Veggie Update

I'm a few weeks into my "going veggie" lifestyle reorg and so far it's going pretty good. I don't think I've had any red meat since I last posted. Like I said, cutting red meat out wasn't going to be too terribly hard since I don't eat it anyway... especially after reading stories like this one about the recent beef recall! I prefer my red meat to be feces-free thank you very much! Did I mention that I don't really like vegetables either? Mom never made me eat them growing up (except for corn), so I've never really acquired a taste for them. And seeing how I'm not an adventurous eater, this will probably be harder than most people.

I'm finding that it's pretty tough when eating out. There's lots of chicken & pork dishes to choose from, but I start to think about where that meat came from & I just end up getting a salad or veggie burger, which is probably better anyways. There are a handful of places that I feel ok eating the meat because they purchase their food from suppliers that have good animal welfare standards or they're going to make changes to purchase from those suppliers. Fast food joints like Burger King and Chipolte are places that I would choose first over anything else.

I get a lot of my information from the Humane Society website. They often have post updates about what companies are the latest to switch over to buying cage-free eggs, buying their chicken from producers that use controlled atmosphere stunning (which is a much more humane method of slaughter because it uses non-poisonous gas to kill the birds by anoxia), or buying their pork & veal from producers who no longer use or are phasing out crates. These are the main reasons that I would make it a point to eat at Burger King, Carl's Jr., Hardees, Denny's, Chipolte, Ben & Jerry's over the other places (like McDonalds, Wendy's, Jack in the Box). Just for the egg & pork meals tho! Since all these places have a long way to go with their beef meals, I still won't eat the burgers.

My shopping habits have changed too. Shopping at Whole Foods was one a few options where I could buy my meat products because they have amazingly strict animal welfare standards that their suppliers have to live up to. But after Safeway announced that they will be implementing new animal welfare standards with regards to eggs, chicken and pork, you can bet that I will continue to shop there.

So little by little I'm doing my part to make the changes necessary to have a guilt-free consciencous with regards to eating animals. And I hope some of what I've said here will inspire you to do the same!

Trying to go Vegetarian

Christian and I are going to try to become vegetarian this year, mostly because of the animal welfare issue. We're going to start by cutting out red meat first. I think I'm going to do ok with that, but Xian might have some trouble with it. That's why he's designating one day a week where he can still have red meat. It'll be an easier way to wean him off the meat! The next step, once we've mastered the red meat, will be pork products. I think I'm going to have a tough time with that one. I like the pig many different ways: ham, spam, sausage, bacon, scrapple, chops, etc. Weaning myself will be a bit more difficult.

I go back and forth with this topic a lot. Part of me doesn't want to go veggie, but instead just buy our our meat from Whole Foods, PCC or some other specialty store where they have implemented humane animal welfare standards from their suppliers. That makes it easier for me to eat meat, knowing it was raised humanely without anti-biotics, fed a healthy and natural diet, and hopefully transported and slaughtered humanely too. I'm a meat eater with a conscience. There's a great book out called "The Omnivores Dilema". "The author addresses that fundamental question of "what should I eat" with great wit and intelligence, looking at the social, ethical, and environmental impact of four different meals. Eating well, he finds, can be a pleasurable way to change the world.” I should probably read it soon (it's on my bookshelf) with the hopes it can provide some tips on how to not feel guilty about eating animals or how I can make better choices.

But when I see videos like this one from the Humane Society about the Overlooked Lives of Farm Animals (don't worry it's not graphic, just truthful), I just know I have to make a change for the better for the animals AND myself.

A New Project

I was told I don't blog often enough. I guess that's true. I tend to forget that this place exists or that I don't have anything special to talk about, unlike my good pal Holy Juan. I've never been very good at journaling, but I'm hoping that will all change soon. I recently picked up a book called: fotolog.book: A Global Snapshot for the Digital Age. It's a book of pictures from floggers (photo bloggers) from around the world. Here's the website: fotolog.com.

Just flipping thru it in the bookstore inspired me to pick up my camera and do something with it more often. Take a picture a day. Talk about it. Sounds simple enough I guess, but it's hard to get inspired around this suburb of Seattle. However, things always look different thru the lens, so there's probably a lot more photo ops out there than I think. Stay tuned for something exciting and new!

By the way, I did get my tattoo and it rocks! Here I am showing it off in Hawaii:

My Next Tattoo

This is my next tattoo. A phoenix.

