My 30 Day Experiment of Being a Vegetarian

To Whom It May Concern:

Over two months ago I contemplated becoming a vegetarian after attending a book signing with Alicia Silverstone (Star of "Clueless) back in November 2009. It was during her Q & A at Book Soup that I began to legitimately question whether or not I could successfully become a vegetarian, albeit temporarily. When I started to mull over the possibility of undergoing this challenge I asked some of my closest friends what they would think IF I were to become a VEGETARIAN for a month or so. The responses were overwhelming and shocking to say the least and usually went along the lines of "There is no f*****g way you could do it." That motivated me even more that I wanted to undertake this challenge, thus I did it.

I am going to be honest, I love meat, especially red meat and poultry. Chicken is probably one of my favorite things to eat besides steak. In a typical day it is pretty common for me to eat only meat and very, very few fruits and vegetables. So doing this was going to be a big challenge. After testing the waters with my friends' responses I decided to go for it starting New Year's Day and began to prepare myself in December 2009. As soon as I got done with my last final on December 14th, I really went all out eating as many different types of meat as I could including having two filet mignons the day before New Year's Eve. Crawfish, shellfish, chicken, beef, steak, shrimp, sushi, etc. I pretty much ate it all. But on New Year's Eve I was ready to go when the clock struck 12:01 a.m.

Only my closest friends knew I was doing this before New Year's Eve, but on that day I publicly admitted online (here and on Facebook) what my New Year's Resolution was going to be. Once it became 2010, it was a whole new world for me. The day started off horrible for me as one of my friends accidentally woke me up at 8:30 a.m. when he decided to leave the couch and go home. It was bad enough I had gone to bed maybe four or five hours ago when I crashed at my friend's New Year's Party, but to be woken up on a loveseat with a hangover wasn't exactly how I imagined 2010 would start. As soon as I sobered up and got home my dad offered to make me bacon and I just felt sick to my stomach, but I am pretty sure it was the tequilla still in my system. Nauseated and tired I soon began to question whether or not becoming a vegetarian for the next 30 days would be a wise decision. As the ensuing days would prove, being a vegetarian is no easy task at all.

On the second day, my friend Kent and I decided to eat at Quizno's, which proved to be a huge challenge. As I learned that day, Quizno's no longer has the soup bread bowls and I was forced with literally two options, soup or salad- that's it (A few weeks later I discovered at another Quizno's located in Simi Valley that they do in fact have a vegetarian sandwhich). I decided to order a small side salad and bowl of soup since they had a special of 2 for $5. Completely forgetting to ask for no chicken or bacon on my salad I was pleased to spend an extra fifteen minutes picking through my salad to remove every single piece of chicken and bacon. For whatever reason, they decided to make them the tiniest pieces so that "customers could have chicken in every bite."

Kent soon commented, "Dude, I don't know how you're doing that. I would just give up and eat the whole thing rather than pick at it like you. I won't tell anyone if you do."

"Kent, if I am going to cheat and ruin this whole thing I am going all out. I will go to Wood Ranch, The Palm, Morton's Steakhouse or someplace like Saddle Ranch ordering a nice juicy steak or two. Not a stupid chicken salad with bacon at Quizno's. Besides I couldn't and will not cheat on this experience because that completely defeats this whole experience."

And I didn't. This entire time I stayed restrained and never really felt tempted until around day 17 or so. I wrote daily blogs of what I ate and sometimes gave some insight on my activities to stay motivated and keep with it.

In the beginning I was extremely frustrated with people thinking I was a vegan instead of a vegetarian. I will admit I have mocked both lifestyles and would confuse them on purpose just to piss off someone. In some cases... who am I kidding, in almost every case, I would call them hippies. God gave us the earth and the earth gave us animals. Animals give us meat, so therefore God gave us meat. So why question God? In addition to ridiculing and mocking these lifestyles I was always genuinely intrigued what would make someone give up meat and in some cases, anything and everything produced by animals. I remember one day when I was having dinner with my friends Amber and Casey at California Vegan and asked them when two overweight girls came in, "Hey I have a quick question, Casey. Why are there so many fat 'vegetarians' out there? Isn't that counterproductive?"

First off, both Amber and Casey laughed before replying. Casey answered, "What happens is that most people pig out on dairy products and carbohydrates to get full. They over consume and overindulge in dairy products, which are high in fat and don't do anything about it. In most cases, they are eating three or four times what they should be eating and actually eat less fruits and vegetables."

