H.A. Larson's Blog, page 41

On Becoming a Man

Yesterday, The Teen turned eighteen. We marked the occasion with a special trip to Lake of the Ozarks (a special post about the trip is forthcoming), and today we pack up and head back home.

I'm the only one awake right now, and as I sit here and enjoy the lake view with my cup of coffee, I reflect on my son.

He's all the best parts of me: intelligent, kind, caring, witty, and hard-working. I'm so proud of him for all the effort he's put into his life in order to attain his goals.

I'm proud but I'm also a bit envious. I wish I would have pushed harder for the future when I was his age. Then again, things were different when I was growing up. I've done my best to lead him into adulthood by largely pointing my fingers and saying, "Get out there."

The best gift I can give him is independence and the confidence needed to handle it. He's ready. I'm just not so sure that I am.

My Ipsy Favorites: Part Two

Recently, I posted about my Ipsy favorites. I had decided awhile back to start posting favorites on occasion because you can see what I've liked and used, as opposed to just seeing what I've received. Why? Well, honestly it's because I don't always like or use everything I've gotten, and because I feel like I should give at least a brief report on those items that I do like. At any rate, here's part two of my faves!



The item on the left, is in here by accident! It's a Maybelline product I picked up at the drugstore, so I'm not going to review it here. The second item is Smashbox's Camera Ready primer. It has that nice kind of tacky texture that helps makeup adhere to your face, so I like to use it for special occasions when I want a fuller coverage that lasts for a few hours. The third item is Boo Boo Cover Up by Boo Boo Cover Up. It's got pretty good coverage for hard to conceal areas. I dab it onto blemishes or other problem spots, let it sit for a bit, and then tap it in with a sponge.



Chella's eyebrow maker -- it is an eyebrow cream contained in a screw cap on the bottom and also comes with an angled brush that is covered up as well -- makes deliciously perfectly pointed eyebrows. The Mad Lash mini mascara by the Balm is black as night, has good coverage, and I can lay it on thick and chunky for hitting up a metal show. However, when I prefer a more even and elegant mascara look, smashbox's X-rated mascara is better. While the Mad Lash has a hard, plastic bristle (perfect for blobbing on), the X-rated wand has numerous, soft bristles.



The black and silver pen on the end is a triangle-shaped eyebrow pencil that I used completely up. While I wasn't fond of it at first, I got used to it's unique shape and ended up liking it quite a bit. I used it up entirely. I have to admit in hindsight though, nothing really beats a pencil-powder combination. The item in the middle is Seraphine's Liquid Coal eyeliner in black. Ever since Almay introduced their felt-tip liquid eyeliner years ago, I've been a huge fan. In fact, I always use a black, felt-tip eyeliner on my tip lids, and this one - while possessing only a small tip - is perfect. It is black as night and covers well without easily smearing. The last item is Skinn's Bright Eyes nude eyeliner pencil. I love this item! I use it on my water line to brighten up my eyes. This is especially great on work days when I'm tired in the mornings. It really perks up my eyes and showcases them.



Ofra's Banana highlighter really has a banana-yellow color. It's a subtle highlighter that I love for a day look.The bottom left item is a bronzer/contour pot. I've used it quite a bit as a blush, but I have used it as a contour as well. While some people would lament how it doesn't apply as well as one would like...for my purposes it has worked great.Seraphine's Ginger + Gold peachy blush is awesome. I use it for times when I don't want a pinkish blush, and the coverage is perfect. In fact, I stopped using the bronzer for blush after I got this one.Last up is Urban Decay's Afterglow highlighter. Now, this is THE night highlighter to have. With a flesh-colored undertone and a bright, almost glittery overtone, it's the perfect way to highlight your face for a night on the town!

And there you have it, the second of two posts about my ipsy favorites. It won't be the last, not technically, as I will no doubt show you some more of my faves in the future. Until then, have a great Wednesday and a great rest of your week. This weekend, I'll be posting from the road...stay tuned!

Friday the 13th

It's no secret that I love Autumn, Halloween, and generally anything scary. These reasons are why October is my favorite month. It's gorgeous outside, it's the month with the best holiday in the world, and it's always the perfect month to watch scary movies/read scary books.

Filmmakers and publishers will release more scary material this month than any other. Halloween sells! For fans of the macabre, like myself, we revel in this. I revel in this (along with all the other cool stuff I mentioned that makes October my fave) because it means I can get out and see new scary releases, or read them if I prefer.

