Do you know Edy? She does NOT strike me as immature or mean spirited AT ALL! I am 100% certain this was a case of typing too fast.

And my bad for laughing so hard...I apologize again. It just cracked me up BECAUSE of the fact that it was purely unintentional! What are the chances that you could reverse a couple of letters in a name and end up with that. Even TAWT has to see a LITTLE humor in it. Ms Edy I'm sure was NOT being mean!

I can't help it. That is some funny ****. I'm sure you probably just typed too fast and reversed the letters but still...



...Although he was griping about some sort of mad conspiracy by the mods here so it just makes your goof that much funnier! I just can't stop laughing!! Thanks Edy_ca...I needed that, intentional or not. And sorry TAWT to laugh at your expense. Maybe I'm going to hell but I'm gonna laugh the whole damn way there!

Yup, I'm with you guys. If I'm going to commit my life to someone, I want to know them completely first. Many components required for the kind of compatibility to make a marriage successful and lasting, especially these days. I'm not going in blind!

Awesome topic pkh!

I would probably donate a portion to The Jimmy Fund...a charity associated with the Boston Red Sox that helps kids and folks with cancer, in honor of my Dad who loved the Sox and passed away 3 yrs ago from colon cancer.

But most of it would go to starting The Rooftop Organization. It'd be a non-profit with help for working people that meet unfortunate temporary circumstances, such as a medical issue that lands them out of work for a period of time, and would help them pay mortgage or rent briefly so they could keep a roof over their heads. I know they're working already and there are many less fortunate that aren't and need help, but in my mind I'd rather give a little to someone to keep them from going under rather than give them a whole bunch more after they plummet to the bottom. Doesn't seem to be much assistance out there for the working class poor when woes befall them. Most social services agencies and charities won't help until you've lost everything. Kinda seems backwards to me. Isn't there a saying "God helps those who help themselves"?

Boy I wish I'd hit the lottery now!

Oh yes. Many of us gave examples of medical problems or medication that contributed significantly to weight gain. To save you from reading all the posts, suffice to say the OP denies this is a valid argument for people being overweight. He has convinced himself that fat people are fat because they overeat...period...no other 'excuses', as he puts it, are an acceptable reason for not being his imagined proper size.

Thank you for revisiting against your wishes just to post about my post!

I almost wish the OP would get some weird medical problem that made him blow up like an elephant for a few months just so he could see what it's like to gain weight through no fault of his own. But that would be cruel to wish hardship on anyone no matter how insensitive and ignorant they are, so I'll refrain from doing so. Doesn't mean I can't give him a piece of my mind though!

We all do and say stupid things sometimes, especially after a few potent concoctions. Just ask my broken foot!

At least you were man enough to admit it! You get three cheers for this alone.

Awesome insight Crystal! 100% correct on the decline in the nutritional value of our foods now.

We should also consider socioeconomic factors in this too. It's friggen expensive to eat healthy! I bet we would see a high correlation between poverty and obesity. Those with little money can't afford to buy high quality food. Try to buy organic meats, fruits and veggies on a meager grocery budget. You can buy Twinkies and soda with food stamps, but not vitamins even though you ingest them too. What kind of sense does that make?

You're also correct in that there are no profits for the healthcare industry, to include Big Pharma, if we're all healthy. I believe in my heart that they know how to cure cancer (and probably lots of other diseases!) but that wouldn't be economically beneficial for them, they make so much more off continuing care. Sad but true.

There are so many factors that come into play when trying to explain the epidemic of obesity that has swept our nation. The OP's simplistic observation that fat people are fat because they overeat consistently and take in more calories than they burn is not only insensitive but ignorant in my opinion.

It's a case of pick your poison. Whether it's the scratch tickets or a poker site, there's a possibility of it going horribly wrong when you're a gambling addict so beware of all those things. You know that the computer sites are your chosen poison which is why you should try to find non-computer hobbies to occupy your time. Not saying "get the hell out of here kid!", just saying that it'll be easier to avoid the sites if you're not on the computer all the time. Get out, fresh air and exercise does a body good, said as I sit here typing to you on the computer!

