I only recently discovered www.BodyLoveWellness.com and Golda Poretsky, but I am glad that I did!

Last night I attended the free “How To Feel Sexy At Any Size Teleclass.” I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I was pleased to be on the listening end of so much positivity and self-love! (For a recording of the teleclass: http://tinyurl.com/sexyatanysizeteleclass) I think that this is perfect for those who are super new to fat acceptance/size acceptance or are simply struggling with low self-esteem or food issues. Since I’ve been a part of the FA movement (and publicly fat) for a few years now a lot of it was a reiteration of the same HAES (Healthy At Every Size) message, but valuable to be reminded none the less. But again, that positivity was a-flowin’!

The hostess of the teleclass was  Goddess Oceana who was very charming and full of love and positive energy. I have to say it though, Golda Poretsky was the star of the show. I really felt that she cared about us (those on the call). I just felt it! Ya know? I especially appreciated her message about pleasing the senses. We’re so overly self-aware sometimes that we aren’t! Does that make sense? I mean, we’re so worried about how we appear or seem to others that we forget to please ourselves at all. She suggests engaging each of the senses. Taking a walk without the phone or iPod and just enjoying the sights/sounds/smells/etc. Love this! I highly recommend it to everyone. Although I would add to this by suggesting bringing a camera. I have done this and look back fondly on those few snapshots of trees and whatnot that I witnessed on that solo stroll.

She also generously offered a free 1 on 1 session for the first 20 committed applicants and I am sure that those spots went fast!  At the end there was a Q&A session that I stuck around for as I am always curious. I appreciated hearing voices from various parts of the nation & London even! Again, so much positivity!

I highly recommend this teleclass as well as the BodyLoveWellness.com blog. The writing there is superb and now that I feel I know Golda a bit better, I’ll be staying up to date on the happenings there, too! (Definitely check out the Biggest Loser posts).

The shutter bug, that is! I’m gaga for photography now!

Okay, so it all started years and years ago (how dare you ask how many, even in your own head!). What started at first as a fun way to capture summer memories soon turned into a tried and true hobby. With disposable cameras and playing with light and shadow I was able to sell a couple of pictures of a nearby landscape to a mortuary company for their brochures. I thought, “This is IT! I’m a photographer!” but then that was it. I wasn’t selling any more and stopped even taking pics for awhile.

Planning our honeymoon meant buying a digital camera (with lots of memory) with all of the bells and whistles because I had no idea (and still don’t) if I’d ever go to Europe again. I got a Sony Cyber Shot and loved the hell out of it. I’d still be using it if it hadn’t completely died on me a couple months ago. It took quality video (w/sound) and great pics! We even blew up a pic from another vacation in Maui and it looks gorgeous!

Now I have a new baby. I’ve only had it a couple weeks, but it’s lovely! I got the Olympus Fe-47! She’s candy-apple red and comes with art filters and more! I haven’t had time to play with all of those features, but I know we’ll be together for a long time, so I’m not worries. She’s got 14 mega pixels, VGA video and 5X optical zoom! REAL ZOOM! WOW! And I got her for only $89! Oh yeah, you forgot I’m the bargain huntress! Ha! I got it on Amazon with an 8gig SD card. Super easy to use and light as a…small cell phone? It’s light!

So I was thinking that with summer here I should share not only my inspiration for taking said pics, but the tools of the trade (as they say) that I will be using to accomplish the task at hand. I don’t have an actual theme or specific project in mind yet, I figure inspiration will grab me when it’s ready, but here’s what I’ll be taking along for the ride (links at end of post):

My camera, my case, my tripod, my photo printer and I gotta ave one of these little clutch photo albums (will buy one soon, for sure!). I should be all set to take any shot I like, anywhere I like! WOOT! And all of these items are relatively inexpensive. And if you’re savvy, very cheap, even! Try eBay, y’all! And Amazon! Research & read up on the stuff you want and decide for yourself if they’re right for you or if they miss the mark. You’ll be surprised what just ten minutes of research can find ya!

What are you hobby’s tools? I wanna know! Thanks guys & happy snapping!

Olympus Fe-47: http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-FE-47-Digital-2-7-inch-Red/dp/B0031RGEOA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1277141999&sr=8-3

Paperchase Happy Noodle media case (I bought mine at Borders): http://www.paperchase.co.uk/p/469332/media-case-happy-noodle-design.html

Gorilla tripod: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=tripod+gorilla&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=21052615&ref=pd_sl_76eq158fju_b&msclkid=ced3152e3d76714995da70f2b71bb60d&mscbg=0

Polaroid PoGo Instant mobile Printer: http://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-CZA-10011B-Instant-Mobile-Printer/dp/B0019UGCLG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1277142120&sr=8-1

Photo clutch: http://www.amazon.com/Tapestry-Inch-Photo-Clutch-Album/dp/B003SDY016/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1UOA77SRXEUJB&colid=2QTOHNHT3NX70

Reading one of my favorite blogs of all time www.TheRotund.com today Marianne posted about a link that was shared with her and her horror at what this link informed her of. The link: http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Bioethicsforum/Post.aspx?id=4730&blogid=140

Her fabulously written post (and seriously, y’all should just be reading this): http://www.therotund.com/?p=861

How to explain this simply? Well, this Pediatric Urologist basically surgically removes part of little girls’ clits that are larger than average. This is an elective surgery that is performed with the parents permission. The girls are very young (5 or 6 years old) and thus have not fully developed, so who knows if their clits will eventually be larger than average or not. What’s more shocking is this doctor’s follow-up procedures and testing. I’d rather not get into it, but please go to one or both links for a better and fuller description. I’m far too disgusted at the moment to reiterate it here. Ugh! Vile sack of human filth I think that this “doctor” is. I cannot imagine in what situation a parent would think that this is the right thing to do. I feel for these little girls and hope that someone will stop this guy sooner rather than later!

