Rebecca A. Foster

I am retiring from writing here. Technology, opportunities and habits move on. Change is a good thing. I'll send out my info as needed to those with whom I keep in touch. I'm looking forward to awesome, inspiring and just plain joyful events in 2013 and beyond and wish the same for you. Vaya con Dios, amigos! Hasta luego, zai jian, goodbye.

English is missing a word that means 'desire + regret + anxiety + memory + loss + wistfulness'. The nearest I can get is 'Melancholy.' It's not sufficient. But if I could distill all the words in this song, I think I'd be a little closer to the word I'm lacking:  (I thought this was a new song because I'd never heard it before, but it came out when I was in China. A black hole of knowledge filling a black hole of words. If I were smarter, I'd have something clever to say about that.) Mamihlapinatapai . The greatest word I just learned exists. But not the one I'm missing. 

AKA the greatest Christmas party white elephant gift of all time. 

My mom's culture believes in ghosts and the supernatural so I've grown up hearing 'ghost' stories accepted as fact. I am somewhat skeptical of ghost stories, but I do get a kick out of them. An episode of Destination Truth (I know, I love this show) was filmed at Duckett's Grove castle in Ireland to investigate  spooky goings on -- somehow ghost stories in old castles just seem that much more believable and entertaining, you know? I don't think I'll have time to go to Duckett's Grove when I'm in  the UK but it is definitely going on my list for a future trip. I'd like to go to the southwest coast of Ireland, too, as I hear it is one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland. And then there's my fridge; it's been making weird noises that of course don't happen when maintenance goes in to fix it, but I was able to record it on my phone. My coworker informs me it sounds like my fridge is haunted. Oh, that I could be so lucky! Alas, I thi...

I read online about using extra virgin olive oil as a make-up remover. I was skeptical this would not cause breakouts, but I've been using it for about a week and not only has it not caused breakouts, it's cleared up small patches of facial eczema. The winter redness and blotchy skin tone have also cleared up. I highly recommend trying this as a facial eczema remedy. (Steroid creams are not recommended for the face because they cause discoloration and wrinkling from collagen breakdown.) I lightly soak a cotton make-up remover pad in the olive oil and wipe off my make up. I then follow up with a dry cotton make-up remover pad to wipe off any excess oil. I don't use any other cleansers or toners until the morning, when I use a non-alcohol witch hazel toner and day cream. It took only two days to clear up the facial eczema patches I've been trying to treat with other products for the past several months. I've also made coconut oil salt scrub to help with ecze...

1. I hate the first straw, the first time you notice they are capable of doing something to you that you would never do to them, but they seem okay with it. The first straw is giving them the benefit of the doubt, being low maintenance and non-judgmental. 2. But then the straws start piling up and you have to make a choice: how many straws will you let accumulate? 3. I love the last straw. I'm grateful for the last straw. The last straw is clarity, resolve and peace. It is choosing to redirect your energy toward positive things instead of using it to rationalize the size and growth of the straw pile. 4. The last straw means there will be no more straws. Relief.