Remember, a year and a half ago, when I packed up my clothes and cookbooks and journeyed solo down to Florida to start my life over? I didn't tell you about a little bump in the road I encountered in Tennessee.
When I knew that I was leaving Missouri, I put out a call to friends near and far, asking for hook-ups of couches to crash upon along my journey. (This was loooong before I joined CouchSurfer.) I knew for sure I had a place to stay in St. Louis and Gainesville, and I thought I was set in Nashville, too.
I had messaged an old friend on Facebook, a guy I briefly went to high school with, and we sorta-kinda kept in touch on Facebook. I told him the date I'd be rolling into town and he said it should be fine, he just needed to check with his wife because he thought his mother-in-law might be visiting.
And then he disappeared.
Nervous about where to stay, another friend of mine (who used to live in Missouri but was now living in Oregon) put me in touch with an old friend of her's from high school, saying he was really nice and totally legit. I spoke with him via Facebook message and we talked on the phone while I was in St. Louis. Ah, what a relief. I had a Plan B! He said he had to work late, but his girlfriend would be around and she was excited to meet me. He said he'd text me her phone number. He never did.
En route from St. Louis to Nashville, the guy texted me to say work was running later than expected and it might be really, really late before he got home. No worries, I said. Just let me know.
He never did.
Meanwhile, I had plans to meet with an Internet friend for dinner in Nashville. We met at a Thai restaurant, had great food and hilariously punny conversation. We hit it off famously. She asked where I was staying that night, and after I explained my interesting situation (I was constantly checking my phone for Plan B to contact me), she offered up her couch. A couple hours passed with still no word from Plan B (and of course, not a peep from Plan A), so I went with Plan C.
And thus, my friend Rae is the coolest person in Nashville.
Needless to say, after this experience in Nashville, I was a little nervous about what to expect in Atlanta, where a similar couch arrangement awaited me. That story will come next.
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Henry Miller's 11 Commandments of Writing
When I was younger (middle school and high school), writing was the only thing I wanted to do "when I grew up." During my first year of community college, however, I lost the urge to write, and that urge left for several years.
Then I started this blog two years ago and it rekindled my love of writing. Now I'm also writing for a few different websites and newsletters (and I'm totally available to write guest posts, if you were wondering) and, for the first time ever, I feel like an actual writer.
[I also identify as a true activist now for the first time ever, but that's another post for another day.]
When I read Henry Miller's 11 Commandments of Writing a few weeks ago, I thought, Now there's some advice I need to take. I'm sharing those commandments here, too, to remind myself, and to pass on Mr. Miller's wisdom to my fellow writers out there.
What other writing tips and advice have been most helpful to you? What is your biggest writing struggle?
Then I started this blog two years ago and it rekindled my love of writing. Now I'm also writing for a few different websites and newsletters (and I'm totally available to write guest posts, if you were wondering) and, for the first time ever, I feel like an actual writer.
[I also identify as a true activist now for the first time ever, but that's another post for another day.]
When I read Henry Miller's 11 Commandments of Writing a few weeks ago, I thought, Now there's some advice I need to take. I'm sharing those commandments here, too, to remind myself, and to pass on Mr. Miller's wisdom to my fellow writers out there.
1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.
2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to ‘Black Spring.’
3. Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.
4. Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!
5. When you can’t create you can work.
6. Cement a little every day, rather than add new fertilizers.
7. Keep human! See people, go places, drink if you feel like it.
8. Don’t be a draught-horse! Work with pleasure only.
9. Discard the Program when you feel like it—but go back to it next day. Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude.
10. Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.
11. Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.
What other writing tips and advice have been most helpful to you? What is your biggest writing struggle?
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Dalai Lama's 18 Rules for Living
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
* Respect for self
* Respect for others
* Responsibility for all your actions
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
* Respect for self
* Respect for others
* Responsibility for all your actions
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Friday, February 24, 2012
A Forks Over Knives Update
A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that my father finally watched the DVD of Forks Over Knives that I had sent him around the start of the year. I also wrote about my best friend and her husband watching it and feeling inspired to eat more plant-based foods. Here's a little update.
