Haha, Pictures of Me and My Bestest Friends July 31, 2007

Eva (Cake), Dev (Hotdog), Me (Hamburger…vegan one of course…)

These silly pictures were taken at Ye Old Curiosity Shop in Seattle, a couple piers away from the Seattle Aquarium. The owners may have started to get a little mad at us for trying on all of their AMAZING hats (and glasses in Dev’s case…) although we did organize their hats very nicely after we finished, they looked much better than they did originally.

  

Witches…

Eva (Crab), Dev (Frog), Me (Alligator)

Here is the best picture I got from my whale watching trip a while ago…

We saw a bit of J-Pod!

Marine Conservation July 31, 2007

I have decided to, in the near future, to start raising money for and spread awareness about our oceans and to conserve them. This idea has been brewing for a while, and I watched a dive show at the aquarium (of course) that focused on conservation, and I have decided to take some action. I went through a few Marine Conservation groups and societies, and I am leaning towards Scripps Research Institute, which is stationed at the University of California, San Diego, the college I am thinking about going to. I am open to any suggestions, and I hope to have more news soon!

Aquarium Kids and Veggies Rock! July 31, 2007

Haha, this little kid at the aquarium today was afraid to touch the sea star I had put in a bowl, but his Mom was so enthusiastic about getting him to touch it. When I put it a sea star in a bowl, it is for the smaller kids to touch, because not all of the can reach the touch tanks, so this little boy was probably around 1 year, he could walk, but only speak a few words. I touched the sea star, and went on this whole rant about how this sea star is the nicest one in the tank, and that’s why he got to be in the bowl. Most kids believe me, but this child was freaked out. I touched it to demonstrate how harmless it was, and he smiled, a little braver. His Mom said, “Do you want Mommy to touch it, OH, it’s soft! Here, you touch it Jakey.*” All the while that his Mom was touching the sea star the little boy was screaming, “NO MOMMY, DON’T DO IT!!” Then his Mom, teasing, flicked some water at him, and he screamed, “AHH, I GOT WET!!” and proceeded to wipe his face ferociously. He was smiling now though, this must be a game that he played with his Mom…So he finally got the courage to touch it, after around 5 minutes of pleading…and he put his little finger in to touch it, and before he even touched it, his finger was just in the water, he yanked it out and started screaming, “MOMMY I GOT WET AGAIN!” Then he finally touched the sea star and loved it, he didn’t want to leave. This was so entertaining for me, his Mom was probably trying to get him to touch it for a total of 10 minutes. Jakey was so cute, he would freak out, but with a huge grin on his face. Little kids are so cute!   (*Not sure if his name was Jakey…)

There was this other little kid that wanted to know how much Big Al, our largest Northern Fur Seal, weighed. He can weigh up to 600 pounds (I think?), so he is pretty large. He said, “Mommy does that seal weigh 15 pounds?” All excited and all-knowingly. His Mom just laughed and said, “He probably weighs about 1000 pounds.” She later asked me how much they actually weigh, but that little boy was SO sure of himself…This is a picture of Big Al, taken by Dev!

This AMAZING article on MSN today, that thing popped up with all of the news (Windows Live Today) when I signed into Live Messenger and told me about this article titled, “Is it cheaper to be a vegetarian?” The answer, according to the article (and my opinion) is YES. Because the staple foods are so cheap. But we eat more fresh veggies that can get expensive, but non-vegetarians don’t normally eat enough. READ IT…http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/GoVegetarianToSaveMoney.aspx?vv=450>1=10222 AND by the way, I LOVE Whole Foods.

Dog Fighting? I thought we were advancing as a society… July 24, 2007

You may have heard the dreadful news that on Mike Vick’s (football player) property, illegal dog fights were happening. All evidence points to Mike Vick heading it, and why not? He is a successful NFL player, and no one would think bad of him because of a couple of dead dogs, right? TERRIBLY wrong. These news confounded me when I first heard them. Why would anyone seek pleasure in watching dogs maul themselves to DEATH? Many others feel the same confusion as to this enjoyment, so dog fighting has been banned in most states, including the state that Vick’s property is on. Apparently, Vick knows nothing about these dog fights, and was just as surprised to find out as we are? Well, that is a bunch of junk. All signs are pointing to guilty, and yes, I am sorry if he actually is innocent, but I want to be sure that everything possible is being done to give these dogs the justice they deserve. I know that he isn’t the only dog fighting encourager (assuming he is one) and that other dogs too deserve their justice. But the thing about these public dogs, is that someone well known has them, and if these dogs are granted their justice, more will go into helping all dogs.

Inform everyone you know about the dreadful happenings to these poor innocent animals. I don’t want to hear anything about them, “wanting to fight,” they are made to fight, sometimes threatened to do so.

