Kate Bello's Blog, page 3

A Walking Satire?

Blogger, health nut, Burning Man attendee…what else…some who know me might call me a bit hipster.  I got one of those hipster hats from Urban to keep the sun out of my face at the beach, but let’s face it, I wear wherever, whenever I can.

I believe in astrology, ha.  No, really I do.  And I do a lot of yoga and believe in the power of energy and maybe crystals.  Definitely past lives.

There has got to be more…let me think.

Ah.  I try to eat a plant-based diet (vegan, kinda), although I’ve been sucking at this lately.  I only buy organic.  I shop at Whole Foods way too much.   Once I move into a home, which will be soon, I’ll be shopping at Jimbos instead…a local health food store (see, I support local businesses) although Whole Foods does have a bomb salad bar (can’t deny it, even though I sort of want to) that I’ve been feasting upon for about the last month.  I had a dream last night that everything in the store was half off on Wednesdays only to wake up, disappointed, that it’s actually only a $1.50 off the salad bar.

There’s more…I’ve been a nomad recently.  And who doesn’t want to be a nomad these days?  It’s literally all the rage on Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube, etc.  Actually, I’ve been a digital nomad…a local digital nomad.  That’s new by the way.

For the most part, I’m calm.   But sometimes I feel like Patrick Bateman in the chapter, A Glimpse of a Thursday Afternoon, of American Psycho, although lately, in the last two weeks or so, this hasn’t been the case.

As I write my stories or here on the blog, sometimes I question myself…I’m an asshole?  Or at least, is that how I come across?  This concerns me.  By the way, I’m not.  I’m actually quite sensitive.  But my Mercury is in Scorpio, which causes me to go against the grain intellectually (even if I don’t want to) and delve into the dark, gritty side of things (even if I don’t want to).  Do you think I’m kidding? 

Aliester Crawley, Snoop Dog and Ryan Goseling all of their Mercury in Scorpio, which doesn’t explain a lot about me, but at least I’m in good company I guess.

My New Office(s)

For these last two months I've been spending a lot of time at the library.  Too much time maybe.  There's always drama at the library.  Either some creepy guy is staring at me or there's yelling or some bum is passed out on a chair with crumbs falling off his heaving chest.  The other night I was there with my boyfriend and a fight broke out between a grown son and his father.  The son kept saying, "fuck off," and the father kept walking out of the library (to cool down I guess) and then back in saying to his son, "you need to get your shit together" and then the son would say, "fuck off" again.  Pretty entertaining, but not a great working environment.

Other than that, the library is awesome.  Free wifi and I don't need to buy a coffee in order to work there.  And the characters are gold.  But it gets tiresome.

I've also been spending a lot of time at Starbucks.  Wow.  That's all I have to say.  People love their fucking coffee on the go.  In and out, in and out.  So much trash.  From my observation, people need to bring in their own coffee mugs or portable cups.  The amount of plastic cups in the trash that are accumulated daily from Starbucks must be insane.  These are the things I notice.  The employees at Starbucks are incredibly nice though.  One of them complimented my hand writing last week and I went in this morning, bought a Kind Bar and she complimented my coffee mug and hand writing again.  I was shocked that she remembered.  They must be trained to do this, right?  I don't know, but it's nice to be treated so well.

And I'm the worst Starbucks customer.  I go in there and ask for hot water in my coffee mug (I'm the weirdo making my own morning concoction at my table).  I always tip so I figure that makes up for it.  From the looks of it, I don't think Starbucks is hurting so I don't feel that bad.

In the last week or so I've been trying to go to local coffee shops in the afternoon to work instead of the library.  First, it's a much more relaxing environment, even though it can get expensive for someone on a budget (me).  I like supporting local coffee shops and there is a plethora of them around here.  Each one has a special roast, which is lost on me.  I usually get a chai latte with almond milk.  To find a coffee shop with plenty of open outlets is very important.  

But the best thing about being out and about to work is observing people.  People are strange.  You, me.  Every single one of us.

