this is way beyond my remote concern of being condescending

the following is imported from sarah's blag:

.....

"I was at this meal, and it came up that one of the people was a smoker, and somebody else at the table started hectoring them about it.  'What's the matter with you?  Don't you know how bad it is for you?  It'll do this, that and the other thing to you... and you really should stop.'  And the smoker, rather than saying 'fuck you, mind your own business,' which I think, is the appropriate response, was abashed and defensive.  'Oh, I tried to quit,' and 'yeah, I'm gonna try again,' and 'you're right, you're right' and so on.

At the same table, there was a quite large woman, and I was wondering, what if this guy, instead of confronting the smoker, had said to the large woman.  'What's the matter with you, you fat pig?  Don't you know how dangerous it is to be so overweight?'  and 'Stop eating, for God's sake, and don't you dare get dessert' and 'What's the matter with you?'  Same logic.  I'd be hard-pressed to find a distinction between those two examples.  So one is now socially acceptable - to hector smokers - but the other one isn't quite yet."

- Supersize Me

Seriously, obese people are so disgusting.  I wish I could walk up to people on the street and tell them that they are taking up too much space, and that they are a strain on society.  (Fat people take up more room on the subways, eat more than their share, are extremely difficult to care for in a hospital setting, are difficult to transport in ambulances, cause planes to be over their maximum weight and therefore unsafe to fly, etc.)  It isn't that hard to control your intake, to walk a few extra steps.  And their excuses are so lame and stupid.  The can't afford a gym membership... "walk to the gym and back, and you'll have gotten exercise for free" or they don't have time to cook... "It's just as easy and cheap to buy an apple and carrot sticks as a big mac."  People are so oblivious, they will eat anything they want regardless of what is good for their body.  For example, me and sukhdeep got cupcakes yesterday.  The average person would have been like "Today I had a snack.  It was a cupcake."  But what we think is "I had been waiting all week for a treat like a cupcake.  I budgeted my calories so that the 450-550 calories in a Crumbs cupcake would still allow my daily intake to be be below 1500, and I'm not planning to eat any other high caloric items (that have no nutritional value) for at least several days."

I am really grateful to have a friend like suki who knows about nutrition.  Because in terms of food, just about everyone else makes me want to puke.  I'm not sorry if this offends you, because if it does, you probably eat too many calories and don't exercise enough.

.....

Gosh, I love Sarah. Props for your unabashed blog. Obese people don't disgust me, but I really feel people should at least be conscious of what is going into their bodies.  (Although I can agree in most instances, it is their own fault).  It's not even about being fat or skinny, it's about being healthy.  I was never overweight, but I used to be super gross.  I didn't eat a lot, but what I ate was absolutely disgusting.  I counted calories and thought that was all that mattered.  And I did that simply because I didn't know any better.  One nutrition class and several books and articles later, I have a new found appreciation for healthful eating and exercise.  I weigh more than I used to when I ate junk because I eat more and gained muscle mass, and I feel pretty damn great even though the numbers went up the scale (I'm talking 10+ pounds).  I cut the majority of Americans some slack though because the cheaper or more affordable chain restaurants serve unhealthy foods in literally double the recommended portions, so people learn to think that this is an okay amount to eat.  You know there is something wrong when I feel slightly sick/lethargic after not even finishing my entree at Friday's, Applebee's, etc, but feel great after an appetizer AND entree AND dessert at a high quality place. It costs these companies extra cents to put all that excess food on your plate, but then they can charge you dollars more and you feel alright about it because you have this big plate of food in front of you.  Oh yea, and that four dollar cup of "coffee" from starbucks?  Look around at the pseudo-art on the walls while you're waiting for your drink - realllllly take it in.. because thats where your money's going. You're furnishing an atmosphere that you've already become habituated to and fattening corporate wallets all for a shitty (but admittedly convenient) cup of joe. Our country pours millions of dollars into anti-drug and smoking campaigns, but we so quickly overlook the most basic way we poison ourselves.. AND its socially acceptable!!  Heart disease, not lung cancer, is the number one killer of Americans.  And what do you think is the number one cause of that?  Poor nutrition.   Its not like I'm perfect.  I eat cakes and cookies and desserts because I love them.  They make me so happy and are so wonderful.  But.. you have to keep in mind how much of that dessert you are eating.  This is going to sound so lame, but the first bite tastes the same as the last.. you really don't have to finish the wholeee thing every time.  Plus I try to balance it out by packing on the fruits and veggies the rest of the day.  It's your body - you only get one.  People put more thought into the gas that goes into their cars.  Isn't your body's fuel more important?!? Oh, and what annoys me most is when people say "why are you watching what you're eating?!  you don't need to be worrying."  pshhhhht.  why do you think i'm in shape... cause i maddd worry about it yo.  rant rant rant.  can you tell this is important to me yet?  haha -.-  It's actually probably a littttttle ridiculous how much i think about nutrition.  but i can't help it.  i love food & you wouldn't want something you love to hurt you, n'est pas?

you're living in manhattan. where you're really from, have you forgotten?

