Author: Emiko F.

I wanted to explain why I did not mention agave in my statement about sugar being the devil. This is because I think it is an overly-marketed sweetener which slightly raises your blood sugar levels just not as much as sugar. I think the stevia brand I mentioned is much better in flavor and body receptivity to those sensitive to sugars. So I will continue to shun agave like the overly-needy party guest who demands too much attention. But, by all means, if you like it go forth we each must find our none fat/crazy maker sugar substitute. I hope no one is still thinking that Splenda is a good idea, it is made from chlorine people! Chlorine dries out your eyes and makes your bathing suit smell- do you think it belongs in your coffee?

Sugar is the most widely accepted dangerous drug of all time. It makes children turn into angry little pixies running amuck (ok and me too), it causes diabetes, hypoglycemia, inflamation, acne, and many other conditions. (Great book to read- anything by Nicholas Perricone). Yet like an abusive lover it is hard to turn away, it has beaten us down from an early age and when the ice cream truck sings down the street, or someone gives you a box of chocolates, an uncontrollable illness almost makes it impossible to not inhale them at once.

To fight this innate obsession people can turn to stevia. There are a few different brands of this plant sweetener, which is very popular in South America where it grows. My favorite company is Stevita Co. Their products taste the most like sugar, (some brands have a licorice hint which is hard to ignore). This brand is sold in stores but they sell it online for much cheaper. They sell the sweetener in packet form, in shakers, with chocolate and other flavoring and you can feel good about putting something in your refreshments that is good for you not poisonous chemicals.

Check it out www.stevitastevia.com . Just don’t buy it all! I will turn into a very naughty pixie if I can’t keep getting my fresh supply…

I will not lie. Prior to this year I believed E-Bay to be some sort of weird-partial scam. Being a native New Yorker and inclined to skepticism I did not understand how people could create transactions with no face to face verification. The whole thing seemed like a bizarre trust cycle amongst suburbans that I did not want to get involved with- positive that I would be tricked and pay for something that never came.

I will now secretly admit that I have bid on a few items and they arrived in perfect condition. A leather bag that is really beautiful and has received more complements than bags that I paid full price for. Computer software at half the price that is exactly what I hoped for: brand new and functioning brilliantly.

I don’t really know how I have lucked out but perhaps this system is not a conspiracy to cheat people out of their money… Maybe it is a genius idea. It is worth a shot, for items that you want but don’t want to splurge on could arrive at your door for much less…

The library system, started by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia two hundred + years ago, is a luxury easily forgotten. However, anyone who has bought a book at Barnes & Nobles lately knows that keeping up with novels you want to read can be a pricey venture, until you decide to pay your ten dollar fine in overdue books and go back to the building of free books.

Did you know that the New York Public Library would deliver a requested book to your branch? I think they have always had this service but now with a few clicks online it’s even easier. You can log online via the barcode on your card, and click on the book you want and tell them which branch you’d like to pick them up at. Then they send you an email (if you sign up for that feature) to tell you when it has arrived. The current bestsellers don’t always take that long since they are more of them in circulation.

You pay taxes, take advantage!

I recently read that hemp is the only plant which the body can process protein from just as meat products. This is key to anyone who is trying to build lean muscle mass and shrink body fat. Of course, hemp is also more expensive since the government restricts its growth here in the U.S. and so it has sometimes been imported. But- it is still more economical per protein amount in comparison to meat and is obviously better for the body. Yea for hemp!
Any further facts about hemp would be much appreciated.