Weigh in on “The Biggest Loser”: Gimmicky or Real?

I hate to admit it, but I am a regular watcher of “The Biggest Loser.” I use it to motivate myself to keep on a good eating and exercise program, but I have some problems with the show.

Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition winner (Photo credit: audiovisualjunkie)

Problems I have with this show

First of all, trainer Jillian is a real witch. She’s really mean to people, then she does  pop psychology on them. She seems like she has a split-personality. On one hand, she is nasty, then she puts on her happy face and sweet voice. (She calls everyone sweetie when she’s being nice.)   I really hate when she gets contestants to drag her around as a weight. Plus, her smile is crooked which gives her a devious look.

On the first episode this season she threw most of her team out the door and told them to consider leaving.  (The poor people were all throwing up because the tasks she made them start out with were too hard.) Did she have to start them out with such difficulty?   Several contestants considered their options and went home. Can you blame them?

Last week she made some poor woman go in a coffin for a few minutes. It was to help her realize that she needed a new lease on life. She was fooling around with serious stuff. It’s a good thing the woman, who is claustrophobic, didn’t end up going crazy.

The other trainers are easier to take. Why Bob has tattoos going all over his arms and everywhere is beyond me.  Why get your body in shape, than disfigure yourself.  I like Dolvett, who is the boxer. He seems to have his head on straight. He, like Bob, have a more positive approach then Jillian.

The challenges

I have to hand it to the writers for thinking up those bizarre challenges. Traveling through bubble gum, slogging through mud. throwing them off heights. Contestants on that show are either desperate for money or attention. Some of the stuff they make them do seems downright life threatening. Last week they had to hold up weight, and when they couldn’t anymore they were dumped into water.

It does manage to hold my attention, so I guess the writers know what they’re doing.

The weigh- in

What kind of person would get up with all their flab hanging out to millions of people? All the contestants on “The Biggest Loser.” The weigh-ins are really odd. Who loses 12 pounds in one week? Either they’re starving them to death or working them too hard. They make it seem that this is a healthy weight loss. If someone loses 4 or 5 pounds in one week, you’d think the world had come to an end. I think this give people the idea that losing 10 to 12 pounds a week is normal. I wonder how many of the contestants end up with eating disorders after the show is over?

You know, some of those people are going to regain most of their weight after the show is over. They never talk about that.

Although I find some real serious  problems with this show, it does manage to motivate me. I think about what I look like, my health and what I’m eating.

I do like the promotion of exercise, but at my age, I’d never attempt half the stuff they do on the show. I do a lot of water aerobics, elliptical machines, and walking. I would never be willing to leap off of high places. Not even for money.

They added kids this season

Thank goodness they’re not making the kids put on embarrassing clothes, and put them on the scale. It’s mostly a promotion of exercise and healthy eating. Naturally, some of the parents of these kids are also overweight. Last week, they showed a teenager pleading with her mother to also try to lose weight, so she won’t die. Wasn’t it real exploitation  to show this on national TV?

Do you think this show is exploitation or it’s an earnest attempt to motivate the viewers? Or just get ratings? Is it ethical to humiliate people on TV to get good ratings, and people like me watch?

 

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Where do you think ghosts and spirits hang out? I want your ghost stories!

Life is strange. The older you get, the more you are reminded that our time on earth is temporary. It doesn’t matter how important or unimportant you are.  Someday, you’re going to have to say goodbye.

The last uncle I have passed away. He went in the middle of a meal surrounded by friends and family. He was 97. The man was as healthy as a horse; unfortunately, his mind wasn’t exactly working right. He wasn’t aware of it and still enjoyed life. At least he happily died, surrounded by friends and family. I think that would be the perfect way to go.

I attended his funeral. It wasn’t too sad because 97 is stretching it. The trouble is I’m in my 60’s, so going to funerals makes me realize my time on earth is limited.  Most of my friends are still above ground with me, but I have lost a few.

After the funeral,  the family went all over the cemetery visiting dead relatives. I am not sure about this. I guess if you want to remember them, it’s a good thing to do.  I don’t know if there are spirits there or not. I’m pretty skeptical, but it wouldn’t surprise me all that much. I’m thinking if you’re a spirit you’d probably want to hang out at more interesting places. A cemetery is a little too quiet for me.

I like the idea of surviving in one way or the other after you physically die.  I mean who wants it all to come to an end? Unfortunately, none of my deceased relatives have visited me. I think the coolest thing would be get a light or sign. I’ve known people who said that really happened to them. People who are logical, intelligent and not the type to make things up.

My Great Aunt

When I was little, a Great-Aunt would visit from California,  and my dad would take her to a cemetery to visit her “friends.” I used  to tag along. My father would say, “she has more friends in the cemetery than she does in other places.” I liked looking at the headstones. There was a picture of a little boy on one of the headstones and he was holding a drum. I could count on paying a visit to the “Little Drummer Boy” when Auntie made her annual visit to Ohio.

So, when I go to the cemetery it doesn’t really bother me. What does bother me it that almost all the older relatives I used to visit in their homes are under the ground; it’s pretty surreal. It makes me realize I’m fast approaching the age my “old Auntie” was when we accompanied her on her yearly pilmigrage,

I just can’t get much satisfaction over looking at the headstone of a favorite relative. They just aren’t going to answer back when I talk to them.  I do it anyway because you never know. They just might be listening.

English: Old Jewish Headstone, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. These old Jewish headstones with Hebrew inscriptions are in the disused Hessle Road cemetery TA0828 : Hessle Road Jewish Cemetery. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What do you think? Any good ghost stories?

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Ten stupid things women do for men: A little humor, but it’s not that funny.

English: Leg hair of a 17-year old white male (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Shave their underarm and leg hair. My husband absolutely goes crazy when he sees I have a hair in one of those places. In the meantime, you should see him. I am certain a man thought this up in the first place.

2. Wear makeup. This is really stupid. Painting our faces? How many men wear makeup? I do enjoy wearing it sometimes. But, I’m at the point where it doesn’t do that much good.  Maybe a little bitterness here.

3. Wearing a bra. What’s wrong with being au natural. When you get older, your breasts droop. God forbid anyone should know your not a young thing with perky breasts.

4. Dying our hair. More men than woman go around with gray hair, and this is socially acceptable. My husband pitches a fit any time I suggest I go gray. He humorously says, “I don’t want to be with an old woman.”  I am 11 months older than him.

5.  Wearing Spanx. I watched a story about this on  Nightline tonight.  How many men wear Spanx?.  A woman did create this. She says, “it gives women confidence.” Now, why don’t men feel like they should have confidence like this. (She’s on the Forbes list of billionaires.) Who knew there was big bucks in sucking it in.

6. Making their breasts bigger. I remember I worked with a “girl” who did this years ago. After her boob job she loved prancing through the mall with her ponderous boobs (balloons really) ll. She liked guys looking at her and saying “she was hot.” She really enjoyed becoming a sexual object.

7. Making their rear ends  bigger. This one is too silly. I always wanted mine smaller. I also read an article about someone’s fake rear end  folding in on itself. It was going the wrong way.

8. Wearing expensive perfume. I guess it doesn’t hurt to smell nice. But, men don’t waste nearly as much money on smelling good.

9. Some woman, even old ones, won’t cut their hair or change their hairstyles because their husbands won’t like it. There’s nothing sadder than watching an old lady with an outdated long  hairstyle.

10. The dumbest things some women do for men is let the man run everything. Now, how many men would put up with that?   And that’s not funny. Not even a little.

Any other things you can think of? I would appreciate your comments! Scan to the end of this post to get to the reply section!

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The Circleville Pumpkin Show: Pumpkins galore!

Pumpkin Pie from a *real* pumpkin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: The Circleville Water Tower, one of the symbols of this Ohio city. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What is a pumpkin show?

It’s a show showcasing Circleville pumpkins, gourds, and the people who grow them.

On the way to the pumpkin show, you might even spot some of the fall trees that are so gorgeous this Fall.  Today was a spectacular day!

My first official date with my husband in 1971 was at The Circleville Pumpkin Show;  so we went today for old time’s sake.  When he first asked me, I thought it was a little odd. I didn’t know about Circleville or pumpkin shows.

My first Circleville Pumpkin Show featured:

 *Pumpkins
*Pumpkin princesses (little and big)
* Fair Food .
* Parades

We went on the Ferris Wheel, and another shaky ride.

On the midway, a man couldn’t guess my age. I used to look very young.

My husband won a big stuffed animal for me.

Today
I  noticed all the festive houses decorated for the occasion. We only looked at the rides. Neither of us wanted to go on the Ferris wheel.

Pumpkin Festival food includes:

pumpkin pie
pumpkin ice cream
pumpkin shakes
pumpkin soda
pumpkin candy
pumpkin  Jo’s (A sloppy joe with pumpkin in it).

We ate french fries, pumpkin pie, and shared a pumpkin soda. It was weird, but it was a little different. It had a candy pumpkin in the bottom of the glass.

There was booth after booth of all sorts of stuff that I don’t really want or need. If I had money to burn I might’ve bought an artsy glass pumpkin.  I did think about getting a painted on tattoo. (Only for a minute.)

I didn’t want him to win a stuffed animal for me. He did ask. I don’t need any more stuff to clutter up my life.

I didn’t let anyone guess my age. I was afraid he’d get it right this time.

Kids like festivals
I sat down and watched some of the little kids riding on the kiddie rides.  It doesn’t take much to make a little kid happy. Just put them on a little roller coaster, or little merry-go-round.

We watched some little girls dancing in an inside stage area. They were cute, and wearing some pretty fancy costumes.  They seemed to be having a little trouble staying together, but it was entertaining. Their families looked proud.

