It Tastes Like CAKE BATTER!

I've been looking for a meal-replacement/post-workout/keep-me-from-gnawing-my-arm-off-when-I-can't-get-to-lunch shake that tastes good for years now. I'm a fan of whey protein shakes, especially after grueling workouts or runs over 10 miles. But for shorter workouts or days I can't leave the desk, I want something that is low cal, tasty, easy, and filling. I know, I don't want much. But I've found a winner!

GNC's new Total Lean, Lean Shake Vanilla Bean: it tastes like cake batter. Let me say that one more time: It Tastes Like Cake Batter! When I purchased this, I was expecting the same ol' same ol'. What I got was delicious, creamy goodness for less than $1.60 per serving! With 8 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein, it left me feeling full. No hunger pains all afternoon.

GNC also makes a strawberry flavor which I haven't tried and a Swiss chocolate version that I think is okay, but not like the creamy, delicious goodness of the vanilla bean version. This product is not my go-to for smoothies, but I keep some powder in my blender bottle everyday in case of emergencies. And I've had a lot of those this week.

Here's the link to the product: Lean Shake Vanilla Bean  If you try it and like it, let me know.

My Total Disappointment in Doctor Who #1

Doctor Who #1 was a complete fail. While the photo cover (cvr B) was interesting and entertaining, everything between the covers was a complete waste of space. It's taken me a month to post this because I don't want to be the one to say it. I may be the only one saying it, because I may be the only one reading it. I know many new fans of the show who had no idea there was comic based on the Doctor. And I am not starting them out on 11's first adventure.

Now that I've ripped the Band-Aid off, let me cover the key points. IDW launched the new series with a trite, trivial story! WTF IDW! FAIL!

So getting over this colossal disappointment has been difficult-- continues to be difficult. 

The art was disappointing, the characters all seemed off and the scenes were static and the 'villain' looked oddly like Danny Trejo which struck me as more than a little bit tasteless. I felt like I was working my way through a storyboard, not a comic book. The art lacked motion and emotion. When the only image a 6 year old finds interesting is a space ship you have a problem.

Perhaps the artist was bored to tears with the story, because this one lacked any hint of inspiration. The idea behind could have been 'cute,' heck it could have been powerful, instead it was trite, trivial, and worst of all boring!

Really, IDW? You launched the new series with spam? Who made this decision? Were there drugs involved, because absolutely zero brain cells were. Unless your point was to tank the title.

A colorful cover may sell the title, but the complete beige-ness of the contents will not retain fans.

I've always had a nagging concern with all the recent Doctor Who titles and couldn't quite define what it was that kept them from reaching stellar-ness. But reading this comic, I'm pretty sure I've know what it is now. The creative people behind the title need to understand this is a story, not a storyboard. It's a comic, not a TV show.

Body Scrub Makes You Sexy!

Feeling the pinch in the pocketbook, I've had to make some edits to my discretionary spending. Unlike Congress, I can not print more money. Well, I could, but I've heard the Secret Service frowns on that kind of thing.

One of my beloved treats was an outrageously expensive, subtly scented body scrub. Scrubbing away dead skin makes you feel like you're shedding some past woes. You feel lighter in spirit after just a few extra minutes of pampering. I pray to never be so busy, or so heavy spirited that I don't take a few extra minutes for me each week. So cutting out this vice was difficult.

There are cheaper options out there, but they smelled too much or felt too light. Why does it have to cost so much! It's salt and oil. Can it really be that hard to make? Yes and no. I can throw together a basic scrub that will leave your skin feeling like cream in less than a minute. But it's just not the same! It doesn't make me feel like a goddess. It's the subtly scented bit that makes you feel pampered. The tricky part is getting the scent just right. The list of essential oils is seemingly endless. Lavender, peppermint, pine. Eucalyptus, bergamot, frankincense. Rose water, lemon balm, clary sage. My nose has a hard time telling which is what, but my brain knows when it lands on something it loves. And finding that perfect blend has been a pleasant past time for me the past few weeks. Sometimes playing with the scents is as soothing as luxuriating in the bath after a good scrub.

I'm still looking for the perfect combination, but I have to say my latest blend of peppermint and pine is a treat to my senses. Pine may seem a strange choice, but it enlivens and soothes me at the same time. It's comforting, but not overpowering. Sharp and clean and alive... ah, adding a mid-week scrub!

My latest hobby is one in which even the misses are hits and the hits are out of the park. And my poor, abused feet absolutely demand a scrub after my Sunday long runs. My feet, if nothing else on me, deserve it.

Something About Fighting & Ice

Can you see anything in the above picture? Not really? That's okay. I could hardly see it either; nosebleed drawback. Let me describe it for you. With 2 minutes left in the third period, things were looking plenty bleak for the Augusta Hawks, so they started a fight at the goal. Hawks player straight on punched an Ice Bear in the face. It was awesome! (Note: I don't condone violence, but this is hockey!)

While the refs (Who suck-- sorry habit. Don't really mean it. Maybe.) sorted out that melee, another fracas broke out at half court. When the game finally resumed, 3 more players were ejected and with 5-on-4 play the Ice Bears scored again.

Final score Augusta 1, Ice Bears 6. And 5 of those were unanswered 3rd period scores. I've never watched a game with more fighting.

It was a terrific showing but not outdone by the weiner dog races (which packed the house more than the game I think). They were hilarious. (No dogs were harmed during these races; just some of the owners'prides.)

Don't ask me about the food. I feel like I was run over by the wagon.