Strange & Charmed: Issue 2

Strange

Nov/Dec 2012

& Charmed

HOLIDAY

2012

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Welcome to our second issue of Strange & Charmed!

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Table of Contents

{In Every Issue} Letter to Staff picks: Holiday the Editor Sweaters

A&E: Book Review

page 6

page 10

page 24

Foodie

Whats in my bag

Digital vs.

Analog

page 26 page 32 page 34 Horoscope Advice & Survival Etiquette Guide

Mantra

page 43 page 56 page 58

{Features} Gift Guide: Gift Guide: Staff Fashion Guys Wish List Mavens

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page 14

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Gift Guide: Gift Guide: Gift Guide: Stocking Techies Hipsters

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Stuffers

page 20

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Obsession: NaNoWriMo Holiday Journaling Travel Apps

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page 40

page 46

Letter from the Editor: by: Alexis Giostra

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ello Strange & Charmed Readers! I am so excited to say that now because I know that since the launch of the inaugural issue of S&C we do have a readership and we could not be more thrilled! Originally, when I started this magazine I wasn’t sure what the response would be from people who read the first issue, but so far the response has been positive and for that I could not be anymore grateful!

Gratefulness is going to be something of a little theme in this issue, aptly titled the Holiday 2012 Issue!

Tis the season as they say and since we are covering numerous festive and gift giving holidays I think there is no better time to discuss the issue

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of gratefulness and thankfulness in our lives. I know the world isn’t a perfect place and that for many around the country, times are tough, but we can avoid so much negativity in our lives by staying focused on the positive things we have. I will cover this more in my Mantra section at the end of the magazine where I write about starting a gratitude journal.

You will find that journaling is also going to make its mark a few times in this issue as it is the topic of Kate’s Obsession! Kate has been a hard core journal enthusiast and writer for many many years and I hope her energy and perspective helps introduce you to the hobby and perhaps motivate you to give it a try!

Now as I mentioned earlier, this is a gift giving season, so don’t you worry, we have compiled a Holiday Gift Guide, Strange & Charmed style of course! We designed it to cover some of the hardest people (in our experience) to buy for on your list and even give you some ideas for one of the most overlooked gifts; stocking stuffers.

So take a flip through the pages we have so gratefully prepared for you and get yourself into the holiday spirit, because, as it’s sung, ‘it’s the most wonderful time of the year!’

Gift Wish List: Alexis by: Alexis Giostra, Editor in Chief

From top left, to bottom right: Macbook Air / Crosley Turntable / Gizmon Camera Case for iPhone4 / Rebecca Minkoff Cupid Black with Silver Hardware

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Gift Wish List: Kate by: Kate Marshall, Executive Editor

From top left, to bottom right: Kindle Paperwhite / Metropol Personal Organizer / Classic Moleskine Folio / Jeremy Irons’ phone number (No, she isn’t kidding!)

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Gift Wish List: Michael by: Mike Cousineau, Layout Editor

From top left, to bottom right: iPad Mini / Star Trek - Starfleet Academy key chain / SupaBoy - Handheld SNES system / NY Giants - Victor Cruz Name & Number t-shirt

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Staff Picks: Not Your Usual Holiday Sweaters by: Alexis Giostra

Liz Claiborne Diamond Pattern Sweater $27 JC Penny

Ditsy Scottish Terrier Cardigan $22.80 Forever 21

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Harley of Scotland Fair Isle Sweater $225 JCrew

Dotted Wooly Sweater $88 Anthropologie

JacquardKnit Cardigan $49.95 H&M

Tommy Hilfiger Bow Sweater Macy’s $43.99

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Hol iday Gift Gui des 13

Gift Guide: Fashion Mavens by: Alexis Giostra

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1. Fashionary Journal 2. Betsy Johnson Rose Gold Watch 3. LittleBlackBag Subscription 4. Kate Spade iPhone case 5. Tory Burch Belt 6. Nikon J1 Digital Camera

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Gift Guide: Guys by: Alexis Giostra

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1. Event Tickets 2. Personalized Decanter 3. Knomo Toyko Briefcase 4. Hard Graft iPhone Wallet 5. Art of Shaving Kit 6. MYO Beer Kit by Mr Beer

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Gift Guide: Hipsters by: Alexis Giostra

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1. Griffin Mustache Folio for iPad 2. Dandy Mustache Headphone wrap 18

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3. Bodum Chambord French Press 4. Holga 135 35mm Film Camera 5. Crosley Cruiser Portable Turntable 6. Moleskine Rollerball Pen

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Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers by: Alexis Giostra

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1. Carmex 2. Retro iPhone cases 3. Earphone plug 4. Touch Screen gloves 5. Green Inspired Notebook multipacks 6. Quirky candy 20

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Gift Guide: Techies by: Alexis Giostra

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1. Grid It Organizer by Cocoon 2. ChicBuds Crystal Fauvette Bird Speaker 3. iPhone 5 4. Apple tv 5. Callpod_chargepod 6/ Wacom bamboo stylus

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Book review: Let’s Pretend this Never Happened

(A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson by: Kate Marshall

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e all have those moments we’d like to forget— awkward, sad, or just plain annoying parts of life that make us think, “Man, I could go for some retrograde temporary amnesia right now.”

