Microphone Please ...

Ok, so here is something new that came up last night that bothered me.  Playing poker with some friends of mine and as always some discussion will come up that will get a little heated or debated.  I have one friend who is a doctor, well two really but this one is more of your family practice doctor.  Now, I really like this guy.  He has a humor all his own and sometimes he just says things a little off the cuff that tends to come off as a bit abrasive.  I don’t think he means it, its just his nature.  When I showed up he made a comment about my stomach being a bit more pronounced and asked if I was gaining weight or was it maybe how I had my shirt tucked in.  I noted a couple of things right away, one being that whenever I have a big meal that my stomach tends to distend.  Now understand that I am in a room full of guys who all think they are comedians.  So out comes some of the pokes and jabs when I am being serious.  Its not so much what I eat as much as it is that when I do eat it distends and then after a few hours it goes back down.   My thought is that when I eat I either swallow air or its part of me aggravating my liver which causes other issues.  But you know how guys are, they all think they’re funny in some respect and don't really care to talk about the reality of the issue.

The second point being is that there is a long history of diabetes in my family running a few generations.  In the last few years I have gradually lost some 70lbs.  the last 20 being in the last 6 months or so with my wife changing her lifestyle and loosing 95 lbs in a year.  What anyone who has undergone huge weigh loss will tell you is that the first thing that comes off is the arms and legs fat and the last is the stomach.  The very nature of how most weightless works.  Another issue that also has concerned me is that maybe is a byproduct of wasting from diabetes.  If you don’t know what wasting is with respect to diabetes, Google it, I wont bother going over it.  I know what it already is. 

So now to the meat of my subject.  Its always funny that when you bring up a topic like weightloss it is always the skinniest person at the table that has the most to say.  One of the guys made the point of “Well maybe if you just work out harder and eat more salad  blah blah blah..” you know the routine.  When I bring up the rebuttal of “I eat no differently in my lifestyle if not less then you.”  They look at you funny and thing “Well that can’t be right, look at you”.  I know this is just ignorance.  Its the whole Jillian Michael PUT DOWN THAT DONUT YOUR FAT mentality.  The truth is that two people can live the exact same lifestyle, hell the one with diabetes could live even a more constringent lifestyle and because of genetic factors, he can still be overweight and have high cholesterol or diabetes.  I’m not saying there probably isn't more I could do sure, but I am more frustrated by other peoples ignorance of the matter then anything else.  Its always easiest for the thin person to point fingers and to line out a lifestyle they themselves wouldn’t even do if they were in the same shoes.  I’m not laying blame, I just think more people need to take the shoe out of their mouth.

So back on the discussion that I was having with this doctor.  Immediately its off to the talk of well with diabetes you really have to look into controlling everything about your aspect of life.  Working out and itemizing everything you do in your life.  Ok, this I have to agree with 100%.  I am not denying that it is a HUGE lifestyle change.  Let me be clear, there is NO cure for diabetes!  There will never be one.  Not everyone's body is designed the same way and not everyone can commit to a huge lifestyle change.  Sometimes the cards are just dealt the way they are dealt.  Not a copout but I chose my lifestyle.  We only have 24 hrs in the day, I work 9, I sleep 8 and what time is left of the rest of the 8 in the day is pretty damn precious to me and working out an hour of the day just doesn't fit into it.  So finding he treatment that fits MY lifestyle is going to be key for me.  Ok so here again, you’re thinking oooh you mean eating cheeseburgers and pizza every day isn't going to work either.  No…. that again is ignorance on your part.  Another person I play poker with is one of those “Iron Man” Olympia kind of guys that does all the extreme bike rides, triathlons.  I’m sorry but this isn’t your every day kind of guy here.  First of all he is a TRUE type A personality.  If you have even known this person, you’d know exactly what it means.  This doesn't work for me either. 

What lifestyle fits for me is I have a job where I sit behind a computer some 9 hours out of the day answering phones.  My breakfast today was a bag of cheerios and my lunch will probably a turkey sandwich and dinner will be something light and moderate I’m sure as well.  I don’t snack in between as well.   Again, I am already hearing “well maybe you shouldn't eat those carbs and maybe don't eat the cheerios eat some oatmeal.”.  The reality is that its less then what most people eat and its a fairly health meal process.  But this is what I get so often in the topic.  You need to eat this and this, not even looking into the rational of what I am eating and that its no different then most peoples meal plan if not a little bit healthier. 

