During the month of January I went on a vegetarian diet to expand my horizons and possibly discover a lifestyle change that I would like a enough to stick with. This didn’t happen. I miss meat. It wasn’t terrible, there were some things that I really enjoyed about being on a vegetarian diet, but getting invited over to friends’ houses for hamburgers was a huge let-down(I swear this happened, like a thousand times during the month).
Here are a few zany facts that I came up with:
- Being on a vegetarian diet doesn’t gain you any ‘macho’ points
- Beef is delicious
- Non-meat meals are fun to make
- You feel healthier and maybe even more energetic on a vegetarian diet
- bunnies are cute
- no amount of mini-donuts can fill the hole that meat will create in your soul
- Your canine teeth get really bored when on a vegetarian diet and they go on and on about it, saying things like “This is sooo laaaammme. These vegetables are super mushy. Seriously, the tongue could chew these.”
It looks like I’ll be praying and meditating for 15min every morning in February as my new lifestyle change. Maybe this one will stick. Goodbye Vegetables; Good Morning Lord! Thanks so much for voting, I was pleased with the response.
30.1.09
My Walk To School
Since the beginning of this semester I’ve been walking to my school almost every school day. The walk is about 2.5 miles and after about two days of braving the cold through downtown, I wised up.
I decided to try my luck with the downtown skyways, which added very little time and very much warmth to my walk. I would say that about half of my walk is now indoors. I go through about 12 different skyways, all while feeling very out of place with the busy professionals walking around. I enjoy it thoroughly.
The walk takes about 45min, but the video is time lapsed down to 5min. It’s a little bumpy…enjoy the ride!
I decided to try my luck with the downtown skyways, which added very little time and very much warmth to my walk. I would say that about half of my walk is now indoors. I go through about 12 different skyways, all while feeling very out of place with the busy professionals walking around. I enjoy it thoroughly.
The walk takes about 45min, but the video is time lapsed down to 5min. It’s a little bumpy…enjoy the ride!
28.1.09
Restaurant Review From Awhile Back...
Nearby restaurant review~
I wonder if anyone gets tired of eating at the school, or of choking down their home made lunch; and if they do, where would they go for a bite? I set to find out.
My first brilliant plan was to head down Harmon place rd to Joe’s Garage, or the Nick and Eddie Restaurant, but I soon realized these places weren’t quite what I wanted. A two-figure lunch on a four-figure income was out of the question, cheap food + Students = Soulmates, and these places didn’t have cheap food. So I hoofed it down Hennepin Ave, past the Subway(because we’ve all been there) and on to Davanni’s, situated on the corner of 12th st. I was hoping for a one of a kind restaurant, not a chain like Davanni’s; but it’s a local chain and I had never been to one before.
After looking at the menu pasted to the front window I decided upon the “hoagie of the month combo” which promised special pricing. Van Halen was pulsing through the speakers as I entered and walked up to the order counter. I was immediately and cordially asked for my order even though I had that stupefied “I can’t find my ‘hoagie of the month combo’ on the big order menu” look on my face. When I asked the cashier which hoagie the hoagie of the month was I was disappointed at his response.
“Well, any of them” he said.
“Oh” said I.
I frantically searched the board for a hoagie of my liking and fixed my eyes on the roast beef hoagie. The sandwich itself was $5.99, so I excitedly hoped that my hoagie of the month combo meal would pleasantly surprise me with it’s special pricing. It unfortunately didn’t at $8.88.
Davanni’s offers Coke fountain products including PowerAde, they also have 4 kinds of iced tea. After a short wait my sandwich arrived, and my what a sandwich! A monstrous looking hoagie wrapped in dark brown wheat bread, with plenty of lettuce, tomato, and mayo on it’s insides. My chips were nearly forgotten, until I sheepishly asked for them at the counter. The garlic parmesan flavor of the chips complimented my sandwich, which seemed to have the perfect combination of elements, except meat. I was half tempted to stand up and ask “where’s the beef?”. My sandwich was good, yes, but I wanted more than one deli thin layer of roast beef on my hoagie. It’s a six dollar sandwich! Could I at least have two layers of roast beef on my hoagie? Hello? Is this thing on?
The coffee brown décor of Davanni’s is quaint and inviting, making for an ideal spot to meet with an old friend for a long lunch and some catching up. And if conversation runs out you can always get up and rock out to the mildly intrusive 80’s music playing over the speakers. They offer some great pizza combos like a medium pizza with two drinks and some garlic bread for 15-something, or a Large pizza with 4 drinks and more garlic bread for $22.51. It doesn’t beat Domino’s for price, but I’m willing to bet it beats domino’s for taste tenfold.
