I saw this little rant on Andrew Halcro's blog and thought it was worth reposting.
"Dear Alaska Airlines,
As a loyal customer for my entire travel life, it's hard even today to ignore the pre-boarding ritual of the military-esq instructions regarding the carry on policy. Two bags maximum, one personal item under your seat and one small carry on that must fit "conveniently" in the overhead compartment. Any violators will be gate-checked to Des Moines.
It's a great rule for light travelers like me who like to get what they need then stash their briefcase above their head. The problem is there is never any room because flight attendants never seem to enforce their own edicts. For heaven's sake, I can't fit a briefcase in the overhead bin but if I had a tuba I'd be golden?
Just minutes after issuing the age old guidelines regarding carry-on etiquette, some merry traveler comes rumbling down the aisle with a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk in tow. They move with glacial pace, use the entire width of the aisle and then some, fracturing elbows along the way as they try and find their seats.
But that's just the beginning.
At row nine I witness a passenger trying to stuff a backpack the size of Fiat 500 into the overhead bin. At row fifteen someone is trying to shove a kayak into an already packed compartment. It's overhead anarchy at 30,000 feet.
Where in the world were the uniformed enforcers of their own clearly articulated airline carry-on policy? Where were the captains of the sky keeping Jed Clampet and family from loading up the 737-400 and moving to Anc...Anchorage that is?
In closing my beloved airline, if you're going to lay down the rules about your carry on policy, please enforce them.
The next time some rube tries to roll a footlocker down the aisle, drop 'em like a bad habit with a taser gun, then gate check their bag to Des Moines.
Time to show these overhead compartment interlopers that size limitations must be followed. Time to teach a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t for the shared space concept. Time to dispense a little tough love to travelers who think size doesn't matter.
Plus, I'm tired of my Smarties being smashed.
In the words of Leslie Nielson, "Just to let you know we're all counting on you, and don't call me Shirley.""
I'd post the link to Andrew's blog and put his words in italics but I'm doing this from my phone and it's a little awkward.
May 23, 2012
May 20, 2012
Oregon!!
We are in Oregon this week, so I thought I'd trying doing a post from my phone with Blogger's mobile app.
I did my last two years of high school here in Oregon at Santiam High School. We had two vending machines by the gym. One was a soda machine with Mt. Dew in five of the seven selections.
The other machine was candy and had these Tom's Peanut Rolls in them. I lived on those and Mt. Dews those two years.
Maybe that's why I'm morbidly obeses today.
I did my last two years of high school here in Oregon at Santiam High School. We had two vending machines by the gym. One was a soda machine with Mt. Dew in five of the seven selections.
The other machine was candy and had these Tom's Peanut Rolls in them. I lived on those and Mt. Dews those two years.
Maybe that's why I'm morbidly obeses today.
Apr 14, 2012
Best. Icecream. EVER!
If you are going to eat ice cream, it may as well be good! And what's better than homemade ice cream? But if you don't have an ice cream maker, then you are stuck with the store stuff. Until now... (I'm beginning to sound like an infomercial...)
Give this video a view:
It's really just that simple... My freezer took about two days to get the brine packs good & frozen. But once you have them, they are reusable. Just keep them in the freezer for a quick ice cream fix anytime.
Oh, and here's the link the for the recipe with the quantities of your ingredients. And in case the embedded video gives you issues, here's the link for it too...
A few tips: I put a towel under my first ice bag and then over the stack and kinda wrapped it up to help insulate it. Also, make sure and get as much air out of the ice cream bags as possible. I ate some of the ice cream right away and then snacked on it for the next few days. It kept well in the freezer but I wouldn't leave it too long.
If you want more than what the recipe makes, I would do multiple batches rather than doubling up the recipe. I think a thicker layer of mixture would take too long to freeze.
Enjoy!
Give this video a view:
It's really just that simple... My freezer took about two days to get the brine packs good & frozen. But once you have them, they are reusable. Just keep them in the freezer for a quick ice cream fix anytime.
Oh, and here's the link the for the recipe with the quantities of your ingredients. And in case the embedded video gives you issues, here's the link for it too...
A few tips: I put a towel under my first ice bag and then over the stack and kinda wrapped it up to help insulate it. Also, make sure and get as much air out of the ice cream bags as possible. I ate some of the ice cream right away and then snacked on it for the next few days. It kept well in the freezer but I wouldn't leave it too long.
If you want more than what the recipe makes, I would do multiple batches rather than doubling up the recipe. I think a thicker layer of mixture would take too long to freeze.
Enjoy!
Mar 27, 2012
Mar 24, 2012
The Journey Celebrates the Two Year Mark
(Edit... This post should've gone up on the 24th...)
