Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Product Review: Match.com and Chemistry.com

Happy Valentine's Day!  In honor of this "day of love" I thought I'd post about dating! Recently a few people have asked me about my experiences with online dating.  So I thought I'd review two of the sites I've used.

First up is Chemistry.  I found a  14 Day Free Trial to Chemistry.com online (this link will take you to a free trial as well) and decided to test it out.  I created a profile and started searching.  Chemistry strikes me as a mix between Eharmony and Match.com.  The program gives you a "type" and then "matches" you to people they feel you could be compatible with.  I'm not sure how accurate their matching is but I met a few people off of the site and two of them led to a little bit more.  One I ended up dating on and off for a year.  I'm not sure either of us was really in a great place for a relationship but we got along great and had a lot of fun together.  The other guy was "the dude" who I've previously mentioned on here and we dated for 2 months and it was great while it was lasted.  Perhaps we didn't have long term potential but I don't blame Chemistry on that.  If you're thinking about trying online dating check this free trial out and it might even be worth your money!  My friend's dad met his new wife on Chemistry!

Chemistry.com 

 I also did a free trial of match.com and then later paid for the service.  I  had several dates from Match.com though none of them went past a second date.  I'm not sure what to attribute this to.  There were A LOT of people to choose from on Match but I had less responses from my matches on there.  So maybe it was just me or how I had my profile filled out.  On Match you put in all the things you want in a partner and sort the sea of people that way.  It gives you more control, though your own thoughts about what you must have or can't have might keep you from seeing some keepers.  Here is a link to 15% off of your fees.  It is probably worth a look!

Match.com

What services have you tried?  Is online dating the only way to meet people these days?  Thoughts on Match or Chemistry?

Monday, February 13, 2012

Pinterest Crafts! Circle Painting #1

I saw a pin from Two Girls Being Crafty where they made a piece of art very simply and I thought, "I can do that too!" So I did.

The first step in their post has you spray paint the canvas but I skipped that step, I didn't mind a pure white background.  They used a brown paint pen for the stems but I cheaped out and mixed my own brown paint and used a thin brush to paint the lines.  they aren't as perfect and some are thicker than I'd like but it was overall pretty simple to do.  Here is a picture of that step:


Then I started making the circles.  I used red, orange, blue, teal, and a little black.  I mixed colors together to make additional shades.  It was pretty time consuming because I had to clean the sponges in between colors to vary sizes and colors at the same time.  But it was easy.  Here are some pictures of the final product:


What do you think Oh and this all cost me less than $10 and I still have paint left over and the brushes/sponges are reusable!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Love Hate Relationship: The Gym Edition

I am developing a Love/Hate relationship with the gym.  I have been really good about getting myself there at least 3 times a week- typically Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.  I feel really good about the fact that I'm going.  BUT, I'm frustrated that I don't really have a focus.  I need some sort of measurable goal since I'm not trying to lose weight.  Maybe I should take measurements, or do some sort of preliminary fitness test or take "before" pictures.  I'm not sure.  Any suggestions?

In other gym news, yesterday, after doing a 50 minute Zumba class my gym buddy Katie and I did a bunch of dumb bell exercises to work out our biceps, triceps, and shoulders.  Then we did some ab work as well.  I AM SORE.  I hope the meds I took will kick in cause it hurts to move.  Ideally I'll have a rock hard beach bod by this summer- even though I'll be vacationing in the mountains. What are your favorite exercises?

Now I just need to get my eating in check.  I struggle to hit my appropriate calorie intake so I end up justifying eating fast food.  NOT GOOD.  I have high cholesterol so I suppose I need to stop ignoring that fact.  I'm looking for some good healthy food that isn't too "diety" since I'm not on a diet and definitely need to hit my calories on days I exercise.  I can't afford to buy new pants if I drop any weight!  I know, I know, #skinnygirlproblems.

Also, I'm on Fitocracy and Sparkpeople--- can't decide what I like better.  Hit me up if you want to follow.  Oh, and I realized I owe a ton on my taxes, so help a girl out and check out one of the ads on my site!