I was encouraged to purchase some salvia from my local smoke shop by a few co-workers and friends of mine. I purchased a small bag (approx. 5 grams or so) of dried leaves at 40X strength for approx $40. I smoked the herb out of a glass pipe as recommended by the associate at my shop.

But before I go ahead, here are a few examples of how Salvia affected friends of mine :

Co-Worker 1: “Jim” smoked 80X strength and found himself in his work office with his co-workers pointing fingers at him. The walls of the office began to melt and peel off. Suddenly, he was awake and back in his living room. During a second smoking session, “Jim” found himself inside of a Nike sneaker running across a parking lot. He literally thought that he was small enough to be bouncing around in a sneaker’s sole.

Co-Worker 2: “Sarah” felt like she was melting into her surroundings. She also recalled seeing a wide open ocean all around her.

Friend # 1 : “Rebecca” recalled feeling like she was trapped inside of a plastic box that she could not tear herself out of. She was not in a state of panic, but in more of a state of confusion.

Friend # 2: “Alisa” and “Michelle” enjoyed a smoking session together. “Alisa” stared at “Michelle” and complained about how she was not allowed to leave the house with the striped paper walls. “Michelle” was wearing a yellow and black striped shirt and “Alisa” was convinced that “Michelle” was the one holding her hostage.

My Salvia Experiences:

Experiment #1: I decided to smoke by myself for the very first time. I had read that being around other people could ruin your hallucinogenic trip. I took as large of a hit as I could (also recommended) and I sat back awaiting craziness. My muscles seemed to tighten and I began to stare at my limbs. They seemed extra long. I tried to reach out to items sitting on a desk across the room and I could swear that they were just out of my reach. I refer to this trip as my “Stretch Armstrong” incident. I felt as if I could literally throw and extend my arm like a “Stretch” doll.

Experiment #2: I wanted to give it another go a few weeks later. Mostly just because I had quite a bit of Salvia left from my first experiment. I smoked out of  a glass pipe again and found myself laughing hysterically.

Experiment #3: I found myself in a hospital room with a woman with short reddish hair. She had her fingers to her lips and she told me to “Shh” and that “There is no talking in here”. I tried desperately to respond, but my vocal chords felt strained and pulled off to the right side of my face. It was a bizarre experience but after 40 seconds or so I was snapped back into reality.

Experiment #4: I was in a completely blank room. You could not tell where the floor began or where the ceiling ended, it was just openness. A young blondwoman in a red dress with some sort of pattern that I could not make out was calling for me to follow her. A gentleman with her, who reminded me of a 70’s flashback, was pulling on me to get up and follow them. I didn’t find out where they were going as I traveled back into reality.

I’m left wondering if the visions that I were having were some subconscious mumbo jumbo, or was I tapping into some mental state of awareness where others (like my mysterious friends) could communicate with me? It’s crazy. Has anyone else had an interesting experience? I would love to hear what other people’s experiences were like!

Image Courtesy of Brains That Work

“I like to spend money.”

Over the course of the next few weeks, I’m going to discuss a few financial programs that others have recommended to me:

Total Money Makeover – Dave Ramsey
How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Prosperously – Jerrold Mundis
The Everything Get Out of Debt Book – Cheryl Kimball

I’m going to talk about the values and techniques that I learn and how it is changing my financial future day by day. I hope that this will be an informative and fun journey. Good Luck!

Robert Joseph Macaulay Jr.

June 3rd, 1966 – February 28th, 2010

This is the third or so time I’ve tried to begin this post. I’m at a loss for words and I’m not sure exactly what it is that I want to say. I’m still in a bit of shock. Although my father has been battling cancer for most of my life, it still doesn’t make it any easier to deal with the fact that he is now gone. His health had seriously deteriorated over the past year or so and I am so thankful that I was able to see him one last time before he passed.

Dear Daddy,
I just want you to know that I love you so much. You were a fantastic father even if I didn’t show it all of the time. I wish I had spent more time with you and told you how much you meant to me and how thankful I was for you. So many memories come to mind and my eyes are filled with tears. I am happy that you are no longer in any pain but at the same time I am so sad that you are gone. I’m going to do the best that I can to be strong for everyone and help them cope.
We all miss you so much already. You will never be forgotten. You will live on forever in our hearts and minds. I  can’t wait till I get to see you again on the other side. Please give hugs and kisses to Andrew and Poppy for me.
Rest in peace knowing that I will always be thinking of you and how much we all love you.

I will forever and always be your little girl.

