Against the Grain

Another flood dream:

This time we were traveling to a festival (mela) in some far away place. It took us several hours of driving to arrive, and when we did, we caught a glimpse of our spiritual master and left immediately. Gurudeva had an entourage of disciples and followers around him. They were fanning him and shading him with ornate fans and umbrellas like straight pimpin' boss. Seriously.
We took off back toward Dallas, and on our way we picked up my brother and a friend of mine, Victor. I don't know what they were doing out in the middle of nowhere, but they needed a ride home. I was more than happy to accommodate Victor because we were having car problems. Charles, on the other hand, was utterly useless.
 Our car stalled as we approached Texas, and we were stuck out in on the highway with no nearby garage, auto supply, or tools to speak of. Victor stepped out of the car, jerry-rigged it, and managed to start the car. We headed on our way until we noticed the road literally disappeared before our eyes. "Where the hell is the road?" we asked ourselves. "What the hell is going on?" As it happened, there was a flash flood that washed away large portions of the highway. Along the way, state troopers and local police set up a road block, and advised us to back track and find a different route home. We weren't about to do that with our unreliable transport, so we discussed other options.
 Chandaneswar and Victor reasoned that our vehicle could take a little "off-road action". Afterall, it was a Jeep, and could handle rough terrain even if it did have other issues. I scanned the shoulders and saw most of the ground along the highway was leveled and dry so it was relatively safe. We all agreed, and headed on our way. We cut across the median and first drove into oncoming traffic, as that part of the highway was pretty empty and still viable. Occasionally, we met with traffic, and they honked and shouted profanities at us. We weren't at all phased by it. It was fun, Victor, Krishna Chandra, and I were exhilarated and thrilled as we sped down the highway weaving and dodging other cars.
We kept driving until the road was too damaged and dangerous to use, and drove up on the shoulder. Eventually, even the shoulders were too dangerous, so we ventured even further away onto completely rocky, uneven land. Our SUV was fine though, and we kept going until we found a patch of road that led us back to the highway. The highway was really close to Dallas, and we knew it was only a matter of time until we reached home. We couldn't thank Victor enough. I wanted to punch the SOB who sold us that busted ass Jeep, but maybe I should thank him instead.

Homemade Sugar Wax

This homemade wax is a thrifty way to to look your best without the harsh chemicals, hot waxes and mess!
Let me tell you how to make it quickly and easily in your own home with few ingredients in ten minutes. 

First: You need a cup of sugar, two tablespoons of water and two tablespoons of lemon or lime juice.
Bring your ingredients to a rolling boil on high heat for two minutes. 

Your mixture will have a lot of froth and will look like this. Reduce the heat to medium and cook it for another two minutes.

After four minutes on medium heat it will look like this. At this time reduce the heat to low .

Seven minutes on low heat. Thick, syrup-like consistency with a warm amber color. Keep cooking it for another three minutes.

At ten minutes on low heat it will start to look and smell like caramel. Shut off the heat and turn your sugar wax into a glass oven-safe baking dish or pan and sprinkle it with water.

Sprinkle it with water to cook and soften the wax and work it in with your spatula. Continue 'kneading' the wax adding very little water until it becomes soft and supple. Use your spatula not your hands because it is really hot!

Voila! You have got yourself an all-natural body and facial wax which is gentle enough for sensitive skin and strong enough for tough to remove body hair. You apply this wax in the opposite direction of hair growth and pull down. You can use this wax with or without strips, you can find methods for sugar waxing on youtube. Enjoy!