Ⓥ T.O.F.U. Book

T.O.F.U. magazine is releasing a book, and my article is going to be in it! 

Kickstarter campaign

T.O.F.U. magazine

Review of You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

Here is my review of Felicia Day's book!

Ⓥ Vegan Exceptions (Video)

I actually filmed this last week, but decided to go ahead and post it today (since I ran out of time to do a new one).

Ⓥ Book Review

I know I have mentioned many times how much I like to support vegan artists. I love knowing that something was made by someone who shares my values. I have also mentioned how hard it is for me to find vegan artists who make the type of art that I like. I have had an especially hard time finding vegan authors who write the type of books I enjoy reading. For the most part, vegans tend to only write book about veganism or animal rights, and they seem to be especially fond of writing cook books. This is great and I do still try to support these people but I, personally, can only read so many books about veganism before I get bored and need something more exciting. Well I finally found a vegan author who writes my kind of books! 

Frank E. Bittinger writes paranormal/supernatural/horror novels. This genre has always been, by far, my favorite. For some reason, it also seems to be the least embraced by vegan authors. I suppose it makes sense that some vegans would find the blood, gore, and violence that frequently accompanies horror stories to be in conflict with their peaceful way of life. I, however, enjoy books that offer a sense of danger and adventure that I can't get in my real life, which is why I was so pleased to find Frank Bittinger. 

I recently read his book Angels of the Seventh Dawn. I don't want to give too much away, because I'm hoping you will read it, but It covered several different species of supernatural creatures and managed to blend them together, and into our own society, in a way that somehow seemed natural and believable. It also blurred the lines of good and evil in a way that I found quite intriguing. It forces you to question your own ideas about the nature of humanity, and why most authors of paranormal type books always assume that the humans are the good guys, in every scenario. Plus it sort of highlighted the fluidity of human (and not-quite-human) sexuality, which I always appreciate, since so few authors seem willing to do that. It did not have any animal rights overtones, so don't go into it expecting that, though there were a few little things thrown in here and there. Overall, it was a new and unique perspective on a familiar topic that left me wanting to read all of the rest of his books. Check them all out on his Amazon page! I already have the others on my wish list. 

Ant-Man

My mom, my sister, and I went to see Ant-Man today. I'm sure you will all be surprised to hear this, but I loved it! (perhaps I'm not the most objective when it comes to Marvel movies, because I think I say that about all of them but, seriously, this movies was really great.) We ended up being the only three people in the whole theater, which I though was really sad. I mean, I know it's already been out for a while, and we did go to the 3:30 showing, but still, why aren't you going to see this movie, people? Here are the reasons why you should go watch it-

1- Marvel has a rather incredible knack for taking things that should be ridiculous and making them super fucking cool. I mean seriously, anything called "Ant-Man" should be totally stupid right? Wrong!
2- As always, Paul Rudd was fantastic. Also, he obviously put a good bit of effort into getting into superhero-worthy shape.
3- Scott Lang is a really cool and interesting character.
4- Scott's daughter is fucking adorable. For example, at one point he gives her the creepiest looking toy rabbit I have ever seen. To which she replies "He's so ugly! I love him!"
5- We get another badass female character, Hope.
6-  I really liked the ants and the fact that they were, at least to some extent, given distinct personalities. I thought this was great, since a lot of people never think twice about killing ants. According to Evangeline Lilly "You could take all of us out of the movie, and it would still be really kick ass if you had the ants. They’re really the best part of the movie."
7- The big fight scene at the end was both intense and totally hilarious. Giant Thomas the tank engine flying through the air anyone?
8- Falcon has a (somewhat small, but still) part, which made me happy because I loved him in the Winter Soldier.
9- Scott has a circle professional criminal friends, who I found quite endearing. ( I don't know, I have a thing for likable criminals).
10- The post credit scene was weird and confusing (in a good way) and left you with an overwhelming need to see Civil War!

Pretty much my response to the post-credit scene^

Convenient!

