Ahhhh. Wait, let’s all do that again. Ahhhhhhhhhh. It’s summer. The air is warm, the sun shines, the grass smells cut, and the birds chirp like maniacs. If it wasn’t already hugely obvious, I love summer. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s hot weather (which is the best kind), there is often ice cream, and, even when the majority of any given day is spent at work, there are weekends and hours after work that are ripe with possibility. Oh, and you can get sun. Sun is the end-all be-all of things that you can get. Any day spent in the sun is a good one in my book, and basking on a little patch of hot sand (or in a pinch, grass) is my idea of heaven. The world can pretty much float along on its little orbit, tilting on its little axis, doing whatever little worldly business it has to do, so long as I can soak in a few minutes of delicious sunshine.

“But!,” [...]]]>

Ahhhh. Wait, let’s all do that again. Ahhhhhhhhhh. It’s summer. The air is warm, the sun shines, the grass smells cut, and the birds chirp like maniacs. If it wasn’t already hugely obvious, I love summer. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s hot weather (which is the best kind), there is often ice cream, and, even when the majority of any given day is spent at work, there are weekends and hours after work that are ripe with possibility. Oh, and you can get sun. Sun is the end-all be-all of things that you can get. Any day spent in the sun is a good one in my book, and basking on a little patch of hot sand (or in a pinch, grass) is my idea of heaven. The world can pretty much float along on its little orbit, tilting on its little axis, doing whatever little worldly business it has to do, so long as I can soak in a few minutes of delicious sunshine.

“But!,” screams the overachieving Type A in my head, “Isn’t that wasted time?” The whole question of whether roasting in the sun is bad for you (which most people defnitely seem to think that it is) or not (which I’d rather believe) aside, shouldn’t I be doing something? From barbecuing to kite surfing to rock climbing to volunteering or catching up on reading or something? To paraphrase “The Simpsons,” should I really settle for being a human being, when I could be a human doing? With so, so much to do in the world (including everything from trying to make the world a better place, to captivating readers’ interest and curiosity about the highly excellent vegan lifestyle, to finally giving my tub a good scrub), is there really time to just lie there like a lump?

Here’s the thing about summer and its attendant relaxation: It is a time unto itself. Of course, there are many times during the year (particularly if you live in San Francisco, like I do) when you simply cannot bust out a bikini and lie around. There are plenty of days when you are required to be inside, for perfectly respectable purposes like gainful employment or the fact that it’s raining and dreary out. Summer is not one of these times. Summer is when you are able to cast off the shackles of clothing layers and simply enjoy. And what happens when you fully unwind, in the way that only a person who is currently warmed by the sun without any pressing obligations can? You think better! In short, summer is the time to simmer.

When our minds get a break from the incessant stimuli that surround us, something really wonderful happens: things sink in. My brain begins to realize trends like the fact that I’ve seen the same color featured in a few different magazine layouts, that there have been more than a couple headlines about a certain subject, or that salted caramel seems to be everywhere suddenly. When the deadlines are, even momentarily, turned off, my mind starts thinking about the things that it wants to think about – like characters who could work themselves into a little short story, or the texture of a favorite comfortable chair – and forgoes temporarily the things it needs to think about – like what the best headline is for a given story, or what the cover text for our next issue should say.

I’ve practiced Bikram yoga on and off for the last 10 years, and, at the end of every class, there’s a blissful time called Savasana, when the posture you’re meant to be in is simply lying on the floor. Most teachers insist that this is actually one of the most important postures of the entire series, as the stillness found in being supported by the floor allows your body to absorb the benefits of the preceding 90 minutes of hot, sweaty effort, and the same is true for the mental gymnastics our brains go through every day. Creative problem-solving creates neural pathways that keep our minds active and engaged, and once those pathways are pumped, flexed and stretched from an overtaxing work week, they’re ready to soak in a little relaxation, so that non-urgent ideas can come shining through.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and you can certainly always push an idea out at the 11th hour, but is it your best idea? Is it the one that you’ll be proud to claim as your own once everyone else has seen it? See what happens after an hour spent lolling on the grass. Slather on your favorite cruelty-free sunscreen, pack a bag with ice, cups and the makings for Dark and Stormys, and head to your nearest sunshine. Let your skin, and your psyche simmer in the warmth of summer, and see if it doesn’t pay off when you eventually (and somewhat begrudgingly) head back inside.

