A Short Rant

I have been thinking of writing about this for a while, but had decided to keep it to myself, in order to not sound mean.  But my subject today is about going to the gym.  I fully understand that everyone pays the same amount to visit a gym at which they have a membership, and should be able to go on any machine that they like but… when there are about 35 treadmills open, why does it always seem that someone gets on the one next to me?  I feel there is an unspoken etiquette when it comes to using cardio machines at the gym.  When there is an entire row of machines open, besides 2 or 3 which people are using, you should separate yourself from others by at least one machine, if not two.

The last 4 times that I have been at the gym, this has happened to me.  I go to a gym right near the University in my town, so it tends to be dead during the day when I go, and pretty busy at night.  The last 4 times, when it has been almost deserted, I have had the unfortunate pleasure of someone using the machine next to me, which always sends a shiver through my body.

So the question is, am I being dramatic, or is there an unspoken etiquette that others just don’t seem to be abiding by?

Living the “American Dream”

I’m not usually one for a politically charged post, but I felt it necessary today. As I watched the first 15 minutes of the presidential debate today, I found it interesting that John McCain mentioned both “the American Dream” and affordable health care in one response. Oddly enough, I planned to write this blog tonight on health care, entitled “Living the American Dream,” before John McCain’s response…we must be on the same page.

There are approximately 46 million Americans that are living without health insurance today, the United States being the only industrialized country without universal health care. 9 million of these 46 million people are children, without health insurance.

Today, I decided to write this post, because to me, it seems that I am truly living the American Dream. I just recently graduated from college, and began working a job at which I have only been for 2 weeks. I am not insured as of right now, and will not be for at least 6 months. For the past few days, I have had a bevy of health issues, including dizziness, nausea, and several other scarier things that I do not wish to write here… but it has got me thinking. A year ago, there is no way that I would not have went to the doctor when I was feeling the way I have been lately, but because I do not wish to pay a 1000 dollar plus doctor bill, I have chosen to wait out the symptoms, hoping that they go away with time. Luckily, this has been the case, and have been steadily feeling better as the days go on, but it is very scary that I actually had to make that decision. I chose to sacrifice my health, in order to avoid future debt. This choice, which I venture to guess, millions of Americans make on a daily basis, is truly living the American dream.

The Difference Between Indifference and Acceptance

Though I wouldn’t ever utter the words “I’ve seen it all,” I do find that I don’t scare easily and can generally ignore or overlook (in a complete non-negative sense of the words) differences in people, appearances, and beliefs.

When perusing the new edition of Adbusters, one of my favorite magazines to read but never buy, I was appalled at two stories that appeared that exemplified the indifference in our society today. The first story was that of Arce Torres, who, on his way to pick up a gallon of milk at a local grocery store, was a victim of hit and run. After being hit, Arce lay in the middle of the road, where 9 vehicles drove past him without stopping, 1 car slowed down shortly, but did not stop to see if he was alright. Another man, on a scooter circled around the victim and moved on, while several other witnesses were scattered on the sidewalk surrounding, but did not approach.

The second story was the highly publicized death of Ms. Esmin Green. Ms. Green, a mother of 6 was sent to King’s Hospital in New York City by the preacher at her local congregation. Esmin sat in the waiting room for 24 hours waiting to be seen, before convulsing, and falling out of her chair face down. The 2 other patients in the waiting room did not react, nor did the security staff or nurses. Many nurses and security notice the body, but do not approach, including one security personnel who rolls towards Ms.Green in a desk chair, but quickly rolls back to his post. Eventually, a nurse goes towards Ms. Green and nudges her with her foot. Esmin Green does not react, as she had been dead, face down in the waiting room for over an hour.

Upon reading these two stories, tears welled up in my eyes from a gamut of emotions I was feeling: anger, sadness, and confusion to name a few. The worst part is knowing that these are only two of many stories like this that occur in the United States every day. When did we go from a society that is accepting of differences and things that should shock us, to one that is indifferent of these things? Are we becoming so self involved that we can’t stop and help someone that is truly in need of it?

I often enjoy my acceptance of differences, and oddities that I encounter daily. But I can’t help but wonder and hope that this isn’t a slippery slope that I may be falling prey to. I hope that one day that the acceptance which I pride myself on does not become apathy and indifference.

Panera: Friend or Foe?

In recent weeks, I have had a budding obsession with Panera Bread. I have always had a strong hatred for Panera Bread, mostly because the food is so deliciously bad for you, that I always want to eat it, but never can bring myself to doing so.

For those of you that have never been to a Panera Bread restaurant, let me set the scene. Upon entering Panera, smells of fresh baked bread, and coffee are thrown at you. Generally, there is some type of jazzy music playing, both soothing enough to have conversation over and interesting enough that if you’re not having a conversation it is still enjoyable. There is a bevy of baked goods that one can see upon entering, including scones, muffins, cookies, and cakes (a beautiful selection, I might add). On the counter there is small cups of granola, orange juice, and fruit. The seats are comfortable, and the lighting is perfect.