So when I decided to take this challenge, I seriously tried to avoid eating too much dairy products and eat a balanced meal as possible. Since I could not eat meat I used Muscle Milk and nuts to supplement my diet to get the protein I needed. It was during the last two weeks where that became a challenge avoiding dairy products with easy to make/accessible items like grilled cheese sandwiches, nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas, etc. In the beginning I lost a good amount of weight by eating "rabbit food," but that was countered with eating stuff like quesadillas and "midnight snacks."

The problem with converting to vegetarianism was most food that you can have doesn't really fill you up. This was a problem because I was naturally up all hours of the night going out and coming home. I actually found myself eating a lot more late at night when I didn't have a "full" dinner. Other than that I really didn't change my lifestyle too much besides not eating any meat. I cut out alcohol for the most part with the exception of one party and two "birthday" celebrations (Jan 22 and Jan 23), but even then it was nothing more than a couple of drinks. Over the past month I maybe have had a total of 10 drinks, not counting New Year's Day. I probably should have planned out my meals more and gone to the gym more regularly, but I wanted to keep it as balanced as possible. Every Friday or at least once a week I did do open gym volleyball, which was one of the few constants.

As the month long challenge came to and end, I got anxious when I could consume meat once again. Yesterday I even got some extra Chicken from Hawaii BBQ when I got my parents their dinner just so I could have something at 12:01a.m. this morning. It was bad, but I believe I totally deserved it. Despite having a guilty pleasure really early, I really enjoyed the whole vegetarian experience.

For the past couple of paragraphs I summed up some of the things I have experienced, but there are a few things I would like to discuss:

1) I had a lot more energy than I normally do from eating so many fruits and vegetables. On some days I was getting anywhere from 2 to 5 times the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. I was bursting with energy everyday.

2) There is a huge difference between vegetarianism, veganism and not eating red meat. So often people would ask me, are you eating any chicken or fish? No, that defeats the purpose of saying you are a vegetarian. You are just someone who doesn't eat red meat so stop lying!

3) Hello, I am a vegetarian. If you go out to eat, be honest that you have peculiar eating habits and don't surprise people with it. Back when I was a freshman in college this happened to me several times (when I dated four vegetarians and one vegan in a row) and is one of the reasons why I underwent this task. I vividly remember one date where I took a girl out to a Chinese restaurant and there was literally only two things she could eat. We had hung out before and she "allegedly" said something about being a vegetarian when she ordered a cheese quesadilla, but none of my friends or I remembered that when I asked about the situation. Still I experienced this a couple of times and a few of my friends accomadated me when they wanted to eat at "Meat Only" places, where nothing else was really available, and instead we went to "vegetarian friendly" places.

4) Most restaurants and fast food places DO NOT HAVE vegetarian/vegan friendly menus at all. Like Quizno's and the "Date from Vegetarian hell," I was forced to have limited options in most cases where I could literally only eat only three or four things on the entire menu. It's tough and now I have literally been in other people's shoes having ordered from the other side. So try and be considerate. It's not as easy as you think.

5) I tried a lot of new and interesting food. I ate tofu (twice!), eggplant, and a bunch of other interesting food that I came across when I visited various restaurants. Whole Foods and Fresh N Easy were two awesome places I NOW LIKE. The whole experience totally opened my eyes to try new foods that don't look and/sound appealing and to not be afraid to ask for food recommendations. The worst was a GREEN TEA FRAPPUCINO at Starbucks- NEVER, EVER GET THAT!!!!!!!!!!! So bad!

6) Trying old things in a new way made a difference and made it easier. Vegetarian pizza is like normal pizza, but without the meat and is perfect if you like pizza with everything. Get a cheese/vegetable quesadilla and it will be a LOT better than just a plain old cheese quesadilla especially at Baja Fresh.

7) ASK BEFORE ORDERING. A few times I ordered salads and was shocked, both in restaurants and in fast food, when meat was included on something you never thought of. In one case I ordered Caesar Salads from Wendy's to discover that it "comes with bacon" something THAT HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE when I ordered them. I didn't realize that until I came home, but it taught me a valuable lesson to double check before confirming my order.