So, is it worth the trip? Well, I don’t know people! If you’re moping around by yourself looking for a place to fill the hole in your gut, then no, 9 bucks can get you more elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a place to take that ‘sweet little biscuit’ you met in the science building without looking like the complete tightwad that you are, then yes. Like I said, Davanni’s ambiance is a great place to sit and talk, all while having some pretty decent under 20 bucks for two(under $15 if you play your cards right).
27.1.09
Keep Voting!!
There are still a few days left to vote and the 3 of the suggestions are neck and neck. Cast a vote! Be a Star!
25.1.09
Freewrite From English Class
On the top shelf in the back of the closet is a small orderly stack of magazines. Magazines containing pictures of naked women. When the boy found them he was stunned with a flurry of new feelings: desire, astonishment, fear, desire, wonder. They were his Father's. The boy knew things such as this existed, but never believed things such as this existed in his own home. They were now a forbidden treasure always in the back of the closet, always in the back of his mind.
On the top shelf in the back of the closet is a shoebox filled with photographs, most of them poorly-taken from disposable cameras. Most of them pictures of her, in Jr. High, at the lake with her friends, most of them were forgotten by now, now that she was older. Moving back in with her parents after discovering she was inadvertently pregnant was humbling. She felt a loss of innocence during these circumstances. She found those pictures and felt the loss of innocence for sure.
On the top shelf in the back of the closet lies a pile of shirts that were his. Brightly-colored polos, their collars all rounded from years of washing. These were the shirts that she had always hated, shirts that she had always promised herself would be thrown out. They hadn’t been worn for some time, six years in fact since he had been gone. She didn’t want to remember him and his stupid, brightly-colored polo shirts. She had shuffled the pile around while cleaning and his scent wafted out of them. His damn smell was stuck in the fibers of the shirts so now she had remembered him, she had remembered him hard and the shirts evaded the garbage once again.
On the top shelf in the back of the closet is a shoebox filled with photographs, most of them poorly-taken from disposable cameras. Most of them pictures of her, in Jr. High, at the lake with her friends, most of them were forgotten by now, now that she was older. Moving back in with her parents after discovering she was inadvertently pregnant was humbling. She felt a loss of innocence during these circumstances. She found those pictures and felt the loss of innocence for sure.
On the top shelf in the back of the closet lies a pile of shirts that were his. Brightly-colored polos, their collars all rounded from years of washing. These were the shirts that she had always hated, shirts that she had always promised herself would be thrown out. They hadn’t been worn for some time, six years in fact since he had been gone. She didn’t want to remember him and his stupid, brightly-colored polo shirts. She had shuffled the pile around while cleaning and his scent wafted out of them. His damn smell was stuck in the fibers of the shirts so now she had remembered him, she had remembered him hard and the shirts evaded the garbage once again.
24.1.09
Vegetarianism Extraordinaire!
My month of vegetarian eating is nearly over, here are a few things I've learned:
1. Vegetarian meals are good, but it seems as though they're lacking something(maybe meat, I dunno)
2. Big, tough guys might make fun of you if you're a vegetarian.
3. Vegetables make you gassy
4. I'm never quite satisfied after a meal, I want to binge on candy afterwards...This isn't ordinary.
5. BLT"s contain meat.
So what should I do for the month of February? Maybe you should take the poll...
1. Vegetarian meals are good, but it seems as though they're lacking something(maybe meat, I dunno)
2. Big, tough guys might make fun of you if you're a vegetarian.
3. Vegetables make you gassy
4. I'm never quite satisfied after a meal, I want to binge on candy afterwards...This isn't ordinary.
5. BLT"s contain meat.
So what should I do for the month of February? Maybe you should take the poll...
19.1.09
17.1.09
"They Are Who We Thought They Were!"
Even as pre-pubescent elementary students we all had a sneaking suspicion that 'pipe cleaners' weren't actually used to clean pipes. We had this sneaking suspicion that all they were, were Fuzzy Sticks. Though this lingered in most of our minds, few of us had courage enough to say "hey, could you pass me the fuzzy sticks?" to our table mates during the art hour. Well now we call allay all of our anxieties associated the the 'pipe cleaner' psuedonym and live in world where fuzzy sticks can be embraced, appreciated, and maybe even celebrated. All hail fuzzy sticks!
