I KNEW I was getting sick. Remember how I was all achy on Monday? Yeah. Two days later I got sick with something quite sinus infection-y. That's why there was no blog yesterday.
So after spending all of yesterday afternoon/night lying around and watching tv (including American Idol, of course - I voted for Haley), I woke up this morning still feeling pretty icky. So I did something I had thus far never attempted: I called in sick to work! It was exhilarating, let me tell you!
I actually did get up and shower around 10:30 because I planned on trying to go to my second school around noon. But when I got there I discovered they had gotten a sub for me, so I just went home! And I've been here ever since. Riveting, yes?
Due to this trifling sickness I haven't so much eaten "meals" today as I have stuffed my face with random crap whenever I couldn't fall asleep. But all of that random crap was vegetarian!
Here's a list of that random crap:
2 cups of mixed berry-flavored green tea, 1 bowl of Lucky Charms with almond milk, 1 bowl of plain grits with some Lucky Charms marshmallows mixed in, 1 entire can of chunky vegetable soup, a glass or two of apple juice, and I'm currently working on a kids-sized Berry Interesting smoothie from Smoothie King and shitload of Picadilly macaroni and cheese - the ultimate comfort food.
And now I plan to lie on the couch and/or bed for the rest of the night and will myself to heal. I do plan to watch American Idol with my mom, because I totally got her into it! Except she likes James Durbin. I'm not feeling that.
On that note, I better go....... do nothing. See you tomorrow!
Kaitlyn
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Day 5: Those are not the cheeses you're looking for.
Last night the lovely Sarah Badger dropped some mind-blowing knowledge on me: NOT ALL CHEESE IS VEGETARIAN.
This is one of those times I wish I could unhear something.
I can't believe it. I seriously can't believe it. How the hell can you secretly stuff your food product with "rennet," an enzyme taken from the lining of a cow's fourth stomach, and not clearly mark it on the label?! I might have wandered blindly through life for many years without realizing I was eating animal cheese.
So, naturally, I had to do some research. I googled "vegetarian cheeses" and found this website which lists vegetarian-friendly cheeses by brand. That's pretty handy. It seems that most organic cheeses are safe, as well as a decent amount of Sargento cheeses. The also seems to be at least one safe version of all of my favorite cheeses, so that's good.
I also found this site, which recommends scanning a label for words like "rennet," "rennin," "chymosin," "rennase," or even just "enzymes." Any of these signs point to animal cheese.
So when I got home this afternoon I was craving some chips and Tostitos salsa con queso, but before I dove in I checked the label. And, just as I suspected, it contained the word "enzymes." Awesome. So even though I decided to crush a big-ass plate of spaghetti and red sauce instead, I'm still craving the cheese. I'm about to go melt down some Sargento if I have to. I hate a craving.
By the way, WHAT THE HECK are you supposed to do when you eat at a restaurant? Ask them what's in their cheese? It's already hard enough to eat out without avoiding cheese!
Anywho, the rest of the day was fine food-wise. Breakfast was the usual coffee with lactose-free milk and sugar. Lunch was a banana, a gelatin-free Greek-style yogurt, and most of a Burrito in a Bowl (rice, black beans, mushrooms, corn, tomatoes, tomatillo salsa, lettuce, guacamole) from Izzo's, a local burrito place which pales in comparison to Chipotle. Unfortunately, my closest Chipotle is 4.5 hours away, and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. Louisiana is lame.
And finally, I decided to get a snowball (that's how southerners say "snow cone") on the way home from work. The flavor was called "sugar-free ice cream," so I'm not sure why I was so shocked that it tasted like ice cream. It might have something to do with the fact that IT WAS BRIGHT FREAKING YELLOW.
I didn't really love that it actually tasted like ice cream, so I didn't eat the whole thing. That's probably for the best, since these things pack way more calories than you'd think.
So yeah. That's my day in food. One of these days I swear I'll blog about something other than food.
Question For Vegetarians Out There (QFVOT) of the day: Do you only eat cheeses that don't contain rennet, or do you choose ignorance?
Urgadurga,
Kaitlyn
This is one of those times I wish I could unhear something.
I can't believe it. I seriously can't believe it. How the hell can you secretly stuff your food product with "rennet," an enzyme taken from the lining of a cow's fourth stomach, and not clearly mark it on the label?! I might have wandered blindly through life for many years without realizing I was eating animal cheese.
