Wow, Kinda Late…(SEP#5)

Yes, I realize that this blog is SUPER late (as pretty much all of my blogs have been), but I think that the saying “better late than never” would apply here very nicely. Especially since I’m home sick and have an over-abundance of time, at least until I leave for the doctor’s.

So I finally got my book, Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. I have not finished the book, at least not yet, but I think I have a pretty good grasp on it by now that I can share with you what I have learned.

Firstly, Foer looks at eating animals as more of a moral thing than a health issue. He never really felt right eating meat, even as a kid. So becoming a vegetarian was a lifestyle choice that almost had nothing to do with saving the planet. He did bring up some good points about the concept of eating green, though.

The biggest thing that I have gotten out of the book so far is that we need to cut down on meat production. And I mean a lot. Sure, I love meat as much as the next… meat lover. But all the live stock that we keep and raise for consumption are out there burping and farting (as completely disgusting as it sounds) and just breathing, and  they are creating all of this extra methane gas that is floating around and contributing to the greenhouse effect. Now, correct me if I am wrong, but greenhouse effect = global warming. I myself am not one to freak out about the whole global warming deal, but still. It can’t exactly be a good thing.

Now I’m not saying to drop meat completely (are you NUTS?!). I am pretty sure that it says somewhere in the Bible it that God put animals on the planet to help sustain human life? Something along those lines. And I remember that the people in the Bible used animals like lambs as sacrifices to God. So if we want to take this to a religious level, I would say that it is anything but sacrilegious to eat meat. I do not think that its sacrilegious NOT to eat meat, either (unless you are a cannibal. That’s a whole different story). I just wanted to get the point across that your diet does not have anything to do with your religion, whether you get to heaven or not, whatever the case may be. It is just a personal choice.

And with that, I will end this blog. Good day

Tuesday the Nineth (SEP#4)

Tuesday really is the most awful day of the week. Ugh. I cannot wait for it to be over! I guess I’ll pass the time by writing another blog.

To all of my fellow meat lovers, I know that eating meals without meat sounds like hard work and almost impossible. But I’ve found some (seemingly) yummy recipes on this website. They have a lot with weird names like Egyptian Edamame Stew, Catalan Sauteed Polenta & Butter Beans, and Tofu Parmigiana. The main idea here is that it does not have to be hard living without meat. Not to mention that it is always nice to have new meals for dinner, rather than having spaghetti every single week… not to mention anyone in particular… *coughcoughMOMcough* and here are more, even healthier 500 calorie meal ideas! Man, if I didn’t love meat so much I’m sure I could pull off a vegetarian diet.

I also plan to get that book that I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs. To tell you the truth, I kind of forgot about it. But now I’ve got a reminder tattooed to my forehead and I’m going to remember to get it this weekend (:

I really, really apologize for this blog being so dang short, but I’ve gotten bored of just looking at things on the internet. I swear to you that the next blog will be super abnormally long, because by then I will have my book and I’ll be able to get a lot from that (I hope).

Until next time, Heather

Here Comes The Sun!(doodoodoodoo) SEP#3

Oh. My. Goodness. It’s so beautiful outside!! Yay sunshine!! <3 I’m so glad that spring is finally on its way (: That means it’s time for sunglass season. Not so sure if that’s a good thing, though. I’m addicted to buying sunglasses, so I’m sure I’ll go broke this summer.

Let us start off with some more ways to eat green. I found this web page with a handy little list. How convenient! The first thing it says is to eat fruits and veggies that are in season. When fruits aren’t in season they’re shipped from far away places, so eating your local foods is the way to go. Another great idea is to grow your own stuff in a garden, because you’ll know that from start to finish it was clean, without all those gross chemicals.

The obvious thing to do for the environment is not to drink bottled water. I know you’ve been told to do that for years, because I certainly have. But look at this- every bottle that you use gets thrown away and ends up in a landfill if you don’t recycle it. Major no-no!! It is way better to buy a reuseable water bottle. It cuts down on waste, and there are so many cute ones to choose from!

I guess this isn’t really a blog about eating green as it is steps to help the environment.. oh well. I still consider it on topic.

Wow, well this blog wasn’t very long. I apologize for that. But seeing as it is time for dinner and I don’t have anything else to say at the moment, I’ll say good bye now. Have a lovely rest of the week (:

Love, Heather

1Hr and 15Min til Lunch (SEP#2)

Right now I’m in room 129 or some other weird number, I’m not sure. It’s that computer room in the library. Anywho, since I have already completed my PowerPoint for my Adult Roles class, I saw this as an opportunity to complete another blog.

First off, I would like to thank you, Mr. Coffee for that book suggestion. I’ve already taken note of it in my agenda and plan to check it out soon. But until I get that book I’ll have to rely on my trusty friend, the Internet, for my Senior Exit Project information.

For this blog I am researching Meatless Mondays, an international campaign that encourages people to cut meat out of their diet at least one day per week (Monday). And before I go on, I’d like to give you another link to click, since the last one brought you to wikipedia, which I’m sure is probably frowned upon for this project, as it is for every project that I have been given throughout my 4 years at Penn. So here you go.

Now back to the topic. Basically, Meatless Monday is a way to get people to eat healthier so they can lead a longer, healthier life. One health benefit is a  reduced risk of heart disease. Cutting down on saturated fat (which meat has a bunch of) can keep your cholesterol low and keep your heart healthy. Maintaining a healthier weight is another benefit. If you replace meat with fruits and veggies, then you’ll get more fiber into your diet. Fiber makes you feel fuller without as many calories, so you’ll eat less and start to lose a few pounds.

