Triumphant Return

That's right, I'm back!

After visiting a new doctor - who totally rocks by the way! - I have been assigned a new twist to my vegan diet. I am no longer allowed to have gluten, wheat, soy, or corn. Here we go...

Vegan Dating

"We should never settle for anything, especially less than we deserve. There are too many mediocre things in life to deal with and love should not be one of them." Yes, that's what I believe. That's how I try to live my life, but until now, I've never really been faced with the reality of it all within the dating world. He's smart, attractive, funny, but not already a vegan, and there's a spark missing. Oh heck, he'd become vegan for me, no doubt, but in the end, I really am Frankie, whether that's a good thing or a bad one. I want it all. I want that all consuming passion that you cannot escape from and you never want to. And in the end, and what a horrible end to realize, but I'd rather be alone than settle for anything less than "mad passionate extraordinary love" because anything else "is a waste of my time." So for me, Mr. Right has the diet of Bugs Bunny, the brain of Einstein, Adam Sandler's sense of humor, and "eyes like the sea after a storm." That's not asking for too much at all...

Eco-Friendship

I bought an eco-friendly dress for a very important wedding in a few weeks. It was extremely important to me to wear a dress that reflects my values to this person's wedding. Jennifer has always not only accepted me for who I am, but expected me to be who I am, for better or for worse since we were 10 years old. She knows I am not flawless, but she embraces those flaws as a fundamental part of who I am. In all things - she is pure support. She is an amazing soul and her presence in my life has been a blessing for the past 19 years. Because of her unwaivering support, I wanted to wear a dress that was me - through and through because I knew she'd never accept anything less! I strive to be a better person because of her. I saw how she interacted with her students and knew I needed to get my behind back into the classroom if I truly wanted to be happy! I am better because she is a part of my life and on the most important day of hers, I will be there, being me.

Discoveries

They say you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but it appears - being non-honey users - eco-veg's prefer vinegar. Most eco-veg centered books tell people the things they are not ready to hear and therefore keep them from joining the movement even at a small level. This has been my problem in trying to find a book I can share with my mother. I love my mom, and one of the things I love about her, is that she has supported my veganism as well as my movement towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle. She understands that I do not want a new diamond engagement ring, traditional wedding, or children. She respects my decisions. Yet, often, after reading a new book or article that has inspired some great change, I find myself unable to discuss the points the book brings up with my mom. I cried for days after I read Mad Cowboy knowing that my family was poisoning their system by partaking of the status quo. However, recently, I read an eco-lifestyle book that is honey. It does not cover everything, and considering how far down the rabbit hole I already find myself, this was not the book I needed it to be, but The Eco Chick is finally a book I can share with my mother. It keeps an open mind, so the reader can, too - does not believe that veganism is the ONLY way, and even introduces ways to keep your pets safe (I love my family's cat, Seuss!). I know my mother reads a lot and knows a lot about why I do, what I do, but this is one book that says a lot of the things I believe and is a good guide for why I do and want what I do and want!

And speaking of wants, I read a Skittles' package today and it had a magical word on it - gelatin-free! I still have two bags of European Skittles because the American version has gelatin - I guess I should say HAD. I hope this is a permanent thing cause I do not know anyone going to Europe any time soon!

Building Dreams

Eco-Friendly Vegan, Blue-Eyed Techno-Nerd, Passionately Intellectual Soul...

I figure it cannot hurt to put it out there, just in case someone is listening...

Simple things aren't always free...

But at $8.49 for $62 shoes & $14.99 for $85 shoes, they are certainly close! I FINALLY found my Simple EcoSneaks (2 pair) and Simple Green Toe Shoes! I wore a pair of the EcoSneaks yesterday and they were super comfortable even though I was running around and on my feet for most of the day! I'll find some more... just wait...

Anger

Anger is a dangerous thing. It is a foolish weapon because it always backfires no matter how carefully you hold it. See, I was angry because I could not find a pair of vegan friendly shoes. I searched for hours on Monday and hours tonight, and still... no shoes. I found a pair I LOVE that are $85 online, but were under $15 at Ross, but they did not have my size at the two stores I checked - every size but between the two. So out of anger I took a package of break & bake cookies that I had for my students and ate all of them... Now my nose is stuffed up, my throat is sore, my eyes hurt, my ears ache, and I cannot breathe properly because I am having an allergic reaction to the dairy products in the cookies... Yes, anger is a dangerous, foolish weapon... and I am a fool for trying to use it.

Hair Today - Dry Tomorrow!

