Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry

Dear Lois Lowry,

See, I'm hoping you'll google yourself, Ms. Lowry. I really am. Why? Because I feel I need to get a message to you.

I just finished reading your most recent book, Messenger. It was really not that great, but I feel like you know that already. The book had the aura of "not trying too hard" about it to begin with, and the loose ends you left could be knit into a sizeable sweater. For example: what happened to Trademaster at the end? Why did Kira have to come home if the forest could be healed by Matty in the first place? What's the deal with the relationship between the societies of The Giver and Gathering Blue? Why Jonas' old home send him all the books?

I could go on.

Before I give you my message, I'm going to quote your book for you. Maybe, upon reading it again, you'll see the problem:

"Do you know," he went on, "in the place where I was a child, there were no dogs? No animals at all."

"No chickens? Or goats?"

"No, nothing."

"What did you eat, then?" Matty asked.

"We had fish. Lots of fish, from a hatchery. And plenty of vegetables. But no animal meat."

Ms. Lowry. Really. You have won at least two Newberry Awards. And you don't know that fish are animals? They are animals! Google it! Look it up on freaking Wikipedia! They are not swimming vegetables!

For reals, Ms. Lowry. Get with the program. If you don't believe me, or Wikipedia, or the Encyclopedia Britanica, or whatever, then I suggest you test my assertion for yourself. Go out and try to catch a carrot. See how difficult it is? Did it try to escape? Flop around in pain after being pulled from the ground? Did it have eyeballs, and guts that needed to be "cleaned" out? NO. Now go try and catch a fish, and note the difference. OK?

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

the vegan vulcan

fresh limas and the second sight

I went today to one of our local farmer's markets to see what our local CNG farm Turkey Hill Farms had to offer (answer: multiple delicous tomato varietals, elephant garlic, and basil tips), when afterwards I spied a small booth selling fresh beans. Yum! Farm fresh limas and black eyed peas. I went up, and started picking over the limas, and struck up a conversation with the woman who owned the booth (who was shelling more fresh limas as we speak).

I asked her how long to cook the fresh limas, and she said a little over an hour. She then told me that I should put a bell pepper, garlic, and salt/pepper in them while they cooked, to season them.

"Sounds great!" I said.

"You should put lots of vegetables in there to season 'em up," she said. "I can tell just by lookin' at you that you don't want to put meat in there with 'em."

So. . . what? Apparently I look like a vegetarian? Weird. I guess I give off that vibe.

too lazy

Yeah, so I pack a lunch twice a week, and because of that I bought a Laptop Lunchbox (I think I mentioned that in my previous post!). I've started taking pictures of it and posting them to a vulcan a day, if anyone cares to look. I'll be posting today's lunch when I get home-- mm! Spanikopita from Vegan with a Vengeance, cuke slices, olives, strawberries, and various bars as Mondays I stay from 10am to 7pm. What fun!

I've been working a lot for school, which would be more fun if it weren't plowing through Kant and Hegel and all those white boys I dropped my Philosophy minor in undergrad to avoid.

Regardless, I've decided on the topics for my final projects. For my Critical Traditions class I'll be looking at Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides through the lens of Longinus, and for my film class I'll be taking a postmodernist feminist approach to Down with Love by way of its basis in 1950s-60s sex comedies.

Which, unfortunately, means I have to watch old 1960s sex comedies. Last night I watched The Seven Year Itch which is just awful. Tonight, if I have time after finishing Hegel and Antigone, is Pillow Talk. Then, tomorrow, I'll be watching Some Like it Hot.

OK, back to work!

4th of july menu and other excitement

So, we had an awesome dinner tonight! Barbecued seitan strips ("veggie ribs" if you must), sauteed greens, and potato salad made with the grapeseed oil Vegenaise. Mm! We also had possibly the best watermelon I've ever had-- sweet, crisp, organic, delicous.

God, eating vegan is such denial!

In other news, I am officially a graduate student! FSU is large, and has a lack of parking that should shame the entire civil engineering department. Seriously, y'all-- what's up with this? I like my classes reasonably well-- the film class is good, and the critical frameworks class is. . . well, it's reminding me sharply why I dropped my philosophy major at Rollins. Oh well!

Because I'm going all day at school (some days from 10am to 6:30pm, not counting the time it takes to park, walk, etc.) I've purchased my very own laptop lunch. Fun! I think I'll be switching over my food journal to a Vegan Lunch Box inspired blog.

