So, these organisations take the huge sums of money big tobacco is bleeding out, and they are turning it into "education" - mostly targeted at teens, whom they feel are most at risk for becoming a smoker. On the Outrage Avenue I found a quote that basicly said they asked teens and teens said that graphic images would get the point across to other teens. First, which teens? I can't imagine some teen saying "Sure, show us an exploding heart and we'll stop smoking!" Further, aren't teens the ones who have made things like our buddy Mr. Voorhees so popular? They're immune to this crap, folks! Meanwhile, I'm coughing up my cookies.
Yes, big tobacco targeted teens. So does everyone else. They have money, no bills and are irresponsible. But, ya know, there is a certain Darwinism at work here. I was just as exposed and taqrgeted as a teen. I even owned a few pieces of branded material. I carried a Marlboro lighter for a while. I always had a lighter - I was desperate enough to think that if a girl needed a light I could come to her rescue and impress her. Now, if I had carried a full pack of cigarettes all the time, that might have worked! But, I could read. Right on the side of the little pack it says This is Bad for You. So, if someone is silly enough to dice with death just to be cool or look older - I say go for it. Just don't have children, you'll only pollute the gene pool.
Teen agers are going to be unaffected by any of this. Showing them a thirty year old's heart is like showing them the Dead Sea Scrolls. Most teens aren't thinking about thirty, they're thinking about eight-teen and college, or twenty-one and drinking. Most think thirty is a million years away and they are immortal.
Here's "The Real Truth" - save your money. Apply that money to public health or other concerns that will do some real good. Raise cigarette taxes so high that only addicts will continue to buy them and use that additional money to set up teen afterschool programs. Take the ugly, awful, useless commercials off my tv. And, if the worst your kid ever does is smoke a few cigarettes - count yourself lucky.
The funny thing is that I wanted to NOT tell people I was dieting. People make such a big deal out of it. Everyone has info on "the best way" to lose weight and are more than willing to share these pearls of wisdom. Everyone wants to know how much you've lost. If you manage to look a little thinner, they're ready to throw a party! Our society is so weight obsessed, I just didn't want to make a big deal.
I especially didn't want to make a big deal because I'm a really poor dieter. First, I'm no good at sticking to the diet, but I also suck at just giving it up. So, I spend a great deal of time feeling guilty and giving myself grief, for weeks and even months and years. People always catch you at this, too. You slip up just once and have the four donuts or gallon of ice cream and people look at you funny. "Aren't you dieting?" they'll ask. "Yes," I smile, chocolate bits in my beard, "but, you see, I'm eating this entire five gallon food service container of Ben and Jerry's right now - so I'm not dieting so much as cheating. But, I'll keep you abreast."
Then, people want to know how much you weigh or how much you have lost. This is a hard one for me. Folks, I'm built on a grander scale than most. So, I jump on the scale at the gym and I bury the needle. I figure I've been hovering around 400 pounds for quite some time now. When I tell people that, they usually say "Nah! There's no way!" - well, they used to say that. Seems like I hit thirty right about the time people stopped saying that I don't show my weight. The scary thing is that most scales don't go over 350 pounds. So, I might weigh 360 or 460 - I have no way of knowing. This makes dieting difficult. How do I know if anything is coming off? There is no possitive reinforcement. People ask: "So, you've been going to the gym for a few weeks, how much have you lost?" I pick up my chin, look them in the eye and say "I don't know." I always feel SO MUCH BETTER after that! I have given several explanations as to why I don't know (read "lies"). My favorite is "Well, I'm not going to the gym to lose weight - I'm going to feel better!" Ha! I'm going to lose these tits before I start needing a bra!
Did I mention the gym? Oy! Okay, a little back-story. I've never really taken care of myself. I like to eat, I've always been pretty active and I've always been a little overweight. The last five years I've worked butt-spreading jobs and went home to an ever fuller fridge and an ever larger bed. Thus, my weight has begun to catch up with me. I had always said that if I ever got uncomfortable I'd take it off. This is an easy thing to say. I never understood what problems people had. They talked about yo-yoing and not being able to stay with the diet. I always figured that I'd watch what I ate, work out a few times a week and the weight would melt off. About a year ago I went at it - I was at a new job, there was a gym in the building, small but nice, piece of low-fat cake! For about a month, month and a half, I went for it. It was Slim Fast everything and 20 minutes on the bike plus a little weights 3 or more times a week.
