What a Very Green Spring We're Having

If we (as in WA) had "team" colors, we'd be grey, green, and white.

Up until a week or so ago, we had only had 7 sunny days in 2011.

But it happened this week! Meaning... the sun came out and made my yard go from this...

to this...

Thank baby jesus... who did not send the rapture as planned this week.

One Week in Garza Blanca

May 1 - May 5

I recently spent one week at Garza Blanca, which is in Mexico. It would be misleading to say "I spent a week in Mexico," because I didn't really.

I never left the resort. Not once.

And this is why...

xo

Listen Close

This made me think of you...

xo

One Week In NYC

April 19 - April 26 2011

Thanks girls. I love yous.

xx

My new best friend...

www.stereomood.com

My favorite this morning is the "just woke up" mood. Awesome.

I'm not trying to cram dirt down your throat... but...

Last night I made dinner for my mom and her houseguest of the past week or two, who will remain unnamed. It was a beautiful dinner with good conversation, although most of it centered around the need for organic eating, the downfall of Monsanto, etc. etc. (The houseguest is fairly fixated on this one topic and it really is the hot topic at her dinner table these days, which can admittedly be a bit much at times even for me.)

While cleaning up the dishes, her houseguest turned to me and whispered, "What do you say we just get out a garbage bag and empty out everything in her kitchen that's not organic?"

I turned to him and said, "Oh that's really not a good idea... really."

He kept pushing, "Come on... she'll thank us down the road."

I insisted, "I really don't know about that. And, again, this is a terrible idea."

I excused myself to the bathroom to avoid further persuading and when I returned, he was emptying her fridge and telling her that he was doing her a favor. Knowing my mother fairly well, I knew we were about to hit disaster mode (A dutch girl from a poor family would never dream of wasting a DROP of anything... we're talking about a woman that adds water to used dish soap bottles to extend the life of the soap). Within minutes a fight had started, with my mom exclaiming, "I didn't invite you to stay here so you could throw away my food."

I exited soon after this started, literally walking out the door and thanking them for a good night as I listened to the battle continue.

I'm telling this story because I want to say that I know my last post was heavy and full of a lot of opinion. I'm not trying to force any of this down throats but I am finding it fascinating and important in my own life right now. I'm not trying to empty out your whole fridge. I'm just trying to share information... not cram it. I hope it feels that way.

On that note... if you're interested... here is a trailer for another really brilliant movie that I highly recommend. It really makes me want to just go start a farm somewhere. Or at least be a hummingbird.

DIRT... the movie.

A really INSPIRATIONAL (not heavy I promise) short clip from Dirt:

Just one more side note: One of the reasons I really liked this film was because it didn't leave you feeling like there was nothing you could do (as many of these types of documentaries do.) On the contrary, it shows that even just a small effort on everyone's part could really turn some things around.

Change is totally possible.

I'm not trying to be preachy... but...

My shopping list is getting shorter and shorter these days. I don't consider myself a hypochondriac by any means, but I do watch and monitor my health pretty closely for the most part. (With the occasional party train curbing it from time to time.)

The information that's coming out now is alarming. A lot of the chemicals that we put in our food have health side effects that are as serious in terms of disease as smoking may be for your health, which I only quit yesterday. But I'm trying. And I may still relapse and have a really bad meal from time to time. But I'm trying.

All my personal mistakes aside, I am doing this post on health because it's being put in front of my face an awful lot these days. And I'm really starting to pay attention. And I'm not perfect and I make mistakes and I don't expect anyone else to be perfect either.

But I hope you try with me.

I feel that pretty soon I may just need to put the shopping list down all together and start a little garden on my deck. Until that's possible though, I am revising my shopping list accordingly.

We are coming to a Y in the road of human history. If we don't start to pay attention to where our food's from and what else might be in it (other than it's assumed nutritional value)... we could end up suffering great health consequences.

Big picture: only in the last century have we eaten foods with so much chemical content, and only in the next century will we really start to see and understand the full consequences of it.

I'm afraid this post may come off as preachy, but I think a lot of this information is very valid, valuable, and needs people to spread it around to combat the billions of dollars that are spent on marketing foods that are highly profitable, and highly toxic as well.

I am spreading this information because I think it's really important, even though it does have a kind of "doomsday-esque" vibe. I apologize.

Here is a series of videos that I think are worth watching. If you don't have time to watch them all at once, it may be worth coming back here when you can.

Health is our most important asset. Nurture it!

Don't eat the corn / soy / alfalfa and grain fed cattle or livestock of any kind...

All of these crops have been too saturated with GMO's...

For a full length (86 mins) and fascinating documentary on the history, future, and global consequences of GMO's, go here:

The Future of Food

Here's a trailer in case you're just curious for now:

I promise it's worth watching. I also warn that it is fairly alarming and you basically shouldn't watch it before bedtime.

For a shorter (20 min... part 1 of a series) version of the similar information, check this one out:

And finally, for an overview on the health implications only (ranging in lab animals from sterility to patches of hair growing inside the mouth)... here is part one of a six part series that is worth hearing if you're on the fence about whether this is worth changing your shopping habits:

And aside from the GMO produce... what about that animals that eat the GMO produce?...

"As for meat, I advise everyone to avoid conventionally-raised beef.

Why?

Because cattle were designed to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. Compared with corn-fed beef, organically-raised grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

Conventionally-raised beef is also very high in pesticides (due to eating conventionally grown grains, and perhaps even genetically modified grains). In fact, non-organic meats can have up to five times more pesticides than non-organic vegetables!

