Here I sit, not having started this list, not starting much of anything yet today. I am so ashamed that I can't discipline myself to even get up and go PAINT for crying out loud. And then I see this headline in my surfing stupor and I am shocked wide awake: "Steven Curtis Chapman's Daughter Killed in SUV Accident."
So in lieu of any silly list I might come up with today, I invite you to go and read what the Chapman family's day was like yesterday and get down on your knees and thank God that you're here and that you still have time to get around to doing what you would like to do with your life, and I'll do the same.
The video on Maria's page is also very sweet. What a lovely snapshot of a family that lives life to the fullest, all the way down to the youngest member of that family.
May you all have a blessed day of gratefulness. Perhaps you can make a list of 13 things you are grateful for today and meditate on it. I'll be doing that. It's the least I can do.
My condolences to the Chapman family. Steven's music and example were always an inspiration to me when I was paying attention. Thank you and may God bless you and keep you through this time of trouble and make your hearts glad again one day soon.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thursday Thirteen #8 -- I Found Out!
Thirteen Things I Found Out This Week
I've actually started getting things done in my real world space, so this week's list
- I found out from a couple of bloggy friends that not only does my favorite flower flourish in Oregon, but that they are blooming RIGHT NOW! Lilacs, how I love thee! Here I come!
- I found out just how many people (or should I say how few?) on my notification list actually want to read my blog regularly when I asked them to sign up for email subscriptions instead of getting emails from me. Alas.
- I found out how the raw foodists were right when they said that changing the way I eat would change my whole life...for the better! Everything. From how I look, to how I feel, to how I behave, to how my connection with others and even life itself would change. I'm so glad I started in the spring, too, because my new blossoming is right in line with the seasons and it's truly a joyous combination!
- I found out that we have Jimmy Buffet's "Boats, Beaches, Bars, and Ballads" box set on MP3 and I am listening to it today as I get things done. Jimmy is definitely a contender in my stuck on a deserted island music list. He's such a poet philosopher. Really. I think he's also one of the people I might say I would be if someone asked, "If you could also be anyone else in the world, who would you be?" (I'm a big fan of thinking it would be really cool to get to life swap to see what it's like...we all live vicariously from time to time, no?)
- I found out that I CAN live without animal protein every day. I used to think I could not. In fact, I thought about making this list into thirteen new things I have learned to eat since "going raw," but the general concensus of my readers is that it's just too weird, so I'm going to probably just post that on my new raw food blog instead!
- I found out that after about two months of eating mostly fruit, vegetables, seeds, and nuts, no dairy, no wheat, and very little meat, and exercising more regularly, that I have lost about eight pounds and have tons of energy!
- I found out that what I like most about my new lifestyle (eating really is a lifestyle) is that I don't feel bloated and swollen and droopy-eyed tired anymore. And I love the food I get to eat! See, I love food, so this really works for me because I get to eat "dessert" for dinner if I want to. Last night, I had four jumbo fresh strawberries cut up and sprinkled with hemp seeds (they taste like moist sunflower seeds but have the highest protein of any nut/seed) and topped with banana "ice cream." That means a frozen banana, four dates, a swirl of agave nectar, a dash of vanilla, and a handful of ice cubes (and a little H2O for mixing purposes since I don't have the best blender). It was luscious! And filling. And good for me.
- I found out that I've finally hit my stride and can eat much less than I had when I first adopted this style of eating. I know...this is the last one...but I was really worried at first because I just felt so empty eating just raw food. And then I had to go through all kinds of withdrawal feelings and actually DEAL with my emotional eating patterns to get here, so I'm really excited about it!
- I found out that focusing on being the change I want to see in my marriage is a miracle of Biblical proportions. (hehe) Seriously though. And now I'm reading The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz, and it all makes perfect sense because of the revelations I've been having in my own life lately. I recommend his books. I also just checked out his book of Prayers and have the companion (handbook?) to The Four Agreements. Ancient wisdom. Funny how things don't REALLY change...just new faces and new gadgets!
- I found out that my computer doesn't respond well to power loss. I was halfway through the last item and the power went out. It was rather funny, actually, because I finished typing a sentence at the same time that a Buffet song ended and them BAM! out went the lights! So, now, about 30 minutes later, I'm back to finish this list that is STILL taking way too long! =)
- I found out that I still love Turbo Jam. It's fun. Like dancing. In fact, cheery Chalene Johnson actually gives little breaks between sets to just "get your groove on" freestyle. She's a lot of fun, and very encouraging. I can't watch people who are just making a tape, you know? This lady has a heart you can connect to in her videos. (I liked that about Billy Blanks too, but I like Chalene more!)
