Tony and I started a new diet last Tuesday. We have both been told by people other than our doctors (mostly family - we love you guys too) that we need to loose weight. Now that we've set off upon this endeavor, no one has been at all encouraging about it.
I'm finding that there's something about the words "I'm going on a diet" that causes the individual your telling a most compelling need to say something discouraging, or at the very least, snarky. I've heard countless failure stories, weight regain stories and downright critisisms from most. When I told someone I'd already lost five pounds I heard "well that's not unusual for that kind of diet". And she was right, but frankly, I believe a "Good for you!" should have prefaced that statement.
What is it about us humans that keeps us from genuinely wanting others to succeed - at ANYTHING?
The older I get the more I'm convinced that mankind is not nice! We are all selfish, greedy, hurtful beings. And no, we really don't care about the plight of others unless it's directly affecting us personally.
Oh sure, there's one or two genuinly decent humans out there. Mother Theresa for example. And I'm not saying that humans are capable or more; we just don't bother to put the effort out there. Let's face the facts, being nice might cost us something.
So, in light of that, let me be the first to say, that if I've ever said something mean and discouraging to one of you (and I know I have, though the details are lost to time) I am very, very sorry. You deserved better. We all do. And I promise to try harder in the future.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Nose Kozie
What was God thinking when he placed the nose on Adam's face? I'll tell you what he was thinking. He was thinking, "My creation will be fine as long as it stays in warm climates". That's what God was thinking. Man (and especially woman) was not designed to migrate to colder climates.
I'm sitting here in my living room. It's 73 degrees in here. I'm wearing jeans and a sweater and have my feet shoved into a warm blanket. So in general, I'm warm. Except my nose. No matter how many times I cover my nose and blow into my hand to warm it up, my nose has to come back up for air (no pun intended) and therefore is re-exposed to the cold air. Hence, my nose is once again frosty. And I assure you this is an uncomfortable scenario, otherwise, I wouldn't be here on my blog complaining about it!
It's time someone invented the nose cozy. I don't care how stupid it looks. It only needs to cover the nose and be snug enough to fit under the frame of my glasses so they don't fog up as I'm breathing. Let me take a quick look around the web. Maybe someone already has invented the nose kozie...
HA! Someone DID invent the Nose Cozy (their spelling is correct, but mine is cuter!).
It's so popular in fact, according to her Etsy site, she sold out on 1-28-09. See, I'm not the only one who hates having a cold nose! I think $8 is a pretty fair price. I couldn't knit that. I'm just not that talented as a knitter. Next on my purchase list... A Nose Cozy!
I'm sitting here in my living room. It's 73 degrees in here. I'm wearing jeans and a sweater and have my feet shoved into a warm blanket. So in general, I'm warm. Except my nose. No matter how many times I cover my nose and blow into my hand to warm it up, my nose has to come back up for air (no pun intended) and therefore is re-exposed to the cold air. Hence, my nose is once again frosty. And I assure you this is an uncomfortable scenario, otherwise, I wouldn't be here on my blog complaining about it!
It's time someone invented the nose cozy. I don't care how stupid it looks. It only needs to cover the nose and be snug enough to fit under the frame of my glasses so they don't fog up as I'm breathing. Let me take a quick look around the web. Maybe someone already has invented the nose kozie...
HA! Someone DID invent the Nose Cozy (their spelling is correct, but mine is cuter!).
It's so popular in fact, according to her Etsy site, she sold out on 1-28-09. See, I'm not the only one who hates having a cold nose! I think $8 is a pretty fair price. I couldn't knit that. I'm just not that talented as a knitter. Next on my purchase list... A Nose Cozy!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Presidents Speech to Students
I just finished reading the advance copy of the speech the President is going to give to classrooms today. I can see why you all were afraid of what he had to say to your children. (Please note the sarcasm again.) An inspiring speech about how students need to believe in themselves and put in the effort needed to not just get ahead in life but to get through life is truly frightening stuff.
