Loosing Weight??

?? is it possible to loose weight??
They seem to being able to loose the weight on the Biggest Looser but that isn't reality. Those people live on a ranch with nothing but healthy food and two amazing trainers whose job it is to mold the contestants' bodies into shape.

You and I don't live in an environment where there is noting to eat but healthy food and we definitely don't have 24hr access to a gym. Gym memberships come at a premium so the only real sort of exercise for those who are poor is walking. Although walking is great exercise sometimes its not easy to do especially if you live in an area where there is possibility of snow. If you have cable tv you might find that there is Fit Tv channel available to you which is cool cause it has hundreds of different exercise routines for you. You'll probably just have to go through them one at a time to see what works for you.

I'm lucky because I have Fit Tv on demand which is great cause I can check out the ones I like without any major commitment. I would love to have access to a gym but when your underemployed gym membership isn't an option at least in the near future.

It seems to me that if your poor it is harder to obtain the so called healthy foods. After you pay your bills the money that is left can be used to purchase food for your survival. Those of us who do the majority of the grocery shopping will buy the essentials which doesn't always mean healthy food. My family never buys junk food but then again we will occasionally buy a box or two of brownie mix. We just can't seem to get away from buying stuff with high fructose corn syrup in it no matter how hard we look. We will buy frozen veggies instead of fresh mainly because they are cheaper. Canned veggies are only good for making soup.

I got asked this morning why don't I cook anymore? My reason for not wanting to cook is simple I just don't wanna eat anymore than I need to. I'm sick and tired of being overweight. I'm tired of being tired all the time. I'm disgusted at the fact that I have no energy to do normal activities in life without taking a 3 hour nap in between. I need to loose a little over 100 pounds which doesn't seem like a lot but in my reality it is because I live in a household of enablers.

Enablers in my world drive me toward food I shouldn't be eating or give me reason to eat xl large portions of food. My enabler complains all the time which drives me crazy but instead of pulling out my hair or putting fist through the wall I eat. For example I'll make chocolate fudge and eat more than a normal person will. I'll make a box of brownies and eat about a 1/3 of it. My enabler is overweight just as I am but she/he will complain just to hear his/her own voice. Why do people who are enabler not realize what they are doing to us. They bring us down with their negative attitude while expecting us to be perfect. My enabler thinks no one can do anything the right way except her/him which drives me crazy. I am perfectly capable of doing just about anything but I hate having to kiss up just to get someone to realize that. I don't mind cooking or cleaning I just hate that this enabler can't except the fact that not everyone works on his/her schedule.

When I do the grocery shopping I try to work from a list simply because I can't remember everything I need to get. My enabler gets mad when I go to the store and don't bring home any protein like hamburger or if I pass a McD's I don't stop in to pick up some burgers. I can't read minds so if you want me to get something on my way home you gotta call me otherwise I'll come home empty handed and have to listen to hours and hours and hours of complaining from the complainer.

I just wish life was as simple as the contestants on the Biggest Looser because loosing weight would be a piece of cake.

Movie Posters

As I mentioned in a previous blog I sell original movie posters. When most people think of movie posters that can be purchased they think of the ones sold in video and craft stores but mine are the ones seen in a movie theater.

I consider myself very lucky to have acquired a small collection of movie posters. All my posters are original double sided posters that adorn theater walls. I have four different posters currently for sale on ebay.

All of my poster listing are Buy It Now instead of the traditional Auction style. I can mail out purchaser's item as soon as it is paid for without having to wait for auction to end. Since I usually have more than one copy of each poster this feature is easier to use. I don't think there has been a dissatisfied customer that has purchased one of my posters.

I don't even think my prices are too high although I did have someone ask me to lower the cost of shipping on a particular bus shelter poster so they could buy it. The person that made the request never bought the poster instead someone else bought it. I learned my lesson never lower your shipping just because someone said they would buy it if the shipping was cheaper. The tubes that bus shelter posters come in are much longer than the ones I use to ship the standard 27x40 poster in which is why it shipping cost for bus shelter posters is much greater.

I currently have two posters from Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway.



I also have four posters from Hannah Montana: The Movie starring Miley Cyrus. I think its a good price for Hannah Montana fans, if they still exist.


I have five copies of the poster Leap Year which features Amy Adams and Matthew Goode. I think of Ireland every time I look at it.


Also for sale is the poster Bride Wars which features Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway dressed in lovely wedding dresses. I have 3 copies of this particular poster.


