hellobeautifulcreatures

The gentleman on the other end of the line was sobbing. A moment ago, he had been yelling at me, but when that didn’t work, he turned to an emotional plea. He told me about his wife and children that he needed to support, his mortgage, his car payment, his utilities. He probably would have tried bargaining, but we both knew that would go nowhere. This conversation was about one thing: ending his unemployment benefits. I wish I could say I was moved. But I was two hours into my shift, and he was already the second sobbing person I had talked to. I knew there would be many more before my day ended. It was December 2010 and I was working as an operator at the Pennsylvania Office of Unemployment Compensation. It was a rough month. Many people were ending their run on unemployment compensation after collecting for nearly two years. It wasn’t because they had jobs. It was because the special period of extended benefits that allowed people to stay on the program ended every December. None of...

What is your party personality? Upon entering a social gathering, do you quickly find yourself surrounded by adoring fans as you fall into a story about your hilariously bad work week ? Or do you immediately head toward the drink table, the bathroom, or, if need be, any piece of furniture that can shield you from view? Anything to avoid human contact .  Bangalore- based illustrator Neethi identifies as the latter. “I’ve grown into a 27-year old who looks for benches to crawl under, or curtains to hide behind at events involving more than three people,” she explains on her website. “Every brave new venture with people goes down in the same way ― a cyclical uneasiness resulting in sweat and silent tears rolling down the cheek.” In her series of illustrated GIFs titled “The Socially Awkward Adult ,” Neethi explores the peculiarities of life as a grown woman who still, when confronted with the possibility of group socializing, feels the urge to run ― or at least awkwardly mention that ...

You Might Like {{displayTitle}} READ We all have our daily habits, from the number of times we hit the snooze button to whether we shower in the morning or at night. We’re not here to tell you how to live your life, but there is some surprising science behind the time of day it's best to suds up and get squeaky clean. Check it out and then choose the time that works for you—or shower twice, because dang it if we can't have it all. Morning Glory If you’ve got a tough week ahead at work and really want to perform at your creative best, showering in the morning is the way to go, says Shelley Carson, Ph.D., a psychology lecturer at Harvard University. The logic traces back to something psychologists call the incubation period—the time between posing a problem and having that "aha" moment. “If you were to come up with a problem that you wanted to solve creatively, and you were working and working on it and couldn’t come up with a solution, then you could put it ...

It's been ages since I last updated, I can only apologise! Lots has been happening around the house that bloggers built so I finally got some spare time to sit down and write a post about my brand spanking new bathroom and the ups and downs along the way... Our journey started with two rather hideous bathrooms that for some unknown reason, we're originally one. The old owner decided to put up a stud wall across a window and the their choice of tiles were, well.... yes. One of the showers only worked if the other was one and the one that did work was leaking so it was one of those things that had to be done. After some deliberation we decided to knock the bathrooms back into one large family one with a bath (huzzar!) We decided on black floor tiles with half tiled walls and a full tiled walk in shower, which I'm actually really please with. I think it's a nice neutral bathroom that we can jazz up with some colourful accessories and towels but also looks clean an...

I’m coming out as disabled. It’s about time. I’m a 25-year-old with 80-year-old bones. Inside my mother’s womb, I developed mostly normally. But my legs didn’t show much growth in the sonograms; there was a mutation lurking on the long arm of the COL2A1 gene of chromosome 12, involved in making Type II collagen . One letter switched in the gene, an amino acid wrongly substituted , cartilage forming too tender within me. My rare bone disorder , spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, causes collagen in the joints to form incorrectly, short stature, arthritis, neck instability, scoliosis, joint inflammation, chronic pain, and other issues. It’s actually a form of dwarfism; I just happen to be on the taller end of the spectrum at 4’6”. Facing all of this, knowing at a young age that my bones would deteriorate much quicker than my friends, wasn’t scary. I’d need joint replacements and surgeries. I knew my path. I learned to love my body for what it is and all I can do, even with pain. For many ...

DEAR BARRY: We just purchased a home and hired a home inspector before closing. He reported no problems with the whirlpool bathtub . But the first time we turned it on, the bath water became filled with black specks. There is some kind of mold or mildew in the pipes, and we haven’t been able to remove all of it, not even with bleach. When we called our home inspector, he said that he checks only the working ability of the tub jets and nothing else. If he checked the jets, he must have filled the tub, so how could he have missed the problem? –Annie DEAR ANNIE: The mold or mildew problem in your whirlpool tub is a common one because the pipes in most whirlpool tubs do not drain very well. When the tub is emptied, water remains in the pipes and becomes stagnant. When this foul brew evaporates , a black residue is left in the lines. Then, when the tub is filled again, the crud is loosened by the water flow, and black particles are washed into the bath water. Your question about the home ...

Are showers costing us our health? Probably not, but I do think Epsom salt baths deserve an in-depth scientific look. After all, tradition supports bathing with most ancient civilizations highly valuing baths especially those with therapeutic added salts , minerals and oils. Epsom salt was discovered in 1618 in England in a town fittingly named Epsom . There’s countless websites and medical practitioners who swear by the healing power of Epsom salt baths . But in today’s age of misinformation should we buy this treatment idea? There are 2 widespread rumors about the benefits of Epsom salt baths : Epsom salt baths are an effective way to increase magnesium levels in the body Epsom salt baths help our body detoxify more effectively We’ve been recommending Epsom salt baths to help with die-off symptoms since 2009. And at this year’s Weston A Price Foundation conference , I heard two very well-known speakers recommend Epsom salt baths . Dr. Campbell McBride, the creator of the Gut A...

August 27, 2017 Source: Ford It’s hard to be a Chevy or a Ford man when your company is accused of building cars that kill people. There’s nothing quite like the love millions of gearheads around the world have for their cars, but nothing brings a conversation about cars down to earth faster than allegations of coverups and criminal negligence. Despite the countless debates over whether a certain car has soul or personality, the truth is that car manufacturers are businesses, and they’re looking for ways to maximize profits and reduce operating costs . Sometimes this happens at the benefit of the customers, and sometimes the results are catastrophic. ")}; Whether it’s “just business” or a legitimate safety issue , car companies have been bending laws and regulations since the industry began , and with 2014 being the worst year for recalls in automotive history , that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Unsurprisingly, the biggest scandals in automotive history have usually dealt ...