Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[Blergh]

I don't know if this is the right spot [and I'm avoiding ALL political stuff re this incident] but I have to vent:

 

I'm so ANGRY that there were two thugs who decided to vandalize the iconic cultural and engineering marvel known as Stonehenge by SPRAY PAINTING it orange. Luckily there there admirers at hand who stopped them from spraying more than two of the Blocks (which may be able to have all signs of paint removed/covered up by experts  before too long) but WHY would anyone have done that?!

 

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Yeah No]

On 6/20/2024 at 12:47 PM, Ohiopirate02 said:

Sorry, but this sounds like a load of crap with a side of elitism. It's so easy to make fun of the South and all of its unhealthy, fried food. I'm trying to figure out which city this streamer could have conceivably moved to in NC that does not have easy to obtain healthy food. He's probably living in the Greater Charlotte area or the Triangle or maybe the Triad, all three areas where healthy food is easy to get. Ditto for Asheville, Wilmington, Boone, and Greenville. I assume the same for Fayetteville, the only city in the top ten of NC population where I never go. 

My guess is maybe he's talking about prepared foods as in restaurant foods?  I'm a Northerner and a foodie who has been down South many times given that one of my grandfathers moved to NC when he retired.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Southern cuisine but it has always struck me how unhealthy it generally is by comparison to restaurant food in the Northeast.  I think even the restaurant food in the Northeast has gotten less healthy in the past decade or so but last year when I went down South I was absolutely shocked at how much sodium was in the restaurant food. And that was on top of it already being loaded with sugar, saturated fat and calories. And there weren't that many choices where we could avoid it either. For me and my diet it was an absolute nightmare. It was slightly better in Florida because there was more non-fried fish and seafood and the Caribbean style of cooking (other than the Cubano sandwiches which we loved), but the food was still loaded with sodium.

[Yeah No]

On 6/20/2024 at 6:01 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

Wasn't Brunswick Stew originally made with squirrel or rabbit . . . .?  Eww.

I guess now they use chicken or pork. 

Yes, rabbit. Once a year or so my Sicilian grandmother used to get one down at the live market in little Italy in the Bronx and have it cleaned and prepped for cooking. She probably put it in gravy, though. I don't remember eating it. There's a cute little bunny that bounds around on my lawn. I couldn't imagine eating it.

[Dimity]

3 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

There's a cute little bunny that bounds around on my lawn. I couldn't imagine eating it.

A friend of mine when I was in elementary school once offered me a pet bunny, when I went home and asked my parents my Dad responded with "Sure, they're delicious".  I did not take her up on her offer!

[Yeah No]

On 6/20/2024 at 10:00 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

I gotta see that army jacket!  That really was the cool thing to have in the 70s, but a woman's jacket, wow.

OK, just for you and @shapeshifter, here's one of the photos. I forgot how you really can't see much of the jacket in it, though, so I apologize for that. And I don't even look like me either but that's partly because I had to use a free AI "de-fuzzer" because it was such poor quality. Somehow that made me look different. I remember now that my boyfriend gave me a contact sheet with the film on it which decades later I scanned and then I blew up and cropped a few of the tiny photos, so that's why the quality is so poor. Also we were very young and just learning to use a SLR camera. In the photos I'm holding my first SLR, which was a Minolta SRT-101. My memory on this is just as fuzzy as the photo, LOL, but I'm pretty sure we were at a local ball field near Bronx Science.

P.S. You might remember me mentioning this guy before. He became a Pulitzer Prize nominated Daily News Photographer who was injured on Sept. 11 when the first tower fell. One of his photos on that day is now pretty well known. He's also been featured in a few 9/11 documentaries.

 

 

Edited June 22 by Yeah No

[Absolom]

NY deli food is loaded with fat, salt, and sugar.  After reading some recipes I was appalled and don't care a bit that I'm not replicating those flavors.  I was also glad when I made my last trip to Arkansas and didn't have to try to feed the vegetarian daughter there any more.  She ordered a vegetarian platter only to find bits of meat as "seasoning."  All areas of the country have their pitfalls. 

[PRgal]

20 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

My guess is maybe he's talking about prepared foods as in restaurant foods?  I'm a Northerner and a foodie who has been down South many times given that one of my grandfathers moved to NC when he retired.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE me some Southern cuisine but it has always struck me how unhealthy it generally is by comparison to restaurant food in the Northeast.  I think even the restaurant food in the Northeast has gotten less healthy in the past decade or so but last year when I went down South I was absolutely shocked at how much sodium was in the restaurant food. And that was on top of it already being loaded with sugar, saturated fat and calories. And there weren't that many choices where we could avoid it either. For me and my diet it was an absolute nightmare. It was slightly better in Florida because there was more non-fried fish and seafood and the Caribbean style of cooking (other than the Cubano sandwiches which we loved), but the food was still loaded with sodium.

