Eating raw food: Its all about attitude; Part II

In my original blog; called; Eating raw food: Its all about attitude: Posted on; Thursday, August 9, 2007
I wrote about my perspective, and experiences eating raw meat.
That was 5 months ago; in this post I am writing about my first social experience on the RVAF diet.

In march, before this blog was put out; I moved to Illinois to be with my current fiance. I moved in with his friends, a couple and their 3 year old.
I had only been on the diet for about a month at the time, but the couple was very accepting of it. The wife(I'll call her A)was especially "protective" of my diet.

One day her husband(I'll call him R)and my fiance and I went to pick up my meat from the grocery store. R noticed that the ground beef in the bulk butcher section was on sale for only $1.99 lb. So I got a huge package of 5 lbs, and we went home.
On our way home, R decided to randomly tell me that the reason it was so cheap, is because it was all the meat that was going bad, ground up and set out. Needless to say I was a LITTLE mad, that he failed to tell me this when we were at the grocery store.
When we got home I opened the package, and took a bite. It was DISGUSTING; it tasted like old warm mushy nastiness.
My boyfriend Sam had asked me if he could make a cooked hamburger with it. I said yes; as he proceeded to pat the ground beef into a patty, it was so mushy and gross he was horrified, and couldn't even bring himself to make a burger with it.

A was very mad, and told me; "We're gonna take that meat back, and if they won't let you return it, I'll tell them that you eat raw meat, and this meat is old and gross and you want a refund!" She also told me we could try Aldi's meat(the local poor people grocery outlet)and that she would cover me and we could poke a hole in one of their meat packages and I could take a bite and see if it was any good.
Her husband R was horrified; "A! You can't do that, are you really going to do that? You better not poke a hole in the meat and eat it!" A and I laughed and winked at each other as we told R; "Uh sure we won't..."
We went to the grocery store and returned my meat, only to find out that the good meat was the same price as the gross meat.
We picked up 5 packages; at the time I only ate one pound a day, of 15% fat ground chuck.
A and I drove over to Aldi's, and we walked in; meandering around, pretending to check everything out. We went by the meat cooler, and A stood in front of me; I was too nervous to poke the hole in the meat package myself; so A did it for me and handed me a chunk of ground beef.
I popped it in my mouth; it wasn't terrible, but it sure wasn't good. I shook my head at her; "no."
Then we walked our happy butts back to the SUV and headed home.
Of course when we told her husband R what we'd done, he was horrified, and proceeded to berate us for our illegal activities.

A few days later A did something I would have never expected ANYONE to do...
Now A was very motherly, she liked to cook for everyone, make sure the house was immaculate, do everyone's laundry....etc.
Unfortunately I'm the same way; just a little more specific about how I do things. My laundry is mostly high quality vintage and couture clothes, therefore only jeans and t-shirts can be washed in the washer.
She attempted to do my laundry one morning, and as I was coming down the stairs, I stepped into the kitchen and she told me she was loading my laundry. I was horrified, and ran up to her and started to grab my delicates out of her evil crappy washer. I thanked her, but politely let her know that the clothes couldn't be washed in a washer.
I then went to get my food out of the fridge; suddenly she cuts in front of me, and tells me she made my breakfast. She then opens the fridge, and hands me a plate with ground beef lettuce wraps with plastic wrap over them.
I am in shock, horror, speechless...
She had even poured balsamic vineger, and salt and pepper on them, grated carrot, and sliced up radishes. She had prepared them just as she'd seen me do. Needless to say I could not believe that someone had actually made me my raw meat breakfast...
At this point in my diet I was still very much into putting preparation in my food, because I was still slightly squeamish about the taste of my ground beef.
I was horrified at the fact that someone else's hands had prepared MY ground beef. I mean it was raw, I only wanted my hands to touch it; it felt like an invasion...

Although it was awkward and unsettling, I really appreciate A's efforts to make me feel at home, and included in things.
R and S were the first people I ever ate my raw meat in front of, and because of their kindness and non-judgmental attitude, I really feel that it helped my confidence in my social experiences on my diet.

In my next blog I'll cover my most recent social experiences, and how my family reacts to my way of life.

