I was reading through the CNN stories this afternoon and came across one that caught my attention. This article is called "Airline policies juggle larger passengers"which details how airlines are going to begin charging overweight passengers for a second seat. Here are the little summary bullets that CNN puts on every article:
Ok, let me talk to a couple of these:
Obesity rates have grown in the last 25 years but plane seat sizes remain the same.
Seriously? Are they really trying to say that we just need to make seats bigger because people are getting fatter? How about we work on getting people healthier so they fit in the existing seats that have seemed to work well for the last 25 years.
National Association of Fat Acceptance says it's unsafe to cram passengers.
This one I had to look up. Apparently there are associations for just about everything. They're actually called the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). Their mission statement is as follows:
Founded in 1969, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to ending size discrimination in all of its forms. NAAFA's goal is to help build a society in which people of every size are accepted with dignity and equality in all aspects of life. NAAFA will pursue this goal through advocacy, public education, and support.
I'm all for excepting people as they are and I know I'm not in tip top shape, but seriously, an organization to make people accept fat people? While we aren't all skinny, I think we've pretty much established that it's not healthy to be fat. Your risk of various diseases (heart disease, diabetes, etc) goes up considerably when you're overweight. Rather than "accepting", we should all be working on getting healthy!
Here's what I find funny. The airlines claim that they are charging obese people for extra seats to help with the comfort of other passengers as well as safety. They say that if a plane needs to be evacuated, larger people crammed into a small seat may hinder other people trying to exit the plane. All I know is that you'd probably still have to crawl over the top of them, two seats or not. It seems to me that this is more a ploy to make an extra buck than a passenger safety issue. Don't get me wrong, I HATE it when someone who is a little bit larger seeps into my space on a plane (I swear, it always seems to happen to me too!), but I don't know that charging for an extra seat actually solves the problem!
Today, suddenly and unexpectedly, Michael Jackson died.
Tons of celebrities have taken to Twitter to express their condolences. One of my favorite statements released was by John Mayer:
"Dazed in the studio. A major strand of our cultural DNA has left us. RIP MJ. I think we'll mourn his loss as well as the loss of ourselves as children listening to Thriller on the record player."
Regardless of his terrible personal life, he was an amazing musician, dancer and entertainer. I don't mean that we should overlook his actions (which were BAD and WRONG), but I also think that because of that you can't overlook what he's done as a musician and what an impact he's had on popular music. Obviously, the man was very troubled (black men don't make themselves white and completely change their face to have feminine characteristics and allegedly molest children when they don't have issues). It makes me sad that his life spiraled out of control and that no one close to him was there to step in and help.
His autopsy is being expedited and should be completed tomorrow. I have the horrible feeling that he's going to have a lot of drugs in his system. It's such a sad way for someone's life to end and normally a healthy 50-year-old man doesn't just have a heart attack. I hope I'm wrong.
My favorite music video is the Thriller video... it completely changed how videos are created.
Rest in peace, MJ.
August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009
Over the past few days, I've seen the headlines on CNN.com that talk about all of the crazy stuff going on in Iran. To be brutally honest, I've sort of ignored it. But today they posted a story called "Who Was Neda" which was accompanied by a picture of a pretty girl about my age. Apparently she was out observing an anti-government demonstration when she was shot in the chest by the military. Her death is captured on a cell phone camera and is circulating around YouTube and other video sites. Groups all over Iran are using it as a rallying point.
This prompted me to read some of the other articles to see exactly what all of this is about. Apparently there was an election on June 12th. Huge numbers of Iranians turned out to the polls to vote and rallies held for both candidates suggested that the race was going to be close. The incumbant leader was declared the winner, but the guy who lost said that there were violations in the process. Supporters from the losing side took to the streets in protest on June 15th in one of the largest protests since 1979. Days later, the supporters take to the streets in a silent protest (those were all the pictures of people that you saw over the past few days with green tape marked over their mouths). On June 21st, Iran's Guardian Council said that the number of ballots cast in the election exceeded the number of elligible voters, fueling the fire.
