tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73278343354015810092024-03-13T21:55:51.332-07:00Keep Tabs on SamHey, I'm Sam. I'm on this new adventure> Home-ownership and living in one spot.SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.comBlogger268125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-69327882265370542072016-11-30T19:55:00.000-08:002016-11-30T19:55:46.979-08:00#NaNoWriMoWinner2016I am actually sad that the month is over but also exhausted, so therefore relieved. I am so proud to say that I did not miss one day of writing and now have over 150 pages (double spaced) of a manuscript to work off of. I actually plan to stick it in the freezer for two months before I go to edit it. <br />
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I did not read ANYTHING that I wrote for the first time ever. Each day was just a matter of keeping on. Which led to some great momentum. I was able to stay focused on where the story was headed instead of perfecting how to tell it. I have finally embraced the methods that seem to work best for me, which is also such a win in its own right.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_WqqJj_b010GT65sSik9WtYuXxdvHXNI8SvFKASIIWXf1-g-EdgNu7LGmXnt700SNkm3_ZA-sHm9U51Hk318b0Algkvjwlk3ffdg6LrbWAj_6uAoavCJbviH6cC_u2a2b-zzOQXFBxVu/s1600/NaNoWriMo_2016_WebBanner_Winner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_WqqJj_b010GT65sSik9WtYuXxdvHXNI8SvFKASIIWXf1-g-EdgNu7LGmXnt700SNkm3_ZA-sHm9U51Hk318b0Algkvjwlk3ffdg6LrbWAj_6uAoavCJbviH6cC_u2a2b-zzOQXFBxVu/s320/NaNoWriMo_2016_WebBanner_Winner.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I feel like I've reached a different understanding of writing that I have been striving for --> knowing the ending. This was another big one because I had to realistically get my characters there. It gave me momentum and made me think harder about character choices and therefor character identity.<br />
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Lastly, NaNoWriMo has given me pacing. Since I had my scene's as a sentence on index cards (with one to four jot notes) ahead of time, I knew that I had a limited amount of scenes that I could use each day. This forced me to draw things out that I normally wouldn't have. To really enhance the detail and give more meaning to why the character was there. I played more with scent and sound and really stretched which helped me be there with my character. <br />
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This was a great experience and it was easier this year because 1. This book has been in my brain for a long ass time, 2. I had a plan and the random things floating in my head turned into 'scenes' for the character to get through 3. I didn't let myself fall behind, I planned ahead and wrote more whenever I could to get ahead.<br />
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I imagine this process is so different for everyone but I'll keep doing this every year and maybe try a NaNoCamp in April?SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-41463504424113408002016-11-05T19:10:00.000-07:002016-11-05T19:10:31.916-07:00NaNoWriMo - Day 5 So it's day 5 of NaNoWriMo and my scene titles have come in real handy. On a set of large index cards I wrote a heading and then scribbled some
notes to jog my memory further. I try to just use one index card a day
but sometimes I've used as many as three if the scene ends up being
really lame. Then there's the whole blank white space on the back of the
index card and when I think up some new scene I jot it down there. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-TdRDpSkRapTdMNuTQ9KIQXkRJ0yqcPg8mIi_tAtG4HquR_hKOLk02HXyP52lIJQpx2mA9UCdoXaLwbHdw6LE55xTgJYC6MljvdGEXFvJshVEDyE1Ilda6u8wtfUK_wd50Gfdff7wQ9C/s1600/IMG_2448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-TdRDpSkRapTdMNuTQ9KIQXkRJ0yqcPg8mIi_tAtG4HquR_hKOLk02HXyP52lIJQpx2mA9UCdoXaLwbHdw6LE55xTgJYC6MljvdGEXFvJshVEDyE1Ilda6u8wtfUK_wd50Gfdff7wQ9C/s200/IMG_2448.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Index Cards as scene notes</td></tr>
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The last time I did an outline like this of only a descriptive sentence as a scene was 4 years ago and it worked
SO WELL for me that I can't believe it took me this long to try it out
again. Granted I don't know where exactly the story is headed in terms
of plot. Had to check some things in the wonderful "Writing Fiction"
text book. So phenomenal. I really hated reading it cover to cover but it's an amazing book and now I enjoy it for reference. <br />
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" 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kCcieihF4hCwEJPFpyI39X96sdvtSg8tS0YCAJSdRllNQptmJC0JQmFSST05iOnKuprfgjL3Zkn+rKPsRl4Wo4zgJHSMsu6tS9Ab/GWl9REKDIHQeXWTPIcTmRkcp+dal+jy4fWbQnYGgfFdUtrhmyiuGjbbz92ru8xRRefuld3mKKqai1l5ieyPKlaSsvMT2R5UrUgKKKKAKh+FPuD2k+dTFQ/Cn3B7SfOsdR2pfBrg7kfkxv0oAcQ0SQIcnfPJOVUi7WcZSpK0gpOmHMbN9aLw1KR6viiONMzpzDVStTrZfKUwnkgaAayTB8K5dBkago155J+pwe6Uk/BW7Q2UrI4zMqPSMzv2GpBtHKSNY84rhTLQSqQSQT8jTm6kgKHQJzrvWTh8Hl6iDSjT6nLt4OWdwOIwgkEcpMjUGab+tOLDhOElcnLLXWBSt7WSXZUSQU4gPhz0FN7mTClbgD3ZVWUfsUy+P7YqPgjXWyE8pIygaH50mWFgTIg7jVietrRQlkNJVLclQBKy5BMzrllUAlEcmciPA1ClZ0ciCUE91Wm6+Eq7M5iabSuUgcokRHVS96XS0mzhSUYVcnPaZiairBZG1OgOk4cJOWsioU01uroUl+9R8khZbY68XnVpAxE5DeaQu2yupIes6oWnYNkpz7qcWVttLqg2o4SBlMifrlTe7raGkqCwQFHJWyd3yrSUU8W5LqZKVZHGxN+9nVrWXhy1JjwEA1EuWhxuByRV6vNDD7SMKkknUiCrIfWqLaGsJXKcQSSCog7ebJ361OKe7CnVexvLGo5HyevBxQ5ShGvRWnfo+NEWq0GQQWRp26yd7EnkK2dPyrU/0dx/i7T+xT/HUe5MU0bjefuld3mKKLz90ru8xRUlxay8xPZHlStJWXmJ7I8qVoAooooAqH4U+4PaT51MVD8KfcHtJ86w1Pal8GuDuR+TGPSmqGGT/wB3+U1nTLwLqTkM9laT6TUrLDWASeM/lNViwPtLbKi2Bg52W0akRWOg7SK/U8ihkdiFmvNpLa0qEqOONNpIzmubkMrnemkLRd61AuFqGjysX60H9Y06uwpxiNp29VdFLbJo4MsrcVRoHA4sqW8FpbUrA0lOIAnVeIAHrFUrhhdbnHrdSmErUTCBA0AiO6i8ry9VfQ6hQCwkgiJy3nuNTLHCBq0jOEEa8oQZ3VlhUnkiv8TpbWy/czxTboOh64NeWa1EEhUQTnln1dBq5PwFKgiJNVZ1lqFLhRzOh2zXZkjFdCqlxyPrbbpQpGNRzGEk7IBAI6N9dN2osqQpJAKmyCVCYCgJI6dQD01EpsscpSSEnQ/Wn9oVxiUICcahkgASTs2bKz2Poikpxckx3dVsLisKlAlKYHSJn8RXV9MJCEJJAGMGSYyKTn868uixlpzAttTbpGigRI1ympq+rAwplK3DBSBt1MaeG6t8MZS3R/BhklFZFIp6XSgqSCMhHJO7InKmiLWYgqOZJPT176d2ni55LZRI0O0bCKZvWcwFYQB1HZtNZyXtZ0wlz0EnUAHWa1b9Hgf4u0/sU/x1nn3JbxYADplvrRv0elA2q0ZQeKGmkY8vxqidl07NtvP3Su7zFFF5+7V3eYoqS4tZeYnsjypWkrLzE9keVK1ICiiigCofhT7g9pPnUxUPwp9we0nzrHUdqXwa4O5H5Mf9JFowMtnLNwjPTmmqrwetbaRxROIkKOkRlmDVl9KDaiw1hBJ43Z2TVBuxh0OYilQyOcHWDWGg4xIj6nBSyO/wW1V5NKsUJJK+KSDCThBgCCdKhrE194nrpGzPvN2UtlshKoBUYyznIa7PnT2zGQ2TGLFnHd9a3x4vTjK0edqHulFxErVc+O1lXFqU2MJWQCRiOyRpNIXay0kP4wAEqMSNM4HVXVvvdbVpkAkJUhYTGRKdJjZl503XbeMRaFxBWoqjrXiy8aq7OhVtRf8A7TWRNzJabLXHlvi1ykYk4pBUMpkTM1n6Gs1FpKloIM4QVxI5MkDnVFtuRIM57M99XrgHbWUNPSoIBXliMbNk7sq0LPoRHqL7zQCWXVZAclpezI57x1U+4JXa4m2NwgggKIC0lOQTr8qvdzXsyGieMRGJWeIfWq/eVqLT6LSk4kttEKwKSTEkZeIqmDNnyZJb1SXR+SJYccYra+vUWv3GbXiWEglGzr0z6qrPCl+GwRGS9uexQp89fgtLySErBCDixRGsjDFQl8uhTWZMFz5Sa7cMt2+/BxZI7cka8nlkuN5xSVCFgJBOzUSB4GkrzAbSWlJhYBBz0nMVa+BVrZUtSQrnFAAIKSQEgZdRGtdekq7mEMB1IAcLgBO8Qda4cupx45ww1yz0IY205mZukDJOhAkVqX6PP/V2n9in+Os0FikTOQ27+nOtM/R6A9btOnuR/HW+63wQkbfefuld3mKKLz90ru8xRQsLWXmJ7I8qVpKy8xPZHlStSAooooAqH4U+4PaT51MVD8KfcHtJ86x1Hal8GuDuR+THfSaTxDUGPvNh/wBpqmItSy1iKhigkd2/pq3+lNUWdr9p/Kaz5QSEpjXac9xy6prm0XZRbXw3ZWes3i8nlyVDaCZHhSvrygRAkD8mlbwYb4oYIBCth/VJUMxvBw+NWTg9wFetaDxRTjgKOI5BKpgJjblrXa8n20zhlhW7hFQvG9VKXKRHXtqQYflsHCRJ/MU44X8GVWQhKyknMGNhGtN0uD1RudhrFtNKi041wQdrcUtUnKNBuipG6XxxSs8wSfECKbWxxpSEYZx8rHllM8mDtETUjcFlbKuSlS1jYJ6OVugGR31edKNl4q3RF2IOEymSBmrdE9NXm870s6mFobUkrUmAAMzpOYHXSVnuu1hK0tWNRTr+pyTOZzVtEVBs3e83aktlIQvMkKzABBOgO6rxzVG10JceaFbrUpKykweTM7Rsrx21JQlQjFyyEg56nKuL8bcsr2EqBUUJ5o1nOIPXTew3baFOoK2nAjjElRKY1UAajBleO5+UY5cKm6HF3uPWVaXVIichMRi1EDqmu+EPCBy0J4tZAUlQUlOEQo5zJG2r16QbpYaZYW0lQIeTIJBB5Cp/CqNclmaccK3QlUQSlSiFKM/qwQd+/ZpXPjyYc0fWjy7N3CcJbH0I1NvBYWDE5wN06xurRP0enJtNpEZ8UD3Y6yq2DCtUfEf7ddat+j+4DarRAA+5GnbFdcaqzOqZtd5+6V3eYoovP3Su7zFFQaC1l5ieyPKlaSsvMT2R5UrUgKKKKAKh+FPuD2k+dTFQ/Cn3B7SfOsdR2pfBrg7kfkx70kthTTIImXdJj9U7qz63XWtoykFSTlGpB3EfjWieke0cWw2sAEhzb2TnVIuHhAsKwqEjMzqf71z6FfpItr5NZmR9oLpQJQqdeafpvFWTg1woes5TClJMhII1zygg93hUW7wkWp4nlYNAkf3209VhKlqI/WRXVKKqzic30Er7tT9scUSYgkZ9efjFN3LG4myhJzVMwBp0dNIXbbFBwkgnGYA3Upar7WFCAQkagxKvpWW2V0kHdkLxKpggzrpVj4EWppt1ZcWEykgFWQ1GXXUfbEuOuthpJBWMthJpwngrahZnbWAlTbS8KwTnsOODqOUOmpyVOG1urNIN3ZrHBe8G1hzCtCow5hQjbWc8MbWUXktzUJCQIOsoG0fnKoSz2QCCVKAPKISYnoHTntrksJnPFt6eqrY8ajjpdCJTuVkghLt4WlAQBxmRgkgckzqrq31pFvQs4ULSpsZHUSSnMZicprM+Cd8Is1rS6qcABnKTmPrVh4X8OA9g9VKhEyVJGfUDNTPE3jcI8EqaTtjnhetbikoWsrTEx0gwNNtVC9EpZUhQEEzOZ6NZPTStovW1pUC8mDhkYhEjXKMqY2+812goxhICchAj86Vnp8LxxUf/AAic3KbkRTi8SiTtNax+j6B65aYmOJTr26ytaZyA2/8AFax+j/larQlSSFBoTOvProolM2q8/dK7vMUUXl7pXd5iihYWsvMT2R5UrSVl5ieyPKlakBRRRQBUPwp9we0nzqYqH4U+4PaT51jqO1L4NcHcj8mMelUf4dr9r/Kazy7m1JUQRBga9JmtE9KY/wAO1+1/lNUZp9JWSSByUJz/ANqQJ+VYfT3+kifqP73/AEDVzv5OhtRRjkqAMAYtZqVe5zs/EnyqbsPCNKLOlnGjDgXPK2zkn51XXn545QMiREbcq67bi0ziyJJqhtdVgcDrSlCASNu8GMqm0cELTaUv2htKS2gqmVQRhTJgdArn2gwQzgVJlGUKyyzPnT67+ESm0KbS6EgLcKkEwHMQjPflkNxqsuJceCyVsg33sFosq0kgpIzABI0EgHI66HKpi9bycTZH0h53C8o4kFtpKSQmTOEEpEIHNNQdsbIdYUTliGRzIg7DtGVLcILWFJKR/uOvxJjSsJxe+JtDiLOLLZHHVNpaTiVhmCRp3mlLbYXWHYdThJTMZHbGw0pwevFth1C3FYRxREmSJMRpTq/73ZtLiS2rFhSQSElI16a6FOSxbDmdt2U9Alff+NSCWvvOSNFj8K5b4gCSvlzpnvp5YEplSlEAY057pitN26/hkZOK+USV9vFxKZTGEKz646KgLIhv7sjnEjwgzPyqy3i8yWglL7bqoUThMkCBE1UrGsBSM9v4R+NZ6dXCL/LIne6S/A6stgdXxjjbcpS6ATsBmY0rTvQ0tSrytalAAqZSYBn9aNY6KzC7rY6lTgSspbxYlJnInZI2nKtH9BLmK22g/wDYT/HSXcZ0Y/2I2a8/dK7vMUUXn7pXd5iirFhay8xPZHlStJWXmJ7I8qVqQFFFFAFQ/Cn3B7SfOpiofhT7g9pPnWOo7Uvg1wdyPyYz6Ux9w1lP3v8AKazhFnUf/rJHV/etM9JZ+4agEnjDkNeadKpPtNowUtqGWgjPeZJOc+VV+nOKwKyPqG71nSGTjAAniiMtuz557aLNaglpadpH5FLPW8KxAE4Sk5KjLonbTZ1H3YkRll867J7XzE4430kKtqQgpUHDiTGWAxp100tLwWoqx5kzGGndmYSvNWI55BKQSe/vrtqzBLgSRIJTkQJzMVzWkzavc4btRK0qWoqhSZ3ATn1U0eUk5Zyds7Zz/wCKmbJZUqUslIwpnXo30g4Ws4bTuET5xU7k2OnA2eZUpKUlTYgZCTPflRZWHkzgKTO6T+Fdt2VJQVEqkE7tmedKW55tCinisxGeM7sjArV7a4Rmk/cZO2F3NUDI59B1zpdth1xKk7MiY25QMzSLTwUoJwxOpk0/aTKFjelJ785qf8WyJdUmNWLA4k5GCeo/jSLl3rQZnOfztpFpKjJBIjr6q5cBCoKideiqfd5Lce4/syS06CoTOuUg7T4VpXoLUk2+1FIgcSmB/wCdZcoKwxlIJ16AD9a0r9Hz/q7R+xH8dTfFF0bbefuld3mKKLz90ru8xRUFhay8xPZHlStJWXmJ7I8qVqQFFFFAFQ/Cn3B7SfOpiofhT7g9pPnWGo7Uvg1wdyPyZB6R31oaaUgAkObROWE1TLru5x4KCUYo1w7MWYIB2/Sr5w5jikAmJXqTGyqfYm3eUQ2oJUZSYxDLq2RXNo3WE11tes7Obwua0McXjaSIUUpKowqJGitmnlUDaQoAoWBKZAAzEHMRGtWC87vtTgwIbcInFzSOjLfrUParoeaSeMQUncoEV3qV9ThaVUiPSlQVziBkcurWpBDBwBeKTI2mSOrfOdOGLrtLqUgSUwCASYyESMqdHg/aYgo7/wAiqtxvgJ+RrdDDmELKSpsqGJWzUEg9OR8amLys9mQpPFpSEkHEMlEHonT+9RyfWWm3LPhJClBRASTmI0yy7q8tKiohQSoZAEgEwRkQY6vnVqSIcnfBGIexcnmgqJOew7PlUiyuzjFxqZJmNZ0jUbNKYJsqtYnWOs/SuFslIz/JpavgJlguK5WHWyshSjtKVJlOzkg5z11DJOHjEgyRyfAkT5eNIIs6jJhQy2ZUrZSlrNxJMgwB8j1VZe6Kvnkkbwcsq2kcWnAUxi2BWmQ6cpnoqDeSMWRmg2ZckYVdUGpG7k8WlQU0VEjWBl1GjTS6E7k/c6sFnbW4sOKwiZBGezP5VovoUbQm32oIkp4oa78efzrLzypGkrSNmUiK0r0DtlNrtIOoaAP79U207s0UvY2W8/dq7vMUUXl7pXd5iipLC1l5ieyPKlaSsvMT2R5UrUgKKKKAKh+FHuD2k+dTFNbwsaXUYFTEg5dFZ5ouUHFF8clGabM0vCwJeACtAZGU599PLEA2IAHlFW37Ms71+I+lH2ZZ3r8R9K8qGl1MVSZ6E8+mm9zXJWDaJ2CoHhDcCLXz1qTHwgbOutF+zLO9fiPpR9mWd6/EfSrrBql7lXl0r9ijXPYRZ2ktJOIJEAqGfyp5iMHPPfVt+zLO9fiPpR9mWd6/EfSnoaryR6ml8GfPXMlSsZUZ30mbiTrjOeuVaL9mWd6/EfSj7Ms71+I+lPQ1Xkb9J/EzVfBts/rq8AaSc4JtK1WrwFaf9mWd6/EfSj7Ms71+I+lPQ1XkjdpP4mX/AGRZ+JXgKa2rgIyvV1YjcE1rf2ZZ3r8R9K8+zLO9fiPpVli1a6SF6T+JmX2Xby+8VPUndG6uDwSa2rX4D6VqH2ZZ3r8R9K9+zLO9fiPpWknrpR2uXH9GahoU7UTN7q4AMPOYFOLAIJkBM/MVd+CPAdm73FuNuLWVpwnEE752Cpiw3I20vGkqnTM/2qTFdOnjkjCsnUwzLHuvGuBrefuld3mKKLz90ru8xRWxmdtOBLQUdAgH5Vybe18actejroSwFtpBmIToSJy0MajopFF0MhKk4ZComSTMCBr1mpB2u82wCZkBQRuEkA6nrrtFubIBxAYtOvWK4TdjYThEgSDkoiCBAIjTIV6i7WwZAO8ZnLKMh0gmgOhb2/jHj+d48RXQtrcxiE/nP50k5djSucmegkwOobK5TdLYWFAEQcW+SBlrsEzHVQCq7cgRBnlFJKcwkjUKjT+9cKvRoCcQPQNdY88uull2VBBBAgzOycWpPSaapuZkThTEmTBInOc41E59dAKOXkhKilUiDBP12gdPQaUdtzadVDWD0de6uHrtbWSpUkn/AHHIbQBsmBPVXPsprQgkbQVEgkaEyczQC4taCYChPXSLN5tqE4gNdo2GDppXDd0tJIMZZmDnJUIJM60q7dzak4SMuvcZ/E0AOXi0ATiBgE5Z6Up64jLlCSCQJzOHWB0Ukq7WzsOmEwSJG4xszpYWdO4bc9oxawdk0A3ZvRtUGYBTiG3LurtV4NggYtQT3CMz0Z60kq52iIOMwIBxqkDcDMxR7HamYM5ycRznUHeDGlAdm82pAxeGgyJz8K6ct6UqwmZy+eQganXWuGbqaTGERE7TtBHkSKUcsSFGTOkDMwOkDf00AO29tIkqGzTcdD1Z10m2tnLEJ6/zvpD2S1EQSNCComQNArPMDdXiboaCgQIzxEayRIHdmaAUF5NyQSAQSMzmSMjAGe0eNKJtrZ0UD1Z67erI51w9dzahhKcs/mQox3geFCbubEQCIAAgkZAkx1ZmgE7Y+lbJUkyDHmDRXttZCWlAaZeYH4UVAI1u3uAABWwbB9K69oO/F8h9KKKEh7Qd+L5D6Ue0Hfi+Q+lFFCA9oO/F8h9KPaDvxfIfSiigD2g78XyH0o9oO/F8h9KKKAPaDvxfIfSj2g78XyH0oooA9oO/F8h9KPaDvxfIfSiigD2g78XyH0o9oO/F8h9KKKAPaDvxfIfSj2g78XyH0oooA9oO/F8h9KPaDvxfIfSiigD2g78XyH0o9oO/F8h9KKKAPaDvxfIfSj2g78XyH0oooDx+2LUmCcj0D6UUUUB//9k=" 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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome book for writers</td></tr>
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So what have I gotten out of re-reading the chapter on plot:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Story says, "... and then..."</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Plot asks, "WHY?"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Feel the cause and effect</i> </b></span></div>
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So that's mainly what I'm up to. I've also been journaling and doing a couple random flash fiction stories from prompts just to keep things fresh. NaNoWriMo can get really intense so I'm really doing my best to only think about it when I am actually writing it. </div>
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Best of luck!</div>
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SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-27493746034806671712016-11-01T16:48:00.000-07:002016-11-01T16:48:40.239-07:00NaNoWriMo 2016 - Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the first year that I have prepped for NaNoWriMo. I have a book that's been brewing and has taken different shapes in short story and now it is ready/time/I really want get it on paper. I used some tips online and made index cards with possible scenes I've been dreaming up. I'm not the greatest at story progression but at lest I have some scenes to get me started each day. I'm hoping that will really help with my word count. </div>
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEpM9DhP_55JQm-7AWTSmVz8qFtdpBW5tWE9DTmjWD7ZiNP1Aji7jGRRgbpSyWKOU8Os3bI1bbZIO4mpeoGgIcRh4kU0tSLJZ7qfya_tOAKWfFbNGjGK99Y4i_lNAX7VUMObP-60v4WF4/s320/IMG_2286.JPG" width="320" /> </div>
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After talking with someone at my new writing group I also learned that you actually win some things from NaNoWriMo. I guess it's just been a personal journey the last few years of doing National Novel Writing Month, I make my own spreadsheet to track my progress and only once have submitted words to their site. This year I plan to use all that <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/">http://nanowrimo.org/</a> has to offer. I love their <a href="https://nanotoons.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">NaNoToons</a> and I've even been reading the emails of encouragement they send out. It wasn't that I was against it before I was just worried it would serve as a distraction. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpJdNLAwViqwFmeAdGIWjlcCTODVxvbrqiAPJrQQiFdeNDAFS0RimKXSZeL8dWGCS4bAmAJrpjLVpFtiecHvagc_4h2Wng0vDzKv_GaNmXq98xGdyf8CSwbct1ijLAnjVvBOPt3SutVTH/s1600/IMG_2423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpJdNLAwViqwFmeAdGIWjlcCTODVxvbrqiAPJrQQiFdeNDAFS0RimKXSZeL8dWGCS4bAmAJrpjLVpFtiecHvagc_4h2Wng0vDzKv_GaNmXq98xGdyf8CSwbct1ijLAnjVvBOPt3SutVTH/s320/IMG_2423.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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These are my 'Must Haves' for writing these days. That pink piggy timer is invaluable. For me the sweet spot is 45 minutes. I can't get out of the chair until it rings. Not to pee, not to get a glass of water, not to grab a sweater. I have to be in the chair with pen or key board for that time. It gives me the same feeling as a hike, you can't just stop walking every time you're uncomfortable to have a snack or change your layers. It's better when you wait until you reach a certain km or check point. </div>
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The Candle is a newer commitment. I don't usually love scented candles but I couldn't resist the <a href="https://www.frostbeardstudio.com/" target="_blank">Frost Beard Studio </a>ones. They're not overwhelming, it has a nice scent and someone else described writing with a candle in the room, it feels special? It's comforting and ritualistic for me and I tend to go with what works, and it's working. Makes the space cozier too. </div>
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The keyboard is bluetooth and can hook up to my phone which I have Google Docs on. I find the small screen tedious to read so it helps to keep me focused on what I want to say not what I just did. Editing and rereading are my biggest pulls to slow down my day's word count. I can easily forget that editing is a whole other process and always want to dive in and fix things right away. </div>
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So, there it is, NaNoWriMo begins. I have done my 1670 words for the day and feeling good about tomorrow. All the best if you're working on a novel and if you're a NaNo nerd add me as a buddy - <i>Stagewhisper</i></div>
<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-85105302096177049552016-10-29T09:19:00.001-07:002016-10-29T09:19:49.966-07:00Tufted Headboard Pinterest was invaluable with the finding a stagey and giving me the confidence to make this headboard.<br />
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/171559067032719844/">https://www.pinterest.com/pin/171559067032719844/</a><br />
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So, step one was grabbing the wood board that was randomly in the house and had been moved around to it's home leaning against a wall in the garage. Bought some carpenters glue and smeared that all over. You can see in the top of the photo is some foam. We had this on our bed for a while but no longer needed it so another re-purposed piece made this project WAY cheaper. Dan really thought the foam was useless but I knew it could live on. <br />
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I took over most of the floor in the spare room with this project. I really wanted to use a fabric that I already had but the only one I really liked I didn't have enough material to hang over the edge and I liked that the wood hung over the edge of the bed a little. So off to Fabricland where I found this beauty. There was three yards and it was 80% off and I found a button bin that was three packs for $1 which is practically unheard of in button world. </div>
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Mr. Nacho gave his approval so on it went. Damn! I didn't take a photo but, once I glued the foam on the wood, I grabbed sharpie and made dots where I wanted all the holes. Then grabbed a kitchen knife and cut a large cross over the dots so the fabric had somewhere to go and I could feel the hole without having to guess where my mark may be placed while the fabric was on. </div>
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Then I grabbed the drill and drilled small screws. This made it so easy and fast going. I can't imagine having to sew through all that fabric. Once all the holes were seen to I flipped over the board and used a staple gun to pull the fabric tight and secure it on the back. </div>
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I filled all the holes with random white buttons and borrowed Sue's glue gun to put them in place. This was a NO-Sew project. All fitting pieces together and using durable materials. I really can't believe people attempt this with just a needle and thread. So glad I scoured Pinterest! That place can be a tunnel of overwhelming crafts but if you have a project in mind there's such a wealth of tips. So, here is mine! Ready to be leaned up against to read on. </div>