See this is my point, my internal battle isn't so much with how I feel but rather so much a struggle with what so many other peoples ignorance is about the subject.  All together really I feel fine.  I will give credit to one guy said on the table.  “Bud you 90% there is your heart is beating and you can get up and walk around.”  Thanks …  Nothing offensive, a positive comment and overall cordial.

On a lighter note, yeah I do continue to work my diet.  More later on the medical community, treatments for disease etc next time.

I went to my local grocer chain today to get my usual lunch.  Turkey smoke stack if you’re interested.  In a trend of trying to compete, this store has changed their shelves and looks approx some 4-5 times in the last 10 years.  More recently then ever though they have been making employee changes and shelving changes.  Its like a rat in a maze now trying to find anything.  They are constantly trying to appeal to the crowd that managed to pay more by shopping at places like Central Market. 

Now here is what I have to say on this.  People that shop at central market, shop there because that is THE place they want to go and be seen as well as tell others they have been there.  Realistically, I don't care.  But what my store has to understand is this.  People that shop at Central Market shop there because it IS central market.  Places like Tom Thumb, Kroger or Albertsons are places I got to get my groceries.  Not a place that I choose to hang out and be “seen” but rather get my eggs, milk, bread etc and go. 

Now for the “go” part.  I’m sorry, I know this economy sucks but the only part of society that corporations have not figured how to outsource is the grocer cashiers/baggers/stockers etc.  Although I am damned sure that if you could put Haji ramakasunaram in front of a webcam in India and have his face greet you at the checkout they would.  I will absolutely refuse to shop there when they do.  The key reason why I go to the store that I choose is because of the people.  As of late though they have let go some of the key people that I really appreciated.  Now when I go into my local store I have one express checkout, which btw they always put the new guy on and don't ask me why, and the rest are 4 self checkout scanners and one person standing in front of a screen.  Ok, again… I REFUSE TO USE THE SELF CHECKOUT.  Sorry if it is my punishment, but what is the point of even opening the express checkout of its THE ONLY friggin checkout manned in the store.  GAH!  Lady in front of me today had a whole friggen vegetable and fruit garden and the guy at the checkout had to look each one up in a book.  

Why is it that stores are punishing the consumer?  See it used to be if you didn't like the store you told them “Fine I'm going someplace else”.  But now they have done two things.  The large stores destroyed the mom and pop biz with competing services and now that those stores are gone, they have succumbed to destroying what service they were giving us.  Don’t believe me.  Go into Wal-Mart sometime.  24 registers and 3 of them are manned.  1 at mine after 9pm.  11 at night I go in there and there is a line all the way back to women's clothes and nobody will come open another register.  GAH!

I can’t tell you how many times I have left the buggy sitting right in the middle of the store and walked out because of the stores incompetence.  I refuse to deal with it.  If I could get a majority of my groceries online and shipped to me, I would do it.   We had a group called pee-pod here that did it, I loved it.  It was another one of those good things that don't last.  Damn shame.  Stores today are seeing the industry die to the web markets of today/tomorrow.  Malls are drying up along with a variety of major chain stores.  Why ??  Its simple.  You keep putting management so far removed from there chains until the point that all they are seeing is a number… $$$$.  That's it.  Well eventually more people like me will be leaving the buggies in the isle and going someplace else.  You want my business, offer me services.  The people make the store chains work.  Especially the grocers.  Not the food or prices.  I can get my groceries anyplace but again I’ll got to the place that will offer me the best service and price combined not just price.

Lets see how a picture post works for me.

This was taken when we first brought chi-chi home.

So anothere year has passed us all by.  I’m not sure what really came of it to tell you the truth.  I am tired of the politics and watching people I know loose jobs they have had for years.  It seems as its just a blur.  I’m still employed, but with IBM nobody knows how long that will last.  I just have to keep counting my blessings.  My kids are healthy and moving thru school with a nudge or two. 

It was the year of facebook for me though.  Several people I know from highschool have added me as friends and its been interesting on that front.  I can’t say that I have a lot to complaint about but it feels like I don’t have a lot to be overjoyed about either.  Lets see how 2010 works out.  Ooh and I have windows 7 up and running so I decided to try this through the windows live blog editor.

Julez