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Post by Merge on Nov 22, 2024 21:29:16 GMT
If you have extraordinary dietary needs, let me know well in advance and, if I can't accommodate them, please bring your own food.
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Post by Merge on Nov 22, 2024 17:03:47 GMT
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Post by Merge on Nov 22, 2024 13:42:53 GMT
About 1000 miles. Bellevue, NE to Houston, TX.
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Post by Merge on Nov 22, 2024 1:43:37 GMT
So who's the next nominee? Marge? Bobo? Nancy Mace? Damn you woman, I'd forgotten about those two numskulls (Marge and Bobo)!  I don't know who Nancy Mace is, off to google..... ETA: first thing that comes up about Mace is a quote about "no balls in our stalls". Rep from South Carolina. Yes, ol' Nancy has made it her mission to humiliate and dehumanize the first openly trans member of congress by denying her access to the women's restroom in the capitol buiding. She's just lovely. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 22, 2024 0:22:15 GMT
Ugh, so now it’s Pam Bondi. Who decided not to investigate Trump U after Trump sent her a $25K donation.
Corrupt.
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 21:05:35 GMT
I think the idea of even throwing about the word "cheating" in regards to someone trying to live a healthier life or to improve their health, or to deal with medical issues is unnecessary. On the one hand we are incredibly judgmental, as a society, of people who are over-weight, but then on the other hand, we're going to judge the methods they and their doctors agree might be worth them trying to lose some of the weight in a healthy way? To me that's just throwing one more negative at something that has enough negatives involved already. Unless one is literally talking about some sort of set short term challenge with actual rules and a prize at the end, then to me the word "cheating" has no place in weight loss, whether when discussing methods, or when discussing times in which a person struggles to meet the goals they set for themselves. I think it goes along with the belief in our society that thinness = good and virtuous and fatness = moral failure. There are rules for existing in society, and thin, beautiful people are the winners of the game. People who have been thin all their lives are accustomed to feeing superior to the fat people around them. As the fat people are fewer and fewer, they feel less like winners and they don't like it. So they accuse people of "cheating." |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 20:55:55 GMT
Agree with limiting the amount of cosmetics and hair products you bring, not only to save space, but because of TSA limits for liquids and aerosols in carry on bags. Some things I've done to help with that are to switch to bar shampoo, conditioner, and soap, and to incorporate powder cosmetics as much as possible. Or simply go without makeup - as others have said, no one cares. You can throw in mascara and a lipstick for an evening out if you want.
Consider putting together a capsule wardrobe where everything goes together and you can wear the same two pairs of shoes with all of it. If your accommodations will have washing facilities, you can plan to use them if necessary, but be aware that dryers outside of the US usually don't dry things the way we expect, and you will need to leave enough time for things to drip-dry.
If you are going to be re-wearing things, I suggest hanging them up to air out when you are in one place instead of re-packing them or putting them in drawers. Even clothes that don't smell after you wear them develop that "dirty laundry" smell when bunched up all together. Doesn't bother everyone, but it does me.
As others have said, prioritize comfort and convenience over looking cute and put together. No one will bat an eye at yoga pants and sneakers, even in Europe.