The DreamBox

I like this photo.  I took it last year at Burning Man just after sunrise on the Playa.  It was perfect; guy passes out in front of DreamBox in the middle of the desert.  When I look at this photo, I wonder what he was up to the night before, what sort of trouble he had gotten himself into. The Man did get burned about ten hours earlier, so there’s a good chance this guy was out of his mind, wandering around in the sand, a drifter, muttering to himself, crawling from dance party to dance party, maybe eating a cliff bar someone gifted him, trying to get away from the Mad Max pirates and dark beats, or maybe he was into that shitty music, or perhaps he hopped on an art car at 3am and viewed Black Rock City through 3D heart glasses before realizing his three day bender was coming to an end…but what I really want to know is, did he ever go into the DreamBox?  And why is there a doggy bowl next to him?

Update

It's been an interesting two months.  It's been a hard two months.  Long story short, I've been nomadic since the beginning of May in order to save money to quit my job and focus on writing.  Writing fiction in particular, which I haven't really talked about much on here, but it's been my main focus, or I've wanted it to be my main focus. 

So today is my last day at my full time day job.  A great job that is definitely bittersweet (and scary) to leave, but you have to take risks to do what you really want.  At least that's my philosophy and now that I know what I really, really want to focus on, I feel good about throwing all my eggs in one basket and trying to make it happen. 

So fiction...I've wanted to post more about it on here, but the truth is I haven't been ready because of the time contraints.  I have about four novellas and one novel in the works, and three or four short stories finished.  It's takes a lot of time to write, edit, get critiqued and rewrite so I'm incredibly excited to finally have that time and not only spend my time doing what I enjoy, but to finish some of these stories that have been floating in my head for the last three years, basically driving me nuts.  I have to get them out.

That being said, I'm hoping to get some of my short stories on Amazon for free by the way, to give my readers a taste of my fiction...soonish.  So stay posted. 

In the meantime, I'm also hoping to get out more with my camera now that I have some free time and post at least somewhat regularly on here, lol.  That's always been my Achilles heel...regular, consistent posting.  And the newsletter, which I will now be making an effort to do on a regular basis now that I have time.  All of this while enjoying a bed when I come across one.  

Huntington Beach

Paddle out for Zach in Huntington Beach.

New Book! Homemade Bath Bombs, Salts and Scrubs

Very happy to announce that my book, Homemade Bath Bombs, Salts and Scrubs is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Over 300 natural based recipes are in the book, literally something for everyone.  Yay!  So happy this day has finally come.

I've been working on this book for over a year.  This is by far the biggest project I've ever done, there is so much that goes into writing a book.  A huge thanks to Ulysses Press for believing in me!

What's in the book?  I cover why baths are an important part of any beauty and wellness routine.  

Specifically I cover tops such as baths for:

AilmentsBeautyMeditative bathsBaths to balance chakrasAphrodisiac bathsBaths for pregnancyBath blends for himSeasonal bathsFloral bathsBath recipes from around the world

In addition I cover the benefits of bath salts and essential oils.  

I really wrote this book for you, my readers.  I know most of you come to this blog to learn about natural beauty.  Salt soaks are a wonderful thing to add to your natural beauty or wellness routines.  Anyone can benefit from them, thus the recipes in the book make great gifts.  A huge thanks to anyone who decides the purchase the book!

Enjoy...

 

Roaming Leucadia: Peace Pies

You wouldn't even know it's there.  I remember riding past it one day, thinking, what is this?  A bakery?  A pie shop?  I should go there, I remember thinking.  It looked cute, enticing, but also a little lonely tucked into the corner by itself.  I rode on and have ridden past it numerous times since.  Finally, I thought, this is getting ridiculous.  Just go in.  

I made the decision before I left home on a Sunday, on my yellow bike, that I would go there first before making my way to Coffee Coffee to work.  I could buy a dessert and then go get a chai latte.  The multiple sweet stops plan.  So I went.  I parked my yellow bike in front, took some outside shots and went inside.  There was a cute little patio area.  Nice.  Then I entered what is Peace Pies.  I knew they had one down in OB, and but I guess I was not prepared for OB atmosphere that is Peace Pies Leucadia.  

The Dark Side of the Moon was playing, and there were raw cookies and desserts and lines of Health Source jars of powdered greens, and crystals and salves for cramps and a full menu.   I was a bit overwhelmed.  Maybe because I wanted everything and could decide on nothing.  This place is tiny, but I lingered in a daze for a good ten minutes before deciding on two raw snickerdoodles, which I ate ravenously before even getting back on my bike.

