In an effort to keep their readership informed, yesterday's Boston Herald had a run-down on how each state representative feels about legalized gambling in the Bay State. I was kind of shocked to hear that my state rep was solidly for it. Because the Queen Dee used to work for a state rep and convinced me that our elected officials sometimes actually care about our opinions I felt compelled to give Representative William Galvin a piece of my mind. Regardless of how you stand on the issue, you have the right to let your representative know how you feel - after all you should "value your opinion". Not sure who your rep is? Mass.Gov explains all......
Dear Representative Galvin,
I read in this morning's Herald that you are currently leaning towards approving casinos in Massachusetts. Respectfully, I am sure that I'm not the first constituent to bring up the point that gambling is a terrible affliction that ruins countless lives. Furthermore, as a lifelong resident of your district I am appalled that this Administration is confident that we can simply gamble our way out of a looming fiscal crisis.
Mr. Galvin, I understand the pressure that the Commonwealth is under to deliver services without raising tolls and taxes. However, I firmly believe that building three casinos will wreak havoc on our already crumbling infrastructure and do little to address the true problem that has always plagued this Commonwealth: over-spending. Erecting brick and mortar casinos is a band-aid that will provide badly needed funds only until the Web 2.0/Second Life eventually reders these buildings obsolete. As a taxpayer, I sleep a little better at night knowing that our elected officials are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to responsible, long-term solutions that benefit every member of our society.
I appreciate your attention to this matter.
Best Regards,
Pahkcah02
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Friday, September 28, 2007
But Seriously, It Never Does Get Old
Aside from having an automatic organ donor should I ever need one, another benefit to having a twin are the quirky inside jokes that we share. Since we have similar personalities, we also have strikingly identical eating habits which was a huge problem growing up since if it wasn't a hot dog or chicken nugget neither of us would touch it. Yeah, I get it - we were really fortunate to have a mom who put in the time and effort each night to ensure that we had a hot and nutritious family dinner. However, out of all the experimental meals my mom managed to find in Family Circle magazine, none were as reviled by the Troll and I as stuffed peppers. My mom informed me that she and my dad were having stuffed peppers for dinner last night and Troll and I had a good laugh about that one. It never does get old, does it?
To: Troll
From: Pahkcah02
Date: 9/27/2007, 13:34
Subject: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
Melissa,
I wouldn't normally bother you at work but this is kind of urgent - you may want to head towards BWI right after work and grab the 4:30 Airtran flight to Boston. What's the emergency?
Mom announced that she and dad are having stuffed peppers for dinner. I would hate for you to miss out on all the fun.
luv, me
To: Pahkcah02
From: Troll
Date: 9/27/2007, 14:05
Subj: Re: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
Pick me up at Logan at 6. Beg mom and dad to wait for me so that I don't miss a minute of the excitement :)
To: Troll
From: Pahkcah02
Date: 9/27/2007; 14:09
Subj: Re: Re: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
I just called mom. She was going to eat at 5:30 but since you're coming in, she said that she'll hold off on serving dinner til 7. I hope they bought enough. Personally, I'm good for 5 or 6 stuffed peppers - I like them even better than tuna casserole or tomato mac 'n cheese.
To: Pahkcah02
From: Troll
Date: 9/27/2007; 20:29
Subj: Re: Re: Re: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
Hi,
Apparently you've told mom that I don't approve of her meal choices. She wanted to know where to mail the leftover stuffed peppers, home or school :) I did get her to admit that even the dog wasn't interested in partaking in tonight's meal. Gee, I can't imagine why.
To: Troll
From: Pahkcah02
Date: 9/27/07; 21:03
Subj: Re: Re: Re: Re: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
Mom doesn't understand why we'll eat raw fish that until seconds before arriving on a plate had a pulse but we won't eat her stuffed peppers. Do you want to field that one? BTW, way throw me under the bus. Don't come crying to me when you need a kidney.
To: Troll
From: Pahkcah02
Date: 9/27/2007, 13:34
Subject: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
Melissa,
I wouldn't normally bother you at work but this is kind of urgent - you may want to head towards BWI right after work and grab the 4:30 Airtran flight to Boston. What's the emergency?
Mom announced that she and dad are having stuffed peppers for dinner. I would hate for you to miss out on all the fun.
luv, me
To: Pahkcah02
From: Troll
Date: 9/27/2007, 14:05
Subj: Re: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
Pick me up at Logan at 6. Beg mom and dad to wait for me so that I don't miss a minute of the excitement :)
To: Troll
From: Pahkcah02
Date: 9/27/2007; 14:09
Subj: Re: Re: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
I just called mom. She was going to eat at 5:30 but since you're coming in, she said that she'll hold off on serving dinner til 7. I hope they bought enough. Personally, I'm good for 5 or 6 stuffed peppers - I like them even better than tuna casserole or tomato mac 'n cheese.
