This will not turn into Jillian’s whine and moan weight loss journey. I’ve been there, done that, bought the tshirt and then turned the tshirt into rags to clean my bathroom. However, this blog is my whiny, narcissistic anger management journal and, by all that is holy and reverent, if I don’t get off my weight loss plateau, I am going to explode. I mean it. I will cover this whole house in cellulite and don’t think I won’t do it.
ONE MONTH. One month of no movement on the scale. It taunts me. I’m at *mumble*.2 pounds. Seriously. *Mumble*.2 pounds for a month. It’s the .2 pounds that’s taunting me. And now, it’s starting to move up. My nutritionist, Fran, has finally given me the go ahead to drop down 200 calories because, frankly, I think she fears the cellulite explosion.
It’s not helping. If anything, I think I may gain because of this. I’ve read the googled sites. They say that I need to “shake up my routine” and exercise more, which is out due to my knee. Eat at different times. Eat more. Eat less. Eat upside down, which is my preferred sleeping position according to Husband since all this started. Eat less carbs. Eat more protein. Hop on one less and shout your grandmother’s middle name while tugging on your earlobe.
I’m to the point where I’m wondering if donating blood would get rid of that pesky .2 pounds, at least until it regenerates. I’m trying the eating more thing. The problem is that I’m not hungry. There. I said it. Throw your stones. I don’t eat when I’m not hungry anymore. 4 months in and I just don’t do it and I’m not going to and sometimes that means that I can go a week at 1,000 calories a day and now that means I’m not losing weight even if I have one day a week where I eat anything I want and can get 2500-3000 calories that day.
Fran and I need to have some one on one time. It’s scheduled for the end of the month. Our relationship is suffering. I’m going to jump back on the physical therapy and try to get to where I can do exercise. I have no idea what to do abotu food other than eat when I’m hungry and eat right. I just bought a new scale to show the old one who is boss. It’s pretty and glass and the old one is dirty and plastic. Who is in charge now? The only problem? It actually shows me as heavier than Old Faithful.
I rarely see red, but when someone makes a comment that is so clearly ignorant and damaging to so many people, I lose my noodle. Here, let me let you read it and then we’ll talk. A friend of mine, who knows my affinity for the game, sent me this message. I assumed it was a joke or hoax, as I couldn’t find the origin, until it was clear it wasn’t when the local television station in Columbia, Missouri, KMIZ (their local station, not mine), chose to write a couple of articles on it. As an aside, KMIZ has prudently chosen to remove the initial article, but has left the reiterated “warning” up.
Police have condemned adults who play the latest in Nintendo’s popular Animal Crossing series, “Animal Crossing: City Folk”, as being predatory paedophiles, saying “There is no reason an adult should have this game”, and claiming that the only motive an adult could have for playing it is to seduce children.
The warning comes from the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force, where investigator Andy Anderson warns that any adult playing the game “is likely doing so for the wrong reasons”, and points out that online predators could be lurking in the game thanks to its multiplayer capabilities.
Anderson further warns that police just don’t have the resources to stamp out the Animal Crossing lolicon menace, meaning parents may even have to resort to supervising their own children: “The equipment is real expensive and we cannot afford to buy all of the systems and do not have the resources either to examine all of the possibilities.”
The source darkly talks of the game’s relationship building system, where players can exchange letters, gifts and favours in pursuit of friendship, implying out that these elements are tantamount to putting children on a nationwide lolicon meat-market.
First, it’s personal. I play the game. I do and I love it. Oh, yes I do. It’s a fun, non-challenging, mind-numbing game that allows me to connect with my 8-year old. I watch him play the game, he watches me play the game, we compete for whatever goodies are in the recycling bin, we negotiate for furniture and items, he learns the value of a dollar and he’s already learning that he has to pay a mortgage and contribute to his community as he gets older. It teaches friendship and volunteerism, savvy saving and negotiation, taking care of a home and keeping a job, but also relaxing and fishing and playing hide and go seek.
So far, there are no little red flags going off about the fishing going on or the apple picking taking place in the game, but if I find anything “sickening” about the game, I will be the first to take Nintendo to task.
Second, the initial article stated that their was no reason for an adult to play the game. Well, was there a reason for an adult to play Mario Bros? Probably not, other than it was hellatiously fun. How many of the people on that force played Mario Bros? Or Zelda? Or Super Smash Bros? Let’s get me started on the fact that when I was first introduced to the game, through Nintendo’s excellence in marketing, it was through this commercial:
Anyone notice anything interesting about the people in that commercial? Do they look like little kids to you? I thought to myself, “Self, what a great way to connect with your friends and family.” My little sister is 12 years old and lives with my mother. My friends live all over the country and some outside of the country. With Wii-Speak, we could play a game together and hang out at the same time. What a fascinating concept? Nintendo had me hooked only to have these idiots call me a pedophile? What the soup?
Let me tell you how something like this affects people. Being called a pedophile, and having that suspicion cast on me would cause me to lose my job, the career I’ve spent over 8 years in school for as well as throw me out of my doctoral program. It would help me lose my child, with whom I have a fantastic relationship. I would be a pariah in my society.
Let’s think before we speak task-force. It’s something I taught my son when he was 4.
As a parent, monitor everything your child does on the internet and on anything that connects to it including gaming systems and cell phones. This is common parenting sense.
But if anyone truly thinks everyone who plays this game has these issues they really need to examine why they might believe that someone who likes an innocent video game for stress relief has those kinds of pathological feelings about children. “All” is a serious and damaging generalization and should be avoided if possible. And please don’t believe everything you see or read on the news or even on the blogosphere. It’s sensationalism and everyone writes for an audience. Myself included.
Lately, I’d found myself lacking a proper outlet for my angst, rage, and all around torment. Where could I be emo? As someone in the mental health field, I know the importance of squishy stress balls, water guns, nerf balls, exercise, and all of those lovely outlets for anger. Not a one of them has appealed to me in a good long while.
By all schools of thought, I am the dreaded internalizer. What this means is that I will stuff down my issues until they boil over my proverbial pot and I either freak out and lose my stuff all over everyone or I get sick. If it is the latter, I will stay sick until I have resolved my issues. I’ve been sick most of this semester.
I also believe everyone should be in therapy, myself included, however I have yet to find the time to stick myself in with someone and have them stir my pot and turn down my temperature. It’s not possible with the current schedule and, as such, here I am. Self-prescribed homework. Journalling. It’s the therapy catch all. “Look for patterns!” I already know mine. Perhaps writing them down will help me feel better about them, though.
Tonight, I’d had a wonderful dinner with my family and some friends who came through town. We hadn’t seen them in years and spent hours reminiscing and enjoying their company. By all accounts I was relaxed when I got home. However, seeing that my favorite hockey team had traded for a 3rd goalie, when what they really need are defensemen prompted a….well, a small upset and I thought that it was time for a place to write about these…minor issues.
Life is like a game. We all have challenges, thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Often, it feels like something out there, life, karma, catty people, or blue shells (for the Kart lovers), seeks to bring us down. Luckily, we always get up. This is where I wear my heart on my sleeve and my foot in my mouth.
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We are members of one great body. Nature planted in us a mutual love, and fitted us for a social life. We must consider that we were born for the good of the whole.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
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Life is like a game. We all have challenges, thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Often, it feels like something out there, life, karma, catty people, or blue shells (for the Kart lovers), seeks to bring us down. Luckily, we always get up. This is where I wear my heart on my sleeve and my foot in my mouth.
