It's again one of those mornings...

... where the humidity is rising and it looks like snow.

As of the start of this post, it is 83° and a feel of 91.

Going outside to run some trash to the bin, it certainly feels like a ton of moisture is in the air. Hence the notification on that screen cap. 

Rain is allegedly coming. 

However, they've been saying it every day and we have only gotten rain once so far. 

The area must be gearing up to pummel us soon, as tomorrow is officially the first day of hurricane season. 

This morning's "why does it look like it should be colder than it is, and when will the flakes start" pictures don't do the sky justice. 

As I sit here, I keep looking out my window because I'm expecting a slow roll of tiny little ice crystals to fall from the sky. I swear I'm not crazy but this makes me feel like I've lost whatever brain cells I have left. I obviously have been out of New England for too long, if grey weather makes me automatically think of snow instead of rain. I should be used to this by now, but I'm not. 

Every time the heat picks up and the skies turn dark, I pray and wish we don't get flooded because this area likes to retain water quicker than a sponge in a new backyard pool. I know rain is coming, but my mind tells me "snow clouds!! OOOOOOOOooooooerrrrrrr". 

It's disgusting knowing how you just need to open the window and you feel a whisk of warm air instead of a shot of cold. I don't think I'll ever be able to change my mind about this. It's such a mental block and an odd mental trip to keep looking outside and knowing it should be different. 

After all, "what's the definition of 'insanity'?".

(outside of "Insanity laughs, under pressure we're cracking")

On a different note, I'm slowly getting through all of Criminal Minds. What a throwback! They were all such babies - so young!! I forgot about some of the guest stars and original actors in this show. You lose track of characters some days and re-watching this series made me remember how intense this was. Especially after needing something to watch after Buffy went off wait (even years later). 

The things we start with and sometimes end with.. wild! 

At the rate I'm going, Paramount will be 11 seasons into Evolution though, so I suppose I should continue on with my profiling the baddies.

Until the weather cools off and we don't need a boat outside, stay safe.

Cheers;

See Also

* Outside photos taken on an iPhone 11 and edited in Photoshop

* Weather screencap is the Weather Channel App

* "Insanity laughs" quote is from "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie.(track 19 under the streaming version of The Platinum Collection (Greatest Hits I II & III - 2011 Remaster) by Queen)

* Buffy the Vampire Slayer series

Iced Iced (not Mr. ) Tea, Baby

Okay, so I mashed "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice with a former A-Team member, but it's true: I'm not making a carafe of Mr. T. I'm making (cold brew) iced tea. 

I have been using a "Crofton Cold Brew Coffee System" (available at Aldi, if you can find it. Or other versions are online at Amazon) to make cold brew / iced coffee in the past, but decided "what happens if I use tea? People make "sun tea" all the time. I wonder what this would do in the refrigerator?

Trying the last three bags in a box of Celestial Seasonings Probiotic Green Tea, I let them hang out in in the (pretty full of water) carafe in my refrigerator over night. I do have to say, I think the box has changed since I bought the green tea, as it doesn't look like the one linked. I did search for it, but they may have changed the packaging since my version is a couple years old. 

After spending close to 18  hours in a cold and dark environment (usually coffee takes a suggested 12 hours, but I did this late in day and wanted a good hang out over night), I took the bags out of the mesh holder, added some more cold water, put the pour cap on and back in the fridge it went for another hour. I wasn't ready for iced tea yet. 

I ended up trying some for lunch and it wasn't that bad. It was surprisingly good. It lasted about 2 days because both my mother and I had some, but we didn't go crazy and let that be the only thing we drank. 

The next attempt was a loose leaf peach tea from Northlandtea. Amazon doesn't seem to sell that flavor anymore, and the brand is limited on this site. The bottle I used up was admittedly 5 years old. Don't go "gross!!" at me, it was fine. I've not gotten sick from it. But we did use up what was left and actually had a friend over and she drank it with no problems! We also didn't tell her the tea has been sitting in our cabinet in an air tight container for a few years, either. HOWEVER, the tea came out great as iced in this brew system and if I had more, I'd make it again. The peach flavor was bright and not over powering. Overall, it was a smooth iced tea.

The third attempt was a failure. This is where old tea can be a bad thing. I tried using Atlantic Spice Company's vanilla loose leaf black tea. I didn't realize we still had this around because we moved with it (14 years come August) and I think it was purchased several years prior to that. So we're looking at roughly 20 years in a cabinet... yuck. I ended up throwing out the tea and whatever else we had in the cabinet that we didn't know was there. If we only had a compost pile to put it all in instead of the garbage, it would have made things easier. Lesson learned with this one: Use fresher tea. The taste was so awful, nothing salvaged it. 

Now I'm trying TEViVE brand, which is only available by third party sellers on Amazon. It also has two flavors: green and chamomile. The latter is being sold as "see options" type of thing, which more than likely means there are other things going on with it. That being said, the flavor I've got cooking, is "Mango & Strawberry". Yet again, another "best buy" of a few years ago. 

We obviously don't go through as much tea as we do coffee lately. 

Butttt... I did try a single bag the other day. I put it in a covered mason jar and did what I would do for a bigger scale. The next day, it wasn't that bad. It was fruity and smooth, so I've got a good feeling about it. Hopefully tomorrow when I take out the three bags and put the other cover on, it'll be a nice reprieve from the 100° humidity we've been having this week. ♨

As it is, it's currently 85 but feels like 96. 

It's going to get much warmer as the day goes on. Which means I should get myself moving and off to the gym. 

Stay hydrated, y'all...

Cheers

See also:

* "Ice Ice Baby" track 1 off Vanilla Ice's "To The Extreme" album. You know, the track where he ripped off Queen and David Bowie (track 11, here). 

* "Mr. T" keyword search on Amazon, leads you to needing to sift through it for the actor / wrestler. 

I've got a 2001 song lyric in my head...

... and it's not even the right one.

Solely based on what the weather looks like.

Currently, the reports are saying it's cloudy, 79° (but "feels like 85) and there's a very minimal change of rain this morning. 

Looking outside, it looks like snow and when I went out to take pictures and see how muggy it is, it feels like a calm before a storm. 

