Bullwinkle

Well, I go see Dr. Sampang today at 1:30pm in Dr. C's office. I trust that this evaluation will go better than did the first. I am no longer irritable and "off balance" due to nicotine withdrawal, since today marks -- oh, I dunno. It's about 53 days or so being smoke-free. Huh. Imagine that. I don't even think about it much any more -- smoking, that is. I've lost track as to how many days I've been smoke-free. Next Sunday will be two months. Anyhow......I go for my second psyche evaluation today and I can't wait to get things in motion and get banded. Wish me luck!

I have a problem with the tenor of these statements. They smack of control, rather than teaching. It sounds as if you've already given the kid -- or any "cool" kid, since you hate them -- an F in your course on the first day. And, depending upon their rate of capitulation to your terms, they can raise their grade by the end of the term. Wow. I pity the free thinkers in your class, since free thinkers really don't like to be "worked on" or "forced" to do anything.

In answer to your original question, no, I don't believe it's a "new fad". Every generation -- of every era -- believes that the kids of their current generation have gone to Hell. I was privileged to have my grandmother living with us when my siblings and I were growing up. Grandma made derogatory comments about Mom -- how she was "out of control" when she was a teenager (in 1953), and now "you're out of control!" (when I was a teenager in 1975). Mom and Dad said plenty to us, too, when we were teenagers, but they say more about their teenaged grandchildren. In fact, we all heard the same crap outta my parents when our children became teenagers -- much worse griping and complaining than when Grandma was gritching about us. And -- HORRORS -- guess what? I find myself saying some of the SAME DAMN THINGS about the kids of this generation, and it bothers me that I'm doing that. So, I don't think it's so much a TEENAGER thing, as I think it's an ADULT thing. And this post is made by a woman who has raised nine (9) children, so I think I know what I'm talkin' about when it comes to teenagers. Teenagers can be extrenely exasperating. I ought to know. I used to be one. PS: The key in rearing teenagers is, DON'T CUT 'EM ANY SLACK and don't let 'em see you laughing behind their back when they think they are in trouble. Let 'em sweat it out.

Wow. I wouldn't have repeated it the first time, let alone the second or third time, and I'm 45 years old and far from mediocre. I'm just not the "pep rally" type. If I DO wanna join in and chant with a crowd, it hasta be MY choice, and not because someone is telling me that if I don't say "success" three times in an hour-long class, that I'm gonna be a failure. I'd feel the same way if I were in a church class, a college class, or a sporting event. If I don't feel like chanting along with the cheerleader (priest or teacher), then I ain't gonna. Leave the kid alone and let him learn and succeed at his own pace, in his own way.

Weighed in at 269.8 this morning, so I've lost 1.5 pounds. Eating low carb helps, but my period also started, so I know I'm losing water weight there, too. Gotta stop eating the Russel Stover's sugar-free candy, however. Those are NOT low carb. They also create offensive gas. Wow.

Weighed in at 269.8 this morning, so I've lost 1.5 pounds. Eating low carb helps, but my period also started, so I know I'm losing water weight there, too. Gotta stop eating the Russel Stover's sugar-free candy, however. Those are NOT low carb. They also create offensive gas. Wow.

So, I get on the scale this morning -- for the first time since I quit smoking two days before Thanksgiving -- to see JUST how much weight I've gained. I thought I would have a stroke after seeing that number staring back at me. When I initially went to see Dr. Curry about being banded, I weighed in at 249.5 -- fully clothed, in heavy jeans and a sweater, with my shoes on. I was wearing a size 18W jeans. This morning -- totally naked (very ugly) -- I weighed in at 271.3. To quote Janice from Friends........OH.........MY.......GOD!!!!! Today I ate totally low carb. Tomorrow I'll do the same, and from now on. I've got this "quitting smoking" thing totally under control now, so it's time to get with the program and lose this twenty-five-freakin' pounds I've gained BEFORE I get banded. I'm now wearing a size 24W jeans, and they are tight. I can't wait to see the doctor for my psyche eval overwith and get banded.

Teresit - what are the best type of protein shakes to use?

So, I get on the scale this morning -- for the first time since I quit smoking two days before Thanksgiving -- to see JUST how much weight I've gained. I thought I would have a stroke after seeing that number staring back at me. When I initially went to see Dr. Curry about being banded, I weighed in at 249.5 -- fully clothed, in heavy jeans and a sweater, with my shoes on. I was wearing a size 18W jeans. This morning -- totally naked (very ugly) -- I weighed in at 271.3. To quote Janice from Friends........OH.........MY.......GOD!!!!! Today I ate totally low carb. Tomorrow I'll do the same, and from now on. I've got this "quitting smoking" thing totally under control now, so it's time to get with the program and lose this twenty-five-freakin' pounds I've gained BEFORE I get banded. I'm now wearing a size 24W jeans, and they are tight. I can't wait to see the doctor for my psyche eval overwith and get banded.