So, naturally, I had to do some research. I googled "vegetarian cheeses" and found this website which lists vegetarian-friendly cheeses by brand. That's pretty handy. It seems that most organic cheeses are safe, as well as a decent amount of Sargento cheeses. The also seems to be at least one safe version of all of my favorite cheeses, so that's good.
I also found this site, which recommends scanning a label for words like "rennet," "rennin," "chymosin," "rennase," or even just "enzymes." Any of these signs point to animal cheese.
So when I got home this afternoon I was craving some chips and Tostitos salsa con queso, but before I dove in I checked the label. And, just as I suspected, it contained the word "enzymes." Awesome. So even though I decided to crush a big-ass plate of spaghetti and red sauce instead, I'm still craving the cheese. I'm about to go melt down some Sargento if I have to. I hate a craving.
By the way, WHAT THE HECK are you supposed to do when you eat at a restaurant? Ask them what's in their cheese? It's already hard enough to eat out without avoiding cheese!
Anywho, the rest of the day was fine food-wise. Breakfast was the usual coffee with lactose-free milk and sugar. Lunch was a banana, a gelatin-free Greek-style yogurt, and most of a Burrito in a Bowl (rice, black beans, mushrooms, corn, tomatoes, tomatillo salsa, lettuce, guacamole) from Izzo's, a local burrito place which pales in comparison to Chipotle. Unfortunately, my closest Chipotle is 4.5 hours away, and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. Louisiana is lame.
And finally, I decided to get a snowball (that's how southerners say "snow cone") on the way home from work. The flavor was called "sugar-free ice cream," so I'm not sure why I was so shocked that it tasted like ice cream. It might have something to do with the fact that IT WAS BRIGHT FREAKING YELLOW.
I didn't really love that it actually tasted like ice cream, so I didn't eat the whole thing. That's probably for the best, since these things pack way more calories than you'd think.
So yeah. That's my day in food. One of these days I swear I'll blog about something other than food.
Question For Vegetarians Out There (QFVOT) of the day: Do you only eat cheeses that don't contain rennet, or do you choose ignorance?
Urgadurga,
Kaitlyn
Monday, April 4, 2011
Day 4: So Far So...... Ouch
I woke up this morning feeling a little weak and achy all over, and it only got worse throughout the day. This usually happens right before I come down with a sinus infection or the flu, so that's exciting. The weird thing is that I don't have any other symptoms at all - just the ache. But right now the ache is so bad that I almost cried while trying and failing to open the door to my house. The damn key wouldn't turn!
So today is my second day of full vegetarianism, and it's gone well so far. I haven't dropped any weight yet, which is a bummer. I feel like I deserve to start losing weight the minute I decided to go veg. Lol @ my sense of entitlement.
I've decided to add some additional mini-goals to my main goal of eating no meat through May 2. I'm also attempting to:
1. avoid cheese (lactose intolerant and all)
2. cut back on bread (you can't cut out bread, but DAMN I eat a lot of bread)
3. stop eating fast food (because not a single fast food item is good for you)
4. get in the habit of packing my own lunch in the morning (yes, my mom sometimes makes my lunch, and you know you're super jealous)
My food intake so far today included a breakfast of my usual coffee with lactose-free milk and sugar, a lunch from the salad bar at Jason's Deli (pasta salad, couscous salad, and regular salad), and a pre-dinner snack of Special K Chocolaty Delight. Not too shabby.
So here I am lying in my parents' big, comfy bed, blogging and contemplating going to sleep at 7 PM. Delightful.
Before I go, I have a question for vegetarians out there: is it strictly the act of eating meat that you avoid, or is it just as bad to buy food with meat in it and eat around the meat? The other day I thought about buying some chicken-flavored ramen noodles and eating them without using the chicken flavoring, but I would still be contributing financially to the chicken-killing industry. So is it the money or the act that matters? I guess it depends on whether you're a vegetarian for health or ethical reasons.
That's all I have for you today, loyal reader(s). Cheerio!
Kaitlyn
So today is my second day of full vegetarianism, and it's gone well so far. I haven't dropped any weight yet, which is a bummer. I feel like I deserve to start losing weight the minute I decided to go veg. Lol @ my sense of entitlement.
