Soap by the slice: Sesame Delight

Oh my gosh, you are going to love this! A combination of sesame, soy, palm and olive oils makes this soap nourishing and leaves the skin soft and supple. Eucalyptus essential oil helps kill bacteria and clears nasal passages. Coconut oil creates a rich lather. This is a 100% Vegan soap.

Research shows that sesame seed oil is a potent antioxidant. In the tissues beneath the skin, this oil will neutralize oxygen radicals. It penetrates into the skin quickly and enters the blood stream through the capillaries. Molecules of sesame seed oil maintain good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL).

The principal active ingredient in eucalyptus oil is "eucalyptol" which has strong germicidal and disinfectant properties. A naturally occurring chemical found in extra-virgin olive oils is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent. This soap lathers well and leaves the skin smooth, soft, and nourished. This soap is excellent for use in shaving legs as it makes a nice and creamy lather and moisturizes the skin.

Interested in purchasing a 4 oz. bath bar? This soap is $4.50 each. Contact me if you would like to order some.

Blood-Pressure-Sensing Underpants

Blood pressure is not hard to measure, but the necessary equipment for clinically accurate measurements (a cuff, a pump, and stethoscope or electronics) is bulky and heavy.

However, researchers have recently found that a person's "pulse wave velocity" is closely linked to blood pressure. This is the rate at which the pulse pressure wave passes through the blood circulatory system.

Sensors sewn into the waistband of a person's underpants can measure the rate of this wave, consumer electronics company Philips has discovered, and could be used to calculate blood pressure for as long as the garment is worn.

Each sensor continually measures the electrical impedance of the tissue beneath it ; a property that changes as the pulse wave passes by. A pair of such sensors can calculate the speed of the pulse wave by timing how long it takes to travel from one sensor to the other.

Once calibrated with a conventional blood-pressure reading, the electrodes can then give accurate blood-pressure readings, while the wearer enjoys the comfort of their own underpants.

I wonder if Philips can tweak it a bit so that I can receive a radio station or perhaps watch video while occupied in the bathroom? Technology never ceases to amaze me.

Just what the doctor ordered.

Waiting. Bits of conversation overheard. Travelers plugged into technology. Surrounded by two thousands miles of ocean with swaying coconut palms and fragrant plumeria, these travelers put their electronic blinders on and move from one state to another (physically and metaphorically).

Transported to another space and time. Falling asleep, mouth open, legs splayed unlady-like, I drift into another dimension. Passengers' conversations wend their way into my subconscience. "I wish we could have spent more time here", "what would you have done?", "spent another day at the spa"...

Fresh sunburns and old habits: A prescription for a tropical holiday.

Soap by the slice: Conditioning Bar

Filled with the rich emollients
of palm, coconut, canola, and castor oils, this hard soap leaves your skin smooth and silky. I added Ocean Mist essential oil to complete this refreshing experience. This soap is 100% Vegan. It can also be used as a shampoo bar.

The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is native to West Africa, where local populations have used it to make foodstuffs, medicines, woven material and wine. This soap features red palm oil which is a rich source of vitamin A in the form of Cartenoids (a family of natural fat-soluble nutrients important for antioxidant defense). It is also a wonderful natural source of Vitamin E. This soap also is rich in lauric acid which is believed to have antimicrobial properties. Castor oil is also said to be great for dry skin conditions, the lubricant in the castor oil helps ease the roughness of the skin.

Yes, you CAN purchase this soap. I have it in 4 oz. bars ($4.00 each) as well as 1 oz. travel sized versions ($1.00 each). If you are interested in purchasing some email me. This soap is one of my favorites. It has such a nice lather and leaves my skin so soft!

Chop chop

I saw my first chop when I was 21.

I remember it distinctly. It was in Monterey, California, at an antique shop. It was a tiny green frog perched on a tall thin plinth. It almost looked alive, ready to break for freedom out of the glass case it was trapped in. I instantly wished that I was chinese. An old chinese man, carving meticulously in hard, green jade. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I wanted to carve one, I wanted to possess one.

Fast forward 29 years. I finally carved by first chop. Not hard, unforgiving jade, but soft, conforming soapstone. You see the result. I'm pretty happy with it. Not so happy with the smudge of red I just left on the black shirt I was using as a backdrop, but still pretty happy.

Another excuse NOT to do laundry

The Associated Press

GORHAM, Maine - Mara Ranger will be a little paranoid doing laundry now. When she was removing clothes from the washing machine at her Maine farmhouse Wednesday, the clothes moved. She told WMTW-TV, "I jumped back" and saw a snake. She quickly shut the lid and called for help.

Maine Animal Damage Control operator Richard Burton reached into the machine and pulled and pulled — all 8 feet of a reticulated python. Burton guesses the snake got into Ranger's washing machine through water pipes. The snake's future home will be York Animal Kingdom in York.

Ranger is going to start looking into every corner of her washing machine. She says, "I'm going to be looking in the tub first — before and after, maybe even during, the rinse cycle."

Yah, well all I have to say is that I'd be checking the toilet first. And I guess this would be better than snakes on a plane. Gosh, I'm glad there are no snakes in Hawaii. . .

Better than sliced bread?

Do you know about TED? If you don't, you are missing a really great thing. TED Talks is a website where innovative ideas are shared. You might enjoy this video about a new computer desktop system called Bump Top. It might not be better than sliced bread, but you'd have fun using it! (Be careful, if you go to this site, you will be glued to it for hours!)

Soap by the slice: Oatmeal & Honey

Breakfast or soap? Yes, I make soap!

This old-fashioned soap is made with new ingredients. Coconut and olive oils combined with lard are the base for this skin-nourishing soap. Honey from macadamia orchards in Hilo, Hawaii serves as a natural humectant (a humectant is a compound that attracts moisture to itself and helps retain the moisture) with antimicrobial properties. Added cinnamon is strongly stimulating to the skin and warms the body.

Some researchers believe people first discovered the skin-soothing effects of oatmeal nearly 4,000 years ago. In this handmade soap, oatmeal also acts as a gentle exfoliant.

If you are interested in purchasing this 4 oz. bath bar, for $4.00 each, contact me. I also have 1 oz. travel bars available for $1.00 each.

Life bit by bit

What is better by the slice?

(Photo: NaPali coast, Kauai)




Pretty much everything. Even though I want the whole cake, I can really appreciate it better bit by bit. So, this blog is dedicated to taking life one step at a time; slowing down and taking a look around. That is why I live in paradise.


Kauai is not for the party animal, type-A, overachiever. Life here is laid back; a watches-off sort of place. When I first moved here in 2001 I quickly discovered that no one shared my sense of urgency about anything; from needing to move quickly through the grocery line, to accomplishing projects at work in a timely (again, my definition) manner. What I quickly learned was that it usually doesn't really matter if it gets done today or tomorrow...it will eventually get done. This has nothing to do with laziness or lack of interest on the part of others. What it does have to do with is taking one thing at a time and keeping your priorities in order.


Anyway, I hope you enjoy this blog. Check back for other things offered by the slice.