Photo: Paul Alsop, Flickr Creative CommonsLet's start with that second bit. I've actually only heard a single Lady Gaga song and I've only heard it once. I went to Youtube to listen to "Telephone" to see what all the hype was about. The only reason I went that far is because she's freaking everywhere. References to her abound in my Google Reader feeds. Slate, Salon, even the BBC keep bringing her up, usually unasked. Also, I keep getting sent Youtube links to other people covering Lady Gaga music. First, there were some soldiers in Afghanistan who did a re-creation of "Telephone", then some middle-school kid who did a pretty impressive piano-and-vocals version of "Paparazzi" and finally some guy who does very richly arranged versions of pop songs with violin and voice who started off a mashup with his version of "Telephone." There was also the time someone on my Facebook list posted an open letter to Lady Gaga telling her to stop trying to be so shocking. I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed that I never realized she was supposed to be shocking. I just thought she was trying to be weird. Weird doesn't shock me. I actually appreciate it when the weird person isn't trying too hard. That being said, the music actually is pretty catchy and it's not even all that stupid. It could be worse. I can actually identify with some of the lyrics of "Telephone." I don't spend much time on the dance floor, but I do have a tendency to scream profanities at my telephone when it rings. I could consider taking on "Stop calling, stop calling, I don't want to think anymore" as a personal motto. I won't download it or anything (not even for my secret stash that I want no one to know about), but at least she's not Ke$ha or whatever. Of course, I've had that Ke$ha song stuck in my head at points this spring as well, so I can't really claim to be all that sophisticated.
Oh, the irony! Or at least the coincidence. I searched for "cow" on Flickr for today's photo and one of the first results was a photo-mosiac of Lady Gaga's face. It's ridiculous.
Getting back to the more shocking revelation in my first sentence, I really am considering switching to a part-time vegetarian diet. I watched a TED talk today of a guy talking about being a "weekday vegetarian." (I won't bother linking it because it was short and by the time you read this, you'll have basically watched his video.) I've had some of his reasons for this in my head for a while. I'm intensely uncomfortable with the industrial farming of animals, and I'm fully aware that we tend to eat a lot more meat than we really need. This would actually help out a bit with our food budget and I wouldn't really even have to try too hard to make up for the reduction in protein intake because I'd still be eating meat on weekends.
Of course, this probably won't happen. I have to get my wife to buy in to make this a practical reality. There's no point in us cooking separate meals five nights a week. It really won't affect Little Gandhi too much, though. He already verges on being a vegetarian. He'll eat shrimp, bacon, chicken, and a couple of mild forms of tube meat. With the exception of bologna and hot dogs, he's not even very enthusiastic about the meats he will eat. My wife is another story. Breakfast is the only time she'll consider it a meal if there's no former animal as the centerpiece of the plate. I don't blame her. She's of Midwestern heritage. At least she doesn't fight me too much on the colorful vegetables. We might not have lasted if she did. Having been raised on a more traditional Southern diet (although a variant very low on fried foods because of a history of digestive issues on my mom's side that altered family eating habits even for those like me with stomachs of gold), green stuff is important and potatoes were actually kind of a rare menu item outside of restaurants.
I haven't even mentioned it to her yet, so if you could keep this on the down low until I have time to broach the subject with her, I'd appreciate it. It kind of feels like how I'd imagine coming out to my parents would have been had I been gay.
4 comments:
I'm not a huge Gaga fan, but I don't hate her either. Bad Romance is the only song of hers I really like (and I like the cover you posted on FB that time better than the original.) Telephone is okay. I think her outfits are meant to be both shocking and weird, but at least they're always interesting. Although, maybe she thinks she looks neither shocking nor weird, and that's just normal for her. I don't know; I've never met her.
And bravo on the idea of going part-time vegetarian. M and I had pork chops last night for dinner, and that is the first time we've cooked meat in our apartment since we moved in 6 months ago. We'll still eat meat when we go out, but not having it in the house cuts WAY down on the grocery bill and eases my conscience a little. I'm fine with not eating meat, and after cooking vegetarian for so long, it's second nature now. I don't even know why M decided to buy pork chops at the store to cook. I was pretty happy with the no-meat streak we had going.
I hope you're able to talk K into cutting down on the dead animal consumption. Going vegetarian, even part-time, is so much better for you and the planet.
It would be hard for me to do. I was raised on the meat as your main protein diet which is weird considering my sister is vegan and my mom is now a pescavegetarian. Maybe it was the hunter influence of my dad?
As for Gaga, I'm ok with her. She's got enough songs in the rotation that I don't get overloaded on any one. What's killing me now is the Rhianna song Rude Boy. I woke up singing it yesterday and drove myself crazy.
'Tube meat' is barely meat at all. We've been doing 1-3 veggie meals a week for about six months and it isn't really that big a deal. Chickpeas are awesome and my boys both love chickpeas. I think the older one thinks it has something to do with chicken. Which is fine.
I heard Lady Gaga for the first time the other day on the TV and I was struck, immediately, how much she reminded be of Siouxsie (of and the Banshees) fame. You're probably a bit young for Siouxsie, but I guess 25 years or so is enough for people to not realize how derivative Lady Gaga is.
Yeah, the pork loin purchase was an impulse. It was on sale and I'd been feeling a bit low on protein. They had them on display right inside the door or I wouldn't have bought it, because I don't even go by the meat department. I cut it up for the freezer and we'll probably do pork once a week for a month on those three or four pounds of meat.
Back when Courtney started making meatless meals (years ago), I complained that it just wasn't satisfying. I got used to it, though, and now I consider a belly full of plant matter a much more comfortable feeling.
Eating less meat also makes me appreciate the occasional chicken sandwich that much more.
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