I'm not sure if anyone really remembers the atkins diet or if they were ever on it, but the concept and the practice of that restriction completely wierded me out.
I was in high school when the popularity of the Atkins diet was at its peak. I remember working at my dad's job and meeting some really nice people at the hospital. One of the nurses was on Atkins, and on top of being an avid vintage label collector, Patty (not her name) was a somewhat larger woman. Patty was two weeks into her Atkins regimen when I started working at the hospital. Excited about her weight loss, Patty continued eating her meats and fats, as long as she avoided all carbs. Unfortunately, her giant economy size bag of FRIED PORK RINDS was fit for the menu. When the department took me out to lunch on my last day, we went to my favourite tapas resteraunt. Patty ordered the saganaki (a large brick of Greek cheese that is covered with butter, liquour and herbs. It was CARB FREE!
I just think it's funny when we find ourselves following trends that we rationalize as good or in this case, healthy for us. Patty did lose 20 or so pounds, but ended up smelling like ammonia, like most Atkins dieters do. Trade offs...
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
What is wrong with people?
Don't let the title mislead you. Chances are this will be a multi-part ongoing series.
The other day I'm walking back to my car in a parking lot after making some returns at a mall. Yep, being a broke, post undergraduate schlep just doesn't pay what it used to. As I'm approaching my car, a white van decides to back out without paying any attention to the person (me) walking behind it. I lightly tapped on the part of the van that was inches away from my face and made eye contact with the driver, a man seated along with his wife and kids.
Instead of nodding, or shrugging with apology, the guy shouts "Watch where YOU'RE walking!!"
Stunned, I replied "Oh yeah, because it's SO cool to almost kill people"
To this the man replied, "Nope, just trying to kill you"
Seriously????
The other day I'm walking back to my car in a parking lot after making some returns at a mall. Yep, being a broke, post undergraduate schlep just doesn't pay what it used to. As I'm approaching my car, a white van decides to back out without paying any attention to the person (me) walking behind it. I lightly tapped on the part of the van that was inches away from my face and made eye contact with the driver, a man seated along with his wife and kids.
Instead of nodding, or shrugging with apology, the guy shouts "Watch where YOU'RE walking!!"
Stunned, I replied "Oh yeah, because it's SO cool to almost kill people"
To this the man replied, "Nope, just trying to kill you"
Seriously????
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Open Letter to Rudy Giuliani
Dear Mr. Giuliani,
Congratulations on your speech last night. The false teeth look great!
Among the many things I took note of were your divisive, vitriolic, misleading and borderline-slanderous remarks about Barack Obama and other Americans. One thing in particular that stood out to me were your disparaging comments about Mr. Obama’s work as a community organizer, and then your disdain for the profession overall.
Perhaps you have forgotten, or never really learned what a community organizer is and what he or she does. It’s easy to get caught up in this GOP whirlwind when you advocate for candidates whose political stances completely undermine the beliefs of the majority of citizens of the very city you were a mayor of not too long ago. It’s easy to dismiss the importance of community organizers when you are disliked and ignored by the union of firefighters you claim to be a hero of. So let’s brush up on our knowledge of community organizers!
Community organizers are people that mobilize aidworkers and volunteers to offer their hands and help in times of crisis. Community organizers help orchestrate grand political and social movements. Community organizers advocate for social justice and equality. Community organizers put their blood, sweat and tears into securing jobs and aid for laid-off workers in the South Side of Chicago, for ensuring equal protection for people regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and identitiy.
Communtiy organizers, include (just to name a few) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (ever heard of him), Elizabeth Cady Stanton (she made sure that women like Sarah Palin, who you introduced last night, can vote), John Brown (who led an abolishonist movement), Yuri Kochiyama (an Asian Pacific American (yes we exist too) who joined hands with other civil rights leaders to build a coalition for social justice in America), and Mahatma Gandhi (if you don’t know this one, just stop reading). That’s just a couple of them. Community organizers are the same people that made this country the independent nation that it is. Community organizers are patriots.
Now that you know what community organizers do, and how incredibly stupid it was on your part to scoff at them and to encourage others to demean their accomplishments, you can see that you yourself have the capacity to be one too. While I may not at this moment equate Barack Obama with the leaders I have mentioned above, I certainly recognize he has the potential to bring about immeasurable change and unity this country needs.
I am a community of one, and my regret this year is not getting organized to make you a Vice Presidential nominee for the sole personal pleasure I would get from seeing Joe Biden eat you alive at the debates.
All the best Rudy!
N.M.
Congratulations on your speech last night. The false teeth look great!
Among the many things I took note of were your divisive, vitriolic, misleading and borderline-slanderous remarks about Barack Obama and other Americans. One thing in particular that stood out to me were your disparaging comments about Mr. Obama’s work as a community organizer, and then your disdain for the profession overall.
Perhaps you have forgotten, or never really learned what a community organizer is and what he or she does. It’s easy to get caught up in this GOP whirlwind when you advocate for candidates whose political stances completely undermine the beliefs of the majority of citizens of the very city you were a mayor of not too long ago. It’s easy to dismiss the importance of community organizers when you are disliked and ignored by the union of firefighters you claim to be a hero of. So let’s brush up on our knowledge of community organizers!
Community organizers are people that mobilize aidworkers and volunteers to offer their hands and help in times of crisis. Community organizers help orchestrate grand political and social movements. Community organizers advocate for social justice and equality. Community organizers put their blood, sweat and tears into securing jobs and aid for laid-off workers in the South Side of Chicago, for ensuring equal protection for people regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and identitiy.
Communtiy organizers, include (just to name a few) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (ever heard of him), Elizabeth Cady Stanton (she made sure that women like Sarah Palin, who you introduced last night, can vote), John Brown (who led an abolishonist movement), Yuri Kochiyama (an Asian Pacific American (yes we exist too) who joined hands with other civil rights leaders to build a coalition for social justice in America), and Mahatma Gandhi (if you don’t know this one, just stop reading). That’s just a couple of them. Community organizers are the same people that made this country the independent nation that it is. Community organizers are patriots.
Now that you know what community organizers do, and how incredibly stupid it was on your part to scoff at them and to encourage others to demean their accomplishments, you can see that you yourself have the capacity to be one too. While I may not at this moment equate Barack Obama with the leaders I have mentioned above, I certainly recognize he has the potential to bring about immeasurable change and unity this country needs.
I am a community of one, and my regret this year is not getting organized to make you a Vice Presidential nominee for the sole personal pleasure I would get from seeing Joe Biden eat you alive at the debates.
All the best Rudy!
N.M.
Embarrasingly Liberal
The phrase "embarrassingly liberal" comes from the negative attack ads from Rudy Boschwitz against the late Senator Paul Wellstone (a hero of mine), when they were campaigning for the senate seat in Minnesota.
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