“Fallen” by Lauren Kate – Similar to Twilight with forbidden love. But I love Daniel Grigori so much more than Edward Cullen and I think the plot is much more exciting! The sequel novel, “Torment” will be available Autumn 2010. I can’t wait!

“The Immortals Series” by Alyson Noel – Ever has lots of extraordinary talents like seeing auras. The plot is complex and fantastic. Evermore is Book 1.

“The House of Night Series” by P.C & Kristin Cast – I’ve devoured these novels in one sitting at a time. In the  new world if you are marked by a tracker you are forced to go through schooling at The House of Night. There is a pretty long series available which makes me so excited and leaves me still craving for more. Marked is Book 1.

If you ever have to visit an Orthopedic Doctor, I recommend that you stay as far away from Seaside Orthopedics as possible. They have an office in Ocean Isle, NC and North Myrtle Beach, SC.

So here’s the back story:

Yesterday, we went outside to simply move the horses into another pasture around feeding time. Somehow, our biggest horse Oscar, got excited and kicked backwards. My Mom was standing just close enough that his feet clipped her arm. I took her to the hospital and she has a fracture in her arm (ulna to be exact). They created a make shift cast and sent us on our way with a referral to see Dr. Young, an orthopedic specialist.

So today began:

I called Dr. Young’s office at about 9:00 a.m. and told them I needed to make an appointment for my mother to get a cast for her arm. They asked if we could get there by 10:45 a.m. and they could squeeze her in. I thought that was fantastic and that we could get her taken care of today instead of sometime next week. Little did I know that their office was in Ocean Isle, NC so I had a 40 minute drive to get to their office (even though they have an office in North Myrtle!).

When we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the office was. It looked pretty new, nicely decorated and most important of all very clean. The receptionist was friendly and assisted us right along. We didn’t have to wait for very long before, who I believe to be the physician’s asst., Shane came to bring us back into a room.

My mother mentioned to Shane that she suffers from RSD in her left arm, and he recognized immediately what she was talking about. He even offered to forgo taking her blood pressure to cause her less pain in the arm. (RSD is nerve condition that causes sufferers to experience intense burning and pain throughout their affected limbs. It can spread to other parts of the body and is not curable. It causes muscles spasms, severe inflammation, weakness and the only way to manage it is through pain medications, anti-inflammatory medication, and anxiety reducers.) He then proceeded to bring us into a back room to wait for the doctor.

As soon as the doctor walked in, I noticed that the entire feel of the room changed. There was a significant arrogance about him that I disproved of instantly. He began the usual questions about what medications my mother was taking, any underlying health conditions, surgeries in the past,etc. All of it was completely understandable until he started grilling her more on her RSD with a condescending tone. Asking her if she was working, why she wasn’t working, why the RSD in her LEFT arm was making her not work, how was she able to have horses with RSD but not be a nurse..and so on and so on. Mind you, she broke her RIGHT arm.  I understand that doctors must ask certain questions to get a feel for their patients, but his line of questioning was completely uncalled for! I couldn’t believe that my mother held her breath for as long as she did.

The way in which he was talking to my mother infuriated me. His questioning had no impact on whether or not he was going to put a cast on her broken arm. His tone and attitude towards her and her suffering from a medical condition, which based on his actions I believe he has no idea what is is, was utterly ridiculous and uncalled for. It’s not as if she walked in like a drug seeker begging him for pain meds, she just wanted him to do his job and put a cast on her broken arm! We mentioned the doctor’s demeanor to Shane and Shane apologized and said that the doctor’s personality was “dry”.

Once Shane placed a cast on her arm, we headed out to the discharge desk. The lady waiting there ignored us for a few minutes while she loudly yelled at the receptionist for not righting down a fax number for an insurance company, or something of that nature. It was ridiculous and rude!

Once we left, my mother and I discussed how rude and disrespectful the doctor was and I wanted to let everyone else I knew, know about his horrible practice.

With that being said, Dr. Richard Young, Seaside Orthopedics only doctor, is arrogant, condescending and extremely nosy. His job was to simply put a cast on my mother’s broken arm and yet he grilled her and questioned her over her condition until both she and I were completely aggravated with him. If at any point you need to have a cast placed on your arm, or any kind of Orthopedic surgery or therapy, steer clear of Seaside Orthropedics and look for a doctor’s office that truly cares about their patients wants and needs.

