Souls

Photo by Tim White

I saw an article today
About a Canadian Goose
Who
With fire blazing
Sat on her nest
To protect the unborn
Proof
It was no accident
Right on the scene
Who
Why
People claim that
Animals have no soul
But this proves two things
One
Animals are better
And more deserving parents than
Some humans
Two
There are humans walking around
With no soul
Setting fire to the unborn
And the mother willing to die
Protecting it.


Article here.

Book Review: "Rooted and Four Other Disturbing Stories"!

Lately I've been on a supernatural and human psychology kick. I'm watching documentaries, reading books, and just generally immersing myself into this genre. When I saw the opportunity to review a free copy of "Rooted and Four Other Disturbing Stories" by Shane Hall, I jumped at the opportunity and was ecstatic to see that I was approved for the promotion! The cover of the book intrigued me, as a film photographer. It looks like a double exposure of an angel statue's face with an eerie, leafless forest. The cover definitely drew me in. It's especially well done considering that Shane Hall is a first time author!

The book was a very quick read, which I didn't quite expect. I love for these stories to be drawn out and extremely detailed. There was plenty of detail there...but my only complaint is that the writing is SO good that I wish the stories were much longer. I finished the book in about an hour of on-and-off reading, with plenty of distractions. However, the story caught my attention and held it until real life beckoned. :) There are five stories within the book: "Vivian's Videos", "How to Satisfy the Keymaker", "John Adams Two", "A Friend in the Depths", and "Rooted". Some are shorter than others, but they all convey plenty of information. I think my favorites are "How to Satisfy the Keymaker" and "A Friend in the Depths".

In "How to Satisfy the Keymaker", the story reads as a how-to (obviously). It's very instructional and you get the eerie feeling that the author is directly talking to you. Without spoiling, it makes you think about what you would do - and who you would sacrifice for yourself in the given situation.

"A Friend in the Depths" is the story that left me wanting the most. The suspense is insane, and your curiosity is peaked. Along with that, the conversation with the two characters allows you to begin to get attached to them. Right at the most dramatic moment of the story, though....it's over. And that hurts my heart, SHANE HALL! (Yes...I'm yelling at you!) ;)

Really, though...this is an explosive start for a new author. The book is very well written with no grammatical or spelling errors, provides plenty of entertainment, and hooks your interest like a fish-human-creature that wants to eat you.  

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add onto "A Friend in the Depths" and PLEASE write a 1000 page book. I cannot wait to see where these stories go and where Shane Hall is in the coming years! Congratulations on your debut and very best wishes!

Hango Lunch Bag Set Has Quality "In the Bag"!

Much of my product reviewing arises from one of those things: necessity or convenience. Sometimes, these things overlap with novelty. I love trying new things, so when offered a product sample that I can use in daily life for free, I jump at it! The Hango Lunch Bag Set was no exception! I was very excited about this promotion because it gave me the opportunity to really get up close and personal with the product and form a thorough opinion of it! To keep it easy to read, I'm listing my top three favorite features of the lunch bag set! 

#1: Quality. These lunch bags aren't the cheap, easy to tear ones that you remember from your childhood. You know...the ones made of barely-there plastic or nylon. These bags are durable, heavy, almost canvas-like material that is resilient to injury. The stitching on the edges and on the handle is even, thick, and neat. All of the edges are neatly tucked into seams, which are stitched up. No fraying here! The zipper operates smoothly and doesn't get caught up. It is black, so it blends nicely with the fabric of the bag. When you open the bag, you see metallic, silver material. This is to better insulate the bag...either hot or cold. And it works! This bag looks basic, but it can't be beat if you're looking for a bag to last for years! 

#2: Simplicity of Design: As mentioned previously, the bag is very basic looking. It's black with a brown handle and tan stitching on the handle. The Hango logo is on the front, bottom right corner and is very smart looking. It's nothing fancy, because it doesn't have to be. It's fantastic quality and that speaks volumes. Black matches everything! The bags come with a cotton gift bag similar to what you would get with a pair of Toms. It's a nice, simple touch, but it adds a lot of class! 

#3. Price. For a low price, you get two lunch bags of different sizes! The smaller one is the one that I prefer, as I barely take anything! My husband uses the larger one. We both have lunch bags that will last for years and years, and both of them have a value of $25! Finding a lunch bag that will truly last a long time and not wear down for that price is awesome. But then to have two! Great!  

Overall, I really enjoy the convenience of having a durable lunch bag! I'm especially happy to have one that goes with everything! 

+Lifeguard Battery Bar Review!

