What was the last live performance you saw?
I have told this story recently, so here’s a link. We can talk about other stuff because I don’t want to write about the concert when I have nothing new to add- except that I have the most wonderful boyfriend in the entire world. I was very surprised that he liked the concert enough to buy a CD, because he came to the concert because he likes me, not jazz. If you’re going to get your first jazz CD, though, Jason Moran is a good one. I still cannot believe that I got to hear him in concert for free so often in high school. Not only were there the concerts at night, but Jason and two of his best friends, John Schutza and Eric Harland, did a Happening at PVA.
A Happening is an art experience that appeared kind of like a flash mob. You didn’t know whether there was going to be a Happening at lunch or not. You’d be sitting there eating your chicken tenders and tater tots and then one of the art areas appeared with a presentation out of nowhere. The funniest were the theater kids writing a skit that made fun of us. I can’t remember what they said about Vocal and Instrumental, but the dancers got that their favorite foods were Tab, cigarettes, and ice.
When I heard that joke the first time around, I nearly had to be resuscitated, and I started laughing so hard even today that tears are in my eyes. The other thing that the theater department said absolutely destroyed me, because it was so true. That you get into HSPVA and want tattoos and earrings and purple hair and the whole nine yards…… but counterculture is being preppy……. like no one here ever dyes their hair.…….. 🙄
I always dressed like a prepster. The only thing remotely hippie-ish about me back then was that I had Birkenstocks, which I did wear with socks because they’re more comfortable that way. Plus, back then lots of people wore socks with sandals. Trends go in and out.
Speaking of trends, Crocs come to mind. They were cool, and now there’s a backlash with one exception. They’re kind of a mating call to be able to identify other cooks in nature. Line cooks and nurses will keep Crocs in business for years to come. However, I will say that I do pay extra for the professional kitchen version. They’re not basic Crocs because they have both non-slip tread AND padded insoles. The reason they’re so nice is that when you’re working standing up, your feet swell. Crocs let you be comfortable in spite of that.
I should get another pair in plain black, but I can’t justify it when I have a pair of Bistro Crocs (non-slip tread and no holes, but without the insole) in navy blue. The ones that are the most comfortable are a tie-dye pattern. Perfect for the kitchen but don’t match every outfit. The navy blue ones are really nice because with jeans, they don’t stand out. I have huge problems staying upright and Crocs are great in terms of my shoes not getting in the way of me being able to keep my balance. I have tried more expensive clogs, like Dansko, and the heel was too high for me. If every step wasn’t absolutely certain, I’d go down in a heap. So, if I didn’t wear work Crocs, I’d go back to Birkenstocks. It’s not a fashion issue for me because to me, it’s more embarrassing to fall in public. If another adult makes fun of my shoes, they’re the asshole. Full stop. Cerebral palsy is hard enough to manage without worrying about how I look.
It actually feels like Crocs are an accommodation with the amount of joy they bring into my life, and I am not kidding. They do not irritate my sensory issues with autism, they don’t irritate my arthritis because my feet are so well padded, and allow me to feel the ground better than I could in dress shoes. I even like hiking in my Crocs because I can feel the terrain better, and stand in running water. Crocs don’t breathe, so to me it’s better to wear them without socks on the hiking trail. Your feet will be the same amount of warm because your shoes will dry so fast. You won’t be walking around in wet socks, which always made me a lot colder.
I don’t go on any hiking trails that are so advanced I would need special shoes, although I do like hiking boots or trainers with hiking tread. However, I think hiking sandals are superior because they’ve got the stability of a hiking boot and dry quickly. If you’re hiking in any elevation, your wet socks will keep making you miserable as you climb. And, of course, your feet are sweating, which makes it where they’ll never dry all the way.
That’s pretty much all I know about hiking in a nutshell. Socks and shoes are more important than anything else, because anything that happens on the trail is made better by feeling secure in your own body and movements.
Zac and Oliver, who is a dog, both like to hike. We’ve been on the trails in the nature preserve behind his house, but we’ve also talked about going out to Great Falls. I like to do strenuous hiking before the dead of summer sets in, so it may not be something we can plan for this year. It remains on the table, however.
We haven’t even planned our next date, but as I told him, it doesn’t have to “be” anything. We could just watch “Slow Horses.” What we do on our date nights is entirely dependent on our energy levels in the after work time period, because generally even when it’s a weekend date, he’s had drill. Because I’m an introvert, my idea of a good time is only getting out of my house. To me, it is just as good to get out of my house by going and sitting around at someone else’s. I have changed locations, therefore I have accomplished my goal and that is achievement enough. Things like going to see Jason Moran and going to the Spy museum are the exceptions, not the norm.
When we were with Bryn and Dave, we went to a pub that had fried food that Bryn could eat because they had gluten free batter. We ate and drank our weights in junk food and soda (except for Zac. He was good and only had fizzy water. Meanwhile, I am like “ELEVEN DIET COKES! THIS IS GREAT!” I often make people regret that restaurants in the US give free refills.
