whatever and ever amen

Something With An M

2009-10-06T17:10:00.002-05:00

So. Every day, I get these emails from the ADA. Each one has about 20 nutrition-related news links on it. And after viewing approximately four months of these emails, I have to come to the following conclusion. If we, as a people, cannot or do not want to change our eating slash purchasing habits regarding "food", then I feel that we must accept the consequences (i.e. cancer and/or heart disease (can you have both?)), and die horrible, painful deaths.

Seriously. I'm not sure why there needs to be registered dietitians at all. What kind of people need other people to tell them how and what to eat? Stupid ones, I guess. Oh well. I suppose I'll enjoy profiting off of their stupidity? It's not even ignorance. We ALL KNOW what we're supposed to eat. We just don't do it, I guess. Because. We're stupid. And deserve to die.

If I see one more freaking news article with a title like "HEY IF YOU EXERCISE YOU CAN BE HEALTHY" or "HEY IF YOU DON'T EAT SUGARY, SALTY, FATTY FOOD THEN YOU'LL BE HEALTHY TO!O!" proclaimed proudly at the top of my screen as if it's the greatest revelation ever to be had, I will totally flip out!!!
!!!
!!!!!
!
The end.

Writing Rule #1

2009-09-08T09:28:00.001-05:00

If a writer has to explain his/her word play, then he/she should assume it's a terrible joke and proceed to press the backspace button a requisite number of times so the affront disappears. Quickly.

I Need...

2009-07-23T11:12:00.002-05:00

a friend who knows how to garden. I want to grow things! Which is why I want my own SPACE. ARRR. This is because I am a cheap bastard. Lazy, and cheap. :)

Fun Facts

2009-07-14T09:31:00.002-05:00

Here's a fun fact: The Milk People are lying to you. And by "lying", I, of course, mean "selling." And I am not posting this fun fact just because I don't like milk. I am posting this fun fact because my parents think they are better than me, and this makes me an emo fifteen year old whiny pants mcgee. But enough about me. More about fun fact.

"Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, and others are loaded with highly absorbable calcium and a host of other important nutrients. While these foods have a smaller amount of calcium per serving compared to dairy products, they have more calcium per calorie, and the calcium they contain is absorbed nearly twice as well as the calcium in cow's milk. One cup of cooked kale, for example, has the same amount of absorbable calcium (100 milligrams) as one cup of cow's milk with less than half the calories."

This is according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. I didn't just make this up.

Another fun fact is that eating animal protein enhances bone loss. True! I didn't just make this up either. This is also from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

With these two fun facts combined, I am wondering why milk, of all things, is supposed to promote healthy bone structures. Oh, milk lobbyists!

I'm Bulimic.

2009-07-07T22:52:00.002-05:00

I look just awful! they say. Bulimic even! Did you know that when you exclude the major American food groups (i.e. animals, corn, partially hydrogenated oils) from your diet, you turn bulimic? Apparently that's true. It couldn't be that I'm stressed out from having to stay with YOU all summer, no, that's certainly not the case. It couldn't be that I hate living in three places, or that I especially hate driving between these three places, or that I am more than shaky about the future, or that I've inexplicably developed allergies to the outside, could it? Certainly not. Welp. Better get ... some ... treatment??

I think I want some ice cream.

