Awake and Alive (and Juicing?)

I’ve been gone for a long time from blogging. Life gets busy, ya know? Anyway, I’ve started to find my way back, and I have some fun things to share.

After many late nights of infomercials, I was finally persuaded to purchase a Nutribullet.  (I got mine at Target, not on TV, but I believe it’s the same product.)  I love it.  It’s simple to use, easy to clean, and I’ve been eating veggies that I never would have touched in real life.

Kale? Check

Carrots? Check (yeah, I hate carrots)

Chard? Check

OK, so the chard isn’t much of a stretch.  I chop it up and use it in omelettes.  But still, it feels good to be eating more veggies, and it feels really good to be eating them raw to retain the nutrients.

I wouldn’t call what I’m doing as “juicing” since technically I’m eating(drinking) the pulp and ground up veggie matter.  Which is one of the things that drew me to the Nutribullet in the first place… no pulp waste.  Lots of nutrition in the leftover bits.  My drinks end up about the consistency of a runny smoothie, which is fine with me.

I’m not being paid to endorse the Nutribullet, so this product review is totally honest.  I just like it a lot.

 

Anyway… my friend sent me a link to Joe Cross and his movie Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead the other day, and I finally gave it a watch.  It was great motivation to see how Joe, Phil, and the other people featured in the video changed their lives through juicing.  And damn you, Netflix queue, you recommend so many great films!  I then watched Hungry For Change, which discusses the processed food epidemic in our country.  I probably could spend my whole day watching documentaries.

Another great change I’ve made since we last spoke… I started CrossFit.  If you’re not familiar with CrossFit, you can find more information here.  I needed some type of workout, and I typically loathe gyms with all the sexy people prancing around, but my CrossFit gym is full of great people and caring trainers. Love it so far, except I’m sore as hell!  I guess what takes 15 years to put on won’t come off overnight, eh?

 

 

Anyway, I just want to say that I’m going to try to keep up with the blog more often.  I’m super-excited that Spring is coming. I am so sick of cold yucky weather. If you have any good juice recipes, please post them in the comments.

Peace!

Oh, yes I did! Early voting ftw

My early voting ballot arrived today.

Absent Blogger! My Apologies

Hi folks! I have been MIA for quite some time, and I offer my sincere apologies. It’s been a busy summer, but now that school is back in full swing, things are settling down here.

I’ll be updating more frequently, so stay tuned.  Thanks!

Crossover: Monsanto & Government Officials

Thank you to the Non-GMO Project for posting this graphic on facebook.

Additive-Free Cooking

I follow a facebook page for Completely Nourished, and I just realized that she’s located right here in my town!  I want to have a consultation with Christy to get ideas for budget-conscious grocery shopping and meal planning ideas. Woot!

http://grocerygeek.com/

Inspiration in Unusual Places

A friend shared this today on Facebook in honor of her father-in-law who passed away from Melanoma.  I watched it once for the message, and then I watched it a few more times to dissect the editing, the format, the lighting, sound, and all the ingredients that turn a simple video into something more.  There’s both an art and a science to making a video that moves people.

Have you seen any videos lately that speak to you?  Companies (and politicians) pay big bucks to marketing firms for their gift of alchemy, taking creative minds, technical expertise, and psychology and transmuting it into gold. However, it’s the artists I admire, those with “the eye” for this sort of thing, the ones who know how to turn the camera angle 2 degrees to the left and capture what the rest of us miss.  I appreciate seeing the world through their eyes. Just a little bit of magic.

What inspires you? Feel free to share you favorites in the comments.

2012: It’s Finally Here

I hope you enjoyed your new year’s eve festivities, because according to all the conspiracy theorists, it was your last.  Wrapping up 2011 was no small task. Blogging took a backseat to birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and rebranding my business. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a moment to breathe out.

Whew.

Ok. Now to tackle new business. 2012. New year. Fresh start.

Lots of developments on the Keystone XL pipeline drama. Wow! Democracy and citizens in action!

Recently BP launched a series of ads focusing on “energy voters” as the everyman. Greenpeace answered with a brilliant spoof video that pokes fun at BP and shames them.  I had to share it:

I Vote 4 Energy

Over the winter, I’ve found myself slacking on the healthy foods and instead, eating (and serving) not-so-great things like lots of frozen food and fast food. I have to say that I’ve pretty much felt like crap for a month, and my energy levels have been low. I’ve also gained quite a bit of weight over the past few years. Partly because of not exercising, but  mostly because of overeating. Even healthy foods make you fat if you eat too much.

My reunion is coming up this summer, and I’ll admit it: I want to look good.  Vain? Sure. I don’t care how smart of successful or happy I am, I still don’t want to go to my reunion looking like a fatass.

I have to run, but I’ll come back to blogging more as we settle into the new year.

Wishing you peace, happiness, and prosperity in 2012!

NDAA: A Police State in the Making

So it’s the holiday season. Actually, it’s felt like the holidays at my house since Nov 2, which is the date I put up my Christmas tree. Yeah, I’m a sucker for Christmas. Love it.

