Entry #1. Gotta Love Blogs

Blogs are just so cool! I am not going to lie- I really really really love to type on my blog. It's such a great way to express your ideas, much quicker than writing and you're able to connect your ideas with people all over the world. I enjoy reading other perspectives on topics and seeing videos or pictures of interesting ideas shared. The blogging world is fascinating and it has a wide variety ranging from personal, formal, news, fashion; there are blogs covering just about every topic you can think of!

The greatest blog in the entire world has to be http://blondevsworld.tumblr.com; this is a personal favorite because I absolutely adore and worship the author Nikki Blackketter who is a sponsored fitness freak and bodybuilder. I follow her on every social media account and even have her on snapchat haha- but anyways, she is such a badass! She has a strong passion and drive for lifting weights, pushing her limits and reaching phenomenal goals. She is a macro coach and has a love for healthy foods. To top it off she is also the most gorgeous girl on the face of the Earth, has an incredible body and is so motivational. She has a YouTube account where she posts great workouts, exercises and awesome techniques. Her and her both have both competed in shows and won competitions; the two of them are the ultimate power couple I swear!

My personal favorite blogs always tend to be blogs with a lot of passion put into them. I am a health nut so the blogs I tend to read on my free time happen to revolve around fitness, exercise techniques and good clean recipes. I love to hear other people's weight loss stories and see transformation pictures; this is so incredibly motivational to me. I admire other's who care about their physique and personal health and I love to hear tips and advice on how I can improve myself. I love to cook and spend time prepping the foods I eat so blogs with recipes and food discussion is also a preference.

I also find beauty and fashion blogs to be interesting and fun to browse. Being a girl, there are so many different ways to do my hair, make-up, dress; it is incredible the amount of opportunity we have when it comes to beauty. Hearing about techniques and hints and helpful and exciting to try firsthand. There is an amazing blog at http://prettyshinysparkly.com that is written by a woman named Kristina who has a great passion and love for style, beauty, luxury and life. Her posts are informing, give helpful advice and suggest specific products.

I have a weakness for life stories and personal events; I can't tell you how much I love reality T.V and  personal accounts. I just genuinely enjoy reading or watching someone recap their life experiences or opinions. There was specifically I found that I enjoyed- it is bitchphd.blogspot.com; I feel like the author is very real and I love her ideas on feminism. She cusses and is informal throughout, however, still maintains structure, punctuation and a great deal of organization. I love her voice all throughout the blog; you can tell she is very blunt and strong in her beliefs.

In my blog exploration I also came upon another amazing blog that I fell in love with. This is http://decor8blog.com; the author is Holly Becker and she is an interior writer, book author and stylist. Her blog is filled with delicious recipes and great posts with decorative ideas. This website is at the perfect go-to when looking for ideas to expand your creativity and try new things. I love to read and see new ways to design or decorate a room. I have always been a fan of watching home interior design/renovation shows on the television so it's clear why I have such a great interest in reading about it as well.

In contrary, some blogs that I don't care to read include ones discussing politics and historical events. I mean- if the historical fact/ story is really interesting-okay. However, if it drags on and shares events like a digital timeline, then count me out. A boring blog such as http://www.thegwpf.org, discussing the global warming policy, would zone me out of concentration or put me to sleep. I would much rather spend my time on the present tense and learn how to enhance my life in different ways.

I honestly really appreciate blogging. I love that my ideas are permanent on here, once I hit publish this baby is final! It is a product to the world online and open to absolutely anyone who care to read it. It is like a digital diary and very convenient to be able to access it 24/7 and re-visit old posts from the past. I love reading comments from my peers and other bloggers, feedback is the best. If you do not already have a blog, I strongly recommend you make one. Blogs are filled with so much information and can teach so many valuable lessons. :)                  

HEY. HI. HELLO.

Hey there! 

For those of you who have visited my blog before..welcome back! This post might be a little repetitive to my very first post as it is mostly directed towards my newcomers. For those of you who don’t know, my name is Alexis McCall and I am 19 years young. I will be 20 on December 6th and I feel like it’s a big road mark in my life;no longer a teenager!

So much has happened this past year.. I have been serving at this new bar (The Moon Saloon) and making great money. I have also chose to pursue an educational path and have been taking many prerequisite courses to get my associates degree. My plan is to stay at Glendale Community College until this degree is met and then transfer to Arizona State University for further studies.