All of my poster came from the theater where I work, while most might never have left the tube they were originally shipped in some show minor wear and tear along the edges. Minor is just that minor and if you put the poster in a frame you probably wouldn't notice any minor tears along the edges. The following link will lead you to all the posters mentioned in this blog.

http://www.auctiva.com/stores/viewstore2.aspx?id=995351&styleid=85&siteid=0

Selling Online

Over the past couple of years I've been making handmade earrings and the occasional bracelet. I've never really sold anything I've made mostly given it away as a gift. Two months ago I post two pair of earrings I made on a site called Etsy. This web site deals mostly with handmade items which is great because I have a box of earrings I need to sell.

My reason for posting only two items was simply put I wanted to see if I could get any interest which seems to be an impossible task. I guess I need to post more things but I'm weary of not finding anyone to buy what I'm selling. I check out other stores that sell handmade jewelry thinking my stuff looks just as good as theirs. I've posted each item on my fb page hoping to get some interest but still nothing. So I've decided its time to write a new blog to start the year.

I also am an ebay seller well at least I'm the one doing the posting even if its my brother's account. I sell original movie posters that I got from working at a movie theater. Movie theater posters are made from high quality paper unlike the stuff you find in the stores. I've even posted them on my fb and my brother's but still no response.

I currently am severely underemployed and thought that if I got back into selling posters I might make a little profit to counteract my lack of work. Maybe just maybe if I post some more posters and jewelry I'll get someone interested. I shipped most of my stuff to the states with a limited amount of international shipping. International shipping is outrageous which is probably why I rarely get buyers from outside of continental US.

Christmas Traditions

This is the season where traditions are either born, broken, or kept. Even though Christmas is just one day, its a holiday that encompasses most of the month of December.

The Christmas season generally starts with the Thanksgiving holiday and ends Christmas night. Mall workers spend probably most of the month of November getting ready for Santa to arrive. By the time Thanksgiving comes the mall has been transformed to reflect the winter season. Part of the mall will become the North Pole, where parents can bring their children to have their photo made with Santa.

Before Thanksgiving local stores will become decorated icons reflecting the coming holiday. Christmas will take over our daily lives. Home owners will decorate their homes in the spirit of the season. Some may go overboard with decorations while others are simplistic or even conservative.

Radio stations will turn over their programming to reflect the Christmas season. Only one local Michigan station will run 24hrs a Christmas music 7 days a week starting around Thanksgiving and ending the day after Christmas.

Christmas parades seems to be happening in every city in the state. It seems like every weekend leading up to the big day, there is always something to do somewhere in the state. Bazaars pop up everywhere during the Christmas holiday. Cookie walks spring up here and there, its a chance to get various cookies for one low price.

Christmas tree lots spring up on every corner. Stores like Home Depot and Lowe's will get a shipment of Christmas trees to sell at their stores. Smaller nursery's will have tree for sale. The closer you get to Christmas Eve the cheaper you can get your Christmas tree.

Families will bake cookies and other holiday goodies. I compile a list of cookies that I have to make before Christmas. I'll even bake a couple loaves of Italian Panettone bread to give as a gift or to eat on Christmas morning.

Some people will pick a date to go get a tree. My family will get a tree on Christmas Eve and decorate it that night.

Christmas day we usually have a turkey but last couple of years I think we've gotten Chinese food since that's the only restaurant open late on Christmas day.

All in all traditions are not a bad thing but in order for them to become part of your annual repertoire you must do them every year.

Between the cracks of hunger

In Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties, one in five children live in poverty. In the tri-county area 500,000 people including nearly 200,000 children, live in poverty.
Four million households in Michigan live at risk of hunger.

Michigan lost one million jobs over the past decade. A large share of the jobs lost once resided here in Southeast Michigan. Those lost jobs were high- and middle-wage lower-education jobs in lower-education industries. It is unlikely these jobs will ever return.

According to Feeding America’s National Hunger study, the number of individual emergency food recipients who receive food each week in Southeast Michigan grew by over 78%.

I live in the city of Detroit where the unemployment reached 12.8% for the month of October 2010. Most of the people living in my neighborhood are on some sort of public assistance. On my street there are probably only handful of people that actually work outside the home.

Not only is public assistance running rampant in this city but so are the number of foreclosed, burned out, and empty houses. It seems like everyday another people is moving out of their house.

People are continually moving out of their homes but with cold weather creeping up on us there will be more people heating their homes with kerosene or going so far as to make an illegal gas hook-up.

My parents house sits between a burned out house and a recently vacated house that no longer has heat or electricity.

Sure its cheap to live in Detroit and there really isn't any other city in this state that can beat the cost but with so many empty houses its hard to sell your home.