I discovered something pretty cool (at least in my opinion) recently. You know how I usually use henna on my hair? but that I get the best results by leaving it on overnight (which is kind of a pain in the ass)? Well, I have found the most convenient way to color my hair ever. It doesn't come out quite as bright as I would like, but it's totally worth it. I have been putting Manic Panic in my conditioner.....That's it, that's all. I started doing it because I hoped it would help keep it brighter between colorings. Then, at some point I realized that my roots should have grown out a long time ago, but that I didn't seem to have any showing. So yeah, not only does it save me the hassle of coloring my hair, but it also saves me from ever having to deal with my roots growing out, and looking stupid until I get around to coloring them.

If anyone wants to give it a try, I used the Vampire Red (but there are lots of colors I think would probably work well) and put a lot of it in my bottle of conditioner. I wash my hair first thing, when I get in the shower and let the conditioner soak in while I'm shaving and whatnot. Be forewarned, the stuff will also stain your hands but I have found that it washes back off by the time I get out of the shower (I take really long showers, so there is a chance that won't happen for everyone, but if you just wash your hands a couple of times you should be fine). Anyway, just thought I would share my little discovery with you guys.

Keep in mind that the colors olny come out like this ^ if you bleach your hair first. The conditioner method will only give you a slight tint, but mine comes out looking much closer to Vampire Red than to my natural color, Gray-ish Brown. 

Ⓥ Vegan Superheroes

Today, I found some seriously cool vegans that I wanted to tell everyone about. I started out looking for Tim Shieff's Facebook page (the link is actually to his YouTube page, because he has some great videos you should all check out). He is an amazing athlete who often speaks out about veganism and animal rights issues.

Anyway, when I found it, I started scrolling through his feed and found a link to a page run by a friend of his who is a vegan stunt man. It's called We See You, and it's full of beautiful images of farmed animals. The goal of the page is to change the way people perceive these animals.

From there, Facebook recommended that I check out Casey Michaels' page. She is another vegan stunt person and apparently she was actually Scarlet Johansson's stunt double in Age of Ultron. So yeah, the real Black Widow? the one who pulled off all of those amazing moves? Vegan! She was also Hit Girl's double on Kickass 2. Plus, she makes a point to proclaim her veganism on her page by calling herself a "vegan stunt performer."

I am always happy to find any public figures who are vegan, especially when they are as open about why they are vegan, as these people are. I am particularly excited though to find people who also manage to prove that veganism can be an asset to the individual as well as to animals and the planet. These people do things that the average person can't even imagine being able to do, and they do them while maintaining a compassionate lifestyle. These are true superheroes, in every sense of the word! They have skills and abilities far beyond those of regular people and they dedicate themselves to protecting the innocent. What could be more heroic than that?  

Pretty sure that's actually Casey.

Ⓥ Tips and Tricks Part 2; Non-Food Products

As a follow-up to last week's post, I also wanted to share some of my favorite animal-friendly products and brands. I know how incredibly frustrating it can be to find good products that also fit with your beliefs, so I thought I would offer a few suggestions.

1- Naturally, the first step in buying cruelty-free products, is identifying them. I have found that a lot of people don't realize that unless something specifies right on the label that it isn't tested on animals it almost certainly is tested on animals. The easiest way I have found to identify companies as cruelty-free, or not, is with PETA's list. It's quite extensive and, as far as I know, they keep it pretty up-to-date.

2- As with vegan foods, cruelty-free body care, and beauty products can be expensive and hard to find. So again I will recommend Vitacost and iHerb. For things that can't be found at either of those places, Amazon is usually my go-to.

3- If you still can't afford to buy the fancy vegan products, it is possible get generic cruelty-free
products. Food Lion's store brands are not tested on animals. Though they are not necessarily vegan, this is still a huge step in the right direction, and they offer a wide selection of products, from health and beauty to cleaning supplies.