To: Pahkcah02
From: Troll
Date: 9/27/2007; 20:29
Subj: Re: Re: Re: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
Hi,
Apparently you've told mom that I don't approve of her meal choices. She wanted to know where to mail the leftover stuffed peppers, home or school :) I did get her to admit that even the dog wasn't interested in partaking in tonight's meal. Gee, I can't imagine why.
To: Troll
From: Pahkcah02
Date: 9/27/07; 21:03
Subj: Re: Re: Re: Re: YOU ARE NEEDED IN STOUGHTON IMMEDIATELY
Mom doesn't understand why we'll eat raw fish that until seconds before arriving on a plate had a pulse but we won't eat her stuffed peppers. Do you want to field that one? BTW, way throw me under the bus. Don't come crying to me when you need a kidney.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Whoda Thunk?
Make your friends fit your diet — not blow it
When eating with others, we lose track of how much we munch
By Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 9:37 a.m. ET Sept 21, 2007
A recent study showed that overweight people are more likely to have overweight friends. That makes sense in a "birds of a feather" kind of way.
We like to spend time with people who are like us. Similar people make us feel comfortable. A person with a weight problem may not enjoy hanging out with a thin person or a friend on a diet. The chubbier, nondieting friend may feel pressured to lose weight or be inhibited about enjoying certain foods.
As it turns out, not only does your diet influence which friends you pick, your friends influence your diet.
It can be a great joy to share food with friends. But when we dine with people we like, it's easy to lose track of how much we eat. In the excitement of conversation, we don't notice how many rolls we've eaten, if we're on our second serving — or perhaps third — of pasta.
Among friends, we also tend to eat for a longer period of time than when alone. We are having fun, and we want to hear or tell a funny story.
Eating is like shopping
Besides, it's just good manners to wait until everyone is done eating until we push off from the table . And eating is like shopping: the longer you stay at the mall, the more you buy. The longer you stay at the table, the more you tend to eat.
This tendency to chow down among friends is so strong that it is almost mathematically predictable, according to John de Castro, psychologist at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
On average, if you dine with one other person you will eat about 35 percent more than if you were alone. (Spouses don't have this effect because couples tend to get into a regular eating pattern and consume about the same amount.)
If you eat with a party of seven or more, you will gobble up 96 percent more, or nearly twice as much. Sound like Thanksgiving? And if you get a table for four, you will end up right in the middle, eating about 75 percent more calories than if you dined alone.
This may be one reason why close friends and family tend to weigh about the same. Some families are skinny and some families are not. If there are a majority of overweight people in a family, it is more difficult to lose weight because the frequency, quantity and time spent eating puts more pressure on the person who is trying to diet.
Enjoy alone time
But don't worry; this doesn't mean you have to choose between having friends and having a waistline. Just model yourself off of the right friends.
If you’re trying to lose weight, go to lunch with your Atkins-approved pals, not the group who usually ends up wolfing down pizza at midnight.
Also, sit next to slow eaters who can help you pace your eating, not the speed eaters who eat like they grew up in a family of 12.
And if you're going out to dinner with a few chums, follow the "rule of two." Limit yourself to two items in addition to the entrée. That could be a small appetizer and dessert, or two pieces of bread. But you can't have more than two.
If you follow these simple strategies, you won't feel deprived, you'll be less likely to overeat and you can still be popular.
Brian Wansink, Ph.D. is director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. His book "Mindless Eating — Why We Eat More Than We Think" has just been published in paperback.
© 2007 MSNBC Interactive
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20396353/
When eating with others, we lose track of how much we munch
By Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 9:37 a.m. ET Sept 21, 2007
A recent study showed that overweight people are more likely to have overweight friends. That makes sense in a "birds of a feather" kind of way.
We like to spend time with people who are like us. Similar people make us feel comfortable. A person with a weight problem may not enjoy hanging out with a thin person or a friend on a diet. The chubbier, nondieting friend may feel pressured to lose weight or be inhibited about enjoying certain foods.
As it turns out, not only does your diet influence which friends you pick, your friends influence your diet.
It can be a great joy to share food with friends. But when we dine with people we like, it's easy to lose track of how much we eat. In the excitement of conversation, we don't notice how many rolls we've eaten, if we're on our second serving — or perhaps third — of pasta.
Among friends, we also tend to eat for a longer period of time than when alone. We are having fun, and we want to hear or tell a funny story.
Eating is like shopping
Besides, it's just good manners to wait until everyone is done eating until we push off from the table . And eating is like shopping: the longer you stay at the mall, the more you buy. The longer you stay at the table, the more you tend to eat.
