Cold & Cozy

Scribbled in a small notebook Dec 28/11 at MacGregor Point Provincial Park... 


I rise from the table and slither under 2 layers of sleeping bag & blankets on the bottom bunk of our temporary bed. A few feet away, I watch as Dan sharpens his prized new Buck knife - one that I sincerely hope he'll never use for its intended purpose (lol). A small fire crackles outside the yurt, that Dan built while I prepared a late lunch: Canned Organic lentil & vegetable soup and fried egg sandwiches with tomato, lettuce & dijon mustard.

Winter camping has become a new tradition of ours. This time, we departed the day after Christmas, barely having thought of our upcoming trip - caught up in busy holiday preparations - since we booked the yurt over a month ago. We knew where we wanted to spend our post-Christmas week - not swimming through droves of Boxing Day bargain-hunters, but ankle-deep in fresh snow, nestled warmly by the fire, amongst the trees and the chipmunks and the sweet silence of Canadian winter (which had barely touched our Central Ontario homes by the time we left!)

MacGregor Point on Lake Huron seemed a much more fitting place to spend our week off of work. Even here it didn't really start snowing until last night, offering a very welcome morning surprise of deep snow and long, freshly-formed icicles after a day of near-constant rainfall. Nature works such wonders even when we're not looking (maybe especially when we're not looking). :)

Now, to go enjoy the last of the daylight by the fire <3 Happy Winter!

i hate holding hands.

always have.

it's uncomfortable and my hands sweat.

it also hurts my finger bones and restricts my hand/arm/finger freedom, which is torture for a compulsive finger-fiddler and clothing-adjuster such as myself.

the only real purpose for hand-holding that I've seen is that it keeps me from accidentally turbo-walking 20 paces in front of Dan. because I am a very fast walker, while he is of the more relaxed (re: infuriatingly slow) variety of walker. and even then my hands get sweaty after 30 seconds and I proceed to leave him in my turbo-walking dust.

I honestly think only people in new relationships hold hands. It's like a validation thing. a statement: "I'm with this person and wish to be touching them at all times". which is great and all. but after a while you just say to each other (or at least I do): "hey, can we please abandon this ridiculous practice now? i love you, you love me. we needn't be connected uncomfortably by the hands right now. i'm sweaty."

it's a beautiful milestone in a relationship, I think, when you're comfortable keeping your hands to yourself (at least when it comes to holding =P)

WOMPwomp

So uhhhhhh....

disregard that entire last post.

Raw food challenge lasted exactly one day.

but it WILL commence sometime in the near future!

...as I've said about 43,984 times.

FML.

RAW (and late)

So I started my 30 day raw food challenge today! :)

I had intended to start on the 1st, but there were a few engagements this past week that I could have, but really didn't want to miss out on (including a full-on Portuguese feast at Dan's grandma's house). So I didn't! Hahaha I pigged out and enjoyed, confident in the fact that I would indeed be starting today. So far it's just been the easy part: work. I'm rarely hungry at work. I'll have a piece of fruit, maybe some nuts or (normally) bread and almond butter... so today I've had 2 bananas and a bartlett pear (all organic), and I'm predictably still going strong!

We'll see how I fare tonight ;) Dan and I are heading over to our friend Cory's house for a hangout. Luckily I brought all kinds of raw goodies with me in preparation, so I should be fine.

I also completely forgot that Dan and I made a dinner date at East Side Mario's (a chain italian restaurant) for wednesday, which I have no intention of bailing on, so I'll just try to keep it as raw as I can. I'm not being too hard on or strict with myself. I can't. Hard + Strict is always a recipe for failure with me. Maybe I'm undisciplined. Maybe I'm a slave to temptation. Maybe both. Either way, I generally do a lot better when I give myself some flexibility and don't beat myself up, and this challenge isn't about being a badass, or the "no pain, no gain" philosophy. I'm doing this for my health, my physical and emotional well-being, and if you can't take a gentle, loving approach to that, you might as well not bother. Unless you're the type of person who thrives on that, which is great! It's just not my style. Or maybe it is and the reason I've always failed is BECAUSE of my gentle, loving approach... hmmm...

...So, day 1 is well under way!

Hopefully I will remember to continue updating the ol' blog as the weeks roll on. Maybe I'll even make a video or two (or remake the ones I deleted because I hated the fake way my voice was sounding, haha!)

Wish me luck! :D
xoxo

Peace!

Thursday, I'm in love: Interiors

Today, I was inspired by a gorgeous blog post by Bekah, over at my little loves.. The post was(is) entitled inspirations for our future home... and featured tons of b-e-a-utiful pictures of cozy, eclectic bohemian interiors.

So I decided to do a little photo hunting of my own, and do some "future house" dreaming!

Admittedly, I've seen blog posts before featuring this type of photo spread, a la tumblr, etc, but I just adore this lovely lady's style so much ((gush)) that it really got me excited about hunting for beautiful photographs and doing a similar blog post of my own!

