Vegan Related Blogs

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

That's a great idea! I'm going to have to put my thinking cap on because I definitely can't see myself cooking something new and writing about it every day for a month. Last year I think I managed about 18 posts, all recipe reviews.

[Farrah]

I just watched the documentary Forks and Knives and was totally blown away by some of the research. I have the China Study on order from the library to read through it. It was funny because my husband and I are part of the historical society of Colonial Williamsburg and one of the Execs is Colin Campbell and I am thinking it is the same Colin Campbell who did the China Study. He is from the VA area.
But I was thinking about blogging about research like that too but in a way that is easy to understand.

I always think of the Einstein quote, "If you can't explain it to a six year old you don't understand it that well yourself" lol

[Farrah]

Nope just checked...not the same Colin Campbell lol

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

That's a great idea Farrah. I haven't yet seen the movie but look forward to it. I know you are a new vegan, do you have any or many vegan friends in your community or in real life?

[Farrah]

Yes I do have a couple of vegan friends and few vegetarians. My husband is a little leary however about telling his friends at his HS reunion in a few months about the change. LOL he thinks he will be pegged as the hippie.
We are planning on going to the DC Vegfest next weekend. I read online that it draws quite a crowd. My brother lives near Baltimore so we might make a little weekend trip out of it.

[Betsy]

We almost can't go wrong, right?

[Farrah]

I am actually thinking of doing a blog post on "How to come out of the closet and tell your meat eating friends you are vegan" hehe.

[Farrah]

Ok...all signed up for Vegan Mofo! Yay I am excited!

[Betsy]

Farrah wrote: "I just watched the documentary Forks and Knives and was totally blown away by some of the research. I have the China Study on order from the library to read through it. It was funny because my husb..."

Farrah, are you from VA?! I live in VA Beach!

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

Farrah wrote: "I am actually thinking of doing a blog post on "How to come out of the closet and tell your meat eating friends you are vegan" hehe."

Coming out of the vegan closet is a bit scary at first isn't it?

[Mark]

Farrah wrote: "I just watched the documentary Forks and Knives and was totally blown away by some of the research. I have the China Study on order from the library to read through it..."

We loved "Forks Over Knives." So well made and, as a result, persuasive. You will also be blown away by "The China Study," because it is more of the same.

All these recent veg-themed documentaries (see also Vegucated, Fat Sick and Nearly Dead) are really getting the message out there to people who may be fence sitters. The truly resistant wouldn't even go see them, of course.

[Farrah]

Betsy wrote: "Farrah wrote: "I just watched the documentary Forks and Knives and was totally blown away by some of the research. I have the China Study on order from the library to read through it. It was funny ..."

No actually I'm from NJ but my husband and I LOVE Williamsburg and go there are few times a year. Once his youngest is out of HS we are planning on moving there. So in six years...we will be "Yankee" Virginians hehe.
We will be in Williamsburg in October for our anniversary. Just a short weekend trip. Such a great place to recharge and unwind.

[Farrah]

Lee wrote: "Farrah wrote: "I am actually thinking of doing a blog post on "How to come out of the closet and tell your meat eating friends you are vegan" hehe."

Coming out of the vegan closet is a bit scary a..."

Not so much for me because I have always been the quirky, nutty one lol so trying something like this is almost typical of me. But for my husband it is a big deal. But he doesn't like to tell his friends he has high cholesterol either...lol I think it's a male pride thing. He admits defeat if he says he has high cholesterol hehe.

It does raise a good point though...he has a dinner with friends coming up and they are going to this chinese food restuarant. Since there are so many going, they pre-order a catering style menu where the waiters just bring out trays of various foods. He said none of the foods will be vegan because he isn't in charge of ordering food. He feels bad asking to have a "special" tray of something ordered just for him and doesn't want to stand out as "different".

What would any of you do in this situation?

[Farrah]

Mark wrote: "Farrah wrote: "I just watched the documentary Forks and Knives and was totally blown away by some of the research. I have the China Study on order from the library to read through it..."

We loved ..."

Thankfully many of these documentaries are on Netflix stream.

