Shut up, Shut UP, SHUT UP!

Gah! Can somebody PLEASE make this blowhard shut the hell up? I mean, seriously. Unless he wants the sun to suddenly get colder, there is honestly not a whole lot we as humans can do. Well, except perhaps stop EVERYTHING that we do, and then hope, just hope! that perhaps the climate will change.

My sheep contribute much more to the whole CO2 emissions thing than do all of my vehicles put together. Well, maybe not as much anymore seeing as how our herd went from nine down to four this weekend. But still - when ANIMALS FARTING has as much impact as it does, there's not all that much we humans can do, realistically, beyond not raising so much livestock. And frankly, the bell was truly rung more than a hundred years ago when all those smokestacks were belching out pollutants at an astounding rate. That stuff is still hanging up there, and I would bet still has a lasting impact on what is happening today. B ut do we think about that? Noooo. It's all us, and how we're all bad, all the time.

And please. Don't forget about the sun. Perhaps we can tell it to change its temperature for us, so that it won't heat things up too much and create more of a problem for us. Please? Pretty please? No? Well, okay then. I guess we'll deal.

Or not, if shrill Mr. Gore gets his way. Nobel Peace Prize my ass. It was a complete political gesture by the "committee." He did nothing for world peace. NOTHING. The prize hasn't had a worthwhile recipient since Mother Theresa and Ghandi. It's all politics. Why anybody thinks that prize has meaning anymore is beyond me. Feh!

Edit: THIS article only further cements my opinion. Scare tactics rule the day, logic does not. Go figure.

Differences of Opinion

One of the things that has always bewildered me about the WLS online communities is the seeming antipathy between the different "camps" for the different surgeries. Over the last few months or so, the tensions between the RNY and DS camps over on the Obesity Health boards have gotten so thick you could cut them with a knife. The words that shoot back and forth between the harpies on both sides of the fence are just out and out ridiculous, and a complete waste of time for supposed "grown-ups." And then let's not forget about the infighting on each side. It's ridiculous!

Some people are very passionate about the type of WLS that they got. I know that I am! I will sing the praises of my DS all the live-long day. But I'm also smart enough to know that people that have the other surgeries can be just as successful, if not more so that I am - and reap the same benefits. The problem for me becomes when outright wrong information - about which surgery it doesn't matter - is put forth as fact on these message boards for those initially seeking WLS and trying to find out which one fits for them. And I know that a lot of these fights that have been cropping up on the boards lately are because of wrong information being posted, as well as the whole "pay it forward" mindset of the DS community (getting the word out about a lesser-known surgery in a world dominated by the RNY), but as always happens, black and white words on a screen are taken in ways the author never intended and BLAM! Hate and discontent all over, which some people just can't let go.

Anyway, one of the ladies over on the DS board made an interesting post the other day. It really crystalized for me how the mindsets between those who get the two different surgeries are commpletely opposite yet they led us all to a common solution - having a form of weight loss surgery. I had been having issues with a blogger that I know over her very rigid and regimented approach to WLS (she had the RNY and is successful with it). I thought that she was out of her mind with her obsession over foods, never allowing any sort of temptation to fall into her path, seeing those who did as being "weak" and not "worthy" of having had WLS if they weren't going to do all that it took to make it to goal and stay there. But seeing this post by the lovely Lola really gave me peace in what is being advocated by the blogger. It's not that she's wrong. Because I already knew that if you were going to have the RNY, yes, you needed to follow that set of rules and that I knew that I did not want that for myself. The point is that she's following a different path that leads to the same goal that I have as well.

And while I may not be a completely stellar example for my surgery (my, ahem, exercise regimine leaves MUCH to be desired, thankyouverymuch), I have achieved the measure of success that I wanted for myself. I have decided to take down my weight tracker because the scale hasn't moved in at least two months - and I find that that doesn't bother me in the least. The other day, I used the special features on my scale and discovered to my delight that I am now 32% fat and 46% water. Not bad considering that my fat percentage used to be somewhere between 50-60%. Yes, I could be less "fat" but if I never do get there, I'm happy with the me that this has produced. For the first time in years, we took a family picture, and if I do say so myself, I look damn good.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's what Lola posted as well as some additions that were made as well. The answers that were used for the RNY comments actually came from a conversation on the RNY board of Obesity Healthy under a post of "Why did you get an RNY" that was made recently. Please do not think that I am denegrating anyone who has had an RNY - I have several friends who have been VERY successful with their RNY and would never think badly of them for their choice. They simply chose to live with different rules and went into it with a different attitude than I did - but wanted the same goal.