By the way, this is a speech that an entire generation of 30 somethings needs to listen to as well, because we all grew up with the same impressions we've passed on to our children, and these are not good impressions, that if at first you don't succeed at something, than obviously you're just no good at it and you should give up.
I know, because I fight that fight everyday. "Ooh poor me. I'm not a natural born photographer like Salley So and So. She's way better than me, so why should I try at all?" Because by learning everything there is to learn about lighting and how a camera works and taking thousands of pictures and analyzing each one can I see what I did wrong and how I can make it stronger, or better lit, or more impressive next time, until finally my pictures start looking good every time I take one. But it's taken years to get there and I'm still learning. One class did not make me a photographer, but I love it, so I'm going to keep taking pictures and studying how to improve.
Same with gardening. Not all my plants came up this year, or produced or even flowered, but I'm going to go back next year and try again, and read more and learn and blog until I get a garden that is the envy of the neighborhood.
Here's a copy of part of the President's speech that inspired me the most: "Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you're not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you — you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one's born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. It's the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust — a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor — and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you — don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best. It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?"
You should read the rest. I think you'll find that your fears about the President trying to brainwash your children were correct. He's trying to brainwash them into being better citizens.
By the way, this is a speech that an entire generation of 30 somethings needs to listen to as well, because we all grew up with the same impressions we've passed on to our children, and these are not good impressions, that if at first you don't succeed at something, than obviously you're just no good at it and you should give up.
I know, because I fight that fight everyday. "Ooh poor me. I'm not a natural born photographer like Salley So and So. She's way better than me, so why should I try at all?" Because by learning everything there is to learn about lighting and how a camera works and taking thousands of pictures and analyzing each one can I see what I did wrong and how I can make it stronger, or better lit, or more impressive next time, until finally my pictures start looking good every time I take one. But it's taken years to get there and I'm still learning. One class did not make me a photographer, but I love it, so I'm going to keep taking pictures and studying how to improve.
Same with gardening. Not all my plants came up this year, or produced or even flowered, but I'm going to go back next year and try again, and read more and learn and blog until I get a garden that is the envy of the neighborhood.
Here's a copy of part of the President's speech that inspired me the most: "Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you're not going to be any of those things.
But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.
That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you — you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.
No one's born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. It's the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust — a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor — and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.
And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you — don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.
The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best. It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.
So today, I want to ask you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?"
You should read the rest. I think you'll find that your fears about the President trying to brainwash your children were correct. He's trying to brainwash them into being better citizens.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Presidential Speeches and...
I know no one reads my blog, but I have to say this anyway. There are a lot of batsh*t stupid people out there. "Oh, I'm going to keep my child home from school because the President of the United States is going to speak to them on Tuesday. I don't want my child hearing ANYTHING the leader of the free world might have to say." I hope you got the sarcasm in the quotes.
You don't have to agree with his politics, but you should damn well respect the office he represents. If it was any other president in the history of this country, including Nixon or Kennedy or Lincoln (all hated by the opposing parties), you'd have been honored, even if you didn't vote for them, to have the man that represents the office speak to your children.
And as for "keeping politics out of the classroom" you'd better start home schooling. The classroom is where kids first learn politics. It's called Civics class at some schools and Government class in others and it's where the next generation is hopefully absorbing enough information to know why we're a free country and why we should vote and why when we don't get our way, we wait four years, then get out and vote again. Then again, maybe, as the department of education originally wanted the president to say, we need a reform in school because the adults out there right now don't seem to know all those "why's". Rather, it feels like we have a country of lemmings who don't know how to make up their own minds, but follow whatever unsubstantiated emails get sent to them that prick an emotional spark. It's called Snopes.com - USE IT!
As for all you wack jobs out there that hate President Obama and keep claiming it's because he might be Muslim or because he's a socialist, fascist, insert _____ist, first, look up the actual definition to the name your calling someone before you call them that. I learned that in 11th grade when I called a boy a name I'd heard, but didn't know the actual definition of. Let me tell you, you all should be as embarrassed as I was on that day.
