#almost every vegan(including myself) was non-vegan once

[actiwitch]

i cant think of anything less leftist than choosing to pay for the slaughter of innocent, child-like beings, sexually exploit them, and while doing so unavoidably paying for one of the leading cause of the climate crisis

everyone's "radical leftist" and "remember, you are not immune to propoganda" until you bring up the animal and environmental suffering we've been raised to ignore

[martin-jordan]

End of year review 2023

It’s been over 2 years since the last note. That’s a while. In between, a few things have happened, including me moving to Berlin again and joining the German government’s Digital Service as the first Head of Design. I’ve managed to write notes about the work I do there almost every week. So do have a look there, if you’re interested in any of that.

Following a question format developed by Prof. Dr. Molly Steenson, which I discovered on Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino’s blog, I am answering her list of questions to reflect my 2023.

What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before? I have never led such a big team. The design and user research team at Digital Service is now 20 people strong. By the end of this year, 2024, we might get closer to 30. I’m still getting used to that responsibility.

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn’t bother to make any promises to myself for 2023. So there was nothing to keep. I intended to run, eat well – primarily vegan – and do public speaking and writing, though. I failed miserably at running. The rest was alright.

Did anyone close to you give birth? Some people I work with gave birth, but I don’t feel close to them.

Did anyone close to you die? Luckily not.

What countries did you visit? Only a few. I did not fly at all, which I am proud of. I visited the UK several times, including Scotland – a 19-hour non-stop train journey from Berlin. I visited France (Paris) once and Switzerland twice for leisure, including skiing in Saas-Fee, close to Zermatt. 2024 will be different. I will travel internationally again.

What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023? A better work-life balance. I worked seriously long hours in 2024 – at a level that even I don’t find sustainable.

What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory? My own and another birthday. I know that I did then. There is no other specific date that I remember – maybe that’s even a good thing.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? I find it difficult to name one. I am proud of what the team is doing; I wrote and delivered an all-new talk on the ‘long slog of public service design’ with Kara that was well-received at 2 conferences. I also co-ran a 24-hour remote conference, which was a success.

What was your biggest failure? I didn’t get anyone else in the German public sector to embrace the Service Standard or any senior person to embrace it publicly.

Did you suffer illness or injury? I fell in the first 5 minutes of skiing in December – straight on my skier's thumb from 2001. I am still recovering from that several weeks later. Apart from that, I was fine.

What was the best thing you bought? A Vitsœ 606 shelf for my living room. I installed it for my birthday, and it brings joy every day. It took me over 15 years to convert from a clueless design student to a customer. That’s when I worked for Thomas Manss & Company, which did all the design and branding for Vitsœ.

Whose behaviour merited celebration? Countless anti-racism, anti-sexism, and anti-fossil fuel activists. More closely, I admire and respect our CEO, Christina and how she is navigating the growing Digital Service through a tricky political and stakeholder landscape.

Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? The behaviour of a few German ministers that actively block the progress they set out in their party manifestos and coalition treaty from 2021.

Where did most of your money go? To food, in general. I visited some nice restaurants. It was still no outrageous amount, though.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? The Vitra Campus in Weill am Rhein was quite spectacular. I am not sure it was a 3x ‘really’ level of excitement, though.

What song/album will always remind you of 2023? I discovered Philip Glass’ ‘Dance Pieces’ and listened to them extensively. It was played as part of ‘Age of Content’ (LA)HORDE’s performance at the Berliner Festspiele in August. It was marvellous.

Compared to this time last year, are you: Unsure how I was or felt last year. I think I was less exhausted in mid-December 2022, though. 2023 was dense. I did a lot.

What do you wish you’d done more of? More exercise. More breaks and holidays.

What do you wish you’d done less of? Even though not everything was fruitful, I think everything I’ve done was worth it.

How will you be spending Christmas? As it’s already after Christmas, I answer this retrospectively. I went to my sister’s family place and celebrated there – right after the pre-holiday ski trip.

Who did you spend the most time on the phone with? My mother, even though she thinks I could call her more often.

Did you fall in love in 2023? No need. All good and stable.

What was your favourite TV programme? ‘The Last of Us’ on HBO stood out. Great drama, themes, storytelling, actors. While not the greatest show, ‘Extrapolations’ on Apple TV+ will be on my mind for the years to come as it shows snapshots of human existence dealing with a changing climate between 2037 and 2070.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Such a strong word, no. But I do have much less respect for certain people. That includes several men in charge of driving digitalisation in the German public sector. Their performance is weak and deeply disappointing.

What was the best book(s) you read? At the end of the year, I started reading ‘Baustellen der Nation’ (‘Construction Sites of the Nation’ in English) – an analytical and progressive book outlining what needs work in Germany and how to do it. I like it goes deep and broad and covers problems and potential solutions, enriched with a lot of data and strong narratives.

What was your greatest musical discovery? I discovered Oskar Sala at an architecture exhibition in the Berlinische Galerie. I watched a documentary about the construction of the ICC building from the early 70s and waited until the end titles to see who composed the music. I have been listening to Oskar Sala’s music for various hours since then.

What did you want and get? The mentioned Vitsœ 606 shelf.

What did you want and not get? Some upgraded camera equipment. I did not prioritise it enough in my budget.

What were your favourite films of this year? It was neither ‘Oppenheimer’ nor ‘Barbie’ – the blockbusters and most discussed movies of the year. I missed a few films I still like to watch when they are streaming. ‘Decision to Leave’ by Park Chan-wook stood out for me. And Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ was powerful in its message, especially when watching the documentary with director Peter Sohn telling about his family’s immigration story that inspired the movie.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 41 in April. We wanted to take a canoe trip to the Spreewald, but the weather wasn’t great. So my parents came around, we went to the ‘Futurium’ exhibition about science and democracy and had cake afterwards. In the evening, I got invited for dinner at the Korean fine dining restaurant ‘CHOI’. That was a very pleasant and intimate food experience.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More significant progress in driving user-centred design approaches in the German public sector. I didn’t get done what I wanted to get done. Too many actors are following their own agendas instead.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023? Adding a bright colour to my navy blue – beyond the colourful socks. I got two new RÆBURN jumpers in 2023. I like the brand’s regenerative design approach and some of their designs.

What kept you sane? Focussing on the things that I can influence and that give me a sense of progress.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? No idea. Not my thing.

What political issue stirred you the most? So many. It’s hard to pick a single one. The wars, the inequality, the rise of the far-right. It is remarkable how terrible communication from politicians around policies to prevent climate breakdown is – globally. So, global inaction regarding climate change is the one that stirs me the most – as too many democratic politicians don’t even address it regularly.

Who did you miss? My grandmother, especially around Christmas.

Who was the best new person you met? I built a good relationship with Stephanie, our Chief Product Officer. I first met her in 2022 when I started at Digital Service, but we only had a few overlaps and encounters last year. That changed in spring. She is smart and driven, and we share views, values and attitudes.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023. Take things step by step. There might still be countless steps missing from your goal, but you got a bit closer, at least.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year? I am bad with song lyrics – as I mostly listen to instrumental music. So, I need to pass on this one.

[dorian-gets-healthy]

Hi, I’m Dorian!

Due many reasons, including autism and discomfort with my assigned sex, I had avoided exercise since puberty. Until I started seeing an exercise physiologist once a week, I was riddled with shame and guilt around my body. With kindness and empathy, I came out of my shell and I’ve grown much stronger and fitter than I’ve ever been.

I would like to return the favour and help others get fitter, stronger and healthier in order to live their best lives.

In terms of eating, I put an emphasis on lean sources of protein, lots of plants and complex carbs. I also like to remind myself that it’s okay to eat anything in moderation. This means I can have chips, chocolate, lollies etc. however, I’ve found that the less I eat them the less I crave them, and that over time I have grown much better at knowing when my craving and hunger has been satisfied. I also believe in intermittent fasting for some people, such as myself, as it can help boost your mood and energy levels, as well as reducing your hunger overall. For some people, a vegan diet, keto and other diets are great. For example, veganism can help with chronic inflammation in some people while many epileptics benefit from keto. However, you know your body best and if it isn’t working for you, try something else. I have wanted to be vegan for a long time, but I have IBS that is triggered by stress. I am almost always stressed. The worst food triggers for my IBS are beans, legumes and pulses (although not peanuts thankfully). I cannot eat beans or chickpeas without a sore tummy, bloating, gas and cramps. In veganism and vegetarianism, these are the major source of protein. Instead, to try and stay in line with my values, I prefer to eat animals and products from animals that I know were free range and fed properly on a healthy diet instead of grain and soy. Growing up we used to have a mobile butcher who would come and shoot cows on our property and butcher them for us. We would share one cow between two families and the meat from that cow would last months in the freezer, if not longer. I have considered learning to shoot so that I can hunt animals and butcher them myself for meat - we often have an overpopulation of wallabies and they will starve if they aren’t culled. I don’t know if I would ever be eligible for a gun license (in Australia) however, as I have a history of mental illness.

In terms of exercise, I am a proponent of enjoyable movement. You can’t force yourself to do stuff you hate - it’s just not sustainable or enjoyable, and I’m all about improving quality of life. Geocaching, lifting weights, swimming, walking on the beach, gardening, rowing machine, archery, treadmill with good music or a good audiobook/tv show, ring fit adventure, VR fruit ninja, horse riding, playing on adult play equipment, soccer and cricket with good, non judgmental friends, hiking and bushwalking, rock climbing, laser tag, Krav Maga, sailing, circus, Irish dancing… these are all forms of exercise that I have enjoyed over the years. A lot of them don’t sound like traditional exercise, and that’s because they aren’t - but that doesn’t stop you from getting fit! Joining your local laser tag or paint ball team is just as beneficial as running. Using the aid of video games,utilising VR headsets and watching television at the same time as exercising doesn’t diminish or ‘taint’ the exercise you do.

Relaxation, meditation and spirituality are things that everyone needs, but they won’t look the same for every person. I can’t meditate due to adhd. It makes my spiralling thoughts even worse because I can’t distract myself. Instead, I find prayer* to be a much better way to relax and meditate. For someone else, their form of mindfulness might be taking time to experience food when they eat, or thinking while they do gentle laps in the pool, or pulling weeds from the literal garden as well as the garden that is your mind.

Hobbies that bring you joy are essential for a happy life. My joyful hobbies are reading (I’m a sucker for nonfiction), creating art, embroidery, cooking, creating boards on Pinterest, faith*-based activities and playing stardew valley, geocaching, driving, exploring and watching tv with my girlfriend.

Sleep is essential to good health. I oversleep because I am burnt out - I often sleep 12 or more hours. Before that, my healthy average for MY body was 10 hours. Most people need 8-9 hours of sleep, but this isn’t the same for everyone. Experiment and find out how much sleep is optimal for your energy levels and mood. I suggest listening to the same story on the calm app each night (I like the grand plan to rise and shine by Frankie bridge), listening to brown noise and keeping your room cool and dark with good black out curtains. I also suggest getting a comfortable, squishy plush if you sleep on your side, as cuddling it can help support your back.

Finally, make sure you spend time with friends and family (either blood or found family is fine, so long as they bring you joy). Socialising is good for our mental health - even for us introverts! Spend time around people who make you feel good about yourself. If you leave their company feeling awful, this is not a good sign. Even if you feel tired, you should also feel happy, not stressed, worried, angry, sad or anxious.

These are my starting tips for a healthy lifestyle. If you want to see more content like this, follow my blog!

*my faith is not Christian, just FYI, as this is often the assumption. I am more aligned with the old gods and ancient magic.

[amitojo]

What inspired me to turn vegan

In July 2018, I made a choice to turn Vegan; and no, the food in “featured image” is not vegan, it was one of the first meals I had in Kenya — JusClarifyin

This choice was out of the blue. I couldn’t even imagine myself being a vegetarian, let alone vegan.

I did try to turn vegetarian once when I was in college (around 2011). I don’t recall the reason but I did decide on that. One day into my decision of being a vegetarian, I went to McDonald’s and had a McChicken 🤦‍♂️ without even remotely being present to the promise I made to myself just the other day. It only lasted for one day! 😂. After that meal, I gave up on the idea of turning a vegetarian. I mean, I couldn’t even remember it for one day! It just wasn’t that important to me I guess.

My eating habits resumed to its usual after that 1-day episode — having non-vegetarian at least once a day.

Fast forward to July 2018, I went for a family trip to Kenya and nothing was the same.

We traveled to Nairobi, Mombasa, and Nakruru. We visited Masai Mara National Reserve and Lake Nakruru National Park in Nairobi and Nakruru respectively, and in Mombasa, we enjoyed some peaceful time at the beach. It was just beautiful!

Attaching some pictures I took during the trip. Some of the best pictures I have ever clicked were from this trip but unfortunately, I lost those due to hard-drive failure 🤦‍♂️. Managed to recover only a few 😢 — Ensure you have your data backed up. Extremely important!

Anyway, we spent a total of 5-6 days going on safaris and witnessing the beauty and sheer vastness of nature, and various animals including the “Big Five” – Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and African Buffalo.

I remember just observing all the animals, some from afar, some from real close and I could see Hugo (my dog) in them. The way these animals were being/behaving by themselves and amongst each other, lying around, licking themselves, scratching, yawning, playing with each other; All of this reminded of Hugo. I just wanted to love them and pat them. I was even calling them Hugo! I had never noticed this similarity earlier in my life. We got Hugo in mid-2016 and I just never noticed, not to this effect, at least.

My eating habits during the trip were just as they’d been — preferring non-vegetarian food in all courses (tried some new meats) and occasionally a pint or two of their local beer – Tusker

Anyway, the trip ended and we came home having had an amazing time and lots of memories to cherish.

As we entered our home, we met Hugo and I’m sure you can imagine the reception! In my experience, I don’t think any human can match the way dogs welcome and greet their fellow humans.

Hugo slept in my room that night (he usually doesn’t sleep in my room) and I was just loving him, telling him I met his friends there and how much I missed him.

Later that night, I was just laying in bed and recollecting what all I’d experienced during the trip, going through memories, photos, etc. I could hear a buzzing noise around me and I noticed a mosquito. I was contemplating if I should kill it or not. Usually, I don’t like to kill insects. The very thought of it grosses me out. Yes, I have killed them 🤮 out of necessity but I try to not do it as much as possible. That’s when I started thinking about my eating habits. I was reminded of all the animals I saw and how I was in awe of them. How I was loving them as if they were Hugo. I got present to how we are all made up of the same energy, part of the same ecosystem, and I thought to myself, here I am grossed out at the thought of killing an insect and on the other hand I eat dead animals? That thought didn’t sit well in my mind. I saw myself as a hypocrite where on one hand I was being extremely thoughtful for one form of life and, on the other hand, I was not being thoughtful at all for the other form. All forms of life are life at the end of the day and ideally, I don’t want to take away someone else’s life. Who am I to decide which life is more valuable or who should continue to survive and who not. I guess It was easier for me to eat meat because I wasn’t the one doing all the killing? I knew I would never even think of eating Hugo or any other dog for that matter, so why do I eat other animals, I asked myself. All animals are the same. In that moment, something shifted inside me and I made an immediate choice to turn vegan.

I was up for the better part of the night that night researching about veganism, what is it to be vegan, what all I can eat, and so on.

That day/night, a whole new world opened up for me. The first thing I learnt was that veganism is not just a diet, it is a lifestyle. Diet is one part of it.

“Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.” https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism

Its been almost 2 years now since I made that choice and I have to say, I feel great on so many levels. I still am in transition, it is a journey. However much I love this philosophy, I can’t turn my whole life around so soon.

I used to 80/20 rule to prioritize my habits. First I attacked my diet and I am on about 90% vegan diet now. Indian home food is pretty much vegan if we take out dairy and meat, and believe me, there are A LOT of options. When meat was my first preference, I didn’t realise there are SO many options in vegetarian food. It’s funny, how people think going vegan would reduce their choice of food (or at least I thought so) but honestly, I think I have more options now than I had when I was a non-vegetarian. Earlier, I used to eat chicken every day in some form or the other but chicken nonetheless. Now, I have so many distinct choices of food.

I still seldomly consume some butter, mayo or other dressings when I go out to eat but that is changing thanks to the growing awareness on the topic, there are various places that serve amazing vegan food options and that number is on the rise.

I have to admit, at first I did miss eating meat, at least at social gatherings/weddings where I could see and smell non-vegetarian food around me. My taste buds really craved for that but it was shortlived. At such times, I was reminded of why I made this choice and honestly, that “why” is too big for me to slip. [Bigger the why, easier the how!]

Being a vegan, like anything is a matter of habit. Initially one might have to be vigilant/conscious about their choices but once the habit is formed, it is a routine — it is on autopilot.

Each day I am being more conscious of my buying decisions, for example, I check the ingredients before I buy packaged food; I ask the waiter what all is in the dish that I plan to order, I read labels on clothing to see what they’re made of, etc.

Initially, a lot of my family members asked me — why no dairy? dairy is fine; or why vegan? vegetarian is fine, and so on — And for that, and for anyone who is inspired to take on a vegan lifestyle or is at least intrigued, I am listing down a bunch of links that helped me become aware of veganism, its benefits (360º), what all we can consume, and the condition of the dairy and meat industry. If you say you love animals, just like I do, you won’t like what you see/read about the meat and dairy industry.

Bigger picture — choosing not to consume animal products doesn’t only benefit those animals, it also helps reduce carbon footprint. You can read detailed benefits, from various perspectives, of being a vegan here: https://www.vegan.com/why/

A detailed list of vegan foods along with suggested substitutes: https://ordinaryvegan.net/vegangrocerylist/

Learn what all food/products are vegan: https://www.vegan.com/foods/

—

In my previous post, I mentioned how Hugo has impacted my life. This post also comes under that category. Hugo has made me and continues to inspire me to be a better person. I will be sharing another insight I learnt from him in the next post. Till then you can read the first post of this series here: A conversation with my dog that changed my life forever!

Lastly, thank you so much for reading till the end! I hope this added value 🙂

If you liked the pictures, you can follow my photography page “MentalPictures” here:https://instagram.com/pictures_mental

x

[samtheflamingomain]

homelessness myths debunked

For a long time, I’ve wondered how I’d use my time being homeless for good. It certainly changed me as a person (for the better), but I’ve always wanted it to mean more.

So today, I saw a post on Reddit by someone who had very clearly never been homeless about what to do if you “find yourself homeless”. That’s absolutely not how it works, but we don’t have time to unpack all of the privilege at work there.

