Day 1 of Karate

I'm teaching a karate course as a class at Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center. I teach solo and my class is full of five high school students all brand new to martial arts. I've taught karate, I've taught white belts but I've not taught solo for such a length of time to all white belts.

It's slightly intimidating but today was a 4 on the 1-5 scale. There were kinks and a decent amount of chatter but overall, it went really well.

Darn you shows and movies that involve travel.

I'm filled with such mixed emotions. A friend referred me to a documentary called, "Long Way Round." It is brilliant but there is one problem: I can't sleep. I'm filled with such excitement for adventure and to travel again that all I can think of is buying a ticket, hopping on a plane and going to who knows where. (In actuality, I would probably go to France to begin to walk the Camino through Spain and Portugal.)

I can't begin to tell you how it is almost a daily battle within myself of to stay or to go. To have a job or to travel around the world. To be with family and friends or to be video chatting across the globe. To be present for birthdays and holidays or to be making memories with families I create and find along the way.

I told myself I don't want to be the aunt that my nieces (and soon-to-be nephew) don't know. I want to be the cool aunt who they call at 3am when they went drinking underage and need someone to pick them up, no-questions asked. Yet, as my mom said (gawd, I hate how she is right sometimes,) "I think you find fulfillment in you going to so many different places." How right she is, how right she is. 

So I sit here with 47 days till my contract technically ends and I feel conflicted about what comes next. Currently I have this elaborate plan of coming home and taking odd jobs for about year before selling every last thing and jetting off to other countries. Can I sit still back home for a year? Can I be away from home in another country for an undetermined amount of time?

If I had a superpower, I would be able to instantly go to wherever I want with a blink of an eye.

My experiments with "going green" and becoming more natural

I was talking to one of my closest friends the other day and she was telling me that if I travel to S. Korea, I should bring all of my personal cleaning supplies, personals and favorite snacks and candies.

Besides the fact that I don't buy many snacks, I informed her that I make my own shampoo and deodorant currently and am wanting to also switch to a natural homemade conditioner once mine runs out. Later I Skyped my parents about this. Apparently, I haven't shared this information.


So..you want my deep dart recipe secrets? Here you go:

Water

Baking Soda

Okay, okay so maybe this isn't everything but these two things are now my go-to items and if not the only ingredients, they make up the base for all my current and future endeavors.

Deodorant:

I tried the 'doesn't melt' summer recipe but I think I did mine slightly wrong. It is a solid but sometimes I still find myself rubbing it into my pits. With that morning switch, I still have to say, I like it. It feels and smells good. Sometimes in dry climates I find my skin forms almost a rash. Well, with this recipe, I have developed silky soft underarms.

*Added bonus: The peppermint extract I use, keeps mosquitos away. I haven't had a single bite since the switch.


Shampoo:
I only made the transition about a week ago and initially my hair was crazy oily for the first day. Then..like magic…my hair became silky, soft and great. Not to mention that my shampoo costs me less than a gumball. This recipe truly just calls for water and baking soda. No my hair doesn't smell fruity or fragrant of flowers, but if your hair has a scent it means that something is still left on your hair. AKA, my hair is cleaner than your hair. Take that!



What natural recipes have you tried or do you want to try?