Hmmm...

I read this article about the Post Office and recycling their old boxes. I'd like more info on this story. The guy is saying that the Post Office was throwing the boxes away and so he took them and turned them inside out to reuse them, not utilizing the priority mail shipping or anything. The post office worker is indicating that these boxes are given free to people using those services when they come into the post office, and seemed to indicate that he was stealing them, not taking them from the trash, but even if they were from the trash, they shouldn't be used like that. What? Reduce, reuse, recycle. Is the postal service forgetting this?

Misc Stuff

The following random items are things I've run across this week.

Look-alike Contest

First of all, I saw this picture on I Can Has Cheezeburger? and the cat really does look like Dwight from The Office. Marc also pointed out that it is a Meowlingual being held up to the cats, which is a Japanese "cat speak" translator. I think Little Fernie is usually saying "I want you to smell my hot fishy breath". But I can't be sure.

Margarita Contest

My friends are having a Cinco de Mayo party (on tres de Mayo) this weekend and their having a margarita contest. I decided to make an interesting "outside of the box" recipe, that I found on Chow. I want to post a picture of it, but they don't want people using it and I haven't made mine yet to take photos. My bottle of tequila is currently filled with hot peppers, as I infuse the flavor into it. I am no idea how this will turn out, but I decided to be adventerous. For once.

Fun Song

I like the Metro Station song "Shake it". I just think it's a fun and stupid song and makes for a pretty good running song. Con to this: The lead singer is Billy Ray Cyrus' son, making him Miley Cyrus' brother, making this whole commercialized family just too much for me. Plus he tries to sound sort of British, and that bothers me even more. Nevertheless, I do like the song, so check it out, because I clearly have awesome music taste. Clearly!

The Best Thing Ever

How cute are these little egglings? I think they are adorable but I have no personal use for them. I wish I did, because they'd look so nice on the kitchen window sill.

My Own Leno-Headline

Wise - Guy

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Amanda Wise of Clements, Maryland and Charlie Guy of Leonardtown, Maryland will be married on Saturday, May 03, 2008 in Holy Angels Church, Avenue, Maryland. The bride is the daughter of John Wise and Angel Quade. The groom is the son of Charles Guy Sr. and Betty Guy.
The newlyweds will spend their honeymoon in It's a surprise!.
Charlie and Amanda are TRULY each others soulmates!



I actually know the guy...he is adorable! I wish there was a picture. I'm totally sending this in to Headlines.

The Fat Vegan

I haven't weighed myself in two weeks. All of a sudden I feel fat as a moo cow because I know I've been eating more oils and nuts then I used to. However, I'm not eating any other "fat laden" items, I am still consuming a lot of fat. I'm trying hard not to feel like a lard-o, but I think I'm going to have to go back to my house and get the scale to either prove or disprove my fatness.

I am started looking into some more vegan cooking. A lot of the recipes look great, and I'm going to experiment a little more this week. Mircea's mom has decided that she wants to eat vegan too, but she is romanian and a meat lover, so she is going to have meat once a week. I guess every little bit helps, and she's so cute helping me cook and asking me all kinds of questions about how we can make something healthier and vegan. I did make some yummy zucchini yesterday, but it had olive oil in it, so there's some more fat. I feel like there is no winning in all of this.

I think I should have called this post the "Tubby Vegan" because that is how I feel today. Tubby!

Argh

I can finally breathe again, with the use of Nasonex. And you know what I breathed in once I sat at the desk in my office? Cat pee. And you know where that was permeating from? My leg. It appears that some devil animal has urinated on my gray pants (that I hate but dared myself to wear today b/c they are a size smaller) and apparently I should have not tried to dress outside the box. I stink. Lovely.

Luckily I brought extra pants for bowling b/c I hate these pants, so I will probably change after lunch since I can't get out of the office until then.

Love those kitties!!

Day 30: It's Only Just Begun

On day one, when I "enjoyed" a can of kidney beans for lunch I thought, "this is not for me." When I was in San Diego, eating tofu sandwiches, I thought otherwise. When I failed at making my own tofu sandwiches I thought, "I guess I'll have to move to San Diego". I love eating this way. Would I say it is permenant-I have no idea? I don't know what the future will hold, maybe in my lifetime animals will be treated fairly and I can eat them again. Or maybe I'll be a "freegen", someone who eats vegan food unless someone else purchased the non-vegan food or it is being thrown away. I don't really want steak, chicken or pork. I don't want eggs, cheese, or yogurt. I do sort of want to have some fish, occasionally, and I know that makes me an awful person, but I feel like we can all do the best that we can. I've already stopped eating processed foods, hydrogenated oils, refined sugar, and refined flour and rice (except in my beloved sushi). No more soda, no more coffee...but maybe a little fish once and awhile. I live in Maryland, for God's sakes-we have nothing else to look forward to except an occasional crabcake.

