Couch 251: The Matrix Recovered

I think we need to resurrect the "dear client" thread.....

Yesterday's prompt in the november poem a day challenge was to write a fire and/or ice poem. I played around with the Golden Shovel form using of course, Frost's Fire and Ice. And then today, I went crazy with it, and wrote a looong one using every word of the poem, each word of his, the last word of every line of mine like a normal Golden Shovel except instead of one line, I used the whole dang poem. I gave myself a headache. But I'm glad I did it.

I've been texting with my sister tonight and she's trying to convince me to move back to Missouri. I seriously will be considering it, after I retire. I won't care about snow and ice when I don't have to go out in it. Sometimes I really miss my family, living so far away. Especially around holidays. I would so love to be at my sister's house tonight, sitting in the garage smoking weed with her and her boyfriend. He's become more a brother to me than my own, lately. Meh. I'm in such an odd headspace this week i don't quite know what to do with myself. I've even been thinking strongly about going vegan, I have a friend I used to work with who went vegan and she's gonna help me with recipes and stuff. I just feel like it's time for a big change, y'know? I'm so... blah. I hate how unhealthy I am because of the crap I eat.

My poor 12 year old dog had to have teeth removed and a cleaning today. I feel bad for animals because they don't understand what happened. Go to sleep with strangers, wake up sore and less teeth. Removing the teeth though, will help her feel better overall.

H also broke the root of his front bottom tooth this week and needed it to be removed. Teeth are so expensive!

Can someone even go right from carnivore to vegan?! I need to find a beginner vegan book.

Awww, poor pup. And H. I'm sorry, Scarlet. Dental work is the worst. I hope they're both feeling better soon!

Artie, maybe take it in steps? You want to do something you can maintain. Maybe start by eliminating meat first. Then fish. Then dairy. Etc. Have you thought of fasting? I know that type of diet works well for people. Whatever you choose balance is important.

Vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthier. You still have to watch intake when you’re vegan. If going from carnivore to vegan is too much you can step down to vegetarian, then to vegan.

Cross posted with Scarlet. Same idea.

I'm so sorry, NP. I know the practical is that it's just the way things are changing and it totally makes sense that things are disappearing, but also it's like a visible tangible representation of the peeling away. That sounds brutal. Hugs.

When I got to session today, I had a wrapped present waiting for me. It was this soapstone owl that he's had in his office since I met him. He once let me borrow it as a transitional object while he was on vacation. It was really nice of him to give it to me let alone wrap it up. He knows I like owls.

What a beautiful gift.

The people I know who are vegan did it because of animal rights concerns rather than health. It is not hard - you just have to read labels and avoid all animal products. So no eggs, honey, dairy, - substitute things like tofu, rice syrup or date syrup, nut milks and such. I think of vegetables, rice, and beans as a place to start. Ethnic foods such as indian food can be vegetarian but often contain dairy of some sort (paneer and cream and yogurt come to mind) so a little more care when choosing what doesn't have animal products at all is called for but not impossible. Quick eating out is more of challenge because it takes more than just no meat for vegetarian -cheese is thrown in a lot of things. A friend of mine often will eat bread and vegetables at group dinners but she has to be careful of the vegetables because often butter or cheese is used in cooking.

The vegans I know are really committed—no animal products in clothes, either. So no leather jackets or silk shirts.

(Not that you have to go that far.)

omg y'all I have to share this pic of Penny. I laughed and laughed at that glare!!

Thanks, Artie!

She's beautiful, even when she's mad.

Artie, what did you do? Serve her dinner a minute late? What a little Scrooge she is!

@@ - no silk undergotchies??!

I think i like Healthy Emmie and Chelsea Mae, both on youtube, the best right now. They both advocate my favorite foods like oatmeal, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and tofu. And salad. Also Krocks in the kitchen - they make a lot of chilis.

That's a lovely, meaningful gift. I'm glad he thought to give it to you.

Hi Couch,

Today's session was better than I hoped.
R didn't remember making the comment that I thought I heard when I was upset last week, but she offered an apology.

We are in the process of trying to untangle my emotions around the material that has been in the news from the impact that the circumstances of Steve's death are having on my faith.

Part of that work is in allowing myself to feel my feelings.

haha! She's the one who jumped up and sat on my lap while I was sitting in the recliner. She NEVER does that. So apparently, it was my fault that she did it last night. Ha!

'You're just too comfy, human! Fix it!'

I suggest switching to vegetarian (lacto-ovo, so eating eggs and dairy) first. Or, if you eat a lot of fish, start with pescetarian. Maybe you could start with just doing a couple days a week vegan.

I can recommend vegetarian cookbooks, not so much vegan. For vegetarian, Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is really comprehensive. Looks like there's a "New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" out now--and looks like it's 44% off on Amazon!

Something to consider in looking for other cookbooks is how you usually cook and what cuisines you tend to eat. I think you've mentioned a slow-cooker, so a vegan slow-cooker...cookbook could be good (or for Instapot, if you have that). and I think you've mentioned making Indian food--that's a cuisine with a lot of vegan options, so a vegan cookbook geared to that is good.

It also depends on how you feel about meat substitutes. Some cookbooks rely more on stuff like that, which I'm not into, unless it's just like tofu in a stir-fry. That could make the transition easier, though, if you're used to eating meat frequently.

I'm glad it was better than you expected, Lost. And that she offered an apology. I hope she can continue helping you untangle.

She actually said that she was pleased I'd been able to raise my concern.

'There was a time when something like that could have become a barrier between us.'

'I have relationships where things have become barriers, and I definitely don't want that.'

It is strange that my sense of safety has become tangled up in my relationship with Steve.