For instance, while writing this review, I took a bite of a sandwich wrap and got Caesar dressing or something all over my jeans and I can’t even tell where it’s coming from because there’s no dressing in the wrap. We’re through the looking glass now, people. Now you know why I can never go back to the Bryn and Dane’s in Horsham.

So: once upon a time there was a woman named Jenny Lawson, in Texas.

She had a blog and called herself “The Bloggess: Like Mother Theresa, only better.” She wrote about her pets, family, and ordering taxidermied animals through the mail and then forgetting she’d ordered them until the UPS man dropped them off at her front door. She blogged about taking a trip to Japan for her satirical sex column, getting stabbed in the finger by a frozen chicken wing, and

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her struggles with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and rheumatoid arthritis. Now she has a book but it’s more than just a repackaging of popular blog entries or a straight-up memoir. Let’s Pretend this Never Happened is a love letter to celebrating your weirdness and plowing through the bad days even when they’re horrible beyond thought such as when Lawson details her struggles with infertility (she warns readers that the chapter “is about dead babies…[c]alling them fetuses makes it feel more clinical and less sad, but I’m pretty sure I get to call them whatever I want, because they’re my dead babies”).

A New York Times bestseller for several months now, Let’s Pretend this Never Happened opens with hilariousyet-touching-and-horrifying stories about growing up in a tiny Texas town, the daughter of an eccentric taxidermist/champion armadillo racer (there are pictures) who routinely brought home live raccoons for pets, dead squirrels as hand puppets, and

maladjusted turkeys named Jenkins.

From there, Lawson details her foray into the world of Human Resources (turns out, HR professionals really do have to ask employees about their porn habits a lot), artificially inseminating a cow as part of a high school field trip, and how her cat accidentally tried to kill her by sitting on her face one night and clawing her chin apart.

Already a fan of Lawson’s blog and columns (which include parenting columns at TheStir and The Houston Chronicle) and her satirical parenting column is the only good thing about The Stir), I was practically counting down the days between Lawson’s book being made available for preorder, and the day it downloaded to my Kindle. I’ve since read Let’s Pretend It Never Happened about three or four different times since then, always finding something new to laugh or cry over. Lawson’s lifelong struggles with a severe anxiety disorder made me feel better about my own problems with freaking out whenever I have to leave the house, meet new people, or talk on the goddamn phone. Lawson writes, “[b]y age seven I realized that there was something wrong with me, and that most children didn’t hyperventilate and throw up when asked to leave the house. My mother called me ‘quirky.’ My teachers whispered ‘neurotic.’ But deep down I knew there was a better word for what I was. Doomed” (37). Coming from a family of such “neurotics,” it was like a giant book of “You are totally not alone” had fallen into my lap.

Lawson’s book celebrates the weird, the awkward, the mundane, and the just plain nuttiness that is life.

Sometimes you’re swanning about a Texas cemetery in a red dress as a form of empowerment and other days, you’re off on a wine-trip weekend with five other female bloggers, wondering how you’re supposed to make friends with these “normal” adults. But as Lawson’s book shows, “normal” is such a relative term that everyone is abnormal— and everyone is normal. We all have our demons and random bits of craziness in our lives. One person’s freespirited taxidermist father is another person’s feminist-grandmother-whosupported-contraception-but-alsotold-off-Margaret-Sanger-becausethe-latter-told-her-she-should-havestopped-at-one-baby. We’ve already detailed my quirks— did you also know that I accidentally insulted a whole bunch of Iowa residents during a semester abroad in Australia and now I’m probably not allowed within a 50-mile radius of the midwest?

We’re all a little (or a lot) weird. And as Lawson’s memoir shows, the only way to get through it is to just celebrate your weirdness.

And stock up on zombie-fighting tools. Seriously, those guys don’t mess around.

