That's a Little Better

My regular instructor was back in class lat night. The other girl was still teaching too, but we had a few new students so they split the class up and I didn't end up having to work with her, which was good. We pretty much just practiced punches the whole time. In fact, I basically spent the entire class working on the jab. It wasn't the most exciting class, but at least no one quizzed me about what I had learned. And, as my mom pointed out, at least he didn't make me slap a bowl of water.

Ⓥ Don't Call Me Skinny

I wrote an article about this topic for T.O.F.U magazine a couple of years ago, but it's something that I feel is very important, so I just thought I would cover it here as well.

People often talk about veganism in relation to weight loss. It's a pretty well known fact that a vegan diet can be very helpful when it comes to losing weight, but something that people don't talk about is what it can do for your self-image. I can't say how much this will apply to other people but, at least in my case, my commitment to animal rights and veganism has made a huge impact on the way I see myself, and my body. There was a time when I was pretty obsessed with being thin and had little concern for strength or my overall health. I felt like I was in a constant battle with my body; it refused to look the way I wanted it to, and I refused to give it what it wanted.

The more dedicated I became to animal rights though, the more I started to care more about being healthy and strong than I did about being "skinny". I wanted to prove that vegans aren't the way so many people perceived them to be. I think the real turning point for me came when I was interning at Farm Sanctuary in California. There was a day when a group of volunteers came to help at the shelter, and I was working with them cleaning up a large section of the cow pasture. We were all shoveling manure into these big trash barrels, and then I had to lift them up and dump them into the back of the tractor. One of the barrels got particularly full before I got a chance to dump it, and when I started to pick it up a guy offered to help me. I said that it was okay, and I could get it. After I emptied it, a woman standing nearby said "Wow, you're really strong." I realized that hearing that made me feel far better about myself than I ever would have from hearing "Wow, you're really skinny." After that, I decided that, no matter how good veganism is for losing weight, I didn't care about that anymore. I would rather be strong, capable, healthy. And a vegan diet is just as good at encouraging those things.  

Now, every once in a while, I get people who tell me how "skinny" I am, and I always tell them that I'm not skinny. I think they either think that I'm trying to be modest, or that I have a skewed view of my own body. That's not what it is. I'm really not skinny. Skinny is something that you achieve one of two ways; either you are born with an especially high metabolism, or you severely restrict your caloric intake. That's not me. I take care of my body, and give it the healthy fuel that it needs, that's not the same thing. I don't even like the word "skinny" anymore. It brings to mind the idea of the scrawny, sickly vegan that I have been trying so hard to disprove. It implies that you are nothing but skin and bones, and that's not what I am, and it's not what I want to be.

I owe a great debt to veganism, Farm Sanctuary, and that one volunteer, whose name I never even knew, for changing the way I think about myself and my body. I have heard people say that veganism is like an eating disorder (which is utterly ridiculous, by the way), or that it is used to cover up an eating disorder, but for me it was the exact opposite. It gave me a new respect for my body and the motivation to be as healthy as I possibly can.

Buffalo Boo, from the California shelter. 

Where Can I Buy That?

I'm not going to go into too much detail, in case you haven't seen the episode (and care to see it later) but on Arrow last night there was this scene in which Oliver is giving Laurel this big lecture about how she was an addict and was using adrenaline instead of drugs or alcohol to deal with her problems. I started thinking (Actually, no I didn't just start thinking. To be honest I had thought this many times before, but this just confirmed what had already been thinking) That's exactly what I need! You see, the things that other people do to relax (getting drunk, for example) don't work for me. In fact, they tend to just make everything ten times worse. But a nice adrenaline high? Now that just might work. Unfortunately, I think drugs would be a lot easier to come by.  

In Oliver's defense, she does keep getting her ass kicked. Of course, that would also provide a fair amount of adrenaline. 

I Don't Think I Believe You..........

Despite all my previous disasters, I'm back on a dating site. You know, because I'm super pathetic and my life is super boring. Anyway, today I got a message from a guy who says that he is a movie producer and thinks that I would be perfect for his next movie. I am 99% sure this is some sort of scam, though I'm not entirely sure how it works. I'm seriously considering just playing along until he starts asking for money or something. Of course there is always the possibility that it's not a scam and he's just an ax murderer or something, but then again that might be interesting too.

you're a "movie producer".

A Surprising Realization

I think I've mentioned before how much I hate listening to the radio. I just can't ever find a station that I don't feel the need to change at least every other song. However, I recently decided that since it takes me a whole five minutes to get to work now, that it's just not worth the hassle of bringing my iPod. This means that I do end up listening to the radio for a few minutes everyday. I generally switch back and forth between two different rock stations.

The other day I was on my way to work when AC/DC's Thunderstruck came on. I've never been much of an AC/DC fan,I know Dean Winchester would be ashamed of me, but they're just not my style. There was nothing better playing on the other station though, so I listened to it anyway. About half way through the song I suddenly realized something that gave me a whole new respect for them; Brian Johnson sounds exactly like Gollum!

Seriously, listen to this song.......

and then imagine him singing it.....

Maybe it's just me, but I thought it was pretty hilarious. 

All Your Almond Butter Are Belong To Me

You guys know about my almond butter addiction right? Well, this weekend I went grocery shopping with my mom and my sister, and we ended up going to Sam's Club. Do other people know about Sam's Club? I feel like it's a weird place where most people probably don't go, but I could be wrong. Anyway, in case you don't know, they sell food and other necessities, but most of it only comes in absurd quantities. It turns out that they now have almond butter in 24oz jars for the same price that I've been paying for the 16oz jars. I know this probably doesn't sound that exciting, but I eat a lot of almond butter, so it's a pretty big deal for me. The only problem is that Sam's can't necessarily be counted on to continue carrying things for very long. So I'm seriously considering just going there and buying all of it that I can get my hands on, while it's still there.

^ When I finish a jar of almond butter. 

That Helps a Little

I'm pretty sure ninety percent of the people who read this blog live within an hour of me and would, therefore, already know this; but the weather here has actually been really pleasant the last couple of days. This makes my life significantly easier and less frustrating. 1- I just hate everything much less when it's not cold and miserable outside. 2- I don't have to worry about sliding my mom's car off the road on the way to work. 3- Most importantly, I can go feed the pigs without having to participate in an epic battle with the ice around the barn. Also, my dad fixed the barn door today. So, hopefully, even if it does freeze back I won't have to beat it (and myself) half to death just to get it to open and close.