Summer Return and Recipes

Anyone who uses the library probably already knows the summer reading program has started. Since I am the young adult (teen) services person at my branch I had to do a ton of outreach -- I was scheduled to talk to more than 500 students -- and I realized I would probably be unable to update regularly. I did not count on, however, having a violent case of stomach flu that left me dehydrated for about 4-5 days followed by a serious worsening of the sinus infection I had. I am currently on antibiotic pills the size of a walnut for two weeks. On top of that, my lupus has not been responding to medication so I have been way too fatigued and arthritic to cook much -- or really to do anything other than lay on the couch stroking cats. My doctor and I decided to up my methotrexate to see if that would help keep it in check.

On the positive side, I had my first ever facial courtesy of the Aveda Institute. Despite being done by students, everything I have done there is always done extremely well. The lady who did my facial was adorable and did not even make a big deal about my coughing and wheezing from the sinus infection. I have also decided that if I finally get a librarian job, regular facials are going to be my guilty splurge. The significant other took me to L.A. for a birthday weekend, which was really cool. There is an amazing Mexican restaurant that offers soy meat options on top of super fresh ingredients. So fresh that I'm actually recommending it on the basis of it's fresh veggies. The S.O. discovered a beer place that has gourmet sausages and I had an amazing apple sage vegetarian sausage with saurkraut and dijon mustard. I also managed to spend at least $3o on cupcakes from Babycakes. I hadn't even realized there was a Babycakes L.A. but it popped up as a vegan downtown eatery. Not spectacular (what's up with the frosting consistancy?) but since I don't really get a chance to eat cupcakes regularly, they were a nice splurge.

On top of that, librarian jobs have opened up locally so I have been able to put in another job application. I'm remaining hopeful despite two different rejection letters I got this month.

To make up being gone for so long, here are a bunch of recipes. :o)


Chipotle Yam Salad

• 2 large-ish yams (I used one Jewel and one Garnet)
• 1 large-ish parsnip
• 1 1/2 to 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 3/4 to 1 cup Veganaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon/lime juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• salt & pepper to taste

Chop yams & parsnips into uniform pieces dependent on your size preference. Steam or roast until just tender. Cool at room temperature.

In a blender or food processor, blend the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Mix with the vegetables and chill in refrigerator.

Herb Syrup (Fruit Salad)

• 2 tablespoons fresh herb(s)
• 3/4 to 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of sugar

Make an herbal infusion by simmering the herb choices in water until scented. Feel free to use a tea ball or just drop in branches or leaves; I added two springs of rosemary.

When scented, measure out 1/2 cup of the infusion into a pot. Add sugar and bring to boil. Boil until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat and bring to room temperature.

Makes a decent amount of syrup for fruit salads. Store in a jar in the refrigrator for up to a month. Chop up any extra fresh herbs to add for garnish and extra flavor.

Berry Cream Cheeze

• 6 ounces of blueberries (or other berry or even a mixture of berries)
• 1 container of vegan cream cheeze (I used Vegan Gourmet but Tofutti has a good one too)
• 1-3 tablespoons liquid sweetener of choice (I used the herb syrup from above)

Toss the berries and cream cheeze in a food processor and process until relatively smooth. Add sweetener one tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired sweetness.

Alternately, you can cook the berries for little bit before blending; just add them to a pan with about an inch of water. This might actually work for fruits with less squishy textures, like pears or apples -- apple cinnamon cream cheeze? If you try it, let me know how it turns out.

Cognitive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

Since about July/August I have been having dizzy spells. For the last two or more years I have also been having memory issues, problems controlling my hands, and an increasing inability to say what I mean. One time it took me three+ attempts to say "bale of hay" rather than "hale of bay." After anti-dizziness medication didn't work (or worked in that it put me to sleep & I won't be dizzy asleep), my rheumatologist had me do an MRI and sent me to a neurologist.

