tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31020894144405315762024-03-21T18:24:39.589-07:00Like This PageGood for ThoughtUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger399125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-577463129610309502019-12-30T15:54:00.001-08:002020-01-03T13:54:05.444-08:00Privacy and Copyright Notice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58KySR1SwWg6IywDpz6YYuk1G1uwhX_xllUGHQvoTAvCe3AKStZR4_UK-KTR1hOx4Dr6-EOMS6D1d5C4iv9oB5yAvpccr69-5Vh8ypLNKpgRQus8e8m9g5Hr2tP99rXdntZnMDxukHNM/s1600/VanGogh--Original--Starry_Night_Over_the_Rhone-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58KySR1SwWg6IywDpz6YYuk1G1uwhX_xllUGHQvoTAvCe3AKStZR4_UK-KTR1hOx4Dr6-EOMS6D1d5C4iv9oB5yAvpccr69-5Vh8ypLNKpgRQus8e8m9g5Hr2tP99rXdntZnMDxukHNM/s400/VanGogh--Original--Starry_Night_Over_the_Rhone-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><u>Starry Night on the Rhone, Vincent Van Gogh, 1888</u></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br />
Other than the
webmaster’s own books on Amazon and a few Adsense ads, we do not use third-party advertising
companies to serve ads when you visit our website.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
But we post this notice as a public service and FYI.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
These companies may use information (not including your name, address,
email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other
websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of
interest to you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
If you would like more information about this practice and to know your
choices about not having this information used by these companies, <b><a href="http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html">click here</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
This site is copyright 2011-present, by Jennifer Semple Siegel, webmaster
of <b><i>Like This Page</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Other works posted here are copyright by their respective authors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Works may not be reprinted or reposted without permission from the
webmaster or other authors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-10205860169493220362019-12-29T20:20:00.001-08:002019-12-30T18:09:44.249-08:00Movie: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-VLEPhfEN2M" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in;">
“‘You were a child once, too.’ That’s what
Mister Rogers said, that’s what he wrote down, once upon a time.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.2in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in;">
~ Tom Junod, quoting Mister Rogers, in “Can You Say…Hero?” (<b><a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a27134/can-you-say-hero-esq1198/" target="_blank">Esquire</a></b>, November 1998)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.2in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
________________________</div>
<br />
I just saw <i style="font-weight: bold;">A
Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood</i>, starring Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Yes, yes, yes!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
One of the best movies I have ever seen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
If you haven’t seen it or read anything about it, it will not be about
what you think it might be.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
It’s difficult to describe without giving important parts of it away, so I won’t. Just watch the trailer.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
For those who have seen the movie, here is the link to <b><a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a27134/can-you-say-hero-esq1198/" target="_blank">“Can You Say…Hero?”, the article on which the movie is based</a></b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
If you haven’t seen the movie, please don’t read this article until you
have seen the movie.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Trust me on this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Go ahead and print it out or save it on your computer for later, but
see the movie first.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
My heart is full.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<b><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_beautiful_day_in_the_neighborhood" target="_blank">Rotten Tomatoes review</a></b>. 95%!!!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-16045421340199507632019-12-22T17:30:00.001-08:002019-12-22T17:30:56.998-08:00Oil Painting: Anna Hineman Roberts -- Flowers in Vase (Still Life)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fTlAOkCcXREa84oPwMNhvXUBOLQDwXoaResT5CEEbTovDyWDbQ4MQDY8a9RFk1h1AxfYFWQOFRZXNKBXksiww3LsHsJk1vYb6t0JKIp4n7jIeYMSBKU-EdL2UNqk0CjoTIjtnrzukms/s1600/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_fTlAOkCcXREa84oPwMNhvXUBOLQDwXoaResT5CEEbTovDyWDbQ4MQDY8a9RFk1h1AxfYFWQOFRZXNKBXksiww3LsHsJk1vYb6t0JKIp4n7jIeYMSBKU-EdL2UNqk0CjoTIjtnrzukms/s320/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-1.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Oil Painting: Anna Hineman Roberts<br />Flowers in Vase (Still Life)<br />14 x 18 inches (unframed)<br />16 x 20 inches (framed)<br />________________</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVG9Z5yLdKPmG8y557Bh8Cs9A64M7VaZhmx5jIKdq1CEe7az8ILt6Er-dNEbncs5XUWVRyHtVSzlbjwV-85eIx39yer-Ct-5cTMl2kIVOd-UxAQ1ruoI5pegk64eBP0DRtxvSPngegKg/s1600/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVG9Z5yLdKPmG8y557Bh8Cs9A64M7VaZhmx5jIKdq1CEe7az8ILt6Er-dNEbncs5XUWVRyHtVSzlbjwV-85eIx39yer-Ct-5cTMl2kIVOd-UxAQ1ruoI5pegk64eBP0DRtxvSPngegKg/s320/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-2.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Oil Painting: Anna Hineman Roberts</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Flowers in Vase (Still Life)</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">14 x 18 inches (unframed)</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">16 x 20 inches (framed)</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">________________</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIL_vWDPgOiovXuqBVzz5j_70x8tvXCXtqVdH52P78sfSS_Qlf6ajfDRFoyAU09xO7hhd-c3U81M7wzD-psTGCd5uu9ihBXa-hXLZkIBq-Z6A7BLzBJUarmPJBY9y9RnZuv3Oxb3_cqo/s1600/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="960" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzIL_vWDPgOiovXuqBVzz5j_70x8tvXCXtqVdH52P78sfSS_Qlf6ajfDRFoyAU09xO7hhd-c3U81M7wzD-psTGCd5uu9ihBXa-hXLZkIBq-Z6A7BLzBJUarmPJBY9y9RnZuv3Oxb3_cqo/s320/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Oil Painting: Anna Hineman Roberts (Signature)</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Flowers in Vase (Still Life)</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">14 x 18 inches (unframed)</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">16 x 20 inches (framed)</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">________________</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqApCj9KT2v2AxqWMZO1cMLyIIbKnMir01sRpccqJE2RPR8axqf8tsOlybETDhyDr-ezbHdx4OmeWtEyDF4YGNHT4HzTNuB6KNB77Oj87VOZoMk8OwCzmz-5doEzh51x-Iw1qg3wmchg4/s1600/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="659" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqApCj9KT2v2AxqWMZO1cMLyIIbKnMir01sRpccqJE2RPR8axqf8tsOlybETDhyDr-ezbHdx4OmeWtEyDF4YGNHT4HzTNuB6KNB77Oj87VOZoMk8OwCzmz-5doEzh51x-Iw1qg3wmchg4/s320/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-4.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Anna Hineman Roberts (1915 -2013)</span><br style="font-size: x-small;" /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">________________</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2c5V4FaMc4QMlGXhalx8N5P6a6KhltJGKLRWsn7umxk9r4GYHHqPimS_cDBQDXnqZmE3GamZHTo3s86w4zUSxCjUlnxbXMsd7bRn9WEYnPMRjGfAT30VXA4Jx5Wa7z9XQ6880KKb-HSw/s1600/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2c5V4FaMc4QMlGXhalx8N5P6a6KhltJGKLRWsn7umxk9r4GYHHqPimS_cDBQDXnqZmE3GamZHTo3s86w4zUSxCjUlnxbXMsd7bRn9WEYnPMRjGfAT30VXA4Jx5Wa7z9XQ6880KKb-HSw/s320/FlowersInVase--AnnaHinemanRoberts-5.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Oil Painting: Anna Hineman Roberts (1915 - 2013)<br />Resume<br />________________</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsaM3MC2mmfRPAk1EHhneL9lMXGENftleunnZbSyleTDcCeG5iWgdLScQCG3HaJ8KIp4VKDgIMefmAJpZWaL05EB4nrpPAXquZCoC2rAfVyB14mk54K7I-YoMzVAICPNlaCzQKlrbHj0/s1600/AnitaSiegel--PaintingOfBird--VibrantColors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="679" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsaM3MC2mmfRPAk1EHhneL9lMXGENftleunnZbSyleTDcCeG5iWgdLScQCG3HaJ8KIp4VKDgIMefmAJpZWaL05EB4nrpPAXquZCoC2rAfVyB14mk54K7I-YoMzVAICPNlaCzQKlrbHj0/s320/AnitaSiegel--PaintingOfBird--VibrantColors.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Anita Siegel (1915 - 2006) also painted in bright colors<br />___________________</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br />
<b><u>Title</u>:</b> Flowers in Vase (Still life)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><u>Artist</u>:</b> Anna Hineman Roberts<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><u>Size</u>:</b> 14 x 18 inches (Without frame)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><u>Size</u>:</b> 16 x 20 (With frame)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><u>Where acquired</u>:</b> Shrewsbury Goodwill<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><u>Date acquired</u>:</b> December 21, 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><u>Paid</u>:</b> $4.00 (Not for sale)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Ms. Roberts’ style reminds me of my late
mother-in-law’s (Anita Siegel) work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
The colors are so vibrant and alive.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Anita had macular degeneration, so the
bright colors made a lot of sense.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
I don’t know why Ms. Roberts chose such
bright colors – I am not familiar with her body of work, which seems to be
extensive, according to the resume attached to the painting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><u><a href="https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailylocal/obituary.aspx?n=anna-louise-litz-hineman-roberts&pid=164451863" target="_blank">Ms. Roberts’ Obituary</a></u></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-16577965858512529952018-01-08T11:07:00.000-08:002018-01-08T11:07:03.797-08:00POWTUS: President Oprah Winfrey (of) The United States...Could it Happen???<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdkfef_G67ul72Z6RQIHVxpy1sSp6QPasfLkacxCg4OwIlEX8-QAY4t-yBaLGEqes5rGkoQgD2Y2Y-WngeEB4QphIAvlN4Rc1fjXmbah6v9U16KuV9a7FvBRJma-Onf517BmhlCAOiSs/s1600/OprahPOWTUS2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="807" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdkfef_G67ul72Z6RQIHVxpy1sSp6QPasfLkacxCg4OwIlEX8-QAY4t-yBaLGEqes5rGkoQgD2Y2Y-WngeEB4QphIAvlN4Rc1fjXmbah6v9U16KuV9a7FvBRJma-Onf517BmhlCAOiSs/s400/OprahPOWTUS2.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">POWTUS<br />
President Oprah Winfrey (of) the United States<br />
Could it happen???<br />
