Photo Blog-O-Rama! Pt. 2- Sushi Train of DOOM!

(Not really..it just sounded sort of catchy.)

Another day, another brain drain. This time it was a discussion in my Women and Violence class about the feminization of society leading to emasculinization of men and whether or not men actually can communicate about emotions/care about women without feeling the need to subject them to paternalization (lots of -zations!).

Then tonight in Theories and Methods we had an in depth conversation about sacrifice, violence, religion and the inherent anger in all mankind, which resulted in me agreeing to write an email to Rene Girard concerning his opinion on virtual human sacrifice (i.e. video games and gory movies) as an outlet for violence and whether or not he hates his daddy. *Whew*
(Side note to SB- Now maybe you understand why I thought it was "really cool" to stare at the screen while you worked on Illustrator for an hour? ;-) )

Anyway... all of that was a round-about way of saying that you, dear reader, get another photo blog! YAAAAAAAY!

You may remember that back in February I gave up fish for Lent. I wish I could say I was completely successful and made it the whole 40 days, but that would be against my new "Honesty is the best policy" policy. I only slipped up three times because I desperately needed protein and tuna salad just sounded so much better than beans or eggs. But technically Sundays in Lent aren't included in the count, so I did go for 40 days. Technically...

Kat and Meghann helped me break my Lenten fast on Wednesday with some yummy sushi from the Sakura sushi train. Observe...

The train rounds the corner and the anticipation is overwhelming! I drooled...just a little.

What to choose? What to choose?!

The fast gets officially broken with a piece of salmon nigiri. Mmmm!

Happy sushi eaters- Meghann and Katherine!

A job well done!

The night could have ended with tattoos and a possible new piercing, but alas Freaks on Broadway was busy (on a Wednesday night?). Perhaps that's a good thing though, because in the near future I'll have more photo-blog material for those brain dead days.

No Two Ways About It

I'm starting to think that I shouldn't have given fish up for Lent.
No, I haven't suddenly changed my mind about compassion towards living creatures, and no I didn't give in and go on an all night California roll bender.

However, I'm starting to think it would have been a better idea to give up my ambivalence for Lent. Maybe... ;-)

In all seriousness though, a complete stranger asked me today (in a completely pressure/judgment free situation) what I honestly believed, what my "spiritual beliefs and practices" are.

I hemmed and hawed for a moment before muttering something about being raised in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and studying Buddhism and seeing the validity of any honest quest and then I sort of made some vague reference to the "Ultimate Reality" and energy.

Wow Lindsey, is that really the best you could do?

You see, somewhere along the process of earning my degree in Religion and Philosophy and going off to graduate school I got so worried about people judging me for what I believe that I packed everything I might have held true into a box, locked it and sat on top of it. I think I lost the key.

So now here I am in this sort of suspended spiritual animation where I'm able to hold all these different conflicting ideas in my head and not do one damn thing about them. I don't judge, I don't believe, I just absorb. As a consequence of this amazing ambivalent juggling act I feel absolutely root-less. There's nothing holding me up.

I think this is definitely a major factor in the recent anxiety I've been experiencing. Sitting in class sometimes I really want to have an opinion, I really want to have some system of something to measure these new pieces of information against on a personal level.

I want to argue not for the sake of arguing but because I actually care about a belief or a cause.

It's a little bit scary thinking about unpacking the box since it's been so long since I've even really looked in there. But I think at this point in my life, at this point in my relationships, it's a necessary fear to face.

My act of compassion towards animals this Lenten season is not eating fish.
My act of compassion towards myself and everyone I interact with (especially you Mark) is reclaiming my roots, reclaiming health, reclaiming myself.

This isn't going to be easy, but sometimes the best things in life just aren't.

Throw me some beads!

My Fat Tuesday sushi feast was quite the success.
Unfortunately Kat was unable to join me due to the flu, so Gabriel and I hit Wa on Massachusetts street. Maguro (tuna) and inari nigiri (the little fingers of rice topped with wasabi and a piece of raw fish) followed by a Love roll (Crab, cucumber and avocado topped with more avocado and shrimp) and a spicy tuna roll. Oh and a piece of a Lawrence roll and spicy shrimp nicked from Gabe's plate. *drool*

So tomorrow Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, and while I am in no way obligated by my beliefs or even my church to give something up, I find it to be a great opportunity to practice discipline and sacrifice.

Technically the Sundays during Lent aren't counted in the 40 days so some people say you can indulge on those days, but I'm not going to. Infact, I'm not sure if I'll go back to eating fish after Easter. Giving up meat completely is an act of compassion towards all living beings, so why only limit it to a mere 40 days?

My main reasons for being a pescetarian (only eating fish) are environmental. We could easily end world hunger by simply cutting back on our demand for meat. The majority of grain cultivated goes towards growing livestock when it could go to feed the malnourished. The majority of the water used in this country goes to that industry as well. Cows contribute far more methane gas to the global warming problem than cars believe it or not. The list goes on and on.

By giving up all forms of animal flesh as food I'm acknowledging and reflecting on the suffering and cruelty of living beings caused my the meat industry (fishing included).

I'm not going to push this veggie thing on you or judge you for eating meat. I'm not even going to ask you join me, but I do ask that you at least take a moment to be mindful of your food, to appreciate where it comes from and be grateful for the energy and the life given that allows you to sustain yours.

Thanks for reading. :-)