Trial Run

2009-06-10T14:17:00.000-05:00

When most people think about sugar, they think of the kind you use to bake cookies or put in coffee, or maybe even the powdered kind you put on doughnuts. When you can see the sugar on your food, or when you measure it out and put it in there yourself, the majority of people can recognize that these foods should be limited and enjoyed in moderation. It may or may not be surprising that the average American’s sugar intake is on the rise, but it is surprising that this increase is not necessarily from excessive cake consumption, but from slowly increasing the amounts of added hidden sugars in many foods.
The average American, over the course of a day, ingests 31 teaspoons of added sugar every day. The USDA defines “added sugar” as “sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages during processing or preparation [but] this does not include naturally occurring sugars such as those that occur in milk and fruits.” That is to say, the majority of those 31 extra teaspoons that Americans consume are not in the familiar form of grainy white crystals. Instead, they are hidden in our foods under the guise of long, unpronounceable, chemical-sounding names, and buried in foods among dozens of other similar ingredients. Hidden sugars appear in foods where you would never expect them to be, including bread, canned beans, soups, deli meats, peanut butter, and crackers – not to mention sauces, like ketchup, pasta sauce, BBQ sauce, and salad dressings. These foods aren’t generally sweetened, so no one expects them to contain appreciable amounts of any sweetener. Because of this, people eat more of these products, thinking these foods are healthier for them when, in fact, they might contain unnecessary amounts of added sugars. It seems that all foods are getting sweeter. In 1978 Kellogg’s Special K had 9.6g of sugar per 3.5 oz, but this has now nearly doubled to 17g — a similar level to vanilla ice-cream. In the same year, cans of tomato soup had, on average, 2.6g of sugar per 3.5 oz; tomato soups today have 6.4g of sugar per 3.5 oz, with almost three spoonfuls of sugar in every bowl.
All sugars, regardless of type, are carbohydrates. Their main nutritional function is to provide energy in the form of calories. And while we all need calories to live, the problem arises when sugars begin to show up in places they never were before. For every gram of extra sugar added to a food, that food gains four additional calories. While this may not seem like a lot, when companies insert 10 extra grams of sugar into your morning cereal bowl, you are eating 40 extra calories. Companies are effectively jacking up the calorie content of all of your food without providing a feeling of being full or contributing to your daily nutritional requirements. Add to this the inability to accurately gauge the listed serving size of 2 tablespoons of ketchup or the ½ cup of cereal, and the inability to eat just one serving, and you have the additional problem of over-consumption. All of this leads to an increased risk of overweight and obesity, as well as an increased risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
For this reason, several health organizations recommend that added sugars should make up no more than 10% of your total calories -- about 8 teaspoons a day for an average 2,000-calorie diet. Unfortunately, these added sugars are not easy to avoid, and if you try to do so, you will very quickly discover that it takes a great deal of time and an impeccable attention to detail. For instance, sugar has many aliases: beet sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, confectioner’s sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrin, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, galactose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, maple syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sorghum, sucrose, syrup, table sugar, turbinado sugar, and white sugar. To sort through ingredient lists upwards of thirteen ingredients for each occurrence of one or more of these words can be both painstaking, and also annoying. A good rule of thumb is to avoid foods that have a type of sugar listed as one of the first three ingredients on the label.

Portent

2009-05-06T20:24:00.002-05:00

It bothers me that there is no room for me in that house. I was going to put the qualifier "sort of" but no. I am fully bothered. Words speak one thing, and actions another... so, what? Is there some tasteful way of tattooing a quotation on one's body?

Things I Am Excited To Do This Summer

2009-05-01T15:04:00.001-05:00

read
work out
sleep

Landscapes

2009-04-29T00:11:00.002-05:00

I miss those cold, quiet days when I was surrounded by a peace I never knew I had until now. By loving arms and thoughtful people and isolated connections and failed dreams, but dreams nonetheless. These days, they will come again, similar but not the same. Never the same. It pains me that they are gone, the days and the people and even the hated cold that could be described with every terrible adjective ever used to describe cold. I am torn between wanting to remember and wanting to forget. There are tiny artifacts which bring these memories to the surface, gentle hints, painless scars. I am not sure if these make me whole, or shred me apart... As if each note, each scent, each touch has been etched into me like those woodland designs displayed between wood panels at McDonald's and I am incessantly retracing the lines until I eventually split the panel in two. But still, as I try to retrace these outlines day after day in a desperate attempt to ensure their permanence, time like water and sand and wind and rain obscures and defaces these delicate lines and transforms them into pitiful suggestions of what once was, leaving in its unfeeling wake a disturbingly smooth and totally whole surface. I fight against obfuscation but to no avail - I guess we are landscapes too... but unlike our inorganic surroundings, we can remember our past. And all too often, I feel, it haunts us.