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 20:46:00 GMT
Out of curiosity, did your friend say she had used it as a bandaid? Or is that your opinion from the outside? Obesity is a complex disease and rarely is there just one cause. I have turned to food out of boredom or to handle emotions, but even after I'd dealt with the mental health aspect, it didn't change the fact that eating few enough calories for me to actually lose any weight left me starving all the time, constantly thinking about food, hangry, headachy, and tired. Semaglutide is like the final piece in the puzzle for me, I think. But someone else might look at me and think it's just a bandaid. IDK. No, she was very open about it. She tried and unfortunately the health issues from the med were enough to force her PCP to take her off of it. She is fully aware of her relationship with food, that she over eats, and uses food as a safety net for her anxiety and depression. She has dealt with a lot of crap the last 2 years. Who knows if therapy would help or even medications with therapy. As someone who did therapies galore and saw no benefit, I get that it might not. She point blank said I don't want to take the time out of my already busy day to go talk to someone and fix it, this was supposed to fix it. That's unfortunate. What I know from experience is that "doing something about it" often takes over your whole life. It's like a full time job. And that's why a lot of people give up. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 20:31:48 GMT
Psychotherapy won't fix my metabolic syndrome. But perhaps you didn't mean that as a blanket statement for everyone using it, IDK. Also, I'm never going off it unless I have to. I take the minimum dose and am good there. So it's not a yo-yo thing. (I have definitely been there before!) I do wish I could get the Rx version covered for me for life but my insurance does not cover weight loss meds, and I am only "pre-diabetic" and not diabetic so that's not an option for me either. Gennifer yes I did think of it as a failure on my part, but I'm not judging others the same way. I'm hard on myself when it comes to things I think I "should" be able to do myself without help! And it was hard to admit that what I had always been able to accomplish in the past with diet and exercise just wasn't working in the face of menopausal hormone disturbances. I'm glad to get off that guilt train! You are the pea I me ruined that it helped you because it quieted the voices. That in and of itself isn't cheating because there isn't a therapy known for that. My point was that sometimes we need a med to quiet those voices to see gains. And for DD it helped therapy stick because before she was so focused on everything else that the tools she was learning to manage her anxiety and OCD weren't being taken in by her. No blanket statement. For others, like my friend, it is used as a bandaid. That is why I said other on the poll. I have seen both sides. Out of curiosity, did your friend say she had used it as a bandaid? Or is that your opinion from the outside? Obesity is a complex disease and rarely is there just one cause. I have turned to food out of boredom or to handle emotions, but even after I'd dealt with the mental health aspect, it didn't change the fact that eating few enough calories for me to actually lose any weight left me starving all the time, constantly thinking about food, hangry, headachy, and tired. And nothing stopped the food noise. I've been on the diet roller coaster since I was 11 years old. Semaglutide is like the final piece in the puzzle for me, I think. But someone else might look at me and think it's just a bandaid. IDK. I'm well aware that this is likely a lifetime med for me. I have fears about what will happen if the FDA revokes the right for compounding pharmacies to produce the drug, which makes it more affordable. I would not be able to pay the monthly price for branded semaglutide, as my insurance only covers it for diabetics. I also hope that eventually, as with most drugs, there will be generics, and the price will become more reasonable overall. And that all insurance companies will cover it for weight loss in people who are truly overweight - as they do medication for other conditions. I was opposed to taking it (for me) at first for several reasons, but the lifetime commitment was a big one. The more I thought about it, though, I considered that people who have weight loss surgery have also made a permanent change and a lifetime commitment. I consider this less drastic because it's easily reversible - you simply stop taking it. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 18:44:24 GMT
Oh this was one of our favorites growing up - my brother loved it so much he requested it in place of cake for his birthdays for several years. Also widely served in South Dakota and Nebraska, at least in the 80s. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 18:22:16 GMT
Singing at a concert depends on the artist. Rock/pop/punk band in large venue? Heck yeah! Singer/songwriter type in a smaller venue? No.
And definitely not in a movie theater or live theater performance.
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 18:20:07 GMT
So who's the next nominee? Marge? Bobo? Nancy Mace? I doubt T would want a woman for AG. IDK, I think he'll take anyone sufficiently servile to him. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 18:18:16 GMT
There a merit piece in addition to family income? In my state, kids with high GPAs and placement scores attend state universities for free. The next tier gets a discount. They have to keep their grades up to stay in the program. University of Florida's admissions standards are higher than Bright Futures so almost everyone goes for very low tuition.
No, Texas doesn't have anything like that. If you are valedictorian in Texas you can get a one year tuition waiver at any public university. Some of the state schools (not UT) offer a full ride or a decent scholarship for National Merit students. Texas State has automatic merit scholarships but I don't know the full details. There might be others that do but I'm not familiar with all of the schools. Most of the public university merit scholarships require a separate application and are extremely competitive.
There is the Terry Foundation scholarship program, that is both need and merit based. I'm not familiar with the details on that one either.