As a Canadian from a large city and from an "ethnic" (i.e. immigrant) family, I'm always surprised at standard (smaller town/city) American cuisine.  From portion sizes (okay, we're not much better) to selection, it seems turn-off-y.  Despite Chinese food being seen as high in sodium and other things, it's usually just the restaurant stuff, especially ones that are kind of repurposed to suit non-East Asian (and less foodie) palates.  My family didn't use a lot of soy sauce/sodium growing up and a lot of our mains were steamed rather than even stir-fried.  We actually stayed away/limited a lot of store bought sauces.  There are people out there who think I have disordered eating because I just choose to label read and limit my intake of certain ingredients.  I don't ban myself or my family from them and yes, we eat out a lot, but I just don't buy them for my cooking.  Others just see this as me showing off my privilege.  I guess it's d@mned if you do, d@mned if you don't, right?

[Yeah No]

7 minutes ago, Absolom said:

NY deli food is loaded with fat, salt, and sugar.  After reading some recipes I was appalled and don't care a bit that I'm not replicating those flavors.  I was also glad when I made my last trip to Arkansas and didn't have to try to feed the vegetarian daughter there any more.  She ordered a vegetarian platter only to find bits of meat as "seasoning."  All areas of the country have their pitfalls. 

Sure but that's just deli, not everything. Southern cuisine is generally full of unhealthy amounts of unhealthy ingredients, especially the most iconic and beloved traditional foods. It's so extreme that it even makes NY deli look healthy by comparison! At least you can get a turkey on rye without it being deep fried and maybe a side of borscht, herring, matzoh ball soup or cucumber salad (you can tell I'm a pro at this). 😀

I read a lot of recipes and it always gets me how much butter, sugar and meat fat is in southern food. Even the shrimp and grits I had in NC was full of heart clogging cheese to the point of overload. Note that I didn't feel that way in Marcus Samuelson's restaurant in NYC. And forget the macaroni and cheese, it's also kicked up with more cheese than I ever saw anywhere. Even the cheesiest risotto is made with relatively lower fat and less heart-unhealthy parm. cheese. Of course French food can be loaded with a lot of unhealthy ingredients (remember Julia Child and her love of butter, LOL) and the famous Joel Robuchon mashed potatoes that were probably more than half butter - He died at 73 in 2018. But somehow with French food there is a break from that in other dishes. When I've been down South, it's been hard to find a break from it in restaurant food. Also, I think the food down south is even more unhealthy today than it was in general when I was a kid. Just my personal observation.

[EtheltoTillie]

30 minutes ago, PRgal said:

As a Canadian from a large city and from an "ethnic" (i.e. immigrant) family, I'm always surprised at standard (smaller town/city) American cuisine.  From portion sizes (okay, we're not much better) to selection, it seems turn-off-y.  Despite Chinese food being seen as high in sodium and other things, it's usually just the restaurant stuff, especially ones that are kind of repurposed to suit non-East Asian (and less foodie) palates.  My family didn't use a lot of soy sauce/sodium growing up and a lot of our mains were steamed rather than even stir-fried.  We actually stayed away/limited a lot of store bought sauces.  There are people out there who think I have disordered eating because I just choose to label read and limit my intake of certain ingredients.  I don't ban myself or my family from them and yes, we eat out a lot, but I just don't buy them for my cooking.  Others just see this as me showing off my privilege.  I guess it's d@mned if you do, d@mned if you don't, right?

Have you returned home, PRgal?

 

ETA:  never mind I just saw your other post.  Welcome home. 

Edited June 22 by EtheltoTillie

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, Yeah No said:

OK, just for you and @shapeshifter, here's one of the photos. I forgot how you really can't see much of the jacket in it, though, so I apologize for that. And I don't even look like me either but that's partly because I had to use a free AI "de-fuzzer" because it was such poor quality. Somehow that made me look different. I remember now that my boyfriend gave me a contact sheet with the film on it which decades later I scanned and then I blew up and cropped a few of the tiny photos, so that's why the quality is so poor. Also we were very young and just learning to use a SLR camera. In the photos I'm holding my first SLR, which was a Minolta SRT-101. My memory on this is just as fuzzy as the photo, LOL, but I'm pretty sure we were at a local ball field near Bronx Science.

P.S. You might remember me mentioning this guy before. He became a Pulitzer Prize nominated Daily News Photographer who was injured on Sept. 11 when the first tower fell. One of his photos on that day is now pretty well known. He's also been featured in a few 9/11 documentaries.

 

Ooo! I can definitely see his future photography award winning potential!
He really caught you looking at the viewer with a kind of Mona Lisa expression.

Here's me circa 1977 by a friend who was a serious amateur photographer.
I'm just looking at the buds on my plant, LOL.
But still sorry we lost touch:  

 

 

Edited June 22 by shapeshifter
typo

[annzeepark914]

@Yeah No Did your photographer friend recuperate well from that 9/11 injury? I like this photo...ya look cute! (but must admit, at first I thought you were holding something other than a camera...🥴).

[BlueSkies]

It's real hot where I live like a lot of the U.S right now.

 

I noticed at the mini mall some people just leave their cars running with the A/C on when they go in the stores.  

[EtheltoTillie]

As long as we're posting our hippie-era photos, here's one with my fake army jacket (from Alexander's @Yeah No will remember Alexander's).  A 1972 trip to Disney World with my folks.  I was 17.  We drove all the way.