I also purchased my very own car from a dealership, a light blue Scion tC ($10,000) that I put a $5,000 downpayment on and continue to pay monthly for. I’m close to paying it off and have been working very hard to build a savings account and good personal credit. This is an accomplishment that I am very proud of.

My favorite hobby would have to be working out; whether it is outside, at the gym or at my house I love to be physically active. I get a sense of happiness and peace of mind when I make time to exercise. I also enjoy cooking and preparing good, healthy wholesome foods. I am a very peculiar eater so I like to meal prep. I do not eat meat of any kind except for fish. My favorite meal to cook would have to be a delicious piece of salmon! I also love sushi, tuna and shrimp as well. I am a huge fruit, vegetable and organic consumer. In my free time I also enjoy spending time with my grandma(who raised me) , friends, boyfriend and little shih-tzu dog.

Another change in my life recently actually happens to be a certain man. I have been single for over a year and a half so it is definitely a change for me to be this interested in someone. About four months ago this guy and I met through a mutual friend. In the matter of time we have connected on a different level and he has become my best friend. I never really thought of him as a potential relationship because we had such a great time together as friends. We are so open and comfortable with one another and constantly laugh and joke around when we are together. He makes me feel so important and goes out of his way for me each and every day. I love spending time with him and just being in his presence; I finally realized I just couldn’t hold back my feelings for him any longer and took a chance on a relationship.

I am so happy and look forward to what the future holds for us.

I’m also excited for more active blogging; I have some great ideas I can’t wait to share. Stay tuned my bloggers!

Entry #11. Blogging.

Blogging has literally changed my life. I have never gotten more joy out of doing an assignment before this English blog; it didn't even feel like homework. I found out that I am a much better writer than I thought I was and I really enjoy discussing topics that interest me to others.

I feel like people are really good at giving their standpoint or opinion on a subject but never really reflect and analyze why they have this opinion. Blogs are a perfect opportunity to tell the world your perspective and explain why you feel the way you do. It is a wonderful way to connect with people all over the world who are interested in discussing similar subjects with you.

Blogs bring motivation and knowledge about so many different life aspects. One can learn how to better their eating habits, change their physical activities, learn more about a specific hobby, and ultimately enhance their lives.

I love that blogs are so personable and visual; you can add all sorts of videos and images in between your text to make the reading much more creative and enticing. They are organized by date and easy to navigate with specific hyperlinks.

Before this, the only time I would ever "blog" was when I was updating my statuses on social media. I have an Instagram, Facebook and Twitter that I update pretty regularly but I never took the time to create a more serious and lengthened blog. After this experience with blogging, I am going to continue to post regularly on this Relayed by Lexy website and hope that people still read my posts.

I am taking English 102 next week and was told this will be included in that course as well which made me very happy. I am excited to be able to continue the rest of this semester on my blog and share many more ideas and perspectives with the world.

I loved to read and keep up on my classmates posts as well. It was very interesting to hear the opinions of the others I attend school with and I loved to see the different self-generated topics that were chosen. There is such a wide variety of people in this world and we are a blessed generation to be able to connect with this entirety through technology.

If you have not already made a blog, I would highly suggest you consider it. It is a calming experience to be able to vent the thoughts that are in your head and pour them out onto a computer screen. Your words could impact someone or even change a life and you don't even know it. Even if you don;t think you are a good writer, take a chance and challenge yourself. Tell me how a few weeks of continuous blogging affects your life.. Are you a natural blogger?

Food Inc.

The movie that changed my life a year and a half ago. Food Inc. was the ultimate reason I decided to become a pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish). And the sole reason I choose to eat an organic diet over processed, unnatural foods. This film scarred me and completely changed my perspective on the food industry,

So many people are unaware of where our all of our food comes from. From fast-food chains, to restaurants, to super markets- it seems as if we have hundreds of options but in reality a lot of our food comes from the same sources.

Industrialized farms have taken over the world in order for the farmers to get an animal or crop to grow in half the time it naturally would and at a much fatter size. Farmers will inject hormones and anti-biotics into their products which can potentially harm us as the consumer.

