7/29/11
7/28/11
Humans are not like carnivores
1. Humans have small mouths suitable for softer plant foods while carnivores have wide mouths suitable for swallowing large chunks of meat.
2. Humans eat more slowly than carniovores.
3. Human teeth are similar to those found in other herbivores. Our canines are flat and small. Our incisors are flat and spadelike, useful for peeling and biting relatively soft materials.
4. Our nails are not claws.
5. We find rotting or raw flesh gross. (Isn't it interesting that we have to cook and season the meat to make it taste better? No other animal does this.)
6. We perspire through skin pores while carnivores perspire through their tongue.
7. We have an intestinal tract 10-12 times our body length while carnivores have an intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that they can rapidly pass decaying meat.
8. Humans have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a carnivore.
9. Humans have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains while carnivores don't.
This gives evidence as to why humans are not supposed to eat meat. We are conditioned to eat meat. It is what we have known since our parents fed us meat. We can easily live without eating meat. It is even healthier!!!
Where I got the information:
The Face on Your Plate by Jefferey Moussaieff Masson
"How humans are not physically created to eat meat"
2. Humans eat more slowly than carniovores.
3. Human teeth are similar to those found in other herbivores. Our canines are flat and small. Our incisors are flat and spadelike, useful for peeling and biting relatively soft materials.
4. Our nails are not claws.
5. We find rotting or raw flesh gross. (Isn't it interesting that we have to cook and season the meat to make it taste better? No other animal does this.)
6. We perspire through skin pores while carnivores perspire through their tongue.
7. We have an intestinal tract 10-12 times our body length while carnivores have an intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that they can rapidly pass decaying meat.
8. Humans have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a carnivore.
9. Humans have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains while carnivores don't.
This gives evidence as to why humans are not supposed to eat meat. We are conditioned to eat meat. It is what we have known since our parents fed us meat. We can easily live without eating meat. It is even healthier!!!
Where I got the information:
The Face on Your Plate by Jefferey Moussaieff Masson
"How humans are not physically created to eat meat"
7/26/11
Foods not to buy
1. baby carrots- regular carrots are cheaper, you're just paying for them to be chopped up.
2. things in cans and jars-often have added salt, sugar, preservatives, chemicals
3. bread, pizza crust, pitas, bagels (make it yourself)
4. meat, eggs, dairy-I am vegan and I will talk more about my reasons of why I became vegan
5. foods with a lot of ingredients that you don't recognize
6. pop
7. candy
8. don't buy the big brand names
9. packaged vegetables and fruits-you're just paying for them to cut it up and package it
10. individually packaged items
11. avoid food with sugar, high fructose corn syrup and white flour
2. things in cans and jars-often have added salt, sugar, preservatives, chemicals
3. bread, pizza crust, pitas, bagels (make it yourself)
4. meat, eggs, dairy-I am vegan and I will talk more about my reasons of why I became vegan
5. foods with a lot of ingredients that you don't recognize
6. pop
7. candy
8. don't buy the big brand names
9. packaged vegetables and fruits-you're just paying for them to cut it up and package it
10. individually packaged items
11. avoid food with sugar, high fructose corn syrup and white flour
Some of my pictures
Black Bears in Canada-trying to cross the road
Banff
Dall Sheep in Denali National Park
Bald Eagle in the Raptor Program
Kona sunset
Living with little money
I am not someone who has been sucked into this consumerist world. I have always lived frugally but having fun at the same time. Here are some tips to saving money especially in this recession:
1.Choose between a cell phone or a landline. If you decide to go with the cell phone, stick to talking at night so that you don’t exceed your minutes.
2. Credit cards can get you into a lot of debt. Switch to a debit card if you think you will spend more money than you have.
3. When going to the bars, bring cash so that you don’t overspend.
4. Go to free concerts, events, and happy hours. Also, going to the park, hiking, and running are usually free.
5. Ride the bus or ride your bike when you can.
6. Go to the library instead of buying books, DVD’s and CD’s.
1.Choose between a cell phone or a landline. If you decide to go with the cell phone, stick to talking at night so that you don’t exceed your minutes.
2. Credit cards can get you into a lot of debt. Switch to a debit card if you think you will spend more money than you have.