For more information on how to optimize your health, visit www.vegnews.com/.

Photo credit: José Manuel Ríos Valiente

Creating more news conduits (aka technologies) makes room for more news providers, and as a result people have become very choosy about the types of news they take in and from which providers. Long gone are the days [...]]]>
Hi there! I don’t know if we’ve met, but I’m the media. (OK, fine, I’m not all of it, but I am definitely one teeny tiny part. Jon Stewart, Anderson Cooper and Jane Velez-Mitchell are in here somewhere, too.) So often people talk about “the media” and its influence on our society and culture as though it was a singular entity and a really mean one. It feels like the media is basically the equivalent of a cultural Balrog, the big nasty monster of shadow and fire from “The Lord of the Rings.” (Oh, excuse me. My nerd slip is showing!) As technology progresses, the media’s swirling firestorm grows exponentially. Every time a new method of delivering information to people is developed, we are more continually blasted with the influence of the media.

Creating more news conduits (aka technologies) makes room for more news providers, and as a result people have become very choosy about the types of news they take in and from which providers. Long gone are the days when every house in any city would have the local paper delivered daily, which gave the community not only a register, but a shape from having its residents sharing the same knowledge of current events. Now, we can choose to get tweets from certain sections or reporters from our favorite paper, stream only the clips of video that we most want to watch, or rely completely on blogs for our doses of daily info. While this specificity does make the news experience much more personal (and thankfully keeps newsletters with non-vegan dishes out of my inbox), it also makes the media seem like an unimaginably big monster, continually spewing out tweets, re-tweets, re-postings, links and newsletters that collate them all.

But here’s the thing: I’m the media. As managing editor of a national magazine (that just so happens to be about veganism, my favorite subject of all time), I have basically the best job on the entire planet, and one that falls decidedly under the media umbrella. I’m not just saying this to flatter myself, but I don’t too closely resemble the Balrog. At 5 feet 3 inches tall, my firestorm is more like a warm breeze. I’m a person, probably much like you. I like kale salad, walking to work and very nearly anything with chocolate on it. The big swirling mass of media is made up of tons of people, and none of the ones I’ve met have big pointy horns.

So, come over and say hi! I swear not to bite or throw molten lava at you. It’s my job to know about the amazing project that you’ve just started and tell the world about it. Media culture is a perfect example of squeaky wheels getting greased. If you have the most magnificent non-profit on the planet, you need to sound an alert! Let me know about the phenomenal book of vegan recipes you’re coming out with; tell me all the details of the vegan food company you’re about to launch, and clue me in when you’re planning an event so wonderful that I’d be embarrassed not to know about it. Call me! (OK, in reality, I prefer email, but other editors might disagree.) The good news is that with so many more reporters, editors and bloggers out in the world these days, you have even more opportunity to let the world know about whatever amazing work you are doing.

Contacting the media is something even we in the media need to know how to do. Here’s a little for instance: Once upon a time (a few months ago) we had just announced the winners of our 2010 Veggie Awards. Since we’re fortunate to have a lovely relationship with the editors at Ecorazzi, they gave their readers a little sneak peek of our lineup, which sent a bunch of traffic to our website and created buzz around our story. Sure, you’re thinking, media love fests are fine and dandy for you insiders, but what about me, the mere mortal? Try this example on for size: When Eleni Vlachos started the Bull City Vegan Challenge – a competition that encouraged restaurants to offer new, vegan items on their menus for the month of October – one of the first things she did was email me the scoop. The result? Her hometown activism was featured on VegNews.com.