Please keep in mind that obviously not all of the DS reasons apply to every DSer just like every RNY reason does not apply to every RNYer.


US vs THEM - or, Why I got My DS

RNY - I got the surgery so I'd dump and the fear of that would keep me away from sugar.
DS - I got the surgery so that I wouldn't dump.

RNY - I needed the restriction to correct my relationship with food.
DS - I didn't want the restriction because I want to enjoy my relationship with food.

RNY - I wanted/needed to change my eating habits.
DS - I've dieted my whole life -- I want to quit dieting.

RNY - I'm sick of dieting and failing.
DS - I'm sick of dieting and failing.

RNY - I want a tool that I can work.
DS - I want a surgery that does the work.

RNY - I didn't want to be able to cheat the surgery.
DS - I want to be able to 'cheat' from time to time.

RNY - I want to be healthy.
DS - I want to be healthy.

RNY - I didn't want someone cutting off my stomach.
DS - I didn't want a blind stomach.

RNY - I don't want to have to eat massive amounts of food.
DS - I want to be able to eat what I want.

RNY - I needed to change my habits.
DS - I've been trying to change my habits my whole life!

RNY - I never want to eat sugar or fat again!
DS - I don't want sugar and fat to be 'off-limits'.

RNY - I didn't want to risk that much malabsorption.
DS - I knew that I needed the added malabsorption to keep off the weight.

RNY - I took the best choice that was offered to me.
DS - I got what I wanted.

RNY - I want the convenience of a close by surgeon.
DS - I want the convenience of a one-time surgery.

RNY - My insurance would only pay for the RNY.
DS - I fought my insurance long and hard for what I wanted.

RNY - I need to not eat fat because of my high cholesterol.
DS - I need to not absorb fat because of my high cholesterol.

So similar, nay, identical in some instances, and worlds apart in others. That, my friends, is the world of weight loss surgery. So, if you're on this rollercoaster, remember that like most things in life you're going to come across differences of opinion. Doesn't make either one of you right or wrong, but it does guide you down the path you need to follow.

Enjoy the ride!

Holiday Madness

I swear, I think we have gone out of town for something or other every single weekend for the last month or so. It has been so busy and so hectic, I don't know if I'll know what to do with myself once it actually, you know, stops. Sheesh!

For example, this week, we have Thing One's Winter Concert on Thursday; dinner with our church's new associate pastor on Friday' sheep slaughter in the morning and Christmas Musical dress rehearsal in the afternoon on Saturday, and then two performances in the morning of the Christmas Musical on Sunday and another possible trip down to the mall in the afternoon. Nevermind the final bits and pieces of costuming that I'm doing before Saturday's dress rehearsal hits. And it's going to be like this until Christmas and has been this way since, oh, the middle of November.

Oh, and time off around Christmas/New Year's? Ha, ha! 'Tis to laugh! The rest of this year is not going to be a good year for rest in any way, shape or form.

But we'll get through it, right? Because we have to. If it doesn't kill us first.

With all apologies to Lewis Carroll

Of Shoes

Never before in my life have I actually appreciated having cute shoes. I mean, I've always been the girl with the widest feet on the planet. At my highest weight, I had to buy size 11W shoes just to fit into things. Needless to say, on my budget, not much in the way of "cute" was able to happen. And boots? Hah, hah! Tis to laugh!

Now that the excess fat has drained away from my feet, I am still left with my width and my impossibly high arch - both of which conspire to keep me out of certain types of shoes. But they didn't stop me when I set out to find an absolutely adorable pair of red shoes.

It was inspired by a shopping trip to Mervyns. There was this pair of gorgeous red satin peep-toe heels. But of course, nothing in my size. An 8 was as high as it got. Feh! But a few days later I was in the mall and stopped at Payless and managed to find a pair of deep burgundy red pumps with a kitten heel. For $10! Score! I finally had a red pair of shoes. I could finally FIT into a pair of cute red shoes. Eeeeee!

I wore them the other day with a pair of dark washed jeans and a nice sweater. The compliments on my footwear alone? Out of this world. Who knew that a simple thing like red shoes gets you noticed? Not me. Well, at least not until now, that is. I forsee many more pairs of red shoes in my future.