My dad no longer drinks milk and now loves vanilla almond milk. He says he "hardly ever eats meat now," and my mom says that, too, but I have no idea what that means, exactly. My dad has been drinking Glucerna for breakfast and lunch every day for about 6 weeks now, which I'm not crazy about (especially after he reads its goofy ingredients to me), but he said at his last doctor's appointment, he was told to "make some changes" or he'll be on insulin. We talked on the phone for awhile and I gave suggestions for healthier dinners and snacks. He really doesn't want to be on insulin, but I'm worried about how much nutrition he's really getting on those Glucerna shakes. (Anyone have any advice on those?) I just purchased copies of Neal Barnard's Reversing Diabetes and the Forks Over Knives book to send to my parents.
Kate and her husband has been incorporating lots of vegan meals into their diet. Kate said that Brandon has lost ten pounds so far, and he actually cooked tofu in a stir-fry recently! (This is funny to be because Brandon has always been a tofu-basher.)
A very good friend of mine, whose name is also Brandon, watched Forks Over Knives this past Monday and has been eating vegan all this week! He said he didn't eat much meat in the first place, but he's really looking into a more plant-based diet.
A couple of weeks ago, a group of us were at Pizza Fusion downtown and our server was vegan. He said he had gone back and forth between vegetarian and vegan for a long time, but after watching Forks Over Knives, he went vegan on the spot.
And then this morning, I told my hairdresser about Forks Over Knives (as veganism had come up in conversation) and he seemed VERY interested in it. He said, "Let's see, you'll be back in about 5 or 6 weeks? Yes, I will have watched in by then."
What Forks Over Knives success stories have you witnessed?
My dad no longer drinks milk and now loves vanilla almond milk. He says he "hardly ever eats meat now," and my mom says that, too, but I have no idea what that means, exactly. My dad has been drinking Glucerna for breakfast and lunch every day for about 6 weeks now, which I'm not crazy about (especially after he reads its goofy ingredients to me), but he said at his last doctor's appointment, he was told to "make some changes" or he'll be on insulin. We talked on the phone for awhile and I gave suggestions for healthier dinners and snacks. He really doesn't want to be on insulin, but I'm worried about how much nutrition he's really getting on those Glucerna shakes. (Anyone have any advice on those?) I just purchased copies of Neal Barnard's Reversing Diabetes and the Forks Over Knives book to send to my parents.
Kate and her husband has been incorporating lots of vegan meals into their diet. Kate said that Brandon has lost ten pounds so far, and he actually cooked tofu in a stir-fry recently! (This is funny to be because Brandon has always been a tofu-basher.)
A very good friend of mine, whose name is also Brandon, watched Forks Over Knives this past Monday and has been eating vegan all this week! He said he didn't eat much meat in the first place, but he's really looking into a more plant-based diet.
A couple of weeks ago, a group of us were at Pizza Fusion downtown and our server was vegan. He said he had gone back and forth between vegetarian and vegan for a long time, but after watching Forks Over Knives, he went vegan on the spot.
And then this morning, I told my hairdresser about Forks Over Knives (as veganism had come up in conversation) and he seemed VERY interested in it. He said, "Let's see, you'll be back in about 5 or 6 weeks? Yes, I will have watched in by then."
What Forks Over Knives success stories have you witnessed?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
From Raw Food to Loving Hut in One Day
Saturday was a fun-filled, food-focused day.
It started out with a raw foods class in Lakeland, organized by a group called the Polk Veg Connection. Jackie and Gideon Graff were the teachers of the class. They talked a lot about raw food diet basics, then demoed Brazil nut milk, raw apple pie, and then raw ice cream (made from the aforementioned Brazil nut milk).