So here goes! I found a whole bunch of gorgeous exteriors that I love as well, but I think this is more than enough pictures for one post ;) hahaha

Enjoy <3

(all of these pics were either sourced from Moon to Moon, pictures that were previously stored on my computer, and one from the blog that inspired it all! haha)

 love the open layout 

 i've always wanted a wall of books <3 

 multicolour pillows 

 books <3 and i love the light

 adorable rustic kitchen 

 my little loves lift ;) 

 stunning 

 love this moroccan kitchen!!

 adorable loft bed with curtains <3

 skylights in the bedroom? AMAZING. 

 love this hippie couple :) and the house, of course! wood <3

 <3 I LOVE LOFTS <3

 loftyloftyloft

 Is this clay? I *love* this style of structure

 just imagine snuggling up and reading a book by this woodstove... mmmmm 

 perfect bathroom 

 always dreaming of my warm, natural [future] kitchen <3 

 love this nook 

 okay, i officially need a house like this... whatever it's made of. lol

they remind me of hobbit holes! :) i especially love the rocks embedded in the steps. 

the outdoorsy family's living room :) 

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I enjoyed discovering them! My work day should go by pleasantly quick with all these lovely daydreams of home ownership swirling through my head, hahaha <3 

Peace! :) 

03/16/11

I hate my granny's bean salad. There. I said it.

...I'm going to hell.

50 Things Challenge: An update.

I'll keep this post short (for once) and minimalistic ;)

Progress that I have made with the [give away] 50 Things Challenge so far:

1. Allocated 1 large box for my donations, which currently resides in my bedroom.
2. Chosen approoooximately 16 things to donate so far (well on my way!)
3. Already went to Value Village (popular Canadian second-hand store) and bought 4 (or 5?) work shirts and 3 GORGEOUS knit sweaters for work, and also a belt, for $65!!! *This* is why I love buying second-hand! Everything I bought was in perfect shape and quality, just as I would have found them in the store at probably 5x the price! Honestly, the sweaters I got are so beautiful, I bet each one of them would cost $50 or more new.

I had planned to wait until I had all my donations ready to buy any new things, but I really needed some shirts and sweaters for work, so it just couldn't wait.

Overall, though, I'm happy with the progress I've made so far with this challenge! If little else, I have certainly been thinking in a more minimalistic way in terms of my consumption, both with food and other purchases, and I'm feeling really good about it! :D Seriously, it's amazing how much you realize you *don't need* when you're conscious of it at all times!

So there's my update. I almost took some pictures of the clothes I bought, but I don't think I'm quite at the fashion show blogging stage yet, and honestly, they were just work clothes. Boring! ;p

Peace! <3

[more] simply [than i was last week] yours,
Jess

Operation Zen

I have what you might call a strained relationship with my boyfriend’s brother. To say we’ve ever truly gotten along, famously or otherwise, is a stretch. We have talked. We have shared some laughs, and a handful of good times, but we’ve also shared considerably more arguments, harsh words, and differences in the 10 years we’ve known each other. More than I can count, really. Truth be told, he and I are about as glaringly different as two human beings could be. Him, being a right-wing conservative, suit-and-tie-and-expensive-watch-wearing, male-grooming-products-using, meat-and-potatoes sports fanatic who sees disaster and poverty in the world as indication that “we’re winning”, and me, the probably-too-outspoken, real foodist, pot-smoking, secondary-education-snubbing pseudo-hippie who believes money is the devil and that the world would be a better place if we abandoned the society we’ve built and lived in straw huts with chickens and pigs as pets. Yeah. As you can probably guess, we haven’t seen eye-to-eye on many things. Ever. In fact, the only opinions we’ve ever shared are those on religion, and a love of salmon.

Over the years, our relationship has gone from light-hearted debate, to full-on heated arguments complete with threats and insults, to our current state of arctic deep freeze. It seems we’ve both reached a place where we have no urge to argue with one another… but it’s not as if a fresh, new “clean slate” kind of attitude has come in to replace the old. We just ignore each other for the most part, exchanging occasional nods and barely-audible “hey”s and “sup”s in passing. Add to this the fact that his girlfriend for the past 3 years, who shares all his viewpoints, and who I made the mistake of horribly offending by sharing an innocent link about the dangers of the Atkins diet (a diet her mother is/was on. Big mistake.), seems to absolutely despise me and rarely acknowledges my presence, and the lines of communication and therefore any opportunity to repair things are basically welded shut. To be fair, the girlfriend’s not a very outgoing, talkative person in general (sober, at least), that I’ve noticed, so it’s possible I’m reading too far into her behaviour… but honestly, I doubt it. I’ve certainly shown some not-so-friendly sides of myself in front of her that I greatly regret -- sides of myself that I don’t even like -- so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she just genuinely dislikes me. The worst part about this is that the brother (we’ll call him “R”)’s behaviour towards me is very much affected when she’s around (when she’s not, I seem to actually exist and we even occasionally share WORDS. Even SMILES. Crazy. When she is, though… ice age.), which is one of the reasons I’m convinced she’s really not my biggest fan.