Aaaaand. . . let's see. I got married (no pics yet, unfortunately), and John and I had a great time on our honeymoon (those are the pics-- from the top: the view out our window at the condo, some pretty purple flowers, the fox we saw at dinner one night, the view driving home from a day at the spa, and John with a porcupine. The porcupine is chowing down on a loaf of bread). So, I'm totally married! It's weird, but I like it. I don't like saying "husband" though, I usually just say "partner" if I have to describe our relationship at all.

Wow, I'm seriously procrastinating right now. Oh well!

summer visitors

I wrote some time ago about the winter birds I was seeing at my feeder. Those have changed, a bit, since the hot weather has started and nesting season has begun!

Unfortunately, my favorite of the birds, the Carolina wrens, have been MIA the past few weeks. They are most likely being reclusive during their nesting, so I look forward to their return. Sometimes I hear them, so I think they're just staying close to home. I think the titmice are nesting, too, since they've been missing, as well.

The black-capped chickadees are out in full force these days! They are amazing little birds. Although they are the smallest birds out there, they are not shy and squabble for their perch on the feeder just like the rest. They're also quite fearless and don't mind eating if John or I are outside reading. Their soft chirp is so sweet and musical!

House finches have appeared, and are here to stay! Their cousins, the goldfinches I was getting for a while, have migrated on-- but the house finch stays all year. They are so beautiful with their bright mauve breasts and beautiful songs. I'm kind of peeved at them, though, because I bought a specific finch feeder for them (it's smaller, they cling to it, and it holds cracked sunflower and nyjer, unlike the main feeder, which holds oil sunflower, safflower, and the little white seeds I can never remember the name of) and they ignore it most of the time. The goldfinches loved it, but they won't return until the fall.

The cardinals still rule the feeder, with their bulk and their bossiness. The two mated pairs keep everyone in check!

I'm pleased to announce a new cardinal to the area, who John has unflatteringly named Fatty Bowlegs (I voted for Beak Face, but Fatty Bowlegs stuck). He's a baby cardinal-- fledged, so he can fly a bit, but still with the black beak and brown plumage of his youth. The picture looks like him, but is not him-- unfortunately, he's too active for me to get a good shot with the camera! He is definately a boy, though, as his adult feathers are poking through, and they are bright red! He is adorable-- still puffy and awkward, but growing so fast! He's unafraid of us, and hangs out close to our french doors while he's eating and looks at us.

Last but not least, John and I saw two owls the other night! We were at the swimming pool at dusk, and saw two large great horned owls (we think!) swoop into a large live oak. We named them Hoot and Scoot, but we won't be feeding them!

It's definately summer! Baby birds are out, and the bugs are, too. I already have mosquito bites, and today I was late to work trying to herd a baby praying mantis off my car! So cute, but he didn't like me trying to force him onto a leaf. We came to an understanding eventually, and I put him back on the grass. So cool!

Less than a week until the wedding. . .

reasons Vegan with a Vengence is awesome # 147

Gnocchi. With pesto. Go buy the book and make it.

The pesto is divine, and makes enough for you to eat one night and save some to eat another night. So, Friday, John and I had pesto with linguini (white pasta-- so sinful!). Then, tonight, I made the gnocchi out of VwaV, and dressed it with the pesto sauce, made liquidy-er by some of the pasta water. Soooooo good!

Three cheers for Isa!

listen to your body

I know it sounds a little new-agey, but I think so many people out there would go vegan if they would only listen to their bodies. How many times have we heard people complaining about things like "I feel so bloated!" or "God, I have so many allergies!" or "I need to lose weight but I can't seem to do it, even on Weight Watchers!"? How many people do we know who are lactose intolerant, but continue to consume dairy?

I think our bodies tell us a lot about what we need to be eating and doing. Feeling better after exercising and eating right is a huge indication that those things are neccesary for optimum health.

Sure, eating junk food like Tings and vegan cinnamon rolls feels good, as well-- but not in the same way.

Last night I sat down to brown rice, lentils, lightly steamed broccoli w/caremelized onions and leeks. I felt fantastic after eating, similar to how I feel after hitting the gym (which I need to do more, I know!). I think this positive reinforcement of healthy eating is something we all need to listen to a bit more.