Secondly, why don't you just admit the fact that you're calling him all these names is because he's black and your a racist. Oh, that's right because it's not politically correct, so you're going to hide behind all these other names instead. Well guess what? Those aren't politically correct either. Being Muslim doesn't make you a terrorist just like being Catholic doesn't make you a bad person. Wow, what's with the remark about the catholics? If you'll read your history books, a lot of people didn't want JFK elected because he was Catholic. But he's not the only president of note who wasn't a Protestant. Thomas Jefferson believed in Deism. In case you've all forgotten, this is still a country where you're allowed to worship anyway you choose. That includes the President.
So why don't you all examine your own hearts and ask yourselfs why you're really screaming so loudly. I don't think any of the reasons that you're telling the world are the reasons you actually believe. I think it's because deep down your just a small minded person who's mad because they didn't get their way.
You don't have to agree with his politics, but you should damn well respect the office he represents. If it was any other president in the history of this country, including Nixon or Kennedy or Lincoln (all hated by the opposing parties), you'd have been honored, even if you didn't vote for them, to have the man that represents the office speak to your children.
And as for "keeping politics out of the classroom" you'd better start home schooling. The classroom is where kids first learn politics. It's called Civics class at some schools and Government class in others and it's where the next generation is hopefully absorbing enough information to know why we're a free country and why we should vote and why when we don't get our way, we wait four years, then get out and vote again. Then again, maybe, as the department of education originally wanted the president to say, we need a reform in school because the adults out there right now don't seem to know all those "why's". Rather, it feels like we have a country of lemmings who don't know how to make up their own minds, but follow whatever unsubstantiated emails get sent to them that prick an emotional spark. It's called Snopes.com - USE IT!
As for all you wack jobs out there that hate President Obama and keep claiming it's because he might be Muslim or because he's a socialist, fascist, insert _____ist, first, look up the actual definition to the name your calling someone before you call them that. I learned that in 11th grade when I called a boy a name I'd heard, but didn't know the actual definition of. Let me tell you, you all should be as embarrassed as I was on that day.
Secondly, why don't you just admit the fact that you're calling him all these names is because he's black and your a racist. Oh, that's right because it's not politically correct, so you're going to hide behind all these other names instead. Well guess what? Those aren't politically correct either. Being Muslim doesn't make you a terrorist just like being Catholic doesn't make you a bad person. Wow, what's with the remark about the catholics? If you'll read your history books, a lot of people didn't want JFK elected because he was Catholic. But he's not the only president of note who wasn't a Protestant. Thomas Jefferson believed in Deism. In case you've all forgotten, this is still a country where you're allowed to worship anyway you choose. That includes the President.
So why don't you all examine your own hearts and ask yourselfs why you're really screaming so loudly. I don't think any of the reasons that you're telling the world are the reasons you actually believe. I think it's because deep down your just a small minded person who's mad because they didn't get their way.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Yes Man
We just got done watching the movie "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey. This movie was way better than I thought it would be. The previews had struck me as another goofey Carrey movie, but the truth is, there was a really good story line under the funny ha-ha.
If you haven't seen it, it's about a guy who's so afraid to live that he says "No" to everything. Invites out with friends. Everyone's loans at the bank where he works. Everything. He lives a safe predictable life where he works, goes home and watches movies, and repeats the process the next day.
Then he's "pushed" to go to a seminar about being a "Yes" man. He's scarred into following it and the first thing he has to do is give a homeless guy a ride to a park all the way across town, give the guy all him money (he's not allowed to say no, remember) and the guy uses his cell phone until it's dead. He runs out of gas, but ends up meeting a girl. The love story is kind of up front in this movie, but as a secondary story are the possabilities that life can offer you when you say "yes" even to outragous request. Not just the ones that are outside of your comfort zone, but the little ones too. Like agreeing to fill in at work on a Saturday (though I always thought that was one you weren't allowed to say no to) or yes to going to see a band you've never heard of.
The truth is though, how many of us are brave enough to be yes men for even one day of our lives. Yes, to the offers in our email inbox. Yes to that annoying friend/neighbor/coworkers offer. Yes to everything. I know I'm not, but it's something to think about.
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