Saturday, January 14, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Things I Love Thursday
I love that mossy trees like this are literally in my own backyard.
I also love...
Koalas to the max. I found this very addictive and frustrating at the same time.
The cat scan.
These ice cream cone lamps.
Shit white girls say ... to black girls. The hair thing! haha Also if you 're thinking about making one of these videos yourself, click here for some ideas.
25 free attractions in San Francisco.
In praise of calling it quits. I'm not ashamed to quit something that's not working for me, how about you?
Free online university and high school classes and lectures. Amazing.
Underwater ice fishing. Wait, what?
Some
These Song of Ice and Fire illustrations - one, two, three and four. Unfortunately I don't know who made these, and no amount of Googling will help me. Damn you, Tumblr!
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This high speed photo taken of a coffee splashing, by Jack Long.
Found via Laughing Squid's Tumblr.
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Don't Even Reply - e-mails from an asshole.Yeti Spaghetti playing the part of mink stole. Très chic.
Japanese bodysuit tattoos.
The 15 funniest autocorrects from December 2011.
How to be a bicycle babe.
The 20 New Year's resolutions for 20-somethings. Very good ideas in here!
Pizza is my lover, the calendar. Hilarious!
Dreams don't just come true.
This Doritos commercial that never made it to the SuperBowl. It should have.
Don't fear the square and compass, ladies of the freemasonry.
How the internet has taken the glamour out of behaving badly.
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I'm such a damn sucker for flashmob marriage proposal videos. It's ridiculous. Here's one Suzy posted a few days ago that had me in tears. I believe in the comments I called her an asshole for making me cry, haha. Sorry Suzy.
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I'm such a damn sucker for flashmob marriage proposal videos. It's ridiculous. Here's one Suzy posted a few days ago that had me in tears. I believe in the comments I called her an asshole for making me cry, haha. Sorry Suzy.
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I know I must have mentioned Tattoo Rant before, but the newest post on there, 'funk', gives you a little look into what being in the tattoo industry can feel like sometimes. It's not all mohawks and tv shows.
That there may actually be a Party Down movie coming soon!
When disasters strike...help send Karen to Haiti.
The pictures of Zimbabwe on Lucky Pony.
Willow plays fetch in some leaves. (video)
The authenticity of contradiction.
Kristin Luna just got back from a year on Semester at Sea ... look what she has lined up for the future. OH her life!!!
How to put together a nice care package.
These pictures of the Trenton State Hospital. WOW
That there may actually be a Party Down movie coming soon!
When disasters strike...help send Karen to Haiti.
The pictures of Zimbabwe on Lucky Pony.
Willow plays fetch in some leaves. (video)
The authenticity of contradiction.
Kristin Luna just got back from a year on Semester at Sea ... look what she has lined up for the future. OH her life!!!
How to put together a nice care package.
These pictures of the Trenton State Hospital. WOW
And last but not least...
Living With A Lion, 1970s. WHAT? Two questions: Where can I get a lion to read on, and what is the dad wearing in these first three photos?
All images by Michael Rougier. Found here.
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The Quiet Vegetarian
I'm working at Sarah's Place as I'm typing this out. I suppose being surrounded by rad vegan stuff reminded me I wanted to tell you about this book.
I've just recently read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and can not recommend it enough. For all the defensive steak eaters out there who are already getting up in arms at the past two sentences, yes I am writing about a 'do not eat animals' book ... but it's not your typical vegetarians-patting-themselves-on-the-back type book.
It isn't preachy, it's based only on fact (with references for everything). It explores the difference between the farm you think an animal is raised on and the actual factory farm your meat comes from. The stories are heart-wrenching but very true ... one of the last chapters made me cry on the bus, it was so terrible, but I read it anyway.
I feel like everybody needs to know the information Foer is putting out there, meat eater or not. He sneaks into factory farms in the middle of the night, he interviews ranchers and slaughterhouse employees who are both for and against eating meat, he explores the environmental impact of factory farms, he does his research and cites his sources well.
This book was sort of preaching to the converted for me, I already knew most of the things he was writing about, but it was a really good reminder as to why I stopped eating dead bodies. Sounds gross, right? Well it's true! Carcasses. Corpses. You're welcome.
Do you want to know a few animal-friendly things you can do during the holidays?
Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving always seem to be the times of year when I'm most with people that feel the need to discuss/question/disregard my being vegetarian. We are by no means perfect, but here are a few ways our family keeps the holidays a teeny bit more animal friendly:
1. Well first of all...the food. I'm lucky that we are all vegetarians in our household, so rather than a turkey or whatever as the main course we usually end up eating tofurky. Do you really need bacon in that salad? Real butter in those potatoes? Ham in those peas? What's important is getting together and sharing a meal and good conversation. Not the turkey. Not the ham.