14.1.09
Pastaroccoli~
Against my true heart-felt desires, I haven’t been living on a diet of Doritos and Macaroni & Cheese during my time on the veg. diet. Rather, I’ve been doing my best to make creative meals that stupefy my vegetarian presumptions. Ok, maybe not stupefy, but I have had a few good meals. Here’s the thing: When I am on the veg. diet I think about my meal choices more, planning them out, sometimes even minutes beforehand. Eating, now, is more than just filling a hole, it’s making a choice because I’ve put myself in this vegetarian mess.
At the outset of this experiment I went grocery shopping, spending about 75 dollars on vegetarian foods. 75 DOLLARS! My hope then was that this food would last all month for me, but I’m starting to have my doubts. Tonight I had Pastaroccoli: Pasta mixed in with frozen broccoli. Part of my problem is that I didn’t put together meals when I went shopping, I just bought a bunch of frozen veggies, some tortillas, fish, and did my best to avoid the meat case.
The meals are good, yes, however the problem is cost. Not necessarily because the food costs more, but I find myself wanting after a meal. The meals don’t stick with me like I want them to. Or else the case is that I’m not satisfied like I am after eating a side of pork. I’ve found myself searching the cupboards after eating looking for something sweet or junky. I do this sometimes when I eat meat, but it’s very compelling these days.
That’s the word so far on the veggie world that I’m wallowing in. I plan on trying to stretch out the groceries with the hope of making them last until the end of the month. This means a lot of cauliflower, broccoli, and oatmeal…oh, and I still have a can of sardines lurking the back of the pantry creepily calling my name. Turns out they are a good source of Omega 3s.
At the outset of this experiment I went grocery shopping, spending about 75 dollars on vegetarian foods. 75 DOLLARS! My hope then was that this food would last all month for me, but I’m starting to have my doubts. Tonight I had Pastaroccoli: Pasta mixed in with frozen broccoli. Part of my problem is that I didn’t put together meals when I went shopping, I just bought a bunch of frozen veggies, some tortillas, fish, and did my best to avoid the meat case.
The meals are good, yes, however the problem is cost. Not necessarily because the food costs more, but I find myself wanting after a meal. The meals don’t stick with me like I want them to. Or else the case is that I’m not satisfied like I am after eating a side of pork. I’ve found myself searching the cupboards after eating looking for something sweet or junky. I do this sometimes when I eat meat, but it’s very compelling these days.
That’s the word so far on the veggie world that I’m wallowing in. I plan on trying to stretch out the groceries with the hope of making them last until the end of the month. This means a lot of cauliflower, broccoli, and oatmeal…oh, and I still have a can of sardines lurking the back of the pantry creepily calling my name. Turns out they are a good source of Omega 3s.
13.1.09
20 Questions About Bathrooms: Question #15
15. Allright, who’s the guy who keeps spitting his gum in the urinals?
Seriously, stop it.
Seriously, stop it.
2.1.09
An Experiment:
For the month of January I promised myself that I would try to be a vegetarian. Not because fuzzy little animals make me feel all fuzzy inside; it is more so to raise my own awareness about vegetarianism and the food industry. I want you to know that I love meat. Meat is delicious and I’m going to miss it. Meat. Meat. Meat. Wrap my own arm in bacon, I’d probably consider eating it.
I turned down an invitation to a friend’s house tonight for burgers and I had to pick some toppings off of a pizza yesterday(though I almost forgot). Tonight I had rice for dinner, though this is partially because I have almost no food in my possession. Here is a running tally:
7 eggs
PepperJack cheese
Onion Dip
Strawberry Jam
Bread
Arborio Rice
Cornbread Mix
2 artificially sweetened peach cups
4 boxes of Allbran
3 boxes of Raisin Bran
Oatmeal
…and that’s all. Seriously. So I’m about to embark on my first vegetarian grocery shopping trip. Here goes nothing…Wait, that’s not true. Here goes all of my favorite meat products for a month!
I turned down an invitation to a friend’s house tonight for burgers and I had to pick some toppings off of a pizza yesterday(though I almost forgot). Tonight I had rice for dinner, though this is partially because I have almost no food in my possession. Here is a running tally:
7 eggs
PepperJack cheese
Onion Dip
Strawberry Jam
Bread
Arborio Rice
Cornbread Mix
2 artificially sweetened peach cups
4 boxes of Allbran
3 boxes of Raisin Bran
Oatmeal
…and that’s all. Seriously. So I’m about to embark on my first vegetarian grocery shopping trip. Here goes nothing…Wait, that’s not true. Here goes all of my favorite meat products for a month!
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