Probably the #1 thing I’ve seen regarding “tips on being homeless” is “Get a 24hr gym membership! It’s $10 a month and you get a whole locker, public shower and maybe free wifi!”

Fuck. Right. Off.

When I was homeless, I didn’t need a locker. Y’know why? CUZ I DIDN’T HAVE ANY SHIT. I had 2 pairs of pants, a shirt, a sweater and about $400 to my name. I didn’t spend money on anything that wasn’t food.

Y’know why? Cuz that’s the actual worst part of homelessness - having no fucking food, nowhere to cook, nowhere to eat, nowhere to drink. That’s the first goal of survival, YES, EVEN BEYOND SHELTER. FOOD.

It makes logical sense to prioritize shelter over food. But when you haven’t eaten in 4 days, logic is pretty hard to hold onto. So if I had $10 to spare when I was on the street? That’s a day’s worth of calories from good ole McDonald’s. 

And to prove how fucking important food is, it’s my second point as well as my first.

Because having food is one thing. Having food you can actually keep down is quite another.

I was once called a “poser” by another homeless person because I saved up my change for 2 days and then bought myself a salad at a vegan hipster joint downtown instead of 5, $2 McBurgers. Well, JESSE, y’know why I needed a goddamn salad? Cuz I’ve been having explosive diarrhea and vomiting from eating nothing but absolute garbage for 3 weeks. 

So, if you have $10, buy yourself a salad. Not a gym membership. 

I’m going to put a caveat here before anyone jumps down my throat: I was only homeless for 6 weeks. I was only “on the streets” for 11 days. So I’m speaking from my experience as someone who was VERY TEMPORARILY homeless. There are millions out there and everyone has a different experience with homelessness, and I’m sure someone out there really would benefit from a gym membership. But probably not a lot.

A place to shower is great - but food, and especially decent food, is much more important.

When I got to a shelter, I realized there were “different kinds” of homeless people. I stayed at a youth shelter, so maybe this is exclusive to 18-24yo homeless but here it is nonetheless:

A lot of the kids at the shelter were drug users. A lot MORE were NOT. There was a very distinct line drawn between those two groups. We didn’t really cross over or talk outside of our group of “users” or “non-users”. It was actually quite weird.

Other types of homeless people, as defined by other homeless people, include but are not limited to the following descriptions: “crazies” (basically anyone with a mental illness that made it literally impossible to speak to them and get them help; the first time I heard this was at the library, where I spent a LOT of time as a homeless person, and there was a guy out front just... dancing. Couldn’t even get his attention. Just dancing.), there’s the jailbirds, who are homeless because they just came from prison, the “old homeless” - literally just an old homeless person. 

But most disturbing (to me) was when I was in the shelter and had reported that another shelter kid had stolen my phone and presented them with iCloud proof (he used my phone on his account, it showed up under ‘find my iPhone’) and he was thrown out of the shelter. His girlfriend was there, SCREAMING at the top of her lungs that he’d promised his life to her that he didn’t steal this brand-new iPhone 7 he just happened to pick up one day. 

She ended up being thrown out, too, and another shelter kid said to me, “Boy, she’s a lifer.”

A ‘lifer’ is someone who will be homeless forever.

It’s basically the ultimate diss that homeless people (at least in my part of Ontario) dish out to other homeless people. 

Because, and this is another point that I want to emphasize...

Almost everyone who has been homeless, is homeless, or will be homeless... wasn’t always, and won’t always be homeless. But it WILL stay with them forever. Not a goddamn day passes in my life where my short stint on the streets makes itself known in my mind.

Of all the shitty things I saw and experienced when I was at the shelter, I saw one thing almost every day that absolutely gave me hope for humanity when I needed it the very most.

User, non-user, crazy, jailbird, old... every time a homeless person announced they’d found a home, every single person at the shelter threw a goddamn fit of pure joy. 

Been there a few days? A week? Six months? Never spoken a word to anyone before now? Doesn’t matter. You found a place? You’re the goddamn king of this shelter for the next 24 hours. We’re on hero-worship lockdown, motherfuckers.

Because at the end of the day, that’s the only “tip for being homeless”. Get a place. That’s the only way out. A shelter is good - obviously better than the streets - but honestly, it’s not A LOT better. The difference between the street and a shelter is like McDonald’s v. Denny’s. A bit nicer. The difference between a shelter and a place? Denny’s and the fanciest restaurant you can name.

I don’t claim that all homeless people are amazing, or hell, even worth giving change to. I’ve seen people I shared a bunk with go out and lie about his girlfriend being pregnant, oh my mom’s sick, I just need $3 for the bus. I’ve seen homeless people lie and try to extort money from passers-by via guilt. 

I never had to resort to begging, but I was lucky in that sense. Of all the homeless people spinning tales, very few are really doing it for “drug money”. A lot more are doing it because they literally have no other way of eating.

This is long enough and I think I’ve done what I set out to accomplish. Just a bit of an insider’s look at homelessness, which I’ve never really shared before.

Stay greater.

[bigboxofbees]

Georgia, Alabama, Missouri and everyone else...

I would like to place a disclaimer here first, since I know some people don't wish to read about this and these are some more serious topics.

This text will include discussions/mentions of:

Abortion

Rape and sexual assault

The holocaust

So if you do not wish to read about those topics, I suggest you skip this text.

Also to note, I'm using pretty heteronormative language here, since I deem it appropriate. However, this does not mean that I ignore the fact that trans men and non-binary individuals can get pregnant, I am well aware, but their perspective might look a bit different from what I'm describing here.

Why did I spend like two hours on this?

In the past week or so, all I've seen all over social media is about abortion. Which makes sense, given the horrendous laws that are being passed as we speak in the US. It's a good thing that people are talking about this, it's extremely important. But it's also very tiring, despite not being american this debate has certainly taken a toll on me. I've wanted to write about this in dept for the whole week, but I haven't been able to get myself to do it. But I'm doing this now. So buckle up, because this is going to be a long post about all the things I've thought about and discussed this past week. However, this is by no means a complete list. And for convenience, I'm going to use different headlines to sort things.

How do we define life and which lives should be protected?

Does life begin at conception? From a legal and scientific perspective, not really. While cells certainly are alive, that doesn't mean that every living cell is part of a living being. And it is living beings we wish to protect, right? Otherwise, we'd protect plants and bacteria as well, and I think we can all agree that plants aren't people. What about animals? They are most certainly living beings, yet we kill them for food (despite the fact that it's possible for almost everyone to live a life without eating meat). I'd argue that any living animal is more worth protecting than an embryo, because animals are sentient. And I am by no means a vegan, but I do find it rather telling when I've asked pro-birth people if they're vegans and all I've gotten was silence.

Speaking from a legal and scientific perspective, a heartbeat does not determine "life". In order to be consider a life, a living being, the organism has to meet a couple of criteria; a embryo or a fetus before around the 25th week does not meet those criteria. What we use to determine life is not a heartbeat, it's brain activity. Brain activity cannot be maintained without a heartbeat, however, a heartbeat can exist without brain activity. That's why relatives can choose to pull the plug when their loved one is brain dead; because they are considered dead, despite the fact that they have a heartbeat. That's why a heartbeat isn't the definition of life; brain activity is.

A fetus can't have more human rights than a person

"It's not your body, it's a separate life! It has the right to life!" Well... does it, really? Let's say it is a person (even though it is not), a fetus cannot be given more rights than a person. Yes, I did say "more rights". Say a fetus would have all the human rights a person has, that still doesn't permit the fetus to use the pregnant person's body against their will. Nobody has the right to use another persons body unless they consent to it, I don't and neither do you. Doesn't matter if it's the only way to survive, it is still not a right to survive using another person's body. So why should a fetus have that right? If a fetus is equal to a living human person, then it doesn't have that right. In fact, you can't do anything to another person's body unless they've given consent, not even after they're dead. Pregnant people should not have less bodily autonomy than a corpse.

The poor becomes poorer

Rich people won't be affected by abortion bans, period. Really, anyone with the means to travel out of state for a weekend can still obtain an abortion legally. So who will be forced to give birth to children? Teenagers with little to no support and the poor, those who's lives are affected the most by unwanted pregnancies. Teenagers who likely have to put their plans for the future on ice to work a low-paying job to support their child, thus landing themselves and the child in poverty. And the poor will be forced to have more children resulting in even more severe poverty. Abortion bans feeds the circle of poverty. I don't mean to be a conspiracy theorist here, but who profits from this? The rich. Who has the most influence over the creation of laws? The rich.

When things get ugly

I've seen several really vile comparisons. But the worst one has to be the one with the holocaust, which I see frequently, tightly followed by slavery. These people consider the termination of embryos and fetuses to be equal to the horrors and dehumanization of the holocaust and of slavery. They can't seem to comprehend that a blob of non-sentient cells is not the same as a living human being. They've argued that "well Hitler and slave owners didn't consider those humans to be people, and you are not considering human life (note: fetuses, but they don't see it that way) people, so how are you any better than Hitler?" In fact, I outright asked a woman if she truly believed a 5 year old child crying for their mother at Auschwitz was equal to an embryo. She said yes, and saw nothing wrong with that. That is probably the most insane thing I have heard this week. Yet it's not too far from what I've seen multiple times; that legal and safe abortion is the "holocaust but for poor innocent babies". And in all honesty, I don't have much to say about this, it's just horrible and I don't know how to respond.

The hypocrisy, it was never about "life"

If it truly was, then this wouldn't be their top priority. And if it was truly about eliminating the need for abortions, this wouldn't be their top priority. Their top priority then would be to reduce the need for abortions through education and accessible birth control for all, and the second step would be to create social programs and fund organizations that help with the financial burden of raising a child, yet the states that have passed these laws do next to nothing to prevent unwanted/unplanned pregnancies nor help those who want to have the child but cannot afford that.

Making abortion illegal would only stop safe abortions from happening, since it does nothing to reduce the need for them. Illegal and unsafe abortions will increase, and women will hurt themselves or kill themselves because they were denied an abortion. It would also mean that all miscarriages would be investigated as a possible crime, putting women in prison for natural miscarriages. Not to mention that I've heard pro-birthers advocate for the death penalty for having an abortion. I have personally encountered pro-birthers who want this to happen, who think women who seek abortions deserve to die from unsafe abortions. How very pro-"life" of them.

I also noticed a parallell with the death penalty, a large portion of pro-birth people support the death penalty and see nothing morally wrong with that. That is also very hypocritical, how can you in the same breath say "all life is precious" and "execute the criminal" without sounding like the biggest fool? By doing that, you are at that point picking and choosing who deserves life according to you, at that means it's no longer about how all life must be protected.

And finally, a fair amount of people who are pro-birth do still think it's okay to have an abortion if you were raped. Why? I thought you cared about all human life? How is this any different? Yet another example of hypocrisy. They know it's cruel to force someone to carry their rapist's child, and they know they can't advocate for that. So for some reason they make an exception, an exception that goes against what they claim is their core belief (keep this particular part in mind when you read the next two parts). It really doesn't make sense, so perhaps it's not truly about "life".

Power play

Being pregnant is much different from getting someone pregnant. One has to be pregnant for 9 months, give birth and alter their body permanently. The other part could simply walk away at any moment and never look back. That is not an option for the one who's pregnant, and they are often the one left to deal with the child once it's born, altering their life to fit the needs of the child. And even if there is a father in the picture, the mother is still more likely to carry most of the responsibility. And if we look to the past, and we only have to rewind a few decades, the woman in the relationship was expected to be a stay at home mom, with no option to have a career. And while she was at home, tending to the home, making sure her husband never had to lift a finger in the house, he was out working and making a name for himself. This power imbalance doesn't exist to the same extent when women have ownership over their own bodies. And I can't help but feeling that this is related to why some people want to criminalize abortion; because if women can exist on the same conditions as them, their spaces are threatened.

It takes two to tango

"Close your legs", "don't have sex unless you want a baby", "it takes two to tango". Sounds familiar? These are all phrases used by pro-birthers, and they are almost almost directed at the female. So why does the man get a pass? When they say "close your legs", they never follow it up with "keep it in your pants". When they say "don't have sex unless you want a baby", they never follow it up with "don't have sex unless you want to be a father". When they say "it takes two to tango", they never follow it up with "if he gets her pregnant, he has to take responsibility and support her".

Men wanting to have sex is seen as natural, normal and a need, but if women want to have sex they need to be punished, the punishment being "having to take responsibility", which really is just code for "pregnancy is a punishment for women wanting to have sex".

A slippery slope

If we consider abortion, the removal of pregnancy, morally wrong because it stops a child from developing, then where do we draw the line? Would embryos at a fertility clinic be entitled to personhood? Would all embryos have to be used to grow a person? Would using a condom be illegal because it interrupts the natural process? Same with other forms of birth control? And what about periods and male masturbation, is that "throwing way" potential life? I know some religious people think contraceptives and plan b should be illegal, and I could definitely see how these types of laws could lead to future restrictions on birth control.

Final thoughts

Pro-"life" has never been about protecting life. It has always been about birthing babies, controlling women in different ways and punishing women who dare to have sex just because she wants to. Pro-birth people also have plenty of flaws in their arguments and the hypocrisy is unbelieveable. Abortion is by no means a black and white issue, it never has been, but criminalizing abortion will do more harm than good and will not stop abortions from happening. And fact of the matter is, morality is subjective. While you may think it's wrong to terminate a pregnancy, I don't. However, I do think it's morally wrong to force your personal beliefs into other people's lives.

[miguel-manbemel]

Aspects & Fanfics Ep. 3: All the Sides of Cooking

This one took a little longer, as I had some blockings during the process and a lot of research to do. As always, remember that this fanfic ignores any entry after “Embarrasing Phases”. This one is lighter in tone, so no particular warnings to be pointed out, other than a brief appearance of Deceit, if it could be a trigger to anyone.

SYNOPSIS: Thomas has been training hard to get in a good shape, so he decides to indulge himself with a candy party. When Logan advises him against it, Thomas decides instead that, since Joan and Talyn are coming over for dinner, he’s gonna make a healthy vegan pizza for them. Thomas and the Sides travel to the Mind Palace Kitchen to make the pizza together as a rehearsal.

EPISODE INDEX

[Thomas and Joan are in the living room. Joan looks at Thomas with a neutral face. Thomas sports a happy unconcerned smile]

THOMAS: Hello, everyone. We’ve just returned from a little running. We bet who would be the one who would make two turns around the neighborhood in the shortest amount of time. The loser has to go through a punishment chosen by the winner in front of the camera right now. [looks at Joan, smiling. Joan looks at Thomas with the same neutral face. Thomas looks at the camera smiling] Wanna guess who won?

[Thomas keeps the same frozen smile which at this point has started looking a bit creepy, while he pulls out a carrot. His smile fades away when he takes a huge bite. He chews it with a crunchy sound and a disgusted face. When he swallows it, he retches a bit and looks at Joan with a supplicant face]

JOAN: [unimpressed] You were going to tickle me for five minutes if I had lost. This at least will be faster. All of it!

[Thomas moans a bit with a pouty face, then bites the carrot again.]

[intro sequence]

THOMAS: What is up, everybody?  I don't know if you have noticed, but I have been taking in the last few months a trend to take care of my body. Mainly because I want to be healthy, but also, why not, to get on a better shape for the spring that is just around the corner. That’s a pleasant bonus of being healthy and a good reward for all the sacrifices that must be made, isn’t it?

LOGAN: [rising up] And I give you my congratulations, Thomas. You’re getting excellent results thanks to following all my planning and notifications. Don’t thank me, I know I’m good.

ROMAN: [rising up] And I’m filled with joy, Thomas. Thanks to you being fit, I can make the most of myself in my princely quests and rescues.

VIRGIL: [rising up, with a mischievous smirk] I don’t think getting your rag bunny, Mrs. Fluffy Bottom, from the highest shelf of the tallest shelving can count as a “princely rescue”.

ROMAN: [giving a dirty look to Virgil] And how did you know that Mrs. Fluffy Bottom was there? [pointing at him with an over-dramatic cracking voice] It was you who took my bunny from my doll castle and put it there, wasn’t it!? Again!?

VIRGIL: [ignoring him] Anyway, yes, Thomas, it was worthy to endure all the moments of agony and angst [pointing at Thomas’ body] to get this result, so congratulations.

THOMAS: [flattered] Gee, thanks, guys.

PATTON: [rising up, yelling overly excited of joy] Now, it’s time for a candy partyyyy!

THOMAS: [happy] Yessss!

LOGAN: Wait, what? No!

PATTON, THOMAS: [overlapping moaning in disappointment] Awwww!

LOGAN: Thomas, you must stay strong! If you start eating all kinds of junk food now, you’re gonna lose everything you’ve gained!

THOMAS: [squealing begging voice] But… it’s only this once!

LOGAN: [firm voice] One moment in your mouth, one eternity in your tummy! No, Thomas, you must never, ever, overindulge yourself!

ROMAN: [ironic] Said the one who doesn’t devour eleven jars of Crofter’s per day, including the ones I bought for myself. [talking to himself] I think I should put a padlock on my door when I get out of my room.

LOGAN: I don’t have a physical appearance, Roman, therefore what I eat doesn’t affect me in the slightest. It’s your health, Thomas, what is on the spot. You must keep eating healthy, [counting with his fingers] every hour of every day of every week of every year of all the rest of your life!

[Thomas shows a face of huge angst]

VIRGIL: [demonic voice, with his hood on, in an angry mood] Would you mind stop meddling with my job? [back to normal voice, while taking the hood off, still angry] I am Thomas’ Anxiety, not you, and you always overdo it!

LOGAN: Sorry. But the point remains the same. [to Thomas] No candy parties, mister!

PATTON: Logan, that’s a bit… excessive. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in giving ourselves a little whim from time to time.

THOMAS: He’s right, Logan. I know that eating healthy is paramount, but even in the strictest of diets there are moments of relax. There’s almost no bad food per se, only the quantity and frequency of what we eat is what must be taken into account. As long as I keep having a varied and balanced diet, and I don’t forget to accompany it with exercise, health won’t suffer.

LOGAN: You may be right, Thomas, but I know Patton. He has no self-control when it is about sweet,  both physical and figurative. He’s gonna push you into eating tons of candy, and you’re gonna let yourself fall at his feet. Even if I took my glasses off I could see it.

THOMAS: Do you think I don’t have any willpower at all? No, Patton, as I said, balance is the key. Too much candy is not healthy. So don’t even think about it, okay?

