Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 5

Hi there!  Today is Tuesday, June 18th, and at this rate, I may still be blogging about the pianos in July.  HA!  I'll try to speed things up.  No promises.  Let's dive into Day 5, shall we?

Last year, I really fell in love with cooking.  Took me long enough, I know!  Well, I decided to cook before heading out to play more pianos. I'd been meaning to make a vegan version of cream of broccoli for months now.  I also happened to have lots of kale in my fridge, so I added that, too.  It wasn't as "creamy" as I hoped it would be, but it had good flavor.  Next time, I need to add more cashew cream, which by the way, is super easy to make if you have a blender or Magic Bullet.  Don't be shy.  Try it!  I also made black bean & mushroom burger patties.  That was my first time adding mushrooms directly in the patties.  YUM.

A decent first attempt at cream of broccoli and kale soup.  

Why buy frozen black bean burgers when you can make delicious patties yourself?

Piano #15: Riverbank State Park. I've only ever been to this park to search for and play pianos, and I deem that a very good reason to visit. You have to walk down a hill to get there, and this year, to conserve energy, I totally took the bus back up the hill to continue my piano journey. Yes, I'm getting older. And wiser. ;)

The Cosmic Double Double Rainbow Dragon Piano. I really would have loved all keys to work (one F# was not), but it goes to show how much you depend on everything working together for harmonious results.

Piano #16: Montefiore Square Park. After a bus ride, I took the 1 train one stop from 145th to 137th.  Again, I could have walked, but I was all about conserving energy while carrying a backpack and traveling in the heat. If memory serves me correctly, a mother and daughter were at the piano when I arrived, and then a woman walking her dog (see picture below) played a little after them.  Then, I sat down to play one song, and I could feel a crowd grow around me.  That was fun.  They applauded when I finished.  I knew that one song at this piano was perfect and decided to continue my piano journey elsewhere.

"(Dont Look Just Listen)" Piano, as named/punctuated by the artist.

The faces on the piano reflect what it's like to listen to music with closed eyes.

Piano #17: Riverside Park - Trager Terrace. I thoroughly studied on Google Maps how to get to this piano's location. It's a beautiful place to listen and play! There are chairs and tables at the terrace where people can sit and listen to you, but the way the piano is positioned, you can feel as if you're the only one there if you want to, singing out to New Jersey... if you want to. I enjoyed listening to this man play a few pieces, and when he got up, he was aware that others wanted to play and I always appreciate that courtesy and try to extend that to others, especially when it comes to kids. A woman played a little bit after him, and then I played. I played two-thirds of my core trio before sitting back down in a chair, in case anyone else wanted to play.  I received applause when I got up.  More people had sat down to listen, which was nice!  A woman thanked me for playing and singing.  Since no one else went to the piano, I returned for one final song and then headed to the next location.

This man played pieces by Grieg, Wagner, and Tchaikovsky.

The best part about waiting to play until after the woman is that I was able to approach the man and ask him about one of the pieces he played. It sounded familiar, yet I didn't know it. It reminded me of The March of the Siamese Children from The King and I. The man gave me enough information about it so I could find it later. And now? I am obsessed with this YouTube video -- it was the first one I found when I searched for the piece, and I can't stop listening/watching. I listen more than watch, but if I happen to catch the flourish at the end, it makes me smile.


Piano #18: Central Park - Tennis Center. There always seems to be one piano that is difficult to find. The piano near the tennis center was this year's challenging find. I called my dad, who wasn't at his computer. I called my mom, who didn't pick up the phone (but I found out she was driving, so I'm glad she didn't pick up). I called my sister, and bingo! She helped me by looking at the map on the Sing for Hope website. It's a version of a Google Map, and the location where they pinned the piano wasn't 100% accurate. But I kept looking for the piano while talking to my sister, and when I finally found it, I was standing at the top of a hill.  I felt like Maria in The Sound of Music -- Julie Andrews in the movie version to be precise -- and wanted to sing. I was so happy!

Found you!

A couple kids were playing the piano when I arrived, so I sat down at the bench to rest and listen and wait. I was in no hurry. I knew it would be the final piano of the day. When it was my turn to play, I played two-thirds of my core trio of songs, and a woman sitting on a bench told me that she liked the music I was playing and singing. I'm not always good at accepting compliments, so on auto-pilot I said, "Oh, they're covers." But I've taken the time to reflect and appreciate what she was telling me. Maybe I don't write as much original music as I'd like, but I am glad that I can do justice to someone else's work. I finished with the final third of my core trio and then got up to let a couple and their dog experience the piano. They took pictures, and I took pictures. I couldn't resist! The man said he read about the pianos in the newspaper.

This picture ended up on Sing for Hope's Facebook page in their #ArtForDogs montage.

Recreating the view of spotting the piano from the hill.

This man brilliantly played jazz piano.  I stayed for his first piece and thanked him for playing.  He happened to see signs about the Sing for Hope Pianos and came across this one.

Stay tuned for Day 6...

Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 4

Hello, hello! Today is Sunday, June 16th. Thankfully I wrote the first couple parts of this blog on my iPod Touch while riding the Staten Island Ferry on June 4th. That was a smart move, and I'm glad I did it. I am now racing the clock because I have been asked to participate in the finale of the 2013 Sing for Hope Pianos concert at Lincoln Center.  (Yes, I went home to practice, haha!  And cool off.)  More on Day 16!  Without further ado, here is Day 4!

Although I didn't get the chance to go to South Street Seaport on Saturday, June 1st, it just goes to show that everything happens for a reason. It's so perfect how things line up if you let them.