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

Could he request that a tofu and veggie dish be ordered as one of the many dishes? I think lots of people would eat that. What about noodles? There are so many great Chinese dishes that are vegan that everyone in the party could enjoy. He wouldn't have to ask for a special tray just for him necessarily but maybe ask them to include new dishes for everyone to enjoy and that he could eat too. If these people are his friends, I'm sure they would want him to be able to eat and enjoy dinner too!

[Lisa]

Farrah wrote: "He feels bad asking to have a "special" tray of something ordered just for him and doesn't want to stand out as "different".

What would any of you do in this situation? "

I've had very good luck calling the place as an individual, saying I'm going to be at the event, and asking for a vegan plate. I don't think it's ever not been provided.

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

That's a good idea Lisa.

[Betsy]

Farrah wrote: "Lee wrote: "Farrah wrote: "I am actually thinking of doing a blog post on "How to come out of the closet and tell your meat eating friends you are vegan" hehe."

Coming out of the vegan closet is..."

Farrah, my husband is NOT a vegan or even close; he calls himself "a vegan and more." But he loves two vegan dishes: Szechuan String Beans with Tofu AND General Tsao's Chicken, but with half Tofu. Would that work?

[Farrah]

Thanks everyone...Good ideas. I will pass them buy him. My husband is so old school meat and potatoes, and all though he loves the vegan dishes I have been preparing and understands the importance for his health...for some reason he thinks people will think him strange for being vegan.

I am hoping this weekend at the Vegfest he will see it's ok to be a proud vegan! LOL. I am sure they will have some chinese veggie dishes available...

I am going to suggest him asking for noodle dish. Worst case he is going to eat something before he goes out and then just pick on veggies or something remotely vegan.

[Rachel]

Yes, I totally understand about how difficult it is to "come out of the closet" as a vegetarian and especially as vegan. My family has been in the animal agriculture business for more than 100 years, and they still live on the family farm, and they still raise animals there, although it doesn't make enough money to pay the bills anymore. Everyone has to have regular day jobs inspecting the big dairy facilities or washing out the insides of dairy trucks or whatever.

As an example of how screwed up things are, and how my dear family members think nothing of it .. this year, because of the drought in Texas, they had to do an "early slaughter" of hundreds of cows (on the family farm, the very small farm that doesn't make any money anyway). (This is because of the animals not having any edible grass to eat or water to drink and they were dying of heat out there anyway. ETC.) And they don't see anything wrong with it. Of course. That's just part of life.

Another thing is, I have always prided myself on not wasting food, not being a picky eater, etc. In my family, if people are asking "Do you like this?" and "Do you like that?" if there is someone who says, "Who me? Oh, I'll eat ANYTHING!" ... that's considered to be a fabulous thing and a great source of pride. Even if it was a food that I didn't particularly like, if there was some left over, I would make sure to eat it all before it went into the trash can. OK, that's a bit of a psychosis, but it's all related to this "Waste Not Want Not" mentality that I was raised on, and crazy or not, it's something that I subconsciously take pride in.

So ... to go from being one of the ones who "would eat anything," to being vegan, which is perceived as someone who "CAN'T eat ANYTHING!" ... well, that was very hard for me. It was not problem at all for me to go shopping and buy all vegan foods .... because in our wonderful well-stocked grocery stores, we've got plenty of options, the world of vegan food is so ABUNDANT! And in a restaurant, you can only order one entree to eat anyway; even if there's nothing particularly vegan on the menu, I can always piece together some way to make a vegan entree out of the various foods that are listed on the menu.

BUT ... in a family style dinner situation at a restaurant, where food is being passed around the table, and there are 10 dishes, and I am only willing to eat 1 or 2 of those dishes (or maybe ZERO) .... NOW all of a sudden I am perceived as a very picky eater. And that is SOOOO not who I am!!!

This "banquet" example is exactly what happens to me when I go to dinner with my boyfriend's Chinese family. Often times there is not even one prepared dish with no fish sauce or meat in it. Yes, there are vegetables, but mixed with lots of meat in EVERY SINGLE DISH. What they do at the restaurant is, they order a special veggie plate for me, just like what Lisa said. Sometimes they even bring different veggie courses out, one at a time, just like they do for the other people, so I am always getting something new. That's nice. And often times the meat people are looking at my dishes with much interest and thinking that my dishes look very good. So that's a good thing, too!