But, the was no reinforcement - I wasn't getting any kind of return. I still felt and looked the same way and I was never full at meals. And all I wanted to do was eat! This was harder and more serious than I thought. Life got busy and I found lots of excuses to keep paying for a gym membership I didn't use. That ended here a few weeks ago. Steph and I found a Bally's really close to us and joined. I decided to keep this simple. Eat better. Eat more frequently, but smaller portions and low fat, low calorie, high protein, high vitamin. Then, get a little exercise.
Bally's turned out to be a really good thing. We learned some great stuff right off the bat. They hadn't told me at the last gym that, yes, heart rate was important for fat loss and that the rate needn't be high - steady was better. The 20 minutes or so I was doing wasn't doing dip. Now, I jump up on the treadmill and do 30 to 45 minutes at a shot. I rather hate myself by 20 minutes into it, but 20 minutes later I have a real sense of accomplishment. They also want us to take 10 or 15 minutes on the treadmill before doing any lifting, this gives you a little extra aerobic boost. Kinda cool and new info.
They also warned us that we would fall off the wagon. That's where I'm at right now. For the last two weeks I've spent more time at home than at work. I was only in the office Monday and Friday this week due to some kind of stomach flu. The week before was sinus and alergy problems. But, I'm eager to get back to the gym this week. We'll see how it goes. It actually excites me that I'm eager to get back to the gym. I like working out - I always feel better afterward.
Food has also been different this time. No Slim Fast. Steph has been making these amazing "care packages" everyday. We had to get me a bigger lunch bag because I'm carrying more food to work. But the food has changed. I start off with a Clif Bar for breakfast. Then, a little later I have some yogurt. Then later, some apple or pear slices, then some granola. That's all before lunch! Everytime I get hungry, there's this little snack size packet of low fat, high protein food waiting for me in my bag. I've actually had trouble eatting all of the food Steph makes for me. But, I'm never hungry for long and I'm not ready to eat everything in sight by the time I get home at night. We've never spent this much money on fresh veggies and fruit, but considering we rarely go out for meals, we're actually saving money.
The one major draw back of doing all of this is, well, it's the guy's locker room. I mean, out on the floor, there are a lot of people getting sweaty. This is by no means a meat market - these are middle class, middle aged people. But, in the locker room, well, it's a whole different world. I walk in and get naked and head to the shower as the thought that I'm nude and surrounded by sweaty old naked men crosses my mind. I know it shouldn't matter - but it just feels unnatural to me. There is nothing sexy about it. I guess I've watched too much tv and too many movies, locker rooms are always portrayed as something hot, steamy, even a little erotic. Think of the locker room in the movie "Top Gun" - young, handsome, wet men laying around in white towels discussing their fast and dangerous lives. I'm not gay, but there is something attractive there even for me. Now, think of a locker room filled with wrinkled, over weight Forty-somethings. All discussing roofing or some other form of middle class work/boredom. Then, there in the middle of it all, stand I, naked, hairy, sweaty, towel and shower gel in hand, worried about getting athlete's foot - that's EXACTLY what I always imagined it would be like!
I started my new job tonight. Sort of. I won't actually be doing what I was hired to do until the start of next month. 18 days of training stand between me and that magical day when I will begin selling wireless service. And no, I will not be amongst the mass of subhumans that call you in the middle of dinner. I will strictly be doing incoming sales. You will have to have enough of an interest to actually make the effort to call before I get to start putting the arm on you.
On the whole, it looks like it may actually be tolerable work. Not my dream job, but far from the nightmares I have suffered through on previous gigs. Of course, I am all about the tuition reimbursement. That is the main reason I took this job. But it looks like I might be able to do pretty good commission-wise. That would be an interesting change of pace, actually making decent money. We'll just have to see about that.
It is still a bit strange being back amongst the working. This past month has been for the most part a very pleasant break in my previously unbroken record of 3 years working. There is something to be said for being in complete control of your time, answerable to no one.
But there is something to be said for a paycheck, for being able to take those classes I have been wanting to take and for being able to start seriously looking at buying a new computer. That last one is a high priority for me. And it will be particularly sweet if my commissions are high enough to make Jericho chartreuse with envy.