- I found out today that Blogger's wacky glitches have a whole lot to do with why blogging takes too much of my time. Three times now I've had to close out the browser completely (this last time using alt+F4!!!!) because the dang link button gets stuck in the "on" position and keeps popping up a window no matter WHAT I click on....save, exit, anything!!!! GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!! Guess I'll have to use html AGAIN to bypass the mess. Oh, and need I even mention the crazy addition of spacing everywhere when I have to leave and come back?????? Hmph!
- I found out that I really love my life. I'm really learning to stop beating myself up for being a housewife who "needs a job/career" and started just being grateful for the fact that my husband works hard and likes it, that my kids have me around to take care of them since we don't live close to many family members, that I can go and work part time teaching and make some money if I need to, that I have this wonderful time to find my next true calling. I read something about "life's work" on a friend's blog yesterday and thought, "YES! That's exactly right!" Being a mom has absolutely been my calling all this time and when I haven't seen that, it's because I've been thinking I needed to be someone else for someone else (not just one person!) and that's just not who I am! So thank you Zenmomma for your wise words yesterday!!!! =)
And thanks to YOU for reading my Thursday Thirteen!
I've also found that I can do this once a week blogging thing without TOO much trouble. It gives me a focus and just enough incentive so that I don't walk away from my blog for too, too long.
Like I said, there's been a lot going on here lately, and I am preparing my life to be conducive to writing about it more often. Needed to get some things taken care of first, though, and I'm happy to finally be making some major progress. I guess I literally had to start from the inside out and learn to fuel my body so that it will cooperate with me in getting things accomplished!
Have a great day...weekend...and week! May you be grateful for your life--it's the only one you have, and not everbody gets to stick around as long as they would like, so enjoy every day, even if you only enjoy MOPING for the day, ok????!!!!!
Muah! =)
© Nicole J. Williams, 2008, all rights reserved.
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Friday, May 09, 2008
Thursday Thirteen #7--Favorite Romantic Comedies
Ah yes, I know promised a blog more like the old days, waxing philosophic on some random topic perhaps. Well, then this week happened, and this is all I have for you. A break between a crying smile-fest that is compensating for my feminine slump in front of the television. It's just been one of those days. This is my life.
Without further adieu, thirteen of my favorite movies to watch when I'm in, shall we say, a Lifetime or a We kind of mood--the catch is, they have to be on my movie shelves:
- The Wedding Singer
- 13 Going on 30
- Must Love Dogs
- Say Anything
- Enchanted
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
- The Princess Bride
- You've Got Mail
- When Harry Met Sally
- Never Been Kissed
- Forget Paris
- My Best Friend's Wedding
- The Wedding Planner
Yep, I just watched 27 Dresses and that's what gave me the idea. I didn't feel up to writing anything at all, but then I thought, "Oh, surely I can make a list of 'chick flicks' that fit my current mood...I'd hate to TOTALLY miss a Thursday 13." The theme this week was gross, using any interpretation, so let's just say this is what I like to watch when I'm feeling like a wretch of humanity...ok, how about a little blue. (Oh look, it's my very first strikethrough!!! =)
Gee, I just realized that "wedding" is in three of those titles. (Oh, and a bride too!) Revealing, no? Hey, the tradition of the comedy is to end with a wedding, so it's no surprise really. Humanity has always loved its "happy" endings!
Enjoy the weekend, y'all!
© Nicole J. Williams, 2008, all rights reserved.
Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Meet Pepe!
This post is a completely lighthearted tribute to my favorite Muppet I mentioned last week. For me. For fun. Because he makes me happy, and I was bored the other day and found all these cute YouTube videos of him.
I also posted last week about slowly moving away from my meat eating ways, but I don't know that I could completely give up seafood...forever???!!!. Tuna for the dolphins' sake? No problem. But what about raw oysters? And what about shrimp? No offense Pepe.
But wait! Pepe is not a shrimp! He's a King Prawn, ok?
Watch him and see if you think he's cute too! (If you feel like it. I know at least one person out there who doesn't like Muppets, and I apologize for yet another reference to them!)
A video personal dating ad...
A few scenes of Muppets from Space, where I first met Pepe...
Pepe auditions for a Long John Silver's advertisement...
