The End is Near

Tomorrow I am quitting smoking. I have my patches that were sent to me from the North Dakota QuitNet service. I am both nervous and excited for this new step in my life. I have smoked for a very long time. I don't remember very much of my life without smoking. I started at a young age and it progressed into the ugly nasty habit it is today.

What I'm excited for:

1. Smelling better
2. Better breathing
3. Better tastebuds
4. Health
5. Saving Money
6. More time to do other things

What I'm nervous about:

1. Withdrawal symptoms
2. Gaining weight

Hmmmm, pros outweigh the cons a bit, huh? I hope I'll still be one of the cool kids... ;)

Bottled Water vs. The World

Before you reach for a bottled water, I suggest you watch this movie. The website is here: Tapped. Bottled water is evil. Stop buying it, stop drinking it, and support the cause. Bottled water is a bad, bad thing. Don't pay money for contaminated tap water. Save some lives. Save the environment. DO IT!!!

I was on the TV yesterday

http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/57428/group/News/

I was on television talking about state grants. I'm told I did well, I hope I did. I feel I could have been more prepared and looked a bit better, but there's nothing to be done about it now. Check out the link above if you want to see it.

Aidan getting married

This morning as I was getting ready to walk out the door for work and school, my son, Aidan, had some interesting news for me. "Hey, Mom, so there's this girl at school and she says that when she grows up, she's going to marry me." He shook his head and looked down at this crazy notion. "I have to think about it though."

As any good mother would do, I busted out laughing. He has periods of talking just like an adult. I love talking to him. His imagination is vast and ever-changing. I told him that if he already knows who he's going to marry, he may as well start saving up now for the wedding. He preceded to look at me like I was insane and go back to helping his brother put on his shoes.

Nevertheless, my morning kicked off to a great start (even if I did wake up late). How did your morning turn out?

Working out

This is going to be a quick post. I still have another 3 of these to catch up on besides my daily commitment.

I hate working out. I love the idea of running or dedicating 1-2 hours a day to sweating and toning but I hate actually doing it. I wasn't always this way though. I used to be athletic in high school. When I started slacking off and partying, I lost my athletics and slowly started the bad habits that led to my obesity issue.

Last year I managed to lose 70 pounds. Well the year before and last year. This year I want to take off the rest and get fit. I'm about 45 pounds from my goal weight. I am far away from fitness. Its been about 10 years since I worked out regularly. I am contemplating getting a personal trainer just so I can learn how to work out again and what will work best for me. Here's to finding motivation and getting healthy.

Hairless No More

More and more I have become fascinated with the beauty rituals that have been adapted into the western culture I live in. It dawned on me this week as I was trying to sooth another case of razor burn, why do I shave? There really isn't a justified purpose behind it at all. It's not proven to be more hygienic. Men don't shave their armpits, legs, or bikini area and as long as they shower, they smell fine. So, really, the only reason women go through the time and effort of shaving is to create some unnatural illusion that they are not born with hair.

I started shaving when I was 9 or 10 years old. I look at my 8 year old daughter now and I would never allow her to start shaving in the next couple of years, that's just ridiculous. The only time in my life I could see me shaving as justified, was when I was a swimmer. As a swimmer, shaving off all the hair on your body can equal shaving off seconds on your best time at a meet. That's why they wear swim caps. Male swimmers even shave. But, I haven't been a swimmer since the 9th grade.

I decided to do my research and figure out why women started shaving to begin with. We all came from somewhere else, and most other women in other countries do not shave. I found a little gem of a column here by Cecil Adams. This all started from marketers. Go figure. Ads started showing women in fancy new sleeveless dresses with bare underarms. It took a few years, but women in the U.S. and U.K. finally gave into to the ploy. Legs came later when sheer stockings came into style. It blows my mind to think that I have been shaving all these years because some ad told my elders I should.