First, work hard. Then play hard. After finishing up my work "to do" list, I got green light at work to go "piano surfing."

I hadn't eaten a substantial lunch, just a whole bunch of organic grapes for hydration. I missed out on the Cinnamon Snail's dinner service near Union Square the night before (June 3rd) and decided to check their location on Facebook. Wall Street and Water Street. Perfect! I could grab lunch and play the piano at South Street Seaport!

After a train ride on the 1 with a transfer to the express 2, I made it down to Wall Street in the last hour of Snaily's lunch service. I ordered my favorite sandwich: the ancho chili seitan and a mango & lemongrass donut.

Piano #11: South Street Seaport. I headed over to South Street Seaport with my food and decided to check out the piano's location before eating. And as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to play right away as nobody was playing. In my three years of doing this, I've learned to seize opportunities as they come.

I quickly took pictures and then sat down to play.

After seeing this piano at the piano buddy info session, I knew I had to visit it.

I was all about finding the secret message.

Found it!  Love it!

When I finished playing a song from my core trio, a lovely couple who just moved here from Mexico walked up to me and asked me about the piano, so I told then about the 88 pianos available for anyone. I asked them if they played, and the woman said she was just learning.

Next up, I played back-to-back pieces from my core trio. In my line of sight, I could see at least one woman standing and listening to me play. After I finished she approached me and asked me if I wrote the song I just played. I told her it was a cover, and I asked her if she played. She said no but that she had designed the piano. How cool is that?! I got the chance to meet the artist, Laura, and tell her I loved her work. I had seen the piano at the piano buddy information session and loved finding her secret message (ha, yes I waited until this blog to post pictures of it). But then, she told me there are TWO secret messages -- one message for the school or hospital where this piano will eventually be donated and one message for anyone to find if the lid is down. She didn't give it away, and I am so glad for that. She offered to take my picture with my camera, so I played Lullaby for Eliana.

Photo taken by Laura.

Another photo taken by Laura.

During my performance, a little boy came up to the piano and would hide his face from me. I wanted to "find him" like in Hide and Seek, but I would have to stop playing to do that. Instead, when he popped his head back up, I smiled at him. When I was done, I asked him if he'd like to play and scooted the bench closer for him to sit down.

Lunch break!

The ancho chili seitan burger, aka my favorite sandwich from The Cinnamon Snail.

Mango lemongrass donut! Holy moley, it was amazing!  I didn't really taste the lemongrass, but the mango was SO GOOD. P.S. not sure why this uploaded sideways

After eating, I returned to the piano to look for the secret message available for all.  A woman was taking pictures of the right side of the piano, and we started talking about the art project.  I mentioned to her that I had just met the artist and was looking for the second secret message.  We both started to look, and then when I read Laura's dedication on the side, I realized it didn't end!  When I turned the corner, the period of the last sentence was on the back of the piano, and there was more!  So, now that the pianos have all been moved to Lincoln Center, I feel okay with releasing this video.  Perfect timing.


There is no sound on this video -- I muted it and couldn't find 19 seconds of the perfect soundtrack. Just letting you know before you think there is something wrong with your speakers!
Piano #12: Staten Island Ferry. I took the M15 bus down to the Staten Island Ferry terminal and was able to catch the next ferry right away.  The universe was conspiring in my favor.  (I think it still is, by the way.)  When I arrived at St. George, a man was playing this beautiful baby grand, representing 12 pianists, 6 males and 6 females.  Six well-known artists and 6 lesser-known artists.

Manhattan in the distance.

This top/lid was made to look like show art for a Playbill cover.  Cool, huh?

This is the artist's signature!

I knew I still wanted to play more pianos after Staten Island Ferry.  I only played two songs there before leaving.  I decided to head uptown, but first I picked up a couple cupcakes and green juice from Blossom du Jour.  I kept laughing while riding the subway.  Cupcakes and green juice?  Unhealthy and healthy?  That's how I roll!

I stopped by the piano at Morningside Park, but it was located in a children's playground, and the rules stated you had to accompany a child in order to enter.  Well, there were kids playing the piano, and I wasn't going to interrupt them anytime soon, so I enjoyed a red velvet cupcake while listening to the kids play.  Then I headed west...

Piano #13: Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Like some select locations, Cathedral of St. John the Divine has had a piano all three years of the piano art projects.  This particular piano with its Renaissance angels seemed like the perfect fit.  After I finished playing my core trio of songs, a woman asked me if I knew any Carole King.  Sorry, no.  I think I need to expand my repertoire next year.  Not necessarily Carole King, but at least one or two songs people know.  (But it's always still nice when people recognize Brooke Fraser.)  To finish, I played Lullaby for Eliana.

Girls playing when I arrived.

Okay, I have to get ready to return to Lincoln Center for the finale! Stay tuned...

Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 3

Well hello!  It is Saturday, June 15th, and after 14 days of playing pianos (okay, actually 13), I'm resting today.  Actually, the pianos are being de-installed throughout the day for tomorrow's 88-piano finale event at Lincoln Center.  So, after catching up on some TV and watching a movie today, I'm ready to blog more about this year's piano journey!

The night of June 2nd, after checking the weather forecast online, I went downtown at night to run an errand.  I thought I'd return in time to cover the piano before the rain began. Nope. When I emerged from the subway in my neighborhood, I could tell right away that it had already lightly rained. It smelled like rain. I raced to the piano as fast as I could, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it covered! Yes! My community rocks. I returned to secure the tarp a little better, but I am grateful that someone else cared about the piano and made sure that it stayed dry.

