Hi Ben & Liza,

I've been following your chat and couldn't avoid responding to your
latest mail Ben, as I am feeling the exact same things you are.  I am a
Public Relations Manager for a high-tech software company in Israel, who
develops Web authoring tools for streaming multimedia (www.emblaze.com).
I sit in front of a computer all day (9-12 hours), and barely have time
to do the things I really want to do/learn/see/try etc.  I started a
massage thearapy course two months ago, which I am enjoying thuroughly,
but don't know how I will ever shift from my "day job" to massage
thearapy, colon cleansing & establishing a arw-food community somewhere
in Israel, where I live (my dream).

I am 30 years old, single, and am looking for the one and only mate to
share my life hopes, dreams and visions with.  It isn't easy and it's
even more complicated when you're a raw-foodist because people don't
really want to understand.  I want to be loved and understood for who I
truly am and what I believe in.  I want to live a life filled with joy
and happiness and the way I see that happening is through a natural,
raw-food, wholesome way of life.  I need someone who can relate to that
and share that with me - all the way (including having a "raw" baby).

So, I feel for you and relate to everything you are going through!

Please keep me updated and share more of you thoughts and feelings in
you like.

Regards and love,

Leah

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ben Odom [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thu January 14 1999 5:33
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: Raw Food Perceptions
>
> Liza asks:
> >Any idea what you want to study, yet? And what are you doing for
> work, in
> >the meantime. More power to you - it's hard doing both - really
> really
> >hard. All that raw meat must be giving you loads of energy. :)
>
> Well Liza that's an interesting question.  By trade I'm a
> Web/Graphic/Database Designer, which I make fairly decent money at
> (for a
> student).  I'm currently studying Information Systems.  However, to be
> honest with you, there's an idealistic side of me that is just dying
> to own
> a small farm-type business, whether a small goat dairy, a greenhouse,
> meat
> market, etc.  There are also other interests I'm really wanting to
> pursue;
> for example, I want to become a certified massage therapist.  I
> certainly
> don't want to spend the rest of my life in front of a computer.  In
> essence,
> it's just the fact that there's something about honest, hard, physical
> labor
> that is very pleasing to me.  Even if it pays half of what I make
> doing the
> computer work.
>
> It's very confusing to me, but I think in the end a little bit of
> practicality AND idealism will surface.  I'll probably continue as a
> technical writer/consultant, but also maintain a small herd of dairy
> goats
> or something else along those lines, just to keep my love for
> nature/animals
> going.
>
> >> (In fact I'm going on my first date since being
> >> back here tonight!)
> >
> >:)  :)  Feel free to fill us, or me, in on how everything goes in
> that
> >arena! It's fun to hear about.
>
> Hehe --- actually the gal I'm going out with is a really nice (and
> very
> open-minded) young lady that I met at a party at a friend's house.
> Although
> she's not really big on the idea of raw food herself, she was very
> receptive
> about hearing about it, and very accepting in general.  Plus she's a
> super
> down-to-earth gal, which is right up my alley.  No games to play, just
> a
> friendly person to hang around with and get to know.  She really stood
> out
> to me amongst the other million "valley girl" personalities.  We'll
> see how
> things go.  We'll see if I have any social skills after being out of
> practice for so long.  >;-)
>
> Warm Regards,
>
> Ben