A New Day

Greetings! Today is the first day of the rest of my life...well, no shit! I coulda told you that. Isn't every day? However, today is day one of my newest blog. I say "newest" because I've created several and they've all died a slow, lonely death. I have a tendency to create them when I am in need of an outlet for venting frustration, rage or sadness. Well, lately I haven't really felt that way. I'm generally pretty happy with my life. However, I've decided it might just do some good (whether for me or for you, the reader, remains to be seen) to share my good news along with all the bad shit that comes with being a living, breathing human being. So, let me share the latest happenings with you for starters. Cool? All right, let's dive in.

I've begun to realize that lately, the look, feel and taste of meat is no longer as appealing to me as it once was. It could be that I still have not bounced back fully from a violent stomach virus I had recently which has tampered with my appetite. However, I prefer to believe it stems from the fact that eating meat makes me feel (and ultimately, look) like shit. I've read the research, seen the horrifying PETA videos that leave me sobbing - literally sobbing! - over the treatment of those animals. I've also read a book (just in the last two days) entitled "Skinny Bitch" which had some eye-opening facts to share. I won't rehash all of those facts here. Go out and buy your own damn copy! I will say that what they spoke of makes perfect sense. We have all heard the argument from meat-eaters (myself included) that we are "designed" to eat meat. But are we? One of the arguments in Skinny Bitch was that carnivorous animals in the wild are in fact, designed to eat meat because they are physically designed to hunt, catch, kill, eat and digest meat. Claws, fangs and other attributes allow for this. Another thing to point out that we all learn from watching those documentaries about wild animals is they never kill or eat more than they need to survive. When was the last time you saw a show about lions who killed like, 10 zebras at once, grazed on one or two and then said "Shit, Mufasa, I'm stuffed. I can't eat another bite. " and then walked away leaving all those extra carcasses there to rot? That's because you DON'T see that. Now consider this: we as humans do NOT have fangs or claws. We have square, blunt teeth and flimsy, wimpy fingernails (this is another factoid pointed out by those potty mouthed beauties who penned Skinny Bitch). Does that sound like a design for hunting, catching, and killing meat? Also, our digestive systems aren't designed like a wild animals...they break down the meat quickly. Our systems passes the meat far more slowly. So think about it. That juicy veal cutlet you had (from a poor baby cow, ripped from it's mother's teats, to be boxed in a closet then slaughtered cruelly...sorry, but reality sucks, folks) you enjoyed last night at that snooty, posh restaurant is still sitting in your digestive tract. Rotting. Putrefying. Mmmm, appetizin', ain't it? NOT. This aside, the treatment these animals endures on factory farms and slaughterhouses is abhorrent. Would you treat your dog or your cat like that? Course not! Don't argue that "we don't eat dogs or cats in this country". No, we don't. But why not? What makes them exempt from consumption and places them above cows, chickens, pigs and fish? Hrm? No answer to that? What? They don't feel fear? Or pain? Man, I would love to turn your ass into a cow or pig and see how you feel when they ship your ass off to a slaughterhouse and come at you with a hook or a club or a prod. Pfft! Let's not even get me started on the WASTE! We, as Americans, are wasteful, greedy beings! Our portions are enormous and therefore the demand for more meat means more animals are being slaughtered for our consumption and ultimately dying all because of our wasteful ways. Bogus.

OK, so I'm stepping off my soap box for a moment, kids. Fear not. I didn't come here to preach. But then if I want to, I will. After all, no one is holding a gun to your head and making you read my blog. Nor is anyone forcing you to do what I do. It's my blog, and I'll bitch if I want to! LOL Seriously though, this has all given me some serious "food for thought" and is inspiring me to make changes for the better. Can I help it if I want to share the wisdom? As I begin on this journey and strut, stumble and skip down this path I intend to share my experiences with you, right here. So tune in again, if you dare.

I dare you.