I'd like to start experiementing a little more with cooking, and with that, I'll start to post some recipes, etc. My standard meal is just rice, beans, olives, and tofu, and I'm still not doing a great job with tofu so it's getting a little old.

I dare anyone to join me...for 30 days. At the very least, it is a nice test of willpower and you may find that it makes you feel happier and healthier. And you may just realize how much you appreciate the meat that you do have in your diet. I dare you to try and find out!

Card Carrying Member

I just donated to Peta and became a Peta member. Now I think that they can go a little overboard on somethings, but I have to say if shock value gets people to act, well then so be it. It's still a little nutty though, but I figured I'd put my money where my mouth is.

I did eat some raw tuna steak today and felt weird about it. I feel guilty for eating the sushi, and I don't know why it is bugging me so much. I guess it is because I know I'm not being a "good little vegan" but I think that it is good to have a little more protein in the diet and the sushi fish is supplementing that. Or at least that is how I am justifying it.

I wonder if vegans think I am a hypocrite?

Tomorrow is my last official day. And I'm sooooo going to keep up with it b/c I couldn't be happier.

This and That

Check out your blog's "readability". I have no idea how they determine this, but I thought it was kind of fun. This blog is at a high school grade level, my vegan blog is at a junior high level...good gravy!!

I seem to be recovering from my crazy allergy issues. I already take Claritin but I was DYING the past few days, and now I have Nasonex as well and I love it!! The fact that I can breathe out of my nose is amazing.

It now costs about $45 to fill up a Prius. That's insane. I still haven't paid more than $28 for gas, but this last time I didn't wait until I was empty to fill up and I'm glad I didn't because it jumped up 10 cents a gallon yesterday at Wawa, and for once I was on the cheaper side!

I love eating vegan. Tomorrow is Day 30. There is nothing I want to splurge on, so I guess I'm going to keep going on this. I ate some seared ahi tuna today though...it's technically not sushi and I feel bad, but it was that or nothing, and I was stuck in the meeting so I had to go for it. It was mostly raw fish-that's vegan according to me!!!

Last Night's "Run"

Not so good. Really bad in fact. I just couldn't keep going, no matter how hard I tried, and I had issues with side stitches and the temperature in the room, so I thought I would actually fall over dead. I'm going to the doctor today for the two issues that are effecting my running: Allergies and frequent urination. That's right, I'm like 67 years old now, and always have to pee. Hopefully good ol' Dr. Tidball can cure my ills and get me moving again in the right direction. It's not for lack of trying.

Close your eyes Patty and stop reading. I've been playing the Sims 2 again lately and although I find it boring, I do really enjoying getting the people into a nice custom house and then having them shag like crazy and making cute babies. And as Marc used to remind me while I was mating the sims "you always love the babies, but find them annoying, stop making the babies." and I never learned and would abandon the family once they got out of control. Now I enjoy making weird love connections with stepmoms and stepsons (when the sons are sim-legal). I love it!

Ok, boring update, but still, I tried. I'm just relaxing and enjoying my new found free time!

Running, Walking, Kayaking

In an effort to get back into my love/hate relationship with running I signed up for the Army 10 Miler, on October 5 in Washington D.C. I’m pretty excited about it, and sure I can run 10 miles again by October. Lindsay may be joining me, which will be nice. We’re also planning on running the Marine Corps 10k, because neither of us will be ready for a marathon at that point, but I’m hoping that eventually we will be and can do one together. (We’re also planning on doing the Breast Cancer 3-Day next year-we had some time issues this year which would have made it nearly impossible).

Patty also emailed me today asking if I wanted to run a race, so I’m taking it as a sign that I really need to get back into running. I’m feeling so much healthier and I’m losing weight following a vegan diet, that running again seems like a natural choice for me.

I bought a kayak last weekend. I know really random, right? I’ve been wanting one for awhile and got a great deal on it, and I’m going out with my friend on Sunday for a kayaking adventure. (Well, we’re going around on base and to a little island, but it will be an adventure) I think it will be really fun and terrifying (my fear of snakes and long grass is almost debilitating) and will be a nice activity.