_________________________________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ss6qQM054B0" width="450"></iframe>
</center>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-88376490443131365642017-11-19T14:33:00.000-08:002017-11-19T14:33:30.634-08:00My Rocks: Large Red Garnet<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dJtc0HIyMUtjWdr-vaIQTs6nJkemdfdBS2C3FWvIxnvDTXE6Ydc8a4M3TRnrJkhN0FdDicYfo9VCGXJNpHYrpnXuZSg7RZFq7MYEBfbtrEham_GycJWR0kIlFvk-tPzS8YTU3sH-fOw/s1600/LargeRedGarnet18November2017--LebanonGemShow-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="960" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dJtc0HIyMUtjWdr-vaIQTs6nJkemdfdBS2C3FWvIxnvDTXE6Ydc8a4M3TRnrJkhN0FdDicYfo9VCGXJNpHYrpnXuZSg7RZFq7MYEBfbtrEham_GycJWR0kIlFvk-tPzS8YTU3sH-fOw/s400/LargeRedGarnet18November2017--LebanonGemShow-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Red Garnet -- photo #1<br />________________________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdAQKC9fvDB_JIwhjbg3MZnf90tOO2ghH4aUuoMyk4RybF1QgWW0scUPCmyib8yDQ2HA4WwrJK9HtXnoTLjhNIJwdQTyIg-7cpwxeB0nquFv24DrrhrdLyA_QZcPqevHRjp9eIL7SAJHo/s1600/LargeRedGarnet18November2017--LebanonGemShow-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="960" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdAQKC9fvDB_JIwhjbg3MZnf90tOO2ghH4aUuoMyk4RybF1QgWW0scUPCmyib8yDQ2HA4WwrJK9HtXnoTLjhNIJwdQTyIg-7cpwxeB0nquFv24DrrhrdLyA_QZcPqevHRjp9eIL7SAJHo/s400/LargeRedGarnet18November2017--LebanonGemShow-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Red Garnet -- photo #2<br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">________________________</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdl4Oih75I83nPz9d5b-G8FtJHybTzg7WrOncLryqwseQFa08uA43O6D8v3_X_XG7JlxqXMrRuJmjOD6t7wAAgTSMq4NdziX6lOnqVoDoPhNci1Zqvf4yhUnpR6SzLCXtqbU-7ZN8eqD4/s1600/LargeRedGarnet18November2017--LebanonGemShow-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="960" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdl4Oih75I83nPz9d5b-G8FtJHybTzg7WrOncLryqwseQFa08uA43O6D8v3_X_XG7JlxqXMrRuJmjOD6t7wAAgTSMq4NdziX6lOnqVoDoPhNci1Zqvf4yhUnpR6SzLCXtqbU-7ZN8eqD4/s400/LargeRedGarnet18November2017--LebanonGemShow-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Red Garnet -- photo #3<br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">________________________</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBlUf6loUtGmQmVsEk-JDcwsZb7trpM23oeE7u-nmqK5huN-eYpSs8qOgZRtC_ecbbueHQ7u2qpRvnOvb5zdkTGt0ZlTXJrAg2h6qwGADRLzb10R4X5hk68D0BG_6l9IDisxZzW_Tr0Y/s1600/LargeRedGarnet18November2017--LebanonGemShow-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="960" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBlUf6loUtGmQmVsEk-JDcwsZb7trpM23oeE7u-nmqK5huN-eYpSs8qOgZRtC_ecbbueHQ7u2qpRvnOvb5zdkTGt0ZlTXJrAg2h6qwGADRLzb10R4X5hk68D0BG_6l9IDisxZzW_Tr0Y/s400/LargeRedGarnet18November2017--LebanonGemShow-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Red Garnet -- photo #4<br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">________________________</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />Large Red Garnet</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">(From Kenya)<br /><br />1,318 grams (2 pounds, 14.5 ounces)<br /><br />Looks much lovelier in real life,<br /><br />encrusted with glittery mica.<br /><br />Lebanon Gem Show<br /><br />November 18, 2017<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-32582717159842478152017-11-19T13:25:00.002-08:002017-11-19T13:25:53.996-08:00My Rocks: Large Prehnite Specimen<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJItNIXRmYOhGhbiCe_2Cs1c9OTQTEyel3I1APRWC-k1MYqSjKcZMulS0rU5Vvu2z8QUBXyz53g2K_DNErHrrmzvB5H0RFXbslF8iFN_9VYLIfYZWkb9dqtAFXD02tKA5nstZKZJN-UWo/s1600/LargePrehniteSpecimen18Novermber2017-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="960" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJItNIXRmYOhGhbiCe_2Cs1c9OTQTEyel3I1APRWC-k1MYqSjKcZMulS0rU5Vvu2z8QUBXyz53g2K_DNErHrrmzvB5H0RFXbslF8iFN_9VYLIfYZWkb9dqtAFXD02tKA5nstZKZJN-UWo/s400/LargePrehniteSpecimen18Novermber2017-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Green Prehnite Specimen -- Top<br />_____________________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUit-TtYmWPDDpGdUzy3pyMy_ZfHgLgD8-zyJqMDp-huj3FK1eSrLlBfYRvhqjFxzrU3WCMx5pCCZmoap2Juh8GOX6O4ZyzPXS8xPQHQ9WipG3VMFJp-Js3TOmCYxa37WT_80hTs9d-U/s1600/LargePrehniteSpecimen18Novermber2017-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="960" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUit-TtYmWPDDpGdUzy3pyMy_ZfHgLgD8-zyJqMDp-huj3FK1eSrLlBfYRvhqjFxzrU3WCMx5pCCZmoap2Juh8GOX6O4ZyzPXS8xPQHQ9WipG3VMFJp-Js3TOmCYxa37WT_80hTs9d-U/s400/LargePrehniteSpecimen18Novermber2017-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large Green Prehnite Specimen -- Bottom<br style="font-size: 12.8px;" /><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">_____________________</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Large Prehnite Specimen</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">4,131 grams (9 pounds)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This rock stinks as if it were stored in a basement
for years.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">How to get rid of the stink in a stinky rock?</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Lebanon Gem Show</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">November 18, 2017</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-67772042584816468402017-11-19T13:06:00.000-08:002017-11-19T13:06:46.188-08:00My Rocks: Serpentine (Obelisk)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpxjs80PkDUr3VEBungIuS1FjZsK1ahtk-RUbOJJBl6V0fi0QmnTJF390Py43i_GyOcvp8XLbZKVpCSXuoRErIC0le6j-Ko-PTvybKlCrFgCpgZAEUy9ZJVJP1DMiSUARBJ-KQFaMwfM/s1600/SerpentineObelisk18November2017--LebanonGemShow-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpxjs80PkDUr3VEBungIuS1FjZsK1ahtk-RUbOJJBl6V0fi0QmnTJF390Py43i_GyOcvp8XLbZKVpCSXuoRErIC0le6j-Ko-PTvybKlCrFgCpgZAEUy9ZJVJP1DMiSUARBJ-KQFaMwfM/s320/SerpentineObelisk18November2017--LebanonGemShow-1.jpg" width="209" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMP5Z1le1awGmIZPx5qCR5WvVuwOrMBY-_Xc4K8OAdXQZwufwI0VEy7Wn6dCLnKbJtZo6jfmDc8jBSgGkwPVSZHMSV2Qyi4Yv6fkEzCP59cr8zTAcDlp-kU4l-vlvnUfjZ1Q32uGPA1Y8/s1600/SerpentineObelisk18November2017--LebanonGemShow-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="645" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMP5Z1le1awGmIZPx5qCR5WvVuwOrMBY-_Xc4K8OAdXQZwufwI0VEy7Wn6dCLnKbJtZo6jfmDc8jBSgGkwPVSZHMSV2Qyi4Yv6fkEzCP59cr8zTAcDlp-kU4l-vlvnUfjZ1Q32uGPA1Y8/s320/SerpentineObelisk18November2017--LebanonGemShow-2.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Serpentine
(Obelisk)</b></span>
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">572
grams (1 pound, 4.2 ounces).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lebanon
Gem Show<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;">November
18, 2017</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-16843009406552097822017-05-11T00:00:00.000-07:002017-05-11T00:00:08.970-07:00Let’s Talk Diet and Perseverance: Today is my Weight Watchers’ One-Year Anniversary<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfshqrq6sHXqa67YLSkxPCS6C_J55PkJI9Bj81qkfrJs-MqdNEkQJFDd08EN4MVB6J0-FYi6-weAdgEcISfyEToullbm6AFArHFi2JKNTzecteZH45G7mBW15W7dDrIEqeQAP_aCGBSI/s1600/JenHiltonHeadshadowOceanSelfieApril2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfshqrq6sHXqa67YLSkxPCS6C_J55PkJI9Bj81qkfrJs-MqdNEkQJFDd08EN4MVB6J0-FYi6-weAdgEcISfyEToullbm6AFArHFi2JKNTzecteZH45G7mBW15W7dDrIEqeQAP_aCGBSI/s640/JenHiltonHeadshadowOceanSelfieApril2017.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer, a Shadow Selfie<br />
Hilton Head, South Carolina, April 2017<br />
__________________________________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Perseverance
is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– Walter Elliot<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">______________________</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If 5 May 2016 was the day
I decided to lose weight, then May 11 of the same year was the day I acted by
going back to Weight Watchers and committing to losing 66 pounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have been known to make promises to myself and then not do the difficult work
of following through, but this time I did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Today,
I celebrate my one-year of perseverance, and, so far, a 62-pound weight loss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have attended 52 meetings in a row, some of them away from home. I didn’t always
feel like going, especially when I had a less than stellar week and/or was on
vacation, but I have come to realize that the lousy weeks were precisely the times
I really needed those meetings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.likethispage.com/2017/05/ImportantAnniversary.html" target="_blank">In my 5 May 2017 post</a></b>, I outlined some of the strategies I used to help me through my weight-loss journey
(so I won’t repeat them here), and I will continue incorporating them
throughout the next phase of my journey: weight maintenance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
still have about five pounds to lose, but I anticipate that it will take some
time to lose those last pounds. And I’m okay with that. No starvation mode
here; I have a bad habit of liking to eat and feeling satisfied afterwards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
my last post, I discussed about how setting continuing goals is so important,
for example: “I will maintain my goal weight for one week” (minor goal), and “I
will maintain my goal weight for one year (major goal). I also will set
non-weight goals, such as finishing “White Room,” a short story I started in
January, and weeding the junk from my house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
am also considering continuing weekly Weight Watchers meetings (as opposed to
the freebie monthly meetings), at least for one year after goal (even if I must
continuing paying), although I would prefer a weight maintenance group. If I
have a criticism of Weight Watchers, it’s its weak maintenance program – which seems
to be endemic of most weight-loss programs, as if one is supposed to know “how”
to maintain a healthy weight. But I can say that a maintenance group would offer
a significantly different vibe than the weight-loss meetings. However, on a
trial basis, WW is trying to address this problem by offering WW for Life
meetings. But these meetings are sporadic and may not continue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">According
to WebMD.com, successful maintainers follow these nine strategies:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">1.
They do it for themselves first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">2.
They prize exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">3.
They get their baggage in check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">4.
They don’t go it alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">5.
They limit their screen time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">6.
They step on the scale often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">7.
They eat breakfast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">8.
They favor fiber.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">9.
