Decidedly Obscure Human Complaints.

I’m now in Berkeley! It’s so.frickin.nice.here. There is green vegetation stuff galore, humidity, a cool breeze, I can breathe, bicycles all over the place… and, best part, when we went to Trader Joes earlier there were shoppers wearing backpacks. In Utah? 99 times out of 100 I am the only person in the market with a pack - meaning, I either walked or peddled there. Here? I’m drowning in a sea of hippy hipster walkers and peddlers! Wooo!

Not to mention — aside from veg-friendly and veg places GALORE — there’s also an all-vegan cinnamon roll place and soul food place super close!

Food shouldn’t be so exciting - but, eating new vegan food is pretty much my #1 favorite thing to do when I travel. The flavors are always so new and exciting; and the neighborhoods harboring veg places are always havens for a slew of other awesome local cozy things.

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You may not have thought about testosterone much since your voice cracked while reciting Shakespeare in Mrs. Tonnelson’s ninth grade English class. (art of manliness)

Well, maybe some men haven’t, Art of Manliness. But for this guy? I kindasorta think about it quite a bit - even as my voice began cracking while singing Rock Band karaoke at age 27 or attempting to enthusiastically hoot during burlesque at the bar.

Apparently, in order to increase one’s T, I’m supposed to:

• Sleep at least 8 hours a night
• Don’t smoke
• Don’t consume soy
• Meditate for at least 10 minutes 
• Lift weights
• Eat a serving of good fat
• Eat a serving of animal protein
• Eat a serving of cruciferous vegetables
• Have morning sex (does partner-less count?)

So, everything is all said and good, minus the “don’t consume soy” and the “eat a serving of animal protein” crap.

First, the soy-increases-estrogen hoopla is bunk. A meta-analysis conducted in 2009 was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility which showed that neither soy foods nor isoflavone supplements from soy affect testosterone levels in men.

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Today was day two of the Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race’s presence here in Salt Lake City, Utah (premiering in August). I learned about this whole shindig due to the fact that one of these trucks, Seabirds, is all vegan. They were parked outside of a local coffee shop all day yesterday and had lines galore. We were told they would be there all day today, too.

Nope.

First I heard they were going to park outside of the coffee shop again. Then I heard they were going head-to-head with some other food truck at the downtown library. Then I heard they were heading to the coffee shop. Then heard from my father, “They were just at Coffee Garden, but now they’re driving to the library!”. And then, an hour later, “Now they’re leaving the library and heading to Pioneer Park.” Geez, competition! The trucks were thrown an unexpected curve ball and have to move every frickin’ hour. 

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Since turning my last paper for finals in last Tuesday at 5:59pm (due at 6:00pm) I have been celebrating with a Mass Effect (video game!), staying up late, pajamas, and 21 cans of Coconut Juice in bulk which my adorable parents purchased for me as a finals completion gift. Then last night, some friend took me to Scream 4 (so good!).

Then the celebratory cherry on top - this morning Erin, Andrew, and I caught wind that Seabirds, an all vegan food truck, is in Salt Lake City today and tomorrow! They are parked from noon-8pm in front of a local coffee shop called the Coffee Garden. This is part of The Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” and in addition to their normal menu they’ll have lots of other great things as well like breakfast burritos and cheesy potatoes. This was their breakfast menu this morning:

I ordered the breakfast quesadilla, which was super delicious to the max. My friends ordered breakfast burritos and the “jerk jack fruit tacos”, which had an incredibly interesting taste. I’d never heard of jack fruit before, but it has this chicken-like texture, but with a sweet aftertaste. Mmm!

Fun. And then back to school May 2nd. I am taking an interesting neuroscience class called “Sex in the Brain” which, “Explores brain-based biological influences on gender and sexuality. Content will reflect current findings from psychology and the neurosciences. Topics covered will include similarities and differences between male and female brains, intersexed conditions, sexual attraction, and other issues pertinent to gender and sexuality. Applies to the Neurosciences/Experimental area of concentration.” - ooo! Spot on! 

Today was my first day of Spring semester! After maintaining my rigid 8am morning class go-to-bed-at-10-pm schedule last semester, it was pretty tragic how my 10am class this morning felt way too early. Staying up all night playing Fable 2 over break unraveled all that hard sleep schedule work FAST.

My morning class I barely recall. I sipped water while recovering from the shell shock of returning to school. What I do remember, however, is positive. Then I worked. And then I had my night time Adolescent Development class. Which, by that point, I was finally awake and alert for. I have the same fun and genuinely educational instructor for this class as I did in last semester’s Brain & Behavior, so I’m confident it will be oodles o’ actual learning and being entirely captivated by the information.

Which, to be honest, is quite literally the first time in my entire life of education that I’ve really felt like I’m learning something in a class. A rant will now ensue. You’ve been warned:

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Celebrated New Years Eve this year relaxed and indoors with friends by a fire eating vegan fried chick’n with mashed potatoes watching the 1,000 Ways To Die (which, fyi, might just be the best show ever created) marathon on Spike TV. Which, I realize, is highly preferable to going out and about - oh, age. I took the bus down to my friend Jude’s place to spend it with her and her girlfriend, Shannon, and roommate, Shannon (and given that they both have the same name, I began using two nicknames - for girlfriend Shannon, it’s Noodle. For roomie Shannon, it’s Boobs).

The do-dinner-and-stay-in concept dawned on me the year before last while I was at a drrrrrrunk traditional ol’ New Years Eve party and slid off to the bathroom at 11:55 and locked myself in during the midnight alcohol super soaker hysterics. While sitting there on the bowl and a headache creeping on, I decided right then and there, “Next year, I’m staying in.”

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Lunch today! P&B sandwich on whole wheat bread, banana slices, peaches, and a brown rice pudding with raisins and soy milk. Mmm!

By the way, my lunch today:

Yeah! Happy time San Diego photos! Finally!

Also, to boot, I have a little pluggy-camera-to-laptop-memory-card-thingmabop that enables me once again to suck photos on to my computer and, thus, do some more photo/viddy documentation in the near future here.

In the meantime: