Too Much Information. I hear that on occasion (not usually directed at me, thank goodness!) when someone divulges a little too much. You know, when, in a public setting, someone gives too much detail about their sex life or their bathroom habits. TMI! Too Much Information! More than I really wanted to know!

Can you TMI over the internet or in a blog such as this? Very often intimate details are shared here. That’s okay, though, because I think that’s what people built these blogs for, to share details while maintaining their anonymity. If you don’t like to read about such things, you don’t go back to the blog.

But for me, TMI, at least as far as sharing, means not giving too much identifying detail about me. Sometimes I read blogs that give out names and even phone numbers, I think these people are nuts. Okay, sometimes they want something. There is one blog here that I am convinced is nothing more than an offer for prostitution. No, sorry, I’m not going to tell you which one it is. Actually, I suspect it’s just a scam to get money. But to give out that much information about yourself is foolish.

TMI!!!

I was working at my part time job when my boss asked me what I wanted for hours this summer. She said she thought she would have a lot of staff that wanted a lot of hours. I told her, good, then maybe I’d be able to take some time off this summer.

Three summers ago I worked full time, and I have worked 24-32 hours a week the last two summers. I am so tired of having no time off. Yes, I know, I recently wrote about what I would do with my time off. I would go stir crazy, right? Well, if I need something to do, all I have to do is look around my house. There is a lot of fixing to do, both inside and out. I hope I can get the shop teacher to come over and show me how to fix a few things, then I can work on it this summer. I hope to sell the house in a few years, and I have some work to do on it to make it marketable. That is what this summer will be for, I think.

Of course, Master will be coming this summer. Unfortunately, the house won’t be anywhere near done, and I won’t ask him to work on it. The time he is here will be my REAL vacation.

I have been busy lately. Haven’t we all. Lol I have been going to college ball games and fine arts events and AAU basketball. Most mornings I have been up at 5:30, starting my bath getting ready for the day. I know next week Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights are spoken for. Go, go, go! Sometimes I get tired of the pace.

But, on the other hand, to some extent, at least, I enjoy the pace. It is rare that I have a whole day that I don’t have anything I have to do. When that happens, of course, I turn my attention to my poor house and get a little done there. But sometimes I think my daydreams of sitting in the sun, sipping iced tea are unrealistic. Before long I seem to go stir crazy. I want to get out and do something—watch a ball game, help out at the place for the handicapped, something.

This summer, it looks like Master will be joining me for a couple of weeks (more on that in a later post). I worry, though, about us getting bored. How long can he and I sit on the lawn furniture and watch people walk by? But, Master is pretty inventive. I have a feeling between the two of us, we’ll come up with some ideas. Maybe some of them will even be fit to print.

Lora didn’t know how long she spent looking at the outside world. The arboretum had been nice, but somehow this small courtyard was more real to her. She had been locked inside so long that she almost felt like she had a view of paradise.

Eventually, however, she turned from the window to explore the rest of the apartment. Jaric was right; all of her things had been brought from the other room. Her clothes were in the closet and dresser in the bedroom, the books were in the bookshelf. She noticed that there were more clothes and books then just the ones she had left behind. The kitchen was also fully stocked with food as well as pots pans, plate and silverware. Apparently she would was expected to start cooking for herself. That was fine with her. Having at least some control over what she ate and when was something she looked forward to.

Lora took a long bath, dressed, pulled out a favorite book and sat by the window to read.

Lora tried to busy herself in her apartment as much as possible. She cooked and cleaned. She continued to work out and stay physically active. She still had no idea why she was here or what she might be called upon to do. Or when a chance to escape might present itself. She needed to be prepared.

Jaric continued to visit her daily. Sometimes they took walks, hand in hand, through the corridors. The few people that she saw on their walks were generally dressed in white. She still felt like she was in some sort of hospital, although Jaric denied it. The people they passed said a polite hello or simply nodded before hurrying on.

Sometime she and Jaric would cook together in the apartment. Afterwards they would it and clean up together. It felt just like a small family. When she started thinking that way, she would chide herself. Don’t fall for him, she thought. He’s keeping you prisoner here, for God’s sake. But, try as she might to deny it, she was becoming more and more attached to this mysterious man who called himself Jaric.

Yesterday as I perused the news, I saw a couple of articles on obesity:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080205/ap_on_fe_st/odd_no_serve_law

In Mississippi, a lawmaker introduced a bill that would make it illegal for restaurants to serve obese people. Okay, that pissed me off! How dare they legislate such a thing. Luckily, this law doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell of passing. All the other lawmakers are against it, not to mention the restaurant owners.

Indeed, Representative John Read, who introduced the bill, never expected it to become law. He says he just wanted to call attention to the problem of obesity. It turns out that Mr. Read is himself a large man, standing 5 foot 11 and weighing in at 230 pounds. Isn’t there a better way to call attention to the problem? Surely there must be something else Mr. Read could do besides introduce a worthless bill. If you want to get serious about obesity, Mr. Read, I can give you a better idea. First, LOSE THE WEIGHT. I know that is much more difficult than introducing a bill, but I can tell you from experience that it will gain a lot of attention. Then, help others to do the same. And HELP, Mr. Read, don’t PUNISH those who struggle with the weight problem. When I think of someone who helps others with obesity, Richard Simmons comes to mind. Okay, the guy is a flake, but have you ever seen him be unsympathetic to those suffering from the extra pounds? No. There is a man that has tried to constructively DO something about the problem of obesity. Maybe he could be of assistance to you, Mr. Read.

There was a second article in the news yesterday:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080205/ap_on_he_me/obesity_cost

I found this one more surprising, and much sadder, than the first. The general gist of this story is that, contrary to popular belief, obesity does not drive up the cost of health care. Yes, obesity results in health problems, but generally these people die younger than those of an average weight. It seems that thin, “healthy” people live longer and encounter more problems as they age. When you do the math, these are the people we spend more money on trying to keep healthy. Seems you can’t win for losing.

I don’t know. My mother (morbidly obese) died at 65. I sure would have liked to keep her around a bit longer.