it's a thursday.

I don't have much excitment to offer today... I'll just dive into the usual lately, my vegan "cleanse". Things are going quite well. Besides the fact I felt like a drug addict needing a fix the first couple days, everything else has been excellent. The caffeine withdrawals have really been the most difficult so far. I struggle a bit at night because I'm so used to having "a sweet" after dinner, but have curbed it with my savior, the pistachio. And a lot of water/tea/fruits. So yeah, going good... My body has a lot of energy, I sleep like a log at night, and for the first time in my life feel almost chipper waking up in the morning. My mind is still dragging, though... Residual affects from the caffeine, I think.

But that leaves me with "the after". I've been a vegetarian (that eats dairy and select seafood) for a long time, and would never change that. I'm wondering if I want to make the commitment of being a vegan?

For now, all I know is that I won't go back to caffeine, definitely decrease the amount of sugar I consume (and no more fake shit), and avoid gluten. The rest, we'll see... Especially since when this is over on the 8th, and I'm sitting down to a slice of cheese pizza and a beer! :)

day 1 1/2... still alive.

So, yes, I am still alive and kickin'. My brain feels like it's going to explode from lack of caffeine, but other than that, this vegan "cleanse" is going quite well. I officially started Sunday, and kicked it off Saturday night with a late night shopping trip to Whole Foods. It took me way longer than I had expected, as reading every single ingredient on labels is a bit time consuming. So many things have added gluten and sugar, so I have to be careful.

Yesterday I had a fruit and soy yogurt parfait for breakfast (yummy), a southwestern tofu wrap for lunch (it was okay...), and marinated and grilled portobellos over a "summery" quinoa (fantastic!). Sounds so much better than my normal everyday meals, and I really enjoyed cooking them. Especially the quinoa... I think I have found a new love.

I had an intense sugar/sweet craving last night, but curbed it with some pistachios. heh. And the caffeine. God, the caffeine is killing me. I took a nap yesterday not from lack of energy, but from headache. It's hitting me right now too, so we'll see how the rest of the day pans out. Overall though? I felt very... consistent yesterday. Didn't have tired spells after eating, didn't overstuff myself, and felt excellent when I rolled out of bed this morning...

Other than that nonsense, weekend was relaxing. Saw Step Brothers, which was pretty amusing. Went to the farmer's market, and really enjoyed it. I'll be buying my produce from there now, and breaking the habit of the nasties at Meijer... ugh.

So to wrap up, another bad web ad, installment #2:
Bad type, bad photoshop. No other words to explain... So hysterical.

Friday?

Aah. It is Friday.

The second half of the week was so ridiculously slow at work, I can't believe that trough the haze of random thoughts and trying to stay busy. I've actually made it to 4:45, Friday, with beer in hand. Which, by the way, makes Friday's even sweeter. Beer and bagel Fridays at work. Sigh... I love my job.

So, nothing really new. Just looking forward to the weekend... Tonight I'm just relaxing. Maybe a bike ride or a movie, or what the hell, both. Sometimes it's still odd for me to realize I now live by myself, but nights like tonight, with nothing but quiet, kind of make me appreciate it much more...

Anyways. So. Weekend plans... Tomorrow I'm looking forward to going out with a friend to see Step Brothers, and maybe (if the weather is nice) hanging out on the river and enjoying some paddle boats or kayaking. Should be fun. I also want to head to the farmer's market, which I hear is fabulous, and get some nice produce. I am actually going to be starting a 21-ish day "vegan cleanse" (sounds scarier than it is) on Sunday, so I need to stock up!

And before any judging happens, for the past 12 years I have been vegetarian that essentially eats like a vegan, minus dairy and fish. Those won't be hard for me to give up, but the real "cleanse" part comes from no processed foods and sugar or (gasp) alcohol. I am just trying it to see how my body reacts... If I feel "healthier", have more energy, sleep better, etc. I've been giving a lot of thought lately to Americans and their over-processed food, so we'll see if I have any drastic improvements! I'll keep you posted...

love.

Gig's up.

So I am a dirty liar... It only took me one post to get bored.

Kidding... I didn't get bored, just busy. Life has really been giving me a few 'f yous' lately, and the last thing I've been thinking about is blogging. We'll see where we go from here.

I always end up blogging at work, which sucks, because A) I should be working and B) none of the stuff I want to post is on this computer. So it'll have to wait... but I have some great stuff for show and tell.

One of the reasons I wanted to start blogging is basically a place for nonsense. I thought about a blog designated to only posting my design/photo work, inspiration, funny stuff, irritating stuff, etc... But figured, what the hell, let's just do it all. So, case in point, this post. (Lengthy intro, but gettin' to the good stuff.)

One thing I had wanted to do is start posting these horrid web ads I am coming across while... working. I had absentmindedly started saving them, and my collection is now huge. I find some sick sense of satisfaction finding these poorly designed, badly photoshopped, hysterical, and sometimes terrifying web ads.

So, yet another first, bad web banner installment #1:
Bad photoshop. Typical face product crap... these are everywhere!



So creepy... love the "dark circles".
And how they don't look like the same person.

Enjoy!

love.