I HAVE MOVED TO WORDPRESS. CLICK HERE.

(TMI alert?) They regularly flush while I am not sitting down yet or while I am still sitting, or while I am getting my bags together but still in the stall. The worst though is when one has broken & is flushing non-stop wasting hundreds, maybe thousands, of gallons each day.

And I get it. They are supposed to be more sanitary. Your hands do not touch any part of the toilet. You are, however, still touching the main door, the stall door, the toilet paper, it's dispenser, the knob on the sink, the list can go on. And you still sit on the toilet seat. 

Is all of that wasted water a fair price to pay for a transparent feeling of sanitation? Not to me, it isn't.

YES finals are over! Studying hard and going above and beyond paid off once again - all A's! That being said, I still have to contact the Admissions department and go through all of that BS again. Hopefully it's worth it this time.

Today I am spending my time doing a million loads of laundry and playing Star Ocean: The Last Hope. It's not the best game out there, nor my favorite to play, but I'm having a ball with it today. The only problem is I think my system keeps overheating and the whole game freezes. It's really hot in my house but I'm not sure if that is affecting it. But I'm still enjoying having a day off.

Finals are keeping me way too busy right now... Sorry everyone! I have some updates on the way at some point.

Richmond and I have been getting alot of work done in the yard recently, so I thought I'd share some photos.

I just joined Bloglovin, follow me!

I also made a button:



COPY+PASTE:
<a href="http://catwingsdowntown.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/x397/thespacequeenlj/blog/button_inprog.jpg" border="0"></a>
If anyone would like to trade buttons, I'm down! I'm going to work out a new layout so I can feature buttons, but I am going to go ahead and collect them now. Copy and paste my code (I don't mind if you hotlink, although uploading it yourself would be awesome).

Next week is the final week of classes, and then I have exam week, and then I'm doing some new training at work, so it's going to be a while until it's finished. I like this layout (thanks felicia!) but it's not exactly what I'm looking for anymore. I'd also like to make my own just so I can say, "I made this!" :D

10 Household Tips according to my Cereal Box



1) Fresh Lemon will remove Onion scents from your hands.

2) To keep ants out of the house, find where they are entering and sprinkle a barrier of cinnamon or ground pepper to block their way. The spices are too hot for the ants to cross.

3) Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

4) To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

5) The freshness of eggs can be tested by placing them in a large bowl of cold water. If they float, don't use them.

6) For a clogged shower-head, try boiling it in a 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 quart of water for 15 minutes.

7) Don't throw away leftover wine. Freeze it in ice cube trays for later use in casseroles or sauces.

8) If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dish gloves. The rubber grip makes opening easier.

9) Use egg whites to remove gum from clothing. Brush egg white onto gum with a toothbrush. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then launder as usual.

10) Baby wipes are miracle workers for stains. From motor oil to blood, they remove almost anything!

I decided to eat my lunch outside today. It's gorgeous! A warm 70 degrees, light to no breeze, sunny, and a clear bright blue sky. After class I walked up to Zia's cafe, which is a super cute little cafe about a 15 minute walk from my school. To quote their website for a better feel:

Feel Good Food & Drink

At Zia's we offer wholesome & delicious food & drink for any kind of eater. We serve fresh fruit & vegetable juices, all-natural smoothies, fair-trade organic coffee, casual lunch fare & more! We focus on local & organic ingredients & we have healthy choices for meat-eaters, vegetarians, vegans & gluten-free eaters alike!

We have catering services for any event & our food is available at many groceries in the area. Food really can change how you feel & live. We invite you to discover how wonderful healthy eating can be!

Our Food Philosophy

We use organic produce and locally sourced ingredients when available. We support local farmers’ markets year round. We use antibiotic-free and hormone-free meats, poultry, and dairy. All free-range, no factory farming. NO white flour. NO refined sugar. NO hydrogenated oils, bleach or bromated flours and of course, NO HFCS. Our meat and poultry products are from the following all-natural distributors: Big City Farms, Full Circle Urban Farm, Black Rock Orchard, Springfield Farms, Richardson’s Farm, and Multiple Farms from the Waverly & Towson Farmers Markets.

I ordered a delicious Rainbow wrap, which includes avocado, sprouts, arugula, tomato, shredded carrots, hummus, dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette and wrapped in a whole wheat wrap. I walked back to The Glen Woods on campus and sat at a picnic table alone. It's so refreshing to sit outside at a picnic table with no one around but the birds, squirrels, and cats (yep cats do live in the Glen) knowing that I am really in the middle of a busy college campus; a moments peace before rejoining the herd of students hurrying back to their classes so I can sit through a discussion of King Lear in the corner of a small classroom with no windows. I like it much better outside.