The apple pie was amazing! Very simple to make (all you need is a food processor) using simple ingredients. The texture was the best part. Half of the apples are processed until it resembles applesauce, then the remaining apples are just pulsed into chunks, and this texture combination was lovely for mouthfeel and for presentation.
I wasn't sure about the ice cream at first, but it grew on me. I think I would have liked it better if it had more flavor (more vanilla, maybe?).
From there, we skeedaddled back up to Tampa for our friend, Dean's going away dinner held at Loving Hut. Loving Hut had a buffet all day, and the buffet offerings are always hit-or-miss, but that night, they had two totally awesome dishes with no strange mock meats, and I loved them!
This tofu is the BEST tofu I've had since I moved to Florida.
And the all-veggies stir-fry was delicious. I love bok choy!
Amber brought some totally rockin' homemade cupcakes - peanut butter with chocolate frosting and chocolate-chip pumpkin with cream cheese frosting - but I didn't get any pics of them. They do make an appearance in this shot of the guest of honor.
I had an educational day and a rowdy, laughter-filled night with my beautiful veggie pals. I met some cool new people, too.
And to Dean: It was nice knowin' ya. Your activism will be missed in Tampa, but Seattle is lucky to have you. Expect to see me crashing on your floor space in the as-near-as-possible future.
It started out with a raw foods class in Lakeland, organized by a group called the Polk Veg Connection. Jackie and Gideon Graff were the teachers of the class. They talked a lot about raw food diet basics, then demoed Brazil nut milk, raw apple pie, and then raw ice cream (made from the aforementioned Brazil nut milk).
The apple pie was amazing! Very simple to make (all you need is a food processor) using simple ingredients. The texture was the best part. Half of the apples are processed until it resembles applesauce, then the remaining apples are just pulsed into chunks, and this texture combination was lovely for mouthfeel and for presentation.
I wasn't sure about the ice cream at first, but it grew on me. I think I would have liked it better if it had more flavor (more vanilla, maybe?).
From there, we skeedaddled back up to Tampa for our friend, Dean's going away dinner held at Loving Hut. Loving Hut had a buffet all day, and the buffet offerings are always hit-or-miss, but that night, they had two totally awesome dishes with no strange mock meats, and I loved them!
This tofu is the BEST tofu I've had since I moved to Florida.
And the all-veggies stir-fry was delicious. I love bok choy!
Amber brought some totally rockin' homemade cupcakes - peanut butter with chocolate frosting and chocolate-chip pumpkin with cream cheese frosting - but I didn't get any pics of them. They do make an appearance in this shot of the guest of honor.
I had an educational day and a rowdy, laughter-filled night with my beautiful veggie pals. I met some cool new people, too.
And to Dean: It was nice knowin' ya. Your activism will be missed in Tampa, but Seattle is lucky to have you. Expect to see me crashing on your floor space in the as-near-as-possible future.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Watch This. Feel Frustrated. Get Motivated.
The sad public health of America. Disturbingly unhealthy school lunches. Food deserts. The ulterior motives of the USDA. Of COURSE our country has an obesity epidemic!
Which of these problems have you seen in your city? How are you helping to create positive change in your community?
Monday, February 6, 2012
Writing Day
"Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing." - Margaret Chittenden
I designated an entire day over the weekend as my Writing Day. It was going to be a perfect day for the written word, for churning out interesting and captivating articles and essays, for letting the creative juices flow through my fingertips and onto the keyboard, a day with no other obligations or appointments. I had been scribbling notes on random pieces of paper all week, occasionally typing out a rough outline, but on this day, it would all come together. This day was WRITING DAY.
I woke up at 8:45 that morning, feeling pleased that I woke up naturally at such a decent hour. Perfect for Writing Day!
By 9:15am, I had my lap top open, and the rough draft document in front of me. Here we go. Let the writing begin...
Any second now...
Really, aaaaaaany moment...
Wait for it...
