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Welcome!
I'm a Registered Dietitian, vegan and endurance athlete living car-free in California. I think fun, adventure and good health go hand-in-hand!
Demand the impossible! Of yourself and the world.
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It was #108 yesterday in Los Angeles so we ate at the Krishna Temple on the way home from the beach. #90svegan #š„š„#apleatothepeopleofthislandHi friends! Update: almost 12 weeks out from being hit, my bones are mostly healed- I can sneeze without pain! The focus now is on rehabbing my broken shoulder by increasing range of motion and building strength in my atrophied muscles. Iām out in the world doing things and stuff! And you wouldnāt know I recently had 16 broken bones unless I was required to lift my arm higher than my shoulder. š . - . These are some photos from our recent Portland trip and @taylorwolframrdās beautiful wedding. . - . Iāve learned a lot in this process as itās been one of the most challenging times in my life. So much I want to say about normalcy and injury and depression. Iāve written a few WAY too long updates. In short, thank you. My friends and community, especially my thoughtful, caring partner have made this significantly more tolerable. From simple messages to stopping by to surprising financial support, Iād be in a much worse situation without you. Thank you. Looking forward to seeing many of you today at #AR2018. . - . #veganRD #bikeLAHi friends! Forty days out from being hit and my recovery is coming along. Iām no longer living and sleeping on a recliner! Was a bit sad to see it go. Also am 99% off of serious pain meds, which has been a rollercoaster. Three weeks ago I was positive Iād fly to @ppodconference this weekend, but reality set in: Iām not able to sit comfortably long enough for the flight so a conference that I help run is sadly out of the question. . - . Returning to normalcy is a new challenge because I tire quickly and have limited range of motion in my right arm while the broken shoulder and clavicle heal. Iām writing/working a bit though still canceling speaking events. š . - . What else? Getting the normal insurance run around- how do people put up with this? Though the surgeon did call me last week to tell me they found another break they had missed. š¤£ No news on the legal end to report yet. . - . My friends and community are beyond incredible. Iāll be honest: each message/gift/delivery I received in the hospital had me tearing up. From #veganRD to #bikeLA and even @lgravesā friends I had never met: you made this situation 100x better. Iāve never felt alone in this process and honestly Idk how someone could do it without such support. Thank you. . - . Physical therapy isnāt scheduled yet and my ribs are still healing (I can tell because those weird half sneezes feel like someone punched me hard in the chest) so I donāt have an estimate on when Iāll be riding again. First, lifting my arm. š . - . If youāre local and want to visit lmk! Itās been nice having so many visitors. I also go to the #hollywoodfarmersmarket on Sunday, if you go, letās hang out. Thanks for reading. āš¼Hi all. An update 3.5 weeks out. Had my first follow-up post clavicle/shoulder surgery and happy to report the x-rays show itās healing nicely. These plates are BIG! Ha. Still another 4 weeks before Iām allowed/able to lift my arm up (I can only move it below the elbow rn). And at least 8 till some normalcy. The medical team that put in my chest tube refused to see me because of my insurance, so that game has begun, but thankfully the nice ortho nurse removed their stitches for me. . - . Iām mobile and am walking every day, and making gains with being able to sit up and adjust on my own. Still have to sleep in a recliner but hopefully within a week that changes (wonāt have a choice when we return this rented chair!). Pain wise Iām feeling better, mostly. I am tapering off of 3 different pain meds which is.....challenging. Donāt want to complain too much so letās just say they work very well! Also still have a softball sized bruise below my rib cage that is....hard? Not sure how long that takes to break up. . - . My friends and community continue to be INCREDIBLE. Iām spoiled. So much love and Iām so grateful. I love having visitors and when they all bring food itās just the best ever. And financially yāall have been so helpful as Iāve had to cancel several speaking engagements and eat the cost of plane tickets. Thank you. Food delivery is so novel! . - . So Iām improving every day and my outlook is positive, but as I return to work and am coming off pain meds itās a serious adjustment. In other words, Iām not tired of guests and communication so donāt hesitate to reach out. . - . Appreciate all of you. Iām glad I wasnāt killed otherwise I would have missed all this love! Itās clichĆ© but you never know what is going to happen so tell people how you feel. #veganicecreamhealsbones #bikeLAAs some of you know, two weeks ago a driver made an illegal left in front of me when I was riding home from work, leaving me seriously injured. I spent two nights in a hospital, was