In LA With BREE ESSRIG! :D

Hey guys! So I didn't put up a video this Friday as you may have noticed. If you follow my Twitter (twitter.com/meladyluna) you'll know that I recently filmed a Q&A video with my favorite YouTuber, Bree Essrig! :D Im here in LA visiting her and having a blast! I've gotten to meet some amazing people and learn so much more about YouTube. I love it!!
I apologize if any of you thought I would be at Vidcon. Bree and I kind of just had our own little "vidcon party," meaning we skyped with another of my favorite youtubers, JohnnyBerchTold and his awesome sister Kristine. It was so fun! Her dog Kirby even barked at John's cat Vinny on the screen. LOL.

I LOVE visiting LA. But when I come here I'm always reminded of how different it is from home. In Washington state everyone looks at things so differently. Everyone at home is a big cheapskate (myself included), and we love being close to nature. LA is great in other ways. I LOVE how easy it is to follow a vegan lifestyle here. I ate at Hugos for the first time yesterday and OH MY HEAVENS. Whether you're vegan or not, get their vegan mac and cheese. BEST THING EVER.

We also ate dinner at a place called The Crave. They had the most AMAZING Paninis. I had a veggie panini with no cheese and avocado added.

All in all, it's been great so far. I still have one more day left! SO EXCITED!! :D 

Vegan BBQ??

Hey guys! I think I'm a little late posting on this topic, considering yesterday was Independence Day, aka, America's #1 barbecue day, LOL. But I noticed posts by lots of vegan people I follow who were kind of down or nervous about going to a bbq without the intention to eat any of the burgers, hot dogs, cheese, or mayonnaise-based salads that are so popular. What else is there to eat, really? Well, I have tips!! :D

My #1 tip would be to definitely throw your own bbq if you can. That way you can invite all of your friends who you know will not make a huge fuss over there being no animal products and who actually might enjoy a more healthful variety of DELICIOUS food! You can grill things like portabello mushrooms to use in place of burger patties, or just cook up some good old Boca or other vegan burger patties. Smart dogs and tofu pups are my favorite kinds of vegan hot dogs, but if you're tired of the same old dogs, spice them up with the awesome vegan sausages from Tofurkey or Field Roast brands. They're really tasty!! :) Veggie kebabs are a great option too as both a side or an entree and they are completely customizable for each person. 

If you're wanting some great sides, cook up some roasted corn on the grill and make sure to have lots of fresh, juicy watermelon available for everyone. I mean, what's 4th of July without watermelon?! SO GOOD! You can also make potato salad or macaroni salad easily by replacing regular mayonnaise with veganaise, usually found in the health food sections of several grocery stores, plus Whole Foods and Trader Joes, of course. Simple!

Okay, tip #2 is for those who are attending a bbq someone else is holding. Don't panic! Just go, be social, and know that some people may ask why there's no hamburger or hot dog on your plate, but it doesn't have to start world war three. First, if you can find watermelon slices or any other fruits, veggies, and/or a nice green salad to load on your plate, go for it! Tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole are usually served, plus corn on the cob is a classic bbq food, so just get it without butter and you've got yourself a nice looking plate! If there's only meat products being served, it's best to plan ahead and pack a little vegan meal in some tupperware to take with you just in case. Or, if the hosts are good friends of yours, kindly ask them before the bbq if you can bring some vegan patties or links to grill separately so you can just have your own without making it a big deal. There's lots of options! :)

The hardest part, I think, is not choosing what food to eat, it's the fear of dealing with some difficult questions people may throw at you for eating differently than they do. Just be your friendly self, answer respectfully, and as hard as it sounds, don't go into any deep discussions on animal cruelty or saving the planet. If the person is asking you about those things, tell them "Oh well that's actually a really great topic, but it's too much to explain right now. But I will definitely tell you another time soon. We'll talk!" Or something along those lines. It is important to get the word out about compassion, but in the mean time, eat your yummy vegan meal, and when people ask why just say "I'm just a healthy eater and I really like this food." If they persist, you can definitely tell them you're a vegan or on a plant-based diet. If they ask why about that, just say "I like to eat healthfully." Honestly, it's hard to argue against pursuit of good health. :)

Have a great time at your future bbqs and let me know your thoughts on this. Have you ever had experiences like this as a vegan? What did you do?