"Calm before a storm" meaning it is so damp out, that you wonder why the sun hasn't fully arrived and what's in store for us this week, considering there's been more of an influx of tornados in the mid west this week.

The more the news is showing the bad weather, the more worried I'm getting about what we might (or might not) have arrive on our doorsteps the next several months. 

As it is, the word on the street is May 15 started the twice a day NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) tropical weather check and updates go out when available. 

Link is here... hopefully it's clickable. I searched "noaa starts to check hurricane outlook as of may 15".

They say:

(picture 01) 

"Yes, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) began issuing tropical outlooks on May 15, 2025. These outlooks provide a forecast of potential for tropical cyclone development over the next two to seven days. The official Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1st. 

Here's a more detailed explanation:

Purpose of Tropical Outlooks:

The NHC uses tropical outlooks to highlight areas where there's a potential for disturbed weather to develop into tropical cyclones. These outlooks are crucial for early preparation and awareness, allowing individuals to be ready for potential hazards like storm surge, flooding, and strong winds. 

Content of Outlooks:

The outlooks include probabilities for development into a tropical cyclone over the next 48 hours and seven days. These probabilities are categorized as low (0-30%), medium (40-60%), and high (70-100%). 

Frequency and Duration:

The NHC issues tropical outlooks daily from May 15th to November 30th. They are issued twice a day (at 2 a.m. and 2 p.m.). 

Eastern Pacific Season:

It's important to note that the Eastern Pacific hurricane season also begins on May 15th and runs until November 30th."

(picture 02)

"The National Hurricane Center (NHC) began issuing daily tropical weather outlooks on May 15th, 2025, according to multiple news sources. These outlooks provide a 7-day forecast of potential tropical development, highlighting areas with varying probabilities of storm formation. The NHC issues these outlooks every day from May 15th through November 30th, and they are updated multiple times a day, with the first update at 8 a.m. ET. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Purpose of the Outlooks:

The outlooks help identify areas where there's a potential for tropical development over the next 2-7 days. 

How they are used:

The outlooks use a color-coded map to indicate the likelihood of development, with yellow for low potential, orange for moderate, and red for high. 

Timing of the Outlooks:

They are issued daily from May 15th through November 30th, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

Future Outlooks:

The National Hurricane Center may also issue outlooks before the official season begins if they anticipate significant development, as happened in March"

According to the National Hurricane Center website, it's more like "Tropical Weather Outlook Issuance will resume on May 15th or as necessary". Which means notices come out when the ocean is brewing more than bioluminescent plankton in other parts of the world. 

So today we get a cloudy but muggy looking day and I've got Train's "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" (track 3 off of Train for reference) in my head, but I fixed the lyric to sound like "it looks like snow but feels like rain" instead of "She acts like summer and walks like rain". I always seem to get the most random music on rotation in my dome. That's even before coffee! 

Yup, all this crazy talk and I've yet to drink my java, which is now iced. "It's only Monday; what else is there to do?" * eye roll * . "Drink your drink and go to the gym, for starters" because at some point, we're getting a new washing machine.

Uh huh. Our machine shit the bed flooded the laundry room Saturday night and since my mom think's it's been nothing but problems since we bought it (over 5 years ago), it's time to get a new one. Here we thought replacing the agitator a month ago would have fixed everything, it only made other issues arise. 

Not to be confused with Aqua Teen Hunger Force's "Chicken Arise" scene (season 3 if you want to watch the entire series, or you can find that specific snippet online somewhere). 

So we ran out yesterday and bought a new Samsung machine to replace our GE. We should be getting it delivered any time between 9am and 1:30pm today. Once that's unpacked and installed, we have to register it and make sure we've got everything loaded into the protection plan because our luck says something's gonna happen. Then it's off to a friend's apartment because I need to hook up some electronics that someone else is holding, and who knows what else. 

Slightly busy day and hopefully the weather holds out and we don't get rain. Then again, if it gets any more humid out, it'll top off at ninety something and it'll feel far worse than getting pelted with hydration bubbles for a few minutes.

Can't win sometimes, but you can sure hope? 

Guess I'll go get started.. the gym is going to be packed soon and I don't feel like watching political channels.

Stay clean;

Cheers

Another deodorant bites the dust

Rather, another deodorant kills my pits.

Fair do's: 

I'm going to get into some TMI ("Too much information") regarding a deodorant I recently was using and what it was doing to my arm pits. 

If talking about body stuff skeeves you out, leave now. 

Read a past post on this blog, or keep checking in to see if I've got something new. 

If you want to continue, read on.

A few months ago, I picked up two deodorant sticks from a brand called "Nubian Heritage". They were on sale and the product information reads as being "Aluminum Free" as well as having "Certified Organic" and "Fair Trade" ingredients. 

The two sticks I picked up were "Hemp & Vetiver" and "Patchouli & Buriti". 

The first one I opened (and only one I've tried) has been the Hemp & Vetiver. 

The ingredient list on the back of the stick states:

"Propanediol, Glycerin, Water, Sodium Stearate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Silica, Zinc Ricinoleate, Fragrance, Polyglyceryl-3 Caprate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter *❤, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil, Vetiveria Zizanoides (Vetiver) Root Oil, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Allantoin Tocopherol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Sucrose Cocoate, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

* Certified Organic Ingredient.

❤Fair Trade Ingredient 

Natural ingredients may vary in color and consistency"

I typed the entire list from the back of the stick:

The challenge is, Amazon is selling the stick with the following (mistyped - "ffrom") ingredient list:

"With Pure Non GMO Glycols ffrom Corn. Propanediol, Glycerin (Vegetable), Water, Sodium Stearate, Silica, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Zinc Ricinoleate, Fragrance (Proprietary Essential Oil Blend), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Hemp Seed Oil, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Polyglyceryl-3 Caprate, Sucrose Cocoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Allantoin, Neem (Melia Azadirachta) Seed Oil *Certified Organic Ingredient"

It seems like there is some minor differences in the listings. For example, the "glycerin" listed on the website says it is vegetable but the tube does not state where it's derived from. The fragrance on the website is a "proprietary essential oil blend" but only says "Fragrance" on the tube. The "Hemp Seed Oil" on the tube is "Cannabis Sativa [Hemp Seed Oil"] but the Amazon listing just says "Hemp Seed Oil". 