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It's not perfect by any means but I'm certainly happy that it cost me less than $50 instead of a new one for $200-$1000!</div>
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<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-43919778257924985852016-09-10T09:20:00.000-07:002016-10-29T09:21:25.711-07:00Cherry Creek Cabin Our first in B.C. road trip took four hours around Kootaney lake to a cabin just outside of Kaslo.<br />
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There were many windy mountain roads, maybe even more than are around <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoulin_District" target="_blank">Manitoulin</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sault_Ste._Marie,_Ontario" target="_blank">Sault Ste. Marie.</a> We took a ferry, it was free and you don't need an advanced ticket, you just show up and hope you get on.<br />
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We saw many bears and enjoyed some really nice days with this view. I did a paddle board across the Kootany river and was pleasantly reminded of my quiet days at Casa Cayuco in Panama. All the memories of going out on my own and then teaching guests how to Stand Up Paddle Board. The water was so calm and deep. In the sun it was a forest green, but in the shadows it looked like black glass, or making ripples in onyx. <br />
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Oh yeah, I made Sangria in this giant vat.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-17968801635107436082016-09-03T12:33:00.000-07:002016-09-03T12:33:02.606-07:00No more golf for me It was a tough choice but I gave my two weeks notice at the golf course. I was grateful for the job but it just became overwhelming and exhausting when I had to work doubles. My writing was hell-a-suffering. I had to go back to the roots of why we moved here, and why we bought a house: Enjoy life more, write more, be outside more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6am at opening the golf shop doors</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">goodbye golf world</td></tr>
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Also....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deer Bums</td></tr>
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<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-37313945419915318502016-09-01T09:23:00.003-07:002016-09-01T09:23:30.422-07:00Washer or not...Our first 'paid for' reno in the house was putting in a washing machine upstairs so that downstairs can be it's own private rental suite. It didn't go so well.<br />
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Ummmmmm where does the water come in? Yup, that's right, it's just a drain pipe...<br />
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Thankfully when I texted the plumber he came right over, hooked up the faucets and now we're in business with a washer! Less than $500 for the washer and install, looking pretty schnazzy. <br />
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This is my new drying system:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgga5L3wU8fuYq0ZyCllqXeSkI1NpW0FfKCrHjgqYqFE6oKubjxp3bCVQV-9fqlKZpsvJAU2KU_d4dTctCth7q0wluJVluaMWhZLSIFrL3OusHVjIqqTd_gYBmDQOCpJYqFnwxaCx84sR8g/s1600/IMG_1963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgga5L3wU8fuYq0ZyCllqXeSkI1NpW0FfKCrHjgqYqFE6oKubjxp3bCVQV-9fqlKZpsvJAU2KU_d4dTctCth7q0wluJVluaMWhZLSIFrL3OusHVjIqqTd_gYBmDQOCpJYqFnwxaCx84sR8g/s320/IMG_1963.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-26279603377583025992016-08-30T11:49:00.001-07:002016-08-30T11:49:33.417-07:00Turning TablesOk, sorry for the cheesy title, I just love alliteration.<br />
<br />Dan (mostly) and I recently fixed up a table. Our first big house project together. Sanding, staining, varnishing. $100 of materials later we have a spruced up dining room table. Here are the before and after pics. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSbqqVENXMmll2yThfLYNeD7hFedfCGmYZT9L_NwQ0MgK_IQ99ziGqVih1FpNIhuT7ucVJGkKtw9lAst2KDayN6Sk32xxionj5qt0N4FlvOZix87rhNZYtWvgql9NSC_wY2ASwCa5v9M_/s1600/IMG_1932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSbqqVENXMmll2yThfLYNeD7hFedfCGmYZT9L_NwQ0MgK_IQ99ziGqVih1FpNIhuT7ucVJGkKtw9lAst2KDayN6Sk32xxionj5qt0N4FlvOZix87rhNZYtWvgql9NSC_wY2ASwCa5v9M_/s400/IMG_1932.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpTTw5Mste_jLsLUJEr-qxR3aOk7wg2nQmV1Tab1SQMh_ku8QJSYeD91bhFfZSK-S9CxxuJZb77vUYZlizXwt8tzVGwz4-rKirTy0vgRG18i5Lt736Euv4MZ2HZv33EvlVRuPtSuZbX_g/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpTTw5Mste_jLsLUJEr-qxR3aOk7wg2nQmV1Tab1SQMh_ku8QJSYeD91bhFfZSK-S9CxxuJZb77vUYZlizXwt8tzVGwz4-rKirTy0vgRG18i5Lt736Euv4MZ2HZv33EvlVRuPtSuZbX_g/s400/IMG_1908.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
We bought enough stain and varnish to do a few tables and chairs and boxes and anything wood. So let the sanding begin. SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-30161377647117408032016-08-10T21:15:00.001-07:002016-08-10T21:15:12.202-07:00A New Kind of AdventureSo folks, I'm on a new kind of adventure. I didn't quite realize how much I missed my blog until a friend's Dad started one that made me laugh: <a href="http://markbsramblings.wordpress.com/">Markbsramblings.wordpress.com</a><br />
<br />
I'm on an adventure and I'm in one place - what a concept. I've traded in my 'ready to escape at any time bag' for a house. I don't know the next plane I'll jump on, not even mild plans in the works and I'm not hyperventilating. I'm happy. <br />
<br />
I found a way to make travel and living in one place work out well in Thunder Bay for the past three years. With my frugal lifestyle at home I afforded travel once every three months. It's not posted here but I went to the United States, around Canada & Spain. I figured out how to just make it part of my lifestyle. I'm not afraid that I'm going to lose <i>it</i>, or that travel will somehow not pull me in anymore. Discovering places and people will always give me that special adrenaline. <br />
<br />
So here I am, back in blogosphere. This lighthearted way of writing,
making writing errors, and being candid. I've gotten more serious with my
writing the past few years and (as I sigh and roll my eyes) I want to get
serious about submitting more, but I also want a break from formalities and reconnect. <br />
<br />
So back to this adventure: we've taken the plunge into investment.<br />
(I say WE happily too! It's taken a long time to stuff that word into my vocabulary). SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-78964933953037133722015-07-29T19:49:00.003-07:002016-08-10T20:41:58.433-07:00WonderingI wonder if I'll ever write on here as consistently as I did...<br />
<br />
There are some new exciting things going on in my life. I have a book done and ready to send off to publishers. I have a fancy new sewing machine that I'm making my book covers on...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeuGTI0D5WsWaI9S2pV-bKPqRWvW9hGJKDWGp3u-AJ5XxymYQHoRPTJibJsAmZaHmUxtMu_GLBvfoum1iJe6avzufpbuddYmPKN0wEAqonPGixDudOb91Kqk8jy5X71azydRrMCc6bdJu/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeuGTI0D5WsWaI9S2pV-bKPqRWvW9hGJKDWGp3u-AJ5XxymYQHoRPTJibJsAmZaHmUxtMu_GLBvfoum1iJe6avzufpbuddYmPKN0wEAqonPGixDudOb91Kqk8jy5X71azydRrMCc6bdJu/s200/IMG_0028.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2l-es7h1Z8ravCrWHgTjBbhClteKNZwNVed9i1GWjlQRwRmRA5Bv8dAqx-vvzK-Ujwwnbc3-769Y3eCaSGnGkLZktfTOYORYTIIa32M52fnQfrd_vQjwDIMzefwNChko6HAiAOzG2KlM/s1600/IMG_0183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2l-es7h1Z8ravCrWHgTjBbhClteKNZwNVed9i1GWjlQRwRmRA5Bv8dAqx-vvzK-Ujwwnbc3-769Y3eCaSGnGkLZktfTOYORYTIIa32M52fnQfrd_vQjwDIMzefwNChko6HAiAOzG2KlM/s200/IMG_0183.JPG" width="150" /></a> I have a studio space and Mr. Nacho is the coolest cat. I keep thinking I
don't do all that much here in Thunder Bay but I guess that's just not
true.<br />
<br />
I've been part of a writing group that meets once a month. I'm
going to school and working on two books. I'm on track to meet my goal
of reading 50 books this year. (<a href="http://nothemingway.blogspot.ca/p/book-list-2015.html" target="_blank">see that here</a>)<br />
<br />
I've also gone through a spectrum of hair... this was the last one and I just chopped it all off today. <br />
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Well there's a mini update.<br />
<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-31912733261615886262015-02-11T12:39:00.000-08:002015-02-11T17:50:29.584-08:00Don't be just a tourist<div>
"Please be careful." My dad said before we hung up on Skype. It was in reference to my up coming Cuba trip. "Of course!" I replied, "What could I get up to? I'll be staying at a resort." </div>
<div>
He just gave me a knowing look and repeated, "Be careful."</div>
<div>
<br />
About 20 minutes later, in between texting with Tara about bikini's, cameras, sunscreen, departure times, if I should bring the crib board, I threw in "<b>Wanna be a legal mule for medical supplies?</b>" <br />
<br />
As it happened, a mere 5 minutes after talking to my dad I found something on the internet called <i>Not Just Tourists</i>. A non-profit organization that has three ways to support other countries around the world when you're traveling. Their <a href="http://njt-pqt.org/english/view.asp?x=1" target="_blank">website</a> seemed legit and it linked me to a <a href="http://www.njttoronto.com/" target="_blank">Not Just Tourist-Toronto</a> branch, and within a few moments I was calling to see if I could volunteer on such short notice, my flight left in just a few days. They assured me they would try to get a suitcase together that I could pick up when I stopped in Toronto the day before my Cuba departure. <br />