All this being true, however, still did not prepare me for what occurred last night…

The guy deleted me from his facebook.

HOLY SMOKES. I couldn’t freaking believe it.

I know, I know, it’s “juuust facebook!”, but fuck that. Don’t give me that bullshit. We allllll know what message he’s trying to send: “GTFOO my life! I don’t want to see you, I don’t care about you. I don’t want to look at your pictures or read your statuses or know anything about you.” …And I’m readin’ ya loud and clear, bud.

    Part of me really wants to believe that my exile from his “friends” is due to my constant posting of videos, links, notes and statuses of a subject and nature that he undoubtedly finds ridiculous. Take this post, which was made yesterday, THE DAY he deleted me (or at least the day I noticed), titled: Scientific Proof that Galactic Energies have Triggered Worldwide Consciousness Expansion. 

    Just picturing his reaction to the title of this article/video (he’d never read/watch it) makes me giggle :P But that’s all it is to me: Funny. I find our differences amusing, even fascinating, albeit frustrating at times. I disagree with almost every piece of his core belief system, yet I can’t bring myself to entirely dislike him. I wouldn't tolerate anyone like him under normal circumstances, but, call me crazy, I assumed we were operating under a mutual understanding that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we’d likely be somewhere in each other’s lives for a long time to come. It’s not as if I pictured the four of us going on couples’ cruises together or anything, but I’d hoped we could at least be civil, for Dan’s sake, and the sake of the rest of the family and our future children.

…And that’s precisely the stance I plan to maintain. I don’t have any foolish hopes for our future relationship. I understand that we will never be friends, and that’s fine. They’re not our type of people, nor are we theirs. I also understand that I’ve more than done my part in tearing down any relationship that may have existed up until this point. I do. I will not, however, continue to contribute to a spiteful, distant and cold future. I won’t do that to Dan, or to his parents, or to our kids, or to myself. I’m going to try to make things right, and salvage whatever level of civility is possible here, even if I have to drag them both (or all three) kicking and screaming. Basically, my plan is this:

1. Keep my opinions to myself. Do not rock the boat or say anything that may cause them to dislike me any more.

2. Maintain a state of unshakeable zen-ness in their presence. If something is said under the breath, or rude or challenging comments are made, I will not respond in kind.

3. Continue to be friendly and make an effort to engage each of them in conversation. Joke. Compliment. Be a pleasure.

4. Also practice this with Dan’s parents, because even though they will likely not delete me from their facebooks, the potential for relationship sabotage is still very real if I can’t muzzle myself from time to time, and because of their non-confrontational nature, they may never make their true feelings known, which is even scarier to me. And obviously the relationship with Dan’s parents is more important than his brother.  

Anyways, I just realized the staggering magnitude of this post, so I’m deeefinitely gonna wrap this up now. Haha. I don’t really expect anyone to read this. I just decided to use the blog as a journal of sorts to get all my thoughts and plans out in a tangible, re-readable way. Thank you, internets! J Let operation zen… begin!

Minimalism; 50 things.

     I was doing some reading here when I came across an idea that I'd heard of before, and have been recently feeling inspired to put into practice. Minimalism and simplicity have always held a very inviting quality for me. As the names would suggest, the ideas behind these two concepts are quite simple, indeed: simplify your life, minimize your possessions and the general "clutter" in your life. One of the biggest draws for me, undoubtedly, is the freedom that comes with breaking free from both the temptation to consume (the need to have more), and the feelings of monotony and lack of personal impact, contribution and control that occur when you consume mass-produced junk, made who-knows-where out of who-knows-what, and sold by corporations. Personally, I like to know where my clothing and other belongings come from. I like to know that the person who made these things was treated kindly and paid fairly, that it doesn't contain toxic and/or unsustainable materials, and that it is of good quality and worth what I'm paying for it.

     But I digress... the things I've just discussed are not necessarily definitive of minimalism. One could spend hours (possibly weeks or years!) debating and discussing the intricacies of a minimalist mindset and what true simplicity entails. However, feelings of frustration surrounding consumerism and our society's preoccupation with "things", with little to no regard for where their things came from or how they're produced, are very often instrumental emotions in triggering a shift towards a simpler and less consumption-driven life. This is mostly where my motivation lies, though the thought of having a tidier and less-cluttered living space is also temping! :P My goal is mainly to basically eliminate unnecessary purchases, especially from "big box" corporations and anywhere that does not have actively and openly ethical production standards, and to generally have less stuff! I hope to center most if not all of my future purchases around thrift, cosignment and antique stores, along with locally made items in order to support my community, while also donating anything I don't need. Which leads me to the reason for this post (finally!). The post on mnmlist that once again sparked my interest in simplification, is this one: The 50 Things Challenge.