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Foodie: Roasted Root Vegetables The Ultimate Winter Side Dish

by: Alexis Giostra

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hat: Roasted Root Vegetables, the name says it all but then again it leaves much to the imagination. There are a variety of root vegetables out there in the world, and if you wanted to you could create variations on this recipe to include each and every one. For simplicity sake, I compiled this recipe using the most readily available and crowd pleasing veggies possible, after preparing this dish over and over again the last few years. In my humble opinion, this is one of the best side dishes to bring to a holiday feast or winter gathering because it gives you the most bang for your buck. First off, it is a healthier option than some other au gratin or mashed varieties of side dishes which means people will appreciate it and feel little to no guilt in indulging. Second, it is easily prepared a head of time and can be reheated in an oven or microwave if needed. Third and lastly, it is hearty and filling and filled with the scents and flavors of the season. What more could you ask for?

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Servings: 4-6 Ingredients: 2 Large Turnips 2 Large Parsnips 2 Medium Onions 2 Large Yams or Sweet Potatoes 1.5 lbs of red roasting potatoes 2 Tbs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 cloves of Garlic Pam Spray Seasonings: 1 Tbs Salt 1 Tbs Ground Black Pepper 1 Tbs Ginger 1 Tbs Parsley 1 tsp Sage 1 tsp Rosemary 1 tsp Tyme 1 tsp Dill 1 tsp Paprika Prep Instructions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees and make sure a rack is placed into the center of the oven.

Peel and dice turnips, parsnips, onions, and yams into 1 inch cubes.

Wash and dice potatoes (peel if you wish, but I leave the skin on). Place

all veggies into a large roasting pan with deep sides. Stir vegetables together until they are well mixed.

Drizzle olive oil on top of veggies and continue to stir them around the pan. Once the veggies are well coated, dice the garlic cloves and add them to the veggies. Continue stirring until the garlic is well distributed. Add seasonings and stir the vegetables once more to make sure seasoning is well distributed.

At this point you can cover the

vegetables with foil and set them in the refrigerator for about a day before roasting or you can cook immediately.

Cooking Instructions: Spray the top of the vegetables with Pam. Put veggies uncovered into the center of the heated oven. Roast vegetables in oven for 45 minutes, stirring the veggies every 15 minutes and reapplying Pam to top of veggies before reentering the oven each time.

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Obsession: Journaling by: Kate Marshall

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t makes a certain amount of sense that if one is obsessed with pens and paper as much as I am, then I’d also be obsessed with notebooks and/or journaling. Ding ding ding on all counts then. I don’t know when the need for pens (especially fancy ones) started but I know I began keeping a journal/diary/paper weblog at about age nine, in January 1993. My 20th anniversary of regular journal-keeping is rapidly approaching.

All My Journals 2012 My collection of completed journals to date.

Dear God. What’s even sadder (I guess) is that my initial inspiration for keeping a regular diary/journal came from The Babysitters Club series of novels,

by Ann M. Martin (it was the 1990s, okay? It was a different time, and I’m easily suggestible).

That’s why my first two journals were partially-used marbled composition books requisitioned from the family supply closet, that I hid under my mattress, and that I specifically

referred to them as my “journals.”

Damn it, Mallory.

What is a journal? Is it different from a diary? What about a scrapbook? And just who the heck decided these things anyway? Who died and made them King of Personal Record-Keeping Terms, decreeing that this is a journal but that is a diary and if you mix the two up, a Crack will form in the Universe and the Silence will fall? (It’s probably the same misguided fools who let Yahoo!Radio into existence).

Our favorite redhead, Mallory Pike, describes helpfully breaks down the difference between a diary and a journal in The Babysitters Club #29: Mallory and the Mystery Diary: • You have to write in a diary every day and only get a few lines per day and you have to write about boring stuff with no reflection or introspection • A journal is “much more deep and sensitive” and you can write as much or as little as you want Whatever, Pike.

Let’s see what those eggheads at Merriam-Webster’s have to say: “Journal”— a record of current transactions, especially a book of original entries in double-entry bookkeeping; an account of day-to-day events; a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use.

“Diary”—a record of events, transactions, or observations kept daily or at frequent intervals; daily record of personal reflection, actions, or feelings.

So basically a diary is a journal is a diary is a blog (as all things eventually are). There is no wrong or right way

Current Journal (pink) This is my current journal. It’s about 3/4 full. to keep a journal or diary. There is no wrong or right way to keep a journal or diary. Even if you kept it all in your head, you wouldn’t be doing anything “wrong.” Heck, you don’t even have to keep a journal if you don’t want to.