8) Don't be embarassed. I will admit I never felt shame or embarassed with some of the things I have eaten during these past 30 days. One of the days I had lunch with my friend Chelsea in Northridge and ordered a salad while she ordered a burger at Islands. In the past I have had that happen before with the server giving my salad to the girl and placing her burger in front of me (That has happened SIX TIMES BEFORE). That didn't happen this time, but I was prepared for the worst. Most of the time I felt proud ordering and sticking with my "new hippie lifestyle." It was pretty cool.

9) Why didn't anyone really tempt me? I was really disappointed most people buckled like a belt and didn't challenge me. The only exception was when I hung out with Christian and Jonathan one night and they tried to tempt me by offering to take me to Morton's for a free steak. They offered to buy me a steak if we went "right now," but I just waved them off saying if we went I WILL ORDER A SALAD so be my guest. They tried tempting me by making loaded sandwiches filled with meat and ate them around me while I just had salsa and chips. It didn't intimidate me at all, but I felt bad because it looked like they weren't enjoying their food due to the fact that it didn't bother me one bit.

10) It's better to plan your meals than winging it. You never know what could happen. Most of the time I actually bought my own groceries specifically for me, but sometimes when I felt lazy I made due with what was at home. I must say it was a LOT MORE EXPENSIVE eating healthy.

Overall it was a fun experience and I might do it again. It wasn't too bad at all and I think that was due to the fact I actually like salads to begin with, which made the transition a lot easier. I think I will now visit the grocery store more often and buy my own fruits and vegetables. Everyone should take a challenge seriously at least once in their lifetime to sacrifice something they really like for an extended period of time. That was another reason why I took this challenge just to prove that it can be done. Someone who consumes as much meat as I do and can successfully do it, then there should be no reason why you can't do your own challenge. One of my pet peeves is when people don't take things seriously when they "want to" or "should" in challenges and only do them "half ass." I am going to be the first to say I love to goof off all the time and in some cases, at really inappropriate situations, but I can pull it off naturally where it doesn't offend too many people and actually accomplish things as though I am a giant slacker. But when people make half-ass "Resolutions" or "Giving up things for Lent" then I am like, why did you even bother? Some of the best ones I heard was:

"I am giving up chocolate"- You're a diabetic.
"I am giving up reading"- You don't even own a book.

There are so many others, but they are too inappropriate to actually post. You get the idea anyhow. They were all lame ass excuses to begin with and were not taken seriously. Again you can do anything as long as you put your mind to it. It's all mind over body. Just have faith and believe in yourself. Anything is possible if you just put your mind to it.

Feel free to ask me questions. I will gladly answer them all.

Sincerely,
John

Day #29 and Day #30

These past two days were my last of being a vegetarian for 30 days. The following is what I ate my last two days.

FRIDAY
Hasbrown nuggets
Small Sprite
2 Cheese Quesadillas
1 Sam Adams Cherry Wheat
Water
Pretzels bites filled with Peanut Butter.

SATURDAY
2 Donuts- One plain and one powdered
Glass of Milk
Caesar Salad
Small Coke
Small sprite
Macaroni and Cheese
Coke

#28

1 1/2 cups of Green Tea
2 bowls of Total cereal
Green Tea Frap from Starbucks
Spicy Jack Quesadilla
2 orders of Jalepeno Rings
Glass of Milk
Small Coke
Screwdriver

#27

Plain Donut
Green Tea

SOUP PLANTATION
Caesar Salad
Three Cheese Pasta
Alfredo Pasta
Cornbread
Honey Oat Toast
Water
Grapes
Dr. Pepper
Cheese Bread

Baked Potatoes with Butter
Coke

#26

Only a few more days until I am done with those whole "experiment" and on my last day I will give a detailed description of my experiences.

Two bowls of Total cereal
Tall Green Tea
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Three Small Cokes
Two Baked Potatoes
Mini Margherita Pizza
Two Bananas

#25

Plain Donut
Powdered Sugar Donut
Glass of Milk
Cheese Quesadilla
Volcano Nachos
Two small cokes
Powerade
Broccoli and Cheese casserole

Day #24

Plain Donut
Powdered Cinnamon Donut
Glass of Milk
Two Cheese Enchiladas
Rice
Pellegrino
Small Coke
Onion Rings
Fried Zucchini
Coke

Day #23

These past couple of days have been crazy as I have been helping one of my best friends celebrate his 21st birthday. On Friday night, a group of us went out exactly at 12:01 am so my friend could order his first drink on his birthday. Later today, we went out to Hollywood and hit up Sunset to go bar hopping. We spent most of the night at Saddle Ranch and had a really good time. Last night and today were one of the few nights that I have actually had a drink since New Years. But here is what I consumed:

Cottage cheese
Grilled Cheese
Hashbrowns with Lawry Salt
Tortilla Chips with Sala and Cream Cheese
Strawberry Soda
Pellegrino
Water
Sam Adams Wheat
Dos Equis
Stella Artois
Heineken
Couple shots of Kettle One with a chaser

Day #22

Muscle Milk
Bread Bowl with Broccoli Soup
Strawberry Soda
Cottage Cheese
Pellegrino
Bagel with Cream Cheese

Day #21

1 1/2 bowls of Total
Green Tea
Pasta Primavera Pasta Breadbowl from Dominos
Strawberry Soda
Raisin Bread with Butter
Pellegrino

Day #20

Today was my long day at school with a four hour gap in between classes so I decided to visit my grandma and have lunch with her. At breakfast I had two bowls of Total cereal with Green Tea to start off the day. I find starting the day off with some tea is better than waking up with coffee and is just effective. At lunch I planned to go to Dominos and try their new pasta breadbowl, but left all the information at home so I decided to go to Whole Foods instead to have soup with my Grandma Jo.

At Whole Foods in Porter Ranch I originally had planned to get soup, but the four choices were not that appealing with me having to decide between Mushroom or Squash soup. Instead I decided to be bold and try Sesame Chicken Tofu from the Deli. This was the second time I have ordered tofu in my entire life and was pleasantly surprised how good it was. In addition I got Greek Orzo Salad, which consists of Orzo, feta cheese, bell peppers, sundried tomatoes, spinach, Kalamata olives, red onion, extra virgin olive oil, rice wine vinegar and basil. I have to say that it was delicious and definitely worth checking out another time. I wound up getting my grandma some Squash soup and we both split cornbread. That was a very fulfilling lunch as I topped it off with a Pepsi.

When I came home after my three hour class I really wasnt hungry and had Potato Pancakes along with a small coke. I also had a couple of waters before going to bed.

Day #19

Sorry for not updating this. It has been one of those weeks with starting school and readjusting to waking up before noon for the first time since New Years.

2 Green Teas
2 Bowls of Total
Chips with cream cheese and salsa
Bagel with I can't believe It's Not Butter
Bagel with Cream Cheese
Garden Salad with Caesar dressing
Vitamin Water
small coke
Pellegreno water

Day #18

Cheese Quesadilla with Onions, vegetables and peppers
Chips with Queso dip
Green Tea
Small coke
2 baked potatoes

Day #17

Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Cup of Cheez-Its Party Mix
Vitamin Water
Small Coke
Cheese Enchilada with vegetables
Trail Mix
Green Tea
Raisin Bread

Day #16

Bagel with cream cheese
Nesquick Milkshake
2 Cups of Cheez-Its Party Mix
2 Bananas
Baked Potato with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
Vitamin Water
Muscle Milk
4 Green Teas

Day #15

Four Cheese Cantoloni
Bagel with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
Green Tea
Muscle Milk
2 Bowls of Total Cereal
Grilled Cheese at IN N OUT with everything
French Fries with Spread
Sprite

Best Filmmakers of the Decade

Near the end of the year I compiled a 100 Best Films of the Decade List that I posted online. After discussing the list with several close friends and coming across some of my DVDs, I realized I left off several key films including a few foreign films and documentaries I really love. It just goes to prove how difficult it is to really compile a best decade list. There are really too many options even for the most diligent writers and researchers to compile an accurate list.

Hopefully I have done a better job with this list. After careful thought and consideration I wanted to celebrate ten filmmakers who made the 2000s amazing. Originally I wanted to just do The Top Ten Directors of the Decade, but felt several key writers, directors and producers would be left off, thus its filmmakers instead.

But before I announce my favorite filmmakers of the decade, there are a few who just didn't quite make it. The way I compiled this list was by the overall body of work and rated each of their films. If someone made a great film, but also made a lackluster mainstream film then that was considered a wash. All these filmmakers are great in their own right, but they just made a few too many "bad" films in order to really be Top 10 Worthy. Every filmmaker needed to make at least three films to be considered.