While I waited for the focus and motivation and words to come to me, I did the following:
Had a nice long catch-up chat with my mom
Had a short catch-up chat with my best friend, Kate
Opened up the stack of mail that had been ignored all week long
Paid a couple of bills
Refreshed Facebook and email at semi-regular intervals
Grazed on spring rolls, Gardein Chipotle-Lime Strips, and Medjool dates throughout the day
Took time to really listen to the wind chime outside
Played with headbands
Hula hooped to bittersweet indie songs while wearing a mud mask
Cursed at Pandora for playing too many "thumbs down" songs, thus preventing me from giving any MORE thumbs down
Marveled at the greatness that is Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Piddled around on the Internet
Watched Justin Timberlake videos on youtube (I don't know how that happened)
Gave thanks for yoga pants
Texted a couple of friends about my so-called "Writing Day," rambling about all the distractions throughout the day, all while further distracting myself by texting friends
All the while glancing at the rough draft and feeling a little bitter that the words weren't coming to me, that the focus hadn't set in. Why is it that the words come like a thunderstorm when I have to be somewhere in 10 minutes? I set aside an entire day for this! Where are the words?!
Eventually, I left to meet up with my good friend, Lisa, for tea and chat. I knew I had to walk away from the computer. I knew I needed a change of scenery. I knew some human interaction and some conversation would distract me from the need to write. I can't force the perfect words to flow. I just have to wait.
At 11pm, I sat back down at the computer, and set to work.
There was no strike-of-lightning feeling, no sudden power surge, no "OH MY GOSH! I'M WRITING! OH, THESE BRILLIANT WORDS!" I just sat down, and started typing, and by 12:30 that night, one article was done. Mission accomplished.
And this is why you don't see daily content on Hungry Vegan Traveler right now. I cannot force good (by my standards) writing out of me. It has to happen naturally. If blogging was my only job, I could probably write near-daily, but I have a full-time job, and heaps of volunteer projects on the side, and other creative projects on top of that. This is why Vegan MoFo 2011 was a failure for me (though, at the time, I was also disconnected from the interwebs, which just added another HUGE hurdle).
But don't let this post fool you. I love to write. I really, truly do. I love my blog and I love connecting with readers and other bloggers. If I could do THIS as my full-time job, I would.
So, with all this said, feel free to contact me to write a guest post for YOUR blog. Or to offer me a rockin' paid writing position. Either / or.
Because I always need more excuses to
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Forks Over Knives: Passing It On
About a month ago, I sent a DVD of Forks Over Knives to my father. My father has had health problems for as long as I've known him, and he's never been one to take good care of himself, especially where his diet is concerned. He blames years of trucking and eating on the road, but when he stopped trucking, he kept eating a Trucker's Diet.
I'd brought up going vegetarian to my dad many times, citing facts and statistics at random, pointing out how Dr. Oz agrees with a plant-based diet providing optimal nutrition (my parents like Dr. Oz), etc. My dad didn't buy it. My dad would claim that eating a lettuce salad alongside a giant steak and a baked potato was "balanced," and he also LOVED to tell me that "vegetables are what MY food eats."
And then I finally watched Forks Over Knives at the Tampa Bay Veg Fest last year and I thought, My dad should watch this. Because I've always known that I could send him books or starter kits every day, and he won't read them. But a movie? There's hope there.
So I sent the DVD and I waited.
Just this past week, my father told me that he watched the entire movie and it was "really interesting" and full of information and he's going to watch it again! My dad said he doesn't think he'll stop eating meat completely, but he's already cutting back.
I told this story to my best friend yesterday and she was impressed. (She knows my father!) She voiced her concerns about her husband's diet and said she was interested in watching the movie, too. I told her it's streaming on Netflix and she was excited. Later that night, she sent me a text, saying she and her husband were watching it. When they finished watching it, she sent me another text saying that they are going to go "mostly plant-based" for 12 weeks! This is HUGE considering her husband is a chef and enjoys cooking with lots of RICH ingredients.
Needless to say, I'm VERY excited and hopeful for my family and friends.
How has Forks Over Knives inspired you or someone you know to go plant-strong?