In order to rule out seizures and arterial inflammation in the brain, the neurologist had me do an EEG and MRA as well as do eight hours of testing with a neuropsychologist. I finished all those tests at the beginning of April and met with both the neuropsychologist and neurologist last week. I have neither seizures nor arterial inflammation in my brain. Yay!

What I do have is Cognitive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.

Joyfully, this seems to be a subject that even a librarian is having a hard time finding any information about so all I can really go on is what my doctors told me, which is that I have impaired:

• motor skills (fine and gross)
• processing speed (or alternately, LD self-advocacy; just scroll down)
• working memory
• concentration

What this all translates to is that my brain is slow. Really slow. Some of my scores were so low that a sloth (or slow loris) picking random answers would probably have scored better than myself on the neuropsychological testing. The EEG showed significantly slowed brain wave reaction (long, rounded peaks) to having lights shone in my eyes; normally, and understandably, having a light shone in your eyes when you're half asleep results in sharper brain wave spikes. This occurs in some 35-75% of Lupus patients according to my doctors.

So I'm really sick! Yay! And it is normal! Double yay!

Sometimes I worry about my excitement over new issues with the Lupus but it really is a major stress reliever. Now I have a diagnosed issue rather than an issue everyone just attributes to me being flighty or an artist or another random excuse that they can ignore.

Also exciting was the fact that my boyfriend came with me. He has come to the doctors' with me but never into an actual appointment before. He doesn't really like doctors or medical stuff and it was pretty stressful for him. It is kind of nice to have him experience the stress I go through(though it's well hidden thanks to eight years of being sick). Perhaps now he will understand why I have to spend time crying before my appointments.

On a side note, the dizziness has nothing to do with the cognitive disorder. The neurologist sent me to an Ear, Nose, & Throat doctor and it looks like I might have something called a "fungal ball." I have two more tests to do to find out about that.

BADD 2010

May 1st was the start of Blogging Against Disablism Day 2010. (I say the start because, in order to accomodate disabilities, the "day" actually lasts for several.) There are too many great posts for me to pick out any favorites. Just head on over and check out as many as you can.

And check back a couple of times for updates.

Weekly Blog Around

Speaking of expensive diets: Food.

Where the disabled are not welcome.

Big Sparkly Ladies

This, too, is a real thing in the world (best way to spend time EVA)

Good

Because my current home state has managed to lose all sense:

exposing racist roots of arizonas new immigration law

Arizona's Legislators Say Barack Obama Must Prove His Citizenship

Rove says he has ‘problems’ with AZ immigration law (Karl Rove people! Sheesh!)

Jeb Bush speaks out against Ariz. law

More F***ery in Arizona

On Arizona's new law...

Mansplainin' at Tiger Beatdown

The wonderful Kate Harding at Shapely Prose blogged some about the responses generated by a gentleman's comments on this post at Tiger Beatdown. If you want a full idea of the mansplainin' then read all of Freddie's comments. It is a wonderfu example of mansplainin' and male privilege I have come across on the net.

In which is discussed how NOT easy veganism is

"It's not hard being vegan."

"Being vegan is easy."

This is one of those vegan mantras that has obviously been created by white, middle-class, college educated vegans because, for the rest of us, veganism is not as easy as it could be. Time for visualizations!

Imagine the typical vegan. This vegan has a full-time job that probably pays fairly well. (If it doesn't, it is at least indie cool enough to make the poorness appropriately chic.) They are in good physical health, probably a little extra athletic. They either own a car or have a cool bike to tool around on when they are feeling a little extra athletic. The area in which they live probably has at least one large grocery store; if they don't have a grocery store nearby they can drive/bike to a slightly farther away store. Maybe they can even afford to buy organic or visit farmer's markets. More than likely, this vegan can cook and enjoys doing so. Occasionally, they can both afford and find vegan food at restaurants or in packaged food. They can, on a regular basis, choose veganism without any lasting unfortunate side effects; they can, for example, eat some salted peanuts rather than eat the questionable veggie burger & fries when stuck at an airport.

