The dragon is the aqgressive, intelligent personality while the unicorn is the gentle, expressive persona.

It's been a while since I've been seen around these parts. I just haven't felt much like writing in a journal type of application recently, I guess. I've pretty much just been sitting around doing nothing. I still have a job and I still write (busy working on the greatest novel ever written by human hands). Maybe I should fill in the blanks a little. Since my last journal (SuicideKills' Public Journal) I've become a vegan, broke up with Ryan, lost touch with my artistic side and then found it again a few days ago, and discovered the spirit of Christmas. I've been plotting and writing at my latest story which is about vampyres and dragons and magic and all kinds of good stuff. A few of you who know me from the last journal might remember me talking about that story. Becoming vegan pretty much took care of my concerns with eating right, because not eating any animal products just about eliminates everything fattening and unhealthy. I recommend the lifestyle for everyone. But you have to be the type of person who wants to stop eating meat and for a good reason to make it work. I did it because I could no longer stand supporting the violence of the meat processing industry. In other words, I love animals (alive). If you're not that type of person then you probably won't care about not eating meat.

Welcome back, girlfriend. You have indeed been missed! And quite a lot has happened since you've been gone! Well, I for one, am waiting with eager anticipation to read your new entries!

Yahoo!

Hoooooonnnneeeeyyyy!!!!

What a nice surprise; Welcome back! :hug:

Sounds like all good changes (esp. as your found your artistic side again).

Do you still see Ryan around?

Are jelly beans vegan (that is your drug of choice, isn't it?)

Hi everybody. I wanted yesterday to go around to all my old favorite journals, but I had to go to work and only had a chance to write one sentence in Chum's. Right now I am waiting for my lunch to finish cooking...Mmmmm, lunch....And yes, it has no animal products.
I missed you guys Anastasia and Chumlette. I don't even know how I stopped coming here. It just happened, I guess. I don't see Ryan anywhere. He works at Target, but it's not the one by my house. I don't even really care, which is okay. Not much happened to me today. Last night I went to the Black-Eyed Pea Christmas party. It was in a redneck bar and I was so uncomfortable. I only stayed for about forty minutes.
Well, I'm going to go to your journals and say hi to you guys there.
Christina

Hi!

I missed you too girley girl.

Well, another long day behind me and I'm tired as usual. There's no food to eat anywhere in my house, so all I've eaten is a piece of bread with soy cheese. Ha. I'll probably be hungry tomorrow and unfortunately if there isn't any food today there won't be any tomorrow either. I want to take a bath, but am too tired....so...tired....Work all day for nothing. Hmph!
I bought the movie, The Lord of the Rings, yesterday. It's good. I also have the game, The Two Towers, for the PlayStation 2.
Anyway, enough about that. I'm probably going to go to sleep now even though it's only 6:50.
Goodnight,
Christina

I loved the books. I've refused so far to see the films. But I may weaken yet.

I suppose it is easier to diet when there is no food in the house.

Dearest Chum,
The movie is awesome! The ringwraiths are the best. I love The Fellowship of the Ring. I have the books as well, but I love watching movies about books I've read. I read the book (many years ago), The Hobbit, and watched the cartoon. Anyway, watch the movie and then go see The Two Towers when it comes out on Dec. 18.
It's almost my bedtime, because I'm tired 22 hours hours a day (yes, even while I'm sleeping). I'll slide over to your journals and then cal it a night.
Christina

If only I could get paid for sitting around doing nothing. I'm watching ShipMates and getting ready to go to work. I lost my schedule, so I'm just going to show up at The Black-Eyed Pea whenever I think I'm supposed to work. Ha. Hey everyone, are there Black-Eyed Peas where you guys are? I know we have them all over Texas, but I don't know about other states.
I was reading around Anastasia's journal and I noticed that Viggo Mortenson seems to be getting a lot of hype these days. Aragorn is one of my favorite people in Lord of the Rings along with Legolas (I like his hair).
Anyway, I should get ready for work.
Christina

There were Black Eyed Peas in the DC suburbs, but I've never seen them in NYC. That doesn't mean they aren't here, though. Or they might be in the 'burbs. I've never eaten there, though.

Have a great weekend...