Piano #11: Tompkins Square Park. On Monday, June 3rd, I set out thinking I could play two pianos and get dinner from The Cinnamon Snail in Union Square before service ended at 8 PM, but I was one for three. As I passed by Astor Place, a man was playing the piano, so I kept walking east to Tompkins Square Park. I forgot that there were several avenues between Astor Place and Tompkins Square Park, but I walked the entire distance.

I found this year's piano in its usual Tompkins Square Park location. A tarp was covering it, but since it wasn't raining, I took the tarp off and opened the lid. I was startled to see that the keys were already in such bad shape. I played the chromatic scale, but a lot of the white keys weren't working. My mind immediately assumed that the piano had been vandalized. However, when I let Sing for Hope know, they asked if it was water damage. I still didn't think that was the case, but later that night I googled videos and pictures of water damaged pianos. Ohhh... it made sense now. I had assumed that the tarp had covered the piano before the rain, but I guess that wasn't the case.  Anyway, I hope the piano has recovered or can be repaired.  I'll have to check it out at Lincoln Center on Sunday.

Love the design by students from P.S. 34, especially the #2 pencil legs.  :)

After visiting the piano at Tompkins Square Park, I walked the long avenues back to Astor Place, and I believe Jimmy McMillan aka "The Rent Is Too Damn High" guy loudly told me from his parked car to stop walking in the street. There was no oncoming traffic, and I was bypassing slower-walking pedestrians. I smiled at him and continued walking.

By the time I made it back to Astor Place, the piano had been covered with its tarp and secured with ties. A man looked at me as I inspected the tarp. Though it wasn't raining, I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I made my way to the Barnes & Noble in Union Square to use the restroom (haha, when you have to stay hydrated, then well... you also have to go). When I made my way up to the 3rd floor, I could hear beautiful music from the 4th floor performance area. After using the restroom, I decided to check out what was going on upstairs, and it turned out that a middle school was performing Once On This Island! They sounded great. Watch out for the girl playing Ti Moune. She sounded amazing.

I stayed longer at Barnes & Noble than I anticipated and ended up missing The Cinnamon Snail's dinner service. It would all work out fine though. Stay tuned...

Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 2

Hello again, I'm writing this entry on June 10th. I admit, I am now overwhelmed by the idea of recapping everything on the blog. Every day, more experiences happen that I have to document. It is just so blissful to be in the present moment and enjoy things as they happen. As it's a rainy night, however, I'm using this opportunity to preserve some more of these memories.

Piano #6: Van Cortlandt House Museum. Hopped on the 1 train to the last stop in the Bronx. Google Maps made it seem like the Van Cortlandt House would be a bit of a walk from the station; however, I was pleasantly surprised that the distance was much shorter than I had anticipated. The piano was situated on the porch, and I had it all to myself.

An early favorite for 2013 because of its design and sound.

Here's a video of me randomly playing the sheet music on the piano. Yay sight reading!

I was here.

Van Cortlandt House Museum.

Piano #7: Highbridge Park - Wallenberg Playground. It's a good thing I have these pictures and a running list of songs I played to help jog my memory.  It was a hot day (not as hot as the day before, but it took a lot of energy to walk from the subway station (191st Street).  Granted, I walked the wrong direction without realizing it, and had to backtrack.  A few kids were playing the piano when I arrived, so I rested at a bench covered by shade from a tree.  (Thank you, tree.)  I admit though, that the sun got the best of me, so I didn't play for very long.

Piano #8: Mitchel Square Park.  It's interesting that I've been to this area of Manhattan (168th Street) several times when the A train stops running for repair work and shuttle buses are made available.  But I had never paid attention to this park and the memorial.  I read online that this park is named after a former mayor of New York who was killed during World War I.

As I waited for the girl to finish playing, I sat on a bench in the lovely park area, and this leaf fell into my open palm as I was reviewing sheet music.

Piano #9: Morris-Jumel Mansion Museum. I took the subway one stop to 163rd and visited an area of Manhattan I'd never been to before.  To get to the mansion (which was George Washington's headquarters in the fall of 1776), I had to walk down a charming little street (see below).  The piano was covered by the tarp, as rain was in the forecast.  I took it off while I played but covered it back up again before leaving.

View from the piano.  It was visually peaceful, that's for sure.  There was traffic noise, and people  were chatting loudly  in the grassy area to my left, but it was otherwise a good location for the piano.

I really like the artwork on this piano: places that no longer exist in Albany, New York.  

Such a charming street.  This picture doesn't quite capture what it's like to see it in person.  I wonder what it must be like to live on this street.

Piano #10: Fort Tryon Park. Wanting to make sure I got back to my neighborhood before the rain arrived, I headed back uptown and stopped by the piano at Fort Tryon Park.

There are lots of great advertisements for the pianos this year!  I see them everywhere.

Another early favorite because of all those vibrant faces.

The piano already had a stuck key, so it made it difficult to play my songs, but again, I enjoyed this piano for its art.

Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 1

Hello!  Today is actually June 7th, but I am going to do my best to catch up on the first week of the 2013 Sing for Hope Pianos and am past-dating these blog entries -- otherwise it's going to be confusing. To tell you the truth, I thought I could get away with only posting photos & mini-stories to Facebook and Twitter, but I think I must document this experience on the blog because I'm going to forget the details, and one day, I am sure I will want to look back on all of this. I've already done that for 2010's Play Me... I'm Yours and 2011's Pop-Up Pianos.

First let me back track to January 21, 2013.  I happened to play my piano keyboard.  I happened to long for the street pianos' return.  Well... Tweet and you shall receive. (Also, keep this in mind when I get to Day 7.)