I'd brought up going vegetarian to my dad many times, citing facts and statistics at random, pointing out how Dr. Oz agrees with a plant-based diet providing optimal nutrition (my parents like Dr. Oz), etc. My dad didn't buy it. My dad would claim that eating a lettuce salad alongside a giant steak and a baked potato was "balanced," and he also LOVED to tell me that "vegetables are what MY food eats."
And then I finally watched Forks Over Knives at the Tampa Bay Veg Fest last year and I thought, My dad should watch this. Because I've always known that I could send him books or starter kits every day, and he won't read them. But a movie? There's hope there.
So I sent the DVD and I waited.
Just this past week, my father told me that he watched the entire movie and it was "really interesting" and full of information and he's going to watch it again! My dad said he doesn't think he'll stop eating meat completely, but he's already cutting back.
I told this story to my best friend yesterday and she was impressed. (She knows my father!) She voiced her concerns about her husband's diet and said she was interested in watching the movie, too. I told her it's streaming on Netflix and she was excited. Later that night, she sent me a text, saying she and her husband were watching it. When they finished watching it, she sent me another text saying that they are going to go "mostly plant-based" for 12 weeks! This is HUGE considering her husband is a chef and enjoys cooking with lots of RICH ingredients.
Needless to say, I'm VERY excited and hopeful for my family and friends.
How has Forks Over Knives inspired you or someone you know to go plant-strong?
Monday, December 26, 2011
Christmas Dinner 2011
I am declaring Christmas 2011 my best Christmas EVER. I spent the entire weekend with people I love and cherish. Who could ask for anything more?
My best friend's hubby is a chef and he and I collaborated on Christmas eve dinner. No, he isn't vegan, but he likes the challenge of cooking vegan food. (You may recall the fig sauce he prepared awhile back, posted HERE.)
For a little over two hours, we set to work on some amazing food to bring to the family dinner: a savory "Holiday Tart" (recipe from VegNews HERE), acorn squash stuffed with wild rice stuffing (stuffing recipe HERE), and mashed potatoes with butternut squash. There are no photographs of the cooking process as we were on a time crunch and were bustling around that tiny, 800-degrees kitchen, but behold! The finished product!
Here's the tart, fresh out of the oven.
This was delicious! The filling is mostly chickpeas, walnuts, spinach, celery, onion, and garlic and some other herbs. This could be eaten without baking, and it would make a delicious dip or spread. I think it would also be great crust-less, just baked like a casserole.
The wild rice stuffing was delicious! I cooked the rice in vegetable broth, and it cooked for a very long time, and we still had to drain excess liquid, but it still turned out perfect. Instead of an apple, we diced up a pear-apple, which was fun. Pecans are great in rice dishes.
And mashed potatoes, well, you can't go wrong with mashed potatoes! (Especially garlicky ones.) The butternut squash was a great addition.
At the family dinner, everyone was eating pasta and seafood, but I was happy to share my food with everyone (we made plenty to go around!), and I got some lovely feedback!
Here's my plate:
I also made a no-bake fruit pie with So Delicious vanilla on the side, and that was warmly received, but I have no pictures of that. (I've blogged about it awhile back and the "recipe" is HERE.)
It was such a delicious meal and I was SO FULL that I couldn't even THINK about turning my new hula hoop that night! I had an amazing weekend, so full of love. I am so lucky to have such amazing people in my life.
I hope you had a lovely holiday, too! What was on your holiday plate?
My best friend's hubby is a chef and he and I collaborated on Christmas eve dinner. No, he isn't vegan, but he likes the challenge of cooking vegan food. (You may recall the fig sauce he prepared awhile back, posted HERE.)
For a little over two hours, we set to work on some amazing food to bring to the family dinner: a savory "Holiday Tart" (recipe from VegNews HERE), acorn squash stuffed with wild rice stuffing (stuffing recipe HERE), and mashed potatoes with butternut squash. There are no photographs of the cooking process as we were on a time crunch and were bustling around that tiny, 800-degrees kitchen, but behold! The finished product!