A Crafts barn

My husband agreed to go in a crafts barn with me.  It had some pretty neat stuff: quilts, crocheted things, homemade sculptures, and very cool children’s art. That was the first time I’d spotted it

When we were going home, we reminisced about our lives together, and some of the trips we’ve taken to the Circleville Pumpkin Show. We manage to have fun each time.

Little Princess Pumpkin Parade

We left before we could watch the whole parade. There were little princesses, riding on tops of cars as far as the eye could see. Lots of bands were playing.

Go, it runs through, Saturday, October 20th.  You’ll see some crazy gourds and pumpkins. The prices of the food isn’t too bad. $2.00 for a slice of pumpkin pie is a pretty good deal.

If you go, tell me what you liked.  Did anyone else ever go on their first date at a festival?

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Impressions of The Long Island Medium: another show on TLC

The Long Island Medium

I don’t know about you, but I have tried to contact my dead relatives. I’ve even said aloud, “visit me in a dream, rattle my lamps, please.”  But nothing happens. I figure, maybe they’re not happy with me, or have nothing left to say, or maybe they’ve really vanished.

I’m wondering if I should go see the Long Island Medium. She’s coming to my home town  in a couple of weeks. She stars on a show on TLC. You know the great shows they have, Honey Boo Boo,  the old  Kate plus 8 plus what’s his name before they got divorced.  I’m surprised Octomom doesn’t have a featured show.

I love this show. First of all, the long Island medium, Theresa Caputo, amuses  me up on several levels . I like her teased dyed blonde hair. Her clothes are all right, but sometimes she looks slightly trashy.  But, what I like most is her snappy patter and common sense. She is also an adoring wife and mother although she seems slightly overbearing at times.

Sometimes her family—husband, son, and daughter— roll their eyes when she starts another reading. Her husband and son couldn’t even go sky diving without her reuniting the owner of the sky diving company with his deceased parents.

People’s eyes fill up with tears when she gives messages from their deceased loved ones. Sometimes they feel guilty about how their loved ones passed. They didn’t get to say goodbye or they were inconsiderate. Theresa  gives them closure. Wouldn’t we all like to say one last thing to our friends, and family?

Theresa knows secrets nobody else would possibly know. How would anyone know somebody was carrying a picture in their wallet of their old dead boyfriend? How could they know the words they spoke to their loved ones when nobody was around. Tina seems to know it all. Plus, she’s so matter-of-fact about it. She has no doubt that spirits are talking to her.

The show airs on TLC on Sunday night. Watch it. Even if it isn’t true, it’s entertaining. And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll all be spirits floating around together. It’s a nice thought. Better than vanishing into thin air.

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Freeloaders at Restaurants: What do you think?

Meal Tickets (Photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik)

Today, when I went out to eat, I saw some guy get his bill reduced in the most obnoxious way possible.

He ate his meal with gusto, then when the waiter came by, he said, “I found this string in my meal? What is it? After the server answered him, he made a big issue of it, and then demanded to see the manager. You know what happened next. They took it off his bill. He even had the nerve to ask for a “to go box.”

We used to have “friends” who did this every time they went out to eat. Either something was wrong with the soup, or the meal wasn’t quite right. It took me a while to figure out they were just trying to get items taken off their bill. They didn’t last long as friends.

I’m betting the guy in the restaurant goes around and puts objects in his meals after he eats them.
I find this kind of behavior really low-class and extremely annoying.  I even gave him a dirty look. Probably not the smartest thing since he was well over 6 ft and bulky.

I let the server know that my meal was absolutely “delicious.”

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My Obsessive Collections on TLC: The Doll Collector

Now I’ve seen everything, Obsessive Collections on TLC. The show I watched features a woman with an extensive shoe collection, a boy who collects and repairs vacuum cleaners, two overly obsessive Dolly Parton fans and a woman who collects real life-like dolls.

The woman who collects life-like dolls impressed me as being the oddest one of tonight’s collectors.  She has tons of dolls, and a whole group that look life-like. She is passionate about the whole thing. She has a doll that looks like a 5-year old that she took to a shoe store . She asked the salesperson to fit the doll with a pair of shoes.

What I did admire was her husband’s support of this odd habit. He actually took a picture of her opening a box of a doll that mimics breathing. She was as excited as if she was giving birth.

He must really love this woman because she spends big bucks on these dolls. About $1,000.00 a piece. Coincidentally, the woman looks a lot like Dolly Parton.

Her kids tolerate the whole thing too. It’s more than a little disturbing. She actually spends time, dressing them, cleaning them up and interacting with them. It makes her feel maternal. Maybe she ought to try volunteering with real kids who need attention.

On the other hand, she is not hurting anyone with this habit, and her family supports her.

I have seen plenty of people who don’t treat their pets like animals, but like their kids. Is this that different?

Okay, I like dolls myself. That’s 2 of my childhood dolls I can’t throw out in the picture. But, I’ve always known they’re not real. (Okay, I posed them in front of the fireplace, and took their picture. It was for an earlier post that you’re welcome to read.)

What do you think?

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