Love you guys, click back soon! <3

MOVIES FOR VEG-HEADS

Hey there, Lunatics! I've been thinking a lot about my favorite movies lately and realized that a good handful of them seem to revolve around some vegan/vegetarian theme. Gee, wonder why that could be? LOL. Truly, I'd never noticed this before now, but I thought I would share some with you in case you're a veg-head like me, or just if you would like to check out some awesome movies! LOL

The first one, hands down, is "Year of the Dog." This movie made me bawl my eyes out, which I usually hate, but the message of this movie was a touching one, and a very important one at that. The main character goes vegan in the movie... and goes a little crazy too... Well just watch it, you'll see. LOL.

The next movie is, of course, "Babe." I've loved this since I was a kid and I think it's a huge influence on why later in life I decided to stop eating animals. In my book, this is the best movie about animals ever made. :)

Another great "barnyard exposure" type of movie is "Charlotte's Web." I actually grew up watching the 1973 musical cartoon version, not the live action movie. My version is SO much better! Especially for kids. It's a true celebration of all forms of life, be it people or animals alike. :)

Just as there are stories telling the trials and tribulations of pigs, there is one about chickens too. "Chicken Run!" I love the message of this movie, along with all the cheesiness too. Not to mention, the claymation is amazing!!

"Soylent Green" is a very thought-provoking film that I definitely have to include in this list. Yes, there is a scene where they eat beef, but once you see the end of the movie, you will see more of the "big picture," and how it can tie in to abstaining from meat. Several parts of this movie are a bit boring, but the most important parts REALLY stand out and are memorable without a doubt. Worth watching for sure. 

"Sweeney Todd" is one of the creepiest, BEST films I've ever seen! It is classified both as a musical and a horror flick. Veggie eaters like me especially find it scary that the movie revolves around the setting of a *gasp!* meat pie shop!! Not only that, but not all the meat in the pies comes from animals... if you get my drift... ;) While this seems very disturbing, it actually really made me reconsider what I ate after I first watched it (which was way back before my deciding to go vegetarian and later vegan.) I had a hard time looking at meat the same. Also, fun fact: the little boy in the film who plays Toby said in an interview that he's "not a big fan of meat," so when he had to bite into "meat" pies in the film, the pies were actually meatless and instead made of corn, mushrooms, and gray coloring... uh... yum?? :P LOL But so cool that he doesn't eat meat! Kind of just confirms how I feel about this movie, haha. It does have a lot of fake blood in it, but if you can handle watching those documentaries exposing the cruelty of factory farms, you can definitely handle this. No sweat. :)

And now, for one of my FAVORITE movies of ALL TIME; "Lagaan!" Now keep in mind, the theme of this movie doesn't really have much to do with veganism or animal welfare. Even so, the entire story starts with a ruler in India who is challenged by an English jerk to either let them double his people's taxes or eat some meat in front of him. The man refuses, saying he is a vegetarian and will not go against his morals. Also, there's a part in the movie where it looks like the main character Buvan is hunting a deer, but he's really trying to scare it away so the English hunters don't shoot it. LOVE it!! :D Plus, you should just watch this movie for its amazing music, choreography, touching love story, and pure AWESOMENESS. :)

Keep in mind, "Sweeney Todd" and "Soylent Green" are NOT appropriate for children because of violence and heavy topics. "Year of the Dog" is also much too dramatic and tear-jerking for kids, so I would avoid that too. But "Babe," "Charlotte's Web," and "Chicken Run" are PERFECT to watch with the whole family! "Lagaan" is completely family-appropriate too, but you need to be old enough to read the English subtitles as it is a Bollywood movie. :) So go ahead! Pop some vegan popcorn and start your next movie night! :D

Ch-ch-ch-CHANGES... :)

Hey Lunatics!! So I thought, since there's no Friday video today, I would do a little personal blog post for ya'll instead. For those of you who follow my twitter, you may have seen me post this tweet earlier today:

 "Sorry no vid today, guys. Going through some hard things right now & need a little break. Next week! But I'm in a great mood today. Luv u!"

First of all, I just want to let you guys know that I'm FINE. Some of you have expressed concern because I'm not usually one to tweet negative things. But really, it's just some personal things going on. Some of it is with family, some of it is just with me. However, I promise that no one died, I am perfectly well mentally and physically, so there's no need to worry. :)

On the bright side, I've still been in a totally awesome mood today! The weather's been great where I live and it feels like summer's on the way! 