the salty smell of buttered popcorn overwhelmed me almost as much as the suburban preps and punks littering the theater as i walked into mega movies.  it was a friday night in central jersey, and i couldn't help but reminisce about a time when being at the movies (without your parents, how COOL are you?!?!)  was the social highlight of the week.  "liK omGgz, u wRnT at the mOviEz frI niTe?!!"  i felt decently ancient as i wondered if i truly was one of these silly over eager pre-teens once upon a time ago.

my mind's introspective trip into the past was brought back into real time when i saw jessie.  our first weekend home, and who do we hang out with?  each other =P (before you roll your eyes, she had free tickets ok! haha).  jessie is the sole existing link between my home life and school life.  if it weren't for her, they might as well be two completely different worlds.  everything that happens at school seems so ridiculously unreal if i think about it while i'm like grocery shopping with my mom or something.  jessie is the the unifier.  it is nice having someone to compare and contrast old bridge and new york with.  growing up, i was aware i lived in a suburban town and knew the stereotypes associated with such.  however, i wasn't able to candidly observe and wholly register them until i left.  i am obsessed with experiencing as much as i can, in part just to shed new light on what i already [think i] know.

with everyone at college, the nothingness to do in old bridge only becomes more apparent.  i think my brain compensated for this lack of stimulation by craving ice cream.  i mentioned that i was kind of in the mood for some frozen dessert to my brother later that night.  funny thing - for some reason, when two people who both sorta want ice cream mention this whim to one another, it instantaneously metamorphasizes from a "sorta craving" to an insatiable desire.  suddenly, you NEED that ice cream.  i inhaled a reeses peanut butter cup dasher sundae from carvel and he wolved down a birthday cake remix from coldstone.  yea, so we went to both - cravings will make you do crazy things!  then we rented a movie and sat on our gelatinous behinds and watched it.  well... he watched it, i fell asleep.  besides stuffing myself silly, i manage to accomplish little more during weekends home other than spend quality time with my bed.  i always bring some school work back with me - its kind of sad that i always believe i'll actually do something productive that particular weekend.

coming back to old bridge every so often keeps me grounded.  living in the city, life moves at warp speed, and you don't have much time to absorb it all.  its very boom boom bam.  coming home reminds me where i came from (duh), and it allows me to take in everything that has happened in the city and discern how i've changed in a more real way.  it's so easy to get lost in city life and forget you weren't always a manhattanite.  so for that, i am thankful to see stretches of turnpike, wal-mart, diners, and suburbians every few fridays.

i want to live where soul meets body

the new mediums in my life: 

1) clay - intro to ceramics (sculpture requirement)

2) video - intro to video art (media requirement)

3) food - i have a kitchen, and what is a bag of rice if not an empty canvas?

4) guitar - my mitchell is staring at me in disappointment at the moment

5) photo - my uncle dropped off his old minolta this morning

=)

and i do believe it's true that there are roads left in both of our shoes

someday i'm gonna be famous. do i have talent? well, no. these days you don't really need it.

my uncle (the chillest member of my family)  works across the river at morgan stanley, so we met up for some lunch at grimaldi's pizzeria this afternoon.  turning the corner on to old fulton st., i was greeted by my first run in on a movie shooting this semester, woo!  now, who's in this movie you ask?

my digital only has 3x zoom, but thats cameron diaz in the back of that cab yo.  (i should be able to take sweeter pictures soon tho because my uncle bought a brand new digital SLR, meaning sookie gets his manual!)  anyway, then they started rolling and my mouth dropped when suddenly a male actor came running out of nowhere!

ashton kutcher!!!  so i take it this is going to be a romantic comedy.  anyway, ashton was all running after cameron and stuff, but then he saw me.  

yea we got really close, and now i'm preggers.

i celebrated with roasted red pepper, mushroom, sundried tomato and onion brick oven pizza =)

yellow tides, golden eyes, red and white, red and wise

i could tell you about dinner at "village" tonight, but i'll show you my pictures instead..

stick your hands inside of my pockets

walking through the streets of my new home in the seaport area after living in the village, i often find myself wishing i was a human bulldozer, able to wipe slow moving tourists out of my path.  while water street is beautiful, i miss the charms of greenwich village.  

i felt the warmth of familiarity today as i walked into strand bookstore which is awesomely right near water.  i thought the strand on 12th was the one and only, so it was almost like stumbling across a picture of an old friend.  i love the strand - where else can you buy a book for a dollar?

the place has all the qualities and allure you would expect of a new york city bookstore.  i came across a section full of used CDs for $4 each.  I rummaged through the stacks only pausing momentarily to ponder what kind of sounds were yearning to be heard when i came across intriguing artist names.  i eventually decided on "the trucks" simply for their supa-fly CD design.  call me shallow.  i was also tempted to buy the "la bouche" CD i unearthed because "be my lover" is so awesome, but i put it back.  i think i'll randomly buy a CD from the strand at least once a month.  i know this has like a 95% chance of sucking, but i can't resist cheap thrills.

i also scored three books full of glossy prints of impressionist and contemporary art for two bucks each.  i think i shall go cut them out and tape them everywhere now.  peaceee.