Of course, my love of the genre doesn't prevent me from indulging in the classics either. If you'll remember, last year I posted about all the classic horror movies we watched leading up to Halloween, and this year will be no exception. However, I got to indulge in one of my favorite classic scary movies in a whole new way.

There's been a resurgence of movie theatres screening old movies. My best friend and I went to see Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" a few years ago and it was fabulous. Getting to see a classic movie -- that you've only ever seen on a television screen -- breathes new life into it. On top of all the other great stuff about October this year, there's a Friday the 13th in it. This means that, yes, you guessed it, one of my local theatres was showing the originial "Friday the 13th" on Friday the 13th.

My best friend and I went to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to see it, and we thoroughly enjoyed it! It really is a different experience to see a movie in the theatre as opposed to home, and Alamo Drafthouse ensures you have a good viewing experience. They showed old trailers for "Friday the 13th", "Sleepaway Camp" (among others) and screened Jon Lajoie's music video for "A New Beginning", his nod to "Friday the 13th: A New Beginning". They even had a local horror movie podcast host come and do some trivia questions and door prizes.

If that wasn't awesome enough, Alamo has strict movie viewing policies. If you arrive late, you don't get in, and they enforce a strict "quiet zone" during the movie. If anyone violates this, you get one warning before being removed. I love this policy as I get tired of always encountering people talking through entire movies in theatres or hearing people's phones ring. This chain also serves beer and food, and has a tastefully decorated theatre with no snack counters. For more info visit their website.

Alamo routinely shows older movies. I've seen them promote "Kill Bill", the entire Miyazaki collection, and for October, it's a whole month of classic horror films. Even if you don't have an Alamo where you live, see if you can find a theatre that will show classic films. We went to an entirely different theatre to see the special screening of "Rear Window", and that same theatre was showing "Friday the 13th" at midnight on Friday the 13th. I'm really glad we went to Alamo instead.



Hey...what's that behind you?

A Profound Sense of Loss

It's been a quiet week of repose for me as I lost a friend recently. While we weren't the closest of friends, I still considered him a friend, and his loss has definitely had an impact. He was smart as a whip - able to see things about life and the world that I just can't - and he was genuine. To say that he left an empty space within those of us who knew him is an understatement. There are those moments here and there when you think, "I wonder what he would say?" or "What would he think about that?"


Death comes, like a thief in the night, taking from one the burden of life.


He was young, younger than I, so inevitably, I start thinking about my own life. I've talked about this more than once in the past, and ever since this tragedy has befallen us, I'm more resolved than ever. I'm resolved to make better connections with those I care about so I can have more meaningful relationships. I'm resolved to take care of my body so I can live a longer, healthier, and robust life. I'm resolved to think more mindfully so I can approach conversations and important tasks in my life with patience and wisdom. Last, but not least, I'm resolved to make plans for my future so I can live the life I choose and not the one I'm stuck with.


Life is an entity, breathing and thrashing, heart beating and teeth gnashing.


I think too about my friend himself. If I had known he was going to leave this life so soon, I would have made sure to say some things...anything really. Part of the shock is knowing that I can't impart any kind of goodbye, and it makes me sad. I also think about his wife and his kids, and how they are now alone. They're not alone in a literal sense, but they are no longer complete. All they have now are their memories. I've often said before to people, "Take comfort in the good memories you have." While that is certainly true, no memories, no matter how great, will ever take the place of the living, breathing, person that you love.


Memories of you float in the air, I mourn you here, I mourn you there.


Rest in peace my friend. I wish I could tell you how much you'll be missed.

Coffee Talk: The Write Life, Rain, and Random Bits

Good morning! Ahh, there's nothing quite like the smell of fresh, brewed coffee, and that first sip is like heaven. Pardon me for a moment while I take another sip. All right, that's better.

The Write Life had been progressing fairly slow as of late. My husband's computer died, and since he's in school full-time now, he really needed access to a computer. This means, of course, that he's been using mine for the last four months. It's hard to get any of my own work done when he's been on my computer nearly every waking moment doing homework. A couple of weeks ago, we finally got him a new computer, so I've now been getting reacquainted with my computer. Ha!

