Hey what’s up everybody?  I’m currently writing this post by candlelight like it’s the 1500’s.  I feel like Nostradamus or something.  NostraDarrell perhaps?  Yep the power has been out for about 2 hours now.  As of this writing, there’s a crazy storm happening down here in Georgia.  The wind is blowing so hard that I might end up in Kansas tomorrow…which wouldn’t be so bad actually, they have great barbeque there. 

Oh for anyone who may not have gotten that, the Kansas line was in reference to The Wizard of Oz.  I used to love that movie as a kid but I haven’t seen it in ages.  When Almira Gulch flies past the window on the bike in the beginning, before they even get to Oz though?  With the creepy music playing in the background?  I swear that used to get me every time.  No matter how many years have passed since I’ve watched the movie, I’ll never forget that scene.  It’s a classic!  So much so that when one of my clients was trying to come up with an outfit to wear to her office’s Halloween party last October, Mrs. Gulch was my suggestion…bike and all! 

Since that scene was in black and white, I helped her find old-time black and white theater make-up and she rigged a bike contraption that was easy to carry with her.  It was really cool looking but unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures.  But yeah, she ended up winning the contest!  Yet I still haven’t gotten my half of the Applebee’s gift card she won?!  Lol how rude (©Stephanie Tanner)!

Hmm, I suppose I should also explain that reference for a some of you too…although who hasn’t seen Full House by now?  Anyway, yeah, that’s where the “How Rude” quote came from.  Man, that show has some legs huh?  It was on when I was a kid in the 90’s yet kids today still talk about the show like it just came out lol.  Anyway, check this out lol it’s my DJ Tanner tee.  

Get it?  DJ?  Nevermind… 

Anyway, that reminds me, I still haven’t had time to watch the updated sequel “Fuller House” on Netflix yet.  Have any of you?  Is it any good?  Right now would actually be the perfect time to watch since my cable is out but unfortunately, my wifi is out too.  My laptop and cell phone batteries are also getting dangerously low so hopefully the power is back on soon.  Otherwise you might read about me in the First World Problems News tomorrow morning (ha if that doesn’t already exist I may have to create it, that has potential) as I retell my horrific tale of having to survive a whole night without TV or internet.  OMG the horror!

Seriously, man we have gotten so spoiled by technology lol.  Kids used to play with sticks and cans…outside!  They also had to get up to change the tv channels with their bare hands and survive school without the internet.  And even worse, they actually had to talk to each other because they couldn’t pretend to scroll through their cell phones during awkward situations.  Scary stuff, I know! 

Before cell phones became the universal go-to “I’m ignoring you” contingency plan, I used to keep my headphones on to avoid conversations I didn’t feel like engaging in.  That usually worked so well that half of the time I didn’t even bother plugging them into anything!  I didn’t tuck the end of the cord deep enough into my pocket during school one day though so it fell out while I was trying to ignore this girl who couldn’t take the hint.  I tried to hard-sell it by bobbing my head and dancing like I was listening to the greatest song ever written but she spotted the aux cord hanging from my pocket and angrily held it up to my face.  So yeah, that didn’t go over so well…actually, it completely backfired because then we had to have an awkward conversation about why I was avoiding the original awkward conversation.  #DoubleFML indeed…

Anyway, being without power tonight isn’t so bad.  It kinda brings me back to a simpler place and time….well, even though I still have a laptop and not a feather pen and parchment paper.  But still, the rain outside…alone with my thoughts.  In a way, this is actually a good thing.  It’s forcing me to slow down, stop and just be present for a little while.  I mean, seriously, It’s only been 2 hours, I can do this.  So yeah, even if this laptop dies and my phone dies too, I can just use the time to appreciate nature and recharge my own batteries.  Ahh yes, finally a laid back night with no distractions.  Just calm…peace…and YESSSSS THE POWER IS BACK ON!  Thank God, that was awful!  lol okay moving on…

So one good thing about this storm is that my car should be clean in the morning.  I’m tempted to run outside in the rain with a bucket of soap to wipe my car down.  Trust me, it won’t be the strangest thing my neighbors have ever seen me do.  But seriously, my car has looked horrible lately!  

Georgia has this crazy mutant pollen that turns my black car “tennis ball green” every day (I probably should have mentioned this last post since it was dedicated to the color green for St. Patrick’s Day).  It’s the worst (well, unless you own a car wash, then it’s probably awesome for you so well played my friend…)!  I’ve honestly never seen anything like this before, it’s crazy!  And it happens so fast, you would literally have to wash and detail your car twice per day to keep up with this stuff.  I’m not exaggerating at all here.  If you turn on your windshield wipers without wiping the car down first, it falls off like green snow and creates a huge dust cloud!

I feel even worse for people with seasonal allergies.  I don’t have them but even I felt the symptoms during my first spring here.  Thankfully I’ve adjusted to it now but for those still suffering out there, here’s a simple solution that was passed along to me by a random customer who started talking to me in a department store.  Good thing I didn’t have my headphones on at the time eh?  Anyway, here’s the tip.