But .... Farrah I totally understand about your husband not wanting to stick out like a sore thumb, and not wanting to call attention to himself. If he admits that he is following this diet for health reasons, then he also be admitting the health problems, and the male pride thing comes up. So it's difficult!

But I think if he tries ordering a special all-vegan meal just for him (I'm sure the restaurant will be willing to do it), he will find that people don't make nearly as big of a deal about it as what he thinks.

In fact, at first, I did try to hide my vegan-ness from the family ... you know, just quietly eat my own food on the side, because I only see them once every couple of years anyway. But people did notice, of course, and it created some stress at first, but in the end, they weren't nearly as wigged out by it as I had feared. In fact, they have even let me make vegan meals for them, which I think they enjoyed, although they complained and said they wished it had meat.

One time I showed up, my uncle said, "Oh, we knew you were coming, so we've got soy milk in the fridge!" (And then he added, "We tried some, it was disgusting! I don't know how you drink that stuff!") (At the time, I didn't drink soy milk, but it was really sweet that they were thinking of me ... in their own way!)

One time my brother's wife made vegan barley soup for the whole family and said, "Well, I made the soup vegetarian ... it calls for pork as well, but I left it on the side, and you can add it to the soup if you want." Seems there are other people in the family who are trying to cut back on meat, too ... and so it's helpful to everyone ... but I think she wouldn't have thought of leaving the meat completely out of the soup if it hadn't been for the fact that there was a veggie person eating at the meal.

Also, Farrah, in case your husband is worried about stigma associated with the word "vegan" .... sometimes I find it easier to tell people that I don't eat dairy products, meat, fish, or eggs, rather than using the word "vegan." I think it makes it clear what you want, in a restaurant situation.

(I avoid honey, as well, but I don't usually mention it up front. I want people to wrap their minds around the idea of someone who doesn't eat meat, dairy, or eggs, first. Those are the points I really want to drive into their heads. I don't think most people are really addicted to honey or anything, so I don't think it's a big deal to not eat it. To me, it would be like saying, I don't eat "meat, dairy, eggs, fish, high fructose corn syrup, honey, Nutrasweet, etc." It's like OK, yes, that's true, I avoid all of those sweeteners ... and that's very important to me. BUT: These are secondary compared to the main message that I want to give the restaurant, which is: no meat, dairy, eggs, or fish. Please!)

I have also had success in bringing my boyfriend's very carnivorous Chinese family to Loving Hut, a vegan restaurant in San Diego. Normally, every time they get together, they go for a big traditional Chinese feast with whole animals brought out to be devoured be everyone, family style. But for one meal at Loving Hut, everyone (about 15 people) ate 100% vegan. My boyfriend was sure they would hate it, but they really liked it. I was so happy ... just think of how many whole animals were spared, just for that one meal.

So .. even though vegans are often perceived as being a "drag," and kill-joys, spoiling everyone's fun ... if you keep your eyes open, you can find ways for the traditional meat-and-potatoes friends and family to see that trying new vegan foods is fun. Eventually, I'm hoping ... they might become open to the message behind why we choose vegan foods.

So Farrah ... good luck to your husband! Hope you have a great time at Vegfest .. hopefully your hubby will meet some proud vegans and become inspired!

Hope things go well with the banquet. I have noticed that as long as I have a nice veggie plate being served to me, no one perceives me as being deprived, I feel very satiated of course, and it's a win-win. It makes a nice statement about how good a vegetarian meal can be, without inconveniencing anyone. I hope the same is true for your husband's banquet coming up. Let us know how it goes!

[Lisa]

Rachel, That is so cool about the Loving Hut outing! Hopefully, they'll be willing to go again sometime.

[Farrah]

Rachel thanks so much! I am going to have hubs read your response. Wow I can only imagine the pressure coming from an animal farming family to being a vegan!

It is funny to see my family's response when I tell them we are vegan. Some of my older relatives who are strictly meat and potatoes and lasagna just look at me funny. "You are doing what?" They ask.
Someone actually asked, "How long can you keep that up for? It can't be good for you."

[Lisa]

Farrah wrote: "Someone actually asked, "How long can you keep that up for? It can't be good for you."

