I’m still here. It’s just that I’ve mostly been super-active over on Substack where I tend to publish most of my writing these days. I’m thinking of mostly updating this page on a monthly basis with a few links to my latest posts. Like this Easter greeting to people who are celebrating today. I’m also taking a break from my podcast, sort of rethinking what I should do with it. There’s a lot I’m dealing with right now, things I’m not quite getting into just yet. Anyway, here are a few more posts I’d like to link to from Substack that you might be interested in!

Award Winning Essays in High School Won’t Stand in 2024

Being An Only Child Makes You Use Your Imagination and Creativity!

Book Censorship Exists on Both Sides

What’s Wrong With You, Alabama?

Will you join me over on Substack? Do you have a site of your own? Let me know in the comments! And HAPPY EASTER to everyone celebrating!!!

The post So Where Am I, Anyway? (And Happy Easter!) appeared first on Cynthia C. Mintz.

So what have I been doing lately, besides working on my new show? First of all, with Toronto opening up again, I’ve started to go back to some things I did in my previous life. Like going non-food/essentials shopping. If you follow me on Instagram, I walked into a Sephora store for the first time since March 2020 recently and bought moisturizer and tinted lip balm! I also had my first haircut in some 18 or more months! That was so wonderful!! I splurged on that one – LOL. A lot was chopped off, but I don’t think it’s long enough to donate. I have that chopped off hair sitting in a drawer in the bathroom. Thank goodness the hair is still long enough to tie back as I need it in that length to work out.

Speaking of working out, I recently went back to the gym. The REAL gym, rather than working out on my home elliptical and via streaming. I’m still using the elliptical and have kept my Essentrics.com subscription, but going back to the gym, to a trainer and seeing more people – even though you’re not having a conversation with them necessarily – is such a good thing for the mind. The past 16 or so months have been tough for me from a mental health perspective, as I’m sure it has been for many people. Not everyone would admit it because they don’t want to be shamed. It’s disappointing that mental health awareness is so behind the times, especially in some cultures – many think it’s a “middle class invention,” or worse, do not acknowledge it at all.

I’m writing this on August 1, and as of this date, I have yet to dine in a restaurant. My family and I have ordered tons of takeout, especially on weekends (we’ve kept up with our weekend brunch, and have even tried places we never went to in the past. New places we tried over the last 14-15 months include Starving Artist and Lady Marmalade. The little guy loves Starving Artist and even has a “waffle dance”). Now that dining in is an option, it’s nearly impossible to make reservations at some restaurants, especially for dinner. I tried making one for our anniversary, but they were fully booked. Luckily, we were able to get one for brunch the following day.

What else? Well, as you probably know, the little guy is growing up fast. He’ll start preschool in September, and we’re really hoping that things don’t change much and in-person learning is in session. He hasn’t seen a kid his own age since March 2020 outside of his virtual music classes. His vocabulary has improved a lot since then and even since the expressively delayed episode dropped on July 6. While you can’t carry a full conversation with him, his sentences ARE getting longer. I’m only hoping that he’ll be able to properly say the “magic words” (i.e. please and thank you) without prompting and lose the habit of saying “huh” for “yes” by September. I’m told that vocabulary can increase significantly as kids see other kids. They have to figure out how to communicate with each other, after all. I’m also hoping that he’d understand one isn’t the centre of attention and that people won’t always respond when you call their name. He SAYS he gets it, but I don’t think he does. He’ll find out the hard way if he doesn’t understand before school starts,

As for everything else, I’m still cooking more, still making my weekly soda bread. I haven’t really experimented too much with the recipe (I typically use a mix of flours including quinoa, oat, spelt and whole wheat), though I started baking it with a lower temperature (dropping it from 450 F to 420 and extending the baking time to 45 minutes with the lid on and 15 with the lid off). Still works great. I’ve also made two ingredient oatmeal cookies (the recipe for this is all over the internet and basically involves mashed bananas and oats (some suggest old fashioned rolled oats while others use quick cook. It doesn’t matter, to be honest) several times. That’s basically the only cookies I make since I typically don’t like adding too much sugar to any baking (the only sweeteners I own are honey and maple syrup – outside of foods that have added sugar in them already, such as ice cream and some chocolates. If you’re wondering, YES, I own 100% cacao, too). The little guy loves the bread. I’ll talk about my cooking in an upcoming episode of my podcast.

