On our third day in San Diego we decided to go back to Cabrillo and check out the tide pools. The view is amazing there. If you just pointed your camera and clicked without even looking through the viewfinder, you wouldn't get a bad picture.
Then afterward, we went to Balboa Park. Which is one of the most amazing places I have ever seen. It is a place of arts, culture, and beauty. They have 17 museums all around the area so that you can go from one to the next and get your smarts on. But even if you don't want to read plaques on walls you'll be able to see tons of native plants and flowers all along the beautiful architecture.
I signed up for Influenster a few months ago and was recently sent my first VoxBox. Influenster allows you to sign up and review, take surveys, ask and answer questions about various products. If they feel that you'd be a good fit to test out some of their stuff, they'll send you a box to try out.
I received my first box last week. This Caliente box was filled with some goodies for summer that I will be reviewing in the upcoming weeks when I finish the samples. But I've already used the KISS gel FANTASY Ready-to-wear nail set.
John and I wanted to eat lunch at a fancy restaurant as a last hurrah to our vacation. I figured this would be the perfect time to use them and add that extra touch of fancy.
The nails come with both glue and adhesive tabs. I've never used adhesive tabs before so I decided to give those a try for the first time around.
The tabs are super sticky and come in their own packaging to ensure they don't get messed up. The downside of the packaging is that the actual tabs are not labeled. You have to keep track of which side is up and match it to the legend it comes with. It's not rocket science but if you accidentally drop them, it'll take you a minute or two to figure out which tab is which.
I've only ever used press on nails twice before with a short length so after using my dominant hand to put them on it was a tad bit of a struggle to adhere them to my opposite hand. The entire process probably took about twenty minutes.
John and I went to lunch and afterward, the movies.
On the way back to our house one of my nails fell off. I chalked it up to user error because the tabs really did feel as if they were up to the job but by the end of the night another two had fallen off.
The weird thing is that they all came off the same hand so I feel that maybe the set was defective. The nails on the other hand stayed put for three days.
After a few nails fell off with the tabs I reapplied them with the glue. This was not only easier but seemed to work better. It took two days for just one to start peeling away from my nail.
The look of the nails are great. They are shiny and the natural nail really does look natural. The glitter added a bit of glam and the black tips ensured that it matched pretty much anything I wore.
The nails held up extremely well. They did not break, peel, scratch, dent, or crack in any way.
Overall, I would spend the $7.99 they costs for a special occasion. I suggest for a longer lasting manicure that you use the glue instead of the tabs - especially if you live in a humid climate. But if you keep track of them when they fall off you can easily reapply them multiple times without worrying about them looking sad or ragged.
I'm sorry for the lack of photos during the actual putting-on process. This is my first hands-on (get it?) review. I'll take more pictures next time, just bear with me.
Have you used these adhesive tabs with your press on nails? Do you have any tips or tricks for helping them stay put longer?
*I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*
Cabrillo is named after Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who Columbused the West Coast.
Because without him, California wouldn't exist.
Besides a huge statute in his likeness (and probably to scale) Cabrillo has tide pools, a lighthouse, a museum, and a gift shop.
You pay 5$ to park and have access to everything but if you keep your receipt your five dollars will last you seven days. So knowing that we had plans for the evening we decided to visit the tide pools another day and just see the lighthouse and museum on day two.
The view from Cabrillo is really breathtaking.
And the background makes for some great pictures.
We visited the museum
the monument and its lighthouse.
Then it was time to visit our first California beach. Now, I've been to Corpus Christi in Texas and the beaches it has but I've never loved it. The water is dirty and green. It's always hot out and the sun is blaring. I actually was really apprehensive about spending an entire evening at the beach in California. But as soon as we got there I knew it was going to be a totally different experience.
The water was super cold! But we all had a lot of fun anyway.
When I was 15, me and a friend met up at this park in our neighborhood to smoke some weed. It wasn't my first time but I guess this stuff was stronger or something because I started freaking out. I mean, freaking out. I started getting paranoid. It was late and the dark was quickly taking over. Every little twig breaking or leaf rustling made my eyes bulge and my pulse quicken. My mom had already called me twice telling me to come home. We had been walking for what felt like an hour to find our way back home but really, it couldn't have been more than thirty minutes or so. I was near hysteria when we finally got out of the thick brush and realized we were a mile or so from where we were supposed to be. We walked all the way back home in the dark and I probably ended up grounded.
Needless to say, I was a completely different person some ten years ago. I can't imagine what it would be like to have my life dictated by a stupid mistake I made in those formative teenage years.
And that is part of the point of 15 to Life: Kenneth's Story.