Speaking of which, I was talking to some other redditors who were poking fun at people who order a Super Sized Big Mac meal and a Diet Coke. I said that I didn’t drink it because I needed to lose weight, I drink it because I like what I LIKE. Apparently, I was the hero they needed over something insignificant, because a ton of people replied with “THIS.” I think A LOT of people growing up in the 80s learned to prefer Diet Coke because it was marketed to women (of course). If that’s what’s in the house, that’s what I’m going to drink. I preferred Sugar Free Dr Pepper to Diet Coke, but they were both good (I don’t remember what year Dr Pepper changed the name to Diet Dr Pepper). Many, many people have my same story, that their mothers fed them diet soda when they were kids and now regular syrup is too cloying and makes your teeth feel weird.
Plus, I feel like diet sodas are getting better and better. I am very impressed with Pepsi Max, all of the Mountain Dew Zero flavors, and the emphasis on seltzer instead of soda overall. And in fact, La Croix may have discontinued it by now, but they had a cola flavor that no one agreed with me was good. I liked it because I felt healthier drinking fizzy water with a hint of cola flavor and no caffeine.
Speaking of fizzy water, David has a Soda Stream and I am FREAKING OUT. Zac has one at his house, and it is so wonderful that I’ve thought of buying one many times. I just didn’t know how it would work out in terms of cost- buying cans/bottles of seltzer vs. the canisters. Now, it’s MUCH cheaper because I don’t have to pay for the machine AND the refills. I don’t expect David to absorb that entire cost because I will drink the hell out of that water and I don’t think he’s as fond of it.
I also don’t need any syrups unless I just wanted them, because I already have fresh lemon and two kinds of bitters. I’m also a huge fan of adding seltzer to apple or orange juice. I am sure that fizzy apple juice is just as bad for you as soda due to the amount of sugar in it, but I don’t care. I get calories where I can find them. I am not the best eater on the planet, a common neurodivergent trait. I do not mean that I have sensory issues with food. I love food, all of it. I just choose to eat sandwiches most days because not every meal has to be entertainment. My struggle is with time. My body does not let me know when it needs to eat. My executive function will go 12 hours without a bite and then ALL OF A SUDDEN I will want to eat Tokyo.
I don’t gain any weight because even though I eat like a prize fighter, I go entirely too long between meals. If I set a timer to remind myself to eat, I find quickly that it doesn’t work because I cannot MAKE myself hungry. I cannot force feed myself into an eating routine because AuDHD doesn’t create routines well, if at all. If something is happening and my body doesn’t want it to, it shuts down. If my brain doesn’t want me to eat, demand avoidance over cooking because with executive dysfunction, everything is do it now. Your brain cannot manage eating to prevent hunger in the future. I get hungry, I eat. I do not want to put emotional energy into forcing myself.
Thus, sandwiches. They take a minute to make, therefore I can afford to eat on a whim rather than planning to cook dinner in advance. Instead of forcing myself to do things, I adapted my diet instead.
Eggs are also quick and easy, and pretty much the healthiest thing I eat because I mix them with so many vegetables. I have been vegan in the past, but have been priced out of it in terms of protein, or at least, most of the time. Sometimes I’ll find Beyond on sale and that’s great. I just find it easier to buy protein based on cost, because I was only trying to charge my brain with super food in the first place. I’m a line cook. I don’t have anything against eating animals. I do, however, have a problem with factory farming.
Temple Grandin is one of my culinary heroes, and I’m betting it’s something most people wouldn’t recognize as culinary. She made serving steak more humane for all of us, but I’ve been in an industry for a long time that prizes kindness to animals. Kindness to animals keeps stress hormones out of the meat. We need the meat at our restaurants, but there is no reason to make an animal feel pain. Small family ranchers have known this for years. Temple just adjusted that idea to fit a larger scale.
I still can’t remember the last time I bought red meat, though. I’ll have a burger or fried chicken occasionally, but mostly I exist on eggs, cheese, spring mix with spinach, and popcorn. Not all mixed together.
I like warm salads with fried eggs on top and a little sesame oil and rice wine vinegar, or balsamic if I’ve used butter. Spinach and salad greens are ridiculously healthy and taste decadent with some butter, salt, and garlic. If I do scrambled eggs, it’s always Florentine so that I Popeye it up. I also do the same thing with tofu or Just Egg. Vegan eggs taste identical to the real thing, or at least, Just Egg does. But I know there has to be more than one brand, because my local vegan fast food joint, PLNT burger, used to have egg sandwiches that were eighty times better than a McMuffin (it was the caramelized onions).
I really like vegan junk food because it makes me feel healthier. It’s not that it’s less calories, it’s the kind of calories that you’re getting. There might be a lot of fat in something, but it probably won’t be as saturated…. for instance, vegan poutine has less saturated fat than cheese curds made of cow’s milk. I am not kidding myself into believing that I am doing myself some big, grand service by switching to vegan junk food. However, it might prevent me from having such a BAD heart attack, anyway……. 😉
In short, the way my diet has changed is that I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum, and ovo-lacto vegetarian fits me the best if you were trying to pigeonhole me. I do eat meat, just not often enough for it to be a major part of my diet. That will never change. I feel that the way to cut down on factory farming in this country is to stop telling yourself that you need meat as protein with every meal.
If you don’t like texturized vegetable protein and other “fake meats” like Beyond and Impossible, you can always use eggs, cheese, peanut butter, and chocolate. Presumably not in the same dish.
Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Suprise……………
I’ve made HEEEAAAPS!
Stories That Are All True 