Here's the tart, fresh out of the oven.
This was delicious! The filling is mostly chickpeas, walnuts, spinach, celery, onion, and garlic and some other herbs. This could be eaten without baking, and it would make a delicious dip or spread. I think it would also be great crust-less, just baked like a casserole.
The wild rice stuffing was delicious! I cooked the rice in vegetable broth, and it cooked for a very long time, and we still had to drain excess liquid, but it still turned out perfect. Instead of an apple, we diced up a pear-apple, which was fun. Pecans are great in rice dishes.
And mashed potatoes, well, you can't go wrong with mashed potatoes! (Especially garlicky ones.) The butternut squash was a great addition.
At the family dinner, everyone was eating pasta and seafood, but I was happy to share my food with everyone (we made plenty to go around!), and I got some lovely feedback!
Here's my plate:
I also made a no-bake fruit pie with So Delicious vanilla on the side, and that was warmly received, but I have no pictures of that. (I've blogged about it awhile back and the "recipe" is HERE.)
It was such a delicious meal and I was SO FULL that I couldn't even THINK about turning my new hula hoop that night! I had an amazing weekend, so full of love. I am so lucky to have such amazing people in my life.
I hope you had a lovely holiday, too! What was on your holiday plate?
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving 2011
It's Thanksgiving time again, which is my favorite of the big holidays. Giving thanks and gratitude and showing love and appreciation: we just don't do that often enough.
Elsewhere on the interwebs, not affiliated with this blog, I had been posting almost daily, up until Thanksgiving Day, what I was thankful for. Some of the posts were silly things, and some were more personal. I don't get very personal on this blog, but now that the big day is here, I want to share my final gratitude for the holiday with you here.
I am thankful for myself. I am thankful for the strength I have and the bravery I continue to find within me. I am thankful for the moments I speak up, even when my voice shakes. I am thankful for my silliness, for my goofy personality, for my heart (both the one that beats and keeps me alive and the one that reaches out to others). I am thankful for my health, which is actually pretty darn good, all things considered. I am thankful for my body, every square inch of it, and I am thankful that I finally stopped hating it this past year. I am thankful for my adaptability, my resourcefulness, and my "won't-take-no-for-an-answer"-ness. I am thankful for my creativity and talents, even though they often seem quite hidden. I am thankful for my dreams that keep me going and my constant burning desire to make them a reality. I am thankful that I finally learned to not settle for anything less than I am worth.
I have so much to be thankful for, every single day.
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
Elsewhere on the interwebs, not affiliated with this blog, I had been posting almost daily, up until Thanksgiving Day, what I was thankful for. Some of the posts were silly things, and some were more personal. I don't get very personal on this blog, but now that the big day is here, I want to share my final gratitude for the holiday with you here.
I am thankful for myself. I am thankful for the strength I have and the bravery I continue to find within me. I am thankful for the moments I speak up, even when my voice shakes. I am thankful for my silliness, for my goofy personality, for my heart (both the one that beats and keeps me alive and the one that reaches out to others). I am thankful for my health, which is actually pretty darn good, all things considered. I am thankful for my body, every square inch of it, and I am thankful that I finally stopped hating it this past year. I am thankful for my adaptability, my resourcefulness, and my "won't-take-no-for-an-answer"-ness. I am thankful for my creativity and talents, even though they often seem quite hidden. I am thankful for my dreams that keep me going and my constant burning desire to make them a reality. I am thankful that I finally learned to not settle for anything less than I am worth.
I have so much to be thankful for, every single day.
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Quality Over Quantity
Folks, I tried.
I tried to blog on the daily for Vegan MoFo this year, but I just cannot do it. I know that most of my recent posts have been pretty sucky, and I hate posting BS entries just for the sake of posting. It isn't enjoyable for me, and it certainly isn't enjoyable for you.