4- My all-time favorite brand of hair dye is Surya. It is certified vegan and cruelty-free, natural (henna based), and actually good for your hair. Plus it comes in some really beautiful shades. If you try it though, make sure you get the cream, not the powder. I haven't tried this particular brand in powder form, but all of the other henna powders I have used were a huge pain, and the cream is super convenient. Also, you should be aware that the box tells you to leave it on for up to an hour but, since it's actually beneficial for your hair and you get better results the longer you leave it on, I just put it on with a cap over it before I go to bed and leave it overnight. I have yet to find a color that didn't come out amazing with this technique.

5- If you want a more intense hair color, I recommend Manic Panic. They are cruelty-free and at least most of their products are vegan; supposedly there are some that aren't, but I can't seem to find out which ones. I will warn you though, their colors do fade a lot, and they really only work if you bleach your hair first. And, again, the longer you leave the colors on, the better (like overnight). If you want the white-blonde look though, you can't beat Manic Panic's Flash Lightening. I used the 40 volume, and it was much more effective and slightly less harsh than any other bleach I've tried. Also, I found that to keep the blonde white, instead of yellow, mixing a drop or two of Ultraviolet into my conditioner worked really well.

6- I absolutely love Sarawen's perfumes! I have tried quite a few of them and have yet to find one that didn't smell wonderful! My favorite, at the moment is Chocolat Rose, though the Ambrosia Chocolat is a close second (I don't know, I guess I just like smelling like foods that I don't eat). The scents are all vegan and cruelty-free, and she donates some of the proceeds to animal charities. Plus, it's just fun to shop for her perfumes, because most of them are inspired by fictional characters.

7- Speaking of good smells, Crazy Rumors lip balm is absolutely amazing! It comes in tons of great scents, and it works better than any other lip balm I have tried (even before I went vegan). Plus, they are another completely vegan company.

8- I will admit, I'm not as good with makeup as some girls (like my sister) are, so my opinion here may not be worth as much as in other ares, but I really like e.l.f.. They are ridiculously affordable (like nearly everything is between $1 and $3) and, for as much as I can do with makeup, they work as well as any other brand I've tried. They are cruelty-free and, while they are not vegan certified, I did find this correspondence from e.l.f. in response to a question asked by Cruelty Free Kitty "All ingredients used in e.l.f. cosmetics are vegan friendly, safe and meet F.D.A requirements." 

9- As some of you may know, I have had issues with acne my entire life and I have finally gotten it (mostly) under control. I'm sure that a lot of that has to do with my overall lifestyle being so much healthier these days, but I also think that a big part of it has been due to Dr. Woods Shea Vision soap. I have been using it as hand soap, body wash, and face wash for months now and my skin has never been better. Dr. Woods products are all cruelty-free and, as far as I can tell, they are all vegan.

10- Along with my acne issues, I have also always had problems with dry skin (and dry hair). Coconut Oil has all but fixed this problem for me. I use it on my face, body, and hair, and it has made my skin incredibly soft. I have given up any ideas about my hair ever being soft (since it seems to be made of cactus needles) but the coconut oil definitely helps keep it more manageable.

So, there are my favorite products. I hope they make life a little easier for someone out there.

My new hair color, Surya in "mahogany". Also, lots of e.l.f. products. Also, almost everything else on this list.

Ⓥ 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.

Good Stuff, Like Really Good

You guys remember that perfume I mentioned a while back? Well, I ordered some and it's fucking amazing! The shop is called Sarawen Perfume Art, all of her stuff is vegan and they are all based on really cool things, like fictional characters and whatnot. I bought Wayward Son which is inspired by Sam Winchester. It said it was a unisex scent, and I was nervous that it would be too manly smelling for me to actually wear, but it's not. Now I'm just nervous that I'm going to end up being one of those girls who wears way too much perfume because I like it so much that I keep putting more on. Basically, what I'm saying is............

Seriously, I fucking love it! Plus she seems like a really cool person. So check out her store. The Supernatural ones are listed under "Gothic" if you're looking for them. 

