Unfortunately, nothing else in the article seems to clarify this. Given that Seattle and King County (heck, even Washington State!) continues to lose resources for the mentally ill, this might be an important statistic.
Original article found here.
**Originally posted on www.quasilaur.net. Please comment there.**
A few posts back I talked about how much time and money I spent longing for my favorite face cleanser, the false economy of trying to find suitable replacements, and my new vow to just buy the stuff online when I run out.
Well, now it appears I might still be searching for something else I like as much.
You see, I was towards the end of my little trial sized bottle of Evan Healy’s Blue face cleanser, and just days away from ordering more, when I saw on the white cleanser a growth of green mold. I did a double and triple take. Yes, green mold. Growing like a little forest on a blanket of snow.
I’m familiar with this kind of thing happening with natural skin and hair care products. When I worked at Whole Foods Market in the Whole Body Department, we were allowed to basically open any product up for a customer as a “tester” if one didn’t already exist. With some of the products, we did this just so the customer could sniff the product, as that the product had a foil seal for freshness. Those that were left open as testers, sitting on the shelves, would sometimes get a little funky, to say the least.
Natural things degrade, whereas the petro-chemical and other synthetically produced products don’t have to worry about natural oils going rancid, or mold growth because the natural preservatives didn’t do their job. I realize that this is a hazard of natural products, and I can’t fault Evan Healy totally for it, as that expecting a natural thing to NOT degrade is ridiculous. However, I now have product that I’m not going to use, and I’m not sure I want to invest what would be around $100 for the entire cleansing/moisturizing set for a larger bottle of something I know can grow mold.
I sent an email to their customer service night before last, and I hope to hear back from them on what they can offer for piece of mind. I’ve gotten into the habit of letting especially smaller companies know when something unsatisfactory has happened with their product, especially because 1) I like the product and 2) want it to succeed.
Two cases so far have at least gotten a response. The first was from Clear Creek Distillery based in Portland, OR. One of the corks from one of their fine, distilled spirits had broken when we tried to initially open it. I wrote them, and they promptly responded, sending us two corks in the mail. The second was Coconut Bliss, a vegan, coconut based frozen desert also made in Oregon. I emailed them about one of their cartons being only 3/4 full upon purchase. They apologized, and promised a gift certificate for another pint. That never showed up, unfortunately. Also, it happened two times after that, with the same flavor (Cherry Amaretto). The other flavors that Jon picked up at the same time were fine. To say the least, I was disappointed.
Here’s hoping I’ll get a response. Also, Marie Claire, I’m waiting for my missing issues, kthxbye.
**Originally posted on www.quasilaur.net. Please comment there.**
Just to follow-up on my post yesterday about a budding comment-spammer, I thought I’d share with you what happened.
I received an email back - however, Traci, the alleged originator of this product - asserted that she HAD been getting my blog (though she cut-and-pasted a Google news alert for “maternity products” of which, you’ll find, I’ve only written ONE blog entry) and that her intentions were not to mass market, but rather, be helpful. I could cut and paste all that, but I’m lazy and will spare you. To say the least, this made me rather sad and concerned about her and her company’s future on TEH INTARWEBS. For while her intentions were good (according to her) I saw other similarities - here’s part of what I wrote back to her:
I cannot fault you, as a business woman, for wanting to increase your business and the awareness of others to your product. However, the method you have chosen is one used by many spammers to sell pornography, pharmaceuticals, face creams and more - and I assure you all of these spammers have tried to use comments in my blog (often times, completely non-sensical or nrelated) to sell their product…
You have put yourself in the same ranks as people who run very shady businesses. As that you responded to me personally, I can only hope that you are NOT one of those people, but rather someone else that is just trying to get a start on Internet commerce. My unsolicited advice to you is to choose another avenue. There are many options, like banner ads on sites relevant to your product, partnering with other maternity Internet retailers, or Google ads - which is quite popular with many people getting started out.
I guess my first mistake was trying to be “helpful.” In her initial responses, she created a portrait of a small business woman, just setting out in a horrible economy (embellishment mine), with a product she needed to advertise, and not a lot of great ideas on how to get this product to a wider audience. Instead of coming off as an evil spammer, she came off as naive - so I took a chance that maybe I could share some of my Patented AdviceTM to be helpful.
I pout pitifully now, as I share with you her response.
I will tell you again that you are incorrect in your assessment, but believe as you will. You must have much more time on your hands to write than I. I do not need to explain how I was recieving your blog…you just want to see it your way…so be it. I hope your life fills with positive energy , you need it.