This post has been two years in the making... It was two years ago today that I stopped drinking sugar soda in an attempt to get my ballooning weight under control.
I had an 1,800 calorie a day soda habit that was making me look more and more like Jabba the Hutt. It was time for a change! You can read my first post in the Journey here and then go forward from there. And with a few exceptions I have not had a sugar soda in those two years. And I still crave it on a daily basis.
I dropped a decent amount of weight just by cutting out the soda. I shed 30 pounds in 11 months. Then I really kicked it up a notch and joined the gym and lost another 25 pounds in two months. And then we went on the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii. It was great being in a tropical paradise, but it was even better that I was in the best shape that I had been in a long time. But then on the second to last day there my feet got severely sun burnt and I could barely walk (read about that here...). It took me a month to recover and by then I had lost all momentum & motivation.
At my lowest I was at 315 pounds while in Hawaii. I then crept all the way back up to 335 before refocusing. As of this morning I'm at 326 pounds. I'm currently back at the gym 4 to 5 times a week and keeping an eye on my calorie intake. We are going to Oregon in mid May for a family reunion and my goal is to be 311 pounds by then. My sister-in-law is getting married in mid July and I want to be 295 at that point.
I've pretty much wasted the last 10 months. I have no intentions of wasting the next ten. If I can lose 2 pounds a week I will finish the year off at 251 pounds, which will put my total weight loss at 120 pounds. If I can do 2.5 pounds a week I could be at 231 by the end of the year. By this day next year I want to be 221, which would be 150 pounds lost in three years.
But even if I stay stuck where I'm at I've still have won a battle... How? If I hadn't done something when I did I would be well over 450 pounds today. I would've been doomed.
This post has been two years in the making... It was two years ago today that I stopped drinking sugar soda in an attempt to get my ballooning weight under control.
I had an 1,800 calorie a day soda habit that was making me look more and more like Jabba the Hutt. It was time for a change! You can read my first post in the Journey here and then go forward from there. And with a few exceptions I have not had a sugar soda in those two years. And I still crave it on a daily basis.
I dropped a decent amount of weight just by cutting out the soda. I shed 30 pounds in 11 months. Then I really kicked it up a notch and joined the gym and lost another 25 pounds in two months. And then we went on the trip of a lifetime to Hawaii. It was great being in a tropical paradise, but it was even better that I was in the best shape that I had been in a long time. But then on the second to last day there my feet got severely sun burnt and I could barely walk (read about that here...). It took me a month to recover and by then I had lost all momentum & motivation.
At my lowest I was at 315 pounds while in Hawaii. I then crept all the way back up to 335 before refocusing. As of this morning I'm at 326 pounds. I'm currently back at the gym 4 to 5 times a week and keeping an eye on my calorie intake. We are going to Oregon in mid May for a family reunion and my goal is to be 311 pounds by then. My sister-in-law is getting married in mid July and I want to be 295 at that point.
I've pretty much wasted the last 10 months. I have no intentions of wasting the next ten. If I can lose 2 pounds a week I will finish the year off at 251 pounds, which will put my total weight loss at 120 pounds. If I can do 2.5 pounds a week I could be at 231 by the end of the year. By this day next year I want to be 221, which would be 150 pounds lost in three years.
But even if I stay stuck where I'm at I've still have won a battle... How? If I hadn't done something when I did I would be well over 450 pounds today. I would've been doomed.
Mar 20, 2012
Fat People Clothes
My blog readership got a nice little bump last week... I reposted a rant from Dave Ramsey on student loans and somehow it comes up as the top search result if you are using Google. It's amazing how the internet can work.
And then it's amazing when stuff that should be obvious isn't. Take fat people clothing for example. According to all the studies & fear-mongering news reports America is faced with an obesity epidemic. Everyone is fat apparently. So why then can't we buy some decent fat people clothes at a decent price?!?
You skinny people are probably not aware of what us chubby people have in clothing options. We can either buy cheap, ugly clothes or nice looking, overpriced clothes. There's no middle ground.
Granted, I expect to pay a little more for my clothes considering they do have more raw materials in them. But a pair of Levi's that would go for $40 bucks at a normal store will cost you almost $100 at a "Big & Tall" store.
Fred Meyers & JC Pennies do a decent job of stocking our clothes. Kohl's & Sears do not. Walmart is hit or miss.
So if anyone is looking to become a millionaire in a down economy, open a store that sells fashionable fat people clothes at a price that doesn't require financing for a pair of socks.
And then it's amazing when stuff that should be obvious isn't. Take fat people clothing for example. According to all the studies & fear-mongering news reports America is faced with an obesity epidemic. Everyone is fat apparently. So why then can't we buy some decent fat people clothes at a decent price?!?
