New Year's Eve, Berlin, 1989...

The first after the fall of the wall....now THIS was a New Year's Eve celebration.

See, Santa?

I'm not only the one concerned. You're like one gingersnap away from diabetes. Heed the doc's advice, wouldja?

Buy Some Biodegradable Poop Bags, Wouldja?

When I first saw the headline in the Seattle Times that read Seattle City Council Bans Plastic Bags, I got really excited! I was going to plant a big fat one right on Seattle's kisser but then I read on and got all disappointed. How can such an eco driven city like Seattle still allow for plastic bags in so many cases, like for produce and take-out and as the writer of the article so astutely points out, "to pick up dog poop"? (Sorry, I love that a professional writer just used "poop" in a news article. Tee hee.) But let me get back to my rant. When you are cutting out only half of those plastic bags, that's not so much of a ban now, is it?

However, it is a step in the right direction of the ole' "harm reduction" model as we ex-social workers like to call it. But twenty plastic bags in a whale's stomach? Those are twenty plastic bags that didn't have to exist in the first place. (Yes, that's right, something that probably carried someone's damn soda may have contributed to the death of that majestic animal. Read the full article here.)

So here's something to add to your Christmas list. Or better yet, go straight to the resale shop and pick up a few canvas bags instead. It will cost you a whole 75 cents and your cans of beans won't fall through them. Wait...can it be? Eco friendly AND efficient? Oh, those German roots just keep popping through...

Awww!

Who knew that old magazines could be so cute?

Twenty Percent is Suddenly a Ridiculously High Number

A friend of mine recently made a confession to me:

"I can't help it. I really like The Biggest Loser," she practically whispered to me. "I actually watch it while I'm on the treadmill because I think, for God's sake, if that 500-pound person can run a few more minutes, I should be able to!"

And I get where she's coming from. Another friend recently told me about a marathon runner who was 76 years old. Umm, yeah...maybe I can aspire to that 5K next spring after all.

Then again, different folks, different strokes. What works me might not work for you. (And what works for the marathon runner definitely doesn't work for me.) I was just lamenting that I cannot run a decent distance on the treadmill anymore, yet (if I may toot my own horn here) I can tear it up in any cardio class for an hour straight. So what gives?

Who knows? I just keep doing whatever I can because I want to keep my body and soul in the healthiest shape possible. And although I am the first to scream that SKINNY IS NOT SYNONYMOUS WITH HEALTHY, there is indeed a weight issue in this country that needs to be addressed, especially among our children.

I came across this story the other day and was mortified by the accompanying chart. Twenty percent obesity rate among our nation's 6-11 year-olds?? That's not just appalling, it's downright scary. And as I read the story about this weight loss camp, I couldn't help but feel my heart sink slightly with every success story. Of course, I'm glad that these kids are working so hard to become physically healthy but are we really seeing teens who need to lose 100 pounds? And let's not kid ourselves. It's not as if anorexia amongst teens has plummeted and the pendulum is now swinging in the other direction. No, the "successful" Americans we are, we now have extreme weight issues on both ends of the spectrum.

And now many of us find ourselves buried under ridiculous quantities of holiday cookies and candy. It's cold and snowy and the idea of a five mile walk at 7am makes me want to throw my head under the blankets and hit the snooze button thirty-seven times. I might think of those kids and rationalize that I would be more likely to get up and go for an early morning walk if I, too, lived in North Carolina, not in the tundra that is Wisconsin. Call them reasons, call them excuses but for me, the reasons to get out of bed and stay active and healthy have just sky-rocketed. It's not just about me anymore. It's also about sending an important message to our kids that how we treat our bodies really does matter. Staying active, being cognizant of the food we are putting into our bodies, repeating the mantra, all things in moderation...now that's an amazing gift we could give to our youth.

Besides, if they can get the message out, we certainly can, too.

No Place for Ponies

I am the biggest sentimental sap ever but I would shed no tears to see this tradition die. Glad to see that animal rights advocates are finally getting themselves heard in regards to this issue. Not so easy to do over those taxi horns.