Poppa!!

Happy birthday to my Dad.
Happy birthday to my Daddy!
Happy birthday to my Poppa.
Happy birthday to him...

Love you!
Signed,
Your favourite daughter

Dave's not here Man...

Last night I went to see AKA Tommy Chong at the VIFVF festival. What a great movie... not sure if it's available on DVD or not... but if you get a chance to see it... do.

While the movie is very funny and briefly covers Tommy’s life story, the main focus of the movie is his incarceration for selling water pipes over the internet. The Governments war on drugs went after Tommy and in a hilarious twist has turned him into a martyr for those who think the drug laws in America are insane and want them to change. In effect the Gov’t made Tommy more powerful then he ever was. While you may or may not agree with someone selling drug paraphernalia what struck me the most during this movie is how close his story mirrored The Shac 7.

With animal rights groups now apparently America’s biggest “threat” we have The Shac 7 on trial for “domestic terrorism”… Let’s boil down what The Shac 7 did. They ran a website that provided information. Um... What?

One of the interviewees in AKA (can’t remember his name offhand) said it best… and I’m probably going to mis-quote him something terrible… but basically he said that The Gov’t of America is doing it’s best to disassemble the counter culture. Anyone who is different is now a threat and will be prosecuted.

While AKA was very funny... it was also very sobering. Made me think of my buddy Jake and all the other defendants of the SHAC 7 who are going up against so much power and money... that it makes me feel anxious at what the outcome will be.

Even sitting here in Canada... I can feel the ominous presence of America seeping in now with this new prime minister.

Yeesh... Time to go walk the dog and clear my head of the image of Stephen Harper in a leather vest. *shiver* He makes me feel dirty...and not in a good way.

Thursday Night

Hey Canadians!!
Thursday night on CBC television at 8pm my Step-Mum is going to be on tv!! *woot*

She was involved in Burning to Shine a documentary about the rap singer Kheaven Brereton, better known as K-OS, creating a new song with the classically trained musicians of the CBC Radio Orchestra.

So set your vcr's!! She's the cute lady with glasses who's bossing around the orchestra!! :)

In other news... I'm going down to paint the tattoo shop today. Oooh yippee. The fun never ends.

I also had a CRAZY intense dream last night about a giant spider who was walking towards me and Gerry wouldn't help. What's that about?

my e-mail...

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
My e-mail messed up this morning... I think it erased a bunch of incoming e-mails. So if you've e-mailed me in the last 48 hours and haven't heard back from me... can you re-send your letter??

Cheers
SARAH

Warm sun on your face.

When I was a kid my Mum and I were walking down Scarth Street in downtown Regina, when she suddenly grabbed my arm and told me to stop. She crouched down beside me and told me to close my eyes and feel the warm sun on my face, she said she could feel spring coming...

Today I was walking the dog and was suddenly struck with this memory as the sun warmed my cheeks.

My Mum knows when Spring is coming...so pay attention! :)

Today

Today was windy...
And now it's raining...

The end.

Punk-in

All week for breakfast I've been using Omega's Pumpkin Butter on toast instead of Almond butter. What a treat!! It's such a yummy different flavour. I'm in love.

I also had left-over rice noodles from dinner the other night... so I re-heated the noodles and stirred in some Garlic Chili Flax oil with a spoonful of the pumpkin butter. YOWZA!! I love it!!


Garlic Chili Flax oil is sooooooo good. I put it over everything! Mashed potato, steamed veggies, drizzle my entrees with it, pour a little into my soup. It's sooo yummy good.

So I have a bunch of Omega stuff to give-a-way.... but if you want it... you're gonna have to pay for shipping. Sending out all those bars of soap cost me almost $40. Yikes. So if you want what I'm gonna give away... You'll have to Paypal me $5.00 usd. If you're cool with that then let's proceed.

Congrats to CARRIE and ASHLEY for winning the give-away!!

Cute boy

Walking down the street... a really cute guy smiles at me and says "I really enjoy your books."

Made my day.

"milk"

For those of you confused by my using "milk" in La Dolce Vegan. What I mean by that is "milk". You know.... soy "milk", rice "milk", oat "milk", etc etc etc.