<br />
Great!<br />
<br />
Or so I thought... until I told my partner. In a very happy-go-lucky tone I said something like, "I decided to volunteer to take medical supplies to Cuba. Yeah, I'm just going to pick up a suitcase when I land in Toronto and then drop it off somewhere in Cuba..." <br />
"You're what?" <br />
"The website has pictures."<br />
<br />
To which Dan was the voice of reason and brought up some really good points that hadn't even crossed my mind. The main ones were:<br />
<br />
1. Cuba doesn't mess around, especially when it comes to drugs (further research after this talk found that association with drugs in Cuba is a crime punishable by death) Who is packing this suitcase?<br />
<br />
2. I had no idea where I was going to pick up the mystery case (something I really didn't see as a problem, I knew it would be downtown and I knew I'd know before I landed in Toronto)<br />
<br />
3. I had no idea where I was going to drop off the suitcase. To which my retort was "... the city I'm dropping it off in is called Moron." (You can't search for streets in Google maps of Cuba and there is no street view.)</div>
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4. I didn't know anyone personally who had done this before. </div>
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<div>
I'll address #4 first, this made me see a whole other way of thinking that gave me even more conviction to follow through. Other people probably thought this way, my friends probably felt this way, and now having done it I want to encourage everyone I know to give it a try.<br />
<br />
The address of the pick up was figured out quickly and I was explicitly told to unpack and repack the suitcase so I'd know all the contents. When I got to Tara's that evening we looked at the goods. Everything checked out, there were bandages, vitamins, syringes, pretty much a closet full of supplies.<br />
Not knowing exactly where I would be going to drop the supplies off didn't phase me. I had four addresses of drop off clinics in a town nearby the resort Tara and I would be staying at. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fast forward to the Cuban customs. I was nervous, all the warnings people had given me rang in my mind, I had my paperwork handy just in case. But <b>no one</b> asked, no one cared, I had zero problems and easily grabbed my bag and left the airport. </div>
<div>
Fast forward to Moron trip, we grabbed a cab and headed to the hospital. <br />
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<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXqfpmMtwjp2upS2DJe7KsB-I-rYm4ICaDxopTy9elNqtYxujmJNbN32ecDsyImvB3E-WikesQlEYHRRp1yOeAAJWkV76XQDrJQGy2njXXlFxkIMZV74SQ38QFTH0nQ9q2fX0T5_bf-e2/s1600/Cuba_clinic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXhOppYEuzOog4yT0PNKMbQffAqbGQrMcxFWO8O1q1POMSyeDOxbYRmodi4VJBNEVq_SY8yhgNxujyAE1l2dEVKQ3oddpgXSmxAHDxeUC5N9d-Gl8u9ntCo2Q2pY19pjBhnv1cl7OPcsE/s1600/hospital+cuba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXhOppYEuzOog4yT0PNKMbQffAqbGQrMcxFWO8O1q1POMSyeDOxbYRmodi4VJBNEVq_SY8yhgNxujyAE1l2dEVKQ3oddpgXSmxAHDxeUC5N9d-Gl8u9ntCo2Q2pY19pjBhnv1cl7OPcsE/s1600/hospital+cuba.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hospital in Moron, Cuba</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_TQRYfdva6ESMQzUsyDL7UAmNFgZBpGCPCL5FZ5YxiYoTWx6pcc_VyQz7_jPZhCgx0W4o1Ikm81ykqCOrYndAhKHBVTFwT2NJBweDvQblS0mpOP2AOQTpmoPUcMGpgcGYLYuCAZJMm_H/s1600/cuba_hospital.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_TQRYfdva6ESMQzUsyDL7UAmNFgZBpGCPCL5FZ5YxiYoTWx6pcc_VyQz7_jPZhCgx0W4o1Ikm81ykqCOrYndAhKHBVTFwT2NJBweDvQblS0mpOP2AOQTpmoPUcMGpgcGYLYuCAZJMm_H/s1600/cuba_hospital.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking with receptionist</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVGt0wa2B3ObxemqLWg11UgpKri8JXe312SeDsWXSG5PVMpjmqsVrhjO6Ih8Mnl2kxnQ_vms_vk6LUHDZfG5y5zcyN_xKnRw6iicnH16kvih1B1kUOCtAcXxjGgWdFSg37bAsqollBNuC/s1600/hospital+cuba+corridor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVGt0wa2B3ObxemqLWg11UgpKri8JXe312SeDsWXSG5PVMpjmqsVrhjO6Ih8Mnl2kxnQ_vms_vk6LUHDZfG5y5zcyN_xKnRw6iicnH16kvih1B1kUOCtAcXxjGgWdFSg37bAsqollBNuC/s1600/hospital+cuba+corridor.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting with cockroaches in the hall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnX0Ih6qRjbmocRigAddFk3rxS5N_HVDi8vscOKsyijTrspeTmiYYX7x4hJhMu_BJOHzkgQuROhU0iCU19YI4z8ITpTerWN5NHq7nU6H4fhyphenhyphenpbqayk5OAYx82eY6WXb7fLUUrWT5IrmdUE/s1600/Cuba_clinic3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnX0Ih6qRjbmocRigAddFk3rxS5N_HVDi8vscOKsyijTrspeTmiYYX7x4hJhMu_BJOHzkgQuROhU0iCU19YI4z8ITpTerWN5NHq7nU6H4fhyphenhyphenpbqayk5OAYx82eY6WXb7fLUUrWT5IrmdUE/s1600/Cuba_clinic3.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my eyes are closed but the logo is there</td></tr>
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Now... as much as I'd like to I'm not going to sugarcoat this. We got there and looking at the outside of the hospital I thought I was making a huge mistake. The place looked great from the outside and I thought I was about to offend someone with my "gift" (I was told explicitly NOT to call it a donation and practiced saying 'Regalo' in my head over and over.) So we got inside and immediately knew we were doing the right thing. This looked more like a converted middle school than a hospital. We were taken down many corridors and eventually were asked to wait in a hall for the director. It was then I realized I wish I hadn't spoken Spanish. Wishing that I had just played dumb and handed over the suitcase and walked away. After waiting for a while, getting hot and bothered, and squeamish for watching so many people pass by a giant cockroach flailing its legs while laying on it's back as if it were a normal thing, we were finally let into the room. The director explained (in Spanish) that he was not allowed to take the gift. It had to be given to a different organization who would distribute it fairly.<br />
My spoiled Canadian self expected him to boot up his computer, connect to the internet and give me the address, directions, and phone number for this other location. But when internet is $6/hour that was not happening. He called his reception, who then called back with a phone number. Then he called that number and surprise... no one answered. No one had another number, or address, or directions. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSM-fuA4NLXmDttYnwL_U3e8qhxfWqoKATaRgcAms2EHIHOgIGaneACZEBMRRHpY8WI0FecFBfJkOMjwPyRPeJkH7__vGYEq4RFG1hBSJ1wxwRJSt45RV-jF8i1EAyBIBB_R6EHVC4DXQ/s1600/Cuba_clinic2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqSM-fuA4NLXmDttYnwL_U3e8qhxfWqoKATaRgcAms2EHIHOgIGaneACZEBMRRHpY8WI0FecFBfJkOMjwPyRPeJkH7__vGYEq4RFG1hBSJ1wxwRJSt45RV-jF8i1EAyBIBB_R6EHVC4DXQ/s1600/Cuba_clinic2.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>I was getting annoyed by this point, I wanted to do a good thing and
there seemed to be some hoops to jump through. There was a lot of back
and forth until I finally got into my thick skull that this man could
lose his job for accepting these supplies, which moments ago the
receptionist seemed so excited about. So we up and left. With the bag.
There were three other clinics on my list that I had gotten from the
organization.<br />
<br />
I'm going to jump ahead through the minutia, we found the
other clinic, we dropped off the supplies, and were not too worse for
wear.Apparently there was a doctor coming in later that day for a clinic
that only happened at certain times, the lady in pink was the
receptionist. If it wasn't for the logo on the door and some randomly
placed chairs slightly representing a waiting room, I would have thought
it was someone's house.<br />
<br />
It's something I would do again but give myself more time. </div>
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So open the pink champagne, do the work, show up, follow your dreams folks. <br />
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<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-36660141885897752172015-01-02T10:15:00.000-08:002015-01-02T10:16:06.126-08:00Questions for the New Year <div style="text-align: left;">
<blockquote>
It's become a new year tradition to do this list. Either on New Year's Eve or sometime in January. I review the previous year and<b> </b>make a list for the year to come. I've added two new questions this year. If you have new questions please send them my way! Happy New Year! </blockquote>
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1. This year name one person that you will make the attempt to have a stronger relationship with? <br />
2. This year what is one risk that you promise to take? <br />
3. This year what is one aspect of your personality that you will be willing to change to make yourself a better person? (How does this question make you feel?)<br />
4. This year, what is one daily ritual that you can commit to? <br />
5. This year, what song could you choose to represent the year you are going to have and will you<br />
download that song after reading these words? <br />
6. This year, who is one civil servant that you will say hello to for the entire year? <br />
7. This year, what is one body of water that you promise yourself you will swim in? <br />
8. This year, name one person that you will truly thank who rarely gets thanked. <br />
9. This year, what is an artistic experience that you promise to have? <br />
10. This year, what is one argument that you will no longer have? <br />
11. This year, what is one thing that you will do to give back to the world or community that you live in? <br />
12. This year, what is one thing that you will learn? <br />
13. This year, what is one thing you will let go of knowing you don't have the power to change it? <br />
