In this edition of the Mixtape Audit, let us introduce you to a laid back mix courtesy of Lady Miss Navy Pier. She did the music for our most popular podcast “Happy Vagina Month” and has been banging out hot mixtapes all summer. (Using vagina and banging in the same sentence was probably a bad choice, right?)

Whether your going for a stroll on your bike, completing a homework assignment or need something uplifiting at your dead end job, this mix will put you in a fresh sexy mood. The T-Pain remake in the beginning should be enough to put a smile on your face.

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We all want to eat healthier or at least want healthier options. So we go to a restaurant or go through the drive through and attempt to order the healthiest thing (in our mind) on the menu, most times that is a salad. I was devastated when the Today Show did a special regarding these top 5 salads and how they are actually worst for you than a Whopper! Here is the list:

Wendy’s BLT Cobb Salad with Croutons and Avocado Ranch Dressing
740 calories
50 grams fat (15.5 grams saturated)
2,140 milligrams sodium

Calorie equivalent: 2 Wendy’s Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers (700 calories) Don’t be totally shocked by this high calorie count — this salad is sporting two of the biggest culprits when it comes to diet-busting greenery. First, check the avocado Ranch dressing. Any creamy dressing is going to be high in fat and calories. Replace it with vinaigrette and save big.

Quiznos’ Chicken Caesar Flatbread Salad (with bread)
920 calories
66.5 grams fat (20.5 grams saturated, 0 grams trans fat)
2,090 milligrams sodium

Calorie equivalent: Three White Castle Bacon Cheeseburgers with 3-piece Chicken Rings (860 calories) Unless you have proof to the contrary, just assume that any Caesar salad in a restaurant is a bad salad choice. That’s because the Caesar dressing is exceptionally heavy — really, all creamy dressings are.

Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad
1,310 calories
93 grams fat (15 grams saturated, 2.5 grams trans fats)
1,470 milligrams sodium

Calorie equivalent: Almost as much as a McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Medium Fries and Medium Coke (1,330 calories) Why is this salad so hefty? Part of the blame goes to the “tasty Oriental vinaigrette,” for sure (the secret is always, at least partially, in the sauce). Another reason: It’s topped with “crispy noodles” (carbohydrate overload). And to complete the triumvirate of dietary doom: Fried chicken to boot.

California Pizza Kitchen’s Waldorf Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
1,570 calories
30 g saturated fat
2,082 mg sodium

Calorie equivalent: Wendy’s 1/2-Pound Double with Cheese, Medium Fries and Medium Chocolate Frosty (1,570 calories)
Same thing, the Blue Cheese Dressing is the culprit. Most “salads” at California Pizza Kitchen are very calorie dense, you would be better off just ordering a pizza if you go there.

T.G.I. Friday’s Santa Fe Chopped Salad
1,800 calories

Calorie equivalent: Burger King Double Whopper, Medium Fries and Small Chocolate Shake (1,800 calories)

This is the worst salad in America. T.G.I. Friday’s doesn’t reveal full nutritional information, so we don’t know how much salt or fat this monstrous dish packs. Here’s a hint: Never, ever order a Mexican-themed salad, no matter where you’re eating.Tweet

A few years ago, Sketchers released a new shoe called the “Shape Up.” I found it hard to believe that a company notorious for the world’s ugliest adult sneaker would have the audacity to one up themselves with a shoe with a round bottom. The ads featured lean, racially ambiguous, people enjoying life with their plugly (plastic + ugly) footwear. I never thought it would catch on. I kept thinking to myself, “Who in these United States of America and Toronto would wear a shoe like that?”

The same type of people that would wear Crocs.

God damn the nation. This summer has been filled with people wobbling around, sporting their uneven pavement stompers as if this innovation in fashion is seriously affecting their health in a positive way. And I’m not seeing athletes wear these shoes, it seems to be the notorious unhealthy population who have decided that this is a better alternative to actual exercise. Some of the perks include: not sweating, sort of feeling the burn around the joints, and ruining your life.

The look of Sketchers is already juvenile. They’re cute on toddlers but not on tax paying adults. Pair these gym shoes with jeans and a shirt and you’ll be walking out of your house looking like a Rug Rat.

If you’ve considered purchasing a pair of these sex appeal-killers, keep in mind that they physically inhibit your ability to move. You can’t run or jog in them. And you wouldn’t be able to play any sports with them. It’s all a marketing ploy designed to support inactive people.