This Is Just To Say

2009-04-27T20:34:00.003-05:00

Let me just say that it really annoys me when people adopt made-up vocabulary. Especially when that made-up vocabulary is so obviously engineered to turn a profit. I'm not sure why I find this so distasteful, but... I do. I find it tastes like socks. And dirt. NOT. GOOD.

Messages

2009-04-19T15:56:00.002-05:00

I can't pretend I didn't see it

I get bored

And I like to play

And I've done this before

Exactly

And I'm not gonna take it back

And I'm not gonna say I don't mean that

2009-04-03T11:19:00.002-05:00

Last night, I couldn't sleep. Not for any of the normal reasons, but for the OMG MY HEART IS SKIPPING BEATS AND PLAYING HOPSCOTCH INSIDE OF MY CHEST CAVITY reason.

I Should Write More

2009-02-23T22:37:00.003-06:00

So I was thinking...

this school is sort of boring.
despite the aforementioned fact, I think I can learn a lot from this school.
granted, that learning will not be related to academics.
instead, it will be related to things like, how to deal with conservatives and other close-minded individuals.
I will be in school until I am 26.
I would rather be adventuring, but I can't make myself do it due to fiscal responsibilities.
I hate missing people. :(
I'm pretty excited for JazzFest (i.e. Christina and Fave).
I am a mean person.

Edit: I am a mean person most of the time. I am not mean to Paul, apparently. I might be mean to Fave, but he understands. :)

Numbers... Deuteronomy?

2009-02-02T21:02:00.003-06:00

I think it is strange that the body picks numbers. For example, why does DNA wrap around 8 histones? Why not 7 or 9? And, why are the microtubles composed of 13 protofilaments, and not 12 or 14? I just want to know WHY.

Because Who Doesn't Love These?

2009-01-29T18:29:00.003-06:00

From Katie.

Five names you go by:
1. Jess
2. Jess Rubin
3. Rubs! by Claire's dad.
4. JR by Katie W.'s dad.
5. Banana Jack. ... just kidding

Three things you are wearing right now:
1. Some pretty excellent capri workout pants I bought this morning.
2. Some socks.
3. A... hat.

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. To eat. A lot. Of Chipotle. But I'm not. Instead, I'm eating oatmeal. Frantically.
2. To not be in Warrensburg, but Manchester, England, instead. Commacommacomma.

Three people who will probably fill this out:
1. I don't even know who reads this.
2. So, probably no one.
3. Maybe your mom.

Two things you did last night:
1. Posted on Blackboard.
2. Watched LOST!

Two things you ate today:
1. An unfortunate amount of white bread. I think I have diabetes now.
2. Some pumpkin seeds.

Two things you are going to do tomorrow:
1. (hopefully not) fail an a&p quiz
2. poop

Two longest car rides
1. KC to Colorado
2. KC to your mom's house

Two of your favorite beverages (nonalcoholic)
1. coffee
2. water

I Made A Mistake

2009-01-29T14:51:00.002-06:00

I borrowed Jenny's Ugg boots. They are the best warm things in the world. I am ashamed because they are trendy.

Weather Prevents My Feeding

2009-01-28T22:39:00.001-06:00

I'm hungry.

Winter: The Bane of My Existence.

2009-01-27T22:03:00.003-06:00

I learned the other day in Anatomy and Physiology class that while the body can tolerate internal body temperatures up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit before saying "um... really?" and then dying, the body cannot tolerate temperatures below 95 degrees F. Now. That's interesting, and almost relevant to what I'm about to say. Because, I hate winter. Winter is cold, and it makes me cold. Physically, mentally, spiritually... I think my normal body temperature is around 96.8 degrees, because, when I have a temperature of 99, I'm not feeling fantastic or functional. But I think this is why I can never become warm in the winter. Maybe.

But anyway. Today I had to defrost the windshield of my car five times. This snow is very sticky. Sticky like... sugar. Maybe a giant who lives nearby flung a giant (i.e. giant for a giant... so... very large) bag of sugar into the air, and then shot it with a gun. This would explain the sticky quality of today's stupid snow. Additionally, I think Warrensburg is sans vehicles-responsible-for-clearing-roads. You had all day, people. It started snowing at 7am. You have had ample time to make the roads drivable. I hate this town. And winter. And snow.

