+EV Elaine Vigneault - read my mind

SLO Dream Town

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:14:46 -0500

My mom likes to remind me why she won't move to Las Vegas (yet):

"The current issue of Sunset magazine shows San Luis Obispo a lot of love this month, featuring the city as one of its top 10 Dream Towns - or, as the editors say, places to go 'for the perfect vacation, or the perfect rest of your life.'" (source)

Craigslist Finds

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:31:00 -0500

Only in Vegas... (not really).

Marketing 101

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:01:32 -0500

If you're still talking about it years later, it's a marketing success.

"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals constantly sets back its cause with boneheaded moves, like the ad it ran juxtaposing photos of penned-up animals with starving Jews in concentration camps." (source)

Offensive? Perhaps.
Successful in getting attention to the cause of animal rights? Absolutely.

Argue that PETA ads like that one are offensive, but don't claim they don't work. Clearly, the public's consistently loud reaction to offense makes offense a successful publicity stunt.

And by the way, the movement is growing, either because of or despite PETA's "boneheaded moves."

My Blog Archives

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:49:46 -0500

If you're wondering why you can't find some of my old blog posts, it's because they're on the old server and I haven't moved things over yet.

I do plan to resurrect my old blog. I just need some help to do it. Ed can help me, but not right now. With the move and related expenses my blog is pretty low on the priority list. So, please stay tuned. Eventually I'll get those archives back up and running.

How To Write A Classified Ad

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:56:48 -0500

I've been shopping a lot on Craigslist lately for our new home. Classifieds are great to save some money, be less wasteful, and help people out, but I don't even waste my time with 80% of the ads because they don't do the following:

Put the price in the title. And use a descriptive title. "CHEAP STEREO" will grab attention, but it's not very helpful. In fact, if I'm looking for a high quality stereo, I'm likely to pass on the add that's titled "cheap." A title like "HIGH QUALITY BOSS STEREO - ONLY $100" will probably work better.
List the item's key features. Don't write a novel about your stuff, just list the main points so readers can quickly scan the info. For example, "Gently used ceramic clown stands 3 feet high. His blue, green, yellow, and red paint match virtually any decor," is better than "Clown statue was given to me by my mother-in-law. It doesn't match my new carpet."
Add a picture. A picture really is worth a thousand words. Try to move all extraneous items out of the way and take the photo during daylight. A dark or cluttered photo is almost as bad as no photo at all. If you can't take a picture of your item, try to find something similar online and use that picture (with a note in the ad that the picture isn't the actual item, but looks similar.)
Be honest. There's nothing worse than answering a classified ad and finding out the person who wrote the ad was lying. A little positive spin is fine, but don't cross the line into dishonesty. For example, "1965 Mustang runs great, but has cosmetic blemishes" is better than "Classic Mustang in perfect condition."
Be realistic. You're not going to get more than half what you originally paid for the item (unless you're really really crafty) so don't bother. Even if I like your stuff I'm not going to bother contacting you if your price is way too high. Do your research and see what price other people are selling similar items for. And take into account the context - you can't sell expensive rare artwork on Craigslist for the same price you could garner from an art auction. People who shop classified ads usually want a good deal, not your grandmother's arts and crafts.

So, there you have it: my thoughts on how to write a classified ad.
:)

Hammering Lautner Into Fashion

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:38:47 -0500

By the way, my grandfather's architecture is currently featured at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. Here are some links:

Online Videos by Veoh.com

New House Smell

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:31:33 -0500

Our new home smells like a foreclosure. This is NOT my dream home...
At least, not yet.

Update July 15th: I wrote that on my iphone and just wanted to send a short message suggesting my ambivalence about this move and our decision to return to Vegas. Here's the longer version...

There's something about the movie theater that makes films better. Renting the DVD just isn't the same. It's community: the shared experience aspect of being a part of the audience makes movie-watching better, in my opinion. The same holds true for some other events, like buying a home. Having purchased our modest home in the Las Vegan falling market is tinged with more sadness than excitement. Our gain came at another's loss. And there are many, many more losses still to come. I would have felt differently had we bought our home when it was more in fashion to buy.

