Randomn3ss

Yippee yay, it’s earth day!

Earth day was created in 1970 as a global environmental awareness initiative. It is now observed in 175 countries and supported by progressive action organizations such as the Sierra Club, Greenpeace and the Earth Day Network. (Thank you Wikipedia.)

Some great, green + fun websites for earth day and beyond:

1. Buy local foods, support local farms. Visit Local Harvest to find local farms and farmers markets. Go out and pet a goat.
2. Carpool. Check out eRideShare to find local peeps that are looking to share rides. You can even search for someone to carpool across the country with.
3. Remove yourself from junk mail lists. Check out GreenDimes, sign up to be removed from junk mailings and in turn they’ll send you a dollar, plant a tree on your behalf, or send you a free green ‘zine. Everybody wins! (FYI: When you sign up for this they will ask for credit card information to verify your identity. Sort of like what paypal does. It’s been a few months since I signed up and so far no funny business.)
4. Once you go black, you never go back… take a walk on the dark side: Blackle is Google powered and eco-friendly.
5. Recycle your goods and get new ones at freecycle. This site will hook you up with a local group that supports the reuse of anything and everything. Although the site is a little difficult to navigate, once you’re in there seems to be a lot of activity going on in each of the different areas. There’s a slightly loved television stand in York, PA with your name on it.
6. Go zero! The Conservation Fund will help you measure your very own carbon emissions and tell you how many trees you need to plant to offset your consumption. I’ve got 16 trees to plant this year to outweigh my emission consumptions. Damn. I had better get started. You can do it yourself or they allow you to make a donation for whatever the cost comes out to be to plant your trees.
7. Get free stuff (by paying for it) at the Sierra Club. Right now, $15 will get you a membership (usually around $35), and a handy backpack for a thank you gift.
8. Be a green person/dog/baby. I bought my dog these organic treats in the shape of little cupcakes that he refuses to eat from a store I found on Green People. They also have eco friendly and holistic business listings for people too. And their travel section has some really neat stuff.
9. Save on gas. With gas prices expected to hit $4 this summer, be sure to get your daily feul economy tips for some serious advice on saving money at the gas tank and saving the environment.
10. Read up. Eco Chick’s blog is as sassy as it is green. And I don’t use the word *sassy* often. Starre Vartan’s website is funny, smart and earth friendly. And how could a girl named Starre not be cool? Be sure to read her list of what not to do for Earth Day. As she says, because mother earth is a woman. Yeah!

It is true, we all need to be a little greener. Without the earth we won’t be here.

April 22 also happens to be the democratic primary in PA, so get out and vote all you registered Pennsylvanians. Polls are open 7am – 8pm, your local polling place is usually within walking distance to your house. Brody and I will be on our way to our designated voting center bright and early wearing our Obama buttons. See you there.

Hanging out just under your stomach and snuggled next to your duodenum is your good old pancreas. The pancreas is pretty important; along with aiding digestion, it produces important hormones such as insulin that regulate blood sugar. Sadly, pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of cancer today, and is generally predisposed to men but can and does inflict over 33,000 Americans of all races and genders each year. Remission is very rare, as cancer of the pancreas kills the majority of people within 5 years of diagnosis. Most of the time it’s sooner. I’m sure many of us have heard the sad news that our beloved Patrick Swazye has been diagnosed (alright maybe not beloved but he’s dying and I’m embellishing), and perhaps some of us have heard of Randy Pausch due to his amazing and heartfelt Last Lecture. If not, here is your chance to learn about this wonderful father, teacher and human being. Read on.

Thanks to modern technology, Randy Pausch is spreading his message to millions, and it’s been totally unintentional. With a PhD in computer science, he has spent the majority of his exceptional career exploring and expanding the realms of virtual reality. He’s one of those people that make you wonder what crazy, intense, supremely intelligent river is feeding his thoughts. A professor at Carnegie Mellon, Randy has authored/co-authored 5 books and numerous articles, loves turkey sandwiches on white bread with mayo, and has 3 adorable young children and a lovely wife. It’s an otherwise picture perfect life aside from the 10ish ugly cancerous tumors on his liver and pancreas that are currently and rapidly killing him.