I won't go on ranting. I have made the decision to stop shaving. I'm sure it will take some getting used to, for both me and my partner. I'm not making some huge feminist statement here. I just honestly don't see the point. There is no practical reason to do it, so I'm not going to. I know I will be saving money by not buying all those expensive razors and shaving cream. I will be saving the environment by being able to cut the 5-15 minutes of extra shower time it takes to shave. I am always looking for ways to save time and use less resources.

Call me gross, call me crazy, call me what you will. I am not going to waste my time with an unpractical task any longer. I really don't care if other people think I'm ugly or gross. They don't have to look, and I am not asking anyone to jump on the bandwagon with me. This is my choice and I'm happy to be making it. 

Rant: Anti-Obama

Okay, so I have a few posts to catch up on in order to win the Ultimate Blog Challenge. To do that, I'm going to dedicate a couple of these to rants. I happen to be one of those people who likes to share their opinion, whether it's needed or not. So, if you don't want to read it, feel free to look away now.

I have a major problem with all of the Anti-Obama talk I've been hearing lately. Now, if you have always been a republican and just do not like democrats, I understand. To be honest, republicans do not have a lot going for them in their corner this year. I think that was proven in the Iowa caucus earlier this week. The clowns they have running for red candidate are ridiculous. I would love to know where they dug these people up. They are pretty entertaining to watch. I feel bad for the people who actually believe the crap that is being spewed from their voice holes.

Why have people turned on Obama? There are several reasons I have seen around. First off, he bailed out the banks. Yes, he did do that. What would have happened if the banks didn't get bailed out? The only historical thing that we could relate it to would be the Great Depression of 1929. Yes, it would have been that bad. 19 months after 30 billion dollars was given by the Federal Reserve, industrial production rate was still 14 percent below it's peak in 2007. When the Great Depression happened, industrial production was 54 percent below it's peak. Think of how quickly that would have happened if they hadn't gotten bailed out. They didn't think it could happen back then, but it did. It could have happened in 2008, and it would have.

Next thing people like to say Obama is doing wrong is health care. I know, how dare he try to instill some crazy socialist program into our democracy? We don't support that communist mumbo jumbo over here in 'Merica! News flash, if you went to a public school, hung out in a public park, or gone to check out a book at your local library, you are supporting socialism at it's best. Social programs are things like public education, public transportation, public parks, rest areas, etc. These are all things that everyone pays for so that they can take part in their convenience. Tell me, why would it be so awful to have nation wide health care? While we're at it, why can't we put more money into education and take some out of things like defense? We have a pretty well equipped military, I'm not saying let's take food away from a soldier, but do we really need another super high tech robot drone? There's other areas to cut spending, this, of course, was just an example.

I'm not going to get into everything people say, it would take me all night to defend everything people say he's done wrong. Bottom line, he will make mistakes. He is human, after all. One thing people neglect to realize is that he is not the sole person running our country. A lot of people put the blame on the nation symbol (president) but, who really gets those bills onto Obama's desk? Who is shutting down democratic ideas and things that would boost the economy left and right? It's Congress, people. Congress runs your country and they do it through you. The polarization in Congress right now is awful. Republicans have had the upper-hand for the past few years and they simply will not budge when it comes to anything democratic. These are people that everyone elects. My suggestion is, if you want to see something done:

1. Talk to your senator or representative. Tell them you are a concerned constituent and that you don't like certain things that aren't being done. Tell them about specific bills. Write them, email them, call them, or stop by in a local office. They are there to listen to you. They have to, its kind of their job.
2. Join an interest group that is geared towards what you stand for. It is a great way to stay updated and also get involved without having to feel like you don't matter.
3. Go vote! If you don't vote, don't complain. It doesn't take long and it's your country. What the hell could be more important than where you live? Stop being an apathetic lazy butt and voice your opinion, or shut the hell up. I have no time for people who complain about things going wrong in their country and turn around and refuse to vote. 

Closing statement, how did you think cleaning up after bush would go? What Obama has done for those curious.

End rant here. I am always happy to share my sources and debate with people. Be honest. I can take it.