I have not completely disappeared.  Just a quick update.  I have had some minor health issues the last three weeks.  I am currently recovered from a cold - congestion, etc.  The weekend before, I pulled a muscle on the left side of my neck.  Two weekends before, I had a cramp in my right calf muscle.  I limped around the house for about two days.  I hate getting old.

Angels

New Distraction

Here is my new distraction, a harmonica.  I decided on a harmonica, because I wanted to learn how to play a musical instrument.  Why?  It's something I have never learned before and a different type of learning experience.  Most of my learning is cerebral, not artistic, and that is the challenge I wanted to have.  In elementary school, I remember taking an aptitude test for music because the school wanted to look for future band students.  I did not make the cut.

I initially thought about learning the guitar, then I realized the cost and the amount of space it would take up.  My next option was the harmonica.  I searched Google to make sure there were resources available online for learning the harmonica, and yeah there are plenty.

My next decision was what harmonica should I buy.  I did my research and decided on the Suzuki Folkmaster.  I read that a beginner should pay around $30.00 for a good harmonica because it is harder to learn on cheaper ones.  I also read don't spend less than $10.00.  I decided to spend between those two prices, so the $15.00 Suzuki Folkmaster was my choice.  Beginners can "blow out" a reed, so I decided to go with a cheaper model.  Plus, if I lose interest or totally suck, $15.00 is not that much money.

I have been practicing for about two weeks now and yes I am still a beginner.  I can play "Row Row Your Boat" once.  The harmonica is a "blind" instrument.  You cannot see what you are doing.  You have to rely on sound, feel, and muscle memory.  The harmonica is sometimes called a blues harp, or just harp.  I will keep harp'n away and see what happens.

My Olympic Crush - Jessica Ennis

My Olympic crush for the 2012 London Olympics is Jessica Ennis, Gold Medalist in the Women's' Heptathlon.  Why?  She is cute, athletic (obviously), and from what I have read, a good person.  I ran track in high school, so you could say I have an appreciation for track athletes.  Here are a couple of links about Jessica Ennis:

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Ennis

Jessica Ennis Official Website
http://jessicaennis.net/

An Article About How Jessica Trains
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2186973/London-2012-The-team-Jessica-Ennis-reveal-helped-build-Olympic-champions-gold-medal-body.html

Congratulations Jessica!

Yves Saint Laurent Live Jazz Review

Here is a description from Fragrantica:

Live Jazz by Yves Saint Laurent is a Aromatic Fougere fragrance for men. Live Jazz was launched in 1998. The nose behind this fragrance is Pierre Bourdon. Top notes are mint, grapefruit and lemon; middle notes are coriander and rhubarb; base notes are nutmeg, amber, vanilla and cedar.

For the first 30 minutes, there is a very pleasant lemon and mint smell with very good projection.  Then the fragrance starts transitioning to the middle notes.  After 2 hours, it smells like an herbal garden with a tiny hint of the citrus lingering.  The coriander is energetic, and spicy.  The projection is still good.  The top and middle notes are opposites.  The top notes are cool and refreshing, and then the scent changes to energetic and lively.  It feels like taking a relaxing lounge in a recliner, then having to get off my butt and start a workout.  From 3 to 4 hours, the projection dies down and becomes a skin scent.  After 4 hours, on my skin, the scent is gone.  And I mean gone, no skin scent at all.  I don’t even have a chance to smell the base notes.

I am disappointed that the longevity is so bad.  I only paid about $30.00 for a 3.4oz bottle, so I can’t complain about the price.  The bottle is nice with the words “Live Jazz” frosted on the bottle.  The sprayer is outstanding and sprays a large amount in a nice spray pattern.  Even with the powerful atomizer, longevity is still poor on me.   This was a blind buy.  Many YouTube reviewers said this is a great mint based starter fragrance.  Unfortunately, the mint only lasts a maximum of 2 hours on me, and I am being generous.  Due to the poor longevity, I can’t enjoy this fragrance.  What a shame.

God Bless

Ed Hardy Born Wild Review - Initial Impression

I bought an Ed Hardy Born Wild for Men 3 Piece Gift Set at Marshall's for $24.99.  The retail price was $55.00 and the gift set included a 1.7 oz and 0.25 oz EDT spray bottles, and a 3.0 oz Hair/Body Wash.  A 1.7 oz EDT bottle retails for around $33.00, so I think I got a good deal.  So, what does it smell like?  It smells like a sweet fruity blend of orange and apple, that is also spicy.  There is also a floral note in the middle, then it dries down to a sweet, woody note.  There are not a lot of You Tube video reviews for this fragrance, but it has been described as sweet and geared more for teens and college students.  Even though I am over 40, I like the sweetness.  The most amazing thing is the longevity.  It lasted a good 7 hours on me.  After 12 hours, it is a skin scent, but I can still smell it.  Amazing!  I will have to try a couple more wearings to see if the sweetness is too heavy for summer. The name of the fragrance, Born Wild, is a complete opposite of what it smells like.  It is not wild at all, but a sweet fragrance.  For a first impression, I give Ed Hardy Born Wild a Thumbs Up!