Give me some Minerals! I've got PMS!!

PMS.. PMS... Lately I've been researching and writing about it because I've noticed many women are simply clueless about the way PMS might make them feel and what an impact it can have on their life.

One thing is for sure, everyone especially women, must ALWAYS pay attention to their bodies. Keep track and take notice of every little change and feeling. Anything from feeling more tired, anxious to (sssh...) hot flashes... Trust me, after a very short while, you'll automatically notice everything and you'll be keeping a mental note. That alone will bring so many answers to a lot of answered questions in the past.

YOU NEED TO GET TO KNOW YOUR BODIES LADIES. MIND AND BODIES. You'll be SO glad you do from here on forward. It helps even when it comes to SEX ;-)

Ok, so here we go, supplement number one, Magnesium. 

Magnesium may be one, if not the most important health nutrient you've never heard of. OK, maybe you've heard of it - but maybe you haven't heard nearly enough about it. Its importance to your health is greater than that of many nutrients you're likely to hear much more about. Like vitamins D, C, and B; calcium; phytonutrients and antioxidants; and other super-nutrients are indeed important. But they, too, receive so much more media attention than magnesium, which deserves at least as big a spot in the super-nutrient "Hall of Fame."

Magnesium may well be the most important and most overlooked nutrient and mineral. There's a good chance you don't get enough magnesium in your diet, and the consequences of this are very real for you and your health. Magnesium can help reduce premenstrual symptoms including bloating, cramping, aches and pains, and possibly even depression. But too little magnesium also leads to atherosclerosis and other heart diseases; diabetes and pre-diabetes; generalized muscle pain; osteoporosis; and a slew of other common health problems. If you suffer from PMS or PMDD, you should be sure to seek out dietary sources of magnesium, and/or take a magnesium supplement. It is hands-down one of the simplest, best steps you can take towards better health.

Magnesium: The Vital Mineral

Calcium and magnesium work together throughout the body, whether it's in your bones, your nerves, your muscles, or your heart. Many women struggle to get enough calcium in their diet. However, it's at least as common for women - and indeed everyone - to get enough calcium but too little magnesium. Unfortunately, this combination may be just as unhealthy, or even worse, than too little calcium.

Think of calcium and magnesium as partners in your body: wherever one is needed, the other likely plays a role. Magnesium is the only mineral that plays a vital role in over 300 different chemical reactions in your body. While it is relatively easy to get adequate calcium in your diet, especially if you eat dairy foods like cheese, yogurt, and milk, magnesium is much more difficult to get from foods.

Furthermore, too little magnesium has been implicated as a cause, or at least an important factor, in many of the health problems from which we suffer most: diabetes, pre-diabetes, chronic fatigue and pain, and heart disease. This means that magnesium ranks right up there with fiber, fruits and vegetables, exercise, and not smoking as an almost universal panacea for what ails us. And yet, when was the last time you heard anyone in the media extolling the importance of magnesium? Magnesium really is one of the best-kept secrets to health.

Magnesium for PMS & PMDD

There are a number of reasons why magnesium is helpful for PMS and PMDD. First, we know that calcium helps PMS and PMDD. As we said before, wherever calcium is helpful, magnesium is important also. No one should ever use calcium supplements without also including magnesium - they go together. In the case of PMS and PMDD, the combination of calcium and magnesium is greater than the sum of its parts. As is often the case, the two work better together than separately. Synergetic!

Cramps are a common premenstrual and menstrual symptom. This is because the uterus, one of the largest and most powerful muscles in your body, can go into spasms at that time of the month, a bit like a charlie horse. Both calcium and magnesium can help muscle cramps, but magnesium is the superior remedy here. Magnesium may also help relieve premenstrual bloating, migraines, stress, anxiety, and depression. It really is the Swiss army knife of nutrition and of premenstrual relief.

A Natural Magnesium Solution

An easy and pleasant way to get magnesium, especially for people who have trouble taking pills, is an Epsom salts bath. In your usual bath, pour 1-2 cups of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) into your bath water, and then agitate it so that it dissolves. Epsom salts are a type of salt very different than table salt, which is sodium chloride - so don't do this if you have any open cuts or wounds. It might sting. Make sure to linger in the bath rather than quickly hopping in and out, to give time for your body to absorb the magnesium through your skin. You can actually get super-nutrition from your bath!