I've finally, then, been doing some serious writing, and I have to say that it's good to be back in the saddle. Now that I have free reign over my technology again, I'm really hoping to get some freelance work done for extra cash. Vanished is progressing along nicely as well, and I've finished the second chapter. This is definitely a longer book than my previous offerings which means my chapters are longer as well. I'm excited to finally be working on it more aggressively.


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For the seventh day in a row, it's been raining. While I love, love, love the rain -- and understand it's importance -- it's been making it hard for me to walk to work. I wasn't able to walk much this last week, only twice actually, so I thought I'd take a walk when I got home in the evenings. But, it rained off and on every day, making it difficult to walk at any time.

Today, I've resigned myself to defeat and plan on doing an exercise video each day this weekend. It will be a great time for me to catch up on projects and start watching classic and new scary movies for Shocktober. (Of course, you can expect a Halloween movies post in the future.)


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Last Saturday, we had our annual potluck bbq, and it was a great success as well as being lots of fun. We had a good turnout this year, and my homemade schnapps were a big hit! I wish I had made more, so next year I will double the batch. This was the 5th year of the bbq and we always provide the protein while others provide the sides. It's a BYOB event, except for the communal schnapps I make, but guests were gracious enough to bring communal booze as well. It was a pleasant surprise the next morning to see the leftovers, so I put them away for this weekend. We enjoyed some seriously nice drinks last evening, so thank you to my guests a second time!


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I hope your weekend is enjoyable, and you spend it doing something that brings you joy or a sense of accomplishment. - H.A.

The Majestic Iowa Mountains

A gate at Preparation Canyon State Park reminds people of where they are at.
Ahhh, the Iowa Mountains. There's nothing nearer and dearer to my nature-loving heart than this magnificent set of formations that are but a stone's throw from my home. I talk about them quite often, something you know to be true, but what are they exactly?



My son stands on a ridge, during a lovely Winter day, at Hitchcock Nature Center.
While I call them the "Iowa Mountains" they are really called "The Loess Hills". There are a few ways to correctly pronounce "loess", but the one I prefer is "luss". Loess is a silt sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. While you can find it in various places around the world (it covers about 10% of the Earth's surface), it's only concentrated in a few places. One of these places is my beloved Iowa Mountains that stretch from the northwest of Iowa to the northwest of Missouri.



An early Spring view of the meandering Hills from Murray Hill Scenic Overlook.
They really are a beautiful sight to behold, and I've encountered some of the most varied and breathtaking views along its ridges.



A Summer view from the same spot at Murray Hill Scenic Overlook.
I've hiked the Iowa Mountains as far north as the Broken Kettle Grasslands in Westfield, Iowa, and as far south as Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in Forest City, Missouri -- a distance that spans about 212 miles as the crow flies -- and many places in between.

The distance between Broken Kettle and Loess Bluffs. 


My daughter hiking along the eastern ridge of Hitchcock Nature Center on a warm Autumn day.
These hills have kept my sanity over the years, helping me to escape, even for a short while, the bitter pill of reality. Not that reality sucks all the time, I'm not pessimistic, but let's face it...life can get rough. It's during those rough times that I find solace in the Iowa Mountains, the most majestic and beautiful place near me, and one of the most awe inspiring and gorgeous places on the planet. Some people may not agree with me on that, but my resolve on the matter is pretty firm.



An early Fall view of a farm nestled in the valley from the ridges of Turin Prairie.
While I've traveled the world and seen some pretty amazing nature on a much larger scale, it takes nothing away from the smaller-scale nature I'm fortunate to live around. It took me a long time to appreciate that I had incredible vistas outside my back door, but I never take it for granted now. I hope you enjoyed this small glimpse into the Iowa Mountains that I talk so much about, and I sincerely wish for you to be able to see them for yourself one day.

Until then, here are a few more pictures from other areas of the Iowa Mountains I've been to:



A panoramic view from the top of the hills in Loess Hills State Forest on a picture-perfect Autumn day.

A view in a valley at Broken Kettle Grasslands in early Summer.

Progress!

Back in early August, I posted about how much I had backslid in my overall road to health, and that I had recommitted myself to making a lifestyle change. If you've been following my blog for a good length of time, you'll already know my story. Four years ago, I was on a sure road to early death. I smoked a pack of cigarettes every day; I was incredibly overweight (obese, if we're being honest); I drank nearly every day; I had gotten to the point where I didn't want to eat anything remotely healthy; I had bad knees, high blood pressure, & hives all over my body; and it was painfully evident that I was in the beginning stages of chronic bronchitis. On top of all that, I was depressed and miserable which only perpetuated and exacerbated my problems.