In other news, I got five inches cut off of my hair today and I LOVE the result! (As seen above). My hair's been able to touch my butt for some time now and I felt I needed to get a less warm hairstyle for summer. Hope you guys like it. It turned out great! :D 

And finally, the last change I thought I'd run by you guys is that, at last, I have decided to go vegan. Yup, no more meat, eggs, and dairy for me. I already was vegetarian, for those of you who didn't know. Plus I have been lactose intolerant for forever, so not much of a challenge there. I just figured it was time and I'm really happy that I am able to do it. :)

Anyway, I hope you all have an amazing weekend and I will have another video for you next week! Love you all! <3

YOUTUBERS WHO'VE "CHANGED"??

Hey Lunatics! :D So I have a LOT to say in this post. Sorry if I keep harping on the same subject, but I truly feel this must be said. Yesterday I made a post on here about how I was upset by the fact that there were some people on YouTube who were rudely commenting on the "Draw My Life" videos of well-known youtubers, saying that they didn't want to hear "sob stories." What I had to say was just venting about the opinions of people I've never met. Around the same time, however, Bree Essrig and Steve Greene posted videos of Draw My Life PARODIES. Unfortunately, I think some of you were led to believe that I was trying to lash out at them through yesterday's post and I assure you I was NOT. I would never do that to someone I know, especially in a silly blog post, LOL. What Bree and Steve did was simply a joke, and I was not offended.
However, this brings me to my subject of today's post. Bree has been getting a lot of flack lately from her "Breelievers"due to her DML parody video. People are saying horrible things to her in the comments and complaining that she's "changed" and how her videos aren't good enough for them to watch anymore. I've seen this before on the comment boxes of other controversial videos of top youtubers.
Bree posted this video today in response to the hate comments on her DML video:

Shortly after it was posted, one of my Lunatics wrote to me and asked my opinion on Bree's situation and if I supported her new videos. Here is what I wrote back:

"Of course! :) I fully support Bree in her videos, both old and new. Every youtuber grows creatively and changes up their material a bit as time goes on. I totally have respect for the fact that she is always herself in her videos and expresses things honestly, but still in her own sweet nature. Whatever direction her videos may go, I trust that their awesomeness will never change. :)"

This post is in no way an attempt to get Bree or other YouTubers' attention. I know I already talk about Bree quite a bit, but it's because she is such a kind person who never tries to hurt or offend anyone. She spreads humor, tolerance, acceptance, self confidence, and love in her videos and that in itself is worth watching any day in my book. YouTubers are ragged on so much for "changing" when in reality, EVERYONE must change in some way, even daily. I know not to make the same mistakes I made yesterday, so I change. I know that I have to make little changes to be happier, so I change. In doing so, I GROW. Youtubers are human beings like the rest of us, (DUH). We can only expect them to grow like the rest of us. In my eyes, that is beautiful. 

As I always say, no matter who it is; a youtuber, a pop star, or a person on the street. Show compassion for those around you and put yourself in their shoes. Doing so will allow others to do the same for you during your down times. 

Love you, Lunatics! And Bree, hang in there, girl. In the end, doing what makes you happy is worth it, no matter what others think or say. <3

DISSING "DRAW MY LIFE" VIDEOS

I'm sad to see that some people are hating on the "Draw My Life" videos people have been posting. I LOVE the videos, even made one myself. They are so inspirational to me. Hearing someone's life story, both the good and the bad makes you see them in a different light and relate to them so much more. These videos aren't made to gain sympathy or "feel bad" for the person. It's to bring us all together and see the big picture in life, the beauty of it. 

More than one YouTuber has expressed that the videos were just a ploy to "get more views" or make the viewers like them more by making them feel bad for them. I admit, the few hate comments I've seen of the Draw My Life videos were sometimes humorous, but they also hit below the belt, at least for me. When I made my video I had my audience in mind, but for a different reason. I didn't do it for extra views, but instead to connect and bond more with my beloved Lunatics. I care about my subscribers so much because they've seen me at these difficult times in my life and still supported me, even when they didn't know the truly hard things I was going through. I can't just pretend that these hard things weren't part of what shaped me. They made me stronger and more confident in myself and the end justified the means. I showed that in my video. Also, I made sure to let my Lunatics know just how much their support meant to me through everything. Needless to say, most of my video was positive! I had a great childhood, I experienced the awesomeness of independence in college, and I realized my worth/potential in life. That made any and all conflict worth it!! :)

Many complained that the DML vids were just "too sad;" full of "depressing crap no one wants to hear." If that were true, I don't think they'd be such a big hit on YouTube. In my opinion, pouring your heart out when telling your life story is WORLDS different than petty whining during a conversation. Everyone has problems in their life; why try to cover that up? If someone tells me their problems AND how they overcame them and became stronger, I am UPLIFTED. If you're not, I think that kind of makes you uptight and too concerned with your own issues at the moment. Sorry to be so frank, but I truly believe it. 