You skinny people are probably not aware of what us chubby people have in clothing options. We can either buy cheap, ugly clothes or nice looking, overpriced clothes. There's no middle ground.
Granted, I expect to pay a little more for my clothes considering they do have more raw materials in them. But a pair of Levi's that would go for $40 bucks at a normal store will cost you almost $100 at a "Big & Tall" store.
Fred Meyers & JC Pennies do a decent job of stocking our clothes. Kohl's & Sears do not. Walmart is hit or miss.
So if anyone is looking to become a millionaire in a down economy, open a store that sells fashionable fat people clothes at a price that doesn't require financing for a pair of socks.
Mar 16, 2012
Seven Ways to Destroy Your Marriage
I saw this post the other day from Perry Noble and decided it was worthy of repeating here. Remember, these are ways to destroy your marriage... As in these are things you don't want to do.
Want to absolutely destroy your marriage? Here are seven ways that always work!
#1 – Refuse To Communicate
Talk about the person and not to them because doing so will be awkward…this will assure destruction! And, the silent treatment is really an amazing weapon when it comes to refusing to communicate, don’t worry about the fact that five year olds do it…just own it!
#2 – Refuse To Listen
Interrupting my spouse during conflict to immediately correct them and then trying my best to make a stronger point always helps tear a relationship to pieces!
#3 – Always Assuming The Absolute Worse About Your Spouse
As soon as I hear (or even think about) something negative about my spouse it is absolutely essential to carry that thought to its fullest illogical conclusion. Don’t EVER ask for an explanation or clarification as more open communication will lead to a stronger marriage!
#4 – Make Sure The Goal Is To Win The Argument Rather Than Actually Settle The Dispute
If you realize you are wrong about something you must allow pride to dominate your thought life, thus unleashing a barrage of accusations that actually have nothing to do with what the original argument/discussion had to do with in the first place! Win at all costs, even if it means saying things that hurt and wound deeply.
#5 – You Must View Your Spouse As Your Enemy, NOT Your Friend
You cannot see your spouse and you as being on the same team if you want a great marriage, you must view everything as some sort of game and make it a goal to compete with them and not actually complete them.
#6 – Focus As Much As Possible On Their Inadequacies & Shortcomings
You’ve GOT to talk about how much they are “not meeting your needs” and how they need to “step up and do better” as often as possible. By all means do NOT take a look at yourself and what you could do to improve the marriage. Everything MUST be blamed on them and you’ve got to see yourself as flawless and perfect.
#7 – Do NOT Have Fun Together
Heck no!!! You need your set of friends and your spouse needs their set. Don’t have mutual friends. Don’t have date nights. Don’t do anything fun as a family. Make sure that when you are out on a date as a couple you spend as much time on your phone with someone else as possible because communication with your spouse will do nothing except make your marriage stronger.
Want to absolutely destroy your marriage? Here are seven ways that always work!
#1 – Refuse To Communicate
Talk about the person and not to them because doing so will be awkward…this will assure destruction! And, the silent treatment is really an amazing weapon when it comes to refusing to communicate, don’t worry about the fact that five year olds do it…just own it!
#2 – Refuse To Listen
Interrupting my spouse during conflict to immediately correct them and then trying my best to make a stronger point always helps tear a relationship to pieces!
#3 – Always Assuming The Absolute Worse About Your Spouse
As soon as I hear (or even think about) something negative about my spouse it is absolutely essential to carry that thought to its fullest illogical conclusion. Don’t EVER ask for an explanation or clarification as more open communication will lead to a stronger marriage!
#4 – Make Sure The Goal Is To Win The Argument Rather Than Actually Settle The Dispute
If you realize you are wrong about something you must allow pride to dominate your thought life, thus unleashing a barrage of accusations that actually have nothing to do with what the original argument/discussion had to do with in the first place! Win at all costs, even if it means saying things that hurt and wound deeply.
#5 – You Must View Your Spouse As Your Enemy, NOT Your Friend
You cannot see your spouse and you as being on the same team if you want a great marriage, you must view everything as some sort of game and make it a goal to compete with them and not actually complete them.
#6 – Focus As Much As Possible On Their Inadequacies & Shortcomings
You’ve GOT to talk about how much they are “not meeting your needs” and how they need to “step up and do better” as often as possible. By all means do NOT take a look at yourself and what you could do to improve the marriage. Everything MUST be blamed on them and you’ve got to see yourself as flawless and perfect.
#7 – Do NOT Have Fun Together
Heck no!!! You need your set of friends and your spouse needs their set. Don’t have mutual friends. Don’t have date nights. Don’t do anything fun as a family. Make sure that when you are out on a date as a couple you spend as much time on your phone with someone else as possible because communication with your spouse will do nothing except make your marriage stronger.
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