While purchasing a new garbage disposal at Lowes yesterday, the cashier, perhaps because I was a stranger, unloaded her troubles on me. She told me all about her recent break-up with her husband, her father's decision to rent his home to her ex rather than her, their recent burglary wherin the culprits stole her car keys and came back later for her car, her mother's stroke, and other personal misfortunes that aren't really all that personal given that an economic depression increases property theft crime, divorce, and stress/diet-induced sickness. I felt sick to my stomach and cried on my drive back to my "new" home.

I thought about how these foreclosures mean that...

...undocumented workers are giving up on "America" and they're going back to their countries of origin. When those who've risked their lives to live The American Dream (TM) decide the dream is an illusion and they're better off in their native lands, we've got some pretty big problems...

...cats and dogs are being abandonded in empty houses or animal shelters because their people can no longer care for them. And so the annual 3 to 4 million cats and dogs killed because no one will adopt them will rise and more and more animals will die...

...people who can't afford health insurance will get sick and many will die...

...crime will increase and the gap between the rich and the poor will widen...

Being a depressive sort, I'm likely to see the world through a realistic pessimism. But I try to consciously change my thought patterns and make myself more optimistic. I hope for a better future and I work to try to create a better future for myself, my heirs, and everyone. This is where some of my (vegan, feminist, etc) activist-leanings come from - a conscious effort to turn negatives into positives, both in my own mind and in the outside world. So I thought about the positives of our new home:

- We'll be near Joey and we can help him with his homework everyday,
- We'll be closer to our moms and can visit often,
- We'll have the homelife stability that I desperately crave and that's so very important for children and pets,
- We'll have room for a real garden so we can grow our own fruits and veggies,
- We'll be better financially prepared for the future,
- I'll get my daily dose of sunlight needed to stave off depression and vitamin D deficiency,
- The house location and layout is well-suited to our needs and desires,
- My sister, Mary, who lives nearby, is our built-in pet-sitter,
- It's not a fixer-upper; it just has a few issues like former tenants who didn't know how to paint,
- Otis likes the new sinks:

Sorry

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:31:24 -0500

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately. I've been on the road. We left
Manhattan a few days ago. Soon we'll be living in Vegas again. I'll
have more updates for you tomorrow, along with some vegan travel
advice :)

- Elaine

Things I Find Odd About Manhattan

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:22:00 -0500

Coffee to-go comes in a bag. A bag.
"Regular coffee" comes with milk and sugar. If you order it black, sometimes they'll jokingly ask for your ID.
Grocers and other vendors often put paper bags inside of plastic bags.
The taxicab shift change happens at right about rush hour.
Dog parks have gravel. (In Vegas, the dog parks have grass.)
Doormen. They're everywhere!

Chew On This

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:05:17 -0500

From the US Carbon Savings Table from Meat The Truth:

"If all Americans did not eat meat for one day a week, they would save 99.6 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions. This would save 46 million return flights from New York to Los Angeles and back from Los Angeles to New York."

"If all Americans did not eat meat for three days a week, they would save almost 300 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions. This would have a
greater impact on the climate than replacing all US cars with Toyota Prius models."

"If all Americans abstained from eat meat for five days a week, they would save 498 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions. This would result
in carbon savings equivalent to planting 13 billion trees in your garden and letting them grow for ten years. That is 43 trees per American!"

"If everyone in the United States ate a vegetarian diet for seven days, they would save around seven hundred megatons of greenhouse gas emissions. That would be just the same removing all of the cars in the USA off the roads."

Veg*ns, Help Me?

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:01:18 -0500

I'll be on the road soon driving across the country. If you know of any vegan or vegetarian restaurants close to Interstates 70 or 80, please let me know by emailing me at elaine @ elainevigneault.com. Thanks :)

I'll check HappyCow, too of course :)

Who Doesn't Like This?

