RECAP: Arts, Beats, and Lyrics

Art and hip-hop enthusiasts made history as the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Art, Beats and Lyrics national tour made its way home to Atlanta, serving as the first hip hop/urban event at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 
Among other art displays, an art installation by Charly Palmer, was displayed on an electronic LED board in the Art, Beats and Lyrics exhibition.  Patrons also got to enjoy cocktails from the Arts, Beats, and Lyrics sponsor, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey. 

The Arts, Beats, and Lyrics crowd also got to enjoy a performance from the legendary rapper Rakim, demonstrating why he is recognized as one of the most talented and influential Emcees of all time.  

For information on Art, Beats and Lyrics please visit www.JackHoneyABL.com. (Photo by Kat Goduco/AB+L)

Sally Hansen Color Therapy Enchanting Gems Collection Available for a Limited Time

Pink Sapphire, $8.99

Just in time for fall and the holidays, Sally Hansen has added six new colors to its Color Therapy line. These new hues, inspired by gemstones, are awesome for the season.

Brilliant Lapis, $8.99

Orchid Amethyst, $8.99

Sally Hansen's Color Therapy collection uses Argan Oil to nourish nails. It also wears for ten days, fade-proof.

Smokey Emerald, $8.99

Opulent Pearl, $8.99

Rose Diamond $8.99

The Sally Hansen Color Therapy “Enchanting Gems” collection will be available at mass market retailers for a limited time. 

The Perfect Cold Night Dinner with Explore Cuisine

Pumpkin Stuffed Green Lentil Cannelloni

Prep time: 45 mins

Cook time: 55 mins

Total time: 1 hour 40 mins

Serves: 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the Cashew Cream:

• ½ cup raw cashews,
• 1 cup water boiling water
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 sheets Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Lasagne
• 2 cups prepared tomato sauce
• 1 t0 2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste, optional)

For The Filling:

• 15oz canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ to ½ tsp salt (to taste)
• ⅛ tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. To prepare the cashew cream (this can be prepared ahead of time), soak the cashews in 1 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the soaking water
2. Combine the soaked cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt and the ½ cup of reserved soaking water in a high power blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to use
3. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add salt to taste. Add the lasagna sheets and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often to keep them from sticking together
4. While the pasta cooks, prepare the filling. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside until ready to use
5. Once the pasta sheets are cooked, drain them and run them under cold water (if any of the sheets are stuck together, separate them carefully). Set them aside
6. Preheat the oven to 375F. Combine the prepared tomato sauce and red pepper flakes (if using) and pour on the bottom of a 10.5 x 7.5 inch baking dish. Spoon about half of the cashew cream over the sauce
7. To prepare the cannelloni, place about a tablespoon and a half of filling on each pasta sheet and carefully roll each one. Arrange them in the baking dish, over the tomato sauce and cashew cream. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes
8. Drizzle with the remaining cashew cream before serving. Serve warm

*Recipe by May I Have That Recipe for Explore Cuisine

Redbox.com has the best movies for Halloween

This Halloween is going to be a chill Halloween for me. Even though I am in my 30s, I usually try to dress up and go door to door for candy. No one ever withholds goodies from me, even though I am clearly not a kid. But this year, I don't have the energy to get over on the system. I am going to tuck it in and watch some of my favorite scary movies until I fall asleep, high on miniature Snicker's and unsalted popcorn. Below are some Halloween thriller must-sees, courtesy of Redbox.com.

13 Scariest Classics for Halloween

Psycho (1960)

Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Jaws (1975)
Carrie (1976)
Halloween (1978)
Alien (1979)
The Shining (1980)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Saw (2004)
The Conjuring (2013)

13 Halloween Favorites for the Whole Family 

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

E.T. (1982)
Beetlejuice (1988)
The Addams Family (1991)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Casper (1995)
Corpse Bride (2005)
Monster House (2006)
Coraline (2009)
Hotel Transylvania (2012)
ParaNorman (2012)
Frankenweenie (2012)

