Oh hello dusty ol' NYC blog. I'm moving back to NYC tomorrow. Maaama's missed you.

My Ode to NYC

I refuse to pay $900.00 for a pair of 'designer glasses' -- yeah I'm talking to you Gramercy Optical.

Now I'm not one to speculate BUT.....

I'm staying late at work all by myself and...

"Let's Get it On" and "Sexual Healing," by Marvin Gaye are BLASTING from the closed door of one of the offices.

erm......

Operation Clear Conscience and a Sweet Sweet Ass: 1st month Update:

I became Vegan on April 3rd and I measured and weighed myself on April 9th and remeasured and weighed myself today May, 10th. I am 10.3 inches smaller and 9 pounds lighter than I was one month ago!

Thanks Big Daddy G, Bikram Yoga and turning Vegan!!!

I will give another update on Month 2!

is it weired that i dream of cheese pizza now that i'm vegan? i never dreamed of chesse pizza when i was able to eat it. le siiigh.

NYC Subway Stories:

So, one of my bosses came in this morning flustered about the morning train ride’s goings on. Apparently a pervert on the train took out his unmentionables and started rubbing on a female passenger. Well, what Pervert did know what that Female Passenger was not having ANY of that…so she turned around and clocked him. Then she continued beating him up until the next stop where she got off to report him. Female Passenger is my HERO! GO GIRL. GO ON WITH YOUR BAD SELF. If I was there I would have been right behind her giving air punches. Ha.

I have a subway story of my own…not as disturbing…but pretty interesting. A few months ago, I was in transit on the train reading the headline on a passenger’s newspaper. Well, said passenger was apparently non too happy I was reading his newspaper (that was wide open and right in front of my face) so his logical solution for me to stop reading his newspaper was for him to start EATING the newspaper. Erm…… it aint that serious boo. He continued eating the newspaper until a concerned passenger notified the conductor and once Newspaper Eater- Upper realized that they were contacting the police he ran off the train yelling “I’m NOOOT GOING BACK THERE!!!!!”

OOH NYC. Does anybody have any NYC Subway stories they want to share?

*********************************************************
-- my old So Bronx Co Worker Dan the Man shares:

Ha!
I've become so numb to subway incidents that my brain doesn't even store them anymore. There are the regulars, the saxophone player with tin foil antennae who says he's from outerspace and needs your donations to help him build a new space ship to get back home. There's the guy with the routine about how he pays $2 rent for his house, while we pay $2000 dollars a month for a house that doesn't even go anywhere, and then tells the seated passengers to get off his couch.
But my favorite recent incident was actually on a bus. I was on the M60 bus that goes down 125th St., and this guy snuck in the back door of the bus, appearing otherwise normal. About ten minutes later in the packed but silent bus he starts screaming with a big smile on his face "Heyyyy! I know, right? You know, I think they broke up, but they were a great band, right lady?" (he looked like he was talking to someone on the other end of the bus, but he really wasn't). "What was that song they sang?" Then his eyes got really wide, and he started dancing, bumping into people singing. "AH HAH I LIKE COOOOOKIIIIEEES! AH HAH I LIKE COOOOKIIIIEEEES! Aw, man. They were amazing!"
As luck would have it, we got off at the same stop, and I made sure to walk behind him. This was the best part. Every time a man would be walking towards him, he would stare at them, and they always noticed, and prepared for war getting halfway through their windup when he would say "Hey man how ya doin'?" Then they'd immediately disarm and say something like "Alright, man, how're you?" He did it to like 15 guys as we walked down the street! It was pretty hilarious.
Pretty tame in comparison, and maybe you had to be there, but it was funny.

*************************************************************

THANKS FOR SHARING DAN!!

Vegan: One Month In:

So, today is my one month anniversary of becoming vegan and I wanted to post some links to some sites that have really interesting studies and information that have helped my journey one month in.

This is an amazing NY Times article that talks about the "nutritionalization" of society and how false medical abstracts can influence the consumer at the drop of a hat. (Author Michael Pollan's general conclusion and first sentence is: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."):

Unhappy Meals

Compassionate Cooks has a wealth of information as well as pod casts that are off the chain in terms of sharing vegan knowledge:

Compassionate Cooks


All About Soy -- I appreciate this link because it sub-links to studies done by medical professionals -- especially with all the brouhaha about soy being evil.

All About Soy


Some favorite food links (I hate to cook, so I pretty much just stare at the pictures whislt daydreaming about someone making me a a vegan cupcake shaped like a ball of yarn):

Post Punk Kitchen
Vegan Yum Yum

Eating out in NYC as a vegan is not hard with these DIED and gone to HEAVEN vegan/vegetarian restaurants.

Red Bamboo
Curlys
Zen Palate

These links (from co-worker S! thanks!) give great easy green living tips for the eco-conscious average Jane/Joe.

