Monday Happies: Just Joy

The world is this beautiful, messy, messed up place. The last month seems to have been particularly turbulent.

When bad things happen all lumped together like they have over the last few weeks we start to feel nostalgic for the good old days when things like this didn't happen...when there was no terror, mass shootings, suicide bombers and the like.

But we are romanticizing the past and under-appreciating the present. I am not going to say that these events didn't matter. They matter because every life matters. My heart is certainly with the families of the Beirut and Paris victims. It is also with those involved in the many mass shootings and terror attacks on this continent at Planned Parenthoods and schools and other public places.

But the world is filled with both Dark and Light and both horrific and miraculous things are happening all over the world every day.

I took a brief absence from the blog in order to deal with the negativity and sadness spreading across the internet in the aftermath of these events.  I meditated every day. I struggled to understand why it is that it seemed we are so full of horror in this day and age. And in that week where I didn't look at facebook every day, and didn't look at twitter (because as I pointed out in a previous post, I have deleted my twitter account) and the only news I got was from my daily hour of Democracy Now, the world didn't seem so dark. I spent time with my handsome, amazing VOMD, and cuddled with my cats, and played with Tobi the bunny, and did research for my thesis, and drank lattes from a local coffee shop, and went to a vegan potluck with a bunch of fantastic local folks. I signed a couple email petitions, yes. I still handed out a couple dollars here and there to the homeless people I encountered in downtown Hamilton. But I didn't dwell in the sadness. I didn't dwell in the negativity. I didn't dwell in the horror. I saw the beauty in the world that we miss when we spend all of our time on the internet.

Please, shut off your smart phone for a couple hours. Put it in your sock drawer and go for a walk with someone you love. Close your laptop for a day, and play a board game with some friends. Quit tweeting for an hour and go volunteer as a dog walker at your local animal shelter. Cuddle with your kids (whether they be animal or human), make some art, bake a cake, listen to some joyful music, go dancing. Be happy. Don't let the internet become your life. Don't be part of the spreading terror by sharing ever picture of bombed buildings, sad starving children, emaciated animals, tortured government detainees. Do you really want to beat the terrorists, the animal torturers, the mass shooters? Then be joyful, live your life, do good things for others whenever you can, and have a little fun now and then. Do your part, but don't let it consume you.

Be happy, my friends.

Happy Monday!

-J

Oh, and if you are in the Hamilton area, check out Cowspiracy, streaming at Democracy on Locke St. tonight at 8pm!

Not all vegans are jerks (but this post is written for those who are)

Dear Vegans,

Seriously, stop being dicks.

I wrote a post a while back about things that vegans do that piss me off. Honestly, it was sort of a funny little post about how vegan tend to turn against not only non-vegans but also their vegan compadres with whom they disagree on minor aspects of veganism. But I guess some people just don't have a sense of humour. Lots of butt-hurt vegans jumped on the lets hate Johanna/HerHerbivore bandwagon and started sending me shitty hate messages saying that I wasn't a real vegan because I still had honey in my cupboard and didn't think it was useful to tell others they aren't vegan if they wear wool or silk. (For the record, since that tub of honey was finished off by VOMD we haven't purchased more...so don't send me some hateful messages because it will go straight in the trash. I also personally do not use wool or silk. So again, please shut up.)

There is so much hate out there for vegans, on the internet and probably in your personal social circles. We vegans like to think that this hate comes from a place of defensiveness. We say things like "people get mad at us when we talk about animal cruelty because it makes them feel bad about their own choices". No. That is not the reason. I mean, maybe sometimes that is the reason. But really, the main reason they hate it is that we shove it down their throats, refuse to agree to disagree, and completely cut people down for not living the way that we do. Like...brutally cut them down. Remember when the Blonde Vegan became the Balanced Vegan? She got freaking DEATH THREATS from vegans all over the place. Sure, she doesn't seem to be the brightest...I mean, veganism really wasn't her problem. But still, man, death threats? People don't like that. Surprising, right? Okay, I am sounding a bit bitchy and sarcastic. I know. But I honestly just cannot understand where this self-righteous, bullshit attitude comes from. Yes, I think that the world would be a better place if everyone was vegan. But I definitely don't think it is remotely okay to hate people who aren't. I may have said some kind of shitty things about non-vegans jokingly in my past posts, and in my real life...but death threats? WTF vegans?