Of Ships

This summer The Husband and I purchased one of those pick-your-date cruises that are good for two years. We probably need to actually, you know, get around to picking a date so that we can actually get off our duffs and go enjoy a cruise. Before hurricane season? During hurricane season? After hurricane season? When, oh, when, oh, when?

And what's this I hear about the rampant tipping - you have to tip about a bazillion people on a ship, I'm told. WTF is that all about? I mean, if they serve me, sure, they'll get a tip. But I'm not handing some dude a $50 for standing at a door and greeting me every night. Serve me a drink or four, get me my food, get my desert, yeah, I'll tip you. But for doing nothing but smiling? I don't think so, bub. We have gotten to be a nation of obsessive tippers and I'm just sick of it. I don't mind paying more for my food or more for my hotel if I didn't have to worry about how much I need to tip the server. Pay them a damn living wage, people! Aaargh!

Of Sealing Wax

We sure could have used some Sealing Wax this weekend when we discovered the cause of the $200 electric bill that was run up by our communal well. The tank? It has sprung a leak. Right at the bottom. *thunk* Sigh! Well, there goes all the money that we were going to spend on a 1973 Chevy Impala that we were going to fix up for Thing One to drive when she gets a license.

This tank is one of the newfangled green plastic well tanks that manufacturers replaced the older style metal tanks with. It's supposed to last twice as long as the old ones and be ever so great. This one lasted about four years. Yeah. That. Possibly the reason why it failed was because the damn thing was installed shoddily by the people that work on our well. They failed to level and border the gravel properly, and the tank listed to the North from the very beginning, or so we were told by the Pervert who was present when the tank went in.

Oh yes. The Pervert. Yes, we live next door to a convicted child molester. Yes, he knows that he will lose his life if he goes near the girls. Yes, they know how to do bodily injury to him should he ever try anything with them. Yes, he knows that we mean business. Unfortunately, we have to deal with him from time to time, and seeing as how he owns a portion of the well, this is one of those times. But we're going to have really good luck if we get a penny out of him to pay for what we need to to replace things. Which at this moment includes a new pressure tank, a new pressure tank pump and other small items in addition to the new main tank that we will need. 'Cause he's low income, don'tcha know? It's called the cost of home ownership, buddy! We can put a lein on your property for the money and don't think that we won't, okay? Grrrrrr!

Anyway, that's life down here in the Land of Sheeple. It's just grand, ain't it? *sigh*

Well, now. This is a new one for me.

Ummm, how do you tell a guy to knock it off with the wooing? Especially when he's trying to, um, woo your HUSBAND? Especially when he's a long-standing friend. Who knows damn well that we're very happily married and that The Husband doesn't, um, lean that way, you know?

What once used to be a very good friendship has now devolved into . . . this. It hurts that this friend of ours puts so little value on our actual friendship and more on his desire to get laid. It was a big deal for The Husband to get over his homophobia when our friend came out to him about his bisexuality, and now it's all being blown to pieces.

I guess we should have started reading the writing on the wall when our friend insisted that The Husband not tell me about this state of affairs in regards to his sexuality. He still doesn't know that I know. And now he has crossed a HUGE line, once again asking that I not be told about it, and once he obtained forgiveness from The Husband for it, this pursuit began.

So . . . Listen, buddy. Forgiveness does not equal an invitation into bed, okay? It means that the incident is forgiven. It also means that The Husband has no intentions of ever being alone with you again because he doesn't want to take the chance that you will take it as an invitation to try again. I mean, seeing as how you now think that it's now open season for you with MY HUSBAND.

We listened to your tales of woe with your ex-wife. We empathized with you because she was, frankly, the world's biggest bitch ever. We know because she affected us as well. We have been there for you through thick and thin as you have been for us. We have all helped each other through good times and bad, fixing up houses together, watering orchids together, drinking and eating together. We are quite possibly the only friends that you have at the moment because of your tendency to insulate yourself from life.

Are you really willing to throw it all away just so you can try to get it on with The Husband? Is it worth it to you? Because if it is, we will not hesitate in the slightest to cut you off.

And to think. The Husband thought that he would have to beat guys off of me with a stick once I lost the weight. Hah! I don't know whether or not to be insulted or relieved that it's not me on the hotseat. Or maybe I'm just covering how heartbroken I am that we may have to end a friendship because of someone's selfish lust. I truly hope it doesn't have to come to that, but I suppose I have to prepare for it.