Veganism

Since becoming mostly vegan earlier this year, I have done rather a lot of research on what being vegan actually means. (By "mostly vegan," I mean that I am not totally militant about it; I eat vegan when I have control over the food, and feel significantly better about that, but tend to eat just vegetarian when I go out or eat with friends, for convenience. Being vegan is not always the easiest. Also, I still eat honey.) Yesterday I purchased The Vegan Sourcebook, by Joanne Stepaniak. She discusses the reasons behind becoming vegan, the psychology behind it, and gives different nutritional information about the vegan lifestyle. She suggests that being vegan is not just about animal rights; it is also about human rights. One example of this is when she writes about cane sugar, and whether or not vegans should use it; I have chosen to use mostly raw sugar, since cane sugar is frequently filtered through charred animal bones (not only is this kind of gross, but it also means that the sugar itself loses most of its nutritional value in the processing), but she says that it also leads to exploitation of workers. The people who usually produce sugar are illegal immigrants, earn less than minimum wage, work excessive overtime without the proper compensation, and do not receive any kind of benefits. The book also outlines the vegan food pyramid, and has a number of recipes for "alternative" meat and dairy products, made directly from plant sources. This is important, since a lot of vegan food is heavily processed. I think this book is really significant, especially if you are concerned about impacting the environment. The author gives a number of reasons why veganism could possibly be the right way to go. One other thing that she points out is how people really have a hard time supporting others who have decided to go vegan. I found this to be quite true in my own life; the only person who has thoroughly supported me is my boyfriend, who is not even vegetarian (by any stretch of the imagination!). I was rather surprised by this, as a lot of the people close to me who were supportive of my vegetarianism were entirely opposed to my becoming vegan. To a certain extent, I can understand; I know that many are concerned because of my ED history. However, I have been making a concerted effort to NOT lose weight on the vegan diet (which, for me, is a big step!). This is in part because of my job (since I work with ED patients, I try to keep my weight relatively steady), and also because, over time, I have come to accept the way that my body is, and my setpoint weight. She also says that being vegan makes it difficult to be around nonvegan people, which I have not found to be the case at all. I know that I have chosen a certain lifestyle for myself, and although I wish that others would also choose it, I certainly don't expect them to. It does not bother me at all that my boyfriend is a big meat-eater. As long as I am doing what's right for me, he can do what's right for him, and that's what's important.
Anyway-I also bought The Joy of Vegan Baking, and am looking forward to trying some of the recipes. I was invited to a Halloween party next weekend, and I'm planning to make vegan Chocolate Cheesecake to take with me. I'm guessing nobody knows it's vegan. :) I'm also excited about making vegan bread; I've never made bread at all before, and happened upon a very easy vegan recipe. I think I'll try it this week. And for those of you who are concerned about the processed vegan foods, there's almost no need to eat them at all; almost everything that I eat right now can be made from scratch, directly from plant sources.
My point here is: I felt really good about becoming a vegetarian. It was something that I had wanted to do for a very long time (I remember talking about it when I was probably 11), but I didn't want to inconvenience anyone. Once I did it, my overall health improved dramatically. Eating vegan has improved that about 10 times more. It did not restrict my diet at all; rather, it opened up a whole new world to me. I feel better physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This new phase in my life has left me with so much clarity about myself and the world around me. Being vegan is not about what you don't do. It's about what you do, as far as taking care of the environment, doing your part in the preservation of our planet, compassion for other beings, and so many other things. This has been an extremely rewarding experience for me, and I'm really excited about continuing it.

Go Rockies!!!!!!!!

Ahoy buckos! This day be International Speak Like a scurvy Pirate Day, so in honor o' that, me message has be completely translated into scurvy pirate speak. If ye want to translate your message, or anythin' else, ye can be off to this website:

http://www.postlikeapirate.com/translator.php

Arrr! Have a great day, mateys!

What It Feels Like to Walk on the Moon

This is pretty cool:

http://men.msn.com/articlees.aspx?cp-documentid=4884951

Two in One Day!

1) Using FOOD names, spell out your name:
a-apples
n-nuts
n-noodles
a-artichokes
2) What song makes you cry?Actually, a lot of songs make me cry. I think the most recent was "Breathe," by Rebecca St. James
3) What do you like to listen to before bed? Silence

a p p e a r a n c e
HEIGHT: 5'4"
HAIR COLOR: Light brown
SHOE SIZE: 7
PIERCINGS: One in each ear. I used to have a belly button ring, but I had to take it out. TATTOOS: None, but if I did have one, it would either be a butterfly or the NEDA symbol on my hip (NEDA symbol=ED recovery)
r i g h t - l e f t ? Right
PANTS YOU'RE WEARING: Pink pajama pants.
WHAT SONG ARE YOU LISTENING TO?: Porcelain, by Moby
WHAT TASTE IS IN YOUR MOUTH?: Wine
WHAT'S THE WEATHER LIKE?: Rainy.

d o - y o u
GET MOTION SICKNESS?: Nope
HAVE A BAD HABIT?: No. I'm practically perfect in every way. :)
GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS?: Generally.

