Azraelle.com

Good Vibrations

I used to have bad gum disease.  Seriously, my nickname could have been Bleeding Gums Murphy because my gums would start bleeding if you barely touched them.  At one of my dental cleanings, they actually had to stop and have me come back to finish the job because I was too much of a bloody mess.  At that appointment, they told me I should investigate in buying an electric toothbrush.  I had always been intrigued by them, but they were so expensive that I never even dreamed of splurging on one.  Well, after practically bleeding out at my dental cleaning and being told electric toothbrushes do a much better job of removing plaque, I decided to make room in the budget.

My first electric toothbrush was an Oral-B Triumph.  It did an excellent job and I used it for years.  I had been very happy with the toothbrush, but felt it was time to buy a replacement.  While I was in Best Buy, I saw the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush.  Wow!  Now that was a nice-looking toothbrush!  I loved the sleek, clean design of the brush, and I thought the glass that doubles as a charger was a really cool and fun touch.  The travel case that includes a USB charger was also a very cool feature. 

The toothbrush has five different modes:  Clean, White, Polish, Gum Care, and Sensitive.  It has a timer, so you always brush your teeth for the appropriate amount of time.  Philips claims that it will whiten your teeth within one week, and that was so true for me.  Within one week, my teeth were two shades whiter than when I first started using the toothbrush.  Even my husband noticed my whiter smile and he never notices anything.  Best of all, my gums never bleed now.  I’m looking forward to my next dental appointment, because I know they are going to be much happier with my gum health. 

I know the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush is expensive at $229 (I got mine for $179 at Amazon!) but it is so worth the money.  Bad dental hygiene can lead to all sorts of nasty health issues, so you NEED to take good care of your teeth and gums!  Manual toothbrushes just don’t do as good of a job at cleaning your teeth, so electric toothbrushes are worth the investment.  You’ll end up spending less at the dentist if you have good dental hygiene, so you’re actually SAVING money by buying a good toothbrush.  Plus, you’ll save yourself some pain when the dentist doesn’t have to pull out your teeth, do a root canal, drill and fill, etc. 

Miscellaneous Ramblings

Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve blogged anything worthwhile.  Then again, I question whether I have ever posted anything actually worthwhile on the Internet.  Lol!  Anyway, I’m much older now and no longer feel the need to have total strangers in my business.  I also don’t need the adoration or approval from strangers online.  The great thing about being in your 30s, is you finally feel comfortable in your own skin.  I may not be the beautiful unique snowflake that I wished I was when I was younger, but  I’m really ok with how I’ve turned out.  Yeah, I wish I was thinner, but so does a million other people too, I’m sure.

I may not be able to post really personal stuff on my blog now, but there are still things I’d like to share and write about.  I’m still trying to decide which direction I want to take this site, but I can guarantee there will be new content coming very shortly.  I miss writing.  I miss sharing pictures, too.  It wasn’t until after my mom died that I realized much of what I used to share was mostly for her.  It was my way of letting her know what I was up to, where I was going, etc.  You can tell just by my online photo galleries when she died because the uploads basically stopped.  I’ve shared some pictures since her passing, but nothing like I used to.  And I sure don’t write blog entries almost every day now.  My LiveJournal hasn’t been updated in almost a year, and I think I only had two entries in 2011. 

Anyway, this site will be much fluffier than what I used to write online, but thems the breaks, kids.  Times change and I’m much more secretive than I used to be.  Older and wiser I am, and my business shall stay mine.  Besides, there are too many evil bitches online and I’m not about to give them more ammo to mock me, etc. 

Yikes! Crickets Are Chirping!

It's been a long ding-dang time since I've updated this site!

Spider Lashes Make Me Sad

I always have the worst trouble when it comes to finding mascara that I actually like.  It seems that most mascaras end up being too clumpy and make me look like Tammy Faye Baker.  Anyway, while I've had good results with Covergirl's Exact Eyelights mascara, I've been extremely intrigued by the commercials for L'Oreal's Telescopic Explosion mascara.  The brush for this product looked so unique, and I wondered if it would indeed be the clump-free wonder that L'Oreal claims it is.  After picking up the product and then putting it down several times over the last few weeks, I eventually decided to bite the bullet and actually purchase the product.