Gaiam
Ideal Bite



I just wanted to share!

If you have any feedback, books, information or links (both pro and con) please let me know!

Thanks!

xxoo,

elidia

Real Female Beauty:

I’ve been thinking a lot about female beauty lately, mainly as my body begins to (slowly, but surely) change—becoming vegan, doing a 3 month detox, as well as bikram yoga is NOT FOR NOTHING YA’LL. Nevertheless, my standards for female beauty are changing as well. I was never told I was beautiful growing up so I had to base what I thought beauty was on external factors such as peers, movies, TV and magazines. No wonder I had an eating disorder and low self esteem. However, as God heals my heart and restores my spirit from the hurts of my past he is showing me what real female beauty is.

Real beauty is my 72 year old yoga instructor Georgia, with salt and pepper hair who smiles with her eyes and talks with a laugh. When doing the spinal twist yoga pose she sings “Let’s Twist Again” by Chubby Checker while dancing –which makes everyone laugh and forget they are doing ridiculously hot yoga. She is captivating, glowing and beautiful.

Real beauty is my Professor friend Kara with her buzz haircut and bright, mismatched thrift-shop clothes, who laughs with her belly and who challenges her students to think for themselves. When she talks with you, she looks you straight in the eyes and makes you feel like the only person on the planet. She is luminous, charming and beautiful.

Real beauty is Elaine, the vibrant secretary with the spunky earrings at my college who always asked how I was doing, and then stopped whatever she was doing to listen to my response. It was never a stalk question for her, she genuinely wanted to know. She would always have a stash of snacks available so that the students would never go hungry. That kind of motherly, unselfish love is beautiful.

Real beauty is a God who delights in his daughters and brings into fruition our long-ago forgotten secret dreams.

After a lifetime of stumbling in the dark, confused, lost and feeling anything but beautiful—I am humbled, grateful and in awe of a God who turned on the light in my spirit, so that I may recognize real beauty, not only in myself, but in other women, people and the world around me.

Yes, Sarena is right, 2008 is the year of total restoration indeed.

BEST POST ON THE BEST NEW SITE EVER!!!

MYSPACE FRIEND REQUEST: Playerican would like to be added as one of your friends!



erm.....NO.

Random Things I Learned Today:

1. The free red Virgin Airline socks that you get when you take a plane overseas totally disintegrate when you wear them in real life. By the time I got to my 8pm Bikram Yoga class, they were paper thin and my feet were pretty much dyed red. I mean, COM'ON I already stand out in a class full of models and athletes in bikinis and speedos (it's HOT up in there ya'll) but RED FEET on a WHITE TOWEL?...Maybe nobody noticed.


2. I will pretend I am creepy stalker just so I will not blow a birthday prank. Lemmme explain...today is co-worker A's b-day (Side Note: it is also my brother's 25th b-day too!!! HAPPY B-DAY BROTHER!). Anywhoo, yesterday I thought it would be funny to change his screen saver to something obnoxious and birthday related before he got in in the morning and turned on his work computer. (His computer is locked by the by but my boss R is homie G's with IT and had them unlock his computer...they would have said no if I asked so THANKS R!!!) Sooo, to make a long story that is not even that funny EVEN longer, I found the perfect pics via the world wide inter-web and was trying to figure out how to arrange them when A walks by my desk and says, "HEY! Why am I on your computer?" and I said "gooo away stupid BOY!" OK, no I didn't but he was all "no really why do you have these pictures of me" and I was all "ahhh crap" and my co-workers were all pretending to work leaving me to think up a lie all on my own.

ME: (with a straight face): "I sorta stalk you."

A: "No really...why do you have pictures of me?"

ME: "No really...I like stalking you on the internet sometimes."

And then he looked at me weired and changed the subject.

HA....but today he got the little prank and was like, "uhh did you change my password too? b/c I can't get in."

Me: "I'm not REALLY stalking you...blame that on IT."

3. I also learned that I have zero tolerance for skinny male dancers in my yoga class complaining about their AND I QUOTE "meaty thighs." OH REALLY. GAG me w/ a spoon yo.

I love this site:


http://xkcd.com



How Stereotypes start:

Yesterday at the Union Square's Farmer's Market there were signs advertising A Real Farmer! that was going to be there in person. It was my lunch break and one of the first sunny days we've had since Winter ended (YEAH Spring!) so I mosyed on over to where the Farmer was and lo-and be-hold there were a swarm of New Yorkers around him

-- aaaaaall excited---

"oooooooooo! a REAL LIVE FARMER!"

hil.ar.ious.

I am going to have to do something very difficult tomorrow. I have not had the strength to do it before now, but this needs to be done.

Peace Pipes and Bibles.


Happy Easter ya’ll!

Oh wait.

I’m from Los Angeles not Dallas.

Happy Easter dudes!

YEAH West Coast 80’s vernacular still being used today!

