Money: The Key to Happiness and the Root of All Evil

I've been living in a dark cloud of anger lately. Bitchy, hating the world, the whole deal. I wanted to stop feeling like this, but first, I had to find out what was causing this.

Money has always been something I needed to get what I want, not something I needed to get what I need, but becoming a full functioning adult has been hard. I had always been accustomed to a certain life style. And let me back up and say I did not grow up some rich, spoiled brat. I grew up the very opposite. I grew up in a single parent household, mom sending us to private school, paying mortgage on our home, dealing with the crappy financial situation my father left us in, all on a daycare worker salary. Money was always tight. Not to mention my mother never got child support (she's pretty amazing). She taught me that money comes from hard work, so I always worked hard and that was how I was able to pay for all the nice things I have. I work hard therefor I deserve.

This philosophy doesn't work in real grown up world. In real grow up world, I have to work hard and it all goes to my car or rent or groceries. There's no money for me to play like I want. I still get to go out for drinks and buy myself some candles as a treat, but I miss the days where I could blow $150 in one night at the strip club or spend a shit ton on 5 pairs of panties and a hoodie from Victoria's Secret. Now I have to think in the way of, "oh, I made $150 tonight at work. Now I can get the rent paid early." When did my fun die?

I honestly don't mind not thinking that way, and am planning a big strip club outing as we speak, but then I started thinking that I hate that how much money I have control my mood. If I have a slow week, I get so depressed. I get stressed out over everything I have to pay for and how one slow week can put me back for a month, but if I have a little bit of cash in my pockets, I'm on cloud 9. Money is evil. It has more control over us than our first love in high school did (shout out to Steve. The love of my 15 year old life).

Then, John played Wal-Mart: The high Price of Low Cost, on netflix, and then my eyes were opened up to how evil money actually is. I've always hated Wal-Mart. Mainly because it's dirty and cluttered, but a big part was how they mistreat their employees and drive small businesses to close. Watching this movie just increased my hatred for them tenfold. Wal-Mart is second worse just after Hitler. They fuck people over with no remorse what-so-ever and trap cities into letting them root there. Not only that, but it's a company full of sexist, racist and classist assholes. Please check this movie out, and if you shop at Wal-Mart ever afterwards, you don't have a soul.

I'm not that person. I'm not the type of person who lets money and things control my happiness. Yes, buying stuff does make me happy, I'm a female, but how I live my life and my daily choices to do good should be enough.

So what if I have a lot. So what if I have a little. As long as I'm working hard and feeling rewarded and happy with my life, I should have nothing to complain about. It could be worse. I could work for Wal-Mart.

Grill-a-holics Anonymous: Pork Short Ribs

After cutting John off, it's finally time to let him get back outside and grill. We found a great deal on ribs at the grocery store, and against our fears, decided to give it a shot.

There's an art to grilling ribs. Not everyone can do it and you freak yourself out by the need for them to turn out perfect, but these turned out pretty delicious.

2 tbs smoked paprika
2 tbs roasted ground cumin
3 tbs chili powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs black pepper
1 tbs crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbs coarse salt
1 tbs celery salt
1 tbs crushed oregano
1 tbs cayenne
Pork ribs
1 cup maple syrup
2 tbs fresh, minced garlic
Barbecue sauce

I started by marinating them in syrup and added fresh, minced garlic to them. I let them sit for about an hour.

Then, I removed them from the marinade and scraped the excess off with my fingers.

Mix all the spices together and rub on the ribs. Let sit again. I believe I did another hour.

Then grill, baste with barbecue sauce, grill some more and enjoy!

These came out yummy. I don't know if it'll be my go to rib recipe, but I'll definitely make again.

Thank You Mom, Pot Roast

Today I wanna share one of my sure fire, idiot proof recipes. When I first moved out of my mom's house, I had no clue how to cook. My philosophy was sink or swim. Learn how to cook, or starve and be super skinny. A win/win situation. I decided to just learn how to cook, and a recipe I remembered from my mom popped into my head. I remembered it being so simple so I decided to give it a try. After years of tweaking, I finally have my pot roast perfected.

2.25 lb pot roast
12 oz of baby carrots
3 potatoes
2 tbs of minced garlic
1 McCormick bag 'n serve pot roast
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/4 onion
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350.