Lately, I’ve noticed my own journaling habits changing especially as I dabble with electronic (private) journals like DayOne and MacJournal, writing websites like 750Words.com, etc. I’ve found myself writing brief (or longer) entries in whichever notebook was handy, as opposed to one specific, official diary. Conversely, I’ve also started trying to keep ALL my writing

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in one book at a time so I don’t have multiple, partially-filled notebooks taking over my bedroom and bag.

Basically, the older I get, the more I try to embrace the fact that I will always start and stop random notebooks before completely filling them.

Case in point, I just fired up one of my journaling apps and realized that entries from mid-August are missing, as are entries from 2011. The only ones that remain are two random April 2012 entries. It’s likely my own fault too— the software syncs with Dropbox or iCloud and if you delete that app folder from Dropbox (like I did when aggressively pruning my Dropbox one day) and don’t restore it, then you can’t expect the software to save you from your stupid ideas. So that’s something to be said for paper journals (until I drop one in the bath or accidentally set it on fire). Luckily, I’d also copied them into MacJournal (for some reason).

I’ve also been keeping journal entries on my AlphaSmart Neo - a portable typewriter/word processor that copies text into the computer.

As I’ve gotten older, I keep thinking about what to do with my growing

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collection of journals. They now fill up a whole hope chest (and then some), having long ago outgrown one shelf of my bookcase. About fifteen years ago, I had the foolhardy and ambitious idea to type them up, starting with my earliest journals. That lasted about two weeks. Sometimes, I’ve stopped using paper journals and switched to keeping a journal on the computer (but offline) in password-protected MS Word files and MacJournal databases.

Some of those files are now corrupted due to file version decay, forgotten passwords, the disappearance of 3.5” floppy disk drives, etc. There are threeor-five-month chunks of my life from ages 15 to 29 lost forever. Man, that’s depressing. Just this summer, I started up a journal on my computer again, in MacJournal and DayOne but after a few weeks of regular writing, they’ve now sat dormant. I know that within the next year or two, I’ll just repeat the process. The obsession continues on.

How do you start a diary? Rule one: there are no rules. Rule two: Writing for yourself is very different from writing for any sort of audience. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, cross-outs, dangling participles, “should write about [X],” “don’t write about [Y],” “that’s not important enough to write about,” etc. Or hey, maybe you want to use your journal to address the gaps in your writing education. Whatever, I’m not here to judge. I’m just here to guide. A journal can be a notebook, a new file in Microsoft Word, a three-ring binder of looseleaf pages, a new blog on Wordpress, or dedicated journaling My first two journals from 1993-1995.

I’m amazed they still hold up.

software like MacJournal or DayOne. You can use a fancy-pants fountain pen, a pencil you found on the street, the Wingdings font, or Morse code.

Diarists have kept their musings in tape recorders, video cameras, and smoke signals probably.

Many websites and journaling books exist, with writing prompts to guide writers over that initial fear of the first blank page. The website Journaling Prompts (http://journalingprompts.com/) has prompts like “what are the first thoughts that cross your mind when you wake up in the morning?” and “how do you combat negative thinking?”. You could also just detail your day.

And that’s okay. There really are no hard and fast rules to journaling. If you intend for your journals to be read/viewed/listened by others later on, then yeah, writing it in mustard on the kitchen table may NOT be the best idea. Conversely, if you write a journal with the idea that some mythical future audience will read it, you may wind up feeling stifled and unable to “go deep” with your writing (especially if this mythical Future Reader is related to you).

Possible Future Journal I won an iPad at work recently (I know, right?!) so I’ve been having a lot of fun with the different journaling apps that are perfect for the iPad but also sync with your Mac (or PC, I guess): Day One, MacJournal, etc. I’m seriously considering using one of those programs as my primary journal once the pink book is full.

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What’s in my bag by: Kate Marshall

A Timbuk2 “laptop messenger” bag (small size) in pink ballistic nylon with black accents (really, would you expect any different from me?). I recently wrote about it on my own blog but it bears repeating: this bag goes effortlessly from work to class to the shops to even the gym. Family members borrow it for overnight trips. My sister’s cat occasionally snuggles up to it she’s Pepe Le Pew. In short, it’s an awesome bag. A bunch of interior pockets, a clever “Napoleon side pocket” on the front so you don’t have to constantly open the bag, adjustable buckles for wearing it over your shoulder or across your back…I love it. It’s mine.

The Contents: I don’t carry every item pictured here ALL the time. But during a typical week, here’s what I’m likely to have on hand: —Wallet (also from Timbuk2. They were having a sale, okay?!)

—Paper day planner of some sort (in this case, a pocket-sized red, weekly planner from Moleskine because if you’re going to go for one cliche, why not go for all of them?)

