the dreaded tree

now, admittedly, i have a beautiful purse. i love it a lot. it’s made of tapestry and has beaded tassles hanging off. it’s very, very neat looking.

however, it’s also pretty annoying. when i’m walking it sometimes swings over to the front and gets repeatedly smacked by my thigh with each step. or when i lean over to get something, and it swings over and attacks my face. or when i want to dance but i can’t because of that PURSE, and i don’t want to set it down lest it’s stolen. i used to think the solution to these problems was the right purse, but it’s really not. all purses possess the same annoying traits.

the solution is a utility belt.

so i made this out of an old hat i had. a very nice heavy-duty hat that i was very fond of, but didn’t wear. i feel that its new life purpose is 20 times better than before, and i’m happy to be using it.

photos © alyx s

i’ve had a few non-vegan nibbles during my time being vegan but retained an overall vegan diet.
it turns out i haven’t exactly kept a log like i thought i would. but oh well. here are some highlights!

spinach olive bruschetta vegan pizza

roasted garlic tomato sauce, olive bruschetta, spinach, kalamata olives, garlic, and herbs. WINNER!!!!!!!

gluten-free vegan gumbo

spicy, delicious gumbo made with rice flour roux! scallions, onions, oyster mushrooms, bok choy, broccoli, carrots, cajun and jamaican spices.

i made some fantastic yellow curry with potatoes and cabbage, but it seems i didn’t get any pictures.

ah well, there you are. vegan food is delicious.

photos © alyx s

so i’ve decided to have a vegan diet for one month. maybe more if i feel like it, but a month is the challenge. i love vegan food and find it very exciting deciding what new thing i’ll try or create, so it should be fun. i however, have never limited myself to vegan food for more than a week before, so this should be interesting.

i’m apparently 12.5 stone / 175 pounds at the moment. i’m not sure how accurate this is, since i was fully clothed when i weighed myself and i also had eaten some almonds. i’ll get a more accurate weight tomorrow morning. i find 10 stone most ideal for me, but my main interest is making my legs more muscular and less fat. on top of the adventure of the vegan diet, i wouldn’t mind getting a bit leaner as well.

so here begins the log. i’ll record whatever meals i feel like, probably the ones that are particularly delicious looking or that i’m most proud of, and i think i’ll record my weight weekly.

here is my first meal!
nectarines, strawberries, coconut milk yoghurt with frozen berries, and whole grain and seed cinnamon roll bread.. thing.

photos © alyx s

since i’m a terrible swimmer, i’ll happily settle for a pirate lorry instead of a pirate ship.
here’s my pinzgauer — a 6-wheeled all-terrain utility vehicle originally developed in austria.
complete with pirate flag!

photos © alyx s

all lovely things.

sidewalk chalk is the type of communal fun that anyone of any age can partake in.
and on top of uniting all ages (except for boring people) it’s collaborative.
here’s a picture of some drawings that me and others made while at a music, poetry and art show.

beacon of rainbow sunshine amid dull downtown buildings! solstice festival.

drinking yerba maté tea from a gourd transports me to the rainforest. delightful!!!

photos © alyx s

here’s the current state of the trousers.
the poor things. the original fabric is almost completely gone. and i love them!!!!

photos © alyx s

it’s such a lovely environment. almost like entering another universe.
plus i rake in the dosh busking there, which isn’t too shabby either.

photos © alyx s

my favourite thing to do ever

photos © alyx s

oh i just love crusties so much. look at these beauties.

that aside, i had the rare privilege of meeting a band of some very lovely gypsy folk a few weeks ago. based out of new orleans, the g-string orchestra are a crew of gypsy punks travelling in a huge, veggie-oil run house bus. every single one of them are wonderful, and their music is marvellous. the violin is hauntingly beautiful, the accordion is fantastic — they inspired me considerably. being an accordion player myself, i’ve found my music take a strong turn towards eastern european music in general. i’ve always been a fan of the hungarian composer béla bartók, but never could quite get the chords or the feel right on the accordion. but something clicked in my brain after meeting these people, and what i wasn’t able to do on the accordion before started making sense. i’m very grateful that they managed to inadvertently rekindle my love of hungarian music!

photos © alyx s

here’s a bone necklace i made last week. i’ve got quite the surplus of bones right now, all of which will eventually turn into jewellery or art projects of one kind or another. most of the bones i get come from chickens that are made into gumbo. i wish i saved all the bones i got my hands on — but cleaning all of that is too much work.

photos © alyx s