Steven Spielberg
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
Minority Report (2002)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
The Terminal (2004)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Munich (2006)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

If Spielberg just made Munich and maybe a couple of the films mentioned then it wouldn't be bad, but he helped ruin an iconic character/series so its hard to forgive him. No one, not even Indiana Jones should have to deal with aliens. Thanks George Lucas and Steven Spielberg for ruining Indiana Jones! Also War of the Worlds is probably one of the worst remakes ever and is one of the few movies I can sleep throughout. My rule is simple: If I try to watch a movie, legitimately try and watch a film, three times and can't make it all the way through in one sitting then the movie really sucks. War of the Worlds falls into that category.

The Coen Brothers
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
The Ladykillers (2004)
Paris, je t'aime (2006)-Segment
No Country For Old Men (2007)
To Each His Own Cinema (2007)-Segment
Burn After Reading (2008)
A Serious Man (2009)

You either love them or hate them. They are just part of those select few you either enjoy their movies or you don't. You can literally say that about all the Coen Bros.' films, they are either good or really bad. They started and ended the decade off good, but every feature film in between with the exception of No Country For Old Men was pure "intolerable cruelty."

Woody Allen
Small Time Crooks (2000)
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
Hollywood Ending (2002)
Anything Else (2003)
Melinda and Melinda (2004)
Match Point (2005)
Scoop (2006)
Cassandra's Dream (2007)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Whatever Works (2009)

Small Time Crooks is the first Woody Allen film I ever saw and thought it was hilarious. Ever since I have been following his career and literally rushed out to see every one of his films. Like the Coen Bros., you either like or dislike Woody Allen. The quality of his films are mixed with everything from great (Match Point), really good (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), solid (Melinda and Melinda) to bad (Anything Else and Hollywood Ending). It's hard to really judge him for an erratic decade, but Woody Allen will always be one of the best in my mind.

Clint Eastwood
Space Cowboys (2000)
Blood Work (2002)
Mystic River (2003)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
Changeling (2008)
Gran Torino (2008)
Invictus (2009)

Clint Eastwood is the only director on my list that I saw every one of his films in theaters with the exception of Gran Torino. My mom loves Clint Eastwood and as a matter of fact, my Dad and I really like his films too. He is a great actor and director, but the overall quality of his films are something you can debate. Flags and Letters are two films I absolutely hated this past decade and I wasn't the only one. Its the only time, for both films, that the majority of the audience hated and discussed how much they loathed the movie while walking out of the theater. I have never seen that kind of reaction before and I have seen over 3,000 films in my lifetime.

Peter Jackson
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
LOTR: The Two Towers (2002)
LOTR: Return of the King (2003)
King Kong (2005)
The Lovely Bones (2009)

LOTR was a well made trilogy, but I am not into fantasy movies at all. Clerks 2 (2006) probably best explains the trilogy. Also explain to me why King Kong needed to take 2 hours to get to the island? If you can really explain that then I will change my mind on this selection.

I just realized that all of these directors have at least one BEST DIRECTOR OSCAR, a couple have multiple BEST DIRECTOR OSCARS, and are all multiple ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS. Still it's hard to defend some of the movies they made this past decade and as a result, didn't quite make it on my list. It just shows once you got an OSCAR it doesn't matter what you do, just ask Cuba Gooding Jr.

Now my Top 10 Filmmakers of the Decade:

#10
Hayo Miyazaki
Spirited Away (2001)
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Ponyo (2009)

He is just one of the best filmmakers around and has made some of the best animated films ever. One of my best friends insisted I watch Spirited Away and actually lent me the movie, literally the day after Christmas when he got it. I held onto it for three years before finally watching it. The first time I saw Spirited Away, my mind was blown away by how amazing it was and it turned me on to animated films again as a teenager. Spirited Away made my Top 100 Films of the 2000s.

#9
Catherine Breillat
Fat Girl (2001)
Brief Crossing (2001)
Sex is Comedy (2002)
Anatomy of Hell (2004)
The Last Mistress (2007)
Bluebeard (2009)

Catherine Breillat has become one of my favorite directors and has directed some of the most beautiful French films I have ever seen. Her films are usually exotic and erotically themed, but deal with taboo subject matter in a unique way that captivates you. Her films are brilliant and some of the best films I have ever seen. They are engaging, entertaining and emotionally charged films that stimulate your mind. This is what you want from a good filmmaker. Go see her films!