The other one is from the same trip.  I was wearing my proudest sewing creation:  A jacket made of pinwale corduroy in a snakeskin print.  It was so fabulous.  It even had four-inch zippers at the sleeve openings so you could get your hands in.  Also jeans that were too long and dragging on the ground, as was the correct fashion, exasperating my mother, of course.

 

Dig that prehistoric TV set in hotel room.

Those curtains are hideous.

 

Edited June 22 by EtheltoTillie

[ECM1231]

***BE FOREWARNED. GROSS PHOTO BELOW.

Well, we came home from our mt home a little while ago to find that the aforementioned black crowned night heron is no more. He/she was dead in our driveway. 😞

Although I'm not a bird lover, it still was sad to see. I don't know if the babies have flown the coop, but there still was a disgusting mess of bird poop. I erased the dead bird from the photo.

 

Edited June 22 by ECM1231

[EtheltoTillie]

What are the odds?  I texted that chipmunk picture to a friend and she texted back a picture of herself with the chipmunk character! 

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Here's me circa 1977 by a friend who was an serious amateur photographer.
I'm just looking at the buds on my plant, LOL.
But still sorry we lost touch:  

 

 

That's a really nice shot, you were cute! I love your peasant skirt, they were all the rage in '77. We wore them with espadrille sandals. I love the view of the brick wall out the window, LOL.

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

@Yeah No Did your photographer friend recuperate well from that 9/11 injury? I like this photo...ya look cute! (but must admit, at first I thought you were holding something other than a camera...🥴).

LOL, it's huge, isn't it?  Cameras were so big back then.  But also I'm really small so it looks even bigger! 

This photo was taken in 1974, 50 years ago! In the late '70s I got an Olympus OM-1, which was a lot smaller but by today's standards still big.

Yes, he did make a full recovery - both legs shattered but otherwise OK. He got titanium rods so he has been fine. He was lucky the wind blew him under a parked truck or he may not have been so fortunate.

34 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

As long as we're posting our hippie-era photos, here's one with my fake army jacket (from Alexander's @Yeah No will remember Alexander's).  A 1972 trip to Disney World with my folks.  I was 17.  We drove all the way.

The other one is from the same trip.  I was wearing my proudest sewing creation:  A jacket made of pinwale corduroy in a snakeskin print.  It was so fabulous.  It even had four-inch zippers at the sleeve openings so you could get your hands in.  Also jeans that were too long and dragging on the ground, as was the correct fashion, exasperating my mother, of course.

 

Dig that prehistoric TV set in hotel room.

Those curtains are hideous.

 

You were so cute! And you can sew!  I could never sew, meanwhile my mother and her mother were experts. I did inherit the family love of cooking, though.  I remember the floor dragging bell bottoms, I wore them too.

I went to Disney World in '72 too, I think that's the year it opened. I went with my travel camp through the local YMHA on a big bus. I had a crush on one of the counselors, LOL.

LOL, I do remember Alexander's of course - Do you remember the girls' dresses that were on those big hangers with all the cardboard to make them stiff? And when there was a sale the women would run like maniacs and fight over stuff on those huge tables?

Edited June 22 by Yeah No
Hangers, not "hangars"

[EtheltoTillie]

We all looked cute when we were young . . .

Your photo is great.

I remember those cardboard hanger pads.  And the gals running to the sale tables. 

[Yeah No]

Two more photos of me so you can see what I really looked like.  The bottom one is in a department store in Scarsdale in 1975 when I was 16 wearing my favorite jeans ever (too bad you can't see the Frye boots), and the top one is me in 1977 at 19 attempting the Annie Hall look, although at my height that was hard to do since there were no petite sizes back then which is probably why the skirt is hiked up above my belly button, LOL.  And that's after my mother took up the hem, too! Speaking of Alexander's, this photo was taken in Poe Park near the Concourse not far from there. And speaking of Jewish Deli, there was a great one near there, too. 

Edit: I made them smaller but now they're flipped and I don't know how to reverse them.  🤷‍♀️

 

 

 

 

Edited June 22 by Yeah No

[EtheltoTillie]

Aw those are cute too!  Frye boots that's another blast from the past.  More 70s colors.

Edited June 22 by EtheltoTillie

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

… my proudest sewing creation:  A jacket made of pinwale corduroy in a snakeskin print.  It was so fabulous.  It even had four-inch zippers at the sleeve openings so you could get your hands in.  Also jeans that were too long and dragging on the ground, as was the correct fashion, exasperating my mother, of course.

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

And you can sew! 

Very cool about the sleeve zippers! I sewed a lot of clothes but often spent as much time with a seam ripper as I did sewing, if you know what I mean?
Maybe not, LOL. 😉 
 

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Also jeans that were too long and dragging on the ground, as was the correct fashion, exasperating my mother, of course.

Oh yeah!
Note the frayed cuff that made it into my self-portrait
in 1971👇

 

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I love your peasant skirt, they were all the rage in '77.

I think I sewed the skirt from kitchen curtain material a friend gave me after that incident in which I escaped the serial assaulter with just the clothes on my back while hitchhiking with my paints (mentioned some pages ago).

