Much love on your path

So it's been a long while since I've written on this blog.  Life happens, and somehow time has a way of evading my grasp. :)  But, even though time has passed, I've still decided to stay on this ever evolving plant-based, whole foods, vegan journey. It's been easy at times, hard at times, confusing at times, and an eye-opening-kick-in-the-pants-wake up call. Sounds daunting or negative??? No, actually it hasn't been!  It's been a fun, awesome, and invigorating experience thus far!!!

I find that eating a plant-based, whole foods, vegan diet has totally changed my life for the better.  It's given me more energy (more consistent energy throughout the day too), helped me lose 35 pounds, helped me to feel like a hottie again, is saving the planet, is saving animals' lives from inhumane treatment, and has made my cholesterol numbers plummet.  "Whaaat??? Seriously??!?", you might ask.  Yes, seriously!  There is actually a way to change your life for the positive, that also changes EVERYTHING around you.  Sweetness!!!

This is me "after" the eating transformation...

And this is me before...

I feel the urge to write again because, besides feeling awesome from this new way of living/eating and wanting to share this fact, I wanted to also share that animals are being cruelly raised and killed in such a huge scale.  I don't think the general public is aware of this fact.  I mean, hell, I wasn't aware of this.  I was totally disconnected from how animals were killed every time I ate a steak at Outback Steakhouse.  I didn't see a face on my plate.  I didn't see an individual.  I didn't see that this was an animal with a mom and a dad who experienced a whole range of emotions. I didn't see that this individual was raised in horrible, confined, cruel conditions, mutilated, tortured, hurt, filled with fear, and then brutally killed (the way you see on CSI shows or Criminal Minds).  I didn't even conceive of the fact that animals were hurt when I ate pound upon pound of cheese.  I didn't see my cheese or meat as anything other than inanimate food.  I didn't see the eyes, the fear, the pain, the fact that this animal had a plethora of emotions that were just as varied as mine or as my dogs.  I didn't see this.  Until now.

It reminds me of scenes from the movie "The Matrix" or the story "The Simile of the Sun", where people wake up to the fact that the reality they were living, wasn't the real story or real life at all.  This is exactly what is happening in the factory farming industry.  It is just like the movie "The Matrix", except this time IT'S REAL.  This is really happening.  It is our present-day-version of the Holocaust.  Except this time, the concentration camps are filled with feeling animals.  These animals ARE physically tortured.  They are psychologically, emotionally, spiritually tortured.  And these animals want to live. (As evidenced in all the stories of farm animals who escape and flee for their lives.)  They don't want to die. They. Want. To. Live.

I really want to share this because, I didn't know about factory farms until a little over a year ago.  And I wish I had known sooner so that I could have made a compassionate choice sooner.  I was duped by big business to believe the marketing ploys I saw on tv and on billboards.  Watching the movie "Earthlings" and even "Peaceable Kingdom" lifted the veil of the fantasy land I was living in. These are two movies which show you how your meat is raised and made. Each movie shows you footage of what happens to produce your meat.  I fully support watching these movies so that you, in good conscience, can decide for yourself what you want to do.  It IS possible to go completely vegan.  You just need a new way of thinking, a new pair of glasses, and a little information so that your vegan experience is successful.  Watch those movies and then decide for yourself.  I'm glad I watched those movies (even though it was really difficult).  Now I know what's up.  And you can too.

Take care of yourselves, take care of the planet with all its wonderful, sentient beings, and take care of your loved ones.  Much love on your path.

Sylvia's Manifesto

You want to know why I don't want to eat meat anymore???

Because I don't want to eat fear.  I don't want to eat fear, pain and suffering.  I don't want to support the billion dollar corporations that are placing greed before human/animal rights and compassion.  I don't want to unknowingly support an industry that tortures and hurts and terrifies animals any longer just so that I can satisfy my hunger for a juicy steak that will invariably clog my arteries, raise my cholesterol and ultimately lead me closer to a heart attack. 

If I had known about all this sooner, all the horrors of the "animal food industry" that are hidden from view, I would have changed my habits sooner.  But now I know.  And now is where I start.  Today continues this change. And every hour and every minute I remain steadfast and continue to make these choices that will affect everything around me exponentially, animals/humans/nature/the planet alike.