As much as it might seem like the media is unreachable, uncaring or unreasonable, it’s made up of people who (for the most part) want to tell good stories. Each of us has the chance to shape the media. With any luck, we’ll someday talk about it like something slightly less scary than a fire-breathing monster and more like a trusted friend.

Photo Credit: Valerie Everett

Oh, time, you crunch me so. So many of us find ourselves in the perpetual time blender of having roughly 800 jillion things to do per day, and it’s so easy to feel like we’re falling behind. While it’s great to make sure that the basics are covered, like sleeping and showering, it’s the little extra things in life that make the days more enjoyable. One thing that I’ve found helpful is micromanaging, which does not, in fact, involve getting absurdly caught up in the business of others. Instead, micromanaging to me means working small, manageable projects into the day. Whoa. It’s like a whole new word.

Now, I’m all for handy theories, but actually putting them into action is a whole other story. What are these little projects, and when exactly can you fit them into a schedule that more closely resembles a Pollack painting than a day planner? Here are 10 things that can be done in 10 minutes to brighten any day.

1. Walk! Yep, [...]]]>

Oh, time, you crunch me so. So many of us find ourselves in the perpetual time blender of having roughly 800 jillion things to do per day, and it’s so easy to feel like we’re falling behind. While it’s great to make sure that the basics are covered, like sleeping and showering, it’s the little extra things in life that make the days more enjoyable. One thing that I’ve found helpful is micromanaging, which does not, in fact, involve getting absurdly caught up in the business of others. Instead, micromanaging to me means working small, manageable projects into the day. Whoa. It’s like a whole new word.

Now, I’m all for handy theories, but actually putting them into action is a whole other story. What are these little projects, and when exactly can you fit them into a schedule that more closely resembles a Pollack painting than a day planner? Here are 10 things that can be done in 10 minutes to brighten any day.

1. Walk! Yep, the raging trend from your infancy is coming back. Just taking a little stroll outside can do wonders for clearing out your head, giving your heart rate a bit of a boost, and allowing you to remember what fresh air smells like.

2. Clean something. Maybe getting the entire house white-glove clean isn’t going to happen in 10 minutes, but think small. Unloading the dish rack, wiping down the counter, or collecting the laundry off the floor are all easy bits that can make a nice visual difference in how spic and span your place feels.

3. Plan the next hour. Can you arrange your entire upcoming week-long business trip including evening entertainment and travel in 10 minutes? No. Can you plan the next hour at work to make sure that you’re getting the highest priority projects done first? Yes.

4. Call someone. I’m not saying it has to be your mom, but you know she’d appreciate it. Ahem. In the wild world of our ever-evolving communication technology, actually hearing the voice of someone you love can make all the difference between feeling alone in the world and feeling like the world is with you.

5. Eat something. A piece of bread with peanut butter, an apple, or a handful of peanut butter pretzels (by far my favorite option), can take you from “ready to maim the next person to talk to me” to “why yes, I’d love to meet and discuss the finer points of international diplomacy.”

6. Go vegan. Speaking of eating something, if you’ve been kicking around the idea of going vegan (and who hasn’t with all the recall mayhem of late), then you know what? You can do this one in even less than 10 minutes. Decide right now to stop purchasing animal products. Congratulations, you’re now vegan! Not sure how to go about your fancy new lifestyle? There are resources galore on this ol’ internet, so plan for a bit of reading time, if you feel like it.

7. Hug it out. Whether it’s your sister, your neighbor, or your love interest, a nice hug is something pretty much everyone enjoys. Touch is one of the easiest ways to convey complex emotions, and when your life is in a class-four state of whirlwind, a genuine hug can help keep you grounded. Please note, do not hug for the full 10 minutes. That’s creeptown territory.

8. Write a thank you note. Doesn’t matter who it’s to or what it’s for, just do it. The thankee will be stoked, and if you’re like me, actually writing thank you notes is a really great legitimization for stocking up on stationery, with which I am obsessed.

9. Write a love list! The fantastic Ms. Carr has been doing these recently, and they are simply fantastic. Hello, thoughts of things that you like, all in one place. Genius!