I still have that shirt. I was better at embroidery. 

 

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Those curtains are hideous.

LOL! Mom decorated our new house in 1963 with very similar curtains.

 

31 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Sorry they're so big, I don't know why and I don't know how to make them smaller.

After you insert the picture, double-click on it and you will see an option for Size. Just be sure "Keep original aspect ratio" is checked.
I almost always make them at least a little smaller because it makes the resolution sharper. 
A poster here  (saber5055) who passed away from cancer recently taught me that. I hope I've passed it on as clearly to you as she did to me.

[EtheltoTillie]

OMG that foot portrait is great!

yes, I am great friends with the seam ripper.

I see your paint set in the picture too, @shapeshifter

[roseha]

You all look great, thanks for posting the photos!  I don't think I'd have the nerve though in the late 60s my brother decided to make some black and white photos of the family and there's one of me that is definitely in a late 60s style dress (I did love that look though I wasn't buying too many of my own clothes yet).

Interesting that you had an OM-1 @Yeah No, i have one sitting on a shelf right above my desk right now.  I still use film all the time except for the DSLR that I use to scan negatives, however my first SLR was a Rollei SL35M.  It had a tendency to break down but the lenses were great.

[PRgal]

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Two more photos of me so you can see what I really looked like.  The bottom one is in a department store in Scarsdale in 1975 when I was 16 wearing my favorite jeans ever (too bad you can't see the Frye boots), and the top one is me in 1977 at 19 attempting the Annie Hall look, although at my height that was hard to do since there were no petite sizes back then which is probably why the skirt is hiked up above my belly button, LOL.  And that's after my mother took up the hem, too! Speaking of Alexander's, this photo was taken in Poe Park near the Concourse not far from there. And speaking of Jewish Deli, there was a great one near there, too. 

Edit: I made them smaller but now they're flipped and I don't know how to reverse them.  🤷‍♀️

 

 

 

 

Oh, so cute!  You remind me of a girl I knew when I was in high school!

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, PRgal said:

Oh, so cute!  You remind me of a girl I knew when I was in high school!

That's so funny, I was just going to tell @EtheltoTillie that she reminds me of the sister of one of my girlfriends in high school. They moved to Florida after my junior year and now we're Facebook friends.

But it wouldn't surprise me that I look like people in Canada since I have so many relatives there on my mother's side and I resemble my mother a lot. I have several cousins in Montreal and Toronto. I have no first cousins but they are first cousins once removed and 2nd cousins. When my grandfather in Montreal died back in '87 I went to his funeral and saw a young woman about my age there that resembled me so much I was shocked. I walked up to her, introduced myself and we both stood there speechless. After the shock wore off we figured out we were 1st cousins once removed. We keep in touch on Ancestry.com.

[lookeyloo]

Regarding food - I grew up in New Jersey. Ended up living most of my adult life in Baton Rouge. Yes some traditional food can be "unhealthy" but even back in the 70s when we moved there there was an abundance of fresh local food and produce and they can be cooked without a pound of butter or bacon grease and a cup of salt.  Now there is a huge variety of restaurants and markets and healthy choices abound. About 9 years ago we moved to metro Atlanta. And yes there are some old time local institutions with traditional southern food. But even these nowadays have some other options. There are so many good restaurants that one can try a different one every day for a year And get a good meal. Many places offer fresh vegetables and basic proteins.  And one can always say sauce/dressing on the side.  Mr lookeyloo had food sensitivities for years and even the local Baton Rouge places could accommodate that. Sometimes it isn't about what is available but what looks good and that's the choice. A different story is food deserts where low income people literally have few good choices. I think that happens everywhere someplace. 
if anyone remembers Ming Tsai the chef he wrote "the book" for restaurants on safe cooking methods for people with severe reactions - because his son was one of those.  We don't eat out on a regular basis because I like to cook a simple evening meal. And I am lucky enough to have a car, many good grocery stores nearby, access to good quality food etc. Not everyone has that I know. 

[Minivanessa]

@Yeah No and @EtheltoTillie - great pictures. Thanks for sharing!

I'm a bit older than you. I was in college when the BIL of my then boyfriend took this photo of me in my senior year. I have a bumper sticker for my minivan, yet to be put on it, that says "I used to be cool." This image might be captioned: "I used to be cute." This was taken just a couple of years before some of your shared photos.

Edited June 23 by Jeeves

[Yeah No]

On the subject of food, the problem for me is that when traveling it's always harder to find restaurants with healthier options. It's even a challenge for me where I live let alone somewhere else where the choices can range into even worse territory. When I travel I like to sample the local cuisine especially if it's something I can't get at home or it's not as good where I live. There's only so much sushi and salad I can eat before it gets old. And when the popular local cuisine consists of mostly deep fried and saturated fat filled food, that makes it even harder to do.