My high hopes for the mascara were quickly dashed when I discovered how thin and runny the product was.  The mascara clumped on the brush itself and was very messy.  After doing what I could to get some of the extra mascara off of the brush, I attempted to apply the product to my lashes.  Well, that was a big fat fail.  The mascara clumped and—despite L’Oreal’s claim that this brush makes separating your lashes simple and easy—I had difficulty getting my lashes to fan out and not clump together.  No matter what I did, I could not get my lashes to look right and I ended up having severe spider lashes.

I will say that the brush was great at applying the mascara to my little corner lashes.  It also made it very easy to fan out my lower lashes, though it was a bit smeary.  Still, it doesn’t really matter if all of your lashes get coated when the majority are stuck together in a clumpy mess.  L’Oreal really needs to rework their formula or just shit-can this mascara altogether, because it is way too messy and clumps far too easily.   If you’ve been intrigued by this product as well, please take my advice and don’t waste your money.  Out of a scale of 1 to 10, this mascara only ranks a 3 in my book.

Baked Zits

I may be in my 30s, but that doesn’t mean I no longer have pimples.  In fact, my skin is actually more problematic now than it ever was when I was a teenager or young adult.  I think my hormones must be really out-of-whack, because there are times when my face has more mountains and valleys than the Rockies.  Yep, just when you think you’re done with acne worries, life throws you yet another curveball.  If there is a God, he sure has a sense-of-humor.

Recently, I had a really bad breakout; some of the zits were the biggest I had ever had  before.  I swear, a couple of them were the size of small planets!  It got so bad that I didn’t want to leave my house, and that made me realize I had to do something about the situation. 

I had already tried many of the usual drugstore brands, but the fact is I’m simply too old for that stuff.  Products like Stridex and Clearasil dry out my face way too much and I’d actually rather have pimples than a dry, flaky face.  One of my friends had suggested using tea tree oil and—it does work—but the smell is just awful.  I’ve also been told to try Proactiv, but I really dislike buying stuff from infomercials because they always make you enroll in some program that sends you more product every few months.  Plus, Jessica Simpson and Avril Lavinge endorse Proactiv, which makes me really not want to buy it.

Anyway, after developing so many huge zits that my face was beginning to resemble Rocky Dennis', I decided it was time to break out the good stuff.  Previously, I had really good results with Bliss Spa’s Change Your Spots Acne Gel so I decided to use it again.  Yes, at a price of $32, it is expensive, but a little goes a very long way, and it shrinks your zits quick!  Most blemishes are gone within two days of using this product, though really large pimples may need one more day or two to completely vanish.  This gel is also awesome because it helps to even out your skin tone and treats post blemish hyperpigmentation. 

Two days after using the gel, my zits have shrunk to almost nothing, and my skin is looking and feeling so much better.  I can now go out in public again and not worry about my complexion.  The occasional pimple is not a big deal, but for the really bad breakouts, I highly recommend spending the extra bucks and buying this product.  It zaps your zits, yet it’s terrific for adult skin.  Remember, a little goes a long way and—even though it’s a small bottle—it will last you for months. 

They DO Exist!

You know those mean controlling husbands that you see on talk shows like Maury sometimes? The ones that treat their wives like dogs and control every thing they do? I always thought a lot of that crap was exaggerated for television, but today I actually saw it in person. An old man in Kroger kept yelling at his wife in the store. He kept telling her what she could buy and yelled at her for looking at certain products. When I was near them in the dairy section, he pushed her and yelled that they were done shopping. Instead of leaving immediately, she glanced at some donuts on the table by them and he then yelled, "I SAID WE WERE DONE, SO GET OUT OF HERE!" I was also done shopping at that point and made my way to the self-checkouts. They made it up there before me, and I saw him totally cut in front of another woman in line. He then yelled to the cashier that assists shoppers at the self-checkouts, "WE NEED SOME HELP HERE! GIVE US SOME HELP!" He basically expected her to do everything for him, but she eventually got fed up and told him, "You know how to do this. You don't need me." and then she walked off. His wife looked over at me and smiled meekly. I wanted to ask her why she puts up with his crap, but decided to just leave it alone. She has probably been married to the asshole for 50 years, so obviously she's used to his bullshit.