Fashion Goddess

Coming from a land where personalities were banned, I was forever struggling to fit in with the fads, and when it faded like blue jeans; I became an outcast in a new scene
No longer green with envy at the preppy armies, I no longer aimed to please the barbies
Ragtag fashion became my new passion; but it wasn't me
It was just a new clone army, and I was goth barbie
I blended in with the faded blacks like smudged charcoal
I followed along; dressing in chains and collars, spikes and layers of necklaces against my fishnet fetishes; but then I walked away and my fashion dwindled to cheap retail stores
I was one of the slave-labor whores

My sweet breath of fresh air was you Seattle...
I left that shuttle flown down from planet clone; and from your green palette my true colors shone through, like water glistening on a new shoe
I found my inner voice; my life was filled with color choice and even time-traveling
I was unraveling my layers, and my fashion prayers were answered; when I was surrounded by a hodge-podge of misfits and everyone was their own designer
No one questioned my 70's polyester flower power blouse, no; they looked at me with envy
I felt my fashion goddess powers for the first time, and paisley was on the menu again
Yes this delicious sin of vintage is in
This wondrous fifties dress is draping on my skin...
And I feel free, I feel like I am finally me
I found my style; and it is wild and and versatile just like the scenery; and I'm sure as hell not in any scene but my own
Own your runway, catwalk down your own path
Because rules are for clones; and last I checked I wasn't in any alien experiment, but my own clothing experience

Wake up: Steps toward consciousness

How do you become conscious?
You may think that you are currently aware of your surroundings, what's going on in your life, and that you have full control of your current situation...
I could be wrong though, you may have absolutely no idea what's going on, and your crying out for help, wondering what life is all about? Maybe your a complete mess!
Whatever your situation; these simple things will help crank up your consciousness levels.

Here you are, sitting at your computer, in your room, maybe your living room or kitchen, reading this blog. Look around you, what kind of drink are you drinking? Are you even drinking anything, does your body need water? What's sitting on your desk?
What does your desk look like?
What is hanging on your walls?
What is the texture of your carpet?
Is everything neat and organized, or a catastrophe?

No...really LOOK at things. Just because you KNOW what's sitting on your desk, or in your closet, or pantry, doesn't mean you really acknowledge its existence.
Seriously pay attention, look past that slight blur of disinterest hazing your vision.
Sharpen those pupils, put on your glasses, check out that cup your drinking out of.

When you leave your house to run errands, pay attention to your steps, to the things around you. Make sure your really breathing.

A good test, go to the grocery store, and go to the produce section. Whenever you see something you've never tasted or smelled, pick it up, analyze it, smell it, feel the texture, the weight, the color. Look at everything around you, really focus on things.

To break out of that routine unconscious haze requires doing things you've never tried before.
I'm not talking about skydiving; it always blows my mind how people think that's breaking out of a box. I'm also not talking about going to a new restaurant for lunch, although that helps.
Maybe there's a little antique or thrift shop you've always wanted to go into, and maybe you finally go in. Try on one of those vintage outfits, or really pay attention to how cool all the old magazines and signs are. Imagine yourself in another time period, and imagine what it would be like.
Maybe go up to the mountains or your local park, get a local plant guide for your area, and learn your surroundings. Actually learn the qualities and names of your local flowers and weeds.

Now this is only a few ideas on how to break out of your boxes, but another very important factor in consciousness, is your inner life.
How often do you pay attention to your pets?
When was the last time you took your kid to the park, or went on a date with your other half?
How clean is your house?
Maybe instead of going to jack-in-the-box for lunch, learn how to make a new dish and cook it the night before work.
How healthy do you think your eating?

These are just a few simple things on how to stay conscious, as you move forward, and become more aware, you will start to interact with your own life more, instead of being a bystander.
What are your ideas about being conscious?

My sequined 80's value village find: The largest clothing recall

I just found the most incredible sequined 80's butterfly shirt at
Value Village, for only $14.99
Scroll to the bottom of this article, to read an amusing piece of news,
regarding imports from India, and this clothing label.

Yes, I'm in my socks!!