PATTON: [sighs] Fiiine…. So… [happy] Candy party?

THOMAS: [happy] Candy party!

PATTON: Yaaayy!

LOGAN: Okay. If you think it’s mandatory to have this session of indulgement, so be it, but before that, we must take into account what comes next.

THOMAS: What do you mean?

LOGAN: You’re gonna ingest a lot of calories on these candies, calories that are most of them based on pure simple carbohydrates, that is, sugar that is quickly absorbed and is on a huge risk of turning into fat. Your next meal will need to be low in carbs and higher in other nutrients to compensate.

THOMAS: Can you elaborate?

LOGAN: Thomas, do you think I’m your cook or something? Now you know how to cook, so you can elaborate your meals yourself.

THOMAS: [sighs] I meant your exposition, Logan, not the meal.

LOGAN: Oh. Certainly. The recommended proportions of each type of food that should be ingested each day for a balanced diet is… [pulls out a cardboard with a graph] 50 percent of vegetables, 25 percent of proteins and 25 percent of carbs. Since your serving of carbs for the day is already covered by the candy party, your dinner must contain around 67 percent of vegetables and 37 percent of proteins. It wouldn’t still be a perfect meal for the day as the carbs you’re gonna ingest are not the best, but it will work out. But don’t make a habit out of it, Thomas. It’s better to eat complex carbs, like the ones from rice, pasta and other cereals, which are absorbed slowly and give you energy gradually when you need it, especially if they’re wholegrain, rather than the simple carbs from these sweets, which don’t have any nutritionally useful value. They call them empty calories for a reason, after all.

THOMAS: Okay… So, Patton is already served with sweets in a few minutes, but what should I have for dinner tonight? Any suggestions?

LOGAN: I would go for anything that contains phosphorus and vitamin B12, which are good for the adequate functioning of the brain. I suggest a ration of sardines or, if you can afford it, crayfish.

ROMAN: I’d like some good old proteins. My muscles won’t build themselves up without good building blocks, right? Perhaps some chicken breast or beef steak?

VIRGIL: Don’t forget some greens, Thomas. Folic acid and vitamins like B9 are good against depression and they would help me ease my work by reducing your charge of anxiety. Maybe some spinach?

THOMAS: Wow, suddenly everyone here has become a nutritionist?

VIRGIL: Well, it’s good to know the essentials related to our jobs, including what we should eat to perform better, isn’t it?

ROMAN: Plus, we asked Logan about it a while ago. I’ve been studying and memorizing.

THOMAS: Ah, gotcha. Well, Joan and Talyn are coming for dinner tonight. Joan is pescetarian and Talyn is vegan. They will be fine with Virgil’s suggestion, but what options would be better to maintain the same nutritious values while avoiding meat in the case of Joan and anything of animal origin in the case of Talyn?

ROMAN: Well, in the case of Joan, tuna fish is a good source of protein.

PATTON: Speaking about tuna fish, you can tune a piano, but you can’t tu…

LOGAN: [angry] If you tell that lame joke one more time, I swear I’m gonna place hot candies between the sweet ones, and then I’ll laugh too!

THOMAS: Don’t you dare, Logan! I’m eating those too!

VIRGIL: Well, in reality you’re eating them all, so…

THOMAS: Okay, what about Talyn, Roman? They won’t want tuna fish.

ROMAN: True. Well, it’s true that the best proteins are from animal origin, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find them on non animal food. [looks subtly down in his hand direction, then with fake voice as if he was reading something] Um… For instance, soy is the best source of non animal protein, it is the base of the renowned tofu. Pumpkin seeds are a close second, followed by beans, chickpeas and lentils. Legumes in general are a good source of protein. Soy un príncipe estúpido. Card copyrighted by Logan… What?

[Virgil and Logan chuckle]

THOMAS: [confused] What?

ROMAN: [his face turns red] Okay, you got me. [pulls out some vocab cards] It is impossible for me to remember all of that by heart, so I asked Logan to write me some vocab cards with the basics, and I accidentally read the credits [giving a dirty look to Logan] and something that wasn’t credits.

LOGAN: [subtle mischievous chuckle] I knew that was gonna happen and I couldn’t wait to see it. That’s what you get for not studying your notes.

PATTON: [mumbling with a squeeing voice] I’m so proud that you schooled him with a joke…

THOMAS: Okay, Logan, what about the phosphorus you wanted?

LOGAN: Joan will be fine with the sardines, I think. As for Talyn, a good idea would be chickpeas or artichokes, or a garnish based on certain nuts or dried fruits, like dried grapes, plums and figs, or almonds, peanuts, pistachio… There are options for them to choose, certainly.

THOMAS: Cool. Now the point is, I don’t think sardines and meat are exactly the best combination, except on one Joan’s horror smoothies, and that’s not a compliment.

LOGAN: Thomas, who’s said that we have to eat everything at the same time? It’s obvious that we cannot cover all the existing nutrients at the same time in a single meal. We only show you the options. Now you must make a choice of what to eat, as always.

THOMAS: You know what? I suddenly had an idea. Pizza!

LOGAN: Sorry, Thomas. Pizza is high on carbs from the dough.

THOMAS: Doh!

PATTON: I do like pizza… But I like candy too… I don’t know.

THOMAS: I do like candy, Patton, but we cannot have everything. Could we have some pizza for dinner tonight? I’d love to have pizza with my friends, that would be an enjoyable party too. Besides, we could have the candy party next month.

PATTON: I mean…

THOMAS: Besides, I want to make the pizza myself to include all the ingredients we discussed. And here’s my suggestion. Would you all like to rehearse how to make the pizza with me in the Mind Palace?

PATTON: [gasps] I love that idea!

ROMAN: Me too!

VIRGIL: Count me in.

LOGAN: It would be a great way of giving yourself a treat without renouncing to eating healthy, so additional affirmation.

THOMAS: Then it’s settled! Off to the Mind Palace! Roman, do you lend us a hand?

ROMAN: Certainly! Let’s go the Palace Kitchen!

[Roman snaps his fingers, and the next second Thomas and the Sides appear in a huge kitchen like the ones from professional restaurants]

THOMAS: Wow! This place is huge!

ROMAN: Of course it is. In the Palace we only eat the best of the best imaginary food you can never eat. By the way, guys, I don’t think we’re appropriately dressed for cooking. But I can fix that in a snap.

[Roman snaps his fingers and Thomas and the Sides suddenly appear dressed with cooking uniforms. Logan’s uniform is a white jacket like those worn by professional chefs, Patton is dressed with an apron decorated with a drawing of an anime style cat getting cookies out of an oven, Virgil is wearing a white uniform and a white beret and in his chest the words “kitchen helper”, Roman is wearing a white uniform with a tall classic chef hat. Thomas is wearing a short chef hat and a white apron with a red star like the one from his Steven Universe shirt.]

THOMAS: Wow, you surely were fast in choosing our clothing, Roman. And you, guys, look awesome!

ROMAN: Thank you, Thomas. I deliver only the best.

LOGAN: This outfit is adequate. Very professional and serious, even without a necktie.

ROMAN: Oh, the necktie is under the jacket, Logan. You don’t want to get it dirty, do you?

LOGAN: [checking out] Oh, you’re right. Now I love it.

PATTON: This apron is so cute! I love cats!

THOMAS: It’s so you, Patton.

VIRGIL: [angry] Why does my outfit read “Kitchen Helper”?

ROMAN: Well, we need someone to help us cut things, heat pans, ovens, etcetera. It’s not gonna get done itself, you know?

VIRGIL: And why don’t you do that for a change? Why do I always have to be the techie in every group work we do?

THOMAS: Don’t worry, Virgil. There’s not gonna be a helper in this task. We’re all gonna be cooking in equal parts. Besides, that’s what’s fun about it!

PATTON: Yayy!

THOMAS: Okay, let’s get cooking. First we need to make the dough. We’re gonna need flour, water, salt and yeast. We mix the ingredients and then knead it well.

PATTON: [yelling with a happy yet a bit maniacal face] Flour! [Throws a whole bag of flour in a bowl, rising a huge cloud that makes Logan sneeze] Water! [puts the bowl under the tap and fills it with a huge amount of water. Virgil and Roman watch the scene in horror] Salt! [pours a whole handful of salt in the bowl] And yeast! [opens a package of yeast and pours everything in] And we knead it! [puts his arms furiously in the bowl and starts kneading it, or rather throwing everything in all directions]

THOMAS: Stop it! Stop it! Pump the brakes, Patton!

PATTON: [stops, with his arms in the bowl] What?

LOGAN: Patton, doesn’t the word “proportions” [pulls out a vocab card] ring a bell to you? We need specific measures of each ingredient so that the dough will work out.

PATTON: [the bowl and the mess disappear] Sorry.

THOMAS: I wish my real kitchen could be cleaned so easily when I do a mess.

VIRGIL: [sighs] Don’t worry. [mumbling] Can’t believe it’s me who’s said that… [normal voice] I already added the measures to the bowl. Now you only have to knead it.

THOMAS: Thank you, Virgil, you’re so efficient.

VIRGIL: Of course I am. I always take all of you out of the bad situations you put yourselves into, remember?

PATTON: [smiling] That’s my boy!

THOMAS: Okay, Patton, do you think you can knead it without throwing it all everywhere? Put your arms in and knead it gently but firmly, until you have a homogeneous dough that doesn’t stick too much to your fingers. Got it?

PATTON: Got it, kiddo!

[Patton starts kneading the dough]

THOMAS: Now, with that on its way, it’s time for the next step. Roman, you always say you’re on top of the world, right?

ROMAN: [with a princely pose] Do you doubt it?

THOMAS: Cool, because you’re gonna be in charge of the topping. Start heating that pan and fry a can of crushed tomato. Add it some garlic powder and oregano.

ROMAN: Okay…

THOMAS: Logan, what properties does tomato have?

LOGAN: Oh, the good old solanum lycopersicum. It has a lot of properties. It contains vitamins like C, A, K, iron and potassium. Curiously enough, it’s one of the few vegetables that has more properties cooked than raw, as, even if it loses part of its content in vitamin C when cooked, the cooking also breaks the fibers in the tomato and frees all its content of lycopene, a great antioxidant, so that it can be absorbed by the human body.

THOMAS: Interesting. Virgil, would you mind peeling and cutting some onions?

VIRGIL: Thank God my eyeshadow is waterproof today… Okay, as you command, Thomas.

THOMAS: How are you going, Patton?

PATTON: This is going good, Thomothy. [showing a figurine of a dog] Look, I made a dog with the dough!

LOGAN: [annoyed] Patton, that’s dough, not Play-doh! You must make a round ball out of the dough.

PATTON: [sighs] Fine…

THOMAS: But is the dough homogeneous as I told you?

PATTON: Yes, Thomas.

THOMAS: Great, then when you’re done making the ball, spread some olive oil on all its surface, put it inside that bigger bowl and cover the bowl with film. And let the dough ferment and grow. It has to rest there until it doubles its size.

PATTON: Right, kiddo.

THOMAS: Logan, I want to make a pizza that the three of us can eat, so do you mind if I don’t put fish?

LOGAN: As you wish, Thomas.

THOMAS: Okay, then. Logan, start chopping some green and red peppers.

LOGAN: Ah, good source of vitamin C.

THOMAS: And Virgil, you slice some mushrooms.

LOGAN: Excellent. Mushrooms have the phosphorus that I need, among other stuff.

THOMAS: Glad to hear that, Logan. Virgil, cook the peppers and the onion in that pan with oil and then add the mushrooms and those spinach over there. You must cook it all until it’s almost done, but not completely, as cooking will be completed in the oven later. Roman, how is the tomato sauce going?

ROMAN: I think this is worthy of a king, Thomas Ramsey. Ready when you’re ready.

THOMAS: Fantastic, remove it from the fire, then. Patton, how is the dough going?

PATTON: It’s already doubled its size, Thomas.

THOMAS: What? Already? It should have taken half and hour at least.

ROMAN: Thomas, all of this is imaginary. Time is not a constraint in imagination.

THOMAS: You’re right. Well, then bring it here, Patton. I’m gonna extend the dough to form the pizza base. [Thomas gets the ball out of the bowl and pours some flour on the table] Some flour on the table… And let’s do it.

[Thomas extends the dough with a rolling pin until it looks like a proper pizza base]

THOMAS: I’ll put it in this oven plate. I’ll spread some oil on it, so it doesn’t get sticked… I’ll put it in the oven for a few minutes so that it gets ready to put the topping. How are we going with the other ingredients, Virgil?

VIRGIL: It’s all ready, Thomas.

[A ding is heard]

PATTON: The pizza base is ready, Thomas… [Patton burns is hands when he tries to get the plate with his bare hands] Ouch!

THOMAS: Patton! Step out! [Patton accidentally touches the plate and burns his arm] Step out of the oven if you keep getting burnt! I’ll do it.

[Thomas puts on some gloves and gets the pizza base out of the oven, then puts it in the table]

THOMAS: Okay, this is ready… Patton, are you okay?

PATTON: [with his hands under the stream of water] Nice to meet you, Ready, I’m Dad! Yes, Thomas, it was nothing.

THOMAS: Okay, you stay there while we mount the pizza. Roman, the sauce.

ROMAN: Yes, chef!

[Roman gives Thomas the tomato sauce and Thomas spreads it on the base]

THOMAS: Mmm… it smells good. Now, the stir-fry.

[Virgil gives him the contents of the pan, and Thomas carefully puts them on the pizza, distributing them all over the surface]

THOMAS: And now, the final touch, some vegan cheese all over it.

[Thomas puts the cheese all over the pizza]

THOMAS: Done. Now, back to the oven until it’s done.

[Thomas puts the pizza back in the oven]

THOMAS: And now we wa…

[A ding is heard]

LOGAN: Thomas, you don’t have to wait in the Mind Palace, we told you.

THOMAS: Oh, that’s right! Well, here it is.

[Thomas takes out the perfectly cooked pizza]

THOMAS: Oh, my goodness! It looks delicious!

PATTON: It really does!

ROMAN: Mmm, that smell is great…

VIRGIL: It looks really good, guys.

LOGAN: And to top it all, it’s healthy and both Joan and Talyn will love it. Now, the question is…

[Suddenly the light goes off, Roman screams with Talyn’s voice]

LOGAN: Roman! You screamed right in my ear! It hurts!

ROMAN: Sorry, Logan, I still hate the dark!

[The light then goes back on and the pizza is gone. All the Sides and Thomas gasp and look in all directions]

THOMAS: Hey, where did the pizza go!?

ROMAN: No fair!

PATTON: I’m hungry!

VIRGIL: It’s okay, Patton, we’ll find out what happened and make another one later. What were you going to say, Logan?

LOGAN: Oh, yes. The question is, Thomas, will you be able to do the pizza on your own in real life later?

THOMAS: Oh, I won’t be doing it on my own, Logan. Joan and Talyn are going to help me. It will be fun for all of us, and the feeling of accomplishment is really rewarding!

ROMAN: Okay, then let’s get out of here.

[Roman snaps his fingers and they all appear back in the living room]

THOMAS: This was a fun experience. I wish I could cook real food with you, guys.

ROMAN: [sinking down] At least we have cooked together. We have to repeat the experience another time.

VIRGIL: [sinking down] I’m gonna go clean the kitchen. You all came out so quickly we forgot, and now it’s a mess.

PATTON: [sinking down] I’m going with you, kiddo, I’ll be glad to help.

THOMAS: [confused] Won’t the kitchen clean itself like before?

LOGAN: Don’t ask. Well, good luck with your cooking evening. I’m glad that at least we avoided the candy party and you learned some nutritional facts.

THOMAS: We didn’t avoid the candy party, Logan, we have only postponed it.

LOGAN: [sighs] Fine… Remember the times, Thomas, it won’t be as fast in real life. [sinking down] And don’t forget to do the next session of exercise a little longer to compensate!

THOMAS: All right, Logan… [to the camera] It is important to be conscious of what we eat. We are what we eat, and if we eat healthy, we will be healthy ourselves. But it is also important to understand that, except if you’re allergic to something, of course, there are no forbidden foods. We can eat almost anything as long as the less healthier foods are not eaten with too much frequency and we keep a balanced diet that involves all necessary nutrients. Also, there is nothing wrong with being a vegetarian, pescetarian, vegan or any other option. It’s true that you’ll have to be more careful to get all the nutrients you need, but if you learn and apply that discipline, go ahead with it and be whatever you wanna be, and don’t listen to those who might try to ridicule you or don’t understand your life choices. In the end, your life is yours and only yours, and only you must decide what to do with it as long as you don’t hurt yourself. Until next time, take it easy, guys, gals and non binary pals. Peace out!

[ending card. Thomas, Joan and Talyn are in the kitchen getting the pizza out of the oven]

THOMAS: Aaaand, here it is!

TALYN: It looks gorgeous, Thomas!

JOAN: I can’t wait to eat this f… [bleep] baby! Where did you learn this recipe, Thomas?

THOMAS: Oh, I just practiced it in the Mind Palace with my friends…

[There’s a silence in the room. Joan and Talyn get serious and look at Thomas]

JOAN: Thomas, I thought we were over this. These people you call Sanders Sides are not real.

TALYN: You’re starting to worry us, Thomas. Are you sure you’re okay?

THOMAS: I’m fine, guys, don’t worry. [mumbling] I don’t know why I talked about the Sides so carelessly…

[Joan and Talyn look at each other with a worried face, then look at Thomas, who is unconcerned, slicing the pizza. Then, there’s another scene on the Dark Realm. Deceit is there, eating the whole pizza by himself]

DECEIT: [looking at the camera, breaking the fourth wall] What? Don’t I deserve some me time too? I’m sure nothing wrong will happen if Thomas can’t tell lies for a few minutes… [bites another portion of pizza with delight] Oh, this is not so good!

[transstudiesarchive]

Poems from a young queer trans kid who eventually made it out

New offering for this project below (click “Keep reading”). Full text for the four poems above included below that. ______________________________

Four poems written by a young queer trans kid, raised Mormon, who didn’t know out queer people existed and had never heard of the concept of being trans. I lived in a small, conservative agricultural town with seemingly more churches than people. I was the fifth of eight kids. When I came across a bunch of my childhood poetry a while back after coming out as trans, they all made so much more sense…

Once I’d Seen Seattle

I think I’m glad I didn’t know sooner—

I’m not sure I’d have made it out.

I always knew I didn’t belong, but had no idea why.

I lived in a desert of ideas. Actually, it was worse than that.