f a v o r i t e s
TV SHOW: House, Mythbusters
MAGAZINE: Cosmo
THING TO DO ON THE WEEKEND: Clean, run errands, read, do crafts. I like to feel like I've accomplished something.

h a v e - y o u
BROKEN THE LAW: Nooooooo... :)
RUN AWAY FROM HOME: I tried one time when I was 8-ish, but when I got to the end of the driveway, I realized that I wasn't allowed to go any further. That ended that trip pretty quickly.
SNEAKED OUT OF THE HOUSE: Nope
EVER GONE SKINNY DIPPING: I don't think so.
MADE A PRANK PHONE CALL: I don't think so.
USED YOUR PARENTS' CREDIT CARD BEFORE: Only the one that I was supposed to use.
FELL ASLEEP IN THE SHOWER/BATH: No.
LET A FRIEND CRY ON YOUR SHOULDER: I would, but I don't think it's ever happened.

l o v e
CHILDREN: I hope to have some soon.
BEEN IN LOVE?: Yes.
HAD A HARD TIME GETTING OVER SOMEONE: YES.

r a n d o m
YOUR CD PLAYER HAS IN IT RIGHT NOW: Jewel.
IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?: Carnation pink.
WHAT'S THE NEXT CD YOU'RE GONNA GET: I have no idea.

PART TWO
1. Have you ever licked the back of a CD to try to get it to work? No. :) I've never even heard or thought of doing that.
2. Have you ever puked at a bar or club? Nope.
3. Have you ever dated someone you met online?: No, but I went on a date with someone I met while driving down the street.
4. Have you ever smoked pot at a concert?: I've never smoked pot.
5. Have you ever dated/fooled around with a coworker? Yes. :) My BF was a coworker at one point.
6. Ever been involved in a hit & run?: Kind of, but it wasn't bad. Someone scratched my car up a little.
8. Have you ever been on a blind date?: Yes - it was the worst date I ever had.
9. Are looks important?: Not especially.
10. Do you have any friends that you've known for 15 years or more?: No. Well, not one's that are my age anyway.
11. By what age would you like to be married?: ASAP.
12. Does the number of people a person's slept with affect your view of them?: Only if it's someone I'm dating. I have a limit (like if they've slept with more than that, I probably wouldn't date them anymore). Otherwise, I really don't care.
13. Have you ever sacrificed yourself so your friend can get in good with a person of the opposite sex?: No, but I would.
14. Have you ever drank milk that was past the expiration date? Yes, all the time.
15. Are you a good tipper?: If my waitperson is at least 25% decent, I am a great tipper.
16. What's the most you have spent for a haircut? Probably $25.
17. Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? Yes, a few. :)
18. Do you know all the words to the first verse of Ice Ice Baby?: Umm...no.
19. Have you ever had crispy bangs?: Well, kind of, but mine weren't the 80's spinach bangs. I had the 90's sausage roll style.
20. What was the worst style of the 80's?:I can't pick a worst. I can't pick a best. Sometimes I think that period of time should just be erased from all memory.
21. Have you ever peed in public: Not really in public, but out in the open. Hey, if you've gotta go, you've gotta go.

Fanny Farmer is My New Best Friend

Yes. It's true. I think my Fanny Farmer cookbook is probably the best investment I have ever made (and at $6.99, quite a steal!). After looking for a recipe online for several days, it occurred to me that I would probably find it in Fanny's plethora of wisdom. I made macaroni and cheese from scratch tonight, and it was really yummy. If you don't have one, you should get one.
Here is all of my exciting news:
My sister FINALLY had her baby last night. It's a boy: Samuel Robert, weighing in at 8 lbs, 9 oz. And only 12 days late! :)
I just got my second acceptance letter to CSULA, so I will for sure be attending next quarter. (I had already been accepted, but I decided not to go this quarter, so I had to re-apply.)
I was nominated to be in the National Dean's List-apparently they have a book that's published every year. Only 0.5% of the nation's college students make it in, so it's actually quite an honor.
Needless to say, I'm pretty happy right now. :)

A Little Birdy Told Me...

As I was getting ready to leave work tonight, the patients were just starting dinner. Rebecca (one of the therapists) came into the office, and said, "Um, there's a bird in the dining room...". I was like, "Okay - do you need help?" She said she's not scared of birds, but that she could use some help. I went into the dining room, and there was this little bird - I think it was a finch - just chilling on the windowsill. I closed all the doors except the front door, because I completely expected it to start flying around, but when I walked up to it, it just looked at me. At this point, I figured that it had flown into the window and stunned itself, so I grabbed a bowl to pick it up with. I got up right next to it, and started petting it, and kind of nudged it into the bowl. It hopped onto the rim, and I carried it outside. I didn't want to leave it on the ground, because I was afraid that Sylvie, the hospital cat, would get it, so I was trying to put it somewhere up high. It took a minute, but then it just flew away, so I guess it wasn't stunned. All the patients thought I was pretty cool after that. :) I must be a bird whisperer.

Sorry to those who didn't get to look at my dress. (See previous post.) It's really sexy, though.

I read somewhere yesterday that the average person reads 300 books in their lifetime. Tonight I'm going to the library. :)