I remember waking up one morning, looking in the mirror, and being completely mortified by what I had become. I was desperate to make a change, but I saw how far I had fallen and was completely overwhelmed. I liken it to a kid who's room has gotten so insanely messy that they don't know how to start cleaning it. That was me, I didn't know where to start.

Since I knew I had to quit smoking or die, I quit on January 13, 2014. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but one of the best. By the end of that year, I was still unhealthy in every other area of my life, so I started incorporating vegan food into my diet. I also cut my drinking back to just a few days a week. By the following May, I went full vegan and cut my drinking down to Fridays and/or Saturdays. By Fall of 2015, I had dropped 65 pounds and was feeling the best I had felt in a few decades.

When Spring of 2016 came, I was in a job I hated so I left that job to start working at the one I'm working at now. I love my job and coworkers, so it's been a great mental boost to me. The downside is that there is a constant array of sweets and goodies at my job, and over the past year and a half, I gained back 20 pounds. Not only that, but my activity level had stagnated and I was starting to feel bloated and crappy.

So, on that August day two months ago, I decided I could either cry about gaining back the weight or I could do something about it. I made a decision, then, that I needed to change my relationship with food once and for all, and to start being more active. In other words, I needed to make a permanent lifestyle change. I started counting my calories every day using MyFitnessPal, and I made a goal of walking - at first it was 2 miles a day four days a week, and now it's five days a week - that I map using MapMyWalk. It connects with the calorie counting app, so I can easily see where I am every day.

It was hard at first, but I've kept with it every single day, and I am pleased to announce that I've lost the 20 pounds I gained! This means I'm back to my original loss, and with all the exercise, I'm feeling really good. No more bloat, no more lack of energy, no more sitting around. I'll be doing this as a permanent part of my life, and I'll definitely check back in after the next 20!

A Little Rain

The weather has been relatively nice for the past month, so I've been walking to and from work everyday. It not only gives me a chance to get some exercise on a daily basis, but it also gives me time to think. When I walked out of my front door the other day, I could tell that it had rained, and the air was humid and cool. I walked and I thought. I'm suffering from a case of the blues, and it only seems fitting that it rained.

In every life, a little rain must fall, but it's not the actual kind that gets your hair and clothes wet. It's the metaphorical kind that clouds up the sunshine and leaves you staring at the ground. At a time in my life when things do, and should, look up, I feel sad to the core. Why? Some of it is seasonal and some of it is hormones, but the largest part of it is the relationship I have with someone close to me. No matter how hard I try to keep the connection between us going, the harder, it seems, they're trying to tear it down.

I've had to cut ties with a few people in my life over the years, and it's never easy. When you connect with someone, you invest in someone, and it's hard to realize that all the time you've invested in that person has come to naught. Some people, you ride it out longer than others, hoping beyond hope that things will improve. The truth, however, is that sometimes...things are the way they are and they will never change.

So, you walk in the rain of life - whether real or metaphorical - and you contemplate what you need to do. Muddled up with that contemplation are feelings of sadness, anger, and relief. It's a mixed bag of emotions that isn't easy to deal with and leaves you with a varying degree of emptiness. Emptiness that only comes from the loss of a relationship with someone close to you. Keep walking my friends: no matter how much it rains, the Sun has to come out eventually.

Latest Libations: 9th Edition

Today, I'm going to share another, regular, edition of Latest Libations. If you remember, the last one I did was about the cool brewery tour I took on Labor Day weekend through Central Nebraska. This time, then, it's time to do what I usually do: review the recent beers I've tried. This first beer is a stout  brewed by Dieselpunk. It has the familiar flavors you find in a good stout, coffee & chocolate, but where other stouts have a robust body and a heavy presence, this beer fails. It's weak and light with a slight alcohol aftertaste. With better quality stouts out there, I won't buy this beer again.




No Bad Apple's Hard-Pressed Apple Cider is a decent cider, but nothing fantastic. I've had worse, but I've had better. Made by Woodchuck, it's perfect for drinking on a nice, Autumn day.




Dark Side Vanilla Porter, brewed by Empyrean Brewery about an hour away from me, this is a good Porter. While dark like a stout, they are not as full as a stout, so this is a beer for people who like dark beers that aren't as robust as a stout. This one has the familiar flavors that one seeks in a porter, coffee & chocolate, but with a hint of vanilla. It works well with the flavor profile of this beer. I recommend this beer.