Snow isn't even magical anymore. There's no listening to "Silent Night" and then imagining a dark, cold, bitter, snowy night... much like tonight! The Christians would have done better to move Christmas to February, so that most of the world could look forward to the coldest months of the year. But no. They moved it to the Winter Solstice. Which isn't even when Jesus was born, theoretically. Maybe I'll move my birthday to a day which is easier for people to remember. Just because.

Black Olives Are So, So Good

2009-01-26T20:18:00.002-06:00

I just don't know what's up with my appetite today, because, here's the thing. I woke up, and I was so thirsty, I briefly considered draining a small lake. Random interlude: Atticus is such a piece of shit. He always comes IN HERE. That's it, Cat. You can't go out. TAKE THAT. Interlude, over. Then, I ate a bowl of cereal, because that's what I do in the morning. Regardless of whether I'm hungry or not. Then, at around 1.30pm, I was so hungry, I thought I might die. Luckily, I had a granola bar of sorts, and I ate that. Then, I got home, and ate 3 pieces of bread. And I haven't been hungry for the rest of the day. I am currently eating some spinach, couscous, olives, and pine nuts mixed together in a bowl for some kinda beige and green salad. Well. It is a beige and green salad. I'm not hungry, but since I've consumed, at most... 800 calories today, I figure it's a good idea. I put black olives in there, since I know I would eat those even if I were about to explode.

Random, Yet True

2009-01-19T17:33:00.002-06:00

I love sports bras.

I. Hate. Winter.

2009-01-14T21:01:00.002-06:00

I just received this email in my inbox: "The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory, in effect from 9 p.m. today through 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, for an area that includes the University of Central Missouri. An Arctic cold front will move across Missouri today, and bitterly cold temperatures are expected by this evening with strong northwest winds producing wind chills around zero this afternoon and early evening. Temperatures will drop between zero and 5 below tonight and wind chill is expected to fall between 15 and 20 below zero, and remain colder than 15 below through midday Thursday. Such wind chills will result in frost bite and lead to hypothermia, if precautions are not taken. If you must venture outdoors, dress warmly, and be sure to wear a hat and gloves." Winter is trying to kill me.

Simplicity!

2008-12-23T08:27:00.003-06:00

Yes! I have found a template which suits me. I actually feel like... writing? I haven't felt like writing for a long time. This is what happens when you're no longer afflicted by emo. When emo is replaced by busy. BUSY. I got As this semester. Top marks...! It wasn't that difficult... I'm really bad at gift exchanges. You know, the ones where you draw a name out of a hat and you get only one present for only one person? Yeah, I suck. I don't want one present, I want ALL presents! And by "want" I do mean "want to give." For some reason, this makes people angry. Beyond me, really. So. I wrote everyone a card, but some people aren't giving me their addresses. :( I drew little pictures all over them!

Pink

2008-11-26T07:46:00.002-06:00

So... being emo after a long time doesn't seem to work. Anyway, what's up with this pink, huh? Kinda lame. I'm up at 7:30am because I'm afraid of my subconscious. I was starting to have crazy dreams, so I got up and said "STOP THAT." Fave is visiting today! I still have to file some files. Lame. I also have 2 projects to work on. Even more lame! Does anyone know a social action agency off the top of his/her head? I just don't think it's fair to assign a project on social action agencies when nothing comes up in Google. That's all. Is that so much to ask, evil Sociology lady? Is it? Ohmygod I hate her so much. What kind of overarching question is "What percentage of people in the US suffer from obesity?" Not one! I'll probably email her to that effect, you know, after Thanksgiving. Because I'm nice.

2008-11-13T00:41:00.005-06:00

2008-10-19T23:56:00.003-05:00

So, here's what I'm going to do. It's 11:56pm. I am tired. I am frustrated. And I want a shower. I want a bed bigger than me, and I want someone else in it. I want to stop narrating. I'm a 3rd person omniscient narrator of my own life. I need release.