For those of you who don't live in Ohio, and/or don't know about it, a law passed in the last election -- effective tomorrow -- wherein there is NO SMOKING in ANY workplace or public place. Not only do you hafta step outside to smoke, you can only do it in approved areas. Even on your own property. Think about that. The guy I work for owns this building. He owns it. Period. The poor schumck can't even step out into the plant and have a cigarette -- in his own building. A few thoughts: *** We have liquor licenses for businesses, why not have smoking licenses? *** The new Smoke-Free Ohio Law is not a health issue. It's about property ownership and the right to conduct business as an owner sees fit. *** Maybe the next move should be to forbid unruly children to dine in adult restaurants -- now there's an idea (for those people who want to spend quality time with their kids). *** Or, perhaps it will soon be illegal for obese people to order fattening foods. After all, some people are disgusted by watching an overweight person eat. Think about what that does to the observer's stress level, watching a fat person scarf down a cheeseburger..... OH, WAIT. That has already begun. New York City, just yesterday, has banned restaurants from using trans fats. Excuse me, but I thought that people who OWN a business can use whatever ingredients they want -- fully declaring them to their customers -- and then if the customer doesn't want to eat that food they can choose NOT to eat at that establishment. It's all about choice, folks. And now Ohio business owners no longer have the choice to do what they want within their own walls. And don't think I'm up on my soapbox because I'm a smoker. I'm an EX-smoker. This has NOTHING to do with smoking. It has EVERYTHING to do with control. Wow. Now I feel better.

AMEN, Sister!!!! Our company instituted a Smoke-Free Policy (per Ohio law now) and the owners gave smokers three choices: 1. Smoke at your company-paid, 15-minute break, and your half-hour, unpaid lunch break ONLY! 2. Smoke at the breaks described above, PLUS you may take three, 5-minute breaks during the day. So that productivity will not diminish, you must stay over for 15 minutes after your shift is finished -- UNPAID -- in other words, you must clock out and then stay an additional 15 minutes to make up for the 15 minutes you took during the day to smoke. 3. Stop smoking. The company will help you in your endeavors by offering free smoking pamphlets and free support groups. I think for such a small company -- there are only 23 employees, and six smokers -- that those choices are MORE than fair. It just pisses me off to know that some people are taking breaks -- be it smoking, playing around online, making personal calls, putting on makeup in the bathroom, lingering too long down the hall with coffee and donuts, chatting with friends, et cetera -- while I'm working my butt off, without taking advantage of the company like they are. It's just the principle of the thing, yanno?

If you haven't already heard about it, this article outlines the notion of putting warning labels in plus-sized clothing in the UK. Wow. I wonder when it will catch on here in the states. Do you think it's wrong?

Too late. That already happened. An airline asked a fat guy to get off the plane because he weighed too much. Again, too late. I interviewed for a job but didn't get hired because the guy told me I was too fat to fit into the office space. Also, airline attendants and myriad other jobs have weight restrictions. They already do that for smokers, as well as the obese. Well, they will probably cover you, but for a much higher premium. Wootsie, I agree with you and will restate my position. This is simply an issue of Politically correct control; smokers are looked at as pariahs -- even those who are so very careful never to smoke around anyone. When I smoked, I took GREAT pains to ensure that my cigarette smoke was NEVER around another human being, but I was still looked upon like I was a substandard, second-class human being, as evidenced by the judgmental tenor of the majority of the comments in this thread: "If you smoke cigarettes, you are unworthy of being in the human race, and I am SO much better than you." It's just that attitude -- and not the law -- that rubs me the wrong damn way. A non-smoker is not better than me, if I choose to smoke. Just as a slender person is not better than me, if I choose to be obese. Just as a non-drinker is not better than me if I choose to drink alcohol. This is just another one of the myriad PC movements, and the cigarette smokers are getting they turn on the "let's bash a minorty" pile. A few years back it was the people who wore real fur coats. They were labeled as inhuman simply because they chose to wear an animal pelt. Well, that "bashing" ran its course, people wear fur again without fear of recrimination, and now it's some other cause in the headlines. And please spare me the "but because of your choice to smoke, I don't get a choice of NOT getting cancer from your smoke" argument. I've heard it a ka-zillion times, and I'm not saying that it's not a valid argument. What I have a problem with is this holier-than-thou attitude running rampant through this nation -- and this thread. No one is entitled to think that they are better than me, for whatever reason. Go ahead.....bash away at me now.