While Epsom salts are not a replacement for taking a magnesium supplement - you'll absorb much more from taking a magnesium pill than you would ever absorb through your skin - it's pleasant and relaxing. For people who, for whatever reason, are unable to take a magnesium supplement, Epsom salts baths are the best alternative.

Ideally, you wouldn't do this only when you have cramps. Like taking a vitamin, it's important that the magnesium have a chance to be absorbed into your cells, steadily, over a period of time. To accomplish this with Epsom salts, you should try to take an Epsom salts bath 2-3 times per week.
Epson salt baths are a great way to relax. They help ease those tense achy muscles. Nothing like a regular bubble bath.

Quick Tip: Adding whole milk to your bath will help soften your skin AND it has calcium as well :)

Enjoy!

XOXO
Marysinn

Online Love

On the crowded streets of LA, it can sometimes be challenging to spot a single individual (Where's Waldo?) not engulfed-via-smartphone in the world of the Internet. Almost everywhere you go including the gym, people are looking down either with a straight face or making faces at their phones, mini iPad or tablet. 

When seen through our 21st-century lens (particularly for us younger folks), these situations seem mostly commonplace, perhaps mildly off-putting. Our brains have internalized that information-technology is ubiquitous now -Internet in the palm of everyone's hand, 5-year-olds with smartphones and 2-year-olds with iPads. So what? Many people hardly raise an eyebrow.

"Her": A "Boy Meets Computer" Love Story

But a fair few of us are given pause and feel faintly uneasy about some of these phenomena. And then something like Spike Jonze's film, "Her", comes along to provoke serious reflection. The award-winning 2013 film presents a barely-sci-fi world that closely resembles our own, but in which technologies like Artificial Intelligence, virtual-reality gaming, and Apple's Siri have eclipsed their real-world counterparts in significant ways.

Despite its aesthetic of pastel hues and futuristic sleekness, this world begins to feel surrealistically eerie when we find out that the plot revolves around a lonely, heartbroken writer, Theodore Twombly, (played masterfully by Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with his Operating System's disembodied AI personality, "Samantha" (whose tragically innocent and alluring voice is supplied by Scarlet Johansson).

Theodore and Samantha bond over oh-so-human conversations about existence, love, music, and people. He brings her places (in his phone) and shows her things via phone-camera. She, being a computer, is ever-attentive and constantly becomes more personable (or personalized) as she learns about Theodore and human beings in general. They even have sex (you'll have to watch the movie to see how that works).

The couple's often charming and/or moving dialogue contrasts with and deliciously complicates the seemingly absurd nature of the relationship. Our first instinct -that the situation is decidedly unreal and sort of pathetic- gives way at times to a vaguely unsettling sense of plausibility, familiarity, and maybe, even, dare I say, desirability.

Our impression of this unorthodox relationship and this world is imbued with shades of the uncanny as we begin to identify in some ways with Theodore's adoration for the unwavering interest and affection of Samantha. The film seems implicitly to ask, "Is this actually that out-there or incomprehensible?", and at least in the story, the answer is "no". Strangely, no one seems to give a damn about Theodore's OS-romance, and as it turns out, he is far from alone. Other people in the film also seem to be developing deep relationships with their AI friends or lovers. In public, nearly everyone is talking to or through their phone, and it is left to us to guess whether it is now the norm or the exception to have a human on the other end. (As if all of this weren't mind-swirling enough, the end of the film takes another leap, hinting at a transhumanistic future in which something like a technological singularity becomes our reality.)

Strange Questions, Valuable Perspective

It is also left for us to speculate as to whether the film's reality is one that we would invite. Is anthropomorphized technology a solution for loneliness? A remedy for our endless desire to love and be loved? Some have claimed that, at least in our current world, it isn't - that social technology makes us lonelier - though that certainly doesn't stop people (like me) from "falling in love with" (read: compulsively indulging in) iPhones, MacBooks, and social media that reflects a projected ideal persona.