The reality for a vegan with a disability:

I am unable to work full-time because of the stress it causes me. I am constantly worrying about paying medical bills and living expenses which translates to a fairly strict food budget and the possibility of living in a food desert. I am currently not capable of owning a car or riding a bike. I have a food co-op near my house but it isn't cheap and the nearest cheap grocery store is miles away. This means to get food I have to give up a significant portion of my time to commuting via bus. What might have originally been a half hour to 45 minute errand now becomes about an hour and a half to 2 hours of carrying around heavy bags. Usually, I am so exhausted I have to take a nap afterwards. Sometimes I get up and go do it all again in the same day. Outdoor farmer's markets are completely off limits due to distance, transportation, and time spent outside. (I become extremely ill with exposure to UV light.) I love cooking, however, there are times where I am so exhausted and/or arthritic that it becomes almost impossible for me to even contemplate making food. Packaged vegan meals are rare still fairly rare, especially the ones I can keep down when I'm nauseous. Occasionally I can't even walk to the few places to offer vegan meal options within walking distance. (Most of the delivery places here do not have viable vegan options.) Travelling requires taking an entire bag of food or full meals with me due to medications; all but one require being taken on a full stomach. On a regular basis I have to decide exactly how vegan I'm going to be; in airports, I tend to rely on Burger King veggie burgers, without cheese and mayonaise, and french fries. Since I do not have any vegan friends, I repeatedly have to make decisions about whether I need to eat before a get-together. I have had to decline invitations because there simply wasn't enough time for me to get home, eat, and get to the party so I could leave at a reasonable hour. As far as having my own get-togethers, the last time I had one it took several days to recover from it.

All of this, and I'm lucky enough to not be dependent on caregivers for my food.

So when a vegan says "It's easy being vegan" what they are saying is it is easy being vegan for them. Being vegan offers it's own challenges for each person, dependent on their life and abilities.

Weekly Blog Around

Because I was getting a little overwhelmed with my preparing my storytimes for last week, I slacked on the weekly blog around. This is going to be a two week blog around instead.


How about considering that some people's life decisions might not have anything to do with *gasp* men?

Thank Feminism for the Luxury of Your Disdain

Today in Being Radical

In other news...

George Washington's Overdue Library Books


"Normal" and the Dominant Narrative


"I Have Always Depended On The Kindness Of Strangers..."


Being ‘different’


Quote of the Day


Twain's Mark


On Being Well


Top Ten Things That Annoy People in Wheelchairs

Sistah Vegan

Breeze Harper, a Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis, has been researching the intersections of black feminism, critical race theory, and food politics. Her recent book, Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans Speak on Food, Identity, Health, and Society, is an anthology dedicated to the "racialized-gendered vegan experience." You can read more about the anthology and her work as well as watch/listen to some of her podcasts at the Sistah Vegan website.

Thanks to Vegans of Color, here's a few of the book tour dates for this spring:

April 15, 2010: OAKLAND , CA PREMIERE OF SISTAH VEGAN BOOK
Location: AK Press 674-A 23rd St., Oakland CA 94612. 7-9pm
Talk: “Sistah Vegan: Breeze Harper Talks About the Intersection of Critical Race and Food Studies.” Book will be available for purchase and she will be signing.
URL: http://www.revolutionbythebook.akpress.org/sistah-vegan-breeze-harper-speaks-on-the-intersection-of-critical-race-food-studies/

April 17, 2010: “The Future of Health Care: Eat Well, Be Well” Holistic Health Conference at San Francisco State University
Location: San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA. Jack Adams Halls, Cesar Chavez Student Center. 1130am- 12:45pm.
Talk: Vegetarian, Vegan, and Raw Diets- Benefits and Concerns (Breeze Harper and Dr. Will Tuttle)

May 1-2, 2010: Farm Sanctuary’s Annual “Hoe Down”.
Location: Orland, CA. Farm Sanctuary.
Talk: “A Compassionate Talk About Whiteness in Veganism.”
URL: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/farm/calendar/ca_hoedown/speakers.html

