Are you prepared for a zombie attack? The Canadian Govt wants you READY.

OK, OK…it’s obviously time for a new blog post. My Guy said if I don’t do it I’m in trouble…so lets not beat around the bush anymore and I’ll tell you what exactly has me all excited today!

We are FINALLY getting our yard landscaped! Since we moved in mid-December it’s been a dirt pit with no greenery. Our landlords are building a lane-way house and the yard was one of the last things to be completed; obviously they needed to wait till the new house was done. Today sod was laid and there are shrubs, bushes and plants awaiting in pots ready to be put into the earth to grow. The side of the house will have tons of soil for me to play with and build my garden. I can’t wait. I’m beside myself with excitement. I don’t know really yet what my complete plan is, but I know it’s going to be an adventure watching it come together. My only limit is money; building a garden does take some cash so it may be a fairly slow project. But regardless, I’m super excited. The sun is out, the sky is blue, I have a roof over my head, a terrific Guy by my side, the adorable Moops alongside as my side-kick so what more do I need? (my 2 best friends to live close to me would be nice though…)

I didn’t know the Canadian government had a sense of humor. I was forwarded a link for Zombie War Preparedness and yes, the link is truly from the government. It’s a great idea really to get people thinking honestly if they are prepared for an emergency. Whether that be an attack from zombies, or say the slightly more common acts of Mother Nature like earthquakes and floods, this site will get people talking. (Apparently the CDC did it too, so I’m wondering if my government stole the idea? Zombies are kinda cool after all…) In all seriousness though, if you aren’t somewhat prepared for a few days during an emergency, maybe now would be the time to start looking into that. I’m just sayin’.

Speaking of zombies, did you know August 18th is the Vancouver Zombie Walk?

For those of you who keep asking me about more info on the ongoing pet cremation story, please keep this site bookmarked. Check back often for updates.

My Guy and I enjoyed what is probably the best red wine I’ve EVER tasted in my life, the other night. It’s not overly expensive (under $20 CDN. Nice) and it’s not from an exotic far-away place (it’s Californian) and the label is fantastic. But damned if it isn’t smooth, rich and aromatic. It went down so nicely without a sharp alcohol aftertaste. What is this mystery wine you ask? Cycles Gladiator Merlot 2009. We have the Cab-Sauv that we have yet to pour…My Guy insists wines with bicycles on the label are superior. He may be on to something…

If you’ve read my blog, you know about the pet cremation story done on a local news station here. It came out of nowhere and HIT HARD. I blogged about it, I felt sick about it…I believed what the news reported to me. After all, why wouldn’t I? I have been watching BCTV for years; I trust their reporters…

Then the emails started coming in from concerned people, people I didn’t know…people who wanted the REAL story to get out. There is so much more to this story then was even touched upon. I don’t know what to believe, where to look or how to go about getting the correct answers. I am extremely angry that not only was my clinic taken advantage of, but that SO MANY OTHERS were hurt. I can’t deny the facts listed here are solid. They’re backed up by screen shots, valid links….information anyone can access. Where is “Steele on Your Side” for the obvious follow up that is needed?

I am thankful for one person in particular who has helped me see another view on this and who is letting the facts speak for themselves. Please read those facts here. (to understand the entire story, please scroll to bottom of the page and read up…)

Sweet treat or breakfast food?

I’m driving home from work tonight  listening to CBC Radio 1 as usual and they tell us about a lawsuit that was recently settled in the US. No biggie, somebody is always suing somebody down there so I’m only half listening. Then my ears pick up the words, “nutella” and “false advertising claims” and I’m suddenly paying attention. Seems like some folks in California got together a bunch of ‘concerned consumers’ to launch a class-action lawsuit against the makers of Nutella for falsely leading them to believe it was a healthy and nutritious thing to eat.

Hmmm. So many things wrong with this I’m actually baffled as to where I should begin. What point to address first? First off it’s ADVERTISING…they use enticing words we want to hear like ‘natural goodness’, ‘holistic’ and ‘organic’ and guess what? They can do this! They also have to put a label and ingredients on the package so the consumer knows exactly what they are getting, what a serving size is considered, if its trans fat or not and so on…

I don’t care what an advertisement in a glassy magazine shows me, or what an ad on TV says, when I go shopping I read labels. I realize not everyone does but I’m stunned that this lawsuit was even brought to a judge.  It’s a CHOCOLATE sugary spread up for debate- not something that even remotely looks healthy! You be the judge, do YOU think something with sugar as the very first ingredient on the label is healthy, nutritious and good for you? Is it something a child should have every morning for breakfast? Or maybe just a serving size (1 tbsp by the way) once in a while for a snack?