I kinda thought you guys would know what "milk" meant... but by the amount of e-mails I'm getting... I guess it's not clear. :)

My publisher was right. I should have put in a little disclaimer about that. Did you hear me BRIAN!! You were right. I was wrong. :)

What a day!

What a beautiful day yesterday... Holy cow. The sun was shining (a rarity this time of year) and it was actually WARM!! I didn't need a scarf and Fergus and I ran up Willows Beach without a jacket! Woot! It was so clear today you could even see Mount Baker. And get this...I even saw daffodils pushing their way up in my front yard. Do I dare say it? Do I? I think Spring is in the air... ooops. I said it. It will probably snow tomorrow because of me.

I have a weird thing about numbers. I feel like you have to have at least 3 items in order to call something a collection and for years I've only had 2 of these pull-string dolls. My Smurf says things like "Let's eat Smurf berries". The Pink Panther says things like "I see a mouse. Meow"... and today I managed to round out my collection with Bugs Bunny who says "Heee heee heee. I like you."
I'm in collectors heaven over here.

GIANT POST!! Now with more pulp...

Congrats to everyone at Food Fight, Herbivore and everyone else involved in the Let Live Shac 7 fundraiser. They were able to raise $9000. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Congrats to everyone!!

Even though my trip down to Portland was cut short... I did manage to snap a few photos before my back snapped in half. *laugh*

The ferry ride over to the mainland is boring as hell...especially when you have to take it all the time. Dogs have to stay on the car deck (FOR SHAME) and Gerry and I usually just stay in the car with Fergus and watch a movie on the laptop, which is exactly what we did. I found a DINER dvd for $5.00 the day before we left and watched that. God. What a movie. Soooo funny. Such a perfect cast and Mickey Rourke at his most handsome. I love me some Boogie. If you've never seen this movie...do yourself a favour and rent it, it's a laugh riot from start to finish and you'll never look at a popcorn box the same way again. Fergus was tired of sitting on my lap and tried to get under the seat to find a better place to sleep... The Smartcar is not a good long distance travelling car. Poor dog.The first thing we did after we checked into our hotel was go to Pizza Pi for some pizza. Man... those breadsticks are killer.Our hotel was right by the spaceneedle... so we had to take the dog for a walk before bed... so we wandered over and took a look at it. Yup. It's a big building. What's it for? Does it do anything?
Our hotel was also by my fav neon sign in Seattle. I managed to get a few good shots of it as it rotated around.
The next day my back was in horrible pain... so drugged up and feeling crappy we met our good friend Timm from Trial and had breakfast at The Globe. Gerry had French Toast. I had tofu, biscuits and gravy... I was so hungry that I ate everything before I took a photo. But you can just re-visit my old post for photos of The Globe. I think we ate the exact same things last time we were in town. *laugh*

We walked up the hill to Madison Market and picked up some supplies for the ride home. I got to say hi to Ailee and a few other people that I know who work there. The crew at Madison Market is so great.... then Gerry and I had a group hug with Timm, said our good-byes and headed home.

Thank god for these new fangled heating pads that don't need to be plugged in. I think I would have been crying in pain if it wasn't for that thing. Lasted 8 hours too... crazy. So even though we didn't make it down to Portland... it's always a good-time when I'm with my man and my dog. We had lots of fun.

When I got home there was a giant package from Jennifer at Omega Nutrition. Holy cow... did she ever hook me up with mad products. Some of which I've never tried before... so this week I'll let you know how it goes... product by product. I'm also going to give some of it away (don't want to be greedy) so stay tuned for give-a-ways.

EVERYONE SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY STEP-MUMMY!!!

Have a wonderful day full of cake, presents and wine!!
Love you!

Velvet Paintings

One of the many things I collect is Velvet paintings.
Oooh I love them...

The King was found in Swift Current Saskatchewan when Gerry drove our 1962 Chevy Bel-air into a ditch because our brakes failed. Thank Elvis we were in Saskatchewan and not the mountains when that happened.

Nobody has nipples like that... do they?

I bought this for my friend Dylan for his birthday... he didn't want it. WHAT?? He's crazy.
This is my classy velvet painting. :)

Oooooh. Who's a sad girl. Wipe those tears.
If any of you have a nice velvet painting kicking around your Gramma's basement... feel free to send it to me. :)

NOAH

So as we're driving down the highway I say to Gerry "Let's try and find a field or something for Fergus to run around in." cause the poor dog had been sitting on my lap for 4 hours (probably the reason why my back went out).