14. This year, where will your quiet place be? <br />
15. This year, name three people you will surprise with a random gift? <br />
16. This year, what is one thing that you will teach someone else? <br />
17. This year, what is one fear that you will overcome? <br />
18. This year, what is one food that you will eat more often? <br />
19. This year, what is something wonderful about your personality that you promise to consciously appreciate? <br />
20. This year, what will you do that you have always known you had to do?<br />
21. This year, what is one book you will finally read?<br />
22. This year, what is a completely new experience you will give a try? SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-24705019163364985952015-01-01T10:07:00.000-08:002015-01-02T10:22:14.317-08:00The Best Of 2014Movie: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605717/" target="_blank">Frank</a> <br />
<br />
TV show: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3398228/" target="_blank">BoJack Horseman</a><br />
<br />
Graphic Novel: <a href="https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/saga" target="_blank">Saga created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples</a><br />
<br />
Novel: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7984373-annabel" target="_blank">Annabel by Kathleen Winter</a><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(I didn't read any novels that were published in 2014, so this was my best read of 2014)</span></i><br />
<br />
Video game: <a href="http://childoflight.ubi.com/col/en-CA/home/index.aspx" target="_blank">Child of Light </a><br />
<br />
App: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ea.scrabblefree_na&hl=en" target="_blank">Scrabble</a><br />
<br />
Coffee: <a href="https://www.kickinghorsecoffee.com/en/store/coffee/kick-ass-dark" target="_blank">Kicking Horse's Kick Ass</a><br />
<br />
Tea: <a href="http://www.davidstea.com/vanilla-chai-organic" target="_blank">David's Vanilla Chai</a> spiked with Amaretto<br />
<br />
What is on your list for <b>Best of 2014</b>?SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-15380693324613884252014-11-28T20:48:00.000-08:002014-11-29T11:36:16.231-08:00Things they say in Thunder Bay<b> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMSkPYxLCYEpRglI_mVmUYku59SlQQUyeSS3_ezJnHSm9bQp9Sas-ERvgq2VFkn4Sh9gl3e80dKTQL38lNOche5ULOoWaSi_sCpkn73dtQpAWfGzjtmWr-HF_nukLEnpNb1wEMZw0izIU/s1600/2000px-Flag_of_Thunder_Bay.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMSkPYxLCYEpRglI_mVmUYku59SlQQUyeSS3_ezJnHSm9bQp9Sas-ERvgq2VFkn4Sh9gl3e80dKTQL38lNOche5ULOoWaSi_sCpkn73dtQpAWfGzjtmWr-HF_nukLEnpNb1wEMZw0izIU/s1600/2000px-Flag_of_Thunder_Bay.svg.png" height="320" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Flag of Thunder Bay</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Dart</b> - At first I thought a lot of people just enjoyed the game with the bulls-eye. I started to get suspicious when you could get 'a pack of darts' from the convenience store and "go out for a dart". So <i>Dart</i> here means cigarette. <br />
<br />
<b>Seen</b> - "I seen it happen", "I seen that", "I seen this thing the other day." This made my eye twitch at first. Then around month 5 I started to accept it as a part of my surroundings. Then last month it happened, it became ingrained in my vocabulary and I said it... <i>seen.</i> Steph was the only witness but I'm fessing up, I used <i>seen</i> in the grammatically wrong way. <br />
<br />
<b>Inner-city</b> - One of the first malls in Thunder Bay, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercity_Shopping_Centre" target="_blank">Intercity</a> connects Port Aurthur and Fort William. The T just gets vacuumed out, like the second T in Toronto for Toron-o Locals. <br />
<br />
<b>P.A.</b> - Stands for Port Aurthur, the city although called 'Thunder Bay' is still divided in two parts. <br />
<br />
<b>Wes Fort</b> - The West Fort part of Fort William... lets not go there. <br />
<br />
<b>Shag</b> - "Please come to my Shag." is something you're bound to hear every week in Thunder Bay. It's basically a Jack and Jill (for you Southern Ontario folk), a joined bachelor/bachelorette themed party to raise money to cover the expense of a wedding. They are usually themed. Because I work most every Saturday I have been saved from going to one, but I have already bought or been given many a ticket. <br />
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<b>Persian</b> - Not to be confused with a person's nationality, this is a type of very gross pink doughnut that people fawn over for a reason I still have not uncovered. Amazing for doughnut lovers maybe but I can't really imagine it. <br />
<br />
<b>Camp</b> - Instead of the Southern Ontario word for <i>cottage</i> people up here in Thunder Bay say <i>camp </i>even though they clearly mean: a solidly formed structure on a designated plot of land (usually including a sauuu-na), not to be confused with a tent in a campground. <br />
<br />
<b>Right ______ </b>- "It's right cold out there", "That's right horrible", "He's right crazy" There's a lot of 'right _____' going on in this town. <br />
<br />
<b>Sauuu-na</b> - The proper way to say Sauna here in Thunder Bay is a little 'cat got your tongue' when you get to the <i>u</i>. The<a href="https://translate.google.com/#en/fi/sauna" target="_blank"> Finnish/Dutch pronunciation</a> is rampant here. SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-1778558076724140612014-11-24T10:24:00.000-08:002014-11-26T13:37:44.818-08:00Purple LocksI've been adding tiny bits of purple with no real effect, really trying to mix the colour I wanted. After some strand tests it's finally here! I would give the recipe for those wanting to mix their own but unfortunately I really can't remember. I know there's some of the left over <a href="http://keeptabsonsam.blogspot.ca/2014/10/pink-flamingo-hair.html" target="_blank">pinks</a> I had, with some Manic Panic Ultra Violet and Bad Boy Blue. A good rule I came across is the colour in the bowl should be two shades darker than the colour you want to end up with. I left the top blond and saturated it with purple shampoo that tones the blond to get it close to a white silver, striping it of the yellow hues.<br />
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Here are the results:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKMuy6cj1-UvMawmdHtzxeAZ2nnBsGPOkkiotx9er-UyYyS9p0mMAjSYEwiM7Dv1w6rcuPAOV73a6R-fCdXH4bdzI_Xzv4G_lsSYTRGrhQF8ChztkNAI6JJdDlNmaHq9tyYkRqtnmibQV/s1600/purple+hair.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKMuy6cj1-UvMawmdHtzxeAZ2nnBsGPOkkiotx9er-UyYyS9p0mMAjSYEwiM7Dv1w6rcuPAOV73a6R-fCdXH4bdzI_Xzv4G_lsSYTRGrhQF8ChztkNAI6JJdDlNmaHq9tyYkRqtnmibQV/s1600/purple+hair.png" height="320" width="235" /></a></div>
<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-57044027042534772522014-11-20T20:18:00.000-08:002014-11-20T20:18:02.352-08:00"Road Trip" Day 3, 4, 5<span style="font-size: x-small;">#ThrowbackThursday This is a recap of last Aug 2013, a continuation from <a href="http://keeptabsonsam.blogspot.ca/2014/04/road-trip-day-2-lets-ride-mustangs.html" target="_blank">Road Trip Day 2</a></span><br />
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<b>"Road Trip" Day 3 - Disco </b><br />
<br />
I spent most of the day at a coffee shop working online. I got an awesome odd job of writing descriptions for candy and other miscellaneous items which kept me nicely occupied whenever Jenn was at work. These are my two favorites from that day: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Cupcake Toothpaste</b></span> <br />
<span style="color: #351c75;">Sweeten the mundane job of brushing your teeth with Cupcake Toothpaste! Your dentist may not want you to eat a cupcake a day, but you can get the same sweet flavour without the calories, while taking great care of your pearly whites. This great-tasting toothpaste is a mouthful of that cupcake flavour you love. If you get excited about desert, you may find your self brushing after every meal, because this toothpaste tastes just like the frosting on a cupcake!</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><b>Folding Pocket Comb/ Delinquents with Combs</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;">In the form of a switchblade knife this plastic comb will have you looking like one of the bad boys and you may just feel like one of the characters from The Outsiders. A simple button releases the comb so you can practice fast opening techniques and get your hair slicked back the second you need to tame that pesky stray hair and keep looking cool. You'll feel ready for any hoodlum adventure with your slicked-back do. Slide into lock position to keep your comb safe when not in use. Pomade, white tank top, and leather jacket not included. </span></blockquote>
<br />
It was a really fun job. <i>If anyone out there needs any writing related work. I'm happy to take a look!</i><br />
<br />
Anyway... Later that evening it was time for the <b><i>Rafters Guide Wednesday Night Disco Party</i>.</b> Everyone dressed up in the best disco outfits they could get their hands on. A few of us without costumes piled into Mikes car and were brought to a locked room in the rafting headquarters. Two giant dress up boxes (some called them tickle trunks) were at our disposal. We tried on all sorts of clothes from the 60's, 70's and 80's until we were each fashioned with the most ridiculous patterns.<br />
<br />
Everyone looked amazing in their sequins, spandex, neon, and general random garb. It was off to <b><a href="http://www.lariatbar.com/html/disco.html" target="_blank">The Lariat Bar</a></b>, where Disco Night has become a summer tradition in Buena Vista. Lots of dancing and drinking had us stumbling back to Jenn's rafting trailer to get some sleep before the road trip to Boulder we were to journey to the following day. <br />
