Hollywood, although crazy, is at least predictable. Overpaid directors with over inflated egos will preach to us about how we should be living and how very bad we really are. Sex will be sold. And way too much emphasis will be placed on how people look (Michael Bay, I’m looking at you). Also, there will be explosions, lots of happy explosions.
A lot of good entertainment is also had along the way though, which I like, so I admit that I lack the willpower to boycott Hollywood for its shallow ridiculousness.
I’ve noticed a trend recently though that particularly bugs me… the slimming down of certain actresses. These actresses of which I speak weren’t actually “fat” to begin with, they were just sort of closer to average. To start, they were all around the size I want to be when I’m done losing weight. I mean those curvy, sexy girls with nice tracts of land.
I’ve been seeing them turning up in advertisements for Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers as famous spokespeople, taking off the twenty to thirty pounds or so they need in order to be closer to the Hollywood ideal.
It bugs me because I’m wondering, are people out there in La La land saying to these girls; you better loose that weight if you still want to have a job? It’s probably closer to: you will work MORE if you loose that weight. But it still bugs me.
I complained of this at a social gathering last weekend, and one of my friends pointed out to me that I shouldn’t judge – because for all I know all those previously average sized actresses might have had high blood pressure or high cholesterol that they needed to loose weight to correct for health reasons.
Perhaps.
But I’m very skeptical.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Zombie Philosophy
Most who know me well know that I like Zombie movies, so it probably comes as a surprise to absolutely no one that I’m enjoying the
When Ted first asked me to tape the series he had no intention of actually letting me watch it, he really didn’t think I’d like it because the comics are apparently incredibly brutal. I watched it with him anyway though. As it turns out its being re-written slightly for television, perhaps because you just can’t do some things on TV, even if it’s cable TV. Instead of being irritating to my husband who read the comics, he’s actually loving the changes, plus it means he too has no idea what’s going to happen next.
As I was recently told in school, zombies are really just a metaphor for a shared crisis that no one can escape from. It seems to be the writers who really get that it’s not about the zombies, it’s what people do in response to the zombies who make the whole thing really, really interesting.
Kirkman focuses on exactly that: what do you do when society breaks down? Do you man up? Loose it? Surrender yourself to your own wants because there’s nobody left to stop you? Or become a hero?
What would YOU do if the world was suddenly no longer governed at least loosely by all the rules you’ve always known and counted on?
Personally I hope I never have to find out, but it’s something to consider just the same.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Gremlins!
I knew my insomnia was contributing to fatness, now I have a name for it!
“Studies show people who get less than 6 hours of sleep eat up to 300 calories more during the day because a lack of sleep triggers the production of the hunger hormone, grehlin,” says Marjorie Nolan, RD, CND, CPT and national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Each extra hour of sleep could save you 100 calories.
Grehlin. That’s apparently the hormone that makes me constantly hungry on days when I’m exhausted from not sleeping. A name so close to that of evil, nasty little “Gremlins” that it makes perfect sense to me! I have hunger Gremlins!
I got that excerpt from an article on easy ways to cut 500 calories per day. Some of their suggestions were stupid, like replacing your office chair with a big exercise stability ball (yeah, that’ll go over great with HR). Some of them were no brainers, like the above.
One of them however was really good.
Tell yourself at dinner time that you can have seconds, but make yourself wait twenty to thirty minutes before going to fetch them.
This one is kind of brilliant because it gives your stomach plenty of time to process feeling full, so that by the time the wait period has elapsed, you won’t want seconds anyway.
Sheesh, why didn’t I think of that?
Also, I think I’ve become addicted to wasabi peas.
“Studies show people who get less than 6 hours of sleep eat up to 300 calories more during the day because a lack of sleep triggers the production of the hunger hormone, grehlin,” says Marjorie Nolan, RD, CND, CPT and national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Each extra hour of sleep could save you 100 calories.
Grehlin. That’s apparently the hormone that makes me constantly hungry on days when I’m exhausted from not sleeping. A name so close to that of evil, nasty little “Gremlins” that it makes perfect sense to me! I have hunger Gremlins!
I got that excerpt from an article on easy ways to cut 500 calories per day. Some of their suggestions were stupid, like replacing your office chair with a big exercise stability ball (yeah, that’ll go over great with HR). Some of them were no brainers, like the above.
One of them however was really good.
Tell yourself at dinner time that you can have seconds, but make yourself wait twenty to thirty minutes before going to fetch them.
This one is kind of brilliant because it gives your stomach plenty of time to process feeling full, so that by the time the wait period has elapsed, you won’t want seconds anyway.