I no longer want to be a part of something which uses electric prods, screaming, and beating to get animals to go to slaughter or to get animals to go to the trucks that will transport them to slaughter.  I no longer want to be a part of something which cages animals so tightly that they are unable to move and they go insane from their lack of basic animal needs for comfort, safety, freedom, companionship, food and water.  I no longer want to support a system who steals a cow's baby from the cow immediately after birth, only to cage the baby and fatten him up for veal and, in the process, to cause psychological trauma for both the mother and the baby.  I no longer want to support a system which keeps a cow pregnant, so that we can keep drinking her milk. (And the residual of drinking her milk is that the cow will give birth again and again... only to produce more "veal calves".) I no longer want to support a system which uses animal slavery and animal cruelty to feed humans.  I no longer want to support a system which creates pain for billions of sentient beings daily.  I no longer want to support a system, which doesn't care. 

I care.  I don't want to cause harm as much as I possibly can. 

I want to be more compassionate and loving and caring.

I want animal suffering to end.  I want factory farming to end.

Here are some photos of the animal slavery of which I speak.  I do have a dream... and that dream is the ending of this horrible method of producing food.  It really is a horribly, unkind system.  There's got to be a  better way.  And it's in our power as humans to change this.  We CAN take care of all sentient beings while taking care of ourselves.  I have a dream and hope for this change in my lifetime. It is possible.

In general, pigs are clean, intelligent, social animals. However, factory farms frustrate their natural desires to exercise, explore, play, root, stay clean, and socialize normally.

The large amounts of blood suggest that this animal was still alive when abandoned outside in the Minnesota winter. The way the blood is splattered also suggests he was unable to move, yet struggled, flinging his head around before finally dying. (these two photos are from Compassionate Action for Animals)

 

 

 

 

Female pigs used for breeding (breeding sows) spend most of their lives confined in gestation crates so narrow that they cannot turn around. (the next 11 photos are from the ASPCA website with captions from www.green-blog.org)

As you can see, a female pig in a gestation crate has no freedom of movement, and barely even has room to lay down.

Although not confined in cages like egg laying chickens, chickens raised for meat are packed so tightly in grower houses that each chicken is alloted about half a square foot of space. If that isn’t bad enough, because broiler chickens have been bred to grow so quickly (twice as fast and large as their ancestors) the organs and skeleton don’t always keep up with this growth. The heart and lungs can’t support the unnatural body mass, resulting in heart failure and large numbers of deaths a year due to health conditions.

At the slaughterhouse, chickens are hung up by their feet fully conscious. Although some slaughterhouses stun the birds by passing them through an electrified bath of water, US federal law specifically excludes chickens from the Humane Slaughter Act mandating that animals be stunned before being killed. However, often times the birds are not rendered unconscious by the shock and proceed, still hung by their feet, to have their necks cut by a mechanical blade. Unfortunately if the bird is not sufficiently stunned, the blade may not actually kill it and the animal proceeds to the next stage in the process while still alive. The birds are then submerged in boiling water to scald them and remove feathers. It’s estimated that millions of chickens a year in the US are ultimately killed in the slaughterhouse by this last step, being boiled alive.

Due to the severely overcrowded conditions they will face, baby turkeys have the upper part of their beaks seared off so that injuries caused by pecking one another can be minimized.

Add captionAt chicken hatcheries, chicks enter the factory farming world packed into huge drawers.

Behind a hatchery for laying hens, unwanted male chicks–which are of no economic value to the egg industry–are simply tossed into a dumpster with shells and other waste.

Confined in metal and concrete pens with slatted floors, these pigs will live in these conditions until they reach slaughter weight of 250 pounds.

 

Dairy cattle make up the largest percentage of downed animals in factory farming, 75%. Too sick or injured to walk, this dairy cow is left in the stockyard while a calf looks on.

To raise calves destined to be slaughtered for veal, the calves are confined in crates about two feet wide and are tethered to the front of the crate with a chain around the neck. These calves will be slaughtered when 4-5 months old.

Though there have been moves in Europe to phase out battery cages for hens, in the US the vast majority of egg laying chickens are confined in battery cages such as these. These cages have wire floors and four or five hens are commonly packed into each cage. Obviously they cannot stretch their wings or exhibit any normal chicken behavior. 