2. We don't shop at stores that sell furs, we don't support companies that use fur or leather in their clothing, and we don't buy anything down-filled or tested on animals. It's actually really easy to find awesome animal-free gifts pretty much anywhere.
3. Ryan recently started a tradition with his kids in which on every turkey-dinner-based holiday they drive out to a lake and feed some ducks. It's kind of like a giving back to the poultry community in a funny way. It's a nice outing and it makes the kids feel better about the holidays.
4. Hosting a vegetarian during the holidays? Here's a post I wrote last Easter that you should read.
Obviously these are very small things and there's so much more a person can do. Every small step, every time you eat vegan or vegetarian rather than eating meat, every time you use your buying power at a small real farm rather than a factory farm, every time you treat an animal right, you are making a difference in this world.
Imagine if you did one thousand small acts of kindness in one year, how much kindness that adds up to. Your actions can make a difference in the world.
I've just recently read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and can not recommend it enough. For all the defensive steak eaters out there who are already getting up in arms at the past two sentences, yes I am writing about a 'do not eat animals' book ... but it's not your typical vegetarians-patting-themselves-on-the-back type book.
It isn't preachy, it's based only on fact (with references for everything). It explores the difference between the farm you think an animal is raised on and the actual factory farm your meat comes from. The stories are heart-wrenching but very true ... one of the last chapters made me cry on the bus, it was so terrible, but I read it anyway.
I feel like everybody needs to know the information Foer is putting out there, meat eater or not. He sneaks into factory farms in the middle of the night, he interviews ranchers and slaughterhouse employees who are both for and against eating meat, he explores the environmental impact of factory farms, he does his research and cites his sources well.
This book was sort of preaching to the converted for me, I already knew most of the things he was writing about, but it was a really good reminder as to why I stopped eating dead bodies. Sounds gross, right? Well it's true! Carcasses. Corpses. You're welcome.
---
I grew up eating meat at nearly every meal until I was about 23 years old. But I kind of feel like my eyes have been opened to the truth and I cannot unsee what I've seen. I don't feel right supporting an industry that routinely tortures animals. I have, over time, become a quiet vegetarian.
I try to let people feel comfortable with their own decisions and I try my best not to judge people's choices. I certainly try not to say anything about what others are eating, because I know I could do better myself. I don't always eat vegan, (insert lame placation about cheese here) and it's something I'm constantly working on and thinking about.
This post isn't to ask you to change, but I am saying that you should know the facts about what you're eating and make a decision from there. If you're truly okay with what is going on then by all means, eat your steak and wear your dog-fur Uggs and I'll leave you in peace. But I believe it's wrong to just turn a blind eye and pretend all your hot dogs died peacefully in their sleep.
I try to let people feel comfortable with their own decisions and I try my best not to judge people's choices. I certainly try not to say anything about what others are eating, because I know I could do better myself. I don't always eat vegan, (insert lame placation about cheese here) and it's something I'm constantly working on and thinking about.
This post isn't to ask you to change, but I am saying that you should know the facts about what you're eating and make a decision from there. If you're truly okay with what is going on then by all means, eat your steak and wear your dog-fur Uggs and I'll leave you in peace. But I believe it's wrong to just turn a blind eye and pretend all your hot dogs died peacefully in their sleep.
---
Do you want to know a few animal-friendly things you can do during the holidays?
Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving always seem to be the times of year when I'm most with people that feel the need to discuss/question/disregard my being vegetarian. We are by no means perfect, but here are a few ways our family keeps the holidays a teeny bit more animal friendly:
1. Well first of all...the food. I'm lucky that we are all vegetarians in our household, so rather than a turkey or whatever as the main course we usually end up eating tofurky. Do you really need bacon in that salad? Real butter in those potatoes? Ham in those peas? What's important is getting together and sharing a meal and good conversation. Not the turkey. Not the ham.
2. We don't shop at stores that sell furs, we don't support companies that use fur or leather in their clothing, and we don't buy anything down-filled or tested on animals. It's actually really easy to find awesome animal-free gifts pretty much anywhere.
3. Ryan recently started a tradition with his kids in which on every turkey-dinner-based holiday they drive out to a lake and feed some ducks. It's kind of like a giving back to the poultry community in a funny way. It's a nice outing and it makes the kids feel better about the holidays.
4. Hosting a vegetarian during the holidays? Here's a post I wrote last Easter that you should read.
---
Obviously these are very small things and there's so much more a person can do. Every small step, every time you eat vegan or vegetarian rather than eating meat, every time you use your buying power at a small real farm rather than a factory farm, every time you treat an animal right, you are making a difference in this world.
Imagine if you did one thousand small acts of kindness in one year, how much kindness that adds up to. Your actions can make a difference in the world.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Lately...
Lately I've been...Listening to Black Breath. Terrible band name, it makes me think of rotten teeth! But man, it's been a really long time since I've heard a song and been like "YES". I...uh..."found" some new music on the internet and somehow I got it onto my computer, like, by magic or something. Anyway, all of a sudden I am excited about music again. Here's the song that got me all pumped.