I lived at ground zero where ideas that took hold were quickly censored or driven out; there was nothing in the air in my suffocatingly small, claustrophobic town to even let me conceptualize what I would later realize to be not only my truth, but my beautiful kaleidoscope of identities.

My town might as well have been an island because we never left the city limits. The only time anyone ever left was when my parents traveled to nearby towns for cancer treatments or other medical care.

I am the fifth of eight children raised in what I thought at the time was a staunch Mormon home. My dad was the eldest of six, all of whom lived within thirty minutes of us.

My siblings joked that I had to be adopted because it was clear I didn’t fit. Nothing fit.

But I kept trying.

I was a mama’s child and for some reason I was driven to be a golden child. I wanted to excel at everything and make my mom proud. But in my town, that meant Cub Scouts, then Boy Scouts along with church groups which became gender-segregated church groups and gender-segregated sports at school and at church. And outside school and church? Partying, partying, partying. And three-wheeling and fishing and shooting guns and hunting. But I never went hunting. (Even then, decades before waking to veganism, I couldn’t fathom how anyone could point a gun at a beautiful, innocent animal—a sentient being with a will to live—and pull the trigger.)

So I kept trying, sometimes channeling some fictional character to manifest some forced hyper-masculinity and jackass behavior. Somehow I survived all that and so did my closest friends. Even though at least a couple kids every year didn’t survive.

I learned about ‘homosexuals’ from the bible and felt a combination of curiosity and fear. Even as I sensed the repulsion and fear in others whenever it came up, I found myself fascinated. Was this me? Two close childhood friends later came out as queer.

Maybe, I told myself at the time, my discomfort in all-male spaces was because I was really attracted to guys and frightened it might show or that I would be tempted to act on those feelings.

But that didn’t explain how much discomfort, bordering on distress, I felt when I had to wear masculine church clothes—button-down shirts and jackets and slacks and ties and Oxford shoes. My mouth is getting that vomity sensation just writing this.

I remember the horror I felt one day when my sister pointed at my bare chest:

“You’re growing chest hair! You’re becoming a man!”

It’s the first time I remember feeling truly depressed. I found myself feeling more isolated as time passed and activities at school grew more polarized. Skipping events started to feel much better than staying and having to be one of the guys.

I loved nothing more than when I’d be invited to activities with the girls—but they were so heartbreakingly few! So I often stayed home, a devoted mama’s child, happy to help out with what she asked me to do.

In junior high school I had that rare teacher who loves what they do and has held onto the spark. He brought homemade borscht in when we were studying Russian literature.

I have no idea how, in a town like ours, he got approval to do this let alone budget, but he took us on an overnight trip to Seattle to see Shakespeare productions, art museums, art galleries and the science center. My world went from gray to a riot of color during that trip.

I don’t know if I saw something or someone in particular while there; if I did, it never registered consciously. But that trip lit something in me that gave me hope about who I was and who I could become. I knew there was someplace better for me.

In some ways, that made the next four years more difficult and more painful than the years before. Because compared to Seattle, my town was hell. Specifically, my town was a dull bathroom break in the red-state flyover part of hell. And I had four more years ahead with no clear path out even then.

I got contacts and became the class clown, but I lived under storm clouds I couldn’t dispel. My grades suffered. When I was at risk of not graduating, some friends of the family came up with a plan. I moved in with them and after graduation, at their encouragement, I left for a two-year Mormon mission to Japan.

Then I came back, moved to Seattle, met someone amazing, sang her Somebody by Depeche Mode without missing a word in the middle of the store at the mall where we worked. We got married in the temple because for some reason I was still doing that then. I struggled off and on with the feeling I might be gay. It was still all I knew; the only option that could explain the fact that I was different. That I didn’t belong.

I knew I’d made it out when I went back to visit my parents one year and the clerk at the drugstore asked my partner and I if we had ever visited the area before. I asked how they knew we were from out of town and they said, “I can just tell. Are you from Seattle or something?”

Almost thirteen years after saying “I do,” we divorced after giving an open relationship a try. I was a workaholic the entire time. A had a few relationships of varying duration, including some casual relationships with men. A couple months after swearing to stay single for a year I met the person I hope to spend the rest of my life with. We met through mutual friends, but both had online dating profiles and both had ours set to exclude vegans because WTF? How does that even work? Then we got together and went vegan.

Over the last several years before we met, the idea of being trans hit my radar. I’d talked with previous partners about it. I’d even gone through the not-atypical pattern of splurge-and-purge where I would embrace my sense of who I was and buy a bunch of skirts, cute tops, dresses and other things that never saw the world outside our house. My partners were supportive. But then I would panic and get rid of everything and go back to life in drag. I would do things like let my fingernails grow long, shave my armpits and some of my body hair, pluck my eyebrows—but never enough to “give me away,” as far as I knew.

Then at the age of 47 I learned my company was going through a restructuring and my department was being eliminated. Having grown up in poverty, I’d always let a stable job and reliable income take precedence over everything else. And my life history reflected that. But because of my partner, my circle of friends and who I’d allowed myself to become, I did something I never thought I would do. I left my job, volunteered at the local QIATBLG+ community center two days a week, did other social justice organizing and volunteer work, came out as trans, changed my name, updated all my legal documentation (including the non-binary X gender marker on my driver’s license) and enrolled in school full time. I had been on the fence on whether to start school or start a non-profit to serve the area trans and queer communities. When I learned about the brand new major at PSU—Sexuality, Gender and Queer Studies—I knew what I had to do. And I knew my life was right on track. - Iris @ Age 49

Signs of Humanity

Why can’t I be human? I’m called a child when I cry So I hold my feelings deep inside. Again I ask you, why?

Why can’t I be human? When I laugh, they think I’m weird. So I just smile to myself. Are feelings to be feared?

Why can’t I be human? When I’m quiet, they ask what’s wrong, So I think of something to talk about. Must I do this to belong?

Why can’t I be human? I’m scoffed at when I make a mistake. So I just turn and walk away, Though deep within, I ache.

Why can’t I be human? Why can’t I act like me?!?! Instead of just another model in… Series: Humanity. - by Iris @ Age 14

Close Your Eyes and Look at Me

Do not judge me by appearance. You have eyes but cannot see. Look at my spirit and my feelings. Close your eyes and look at me!

Hold your ears so you can listen. Hear my meaning, not my words. It is my heart that is speaking now. Is my language so absurd?

Quell your pride so you can feel. I know that you care deep inside. Why must these feelings that are so human Be held within, always denied? - by Iris @ Age 15

Balanced Confusion

Just sitting here, my mind is spinning With contemplative images. Caught in limbo between past and future, Unable to focus on the present. Trapped in a loop of unanswerable questions, I seek out nonexistent facts. Falling toward my termination— Groping for what is not there. Each time I sense a certain order And settle to a steady state, A new unknown begins to form And throws me into chaos. Emotions reign in my subconscious Running rampant, take their toll. I struggle to cling to reality, But slip across the line… Perceptions are nearly nullified. I no longer trust my senses. I crawl to the center of my mind And slumber in balanced confusion. - Iris @ Age 14

Sitting in the Oven

Sitting in the oven Wondering why the hell I’m here. I’m thinking and feeling something… Not sure what, but sure not fear.

It’s not too comfortable in here. I’m sitting on the wire rack; The bars aren’t big enough for my butt And there’s nothing to support my back.

Looking through the dirty glass I can see life passing by outside. Something is welling up inside me; I’m not sure what, but it’s sure not pride.

I guess I don’t like it here, But there isn’t much that I can do. Maybe if someone opens the door I’ll jump and try to make it through.

I’ve come to the conclusion That this is not the way to live. I’m thinking and feeling something… Not sure what, but sure not initiative. - Iris @ Age 16

[itsalettucelife-blog]

Hi & Story Time

Heyo! Welcome to my first post! Writing a food blog has always been something I’ve wanted to do (let’s be real, the list is endless) and I’m so happy to finally take action. First off, my name is Hannah and I’ve been vegan for about 1.75 years, but let’s rewind back to when this all started. *rewind tape noises* At age 11 I became obsessed with wildlife. Most specifically, I was drawn to creatures native to the Australian outback. Around this time I became OBSESSED with Steve Irwin’s The Crocodile Hunter and spent every waking moment watching his show, watching other wildlife/nature documentaries, and learning as much as possible. I became bothered by how media protrays animals like snakes, crocodiles, and sea animals such as sharks to be the villains and monsters of the story. In movies, television, and almost every other form of media we are influenced by, there seemed to be a common theme of how these animals were being represented. To me, they were amazing and deserved the utmost respect. For the next couple years I’d drag my parents to reptile shops (which my mom HATED with a passion) and be that annoying kid who wouldn’t stop talking about how great these species were to every human I came into contact with. (Sorry not sorry.)

Fast forward a few months later when I stared down at my meat dinner and had the realization that I was being a hypocrite. How could I possibly preach to the world how much I loved animals when here I was eating them?? My parents hated me, but my stubborn a$$ self made the promise that I’d stop eating red meat: cows and lambs. I’d only ever eaten pork once by accident (shoutout Souplantation for the poor labeling) since we are Jewish and didn’t eat pigs or bring shellfish into the house. So from then on my parents made turkey and chicken dishes for casual dinners, and still London broil, beef, and lamb quite regularly. Keep in mind red meat was almost a constant guarantee for me growing up so switching to more white meats was a big deal for my mom who was the one who mostly cooked for me and my 2 sisters.

Skip to the Thanksgiving of 2014 when I was 15 year old. As usual for our family, we went all out for the feast which included a 30 something pound turkey. That day (does everyone start eating at 4 in the afternoon?) we filled our plates with endless fall inspired dishes and squished our many guests around the dining room table. I picked up my fork and cut off a bite-sized piece of turkey from the piece of breast meat I’d put on my plate, built up the long awaited suspense of delicious Turkey Day dinner as I dipped it in cranberry sauce, and entered it into my mouth. As I chewed, I felt a dissatisfaction I’d never felt before. And had a flashback to that time only a couple years earlier when I was eating lamb and made the human-eating-animal connection. After that bite was chewed and sent down my esophagus, I set my fork on my plate in disgust as everyone happily chowed down. I felt guilt. And most of all, sadness. Why were we doing this? Why was I doing this? From then on, I became a vegetarian with the occasional piece of fish. Yes, people around me gave me a hard time about not eating meat. My dad teased me and my mom just thought I was a weirdo who was going to become severely deficient in iron and protein, but I was a girl on a mission to align my values with my actions. If you gave me a penny for every time someone asked what I eat or how I’m not dying from not getting enough protein, I’d be as rich as Bill Gates. It really wasn’t that hard. And it surely wasn’t anywhere close to as hard as people made it out to be. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The kitchen became my playground. (Like it wasn’t already. If you know anything about me it’s that I’ve been cooking and baking since before my first words.) It was this magical place where mixing a few things together could either turn into a yummy creation, or a volcanic eruption. Either way it was nothing short of fun and easily became my favorite room of the house.

During the spring of 2016 I cut out dairy because I developed an allergic reaction to it. Occasionally I’d cheat and pay for it by not being able to move from fetal position for hours. I deemed it not worth it to eat cows milk and went about my life as normal. That June, I ate my weighs worth of fish during my trip to Costa Rica, as it came with almost every lunch and dinner. I returned from that trip and maybe touched fish once more in the months following. At this point, the only animal product that remained in my diet were eggs. I liked those fluffy clouds. After all they were a yummy breakfast food! A brunch staple, and the common food everyone could agree on. Chickens naturally lay eggs so there’s no cruelty involved, right? Wrong.

Sometime in August of 2016 (Yay! The summer olympics!) I decided to watch a documentary on Netflix called Cowspiracy. I was speechless. The blinders were removed from my eyes and the brutal truth was exposed. I felt depressed over what happens in factory farms everyday worldwide, how animal archiculture harms this beautiful planet called Earth, not to mention the massive amounts of food being taken away from people who need it just to feed the animals that’ll later be murdered for our taste buds, but more than anything else, I felt inspired. Suddenly I had a purpose-- something to live for that was greater than myself. It was a hard night because I couldn’t stop thinking. I’m not going to lie, it’s hard to watch the violence, but compared to what these animals go through, it’s the least we can do. So far, everything I’ve talked about is related to being an ethical vegan, meaning making choices solely based on the choice to not participate in the using or eating of animals for the sake of the animals and world. The health results I saw from transitioning to a vegan diet were out of this world and are way too much to talk about in this post. (There’ll be a future post on that topic though, so check back soon!) Being vegan is the best decision I’ve EVER made. Because of it I feel a greater connection to all beings. My perspective has dramatically shifted for the better. I don’t believe non-vegans are bad people, instead I think they’re good people making bad choices out of ignorance, lack of understanding, and fear. Whenever I’m asked in a nutshell why I’m vegan, my answer is: if I’ve done nothing all day, at least I know I haven’t contributed to the injustice of animals who are fellow inhabitants of this planet just like I am. Choose love. Some might have fins, fur, scales, or feathers, but at the end of the day, we’re all breathing, feeling creatures who want to love and be loved.

Much love,

Vegan College Gurl (aka Hannah)

[thesuperblogaboutwashablemakeupr]

Changing To Face Pads | Vegan Charm

I have actually utilized non reusable makeup remover wipes for as long as I can bear in mind. Just recently though I chose it was time to switch over to recyclable makeup remover pads and also, at the same time, veganise this part of my skincare routine. Right here are the reasons that I have actually selected to ditch the disposables as well as both very easy and also cost effective adjustments I have actually made.

1. I'm transitioning to vegan and also cruelty cost-free charm products

Many of the leading cosmetic as well as appeal brands in the UK claim to be versus all pet testing. Nevertheless if they offer their products to landmass China they can't be cruelty complimentary. This is due to the fact that in China animal testing of all imported items is called for by legislation, so they have to have either funded the testing of their products, or at least permitted it to occur.

As I'm currently transitioning every one of my makeup and also elegance products to vegan as well as cruelty totally free versions, it was time to ditch my Simple cleaning wipes and also find a much better alternative.

By the way-- If you intend to check the viciousness complimentary condition of any type of elegance brand name, I suggest utilizing which is an excellent source that gets updated frequently.

2. Non reusable wipes are hugely damaging to the atmosphere

I made use of to believe that it was all right to use non reusable cleaning wipes due to the fact that I was accountable with them. I informed myself that it was other people's https://myecopanda.com/shop/ practice of flushing them that blocks the drains, contaminates our seas and chokes our wild animals.

The unfortunate reality, nevertheless, is that even if these wipes are disposed of appropriately, they're still going to end up in a substantial stack at the land fill. Once there, every one will certainly take control of a 100 years to break down. We just can't maintain contributing to the heap at the rate that we presently are, so I decided it was time to do my bit.

3. They misbehave for your skin

Wipes are undoubtedly the most convenient way to remove your makeup. However as it turns out, they aren't the very best thing for our skin. It's almost an assurance that they will certainly have components that are only there to keep the cloth moist. These components not do anything for your skin's wellness and might really be skin irritants.

Makeup wipes additionally have a tendency to leave a deposit on your skin. Whilst they may seem to clean it, they're not in fact doing as good a work as you 'd get utilizing a towel, a cleanser as well as some water. For these reasons, I determined it was time to try using recyclable makeup remover pads. Both Basic Swops I've Made

I have now changed to a collection of recyclable bamboo cotton pads. I purchased mine from Amazon but have because discovered comparable pads sold in my neighborhood alternate health shop.

In the beginning it seemed like a whole lot even more effort contrasted to using disposable wipes. Nonetheless after the first week I promptly got made use of to my new regular and also currently I don't also consider it.

The pads themselves are creamy soft and really feel comfy versus my skin. The texture is thicker than a clean so I do in some cases smudge my mascara a bit as I'm taking it off. Nevertheless I don't discover this much of an issue.

Below are the major ideas I have picked up from making use of the recyclable makeup remover pads:

- Remember to clean and dry your pads whilst you still have a few left. In this way you'll never run out.

- Wash your pads with various other products to save water and also energy.

I have actually discovered that washing at 40 degrees is effective for removing all traces of mascara and also fluid liner.

Utilize the drawstring bag that they got here in. If you clean them loosened they have a tendency to get caught in the door section of the maker.

I've cleaned mine concerning 10 times currently as well as they show no indications of breaking down so they have actually more than paid for themselves currently.

My brand-new cleanser of choice is the B. Pure Micellar Water from Superdrug's very own brand name skin care range which is totally vegan as well as cruelty cost-free.

My eyes are really delicate, prone to becoming itchy, red and also watery with eye makeup removers. I have not had any problems with this one the good news is. I have actually located it to be gentle as well as non invasive but efficient at getting rid of all of my makeup, including concealer, liquid liner as well as mascara.

The bottle is additionally massive and lasts me for months. This makes it an extra eco pleasant choice as I've minimized my packaging waste. It's likewise far more inexpensive than making use of disposable wipes, which I 'd purchase a somewhat cheaper price but far more regularly.

[memyselfandketo-blog]

FAQ about Keto

Hey everyone! If you are still reading thank you SO much for following my blog. I love writing about my KETO journey and I love answering questions people have. The questions below are a mixture of some questions people in my life have asked me about KETO or common questions I found and answered.

1. Why do you think KETO is the best option to lose weight?

I don’t think KETO is the best option for everyone but it is something that has worked for me with not as much effort as other diets and lifestyles. I don’t think you should have to dedicate most of your existence to dieting (unless of course you want to lol) so I researched for weeks what the most effective weight loss approach was and decided to see what would happen! (hint, it worked!)

2. I know you have had fertility issues do you think it is or was because of your weight?

I am not 100% sure but my doctor has not ruled it out. The biggest issue I had was I was not ovulating or when I was ovulating I would miscarry. The first time I miscarried I was about the weight I am at now but I was also getting my monthly cycle like I am now too. Up until 2 months ago when my KETO really kicked in, I had not had my cycle more than twice in two whole years. The weight loss helped with that a lot because I have PCOS which I was diagnosed with after my first miscarriage in my early 20′s. I am excited to lose another 50 pounds because I do plan on trying for a baby with my fiance and seeing what will happen since my body is ovulating again! 

3. What exactly does KETO mean? What does it do to your body to help lose the weight?

Keto, which is short for “Ketosis” is a state your body goes into after learning to burn fat for energy instead of relying on carbs for energy. Once you are in a state of Ketosis your body burns fat constantly so even while you are just walking around or even getting out of your car. Fat loss = weight loss!