UPDATE:

6 weeks or so later, my mother got her cast removed. She was hoping to have the P.A do it, but unfortunately, Dr. Young was the one holding the saw. Dr. Young sawed into the cast in the oddest spots and at one point the saw broke into my mother’s skin. The heat of the saw burned her skin while the sharp rotating blade sliced her open. When she exclaimed “Ouch!” Dr. Young said “Take it easy!” as if it was her fault for his mistake. This doctor is just absolutely ridiculous. Do not go to his office!!!!!

Take it slow.
Its impossible for you to make all the changes you want to at one time. If you try to take them all on at once, you are bound to fall back into old habits discouraged. Paying off debts is not an instant fix; its a lengthy process towards a new financially stable. Take a few weeks to monitor your spending to find where your habits lie. Take another few weeks to try and curb your spending and form a budget that will benefit your lifestyle. Once everything is in check, then you can take all of your new found knowledge to begin your debt busting regimen.

Don’t forget to be realistic in your thinking.
Short term goals are extremely beneficial. Once you accomplish these you will have new found confidence in yourself and you will push yourself even harder to accomplish your long term goal of paying off all of your debts. Stop accruing debt first and then begin paying it down. Depending on the extent of your debt situation, it could take a few years to be debt free. Reward yourself every time you achieve one of your goals so that you can encourage yourself to continue. How happy will you be when you can open your credit card statements without a shock, or you can answer the phone without wondering who is on the other end of the 800 #?

Create your own method.
Don’t jump on fads or whatever may be popular at the time. Don’t compare your debts to the success or failure of another person’s plan. You are the only one who knows what is best for you and your family. Visualize your debt free future and what you would like to do with all the additional money at the time. Do you want to invest it? Do you want to go on a dream vacation? Do you want to retire early? It’s amazing what you will be able to do with your income once you aren’t stuck paying out to everyone but yourself.

Simplify and replace old habits.
Pay bills by check; pull cash out and leave your debit and credit cards at home; cut back on your spending. It sounds challenging at first, but as I mentioned in another post it takes 21 days for a new habit to form.

Mistakes will happen, we are only human after all. If you fall short or slip occasionally, just pick it back up and do it all over again. Don’t let small  hindrances deter you from your ultimate goal! Believe in yourself, you will succeed as long as you put your mind to it and follow your budget plan!

*Wants* Anything that you would like to have to increase your quality of life, but you could survive without. Jewelery. Nights Out On The Town. Makeup. Video Games. ETC.

VS.

*Needs* Anything required in order for you to survive. Food. Water. Shelter. Clothing. ETC.

Always set realistic goals for yourself. By setting easier goals for you to accomplish at first, you will keep  yourself from becoming discouraged. For example, if you have a habit for purchasing clothes a little too often, cut back to buying one article of clothing each week and work yourself up until you only buy one piece of clothing per month.

Based on past trends in spending, food seems to consume most families income. It’s the same old story: You spend quite amount of money stocking your refrigerator with healthy delicious foods. After a late night at work, you are too tired to cook anything and decide to just pick something up for dinner.

Did you know that the average family of four can spend up to $50 on just one meal at a fast food restaurant?

So although food is a NEED, eating out and spending a weeks worth of groceries on one meal is not necessary. So the next time you plan to stop and pick some chow for the family at McD’s, ask yourself if making an extra payment on your car note or a cheeseburger is more important to you!

When it comes to making changes about how we spend our money on wants and needs, we need to be patient. Change takes time and it is not always going to be easy. If you family is accustomed to eating out constantly, then cut back to eating at least one meal a day at home and work your way up until you can eat 95% of your meals are at home. Your wallet will inevitably thank you, and so will your waistline!

Just think about how fantastic it will be to enjoy a delicious night out on the town with your spouse knowing that all of your bills are paid and you are debt free! ahh, the sweet feeling of no stress!

Question: If you make approximately $40K a year, what is a reasonable amount of debt for you to have each month?
Answer: You should spend no more than 30% of your take home income each month on housing (rent or mortgage). Additional debts (i.e. credit cards, car payments, etc) should only account for, at maximum, 10% of of your take home income. Using the $40K example above, that means that you should spend no more than $990/mth (approx.) on housing and $330(approx.) on additional debts.

The 4 Things You Need To Do To Get Out Of Debt:

* Pay Attention -> Look at your income and monitor every expense. Before you swipe your debit card, contemplate if the purchase is a WANT or a NEED. If it is a NEED, is it possible to get the purchase somewhere else at a better price? Do you really need the high quality version at this time?

Simple Trick: Pay for as much as you can by personal check. Paying by check allows you to have exact records of everything you purchased so that you may look back and see exactly what you spent most of your money on.