See you Thursday for a more spiritual, philosophical version of the Thirteen meme! =)
I also posted last week about slowly moving away from my meat eating ways, but I don't know that I could completely give up seafood...forever???!!!. Tuna for the dolphins' sake? No problem. But what about raw oysters? And what about shrimp? No offense Pepe.
But wait! Pepe is not a shrimp! He's a King Prawn, ok?
Watch him and see if you think he's cute too! (If you feel like it. I know at least one person out there who doesn't like Muppets, and I apologize for yet another reference to them!)
A video personal dating ad...
A few scenes of Muppets from Space, where I first met Pepe...
Pepe auditions for a Long John Silver's advertisement...
See you Thursday for a more spiritual, philosophical version of the Thirteen meme! =)
Monday, May 05, 2008
I got tagged by Phyl!
My pal, Phyl, tagged me for this meme! She's the queen o' memes! This one's for you girlfriend! =)
Here are the rules of the game (post these first).
1)Each player answers questions about themselves.
2) At the end of the posting tag 5-6 people.
3) Post their names and then go to their site and leave a comment telling them that they have been Tagged. Then ask them to read your blog.
4) Let the person who tagged you know that you have completed your posting.
LET THE FUN BEGIN!!
WHAT WAS I DOING 10 YEARS AGO:
Let's see. At the beginning of May of 1998, I had been officially divorced for about two weeks. I believe I had just had my first bout with Houston influenza that had me dizzy with my head in hand while my kids hunted for Easter eggs outside in the super hot humid weather! I had quit working for Merry Maids because of said flu, that I came down with on Good Friday, WHILE AT WORK, cleaning one of those horrible first time houses that the supervisor would say, "Oh, it should only take y'all a few hours." After four hours, with much more to go, a fever, aches, and the chills coming on hard and fast, with dog hair lodged in my sinuses from the NASTY house, I knew I'd had just about enough of that job. I can STILL see the inside of that house. I think my mom was coming to visit. It was a pretty crazy time in my life. In fact, I have a picture of my kids from when my mom was visiting on my fridge, and I looked at it last night and cried. I could see my little babies on the left and then look up and to the right and see my teenage girls at Disney in December. They looked so much the same, but so different. I just cried the mommy cry. So yeah, ten years ago. Wow.
WHAT ARE THE 5 THINGS ON MY "TO DO" LIST:
Literally on a to-do list:
1)Organize my office: bookshelves, drawers, cabinets, filing. (Can you say ugh?!)
2)Mop the floors.
3)Clean the bathrooms.
4)Organize the kitchen still better to accomodate my new style of eating (i.e. RAW!)
5)Prepare to teach summer school classes next month. (eeeegads, I have less than one month now to get ready!)
On an inner-personal level:
1) Read and take notes on the books I have accumulated on inner growth.
2) Get this office organized so I can read, write, paint, and teach from it with peace of mind AND the ability to find what I need and use the space effectively!
3) Complete to-do list to eliminate stress (SAME AS PHYL ON THIS ONE!)
4) Start walking daily (AND HERE TOO!)
5) Find a source of income that works with who I am inside, and not just as a paycheck to get by and create more stress in my life.
3) SNACKS THAT I ENJOY: Carrots and guacamole; celery with raw almond butter; and yes, ok, chocolate...but I don't feel good AFTER I eat it!
4) THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A BILLIONAIRE: Oh the money I could give away!!!! One dream I have always had is to create some kind of program for teenagers to become more involved in society...obviously, teenagers who do not have the resources to do so. Ultimately, I would want to help motivate them scholastically, politically, environmentally, emotionally, spiritually, and ethically...all at the same time. Hey, if I'm going to dream about being a BILLIONAIRE, it's got to be BIG, right? I truly believe that teenagers are one of the largest untapped markets of creativity and change. Really I think it all goes back to feeling so useless as a teenager myself. And not feeling like I had anyone to show me the way to BE useful. I know there are plenty of things out there that teens can do, but I want to reach the ones who don't have access. Oh sigh, I just want to change the world, you know? Like, let's just revamp the entire education system and make it community oriented instead of consumer and convict oriented. Again, there's so many MORE kids who are left out than who gain from it all. I would love to change that. So there. =)
5) PLACES WHERE I HAVE LIVED: Uxbridge, Douglas, Sandwich, Hyannis, and W. Yarmouth Massachusetts; Vicksburg, Cleveland, and Greenwood, Mississippi; Houston and Humble, Texas. Oregon and California, here I come!!! =)
6) BAD HABITS THAT I HAVE: Refusing to believe in myself more often than not; being a little bit late almost all the time; making to-do lists and then blogging or surfing the internet instead of accomplishing my goals; avoiding household chores more often than ever before; buying too much food; avoiding routines that would make my life less stressful.
7) JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD: restaurant worker (register, food prep, food service--fast-food style in several restaurants), hardware store cashier, factory worker (packed the styrofoam trays that grocery meat etc. comes on), kennel worker, office aide, writing tutor, high school English teacher, (not so) Merry Maid, college English teacher. And my calling so far has been motherhood, although now that the kids are almost "done," I am sad that I didn't do more. Ah well, that good old hindsight added to a perfectionistic bent...what else is new?
Ok, so let's see, I have to tag some folks....um....well, maybe I'll let this one end here for now. I didn't have much luck last time with the tagging part!
Have a blessed day my readers!
© Nicole J. Williams, 2008, all rights reserved.
Here are the rules of the game (post these first).
1)Each player answers questions about themselves.
2) At the end of the posting tag 5-6 people.
3) Post their names and then go to their site and leave a comment telling them that they have been Tagged. Then ask them to read your blog.
4) Let the person who tagged you know that you have completed your posting.
LET THE FUN BEGIN!!
WHAT WAS I DOING 10 YEARS AGO:
Let's see. At the beginning of May of 1998, I had been officially divorced for about two weeks. I believe I had just had my first bout with Houston influenza that had me dizzy with my head in hand while my kids hunted for Easter eggs outside in the super hot humid weather! I had quit working for Merry Maids because of said flu, that I came down with on Good Friday, WHILE AT WORK, cleaning one of those horrible first time houses that the supervisor would say, "Oh, it should only take y'all a few hours." After four hours, with much more to go, a fever, aches, and the chills coming on hard and fast, with dog hair lodged in my sinuses from the NASTY house, I knew I'd had just about enough of that job. I can STILL see the inside of that house. I think my mom was coming to visit. It was a pretty crazy time in my life. In fact, I have a picture of my kids from when my mom was visiting on my fridge, and I looked at it last night and cried. I could see my little babies on the left and then look up and to the right and see my teenage girls at Disney in December. They looked so much the same, but so different. I just cried the mommy cry. So yeah, ten years ago. Wow.
WHAT ARE THE 5 THINGS ON MY "TO DO" LIST:
Literally on a to-do list:
1)Organize my office: bookshelves, drawers, cabinets, filing. (Can you say ugh?!)
2)Mop the floors.
3)Clean the bathrooms.
4)Organize the kitchen still better to accomodate my new style of eating (i.e. RAW!)
5)Prepare to teach summer school classes next month. (eeeegads, I have less than one month now to get ready!)
On an inner-personal level:
1) Read and take notes on the books I have accumulated on inner growth.
2) Get this office organized so I can read, write, paint, and teach from it with peace of mind AND the ability to find what I need and use the space effectively!
3) Complete to-do list to eliminate stress (SAME AS PHYL ON THIS ONE!)
4) Start walking daily (AND HERE TOO!)
5) Find a source of income that works with who I am inside, and not just as a paycheck to get by and create more stress in my life.
3) SNACKS THAT I ENJOY: Carrots and guacamole; celery with raw almond butter; and yes, ok, chocolate...but I don't feel good AFTER I eat it!
4) THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A BILLIONAIRE: Oh the money I could give away!!!! One dream I have always had is to create some kind of program for teenagers to become more involved in society...obviously, teenagers who do not have the resources to do so. Ultimately, I would want to help motivate them scholastically, politically, environmentally, emotionally, spiritually, and ethically...all at the same time. Hey, if I'm going to dream about being a BILLIONAIRE, it's got to be BIG, right? I truly believe that teenagers are one of the largest untapped markets of creativity and change. Really I think it all goes back to feeling so useless as a teenager myself. And not feeling like I had anyone to show me the way to BE useful. I know there are plenty of things out there that teens can do, but I want to reach the ones who don't have access. Oh sigh, I just want to change the world, you know? Like, let's just revamp the entire education system and make it community oriented instead of consumer and convict oriented. Again, there's so many MORE kids who are left out than who gain from it all. I would love to change that. So there. =)
5) PLACES WHERE I HAVE LIVED: Uxbridge, Douglas, Sandwich, Hyannis, and W. Yarmouth Massachusetts; Vicksburg, Cleveland, and Greenwood, Mississippi; Houston and Humble, Texas. Oregon and California, here I come!!! =)
6) BAD HABITS THAT I HAVE: Refusing to believe in myself more often than not; being a little bit late almost all the time; making to-do lists and then blogging or surfing the internet instead of accomplishing my goals; avoiding household chores more often than ever before; buying too much food; avoiding routines that would make my life less stressful.
7) JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD: restaurant worker (register, food prep, food service--fast-food style in several restaurants), hardware store cashier, factory worker (packed the styrofoam trays that grocery meat etc. comes on), kennel worker, office aide, writing tutor, high school English teacher, (not so) Merry Maid, college English teacher. And my calling so far has been motherhood, although now that the kids are almost "done," I am sad that I didn't do more. Ah well, that good old hindsight added to a perfectionistic bent...what else is new?
Ok, so let's see, I have to tag some folks....um....well, maybe I'll let this one end here for now. I didn't have much luck last time with the tagging part!
Have a blessed day my readers!
© Nicole J. Williams, 2008, all rights reserved.
Voters, Delegates, and Superdelegates--OH MY!
I read Mrs. G's blog this morning, and then the comments, and then followed a link in the comments to Jon Stewart's Daily Show site, and then kept watching related videos, until I saw this. Goodness, what a mess! Maybe the Democratic electoral convolutions ARE what keeps getting in the way of Democratic progress when all is said and done?
Hillary's changing take on voters, as demonstrated in this video at least, is exactly why I just can't vote for her. She accused Obama of dismissing the frustrated voters of Pennsylvania (and elsewhere) by his statements, but here, she sees them as even LESS than frustrated voters who turn to their comforting principles to decide their votes. To me anyway, it seemed like she pretty much called them ignorant, or at the very least, uninformed?
Oh Democrats...will ye ever get elected to the Presidency again? Do ye deserve it?
All I have to say is, "Barack the vote!"
Hillary's changing take on voters, as demonstrated in this video at least, is exactly why I just can't vote for her. She accused Obama of dismissing the frustrated voters of Pennsylvania (and elsewhere) by his statements, but here, she sees them as even LESS than frustrated voters who turn to their comforting principles to decide their votes. To me anyway, it seemed like she pretty much called them ignorant, or at the very least, uninformed?
Oh Democrats...will ye ever get elected to the Presidency again? Do ye deserve it?
All I have to say is, "Barack the vote!"
Friday, May 02, 2008
"Meet Your Meat" Changed My Life
A little video, available at YouTube, called "Meet Your Meat," changed my life, although, the transformation took a little time to percolate.
I've been mentioning raw food lately, and it's been an interesting path that has led me here finally. It started a long, long time ago when my mother became, what many friends and family members jokingly (for the most part) referred to as a "health nut." But that story is too long for today, so I'll cut to the chase.
Somehow today I came across Pam Anderson's video (honestly, I think it was a link from a link from a blog or some kind of internet surfing scenario) about "Kentucky Fried Cruelty." It seems PETA is after KFC to change it's torturous treatment of chickens. If you love animals at all, you'll agree it's torturous.
See here:
Watch more videos at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com.
But something bothered me. Why was it only KFC?? What about Chick-fil-A? Church's? Popeye's? Yes, the South runs rampant with chicken "joints" that serve up lots and lots of chicken. (In fact, my husband brought some Popeye's home the other day, much to my dismay, and yet, I was weak and I ate of it and am ashamed.) So I did a little searching, and REALLY, it's the chicken processing plants that are doling out the torture, the biggest offender allegedly being Tyson. Now, all I could think of were all the people who made their living at the Tyson plant down the street from where I lived in rural Mississippi! People or chickens, people or chickens?
Ok, so chicken "farmers" and processors are to blame. So again, in my searches to find more answers, I came across the "Meet Your Meat" video that I had stumbled upon two years ago. I tried to make myself watch it again, but after about four minues or so, I was in tears. And then, I heard a line I had forgotten. Narrator Alec Baldwin said, "If you drink milk, you are supporting the veal industry." And that made me come here to just get this off my chest.
I've lived my whole life feeling guilty if I ate veal, and have only done so about 3 times (a couple of the parmesan variety, and a picatta). And I've heard BUNCHES of folks say, no, they don't eat veal because, awww, it's a poor baby. Well guess what? Apparently the milk is making the veal, so to speak. And it makes sense, but I never thought of it (and apparently didn't remember it after the first viewing!).
