More on the Conspiracy Against Jim

When I order water in a restaurant, I'm used to ordering it "without lemon" (long story). Of course, I usually end up with a slice of lemon on my glass; force of habit - I understand. But recently, I read somewhere that the tradition of a slice of lemon on a glass started as a way to clean off the lip before drinking. I thought that was a pretty cool idea, especially since the only time I don't use a straw is when I drink water. So l stopped ordering my water without lemon. And you know what? As soon as I stopped, I stopped getting lemon slices on my glass.

Coincidence? I think not

Brand New Day

Accident in Florence

If you're heading from Florence to Killen this morning, be prepared to hit some traffic. This looks like it just happened, and it looks pretty bad. Take a moment to pray for these folks, too.

Spirituality meets Commercialism

A chocolate cross? That's wrong on so many levels. Maybe next Christmas we can get little chocolate baby Jesuses.

More Humor and Beauty in Advertising

I'm enjoying Very Short List. When I get a chance to read it. The other day, they posted this beautiful commercial.



I need a soda.

On the same day, I received an interesting e-mail. Someone from the viral ad company Cake sent me a link to an amusing Pot Noodle commercial spoofing the Guiness domino ad I posted in January. The internet is a fascinating thing.

Bad Day

I think somebody's day didn't get off to a good start.

Florence Film Fest

The George Lindsey UNA Film Festival is this weekend. I was so excited about going - I took off a half day from work and everything. There was a screenwriting panel today, they showed the animated short films at Shaolin Computers this evening, Billy Bob Thornton is in town; tonight he did a discussion with some other folks who were in Sling Blade. And tonight there's a jam session with Billy Bob and some other artists. A full day of real culture in Florence, AL! For the past week, I searched high and low for a copy Sling Blade, since I've never seen it. I checked 7 rental places - the places I frequent in Florence, plus every place on Highway 72 between Athens and Florence. I checked Best Buy in Huntsville and Florence, Target in both places, and MovieStop (the used store) in Huntsville. Either they didn't have it, or it was checked out.

So, finally, I found it in a Movie Gallery in Madison. I picked it up last night. But I wasn't feeling well, so I went to bed early without watching it. And I was too sick today to go to work or to the film festival.

*sigh*

Maybe next year.

Happy Nostalgia

Ah, the 80s. The good ol' days.

Kung Fu Rodeo lists Ten 80s Trends That Stayed in the 80s. It's a pretty neat walk down memory lane.

Just be warned that the language isn't always G-rated.

I'm signing off - gotta go rent Red Dawn and Lost Boys.

Addiction (3 of 7)

I've talked before about how eating is the the last refuge of hedonism for so many in our culture. It's the last place that we can completely indulge in our fantasies without any real (short term) social consequences.

But I was thinking the other day how it might be about something else, too.

It's kind of about control. I may not be able to control my own life - I have people all around me telling me what to do and how to live. I have responsibities that dictate how I need to live my life.

But what I eat is something I can control completely. Or at least that's the illusion I allow myself. I can eat what I want, whenever I want. You may tell me I can't buy that car, I can't go on that vacation, I can't have that job. But you can't tell me I can't eat that pounder bag of M&Ms. You can't tell me I can't indulge in that bacon double cheeseburger or the sinfully delicious 7-layer chocolate cake. It's all about the little bit of control we have left to exert over our own destinies.

Is this why we're emotional eaters? We eat when we're upset, frustrated; when we don't get what we want. We can't always get what we want out of life, but we can always get what we want on our plate.

Of course, this ends up being an illusion because the addiction takes over, and while we think we have complete control (I can quit anytime!) it ends up taking over, and we've lost all control.

I've heard people say, "I just can't lose weight and I don't know why." That's never been a mystery to me. I eat lots of food that's bad for me. I eat very little food that's good for me. I'm not really that active. It's a simple equation. I may not have control, but at least I know it. And knowing is half the battle! (Thanks G.I. Joe!)

But it's so dang hard. I know I was just talking about that a couple months ago, but it hasn't gotten any easier since August. It's easy to compare to an addiction - but an addiction that you just can't quit cold turkey. I know that can sound like a cop-out, and I'm not trying to use it as an excuse - just trying to figure out why it's so difficult. Well, besides the fact that eating poorly is so stinkin' easy and cheap and it's thrown in my face every billboard and television commercial.

Addicts talk about the pink cloud. It's the time when you're first trying to kick an addiction, and it's actually easy. There's this feeling of euphoria, along with a sense of "I-don't-even-want-to-go-back-to-that-lifestyle." It's the same with eating healthy. I can go a good 6 weeks and not even want to pick up a cookie, a candy bar, a bottle of soda, a hamburger, a chocolate-covered donut, a massive plate of french fries slathered in ketchup...

Where was I?

Oh, yeah. But then it wears off, and the food calls again.

Jim...

It calls from the cabinet.

You know you want us...

It calls from the refrigerator.

Just a little bite...

It calls from the Krystal's drive through.

And that's the problem - it's not "just a little bite." If it was, I wouldn't have a problem. You know that marketing slogan, you can't eat just one? They got that from me.

Even my not-yet-one-year-old son knows how to pace himself. He can take an entire piece of bread, and eats it bite by bite, not taking another until he finishes the last. I'm having to learn too much from my own kids.