SeriousIy,I can't believe you don't eat meat!

"Seriously, I can't believe you don't eat meat!" I hear this ALL the time. Especially from my best friend, Megan. She and her family thrive off of meat. Megan and her husband both hunt and use the meat they get for the entire year. Megan and I are total opposites. I'm a vegetarian, and have been since I can remember. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've hear things like "Does it bother you when other people eat meat?" My least favorite statement of all time is, "Vegetables have feelings too!" and it makes me roll my eyes every time I have to hear it. Lots of vegetarians choose this lifestyle for ethical reasons. Most vegetarians are animal lovers and do not want any part in harming another living creature. Many also are against the inhumane treatment of animals.

I can't say I've met very many other vegetarians in my lifetime. According to“Vegetarianism in America” that was published by the Vegetarian Times Magazine, the number of adult vegetarians in America stands at about 7.3 million (3.2% of the population). Of that 7.3 million about 1 million are vegans and don’t consume any animal products at all. Another 11.9 million claim to be interested in a vegetarian diet. This topic is extremely interesting to me , as I am always excited to inform people on just exactly why I don't eat meat.

Sources: www.raw-food-health.net
www.peta.org

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Short Stories

I started off the night by listening to the story "Emergency" by Denis Johnson. At first the story grabbed my attention merely because the setting is in a hospital. I find hospitals strangely intoxicating. Don't ask me why because I really have no idea. I could immediately picture myself in the narrators shoes. I could imagine what he was seeing, smelling and hearing. This really excited me because it was truly about an emergency. My major is nursing so picturing the guy that came in with the knife in his eye began to set off my imagination. I was obviously a little disappointed about the lack of care and empathy the knife guy received by the staff. I couldn't stop comparing myself to the nurse,Dr and caregivers in this situation. Not to mention that half of the care staff was high.What would happen if this was the kind of care we all received when we arrived at a hospital emergency room?

The second story I listened to was "Bullet in the Brain" by Tobias Wolf. I have a tendency to laugh and be extremely sarcastic at some of the worst moments possible so I can relate to this characters personality a little bit. I think it was really interesting when the bullet was described entering and exiting the guys head. However, the most interesting part of this story were the memories that were shared with us. Instead of the cliche "life flashing before your eyes" before dying moment, the guy shared one inspiring memory that happened when he was a boy. Because this was truly the last thing he saw before dying it must have meant a great deal to him. This sparks my interest in wondering what really happens in those last moments...

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Summertime and T-Rex

Summer!! This one little word can make a kids heart skip a beat. Summer to me means watermelon, rivers, no school (of course) and lots of adventure! When I was 10 years old I lived out in the country. I only had ONE channel on my TV and all it ever seemed to play was the news (BORING). This meant I had to make my own fun. My house has a tiny stream running though it that leads to a little pond. I used to beg my mom for old kitchen utensils so I could bake mud pies and "boil" soup. The forest was my favorite place to play. I was hidden and in my own little world.

I used to explain in great detail to my dad the intense adventures I experienced in that little forest. I would share with him how I narrowly escaped the giants and dinosaurs that loomed behind my little blue playhouse, in between the dense tree's and foliage. My dad would laugh and my stories and tease me with stories of his own escapes from the T-Rex that lived behind the garage. These great adventures turned into one of the fondest memories that I have with my dad. He knew how much imagination I had and he came up with the best project I could have possibly imagined as a 10 year old to help cure me of my summer boredom.

There was a "model kit" that my dad and I had put together earlier that year. It was about a foot and half tall replica of a T-Rex. We had cut out all these little pieces of "bone" and then glued them together, resulting in a tiny little version of something you would see in a museum. My dad devised a plan to blow up the "bone" pieces and draw them out on huge pieces of wood. We painted the wood a dazzling white color. After all the "bones" were cut out we proceeded to put together the HUGE model of our new T-Rex. The dinosaur was taller than my dad! I defiantly thought that this was the coolest thing I had ever done. I knew for sure none of my friends had every seen anything like this. My dad and I chose the perfect spot to put our new pet. We hid the giant guy in the forest, covered by trees and peeking his ginormous head out of my favorite play spot. You can only imagine the adventures and creativity that this amazing dinosaur inspired for years to come...

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