On the label:
Papillon
Vancouver Los Angeles
Made in India
RN No. 57716
C.A. 02784 100% Pure silk
Lining of 100% Rayon
Dry clean only(DUH!)






I looked up the brand of this shirt; Papillon, and found the following article, I thought it was quite amusing!

                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
           Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, August 13, 1994              TAG: 9408130291
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                         LENGTH: Short :   45 lines

---

LARGEST CLOTHING RECALL ORDERED THE GAUZY SKIRTS MADE IN INDIA EASILY CATCH FIRE. THEY HAVE BEEN SOLD FOR YEARS.

The government announced the largest clothing recall ever Friday, a quarter-million rayon skirts made in India that can be set on fire with a cigarette and burn faster than a newspaper.

``Consumers must stop wearing these skirts,'' said Ann Brown, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which ordered a stop to all sales and a recall.

So far, she said, there have been no deaths or injuries, even though the skirts have been imported for two to three years.

CPSC said it has contacted stores to take the skirts off the shelves.

The commission named 18 major retailers cooperating in the recall but said many other stores had carried the skirts:

Abraham & Strauss Basement; Ames Ladies Wear; Annie Sez; Bealls Outlet Stores; Burlington Coat Factory; Cost Plus; Dayton's; Filene's Basement; Gantos; Hudson's; Jean Nicole; Loehmann's; Marianne; Marshalls; Marshall Field's; One Price; Ross and T.J. Maxx.

Some, but not all, of the garments have these brand labels:

2 Kool Look; Ann Simone; Carla Freeman; Casual Designs by RAVIA; Exclusif; Fbi; Founded 1976 D II K by K.V.M.; Giallo Napoli; Gold Star; LaGebi; Masone II; Minti Mode; Papillon; Phool; Renuka; Short Circuit; Steed Import Inc.; Vile Parle; Xessorium; Zero Zero.

Some labels with no other brand information had these numbers: RN 81177; RN 74867; RN 50971; RN 57716. ILLUSTRATION: FREE HOT LINE

The Consumer Product Safety Commission will answer questions

about the recall on its toll-free hot line:

(800) 638-2772.

KEYWORDS: RECALL SKIRTS INDIA FIRE HAZARD

Vintage find at St. Vincent De Paul, Sunday, May 06, 2007: From StarPhyre's Thrift Shopper Archives

Check it out! It was only $9.99

Me wearing it:


Detail:

Thrift shopping 101: Part 1; Costume jewelery

The other day my fiance and I went to Value Village; and I found this amazing dress for a great deal!



Detail: The dress was only $4.99, and the blue hand painted seed beads were only $0.99! Baby blues are a great accent w/ dark browns!




How can you get great fashion finds for a low price, without the guilt of buying slave labor?
Thrift stores, yard sales, and consignment stores are my favorite choices for cute, or funky clothes and styles.

What will you need?
A sense of adventure
An imagination
A few bucks!

I used to dread thrift shopping, it was a last minute option for me.
All I ever saw when I walked in were isles of old lady sweaters, and dirty old shoes. I practically refused to browse the isles, and just couldn't bring myself to try anything on.
Years later I finally let go, and realized that my pocket book couldn't take my trips to Macy's and Nordstrom's anymore. I also hated dressing like the rest of the population.
One of the great things about thrift shopping, is the fact that you can get a cashmere sweater for $5, and you can't even get a tank-top at JC Penney's for less than $10.
The upsides of thrift shopping; constant variety, vintage finds, and you always feel like your on a treasure hunt!
The downsides to thrift shopping; hip thrift shoppers like me knowing just how to get great deals, before Thrift-noobs get them!
But no worries, that's why I'm here, to tell you how to find amazing outfits, and get the good stuff before Lame Jane grabs your vintage sequined blouse.

Depending on the thrift store you go to, depends on the frequency of up to date clothing, or 80's belly-button smashing jeans. No worries, they all usually have a treasure hidden somewhere.

