i want candy

Sometime last week, I found myself zoning out in front of the TV and working my way through a pile of tootsie rolls like they were the most addictive of drugs. Have you ever eaten tootsie roll midgees? I don't know if it there is a calm released in the repeated untwisting of the wrapper or if the tasty tootsie roll itself holds the power, but give me some midgees and I am a happy camper. However, after my most recent tootsie tea time, I found myself staring at the pile of wrappers wondering what I had just ingested. I decided to find out...
sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil,condensed milk, cocoa, whey, soy lecithin, orange extract, and artificial and condensed flavors.
The interesting thing that I soon discovered is that tootsie rolls are actually not as bad for you as most candy, which is great and made me feel a little better, but also brought me to my next thought: I like most candy. I don't really care if it is sweet or sour, chocolatey or fruity or containing peanut butter, nuts or caramel...if it is around, I'll probably eat it. In fact, a couple days ago, I opened a package of candy I was planning on sending to a friend because I wanted to eat it. That's pretty sad. Even as I was opening the box, I felt the nudge of discipline yet again. I began to ponder my candy eating habits more seriously, but the candy itself distracted me and my thoughts soon moved on to other things.
That night, I went on Hulu.com and noticed that the film "Super Size Me" had popped up. I pressed play hoping that the documentary would be somewhat interesting and also help me to fall asleep. There is much I could share about this film, but for now let me just say that I was greatly disturbed. When they showed how much sugar had been eaten during the experiment, I actually gasped and am pretty sure my teeth rotted a little bit. I realize that it is not normal to eat McDonalds every meal of every day and that it is a far cry from my normal diet, but it caused me to rethink my eating habits.
I actually think I eat pretty well. I try to get my fruits and veggies every day and like to make food instead of eat out. In fact, I hardly ever eat fast food. Pretty much the only things I drink are water, juice and milk. (well...and the occasional glass of wine or whiskey) I know I dont eat too much salt and I don't even like many condiments. Overall, I feel fairly healthy, but I know that it's the sweets of all sorts that are my downfall.
As a result of all of this, I am going to make some changes because I feel that I can treat my body a little better. I am not going to go as extreme as I have with other things. I am not going to give up dessert or candy, however, I am going to limit myself. I am also going to continue to attempt to redirect my snacky tendencies toward more healthy options. So, the next time I seem to be paying more attention to a candy bowl than a conversation, help me out and wave some bags of sugar in front of my face or something.
But leave me and my midgess alone.

jumping ahead?!

Last time I checked it was 2009. It is 2009, isn't it? Last time I checked, Obama was inagurated only two months ago, yes? And last tiime I checked, there are a lot of things going on all over the globe and enough in this country that we should be aware of and educated on. Yet the last time I checked the news, the highlighted story was about who would be ahead in 2012 if Palin runs against Obama. What!? I have several problems with this. For one, it makes me crazy! How impatient are we? The last election JUST happened. We dont need to talk about this now. Also, what if Obama doesn't decide to go up for re-election or what if Palin chooses a different path over the next couple years? The biggest problem I have, though, is that this is not news now. We should be reading and learning about issues facing us and how we can be a part of solutions. Or how about some positive stories that inspire us to action or simply make us feel hopeful for humanity? I must admit that it is fairly easy to get sucked into all the drama, but I desire to be an informed and involved person and all the highlighted speculation and sensationalism is making that feel like more and more of an uphill battle. !?!

avoiding sleep

I am pretty talented at finding random projects to do at 11:00 pm, especially when I have to get up early for work the next morning. Tonight, I have decided to finally create another blog. Ever since I started my photo blog, I have wanted to start another one where I can write to share thoughts, stories, questions, ponderments, rants, adventures and/or anything else that may be wanting to escape my mind. So here it is... :)