They keep getting back on the wagon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/features/maintain-weight-loss#1" target="_blank">Read full article on WebMD</a></b>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
would add another strategy: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">10. They drink plenty of water (at least 64 ounces per day) and cut back on soda, even
diet. Liquids are not all equal!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>Some
additional articles on Weight Maintenance:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="color: red;">Nutrition.org</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/222S.long" target="_blank">The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Long-term Weight Loss Maintenance</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="color: red;">AuthorityNutrition.com</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="https://authoritynutrition.com/maintain-weight-loss/" target="_blank">Authority Nutrition: The 17 Best Ways to Maintain Weight Loss</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="color: red;">HuffingtonPost.com</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/14/weight-loss-maintenance-tips-success_n_6425542.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post: 9 Tips For Keeping The Weight Off For Good</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="color: red;">Active.com</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/13-ways-to-maintain-your-weight-loss" target="_blank">Active: 13 Ways to Maintain Your Weight Loss </a></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">These
articles offer similar strategies for maintaining weight. I plan to keep
reviewing these, especially when I find myself slipping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Have
a good day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-73137630779113450582017-05-05T22:02:00.000-07:002017-05-09T19:46:11.177-07:00Let’s Talk Diet: Celebrating An Important Anniversary, a “Rejourney,” I’m at Goal, AND I’m Close to Goal (???)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-p6cRDoANypiGvXBSsOYf-KwkrIF5Oc57Xik4FPhyH3n4Pbqa4kSG1fk-l7MUM_If9n4XkguYdUR5RxENt0JkwOLmHtcEAMn0t6LnADY6zXBI7tntOBk92xbOVVVHKS2dqJgnDnAKH_g/s1600/JenniferBeforeAndAfterPNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-p6cRDoANypiGvXBSsOYf-KwkrIF5Oc57Xik4FPhyH3n4Pbqa4kSG1fk-l7MUM_If9n4XkguYdUR5RxENt0JkwOLmHtcEAMn0t6LnADY6zXBI7tntOBk92xbOVVVHKS2dqJgnDnAKH_g/s400/JenniferBeforeAndAfterPNG.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer (Before, 2010) and Jennifer (After, 2017)<br />
But it's not just about "looks" --<br />
That's just superficial stuff.<br />
It's also about physical and psychological health.<br />
___________________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />I
don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the
rest.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: 1.0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– Venus Williams<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">__________________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Back
in 2011, I started this site as a diet and exercise space, but then I gained my
weight back (and then some).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
was as if my arrogance, self-importance, and faux expertise brought me down a
few notches, so I decided to broaden the site focus; I began writing about
other topics of personal importance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So,
for the most part, I have backed off on diet topics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But
now I return to the topic of Diet Talk for a good reason: today, May 5, 2017,
is the first anniversary of my decision to attempt, once again, losing weight
and, most importantly, keeping it off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
remember that day well: as I was being fitted for a CPAP mask, I made a vow to
get my weight off and keep it off forever. My initial goal: to lose enough
weight to lose the CPAP. In <b><a href="http://www.likethispage.com/2016/06/leptin.html" target="_blank">I Have a Goal</a></b>, I wrote, on 20 June 2016, about this part of my journey. My ultimate goal: to keep
my weight off forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
good news: a year later, I have lost most of the weight – just five pounds to
go – but the jury is still out on the keeping off part. From 2011, I have learned
not to take anything for granted. I know I must remain vigilant, but, most
importantly, remain humble and non-judgmental of others who may not be able or
willing to lose their weight or keep it off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So,
as the title of this post avers: I’m at Goal, AND I’m Close to Goal. No matter how
long I stay at at goal, I will always be <b><a href="http://www.likethispage.com/2016/07/closetogoal.html" target="_blank">Close to Goal</a></b> as well, as I said in my 10 July 2016 post, when I was still far
from my goal weight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">How
can that be? Because keeping off the weight is an ongoing goal, a forever goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Perhaps
my year-long story, a “rejourney,” so to speak, will explain my thinking more
clearly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
started this process at about 200 pounds (I don’t really know because I wasn’t weighed
until May 11, 2016, when I returned to Weight Watchers, tail tucked between
legs. Then I weighed in at 196.6). Today, I weigh about 135 (clothed, but
without my shoes). I would like to lose five more pounds, but I’m in no hurry
to do so. Thus, if this is where my weight settles, then so be it. I can live
with my current weight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So
what am I doing this time that I have failed to do during my myriad attempts to
keep my weight off?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– While I have
railed against (and continue to rail against) my CPAP, I can’t deny that the
therapy has helped with my sleep issues. By getting better sleep, I have
experienced better appetite control. I still get cravings, but they are mild
and manageable. Before CPAP, my cravings were nearly impossible to ignore. I no
longer experience the real hunger that would dog me late at night (my stomach
would even growl), and it didn’t matter what I had eaten earlier in the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– Within reason, I
no longer deny myself occasional treats. However, I try to stay within my
Weight Watchers point system, successful 95% of the time. It’s all about
portion control. Even on days that I do go off program, two of my meals for
that day are on program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I allow myself
some significant leeway on holidays and special family events, recognizing that
these events are rare. And I don’t starve myself in anticipation for an off day
or after an off day, whether planned or not. Having said this, I watch out for “portion
creep.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– Planning is key.
Eating out can be challenging, so my husband and I have selected some local restaurants
that are program-friendly – or, at least, not program disasters. We also try to
avoid going out on the spur-of-the-moment, especially when we are famished. For
a fast meal, it’s better to nuke a prepared low calorie meal, with fruit,
vegetables, and salad on the side. It would be too easy to fall into bad old
habits. To slake any on-the-go hunger, I have gotten into the habit of taking portable
food, such as packets of soy nuts, apples, roasted chickpeas, carrot sticks, bell
pepper slices, and turkey pepperoni slices. On the other hand, it’s okay to
occasionally go to a restaurant that is normally a program disaster, but we
plan for it and only go there for birthdays or other special events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I track everything
that goes into my mouth, even when it’s ugly – and, believe me, I’m far from
perfect. For me, tracking keeps me accountable. Moreover, checking number of
points <i>before</i> eating something can help
me to make wise decisions. For example, is that Hershey bar <i>really</i> worth 11 points out of my 30
daily points? If so, then I eat it, but, if not, I select something more
point-friendly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I eat more lean
protein, both animal and plant, and eat less of processed carbs. I watch my
sugar intake; I don’t avoid it entirely, which is almost impossible these days,
anyway. I eat green and low carb vegetables and fruits at will, often employing
“The Carrot Test” to check if my hunger is real or psychological. I have never
over-eaten on grapes, carrots, or lettuce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I read food labels
and have learned how to interpret them. That way, I can make better decisions on
what to eat and how much to eat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I avoid trigger foods
whenever possible; for example, for me, eating a lot of sugar can trigger both physiological
and psychological negative responses. At the very least, I try to understand my
triggers and how to prepare for when a certain food is likely to elicit negative
responses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I walk three
miles nearly every day, mostly outside, sometimes on my dreaded treadmill. I
don’t buy into the “no pain, no gain” B.S. Exercise should be enjoyable and doable
every single day. I can honestly say that I really enjoy my walks – it’s like a
daily social event – I have met so many of my neighbors and their perky
canines! On the other hand, if I miss a day, it’s not a major disaster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I drink a lot of
water: at least 64 ounces per day. Water not only hydrates, but it also flushes
out one’s system, helps with digestive issues, and promotes weight loss. Also, doctor’s
orders (LOL!!!). To be honest, I have only recently started to drink the mandated
half gallon of water, but I have already noticed positive changes in my body; I
was kind of stuck weight-loss wise, but now I’m losing again, albeit slowly,
which is fine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I weigh myself
every day and record it in my tracker, even when I suspect a weight gain. For
me, this works well. Keeping track of one’s weight is just good common medical sense.
For example, an unexpected loss or gain can signal a physical problem, such as
diabetes or thyroid issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I have <i>finally</i> got into my thick skull that
this process is life-long, not temporary, which is why I have failed so much in
the past. On a day-to-day basis, I will not be able to eat whatever I want –
this is a fact of my life. God love those lucky souls who can chow down, but I’m
not one of them. It’s unfair, but that’s life. My husband would like more hair,
too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– This may or may
not be related: I have also given up caffeinated drinks. I didn’t do this for
weight-loss reasons, but because of my sleep issues. I do miss my leaded
liquids, but the trade-off is well worth it: I <i>am</i> sleeping better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I attend my
Weight Watchers meeting each week; it’s important to have a support group that
has my back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– I always try to
have another goal in mind; as I said earlier, I recognized this in <b><a href="http://www.likethispage.com/2016/07/closetogoal.html" target="_blank">Close to Goal</a></b>. This is especially important because there is always a kind of letdown after a
major goal has been reached – “Is That All There Is?” So, for me, my goal will always
be reset, for example, “I will maintain my weight for a week” (a small goal),
and “I will maintain my weight for a year” (a major goal). I will also work on setting non-weight goals, such as “I will finish writing that short story I started way back in January.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">– Last, but not
least, I have purposely readjusted my attitude to reflect a more positive me. At
first, I had to keep telling myself that, YES! I CAN DO THIS, even when I wasn’t
really feeling it. I have this tendency to set roadblocks in front of myself,
and I decided that this had to stop. From now on, for every problem, there <i>will</i> be a
solution. It might not be an easy solution, but, then, most solutions require
effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So
that’s my maintenance to-do list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
addition to weight-loss and better appetite control, I have experienced significant
positive physical benefits: my blood pressure has dropped 30 points, my energy
levels have increased, my sleep is better, my mood is better, I have fewer fast
heart beats, my mobility is better, my acid reflux has essentially disappeared </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 18.6667px;">(except on those days when I eat too much fat late at night)</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.25in;"> –
I haven’t needed any Zantac in nearly a year – and I feel at least 25 years younger.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
still haven’t lost the CPAP – I still have some breathing issues at night (like
I sometimes stop breathing without my CPAP), but I am hopeful that it will
eventually happen. If not, then so be it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">To
celebrate my important anniversary, I changed the title of this site from “Life
is a Brand” to “Like This Page.” “Life is a Brand” is now my subtitle – a kind
of bridge between the old and the new – at least for the foreseeable future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I
had been pondering a title change for months; it was just a matter of choosing
the right title.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Like
This Page” seems to roll off the tongue and is more memorable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Over
the next few weeks, I will be working on this site in other ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
closing: you, my dear readers, may benefit from developing your own to-do
weight loss list – you just need to figure out what that list might include.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For
your journey, you are welcome to borrow from my list; however, I would never
tell someone else that my process is superior to anyone else’s because our
bodies and psychological makeups are different.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Ultimately,
you must find your own path.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Have
a good day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-71160691810363009592017-04-22T10:44:00.000-07:002017-04-22T10:44:35.585-07:00Walking While Wearing a Hoodie<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BGJP8jKE_5P-qDDPU_C1g3N-aHSFPKAqLY5KpFEgN2l7bQUtojBtN0dmg6w7t1DD3EcEsJsf6dtdRlxueQ5gl4QtYMstPHwMGJeq6Rorj03WGgLNfB-j7Sk9DNeacKxy3X26cjX9SSY/s1600/JenBacksidePhoto22April2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BGJP8jKE_5P-qDDPU_C1g3N-aHSFPKAqLY5KpFEgN2l7bQUtojBtN0dmg6w7t1DD3EcEsJsf6dtdRlxueQ5gl4QtYMstPHwMGJeq6Rorj03WGgLNfB-j7Sk9DNeacKxy3X26cjX9SSY/s400/JenBacksidePhoto22April2017.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer, April 22, 2017<br />Do I look like a certain stereotype?<br />___________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Today, I got an inkling
of what it must be like being an African-American in the United States of
America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It
was cold and raw today, so I wore my hoodie and mittens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As
I was checking my phone before finishing up my walk, I heard this angry voice
behind me:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Hello?
