Wheetsin

I don't have one, and really don't want one, but nonetheless have seriously considered getting one. I asked my surgeon about it a while back and at the time he didn't feel it was necessary, but a little peace of mind goes a long way.

You did much more than that, and you know it as well as I do. You think these are viscous attacks? You've had a passive life! And wow, will you have some hard lessons to learn. There's only one person here calling people's beliefs ignorant. There's only one person here insinuating heavily that people are unintelligent and uneducated about their decisions. There's only one person here stating as fact that their belief is the only right belief. There's only one person here stating completely wrong facts about why a group of people believes what they do. Please, show me where you have been viciously attacked. Is this really why you came here? To try and stir the pot? You couldn't get that at the other board? Are you interested at all in helping bandsters overcome their bandster problems, or in offering support to people facing the life of WLS?

Would you really expect to come here, belittle a group of people, and not having people challenge what you're saying? Is that the type of "debate" you're interested in having? Has it really been your past experience that you come somewhere, ridicule a group of people and throw out your insinuations of stupiditity and ignorance, and people just say "Thank you sir may I have another?" Really? It's hitting below the belt to say that religion is open to interpretation, and that just maybe what you see as "wrong" another chrisitan would see as "right"? Or to say that two christians would not necessarily see eye to eye? Then you must wear an awfully big belt. When have I attacked you? Spend some time searching and you should be able to find more than a handful of times that each of us have explained it, in so far as appropriate for the conversation. Why should we explain it - again - when you're obviously just here to stir the pot? Or "debate" (aka try to be "right")? You've already told us our beliefs are ignorant. What more do we need to offer up? We're ignorant. You're right. There doesn't seem to be much moving beyond that. As I said,

Well I bought 22s and 24s today, so when you get there, let me know. Teresita gets dibs on my "cute pointy toed brown suede buckle" shoes, and anything low cut. LOL! But I have lots of 30/32, 26/28. I have lots of stuff beyond 30/32 too. Ok, here's another rant, since I brought it up but I'm going to say you did. When I wore "normal" sizes, I could always go and buy my size. I didn't have to buy two sizes in one. So why do ladies of substance have to wear pants that are always a little too small, or a little too big? We're EITHER a size 22, OR a size 24. No one is both. Men don't buy 36/38 jeans, they buy 36 or 28. We're big, but we're not so big that we need TWO DIFFERENT sizes in THE SAME DAMN PAIR OF PANTS. Lerner doesn't carry 8/10, they carry 8 and they carry 10. Why are we the only ones they do this to, hmmm? Fat minds want to know!

Then if that's the case, and don't take this the wrong way, get off here and call your surgeon. If you're at 10cc (Iassume you meant 10cc? Because 10mm would be a different scenario...) in a band that holds 10cc, following the rules, and have no restriction it's time your surgeon intervene beyond giving you fills. I know one person this happened to - just a few months ago. Her band had either slipped or was never placed correctly. We'll never know which. Better safe than sorry.

A little respect goes a long way here. Even when we viciously disagree, we are respectful to each other. Perhaps you will realize that some day, if you stick around long enough. But joining a board to "stir the pot" probably won't bring you closer to that realization. You are stating your opinions as facts, perhaps blind to the idea that other christians, who believe they are as good of a christian as you seem to believe you are, do not agree with what you are saying. Yet you're "right". That seems very important to you, being "right". Entering into a debate with something intent on being "right" is an exercise in futility. Just as you are repeating the "tired old rantings", as you so eloquently and respectfully put it, of every other one of those, so to speak,who has ridiculed us for not sharing their belief. And FWIW, stating that atheists base their beliefs, or lack of, on feelings is also a "tired old ranting" shows how little you understand of atheists or why they believe the way they do. It couldn't be farther from feelings. So we can't deny god because we're being "ignorant" and not examing the evidence... but you can spout about why atheists believe what they do, and be totally inaccurate. If it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck, and talks like a duck... or perhaps it's troll.

Went shopping today at Avenue. Since my last size our office has gone to jeans, so I don't have any work slacks that fit. Have a business trip next week to an office that doesn't have jeans, and Avenue is advertising a big sale, so I went to see if they had anything. And all I can say is OMG who thinks fat girls look good in belted metallic sweater tunics?!? That's as bad as the appliques, sequins, and general "bedazzling" on most of the stuff we have to choose from. I found 1 pair of pants for now, and 3 (at $9.99 each!) for the next size down... so around 2009 I'll be in them.

I agree. Any time there's an arbitrary judgement involved, it's going to bring flaw into an allegedly objective system. And I agree completely with TOM. A dear friend of mine is a clinical psychologist. When he got burnt out on therapy, he accepted a position with a company who contracts psychologists to attorney groups for interviewing potential jury members. (I didn't even know that was done until he told me about it). As he once described it to me, his job was to find the easily impressionable people (or "weak of mind" as it was worded to him) that wouldn't be able to think for themselves enough to recognize whether or not evidence was beyond a shadow of a doubt, or vice-versa... who would sit there and be persuaded by the attorney's tone of voice, or because hey - makes sense to me! The company he worked for was large, and had competitiors, so this couldn't have been a one-off thing. Doesn't give prospective defendants much light, does it. :speechles *Edited to add - none of that to mention the "I want to make an example of you" instances. My father has two people serving equal sentences in his prison, one after his 11th DWI conviction, and the other after his first.