Yay Chumlette! If you ever see a Black-Eyed Pea just keep on driving because the free rolls are the only thing worth eating. This is day...I don't know...I'll say ten of not eating any animal products. Yay! for saving animals. Anyway, it's early in the morning for me and so I'm saying stupid things i.e. yay. The other day (about two weeks ago) I fell in the kitchen of the Pea and hit my head,hip, and shoulder on the steel door of the walk-in freezer. Also the insanely heavy door closed on my poor, unsuspecting hand and completely annihilated it. Anyhooo, now all these days later my hand still hurts so bad I can only move my wrist certain ways or I'll fall over in agony. Then again I've been using computers since I was old enough to sit in a chair, so it might just be my carparel (can't spell it) tunnel syndrome. Ha ha.
On a food related basis: THIS JUST IN...I will get to eat today. Hopefully I'll go to a good chinese restaurant and not have to eat an animal.
This is your resident vegan signing off,
Christina

Good god. Sounds like you may have a workers' comp claim. Lucky for Black Eyed Pea you have such a hard head. I guess you'll have to flip them off with your other hand.

Oh Chummy! If only you knew how many days I stumbled around with a pain in my head and hand. It's so terible.
I saw Star Trek Nemesis yesterday. It was boring because I don't know anything about Star Trek, but the "evil" guy, Shinzon, was awesome. So great. His clothes were the best clothes ever.
Umm, I ate some chinese food yesterday, but I'm pretty sure it was cooked in animal products. Urgh. Anyway, I'll be more careful from now on, but we were already in the restuarant and my mom hates anything I do so I can't mention not eating animals or she'll freak out and go nuts.
Today I'm going to eat leftover chinese food to get it out of the fridge and into my belly. I don't really want to eat it, but someone's gotta do it.
Bye-bye guys,
Christina

Hi Christina;
My daughter is a vegetarian. She is one because of her animal rights beliefs, so she is like you. She started during her first year of university, so I guess thats eight years. She eats Chinese food all the time, so it must be OK. She won't eat things like a Harvey's veggie burger, because she thinks it may have been in contact with meat, so the Chinese stuff must be fine. My mother, her grandmother is always having a fit because she won't eat meat; but actually it is a very healthy diet. Good luck!
Pat

Dearest Patricians,
I've never seen you around my journal before. Do you often come here? If you do, you don't post!? I'm very disappointed in you...Just kidding. I'll have to swing by your journal now to see what's happening over there. On the subject of your daughter: Is she a vegan (no leather, no milk or any other animal products)? It's easy to be a vegetarian, because meat is avoidable, but being vegan can get tricky because you have to make sure that what you eat wasn't cooked in butter or made with beef/chicken broth and a vegan won't eat anything made with gelatin and so on. My mom is always having a fit because I won't eat meat. She's making me eat meat on Christmas because otherwise she says I'll ruin her whole day. She's a little baby.
Christina

You don't have much influence over your mom, do you?

hee hee hee

Hi Christina;
My daughter is very close to being a vegan. The only difference is that she sometimes has a bit of cheese. She will not use leather, buys most of her clothing at Mountain Equipment Com, especially boots. She does not eat anything with gelatin, so that eliminates most low fat things. She is very careful when eating out because she thinks things sometimes are made with chicken broth when I am sure they are not. It is much tougher being a vegan than a vegetarian. Her father is always having a fit because he thinks she misses nutrients, but she's in her twenties and doesn't have to listen to parents opinions on such things anymore. But it's hard to meet guys with similar beliefs!
I don't have my own journal because when I was actually losing weight I was eating pretty much the same stuff all the time and it was boring reading. Now I'm interesting again but not losing any weight.
I will soon have to get my act together and start journaling and exercising again.
Pat

I'll start off with you Chum. My mom is a monster. There's no winning with her. Whatever she says is the last word no matter what or she'll just start to scream and not stop until she thinks you agree with her.
Patricians, I didn't have time to try to find your journal yesterday and now that I learn you don't have one it's good I didn't try. Ha. Anyway, I don't really talk much about what I eat in my journal because that would bore me to tears. I need to take a shower. As far as food goes I've had two vegan ice cream sandwiches and some crackers. YOu should get a journal, Pat. Food is boring, but reading what people do all day is fun (sometimes).
I must depart, but I'll be back soon.
Christina