To keep milk production going, cows are routinely impregnated. The calf is taken away almost immediately and "raised," confined in a "stall," until it is auctioned off and/or slaughtered. Ugh. Now, I did finally switch to organic milk, but I don't know if this is across the board for milk production or what. My uncle's family owned a dairy when I was a kid and I loved cows, and we would visit them, and I never knew that it could be a bad thing. But this was an independent dairy that still DELIVERED fresh milk in glass bottles, so I don't believe it was anything like what is in this video. These cows roamed the fields and ate grass and hay and came home at night, so it seems to be "industrial" in nature. I would think organic dairy farms are more like those of old with cow pastures and all.
So anyway. All those folks who don't eat veal, not because of it's price tag but because of some love for baby cows, beware the milk. Oh goodness, I digress?!
I'm about one step away from being an ovo-vegetarian (my eggs are organic free-range--and now raw!). Before that, any meat I ate was mostly chicken, sometimes a ground turkey spaghetti dinner, an occasional Texas-raised beef steak, and an even rarer pork chop. But I slowly became more and more repulsed when handling meat. Especially chicken. And I was buying Pilgrim Farms "all natural" (no hormones or antibiotics, but not organic though). But after watching this Pam Anderson chicken video and starting "Meet Your Meat" again, I think I'm ready to quit (no, it wouldn't have been very kind to say "cold turkey").
There are all kinds of other statistics out there about the amount of crops raised just to feed the "meat" being so many times the amount that could feed everyone on the planet...cutting down rainforests to do it...CO2 emissions from animals...blah blah blah.
I'm not posting this to change your mind. I'm posting it because I'm simplifying my life and finding my connection to the Great I AM, and the common level of avoiding the truth in our "modern day society" just isn't cutting it for me anymore.
Ghandi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and so I'm practicing being the change. I'm giving myself permission to live the way I believe without worrying about what other people think. I've lived too long hoping that nobody thinks I'm "weird," or "different," or "too sensitive," or that I "think too much."
Well, too bad, I am all of those things according to the inherent peer pressure of acceptable norms I find surrounding me on a daily basis. I would like to experience balance. And peace. In my opinion, there just isn't enough of that in the world these days.
Love baby. That's where it's at. Love ourselves. Love each other. Love the animals. Love the planet that sustains us. For God's sake, if not for our own?
Amen.
I've been mentioning raw food lately, and it's been an interesting path that has led me here finally. It started a long, long time ago when my mother became, what many friends and family members jokingly (for the most part) referred to as a "health nut." But that story is too long for today, so I'll cut to the chase.
Somehow today I came across Pam Anderson's video (honestly, I think it was a link from a link from a blog or some kind of internet surfing scenario) about "Kentucky Fried Cruelty." It seems PETA is after KFC to change it's torturous treatment of chickens. If you love animals at all, you'll agree it's torturous.
See here:
Watch more videos at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com.
But something bothered me. Why was it only KFC?? What about Chick-fil-A? Church's? Popeye's? Yes, the South runs rampant with chicken "joints" that serve up lots and lots of chicken. (In fact, my husband brought some Popeye's home the other day, much to my dismay, and yet, I was weak and I ate of it and am ashamed.) So I did a little searching, and REALLY, it's the chicken processing plants that are doling out the torture, the biggest offender allegedly being Tyson. Now, all I could think of were all the people who made their living at the Tyson plant down the street from where I lived in rural Mississippi! People or chickens, people or chickens?
Ok, so chicken "farmers" and processors are to blame. So again, in my searches to find more answers, I came across the "Meet Your Meat" video that I had stumbled upon two years ago. I tried to make myself watch it again, but after about four minues or so, I was in tears. And then, I heard a line I had forgotten. Narrator Alec Baldwin said, "If you drink milk, you are supporting the veal industry." And that made me come here to just get this off my chest.
I've lived my whole life feeling guilty if I ate veal, and have only done so about 3 times (a couple of the parmesan variety, and a picatta). And I've heard BUNCHES of folks say, no, they don't eat veal because, awww, it's a poor baby. Well guess what? Apparently the milk is making the veal, so to speak. And it makes sense, but I never thought of it (and apparently didn't remember it after the first viewing!).