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It took two days, but once I was finished with the board and I had it mounted in my bedroom, something in the air changed. The confusion I had about what I wanted to do after graduating faded away and I found myself surrounded by really awesome people that wanted to actually help me. Someone at my summer job randomly insisted on helping me reformat my resume which lead to me to apply for work with some major cable networks, I was able to meet up with Giuliana Rancic from the E! channel and Kelly Zink from Celeb TV to get help on further my journalism career, and earning money didn’t seem to be a concern anymore. It was a complete 180 turn from that emptiness I felt in May when I had started to think that the college industry was a scam.

Really weird/good stuff continues to happen and although some might say its just coincidence, I would at least like to believe that the dream board definitely keeps me on task. I’m more optimistic and my thoughts on success are more like realistic assumptions than fantasy. The dream board reinforces positive energy and esteem. It’s hard to be a Debbie Downer with a massive block of cut out images looming over your home.

Examples:

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How to Make One:
1. You need an insane amount of images. I went through about 30 magazines to find images and words that popped out to me. I guess you could also just google image search for specific things but I feel like that ruins the whole spiritual process and journey. Allowing yourself time to actually sit down and look through pages for things to cut out will give you time to reflect on what you really want and how to get it.

2. When going through the images be sure to follow your instincts. My dream board has 3 cars on it. My close friends will tell you that this is weird considering my natural fear of driving and getting hit by a car a few years ago. I don’t desire to ever own a car, but my guess is that I want to conquer my fear finally so that I could potentially live in a place like Los Angeles. They also say to limit the number of words you use and to try to focus on images, but if you are a fan of puns, wordplay, catchphrases and Ebonics, I say go for it.

3. You must hang this in a place that you will be able to see daily. You should probably already have the riddle of “How am I going to hang this bitch up?” answered before you start. Leaning it on a dresser, taping or nailing it to a wall, or hanging it from something will do. Be creative, but don’t cause a disturbance in your place.

4. Make sure you are using clear tape or staples. Glue can potentially ruin an image which can be frustrating during the process. You want to look at your future and not globs of nasty. (I’m talking about dried glue…)

5. You should be looking at this board twice a day for at least 5 minutes. Also make notes on things that have happened as a result of putting up your board. It will seem superstitious at first, but if you’re jobless, loveless, moneyless, and dealing with a bout of ugliness, it can only improve your life. Trust. Tweet

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My best friend for life, Katerina Papadatos lended her good looks and style for DJ Supertoy’s latest solo project entitled She Wants A Man. Unlike most independent music video efforts, this one actually has a vivdly clear concept and is fun to watch. Take Note, people. ;)

You should never try to minimize your ambition for the sake of comfort.

So, in other words. No children allowed!

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I think this statement stuck out to me being as though it was the week of my show’s opening. This is a tender time for any artist knowing that her work is about to appear in front of a live audience. Being a solo performance artist, it’s easy to get stuck in your own world of play. I’m also an only child, so being alone comes naturally to me. However, there is always a realization of: “I am about to lose my grip on this lonesome art practice by sharing it with others.” A fantastic realization, but quite a scary one. You would think by now I would know that at the end of my process comes a live performance, but if I reminded myself this at the start of every new work, I would never go on stage again.

I thought about the dogs…and them biting people…who are nervous. And this brought some peace to me. Nothing kills confidence like nervousness. Nobody is going to believe me if I don’t believe it myself.

Anne Bogart, director of SITI Company, states: “Embarrassment is a partner in the creative process – a key collaborator. If your work does not sufficiently embarrass you, then very likely no one will be touched by it.”

The people of the world are the dogs. And, luckily you, the one in control, have the option to choose nervousness or confidence.

And this pertains not only to performers, but to anyone who puts themselves in the situation of doing something potentially risky – rocking a new bright red lipstick, sporting a tight mini skirt, donning some 6-inch high heels, a first date, a job interview…

We choose these risky things to represent us during important situations because we believe we are capable of turning the potential risks into triumphs. Life is too short to choose what is always safe, most especially when it comes to personal self-expression. Why waste time not getting your personal message across because you’re too afraid of who you are? Demand space for yourself and your identity.

Nothing will kill the look of that mini dress more than you continuously tugging at the bottom of it, or walking like a duck stuck-up the ass with a pogo stick because you forgot to practice walking in your Louboutin’s. You need to look forward and move full-speed ahead. Prepare. Practice. And pretend like your fearless approach comes off naturally. Because soon, it will.

The audience are the biting dogs. And they’re not going to bite if you don’t show your fear.Tweet