Thankful

This Thanksgiving marks a new tradition for me. It will be the first time in my life that I won't feel the drowsy effects of tryptophan after gorging on turkey. I am pretty sure that my mouth will water when I enter the house smelling of roasting meat and sizzling gravy. However, this Thanksgiving, I am going to be thankful that I had to opportunity to visit the beautiful haven that is Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York. I avoided learning the facts about this country's meat production for years. I knew, simply, that if I exposed myself to the truth, I would never be able to eat meat again. And, well...I love(d) meat! But, in the end, I couldn't hold out anymore and I am thankful that I finally got the guts to open my mind and listen to the horrors that we call "factory farming".

I am not going to sit and spout out all the reasons why eating meat isn't healthy; can be quite dangerous; and frankly, is a very cruel way of living. However, if someone asks me, I will certainly share what I know. This thanksgiving, I am thankful to have a mind and the ability to choose what I eat. So many are not as fortunate and are grateful to have rice, a piece of bread (or perhaps a chicken nugget made of processed chicken parts).

When I see Mr. Tom Turkey laying on my family's table glistening with a fresh basting of his own juice, I will be thankful that my family can afford to buy a turkey and can sit down together for a feast. Thanksgiving shouldn't be a time to pass judgments or ridicule those who like eating flesh; it should be a time of togetherness; of wine and good food; of story sharing; of laughter; and most of all, it should be about being thankful.

Thanks, Mr. Turkey

You are absolutely beautiful and grand.

FB and Rain

It's been an interesting week not having a computer to come home to. I don't know about you, but I do find that my relationship with my laptop is like having a boyfriend. It's all nice, shiny, new and hardworking in the beginning...but after awhile you start to notice the glitches, the scratches, the dust, and you crave an upgrade. BUT, even so, you can come home to him and plug in.

Anyway, after dealing with the initial shock and anger that came with having my home broken into; realizing that my entire photo history of living a decade in NYC is gone; and knowing that some jerk paid a few lousy bucks on the street to buy my MacBook...I am finding that my mind is moving on to more important things. Like farming on Facebook's Farmville. After all, if given proper time and a good internet connection, I can harvest some serious crop! Who wouldn't want to virtually grow cranberries, corn and wheat? But, I digress. The rain isn't helping matters. When it's cold and wet out, all I want to do is curl up on the couch and mindlessly facebook away. There is none of that right now. When did I become so reliant on surfing away at home? I spent 7+ hours a day staring at a computer screen and then I go home and do more. Certainly this can't be good for the eyes.

Oh well. I must head home now. I guess I'll just plug into the TV instead...