Where I'd Live: USA

Josh and I both agree that staying in Maryland is not what we want.  Other than college, I've lived in MD my whole life.  Josh grew up in Southern VA and definitely liked it better there.  We both agree that we'd love to move somewhere warmer, but we do have our exceptions.

Savannah (area), Georgia

 Josh and I both loved Savannah and would love to live close by.  Somewhere between there and Charleston, SC would also be nice.  Savannah really is the perfect small city.

Houston or Dallas, Texas

I have family in Texas and I've always wanted to live in Texas for at least a few years.  I feel like it's a place I'd fit well with.

Boulder, Colorado

I fell in love with Colorado when I went for my Uncles wedding.  This is definitely an exception to my "no cold" rule.  Colorado is stunning and it's so easy to lead an active lifestyle there.  Plus, I have family there and it would be neat to see them more!

Portland, Oregon

Portland is one of the few cities I feel like I'd actually be OK with living in.  I follow many Portland bloggers and it seems like there is always something exciting going on there!

Montana/Wyoming

This is the other exception to my "no cold" rule.  I would love to live out where you can see the stars at night and there are plenty of wide open spaces!  Also, all the hiking, climbing, and camping possiblities?!  I can't even!

Nashville/Knoxville, TN

I've always thought Tennessee would be a good fit for me.  We'll see if my opinion is still the same after I visit this summer.  There seems to be many hiking trails and it looks beautiful!

Is Ignorance Really Bliss?

I'm taking a break this week from my series on being a humane consumer to talk to y'all about another important topic.  Food safety.

A few weeks ago I began watching the documentary “Food Inc”.  This documentary really got m
e thinking about how ignorance is a really bad thing especially in situations like this.  Ignorance is affecting our ability to change things.

For example, the movie shows Wal Mart corporate employees working with Stoneyfield Organic – a brand I happen to love.  The employee said that Wal Mart began carrying some organic products based on consumer demands.  Consumers changed one of the largest corporations in the world.   We have the power to change things, but we also have to power to keep them the same.

The guy who founded Stoneyfield was often accused by his friends of selling out but explains that by getting his product on the shelf at a place like Wal Mart, more people are seeing it and getting educated.  He also said it proves that you can produce foods safely and organically and still do very well on the business end.   So more people are exposed to eating organically than if he just targeted health food stores.   I completely agree with his strategy.

This is why this next part really bothers the crap out of me.

When I put my initial reaction to the documentary on Facebook, a lot of people said they’d never watch it because they just don’t want to know.  I’m sorry, but that is the stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard!  Like, ever! 

Our government is basically supporting the poisoning of its citizens because of money, but you’d rather not know?  Let me know how you feel about that after you or a loved one contract E Coli form a burger you ate.   How are we, as consumers, supposed to affect change if we just ignore the issues because "the burgers just taste so good" or “it so cheap"?

This is a huge problem!  I wrote a seven page research paper in my research writing class about the effects of antibiotics in animals on our health and on the environment and let me tell you, it’s not pretty.  And this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what’s wrong with the way food is produced.

I would rather know the gory details so that I can choose my food more wisely.  I would rather know what’s happening and make the choice not to support it.

The same goes for animal testing.  It’s not pretty, so people pretend it doesn’t exist so they can go on buying the $2.00 bottle of body wash and not feel guilty that some poor animal had to be tortured so they can be cheap.

Yes, I do spend a bit more money on food, toiletries, and cleaning products but I know what I’m putting on and in my body is safe and that animals were not abused in the making of the products.  I also know that my fruits and veggies are not filled with nasty pesticides or sprayed with gases.

Being ignorant is not a good thing.  Consumers have the power to affect change by what they buy and what they don’t buy.  If we support local non-factory farms over the products sold in stores or that we know are produced by factory farms, we can really change the food industry. 

However, if we do nothing, things will stay the same and we will continue to poison our bodies in the name of money, laziness and corporate greed.

Watch Food Inc. on Netflix and let me know your reaction.  I would love to know what others think about it.

That Time a Movie Made Me Sick

Yeah, so lets talk about this glorious day.

Just so y'all know, I am a huge baby and cry during about 80% of the movies that I see.  But this one was the worst.

July 11, 2009, I lost one of my best friends.  I had just pulled in front of my house after spending the day moving back from JMU for good.  So the day was bad enough already.  Then getting that phone call made the day go from bad to worse. 

I spent the whole rest of the day with my friends.  It was a difficult and emotional day and when I got home there was no way I could sleep.  I decided to watch a movie.  I picked Remember Me because I'd just bought it and hadn't watched it yet.  (PS Spoilers in the next paragraph).

My first mistake was picking a movie that I knew nothing about.  I hadn't even read the back cover, I just picked it up and decided to buy it.  I think Robert Pattinson is a good actor so I figured it could be good.  I'll spare you the details of the whole movie (which is excellent and I highly recommend it) and say that RP's characters Dad works in an office building in NYC, which you never see the outside of.  Well, RP's character goes to the building to meet with his Dad, who is late because he decided to take RP's sister to school (which is a big step for him).  It then shows a shot of RP looking out the window, then cuts to his sisters classroom where her teacher walks past the date on the chalkboard: September 11, 2001.  I was really out of it and figured that the class was learning about 9/11 in school.  Wrong.  Then it goes back to the office building showing RP in the window and zooms out.  Suddenly it hit me.  I just leaned over the bed and threw up in the trashcan next to the bed.  I spent the rest of the night shaky and crying.