Hello? Can I help you with something?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At
first, I ignored it – he couldn’t possibly be speaking to me. I didn’t know
him, and he had no reason to speak to me like that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Again,
he yelled, “I said, ‘Hello, can I help you with something?’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Confused,
I turned around, and said, “No, I’m fine.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A
young man – maybe mid-20’s – in shorts and a t-shirt, stopped short, obviously
embarrassed. He slunk away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Why
this happened didn’t hit me until I was about two blocks away; yes, this is
what it’s like being white in America – on a visceral level, we just don’t get
what African-Americans experience every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It took me two blocks to figure it all out, and
that is sad.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-16636300615092474842016-09-11T00:01:00.000-07:002016-09-11T00:01:16.350-07:00Fifteenth Anniversary of 9/11: Where Were You On That Terrible Tuesday?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-9XPeEeahmXe632ZDldrbxO3YaOa6UREJPLMQTSchEilQLNo1Hwx-5vTc5Rg8bWULBPMThFRL_NHYtO18ODBlWu7aRZgnTQZv5FZuTqunI5dsXXV1A2LLl5kfiHvd84d4C_tUC81GE4/s1600/9-11-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-9XPeEeahmXe632ZDldrbxO3YaOa6UREJPLMQTSchEilQLNo1Hwx-5vTc5Rg8bWULBPMThFRL_NHYtO18ODBlWu7aRZgnTQZv5FZuTqunI5dsXXV1A2LLl5kfiHvd84d4C_tUC81GE4/s400/9-11-2.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Composite by Jennifer Semple Siegel, created on 9/12/2001<br />_________________________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">My story is unremarkable, but my
horror was not.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
At 8:46 AM, I was
asleep when Flight 11 hit the North Tower.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
My husband nudged
me awake. “The World Trade Center is on fire,” he said as he flipped on the TV,
an old black and white portable. “A plane crashed into one of the towers.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I jumped out of
bed, memory of the 1993 WTC bombing smoldering in my brain.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Terrorism?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
“When I went into
the shower, Katie Couric...,” he said. “By the time I was out...this.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
“Terrorism,” I
said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
“They're not
saying. Could be an accident.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
But I knew.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I could feel the
hate vibrating in my bones. A sense of panic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I dressed without
showering and went into the living room. I flipped on NBC.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
In living color,
we saw the second plane slice into the South Tower.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
9:03 AM, Flight
175.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Yes. Terrorism.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Jerry had classes
and left for school. On a Monday-Wednesday schedule, I stayed home alone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I remember
looking out the window as Jerry backed the car out of the driveway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>As the world ends, I will die here at home,
all alone</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Our college did
not cancel day classes, which was kind of odd – I still think so – but they did
cancel Tuesday night.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
On NBC, I heard
Jim Maceda’s firsthand report from the Pentagon as an explosion rocked in the
background. “What was that?” he asked – at least that's how I remember it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
9:38 AM: Flight
77.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
9:59 AM: South
tower collapses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
10:10 AM: Flight
93. Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
10:28 AM: North
tower collapses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
It was an eerie
disconnect; it was an absolutely stunning fall day, brilliant blue sky, about
70 degrees and yet the world, filled with roiling black smoke and collapsing
buildings, was ending.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I looked to the
sky for answers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>What other horrors remain in flight?</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Three-Mile
Island, 20 miles away, a logical terrorist bull’s eye.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I recalled TMI,
in late March 1979.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Evacuation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
A mass exodus out
of central Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Panic.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
But where does
one flee when the <i>world</i> is ending?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I did the typical
things people did that day: I cried; I shook my fist at God (“How could you
allow <i>this</i>?”); I surfed CNN, NBC,
ABC, MSNBC; I proclaimed my hatred for the perpetrators, whoever they were; I
watched as American flags on cars began flapping in the wind and –<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
God Bless America.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
– I waited for
the end.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
To my relief,
Jerry came home, and the world hadn’t ended – yet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Like millions of
other Americans, we decided to donate blood for the survivors who would surely
be dug out of the rubble.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
The blood bank
asked us a few questions: they rejected Jerry because of a medical issue and
gave me a number.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
“Come back in two
hours.” The line was long and not enough blood collectors. I later learned that
subsequent donors were told to come back the next day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
We didn’t act
like people anticipating their last day on earth; we ate dinner at a Chinese
buffet, but our taste buds were numb. We ate because it was time to eat, and,
besides, I couldn’t give blood on an empty stomach.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
After donating my
pint, I still had to do gurney time and drink plenty of Gatorade, despite my
full stomach.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Back home and
recovering, I tried preparing for Wednesday classes, though I knew both I and
my students would not have Freshman Composition or Creative Writing on our
minds<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Later in the semester,
students would begin writing about this day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I called my aunt
in Iowa, and Jerry called his mother in Florida; we just wanted to be sure no
one we knew and loved was in those planes or in those buildings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
In my dreams, I
made an uneasy alliance with the God who had allowed this day to happen; I
dreamed of CNN, news crawls, fire, smoke, rubble, dead bodies, grieving
families.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Still, I began to
suspect we would live another day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
And so we did.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
See, I told you
my story was unremarkable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
How about <i>your</i> story?<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
_____________________________<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-46107520338182800162016-08-08T13:31:00.001-07:002016-08-08T13:31:21.240-07:00Choices Beyond the Treadmill...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiugvbzRldkZ0rrfglDXl_h4ShF3DAm2FguAHNAyHE9hlpFv1n2jDnS507ITZMXPXt4-hcjmbWYYkAPJWU8IZ9lZHlwDbRiTaX2pXBvCd-zhQ3PK1zlSwYuIN3h5LqV9MxQJrM1EB7BQ/s1600/ChoicesForkInRoad2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgiugvbzRldkZ0rrfglDXl_h4ShF3DAm2FguAHNAyHE9hlpFv1n2jDnS507ITZMXPXt4-hcjmbWYYkAPJWU8IZ9lZHlwDbRiTaX2pXBvCd-zhQ3PK1zlSwYuIN3h5LqV9MxQJrM1EB7BQ/s400/ChoicesForkInRoad2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>In the
long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends
until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
– Eleanor Roosevelt<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
_______________________<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
My life has taken
a dramatic turn, and it all began with a hinky treadmill.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
No worries and definitely no treadmill accidents – this is a positive turn
of events.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Let me elaborate by beginning with how I handled my Sioux City vacation
this year.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
For the first time <i>ever</i> while visiting
family, I did <i>not</i> fall completely
back into bad eating habits.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Yes, I did step off program slightly (mostly planned, sometimes not so
much), but never to the extent that my stomach hurt and felt bloated.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
And I did not need one stinkin’ Zantac – a first for a “back home”
vacation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
For the first time <i>ever</i>, I
returned home from vacation with a significant weight loss, despite the fact
that I wasn’t always on track with mindful eating.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I can point to four possible reasons: I continued my exercise, I ate breakfast
and lunch completely on program, I found and attended Weight Watchers’
meetings, and I tracked, no matter what I ate at dinner.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
It was humbling to write down those off-plan meals, but it was also
cathartic. In some cases, I found that I could even work the extra points in by
using weekly and exercise points (sometimes not).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I also made another major life change: I gave up caffeine – not really
diet-related, but I decided to see if I could make the switch to all decaf
coffee and beverages (a headache for one day).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
So far, so good.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Most importantly:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">No excuses about exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Yes, Iowa summers are stinking rotten hot with about 1000% humidity
(okay, so I exaggerate), but there is a solution to every “I can’t do this because
it’s (fill in the blank).”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I had planned to use the treadmill in my family’s basement – not the best
option, but I thought it was doable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
However, when I tried it, it proved to be rickety, wobbly, and slippery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I decided that a slippery belt was just too risky (having already
experienced a <b><a href="http://www.lifeisabrand.com/2011/06/please-practice-safe-exercising.html" target="_blank">treadmill mishap five years ago</a></b>, in which I cracked a vertebrae).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
So it was a “no go.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I could have said (and have said in the past), “Oh, well, I won’t worry
about exercise until I get home.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
It would have been so easy, and no one would have blamed me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
But using a slippery belt as an excuse to fall back into my old lazy ways
again would have been just another slippery slope argument. Not only that, I
would have lost much of my new physical strength, which I had developed over the
past two months.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Not an option.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Now there is nothing I hate more than hot sticky weather and getting up
early in the morning, combined with propelling my body forward.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Going for a morning walk in the dead of summer seemed like a preposterous
notion, a bwahahahahahahaha!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
But I decided to try it anyway because<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
1. I didn’t want to
revert back into old slothy habits.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
2. The other alternative
would have been to sign up at the local senior center (which we would have
done), where they have treadmills and other machines.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
3. Go mall walking in
air conditioning.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
The second two options were viable, but both involved driving somewhere
else and would have been contingent upon someone else’s hours.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
However, by just walking my relatives’ neighborhood, I could just jump
out of bed, do a quick pit stop, brush my teeth, throw on my exercise clothes,
comb my hair, grab my phone and water, and just go.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
No one cared if I was freshly showered – not that there were a lot of
humans out and about at that time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
And getting up early ensured a cooler walk. I experienced only one day in
which I felt like I was dragging a bag of rocks behind me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
With lots of water, slowing down when necessary, and a lot of ducking
into the shade, I survived.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
By making this choice during my vacation, I have discovered something
unknown to me about myself:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I don’t really mind getting
up early and hitting the pavement. </span></b><b style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In fact, I rather enjoy it.</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
And, post vacation, I have continued my morning jaunts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
And why not? I feel great during the day; I am sleeping better at night.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I have shocked myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Note to friends and
relatives who know me well:</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Please don’t choke on your morning coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
There is something about a walk in a neighborhood that you can’t get on
an at-home treadmill: sunshine and social interaction with both humans and dogs
(occasional squirrels and bunnies, too!).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I’m not special, and I’m not a saint; I have a lot of faults, and I can
be stubborn and lazy at times, but I am determined to find solutions when few
seem to be possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
And had I not decided to make an outrageous choice (at least to me), I
would have never made a new discovery about talking morning walks in the height
of summer, which, I hope will persist as a new habit here in York, Pennsylvania,
as it was in Sioux City, Iowa.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I am struck by the fact that we <i>do</i>
have choices in our lives: positive, negative, neutral.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I would like to stick to the positive and the neutral.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Thanks for listening!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-19984566794000537152016-07-10T20:18:00.000-07:002016-07-10T20:28:17.548-07:00Close to Goal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3n556CQVovQjp6jnKOeOC4CFPoAmuwvautsrEhXJ-MV9Idb-xsnVsWSSvuoK6CAzNS_mktaVSwSSCgwxQpRI3X3dO0ijTrinhDFRmv7dIA3O8bB5SWrUCK-ZoC5EU18rHOnThwdosdA/s1600/ClosetoGoalOval3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3n556CQVovQjp6jnKOeOC4CFPoAmuwvautsrEhXJ-MV9Idb-xsnVsWSSvuoK6CAzNS_mktaVSwSSCgwxQpRI3X3dO0ijTrinhDFRmv7dIA3O8bB5SWrUCK-ZoC5EU18rHOnThwdosdA/s400/ClosetoGoalOval3.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close to Goal<br />
______________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="line-height: 150%;">Do not be in a hurry to succeed. What would
you have to live for afterwards? Better make the horizon your goal; it will
always be ahead of you.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 1.2in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 0in;">
– <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Makepeace_Thackeray" target="_blank"><b>William Makepeace Thackeray</b></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-align: center;">
_________________</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px;">
I am always close to goal because I have set small achievable goals that can be reached quickly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
