www.thevaporgirl.com review

I came to the realization a couple months ago that I am not getting any younger. I started exercising every day, I cut processed foods out of my diet, I stopped drinking soda and cut down on my alcohol intake (*sigh*). I immediately started to feel healthier and my energy levels and mood improved significantly. There was just one thing in my life that I was struggling with that I could not seem to get under control: smoking cigarettes. I have been smoking several packs a week for about 7 years and have desired to quit for the last 3. My main issue, besides nicotine withdrawal, was that I just enjoyed the act of smoking.

2 years ago I came across e-cigarettes at my local convenience store and decided to try it out. I spent 20 dollars on the device and 5 dollars on some pre-loaded cartridges. To be honest with you, it flat out sucked. I got like maybe 5 good drags off each cartridge, and it was nothing like actually smoking. I gave up the idea for a long time until I saw my friend take a hit off his e-cigarette and blow out a large cloud of vapor (it isn't smoke, the companies claim its just water vapor). I asked him what brand of e-cigarette he was using and he told me it was just a random one. I asked him why it worked so well. He pulled out a bottle of e-juice (mixture of nicotine, vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol and flavoring) and told me that he just added it to his cartridge whenever it ran out. I had to try it for myself.

I began researching e-cigarettes on line, and found that they are more commonly referred to as vaporizers by a rather large community that makes them and mixes their own e-juice. I saved up a little extra money and began to search for the best deal from the most reputable dealer I could find. I came across recommendations in a couple forums to buy from thevaporgirl.com. After browsing her website, I discovered she had pretty good prices and sold what seemed to be some of the top of the market devices for pretty cheap. I ordered a vaporizer and a 30 mL bottle of e-juice (which she makes herself at home). Within about an hour of my order placement, I get an email telling me that she does not have the vaporizer in stock at the moment. She offered to give me a slightly more expensive model at the same price. I very much appreciated this gesture of customer service. She runs her business out of her home in North Carolina, and I live in Southern California, so I was expecting the order to take a while. It came in two days after it was shipped. I was not expecting it but the eGo-T vaporizer set actually comes with two vaporizers so you can charge one while you use the other. I charged one up, injected her vanilla tobacco e-juice in to the cartridge and took a hit. What I blew out I can really only compare to the consistency of a hookah hit, and it tasted great. I have smoked one cigarette since and it was a few days after I first got the vaporizer. It did not taste the same and I could noticeably smell the residual cigarette smoke on my clothes, and I did not like it at all. I actually gave my pack of 19 cigarettes away to a homeless gentleman who was very appreciative, and have not smoked since. Victoria "The Vapor Girl" runs a solid business with quality products and great customer service. I have recommended her to many of my friends, and she will continue to have my business for a long time.

YouTube Review: Aiden Gallway

While perusing various occult chat rooms, I stumbled upon a link to this Wiccan's YouTube channel. Through this channel, Aiden attempts to explain Wicca to beginners, outsiders and non-practitioners. If you have ever been curious about what Wiccans believe and practice, this is a good place to start. Aiden is young and comes off a little nervous in the first video, but his heart is definitely in the right place and he puts forth an honest and well researched opinion. If you think we worship the devil and run around hexing everyone we do not like, you should really take a look at Aiden's videos. You can find them here:


http://www.youtube.com/user/MrJakerz18?feature=mhee#p/u/3/LoVqfoREO04

The Picky Pagan #1: Log Cabin in Big Bear

     After camping in the San Bernadino mountains this last weekend, I decided to go in to the city of Big Bear and check out some artisan shops and some antique stores (my time-wasting guilty pleasure). I had been out alone all weekend and had not really talked to anyone for the past couple days, seeing as how I was out in the wilderness, so I was in a pseudo-zen state when I arrived in the mountain town. I had been eating granola and dried fruit while camping, so I was definitely ready for a quality warm meal. It was ten in the morning on a Saturday, so I assumed that the breakfast joints would be at their best. I am not too familiar with the establishments in Big Bear, so in the best interest of making a good choice, I decided to drive around and check out my options. On the approach to downtown, I passed by a place called "Log Cabin" with a sign out front that read "Best Breakfast in Big Bear". I considered it slightly and drove on. As I passed other establishments and considered them, that claim that the sign made just started to work its way back in to my mind. I cruised around town, some more until I said out loud to myself, " Best in town, we'll see about that!" and I headed over without even really thinking about it.

     As I walked in through the front door I saw a sign that indicated for guests to wait for their waitress to seat them, so I consequently stood for about 5 minutes until I could get the attention of a waitress. I let her know that I was the only person in my party, and she directed me to sit at a small table were the sun would have been in my eyes, so I decided to sit at the larger booth next to it. Looking around, I noticed that the restaurant was about half full, which I thought was a little odd for mid Saturday morning if you have the "Best Breakfast in Town". My waitress brought me a well used menu and asked if I would like anything to drink. I ordered unsweetened iced tea. As I perused the menu, I noticed that they had a regular section and a German section. Intrigued, I order three different types of sausage, kartoffelpuffer (German potato pancakes) and sour kraut. The waitress took my order with no real interest, just kind of like I was another chore in her day to take care of. I did not take my cell phone in with me as it had been in my trunk the whole weekend, so I do not really know how long it took for my order to arrive, but seeing as how there was a family with a bunch of screaming toddlers sitting in the middle of the dining area, I started to get restless. I started noticing that most of the tablecloths had crumbs on them and the floor looked like it had not been vacuumed for a week. I spied a door to the back that had a patio that I had not recognized until then, so I jumped at the chance to move outside. When the food came I could tell that the German sausages had been store-bought but at least they were well cooked. The sour kraut was good, but inconsequential. The kartoffelpuffer tasted great (although I am no expert in German cuisine). It was all served with a small cup of sour cream and a small cup of what seemed to be Mott's applesauce. I do not like sour cream so that was left behind. The meal was, overall, satisfying but a little greasy. The meal was priced at about 12 dollars and my iced tea was about 2 so I feel it was a bit overpriced for store-bought sausage and applesauce. The waitress suddenly got nicer towards the end of my meal, obviously fishing for a tip. She was pretty attentive and refilled my ice tea a lot so I tipped her 15%. I left full, but on my way out I scowled at that sign.

The rundown: decor was old and dusty, cleanliness was barely tolerable, food was edible, service was acceptable, the prices sucked.

Rating: 2 broomsticks out of 5