What the Fuck?

Seriously. I made the mistake of going out in public again today. We're leaving on vacation tomorrow and driving, so I wanted to make sure I had some food to eat. It's relatively nice here (like 50 degrees or so) and I made the mistake of thinking that people would be out doing fun things in the nice weather.

I was completely wrong. Everyone was shopping today. I would have to assume that it has something to do with Easter tomorrow. No manners, kids fucking running everywhere, and throngs of people wandering aimlessly. I know I am going to sound like a cranky old lady, and that's fine but what the fuck is going on with kids? If I behaved the way I see most kids behaving, I would have been taken to the car slung over my mom's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I am not sure what's happening, if creating free thinking kids is just leading to a general lack of respect or if parents just don't give a fuck anymore.

Another thing...stop wishing me a happy fucking Easter. The blind assumptions are really starting to piss me off.

**for all the parents I know reading this blog, I'm not talking about you!**

The good news is I am going skating outside today so that may improve my mood. I hope. I also may be getting my tattoo touched up, but we're working on that.

Pretty much, the vast majority of you can fuck off today.

Love, Love, Kiss, Kiss.

Odd

So the step-kid is going to Hawaii. D and I didn't so much agree with this decision, but we often don't have much of a say. We think that she is too young but she's checking in every day, so it could be worse. With text messaging and cell phones and face book and everything else, I am sure she'll be fine.

My point is last week we went to her high school to watch them perform what they will be performing in Hawaii. I always feel so completely out of place at DE's events. I am a little younger than most of the parents, but it's more than that. It's very hard to explain, but it's a constant reminder of how constantly out of place that I feel.

They played a couple of songs. I don't remember most of them, but I remember they played Holiday by Green Day. Then the band did a tribute to each of the Armed Forces, playing each of the branches fight songs (I don't know if that's what they are called) and having all vets from each branch stand when the song is played. Now I know Green Day isn't even close to being punk or anarchist or even that cool. BUT - and there is always a but - they have come out very anti-war, very anti-Bush, and very anti-government in general. I have to wonder if the parents even knew what they were clapping along too. I wonder if the kids' instructor realized what he had done.

More importantly, I wonder if any one but me cared.

Broken Vegan Record

I can't even believe I am going to type this but fish don't grow on trees.

Green Bay has a very large Catholic population. It's lent. So there are people that give up things for the period of lent and of course, don't eat meat on Fridays. Again, I am not sure where we have gone wrong. Last I heard fish still have brains, nervous systems, and a blood stream. I am pretty sure that those describe and animal and not a vegetable.

I started to wonder how this tradition came about. I understand the fasting and giving up luxurious thing, sacrifice, and blah blah blah. What I don't understand is how fish suddenly ended up in the mix. I did what every good blogger does and looked it up on the interwebs. I found a couple of different answers at this website. The actual Code of Canon law says abstinence of meat and doesn't actually define meat. Another answer said that it was easier and less expensive to fish than it was to own and butcher cattle. This mean that the rich were eating "poor" food, thus sacrificing.

I also remember reading something about how the Catholic Church had many followers who earned a living fishing. When it was clear if the fishermen weren't making money, then the church wouldn't make bank, the Pope or God or some one decided fish was okay on Fridays. This way the followers had more money to give to the Church. I can't find much documentation on this, but I am reading a Howard Zinn book, so maybe I'll come back to it.

My point (I think) is that the entire building smells like fucking fish on Friday afternoons. I hate it when people assume I am not eating meat because I am Catholic. Twice I had people tell me the Tuna Casserole was delish and I would probably love something because "of that weird way you eat". (FTR - Tuna casserole has made me ill since about the time I was five. Fucking Gross)

Fucking clueless.

2 Months

Holy shit. Monday was my two month anniversary of not smoking. I do have to admit, I'm floored. I had no idea that I could do it.

I almost smoked on Saturday night. We were at a wine tasting thing and it was me, my mom, DF and another friend. My mom, DF, and I are all ex-smokers. The wine really made us want to smoke. After a while we just forgot about it, which was nice. We played poker in our jammies. It was a fun time until DF made me go into a smoked fish shop. I almost killed her.