Here is a fabulous article to take a look at…http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19921373/

Also…get a facebook account if you don’t have one…

EDWARD, Harry, Harry, Harry July 15, 2007

Sorry I haven’t been blogging much!! I saw the 5th Harry Potter movie recently, and because the 7th book is coming out in 6 days, I am rereading the series, so I haven’t had much time to blog…(I read 6, 1,2 3, and I am halfway through the 4th one…)

Hmm…interesting things that have happened…been volunteering some more at the aquarium, always a fun thing…I would now like to take the time promoting Edward…

For those of you that haven’t read the books Twilight and New Moon by Stephanie Meyer, you must read them. They are the most amazing books, and have the most amazing person that could ever have existed. Edward. Just saying Edward makes me happy. I was first introduced to the book by my friend Eva, (who seems to enjoy getting me hooked on things…Alias, Edward…I’m seeing a pattern…) who was very excited about it. I immediately got hooked and the next book in the series is coming out in 23 days, I know I am psyched too. The next book is called Eclipse (which also happens to be the name of an orca in J-Pod). I am very excited, and will spend all of August 7 reading that book. Actually probably only a few hours, they don’t take long to read.

Just thought I would tell everyone that I didn’t forget you!! Enjoy your summer!

DOUBLE FEATURE!! Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies July 7, 2007

I actually didn’t cook these, I ate them as cookie dough. There aren’t any eggs, so safe to eat!!
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
    2 cups unbleached flour
    2 tsps baking powder
    1/2 tsp.salt
    cinnamon to taste (optional)
    vegan chocolate or carob chips – put in as many as you like
    1 cup raw sugar (turbinado #1, sucanat works too but sucks up a lot of the moisture)
    1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1/4 cup water
Directions:
VERY IMPORTANT-make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. It will work if they’re not at room temp but it works MUCH better if they are. Also while your oven is pre-heating put the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get preheated as well.  Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose). Add chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.
In a medium size bowl mix vegan sugar and oil. Mix it well.  Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well.  Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it.  Add more chips if you need to.  Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Put them in the oven.  Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets.(top to bottom,and 180 degree rotation) Bake another 4 minutes and check them.
The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. I usually go in two minute increments from here untill they get to where I like them.
Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.
These cookies have come a long way, lots of time and tasting spent on getting them to where they are now. Vegans and non vegans LOVE them. In the words of my 6 year old son-Mom, you’re the greatest because you know how to make the best cookies. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions. Sweet travels.
Serves: almost two dozen
Preparation time: 15 mins?-10 to 12 cooking time

Thank you to: Denise for your WONDERFUL recipe

Vegan Banana Pancakes July 7, 2007

Ingredients (use vegan versions):
    1 cup flour
    1 tablespoon brown sugar
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    dash of cinnamon
    2/3 cup soy milk (more if needed)
    1/2 banana (very ripe and mashed)
    1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Mix flour, vegan sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together.  In another bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir well. Add more soy milk if batter is too thick.
Cook on medium-high heat till browned on both sides. Makes about 8 small pancakes.
Serve with maple syrup, icing sugar or jam.
Serves: 2-4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Thank you to: tulip27@hotmail.com for your WONDERFUL recipe

Shopping and Jumping July 7, 2007

Today, Mom decided we needed some new shorts, so we picked Mimi up from a friend’s house and we all were driven (by myself) to Kohl’s. Yes, we had a few, “OMG KT, STOP” and yes, there were some close calls, but all in all, a very successful trip. (We didn’t die or crash ) I got a couple pairs of shorts, and a pair of capris that will work perfectly for my aquarium volunteering. I got this adorable dress, (that was only $21.60!!) that I absolutely adore. Here are a few silly pictures of me in my new dress.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made banana pancakes this morning, we are out of non-stick spray, so I used olive oil. I must not have put enough on or something, because they stuck to the pan, holding on for dear life. Mom saved the day, although we made a new batch, and *tear* threw those ones away. The next batch was good though.

Mimi and I played some more on the trampoline, here are a couple of pictures of our day in the backyard. (It is so much fun out there after all of the feces has been picked up-dog poop-because you don’t have to worry about stepping in a little surprise.)

Of course this isn’t a posed picture…

 

Mimi, being silly…

 

 

 

 

Me, lovely as ever, with our beautiful poop-free backyard!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of pictures today, I’m experimenting with Mom’s camera…Here are some pictures I took of our kitties, the men of the house, sans my dad…CAT FASHION SHOW!!

Poor Buddy…(NOT looking at the camera!)

Baby Nigel!! The panther awaits…

The funny thing about Baby Nigel, he is so docile, but he hates staying in one spot. He loves boxes, or baskets, like the one in the picture. The only way I could get him to stay still was to put him in a basket. That snake in the background, to the left of the monkey, terrifies him. I snuck it in there just before the picture, but he leaps when he sees it. I couldn’t resist though, the jungle picture wouldn’t be a jungle picture without a snake!!

A Day Filled to the Top July 6, 2007

Well, today wasn’t boring by any standards. I would like to dedicate this post to Good Karma products, for their wonderful rice cream that makes my tongue happy.

