My motivation for exercise

So, this weird thing has been happening to my fingers. I was kind of freaked out at first because it just started like that, for no reason, and gradually worsened. It started with the skin around the articulations becoming scaly and mushy beneath the surface, then appearing inflamed and red, and the skin beneath my cuticles being very dry. THEN, little red suction dots were emerging on my pinkie. The day after the little red dots appeared, the skin started opening and blood gently oozing out and then drying up. The skin around that was hard and waxy yellow. Sorry for the gory details. Over the course of several days it kept opening wider and wider, the same process happening: I'd wash my hands, fresh blood would come out, then dry up.  Don't worry, in my paranoia, I disinfected it and hydrated it several times a day . We didn't go see a doctor right away because it seemed like a first world problem, like "oh poor little boo boo, you have a cut on your finger", but when we saw how horrible it was becoming we made an appointment. That doctor made us an appointment with a finger specialist. The next day, we were there.
"He he, sorry I am a bit crazy, that is my nature, and that is how I like being, he he he" he kept repeating. He was a pretty big jerk, if you ask me. He kept asking inappropriate questions about my personal life and spent far too much time making up theories about my way of being, to the point that I was stuck talking to him in his office for a whole hour and a half. He said that since I'm an "anxious and emotive person" the adrenaline in my blood is high and therefore my circulation in the least important parts of my body is bad. I don't know where the me being "anxious and emotive" came from, since I gave NO clue of that. Let me just say he was quite full of himself.
But aside from that he did have something interesting to say. He said that to improve my circulation, I should exercise. And for it to work, at least four times a week. I know exercising is the key to top health and fitness, but I've never been a very sporty person. I was getting into the running groove, going once or twice a week for 45 minutes to an hour, but I stopped when it got colder, and the truth is, I prefer to curl up on the sofa with a good book. So, as you can imagine, when I heard that I had to get my lazy butt back into shape, I was not exactly thrilled.
Because I am not signed up for any physical activities outside of school and because it is so friggin' cold here, what I settled on is trampolining on my mini trampoline and doing yoga. The yoga part is especially great, because my mom and I joined YogaGlo: If you haven't heard of it you should go check it out. It's a website that you pay to belong to, and you get unlimited yoga classes in the form of videos, for whenever you want. Seriously. There are so many to choose from. And the website is so practical. You can decide on which class to take by duration, style of yoga, part of the body that needs a work out or needs to be stretched, which teacher you want, time of the day... It's just awesome.
Now, trampolining was another story: Staying in the same spot for over half an hour can get kind of boring, despite the fact  that you are jumping. But I quickly found a solution to that problem: music.
I decided that if I want to stay motivated I should be allowed to regularly buy whatever music I want to pass the time and to jump in rhythm to. And guess what, it actually started becoming really fun, jumping to the beat of a blaring  Beyoncé, Bruno mars, and prince!
My favorites right now are these:
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars
Run the World (Girls) - Beyoncé
Love on Top - Beyoncé
Down the road - C2C
Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz) - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
If you've been blocked on exercising for whatever reason (unless you're injured of course), get yourself some good music and JUST DO IT. It gets easier with time, I swear. Running is a great sport because you don't need a lot of money and prep for it. Even dancing is great instead of just sitting there watching TV! Exercise is essential to your health. Once you're into it, you'll be so happy you started.
Now back to my fingers. I don't know if it was thanks to the exercise, but they are a lot better. Just reassuring you, because I know you were all TERRIBLY worried about me. ;)

Sushi!

I've been wanting to write this post for a long time, and finally I am able to... guess why?
...good news...
WE HAVE INTERNET!!!
WOO HOO! Yeah! (applause)
After ten weeks without! Can you believe it? That's how long it takes to get settled after a move. We still have some boxes unpacked, and no artwork on the walls. No, seriously.
It feels so good to click on the little internet icon and see the Google searchbar pop up. Ahhhh. I've missed you, my sweet google. The clappity-clap of the keyboard feels wonderful. It is fabulous to write again.
Anyway. I want to share with you my discovery about sushi.
I've always admired the sushi served in a japanese restaurant. Haven't you? It looks so delicate, and beautiful, and... complicated to make, right? Well, turns out it's easy as pie to make once you get the hang of it. It's kind of like making a wrap. You just need the right utensils and ingredients, and you're set. It's really fast to make (once the rice is prepared) and great fun. And because I love y'all so much, I am here to share the art of sushi with you (what we made are actually called futomaki, but everybody says sushi).

I'm not giving the exact recipe, just the general idea of how sushi is made. Sushi can easily be  vegan by only putting veggies in the middle of the roll, but I just made them vegetarian, using egg and sour cream as well as veggies.  This is what you'll need:
-sushi rice
-sushi vinegar (to put in the rice... that's one of the things that makes sushi taste so special)
-nori (the seaweed used that envelops the rice and the veggies inside)
-thinly sliced veggies for the middle of the roll (cucumber, avocado, carrot...)
-tamago ("japanese omelet"or egg roll that is made with soy sauce and sugar. Optional.)
-fresh herbs of your choice (cilantro, dill...)
-sesame seeds (they give a nice touch. Optional)

You'll also need a bamboo sushi mat and plastic wrap to wrap around it so that the roll (and more specifically the sticky rice, which is VERY sticky) won't stick to the mat.

Tamago, sesame seeds, rice, herbs, sour cream, sliced veggies...

Once the plastic wrapped around the mat, place the nori , smooth side down, on it.

Put some rice on the nori, then flatten it out with your fingers.

 TIP: prepare a little bowl of water to dip your hands in before touching the rice, or it will become a sticky mess.

Put the veggies of your choice in the center of the rice.

Then, start rolling the mat, pressing the roll between your fingers.

When you're halfway done rolling, squeeze the roll with your fingers.

Unroll the mat. You've got your roll.

 

Now you're ready to cut it!

 TIP: Use a sharp knife and a wet cloth to wipe the rice off the knife after each cut, or it won't cut the roll properly.

Ready Sushi!



Ready Sushi!

Another example of what can be put in a maki roll.

Is it really worth it?

My friend was shocked when she discovered it takes 4 gallons (15 liters) to produce a pair of jeans. Although that is a lot, I would like to point out that it takes, according to the UN water use statistics, 1850 gallons (7000 liters) to produce 1 pound of beef. Yes, you read it right, 1850 gallons per pound, when it takes just 264 gallons (1000 liters) to produce a pound of rice.

When 1 out of 9 people in the world don't have enough water to live, is this really a smart way to use our earth's water resources? Is a steak that will be eaten in a matter of ten minutes, then digested, and finishing as poop and clogged arteries really worth it?

Like John Robbins said, "you can save more water by not eating a pound of beef than you will save by not showering for a year". Now isn't THAT shocking?

And don't get me started about how much grain is needed to produce a pound of tasty beef, and how many starving people it could feed.

I guess the message I want to pass is that if the world doesn't stop consuming meat in such an excessive and unhealthy way, well, we're all doomed. Just saying.