Sexiest Vegan Next Door Contest

Okay, so I decided to enter PETA's Sexiest Vegan Next Door Contest. I know it's kind of stupid but, I don't know, I thought it might be kind of fun. Every year, PETA send out their announcement about the contest, and every year I think "You know what? That sounds like it might be kind of fun." Well, this year I realized that if I wait much longer I'm going to feel too old to enter without feeling weird about it. So, fuck it! I'm doing it. Anyway, my sister does photography so I got her to take some pictures for me today. She is excellent and you should "Like" her Facebook page. Also, let me know which picture you think I should use for the contest. I'm currently leaning toward this one.

That Worked Out Well

You know how I'm always bitching about how shitty our internet is here? Well, for the past three days, it has been SUPER shitty. Like, working just enough to make you keep going "Maybe it'll work now!" over, and over, and over again until you want to throw your computer through a wall. Or maybe that's just me? Anyway, today for the first time in weeks I finally manged to make myself get up early; not because I had anything in particular to do, but just because I feel better and get more accomplished that way. Well, guess what? The internet was finally working, so instead of getting anything important accomplished, I spent four hours just fucking around online to make up for not being able to for a few days. I'm telling you guys, my time management skills are impeccable. The good news about all of this wasted time is that I managed to find an Etsy shop run by a vegan/animal rights advocate who makes perfume inspired by various nerdy things; including this one\/ based on Sam Winchester.

Also, she donates some of the proceeds to animal charities! How cool is that? If I had money, I might just buy every one of her perfumes just so I would know what all of my favorite characters smell like.  Here is Dean, by the way. And Cas.   

Well, We'll See What Happens

I found this thing online that I desperately want! There are three reasons why I have been forcing myself not to buy it. 1- It is kind of expensive. Really it's not all that expensive, but it's from that shop I found a while back that makes me wish I lived in Lithuania, which means that the shipping would cost me as much as the thing itself. 2- I always feel kind of guilty having things shipped from really far away, you know like from Lithuania, because of the environmental impact. 3- I think there is a good chance that everyone I know will think this thing is stupid, and give me a hard time about it, and I just can't justify dealing with #1 and #2 just so I can be harassed.

So you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to make one myself, from stuff I already had or bought at Goodwill. That way when everyone makes fun of me for it, I can be like "Fuck you. It's environmentally-friendly and it was practically free." Now if I can just make it look halfway decent, I'll be all set.

^This is the thing. Apparently, it's called a "waistbag" and I want it! 

Absolutely True Rumors

I just had to share this with you guys. I recently discovered this lip balm called Crazy Rumors and it is completely amazing and you should buy some right now! All of their products are vegan, cruelty-free and all natural and, I'm telling you, this is the best stuff I have ever put on my lips. I haven't even been wearing lipstick lately because 1- I don't want anything else on them but this stuff and 2- They look so much better that I really don't feel like I need it anymore. They have about a million different flavors to choose from and it feels incredible and has managed to fix even my nasty, dried up lips. I bought the Red Velvet Cake flavor a while back and have used it obsessively ever since. It is absolutely delicious, though it does taste a bit more like Tootsie Rolls than cake to me. So, since it is nearly gone already, I decided to order the Mocha flavor. It just came yesterday, and holy fuck does it smell amazing! Also, all their stuff is surprisingly affordable. Just Saying.

A Softer World

You know what I totally forgot existed and then suddenly remembered last night? A Softer World. They are just so great, and I hadn't read them for so long. Now I'm obsessively trying to catch up on all the ones I missed. They say all of those things you think but won't say because they're to awful, or too offensive, or just too goddamn weird. They also somehow manage to say the MOST depressing things in such a way that they end up being fucking hilarious.

Also, check me out. All up and writing my post early-ish in the morning. (I've actually been up for a couple of hours, it just took me this long to get my shit together enough to write.) 