I absolutely cannot imagine living in a country where you could be shot for just observing an anti-government demonstration. I know that the United States there was actually a time where you could get killed at an event like that - I'm so incredibly thankful that if I chose to protest now, I could go out and do so. I also feel so lucky that we live in a country where we don't generally see the kind of protests that we're seeing out of Iran. I know that it took a lot of work to get to where we are, but I sure am glad I'm not one of those people that had to pave the way.
I tried really hard to watch golf today. Mike loves it, so I thought I'd tune in and see what all the hype was about.
I just don't get it.
Now, I do respect people at the top of their game, and yes, it's exciting to watch people that are the best in the world at what they do. But it's the actual game of golf that I don't get. Here are some examples:
1. Why does everyone have to be so quiet? Did Michael Jordan ask everyone to be quiet so he could make a three pointer? No, he has to deal with the cheering, the stomping, the heckling and the thunder sticks. Would you ever see thunder sticks on the 8th hole of the U.S. Open? No way! Why the heck not?
2. What's with some of the really bad outfits? The guy leading today had on the most awful pair of plaid pants. I get that they have to dress appropriately on the golf course. Sort of like a uniform. But really, let's not perpetuate the sterotype. Throw on some Dockers and a polo and be on your way.
3. Whispering commentators. I was told that they whisper because they're standing right there. I bet they want to sound dramatic. But really, it just sounds dumb. Every other sport (ok, almost every other sport) has commentators that are screaming and can't contain themselves. Show a little more than an excited whisper, golf dudes.
Maybe I just need more practice. I'll be ooohing and ahhhing tomorrow... Go Tiger!
For the very first time in my life, I hit a living creature with my car. On Monday night I was coming home from Mike's house. Just before I got to my neighborhood (ironic since I figured if I'd ever run a critter over, it would be up at his place since he's out in the woods) I saw something dart out into the road. It was the telltale black with a white stripe. It was moving from left to right, so I did a little swerve to the left to try and avoid it. Sadly, the poor little guy changed his mind at the last minute and turned around. Poor thing should have gone with his first instinct. I felt the distinct thump thump of both of my right tires squishing him.
At some point in this whole ordeal, he apparently managed to squirt skunk juice on my car... so now it stinks. Like a lot. I posted this on Facebook and was given several options by my friends. The first is to pay to have my car detailed and the second is to sell it. Yikes!
I've come up with option three which is to leave it parked on my driveway until it stops smelling. I'll let you all know how that works out. A very little bit came in through the vents, so the inside even smelled... I remedied that with Febreeze and my Illuminations cranberry orange smelly car thing. Needless to say, that created a pretty disgusting smell in itself. I guess I'll just have to wait until it wears off. Now I'm all paranoid that I'm going around smelling like skunk (you know how really smelly stuff like smoke or skunk sticks in your hair and clothes when you're around it enough?).
I do feel pretty bad... it's the first time I've ever hit something, let alone killed it. Poor little skunk.
This weekend was one of the few (ever!) that I (gasp!) actually had nothing on my calendar. I know, it's shocking. It was fantastically wonderful to not have anywhere that I had to go!
Friday night Mike and I met up with Sean and Erin to celebrate Sean's sister's (Sarah) 30th birthday. We went to sushi.
I'll pause to give you a minute to catch your breath.
Yes, you read correctly, I went to sushi. Did anything remotely fishy enter my body? No. But I did make it through a sushi dinner without barfing on the table. One small step for mankind. It was actually a lot of fun. Sushi is surprisingly pretty (at least Mikuni's makes it pretty). I had the chicken teriyaki, which I have to say, was fantastic. A fun time was had by all (especially those that did saki bombs).
I had decided that Saturday was my day to tackle the yard. Yes, I've been keeping up on mowing my lawn, but that's been pretty much it. My garden and shrubs all seriously needed some attention. Mom came over to help me... I have some beautiful but tricky lilac vines growing that she had great ideas about. We also made a trip to Lowe's. For those of you who don't know, the office supply store and hardware store are two of my favorite places to shop. I especially love the hardware store because there are all sorts of fun things that I have no idea how to use but totally want to buy because they look cool. I am now the proud owner of my very own Black & Decker 17' Coated Steel Hedge Trimmers. These things are fantastic! By the time my two large bushes were done, I was looking for bushes in the neighbor's yards to cut! My mom is a saint... we had the best time and my yard looks beautiful!