To keep milk production going, cows are routinely impregnated. The calf is taken away almost immediately and "raised," confined in a "stall," until it is auctioned off and/or slaughtered. Ugh. Now, I did finally switch to organic milk, but I don't know if this is across the board for milk production or what. My uncle's family owned a dairy when I was a kid and I loved cows, and we would visit them, and I never knew that it could be a bad thing. But this was an independent dairy that still DELIVERED fresh milk in glass bottles, so I don't believe it was anything like what is in this video. These cows roamed the fields and ate grass and hay and came home at night, so it seems to be "industrial" in nature. I would think organic dairy farms are more like those of old with cow pastures and all.
So anyway. All those folks who don't eat veal, not because of it's price tag but because of some love for baby cows, beware the milk. Oh goodness, I digress?!
I'm about one step away from being an ovo-vegetarian (my eggs are organic free-range--and now raw!). Before that, any meat I ate was mostly chicken, sometimes a ground turkey spaghetti dinner, an occasional Texas-raised beef steak, and an even rarer pork chop. But I slowly became more and more repulsed when handling meat. Especially chicken. And I was buying Pilgrim Farms "all natural" (no hormones or antibiotics, but not organic though). But after watching this Pam Anderson chicken video and starting "Meet Your Meat" again, I think I'm ready to quit (no, it wouldn't have been very kind to say "cold turkey").
There are all kinds of other statistics out there about the amount of crops raised just to feed the "meat" being so many times the amount that could feed everyone on the planet...cutting down rainforests to do it...CO2 emissions from animals...blah blah blah.
I'm not posting this to change your mind. I'm posting it because I'm simplifying my life and finding my connection to the Great I AM, and the common level of avoiding the truth in our "modern day society" just isn't cutting it for me anymore.
Ghandi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and so I'm practicing being the change. I'm giving myself permission to live the way I believe without worrying about what other people think. I've lived too long hoping that nobody thinks I'm "weird," or "different," or "too sensitive," or that I "think too much."
Well, too bad, I am all of those things according to the inherent peer pressure of acceptable norms I find surrounding me on a daily basis. I would like to experience balance. And peace. In my opinion, there just isn't enough of that in the world these days.
Love baby. That's where it's at. Love ourselves. Love each other. Love the animals. Love the planet that sustains us. For God's sake, if not for our own?
Amen.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Thursday Thirteen #6--My Randomness
I'm hoping that this will cover the "7 Random Things" tag from Ute AND this whole meme theme over at the Thursday Thirteen headquarters.
I know I blog and stuff, but specifically setting out to reveal things about me makes me a little panicky inside. All that insecurity stuff. It's easy to say "I like Oregon" and show pictures, or to talk about the things I like about someone else, or even to discuss how I feel or what I've learned, but venturing into the realm of personal stuff, well, gives me the heebeejeebees.
However, I will face this fear and insecurity and just do the dumb thing already! And remember, it's random, so that means it's off the top of my head and is probably not as significant as all the worry would suggest.
Enjoy? =)
- I absolutely love the Muppets. As a kid I watched Sesame Street, and the Muppet Show, with glee. And I still can. In fact, the Muppet Show DVDs are in my Netflix queue and I had them on my Christmas/birthday list a few years back. When my kids were little, we had Sesame music CDs and we knew all the songs, which I still quote to them on occasion. ("Carribean Amphibian" comes to mind.) Here's my favorite new muppet. (Oh, and I named my daughter Zoe BEFORE there was a muppet on SS with that name! That did bug me a little bit, but I got over it.) So, again, here's my favorite new muppet, ok?
Pepe, The King Prawn - I love books. I love them in stacks and on racks. I love them on shelves or by themselves. I love them here. I love them there. I love books everywhere. Do I read them? Occasionally. And when I do I love them even more. But there's something so dang comforting about the books on the shelves in my office where I spend most of my time reading on the internet. This is a secret source of shame, and one I hope to alleviate within the next month (the time I've given myself to "get it together, once and for all"!) Here is part of my library.
- I think I hate the Blogger interface. Compose mode always messes up the spacing. Adding pictures is a nightmare. In fact, that may be the last picture you see today because I'm tired of sitting here KNOWING there has to be an easier way that I haven't learned. I haven't even searched for blog help yet, so if any of my lovely readers has any idea where the best place to go for help is, I would be oh-so-grateful for your comment to that effect!
- I started to go off on a rant there, but I saved you. Maybe. Let's see, did this work? Ah, saved. See number five for what just happened.
- Did I mention I dislike the Blogger interface? I just gave up on that last one because I couldn't get the typeface color to revert back to normal, and the last time I messed with it, it ended up some weirder shade of green. Let me go check the html code. Yes, it appears that I know just enough HTML to drive myself BATTY!
