no-tox

if you haven't heard already... i lasted about 4 full days on the detox. it was certainly a good experience but didn't know what i was doing to my body. i started to feel strange and malnourished. I think the cleansing part of it was really helpful but it was hard to stick to basically an all vegan diet without having any knowledge about it. i might start back up again after doing some more research. i dropped a couple pounds which felt great, but just like beyonce, i packed most of it back on in a matter of days. it's ok, i feel good. i don't feel like i quit or anything... josh lasted a little longer than i did, BUT he retoxed way faster than i did with a healthy portion of bike race/day long trip from homemade absinthe.
more importantly, i've been doing some artwork for my dear graphic designer friend Devin. It's for a poster that we are going to print for a band coming to town called the Dark Romantics. They are playing at the Sentient Bean sometime in Feb. Look for signs with this on them:


til next time y'all...

Day 1

So, day one wasn't that bad. I woke up and had my first big challenge of going out to eat without actually eating all of the delicious food around me. Luke was headed back to Brooklyn so I couldn't pass it up. I had tea, he had eggs, bacon, pancakes, all that good stuff. When we got home, Josh had already taken the plunge into to our morning drink combo. Its one cup of this tea that Josh had brewed overnight consisting of:

Some red clover, cascara sagrada (bark), dandelion root (more bark), uva ursi leaf, burdock root, licorice root, yellowdock root, senna leaf, and pau d'arco bark.
But once it's all brewed together it looks something similar to gutter water. I imagine it doesn't taste much different.

My minimal sense of taste comes in handy for that one. The second drink is a combination of psyllium seed husk, which basically exfoliates your intestines

combined with Bentonite clay, which takes care of the rest of whats in there, thats where the term flush comes in handy... And the word is that its super important to be drinking water all day or else these flushing drinks can have the opposite effect... Nah'mean?

Speaking of flushing, I've started to spend more time here...Josh had prepared me for that and it didn't really hit me until later in the day.

So throughout the day, i had both drinks, some tea, banana, rice crackers, cashews, an orange, and rice with kimchi... surprisingly, i didn't feel starving. I did however give the challah sitting on my kitchen counter a good stare before i walked out of the kitchen.

Starting tomorrow...

Everything is going to be turned upside down starting tomorrow morning. My lovely, 31 year old, tea drinking, bike riding roommate, Joshua, and I are doing a 3 week body clense/fast/organic tonic regimen. No, this ain't no Beyonce fad diet. I'd like to consider it a favor I'm doing for my body.
For the first week were are going to be getting used to our new eating routine. It will consist mostly of different roots, barks, and things you would find in a bag of mulch. This is going to take some getting used to because I've become comfortable with my carb addiction(i.e. cereal, toast, fried anything, fruits, etc). We'll be able to enjoy some things like unsalted nuts and rice but for the most part we will be nourished my an infinte amount of tea and tonic consisting of maple syrup, lemon juice, more bark and roots. In the middle of the second week there might be a day or two of fasting. Never in my life would I consider doing this if I didn't have someone else to experience it with. Josh has done it before and said that there is a point where the toilet is more of a safe place and to expect some adult onset acne. Why am i doing this you ask? I guess for the most part, I want to have a healthier relationship with food. I've gone so long without really being able to taste much (due to my allergy condition) that I just rely on texture and don't really know how to enjoy food anymore. Even if I eat something delicious I don't know how to know when I'm satisfied. I just want to keep putting food into my mouth because I've become more soothed by the action than the actual fare I consume. So as of this moment I am saying farewell to some of my dearest friends: dairy, meat, sugar, refined wheat, gluten, partially hydrogenated oil, & alcohol. We've had a lot of good times. Here are a few of them in this past week:
Our feast of buffalo wings, that we traveled all the way to the most tourist infested part of town to pay a mere $.30 per wing...

Then there was Christian's delicious birthday brunch that we cooked at the house, great fruit, eggs, pancakes, the works... and Luke, my favorite boy roommate of all time was there with us all the way from Brooklyn...

Later that same night, we ate at my preferred establishment, Juarez...mmm queso... (highly unnatural pose in this picture)

After seeing our friend's folk show, we got a little antsy
Then we indulged in my hard day's work of baked goods...

And finally tonight, I got to eat my last good meal with new friends Skip and Christy. She cooked her own birthday dinner for us all. Great salad and curry tofu (aka pizza soup)... and birthday cake, again...

Looking back it seems that I do in fact know how to enjoy food. I will not, however miss having to make the decision as to what or where to eat every day. But I do spend most of my time with my closest friends over meals, that I will surely not cut out of my life. I will just be the asshole at the table that orders hot water and lemon...

It's a whole new year

Wow, I'm not quite sure what has kept me from updating but I have a lot in store. This was my new year's celebration on the whole:

eating an early dinner at Sakura where Martha works, enjoying some fried icecream

Christian enjoys reading a little cat fancy at Jon's house

on the couch there is the couple i did the illustration for in my previous post

Danny doing one of four obnoxious "bro" mannerisms

The beginning of the end


At the party downtown



Lovely Lola and Miss Martha having a good ol' time



Wreaking havoc on the streets after the ball dropped...



there is more in store soon, i promise.