4. Is it possible to be vegan or vegetarian on KETO?

Yes. Though very limited in many ways, as long as you are creative and do research you can do it and create many yummy dishes. I would suggest going into it very slowly as it may be a shock to your body.

5. What has been the biggest challenge been since you started your diet in general even before KETO?

The biggest challenge was probably binge eating. I am one of those people where I would be making my fiance dinner and have like two or three bites of his macaroni but I would do that a lot. But after losing my first 30 pounds (non keto) I really told myself I would stop the binge eating. After starting KETO my cravings went away. THEY EXIST SOMETIMES but I would say about 1/8 of the time! One part of being in a state of Ketosis is your body rarely has cravings and is not as hungry.

6. Can the KETO diet make you sick?

Any diet can really make you sick. I would 100% suggest talking this over with your doctor based on your own medical history which is what I did. A common myth people think about KETO is that your brain cannot survive on ketones alone but that is not true. They can survive on about 75%-80% roughly, if they couldn’t, the human race would starve faster. Scientifically people who are starving live anywhere from a few days to a month and in many rare cases longer. That is because there body is in a state of ketosis the only difference is they have no food coming in at all. But there body is using FAT that is on there body already as energy and it eventually kills them when they run out of anything to burn off, hence starvation. 

You can also get the keto flu if you jump into keto too quickly. I jumped in at a normal rate and I STILL got it so it is very normal. Basically when you go from eating a shit ton of carbs to basically none your body goes into shock. Kind of like if you went years without eating cheese then one day ate cheese, your body would be like “What in the fuck is this shit Sharon?”. My average carb consumption was about 150-220 carbs a day. That sounds like a lot, but track what you eat in a day and you’ll be like “Who am I?”. When I started KETO I started at 50 carbs then went down to 30, then down to 20 and under. I did that over a month and a half span. You also need to make sure you are eating enough calories to survive. I find the myfitnesspal app to really be helpful in this scenario. 

7. How can I calculate my macros?

So I hate KETO calculators I feel like they ask to many questions. But I do this to lose weight and even though I am not a doctor this has worked for everyone I have convinced to do this diet including myself! Download myfitnesspal it is a free app. Put in your age, weight, height etc.. and it will ask you how many lbs a week you want to lose, put 2lbs that is the highest you can go. It then gives you standard macros you need to follow every day to lose weight. SO then you have to modify three things. Your carbs, protein and fat. Go into your daily goals in myfitnesspal and get to the percentages of those specific macros and make sure your carbs make up 5%-10%, your protein is 20%-25% and your fat is 70%-75%. That is a standard KETOGENIC formula. Of course to avoid getting stick, start with higher values first but you should end up here. 

I hope you found this helpful! Also after a months on KETO I have decided to take the ever popular keto test to see which level of ketosis I am in and I am happy to announce I am almost in full ketosis!!!!

[sarahunfiltered-blog1]

My Diet/Fitness/Nutrition Journey Thus Far

Most of the memories I have of life growing up revolve mostly around food. I remember growing up and all we’d eat was Sonic, Dairy Queen, Whataburger, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, you name it, I ate it. I could still to this day probably tell you my order from each place. I was raised on Hamburger Helper, Ramen noodles, Rice a Roni, canned and boxed everything, candy and soda. 

I remember when I was around maaaaaybe 12-13 and my mom doing a diet that may have been slim quick or something along the lines of you eat chicken and veggies, take these pills and do some sort of workout. I had a really bad sweet tooth (still do) as a kid and I started to gain weight and at 13 I was 165lbs, so my mom included me into her diet routine and I would eat the chicken and veggies, rice cakes, a tbsp of coconut oil and would chew sugar gum and we’d walk between the stop signs on the street we lived on and I’d do her workouts with her. I remember watching my brothers and sisters eating candy while I ate my caramel rice cakes because I was the bigger one of all of them, so for the longest time I was just the fat tomboy of a girl that would stare at herself in the mirror and look at how big my butt was at 13 and hating it and my stomach to stuck out and my fat face. I remember I used to grab my stomach and cry and scream about how much I hated it. If only I were skinny I’d be enough. I would sneak and binge on sweets, it was my comfort, it was there for me and it made me feel better

When I got my period and more of my hormones kicked in I lost a lot of weight. I want to say I got down to 125 when I was around 14-15 and I wouldn’t eat because I was extremely depressed. My sweet tooth was still there, but I wouldn’t eat because I thought eating would make me fat, so I wouldn’t and when I did it was minimal. I ate a lot of 100 calorie snacks, drank juice like V8 because I thought it was healthy, diet coke because it was diet and wouldn’t make me fat. When I was 16 I started working at Target and they have a Pizza Hut Cafe and almost every shift I would go pick up there bread sticks and a diet Pepsi and that would be my lunch (the thought of that now literally makes me cringe). I went to a bible college from 17-almost 18 and ate Ramen noodles and whatever shit food they served while I was there, but I didn’t know any different so I just ate it. I was still pretty skinny because ya know I was 15-17 and you can eat like shit and still be a twig.

When I turned 18 and moved out of my parents house my diet didn’t suuuuper change. I was still living a hardcore Taco Bell and Pizza Hut bread sticks and diet coke life style because I was living on my own, broke as a joke and ate the food I was used to eating, but then I gained probably 30lbs easily within a short amount of time (surprise surprise). I had spent my whole time as a teenager not wanting to be the fat kid and here I was back at 165lbs... wtf. I didn’t really know how to cook, didn’t have money for groceries, refused to apply for food stamps, so I just thought starting to workout would cure all my problems. Well, it didn’t long story short. I mean why didn’t working out and running for an hour THEN going eat Taco Bell work? I was working out, right? HA.

I remember scrolling Pinterest when I discovered it and finding the “Military Diet” and giving that a go. You basically don’t eat anything for 3 days and could apparently lose 10lbs. I wanted to DIE during that diet. I made it the first time around and lost 5lbs, then gave it another go and didn’t make it 2 days and stopped by Taco Bell on my way home from work and binged on that. So my diet search continued... One of my coworkers at the time started using My Fitness Pal to track her calories and she was losing weight like crazy, so I obviously I needed to give it a go and the weight just started falling fall. I went from 165lbs to 125lbs within a matter a months. I didn’t work out, I just ate less than 1,500 calories a day, cold turkey stopped eating candy, drinking soft drinks and unfortunately my Pizza Hut bread sticks. Everything was going GREAT. When I wanted to go down to the next lbs and I was 0.2 from it I would pop a few laxatives the night before and then would weight myself the next morning after shitting my brains out, but I HAD to lose that 0.2lbs.. just had to. I became overly obsessed with counting calories and eating lean cuisines and and 100 calories snacks and drinking Naked juice and weighing myself DAILY and measuring every single little thing I ate and would legit cry if I went over my calories. Funny, not so funny story. One weekend I was headed to my mom’s and had already eaten all of my calories for the day, but was staaaaaaaarving, so I stopped by Jimmy John’s and ate a sandwich that was 800ish calories, which put me 800ish calories over what I was “allowed” to eat, so you bet your ass I drug all of my brother and sisters and mom to a walking trail and walked/ran until I burned off the entire sandwich because I wouldn’t sleep peaceful knowing what I did by eating that sandwich. It was bad, just so bad. I remember the day I hit a breaking point and just wanted some damn chocolate chop cookies, but didn’t have the calories saved for it, but I binged on them anyways and cried in Michael’s arms over what I did and he was telling me it was fiiiiiiine and all the sweet things he could, but it wasn’t to me in that moment, but in that moment I just knew I needed to stop all of this, so I did. I feel like I remember just deleting the app off my phone and being done with it. I was 20 at this point and working a standing job.

Beginning in February of 2014 I started a corporate sitting job, so I didn’t have access to Starbucks or a grocery store on my breaks like I did working at Target, so I had to start bringing my lunches and snacks and to top it all off I was sitting. As you could maybe imagine I started gaining weight from being stagnant and snacking ALL day at my desk (#teamnutrigrain). I put on a good 20lbs within the first couple of months. So I started going for walks on my breaks, eating a lean cuisine a day, eating more fresh fruits and veggies, almonds, and limited my snacking to only in the afternoons and that kind of helped and worked for me for a long time and I stayed at a healthy maybe 140ish lbs and that worked for me because I was still skinny. All about that skinny life because skinny = healthy, right? Well, I thought so. 

I turned 21 and didn’t go crrazzzyy drinking, but I drank moscato and margarita’s often enough and still was all about my Friday candy binge. I was also drinking up to 3 cups of coffee a day at work and just couldn’t figure out why I was sweating and so anxious all the time. I genuinely thought it was from work when in reality I was just pumping myself with coffee after coffee after coffee day in and day out (I’ve learned since my lesson since then). I went through a phase of HIIT workout and running, but that faded really quick, but I really enjoyed hiking when I gave it a go, still do. Along with yoga which I am planning to make a goal of starting a practice in 2018. 

Around the time I turned 22-23 my older sister, Meghann, had a baby and really educated herself around living a more holistic lifestyle and it really intrigued me and around that time I had discovered podcasts and I realized how much processed foods aren’t the best choice and what I could do as an alternative way of going about eating, so I stopped lean cuisine’s (haven’t had one since), milk and yogurt along with limiting candy and processed snacks. I completely cleaned my desk out at work from all the sugar filled granola bars and whatever else I had in there and started to work with that. I shortly thereafter learned about one of the best ways of going about what to eat/not eat is if it didn’t come from the earth and/or has a label on it to think twice before eating it and READ the back of the label if you do. This is still newer-ish to me to do and I’m currently learning about all things nutrition, and how the mind, body and spirit all work together and you can’t have one fully without the other.

 As of now I don’t drink dairy milk, I limit cheese but still love it, I grocery shop once a week and buy as much organic produce as possible, I am still working on the meat switch when it comes to buying organic meat (not quite there yet), I cold turkey stopped eating candy and have found organic, non high fructose corn syrup filled alternatives when I have a sweet tooth, I haven’t been drinking alcohol much the last 2 months or so (don’t have a legit reasoning behind it, just doesn’t sound good), I am really into cooking paleo, vegan, Whole30 friendly foods because it coincides with my eating from the earth method I live by and when I want Whataburger breakfast on a Friday or a taco with a flour tortilla or a real homemade chocolate chip cookie I happily will eat it because I do not believe in living a restricted lifestyle. My entire life leading up to recently whether it was mentally, spiritually or physically has been restricted and I’m not OK with it because it’s limiting and keeps me in a box. I’m a believer in the energy you put into something is negative the outcome will be negative, so if I’m to sit here and say “this is cookie is SO bad for me. OMG. I am going to gain 10lbs.” Well, I’m asking for it to happen, versus eating the cookie cause I want the damn cookie and loving every bit. They doesn’t mean I sit there and eat 12, it just means my mindset around food was so terrible for so long and I know what it did to me mentally that is not worth it for me to be negative about it. I am content and happy with where I am out now, I don’t even care to weigh myself anymore, I don’t body shame myself anymore, I don’t calorie count, I don’t binge, I don’t use food as a reward system, I just educate myself around it, listen to my body and see how it feels and go from there. My anxiety has lessened, I sleep so much better, I feel so peaceful inside and out, and my skin has completely cleared up (I’ll talk about my skincare routine future post).  It’s been a long, ongoing journey, but I am thankful for the million and 2 podcasts I’ve listened to, my sister and everyone else along the way to get me to where I am today and I am excited to continue to learn and grow and now have a place to share all the info I am taking in and it maybe help someone else. :)

- Sarah xo

[thesilverwitch]

WICCA: HOW TO BEGIN

*Please keep in mind that there are many different types of Wicca and traditional Wicca itself has no high authority and no bible to dictate its laws and beliefs. However, there are certain ideals that are typically honored amongst the majority of sects that make/keep Wicca, Wicca. This is a skeleton guide meant to help you begin to flesh-out your own path.                                                   

SO WHAT IS WICCA?

If you’re reading this post, you are probably looking for information about Wicca. Perhaps you are curious, perhaps interested, perhaps trying to learn… allow me to try to clarify so you can begin to understand.

Sometimes the very beginning is the hardest place to begin. Whenever someone asks me what Wicca is, it seems every answer brings about another series of questions. Wicca is an almost completely decentralized religion/way of life. Wicca has no high authority, no single leader, no prophet and no bible to dictate its laws and beliefs. Many, perhaps most, Wiccans are solitary practitioners. Others form small local groups called covens, groves, etc. Thus, there probably are almost as many sects of Wiccan beliefs as there are Wiccans.

This only proves the point that it’s hard to put an entire religion into a nutshell! Wicca is as complex as every other religion you may have heard of (and maybe more, in a lot of ways).

There seems to be so much information out there about Wicca that is just plain wrong; many people already have preconceived notions that are totally off base.

Wiccan sources can really be hit or miss. Some people are much more interested in making money by selling books or generating traffic to their site than they are about getting the record straight about Wicca. And some people mean very well– they love Wicca and want to share what they’ve learned with the world– but they have learned from those bad sources.It is hard to know straight away when you’re new if a source is going to be good or bad. I’ll do my best to lead you to reputable, accurate information.

WHAT WICCA ISN’T

Sometimes it’s easier to push aside the misconceptions about Wicca before getting to what it actually is. So let’s begin correcting some of the worst information. I promise to get much deeper into explanations about what Wicca is and isn’t as we go along learning in additional hubs; but for now, allow me to briefly touch on what Wicca is not:

Wicca is not an ancient religion, though it is an amalgamation of practices both ancient and new. It was once believed to be ancient, and that myth has unfortunately lingered and is still claimed by a lot of popular authors. But we know that Wicca is a thoroughly modern invention.

Wicca and Witchcraft are not the same thing. Back to when Wicca was being founded, again, it was believed to be the ancient religion of Witches. Once again, reputable historians and sociologists have debunked this claim. One can still be a Wiccan Witch, and traditionally Wiccans do practice The Craft (myself included). But it’s no longer a given.

Wiccans don’t worship the Earth. We revere it, but we worship our Gods. Wicca is, traditionally, a theistic religion. (My own version of the God and Goddess in Wicca is the Light and Shadow of the Universe; two energies interlaced in perfect unity to form one infinite “deity”. So it is without that it is within; meaning I am both the student and the teacher,the slave and the master, the art and the artist, the created and the creator.) 

Wicca is not every New Age or Occult practice you can name. Certainly Wiccans are free to pursue the Tarot, astrology, crystals, herbalism, runes, I-Ching, phrenology, spirit animals, spiritualism, etc. etc… there are a number of different spiritual practices that go hand-in-hand nicely with Wicca. But that doesn’t make them Wicca.

It is important to realize that none of these things are required. And learning these things does not necessarily mean you are Wiccan, or learning Wicca. Think of Wicca as a pizza; these other things are just optional toppings.

Wicca is not “anything you want it to be”. Wicca is a specific religion with a specific framework. Granted, there are a lot of beliefs in Wicca that are flexible. But that doesn’t mean anything you want to believe, or anything you want to do, can be defined as Wicca. To say Wicca is everything, you may as well say Wicca is nothing… nothing but a catch-all phrase tacked on for “cool points”.

Wicca isn’t evil. While morals are always something you can debate, Wicca does not condone acts that could be described as “evil”. If someone thinks our religion is wrong, or untrue, they have a right to their opinion. But to call us something we are not is ignorance.

WHAT WICCA IS

Now we get to the meat (or, for you vegetarians and vegans, the tofu) of the post. Mind you, it’s not easy to do justice to any system of beliefs in a few short paragraphs, but I will attempt to bullet point it:

Wicca is a religion. First and foremost, Wicca is focused on a relationship with deity, how to live your life by certain principles, tenets, ethics, rites, holy days, etc.

Wicca is a Pagan fertility religion.  More specifically than just being a religion, Wicca is a Pagan religion. Worship generally revolves around at least one masculine and at least one feminine deity. How Wiccans may view the nature of deity can vary, but generally we are polytheistic Pagans worshiping the Gods and Goddess of many different Pagan pantheons.

Wicca is a modern religion. Gerald Gardner pieced Wicca together through the 1940s. He thought he stumbled upon an ancient Pagan Witch cult that had gone underground to escape Christian persecution. Gardner admitted his info was fragmentary The ancient underground Pagan Witch cult turned out to be a myth– yet Gardner had found something that worked: a modern religion, for a modern age, that reconstructed/reinvented ancient beliefs and practices. . He was well traveled and well learned in various occult and esoteric studies; he worked with Doreen Valiente– a writer, poet, and fellow student of the occult – to draw from various complementary sources to piece together a workable system. 

Wicca is an experiential religion. Most religions we’re used to today are revealed religions, such as Christianity and Judaism– religions in which people believe a God ‘revealed’ what he wanted us to know through scripture. Wicca has no scripture, and we do not believe any Gods revealed anything. Rather than specific instructions of what to do and not to do, Wicca provides a framework for tenets and practices through which the Wiccan can learn through personal study, observation and experiences.

So what is this framework? Wiccan tenets? Ethics? Philosophy? Well, that’s another post. Several. We’ll get there. Be patient.

IN PERSONAL TERMS

I feel, and have always felt, that Wicca is to a degree, a personal thing–a personal path, so I will include a more abstract view. For me, while you can describe Wicca in technical terms and history, this does not accurately convey what it means. Wicca is a celebration of nature and the magic of life which surrounds us all, it’s the whispers of the wind in the trees, the fire of Autumn leaves shining brightest in their last days and the slumber of an ancient oak in the depths of winter. All those moments which take our breath away, the reflective sunrises and the nights under moonlight that fill our souls with song, we celebrate and revere. Even in our darkest moments that connection is there waiting to be found, helping us to embrace the shadows and understand that light and shadow need each other to bring balance. Each person brings to the practices something new, a change to a chant, a new method, or just their own light, forming threads that weave together into a vibrant tapestry that can bring joy to those within.

GETTING STARTED

STEP 1. DO YOUR RESEARCH

Before you even think about converting to Wicca, or before you make any finalized decisions or declarations, you should spend some time studying. Sorry to report this—but if you don’t like reading or studying, you’re probably not going to like Wicca very much; or at least you’re not going to get very far. Wicca is a non-dogmatic religion; rather than telling you what to believe, it throws the ball in your court and tells you to think critically. This requires knowledge.

One book isn’t enough, but five or ten books is a good start. It’s generally recommended you read and study—actively—for at least a year and a day before making any decisions about whether to be Wiccan or not. 