When Kenneth was 14 years old, he was an accomplice in four armed robberies under the guidance of an adult ten years older than him. In charge of collecting or destroying the surveillance footage, Kenneth did not carry a gun or have direct interaction with the victims. On one occasion, he was even blackmailed into assisting. Yet, at age 15, Kenneth was sentenced to FOUR consecutive life sentences without parole.
I understand that armed robbery is a serious offense. I understand that the victims (no victims were killed in any of the robberies) will never forget what happened to them. I understand that actions have consequences.
I get all that.
But there also comes a point where we have to understand that the way we've been doing things, isn't working. It isn't helping those who need it most.
There are numerous studies that show the brain of teens and those in their early twenties are still developing. They succumb to peer pressure more easily than adults, don't fully understand what consequences their actions may have, and are more prone to risky behavior.
When "criminals" come into the courtroom it does not behoove them to send to them prison for life. Incarceration for wrong doings are intended to punish the behavior. When the punishment is excessive, you are not helping the person rehabilitate. You are writing them off. You are telling them that they are not worth the effort.
A video about Mass Incarceration in the US
This becomes an even bigger problem when we talk about juveniles. Some of those who are incarcerated, committed a crime to try to improve their situation in life. Things like stealing money or goods for food are commonplace. Others grew up in a household full of questionable morality and therefore known nothing else.
“Instead of inflicting these horrible punishments, it would be far more to the point to provide everyone with some means of livelihood, so that nobody's under the frightful necessity of becoming first a thief and then a corpse.”
Kenneth's story brings these problems to the forefront. These practices of leaving children to die in prisons has to change. And like anything, all these problems stem from other things: household life, drugs, mental health, gangs, abuse, assault.
Kids, more than others need to be nurtured and shown the way. I'm not saying that they should never have punishments. But the punishments need to fit the crime and their situation in life should be taken into account.
So many people believe that those who are in prison not only deserve to be there but have exhausted their other options and that simply isn't true.
The effects of being in prison take a toll on the person who comes out. They are less stable, less likely to find a job, a home, and are more likely to return for a repeat offense because they are not able to make do without helpful resources.
I didn't know that as many as 2,500 have been given life sentences as juveniles. Kenneth's Story along with his lawyers, his family, and even one of the forgiving victims was truly inspiring. I always put myself into other people's shoes and I honestly don't think I'd be half as optimistic as Kenneth is.
I give it 5 out of 5 popcorn.
You can watch 15 to Life: Kenneth's Story on PBS, tonight, at 8/7 CST. Or you can visit: POV to view the documentary or check your local listings.
Oh this one is hard! I watch a lot more TV because I feel like I've done more when I watch more episodes but movies are great.
"Oh I was worried I didn't do anything of importance today but I actually watched SEVEN episodes of Supernatural."
5. Candles or Diffusers?
Candles. The best are from Target. I don't care what you say. They are soy and smell amazing and I don't even flinch at paying 10$ for a big one because they last forever and make your whole house smell! I've currently been using the Pina Colada smelled one...but I think they call it something else.
Hazel Grace is dying but not like you or me, in that abstract way that we think about our own mortality. She knows she's dying from sucky lungs that shouldn't be called lungs. Not depressed but not exactly outgoing, Hazel sits at home marathoning America's Next Top Model and taking college classes. Afraid that she's missing out on all the things teenagers get to do, her mom suggests she goes to a Cancer Kid Support Group. There, Hazel meets Augustus and Isaac, each with their own cancer story. But soon Hazel realizes that her cancer isn't everything. She can still live what short life she has left, albeit differently, but definitely to the fullest.
There aren't enough words in my vocabulary to praise this book the way it deserves.
John Green's ability to write a book about two cancerous teenagers and have millions of people relate to their story is a testament to his writing ability. No. Not ability - gift. The book isn't a tough read, you can do it in one sitting, but the emotions you feel afterward will leave you feeling like you've just run a marathon. A crazy, sad, funny, heart-crushing marathon.
What captured me were the true emotions that Hazel felt. These things that are not socially acceptable to say aloud. When they talk about the fact that dead people's Facebook pages fill up with heartfelt but saccharin comments I felt that she and I could be buddies. Her snark and witticisms aren't a sign of depression brought on by the cancer. They are a sign of her understanding. Hazel is a brave person. She is caring and wonderful and beautiful inside and out. It is no wonder that Gus liked her so.
But Augustus Waters was something else himself. So confident in himself that he would pursue Hazel. Confident enough to go after the things he really wanted, no matter how small. At first I was kind of annoyed by his machismo attitude, but eventually that falls away and you're left seeing Gus for who he really is.
The book itself may be about dying but it's more about living. And I absolutely loved it.