I'm not giving up on Vegan MoFo entirely, and I'm DEFINITELY not giving up on blogging, but I am no longer going to post these worthless entries every day, just so I can say, "I did it! I blogged every day!" Quality over quantity, right?
And I just need to be real with myself. I have way too much going on in my life to manage posting juicy, worthwhile posts every single day. Plus, dealing with a lack of internet (that's right -- no interwebs at my current dwelling, which means schlepping my 80-pound laptop to the nearest wifi hot spot, which is sometimes more difficult than it sounds) just adds to the frustration.
So, no more fluff pieces. Just the good stuff. From here on out.
PS. Did you check to see if you won the Tampa Bay VegFest Swag giveaway?
I tried to blog on the daily for Vegan MoFo this year, but I just cannot do it. I know that most of my recent posts have been pretty sucky, and I hate posting BS entries just for the sake of posting. It isn't enjoyable for me, and it certainly isn't enjoyable for you.
I'm not giving up on Vegan MoFo entirely, and I'm DEFINITELY not giving up on blogging, but I am no longer going to post these worthless entries every day, just so I can say, "I did it! I blogged every day!" Quality over quantity, right?
And I just need to be real with myself. I have way too much going on in my life to manage posting juicy, worthwhile posts every single day. Plus, dealing with a lack of internet (that's right -- no interwebs at my current dwelling, which means schlepping my 80-pound laptop to the nearest wifi hot spot, which is sometimes more difficult than it sounds) just adds to the frustration.
So, no more fluff pieces. Just the good stuff. From here on out.
PS. Did you check to see if you won the Tampa Bay VegFest Swag giveaway?
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Happy Birthday to Me!
It's my birthday today! This means I am not promising a very substantial MoFo post. Not only am I sick AND working today, but it's raining like crazy outside. I actually don't mind the rain, though. When I was growing up in Connecticut, most of my birthdays were rainy. The only thing missing are the autumn leaves, but I'm quite fond of palm trees, too.
On Friday I cashed in my free birthday meal at Moe's Southwest Grill. I got the usual: the tofu rice bowl. Not the prettiest dish you've ever seen, I'm sure, but free food is automatically beautiful, amirite?
The green tomatilla salsa is the BEST. Chock full o' cilantro-y goodness.
Yesterday, Lisa and I met up for tea at Kaleisia. We split a carafe of their PHENOMENAL iced soy pumpkin chai latte. You can taste and feel and SEE the pumpkin in it!
I have some sad news about my beloved tea lounge, though. What I always loved about Kaleisia is that they're super veg-friendly. Their small food menu was all vegan, and they offered cow's milk (as well as soy) for their drinks and the majority of their baked goods had dairy and eggs, but they were always a meat-free cafe. Until recently. Now, all of a sudden, they're serving FRIED CHICKEN. I was so disappointed when I read this on their Facebook page, and I'm still disappointed. They lost a billion cool points with that decision. I realize that they are still veg-friendly, but now they're not as friendly.
Moving on.
Next was the monthly vegan buffet at Trang Viet Cuisine. I totally forgot to take pictures, but the offerings were pretty much the usual. For me, the soup and rolls are the best. My dinner at Trang was also free, as they do complimentary meals for your birthday, and they're closed today. Score! My buddy Amber (who blogs at Zombie Cats Eating Plants) and I share a birthday, so we both scored free birthday meals last night.
From there, a group of us went to the Improv theater in Ybor City, as a friend had free tickets. Little-known stand-up comics can be a little iffy -- they're often a bit too sexist or prejudice for me to find funny, but other than a couple offensive (to me) jokes, the opener and headliner were pretty funny. There were a few moments when I could barely breathe because I was laughing so hard, so that's always a good sign. Plus, the headliner - Godfrey - has been on 30 Rock, so this brings me a little closer to Tina Fey.
After the show and parting ways with the group, I dashed over to the Orpheum and was able to catch the last half of the Mates of State show, which was lovely and made me feel warm and fuzzy, which was nice after scurrying through the rain.