A mythical bird that never dies, the phoenix flies far ahead to the front, always scanning the landscape and distant space. It represents our capacity for vision, for collecting sensory information about our environment and the events unfolding within it. The phoenix, with its great beauty, creates intense excitement and deathless inspiration. (from The Feng Shui Handbook, feng shui Master Lam Kam Chuen)

The phoenix was a fabulous mythical Arabian bird, said to be as large as an eagle, with brilliant scarlet and gold plumage and a melodious cry. It was said that only one phoenix existed at any one time, and it was very long-lived - no ancient sources gave it a life-span less than 500 years. As its end approached, the phoenix made a nest of aromatic branches and spices, set it on fire, and was consumed in the flames. From the ashes (according to some sources, from the midst of the flames) miraculously sprang a new phoenix.

The ancient Egyptians linked the myth of the phoenix with the longings for immortality that were so strong in their civilization, and from there its symbolism spread around the Mediterranean world of late antiquity. At the close of the first century Clement of Rome became the first Christian to interpret the myth of the phoenix as an allegory of the resurrection and of life after death. The phoenix was also compared to undying Rome, and it appears on the coinage of the late Roman Empire as a symbol of the Eternal City. It was also portrayed on early US coins, but later replaced with the Bald Eagle.

In Chinese mythology, the phoenix is the symbol of high virtue and grace, of power and prosperity. It represents the union of yin and yan. It was thought to be a gentle creature, alighting so gently that it crushed nothing, and eating only dewdrops. It reflected the empress, and only she could wear the phoenix symbol. Jewelry with the phoenix design showed that the wearer was a person of high moral values, and so the phoenix could only be worn by people of importance. The Chinese phoenix was thought to have a large bill, the neck of a snake, the back of a tortoise, and the tail of a fish. It carried two scrolls in its bill, and its song included the five whole notes of the Chinese scale. Its feathers were of the five fundamental colors: black, white, red, green, and yellow.

It is my inspiration.

I think it's pretty fitting given my situation. And this will complete my animal trilogy... I have air (phoenix on my left arm), land (the cheetah on my right shoulder) & water (the orca on my lower back).

Happy Christmahanukwanzika

It's that time of year again. Time to shop for that "perfect gift" for that "special someone" at the MALL! No thank you! That's why I did all my shopping on line this year. Hurray for the internet & FedEx! It was a great sense of accomplishment for me to be done shopping by the first of December. I feel like I've been able to enjoy the season a little bit more than before.

We've had some freakish storms roll thru the Northwest within the last month... ice storms shut down the city for a couple days at the end of November. And a freak wind storm knocked out power to over 1 million homes this past weekend... us included! Then the temperature dipped to below freezing making our home a giant icebox. Luckily we were only without power for 3 days. It's going on night #5 for some. Those are the people I feel bad for. But hopefully they have gas stoves/fireplaces & hot water to keep them warm (we're an electric house w/a fireplace.)

And with that, I can't wait to get on the plane Wednesday night & head down to the land where palm trees sway... that's right, we're doing Xmas Hawaiian style this year. 12 days in the sun & warmth. If only there were a way to harness that warmth & bring it back with me. Like capture it in a bottle. Or a lockbox.

Christmas in Hawaii is something everyone should experience. It's not a bad thing, just different for those of us who grew up with Christmas being cold & snowy. Down there, Santa's sleigh is pulled by eight tiny dolphins. He wears an aloha shirt, surfer shorts & flip-flops. Mrs. Claus wears a mumu, a flower in her hair & drinks mai-tais (virgin, of course.) They decorate palm trees, surf on Christmas day & are laid back about everything! I know I could get used to that lifestyle real quick! I've never been there for a New Year's Eve celebration, but from what I understand, Hawaiians like firecrackers... or maybe it's just Christian's family. Whatever the custom, I'm sure I'm going to love it because it's going to be warm, I'll be with family & it'll be warm.

So Mele Kalikimaka, Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to you all!

Dance Party USA

Does anyone remember this show besides me? I remember it used to be on at 3:30p & I'd rush home after school to watch it. I always wanted to be on the show & meet the "stars". Well one summer, when I was 15, my wish came true. My family & I were going back east for the Deal family reunion. I contacted the studio to ask if we could get tickets for a taping during the week that we were going to be there. And they granted my wish! Chrissy & I were taped on three shows that afternoon. We even opened up the show by saying our names & where we were from! We were superstars!


I found this picture while going thru some old boxes. Kelly Ripa is on the left.. black dress w/the nice rhinestone necklace. I look at this picture & think WTF!? What's with the hair & poofy dresses? I know, I know. That was just the style. It's good for a laugh now!

And here's a great website to walk down memory lane too (IF you remember this show)

Girl's Night Out

Back in June, I got to catch up with a good friend of mine in Denver. We visited the Cruise Room for ol' times sake. That place is so awesome. I love the ambiance & the company was great too!

2006-06-09 Me & Melissa

Jun 9, 2006 - 11 Photos