I'm no scientist or chemist, so I don't know the difference in a lot of these items. However, it goes on to not be equal footing on either listing I'm reading. Whatever "Allantoin" is, it's got a second name of "Tocopherol" on the tube. The same goes with the Neem oil - the tube adds "seed" to their description. The "Saccharomyces Ferment" is filtrated on the tube I have, but not in any other iteration? I don't know nor do I pretend to know.

After cross checking both lists, it appears there are things missing as well. On the version I have, they list "Vetiveria Zizanoides (Vetiver) Root Oil", Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil", "Potassium Sorbate" and "Sodium Benzoate". None of those are listed on the website version. The only thing I see that is 'extra' is the "Pure Non GMO Glycols ffrom Corn" listing on the Amazon version. 

Either someone got lazy (whoever added this to the website), or there really is something different about the packaging. Some of the pictures online show the entire product information, like I have it, but the wording is different once it is all typed up on the page. Although, other (big box retailers) websites show similar information to the Amazon description. It's really weird. 

Reviews are saying there's got to be a formula change with this company, because people are breaking out in massive rashes. Pictures are being posted and harsh assessments are being written. Which leads me to the reason why I'm posting my own long winded and long traveled documentation. 

I too, am suffering from some crazy rash looking thing in my pits.

No, I'm not posting pictures. Just trust me on this, as I've stated in the past that I've got issues with certain skin care items. 

I first thought it was because I shaved too close and with all the exercising / sweating I'm doing, on top of it being hot and humid here in Florida, I was having a heat rash type of effect under my arms. But once I started looking around online for answers, I stumbled on a few deodorant fora and found the comments about this specific brand doing a number on people and they're not happy. Don't let the 4 and 5 stars fool you; hidden in the comments are the negatives. Even in the positive ones. 

As an aside, I hate when people give high marks for a product but give low remarks as to why it's bad. You're tricking the algorithm into thinking this is an amazing thing, when it's really not. I mean, there are honestly some awesome products out there, and when you try to be "natural" or add chemical free stuff to your line, you're helping a lot of people. But when people have bad reactions and make comments as such, please don't say it's high star worthy (don't rate it 5 stars and say it's 2 star product). If you're going to be honest and give a lousy review, downgrade your stars to match the content. 

If I were writing a review of this product, I'd be forthright. I'd say something to the effect of: 

"Overall, it's 3 stars for the ingredient list because having an aluminum free deodorant is great for a lot of people. Being fair trade and organic is another perk because there is a lot of deforestation happening out there and pretty soon we're going to be too overloaded as an empty "urban jungle" (because companies leave as quick as they're erected). This will cause a loss in the natural plants that make any type of body product, no matter how much chemicals you want to add to it. Science or not, I know it takes longer to create natural products and it costs more money (and sometimes adds extra fossil fuels to the environment) but the trade off is you're putting something on your skin that won't do any harm (or as much harm). Which is why this deodorant is a 1 or 2 star product. There's something in here that conflicts with the body's own ecosystem. It's wreaking havoc on people, and by personal experience, my own skin can't handle whatever is being put in and not being listed in this deodorant. It only took a few days and I started breaking out in what looks like hives or a heat rash. It then took a few more days to start to clear up, once I stopped using it. I'm a little more mindful now of what I'm doing to let my pits breathe, and I know I won't buy this product again. I have to begrudgingly give it a full 2 stars because I can't give it any more than that".

Truly, it's not a formal review by any means, and I know it probably doesn't make much sense. I'm not trying to be rude or mean or overtly negative, but I wouldn't want to rate this product anything higher than a 2, purely based on the fact I had a problem with it. If I were to say the whole product is worth a 4 or more, it would be a lie and my review pushes whatever website I add my opinion to, to the top of the list. It also adds high marks to the overall number. I'm not doing that because it's not fair for anyone else who might get the same reaction. As it is, I question why people say "4 out of 5 stars" or "5 out of 5" when they give a 2 or 3 start comment. Again, it's not right.

For me, the ordeal wasn't an "omfg I'm gonna die" reaction, but it wasn't comfortable either. I sweat a lot as it is, because I am a fat kid. I will always be a fat kid. I try to stay healthy and stay clean (like everyone else does, because you have to, if you want to continue to be an actively social person). I attempt to put products on my body that I think are good for me, just like I also attempt to eat food that is good for me. However, I can I admit I have down falls. It is something I try to keep up with, especially since I'm self conscious about things (there are times everyone else says I'm fine, though. They tell me I smell nice some days, but it's because I am using a new soap or shampoo). 

I know my limits and what I react badly to. It took a few different products to know I can't handle the essential oil version of lemongrass ("Cymbopogon Flexuosus" / "Cymbopogon Citratus"). I can put other oils on my body (coconut, patchouli), but definitely not lemongrass. Unless, for some strange reason, I can't handle any citrus oil and since the Nubian Heritage Hemp & Haitian Vetiver contains grapefruit seed extract, maybe I need to add "essential citrus oil" to my no fly list. 

But, that's still doesn't excuse the fact other people have had challenges. If people are saying "I broke out after using this" or "I think there's a change in the formula because I smell worse" than there's a problem and it's not just me and my crazy lemongrass theory.

Yes, I too smelled bad after wearing this. It was because my armpits were trying to get rid of whatever the hidden ingredient is (or potentially the grapefruit seed oil). I smelled like I hadn't showered or washed my limbs in over a day, when in fact, I shower every morning and sometimes in the evening if I end up going to the gym that afternoon, for the second time. I really did like the smell of this deodorant and it went on smoothly, albeit, a little loose (wet) one day, which was odd. But I think someone said that too in a review. While I was wearing the deodorant, it kept me dry for a little bit, but at the end of the day, my underarms looked like I went a few rounds with someone's fist. My pits were red and bumpy and didn't smell clean like I usually do, after wearing a "works for 24-48 hours" scent. 