I’m incorrect, but you won’t tell me HOW. Oh, wait, you don’t need to explain it to me. Nevermind. Uh oh, is she saying that I’m filled with negative energy? Hm. Maybe I should get an exorcism. (Uh oh, no really, this DOES sound negative. I’m being sarcastic! OMG OMG OMG!) Ok, I’ll stop that.
All I can do at this point, as to not continue this discussion that seems to be one sided…is to hope that you find an outlet for you advice and negativity. I truly am sorry that I bothered you…and wish I hadn’t brought on all this negativity into my own life. You apparently must have difficulty trusting or believing in others. I know my intentions were good….that is all that matters.
Well, Traci of BellyPod, they say that “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Even worse, I believe this is especially true for people who not just suspect, but KNOW that their intentions were good. Unfortunately (not to get too philisophical), even the concepts of good and bad are highly subjective. To reiterate, while I don’t fault a small business owner trying to get ahead in business, I do think that there are better ways than others to do that. I offered those suggestions to you - maybe so you wouldn’t make the same mistake of bothering another person who has “difficulty trusting” all the promises made on the Internet and uses their personal blog to dispense “advice.” As for the negativity - just as you see your intentions as good, I see my intentions as being at least helpful (though I wouldn’t say good.)
My simple point is this - to any legitimate business person on the Internet - don’t use the same method to sell your product as spammers who are trying to sell Viagra without a prescription. Unless you want your product to be thought of, and bought by, that same market, there are better ways to do it. Heck, I’m sure that even Amazon has some options for small businesses and their products. There are options, and I’m sorry if that seems negative - but you know, I have only good intentions.
**Originally posted on www.quasilaur.net. Please comment there.**
Good afternoon,
I have been receiving you blog info for a couple of weeks via Google news feeds and I wanted to congratulate you on your pregnancy and the journey you are taking as an expectant mother. I thought since you had a considerable following that I would try and network with a mom and share a product I have spent several years developing for expectant moms…the [redacted].
Wow, NETWORKING WITH A MOM. Uh. Dude. Not a mom. Yet. Also, very much against the Baby Industrial Complex and the Cult of Motherhood. (More exciting blogging on that later, perhaps.)
(Clipped, a lovely little creation story on how she came up with this AMAZING product.)
I hope you will take a look at the ultimate in comfort for expectant moms and will share my enthusiasm for this amazing product. I have included the website and I look forward to your feedback.
Kind regards,
[Redacted]
OMG - ULTIMATE comfort?! OMG OMG OMG. How could I say no?! I mean, she’s like, been reading my feed for the past who-knows-how-long and is now GRACING me with this helpful tip!
Hey, here’s some feedback from me:
Dear [Redacted],
After receiving a comment on my blog, which was so obviously not-personalized, but meant to capitalize on my blog entry regarding a product that was related to pregnancy, yet totally different from the product you offer, I can only say that I will be deliberately avoiding your product during my pregnancy.
I believe that exploiting searches, and people’s blogs to hawk your wares is not only cheap and lazy, but also offensive. The way you are doing it fakes a personalization, “I have been receiving you blog info for a couple of weeks via Google news feeds and I wanted to congratulate you on your pregnancy and the journey you are taking as an expectant mother.” I not believe you have been reading my blog all this time. Now, this is an assumption that I’m happy to be incorrect, so if you could tell me what it is about my blog that you came across that made you so interested as to add it to your reader, that would be fantastic.
Furthermore, I will be posting this response to you in a blog entry of my own, as a warning to other people who might choose to try to market their wares through comments on my blog. Sadly, I believe most of the comments are not done by human beings, but rather by robots, and that they could care less. Regardless of that, I figure it can’t hurt to let people know where I stand.
Any future comments made to my blog by your company, or any other, that are explicitly intended to redirect to another website for the sale of a product or service, will be either altered by me to obscure the site or the original poster, or be deleted entirely. None of these comments will even be seen publicly without my approval anyway. I have already altered such means to take care of other comments meant to sell other products.
I’m sure that advertising is expensive. My request is for you to stop using non-commercial blogs, unsolicited, as a way to gain more customers.
Thanks,
Laura
**Originally posted on www.quasilaur.net. Please comment there.**
I’ll preface this by saying that this is a public blog - as such, I choose to keep my personal life out of my blog, and in a more secure space. That being said, I’ll let it slip here that I’m presently pregnant, and have a product review to share with a larger audience (ie. TEH INTARWEBS).