On my walk back to the Glen I decided to take some pictures, for no other reason than it was sunny and great lighting for outdoor photos. I was enjoying myself so much that I 1) forgot to read for class and 2) forgot all about having to go to class until 3:11 when I randomly looked at the clock when my class starts at 3:30 and is located all the way across campus. But I made it! I wasn't really doing anything though. I was just sitting there in the Glen, watching the robins digging around in the dirt with their tails up in the air, and squirrels rummaging around behind me to the point of having to turn around to see who was there, ha!



















It's just gorgeous outside! Who has time for class when it's awesome outside :)

I hear this debate/argument every other day at my work (I work at an organic grocery market). So here goes:

If you want to go vegetarian for the sake of the animals live, sure, do it. Because at this point there is no arguing with you. You've made up your mind that eating animals is wrong, and that I can not argue with. However, I do disagree.

If you want to go vegetarian for the sake of the quality of the animals lives, you don't have to. In fact removing yourself from the pool of meat eaters altogether is not going to affect the factory farm industry very much. There are many other ways to try and change (or abolish if you want go there) factory farming without cutting meat out of your diet completely.

If you want to go vegetarian for the sake of your health, do it, but be careful. The modern vegetarian diet is filled with "meatless meat" which are essentially processed vegetarian junk foods. This isn't good for you at all (no processed foods are). If you decide to go further and become vegan, be careful. Make sure you are getting all of your essential nutrients in some form or another. Humans have lived on an omnivorous diet for a very long time because meat and dairy are good sources of essential nutrients. Unfortunately in today's modern diet, we over consume meat and dairy which does drive many to people to cut it out completely, also cutting out those essential nutrients. Being a vegetarian can potentially be really good for your health, but it is easy to mess up and screw up your body. So do it right.

I would also like to add here a point that opium, who is a raw vegan and a blogger I know from livejournal, made:

You will realize that each step makes the last seem so damn easy. Vegetarian is SO EASY it is ridiculous, but still full of nasty things that are bad for you and totally unethical. It's a "step" in my opinion. Vegan is easy to me because I am raw, and even that is easy to me because I am low-fat, so less and less options, it's a very simple diet. I do it for my health and also ethics.

I had never occured to me that vegetarianism is a "step"; a good starting place for anyone interested in changing their diets for health, ethics, or whatever reasons. She recommended I read Becoming Vegetarian by Vesanto Melina. So thanks, I learned something today!

My advice? Go organic and take quality supplements instead (Poor quality supplements will help you just as much as taking nothing. Also, aside, be careful taking supplements altogether because too much or too little of something you really do or do not need can be harmful. Everyone has their own recipe. Pay attention to your body and if you are having reactions, stop. As a good rule of thumb, if you don't think you need it, you probably don't.). Eat more veggies, less meat. But whatever it is, do it organic, and source your food. Know where it comes from and always choose humanely raised antibiotic and hormone free meats and dairies. If you have the option, ask your grocer about the product. How much do they know about what they are selling you? Farmers markets is the best, because you can ask the farmer directly.

If you don't have access to this, think "I'll have a salad with a few grains and a little meat on the side", not "I'll have a steak, a piece of bread with butter, and a side of one lone vegetable, maybe add potatoes." The biggest thing lacking in most of our diets are vegetables, but that doesn't mean you have to go full vegetarian.

I admit though, it's hard to eat healthy! I have been, as a youngster, taught that I could eat what ever I wanted (within reason, no ice cream for dinner, ect.) and have been programmed to do so. Taco bell and Chinese food were taught as "treats" and highly sought after in my family. I struggle daily to try and eat healthy and the Chinese take out sometimes wins. I do have access to some amazing resources. I get a 30% discount on all products at my work which carries only organic and natural products. There are farmers markets in my town on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays all of which are easily accessible by bus. I also live in a house (my boyfriend and I) which is open to going organic and eating healthy and encourages me to do so. But it's still really hard. So don't feel badly if you're having a tough time making changes in your diet. It's hard for everyone! If you do find yourself in the McDonald's drive through, don't beat yourself up over it. Just try again at the next meal.

These are two fantastic book which may help influence those considering making a switch in their diet. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen & The Organic Manifesto by Maria Rodale.