About Me: Words of an idealist over thrown, we’ve been known to do away with our thinkers.

Tradition is steeped within the minds of all as methodically as the leaves of tea.

And how the words, they limp about – we’ve shot them in the legs.

We take them down a peg and notch and laugh as they collapse.

Hang the orator from the rafters; we’ll toast his legacy at the after party.

After we chide the generic rhymes of absent poets we’ve cast aside.

You are tradition and I am not – and I will not limp along.

I will not rhyme for the sake of rhyme in the refrains of popular song.

You are tradition – oh dreadful tradition – the decision is gleefully made.

To lay the ‘classical’ within the irons and laugh while it is slain.

We burden ourselves with rules and constraints – my complaint is really a question.

What lesson is learned if we can’t discern why we’re doing the things we do?

We cannot subscribe to the strokes of dead painters whose ‘realism’ gave them their place.

Or the chefs with their plating, how I’m salivating to plate it an opposite way.

We can throw down the shackles of all their constrictions – oh restriction strikes no relevance.

To live our lives causing nothing but friction – is the most satiating of all ‘nonsense’.

We accept what we’re given and take what we’re handed – but suppose we demanded more…

Suppose we demanded tradition reprimanded and made to limp on all fours....

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I like creating pictures (and words, looking above, I'd imagine you've figured this out)...

I also like creating edible things as well. This of course is my career.

(sushi...obviously)

(tempura)

(tofu pad thai)

I also like writing and poetry. And records. The vinyl ones though, not the ones that erase themselves when yr hard drive crashes... oh and also, my wife and I maintain the Vegan Chicago! page over at Myspace.com - so if yr vegan and/or from Chicago (one or both or whatever), you should add it! oh...and we personal chef too. For cheap. Nice eh? www.artfullydelicious.com

How I became a veggie: At first I wanted to lose weight and stop eating so much junk. After being vegan for a little bit, I began to look into the effects that the animal industries have on the environment at large, how the energy used to produce one pound of meat COULD have been used to produce 100 pounds of grain instead, and how migrant workers and illegal immigrants and aliens are the main source of bodies used by these industries to get their work done. These people have no rights and if injured (which most of them do - almost mortally), can't have worker's comp or anything since they're technically not supposed to be in the country anyway.

I've also been able to draw the parallels between my veganism and my faith as a Christian. While I have no interest in pushing my ideals, beliefs or choice of Saviour on anyone, I DO believe that supporting the meat and dairy industries, purchasing products tested on animals and generally not giving a toss about what is being consumed is bad stewardship and a horrible example to others.