So that's the news from GB.

Oh, a friend of a friend is having a Vegan Potluck on August 2nd. (See comment in below post) I will keep you all posted on the time and place.

The Boca Chick'n Pattie Incident

I almost lost my mind. It was crazy.

DH and I went grocery shopping together. This isn't usually a chore that we share, quite frankly because we both hate grocery shopping so much, it's best to separate us.

As I have stated in the past, GB doesn't have a lot of vegan friendly choices in restaurants and it is very hard to search the speciality stuff out in grocery stores. One of the stores here does have a "natural and organic" section which is where all the stuff like Sour Supreme, Veganaise, and the fake meats are located. I spend a lot of time in that section.

I went to the frozen area of this section to get my Boca Chick'n patties, they are my fave. They are easy to cook, make a good lunch, and are delish. I picked up a box and noticed that it didn't have the word VEGAN on the side of the box that it normally does. This was enough to force me to check the ingredient list. And read the whole thing. Thank God I looked because for some odd reason these had egg whites in them. AND it didn't include the eggs in the allergen information. (Look at the side of most foods by the ingredients and you will see the little disclaimer "Contains: WHEAT, SOY, AND DAIRY. Usually it says eggs here too. My favorite is that peanut butter says "Contains: PEANUTS. Thanks) I checked the nuggets, same thing.

Now, I am pissed. I hate it when stupid shit makes me become the angry vegan. But come on, why would they change something and put eggs in it? Wouldn't that make it more expensive? Puh-leeze. My husband looks at me and knows not to touch on it. So I go home angry and pattie-less.

The next day I decide to venture to a different store. They also have a nice natural foods section, and this store has the patties sans eggs. I bought like ten. And I wish I was kidding, but this was the dumbest shopping trip ever. I spent $60 on fake chick'n, nutritional yeast, Clif bars, and smut mags. (I had to know about Pete and Ashlee's wedding!)

Last night I decided to figure out what was going on. If they were adding eggs to all these products I needed to know now so I could buy all of them. Here's what it boils down to. The ones with eggs come in a tan box and are organic. Not Vegan. The ones in the red box are probably genetically engineered but don't have eggs. Vegan. This world is a messed up little place.

VEGAN

NOT VEGAN!

Blogging

I wish I was better at this.

I have been vair busy. I really want to pass my WFTDA minimum skills test. This mean's that not only am I going to derby practice three nights a week (unless we have a snow storm, more on this later), but I have also been trying to attend Speed Practice two nights a week as well. Speed practice deals more with technique, and well, speed. It kicks my ass and is a great work out. The good news is yesterday I did 23 laps in 5 minutes which is 3 more than required. And it was after we had already completed a 10 minute skate.

Since my last post the Foxz also had their first exhibition bout. I cannot wait to skate in a bout. It was so much fun. You can view some pictures here. Our first official Bout is scheduled for 3/29 at Skater's Edge in Appleton. There will be beer if that encourages any one to join us.

Fuck snow. And cold. And dry skin. And did I say snow. Seriously, it can stop at any time. We have had enough.

In other news, I am seeing a dietician on Wednesday. I will let you know how that goes. I really would like to lose some weight, and nothing I seem to do helps. Or something. The dietician/nutritionist I am seeing is familar with vegan diets, so I've got that going for me. I also have to have my cholesterol, glucose, and thyroid checked. All these damn tests make me feel old.

PS: Spell check isn't working and I am a horrible speller, so sorry.

11/11 Make a Wish...

How dumb is that title?

I do have to say this, being back in Green Bay sucks. I do not enjoy it at all. We went out to see our friends band last night at a small sports bar in DePere. 1. Why does everything have to be a sports bar? Is that really the only thing the Green Bay area can support? 2. This was a dive of all dives. Poor beer selection, not staffed well, and not ventilated well at all.

