Photography: The Next Generation

I really want to get back into photography. I still have my Pentax SLR that I bought when I was taking photo in high school, and I bought a Nikon digital SLR a couple years ago when I was making money. Unfortunately, both of those gathering the metaphorical dust (they're actually protected in cases). My Canon point & shoot digital camera that I got like three and a half years ago pooped out on me and wouldn't turn on. Although I can't remember whether or not I tried changing the batteries...

Anyway, all of this is to say that I have cameras and I should start using them again.

In the meantime, I have made the leap to actually buying apps for my iPhone, instead of only getting the freebies, and I've started experimenting with a couple different photo/camera apps. It's completely different from taking, developing, and printing photos with a "real" camera, but it's kinda fun. Plus, I always have my iPhone on me, so I always have a camera on me.

Here are a couple shots:

John Mayer concert at HP Pavilion, San Jose. Basic iPhone camera app:

From Emika's Blog - Staying Present

My room. Hipstamatic iPhone app:

From Emika's Blog - Staying Present

My room. TiltShift Generator iPhone app:

From Emika's Blog - Staying Present

Who needs coffee when you have AI to wake you up?

I went coffee-less today! Not only did I not have my usual morning cup of coffee, but I woke up before my alarm went off! Of course, I still stayed in bed a good 15 minutes after the alarm went off, but it felt great to wake up naturally, feeling well-rested. That doesn't happen too often. I still had caffeine, but it felt good to not be reliant upon coffee. I don't know how long it will last, and I'm not trying to cut out coffee altogether, I just don't like that I'm in the habit of buying a cup of coffee every morning. It was overcast and a bit chilly this morning, so I had a cup of chai spiced black tea with a bit of soy milk. It was delicious.

In other non-food-related news...

American Idiot had its first preview on Broadway tonight! Man, I wish I was there. The first preview in Berkeley (and the night that ensued) was an indescribably memorable night, and I hope that tonight was just as special for everyone involved in the show, if not more so. Can't wait to see it in April!

A box of inspiration

My amazon.com box came! I love getting mail, especially when it is a big box filled with these:

So excited about this cookbook! I love Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's podcast, and this cookbook is really well laid-out and beautiful. It's got great graphics and mouth-watering photos, which makes a huge difference. Plus, it notes if recipes are wheat-free, soy-free, or oil-free (or if they have the potential to be). And it gives menu suggestions, as well as food facts, and which recipes fit into which season. I was so excited to start cooking from The Vegan Table that I made a recipe from it for dinner tonight. Well, I actually took inspiration from her recipe and made it my own (which she condones!). Brown rice risotto with asparagus, peas, mushrooms, and carrots. It took a while, but it was delicious.

I'm less excited about this cookbook because it's all in black & white text. No photos. No tidbits. The recipes sound good, but I don't feel like this cookbook will be as inspiring. Just gotta keep open to it, even if it's less pretty.

I've been wanting to read a good novel (I'm having a hard time getting through The Lost Symbol), and I've heard great things about this book. I was planning on waiting for it to come out in paperback - not only because it'd be cheaper, but also because I like the way paperback books feel when I hold them (silly, perhaps, but true). I read, though, that since the novel's been selling so well, they're pushing back the paperback release date. So, I went for it. It was only like ten bucks on amazon.com, so I couldn't pass it up.

I had a lunch bag that I was using, but after the last spill that turned into a stain that wouldn't come out, I ditched it. Plus, the shape wasn't quite right. So, I invested in this hip new lunch bag that's made out of the material they use for wetsuits. Yes, it's cute. Yes, it's a good size and shape. But get this - it's machine washable! It's a good thing, too, because that neoprene materials stinks. Hopefully it'll be dry and ready to go on Monday morning.

Vegan & Non-Vegan Chocolate Treats

It's easy to become a vegan because...

It's hard to become a vegan because...

Springing forward into a fresh start

In light of springing forward this morning (haha, light, get it?) I have decided to have a fresh start and revive this blog. When I started it in the fall, it was a place to document my experience with Kathy Freston's 21-day cleanse. I have thought a lot about doing the cleanse again (multiple times since New Year's), because I felt pretty great when I was doing it and I liked taking responsibility for the food I was eating, rather than eating unconsciously. Even though it wasn't a diet per se, it was unsustainable, and pretty soon after I finished the cleanse in September, I went back to many of my old habits - eating without thinking, drinking coffee every morning, eating multiple sugary things a day, and eating foods that don't make me feel good, just because I want them at the moment. I'm not sure if I want to do the cleanse again right now, but I do want to "spring clean" my diet.

First, a little history...