 

So these are just a very small amount of photos of some of what goes on in factory farms.  These photos aren't as harsh as others I've seen.  But you can imagine.  Also, if you watch the film "Earthlings", you get a better idea of what goes on in factory farms. It's really an eye opener because you get to see undercover videos of what really happens in some of these big, meat industry companies.  Check it out; it'll save your life and the lives of animals by just learning more about this major social issue of our time.

Hugs to all, and may everyone tread kindly as they walk through their life.
~Sylvia

Meetup!!!

Yes!

So I went to my first veggie meet up tonight! Yes! Fun, awesome and great way to meet new people that one can really relate to.  So awesome!

This is me feeling happy after the meetup...

So, where did we go???... And what do vegans/vegetarians do (especially those from the planet Vegan)? lol... I will write more when I get done with work tonight....

                                                                   to be continued....

Spices!

June 14, 2012

What I've noticed with this new vegan diet is that spices are ESSENTIAL. Essential, I tell you!  The first time I cooked up some beans and rice, I thought, "Wait, this is it? Bland beans? This is what I will be eating for the rest of my life???"  Little did I realize, or even know, that it isn't necessary to have a bland, unexciting diet in order to be vegan.  Actually and surprisingly, it is exactly the opposite.  Food gets even better once you navigate how to cook. (Yes, I’m actually learning how to really cook for the first time too! Woohoo!!!)

So today, I went out food shopping with my nutrition "mentor" and I spiced it up, baby!!! Actually, to me, it felt like I spiced it up; but it was probably more like I was buying spices for the first time in my life.  Lol.  I've always used salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and that was always the extent of it.  So funny that I didn't realize that there are sooooooooooooooooooo many spices out there.

So this week, my mission (if I choose to accept it… hehehe…yes, my food experience IS mission possible)… So anyways, my mission this week is to experiment with and explore the wide world of spices…. Even if I’m just experimenting with the basic ones…. Mmmmm…

Soooo, this is me with spices...


  This is me with 21 seasonings (care of Trader Joes)...

This is me with All Spice.  I always thought all spice was a spice you put on hot chocolate.  lol. But really, I thought that!










Random.  This is me with Miso.  Yes, I will be making up some miso soup soon!!! Yes, up in here!!!

Some of the prelim stuff I did (& am doing) as I transition into veganism. Woohoo! High Five! Let's do a wave, or the robot, or an enthusiastic cheer for my persistence in establishing a new healthy habit! Do it. Now. :)

Hi everyone!

So I haven't been able to blog much lately due to the fact that my computer wasn't completely fixed and I've been unable to go online regularly.  I feel like perhaps I've lost a bit of momentum.  And it seems as though my enthusiasm for this new endeavor of changing my dietary patterns kinda halted whilst my computer halted.  Boo! But the good news is that my computer seems to be fixed again (at least for now), and I'm back to blogging (and eating better :)).  Yay!

So over the past few days, I decided to start a paper "blog" since my computer was taking so long to be fixed.  It's funny because I realized, as I scribbled rapidly in my notebook, how much faster I type than write. lol.  Anyways, I wanted to post my "writings" (aka paper bloggings) over the past couple days and then go from there!  Oh, and I also want to post the various things I've done over the past couple months to progressively change my eating habits and become more plant-based :).   ~Sylvia, June 4th 2012

So this is me... Sylvita la del barrio over the past few days... :)

Me regaining enthusiasm about changing my diet...

My blog paper posting from May 29th...

I'm pumped! Doode! Sweetness!!! (Can you tell I like exclamation marks??!?!?)

Anyways, I have to say that the past couple weeks threw me for a loop: e.g. with getting so flustered because of a negative encounter with someone who didn't understand veganism (see the Haters Rant from May)... And then with my own disappointment in myself for not being "perfect" at veganism, slipping up here and there, making mistakes, and then trying again.... Besides these two items, I also had a general sense of uneasiness, malaise, and confusion as to how to go about this dietary change.  It was a rough patch to say the least.

