So much is going on these days!

I cannot believe that it's been since January since I last posted. This year is seriously flying by.

I just got back from my first bike ride to Lake George and back. I've been dreading it because the first time I did it last year sucked. I suffered like no other. But this year it wasn't bad. Some of the hills were a little tough, but nothing to cry over. 18.76 miles in 89 minutes. I'll definitely be taking less time soon enough.

What have I been up to? I've jumped head first into animal activism. One of my New Years Resolutions was to be more active for the animals and I'm keeping this one! I started a group called Adirondack Animal Rights on January. Find us here on Facebook. I'm working on a website, so I'll share the link to that when it's ready. It needs a lot of work at this point.

I took part in a march against the Canadian Seal Hunt in Montreal on March 13th. Here I am speaking out for those who cannot speak for themselves:

I'm hosting a free screening of the film Sharkwater this month to educate people on the plight of sharks. As apex predators, they are vital to healthy ocean ecosystems, yet it is estimated that populations of large shark species have declined by 90%. The numbers are staggering. Three sharks are killed every second by humans. This is unacceptable. Please come to the screening and, if you can, leave a donation. I'll be sending all donations to Sharkwater Productions. Here are the details:

Sharkwater - Free Film Screening
Friday, April 23rd @ 7PM
Rock Hill Bakehouse Cafe
19 Exchange St
Glens Falls, NY

I've also planned a bake sale as part of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale. It'll be on Sunday, May 2nd and will benefit a local shelter. More details will be announced soon.

I'm planning a peaceful demonstration in Albany for World Week for Animals in Laboratories. I'm waiting to hear from the Albany City Clerk if my permit application is approved, so details will be given asap, but it is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, April 18th.

Finally, I've been invited by Bob Timmons, Artist for the Ocean to be a leader/organizer for the new grassroots ocean awareness group, Ocean Activists United. The goal of this group is to create worldwide awareness of issues affecting the ocean and its inhabitants through collective events planned throughout the world around the same time. I am so honored that I was asked to be a part of this group since I'm just getting started out in my activism. Our first events are tentatively scheduled for May 15th and will be for Lolita, the captive orca who has been forced to perform and live in a tiny pool at Miami Seaquarium for 40 years. That's right folks, forty years. Please do your part and do not support these abusement parks, as Ric O'Barry calls them. Don't buy a ticket!

I am so glad that I finally decided to become active. I feel like I've finally found myself and I'll work tirelessly for non-human animals as long as I live. This is the life I was meant to lead. Please support my efforts. Join my Facebook group, spread the word to your friends and family who care about animals (really, who doesn't?) and let me know if you have any ideas for events or campaigns.

Now that I have so much going on, I hope to post more often. I have some exciting things in store and I can't wait to share them with you!

2010

There are only a few more days in 2009. It was definitely a rough year and I'm hoping that next year gets better. With that in mind, I decided to make a list of goals for the new year to help keep things on the upswing.

1. Bake and cook more. I've been baking and cooking quite a bit. I've started making most things from scratch since we went vegan this spring. Next year I want to start making even more things that I haven't tried yet. And I want to make lots of food to share with others and spread the vegan love. :)

2. Decide what I want to do with my life. I've had 5 jobs since I graduated from college in 2005. Not a great track record. Next year I want to really focus on figuring out what I want to do and make it happen.

3. Go biking. I had a blast riding the bike trail this summer. I did it almost every day for a while and it was so much fun. I was in great shape and I felt great, too. I noticed the difference in my stamina when we hiked Giant Mtn. in August. As soon as the snow melts, I want to start riding again.

4. Work towards becoming a 46er. We started off hiking a lot this year, but slacked off and only ended up climbing 3 High Peaks. Next year I want to hike at least one High Peak a month, or at least 12 for the year.

5. Save money and pay down our debt. This one is huge. We need to put all of our extra money toward our credit card bills and then start socking it away in savings.

6. Let go of old grudges and deal with the anger issues. I don't think anyone would be surprised to find out that I have anger issues. Long story short, some stuff happened a while back and now I become enraged at the drop of a hat. I've gotten much better in the past few years, but I've stopped working on getting even better. Next year I want to work on keeping my patience, not losing my temper and getting over things that I've been holding on to for a while. This is going to be the most difficult one for me. If you see me about to lose it, remind me to count to ten!!


I'm sure I'll think of more things, but those are it for now. Let's see if I can stick to them!