The Arbitrary Rules of What's Cruel.

Daniel and I were talking this morning about a case of animal cruelty that's on the front page of the Oakland Animal Services website.  Animal control found a stray mother dog who had recently given birth and was producing lots of milk, but had no puppies with her.  When her owner came to claim her, OAS found out she was being used as a breeder (without a license) and informed the owner that she would have to be spayed before she could be claimed. The animal control officers told the owner that the puppies needed to be brought in in the meantime so the mother could feed them.  In the end, they had to confiscate the puppies and the mom, and the owner just surrendered them altogether because I'm guessing he/she wasn't really interested in them unless they were making him/her some money.  And the sad thing is that all the puppies' tails had been docked with scissors, which is horrible. The owner is now facing criminal animal cruelty charges.

But here's the rub.  EVERY DAY baby piglets get their testicles sheared off with a hot knife, without any form of anesthetic. Their tails get docked with pruning shears, their ears get notched with a knife.  Chickens and turkeys have their beaks sliced off while they are fully conscious. Animals used for fur are beaten to death or skinned alive.  Cattle get burned or electrocuted regularly, and often are conscious when slaughter begins. NINETY NINE percent of our livestock is treated this way.

This person, who was raising and selling these puppies, was doing cruel things to them, yes.  But what makes some animals superior to others? I bet you there are plenty of meat eaters who would readily burn someone at the stake for cutting off a puppy's tail with scissors.  But pigs and cows and chickens are just as smart and just as capable of emotion as a dog, and it's considered totally okay to support the practice of torturing animals that are bred for consumption.

I get that I used to eat meat, and be part of the problem.  You can criticize me for that, I don't give a shit.  But I know better now and I'm trying my hardest to do a better job of being responsible for what I eat.  Because you can be extremely healthy and vegan, and the only reason*, the ONLY REASON to eat meat is because it tastes good. Which is pretty weak, if you ask me.

*maybe there are some rare medical conditions that might possibly make it harder to be vegan and healthy, but that's not an excuse for most people, so don't argue it unless you have it.

DIY

So I make a lot of my own clothes and accessories, and I "mod" a lot of clothes and accessories I get from thrift stores (or anywhere). And sometimes people say to me, "I could never make stuff like that." And my answer is, "Yes you can!" Maybe not everybody has a sewing machine or paints or any of that stuff, but there are some really basic things that I seriously think anybody can make. Like earrings for example. They're so freaking easy to make, it's ridiculous.

Step 1: find some weird trinket you like
Step 2: buy an econo-pack of earring hooks at like Michaels crafts or whatever. They're like 3 bucks for a hundred.
Step 3: tie/glue/wire said weird trinket to an earring hook.  Don't worry about matching earrings. They are so overrated.
Voila!!! You have a one-of-a-kind piece of homemade jewelry.

You can make circular eternity scarves from XXXL t-shirts from the thrift store by buying the XXXL t-shirt, washing it (please) and then cutting off the bottom below the sleeves. The bottom part is an instant eternity scarf, and the top part is, like, a pajama top or a dish rag or whatever. The jersey material resists fraying so you don't have to hem anything. Just cut carefully so the edge is straight. You can use the sleeves for headbands, too!

So there ya go. Make your own shit. It's really fun, and saves you money. Those American Apparel eternity scarves are like 30 bucks! The thrift store t-shirt version (which looks almost exactly the same) costs like 2 bucks.

I am angry/sad/frustrated today.

Sometimes it is just for no reason. Sometimes little things that don't usually bother you seem to bother you a lot.  Like when you walk the dog and need to fix her harness and someone comes by with a bigger dog that sniffs her belly and you know she hates it when dogs sniff her belly and she barks at the other dog and you're embarrassed because you want her to be perfect all the time. Or the chain of your bike gets derailed by your untied boot and comes off and you have to stop and fix it and get all greasy when you're already late to work. And then when you get to work, your first customer is really rude and mean.

They are all dumb little things, that don't matter in the grand scheme of my, honestly, very good life. But I'm in kind of a funk anyway.

I was thinking that on twitter, instead of Follow Friday, there should be a Fuckyou Friday.  I'm angry at a lot of famous people, politicians, and other jerkholes today. I suspect I will still be angry with them tomorrow on Friday.

Cool Stuff

Also, on the same topic as my previous post, these are some cool things that can help with being more... un-plastic? Eco-friendly? DIY? Fun?

Glass Dharma Unbreakable Glass Straws

SoyaPower Plus Soymilk Maker

"Country Uncle" Metal Safety Razor

Re-Usies Washable Sandwich and Snack Bags

Anybody else have some neat shit that would fit into this category? I hesitate to say "eco-friendly" too much, because I often feel like that opens me up for people to take pot-shots at how much shit I do that's NOT eco-friendly.  I'm trying, okay?

What else can I do?

So I'm working on being a vegan me (which has been going really well so far, better than any other attempt! I have been 4 months meat free, mostly dairy/egg free, and very much strictly vegan in the last two months.  I got the idea to "ease into it" after realizing how much of a failure my previous attempts had been, and this is clearly what works best for me).  But I've been poking around on the internet (the result of too much time on my hands) and I've been thinking about trying to incorporate more ways to be less environmentally intrusive.  But it's also about saving money, simplifying things, and having less STUFF.  I have a lot of stuff. A lot. And I need to pare down.

Dream Dog

I got Trixie on Friday evening at the SPCA.  I had gone there just to take a look at a little white dog I saw on the internet, and didn't have a copy of my lease or anything, so I expected that even if I did like the dog and want to adopt, I would have to come back with the necessary documentation. 

Sadly, the little white dog didn't really fit Daniel and my needs/hopes for a dog, but I saw a little black and brown female dog at the end of the rows of kennels, patiently sitting by her door, staring at me with her little chestnut eyes.  I asked to see her, and the rest was history.

It turned out, instead of showing your lease that allows pets, you have to instead sign a contract that states that you can have pets at your apartment.  They gave me a quick briefing, I paid my adoption fee, I signed some paperwork, and she was mine!!

I was so nervous that she was going to be a difficult dog.  That she would bark at everything or growl or bite at the cats, or hate other people.

Instead, she has really impressed me with how wonderful she is.  At four years old, she has no crazy puppy energy.  She loves to say hello to other people, even strangers.  She's practically potty trained, and in just three days, she learned her name (her name at the shelter was "Frida", we changed it to Trixie.  She's even moderately respectful of the cats.  She will run up to them, but stop about a foot away and she doesn't bark or get aggressive with them. She likes to burrow into blankets and cuddle with people and ride in the car. My only complaint is that she can get bristly (the hair on her neck stands up) with other female dogs. She's so good, and I love her very much. 

A Bright New Day

The P*X*R exhibit is gone (partially censored to protect my ass) and with it, the only really stressful experience of my current employment.  I've got a one-year-out plan to go back to school, so I think it's time to start mobilizing on that and gathering information. Also, I should definitely get that second job I'm always talking about to supplement our income.

I'm sitting here at work and it's peaceful and quiet.  It's really weird. I think a couple people are even leaving early.