7.23.2010

must see: the earthlings

DISCLAIMER: the bottom of this post contains disturbing images. there is a warning before that section of the post, if you do not wish to see.



have you heard of the documentary "earthlings"?

apparently it was released in 2005, but i never heard about it, until i read an article in the seattle p-i about the mistreatment of the elephants at woodland park zoo and saw a reference to earthlings in the comments section.

i watched the trailer online...



okay, i lied. i watched about half the trailer online, until i got to the part showing dogs, raccoons and foxes skinned alive in china for their fur, and i felt like vomiting. it was horrifying and disturbing. the images of animal cruelty, abuse, slaughter...

it wasn't that i didn't know this is a sad reality of the world we live in. it's just it's so easy to ignore. bury my head in the sand, so to speak.

anyway, i knew i had to watch earthlings.

i ordered it on netflix, and it sat on my coffee table for 6 days, daring me to watch it.

finally last night, with butterflies in my stomach, i put in the dvd, and cuddled up on the couch with bondi as my little spoon, and pressed play.

it was beyond disturbing. profoundly grotesque.

and i think you should watch it!

i know, i know. you will say "you can't bear to watch it" it's too awful. blah blah blah.

~*~this is me on my soap box~*~ if you eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, and steak for dinner... if you wear cute patent leather shoes and carry a lovely coach handbag, if you have a designer dog (or any dog), if you've ever been to the zoo or the circus or the rodeo, if you live on this planet we share with non-humans... you owe it to yourself to be informed.

~*~this is not me preaching~*~ telling you what decisions to make for your life. i do not judge you for your choices.

~*~i will not lie~*~ i eat chicken and turkey and eggs and milk and cheese. i wear leather.  

i am just as complicit in the torture and suffering of animals as the next person. and that is exactly what it is. torture and suffering. but i know... and i choose.

i choose not to eat mammals.
i choose to adopt my dogs from the shelter.
i choose to volunteer at sarvey.
i choose not to support seaworld or the zoo.
i choose to support defenders of wildlife.

and...

i choose to share this powerful documentary with you.

fyi: you can watch the whole movie documentary online here: www.earthlings.com

here is a summary (from wikipedia):
EARTHLINGS is a multi-award winning feature length documentary about humanity's absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) while illustrating our complete disrespect for these so-called "non-human providers." [...] the film is narrated by two-time Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by the critically acclaimed platinum artist Moby. [...]

With an in-depth study into pet stores, puppy mills and animal shelters, as well as factory farms, the leather and fur trades, sports and entertainment industries, and finally the medical and scientific profession, EARTHLINGS uses hidden cameras and never before seen footage to chronicle the day-to-day practices of some of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit. Powerful, informative and thought-provoking, EARTHLINGS is by far the most comprehensive documentary produced on the correlation between nature, animals, and human economic interests.

Phoenix has commented on the documentary that, "Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets people talking the most. For every one person who sees EARTHLINGS, they will tell three."

consider ~this~ me telling three.

here is what people are saying who watch the earthlings:

"earthlings is the definitive film of all time that americans don't want to see."

"for those who watch the earthlings, the world will never be the same."

"earthlings is nothing short of a masterpiece"

"it is a rare experience to be changed by a film. earthlings has that power."

"the most powerful movie i have ever known."
WARNING: Below is a preview of certain disturbing images in the movie. 
DO NOT SCROLL DOWN IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO SEE. 




images courtesy of google "earthlings" images

7.13.2010

lovely surprises!

We spent the past weekend in Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands enjoying gorgeous views like this:


I have stories and pictures to share later, but I will just say I was surprised by a few things.... like, I *heart* private beaches (read: no tan lines)! Well, that's not really so surprising but I just wanted to make y'all jealous.

Oh, and SURPRISE: I don't do well with bossy Type A females who are probably a lot like me but obviously I'm less obnoxious because duh, I'm awesome.

Saturday evening, while Joe and I were enjoying the sunset and a lovely dinner, I received an email from my hilarious mom who had her own lovely surprise.

I have something crazy to share :) David and I were sitting at our fire table, under the 100 foot evergreen tree that comes through our deck, just finishing up dinner, when suddenly a giant half eaten catfish bounced heavily off David's head and landed with a splashy muddy plop on his plate. I kid you not. We then noticed the crows flying around and causing trouble. They must have made the eagle in the tree above us drop his dinner! In the words of your cousin Isaac, "THAT doesn't happen every day!"


Yes, that is seriously a half eaten catfish that fell from an eagle's talons to my dad's dinner plate.

Well, apparently it hit him on the head first.    

Can you imagine???

One of the lovely perks (surprises) that comes along with living in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest.

Tomorrow, I'm off to San Diego bright and early for work. I asked Joe if he would take me to the airport for shits and giggles. (BTW is that an expression anyone else uses? Just me?) I have to be there by 6:00am so I naturally assumed he'd so say no way jose but I must be a really good girl because he agreed. And I was surprised! Especially since there's no way I would take him to the airport that early, and I told him as much.

I KNOW, I KNOW, I'm terrible... and some of you bloggers are like crazy wake up at 4:00am for workout peeps and 6:00am is like sleeping in. For shame.

Anyway... see how I tied this totally random post all together??!! *so proud of myself right meow*

7.06.2010

blogger: fail!

Hi lovelies!

It's been well over a month since I last graced you with my presence here.

Blogger: FAIL!

excuse #1: I'm a new mommy to this lovely pup who keeps me on my toes with his silly antics.


Joe's dad came in town for 10 days (excuse #2, and that alone deserves its own post!) and introduced him to the laser pointer... Yeah, thanks for that!

Lil' Homie will chase that damn thing for hours. (And here I thought only cats chased those things.) If you stop playing with him, he just stares at the floor and waits. It's a little disconcerting...

PS the photo in the bottom left corner above is (L to R) Sophie, Homie, Tanner and Bondi. Sophie and Tanner are my mom's pups. We decided we needed a picture of all the dogs after a couple "pomtinis" and I believe this was Take 14.

excuse #3: I have this whole JOB thing that's quite an inconvenience... plus I've been traveling for work. See!



Well... that's enough excuses. Now here are a few collages courtesy of Picnik from our Memorial Day Weekend camping trip (yes, I know that was a REALLY long time ago)...


...And a few fun events Joe and I have been to here in Seattle.



Well, that's all for now! I promise I'll be back with exciting adventures and funnies soon.