Do your research and come to your own conclusions. Do NOT believe everything you read online or in books for that matter. Click here for 13 critical reading tips by Witchy Words that will greatly assist you on your own personal path.  

STEP 2. THINK

Once you really start learning about Wicca, it’s beliefs, it’s tenets, etc., it’s time to consider whether your beliefs are a match. Are your personal beliefs something that can fall within a Wiccan framework?

Wicca is not a dogmatic religion, this is true; so anyone coming into it looking for a book of scripture or a list of commandments is approaching it from the wrong angle. But Wicca is also not, as some poorer sources have of late been putting it, “anything you want it to be.” The problem with saying Wicca is anything is that you’re essentially saying it’s nothing. There are some things that just don’t fit very well under the definition. For example, if you believe in Jesus with all your heart as a savior, why do you want to worship him within a religion that teaches there is nothing to be saved from?

The beauty of Wicca is that there are really no mandates—there are no ‘accept this or take a hike’ philosophies. But in being part of an experiential religion, you are accepting responsibility to use logic and reason—which means really considering if your beliefs fit within Wicca, or that if perhaps the one or two things that attracts you to Wicca can be found in another religion that is more in line with your beliefs.

STEP 3: PRAY/MEDITATE

Once you get to the point at which you know you want to worship as a Wiccan, it’s time to begin worshipping. Start praying to your Gods/Deities/the Universe/etc. Introduce yourself and ask them to reveal themselves to you. Ask for guidance, for clarification, for understanding.

Start meditating—for as they say, if prayer is talking to your God, meditation is listening. A daily meditation regime can be very beneficial not just for health and wellness purposes, but for spiritual development.

STEP 4: OBSERVE

Start being aware of life from a Wiccan perspective. Observe the cycles of the seasons and the cycles of the moon. Start acknowledging them in small ways. Think about Wiccan tenets and ethics when you’re faced with choices. Consider your life, and areas in which lessons can be learned from Wicca.

Observe the world around you; the interplay between all living things. Begin to notice the cycles of the seasons, of the moon, of life. You may wish to get into a more regular routine with your meditations and prayers, or start some very simple, informal rites to celebrate Esbats and Sabbats.

At this point, reading and learning shouldn’t necessarily stop, but it’s important to begin some application of those principles. That’s how you start living Wicca.

STEP 5: BUILD

A mistake a lot of people make early on is rushing out to collect tools—but Wicca is not a scavenger hunt. But at this point, when you’ve begun to practice, you may want to begin moving towards more formal practice. You might wish to start collecting altar tools—you don’t need to get them all at once. In fact, it’s a good idea to study a tool and its purpose, then look for it, then begin to use it, doing this one at a time.

A lot of books will tell you to get this and that, but keep in mind that you won’t need every tool that every book mentions. This is why it’s important to understand a tool’s function before you even worry about buying it—it may turn out to be something you just don’t need.

It’s also time to start building your ritual. That is, building a more structured approach to your ritual. That doesn’t mean you have to plan ever single detail out, but by its very definition a ritual is a repeated act. It’s the repetition that helps you reach ritual consciousness. It helps you bypass the state of consciousness in which you’re actively thinking into that state on which you go into ‘autopilot’ so that you can open yourself to the various energies you’re trying to raise.

Start thinking about a standard opening and closing, invocations, casting a circle. Again, it’s not something you need to do all in one night, but every couple of months think about and add another element.

STEP 6: MAGICK

Magick isn’t necessarily the focus of Wicca and not all Wiccans practice magick, but eventually you may want to incorporate some into your practice. Someone interested in just learning magick doesn’t have to be Wiccan and should go straight to learning The Craft; however, if Wicca as a religion is what interests you, spend the time familiarizing yourself with the religion first. Once you get to the point at which you’re collecting tools and holding regular rituals, it’s a good time to begin practicing this fascinating and enchanting element. Begin including some minor magical workings in your circle, as well as beginning studies in the arts.

STEP 7: NETWORK

At some point, it’s good for you to get out in the Pagan community at large. You don’t have to wait until the end to do this, but if you haven’t yet you should try at this point.

Meet with other Wiccans, attend classes or open rituals or drumming circles. Doing this can expose you to many new ideas, help you find people to talk to that you can relate to, you might even find a coven that you’d like to join if this is your ultimate goal. Religions are personal journeys, but they’re also meant to be experienced communally to some extent.

This list is by no means the only way to go about becoming Wiccan, but if you’re truly unsure of where to begin or where to go, it’s a good succession that will get you on your way.

Sources: WiccanSage and Rosewicket Coven

[tamboradventure]

Meet the Team: The Many Faces of Nomadic Matt

Posted: 4/30/2020

It takes a village to keep this website going. From tech and coding to design to fixing bugs getting readers books when downloads fail to scheduling social media or running the forums, I have a lot of help. I simply couldn’t run the website, write, travel, eat, sleep, or anything in between if I didn’t have the support and help of an amazing group of people.

It’s not just me writing and posting about my travels. I have a big group of full-time staff helping juggle everything.

I realized a lot of you don’t realize that so, today, I wanted to introduce the team to you.

So, without further ado, here’s they are:  

Erica

Erica has been working for me for almost six and a half years and is the events director of The Nomadic Network, our travel community. She keeps this community thriving. In her own words:

I grew up in Connecticut and went to school in Virginia. During a quarter-life crisis at age 21, I chose to finish my last year of college on an adventure in Qatar! From that moment on, my life revolved around traveling cheaply with the money I earned from waitressing. That budget got me to teach English in Isaan, Thailand, and South Korea; farm on St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean and Costa Rica; and volunteer in rural Zambia. At age 26, I returned home to Connecticut, determined to get a job in travel. Soon after, I met Nomadic Matt at a travel meet-up in NYC, and the rest is history.

I whole-heartedly believe that traveling makes friends of strangers, and the more friends there are in the world, the more peace there is in the world.

13 Facts about Me

At 15, I helped build a schoolhouse in Nicaragua.

1. I cooked an American Thanksgiving feast for my Thai co-English teachers in Thailand where barely any of the mashed potatoes, carrots and peas were eaten so my host-grandmother fed in to the monks for the following week unbeknownst to me.

I’ve cut off my hair and donated it to Locks of Love, twice!

I once hunted for possums on the island of St. Vincent with a bunch of Rastafarians. We caught four and made soup. I was a vegetarian at the time.

In Costa Rica, I stayed at in a sustainable living community called Rancho Mastatal, where I learned how to farm yuca, make beer out of turmeric, and build a house out of cob.

I spent 11 days on a coconut water only fast at a yoga retreat in Cambodia, twice

I taught English in South Korea for 14 months and was able to easily save enough money for 21 months of non-stop travel. I also taught the students how to use “boo” colloquially.

This music video I made used to be one of the top hits when you searched for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

In Zambia, my friend and I were given a live chicken as a present. We were vegetarians, so we traded it for a pair of second-hand jeans in the town’s market.

I got 19 people (the students and teachers on a FLYTE trip) into an airport lounge in Ecuador for free. I think that’s a travel hacking record!

My college education was entirely free. How? I got a ton of tiny scholarships (I applied for everyone I could get my hands on) that added up, being a Residential Assistant in the dorms, and studying in Qatar actually saved me money (in the most expensive country in the world).

In Korea, I dated a guy who spoke no English and we basically communicated through drawing pictures and reciting American rap lyrics.

Last summer, I took a trip to Tunisia with some friends. I wish I could have stayed longer – what a cool country!

  Chris O.

Chris joined the team as the part-time manager of the forums back in 2015. Since then, he’s transitioned to full-time and has branched out into the Superstar Blogging program and helps me with all of our various admin tasks. In his own words:

I grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada, and spent my formative years listening to punk rock, reading Star Wars novels, and generally getting up to no good. After ditching my lifelong plan to be a lawyer, I decided to give travel a try. I headed to Costa Rica on a whim and have never looked back! It wasn’t long after that trip that I took a break from university (where I was studying history and theatre) to move to a monastery in Japan in 2007. I’ve more or less been wandering around ever since. Some notable adventures include taking the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia and Mongolia, walking the Camino de Santiago twice, and going on a 10-day road trip around Iceland with complete strangers.

When I’m not traveling, I live in Sweden and can be found reading, writing, or hanging out with my rescue dog, Grimo.

13 Facts about Me

I spent nine months living in Buddhist monasteries.

I lived in a tent for a year.

I was once stalked by a jaguar and chased by a crocodile — on the same trip.

I haven’t had alcohol in 16 years.

I’ve broken all my fingers and toes, and my nose three times, and I’ve fractured both my wrists.

I worked on an organic farm for 11 years.

I co-owned a restaurant in Canada.

I grew up next door to Avril Lavigne.

I wrote a book (and am working on another one)

I played inter-mural Quidditch in high school and was our team’s Seeker.

I have a Star Wars tattoo.

I’ve been vegan for 15 years.

I have a scar from a fight that broke out over which Norse god was “the best.”

  Chris R.

Chris, aka The Aussie Nomad, is a (kinda) former blogger who does all the tech and development work for the website. He keeps it running, fixes any errors you find, and deals with my constantly changing design desires. In his own words:

I’m living the good life in Western Australia by the beach with my amazing family. I got into the world of blogging after quitting my job, backpacking around Europe and, as all Aussies do, undertaking a working holiday in the UK. Like all of us who travel and fall in love with it, nobody wants to go home afterwards.

That adventure got me into creating a travel blog many years ago, which is how I first came to know Matt. I have since repurposed my IT skills from my old life and formed my own business to help out other bloggers with their websites.

13 Facts about Me

I love Belgian beer (and I even married a Belgian).

I’ve worked with Matt the longest out of anyone here. (Take that team!)

I took off to backpack Europe when I was 29.

I’m an advocate for Vegemite and believe all visitors to Australia must try this national treasure.

One of my favorite activities is to take a long road trip, especially with family and friends.

I have no idea how four-way stop signals in the U.S.A. don’t all end up as accidents.

I do not drink Fosters. It’s a terrible beer. No one in Australia actually drinks it.

I like to think of myself as an amateur photographer.

I failed kindergarten as I wouldn’t say goodbye to the teacher.

My first job was working in a supermarket.

I can’t sleep on a plane – no matter how long the flight is.

I can name every Thomas the Tank Engine character thanks to my son.

I don’t drink coffee or get people’s love for it. Tea all the way!

  Raimee

Raimee does all of our social media and content marketing. She schedules posts, tweaks my terrible photos so they look good on Instagram, builds out our content calendar, analyzes data, edits video, creates digital marketing campaigns, and designs our social media graphics! In her own words:

When I was just 14 years old, I took my first international trip to Honduras and Belize with my family. Ever since then, I’ve been hooked on experiencing new cultures, connecting with people from all walks of life, and learning about myself and the world through the power of travel! After graduating with a degree in advertising and marketing from Michigan State University and four years as a digital marketing specialist, I realized that corporate life was not for me. My insatiable need to experience the world beyond a desk led me to search for a job-related to travel. I’ve followed this blog for many years, and now I get to work for it remotely while I strategize, manage, and report on the social media accounts — and I love every second of it!

13 Facts about Me

I’m obsessed with Harry Potter. I’ve read each book at least 10 times. If I told you how many times I’ve watched the movies, you probably wouldn’t believe me.

I once hung out with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter!) at a Red Wings game in Detroit, and actually kept my cool the whole time (side note: He’s a SUPER nice guy!)

Visiting the Harry Potter studio tour in London was one of the best days of my life.

My mom was obsessed with the 80’s horror movie Evil Dead directed by Sam Raimi, so she named me after him.

After having visited about 30 countries, Iceland is still my favorite.

My biggest travel dream is to take a road trip around New Zealand!

I try to read 1-2 book(s) EVERY week!

I used to play the saxophone (and I wish I still did!)

I conquered my fear of heights by jumping off a cliff in Croatia — twice!

I love languages and was close to being fluent in German during college.

I’ve acted in a few independent and short films and as an extra in some network TV shows (I even have an IMDB page!)

In another life, I would have been a film director/producer. Maybe some day!

My favorite number is 13.

  Carmela

Carmela is the Executive Director of our non-profit FLYTE that makes travel accessible to underserved youth from across the country. She handles anything and everything from fundraising, working with our partner schools to plan student trips abroad, connecting with our incredible donor community, and managing our volunteer team.

Born and raised in New Jersey, I had the privilege of taking my first international trip when I was 3 to visit my family in the Philippines where I refused to ride the local jeepneys because they didn’t have seatbelts! Since then, my love for travel has evolved. In 2012, my husband, Raymund, and I took a round the world honeymoon that was supposed to scratch the travel itch (lol). We came back home to NYC for a few years before taking the leap to become full-time remote workers, and have lived all over the world ever since.

When I’m not running FLYTE, I love planning trips (even if they’re not my own), practicing yoga, hiking, rock climbing, reading, eating, and eating cookies (which are their own food group, in my opinion).

I LOVE Math! I have a degree in it, taught statistics to college students, and few things make me happier than a well functioning Excel spreadsheet.

I come from a family of educators. My parents were both teachers before they immigrated to the US from the Philippines in the 70’s. Before I left to travel, I worked for the Chancellor of NYC Public Schools, the largest school district in the country, and now running FLYTE is pretty much my dream job because it combines my love for education with travel.

The Notorious BIG and I share the same birthday. Juicy is one of my favorite songs.

I still don’t fully understand how to use Twitter.

I like suspenseful movies & TV shows, but hate the feeling of being in suspense, so I often read what happens before watching so I can relax and enjoy my viewing experience.

My favorite cartoon is Alvin & the Chipmunks. I still have an Alvin doll that I was gifted on my 1st birthday. It bears no resemblance to the actual Alvin Seville anymore.

I attended an all girls high school and a women’s college – that environment there largely shaped who I am today.

My guilty pleasure is watching Terrace House – the Japanese equivalent to the Real World.

My dad has an identical twin brother and they used to play tricks on me and my cousin when we were younger. It’s equally funny and traumatizing.

I hate raisins, especially in cookies.

I’m an only child, but have over 30 first cousins. I love them as if they were my actual siblings.

Raymund and I met in Hawaii. For that, and many other reasons, it’s my most favorite place in the world.

I know every lyric to every song from the Sound of Music.

  Nomadic Matt

And, finally, there’s me. You probably know a lot about me after twelve years of blogging (sometimes I forget how long it’s been), but here’s a quick refresh:

Growing up in Boston, I was never a big traveler. I didn’t take my first trip overseas until 2004. That trip changed my life and opened me up to the possibilities the world had to offer. One year later, I went to Thailand, where I met five backpackers who inspired me to quit my job and travel the world. In 2006, I left for a yearlong backpacking trip — and have been “nomadic” ever since.

13 Facts about Me

I love politics as much as I love travel and will debate for the joy for it.

I love to cook.

When I was in high school, I was my state’s champ in “Magic: the Gathering.” I know — super nerdy, right? It got me a free trip NYC with my friend (who came in number two!).

I always worry about the future and often use my time back home to develop skills needed for the Zombie Apocalypse. Shout-out to my prepper friend Vanessa for teaching me about seeds!

I once met Paul Giamatti on the streets of NYC and he was as grumpy as I imagined.

I am an unabashed Taylor Swift fan.

I don’t drink coffee.

I believe aliens exist. It’s mathematically impossible they don’t.

I’m terrified of flying.

I learned to swing dance so I could throw myself a Gatsby-themed birthday party.

Both sides of my family came through Ellis Island and you can see their names on the wall where they list all the immigrants.

I used to be the head of a program by the Massachusetts Sierra Club that promoted energy efficiency.

I went to college to be a high school history teacher.

***

So there you have it! The Nomadic Matt team! It’s weird to think this blog I started to simply be online résumé for freelance jobs now requires eleven people to run. I always thought the more systems, automation, products, and passive income I set up, the easier it would be. I could just sit on a beach. But it seems the more we do, the more we create, the more projects I tell the team we’re taking on, the more help we require. I guess that is the nature of the beast but I would have it no other way. I love what we do here. We help a lot of people realize their dreams.

And a guy couldn’t ask for better co-workers to help make that happen.

P.S. – We’ve launched a new Patreon where you can get stories and tips I don’t share on this blog, a private Facebook group, phone calls with me and the team, live Q&As, postcards from the road, signed copies of my books, and much more! Click here to get access!

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines, because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com, as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. I use them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it, as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those 70 and over)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all those I use — and they’ll save you time and money too!