In September of 2007 with a prognosis of 4-6 months left to live, Randy participated in a lecture series at Carnegie Mellon about reaching childhood dreams. His childhood dreams, consisting of playing in the NFL, meeting Captain Kirk, writing for an encyclopedia (I promise you his dorkiness is the root of his charm), reaching zero gravity and being an imagineer have successfully and for the most part been achieved. Although he never reached NFL status, Randy says that he got more out of not accomplishing this than he ever would have in reaching it. He learned the power of enthusiasm, and that experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted in the first place. Randy speaks of the importance of the head fake throughout his lecture - lessons learned indirectly. When parents enroll their kids in something such as sports, most of the time it isn’t about becoming major league, its about learning hard work and team work. Its stuff like that in which the lecture is based upon.

Randy speaks about brick walls, how they are there for a reason, brick walls let us show our dedication and they only there to stop those that don’t want it bad enough. He talks about how there is always a villain, there will always be someone in our lives that will challenge us. He talks about people in his life that have inspired him, how one such person told him that people will always surprise and impress you, even if you are pissed off and angry at someone, you just haven’t given them enough time.

Another aspect that is important about this speech is that it isn’t only telling us how to reach our own dreams, it’s also about helping others achieve their dreams. Randy is doing just that, reaching out to everyone and sharing his moving and honest path to success. Help others. Loyalty is a two way street. Pay attention. Don’t bail. Show gratitude. Don’t complain, just work harder. Find the best in everyone. Be prepared. Never give up. It isn’t necessarily about monetary success either, although that evidently seems to follow. The words of wisdom that Randy passes on are priceless, and in the end of the speech he reveals that he’s really been head-faking us all. These words aren’t really a lesson on how to reach your dreams, they’re on how to live your life. Most importantly, Randy says that if you lead your life the right way, karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you. In a world where it seems everyone is out for himself, the most motivating words are coming from a dying man to all of our ears.

And now they can be read as well. Soon after the lecture was given, it was posted on the Internet. Through the glory of sites such as youtube, over 6 million people have since accessed and watched Randy Pausch’s talk, and counting. Word spread and soon enough he had a book deal, which was cranked out skillfully in less than a year as Randy is on borrowed time. Every day it seems there is a new test, a new regimen, a new treatment that extends his life by what could be days or weeks or months. Each second is precious, the book was written in just an hour a day as to not take any time away from Randy’s children, two of which might be too young to even remember their father. Of course, as he states in his lecture, the biggest head-fake may be that Randy hasn’t done any of this for us, it’s for his children. His three young kids who will grow up without their father and perhaps without even a memory of him. It is a life guide dedicated to them that the public is now being gifted, and we should all be so fortunate to experience it.

Please click on the following links:

Watch the Last Lecture on video, buy his book (I’m sure you can find it on half.com), and be inspired. Randy Pausch’s story is truly fascinating and the lecture is great, I promise you will not be bored and you may even laugh a few times.

You can read about Randy Pauch’s daily progress on his website here. Be sure to check out the link to his personal and touching update section. Interestingly enough, its not depressing. He is optimistic and strong and he is fighting.

For more information on pancreatic cancer research and education, please visit the Lustgarten foundation here.

It seems that every other commercial on TV and one quarter of the ads in any given magazine are promoting some kind of prescription drugs. They vary from ones to help you get up, ones to help you put your head down at night, even ones to help reduce the burn and outbreak. In our society of information being everything, is this really helping us be more educated or simply putting more of a burden on doctors and the health industry? No doubt that the drug industry tends to be highly profitable and kick-backs to doctors for writing scripts is far from a secret, but does it really help anyone?

Personally, my trips to the doctor’s office for a prescription to help the common cold are getting less and less. Not only does it cost too much for the visit, the time spent with my family doctor has drastically been cut back, and I’ve been going to the same doctor for over 20 years now. I’m assuming that the pressures of turning more clients in a day, getting more scripts written and more money made for everyone is the reason, but is it helping us patients? With the internet being the way it is, television and magazine ads basically telling you the answers to every problem you may have, I’d imagine that some doctors simply open the door, ask the patient what they think they need prescribed, check a few things out and write the scrip. I’m lucky my doctor doesn’t do this, but I have no doubt other greedy doctors do.

For many years hard alcohol ads were banned from TV, and if I recall, tobacco ads were pulled a few years ago. They were pulled, from what I gather, in an interest to not influence youths and adults into bad habits. Prescription drug addiction is just as bad as being an alcoholic and I can easily see someone with an addictive personality being drawn into these ads, being told what their problems are and what a solution would be. I honestly think that marking a product that the end consumer cannot buy without first seeing a doctor should be eliminated as much as possible from media and marketing. It’s something you can’t go down to a corner store and buy [legally] and I’m willing to bet that someone has written a study somewhere to indicated a good number of people are being prescribed drugs that they either don’t need, are in the wrong quantity or are the wrong type, simply because the patient knows what the symptoms are before they step foot in the doctors office.

