Straight Talkers San Diego Weekend!

Hey Blog Buddies!

It's been a while since I've posted on the GeekGirlKnows blog, but I've been active on all of the social media sites we connect on! (@LadyDJames on Insta, @GeekGirlKnows on Twitter). If you're in SoCal this weekend (December 9-11th) come down and hang out with Ross Mathews, Stylist Salvador, Josh Wolf, Nikki Boyer, Mark, CJ, Willy and the whole gang. Check out the fun activities we have planned - including a LIVE Podcast taping!

And if you haven't been around the Straight Talk podcast lately, click HERE to visit the site and watch the latest video of the live show below (where I had the honor of filling in for Nikki B this week).

Hope to see you in San Diego, peeps!

Cheers,

Daria

Wonders Never Cease.

What. Is. Up. ?!!?

It's been quite a while since I last posted here. Lots has happened since then, and much will happen going forward (for all of us, not just me!). The old Morcheeba song "Wonders Never Cease" embedded above is my current mood on a dark, rainy day in LA (which I love).

I find I always come back here when I'm engaging in self-introspection in order to re-center or align myself in some way or another. Whether it's been in larger creative endeavors like the Straight Talk with Ross Mathews podcast (which is still going strong!) or seeking answers to things like "can i find a natural deodorant that actually works?" (the answer is still no, not for me, but I will continue to try/look), or just sharing my personal photography, this blog is my totally open space to communicate with you all whenever I'm called to do so.

This is all very general, I know, but I'm building up to something. :) In the meantime, what have all of you been going through? What new wonders do you look forward to exploring this year? I'm not a New Year's resolutions type of girl, but I am all about setting new intentions whenever it strikes you to do so, so I'd love to hear about what your newest intentions are for you, whether it's this month, next month, this year or beyond.

What are your new intentions for yourself? What do you think about in your quietest moments? Share with me in the comments below (whether I know you or not!) if you feel like putting your intentions in writing is what you should be doing in this very moment.

Love,
d

It's here! Straight Talk with Ross Podcast is LIVE

Did Y'all download the first podcast episode with GeekGirl & Ross Mathews? REUNITED AND IT FEELS SOOOO GOOD!

Click here to subscribe via itunes and check us out on PodcastOne. Plus, email us your questions (or stay tuned for the call in number for next week's show) at straighttalkwithross.com.

Stay tuned for more exciting stuff-this is just the beginning!

A Photographic Ode to LA, GeekGirl Style

The Los Angeles Theatre in Downtown LA

You may or not know this about me, but i LOVE photography. You also may or may not know that until recently, i lived in an old loft (originally built in 1898) in Downtown Los Angeles for over 8 years, before it was the "cool" place to be. I'm not necessarily technically as skilled as i would like to be in terms of camera settings, but i make up for it in oodles of passion. whether it's my Nikon digital SLR camera or my iPhone, when inspiration strikes, i take a shot - literally.

one of my favorite things to take photos of is Los Angeles - my city of Angels. And my two favorite times to take pics of Los Angeles? One: the morning after it rains, early, before anyone else is up. The air is clear and crisp, there's a fresh smell in the air, and the light is somehow different. My second favorite time is at dusk, usually after rain (which is rare) or when there have been great, big, billowy clouds in the sky. it makes for the most beautiful sunsets streaked with pinks and purples.

I've long wanted to do a show of my favorite series of Los Angeles photos, but i have yet to get my rear into gear in order to achieve that. so instead, i'm going to post a few of my favorite Los Angeles photos to re-inspire me to do something with them. even if, for now, this is all i do. let me know your thoughts in the comments or tweet me @GeekGirlKnows!

Stay tuned for some exciting news this week that is about a blast from the past...those of you who have been around this blog for a while are going to be pretttttty excited, i think. :)

Cheers,
Dx

3rd Street Tunnel 

Victor Clothing Company Mural - "The Pope of Broadway"

The Armpit Chronicles: Update - It's the Humidity.

Angelinos are pretty smart, i don't care what you say. but the one word that we have a hard time comprehending is HUMIDITY. it's dry as a mofo out here. it's what makes 90 degree heat in April bearable...because we aren't also completely soaking wet when we step outside our doors.