This isn’t rocket science. This is a gimmick. This is a company doing what it’s supposed to do- sell you something. I believe in this case it’s up to the consumer and these people in this lawsuit to take some responsibility. Put 2 and 2 together. Read the label to see the first two ingredients read: SUGAR AND MODIFIED PALM OIL (We’ve all heard about palm oil in the news lately but that’s another story…) In one serving, again that’s 1 tbsp only, there are 100 calories and 6 grams of fat. There is no Vitamin C or Vitamin A and the protein level is 1 gram! Give the kid a handful of hazelnuts for crying out loud as a snack if you’re looking for protein and nutrition.

My point is, shoppers need to take responsibility for what they are buying and what they are putting into their bodies. Nutella is sugary and tasty; of course it’s going to be marketed for kids and if kids were doing the grocery shopping they would be buying it up! But we adults are doing the grocery shopping, right? If you want to serve Nutella, do it knowing it’s not a healthy and nutritious spread, but rather a tasty and sweet treat we can indulge in. Pair it up with whole wheat or multi-grain bread toasted, some fruit juice and oatmeal for breakfast. Make it work. But don’t think it’s healthy…

I have Nutella in my cupboard. I admit it. It’s freaking delicious too.

The cruelty-free team at LUSH want us all to know what it feels like to be a laboratory animal stuck in a research facility living a nightmare of testing. Check out their latest media campaign to educate consumers. It really hits home.

Thoughts?

Holy Crap is the number 1 item that people search for on my blog!! Time and time again…Holy Crap this, Holy Crap that. I *really* should try the damn cereal, but I haven’t so please, please don’t ask me what I think of it! Maybe the good folks at Holy Crap will send me a bag- who knows? But for the time being, no I haven’t tried it…

It used to be edamame that people wanted from me. Now it’s this crap (good stuff I hear!)

I’ve got some interesting stuff today! I’m going to skip the intro ramble and get right to business…

Did you know it’s Hug Your Dog Day? I don’t have a dog, but if I did I’d hug him…or her.

If you live in Vancouver (or on the coast of BC) you may be interested in this…a friend of mine has a petition going to stop oil tankers from hanging out in Burrard Inlet. This isn’t just any ‘friend’ but author Mel Hurtig, who I have the extreme pleasure of knowing personally. If you do sign (and why wouldn’t you?) then please take the time to share the link on Facebook or Twitter or wherever you happen to travel to online after you read this…

I can’t figure out if this is real or not. Could it be true that younger people don’t know the Titanic was a real ship that went down in the ocean tragically, and NOT just a Leonard Di Caprio movie? If it is true, what does this say about our young people? Is the education system to blame? Whose fault is it? I know people can be dumb but….

So we’ve all built lots of stuff from Ikea…and it’s no secret that Ikea released a house in a box too. I just hope you get more than 1 of those little tiny thingamajigger generic-all-purpose-Ikea tools with it! Now they’ve gone one step further to building a neighborhood in London. Yes, an entire neighborhood. To me this feels like an April Fools joke but it’s in the Globe and Mail! I saw a great headline while skimming online for this story, “London today. Mars tomorrow” but I’m not sure who or what organization said it. It’s true though isn’t it?

I have been hunting high and low for a TASTY, sticks together Lentil Loaf for years now. I’ve made some pretty awful ones that came from promising looking recipes. I don’t ask for much: it’s gotta be yummy, it’s gotta hold it’s shape and not crumble and it’s gotta be somewhat easy to make without a gazillion ingredients. Oh I’d prefer healthy too! But this recipe here on the Gluten Free Vegan blog may be just the ticket. It was posted last year and I’m a little late in finding it, but better late than never, right?

You like music? Maybe collect some old records? This weekend, April 15, at the Croatian Culture Center is the HUGE Spring 2012 Record Convention. It promises 80+ tables of records, CD’s and music memorabilia. Check out the Facebook page for info.

I’ve been intrigued by ‘dry’ shampoo for a few years now but so far haven’t done anything more than a little research online and maybe check out a few products (over priced) in the drug store when I remember. Since I started coloring my hair again, I realized just how much I did NOT want to shampoo every day or even every 2nd day. Could I get away with 3 days? It was an interesting question to be sure; in the past the 3rd usually meant greasy roots and an overall droop to my locks.

