Noms and Dinosaurs

In 2013, I lost my youngest brother to a wildly aggressive form of lung cancer.  Words and stories about this tragedy can't properly be expressed in one post, but the grief and depression all of his loved one experienced were deep and powerful enough to fill a chasm with tears. In his memory, my family and I run annual blood drives to keep his legacy alive.  During his treatment, he used 7 units of blood, which made a world of difference in how he felt.  He was so fond of how he felt, he called getting his transfusions getting "true blood". This past weekend was the fourth annual blood drive in his honor.  It's so amazing to work with a blood donation center, get the word out, market it, and see how many friends, family, and community members come to donate.  The opposite side of that coin is that his story is told.  Our pain is visible to all.  To share the impact of how blood donations make a difference to patients, it's agonizing to share an in...

My name is Aimee and I am an ice addict. I'm not even kidding either.  We're talking high-functioning addict.  I look seemingly normal on the outside, but inside I have an unexplained urge to destroy a cup of ice.  The softer the ice, the better. My desire to crunch got to the point where my fiancé suggested getting a shaved ice machine.  He was concerned that all the biting and crunching would not only put my teeth at risk of damage, but my jaw as well.  So to the store we went.  And invested $20 on a piece of shit. Don't waste your money. I was so elated to find the above piece of shit.  PUMPED.  I had a little ice machine that would save me from potential dental harm!  Got it home and it broke within three days.  I was so disheartened.  This was supposed to be a magical device of shaved ice glory. My fiancé, a worshipper and devotee of Amazon, did some research and behold--I present one of my most prized possessi...

Confession: I was a HUGE fan of Lisa Frank when I was a kiddo and to be entirely truthful, I still am today. I'm not talking about the new shit they have out at Target and Wal-Mart now.  It is just that--shit.  I am struggling to describe it.  The styles they have now scream, "the search for more money" rather than the delightful styles they once had in the past. Are you fucking kidding me?  This makes me cringe. I'm going to get a seizure from all this shit. I'm not a fan of the little girl alien-eye bullshit.  Get it together, Lisa Frank.  This shit sucks. The old-school Lisa Frank designs, specifically the sticker line, was bomb back in the day.  I'm thinking more along the line of the 90's.  The fun, creative, silly stuff.  I loved it when I was a kid and I still love it now, 20+ years later. Cleo-catra.  Classic.  Her pendant is the shit. All of the key players.  Ballerina bunn...

Dinosaur Quick Study: The Diplodocus I was always a fan of the diplodocus growing up.  This large beast, a cousin to the apatasaurus and brontosaurus, is the longest dinosaur ever discovered to date. This beautiful herbivore was first discovered in Wyoming in the late 1890's, its skeleton nearly full intact.  The diplodocus measures up to 90' long head to tail, which is the length of a basketball court and weighed 15-20 tons. Interesting facts: Andrew Carnegie procured the first discovered diplodocus skeleton.  He was so delighted that he had molds created from the original skeleton to share with museums around the world. Diplodocus (dih-PLOD-uh-kus) is Greek for Double Beam, referring to the double-beamed structure of spines on the tail vertebrae. Diplodocus is a sauropod, meaning a long necked dinosaur. The teeth were pencil-like and used to strip leaves.  The teeth were on the front of the jaw only.  Scientists have recently discovered that th...

One of my favorite family recipes is Grandma's Magic Shit Muffins.  We tend to have digestion issues in the fam, whether it's IBS, Celiac, or good ol' fashioned constipation.  Grandma's Magic Shit Muffins are just that: magic. Her muffins are not only tasty, but they get things moving if you're blocked up.  I never recommend eating more than two a day, unless you want to sit on the toilet for hours. This recipe yields quite a few muffins, so feel free to halve the recipe.  The batter stays good in the fridge in an airtight container for up to six weeks. Grandma's Magic Shit Muffins 1 15-oz box of Raisin Bran 5 cups of flour 2 cups of sugar 5 tsp. baking soda 1 TB cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 2 tsp. salt 1 cup of oil (or substitute for something lighter--check Google) 4 eggs 1 qt. buttermilk Fruit and/or nuts, chopped into bite-size pieces.  Try apples, pecans, dried berries, walnuts, etc. Pre-heat oven to 350.  Mix all dry ingredients...

As I start this little endeavor, I can feel my inner bully (I'll call her Trunchbull) beginning to tell me that this blog is going to suck.  It's going to sound like a moody 12 year old sharing insights of the past.  People will hate it.  Folks who stumble upon it will be dicks and leave shitty messages.  I'll be putting my thoughts and words out to the world and I'll be met with shitty fucking feedback. GOD, that's the worst.  That's the Trunchbull that's kept me from being a blogger.  Or sharing.  Or selling art. Trunchbull, you're a dick. I say that as a safeguard for me, really.  The sad thing about this whole thing is that 1.) it's just a blog, 2.) this is for fun, and 3.) listening to Trunchbull will get me absolutely nowhere in life except for hiding in the corner and trying not to be heard. So yeah.  Trunchbull sucks, but I'm learning to get in a few shots myself.  This blog really is for fun and yeah, there may be some...

This is a string of thoughts, fun facts, and tidbits of fun things I learn on a continuous basis.  Essentially, I'm creating the blog I'd want to read.  I explore mindfulness, deep reflections on life, as well as learning about a wide variety of shit, like different languages, dinosaur facts, or really good recipes I find and want to remember. General disclaimer: I will be using a lot of google images to illustrate points, but never for the intention of selling anything, etc, etc.  Just throwing that out there.