Therefore I'm back to Native today, because I bought "fresh mistletoe" during an after Christmas sale at Target. Yes, it's taken me five months to get to it, as I've been using a few other brands before I could get to this one. 

Oh, and I haven't tried the Nubian Heritage Patchouli & Buriti because now that I've had an incident with the Hemp & Vetiver, I'm concerned about trying the Patchouli one. Even though I know some of the ingredients won't be an issue, it's everything else listed that I'm leery about.

Per the back of the tube I purchased:

"Propanediol, Glycerin, Water, Sodium Stearate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Silica, Zinc Ricinoleate, Polygyceryl-3 Caprate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter* ❤, Pogostemum Cablin (Patchouli) Leaf Extract, Mauritia Flexuosa (Buriti) Fruit Oil, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Allantoin Tocopherol, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Sucrose Cocoate, Saccharomyces  Ferment Filtrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance

* Certified Organic Ingredient

❤ Fair Trade Ingredient 

Natural ingredients may vary in color and consistency"

If I have any miss-spellings, my bad. I can't see so great some days. My eyesight is getting worse by the year. 

This too, has a lot of mixed reviews on Amazon, even people saying they have had bad things happen to their body after using it (like it leaves them smelling downright nasty, even though the natural patchouli fragrance shouldn't do that). 

I like the smell of patchouli. I've said that before. It's mellow enough in this particular stick, that there's an underlying fruit aroma with it. Maybe it's the buriti that I'm smelling because there's just enough of a whiff of patchouli, that you're not drowning in it. The more I open the stick and take a sniff, the more I'm smelling a cleanliness to it. It's bright. If I knew this wouldn't give me an issue, I'd test it out. I don't want to take that risk, especially since there are people saying this too is doing damage to them. 

It really has to be the overall brand, and that's a shame. They're trying to do something good and it's coming off as bad. Yes, there are loads of positive conversations about Nubian Heritage and people are liking it. 

I've taken well over 3 hours to write this blog post and I've been searching and searching for information on the company. It seems like a lot of roads lead to reports saying Unilever acquired this brand several years ago and has taken control of it. 

One website says that Unilever is not a cruelty free company, but they're allegedly honoring the original company's wishes by maintaining the mission of staying true to the roots of the creators ("Nubian Heritage aims to bring together traditional healing practices, cultural wisdom, and indigenous ingredients to create natural solutions for skin and hair care" "AI Overview on the brand Here). 

According to an "AI Overview" on Google (keyword search "unilever nubian heritage"):

"Nubian Heritage is a beauty and personal care company known for its natural ingredients and focus on African-inspired formulas. It is a subsidiary of Unilever, which acquired Sundial Brands (the parent company of Nubian Heritage) in 2017. Nubian Heritage’s products include body washes, lotions, deodorants, and hair care items.

Origins:

Nubian Heritage was founded in Harlem, NY, with the mission to create modern natural solutions using traditional African healing practices and ingredients.

Ingredients:

Products offers feature ingredients like shea butter, black seed oil, cocoa butter, and mango butter

Purpose:

Nubian Heritage aims to provide natural, effective solutions for skin and hair care while honoring African heritage."

[I've copied some bits from the screen grab above. Sadly, I didn't copy the link where I pulled it from]

I don't know if this link shows up, but it's where I got the following screen grab. It's the same as where I pulled the mission statement:

"Nubian Heritage is a beauty and personal care brand that is part of Unilever's Sundial Brands subsidiary. Unilever acquired Sundial Brands, which also includes SheaMoisture and Nyakio, in November 2017. Nubian Heritage focuses on natural and traditional African ingredients and practices, offering a range of hair and skin care products. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Sundial Brands:

Sundial Brands, founded in 1991, is a beauty and personal care company that focuses on serving the Black community through strategic investment and community give-back. 

Unilever Acquisition:

In 2017, Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company, acquired Sundial Brands. 

Nubian Heritage:

Nubian Heritage is one of Sundial Brands' key brands, known for its natural and ethically sourced ingredients, especially shea butter. 

Focus on Black Community:

Both Nubian Heritage and the broader Sundial Brands portfolio are committed to addressing the needs of the Black community through their products and business practices. 

Continued Operations:

Sundial Brands continues to operate as a separate unit within Unilever, with Richelieu Dennis, the founder and CEO of Sundial Brands, continuing to lead the business."

The AI Overview on detailed look on unilever nubian heritage says:

"Nubian Heritage is a personal care brand that was founded in 1992 and later acquired by Unilever in 2017. It focuses on producing luxurious products inspired by traditional African recipes. Nubian Heritage offers a variety of products, including body lotions, body washes, deodorants, and hair care products, many of which are infused with ingredients like shea butter, aloe vera, and essential oils. 

Here's a more detailed look:

Origins and Philosophy:

Nubian Heritage was founded by two New York street vendors with the goal of creating high-quality, natural products using traditional African recipes. They aim to provide luxurious products that are both effective and ethical. 

Ingredients:

Nubian Heritage products often contain natural ingredients like shea butter, African black soap, aloe vera, and various essential oils, which are sourced from different parts of the world. 

Product Range:

Body Care: Body lotions, body washes, and hand creams are popular products, often featuring moisturizing and nourishing ingredients like shea butter. 

Hair Care: Nubian Heritage offers deep conditioning masques and other products for hair, designed to strengthen and nourish hair follicles. 

Deodorants: Some Nubian Heritage deodorants, like the Honey & Black Seed version, claim to combat odor naturally and also help control wetness. 

Unilever Acquisition:

In 2017, Unilever acquired Nubian Heritage's parent company, Sundial Brands, which also includes other brands like SheaMoisture. 

Ethical Practices:

Nubian Heritage is cruelty-free and does not test on animals. They also focus on using ethically sourced ingredients. "

I must say, I've got to take the information with a grain of salt. It's just that I'm finding a lot of varying degrees of articles (as proven by the level of AI Overviews for the keywords of "Unilever Nubian Heritage") and I can't seem to find a whole lot of background on the brand since there is a block on my end, where I can't see the Nubian Heritage webpage. I can't link to it as I get a 

"This site can’t provide a secure connection [...] [it] uses an unsupported protocol.

ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH

Unsupported protocol

The client and server don't support a common SSL protocol version or cipher suite."

As such, there's not a lot of information, outside of Sundial Brands originally owned Nubian Heritage and Unilever bought Sundial. Unilever now owns everything Sundial owned. According to the above posted picture, the original concept was that Nubian Heritage was "founded in Harlem, NY, with the mission to create modern natural solutions using traditional African healing practices and ingredients".  There's a little chain link next to the highlighted text and it goes to several websites, including a Facebook page. 

Unfortunately, there are several people on the social network site, looking for answers. Including whether or not Nubian went out of business completely, as well as why on Earth was the formula changed for all the products. Nothing seems to be updated since 2019 and the formula conversation is when they announced the Unilever merger. There's way too much back and forth and it's a tough read because you want to believe the company, but you also want to believe the client. It's sad and it's mad. 

I don't want to keep sounding like a broken record or a negative person. I want to share as much information as I can, because it can happen to anyone. If I am having an issue and am finding others are having an issue, who knows who else hasn't, and won't say anything? This is like my "buyer beware" segment and I want to be able to try something and hope it works. If it doesn't, I want to know why. What's changed, are other people reporting problems, is the company doing something different? Or, it could just be a fluke and only happening to me. You just never know until you go through it and then research it. 

Which is why I say in a lot of my posts, "do your research. Ask questions and seek answers". This is my answer to a problem I had. I am reporting to whoever reads this, to be mindful of a new product I tried, and if they want to try it themselves, just know it could cause a reaction (but you'll love the first smell of the product when you wear it).

I've got to start wrapping this up. It's been going on too long. So stay clean, stay fresh. Stay out of chemical imbalances. 

Cheers;

"Another year over..."

 Okay, it's not Christmas and there's currently not a war going on (locally), so quoting John Lennon and Yoko Ono with "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" isn't the most ideal thing, especially in the summer, but the line has been in my head all day.

Why?

It's my birthday.

I'm another year older and another year not much wiser. Sometimes smarts don't come every year as a present. They seem to skip a day or two. 

However, nothing has stopped me today. It's business as usual: two hours in the gym (I made jokes with the gym bros) and a decision on what to do afterward.

First thing was going to Starbucks for the free birthday reward. 

It's the "Lavender Crème Frappuccino® Blended Beverage", in a venti, which means I probably need to go back to the gym tonight to burn it off. 

Why? Because of the nutritional information.

Yup. "Go big or go home; it's a freebie". So I went with something I know I shouldn't get. The sugar and caloric content will set me back a couple days. Even though I used this as my lunch, I'm not used to drinking a large frozen sugar cube these days. I haven't had one of these blended beverages in years. There's a reason my last round of blood work looked good (except for the cholesterol, which I'm working on - it's a slow roll for that one). I've cut a lot of snacks out of my diet and I'm going to the gym on a daily basis.

Hell, if one of the gym bros passed me a "great job on what you're doing!! Keep it up!!" note a couple weeks ago, then I must be doing something right. 

Which is ever the more reason I should think about going back to the gym for a few hours tonight. 

Especially since my next trip was to Racetrac to redeem my monthly free drink (I alternate between Vitamin Water and Powerade. Another liquid I should cut, but it's usually used after a workout and I know there are healthier options. "It's only once a month"). I also redeemed a free small ice cream at their "Swirl World". 

I shamefully didn't get a picture of this, as it was melting by the time I got home. 

The soft serve ice cream I got was supposed to be a mix of cookies and cream with vanilla sugar cookie, but I don't think the sign is correct. It came out blue and when I got home, tasted like cotton candy. Add some Reese's Pieces and chocolate chips to the mix, I probably had another 300 calories and 30 grams of sugar. I don't know exactly, as it's hard to find the nutritional information online for this stuff. 

Let me backtrack to the Starbucks drink for a minute, since I squirreled right in to the ice cream. I forgot to talk about the taste of the frappucino. Honestly, it's not something I would get again. To me, it tasted like a sugary cereal. It wasn't an "omg! Sugar!!!!!!!!!!!!!" drink, but it was a "I taste a wee bit of a Froot Loop or Fruity Pebbles in here". I don't know if it was the combination of lavender and vanilla, but as I told Emi, "it's missing the crunch of a kid's cereal". 

For real. It legitimately felt like I was drinking one of the sugary kid's cereals, even down to the milk. I needed to be able to chew this, in order to think it's Saturday morning, I'm in my jammies, and I am in the basement watching cartoons. 

But, when my mom tasted it, her face went sideways. She said it's way too much sugar and lavender. I said "that's because it is a lavender drink". She did not like it one bit. I didn't get it for her, so she's entitled to hate it. 

Then again, I'm not thrilled with it either. I should have stuck with a regular coffee. I regret ordering it because it wasn't what I was expecting, even though I don't know what exactly I was expecting. It isn't something I would get again and I used my birthday reward on it. 

I did talk myself out of getting an iced green tea, solely because I could make that at home. The nutritional facts for that are at zero, where a cold brew coffee starts at 5 calories. Add some creamer and you're looking at under 40 calories, maybe? Yet something else I should have stuck with, however, it can be made at home too. 

Yes, today is one day out of the year I can splurge and treat myself, but then Catholic foodie guilt hits and I'm like "Whomp whomp 😞".

Okay, back to the day so far.

Once I finished the ice cream (and put the Powerade in the fridge), I went to the library. I decided, in a crazy lapse in judgment, to request "Criminal Minds" on DVD (instead of buying all 15 DVD seasons on Amazon as one large package). I haven't seen "Evolution" yet (because I don't have access to Paramount+), so I've got to remind myself of what's to come. 

However, I am totally going to be watching this series out of order. This is when my comment about not being the brightest light bulb among the 100 watt package comes into play. I requested "Evolution" (season 16 and 17) first because I was thinking about it when I made the request. I had seen an advertisement on the television in the gym, that said season 18 is going to be streaming soon on Paramount+, and I got to texting Emily about it. She had the streaming channel but no longer subscribes, so her access is gone. I said I was going to look for it at the library, since the internet says the first two seasons are on DVD. So I went to my library profile, searched for the show, et voila, it's there. I added it to my list. 

