I'm trying veganism. Stop freaking out.

Yes. Yes I am being vegan.

Did you know vodka is vegan? See, it's not so bad.

People do kind of freak out and think it's radical, that I can't get enough protein, calcium or vitamins. No, I don't have all the stats on how much protein or calcium I need, but I'm going to figure it out here in the next week or two.

Here's what happened. I read Skinny Bitch. I love this book. They tell you how it is and take away any excuses not to take care of yourself.

Yes, I pretty much skipped the chapters on the slaughtering of animals 'cuz I was already pretty much vegetarian and I figured I didn't need the extra convincing.

Because I was pretty much raised a vegetarian I never learned to cook meat. I always thought veganism was way to strict, out there, weird and just pointless for me to try. But I packed on 10 pounds this year and honestly I can't do another diet or count another calorie and I felt like crap.

So a week and a half ago I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. reading Skinny Bitch and the next morning I got up and tossed the coffee and all the dairy stuff that was just mine and just went for it.

I gave up caffeine, animal products of any kind, partially (or totally) hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup.

It's been about a week and a half. About a week into it I had a chicken salad with ranch dressing and a piece of cheese cake and got a really rocking headache and felt sick all night and couldnt' sleep.

I also made the best chocolate meringue pie EVER this last weekend and had two slices.

So I'm not going to go religious vegan. I promise. Or preachy vegan. Or self-righteous vegan. Trust me. Growing up in the environment I did I am quite familiar with those people. Maybe I'm only going to go temporary vegan, I don't know.

I know this. I feel really really good. My energy has shot through the roof, I don't get sluggish around 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon. I'm sleeping really good.

For my family I'm eliminating high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.

Also I am not hungry ever. I'm eating whenever I want. And I've lost two pounds. And I feel like I am doing something that is the right thing for me and it feels good.

Poem Thursday on a Friday

It's either a couple of poems or I tell you that I'm going vegan.....

Both of these are by Jeremy Voigt. The first appeared today on The Writer's Almanac .

One Night

The car crossed two lanes of traffic

and a grass median before plowing

head-on into me, killing my wife,

unborn child, and myself. Before

I died I touched the shoulder

of a policeman, felt the sure strength

of his muscles, heard the only word

he spoke, "Jesus," and I smiled

because I stopped believing in him

long ago. He mistook my smile

for something positive and not listless

irony, and I tried to correct him,

but my throat stopped. Red lights.

Blue lights. Star's gases. I walked home.

My wife wandered off into a river

to give birth. I began calling my friends:

"We are all dead," I said into the phone.

I let them cry or exalt in turn, taking

note. I didn't know it would be this

simple. I slipped into a midnight robe,

poked holes in a black sheet, tore

into a loaf of bread. Wandered off

yeast-heavy neither rising nor falling.

Table of Contents

This is my web page poem.
It is under construction.
It is complete.
It is in HTML.
It is in English.
It is translatable.
It is laughable.
It needs prodding.
It needs you to press: Here.

Place your needs before it. It is searchable.

It is 3D.
It is full of hyperlinks to everyone I've ever known.
It needs your touch.
It has frames.
It is framed.

Keywords: world, love, bananas, paper, Elohim, emergence, search, Fishing, earth, diver, death, Godiva, ephiany, white, moon, horse.

It is your friend.
It will tell your story.
I loves you.
It loves your enemy.
It will show you the world.
It is your hometown.
It loves Bruce Springsteen, and Elvis.
It does not tire.
It will process your form all night.
It will save your soul.
It will kick your ass.

Press here for the Italian version.
Press here to speak to Gibran.
Press here to search your life.
Press here to see the final shot
of the last moment this star gave light
while the rest of earth believes it's alive for years.

Press here for the woman of your dreams.
Press here for a new shirt.
Press here to speak to the dead.
Press here to be a millionaire.
Press here for a pulse.

It is the end of your life.
It is the beginning.
It is the first and last paragraph.
It is the vowel you love best.
It is all alphabets.
It is eternity.
It is this moment and the next and the next and the last.

Bookmark me.
I'll make your life beautiful.

The Burpee Seed Catalog

Every year right around December 25th I get one of my favorite things in the mail. The Burpee Seed Catalog. I set it aside until the madness is over and then I pour over that catalog, dog-earing pages and day dreaming about the amazing garden I'm going to have.

Eventually I toss it into the recycling without ordering one seed. But this morning as I went through the catalog I made a list of seeds to order. I haven't placed the order yet, but I'm going too. I'm starting small -- some herbs, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, radishes, carrots.

Damn. I guess I'm not starting small.

The thing about living in Georgia is that spring really is just around the corner. As soon as the holidays are over I find myself wandering around the backyard daydreaming about all the things I could do.

This year I'm going to try and do some of them.

NYR #3 through yeah like that's gonna happen

OK I don't actually have a third resolution. I have more like three million more. I can't help it. It's a new year, I just managed to somehow survive the crazy holidays, which even when they aren't crazy are still just a little to crazy.

So of course I have a zillion things I want to do differently. Of course I want to lose weight, exercise more, spend less, save more, not watch t.v. so much, knit more, sew more, write more. Spend more time with my friends.

You get the idea. And it all seems so easy today doesn't it? Most of us aren't working today and we still have the weekend ahead of us. We're done with the crazy shopping and gift giving and running around. We're starting to dig ourselves out. We never ever want to see another piece of candy again (ok, the candy part is totally not true at all).

Today it all seems doable. I'm going to go ahead and hold onto the idea of all that change for the next few days until I crash back into my regularly scheduled life and return to feeling grateful just to be breathing by the end of the day.