How deeply will we allow/do we desire for technology to penetrate into our lives? When previously unthinkable or disturbing fictions become our reality, will we even notice or care? 

The film poses these questions beautifully and casts a telling light upon our modern obsession with interactive technology. It suggests that we underestimate our lust for our eternally available, customized-to-self technological counterparts; that we do not see the extent to which smartphone-human-inseparability and ever-more-constant screen-mediated communication represent another fundamental shift (the advent of language, the printing press, & television may be other examples) in our relationship to each other, ourselves, and the world; and that this state of affairs may be just the primordial beginning of a series of changes that will render us unrecognizable to our current selves.

As technology continues to change and evolve at an incredible speed and in ways that were previously unimaginable, films like "Her" seem utterly necessary. Whether we are aware of it or not, the ways we live in, interact with, and make sense of the world alter (sometimes dramatically) in conjunction with our shifting technology. If we don't stop, look around, and question what we are gaining, what we are losing, and how we should live in the midst of these changes-both on the macro and micro levels-we risk sacrificing conditions, relationships, and experiences that were once integral meaning-and-value-endowing aspects of our predecessors lives.

Spike Jonze's "Her" urges us to ponder these difficult matters. It prompts us to hesitate and analyze a world in which 12-year-olds attack teachers over smartphones. Like all great works of science fiction, it holds up a mirror for us to better examine where we are and where we're heading, and reminds us that we are the only ones who can reevaluate and redirect our course. 

   

What are your thoughts?

XOXO

Marysinn

Sometimes being a woman Sucks! : The Jodi Arias Syndrome

PMS and PMDD Brain Fog and Concentration Problems 

It's a few days before your period and you're at work, feeling a little more anxious and emotional than usual, and maybe bloated and achy, too. On top of that, you learn that you misunderstood the assignment your boss gave you this morning, and fear she may now assign it to someone else. You're not your usual efficient self, because PMS is making concentration difficult, creating fuzzy thinking, and tripping up your memory. PMS brain fog means you just don’t accomplish as much as you usually can.

If you're a student, on top of your studies and other responsibilities, you may find you have to plan your studies around your cycle, because a week before your period you know you won't be able to process and retain information the way you normally can. You may even dread tests that are scheduled at the same time as when your PMS symptoms typically occur. Your academic career is more difficult than it should be, all because of your hormones.

If you're a stay at home mom, or a working mom, you may find that your multiple jobs - wife, mother, nurse, taxi driver, cook, cleaner, classroom assistant, homework tutor, social secretary, and household manager - all get a little or a lot harder before your period. Keeping track of responsibilities, staying focused on dinner prep when your brain just isn't clear, struggling to keep your household in it's usual order - you may feel that the difficulty concentrating, fuzzy thinking, and brain fog that come with PMS keep you from being the wife and mother you know you can be.

What is PMS Brain Fog?

The way PMS affects your brain and your ability to think clearly,  to concentrate and learn, and to function effectively in your life is too often overlooked. For many women, this mental fog, or brain fog, is one of the worst parts of PMS - just as important to them as anxiety, irritability, aches and pains, bloating, food cravings, and other annoying and debilitating PMDD and PMS symptoms that make many women feel "not like themselves" for days or weeks each month

Brain fog is no joke!  But it is a super accurate description of the lack of clarity and difficulty concentrating that can occur before the period. PMS brain fog can affect work performance and school and studying; can make it hard to learn new things; and can render you less efficient and capable at home.

This often feeds into an unfortunate and vicious cycle, where mistakes at work, poor performance at school, and not keeping up at home undermine your self-confidence and self-esteem, especially if you don't realize that hormones are the cause. And the last thing a woman with PMS needs is, something else to chip away at her self-esteem, because as it is the other symptoms such as bloating and acne can already make life feel like a real struggle.

Premenstrual physical, emotional, and concentration problems can impact work relationships and make you less effective at work, or even force you to miss days at work. In fact, PMS and PMDD contribute to work absenteeism, and decrease your productivity in the workplace. In fact, the very definition of PMS and PMDD includes "impairment of functioning" at work, school, and in the home.