So i decided to test out natural deodorants as a part of my quest to live better/cleaner. i unfortunately decided to do this when LA was hit with an unusual bout of hum...what's that word go like again? oh, yeah, humidity. that humidity is a bastard. 

as you know, that "Kiss My Face" roll on deodorant was DOA-basically i hated the smell of it the second i rolled it on, and so that one isn't going to survive this product test. 

i then wore the Jason deodorant and i liked the smell. 

it was a bit sticky, but i'm told that's normal with these deodorants since they are chemical-free. so of course, the first monday at work that occurred during this test, it was like 80% humidity in Los Angeles. so i decided that that was NOT ok to do to my co-workers, and i went back to regular, chemical-laden deodorant for the week. yummo. BUT, now that it's the weekend and the humidity isn't AS bad, i am back on the Jason. it makes my armpits feel soft, which i didn't expect!

in the meantime, i've also ordered a deodorant spray that a few of you have recommended, this Crystal Essense one. it's on it's way to me via Amazon (for some reason it's taking FOREVER even though i have Prime):

And lastly, i've been trying to avoid this because it costs SEVENTEEN DOLLARS, but like 7 people have recommended it to me. it's from Arbonne (side note: i only ever knew of Mary Kay as the in-office-cube-to-cube makeup/product sales company, but apparently, Arbonne is a thing! a few people i know either sell this stuff or have a friend/parent who does. anyway). so people keep telling me this one is the shizz, but i just cannot fork over $17 for a deodorant, especially because if i like it, then i have to keep buying it forever, or at least until they invent a way to turn off underarm sweat glands medically. BUT, someone may be letting me sample this, so if i do try it, i will let you all know how it goes.

so there you have it, the armpit chronicles, updated. stay tuned for hopefully sweety smelling news and more updates!

in other news, i finally broke down and ordered a Vitamix. it is already changing my life. more on that in the next post!

cheers and happy sunday,

Dx

#TBT: That Time Ross Mathews French Braided My Hair

this is an oldie but a goodie. randomly was looking up something about The View, and this popped up...memories!! enjoy. so proud of how far he's come!! xoxo

have a great day and take a little time to enjoy the view... HA (sorry i couldn't resist). :)

Cheers,

d

The Pit Chronicles: Natural Body Odor Fighters-Do they Exist?

Ok, so we all know (or are slowly learning) that antiperspirants aren't good for us. but no one wants to stink, right?

Plus, and chemical-laden deodorants that are placed so close to fragile breast tissue and lymph nodes (especially when you shave under the arms and get cuts, nicks, etc - pathways directly into the bloodstream!) are no bueno. though there's no direct link of deodorant to cancer that i can find in the science (full disclosure, i'm not a scientist; just very good at google searching and deep-dives), it can't be good for our organs to constantly be putting aluminum and other chemicals in our bodies. right? duh.

So, i'm trying to find a more natural deodorant that actually works. i was perusing the aisles at Gelson's yesterday, and just went based on what i could read on all of the labels that appealed to me. i didn't have a specific recommendation, i was just trying to be a responsible consumer and read the labels. (and also a marketing-person's dream consumer because that "clinical results" sticker on the Jason deodorant really worked on me!).

Results so far:

• as soon as i got home that day, i tried the kiss my face roll on. i got it mainly because i wanted to try a liquid/roll on, and also because it says it's lavender and i LOVE lavender. ask anyone who knows me-my office ALWAYS smells like lavender lotion at work. this shit was NO BUENO. if there is a lavender plant that smells like this deodorant, please for the love of all things right with this world NEVER PLANT IT AGAIN. so that option is out because i just can't stand the smell of it-it's worse than the smell of my own BO!
• yesterday and today i have tried the Jason traditional deodorant. first impressions: it smells nice, but it feels sticky when i put it on. i hear that that's normal with natural deodorants because antiperspirants and other chemical-laden deodorants use chemicals to actually stop you from sweating, so it makes sense that a different approach/formulation would have separate effects. 

In summary, i'm a bit sticky but not stinky. so that's good? i will let you know how it progresses. :)

Now, i want to hear from YOU! later i will post the insanely long thread on my FB page where people sounded off en masse on the types of naturals they use, but in the meantime, tell me in the comments below-do you use natural deodorants and if so, what is your favorite brand? any recommendations?

love to my lovelies,

d