—A book (this one was for class: The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren by Jonanthan Lopez) —Hand lotion (my hands routinely chap and dry out in the colder months since I was ten years old) —A pen of some kind (Lamy Safari fountain pen in pink, in this instance) —Black, soft-cover Moleskine (or a journal, notebook, diary or some other means of note-taking) —AlphaSmart Neo: a portable typewriter/word processor that runs on 3 AAA batteries and is insanely rugged and durable —Cell phone (yes, it’s an iPhone, but not the one you might think) —Kindle with protective case (…yes that is another TImbuk2 product.

DON’T YOU JUDGE ME).

Not pictured: tissues, allergy medicine, other random bits and blobs that make their way into my bag like space junk coming through the Rift.

Sometimes I’ll swap the Neo for my laptop. Other times, I’ll have a change of clothes in there. Once I stuck the cat in there because she just would not leave the bag alone (I didn’t close the flap so she was fine, and she immediately jumped out anyway all, “Well, I never” and then spent the rest of the day chasing an ice cube in the kitchen).

So in conclusion: bags. Bags are awesome. Get one.

Digital vs

by: Michael C

Artificial Tree

Easy to assemble Lights already on No mess!

Reusable No bugs / critters

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s. Analog

Cousineau

Real Tree

Traditional Pine smell!

Fun to decorate Family activity Biodegradable

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Digital v TV Yule Log Cheaper then bying a fireplace

Safe to touch 36

No burns

Turn on/off in a click!

No work

with Music

vs. Analog Fireplaces

The sound of logs crackeling

Smell

Roast marshmellows

Saves electricity

Warmth

Provides light

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Digital v e-Cards

Fast and convient

More fun

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More choice

Free

Can be uniquely personalized

vs. Analog Greeting cards

More intimate

Can include money!

You can display them

Easy to save

Keeps the post office alive!

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Nanowrimo 2012 by: Alexis Giostra

Write a novel in a month during Nanowrimo.

Nano-what do you call it? Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month, which, if you didn’t already know is a world-wide writing challenge that takes place in the month of November.

On midnight, November 1st, wrimo’s across the world will embark upon a 30 day journey to write 50,000 words of fiction in novel form before December 1st!

Sound interesting? Well, it is! And as confusion and tense and nutty the whole month may seem to those participating, it is actually one of the most fulfilling experiences I, and many other self-proclaimed novelists have had.

Imagine, in the span of one month going from thinking and saying that you will one day write a novel to actually completing your goal. Mind you, we are not talking about publishing, or even editing for that matter, but just the act of planning out and penning a full length novel is a challenge and accomplishment that most never successfully undertake in their lifetime.

So, what are the rules, and where do you sign up? Well, the rules are

simple and surprisingly flexible, since this is a challenge that relies entirely on the honor system, your basic rules are to write 50,000 words of fiction within the span of the month, not a minute before November 1st and not a moment after the clock strikes midnight on December 1st. What you write and how fictional you get is really up to you, but you can join writers in your regional area and get some great tips and tricks by signing up on the official website, www.nanowrimo.org.

So, what do I get if I win? If you do happen to reach success at the end of the month and you have signed up through the website there are some winners goodies in the form of discounts on writing software and other nerdy things, but mostly your prize is the satisfaction of completing a challenge so unique that friends and family will be wildly impressed by your efforts, oh and you may end up with a manuscript that with significantly more time and effort may turn out to be the next best seller!

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Horoscope Survival Guide by: Alexis Giostra

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As an Aries, you may find that you are at an all-time high during the holiday season. Your generous nature, enthusiasm, and optimism are especially brought out of you during these times of celebration but you need to watch out because holidays and big events are often times of stress and pressure and can easily bring out your moodiness. Try not to get to short tempered if your experience delays due to holiday traffic and stay your impatience with annoying family members. You may want to visit a spa before any family gatherings or parties to make sure you are loose, relaxed and able to enjoy the company of others.

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A Taurus is often a highly dependable and loyal person and that is a great mix during the holidays. With so much to do to prep and prepare for family gatherings and parties you may be the first person asked to help because everyone knows you can get the job done, but a Taurus is also prone to a lazy streak which can really hold people up. Try to stay as organized as possible if you are involved with party planning or lots of cooking this season, and your best bet would be to download an agenda app to keep all your to-do’s, recipes, and schedules synchronized on the go!

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Gemini’s have something of a split personality when it comes to holiday seasons. On the one hand, you can be full of energy and imagination and also incredibly adaptive to changes, which make you a great leader during the holidays, but you can also be very impulsive and restless. You can easily be the life of a party or the ruin of it at the drop of a hat depending on your mood and most importantly your level of boredom! Stay focused and keep a crossword or Sudoku pocket notebook on hand to give you something to do during your down time so you don’t start any trouble.

