I finally found a used copy of Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, co-host of The Post Punk Kitchen. Some of you recommended it to me, and my research supported your opinions, so I began to lust after it in my heart and to stalk it.

Now it is mine...ALL MINE and I am anticipating making tempeh bacon BLT's this weekend (likely much to the horror of my partner who thinks bacon is a sacred food). Don't tell him, but I am dabbling with veganism to see if it would be a sustainable "next step" for me....shhhhh! Even if I decide that veganism is not for me as a total lifestyle choice, I would like to eat vegan more often so that my support of industrialized farming and meat/dairy production is reduced as much as is possible.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Does anyone here have an opinion on the Veganomicon? If I like Moskowitz's recipes...I may have to give that one a try too.

I had a nice weekend and embraced having time to do with as I pleased. Given that our rehearsals begin this week, I savored every moment.

Saturday, a small group and I participated in the International Coastal Cleanup at North Avenue Beach, sponsored by the Alliance for the Great Lakes and launched in cooperation with the Ocean Conservancy, which coordinates the event world-wide. It was a cool day on the beach, but sunny and clear. The four other folks that showed up are all folks I enjoy, so it seemed effortless (other than getting out of bed a bit too early for my tastes on a Saturday). According to the organizers, the event was a success with 85 volunteers who picked up 125 pounds of trash and 73 pounds of recyclables.

After the clean up, some of us went out to lunch at one of my favorite spots in Greek town, The Parthenon where we loaded up on garlicky goodness and discussed the things we are looking for in a spiritual community. Thus filled, three of us continued on for a visit to the Chicago Celtic Fest, completing a bit of an annual tradition by sipping Irish beers and loosing ourselves to the Uilean pipes at the Piper’s tent. Outside of the Piper’s, I found the event rather lacking (even with the "Men in Kilts Contest").

The first year that Chicago had a Celtic Fest, I attended as a performer with my (then) theatre company, Ulysses. As you might guess from the company name, Ulysses did a lot of Irish Theatre (we named ourselves not only after the Greek traveler/hero, but also after Joyce’s novel), and so we were there doing some great excerpts from Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot. Perhaps my memories are tainted by the excitement of performing there, but the event seemed much larger and richer in that first year. As time has passed, it seems (to me) to have shrunk and settled at a disappointing plateau. Given how large the Irish-American community is in Chicago, I don’t quite understand it (unless perhaps it is the $7 beers - YIKES!). Still, while there is some bad music to be heard there (I recommend avoiding the vocalist tent-*shudder*), there is a lot of amazing music as well - and it was nice to share some of that with friends.

Sunday I was bum. I knitted, and napped. I started Kushiel's Scion and napped. I did some gardening, and then went to bed early. My 5 planets in Taurus were so happy!

Thorn recommended a Sarah Waters novel; Tipping the Velvet, which I happened to pick up used for under $5.

I was immediately enthralled and read 2/3 of the book in one evening. I really love Waters' writing style and her "author's voice" captured me in a way that has not happened in quite a while. If Velvet finishes as well for me as it has read thus far, then I'm quite a fan.

So I know it won't make me popular, but I've been very disappointed with my Harry Potter experiences of late. I'm not a Potter fanatic, but I was introduced to the first book before Potter-mania hit, and have been a solid fan, reading all the books and seeing the films in the theatre.

I must say, I wasn't crazy about the last book. I'm not going to go into details in case folks haven't read it, but I was sad to see the series end and was sorry that it felt like a low note for me.

Still, I love the world and mythos and wanted to see the most recent film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. My partner (Trey) and I were excited like kids. We even splurged on evil move-theatre popcorn, so that it was even more of an "event".

Sadly, we both found the film to be pretty dull (though lovely). I had been excited about seeing Helena Bonham-Carter in the film, since I'm a big fan (Merchant-Ivory films...YAY!), but couldn't stomach her performance as Bellatrix (despite what the Times review had to say).

With kernels in our teeth and the dust of disappointment in our mouths, we suffered through and right at the end when the big-money, special effects scene started...the sound in the theatre went out. That's right - we saw Sirius die right before Harry, we SAW the duel between Voldomort and Dumbledore...but we didn't hear a thing.

The sound came back on once the juicy stuff had ended - but it was too late. We got free movie passes out of it, but I'm still bitter.

So I've been doing a lot of time on ye olde Live Journal lately. Not writing posts (as you may have noticed) - but looking around at what others are up to and trying to notice what they use LJ for. There seems to be a lot of variety - from profound musings, mysterious poetry and original art to the banal...it all seems to be out there.

(switching thoughts now...but I swear it is related) Currently, I am reading and enjoying Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé.



In the book, Lappé brings out a theme which is not new; that the majority of our society has moved far away from the practice and values of communal living, and deeply into a mechanistic worldview which idolizes autonomy and individual gain or well-being (or that's a point I'm projecting here). This shift has led to no end of dysfunction and disease which impacts our society on every level, as well as the planet.

I am trying to see my place in this issue, to be aware of the power of my choices and to know my ability to bring change. I am continuing to try to be more present in my interactions and relationships, intimate and casual. I have been buying produce from local farmers and eyeballing every item in the grocery store to try to ascertain its history...hoping against hope that I can eat local in Chicago (something which is very challenging and frustrating). I've been having more honest conversations with my co-workers where I actually talk about what matters to me...trying to make it all count.

Yet I feel more removed and disconnected from others than I have in a very long while.

And now I am trying to wrap my head around all these new-fangled ways in which we are trying to connect to one another. I have received a barrage of emails over the past year or so...visit my live journal, come hang out on MySpace, see a clip of me doing something on YouTube. We've got tribes, we've got yahoo lists ad nauseum...not to mention email, cell phones and snail mail.

Are we so desperate to connect to one another that we have to create cyber space after cyber space to do so? And if we're connecting on line - why aren't we doing so in person (assuming we don't live far away from each other). Is there something we're not getting from actual human interaction - or are we just hooked on graphics? Can we more easily show others what we want them to see, or pretend to be someone else entirely - or can we actually be more honest? Yes, we can see pics of each other, share links we find interesting, reveal our poetic thoughts and still, are we connecting?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy knowing what folks I love are doing and thinking. I guess I'm just whiney because I'm feeling disconnected. Venus is retrograde until Sept. 9th, and with 6 planets ruled by Venus - it's bound to throw a person off...right?