How is it that a philosophy that preaches non-violence and compassion can lead to hate and anger? Oh right, every single religion in history has taught us that eventually, there will be a bunch of douchy extremists who ruin it for everyone. Any time a philosophy becomes popular enough, some people will take it too far. But seriously jerk vegans, you're giving the rest of us a bad name. Most of the vegans I know do not walk around thinking that they are better than everyone, but the few that do are the loudest in the group. The problem with this is, though, that unlike other philosophies that can be rescued by other loud, compassionate voices rising up to set the record straight, veganism is difficult to rescue. Why? Because as soon as you say you're vegan people are now going to tune out. This is not like hearing what a Muslim has to say about how Daesh does not represent them...even bigots will probably tune into that, and maybe some of their hearts will become less hardened. It is not like that because shitty vegans have begun to successfully silence non-shitty vegans. By yelling the loudest, because they desperately wanted to be heard, they have made it so that they will never genuinely be heard. So now, the tiny group of people in this scary world who chose speak on behalf of animals have been silenced and the animals again have no voice. Good job, ass-hats. Your hate and anger have made it impossible to change the hearts and minds of people who may have been open to your perspective were you not a total dick to them. Now that you've threatened them with violence, called them immoral, told them they can't love animals but eat steak, they are never going to come around. They are more steadfast in their views than ever. I hear vegans say things like "we will never be silent, because the animals we speak for cannot do it for themselves", and yes, I totally agree, but there is a time and a place for your activism, and if you would just for a moment remember that you are a regular human being and not some enlightened Übermensch  you will realize that other people deserve the same level of dignity and respect you are demanding on behalf of non-human animals.

Of course, I am being a bit of a pessimist here. If I'm totally honest I have to admit that there is still hope. There are more vegans in the new generation than ever before, and that number will definitely continue to grow. But I hope that the vegans who send death threats, and blacklist celebrity vegans who still eat honey, and just generally shit on other people, know that this victory is not a victory for them. They didn't do this. The people who had the impact, who influenced new generations, are those who went about their activism with a view to compassion, and used hard facts with a soft heart. It is not a victory for those who yell the loudest, but for those who care the most.

Non-vegans need to see that those who ascribe to a vegan philosophy and lifestyle are not some stuck-up, self-righteous, oft-cruel, non-joke taking group of people. We are regular folks. We know how to be kind to other humans and we know how to take a joke. So, just stop it with the insults and the death threats, okay?

And now this Kumbaya vegan is going to go eat some broccoli and cool down.

Happy Friday

Love,

-J

Tuning out social media negativity

It's Friday! Today is a pretty awesome day because not only is the weekend about to begin (which means VOMD and I get to spend lots of hours cuddling and going for walks and then cuddling again to warm up) but I also have my first meeting for my new job today!

On top of the awesomeness that is Friday, as part of my commitment to being happy every day I have taken a very large, some might say socially unconscious step.

I have deleted my Twitter account and I have unfollowed or unliked everything and everyone on Facebook who has shared shitty, uncomfortable things that show up on my news feed. Gasp! I know. Sounds pretty selfish, eh? As a vegan on social media there is a lot of pressure to be constantly ON. We are expected, by other more noisy vegans, to share posts about emaciated dogs and chickens and cows, and we are expected to never miss a petition or a letter writing campaign. We are expected to just deal with the misery this brings us for the sake of the animals. I have read so many accounts of young vegans who feel constantly overwhelmed by their social media 'duties' and worry that if they log off for a few days it might mean life or death for an animal. The same goes for politics and human rights. As socially conscious young people we are expected to know about every ill, every human rights violation, every inequality.


But I am taking a stand (however minimal and possibly unfruitful it may be) against these expectations. You do not have to be miserable to be socially away and you do not have to be constantly bombarded by images that break you and make you hate the world in which we live to be a vegan. I am certainly not going to just stop reading the news, and I will certainly not be turning a bling eye to injustice, but I will not be checking my social media multiple times a day to make sure I am not missing a campaign to end circus animal abuse. Instead, I have filled my facebook 'follow' feed with delicious vegan recipes, stories of animal rescues, and humour. For the hour a day I spend on social media I am committing to being actually social, and not just click my way through every social, political, and animal rights campaign that pops up.

I did all this last night, in a fit of exhaustion, and this morning when I opened my news feed up popped a list of amazingly delicious looking vegan pasta recipes, a photo of a cow that got rescued by some very committed volunteers, and a video of musicians in Croatia posted by a classmate who is travelling Europe right now. No hairless dogs with sad eyes. No chickens with their beaks cut off. No defense of sexist or homophobia from some Republican candidate. Just joy.