I still don't understand the obsession with dressing up to go out to trashy bars. Maybe I just don't care enough about my appearance to give a shit, who knows. I guess I wish I cared. I wonder if I would care if I wasn't married and trying to pick up men. Although, the last place I would do that is in a bar in Green Bay.

As we were driving home last night DH looked at me and said "Let's just move to Chicago tomorrow". Oh, if life were that easy.

We still haven't figured out the Thanksgiving/Christmas ordeal. Apparently I am being uptight. It's a tough one, because it is one of the few times a year I see my family all together. It makes me very nervous and a little ill.

Dog Fighting in Green Bay

Well actually in Allouez. Which is the village where I live.

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=7127683

I know I have ranted about this in the past, but there was a woman on the news tonight discussing the case. She said something like: 'It is a horrible thing to do to those dogs and it's a sin'. Do not quote me on this because, I am not sure exactly what she said, but I know the word sin was lodged in there.

Any one know where I am going with this? Any one? Bueller?

I know I did it for years and years and years. I compartmentalized animals. There were animals I ate and animals that were companions (although, I called them pets back then). I don't know when it became so clear to me, but now I am almost unable to understand how a person can eat one animal and love another.

I honestly have no idea where this post is going. On one hand, I think it is great that people are starting to see that animal abuse is real. I am impressed that the stories are starting to get some coverage locally. Micheal Vick isn't an aberration. Dog fighting is real and is probably happening some where in your community.

On the other hand, well, see above. Compartmentalizing, eat one-love the other. I think you get it.

Maybe I am looking for progress too fast. Maybe it has to start some where and dog fighting is where it will start for some. I ask that when you look into the eyes of your dog, cat, bird, ferret, or what ever companion you have, imagine them all alone in a veal crate with no room to move. Imagine them in line watching others like them being slaughtered. Imagine them being bred over and over again and just used as commodity.

Don't be a Douche

Lately, I seem to be encountering more douche bags then necessary. In case anyone reading this didn't know, douche bag is possibly my favorite insult ever. Douche bags make me cranky. Below, I have compiled a list of things that you can do to avoid this fate.

Everyone

1. Is it truly necessary to talk on your cell phone, in a public place, like you are at home? And before any of my friends say it; YES my cell should just be super glued to my hand. But think about it, do I ever hold long, in depth conversations. Today at Target, I swear this woman was following me. I know how much money she makes, who she needs to talk to about a promotion, her bra-size, and that she has some type of infection.
2. Driving an IROC Z no longer makes you cool.
3. Please do not say to me "You don't look like a vegan". Call a spade a spade. Just say you think I am fat.
4. Mind your own fucking business. Worry about you. I'll worry about me.
5. Avoid beginning a sentence with "I seen....". Such as, "I was at the store, and I seen this thing you'd really like." You saw it. No more discussion.
6. If you are a parent, and you have your child in a relatively adult type restaurant, make sure they can handle it. Running around, screaming, and throwing things are all signs they can't.
7. If you call your tattoos "tats" get rid of them. They deserve better.

Females

1. If you are relatively slender, do not call yourself chubby. You're not. And it pisses the real chubby girls off.
2. If your pants are so "low rise" that your crack is hanging out, get new pants.
3. Don't be a chameleon. If there is one thing that screams douche bag, it's a poser. Be who you are, don't change depending on who you are dating, hanging out with, or to please some one. Fucking annoying.
4. Please, please, please, stop dressing up to go to sports bars (there are a lot of them in Green Bay). You need not be a slob (although I often am) but there is no need for Gucci heels, Coach purses, and what ever else you have decided to wear. In fact, there is really no need for those things anyway. Stop being so bourgeois. (See Definition 2)

Males

1. Really, do you need to rip the sleeves off your t-shirts? If you are mowing the lawn, I can understand. Anything else, lose it.
2. Your penis isn't as big or small as you think.
3. Cover your dick. Kids & diseases or a condom?
4. If you are in a relationship, be nice. When you are an asshole to her (or him for that matter) you look like the fuck twat.

I leave you with this video, ironically poking fun at douche bags everywhere!

Wedding

So DH and I had a wedding to go to last night. I wasn't happy about it for a number of reasons, but mainly the food was my concern.