Please click on the picture to view a larger version of this screen grab.  I'm too lazy to crop the image and re-upload!  ;)

So after months of practice and anticipation, 88 Sing for Hope Pianos are in the five boroughs. And as is tradition, I want to visit at least one piano in each borough. I went into this hoping to establish a new personal record of unique pianos played, but so far rain and other commitments (I'm a Piano Buddy this year & I have other scheduled events to attend) may keep me from doing this. Also, this year, I am doing something different, and I can't tell you about it just yet, so that's also why a new personal record isn't top priority. You'll have to wait and see if I pull it off...

If you've seen some of my Facebook posts, you may recognize some of these photos and stories. However, I plan to fill in some details and add other photos & stories along the way. Without further ado...

Piano #1: Inwood Hill Park. The perks of being a Piano Buddy: You get to play the piano first at 6 o'clock in the morning when you unlock the piano.  There was no specific time to unlock the piano, but I couldn't wait.  The piano sounded slightly out of tune, probably due to the heat and humidity, but of course, I enjoyed playing it! The sound carries well in this location. (I learned today that I could hear it from way across the street in Isham Park!) When I finished, a man came up to me and asked, "Is that the only piano you're going to play?" Haha! I told him no. He said that his girlfriend played 50 pianos last year, but I'm sure he meant 2011 as there were no pianos in the city last year. ;)

In other news, it was already too hot to be wearing a hoodie.

Piano #2: New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. After resting at home for a little bit (I tried Yoga Nidra for the first time!), I headed down to this piano. A man was sitting down at the piano, but he wasn't playing. I didn't have to wait too long before he left. There were people sitting in nearby chairs and pedestrians walking on the sidewalk. I am not going to provide a setlist for every piano, but if it interests you at all, this year, I have a core trio of songs memorized and will play them all & more if able (i.e., if time allows and I feel comfortable doing so... I just go with the flow). During my final song, a man on the sidewalk, whom I noticed had stopped to listen, asked me about the pianos. It's always a pleasure telling people about the pianos. I am not a fan of small talk, but the topic of pianos is not small talk. It's specific and fascinating. It allows strangers to connect with each other. It's wonderful.

#2: Mosaic Piano

Though I brought my reusable water bottle with me, it wasn't enough. I had to take breaks and hydrate. And I've recently grown fond of Juice Generation and am visiting all their locations in the city and trying the different juices to find out which one is my favorite. They claim that if you visit often enough, the staff will know your favorite by heart. And as far as I'm concerned that's true. I visited the original Juice Generation, and while I was waiting for my order, a man came in and asked the guy behind the counter, "What's my favorite drink?" And the Juice Generation guy started to list a very specific order with add-ons. Then the customer turned to me and said, "I haven't been here in a year!" I was super impressed. Sorry, back to discussing the pianos!

First time trying Citrus Super C

Piano #3: Little Red Square. These pianos have a fun way of revealing talented people in New York City. I hadn't expected a jam session. When I approached the piano, a woman sitting near it asked me, "What are you going to play?" I answered her. And after I finished the song, she told me that she had just listened to a man play and she was eager to sing something. She requested Sara Bareilles, and unfortunately I don't have any Sara B memorized, but I own her songbooks! I just didn't have them with me. I asked if she knew Brooke Fraser or Missy Higgins. I invited her to play & sing something, and she started singing "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan but stopped and asked me if I could play the chords off her iPhone. I don't do well with chord names alone. I need to read notes. So we tried a little bit, and I was hoping I could harmonize with her, but all my concentration was devoted to playing the piano while squinting at the phone.

Then, she asked me if I knew "Shadowfeet" by Brooke Fraser.  Do I?!?  Oh, I was thrilled. THRILLED!  Of course I do!  I had the sheet music.  And it was magic.  She could sing.  If I could compare her to one artist, I would have to say Kelly Clarkson.  She has that mix of pop, soul, and riffing.  Oh the riffing.  I was honored to accompany her!

We finished up with "The Special Two" by Missy Higgins.  She said she'd heard it once before.  I sang lead vocals, and she harmonized with me.  It was cool.

#3: Puzzle motif piano

Piano #4: Chobani SoHo. I've had an internal debate on whether or not to count this piano, but yes, I've decided that I am.  Otherwise, it's too confusing.  See, before I left my apartment, I watched a bit of the livestream, and requested that Stanley play "Imagine" by John Lennon.  He didn't have that as part of his repertoire, so he played a little bit of "Hey Jude."  You see, Stanley is an interactive player piano.  So, while I didn't play this piano, I collaborated with him.  And visited him.  So he counts.

#4: @StanleyPiano

I had fun wandering around SoHo.  I usually like to know where I am at all times, but in this case, just walking the streets reminded of being in London.  And seeing this sign really reminded me of London and that connection to my beloved nephew. He's with me whenever I need him.

Love you and miss you, O. Always.

Piano #5: Washington Market Park. This turned out to be my last piano of the day.  I was worn out from the heat, but I had already posted the day before on Facebook that I'd visit this piano, and when I set something in motion, I like to see it through when I can.  Ha, I had hoped #6 would be South Street Seaport, so I could cross off lower Manhattan from my list of places to play a piano.  Well, South Street Seaport would have to wait, and as it turned out, it worked out perfectly.  Stay tuned... (Ha, get it?)

Fun, funky, and vibrant.

Spring Cleaning

Inspired by a post by Tourism for Taiji's Facebook page, I decided to pick up litter from my local park today. (Ha, apparently I was a day early in doing so, but that's beside the point!) I recently read the book Plastic-Free by Beth Terry, and her motivation to reduce plastic consumption in her life was inspired by a harrowing photograph of a bird that had ingested bits and pieces of plastic.

