The Cheerful Insanity of Me

I've always been quite uncomfortable with the issue of breeding animals entirely for our own consumption (whether as food or consumables). It seems somewhat wrong to give an animal a life entirely so we can take it away again.

When I was younger I didn't really like most vegetables, so I didn't really have a lot of choice, but to just go along with things, but as I grew up and started trying and liking new foods it started to become more feasible. It was foot and mouth which really put the final nail in the coffin of my meat eating. I was really uncomfortable that our food industries took so much precidents over the lives and welfare of the livestock involved.

One morning 6 years ago, whilst putting my boots on it struck me that there was no particular reason why I had to strap a bit of dead cow onto my feet everyday and it was a bit unfair that this cow's enter purpose in life was so that bits of it could become tied to my foot. I've been vegetarian ever since and I'm now so used to not eating meat I couldn't imagine doing it any more.

However, something that has caused me to remain uncomfortable is the fact I've continued to eat eggs and diary products, which still support the same industry as eating meat. OK, you don't have to kill a cow to source it's milk, but as soon as it stops being productive it will still get bundled off to the abattoir as it's not commercially viable to keep it alive.

I know quite a few vegans and there have been a few conversations with various people lately that are making me think that phasing these out of my diet may not be as hard as it originally seemed when I turned veggie.

In the end I was watching 11th hour last night, which got me thinking about my personal impact on the climate. OK, reducing this doesn't make a huge difference on the grand scheme of things, but it did get me thinking that currently, my electricity usage is fairly low, I don't drive and walk rather than using public transport where possible (after all I've grown these nice long legs, might as well make use of them), I don't eat meat, etc, etc. It then occured to me, that if I wanted to reduce my impact further the easiest way would be through cutting out dairy products.

OK, it's not exactly going to save the planet, but it's not really my main reason for doing it, it's just enough to get me to realise it's possible and worth trying.

I've got a fridge full of milk and cheese and stuff, so I'm going to use that up first and then see how I get on from there.

Since I finished grow, my eye prescription has basically stayed stable (as would be expected) and, according to the last optician I saw, with my glasses I have average sight in my right eye and well above average sight in my left. Without them I could make a reasonable attempt at reading a book at arms length with my left eye (I'm long sighted so it's up close that causes issues), but struggle to get a clear image of the other side of the room with my right. As a result I'm very left eye dominant and apparently don't use my right one very much at all.

I, therefore, got somewhat paranoid that this had change significantly last night when asked to mirror someone on the other side of the set. Not unusual in itself, as we're always watching where each other is out the corner of our eyes to keep lines straight, etc (well, in theory at least). However, when at the end of practice yesterday I was asked this person on the other side of the set, I found that although he could see me, I couldn't see him. It seemed strange at the time, because being further away should have made him easier to see.

So, being utterly paranoid at this time, I argued a bit about where I was aiming to be and didn't admit to not being able to see him, in a most thoroughly unhelpful way.

It was only on the train back that I thought about it and realised that mostly when we're lining up we have people on both sides of us or at some point we turn around and end up on the other side. In the dance in question last night, we were going clockwise around a circle, which would have put him right in the corner of the bad eye that I don't use very much.

I wonder if I'm generally better a lining up with people on my left rather than those on my right? It's not something I've really considered before.

Not exactly helpful for this, but at least it would mean my eyesight is fine, which in all other respect it seems to be. Oh well, guess I'll just have to carry on just trying to know where I should be and aiming for that (and just correct where this is accordingly).

...or more accurately I've made an appointment to give them a pint tomorrow. Eeek! *cowers in corner*

I'm no good at giving blood. The only bit I seem any good at is avoiding doing it, which I seem to have managed for about 2 years now inspite of the fact that they ring me religiously each month to ask me to make an appointment. *hangs head in shame*

I mean, who's bright idea was it to make me both O negative and ridiculously squeamish? I'd laugh at the irony if it didn't make me feel so ill. I don't seem to be able to even walk past one of those lorries without my stomach attempting to impersonate a world champion gymnast anymore. I thought this was supposed to get easier?

Yes, I'm being a coward, but it's an evil blood sucking lorry of doom. *nods head to make the argument more convincing*

Perhaps, if I'm lucky, I'll go down with some rare tropical disease overnight?

Eeek!

*runs and hides quivering in the corner*

So, this morning I woke up feeling like someone had tied a couple of lead weights to my head and filled it full of cotton wool.

Put it down to having drunk more than I thought yesterday and it just being a bizarre hangover.

Has got worse during the day and now I feel awful, so perhaps it isn't :-(

Think I'll just give up on the world and hope it's a nicer place tomorrow.

And in other news, I might be appearing on the front cover of an edition of New Scientist:

Faces Experiment

Stumbled across a job advert, over the bank holiday weekend, a couple of weeks ago, with deadline almost straight away. Went for interview last Tuesday and was offered the job on Friday.

Wasn't really actively looking for a job, so it's all come as a bit of a surprise (albeit a nice one), especially how quickly it's happened.

It's back up in Cambridge, so it looks like I'll be moving back there again in the next month or so.