The Vegan Lament -or- Something To Get Off My Chest

Alright. I need to clear the air here. This summer, I will be coming up on my eighth year of being lacto-ovo vegetarian. For the past two weeks or so, I have been studying up on veganism and the benefits/detriments of having such a diet/making such a choice.

Now, being a talker-out-loud-and-then-much-louder-of-everything-I'm-thinking, I have been sharing this information I've been reading with many people, mostly, anybody who will listen.

I have been abandoned by pretty much everyone. There is absolutely no support for a vegan diet in my life, outside of my best friend, and my boyfriend. (Two people-the only two people I know evidently-who have considered this diet themselves) Even the many vegetarians I know took the stance of "now that's fraking crazy. I could never give up eggs." Which is strange, because I'm sure the anti-flesh-eaters out there get sick of the "But....don't you miss bacon?" argument.

So let's get this straight. My reasons for becoming vegetarian are as follows. (And this is not something I usually talk about) I believe everything has a soul. I cannot differentiate between a human, cat, or dog, and a fish, chicken, pig, or cow. Most people can. They see certain beings as "food" and certain beings as "pets" and "friends." I really can't. I also can't have a wonderful day, see a sunset, or go swimming at a beach and think that the warm fuzzy feeling I get from that was something I knowingly took away from another living creature. Even if it wasn't with my own hands, I feel as if I caused it.

The investigating I've been doing has me considering veganism because it's become really apparent to me that being vegetarian is only the beginning. Yes, maybe the dairy cows and egg laying hens are allowed to live but it's not a good life. I've read about chickens getting their beaks burned off without anaesthesia (imagine your lips being cauterized) and a very disturbing quote about the connection to veal that the dairy industry has: "In every glass of milk, there's a pound of veal." Meaning, cows are impregnated to keep them lactating, and what the hell else are you going to do with all those calves?

Enough shock tactics! There's also been the environmental bippity-bop: it takes seven pounds of grain to produce just one pound of meat (yes, any meat, even bacon) and the water saved by being vegan for just one day could sustain another human life for eight whole days.

So. What am I trying to say here? What exactly does this blog post mean?

I just wanted to explain myself. Lots of people don't care, or don't want to hear it, or have made some pretty ignorant/offensive comments at me since I've started talking about this. You don't have to agree with me, and I swear I won't try and convert you (unless you want recipes and website links and junk) I just would like people to hear me out. I'm not doing this to be "trendy" and I don't claim to be better/healthier/more ethical then any of you. All inconsiderate comments (in life and on the webbernets) will be responded with "did you read my blog post?" and/or a sarcastic witty comeback, as is my style.

Oh, and please, for the love of god. Stop asking me if I miss bacon.

Knitting, List Crossing, Crabs and Popcorn Tea

It's been a crazy couple of months! Remember what I said last post about going out and actually doing things? I've been doing it.

I started Man Hat. Although it ended up being too small, so now it's Elyse Hat, and I'm going to make Michael a bigger one.

Productive!

I've also 20. Get ravelry up to date. But that is so far that's the only other list progress. I have so many plans though! I've added 27. Learn how to rock climb. And 26. Do the west coast trail. Two things that go hand in hand. Going to be an amazing experience, one that I'm totally capable of once I educate myself more.

I'm planning on replacing some of my, ahem, bad habits with new healthy habits! I'm on a crazy health kick right now, as I've been biking and eating right. I plan on going to hot yoga again, but it takes DAYS for me to prepare and not be sick or horribly tired right afterwards. I mean, it makes me feel great, but since I haven't done it for so long, it's such a system shock. I really encourage people to try it! Green tea (popcorn tea in particular, thanks to an amazing find in chinatown) has become a staple in my diet.

Maybe it will make me live to be a hundred! I'm going to keep drinking it just in case.

I'm determined to discover this city. I remember going on field trips as a child and being completely mesmerized by all the incredible things Victoria has to offer. I've been going to beaches and taking new routes home, going places I've never been before and buying coupon books. I downloaded an app for my phone that uses GPS to find neat things around you, so all you need to do is stand in some random spot and wait for it to tell you what to spend your day doing. I've found some awesome restaurants with it already.

It's nice to be with an adventurer! Michael is making me stick to my goals. He's even a better scout then I am in my own city. We found a secret beach.

With crabs!

Yes, yes. I am even more optimistic about life in general then I was last post. I am however, bad at making time for blog friendship. More posts will come! More posts then average even! Stay tuned.