Diet, schmiet...

So, for the umpteen millionth time I have started a 'new' way of eating. I refuse to use the word 'diet' because, well, because I can. Anyway, I have been researching and found one that I hope we can stay with at least for a while - the Mediterranean D**t. One really positive part of this eating plan is that I can have a glass of wine with my evening meal. In addition to that, the foods all go very well with said wine. Lots of fruits, veggies, whole-grains, etc... And, I have joined something called e-diets. I chose to use the word 'diet' because, well, I can.

E-diets is a way for me to be organized, and should help me stay on track. It will even compile a grocery list for me. And, I am now among the people who work a semi-regular schedule - 8 hours, 5 days per week. So, perhaps I can get in some walking after work with my sweet husband.

Are there any others out there who find this whole process maddening? You know, I really, truly, just want to be healthy - really! But, it takes a hell of a lot of work to get there from the land of Pudge.

Wine lately? A Syrah from Oklahoma - Winery of the Wichitas.
My lovely daughter gave it to me and it is quite tasty. We also shared a bottle of white with some dear friends but all I remember is that it was from Tres Suenos - must have been the Chardoney but I am not sure. Finally, I had a Chianti from Ecco Domani that is not only very nice to drink but when combined with tomatoes, garlic, and balsamic vinegar makes a wonderful sauce for shrimp.

Eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow... is another glorious day!

Important Opinion Poll Information

I read on another blog yesterday the frustration the blogger had with the opinion poll/survey sent to her by a political party. All the questions were skewed in such a way that to answer them meant you must agree with that party or be a horrible person who doesn't support law enforcement, clean water, and national security. The party which sent the survey doesn't matter because it could be either one - I've seen the same type of correspondence from both.

This brings me to the point of my post - before believing any opinion poll, go to their website and carefully read the questions. So are crafted to elicit an honest response but, some are crafted to elicit the "right" response to be able to provide the perfect poll results to punctuate their platform - again, both parties and most PAC's do this. Let's not be led around by the nose but be informed, educated voters.

Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop

An interesting story - OU Bombing Wasn't Suicide . I really am not a conspirist. I tend to think the simplist explanation is the best one but I also know it is foolish to discount fact when determining what version of a story is accurate. Every story has variables, and not every variable carries the same amount of 'weight.' For instance, if someone is reporting about a car accident, the color of shirt worn by the liable party is not usually a material fact but is a light-weight variable. Another example would be the decorative graphics adorning the vehicle doors. But, what if the color of the shirt is brown, and the graphics on the car he drove into the line of people outside a bar resembled representations of the symbol of the Arian Nation.

In the above scenario, a thinking person might read about the story and wonder if all the pertinent information is known - has all the evidence been sifted through? The shirt color and the car graphics may be nothing if you add to the story ice on the roadway, the man's employer was UPS, and he was a member of a Celtic study group. You see, the symbol mentioned earlier was a Celtic Cross, which is used by a British Arian organization. The reason for the collision, was first unknown, then took on a more sinister feel with a little more information, and now, though not totally settled, is looking more like an actual accident - an unplanned event. The ultimate determination may come several months down the rode once all witnesses and survivors are interviewed, any forensic evidence evaluated, and the event is reinacted.

So, a kid blew himself up outside an OU game. You know the drill by now; information trickles in - some official, some not, some factual, and some speculation. Last I heard, this young man was despondant and took his own like - end of story. I did have that little niggling in the back of my mind, the one that says I need to connect some dots, the one that reminds me to be persceptive without prognosticating. " I wonder what new info the investigation will uncover."

News Flash - the Norman, OK police just stated "NORMAN - A Norman police bomb expert said Tuesday he does not believe University of Oklahoma student Joel Henry Hinrichs III committed suicide by blowing himself up outside a packed football stadium.

"I believe he accidentally blew himself up," Sgt. George Mauldin said.

Mauldin said Hinrichs, 21, an engineering student, had two to three pounds of triacetone triperoxide, commonly known as TATP, in a backpack in his lap when it exploded Oct. 1.

When asked if he believed Hinrichs meant to enter the stadium with the explosives, Mauldin replied, "I don't believe he intended for an explosion to occur at that spot (on the park bench)."

"Some of us will forever wonder what he (Hinrichs) was doing at that time, at that place," Police Chief Phil Cotten said.

Hinrichs was sitting on a park bench 173 yards from the OU stadium during the second quarter of OU's night game against Kansas State when the TATP inside his backpack detonated..." see above link to story from The Oklahoman

The plot thickens...

The Wonders of Technology

I have learned, again, to never say never when it comes to the progress of science and technology. And, being the optimist that I am, my heart is warmed with the knowledge that somewhere, out there, someone is working on the solution to so many of life's little problems; being the capitalist that I am, my heart is warmed knowing that where there's a market, there's a way.

I have worn glasses to correct my nearsightedness since I was 8 yrs old. Well, to be more accurate, I should say mostly since I was 8. I remember 'accidentally' losing my glasses at least one time and vehemently resisting wearing them for quite a spell before I gave in and realized how wonderful life could be in clear, sharp focus.

More times than I could count, friends who were similarly afflicted with faulty focus would come to school without their glasses and could miraculously see! Contact lenses... Being from an extremely humble situation in life, my mom struggled to pay for the glasses I had - contacts were for people in better economic condition.

I remember as a teen, one of my best vacations in my life was a 2 week backpacking trip in the Sange de Cristo mountains in my beloved Colorado. "Everyone needs sunglassess!" was a constant refrain from those helping to outfit us for the excursion. To those who have good enough vision a quick trip to K-Mart and $3.00 allowed them to cross that requirement off the list but, to a myopic teen of limited means one pair of prescription glasses every 2 or 3 years was quite a feat and since those were needed for school work and, well, walking, they needed to be clear lenses. I too, went to a store, I think it was Wards, an bought some sunglasses - aviator style (they've become all the rage, again!) with the oil slick-looking coating. They were cool and I looked great in them. They protected my eyes but not the rest of my body when I kept tripping on the things I couldn't see.

At various times through the years, as my economic prospects brightened, I'd ask the optometrists I would see about contact lenses. For the first few years the answers were, "No, because you have an astigmatism.); then the answer was, "Yes, you can get toric lenses for $300 each lens."

Two days ago, I asked the latest eye doctor about options. He said laser surgery was an option that would run me "three grand" (note to self, research the history of the word grand and how it came to mean thousand dollars) but, he asked if I had ever thought about contacts. I snickered to myself, "Had I ever thought about contacts? Of course, I had you silly young thing!" Out loud I said, "I understand toric lens are quit costly." Not so much anymore, it turns out.

So, I my go get ready for work by sticking a piece of plastic to each of my eyeballs. Tomorrow, I will go to the mall, thinking fondly of ZZ Top.."go get yourself some cheap sunglasses..."