If they have even a smidgen of curiosity: Give 'em some books, or pamphlets. ;-)

[Rachel]

Also, Lee, that's an excellent point about the friends at dinner being FRIENDS, and as friends, they will care about Farrah's hubby getting the food that he wants.

Basically, despite all my fears ... that's what I found out with my family. Yes, they were a bit put off by the whole vegan thing at first, but in the end I guess they really do love me, because they were able to adjust and "live and let live." Obviously they don't agree with me on "the whole vegan thing," but at the same time they don't want me to be unhappy and definitely they don't want me to go hungry when I come to visit. I think they are starting to see that it's not nearly as difficult as they thought to have some vegan food on hand. It seemed like a light bulb went off in my aunt's head when I reminded her that even something as basic as "peanut butter and jelly sandwiches" is vegan. (Or, can easily be vegan, as long as you've got vegan bread and vegan peanut butter! :) )

Luckily Farrah's hubby is going to a banquet at a Chinese restaurant. Even if they were not planning any vegan dishes to be shared among the group, every decent Chinese restaurant (not a fast food place like Panda Express) knows how to make a good vegan hot and sour soup, as well as dishes with tofu and vegetables, or bok choy and mushrooms, etc.

I have also been to a family-style dinner (it was a wedding) where I tried to eat just the vegan stuff that came along. That didn't work out so great because then I only got a little bit of the veggie dishes, which were eaten by everyone ... and 80% of the time, food was coming out that was not veggie, and I couldn't eat any of it. So ... I ended up looking deprived .... even though I had already eaten before the event and was not hungry at all. No matter how much I assured everyone that I was not hungry and didn't need any more food, it LOOKED like I was deprived and "couldn't eat anything" because I was vegan. Which made me feel icky because that is so not true. I feel it works better to request a separate vegan plate, as Lisa recommended.

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

Wow, Rachel, you always write the most thoughtful posts. Thanks so much for sharing your insight and experiences.

[Rachel]

Thanks Lee, since I was a kid, I've been accused of having oral diarrhea (talking way too much), and on top of that, I'm a fast typist, so I type way too much, also! AUGH! I honestly try to edit my stuff down (message # 70 here, was 50% longer without the edits!!!), but it still comes out hella long ... I hope people don't mind. If the info is helpful to someone, that's what I'm aiming for. :)

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

Rachel, I LOVE your posts. They are always informative and interesting. Please don't worry about editing yourself too much here. I know I'm thankful for all of the information and research you provide to the group through your posts. :-)

[Lisa]

Rachel, I agree with Lee and also appreciate all your participation here. Please keep it coming!

[Farrah]

I don't mind at all Rachel. It is nice to talk amongst other vegans and hear their experiences, viewpoints, etc... I really appreciate all of the advice and thoughts I have gotten from this group. You all have been wonderful!


New delcious post at

http://carrottopvegan.blogspot.com

I think this cake alone can turn quite a few vegan because it is so darn delicious! :)

[Betsy]

Farrah wrote: "Betsy wrote: "Farrah wrote: "I just watched the documentary Forks and Knives and was totally blown away by some of the research. I have the China Study on order from the library to read through it...."

That's quite a connection to the place! It really does have so much to offer. Their public library alone does amazing programming. And I've always wanted to stay at the W-bur Inn. Is that where you're staying for your anniversary? (Congrats!) Three friends and I started making summer day trips together and, last summer, it was Richmond; this summer W-burg. Do you have a favorite vegan restaurant there? We enjoyed lunch at The Cheese Shop, which, despite the name, does a really nice vegan sandwich. Enjoy!

[Farrah]

Betsy wrote: "Farrah wrote: "Betsy wrote: "Farrah wrote: "I just watched the documentary Forks and Knives and was totally blown away by some of the research. I have the China Study on order from the library to r..."

We usually stay at the colonial homes in town when we stay over. We actually went there for our honeymoon and now we go back for our anniversary too.

The Williamsburg Inn owns many of the homes on Duke of Gloucester and have converted them to have simple tavern rooms, but very nice. This is the first time we are going since becomming vegan so I have been trying to find vegan friendly restaurants. I love the Cheese Shop and very happy to hear they have a vegan sandwich! Other than that, I found a pizza place that serves vegan pizza and an Indian restaurant that has some veg options.