Judging by that last paragraph, one would wonder…how can anyone dislike Panera? I applaud the marketing department of Panera, which give the restaurant a feeling of “healthy” and “wholesome” eating, without being specific enough to let anyone know that you are being led astray from your diet. By the atmosphere present in Panera, I would not be surprised to find an advertisement stating that all ingredients in the food at Panera is both organic, and locally grown. Instead of this there is a sign explaining “the recipe of Panera.” This includes “a never ending passion for giving you better choices for honest, real food and welcoming places.” Notice that in this, there is no mention of panera’s nutrition facts. The adjectives used to describe the chain are ones which beckon the diner to believe that this is a place for real food, good food, and a good atmosphere. Perhaps it is only me that assumes Panera is a healthy food establishment, but I doubt it. Bravo, Panera for using advertising that confusing me enough into thinking that your Chipotle Chicken Sandwich on Artisan French would be a good choice of meal for me.

And now for a little comparison: I will use the aforementioned Panera sandwich, Chipotle Chicken, and a quarter pounder from Mcdonald’s. My favorite part of sitting in Panera is looking at the nutrition facts of all the food while I sit, gawking at the amount of fat in almost everything here. So here goes, I hope you all are as surprised as I am about this: A Chipotle Chicken sandwich has 56g of fat, (equaling 86% of your daily fat intake). The sandwich also has 900 calories, which for a woman is about 45% of your caloric intake for the day. Though no one really monitors their sodium intake, this number is also astounding to me, the Chipotle Chicken Sandwich has 2100mgs of sodium, equaling 90% of your daily sodium intake. And now onto the quarter pounder. The McDonald’s Quarter Pounder sandwich has 510 calories, per sandwich, amounting to about 26% of a person’s daily caloric intake. This sandwich has 19g of fat, a whopping 37 g less than the choice Panera sandwich. The quarter pounder also has 1190mg of sodium, equaling about 51% of your daily sodium intake.

In conclusion, I am torn between my love-hate relationship with Panera. Are we being tricked into thinking that the food here at Panera is healthy, or are we just being lazy in not finding out if what we think about a restaurant is true? I can’t decide who is at fault in this situation, the customer, or the company? Sure Panera can do things to make their nutrition information is more public, or they can take steps to making their restaurant a little healthier, but why should they? Their advertising campaign is genius, giving an idea that they are one thing, while really they are the complete opposite. And so Panera, i hate you, but I love to hate you.

*all nutrition facts were taken directly off of Panera, and McDonald’s websites

The Easy Way Out

About a year ago, I had gastric bypass surgery, which was the most significant change that I have ever made in my life. Many times people will call this “the easy way out,” thinking that it is something that people do when they don’t want to change their eating habits, or can’t control themselves. If you can’t control your eating habits yourself, and learn to lose weight naturally, then have a surgery for it. I can’t say I never thought that…and that I didn’t think that having a surgery would be a cure-all for what I believed was the root of all the problems I had ever encountered. Now that I have gone through this for a year, I can say that people that think this is an easy way out have never been more wrong.

Gastric bypass is not a surgery that changes your mindset, if your main reason for being overweight is emotional eating…then it can’t be fixed by a physical surgery. Through the decision to have this surgery I not only have had to learn to be disciplined in working out (because the weight simply doesn’t melt off…you have to work for it), but I’ve also had to learn, and relearn how to eat correctly. The most important, and hardest change that one has to overcome is learning to deal with the problems that occur in a persons life in a different way. Which I believe has been the hardest, and best lesson that I have learned through this process. By learning how to deal with situations in a healthy, way, I (and I suspect many other people going through the same thing) have learned that stress and emotion are purely controlled by the person that is experiencing them. No one can make you upset unless you let them do so. Over and over again, I have told myself this, and had to learn and relearn it…the hard way.

By being thrust into these changes through a surgery, I have learned more about health, nutrition, and more importantly myself, then I ever would have otherwise. I applaud anyone who chooses to make the decision to become healthier both physically and emotionally, because I know it isn’t the easy way out, It is harder then anyone can ever imagine.

“Because words are therapeutic.”

While reading my friend Dave’s Blog, he asked why people read his blog (as there has been a large amount of negative/positive response to it as of late). One commenter wrote “Probably the same reason why you write it. Words are therapeutic.” Which struck a cord with me. Words are therapeutic, and can be very helpful…at most times.

Lately, I’ve been feeling a little off, and upset about everything (and nothing in particular at the same time). Which happens from time to time with me, but I can usually talk myself out of it, knowing that having a negative attitude doesn’t do anything for me, or anyone for that matter. But this time… I haven’t been able to. When talking about things would usually make me feel better, it hasn’t been much help.

There has been no words to explain what’s going on or what I’m upset about…and in turn, no words have been comforting. So, what does a person do when words can’t help a problem that they also can’t explain?