I found that if you earn money legally and if you earn more than the median income for your area you will inevitably fall between the cracks of public assistance.

This is the area where me and my family find ourselves. My parents are both senior citizens who live on social security and Medicare but according to an individual at the local social security office they make to much to get SSI which is available to folks their age.

We've even tried several times to get the coveted bridge card which is the current food stamp program. Again we make too much money to get any help.

So now instead of buying food to stay alive we use our money to pay bills so that we can have a house to live in.

My parents get food once a month from Focus Hope. They use to get more canned meat which was great for making enchiladas and soup but now that there are more people getting food than before they get less and less each time.

Not only are people getting free food from food pantry's but they are also getting food stamps or a bridge card loaded with enough money to buy real food for a month.

What are people who fall between the cracks of government help?

Recently unemployment benefits have been extended for another year for those lucky individuals who have been receiving benefits this past year. Why was it so important to keep extending those benefits when others go without just so people who have been getting paid to stay at home continue this pattern while those of us who barely get by go to work.

I know that unemployment nationally is nearing 10%. Both Michigan and California's unemployment was a whopping 12% in October 2010.

On November 2, 2010 not only did the people of United States revolt against the Democratic Party by electing enough Republicans to take control of the US House of Representatives but residents of Michigan elected a governor who isn't a career politician.

On Tuesday November 2nd Rick Snyder was elected he 48th Governor of Michigan. He is the only other Republican elected to the office of governor since John Engler held that post nine years ago.

The current governor has done nothing to help this state. Instead of helping small business her lack of faith in the small business has caused many business to close it's doors after being open less than a year. The small business tax has plagued the small businesses for many years.

I just hope that Mr. Snyder will help get Michigan on a path to success.

Maybe just maybe he will bring about change for the better.

Maybe people that fall between the cracks will be able to get the help they need.

One day maybe we will put an end to hunger.

One can always hope these things will happen but if we do nothing to make a change nothing will ever happen.

Crafting for Profit or Fun

I first started knitting scarfs back when I was a teenager. They were easy to make and only required straight needles. Two years ago I made my first pair of socks which I do wear. I had never made anything using the double pointed needles until the day I bought two balls of sock yarn. My mom knits too as well as my grandma but I don't credit them for teaching me how to knit. I consider myself a self taught knitter. My mom is subscribed to various knitting magazines which have a help section in the back. I taught myself how to cast on stitches using one of her magazines. I even taught myself how to Kitchener stitch by watching a how-to video that can be found on you tube. The only thing I'm not able to do is pick up stitches when completing the heel of a sock. Earlier this month I was making a beret and I was getting mixed up so I just unraveled it and started all over. I finally finished it for the second time. I've also made two hats that remind me of a pillbox hat. I've made one pair of child mittens and I'm currently working on making a pair of adult mittens to go with one of the hats I made. Besides all the hats and mittens I've made I've also made some dust covers for the Swiffer. Besides knitting I also make earrings and bracelets. I've posted two pairs of earrings on a website called Etsy.com in hopes of selling one pair to make some extra money. Handmade crafts have finally found a place online. I'm sure there are some people who have the drive to create a website to sell their handmade good but now there is a website where people can post their items to sell without creating an entire web page for their items. Etsy.com is the website where you can find all sorts of handmade items, vintage items, as well as materials for crafting. I know that I love making stuff to give as presents for people but now I need to craft for profit because money is tight so this will be the only way to make extra money.

Movies

Thursday July 9, 2009

Today I went to a screening of the movie "Julie and Julia" starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. It was a really interesting movie because it showed Julia before she became "Julia."

I don't get to see many movies before they open. When I do it is a real treat. First movie that I ever saw before it opened was "Juno" with Micheal Cera. Another really good film that I eventually saw three times once it opened.

This film was about this woman; Julie Powell who wrote a blog about making her way through the book Mastering the Art French Cooking by Julia Child. She had a couple breakdowns but who wouldn't because she was taking on a enormous task.

The movie would go back to Julia Child's life when she lived in Paris with her husband. Paris was where it all started for Julia. I think it was in Paris where Julia found her true calling in life.

Flash forward to 2002 where we meet Julie Powell who is a government worker who uses cooking as a way of relaxing. Both women have a lot in common: both worked for the government, both love to cook, and both married amazing men.

I can't wait for this movie to open on August 7th. I will tell everyone that loves to cook that this is definitely a great movie. Julia Child was an amazing woman who never gave up even when the first publisher passed on her book.

I've decided that I really should try this blogging thing even if I don't adhere to any one subject. I will be a general blogger. Blogging on things that I find relevant or something that needs to be spoken about.