Growing aloe vera

Aloe vera gel is a dermatological panacea. It helps acne, general skin softness, burns, cuts, scrapes, rips, hair, and just about any other skin condition. I cannot remember where I read this, but I think it works by creating a coating over the skin that protects skin from oxygen in the air, similar to a bandage.

This past winter I was disappointed to find out that Trader Joe's only carries aloe vera gel seasonally (I have no idea why). So I went to Whole Foods to see if they carry it, but unfortunately, it is expensive at $10 for a 16 ounce bottles. I bought it reluctantly, but decided to grow my own when the weather was right so I would not have to pay so much in the winter.

About a week ago, I bought a small plant from Lowe's. Fortunately for someone like me with no gardening experience, all that aloe vera requires is to be brought inside during frost and watered if the soil gets very dry (but there is plenty of rain here). Better yet, it grows quickly. Moreover, it reproduces vegetatively by growing little "pups" which need to be given their own room to grow.


I would post a picture of my plant, but I lost my camera. :/

handy snowboarding items

I went snowboarding at Wilmot on Friday and went on the moguls, so I had to have my binding very tight. Foolishly, I tightened it so much that the ratchet popped off the strap! I saw all the pieces and had my screwdriver with me though so I fixed it quickly. It got me thinking how much some objects come in handy when snowboarding. I came up with a list:

1. a helmet! I think I would have died several times if I was not wearing a helmet.


2. a small screwdriver. This could save you the cost of a new binding or just help you adjust them for the powder day.


3. a lock. An easy way to prevent losing several hundred dollars.


4. your own food. Ski resorts charge so much for food and get away with it because they have no competition on the hill. But you can get around that by sticking a food bar or a bag of nuts in your pocket. ;) Plus, when you bring your own food you can make sure it is nutritious.

For home: an iron, wax, and scraper. Waxing your board by yourself is quite easy, takes only about half an hour, and is like $30 cheaper than having a store do it. It is good to wax snowboards every 3 to 5 rides.

the importance of posture

Recently I noticed that my neck felt uncomfortable and the feeling was annoying me no matter what I did and only got better when I layed down on my bed. I realized this came from tilting my head down too much, especially when reading, writing, or on a PC. I have lowered the chair at my desk to get rid of the need to look down. The bad habit is tempting, but I have started to pay more attention to my posture. Also, I remember a time several months ago when my upper back was irritating me that was caused by holding my phone with my head and shoulder (thus bending my upper spine to one side) for a long time.

Doing a quick search on Wikipedia for "posture", I came across the concept of neutral spine. This refers to the position that the human spine should ideally be in, that is, with specific curves:



So, pay attention to your posture! You might notice room for improvement.