This is why I recommend always buying organic, grass-fed beef. If you have to choose between buying organic beef or organic produce—get the organic beef. It'll give you the greatest bang for your buck in terms of health benefits."

- Dr. Mercola

Basically, eat local organic. Since GMO's are refusing to label themselves, the organic movement may take the reigns and start labeling what they can as "Non-GMO." Keep an eye out. (Also know that Whole Foods market has now climbed in bed with Monsanto, and reportedly have GMO foods in over 90% of their own food label now. They are declining to label those products.)

Don't eat the fish...

This video demonstrates the actual levels of toxicity in the gulf... which we are crabbing, fishing, and 'prawning' from...

This video is from FOX news. Note here that I didn't post it because I want you to listen to it... I posted it because FOX is telling you to "just trust the government" when they say it's safe to eat the radioactive fish. Also note how the government told all those families it was safe to go play and fish in the gulf again. Got me?...

(If you are worried about radioactivity, pick up kelp supplements. The rain water in California has tested 181 times higher than the "safe" level the FDA approves. The government is telling everyone on the west coast that the radiation levels in the water are safe. Many scientists agree that no extended dose of radiation is really considered safe. The leak in Japan could go on for months, possibly even years. Another option is to simply use iodized salt on your food. Think Morton's Salt Girl salt. Countries in Europe are now advising pregnant women and infants to not consume rain water, any sort of dairy, and no leafy greens. And their tested levels are at 10% of ours here in North America.)

Add any sort of farmed fish to that list...

"Nature didn't intend for fish to be crammed into pens and fed soy, GM corn, antibiotics, poultry litter and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result of this practice, farmed salmon, for example, is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT."

- Dr. Mercola

Basically... fish is (sadly) out for a while unless you know exactly where it came from (just keep in mind that the Atlantic will be the safest source for a long time to come).

Avoid processed and, particularly, processed "enriched" foods...

Avoid cow milk... if you must have it then go for the local, organic, raw milk...

Don't drink the diet coke... no Aspartame in general...

And if you live in a city, just be conscious in general...

"Probably the best place to be in this situation [economic collapse precipitated by peak oil and a changing climate] would be on a subsistence farm in a village in Sub-Saharan Africa or someplace that's not much effected by what happens in the rest of the world. I think most people don't realize how vulnerable we are. For example, the food supply in the average city in the United States, if it's not daily renewed, would run out in about 3 days. There's not much of a buffer there. The system can come apart pretty fast."

And after all that heavy sh*t, this is just to make you smile (hopefully):

It's Been a While - "To Do" List 2011

So I promised I was returning to reality when I wrote that post back in Nov. Then I disappeared for even longer than the last time.

I lied. It happens.

I've been very busy figuring out what I actually want. (In life.) This is very different, it turns out, than what I actually need.

Go figure.

The two do not necessarily go hand in hand all the time. I spent most of the winter figuring that out.

The day that I really fully realized this, the cherry blossoms came.

It wasn't a spring day, and I wasn't in a spring mood. This realization wasn't an easy one. Spring cleaning is a bitch. And yet, it's totally necessary. Every. Goddamn. Year. After Year.

I am coming to find that I really believe it's our duty, as humans, to constantly examine our lives and take note of what's working for us, and what's not. No matter how much we want the things that are working against us, we have to let them go, or at least let them go in their current form.

Then comes the question, "How do you know if something's working for you?"

That's when it starts to get complicated. You have to be completely honest with yourself to really find out.

The problem lies in a little circular or spiraling dilemma. What you want right now, may not be what you need right now, because what you need right NOW is supposed to get you what you want in LIFE. What you want right NOW doesn't hold the same promise. And then, who's to say what life really is? Is your life in the future? Or is it right now? You see my problem. In fact, it's both...

The life that you choose to live right now will be the life that you end up with.

That's where the split between want and need occurs. What I want right now may not get me what I want in the future. But what I want in the future defines what I need right now.

Act accordingly.

That's the beauty of changing your mind.

If you find yourself worrying about the future, change your mind and start doing something now.

Make a to do list.

Speaking of which... I never posted mine for 2011...

This list started off the blog last year and I really did mean to post my revisions for this year. The basis of the mighty to do list has stayed the same since the first draft in 2008. The specifics have been rewritten year by year as life has shifted focus.

Here it is... finally...

TO DO

2011

1. Maintain and nurture new and pre-existing ties... ie: professional, unprofessional, etc.
2. Insist on living fearlessly. Apply to: body, friendships, loveships, family, business, recreation, etc.
3. Avoid boys. Some exceptions for men apply.
4. Simplify my life.
5. Make daring decisions.
6. Love.
7. More love, unconditionally.
8. Speak your truth SOONER.
9. Value humorous viewpoints over all else.
10. Judge less.
11. Be happy... everything is working out just as it should.
12. Practice reckless abandon.
13. Create art.
14. Work hard. Reap rewards.
15. Don't forget to smell the cherry blossoms.
16. Remember... it's totally okay. (Repeat as needed... alternate with deep breathing.)

This list is a short look at where I'm shifting my focus. Now. It's not a drastic change, but just enough. For now.

These guys have been on repeat in the studio lately... thought this song was fitting for this post.

xx

_______________________________________________________________

i love the guy that kind of seems like a zen genius hobo. he makes me happy.