One of my biggest pet peeves is a dead cell phone battery. Being away from home so much means that I need to stay connected. Through having multiple obligations outside of work and a love for exploring and film photography, there's not much time for me to actually plug in to a wall power source.

When offered the opportunity to review a Lifeguard Portable Battery Charger for free, I was super excited! This device would allow me to be prepared, no matter the situation, and would offer a convenience that would be dearly appreciated!

The first thing that I noticed when I received the bar was that it was heavy in my hand. The metal casing is sleek and black and heavy duty. There's no fear of breaking the thing if I drop it! The bar is about as tall as my phone is and is perhaps 1/2" to 3/4" wide. It is rectangular, but the edges are rounded out, so it's easy to slip into my pocket without sharp edges. When I connected my phone through the provided mini-usb cable, a light near the Lifeguard logo lit up  (blue). That let me know that my phone was charging and that the portable charger still had "juice".

The bar is very straightforward and easy to use. The mini-usb port is labeled "input" for when the bar itself needs to be charged. The standard usb port is labeled "output" for when a device needs to be charged.

I have used this portable charger with my phone and my iPad, and am happy to report that it can charge my phone fully multiple times on one charge. It keeps my iPad running when the battery is low, however, it isn't for as long as my phone (perhaps due to larger screen size and more advanced operations). The bar itself takes a couple of hours to charge, but can be done in your "down time" or can be left on a charger when you are out for the day.

Somnis: Your Answer for Insomnia!

I get SUPER SUPER SUPER excited when I review something that helps me dramatically, changes my life, and that I know can help others! That's EXACTLY how I feel about a supplement that I recently tried to help with my insomnia: Somnis!

Most people are reluctant to try a sleep aid because they can become habit-forming or have dangerous chemicals. Somnis simply uses melatonin and GABA to help you fall asleep quickly and stay that way!

The capsules are SO easy to swallow that they don't bother an anti-pill person like me! There's no bad aftertaste or heartburn the next day and there's also no groggy or medicated feeling when you wake up!

I SWEAR I've never slept better than I have while using Somnis. I was so excited that I offered a fellow insomniac a few to try, and he reported back to me, without knowing my opinion, my exact thoughts!

With all of those negative side effects gone, you've got nothing to worry about except finding enough pillows!

Give it a try! You won't regret it!

Keri's Kitchen Vegetable Peeler Review!

Recently, I've been building our kitchen appliances and tools, since we are finally settling down. When given the opportunity to review a kitchen tool that I had never used, I happily accepted the free product. The product was a Julienne Vegetable Peeler by Keri's Kitchen.

When I first opened the box, I realized that the metal that this peeler (stainless steel) was made of was VERY nice. It didn't look like it would rust easily and it felt nice and heavy in my hand. I looked at the blades and felt them against my fingertips. It is VERY sharp, and I find myself having to be extra careful with it for this reason. It has NO problems slicing through apple or potato peels.

I really put the peeler to the test when I peeled an entire large bag of potatoes. What I normally wouldn't have done at all (due to the amount of work it takes and the fact that I butcher potatoes with a knife), I got done within fifteen to twenty minutes. It was so fast and efficient!! I BARELY put ANY pressure on the peeler and it very neatly cut the peel off.

After using this to make my mashed potatoes, I don't think I'll go back to having potatoes with peels ever again! The Keri's Kitchen peeler made peeling FAST and FUN and is a quality tool that I expect to be in our kitchen for years to come!

The "No" Zone...My Eyes + Foxbrim Youthful Radiance Eye Cream

Often, I'm very nervous about putting ANYTHING near my eyes. It's hard enough for me to find makeup that doesn't irritate the tears out of them...let alone finding something that I can slather on them without them getting irritated. It's a twofold problem, though. As much as I want to keep my sensitive eyes happy, I also want rid of bags, discoloration, and wrinkles.

The reaction is especially bad with chemicals. Needless to say, I've looked for the more natural route and was happy to see that Foxbrim's Youthful Radiance Eye Cream contained natural ingredients that my skin (and EYES!) would LOVE. The cream includes:

 + Vitamin C & E
+ Green Tea
+ MSM
+ CoQ10
+ Grapeseed Oil
+ Tamanu Oil

From the moment I put it on (not too close to my eyes), I felt cooling sensations. The discoloration was the first thing that I noticed decreasing. The swelling and puffiness went down within a few minutes, and I was very impressed at the speed of effectiveness! Even if I hadn't seen immediate results, the cream was soothing to the skin under my eyes and helped my makeup to cover better.

I was very impressed with the results of using this cream, and suggest that you check it out if you're prone to sensitive eyes!

I received this product free for my honest opinion. It did not influence my opinion.