Being that yesterday was Earth Hour Day 2008, it inspired me to reflect on what I’ve read recently about climate change and going greener, to look at how I’m doing with going greener, and it made me wonder how others are evolving (or not) into a greener lifestyle.

This is the third article I’ve done on going greener, and another thing that inspired me to write again were a few recent magazine articles. In one, a national magazine who shall remain nameless but that regularly has a lot of articles on going greener and living more naturally, showed a photo of their whole staff and listed what each of them did to to live sustainably every day. I don’t think some understood what that meant really, and some seemed 25 years behind the times. “I turn the heat down when I leave the house.” Wah? Wow. Baffling, but then they’re in the business of making a magazine, not living the magazine every minute, I suppose. Another person listed “returning hangers to the dry cleaners”. Wow. Hmmm. Do we want to burst her bubble about the damage dry cleaners do to the environment and their employees’ health? You don’t need dry cleaners to clean most items that says “dry clean only”. Yes, she could have thrown the hangers away, which isn’t good, but the bigger help to the environment clearly is not to go to dry cleaners. All you have to do is smell the air at the dry cleaners to know it’s not good for anyone’s lungs. Thank goodness there is change happening in the industry and there are green dry cleaners springing up. And, thankfully several of the staff did more significant things like switch to a vegetarian diet, consciously choose a tiny apartment over a McMansion, and bike to work every day.

The other couple articles I read were about scientists who challenged my thinking and green way of living by asserting that the only way to really help the environment is to be politically active constantly, to push for change with manufacturers and politicians. That recycling and buying compact fluorescent light bulbs and using cloth napkins and composting and everything else is pretty “useless” compared to changing policies, industries and government nationally and globally.

Gulp. Blink. Blink blink. Crap.

And I immediately agreed, and disagreed. Yes, we need that kind of massive change, now - just look at recent articles about the massive ice shelf in the Antarctic breaking off - without a doubt. And, we need huge systemic change in every facet of life and industry if we’re going to really affect climate change. But to tell people what they’re doing doesn’t help, misses the point and hurts the progress being made all over the world - everyone has to start with what they can touch and do and know in their daily lives. It makes them CARE. Which then will make them want to do more, which then will hopefully make them see the crucial need for political action. If it’s not personal for them, they won’t do it. The more green you go, the inevitable step after doing all the daily living green things is political action.

Lots of people don’t care, or God forbid, can be inconvenienced with going green, I have learned. If I ask them about it, they usually get a glassy-eyed look and offer a non-explanation for why they don’t make the effort to fill in the blank (recycle, conserve, whatever). I get all kinds of people just shaking their heads at my commitment to it and writing me off, figuratively patting me on the head and saying “that’s nice”, mumbling something about a tree hugger, and then moving on quickly to something that doesn’t make them uncomfortable. I am always saddened, maddened, perplexed or a combination of the three by this. I can even say at times it challenges why I’m friends with some people. That is the hardest part about going green.

I don’t care about their opinion of me ultimately, whether it’s about going green, being vegan, not letting them put down my Midwestern home state with their uninformed assumptions about it, or whatever it may be - you can see I have an opinion about them as well (which I’m not exactly thrilled about; I strive to be non-judgmental and compassionate, but it doesn’t work all the time). We are all entitled to our beliefs. And I understand people have their priorities, difficulties, time and/or money constraints, or whatever it may be in their lives… but it’s the Earth, the air, the water, what allows us to live and breathe and have problems and joys and grief and love that we’re talking about here.

It all serves to inspire me to do more. I have joined more environmental groups, contributed more money, written to the president and senators about national green issues and continued to find more ways to go green on a personal level. I think if I counted my green activities, it would easily number a few dozen. Want to hear a few more? (Read other common, not always easy, and creative green choices in my other articles on Randomn3ss.)

1. I keep empty one-gallon water jugs in the kitchen to fill up with the cold water that comes out of the tap while waiting for the hot water to make it upstairs (second floor) from the basement. I use it to water my plants.

