Black Pudding

So, I was watching a show last night and there was mention of black pudding. I thought "hey, that sounds awesome!" Well, that is until I used the magical powers of Google to see what it actually was. 

According to wikipedia :

Black pudding, blood pudding or blood sausage is a type of sausage made by cooking blood or dried blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. The dish exists in various cultures from Asia to Europe. Pig, cattle, sheep, duck and goat blood can be used depending on different countries.

 Now, don't get me wrong. This might very well be the best tasting sausage out there but unfortunately I was completely squicked out. Perhaps it had to do with the photos that I pulled up from Google images. Or the fact that I'm not a fan of sausages to begin with.

OH that's right. It has everything to do with the fact that ma feed us RAW BLOOD SOUP when I was a child. She fed us tiết canh, which is a vietnamese duck blood soup and tried to pretend it was something else. I recall asking what it was and she replied with "Eat it. It's good for you!"

I can't remember what happened after that, so I'm pretty sure I passed out from the awesomeness or just blocked out the horrible memory. One of those most definitely happened.

Who Doesn't Want Longer, Fuller Eyelashes?

I keep seeing these advertisements for Latisse (made by the same company who brought you Botox), an eyelash growth product. It's usually an ad with actress Claire Danes and boasts to result in fuller, longer, thicker, and luscious lashes after only 16 weeks.

The down side? It's $120 per 3ml bottle and OH YEAH, the side effects. In some users, there is reported in unusual darkening of the eyelid and/or iris, itchy and/or red eyes, the growth of hair growing in other areas, etc. Sounds lovely, right?

I decided to surf a little and see what the Interwebz could tell me the truth about eyelashes and wasn't too surprised to find out that there's not too much that you can do, outside of eating healthier.

I did come across many different sources claiming that lubricating your lashes helps a bit. Apparently, many women apply a thin layer of vaseline, castor oil, olive oil, or Vitamin E oil onto their lashes before bed. The idea is that this helps to keep eyelashes from becoming dry and brittle.

I even found this adorable little Youtube video :

So really, the point of this blog post is to not persuade you to not try Latisse, or even to inform you about a little trick to condition your eyelashes. The whole point of this post was to get to this last part where I say HOLY SHIT, AN EIGHT YEAR OLD KID KNOWS MORE ABOUT MAKEUP THAN I DO!

Love-Hate Relationship

While I appreciate nice sunny days, I absolutely hate the heat. I despise hot summers even more now that I've moved to the South where humidity is high and mosquitoes always seem to want a taste. I always say that you can always add as many layers as needed during the cold months to keep warm and cozy, but there is only so much clothing you can take off you are completely naked ... and STILL SWEATING.

I'm seriously considering moving to Canada. I hear the people are generally nice, people actually get the health care they need. Oh, and poutine. There is poutine for everyone!

The Ultimate Betrayal

Dear Sixteen-Year-Old Me

This video made me cry. Fuck cancer.

A Fool And His Money Are Soon Parted

I remember going to the mall with one of D's friends and the guy was all excited about a hat that he found at American Eagle. It was a fitted baseball cap which was pretty cute, but it was in the "frayed" style which basically made it look like it had been used as a chew toy by one of his dogs.

I'm a big fan of used (vintage or "recycled" clothing) and understand the need for comfortable wear that has been broken in but what exactly is the appeal of purchasing NEW clothing that looks OLD? Maybe I'm just from another time where new clothing should look ... well, new.

Anyways, $1624 for a ripped, fugly old tee shirt that looks like it got into a battle with a lawnmower and lost? No thanks. If this price tag looks appealing to you, I have tons of used clothing that I'd be more than willing to sell you at a super redonk price. No lie.

Ever Wonder What 300 Acres of Marijuana Looks Like?

This photo is from an army helicopter flying over the biggest marijuana plantation found in Mexico, in San Quintin, about 350 km away from Tijuana, on July 13, 2011. Mexican soldiers discovered the plantation in a remote desert surrounded by cacti, a top army officer said on Thursday.

Soldiers patrolling the area found 300 acres (120 hectares) of pot plants being tended by dozens of men on Tuesday, said General Alfonso Duarte. He said the crop, which was found in the state of Baja California, about 200 miles/320 km south of San Diego, California, would have yielded about 120 tonnes and was worth about $160 million.

I See White People

A YouTube video uploaded in 2009 showed a webcam, identified as being an HP model, failing to follow a face when the person on-screen was black. When a white woman stepped in front of the same camera, the facial-tracking system appeared to begin working properly.

"I think my blackness is interfering with the computer's ability to follow me," Desi Cryer said. "I'm going on record and I'm saying it: Hewlett-Packard computers are racist."

HP acknowledged in a statement e-mailed to CNN that the cameras may have issues with contrast recognition in certain lighting situations. The webcams, built into HP's new computers, are supposed to keep people's faces and bodies in proportion and centered on the screen as they move.

Happy Birthday to Moi!

Today is my birthday and for once, I'm not all bummed about it. I *should* be considering that I'm getting older, but this year has been such a mindfuck that I'm grateful just to be here.

I called my mom and talked to her for a little bit. She told me the story of my birth. Apparently, I was born sometime around 4-5AM and it was such a difficult birth since I had the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck. Interesting thing was that D came out of his mother the same way. What are the chances, right?