I've decided to add some additional mini-goals to my main goal of eating no meat through May 2. I'm also attempting to:
1. avoid cheese (lactose intolerant and all)
2. cut back on bread (you can't cut out bread, but DAMN I eat a lot of bread)
3. stop eating fast food (because not a single fast food item is good for you)
4. get in the habit of packing my own lunch in the morning (yes, my mom sometimes makes my lunch, and you know you're super jealous)
My food intake so far today included a breakfast of my usual coffee with lactose-free milk and sugar, a lunch from the salad bar at Jason's Deli (pasta salad, couscous salad, and regular salad), and a pre-dinner snack of Special K Chocolaty Delight. Not too shabby.
So here I am lying in my parents' big, comfy bed, blogging and contemplating going to sleep at 7 PM. Delightful.
Before I go, I have a question for vegetarians out there: is it strictly the act of eating meat that you avoid, or is it just as bad to buy food with meat in it and eat around the meat? The other day I thought about buying some chicken-flavored ramen noodles and eating them without using the chicken flavoring, but I would still be contributing financially to the chicken-killing industry. So is it the money or the act that matters? I guess it depends on whether you're a vegetarian for health or ethical reasons.
That's all I have for you today, loyal reader(s). Cheerio!
Kaitlyn
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Day 3.5: Going Veg
Blog readers, I'm afraid I've been thinking. A dangerous pastime, I know. And since I will undoubtedly fail to blog many a day in April, I figured you wouldn't mind a double blog today.
I've already mentioned that I'm trying to be healthier and therefore working toward eventual vegetarianism. I also mentioned that I ate chicken yesterday. Fail.
I've discovered during my humble 23 years of life that it's nearly impossible to "work toward" something or "attempt to avoid" something without making a hard-and-fast goal for yourself. You're even more likely to succeed if you tell people about it.
So here's what I'm telling you, my blog readers: I'm giving up ALL MEAT for the entire month of April (plus two days into May to make up for eating that blasted chicken).
"BUT WAIT!" you exclaim. "AREN'T YOU, LIKE, TOTALLY COPYING HAYLEY?!?!?!?!"
Yes. Yes, I absolutely am. But I have no qualms about it. I have copied and/or stolen many an idea from many a YouTuber, but setting the goal of eating healthfully is the thing I feel the least guilty about copying and/or stealing. In fact, I think EVERYONE out there should copy the idea of restricting your diet in a healthy way.
I'm hoping that this experiment will help me do the following things:
1. lose weight (just enough to abolish my adorable new fat roll)
2. feel more energetic and less sluggish and bloated
3. feel comfortable in pants again
4. get so accustomed to a life without meat that I won't even want to go back when this is over
5. not die until I'm really old
It's a bit unfortunate that I've chosen to give up meat right when Louisiana is gearing up for crawfish season. That's a real bummer. Nonetheless, I can do this. I GOT THIS SHIT, YO.
Wish me luck, and feel free to offer any advice you may have! As long as it's not stupid advice.
Ciao! (lolz.)
Kaitlyn
I've already mentioned that I'm trying to be healthier and therefore working toward eventual vegetarianism. I also mentioned that I ate chicken yesterday. Fail.
I've discovered during my humble 23 years of life that it's nearly impossible to "work toward" something or "attempt to avoid" something without making a hard-and-fast goal for yourself. You're even more likely to succeed if you tell people about it.
So here's what I'm telling you, my blog readers: I'm giving up ALL MEAT for the entire month of April (plus two days into May to make up for eating that blasted chicken).
"BUT WAIT!" you exclaim. "AREN'T YOU, LIKE, TOTALLY COPYING HAYLEY?!?!?!?!"
Yes. Yes, I absolutely am. But I have no qualms about it. I have copied and/or stolen many an idea from many a YouTuber, but setting the goal of eating healthfully is the thing I feel the least guilty about copying and/or stealing. In fact, I think EVERYONE out there should copy the idea of restricting your diet in a healthy way.
I'm hoping that this experiment will help me do the following things:
1. lose weight (just enough to abolish my adorable new fat roll)
2. feel more energetic and less sluggish and bloated
3. feel comfortable in pants again
4. get so accustomed to a life without meat that I won't even want to go back when this is over
5. not die until I'm really old
It's a bit unfortunate that I've chosen to give up meat right when Louisiana is gearing up for crawfish season. That's a real bummer. Nonetheless, I can do this. I GOT THIS SHIT, YO.
Wish me luck, and feel free to offer any advice you may have! As long as it's not stupid advice.
