Procrastination

A sure sign your thesis is due the next day is a sudden urge to start a weekly blog for the first time in your life. Procrastination is a college staple, and I'm little better than the next student. Though, to be fair, I'm really close to finishing the dang thing. So why not use this extra imagined free time to create a blog?

Admittedly, the title had me stumped. I'd like to make a weekly blog focusing on of life's finer things, but "Biology, horses, and baking" just didn't make for a keeper title. I figure my interests are random enough to keep a diverse audience entertained, but we'll have to see.

I am a female vegetarian college student biology major who likes cooking, horseback riding, tennis, line dancing, hiking and picnics. If you can't guess I grew up in the Pacific Northwest you really aren't trying very hard.

In two short weeks I will be free from my undergraduate years forever (though not if I don't finish this thesis), spending my summer working in a plant cell biology lab near Salem, OR, then making the trip to Seattle, WA this fall to start graduate school in Public Health at the University of Washington. In the meantime, I plan on experimenting with vegan baking, traveling to New England, hiking as many of Oregon's trails as I can manage, and just making the most of my summer.

Tonight is my second time experimenting with vegan cookie-making. I'm not a vegan, but I'm a vegetarian with an egg intolerance, so I think learning to cook some cruelty-free baked goods suits me just fine. I got the recipe I used off of VegWeb.com and they are called Chewy Chocolate Chip Jumbles. Delicious. Plus, only ~100 calories each, which most cookies can't say. Go to http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=32489.0 and check it out. I'm planning on trying a bunch of their vegan recipes before the summer is over.

Other than vegan cookies, this weekend had nice enough weather to see me exploring with my bike for the first time in ages. I am super out of biking condition, so I decided to take it slow and go to Minto Brown Park, just off of downtown Salem. It is a 898 acre nature reserve with a dog park, walking trails, and paved bike paths. Perfect place for a leisurely bike ride to get you back in the habit, or a morning walk with a friend to shake off the stress of the day.

Saturday night I was excited to find The Horse Boy on instant watch on Netflix. It is the documentary of Rupert Isaacson and Kristin Neff and their travels to Mongolia to combine shamanistic healing and horses as a means to help heal the painful side effects of autism in their five year old son Rowan. The story is miraculous, sensitive, witty, and honest. You should definitely look into reading the book (by the same title and an amazing read), or renting the movie. You can also go to http://www.horseboyfoundation.org/horseboystory.html to learn more, or donate to the learning center the family started combining horses and learning for special needs children.

Well, hopefully this is a good enough start for my first blog. Looking forward to adding more recipes, not just links, and telling people about great outdoorsy places to hang out in the Pacific Northwest. Oh, and boring you with stories about my own miraculous equine. Take care, and have a nice week :D