So many people don’t realize the real impact that PMS and PMDD have on concentration and mental clarity. Unfortunately, women are often unjustly accused of not being able to think clearly - a temporary health problem is confused with a lack of intelligence or another negative trait. But these are uninformed and ignorant opinions that aren't based on facts. PMS and PMDD medical researchers know that the premenstrual phase can be marked by difficulty with cognitive tasks that are ordinarily not a problem.

7 Tips for Maintaining Your Focus All Month Long

• Discover and avoid your food allergies: Food intolerances and sensitivities are more common than you may think, and avoiding them is not as hard as you may have heard. Don’t worry about what you've heard about gluten or about celebrities becoming vegan - you can discover your food sensitivities, and avoid them, while maintaining much of your usual diet. But most importantly, avoiding food allergens can clear your mind and cure brain fog. You'll have to try it to believe it, but it works. Research shows that when we eat foods that our body doesn't like, we absorb chemicals that our brain doesn't like, and that interferes with clear thinking. You probably don't need food allergy blood tests: the gold standard of food allergy testing is elimination and reintroduction.
• Maintain healthy sleep habits throughout the month: You know that when you have a bad night's sleep, you're more tired and irritable, and simply can't concentrate as well the next day. Many women experience some degree of insomnia before their period, but maintaining healthy sleep habits that help keep you well rested throughout the month will help keep PMS and PMDD symptoms at bay.
• Stay regular using ground flaxseed:  Just as food allergies can create brain-fogging chemicals in your bloodstream, so can constipation. Stay regular by adding 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed to vegetables, cereal, or yoghurt, twice per day. You'll be adding essential fiber, plus lignans that may help prevent cancer, and some important Omega-3 fatty acids too.
• Stay active: If you've ever felt disoriented and out of it, and then gone for a workout or a brisk walk in the fresh air, and afterwards felt refreshed and invigorated, you’ll have an appreciation for how important physical activity is to keeping your mind clear. Exercise isn’t just for your figure anymore. It protects your heart, fights depression, and helps you sleep better. It may even help prevent Alzheimer’s. And, it probably helps reduce the symptoms of PMS and PMDD, including problems concentrating.
• Junk food makes you foggy: what you eat determines much of your brain chemistry, which means what you don't eat is also essential. Just like food allergens, junk food interferes with clear thinking by playing havoc with your brain chemistry. Among the worst culprits are artificial colors and flavorings.
• Maintain stable blood sugar: glucose, or blood sugar, is the only fuel your brain can use. But this doesn’t mean eating sweets will help you focus. What you really need is stable blood sugar, so that it doesn't ever go too low. When your blood sugar falls, you can feel faint and irritable, and it can be hard to focus. Our special diet for hypoglycemia will help you stay on an even keel premenstrually and all month long.
• Adjust your schedule to how you feel: You don't have to be superwoman, nor do you have to accept not feeling well or resign yourself to letting PMS interfere with your life. But if you're having a hard time concentrating, or you anticipate that you'll experience premenstrual brain fog, don't be afraid to rearrange your appointments, obligations, and schedule until you have your usual clarity back.

SO, even though people joke about it or think it's nothing but an excuse women use to get out of nasty and embarrassing situations, it is very much real and it affects some women more than others. So I hope some of these tips will help you.

If you are single or have an amazing partner, your own place, somewhere where you can lock yourself up for a few days every month for some much needed alone time .... Consider yourself an extremely lucky woman ;-)

XOXO

Marysinn

Rebound... Trust me, it's good for your health.

Do you have any idea how much a trampoline has to offer?

Rebounding. It's probably the most effective form of exercise known to man. Rebounding is an aerobic exercise that strengthens every part of the body. It's safe and gentle enough for everyone to benefit; age is nothing but a number baby.

Weight loss

For weight loss, rebounding exercise is very effective due to the effect it has on the whole body. Rebounding reduces body fat, increases the muscle to fat ratio and increases the efficiency with which the body burns carbohydrate. The upward force of the bounce improves body tone and exercises a whole range of muscles in the body, not just the legs and heart.

