Passing on info to those I care about...

I feel like I have to apologize for posting something more mundane than my feelings and grief. I have stated many times that I feel this website should eventually turn into a place that Brad might have run… listening to, learning from, and teaching each other. Containing content that will keep everyone coming back, and may even interest people who never even knew Brad. Others have expressed this and agreed. I almost feel like I am “moving on” by posting book reviews and other things on here, but it isn’t the case. I am mildly concerned with how you all see me because of this. It has kept me from posting sometimes. I have wanted to write a long explanation for ages but, when I started writing one several weeks ago, my fears seemed childish. Please don’t think that I feel there is a time to stop speaking about our grief and emotions… Ok, now that I have that burden out of the way, I will never bring it up again and will post whatever I feel fits.

I know that Brad knew a ton of vegetarians and vegans, and I just learned something troubling. Melissa was telling me about a person who was going to need skin grafts for serious burns, but the grafts wouldn’t take because he was a vegetarian. He had to eat burgers for a week to get some sort of protein or amino acid that can only be had through eating meat. I was amazed that, after who knows how long of being a vegetarian, the guy could get what he needed after only a week’s time. So, there is no reason for any of you to change your ways, but I thought it was interesting and important for you to know.

I also wanted to pass on that I have found a brand of organic foods that is fairly priced across the board. Full Circle Organic caught my eye because of their soymilk… it is organic, enriched, and it costs $1.99 as opposed to $2.79 for the same size from other brands. Some of the other brands aren’t even organic.

I then found that they have eggs without the hormones, etc. These are just as expensive as all the other brands that avoid drugs, but not more expensive. Then I found their peanut butter to be cheaper than even the more-processed “cheap” brands. Their jelly was actually the exact same price for the same size from Smucker’s… the Smucker’s being non-organic. Checking online, it looks like Full Circle has quite the range of food items. I’ll be looking harder throughout the store for more of their products.

This is just an FYI in case any of you have been turned off at organic foods costing too much more to justify. If anyone digs deeper and finds that Full Circle is not saintly in other ways (packaging, environment, etc.), please post. I’d love to hear about other options that are better.

Please make an effort to support organic brands whenever you can. I even go so far as to try and avoid brands that give a choice between organic certified and non-organic. It bothers me that they aren’t committing, and these are typically the brands that have for years processed the foods too far for more shelf life and profit. They aren’t trying to make amends with their new organic products; they are playing both sides for all they are worth. A day late and a dollar short in my opinion.

Oh, yeah... now I have to get on a soapbox. I heard or read a politician talking about how, if we aren't careful, we will soon be paying $5.00 for a loaf of bread. Um, in order to get REAL bread, I am already paying $5.00 per loaf! Everything cheaper seems like a suntanned version of wonderbread, which has to be the most worthless "food" item in the world. Give me grains. Give me seeds. Give me hearty. Give me weight, substance, and fibre. Even the breads from the "bakeries" of the common stores seems like the same exact bread, just created in different shapes... the crust consistencies are all the same and the insides are all the same. Maybe they throw in some roasted garlic, rosemary, raisens, or olives, but the bread seems to be all the same.

Comments

Kris (not verified)

In response

Tue, 10/21/2008 - 6:07am

I too have thought this website should be more than grief and sadness. From the initial idea popping into my head the first thing was "a place for all of us to go" . I guess like an online bar, and we all have Brad in common and that is what makes us continue to come to the bar. Many times we are crying, crying in our "beer"., but sometimes we are laughing at funy stories, or pictures ot smiling at a happy memory. And then sometimes we carried away on another subject all together, but we all know, that we came to the bar because of Brad, and we all miss him a LOT. But I also had other visions, like a calendar that his band friends could use to post shows or something. I guess that was aiming a little high but to me it was another way to "draw" people in and I always have more than one purpose for things. I want to get audio on here, Brad's audio, him playing, his band(s) playing, anything. I think even the voice mails. We can't be the only ones who desperately need to hear his voice. I hoped more people would join, and post stuff. I Am still hoping that somebody out there has some random drawing Brad did, or a photo (which some have found already and have shared with us, THANKS!!) or audio recordings, or stories, or anything. I want to post it all. I will find a way to put it up here. But I also feel like someone might think I have moved on if I go and seem all “normal”. The truth is, I am afraid to move on. I don’t want to move on. I hurt, I cry, and I still sit up at night frequently, and just beg for Brad to stop in, touch my shoulder, anything. Give me a dream, give me something. I am not moving on, but if we are to keep us here, and others, it must also have something “upbeat”.