Anywhoozies, I was nice and asleep in my bed—it is currently 7:30am on a Sunday and I went to sleep at 3am but something was BUGGING me so much I needed to get up and write it down. It all started yesterday when I saw this picture on a Christian website:
















that had this caption:

"Fun Fact: The Pilgrims were radical non-conformists who, unlike the Puritans who maintained their membership to the Church of England, believed worship should be organized independently of the trappings, traditions and organization of a central state church. The above picture is of Pilgrim leader John Carver and Massasoit, leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy, sharing a peace pipe."


But before I get to the picture I want to share what I believe. I am a Christian. People say, of course you are, your parents are both Christians, so it makes total sense. My response to that will forever be ERM…NO. My upbringing was a living nightmare filled poor choices on my “Christian” parents and “Christian” step-parents part and if anything I believe in God DESPITE what the people who raised me believe.

That being said, I am not a conservative person. People seem to think Christians are all from the South are all Republicans, love Bush and hate abortions and gay-marriage.

Unless you count Southern California as part of the South, then ERM…NO to all of that.

But please get me started on abortions and gay folks since most Christians wont touch these topics with a ten-foot pole unless they are saying it is wrong. Abortion. I don’t believe in it…but I will fight with every breath in my body for a woman’s right to chose. I would NEVER impose my morals on somebody else…and the founding fathers chose separation of church and a state for a reason. Gay-marriage. That one is tricky. I am fully aware of what the Bible says—the New Testament Bible at that and I believe that a lot of Christians believe gays are going to Hell anyway. But that is pure ignorance. We ALL have fallen short of the Glory of God and ALL would be Hell bound if it were not for God’s grace. That includes gay people too ya’ll. I mean dudes. A lot of Christians don’t really know any gay people. It’s easy to judge people you don’t know. Or really know--I’ll give an analogy. Just because you have one black friend does not mean you understand inner-city poverty. In addition, although I struggle to see why anybody would want to get married in the first place, I support gay –marriage because I support the fundamental belief--and the foundation of American Democracy—that all men are created equal.

But this blog entry is entitled Peace pipes and Bibles. WTF? You may ask. YES. This is my real struggle. Some Christians are so so busy converting the gay folk and the pregnant girls…but that is not what my Jesus loving heart struggles with. I have brown, white red and black colors (in that order) running through my veins.

YEAH mixed people!

And because of that, "Manifest Destiny" bothers me to my very CORE. And everyone else seems to have moved on. Peace pipes are just as much as my culture as Bibles are and my Cherokee—raised on a reservation in Oklahoma—Peace pipe smoking grandma would roll over in her red ground grave if I said that Manifest Destiny was God’s will. (The fact that my grandma is even from Oklahoma and not Georgia because my peeps had to go on a little hike called the Trail of Tears bothers me too—but I won’t open up THAT CAN OF WORMS.)

This is what I really struggle with. WHERE IS ALL OF THIS COMING FROM ELIDIA?

Seeing that stupid picture! Siiigh.

But back to the picture:













When I saw this picture yesterday along with the caption and it was all, yeaaah we’re progressive Christians! But all I kept on thinking was did he smoke that peace pipe before or after giving dem brown folks small pox infested blankets? I don’t have an answer to this…this is just something that really bothers me…so…

ya'll can put that in your pipe and smoke it.

That's right. I'm back to ya'll.


Feedback would be great::::

hit me up here:

ducontra04 (at) yahoo.com

Obama is one smart cookie.

Read or watch his Speech on Race here.

This man knows how to get to the heart of the touchiest of subjects in such a honest yet tender way.

I would love to see what would happen with him in office.

Happiness is…stomping to work this morning during the thunderstorm knowing that my toesies would stay nice and dry because of these bad boys:

For all you science geeks out there:

Today is National "Talk Like a Physicist Day!"

WHY?

"Because we're at least as cool as pirates, that's why."


I LOVE IT!

and

I LOVE HIM!"


Any 71 year old teacher who risks his life for the love of teaching Physics (confident the Laws of Physics will not kill him) is so adorbs to me.

That's right people.

Elidia loves math and science and is not ashamed to admit it.

So, an e-mail was sent out last week to our clients asking them if their titles have changed to let us know so we can update our databook. One of the clients wants his title changed from General Manager to Deputy General Manager.

This is not a joke.

Ummm, does he want me to call him Sherriff too?

On another note, my UCB Improv 301 show on Saturday was so much fun! It was pretty packed even with the crazy rainy weather and flood alerts.

LOVE to those who came out to support!

Although, afterwards we all went out, and I promise you I did not have that much to drink nor was in a restaurant that had ketchup packets, yet I woke up the next morning with like 30 ketchup packets in my purse. I am assuming some prankster put them there as a joke, because the other, more ridonkulous option was that I did it myself and have absolutely no recollection of doing so.