Dice up your potatoes and let boil. You just want to soften them so let them cook about 7 minutes. Boil carrots in a separate pot. Let those cook until tender. About 15 minutes.

Take your bag, and layer with potatoes and then carrots in a deep glass dish.

Trim fat from pot roast, rub with minced garlic and then add it to the bag. If you want, You can cut little pockets and put slices of garlic in the meat. Remember, you can never have too much garlic.

Cut onion into slices and place on top of pot roast in bag.

Mix water and McCormick seasonings. Pour in bag. Next, pour Worcestershire in bag. Seal with tie, cut 2 vent holes in top of the bag.

Cook for an hour and 15 minutes. Cut and serve. Delish!

I love how tender the bag keeps the pot roast. Server with some dinner rolls. I promise, this will be one you add to your lineup.

Top 5 Favorite Beers

There are only a few things in the world I'm passionate about: My nephews, natural hair, John, spicy food, the environment, my dog, garlic, sleep,  Hairbo gummie bears, and beer. Craft and microbrews to be specific. I never drink liquor. I get way too sloppy and it doesn't taste that good. I much rather have a nice, cold brew. On occasion I do switch it up to a Captain and ginger ale. Or lately I've been on a cosmo kick, but I just drink it in a tall glass. Martini glasses are too soft.

Anyway, I love beer. More than anything. I plan on planning my pregnancy around the release dates of my favorite beet. One of John and I's dreams is to open up a brewery. I literally don't respect people that drink bad beer. It's not just a drink to me, it's a lifestyle. Someone asked me last night what my Top 5 favorite brews are and I wanted to share it with you guys.

1) Great Lakes Brewing Company Christmas Ale ABV: 7.5%

This was easy. A no brainer. When people tell me they don't like this beer, my response is, "Oh, so you just don't like good shit?" This is by far the best beer I've ever tasted in my life. It's made with honey, ginger, cinnamon and yuletide cheer. Mother fucking yuletide cheer! This beer is available November - December and if you're awesome enough to go to the Great Lakes Burning River Fest in July, you can also get fresh Christmas Ale there. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

There are other Christmas Ales out here in these streets, but no one, NO ONE, gets it right like Great Lakes.

2) Great Lakes Brewing Company Blackout Stout ABV: 9%

You'll see a trend with my beers in the fact that I love my local brewery, but Blackout Stout is another home run from Great Lakes. A malty, Russian Imperial Stout with hints of coffee and mocha. Now ladies, do not think, "Oh, I like coffee and mocha. I'll like this beer." This beer isn't for the weak of heart. It's a man's beer and an expensive 4 pack so I would hate for anyone to waste such deliciousness. They also have a barrel aged Blackout Stout that I've been dying to try, but it's a Brewpub exclusive so I have to make the 40 minute drive to Cleveland to get some. Lame.

Blackout Stout is named after that awesome blackout in 2003 in the Northeast half of the country. This beer is available November - January so if you want to try some, you better find some soon before it's all gone.

3) Southern Tier PumpKING Ale ABV: 9%

This is a new one added to my line up this past fall. Southern Tier, from Lakewood, New York, releases this AMAZING seasonal in August. You can only get it on draft or in a big daddy bottle, but both ways are heavenly delicious. This has to probably be the strongest, best tasting beer that isn't a porter or stout. It taste like a pumpkin roll. Yoummy, yummy! It shuts the beer game down.

4) Great Lakes Brewing Company Conway's Irish Ale ABV: 6.5%

Another beer from Great Lakes, duh! Conway's Irish Ale is one of their spring seasonals and just came out this week. It screams St. Patrick's day. It's a malty Irish Ale with a beautiful red color. The weakest of the bunch, but still packs a punch. So head out to the nearest bar and give this one a taste.

5) Southern Tier Creme Brulee Imperial Stout ABV: 10%

The first time I had this beer, I literally said, "Oh my god, basegod." (You either get it or not) I heard angels. In a dark periond where no beer had stolen my heart since Christmas Ale, this was a breath of fresh air. A rich, sweet, imperial stout with strong notes of vanilla. It taste like a creme brulee. Yes, it's sweet, yummy and delicious, but I know a lot of people who still don't like this one because it's too dark, but I like my beer like I like my men, dark and tasty. 

