Welcome to Gaia! ::

Hi, Sparrow here! I found the intro threads and though I'd add one...

I joined this guild recently but I've been vegetarian since 1999 - basically when I moved out from my parent's house and went to college, and was able to start making my own food choices. Some of my family members still don't understand what I could "possibly be living on." *laughs*

I'm ovo-lacto vegetarian, not as extreme as some here I know, but I'm content, healthy, and better off for it. I'm not a big fan of milk - I much prefer soymilk, but I'll eat things that have milk/cheese in them (although I need to be careful, my body can't tolerate too much dairy anymore). Eggs I try to buy locally, I'm lucky enough to have some coworkers right now who have pet chickens (spoiled rotten birds!), and they'll sell me the eggs supercheap! I'd love to have my own chickens one day.

I don't eat out much - I live out West right now, in the middle of ranch-country and there's very few vegetarian-friendly eateries out here. Heck, the nearest health food store is about 3 hours away! But I'm used to living on a tight budget and working full-time so... I'm master of the 30-to-45-minute mostly-balanced vegetarian meal!

I'm a minority within a minority within a minority... a non-christian vegetarian non-drinking non-drug-using lesbian. I highly doubt I'll find anyone who shares ALL those things in common with me, but at least it'll be nice to talk to other veg-heads!

Well... let's just say I am very good at jigsaw puzzles. sweatdrop

I guess to the sort of folks who couldn't "live without" starbucks, barnes n noble, and such... it'd be pretty impossible. But I've always been a bit of a loner, and more a fan of hiking/birdwatching than shopping/movies. I like it out here!

I'm also very environmentally-minded (and thrifty) so allergic to spending money, fossil fuels, or such needlessly. I also hate long car drives, and since here even grocery shopping is a 140-mile round-trip journey, I rarely do that more than once a month - and if a neighbor/coworker is going I will often hop in with them instead! So when I do go, I buy in bulk, mostly frozen/canned or dry foods (although fresh veggies/fruit are a treat!)
((Before I get yelled at... yes, the computer/internet is my one exception to that rule and my main source of communication and entertainment.))