10. Sing karaoke. Sure, actually going to a karaoke bar with friends and enjoying an evening takes more than 10 minutes, but singing a signature song means a few minutes of fun plus the bonus of memories that last a lifetime. And really, if you’re going for a song that’s more than 10 minutes long, you might have a little megalomania to work out. Which is very likely to take more than a few minutes.

Photo Credit: Koka Sexton

My mother, who has what some people refer to as an “alpha” personality (others might say “benevolently dictatorial”), was chatting with an acquaintance whom she’d met while volunteering. Mom runs the Commission on Disabilities in our county, and for the last year or so we’ve had the pleasure of referring to her as “the Commish.” Since she’s the boss (and a nice person), she’d invited her fellow commission members over for a social lunch. As they were talking, her friend interrupted her, saying that she was totally surprised and impressed that Mom is the same person at home that she is in meetings or at official commission functions. “Who did you expect?” she responded.

Being the same person no matter what the circumstances might seem like a given, but think of all the interactions during which you fulfill a role. Do you speak to your boss the same way you speak to your neighbor? Do you chat with friends the same way you talk with clients or your mother? While there [...]]]>

My mother, who has what some people refer to as an “alpha” personality (others might say “benevolently dictatorial”), was chatting with an acquaintance whom she’d met while volunteering. Mom runs the Commission on Disabilities in our county, and for the last year or so we’ve had the pleasure of referring to her as “the Commish.” Since she’s the boss (and a nice person), she’d invited her fellow commission members over for a social lunch. As they were talking, her friend interrupted her, saying that she was totally surprised and impressed that Mom is the same person at home that she is in meetings or at official commission functions. “Who did you expect?” she responded.

Being the same person no matter what the circumstances might seem like a given, but think of all the interactions during which you fulfill a role. Do you speak to your boss the same way you speak to your neighbor? Do you chat with friends the same way you talk with clients or your mother? While there are obvious reasons not to be exactly the same (you know, clients really don’t need to hear the nitty gritty of last night’s date), there’s a strength of character in being yourself, no matter who’s listening.

Think about these three situations and how you typically act in each:

Work. No matter what your job title, you have a role at work. Do you find yourself telling your boss that you love her pantsuit, even though the very word “pantsuit” makes you gag a little? Do you agree with creative decisions that you’d have set on fire if there’d been an incinerator handy, just to save yourself from having to come up with a new idea? It’s probably not a good idea to go blabbing about your weekend exploits, but neither is it a good policy to be someone other than yourself at work. Voicing your opinions, ideas, and personality honestly and politely will clear your work life of stress.

Home. It’s easier to be yourself in your own space, of course. But! Perhaps you should not be so much “yourself” at home. Taking a cue from your work life might just help things run smoother around the house. For example, you’d never snap at a coworker when you’re in a bad mood; that’s called a professional courtesy. Thinking of your personal relationships in the same way that you think of business relationships can be immensely beneficial. You keep your cool under pressure at work, and the people who share your personal life deserve the same consideration. By expressing yourself the same way at work and at home, you’ll be more authentic in your interactions in both places.

Everything else. Well, there’s a handy little umbrella term if there ever was one. But really, in whatever else you do, be you! Sharing yourself and your passions with the world in a real, honest way—whether you’re waiting for your favorite treadmill at the gym or chatting in line at the supermarket—makes each day more rewarding. Sometimes this can be a tricky arena for those of us who advocate for animals. There’s a fine line between sharing your vegan passion and berating the gal next to you on the bus about her ham sandwich. When your love of a cruelty-free lifestyle is a natural part of your personality, everyone you meet will have had a positive experience with a vegan (yep, that’s you!). Even though speaking up for animals can seem scary or rude, but it won’t come off that way unless you are a scary, rude person at heart.

Being true to yourself, your passions, and your values is just about the most liberating thing you can do for yourself, and you can do it anywhere, any time! Heck, you might even make your mom proud.