Without starting or getting into a medical discussion, part of my problem is that I was diagnosed a few months ago with Hashimoto's disease, which involves low thyroid and makes gaining weight much easier for some people and losing it much harder. My thyroid numbers are so far still in the normal range but have gotten steadily lower in the past several years since menopause. My mother also had Hashimoto's after menopause but in her case she had a huge goiter and eventually had to have her thyroid removed. Unfortunately she couldn't tolerate the medications so well and she gained a ton of weight and died just shy of her 77th birthday largely due to that. Being heavier does raise your sugar/cholesterol/blood pressure and this condition can also contribute to that.

So I walk a tightrope when it comes to food. I am considered obese although I don't wear more than a size 14 and that's mostly because of my stomach. I usually wear a women's medium or petite large in tops. But all I have to do is look at food and I gain weight, and despite the fact that I lost the 25 lbs. I gained during the pandemic over a year ago it is all hell to keep that off much less lose any more. I gained 5 back over the Winter that I just can't lose for love or money despite constant effort.

You all saw how skinny I was when I was young - I stayed skinny right up until menopause (well, not quite that skinny but who stays as skinny as they were in their teens?). This has been very hard on me. I used to be able to eat like a normal person. So perhaps my standards of what equals "healthy" are much stricter than most people's because of my issues.

I also think this is a big issue for me right now because I'm finally going on that cruise my husband has been pressuring me to go on in the near future and after watching YouTubes of the food choices it looks like I'm going to find it hard to keep to my diet even at the buffet let alone the regular restaurants. It's even worse at the buffet because you have to look at the food you really wish you could eat! I am bringing my Skechers to walk the promenade deck a lot so I'm sure I'll get plenty of exercise but even with exercise my problem is so bad that if I stray from my diet even a little I can gain. I'm also worried about seasickness - I tried out the scopolamine patch which so far doesn't give me any symptoms so between that, the sea bands and the ginger I'm hoping I'll be OK.

It also doesn't help that my husband just lost 8 lbs. in anticipation of the cruise so he'll be eating whatever he wants, lucky b*stard!! And he doesn't suffer from seasickness at all. It's a cruel turn that I love everything to do with the sea and yet suffer from this. My mother's brother was a merchant seaman and my grandfather had a yacht. I inherited this from my father who inherited it from one side of his family. Meanwhile he loved the water too and once confided in me that he would have joined the Navy if not for his seasickness!

[Yeah No]

39 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

@Yeah No and @EtheltoTillie - great pictures. Thanks for sharing!

I'm a bit older than you, was in college. My then boyfriend's BIL was good with a camera and took this photo of me in my senior year. I have a bumper sticker for my minivan, yet to be put on it, that says "I used to be cool." This image might be captioned: "I used to be cute." This was taken just a couple of years before some of your shared photos.

Jeeves, it gives me great pleasure to say that you look nothing like a "Jeeves", in fact, just the opposite! I love the windowsill pictures! Great photography, you look like a model.

 

[Minivanessa]

2 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Jeeves, it gives me great pleasure to say that you look nothing like a "Jeeves", in fact, just the opposite! I love the windowsill pictures! Great photography, you look like a model.

Aw, thanks. I had a brief moment in my early 20's when I grew my hair long. Ever since, it's refused to grow out, gets scraggly by the time it's chin length. Sigh.

I can't even claim that I chose my username here when I was drunk. I was re-reading one of the Jeeves/Wooster story collections at the time and thought Jeeves would work as a username. Temporary insanity, perhaps. 🤣

[Yeah No]

1 minute ago, Jeeves said:

Aw, thanks. I had a brief moment in my early 20's when I grew my hair long. Ever since, it's refused to grow out, gets scraggly by the time it's chin length. Sigh.

I can't even claim that I chose my username here when I was drunk. I was re-reading one of the Jeeves/Wooster story collections at the time and thought Jeeves would work as a username. Temporary insanity, perhaps. 🤣

((Hugs)) we all have our crosses to bear don't we? As you can see I had the opposite problem. Tons of bushy, wavy hair that in the '70s and '80s was cool but later became a nightmare to manage. Thank goodness for the flat iron or I don't know what I would have done because I never liked myself with short hair. I did cut it a little shorter than in those photos in my 20s but I don't like my ears so forget cutting it short. I have lost some volume since menopause but I started out with a lot so it still looks normal. For now at least.

I hear you about choosing your screen name - I chose mine after a friend kept using that phrase and I was stuck on it for a brief moment. Another case of temporary insanity, LOL.

[JustHereForFood]

22 hours ago, PRgal said:

As a Canadian from a large city and from an "ethnic" (i.e. immigrant) family, I'm always surprised at standard (smaller town/city) American cuisine.  From portion sizes (okay, we're not much better) to selection, it seems turn-off-y.  Despite Chinese food being seen as high in sodium and other things, it's usually just the restaurant stuff, especially ones that are kind of repurposed to suit non-East Asian (and less foodie) palates.  My family didn't use a lot of soy sauce/sodium growing up and a lot of our mains were steamed rather than even stir-fried.  We actually stayed away/limited a lot of store bought sauces.  There are people out there who think I have disordered eating because I just choose to label read and limit my intake of certain ingredients.  I don't ban myself or my family from them and yes, we eat out a lot, but I just don't buy them for my cooking.  Others just see this as me showing off my privilege.  I guess it's d@mned if you do, d@mned if you don't, right?

