Granola Eating Hippy

Kamel has netflix. And with his subscription he gets the netflix streaming online thingy where you can watch movies and television shows that aren't the latest and greatest without waiting for them to arrive in the mail. You can also manage your account, etc. I routinely use his log in name to watch back episodes of 30 rock, random documentaries and Margaret Cho stand up... and then "accidentally" add movies and television shows to his queue. But that's beside the point. In the last month I have watched two documentaries that have drastically turned me into a tree hugging (i don't really like to touch nature), tie die wearing (lie), Birkenstock loving (not really, that's claire... and maris's boyfriend), wool sock knitting (me knit? Please), granola eating (Mmm...) hippy.

When I was in college everyone thought because I came from Seattle I was a full on member of greenpeace and peta and all CRAZY liberal (loving the gays, baby killing, etc). This was surprising to me because a) Isn't EVERYONE like that?! and b) I wasn't extreme in any way. I wasn't going to disrupt traffic to save a whale, is what I'm saying. And I'm still not going to. But here is what I have changed my tune about: I want to try and avoid having my future babies in a hospital if I can (meaning no drugs, no suctions, and no flat on my back deliveries), and I am no longer eating meat if I don't know exactly where it has come from.

A few weeks ago I watched the Business Of Being Born and I was expecting to make fun of it. I mean it has Ricki Lake in the credits for crying out loud. How silly is that? But then it turned out to be really balanced and to make a lot of sense as to why natural birth, home birth, and/or birthing centers work for some people, and in some cases are healthier ways of having babies. I believe in doctors, in check ups, in science and technology, but I also believe in trusting and listening to my body, in experiencing life in a spiritual way, and in doing what makes sense for you, the individual. Nothing drives me crazier than people who want to preach about what EVERYONE should be doing and the choices EVERYONE should be making. I'm never going to scream in your face that you should be eating organic, or riding your bike to work. But I do think everyone should be better educated so the choices they make are rooted somewhere besides "that's how everyone does it". Anyways, I never thought I would ever say I want anything but a sterile, ordinary labor/delivery experience. But I do. Also - if you could check back with me in ten years to see how that one worked out, that would be great. Seeing as I have no pregnancy in my immediate future.

The other documentary that had me writhing with anxiety over the ammonia additives being blended into 80% of the hamburger sold in the United States = Food Inc. (Which is actually nominated for an oscar this year. Hooray!) Bottom line is: Food is important. It keeps us alive, it can make us sick, it can kill us. Anyone sitting through a food handlers permit class knows this and rolls there eyes. It's not just about "Do not place your hands on ready to eat food!", it's about how our society is generating mass amounts of meat, poultry, and corn and how making food part of our industrialized society is hurting the individual. You'll have to watch it to get all the nitty gritty - and let me tell you this is not one of those graphic slaughterhouse movies. Lord knows I wouldn't go ten feet towards one. Bleck. And again, this is a personal choice. I don't mind paying more for animal products, I don't mind eating them less (actually - health wise we should all be eating less meat), and I will never ever be a vegetarian because I believe humans are supposed to eat meat, but I want to know where mine comes from, and I don't want it to come from a huge factory. I wrote a blog a few years ago about watching this guy at one of those walk up-mall type mexican places make my food. And how he was angrily and violently throwing my chicken and lettuce together and how I KNEW he didn't want to be there and I KNEW he hated his job, but um... excuse me, that's my food you are hating on, and could you at least be nice to it? And that's exactly how I feel about my choice to pay attention to where my meat products come from. I don't want to eat stuff that's treated badly.

And could this post get any more touchy feely? Gross. It's Superbowl Sunday! Now off to eat my weight in nachos.