I'm Tired of .....Animal Cruelty

Check out this website I'm Tired Of....

For $10 you can purchase a great looking bracelet - made of recycled rubber and metal - and $5 will go to Best Friends Animal Society. The metal is embossed with "I'm Tired Of Animal Cruelty".



If you have a large wrist, definitely get the men's size, as the women's/child size does run small.

I love it! It's much nicer than the rubber "charity" bracelets. And it is proving to be a great conversation starter - people want to read it.

Wait a second - A VEG Holiday Romance Movie?

So after I wrote my last post, I was flipping through my DVR recordings and came across one last Holiday Lifetime-ish movie I had recorded that I had yet to watch - Will You Merry Me. Yes, that's the title and I STILL watched it.

The basic premise: a Jewish girl and a Christian guy fall in love, get engaged and get together with all the parents over Christmas/Hanukkah to meet each other. It was actually kind of cute, and even had some funny moments. But then, it got even better.

- The girl is staying in the guy's childhood bedroom and he has a hunting rifle hanging on the wall over his door. She's appalled and proclaims she can't believe he can hunt, killing innocent animals, etc.

- They go to the kitchen and his mother is preparing one of the ducks the father had killed. Guy reminds Mom that girl is a vegetarian. Mom says duck is ok because it's not meat. Girl says she doesn't eat anything that smiles. Mom then tries to find something to make for her, settling on quiche, when guy tells Mom she doesn't eat cheese either. Mom replies, "Cheese smiles?" I admit I chuckled - and I know, most animals (except chimps and humans) don't "smile" - but it was an effective scene that displayed the mother's lack of awareness.

- Guy and girl fight (partially about emails sent by a former girlfriend - emails about "animal rights" and stuff, he claims).

The parents fight (mostly about family traditions). But the overall message of the movie appeared to be that it's ok to start new traditions - like the one mentioned in the final scene as follows:

- After reconciling, guy tells girl that they'll have a VEGAN Christmas. She asks him if he'll eat Tofurky. He says he LOVES Tofurky and that he'll eat it whenever she serves it.

So there you go. Just when I thought my stupid movie obsession was shallow and time-wasting, I'm given some validation. And a reminder that things sure have come a long way toward mainstream vegan awareness.

New Year's Resolution - blog more?

Blogging is hard work. Like the presidency was for George W. Bush. I have great admiration for those that do it well, and consistently. It's quite a challenge to present interesting topics and back it up with well written verse, research and facts.

But I want to do it more, and I'm going to make an effort to do just that - even if it means just sharing random thoughts that aren't focused on veganism.

Like for instance, I spent an obscene amount of time this "season" watching corny holiday romances on the Lifetime and Hallmark channels. Apparently if it has snow, Christmas lights and some improbable love story, I'm in. Does anyone else suffer from that malady? I guess it's better than doing crack... or is it?

My husband doesn't understand my interest in romance movies and, ehem, reality TV. I tell him that's the same way I feel about him watching baseball - I don't find that the least bit interesting and a waste of time. So is it predominantly hormone driven? I know there are exceptions - women who enjoy watching sports, and men who enjoy romances - but there does tend to be a legitimate separation between the sexes along these lines.

When I think about it, I find it somewhat disturbing that this is one more example of compulsions - resulting from being a human animal - I have no control over. Intellectually I know these activities are pointless and time wasting, but I can't help myself. So I feed the urges.

But now that the election is over and the holidays are behind us, I'm going try to limit TV watching in the New Year, and focus on some other pursuits - like blogging. But if you don't hear from me for a while, check the TV listings. There's probably a new season of The Bachelor or something on, and that's where I am.

And it's not my fault...