Fanatic

For the second time in Wallagrams history, I (Corey) am taking the time to write a post.  In the future you can expect me to become a more intricate part of Wallagrams.  I may even write a Part 2 for my America Ain’t So Grand post.  Today’s topic is not quite as heavy and serious. Well it kind of is.

I personally don’t have a whole lot of hobbies.  I like to disc golf and I love to read serious books about political ideologies, oil, globalism, human rights, and economics.  Some may find my taste in reading material to be kind of dry and boring, but I am fascinated with all subjects dealing in general with how the world works. With all this seriousness in my daily life you would think I should have something to turn to relax and calm my nerves.  I do have another hobby to turn to, but unfortunately it usually doesn’t have the desired calming effect. I am a huge sports fan and by huge I mean HUGE!!  I love watching basketball, football and even baseball.  At work I listen the sports talk radio all day on 540 ESPN Milwaukee.  I love the local shows The D-List and Homer & Thunder. I’m a  big fan of all the local teams, Packers, Badgers, Brewers, Golden Eagles, even the pathetic and hard to watch Bucks. I’ve also been a big fan of North Carolina Tarheel basketball.  Lisa and the cats can attest to my fandom and the insane passion I have while watching a game.  I live and die with every pass, shot and pitch.  I clap, I yell, I jump up and down and run around the house (scaring the cats and Lisa), I’ve even been known to swear when things aren’t going my way. 

 

(Aaron Rodgers on my favorite morning talk show) 

 

Luckily for me, 2011 was probably the best year in Wisconsin sports history.  Aside from the Wisconsin Badgers getting beat by two deep passes and the Milwaukee Brewers pathetic display in the NLCS.  It’s been a pretty good year.  2012 on the other hand hasn’t started to out too good.  I don’t think I’ve ever been more angry and dejected than I was last Sunday when the Green Bay Packers didn’t show up in their divisional playoff game against the New York Giants.  Although, as is the case with sports, my pain was someone elses pleasure, my father in-law is a big Giants fan.

 

You may be wondering at this point, what the heck does my love for sports have to do with travel.  Well once we are on the road I won’t be able to watch all the games and be as up to date on the goings on in the sports world. To be honest it’s probably going to be a tough adjustment.  For example, I’ve only missed watching 2 Packer games since 1992. 

 

To prepare for this I’ve been trying to take a little step back.  I haven’t been as adamant about watching every college basketball game this year.  Don’t get me wrong I’m still watching, but not as fanatically.  In April, our contract with Direct TV will be over and in another effort to save money we will be getting rid of our subscription and not getting anything else.  We will still have the TV, but we’ll only be able to watch our movies on it.  Again, there will be an adjustment period, but I think in the long run this will be good for both of us, especially me. 

 

On the road, I know I’ll still be able to check in and see what’s going.  Depending on where we are I my even be able to find a Packer bar and catch a game.  However, I feel that even if I don’t, I’ll be able to find my way through our trip without sports, I think. 

 

Gear Mail

*We’ve decided to dedicate Wednesdays to gear: the items we’ve bought, why we bought it, stuff we’ve returned. You get the idea.  We’d love to hear what you guys think, too – the good and the bad.  If we bought headlamps that you hated, we want to hear about it.  And, sometime (probably at the halfway mark of our trip) we’ll let you know what goodies treated us well & which ones we had to ditch along the way.

In this week’s addition of gear mail we’ll be focusing on our daypacks.  We searched for a VERY long time for our daypacks.  From my (Lisa’s) monthlong trip through Europe with a messenger bag I knew this was one small thing that we wouldn’t want to mess up.  (After 3 weeks of a sore back I finally bit the bullet and bought a tiny backpack at a flea market.) 