2. I make sure at least one and usually two meals a day are eaten without heating them up.

3. In my city the government doesn’t provide garbage service, so we haul our garbage to the places we go anyway to dump it - at the grocery store, gas station, wherever, saving a private truck from coming to our house and idling while the guy parks, takes his time to pick up the bag and throw it in, and head on to his next stop. (See # 8 below.) We have very little garbage, because…

4. We recycle greeting cards, tissue paper, wrapping paper, magazines and shiny paper like ads and junk mail, newspapers, cardboard, #1-7 plastics, aluminum, glass, office paper, tin and other scrap metal, phone books, and I take a bag of clothes, shoes and other household stuff to a charity thrift store every time I buy new things, to have less stuff for me to manage, and less stuff in the garbage. I also choose items with the least amount of packaging, and even don’t buy some things (gasp!) if the package can’t be recycled.

5. I park my car so that I can drive straight out instead of having to back up to get out. Studies say it saves on gas. It’s certainly easier, and saves time. I also get more exercise because often the only way to do that is park farther away from the entrance of where I’m going.

6. I now shop closer to home to save on gas consumption. It has been easier than I thought it would be, and saves me a lot of time and gas money.

7. I was given over 100 votive candles, so I’m using less electricity for lights.

8. I turn my car off if I’m going to idle for more than 10 seconds after reading that it takes less gas to restart the car, contrary to most people’s belief.

9. I keep glass jars to use for food storage rather than buying those disposable (or not) plastic food containers. Glass can be used for years, and won’t stain and get stinky and sticky like the plastics do - they break down, which means chemicals being released into the food.

10. I never buy note pads. I cut up paper to reuse for a variety of purposes.

11. This year I’m planning to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which is a great way to support local farmers, have great produce, and save money and time: From Local Harvest, “CSA is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become “members” (or “shareholders,” or “subscribers”) of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments… The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to over 1000.”

12. I have a system for washing and rinsing dishes that uses very little water, including, obviously, not letting the water run unnecessarily. We use a natural dish soap, too.

13. We keep a big bucket in the bathroom and when we turn on the shower, we let the bucket fill up with the cold water while waiting for the hot water (see #1 above), and when the bucket is full, use that water to flush the toilet.

I’m going to stop listing things now. When I wrote “want to hear a few more?” above, I didn’t know it would go to thirteen. But I’m not actually surprised: In going through my activities, it’s clear to me it is a real lifestyle. I look for the green opportunity and choice in everything I do, at work, home, traveling and play. When I add the thirteen to those listed in other things I’ve written, it makes me smile, and feel like and know I’m making a difference, even if others continue to believe otherwise. I disagree: It makes a difference to me and to everything I touch.

There is no way to be perfectly 100% green 100% of the time. It’s not possible, though I’ve read about some people in Japan and other places where they have to go to crazy lengths to conserve in ways people in the U.S could never even fathom. But going greener is a great process, and even though you’re never done, you never get to the end, it’s a great journey worth deciding to take for life. I have learned a lot (and, some day I’ll learn to write down my sources every time and add them to the bottom of the articles), about the world, and myself - a double green gift.

I now have to return to compassion and take back my put-down of the person whose green glory is ‘only’ turning down her thermostat when they leave the house. They are on a green journey, too, thankfully. Good luck on yours - don’t stop at Earth Hour, or Earth Day (April 22nd). Commit to “Earth Life”, for the good of the planet, and for your personal world.

It’s been 18 days since I embarked on my journey of becoming a vegan. Previously I reported on my progress on Day 5.

Since then I have had a lot of people question, discourage and support me. Although it is disheartening for people to poke fun at my decision I believe it’s because they do not know their facts. Or they want to be right.

All in all, everyone makes a choice as to what they want their life to be. I do not judge or turn my back on people who choose to eat meat. This is what I want my life to be like and no one is going to break me away from that. I’m always up for a good challenge though!
Lauren commented on a few things in my last post. Which I’d prefer to answer here.

• My hunger has evened out already. Which is a huge relief. The annoying feeling of an empty stomach was starting to irk me. While buying a lot of groceries has saved me money it is difficult to eat out now. Because vegan restaurants in the Seattle area are not in every neighborhood (especially in mine) it is hard to get by with eating out. Not to mention my friends don’t find it easy to go out with me or cook food for me. Sad, but true.
• “Are you also getting rid of leather, silk and wool?” I have not discarded or sold any of my animal byproduct clothing. I do have a few pairs of shoes and boots that are made of suede and leather. I have a few jackets made of wool. I decided not to get rid of these items purely on the fact that it’s the middle of the winter and do not have money to purchase new jackets. Also, while this is a huge life decision it is also an experiment for me. Ultimately my goal is to become vegan for life but am still waiting to see how long I can survive. The last step in becoming a true dedicated vegan is choosing to buy animal free products including clothing. I previously discovered earth and animal free clothing while writing Eco Sexy.