 Some of the things I did that made me disappointed with myself were that I gave into my impulses.  Grrrr.  I ended up having cheese a variety of different times at work when they were serving it up.  I realize that when I don't plan ahead for my day and I am hungry at work, AND people serve up some "delicious looking" fixings, these are the "perfect storms" for me to cave in.  I've caved in a few times, joining in with the excitement of "sample land" by partaking in the food. Boo!  It makes me especially mad at myself because I've recently found out that cheese contains a lot of pus in it. Ick!  But I also have to remember that cheese contains chemicals that are similar to morphine. Whew, no wonder I'm having a tough time quitting the cheese addiction!... And then, ultimately, I have to remind myself that the main reason I'm making this change is because of the horrific animal cruelty that goes on in our current "meat industry".  I re-watched "Meet Your Meat", and was visually reminded of how my food choices affect life on earth... Until a couple months ago, I didn't think that the animals suffered much.  I figured that they lived pleasant lives and then their demise was swift and painless.  Plus, most of the meat that's on the shelf is packaged in such a way that I didn't even think of animals when I purchased the product!  Now that I've seen quite a few undercover videos & read a variety of literature, I realize that the conditions in which the animals exist are Animal Auschwitzs.  And I don't believe I'm over-dramatizing it.  Watching videos about this, makes it very clear to me.  These are the conditions the factory animals live in.  And I don't want to support it any longer!!!  I have to remind myself of this when I forget about these things and the hunger in my belly makes me want to reach for the "easiest" items which surround me.  I have to remember these things when I'm about to make a choice that won't be for the betterment of myself and others. (Ok, I needed to state that to remind myself and to, once again, tighten my resolve!)  Re-watching Meet Your Meat and Earthlings reminded me the main reason why I'm doing this.  Yes.  It really isn't right what big businesses and factory farms are doing to animals... And what big businesses are doing to us, for that matter!!!

Yes, I'm a poser...& I do great off-key kareoke

So what I'm finding out over the past few weeks (that is, the past few weeks prior to May 29th) is that my desire to eat a lot of non-vegetarian/non-vegan foods (e.g. cheese and junk food and processed foods)is directly related to how powerful my old habits are.  It really makes me realize the POWER of my former food habits, the power I give to certain foods, and how much my body seems to crave cheese.  Weird, huh? Yeah, I thought so too!  It also seems as though cheese is and has been the hardest thing for me to give up over the past two months.  I mean, I haven't eaten any beef, pork, fish, yogurt, milk; however, I have eaten cheese.  Not a lot.  But here and there.  And since it's constantly being served up at work, I find that I have to really exercise my self restraint... I'd say if you were grading me, I'd maybe be getting a B- for execution, but an A for effort and persistence.  I really think that persistence is the key here!

So I keep persisting on this shift/change, whatever you want to call it.

What I'm planning on doing is on June 1st to really tighten my resolve and be full-on vegan for 30 days (with no cheese... Did you hear me??! No cheese!), and see what happens.  I really REALLY want this shift.  It's just a matter of riding out the "change wave" and allowing myself the time to change my palate and to create a new, healthier habit.  I know that beating myself up is not helpful.  So I'm going to attempt to not do that.  Let's see what happens :).

Also, in looking at what I've done the past two months... Here's a quick recap.  I initially watched the documentaries (1) Forks Over Knives, (2) Food, Inc., (3) The Cove, (4)Eating, (5)The World According to Monsanto, (6) Earthlings, (7) The Future of Food, (8) Food Matters, (9) The Gerson Miracle, (10) Fat Sick & Nearly Dead, (11) The Vanishing of the Bees, and (12) Fresh. (I wrote a brief recap of these movies on my 2nd post ever that I wrote in the beginning of May).  Since I'm such a visual person, this is what the cover of some of these documentaries look like... (you can look at the exciting covers as you scroll down and continue reading! Woohoo!)

So to continue on...
In April, after watching the aforementioned documentaries, I read parts of a few different books (The China Study, Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease, The Engine 2 Diet, amongst other books), and I decided to implement the Engine 2 Diet plan.  Over the course of April, I decided each week to take something different out of my diet.  I wasn't perfect, but I did make a bit of a change.   

The first week, I took out all dairy, milk and cheese (to the best of my ability...  It's amazing to me that the first week I actually did manage to stay away from cheese. I know, you're thinking amazing! lol).  I also tried, that first week, to limit my consumption of processed foods.   

The second week, I took out all meat: e.g. all beef, chicken, pork, and fish (I like how they say in Forks Over Knives, "If it has eyes, a mom and a dad, don't eat it!").  I didn't eat much beef, chicken and pork before starting this new diet; however, fish was a whole other story.  I loved my sushi, and this one was tough for me.  But after seeing The Cove (and recently seeing Vegucated), it helped to hear about how the oceans are being outfished; and also, how much mercury poisoning is in all the seafood.  In addition, hearing how fishes experience pain - e.g. their stomachs often explode as they are pulled so rapidly from the depths of the ocean, as well as how they suffocate as they die- made me realize that fish actually DO experience pain.  Learning all this made it a little bit easier to want to stop.  Actually, it made it ALOT-A-BIT easier to stop. (yes, i just created a faux word...hehehe).