A Cancer is a complex and fragile person full of contradictions and the holiday season can often bring out intense emotions and feelings surrounding family relationships that can greatly affect you. While the holiday season is a great time to feel the love and support of family that will give you feelings of acceptance and security, it can also be stressful and play upon your insecurities. To prevent this problem from occurring, you may want to dress comfortably in a seasonal sweater and jeans and not get to formal if you don’t have to. The last thing you want is to feel physically uncomfortable in your clothing during a time that may bring you some discomfort.

A Leo is full of confidence and ambition which can be great during the holiday season when you are perhaps seeing friends and family you have not seen in a while. Although people will definitely be asking all sorts of questions about your life and how you are doing try not to be too boastful as boasting is often a weakness of a Leo. To keep your feet on the ground, pick up a new pair of cute flats to wear to family gatherings to prevent you from getting too domineering so you don’t make others feel at a disadvantage with you.

Virgo’s are very helpful and reliable individuals but are also known to be analytical and observant, and it is these often negative traits that are pulled out of you during the holiday season whether you like it or not! Try to always remain mindful that you can often come off as a fussy guest at parties or like a busy-body at a family event with your constant attention and curiosity. To combat the coldness that may come off, you should make sure to wear a warm rose-y blush to make you appear more inviting in case your Virgo side kick’s in unexpectedly!

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Libra’s are another group of people who naturally succeed during the holidays. Your diplomatic nature will be put to good use whether it be judging someone unfit to continue imbibing alcohol or in rectifying a dispute over the last piece of pumpkin pie! You are the natural peace maker and no family gathering should be without you, but remember not to fall victim to your own vanity during this time when so much balance is resting on your shoulders. To make sure you are easily accessible to those who need you, wear brightly colored blazer so that you are quick to find in a crowd!

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Scorpio’s are resourceful and dynamic people. When you enter a group atmosphere you can become very intense as you take all social gathering as a time to put your best foot forward. Although you can also be manipulative, you can use this energy for good instead of for creating issues. You have a way of making people feel important and entertained and you need to be on your game during the holidays when you can help make the atmosphere joyful for everyone. So, be sure to wear a perfume that is appealing to a variety of people because you will be working the room like no other!

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As a Sagittarius, you have a very independent nature. Don’t let that independence turn you into a loner at social gatherings however! You often want more than what is right in front of you because of your adventurous nature, but try to temper that feeling and remain centered in the here and now. Your warmness and positivity can really cause you to shine if you let it, so keep yourself social and out of a corner. To help you to remain noticed even in a large group, it is important to wear a bright colored lipstick like a red or a pink. This way people will take notice when you are talking because they are focused on your standout lips!

A Capricorn is another sign that does very well during the holidays because you are often the host or in charge of events or meals! Your responsible nature and resourcefulness gives you an edge even under pressure to pull out a success even when things get rough. You’re only major watch out for the holiday season is your tendency to dictate to others. You naturally want everyone on point with you, but that is not always possible, so it could be helpful for you to learn some yoga breathing technique to bring your stress level down when others aren’t falling into place.

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An Aquarius can be witty and clever, which makes you a natural in social situations that you could find yourself in during the holidays, but we are not just talking family gatherings and Christmas parties.

You can make any situation a social event, from checking out at the grocery store to standing in line for those black Friday deals! The one downside to your talkative nature is your uncontrollable sarcasm that can turn a good situation into a not so good one. So keep your cell phone on hand, because if the urge to talk strikes, its probably better for you to call a friend than chat with a stranger.

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A Pisces is an adaptable and accepting person who’s high level of emotional sensativity often leaves them feeling very nostalgic during the holiday’s. During this season especially, you will go out of your way to travel and see friends and relatives, even ones that are not as close to you as you would like to imagine. This can often get you into trouble or into awkward situations where you are being used by others because of your willingness to please. To prevent this, make sure to check your social networks to see which friends and family members having been making an effort to connect or else they are not worth your time!

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Holiday Worry Free Travel Apps Be prepared for anything this holiday season with these free must have travel apps!

by: Alexis Giostra

TripCase

What is it: Tripcase is a travel app for organizing all of your travel information. From flight details to hotel reservations, car rentals and expenses, this app does it all. It even helps with calculating travel and drive times!