One of the fascinating and helpful inventions to come to maternity clothing was the tube-like sleeve, knit, with a bit of spandex, with the intention of allowing a pregnant woman, in her many growing-belly stages, the ability to wear her pre-pregnancy pants a little longer (unbuttoned/unzipped), and hold up the not-quite-fitting-yet maternity pants. Think of it as an elaborate belt or cummerbund.
The first product I heard about was Ingrid and Isabel’s BellaBand. You can pick one up at a variety of maternity stores (specifically local boutiques), or order one conveniently through Amazon. The cost will run you about $26 for one, though Amazon does offer a 3 pack deal. The BellaBand, at first, seems pricey for an accessory that can cost as much as a pair of inexpensive maternity pants, but the upside is that it can work with any pair of pants, and they say will last you through post-pregnancy.
While in Baltimore a few weeks ago, I decided to go on a quest for the BellaBand, and called up MiMi Maternity and Motherhood (part of the same company) to see if they carried it. No, they replied, but excitedly told me about their Tummy Tube, a much less desirably named object, that at $16, they claimed would be the same thing. I purchased two, one black and one white - and found the first difference from the BellaBand to be that they are all One Size Fits Most. Given that I’m a woman who has changed sizes dramatically over the past two years (something like 6 sizes down), I find that laughable. Nevertheless, the Tummy Tube, though a bit binding at times, did the trick of holding my Lucky Jeans button-fly up with a few buttons undone, all without being noticable to anyone else.
After a couple weeks of the Tummy Tubes, I remained unimpressed, and found that they really didn’t add up to everything I hoped the BellaBand (or something like it) would be. I went on a quest, to a local Seattle maternity boutique, for the BellaBand. Happily, they had all the sizes to try on, which was a relief, since my pre-pregnancy size seemed to straddle the line. I found that the larger size was less snug and more comfortable in some ways, and was counseled by the sales assistant that I would appreciate the extra room as my tummy grows. SOLD. At around $24 per BellaBand, it was more expensive than the Tummy Tube, but what I found was a thicker, softer, seemingly more resilient fabric, better sewn seems, an overall wider span from top to bottom (allowing for a larger tummy later). It felt less like a tube of spandex and more like the bottom part to a spandex-fitted knit shirt I might wear.
The bottom line is, the extra cost is worth it. I know that Target sells a lower-cost BellaBand product, which runs around the same price as the Tummy Tube, however, I’d be concerned that it would fail to do the same things that the BellaBand does. I don’t know, though, and have no experience with it.
Hopefully, this will be helpful to other women out there wondering, as I did, what’s the difference? The difference is - you pay for the quality. To me, $8 more for a product I like twice as much is worth the extra change. It’s also worth it to not spend money on maternity pants unless I absolutely have to.
Oh, and I didn’t mention that the BellaBand also comes in different styles and colors, including lace trim. Very awesome.
**Originally posted on www.quasilaur.net. Please comment there.**
Throughout my life I’ve gone through being a minimalist as far as the standard beauty products, and paying the mid-range, aspirational prices of department store counters. I’ve never been able to successfully toss aside my chains of oppression by the fashion and beauty industries, and my feelings between guilt and celebration have waxed and waned.
Oh boy, but now I’m looking at 31, and I’ve got a deep line across my forehead. I started a little mini-panic when I realized it wasn’t going away. I instantly thought, maybe I can get a cream that will arrest it, or make it go away - and maybe I wouldn’t have to spend $50 to do it! I saw a lot of reviews and a lot of promises, and I came to the conclusion that none of the claims could be trusted, and I couldn’t stomach $50+ for a face cream that wouldn’t ultimately do what I want it to do, which is permanently stop my face from creasing.
So what do I do? When I was in a Whole Foods in White Plains, NY, I found that they had my, to this point, most favorite face cleanser and cream ever. Why have I not been using it? Because I first bought it at a small store in Chicago, and couldn’t find it locally in Seattle. I thought to myself - it IS pricey, and couldn’t I find an alternative that was just as good? The answer, after about 3 years, was no. I purchased the small introductory kit of Evan Healy’s Blue, and have been happy ever since. Even Dr. Hauschka, which makes holistic skin care in the same vein as Evan Healy, doesn’t have all that I love about Evan Healy’s products.
The lesson learned is that, in the time I’ve played with all these other products (and used up most of them), the product I’ve been most enthusiastic about is one I could have bought online, and likely saved more time and money just by doing so than trying to find less expensive alternatives.