I may have a large goal in mind, but if, on a day-to-day basis, I concentrate on the small goal, the big goal will eventually be achievable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
When it comes to weight loss, setting a large goal is a fool’s mission. For example, saying, “I’m going to lose 100 pounds in six months” is unrealistic, and sets one up for failure. Even setting small weight loss goals can be frustrating, given the day-to-day scale variables.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
But saying, “For one week, I will eat in such a way as to facilitate good health and sensible weight loss. I <i>can</i> control what I feed my body, but I <i>won’t</i> worry about the number on the scale. If I eat well and use fewer calories than my body can use, the weight <i>will </i>eventually<i> </i>melt away.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
Consider this: losing about 4-5 pounds a month may not sound like good progress, but over 12 months, this translates into a 48 - 60-pound loss.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
So even with this “slow” weight loss, a 200-pound woman can weigh 140 - 152 pounds in about 12 months.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
Meanwhile, I’m going to enjoy life and try some new experiences that are non-food related: going to museums, plays, new places, etc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">Also, I will continually set small goals, such as, “I will exercise every day this week for at least 20 minutes,” so that I’m always “close to goal.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-25509663848085784392016-06-29T15:02:00.000-07:002016-06-29T15:02:49.912-07:00I Set a Goal, One Goal at a Time<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fwkFfofnSCZiOMEqA6aGEbD1vn0f5-uf42ilLWj7EOBgh3qL5lGSSC5DE7HCT7MLgVt5VLVO4vU9us4L_kTSJ5VfB0MvEXRtlj5w-tUmvhHnC1dVioCyjvg8YPdNaTSltlJZ8fbh-K4/s1600/ISetAGoalPNG2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fwkFfofnSCZiOMEqA6aGEbD1vn0f5-uf42ilLWj7EOBgh3qL5lGSSC5DE7HCT7MLgVt5VLVO4vU9us4L_kTSJ5VfB0MvEXRtlj5w-tUmvhHnC1dVioCyjvg8YPdNaTSltlJZ8fbh-K4/s400/ISetAGoalPNG2.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Set a Goal<br />_____________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .75in; margin-top: 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .75in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>It is
not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in;">
– Marcus Aurelius<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .75in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>What
keeps me going is goals.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .75in; margin-top: 0in;">
– Muhammad Ali<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
_____________________<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">Let’s set one
thing straight: I may be “old,” but I’m not yet ready for “God’s Waiting Room.”</span><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
This wasn’t true two months ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I felt like crap, my weight was up, and I was tired all the time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
But, now, with the CPAP therapy, much improved diet, less weight on my frame, and light exercise,
I feel great and much younger than my real age. In fact, I don’t remember
feeling this vibrant since the early 1990’s.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
On June 20, 2016, I wrote about <b><a href="http://www.lifeisabrand.com/2016/06/leptin.html" target="_blank">Leptin Resistance</a></b> and how sleep deprivation can contribute to obesity (although this potential causal
effect is still scientifically inconclusive).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Having to go on CPAP therapy (also explained in the <b><a href="http://www.lifeisabrand.com/2016/06/leptin.html" target="_blank">Leptin Resistance</a></b>
post) was more than a wake-up call. In fact, the very idea of it was almost insulting: “How
dare my body betray me in such an embarrassing way.” It felt like one step
closer to wearing an oxygen tank, 24/7, one step closer to the dreaded Waiting
Room.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Indeed, I <i>am</i> tied to a
breathing machine as I sleep, and I must carry it with wherever I travel, and
roughing it in the wild is probably no longer an option.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
But I have to say that this is one of the best things that has happened
to me in my lifetime. While I fight to get off of the machine eventually, I can
see clearly and feel how it is helping me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I have set a goal, an important one: <b>to
lose weight so that I can lose the CPAP</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Having set this goal, I realize that there is a good chance that I will
never lose the CPAP, that my brand of breathing problem might be genetic. But
the goal itself is worthy, and the effects of striving for that goal will have
(and has had) positive effects on my body and mind.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
The important thing here: to always set at least one achievable goal
(losing the weight, etc.).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Perhaps my next goal will be to finish that Great American Novel I started
back in 2001, even if it sucks and never becomes a best seller.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
So, Dear Goddess, I need to step out of your waiting room for a good long
time.<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-59428644839100565242016-06-20T22:15:00.001-07:002016-06-29T14:20:28.983-07:00I Have a Goal: CPAP Therapy + Diet + Exercise = Appetite Control – Say What?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj0YohLvHYapZaGqqXUrfn_G5tWFVI1BtOlMcpe6zFEhZ81_Gg7BXY9WKUyrURoBDtf6AH4U05cVajSZz-Xlc5r8f_S-fk73gXcc2Vg0DC5j3Vk6HqFcNIiSeUINe3u6uGJM80pniM84/s1600/LeptinPath21June2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtj0YohLvHYapZaGqqXUrfn_G5tWFVI1BtOlMcpe6zFEhZ81_Gg7BXY9WKUyrURoBDtf6AH4U05cVajSZz-Xlc5r8f_S-fk73gXcc2Vg0DC5j3Vk6HqFcNIiSeUINe3u6uGJM80pniM84/s400/LeptinPath21June2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How Leptin and Insulin Signal Satiety<br /> Source for Graphic: <a href="https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/BN0193S04/Leptin" target="_blank">Wiki.Brown.edu</a></span><br />
____________________<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
I have been
stamping my feet and complaining for the last six weeks because of having to
wear a CPAP mask (<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_positive_airway_pressure" target="_blank">Continuous Positive Airway Pressure</a></b>, a therapy designed
for people who stop breathing during sleep, and, therefore, wake up several
times during the night. Sleep-deprived people can experience serious medical
problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity, among other
ailments).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I grumble every single night. My better half must be sick of my constant
kvetching...<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
But for the first time since I can remember, I’m getting good sleep
and waking up energetic and exercising regularly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
About four weeks into the CPAP therapy, I also noticed something else: my
appetite has started to regulate itself, which has been a total surprise to me
because I have always had an out-sized appetite. I never really knew
the difference between hunger and satiety – I would go from being starved to
being overly full (and it took a lot to get there). Yes, I would diet, but it
was a struggle because my body was fighting the diet every inch of the way
(excuse the pun) and the constant hunger just got to me eventually.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
But now I’m beginning to recognize the satiety signals that my body gives
to me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
About six weeks ago, I started back at Weight Watchers, not too
optimistically, because I have done this chapter and verse numerous times
before (the last time discussed on this blog), only to put most of the weight
back on.<br />
<b>But this time I have started with the determination of losing the weight so
that I can lose the CPAP, still my goal.</b><br />
That’s a powerful reason to put up
with constant hunger pangs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
So when my appetite started normalizing, I just couldn’t believe it; I’m
not sure I still believe it, that I will discover that this is just an
aberration and that motivation is the real impetus.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I had read somewhere – God knows where – that sleep deprivation and
obesity were related. Was I sleep deprived because I was obese, or was I obese
because I was sleep deprived? Who knows?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I did a little research: I already knew about insulin resistance, but
then I stumbled upon the word “Leptin” (stay with me, I'm not trying to sell
supplements or anything), which is simply the hormone that regulates hunger
(among other functions, such as building bone).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
There is an actual serious medical condition called <b><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4286252/" target="_blank">Leptin
Deficiency</a></b> (NIH article); people who suffer from this deficiency
are usually born at a normal weight, but quickly gain weight as babies because
they can’t quit eating. Without Leptin, there is zero appetite control, so
these poor souls become morbidly obese very quickly. (Please keep this in mind
before judging someone who is morbidly obese.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
This definitely is not me; I was a fairly skinny kid until I was five or
so and then just pleasingly plump. As a small kid, I don’t remember having a
remarkable appetite, one way or another.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I started noticing a change in appetite when I was about 10 – right
about the same time I started sleeping poorly. I never, in a million years,
connected the two, even when I grew up and older. My grandmother (who raised
me) certainly noticed my eating habits. To my embarrassment, she often told
people, “Jennifer eats like three men.” And I could (not so much anymore).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
The research has taken me in different directions. First, I discovered
that low Leptin levels is often connected with obesity; even people with normal
appetites become hungrier as the day goes on – when Leptin is normally lower –
which is why even normal eaters are more likely to eat a bag of potato chips at
night, but not in the morning.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Then I stumbled across some studies that suggested that sleep deprivation
may lower Leptin levels even more (studies were done on CPAP users, with and
without CPAP therapy), but other studies contradicted that notion, and yet
others were inconclusive.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Very confusing, indeed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Then I read an article on WebMD that makes perfect sense: that obese
people often create more than enough Leptin, but the hormone never reaches the
brain and appetite center; hence the term “Leptin Resistance.” In this
scenario, Leptin therapy would not work, much in the same way that insulin
therapy would not work with insulin resistant patients.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Leptin injections do work in people who are truly deficient in Leptin,
but injecting a resistant patient with Leptin would be pointless and, perhaps,
even dangerous.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
(By the way, all those Leptin pills sold on late night TV and Amazon are
all bogus – the 21st century version of snake oil. Stay away. The only
thing that will get thinner is your wallet).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
So, how to battle Insulin and Leptin resistance? All the research says:
eat a diet low in processed sugars, eat healthy food (we all know what those
foods are, blah, blah, blah, and they aren’t called “Twinkies”), exercise
regularly, and get plenty of sleep.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Off and on, I had been trying to eat well and exercise, but the sleep
component was always missing – until six weeks ago, I doubt if I had decent
night’s sleep in years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
So now that I’m sleeping fairly well (some nights, I rip off the CPAP
mask without knowing it), I can only hope that this is real and not just
extreme motivation at work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Time will tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Meanwhile, this is an illuminating <b><a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/the-facts-on-leptin-faq?page=1" target="_blank">WebMD article</a></b> on “Leptin Resistance.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.25in;">I’m sharing this because there may be others out there who might benefit
from knowing that there could be a connection between lack of sleep and
appetite.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-32469157294436893702016-05-03T22:12:00.001-07:002016-05-03T22:12:41.492-07:00The Great Toilet Debate of 2016: A Solution in Search of a Problem<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMrArbn8WQSDIHhQGzCVyCrn1PbwdlOcSH0SdINHz6rboSR9ZBsuuspJUvp8ZUPZkT1LWZTYLTw4cAkrKnyn9d1xd3qyad5bmGQWNEAquCe_L33nQFu5UThHU371sqDnyq3n1lxPWgw4/s1600/BathroomMeme4May2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMrArbn8WQSDIHhQGzCVyCrn1PbwdlOcSH0SdINHz6rboSR9ZBsuuspJUvp8ZUPZkT1LWZTYLTw4cAkrKnyn9d1xd3qyad5bmGQWNEAquCe_L33nQFu5UThHU371sqDnyq3n1lxPWgw4/s400/BathroomMeme4May2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6pt; text-align: center;">
<i>“Bathroom Bills”
Are A “Solution in Search Of A Problem”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-align: center;">
– Chris Wallace, Fox News Host<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 6pt 0in 8pt 0.25in; text-align: center;">
__________________</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p><span style="line-height: 150%;">I am absolutely
gobsmacked at the passion that this non-issue has created in such a short
period of time; I (and others) have been blocked on Facebook by hysterical parents
who feel that pedophiles will molest their children if we allow transgender people
to use the restroom of the gender that does not match their birth certificate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Well,
let’s get this truth out of the way right now:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .7in; margin-right: .7in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<b><span style="color: red;">Male or female, you, like it or not, have most likely shared
a public restroom with a transgender person and didn’t even know it.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
As
the law stands now, a muscled, tattooed guy is not likely to hang out in the
ladies’ room, and a lithe, frilly gal is not going to stand next to you at the
urinal. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
But
mull on these unintended consequences of Gender Laws for Public Restrooms:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If
laws specifying that if people must use the rest room that matches their
birth certificate, then you <i>will</i> encounter
manly men using the women’s room and girly girls using the men’s room. <i>Transgender</i> men and women.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Also,
you will not be able to bring your opposite-sex child with you into your
mandated restroom, and that is <i>genuine</i>
bad news for parents whose small children who should never be alone in <i>any</i> public restroom. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Here
is another truth: transgender people just want to do their business and split, ASAP,
<i>not</i> molest <i>your</i> child.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Just
a few months ago, we were all using public restrooms, more or less in relative
peace, if not with total ease. I have always found public restrooms a bit
creepy and have never understood the need of some females to use them as social
gathering places. Mostly, these spaces are smelly and dirty, to be avoided
whenever possible or used quickly and without fanfare.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Also,
too many of my fellow females are total pigs, choosing to pee on the seat and
not cleaning up after themselves (I have learned my lesson). And then there is
the obnoxious loudmouth in the next stall who yaks on her phone while tinkling.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
So,
no, I don’t like public restrooms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I
also have another reason – something that happened to me in childhood – why public restrooms give me the shivers:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<i>I
was six when it happened to me, in the mid 1950’s – a different world and time.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>At the time, I lived in L.A. with my mother and stepfather.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>As was our custom, my stepfather dropped me off at the local movie