Why you need it: So you never have to keep asking yourself when your flight leaves, or where the reservation number for your rental car is. You have all those important details in one app. Don’t fuss over tons of unneeded paperwork, travel light with your TripCase App! 47

Hotel Tonight

What is it: As the name suggests this app helps you find last minute deals on hotel rooms in major cities that can really save you some cash!

Why you need it: Flights get delayed, canceled on account of weather, and people run late. This can mean spending the night in an overpriced hotel room or sleeping in an overcrowded airport. This app helps you find a good deal on a hotel room asap so you can put that money you saved towards better things like last minute holiday gifts!

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Weather+

What is it: A free weather app with some powerful features like beautiful graphics and real time weather condition videos.

Why you need it: When we are flying from city to city and spending hours on planes, trains or automobiles, we often loose track of simple things like the weather which affect travel conditions, clothing options and flight delays especially in the harsh winter months of the holidays! Never be without this crucial information with this great free app!

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Google Shopper

What is it: The ultimate shoppers sidekick. Looking for a product? Do a quick search and compare local and online prices to find the best deal. The app has some great functionality to help you ID products by barcode, cover art, or through voice input as well as normal text search.

Why you need it: Run out of your favorite lipstick while visiting your grandparents out of state? Or perhaps you forgot a gift at home and need to pick something up last minute? This app will help you locate items you are looking for in local retail stores for last minute shopping and help you get the best possible price on anything you are looking to buy.

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Wifi Finder What is it: Wifi Finder helps you locate Free Wifi and internet hotspot wherever you are, online or offline!

With so much free wifi all around us at any moment, why pay for expensive airport wifi if you don’t have to?

Why you need it: We are an increasingly mobile society and although you may be on holiday vacation you may still need a connection to check some work email or to finish a presentation for your boss. Airport wifi is often convenient but overpriced and an unnecessary expense if a cafe close by has a good signal for free or a cup of coffee. All you need is this free app to find that free wifi that is out there!

Christmas Magic Colors What is it: A family app that includes numerous games, activities, and entertainment for kids. Its like a one stop shop, holiday themed for children.

Why you need it: Whether you are traveling with little ones, or find yourself in a quick fix for entertaining someone else’s, this free app is a great way to keep kids glued to the screen of your iPhone instead of, lets say, screaming at the dinner table? Best part is, no hidden in-app purchases to ring up a big AppStore bill!

Bejeweled Blitz What is it: A free version of one of the highest rated and most popular games of all time.

Why you need it: Let’s face it, layovers stink, mid-row seats are a pain, and long car rides are exhausting.

Keep your mind fresh and yourself entertained with a fun and free puzzle game that is popular enough to please even the most picky gamer.

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iBooks

What is it: Apple’s very own digital bookstore. Day or night you have access to a never ending library of both free and paid books from the latest best sellers to absolute classics.

Why you need it: Its probably a good idea to load up on some reading material before a holiday trip. Although you may be more fond of a real printed novel than your iPhone’s screen, it can save you in a pinch from hours of boredom. With a great supply of free books available from the iBook store, there is really no downside to having an extra title on hand during the holidays!

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Vinitque What is it: The hottest new iOS camera app to hit the AppStore! Transform your photos into vintage or nostalgic works of art with a variety of filters and effects.

Why you need it: There is probably nothing more important during the holidays than capturing those special moments with the people that matter most in your life. Make this holiday season special by giving your pictures a new look with some retro filters and frames that will have your friends and family ooo-ing and aaa-ing over your photography skills!`

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Advice & Etiquette: The Gracious Guest by: Alexis Giostra

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he months of November and December are ubiquitous with the holidays. We can all say we have experienced the shift in seasonality once Halloween ends and November begins, when people begin to start their holiday gift shopping and pulling out cook books and recipe cards to find all the ingredients to make their seasonal gatherings a perfect one. At some point during this period, you will most likely attend at least one holiday gathering, whether it be for Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, New Year’s or any other holiday you celebrate during these winter months. Whether you are gathering with friends or family, it is important to always be a gracious guest. Just because you are visiting grandma for what feels like the millionth time, doesn’t mean you can sit around with your muddy feet on her coffee table, especially if there are other guests around. Holidays are high stress times for most people, particularly hosts and hostesses, but

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this can also be a stressful time for guests as, believe it or not, guests have a role to part in their gatherings whether or not they know it! So, I have outlined three very simple rules of thumb for acting the part of the gracious guest. I hope you will consider these and take them to heart because they are important for making a good impression and also for keeping in the spirit of the holidays.