3. When going to the bars, bring cash so that you don’t overspend.
4. Go to free concerts, events, and happy hours. Also, going to the park, hiking, and running are usually free.
5. Ride the bus or ride your bike when you can.
6. Go to the library instead of buying books, DVD’s and CD’s.
7. Go to a cheaper place to buy clothes such as Ross, TJ Maxx and Plato’s closet.
8. Try to cut out something in your life you can live without such as buying a coffee every day, going out to eat, going to the movies, or buying a newspaper or magazine. You can go to the cheap movies, read the news online, and make coffee and food at home.
9.Cut down your electric bill by lowering your thermostat, or use oil lamps instead of lights.
10. When shopping, buy the store brand and buy in bulk if you can. Sunflower market has a great bulk section. You can even get spices in bulk. Also, use coupons and try to drink tap water instead of buying expensive water and soda.
11. DIY: Make your own shampoo out of baking soda, make your own dish soap, cleaners, deodorant, face wash, bread, tomato sauce, bagels, pizza crust, etc.
12. When traveling, use couchsurfing or camp.
13. Use reusable cleaning cloths instead of paper towels.
14. Buy seasonal produce.
15. Make homemade cards.
16. Grow your own vegetables and fruits.
8. Try to cut out something in your life you can live without such as buying a coffee every day, going out to eat, going to the movies, or buying a newspaper or magazine. You can go to the cheap movies, read the news online, and make coffee and food at home.
9.Cut down your electric bill by lowering your thermostat, or use oil lamps instead of lights.
10. When shopping, buy the store brand and buy in bulk if you can. Sunflower market has a great bulk section. You can even get spices in bulk. Also, use coupons and try to drink tap water instead of buying expensive water and soda.
11. DIY: Make your own shampoo out of baking soda, make your own dish soap, cleaners, deodorant, face wash, bread, tomato sauce, bagels, pizza crust, etc.
12. When traveling, use couchsurfing or camp.
13. Use reusable cleaning cloths instead of paper towels.
14. Buy seasonal produce.
15. Make homemade cards.
16. Grow your own vegetables and fruits.
7/20/11
Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish
My Aunt gave me this book by Sue Bender because I believe in a simple life. The Amish are the definition of simple living. I got a lot out of this book and I will share it with you.
1. "The more I willfully tried to force something fresh, the more I failed."
Go with the flow of life.
2. "My worry over the outcome robbed me of my joy in simply doing the work."
Sometimes I worry too much and that takes away from the moment of now.
3. "Acquiring possessions might lead to temptation, and they didn't want to become dependent on the outside world."
Being self-sufficient is so much more rewarding than depending on places for your food and entertainment.
4. "Find meaning in work itself."
5. "Do whatever you are doing to the best of your ability."
6. "We mustn't try to change or conquer nature or exploit the land."
7. "To simplify my life, I'd have to learn to say no."
I used to say yes to everyone. I became overwhelmed with doing things that other people wanted me to do, that I wasn't doing anything for myself.
8. "They do not spend time questioning who they are or where they belong. Accepting who they are brings a different kind of freedom."
9. "Satisfaction comes from giving up wishing I was somewhere else or doing somthing else."
10. "Trust, no matter what life turns out to be-even if it is not what I expected, or what I thought I wanted."
I definitely thought I would have a career by now and doing things that everyone else are doing. I have learned that what happens happens and that I don't need to live a life that everyone else is living.
1. "The more I willfully tried to force something fresh, the more I failed."
Go with the flow of life.
2. "My worry over the outcome robbed me of my joy in simply doing the work."
Sometimes I worry too much and that takes away from the moment of now.
3. "Acquiring possessions might lead to temptation, and they didn't want to become dependent on the outside world."
Being self-sufficient is so much more rewarding than depending on places for your food and entertainment.
4. "Find meaning in work itself."
5. "Do whatever you are doing to the best of your ability."
6. "We mustn't try to change or conquer nature or exploit the land."
7. "To simplify my life, I'd have to learn to say no."
I used to say yes to everyone. I became overwhelmed with doing things that other people wanted me to do, that I wasn't doing anything for myself.
8. "They do not spend time questioning who they are or where they belong. Accepting who they are brings a different kind of freedom."
