It was retarded

Possibly one of my favorite quotes from the last couple of weeks is from dear Bethany, Bethuselah, Elizabeth or simply, Bethy. We were in her bedroom talking about clothes, when I asked her what she'd paired with the skirt she had worn the previous day. She told me, and then didn't hesitate to say in a slightly disappointed way, "It was retarded."

Love. Love. Love. If you're someone who loves clothes, I mean loves clothes, you understand the mild disappointment you feel when you desparately put something together in the morning, only to later realize that it was ridiculous. But you also know the relief you feel when you admit it to someone else, or hear it from another person about their choice(s).

Yucko

I basically have eleventy things to do today, so I should not be writing this right now. But, after the disappearance of common attributes shared by chewing gum and enconomic downturns, I can't risk another lost rant.

Okay, so there is this book, and now it's a series of articles on the interweb, called "eat this, not that". It's useful info. I read it. I like it. And I think anyone in this country especially could benefit from knowing how unhealthy chain restuarant-prepared food is--particularly when a place exudes a healthy(ish) persona. Panera Bread, I'm talking about you.

But today the "eat this, not that" people did an article on what is in fast food meat. They exposed certain items that you would think have just a few ingredients (like chicken nuggets, or a frosty) that in fact have about 30. BIG FUCKING DEAL, I say facetiously.

I am so tired of the the "ick" factor played up by nutritionists and dieticians. Look, if you've got half a brain you know that fast food is basically all chemical, and not healthy. Does it really matter if you're eating Grade A prime rib or cornmeal filler that tastes just like it? Are the chemicals edible? Yep. Do they taste good? Yes. Will they kill you outright? No. Will they kill you slowly, over decades, if consumed at extremely high rates? Proably. But so will cigarettes, which also have way too many ingredients. (Ironically, marijuana, which does not kill people, is illegal) What is my point here? Uh...

I don't care. I don't fucking care if my burger is half rat or contains .000000000000002% fecal matter or will evaporate in a puff of smoke if the light hits it a certain way. Its contents are a moot point considering that I already know I'm doing myself a disservice by consuming it.

It Just Comes Naturally

I was going to write this in a private journal entry but I thought, meh, might as well make it public. I haven't posted on this thing in a while, which is kind of too bad; it means that my intellectual musings have been fewer, and that worries me. I did find a scribble on a note pad the other day that said, "The Recession = Chewing gum". I have no recollection of how I was going to equate the two. We all lose out when an idea like that has been forgotten.

I've been hung over all day promising myself that I would write some articles tonight, considering all the things I want to buy and that I didn't write any on Friday. But after doing my prelim research on traditional Spanish Christmas food, I just didn't have the heart. It got me thinking about all of the things I WANT to do, and how I'm letting my day-to-day activities get in the way of that. I've been trying to work harder, and procrastinate less. Work hard, play hard. But what seems to come naturally to me is not diligence; it's pure slothfulness. I've always been lazy, my whole entire life. The idea of being occupied every minute until I fall into bed is repulsive to me. However, I'm at that age where I need to be rapaciously sewing the seeds that bear the fruit of a good income. And don't get me wrong, I don't mind being busy...I just also need time to be lazy. Would that we could all do what comes naturally.

New Phrase

I was on gchat today with bunnifer and he kind of...was in an impatient mood and flipped his shit a little. If you're reading this Bun, you did. : )

Anyway, the new phrase for the week is "Silverback bananas" and/or "Chimping out". It's when you act like a primate. Like a majestic Silverback defending his territory growling and flailing, or like a chimp who gets uncomfortable because someone gets too close to the plexiglass.

Thursday, 1 p.m. January 21st, 2010

I have a pink highlighter up my nose right now (capped, of course). I do that sometimes.

Zaftig

Read article. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041413/ns/today-today_fashion_and_beauty?GT1=43001

Then read post:
It is a fact that vanity sizing exists today. Meaning that what was once labeled 12 is now labeled 8. Stores are putting smaller numbers on bigger clothes as a subversive marketing ploy. Because of this I think we really need to asess what it means to be a 14 or 16 + today. In most cases, but not all, it means being dangerously unhealthy. It's also not fair that a girl who might normally be a small can't even find clothes to fit her in stores b/c the new small is more like a medium.

We should also be asking ourselves about the information presented in these stories that cover weight and model weight. Magazines are always about selling issues, which is why they compare a size 0 to a model who is probably a 14, but says she's a 10. The extremes are always what sells. What is truly misrepresented are woman who are not fat and not anorexic looking. Jessica Simpson for example, who gets a lot of undue flak.

When I was growing up, the average size for a woman was 12. Now it's 14, which in yesteryear's sizing is probably 16. When are we going to stop saying that the "average" weight is okay just because it's the average? What happens when the female average is 18? Will we still laud overweight women presented in magazines as "normal" and "average"?

Just be healthy. There is no magic bullet, no pill, diet, or drink. Just live a healthy, active lifestyle. If that means you're a 14, okay. You did your best, life isn't fair we can't all be Ciny Crawford.

Lastly, the "media" or society ideal of a woman's looks has always been and always will be whatever is the most difficult to acheive. That's kind of what an ideal is all about. In the past when being poor meant being thin (and wanting) fleshy women were idealized. Now, being thin means you have the money and the time to look after yourself, so being thin is idealized. This cycle isn't going to go away. Ever.

P.S.-ly -- This might sound kind of cliche, but confidence is THE most attractive quality any person can have, at any size. So if anything, work on that.

What do people do

In Canada? What a mysterious, pointless kind of place. It's so perfect that it was settled by the Frenchies.