I want to start by saying happy independence day! If you haven't seen previous summer posts, I celebrate the second of July instead of the fourth of July, because the Declaration of Independence was actually signed on the second. Plus, I am weirdly semi-obsessed with John Adams, and he said that the second would go down in history, so I want to make him proud.
Today is also my second anniversary of going vegetarian! For anyone out there that wants to make that change but is still unsure, I just want to say that the first year is the hard year. I kind of forgot the second year, and while I lamented some things (mostly cheese products this year), it wasn't so much of a loss as it felt the first year. The first year is when it's hard, but once you jump through those hoops and get over all the hurdles, it gets a lot easier.
If you are wondering why I am restricted on cheeses, I consider cheese with rennet to not be vegetarian, because rennet is obtained by slaughter (the simple way of putting it). Most cheese contains rennet, but there are special vegetarian cheeses and products that use these, so being selective about cheese isn't a cold-turkey loss. Being really picky and selective also keeps you knowledgeable about what you eat. I have actually called Goldfish and Cheez-It, just so I could know if their products were safe for me to eat. Cheez-It is, but Goldfish is not. Sometimes companies don't know much about rennet, but it's still better to ask and find out what they do or don't know to be sure.
(Anyway. Enough rennet ranting. Just type "rennet" into Wikipedia if you're really interested in learning more.)
Random thought #1: I recently searched Ray LaMontagne's newest album, Supernova, because I knew he had released one this year but hadn't gotten the chance to look it up. When I first heard it, it wasn't what I was expecting, exactly, and even though I listened to the entire album, I wasn't impressed enough to want to look further into it. I searched his discography to see his other albums, and I was instantly hooked on God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise because of its country, folksy melodies and instrumentation. However, my interest in Supernova, was piqued again, so I listened through once or twice more. It was after that that one of the songs stuck in my head, so I kept pulling up the YouTube video and listening to it, which has now gotten me addicted. It is a rare thing to have to coax myself to like an album, but I am glad I gave it a couple more chances, because I do like Ray-Ray.
Random thought #2: my friend and I have been Skyping a lot this summer, and connect via voice call to team up for Minecraft Hunger Games. While I am normally ticked off by some of his behaviors and sayings, what he said in jest yesterday has made me unusually hurt and angry. I let most of his jokes pass with a laugh or return remark, because we always joke about some things. However, there are some lines which should not be crossed. (For me, it usually takes someone crossing a line before I discover a line was even there.) While I feel like it would enlighten you all if I shared what he said, I don't think I need to dwell on the particulars of it, and I don't need anyone else getting angry or upset by it. Basically, it was a joke about abuse that got too personal. I was really offended by it, though I only had weak defenses to put up against it at the time. I don't think abuse is something that can be joked or laughed about in any context. Not only that, it showed that he either a) doesn't know me at all to make such an ignorant remark, or b) knows me well enough to know it would strike a nerve. I ranted and gave myself pep-talks on why I was so angry about it, but when we called today, I said nothing about it, and I felt like I was being unusually harsh in my jokes. I don't feel like he said it to hurt or offend me; I agree more with the A option, that he didn't know what he was joking about or where it would lead. Today I formulated arguments and comebacks in my pep-talks, and in doing so got to more positive ground of the incident, so I am not as angry as I was just after he said it.
Have a happy fourth of July, everyone, and keep cool this summer!
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