Masticate on THAT, hump day

Man oh man. It has been quite the week! Oh wait, it's only Tuesday. That would make tomorrow "hump day", which is a name (or euphemism?) that I despise. It makes me think of a bell curve, which doesn't really make any sense if your time-line is Sunday through Saturday. I suppose if we were tracking general displeasure throughout the work week it might peak on Wednesday, making it the day of the hump in data. The bell curve is about probability though, right? So that makes any reasoning completely nonsensical.

Also, I think we should discourage the use of the word "hump" as much as possible in everyday conversation. It's weird and awkward.

You know what else is weird and awkward? The modern history of diets. Particularly the Fletcherizing movement of 1903, encouraging people to chew their food 32 times. The founder, Horace Fletcher, ingeniously reasoned through rhyme that, "Nature will castigate those who don't masticate." (Masticate means chew. Get your mind out of the gutter.)

In more urgent and important news, President Obama needs to cut down on the desserts according to his doctor. From Obama's other health downfall @LA Times:

The famously self-disciplined president who seemingly can't miss a morning workout has a secret craving: pie.

Skipping dessert won't be easy. The Thanksgiving menu at the White House included six kinds of pie.

SIX (6) KINDS OF PIE? As in, 5 + 1 = 6? WHO WOULDN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SIX KINDS OF PIE?! I would be disappointed if Obama wasn't eating loads of gourmet pies, cobblers, tarts, et al. More disappointed than health care.

And also, who doesn't love pie? Even the most disciplined eater cannot resist a flaky, buttery crust with a warm, fruity filling. I don't think there is a more American vice. Well, maybe hydrogenated oil. Or Pop Tarts. (Actually, my ex did not like pie. We were clearly incompatible on a very deep level.)

Lastly, Chloe's Show and Tell time.

I took this picture last week. The date stamp ruined it. I have a lot to learn.

Monthly Post to let you know I am still Alive

It's official! I'm still Alive (capital A). And my newest hobby is consuming large quantities of off-brand Cheez-its. LARGE QUANTITIES. The grocery store had a sale today: 2 boxes for $5. What is a girl to do...

This evening, I am proud to present several brief items, in no particular order.

1.) Part-time Carnivore
My dear friend Simone alerted me to a new campaign called Part-time Carnivore. Launched just a few days ago, Part-time Carnivore reasons that eating less meat has a big effect on climate change and on world hunger, because current meat producing methods are irresponsible and unsustainable.

Part-time Carnivore encourages people to eat less meat by pledging to follow one of several options, such as Meat-Free Mondays or Meating-Out (only eating meat away from home).

I haven't signed up for anything specific, because (I'm lazy and) I already have a casual system is place where I allow myself to include meat in 1 or 2 meals a week. I've been reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals, which has unsettled me a lot and made me confront a lot of uncomfortable truths about our modern food system. I would highly recommend this book if you like being uncomfortable and grossed out and very, very angry. Or also if you care about eating meat produced by morally bankrupt corporations.

You know, at some point, you have to make a decision.

2.) Making some sense of supplements
David McCandless is an extremely talented author, writer and designer who likes to put data, ideas and information into really cool visualizations.

One of his latest projects is called Snake Oil? Scientific Evidence for Health Supplements. This interactive graphic organizes a variety of supplements by the amount of research conducted and the strength of the evidence supporting health claims. Um, awesome! Check it out.


3.) Sexual Assault on Campus
I suppose I try to stay away from issues in this realm, because although I am a feminist and I care about the well-being of my fellow woman, it's not really the focus of this blog. However, since I write this thing and no one pays me and like 3 of you read it, I've decided I can do WHATEVER I want.

Anyway, I follow a few women's health type blogs, one of them being Women's Health News. Today Rachel noted a recent NPR story, Myths That Make It Hard To Stop Campus Rape. I appreciated this article for it's non-hysterical discussion of sexual predators on college campuses, which profiled a typical predator and emphasized the role of alcohol in attacks.

I'm not going to get into the issues at the moment, so suffice it to say, NPR brings up some interesting points. Hit it up.

4.) Target Women on Current TV


On a strong recommendation from Wellesley friend, I checked out Target Women hosted by Sarah Haskins. A mix of cheese, camp and sarcasm (or something?) Target Women is sometimes awkward, but entertaining always. I particularly enjoyed this episode on security systems, and now I am encouraging you to partake in the insanity. Bon appetit!