You have my sympathy. Food snobs are irritating. God forbid people want to know and/or control what they put into their bodies.

[Minivanessa]

Okay, folks - I just did it. Changed my username from JEEVES to MINIVANESSA. 

Because, I travel and camp in my minivan, and I'm female. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

1 hour ago, Minivanessa said:

Okay, folks - I just did it. Changed my username from JEEVES to MINIVANESSA.

Damn that's confusing.  In the post with your photo, the user name over on the left is Minivanessa but at the bottom of the post it says it was edited by Jeeves.  So apparently the user name on the left is dynamic but the one at the bottom of the post is not.  I hate this aspect of the internet.

[Minivanessa]

41 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Damn that's confusing.  In the post with your photo, the user name over on the left is Minivanessa but at the bottom of the post it says it was edited by Jeeves.  So apparently the user name on the left is dynamic but the one at the bottom of the post is not.  I hate this aspect of the internet.

I don't like that either. I thought that would happen, but I was so over that stupid username that I finally changed it anyway.

Edited June 23 by Minivanessa

[oliviabenson]

2 hours ago, Minivanessa said:

Okay, folks - I just did it. Changed my username from JEEVES to MINIVANESSA. 

Because, I travel and camp in my minivan, and I'm female. 

I thought it might be after Janessaaaa Rodrigues lol!

You looked like a model! Very beautiful!

[EtheltoTillie]

Later posts have only the new username. 

[lookeyloo]

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

On the subject of food, the problem for me is that when traveling it's always harder to find restaurants with healthier options. It's even a challenge for me where I live let alone somewhere else where the choices can range into even worse territory. When I travel I like to sample the local cuisine especially if it's something I can't get at home or it's not as good where I live. There's only so much sushi and salad I can eat before it gets old. And when the popular local cuisine consists of mostly deep fried and saturated fat filled food, that makes it even harder to do.

Without starting or getting into a medical discussion, part of my problem is that I was diagnosed a few months ago with Hashimoto's disease, which involves low thyroid and makes gaining weight much easier for some people and losing it much harder. My thyroid numbers are so far still in the normal range but have gotten steadily lower in the past several years since menopause. My mother also had Hashimoto's after menopause but in her case she had a huge goiter and eventually had to have her thyroid removed. Unfortunately she couldn't tolerate the medications so well and she gained a ton of weight and died just shy of her 77th birthday largely due to that. Being heavier does raise your sugar/cholesterol/blood pressure and this condition can also contribute to that.

So I walk a tightrope when it comes to food. I am considered obese although I don't wear more than a size 14 and that's mostly because of my stomach. I usually wear a women's medium or petite large in tops. But all I have to do is look at food and I gain weight, and despite the fact that I lost the 25 lbs. I gained during the pandemic over a year ago it is all hell to keep that off much less lose any more. I gained 5 back over the Winter that I just can't lose for love or money despite constant effort.

You all saw how skinny I was when I was young - I stayed skinny right up until menopause (well, not quite that skinny but who stays as skinny as they were in their teens?). This has been very hard on me. I used to be able to eat like a normal person. So perhaps my standards of what equals "healthy" are much stricter than most people's because of my issues.

I also think this is a big issue for me right now because I'm finally going on that cruise my husband has been pressuring me to go on in the near future and after watching YouTubes of the food choices it looks like I'm going to find it hard to keep to my diet even at the buffet let alone the regular restaurants. It's even worse at the buffet because you have to look at the food you really wish you could eat! I am bringing my Skechers to walk the promenade deck a lot so I'm sure I'll get plenty of exercise but even with exercise my problem is so bad that if I stray from my diet even a little I can gain. I'm also worried about seasickness - I tried out the scopolamine patch which so far doesn't give me any symptoms so between that, the sea bands and the ginger I'm hoping I'll be OK.

It also doesn't help that my husband just lost 8 lbs. in anticipation of the cruise so he'll be eating whatever he wants, lucky b*stard!! And he doesn't suffer from seasickness at all. It's a cruel turn that I love everything to do with the sea and yet suffer from this. My mother's brother was a merchant seaman and my grandfather had a yacht. I inherited this from my father who inherited it from one side of his family. Meanwhile he loved the water too and once confided in me that he would have joined the Navy if not for his seasickness!

I am 80 and have had thyroid issues for about 40 years starting with what was then diagnosed as "subacute thyroiditis" which was awful. Then turned hypothyroid. A balancing act with treatment and such. Now I am on T4 and compounded sustained release T3. It is hard to get that prescribed because half the medical profession doesn't even believe being out of kilter can affect weight and feeling good.  I lived in Baton Rouge for most of those years and ate the local cuisine in great moderation. Had complete hysterectomy at age 40ish. So that and thyroid issues and now age are very challenging. I also had a hip replaced and breast cancer and took the estrogen blockers for 9 years.  The shape of my body has definitely changed and it is a big challenge to keep up. I am 5'2" on a good day, petite frame for sure.  I have to dress differently. I am still a size 6 or small petite depending on clothes. Sometimes a medium top. Used to be a straight 4.  Now in metro Atlanta I eat out and maybe it is just an appetizer for my meal. I am satisfied with that. Also I walk a lot and recently started back lifting weights (8-10 lbs) and that always helps my body.  Everyone is different and I have learned what works for me. But very challenging. 