theater – back then, going to the Saturday morning movies was a cool thing for
kids to do; it was a great bargain and </i>de facto<i> babysitter for parents. Also, before
the movie rolled, the theater management raffled off small prizes, mostly
trinkets depicting celebrities and fictional characters of the day, so it was great fun.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>I sat in my favorite front-row seat.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>A teenage girl with a perky brown ponytail, white frilly blouse, gray poodle skirt, and saddle
shoes sat next to me and struck up a conversation. She seemed pleasant enough,
and it was nice to have someone to talk to, even if she was almost an adult.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>She asked me where my parents were, and I told her that my stepfather
had dropped me off and would be picking me up after the movie was over.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>When the lights went down, we watched the cartoons – then the main
feature started rolling.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>As the movie progressed, she became increasingly proprietary, shushing
me if I talked – which being six, I did a lot – and restraining me if I wiggled
around too much. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>She was making me uneasy, but she was older, and, in those days, one
did not question elders, even teenagers. No one talked about stranger-danger.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>I told her I had to go to the bathroom – I thought that if I could get
away from her, I could move somewhere else or attach myself to a theater
employee until my stepfather arrived to pick me up.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>No dice.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>“I’ll go with you,</i><i>”</i><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.25in;"> she said, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the
ladies’ room, where we were alone.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>I remember shivering and trying to poke around in the bathroom stall,
hoping she would give up and leave me alone.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>“Hurry up!” she said, snarling. “And flush!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>After washing my hands, I grabbed a paper towel and then, my hands
still wet, another towel.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>She grabbed the second towel from me and slapped me hard in the face. “YOU
ONLY GET ONE TOWEL!!!”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>I started crying.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>“SHUT UP!!!” She slapped me again, yanked me out of the bathroom, and
led me back to our seats.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>My fear stuck in my throat, my cries muted and choked.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>This time, she pulled me into her lap and hung tight onto me; if I
moved or whimpered just a smidge, she squeezed hard, nearly knocking the breath
out of me.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>In this fashion, we sat throughout the rest of the movie. I remember little
about it – a black and white slapstick comedy with winter scenes and funky fur
coats – I just remember it was too long and wishing it would end soon and
hoping she would let me go when it was over.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>I thought it was possible she might keep me forever.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>Maybe kill me.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>Finally, the credits started rolling, and the lights came up.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>She let me go.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>I jumped up and dashed up the aisle, weaving in and out among other
patrons.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>My stepfather met me in the lobby, and I ran into his arms.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<i>I never told him or anyone else about my captor. My shame was so
complete; I had been totally intimidated and humiliated. I thought if I told,
she might find me, capture me again, and, perhaps, even kill me.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Looking
back, I doubt very much if she would have been brought up on charges (if authorities
could even find her); it would have been my word against hers, and children in
those days weren’t taken seriously, often accused of magical thinking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Tonight
was the first time I told anyone, including my husband, about this incident.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Somehow,
all this bathroom talk jarred loose this deeply-recessed memory. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I
hadn’t been sexually molested – at least as I understood it back then (in her
mind, there may have been a sexual component, but, technically speaking, no) – though
I had been thoroughly violated and, in essence, held against my will for a few terrifying
hours.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I'll never know why this girl wanted to control a small child that day – perhaps it
had been a power trip or something more sinister roiling in her sick mind. I
sincerely hope this was a one-off for her, but I suspect not. Even at six, I
could feel her visceral and utter need for complete control.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
This
girl was not a transgender person.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
She
wasn’t a boy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I
doubt if she was even gay.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
But
she was a seriously disturbed young woman <i>who
had every right to be in that ladies’ room</i>. She could have done anything to
me there, even kill me. No law could have kept her from doing just about
anything to me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
My
point?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
I
believe the national conversation should shift away from enacting laws designed
specifically to discriminate against transgender people – who are no more
likely to molest children than anyone else – and encouraging parents to use
common sense with their children.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
This
is an instance when helicoptering is a <i>good</i>
thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Small
children should not be dropped off in public places without adult supervision;
I’m not sure what my stepfather was thinking.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
While
it <i>was</i> a different time, and parents
overall were more hands off, I was much too young to be left in a movie theater
by myself. I simply didn’t have the maturity or the physical strength to fend
off my captor.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
To
be on the safe side, small children should <i>always</i>
be accompanied by an adult in public places and public restrooms. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
However,
totally unenforceable public restroom law, current and proposed, is just a
smokescreen designed by the far right to discriminate against the transgender
community and has nothing to do with protecting children.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
Only
parents and caretakers can protect their small children from predators.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-35635317776818323382016-03-19T16:56:00.001-07:002016-03-19T16:56:46.033-07:00Dear Republican Party... (by Rich Herrera, Guest Writer)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSBuvRFIoT4RBSh6eLRGItFt6DS08OcfpDpSIa1TrtbOfN0lqY14Djnyz-_X6IeSjVaT143OtqZglbCZg0mqeILQFR_eTpN-lFTiHj-is-h0ux-YJSwwgN4nRfb-nhpeMDD-wUzIPe94/s1600/TRUMPblackhole2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCSBuvRFIoT4RBSh6eLRGItFt6DS08OcfpDpSIa1TrtbOfN0lqY14Djnyz-_X6IeSjVaT143OtqZglbCZg0mqeILQFR_eTpN-lFTiHj-is-h0ux-YJSwwgN4nRfb-nhpeMDD-wUzIPe94/s320/TRUMPblackhole2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Stop.</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Stop complaining
about Donald Trump.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Stop acting like
you don’t know or understand how he got to where he got. He is exactly the
result of your politics, which, along with your propaganda arm FOX News,
manifest into this beast slouching towards the throne you decided you wanted,
even at the expense of the country it rules over.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Trump is not
doing anything you haven’t been doing yourselves, for years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Lying? Your
entire platform is based on lying and distortion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
You are incapable
of having an honest discussion. Death Panels? Obamacare? Weapons of Mass
Destruction?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Bragging? Do you
guys not hear yourselves talk? America #1, despite only being #1 in mostly
really shitty categories, like imprisonment and wealth disparity, while being
terribly ranked in education, civil liberties, science, job security, etc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Racism? Bigotry?
Your boy Ronnie Reagan with his “Welfare Queens.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Do you really
think we don’t know what “States Rights” means?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Waving
Confederate flags on gov’t buildings?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Ignorance? Trump
is ignorant on international issues? You guys (along with too many Dems) use
invasions without the slightest concerns for cost and consequence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
You can’t even
learn from others mistakes. You watched the Soviet Union get its ass whooped in
Afghanistan, but decided, “Nah, we got this.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
You literally
played out Osama Bin Laden’s plans he announced on video. And still, you want
more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Inaccurate
Claims? If the Republican party didn’t use inaccurate claims, you wouldn’t have
anything to say.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
“Voter fraud”!
“WMDs!” “Welfare Drug Tests!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Birther Movement?
You guys brought that shit up. You’ve done nothing but try to delegitimize
Obama’s presidency based on your racist madness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
You guys have a
lot of nerve complaining about Trump after doing exactly what he’s been doing
for years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
The only
difference between you and Trump is that he says it without a filter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Go on. Show me
something Trump has said or done, and I can probably find a dozen Republicans
either explicitly or implicitly saying the same fucking thing, years ago. On
FOX. Everywhere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
He is you. He is
yours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Own him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2016 Copyright by Rich Herrera. Originally
Posted on Facebook and Reposted here with Permission.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-75864003563850019212016-03-07T16:43:00.001-08:002016-03-07T20:36:29.395-08:00Dark Money, by Jane Mayer: The Koctopus Goes to Kochopolis (Book Review)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9oMdz9r83-Gc-e4RYTlSutcS_NMXFdcL-IpaqFUF3WuX2zcshxAy8q-kA7E8PC9-08kUanOPifXewAXFVjqQn6-Ri8kWphwhwpFoCSFP9cAXIYWDPFt07XaDCzZxxnzlod1_NAI-y98/s1600/KoctopusPNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg9oMdz9r83-Gc-e4RYTlSutcS_NMXFdcL-IpaqFUF3WuX2zcshxAy8q-kA7E8PC9-08kUanOPifXewAXFVjqQn6-Ri8kWphwhwpFoCSFP9cAXIYWDPFt07XaDCzZxxnzlod1_NAI-y98/s400/KoctopusPNG.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koctopus Goes to Kochopolis<br />
____________________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you want to know why the U.S. is pivoting to the far
right in local and state elections, you should read <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Money-History-Billionaires-Radical-ebook/dp/B0180SU4OA/" target="_blank">Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right</a></b>, by Jane Mayer. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
In this shocking
exposé of how dark money is manipulating the ignorant and the naive (low
information voters) into angry citizens, the reader is taken to the deepest
depths of spending depravity, designed to steer this country into an Oligarchy,
defined as “a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or
in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.” – <b><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/oligarchy" target="_blank">Dictionary.com</a> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
If this very
possibility doesn’t scare you, it should; we may be at a tipping point in our
history in which true Democracy may be in serious peril – that the Koch
brothers, Donald Trump, and other powerful money people may evolve into the <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-un" target="_blank">Kim Jong Un</a></b> of the U.S. in which all decisions become top-down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
It looks as
though Hillary Clinton’s “Far Right-Wing Conspiracy” belief isn’t too far off
the mark; if just 10% of what Mayer avers is true, then Washington, D.C.,
should be renamed “Kochopolis” and the money machine thrust into motion by the Supreme
Court’s<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><b style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.25in;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC" target="_blank">Citizens United</a></b><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.25in;"> decision should be referred to as “Koctopus” or “Kochtopus”
(Mayer’s version).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Politicians from
both sides of the aisle and some conservative Supreme Court Justices have been
bought by dark money to govern and rule in certain ways that benefit the big
money guys, in the process squashing the business of the majority: social programs, climate-change issues, and the upkeep
of infrastructure.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Moreover,
government obstruction is not an accident but an intentional strategy. Marc
Morano, a Koch operative and climate-change denier, says it best: “There’s no
legislation we’re championing. We’re the negative force. We are just trying to
stop stuff.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Big money from
the Koch brothers and other super rich moguls has been spent in manipulating a
certain American mind into thinking government is evil and should be
eliminated. They instill into primarily uneducated white constituents unreasonable
fears, such as the Muslim and Black bogeymen and the Mexican immigrant storming
the border. They tap into the latent racism and prejudice of the ignorant,
instilling the fear of the other.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
The author backs
up her assertions with facts and by following the money to bogus foundations
and think tanks with names like “Americans for Prosperity.” She searched tax
records and was able to trace the money to the Koch, Olin, Scaife, Bradley,
etc. families and foundations.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
She explains how “foundations”
are perfect tax dodges, and how they are perfectly legal. In summary, the super
rich often set up non-profit foundations and trusts. The interest earned on
these mechanisms must be donated to “charity” for a set amount of time – usually
about 20 years. You might think that charities like the Red Cross, the March of
Dimes, and the arts would be likely recipients, but you would be wrong. Most of
these donations go to non-profit “think tanks,” which set conservative policy
and churn out reports to send to legislators and judges to act upon – and if
they don’t, their campaign money dries up. (To a certain extent, moderate and liberal
think tanks also create policy for the liberal side, but, obviously, the
billionaire class has more money to spend and tends to lean to the radical right).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Mayer claims that
the entire Tea Party movement was manufactured by conservative foundations
funded by the Kochs – that attendance at the “movement’s” first rallies was
pathetic and only became a real movement when foundation operatives were
planted to rile up the masses.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
The author also
asserts that conservative bloggers and reporters (for example, Glenn Beck at Fox
News) have been paid off to report obvious fabricated stories, such as Hillary
Clinton’s so-called culpability for Benghazi and the private email “scandal.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
For me, the big
takeaway: big money guys are not true Libertarians, for they believe that
government is evil when it works for everyone, but good when huge tax breaks,
tax loopholes, and outright grants are handed over to the super rich, such as the
greedy Koch brothers, et al. In their minds, government should control ordinary
