Decidedly Obscure Human Complaints.

I’m now in Berkeley! It’s so nice here. There is green vegetation stuff galore, humidity, a cool breeze, I can breathe, bicycles all over the place… and, best part, when we went to Trader Joe's earlier there were shoppers wearing backpacks . In Utah? 99 times out of 100 I am the only person in the market with a pack - meaning, I either walked or peddled there. Here? I’m drowning in a sea of pedestrians and cyclists! Not to mention — aside from veg-friendly and veg places GALORE — there’s also an all-vegan cinnamon roll place and soul food place super close. Oh my. Food shouldn’t be so exciting - but, eating new vegan food is pretty much my #1 favorite thing to do when I travel. The flavors are always so new and exciting; and the neighborhoods harboring veg places are always havens for a slew of other awesome local cozy things. Oh, and I have a dorm room all to myself! It’s such a life saver. So, in general I switch between two binders — one for walking long distances or to ea...

Since turning my last paper for finals in last Tuesday at 5:59pm (due at 6:00pm) I have been celebrating with a Mass Effect (video game!), staying up late, pajamas, and 21 cans of Coconut Juice in bulk which my adorable parents purchased for me as a finals completion gift. Then last night, some friend took me to Scream 4 . Then the celebratory cherry on top - this morning Erin, Andrew, and I caught wind that Seabirds, an all vegan food truck, is in Salt Lake City today and tomorrow! They are parked from noon-8pm in front of a local coffee shop called the Coffee Garden. This is part of The Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” and in addition to their normal menu they’ll have lots of other great things as well like breakfast burritos and cheesy potatoes. This was their breakfast menu this morning: I ordered the breakfast quesadilla, which was super delicious to the max. My friends ordered breakfast burritos and the “jerk jack fruit tacos”, which had an incredibly interesti...

Here are a few photos from my family trip to San Diego! Look at this cute little ol' guy - a "Tapocyon" hanging out over at the Museum of Man in a plastic tree. Apparently he's similar to what modern dogs and cats evolved from and has retractable claws, which kitties retained and pups lost along the way. Mom and I, enjoying our Spongebob Squarepants pops in Balboa Park Mmm! Vegan pizza from Stephanie's Bakery in San Diego! On the purdy beach at sunset with the mom and brother.

I met with an academic advisor a few days ago to see if there's any realistic, feasible way I'll be able to go back to school. Once upon a time, even setting foot into a college classroom sounded impossible to me. Especially after dropping out of high school in 1999. I don't recall being encouraged to apply for college. Instead, I was introduced on a weekly basis to army recruiters. Who, in turn, could get us into this foreign world of "college". After dropping out and with few options, I did visit with a recruiter. I was on the verge of signing up, but had just recently decided to go vegan. And I doubted that boot camp would be the most vegan-friendly place. And then George W. Bush became President in 2000. I eventually did find my way to Salt Lake Community College and through harassing anyone and everyone who made eye contact with me, I figured out how to get a high school diploma from an alternative high school. And then how to sign up for loans and clas...

My massage last Friday was so.very.blissful . It went on for two whole hours . Afterward I was dehydrated to all hell and felt like I was on a muscle relaxed little floaty cloud. My gives-the-best-massages friend gave me a glass of water, then I floated off yonder to a local queer club where "femme women dress up as butch and compete". Femme? What? Where? I'm in. Anyhoo, the most recent post over at The Vegan Lunch Box was a little hope-inducing in regards to my puberty-ridden acne and backne development. The author's little son, Schmoo, has finally hit his preteens, which led her to blog the following: I've dealt with acne my entire adult life (they all told me I'd grow out of it, the liars). And although acne has been linked to milk and dairy products in several studies , going vegan did not clear up my skin at all. Of course, although it didn't contain dairy, my early vegan diet did include daily servings of things like soda, chips, candy, and ...

In 2005 female impersonator Flotilla DeBarge, the "Empress of Large" posed for PETA's "Fur Is a Drag" ad spoofing Star Jones' penchant for wearing pelts. Since then it has stirred up quite a lot of controversy and discussion among the trans community. Last week I read a blog post titled Using Transphobia to Fight Animal Abuse from the Trans Group Blog where the author interprets this ad campaign as perpetuating transphobia: "In this context, fur is a "drag"--meaning it is bad, and a bloodied cross-dresser is somehow supposed to be quirky or funny. This is all in advertisement for a fashion show where cross-dressers will cat walk fur coats with fake blood and animal traps. The cat walk is just a cruel play on the walk of shame, cloaked by humor and couture no less. Look, it's a tranny with a bloody jacket! Everyone laugh." I couldn't help but think, " Yes, and what? These are cross dressers having fun and being ridic...