Sam and I made another vegetarian dinner tonight - tofu tacos. Delish!
Ingredients:
Today has felt rather strange, to be honest. After 3.5 years of going to work every Monday through Friday, it feels foreign for me to be home today. Since having lost my job yesterday, I’ve:
I also found that despite how desperately I was looking forward to sleeping in until the wee hours of the afternoon today, I totally can’t. I was wide awake by 8:00 am. That’s not sleeping in!
From here, I plan to give the kitties a long-overdue bath, and then hit the gym while I can still afford my membership. I could use a really hard workout right now; I need to get some of this frustration, anxiety, and excitement out in a positive way. I can feel it boiling up inside of me.
Less than an hour ago I joined the ranks of the millions of unemployed Americans right now. It’s been a horrific past couple of weeks, and it’s finally come to an abrupt end; as did my job.
I’m officially on the hunt for a new position that I can hold proudly, and most of all happily. Here’s to a new beginning; a new chapter in my life that I’ve been looking forward to starting for a long, long time.
I just wish the unknown wasn’t quite so terrifying.
I was raised pretty traditionally: A woman grows up and finds a man to marry. After marrying, she settles down, works hard, pops out a few kids to pass along the family lines, and then she lives happily ever after with her husband, rocking the years away on His & Hers rocking chairs on the front porch drinking fresh squeezed lemonade while watching the sunset. Ha, yeah right.
The problem with this plan is that it just doesn’t happen much anymore. That’s not how life typically ends up these days.
So knowing this, — knowing that most marriages this day and age end in divorce, often within the first 5 years — and myself already having been married and divorced by the time I was 19 years old (don’t judge if you don’t know the story), why do I still feel so compelled to marry? Why do I feel like less of a person when I have to say that I’m a “girlfriend” instead of a “wife”? Why do I feel like if I don’t get married I’m a total failure in life? Why do I feel like we’re not a real family until we’re married? I know that’s not true.
If I know that marriage is just a piece of paper, a set of pretty rings, and a tax break, why do I want it so badly? It makes no fucking sense, even to me.
There is, however, another piece of my opinion on marriage and it’s equally as important and frustrating as the first. A very big part of me wants to fight the entire idea of marriage until the day it becomes legal for ALL Americans to marry, not just the heterosexuals. I feel so passionately that ALL people should have the exact same legal rights, so when I think of the sanctity of marriage in those terms, it’s extremely selfish of me to marry when I know there are thousands of people out there that would love nothing more than to do just that — and they legally can’t. Because of something so trivial as their own personal sexual orientation. (How the fuck is that not discrimination at it’s most blatant and disgusting? Have we learned nothing since the days of slavery and gender discrimination?)
It certainly isn’t fair that I have the right to marry simply because I’m currently in a heterosexual relationship, and I have a very serious problem with that.
I’ll be honest, my own blatant contradiction on this subject plagues me to no end.
Things that happened over the weekend:
Given that The Ring Incident might still be too painful to retell, I’ll leave you with a Quote of the Day:
“Even as a junkie I stayed true [to vegetarianism] - ‘I shall have heroin, but I shan’t have a hamburger.’ What a sexy little paradox.” — Russell Brand, My Booky Wook
P.S. The vegetarian “thing” is going quite well. I’ve now gone 11 days without dairy or eggs, and 8 days without meat or meat products of any kind. My body is getting more and more adjusted as the days go by, and I’m feeling great overall. Our kitchen cabinets currently look like healthy people live in our house; it’s quite a sight to behold. I must admit that I’m quite proud!
I came across this fantastically random list of completely ridiculous questions on a knitting board I frequent. I couldn’t help but answer them.
Since having converted to vegetarianism (borderline vegan, as I’m also not eating dairy or eggs), I’ve been trying all sorts of new foods I’ve never given a real chance before; like hummus and tofu products. I must admit that I’ve now had hummus three days in a row, and I don’t plan on stopping my newfound habit any time soon. Hummus is absolutely DELICIOUS, and I’ve found that I especially enjoy the Roasted Red Pepper kind. I haven’t yet tried the Original, but the Roasted Garlic is also out of this world. Pita bread is surprisingly cheap and can even be found in whole grain, making a small hummus plate the perfect afternoon vegetarian snack.
