Ash Wednesday, Peeves, and Happy Thoughts

Holy shit...it's here. Ash Wednesday. Holy, but not necessarily holy shit, I guess.

If ya read my last post, you know that this is a big day for me: the first day of my vegan-lenten experience. Since it's about 2:30 AM, I'm not in the thick of it yet, and won't be eating anything for a quite a while...just nervously excited. Why nervously? Well, I don't want to fail. Fuck that, it's not an option.

Over the next 40+ days I plan on checking in on here relatively often. I'll give updates on how I feel, which recipes are shit, which are great (feel free to send me any you personally enjoy), etc. Also, though, since I'll be exercising (not exorcising) my spiritual side as well, I'll probably want to wax philosophical on that ass...be forewarned.

Which reminds me of a HORRIBLE pet peeve of mine. Ya know, I don't spend a huge amount of time on Facebook or Twitter, but every day I feel like I should spend even LESS of my time and energy on that bullshit. Why? I can't stand reading posts from the whiny fucks on there that never have anything positive to say. EVER.

You hate the inconvenience of having kids, but contraception is the devil. Your husband/ wife sucks ass (and not in a good way). Your boss is unfair, but you don't have the balls to change jobs. Poor people are what's wrong with this country. The batteries ran out on your vibrating buttplug but you don't feel like you should have to go buy some new goddamn batteries because it's your spouse's fault for not stocking up. You're a housewife, but complain about people on welfare. Liberals are trying to take away your guns. Your face and body look like crumpled leather, but you refuse to give up tanning. Your gut hangs over your jeans because you eat too much and don't work out but life is shitting on you. Cigarettes cost too much. The world is against you. You live with your parents but are upset when your $500 generic-looking pair of Jimmy Choos get scuffed.

FUCK.

Life is too damn short to be this miserable. There is good in everyone's life somewhere. Find it and be fucking thankful for it! If it's difficult to find, CREATE something wonderful out of your life. Try to right the wrongs. Why sit around in emotional garbage when there is so much life to see and experience all around you?! If your kids are on your nerves, appreciate the fact that they're here to get on your nerves...some people (like myself) that have miscarried or lost a child after giving birth would trade spots with your ungrateful ass in a heartbeat.

Grow some fucking compassion. Instead of being a snob over someone else's lack of wealth, race, sexual orientation, etc., accept that different does not equal wrong. Let them lead their lives, and you lead yours without hatred or intolerance. You're just as imperfect as everyone else that you look down upon, Asshole.

If it sounds like I'm being a hypocrite, maybe I am...a bit. Everyone is to some degree. Reading whiny posts everyfuckingday gets under my skin, which shouldn't, and that's 100% my fault. I just really wish everyone would get over their own insecurities, stop projecting negativity onto others, and have some accountability for their own actions. That's why this is the end of that conversation.

...

After that purga, I need to talk about something positive. Here's a list of some of my current favorite things/ people/ etc:

• Pure ATS bellydance. Yes, I LOVE tribal fusion (in solo form), but my true love is American Tribal Style (when dancing in a group). I list this as "current" because Tribal Motion has been recently getting back to our ATS roots, and rediscovering the strength and beauty of this format.
• Kid Fury videos. He's one of the funniest people on YouTube without having to try, is 100% himself, and I adore him.

• Anagram and cryptogram games. Yes, I'm an English nerd. We knew this.
• Beats Antique Pandora station. The music is Middle Eastern dance influenced, so isn't for everyone, but is right up my alley. I shouldn't say that since my name is Ali...sounds like I'm talking about my vag, which I'm not...lol.
• Old-school Gypsy caravans. I want one (a caravan, not a gypsy...owning people es muy mal).
• Donna Mejia. Unbelievable.

• Frank Sinatra's voice. Italian swagger...gets me :)
• Watching weird/ artsy foreign films. Especially French...don't know why. They're usually either incredible or a horribly-fun trainwreck, so entertaining either way.
• Dark chocolate peanut butter. Do I need to explain this?
• John Fugelsang. Smart and hilarious.

Ahhh...makes me happy.

Vegan for Lent

Since late 2007, I have consumed absolutely no mammal. No beef, pork, venison, etc. Actually, from about October of that year until June or July of 2008, I had absolutely NO meat...and yes, chicken, fish, and eggs are meat (who the hell decided they weren't, anyway?). Why did I start eating chicken and fish again after abstaining for eight or nine months? Well, it was mostly about variety and laziness. Since I was newly married and working full-time, I had grown soft on my once-staunch convictions and lusted for convenience. Yes, I understand that an animal is an animal, be it repile, mammal, insect, bird, arachnid, etc, but my mind could somehow justify eating a non-mammal while being thoroughly repulsed by such monstrosities as Wendy's "Baconator" (aka my nightmares personified).

Now, before anyone gets uncomfortable, this is not a shaming post. I'm not going to advocate any type of diet to anyone else, because 1) I don't give a damn what other people eat, and 2) I'd be a hypocrite to say anyone else's diet isn't healthy. My diet is absolutely HORRENDOUS. And that's actually what this post is about.

Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent in several Christian denominations. Being raised in a Methodist household, I've given up a vice (or tried to start a healthy habit) every year. Yes, the tradition is to honor Jesus (his resistance to temptations) and the goal is to strenghthen your spirtuality, but I believe this is an incredibly beneficial idea regardless of faith (or lack thereof).

Every religion that practices Lent has different ideas on the way it should be carried out. Three semi-universal practices recommended during Lent include more prayer (for God; could be meditation for health of the mind/ spiritual side), sacrifice (giving up smoking, fasting, etc. for health of the body), and charity (monetary donations or any other charitable efforts that could help others). During the middle ages, most followers gave up all animal products, which is what I plan to do this year.

Do I plan to stay vegan after Easter? I don't know. I'm doing this to not only strengthen my spiritual side and ease my conscience, but also as an experiment. I've wanted to try to cut out dairy anyway, and this is the perfect time. My reasons for cutting out dairy are mostly health-related: I'm pretty lactose-intolerant but also a lazy ass, so I get sick but still eat junk. Enough of that crap. Since I wanted to experiment with no dairy, and didn't eat beef or pork anyway, I thought it wouldn't hurt just to rip the bandaid and not eat any animal products.

Will it be hard? Fuck yes! Mainly giving up dairy: butter, ice cream, CHEESE...holy shit. The meat will be a breeze, but the damn cheeeeeeeeese. Sorry, that rhymed...but not sorry enough to change it. Surprisingly enough, I actually have incredible willpower when I am extremely restrictive. Yes, I may eventually give up, but it'd probably be more out of boredom than actual cravings (or, at least, that's how it's been before).

Eating plant-based foods will force me to eat better in general. I will be much more mindful of everything I put in my mouth, and not just reach for whatever junk crap we have in the cabinets. Going out to eat will all but stop, since it's hard to find anything in central AR without butter or cheese slathered onto it. That's alright, Jason and I eat out way too much anyway.

I've been looking up tons of recipes, personal anecdotes, and nutritional plans in order to prepare. Planning is essential to do this safely and healthfully (and anyone that wants to bark about this being unhealthy, read some studies that aren't paid for by the beef and dairy industries). I've also tried to enjoy a lot of my favorite foods before they're banned. Fat Tuesday should be fun...no big plans on that yet. But Wednesday is the big day, and I'm kind of excited for this new experience. Who knows? Maybe I'll feel incredible and decide to stick to it after Lent is done. At most, I hope to become much more accountable with my health in general.