I'd like a Diet Coke with Vanilla and extra ice. Hold the cancer, please.

Around 2 PM every afternoon, I get sooo sleepy (I believe these are called the "sleepies"?). Definitely nap time for Tracie. I head on over to the Sonic around the corner and get a Large Diet Coke with Vanilla, extra ice, which comes to a total of $2.03 (woot woot).


However, I am somewhat slightly obsessed with what I put in my body, thanks to "Fast Food Nation", which sparred my moment of enlightenment (EW MCDONALDS... NEVER AGAIN!!) and started the snowball rolling down the Nutritional/ Ethical/ Moral Information Mountain. I was baptized into the Church of Healthy Food Freaks in March 2008. I didn't realize how much crap there is in the grocery store/fast food places/restaurants. I try to eat raw foods only--unprocessed, clean, pure, fresh, no chemicals or preservatives.


And yeah, okay, I KNOW Diet Coke does not qualify as a "raw food". But I get really tired, ok??


Diet Coke may not have any calories, but it is chock full'o artificial sweeteners, mostly ASPARTAME. Warning: For those of you who like diet colas and other low-calorie snacks or drinks: Don't read the following excerpt. Continue on in ignorant bliss 'til your insides start rotting from the chemical crap storm you put in there.

"When aspartame was put before the FDA for approval, it was denied eight times... Aspartame has been blamed for a slew of scary maladies, like arthritis, birth defects, fibromyalgia, Alzheimers, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. When methly alcohol, a component of aspartame, enters your body, it turns into formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is toxic and carcinogenic. Laboratory scientists use formaldehyde as a disinfectant or preservative. They don't f-ing DRINK it... When aspartame is combined with carbs, it causes your brain to slow down its production of serotonin. A healthy level of serotonin is needed to be happy and well balanced. So drinking soda can make you fat, sick and unhappy." (Skinny B, 14, 32)


Ok, so, do I want to die "unhappily" being happy, sipping my vanilla Diet Coke with extra ice, rotting my insides with FORMALDEHYDE, and dance the Dance of Hypocrites as I spout off to friends and family about how red meat/any processed meat has an unquantifiable amount of carcinogens and toxins and partially hydrogenated oils ruin the digestive system?


Or do I give up EVERYTHING that is bad for me, including Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Diet Coke (the very thought hurts my heart), and practice what I preach?


I don't know! I don't know! The moral tug-of-war in my head is exhausting. It's so hard when those "sleepies" hit and I need my legal upper.


Countdown to Moment of Truth: Will I or Won't I Stand Up For What I Believe in? What do you think?: One hour, 39 minutes.

Ache, Crave, Desire, Hanker, Itch, Long, Lust, Pant, Pine, Pity, Want, Wish, Yen

The ONLY thing that gets me through the day without:

1. Clicking the "Purchase" icon on (example) the Victoria's Secret Shopping Check-out Page and

2.Shopping in general after work

is---cue drumroll---chanting the following Miracle-(dubbed miracle by me because it WORKS) Mantra:

"My credit score/financial future/growing savings account is MORE IMPORTANT than this _____________ (insert potential merchandise item)."



I can say no.

I CAN say no.

I can SAY no.

I can say NO.

Note to self: Must Fight Intense Internal Craving to Buy Lots Of Pretty New Things.

Fancy-Shmancy

Click HERE to listen to (most of) the below playlist.

Or you can go listen to it at the top right of the page. Because I'm freaking cool and figured out the HTML code to put it on my blog.

Soundtrack to My Life: Summer '08

I'm slowly learning how to use HTML: You can click on the name of the song and it will take you to the lyrics!

1. Lupe Fiasco - Hip-hop Saved My Life
2. Rilo Kiley - Silver Lining
3. Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved
4. Duffy - Mercy
5. Usher - Love in this Club
6. Annie - Chewing Gum
7. The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour
8. Sia - Little Black Sandals
9. John Legend - Used to Love U
10. The Bird And The Bee - La La La
11. Ornella Vanoni - L' Appuntamento
12. Peter, Bjorn and John - Young Folks
13. Ruff Endz - Someone To Love You
14. Mika - Grace Kelly
15. Duffy - Serious
16. Garbage - I Think I'm Paranoid
17. Sia - The Girl You Lost to Cocaine
18. Incubus - Pardon Me
19. Collective Soul - Run
20. Nikka Costa - Everybody Got Their Something
21. Lenny Kravitz - If I Could Fall in Love
22. Hole - Celebrity Skin
23. Frank Sinatra - The Best is Yet to Come
24. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
25. Akon - I Wanna Love You
26. South - Paint the Silence
27. Beyonce - Crazy in Love
28. Heart - Alone
29. Camera Obscura - Lloyd I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
30. Nelly feat. 'N Sync- Girlfriend

31. John Legend - Slow Dance

32. Mariah Carey - Touch My Body

33. The Coral Sea- Look At Her Face

JAMES IS A NUTMEGGER-HEAD!