The part of the movie that got to me the most was the chicken coops and following the chicken farmers. Tyson is the biggest meat packager in the world; they essentially redesign their chickens to have large breasts in order to profit more. They didn't even want to show the inside of their chicken coops on the documentary because of how disturbing it really is! The chickens never see sunlight and their environment is filthy and covered in feces. The chickens can't even hold up their own weight because they are too fat from the hormones that are fed to them and their bone structure and strength can't support their bodies.

It is so disturbing to watch the chicken farmer just throwing the dead chickens around and clearing them out of the coop like it was nothing. She was wearing a face mask and gloves but i'm sure she has picked up illnesses from the environment she exposes herself too. 

All of the industrialized famers' concept revolves around mass production like an assembly line in the factory. They profit more money obviously by raising a product at a quicker rate and larger in size...However, what they are not thinking of is the consumer's overall health.

In my opinion, all processed and industrialized foods should be avoided, especially meat. Companies should not be allowed to sell food that has been exposed to and cared for in an improper way. It is not fair to the animals and it is not fair to us human beings as consumers. Do not support industrialized farms. 

Entry #10. Strive for Happiness.

At almost twenty years old, I have been faced with many challenges and obstacles just like any other teenager in this world. There have been periods in my life when I thought I didn't make much of a difference and felt very low about myself. I remember being 16 years old and going through the craziest phase of thinking how unfair everything in life was. I feel like everyone goes through or has been through depression at some point in their life. It is vitally important to not let this take hold of you or affect you in the long run.

Depression can affect your eating habits, sleeping habits, energy, concentration and self-image. If someone who is depressed does not seek help it can further lead to substance abuse, self-harm or even suicide. Sometimes you won't even be able to tell someone is suffering from depression; not all instances do they wear all black and act stand-offish. Some individuals can fake it pretty well, so always try to be a good person and give off positive vibes to the people around you.

Life is so beautiful. There are so many different places to go, people to meet and experiences to be made. I want to describe some ways you can enlighten your life whenever you feel like you are in a slump or want to give up.

Always turn to family members and friends that make you feel loved and cared for; it is never good to isolate yourself from the people in your life. A lot of individuals struggling with depression feel as if they are a burden on others and don't want to bother them with their issues. But the truth is, that the people in your life care about you and are in your life for a reason. Even if you don't want to turn to the same group you always do, re-connect with an old friend or go out on a limb and meet someone new.

Travel to a new place or visit a new restaurant/store in your area. Learn something new about the world; whether it is tasting different food, visiting an interesting building/sight or even going outside of the state or country borders. Expand your perspective on the world around you and do not be afraid to branch out. Visit a zoo, or a museum, or a science center, or even a library and expand your knowledge on something. There is so much out there to learn more about and sometimes we get caught up in this tunnel vision.

Develop a better understanding of expressing your feelings and ideas. Even if you are not a very good writer, get a pic of paper or notebook and just jot down how you are feelings. Or write a list of characteristics and goals you want to achieve for yourself in this life.

Go on a walk, hike or join a fitness center/gym. Working out releases endorphins within the body that naturally make you happier. Even just taking a step outside and breathing the fresh air can give you a refreshing mind change. Exercise can help you to relax,increase your brain power, activates more blood flow and improves your body image.

Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep each night but also make sure to not sleep too much every day. Sleeping is very important for the body to recover from the day and help you to be more productive for the next day. However, often times people suffering with depression will use sleep as an escape to hibernate from their problems.

Ultimately, I want you to strive for the most happiness you can in life. If you are going through a tough time or in a slump, never let it completely take over you. Each day is a new start and you will not truly be living a life if you are constantly dwelling on the past or stuck on the negative. If you notice that nothing seems to bring you happiness don't be afraid to seek guidance from someone else. You are not alone. Everyone feels low at one point or another in their life and it is very important to do anything possible to change that mindset. Be happy. Enjoy life. After all, you only have one chance at it.

Entry #9. Pink Slime.

I am completely disgusted after watching the short clip I have inserted above. This is just absolutely ridiculous and corporations using this "pink slime" should be utterly ashamed of themselves. In a previous blog post I discussed the fundamentals of the movie FRESH- in regards to avoiding industrialized foods and improperly treated meat/crops. This just flairs up more of my strong opinion on avoiding meat altogether in the United States- even if it doesn't come from a fast food chain.