Anyway, we knew the chances of us getting the same bag would be slim.  Corey will be carrying our laptop/netbook/tablet (whatever we end up purchasing this summer), so we knew his would probably be bigger.  So, you can imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the Deuter Speed Lite 10 & 20.  It’s like Deuter knew that the bag I picked would need a slighter larger companion. 

deuter speed lite 10 & 20

Some other bags we considered:

• REI Flash Pack 18 (I’ve heard GREAT things about this bag)
• Pacsafe Venturesafe 300 (we actually purchased this & when it arrived found that it wasn’t really a backpack – the photos at the time were deceiving, but they’ve updated their images)
• Packsafe Venturesafe (too big)
• Osprey Daylite Pack
• North Face Women’s Ingrid (this would’ve been my bag had I not found the Deuter Lite 10)
• Osprey Flapjill Laptop Pack (too big)
• Marmot Ultra Kompressor (similar model to the one we looked at)
• Keen Burnside Daypack

Although it was a small test, they did tag along on our trip last winter (2010) to Raleigh & we’re definitely happy with our picks.  Corey likes that his has an extra “secret” compartment that enables his bag to pack more. 

secret slot for overflow

I like that it fits my small frame nicely & its super lightweight even with all the stuff I plan to pack in it. 

Corey & I with the daypacks (empty)

While we don’t plan on bringing camelpacks (small pouches that enable you to put water in your packs), it’s nice to know that we have that option.

H2O slot

 Obviously, it will take some real travel under our belts to give you an accurate opinion of these bags.  Once we’re on the road for at least 3 months we’ll let you know how our bags & the rest of our gear is holding up.  We hope you’ll stop by for our next gear mail topic: headlamps!

Seasons Greetings . . .

Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!

We also wanted to send a special shout-out to our Raleigh family & friends: we wish we could be there with you this year & we’ll see you in the summer. . . Merry Christmas!!!

Lisa's face doesn't normally look like that, but Norma Jean's so squirmy & (after several attempts) this was the best photo of her. Notice that Silverstein, my cat, is on his best behavior! (Boys 1: Girls 0)

Day 91 in My Natural Hair Journey

Some of the female members in my family have been asking questions about the state of my hair & in general how things have been going since the start of my journey.  For starters, no I don’t wear my hair like this when I’m at work or out with friends.  That was taken on a weekend morning when we knew we had zero plans – in other words, I’m not taking the time to do my hair if we’ve got nowhere to go!  Lately, this is how I’ve been wearing it:

I wash my hair 1 to 2 times a week, depending on how well it maintains it’s appearance between my reckless tossing & turning at night & the elements during the day.  Before going to bed I put conditioner in & I either wrap my head with a silk scarf or just lay the scarf on my pillow if I have a head ache.

Today was the second time that I trimmed my own ends & I wish I would’ve started doing this sooner.  I’m sure in the eyes of a stylist it’s uneven, but I’m pretty proud of the results.  While it takes a while, we’re saving a lot of money & I know I’m cutting my hair the right way.* 

I’ve even received compliments on my new haircut!  Sorry, you don’t get to see it today because (yup, you guessed it) we’ve got no special plans & I won’t be going out of the way to redo my do for you. 

I also wanted to show you guys a close up of the progression of my recent hair growth.  You can actually see the line of demarcation aka where the natural hair & relaxed hair meet.  In the photo below the straight section is unnatural & the wavy/curly part is all me!  Part of me REALLY wants to cut the remaining relaxed hair off, but the logical part of me realizes that the temperatures have been dropping & I won’t be a happy camper if I have a cold noggin.

Have you thought about going natural?  Or are you already on your journey?  If so, I’d love to hear your story!

*Most hair stylist are taught to cut all hair types wet.  Cutting curly hair wet is a big no-no, because of shrinkage.  (No, not the Seinfeld kind).  The shrinkage I’m referring to relates to the length of your hair wet vs. dry.  Most people with curly hair have longer hair when it’s wet & shorter hair when it’s dry (this has also been referred to as the spring factor).  So, your stylist cuts your curly hair right after washing it, then it starts to dry & poof, you have a horrible haircut.  This is why so many people with curly texture (no matter their race) leave the salon upset, miserable & defeated. 

Gear Mail

*We’ve decided to dedicate Wednesdays to gear: the items we’ve bought, why we bought it, stuff we’ve returned. You get the idea.  We’d love to hear what you guys think, too – the good and the bad.  If we bought headlamps that you hated, we want to hear about it.  And, sometime (probably at the halfway mark of our trip) we’ll let you know what goodies treated us well & which ones we had to ditch along the way.

This Wednesday we’ll be focusing on a major item: the big bag!  We’ll each have 1 big bag to carry our clothes & toiletries in and 1 small bag to carry electronics, water, cards, a lightweight sweater & any other small items that might be handy/entertaining.  You’ll learn more about the small bags we picked in the next addition of Gear Mail.