And I don't feel guilty. I am vegan. I work for a socially conscious organization. I am doing meaningful research. My cat friends and bunny are adopted and well loved. I am happy. And if social media makes you forget all the good that you are doing in your real life, consider tuning out some of the negativity, because you deserve to be happy too.

Happy Friday!

-J

This is a post about the word NO (Consent is sexy)

*Warning: this post is about sex and has mature subject matter that may not be suitable or enjoyable for some people*

A friend sent me a video yesterday that aims to teach people about the concept of consent. It is actually a super brilliant video. It makes a kind of humorous comparison between offering someone tea and offering someone sex. Watch it, if you haven't already.

It is so important that people really grasp the concept of consent. It is not conceptual; it is not negotiable. Yes is yes and no is no. Also, no yes is also no. A yes then a no is also a no. Silence is no. A pressured yes is a no.

I think we all sort of get the concept of consent as it relates to casual sexual relationships...or at least we find it easier to understand. But what so many people still struggle with is the concept of consent in a long term monogamous relationship. 

Let me just start by saying this: It is NOT your responsibility or duty to fulfill your partner's sexual desires. You do NOT have to have sex with your partner if you do not feel like having sex. You do NOT have to do anything sexually with your partner that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or unhappy.

It is completely absurd that in a regular relationship intimate partners are often expected to continue to have the same sexual interests throughout their entire relationship...and if they don't, they  are expected to fake it. If early in the relationship I'm really into kink and all I want to be tied up, and if I want you to spank me and maybe choke me a bit, if later on I decide that I actually like soft, vanilla, missionary sex more, then I'm being unfair. If in the beginning I tell my partner that I like sex in the morning because it wakes me up and makes me feel energized, then later on I decide that I don't want to have sex in the morning because I'm tired and don't feel well, and stayed up late the night before, or whatever the reason may be, I shouldn't have to hear you say "but you used to like this". 

In the beginning of a relationship sex is often a central theme. You have sex multiple times a day, and are late for meetings and social events because sex is more fun than a night out with friends. But as you are with someone longer, sometimes sex is no longer a priority. If this is the case for one partner and not the other, sometimes one partner will make the other feel shitty about not wanting to have sex: "but I have needs and you are supposed to fulfill them". Sometimes the partner who doesn't want sex will give in and will have sex with their partner even though they don't want to. They will feel pressured, and worry that the other person won't love them anymore if they do not fulfill this apparent "duty". 

But please remember, you do not have to fake it. If you want to fake it, and it makes you happy to fake it, and you do not feel uncomfortable or unhappy faking it, and you have not been pressured or manipulated into faking it, then fine. You always have a choice. But you do not have to and should not be expected to. If you are uncomfortable with something your partner is doing sexually, you should not feel you can not tell them because you are afraid to turn them off or hurt their feelings. ( "If I don't want your finger in my ass, I am going to tell you. I don't care that being criticized makes you soft, it's MY ass.") 

But please know this: you do not have any responsibility to fulfill the sexual desires of your intimate partner. Sex may be a central part of your relationship, and maybe it is even the glue that holds you together, but that does not mean that you have any obligation to put out if you do not want to. If your partner is using guilt to get you to do sexual things, or if you are using guilt to get your partner to do sexual things, it is sexual assault. Submission is not consent. If you say no to your partner and they have sex with you anyway, it is rape. If you are asleep and are awoken by your partner having sex with you without your consent, it is rape. If your partner pressures you, guilts you, or threatens you and you finally give in, this is rape. It is not consent. This is true regardless of gender. 

Please have a conversation with your partner about consent. You do not have to write a formal contract or anything (but in some cases of kink and BDSM this may be a great way to protect both of your interests, and remember that even in kink, there should be a way to tell your partner you've had enough) but ask them what they think about the concept of consent in an intimate relationship. And please don't worry that consent will ruin the mood. Seriously. That makes no sense. Consent is not negotiable. It is required. Always. And in fact, it is hot as hell to know that your sexual partner cares about what you want and how and when you like to be touched. If you're getting busy work consent into your interactions before diving in. It can actually make things way more sexy! Instead of just ripping your partners clothes off, tell them you want to, and ask them if they want you to. Instead of just heading downtown without asking, say you really would like to go down on your partner, and ask them if they want you to. While you're having sex, ask your partner if they like what you are doing. Do you like that? Do you want me to go faster? Do you want me to put this in there? Do you want me to move it around a little?