Then I fell down a rabbit hole and started requesting the prior seasons. 

As you can only request twenty DVDs at a time, this is going to take me forever to get through the entirety of the show. Each season has up to six dvds and my library doesn't count one season as one request. The discs are split up into their own request, so it's going to be over twenty discs I'll be taking out at the end of this. 

Meaning, season one is six discs. That's six requests out of a 20 disc hold. Season 2 is six requests, leaving me at a 12 disc hold. Now I can only add eight more films to my queue before I hit the "you've reached your limit" notification. Therefore, the next six discs I got was actually seasons 16 and 17 of the show because they're three discs each.

How's your math? Are you keeping up? Okay. 

I guess I should watch Evolution first, since it's the more current part of the series, and then work my way back, even though I said I should catch up with older episodes first. The more I think about it, the more I've seen one of the channels on the TV have reruns of the show. I could always catch the older stuff while I work out, much like I've done with "M*A*S*H" or like the other day when I spent two days watching Back to the Future and Back to the Future Part II. 

Speaking of Back to the Future Part II, when they go to 2015, anyone ever notice the cars look a little like a Tesla Cybertruck?? 

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that. 

It's real quick, so you have to imagine that car having a slightly more angular design and a more pitched back end (what would be the pickup part).

Knowing what we know now, about science fiction items becoming real products in the wild, how strange would it be if Tesla figureheads decided to take a page out of the 1989 movie and create a new car? I know it's a long shot, especially since there's been rumblings about the El Camino having more similar features to the Cybertruck, but still... wouldn't it be "a laugh" if they decided to combine a few different things and didn't admit to it??

I squirreled again. 

What else have I done today? 

I got a lot of texts from people. Emails from companies wanting me to come in. Lana (age 4) and Daisy (age 1) sent me their artwork in the form of a birthday card and coloring page via the post mail. They're a pair of sisters who are the daughters of my cousin in Connecticut. I had already gotten a birthday card in the mail from Emi, so that was easy. She too, sent me her artwork, and damn, is she good. This chick needs to start selling her drawings as a side hustle because she is seriously skilled. But, she's doing her thing in Orlando at a theme park because the job is within her major ("Theatre Design & Technology ✦✦" she texted me recently, because I forgot what her degree was in). She works primarily at night, doing the light shows at the park. She's made herself a great niche there and works hard. I'm proud of her. I also know her AV struggles, and am glad someone is using their degree correctly. Haha. 

It's at this point I have to say she's a bit younger than me, and I worked with her at a completely different job when she was still in Fort Myers. We both did setup and we both got conned at the position because we thought it was AV heavy or had a good amount of sound and vision work, but instead, it was furniture moving with a side of audio visual hookup. Lucky for her, she got out when she could, but only after the bosses snagged her for her opinion on a new building design on property. They knew her background and asked her what she could recommend for the campus auditorium. Once she left, it was up to me to take pictures for her to swoon over. Prior to her leaving, we had a lot of conversations about our shared field, and I explained the AV job I had before the one we were at. She knew of the company and had one point wanted to apply. I gave her the pros and cons of the place and told her that although she's free to do what she wants, she has to be prepared that it's a dead job come summer. The whole reason I had left that place, was due to the fact there are little to no events from May to October, so she has to be prepared to look for other work. Although the company said I could go national, I had to do the leg work and see if anyone had any openings in another state. So if I wanted to go to Boston for the summer and work, I had to pay my own way and also compete with the local workers. There was no promise I'd have opportunity elsewhere. It's limited by season too. 

Long story crazy, Emi is thriving and surviving (better than me at the moment) in Orlando and doing amazing work. Her birthday is in a little over a week, so this is my reminder to get a birthday card out soon. Haha.

I've got so many emails to still troll through. I've got to weed out the ones that expire today, this week, next week. Figure out what "freebie" is really important, and tell myself I do.not.need. to buy an entrée, only to get a free dessert. I ran myself crazy last year, trying out new dishes at places, only to not enjoy the piece of cake or pie. Some of the food was good, some was bad, but I'm getting too "meh" for that. I don't like eating by myself in restaurants, so I tend to bring it home and eat in the comfort of my house. My mom will go with me if I eat out, but I don't want her to have to find something to eat, only to not want the dessert to share with me (I'm nice and I share with her, but sometimes she doesn't like what I choose. I'm willing to get what she wants, but sometimes I don't like it either). It can be a no win, and if the meal is expensive, I feel bad. I don't want to make anyone pay a lot of money for lunch or dinner because it's my birthday and I'm getting a free something. Then again, I don't want to make them pay a lot any other day either. Food prices at restaurants have gone up plenty, and I know the place has to pay bills, but my wallet says "I'm sorry. No. I can't afford you right now". So I end up not going to a lot of places when I could be "helping the economy". It's bad enough I'm using gas in my car to get the absolute free items when I don't need those either. 

Indulge is indulge and I need to work on fixing it.

Just like I need to work on wrapping this up. It's getting late in the afternoon and I've got stuff to do before I go back to the gym tonight. If I expect to do a couple hours of a workout, I need to go soon.

Until the sugar high kicks in and wears off, take care of yourselves and others.

Cheers;

See also:

* M*A*S*H on Amazon

* Back to the Future on Amazon

* Criminal Minds via Paramount+ on Amazon

* Paramount+ streaming information on Amazon

* "Tesla Cybertruck" search on Amazon

     * Go ahead and buy your Tesla protest decals while you're at it. If you want it.

It's still Pesach???

My mother and I were in Publix today and we were strolling the cola aisle when I saw the infamous yellow caps on the Coke bottles. 

 

To get the Business Insider perspective (explanation), please see the following links:

• "Here's why Coca-Cola bottles have yellow caps right now"
  
• "Kosher for Passover Coca-Cola bottles have a yellow cap" (video)

The Kitchn dives into an explanation as well: "Why Some Coca-Cola Bottles Have Yellow Caps Right Now"

Marketwatch also showed up in the search: "Why this kosher-for-Passover Coke with the yellow cap is going viral"

Essentially, the yellow cap on Coca-Cola bottles is meant to signify that the product is certified Kosher for Passover. 