So last night I fell asleep at 1 AM but because of the SAN I took (Sunday Afternoon Nap), I woke up wide awake at 3 AM and couldn't fall back asleep til 5.


And I got to thinking... Crap, I'm really sad that my brother James and his girlfriend/my sister-in-law-even-though-it's-not-official- but-I'm-going-to-still-call-her-that, Alysia are moving to New Haven, CT where James will become a "Yalie", perusing the aisles of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Sterling Memorial Library, used in the Indiana Jones films (Cool!).

I'm going to miss my brother, who not only took my birthday away from me (we share the same birthday, May 11th, James in '82 and me in '86. And I realize that technically James was born first but I still say he pilfered the one day I could call my own), but also left scars on my back from the pinching wars we had when I was 10 and he was 14.

I can't believe I'm going to freaking miss his sarcastic remarks about my reality TV fetish and my new-found vegetarian lifestyle. I'm going to miss the DDR/Guitar Hero mania. Not so much his DDR outfit--------------------->

But definitely the parties. James and Alysia always added to the "cool family" factor.

Ok James, I guess it's cool that you got accepted to Yale, will be getting two master's degrees and a Ph.D., and have a full-ride/fellowship and will become a Yalie Socialite for the next 7 years.

And I guess it's cool that I'm moving to New York City next summer and New Haven is on the end of the Metro line so it's super easy for me to visit.

And I guess it's cool you're going to the same school as Rory (Gilmore Girls).

But it's definitely bizarre you will be known as a "Nutmegger" instead of a "Conneticutian".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutmegger

I love wikipedia. They know EVERYTHING.

This is so WEIRD.

Go see this video:

Teenage Pregnant Pact Video on MSNBC

A group of sophomore girls at a highschool in Gloucester, MA pade a pact to get pregnant and raise their kids together. This year there were 17 girls pregnant at the school, as opposed to the average of 3.

Run, Run As Fast As You Can

I like to run.

Thus far, the only way I've been able to track my mileage while running is by driving my route in my car and subtract the starting mileage from the ending mileage.

This makes my life a whole lot easier, running-wise:

Map My Run

It's a map of the United States with cities and streets, and you can draw out a route where ever you want, in any state you want, and it tracks the exact mileage for you. I can spend tens of minutes (because spending hours would be past borderline pathetic) making running routes all over my neighborhood and I LOVE it.

Get off your lazy bum and run!!

Interesting fact: Running shoes last for about 500 miles, so try to keep track of how much you run, then buy new shoes!!

Note To Self and Others: Can You Stop Being Flaky? Please?

flake [fleyk]: adj.

1. to lower (a fore-and-aft sail) so as to drape the sail equally on both sides over its boom.
2. to fall asleep; take a nap.
3. to never return a phone call even if it is urgent
4. to make promises over and over again one cannot keep


If all you need to do to save someone's life is to make one phone call, don't you think you can take 5 little minutes out of your day to make the phone call? Instead of promising and promising to make the phone call, can you just DO it? Can't we all actually do what we say we're going to do instead of making false promises to please people and to avoid confrontation?

I am extremely fed-up with the fickle world. Many would probably laugh at me right now, because I used to be the Queen of Flaky-Triple-Booked-Can't-Say-No-To-Anyone. But now that my whole summer is in the hands of the most flaky and flighty person in the world, my eyes have been opened to my erroneous ways. Now I must make apologies to those who I've been flaky to recently to forever purge myself of this hideous habit:

Drew- I thought I mailed your card, but it fell between the seats in the car!! Going out in the mail TODAY! Love you, Miss you!! We'll get the Wii set up next week so you can beat me in boxing :)

Banana Republic: I'm sorry, 8-10 hours a week wasn't enough. I've moved on to a 40 hour work week. But sorry I never called to tell you.