Yes, I have to do that, my food may be boring but journaling keeps me on track! Actually what I do all day is fun. I teach little kids who are having trouble learning to read.
Pat

Hulllooo world,
I didn't go to work today. Hee hee. If Lisa (my manager) asks you I'm sick. :) Anywhoo. I'm getting ready to do some writing (I am an author, really) and then read some of The Lord of the Rings. I don't know what I'm going to do for food today. I might eat something made from food because I really need some food and we have nothing in this house except Ramen Noodles which are all meat flavored.
Hey Pat!
Will your daughter eat shrimp and fish and so forth and so on? My mom fights will me because she will say, "Do you want me to buy you a fish sandwich?" and I'll say, "What are you talking about? You know I can't eat meat." Then all Hell breaks loose with her screaming, "FISH ISN'T MEAT!!!!" Of course fish is meat, but I know a lot of vegetarians will eat ocean life because I guess somehow they think that they're not animals even though they move around and live and whatnot. (?) Talk to you later.
Christina

Dear one, I just can't resist this, so I'll hope you forgive me up front. I perfer food that can run away, it seems to have at least a chance. I believe veggies have feeling also.

Now that I have that out of my system, I do eat vegetarian once in a while, not always the once a week I try for. I've found some really nice things. How long have you been doing it? Do you have a family that eats this way also? My hubby adds a sausage to every vegetarian meal I fix. I hate that!

Nice to see you again. I was out of commission for awhile.

Dearest DreamWeaver,
Well, I'm glad you stopped by and hope you will more often. I love when visitors decide to speak to me! I also love when people bring up a point I can parry happily. Let's see here...I'll start with you saying "I perfer food that can run away". Animals in the meat industry can't run away. The chickens are held in cages so small and cramped that their feet grow around the bars and many never even learn how to walk. The close confines make them so aggressive towards each other that their farmers have a machine that slices the living birds' beaks off (a bloody mess) so they can't peck one another. The cattle are held in stalls so small they can't turn around and as with the chicken their brutal lives make them aggressive and their horns are cut off at the base (another bloody mess). At slaughtering time these animals that can "run away" are attacked in spaces so small there's no where to run to and are hung upside down, slit open and their skins are pulled off their still living bodies. Pigs are dismembered alive. Calves intended for veal are locked in dark boxes with their legs chains to the ground so they can't move and develop muscle. They too are dismembered alive. Some animals are vaginally or anally shocked to "stun them" but most are missed and go through the slaughter perfectly aware. I could go on and on, but I'll stop by saying this: no, the animals you eat cannot run away or they would have generations ago. Also I don't know if you eat hotdogs/sausage (I saw your husband does) but (you probably know most of this) they're made from the rejected parts of all animals. Actually (this is a fact) hotdogs are made from the parts of animals that the FDA calls "semi-edible". These parts being things like but not only: pig noses, horses' hooves (ground up), skin, ears, chicken rectums and feet, bones, genitalia, so on and so forth. Things that when alone can't be eaten but when ground up make a heart-clogging, fattening "semi-edible" death paste. As for the other thing you said about plants having feelings too. Plants have no nervous system and thus can't feel any pain or even discomfort at all. Being eaten actually helps plants. Most strive to be eaten to some extent. Being eaten is the only way grass can grow. The more grass is eaten the more (and healthier) it grower. Trees and so forth rely on animals to eat the older branches and leaves so that new, stronger ones can grow and fruit must be eaten so that the seeds can be dropped elsewhere and grow into a new fruit tree. Why do you think fruit tastes so good? So we'll eat it and spread the population far and wide! We wouldn't have probably any of the beautiful vegetation we have now all over the world if it wasn't for plants trying their hardest to lure animals to eat them and carry the seeds away to grow and repeat the cycle.
No one in my family believes in anything I do. I've been doing this on and off for about five years, but I got serious about it (again) about two-three months ago. I just don't believe that animals should suffer for human pleasure. (I'm not very religious) but I always wonder what goes on in the heads of very Christian people who eat meat. When I think about god looking down on us I feel embarrassed. Can you imagine the horrow he must feel when he looks down and sees that the beautiful animals he created to live in harmony among us are being exploited, tortured and detroyed by the thousands for nothing? Forests being turned into strip centers and creatures so majestic that we couldn't resist wearing them now extinct or confined to fur farms where they're starved and then stepped on to death instead of shot to preserve the coat. I really can't imagine that this is what god wanted in the beginning. Everything that made this planet beautiful and worth fighting for is almost gone. Most of you will think this has nothing to do with you, but haven't we all driven past a dog chained to a tree or a horse, skin and bones, in a paddock too small with no grass or hay and just kept on driving? As I wrote that I thought: How many of you reading this will be that person with the lonely, chained dog or starving horse. If you can't love your dog for who he is give him to someone who can. If your daughter no longer cares about that sweet sixteen pony sell him! I'm not just rambling; this does have a point and it's this: There is so much pain and suffering in this world and not just for people. Everyone is so eager to add to that agony, but next time you have the chance to take a little bit away do so! Your compassion will not go unnoticed.