According to a study from NASA a 150-pound individual spending one-hour on a rebounder will burn more calories than the same person jogging for an hour. Another study by NASA in combination with the University of Kentucky concluded that "the magnitude of the biomechanical stimuli is greater with jumping on a trampoline than with running."

Circulation

Aerobic exercise is good for improving blood circulation by pumping more blood through the body and to the heart where it is enriched with oxygen. Rebounding is particularly effective as jumping results in contractions in the muscles such as the calf muscles. These contractions act like pumps circulating more blood back into the heart to be replenished with oxygen. This helps improve circulation and reduce clogging of the arteries.

Healthy Heart

Like many forms of aerobic exercise the muscle that benefits the most is the heart. The heart muscles are strengthened and cause various cardiovascular changes so that with continual exercise, the heart can pump more blood with fewer beats. This results in a lower heart rate when resting and means the heart has less work to do when carrying out normal activities. By reducing the day-to-day workload of your heart you can reduce the chances of developing heart disease.

Stress

Rebounding can decrease stress hormones like cortisol, and increase endorphins which are your body's feel-good chemicals. Also just the physical activity of bouncing can take your mind off your problems. Not only that but the physical improvements that come about through exercise like weight loss and increased health can increase your feel good factor which itself can reduce stress and depression over the long term.

Detoxification

Rebounding facilitates the body's natural detoxification system by stimulating the lymphatic system. 

The lymphatic system is like the garbage can of the body removing harmful toxins, dead cells, cancer cells and foreign substances.

The system collaborates with white blood cells in lymph nodes to protect the body from being infected by cancer cells, fungi, viruses or bacteria.

The lymphatic system consists of tubular vessels that include the lymph capillaries, the lymph vessels, and the right and left thoracic ducts. It transports nutrients and drains toxic products from tissues.

Rebounding causes these valves to open and close simultaneously increasing lymph flow by as much as 15 times, boosting immunity, toxin removal and giving every cell in the body a thorough detox. This helps to maintain health and slow down aging.

More Good Stuff

There is no age limit with this exercise. Rebounding is suitable for everyone and it's one of the reasons why they are such a good investment. The whole family is able to benefit from toddlers to grandparents.

Rebounding is ideal for those of an older age as it provides a safe, gentle, no-impact exercise. Unlike other exercises it does not damage the knees or back.

Rebounding is an exercise that can be adjusted to your fitness level and can be done in the comfort of your home.

By strengthening the joints and ligaments this exercise can reduce pain in some arthritic joints.

Rebounding can strengthen bone density as well as muscles. Increased bone density help to prevent broken or fractured bones and osteoporosis.

Quick Notes:

1. Rebounding provides an increased G-force (gravitational load), which benefits the body by strengthening the musculoskeletal systems.

2. Rebounding protects the joints from the chronic fatigue and impact delivered by exercising on hard surfaces.

3. Rebounding helps manage body composition and improves muscle-to-fat ratio. Rebound Exercise benefits you by giving you more control over these.

4. Rebounding benefits lymphatic circulation by stimulating the millions of one-way valves in the lymphatic system. This benefits the body’s immune capacity for fighting current disease, destroying cancer cells, eliminating antigens and preventing future illness.

5. Rebounding circulates more oxygen to the tissues.

6. Rebounding establishes a better equilibrium between the oxygen required by the tissues and the oxygen made available.

7. Rebounding increases capacity for respiration.

8. Rebounding tends to reduce the height to which the arterial pressures rise during exertion.

9. Rebounding lessens the time during which blood pressure remains abnormal after severe activity.

10. Rebounding assists in the rehabilitation of existing heart problems. Rebound Exercise also benefits recovery from heart procedures, providing gentle, low impact circulation. (Case: Cardiac Rehabilitation Using A ReboundAIR)

11. Rebounding increases the functional activity of the red bone marrow in the production of red blood cells.

12. Rebounding gradually improves resting metabolic rate so that more calories are burned for hours after exercise. Related, Rebound Exercise benefits the post-exercise “Glycogen Replenishment” process.

13. Rebounding causes core muscles and large muscle groups to contract, resulting in the rhythmic compression of the veins and arteries, which more effectively moves fluids, both blood and lymphatic, through the body and back to the heart, lowering peripheral blood pressure and lightening the heart’s load.

