I have chili in the slow cooker - I'm trying a vegan version. Here's my conflict with my diet: I feel better when I eat vegan - more energetic, less sore. However, vegan dishes aren't always 'satisfying' to eat. Not that they aren't delicious, but sometimes they just leave me craving something. As a result, I tend to eat vegan for a few weeks, and then have a meat week.

We're having a nice, steady rain here. I got up to get donuts for us, and they had some pumpkin cake donuts, which were delicious. I'm pottering around with some painting, some digital art, and a bit of writing. We'll see if I can get this story completed - right now, I have a vague idea of how I want it to end, but no idea how to get there.

I've been collecting rocks and sorting through them. I've found several that are fossils (Charlevoix stones), and several that contain fossils. I plan to paint one of them to leave in the garden when we move out of here.

I'm going to pick up Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom at lunch on Thursday, so I may disappear into that next weekend. I'm getting my booster shots on Friday, and if I'm wiped out on Saturday, I can curl up with my Switch for the day.

*yawns* A lazy day over all.

After last week when I posted multiple times due to things for various challenges posting, I haven't done a single thing this week. I'm behind on the sunshine_challenge, although I've planned a few things.

But here's what I've been up to the past week:

Movies

I watched The Sea Beast, mainly because Karl Urban. *gestures at my everything* But it was beautifully animated (except for the actual 'beasts' they seemed too digital), and a great story.

I saw the trailer for Wakanda Forever. I may have to get over my superhero movie disdain and see that one. Lots of interesting stuff coming out of San Diego Comic Con. It's nice that it's back, but on the other hand, I still shudder at the idea of being amongst crowds.

TV Shows

I started watching The Bureau of Magical Things, which is nice and light bit of fluff. I skipped a few eps here and there that were making me roll my eyes too hard. But overall, a nice distraction.

I've signed up for an advanced screening of Sandman, but we'll see if I'm available to watch when it happens.

Creative Stuff

Most of my mental focus for creative things has been on art. I had an idea for a fic and wrote down one sentence. ^_^

I did two pieces for the drawesome scribble challenge.

I finished up a Skill Share class on typography with Procreate, which was very fun and informative. I also learned a lot about how to use Procreate better. I find that with Procreate, iPad, and Apple pencil, my digital art is much more satisfying than previous attempts with a Wacom tablet and Photoshop or Corel Painter (?). It feels more natural for me. I suppose if I was a professional artist and had Photoshop on something like a Cintiq, I would become relaxed with that. As a hobbyist, I really can't justify those huge (and expensive) things.

I'm working my way through a Skill Share class about developing my own style. I feel like I can competently put an art piece together (the craft of it) but I don't have any specific art style. Unlike other quickie classes or YouTube videos I've watched on the subject, it doesn't say things like "Draw with a stick". The first part has been very reflective and analytical - gathering examples from artists whose style I like, really looking closely into what I like about them, and then annotating the pics I've saved with my conclusions. Doing the same with art pieces I've made. The next part is a massive project (26 pieces) on a theme of my choosing. I've started the beginning steps of that, which includes a lot of hunting down images and practicing. I'm enjoying the class very much, but it is *very* time-consuming, so I pick it up as I have a chance, and put it down when things get busy.

Life Stuff

The heat has been brutal; I feel like it's draining my brain cells. I hate struggling into work clothes when I'm sweaty as soon as I get out of the shower. As far out as my weather app goes into the future, we have no rain and 100°+ heat in store. The days are getting shorter though - this has to end some time.

My daughter and I went to our town farmer's market yesterday and got some vegan jerky, among other things. It was good, but not good enough to buy on the regular considering the price. Also, I don't really feel the need for meat substitutes in my life. Like, I tried Impossible Burgers, but honestly, I'd rather just have a black bean burger. I don't miss the flavor or texture of meat and don't need replacements.

I have inadvertently become vegan. I certainly didn't plan it.

Back in May or June, my daughter was making a wish list for when she would have her own place (she's had to move back in due to COVID-19), and I offhandedly mentioned that I preferred cast iron cookware, because it could be made to be non-stick without poisoning you.

That led to her diving down a long, complicated rabbit-hole of food security, environmental issues, and health impacts of diet and food choices. She's read numerous books, meta studies, and other research on the topic.

In August, she decided that she would personally go vegan. Also, in August: I had to start going back to work in-person. She took over the family cooking.

Now, if someone sets a tasty dish in front of me when I get home from a long and stressful day at work, I'm not going to complain about it lacking meat.

I was still clutching tightly to my milk and cheese though, because I've been a milk drinker all my life, and I love my morning cereal. It's never bothered me because my genetic heritage is pretty much 100% northern European.

Finally, in September, she started sending me articles about how much water and land the dairy industry requires (I mean, I already knew that from teaching Environmental Science for several years, but I was conveniently ignoring it). She asked me to just try some of the plant-based milk that I'd been buying for her. It's hard to resist your own kid asking you to do something as simple as 'try it.'

So I did. And it wasn't terrible. So I switched. We decided to do oat milk since it has the least amount of environmental impact and requires the least amount of water.

And you want to know what? My hands have been aching for years. My doctor keeps telling me that I don't have arthritis, but fuck, do they hurt when I'm doing things like drawing or stitching. I had resigned myself to eventually getting to the point where both activities were just too painful and have to give them up.

However. My hands don't hurt anymore. Like not at all. I was driving home one day, and thought to myself, "My hands don't hurt. When did that happen?"

Is that a result of my diet? Possibly. One of the features of a meat-based diet is constant inflammation. Or so says the research that's been reported to me.

But anyway. I get home from work so late that I'm not going to start cooking meals any time soon. So I'll stay vegan.

Happy World Vegan Day!!