Ever since reading that book and ever since seeing the Facebook post of Tourism for Taiji, I seem to have noticed more litter on the ground. I don't know the reason(s) why there's more litter on the ground. Maybe it's because of the snowstorms that garbage collection has been delayed, allowing more and more debris to get carried in the wind. Maybe people think it's just okay to litter no matter what. Who knows for sure. Anyway, this isn't the point I am trying to make, so let me get to it...

In my neighborhood park today, I didn't even last an hour of cleaning before I got exhausted. Though it was sunny out, it was windy. I only covered a fraction of ground I had intended to cover. I had to bend down and stand back up quite a bit. I could only walk maybe one or two steps before having to bend back down to pick up more litter.

There was SO much plastic. Yes, there were paper products, too, like napkins, but the overwhelming majority of items I picked up off the ground were made entirely or partially out of plastic, including cigarette butts, bottle caps, straws, wrappers, and bits and pieces of Styrofoam.

After I called it quits on cleaning up, I decided to continue my walk around the park to my favorite area. On my way there, I thought about re-sharing a petition to ban Styrofoam food containers in New York City on my Facebook profile. I thought about what I would write, and it included the point that animals may mistake the tiny bead-like bits for food. Animals including pigeons, seagulls, ducks, geese, squirrels, and dogs.

Well, not long after I had something planned out to write, I stopped to observe some geese snacking on the grass. These geese are awesome. They don't mind when you stand near them and watch them. They are too busy eating. And then it happened. I saw one goose pick up a plastic bottle cap with his beak, and I freaked out. I thought, "No, no, no! Don't eat that!" Thankfully, the goose spit out the cap, and I immediately went to pick it up. This is that bottle cap.


Let it be a reminder that our animal friends can think that anything might be food. I am so grateful that the goose didn't eat it.

So, dear reader, I have a couple requests for you...
1. Please sign this petition to ban Styrofoam food containers in New York City.
2. Please tidy up your beach or park or even in front of your own home on March 24th (or any day of your choosing).

Thank you for being kind to the earth and all who inhabit our planet, Allison

Change in 2013

One week from today, President Obama's second inauguration will take place. These next 4 years are crucial for many issues that matter to global citizens, including animal rights. In a recent blog, I quoted Captain Paul Watson, and I'll repeat the quote here:

"If you want to know where you would have stood on slavery before the Civil War, don't look at where you stand on slavery today. Look at where you stand on animal rights."

In November, I wrote a letter to President Obama about the senseless dolphin slaughter in Taiji. Last month, I received a reply in the mail, and it was a generic response with no reference to the dolphins. I am doubtful that President Obama read the letter himself. Though I am disappointed in the content of the reply, a friend pointed out that my letter has been logged by the White House. Now we need strength in numbers. Quantity. Volume.

While I waited for a reply from the White House, a red cove day in Taiji prompted me to write to President Obama again, but this time I chose to use the WhiteHouse.gov contact form to expedite the communication process. I noticed that none of the categories available for the subject of the message pertained to animal rights.

I also noticed that the We the People petition website on WhiteHouse.gov did not have animal rights among its available categories.

So now I'm asking you to help me make change in 2013 by signing this petition. Let's get President Obama and his White House administration to add animal rights as a category for the WhiteHouse.gov contact form and We the People petition website. I decided to use Change.org as my online petition platform because with every signature, an e-mail automatically gets sent to President Obama about this very issue. I know we can make this change happen if everyone who cares about animals signs and shares this petition.

Let's do this. Thank you!
Allison

P.S. Need inspiration to sign my petition? Click here.

Captive Dolphins 101

No, this is not an introductory college course on the captive dolphin industry. One hundred and one is the number of dolphins cruelly taken from the wild over a 6-day tragedy in Taiji. I recently wrote to a journalist the following: I know no other cause as worthy of my time as the dolphin cause. It is painful as hell to be a dolphin supporter.

Why is it so painful? When you know that young ones will never see their parents again, your heart breaks. When it happens one hundred and one times, what do you do to mend your broken heart?

To add lasting insult to injury, what do you do when you see the cove turn red because 23 dolphins are being murdered while their family members are swimming nearby, unable to do anything to stop the madness? Again, how do you heal your broken heart?

You write poems. You listen to music. You find joy and laughs when and where you can. And sometimes, you pour your heart out into a blog...

When I was young -- maybe 4 years old, I want to say -- my family and I went to SeaWorld in California. Can I tell you what my favorite memory was going there? It wasn't the show. (And you might argue that's my animal rights activist self re-writing history. No, it's not.)

My favorite memory from that trip to SeaWorld was riding around in a stroller, pushed around by my family. (To be perfectly honest, the simplest things made me happy.)

I would say, if you're a parent or a grandparent, and you're thinking of ways to entertain your children or grandchildren, please -- for the love of dolphins -- do not take them to SeaWorld or any other place where dolphins are held captive, against their will.

Take them to the park. Take them to the mall. Take them to the library. Take them to see a children's theatre production.

But please don't take them to a place that directly or indirectly supports Taiji's captive dolphin trade / slaughter. These places may tell you they oppose drive hunts / drive fisheries; however, by the very nature of holding dolphins in unnatural habitats, the captive dolphin industry fuels what Taiji is doing.

"If you want to know where you would have stood on slavery before the Civil War, don't look at where you stand on slavery today. Look at where you stand on animal rights." -Captain Paul Watson

Let's not forget that captivity is a synonym for slavery.