**I have a great picture for this post but blogger is being a turd and I can't post it.)

In the Land of Soy Milk and Agave Nectar

Sunny San Diego proved to be a goldmine for vegan eating. Not that I was surprised because Californians are stereotypically big fans of tofu and sprouts, so it was perfect for me. The first night we ate at Baja Fresh, which is a great little fast food Mexican place that puts Taco Bell to shame. They were so great to me there. I got my beans and rice with some guacamole. (I had to assume that the guac didn't have any sour cream in it...that is a standard assumption I will be making unless otherwise noted). It was delicious and fresh and wonderful!

We also went to a great place called Pei Wei. (Pay Way) This is like a stir fry with rice or noodles place and it was awesome. First of all they had brown rice, which made me super happy, but in lieu of meat you could choose the tofu and veggies. It was so delicious that we went there twice. So so so so good.

I did have my sushi. I actually felt really guilty about it, so I'm not sure if I will just let go of the guilt or let go of my precious raw fish.

The best part of the week, other than seeing my friends David, George and Janie, was Jimbos. The best way to describe Jimbos is "Heaven on Earth". Jimbos is a full service grocery store that caters to those who wish to eat organically. NOTHING in their store has refined white sugar and the majority of their items are vegetarian or vegan. This place was amazing. I felt like a kid in a guilt-free candy store because almost everything I picked up was appropriate for me. If I ever move to San Diego, as I've dreamed about for years, I have to be within short drive or walking distance from Jimbos. Best place ever. And the best thing ever is their deli. They make made-to-order sandwiches and I had the best thing I've ever eaten. Vegan or non vegan. It was called the Lone Star sandwich and it was marinated tofu (marinated to be a sweet/spicy flavor) with avacado, sprouts, Bac-un, tomato and pickle. FANFREAKINGTASTIC! My friend Linda was with me and she ordered a turkey sandwich and said it was the best turkey she'd ever had. We both went there to pick up a sandwich to take on the plane the next day, and we also won over another guy that was at our meeting.

Lastly, I want to mention that I watched the documentary I AM ANIMAL. It is the story of Ingrid Newkirk, the cofounder of Peta. It was very well done and showed several sides to the woman as well as the cause, and I liked that it wasn't skewed to indicate that she was a perfect woman. Once again, there were scenes of the treatment in meat packing facilities and it was unbelieveable. I was sobbing and it was only like a 2 minute montage clip. Stupid people molesting a chicken with their finger because it is funny. A cow that hadn't been killed by a machine literally had its skin taken off while it was still alive. Here's the thing: I don't think that Peta is saying "don't eat meat". They're saying "stop torturing defenseless animals for food-there is a humane way to kill" and there is. It was just terrible and I encourage people to learn about and read about (not from some crazy peta movie or anything else) about the treatment of animals in these facilities. The answer isn't to stop eating meat-the answer is to campaign and write to Congressmen, the facilities, etc., and explain that you don't appreicate this treatment of the animal and will not be purchasing their brand unless they raise their standards. It is heartbreaking though because as much as we joke about Chinese food sometimes, we'd never think of eating a cat...so why does turkey, beef, and pork pop into our minds as appropriate food? Enough preaching, I'm sorry. I'm still a raw fish eater so I can't talk, but I just find it so terrible the way they are treated and something needs to change. Yeah, they'll feel pain but they need not be treated like "pieces of meat" when they deserve respect too.

Blogging from Sunny San Diego

I really want to live here. It is so fantastic and wonderful and I think I would really love it. We'll see, I'm thinking that it's in my 10 year plan-at the very least I plan to retire here, I don't care how much it costs, I love this freakin' place.

It's been a busy week of radar meetings, etc., but I'm going home tomorrow and can't wait to snuggle with my "little" kitties. It will be great-they are all so cuddly.

Found a ton of vegan food to enjoy while I was here. I will be blogging about it on my vegan blog in a few days, but not now b/c I'm about to meet George and Janie for dinner. Woo hoo!!

Day 18: More Food Reviews

I haven't been cooking as much as I wanted to during this vegan trial, but I have been enjoying some vegan convenience foods and wanted to share my finds.

-Amy's Texas Burgers: Oh my God these are delicious. They have a nutty taste to them (from the bulgar) and a great texture (probably also the bulgar) and they just make me happy. I enjoy them just plain (no bun) and they are super nutritious and low in fat. I haven't tried grilling them, but they are even awesome out of the microwave.

