Travel fever and grocery shopping

Hello! I've been sick for few days but now I'm as good as new! I had a short computer break, and to be honest it felt good! Nothing evil happened; I focused on books and movies instead of being aware of what's going on around the world.

Vicky is there to give you perspective.

I've gotten a lot of packages in the mail. My first Middie came. Middie is a medium-size Blythe doll, in case you didn't know. She's still in the box she came in, and I'm thinking of keeping her that way. Maybe. I also got my zippers! My hubby said they are boring, that once you've seen one you've seen them all. I think he's totally wrong. I love zippers. Well, not just one or two, but dozens and dozens of them. I got approx. 150 of them in all beautiful colors.  I also got some jewelry parts. I'd call it a great mail week!

Since I was sick I didn't go to school at all this week :( And I didn't feel like studying at home either. I've lost most of the study inspiration that kept me going on so well. It really suck. But I don't really know what I want anymore. I mean if I really want to go to the university or not. Two days ago I felt it really clear, I knew what I wanted to do. It's something I've wanted for at least ten years, but it's also something I've feared equally as long. To have my own store, to sell Pinkkis, cool vintage items and cute stuff from around the world -- that's what I'd love to do.  And I'm sure that would be something I'd love to get out of bed for. But I don't have the courage!

That was kind of a heavy start! I wasn't even suppose to write about that, based on the title for this post!

So about travel fever - it's been really bad lately! During my great mail week I also received a Tokyo Guide booklet. It's filled with lovely and some unusual places to visit while travelling in Tokyo. Not all places where I'd go, but a lot of hidden treasures, places I'd never ever know existed, but now I know, thanks to this booklet. :) Last night I went through all four albums I have from my previous trips to Japan and seeing all those familiar places and the amazing stores and kawaii people and everything Japanese - it was almost too much! I have to get back there! I've heard they are celebrating hanami right now, meaning that the cherry trees are blossoming. Record breaking early! I've been there four times but never seen the cherry blossoms :( Maybe I should get my own cherry trees here. Well, I wouldn't mind going there no matter what time of the year. I would even take  a week or two in the hot, steamy summer! I'd prefer spring or fall though.

While I was sick we watched a documentary about a filthy rich American family that didn't do that well during the economic crisis. The poor family had to sell their private jet and couldn't finish their new home (which was the most expensive and biggest one-family house in the States), but they were still able to go shopping like there was no tomorrow. She came home with two or three cars filled to the brim with crappy Xmas xifts for the family. One thing that really made an impression was how she bought a bike for her son, and two of their nannies could see right away that the bike was too small for the boy, and then one of the nannies carried one of the shopping bags through a garage filled with piles and piles of bikes... That was kind of disgusting. And it's not just the extremely rich people who do that. I guess there's some of that in all of us. How we want new stuff on top of the stuff we already have, so that the things we already own lose their appeal/worth/meaning and the new thing is all we want, until something bigger/better/brighter comes along. That made me think of two of my dolls, that I know have been on the floor (okay, left on top of a barbie size car in the corner) of my craft room for at least two weeks. I really don't feel like buying a new doll now. I should take better care of the ones I already have, cherish them. Take more pictures of them. Dress them nicely and all that.

But this is not about just the a bit more expensive stuff, also about the make-up, clothes, cellphones (okay, I'd put them in the expensive stuff category), CD's - even food. Maybe even more with the smaller, more meaningless things. We just buy that crap without a second thought. We see it, we want it, we can afford it - so what the hell! We buy it. And a day later we toss it out, throw it in the pile and go get a new one. Something better. Of course it works differently with food. But since it's rather cheap (especially with the animal products and non-fair-trade stuff, we don't have to pay for the suffering of other living creatures) it's so easy to just forget it in the fridge/cabinet/on the table and let it go bad. Who cares? Just throw it out and go get a new one from the store! So sad! And frustrating! I'm not saying this to blame others, I'm just as "quilty" as everyone else. It's just that we, Westerners, are so used to get everything we want, without giving any value to the things we already have. I'll try to do better!!

And before I run out of battery (on my laptop which I dropped on the floor and cracked -- damn it! Should be more careful and treat the items I already own more carefully), I'll say few words about grocery shopping. As of being a vegan I like to be with like minded people. That gives me false feeling of "a better world." Last Saturday I spent the whole day with like minded people, and not just few of them but maybe 20 to 30. The whole day! Eating vegan, talking vegan, everything vegan. Oh! What a feeling! I wasn't the creep, I didn't stand out, I was just like all the others. Yay! And then we went to the grocery store yesterday, to get groceries for the long weekend (I'm planning to make super yummy stuff! Couple recipes from the Conscious Cook and few from my second cookbook. nom nom nom) and it kind of hit me that I was the freak after all. Seeing all the pieces of dead animals, chopped and slices and packed neatly inside plastic containers. The world wasn't that good place after all, not if you weren't born as a white, Western human being. All the others, watch out -- you are ours to exploit!

Even though almost everything that was sold in packages had some sort of animal products in them, we we able to fill our cart with super delicious, cruelty-free produce. I guess I should do a post about the things we eat, just to show how lovely things there are for conscious consumers!

Small Easter gift for you! Picture of Risto, under cover dog.

 Anyways, happy Easter!!

xoxo,


Raisa