Then week three, I was going to take out all extra/excess oils (even olive oils).  I wasn't perfect with this; however, I did REALLY change the amount of oil I was adding to my foods and this made quite a difference.  Then, here and there, I would give into temptation and have cheese or some added oils or some processed foods.  But by just taking out these items (and not working out at all), I managed to lose 10 pounds between April 1st and June 1st.  How cool is that?!  And I never went hungry.  Pretty sweet, if I may say so myself! High fives and pat on the back, Sylvie :).

Anyways, that is what I did for April.  Then at the end of April, I ended up going to a weekend conference through The Healthy You Network (http://healthyyounetwork.org/).  It was pretty cool!  Authors, doctors, and speakers discussed a variety of healthy, plant-based ways to eat.  It was pretty inspiring and informative.  Some of the speakers were...Rip Esselstyn (from the Engine2 Diet and Forks Over Knives), Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD (from Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease and Forks Over Knives), Jane Esselstyn, RN, Ana M. Negron, Jeff Novick, Doug Lisle, and John Robbins (who wrote Diet for a New America).  The topics ranged from the processes that occur within the body when one eats too much fat and cholesterol and too many animal proteins, to some anatomy & physiology, to calorie density, to reading food labels, to recipes, to cooking demonstrations,  to the psychology of what goes into our desires, to the vibrant medicine of food.  There were so many more topics than this; but it would take me a really long time to write about it.  So I stop here.

Then, starting in June (and for 6 months after that), I'm participating in a "Healthy You Mentoring Program" where I will be paired with someone who has eaten effectively in a plant-based manner and this person will help mentor me with my food choices.  Sweeeet!...  I got paired with a kind, compassionate lady who received her degree in holistic nutrition.  I'm so excited to meet up with her and learn!  The program entails meeting once a month for a potluck to discuss food choices, reading a recommended book and discussing it, and touching base with one's individual mentor.  So cool.  So I'm really excited to be participating in this!!!

In addition, mid-June, I will be attending my FIRST EVER vegan/vegetarian meetup via www.meetup.com.  So cool!  June 15th, baby! Watch out!!!! We will be eating some veggies up in here!!!  I'll have to give everyone an update after this event! Should be fun :).

So I'm definitely getting into the groove... I'm learning, learning, learning about this new way of eating and interacting.  There's so much to learn!  But I'm excited.  And I truly believe that it is worth it.  Soooo worth it. :)

P.S.
Additional resource that I've been checking out lately is...

http://vegansaurus.com/  Such a cool site!  Fun and informative.  I especially like the "11 tips for new vegans" and the "how to stay vegan" articles.  The bloggers for this site have great senses of humor, and also make becoming vegan fun and like an adventure.  Nice!

p.s.s.  This is me Day One, June 1st, 2012 (below).  Bring it on!!!

I am going through a learning curve!!! Aaaaaaah!!!! SOS!!!!! GET THE VEGA-PARAMETICS! Stat!!!!!! CLEAR!!!!!!! GET THE PADDLES!!!!! Big time learning curve, yo!



Calvin (le doggie to the right of le photo) is currently
my moral support as I make the vegan shift.



 Soooo... yes.... What's been happening since my exciting, soap box extravaganza, you may be asking???

...Well, the solar eclipse!  Woohoo!!!  But seriously though, besides this, what's been happening in the exciting realm of changing my habits and becoming vegan?  The story continues as follows...

I actually must say that I've been having a difficult time this past week.  I had no idea how much the negative feedback of others affected me.  But it really did.

Since that incident this past Thursday, I found myself not feeling as excited about "fighting for" veganism and fighting for the health of myself and the welfare of animals.  It's so backwards!!!  I know that I want this for myself and for the animals everywhere; but it was as though the negativity I encountered infiltrated my every pore and started to poison me from the inside out.  I know this sounds dramatic.  I guess it is.  But this is how I felt.  I felt beat up.  I felt discouraged.  I felt tired of fighting (and I've barely even started!).  And I felt a little bit apathetic.... Then, I ate two big non-vegan candy bars.  Take that "haters"!... It seems as though I suddenly found myself on the path of a resentment where I'm eating poison while the person who sent the poison has no idea that anything is going on.