     The challenge I plan to undertake is a little less hardcore than the author of this blog's. His (or her) goal is to pare down all of their belongings until they only own 50 things!!! This is a very impressive feat for anyone, even a seasoned minimalist, I would think. Therefore, I will be taking a modified route, and simply giving away 50 things. Maybe one day I'll be able to whittle my staggering collection of nick-nacks and unessentials  down to 50 absolute necessity items, but to be honest, probably not. That's not really my style. I do like to have SOME things that are just quirky or neat that don't serve a specific purpose, but I definitely feel an intense pull to simplify. So I will be using a couple of days this week to meticulously select 50 (or more!) of my possessions, be they articles of clothings, books I won't likely read, etc.

     I'll share the results, and possibly some pics from my next trip to Value Village where I'll be unloading my 50 burdensome items and very possibly picking up at least 10 replacement items... *sigh* the road to simplicity is difficult and paved with impulse [thrift store!] buys...

Peace! :)

Crampage Control: The trouble with Midol.

I honestly think that Midol, along with all other forms of menstrual cramp pain medication (Aleve, etc) might be some of the dumbest inventions ever to grace drug store shelves.


I understand that many girls and women out there suffer from agonizing, debilitating cramps and that they simply cannot function in their day-to-day lives without some form of relief. I feel for you ladies, I really do.


However, for the majority of women out there, let's face it, cramps are really not that bad. And while popping a couple Midol may seem like an easy solution to the nagging pain of menstrual cramps, they are really more of a hindrance than a help in the long run.


It's quite simple.


What these drugs do is numb the muscles that contract and push the (guys, feel free to stop reading now. you were warned.) blood, uterine lining, etc, out of your body, which gets rid of the pain.

This presents a few problems: 

1) It makes your period last longer. The reason being that instead of contracting normally and pushing everything out in an efficient manner, the muscles, being numbed, fail to contract and all the blood and stuff just basically sloshes out of you (delightful) over time. It eventually does, since humans are typically upright most of the time, but it takes way longer than letting your body push everything out normally. 

2) If you continuously take these drugs every time you feel cramps (as I know many women and girls do), you never get used to them. So if you get into the habit of taking it, unless you one day decide to kick the habit (do it!), you will suffer the same painful cramps for many years to come. I have never taken Midol, save one or two times in my early teens, and honestly, when I do get cramps, they're just background noise. I can easily think/breathe my way through them while going about my daily tasks. And I do so willingly and with pleasure, as I have reason #3 to use as motivation to learn how to deal with cramps naturally... 

3) Menstrual cramps are your body's preparation for LABOUR! They are UTERINE CONTRACTIONS. The exact same muscles are being used during menstruation as during labour (just much less intense, obviously, since they're just pushing out a bloody sack and not a baby). Cramps are extremely useful. We're lucky to have them, really (don't laugh! lol). So basically, if you want any chance of having a natural labour in the future (or if you plan to birth in hospital where they'll just be DYING to break your waters and/or give you pitocin, both of which make labour pains more intense) it's really a great idea to kick the habit of taking pain killers for cramps years in advance. That way, you'll be giving yourself some time to understand and experience what uterine contractions feel like and develop your own methods for easing the pain so that you're not completely blindsided by labour and begging for an epidural. 

So there you have it. CRAMPS ARE YOUR FRIEND! They have a purpose. And honestly, for most women, they're not even that bad. So man up.

And for you ladies for whom mind-over-matter is not necessarily always a viable option, here are 3 more natural tips and tricks for relief of menstrual pain: 
1) RASPBERRY TEA. It increases blood flow to the area, and actually TONES your ladypart muscles so that not only are your cramps not as painful, labour will be quicker and less painful as well (double score!). Plus, it has been used for centuries by women all over the world :) 
2) The classic HOT WATER BOTTLE. Can be used either while relaxing at home or even at the office. 
3) Gentle YOGA. You can find lots of poses out there that are great for relieving menstrual discomfort, both in the form of written instruction accompanied by diagrams, and/or videos on YouTube (my personal preference) :)

And on that note, HAPPY BLOODY VALENTINE'S DAY, EVERYONE! hahaha <3 

Spring Greening 2011

Wow. That was lame. Never been much for titles :P heh.

Anyway.

I'm finally taking the leap. Or, I should say, I'm finally planning to, if everything goes exactly as planned and I don't flake out at the last minute as usual, take the leap. 

I will be experiencing April 2011 on a completely RAW, VEGAN diet. 