Today was a crazy day. I got nothing done, but I wore a fabulous dress. I did manage to reconcile with an old friend. Now I'm tired and going to bed. Oh, I'm sorry for "going off on you guys" yesterday in that long post. I hope no one, especially you DreamWeaver, take it too seriously. No! wait! It is serious, but I hope you don't think that I was angry or going mad or something. Ha. Me go mad??
Christina

Well, I suppose a Merry Christmas, Christina, is in order.

Your post was, well, something else. Especially the part about the artery-clogging paste in hot dogs.

I think I am going to go be sick.

Not that I didn't know that stuff already. That is why I was a vegetarian for years before. But then the whiff of a cheeseburger just dragged me down baby.

Also, since I am your friend and also love to parry, I feel I must point out that all other non-human animals do NOT live in harmony and eat Gardenburgers. They eat each other, sometimes kill each other without wanting to eat the remains, gnaw on dead bodies of other animals, eat their own babies, and many other mostly horrendous things. The world is a messy place, but I agree with your sentiment that since we are human, we must act with decency to the creatures that we kill for meat. Food animals must be allowed to run around while they are alive, eat non-tainted and non-medicated foods (unless they are sick), be slaughtered humanely.

I'll admit, I still don't eat much chicken and only the free range birds, and only once in a great while. But I do love a Nathan's hot dog once in awhile and am still ambivalent about the foods I eat (all of them) and the manner in which they are produced.

You brought up a lot of good points, girl. Don't you stop being YOU.

Hope you had a fine holiday!

How's my little chick-a-dee?

Don't apologize for your rants - they are one of the best parts of this site! I agree with many of your sentiments. I became a vegetarian at age 9 (much to the dismay of my mother) and continued a s a strict veggie until a few years ago. You could say that I've gotten lazy, but really it's for the sake of eating more protein for the sake of losing weight. When I get to goal weight, I want to become a strict vegetarina again.

The day of the fabulous dress and reconciliation with an old friend sounds stellar! What more can you ask of in a day? So, what else is new?

Did you fall into a vat of tofu? Happy New Year, kiddo.

Hello everyone,
My computer had been dead for some time now.
Chummy,
This is one last thing about animals. Animals are self-regulating. Of course the animal world is violent. Look at it this way and you'll know what I'm talking about. In a herd of migrating, let's say, deer they travel through the territory of many predators and many are killed. But the mountain lions (what have you) can only kill what they can catch. They can only catch what isn't strong enough to get away. In the end the only deer that reach their destination are the strongest and most worthy of passing on their genes. They live and keep the population strong. Humans go hunting and what do you think they look for? They don't say, "Oh, look there's a buck that looks small and weak. He would probably only be a burden to his species." No, the hunter looks for the biggest, strongest credit to the species. So, of course I know that animals kill animals, but they keep the balance strong. By the way, the term "free-range" means nothing. Free range chickens are never allowed outside. They live crowded in a dark warehouse.
My Christmas was a bore. Nothing happened and I was tired. Ha. My computer broke and kept me off the internet though, as you've noticed. I'll check in later, guys.
Christina

Oh. Oh...sigh...Well, I got out of work today. Hee hee. If only I could do that every day. IT sucks though because I NEED the money, but i hate working, so blah on everybody.
C.R.

Happy New Year, little one. May the coming year bring you gardenburgers, love, and guffaws aplenty.