C'mon. Tell me consent doesn't sound sexy now... I dare you.

Here are some (just a few, but there are seriously countless others) examples of what consent is NOT in an intimate relationship:

1. Being "wet" or having a boner. Just because your partner is having a physiological reaction to the situation does not mean they want you to do something about it. A no with a boner is still a no. 
2. Making out and grinding do not mean jump my bones. Your partner may want to make out with you, but that does not give you permission to have sex with them or touch them. If they tell you to not put your hand in their pants right now, then respect that. 
3. Having had sex yesterday. You may have done it yesterday, and he/she might have liked it, but that does not mean they want it today, tomorrow, or ever again for that matter. 
4. Having not had sex yet. You are not owed sex. Just because it's been three months or three years does not mean you get to go for it.
5. Sleepiness. If your partner is exhausted and doesn't have the energy to push you off or say no explicitly, that does not give you permission to go for it. Consent means that both partner must be awake, aware, and in un-pressured, un-manipulated agreement. 

Sex is awesome. It can be fun and beautiful and romantic and wonderful. But it can also be scary and awkward if you feel pressured into doing something that makes you uncomfortable, or that hurts you, just because you and your partner have not had the talk. If your partner threatens you or your relationship's stability because you refuse to do something in the sack, please remember that consent and love are both about mutual respect. If you and your partner are not on the same page about what sex means to your relationship, you have another conversation to have.

from Planned Parenthood instagram

If you think that you are being sexually abused, or if you may wonder whether you have been doing sexual things to your partner that may be sexual assault, please check out this link. 

Happy Thursday, and be safe!

-J

Holiday Decorations before Remembrance day

It's November, so you know what that means... the season of hating on people who don't agree with you has begun! Every year around this time people start getting all itchy and angry and begin searching for something to be pissed about. It's as though the onset of cold weather and the upcoming holidays remind people of how much they hate their lives, as they are forced inside to spend time with their families who they have managed to avoid in the warmer months by taking up jogging or trying their hand at summer infidelity.

Among the things that get people in a tizzy is when folks start putting out holiday lights before Remembrance Day has passed...because as well all know it is a commonly known fact that veterans hate the holidays! And loving the holidays, what they represent to you as an individual, and just plain liking the look of your house decked out in holly jolly colours that distract from the fact that you haven't cleaned your floor in the last 6 months makes you a shitty, disrespectful person. You deserve to be berated on social media, you monsters!

Of course, this is not as ridiculous as the recent trend of telling Starbucks your name is Merry Christmas to trick them into putting Christmas on your cup...I mean, seriously? (If you haven't heard about this please google it. A Christian evangelist type is in a huff because Starbucks took reindeer, snowflakes and skating children off their cups (all very traditional symbols of Christmas, of course...) Oh! And Donald Trump agrees that plain red cups are anti-Christmas, so you know it must be true). But it comes pretty close when it gets to the point of people berating others on social media for rejoicing in the holiday spirit before November 11th.

I put up some decorations in my home this morning. Mostly I just needed to clear out some space in the cupboard, and my house looked kind of empty and boring after I took down all the fake cobwebs and hanging bats from Halloween. But one thing that didn't really even begin to cross my mind was "am I being disrespectful to our veterans right now?" Of course, I didn't put a whole bunch of lights on my house (I live in a multiplex) but I did put a nice holiday planter that VOMD's mother gave us out on the porch.

First, I should say that I totally get the inclination to join the military. We are indoctrinated into a world that sees war as a rational response to social, political and economic problems, and we are told that by joining the military we have the chance to fight for the rights and freedoms of our friends and family members at home. Obviously this is kind of nonsense...But it is nonsense that is easy to believe. But so as not to piss off some war-supporters, perhaps I should leave that at that.

Second, I actually do respect people who choose to join the military, and I respect the lives lost in war. But I wish that they had not died. I understand that they thought they were doing the right thing by going to war. I understand that our veterans have always had the best intentions (and that, in fact, many of our veterans of the 1st and 2nd world war, for example, did not have a choice at all). I wish that we didn't live in a country that teaches children that joining the military makes you brave and honorable, and that would call on its citizens to give their lives for corporate and political interests.

Third, every year I wear a white poppy for just one day to remember the lives lost in war but also with the intention of calling for peace rather than for war. I respect the lives lost, but I think that any compassionate, intelligent, and thoughtful individual would oppose war. The best way to respect the lives already lost is to find a way to solve our problems without more of our citizens (and the citizens of other states) having to die. Continuing to glorify war, and continuing to paint all military men and women as heroes is disrespectful to those who fought and died in all previous wars, and especially those who fought and died between 1914 and 1918 because they were told they were fighting "a war to end all wars".