What this means is, I will be consuming only ingredients which have not been heated over 115 (118 depending what crew you roll with) degrees farenheit, and no animal products. I have chosen to fore go the animal products, not because I'm completely opposed to their consumption (I eat eggs quite regularly), but because I am only doing this diet/cleanse/whateveryouwannacallit for a month, so I'm aiming for MAXIMUM results. I wanna FEEEEEEL the raw power!!! I want to go the puritan route. This time. Who knows what route I'll take next time or the time after that, but this time, it's raw vegan all the way baby :) I've been interested in this lifestyle for quite some time, collecting books and knowledge on the topic for around a year now, and I finally have the motivation and the extra cash (sort of) needed to take the plunge! 

Originally I planned to do this in January, but then December 1st (tomorrow) rolled around (yes, I am speaking to you from the future yet also the past somehow) and I started thinking, “shit.” You see, right now, at this very moment, I am in the process of buying my first CAR. Thank you, thank you. Yes indeed. I am buying a 2000 Honda Accord, which involves repairs, transfers of ownership, registration, license plates, insurance… and probably more crap that I can’t even think of at the moment. It’s not so much the stress of it all that makes me want to postpone this challenge, but the FINANCIAL factor. Now, I know the raw diet has the potential to actually be CHEAPER than a cooked diet. I know this. But since this will be my first attempt at “raw”, I’m thinking there’s a good chance I’ll end up spending a whole lot more money than I need to (I tend to go a lit-tle overboard at the grocery store), and with all this car business I just can’t afford to be overspending on anything.

So, with any luck, by April, I will be financially comfortable (HA!), or at least enough so that I can confidently embark on this very exciting journey.

I think I basically know what to expect. There is no shortage of information and testimonials out there supporting this diet and touting its amazing range of health benefits. If all goes well (or as well as it has for some), I could be a whole new me by May! Wouldn’t that be something? I was considering going gluten-free as well, which would turn this into a full-blown cleanse, but I actually find myself pretty stoked to experiment with raw, soaked and sprouted grains, so I’m gonna roll with that J

So that’s it on the subject for now. I’ve been buzzing about this for a little while but hadn’t been able to put my thoughts into blog-form for some reason. I will be updating now, though. I’ll post my plans for the month, diet plans, exercise plans, etc, and hopefully I’ll get my youtube channel up and running so I can post some recipes and document my progress that way as well. One thing that will hopefully make my videos and posts unique is that I do not have a high-speed blender such as a blendtec or vitamix, nor do I have a dehydrator. One of my goals is to make this lifestyle seem more realistic and approachable for the average person seeking above-average health on a budget. I hope you'll follow along! :) 

Until next time!

Loving waves and hairy buds,

Jess <3 

Kristen's Raw is giving away a free set of E-Books!

http://kristensraw.blogspot.com/2010/09/kristens-raw-25th-awesome-giveaway-free.html

AND IMA WIN IT! B-)

Young Blood: My recent, confusing experience with varicose/spider veins.

I started working in an office recently. I worked in my Dad's office before this, but the work day there was always fragmented, peppered with dog-walking and food making and laundry doing... I rarely sat for more than an hour or two, at most. At this job, however, I am sitting for multiple hours a day, arising only to file things and take my lunch.

As a result, over the last month, I've been noticing a weird kind of pain in my calves and sometimes in my back lower thighs. As I'm pretty vigilant (aka a hypochondriac) about noticing any possible or arising health problems, within a few times of noticing this pain I checked out my legs, and lo and behold, exactly where I felt the pain, I noticed some veins. They were bulging but I could definitely see them through my skin and they looked pretty large. I've also noticed small clusters of what appear to be spider veins, also in exact proximity to where I feel the pain. They're not at all what I would classify as full on "varicose" or "spider" veins, but they're definitely visible in a way they were not before.

My first reaction was: "WHAT THE FUCK?!

Varicose veins? SERIOUSLY? I'm 22 years old, for Christ's sake! This cannot be happening!"

For those of you who do not know what varicose veins are, they occur when (from my very recent and limited understanding) the valves that pump the blood through your veins, stop working properly and causes blood to collect in the veins. The veins then expand and the blood in them begins flowing in reverse, causing them to protrude and be painful. Greeeaaaaat.

The most common causes of varicose and spider veins include:

• Going through a pregnancy
• Standing or sitting for long periods of time
• Being overweight
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Age - they appear more often as people grow older
• Sex - they are more common in women
• Heredity
• Diet rich in processed, salty, sugary and otherwise shit foods

And, more rarely, varicose veins can be symptoms of serious health problems, such as tumours in the pelvis.

So far as I know, the only things on that list that apply to me are the fact that I am female, and the fact that I have recently begun sitting for long periods of time. Actually, I should say, I have recently started sitting for long periods of time in one position :P I have always done a lot of sitting. A lot, of sitting. So I guess in a way the "sedentary lifestyle" one could apply to me, too. Some would undoubtedly argue that it does.

I also, up until recently when I realized this, sit with my legs crossed a lot, in various different positions, but crossed nonetheless. This, I have learned, is a very bad idea, so I stopped.