released, saw my condition worsen, and then was readmitted, needing a chest tube to remove blood that was pooling in my chest cavity. I also had surgery to install (?) two titanium plates for my broken clavicle and shoulder. That plus 11 broken ribs (I learned we have 12 on each side) and 3 broken āminorā vertebrae totals 16 fractured bones. Iām thankful to be alive and to have avoided any head trauma. I can walk and function, but Iām still in pain (yes, Iām taking pain meds) and I have limited use of my entire right side above the waist. We had to rent a special recliner for me to sleep in. In all this my friends, my exceptional partner, and my communities have come through so strongly; Iām at a loss for words. Cannot thank all of you enough. Anything I think to say sounds clichĆ©. The outpouring of support has been the most emotional part of all this! Even more so than not being able to ride my bike for at least 3 months. š¬ Life is short and we can die at any time so we might as well do what we can while we can to make it better for people and animals. Thatās why safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists, and #veganism remain my top priorities. āš¼ #bikeLA #veganRD [ps. I should make a full recovery after physical therapy.]Japan! An incredible place. So. Much. Happening. Photos donāt do it justice. But hereās my attempt of our 1st day in Tokyo. 1. After a full day (13+ miles walking) we hit this tiny all #veganramen shop. One guy working. Two very small tables- mats for seats. And this delicious pork ramen. The noodles were perfect! Not pictured: fried chicken with tartar sauce which tasted nothing like that sounds. Which also describes a lot of food we ate. 2. Cat cafe! Had to do this. Free drinks so I tried onion tea, which does tastes like it sounds. 3. #hanami: the act of enjoying cherry blossoms. We spent some quiet time (relative) in #yoyogipark enjoying the #šø with hundreds of picnicking locals. 4. Our hotel offered free breakfast at an Italian restaurant which included this pasta with what I think is a fermented salsa sauce? No complaints! Top right is rice with fermented veggies and seaweed. Salad toppings included fried onions and roasted #burdock. 5. The famous doggo of Shibuya, #HachikÅ! People lined up to take very serious photos. Loved it. #peteverydog 6. The super fun, fashion-y, neighborhood of #Harajuku is filled with toys and stickers. This welcome sign is a realistic depiction. Recommend @mominokihouse_official for lunch and had a great coffee at @mojocoffee._ too. 7. Tokyo isnāt known for its street food but we found a #mochi vendor and enjoyed this delicious bean-filled sweet so much we went back for another. Scope @lgravesā #cherryblossom nails. 8. Requisite nighttime #Shibuya photo with our friends @hummingberd and @sandentotten who happen to book a trip the same time as us! #veganintokyo#tokyo #tokyo #tokyo #tokyo #tokyo #tokyo #tokyo #tokyo #tokyo #tokyo #tokyo #tokyoEver since a solo transatlantic flight I took at 16 yrs old, on donated miles, to ride BMX in England, Iāve been super grateful for every adventure I get to go on. What small amount of money I have goes toward travel so when I found round trip LA/Tokyo tickets on #JapaneseAirlines for the price of ~20 brunches we had to go. Plus @lgraves loves Tokyo and #cherryblossomsšø! So, so stoked. Meanwhile, what day is it? #internationaldateline #airplanefood #veganintheatmosphere #upintheskyupintheskyLike 20k (?!) other people, I went to the @veganstreetfair on Sunday. Itās incredible to hop on the train for three stops from my apartment and pop out to 200+ #veganfood vendors! We went mostly for the hangs and the spectacle but did get this faux tuna tostada, then kept it #90svegan with tofu (not pictured: jalapeƱo/cheeze and pesto toppings), and then lastly, proof you can indeed find vegetables among the tacos and mac n cheeze at a #veganstreetfair! Fun to see spots I was hitting a decade ago like @mamastamales and @earlesoncrenshaw and some newer ones I didnāt get to try but are on my list like, @comptonvegan and @supr.mrkt. More than probably any vegan event Iāve been to, this felt representative of the diverse Los Angeles I know and love. In the future it might have to be 2 miles long to accommodate everyone! And my pro tip if you havenāt been: donāt go hungry. Way less stressful. #veganfutureIf you know me, you know I love Happy Family. Yes, itās all you can eat, reasonably priced, delicious, and one of my favorite cuisines. But what I love most is the experience. Eating there feels like you are part of a happy family! A literal #veganfoodshare. Iāve been going for over 15 years, through 3 different locations and in 2018 they changed ownership- the same woman had run it since 1992. We went on the last night of 2017 and afterward I hugged her and thanked her for giving so much of her life to feed people delicious food. In this new world of vegan burgers and investor-owned concepts, I hope places like this can survive. Has anyone been since new owners took over? Thoughts?Twitter
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Matt Ruscigno, Registered Dietitian · Food, fun, and adventure!