This is where I thought dry shampoo could play a key role- it could help me make it to the 3rd day! All the magazines and celebs give it top reviews…so I started looking around more seriously. What did I find? FREAKY SCARY PRODUCTS…

All were over $12 by far and in the aerosol-type canisters I was accosted with such ingredients as butane and isobutane (as in Batiste which came highly recommended because it’s cheap)! The natural ones in shops like Lush and The Body Shop included the main ingredient as cornstarch/flour. OK cornstarch I can deal with…but butane??

It seemed the more natural product was for me but they come with an even bigger price tag than the flammable freaky products. Some were over $20 or the cheaper ones had such a tiny amount! So I thought about it…and came to a conclusion: why not use cornstarch?

So this is what I do on the 3rd day…I shake out a little of the fine soft powder, rub into my fingers lightly, bend over and start to really scrub it into my roots. I’ll do this 2 times maybe and then brush it out for amazingly soft and CLEAN looking hair. I don’t usually brush my hair because it goes frizzy but on the 3rd day that’s no longer a problem as it’s nicely weighted down with my oils I guess.

I have thought about adding a few drops of an essential oil to the mix but so far I haven’t done…

Some people use baby powder but I tried that too, years ago, and got lank, shiny hair. I have to say it’s been 2 weeks of the cornstarch I’m lovin’ it.

If you’re thinking of going down this road, check out this entire site full of dry shampoos on the market! Who knew? If I had to buy, I’d probably go the more natural route like Lush….

*SINCE POSTING THE SITE FOR THE PET CREMATION ALLIANCE HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN. I’M UNCLEAR IF IT IS COMING BACK*

It’s something pet owners try not to think about- the loss of their beloved and faithful animal companion. When it does happen though, some people chose to have their pet cremated communally or privately. Communal is where multiple pets are done together and privately is when the pet is cremated alone and the ashes are returned to in an urn. As most of my readers know I work in the animal health care field. I try not to judge how any person deals with the loss and their grief for we all grieve in drastically different ways.

A breaking new story hit last night from an undercover investigation by Pet Cremation Alliance and was aired on the CTV 6pm news. For those readers not in the Lower Mainland, it’s a local station with a fairly HUGE viewer base. I’ve no doubt this story, which was only part 1 in a 3 part series, reached thousands of people. Judging by the various comments I’ve read on several article sites featuring this hot topic, tempers are flaring and rightly so.

The decision on how to deal with your pet’s remains after a death isn’t an easy thing to do and it’s usually the vet clinics themselves, that people rely on to guide them in the right direction. This is where I’m saddened because even though I work in this industry every day, I was naive enough to believe that pet cremations were being done honestly. I have seen mistakes made such as spelling errors on certificates, or even one such case where the ashes of a pet were misplaced…but never did I believe private cremations were not done legitimately and ‘by the book’.

I’ve always believed there is a lot of cruelty and disheartened people in the world but somehow the topic of pets and what they mean to us, seems to draw mankind together. I believed this was an area even the most hardened individuals would show signs of softening…

The investigation brought to light what is really going on, and that some (not all) pet cremation companies are in this just for the money. The thought of this makes me sick. The general public already thinks veterinary costs are inflated because they compare them to THEIR OWN health care costs. We are lucky enough in this province to have our own health care subsidized. We don’t know how much basic blood work costs the BC Government for you and I, but I can tell you the price of a general panel for “Bob” the schnauzer will be over $100. It’s not because the clinic wants to take their Clients money…but because the costs of medicine are high! Now because of a few crematoriums that failed to do their job with due diligence, the rest of us honest, animal-loving health workers will face the brunt of the public’s anger. What is already a misunderstood and delicate balance, will now be tipped even farther.

The Pet Cremation Alliance site offers a wealth of valuable information. If you are facing the decision now, or will be in the near future, of putting your pet down please check out the Protect Yourself page. And if like me, you work in this industry, please take a moment to read through the questions they’ve put together on how to know if the facility your clinic is using is legitimate under Tips for Animal Care Professionals.

