2nd Day of Classes...

Second day of classes and I am already tired. This semester is going to be rough. I already have stuff due in the next couple of days. My Research Methods class is going to kick my butt if I fall behind. My group is already having a meeting tonight to get started with stuff which is crazy since today was the first day for that class. My Senior Seminar class is going to be a lot of work. We basically have a 10 page paper to write on things we learned in most of our psych classes and how they pertain to us. Do you realize how many classes that is? Plus we have a standardized psychology test to take mid-semester.  This test cover every Psychology class that is offered at Huntington and it is not even possible to study for every single thing on this test. My other classes seem to have stuff due everyday which is going to be hard to keep up with. 

Yesterday I was just saying to a friend that everyone always looks hopefully on the first day of classes....it is safe to say that hope is gone. I am not sure how I am going to make it through this semester. I know I can do it but I am going to be burnt out by the end.

On a positive note I made the Dean's List!

Pros and cons...

Tomorrow is the first day of my last semester of undergrad... Sounds exciting right? Well I have some mixed feelings about this.

Pros
< I am so ready to be done with school
< I am looking forward to seeing my favorite professors
< I have most of my classes with friends
< I am kind of tired of having so much free time
< I am graduating in May

Cons
> I have to get all of my stuff back across the states (which I can not possibly take all the stuff back with me)
> I am not ready to leave my friends (I have some great friends...you know who you are)
> I am going to miss snow...I hate the cold but it is so pretty
> I have a loose plan for after I finish which kind of scares me

Another Resolution

Another one of my New Year's resolution was to try new things with my hair. So I have tried a few new hairstyles with my hair. The other day I decided that I wanted to grow out my bangs into side bangs. My hair grows so fast that I think side bangs will be easier to up keep. The worst part about growing out bangs is that in-between stage...they are just a bit to long to wear them down and a bit to short to put them to the side. It is so annoying but in the long run will be worth it.

Chocolate Cake and Frosing Recipe

This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe. It is dairy free and vegan, which is great for those of us who are lactose intolerant. I know dairy free, vegan cake doesn’t sound that great but it is supper yummy! Give it a try. Leave me a comment to let me know if you did try making this and like it.

Cake

Ingredients:

· 3 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 3/4 cups white granulated sugar

· 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

· 1 t. salt

· 2 t. baking soda

· 1 3/4 cups of coffee room temperature

· 3/4 cups canola oil

· 1/4 cup maple syrup

· 2 T. white distilled vinegar

· 2 t. vanilla extract

Preparation:

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2.      Lightly grease a 9"x13" casserole dish and set aside.

3.      In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.

4.      In another small mixing bowl, whisk together coffee, canola oil, maple syrup, vinegar and vanilla. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredient into the well and fold into the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

5.      Pour into the prepared dish and bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.

6.      Cool before frosting.

Frosting

Ingredients:

· 2 cups powdered sugar

· ½ stick dairy-free soy margarine, softened

· ¼ cup plain soymilk

· ¾ cup unsweetened pure cocoa powder

· ½ t. vanilla

Preparation:

1.      In a medium mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream the powdered sugar with the soy margarine until mixture is thick but well combined.

2.      Add the almond milk, cocoa powder and vanilla, and continue to mix until smooth.

Good Books

This morning I woke up early to keep myself on the same schedule. I thought what am I going to do for several hours? I decided to start reading my new book I got for Christmas. I was immediately engrossed in the first chapter. I forgot how much fun it is to read for fun... as funny as that sounds. I read so much for school that in my spare time I end up watching something instead of reading. I also forgot the thrill of losing yourself in the story and losing track of time because it is just that good.

Tracking number

I ordered something online. Last week I got a email saying it had shipped and they gave me a tracking number. Today I went to look at the email to get the tracking number. When I tracked my package it said it was processed to ship and was still sitting in the warehouse. What is driving me crazy is that they said it shipped when it is actually still sitting in the warehouse. They said 3 to 7 business days and it has already been 4 days and it is still sitting in the warehouse. I have no idea when it is going to get here. If I get a rate this order email I will be saying I am not happy with the speed of delivery.

Addicted

I might be a little bit addicted to the game hill climb for the iPhone. I can't stop playing it even though its a bit annoying. There is a certain point where I keep getting stuck, flip over, or run out of gas. The horrible thing is I want to beat the game so much because it is annoying.

Twitter

Follow me on twitter @arandom_thought

Hair Care

So another one of my resolution was to take better care of my hair. I have damaged my hair a lot from dying it and blow dryers. I wanted to share what is working for me.

The first thing that really is working for me was learning how to wash my hair properly and also not washing my hair everyday. A lot of people say they wash their hair everyday because it is oily but that is your hair's natural oils. By washing it everyday you are stripping the oils from your hair. When you start washing your hair every other day the first couple of weeks your hair needs to adjust to this new schedule. To get rid of some of the oils in between washing you can use a dry shampoo. I have not found one that works for me yet. The part of my hair that ends looks the most oily is my bangs; so I usually just wet them down and blow dry them. I do this to get some new life to my bangs.
 
Here is a video from HayKayli on how to wash your hair properly. Check out her other videos; she does hair tutorials if you are looking for new hairstyles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRTr9rO2Bwg

The second thing is the products I am using. In the beginning I was thinking this sounded like a lot of work but in the long run I am really liking the results. Plus, I am finding it just sounds like a lot of work when it reality it is very simple.

1. John Frieda Radiant Red Daily Shampoo
This product says it preserves color and magnifies shine. I think this does great job for my hair. I dye my hair red and I have found this shampoo works the best in keeping my color stay longer. Red dye tends fades the fastest so using a color treated shampoo is the best. In the past I was using Giovanni Colorflage Daily Color Defense Shampoo for dyed red hair. This works ok but in comparison I think the John Frieda works better for my hair.

2. John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hydrating Conditioner
I have used this product for years and I love it. This conditioner is for extra dry hair and controlling frizz. This product leaves my hair very soft and it works very well.

3. Deep Conditioners
I only use deep conditioners about once a month to help control my dry hair. I trade off between two deep conditioners. The first is John Frieda Frizz-Ease Intensive Deep Conditioner. This product says to leave in for 1 minute, then rinse out, and can be used daily. I leave it in for about 5 minutes and do this once a month. The second is BB Mending Masque for the (truly) damaged from Bumble and Bumble*. This you leave in for 10 minutes. Both of these products work well for my hair.

4. TRESemme Salon Silk Serum with Argan Oil
This helps control frizz. I used this on my wet hair from about where I would put a pony tail down. This also helps hydrate the ends of hair. So if you use this product concentrate on the ends of your hair and not the roots. If you put this at the roots you hair will look oily.

5. Paul Mitchell Seal and Shine Heat Protection**
I just started using this so I am not sure if I really like. My biggest hair resolution was to start using a heat protectant. I blow dry my hair so much that it looks damaged because I was not using a heat protectant. I spray this on after I put the argan oil on. I spray it all over and then comb though my hair.

5 1/2. If you do not want to use a heat protectant spray you can use TRESemme Volumizing Mousse which has a heat protectant in it.

6. TRESemme Climate Protection Mousse
This product fights against humidity, UV rays, static, and wind. I think this works so well by adding body to my lifeless hair. It is also great for the hair because it has keratin and olive oil in it, which help keep hair healthy. I put this on after the heat protectant and then comb though my hair again.

7. After I have finished with all of that I blow dry my hair. I do not dry my hair fully because I like to air dry to save it some heat damage.

I have only been doing this process for about 3 weeks now (minus the Paul Mitchel which I have been using for a 2 days now) but I am noticing a difference in my hair. It looks and feels healthier. It is not as dry as it once was, which is a big deal for me.

I believe you can get all of these products at Walmart or Target, except Bumble and Bumble and maybe Paul Mitchell. All of these are under $10 which is great! I am totally loving these products!

*Bumble and Bumble Website
http://www.bumbleandbumble.com/index.tmpl

 ** I bought the Paul Mitchell from CVS

First Post

So everyone makes New Year's resolutions and one of mine was to starting writing a blog. I know it is a bit lat but hey it is still January. This blog is basically going to about my random thoughts. I think it will be fun to start something like this.