My Kinky Curly Knot Today & Curling Custard arrived yesterday evening. So this morning, I hopped into the shower, and used my Whole Foods' Lavender Shampoo & Conditioner to clean out any old product. I combed the conditioner into the hair using my new wide tooth comb before rinsing and applying the Knot Today. As I combed the Knot Today through my hair I could feel my hair elongate. It was as if someone was stretching each strand of hair and it wasn't immediately shrinking back into itself like usual. Not to mention the stuff smelled amazing. It has the same texture as a regular cream conditioner but I could tell this one was doing so much more. Using the Knot Today as a leave-in conditioner, I looked at my hair in the mirror and could already see a difference. My usually tight spiral curls were wavier. My hair was actually showing its length! I was tempted to just leave my hair alone after that, but I wanted to get the full affect. I immediately applied the Curling Custard to my dripping wet hair and watched as my hair continued to stretch itself out. The Curling Custard product instructions suggest sectioning off hair and applying the product to individual sections which I could see would definitely lengthen my hair even more, but it's also time consuming and I wanted to see what I'd look like on an average day being my usual lazy self, so I just slapped the product into my hair like I do with my conditioner and combed it through to the ends of each strand. The Curling Custard feels like aloe vera gel straight from the plant. Excitedly, I took pictures at this stage.

As you can see in the pictures, my hair is very wet and full of visible product. I am concerned about drying time as the goal is "wash & go" not "wash & wait" but we shall see. I hate to apply heat to my hair but I might have to get a blow dryer with a diffuser if I continue to use this product.

Kinky Curly's Tip page states:

Water is the best moisturizer and is not drying to your hair. You can wash hair everyday if you use a gentle, pH balanced, sulfate free shampoo.

A powerful statement for an African-American woman who fights the beliefs she was brought up with and daily cleans her hair with a sulfate, paraben, etc-free conditioner, washing it fully once a week with the complementing shampoo.

Here's a picture about an hour into drying when I got bored and decided to shake my head around to see what would happen. My hair is still soaking wet and the product is visible. By now, I'd be at work, which means, this is what people would see when I got there.

THREE HOURS LATER and my hair is still visibly wet. You can still see the product in it. Next time I'll use less product as I don't need wavy ringlets which is what I was getting before I broke down and towel dried some of the product out, combed (my still completely wet) hair out and used a hair dryer to get it a little drier. So the final results are not exactly what they should be because I cannot wait any longer. Still better than what my hair usually looks like and a lot more length - though it's always long when it's SOAKING WET! Whenever it's finally dry, I'll put up the final product picture.

For me, my natural hair is an extension of my beliefs. If I'm not going to put chemicals into my body, why should I put them on it. It's a rebellion against the belief that what grows out of my head "isn't good enough" the way it is. There is nothing wrong with my natural hair. I like my afro and I like my kinky curls and I like knowing that both are a part of who I am.

After 4 hours, I present to you the "still wet but I give up at least it's super soft" results! (I included a picture of me with my afro for comparison purposes.)

On a side note, I bought another skirt from Mountains of the Moon! I got the purple and chocolate one in a size smaller. It should still fit just fine since the size I bought is super loose and I just keep getting smaller myself!

Officially Insane

I bought the $72 tote bag.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. I have officially gone insane. What's worse, I'm too happy with my bag to care. I cannot wait to start dragging it everywhere I go! Also, my clothes from Mountains of the Moon arrived yesterday! I tried on everything and immediately had to write a letter to the company telling them how amazing their clothes are! Of course when I got the package at first I was shocked. The clothes were shoved into one of those tyvek mailing envelopes and I just knew they'd be all wrinkled and it's not like I iron! But sure enough, out they came, neatly folded and not a wrinkle to their name! I wore the off the shoulder avocado top yesterday and felt amazing! I was waiting in the airport for a couple hours and I was perfectly warm the entire time without a jacket - there's a first. I love the way great clothes make you feel. I hated the jeans I had on yesterday, and yet they were transformed into the perfect outfit because I loved my shoes, my shirt - even my underwear. Clothes have the power to change your perspective. Knowing that my clothes demonstrate my dedication to changing the planet makes my persepective a lot rosier. I'm not at the top of the mountain yet, but the climb is starting to really get fun...

Leather & Jeans

The grooviest thing about being vegan is that my body is going down without a whole lot of effort on my part. So when I went to the store today to try on jeans, I happily stepped into a size smaller than usual without much fuss. Now, I know what you're thinking... I thought you were going all organic? Thing is, I'm a teacher and that means I work for the joy not the pay check. So certain compromises must be made. I decided to try to find 2 pair of jeans and that's it (I currently have 4, one that are about to die but so comfy and make my butt look awesome and three that I can't stand). One pair for work and one pair for looking hot on the weekends! With this thought in mind, I went searching and discovered a pair of $178 jeans at Marshalls. Now, normally, I wouldn't step foot in this store and since the tag said $39.99 usually I wouldn't even look at them, but I took in six pairs and these were one of them. Of course, they were also the ones that looked the best (my butt was a star!). I was actually going to buy them until I considered that they'd have to be my work jeans ($40 people!) and they were so long that I'd need 3" heels. Now we only wear jeans on Fridays and I can only wear 3" heels on Mondays or Wednesdays unless the kids are testing. I put them back, but I will miss them (I REALLY looked hot!).

