Passing the Time, Waiting for My Beets to Grow

I am bored. I haven't been bored in a long time. I really shouldn't be bored, as there are plenty of things that I need to do, or that I could do, but I don't want to do any of them right now. Actually, the one thing that I want to do is play Plants vs. Zombies Adventures on Facebook, but I have to wait another two hours for my beets to grow. Beets are awesome because they headbutt the zombies and kill them really quickly. They are cool, and I do hope they show up in the Plants vs. Zombies sequel coming out next month.

In the Meantime...

I'm blogging because it's something that I can do and that I need do. Perhaps it could get my mind going enough to do something else, like read or work on my business or look for freelancing work. I've already done my chores: washing dishes, doing the laundry, cooking rice, and cleaning the bathroom. I'll vacuum tomorrow. After all, I don't want to be this way tomorrow too. I need to leave myself a few things to do. Actually, putting all this into words make me feel like kind of a loser. I can do so much better than writing about being bored, and being bored of course.

Writing Down the Bones

I've begun reading Writing Down the Bones again, for the third or fourth time actually. I think I need to get back into "writing from my bones", especially since I've spent so much time over the past two years or so writing for other people and writing for reasons other than the personal ones. Also, with content marketing and writing for other people, you often have to take yourself out of it. You're not writing for yourself. You're writing for an audience or what the client thinks is needed for their audience or their purposes. Sure, these things can have personality, but how personal can topics like 'blog article headlines' and 'nitrogen tire inflation myths' and 'military identity theft' get? Even if I did have a personal anecdote to go with these things, you can't always inject that into the white paper or blog post or whatever it is you're writing.

Maybe this blog will be "Blogging Down the Bones"? I like the alliteration, but I feel like that title doesn't make as much sense as the original. I also get the impression that skeletal remains are going to appear within my posts. I don't want that.

Random Facts about Me?

One of the things that I do need to work on for my blogging and my business is to come up with facts about myself and turn those facts into interesting relevant bios. This blog needs a unique bio (it also needs a new tagline, a new blog goal, and maybe a more defined niche) and my coffee blog needs a unique bio too. I've been using the same bio that I wrote a few years ago, one that was needed for the online publications to which I was contributing. I either don't contribute to them anymore, or the bio is probably outdated. If anything, this list would be a lot of fun to do and would also be beneficial toward working on my brand and CEO identities, which I need to do as part of my business breakthrough stuff. I wonder if my business coach expects all that do be done by Thursday? Probably.

Well, since I made rice, my dinner is just about ready. Rice and lots of veggies with a sesame seed dressing. Yum yum! I do think Sean ate the rest of the ice cream though. That's sad. We do need to go to the grocery store anyway.

Why I Went Vegan

I decided to go vegan almost two months ago, and I don't regret the decision at all. I've already lost about 10 pounds, simply because I changed what I eat (no rigorous exercise regiment included). My mind feels sharper, and I feel like I'm doing my job and running my business better than I ever have. I no longer have that "2:30 feeling," and I know that I am healthier than ever because I'm getting the nutrients I need instead of the fat and calories I don't. Are meat and dairy too good for you to give up?

It All Started with a Documentary

Yeah, it did. I watched Forks Over Knives and I was convinced and ready to give up all the meat and cheese in my life. As their synopsis states, the movie examined the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. Call it hogwash, but I can't see how eating plants and whole foods can actually be bad for me, so why not see if it can be good, incredibly good, for me?

I've also gotten support from famous professional poker player Daniel Negreanu, when he answered my question in a Q&A on a poker forum.  Negreanu is also vegan, and considered one of the best and most entertaining players in the world. He showed so much encouragement that I can't possibly fail or abandon veganism! What if I meet him one day? I don't want the shame of telling him I couldn't do it.

But, Didn't You Like Steak and Milk and Cheese?

Yes, yes, and YES! I didn't make this decision because all those foods suddenly tasted terrible. I used to drink coffee with milk twice a day, and now I drink coffee with soymilk twice a day. I used to get the grilled stuffed burrito at Taco Bell, and now I get the cantina bowl or the cantina burrito. I used to get chicken noodle soup or beef barley soup, but now I just get vegetable soup or make my own using those soup mixes. I loved all the things I used to eat, and I still love them because I do still think they taste good. I'm just choosing to eat differently for the sake of my health.

It's not as hard a transition as most people think. It's simply a matter of knowing what to look for and knowing what your options are. Initially, you do have to learn what to look for and what options you have, purchase different things, and even get rid of food that you already have. You might also have to shop somewhere else because most grocery chains don't have vegan options when it comes to desserts and microwavable foods. But, you make the commitment and you have all that down, it's not a problem at all.

But, Aren't Vegetables Nasty?

We only think that because we're so used to eating them with meat, cheese, butter, and/or oil. Get rid of all that stuff and you'll find that vegetables not only taste good, but that you'll like a few vegetables you didn't know you liked or existed. For example, I now really like red and green peppers and radishes, when before I went vegan I didn't. I've always loved mushrooms, and I now I get to eat more of them. I'm also excited to try new leafy greens and to get into eating more artichoke.

Plus, it's not like vegans eat lettuce or salad all the time. There are plenty of dishes, such as pad thai, lasagna, pizza, tacos, cereal, pasta etc. that can be made vegan-friendly very easily. There are also tons of great cookbooks and websites out there with lots of great dishes to try. Also, don't forget that many delicious foods, such as peanut butter, potato chips, and saimin (some brands, at least) are already vegan.

The best part with a vegan diet is that I can eat to my heart's content, and I know that I'm not gonna get fat. I don't have to worry about portion control, or counting calories, or having too much sugar. On a whole foods, plant-based diet, I'm getting everything my body needs and nothing it doesn't.