All of a sudden Gerry pulls off the highway and down this little road (almost driving us into a ditch) and pulls up into this place called The N.O.A.H. Center . It's a really cool...no-kill shelter with a great mission statement. The grounds and building are a wonderful slice of lovely in the middle of the hellish ugly I-5.

They even had a fenced in yard where we could chuck the ball around for Fergus without worrying about him running onto the road.

Oh yeah. Speaking of roads... I forgot to say something to America.

Dear America.
What's with the cement highways that kill my back? Bumpity bumpity bump.

Here in Canada we have highways made of asphalt. It works really well... smooth roads. It's nice. You should try it.
xoxo
SARAH

Thanks

Thanks to a heating pad, 6 pain killers, cinnamon donuts and a husband who can drive faster then a racecar driver... we are home.

Off to take a bath in some Epsom Salts.
Tomorrow. Some light Yoga.

Mother #&%^@*# &^$@#!!

Well. I threw my back out.
We're heading home... DAMN IT!!

I'm so mad. I really wanted to go to Portland and visit with Joshy-poo, Ruby, Michelle and George and FERGUS is sooo sad cause he wanted to dominate George and show him who's boss.

And of course I wanted to be there to support The Shac 7. ARRRGGHHH!!

My back is hooped. I could probably make it down there today... but the thought of the 10 hour drive home is what scares me. So we're gonna go to The Globe for breakfast, stock up on donuts and head back home.

Grrrrrrr.

My ass

My ass hurts from driving and our hotel room smells too "clean".

I ate a Mighty-0 donut for dinner and now my heart is pounding a mile a minute and it's saying "SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR!!!"

I wonder if I'll get any sleep tonight.
More later.

Shac 7

We're outta here!!
On our way down to Portland for the SHAC 7 Fundraiser. I hope to see some of you there.

If you can't make it... you can support The Shac 7 by donating at their website.

No more monkeys jumping on the bed!!

I slept in until 10:30 today. WOOT! Yay me.
I don't know how that happened... :)

So my oldest dearest most lovely friend Shoshana Sperling has a band with her soon to be hubby Maury ...called Sho Mo & The Monkey Bunch.

Their cd is so amazing. It makes me tear up every time I listen to it because I am so proud of them. This cd is especially great if you have kids in your life and you're sick to death of The Wiggles or Barney or whatever other creepy kids cds are out there. Put those cds in the garbage immediatly and pick up Sho Mo & The Monkey Bunch. It's a funny, smart, silly, wonderful CD that kids will love and that adults can listen to over and over again without losing their mind. This is probably one of my all time fav cd's. I'm not kidding... I drove around all day yesterday singing along.

Here's a fun little video for you to watch and it is also the first song on the cd.

Do yourself a favour and head over to Maple Music and pick yourself up a copy for the kids in your life. Or... for yourself. You'll love it. I promise.

Congrats to DWAN for winning a Monkey Bunch CD!!

I want my 2 dollars!

Today is a horrid day- rain rain rain and the darkest gray sky. Bah. Went thrift store shopping today... first time in AGES. We're trying to save money to buy our own place, so no extra shopping for me. Except for today. Today is special. Why? Because it's raining and I wanted to go thrifting. Stop judging me. I only spent $25!!

First thing I found was this crazy-ass clock. Then I found the soundtrack to Better of Dead. Who knew there was a soundtrack?? It's in killer condition.
If you've never seen this movie... do yourself a favour and rent it. It's a classic and John Cusack (my back up husband) is at his cutie-pie finest in this movie. Then... hold on to your hats. I found the best velvet painting in the world. I think I pooped in my pants a little when I saw it. :)I swear to God I didn't make Fergus pose like in the painting. He just did it... My dog rules!!

Dirty Bird

Who's a dirty bird? Is it you?

Congrats to Ryan, Yardsale, Melody, Summer & Melissa for winning some soap!!