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<b>"Road Trip" Day 4 - Meet the Family</b><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6I5ZAN7g2TceAoVxp6CYPI5i77MIs-Ewk4vgyAQfOFh0Ji9thokjwAApzrfEIcSnM1YAQ1Kex__MxLoY7-V8NfDNec_l3EFOVhqQrHO8u87qF4SLxQQJlqmybNN0XvemmuTovJuTR7DD/s1600/gary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ6I5ZAN7g2TceAoVxp6CYPI5i77MIs-Ewk4vgyAQfOFh0Ji9thokjwAApzrfEIcSnM1YAQ1Kex__MxLoY7-V8NfDNec_l3EFOVhqQrHO8u87qF4SLxQQJlqmybNN0XvemmuTovJuTR7DD/s1600/gary.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We woke up early to pack up Gary (Jenn's car) and secure the kayak for our short voyage North. In the car Jenn found some beautiful 'Bon Voyage' white daisies waiting for her, which stayed with us the whole way (See pic left). After saying farewells to the rafting summer Gary got revved up for the first leg of our journey.<br />
<br />
It was a scenic Colorado drive to Jenn's parents house, where I was finally going to get to meet her folks! After hearing so much about each other and having already virtually met via skype it was a warm welcome and so neat to see where Jenn had grown up after moving from Alaska. We only stayed for one night but I got a snapshot of Jenn I hadn't seen before. I helped her get all her things organized for her Oregon life to come. I even got a few glimpses of the <i>Inspiration Books</i> Jenn has kept regularly; filled with awesome quotes, pictures, and good vibes. <br />
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<b>"Road Trip" Day 5 - I heart WY</b><br />
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In the morning we jumped on 287, not to be confused with <i>The</i> 287, apparently only Canadians say 'The' before their highways, and crossed over to Wyoming. We quickly encountered camels as soon as we crossed the border, that's right camels!! We also saw some prong horns, which I had never seen before and as we searched for a rest stop we mistakenly thought "Siam Cafe" would have some coffee.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24A1QhEHTlA0XPywqBiA5FLevE85mrO0uoBFfdYWNTK3HfSVrs0HofrbMAPSd0qCIWm0AsXTDskKxvbTKXbdPfB2w3E8W3C_H0cQDUoG-z263zDlwwdeGU5BX7HlIGyngoQg1vSOBd7bd/s1600/old+town+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24A1QhEHTlA0XPywqBiA5FLevE85mrO0uoBFfdYWNTK3HfSVrs0HofrbMAPSd0qCIWm0AsXTDskKxvbTKXbdPfB2w3E8W3C_H0cQDUoG-z263zDlwwdeGU5BX7HlIGyngoQg1vSOBd7bd/s1600/old+town+coffee.jpg" height="257" width="320" /></a>Decaffeinated and grumpy, I was pretty haughty about a place calling themselves "Cafe" in huge letters when in fact they had no coffee or even tea to speak of. Thankfully <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/OLD-TOWN-COFFEE/112044908810976" target="_blank">Old Town Coffee</a></b> was just up the street where we picked up some expensive java and paused to take a look the works of a Mother and Daughter who were debuting an <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4861180261077&set=a.2487005308187.97644.1644319546&type=1&relevant_count=1" target="_blank">art show</a></b> together just that day.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVuywUWGbAUT6sERLCAkwyR6Rqk-PolOprCTdbbtT4Lc-zQm6q1PQIWCUmzBy09Ng8GbnDykkUNi3zq0DbX71kONiBSmMzynJbT1K4d0hbfhWtyyHM9KT6iFlZ7v021XhDqs8-94E4Sw3/s1600/teton+night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVuywUWGbAUT6sERLCAkwyR6Rqk-PolOprCTdbbtT4Lc-zQm6q1PQIWCUmzBy09Ng8GbnDykkUNi3zq0DbX71kONiBSmMzynJbT1K4d0hbfhWtyyHM9KT6iFlZ7v021XhDqs8-94E4Sw3/s1600/teton+night.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>We got back in the car and headed North West thinking our destination was <a href="https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Targhee+National+Forest/@43.9599516,-112.0235004,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x5354049cd4b666db:0xeab80b66528a5e42?hl=en" target="_blank">Targhee</a>. However while we were in the car I happened to be flipping through a travel magazine where there was a big picture of the Teton mountain range. "We can go there!!" Jenn exclaimed and promptly changed our route for the detour. By the time we got to a look out point the sun was setting and we only caught the purple clouds, the mountain range hardly visible. We jumped back in Gary and searched in the darkness for a campground close to the Grand Teton National Park. We were lucky to find one and snuck our way in, finding a secluded spot. The air was cool and I was in bliss to find a complete absence of bugs. We felt no need to set up a tent, we just laid out sleeping bags on the ground and peered up at the sky through the trees and of course pulled out the crib board. We went to sleep already excited about waking up before the sun to catch the Tetons at sunrise. SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-66053965942797396652014-11-19T16:59:00.000-08:002014-11-20T17:02:58.310-08:00Spastic ChickenToday I decided to tackle the frozen whole chicken that was in our freezer. Since becoming <i>not</i> Vegan I thought I should handle the carcase of of the animal I'm about to eat. Really get face to face with my dietary choice. One of the <b>many</b> reasons I became vegan was partially being afraid of not being able to cook meat properly. The only time I remember actually helping to make a chicken breast was when I was 12 and I made it in the toaster oven. I put in some red wine and was only slightly turned off when the chicken came out discolored. That was my only memory of ever cooking chicken on my own, I just never do it. Salmonella, botulism, and other ways of giving myself food poisoning have kept me far away from cooking my own meat. Nothing bad will happen to you if you cook tofu and vegetables wrong! <br />
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A few weeks ago Dan and I made Albondigas, my grandmother's recipe for meatballs, that I've been really wanting to make but couldn't muster up the courage on my own. So with all my trust placed in him, Dan and I made them together. Then last week I had my first experience cooking them alone and didn't poison either of us (yay! whoo! I was half terrified, half excited.) My grandmothers recipes are primarily responsible for getting me off the vegan train and I want to prepare them all and make a legible recipe book of them before committing again to the meatless way of life.<br />
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Which brings me back to today where I thought, "Hey why not tackle that whole chicken?" So after much texting with Dan, that I in fact could do this and the steps it would take to get said chicken unfrozen, I filled the sink with cold water and started to become slightly frantic when the Ziploc freezer bags kept it afloat. Over the course of about four and a half hours I rotated it in the water and tried to find odd things to weigh it down with, to no avail. <br />
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Then it was time to take it out of the bag...<br />
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With a sour look on my face and trying not throw up, I handled the cold carcass to rinse it off with cold water and to look inside for the giblet. Not knowing what I was looking for I had to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giblets" target="_blank">wiki Giblets</a> and confessed to Dan that I didn't know where the the hell giblets would be. <b>Fun Fact: "If the heart and kidneys might be loose in the cavity, they'll be obvious"</b>. Well there was definitely nothing obvious loose inside so I went back to rinsing as I whispered tender "I'm Sorry"'s after having immersed my hand into the animal. That's when I started to remember the video I had stumbled upon hours after taking the bird from the freezer:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7cHbi_IRYpo" width="560"></iframe><br />
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The video is about a slaughterhouse with some foul practices and is narrated by <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/sam-simon" target="_blank">Sam Simon</a>, who is pretty awesome; Co-creator of the Simpsons he's donating money and the time he has left, (after being diagnosed with terminal cancer) to animal welfare. So as I dried off the cold wrinkly skin and whispered "Sorry" again to this fowl, I sincerely hoped that enough reiki and salt would cure any trauma this chicken incurred under my hands and the hands before it.<br />
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Then I really got spastic. It was time to actually put the thing in the crock pot. I was determined to use the slow cooker to make something, and had Googled: <i>Crock pot whole chicken</i>. I found a few recipes but none that I had all the ingredients for so I meddled them all together. This is the recipie I came up with:<br />
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Step 1: Unfreeze the chicken. Keep it in the bag and immerse that in very cold water for a few hours (Aprox. 4.5)<br />
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Step 2: Run around the kitchen picking out herbs. I had salt, pepper, ginger, cayenne pepper, and fresh basil. <br />
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Step 3: One recipe from <a href="http://wellnessmama.com/3308/slow-cook-chicken/" target="_blank">Wellness Mama</a> said: <b><i>I’ve also heard of stuffing the chicken with an onion, apple or orange for more moistness and great flavor. </i></b>So I did it, I shoved an apple inside this poor chicken. I also cut the apple to make it fit... The same recipe also called for butter at the bottom of the crock pot, so in went half a stick. <br />