On the down side, I’ve found that I feel hungry within about an hour of eating now that I’m vegetarian. I just don’t stay full for very long, which causes me to snack more often than I normally would throughout the day. I’ve done hours and hours of research, and from what I understand this is a phase that will pass after the initial 3 or 4 weeks of such a dramatic diet change. After that period, I expect to feel a tangible increase in my stamina, energy level, and overall wellbeing as my body adjusts to surviving off of healthy foods instead of the total crap I’ve eaten the past 8 years. (So much crap, in fact, that I’ve gained 70 pounds since high school.)
Last night marked the first time Sam cooked meat since I’ve been converted. After he cooked his beer brats, I heated up a Tofurky Italian sausage for myself. I paired it with 2 slices of whole wheat bread with a small amount of non-dairy vegetable oil spread and voila - I was able to enjoy a super yummy homecooked meal along side my meat-eating boyfriend [whom I love very much and am SO very grateful that he's been so supportive of my decision].
You see, being vegetarian doesn’t mean you have to treat others like shit for eating the things you choose not to. Unfortunately, the only two vegans I’ve lived with did exactly that. I would just like to point out that making “unconventional” food choices isn’t about making others feel bad — it’s about allowing yourself to feel really great about your own decisions, even when no one else notices.
Care for a bite of hummus?
Well, that didn’t take long at all. I’ve already heard back from the animal shelter I applied to volunteer at. Each potential volunteer goes through a 6-hour training session. Mine is set for the end of July!
For the first time since I stopped eating dairy 8 days ago, I woke up this morning with a mild stomachache. Nothing too terrible and it didn’t cause vomiting or anything like that, but I was extremely uncomfortable for the first 10-15 minutes of being awake. Before long it had settled itself down and I was able to get ready for work like usual, but sitting here now my stomach is still just a tiny bit upset. It has left me wondering what is causing it this time.
After work yesterday I treated Sam to bubble tea at a small shop on SE Hawthorne called Fat Straw. This cute little sandwich shop specializes in milk teas made with coconut milk instead of condensed milk, thus allowing me to enjoy a Thai iced tea dairy-free.
Unfortunately, I found that I don’t care much for coconut milk. The aftertaste and the way it makes my mouth feel after I drink sort of ruined the Thai tea flavor for me. I’ve resolved to avoid Thai and bubble tea completely until I’m finished with my non-dairy experiement (I’m desperately trying to figure out what’s making me sick and we suspect it’s dairy).
While wandering around Hawthorne (I was totally wearing my Badass Birthday Boots), we stopped in at Powell’s bookstore. We found the nutrition section and I picked up a copy of Skinny Bitch and The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat. Word on the street is that Skinny Bitch pounds the information into you like a pissed off drill seargant, while The Omnivore’s Dilemma young reader’s edition takes a more respectable, textbook-like approach to the subject. Complete with pictures and diagrams.
I look forward to reading both writing styles, and I’m interested to see just how I’m feeling about my food after I’ve learned where it often comes from.
Today I spent the first half of my lunch hour filling out the 7 page application to become a volunteer at a local animal shelter. The application packet has been faxed over, and now I wait. With any luck, I’ll be approved to start helping out around the facility (after my day job) a few hours a week.
My ideal goal is to be accepted for a weekly Dog Walker shift, but I also expressed an interest in both the In-Shelter Care and Animal Assisted Intereactions volunteer positions, as I have quite a bit of customer service experience to offer.
When I first toyed with the idea of voluntering my services to an animal shelter, my biggest concern was how I’d find the time to do so. Even 12 hours a month can seem significant to an already somewhat busy schedule. And that’s when I realized it’s not about finding the time; it’s about making the time.
I want to help, therefore I will make time to help provide a safe and happy transition for homeless pets hoping to be adopted. A person cannot make a difference in the world if they don’t put themselves out there, available and willing to help.
And that, my friends, is exactly what I’m doing.
“Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth.” - Mohammed Ali
Do you or have you ever volunteered your services?
If not, what might be holding you back?
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