- Also, in Texas, you pretty much have to be top 5% at your high school to even be admitted to UT Austin as a freshman. That's the merit piece. The kids who will really benefit from this program are those attending UT Arlington, San Antonio, Permian Basin, etc. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 18:15:34 GMT
I was watching something and they said stores are already prepping for the tariffs and they probably raise prices MORE than the tariff! So if the tariff is 10%, they are set to raise prices 12-15%! Corporations have to keep net income up for the shareholders! 😡 Unsurprising, since so many of them never reduced prices when their costs went down post Covid. This is just another opportunity to fleece working Americans to benefit wealthy shareholders. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 18:14:42 GMT
A friend of mine has a theory that when Elon fires half the government workers in DC, they'll be bussed out into the fields to start picking vegetables. That should go over well. Maybe they mean DC, but the thing is that the overwhelming majority (85%) of federal workers don’t live/work in the DC area. Maybe people think cutting the federal workforce significantly is a DC issue. It isn’t. Thanks, you are correct. But that will only put them in better proximity to the fields and meat packing plants Elon apparently intends them to staff when the immigrants are gone. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 18:11:52 GMT
So who's the next nominee? Marge? Bobo? Nancy Mace?
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 18:10:56 GMT
And now he’s out of a job, too, since he has resigned from his seat in Congress. Too bad, so sad. I'm sure he has a big future as a used car salesman. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 15:54:22 GMT
A friend of mine has a theory that when Elon fires half the government workers in DC, they'll be bussed out into the fields to start picking vegetables.
That should go over well.
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 15:50:42 GMT
Perfect.
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 14:47:10 GMT
Interesting! I wonder if MIL would like those. Lush that I am, I looked at them just now and saw fancy ice cube molds for cocktails.  |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 14:36:23 GMT
God help the teacher that tries to deny evolution to my son. We call him detective for a reason and he is not shy telling you when he thinks you're wrong. Lol yes. I'm sure there are any number of kids who will freely share their opinions when lessons are not fact-based. My oldest would have had a great time with that. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 14:30:19 GMT
By all means, fight against educating your citizens. Not a snarky question, how much income tax does someone who makes $45/year pay? Is he correct here? The state of Texas does not have income tax, but uses a regressive property and sales tax structure to fund the state instead. So a guy making $45K/year probably pays a larger share of his income in taxes than a guy making a lot more does. That said, I suspect this is being funded through UT's endowment and not through yearly tax revenues. This is the same way large, private universities offer a sliding scale tuition rate based on income. I was surprised and pleased to see that this is being offered at all UT campuses and not just the flagship one in Austin. It can help a lot more families that way. Currently, only the top 5% of each high school graduating class is guaranteed admission in Austin, so that excludes a lot of families. Cynically, though, this is a very "socialist" thing to do by Texas standards, and I have to wonder if they're trying to stem the tide of young people leaving the state due to our political climate. It may also be to compete with Rice (which offers large tuition reductions based on income) for some of the top performers. IDK. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 13:48:00 GMT
Target only, and almost always curbside. I dislike Walmart.
I do have to wonder if curbside has hurt their sales. It used to be the place I’d make the most impulse purchases (Target tells you what you need), but since I rarely go into the store, those purchases don’t happen. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 1:55:47 GMT
Mirena was a disaster for me. I had a continual light period (plus bonus ones just as heavy as they'd ever been) and my body decided to yeet the thing very painfully after 4-5 months.
Does hysterectomy fix endometriosis? That was the next step for me (my issue was fibroids, though) and it's one of the best things I've ever done for myself.
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Post by Merge on Nov 20, 2024 20:50:08 GMT
Probably not the book you're thinking of, but Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a good look into what it takes for a modern family to eat entirely whole foods and local. It's ... a lot of work. Our society is no longer in any way set up to make that realistic for any but the most privileged families. Thank you for the recommendation. I love these types of nonfiction. I went through a phase of reading tons of farm to table type memoirs and this was the one that stuck with me. I hope you enjoy it! |
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Post by Merge on Nov 20, 2024 20:49:14 GMT
But will they charge on a sliding scale up from there, or is the family making $110K just out of luck?