Creating your jewelery collection:
The first place to check for jewelry, is the wall-hanging section. It's usually all priced the same, and you can get some great bracelets, earrings, necklaces etc.
Start by checking every single hook holding the jewelry, just cause it looks shiny, doesn't mean its quality. You want to check for glass, and stone beads, and necklace pieces.
To do this; simply click the piece against your tooth, and if it feels dense, and makes a slight ting sound against your tooth, its probably glass or stone. This is an easy way to decipher between shiny plastic, and glass.

Pot Metal, and Silver:
Check whatever jewelry you are looking at, to see if there are any missing rhinestones, bent metal, or extremely flexible metal. You want to stay away from pot-metal(this is a very cheap and easily snapped metal, usually made in china, and coming from retailers like Kohls).

What to look for to determine pot-metal: The findings(round chain link like things attaching the jewelery to the hook, clasp, etc)are split, not welded, or easily bendable. This is a bad sign, because your jewelery could easily fall off, or snap. The color of pot metal is usually much brighter than that of silver, and instead of grey coloring, it has black coloring to mimic silver. Silver is usually dull, or grey, and it is a softer metal, it doesn't snap as easily as pot metal. Older silver has tiny scratches, and small dents in the metal. It usually heats quickly to the touch.

Pearls, costume jewelery, and big beautiful beads:
I myself don't really care if the pearls are real or not, they are a cool accent for some outfits. Although; an easy way to check if the pearls or plastic beads you found are real pearls, is another tooth-checking method; the teeth don't lie!
Roll the bead against your tooth, if there are dents or it feels slightly gritty, you probably found real pearls, or damn good fakes. Otherwise, if they are plastic, they will be completely smooth and round.
You want your beads to be dense, and strong, not hollow. Just tap them w/ your fingernail, and if it feels heavy in your hand, and there's no hollow sound, those are high quality beads. Also; if they are paint covered, or chrome covered, scratch them lightly w/ a fingernail to make sure no paint chips off.




Beaded necklace string:
You want to make sure when you buy beaded necklaces, that the string holding them together is reasonably strong, and durable.
Think what a mess it would be if your out on a date, and your necklace catches on something, and beads scatter everywhere!
To make sure the string is strong, first check how closely the beads are from each other, if there are tiny knots between each bead, this is a good sign; it means it will hold together well. Try the tug-a-rope test, and grab either side with your hands, and lightly pull to the opposite direction of each hand. If the necklace gives, I wouldn't buy it; if it stays firm, it has less of a chance of snapping randomly. Just make sure the string is thicker than fishing line. Inspect w/ a magnifying glass if necessary, to check if it is twined like a mini-rope, once again a good sign. Big round plastic beads are a fun way to accent almost any outfit!

Quality materials/beads:
Wood
Seeds
Crystal
Stones
Glass
Thick plastic beads
Silver/Sterling
Gold

The second place to look for jewelery is of course, the infamous glass display cabinet! Usually the items in the display cabinets are higher priced, and most of the time, incorrectly priced. A lot of the time there is some good vintage brooches, pins, and really high quality necklaces. On the downside they get in a lot of retail costume jewelery that looks really shiny, but its worthless. Thrift stores will often charge very high prices for these pieces because they "look new". If it looks like it just came out of the JC Penney's or Mervyn's Juniors section, it probably did.

If you are not a frequent retail shopper, I recommend visiting your local retailer(excluding Macy's and Nordstrom's)Try Kohls, Sears, Ross, TJ Maxx, Mervyn's, or JC Penney. These are lower-end retailers. Browse the jewlery section, and inspect the costume jewelery. You will note that some earrings are bent, or the clasps don't connect properly. Some of the necklaces have missing rhinestones, or broken chains. Make sure you make a mental note of the way this type of costume jewelery looks; so when you are thrift shopping, be sure to avoid this cheaply made jewelery.
This may seem complicated at first, but once you get the knack of it, you'll be a pro thrift shopper!

I hope these tips help Thrift Shoppers new to the scene, I also recommend an awesome in-depth thrift shoppers guide, that really helped me: Secondhand Chic: Find fabulous fashion at Consignment, Vintage, and Thrift stores: By Christa Weil
You can get this book at your local library, if they don't carry it, you can usually ask them to buy the book for you!

In my next blog I will cover the basics of finding high quality clothing, and where to look!