Sept 2006-Oct 2007
You came into my life so quickly, and left me even sooner. I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye.
I'll always remember our special times in Central Park...our late nights downtown when no one was around to bother us...
You taught me what real freedom meant, when it came to getting around the city.
And you taught me to DESPISE taxi drivers. I'll never forget that.
And I'll never forget you. You taught me how to love (bicycling) again...how to feel the wind in my face and the car exhaust in my nose. Getting from point A to point B was nothing but a thrill with you.
My only hope is that you will make someone as happy as you made me. Thanks for the memories...
Yes, yes...my dear friends. The Universe giveth, and the Universe shall taketh away. I had such a great day otherwise. I met with my new friend Autumn from Manitoba Harvest, and had a chance to show her around the Union Sq. Greenmarket and get her some AMAZING Hudson River Valley Apples for her trip home. She has been with Manitoba Harvest for quite some time now and she REALLY knows her stuff. Honestly everyone, we really need to start making hemp our number one fat and protein source. This stuff is simply amazing.
And you should be aware of this as well, other companies like Nutiva are simply virtual companies that buy products from other producers and repackage them so they can sell it for so much more. I had NO clue about all of this. What this leads to is that suppliers start taking months to stock up enough hemp seed for their big Nutiva shipment, and that means very UN-FRESH hemp seeds. Luckily, Manitoba Harvest produces their own hemp seed and ships it out right after production. Added to that, is that they are a huge force in the hemp industry. We have to get hemp legalized here in the states. Its really a miracle plant. Study it and you'll know what I mean. And try some of their Hemp seed Butter with some apples and tell me what you think. I was blown away. Simply the best EVER.
Ok...so back to the bike. As we were walking around, some poor soul decided to cut my bike lock and take my lovely ride away from me. I feel that it was never really mine though...I was merely its keeper for a short while. I got the bike for next to nothing because it was in really bad shape and used to belong to someone who didnt even want it anymore, and then put only about $100 into it. Besides one replaced tire, I bought a bike pump (which is still in my room) and a clip-on bike rack (also still in my room).
So, easy come...easy go. Thats the flow of the Universe and if we cant grasp that fact we are just setting ourselves up for disappointment throughout our entires lives. Nothing is permanent, and we can never really OWN anything. Not material stuff, and not people either.
I have to look at the bright side...I had many close calls recently. Some were my fault for being too risky and aggressive in traffic, but more were because of careless pedestrians and other bicyclists going the wrong way. And with the weather getting wetter and colder, and the roads becoming more slippery, there is an excellent chance that I would have ended up seriously hurting myself and/or someone else. So this is really a blessing in disguise.
I saw that the bike was gone, I shook my head, and went down into the subway and bought a one-month pass. I was really happy with how well I handled it. I could possibly be dead right now if I would have biked up to my casting on 57th Street like I was supposed to. It was rainy today, so you never know. We just have to see the perfection in the entire process. And hey, its one less material possession to worry about and have to maintain, so that cant be all bad.
Also, I was experiencing some serious road rage with cars lately, especially taxis. I would get REALLY worked up as I was being cut off or squeezed out by vehicles. This stress obviously was creating an acidic condition in my body, and I'm sure was preventing me from reaching true alkalinity, which is the point of all the greens I consume.
All things considered, this is probably a good thing. I still want to do my long-distance NYC-Minnesota trip in May, but we'll have to wait and see. My mom doesn't want me to go at it alone, but I don't know of too many people that are willing to miss 3 weeks of work to bike 1500 miles.
And now...for some Hypocrisy!!!
Well...more like, me trying to explain my so-called hypocrisy.
Once in a while, I get an email from someone calling me a big fake because I happen to be a model. That I don't have the right to be green or criticize industrial civilization because I happen to be in catalogs and once in a great while, on a billboard. One person recently said that his parent's small business went under because of Target, so for me to help sell their products (as if they need my help) is REALLY wrong.