#8
Danny Boyle
The Beach (2000)
28 Days Later (2002)
Millions (2004)
Sunshine (2007)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Talk about variety, Danny Boyle has done it all and that is one reason why he is on this list. Danny Boyle is one of the few directors who has successfully transitioned between various genres and created some of the best films over the past two decades. The other day I was watching Slumdog and completely forgot how good a film it is. His entire body of work is great and truly one of the best directors out there.

#7
Michael Moore
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Sicko (2007)
Slacker Uprising (2008)
Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

Whether you like him or hate him he is a very talented documentary filmmaker. It's a shame he only has one OSCAR, but his documentaries are some of the best out there. Almost all his films listed here have made my yearly Top 10 Lists or barely missed out. They are all really good and worth checking out if you haven't already seen them. Whether or not you like his politics, he makes solid films.

#6
Quentin Tarantino
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
Death Proof (2007)
Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Jackie Brown (1997) is probably his weakest film and that says a lot about Tarantino as a director. You can argue Four Rooms (1995) where he directed one section, but that really doesn't count as a Quentin Tarantino film, much like Sin City (2005) because he was only a guest director. I have loved every film that he has made this past decade and I really don't consider myself a huge Tarantino fan, but he is one of the best writers/directors. He truly respects and appreciates all cinema-that's why he rules!

#5
Christopher Nolan
Memento (2000)
Insomnia (2002)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Prestige (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008)

Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors to have come out in the past decade along with Darren Aronofsky. He has created two of the best movies ever with Memento and The Dark Knight. It's undeniable the talent he has and only seems to get better with age. Nolan's films get better with age and I now appreciate his early films even more.

#4
Wes Anderson
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Wes Anderson is another great director out there that is vastly underrated. His films are some of my favorites and are always great. The visual style and story he brings to life are what filmmaking is all about.

#3
Steven Soderbergh
Erin Brokovich (2000)
Traffic (2000)
Ocean's Eleven (2002)
Solaris (2002)
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Bubble (2005)
The Good German (2006)
Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
Che (2008)
The Girlfriend Experience (2009)
The Informant! (2009)

One of the best filmmakers ever!

#2
Martin Scorsese
Gangs of New York (2002)
Feel Like Going Home (2003)
The Aviator (2004)
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)
The Departed (2006)
Shine a Light (2008)

Two of my favorite directors of all time are Oliver Stone and Martin Scorsese. Both make violent movies, but also make passionate films that are pretty relatable. Scorsese finally won his Oscar with The Departed and just solidified his reputation as one of the BEST DIRECTORS ever. If Scorsese just made Gangs, The Aviator and The Departed then that would have been fine, but he also made three great documentaries as well. Tarantino is the younger version of Scorsese- someone who truly appreciates all art and cinema. That's one of the things I admire most about Scorsese is that you can see his passion in ALL his films. Scorsese = Quality

And the BEST FILMMAKER of the DECADE GOES TO: Three Guys who are most deserving of this recognition- Charlie Kaufman, Spike Jonze, and Michel Gondry. Undoubtedly these three are the most talented of the bunch producing some of the most mind-numbing, spectacular films of the past decade. It's unbelievable that they made so many great films in such a short period. Unlike everyone else on the list I have decided to list their particular films in chronological order with comments after each film.

Human Nature (2001)
A very under appreciated film written by Charlie Kaufman that stars Patricia Arquette and Rhys Ifans. Michel Gondry directed this film with Spike Jonze producing and just marked the beginning of a great collaboration of the three men. This film came out after Being John Malkovich and preceded Adaptation, which is one reason why it's often overlooked.

Adaptation (2002)
Charlie Kaufman wrote and executive produced this mind numbing metafilm that is a film within a film making a movie about a book within the film starring "Charlie Kaufman." This ambitious cerebral masterpiece was directed by Spike Jonze and is one of the best films ever made!

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
Charlie Kaufman only wrote this Chuck Barris story and was very displeased with how George Clooney handled his film, but it is still a well made film starring Sam Rockwell.

Jackass (2002)
Did you know that Spike Jonze is one of the co-creators of the hit TV series with Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine ? He also produced and performed in the movie.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
One of the greatest films ever! Yes, I know I said that earlier with Adaptation, but this film is also one of the best. Of course it should be no surprise it was written by Charlie Kaufman with Michel Gondry collaborating on the story. Kaufman also executive produced with Gondry directing Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in two of the best performances ever captured on screen!

Jackass 2 (2006)
Spike Jonze did it again producing and performing in another fun movie.