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Post by Merge on Nov 20, 2024 20:44:26 GMT
Many of the big brand name packaged food producers we are even familiar with now (Kelloggs, Nabisco, Kraft Foods, Heinz, Post, Swanson’s, etc.) were born around the turn of the century and beyond in an altruistic attempt to feed America. I don’t think we should forget that modern day refrigeration advances, frozen food processes, safe canning practices and packaging that kept bakery items fresh and shelf stable all contributed wider food distribution. Food choices were no longer limited to a small geographic location, but could remain fresh and safe for populations far away from the original production. With that advancement, came food additives, good and bad. Yes, agreed. I read a book about this almost 20 years ago I wish I could remember the name of. But things really took off after the depression and WWII because of widespread poverty and hunger. They truly were trying to feed Americans. There was some novelty in invention in the 1970s and 1980s, but most of the innovation has exploded in the 1990s and 2000s. Which is odd really because it was also a time when diet culture was off the charts crazy. But technology boom of the 1990s influenced food production too. And then you have the Philip Morris impact. Where the focus was turned away from Big Tobacco which was in the firing line to suddenly entry into food production. Probably not the book you're thinking of, but Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a good look into what it takes for a modern family to eat entirely whole foods and local. It's ... a lot of work. Our society is no longer in any way set up to make that realistic for any but the most privileged families. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 20, 2024 20:29:33 GMT
It's occurred to me that, if this curriculum is implemented in Texas, the best thing for non-Christians and others to do is to request an exemption from and an alternative assignment for any bible-based teaching at school. That will create a big logistical nightmare that will - hopefully - cause schools to reject the curriculum, and for it eventually to be dropped.
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Post by Merge on Nov 20, 2024 20:24:42 GMT
Sorry you read it as flippant. It wasn't, it was a fact--you have the choice. I had the choice. Only privileged people will go get an apple pie instead of just eating nothing, obviously. My point was I couldn't get the food noise out of my head. That's not because anyone was making me eat an apple pie. I don't believe the answer is to remove the apple pie. I'll leave this now because as usual I think you're reading me the wrong way. ETA you post articles and when I don't agree with it and point out what I feel are flaws, you seem to take it personally. I think in the future I'll try to keep my thoughts to myself as they are not welcome in this instance, and I enjoy your contributions to the board and therefore don't feel like arguing with you or having to explain over again what I meant vs how it was taken. I admit that it's sometimes hard for me to read my comments in the way they're taken, because I can hear myself in my head not making it personal or being dismissive but it gets taken that way... That's on me I suppose. What is your theory as to why you had the food noise in the first place? That was what I was getting at with my first response. Is it because we get de-sensitized to processed food and it changes our hormones (not just insulin resistance as a result, but other processes that we aren’t fully aware of yet)? The same ones that the Glp-1 meds impact? Or do you have a different explanation? I honestly think it's genetic. I've had food noise for as long as I can remember - from childhood. And I grew up in a home with much less highly processed food and sugar than most of my peers had. Being without the noise now is weird. I hadn't realized how much of my day was spent thinking about food, researching recipes, or cooking food. It's like a need a new hobby to fill all that time! ETA: it may also be a combination of genetics and environment. I think many of us who started on diet culture early and spent adolescence and young adulthood trying to lose weight and constantly feeling hungry became obsessed with food as a result. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 20, 2024 19:00:42 GMT
My thought is that Republicans will not be happy until: - low income children are taught reading and basic math only, and that mostly by computers. - science, history, geography, the arts, and other elective subjects will be reserved only for families who can afford private education with or without a voucher. - kids with special needs are no longer educated, but simply warehoused until they're old enough to perform manual labor. So basically they want to wind the clock back 100 years or more. They perceive that the US needs more unskilled labor and have correctly determined that providing every child with a good education (and thus expectations and ambitions for their future) means that people have some choices in life and they don't choose to work in the fields or meat processing plants. Basically, the American dream took a huge number of desperate, starving people out of the cheap labor pool that industrialists relied on to staff their businesses. Republicans have determined that the American dream was a mistake and prevents them from making as much profit as they want. So they're going to undo it. I will say, they unfortunately are abetted by some profit-seeking Democrats as well. The Gates foundation has done a lot of work to suggest that 60-kid iPad elementary schools are totally great. Meanwhile, Bill Gates sent his own kids to a test-in private school with small classes, classical coursework, and very little technology, which tells you all you need to know about what affluent, educated people actually think works for education. For sure some wealthy Democrats decided to be part of "school reform" without understanding the first thing about teaching and learning. I don't know what it is about our society that assumes (and makes some wealthy people believe) that if you're wealthy, you must also be super smart and have all the answers to everything. School reformists have missed the mark time and time again, in large part because educating kids the way we know to be best is *expensive.* Particularly if you aim to educate all kids that way, and not just those who come to school without any impediments to learning. |
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