9. "Satisfaction comes from giving up wishing I was somewhere else or doing somthing else."
10. "Trust, no matter what life turns out to be-even if it is not what I expected, or what I thought I wanted."
I definitely thought I would have a career by now and doing things that everyone else are doing. I have learned that what happens happens and that I don't need to live a life that everyone else is living.
7/19/11
Lake Michigan
I went to Lake Michigan for a week to visit my Aunt. She has a cabin right on the lake in Palisades Park, near South Haven, Michigan.
Insensitivity
In my last blog I said that I am an atheist and that I don't celebrate Christmas. That comes to the discussion of people saying, "Merry Christmas" to me around the holiday season. I realize people are trying to be nice but what they don't know is that they are being extremely insensitive. You can never assume what people believe. They may not celebrate Christmas. What if they celebrate Kwanza or Chanukah? I don't think happy holidays is appropriate either because not everyone is celebrating a holiday. I would hope that businesses would tell their employees not to say these things to their customers. I didn't mind when people said these things to me. Now, it is going to bug me and if someone says one of these things to me, I will tell them I don't celebrate. Same goes for Easter and any other religious holiday. I wonder what their reaction will be...
7/15/11
My thoughts on gift giving
Gift giving is something that puts a lot of stress on all of us. We wonder if the person is going to like what we gave them and if they are going to use it. It is a lot of guess work. If we do ask people what they want, it is no longer a surprise. I have always been pretty good at gift giving. I would remember birthdays, make sure to give them a card and a gift they would like. I have done this all of my life up to now. I believe people waste their money on gifts, especially if the person is not going to use it and it ends up in a closet or in the trash. My Mom would receive gifts that she had no use for and would end up giving it to someone else or donating it. The same thing happened to me. I also noticed that the gifts I gave to people weren't being used and that made me sad. My Mom would always say, "I would rather have the money..." I agree with her. Sometimes you get gifts you really like but other times you don't like the gift. However, you can't be rude and tell the person that you don't like it. Therefore, you lie and tell them how much you like it. I am now only giving cards, money, gift cards and food. I still buy store bought cards but I want to eventually make my own. I am also telling people that I do not want gifts and if they want to give me something they can give me money or food. I have strong feelings about Christmas. Christmas has become the number 1 shopping holiday and it disgusts me. People spend so much money on stuff...It has taken away from the real meaning of Christmas. (It is funny that I am saying this because I am an atheist.) Stuff doesn't make people happy, it's the time shared with people. During the season it is a shopping frenzy and people start to worry about what they will get people and start procrastinating. I have decided to no longer celebrate Christmas. I do not want people calling me on Christmas, texting me or giving me gifts. I will not give gifts to people on Christmas. I will treat Christmas like any other day. I understand that people think that giving gifts is a nice gesture and it shows that they care. However, you can do many things to show people that you care such as spending time with them, cooking them dinner, taking them on different outings, etc. Maybe I am being too frugal, (think about how much money you will save by not giving gifts), but I don't think consumerism is a good thing.
7/1/11
Rock Springs for the weekend
Today I will be driving to Rock Springs with Kyle. We are both going to be driving because Kyle is going to sell his car there. He won't be needing a car if we decide to work at a ski resort and teach abroad.
We were thinking of going to a Buddhist Retreat center in California but after getting our questions answered we decided not to apply. We didn't want to work the same position for the entire year commitment. The other reason we chose not to go is because they weren't accepting volunteers in November and that is when our lease ends.
Our new plan is to find work at Loon Mountain which is a ski resort in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I would like to be a ski instructor and Kyle wants to work at the climbing wall and zip line. So, we are hoping we can get in. If we are hired we get free skiing!!! After working the season there we want to take a TEFL course in Florence, Italy and then teach english there.
We were thinking of going to a Buddhist Retreat center in California but after getting our questions answered we decided not to apply. We didn't want to work the same position for the entire year commitment. The other reason we chose not to go is because they weren't accepting volunteers in November and that is when our lease ends.
Our new plan is to find work at Loon Mountain which is a ski resort in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I would like to be a ski instructor and Kyle wants to work at the climbing wall and zip line. So, we are hoping we can get in. If we are hired we get free skiing!!! After working the season there we want to take a TEFL course in Florence, Italy and then teach english there.
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