As I posted on my twitter earlier today, think of your favorite book, movie, or story without ANY problems for the character to solve. In my opinion that would be a pretty pointless, boring story. Just like our lives!! There's a reason why we're all here and experiencing life in different ways. Until we learn to be enlightened and uplifted by one another, we will have little success or respect for ourselves. Love is so much more powerful than doubt, hate, resentment, or mockery. So spread the love, people!! LOL

I love you Lunatics, and I TRULY hope no one was offended by this post as it was NOT aimed at anyone in particular. Those who were the worst opposers of the DML videos are people I don't even know. 

I love you all and your amazing stories. We all have one so never be ashamed of yours. :)

~Luna

"FAT" PORTRAYALS AND STEREOTYPES

I'm learning more and more how surfing YouTube late at night can get me into trouble if I stay with it long enough. As much as I love YouTube videos, once in a while you run across things that just offend the bajeepers out of you, and it makes you want to rant. That being said, please excuse my upcoming negativity, as this is not the way I usually like to speak about things.

First of all, as I've said in several of my Youtube videos before, judgement is the thing I hate most in this world. There's no call for it, it's stupid, and not only does it turn people against one another, but ultimately, the simple FEAR of BEING judged turns us against OURSELVES. Okay, now that that's on the table, here's what I saw in a video tonight that really "twinged my twanger" as I always say. :P

 I won't post a link to the video because it's really not even worth anyone's time, LOL. But it was a story about a guy who is very good looking (and knows it) and a girl who is a bit on the overweight side (NOT obese or insanely overweight, just plump). In the story, the "hot" guy gets set up on a blind date with this girl (who everyone calls "fat", even her!) and at first he doesn't want to date her, but after they talk, he realizes he's having a great time with her and he wants to date her more. That's all great, but the part that starts to raise my eyebrows is when he constantly starts questioning why he s falling in love with her later on. His "friends" make fun of him for dating this slightly chubby girl they call "huge" (and she is totally cute too, by the way! I don't get how guys in real life would not like her), and he soon considers breaking up with her because of his "hot guy" status that he misses. OH MY HOLY HANNAH MONTANA, this TICKS ME OFF!!! LOL

How many times do we have to see this crap? This is what we see on TV all the time. The young fat female characters are always shy, insecure, and can't get a date. The OLD fat females are always someone's mother or sweet old lady who no one cares about (and that in itself is sad too). The guys sometimes have it even worse in the movies because if they're fat, they end up as either the dopey sidekick, the undesirable villain, or the dude who gets killed.  I mean COME ON.

There are movies coming out now where fat people are the main focus of the movie because they are so stupidly "funny." To me, going to see a film because the fat people are so dumb is just as good as going to see a film that makes fun of little people and calls them midgets and dresses them all up like babies. It's SO not politically correct and downright offensive.

You may be thinking "well, Luna's just offended because SHE'S fat." I admit, that's true on many levels. I AM offended (although I don't exactly think of myself as "fat"). I have had to deal with being bigger than my peers for most of my life and all that time, it REALLY hurt. I was always the last one to finish running the mile in gym class. I was the only one in my class who couldn't do a pull-up during the fitness tests. People called me names and wouldn't let me play with them because I was either too slow or "not pretty enough." This all sounds like stereotypical circumstances, but that's just it. I LIVED IT. I still live it. I truly believe that due to the stereotypes of larger people in the media, everyone is afraid to treat bigger people like the normal folks they really are. Worse than that, it turns young women like me into those shy, insecure caricatures I described before. For a very long time I lived almost as a replica of Tracy Turnblad from Hairspray, or "Hefty Hanna" from Pretty Little Liars. And for the record, what is the deal with all these characters EATING constantly in these films/shows? It's as if they want us to believe fat people are okay with three bigmacs for lunch and a whole chocolate cake for dinner. I mean GET REAL. I eat three times a day with one small afternoon snack, plus I eat no meat, very little dairy, fat, or cholesterol, and I'm STILL not at the weight I "should" be. I have a job that keeps me at a desk all day, so finding time to exercise is a bit more difficult than it is for other people with more active jobs. But that aside, just because someone is "fat" doesn't mean they're constantly eating, or that they only eat doughnuts and hot dogs all day.

