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August 30, 2006
Today's News: Obesity is big
No surprise, Americans are not getting any thinner. We've been hearing this for a long time, and why wouldn't we when we're constantly bombarded by ways to make our lives more convenient. I'll admit right away that I'm one of the few people who has no problem with weight gain, in fact I have to work to keep my weight up. And I'm sure for every one of me there is at least one person who, through no fault of their own, cannot keep their weight down, blame it on genetics or whatever, and my heart goes out to those people. But there is a large population in the middle that bears much more responsibility for their waistlines.
One of the recommendations for helping Americans reverse this trend leaves me scratching my head. According to this cnn.com article
"The government should mandate routine screenings that measure the fitness of Medicaid beneficiaries, plus subsidize or reimburse them for participating in exercise and fitness programs."
The first thought to enter my mind is that the governments money comes from the taxes I pay, so lets revise the recommedation to reflect that. Now, let me ask, why should I pay for a gym membership for someone who can't afford it? In fact, having a gym membership is known to be a sure way to keep yourself out of the gym. I used to belong to my local YMCA, and I went regularly, at least twice, sometimes three times a week. To use the hot tub. Who is going to be watching to see that these memberships are used wisely?
A scene from George Orwell's book "1984" comes to mind. The main character is awakened in the morning and subjected to a state sanctioned exercise regimine. Perhaps we could borrow this helpful idea. Every person could be weighed in at a certified location each year, in the way some states require emissions testing and report it to a bureaucratic agency. If the agency decided his/her weight fell outside their optimal range, then a diet and exercise routine would be prescribed, participation would be documented, until the persons weight returned to the acceptable range.
Another recommendation from the article puts the responsibility on employers:
"Employers should offer their workers benefits that help them stay healthy, such as nutrition counseling and subsidized health club memberships"
Again, totally missing the point that the person who will pay the bill for these "benefits" is the consumer of the business's product. How much more do you want to pay for the necessities of life? And hasn't the average American household already taken enough of a hit in spending power?
Employers could impact the health of their employees, without increasing the cost of their products, by reducing workplace stress. I sat in shock one day listening to a co-worker talking about his own battle with food. He said at home, and on the weekends he had no problem with maintaining a healthy diet. But, within just a couple of hours that day at work he'd eaten more junk food than I could eat in a week. Of course, this is a worker in one of our more stressful jobs, and who has a personality conflict with someone else in his work area. It hit me, he's trying to eat away his work-related stress.
The bottom line is, this isn't the governments problem to fix, and it's not our employers problem to fix, it's ours, and until individuals accept the responsibility, this epidemic is going to continue.
Posted by Anna at 2:16 PM | Comments (1)
August 26, 2006
Why????
Why do huge freaking ROACHES always pick the bathroom to take up residence in? If the thing were lounging on my pillow, I'd survive, kitchen counter? no problems, dining table? I'd make do. But the bathroom, the one place in the house you can only avoid for so long. They wait to show their ugly selves until you are committed, and all you can do is sit there in terror with your feet off the floor. And once you escape there's no way you can go back in there until at least daylight, which for me is just impossible. Could someone please explain this to me?
Posted by Anna at 11:42 PM | Comments (3)
August 6, 2006
The Great Dryer Strike....
I believe the dryers at my laundrymat are on strike. But, unlike ordinary strikers they are not standing out at the roadside with pickets to advise potential users to proceede to another laundrymat. So after depositing 8 quarters into the slot I left my happily tumbling clothes, retreating to the air conditioned comfort of my Hyundai for 64 minutes of reading. When the appointed time arrived I returned to retrieve my clothes only to find they'd not dried. Not even a little dry. They weren't even warm. I complained to the attendant who apologised profusely while directing me to another dryer where he deposited 6 quarters. I returned to my car and finished the last 11 pages of "The Art of Deception" by Kevin Mitnik.
Finally I went back to find my dryer done tumbling, but my clothes still more than a little damp. I'd already spent longer than I wanted to at the laundrymat, so I took my wet bundle and left. I laid my still damp, and now wrinkled clothes out on my patio furniture under cover of darkness to complete the drying process. It was four hours before all but the thickest jeans were dry enough to put in my drawers. I'd almost bet it rains before they're dry.
Posted by Anna at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)
August 5, 2006
Must see video....
Posted by Anna at 1:55 AM | Comments (0)
August 2, 2006
Busted!!!!
My boss mentioned he saw me "talking to myself" as I walked into the building the other night. The truth was (and I confessed it) I wasn't talking, I was singing.... "Baby It's Cold Outside". He said that did not raise his confidence in my mental stability. I told him I was hoping he'd send me home to get some rest.
Posted by Anna at 2:13 PM | Comments (0)
August 1, 2006
Everyday Heros.....
Tonight I salute my co-worker for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. We were sitting outside at dinner, as we do every night (unless it rains) when I turned my head and caught sight of a huge bug on my shoulder. The thing was big enough to shake hands with, not that I have any desire to shake hands with something that looks like a baby scorpion. Naturally, I did what any self-respecting woman would do, I freaked! Somehow, in the midst of my fright, I managed to flick the bug a short distance away, where it sat looking at me. My co-worker, realizing it was no big deal (to him) accused me of "making him almost bite his tongue". I suggested that he be a gentleman and go kill the thing before it climbed back up on my shoulder, which he did, thereby saving my life. A true hero.
Posted by Anna at 2:42 AM | Comments (0)