The post Meet the Team: The Many Faces of Nomadic Matt appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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[ladyslounge-blog-blog]

If you're bored, you're boring

Dear Jennifer June, I follow you on Instagram, Facebook and twitter. You seem so down to earth and fun, even now, during this global disaster. I don't know how you do it! Sorry for writing about something so depressing, I'm sure you have more interesting things to do than read this, but I'm having a hard time coping with this whole Corona Virus thing and you're basically my idol and there's nobody's advice I would cherish more than yours at a time like this. It's hard enough living alone in this 3 story house, with nobody to talk to but my extraordinarily independent, mute, non-shedding, hypoallergenic cat, and nothing to do but play my baby grand piano, cook in my Wolfgang Puck inspired kitchen, and watch the plants in the solarium grow, without having to try to make sense of all the contradicting political and public service announcements on the news - on top of it all. How do you stay so grounded and levelheaded during this crisis? Anxious and alone, with nobody to share any of my wine with, Samantha P.S. I love your hair like that. You’re so pretty. Dear Samantha, Thank you so much for following me, and for your very kind words. I know that times like these can be very trying for anyone, and I honestly can't imagine how hard it must be for you to have all that empty quiet space to occupy all by yourself. The solarium alone sounds dreadful. I don't know if they will be of any use to you but here are 10 of the tools that have kept me calm, reflective and mentally grounded over the last few weeks. Regular exercise - At least 4 times a week (weight training, cardio, stretching etc.) Ritual - meditation, prayer, lighting candles, manifesting and projecting feelings of love and positivity for others, iChing, vision cards, visualizing acts of kindness etc... Weekly check-ins with a fabulous therapist who reminds me to honour all of my feelings and be true to myself. Minimum of 90 minutes daily gentle hand-picking of individual cat hairs out of every single inch of fabric/carpet/my body that I can find. Poking my lettuce seedlings with a chopstick several times a day to "check" if they're growing. Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Bourbon Barrels Sartori Valpolicella Superiore True Zin Puglia Boisseaux-Estivant Réserve de la Chèvre Noire Bourgogne Santa Julia Biologique Cabernet-Sauvignon Mendoza Hope this helps!  JJC Dear Jennifer June, I've been to pretty much every single show you've ever done, and I love how funny you are. Everything you say on stage is so relatable even though you're obviously cooler, smarter and prettier than me. I got 3 cats and 1 dog because of you and I named them Phoebe, Flo, Willow and Nina, just like yours! But not in a creepy way. Anyway, enough about me, but not really because I'm writing to you about me, because this quarantine vibe has me so down, I can't take it anymore. Ugh, Montreal is supposed to be the city of lights, or the city that never sleeps or whatever but I'm so lonely and bored, I literally almost thought about inviting my pharmacy delivery guy in for a drink yesterday when he came to deliver my topical rash ointment. You post the coolest stories on IG and you seem to be actually having fun. What do you do all day? How are you not dying of boredom right now? PS Prescription guy - cute a f Bored Becky  Dear Bored Becky,  Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm so glad you enjoy the shows. I'll be honest with you Becky; I have never once been bored in my adult life. I am actually fortunate enough to be able to work from home at the moment. I also have many projects on the go at all times.   I love spending time with my family, listening to music, reading, and cooking. I also try to truly  savour the rare moments that I get to just sit back and relax, whether it's in an Epsom salt bath, in a pile of blankets and cats (hair) on the sofa, or in a pool of my own nap drool /cry-orgasm-tears at the foot of the basement stairs. I think that first, it's important for you to ask yourself, are you truly bored? Or are you feeling something else. Possibly, what you're feeling is avoidant. Maybe you're trying to procrastinate.   Perhaps you're simply paralyzed with terror because the whole world has the fucking plague and people are smashing into each other in the streets like a swarm of contagious germ feast zombies. Or maybe you're truly bored, Becky. And if you are.... Well, I don't want to be the jerk who says "If you're bored, you're boring" but I am, and it's true. Seriously Becky, there are 22 different species of squirrel (in Canada) to post photographs of on Instagram, 165 shows on Netflix, over 100 knitting stitches you can learn, 19054 different red wines at the SAQ, millions of bananas that have not yet been baked into loaves of bread, and 64 editions of Guinness World Records, compiling thousands of really fun, super safe feats for you attempt to break, from the comfort of your own home, including heaviest weight lifted by human beard, most apples crushed with the bicep and longest fingernails grown by a woman. Hope this helps! JJC Dear Jen, First: You’re hilarious and I LOVE your dog. Second: I have a never-ending to-do list that I always say I don't have enough time to tackle. Thanks to the global pandemic, I am currently unemployed and under quarantine, which means that I have all the time in the world. I don't know why, but for some reason, I can't seem to get my shit together and do any of the things on my list. I basically just scroll through Instagram, watch television, drink wine and bake cookies. I feel so lazy, I'm even embarrassed to be sending this to you. I mean, I know that this kind of life changing event is enough to cause anybody trauma and make them feel creatively blocked, if not paralyzed. And I get that I should try to be self-compassionate and realistic about what I my limitations are under these times of great stress, but I can't help but feel a little bit guilty for not being able to do more. Is there something wrong with me? Shauna Dear Shauna, I think it's super important to remember that despite all the extra time you might have on your hands, it can be difficult to find inspiration for anyone right now. The fear of the unknown, being inundated with a storm of anxiety-inducing news and so much contradicting information that leaves us entirely confused as to whether to go for walks or not go for walks, wear masks or not wear masks, stay 6 feet from people or 6 meters from people etc... It's a lot and can be really demotivating and even completely draining. That having been said... Get off the damn sofa and do the shit on your god damn list. If months go by and you come out of this with nothing done but 15 new pounds gained on your lazy ass, you're going to fucking hate yourself. Study your damn Italian, post the dumplings on your vegan web site and do those stupid stair push-ups every stupid day or you will keep crying every time you can't do more than 10 of them. Oh! And write your book already!!! You have time to send 86 memes back and forth with your kids and post pictures of squirrels on Instagram every single day, sew 4 pairs of pyjamas, bake cookies you don't want to eat, watch every single episode of Game of Thrones in under 2 weeks, set up a photography corner in the basement that you don't use, and try all 19054 different red wines they sell at the SAQ, meditate, pray, light candles, manifest and project feelings of love and positivity for others, throw the iChing, pull vision cards, and visualize acts of kindness, and write not 1, not 2, but 3 drippy whiney love songs that you'll never let anybody hear because they're "not funny", "not done", and "not good enough", but you can't write a single chapter for your book? Are you kidding me right now? Jen seriously! Get it the fuck together. Hope this helps! PS My dog smells like rotting Doritos. JJC   Read the full article

[captainlenfan]

New Post has been published on http://websiteshop.network/episode-438-qa-with-robb-nicki-31-2/

Episode 438 – Q&A with Robb & Nicki #31

http://robbwolf.com/2019/08/02/episode-438-qa-with-robb-nicki-31/

It’s time for Episode 438, Q&A #31!

Submit your own questions for the podcast at: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

If you want to see the video for this podcast, be sure to check out our YouTube channel.

  Show Notes:

  1. Is Carbonated Water Okay? [1:41]

Brice says:

Just listened to Wired To Eat and loved it. I’m not too far off from this diet, am pretty “fit”, but too frequently make exceptions which I think are totally sabotaging my efforts.

I’m still curious about your thoughts on carbonated water without added colors and flavors – like Topo Chico, Croix, Perrier, etc. I have one of these every couple days.. more as a treat than anything.

  2. Have You Seen This Gluten Enzyme Study? [3:40]

Austin says:

http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-gluten-solution-aspergillus-niger.html

This is an enzyme that apparently neutralizes (or has the potential to) the inflammatory effects of gluten. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. If you’ve talked about it in a podcast already could you point me in the direction of finding it. If you haven’t talked about it, could you include it in an upcoming podcast?

Thanks, Austin

  3. Ancestral Consumption of Psychoactives? [7:42]

Charles says:

Hey there Robb!

I’m a “never smoker” as my doctor calls it and intend to stay that way, but this week I’m experimenting with very low dose nicotine patch.  Got 21mg clear patches and cut into 8 to 12 pieces, one per day during daylight hours. Intentionally avoiding the nicotine rush I’ve found with gums and lozenges.  Jury is still out overall, but so far it seems to help improve ADHD, intermittent fasting, and persistent low mood.

But that got me to thinking:  For ancient hunter-gatherers, what would the usual modes of consumption be for such “medicinal” plants?  Aside from smoking (“hey let’s light this stuff on fire and breathe deep! great idea! cough cough gag”) which is indeed attested in the historical contact record…  My guess is tobacco, coca, and khat in their weaker pre-agricultural breeds would be chewed and spit. Maybe Mary Jane (again, the weaker natural version) would be an herb to go with fatty meats.  Yerba mate and ordinary tea we know have been drunk in a hot water infusion. Then there’s coffee and chocolate which are more recent…

Maybe part of our modern problem with drug abuse isn’t the drug itself, but rather how it’s been bred and prepared incorrectly.  Much as it is with food. This is all speculation though. Have you given the matter any serious thought?

  4. Vegan Vitamin D3? [23:36]

Leonardo says:

Hi Robb,

I just wanted to ask how do they make VEGAN vitamin D3 supplements?

Vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol is an animal product and it is created from cholesterol, isn’t it?

How do lichens or other sources produce it? Is it the same form? Is it bioavailable in the same way?

Thanks for everything you do, I appreciate your work,

Leo

  5. Gut Dysbiosis Concerns on Keto? [25:06]

Keenan says:

Dear Robb,

I appreciate very much your non-dogmatic approach when it comes to tackling information regarding VLC and keto dietary approaches (ie who are you, what are your performance needs, are you sick and busted up, a hard charging athlete, etc). That’s why I feel you’re the best person to ask about this, as you aren’t inherently biased.

I have a family history of cancer, depression, mental illnesses, addiction, and adult ADHD.  I haven’t been diagnosed with any of these issues, though I definitely deal with unevenness in mood and focus.  Besides my interest in preventing any future health issues for which I might be at risk, I’ve found that a very low carb, high fat diet just seems to suit my brain the best.  I’m less irritable and anxious, my sex drive is fine, and most importantly for me, my focus and attention is just totally on-point. I’ve tried a multitude of eating styles but VLC is the only one that finds me springing out of bed in the morning with the birds chirping and excitement to get to work each day. I call it “natures adderall” except I don’t have any crazy stim-mania.

The only thing holding me back from maintaining this approach is a nagging worry about the hypothetical implications of long term VLC, as it pertains to GI microbiome diversity, potential dysbiosis risks, mucin production, thyroid problems, etc.  I’ve read as much as I can find from the experts I tend to trust in this field (Attia, D’agostino) but I’ve yet to find anything that definitevly quells my worry of causing some sort of damage, from which it might be difficult to come back. 

Do you think the long terms risks might be overblown? I do take prescript-assist and raw potato starch as potential mitigators, but I don’t know if VLC is taking a step or two back for my gut bugs, and I’m very concerned about treating them well.  I always suspected gut problems being at the root of my late father’s alcoholism and his myriad of inflammatory problems. Some of these worries have prevented me from staying in keto for longer than about a month at a time. Every time I start phasing a larger amount of carbs back in, however, there’s a mild and annoying accompanying brain fog and up/down cycle, seemingly irrelevant of the dietary source.

I understand that these questions get vetted and you’re busy, so no worries if this doesn’t make the cut.  I sincerely appreciate everything you and your team have done for the health of my family and myself, as well as the awareness you’re raising regarding even larger political issues we’re facing.

Sincerely,

Keenan LeVick

  Where you can find us:

  Submit questions for the podcast: https://robbwolf.com/contact/submit-a-question-for-the-podcast/

  Transcript:

Download a copy of the transcript here (PDF)

Robb: Howdy, wife.

Nicki: Hello, hubs.

Robb: Seems like I’ve seen you here before.

Nicki: Once or twice.

Robb: Yep. Anything new? Anything exciting? Got anything to share?

Nicki: Just no, moving is a B-I-T-C-H and just getting all of our to-dos done. It’s just a process.

Robb: Indeed it is.

Nicki: Like they say, you chop wood, carry water.

Robb: Yeah.

Nicki: Got to get her done.

Robb: Indeed. I guess with that we’ll get this podcast done.

Nicki: Okay. Let’s see.

Robb: Most awkward start to a podcast ever.

Nicki: Always, always, we’ll win that award. Okay. Our question to kick this week off is from Bryce on the topic of carbonated water. Bryce says, “I just listened to Wired To Eat and loved it. I’m not too far off from this diet. I’m pretty fit, but too frequently I make exceptions which I think are totally sabotaging my efforts. I’m still curious about your thoughts on carbonated water without added colors and flavors like Topo Chico, La Croix …”

Robb: La Crotch.

Nicki: La Crotch, that’s what we call it.

Robb: It’s still good stuff, but …

Nicki: “Perrier, et cetera. I have one of these every couple days, more as a treat than anything. Robb, what do you think about Topo Chico and other non-flavored, carbonated waters?”

Robb: You know, when I contemplate the potentiality bordering on certitude of the implosion of civilization, two things I’m very concerned with. One is how will I get coffee? And two, how will I get bubbly water? So, I mean, as far as derailing something, every once in a while you hear something that’s like, “Oh, I had bubbly water and then I had to eat a whole cheesecake,” and it’s like, “Well, where did the cheesecake come from? You’re not supposed to have that in your house anyway,” so I think bubbling water is great. I’m not sure if Topo Chico has much in the way of minerals but I know the German “Gervolshesteiner” water, whatever, has a lot of magnesium. I think those things are great. It’s a nice way to break things up.

Nicki: It’s great with some lime juice.

Robb: Pretty good with some element in it but you’ve got to be careful because that shit will bubble over.

Nicki: Bubble over like a volcano.

Robb: Yeah. I can’t find anything really to fault with it, so yeah.

Nicki: No, and you don’t have to have it every couple days. You could have it every day.

Robb: We often do.

Nicki: As we often do.

Robb: And we’ve lived to tell the tale, thus far.

Nicki: Yeah, thus far. Thanks Bruce. Let’s see here, our next question is from Austin. “Robb, have you seen the study about a gluten enzyme? This is an enzyme that apparently neutralizes or has the potential to neutralize the inflammatory effects of gluten. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. If you’ve talked about it in the podcast already, point me in a direction. Otherwise, what are your thoughts?”

Robb: Yeah, it’s interesting stuff. I guess you could say it’s neutralizing it. The aspergillus niger enzyme is a prolyl endopeptidase which has the ability to chop up the gluten protein. Gluten proteins and some similar proteins are very rich in proline and the way the structure is put together, most proteases … most of the enzymes that break down peptides and peptidases, proteases, they have a tough time getting in there and acting on gluten and similar proteins. It’s almost like a prion in a way. It’s just difficult to break down. What appears to be the case is that if you were celiac or someone …

Robb: See, this is where it gets a little bit tricky, if you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and so maybe your problem is wheat germ, a glutenin and not gluten. Then this may or may not really help you. It might help … I’m not sure about the efficacy of attacking wheat germ or glutenin versus gluten itself, but if you provide that enzyme and you get a pretty low dose, like what would be consistent with just kind of cross-contamination. You know, like a steak gets grilled on a grill that had some toast on it or something like that, it’s probably okay.

Robb: What it doesn’t allow you to do is as a celiac, go sit down and eat a gluten containing pizza and come away scot-free. So that’s one piece of the story, and it’s really interesting because one could … THere’s this whole story in the kind of gut microbiome and our ability to digest different things that is very dependent on the gut flora. So, there was a fantastic study. It was a clinical intervention in children with celiac disease. They demonstrated that they had villous atrophy. You know, the damage to the intestinal lining, and then they did a fecal transplant on these kids, ostensibly with microbes that have this prolyl endopeptidase that’s in them.

Robb: Never really 100% sure, because you have to actually sequence for the gene and not just the species, and all that type of stuff, but in theory, it had the potential hardware to do this, and I believe seven out of the 10 kids, upon subsequent gluten challenge, showed no villous atrophy after that, and no signs and symptoms of reactivity. So it is really interesting, and one could make the case that a lot of our ability to digest a wide variety of substances probably should be augmented from … excuse me, a healthy gut microbiome, which is ever more challenging.

Robb: With processed foods, we lose gut diversity. With antibiotics, we lose gut diversity, and it’s unclear how exactly you get those back. It may be that all of us are going to need to take a poop capsule that’s harvested from the one remaining person that’s healthy on the planet, and we need to do that once every six months or once a year or something like that, but, I mean, these gluten degrading enzymes have some efficacy. You can’t be a knucklehead in using them, and then there are some other approaches, like the fecal transplant, that show some really remarkable promise for people.

Nicki: Okay. Let’s see, our next question is from Charles on ancestral modes of consumption for psychoactives.

Robb: That’s a mouthful.

Nicki: “Hey Robb, I’m a never smoker, as my doctor calls it, and intend to stay that way, but this week I’m experimenting with a very low dose nicotine patch. Got 21 milligram clear patches and cut into eight to 12 pieces, one per day during daylight hours, intentionally avoiding the nicotine rush I found with gums and lozenges. Jury is still out overall, but so far it seems to help improve ADHD, intermittent fasting and persistent low mood.

Nicki: “But that got me thinking. For ancient hunter-gatherers, what would the usual modes of consumption be for such medicinal plants? Aside from smoking, ‘Hey, let’s light this stuff on fire and breathe deep.’ ‘Great idea, cough, cough, gag,’ which is indeed attested in the historical contact record. My guess is tobacco, coca and …” is that cat?

Robb: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Nicki: “In their weaker, pre-agricultural breeds, would be chewed and spit. Maybe Mary Jane? Again, the weaker, natural version, would be an herb to go with fatty meats. Yerba mate and ordinary tea, we know, have been drunk in a hot water infusion. Then there’s coffee and chocolate, which are more recent. Maybe part of our modern problem with drug abuse isn’t the drug itself, but rather how it’s been bred and prepared incorrectly, much as it is with food. This is all speculation though. Have you given the matter any serious thought?”

Robb: Yeah, I’ve noodled on this a bit. I wouldn’t consider myself an ethnobotanist by any means, but have tinkered with psychoactive substances throughout my career and have found nicotine to be really beneficial for focus. It helps with some GI related issues. On this addiction story, I really should dig this up. Again, I forget where the study was performed, but it looked at addiction rates in … or addiction propensity for … This was not food. They were looking more at nicotine and cocaine and stuff like that, in indigenous peoples, and they also did some interesting experiments in animal models. What they found is that in the animal models, if the animals had a very enriched, engaged environment, as close as they could get to a legit free living, natural world, the tendency to want to go take a sip out of the cocaine laced water was kind of trivial.

Robb: The mice would check it out once in a while but it really wasn’t a big deal, whereas when the mice were bored and in a non-stimulating, enriched environment, they couldn’t get enough of this stuff. And so I think a lot of the tendency towards addiction of all kinds, whether it’s video games or food, although food acts in kind of a different way because there’s kind of an underlying survival mechanism there. You know, optimum foraging strategy plus palate fatigue, kind of overlapping, and then the fact that people really do engineer food to be more-

Nicki: Overeat.

Robb: Yeah, propensity to overeat, there’s maybe a little bit of a different story there, but by and large … And this is kind of a weird thing, because you can wax nostalgic about our hunter-gatherer past and you forget disease, infections, murder, tribal warfare. You know, infant mortality. There’s some super gnarly stuff, but also-

Nicki: Poisonous bugs.

Robb: Poisonous bugs, but there’s also studies within the Kung San, within the Hadza. These people are generally … they appear to be very happy and content. I remember there was a Huffington Post piece talking about a guy going to spend some time with the Hadza, and there was like an 11-year-old boy that was sent from the tribe to go meet this guy. When the guy met the boy, he said, “Hey, how long have you been waiting for me?” And he said, “Not long.” He was like, “Okay,” and then as they talked more, he said, “Well, how long were you there?” He’s like, “About four days.” The guy was like, “Well, that seems like a long time.” He’s like, “No, not particularly long. We didn’t know exactly when you would be here.”

Robb: For a modern person waiting four days, they would lose their fucking mind. I probably would, whereas … and again, you don’t want to overly romanticize this stuff, but there’s something that’s just different about being comfortable in your environment that … “I’m waiting for this guy and I’ve been here four days.” I don’t know how long it would have been considered long. Like a week, a month?

Nicki: Three weeks, yeah.