Recommendation

Okay, so I've got nothing to write about today. I kept bullshitting around waiting to come up with something, but I still have nothing. So here is a random recommendation. Coconut oil. I'm telling you, this shit is amazing! I use it all over my entire body, on my face, and on my hair, and it's fantastic. It makes your skin soft and smooth, it helps with stretch marks, reduces wrinkles (which I suddenly had when I got back from Acton, by the way), it stops your hair from getting frizzy, plus it smells fucking wonderful. Just saying, give it a try.

This is the kind I use, and I love it! It's organic and not animal tested :) I suggest getting it from Vitacost because it's a lot cheaper there. 

400

This is my 400th post here and, you my have noticed that, I like to commemorate every hundredth post with some sort of list. Well, I couldn't think of anything I really wanted to make a list of. So I decided to go all Welcome to Night Vale and just make a "list of things." That's what I love about Night Vale, they manage to say the most absurd things yet somehow make them sort of profound, in some way. The "list of things" was just that, a list of random things, yet each thing somehow managed to evoke a very particular feeling/emotion/sensation. Anyway, I thought I would give it a shot myself, and see if I could manage to pull it off nearly as well as they did. So here goes. 

1- Your favorite song

2- Razor burn

3- Clothes straight out of the dryer

4- Unrecognizable, yet familiar, smells

5- Damp dishrags that have been laying in the sink for days

6- A really good book 

7- Pea-gravel 

8- Socks with holes in the toes

9- Deja Vu

10- A cat purring

11- A human purring

12- An empty box

13- Something moving inside a supposedly empty box

14- A scratched CD

15- A hair on your clothes that doesn't belong to you

16- Thunderstorms

17- Guilty pleasures

18- Lost time

19- Childhood fantasies

20- Dirty looks

21- Old friends you thought you'd never see again

22- Old acquaintances you hoped you'd never see again

23- Dryer lint 

24- Disappointment 

25- Paper cuts

26- Beauty products that smell like food 

27- The clicking of a pen

28- Stubbed toes

29- Static electricity

30- Unaccomplished goals

31- Snow clinging to tree branches 

32- Unidentified moisture

33- Fine dust on your finger tips

34- Nostalgia 

35- Missed opportunities  

36- Good conversations 

37- Awkward conversations

38- Shower steam

39- Old food in tupperware containers

40- A hole in your favorite shirt

41- The instant before a dropped glass hits the floor 

42- Musty basements 

43- Hangnails 

44- A face that looks familiar, but you don't know why

45- A thought that makes you smile when you're alone

46- A cloud that moves across the sun

47- The look on a dog's face when he has done something wrong

48- The sound a guinea pig makes 

49- A really bad song you used to love when you were young

50- Clumpy mascara

51- Contemplating life with a good friend

52- Contemplating life by yourself

53- A slightly damp handshake

54- Something given to you by someone you don't know anymore

55- Gas pump handles 

56- Interviewing for a job you don't really want

57- Food stuck in your teeth that you're not sure how long it's been there

58- The decision to throw something away instead of bothering to recycle it

59- Pictures of your parents when they were young

60- A job well-done

61- A job not-so-well-done

62- Eraser dust

63- Frost on a window

64- Frost on your car windshield

65- That feeling that you're forgetting something

66- An instant of eye-contact with a stranger

67- Regret

68- Knowing that you are right, but that you will never convince anyone else

69- Kindred spirits

70- Hot coffee

71- Vaguely cool coffee

72- Tripping over your own feet in public

73- The feeling that your life is about to change

74- The feeling that your life will never change

75- Jeans that just don't fit quite right

76- Someone laughing at your jokes

77- Bare light bulbs

78-  Strange dreams, half remembered

79- Good dreams, mostly forgotten

80- Bruises that you don't remember getting 

81- The memory of a good experience you know you'll never have again

82- That piece of hair that will never stay in place

83- An old pair of shoes

84- Once loved toys that are now forgotten

85- Warm sunlight on your face

86- Falling asleep in the backseat, on the way back from a long trip 

87- Uncontrollable laughter 

88- A patch of stubble when you just shaved

89- A movie you haven't seen in years

90- Your old school pictures

91- That sudden sensation of falling that jolts you out of sleep 

92- Cracking knuckles