Ciao! (lolz.)
Kaitlyn
Day 3: The Bitch is Back
Hooray! People left comments on my last entry! :-)
As one commenter pointed out, I have been fairly absent from the internet in recent months. I'm still an incredibly active Twitterer, but I've been absent from YouTube and the blogosphere. I know I keep saying I'm going to get back into it soon, and I really do mean it every time. Soon it will be summer and I'll be moving out of my parents' house, so that should make it easier. BUT I WILL BE BACK SOMEDAY. DON'T GIVE UP ON ME YET.
That said, it has been nice to concentrate on my real life for a while, even if "real life" just means overeating and watching "Arrested Development."
As you may have noticed and/or predicted, I have already failed at BEDA. Perhaps I should call it BAEDA, for Blog Almost Every Day in April. You can still pronounce it like BEDA, or you can be pretentious and pronounce it "BAY-duh." I do quite enjoy a certain amount of pretention in my life. Don't you? :-)
SO LAST NIGHT Elton John was on SNL! If you aren't already aware, I do so love Elton John. I actually saw him in concert a few months ago. I love love LOVE him. I didn't exactly love the way they utilized him on SNL, though. While it is weirdly adorable to see a 60-something gay man continuously make out with young straight men on live tv, I think they could've been more creative with his skits. BUT I suppose allowing men to make out on live tv at all is a step in the right direction.
Fun fact: The suit he performed in last night was the same one he wore when I saw him. Yay!
Last night I also grabbed drinks with my friend Bryan, and then we went to see my high school's (the one I attended, not one at which I currently teach) production of Phantom of the Opera. I was pretty skeptical about a high school doing Phantom, but I was actually pretty impressed! The acting was so-so, as is typical at a high school, but the singing wasn't bad. That little girl playing Christine hit some notes I merely dream of hitting. And on key! Simply astounding.
Well, today I have to go to church and rehearse my children's choir for their spring musical. Before that, however, I'm going to lie here in my pajamas and watch Arrested Development until I can't put off showering any longer.
Cheerio!
Kaitlyn
P.S. Did you catch the predictable cheese in the title of this entry? So clever, I know.
P.P.S. I ate some chicken last night. Alas. Alright, I'm recommitting myself. NO MORE CHICKEN. Next we'll work on no more turkey, but I'm not ready for that step yet.
As one commenter pointed out, I have been fairly absent from the internet in recent months. I'm still an incredibly active Twitterer, but I've been absent from YouTube and the blogosphere. I know I keep saying I'm going to get back into it soon, and I really do mean it every time. Soon it will be summer and I'll be moving out of my parents' house, so that should make it easier. BUT I WILL BE BACK SOMEDAY. DON'T GIVE UP ON ME YET.
That said, it has been nice to concentrate on my real life for a while, even if "real life" just means overeating and watching "Arrested Development."
As you may have noticed and/or predicted, I have already failed at BEDA. Perhaps I should call it BAEDA, for Blog Almost Every Day in April. You can still pronounce it like BEDA, or you can be pretentious and pronounce it "BAY-duh." I do quite enjoy a certain amount of pretention in my life. Don't you? :-)
SO LAST NIGHT Elton John was on SNL! If you aren't already aware, I do so love Elton John. I actually saw him in concert a few months ago. I love love LOVE him. I didn't exactly love the way they utilized him on SNL, though. While it is weirdly adorable to see a 60-something gay man continuously make out with young straight men on live tv, I think they could've been more creative with his skits. BUT I suppose allowing men to make out on live tv at all is a step in the right direction.
Fun fact: The suit he performed in last night was the same one he wore when I saw him. Yay!
Last night I also grabbed drinks with my friend Bryan, and then we went to see my high school's (the one I attended, not one at which I currently teach) production of Phantom of the Opera. I was pretty skeptical about a high school doing Phantom, but I was actually pretty impressed! The acting was so-so, as is typical at a high school, but the singing wasn't bad. That little girl playing Christine hit some notes I merely dream of hitting. And on key! Simply astounding.
Well, today I have to go to church and rehearse my children's choir for their spring musical. Before that, however, I'm going to lie here in my pajamas and watch Arrested Development until I can't put off showering any longer.
Cheerio!
Kaitlyn
P.S. Did you catch the predictable cheese in the title of this entry? So clever, I know.