I'm not a fan of Blue Moon beer generally, but when I saw this flavored variety at the Mix-a-Six section, I thought I'd give it a go. While the mango flavor overtakes the wheat flavor, it didn't obliterate it, and the mango was a good taste for this beer. I was pretty impressed as this is much better than the standard Blue Moon, and could see myself drinking a few of these on a weeknight for when you want a decent beer that's refreshing and light.




Odell Brewery always makes a good beer, and their 90 Shilling Ale is no exception. I am not fond of IPAs and sometimes standard ales can lean too hoppy, but I found this one to have the perfect hoppiness that complemented the flavor as opposed to taking away from it. Clean, light, while still robust, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good, quality ale.




I do like a Fat Tire Amber Ale from time to time as I like New Belgium Breweries beers. So, when I saw a mixed 12-pack sampler of theirs recently, I decided to snag it. One of the beers inside was this special edition Fat Tire Belgian White ale. Lighter in taste, but not in flavor, this NB brew did not disappoint. It was light, crisp, and refreshing all with a great flavor.




Last, but not least, I'm going to show you this year's schnapps and infused vodka that we made. I made a Spiced Hibiscus & Fruit schnapps (one bottle has already been drunk and it's amazing), and my husband made the infused. The infused is a Bloody Mary vodka with pickling spice, onions, garlic, oregano, cucumber, and jalapenos. They're going to be fantastic at an annual bbq we hold every year.


That's it for this edition of Latest Libations! I hope you get a chance to try some of these brews sometime and decide for yourself how good (or not) they are. 

My Ipsy Favorites: Part One

I was getting ready for work one morning recently, and I realized that I have never actually come back to review any of the Ipsy products that I've received and used. So, I've gathered up a collection of my favorites in order to share my impressions with you. I have enough for two posts, and this is part one. Let's get going, shall we?




Avene's Hydrance moisturizer, tarte's Maracuja Oil and Skyn's Glacial face wash. 
I really like this skin care trio. I start by washing my face with the cooling cleanser, then moisturize with the Hydrance, and, afterwards, give my older face a bit of a lift with the oil. The face wash cleans gently and pretty thoroughly, while leaving my skin feeling refreshed. The moisturizer hydrates without being greasy and works well with my combination skin. The oil is great for areas that need more tlc - read: wrinkles - like under my eyes, my forehead, and my neck.




Neuma hair Smoothing Creme, and Jersey Shore Spa's Anti Aging Lip & Hand Polish. 
I have the kind of hair that frizzes up at the first sign of humidity, and this smoothing creme works great at taming it. I put some on after blow-dry my hair, comb it through, and it really does help without having to use a ton. The polish, made with brown sugar and sprinkled with vanilla bean, works wonders on dried-out hands while smelling absolutely divine. I rub this into my hands, rinse it out, and wah-lah, soft hands! I follow it up with a nice hand creme, a cuticle treatment, and some nail polish. Now, that's pampering. 




Trust Fund Beauty Liquid Lipcolor, Lipgloss, and Nyx Butter Lipstick. 
Trust Fund Beauty seems to make products that I really like. Their matte light mauve liquid lipstick and pink lipgloss are the two lip colors I wear more than any other. I typically use the gloss for work days and the liquid lipstick - accentuated with lipliner - to go with my preferred purple color scheme on my eyes for weekend looks. However, this Nyx butter lipstick is a favorite color for a Fall weekend night out look.




The Balm's Meet Matt(e)Trimony, Naked's Mica Pigment, Pacifica eyeshadow, and Nyx eyeshadow.
These are the favorite eye shadows that I've ever received from Ipsy. The dark maroon color of Meet Matt(e) is on my favorites for a night look, and I always pair it with the far-right shiny purple shadow made by Nyx. The combination of matte and shiny go well together for a dramatic look. The Naked pot is a loose mica pigment in a shimmery light rose, and it's a great thing to apply on top of eyeshadow for a dramatic, bright, glittery look. Last, but not least, is the eyeshadow trio by Pacifica. The trio are shimmery (shimmery has been a trend over the last few years) colors in a light purple, light rust, and nude. As you might be able to tell, I've used that one a lot! It was a preferred item right after I got it as I used it daily there for awhile.