-Alexia Foods Organic French Fries: I'm going to pull a Forrest Gump here. They have all kinds of fries; sweet potato fries, yukon gold fries, sea salt fries, pesto fries, the list goes on and on. They are super yummy and fairly low in fat per serving. The two combined make a great "fast food" kind of meal, and they definitely kept my belly happy.

Not much else going on. I will probably not be able to blog too much next week as I'll be in San Diego for travel. That is going to be the real test for me-eating out vegan for every meal, but it is California and they are definitely more veggie friendly. I'm getting my sushi though, and I can't wait!!

I am still feeling a little weak and I think I have an iron defieciency. I'll start taking vitamins because I don't like how that feels (my bowling ball felt so heavy) but I love how I feel about the rest of it. I am planting my seedlings in the garden this weekend, so hopefully I'll have a bounty of fresh veggies throughout the summer to enjoy. I'm really looking forward to it and now that I'm done with grad school I'll have more time to cook some of the fresh stuff instead of relying on my boxed dinners.

Day16: The Weakling

I think the lack of protein is getting to me. I tried to lift some cases of soda at work (for someone else, I am no longer enjoying the goods) and I could barely do it. I am not a weak girl by any means. I guess I am defiecient in B12

Relax, Don't Do It, When You Want to Go to It

I have been doing a lot of thinking these past couple months. Too much thinking. I’m so inside my own head that I’m not enjoying what is going on around me and I’m not enjoying the life I’m currently leading. I’m always trying to find “what’s next?” or pontificate on “what was”. No more of that…or at least an effort to decrease. I want to enjoy today, tomorrow, next week, etc. I don’t have any huge decisions that must be made right this second. I can just relax and enjoy the fruits of my labor and have a good time with myself RIGHT NOW. I’m always planning and preparing, which are admirable things, but I’m never just enjoying. I know longer have the burden of grad school weighing on my shoulders (tonight is my last class) and I have no other obligations other than my vegetable garden, so I’m good. I’m going to try to just ride the way of my hard work. Mircea and I are doing SOOOOO much better, but instead of focusing on “what should be”, “what could be”, “what was” I am going to focus on right now. Right now is GRRRR-eat with him so no more panicking and wanting old things back.

I want to make it clear that I’m not saying “well, I’ve met some goals, so I’m going to stop”, but I’m going to stop looking at my goals as the only point of success. I was telling someone yesterday that I didn’t feel successful because I didn’t own a home or have a family. The guy was like “are you kidding me?” He was like “then I was a failure until I was 35, and I know that isn’t true.” We had a conversation and I went home and thought about it. If I measure success by the love of other people (that I want to love me) or by my possessions, I will never win. I don’t know where I’m going to focus on the whole housing situation, but I’ve decided to let it go for a week or two and not think about it at all. I found a house that I really like and if it is the house for me it will be there after I get back from my trip to San Diego (for work-but still!) and I can think about it a little more. I have to remind myself that I don’t have to own a home and maybe I’m not yet at “that stage” in my life.

That’s enough. No more thinking about this stuff. I’m going with the flow darnit!!

Day 14: Livin' on a Prayer

I'm halfway through my 30 day trial. I have not had any meat cravings, nor have I had any dairy cravings...with one exception. I just want a piece of pizza with cheese on it. Dear Lord I want a piece of pizza. I can't stop thinking about it, it's all I ever think about and I'm going crazy. I'm not a big pizza girl anyway, but I want a flippin' slice of pizza!!! On day 31 I will be enjoying a slice of homemade pizza and I don't care who knows it!!

I went to a party yesterday and had no problem with the cravings. There wasn't anything there that I could eat, but I'd planned ahead and had a snack before I went. Probably a good thing to do if you aren't a vegan b/c it cuts down on your intake. They had the little sandwich pinwheels that I love, but I didn't eat any and felt better for it. I usually feel so guilty for pigging out on the stuff, so this was way better.

I made sweet potato fries on Friday night. They were pretty good, and guilt free, so that made them taste even better. My boyfriend and I have discovered an addition to Veggie Booty, and we managed to eat two bags over the course of the weekend. I ate a lot of strawberries and grapes this weekend, and they were super tasty.

So yeah, this isn't so bad. I need to be cooking a little more, but I'm busy with school right now (last week!) so that takes up a lot of my time. I'm down a total of 7 lbs now too, which is pretty nice for a gal who is still eating like a little hoglet.

