In search of the seriously beautiful…
Just a pretty little image of some pretty little carrots…
And a link to a great post on food as fuel…
And finally, a wish for today! It’s March 1st, which in my world is the true start of Spring. The sun is shining, the sky is bright blue with fluffy white clouds, and the birds are singing. It’s perfect! And my wish is that today is is the start of something new and wonderful for everyone who reads this.
Here’s to the Spring of 2011!
Seriously? Why would they do this?
I was just looking at a package of six cheese danish, and I decided to flip the box over and look at the calorie count, and I’m shocked to see it says 170 calories. Really? That seems so low? So then I look at the portion size, and it says 55g. But how much is that? Maybe grams should compute with me – maybe that’s a flaw that I need to fix in myself – but right now 55g is a completely meaningless measurement to me. And I almost let it go at that, because after all, the entire package is marked as 21 ounces and 6 count, so I’m thinking that means I should be able to divide 21 ounces by the 6 count, and get about 3.5 ounces – that seems logical.
Then I notice the servings per container figure. Keep in mind that the label says in large print, 6 count. And there are 6 distinct danishes in the box. But what is the official servings per container in tiny little print? Approximately 11.
Seriously? If they wanted to say that half a danish was the serving size, that I could see. That would make sense. But approximately 11 servings? How do you get 11 servings from 6 sweet rolls?
Yes, I know they can sell more sweet rolls if the consumer sees 170 calories, and doesn’t realize that’s for only a fraction, and not the whole roll. I get that. And I also get that half a sweet roll is probably more than enough, and it’s a flaw in my thinking to just assume that a serving size should be a full roll. But if the package has 6 rolls, and yet the official servings per container is 11? That just seems unnecessarily complicated and frankly, deceptive!
I want to post some support for two people I know, and one I don’t – but all three have some very cool footage on national TV this week!
First up is Tod Burr, also known as drumtech! I first became aware of him while he was on tour with INXS – and more recently I saw him with one of his own bands, Merle Jagger, out in a dusty bar in the middle of the desert. It was so much fun! He’s brilliant, and talented, and hot – which is a pretty good combination. And he’s in a new commercial for Lexus! When I first saw the finished commercial I thought it was all faked, but turns out it’s real – and he’s part of the team who made it happen. And he’s wearing black nail polish in a Lexus commercial, which is a whole new level of hotness!
Second, I have to give a shout out to Lara Johnston! I shot her backstage at Rock the Cradle, in 2008, and at the time she was just the freshest, sweetest thing – and a true talent! Well she’s back! She was on last night’s American Idol, and she got a golden ticket, which means we get to see her again at the next level. The footage of her is a little short, but hopefully that just means they’re saving her for better things later in the season!
And third, here’s another American Idol contestant – one I’ve never met – but he lives in Idyllwild, and attended Idyllwild Arts, and he’s talented, so I’m feeling the love for Casey Abrams…
Tangerines may be my favorite fruit. Maybe. They’re tangy and sweet, and you really only find the good ones right now, at this time of year – so find a Farmer’s Market quick, make the most of it! I know I am!
Sometimes when you look down, there’s beauty at your feet…
When I last journaled in this section, I had just walked .25 miles one day and .5 miles the next day, after not walking at all for 19 days. And I was determined to do better.
The very next day I was in Los Angeles, and instead of blowing off walking, I *hiked* in the Hollywood Hills, which really means walking up a steep dirt path. It’s not like hiking in the mountains, where you’re going up really steep slopes, and hopping over rocks, and it’s just you and the mountain. In LA hiking means a raked dirt path, with a set end point, and lots of other people, including tourists with cameras. In fact, I was able to do it in sandals! But it’s still uphill, and it’s still good exercise! And I went 1.5 miles total, which made me very happy!
The next three days I was tired, so I just did my regular .7 mile loop – but I did it. And that made six days in a row, which made me feel good, really good.
It was starting to feel normal to me to go out and walk each day.
Then I took eight days off. And I’m okay with that.
I really do believe that I can do whatever I set my mind to. But guess what? Sometimes life throws us a curve ball, and we have to adjust our expectations. I thought that now was the right time to throw myself into a self-improvement frenzy, but maybe I need to scale back a bit and instead think of it as gradual self-improvement. Nothing wrong with gradual. It still gets me where I want to go, eventually.
Am I disappointed? Yes. Am I giving up? No. I may not be able to go as fast as I wanted, but I still intend to do what I need to do. I’ll get there. I just need to accept where I am right now, keep plodding, and have a little patience.
And just for the record, I walked 1.1 miles today, and it felt good. Really good.
Just a little plug for one of my other sites!
HemetWeb.com is where I blog about my new hometown, and I love this image so much, I wanted to share it here too. It was shot on Gilman Springs Road, just outside of San Jacinto, on the way to Riverside. To see more, go to http://hemetweb.com/2011/01/the-road-to-riverside/
(Note: As of August 2013, I’ve moved to Riverside, California, and HemetWeb.com is no more. But I still love the images from this day, so I’ve added two more below. Enjoy!)