* Be Disciplined -> Stick to your budgeted plan. Try to pay more than the minimum on your credit cards and be sure to pay your bills on time. It takes 21 days for a new intention to become a habit! Even after that point, it is still very important to stick to your plan.

Simple Trick: Instead of carrying around your debit card, carry only what you designate as your cash allowance each week.

*Craft A Plan -> Grab a sheet of paper and a pencil and put your goals and budget on paper. Having an exact write up and plan of how you want to pay off your debts and get back on track will motivate you and let you track your progress.

Simple Trick: Put your budget on a conspicous place so that you constantly glance at it. If it’s in a place you walk past frequently you have a constant reminder of your goals.

*Do It -> What good is a well thought out plan with no follow through? Follow your plans to the best of your abilities and adjust them as you go if need be.

Simple Trick: Each time you prepare to write a check for a payment, remind yourself of one of your main goals and decide if the purchase is a necessity.

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Make sure that your family (those living with you) understand what you are doing. It will make your life just a bit easier knowing that your family understands that you are cutting back on spending. If your spouse is not 100% committed with you on your debt free goals, it will inevitably cause you to fail. You and your spouse must make all the money decisions together and in an effort to reduce your combined debt.

Its also a great idea to have some close friends jump on the band wagon with you. Having a “buddy system” with close friends has been shown to help people accomplish their goals more efficiently!  You could also get in touch with some local groups in your area.

Debtors Anonymous Groups
To find a FREE meeting in your area
www.debtorsanonymous.org or write to
P.O. Box 920888 Needham, MA 02492-0009
(781)453-2743/(781)453-2745

In an effort to help change my lifestyle and assist many others who have the same goals for this year, I’m going to begin a series on getting out of and/or drastically reducing debt. ?Based on the information that I will be researching through books, mentors and counselors, I am going to discuss the information here on my blog.  I would love active participation from my readers!

Whether you are in debt or not, please stick around and get advice or even give advice to those who need it.
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“I consider myself out of debt when…?”

First off, Congratulations in accepting the fact that you have a debt problem and you wan’t to overcome it!

I will consider myself out of debt once the only payments I owe are for “good” debts. I consider mortgage payments, car payments and/or insurance as good debts. What does being debt free mean to you? Will it be when you only have “good” debts to pay? When you don’t know anything to anyone? Defining this question starts building a great foundation for your debt free journey.

Before you begin you also need to consider and identify the reasons you got into debt in the first place. Is it due to you living beyond your means? Is it due to a job layoff, a divorce or a time of emotional distress? By identifying the reasons you are in the place you are  today, you can do your best to prevent the situation from reoccurring. I am in the situations I am today because I was living beyond my means, I was infatuated with material possessions and my addiction overtook my wallet.
And lastly, What are the reasons you want to be debt free?
- I want to own a nice house for my family.
- I want to be able to own reliable vehicles.
- I want to have money available in case of an emergency.
- I want to be able to provide for my future children.
- I want to be stress free

Dear Ms.Caesi @ 12-
12 years old…wow, what can I say that is appropiate for you at your age? Maybe you should tuck this away and read it in about five years when your world completely changes…for the better and worse..hmm…

The next ten years are truly going to be some of the best times of your life. So many people, so many big events and so much to live through its just crazy for future me to look back and observe. You are going to meet so many great people and run into plenty of bad ones.

Trouble is an indefinite part of the next decade, but I can tell you now that even at your lowest points when you think you can’t make it through, you will survive and be so much stronger on the other side.  You are going to get into crazy scenarios and make amazing memories with hundreds of people. No seriously, hundreds, I tried to make a list once..I got to page 5 and were too tired to go on. Take your time and study hard but don’t forget to live. Happiness and laughter are the spice of life.

You will meet your first boyfriend, leave your first boyfriend, meet your first douche bag, hurt your first douche bag, and plenty of stories in between. You will eventually after weeding out all of the bad ones, find the love of your life and get married; its everything you thought it would be and more.

Be forewarned, your sister is crazier than ever (keep in mind she will be 14), your parent’s aren’t in the best of health but you do what you can to help and keep them at their happiest. There are times when you are going to be in a lot of pain, there are times when you are going to be very sad and there are times when you can’t hold back the laughter.

When it is all said and done, i don’t want to tell you to not do this or go for that. Live life exactly as it is planned for you, it all comes full circle in the end and life feels pretty damn perfect 1o yrs later.

ps. Enjoy the year of your 15th birthday, it really is the greatest year…SERIOUSLY.

Love,

Ms.Caesi @ 22