Rants and Randomness

How did everyone fair getting around today? Whatever happened to snow "removal?" The town keeps plowing the feet upon feet of snow into these ginormous mountains that, I am convinced, will never melt. And where are these plowed mountains taking shape? They are, of course, conveniently located at the corners of intersections and parking lot entrances, so no one can actually see when it's safe to pull out. So smart, DPW, so smart. Ugh. And then there's my wonderful parking neighbor who stays buried in for days and then throws his snow in my meticulously clean spot when he's ready to emerge. That hardly seems fair. Yesterday, I even took the liberty of being extra nice (slightly selfish on my part too) of digging out the side of his car that faces my spot. I shoveled, and shoveled so there would be no snow between us. Well, the weasel left somewhere between late last night and early this morning, dumping his snow all over the extensive area I had cleaned. I wrote a note, but think I won't leave it in case he's one of those emotionally mature stunted people and takes it out on my car. I will just have faith that karma pays him a visit.

Still waiting to hear when my new surgery date is scheduled for. Hopefully I will find out soon. I was given the "OK" for the 2 meals I had planned for the weekend (sushi and tacos)... otherwise it's protein shakes and clear liquids from here on in! I wonder... does vodka count as a "clear" liquid? *raises eyebrow*

There's this blog I read, called Two Whole Cakes. I love it. What's it about? "Two Whole Cakes is a full-fat and diet-free blog dealing with body politics and cultural criticism." (taken directly from the "About" section of the blog). The other day she was talking about how all the "fat people" "reality" shows seem to shed a demeaning light on overweight people. Apparently there's a new show, Heavy, which purports to be less evil since it focuses more on the psychological aspects of being overweight as opposed to the "evils of food." The writer of the blog criticizes the show's tagline "Losing is their only hope," stating "Because what TV needs is more sad, fat people." She continues to say:

"Though this may be a kinder, gentler approach to televised weight loss, it still pathologizes all fat people as having some underlying psychological issue that causes them to eat like pigs. While this is certainly true of some fat people, this is often the only representation we see of fat folks on television, and thus it’s difficult for me to criticize in a thoughtful way past the first few minutes. Not all fat people are unable to walk more than a few feet; not all fat people eat like all the food in the world will disappear tomorrow. Some fat people are athletes, and some fat people are vegans, and some fat people eat and exercise just like their thinner counterparts do, and are still fat. Some fat people are really unhappy being fat, some are apathetic about it, and some dig their fatness. All fat people deserve respect and dignity, no matter their circumstances, but I do get tired of seeing only the more culturally-negative tropes repeated like they are a fair approximation of what all fat people experience."

And so I started thinking. Yes, being overweight is detrimental to our health. But why is there such a negative connotation around the physical aspect of it? There are lots of beautiful overweight people. Marilyn Monroe was a plus size, by the way. The image that's evoked when one sees an obese person is one of solitude, isolation, misery, disgust, surrounded by hundreds of Twinkie wrappers. Is that fair? I, for one, have never been enticed by a Twinkie and enjoy eating cooked greens, hummus, avocado, soy milk and whole grains. And those of you who know me, know this to be true. You know that I don't really have a sweet tooth, and ice cream, no matter how small the container will ALWAYS contract freezer burn in my freezer. But, do you think the woman sitting across from me on the bus picks up on that? I had a dentist once make a comment to me, "Well if you're sucking down sodas and eating candy all day..." I was offended and embarrassed all at once. How dare he presume to know my life, and that wasn't me at all! We're raised to "not judge a book by its cover," but we do it ALL the time. Is it fair that a 22-year old high school grad (no college degree) gets hired over the 32-year old professional w/ 14 years experience and college degree, because she is thin and the latter is overweight? I am not absolving myself from passing judgment here. Like I said, we all do it. It's just good to be aware of it, and challenge ourselves every time we find ourselves doing just that. No matter what the circumstance... I'm not just talking about obesity; how about the next time you see an impoverished, black man or a "Franklin Lakes" diva at the mall? Just take a moment; Recognize what you're doing; And consider an alternative. I don't know... maybe I'm being ridiculous and over-emotional. I'm just sayin'...

Now that I got that off my chest! LOL I'm off to continue my Law & Order: SVU marathon on Netflix, most likely followed by Tetris Battle on Facebook. Oh yes, another riveting Friday night for this chick! Look out! ;)

I'll catch you all tomorrow, Goddess willing. ;) Blessed be.