Podcast recording has been great. I love doing my own show, talking about things I feel are important to discuss. Some might find me a little conservative, but in a world where people like me struggle to get topics acknowledged – especially when it comes to diversity – then outside of blogging, podcasts are the a great way. I just need better ways to promote the show without having to spend money! Hahaha!!

Image credit: Christian Horz/ShutterStock

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But there are no longer restrictions.  I don’t mean disclosures, but more about actual restrictions – what I could/couldn’t say.  Yes, I was once asked to write something just to make a company sound good.  However, I was also told it was a review.  Only being positive is NOT what I call a review.  It is called an ad, or, in this case, an advertorial.  The whole assignment left a sour taste in my mouth and I can’t believe that blog network even allowed it to happen.

I have to be honest here.  I actually STILL went ahead with the assignment, but only because it was for a beauty store, and I like beauty stores.  I would have turned it down if it had been for anything else (e.g. scents or a BBQ restaurant).  However, it was one of the WORST experiences I ever had.  First of all, the store didn’t even know I was coming.  Really?  I checked, double checked and even TRIPLE CHECKED the location and time.  They weren’t prepared for me, either, so I just stayed for five minutes and left.  I contacted the blog network, and they apologized.  I really don’t know WHY I even stayed with them afterwards – I wasn’t really making much, anyway – but I did.

That wasn’t the only bad experience I had while blogging as DelectablyChic! (or its predecessor, Prospere Magazine).  I once interviewed the owner of a salon who only wanted to talk about HER salon.  I always ask people what makes THEM stand out from their competition, but she circled around the question, only wanting to talk about how great she was and not mentioning any differences.  Yes, your’e amazing, but HOW?  Her English wasn’t the best, but not bad enough that she didn’t understand the question.  And if she didn’t, she could have asked me to clarify.  Or get an interpreter.

I also didn’t like feeling forced to review items I would be VERY biased towards.  I’m not your “typical” fashion or beauty blogger.  I don’t wear A LOT of product, for example, and am very critical of any looks that are very “weird” (e.g. blue or green lipstick, hair colour that doesn’t fall in the blonde/red/black/brown/grey ranges).  And it’s a fashion show or clothes are lent, I will NOT be talking about anything too avant-garde.  I’m sorry, but I’m a conservative, preppy type…with MAYBE a little bit of a hipster vibe.  I DON’T do that kind of thing if it’s a gift.  And I will most definitely be VERY CRITICAL about it.  Not because I don’t “understand,” but because I won’t think it’s practical for most people.  I’m about practicality.

When I started writing, I wanted my blog in a serious manner, like a proper journalist, writing for a mainstream publication.  However, that wasn’t what I felt smaller brands wanted me to do.  They just wanted me to PROMOTE, rather than REVIEW.  However, that wasn’t the feeling I got some of the time.  Everyone needs both positive and negative feedback.  And negative feedback is the only way for brands to improve and widen their customer base.  And don’t they want that?  The more money they make, the more successful they’ll be, right?

Image by Rafal Olechowski/ShutterStock

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Okay, I DON’T dislike having two events on the same week, but definitely not on back-to-back days.  In fact, I am looking forward to mid-November, when I will be attending a dinner on a Monday and then another event that Thursday. Two years ago, however, I’d likely be going to at least two events a week between mid-October and the end of November (including daytime events) as I was covering them for DelectablyChic!.  Shutting down was a very good thing.  And has been for me, stress-wise.  I’m still posting regularly, of course, but it’s more of what I want, rather than what I think people want to read about (and it wasn’t like people really cared as several other Toronto-based sites, ones which have much higher traffic, write about the same topics).  At least I get to write about personal views on ethno-cultural diversity and being a child of immigrants.  Even when certain people (yes, some are Facebook friends) think I’m a little bit too “sensitive” when it comes to how people treat me (especially those from my own ethnic community).  I mean, I’m getting my views out there, even if mainstream media won’t acknowledge that they exist – or diversity “experts.”  But this post isn’t about ethnicity, but the craziness that is fall.

So what else do I have in the books for the next couple of months?  There’s a trip out of town in late October.  Then another opera-related event in early November, a mental health-related fundraiser, and of course, the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo and the One of a Kind Show.  I also plan to attend a ROM lecture next month, but that’s during the day.

I guess I shouldn’t call it “craziness” or being really busy, since these are all things I enjoy.  But sometimes, you just want to be at home.  Writing.

Image courtesy of xtock/Shutterstock

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