I'm so glad I didn't miss this song, as it holds a special place in my heart.
And then this morning, I woke up barely breathing, this time from congestion, so I just laid in bed for awhile, listening to the rain. I pushed myself out of bed and made a birthday cake for myself because I'm pretty sure it's bad luck to NOT have cake on your birthday. I used this basic Gluten Free Pantry brand of cake mix that I had on hand and added chocolate chips.
Batter up!
While it cooled, I whipped up just enough peanut butter frosting: peanut butter, melted Earth Balance, trickle of vanilla extract, and some confectioner's sugar. I didn't use any precise measurements; I just added until the consistency was right.
And here's my quick and easy birthday cake / breakfast!
And since it's my birthday, I'm going to shamelessly plug my blog's Facebook page. Go ahead and give it a like! It's another way to stay up to date on my blog posts (another option is following with Google Connect), plus I share other fun links, videos, pictures, and other goodies from time to time over there.
What did you do over the weekend? Who else has a birthday during Vegan MoFo?
On Friday I cashed in my free birthday meal at Moe's Southwest Grill. I got the usual: the tofu rice bowl. Not the prettiest dish you've ever seen, I'm sure, but free food is automatically beautiful, amirite?
Yesterday, Lisa and I met up for tea at Kaleisia. We split a carafe of their PHENOMENAL iced soy pumpkin chai latte. You can taste and feel and SEE the pumpkin in it!
I have some sad news about my beloved tea lounge, though. What I always loved about Kaleisia is that they're super veg-friendly. Their small food menu was all vegan, and they offered cow's milk (as well as soy) for their drinks and the majority of their baked goods had dairy and eggs, but they were always a meat-free cafe. Until recently. Now, all of a sudden, they're serving FRIED CHICKEN. I was so disappointed when I read this on their Facebook page, and I'm still disappointed. They lost a billion cool points with that decision. I realize that they are still veg-friendly, but now they're not as friendly.
Moving on.
Next was the monthly vegan buffet at Trang Viet Cuisine. I totally forgot to take pictures, but the offerings were pretty much the usual. For me, the soup and rolls are the best. My dinner at Trang was also free, as they do complimentary meals for your birthday, and they're closed today. Score! My buddy Amber (who blogs at Zombie Cats Eating Plants) and I share a birthday, so we both scored free birthday meals last night.
From there, a group of us went to the Improv theater in Ybor City, as a friend had free tickets. Little-known stand-up comics can be a little iffy -- they're often a bit too sexist or prejudice for me to find funny, but other than a couple offensive (to me) jokes, the opener and headliner were pretty funny. There were a few moments when I could barely breathe because I was laughing so hard, so that's always a good sign. Plus, the headliner - Godfrey - has been on 30 Rock, so this brings me a little closer to Tina Fey.
After the show and parting ways with the group, I dashed over to the Orpheum and was able to catch the last half of the Mates of State show, which was lovely and made me feel warm and fuzzy, which was nice after scurrying through the rain.
I'm so glad I didn't miss this song, as it holds a special place in my heart.
And then this morning, I woke up barely breathing, this time from congestion, so I just laid in bed for awhile, listening to the rain. I pushed myself out of bed and made a birthday cake for myself because I'm pretty sure it's bad luck to NOT have cake on your birthday. I used this basic Gluten Free Pantry brand of cake mix that I had on hand and added chocolate chips.
Batter up!
While it cooled, I whipped up just enough peanut butter frosting: peanut butter, melted Earth Balance, trickle of vanilla extract, and some confectioner's sugar. I didn't use any precise measurements; I just added until the consistency was right.
And here's my quick and easy birthday cake / breakfast!
And since it's my birthday, I'm going to shamelessly plug my blog's Facebook page. Go ahead and give it a like! It's another way to stay up to date on my blog posts (another option is following with Google Connect), plus I share other fun links, videos, pictures, and other goodies from time to time over there.
What did you do over the weekend? Who else has a birthday during Vegan MoFo?
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