It’s that time again. I’m off in San Francisco on my birthday this year, but I am having my first party–ever–on January 31. So why no birthday party ever? My dad was a Jehovah’s Witness, so I didn’t have birthday parties as a kid. Once my parents divorced, it didn’t matter. I never thought about how weird it is not to have a birthday party until I started telling people. So this is the year! I have preparations to make next week. Mostly I have to make the cake. I don’t think I should have to, but I can’t get the kind of cake everyone else can. I have to have a gluten free cake. Not a problem though. I have some great recipes, and no one will know that it’s gluten free.

So I have been dreaming about the same man for a couple of weeks now. I thought that if I actually got the chance to go out with him that the dreams would stop. Fat chance. We have plans to meet for lunch on Wednesday. Perhaps the dreams will end after that. It’s crazy. I can’t remember any other time when I have dreamt about someone who I met casually for weeks.

I really don’t know that much about him, and yet I do. I don’t have a lot of facts–those typical descriptors. He is Jewish, which is why he’s available to have lunch on Christmas Eve when everyone else is busy (I suppose).

Thanks to Ricardo who posted the Menorrah widget that I posted on my sidebar. Kinda neat!

I rarely post anything even resembling an advertisement here. I got turned off by ads early in my blogging becuase of the silly hops you had to jump through to even qualify. However, I’m making an exception here only beause this is something I’ve used. I thought my readers ight be intersted in expanding their minds. I think everyone who reads here has an open mind. What if you could achieve your dreams quickly? No, this isn’t “The Secret,” which isn’t a secret at all. This takes you beyond it beyond meditation. It allows you to tap into the knowledge that you already have and see and influence your future.

I am involved in another educational technology that I have posted a bit about here. I find that both complement each other.

There are many articles you can read on the website that will give you some insight.

While it’s only the middle of the month, I’m already preparing for the holidays and my son’s arrival. Frankly it’s the only thing on my mind. Yes, I have other things to do. Today the heavy rain is preventing me from running any errands. I have one gift I need to give someone, which is an extra trip across the city. I’m glad I have no other shopping except food. I still have to work out meals for the holidays. I only have one meal chosen. I just noticed taht I have to figure out something for New Year’s Eve. I won’t be going to any parties.

Another photography experiment. Would you believe that all the lights, except the yard lights are blue? The photo suggests otherwise, but I definitely put out blue lights

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Skin feels very smooth. Not like usual.

I know that almost no one comes here to find out about the latest skin care. I have tried many different brands. I probably should create another site for all my experimentation with skin care and makeup lines. But I don’t have another website.

I was at Sephora earlier today cashing in my Beauty Insider bonus. As it turned out, I also had enough points to get a free sample. I didn’t like the other two choices, so I chose a 10 mL sample of Amatokin Emulsion for the Face. I had never heard of it, so I had to check out waht is so special about this skin care. The sample is worth over $60. A full-sized Amatokin lotion (I don’t know what else to call it. It’s not really lotion, as you only use a pea-sized amount on your face.) costs $190 from the Amatokin website. I couldn’t find it online at Sephora, so I did a Google search.

I’ll be trying it out. It’s too bad that it’s so costly because I won’t likely be able to buy more. However, if the company finds this post, perhaps they’d like to send some other samples. I’d really like to try the lip emulsion.

I hardly have wrinkled skin due to staying out of the sun and using very expensive lotions since I was in my early twenties. As I said, I’ve tried most skin care lines over the years. I have a few lines on my forehead and two deep lines between my brows from squinting and concentrating. I tend to bunch up my face when I am thinking. Those lines have diminished some in the past couple of years with the skin care lines I have used, but nothing makes them disappear. I’ve had them since I was in my early twenties–they’re just deeper now. I also have enlarged pores on my nose and around it. I don’t often have breakouts, but I do have sensitive skin. It’s often a bit reddish, which is only noticeable when I don’t wear makeup.

So what’s Amatokin’s secret? It’s a peptide that was developed to heal scaring for burn victims. If you’ve ever known anyone who has been burned, you know how deep and ugly those scars can be.

Amatokin comes form Voss Laboratories. I haven’t heard of either name before. No, this isn’t a paid post. I thought I’d record the effectiveness of this product. Facial creams have come a long way since I was in my early twenties. I’d say they have come a long way in the past five years.

Here’s a photo of where my skin is today with some makeup. Of course, the lines are deeper when smiling, but I didn’t like the unsmiling ones. Untouched photo taken in natural light outside at 3:45 pm. I will let you know what I notice and will post a photo when I have run out of the serum. I am starting the serum tonight, and then I will use it twice a day.

Since I had some spare time (not writing) I thought I would experiment with varous photos of the Christmas tree. I thought this one came out interesting. It’s not the same old boring tree with lights.

The rodent catching has died down a bit. Although I did find my dog with a mouse yesterday. I suspect he caught it.

The rodents haven’t made it into my novel. Thank God. I was a little worried. It’s not unusual for the novel to shift according to whatever is happening in my life or with what I watch. My current word count is in the sidebar. I’ve beenwriting quite a bit each day. Today was probably the most difficult. I wrote a lot of dialogue, which takes time and space but few words.