1. You are assuming that I am somehow keeping Target afloat by me modeling for them? Like they need me...? If it wasn't me, it would be 100 other guys. This is a bad excuse, but let's be realistic here. Target hires thousands of models every year. I did that job over two years ago. I use the model aspect to promote raw food because raw food really does increase physical beauty. Its a big factor for young people when it comes to making the switch to a raw food lifestyle. Especially those that haven't been mauled by sickness yet. Beauty is a big motivational issue for them, and let me tell you, raw food delivers.
I have struggle with this issue for years now. I started reading Adbusters Magazine
and immediately felt like the biggest fraud. I knew that I was a part of the problem. But aren't most of us? Until we are living in Eco-villages growing all of our food and spreading knowledge to save our one and only home...its likely that we are a part of the problem. Anyone that works for any corporation really. Anyone that works for a grocery store that feeds garbage to 99% of their customers. Anyone in the automobile or even the medical industries. This is one big mess we have all participated in, mostly because we were born into it, and getting out is allot harder than getting in. I always justified the means for the end, but I knew that I wasnt really feeling total support for what I did. But my occupation is just more visible, but make no mistake, we are all out there adding to this. I'm in the process of making the transition, trust me. I've got my plans, and they are not too far away.
Anyways, my goal is to simply make raw food sexy and appealing, and to give out as much free advice as I can during a given day. When people email me, I am more than happy to respond in detail and help them in whatever ways that I can. Did I set up some kind of consultation hotline that costs $50 an hour? NO WAY. My intentions are pure with all of this. I would love to make a career out of this lifestyle, but I don't want to charge people for sharing my knowledge with them. I don't really agree with that.
And I have a future family to start planning for. I want to liberate myself from all paid work as soon as I can, and I'll be able to do that much quicker by modeling. Most of it is harmless catalog work...very low profile. Rarely is it a high-profile job. We all assume that all the jobs are high-profile billboards and commercials, but the bulk of it is simple department store catalogs and e-commerce jobs. I would LOVE to be down in Costa Rica or Southeast Asia living the simple life RIGHT NOW, but I have to plan and be responsible for a little while longer. And anyways, this occupation gives me SO much free time, that I basically live the life of a retired person. If it wasn't for modeling, I wouldn't have read all the books that I did, or had the time to study Spanish or listen to all the Teaching Company Lectures that I have. (downloaded free of course through bittorent...)
We should all be planning ahead so we can liberate ourselves from working for money. Live simply and start to save more. I just spent $500 on fruit trees last night...this is where my mind is right now. I'm very aware of peak oil and the resource depletion that is going to affect our entire way of life much sooner than most of us think, and if I had some regular job for $10 or even a very low paid non-profit job, I would be screwed when it comes to taking care of my future family.
Obviously when you criticize industrial situation, yet are still are part of it, you are setting yourself up for people that want to focus on negative things. This is a given. There is a time period between the point of discovering how destructive this society is for human relationships and the environment and speaking out about it to others...and the point of actually being able to leave your old lifestlye behind. That time period in the middle is where people will call you a phony or a hypocrite or a sell-out. So be it.
My thing right now is to make enough money to set up my off-grid permaculture system in Minnesota, and educate as many people as possible about raw food and sustainable living. If you want to judge me as a hypocrite, then you should ask yourself why you like to focus so much on negative things. I was really brought down this morning reading this nasty post from some disgruntled person. They don't even know me, and worse, they don't email me so I can directly communicate with them. If you are going to say nasty things to me, at least email me directly so I can talk to you a little. All of the nasty stuff is always anonymous. Go figure.
99% is super positive though, and I can't even describe how good I feel to read all of your comments. I think we are the vanguards of this great secret, and we need to bring our friends and family into this circle of life as much as possible. Let us all live the example with love, passion, excitement, and of course, FUN!
If you made it this far into the post, you are my new best friends! Thank you for reading and I promise to keep up the momentum. Thanks everyone! Here's to all the silver linings in the clouds...
Rawmodel