May 20, 2010: Sistah Vegan talk and book signing at Pegasus Books
Location: Pegasus Books, 1855 Solano Ave, Berkeley CA 94707. Time: 7:30-8:30 pm PST

Weekly Blog Around

The Pain is real even though you can’t see it

The Importance of Being Bellatrix Lestrange

Normalization wastes energy

Emptying Cages: From Animal Abolition to Prison Abolition

Crock-pot Recipe: Pumpkin Chili

A dump, stir, then leave it recipe for the crock-pot inspired by Delicious TV.

Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 can of pumpkin puree


• 1/2 of a yellow onion


• 2 cloves of garlic


• 2 cans of beans (I used kidney but black or pinto would work as well)


• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes


• 4 cups of vegetable broth or 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of water


• 2 cups of water (optional)


• 1/2 to 1 cup of pearled barley


• 2 teaspoons chili powder


• 1 teaspoon curry powder


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)*


• salt and pepper to taste

Add pumpkin puree, water, and broth to crock-pot, making sure the puree is well mixed in. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and set crock-pot timer. If you can stir the chili up while it is cooking, feel free to do so; I wasn't able to and the beans stuck a little to the bottom of the pot.

Recipe make a lot of chili and it reheats well.

*I discovered early on that any animal product cravings I had disappeared with a little extra fat in my diet. As a result, all my recipes have a higher fat percentage than some other vegan recipes. If you prefer a low-fat diet, just omit the extra oils I add.

Recipe: Lentil Pate

While I have always been repulsed by the mere idea of a real pate, I admit to being really intrigued by the idea of having a bohemian meal of fruit, pate, and bread. I purchased myself some white truffle olive oil a little while ago and decided to finally try out a vegan pate. Lentils tend to be a universal favorite and the most often used for vegan pate. The walnuts and white truffle oil make this extremely rich and kind of European feeling.

Sorry about the lack of actual measurements. I plan on making it again and keeping track of measurements.

Lentil Pate

Ingredients:

• lentils


• walnuts


• olive oil


• white truffle oil (or white truffle olive oil)


• vegetable broth


• water or left over lentil cooking broth


• salt & pepper to taste

Cook lentils in vegetable broth then let cool.

While cooling lentils, chop walnuts in a food processor (or blender) until they become a fairly fine powder; a few small chunks are fine but you want it mostly powder. Set aside walnuts.

In food processor (or blender), blend lentils until smooth. Add either water or the broth you cooked the lentils in to help blend if necessary.

Add in walnuts, olive oil, white truffle oil (or white truffle olive oil), salt, and pepper. Blend until mixed. Add water or broth until you have a fairly spreadable mixture.

Feel free to eat as is or bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees; just add extra water/broth and make it a little thinner than you want so it does not end up being dry.

My Top Kitchen Loves

Arthritis can be a pain in the bum, especially in the kitchen. Thankfully I have some awesome helpers.

Top Kitchen Loves

1. Crock-pot: Normally reserved for the most suburban of housewives, the crock-pot is possibly the best invention ever. It means when I get home after a 12-hour work day I can have homecooked food without spending too much time actually cooking. It also means on errand days I can do errands without worrying about the spoons I have to save for meals. An unexpected side effect: I create meals where originally I had nothing. Just after getting the crock-pot, I found myself with one of several things that were seemingly unrelated but not enough to make a substantial meal for two people. I found a crock-pot recipe for a sweet potato stew that used up all my single food items.


2. Electric jar/can opener: No one with arthritis should be without these. (After buying ones for me, my mom bought her own.) Granted, I don't use jars or cans very often but when I do it is inevetable that I am in the middle of a bad joint day. Getting to step aside while these beauties work and not have to either wrestle with it for 15 minutes or ask my boyfriend for help is a pleasure akin to eating the best chocolate.