I am still getting used to the whole idea of being a vegan. As crazy as it sounds I look forward to more challenges.

Today marks the fifth day of me becoming a vegan.

For the past few years I have been a vegetarian. Which means that I have not eaten chicken, beef, pork, turkey, fish or any other animals since I was 21. I’ve had the enjoyment of eating dairy products like cheese, milk, chocolate and ice cream.

The main reason for me becoming a vegan was for the challenge. Crazy, I know. Originally I became a vegetarian because of animal cruelty and to eat healthier. This is another reason why I am a vegan.

This past week I have been giving and throwing away anything that contains dairy. Now my kitchen is stocked with fake cheese, tofu, dairy free bread, amongst a plethora of other edible things.

For the most part I have felt confident and in good health through this transition. I haven’t felt more tired or sickly. Of course this is only after 5 days. However, I have been feeling constantly hungry. This is annoying. Usually the hunger kicks in about an hour after eating a meal. This is my body getting used to no milk products.

Shopping makes for a long adventure, too. Yesterday I spent a good hour and a half at Whole Foods reading all the ingredients on the packages. To my surprise a lot of things contain dairy even in small amounts. Also, shopping at organic grocery stores is very expensive. I’m used to this though.

I have been successful in finding restaurants and cafes that are vegan. There are several in a few different neighborhoods. Other smaller neighborhoods are scarce.

I hope to continue with being a vegan. However, if I go back to being a vegetarian the world won’t end. More updates soon!

For resources on becoming a vegeternian or vegan visit Action for Animals or Peta.

Happy Birthday to everyone celebrating their birthday today.

Yes, that’s me, I admit it!

And, along with unknowns like me, a number of pretty cool and/or famous people share this birth date:

Paul Newman (love him!), Wayne Gretzky, Ellen DeGeneres, Douglas MacArthur, Roger Vadim, Bob Uecker, Scott Glenn, Anita Baker, Eddie Van Halen, and Eartha Kitt (love her!).

In looking for information on January birthdays, I ran across a website that listed January observances. Here are some of the more unusual ones that caught my eye.

Did you know that January is:

- Bath Safety Month
- Careers in Cosmetology Month
- Clown Month
- Oatmeal Month
- Poverty in America Month
- Thyroid Disease Awareness Month

I didn’t.

The first week of January is Diet Resolution Week. Of course.

The second week of January is, among others, School Guard Crossing week.

The third week of January is Cuckoo Dancing Week, celebrating Laurel and Hardy movies; Oliver Hardy’s birthday is January 18.

And the fourth week of January is:
- Catholic Schools Week (Aww… I was a Catholic school girl. Was. I’m recovered now, and I never wear plaid.)
- National Meat Week (Agh! I don’t eat meat, as anyone who read this blog knows.)
- Healthy Weight Week (I guess this is the follow up to Diet Resolution Week.)

Enough with all that, back to birthdays. Are you a January (26th or otherwise) birthday baby? What do you do to celebrate? I’m being taken out to lunch and then have a dinner party with friends.

Once I learned I had the same birthday as Paul Newman, I always wanted to call him up and ask him (and his wife, Joanne Woodward, whom I also adore) to lunch. Maybe this is the year. I think I’ll go look for his number, after being careful in the bath, learning more about my thyroid, and donating some oatmeal or something to the needy.

There’s a new guy at my gym. He’s older, maybe in his 60s, and walks for an extended period of time on the treadmill. Unfortunately for him, he’s unknowingly drew my ire because he uses my treadmill. Yes, it’s mine. I run on it everyday at the same time so it’s mine. Even the guy who monitors the floor knows I get upset when someone else is on it. It happens to be the only one without a stupid TV attached to it. I hate those TVs - you can’t see yourself run and it makes me dizzy. And yes, I like to look at myself in the mirror because I am vain. I’m not the only one who hates the TVs; there’s another runner who comes in after me and I usually hold the TV-less treadmill for him and he takes it over when I’m done.