An Afternoon with My Mom

Today I spent the afternoon with my mom. Not in the physical sense of course, but while I made some sushi I put in two of my mom's favorite cds (that I purchased even before she died because these songs are some of my favorite too). Those cds were Ricky Nelson and Bread. I don't know if anyone knows Ricky Nelson (he is the father of the long haired Nelson twins of our day), but I'm pretty sure no one (other than my closest friends) know who Bread is. I can't really describe their sound...maybe soft rock, but not like Rod Stewart old people soft rock. This is like, 1970's, smooth grooves, you're definitely smoking pot, but you aren't tripping acid kind of music. Does that make sense? It's hard for a girl who has never done a drug in her life, so I'm just guessing. It's not trippy like Pink Floyd...ok, I guess it is a little easy listening, light rock, but I still love it. In fact, I learned today (on that wikipedia link) that Boy George covered one of their hits "Everything I Own". Now that I'd like to hear. Oh my goodness, after a little more research, it appears that song was also in Happy Feet. So for my friends out there with kids, let me know if you heard it.

My mom and I had an interesting relationship. It's hard to have a normal parent-child relationship when one of you is addicted to painkillers. It's also hard when that same person is very insecure and scared of her own shadow...something I was lucky enough to pick up and carry into my own life. I miss my mother very much. I'm about to graduate with my Master's and I know she is smiling down at me. I know that I make her proud and that means so much to me. She was my best friend and my worst enemy, and I hold her so close in my heart. I know she's happier now-she just couldn't handle the reality of life, but at least she raised someone who is figuring it out!

Day 13: Gotta Go to Moe's

Mircea and I went out to lunch today. I was very nervous but knew that I'd be able to find something I could eat. We went to Moe's, which is a fast food Mexican place. I got a salad, which I didn't realize was in the big taco shell bowl, but whatever. I got to have beans, rice, salsa, black olives and cilantro. It was delicious and I didn't miss the cheese or meat. Seriously, I did not miss the cheese, which was really surprising to me. As we were walking out, I saw that they had tofu on their menu, so next time I'll give that a shot. And yes, I had a couple bites of that big taco bowl-not good for me at all and hopefully not fried in some sort of animal fat. I have never had a taco salad bowl before...that was yummy and highly non-nutritious. So no more of that!

I've been buying a lot of strawberries lately...they taste so sweet and wonderful. I swear that not eating sugar or sugar substitute has changed my taste buds to really enjoy the flavor of the food I'm eating. I'm getting a little sick of all water all the time though and have purchased some organic juice.

I'm almost halfway there and though I'd kill for a slice of cheese pizza, I know that I'll make it through my 30 days, with both myself and my pocket book a little lighter.

Day 11: The Cravings Begin

I want some pizza, slathered in cheese. Fresh grated mozzarella cheese, with basil and tomatoes. Oh, it tastes so delightful in my mouth. I will not be having this pizza...but I will be craving it. I'm almost halfway through the challenge. I'm down 7 lbs, feel a lot healthier (despite the cold I picked up last night) and have a ton more energy.

I made Mircea a vegan dinner last night and he thought it was pretty good. It was very filling, but a little flavorless, as I accidently left my spice rack at his house and only had cumin and chipotle powder... I borrowed some salt from a neighbor.

Since I feel sick, I am going into hiberation mode, so I've been sitting at my desk eating Mi-Del ginger snap cookies all day. They are made with whole wheat, canola oil and cane sugar, so they aren't overprocessed. I feel guilty though-mawing on cookies isn't all that healthy but I feel like a slug today, it's all gloomy outside and damnit, I want to.

No matter how hard I try this tea doesn't taste like a cheese pizza. But it still burns the roof of my mouth.

Day 10: Week 2 Smooth Sailing

I am really enjoying following a vegan diet. I've experimented with a lot of different food, and I'm working on cooking some original vegan treats. I have had sushi, I made it on Friday with tofu, but made it on Sunday with tuna, and I enjoyed it, though I felt sort of bloated after the meat eating. It's funny, I'm technically not even a vegetarian because I eat sushi, yet I don't eat any other animal products, but I know that I would be miserable otherwise and I think this is something I can continue doing. I've been having a hankering for pizza lately, so I may end up purchasing one of the Amy's Cheese Free frozen pizzas.

Speaking of cheese, there are many things wrong with Veggie Shreds, but the two main things are: they have casein in them, which is a dairy product (despite the fact that they say non-dairy) and they taste like disgusting, plastic, nasty, gross ew. I figured I'd put it in my mouth and taste it since I'd already used it before seeing the casein (could have sworn i checked the label at the store), and it tasted like I was chewing on Barbie's hands. EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!