By the way. Estrella Soap is sooooo yummy. It lathers up and smells fantastic. I loves me some Estrella soap. My fav flava is Pink Grapefruit. :)

Beautiful

Is this not the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?? Who's going to buy one for me?? God. I need one... and of course it's German. The Germans are so smart. Right Roberto?? :)

*edit*
Position this ingenious disc-shaped slicer on any apple and rotate to release perfect slices for snacking or cooking. Don't need a whole apple at once? Just leave the disc pressed against the fruit, and it will not dry out or turn brown.

I threw up

I threw up last night.
Why am I telling you this?? Because it's the first time I've thrown up in almost 16 years! Damn. All that hard work to not throw up... down the toilet.

In other news... it sure made me feel better. :)
So I guess I'm back to square one.

**News Flash***

I'm not bummed out.
I just got my period.
When will I learn?

Bugs

I seem to have caught a little tummy bug... bah. I also seem to be a little bummed out lately... bah. When you finish a gigantic project that you work on for over a year and them promote for 6 months and then you stop. Do you get bummed out? I feel kind of lost as to what to do next.

So, when in doubt. Eat. Last week was all about "The Mock".

Claire kindly brought back some "Mock Tuna" from Food Fight Grocery and Gerry made me some kind of tuna sandwich that he ate when he was a kid. I think he mixed the mock tuna with soy-mayo and added some chopped celery. The open faced sandwich was then baked and served with salty potato chips. Yum! I've never eaten fish in my life... so I have nothing to compare this Mock Tuna too but it was pretty good.

I had a really lazy night one night when Gerry was at band practice and I bought myself an Amy's Veggie Loaf meal.

It doesn't quite look like the photo but it still tasted pretty good.

I made Sloppy Janes from LDV. Yum.

We also found this new Mock Roast Beef & Smoked Meat stuff...
And served it with sauteed mushrooms as well as Maury's Roasted Root Veggie Soup from LDV.But it was so bad I'm not even going to mention the product. Bah!
Basically... it had no flavour. Very sad because it looked so yummy. Next time I'll just make the Setain from LDV cause it's soooooo much better.

No wonder I'm bummed. I'm eating crap. *laugh* Besides that one day we had a salad... I've been very slack on eating my raw veggies. Bah.

**NEWS ALERT**

Late breaking news alert.
Gerry made the bed. I repeat. Gerry made the bed without anyone telling him to do it! His wife is said to be ecstatic. Film at 11.

Vegans are sexy!

My cold sore is almost gone so I can now post photos of me again! Damn. I am sexy.

Congrats to Michelle for winning the Veg News magazine. :)

My bro sent me a Vegan "milk" chocolate bar by Terra Nostra that was soooo good I just had to tell you about it. I've never seen this brand before (but I do live in a cave). Was it ever yummy-liscious!


In other news I am now suffering from wind burned cheeks. It is soooo freakin windy, cold, rainy and gross here today that on the walk home from downtown Fergus and I almost got blown over. Yikes. Now my face is burning... What's a good remedy for chapped cheeks?

Love is a force of nature!

Dear Ang Lee
I went to see your Brokeback Mountain the other night.

First off... I forgot my kleenex so I had to use my sleeve to wipe my nose I was crying so much. Thanks a lot.

Second. The movie was wonderful, powerful and heartbreaking... but I wanted more kissing. More. Lots more. I'm not afraid of watching two men kiss... In fact it's kinda hot. I would have enjoyed more of that.

Third. Next time you direct a movie and one of your actors has poor diction ... take him aside and say "Heath buddy. I know you're from Australia and you're trying to do an American accent of a “cowboy type guy” who doesn't talk much, but you can still mumble effectively while enunciating your words so that everyone can understand what you’re saying. Ok? Thanks. ROLL 'EM!"

Good work.
Signed.
Sarah



Dear Heath Ledger
Wow. Just saw Brokeback Mountain and you were really great. Nice subtle quiet performance. Really… really good work. But here’s a little tip… go get yourself a diction coach. Every movie I’ve seen you in, but ESPECIALLY this one… I couldn’t understand a frickin word you said.

I was really into the story of Brokeback Mountain, but honestly… after a while I got so frustrated with trying to figure out what you were saying I decided to watch the movie as a pantomime and just enjoy your performance like it was a silent movie. I really think the movie could have been much more moving if I could have understand what you were saying.

So good job. Get a speech coach. Congrats on the new baby.
Signed
Sarah

Dear Jake Gyllenhaal
Hi baby. I loves you. Good work… take off your shirt. Ahhhhhhh.