14. Rebounding decreases the volume of blood pooling in the veins of the cardiovascular system preventing chronic edema.

15. Rebounding encourages collateral circulation by increasing the capillary count in the muscles and decreasing the distance between the capillaries and the target cells.

You can find inexpensive Rebounders like this one, costing a mere $40.99 which includes resistance bands  to a mid-range price like this one that’s $64, and more expensive ones like this JumpSport, the Rolls Royce of rebounders as well as the Needak which is top rated by many rebounding enthusiasts.

I guess it would be pretty easy to bounce away on a rebounder while watching TV or listening to music. 

Will you try rebounding? Do you currently do it? Do tell!

XOXO

Marysinn

Witches, Felons and Clones oh my....

Been watching TV more than usual this year.  All with good reason... INSOMNIA, or as I like to call it, "INZOMBIA".

Thank gwad for DVR's, I would just not watch TV without them.

So..., here are a few shows I've been watching, checking out and enjoying.

"Orange is the new Black"

Ok, for this show I think I will have to do a whole separate blog. I have lots to say.
So far so good. Must watch/check out and catch up because season 2 will debut on Netflix June 6th!

From the creator of  Weeds comes Orange is The New Black. This show is about a woman in her 30's,  Piper Chapman, who is sentenced to fifteen months in federal prison after being convicted of a decade-old crime of transporting money for her drug-dealing girlfriend.

The offense occurred ten years prior to the start of the series, and in that time Piper had moved on to a quiet, law-abiding life among New York's upper middle class. While in prison, Piper is reunited with Alex, and they re-examine their relationship and deal with their fellow inmates.

I like that this show tells an interesting story not only from the main character's perspective but from the other inmates as well. Like Nancy Botwin on Weeds, sometimes Piper Chapman is portrayed in not so good a light because she can be the villain in someone else's story.

FYI, the book, "Orange is The New Black"  is an actual memoir and has major differences from the show.

Wow... ok and this was me being brief. Moving on.

"Salem"

WGN America takes its first foray into scripted TV with the debut of Salem. (Yeah, the revolutionary unrest of the 1700's is definitely getting its day with Sleepy Hollow and the upcoming Starz show, Outlander.) Salem is a different take on the Salem witch trials since this time, the witches are actually behind the witch hunting. Huh? It's going to be a unique take on history! Starring Shane West (Nikita, E.R.), Janet Montgomery, Seth Gabel (Fringe, Arrow) and Ashley Madekwe (Revenge), the show is run by Brannon Braga (Star Trek, 24, Flash Forward, Terra Nova) so it should make for interesting TV.

This series premiered April 2oth, I've only seen 2 episodes so I don't have much to say yet, but  so far it's quiet interesting.

Check out the trailer!

"Orphan Black"

Orphan Black is a Canadian SciFi series staring Tatiana Maslany as several identical woman resulting to be clones, now in its second season.

Tatiana Maslany in the lead role of Sarah, plays an outsider orphan whose life changes dramatically after witnessing the suicide of a woman who looks just like her. Sarah assumes her identity, her boyfriend and her bank account. But instead of solving her problems, the street smart chameleon is thrust headlong into a kaleidoscopic mystery. She discovers that she and the dead woman are clones… but are they the only ones? Sarah quickly finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly conspiracy and must race to find answers about who she is and how many others there are just like her.

There are 10 of them total.

Sarah Manning, from the U.K.: (Alive) The main character clone who took over Beth Child's life, is by far the most mysterious because she has a daughter - and clones can't reproduce. Or can they? I don't really know the identity of Sara's monitor, but when she took over Beth's life, it was Beth's boyfriend, Paul. Despite all odds in the insane situation, Sarah and Paul have since hit it off and seem to have a tentative relationship.

Cosima Niehaus, North America: (Alive) The "science geek" getting her PhD, she handled the technical research part of the clone club. She ended up falling in love with her monitor, Delphine, who was only using her to steal information to give to Dr. Leekie. Cosima wound up heartbroken, and was also coughing up blood in the finale.

