Pete's Log: Seventeen

Entry #1086, (Life in General)
(posted when I was 23 years old.)

Strange things are afoot in this land. Change has settled as a shadow among us, and many things once taken for granted are no more. A long silence (at least by my standards) has befallen my writing, and much has happened that should be recorded. I present, thus, a collection of thoughts, facts, and observations. Explanations are attached to most, but beyond what is written here, no further clarification shall be offered. For on these matters, I have said all that I intend to.

  • flavorice is ghettofabulous.

    It has now been recorded.

  • I now know how to play euchre.

    Andy, Nicole, and Mark S. taught me a few nights ago. Cribbage it ain't, but nonetheless it's fun.

  • I now own a cell phone.

    I like it. I have free long distance and more minutes than even the great Buddha could use in a month, so if you would like a call, let me know. I will not be posting the number online, so if you want it, email me. I named my phone Mononoke. I smile whenever I see my favorite princess' name on my phone's display.

  • I now have purple hair.

    It's not extraordinarily purple, but it's definitely purple. Paul dyed it for me. Paul rocks. It's purple black, so it's rather dark, but in the proper light, one can see the purple. I dig it.

  • I am now officially vegetarian.

    When Andy and I were at the mall the Saturday before last, we saw a bumper sticker that said "I don't eat anything with a face." Our lives were changed forever by this sticker. I have not consumed any meat for a week, and intend to never eat meat ever again. My primary motivation for becoming vegetarian was health reasons. My diet sucks, and by becoming vegetarian, I am forcing myself to think about what I'm eating. And actually, I am strongly considering going all the way and becoming a vegan. Already, I have replaced milk with soy milk, and I do not see myself having any trouble removing all animal products from my diet.

    I think moral reasons factor into my decision a little as well. I do not have any trouble with the fact that humans eat animals, this is something that seems natural to me. However, I am somewhat appalled by how industrial agriculture treats livestock. And Paul (who has been vegan for a long time) brought up a really good point: even if something only seems a little wrong, or if you feel that it is only maybe wrong, if it is easy to avoid doing that thing, then there is no reason not to.

    And I have discovered that it is really easy for me to cut animal products out of my diet. I do not miss them at all. Granted, I've only been at this for a week, and I'm not yet strictly vegan, but I really doubt that I will ever miss meat or dairy products. Having known Paul for a while now, I know that he eats better than most people I know. The lunches he brings into work always smell incredible. And my first week has been full of delicious foods. My first dinner of my vegetarian life was at Paul's house the night he dyed my hair, he made an amazing Indian meal. Since then, I've discovered, among other things, Elia's Mediterranean Cuisine on 933, as well as some excellent soy jerky at one of the local health food stores.

    I hate to go on about this, but I'm really quite happy I made this choice. It has been something that's been on my mind for a while. My freshman year at ND a girl convinced me to become a vegetarian, but that only lasted a few weeks, because trying to switch to a vegetarian diet didn't work too well when I had to live off dining hall food. But now that I'm more independent, it's working rather well. I'm really actually kind of excited by all the new styles of cooking I now want to explore.

  • Belvedere Vodka is for the devil.

  • Oscar's is the most amazing place in South Bend.

    Andy, Nicole, Mark and I went to Oscar's Friday night. It was excellent. It's a pool hall near Corby's with a great atmosphere. While there, we played some awful pool. Not since the days when the High Elves still roamed amongst men has the world seen pool of such low quality. It was funny.

  • Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

    Some time ago, I decided to reread The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings before the movies come out. Progress was slow at first, but Brian took his TV out of the apartment some days ago, and since then I have finished The Hobbit and made great progress on The Fellowship of the Ring. I love these books. But now that I'm reading a lot again, I have realized that TV has rotted my brain and starved my soul, and that I am better off without it.

  • Brigadoon is a cool word.

    I only wish I could somehow rewrite the lyrics to the Spiderman song to use the word Brigadoon.

  • I really like girls.

    Girls are the coolest thing in the world. I made the sad realization, however, that, not counting my sisters (whom I love most dearly), there are only about a handful of girls with whom I am really good friends, and of these, only one is currently living in the same state as I. I need to do something about this.

  • I hate girls.

    Not really at all. I love girls. But they make my life much more complicated than it ever needs to be. There is one particular girl whom I had rather a serious crush on, and whom I have been trying to get over for some time now. And I'm finding it incredibly difficult to do so. I've found myself wishing there was some other girl right now that I could be interested in, just to give me someone else to think about, but then when I do notice someone else, I feel bad, because I hope to God that I am not interested in her simply because she's somebody else. Ooof. See? Too complicated.

  • Some experiences are unobtainable.

    I think I would enjoy spending a day as a fourteen year old girl, at a Sugar Ray concert, screaming my heart out at Mark McGrath. Unfortunately, being the twenty three year old heterosexual male that I am, I shall be unable to even come close to experiencing anything like the above during my lifetime.

  • Feet are beautiful.

    I think I've started developing a small foot fetish, and I know exactly who is to blame.

  • Football season is upon us again.

    And much joy is in my heart, for football makes me happy. Saturday I watched some of the Bears/Chiefs preseason game at Paul's house, and Tonight I saw the Broncos play the Packers at Rob's place. Unfortunately, the Packers beat the Broncos 22-7. Oh well, it's only the preseason ...

  • My left wrist is in bad shape.

    The damage my computer-intensive lifestyle is causing to my left wrist is now visibly evident. It's gotten bad enough that it is nearly in constant pain. I visited Health Services today and have been informed that I have Extensor Tendonitis. Yuck. So I'm supposed to keep it wrapped in an ace bandage when typing, I'm supposed to ice it regularly, and I need to either get a lower desk or taller chair.

  • I'm opening up.

    Walls I built up around myself long ago are beginning slowly to crumble. My heart is glad for it.

  • The Sugar Ray song Even Though makes me smile.

    For the simple reason that I can't help but picture a cute little alien singing background vocals.

  • My inbox is overstuffed.

    I have not expunged my inbox since before August began. I've not been good at all at keeping up my email correspondence. I hope to improve. I shall begin by expunging and dealing with all that remains.

  • Iron Chef South Bend strikes again.

    I find it hard to motivate myself to cook anything fancy if I'm only cooking for myself. So I've not put my culinary skills to good use at all this summer. But last night I was given the chance to show off. I cooked an excellent vegan meal for Andy, Nicole, Michelle (whom I had just met) and myself: a potato/tomato soup, white rice, fake chicken in a red wine sauce, and Andy grilled some Portabella mushrooms. As reward for a meal well cooked, I received, in addition to the satisfaction of having eaten an extraordinary meal, a kiss on the cheek from each of the delightful young ladies present. I should cook more often.

  • I enjoy abusing language.

    I possess neither the ability nor the justification to mould language into the beautiful things it is capable of becoming. Yet as is evidenced by this log entry, I still enjoy abusing it for my vile purposes.