Thursday, July 10, 2008

slaughterhouse

sew i didn't finish my dress in sewing last night but it's ok. i put in one sleeve. i have to go back and finish the rest some other time. here is a bit of an nsv. my sewing teacher made ice cream sandwiches for everyone with homemade strawberry ice cream. at first i wasn't going to have one but really, denying yourself pleasures like homemade ice cream is not living, it's deprivation. so i took one, ate the ice cream from the middle and threw out the cookies. they were just chips ahoy or whatever. yah good tasting, but available to me whenever i want so i'm not really depriving myself of anything there.

when i got home i cleaned up a little, and then did the denise austin power yoga plus video i got at the library last week. i wanted to feel stretched and relaxed. i find that my posture feels improved every time i do yoga or pilates and i really like that feeling.

this morning i got up early and had a 4-mile run. it wasn't the best. i tried a new route in order to spice things up, but my right shin was bothering me. i am going to have to stay off it. i'll ice it tonight and see if that helps. i find it doesn't hurt if i just run for 10 minutes at a time on the dreadmill, only when running longer distances outside.

this is totally unrelated, but i live right by a pig slaughterhouse. not joking. one of the main streets near my abode is sort of an off ramp from the highway, and when i turn on it (on my bike... going to work or whatever) i often see a) a giant truck full of pigs with their snouts poking out of holes snorting at me or b) the same truck heading the other way but empty. if you wanted to know, pig slaughterhouses don't smell too good. also i have heard the poor little piggies screeching before. my writing style can be flippant but i am really bothered by this. i really don't eat much pork - maybe a pork chop once in a while at my parent's house. i think that if i lived in close contact with other animals, i would be hesitant to eat them as well. like chickens or cows.... how do farmers do it? seeing those poor little snouts... heading for death... sad.

it bothers me. lately i have been bothered by something else. there is this crazy woman who begs for money and food by my work. she is really crazy - always sobbing hysterically and sitting in the pouring rain even when their is an awning nearby. sometimes i give her food. she is in her twenties but looks older due to the harsh elements. anyway, i just noticed this week that she is six months pregnant. i can't stop thinking about it. how did she get pregnant? what is going to happen to that poor baby? was she raped? was she forced to sleep with someone for money or drugs? it's very upsetting. i think these things happen as a result of poor family situations. i am lucky to have nice and supportive parents. :(

on that note... in addition to my regular workouts, i've been doing 100 situps a day in order to prep myself for bikini weekend. normally i do 80 situps, maybe 3-4 times a week. i went to this same cottage around the same time last year and i was 127 pounds. some of my pictures from that time are flattering, although i remember feeling really... what's the word... um... well i wished my stomach was flatter and that the sides of my stomach were tighter. although that was my lowest weight to date so i felt pretty good about myself. this year is definitely a huge improvement so i'm looking forward to taking some comparison shots.

today for lunch i'm having a tuna sandwich with light mozzarella and tomato slices. the tuna is clover leaf lemon and pepper flavoured... delicious. :o)

14 comments:

dancer-in-me said...

Great job on the NSV. It is all about balance not deprivation.

I am so sorry you have to live next to a slaughterhouse. I think I would be moving, LOL! And the poor woman. You just pray and hope God had mercy in this situation. I know he has a reason for every thing. Life is so unpredictable. You just never know what is going to happen next.

I hope you post the comparison pictures. I love pictures they give me such motivation.

Anonymous said...

i have that flavour of tuna in my pantry too. YUM. maybe for dinner.

Jenn said...

WTG with the ice cream. Nice treat.

And what a sad little post. Poor piggies. I feel bad for them.

I feel bad for the homeless lady too. I know that I don't understand how people get into those situations since I've been so lucky to have supporting family my whole life. Its sad though because there isn't much we can do to help...

SeaBreeze said...

Good for you for giving the homeless lady food. Is there not a program for the mentally ill in your neck of the woods? I know ours here is pretty good about "at risk" situations like pregnancy. Hmmm.

I don't eat pork, but if I did your post would have me re-thinking it.

Jaime said...

More and more often I think about not eating meat...but it just isn't in me...yet anyway. I bet seeing those poor piggies would send me over the edge for sure. (although I think it would also send DBF running far from me as he loves meat and would hate me if I didn't....)

You have motivated me to do more situps for sure. I whine constantly about my "soft" middle but rarely do anything about it. I sit on this stupid ball all day and the least I could do is roll over to the wall and do some situps.

I'm rolling over right now!!

Erin said...

I would be really bothered by both of those things....that is really sad.

I knew someone who used to work at a big company where cows were slaughtered. The stories were not pretty. Once one got loose in the parking lot once and smashed up all the cars trying to make a run for it.

I think that is really cool that you are going to the same cottage this year, and have lost so much. It sort of makes you think about how much you've done in the past year! That is really, really good.

Randi said...

Dude, that was a depressing post. At least you don't really sound sad, but almost all the things you wrote about made me sad (not done your dress, not eating cookies, sore shin, pigs, crazy lady, too many sit ups...)

As for homeless crazy lady, makes me sad too. I think a lot of people on the street really do have mental issues (which they totally can't help) and they aren't getting the proper care and treatment for so they go to the streets. Even some with loving families who buy the meds for them, but a side effect of some types of crazy is paranoia and thinking that the meds are really harmful...very sad.

Jaime said...

RYC: fire ban due to dry conditions... we were aware that it happens every year, but we were hoping we'd make it out for our camping before they instituted it. funny enough, it's downpouring today.

Born to Run said...

Oh wow, I can't help but feel really sad after reading about the pigs and the pregnant lady. My heart actually hurts thinking about them. I wish bad things didn't happen to innocent animals and people.

eurydice said...

sorry for depressing everyone with today's post!

Jen said...

Aw, you are very reflective today!
I think if I ever saw any kind of slaughtering I would become a vegitarian...but since I love beef and chicken, it's best I don't think about it...but it makes me sad...

So does the story about the homeless woman...I hope that she is going to give the baby up or something if she is unable to take care of him/her...some people are a victim of their own actions...some can be avoided - I feel bad for the girl if she couldn't avoid it...but the poor baby doesn't really have a choice...

ANYWAY, I would love to see some comparison pics of you! You are such a hottie!

Anne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anne said...

Aw, sad post but at least you care and these things are in your thoughts, too many people don't give a crap or notice what's around them.

carla said...

youre going full tilt with the healthy lifestyle!

one word: dang.

and the slaughterhouse? no words.

(ok one. ICK :( )