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:10:00 -0500

A Few Tips About Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:07:01 -0500

Deb reminds us about keeping your dog safe and about dog rescue. My additions are in italics:

Just because your dog has never bolted before doesn’t mean they never will. Be especially careful in new surroundings, with new people, and around loud noises.
You might want to reconsider letting your dog off leash in an unfenced area, if you’re in the habit of it. You just never know, and it doesn’t need to be an especially dangerous road to be dangerous to a dog that darts into the road. It's not just roads that can hurt dogs. Rivers with strong currents can kill a dog, too.
Tags with a phone number (cell phone is best) are super important. I think microchips are a good idea as well.
Don’t be afraid to stop traffic to rescue an animal, but be safe about it. Make sure you’re visible, make sure the cars have stopped. Leave your door open if possible, since your hands (and maybe arms) could be full when you head back to your car if you successfully rescue the animal. Turn on your hazard lights! (I see people stop their cars all the time for various reasons - flat tire, overheating engine, etc - they rarely use their hazard lights. The lights exist for a reason. Use them!)
Travel with an emergency kit that includes a collar and a leash. I think a leash is sufficient. You can make a slip collar with a leash or a piece of rope. It will do in a pinch. Besides, you can use rope for all kinds of other, non animal rescue reasons. It's just a good idea to have some rope in your car.
And as a reminder: in this type of situation, crouching (not bending) down to be at their eye level is one of the best ways to get them to come to you. They can run faster than you, so don’t chase them. They’re likely feeling nervous and freaked out, and if they’re a dog like Lucy, they might be just afraid enough to not recognize that you’re a friend if you’re standing straight. Crouching down is non-threatening, and it is a welcoming posture that most dogs will recognize as such. It is not foolproof, but it should be one of the first things you try. I completely agree. Also, you may want to avoid direct eye contact. Scared dogs need to trust you. That's easier when you don't signal dominance or aggression with stiff, upright posture and direct eye contact.

Intersections

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:53:20 -0500

Way, way, way worth a read: Fashionable Nerd talks about privilege and intersecting fat and color.

Snippet:

"You have skinny, then thick, then fat (and many different words to describe what comes between). In my experience, it’s been the “thick” that’s most coveted, but that’s strictly what I see (YMMV). Now, a thick girl may not understand the issues I face as a fat woman, but she’s not as privileged as say, the skinny woman." [...]

"The older and more militant I became, the more I noticed the color privilege I had. I would always get compliments on my 'beautiful, light brown skin', when I’d have an equally gorgeous cocoa-colored friend sitting right next to me being ignored. Coupled with the long hair I had then, I’d get random IGNORANT questions about 'what I was mixed with' because clearly, my Blackness ain’t enough to garner beauty. I have to fit some European ideal, and so my mom or dad has to be White, right? {This isn’t a shot at White people, just the beauty ideal. End disclaimer.}

"But besides the shunning I noticed, I found that some of my darker-skinned friends were ashamed of their skin color, much as some fat people are conditioned to be ashamed of their fat. For example, my friend A. and I wanted to go out one weekend and have some fun. When I suggested the beach (I was living in Florida at the time), she said, 'Girl, no! I can’t afford to get any darker than I already am!'"

New Amsterdam

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:37:06 -0500

I watched all eight episodes of New Amsterdam on Hulu.

The show has an interesting premise: a detective has been alive for over 400 years. He's immortal until he finds his true love. Through his lifetime he's had 62 children, many wives and girlfriends, and numerous professions. He's been an artist, a con man, a soldier, and more. He speaks many languages and knows many things. He makes an interesting character.

Except, he's too self-centered. His concern for others feels empty. He's more interested in getting the bad guys and getting the girl than being a friend or helping others. The whole show is about only two things: 1) solving the episode's murder case, 2) finding his one, true love

He's attractive, but he's not as appealing as he would be if he were less perfect. He comes across as an ego-centric, lone ranger who isn't flawed enough to be human. His idiosyncrasies aren't quirky and lovable, they're just kind of annoying (he swims naked, he's afraid of heights). He's just a little too cold.

The flashbacks aren't realistic. They don't feel, sound, or look right. For example, the costumes are never dirty or wrinkled, the dialogue is forced and awkward. For that matter, many other scenes aren't realistic either.

This is all stuff that can be forgiven if the action is satisfying, if the sexual tension is there, if the show is funny. But New Amsterdam is none of those. It took itself too seriously or not seriously enough. Either they should have gotten it all exactly right and catered to the historians, art lovers, or crime sleuths in the audience or they should have laid back a bit more and punched up the show with more humor, sexual tension, and action.

All that said, watching the reruns is still a fine way to waste a weekend.

I learned something this weekend:

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:18:22 -0500

Some people make an eggplant salad with mayonnaise that they call baba ganoush. It's fucking disgusting. Baba ganoush is a tasty VEGAN food that I love on pita bread, bagels, crackers. It's normally made WITHOUT mayonnaise. But this crap with mayo is just nasty.