So back to the new guy… he walks on the treadmill for what seems like an eternity. I’m not hating on walkers - I understand that one day I’m not going to be able to run. Walking is healthy and beneficial, and I can’t be mad at that. However, I see no reason for him to walk on MY TV-less treadmill. If you’re just walking, you don’t need to watch your form or have to worry about speeding up and smacking your face into the screen. In fact, I would think maybe some mindless TV would help with the monotony. Or, he could just, you know, walk around his house for 30 minutes (he could even throw some steps in there for some hill training, unless he lives in a ranch). And, I mean, I can’t say anything to the guy because, yep, I’d once again be an asshole. But I am trying to jet out of work early and he is still there before me!

It’s now a battle. I am going to buy some camouflage dri-fit clothing to blend with my surroundings (and also keep my body temperature stable and wick the sweat away). I will learn his habits and schedule and use that to make sure that my treadmill is protected from the likes of him. I will slowly force him onto the TV-laden treadmills and indoctrinate him with pro-TV propaganda. Then I will mark my territory by peeing on the TV-less treadmill and will growl when the staff comes near to kick me out.

When in doubt, urinate.

I’m a really tolerant person, but being forced to inhale someone’s cigarette smoke as I was leaving the gym, really made me mad.

I had just finished a workout, and was ready to get some fresh air as usual (gyms always have that sweat and wet clothing smell, it seems). I get my coat on and head to the door.

I see a woman standing outside the entrance talking on a phone. As soon as I opened the door, she turned toward me with butt in hand and exhaled as she ranted about how she’s not that bad of a girlfriend.

Who the hell smokes at the door of a gym??

I am hit with that disgusting second hand smoke and smell from her being out there a while, by the look of her cigarette, and I have no choice but to take that in. And, unfortunately, the only way to get away from the smoke was to walk by her.

I caught her glance and was ready to tell her to smoke elsewhere and have consideration for people coming out of a workout, and to point out the ashtray twenty-five feet away, but she turned away from me and continued making her case in a very pathetic manner about why the problem was her boyfriend’s, not hers.

I hurried away from her as I couldn’t stand the smoke, and figured, based on her extremely disconnected logic and poor arguments in defense of herself, she probably wouldn’t understand my point.

I used to smoke occasionally but haven’t for many years. If people want to smoke, I don’t care, it’s your money and health (though I do have a problem with the butts thrown out of cars and dumped at exit ramps, and the pollution), but I do believe that non-smokers should not have to be subjected to tobacco smoke.

Sometimes coming to the gym I can smell smoke on the people in line ahead of me, or I see people smoking in their cars before they come in. Or, on the cardio machines, I can smell smoke on someone who just walked in, or who is on a machine next to mine. I am sort of offended by the smell, but it’s not smoke, so I would never say anything. Smokers tend not to know how bad they stink until they quit. And if they’re in the gym trying to counteract the effects of smoking, and they’re not smoking in my face, well, I can put up with it, and more power to them.

I was a vegetarian for about thirteen years, then went vegan for a year or so, then decided to see if a return to animal products would make me die on the spot or not. (I didn’t.) Once I ate meat, fish and dairy products again, I did so in moderation, still ate a lot of vegetarian and vegan meals, and could not make myself eat some animal products again. They shall go unmentioned, except for head cheese. Okay, I actually never ate it, but remember seeing it in the fridge as a kid and being really scared. Could there be a grosser name or look to this stuff, and how can anyone eat it with their eyes open or without laughing or puking? I’m sure I’ve offended someone with that judgment - sorry, Dad -but that’s how I feel about it.

This head cheese image originally appeared here. Is the pig laughing or crying? Funny/gross story, too..

Okay, haggis is no doubt worse, sorry my Celtic relatives and friends, but I digress.

The tip about meat comes up in a moment. And, for the record, I returned to a vegan lifestyle about a year ago. (Read my other articles on things vegan on randomn3ss for more information.)

Tip number one is first to view adding more Veg meals into your life as a process. It will take time, some education, some experimenting, some frustration, and some contemplation about how you live your life, quite frankly. (I do know of people who just quit all animal products overnight, but it’s hard, it’s expensive, and wastes a lot of food. Your body may be a bit confused, too, and will tell you about it in a few ways that might not be pleasant.) If you come to the conclusion that you want at least to add more Veg meals into your life, and possibly to become either vegetarian or vegan, read on to get started.

If you aren’t familiar with the difference between vegetarianism and veganism, true vegans do not consume (eat, wear, buy, use) any animal products whatsoever - no meat/fish/poultry, dairy, honey, leather, wool, silk, anything of or from any non-plant-based organism. Most vegetarians eat animal milk and/or eggs, honey, and do wear leather and use other animal byproducts.

