.SOMETIMES RAW.

This has been one crazy fast week again. I cannot believe it is Friday – as I never can! We did so much together as a family and the time flew by like crazy. Sometimes I wish I could just turn back time and do it all over, you know. Especially knowing that my husband is leaving on Saturday. Sniff! Well, this is life I guess. Nothing you can do. So this is what we have been up to as a family this week:

Thinking about: My dear friend who’s husband had a terrible motorcycle accident with severe head injury yesterday and the doctors said that he might have a couple of hours or days left to live. It is all so strange how fast it  happens sometimes. We haven’t seen each other for quite some time. We studied together in college and met again about two months ago when I moved back to the States. My husband just met my friend and her husband last Saturday for a nice afternoon/evening for BBQ and awesome conversation at the fire place watching the stars at night. Life is not fair sometimes and throws you curveballs when you least expect it. I will help my friend with whatever she needs and will be there for her of course! My thoughts are with her now since I am still in Canada with my family. I wish her all the strength in the world. <3 I see you soon! 

Enjoying: Just being all together as a family. We enjoy the simple things we don’t really have so much these days. We spent some quality time together at the beach and celebrating my husband’s birthday. We went to the playground, ate together and have these awesome long conversations while driving up to Canada. Road trips are our favorite! 

Looking forward to: Going to Congo with my husband. I really love the idea of learning more about a culture and simply seeing something different and new. We have all our vaccinations done so yes! to a new adventure. 

Experiencing: A trip to Canada! We have been thinking about just staying in Connecticut for this week and exploring but decided do spend some days in Canada at Lake Grenier! We have been here several times and love it! It is a very peaceful, quiet place any time of the year. You can just book a flight to Montreal and then drive here. There are seven chalets for rent all year round at the waterfront. They even have an outdoor Jacuzzi – you can sit in it while looking at the lake. This place is really special to us with some awesome memories.  Click here for reservations.  Whenever you get the chance to visit Montréal you should go to the “Biodôme de Montréal”. We have been to the “Jardin Botanique and Insectarium” and it was amazing. Especially for kids! 

Eating: These days I am enjoying my husband’s cuisine. He likes to cook and I love his French Onion Soup. Whenever we are in Canada we love Tim Hortons.  The food is great but the coffee is even better. If you are on the road a lot – especially throughout Canada, this is the place you want to stop at. 

Watching/Listening: My husband and I are listened to Howard Stern in the car a lot so we wanted to know more about this man who made us laugh until our stomach hurt. We ended up watching “Private Parts” (1997) and we loved it. I am a huge Woody Allen fan but one movie I have not seen yet: “Everything you always wanted to know about sex” and I did not like it that much I have to admit. My favorite Woody Allen movie is by far “Annie Hall”. I have been listening to this song over and over because a friend posted it on Facebook. Damn, I love it so much. We also have been enjoying Satellite Radio Sirius in the car these days. 😉 

Reading: I will always read something – I have a book with me wherever I go because you just never know! I have finished my first two official book reviews for Tyndale and NetGalley and it was an awesome experience. I am looking forward to reviewing more and sharing it here on my blog. Otherwise I read “If I fall, If I die” by Michael Christie for an upcoming book review. I am also reading “Subliminal: How your unconscious mind rules our behavior” by Leonard Mlodinow . I also want to announce that I am reviewing for Springer Publisher now. Awesomeness! 

I hope you have a great Friday and an even better weekend. Enjoy and thank you for reading. 

“One day Tank and I became so desperate to get high that we robbed his next-door neighbor’s house. Talk about risky! I didn’t care where I sold, as long as I had enough money to replenish my supply and enough crack for myself to smoke. In fact, I was about to hit rock bottom”. – Dimas Salaberrios 

Advance Reading Copy Disclosure:

Thanks to Tyndale Momentum and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I have not heard of Dimas Salaberrios before but what drew my attention to this book the most was the description. This does not affect my opinion of the content or the book of my review.