Meaning, those who are following Jewish law and customs (or those who don't want high fructose corn syrup in their cola), a sucrose  / cane sugar version is available for purchase. 

There's one stipulation: it's only in stock during Passover (whenever that falls, much like Easter every year), so it's truly a yearly "limited edition" product. 

It's so weird to say "yearly limited edition" because this specific cola comes out every year. Even though high fructose corn syrup in Coke is an all day, every day option for people around the world, sucrose  or cane sugar Coke is a seven day option. It is only available during the holiday that celebrates the 13th Century BCE Israelite exodus from slavery in Egypt. 

Due to the way the evacuation happened (as well as what some kashrut [dietary laws] tells us), Jews aren't allowed to eat anything made with "chametz" (leavened bread or any food product derived from wheat, barley, rye, oats, or spelt that has been allowed to ferment and rise) during this time frame. They also can't eat "kitniyot" (rice, beans, peanuts, corn) and need to stay away from drinks that include the aforementioned corn syrup. 

To add insult to injury, all of this is providing you're of Ashkenazi descent because it's a definite "no-no" to imbibe in any of that badly good stuff during the week.  If you're Sephardic, then you can enjoy it until your heart's content  because the rules are different for you (yes, there's a difference in the levels of types of Jews). 

Upon more research, in case anyone wants to try the variation of the sugar content, Amazon does not carry Kosher Coke right now, as again, it's not a common a once a year thing. I mean, the A → Z store is listing it, but it's from a third party vendor and selling for $22.90. 

That high price is for one two liter bottle, folks. Not a multipack. 

I'm not linking to it because it's not worth it. If you really want to find it, go search the search bar for "Kosher Coke" and you'll find it. It'll be the first hit. At least it is at this moment. 

Try looking to see if your local supermarket mistakenly has it on their shelves as well. If I'm finding it locally still, maybe it really is an oops with a distributor.

I do have to admit, I'm just surprised Publix still has plenty of bottles in stock, as Passover was April 12, 2025 to April 20, 2025. Today is May 8, 2025. So either the store is in no rush to get rid of the drink, or someone from the local Coke facility hasn't come to pick it up, providing they realize it's still on the shelf. Either way, it's a solid 3 weeks since the start (and end) of the holiday and there seemed to be plenty of bottles for sale on that shelf way above my head. The pictures I've posted in the beginning of this crazy rambling show about 14 bottles, but there were plenty more to the right of the photo. Maybe there was a total of 25? 30? I'm not sure, but it seemed like a lot. 

Honestly, I know it wasn't an immense amount by any means, but there was enough to question why they're still hanging out and aren't being sold. 

Are people not looking up at that shelf because it's the absolute top shelf (and generally no one raises their head that high [there's been research saying people don't look higher or lower than they need to])? Does the average person not want it? Do they even know about it and why the cap is not normal?

I did fail to look at the "expiry / best by date" because all Coke products are "Buy 2 get 1 free" and we haven't been buying two regular Cokes  to get one free when this sale is on (although we drink diet or "Zero" in our house, so it was still part of the B2G1 sale). 

What I did end up with was the "Buy 1 Get 1" of A&W / Dr. Pepper branded products instead of the buy 2 get 1 Coke product (we got one Diet RC and one Diet Cranberry Canada Dry.. only because there was no Diet Vernors and I haven't had an RC Cola in for ever). 

It's comical because you'd think the way my mother goes on about Diet Cherry Coke, we'd have bought it today. The only problem is, there's no 20 ounce bottle version of diet cherry. It only comes in regular cherry (in 2 liter form) or in a can. It's hard to find the "single" serving version. So we don't get it, even though my mother raves about it. 

Then again, because Coke is generally a more popular brand for kosher households, we tend to gravitate towards the brand anyway. I know I've mentioned this is previous posts. We do drink other soft drinks as well, but everyone has their preference and their "go to", I imagine. It just happens to be this particular brand isn't always on the right type of sale when we're looking for colas, which is why we usually end up with something else. We don't discriminate, or try not to discriminate, but when "money talks", sales end up in our shopping cart over general preference. It is nice to occasionally have what you're used to, but when you've got to worry about pricing and supply, well, things happen that you don't always anticipate.

Much like seeing the yellow cap this morning. I didn't anticipate seeing more than a dozen big plastic containers of Kosher for Passover Coke, much like I didn't anticipate buying RC Cola. I remember seeing the logo around "in my youth" but I don't remember ever drinking it, if at any type of frequency at all. I can't say "just how I remember", if it's not registering in my pea brain at the moment. 

Que sera, sera; whatever will be, will be. 

It's strange. There are times I can't think of that song without thinking of the 2010 stop motion animated movie Mary and Max. There's a scene in the movie where the group Pink Martini sings the famous Doris Day song. I'm not going to go into much detail, because the movie has some sad parts in it. Overall, it's a rather touching display of a pen pal friendship and what we can learn about people and their lives. If you're in to tragicomedies, stop motion, foreign films, and a stellar cast, I suggest watching this. Hopefully you'll thank me. 

Until stores clean up their shelves, go get sugar highed and then run off the extended calories.

Cheers;

See also:

"What is a Sephardic Jew?"

• Per Britannica: "Sephardi"
• Per My Jewish Learning: "Who Are Sephardic Jews?"
• Per Chabad,org: "Who Are Sephardic Jews?"
• Per Magen David Sephardic Congregation: "Sephardic Customs" (this has food listed).
• They also have a page about "Traditions"

Just for an additional add in, Judaism 101 has an article about "Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews". 

"What is an Ashkenazi Jew?"

• Per Britannica: "Ashkenazi"
• Per My Jewish Learning: "Who Are Ashkenazi Jews?"
• Per Aish.com:  "Who Are Ashkenazi Jews?"
• Per Chabad.org: "Ashkenazi Jewish People and Culture"

Because this is interesting: an article by Harvard Medical School: "Ancient DNA Provides New Insights into Ashkenazi Jewish History"

It's an electronic donut (that you can't eat)

I picked up an off market (off brand) multi-electronic power station the other day, which is similar to the NTONPOWER Travel Power Strip with USB Ports (on Amazon). 