This time of year, we hear about being thankful more than ever. Generally speaking, right as all 48 family members sit down to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast is actually not the most appropriate time to have everyone individually ponder why thanks should be given—unless of course you want to be thankful that you managed to survive. But, sometime before the intoxicating aroma of Mom’s phenomenal stuffing and the tantalizing mountains of (dairy-free, duh) mashed potatoes take over your brain function completely, now’s not a bad time to think about thanks.

Sure, you can go the standard route and ponder the people, events, and presences in your life that you’d be lost without. Recognizing the community of family and friends who gather at your table this T-Day is a part of the tradition for a reason: it strengthens and solidifies bonds that often have a tendency to break down in our regular, busy schedules. But there’s something else to think about when we think about thanks this year: non-holidays.

It would be just about [...]]]>

This time of year, we hear about being thankful more than ever. Generally speaking, right as all 48 family members sit down to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast is actually not the most appropriate time to have everyone individually ponder why thanks should be given—unless of course you want to be thankful that you managed to survive. But, sometime before the intoxicating aroma of Mom’s phenomenal stuffing and the tantalizing mountains of (dairy-free, duh) mashed potatoes take over your brain function completely, now’s not a bad time to think about thanks.

Sure, you can go the standard route and ponder the people, events, and presences in your life that you’d be lost without. Recognizing the community of family and friends who gather at your table this T-Day is a part of the tradition for a reason: it strengthens and solidifies bonds that often have a tendency to break down in our regular, busy schedules. But there’s something else to think about when we think about thanks this year: non-holidays.

It would be just about impossible to go a full day without having some experience worthy of thanks, but they might not always be the things you expect. Of course, if a stranger holds a door open for you or your best friend happens to bring you flowers or something of that ilk, those are the big-ticket items. But what about the other, not-so-obvious times when saying a simple “thanks” can really make a difference? Whether you go for a very quick “thank you!” or an Elvis-inspired “thank you, thank you very much,” here are a few of my top t.y.v.m. times:

1. In the office. Thanking your colleagues for all their hard work at the end of the day is something I picked up from VegNews’ Associate Publisher, Colleen Holland. A considerate, kind working environment is pretty much worth its weight in gold. When you figure out how to calculate the weight of an environment, call me, and I’ll do the math on how much gold is coming your way.

2. In public. Maybe someone lets you into their lane while driving. Maybe someone lets you go ahead of them at the grocery store, or maybe someone lets you cross the street in front of them while you’re walking your dog. It doesn’t have to be a verbal “thank you” complete with handshake and exchange of phone numbers, but a quick, simple wave can do the trick. Unless you want to get the person’s number, then by all means, ask away.

3. In conversation. Ok, this might seem like the “no sh*t, Sherlock” option, but stick with me here. Yes, of course it’s easiest to say “thanks” when you’re literally speaking with someone already, but the trick is when to do it. Especially for those of us who live a vegan lifestyle, Thanksgiving can be a holiday fraught with overheard conversations about how yummy the animal-derived dishes at the meal are (unless you’re fortunate enough to celebrate a totally vegan T-Day). Nobody likes a Proselytizing Patty, but these conversations really can be a great opportunity to stand up for the animals. If you find yourself in a conversation that turns veg-friendly, don’t forget to thank whomever you’re speaking with for their curiosity about leading a compassionate, vegan life.

Of course, saying thanks is the baseline. You can take it up a notch with fantastic note cards, or go all out and make cookies. Whether you’re vegan or not, the animals will thank you for making vegan cookies, and if you need some inspiration, VegNews just put out our first-ever cookbook, our Holiday Cookie Collection. Maybe we’ve made and eaten more cookies than any non-bakery staff should. However and whomever you thank this season, say it early, and say it often. Oh, and thanks for reading.