When I read the description of the book I thought that it will be an awesome read. I would like to share a little insight about me before I start the review. I worked for the German Federal Police for several years before I joined the United Nations Security Department in New York and I can proudly say that I have seen it all. From drugs, to homicides, to suicides and back. Unfortunately nothing was left out for me. I also finished an Associates Degree at LaGuardia Community College (right next to the Queensboro Correctional Facility – and yes, they offer programs for detainees to attend classes at the college or to finish their GED!) and transferred to John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I finished with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice/Forensic Psychology in 2012.I have been at Rikers Island Jail with one of the Corrections Classes I have taken which was a very intense experience) John Jay College offers a plethora of great Criminal Justice Programs. One of my favorite professors throughout my four year college experience was Professor Peter Moskos. He is a professor of law, police science and criminal justice administration. He has also written three books that I have all read. My favorite was “Cop in the Hood” because I simply could relate to so many things he wrote about. Having all this background and reading “Street God” was very interesting because it had been written from the perspective of the “other side”; the criminal side. 

Let’s dive into the book review. 

I love memoirs. This is most likely one of my favorite books to read because the individuals write about themselves and it is usually very intimate. The book starts out pretty rough by Salaberrios’ description of his early life in the drug world of Queens/New York. Even though is parents are considered as “normal” (his mother is an elementary teacher and his father works in a correctional facility) This was probably the most shocking part to realize that Dimas had a great childhood and “good” parents. Dimas wanted to be the Street God; the best known drug dealer with power and money.  He starts dealing and even consuming drugs to the extend where he almost hit “rock bottom”. I thought his description of the drug dealers and gang life was pretty interesting, especially if I keep in mind that I lived a couple of minutes away from where he lived. The further I kept on reading I was more and more surprised how he ended up surviving living this crazy drug life – specifically after taking drugs himself. 

When you read Dimas’ story and you think it cannot get worse, everything changes but I don’t want to give the plot away here. I think it is just an amazing story that is difficult to put down because of Dimas’ honesty. I recommend this book to parents and teens to simply read and try to understand how the inner city life really is. I think the book is a great leaning experience and full of love and forgiveness. 

Thank you for reading my blog. You want to read the book? Order it here. Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it is lethal.” – Paulo Coelho 

I would call myself a halfway-hipster just because I like that expression. Do you know what a hipster is? Do you know how a hipster dresses and what the lifestyle entails?  First I want to share with you the overall description from wikipedia on what a hipster is. 

“The hipster subculture is one of affluent or middle class young Bohemians who reside in gentrifying neighborhoods, broadly associated with indie and alternative music, a varied non-mainstream fashion sensibility (including vintage and thrift store-bought clothes), generally progressive political views, organic and artisanal foods, and alternative lifestyles.”

How does this apply to my style and life? Fashion was at some point very important to me but this was years ago. I needed the to wear the latest fashion all the time and was sucked into consumerism. Now, all I need are the essentials that never go out of style and more importantly to buy things that last for a long time. Being a halfway hipster I love to shop in vintage/thrift stores or flee markets. What I try to avoid is walking around like a billboard or have any expensive labels showing on my clothes. I love to buy my things from local fashion stores instead of going to a mall. As a matter of fact I hate malls. I love to wear skinny jeans (1) but also high-wasted pants. They hide things at the right places. 🙂  Unfortunately I do need glasses and I am rarely seen without. I am basically blind when it comes to driving at night, reading or watching TV without them. I purchases a pair of Ray Ban’s just because I like the style and I haven’t found another brand with my preferred shape. I don’t get however how some wear glasses if they don’t need them just to be hip. Honestly, I would rather live without them. 

When it comes to tops, I do love tank tops in any color as well as simple black or white t-shirts. I have a couple of shirts as well; my favorite being a plaid shirt. I have a couple of t-shirts with book covers printed of them which I love and wear. I also own several cardigans that go with all my tank tops or t-shirts. I love cardigans as well as fitted hoodies. 

The right footwear is key. My husband would say that, “I always wear the wrong shoes” but I think this is not true of course.  I love to wear TOMS and they go with almost everything and are super comfortable. Besides that, I wear flats in all colors and range as well as boots. I used to wear Converse for the longest time but haven’t done so lately. 

Accessories I rarely use. I do love to use nail polish here and there and sometimes nice pins or belts. I used to have “tunnels” and several plugs but I removed them because I simply did not like them anymore. One gets older too hahahah. My hair is usually up in a bun or straight down with bangs. I like it simple and casual and the messy hairdos are fine. Read my hair routine here.  I do have a Longchamp Le Pliage purse (medium size) that I have had forever and use now for my son’s things (diapers, wipes, snacks etc.). For myself I have a vintage leather purse that holds all my writing implements and usually a book (or two). It is big enough to even hold my laptop. 

Thank you for reading. Part II – My Hipster Lifestyle coming soon.