[Bastet]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

It's a cruel turn that I love everything to do with the sea and yet suffer from this.

It's the same for me.  I'd still never go on a cruise even without my motion sickness being at its worst on the water (as I've said before, it's not at all how I like to travel, having my itinerary dictated by others, having to be around so many people, the boring at-sea days, etc.), but I love the water and would like to be on it rather than gazing out at it.  I'd like to be able to go to Catalina for a day, out on the lake on my uncle's boat, etc.  I've done these things, but nowhere near as often as I'd like because the drugs (and wristbands and such, but I don't think those are really contributing anything; it's the drugs) only lessen the severity of my nausea, they do not eliminate it.

[oliviabenson]

Is anyone else not peeing frequently in the summer heat?

[ECM1231]

2 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

Is anyone else not peeing frequently in the summer heat?

More frequently for me because the a/c is cranked up and just makes me so cold, which contributes to more frequent bathroom trips.

My husband suffers from motion sickness; one time, I kid you not, he got motion sick relaxing on a pool tube in our above ground swimming pool. That's how bad he's got it.

Being the good sport he is, he did take several cruises with me. Our first left from NYC and went to Canada, stopping also in Newport, RI, and Portland, ME. This was in the month of June, way before hurricane season, but the Atlantic is usually rougher than the Caribbean. No shot in the infirmary, or any OTC remedies work for him. He finds it best to just wake, eat breakfast and stay off the ship as long as possible. 😞

[JustHereForFood]

2 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

Is anyone else not peeing frequently in the summer heat?

Do you drink the same amount? I find that when it gets too hot, I somehow drink less and have to remind myself to drink, which is not the case for the rest of the year when I have no problem to drink up to about 3 litres a day.

[shapeshifter]

 

2 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Do you drink the same amount? I find that when it gets too hot, I somehow drink less and have to remind myself to drink, which is not the case for the rest of the year when I have no problem to drink up to about 3 litres a day.

I do prefer hot drinks, so I too have to remind myself sometimes to drink when it's hot. It helps to keep a glass or bottle of water within reach, since the natural thirst that comes with heat will make me drink if it's there.

4 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

Is anyone else not peeing frequently in the summer heat?

Heh. At my age I am always capable of peeing at any time. 
But, yeah, if I don't drink enough fluid, it will be less pee total. 

The condo I've been living in for 2½ years has 2 toilets from 1973; one is Harvest Gold, the other is Avocado Green. So I can't tell if my pee is too yellow. But when I had white toilets, I would check the color after I went when it was very hot or if I had a fever to see if it was dark yellow, and then drink more water and other fluids accordingly.

 

Edited June 24 by shapeshifter

[Minivanessa]

6 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Later posts have only the new username. 

I think the username on the margin next to my posts has automatically updated to my new username. But references inside posts, such as "edited by" or being named/quoted by someone, will not change from my old username. 

[annzeepark914]

We have to stay hydrated in this hot weather. I've stayed inside all weekend but will be out there tomorrow to run a few errands as we get a little break (80's!!).  Minivanessa...I'll miss your former username. It always amused me 😁.

[EtheltoTillie]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

 

I do prefer hot drinks, so I too have to remind myself sometimes to drink when it's hot. It helps to keep a glass or bottle of water within reach, since the natural thirst that comes with heat will make me drink if it's there.

Heh. At my age I am always capable of peeing at any time. 
But, yeah, if I don't drink enough fluid, it will be less pee total. 

The condo I've been living in for 2½ years has 2 toilets from 1973; one is Harvest Gold, the other is Avocado Green. So I can't tell if my pee is too yellow. But when I had white toilets, I would check the color after I went when it was very hot or if I had a fever to see if it was dark yellow, and then drink more water and other fluids accordingly.

 

I am laughing at your Harvest Gold and Avocado toilets.  They go so well with our 70s theme.  Lucky you, you don't have a modern low-flow toilet.  I'm surprised the condo board didn't make everyone switch over to low-flow toilets.  They have done that in NYC buildings.

Edited June 24 by EtheltoTillie

[annzeepark914]

We just had the innards (of our relatively new toilet in my bathroom) replaced. It was semi flushing all the time. I told the pest service guy about it and he said they had to do the same thing with one of theirs.

[EtheltoTillie]

Just now, annzeepark914 said:

We just had the innards (of our relatively new toilet in my bathroom) replaced. It was semi flushing all the time. I told the pest service guy about it and he said they had to do the same thing with one of theirs.

I have that problem right now with one of my toilets. It's like a slow running phenomenon.  I have to get my super to fix it.