- This year marks my 20th year of life post high school graduation. Did I imagine that I would be here? Doing life like this? No, reader, I did not. And so this also marks the year where I let that IDEA of a life go and just start living the one I have--and making changes as I see fit. To wake up to the reality that you have created and realize that the dream is over can be simultaneously crushing and liberating. I'm rooting for liberating to win!
- In light of my van Winkle-esque discovery this year, I now have a motto of sorts. From the Tao Te Ching:
"Failure is an opportunity. If you blame someone else, there is no end to the blame. Therefore the Master fulfills her own obligations and corrects her own mistakes. She does what she needs to do and demands nothing of others." - I have a list of things I want to do that is so long that most times I become overwhelmed and do nothing. Or blog. However, blogging is one of the things I want to do, I just don't want it to take over my day (see #4 and #5). Here's some of my list: Wait, better yet, let me just make it part of the 13 and be efficient! =)
- I want to paint. Every day I see my easel, holding the canvas with the outline of an Albuquerque scene on it, or the painting above my monitor that needs a few more tweaks, or the one leaning up against the file cabinet that needs another go of detail, and I think, yes. And then I come out to lock the front door at night before going to bed and I see the paintings in my office, and I think, no. Again, I have so many ideas swirling around in my head about what I want to paint, I let it get overwhelming. Or, I'm the meany and say, "Not until you get your work done!" which never seems to happen to a sufficient degree to allow for such reckless play. I am determined to make a schedule for myself that includes painting, no matter what.
- I bought myself two journals...well, a sketchbook and a journal. Large, hard-bound. One for pictures cut out of my favorite magazines...places I want to visit, things I would like to do, clothing or decorating styles that make me smile. A sort of "vision" or dreams notebook. (Gotta get some new goals to work towards!) The other for quotations I like...any kind. I've started cutting out photos and I have the rubber cement. I have some quotations on slips of paper in a pile, and I have the rubber cement. Now, to make the time to do this...a little each day.
- I am absolutely fascinated with raw food recipes. I have eaten so many new kinds of things. Like last night for instance, I made "pasta" with pesto sauce. I used my handy-dandy Pampered Chef mandolin and sliced up some zucchini strips (the long way). Then I massaged some sea salt into the strips until they were soft and "noodle-y." Then, I put a dollop or two of homemade pesto sauce (basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil) on top and mixed it in. SO GOOD! You wouldn't believe! My husband loved it! Oh, and I've sprouted my own mung beans about four times now, and they ROCK! And my kids' favorite so far are sunburgers, made with sunflower seed and flax meal as a base. Awesome! Here's a picture...breakin' all my rules about adding photos cuz it's soooooooo gooooood! That's raw corn "salsa" on the side, and on top, raw catsup and homesprouted mung beans! (No, it's not difficult to make!)
- I have a compulsion to be super organized, but I fight the battle constantly. Right now, next to my chair, there are piles of stuff that migrated here from elsewhere in the house as the last stop before being sorted properly. I cannot keep paper from piling up. I am good at hiding things in closets, and no matter how often I reorganize them, there always seems to be chaos waiting to happen. When I lived in an apartment, I didn't have these problems. I keep trying to implement that strategy here, but it's so difficult to "fool" myself into thinking, "I just don't have room for that." The garage is living proof there's room for that SOMEWHERE!!!
- My dog Emily is my constant companion. Faithful. Dutiful. Under foot. Pesky. Annoying. Troublesome (She ran out the door to chase--A ROTTWEILER--when I tried to let the cat in the other night! Thank goodness it was the most mild mannered Rotty I've ever met!). Cuddly. Piggy (She eats the cat food if she doesn't have grazing food in her bowl...well, sometimes even when she does, so she can save hers just in case!). Neurotic (umm, guess that would by my fault?). But she's my girl, and she has kept me company during all those hours when I've been home alone, like now, and bumping into me as I bump into myself, trying to get organized!
Having said "trying to get organized" just now reminded me that I must remember Yoda's words (which are not only his, but hey, I would rather hear it from a Muppet!): "Do or do not. There is no try."
So, I'm going to go do some stuff on my list! Have a happy Thursday and a WONDERFUL weekend! (And wish me luck because I'll be making myself a schedule over the next few days! Woohoo! Baby steps of doing, here I come!)
Muah! =D
© Nicole J. Williams, 2008, all rights reserved.
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