This tendency to chow down among friends is so strong that it is almost mathematically predictable, according to John de Castro, psychologist at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
On average, if you dine with one other person you will eat about 35 percent more than if you were alone. (Spouses don't have this effect because couples tend to get into a regular eating pattern and consume about the same amount.)
If you eat with a party of seven or more, you will gobble up 96 percent more, or nearly twice as much. Sound like Thanksgiving? And if you get a table for four, you will end up right in the middle, eating about 75 percent more calories than if you dined alone.
This may be one reason why close friends and family tend to weigh about the same. Some families are skinny and some families are not. If there are a majority of overweight people in a family, it is more difficult to lose weight because the frequency, quantity and time spent eating puts more pressure on the person who is trying to diet.
Enjoy alone time
But don't worry; this doesn't mean you have to choose between having friends and having a waistline. Just model yourself off of the right friends.
If you’re trying to lose weight, go to lunch with your Atkins-approved pals, not the group who usually ends up wolfing down pizza at midnight.
Also, sit next to slow eaters who can help you pace your eating, not the speed eaters who eat like they grew up in a family of 12.
And if you're going out to dinner with a few chums, follow the "rule of two." Limit yourself to two items in addition to the entrée. That could be a small appetizer and dessert, or two pieces of bread. But you can't have more than two.
If you follow these simple strategies, you won't feel deprived, you'll be less likely to overeat and you can still be popular.
Brian Wansink, Ph.D. is director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. His book "Mindless Eating — Why We Eat More Than We Think" has just been published in paperback.
© 2007 MSNBC Interactive
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20396353/
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
For a Squeaky Clean Shine
Because I live all of my waking hours in a 1 bedroom condo, I generally try to keep it as clean as humanly possible. While I don't especially mind cleaning on an almost daily basis, one job that I really dread is mopping the kitchen and bathroom floors. Obviously there are a lot of people who feel the same way I do about this unglorious task so the cleaning industry has responded by inventing Swiffer-type products.
In addition to owning a traditional mop, I also have a Clorox Ready Mop for those quick, in-between cleanings. Everything was fine until last week, when I literally cracked my Ready Mop in half in a feeble attempt to get a stain off my kitchen floor. Yesterday I mosied on down to my local Wal-Mart to replace it.
Unbeknownst to me, apparently the Swiffer craze has created a whole industry based on disposable cleaning products. Reduce, reuse, and recycle be damned when it comes to creating a need for things like disposable toilet brushes and mopping pads which must be replaced everytime you use them. Wal-Mart literally has an entire aisle dedicated to one-use sponges and car cleaners.
The cleaning industry almost guilts you into buying their new disposable products. Who knew that by cleaning something I was actually spreading even more germs? I was about ready to pick out a new Swiffer until I saw something that scared me even more than germs themselves: a $20 price tag just for the unit. Add that to the $10 disposable mopping pads and $4 cleaner and it became very apparent that my floor wasn't going to be the only thing getting the once-over.
Rather than cough up that kind of money only to be forced to buy expensive replacement parts, I went for the $3 old-fashioned floor cleaner. Sure it may take an extra five minutes to clean the floors but I'm humble enough to admit that 5 minutes of my leisure time isn't worth the additional investment in a Swiffer.
I'm not not as much of an environmentalist as I am a cheapskate. Therefore, I find it absolutely batty that someone would invest in a throw-away product when they can purchase a longer-lasting product for a fraction of the price. As far as the spreading germ theory, whatever doesn't kill you will only make you stronger, right?
In addition to owning a traditional mop, I also have a Clorox Ready Mop for those quick, in-between cleanings. Everything was fine until last week, when I literally cracked my Ready Mop in half in a feeble attempt to get a stain off my kitchen floor. Yesterday I mosied on down to my local Wal-Mart to replace it.
Unbeknownst to me, apparently the Swiffer craze has created a whole industry based on disposable cleaning products. Reduce, reuse, and recycle be damned when it comes to creating a need for things like disposable toilet brushes and mopping pads which must be replaced everytime you use them. Wal-Mart literally has an entire aisle dedicated to one-use sponges and car cleaners.
The cleaning industry almost guilts you into buying their new disposable products. Who knew that by cleaning something I was actually spreading even more germs? I was about ready to pick out a new Swiffer until I saw something that scared me even more than germs themselves: a $20 price tag just for the unit. Add that to the $10 disposable mopping pads and $4 cleaner and it became very apparent that my floor wasn't going to be the only thing getting the once-over.
Rather than cough up that kind of money only to be forced to buy expensive replacement parts, I went for the $3 old-fashioned floor cleaner. Sure it may take an extra five minutes to clean the floors but I'm humble enough to admit that 5 minutes of my leisure time isn't worth the additional investment in a Swiffer.