Sheesh, why didn’t I think of that?
Also, I think I’ve become addicted to wasabi peas.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Seasonal Reflection
It’s an old tale that so many of us know well: Christmas comes and ruins the good nutritional intentions of many.
On the upside for me, I wasn’t even on any track to be knocked off of it at this point. The track is somewhere far away, distantly located on the other side the sunlight and chocolate strewn field through which I am currently frolicking while my clothes grow increasingly ill fitting.
So… as the year draws to a close what can I say I’ve accomplished?
I think the best thing I can come up with is my 4.0 GPA in grad school. Two classes into my Master’s degree and two A’s earned. Two wonderful semesters filled with learning new things.
When I’m in school I feel as though all the potential in the world lies spread in front of me. Sure, I may have a dead end job, but I am LEARNING! I’m learning something new and becoming something better. I feel positive, good, I feel as though I am going somewhere.
Also I am grateful to still be a healthy fat person. Thirty six years old and still no ill health effects as a result of being overweight. Doctors continue to tell me I’m playing Russian roulette with my life by not shedding the pounds, I believe them, I will continue to try and not give up. But still, I’m grateful that my sound nutritional knowledge seems to be sufficient to keep me in a state of good health in the interim.
I am happier and happier with my marriage and my husband each year as we grow to know and love each other better all the time. I feel cherished each day, cared for and valued. And I always have laughter and Ted’s “fits of weird” to enjoy. In a year that’s seen the destruction of so much, I’m so grateful for him in my life. We cling to one another like children in a storm.
So will this be the year I finally shed this weight? Will this be the year I become a rare success story? One of the teeny, tiny 5% of overweight people who will make a significant change in their BMI and STAY that way? I’m hesitant to make any promises I may not wind up keeping later. But as always, I continue to walk my road.
What else is there to do?
On the upside for me, I wasn’t even on any track to be knocked off of it at this point. The track is somewhere far away, distantly located on the other side the sunlight and chocolate strewn field through which I am currently frolicking while my clothes grow increasingly ill fitting.
So… as the year draws to a close what can I say I’ve accomplished?
I think the best thing I can come up with is my 4.0 GPA in grad school. Two classes into my Master’s degree and two A’s earned. Two wonderful semesters filled with learning new things.
When I’m in school I feel as though all the potential in the world lies spread in front of me. Sure, I may have a dead end job, but I am LEARNING! I’m learning something new and becoming something better. I feel positive, good, I feel as though I am going somewhere.
Also I am grateful to still be a healthy fat person. Thirty six years old and still no ill health effects as a result of being overweight. Doctors continue to tell me I’m playing Russian roulette with my life by not shedding the pounds, I believe them, I will continue to try and not give up. But still, I’m grateful that my sound nutritional knowledge seems to be sufficient to keep me in a state of good health in the interim.
I am happier and happier with my marriage and my husband each year as we grow to know and love each other better all the time. I feel cherished each day, cared for and valued. And I always have laughter and Ted’s “fits of weird” to enjoy. In a year that’s seen the destruction of so much, I’m so grateful for him in my life. We cling to one another like children in a storm.
So will this be the year I finally shed this weight? Will this be the year I become a rare success story? One of the teeny, tiny 5% of overweight people who will make a significant change in their BMI and STAY that way? I’m hesitant to make any promises I may not wind up keeping later. But as always, I continue to walk my road.
What else is there to do?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Who Knew?
Apparently I’ve been shopping in the wrong racial demographic for all these years.
A few weeks ago, Teddi took me shopping at a store called “Ashley Stewart” in Cheltenham. I’d never heard of it or gone in before and was my usual anti-shopping, grouchy, skeptical self as we walked through the front door.
As I glanced around I saw a number of things I thought were cute, but didn’t bother sifting through the racks because the store didn’t say “plus sized” anywhere, so I mentally assumed it was a store for ‘normal’ people, and not for me.
As I followed Teddi morosely through the racks I must have admired something or other because she picked it up and shoved it into my arms, directing me toward the fitting room.
To my utter shock, it fit. I tried on more, it all fit. Everything fit, nothing was insanely priced, everything was decently made, and everything was cute. A lot of it was even sexy. And if shopping at Lane Bryant and Fashion Bug Plus for most of my life has taught me anything – it’s that sexy clothes are a BIG NO NO for overweight women.
Not so here.
What strange, loving wonderland had I blundered into? What was this place?
Apparently the key was that Ashley Stewart is a clothing store for black women.
Apparently designers for black women think its perfectly okay to celebrate the generous curves of a woman’s body and let them be sexy instead of punishing them with cheap, overpriced, poorly designed clothes in horrendous mumu-type fabrics.