Tell your friend Heath he needs a speech coach.
Kisses,
SARAH

Vegan Hams

Obviously being a "Vegan-ham" runs in the family...












Nobody makes me laugh like my niece Heidi...












A good time was had by all....






Sorry I got you in trouble kiddo.

Little Update

Hello Kiddlets!
First off… Thanks to everyone who generously bid on my e-bay auction for the SHAC 7. And a big thanks to the anonymous donor who sent me $100 bucks - which I then matched … so add that all up and I will be sending off a cheque for $500 usd on behalf of everyone at GoVegan.net Yay!

Second…
I’M COMING BACK TO PORTLAND!! *woot*
Gerry, Fergus and I will be down on Jan 20th for the SHAC 7 art show and fundraiser.

Gerry donated a beautiful painting and there will be work by over 40 artists from around the world up for auction as well as tons of raffle prizes, a vegan bake sale, DJ. and 2 of the defendants will be there to speak. The Auction is at 8pm until 12am at the studio of Merrimac furniture designers (1216 SE Division). Bidding will be between 8 and 9:30pm.

If any of you missed seeing me on my last Portland trip…Please come by and say hi. I’d love to sign your cookbooks or take a photo with you or give you a hug. The auction is going to be amazing… so bring lots of money and get ready to bid!!If you can’t make it but want to donate to the Shac 7 you can visit their website and make a donation there.

That’s it for now. Things are pretty quiet on the home front and I like it that way. I’m just re-charging my creative battery and getting ready for my next big project. I have no idea what that is yet… but you’ll be the first to know. *laugh* Later kids.
xoxo
SARAH

Mr.Cold Sore...

So I woke up with a cold sore!
Yes... yes... I get cold sores. Lots of people do. Don't judge me.

I thought I had this cold sore thing figured out. I seem to only get them after I have a head cold (rundown/stress/etc). So my last headcold I took really good care of myself, took lysine, ate really well etc etc... and it paid off. No cold sore. YAY!

Well woke up today with a festering sore on the side of my face! Huh? No warning. No tingling. No stress. I'm not rundown. In fact this last month I've been seeing a new naturopath and I've been feeling really fanastic the last couple of weeks. So what gives Mr. Cold Sore? Why you gotta play me like that?

Anyone have any CS tips??
I'm going into hiding until my face looks pretty again.

I'm on E-bay

Ahhh ha ha ha ha. *snort*
I love seeing my books on e-bay. :)

Call me crazy...

I usually have toast w/almond butter and a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. I'm a creature of habit... especially when it comes to morning food.

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so the oats are usually just covered with some plain soymilk and I eat it as/is.

Well lately I've been adding a large dollop of plain Nancy's Soygurt instead of milk. Wowzers. I loves it. It's tangy goodness in a bowl. Maybe I'm weird. I dunno. I mean... I do like green olives dipped in maple syrup (no... I'm not pregnant).

What foods do you combine that are weird but taste good??

Moooooooooooooooo Shoooooooes!

Moo Shoes is my favourite shoe store in the world. I don't think anybody can beat Moo Shoes in a wrestling match.

I know for a fact that I can beat the crap out of Josh Hooten in a wrestling match... but not Moo Shoes. No way. Those girls are scrappy.

You might remember when I went to NYC to visit them. A good time was had by all. Especially me. I love NY. :)


CONTEST IS OVER!!
Congrats to Dalmatica for being so quick!!
Don't be sad...do yourself a favour and head over to Moo Shoes and buy yourself something. You deserve it.

And stay tuned. I have more stuff to give away soon.... :)


So the Moo Shoes ladies just sent me this fantastic pink and black Matt & Nat wallet to give away to you crazy kids!! Hmmmm. Hmmmmmm. What's a good contest question? Ummmm. Oh. I know. Send me an e-mail (With your mailing address please)... and whoever (whomever?) sends me the correct spelling of Sara & Erica's last name will get this wallet.

Ready... GO!

Oh. I forgot to say...

You know who does carry my book in Winnipeg??

The Mondragon bookstore & cafe! Have you ever been there? It's such a fantastic place and the cafe is completely VEGAN!! The food, books and the people there rock!