Please help my broken heart.

Grateful

Believe it or not, this blog was unplanned. Nonetheless, it's a blog that I must write. How far do I backtrack? Well, let me just say that I've been vegetarian since March 2010, and I've been vegan since February 2011. In some ways, that doesn't seem very long, but as I've been saying for a long time now, everything happens for a reason.

Fast forward to actual Thanksgiving Day 2012. For those of you who don't know (and that's pretty much everyone except maybe two people), I spent quite a bit of the day planning for an online rally for the dolphins and whales that swim near Taiji, Japan. Now, some of you may think I'm crazy for doing that. Maybe all of you do. But it was worth it to me. And I would do it all over again. That holiday weekend, we saw five straight blue cove days.

Saturday, December 8

So this past week, I had been obsessing over going to The Cinnamon Snail to get a donut – hopefully a jelly donut. I love jelly donuts. I learned that the Snaily (affectionate term for fans of the award-winning food truck) would be at the Vegan Holiday Shop-up in Brooklyn on Saturday. Recently, on Saturdays,the truck has been serving neighborhoods affected by Super Storm Sandy. For FREE. So I've been missing my opportunities to get my favorite ancho chili seitan burger, but I have no reason to complain: I love the fact that they are helping the victims of Sandy get back on their feet. I arrived at the truck a little bit before noon yesterday. I was the first person in a line of one for about half an hour. Okay, yes, that was totally awkward, but once they opened, a long line formed very quickly, and I didn't have to wait in it! Boom. Worth it. I was greeted with a cheerful "Good morning!" and I ordered a Thanksgiving Sandoo, plus two treats, one of which was a cranberry jelly donut!

I briefly popped into Pine Box Rock Shop for a quick look around the shop-up. I've already bought Christmas presents for my family, so I just wanted to see what the vendors were selling, just in case! I then made my way on foot to Dun-well Doughnuts which, by subway, is one L train stop away. But I used the time to stroll and eat and savor my Thanksgiving Sandoo. I normally don't eat while walking, but that sandwich was perfect for multitasking. It held together nicely, and it was OH SO GOOD. It was heaven in sandwich form. Though I brought my camera with me, I didn't take a picture. Sorry. If you're in the NYC area, get the Thanksgiving Sandoo. You will be singing its praises, trust me.

By the time I got to Dun-well Doughnuts, I was so full that I convinced myself to only get one doughnut to go: traditional glazed. After all, I already had two treats from Snaily to eat later. ;)

Sunday, December 9

During my planning for the Vegan Holiday Shop-up, I browsed the website and took a look at all the vendors that would be there. I got really excited when I learned that Chickpea & Olive was among the food vendors! Now, I honestly can't remember how or when I'd first heard of them, but I have indeed. Their logo is adorable. Then I learned that they'd be at Bread and Yoga's Om Grown Market on Sunday, so thankfully my dilemma over which food to eat on which day turned out to be a no-brainer: I could have both Snaily and Chickpea & Olive in one weekend!

I was originally planning to go to a vegan holiday market down in SoHo on Sunday, but once I learned about the holiday market in my own neighborhood, again, it was a no-brainer. You can't beat local.

I made my way around the market and then stood in line at Chickpea & Olive's table. I heard a few people in front of me ordering the grilled cheese sandwich. They had run out of Daiya, so it would be a ten-minute wait. No worries. I already knew I wanted the Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich!

I had a little chuckle when Danielle, the woman who took my order, said "Another Gracias" to Daniel, the chef. Yes, I notice the little things, and even that was appreciated by me.

My order was ready in a few short minutes. There wasn't really anywhere in the market that I could sit down and eat, so I packaged up the sandwich in a "to go" container that I brought with me and took it home.

I devoured the first half of the sandwich in less time than it takes to boil water. I told myself to slow down, waited for my water to boil, and then savored the second half. The sandwich is perfect. In every bite, you get seitan, you get gravy, you get cranberry jam, you get pumpkin. It's a slightly messy but OH SO GOOD sandwich.

Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich from Chickpea & Olive

Chickpea & Olive, I bow down to you. I support you because you are more than the amazing food you make. You are the only food vendor that I have seen retweet Sea Shepherd's updates about the horrors in Taiji. To me, that means everything. It's nice to know that someone else in NYC cares about dolphins and whales and is making a difference doing something they love.

So again, dear reader, if you find yourself in NYC, please support Chickpea & Olive. Their food is so incredibly satisfying! I am already a fan and look forward to trying more of their creations.

Full of gratitude and full of Thanksgiving leftovers,
Allison

A Letter to the International Whaling Commission

Please e-mail secretariat@iwcoffice.org right now. Copy and paste the below and say you support this letter, or write your own, but either way, please demand change for the Bottlenose Dolphins and Pilot Whales, who need us to speak up for them.

Dear Members of the IWC Secretariat,

I have spent quite some time learning about the International Whaling Commission. I understand that, as of now, you do not have protections in place for whales such as the Bottlenose Dolphins and Pilot Whales that are currently netted in Taiji's killing cove in Japan (2 December, 2012). They await their fate in the morning. What is stopping us -- the world -- from saving all whales, regardless of size and regardless of the mouth make-up they have?

Per your website: "The 1946 Convention does not define a ‘whale’, although a list of names in a number of languages was annexed to the Final Act of the Convention. Some Governments take the view that the IWC has the legal competence to regulate catches of only these named great whales (the baleen whales and the sperm whale). Others believe that all cetaceans, including the smaller dolphins and porpoises, also fall within IWC jurisdiction."