And the directory for Cornell University with the Dr’s info as well as the Dean’s: http://www.med.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/phf

Yeah, sounds weird to me, too. But it gets weirder!
You see, “Karen” started out at 129 lbs and 5’4″. Um, that’s pretty slim on it’s own.
But see, the headline mentions “Healthy” and so I read on…(link to full article at the end of this post)

She had gained a total of 21 lbs. during a difficult and tragic period in her life. You see, she had never been more than 107 lbs. her entire adult life. Realizing that this wasn’t such a dramatic thing, she notes having “a very small frame.”

Look, I’m not calling shenanigans on this lady, I respect the fact that she didn’t feel healthy and decided to make a change in her life to get back to what she was used to. We all go through things in life that leave us feeling the need to change. I get that completely and have been there a few times myself. What I am calling bullshit on is this article.  I just don’t see how this lady losing 21 lbs is such news! I’ve known plenty of people who have lost 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 pounds. No one wrote an article about them!

And what about 3-5 years later on when most people have not only gained back what they lost, but more?! I don’t know that this would happen to “Karen” but for most of the human population, this is what happens, 98% of the time! I like that she mentions not worrying about a “number on a scale” and not focusing on a specific amount to lose. Rather she chose to simply become more active and get back to eating and cooking the things she loved. That is great! I personally think that more people should cook at home if they are able, because doing so absolutely gives you a better perspective on what you’re putting into your body.

Look, I don’t know why an article was written about this lady. I’m happy for her and wish her the best. I just don’t see how this is “news” or any sort of revelation what so ever. But, wev.

http://www.thatsfit.com/2010/06/14/karen-started-taking-care-of-herself-and-now-shes-a-size-2/?icid=main|main|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thatsfit.com%2F2010%2F06%2F14%2Fkaren-started-taking-care-of-herself-and-now-shes-a-size-2%2F

http://www.aolhealth.com/2010/06/16/obese-woman-lack-sex-partners-more-likely-to-get-pregnant-accidentally/?icid=main|main|dl3|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2F2010%2F06%2F16%2Fobese-woman-lack-sex-partners-more-likely-to-get-pregnant-accidentally%2F

Headline:

News Obese Woman Lack Sex Partners; More Likely to Get Pregnant Accidentally

While I appreciate the article’s use of the word fat more than obese, the rest of this article is pure rubbish! The fact that they say things like this, “Maybe women are more tolerant of tubby husbands than men are of tubby wives” says a lot to me. It’s all bullshit! I am a fat woman, not sure what my BMI# is, let’s say it’s 5,000; and I can assure you that I have never been in want of a sex partner in my life! I’m not entirely sure what the point of the study was. I mean, they site many factors like: researchers found that obese women were less likely to ask for birth control services, and thus, four times more likely to accidentally get pregnant. Pregnant fat women and their babies also faced a higher risk of complications and death than normal-weight women.

WTF?! Look, I cannot speak for the citizen of France, but in the US, well, I don’t have statistics, just my own life experiences. Still, my friends and I have never been shy about getting our birth control! And regardless of this I am appalled about the accidental pregnancy thing. I have worked very hard to be a responsible person and have stuck to my guns about not having kids until I’m ready (mentally &  financially). I suppose condoms aren’t a good enough birth control method or are simply ignored in this study? Why only address this issue for obese women? Ugh! It’s maddening!

While I agree that doctors need to get over their own issues (the article says embarrassment, as if?!) and ask the more difficult questions of their patients, what really needs to happen is for doctors to get over their own prejudices about fat people and treat them equally! Because some doctors see someone of my size and honestly ASSUME that I am not having sex. HA! That is a load of laughs! Trust me  guys, I am and I’m loving it!

“This is not a heart attack or a stroke…but it’s an important quality of life factor and a public health problem,” since when is sex equal in it’s “public health problem” label as a friggin’ heart attack?! Should I alert the FDA/CDC anytime I have a sexual drought? I had no idea they cared!

“It seems like a no-brainer,” he said. “If you lose weight, you will feel more attractive and that could improve your sex life.” Too bad there isn’t a permanent or successful weight loss program in existence that won’t shorten my life span or far far worse. UGH! Seriously? Doctors & scientists are saying this shit, guys! It’s ridiculous! Yet somehow this stuff is in the “news” every damned day. I feel plenty attractive NOW! When I was smaller no one told me I should be a model. Now at 300+lbs? Yes, someone said this to me yesterday! I have never felt better in my life! I have energy, I get shit done and I live a fantastic, while humble in it’s luxuries, life!

Just once I’d really love for some truth to get into the “news!”