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Step 4: Now clearly thinking I was overcompensating for not having any celery or rosemary and that maybe all these ingredients were not going to work, I thought it was time to open a <a href="http://newglarusbrewing.com/index.cfm/beers/OurBeers/beer/fat-squirrel" target="_blank">Fat Squirrel Beer</a>. A beer that Dan and I got in Wisconsin at a very dimly lit bar/liquor store called the <a href="http://www.hammondliquor.com/" target="_blank">Hammond</a>. A few sips got my nerves down and I squeezed a lemon over the chicken, then slathered the skin in all the seasonings, and placed it breast down into the crock pot.<br />
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Step 5: Adding 3 large cloves of garlic, chopped onions, and carrots the bird was pretty covered up when I thought I might as well add some of the beer to the mix as well.<br />
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Step 6: Cover and turn on high for 6hrs.... and wait... <br />
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I finished the last sip of beer and opened another as I hoped I hadn't overdone it with the seasoning...<br />
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UPDATE: It turned out awesome! When the 6 hours were up the meat fell smoothly off the bone and tasted delicious. The sauce at the bottom with the carrots and onions was really nice on rice beside the chicken. Looking forward to sandwiches and soup all week! SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-34163021871210106662014-11-11T16:38:00.000-08:002014-11-12T20:52:46.319-08:00Surprise Getaway <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC23pQjFfzpqkarfsHvqSRJq1GG39avQWFX-LKH-vPoEaMptwwTUcIIjUxvnmjbJRoDnJyRU-FH2dp7ZI0HeeCgmuBbwvLHAk6G-SNeatlpxrqZvF3FQWv1FwEFX1_291YKKi6cHCnYHad/s1600/deluth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC23pQjFfzpqkarfsHvqSRJq1GG39avQWFX-LKH-vPoEaMptwwTUcIIjUxvnmjbJRoDnJyRU-FH2dp7ZI0HeeCgmuBbwvLHAk6G-SNeatlpxrqZvF3FQWv1FwEFX1_291YKKi6cHCnYHad/s1600/deluth.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duluth, Minnesota</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was whisked away this weekend by my lovely boyfriend to celebrate a year of being together. I know... "Awwww's" all around! This was a huge deal for me, and it made me so happy. A significant other actually planning a trip for us to take together, and across the border! Dan even went through the rigmarole of getting our passports renewed (which for some reason took 5 visits to the passport office). I've never traveled with a boyfriend and it felt pretty lucky to use our new passports together. Dan was also the first bf I've traveled on an airplane with (last Dec), I think this means good things. SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-80177841076246949162014-11-09T17:32:00.000-08:002014-11-09T17:32:00.537-08:00Unapologetic & Outlander I have been awesomely and brutally reminded recently how I MUST stop apologizing, especially when someone is taking offense.<br />
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One woman encouraged me after I confessed I had deeply offended someone and was worried about it, "That's their problem," she said, "if they're <i>very</i> offended you can say 'I'm sorry you feel that way', but don't apologize for you." <br />
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"Finally Sam!" Was another response when I fought back instead of being complacent.<br />
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When I worked with <a href="http://keeptabsonsam.blogspot.ca/2012/08/normandy-on-sunny-day.html" target="_blank">Johno</a> in Paris, he did his best to verbally beat the reflexive "sorry" out of me and that same "sorry" has weaseled it's way back into my life in an over abundant way. As a server I feel like I have to apologize a lot during a shift. Sorry about this and Sorry about that, when really I could get by with saying it less because these days I say sorry for EVERYTHING!<br />
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Soooorry: 'Excuse me, I need to pass'</div>
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Sorry?: 'I didn't hear you' </div>
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Sorry: a knee jerk reaction to basically anything that causes anyone discomfort. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBEvdluP8rmHJIGKTJV70R1SVMTbW1LUg80PSFiDPckRZRAz7ALq3E_4J3iytHRoJBkXVXEp8tDlBfN3BCEQN2J1MAXmzeuF-FkaXjBmLZaVMm9yTaS5G45r9GC3f_dJ5EX81xYtVsMSS/s1600/unacceptable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcBEvdluP8rmHJIGKTJV70R1SVMTbW1LUg80PSFiDPckRZRAz7ALq3E_4J3iytHRoJBkXVXEp8tDlBfN3BCEQN2J1MAXmzeuF-FkaXjBmLZaVMm9yTaS5G45r9GC3f_dJ5EX81xYtVsMSS/s1600/unacceptable.jpg" /></a></div>
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So with these extra forces re-affirming me that the "sorry" has got to go, I also recently read a novel with an unapologetic female lead, who takes 600 pages before her first "I'm sorry"!! That was a big eye opener for me. <br />
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If you're looking for a nice big book to keep you warm for the winter, <a href="http://outlander/" target="_blank">Outlander</a> heats up quite quickly. It mostly takes place in 1743, but don't be deceived, it's fun and adventure, not someone droning on about history. There are fun facts about history sprinkled into the book but it's more about a strongly opinionated woman from the 1940's living in the 1740's. It's a lighter read than most of the books chosen for book club which made it seem like a vacation to journey with Clair. <br />
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On the <a href="http://www.dianagabaldon.com/books/outlander-series/outlander/" target="_blank">author's website</a> in the description of the book Diana Gabaldon says: <br />
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<b>"What I used to say to people who saw me sitting outside a store with a
pile of books and asked (reasonably enough), “What sort of book is
this?”, was, “I tell you what. Pick it up, open it anywhere, and read
three pages. If you can put it down again, I’ll pay you a dollar.” I’ve never lost any money on that bet"</b> </blockquote>
I found that to be true. I was hesitant to read the book, despite hearing it was fun and having a whole 600+ pages to read for book club, but once I opened and read the first pages I was drawn in. <br />
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I think what I found most disappointing in the book are the actors on the cover. I actually took a better look at the faces a few chapters in, still wondering who the people on the front were supposed to represent and laughed. "Nope, that's not Clair and Jamie." went through my head and I probably rolled my eyes at the possibility. No chance. <br />
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If you miss reading Game of Thrones, miss having a page turner in your hands, and aren't afraid of some sex scenes, then take the leap and try this out. *I also think this would make a good gift* I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll just end by saying I think the lead, Clair, is pretty kick-ass. SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-45321328897372012652014-11-07T15:25:00.000-08:002014-11-08T15:26:00.527-08:00International Festival Of AuthorsOn Thursday I attended the <a href="http://ifoa.org/" target="_blank">IFOA</a> volunteering to sell books for the <a href="http://northernwomansbookstore.ca/" target="_blank">Northern Woman's Bookstore</a> and wow, was I inspired. Three authors read from their works at the <a href="http://www.theag.ca/" target="_blank">Thunder Bay Art Gallery</a>.<br />
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Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer <b>- </b><a href="http://kathrynkuitenbrouwer.com/books/all-the-broken-things/" target="_blank"><b>All The Broken Things</b> </a><br />
Alison Pick - <a href="http://www.alisonpick.com/BetweenGods.html" target="_blank"><b>Between Gods</b></a><br />
Michael Winter - <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20758075-into-the-blizzard" target="_blank">Into The Blizzard: Walking The Fields Of The Newfoundland Dead </a></b><br />
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I got to the gallery early and had a chance to look around at the special juried exhibition on display showcasing the talented works of Northern Ontario artists. I learned that it has been ten years since the last juried exhibition where instead of one artist the room held numerous styles and a taste of each artist's works. I was especially happy to recognize some art that I had seen at
other spots in Thunder Bay, now hanging upon gallery walls.<br />
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As Katja, Gillian, and I set up books from local authors and a variety of books from the three authors that would be speaking that night, we were joined by <a href="http://www.thunderbay.ca/City_Government/City_Records_and_Archives/Web_Exhibits/Women_s_History_Month/Margaret_Phillips.htm" target="_blank">Margaret Phillips</a>, who is the strong force behind The Northern Woman's Bookstore. Everyone was happy to see Margaret out at the event and made a point to say hello and see how she's recovering from this tough year of health issues. <br />
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When it was time to listen to the speakers the event started rolling with CBC's <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/superiormorning/" target="_blank">Lisa Laco</a> as the host. Each author gave a brief synopsis of their book and read for ten riveting minutes. My favorite part was the Q&A, specifically the question about each writers process. <br />
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<b>Writing as a daily activity could not be stressed enough. </b><br />
