ThatVeggieChick

So about 60 or so days ago [yeah. updating.]... I went vegan! Just kinda dove in, head-first.

I can cook a mean chili, the best cookies you’ve ever seen, and a most heavenly cheesecake. And it’s all free of animals! Also read lotsa AR literature, which I’ve kept tumbling in the back of my head… Helps me not only explain my reasoning [it was rather vague, though no less strong, at the beginning], and when I read it in public, people always start asking what it’s about… So yeah.

I played through two games.

First one that was beaten… Hotel Dusk: Room 215.

I order it waaaay back in January 2007. I mean, even preordered it. When it came, I felt it didn’t live up to the hype, so after an hour and some of playing, I stopped.

Picked it back up last Sunday. I guess all the hype got out of my mind, as I got stuck to it. I played it all on a five hour car ride, at home, stayed up late a few nights to play, and finally (sadly) finished it two nights ago, January 24th. About 17 or 18 hours on my save. Game wasn’t worth the hype that some blogs gave it (I’m looking at you, GoNintendo), but I’d say it was… Maybe 8.0 to 8.6, 8.7?

Second game, Super Mario Galaxy. I was saving up some cash when it came out, so I didn’t buy it immediately. I got it for Christmas, though. I got into it about two weeks ago. Beat it last night / this morning…

I’m not quite sure how I felt on it. I mean, I loved it, but… Too many ‘freaky’ levels, if you ask me. I’m a scaredy cat, yeah. Even Boos make yelp… So I wasn’t too plussed about that. The levels were a bit linear, too. In some levels, it was just peachy, in others, not so much. The boss levels weren’t so bad, though. I really liked how they used gravity there.

Wasted 10+ lives on the last stage, but took out Bowser in one life. On the whole, I guess I liked it. Somewhere between an 8.8 and a 9.3, I guess. Not second-best game of all time (so far), but pretty good.

I really don’t like real milk. It tastes bad, it messes up my throat, I feel sick after drinking it. I’ve subbed out all the plain milk (like drinking-milk) in my diet for water and orange juice. OJ’s a bit better, though I don’t know that the morning is the best time for it.

But on the other hand, a lot of things that I do like have milk in them. Ice cream (though I eat a third as much, a scoop every few weeks), baked goods, coffee-based drinks, chocolate, etc. I’m trying to find acceptable-tasting substitutes. In some ways, it’s working; in others, it isn’t.

I found two ‘chocolates’ that I really like. First up, some rice-milk chocolate bar by some company called ‘Terra Nostra’. It’s pretty good; a bit sweet, but really close to a normal taste. Second, carob. I’ve tried them plain, and it’s not so great, but I made some cookies with them. The cookies were a bit nutty, a bit chewier, and looked like they were burnt ** (to be crass about it), but they were delicious. My parents and friends liked them a lot, too, though they had much the same comments.

I’m not a big fan of ice cream; I have it only once in a blue moon. What I do like is gelato, and that’s were I run into two things. Firstly, it’s milk-based. Secondly, there’s no gelaterias around here, so I haven’t got much of a problem. I’d like to figure out a way to make it on occasion, though. That’s a problem for the future.

But just a plain milk sub, I’m having a problem. I’ve tried soy milk, and I just can’t drink it, at least not plain. I like it a lot with coffee, though; it adds something sweet to it. I’m not sure soy milk would go with everything, though. I’ve heard of rice/wheat/etc milks, so I’m going to try some of them.