So, with that, I will leave you to continue hanging tinsel while munching on a candy cane. Because I can. And because the holidays make me happier than war does. And because your tsk tsking me on Facebook has literally no impact on how I live my life.

Tomorrow I will respectfully wear my white poppy and I will take a moment of silence to remember those who gave their lives for causes they deemed worthy. I will donate to a charity for children of veterans like I do every year. I will also remember the innocent victims of all the wars fought over the last century. And I will send a prayer into the universe for peace.

Happy almost holidays!

And Happy Tuesday!

-J

P.S. a great charity to donate to this year, if you are interested, is Canadian Hero Fund who provide scholarships to children and spouses of fallen Canadian soldiers.

Monday Happies: New research contract, VOMD's family, and cold recovery in progress

This weekend VOMD were on the road once again and this time we spent a few days with his parents in Temiskaming, Quebec. His mother is one of the best cooks I have ever met and made us vegan treats a plenty. This time we got chocolate peanut butter crispy rice bars and lemon squares! Both are, oddly enough, gluten free without her even knowing that I no longer eat wheat! I love it when things work out like that. She also made us cucumber and avocado maki!

We got to meet VOMD's cousin's new son, who is only 2 months old. He is so cute it made all the baby crazy feelings I get when seeing my nieces and nephew triple! Unfortunately I had to sit in the corner wearing a mask so that I didn't pass on my shitty gross cold, but still. It was awesome.

Then, on Sunday I checked my emails for the first time since Friday morning and I got a job offer for a research contract with a local non-profit! Wooo!!! The joy of getting a new job definitely made me less frustrated with my cold-related ear ache and my inability to not be a damn mouth breather. I start my new job next Monday, so you can probably predict part of newt week's Monday Happies post.

So this morning I am feeling very happy, especially because my cold is finally going away and I only have a mild cough and a stuffy nose. After a week of feeling like garbage (which, thanks to my shitty luck came right on the tails of a brutal period) I can finally go about 25 minutes without having a coughing fit and emptying half a box of tissues.

I hope you're all having a great Monday as well!

Happy Monday!

-J

Fat, Blemished, Stretch-Marked, Scarred, Beautiful

One day about four years ago when I first started struggling with my skin I was walking home from work and I was having a particularly good day. I was wearing a new pencil skirt that I have picked up from Valu Village that made me look like my waist to hip ratio made no sense whatsoever, and my hair was blowing in the wind. I felt beautiful. I was going home to see my then-boyfriend, who would be off work soon.

But then a car drove by me, quite slowly, and the young man behind the wheel yelled something that I had never had yelled at me before and that I will probably remember forever: "Pizza Face!"

I will admit that I never struggled with my weight or my appearance much in high school. At a time when people were wearing makeup to cover their acne and struggling with their body image, I was blissfully content with my physical appearance. But adulthood (and veganism, it turns out) brought with it skin problems and weight gain that I had never experienced before.

That day, when I was called pizza face, was the first time I had ever cried because of the way I look. (I am embarrassed to say that I cried, because our culture thinks that crying makes you weak, shows that you are a wimp... crying in our culture is misconstrued as passive aggressive, a guilt trip, a plea for attention. It is unacceptable. It is girly. It is stupid.)

But I am not the only who cries, or who has hated themselves. Who has stayed inside so as not to be seen. Who has canceled plans with friends because of a breakout or a "fat day".

Many people, even kind, intelligent, well-educated people still struggle with the concept of body positivity. I was once guilty of this myself. I saw people who were overweight and I would think to myself I would never let myself get that way. I would see someone with bad skin and think wow, they really don't take care of themselves.  But part of becoming an intelligent, well-rounded adult is that you become critical of the ways that you view and treat others. Unfortunately in my case it took feeling shitty about myself to realize how shitty I was being to other people. I wish that I could have come to that without having to make it about me. You shouldn't have to feel shitty about yourself to realize that you are being shitty towards others.

Tell me if any of this sounds familiar. I have a dear friend who constantly criticizes overweight people he sees on those electric scooter wheelchairs. He says they are lazy. When he sees a woman wearing shorts that are too short he says that it is slutty. When he sees a woman who is wearing clothing that do not hide her fat, he says is is gross. He says they should learn to dress for their weight. When he sees someone wearing too much makeup he says it looks awful and that they clearly don't have any self-esteem (as though their low self-esteem is their fault and not a product of our culture). He tells me that men like women who take care of themselves, who care about how they look and about their health. But he also tells me that men like women who don't look like they are trying too hard.

You probably feel like I am describing someone you know quite well, or maybe yourself. But that truth is, I am describing our culture, as it is represented in one young, effortlessly fit, acne free white male.

When I defend someone to this friend, when I say "you can't just assume that person is lazy; you shouldn't say that people are gross; you should respect their right to choose what they please; you should try to understand the inclination to look beautiful by societal standards" I am told that "being fat is unhealthy; wearing clothes that don't fit "sends the wrong message" or is "asking for it" and that you should be able to see past society's obsession with physical beauty and not wear makeup"...

I want to ask him: But why do you give a flying fuck? Why does it matter to you that someone may be unhealthy? Why does it matter if they feel sexy in the clothes they choose? Why do you care if someone has low self-esteem and must wear makeup to make themselves feel better? And how can you possibly know what motivates any of these people  to look or act the way they do? What is the perfect level of beauty that will demonstrate to you that someone cares about how they look but doesn't look like they are trying too hard? What is the perfect weight to demonstrate that someone cares about their health but also likes to eat and doesn't give a shit about what society thinks their body looks like? Am I at that level? Am I too fat, too thin, too slutty? Do I wear too much makeup? When I wear makeup does it look like I don't care, or does it look like I'm trying too hard? Are my shorts too short are my stretch marks too visible, do my scars freak you out? Do I seem lazy? Do you judge me like you judge these other people? Do you hold your friends to a higher or lower standard than you hold strangers? If you can think these things about someone you know nothing about, what can you possibly think of me, your dear friend?

When I tell you that people are beautiful regardless of their weight, their skin, their hair, their makeup, their clothes, what I mean is that in spite of whether or not you find looking at them pleasing, they are deserving of the same level of respect you would give to someone you do find pleasing. You are not the compass that points to true beauty north. You are one person, and you are fucked up just like the rest of us. You have crooked teeth and messy hair and skinny arms and freckles and body acne and body odour. You are beautiful. I have stretch marks and scars and blemishes and love handles. I am beautiful. They are fat, thin, tall, short, fully clothed or nearly naked, made up or makeup free, loud, quiet, uneducated, intelligent, lazy, motivated, self-conscious, proud. They are beautiful.

But what might make them more beautiful than you, what might push them way over the top, what might make them outshine you in any arena, is that they just might be kind. They just might be non-judgmental. They just might be committed to everyone's freedom to be themselves. I can honestly say that when you criticize those people, when you remind me that you have this great capacity to be unkind, and that society has warped you so much that you will defend your right to be an asshole, I can't see your kind smile, your beautiful face, your strong cheek bones, your intelligence, your socially desirable height and weight. All I see is ugliness. And your criticism backfires on you. And the person you criticize becomes even more beautiful than they already were.


Here is a great article on body-positivity by Ijeomo Oluo in interview with Substantia Jones of the Adipositivity Project (isn't that the most clever name for a body positivity project?!)

Happy Tuesday!

-J

Monday Happies: Halloween, the Matadors, and another semester

This weekend was pretty awesome. VOMD and I went to London Saturday to spend Halloween with my awesome vegan sister and her awesome vegan friends. One of her friends/roommates is an insanely talented makeup artist and costumer and she painted my face for my costume!

Awesome, right?! It was not surprisingly a great night. After spending some time listening to some music and playing Cards Against Humanity we decided at about 1 o'clock to go to a bar called Call the Office where I learned that I'm actually weirdly good at pinball. Also, there was a live band playing and I said to my sister, "Oh my gosh, I freaking love this song. It's by the Matadors."....guess what; it was the freaking Matadors. Teen me would have been so jealous because I got to meet the guys from the Matadors and get a signed shirt! 

Sunday was a lazy day to kick off World Vegan Month. It started with vegan brunch at Globally Local in London, and ended with coconut caramels, the Addams Family, and Moshi Mochi (please buy these and put them in your face right now! Mochi filled with coconut milk iced cream) at home, cuddling on the couch with VOMD and one of my favourite kitties. 

Today I have a bit of a cold that I am hoping desperately goes not get much worse, but it is still a good day because I am feeling reassured about my decision to take an extra semester to finish my thesis (I mean, most people take the full two years, so I will still be done 3 months ahead of schedule). 

Happy Monday!

-J