Bottlenose Dolphins and Pilot Whales may be "smaller cetaceans," but they are, in fact, whales. I am among the "others" who believe that all cetaceans should be protected for the future of our planet. We are running out of time.

Please do what you can this very moment to urge Japan, a member of the IWC, to end Taiji's dolphin/whale hunts, live capture, and slaughter. This has gone on for far too long.

Respectfully,
Allison Cabellon
New York, NY

A Letter to President Barack Obama

A handwritten version of this letter is going in the mail tomorrow morning.

Dear President Obama,

Congratulations on your re-election as President of the United States. The results on Election Night gave me a renewed sense of hope for our country and our world. I have thought about writing you a few times over the past four years, but this letter that I write to you today is not about me. It’s about “a civilization of creatures who have never attacked us, who only show us kindness, and who have no defense against us: they are dolphins, porpoises, and whales.”*

A petition signed by over half a million people will be delivered to you, Vice President Biden, and the Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. regarding the dolphins, porpoises, and whales that swim near Japan. These beautiful, intelligent creatures don’t belong to Japan. They don’t belong to anyone. They don’t belong in captivity. They do belong in the ocean.

They do not deserve to inhumanely die by human hands in Taiji's killing "cove."

And yet, this is happening in 2012 and will continue to happen unless we, the people of the world, do something about it. And we are.

Mr. President, I am asking you, as our World Leader and as the Voice of the People, to please work with the Japanese government to end the senseless slaughter in Taiji, Japan.

In your final campaign speech in Iowa, you said, “Don't let anybody tell you your voice can't make a difference.” I took your words to heart and am now using my voice to speak on behalf of the dolphins, porpoises, and whales.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, Mr. President. I know you have a lot on your plate – believe me, I know. But as Captain Paul Watson has said, "If the oceans die, we die! It is as simple as that and, thus, to me, there is no cause more important."

Let’s move the country forward, and let’s move the world forward. Please help stop the killing and live capture of dolphins, whales, and porpoises in Taiji.

Sincerely,
Allison Cabellon
New York, NY

*Quote from "I am a Cove Guardian." Please click here to watch.

Now You See It, Now You Don't

Good morning, world. It is 6:45 AM Eastern on Monday, November 5, 2012. Around 11:45 PM last night -- though the cove was blue in Taiji (that is, a good day for dolphins) -- I could not stop thinking about why Yahoo has not stopped selling dolphin and whale meat when Amazon.com permanently did so. I don't want to go into the entire back story on this blog entry, but what you should know is that I was writing a note to someone who could possibly provide me with advice on bringing about change, and when I went to reference something on my Twitter, what I saw -- or rather, what I didn't see -- floored me. So take a look at the two images below:

1. A screen shot of my Twitter conversation with Yahoo-related Twitter accounts and Yahoo Care's response to me on October 25, 2012:


2. And now, here's what it looked like as of midnight and still looks like today:


Yahoo Care removed their response to me! Don't believe my screen shot? Click here to see it on Twitter. You'll see I had good sense to make a record of it with my RT of what Yahoo Care wrote to me, just in case. Now the "just in case" is a reality.

Please note that on Thursday, November 1, I made a follow-up inquiry to Yahoo on my Twitter.

.@yahoocare @yahoo Any update from bit.ly/TELfC7 team re: chn.ge/S4e0Hn petition? 129,273 signed. #tweet4taiji @seashepherd

— Allison Cabellon (@avgc) November 1, 2012

So, sometime between that question on Thursday and Sunday night, the Yahoo Care team removed their tweet to me.

WHY?

I can't get that question out of my head now... WHY?

Allison

P.S. If you have not already, sign the petition on Change.org. More than any other petition right now, I want this victory. I won't give up.

Three Minutes of Your Time

TWO MINUTES: Please watch this video. "My friend is in serious trouble, in fact he is fighting for his life right now."



ONE MINUTE: Please click here and sign the petition to help save Japan's dolphins. We need to reach 500,000 signatures by the end of today, October 31, 2012, and we have about 4,500 to go at the time of this posting.

That's it. Three minutes and done.

THANK YOU!
Allison
New York, NY

UPDATE: Around 6 PM Eastern today (October 31, 2012), Take Part extended the deadline to reach 500,000 signatures to November 15, 2012. So we still have time, but please take 3 minutes if you haven't already to click, watch, and sign.

A Letter to Ellen DeGeneres

A handwritten version of this letter is going in the mail on Monday morning.

Dear Ellen,

My name is Allison Cabellon, and I have been a fan of yours for many years. I am writing to you on a Saturday night because I need your help as a fellow compassionate animal lover.

In 2010, you recommended on your website that visitors/viewers watch the documentary The Cove. Fast forward 2 years later, and the dolphin hunts and slaughter continue in Taiji, Japan. Last night, Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians livestreamed footage to the world. Three Risso dolphins* were captured for a life of captivity, and the rest of their family, 7 more Rissos, were killed. I will never forget the dolphins’ cries while watching The Cove. Last night’s cries will haunt me, too.

Ellen, can you help me – and all who care about animals – by asking Yahoo! to stop selling whale and dolphin meat on their websites? Amazon.com did. I am asking you not only because you care about animals but also because your show’s website, ellentv.com, appears to be hosted on Yahoo! Your powerful voice could make a big difference for the dolphins.

As of tonight, there are 128,617 people on Change.org who are calling for Yahoo! to stop selling whale and dolphin meat. “We can’t make change without knowing what we’re up against.” That is how you ended your website recommendation for watching The Cove. Now that we do know what we’re up against, let’s make the change.