“Meatless Monday couldn’t get any better!” you exclaim. Oh, but it can!! Not only is this whole campaign good for your health, but it also benefits the environment as well! Apparently meat industries are creating nearly 1/5 of the world’s greenhouse gases, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. So the less meat we eat, the less they need to produce, resulting in less greenhouse gases. It also reduces water usage. All the livestock we raise for consumption needs something to drink, so the less livestock we need the more water we have. Again, I’m getting all of this information from this website. The one that I linked only in the ‘b’ in the word ‘website’ just to make you search for it for my own entertainment. Heehee

Now, I personally think that this whole idea is much easier to follow through with than the whole Sugar Cleanse thing I mentioned in my earlier blog. So I’ve chosen to participate in Meatless Mondays instead to take the easy way out. I mean Catholics do it every Friday for lent, so I figure I can try too. Even though I’m sure my buddy Prasham would prefer everyone to drop meat together. Sorry dude, but I just love my meat too much haha

So this will conclude today’s blog. I hope you learned a thing or two, because I know I did. I’m off to enjoy me some chicken in the cafeteria. Thank goodness it’s Tuesday!

Love, Heather

(PS) Here’s a cookie! Nom nom nom

Here It Is! (finally) SEP#1

I’m finally starting my blogs! Yay!

First I should probably start with declaring my project topic. I have decided to go with Coffee’s suggestion of health, and linking the earth’s health with our own. How can we eat “green” ?

Eating green, I think, can be taken in a few different ways. It could simply mean eating your vegetables so you can grow up to be big and strong just like your dad, as parents tell their children. Or it could mean eating organic, using biodegradable wrappings, saving leftovers, all in the name of a cleaner and healthier planet. Then we can also make the connection between the earth’s health and our own. Don’t almost all candies and other sugary items come in a plastic wrapping? Not only are these artery-clogging sweets bad for us, but the plastic it is wrapped in also negatively affects our planet. I think this is the path that I will go toward for my Senior Exit Project.

Now this is really cool, because I’ve actually found a connection to my new found topic without even researching  anything yet. I am a daily viewer of the Ellen Degeneres show, and every day after school I sit down on my comfy sofa and enjoy her comedy. Ellen has maintained a vegan diet for a while now, and just recently she has started a “sugar cleanse“, giving up sugar (candy, cake, other processed foods) in search of a healthier life. In addition to my researching for this project, I will also be watching the show and following along with Ellen, watching and learning about what she is feeling and changes that she notices throughout the next few weeks or so. I’ve even considered doing a sugar cleanse for myself, to get some first hand experience for a possibly very interesting and insightful view to aid my Senior Exit Project. But my will power in those kinds of situations is not very strong, so I am not sure if I will be able to commit for that long haha. We’ll see how that goes.

Now here’s a link to “50 Ways to Eat Green.” It’s leaning more on the environmental side of my project rather than the personal health side. I’ll look into that more later though, right now I’m just skimming stuff.

And I believe this will conclude my blog. I hope you have a wonderful day, my beautiful readers <3

Love, Heather

Random Nothingness

This blog has absolutely no point to it. It is not related to Ap Lit or the senior exit project whatsoever. Just thought I would tell you that now so if you have other more important things to do, you can stop reading this and go do them.

I was at lunch just about an hour ago, sitting with my friends Krysten, Tara, and new boyfriend Torben (he’s a German!) at our usual table eating those nasty, salt-less fries and minding my own. It was a normal lunch all in all, until Tara and Torben, sitting side-by-side, started texting and giggling to themselves. Then I found out that they were talking about me. See, my birthday is just 27 days away and they were discussing their gift ideas. And I, knowing their dirty minds, am rather terrified at the moment. I’m on a mission to find out what they are planning for me.

For now, though, I will be forced to sit here while my curiosity slowly starts to drive me up a wall.

What else could I possibly have to say? Hmm… think think think. OH! Well, for one, I would like to point out that tomorrow is Groundhog’s Day, the day where the groundhog comes up from hibernation to predict the weather for the next 6ish weeks. Even though we all know that groundhogs can’t be that smart. Everyone makes such a big fuss over it when it really doesn’t matter what the groundhog says because spring always comes on the same day every year anyway. You can’t fight the calendars, man! There’s gonna be 6 more weeks of winter whether he sees the shadow or not. Just go back in your hole, little groundhog.

I think that pretty much sums up all my thoughts for the moment. I should probably get motivated and work on that paper we’re supposed to be writing… even though we only have like 5 minutes of class left. My bad.

Completely Lost

Well, judging the title I am pretty sure you know what this blog is about.

I am completely lost as to what I am going to do the Exit Project on. I am horrible at picking topics, always have been. I do not even know where to start. So what I am asking from you right now is maybe a couple of possibilities for my project. I can do anything, I just need somewhere to start.

One thing I am interested in is people’s health. Dieting, exercise, pollution, the negative affects of stuff like smoking you name it. Your body is a temple, right? I just like to know how to maintain that temple and keep it in tiptop shape

So that is what I have for you. Sorry, it is a little lame. My bad. But topic suggestions are greatly, GREATLY appreciated. The suggestions don’t even need to be related to health. It could be completely random, whatever your heart desires.

Thank you for helping me out!

Heather

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