93- Clothing racks in department stores

94- Colors that are a little too bright 

95- Sand between your toes

96- Dirt under your fingernails 

97- Under-cooked rice

98- Over-cooked pasta

99- The idea of love

100- The reality of life  

I seriously considered trying to come up with 400 of these, but then I decided that would be insane and probably make you all hate me. So I stuck with 100, which is probably still too many. 

By the way, here is the transcript  to the episode of Night Vale with the "list of things."

Snippets

I kept waiting around to see if I would come up with a good topic for a post today but, alas, I did not. So here are just a few random bits of things I have been thinking about. I may, one day, write full posts about them. However, I am far to uninspired to do it today.

1- I really need to make sure that I get the fuck out of this house everyday. Today the roads were supposedly bad, so I just stayed home. Now my biggest accomplishment for the day has been staying awake.

2- Do you ever get a new book and just feel like it is going to have something really profound to say to you? No real reason for it, just a feeling. I just started American Gods by Neil Gaiman and I definitely have that feeling about it. I hope I'm right; I could seriously use some profound insights right now.

3- My mom and I were talking today about raising your sense of self-worth by making a point to do things that you feel good about and not do things that you feel bad about. I think I have mentioned this before and I do believe that it is a good idea. However, I realized today that, while it will most likely raise your sense of self-worth, I'm not sure that it will improve your overall quality of life because you will end up doing a lot more things that you don't like doing. Like dishes, and laundry.

4- I have developed this intense aversion to noise lately. I think it was cause by overexposure. None of the animals in this house ever, EVER, shut the fuck up. Ever.

5- Is it just me, or do other people always run out of everything all at the same time? I actually managed to save my last check from Goodwill and I was all excited because I thought I would actually have money to buy halfway decent Christmas presents this year. Then I suddenly realized that I need to buy everything I ever use!

It seems like it's going to be a really good book. 

Self-Sabotage

You remember that poetry thing I mentioned a while back? Well, it's tomorrow. And I have not prepared at all! When I first heard about it, I was so fucking excited! I was so sure it was going to amazing. I was going to practice my poem until I had it perfect. Instead, I sort of read over it four or five time over the last few days. This is what I do to myself. I take the things that mean the most to me and I do whatever I can to fuck them up. Hopefully, now that I'm all terrified about it, I will get super motivated and memorize the damn thing by tomorrow night. That's usually how I do things. Apparently, intense fear is very inspiring to me.

I was totally going to be all intense, and passionate, and expressive like Anis Mojgani. Now I'll be lucky if I remember what I'm supposed to say. 

The Power of Words

I haven't said much about it for a while, but I've still been reading up on Wicca. The more I find out about it, the more I like it. I like the polytheistic aspect of it. I love the emphasis on a connection to nature and the idea that we are able to interact with the planet's energies in a meaningful way. I think the thing that I like the most though, is the focus on the power of words. The whole idea behind a spell is that the right combination of words can actually create an energy force that can cause a desired outcome. When you think about it, isn't that the point of writing? To find the specific combination of words that  has the greatest effect? I just started reading The Deep Heart of Witchcraft (my third book on the subject) by David Salisbury, who happens to be a gay, vegan witch (YES!). When I found him it sort of dispelled any reservation I had about Wicca after reading The Witches' Way. The authors of The Witches' Way put a LOT of emphasis on the importance of the male/female polarity and the whole thing seemed rather discriminatory to me. They also talked about non-humans as having a lower form of soul with no individual consciousness (bullshit!). Anyway to get back on topic, there is a quote right in the very beginning of David's book which says "When we write something down, we're affirming the thought in our heads to the physical world, bringing it into being. In that sense, every act of writing is an act of magick and should be treated as such." Love it!