I’ve been thinking all day- do I write this post or not? Is it too sensitive a topic? Can I suffer any troubles from my clinic for this? I decided I want to share it, and I NEED people to know that not all clinics or pet crematoriums are run like the ones in this article. As a whole I do still believe that 99.9% of Animal Health Care workers do it for the pure love; ’cause it sure as hell isn’t done for the money! Maybe I’m being too nice, and maybe I shouldn’t include pet crematoriums under the umbrella of Animal Health, I don’t know…

Just believe me that your clinic, and your Veterinary Team CARE. If you’re not feeling this love it’s time to look around for a new Veterinarian. We love our Clients and we love our patients…when we lose one, it affects all of us.

I wish the pet crematoriums who ‘failed’ this investigation could get that.

(Oh and part 2 aired tonight, March 29th on CTV, with the final part in the series on the Pet Cremation Investigation on tomorrow. See CTV’s site and Steele on Your Side for more info)

Yeah, yeah, yeah…I’m late. Follow Friday, according to Twitter, happens on a Friday. Oops. Better late than never I say so here is part 2 to recognizing my awesome and amazing followers!

This weeks topic? All things organic and/or from the garden! It’s almost spring and what does that mean? Time to start planning our summer and fall gardens so we can make the most of what the seasons have to offer. Not all these followers will be about gardening but will be about healthy and organic living in SOME sense.

Grimmway Farms is first on my list (@GrimmwayFarms). You will notice first off, their website is gorgeous. It may not seem like something important to mention but in today’s time, if a company’s site doesn’t work for me, or it’s too complicated, not pleasing to look at etc, then I’m going to close it. Grimmway Farms has informative and fun tweets and the site is jam-packed with cool stuff.

Up next is LCM (@CosmoGardener). Now there isn’t a website, BUT if you go to Twitter and check out the tweets you’ll find lots of helpful tips and gardening info to help you out. Did you know Gerber daisies prefer filtered light and moderate temperatures? I didn’t until I read the tweet…

Then there is My Garden Footprint-  (@mgfsite) what a great name! You just know it’s going to good, right? Their site states: “an online community focused on the local and sustainable food movement occurring within your neighborhood.” There are videos, tutorials, recipes and more. I’m really impressed with this site and the concept in general.

OK, these guys do NOT follow me – yet – but I just found them on Twitter: Gardening Know How (@gardenknowhow). They claim, “Ask a gardening question, get a gardening answer.” Yes. Direct and to the point. I like that! On the front page alone of the site I found 5 links I wanted to click on, and did, to get more information. There’s compost basics, a gardening glossary and pests and problems to name a few. And yes, I followed THEM!

Who will I mention next week?

Huge thank you to all MY followers!

I feel like it’s been ages since I posted. I think it’s in my head; I’ve been home all week sick with the weirdest flu and I’ve lost track of time…and reality! I can’t remember the last time I was sick enough to take a week off- I wonder what weakened me so much this time? Or was the flu bug was simply too strong?

As I’ve been here at home resting, I had some time obviously, to look around online. I didn’t have the will/energy to post mind you, but I did have my iPhone nearby in bed and surfed when the mood struck me. I spent some time looking through my Twitter followers and found a TON of gems in the list. I’ve personally spoken to alot of people who ‘don’t get’ Twitter but for those that do, and use it, you know how valuable a tool it can be in social networking and marketing! I wanted to share some of the followers in various categories, that stuck out to me. I hope you find them as cool as I do! I’ll do this in multiple posts because there are just far too many to mention in only one! *Remember without the power of Twitter, I would never have known  about some of these!*

First category up? Vegetarians and Vegans!

The Simply Bar is a company I wrote about earlier, and although I haven’t tried one YET, they certainly look and sound amazing.

The Vegetarian Resource Group is exactly what it sounds like.  A place to get information, seek truths, discover and challenge your ideals. I found the site packed with stuff but not in an overwhelming sort of way either! I just learned for instance, from the VRG that Subway is serving a vegan falafel sandwich in select BC and AB stores. I didn’t know this…

Now here’s something really cool: Veggie TV. I’m not kidding you! VeggieVision followed little ‘ol me and I was stunned that it existed. I’ve always been bothered there wasn’t a veggie channel, or a place that we could go for strictly veg-content.

I love Earth Balance. Great ‘butters’ and now Soy Milk (which I can’t seem to find in Canada still! Hoping it’s Carageenan free…)

A huge shout out to all my followers! Stay tuned every Friday for another “#FollowFriday ” post! Up next? Come back and see…

Goody Good Stuff is right! I love gummies! But alas, the thought of gelatin makes me quiver and not in a good way. Maybe you’ve seen these folks, maybe not- but check out the site. It’s so fun and colorful; makes me feel like a kid.