But anyway, like I said I'm 22 years old, so the age thing definitely doesn't apply (most women who develop this problem develop it after 35 years of age). I'm 5'10" and between 125 and 130 lbs, so it's pretty safe to say I'm not overweight. And while my diet isn't perfect and may never be (does that even exist? ask anyone and you'll get a different answer), I eat a pretty large amount of raw, unprocessed food and steer pretty clear of fast food and junk food, with the exception of subs, pitas and pizza, the latter of which I don't even eat often. I haven't had any kids, and to my knowledge neither my Mother nor my Grandmother suffer from it.

Soooo I'm in a pretty weird spot mentally right now. I'm in the process of finding a new doctor in my area (STILL, after over a year living here), and when I find one I'll definitely ask about it. But since I have a pretty good idea what they'll suggest (nothing/drugs/surgery), and I have no intention of going down any of those paths, I've decided to start naturally remedying (?) myself until I can get some professional insight on the matter.

Some natural remedies I've come across are:

-Collinsonia Root
-Horse Chestnut Extract
-Bilberry Extract
-Grapeseed Extract
-Gingko Biloba
-Pine Bark Extract
-Raw Garlic
-Butcher's Broom
-Apple Cider Vinegar
-Vitamin E
-Vitamin K (topically)
-Vitamin C with Bioflavanoids
-EXERCISE. Even if it means pumping and bopping your legs under your desk, it's better than nothing!

Foods that are good for preventing and maintaining are:
-Oranges
-Blueberries
-Cranberries
-Cherries
-Tangerines
-Plums
-Grapes
-Onions
-Garlic
-Rosemary
-Greens!
-Broccoli
-Cucumber
-And others that currently escape me.

Foods to avoid:
-Foods with added salt
-White flour products
-Limit starch intake

So I'm going to try a bunch of these things and see if I get any results. I've also taken to massaging my legs in an heartward motion and keeping them raised whenever I can. I'll keep you posted :) I sure hope I can improve or reverse this, because I love to be active and the prospect of living the rest of my life with pain in my legs is completely heartbreaking...

Hoping for the best :) If anyone has other suggestions, I would love to hear them!

Summer without ice cream.

I just did it. No joke. Well as of tomorrow I will have done it. And I must say I am rather proud of myself :)


It was one of my 5 new years resolutions this year, and since I broke the other four by February, as per usual, I decided that this resolve needed to stick. Reason number one being that I have never once in my life made good on a new years resolution. Not one. Reason number two being that I kind of really want to kick dairy anyway so I figured this would be a nice, gentle transition :) Never the less, come May 31st, I was terrified. Why? Because I *love* ice cream (obviously! hello!). I could eat a gallon right to my face. Or at least prior to June 1st I would have jumped at the chance :P Though I must admit my pension for dairy-based treats began waning long before then. Let's say a pint. Couple pints :P

I was sure I would fail, as was everyone I shared my plan with. Actually that's not fair. People were very supportive, albeit doubtful, in my resolve to abstain from my favourite frozen treat from June 1st to August 31st. No doubt, temptation would be EVERYWHERE, in the form of gas station freezers, ice cream trucks, the tiny, amazing ice cream shoppe which is a summer staple in my town, friends' houses, grocery stores and restaurants rife with giant posters of happy children licking away at sweet, creamy cones of delight.........*ahem*, etc, etc...

Yet I remained determined! And I'm so glad that I did :) With the exception of a secret "Dibs" bite from a friend's freezer while "slightly" intoxicated on my birthday (OOPS!) and a single serving of frozen yogurt, I stayed pure ALL SUMMER! YEAH! :D And honestly, it wasn't even hard. There were temptations, of course, as I mentioned, but it was something I really wanted to do.

So that's my "I'm proud of meeeeeee!!!" post for the summer :)

Winter is on the horizon now, as is a glowing, yellow (or marble, mmm) vision of my next masochistic bout of epicurian celibacy: CHEESE!!! hold me :(

Until then, enjoy this glorious christmas cheese cow. I won't be :(

Today, I love...

bizzy beez

open hearts

tree houses!

and this :)

Raw in: MISSISSAUGA

So Dan and I were in the Lakeshore area visiting an old friend, and decided we HAD to check out Raw Aura Organic Cuisine at 94 Lakeshore Rd E.

Here is what we had :)

my juice :) parsley, carrot, ginger, apple... hmmm i can't remember what else. it was so good!

i also got a shot of E3 Live in it :)

Dan's Strawberry Cacao Smoothie :)

Caesar Salad with Kale Chips on top (they ran out of eggplant bacon)!

"Pasta Bolognese" - Zucchini pasta tossed in some kind of deeeliicious (!) spicy sauce, and seemingly every vegetable from carrots to kale to sundried tomatoes. SO GOOD! <3

"Mac & Cheese" - Carrots mandolined into what was supposed to be elbow pasta shape (I applaud the effort, lol) and served covered in cashew cheese, nooch (nutritional yeast) and other veggies. Dan liked it but said there was way too much cashew cheese. Despite enjoying the overall flavour, he wasn't able to finish it.