Meanwhile, I discovered a new company that makes bags that I HAVE TO OWN while I was looking for shoes at REI! I loved the name Haiku, but then I looked at them and they looked like leather - so groovy though, I thought as I went to turn away. THEN, I noticed the label that said VEGAN FRIENDLY! That's right people, these hot bags are 100% eco-fine! Yes, $70 is a lot to pay for a tote bag, but I was gonna spend $40 on jeans, so we've already established that I've lost my mind. My bargain shopping family may have to disown me... but man am I gonna look good!

Back to trying to find them cheaper online...

Vegan Outreach

When I became vegan, it was because I was mad... mad that I'd spent my whole life avoiding addictive substances and behaviors. The idea that I was truly addicted to cheese, as I'd often stated in jest, sent me over the edge, and I have not looked back. I have been happy with my decision. Pizza tastes better without cheese, as does a salad, chili, sandwiches, and everything else I used to believe needed just a little cheddar or feta or swiss...

However, during the past year veganism has introduced me to not only a new side of myself, but also new requirements in my daily living. I believe that the beautiful thing about veg*nism is that you get to define your own state of being. There is no wrong way, or right way, no one looking over your shoulder waiting to chastise you for making the wrong decisions. Throughout this journey, I've discovered that I have become addicted to myself. I want more for myself. I want organic beyond my food. I want to eradicate the abuse of not only animals, but people through my purchases. No longer do I feel a thrill at getting a good deal at Ross, now I feel exuberant because I found a great hemp/tencel blend skirt that's machine washable for under $40 at Mountains of the Moon. It was worth searching for three days to find an organic curly hair product that is free of everything from proteins to parabens.

Yes, I spent my whole life avoiding addicted behaviors, but I'll happily forgive myself this one... For I am addicted to giving myself the best, inside and out...

Not quite so easy...

Isn't hummus suppose to be the simplest vegan food out there? I mean, I make a mean guac so I knew I could handle hummus... let us just say that I'll be buying it from the store for a little while longer... maybe I didn't soak the chickpeas long enough... maybe I didn't add enough sesame seeds, maybe any number of things went wrong... I'll finish this batch - maybe...

Snowed Out

Looks like I'll have another day to lay up under the covers and enjoy my soup from yesterday. For the first time since I started working in Gwinnett County - if memory serves - we have a snow day. Of course this means I'll now be in school until May 26th to make up for it but that's okay - better than driving on icy roads!

So, I looked up recipes for yellow split pea soup, but I didn't have a bunch of the ingredients and it was snowing outside so I tossed in whatever I had. In the end the bag of peas, three veg cubes to make the broth, the rest of my bag of stir fry veggies, some corn, some onions, some green peppers, and some potato apple sage sausages seasoned to taste found their way into my Crockpot set on high between 3 and 7 yesterday to make some pretty groovy soup! This is the first time I've made soup from scratch and it's actually come out right! I'm very excited. I think it's all because of the Crockpot... And since there's still snow on the ground, I have the perfect excuse to eat some more for lunch today! Okay, so maybe dinner, too!

Winter Wonderland

I'm about to start some soup... anybody want to guess why?

Veg Citrus Chicken

I admit it... I'm addicted.

So, I go to The Natural Foods Warehouse and there's always this veg citrus chicken in the frozen food aisle which looks like the kind of stuff you'd get at Cafe Sunflower. However, the price tag for such a little bag always kept me from purchasing it - you never know with packaged veg meats if it's going to be worth the expense... Well, it was. It reminded me of the stuff I got from the veg Chinese restaurant around the corner from my hotel in San Francisco. I went back and bought four more bags - a $20 investment - and for almost every meal this week I've had avocado and chik'n burritos! I'm eating them the same way I eat my chili - constantly!

Also in La's veg news addiction update, I love Terra Chips! The ones with the beets are great! Of course part of me feels terribly guilty for not just making them myself, but I don't know how to pick out a beet!

Meanwhile, my next recipe will be lentil sloppy joes! A friend made some and said they were great so I'm going to try. I've always wanted to make something with lentils - they're so yummy! Wish me luck!

Kitchen Adventures

For the first time since April 2008, I have a kitchen to myself! Look for lots of posts on lots of food coming soon!

Why Not?

It is difficult for me to understand how people can watch my progress (30 pounds since school started in August), the changes in my body which are truly amazing, and not understand how much of the difference is due to my diet. I have been vegetarian since 2002, so when I tell them that the big difference is that there's no more dairy or eggs in my diet. That I'm not exercising more, or changing anything other than taking ALL addictive animal products out of my life, I don't understand how they can be so impressed by the changes, but not be willing to give themselves the same amazing experience. None of them seem to believe that they are strong enough to do what I do. Do they think I have super powers? I have my moments when I have to remind myself why this is so important to me, just like anyone else would, but it IS important to me - important enough to keep doing. It's not like I'm deprived. I went to R. Thomas Deluxe Grille downtown yesterday for my vegan carrot cake to celebrate my birthday. Why don't other people have enough faith in themselves to know that they can do it, too?

I don't have an answer, but for the sake of the planet and their health, I hope they figure it out soon.