Robb: Yeah, I don’t know, but the kid was basically just kind of hanging out there, and that just speaks to a very different kind of mental state and processing and all that. There’s all this literature that suggests just being out in nature is very restorative to people. When I did the I, Caveman show, it was very difficult on a lot of levels, but one of the coolest things about it was that there was no multitasking. When you needed to do something, you did that one thing, because you couldn’t multi-task in this scenario. Like if you screwed something up, then it might take you twice as long, and I really went into that thing with a … which a lot of my castmates did not, but I really went into that with the mindset of, “What if this really was the way that I had to live the rest of my life? How do you play this game then?” It made you think about injury and-

Nicki: Feeding your family.

Robb: Feeding your family and stuff like that, and so you really had to focus, so I think so much of this kind of addiction story is really kind of a malaise with modern living. It’s interesting because specialization has allowed us to … Matt Ridley, The Rational Optimist book is amazing. It talks about how specialization has arguably allowed us to improve our standard of living and, in theory, work less hard even though we seem to be working ever harder and longer hours and all this stuff in the quest for the accumulation of stuff, and you’ve just been reading Mark Manson’s book …

Nicki: Everything Is …

Robb: Thought.

Nicki: Thought. It was great.

Robb: He touches on a lot of this stuff. Do you have any thoughts around this?

Nicki: I mean, just to tie into what you’re saying, he just talks about … He actually does a really interesting job of explaining child versus adolescent versus adult psychology, and the desire as a child to only seek out pleasure and avoid pain … Well, actually, all people do this, but as you age and you go through adolescence, you learned kind of how to bargain and negotiate around things, but then the adult does things just because it’s right to do. He also makes the point that one of our big problems in society is that very few people are reaching-

Robb: Adult.

Nicki: Adulthood, regardless of your chronological age. This kind of psychological distinction, not many people are actually reaching that.

Robb: And there’s a-

Nicki: But we’re consumed with distracting ourselves, and marketing and all of this stuff, it’s all about distractions and an addiction to something is also … It’s sort of keeping you-

Robb: To tie into this, Jocko Willink talks about discipline is freedom, and to some degree, this thing of doing something because it’s the right thing, not because you’re acting like a child or an adolescent, there’s a certain freedom in that because the tyranny of options kind of disappears. It’s like if you’re going to get up and you’re going to work out and you’re going to do that by hell or high water, then there’s … just the tyranny of options kind of disappears. You don’t have to spin out about, “Oh, do I do this? Do I do that?” You just do it.

Robb: And not to get too far field, but Nicki and I were talking about the Mark Manson book and I mentioned that this … Hopefully I can actually tie this back in and make sense of it and not sound like we’re on an acid trip right now, but one of the main distinctions between modern dogs and wolves is that modern dogs stop their cognitive development in an adolescent stage and that’s what makes them docile and subservient more easily than humans, and this is why wolves make very dodgy pets, because they grow into adults and they’ve got their own kind of agency in a way that dogs don’t have that, and so this is a whole interesting thing, too, that I think lacking the sense of agency and the sense of purpose in life can be very challenging. The monotony of life, of benefiting from specialization but at the same time just like, “What, I’m going to do this thing for another 30 years?”

Robb: Like, I really enjoy doing all this health related stuff, but some days I’m kind of like, “Do I really want to keep doing this? Do I want to deal with knuckleheads on the internet just nitpicking every little detail but then contributing nothing to the process?” And there’s a whole kind of internal thing that I need to do with that to keep motoring along with it, but it’s interesting, and again, we maybe got a little bit far field on this, but my sense in digging into this stuff is that the addictive qualities of so many substances seems to be more an outgrowth of a life that’s just not very fulfilling. Although I might put alcohol in a different category.

Robb: Where alcohol has gone, it tends to really screw up societies, but it’s an agricultural product, and so it’s interesting. I don’t know about how marijuana and all this other stuff kind of fits into that, but it is interesting that addiction tends to be lower in both animals and humans that have an enriched, engaged environment and some of enrichment and engagement is actually this process of becoming an adult with a sense of agency and purpose and to some degree, some discipline, and some something that matters to you. For some people it’s kind of religious purpose, for other people it’s different things, but I think that all of those tend to fill kind of a psychic void that we’re otherwise trying to pile in with buying stuff that we don’t really need or different substances that kind of take us out of the moment, stuff like that. But, good question, and really interesting stuff.

Nicki: Well, and Mark makes the point, too, that there’s just pain that’s inevitable as part of life, but one of the things that we as humans have the ability to do is choose your pain. It’s not like in hunter-gatherer days or when there was a big plague or famine. Life sucked. There was a lot of shit that happened that you really couldn’t choose otherwise, whereas now if you have a crappy job, you can say, “I’ve had enough of this job,” and you can usually get another one or change your circumstance in some way. You can choose to go the gym and have some period of pain while you’re working out, or you can choose to sit on the couch and binge on Netflix and have the pain of your body deteriorating under you. So, there’s choices. Pain is a part of life but you can choose …

Robb: Other options. Again, I don’t know-

Nicki: This is super off topic.

Robb: Maybe a little off topic, but it’s actually kind of interesting to me because it’s not protein, carbs, fat, so we’ll talk a little bit more about it. You turned me on to Emily Fletcher’s Stress Less, Achieve More, the meditation book. Just life changing thing, we’ve talked about it multiple times on the podcast. I keep bringing it up because it’s changed my life, and I am very grateful and want other people to get in and maybe give it a shot and see what it can do for them, but a fascinating outgrowth of doing this daily meditation practice, which I’ve tried a zillion different things. None of it stuck. I don’t know if it was the right place, the right time or just Emily laid this stuff out in a way that was appealing to me, but the long and short of it, this is just kind of an interesting aside, but I’ve found just the interaction upon social media to be almost repugnant at this point, now that I’m doing this-

Nicki: Meditation?

Robb: Meditation stuff. I love interacting with people, but I find that I would much prefer being in … like I’d go over to the keto gains Facebook private group or I’m on the Henry Akins Facebook private group, just where before I would just kind of crack out and scroll through the feed. “Oh, there’s a hot chick. Oh, there’s somebody working out.” I can’t stand that now.

Nicki: You avoid it.

Robb: I just avoid it, which is kind of cool. It’s actually freed up some time, and I don’t even think I was that bad relative on the spectrum, but I was devoting some time to that. Now it’s not just I don’t devote time to that, it is like a rash that I get, even contemplating doing that. So that’s a whole interesting thing, and it’s like have I changed/ Have I enriched my life because the meditation makes me appreciate the moment more so that not only I don’t want that other stuff, but that distraction-

Nicki: Well, the scrolling is also an addiction.

Robb: It is an addiction, and I just notice it in a way now where I’m like, “I don’t like this at all. I don’t want it in my experience at all,” and it’s a very intriguing thing because a big chunk of the reach that we will have with this very podcast is going to go out via social media channels like Instagram, which are predicated on this whole thing, so it’s an interesting experience for me and I’m, again, trying to figure out how I navigate that so that I can continue to provide value to people, but do it in a way that doesn’t make me just disgusted with my life. I sit there and I think, “Well, gosh, I haven’t done a shirtless selfie in a while, so I guess I should do that, because you get a ton of fanfare and more people follow you and ostensibly you’ll be able to sell more shit to them and everything.”

Robb: Then I’m just kind of like, “Fuck that, I’m not doing that. I’m going to have a conversation with my wife about some questions that people cared enough to write them and send them to us and hopefully get some value add from it.” So it’s interesting, but that is kind of … I think was arguably an addictive feature of my life, where I would check … You know, you get up in the morning, it’s like, “Well, I’ve got to go do my business.” Grab your phone so you can occupy that time while scrolling Facebook or Instagram, and it’s like, I just can’t even contemplate doing that now, you know? So it’s-

Nicki: Another perk to meditating.

Robb: Yeah, yeah. Anything else we can beat that one to death with?

Nicki: I don’t know. Charles, thanks for the question.

Robb: Yeah, Charles is like, “Oh my God, that’s the last question I ever ask.”

Nicki: I don’t know that we answered it.

Robb: Yeah.

Nicki: Okay. Let’s see, our next question is from Leo on vegan vitamin D3. “Hi Robb. I just wanted to ask, how do they make vegan vitamin D3 supplements?” Vitamin D3 is a cholecalciferol … as cholecalciferol is an animal product and it is created from cholesterol, isn’t it? How do lichens or other sources produce it? Is it the same form? Is it bioavailable in the same way?

Robb: Oh man, I should’ve done a little bit more digging on this, but you can … So for mushrooms, particularly mushrooms that get exposed to UV light, will produce D2, I believe, which doesn’t work as well as D3 but can be inter-converted to a degree, and some of these other supplements, they may just take the vegan source, like D2, and then tweak them to be D3, but it’s interesting. You know, like DHA, even though we usually associate that with an animal based form, ultimately its main origin is from algae, and so certain types of algae are quite rich in DHA, so there are some of these things that, again, we usually ascribe to just being kind of an animal source that can be plant sourced.

Nicki: Okay. That was a short one to make up for the long, rambling response to Charles. Let’s see. Okay, our final question this week is from Keenan. Gut dysbiosis concerns on keto. “Dear Robb, I appreciate very much your non-dogmatic approach when it comes to tackling information regarding very low carb and keto dietary approaches, i.e. who are you? What are your performance needs? Are you sick and busted up? A hard charging athlete? Et cetera. That’s why I feel you’re the best person to ask about this, as you aren’t inherently biased.” That’s a very nice compliment.

Robb: Very nice compliment.

Nicki: “I have a family history of cancer, depression, mental illnesses, addiction and adult ADHD. I haven’t been diagnosed with any of these issues, though I definitely deal with unevenness in mood and focus. Besides my interest in preventing any future health issues for which I might be at risk, I’ve found that a very low carb, high fat diet just seems to suit my brain the best. I’m less irritable and anxious, my sex drive is fine, and most importantly for me, my focus and attention is just totally on point.

Nicki: “I’ve tried a multitude of eating styles, but very low carb is the only one that finds me springing out of bed in the morning with the birds chirping and excitement to get to work each day. I call it nature’s Adderall, except I don’t have any crazy stim-mania. The only thing holding me back from maintaining this approach is a nagging worry about the hypothetical implications of long term, very low carb as it pertains to GI microbiome diversity, potential dysbiosis risks, mucin production, thyroid problems, et cetera.

Nicki: I’ve read as much as I can find from the experts I tend to trust in this field like Attia and D’Agostino but I’ve yet to find anything that definitively quells my worry of causing some sort of damage from which it might be difficult to come back. Do you think the long term risks might be overblown? I do take Prescript-Assist and raw potato starches, potential mitigators, but I don’t know if very low carb is taking a step or two back from my gut bugs, and I’m very concerned about treating them well.

Nicki: “I always suspected gut problems being at the root of my late father’s alcoholism and his myriad of inflammatory problems. Some of these worries have prevented me from staying in keto for longer than about a month at a time. Every time I start phasing a larger amount of carbs back in, however, there’s a mild and annoying accompanying brain fog and up/down cycle seemingly irrelevant of the dietary source.

Nicki: “I understand that these questions get vetted and you’re busy, so no worries if this one doesn’t make the cut. I sincerely appreciate everything you and your team have done for my health and the health of my family, as well as the awareness you’re raising regarding even larger political issues we’re facing. Sincerely, Keenan.”

Robb: Awesome. Awesome. It’s nice to know that what we’re doing matters, even if it’s one person. Man, so I guess first out of the gate, even after all that praise, I don’t think I’m going to have a definitive answer to this, and so it’s a complex topic and I have to say it’s been an interesting ride for me because even though I have been primarily known as the paleo guy, I was the paleo guy that always leaned much towards the low carb side of things, and man, I tried and tried and tried to get the kind of Boyd Eaton, Loren Cordain ratios of paleo to work and it just really didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel good, I had gut issues, brain fog seemed to be up and down.

Robb: I tried every iteration of the stuff, and then smart people like Paul Jaminet raised these questions about ketosis being problematic long term. Like the loss of the mucin layer in the gut because of lack of dietary carbohydrate and the gut bacteria would say, “Well, if you’re not going to feed me, I’m going to eat the gut lining,” and then you lose this kind of … effectively like a mucus layer that is the real barrier between your body and the feces that is moving through it. There’s a mucus kind of layer there, and so I tried resistant starches and safe starches, and man, I really gave it the old college go and I just felt terrible on it.

Robb: I tried everything. I did the potato starch and I feel okay for a couple days and then it just absolutely crushed me, and I think we’ve talked about a couple of times the Sonenberg lab, and they have some concerns around mono-cropping your gut microbiome around one type of fermentable carbohydrate. So if you were to supplement with something, Dr. Perlmutter has a product through Garden of Life?

Nicki: Garden of Life.

Robb: That is a super diverse fiber blend. It has citrus peel and acacia root and all this stuff. If I were going to do something, I would probably do something like that, that has kind of a broader spectrum kind of deal, but there have only been-

Nicki: I think you said before, too, swapping it out. Like doing some of the-

Robb: Yeah, rotating.

Nicki: Yeah, rotating it, so you’re not doing the same-

Robb: Same thing all the time. Yeah, I think that makes some sense, and again, I would just kind of pressure test it for do you look, feel, perform better and all that type of stuff. Particularly when you have this baseline of feeling really, really good when you’re on very low carb and then feeling significantly not good when you’re not. It is a really interesting question, though, you know. Is there some … something that we’re giving up down the road for some gain that we have now? And I just don’t know that anybody can answer that. There are some preliminary studies that suggest that very low carb diets, although they change the gut microbiota, they don’t necessarily change them in a completely dysfunctional way.

Robb: There’s some pluses and minuses but some of the way that the gut changes would generally be associated with beneficial flora, but even some of the ones that are considered to be not as beneficial, the researchers acknowledge that within the context of a low carb diet, it may not matter. Things may change in that scenario, and again, for most people, we see improvements in blood lipids and blood glucose control. Not everybody across the board, but by and large we tend to see that, and something that’s frequently forgotten in this story is that if you construct a low carb diet properly, things like artichokes and avocados and asparagus and stuff like that, you can get a remarkable amount of fermentable fiber and very low glycemic load.

Robb: So I’ve kind of had this notion that … try to eat your way out of ketosis using very low glycemic, low carbohydrates which means that you’re just going to be eating a ton of [inaudible 00:30:59], but Keenan, I appreciate the kind words and the faith that you have in us on this, but at the end of the day, I don’t think that anybody has been able to put a definitive pin on this, because I think to some degree it depends on the person, depends on the circumstance. I tell you, it’s really fascinating, some of the research around, say like the carnivore diet, that is interesting, and ketosis in general …

Robb: So, one of the big benefits that are sold around fermentable carbohydrate is that we release butyrate and propionate and malonate and these short chain saturated fats, which is super cool. They appear to have these great signaling properties and whatnot, and they’re ostensibly feeding some of the gut microbiota and also the cells lining the epithelial cells and what have you, but what’s interesting is in the state of ketosis, betahydroxybutirate, which is just a slightly modified version of butyrate, it translocates into the gut and it feeds the gut microbiota in the epithelial cells, so that’s a whole interesting thing that nobody was really considering, nobody was talking about. So maybe the endogenous state of ketosis is feeding the gut in a different way.

Robb: Then the real mindblower flew by me not that long ago. A whole bunch of the amino acids can be fermented or converted into the short chain saturated fats and are and tend to be preferentially driven that direction in a low carb environment. So, the more we scratch around this stuff … Man, there was a paper that I was reading just a few days ago and it made this case that the most important thing that you need to do, like where mistakes occur in science is on the first page, in the first paragraph, in the assumptions.

Robb: If the assumptions are wrong, then the whole thing goes completely sideways, and this is where I think this evolutionary health, ancestral health, paleo diet model is incredibly powerful as a hypothesis generating tank, but then we need to go out and then tinker and fiddle and see what the results are and whatnot, and most of the big gas, most of the big mistakes that have kind of occurred there, were an outgrowth of wrong assumptions, and it’s not because people are bad but because you had an idea and you pressure test it and it just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Your hypothesis ends up being false or there’s some other nuance to it or something like that.

Robb: One thing that comes to mind is Stefan Lindeberg idea around dietary lectins and their potentially causal role in metabolic syndrome. He has the whole Kitava study that he talks about this, and it’s really beautifully done, because he starts with kind of a anthropological observation. People in the West have rates of diseases that are different than this kind of aboriginal culture. Then he does an epidemiological study. Then he does a study in animals, so he’s got an animal model, and then he does a study in humans. The thing is very consistent and it really makes a case that these dietary lectins could be the underlying problem.

Robb: But then a paper came out that suggested that a cellular carbohydrate, refined carbohydrate, is actually the driver for all of this modern Western metabolic syndrome type stuff, and that fits all this story too. There was a great question asked around this, but it was asked in a way that wasn’t specific enough to delineate whether lectins are the cause or whether acellular carbohydrate was the cause, or it may be a combination of both, or in some people it may be lectins and in another people it may be a dense … a cellular carbohydrate.

Robb: So, where we start with assumptions is a really important piece to this whole story, and again, I kind of side with some folks like Dr. Shawn Baker. We can get so out in the weeds with mechanisms and mTOR and all this stuff, and I think it just ends up being kind of bull shit at some point. We know for a fact that if we just don’t overeat, if we exercise, if we sleep well, if we’re generally feeling good, that good things are going to happen, and it’s difficult to do anything else that’s going to be any better for us, you know? And so that’s kind of where … and maybe I’m saying all this stuff to make myself feel better, because I’m in a very similar situation. I tend to feel my best when I’m at that kind of Perry ketogenic level and I’ve tinkered with that and found that I feel even better when my protein intake is higher.

Robb: I’ve even kind of foregone a lot of the vegetable intake that I used to do because I noticed that my digestion was even better with certain types and the removal of others and making sure it’s definitely cooked. So really focusing on that clinical outcome of do I look, feel and perform better, has been my primary driver.

Nicki: Okay. Awesome. I think that was our final question this week.

Robb: Sweet. Anything else we need to tell people about?

Nicki: I don’t think so. I hope everybody’s having an awesome summer.

Robb: Indeed, indeed. Stay hydrated with drink elements and-

Nicki: Send us your questions at RobbWolf.com On the contact page.

Robb: And still, I think, at least for a while most of my activity on social media is going to be over at Instagram. Might have some interesting developments around that topic here in the not too distant future, so, yep.

Nicki: All right guys.

Robb: Take care.

Nicki: Thank you.

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