Back...in the USA

Soooo, yes. I'm back. In Miami. With broadband internet access at 30%. Meaning this post might not even go up. Just wanted to let you know I'm alive, and I loved Ecuador. I got tummy sick my last day, but considering the food I was eating, I'm shocked it didn't happen before. But I'm better now. I'm posting one pic for you - ever since I was six years old, this has been a family tradition. We eat at this little dirty restaurant (we bring our own utensils - that's how dirty it is), and then we go outside and shoot gum. Makes for fun childhood memories.

Vacation Time!

Okay, I'm taking two minutes here to let you all know that I'll be leaving for vacation tomorrow and won't be back until the 23rd of this month. I will not have internet access (well, reliable internet access), so there will most likely not be any posts. However, I'll catch you all up when I return. Sorry for not commenting on your blogs lately - I've tried to keep up, but this week has been Crazy Central for me. Today I've been running around like my butt has flames on it, trying to get everything packed and bought and stored and cleaned. I hate the whole process that happens the days before (or day before) a trip - although I'm always glad I managed to clean the house a LITTLE when I get back. Nothing is as bad as coming home to a messy, smelly apartment.
Regardless, I'm still only half done, and I have a little work to finish (as in, job work, not clean work) - so I'd better get back to it. For those of you wondering, I (and the bf) will be in Quito, Ecuador for the next two weeks (where some of my family lives), and then I'm flying to Miami to visit the bf's family. So yay - I love vacations. Way more than I should. Toodles, all!

Poor Ol' Sensitive Me.

Due to my troubles with sleeping these weeks, I've been up exploring new sites and reading about things online - and today I spent some time going over success stories for my local pug rescue group. Some of the background stories of rescued pugs are so sad - I honestly cannot begin to comprehend how anyone could be so cruel to an animal. Especially one as sweet and loving as a pug. Just thinking about the things these poor fellas go through brings tears to my eyes, and yet I realize that this is not even the tip of the iceberg for the immense animal cruelty that occurs every day in our world. That's one of the reasons why I'm a vegetarian - I can't possibly enjoy the taste of animals when I know most of them were treated inhumanely from birth until death. Many people tell me that it's not a big deal - it's just an animal that can't feel or rationalize like us, and therefore, we as the superior species at the top of the food chain, are allowed to do whatever we wish. And I know that animals can't suffer to the degree a human could, but they do feel, and they do suffer to whatever extent their species is capable of. I can't help but put myself in their place, and ask whether I still wish visit the local KFC knowing what I know. And the answer is, no, I don't. I'm not one of those crazy PETA people - I don't hate, or even judge, people who buy mass-produced, cheap chicken over organic, farm raised. I understand that a lot of us just can't afford to pay the difference, and some of us don't even have a choice (at least, my old tiny town in Michigan certainly didn't know the meaning of the word "organic"). However, thankfully I have a choice, and I do my best to remember that my choices impact the world around me, and I can decide whether it's for better or worse. I'm hardly perfect - I'm utterly horrible at recycling, I take baths regularly and don't feel a smidgen of guilt over wasted water, and I can't give up ice cream even if I was threatened with prolonged death. But I try, and really, when it comes down to it, it's not what you accomplish that matters, but your mindframe and your eagerness to be a better person. At least, that's what I believe. All right, I'm done ranting for now, and I'll try to get myself a bit of sleep. Tomorrow I'm getting my hair cut and having a waxing session, so I'm beyond excited. Short hair, here I come!