Rule #1: Bring a Host/Hostess Gift As a guest at a holiday gathering, it is always customary to bring a gift for your hosts. Remember, they have been working pretty hard to make sure their home or venue is in order for your enjoyment, which includes food, drinks, festive music and holiday decorations. As a guest, all you need to do is show up... with something! It can be something as small as a box of cookies or something homemade of your own that you brought for the party like a special side dish you

are known for, and of course, your gift doesn’t need to be edible. You can bring a small gift like a candle or holiday wreath, just something that shows your gratitude for being invited! A safe bet is always flowers, especially if your meeting a significant others parents, but a bottle of wine is another all-purpose gift that will certainly go to good use!

“As a guest, all you need to do is show up... with something!”

Rule #2: Clean up after yourself The host of your party will certainly have much to do throughout the event, from cooking, to serving, to making sure the toilet paper is refilled in the bathroom! The last thing they need is to be cleaning up after their guests. Try to make every effort to clean up after yourself, whether that means throwing out your appetizer napkin or making sure to use a coaster for your drink. Just a side note on drinking, more specifically if you are drinking alcohol make sure to be very careful with red wine and carpets.

It may be a little clique, but you do not want to drop your glass of hard to remove wine on someone’s light colored carpet or furniture. If such

an accident does occur, try not to make a scene, notify your host immediately and assist in every way possible with your clean up. Nothing is more rude than a guest who drops a drink (especially something hard to remove) and then makes no attempt to assist in clean up!

Rule #3: Say Thank You! I think this might be an obvious rule, but if you want to show how grateful you are for being a part of someone’s holiday celebration, make sure to thank them and other guests as well. Someone passed you the salt, say thank you! Someone handed you a fork, say thank you.

And not just a mumble of thanks under your breath, but really show you mean it by making eye contact with the individual you are thanking and say it loud enough so they can hear it and watch them to make sure they have acknowledged you. Thank you can go a long way, and the more you say it, the merrier your holiday season will be!

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Mantra: Gratitude Journal by: Alexis Giostra

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hen you think of the holiday season, what do you think of? If you’re like me, November and December are filled with great food, family, presents, and fun! We start off the season with Thanksgiving and round it out with Christmas and New Years! With so much giving and thankfulness associated with the season, I felt it only appropriate to dedicate this Mantra article to a topic that fully embraces the spirit of the season; the gratitude journal.

Now, I know we already heard from Kate Marshall on the topic of journaling and her personal obsession with it, so I felt that discussing the idea of a gratitude journal would be particularly poignant for this issue of Strange & Charmed. So what is a gratitude journal, you may be asking? Well, in simple terms its a journal in which you write solely about things for which you are grateful. Where you may keep a personal journal to chronicle your day to day life, struggles, ideas, or interests,

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the gratitude journal is place that is meant to express your thankfulness for everything in your life; the good, the bad, and the strange! In our day to day lives, I think many of us get caught up with issues and people that drive us crazy but at the same time don’t add much to our lives in the way of significant value that its easy to overlook the little things that make us happy, the people that help us, and all the positive aspects of our lives that we are too jaded to notice. Keeping a gratitude journal may be a good way for you to slow down your day, clear your mind and find a sense of peace with your life.

Let’s be honest with ourselves now, no matter how bad our lives seem to be or how upset we are or frustrated with events outside of our control, each and every one of us has a multitude of things to be grateful for each and every day. So, to prove this to yourself, get yourself a small notebook or journal. Seriously, this thing doesn’t have to be fancy, it can be anything you want, but I do

think its best to have a dedicated book to call your gratitude journal.

Mine is pocket size and lined and isn’t particularly thick, but the point of this book is not to write a novel, remember that, so small and portable is good!

Now, once you have your journal, what I want you to do is open up to the first page and write down the date and time! This is very important because when you start putting in multiple entry’s having that timestamp will be a nice way to keep track of all the good in your life! Finally, one by one start listing all the things you are grateful for in your life. You don’t have to write in full sentences, bullet points will do, but if you feel the need to write more, go ahead and write it! The goal is to fill the page with things you are grateful for! Your home maybe, your cat, your job, the fact that you have food on the table each night, or that you are in good health and alive! If you truly have trouble finding the blessings in your own life, I have included an image that I found on the internet a long time ago that I always keep with me to remind me that no matter how hard life gets, or how bad I feel about my life, that I really am one of the luckiest people on Earth! You may want to write down this quote or print it out and paste it inside your journal for inspiration, because I challenge you to start keeping a gratitude journal and to write in it each and every day for

a month and see how it affects your outlook on life. I have a feeling it will make you a little more satisfied with the things you have and a little less obsessed with the things you want, because when you are focused on all the good in your own life, you will find that your better off than you ever realized and you will not need as much other “stuff” to make you happy.

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