I was actually surprised at how smoothly it went. We got there early enough that I could talk to the wait staff and they were able to bring me out my own bowl of vegetables with out butter on them. (GB weddings are usually family style, meaning they bring out the food on big plates and you serve yourself, um, like I family I guess). The veggies were actually really good. It was an assortment of green and Lima beans, and carrots. They were nice and fresh which made me happy.

So of course, because the waitress set the bowl of vegetables right on my plate, it drew attention to the fact that I wasn't eating all the other food on the table. And the questions started. Which actually weren't bad. I explained what vegan meant and that I was a vegan for animal rights reasons. As the questions continued I said "It's probably best not to talk about this while we are eating. If you have questions about it, I would be happy to answer them later." DH's mouth hit the floor. He was truly shocked at the fact that I wasn't a preachy raving bitch. Maybe I'm growing up...sniff sniff.

Later on I did have a discussion with two of the girls that were asking me questions during dinner. I explained the link between veal and milk. I explained chicken production and why "cage free" isn't any better. I am not sure I got through, they were both kind of drunk. One of the girls did say to me, "I love animals so much". I asked why she still ate them.

Vegan Pool

So, I live in Packer City (in case anyone isn't familiar with Green Bay, Packer football is essentially a religion around here). There is also a huge casino here, so people love to gamble.

We have pools all the time at work, March Madness, Superbowl, Will the Baby be a Boy or a Girl, Who is the Father of Anna's Baby; that type of shit. I was thinking about possibly starting a vegan pool.

Rules would be simple, put in 10 or 5 bucks, or what ever I decide on. The person who is vegan the longest gets to keep the pot (so its me....JUST KIDDING, I won't play).

I am looking for away to show people that I eat more than twigs and berries (which coincidentally is a euphemism for a penis). I do eat a lot of salad, but I am watching my figure. I think I am probably being a little selfish and doing a Black Like Me type of thing, where I want people to walk in my shoes. I want them to know what its like to have people say "Why are you like that?" "We didn't get to the top of the food chain to eat rabbit food." (Fuck you. Fight an alligator, then we'll talk). Maybe I just want people to know the joys of pooping three times a day and fart a lot (which, by the way, are my favorite things about being vegan)

The problems I could see with this are:

1. People can be fucking liars. I am not sure how I would go about being sure that everyone was truly vegan.
2. Finding the interest.
3. Helping people with food ideas. I can see a lot of people trying to live off just iceberg lettuce. I feel like if I am starting the pool, I need to be partially responsible for making sure these peeps eat well.
4. Getting away with it at work. I am sure gambling is illegal.

I would love to get other peoples opinions on this. I know that there are places that do "Vegan Freak for a Week" and get donations and have raffles and stuff. I am kind of thinking like this but on a smaller scale.

Random Thoughts

,Okay - here is my day of random thoughts.

First, I discovered the Vegan Freak Podcasts. You can find them here: http://veganfreakradio.com/.

The one that I listened to today really helped me clarify somethings regarding veganism vs. vegetarianism. When a person is a lacto-ovo vegetarian for ethical purposes (you believe that eating animal flesh is wrong), animals are still dying and milk and eggs contribute to this. It goes like this:

When a cow produces milk, it does so for the same reason that humans do, to feed it's babies. So, in order to produce milk, the cow must be pregnant at least once a year. (9 months people, not a good time). If the calf is a female, it enters the rest of the milk producing cows. If the calf is a male, guess what - veal. Is there a more disgusting delicacy? The veal industry is directly dependent on the milk industry. When the female cow stops producing milk, guess where she goes....yup - cheap ground beef.

Eggs- the condition that chicken's are kept in are absolutely horrendous (check out Compassion Over Killing for some footage), especially the egg laying hens. This alone was enough to make me stop with eggs, but again, males. Male chicks have no place in the egg industry, so they are ground up ALIVE. Or gassed. Or just left in a dumpster.

All of this just solidified my pledge to veganism. If you have questions about the stories I just told above feel free to check out any of the links on my blog or send me a message/comment and I will give you some books you can look into.

