Jemez & Route 4

Road trip west: Day Four

Day Four

Spent the morning driving around Oklahoma City and ended up at a local place, Jimmy’s Egg, for some southern breakfast. We first ran in to Route 66 on our way out of the city but decided we would have to drive i-40 if we were ever going to make it to New Mexico.

We ended up detouring off of 40 to check out the mother road, specifically the Route 66 museums. There were two. Along the way we also went through some strange deserted towns such as Shamrock, TX and passed the largest cross in the Western hemisphere.

We stopped in Amarillo, Texas for a late lunch and found a great mexican restaurant, Ruby Tequila’s. There we shared a “Dos Rita”: frozen margarita with a bottle of beer dumped in (literally upside down sticking out of the glass).

Road trip west: Day Three

Day Three

Drove in to Memphis to check out the city and grab some lunch. We walked up and down Beale Street and along the trolley line before our unsuccessful venture to find BBQ. In our GPS led chase for food we passed Graceland, which was underwhelming and made us realize that the city just wasn’t for us

We ended up eating at an authentic southern restaurant off the highway in Arkansas. No BBQ, but Chris had fried chicken. From there we drove almost straight through Arkansas with the goal of making it to Oklahoma City.

Wound up getting super strength coffee from Love’s and driving until almost midnight.

Road trip west: Day two

Day Two

Made it to Nashville the second day- found a hotel, ate some BBQ and explored the city.

Went out for dinner and drinks at a place called Past Perfect. It ended up being a great find with an extensive drink list, including infused vodkas and egg whites. Afterwards we went into one of the many bars on Broadway that had a band playing in the window. Turned out to be very entertaining.

Road trip west: Day one

Day One

Traveled 550 miles, dodging falling trees in Connecticut, enduring monsoon rain in New York & New Jersey, and sitting through countryside traffic in Pennsylvania.  We ended up sleeping in Virginia.

To be continued….

Kevin Trudeau- so good or no good?

Recently my mom called me raving about her most recent findings in the world of all-natural remedies. This is not a strange occurrence, for she’s always been a strong believer in homeopathic remedies, using various seed oil recipes to cure anything from stinky feet to face rashes. I later found out, having gone home to find my dad struggling with the new dietary regiment my mom had implemented, that my mom was devoted to Kevin Trudeau’s most recent book, More Natural “Cures” Revealed.

Although I had no prior knowledge of Trudeau, after being handed a shiny, large-print Walmart book depicting a goofy middle aged man, I was immediately skeptical. My dad informed me that the goofy guy staring back at me claimed to be in his sixties. I immediately Wikied it and that’s when I found his extensive track record of fraud and infomercial fame. (AND his real birth date- he’s only in his 40’s, I’m not sure where my parents heard that tall tale.)

Looking through his book I noticed that on one of the first pages was a disclaimer stating:

“This book is considered by some a work of fiction, yet inspired by a true story. some truth is sprinkled in to spice things up. On occasion, names, dates, and events have been changed or made up for fun. It contains the opinions, theories, and conclusions of what some people call a raving lunatic, conspiracy theorist, snake oil salesman, political activist, consumer advocate, believer in immortality, and delusional fraudster. Believe what you will. It is for entertainment purposes only. Remember, the author is not a doctor and has no medical training. He is a two-time convicted felon. Yet…then again, did he say it’s all 100 percent true?”

My mom had been duped.

Just watch:

Now, I’m not one to completely trust pharmaceutical companies or advocate America’s dependence on drugs, but Trudeau is a complete whacko. The only reason I’m even giving this guy another thought is because tonight while flipping through TV, I saw one of his outrageous infomercials where he claimed to have the cure for cancer.
I couldn’t find the infomercial I saw… but he says pretty much the same thing in every interview- http://www.naturalcures.com/watch-the-infomercial.aspx

I can see how people like my mom would take his “cures” seriously- since most of the natural remedies he gives are plain common sense. While some of his “cures” may be beneficial, he has no scientific evidence to back up his claims. What bugs me the most about this creep is that he’s clearly writing and selling these books just for the money. He has no empathy for all the sick people who are looking to him for hope.

Kevin Trudeau gets a big ‘No Good’ in my book.

Must See Sunday

Here are some of my favorite websites, documentaries and organizations of the day.

www.freerice.com

• Help end world hunger by playing an online word game! For every word you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated through the United Nations World Food Program to those in need.

AND… Sign the ONE campaign “to make poverty history”

www.ser.org

• The Society for Ecological Restoration International work around the world “to promote ecological restoration as a means of sustaining the diversity of life on Earth and reestablishing an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture.” This organization is not for the “lazy environmentalist”- these people are taking physical action to create a greener world.

www.pluginamerica.com

• Learn about the electric car and how it is an obvious solution in creating a sustainable future.

And watch this while you’re at it….

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Buy the DVD here.

Art stuff

“Mosaico”
During one of my first nights in Spain I stumbled upon the phrase “pase lo que pase” in my Spanish/English dictionary. The definition given, “whatever happens, come what may”, would become my mindset for the next seven weeks I spent in Barcelona. Once I made friends with people who grew up in the city, I soon learned that this phrase also summed up the relaxed attitude of the culture. Inspired by this idea and the prominent works of Gaudí, I created a reflection piece of my new experience for an assignment in my Spanish art history class.

 

 

Part of the Away exhibit at the Student Life Gallery at MassArt.

 

It’s my very own blog!

 I’m not sure which direction I’m going to go with this, but look forward to weekly music posts (if I stay motivated), pictures, and other random nonsense.