Pink slime is an expression to describe a product in the meat industry called "lean finely textured beef" and/or "boneless lean beef trimmings".  It has been used as a food additive in a lot of our country's ground beef. A huge machine heats and removes fat from the beef trimmings; in this process, the product is ultimately exposed to ammonium hydroxide gas and citric acid to kill the bacteria.

I can't believe that companies would be willing to put unnatural chemicals into their food products in order to make more money for themselves. It absolutely blows my mind that the USDA consider this product safe for human consumption. Ammonium hydroxide is the same chemical in the cleaning products you would use at home- why would anyone want that inside of their body?!

Thank goodness for Jamie Oliver, a chef, whose goal was to show the world the truth about what the food industry was allowing to happen to meat products. At one point in time school cafeterias and restaurant chains were serving this pink slime in their meals. How much of this pink slime do you think the children of this day-in-age have ingested with happy meals and daily school lunches?

This next video I inserted, is the man Jamie himself showing a group of children ultimately how pink slime is made. Watch how he cuts the great pieces of meat and explains to the kids that those are the most expensive and best parts. Then he shows them the carcass that remains and all of the children can't help but to be disgusted. They all back away from him as Jamie holds the gross looking remains in the air. However, it is insane to see the kids reaction after blending the poor cuts of meat up and adding the hypothetical "additives" to enhance them. The children are actually willing to eat the garbage after Jamie disguises it to make it look as if it is a good piece of chicken.

This just proves the lack of knowledge the world has on what is really inside of our food. And specifically, children, who are completely unaware of the difference because the two different cuts of meat that can be made to look, smell and even taste the same. The bad cuts and scraps of meat used to be made for dog food and other animal feed because their stomachs could handle it better than humans. Personally, I wouldn't even want my dog to ingest this pink slime and feel like it should be illegal to sell in our country. What do you think?

Entry #8. Kardashian Kraze

So, in case you were not already aware, the Kardashian-Jenners are worth TONS of money! But who are these people and why is the world so crazy about keeping up with them? Well.. let me me give you a little background on how this family became so famous.

What most people do not realize is that Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob were wealthy enough to not have to work a day in their lives even before they started their TV series in 2007. Their father, Robert Kardashian, left his wife (Kris Jenner) and kids with a $100 million estate in trust when he lost his life to esophageal cancer in 2003. Robert was a powerful attorney and businessman; he gained most of his recognition as OJ Simpson's friend and defense attorney in Simpson's murder trial. Kris and Robert divorced in 1991, however, they remained good friends up until he passed away.

A month after her divorce, Kris married former Olympian Bruce Jenner and together they had two girls- Kendall and Kylie. Bruce won first place in the 1976 Montreal Olympics Decathlon event and has an estimated net worth of $100 million alone. As you can see, just between Robert Kardashian and Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner-after transitioning to a woman this year) there is already so much money being discussed. Nevertheless, money isn't the only thing that made them so well known.

Kris' oldest daughter, Kim Kardashian, sparked a lot of the attention for the family when a home-made "sex tape" of her and singer Ray J was leaked to the public in 2007. She filed a lawsuit and received a great amount of money and fame from it. In the same year, the family also aired their first season of the popular reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The show is currently in its tenth season and solely focuses on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian-Jenner family.

Do you keep up on them?

This TV show has an average of 3.39 million viewers. And so many people not only watch the series but follow many of the family members on social media sites as well. Each of the sisters (Kylie, Kendall, Khloe and Kim) all have their own apps in the iPhone app store and Kim even has an animated game of the family and life you can play virtually.

The sister are entrepreneurs,  have modeled in fashion shoots, created clothing lines/ beauty products, written books and have made countless appearances. However, I believe most people know and understand them from their television series. I used to LOVE to watch the show and kept up on a lot of the seasons years ago when it was much more popular and new. There was just something about them that is SO entertaining. Yes, ridiculously dramatic and extreme at times but that is what makes this reality TV show so interesting. I don't watch a whole lot of TV now but every now and then I still enjoy some Kardashian drama.