The Science of Sleep (2006)
Michel Gondry wrote and directed this absurd film that blends English, French, and Spanish into an absurd film that captivates you from beginning to end. This film introduced me to Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsbourg, which in turn opened my mind to appreciate European cinema.

Be Kind Rewind (2008)
Michel Gondry wrote and directed this fun film starring Jack Black, Mos Def, and Danny Glover. It's a great concept and is a film that grows on you.

Synecdoche, New York (2008)
This was in my top ten movies of 2008 and one of my favorite films to have come out in the past decade. Charlie Kaufman initially wrote this film in mine with Spike Jonze directing it, but had to pass since he was working on Where The Wild Things Are and instead helped produce it. This was Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut and talk about a vivid and visual film. It's one of those films that is a meta-fiction and a complex cerebral film that is filled with layers that just blows your mind away. I once described this film as, "My mind being raped and I liked it." Very stimulating and not for your average person.

Tokyo! (2008)
Like Paris je t'aime, New York I Love You, and other ensemble films composed of several vignettes, Tokyo! is one of the best ever made. Michel Gondry wrote and directed the segment "Interior Design" and definitely worth checking out. I was surprised how well balanced the overall film was considering it was only composed of three "short films."

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Spike Jonze co-wrote and directed this film, which I still can't believe a studio let him make this movie. Visually and musically one of the best to come out in recent years.

So there you go, my BEST FILMMAKERS OF THE DECADE. I hope you enjoyed. I know I did.

Day #14

BREAKFAST
Two bowls of Total cereal
Glass of Milk

LUNCH
Muscle Milk

DINNER
Broccoli cheese soup in Bread Bowl
Dr. Pepper

SNACKS:
Several Green Teas

Day #13

BREAKFAST
2 bowls of total cereal
Glass of Milk

LUNCH
2 slices of Vegetarian pizza
Dr. Pepper
Vitamin Water

DINNER
2 slices of Vegetarian pizza

SNACKS
Trail Mix
Toast

Day #12

Potato Logs
Dr. Pepper
Vitamin Water
Spicy Jack Quesadilla
Jalapeno Rings
Nacho Fries
Water
Green Tea
Trail Mix

Day #11

BREAKFAST
Strawberry Smoothie

LUNCH

Taco Bell:
Volcano Nachos- no beef
Cheese Quesadilla
Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes
Vitamin Water

DINNER

Johnny Rockets:
Garden Salad with Bleu Cheese
Water

SNACKS
Green Tea

Day #10

BREAKFAST
Two Bagels with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
Nesquick Milkshake

LUNCH
Enchilada Bowl
Cherry Dr. Pepper

DINNER
Caesar Salad
Vitamin Water
Baked Potato with chives, butter and sour cream
Dr. Pepper

Day #9

Yesterday was hectic and a lot has happened recently, but I did not let that phase me at all to keep tally of this whole veggie odyssey. Last night was great playing volleyball and actually being 100% for the first time since August when I fractured my foot. Nothing really exciting happened, but I made sure that was the case today so I could take a breather.

BREAKFAST
Two Bagels with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter
Glass of Milk

LUNCH
Onion Rings
Cherry Dr. Pepper

DINNER
Potato Pancakes
Steamed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower)
Brisk Ice Tea
Yoohoo

Day #8

BREAKFAST
2 bowls Total cereal
Milk

LUNCH
Potato Logs
Dr. Pepper
Stuffed pasta shells
Water

DINNER @ IN-N-OUT
Grilled Cheese with Tomatoes, Lettuce, Onions, and Spread
Animal Fries (half eaten...maybe one third)
Root Beer
Water

Day #7

BREAKFAST
Two bowls of Total cereal
Glass of Milk
Bagel with Butter

LUNCH
Fettuccine Alfredo
Vitamin Water

DINNER
Potato Pancakes
Muscle Milk

SNACKS
Carmel candy from See's Candy
4 Green Teas

Day #6

BREAKFAST
2 bowls of Total cereal
Glass of Milk

LUNCH
2 slices of vegetarian pizza
Dr. Pepper

DINNER
Fruit Salad
Muscle Milk
Water

SNACKS
Cheetos
Vitamin Water

Day #5

Caesar Salad
Ice Tea
Vitamin Water
Banana
Muscle Milk
Vegetarian Burrito
7 Waters
Artichoke Dip with Chips
Irish Root Beer
Slice of Vegetarian Pizza

Day #4

So this is what I ate for Day #4 of being a vegetarian

BREAKFAST
Donut with sprinkles
Glass of Milk

LUNCH
Macaroni and Cheese
Potato Pancakes
Vitamin Water
Muscle Milk

DINNER
Vegetarian Pizza (Mushrooms, Onions, Green peppers, and Cheese)
Mozzarella with Sauce
4 Glasses of Green Tea

SNACKS
2 Bananas

Day #3

Today was my dad's birthday, but nothing of note really happened otherwise than celebrating it. I did check out Smart & Final and GNC to get some groceries, but those were the only highlights of my day.