Sound of Goodbye

It's hard to believe that we may only be in Michigan for a few more months.  J should find out next week whether or not he can get the transfer approved for his last semester.  If he can, then we will start the process of getting rid of things and looking for a place to stay in Austin.  He may be able to get a hook-up through work, but it's no guarantee.  After six months or so, we intend on buying a place down there.  Just gotta see how it goes and we'll figure it out from there.  Anyway, just thinking about leaving Michigan makes me hella excited.  I so want to start the next chapter of my life.  Leaving so much behind in Lansing will allow us to really start over.  My darkest days were spent here in Michigan and I so want to close that door and be back in the light.  Yeah, that's hokey to say, but it sums up my feelings.  Some really bad shit happened during my time in Lansing and I just want to move on and focus on the happy good times that are ahead of us.  Our future is going to be AWESOME!

Chicago

I love Chicago!  It is my favorite city on the planet, and if it weren't for the job offer in Texas, we'd be moving to the Windy City next year.  I love the people of Chicago.  I love the shopping.  I love the food.  There is so much to see and do!  I love all the trains and bridges.  I love the architecture.  I love the green color of the Chicago river.  I love the fountains.  I love the museums.  I love wandering the streets and seeing everything there is to see.  I love the gorgeous neighborhoods.  I love how the city has just the right amount of grittiness.  I love the lakefront.  I love the skyline.  I LOVE CHICAGO!

Anyway, my trip to the city was fun.  Our hotel was great and we got an awesome deal.  We enjoyed dining at our favorite restaurants, Weber Grill and Portillo's.  We also finally tried Lou Malnati's pizza and liked it, but decided Giordano's is still way better.  Lou's had a good crust, but there is no beating Giordano's sauce!  I don't know what they put in their sauce, but I think one of the ingredients must be crack because it is so addictive.

While in Chicago, the hubby bought a newer car since his old one pretty much shit the bed.  He took it into the shop (again!) last week and they said it would be around $2,000 to fix it.  Screw that!  So, he found a beautiful car at a dealer near our hotel and we both love it.  His car is a big part of his identity and it's nice to see him so happy with his vehicle.  Yay for happy endings.  I also bought a very expensive purse during our trip, and my friend Amber has tried to shame me, but I don't care.  I love the purse; it is beautiful and it is mine.  I'll probably own the damn thing until I'm dead, so I'll get my moneys worth out of it.

Malarkey

I can't believe it is already September!  Where does the time go?  We will be living in Austin before we know it-- and that is such a good thing!  Anyway, I'm looking forward to fall and all of the prettiness and cooler weather that comes with it.  We had been in the mid-60s, but it looks like we are edging back up to almost 80 degrees again this week.  Eh, it's warmer than I'd like, but at least I can still keep my windows open and enjoy the breeze.

Ever since J returned from Texas, I've been in nesting mode.  I'm constantly cleaning the house and cooking everything from scratch.  I guess I really missed being a housewife while he was gone.  I used to give my mom so much crap for taking care of my stepdad the way she did, but now here I am doing the same thing with my husband.  I enjoy cooking for him and doing the housework.  I'm no longer ashamed of the fact that I don't work outside the home.  I don't need to "prove" myself to anyone, and as long as we're happy and the bills are paid, who cares what I do or don't do?

I got an order from Schwan's today.  I had never ordered anything from them before and I don't really know much about their products, but it was a freebie that I found on the internet (any entree up to $10 for free) so I thought I'd give it a shot.  Everyone knows my love of free stuff. =D   Anyway, I ordered their marinated pork cutlets.  They look... really small.  If I had paid $10 for them, I'd be miffed.   I will cook them sometime next week and hope they at least taste good.

Autumn Is Coming! Look Busy?

The past two days have been awesome as far as the weather is concerned.  Though we really didn't have much of a summer here in Michigan, it was still nice to feel a cool crispness in the air this weekend.  Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year, and you can tell that it is definitely around the corner.  Since this will be my last autumn in Michigan, I am going to enjoy it as much as possible.  There will be lots of long walks on nature trails, several trips to the cider mill, and we also plan on checking out a couple of the big corn mazes.  Texas doesn't really have all four seasons like Michigan does, so I have to make the most of the time I have left here.  So, bring on the fall colors and pour some cider! 

It looks like I'll be flying to Las Vegas in October for my friend's wedding.  I'm really looking forward to being there-- not only because she is my friend-- but also because she was there for me at my wedding.  My wedding was very last minute, so none of my other friends or my family could attend.  Thankfully, Mary Ann managed to go with me to Vegas, and she was one of the witnesses.  Anyway, I'm happy to be able to return the favor. =)  As soon as she gives me the details, I will book my flight.