I'm not not as much of an environmentalist as I am a cheapskate. Therefore, I find it absolutely batty that someone would invest in a throw-away product when they can purchase a longer-lasting product for a fraction of the price. As far as the spreading germ theory, whatever doesn't kill you will only make you stronger, right?
Monday, September 24, 2007
Welcome to Worcester (the state charges a dollar, twenty-five)
Would a Cleary have it any other way? With a lot of help from this amazing Worcester clan, I managed to successfully pull of a bachelorette and shower for our girl Missy this weekend. We started off with a wonderful brunch at the Spencer Country Inn, followed by lots of oohing and aaahing over crockpots, Corningware, and place settings. Of course, no Worcester trip would be complete without a pit stop at the Cherry Valley American Legion, or sleeping in an actual camper. Congratulations, Missy!
This is how we roll, yo
All dolled up and ready to go
Doesn't everyone check their Blackberry in the middle of a bachelorette celebration??
A competitve round of capture the underwear
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Don't Be Mad Cause I'm Stylin'
Because I work out of my bedroom when I'm not travelling, I consider any outfit that requires shoes to be dress-up clothes these days. Granted, it's not often that I get to leave the Canton compound which is good, as some of the stuff people are wearing nowadays is downright scary. Not like I'm some sort of fashionista, but I do find some of the outfits worn by folks in our metropolitan areas to be a bit odd. Stuff that annoys me:
1. Short sleeve shirts with ties: Unless you are working for the Geek Squad, suck it up and wear a real dress shirt. I assure you that you're still gonna be roasting in 95 degree weather, regardless of the length of your shirt sleeves.
2. Short sleeve suits: popular with the over 40 set the world over. Nothing screams "I spent $30 on this suit at Kohls" like a lady sporting a bright red short sleeve suit.
3. Capri pants with hooker boots: Shiver me timbers - you look like a pirate! As punishment for wearing something so horrific you can walk the plank in lieu of your 10am nicotine fix.
4. Army BDU's for the paper-pushing soldier (mostly DC): Al-Qaeda may be enemy #1 for the army but I assure you that a dress shirt and trousers are a close runner-up. I know that they're all very excited about their fancy new uniforms but unless one is actually in combat, they do little to flatter one's figure. Perhaps more people would enlist if they were able to wear cuter uniforms?
5. Green "Monsta" Red Sox shirts: I'm sure your friends back in fly-over country get a big kick out of this one. I hope someone steals your wallet, you fucking tourist.
6. Pink shirts on guys: You're not metrosexual, you're probably just an asshole. Go drink your Stella Artois on the opposite side of the bar, please.
7. White socks: If you have to buy any clothing item in a pre-sealed package of 6 then they are to be donned at the gym and the gym only.
1. Short sleeve shirts with ties: Unless you are working for the Geek Squad, suck it up and wear a real dress shirt. I assure you that you're still gonna be roasting in 95 degree weather, regardless of the length of your shirt sleeves.
2. Short sleeve suits: popular with the over 40 set the world over. Nothing screams "I spent $30 on this suit at Kohls" like a lady sporting a bright red short sleeve suit.
3. Capri pants with hooker boots: Shiver me timbers - you look like a pirate! As punishment for wearing something so horrific you can walk the plank in lieu of your 10am nicotine fix.
4. Army BDU's for the paper-pushing soldier (mostly DC): Al-Qaeda may be enemy #1 for the army but I assure you that a dress shirt and trousers are a close runner-up. I know that they're all very excited about their fancy new uniforms but unless one is actually in combat, they do little to flatter one's figure. Perhaps more people would enlist if they were able to wear cuter uniforms?
5. Green "Monsta" Red Sox shirts: I'm sure your friends back in fly-over country get a big kick out of this one. I hope someone steals your wallet, you fucking tourist.
6. Pink shirts on guys: You're not metrosexual, you're probably just an asshole. Go drink your Stella Artois on the opposite side of the bar, please.
7. White socks: If you have to buy any clothing item in a pre-sealed package of 6 then they are to be donned at the gym and the gym only.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Good Morning, Baltimore
After meaning to do so for several weeks, I finally downloaded the Hairspray soundtrack off of iTunes. I saw the film while visiting the Troll in Maryland earlier this summer. Obviously, both the Sun and Baltimore magazine gave the movie 5 stars. That's why I love the irony of the South. Let's take a horrific issue like segregation, add a musical score to the era, and make Jim Crow appear to be almost nostalgic. Regardless, the new Hairspray ran circles around the Ricki Lake version and I wholeheartedly recommend you check it out. The cast is fantastic and I'll likely be blaring "You Can't Stop the Beat" from the Crossfire for a long while.
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