OMFGlkhjjkshfkhsfhkfhomnomnomyumyummmmYES!!<3

Pecan Pie & Chocolate Avocado Pie

Holy Crap.

<3 *drool* <3

more desserts <3

US :)

The Wonderful World of MYCELIA! (Mushrooms! Fungiiiiiiiii)

I have recently - or I should say in the last several months - become fascinated by fungi. The majority of people have no idea how important and intelligent (seriously) mushrooms are. Beneath our feet lies an almost unimaginably intricate network of mycelia, trading nutrients with plants for energy, transporting nutrients from tree to tree, and helping to heal and detoxify whole ecosystems.


Here are a few short exerpts from an interview with expert on mycelia and author of such books as "Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World", Paul Stamets, about the secret world of the Mycelial network; Nature's internet.


Jensen: "Almost since life began on earth, mycelia have performed important ecological roles: nourishing ecosystems, repairing them, and sometimes even helping create them. The fungi’s exquisitely fine filaments absorb nutrients from the soil and then trade them with the roots of plants for some of the energy that the plants produce through photosynthesis. No plant community could exist without mycelia. I’ve long been a resident and defender of forests, but Stamets helped me understand that I’ve been misperceiving my home. I thought a forest was made up entirely of trees, but now I know that the foundation lies below ground, in the fungi."




Stamets: "There are an estimated one to two million species of fungi, of which about 150,000 form mushrooms. A mushroom is the fruit body — the reproductive structure — of the mycelium, which is the network of thin, cobweblike cells that infuses all soil."


"A mycelial “mat,” which scientists think of as one entity, can be thousands of acres in size. The largest organism in the world is a mycelial mat in eastern Oregon that covers 2,200 acres and is more than two thousand years old. Its survival strategy is somewhat mysterious. We have five or six layers of skin to protect us from infection; the mycelium has one cell wall. How is it that this vast mycelial network, which is surrounded by hundreds of millions of microbes all trying to eat it, is protected by one cell wall? I believe it’s because the mycelium is in constant biochemical communication with its ecosystem."


"I think these mycelial mats are neurological networks. They’re sentient, they’re aware, and they’re highly evolved. They have external stomachs, which produce enzymes and acids to digest nutrients outside the mycelium, and then bring in those compounds that it needs for nutrition. As you walk through a forest, you break twigs underneath your feet, and the mycelium surges upward to capture those newly available nutrients as quickly as possible. I say they have “lungs,” because they are inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, just like we are. I say they are sentient, because they produce pharmacological compounds — which can activate receptor sites in our neurons — and also serotonin-like compounds, including psilocybin, the hallucinogen found in some mushrooms. This speaks to the fact that there is an evolutionary common denominator between fungi and humans. We evolved from fungi. We took an overground route. The fungi took the route of producing these underground networks that are highly resilient and extremely adaptive: if you disturb a mycelial network, it just regrows. It might even benefit from the disturbance.


I have long proposed that mycelia are the earth’s “natural Internet.” I’ve gotten some flak for this, but recently scientists in Great Britain have published papers about the “architecture” of a mycelium — how it’s organized. They focused on the nodes of crossing, which are the branchings that allow the mycelium, when there is a breakage or an infection, to choose an alternate route and regrow. There’s no one specific point on the network that can shut the whole operation down."



Now, these small chunks, should you choose to read them (in other words, should you have a burning interest in a seemingly irrelevent topic that doesn't interest most people in the slightest, as i happen to =P) may not reveal any mind-blowing truths to you. It was difficult to find specific chunks of text that conveyed the entire message of the interview.

The jist is, all fungi release spores (spores are like their seeds), which float around and eventually settle on the ground. When a male and a female mycelial spore touch, they begin to form a network, that can span many miles, across entire forests and beyond given enough time. There can also be multiple networks in the same area because each year/season, leaves and dirt obviously accumulate, and then more spores float down, creating another network overtop of it, and so on and so forth. Through these networks, the mycelia can do amazing things such as transport nutrients from a thriving tree to a dying tree many miles away. They also, as mentioned previously, trade nutrients with plants for their photosynthesized energy, creating a symbiotic relationship between the mycelia, the plants, and the trees. And that's how a forest really works.


Here's to seeing the forest for the fungi :) YAY FUNGI!! lol

Here's the rest of the interview, for anyone interested.
http://peakenergy.blogspot.com/2008/07/natures-internet-vast-intelligent.html

Joe Rogan: Unexpectedly Awesome.

Yeah, the guy from Fear Factor!


This guy

I started to love him a little when he produced "The Union: The Business Behind Getting High" which focused on the injustice of cannabis prohibition in North America and - in part - the British Columbia "union" of marijuana growers.