I'll go into the noticeable differences between the product I picked up and what I'm reading about the product that the online retailer is selling below.

The docking station I purchased has:

• A 1 foot extension cord (that plugs directly into the wall)
• 3 USB ports (not USB C compatible)
• 3 (normal) electrical outlets.
  
  
• Product specs (according to manual insert):
• Dimension: 120*120*30mm
• Interface: 3 outlet, 3 USB ports
• USB Input: 100-200V-50/60Hz 0.4A MAX
• Rated Power: 1250W-10A Max
• USB Charger: 5V ⎓ 2.1A MAX
• USB Total Output: 5V ⎓ 3A
• Material: Fireproof material
  
  
• It fits in the palm of your hand and is pretty lightweight.

NTONPOWER:

There are multiple options (in reference to purchasing the product in white. Red or black color options are available only for the 5 foot extension cable product). 

Product also a limited time offer of "Save 15% with coupon. Discount at checkout. Coupon Expiry Date May 31, 2025"; you must check the box to receive the discount.

• The 1 foot extension cord version:
• 3 normal electrical outlets
• 2 USB ports
• 1 USB C port (15W)
• Currently on sale for $19.99 (regularly $23.99)
• Purchase options in red or black are not available at this time.
  
  
• The 5 foot extension cord version:
• 3 normal electrical outlets
• 3 USB ports (not USB C)
• Currently priced at $19.99
• Purchase options in red or black for the same price.
• Product specs (according to Amazon):
• Voltage Compatibility: AC 100-240V, 50/60HZ
• Power Rating: 1250W (125V, 10A Max)
• USB-A Port Output: 2.4A/Port, 3A Total
• Power Cord Length: 5ft / 150cm
• Indicator: White LED Light
• Item Dimensions: 4.6*4.6*1 in
• With a cable tie for organizing cables


• The 15 foot extension cord version:
• 3 normal electrical outlets
• 2 USB ports
• 1 USB C port (15W)
• Currently priced at $35.99
• Purchase options in red or black are not available at this time.
  
  
• The 25 foot extension cord version:
• 3 normal electrical outlets
• 2 USB ports
• 1 USB C port (15W)
• Currently priced at $28.99
• Purchase options in red or black are not available at this time.

I don't know why the 25 foot extension cord version is priced less than the 15 foot version, but who am I to complain? If you need the footage, then get it. The 1 foot, 15 foot and 25 foot versions don't have a cleanly labeled specification breakdown like the five foot version has, so I can't give product information for those. However, there is other information on the web page to look at, for whatever cabling length you need. 

I did try the USB charger on my iPhone 11 and my phone recognized I plugged it in to one of the USB ports. In all honesty, it's actually charging as I type this. It's pretty quick in the battery filling, as it went from 77% to 81% in a couple minutes. 

Now that hurricane season is coming up (very quickly - next month is a blink away and they claim May 1 is the unofficial start), I just might end up using this donut as an alternative to having one of those 6 outlet surge protector strips as the source to charge the power banks. 

The donut is definitely smaller and more convenient than trying to fit everything on a shelf and worry about things falling or getting lost. Especially since we tend to plug the strip in on the counter by the sink in the kitchen. The one foot cable is short enough that I can put it on a bookshelf in my room and have everything charge there, instead of on the floor or by a water source.

That being said, hopefully everything will fit together in the donut and they all charge at once. 

No mess, no fuss, no tangling?

But realistically, I don't see why there would be a problem, since there's the option for 3 bricks and 3 USB cables (which I'm using 6 bricks as it is, on the surge protector strip). At least I don't have to worry about losing bricks, should something "happen". Everything is condensed together and can move a little more freely. This also means I can then pack the power banks in a shoebox better and include the donut while being able to use the surge protector for something else. 

Reuse, recycle?

I'll have to decide when the time comes... should we need it. I don't want to think about it it now because I am already a little anxious over the current weather situation. 

It seems that with all the storms the country has been having the last few months, mixed with the heat and humidity Florida has been under (it's been hitting 90°+ the last couple weeks), the warm waters of the Gulf and Atlantic are prime targets for lousy weather to arrive sooner than later. 

Considering yesterday was a rather dreary day (it looked like a fall day where you expect it to drizzle rain all day. Or at the very least, a winter rain day where you get sleet most of the day) and we lost power a couple times. 

Yes, a transformer blew around the corner on the main road, but who knows if that was weather related or not. Especially since the houses were saying last week they lost power for a few hours because a different transformer blew in the area. We can't be risking power outages so early, but then again, this is a good time for it so the city / local power company knows what needs replacing before a storm hits. 

I can't sit here and worry about what's going to come this summer for weather. I don't want any major storms to hit us, but I also don't want to get trapped anywhere when the regular rainy season floods the streets. Lesson learned the hard way when trying to get home through soaked areas of town: low lying cars do not make for good times when the H₂O hits the underside of your automobile and the battery light flickers on and off. Or it goes in your tailpipe and your car sputters down the road, sounding like it's been tampered with, so you an do some Fast & Furious type shenanigans. I don't want to have to look for a new car at this point in the economy. It's not on my radar at the moment (even though people have been saying for over 2 years I should have gotten a new car already). 

Just need to keep telling myself "maybe this will be the last season and I'll find something new - job, place to live, etc". 

Maybe. 

I've got to stay positive. Like I'm positive I would love a new job (I've got years of AV work [my degree is in it], IT / computer work, mailroom work and low level admin work), I'd love to relocate (preferably back to Massachusetts but New Hampshire and other parts of New England are an option) and I'd love to get out of the contestant sun and humidity of Florida. 

Until that happens, I will keep plugging away (literally and figuratively) and keep my options open. 

Stay sane in this crazy world...

Cheers;

See Also (aka Hurricane Season Prep Info) via Amazon:

• hurricane preparedness items
  
• hurricane preparedness supplies
  
• hurricane supplies
  
• hurricane kit
• "Hurricane Preparedness for the Home and Family: Preparing Your Home, Auto, Children, and Pets for a Hurricane" by Haskell Moore