This morning I had my second drive for driver’s ed. I hope I haven’t started a tradition, because for both my first drive and today’s drive, there has been an accident right in my path of travel, but thankfully, I didn’t have to maneuver around it. My silly driving instructor gave me a B+, because of 2 LITTLE things. It must be because her name is KT, and she has high standards, like most KTs do. So, I was angry for a while, but decided to show her that other KTs could take the challenge of impressing her and getting an A.

On the note of A’s, I got all A’s last semester, I aced both of my math tests. (I thought I was going to get a B+ in math..I had one for a couple of months.) YAY!

Then I decided to make a double batch of my Vegan Coconut Pineapple Bread. Mmmmmm, it’s good. We already went through half a loaf, I guess when there is more, you eat more!

For 3 hours, we set up our new trampoline. Seriously, if I had known it would have taken that long…We got a used trampoline a couple years ago, but it didn’t have a net, and the springs were bare, so we decided not to use it until we made it a little more safe. So, Mommy and Daddy came home with this brand spanking new trampoline, that takes a lot longer to put up…I thought it was…cool…that they included how to bounce on the trampoline. There were pictures and directions and everything!

After that, Mimi was shipped off to some friend’s house and the rest of us went to Sushi Land. Did I mention I am a ‘regular’ there? I always get 3 inari, (fried bean curd-sounds gross, but it is AMAZING) 2 cucumber rolls and a couple of edamame (soy beans), give or take a couple. Those are the best and like 3 out of 5 of the vegan options they have. So, anyways, I have to ask the chefs to make my dishes, and this one man has come to recognize me and my inari fetish. YAY

Then, I drove on the freeway, scary stuff,  I tell you. That was only my second time, but I need my practice!!

Couple of funny things:

-Some cinnamon candies fell on the ground, and Penny has a bit of a sweet tooth, and decided to eat them (I called her to come eat them…). She would suck on one for a minute, bite into it, realize it was spicy, and then spit it out. She did this for like 7 candies. Funniest thing.

-Mom is going to hate this, but she always has weird nicknames for things. At Sushi Land, she wanted a California Roll, and she wanted Dad to get it off of the conveyor belt. She said, “Can you get that poppyseed one?” I am guessing that the poppyseeds were actually the fish eggs plastered to the sides of the rice. She would call the House Rolls, egg-a-muffins, which are actually Egg McMuffins. We love her even if she slips up sometimes…

-I was talking to Dad about how there is a little Port Jackson Shark at the aquarium right now, and he went on to tell me about how he caught a leapord shark! So aparently, down in California, there was this shark in the water that he and his friend Scott decided to catch and then they did! But, actually the thing that he added later was that it was stuck in a tidepool and some homeless people were going to eat it. So they pretty much, from my understanding, cornered this poor innocent creature in a couple inch deep water and threw it into the ocean to prevent some hungry people from eating it. Huh. 

Life of a Vegan July 5, 2007

When most people see me, their first impression is that I am a goody two-shoes that spends her whole life studying and getting good grades. Which is mostly true. There are tons of things about me that surprise them about their smart, suck-up acquaintance. The biggest shocker is my being a black-belt, and then combined with being a vegan, my life must be just some ironic joke. Though it might annoy some people, I anticipate the reaction of some people that find out the deeper side of me.

When someone finds out I am a vegan, there are a few common reactions.

1: OMG, I could never give up meat, and MILK!

2: Where do you get your protein?

3: That is so unhealthy, without meat you won’t get any vitamins, it’s like being anorexic!

4: Why?

5: See, the thing about vegans, is that they have to get vitamin B12 from VITAMINS, and all they eat is goat food, and…and….etc.

I recently came across a website with vegan comebacks, and I have tried a couple on a few people, and it just makes it ever more enjoyable. Most people think you have to be insane to give up meat, and when you crack a joke about it, that just seems to justify it for them, yup, they’ve gone off the deep end.

The coolest comment I got recently when like this:

Kid: “You know, the animals are still going to be dead in stores, even if you don’t eat them.”

Me: “No, vegans and vegetarians actually are making a difference, saving about 47 animals a year each.”

Kid: “You’re right, someone halfway across the world is looking at the next cow about to die, and says, ‘I can’t kill this cow, because KT is making a difference.”

Haha, now he is my favorite seventh grader.

Here are the non-funny, short answer responses I am giving to all of you:

1: Well, you aren’t the one giving up meat or MILK, I am, and I love soymilk. I’m not sure I could eat meat anymore anyways, it grosses me out. I bet if you tried, you would be able to, though.

2: Where do you think the cows get their protein? There is a ton of protein in plants, you just have to use a combination, beans and soy have tons.

3: Yup, I’m anorexic.

4: Because it’s mean. (If they look at me quizzically, I add more, but it gets tiring repeating my schpeal over and over again.)

5: Ummm…no

I am dedicating this post to my friend Gabe, who I have no idea where he has run off to (haven’t seen him in about 2 years), who originally inspired me to become vegetarian. Also, I am terribly sorry for bombarding you with, “I could never give up meat, veggie burgers are gross!” because I know how terrible that one comment can be. BTW I love veggie burgers. THANK YOU for opening my eyes!!

Toodles!