There have been a lot of things going on that I’ve wanted to blog about, but life and work and family have kept me busy. Let’s recap.

First and foremost is the victory against the Keystone XL pipeline. Who knew that a little group of Nebraskans could effect so much change? Thank you to Jane Kleeb and BOLD Nebraska for rallying our citizens and lobbying our state legislature to put a halt (however temporary it may be) to the pipeline. Of course, national and international leaders like Bill McKibben and 350.org, Tar Sands Action Network, and many others put the issue in the national spotlight, and their classy, informative, well-orchestrated media campaign and civil disobedience turned a “fringe” environmental issue into a big, big deal. My hat is off.

There’s more work to be done, though. I encourage you to stay informed and answer the call to action when you’re asked to write a letter or make a phone call to your elected officials. More to come on this as the story unfolds.

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Second, the Senate recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”). No big deal, they pass this every year to fund military expenditures. Except this year they tacked on a little tidbit of language that allows for the indefinite detention of American citizens. Yes, you heard that right. The army can roll up to your house, haul you out of bed, drag you off, and lock you up and torture you for as long as they want. No Miranda rights, no due process, no explanation, no nothing. Poof, gone.

 

 

That is scary business. I find it very telling that civil libertarians on both the right and the left oppose this idea. This isn’t a conservative or liberal issue. It’s an American Citizen issue. The NDAA essentially steamrolls the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and NO ONE IS SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT IT!  Heck, the Senate voted FOR it!  Senator Udall from Colorado offered an amendment to the NDAA to remove the “indefinite detention” language so that the bill could pass and the military could receive its funding. His amendment was voted down 3 TIMES.  Both of my senators, Ben Nelson and Mike Johanns, voted for the NDAA and against the Udall amendment, and you better believe that they’ve already heard about it loud and clear from me.

If you want to read the entire bill, here’s the link: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:s.1867:

Now the bill goes back to the House so they can hammer out a final version. It’s imperative that you call/write your representatives and senators and let them know that the “indefinite detention” language must be removed. Do it now! If you don’t know how you contact your elected officials, you can find that information on my Fight It page.

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In other news, Non-GMO organizations are making headway in educating people about the dangers of modified food. I need to do more research and read up on the latest happenings, but I’ve been hearing bits and pieces, and it sounds like ideas are being shared and consumers are being educated. In my opinion, it’s nearly impossible to take on Monstanto and the other bio-giants in the courtroom right now, so the best strategy is voting with your dollars. Buy food labeled Non-GMO or GMO-free. Don’t know how to find it? Check out Non-GMO Project, Food Democracy Now, Center for Food Safety, Institute for Responsible Technology, and Say No to GMOs. That should be enough information to keep you busy for awhile.

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I hope all of you are enjoying a happy, healthy holiday season, and I send my heartfelt wishes for a joyous and prosperous year to come. I’ll try to pop in more often and scribble down some of my thoughts. If you have a question or comment, please post to the Eco Convert facebook page, and I’ll be sure to respond promptly.

Peace!

Breathing out

I have been quiet on here for awhile. Life has been keeping me busy!  This past weekend I hosted a surprise anniversary party for my parents, and it was a resounding success.  I am so happy that everything went smoothly, and they were so surprised  Party planning is hard work but totally worth it.

This weekend wraps up most of my work season for the year, so I’m looking forward to some downtime to retool my materials and marketing. Just waiting to exhale.

Fall is officially here  I don’t care for the cooler seasons. My flowers are in their death throes, and the grass and shrubs are doing dormant. I wish we could have endless summer.

So what do you think of Occupy Wall Street? There have been a few events in my city, but I’ve reserved judgment until I learn more about them. I have seen some activity on facebook, and a lot of the individuals online are saying things that don’t represent me, and I’m not sure if I want to be affiliated with a group that has no clear mission. I’d like to see a written statement of beliefs, goals, and methods of action before I lend any support.  In the meantime, I’ll be watching and waiting.

Since this is a random collection of thoughts, I thought I’d cap it off with a little dose of pure awesome. My son drew this:

Kindergarten creativity

 

Have a great day!

Our recycling odyssey

So if you’re a regular reader, you know that we signed up with Curbside Rewards to have them pick up our recycling. They bring us a 96 gal bin, and we don’t have to haul the trash to the recycling center.  Cool, right?

Wrong.

They have failed to pick up our trash Every. Single. Time.  It’s supposed to be a pickup once every two weeks, and they never get it right. I have to call and follow up with the company, and they send a truck out to get it.  I am so tired of doing this. They forgot to pick it up again last time, and I forgot to call and bitch, so there is recycle garbage filled to the brim of the 96 gal can, in addition to the bags and bags of items in my garage.  I feel like I’m being taken over by garbage.  If they can’t get their act together by the next pickup date, I’m through with them.

Does your community have a recycling program? Does it work well, so-so, not at all?  How can it be better?