I feel like within the last year, the sister that has received the most attention and news in the media is Kylie Jenner- the youngest. The beginning of this year, the 18-year-old purchased a $2.7 million 5-bedroom 5.5 bathroom mansion in Calabasas, California. She has also physically transformed and grown up; filling her body and curves so much more. She received lip fillers and the news blew up all about her and her new facial feature. She also has a Mercedes Benz G-wagon, Range Rover and even a Ferrari- that was actually a birthday gift from her boyfriend Tyga. AT 18 YEARS OLD...I'm 19 and still question whether or not i'm going to purchase the extra guac at Chipotle! Can you image having that much money at such a young age?

There is a lot of controversy over this family that say they didn't have to do much of anything for their fame and wealth. To a certain extent, I believe that is true- just as I described in the beginning with the two father's worth. I feel like it is almost impossible to not find something to do with your life when you are given a great deal of wealth from the start. Do you think any of them invested money into an educational pathway? Only one of them, Kourtney Kardashian, has a bachelor degree; all of the others do not. But with your career and wealth already set for life..is college even  necessary?

Anyways, from an outside standpoint, I think the show and family themselves are very entertaining. Sometimes I wish I had that amount of money to be able to do whatever I want or purchase whatever I want at any given time. Or have the opportunity to travel the world, meet famous people and experience the things they do. On the other hand, they have no privacy.. They are constantly monitored- on the television and in the public with paparazzi. When one little life event happens or a mistake is made then the entire world is made known of it and often times lies are even created.

If for some obscure reason you have never heard of the Kardashians, take a look on the internet or television and view a little snippet of their life. Check out their lifestyles and tell me what you think about them. Would you want to have your family aired on a reality TV show like theirs?

Entry #7. FRESH.

"Cheap food is an illusion; the real cost of the food is paid somewhere." 

This is one of my favorite and most accurate statements pointed out in the movie FRESH; take a few minutes to watch the trailer I've provided above. This is not even a sliver of information the documentary covers on food production and industrialized farming versus organic/natural farming. The movie publicly acknowledges farmers, business people and thinkers all across the United States who are re-inventing our food system. Specific witnesses are followed and share their perspective on the huge transformation in our agriculture and food production.

As nerdy as this sounds, I am a huge fan of this topic and love to watch and read new information about it- so personally I enjoyed every minute of this movie. The past four years of my life have been dedicated to altering my eating habits and choosing healthier diet options. I was overweight in junior high and the beginning of high school and my initial goal was to simply be a skinnier, healthier version of myself. Nevertheless, a year and a half ago I was greatly impacted by a film similar to this one called "Food Inc." and started researching in great depth about food manufacturing. I then decided to not just eat "healthy" foods but to specifically choose organic/natural products over others.  On top of that, I also made the decision to cut beef, poultry, chicken and turkey out of my diet.. I am considered a "pescatarian" because I do not eat meat, however, I consume fish. 

Watching FRESH reiterated the standpoint and perspective I had when I originally came across the documentary "Food Inc.". This concept of mass food production from industrialized and "factory farms" is simply wrong and unhealthy. The industry injects hormones and anti-biotics into their animals to fatten them up quicker and produce more for the farmer's profit. Pesticides and poor fertilization on crops are also used and ultimately serve the same purpose. All of these substances are incredibly toxic to the human body, especially when ingesting large amounts of them. Let's face it, we see obesity all around us. And we are also well aware that a lot of the world really just looks for the cheapest and most convenient food choices; this is why processed and fast-food are so popular.

One of the most interesting parts of the movie, in my opinion, was the focus on farmer Joel Salatin and his natural style of farming using a nutrient cycle. In other words, he preserves the soil and rotates his crops to keep the farmland healthy without using artificial fertilizers. The cows on the farm are moved from one pasture to another rather than being centrally corn fed. Afterwards, his chickens follow behind the cows in these portable coops; they dig through the cow waste and eat protein-rich fly larvae while fertilizing the field with their own waste. I just love that Joel's focus is to keep nature all in harmony with one another; which ultimately is the most ideal farming style. 

This is such an important movie for all; I strongly recommend that everyone watches it and re-evaluates their own personal diet/ food sources. So many of our country's health issues can be avoided or reduced just by choosing to eat a clean and natural diet. You don't have to go all out like I did and restrict yourself completely from certain foods, however, making small healthy choices and attempting to eat less junk can positively impact your life. Read the nutrition labels. Do your research. You only get one body in this lifetime so why not feed it the best way possible. :)