One reminder before embarking on change in your life: It takes at least twenty-one days to make or break a habit, and then six months to a year of consistently doing the new habits before it truly becomes a part of your lifestyle, second-nature. Be realistic, be patient, keep track of what you’re doing to help the process be successful.

Tip number two: Back to the meat, and for efficiency’s sake I’ll include fish in this, too. If you’re eating meat three times a day or more, start by cutting back to two times a day. If it’s a fairly easy transition for you, then go to meat one time per day, then eliminate it permanently, if that is your goal. If it’s tough for you - you eat out a lot, you work out a lot, your family owns a meat-packing plant - then go slower, shooting for three weeks as mentioned above, or longer until the adjustment is made. Some find it easier first to eliminate meats (two-or four-legged animals), and just eat fish, and then reduce their fish consumption using the same technique.

This is where some education comes in: We need protein, just like we need carbs and fat. Read up and replace meat with other healthy sources of protein. If you don’t get enough good protein, you will lose energy and your health can suffer.

Tip number three: If you’re eating cheese, dairy products and eggs daily, I would recommend first cutting back on cheese. This can be done by reducing the number of times you eat it per day or per week if it’s a lot, and/or by reducing the amount you are eating in a serving. Even if you decide not to be vegan, having less cheese is better for your health, and your budget. Good cheese is not cheap. Bad cheese, it’s barely cheese, really, and disgusting, at least to me.

A long time ago, pre-Veg for me, a housemate of mine left a box of Velveeta on a kitchen counter one night accidentally. Unfortunately, the counter was right above an old wrought-iron radiator that kicked out a lot of heat. I was the first one up the next morning to see that the cheese had melted out of the box and into a large orange semi-solid puddle around the box. When my housemate saw it, he just pushed it all back in the box, shrugged, and did proceed to eat it eventually, with no repercussions. You can’t do that with brie, to my knowledge.

Then do the same with eggs, and other dairy products, reducing the frequency and quantity you eat gradually. There is no real substitute for scrambled eggs or omelets, which is tough if you like diner food, and good news, it is not really necessary in baking - plenty of other substitutes will hold your vegan cookies and cakes together. There are plenty of other milk choices that taste great: Soy, oat, almond, rice (though it’s typically watery, so not a great choice for cereal), hazelnut, and even hemp. (Hemp is a magical plant, used in food, clothing and other products. I know there is great debate about growing it in the U.S. I hope it will happen. If you didn’t know, the most that would happen to you if you smoked it would be a headache and sore throat.) And there’s plenty of non-dairy ice cream, sour cream, butter, and yogurt products out there. You will need to try a few before you land on what tastes best to you; some aren’t so great but it’s all vastly better than it was even ten years ago.

“But what do you eat?” It’s a common question vegetarians and vegans get constantly: You will find a whole new world out there now that you’re choosing to eat different and new things. The number of grains, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits out there are countless and the combinations in the bazillions, I’m sure. And it’s no harder to cook Veg than it is to cook animal products, just slightly different - and not as gross. (I still skeeve out thinking of handling raw poultry and other slimy bone-filled greasy stuff.) It can take more time sometimes, but not always. And, you can still eat your cereal with another kind of milk, you can still have favorite foods with just a few substitutions.

“But what about eating out?” Choose the vegetarian options at restaurants to start training your palate and learning what foods taste best to you. It’s super easy if you like ethnic restaurants, and not too hard if you prefer standard U.S. fare. You can ask them to take the meat or cheese out of nearly any item, and most ethnic cuisines celebrate vegetables and grains like the U.S. never has until recently. Experiment with tofu at Asian restaurants - and, I’m the first to say some of it is baaaad, so while it goes against nutritional recommendations, go with the fried or stir-fried tofu if you’re trying it for the first time. A big blob of white, fairly tasteless rubbery stuff in a soup is not very palatable, even for die-hards. (If you didn’t know, tofu is made from soybeans, and has a very mild flavor until you are accustomed to it and add spices to it. It’s an excellent source of protein and a major staple in most Vegs’ diets. Comes in a variety of forms to make it easy to cook and bake with.)