[Betsy]

Farrah wrote: "Betsy wrote: "Farrah wrote: "Betsy wrote: "Farrah wrote: "I just watched the documentary Forks and Knives and was totally blown away by some of the research. I have the China Study on order from th..."

I didn't know that...sounds so neat. I've always wondered what the Fat Canary or Trellis could do in the vegan department. But an anniversary vegan pizza sounds just great. Have a wonderful time!

[Farrah]

So hubs and I went on our first vegan adventure at a restaurant. We went for vegan sushi tonight and were VERY happy! My husband was happy about the bill! SO much cheaper to eat vegan sushi and really delicious.

It is the topic tonight at

http://carrottopvegan.blogspot.com

[Betsy]

Farrah wrote: "So hubs and I went on our first vegan adventure at a restaurant. We went for vegan sushi tonight and were VERY happy! My husband was happy about the bill! SO much cheaper to eat vegan sushi and rea..."

You're more successful with yours than I am with mine!

[Farrah]

Betsy you have some amazing recipes on yours! The sweet potatoes look delish!

[Farrah]

Betsy wrote: "Farrah wrote: "Betsy wrote: "Farrah wrote: "Betsy wrote: "Farrah wrote: "I just watched the documentary Forks and Knives and was totally blown away by some of the research. I have the China Study o..."

If you do go back to Williamsburg and want to stay in any of the Colonial Homes let me know and I can give you the name and email of someone who can book it for you. She is director of special gifts and our point of contact since we became "burgesses" with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. We just tell her when we are going and what we want to do and she books it for us.

The rooms are about the regular price of a room at the Inn or the Lodge.

[Betsy]

I will! I live "down the road" and I had no idea! Thanks for the great top, Farrah.

[Val]

Hi everyone (again ;) ).
It's been interesting reading some bits and pieces here about 'coming out of the closet' and how family & friends react!
I have to say, when I first tried going vegan (pretty much right after deciding to cut out meat -even though I was never a huge meat fan as I always thought of the poor animal..) 6 yrs. ago after reading "Skinny Bitch", I had quite a few discussions with my husband, who claimed it wouldn't be healthy, my body wouldn't get all the nutrients it needs (that are supposedly only in dairy & eggs) etc., etc. Needless to say, due to being misinformed myself, I soon gave up and went back on eating yogurt and eating cheese. (I liked the soy & almond milks, so I stayed with them.)

Then we came to Italy and when I thought here it would even be harder, not having all those products available like in the US or other countries in Europe like the UK or Germany...
But, long story short, it's possible! :) And since I try to avoid eating a lot of 'fake' processed food anyway, it's not such a big deal that I don't have access to vegan cream cheese or tofurky and other things.. I have the basics (soy & almond milk, tofu -though only the soft one *sigh*) and need to make the best of it. I do wish we'd get a soy creamer for my coffee here.. I'm currently using a home made one, made with coconut milk but it's not the same and I fear in the long run due to its high calorie & fat content I'm better off cutting it out..

By now my husband accepted me being vegan and actually supports me very kindly; we even went to a vegan restaurant I found online for our 10th anniversary! <3 And the best of it: He loved all the food!!! (I'm cooking vegan most of the time at home anyway ever since cutting out meat but now that I really don't use cheese or eggs, it's even better and thankfully he always likes all my food and actually 'brags' to his colleagues about it :) )
My parents, on the other side, cannot understand "what I'm living of" then without dairy, eggs and meat.. Typical old-fashioned Germans! LOL They might only understand once they see what kind of yummy dishes I can create! ;)

Anyway, sorry for the long talking! *blush*
My blog is also new and not professional at all compared to some awesome sites out there! (I love reading other vegans' blogs!!!) I'm just trying to blog my thoughts and experiences. I'm the only vegan here in this community, so it's nice to being able to talk about it -even if it's just to 'myself'. :)

http://cowhuggerslife.blogspot.com/

[Lisa]

Hi again, Val. Thanks for posting your blog link. When I first went vegan I didn't know any other vegans so I can sort of understand "being the only vegan" but I'm very, very fortunate to live in an area with many vegans (and I know hundreds of vegans now, dozens in my area) and many vegan and vegetarian with vegan options restaurants. There are all sorts of good resources to show omnivores the healthfulness of a vegan diet, but I do think it's the food that can convince them; it's so good, and there's so much variety. I've found most vegans have greater variety in their diets than do omnivores.

