vegan chai

the loooong-overdue backpack update

does anyone remember this post? it's been almost a year, and i realized that i never updated. then again, i'm not sure anyone is still reading my blog, so maybe it doesn't matter. har har.

in any case, i decided to bite the bullet and get a backpack. it arrived in early march (right before we went on our vegan cruise that i keep threatening to tell you about), and i've been using it instead of a messenger bag ever since. of course, last spring/summer it wasn't getting much play, since i wasn't exactly going to school that much, but still. this fall it's been coming with me to school several times per week, and it has also gone on a few vacations with me. it was weird adjusting to a backpack; as i whined about last year, i felt a little like i was trying to blend in with the kids, and it made me self-conscious. but pretty much the instant i realized that it was helping my back, i stopped caring about that.

i ended up buying a smart alec from the wonderful and amazing tom bihn company (i heart them so). it's a pretty great bag, and it's kind of insane how much it can hold. there are only two things that i have been disappointed by: (a) it's actually a little too big for me, i think, and (b) the fabric on the backside of the bag irritates some of my clothing. by and large, i've really been enjoying the bag--my back is feeling much better, even when i'm carrying a heavy load, and that was the entire point. but sometimes i feel like i look a bit like a ginormous turtle with it on my back. and there are a few "delicate" shirts that have gotten pilled up from the cordura on the back, which makes me a little sad. now that i know, i just wear clothes that are more durable when i'm having a backpack day. 

anyhow, there had been rumblings all along of a new backpack in development, one that would be a bit smaller and perhaps a bit better fit for my frame. i've been watching tom bihn somewhat obsessively, developing a crush on this impending backpack long before it was ever officially unveiled, and meanwhile buying all sorts of other things from them (or putting them on my birthday wish list, hee). i got us a pair of aeronauts (also for our cruise, but they have since also been on a trip to austin), i got accessories for everything (fancy shoulder straps, a laptop case, a variety of organizer pouches (some clear, some not, one cork!), and a freudian slip), and i got a small cafe bag, which is awesome. oh! and i also got an adorable little organizer wallet, which is tops, because it's super flat but carries a ton. lovery.

you realize that this is all building up to a reveal, right? the new backpack, called the synapse, was finally officially unveiled awhile back, and was made available for pre-order, and it looks really great. one of my favorite details is that they put a gentler fabric on the back of the bag (yay!), and another favorite detail was the fact that the early run would be offered in a bunch of me-friendly colors. i had a really hard time deciding (i was hemming and hawing between indigo, kelly, plum, and navy), but eventually settled on navy because i decided it would look the best with my variety of coats. i'm so weird. i got an email this morning, telling me that UPS has got my new backpack in its clutches, and now i'm all excited. i hope i love love love it! 

tom bihn is an awesome company and i heartily recommend them. the pricing isn't for the faint-of-heart, but the quality and customer service make it worth it, to me. they don't use leather (totally vegan-friendly, love that!) and everything is made in seattle. they have a sweetly loyal customer base, and i totally understand why. they listen to their customers (even when they whine, like me) and they make amazing loot.

winter is coming

i've noticed that in the past few weeks, my blog has been getting crazy amounts of hits on the winter-clothing-themed posts from years past. this happens every year, and i'm always a little surprised at the number of people who are apparently actively seeking vegan winter schtuff. my winter coat posts and my winter boot posts get the most love, for sure. 

anyhow, back in the present, i have winter-apparel news! my super-adorable vaute couture peacoat (in blue!) is evidently very soon-to-be-shipped to me! i'm really excited; i can't wait. and in other news, i never got around to buying those sorel winter boots last year, but that turned out to be (maybe) a good thing, because this season they have a new color combination that i like even better than the rest! i ordered a pair from zappos yesterday (in flint), and they arrived today. i haven't had a chance to open the box yet, so who knows if i'll even like them, but i'll keep you posted.

five years today

well, i did it. i made it to the mythical five-year point. i have no idea why, but five years is a milestone that i've been hoping to get to ever since i celebrated my first vegan anniversary. i think maybe it just sounds more "official" or more "i've been doing this for quite awhile now" or more "standard increments of years." heh, i don't know. i just know that i've been looking forward to getting to five years, and now it's here. yay! (and, because i always like to point out my good company... happy 5 years to ryan at vegblog, too!)

i just went back and read my post from last year, and it made me sad. i had forgotten how crappy that day was. but i had also forgotten the nice little jazz guitar guy, so it was fun to remember that. journaling is your friend sometimes!

i brought treats today, like kids do on their birthday. i have six teaching assistants, and so far in the past two months we've celebrated three of their birthdays, which all happened to fall on our staff meeting days (isn't that wild?). i've been bringing these awesome giant vegan cookies from a restaurant nearby, and they are always well-received. so, today is another staff meeting, and another celebration. i baked the fantabulous pumpkin muffins from vegan with a vengeance and i'm looking forward to tearing into them.

as usual, i had envisioned some sort of to-do for my vegan anniversary, but then didn't actually plan one. i thought about having a little party, or hosting a dinner, or going out to dinner, or something. apparently i still have that problem i was talking about last year. instead i will spend the day at school, teach a class, have a staff meeting, go to yoga, and then maybe attend a screening of fowl play hosted by our vegan outreach group. i'm not sure about that last piece yet; i'm not really the type to watch screenings because they make me cry... but i still want to be supportive because i'm the adivsor for the group. we'll see.

five years ago, i had no idea what i was doing. i just knew that i was going to give veganism a shot. i didn't tell anyone at first, because i was afraid i would screw up, afraid that they wouldn't understand, afraid that i wouldn't be able to explain myself well. i had no idea it was going to be so easy. here's to many more!

the daiya cheese, omg

so tell me, have you tried the daiya cheese? because i have, this week, and it is quite something. i had to wait awhile for it to make its way inland, but it was worth the wait. i picked up a bag of the mozz shreds and a bag of the cheddar shreds, with no particular plans in mind, and my husband got to experimenting a couple of days ago. 

with the mozz shreds, he made a pizza (but of course!), and when he was assembling said pizza, i stole a few teensy schnipsels, and they were really tasty! the pizza turned out very well, although the daiya didn't get gooey/melty like we'd expected (we didn't do the broiler trick, because we didn't realize it would need that). still, it was hot, and delicious, and it stretches! it seems rather salty, which i think is a good thing, because it tastes more like dairy cheese (i.e., old familiar flavors). i ate three pieces of pizza and restrained myself from eating a fourth. yum. definitely looking forward to seeing how the daiya would do in something like a lasagna.

last night, my husband surprised me by making grilled cheese sammies with the cheddar shreds. he made his a ham 'n cheese (the yves slices); i went the traditional plain cheese route. again, i tried not to get my hopes up, but i needn't have worried. when i got my sandwich, i peeked inside at the cheese and it was not only fully melted, but it was stuck to each piece of bread and stretchy in between. eureka! the sandwich was sooooo yum, i said so about 8 times while eating it. delicious. 

they sell the shreds in giant bags, and you can also get huge blocks if you want to do the shredding yourself. i'm hoping daiya takes off like wildfire and we start to see it in "regular" stores soon, a la follow your heart and teese. things are looking up, folks!

i'm back! this time it's for real!

maybe if i write a really peppy title like that, i'll feel compelled to make it come true. whee!