That's hilarious, I assumed it was a fictitious place. If you don't mind me asking, who is your surgeon in Aurora? I ask because I'm frequently in Aurora/Naperville for business, and have coworkers there who are interested in lap-band but haven't been able to locate anyone nearby. (I"m assuming Aurora IL, but correct me if I'm wrong)

Being exposed doesn't make people angry. At least not me. I'm exposed to christian faith and beliefs while driving down the road, walking into a store, grabbing some groceries on the way home. It's everywhere. Literally unavoidable. Yet I don't find myself angry when I pass the bibles on the bookshelf. From where I'm sitting, this has really become an apples and oranges topic. For example, what Green expressed is not what you replied to. Or if it is, on a selective basis at best. And what I've expressed is pretty not much what you replied with. Do you understand that not everyone wants your morality or faith shared with them? And if that's the case, would you force the issue?

I have been known to walk my stairs for exercise. Here's what you do. Cover your floor with wax paper, and put on some little bottie socks. Then "walk" in place on the floor. Surely that would work, no? Why don't you try it and let me know. :heh:

Oh absolutely. And I would say the same thing about Erich von Däniken. Some of what he theorizes makes sense, and is definitely interesting reading, and you can gree with him, but that doesn't mean it's smart to invest.

You can't give them credibility. Or - well, certainly you can. Perhaps "shouldn't" is a better word. Blind credit in anything, from religous theories to product endorsements and everything in between, can't be a great idea. Writing a book only means you have an idea. Or we wouldn't have o many books that contradict each other. I think you and I are agreeing, but probably not in a clear way. In a way religion (in this context of theorists, etc.) is the opposite of science. Science tries to answer "why", and tries to disprove its theories. If it fails to be able to disprove, then it will accept for consideration. Religion tries to answer "how", and then tries to prove. Few religious theorists set out with the goal of disproving their own theories.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Warren is any more accurate or "right" than the weatherman who said it would be 80 today. :heh: It's just that - since I couldn't make it through his book, I was seeking a better understanding of his theory. BTW, marionettes creep me out.

Why is it that I appear to get defensive when someone makes a comment that is easily interpreted as condescending? Do you not know the answer to that? You said what you did. I interpreted it the way I did. I'm sure we'll both still die happy. I really don't dig bickering. Can we move beyond this?

You keep saying that, over and over, in many different ways. I get it. Yet - no one has asked you to have bones, or be ashamed, or withhold your opinion.

And no, it's actually not like that. My signature has been what it has been for... oh... a year and a half. Two years. Something like that. So it's more like a hungry dog happening upon a bone, and deciding to jump.

Ok, I'll say it again. I don't mind being asked questions. I'm not a genius but I'm smart enough to know that "putting something out there" is likely to bring interest. And I've had a LOT of extremely civil conversations about my atheism, and others' christianity, and others' hinduism, and others' every which what. Please don't think I have objections to rational conversation. All it would take is a search or two and you'd find quite the opposite. But my definition of rational does not necessarily include condescension.

I'm sorry you see answering questions as being baited. We have a pretty clear difference of opinion there. I have no problems answering questions. I've answered more questions here about my atheism than I can count, and that's not even including the PMs and emails I get from here. I have some objection to being "scoffed", for lack of a better word, with insinuations like "have you done your homework?" I've never had a problem with you Leatha, but I think your comments are stemming largely from what other people have done or have said, yet your finger is pointing at me.

I was not on my period for my surgery (though I had asked and they assured me it happens all the time, and they would just give me a pad and "securing garments" - which must be the granny panties!). Thankfully. I haven't worn a pad since I was 12 and I can't imagine trying to swap out... you know whats... right after surgery. Ugh ow. And I didn't need a catheter. And no one asked me to go to the bathroom after surgery. I guess up until about 4 months before my surgery my surgeon required bowel preps, thank goodness I missed that one. I've seen my mother endure one of those prior to a colonoscopy, and I certainly didn't envy her any!

It's hard because weightloss rates vary so much person by person. It's ABSOLUTELY possible for someone to be banded and lose 20 lbs. But you have to look at all the factors involved including (but not limited to):How much weight they had to lose Diet habits Exercise habits Level of restriction Post-op diet and adherance Individual metabolism And on, and on...

I've set off one metal detector in the 30+ flights I've taken since banding. The guy immediately asked me if I had a medical implant and I told him I did, so I had to go off to the side and get the full head to toe scan. *Edit: I can't say for sure it wasn't something else that triggered the detector, but even when they came over with the wand it was triggering right over my port area, and I did not have an underwire bra on. I can't really make heads or tails of it because this was coming out of my home airport, and through the same terminal I go through 85% of the time. There's no real reason for it to have triggered that time, but not the others. *shrug*

Stick to it, of course! Being crappy outside doesn't mean you can't walk. Do you have a mall you can walk in? Or a local high school with an indoor track?

There's a difference between unknowingly being sucked into something, and joining this board with the intention of rousing debate. It's not like "Ron Caruso" had been helping people determine if they were too tight over in General, or answering insurance questions, or -- pick a topic of your choice, and then somehow happened here and was taken down by a flock of prowling atheists. "Ron Caruso" posted here, and independently brought up the topic of religion with me. My title clearly states I'm an atheist. Not many questions about that. That's not really "unknowingly being sucked into".

Wait a minute. Being a moderator does not remove your ability to have, or share, an opinion. Being a member, and being a moderator, are two completely different hats. I don't believe I get them confused. Agreeing to help manage the site never included a stipulation that I would only post to innocuous topics. Have I ever acted unfairly as a moderator because a christian created the post? Have I ever censored a thread because its content was not in agreement with my atheism? No. Absolutely not. And don't lump me into "open season" behavior. I have my opinions, and I express them, but I have never cut someone down because of their beliefs or lack of -- or rather, I have never "hunted", to use your analogy, someone down because of their faith. I ask questions, I engage, I try to understand. And I share. I have never "flamed". I have never attacked or "hunted". And don't lump me into "back up", or needing a back up. Laurend came here and posted what she did of her own accord. And what I've posted has not been related to what she has posted. Two different conversations.