Evan Healy’s products don’t promise to do anything special, other than clean the skin, not strip it too much of the oils you need, and that it be allowed to breathe. It doesn’t promise to make these deep creases go away, but maybe they don’t need to. And maybe I go back to purchasing my favorite make up, BareEscentials Bare Minerals, which I keep going back to after trying cheaper or more flashy options.
None of these things are what I need - but it is just something I want and makes me feel good. The less I spend on other crap I truly don’t need, the better - esp. if that means I’m not trying out the new best thing and deciding I’m hating it.
**Originally posted on www.quasilaur.net. Please comment there.**
Even as county mental health officials herald an ambitious new plan to spend sales tax money to expand housing for people with mental illness, they’ve quietly let the boarding homes close because they no longer fit the preferred model, which emphasizes independent living.
In a memo to the buildings’ owner last month, mental health director Amnon Shoenfeld said the county didn’t want to invest in repairing the debilitated boarding homes because they weren’t consistent with its “recovery principles.” Recovery refers to a philosophy that people with mental illness can and do improve with appropriate treatment, housing and support.
Meanwhile, waiting lists for mental health housing in King County — and around the state — continue to grow.
Plymouth Housing Group, one of the largest providers of such housing, has 800 people on its list and a two-year wait, said Tara Connor, Plymouth’s policy director.
The lack of housing has created backups at Western State Hospital, where more than 100 patients are cleared for discharge but have nowhere to go.
The problem is even more acute for those not leaving a psychiatric facility. Western State patients have priority for community housing. Others may have to wait months to years for supported housing, said Robert Fors, a probation officer with Seattle’s mental health court.
I’ve worked at both Western State Hospital and within the District Mental Health Court of King County. During the past three years, I got first-hand experience with these difficulties while working as a social worker in these systems. During this same time as the counties scramble for funding for serving their clients locally, this funding was siphoned off of Western State Hospital, and wards have been closed, eliminating some of the capacity. Within the King County system, we were promised earlier this year that we were going to see an increase in funding that would help pick up the slack. We saw the start up of the PACT teams (Program for Assertive Community Treatment) which were understaffed and overburdened within the first 6 months, and in my personal experience, some members of the teams were counter productive in their goal of supporting client independence and self-sufficiency.
I wanted to tear my hair out, because in both settings, the hospital and community, there was much to-do about the Recovery Model which is the new big thing in mental health care, and is getting a lot of attention and money thrown at it for it’s implementation across the country. I believe that this model is a brilliant idea: client centered, client controlled treatment. This comes after a horrible period in psychiatric care where the client (or consumer) was ultimately the victim of whatever situation they were thrown in “for their own good.” The idea is a return of power to the individual - a return of autonomy. For some people who engage in the mental health system, this is exactly what they need and has been long awaited. But as the article above points out, it’s a one-size-fits-all strategy that just doesn’t work.
The hard truth to swallow is that some of us humans have limitations, and we’ll always have limitations. Some of these limitations are based in our bodies, are internal chemistries - and sometimes no amount of modern medication or tools can help those individuals be truly independent. I like the Recovery Model for its emphasis on the individual as opposed to looking at all people with mental illness as doomed. However, with the language of person-centeredness, we’ve actually switched the other way, and have said that instead of all people with mental illness being doomed, that all people have hope now. Hope of independence and getting along in society “recovered” - “would you ever suspect Mary was mentally ill?” - I can see the advertisement heading now. Mental illness isn’t something that is always recovered from. Sometimes it’s a fact that is merely coped with. Sometimes it’s a fact that requires supportive housing, where independent living won’t EVER be a realistic option.
The failures of the Recovery Model, I believe, can be found in the criminal justice system - another system where the Recovery Model doesn’t always work. After working with this population - those with mental illness in the criminal justice system, I can tell you that while some people can receive treatment and recover from some of their worst mental health symptoms - the criminal aspects of their personality and humanity aren’t something that fit into the Recovery Model, and in my opinion, are not served by the Recovery Model. Furthermore, there are some who are indeed, so ill and so dangerous, that putting them in a situation where they can choose their own care (or lack thereof) can and has gotten other people seriously injured, or nearly killed. The Recovery Model does not work in a forensic setting, just as it doesn’t work on the civil side of the mental health system.