Funny, I caught myself the other day analyzing my choice in what to buy for my coffee creamer. I usually buy that flavored junk, Hazelnut or some other crazy flavor, but lately I have changed. I stopped buying the flavored and have switched to just regular half and half. Still the only motivation was taste, I was tired of the flavors. I switched back once and actually now, I quit liking the flavors. Ok, so for a few months now, just cream and I have this issue where I have to change around things. I cannot buy the same soap, or shampoo, or laundry stuff, etc even if I love it. I believe I get bored with buying the same thing. I always have to pick different stuff every so often, just to change it up. So I am about to grab my half and half at the store and I spot the Soymilk stuff. Well I think about it and I say “ I like it at Mari and Sam’s” and then I see the have like a vanilla and that would be good in my coffee, and it is so much healthier, and I am no spring chicken, and it is kind of expensive, but if I am the only one using it just for my coffee, then it would last a long time. All of this and the end reason was, it is so much better for me, this little change is little but it is a start. Where did this come from? I have rock bottom cholesterol, thin as a rail and always have been, and no health problems ( at least not ones I could have prevented) . Hmmm

I don’t know, but I have made a couple other changes also. Like this 12 grain bread. It might not be the best, and it is not organic and it really is not perfect, but I know that if you compare the 12 grain to our normal white bread, it is a lot better. So I figure, if anything, Alyssa eats a fair amount of bread, it will be good for her. Gary tried it and really liked it also. Sorry, the point to the whole bread thing is actually funny. Yesterday Alyssa wanted a peanut butter and jelly and I made it, on regular white bread. When I put the sandwich in front of her she saw it and yelled “ Yayyy, regular bread, I love regular bread!” Oh man I was crushed, why did I forget and give her that bread! We were in training. I tried to raise her, when she was little, on only good healthy breads. They say if you never eat white bread, you won’t like it. We like it, because that is what we are fed. So for the first couple of years of her life I only fed her good bread, while feeding us our beloved Wonderbread. But I got lazy, and she did not eat it fast enough so I had to keep it frozen, and thaw as needed, and blah blah. So Wonderbread it was. Well now I try to undo it, or at least teach her to broaden her tastes. I cannot afford to go organic, or al great healthy foods, but I can start making some simple changes, a couple here and a couple there, and work towards a healthier diet. I guess, maybe somehow Brad is “inside” of me, and influencing me. This is new behavior, thinking about my diet. I have always enjoyed a variety of healthy foods, but everything I chose, was based on taste only. A new thought process is slowly getting in my brain and I feel it is an influence from Brad. So, Patrick, thank you for the information, because cost, is a big thing for me and I would make more smart choices, if they are more affordable. Wow, I can gab....

Kris

patrick

Be careful...

Tue, 10/21/2008 - 1:52pm

I haven't looked into it, but the soy "half-and-half" uses palm oil, which I was told is not the greatest for those with cholesterol issues. It sounds like that is not a problem for you, though.

When I get a few moments to spare (don't hold your breath), I will really dig in and provide a price comparison to see if affordability is truly an issue. If you are buying the absolute cheapest of any item, you should be looking at labels to see what the nutrition diffs are... I will look into this as well.

If you don't have Full Circle in your stores and you aren't finding good alternatives that are fairly priced, make demands. Contact Full Circle and ask them to get into your local stores. Tell the store you want more choices in organic foods.

With beer and organic food choices especially, I have really noticed how the same store in different locations will cater to the type of people in the area. Top Foods and Haggen are essentially the same people. The Haggen in Marysville has an extensive beer selection and the Top Foods is extremely basic. The Haggen has an excellent selection of natural and organic foods, some in a specialized section, and much more throughout the store. I could not find a natural/organic food section in the Top Foods store. The Haggen is in Marysville, the Top Foods is in Everett... Everett is the white trash/redneck town. Feed the white trash Bud Light and unhealthy foods, and don't even give them a choice because they are too stupid to help themselves and they only care about getting drunk, not enjoying the drink. That seems to be the attitude. These stores are five miles apart.

marianne

Socially responsbible distribution of food

Sat, 10/25/2008 - 5:43pm

Good catch about the quality of food in different areas. It's a real urban problem that the "intellectual elite" (but not the mainstream, and certainly not the retailers) are paying attendtion to. I read one study in Chicago that showed some people in some neighborhoods would have to take two busses to get a fresh apple. Don't even think about organic.

And then, whenever public transportation needs to save money, where do they cut bus service?

Yes, people need to take some responsibility for themselves, but think about how demoralized, and malnourished you'd be if you'd been born and raised in one of those neighborhoods.

Public transportation should serve the neediest first, and food stamp programs should look at access as well cost.

We complain about the price of gas, and yet people right next door can't even get a fresh apple or to work. What does that say about us. (It's ok to complain about the price of gas, but we need to take the discussion beyond just "poor me.")

And, this shows that Full Circle isn't necessarily fully open about their farming practices. I haven't investigated The Corucopia institute fully, so take it with a grain of salt. And partially organic is still an improvement, especially when you consider that we don't yet have enough organic production to feed everyone an all organic diet.

http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html

patrick

Good find, although depressing...

Mon, 10/27/2008 - 2:43pm

I will be bringing this to the store and also emailing to see what they have to say. I will let them know that I only go to their store because of these products, which is true as it is the opposite direction from everywhere else I go. I will let them know that I am not going to bother if there is such an obvious attempt to hide information.

I will get back to you with the reply, and I will continue to find well-priced alternatives that share their info.

Thanks Mari!