citizens, not empower them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
So much for the
much heralded “bootstrap” theory.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Mayer’s book shows
how nearly unlimited dark money – thanks to the Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens’
United decision – has undermined the very foundation of Democracy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
If this doesn’t
scare you, then nothing will.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-60243816510276025392016-02-14T15:29:00.001-08:002020-02-10T16:38:03.109-08:00Giant Green Ferrian Grossular Garnet from Mali (6.72 Pounds)<div class="fsm">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FZOnDKC4zx7CPrtPleNQS8D7vPzU9KoImvf9v4Kij47C6puyosgnwKXidERSbq1UAkPaaulYTXmniC_rPJyxv-hZSfQyjRCN53z2T_PdypUqE4cGqVK-cksuW1n0MIq3AtPmymDooQ4/s1600/Garnet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FZOnDKC4zx7CPrtPleNQS8D7vPzU9KoImvf9v4Kij47C6puyosgnwKXidERSbq1UAkPaaulYTXmniC_rPJyxv-hZSfQyjRCN53z2T_PdypUqE4cGqVK-cksuW1n0MIq3AtPmymDooQ4/s320/Garnet.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0_WrSYDvTChe9fOzOH5dRG8IStAKdE9ZzYGXZJpE1JD-O_v1mOWfAvJ6Z7ixSXeqrX19-1_koKNfGOiEwKt9IrmgKw9PKswSbwyvOLuBALorLqTIcNa-p3YAz3tDeGmctPbE4D7St6Y/s1600/Garnet2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0_WrSYDvTChe9fOzOH5dRG8IStAKdE9ZzYGXZJpE1JD-O_v1mOWfAvJ6Z7ixSXeqrX19-1_koKNfGOiEwKt9IrmgKw9PKswSbwyvOLuBALorLqTIcNa-p3YAz3tDeGmctPbE4D7St6Y/s320/Garnet2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBok_HQFeeUI-_5zKRkBOB7EC41ihSaHGTi8gAerBKEHxMdsl3XKLnJc-Gy6HaWVAuuwzDMmNTWtzSxoL9APPtQ4WFq5VSfY4SJAOsw0zSSpLuPtwvJXQnNjsvXwyJxY9iCKY6rGUJFsw/s1600/Garnet3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBok_HQFeeUI-_5zKRkBOB7EC41ihSaHGTi8gAerBKEHxMdsl3XKLnJc-Gy6HaWVAuuwzDMmNTWtzSxoL9APPtQ4WFq5VSfY4SJAOsw0zSSpLuPtwvJXQnNjsvXwyJxY9iCKY6rGUJFsw/s320/Garnet3.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLox-lbnrEFhGE7Md8y1ZyiKw2GLZl4qmF4BY-jiLf1WuHHDi75N-XTt5SbFaKAxb0G8WdoXFVXwK-uGuF9sRL9OhaNHWNik5gQzWHPKZ7_ukh1pnOFM_Xjr8OQVIJnmZ9np0xuQvGyOc/s1600/GarnetCloseup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLox-lbnrEFhGE7Md8y1ZyiKw2GLZl4qmF4BY-jiLf1WuHHDi75N-XTt5SbFaKAxb0G8WdoXFVXwK-uGuF9sRL9OhaNHWNik5gQzWHPKZ7_ukh1pnOFM_Xjr8OQVIJnmZ9np0xuQvGyOc/s320/GarnetCloseup.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">A giant green Ferrian grossular garnet, recently acquired.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">From the Kayes region, in Mali.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It weighs 6.72 pounds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Other than the crusty dirt
coating, this is 100% green garnet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">From what I can gather from my
research, this is a fairly unusual size for a garnet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The famous <b><a href="http://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/articles/nycminerals2.htm" target="_blank">Subway Garnet</a></b> weighs
almost 10 pounds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">While its size and shape is better
than mine, the Subway garnet is totally opaque; mine is very sparkly, and shows evidence of transparency.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="_6a _6b uiPopover rfloat _5v-0" id="u_jsonp_20_e" style="display: inline-block; float: right; vertical-align: middle;">
<a aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" aria-label="Allowed on Timeline" class="_42ft _42fu _4-s1 _2agf _p _42gx" data-hover="tooltip" data-tooltip-alignh="right" href="https://www.facebook.com/JenniferSempleSiegel/allactivity#" id="u_jsonp_20_f" rel="toggle" role="button" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: none; box-sizing: content-box; color: #333333; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; max-width: 200px; padding: 0px 6px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap; word-wrap: normal;"><span class="_55pe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: "lucida grande" , "tahoma" , "verdana" , "arial" , sans-serif; max-width: 200px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: bottom;"><i class="mrs _2fmu img sp_kWTqCSKsthi sx_13beca" style="background-image: url("/rsrc.php/v2/yK/r/yt0mHLd_efC.png"); background-position: -49px -72px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; bottom: 1px; display: inline-block; height: 10px; margin-right: 5px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 10px;"></i></span></a></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-11453089236118089812015-11-06T22:07:00.001-08:002015-11-06T22:07:13.329-08:00On Handicap Placards and Regular Parking Spaces...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn0wEEOxNgsZuA3MbILZ7VEfHQx7Wjgi9T_GOucdwziTYmvMU4Sw9CxyAlC6nwmHOTY78z67KHY4XDC28z4rm-D5pO4_xMeuWA5eFPryyV_u4mYyDb4FIm5Nes_gp30KdJWyUWpaBlhw/s1600/ParkingCitation5Nov2015JPEG-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn0wEEOxNgsZuA3MbILZ7VEfHQx7Wjgi9T_GOucdwziTYmvMU4Sw9CxyAlC6nwmHOTY78z67KHY4XDC28z4rm-D5pO4_xMeuWA5eFPryyV_u4mYyDb4FIm5Nes_gp30KdJWyUWpaBlhw/s400/ParkingCitation5Nov2015JPEG-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You know, somebody actually complimented me
on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen, it said “Parking
Fine.” So that was nice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> – <b><a href="http://www.timvine.com/" target="_blank">Tim Vine</a></b><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">_____________________</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">While we were in Sioux City last
month, we borrowed my aunt’s car, which has a handicapped placard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Given that we don’t
need to take a handicapped space, we just parked in a regular space at HyVee.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Makes sense,
right?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I’m just thankful
that we don’t *need* special consideration.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When we finished
our shopping, we found the above “Parking Citation” on our windshield.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We thought a
family member was just playing a joke, but no one would ‘fess up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">My
question: if one is driving a car with a handicapped placard, is one <i>obligated</i>
to park in a handicapped space?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-71882317164205536622015-09-23T14:52:00.001-07:002015-09-23T14:52:34.768-07:00Talk Diet: Part of My Brand (Such as It Is), and Let’s Try Again (With More Realistic Expectations)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLOPUu-cmUmKHcat6sHf3oVcbcCfn2XaCJT5LBfL0cReyZiP2hWECv8O_gO8Qw19SqNUx3WTajkzoeEhv-Y_mpoxCr-9LNPc31qYRfqAfmlvSdGjU5sH8uBB17hE7i7v6ee8yeIdZQeQ/s1600/TalkdietPNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcLOPUu-cmUmKHcat6sHf3oVcbcCfn2XaCJT5LBfL0cReyZiP2hWECv8O_gO8Qw19SqNUx3WTajkzoeEhv-Y_mpoxCr-9LNPc31qYRfqAfmlvSdGjU5sH8uBB17hE7i7v6ee8yeIdZQeQ/s400/TalkdietPNG.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;">Background: *</span><b style="font-size: small; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soy-whey-protein-diet.jpg#/media/File:Soy-whey-protein-diet.jpg" target="_blank">“Soy-whey-protein-diet” by Peggy Greb</a></b><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">_________________________ </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
My doctor told me to stop having intimate
dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
– <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles" target="_blank">Orson Welles</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
______________________</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
In late July, I woke up in the
middle of the night with the worst acid reflux that I have ever experienced in
my life – so bad that I could barely breathe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
If you have ever
experienced acid reflux, you know how unpleasant and scary it can be. Well,
multiply this event by 10.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I was on vacation
and had (ahem) eaten some things I had should not have eaten so close to
bedtime – at least without taking my Zantac 75.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
But I got cocky.
You think I would have learned by now, but evidently not.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Sooooo...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
When I returned
from my vacay, I decided to (once again) start taking better care of myself and
watch what I eat and, most importantly, <i>when</i>
I eat it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Now I don’t want
to rebrand this site back into a “diet” blog – I do have varied interests, and
I want to keep it that way. Becoming overly focused on food is dangerous in
that this topic consumes me for a while, but then...</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: 72.0pt; line-height: 150%;">BOOM!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I’m done with it and
back to eating all wrong again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
But then I found
a domain name I liked: <b><a href="http://www.talkdiet.com/" target="_blank">TalkDiet.com</a></b>.
I thought, “Wow! What a great name for the diet section of my blog.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
So I will be tagging all my “diet” posts with the
label “Talk Diet” and redirecting <b><a href="http://www.talkdiet.com/" target="_blank">TalkDiet.com</a></b>
to these posts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Now back to this Talk Diet post.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I have now been
on this new regimen for five weeks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
For the first
four weeks, I still had to take my Zantac every night before bedtime. I was
beginning to think that this was going to be a life-long requirement, but,
then, last week, my esophagus and stomach settled down, so I decided to risk not taking
it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
So far, seven
days later, I have been okay without it (YAAAAY!)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I’m realistic
enough to know that I <i>will</i> overeat
during the holidays and at social gatherings, so then I will take the Zantac
before bed, but it will be an occasional thing, not every night.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Having a funky
stomach does help me keep on the straight and narrow – this could be a good or
bad thing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I’ve fallen back
on a modified Weight Watchers plan, but without the baggage of keeping a food journal.
If I keep my diet relatively simple and stupid, I find that I don’t need to
write anything down. I’m a boring eater; I have a tendency to eat the same
foods, whether it’s a bag of chips or a piece of fruit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
The KISS diet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
It helps that as
I get older, I don’t get as hungry as I used to, and I fill up faster. The
downside: it’s more difficult to drop pounds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
So I have come to
the conclusion that I will likely always be overweight, but at least I’ll feel
better in this big old body of mine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.25in;">Ciao!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">_________________</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Background for Talk Diet Logo: </span><b style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soy-whey-protein-diet.jpg#/media/File:Soy-whey-protein-diet.jpg" target="_blank">“Soy-whey-protein-diet” by Peggy Greb</a></b><span style="font-size: x-small;">, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">USDA ARS - This image was released </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">by the Agricultural Research Service, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">the research agency of the </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">United States Department of Agriculture, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">with the ID K9093-1 and has been released </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">into the public domain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-54472666024615735292015-09-09T18:52:00.001-07:002015-09-09T18:52:37.005-07:00At a Crossroads and Ordering the Number 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGM_D9vv-v-ABU_YIcHdeJO_m1RRz3TTfgkz-kPa6dFVayCI8m4e1CUjbWXoywwL1BTJkpxgHFsZ8Th-Qqo4yFX28Mj3Vi4xU5NiM-ewzdKtKz5TtGBjUTgvxl0tbUxUkUNxvX-sKl9g/s1600/MCDONALDSNumber1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGM_D9vv-v-ABU_YIcHdeJO_m1RRz3TTfgkz-kPa6dFVayCI8m4e1CUjbWXoywwL1BTJkpxgHFsZ8Th-Qqo4yFX28Mj3Vi4xU5NiM-ewzdKtKz5TtGBjUTgvxl0tbUxUkUNxvX-sKl9g/s400/MCDONALDSNumber1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
At every crossroads on the path that leads
to the future, tradition has placed 10,000 men to guard the past.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
– <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Maeterlinck" target="_blank">Maurice Maeterlinck</a></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<br />
I’m experiencing an identity crisis – nothing serious, just stuck at a
crossroads, particularly about this blog.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Sometimes I want
to rebrand (again), but to what?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
While “Life is a
Brand” and its matching domain name are not exactly exciting, the search
engines seem to like it, at least to the extent that they haven’t sent this blog
to the cyberspace version of Siberia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I have some great
candidate domains, but their themes seem too confining – for example, <b><a href="http://www.whyiwrite.com/" target="_blank">WhyIWrite.com</a></b>. At the moment, it has
its own site, but once one has discussed why one writes, what is left?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
How many times
can I discuss my process for writing?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
More important, “Who
cares”?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Bleh.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Meanwhile, the “Why
I Write” blog is essentially inactive – not good for ranking on the search
engines, borne out by its current search engine location (Cyber Siberia).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
For rebranding “Life
is a Brand,” I could use one of my “brandable” popular culture domains, such as
<b><a href="http://www.waaay.com/" target="_blank">Waaay.com</a></b> or <b><a href="http://www.saaay.com/" target="_blank">Saaay.com</a></b>, both still under consideration. These are great fun and memorable
domains and only five letters long, but popular culture terms come and go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
On the other
hand, my blog could keep one of these terms alive to the public.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Two days ago, I
registered <b><a href="http://www.sobitchy.com/" target="_blank">SoBitchy.com</a></b>. While this
domain is cute and sassy, it would be false advertising – I tend not to be
bitchy on my various blogs, mostly contemplative, sometimes humorous.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Facebook is
another matter – nutty and hypocritical politicians drive me nuts – so <b><a href="http://www.sobitchy.com/" target="_blank">SoBitchy.com</a></b> now redirects there
(although this may change, so don’t be surprised if it eventually ends up leading
somewhere else; I promise, it will be safe).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I don’t want to return
to my focus on food, exercise, and diet – that topic seems to have dried up
fast. Such a site should be major, employing several blog writers, including
experts in the field of diet, exercise, and nutrition, writers with different
perspectives. My own interest in this topic has waxed and waned. At the moment,
my interest is minimal (for reasons I may discuss in a later post).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
But for this post
I do have a food-related tidbit to share, which will result into my admitting
to a secret addiction:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I love the <b><a href="http://www.investigationdiscovery.com/" target="_blank">Investigation Discovery Channel</a></b>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
There. I said it –
out of the bag and available to seven billion people (minus North Korea and
other despot countries keeping their citizens off the net).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Oh-oh. Busted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I particularly
love <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homicide_Hunter" target="_blank">Homicide Hunter with Joe Kenda</a></b> (<b><a href="http://www.investigationdiscovery.com/tv-shows/homicide-hunter/videos/a-decorated-family-man/" target="_blank">Interview</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/life/homicide-hunter-star-kenda-speaks-softly-but-carries-big-stick/article_186f3b02-3e04-50ea-95bf-342ebce24086.html?mode=jqm" target="_blank">Bio</a></b>).