Like everybody else, I’m constantly concerned that I should have gone to medical school, joined the Peace Corps, founded about a half dozen non-profits, or spent all day every day mucking out stalls at a farm-animal sanctuary. Or, better yet, all of the above, while still doing my current job and also squeezing in working out, eating, sleeping, showering, watching more Battlestar Galactica than is likely advisable, and eating again—yes, eating is important enough to be on this list twice. Putting together a pretty (and pretty kick-ass, if I dare say) [...]]]>
Ok, I admit it: I have basically the best job in the entire world. Some people dig ditches; I get to go to an all-vegan office where our daily toil involves interviewing the world’s most interesting people, testing the world’s yummiest recipes, and promoting the daylights out of the vegan lifestyle. Do I have bruises from pinching myself? Yes. Does that mean that I’m totally content and never wonder about what else to do with my life? Far from it.

Like everybody else, I’m constantly concerned that I should have gone to medical school, joined the Peace Corps, founded about a half dozen non-profits, or spent all day every day mucking out stalls at a farm-animal sanctuary. Or, better yet, all of the above, while still doing my current job and also squeezing in working out, eating, sleeping, showering, watching more Battlestar Galactica than is likely advisable, and eating again—yes, eating is important enough to be on this list twice. Putting together a pretty (and pretty kick-ass, if I dare say) magazine is endlessly fun, but is it enough? When your profession is also your passion, should you ever really stop working?

Answer one: of course! I mean, you can’t really make the case that sitting on your duff while getting your BSG fix—or whatever your non-nerdy fix may be—somehow helps make more people go vegan. Trust me, I’ve tried. But, in order to be effective when you are technically on the clock, taking some time off and shutting down your non-positronic brain is a must. Whether it’s indulging your nerdishness, getting a massage, or simply sleeping, downtime does wonders for refreshing both body and mind.

Answer two: of course not! So, remembering to take time for yourself is great and all, but, you know, we have work to do. Since animals’ sentience, a-freakin-dorableness, and wide range of emotional expression doesn’t somehow seem to be able to stop people from eating them, it’s not time to clock out until the world goes vegan. Maybe that sounds like a little too much, and maybe it is. But if we were able to rationalize away the fact that it’s up to us to help animals, chances are we wouldn’t have jobs that centered on that very task. Thankfully, the idea of “work” becomes a little bit more fluid when pretty much every aspect of your life revolves around it. Hosting SF Vegan Drinks, where I get to meet awesome vegans, relax, and possibly even enjoy a tipple-type treat? Work. Checking out vegan restaurants in any city I happen to visit? Yeah, it’s my professional duty to hit up Sticky Fingers when I’m in DC. Hanging out with amazing activists and continually being inspired to keep working? Yep, also work. Working all the time—all the time that I’m not literally unconscious—doesn’t seem quite overwhelming when you consider what “working” actually entails.

So, find what it is that you love doing, and do it. All the time. Does that sound overwhelming? Just remember that to be an animal activist, leaving them off your plate every day counts. So what if your day job is a bank teller? Even if you can’t be a baker/sanctuary owner/guidance counselor/pilot/full-time volunteer, doing a good job for animals can take almost as many forms as you’d like it to. Oh, and about going to med school? Adopting a vegan diet means that you, you personally, save the lives of roughly 100 animals per year. Go ahead, call me Dr. Castoria.

Of course, if you want to make working for animals your full-time gig, go for it! Finding a fulfilling, interesting, job—aka, winning the gainful-employment lottery—is pretty much a two-step process. Step one: figure out what cause you’re passionate about. If you talk your friends’ ears off about how much you love animals, chances are that working in animal advocacy will hardly seem like work at all. Step two: apply your skills, liberally. Maybe you’re really, really good a striking up a conversation with strangers—get ye into outreach. If you’re a natural-born numbers-cruncher, find an organization that can use your super-human powers over spreadsheets, and crunch away. Doing something at which you naturally excel will not only make your work seem easier, it will make those you work with think of you as a super genius. Finding a job that fits your skills and personality might mean starting off at your dream organization as a volunteer, then slowly becoming absolutely indispensable. Even if you have to transition from your day job to your dream job over a period of time, the exhilaration of finally landing a position that marries your skills and passions—and offers you a paycheck and bennys—is well worth the time investment up front. Just make sure to keep ice at the ready for the pinch-induced bruising.