The Weightloss Post

Me and my trainer broke up.
It was mutual.
I asked her to start training me because she always works out and because she is a girl and my friend and I thought it would be a good fit. Wrong. As you probably have already figured out, it was me, not her.
We only worked out once, and the plan was to work out together once a week and then I work out the other two days on my own. She wrote me out a workout plan and everything. I was pretty stoked.
Then the storm came and I missed my second session. And yes, I am blaming the storm even though I didn't do my by myself exercises before it even came.
By my next session with my trainer, I hadn't worked out since my last session, which was two weeks before, and I also hadn't been chronicling what I was eating. I just totally failed.
So I had to have a heart to heart with my trainer who was doing me an enormo favor by even being willing to help me. I told her I was sad over this loss that I experienced and that I hadn't been doing anything that she'd asked and that I appreciated her but it wasn't her, it was me, and for real, it was me.
She then told me that she was planning to chat with me because she had a work thing that would be happening during our workout days and she wanted to know how we could possibly reschedule.
We walked away, promising to follow-up, like people in a breakup promise to stay friends. The only thing is that she still is my friend.
I am so mad at myself. It's like, I have no motivation. I'm so sad about the state of my weight and what it will take to get it off to do anything about it. It's just overwhelming.
But I have to get serious. The person that I lost in my life had heart issues, and that's something I don't want. I don't want to die.
Fingers crossed that I can see the light and get another trainer that won't end up having to dump me. This time next year, I want to be one of those annoying people on IG that takes selfies of their stomach and preps their food for the week.

The Online Thing

Bells told me that she is thinking about doing online dating again, and she suggested that I do it as well. That was funny.
I told her what I tell anyone else who suggests that I, me, should go on any type of online dating platform: no.
And I was partially honest with her about why it just could never happen. If I went on one of these sites and actually met someone who would then become my boyfriend, I feel like I would abandon my goals and focus on being in love. Then, if he ever left me, I would be stuck with nothing to show for it.
"Do you think that would really happen?" she asked. She was skeptical.
The answer to that is absolutely. In the 8th grade, when I got a boyfriend, I was so busy talking to him on the cordless phone that my grades went from hot to a hot mess in less than a semester. And, believe it or not, I don't think I have changed that much since I was thirteen. I simply can not focus when attention and love are involved. These are both very addictive things for me, like Apple Snapple and the chocolate covered pretzels that I have in the freezer. Face it: I'm just not a boss that knows how to balance.
The other half of the reasoning is sad yet simple: what if no one likes me? I have dealt with rejection from men in real life. I don't want to have to deal with that online as well. In reality, you can always lie to yourself. Maybe you just haven't come across him yet. You can't do that online. There are thousands and thousands, maybe even millions, of desperate men online. If not even one of them was found by the cyber gods to match my values or characteristics, that would be devastating! If that happened to me, I may not try to date for a long time. And I am 32, okay? It's not like I have time to waist on the bench.
I guess online dating has a lot to do with taking chances and God knows I have never been good at that. Here's to hoping that I find a man naturally, like in the feminine hygiene aisle at the grocery store.

The Barber pt. 2

You all would be so proud of me.
I have been even more needy than usual lately. I experienced a loss in my family and since then, I have been in desperate need of long hugs and soft conversation. In my mind, this is the definition of compassion. But as you all know, my mind is not often in line with reality.
Anyway, just as I was feeling at my worst, I got a text from The Barber. Can you believe it?! The last time I heard from him, he told me that he wouldn't come see me unless I could guarantee him sex! He said what all f**k boys say in a text when they are trying to get on your good side: Hey.
This is where you guys will be proud of me: I didn't respond.
For many of you gals out there with stellar self-esteem, you probably don't see the achievement here. But for simps like me, especially ones in extreme emotional distress, this is a big deal. Not engaging a loser for attention when you are lonely can be very hard.
Now, I won't lie. For a split second I did think of responding. I needed some type of kindness, and by this point, my friends had had it with my depression and were forwarding me to voicemail like I was a bill collector. I thought that maybe me and The Barber could meet up and he could hug me. Then, if he tried anything else, I could scream in his face and run to the nearest corner to catch an Uber.
But honestly, I didn't feel like running. I also didn't feel like a second of niceness was going to be worth the disrespect he would inevitably give me later when he didn't get his way. You may call this common sense. I call it growth.