Sunday was my offical lazy day. Mike and I had delicious blueberry pancakes for breakfast and then took Shadow for a little hike around Lake Tabeaud (prounounced like "taboo"). Shadow had the time of his life! We hiked for about an hour and a half, during which Shadow got several opportunities to swim. He's a ball of mush this morning - totally wiped out from his busy day yesterday! The rest of the afternoon was spent watching cycling (Mike) and napping (me). It was fantastic! Around five, Charlie (Mike's brother) made it back from Newport Beach with their brand new fishing boat! The boys have been looking for a while and finally found one they loved... and it's a beauty! It has a cool little cabin that you can sleep in (with a bathroom and little stove) and is going to be GREAT for fishing!
My friend Amanda has done several witty blogs on this subject that you can read here and here. I am absolutely blown away with the amount of attention that these two people are getting. Ok, I get it, they had a lot of kids. At once. I also get that they're (allegedly) having affairs. But really, does this warrant the media coverage they're getting?
Honestly, I've never watched the show. I have no desire to. Nor do I have the desire for every single People issue I get for the next six weeks to have them plastered on the cover. I don't really care. Maybe it says something about our society, but let's be real, lots of people have affairs. And, more recently, lots of people are having lots of kids. Maybe not six at a time, but come on, they're like five now and the novelty has worn off. Even Octo-Mom isn't getting much media attention any more. Let's move on.
And seriously, a reverse mullet?! Who's brilliant idea was that?
Someone sent this to me at work... I got a giggle out of it, so I thought I'd share. The email was titled "Spread the Stupidity".
Only in America..... do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
Only in America..... do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a diet coke.
Only in America..... do banks leave both doors open, but chain the pens to the counters.
Only in America..... do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
Only in America..... do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.
Only in America..... do we have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.
Ever wonder...
Why the sun lightens our hair but darkens our skin?
Why women can't put mascara on with their mouths closed?
Why you don't ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
Why "abbreviated" is such a long word?
Why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor but dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons?
Why the man who invests your money is called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why there isn't mouse-flavored cat food?
Why Noah didn't swat those two mosquitos?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
A few days late, but better late than never! This weekend, in addition to a zillion other things, I did a portion of a triathlon. I had never thought of doing it as a relay, but Mike's sister Nicki and her husband Tim asked if I would swim in the TBF Tri for Fun. Why not, right? The swim was 1/2 a mile, the bike was 16 (Tim was doing that part) and the run was 3 miles (Nicki had that covered).
Here's our rocking relay team, The Gladiators (Skyler, Nicki and Tim's daughter named us):
Our goal had been to do the triathlon in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Our final time was 1:34:28! I'm so proud of us! I had a 15 minute swim... which is an improvement on my 17:06 from the first triathlon. I definitely want to get back into the swimming thing... I had such a fun time!
Here's me getting ready for my swim. I was super nervous (I need to learn to get over that!) and totally excited that Mike was taking my picture...
Here's the swim start... the water was suprisingly warm. Then again, note the nuclear towers in the background. Allegedly, it's shut down and shouldn't cause any issues (you're exposed to no more radiation there than you are on a commercial airplane). I don't have any new appendages, but we'll see what happens some day when I have kids!
Finally, here's Mike and I after my swim. I think it's one of my favorite pictures of us, even though I don't have any makeup on!
The whole weekend was really fun... we were at graduations, barbeques and I had an SCSO show. I'm totally exhausted this week and am looking forward to some R&R next weekend!
It's not often that we get thunder and lightning storms in my neck of the woods, so tonight I had to take the opportunity to enjoy this one! Shadow and I were outside playing ball when I heard the first rumble... he was totally ok with it for about the first 15 minutes. Until he looked over and saw the lightning. Then he went nuts... barking, growling, jumping at the sky.
I took some video, but it's apparently too big for this site. :( Go to my facebook to watch it!