I got a guy fired today, and don't feel one bit bad about it. He's a pain in the ass, and has been a thorn in my side for nearly a year now. He is (was) the receiving clerk at our company and treated the truck drivers like sub-standard human beings. He made several of them wait six-and-a-half hours yesterday before he'd load their trucks. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I went out to that receiving dock this morning and told him to get his lazy, hair ass up outta that chair, and unload the truck that was sitting just outside the bay door. He called me a BEE-OTCH in that stupid gansta-rap jargon, and I just let 'im have it with both barrels. I called the so-and-so everything but a milkcow, told him to unload that f'ing truck, called him a saw off SOB, and told him that if it's the last thing I do today, I'll make sure he's fired. And, he is fired. It's been a rough day. Someone hug me.

I got a guy fired today, and don't feel one bit bad about it. He's a pain in the ass, and has been a thorn in my side for nearly a year now. He is (was) the receiving clerk at our company and treated the truck drivers like sub-standard human beings. He made several of them wait six-and-a-half hours yesterday before he'd load their trucks. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I went out to that receiving dock this morning and told him to get his lazy, hair ass up outta that chair, and unload the truck that was sitting just outside the bay door. He called me a BEE-OTCH in that stupid gansta-rap jargon, and I just let 'im have it with both barrels. I called the so-and-so everything but a milkcow, told him to unload that f'ing truck, called him a saw off SOB, and told him that if it's the last thing I do today, I'll make sure he's fired. And, he is fired. It's been a rough day. Someone hug me.

I wish I were a Super Genius.

Au, contrarie, mon amis. A 13-year-old girl can marry in the State of New Hampshire: **"A female between the age of 13 and 17 years...can be married only with the permission of their parent (guardian)..." I'm guessing that that 13-year-old and her new hubby are gonna have sex on the wedding night (if not before). **cite: This Page

Yeah, what Carlene said. I was thinking the same thing. Or, perhaps she has boyfriends AND a husband. She's my hero.

I am quoting the entire (small) article: "A leading professor in the U.K. said that obese people should be warned about the health risks of their weight when buying clothes, according to The Daily Mail. Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said that oversized clothing should have obesity help line numbers sewn on them to try to reduce Britain's obesity crisis. The professor made the recommendations in this week's issue of the British Medical Journal. Sir George Albert, the U.K.'s national director for emergency care, joined other health professionals in their recommendations. He wants the government to take a more proactive response to obesity. The suggestion would be to put the label on all clothes with waist sizes over 37 inches for boys or 31 inches for girls. Women's clothes over size 16 would also get a label. The paper reported that Sattar also believes new urban roads should only be built if they include a separate lane for bicyclists.The professor also said that new housing complexes should all include sports facilities and park areas. Britain's obesity problem could bankrupt its health system if nothing is done to stop it, according to Sattar. The British Medical Journal reported that more than half of the U.K.'s population is overweight and more than one in five adults is obese. Treating obese people in that country takes up about 9 percent of the health budget, the Mail reported. Sattar thinks there should be more political intervention. He told the journal that he also wants food manufacturers to display nutrition information on the content of all meals and Snacks at retail and catering outlets. "People clearly have some responsibility for their health, but society and government have a responsibility to make the preferred, easy choices healthier ones," Sattar said. Sattar said in the journal that education should be provided at all levels to change behavior towards diet and physical activity, and obesity made a core part of all medical training, according to a press release."

I found an article here, citing the source of that notion, which originates from the UK. I read a subsequent blog concerning the recommendation, and one blogger said, "A label with a "1-800-DON'T BE FAT" number is not going to help." I agree.

Yeah, that would be bad. Very, very bad. I had a jaw tooth pulled a few months ago and was told not to suck on anything, including a cigarette, or else the clot would come out and I would get dry socket. Did I listen? Nooooooo. While waiting for my pain Rx to be filled, I was outside the pharmacy puffing away. The next day -- and several days continuously, I had THE most excruciating pain I've ever had in my LIFE. I've been through child birth four times and NOTHING comes close to the pain I experienced in my jaw when I got the dry socket. Anyway....just wanted to inject that comment, and also toot my own horn in saying that I'm now 41 days smoke-free, and it's getting easier and easier.

Hmm. My journal was on Page Two again. I don't like that. Forty-one days smoke-free today. WOO HOO!

Hmm. My journal was on Page Two again. I don't like that. Forty-one days smoke-free today. WOO HOO!

Hope you have a prosperous, healthy, and happy New Year!!