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Next on the Podcast, they talked about all the stupid reasons that people give (That I gave) for not going vegan. The most over heard, over used one is "I could never be vegan, I could never give up X" THIS WAS ME!!! I could never give up cheese. I can, and I did.

What this led me to, is my smoking habit. If I can so easily give up meat, dairy, and eggs. Why do I still smoke? I would like to say that there is a physical addiction here, but I might be just fooling myself. I really, really, really, enjoy smoking. Gross as it is. Bad as I know it is. More on this to come.

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On to my next challenge. Any one who knows me knows I can be a little obsessive. When I get on something I like to read, read, read all about it. So I decided to check out my local library and get my hands on some animal lib books. Luckily (and surprisingly, I might add), I could do this online. I typed in Carol Adams...nada. Peter Singer....Nada. Gary Francione...Nada. I think you get my drift here. Soooooo, I decided to do a general search on veganism. Guess how many books came up.....come on






SIX. And three of them were cookbooks. I am not even kidding.
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My last venture of the day was to the local Woodman's grocery store (it's employee owned!). I have friends from Madison that insist that they have a great tofu, tempeh, polenta, seitan section. The first time I was there I couldn't find it. This time I hit pay dirt and I was in vegan heaven. I bought polenta, and tofu, and tempeh, and some other things. Tomorrow night I am going to try to make tofurky and mashed potatoes with punk-rock chickpea gravy.
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Greenbayvegan out

Background, or my journey to veganism.

Flashback almost five years. I was a lacto-ovo veg and enjoyed it. I live in WI how do you deal with out cheese, right? No problems with being a vegetarian, but people in Green Bay still thought it was weird. In retrospect, I probably was a pescotarian (I ate fish and seafood occasionally) but I didn't know any better.

For some odd reason, when we went on our honeymoon (Vegas Baby!) I decided that I needed to eat meat on vacation. I started with prime rib (bad idea) and continued on this rampage when I returned to Green Bay.

I have to admit, this made things much easier. People didn't say, "You don't eat meat?, well what else is there?" etc. I had no idea how much worse it would get ;)

Fast forward to April of 2006. I met some people from India, Bangalore to be exact. Many of them were vegetarian and I renewed my pledge. This time I didn't eat fish. Except that tuna, once. I was introduced to Indian food and I loved it. It was great. I had been a veg now since then. (I don't know if that was a sentence or not).

I should also point out that I own two dogs and foster dogs for a local rescue organization. Boxers and I love them. This also leads me into my veganism.

Through out the past year or so, I have been looking at PeTA and PeTA2s websites. I have been viewing the investigations. I also fell upon the Vegan Outreach http://www.veganoutreach.org/ and really understood what they were saying. Vegan Outreach is more about reducing suffering then listing a bunch of ingredients that I couldn't eat. I also viewed Compassion Over Killing's website, videos and photos (http://www.cok.net/). These videos are what really got me thinking about veganism.

I purchased Vegan Freak (By Bob and Jenna Torres) the beginning of February 2007. (http://www.veganfreak.com/) (IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS BOOK, GET IT NOW) The authors recommended a plan for going vegan. Give yourself three weeks with no animal products. After the first week I was hooked. I related to the authors of this book and I wish I had them on speed dial or IM or something. This book literally made my transition to veganism as easy as it should be.

Bob's journey into veganism is very similar to mine in that we both looked at our dogs and said, "Wait, if a dog has these feelings, so does a pig, and a cow, and a chicken....how can we eat them?"

So here I am. A Green Bay vegan.

I have also began cooking, and I actually really like it. My favorite cookbook thus far is Vegan With a Vengeance, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It rocks. She also hosts a public access show in New York called The Post Punk Kitchen. (http://www.theppk.com/). She rocks and I also wish I had her on speed dial. I have purchased a cast iron pan, and I made pancakes and Knish's from scratch. I also love scrambled tofu.

So there you have it. I am a vegan, in a pretty much non-vegan town. Maybe hilarity will insue!