What works for her is to get honey or bee pollen from local bees each fall and spring.  Again, the key is that it needs to be local so if you live in Dallas, you should get yours from Dallas bees for example.  And if you live in California, get it from California bees.  Why?  Because each time that you take it in, you’re taking in local pollen which over time will theoretically make you less sensitive to it. 

Since bee pollen is classified as a superfood, there are obviously other benefits beyond just easing allergy symptoms.  It also contains protein, immune boosters, energy support and more but it’s not safe to have if you’re nursing.  And depending on your food allergies, this may not be for you either. 

Also, like anything else, there are opposing articles online that also say this doesn’t work for allergies.  Granted, I found more in support of the theory than against but you should still do your homework or consult with a Naturopathic doctor or nutritionist.  Since I don’t have full-blown seasonal allergies, I can’t confirm the effects myself.  The woman in the store wasn’t the only person to mention this however so if you’re currently suffering from allergy and sinus pressure, you should at least consider researching this concept.  And if you like and already consume honey anyway, you might as well just buy it locally from a farmer’s market and see what happens! 

Since we’ve already touched upon the subjects of power and (storm and sinus) pressure, check out my pressure cooker from Power Cooker (see what I did there?)!

The cool thing about a slow cooker is that everything is done in one pot so there’s much less clean-up (speaking of cleaning up, see my review of the Scrub Daddy dishwashing product several posts ago by following this link).  The problem with a slow cooker however is that by definition; it’s slow, so you’re usually looking at several hours before your food is ready. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my slow cooker too, but I don’t always have the time to wait that long.  The pressure cooker is the best of both worlds in that it combines the one pot cleanliness of the slow cooker with the speed of a grill or microwave!  Every meal in the cookbook that came with the product takes less than an hour but some take less than 5 minutes!  For example, you can make their turkey chili recipe in less than 30 minutes and Thai coconut chicken soup in less than 25!  Chilean sea bass with tomatillos and mangoes?  5 minutes!  Oh yeah and you can also make desserts! 

Here’s a picture of the Arroz con Pollo (chicken and rice) that I made in only 40 minutes! I had taken a few photos after I plated the dish as well but I somehow lost them and unfortunately, I ate everything already since it was delicious!  But yeah, you get the idea.  The Power Cooker is pretty awesome…and the price is dropping since I recently saw them on sale for only $50 which is roughly half of what I paid for mine.  Even so, it was money well spent and saves me a lot of much needed time.  I highly recommend looking into a pressure cooker to add to your culinary arsenal.

Have a recipe you’d like to share or an item you’d like for me to review?  Tell us about it in the comments below!

Here’s another food related fit tip.  Apparently I’m late on this one so many of you may already know this, but you can use Greek Yogurt in any recipe that calls for mayo, sour cream, butter, cream cheese or even cooking oil!  I hadn’t thought of trying that until Troy (the guy from the self-defense video that we did several posts ago that you can check out by clicking here) mentioned that he always uses it with tuna since he’s trying to lose a few more lbs before his mixed martial arts fight this weekend.  I decided to give it a shot with tuna as well and he’s right, it was pretty good! 

Now I won’t mislead you into thinking that it tastes as good as regular mayo (at least not yet, but maybe it will once I get used to it), but if you’re trying to drop a few pounds this is a great, healthy substitute and packed with extra protein!  Give it a shot and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Also, if you’re literally feeling the pressure, I provided 10 great ways to reduce stress in the fitness section of this post a few months ago.  Check it out by clicking this link!

Today’s Soundtrack

I’ve got the Power – Snap (lol great song for Throwback Thursday)

Phone Down – Erykah Badu

Power – Kanye West

Under Pressure – Queen ft. David Bowie (you had to know this was coming…)

Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice (and this one too since he used the bass line from Under Pressure to make this song too)

The Pressure – Jhené Aiko

Pressure – Billy Joel

Pressure – Paramore

The Art of Peer Pressure – Kendrick Lamar

Release – Timbaland ft. Justin Timberlake (lol fun song….”release, I’m out of control…”)

Party Up – DMX (Y’all gon’ make me lose my mind up in here, up in here…)

One Step Closer – Linkin Park (“One step closer to the edge and I’m about to break”…)

Have another song that fits today’s themes?  Tell us in the comments below!

Okay, that’s a wrap for today (speaking of wraps, I may try that tuna again since I still have some left…).  I know that many of you are just returning from Spring Break trips and all so a few of you missed Monday’s post with the crazy light up fedora!  No worries though, it’s still in the archives along with every other post since we first started in January.  So yeah, click around, and also click on those social media buttons to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Myspace….just kidding about Myspace lol just seeing if you were paying attention.  But yeah, follow me on social media and also continue to hit the like and share buttons on this page after leaving your comment below!  Have a great weekend everybody, I’ll be back next week with another post.  Until then…. May the fork be with you!

-Darrell

☹ Turn that frown Upside down 😊