I love Lt. Kenda’s dry humor, soft-spoken demeanor, empathy, his no B.S.
attitude, and his drive to solve cases that might have been unsolvable (He’s
now retired).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
My, my, my.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Anyway, in last
night’s episode, Lt. Kenda was talking about grabbing fast food through a
drive-thru when he received a homicide call. He said that he was in the middle
of ordering a Number 1, that he always ordered the Number 1, no matter where he
ordered, because it was faster, and he didn’t care what he ate anyway, that from
a gustatory standpoint eating was totally unimportant to him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Wow. A totally alien
concept.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
In my case,
eating is <i>too</i> important, and I would
like to arrive at a point where it would become less so, but I’m not sure I
would want it to become <i>totally</i> unimportant.
Eating is more than just taking in nutrition; it also serves an important social
bond among family and friends, both every day and during special events and
holidays.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
So both Lt. Kenda
and I are missing out on what makes eating such a pleasant experience: his “meh”
attitude and my obsession (I often miss out on the social aspects because I’m
too busy contemplating the bread, not the breaking).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
It was kind of an
<i>aha</i> moment for me...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Enough of that...
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Meanwhile, I <i>have</i> been busy with my internet work; my
parent company is still <b><a href="http://www.jenniferinternational.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer International</a></b> (which will leave me open to other business interests), but I
have rebranded my main domain home page to <b><a href="http://www.synerji.com/" target="_blank">Synerji.com</a></b>
and my actual sales site <b><a href="http://www.thesedomainsareforsale.com/" target="_blank">TheseDomainsAreForSale.com</a></b>
(Description: THE Name Page), which now boasts over 600 domains for sale and
counting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
So I have been
writing short sales pitches for the sales site, some of them humorous or snarky,
most of them mundane.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
But I do have an
idea to take some select domain names, write flash fiction pieces for them, and
post them here with a link to the sales page and auction site.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I have already
done this with <b><a href="http://www.thesedomainsareforsale.com/2015/06/nicotinicom-nicotini.html" target="_blank">Nicotini.com</a></b> (a
humorous hard-boiled detective piece, posted on the sales site) and <b><a href="http://www.lifeisabrand.com/2014/05/fold-me-up-foldmeupcom-domain-name.html" target="_blank">FoldMeUp.com</a></b> (a lost-relationship
piece, posted on this blog).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
It’s kind of cool
merging my two interests.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
So that’s all for
now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-25990428307720840002015-08-29T22:08:00.001-07:002015-08-29T22:08:41.949-07:00Shame on You, CNN, You Have Jumped the Shark<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq7YA4xgRbWUCVMPxG4IL5pOAU0AIzo_-S-UN55fh-6A_yeppnk-NfDoIbDUyN8p2JsenH0jRzNYE3MLYpEdYYpjyT87eyThGvw60ZXxoCnbL8K-JDmqv_XfR0g54BvKsPI1xJm3BY0o/s1600/cnnTheTrumpChannel.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihq7YA4xgRbWUCVMPxG4IL5pOAU0AIzo_-S-UN55fh-6A_yeppnk-NfDoIbDUyN8p2JsenH0jRzNYE3MLYpEdYYpjyT87eyThGvw60ZXxoCnbL8K-JDmqv_XfR0g54BvKsPI1xJm3BY0o/s400/cnnTheTrumpChannel.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CNN: The Trump Channel<br />____________________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">OMG!</span></div>
<br />
I thought the incessant coverage of MH370 was bewildering and excessive, but now CNN has truly flipped its corporate lid.<br />
<br />
At least the coverage of MH370 dealt with human suffering and an attempt to solve a mystery, but<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b>DONALD TRUMP???</b></span></div>
<br />
<br />
You are feeding into his fascism and narcissism.<br />
<br />
He's playing you, CNN, and you're giving him FREE coverage.<br />
<br />
And if he is elected as President of the United Sates, you will have only yourself to blame when he shuts you and other channels down -- because that's what fascists do: silence the mainstream press.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Have a nice day!</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-74504302598555777192015-07-04T15:02:00.001-07:002015-07-04T15:02:57.112-07:00A Flea Market Find: The “Mayflower” Bowl<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCrBpXudQuG0rPw35_rLfBjlrCUj7LzFnfefPCdDR_1TOU5AU_inZiRqVCRNiwGKC-mllWtRYwFGzAqVI2shQ_BsV0jJdLYFrr_XMvzFuO4dJTKrHJn6vjEsiCqrMOMiu3Glo1BJrQ_E/s1600/MayflowerBowlThreePhotos2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCrBpXudQuG0rPw35_rLfBjlrCUj7LzFnfefPCdDR_1TOU5AU_inZiRqVCRNiwGKC-mllWtRYwFGzAqVI2shQ_BsV0jJdLYFrr_XMvzFuO4dJTKrHJn6vjEsiCqrMOMiu3Glo1BJrQ_E/s400/MayflowerBowlThreePhotos2.png" width="352" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The “Mayflower” Bowl</span><br />____________________________</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .75in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>A great
sales person is a great actor.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.25in; margin-right: .75in; margin-top: 0in;">
– Based
loosely on a Paul Lynde quote</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
_________________________________</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Last winter [January 26, 2015], Jerry,
I, Mark, and Missy (the four Siegels) were browsing a flea market at Webster
(Florida), nosing around in the antique section, when I spotted an old wooden
bowl with cracks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Despite the
cracks and being around the block several times, the bowl was very pretty and
exuded a lot of soul, and I was drawn to it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
But it had a
$900.00 price tag on it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I and two other
women were oohing and ahhing over it, but that high price tag seemed puzzling;
while the bowl did seem to be old, it just didn’t seem to be worth $900.00.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
No one seemed to
want to question why the bowl was priced so high – that is, except me, so I
said to the owner of the stand, “This is a really nice bowl, but I don’t
understand why it’s $900.00.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
He, a white
haired gentleman with a nice smile and friendly voice, said, “Well, the man who
sold it to me said that it sailed over on the Mayflower.” With a twinkle in his
eye, he added. “You believe me, don’t you?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I said, “No.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
He laughed. “Well,
then, I can give you a good price. How about $3.00?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
“Sure!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
One of the other
two women said (in a humorous tone), “You bought that right from under me!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
“Yes, I guess I
did.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
We all had a good
laugh.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
So, now I am the
proud owner of a cracked wooden bowl.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
As I was leaving,
my pitchman said to me, “Now you take that bowl to the Antiques Roadshow, and
they will tell you that bowl’s from the Mayflower.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I just laughed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
As I was leaving,
I realized what an awesome salesman I had just encountered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
With an audience
of three, he managed to create “buzz” for an old wooden bowl with cracks...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
And I fell for
it, hook, line and sinker.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Have a nice 4th
of July!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3102089414440531576.post-73677281196068816862015-05-05T17:15:00.001-07:002015-05-05T17:15:11.371-07:00CarlyFiorina.org – Carly Fiorinia: A Cautionary Tale for Political Candidates, Famous People, and the Rest of Us, Too<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgiRHH2udxzbiC_ANK1iJ62DMd_EpRzO-Jdcnoe3Afus34WH61xB3t6G3clrhSjPGBtn1Pqw82ZAf8dh3vlhzek9tm3FzA1cxzb8a6GrOVbUVZULR941reXbI-Q0Ozj1hb8nXL3f6js0/s1600/cybersquattingNOpng2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgiRHH2udxzbiC_ANK1iJ62DMd_EpRzO-Jdcnoe3Afus34WH61xB3t6G3clrhSjPGBtn1Pqw82ZAf8dh3vlhzek9tm3FzA1cxzb8a6GrOVbUVZULR941reXbI-Q0Ozj1hb8nXL3f6js0/s1600/cybersquattingNOpng2.png" height="371" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="http://www.carlyfiorina.org/" target="_blank">CarlyFiorina.org</a></b> -- Carly Fiorina<br />____________________<br /><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .75in; margin-right: .75in; margin-top: 0in;">
The world is really run by the Web. There’s
so much information out there that you can click and keep going down the rabbit
hole finding stuff.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 1.5in; margin-right: .75in; margin-top: 0in;">
– <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Boi" target="_blank"><b>Big Boi</b></a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<o:p><span style="font-size: x-small;">______________________</span> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><a href="http://www.carlyfiorina.org/" target="_blank">CarlyFiorina.org</a></b> was registered on
December 19, 2014, presumably by a former disgruntled employee of
Hewlett-Packard (HP).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
For good reason,
t<b><a href="https://whois.domaintools.com/carlyfiorina.org" target="_blank">he domain is registered under Contact Privacy</a></b>, Inc, a privacy service out of
Canada. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<b><a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/may/05/anonymous-cyber-squatter/cyber-squatter-accuses-carly-fiorina-30000-layoffs/" target="_blank">Politifact.com</a></b> believes
that the registrant of CarlyFiorina.org is a cybersquatter, but he or she is
NOT. He or she is NOT monetizing this domain but using this valuable piece of
the web to exercise his or her free speech rights, in this case making a definitive
statement about Ms. Fiorina’s job-killing activities while she was CEO at HP.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
OUCH.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
No visitor would
ever mistake this site as being pro-Carly Fiorina, and, therefore, there is no
trademark or name infringement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
The first rule of
running for political office (OR if you enjoy any kind name recognition):
secure your domain name in all the major extensions (.com, .net, .org, .us – if
a U.S. citizen) before announcing that you are about to announce, even if you
have to pay an aftermarket price. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Anyway, not all
political name holders are squatters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
For example, the
owner of <b><a href="http://www.tedcruz.com/" target="_blank">TedCruz.com</a></b> is named Ted Cruz; he supports President Obama and
immigration reform.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Bwahahahahahaha!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I also know
someone who has the same name as a well-known star and has received huge offers
for his matching domain (my acquaintance has refused).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Although I’m not
a known name, I secured <b><a href="http://www.jennifersemplesiegel.com/" target="_blank">JenniferSempleSiegel.com</a></b>, my full name, in 2001, plus
(later) I registered: <b><a href="http://www.jennifersiegel.com/" target="_blank">JenniferSiegel.com</a></b> and <b><a href="http://www.jennifersemple.com/" target="_blank">JenniferSemple.com</a></b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Even unknowns can
have their names squatted for nefarious purposes (spamming and scamming); once,
some lowlife tried to sell me my full name in an alternate extension (I ignored
his email).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
If an unknown
like me can think to secure my piece(s) of the web (which I did before I became
interested in domain names), then why are politicians and their people/handlers
so stupid about this simple fix that could potentially mean the difference
between a successful and failed campaign?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
I just don’t get
it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
Source: <b><a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/may/05/anonymous-cyber-squatter/cyber-squatter-accuses-carly-fiorina-30000-layoffs/" target="_blank">Politifact.com</a></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .25in;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2