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

I am 80 and have had thyroid issues for about 40 years starting with what was then diagnosed as "subacute thyroiditis" which was awful. Then turned hypothyroid. A balancing act with treatment and such. Now I am on T4 and compounded sustained release T3. It is hard to get that prescribed because half the medical profession doesn't even believe being out of kilter can affect weight and feeling good.  I lived in Baton Rouge for most of those years and ate the local cuisine in great moderation. Had complete hysterectomy at age 40ish. So that and thyroid issues and now age are very challenging. I also had a hip replaced and breast cancer and took the estrogen blockers for 9 years.  The shape of my body has definitely changed and it is a big challenge to keep up. I am 5'2" on a good day, petite frame for sure.  I have to dress differently. I am still a size 6 or small petite depending on clothes. Sometimes a medium top. Used to be a straight 4.  Now in metro Atlanta I eat out and maybe it is just an appetizer for my meal. I am satisfied with that. Also I walk a lot and recently started back lifting weights (8-10 lbs) and that always helps my body.  Everyone is different and I have learned what works for me. But very challenging. 

Thanks for sharing that, you have your share of issues too I see. I'm also 5'2" on a good day. I wonder if and when they put me on Synthroid it might help me manage my weight better. I wish I could take weight loss drugs but I couldn't even take Metformin without being really sick to my stomach so forget the others because they all work the same way.  Anything known to cause stomach upset bothers me. I sometimes order appetizers too or an appetizer and a side salad. I have it down in my local area, it's just traveling that's very challenging for me. Last year when we went to Florida I ate a lot but we walked something like 15,000 steps a day and I was able to eat all light seafood and other healthy stuff (except for those wonderful Cubano sandwiches) so it wasn't so bad and I only gained a pound. At least my husband has his issues with weight too and will be on board with doing a lot of walking when we travel.

[lookeyloo]

6 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Thanks for sharing that, you have your share of issues too I see. I'm also 5'2" on a good day. I wonder if and when they put me on Synthroid it might help me manage my weight better. I wish I could take weight loss drugs but I couldn't even take Metformin without being really sick to my stomach so forget the others because they all work the same way.  Anything known to cause stomach upset bothers me. I sometimes order appetizers too or an appetizer and a side salad. I have it down in my local area, it's just traveling that's very challenging for me. Last year when we went to Florida I ate a lot but we walked something like 15,000 steps a day and I was able to eat all light seafood and other healthy stuff (except for those wonderful Cubano sandwiches) so it wasn't so bad and I only gained a pound. At least my husband has his issues with weight too and will be on board with doing a lot of walking when we travel.

Did I miss something? I thought you were on thyroid drugs?  I take Levoxyl which is another name brand. Never a generic. Plus the compounded t3. I don't foresee me taking the weight loss drugs. I think they can cause another set of issues. I listened to a podcast with Sally Field and she said it is hard for her to come to terms with her "thick middle" in her later years. I don't love mine either 

[Yeah No]

 

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

It's the same for me.  I'd still never go on a cruise even without my motion sickness being at its worst on the water (as I've said before, it's not at all how I like to travel, having my itinerary dictated by others, having to be around so many people, the boring at-sea days, etc.), but I love the water and would like to be on it rather than gazing out at it.  I'd like to be able to go to Catalina for a day, out on the lake on my uncle's boat, etc.  I've done these things, but nowhere near as often as I'd like because the drugs (and wristbands and such, but I don't think those are really contributing anything; it's the drugs) only lessen the severity of my nausea, they do not eliminate it.

10 years ago or more I would have said the same thing about cruising. Maybe it's something about being over 60 but it starts to look more attractive after a while. My husband and I always scoffed at cruising because we liked to be self directed and explore on our own. Now we are just as happy to relax and let someone else do the itinerary. He even booked a limo. both ways to take us to the embarkation point in NYC and back. We've never done that before (despite him being a limo. driver now and all, LOL). Having to do less work is more attractive at our age and it's worth the extra money to have someone else do it. I just wish I had more money to have more things done for me. Owning a home is a lot of work and getting harder all the time and our income is not increasing to meet those demands so it's something we think about for the future. I'd go back to a condo. in a hot minute. It's just beautiful here and I'd miss the privacy.

I'll let you know how I fare with the seasickness. It's weird because I'm reading that everyone is made sick by different things and some people that normally get sick don't get sick on very big ships, while others do. Not ever having been on one I don't know yet, I'll find out. They say don't compare it to smaller boats and ferries, it's nothing like that. It also depends on the situation. If we encounter storms and rough seas then getting sick might be more likely than if not.

And no anti-nausea aids work that well for me either (and I can't take the Meclizine because it makes me even sicker) but I'm hoping all I'm doing will be enough to stave off nausea on a big ship. It all depends so much on so many things. I know it's a crap shoot but at this point I have to try it. At least I'll be on the QM2 which is a true ocean liner and has better stabilizers than regular cruise ships. We also picked a cabin at the center of the ship on a lower deck which we were told is where the ship is most stable. It won't be a trans-Atlantic trip, but a more local one close to the shore so we won't be out in the choppiest waters. We won't be more than one day at sea at a time either before reaching a port, which also helps. Also, I checked online and on the cruise chat boards people have posted that they did not get sick on the QM2 while they did on other ships. One of them was in a room on the same deck very close to ours. So that is good to hear. But again everyone is different so we'll see. Wish me luck!