One thing people forget to consider is where a person may be on their "weight journey." I've known people who went from 300 lb to 200 lb and looked GREAT! But because they were still not pinkie-thin, people still called them fat upon first impressions. It's SICK! Do they know how difficult it is to lose 100 pounds?!

Don't get me wrong, being fat is not the only stereotypical mask we hide behind as a culture. Take people who have tons of acne. That is something that's definitely not seen on TV a lot, unless it's an undesirable nerd or some creepy side character in the story. How are people supposed to feel when they see that? I've known people my age who still suffer from terrible acne. Many even start to suffer in their dating lives simply because on TV you never see a really hot person dating a person with severe acne.

My point in this whole thing is, if you are overweight, you can still date a skinny person if you want to and vise versa. If you have acne, you can be desirable to someone with clear skin. If you are a super tall girl, you can still date a short guy. WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS!! I'm tired of TV trying to make us think we should all be the same.

End of rant. LOL :P

All that junk aside, I love you guys! I am happy with myself exactly the way I am, and I hope you are too. If you're not there yet, you will be soon. :)

Love, Lady Luna

P.S.  I don't think it's necessary that I say this but  I've still had VERY attractive men ask me out, no matter what size pants I was wearing at the time. So the media can just chew on that. And choke on it. LOL!

SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO!! :)

Hey Lunatics!! Oh my goodness, I can't believe how long it's been since I made a blog post. Please excuse my absence, loves. I've had a lot on my plate! LOL But with all the crazy stuff happening right now, and all my future plans, I feel the need to document my life even MORE. So here are some things you should know:

First of all, yes, my dad is currently in the hospital. Sorry to start off with a sad point, but if I have seemed a little unproductive it's because he hasn't been feeling well. Just for chest and stomach pains, but the doctors say it's not anything truly serious and he should be home in about one or two more days. Yay, Dad!! :D Thank you for all your prayers and good vibes!! :)

Second, yes, I will be moving out soon! By soon, I mean in a few months. By that, I mean I will start seriously looking for a place around the beginning of July. I can't tell you guys how amazing everything will be once I am out on my own!! I mean living with my parents has its perks because I love them, but in a place all to myself, THINK OF ALL THE AWESOME (and potentially embarrassing) VIDEOS!! LOL. I'll definitely be vlogging a LOT once I find a place and give you guys a grand tour once I'm moved in! :)

Third, no, I am not getting a nose job (or any cosmetic surgery/ modifications) and never will. That was a joke I did at the beginning of my video two weeks ago so I could make a point, LOL. :P

Fourth, I have some exciting things planned for next month. I don't want to talk about it too much because I'm afraid I'll jinx it. But let me just say, it involves some very awesome YouTubers you probably know and love. :)

Fifth, I am making another entry video in a YouTube contest. This time it is for the "Hey I'm Vlogging Here" documentary!! I'm hoping to put up my entry video my next Friday. Wish me luck! :D Also, if you would like to donate to the cause of this amazing documentary, you can do so here: http://www.indiegogo.com/imvlogginghere

Sixth, I just bought a Wreck This Journal book and plan on completing a few pages in an upcoming video that should be VERY entertaining, so watch for that, LOL. It was inspired by my YouTube friend, JohnnyBerchtold. Here's the video if you would like a taste of how awesome this journal is:

And lucky seventh, I AM ALMOST TO 1000 SUBSCRIBERS ON MY MAIN YOUTUBE CHANNEL!!! :D YES, http://www.youtube.com/ladylunafication is about to hit the 1000 subscribers mark and GUESS WHAT?! When it does, I'm THROWING A PARTY!! This party is going to include my friends from real life, but also YOU GUYS!! My Lunatics!! I will be vlogging at the party, having them participate in some pages of my Wreck This Journal, and tweeting/instagramming all the highlights!! I'll also be giving something away to one or more of my amazing Lunatics and you might win!! :D 

So all in all, 2013 has started off with a BANG. Can't wait for all this amazing stuff!! GAH, okay, virtual group hug time... okay... yup... that was nice. Thanks guys!!! LOVE YOU!!!! :)

Love, Lady Luna <3

P.S. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!!! HELP ME REACH 1000!! :D