How did I learn this, you ask? Well, I ordered delivery from a local bagel place. I ordered online. I chose a bagel with baba ganoush and a cup of coffee. (You can't have hummus all the time!) I added in the notes section:

"Please make everything vegan. No meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, or other animal products. THANK YOU."

And I added a nice tip to the total.

First, the coffee had milk in it! Argh! I thought about trying not to waste it and I took a sip, but I couldn't drink it. After having seen the HSUS video and having read The China Study I simply couldn't drink the milky coffee. I started thinking about veal calves, slaughtered pregnant cows, and cancer. I dumped the milky crap in the sink.

Then I opened up the bagel and tasted the baba ganoush. It wasn't right. I smelled it and came to the conclusion it had animal in it. So I wikipediad "baba ganoush" and sure enough a few odd souls stick mayo in it. GROSS.

I was never a huge fan of mayonnaise before I went vegan. And I sure as hell would never put mayo in baba ganoush. Ugh! But, as usual, not everyone is like me and people often surprise me by doing unexpected things. I just wish they would have read my vegan request and/or called me about it.

The mayonnaise taste has a place, I suppose, which is why I do occasionally use a vegan version like Nayonaise. (I hear Vegenaise is better, but I use stuff like that so rarely I've never even tried Vegenaise. Nayonaise is the brand they sold in my local co-op when I was a kid so it's the brand I have an irrational occasional craving for.) I use it for sandwiches or veggie burgers.

So, I learned that yet another food I thought was always vegan isn't always vegan. That's disappointing and annoying. Why the hell do people have to stick animal in everything? Seriously, is it like some sort of compulsion or something?

Folding Bike

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:19:13 -0500

I see these all over New York. I think they're great (except I've never used one).

There are even folding electric bikes now, too. Here's one.
I think I want to get some sort of electric bike/ scooter/ moped when we move to Vegas.

Question

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:37:00 -0500

I've been mulling this question around in my head lately:

The people who argue against violence in the animal rights movement sometimes say property damage is violence. I'm wondering what their response is to people who think property IS violence?

Three Things

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:17:43 -0500

News:

1. Ed is in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker. He'll be manning the StoxPoker booth for part of the time, meeting up with his co-authors, and signing escrow documents while he's there.

2. Some people are boycotting foods with palm oil in them because most or all palm oil is collected in ways that significantly damage the environment and/or use slave labor. A list of foods with palm oil can be found here.

3. An article titled “Tomatoes may not be source of salmonella" stated that “Of 1,700 domestic and international tomato samples collected so far, none have tested positive.”

Las Vegan Survey: Elaine & Mary Need Your Help

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:55:28 -0500

My sister, Mary, and I are still working on our plan to open a vegan business in Las Vegas and on the web called Las Vegan (http://lasveganshop.com).

Right now we're collecting information about potential customers so that we can show potential investors that:
a) There is a sizable market of customers (omnivores, vegetarians, and
vegans) who are interested in purchasing vegan products
b) There is a sizable vegan market
c) Many vegans prefer to buy from vegan-owned businesses
d) Many people (vegans and nonvegans alike) enjoy shopping online

We would greatly appreciate it if you could complete the survey (if you haven't already) and if you could pass the link (http://lasveganshop.com) along to other vegans and pro-vegan people.

Our hope is to open the store by the end of 2008. I have a lot of fantastic ideas for it and I'm really, truly excited about it. I hope you are, too.

Back to Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Elaine Vigneault) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:00:37 -0500

Well, I'm back to personal blogging.
I took a break, a long one. First it was for personal reasons then it was for technical reasons.

The personal reasons: my mom got sick and it made me realize just how petty and selfish I had been in my old blog. We all need places and ways to vent, I vow to make this blog less petty and selfish.

The technical reasons: My database got too big for my host to support. Rather than shell out more time or effort to trim my database or shell out more money to host it, I chose to move to Blogger.

In the meantime while I sorted out my personal blog, I've been updating Vegan Soapbox regularly. The Soapbox is a blog of sorts, though I'm not the only writer.
Here is a selection of some of my all-time best posts from the Soapbox:

If you like what you read at the Soapbox, please subscribe.