HALP!

Okay, so I didn't tell you guys about this because I didn't want to get ahead of myself and start going on and on about yet another thing that will never actually happen. The problem is, I really need this one to happen or I'm honestly going to fucking snap. I simply cannot continue to live in my dad's house. I've spent my entire life living with other people, and I just need my own fucking space! Like now!

So my mom and I have been looking for a trailer that I can put near my dad's house (because none of my other ideas about getting my own place are anywhere near feasible right now). I actually found one that, while kind of grungy and generally shitty, has everything I need to make it into what I want.

It has a "cathedral ceiling" (which sounds rather absurd in reference to a trailer, but whatever) which is perfect for me, so I can do all of my crazy workouts without crashing into the ceiling, and I could actually set up my stripper pole. It also come with a refrigerator, and a washer and dryer. And it's free!

Here's the problem though, we can't find anyone to haul the fucking thing for me. It's on a hill, at the top of a kind of pot-holey, gravelly, driveway and apparently that's more of a pain in the ass than professional trailer movers are willing to deal with. I mean I would totally understand if they wanted to charge us more for dealing with this, I'm totally fine with that, but we can't find anyone to do it at all.

So, if anyone out there knows of anyone who can, and has the necessary equipment to, move and set up a trailer and would be willing to help me out with this I would greatly appreciate it! Seriously, the fate of my sanity rests on your shoulders!

 

My Cover Is Blown

Last night the New Instructor's Girlfriend was there. When I came in, he turned to her and said "Whitney is the one with the knife in her boot." Then he turned to me and said "I told her. I told everyone!" and I was like "You've let my secret out!" I mean really, how am I supposed to be an assassin if he goes around telling everyone?

Anyway, things went well. I ended up working with the same guy I worked with last week, and he seems cool. We worked on combinations with punches kicks and blocks, and I feel like we did pretty decent. 

It looks like I may have to take a break from class for a while soon though. The New Instructor is leaving in two weeks and will be gone until August. Apparently, they are getting some new guy to take over most of the classes, but he can't do Fridays. Oh well, I guess I'll jut have to find some new outlet for my aggression for a month and a half. 

Ⓥ Tips and Tricks Part 1; Food

I've been vegan for over ten years now and, while I know I take the whole thing a bit farther than most vegans do, I feel like I have, over the years, acquired a fair amount of useful knowledge. So I just thought I would share some helpful tips with you. This is information that I feel would be of use to anyone who is new to veganism, is thinking of becoming vegan, or is simply interested in limiting their contribution to animal exploitation.

1-Whenever anyone asks me for advice on becoming vegan, the first thing I always say is "Buy a rice cooker." Honestly, this appliance has been the most useful thing I have ever owned. I have never found a single grain that doesn't cook perfectly in my rice-cooker, and without any real effort on my part. It doesn't just have to be grains either; for the most part, you can just throw all of your ingredients in there at the same time, and just leave them until it shuts off. Seriously, it will change your life.

2- I, personally, do not like to cook (hence my reliance on the rice-cooker) but, if you do like to cook, Pinterest is probably the best place to find vegan recipes. Just type in "vegan" at the top, and I guarantee you will find endless delicious recipes for anything you could imagine.

3- When it comes to buying vegan and cruelty-free products (without unlimited financial resources), I find that the secret is to know where to shop. Two of my favorite places to shop for vegan food and other products are Vitacost and iHerb. They both have similar products, but each has some that the other doesn't and the price differs one way or the other between the two, depending on the product. Still, it is well worth a little checking back and forth to get good quality stuff without spending a ton of money.

4- Personally, I like to keep things simple (again, cooking is not my thing) so I tend to have a few basic staple foods that I rely on. I think my very favorite staple foods are nut and seed butters, especially almond butter. They are delicious in pretty much any way you want to use them; sandwiches, dips, sauces, spreads, whatever.

5- Another great staple food I found recently is teff. If you haven't heard of it, it's a tiny grain from Ethiopia that is full of all sorts of nutrients, and very high in protein. It tends to cook into a big clump, but if you just fluff it with a fork it gets a really nice sort of couscous-like texture. I love it!

6- Anyone who has been vegan for any length of time probably knows about nutritional yeast. It is a great way to add a slightly cheesy taste to any food. Plus, again, full of great nutrients (including the elusive B12). Also, most cats absolutely love the stuff. This was the only way I got my, exceptionally picky, cat on a vegan diet.

7- Speaking of vegan companion animals, Evolution Diet is the best vegan "pet" food around. I won't pretend that it's cheap, but it's worth the price. My animals have all done remarkably well on it, and are healthier than they ever were on meat-based foods. A lot of other people have had similar experiences.