This is the clip of the scene I described.

I had just moved back from college, lost my friend, and was reminded of another loss and the other worst day of my life all in about 16 hours.

And that is my super depressing, worst day ever post.  And the time a movie actually made me sick.

Wilmington, North Carolina

After our cruise in 2012, Josh and I made two stops on our drive from FL to MD.  First we stopped in Savannah, GA to visit our friend Heather and then we stopped in Jacksonville, NC to visit our friends John and Kristin.

John was in the Marines until September of this past year and was stationed at Lejeune in NC.  We were only able to stay over night and spent the first day at the beach near Jacksonville and the second day we spent the day in Wilmington.

The first thing we did when we got there was eat, of course!

We had some great food at this place and I would definitely recommend stopping in if you're ever in Wilmington.

The rest of the day was spent just walking around and taking in the sights.  We really had no plans in mind.  We did stop at a bar and grab a beer and then found some random ice cream places for some yummy ice cream, but that's about it.

The bar we stopped at had these cuties just chillin' outside!  Also, random bagpipers.  Love them, too!

Downtown Wilmington is a cute little town and I'd definitely recommend a stop in if you're going to the beach in the area.

Mainstream Music - How I Really Feel

Oh mainstream music, you really suck.  I can't even put it nicely.  And I can't even consider half of it music.

Unfortunately, I think part of the problem is the high premium our society puts on "beauty".   Lets be serious, how many singers would you consider unattractive by American standards.  I bet you five dollars you can't think of 5.  I know I can't.

It just makes me sad that as a society, we'll listen to Miley Cyrus who, to anyone with functioning ears, obviously can't sing (and who is a horrible role model).  If we're being honest with ourselves part of the reason for her success is her looks.

Selena Gomez is another.  While she's not super crazy like Miley, her voice is so obviously messed with.   The song below is a great example.

So, why are we digitally altering voices of people who can't sing rather than finding people who actually have good voices?  In my opinion, looks definitely play a large role.  I mean, look at how people initially reacted to Susan Boyle before she sang. 

Anyway, off that soapbox and on to another.

I wont lie, I am a bit of a music snob.  My Dad's side of the family is very musically talented.  None of us are particularly good singers but are very good with instruments.

I can pick up an instrument, teach myself, and be fairly good at it with a few days practice (in fact, I did it just last week with my coworkers Ukulele).  My Dad is a talented guitar player and my Pop was a talented guitar and piano player.  I can play piano, guitar, clarinet, and violin.  I also know a little bit about music theory.  I understand what sounds go well together and which do not, and why.  Mainstream music sounds like crap.

I also like songs that are about something.  It seems like every new song I hear is about having sex, doing drugs, or getting drunk.  That's really sad. 

Needless to say, I have a low opinion of mainstream music.  So, what do I listen to?  I listen to older country (the new stuff is too mainstream ... apparently being "country" is in right now.  I can't wait for that to pass!).  I also listen to classic rock as well as classical and instrumental music.  Beethoven's  "Ode to Joy" is always the first song I teach myself to play on new instruments.  I also like Bach, Debussy, Haydn, and Mairead Nesbitt.   I am also a big fan of Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder.  I love how they both sing traditional Irish as well as music from other cultures.  Of course, we can't forget musical soundtracks!  Some of my favorites are Rent, the Sound of Music, Wicked, Rent, Les Mis, and Oklahoma!

Like I said, I'm a bit of a snob and I like music that actually sounds good.  I don't care how the artist looks or anything like that.   If they sound good, I'll listen to them.

Dream Job

I'm asked quite often what job I'd choose if money for college and job availability were not an issue.

I have a few dream jobs but the two I would love most are Marine Biologist/Zoologist or Travel Writer and Photgrapher.

Marine Biologist or Zoologist

It's no secret that I love animals.  Dolphins are one of my favorites and I would love to work with them!  I can't wait to swim with them in November in Grand Cayman!  I would be just as happy working at a zoo!  I would love to work with the sea otter or my favorites ... the Prairie Dogs!  Even though I don't work with them, I still like to keep educated about the issues involving marine and zoo animals.  I also usually donate my monthly donation to a cause involving animals.

Travel Writer and Photographer

Hello dream life?  Who wouldn't love to travel the world and write about it and take amazing photos?  All while getting paid?  Sign me up!  Writing and taking pictures for National Geographic would be a dream come true.  Freelancing would be OK though ... I'm still waiting on that winning lottery ticket!

Costa Rica, 2009

France, 2006

101 Quotes: Part 4

One of my goals for the year was to make a list of 101 quotes that inspire me.  I'll be sharing these quotes randomly throughout the year.  

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3