Tip number four: Go to a book store and get a couple vegetarian and/or vegan cookbooks, and subscribe to one of the many great Veg magazines out there. You can search online for recipes, but I find books and magazines are better as they nearly always have cooking tips, nutrition information, and you can compare recipes more easily. And again, as mentioned briefly, you have a learning curve going on with the whole nutritional side of shifting to a Veg diet, and books tend to be the most comprehensive source. (It’s also better to spill stuff on a book than it is a laptop when you’re making a new recipe in the kitchen.) You will learn how to cook a little differently, but all the basics are the same. Be prepared for flops. And that you just won’t like some things. That’s normal, and it just gets you closer to what you do like.
Tip number five: Pretty simple, eat more vegetables. Yes, eat more fruits, too, but vegetables, beans and grains are the core of the Veg diet. Fruit is full of sugar, so read up and stick to only a couple servings a day. Of course, starting out in the process, a lot of people do eat fruit more as snacks to replace the cheese and various meat snacks, which is okay, but shouldn’t be a permanent solution. The more vegetables you eat, the healthier you will be.

Tip number six: Read ingredient labels on “Healthy!” “Vegetarian!” “Low Fat!” foods carefully, especially if you are vegan. Lots of funny-named stuff in some products masquerade as health food and vegetarian. For example, there’s a frozen soy mac and cheese option out there but there is a not-obvious dairy product in the list of ingredients (caseinate, a milk product). Also read the nutrition information on the packaging. (If you don’t know what it all means, learn, as it’s pretty critical - it’s easy to have high cholesterol and high sugars on a Veg diet if you’re not careful, so just spend a little time until it’s second nature, too.) Some have a lot of salt, a lot of fat and/or a lot of sugars and carbs. A lot of newbie Vegs just get all that microwave stuff to make it easy, but it will take a toll on your health and budget. It has a place in the Veg diet, you need quick meals at times, and it’s a great way to try new things, but don’t let it be the only way you eat. Same with junk food. There’s plenty of cookies, chips, snacks, desserts out there that are Veg, so eat in small quantities. Choose organically and sustainably produced foods as well.

Last tip: Enjoy the process, and only do what feels right and works right in your life, although I do advocate strongly for being vegetarian at the least - for your health, for the animals, for the environment. If you choose to eat meat, fish and dairy, choose the best organic and humane sources you can find (do the research, as there’s many confusing and false claims out there), and eat less than you used to. Educate the people around you so they know what you’re doing, and so that you’re not surprising someone who’s invited you to dinner at their house, only to find you can’t eat anything. That’s not fair to them, they’ll feel bad, and you won’t have a good time. (I always eat at home before going to parties, knowing that meat and cheese tend to predominate. But, there’s always a veggie tray, and chips and salsa, it seems, so you can munch along without drawing attention to yourself.) Don’t be defensive if someone puts down what you’re doing, just shrug and say “you eat what you want to eat, and I’ll eat what I want to eat, and we’ll leave it at that.” Several of my close friends are animal-eaters, and this agreement works fine.

My process was fairly easy, I admit. There is a strong history of cancer and heart disease in my family, so that has always been a motivator. I also met the coolest vegetarians in Minneapolis, MN who showed me the way, both in introducing me to a variety of great ethnic restaurants and in how to cook Veg. I also seek out what is not mainstream, so this was a natural; it is surprising, though, how uncomfortable some people get about it, and I’m not (usually) trying to make people squirm (did you like that “animal-eater” comment above?) but I count it as a success for me and for them if they then think about it and ask me to discuss it later (and it’s victory for the animals and the environment if they go on to choose a Veg life). I can say I miss Parmesan cheese. There is no substitute (there are some products on the market, but it really has no resemblance to the true taste of Parm). I used to miss eggs, but that has long gone away. I sometimes think about wild salmon, as that was the last animal flesh I gave up. It’s very good for you, and was my favorite meat item. At times it is frustrating in restaurants, but overall I don’t feel compromised in any way by the choice to be vegan, in food or in other parts of the lifestyle. I don’t get preachy about it (because I would hate it if someone did that to me), but will explain if people ask. I have to check my shock when people say they rarely or never eat vegetables; I don’t want to be judged, so I must not judge them, but it’s still pretty unfathomable to me. (Like how do your bowels even work? I’ll stop there and please don’t tell me.) I also don’t get all weird if I realize I’ve eaten something animal accidentally (and I don’t go purge or anything), and I refuse to be completely rigid about it: On occasion I will eat a homemade chocolate chip cookie even if it’s not vegan. Comfort food and happy childhood memories are a welcome and necessary thing.

Write back and let me know how it goes, and if you’d like to know more.

Credit for this article goes to none other than Adrienne Saia, here at randomn3ss. Number one, she asked for it at the end of one of my articles on going greener and veganism being one way (remember?) and because of her post on her food pyramid. How you ate this, I have no idea…