Mom: I WILL clean today! Kitchen, bathroom, family room, everything.

Carol: I really WILL never take anymore shoes/ANYTHING from you without asking!

I promise from here on out to call when I say I'm going to call, send letters when I say I'm going to send letters, clean when I say I'm going to clean, not borrow Carol's shoes without asking again, and properly quit from a 1 1/2 month stint at a clothing store.

To the person who holds my future summer job in her hands: CALL RED CROSS TODAY AND GET ME MY LIFEGUARD CERTIFICATION YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO FILE TWO YEARS AGO!!!!

Is it really that hard? Is it really THAT hard to do what we say we are going to do?

Live a little and actually DO what you SAY. I need to start on my summer tan ASAP.

Ode to Sushi: 2 Haikus

Red Raw Fish Yummy
Rice Rolled Up Seaweed Sticky
Eat and Eat til Full.

Spicy tuna good.
Soy sauce, dishes, chopsticks, crab.
Vegas, crunchy, best.

You Really Don't Want to Put This On Your Skin!/Life Update

Friends and Family of Me/Consumers: Be on high alert for the following ingredients in your beauty-related/hygiene products:

1. COAL TAR: Used in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams. Is a known carcinogen (any substance or agent that tends to produce a cancer ). Coal-tar based dyes such as FD&C Blue 1, used in toothpastes, and FD&C Green 3, used in mouthwash, should be avoided.

2. FRAGRANCE: used to conceal hundreds of ingredients, including phthlatates, which harm the endocrine system.

3. HYDROQUINONE: Found in skin lighteners and facial moisturizers, it's a neurotoxin (A toxin that damages or destroys nerve tissue) and is allergenic (A substance, such as pollen, that causes an allergy).

4. ALUMINUM: Used in eye shadows as a color additive. Also used in deodorants. Listed as carcinogenic, toxic, and mutagenic [capable of inducing mutation (used mainly of extracellular factors such as X-rays or chemical pollution)].

5. TRICLOSAN: Used in almost all anti-bacterical products, including soap, toothpaste, cosmetics. Often contaminated with dioxins, which are highly carcinogenic.

6. P-PHENYLENEDIAMINE: Found in regular hair dye. Can damage nervous system, cause lung irritation and severe allergic reactions. Listed as: 1,4-Benzenediamine; p-Phenyldiamine; 4-Phenylenediamine.

7. LEAD AND MERCURY: Lead can appear in toothpaste as a naturally occurring contaminant of hydrated silica. Is a neurotoxin. Mercury is found in cosmetic preservative thimerosol.

If in doubt about a particular product you own, visit www.safecosmetics.org which has a database you can search by typing in your product.

SOURCES:"Gorgeously Green" by Sophie Uliano, Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), dictionary.com


UPDATE:

The Knabe side had a family reunion/Memorial service for my Grandpa Knabe over Memorial Day weekend. It was great to see everyone and I think it was the first time the whole family has been together since Christmas '94. My sister Kellie and I were able to sing "Be Still, My Soul" without any complications at the Memorial service. Good thing, since we only started practicing about 12 hours before we performed.

I had the privilege of playing lifeguard for the family BBQ at Uncle Don's house (Good luck Don at elections tomorrow for LA County Supervisor! You'll kick butt on that 19 year old girl and "Dr. J"), where I bonded with Drew, 4 yrs. (who is my favorite EVER and who I owe a movie night with!!!), who invited me to his 5th birthday party next year, Christy, 4 yrs, the most adorable little girl ever!, and Olivia, 2 yrs (sister of Chloe). And I had to keep an eye on Chloe, the most enthusiastic little 4 year old I have ever met, who was NOT afraid of the water slide or the deep end, kept giving Don and her mom minor heart attacks and who I had to dive after many a time to keep her from the deep end/getting smashed by other swimmers at the bottom of the slide.

For Memorial Day, I went out on a family friend's boat with Curt, Svea, Matt, Briana, Chris, Steph and the kids around the canals in Long Beach... beautiful day, beautiful water! Pictures to follow soon.

As for now, I am just working at Victoria's Secret and about to start as a lifeguard, swim instructor, and water aerobics teacher... at least I'll get my tan back this summer!

I can't wait to go to the dog beach with Diane, Carol, and the girls, Nora and Peanut. It's very therapeutic.

I need a girls weekend at the beach with Tawnie again ASAP.