Holy crap… who knew this was even possible?
A few weeks ago, Teddi took me shopping at a store called “Ashley Stewart” in Cheltenham. I’d never heard of it or gone in before and was my usual anti-shopping, grouchy, skeptical self as we walked through the front door.
As I glanced around I saw a number of things I thought were cute, but didn’t bother sifting through the racks because the store didn’t say “plus sized” anywhere, so I mentally assumed it was a store for ‘normal’ people, and not for me.
As I followed Teddi morosely through the racks I must have admired something or other because she picked it up and shoved it into my arms, directing me toward the fitting room.
To my utter shock, it fit. I tried on more, it all fit. Everything fit, nothing was insanely priced, everything was decently made, and everything was cute. A lot of it was even sexy. And if shopping at Lane Bryant and Fashion Bug Plus for most of my life has taught me anything – it’s that sexy clothes are a BIG NO NO for overweight women.
Not so here.
What strange, loving wonderland had I blundered into? What was this place?
Apparently the key was that Ashley Stewart is a clothing store for black women.
Apparently designers for black women think its perfectly okay to celebrate the generous curves of a woman’s body and let them be sexy instead of punishing them with cheap, overpriced, poorly designed clothes in horrendous mumu-type fabrics.
Holy crap… who knew this was even possible?
Monday, December 20, 2010
Scary Doll Attack
As of late this blog has been a lot more about whatever I happen to be thinking about today and a lot less about trying to loose weight. This is in all likelihood due to the fact that my attempts to loose weight recently have been entirely fruitless. No there’s nothing wrong with me metabolically, I’ve just been eating too much / moving too little.
At any rate, in the Christmas spirit of psychologically damaging toys, here’s something that set off my weird stuff-o-meter first thing this morning:
No, I couldn’t un-see the horror and now neither can you. Dolls kind of scare me. The closer they are to human looking the more they kind of scare me. On an artistic level I can truly appreciate the amount of work and love that went into making these things, but as a human being I’m slightly mentally scarred now.
They’re called “Puppenjungs” – which translates from German into “Doll Boys”. They’re sort of big too for dolls, about 24 inches tall, just big enough to wield a knife and slaughter you in your sleep while blinking sweetly at you with those overlarge Elfquest-Elf eyes of theirs.
They’re modeled to look like the Kaulitz twins, and part of the problem may be that the likeness is really pretty good. My first thought upon seeing them was: “dear God, I hope the real people they’re made to look like are not aware that they exist.”
Then I blundered over this:
Autographed picture. Which means that yes, they are in fact aware that somebody out there created and is toting their voodoo doll selves about the countryside. To make matters worse the one on the right appears to be reaching for the viewer, as though to collect your immortal soul…
How anyone can sleep at night knowing they’ve got evil doll doppelgangers is anybody’s guess. Yikes.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
30th Anniversary
Today is the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s murder, I realized this when our radio alarm clock went off this morning and the newscasters on KYW were talking about it.
Many know (and are horrified) by the fact that I’m no fan of Beatles songs, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know of and respect the legacy that they’ve left behind and understand their significant place in the history of music.
Ted was shocked that so much time had gone by since then so quickly. To me it explained why I had no memory of Lennon being killed, I was only six at the time.
It got me to thinking about the nature of obsession. Presumably Lennon was killed by a fan, so was the Latin singer Selena (by the president of her own fan club if I’m not mistaken).
In the case of a political assassination I can almost wrap my head around the motive; perhaps a person doesn’t agree with the beliefs of their target and believes they’re helping the world by ridding it of them.
But why do people kill what they presumably love?
And John Lennon of all people? The man was a pacifist who dreamed beautiful dreams about a peaceful world. I just don’t understand.
But then, maybe that’s a good thing.
Many know (and are horrified) by the fact that I’m no fan of Beatles songs, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know of and respect the legacy that they’ve left behind and understand their significant place in the history of music.
Ted was shocked that so much time had gone by since then so quickly. To me it explained why I had no memory of Lennon being killed, I was only six at the time.
It got me to thinking about the nature of obsession. Presumably Lennon was killed by a fan, so was the Latin singer Selena (by the president of her own fan club if I’m not mistaken).
In the case of a political assassination I can almost wrap my head around the motive; perhaps a person doesn’t agree with the beliefs of their target and believes they’re helping the world by ridding it of them.
But why do people kill what they presumably love?
And John Lennon of all people? The man was a pacifist who dreamed beautiful dreams about a peaceful world. I just don’t understand.
But then, maybe that’s a good thing.
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