And NOW, he's going to be doing a documentary based on Dr. Rick Strassman's "DMT: The Spirit Molecule" !!! Whaaaaaat! And now that I'm actually reading up on him he seems to be a pretty outspoken advocate for the exploration of DMT. The film might already be out, actually. Whether the doc will focus on the more "illicit" method of smoking DMT or natural methods of stimulating your brain's DMT production through things like superfoods (eg Mucuna Pruriens), kundalini yoga and meditation, I'm not sure, as I have not [yet!] gotten around to reading the book, and I'm at work so I can't watch the trailer >_<




Either way it should be pretty mind-blowing. DMT is a very powerful and fascinating subject.




stoked. <3ujoe.

Get improved concentration, memory and overall brain power with SUPER BRAIN YOGA

This technique is being used by doctors and teachers alike to improve brain function and increase concentration and mental clarity. And it really works! Improved grades and increased mental focus among people who practice it are being reported, even among those with mental disabilities.

Super Brain Yoga, as it's being called, is essentially a form of acupressure and breathing technique used to balance both hemispheres of the brain and bring energy up to the brain. It was developed by Master Choa Kok Sui who has written a book on the subject. The exercise is easy to learn, takes only a few minutes to do and can be done basically anywhere! :)


Step 1: Face east, if you can. I don't really bother with this as I'm not aware of the significance, but if you happen to be aware of where east is, it can't hurt.


Step 2: Connect your tongue with the roof of your mouth, pressing lightly.


Step 3: Grasp your earlobes with your thumb and index finger, your thumb on the front of the earlobe and index on the back. Your right arms should be crossed OVER your left arm.

Step 4: Inhale and squat down to the ground (or as close as you can, the degree of squat isn't terribly important, but try to get as low as you can without hurting your knees or any other part of your body) while inhaling.

Step 5: Stand back up on the exhale. So as you're squatting, inhale, then as you're standing, exhale.

Step 6: Repeat this 15-20 times once or twice a day

I started doing this yesterday and plan to do it everyday. I'll post updates on whether I start to notice improved concentration, memory and overall balance. I definitely notice slight effects right away, but it's hard to determine whether it's as a result of the systematic breathing, the squats, a placebo effect or whether my brain hemispheres are actually being affected =P but I plan to practice it everyday and I'll let you know what I discover :)

Innard Smoothie, Falafel Numminess and "Cheesy" Potato and Kale Soup

blended guts anyone? jk, it's just a blenderless smoothie =P mash berries, add [100%!] Juice (NOT FROM CONCENTRATE, PLEASE) I used strawberries and 100% pineapple and orange juices, and some fresh lemon juice.

Dan, grindin' some flax seeds. He's so strong *swoon* lol

Chick peas (canned. in hind-sight i definitely should have used dried/soaked for a more neutral flavour), onions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, coriander, ground flax seeds (in place of the flour in the recipe)... what else? olive oil... i think that's it.

Falafel-flavoured mess ♥

I don't have any pictures of the cooking process, but I preheated the oven to 350, lined a baking sheet with foil and then preheated the baking sheet (as per the recipe). I then made a bunch of balls, plopped 'em on the sheet, flattened them slightly and baked for, idk, half an hour or something, flipping them when the bottom side looks flippable (pardon the vagueness, i cook very much by eye)

Tahini. Sesame seeds and olive oil. Datsit.

Hummus. Chick peas, tahini and lemon juice.

For the record, I did not like this hummus AT ALL. In fact it's still sitting in my fridge. Again, should not have used canned chick peas. I couldn't get the flavour of the canning liquid out even though I rinsed the hell out of them. Oh well. Now I know for next time =P

Clockwise from the top: lil bitta bruschetta, arugula salad with organic balsamic vinaigrette, tzatziki (delicious, but made me feel all cloggy and phlegmy. ugh), hummus, and falafel patties :)

Dan, 30 seconds after placing the plate in front of him: "I hope you took a picture of that."

Yes, I did =P

ps sorry for the crummy lighting. this was literally the best one, ,lol.

DELICIOUS potato and kale soup. Basically I just boiled some potatoes, then added some organic veggie broth (TO THE POTATO BOILING LIQUID. This is key to the starchy cheesy consistency of the final soup), brought back to a boil, then blended (with the heat off =P) with my immersion blender. Then I brought it back up to a boil, added some onions and garlic, turned off the heat, then added some chopped kale. Blend JUST A WEE BIT more (you want to keep the kale bits in tact. unless you don't, then blend it right up. doesn't matter) add some salt (not iodized table salt, if you can help it) and pepper and voila!

OMG this was good. And it had a total cheesy quality to me. Idk. It was so thick and goopy ♥ Definitely making this again extremely soon.

and that's my numminess post for the week (or however long its been since I last posted) =P

have a spectacular day :)