What I've found from this experience of getting the "blahs" is that I think all these things were forms of defense mechanisms.  It feels icky to not be supported by certain people in your life.  I think when one encounters this lack of support, the body feels a bit of sadness / grief / pain / fear.  And these feelings are real.  You have to address them. See them for what they are.  See where these feelings are coming from.  Feel them.  And then (this is the "hard" part) continue the trek forward, and continue in action.  Yes, ACTION is the key word.... Because hey, why am I making these changes anyways?  Do I want to make my choices from a place of fear, and stop pursuing a lifestyle that I want so that unsupportive people in my life start to support me?  Or do I want to do what is best for me, and do what falls in line with my belief system and love of animals?  These are all questions that are important to ask.

But... yes... I was feeling pretty discouraged and a bit-even-painfully-dejected-feeling-sorry-for-myself when I received a website/article link from a friend of mine.  This link couldn't have appeared at a better time.  (It truly DOES help to get moral support for your choices in whatever form it comes in, even an online article!)  The article came to me from a site named Vegansaurus! and the article can be found at http://vegansaurus.com/post/23482722215/how-to-stay-vegan 

It's a great article by Sarah M Smart and Jenny Bradley about 13 tips for staying vegan.  Note the word 'staying'.  I like how the article begins with: "Anybody can GO vegan. Heck, my dad makes a joke that goes, “I’m vegan… BETWEEN MEALS!” Ha! Got me there, Dad!" "  But, it's so true!  The article talks about staying vegan by...

1. Telling everyone you're vegan.  I can check that one off my list. Check. Done via posting this blog!
2. Getting a vegan tattoo... Hmmm... Could be a possibility... I've been wanting one forevahhh, and this could be it!  It's kinda like getting married to ink on your body.  I think I could commit to this! :)
3. Re-visiting why you decided to go vegan.  Re-watching Meet your meat and Earthlings.  I've seen both of these and this is definitely why I want to stay vegan.  It also mentions the book Diet for a New America and the podcast We Like It Raw.  I haven't read/listened to either of those, so that's next for me. :)
4. Stay in the know.  As she says, "...pay attention—you might have forgotten all the pus and antibiotics in that hunk of cheese you’re craving."
5. Take it easy on yourself!... I needed to hear that.
6. Listen to your body!... I needed to read that.
7. Build your vegan community!... I really like this one.  I recently went on the site MeetUp.com and found a local meetup site for Vegan/Vegetarians!  Very cool.  I'm looking forward to my first "meetup" with that group!
And my especially favorite #12 and #13 are 12. Let the vegan haters hate! and 13. Let the omni haters hate!  These two tips made me feel ok again.  It helps to know that other people go through similar struggles that I am going through.  Just knowing this IS enough.  Enough to keep going.  And I realize that there's a wealth of supportive people out there.  You just have to look for them.

So since reading this article mid-day while on my lunch break, I started to feel better... And more pumped... And pretty much back on track.  I even may have muttered to myself, "I've got this!" 

Then, I started back at work (where I work for a national, grocery store chain).  My next "activity" for the day was to give out samples.  The samples were mango candies.  Yummy, chewy mango candies!  Yum!  I decided to have a quick taste (of course, to make sure they were of high enough quality. lol).  As I was chewing on one, a fellow employee passed by and said, "You know, those definitely AREN'T vegan."  What?!  They're mango-y, and yummy, and gewy.  How could they not be vegan?  I figured they were sugar and mangos.  Turns out I was wrong.  They were made of gelatin, which I have come to find out is made up of ground-up animal bones!?!  I had no idea!!!  Wow, I guess I have a little ways to go before I've really "got this".  And I guess I need to start reading ALL labels.  Not just the ones I think have animal stuff in them.

So I still have a long way to go. But I'm back, baby! I'm back!  Wonder-twin powers activate!  Form of veganism in action!!!! Yes!... Or at least a "mostly vegan" (as I figure this thing out).

Yes. It feels good to be back on track.



Calvin's tired of the paparazzi. 
He implies, "Enough is enough with these photos! Plus it's almost 3am! Time for sleep!"



A walk with Calvin cures everything! Yay!