Breakfast:
Two bowls of TOTAL cereal
Giant glass of milk

Lunch:
Cheese Quesadilla with Peppers and Onions
Chips with guacamole and sour cream
Vitamin Water

Dinner:
Veggie Platter of carrots, tomatoes, and celery
Cherry Dr. Pepper
Muscle Milk

Snacks:
Two bananas
One Bagel with butter

Day #2

Today was really rough on me. I tried going to bed early last night, but didn't get to bed until 4 a.m. and was woken up at 10:15 a.m. Yesterday, my phone died on me and I needed to visit the Verizon store today. After figuring out that mess and ordering a new phone I finally had lunch around 1 p.m. For the first time thus far I truly felt what it was like to be a vegetarian eating out.
I decided to have lunch at Panda Express and ordered some eggplant tofu, chow mein, mixed vegetables and some veggie rolls. This was my first time having tofu and I did not like it all. I have had synthetic chicken before and it tasted great, but tofu is not for me at all. After eating Panda Express I know exactly how one date felt when I took her to a Chinese restaurant and there were only four things she could eat- I had just as many options.

Vitamin Water and Green Tea definitely help with the transition of cutting out meat, well, at least for me. Because I have no phone it has been challenging to make plans, but luckily one of my best friends decided to hit me and we kicked it for a few hours. Of course, he wanted to grab dinner at Quiznos and I was again put into an interesting predicament: Soup or Salad. Not too appealing, but I liked the challenge. One of my favorite things to have is clam chowder in a bread bowl and it had been a really long time since I ordered a bread bowl at Quiznos. Much to my surprise I discovered they discontinued the bread bowls a month ago and a customer behind me was shocked as well when he walked in moments after me. I settled on a small salad and bowl of broccoli soup. It was good, but not filling as I just ate various stuff when I got home. I think the biggest challenge is actually being fully satisfied after eating only "veggies," but I have gone two days now. Thanks everyone for the compliments. I really appreciate it!

Day #1

Today was my first day giving up meat to become a vegetarian for the next 30 days as part of my New Year's Resolution. I am going to be honest, it was a lot harder than I thought, but it's not why you think. Last night, like most individuals, I partied hard and celebrated with some of my closest friends to bring in the New Year. It was fun celebrating until 4am this morning, but not fun waking up at 8:35 a.m. The pounding headache, the lack of sleep, and just wanting to feel better was not an ideal way to start the day/ year.

After being woke up by one of my friends I tried going back to sleep for thirty minutes, but decided to sober up and go home, which took me an hour. Since it was early and the first time I had been up before noon in a week I debated what I should do about breakfast. Instantly McDonald's came to mind because I can't remember the last time I had any, but decided I would be too tempted and came home instead. Of course my father offers to make me a full breakfast including bacon at 10a.m. when I walk in the door. Luckily my mom had premade a cheesy potato casserole that just needed to be heated up. After heating up the oven and taking a nap for an hour I finally enjoyed my "breakfast" at 11:45 a.m.

For most of the day I just felt sick and continued to drink Sprite, Ginger Ale, and other liquids to feel better. Slowly I felt a little bit better, but was out of it the entire day. I had fetuccini alfredo in the afternoon and had a Marx Brothers marathon to bring in the New Year. Every year at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, they play Marx Bros.' films on New Years to bring in the new year. Since my friends and I were incapable of driving to Santa Monica, which I had a feeling would be the case, I decided to watch the Marx Bros. and have a good laugh at home.

I wound up having cereal for dinner because whenever I start out with lunch/ dinner food I feel obligated to have "breakfast" even if it's my last meal of the day. Plus cereal is just delicious and can be eaten any time. I had a bunch of various snacks throughout the day, but didn't feel tempted at all despite an entire fridge full of meat. This will be a fun challenge and all I can say is, One day down!