Without any further ado, we introduce our main packs . . . REI Venus & Mars:

Me & Venus; Corey & Mars

No, we weren’t planning on getting the equivalent of each others bags or try to answer the cosmic question about why women & men are the way they are.  After hours at REI these were the packs we found suited us: comfortable - even with lots of weight in them, accessible, lightweight but spacious. I tried on 3 bags & Corey tried on 4.  In the end he was torn between this one and an Osprey model.

 

Going in I knew that I needed something that was going to be nice to my back.  Even though it’s a mild case, my scoliosis isn’t something I want to worry about halfway around the world.  I read a lot of good reviews about the Gregory Deva 70 pack, but it just didn’t seem to fit right on me.  My height was the main factor & the hip belt felt funny.

 

Obviously, we won’t be able to give a good review until we’re on the road, but here are some of the reasons we went with these packs:

• Lightweight
• Comfortable
• Spacious
  (Venus is 65 liters & Mars is 75 liters)
• Lots of compartments (7+)
• Top & Panel loading
  (more than one way to get items in & out of the main pack)

While there is an ongoing debate in the independent travel community about packing a lot vs. the minimalist approach of taking as little as possible, we decided to go with what makes us feel comfortable.  We realize that our packs may be on the big side, but this is our first big trip and we’re happy with our decision.  Maybe we’ll go for the tiniest packs for our next big trip, but until we’ve experienced the road for ourselves, we won’t know.  The thought is, we’d rather take what we think we’ll need now & toss it along the way later. 

So, this will be our house (duplex?) for our big adventure.  Needless to say, we’re pretty excited! 

yeah, we’re pretty pumped!

Make sure to check out the next Gear Mail post on our daypacks!

Like arts n’ crafts?

If so, you should check out Juicy Bits!  That’s where I found the pattern for my cute owl ornaments!  Check ‘em out!!!

Lil Owl Ornaments

Lil Owl Ornaments

Even if you’re only a  beginner at sewing, these little cuties are pretty easy to make. 

Owls in Progress

 As much as I hate the cold weather & snow (although it’s been a super mild winter so far – just flurries) this is one of my favorite times of the year – all the joy & holiday cheer!

Can't wait for Christmas!

“Hi, my name is Lisa and I’m a Creamy Crackaholic . . .”

(psssssst, this is the part where you say, “Hi Lisa!”)

It’s been 42 days since my last relaxer & I’m in the 2nd month of recovering my natural hair. 

Let me start out by saying that unless you’re a black female (or in a relationship with one) this post may seem a bit foreign to you and/or not very interesting.  But, this is something that will affect me, our travel next year, my hair “life” & basically, the way people will perceive me from now on.  

Until I saw the documentary Good Hair by Chris Rock, I always referred to them as perms or relaxers, but creamy crack has a funny ring to it and after learning about the properties of a relaxer that nickname is actually pretty poignant.

Good Hair

 Before I get too far ahead of myself, I would like to let you guys know 1) what a relaxer is 2) what got me thinking about making this transition to natural hair &  3) how I plan to do it.

What is a relaxer? Wikipedia’s definition states that a relaxer is a type of lotion or cream generally used by people with afro textured hair, which makes hair less curly and also easier to straighten by chemically “relaxing” the natural curls. The active agent is usually a strong alkali, although some formulations are based on ammonium thioglycolate instead.  Relaxers are time-consuming, expensive and while the desired effect (straight & smooth) is almost always achieved, the results leave you with damaged hair.  The harsh chemicals weaken your hair, causing split ends and breakage at the roots.  On top of that, the products sold to keep you looking chic – such as petroleum, silicone, wax & dry oils – are repelling water and attracting dirt.

Time for a Relaxer

 My mom always did my hair growing up, so once I graduated from college it was time for me to take on my hair.  I tried to apply perms myself the first year, but in the end, I decided to get them done by someone who knew what they were doing.  But, there was always that fear when I went to a new stylist.  Will she actually listen to me when I tell her my scalp is sensitive?  A family member lost all her hair because someone who “knew what they were doing” left the chemicals in too long.  Needless to say, I dreaded getting relaxers.