*note* very metal and RAAAAAH so if you're not in that mood maybe skip it. But if you feel like running around and punching things then this one's for you.
I also got some Dimmu Borgir which I am really into, Adele (haha shut up, she sings prettily), Mastodon, Electric Wizard, Doomtree, Trampled By Turtles (some cool modern bluegrass), Absu, Liturgy (so far, do not recommend), Baroness, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Yob, Ellie Goulding (Ryan really likes her so I'm trying it out), Wolves in the Throne Room (not my favorite), 3 Inches of Blood (locals, woo! I've seen them play and my boss has tattooed them a bunch, but I've never had any albums before.) and the sountrack to Treme. Oh yes and The Sword, Corb Lund, Chingon, At The Drive-In, The Black Keys, Dio, Elvis Costello, Queen, Lamb of God, Metallica (I never had the Ride the Lightning album for some reason) and Lila Downs.
I'm still just wading my way through it all, it's very exciting. I have to stop denying myself some crazy metal, even if nobody else in my life likes it. It makes me happy, damnit. Even Dimmu Borgir, who makes me laugh because it's like, SO BLACK METAL but it's really awesome at the same time.
Watching...Treme.Have you seen it? Because if you like music at all you probably should. It takes place in New Orleans three months after hurricaine Katrina hit, and kind of focuses on the musicians trying to get gigs in the few places that are left, plus some of the injustices and hardships that some people had/have to face. I found it really heavy and didn't want to watch the second season, but Ryan is all over it right now.
Ryan also got me the movie Harold and Maude from the library, telling me "you have to watch it". I was really uncertain. It sounds so lame! And look at the cover! But whaaat, it's creepy as hell with a Ferris Bueller attitude. I absolutely recommend it to all the hipsters out there. I really enjoyed it.
Reading ... I was on book four of the Song of Fire and Ice series, and it expired just as I was on the last 300-ish pages. (They're huuuuge books and the library only loans them out for 3 weeks at a time. I was trying to read two of them in that time. Fail.) Luckily I got a super rad autographed copy of Chuck Palahniuk's Damned for Christmas! I read it in one day, no joke, no exaggeration.
I just found book five of the Song of Fire and Ice at the library randomly...like, a paper copy. Damn these things are HUGE.
So I guess I have to just find a brief summary of book four to catch up on the last few chapters and then zip through this tome. No problem, haha. I'd like to keep reading at this rate. I took all your suggestions in that 'who reads my blog' post and added them to my wishlist on the library website, but if there are any more suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.
Thinking about ... becoming a medical transcriptionist. It sounds like an ideal job. That, or a medical sterilization person in a hospital. Anyone out there do these jobs? Know anyone who does? Any advice?
Laughing about ... the fact that we got a microwave for Christmas and haven't even tried it out yet. We just don't have anything that really needs to be microwaved! Also, that Ryan's kids are so far removed from this convenience-based lifestyle that they were explaining this special type of popcorn that goes in a microwave to us as though we've never seen it before. "It's in a kind of flat bag but it has popcorn seeds inside of it." We played along. I think I said "NO WAY" and made a very interested face.
Ryan also got me the movie Harold and Maude from the library, telling me "you have to watch it". I was really uncertain. It sounds so lame! And look at the cover! But whaaat, it's creepy as hell with a Ferris Bueller attitude. I absolutely recommend it to all the hipsters out there. I really enjoyed it.
Reading ... I was on book four of the Song of Fire and Ice series, and it expired just as I was on the last 300-ish pages. (They're huuuuge books and the library only loans them out for 3 weeks at a time. I was trying to read two of them in that time. Fail.) Luckily I got a super rad autographed copy of Chuck Palahniuk's Damned for Christmas! I read it in one day, no joke, no exaggeration.
I just found book five of the Song of Fire and Ice at the library randomly...like, a paper copy. Damn these things are HUGE.
So I guess I have to just find a brief summary of book four to catch up on the last few chapters and then zip through this tome. No problem, haha. I'd like to keep reading at this rate. I took all your suggestions in that 'who reads my blog' post and added them to my wishlist on the library website, but if there are any more suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.
Thinking about ... becoming a medical transcriptionist. It sounds like an ideal job. That, or a medical sterilization person in a hospital. Anyone out there do these jobs? Know anyone who does? Any advice?
Laughing about ... the fact that we got a microwave for Christmas and haven't even tried it out yet. We just don't have anything that really needs to be microwaved! Also, that Ryan's kids are so far removed from this convenience-based lifestyle that they were explaining this special type of popcorn that goes in a microwave to us as though we've never seen it before. "It's in a kind of flat bag but it has popcorn seeds inside of it." We played along. I think I said "NO WAY" and made a very interested face.
What have you guys been up to lately?
Sunday, January 8, 2012
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