Thank you,
Allison
New York, NY

*UPDATE: As reported by Melissa Sehgal on the October 24th live stream by Sea Shepherd, the three Rissos in captivity are not eating.

Top 5

Back in October, I wrote the following, and the same applies today, except that it's not so random.

This is random. I clearly haven't been putting effort into my blog, but here are some things that I love/have enjoyed/have learned from this past week:

1. Cooking vegan pancit. The last time I cooked pancit, I was just a vegetarian, and I honestly missed the taste of patis (Filipino fish sauce). Well, I've been a vegan for almost a year and a half now, and my tastes have certainly changed -- for the better. I wanted to get back to cooking Filipino food, vegan style this time. And this video totally helped. I didn't use any soy protein, and I added garlic. Mmmm... garlic.


2. Learning how to riff. On Sunday, I tweeted the following:

What you put out into the universe -- even the Twitterverse -- will come back around. Check it out!


3. Watching videos on NutritionFacts.org. I am addicted to this website -- in a good way. Dr. Greger is entertaining and informative, and he clears up the myths about nutrition. Usually these videos are 1-3 minutes in length -- easily digestible in the YouTube age. Heehee. Get it? Digestible? Okay, his jokes are better than mine. This video is an exception. It's 55 minutes in length, but if you watch, you'll get hooked. I won't spoil my favorite line from this. (Feel free to take a guess, and I'll let you know if you're right!) And this confirms just one major reason why I'll be vegan for life: I don't want heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or any of the other 15 leading causes of death.

Tip: Watch this video in full screen on your computer, so you can see his great, animated presentation.


4. Cooking. No video to accompany this particular love. And I know that it's similar to #1, but at the same time, it's not. Six years ago, when I moved to New York, I didn't know if I'd ever come to love cooking, and now I can say that I do. Seitan adobo, anyone? Homemade taho, anyone? Creamy avocado pasta, anyone? Homemade pancakes, anyone? I can make them all. In fact, I made them all for the very first time this week! :)

5. Keeping track of life on Peabrain. From the creator of 750 Words comes an amazing SMS-based way of keeping track of anything that you want. The best part for me is I've established new habits while using Peabrain. I'm doing push-ups on a regular basis again. I walk more in my neighborhood park. I started composting! (Well, donating food scraps to my local farmers market. It's awesome.) I've started meditating daily, and it is essential to me now. But it's not just for habits. I also keep track of other things, but I'm not telling you what -- it's a private SMS tool, after all!

It's About Breakfast, Allison

Good morning, world.  Yesterday evening I had a glorious time shopping at Whole Foods.  Seriously, you're probably thinking that shopping at Whole Foods should not give me that much pleasure, but it does.  And I got the ingredients I needed to recreate WaterCourse Foods' Amsterdam Hash.  Yes, that is the name of the dish.  Don't get any ideas now, just click on the link to refresh your memory.

OK, so I didn't exactly recreate the home fries... I went with mashed potatoes, so I could have it ready for lunch- or dinner-type meals.  And I also used the no-egg scramble recipe from The Jazzy Vegetarian.  (It's still a tofu scramble, but I kind of like that TJV called it a "no-egg scramble.")

Anyway, I now make an excellent mushroom gravy, and while I've told this to my sister and one of my cousins, I'll just put it out there that you should invite me over for Thanksgiving because of my mushroom gravy.  It is that awesome.

I also made some oven-roasted Brussels sprouts for kicks, and I made a Tofurky breakfast sausage link.  I only ate half of the said link.  I could have done without it, and now I know better.  No need for the fake meat when it comes to this dish.  Should have known that from the WaterCourse version.  All in all, it was a success in my book.  It took me ninety minutes to make everything, but I really didn't mind.  I love that cooking is creativity in action.  I never saw it that way until recently.  The floodgates are open...

Dipping into 2012

Oh, hi there, blog reader! I didn't see you there. Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable.

It's a new year, and with that comes new goals!

Oh wait, haha, I just consulted my 2012 list, and I didn't include goals about cooking. Anyway, it's a new year, and there are new recipes to try!

After searching for fresh artichokes in San Jose last month to no avail, I carried my craving for artichokes over into 2012. I decided to make the vegan artichoke dip from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet. (I couldn't find any soy Parmesan at Whole Foods, so I used nutritional yeast, and also, I didn't have any paprika to sprinkle on top.)

The result: DELICIOUS! I had it (not the whole thing) with tortilla chips.

Members of The Kind Life website said on the forum board that the dip tastes even better the next day, so I can't wait to eat the leftovers!

In case you're interested...

Ingredients I used:
2 8.5-ounce cans of artichoke hearts
1 cup Vegenaise
1/2 cup nutritional yeast (Alicia's recipe called for 1 cup of soy Parmesan - I only used half because it was my first time using/trying nutritional yeast [mmmmmm])
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (Alicia's recipe called for 1 garlic clove, but I loves me some garlic!)
Optional: Paprika (well, it wasn't optional for Alicia, but I made it optional, heh heh)
Tortilla chips (Alicia suggested crackers or endive leaves, but I already had tortilla chips on hand)

What I did:
Honored Alicia's directions and then took my own. Haha, that was a 10th grade English class reference. But seriously, I drained the liquid from the artichokes and mashed them in a mixing bowl (tore some apart even more with my hands). Then I added the Vegenaise, garlic, and nutritional yeast. Mixed it all together and put the dip into the baking dish which you see above and baked for 30 minutes at 300 degrees (I'm sure you could use a higher temp, but I didn't want it to burn while I checked Facebook, so I used a lower temp). Devoured a portion of the dip and burned my mouth in the process, but it was worth it.