in addition to 100+oz of plain water), so I usually make 6x this recipe so I have the entire days' batch on hand:

2 tablespoons organic lemon juice (fresh squeezed, approx 1/2 lemon)
2 tablespoons organic maple syrup, grade B
cayenne pepper powder (as much as you can tolerate*)
10 oz. distilled water

I start my three day cleansing fast today! I'm excited. From what I remember, the fast is easy, without too much hunger pain. Emma and Darren said they would like to join me on this cleanse, so I'm very excited to hear what they think about it too. I will be writing a post-fast account of my experience over the next three days, so stay tuned. . .

* "Cayenne Pepper has many wonderful properties. It is a stimulant which raises the metabolism (something that is important when not digesting food). It increases circulation, which is very helpful when cleansing because one often feels slightly cool, likely due to the low metabolism which results from not digesting food. Cayenne Pepper also acts as a blood thinner and purifier, which can help with digestion. Perhaps most importantly, Cayenne Pepper, like the Fresh Lemon Juice, helps to break up the mucous in our bodies. Mucous is where all our illness causing substances get trapped. This is why we get stuffed up, congested, sneeze and cough. Breaking up and eliminating this mucous is one of the major benefits of The Master Cleanse." (excerpt from "The Master Cleanse")

Keeping In Touch

When I was riding home from work on the bus yesterday, I saw a woman that looked like a friend of mine, walking into a restaurant. I haven't talked to this particular friend in probably two years! No tiff, no falling out, just two busy lives that have grown apart. Now, I knew right away that the woman I saw wasn't my friend. But she looked close enough to get me thinking about her. And I thought about her enough to pick up the phone.

It felt unbelievably good to reconnect with my friend! Why did it take me so long to reach out to her? And more importantly, how did I lose touch with her in the first place? Sure we are all busy, but with today's technology, it is easier than ever to shoot an email, fire off a text, or even make a phone call.

I was so happy to chat with you after all this time. I think of you lots and I miss you lil' Elf :)

Heritage

I inherited my wedding band from my mother, who inherited it from my grandmother. It is quite a unique ring. I love it, in and of itself. I love it even more because it is a family heirloom. And I think I love it even more still, because of how it came into my possession.

Darren and I did not have a traditional wedding. Like many things in our life, it was rather unconventional. We eloped. To Wyoming. With him being an avid skiier, and me a snowboarder, the height of a killer ski season in Jackson Hole seemed like the perfect time and place to tie the knot. Before our wedding, I had not given much thought to what I would wear as a band. I just knew that flashy, simply was not me. I have never been a fan of sparkly jewelery, so diamonds were not even an option. As the date drew near, and I remained ringless, I was not in the least bit concerned. If I had no wedding ring at all, I would not be bothered. Whatever would happen, would happen.

Now understand that nobody knew about our plans to wed. Nobody! It was kept top secret, for a few reasons. . .mainly to keep things simple. My mother had been staying with us for a few days prior to our departure. She would be helping with Emma (12 years old at the time) while we were away. The morning before we were leaving for Wyoming, my mother approached me in the kitchen. She looked me square in the eyes and said that she didn't know why this was happening, but she had to give me my grandmother's wedding ring. I was stunned. She had worn this band along with her own grandmother's wedding band for years, but now here it was in my own hands! She told me that my grandmother had come to her in a dream the night before, and told her to give this wedding band to me. How about that?! This story still gives me goosebumps every time I tell it. And the rest is history...

I imagine this ring is at least 100 years old. Stamped only "14K" on the inside, it is mostly white gold, with a yellow gold edging, and the most darling star engraving trailing it's way around the entire ring. I've done a bit of research to try to track down information on the history of the style or this particular design. I haven't found much of anything. But it really doesn't matter. This ring has it's own history, and it is a history that I am a part of. I can remember, as a young girl, my grandmother wearing this band. She is standing at her kitchen counter, chopping onions for my tuna fish sandwich -- which is how I always used to eat them. She has a hanky tucked up the sleeve of her beige cardigan sweater -- that is where she always used to keep them. I get many compliments on my ring. It is very special afterall. But more importantly, I get many flashbacks from time to time, upon glancing at my hand. Little snipits of my life, a lifetime ago. This ring is a living piece of my personal history and my family's heritage. And it sits right here on my very own finger!

Red Again!!!

I've always coloured my hair. It has been every colour in the natural world (and a few unworldy hues as well)! The colour I have settled on as my favourite, however, is red. Not just any red. . .but the richest, reddest, red of all reds! .....but commit to it, I will not. I get bored too easily. In fact, I was blonde when Otto was born 6 months ago. After his birth, I had tried to achieve my signature red, but with no luck. Why was the same red dye I used to use, turning my hair lilac? . . .and then black?? People told me postpartum hormones messed up my hair, and there was nothing I could do.

Well, this morning, I found an old, old box of Herbal Essence "Disco Inferno". After using hand selected dyes and specific developer volumes from the professional beauty shop for the past 6 months, I figured it would never work. Plus, it was so old, the developer must be defunct. . . .

Well, guess again!
My old red is back :)

My Hairs Through The Yairs ! !!
(...some better than others)

One Grateful Gal

Feeling extremely grateful for my job today. This job market has been especially brutal to the Architectural industry. After being without a job for two years, I know I am lucky to be gainfully employed, and even luckier to be working in a field I still *LOVE* after 10 years!



I may not be involved in so much design these days, but I am digging the technical stuff too. One aspect of Architecture that always appealed to me, is that it is multi-faceted and truly touches upon many disciplines. Hard to be bored and easy to be challenged :)

hello (blog) world!

"I sup­pose the point of pub­lish­ing such a doc­u­ment is to

demon­strate the way in which 

the hours of a day can as satisfactorily

be filled with trivia as with impor­tant events."

 - PAUL BOWLES -

I am starting feeling like a blog is mandatory these days. I am noticing that not only are more and more of my friends blogging, but I, myself, am gleaning more and more information from blogs. Huh. How about that! I have been outside of the technological loop this whole time!

Blogs are a curious thing to me.  They make me think about how technology is changing our culture. Through the internet, we now have at our fingertips a plethora of online social networks, podcasts, YouTube videos and yes. . .  blogs. We are becoming much more public with our personal lives. And those of us that participate in this online cultural revolution, are quite aware (call it self-conscious, if you will) of exactly how we project our personal lives. Yup. Admittedly, what we put forth for the world to see, is orchestrated. . .as it should be.

Long gone are the days of a diary with a lock and key, in which you scribble your deepest secrets? I doubt it! But as I embark on my first blog, I would like it to be rooted in honesty. A true chronicle of what is going on in my life. It will be an account of what I find interesting, and will be sparked from those things that are true to me...a genuine extension of me, suitable for public consumption.