P.P.S. I ate some chicken last night. Alas. Alright, I'm recommitting myself. NO MORE CHICKEN. Next we'll work on no more turkey, but I'm not ready for that step yet.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Day 1: BEDA Again?
I'm pretty sure the last time you heard from me was during Blog Every Day in August, at which I mostly failed. It was still fun, though, so I want to give it another shot. I will probably fail again, mind you, but at least I'll have something to work toward.
Other than, you know, my career and all. I have one of those now.
Mostly all I do these days is work, eat, watch tv, and sleep. I will address each of these topics now.
Work: Work is hard. It's gotten to be a lot more fun now that I've mastered the routine and my 5th hour has calmed down somewhat. Did I tell you about how they attempted to get me fired back in October? Yeah, they wrote the word "petition" on a piece of paper and then signed it. Brilliant, right? This is the caliber of person I get to deal with on a daily basis.
Right now I'm gearing up toward my first-ever BROADWAY AND POP SPRING SHOW SPECTACULAR with the choir. Omg. Wish me luck.
Eat: I think I've gained a little weight in the tummy area lately, and it's really aggravating. I don't actually mind the weight; I just hate the way my jeans feel now. (They actually never fit right to begin with. It's nearly impossible to find pants that work for me.) So I'm trying to eat better. I did the pescetarian thing for a while, and then my job got so stressful that I needed meat. Now I'm back to eating just seafood and turkey. I'll say I'm "working toward vegetarianism." I'm also trying to cut out dairy since I've discovered I'm lactose intolerant. Yeah, my body is a wonderland.
TV: How I Met Your Mother is still my favorite. I also bought a Hulu Plus subscription so I could watch Arrested Development. I just finished the first two seasons, and I can't understand why there are only three! It's so brilliant. And Jason Bateman is my new old-guy crush.
Finally, I've actually been keeping up with American Idol this time. My favorites right now are Haley and Stefano. Oh, fine. And Scotty.
Sleep: I actually haven't been sleeping very well. And I wake with a headache pretty often. I'm thinking about seeing a sleep specialist.
And that's that. If this blog post is any indication of the brilliance heading your way this month, then I'd say you're in for a... and I seriously can't even finish that sentence.
Regards,
Kaitlyn
Other than, you know, my career and all. I have one of those now.
Mostly all I do these days is work, eat, watch tv, and sleep. I will address each of these topics now.
Work: Work is hard. It's gotten to be a lot more fun now that I've mastered the routine and my 5th hour has calmed down somewhat. Did I tell you about how they attempted to get me fired back in October? Yeah, they wrote the word "petition" on a piece of paper and then signed it. Brilliant, right? This is the caliber of person I get to deal with on a daily basis.
Right now I'm gearing up toward my first-ever BROADWAY AND POP SPRING SHOW SPECTACULAR with the choir. Omg. Wish me luck.
Eat: I think I've gained a little weight in the tummy area lately, and it's really aggravating. I don't actually mind the weight; I just hate the way my jeans feel now. (They actually never fit right to begin with. It's nearly impossible to find pants that work for me.) So I'm trying to eat better. I did the pescetarian thing for a while, and then my job got so stressful that I needed meat. Now I'm back to eating just seafood and turkey. I'll say I'm "working toward vegetarianism." I'm also trying to cut out dairy since I've discovered I'm lactose intolerant. Yeah, my body is a wonderland.
TV: How I Met Your Mother is still my favorite. I also bought a Hulu Plus subscription so I could watch Arrested Development. I just finished the first two seasons, and I can't understand why there are only three! It's so brilliant. And Jason Bateman is my new old-guy crush.
Finally, I've actually been keeping up with American Idol this time. My favorites right now are Haley and Stefano. Oh, fine. And Scotty.
Sleep: I actually haven't been sleeping very well. And I wake with a headache pretty often. I'm thinking about seeing a sleep specialist.
And that's that. If this blog post is any indication of the brilliance heading your way this month, then I'd say you're in for a... and I seriously can't even finish that sentence.
Regards,
Kaitlyn
Monday, October 11, 2010
National Coming Out Day
FIVE YEARS.
Reblog with how many years you’ve been out of the closet as either a proud member of the LGBTQ community or as an ally to LGBTQ rights and equality.
Reblog with how many years you’ve been out of the closet as either a proud member of the LGBTQ community or as an ally to LGBTQ rights and equality.
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