3. Blender: After going through a raw food diet fascination phase in which I drank banana milkshakes daily, I realized how truly awesome blenders are. Blended food is, theoretically, easier to digest (we do feed it to babies after all) and I was looking to find something to up my fruit/veggie intake that wouldn't make me sick. This something is blended food. Specifically smoothies because I just can't bring myself to to eat blended wheat grass and sprouts. I'm now frantically saving for Vita-mix.


4. Food Processor: Going back to the blended food thing, most of the beans I eat are in blended form. As I find I do better on a low protein diet, I like to consume my beans as a condiment/appetizer/tapas kind of way instead of a meal staple and the food processor is a gift from the heavens. Hummus and a fantastic recipe for lentil pate I created are wonderful snacks when I'm healthy and a good way to bulk up my vegan nutrition when I have been nauseous or vomiting.


5. Tea pot: Never underestimate the kind of orgasmic wonder that a hot cup of tea or herbal tissane or lemon juice & water can bring to someone with both arthritis and Raynaud's. Sometimes I just make it to warm my hands, not because I actually want tea.

Sick as in ill.

In other words, not healthy.

The sickness itself is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, otherwise known as SLE or sometimes just by Lupus. The veganism has been part of my life since August 2009. (Yes, it is such a big deal to me that I know the date I became vegan.) The blog was created out of need for me to have a space in which I could be both a vegan and chronically ill.

Let me explain.

SLE is a chronic disease with no cure. There are few treatment options and there has been little advancement in options in decades. The disease is tempermental and individualistic so what may work for one person at a given time may not work for another person or even that same person later on down the road. It is remittant, meaning that for periods of time the person will not have symptoms, or will only have mild ones; for other periods of time, the symptoms will manifest sometimes to the point of being disabling or life-threatening. (Periods of symptom manifestation are called flare-ups.) The more disabling and life-threatening symptoms, like arthritis or kidney failure, are frequently invisible to everyone except lab technicians, doctors, and the lupus patient. Medication and self-care can help limit flare-ups... or not. Tempermental. And there's no cure.

I'll repeat that: SLE is a chronic disease WITH NO CURE.

So not only am I sick, there is no cure for my sickness. This means at no point in my future will I be "healthy." I will always be "sick." Sometimes I may not look sick. Sometimes I may not even feel sick but I will always be sick.

What does this have to do with being vegan and needing a safe space?

Because more often than not activists pull out the health card to draw in new vegetarians and vegans. See the Engine 2 Diet. Or Christine Pirello. Or PETA. Or Dean Ornish. Or Dr. Saunders. Possibly also Skinny Bitch. (I admit I haven't read the last one but it sounds like it could be on the list.) I subscribe to a newsletter that sends me, almost weekly, news items about the health benefits of becoming/being vegan. It is practically touted as a miracle cure.
If veganism is the end all be all of health, how come I'm still sick?

I'm still sick because veganism is NOT the end all be all of health. Veganism is not some miracle that will cure everything that ails you. It sure didn't cure my Lupus, nor did it even make any difference to my symptoms or how often I have them or to my test results. I see no health benefits. In pushing this snake oil propaganda, activists are blatantly ignoring disability and real chronic illness. Guess what activists? You are officially ableist. They're offically an entire square on disability bingo. Go you, engaging in a lifestyle specifically designed around compassion while all the time making a lot of people feel horrible about themselves! Because that's what happens.

You can cure yourself if you just try harder (become vegan). It's your fault if you are sick because we have told you how to make yourself healthy. Being sick is all your fault. If you're still sick, it's still all your fault because you're doing it wrong.

Lupus has no known cause and no cure. There is nothing I can do that will make it go away or even necessarily help me feel better. There is no blame that can be shoved off on me, anyone, or anything else. Not all vegans are healthy. Not all sick people can cure themselves through veganism.

Not all sick vegans think it is okay for the movement to make us feel bad.

Some of us aren't going to take it anymore.