This beer only comes on draft or in the big daddy bottle also and is released in June.

I hope that you all get out there and drink (responsibly). If you like beer, and you like good shit, give some of these a try. I'd love to know what you think.

Updates

I just want to keep everyone posted on what's going on. I haven't blogged in awhile. I'm not feeling inspired. I'm sort of in a creative rut and have been having a lot go on in my personal life as well, but things are getting better.

I have a hair and make up review coming. A long with some new recipes and a bunch of other good stuff. I'd also like to do another spotlight, so if anyone knows of someone or something that people need to know about, out here getting their creativity on, let me know.

F*** That Snuggle Bear, I'll Make My Own Fabric Softener

I like to wait to do laundry until all I have clean to wear is thongs. I actually don't LIKE to do this, but laundry is such a pain in the ass that I put it off as long as I can. So while in the middle of doing a bagillion loads, I realize that I don't have any fabric softener. OH NO! I need fabric softener otherwise I'll have to iron everything! I hate ironing. Then, I came up with a solution. I grabbed a clean wash cloth, poured a few drops on essential oil, threw it in the dryer with the wet clothes. They came out fluffy and smelling delicious. I used lemon. Next time I'm gonna mix some. Cost: $0. I already had the oils and wash cloth. Essential oils vary in price so you have options. Give it a try and save yourself some dough while being environmentally friendly.

Spotlight: Ten Times Clothing Company

T-Shirts. Simple, basic, your choice to add a design to it or not. You would think it would be easy to make them. That's what I thought, and I know about 5 other people who started t-shirt companies that thought the same thing, but the difference between those people and John (not my John), is that John has talent.

He first told me about his company one day when a bunch of us were drinking after work. I was drunk and in a rush to finish a drink and go to the next destination (Maybe. . . I was drunk). Anyway, I saved the link in my phone and was gonna give it a looksy the next day while I recovered from my hangover in bed. After I checked it out, it immediately went on the list of awesome things I needed to tell John (My John). It was good. Really good, and I'm not easily impressed.

When I was doing the 25 Gift to Get Him Down Your Chimney Tonight blogs, I wanted to feature Ten Times then, but then I thought this deserves better. A spotlight. So after lots the holiday and getting over a cold, I finally have the time I wanted to dedicate to John and Ten Times. Not only did I want to share this awesome website with all of you, but I wanted you to know the story behind the t-shirt.

Okay, so when did you start Ten Times Clothing Co and what was your inspiration?

For me, I had always been interested in starting a clothing company. I used to design huge shorts and have my mom sew them when that whole trend was going on in skateboarding from 1990-94. I would wear them out and the other guys I skated with started asking me to buy them off me. I sold a few pairs of shorts and never made much out of it. All the way up through high school I would design clothing here and there as I needed with the help of my mom. Jeans, jackets, fleece vests, pretty much anything that I couldn't get in the massive sizes that early 90's skateboarding required. Thinking back now I have to laugh at what we came up with. It was fun though. In 1995 I went off to college and was worried more abut how I could afford the clothing that I was in to, mainly Polo and Nautica stuff that I saw the East Coast hip-hop kids wearing.

 

Ten Times as an idea started as a joke between my friend Ryan Burgy and myself in 2006 or 2007. I had come back from New York City and we were sitting at Thursday's talking about creating something like the iconic "I Heart NY" shirt I was wearing, but for Akron. We both were talking about how someone had to be tough to come from Ohio and how Ohioans don't get the respect they deserve. At the time I was in love with how well the original Rubber City Clothing Company nailed everything funny about Akron. I thought we could take things a little further. After a lot of beers and going back and forth Ryan stated, "we should just make something that says, FUCK YOU, I'M FROM AKRON!, or something." I laughed at it, thinking about how bold of a statement it was. The only thing at that time that Akron was even somewhat known for was LeBron James.