8- For the longest time, I refused to use any sort of protein supplement because I didn't want it to seem like I thought my diet was deficient in any way. I absolutely still stand by that, I easily get everything I need in order to be healthy with no help from supplements. However, when I started working out more, I realized that all of these meat-eaters who work out were drinking protein shakes in order to build muscle. So I thought "if they can do it without people assuming their diets are deficient, then so can I!" I've been drinking Sunwarrior for several months now, and it has definitely made a huge difference for me. It took some getting used to because, as I said, I've never had protein powder before, but I've grown to really enjoy the stuff.

9- If you're looking for a quick, healthy, vegan snack, I recommend larabars. Most of them are made of only fruit and nuts, and they taste great. Be careful though, they used to all be vegan but they have come out with a few new flavors that aren't. Just look for "vegan" on the label.

10- Probably the most expensive, and unnecessary product I buy is Solar Energy Gum. The way I see it though, if chewing gum is my only real vice, I can afford to splurge a bit on it. You might not guess it, but vegan gum is kind of hard to find, and even when it is vegan it's still usually full of nasty chemicals. This one is healthy though, and has a ton of B vitamins to help give you energy (hence the name). Okay, this isn't really a food, but close enough.

The Best Part of Waking Up.....Is Deadpool

I have been on this serious Deadpool kick lately. Remember when I mentioned that I had been reading a whole bunch of book that I felt like I should read, for one reason or another? I feel like I've also mentioned that I'm almost always reading two books at once, but I can't seem to find where I said that, so maybe I didn't. Anyway, I'm almost always reading two books at once (there, now I said it), one that's informative, or intellectual, or important in some way, and one that's just entertaining. So lately I've been reading famous and influential literary works.....and Deadpool comics. I always read for at least an hour in the mornings and, if it's something I really like, it helps me to be in a better mood for the rest of the day. I must say, I have not found anything that helps me start of the day on a high note better than Deadpool. He's just so fucking hilarious, and weird, and insane, and I love it!

Unfortunately for me, comics are a lot more expensive than regular books, and there are a shit-ton of Deadpool comics out there. So I have wracked up a rather ridiculous balance on my new Amazon credit card recently. But hey, what can you do?

Hand-stand Push-ups (Video)

I couldn't think of anything good to do for my video this week, so I filmed myself (kind of) doing hand-stand push-ups. I don't know if you guys remember, but that was one of my goals for this year. I can't quite do them properly yet, but I think it's still the most impressive thing I've got right now. Also, you can get a look at the hole (well, one of the holes) I knocked in my wall.

In case you guys were wondering why I always post an image that looks exactly like the video, it's because Pinterest won't let me pin videos from here. I have no idea why. 

Mysterious

Yesterday, my mom, my sister, and I went to The Mystery Hole which, in case you were wondering, is pretty much the same thing as the Mystery Spot from Supernatural, only I think this one was even more cheesy than the one from Supernatural. That's what we were expecting though, so it worked out okay and I, personally, thought it was pretty fun. The majority of the tour took place in a room that was tilted to the side. They had a ball that rolled uphill, and water that flowed uphill, and a chair that stood on the wall.

There was also a couch in the room and the tour guide had three people sit there when we came in, then when we were leaving he told them to stand up from the couch without using their arms. None of them could do it. Then, after they finally did manage to get up, he asked if anyone else wanted to try it. My mom said "I'll bet you could do it." Then my sister was like "Yeah, try it!" So I did......and just stood right up. I'm not sure what the deal is, something about body mass vs. muscle mass maybe? Anyway, it was kind of cool. Then my sister was like "Good job, you just ruined that guy(the tour guide)'s whole day." Which is probably true actually. Also, I bought one of those plastic rainbow slinkys in the gift shop, because I wanted a souvenir that could reference two Supernatural episodes at once.

I was a little disappointed though because they had music playing the whole time, and they never played Heat of the Moment. I mean, come on!  

For Me

In the course of the conversation I mentioned yesterday, my mom also said something about how in order to feel better about yourself, you have to do things that make you feel good about yourself and stop doing things that make you feel bad about yourself. I then informed her that that is basically what my entire life is about. I try my best to do things that I feel I should do; because they are the right thing to do, or because I feel that they will help me to grow as a person, because they will help me to gain some skill or knowledge that I want to have, or simply because they help me to look/feel/act like the person I really want to be. I also do my best to never do things that I feel are wrong or simply unappealing, because I know that I lose respect for myself when I do those things.

My mom seemed to be under the impression that I put so much effort into certain things because I'm trying to impress other people, but that's not the case. I work so hard on myself because it makes me feel better, not because I except anyone else to care. If I were simply trying to attract other people I would do quite a few things differently. 1- I wouldn't work out as much. Most people don't seem to think being really muscular is appealing for a girl. 2- When I did workout I would probably do fucking Zumba or something instead of the martial arts type stuff I do now. 3- I would spend more time trying to do things with my hair/makeup/whatever that look like what other girls do, and less time trying to do things that I think look cool. 4- I would probably also stop dressing like I might be on my way to comic con.....

^The Guild. If you haven't seen it, it's pretty hilarious, and who doesn't love Felicia Day?