I picked up an issue of VegNews Magazine back in 2006 that featured Ashland, OR (where I was living at the time) as one of the most veg-friendly cities in the US. It's such an inspiring magazine and it inspired me to become a vegetarian (well, pescatarian) two days after that Thanksgiving. VegNews is really a vegan magazine, and reading it over the past few years has inspired me to think about becoming vegan. First, it was the egregious environmental impact of the meat and dairy industry. Then, I realized that I didn't really like meat that much and my stomach felt at least a little unsettled whenever I ate dairy (I think I'm lactose intolerant, like the majority of the world). I do love animals, and I don't like the thought of causing animal suffering, but for me, that wasn't the primary reason I became a vegetarian.

The more I've been reading about veganism, the more I've realized that it really does seem like a great fit for me. When I did the 21-day cleanse (no animal products, no alcohol, no sugar, no gluten, no caffeine), I felt really great. Also, I truly believe that you vote every time you purchase food - as Michael Pollan said the other day on Oprah, you get to vote three times a day - how empowering is that?! Now, I just want to do an even better job at voting with my values, and aligning my actions with my intentions. Recently, I've been listening to Colleen Patrick-Goodreau's (of compassionatecooks.com) podcast, Food for Thought, which has been really inspiring. I was also inspired by Alicia Silverstone's book, The Kind Diet, and her website, The Kind Life. I'm still a little ambivalent about committing, but I'm pretty sure I want to go vegan.

I already bought mostly vegan products at the grocery store, but I go out to eat or pick up take-out a lot, and when I do, I don't always make vegan choices, mostly because there aren't always vegan options and I don't want to be a burden if I'm with someone else. So a major part of going vegan is going to cook more. I started today by cooking an easy vegan chili that I threw together with ingredients in the house (canned beans, canned corn, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, carrots, bell pepper, and spices), along with some leftover brown rice. I also veganized Pamela's Products gluten-free Cornbread & Muffin Mix by substituting Earth Balance for butter and flaxmeal + hot water for eggs. Everything turned out pretty tasty, if I do say so myself, and it felt satisfying to cook.

So, I guess I'm off on a vegan (or at least mostly vegan) adventure. I know I won't be perfect right away (hello, Girl Scout cookies), but I'm setting my intention, which is the first step. We'll see how it goes...

Finish Line - for now at least

I finished the 21 day cleanse. Although I must admit, I didn't really end strong. I went out last night for a birthday party and had a delicious margarita, a cupcake, and a bite of a piece of cake. Eek. I was that person at the restaurant who orders with fifty thousand exceptions to the food on the menu - but I'm ok with that. I do kinda feel bad for the waiter. This one totally messed up the order and I ended up getting a free meal, which was ok because it wasn't even good and I didn't eat much of it. I'd rather ask for exceptions and be able to go out to eat than not go out at all.

I started reintroducing some of the "Big Five" back into my diet today. I had some caffeine this afternoon when I was dragging, but instead of full-caffeine, I got my iced soy latte half-caf. I also had a few spoonfuls of mango sorbet (sugar) and I just finished baking some gluten-free vegan chocolate chunk cookies (sugar). I bought the cookie mix and substituted applesauce for butter and flax meal w/hot water in place of an egg. Found those tips in Living Without magazine a few months back. And they turn out delicious. I am still conscious of not eating too much sugar. Moderation is the key.

Now that I'm done with the cleanse, my plan is to open up my blog to other things. Since I plan to remain mostly gluten-free and vegan, and since I think a lot about food, I'm sure that'll still be part of it. But I want to get back into photography, as well as talk about other stuff going on in my super exciting twentysomething life. Or something like that. We shall see.

So it begins...

Day 19: Divinization

I loved tonight's chapter in The Quantum Wellness Cleanse book - bringing it all together. The chapter for Day 19 is "Divinization," or human participation in creating the better world that is inevitably coming.

Here are a couple quotes...

"In leading lives for the greater good, we find our true selves and we find inspiration and empowerment - the self-actualization discussed by psychologist Abraham Maslow s the pinnacle on our hierarchy of needs."

"I believe that the decisions we make in terms of our food choices are, in a very real way, our deepest connection to our core values and principles."

"The goal of conscious eating is not just to eat food that is delicious and nutritious, though that is certainly key. We also must challenge ourselves to eat foods that are in alignment with our spiritual values, foods that don't involve, as much as possible, exploitation of the earth, workers, or animals."

"If our eating is in sync with our values, then our lives have a shot of integrity repeatedly throughout our day."

I'm still chewing on it (so to speak) - there was so much in this short chapter. I love the idea that making conscious food choices that are in line with my principles and values is a shot of integrity each time I eat. I still need to carve out more time in the day for introspection and meditation.

I also really respond to the importance of the greater good - recognizing that our choices have further implications beyond how they immediately impact ourselves. If I buy McDonalds food, that doesn't only impact myself and my own body, it affects countless people, animals, and the environment.

I think that our society has become so fractured and so focused on self-improvement. I know we're all different, but I think it's so important for everyone to be part of a community as well. I think that's part of why I've always responded to being in the theatre world - it's such a collaborative process that is completely reliant on it being a community. You think about how what you do affects others and they think about how their actions affect you. Give and take. Support. So important.