Not to soon afterward I put up some money and started making buttons and stickers that simply stated, "FUCK YOU, I'M FROM AKRON." I gave them away or sold them at shows that Ryan's band, Sofa King Killer, was playing at. They caught on and people started asking me to make shirts with the saying. I didn't have the time or money to do much else with it, so I put it on the back burner. I didn't think about seriously doing anything with it until I gave Chrissy Hynde of The Pretenders a sticker and she said she loved it. That was October or November and I still was on the fence about putting any money into clothing until New Year's Eve 2008 when a couple of friends cornered me in a garage at a party and started talking about making a company based on the FU design.

I didn't believe them at first, but it was something they wanted to put money up for and get started. Reluctantly, I said OK, not wanting complicate things by working with friends. We formed the company with Ryan and 2 other friends, Eric Wagner and Eric Starr. The name "Ten Times" comes from the amount of times Akron mayor Don Plusquellic  put "AKRON" on a bridge overlooking OH I-77. Our first release was the FU shirt, The Beard, a shirt mocking the yellow DUI plates that Ohio passes out that simply stated "PRTYPL8", and one with Dee Schneider of Twisted Sister on it. Our two initial investors would leave soon after, not liking my overly controlling leadership style. The rest of us have been at it ever since. 

How do you balance your creative energy, running a business, family and work? It's an impressive task.

It's a very hard thing to do, my wife deserves a medal! It kept me sane when I lost my job as a package designer. I had so much to do with the company that I wouldn't let my unemployment get me down. I saw it as fate telling me to get my ass in gear and do something important. At the same time my wife was 4-5 months pregnant and I had to move on it before my daughter came. Now it's a little bit harder to do. I spend a lot of time with my kid, watching her everyday, freelance and work part-time to help out with the bills. Nap time is best time there is. That is usually when I can break out the sketchbook and pencils and start creating new concepts. My partners also keep inventory, draw and do other things related to the company, so its a good business set up.

What programming and software do you use to create your designs?

It usually starts out with a sketchbook and a pencil. From there I'll scan it in to Photoshop or start laying down some type or redrawing in Adobe Illustrator. When the design is finished I'll put it on a shirt template and send it out to my guys to take a look at. We go through what colors to make it and make other design decisions from there.

When the design is finished I'll take it and make separations for the screens and then print it out on shirts on the printing press in my basement. It's great being so integrated, printing everything by hand. We can change our minds quickly if the design doesn't work and it helps keep operating costs way down.

Were you born and raised in Akron?

No. I was born in Fargo, North Dakota and then moved to Akron when I was 5. All the rubber companies were still here. I had a lot of friends whose families worked at those factories and businesses. I moved to Syracuse, NY when I was 13 and then back in 1995, after my dad got transferred. I went to The University of Akron, met my wife and have lived in Akron ever since.

What are your aspirations for your business' future?

TO MAKE IT BIG!?! Whatever that means. When we started I wrote out a five year plan and we have met most every goal I set out for us. Akron has been very good to us. Cleveland and other places in Ohio too, as we expanded into other markets. I would love to see us grow to get beyond being so "local-centric". I feel that the brand has the ability to do so, but we just need to figure out how to balance sticking to our roots and moving forward. 

I would also like to see us in our own store at some point. I have always wanted to run my own place and offer something different than what I have seen at the mall, there's so many good small clothing companies out there that few people have ever heard of.

Anything else you want people to know?

Ten Times does custom work. Design and print. Stickers, buttons, hats, shirts, fliers, you name it. If anyone has questions they can contact us at 10xyourcity.com.

And if it's not Santa Clause, Rick Ross or Steve Zissou, who is it?

We get asked that a lot.~

 

After getting to know about the business, I got even more excited for John. He has a great idea and a great company and needs to be recognized as an amazing local artist. His shirts are perfect for any one with hometown love. 

All shirts are 100% cotton. Ten Times also carries stickers, hats, buttons and woman's shirts as well so you can get something nice for yourself or you lady friend, boo mama. Also, all orders come with Ten Times stickers and buttons.

Right now Ten Times is also having a 60% off sale. Yeah, you can't beat the prices. It'll be going on until January 7th, so make your way over to http://10xyourcity.bigcartel.com and pick something up. You can also get Ten Time gear at Revival in Highland Square and Wholly Crafts in Columbus for my Southern Ohioians.

Check out the site and also spread the word, tell your friends and retweet. Thanks for reading. I even appreciate y'all taking the time to read it.