Alison Hendrix, North America: (Alive) The pill-popping, heavy drinking soccer mom became considerably less uptight last year when she banded together with her other clones, and went on a self-destructive bender at the end of the season. Unbeknownst to Alison, her monitor is actually her seemingly simple husband, Donnie.

Rachel Duncan, North America: (Alive) We don’t know much about Rachel except that she's "pro-clone" and works closely with Dr. Leekie, and very much believes in the neolution and cloning experiments. She may have also kidnapped Sarah's daughter and foster mother, but that is unclear.

Helena, Ukraine: (Dead) The craziest and scariest clone of all, Helena was raised in a Ukranian orphanage and adopted by religious brain-washing extremists, so she never really had a chance. Still, she murdered a bunch of clones, so it’s a relief that she can’t do any more damage. She did have some good one-liners, though.

Elizabeth Childs, America: (Dead) She's the cop who had her identity taken over by Sarah Manning. After killing Maggie Chen - a Prolethian who infiltrated Dr. Leekie's ranks and was on a mission to kill the clones - Beth couldn't take the madness anymore, so she killed herself. Her monitor was her boyfriend Paul (see above), who helped with some illegal contract killing in Afghanistan during his time in the military, and was being blackmailed by Dr. Leekie to be involved in his operation.

Katja Obinger, Germany: (Dead) Showed up briefly in the first episode to deliver information on her fellow European clones to Beth, only to be shot in the head by Helena.

Janika Zingler, Austria: (Dead) Never met her, presumably killed by Helena.

Danielle Fournier, France: (Dead) Never met her

Aryanna Giordano, Italy: (Dead) Never met her

Phew....

Check out the trailer.

There are a few more shows, but this calls for a separate blog.

What shows are you enjoying or interested in/checking out at the moment?  Let me know!

XOXO
Marysinn

In the Know : Stila Palette Review

What sold me on this particular palette other than the beautiful orange shadow called "Fire", is that they are all matte.  Finally!  I just wanted a palette with no useless silver shimmer in it, and here it is!

Not only does this palette not include a useless shimmer I will never wear, it includes an eyeliner that I will actually use!  Score!  The eyeliner is a creamy deep smoky grey which I am actually loving.  It really ties the whole palette together, and it's not a thoughtless black that they just threw in.  Cheers to that!

The shade of this "smudge stick" is "Honeymoon". It's nice and creamy, but I'm not a huge fan of the twisty pencils…

These shadows have a nice, creamy texture that blend surprisingly well.   I am really loving every single shade; also loving the names. This palette just reminds me of the Arizona desert. LOVE.  "Air" and "Wind" are perfect for highlighting under the brow or brightening up the lid.  "Wind" is just a tad more beige than "Air".  I love "Clay" and "Desert"  as transition and blending shades!  I would also use them if I was doing a really soft look with minimal eyeliner.

Love these colors. They are  SO pigmented and so gorgeous.  What really caught my eye about this palette was "Fire".  It is a beautiful burnt orange.  It reminds me of the Arizona sunsets.  "Persia" by Nars is pretty similar to this shade. Nars is just a bit more red.  I love smudging this shade"on my bottom lash line. "Driftwood" and "Rain" are SO pretty!  Neutral-y cool taupe shades.  "Smoke" has a hint of deep blue.  "Ebony" is just a muted standard black, nothing special about it, but I like it.

Although I like this palette more for about $23-$25,  it is $39. Unfortunately I missed the Ulta special they had last month on this palette. Only $20! UGH! Anyway...  Stila really created a lovely, versatile palette.   I don't like the packaging.  I feel like I lose a lot of product between the pans. Other than that, I would actually repurchase this. Great palette to take on your trips.

Check it out! Hope you love it as much as I do.

XOXO
Marysinn

Love Starting 2015

It's always better to wait for the right one than to be with many wrong ones. Although sometimes it's good to meet and date lots of wrong ones because that often helps us grow in different areas as well as learn and teach others lots of things.  So, it's not always a waste of time.

When your'e with the right person, everything changes.

There's more that ONE person for us in this life. Don't settle for less and don't ever think that we only have ONE soul mate. That's a huge lie.

Happy hunting :-X

XOXO
Marysinn