There has to be a better way to do this, and to care for our citizens. There has to be a better option than forcing people out of their homes into recovery settings, and some onto the streets where their next bed may be in the over-crowded, sickening King County Jail. I wasn’t able to find the light in my few years of working within these systems, and heard a lot of promises without any results, meanwhile having the Recovery Model shoved down my throat as the miracle cure, which I assure you, it isn’t. The mindset of person-centered care that is based on the needs of the individual is one I can stomach, but not when it’s sugar-coated to the point where we try to make everyone a big success story.
Let’s face it. Sometimes the best you can hope for is that someone stays off the streets and stays out of trouble - and sometimes you’re grateful that it’s a misdemeanor trespass and not a felony assualt. And that’s progress.
**Originally posted on www.quasilaur.net. Please comment there.**
Since I started this venture into the world of running, I’m happy to say that only a few times have I gone on a treadmill. Most of the time I’ve spent running around my neighborhood, and when I went to Chicago in July, around my friend’s neighborhood. Seattle’s slip into the rainy season has driven me to the treadmill at least twice, and when we recently visited family in NY, I was compelled to use the fitness center at the hotel we were staying at.
This morning, I’ve never been so grateful to run outdoors. My route takes me on a nice, mostly flat path, past well manicured gardens and beautiful, large houses. More important, though, it takes me past other people who are enjoying the morning by walking, jogging, running with their baby in a running stroller, or conversing with friends on the sidewalk. The neighborhood has an uncharacteristic quiet hum and the morning dew makes the smells of autumn sparkle as I pass the neighborhood P-Patch. The air is bracing when I initially step out, but by the end of my jog, I find my long-sleeved t-shirt is a little too warm.
Contrast this with stale damp air, blank walls, humming, thrumming equipment, silent TV’s flickering and if you’re so lucky as my last gym, throbbing dance music. Yeah. Easy contest to win, at least for me.
The problem comes with the fact that today was a mild autumn day. The sun was shining most of today, often brightly, and I wore my fleece unzipped a greater part of the day. I’ve purchased a light waterproof and breathable jacket for jogging (and unfortunately found a better one for half the price today), and a reflective cap for warmth and visibility. My problem is that it’s now time to shell out for some capris and pants, perhaps a vest, and some tech-tees that are long-sleeved. I rather shell out for these things than pay to use a treadmill through the winter, however, I can’t seem to find the will to fork over the $200 that would be required to gear myself up for my 3 days/week of jogging. My new venture into yoga has been blissfully less expensive, as that bare feet cost nothing, and when I’m practicing at home, my pajamas work great!
I look forward to heading out again tomorrow morning, on what will likely be an even quieter morning.
**Originally posted on www.quasilaur.net. Please comment there.**
My hair is brittle.
Why? I have a few ideas. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and like many of these northern dwellers, I’m deficient in Vitamin D - I’ve started supplementing, and even got a sunburn last week, so hopefully I’ll start life towards the solstice a little less deficient than last year. Additionally, I’ve been diving, in the cold waters of Puget Sound, which means that along with ravaging my hair with salt water, I’ve been wearing a hood to keep the heat in, and have a nice thick wetsuit to birth my head through before every dive. This, as you can imagine, tortures my hair.
And then there was my ill-thought out decision to try flat-ironing my hair a few months ago. So this, plus chemical processing, has left my hair in a less than enviable position. Pantene wasn’t quite helping, and frankly, I’ve been wanting to get back to my “less chemicals is better” trend I fell into when working at Whole Foods.
This enters my trial of Aubrey shampoo, which claims to be 100% natural, and sure enough, the label doesn’t seem to cite anything chemically funny. The shampoo feels astringent, but the conditioner feels super-moisturizing, so much so that I’ve had to decrease the amount I thought I’d need for my hair. I’m a few weeks in, and I’m liking the smell as well as the texture of my hair. I also feel a little better about the suds washing down the drain.
I’m not sure how long I’ll love it, but I’m definitely a fan now. Who knew? I’d been passing up this stuff for years!
**Originally posted on www.quasilaur.net. Please comment there.**
I've grown rather disenchanted with Six Apart, all because of stuff happening with LiveJournal that only minimally effects me, but has definitely driven some of my friends away. That's most of the reason I'm bothered, because it's made it that much more difficult to keep in touch with people through passive-journal reading.
That being said, censorship sucks in general, and people who feel censored have the right to take their toys and find a new place to play. I encourage it, and am quite fond of other blogging tools such as WordPress, which is what I use for my blog at www.quasilaur.net.
I will likely not use this Vox for anything but keeping in touch with the few who will continue to use Six Apart blogging tools. You've been warned.