Relaxed Hair

What made you decide to transition to natural hair?  We know that as our trip approaches we have to make preparations for our life on the road.  I knew a main factor for me would be my hair.  As summer was winding down, I realized it was time for me to get my relaxer touched up, so I set an appointment with my hair stylist.  You want to know the funny part?  It was the hair dresser who got me thinking that I should go natural!  I started talking about our trip & she asked me what the plan was for my hair & when I shrugged, she said, “I guess you’ll be going natural.”  So, I started doing some research & I’m so happy I did.

How do you plan on going natural?  There are 2 ways to go natural: either you do the Big Chop (BC) by cutting all your hair off or you Transition by letting the relaxed hair grow out.  If it were the start of spring or summer I wouldn’t be averse to doing the BC.  I’ve had short hair before.  BUT, with winter approaching (I hate being cold. the last thing I need is to have a freezing head.) I’ve decided to start the slow process of transitioning.  Once I’ve grown at leat 2-3 inches of new (natural) hair and the weather is warmer, I’ll have my chemical processed hair hacked off. 

Going natural also means that heat needs to stay away from your hair & water needs to be added into the mix.  That means, no flat irons & if a blow dryer is used it needs to be on a very low, cool setting.  Because my hair type is naturally dry, I’ve been applying conditioner daily & I’ll be no-pooing (no shampoo for me).  I’ve already begun to experiment with new hairstyles (twist outs, Bantu twists, braids, etc.) and while it has been challenging I’m excited to see what my new hair will look like down the road.

what my hair looked like after taking out some Bantu twists

So, that’s the plan & I’m going to do my best to keep a record of my journey.  For those of you who are interested in learning more about going natural, you should check out Nappturality & Naturally Curly for inspiration & support and YouTube for tutorials on natural hairdos.

If you’ve already gone natural, what were your biggest fears?  Setbacks?  If you’re at the beginning of your transition or halfway through your journey, I would love to hear your story!

Big Agnes

We finally had some time to set up our tent on Saturday:

For now we’re calling her Big Agnes (we know, not very orignal considering that’s the brand, but let us know if you have any other suggestions).  She was the easiest tent I ever helped put up & we did it in under 12 minutes.  The reviews said once you get used to setting up, it should only take about 5 minutes. That’s fine by us!

Quick Summary: Savings & Gear

SAVINGS

So, Corey decided to look back on the last year and see just how far we’ve come in terms of saving.  Turns out, we’re doing better than we thought!  In 2010 we were able to save less than a 1/4 of the money we planned to save.  It seems as though we really didn’t start saving until March and it doesn’t help that we took a trip to Raleigh for the holidays.  In the last 6 months alone we’ve been able save that same amount.  At this point we are past the halfway mark, which means that if we keep up this pace (knock on/touch wood), we’ll actually be over our initial goal for this big trip! 

Image by epSos.de via Flickr

GEAR

We’ve also been going through our gear and we’ve crossed most of the big-ticket items off our list.  We got our tent last night from REI!  We’re hoping to do a test run in the next couple of days.  Thank goodness REI has a great return policy, so if it’s not the perfect fit for us, we can always exchange it for another one.  Here’s to hoping that we made the right choice.  Anyone have any feedback on the Big Agnus Copper Spur UL2?

Anyway, some of the remaining big-ticket items will be coming to us as Christmas presents from family members or each other.  We found our sleeping bags which Corey’s parents have graciously offered to get us.  Corey’s got his eyes on the REI Halo +25 & I fell in love with Marmot’s Ouray +0 (I get cold VERY easily).  I’ll probably get Corey his Kindle for Christmas & we still need to invest in an external hard drive.  We’ll need a netbook/tablet & travel clothes (all of which we won’t purchase until we’re about 2-3 months away from our trip), camera accessories, toiletries and other small miscellaneous items (like duct tape,  zip ties, sunscreen, bug spray, etc).

Some of you may have noticed that our gear list has grown a bit & it’s due to the decision to make camping a bigger part of the trip.  The idea is that the more we camp, the more money we’ll save on the road and the longer we’ll be able to travel.  That’s our theory anyway . . . we’ll see what happens!

it’s our anniversary

We’ve been married for four years today!  It’s hard to believe it’s been that long already, but we’re excited to see what our fifth year of marriage will bring!  Exactly one year from today we’ll either know or be in our first destination for our big trip.  Pretty cool, huh? 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!