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Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer and Alison Pick were surprised that they had the same writing style: To get everything on paper first with an old school pen and then transcribe onto the computer, making that their first edit. <br />
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Micheal Winters was really funny, he made a good distinction about the
internet. The computer that he writes on does not have the internet and
he likened it to having two rooms. In one room there is a puppy, in the
other room there is a dead dog, a 5 day dead, very smelly, dog. Now the
dead dog room is your novel and the puppy is the internet. It's
better to have separate rooms, because naturally everyone wants to play with
puppies. SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-11851815095687325782014-10-31T19:46:00.000-07:002014-10-31T19:46:00.078-07:00Happy Silly Hallowe'enI really did not want to be anything sexy, cutesy, or girly for this hallowe'en. [One friend tried to convince me to dress up by saying, "<i>It'll probably be good for tips</i>" which made me cringe.]<br />
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Have you seen this vid yet?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PRPf_H9X9PE" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<b>SO,</b> after much debate <i>the night before</i> to even dress up, I've decided to go as a hipster dude, which kinda ended up looking more like a french farmer...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAe1P928BsfBnOaLkgAuTKz8SCqH9V1NPOOvSptLkCRE6t_WIMe4Sg_KQJGwn8lN_Mp5T6W-udALLp89_vgUbbwiwcrK87zusHo14KW0GV_DnWfE7uoMtp6BIf1CTSoAI8lelj6bYwk2M/s1600/hipster+dude+french+farmer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAe1P928BsfBnOaLkgAuTKz8SCqH9V1NPOOvSptLkCRE6t_WIMe4Sg_KQJGwn8lN_Mp5T6W-udALLp89_vgUbbwiwcrK87zusHo14KW0GV_DnWfE7uoMtp6BIf1CTSoAI8lelj6bYwk2M/s1600/hipster+dude+french+farmer.png" height="400" width="293" /></a></div>
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My reasoning for this costume and why it won out... Well, I recently got suspenders from a clothing swap and really wanted to wear them and a mustache. BUT ALSO because working at a bar/pub/restaurant I knew I'd be inviting certain attention had I dressed up as say... a catholic school girl just because I have the skirt.<br />
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It was suggested to me to be a Goth because that's pretty opposite my personality but it still holds sex appeal. If anyone deems this Hipster Dude/French Farmer costume sexy throughout the night it will be my personality, not my body on display. We don't live in a time yet where a woman dressing in a revealing outfit wont get you a certain kind of attention from certain kinds of people. Knowing full well that certain kinds of people are gonna be intoxicated and not necessarily on their best behavior and I wont be in control of the kind of people I'll be in contact with, I'm going for the most androgynous and<i> let face it</i> <b>silly</b> costume.<br />
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Happy Hallowe'en, have a safe and fun night! </div>
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<a href="http://kitchenbouquet.blogspot.ca/2009/10/flashback-and-foodie-friday-vintage.html" target="_blank"><img alt="http://kitchenbouquet.blogspot.ca/2009/10/flashback-and-foodie-friday-vintage.html" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cHXe6NY-mip1ORH7FuPf8XGOmufzfX4nHoWCNO87aAaC6NPRu3Llgo6H6WGgXqqL_t4VU4Fd86bb8zCmzsFENpzatw0bITDVFGcykgCN0e_Ttk6qs8irYe64HrLAMF3l4Rs4qp3lnJiD/s1600/Halloween.jpg" height="320" width="203" /></a></div>
<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-21617846599207961092014-10-28T18:51:00.000-07:002014-11-26T13:38:23.008-08:00Pink Flamingo Hair <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I use to be a brunette, and once upon a time (circa 2008) I bleached my brown locks from a box so it was an awesome orange, and then covered it in Manic Panic electric blue. It only lasted a few weeks but from then on I wanted to grow my hair as long as it would go and dye it a whole bunch of colours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweIBrbvhcSwUvrSIRYJnLeuqvixbF_m7VgO3predxf-NeeMgf8h89VpqobJYo0628fMvXcx7GkdvA5t7XTYqGxhAklyb4b10u1pJMf_7UW2hof3r0fn0BCD5KycUDMSZnLxwNuN31jGDV/s1600/light+pink.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhweIBrbvhcSwUvrSIRYJnLeuqvixbF_m7VgO3predxf-NeeMgf8h89VpqobJYo0628fMvXcx7GkdvA5t7XTYqGxhAklyb4b10u1pJMf_7UW2hof3r0fn0BCD5KycUDMSZnLxwNuN31jGDV/s1600/light+pink.png" height="400" width="224" /></a>I left it long for a while, and when I was traveling I didn't have time or money to waste on hair care. This year was finally the time! I went professional for the bleaching and trusted Sal at <a href="http://www.violetblonde.com/" target="_blank">Violet Blonde</a> to take me as blond as he could. Sal has seen my many hair transitions, from super long to pixie short, and he always makes my hair look amazing. He had my complete trust and I loved the blonde he managed to get me to. <br />
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I let it stay blonde for a few weeks but when my roots started to come it, it was time for the pink!<br />
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I started with Manic Panic Cotton Candy. Placing it sparingly in highlights so it peaked through my hair. It was nice to start with but I quickly started adding more until I wanted something more vibrant.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExBeGqjwmJrLUl1rzbYFR5e7v3DxfH6ynDJ8B6etR59dUlp-6U02BaPyfJpjHiHmqvzObWdGdv4wm6VucaBHH13gy5oDLJtgHiq-YZFvSFTM4wbtD_zAx2m8pVUDq4xp5oyFJLG5eNcGP/s1600/Photo+on+2014-08-12+at+16.22+%235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjExBeGqjwmJrLUl1rzbYFR5e7v3DxfH6ynDJ8B6etR59dUlp-6U02BaPyfJpjHiHmqvzObWdGdv4wm6VucaBHH13gy5oDLJtgHiq-YZFvSFTM4wbtD_zAx2m8pVUDq4xp5oyFJLG5eNcGP/s1600/Photo+on+2014-08-12+at+16.22+%235.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
I got Manic Panic Fuschia Shock, Hot Hot Pink, another Cotton Candy and went to work mixing colours and layering for an ombre effect.<br />
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The Fuschia shock was completely overpowering though...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicJItPMDWb5UY_Nq4fglBlupMtPDudRNsOjpUBmHSh2KGpHSP2v9rmjazzug5D-sITsx59TC5qkSLZAjaRFAgslFV62rBPZ-s_WKk13wR8_o4AYRrBt9jie3IbAuT6hxTN3vXFSoWdbYc/s1600/ombre+curls.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjicJItPMDWb5UY_Nq4fglBlupMtPDudRNsOjpUBmHSh2KGpHSP2v9rmjazzug5D-sITsx59TC5qkSLZAjaRFAgslFV62rBPZ-s_WKk13wR8_o4AYRrBt9jie3IbAuT6hxTN3vXFSoWdbYc/s1600/ombre+curls.png" height="200" width="116" /></a>The ombre effect was hardly noticeable until after a few washes. Then
the lighter pinks started to wash out completely. That's when I learned
you could <b>mix colours with conditioner</b> and place all over, to restore
the colour. That's when the ombre really came through.<br />
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Then I was kinda
over it with the pink washes and an annoying patch of fuschia would not let
up. So I redid my roots and did an all over bleach at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curl-Up-N-Dye-Family-Hair-Care/137657116405414" target="_blank">Curl Up 'N' Dye</a>. <br />
Now I have a new blank canvas to try out...<br />
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Purple's <a href="http://keeptabsonsam.blogspot.ca/2014/11/purple-locks.html" target="_blank">next</a>!<br />
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I've still been recording the books I've read <b><a href="http://nothemingway.blogspot.ca/p/book-list-2014.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>, <i>but haven't added any descriptions or reviews yet... oops! </i><br />
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I feel like the hermit veil is lifting though... So came the blog overhaul! The background picture is one taken while walking in snowshoes on lake Superior.<br />
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Post's to come:<br />
<a href="http://keeptabsonsam.blogspot.ca/search/label/hair%20colour" target="_blank">My colourful hair</a><br />
<a href="http://keeptabsonsam.blogspot.ca/search/label/%23ThrowbackThursday" target="_blank">Throwback Thursday posts</a><br />
Whimsical Wednesdays<br />
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<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7327834335401581009.post-35310376395198965122014-04-18T09:58:00.000-07:002014-04-18T09:58:18.296-07:00"Road Trip" Day 2 - Lets ride mustangs bareback<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Posted a little late, this took place in August 2013</i></span>)</div>
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"So... how do you feel about going on an adventure?" Jenn asks, and of course I'm always up for whatever she has in store. We jump into Gary (her car) and head off through the roads of Buena Vista on a beautiful sunny day. </div>
Arriving at a small ranch I learn about the gentle nature of two beautiful mustangs who have been taught like no other horses I've met. These horses were never whipped or hurt to be 'broken', natural horsemanship is beautiful to witness. While sitting on Wyoming bareback she responds to the gentlest touch. Sitting forward, she knows to go forward. Leaning to the right, she knows to go right. Sitting back, she knows to stop. It really feels like the horse can read it's riders mind.<br />
Jenn and I were allowed to walk the land on these great horses and here are my two favorite photos.<br />
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It was such a beautiful day.</div>
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<br />SamanthaNajarrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02835206487667579222noreply@blogger.com0