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

Hey Val, I'm the only one in my immediate community that's vegan as well. All of the vegans I "know", I met online here at Goodreads. So, this is a great place to come and chat. You are welcome anytime to share your experiences.

[Rachel]

Farrah, I love your blog! It is so fresh and fun and so well-written! I love the pictures of the veggie sushi also! Glad that your hubby is finding vegan foods that are pleasing to both his palate and his checkbook! :)

[Val]

Lisa,
I envy you! ;) But, I have to be happy & thankful that we do have 2 restaurants here that are vegan! (I was honestly quite shocked as Sicily is in many ways more '3rd wold country' and doesn't have many things other countries have.. -I'm still 'hunting' for cashew nuts! LOL)

I agree about the vegan food being the convincing point for omnis. :)

Lee,
I'm sorry to hear you're the only vegan in your community too! It's good to know that there are places like here available in the www for us at least, right? I think I'd really feel more 'left alone' if I wouldn't have those options!

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

Oh Val, you must find yourself some cashew nuts! They are so useful and so many vegan recipes use them.

It's because of people I met here on Goodreads, primarily Lisa and Ginny that I was able to go vegan. Without their support and encouragement I would still be floundering around wondering if it were possible. The community here has literally changed my life in so many ways.

[Val]

Lee,
I think I'll have to order them from the US. (Thankfully we have a military mail address so shipping is not bad -same as within the US, not overseas costs!) I'll have to look for a good website.. unless you happen to know one? ;)
This Friday my husband & I are checking out a health food store that the one waiter from the vegan restaurant suggested to me (apparently they even have things like Tempeh, something I had for the 1st time at the vegan restaurant last weekend! :) ), so we'll see if they happen to have the nuts! I've read so much about using them for making your own 'cheez' and sauce, I'm really curious! (I can only take so much nutritional yeast cheez lol).

How nice that you had/have such a great support here on GR! I feel the same with a few online friends who, like me, were vegetarian and started leaning more towards veganism. I'm looking forward to becoming a part of the community here too! :)

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

Val, I hope you can find some nuts! Let us know how your shopping trip goes.

Tempeh is in interesting product to cook with. Not everyone likes it but I do.

I'm very thankful for my online friendships and hope to make them real life friendships one day too. We are happy to have you as part of our community Val!

[Val]

Thank you, Lee! (Also for accepting my friend request! :) )

I'll make sure to keep updating my blog and here once I've gotten some nuts as well as Tempeh and such! :)

Online friends are awesome! :)

[Farrah]

Rachel wrote: "Farrah, I love your blog! It is so fresh and fun and so well-written! I love the pictures of the veggie sushi also! Glad that your hubby is finding vegan foods that are pleasing to both his pala..."

Thank you! I am having so much fun with the blog. Tonight I will be posting pics and info from the DC Vegfest. What an amazing event! We had SO MUCH FUN! And had some super delicious vegan nosh as well. We learned so much. Met Colleen Patrick-Goudreau auther of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Cleaner, Getting Leaner, and Living Compassionately and many other books. After hearing her talk and meeting with her, my husband and I are so much more in love with our vegan lifestyle. It was a great weekend!

[Val]

Farrah,
that sounds like so much fun, having been on the Vegfest! I envy you a little bit! ;)

[Lee, Unrepentant Eggplant Addict]

That's great you met Colleen, she seems like such a nice lady. I keep borrowing one of her newest books from the library, it's very good: Color Me Vegan: Maximize Your Nutrient Intake and Optimize Your Health by Eating Antioxidant-Rich, Fiber-Packed, Color-Intense Meals

[Lisa]

Lee, Colleen is local here so I've been at a bunch of things with her. When I heard Melanie Joy speak recently, Colleen was there. Then I heard the two of them, Josephine Bellaccomo (who was also there), and maybe some other people, got to go have dinner at Gracias Madre. Yum!!! Ah, (our) Rachel was there too and introduced me to Jo. I have her book Move the Message: Your Guide to Making A Difference and Changing the World; now I have to read it. So many books, so little time.