I can tell you this.  The people that work there are very nice.  They have a full menu of food that is not dessert in which I will definitely be back to try.  The cookies I ate were bomb.  I might start buying my Health Source Vitaminerals there.  I have a lot of plans for this tiny place.

 

 

Therapeutic Beauty Benefits of an Epsom Salt Bath

In writing my book, Homemade Bath Bombs, Salts and Scrubs, I discovered an awful lot about the therapeutic and beauty benefits of salts (Epsom, Dead Sea, and Himalayan), essential oils and of course, baths in general.  I already knew baths were an amazing way to wind down and take the edge off after a long day.  But before writing the book I didn't realize exactly how much stress effects our health and thus our physical appearance.  Now I look around and realize that stress combined with poor lifestyle habits (it kind of goes hand in hand, doesn't it?) wreaks havoc on your skin.  It doesn't matter how expensive your or well marketed your facial cream is.  If you haven't tackled managing stress and implementing a healthy lifestyle, no magical cream or pill is going to counter-act that.

In writing this book I realized how much baths are an important part of creating a good sense of well being and reducing stress.  I myself was going through a pretty stressful year prior and during writing the book.  Luckily I was still maintaining a healthy lifestyle while all of this was happening, but regardless the stress still took a toll on me physically.  In a way, this book made me realize how important it is to take time out of my day to reduce the stress I was feeling.  

Hands down baths are an amazing way to do that.  And combining baths with quality ingredients such as epsom salts and essential oils takes it to the next level.  I look at taking baths as a therapeutic treatment you can do at home.  I also look at it as a form of meditation which I talk about extensively in the book.  Once I started taking the time to create these sacred baths for myself, I found myself able to go to sleep without stress hanging over me.  I was able to get a good night's sleep and wake up without looking worn out.

Epsom salt is one of the three main salts I use in the recipes in the book.  It is known far and wide for it's therapeutic benefits in easing tired and sore muscles.  But did you also know that Epsom salt could also:

Soften your skinReduce oily skinEase sunburnsSmooth your skin when used as a scrubEncourages beauty sleep when used in a bath

I'm so excited to share with you, my readers, my over 300 recipes of bath bombs, scrubs and soaks, many of them utilizing epsom salt.  The book will be out April 2015 available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and other outlets as well.  

To learn more about organic natural beauty, check out my beauty section as well as these posts:

Starting a Natural Skincare Routine // Understanding Your Skin // Where I Buy My Natural Beauty Ingredients

Encinitas Sunset Circa 2015

2015.  The year of Back to the Future 2.  The year of hover boards, Amazon drones and whatever else.  I don't keep up.  Yet, around here we're still wearing brands that came out forty or fifty years ago.  We're still drinking beer.  We still riding around on things that have wheels that touch the ground.  We're still dressing like it's 1983, or '76 or some folks, '94.  A lot has changed, but a lot has remained the same.  We're still trying to hold onto the past around here and I don't think that's a bad thing.

I look at this photo I took last night on the way home, two minutes from home where I had to (had to, just had to) stop and take a photo of the sunset.  The one consistent thing that hasn't changed.  Another sunset.  Another day.  

I'm glad that we're still touching the ground and haven't gotten too sci-fi.  

Roaming Ventura: Iron and Resin

IRON AND RESIN IN VENTURA, CA

This store is for dudes.  Dudes that ride, dudes that surf, dudes that camp.  Dudes that grease their shoes.  This store makes me jealous that all of this is for the boys.  And it's a certain kind of boy that this store appeals to.  Halfwayers between Gen X and Millennials who have a taste for adventure yet slicked back hair.  A taste for sea water, yet perfectly polished boots.  This is the world we live in.  Iron and Resin has basically brought hipster to Ventura, an almost impossible feat, but it's 2015 and anything can happen I guess.  I never would have predicted.

Ventura is actually the perfect place for a shop such as this.  Situated on the coast against the waves, yet hidden behind the hills are twisty two line highways for miles and miles.  A biker's dream.  Especially if you head up the coast on the 101 towards Santa Barbara, into the mountains on Hwy 154 to a hidden shack called Cold Springs Tavern, usually for an older crowd, but I have a feeling the younger folks will soon be taking over on their bikes, in their polished boots.  Possibly from Iron and Resin.