In all fairness though, I broke my foot recently so I'm on here quite a bit more now instead of out and about. Hopefully it's not all time wasted. After all, I got to meet you and maybe help ya a little with my story.

No, for the most part I don't. Once in awhile I'll bet on a game, like the Superbowl or a Red Sox or Bruins game...a friendly bet between friends. And I bet a guy $5 the other night that I could put my hands flat on the ground with my feet together and legs straight, but I knew I couldn't lose that bet so it wasn't really a bet in my eyes, just a way to make an easy $5.

But other than that, not worth it to me to set myself up for trouble. No lottery tickets, no poker machines or slot machines at the casinos, no online gambling. I still have a gambling problem, I will always have a gambling problem...I just don't gamble now!

For me it was the fact that I was addicted to the IDEA of winning, not a physical thing. With drugs and alcohol, I can avoid that particular thing...when I see it, I run in the opposite direction or just say no. I can't escape my thoughts though, they're always there!...so battling the idea versus a substance was hardest, if that makes any sense. If it doesn't, don't feel bad...sometimes it doesn't even make sense to me!

Yes dear, many things. I seem to suffer from an addictive personality.

I had a big problem with gambling when I moved to Vegas years ago. Lived there 3 yrs and it got bad. I broke into my child's piggy bank one night and stole his money, an actual old school piggy bank made out of ceramic that you had to break! Felt horrible afterwards, of course, but at the time all I could think about was not letting anyone else get on the machine that I had already primed to hit with all my money. The machine still didn't hit, at least not for me and I was dead broke and feeling miserable for stealing my kid's money.

I won big at times, sure, but I lost so much more in the process. In the end, that one night made me go to GA and it worked for me; I was abstinent for 9 months and life was great. I fell off the wagon though and almost landed myself in jail all in one weekend! Rang up $1000s of dollars in debt, not to mention blowing through everything I had managed to save in that previous 9 months. Sucked big time and took me years to recover financially from that one stupid weekend! So yes, I understand the gambling addiction first hand. And that's also why I posted the "be careful of that kind of thinking" post. Hope that helps lend credence to my advice.

Keep making good choices kid. (Kid not meant to be derogatory in any way, just a term of endearment in my vocabulary for a young person).

Be careful of this kind of thinking. You have to be on guard all the time when it comes to addiction. Even after you 'kick the habit', it can pop up and bite you when you least expect it. The key is to recognize the urges and plan other options to get you through the urge when it comes, because in all honesty, that urge once instilled never really goes away. If we're lucky, we learn to overcome our addiction and make good choices. Not trying to scare you, merely trying to keep you focused on how to overcome your problem. Looks like you're off to a good start though!

Here are some suggestions that may help you. Come on here. Write in this forum until the urge passes. Start a journal and record your feelings, your thoughts and actions when you're free of gambling, and if you happen to slip, what that made you feel like. It'll give you something to go back to for perspective. Do you want to gamble out of boredom? Find other healthy activities to get into instead. Take up paintballing or start jogging for instance, become active away from the computer where you seem to be drawn in by the gambling sites. No matter what, if you DO gamble, don't consider yourself a failure and stop trying to live free of gambling. You can overcome this and live a happy life. If you continue to gamble, things will just get worse and worse, trust me I know! It's a hard addiction, mostly because you're addicted to an idea instead of an actual thing, like alcohol or drugs, but you CAN control thinking so it's not hopeless. Don't bet your future away...it's far too valuable!

Best wishes to you Adam.

Compassion, integrity (to include honesty, trust, loyalty, respect), ability to communicate effectively, and a big...ummm...how shall I put this...

...funny bone!?!

What I bring? Well a sense of humor, in theory. Besides that, I'm at a loss other than to say I'm a good person. And I can order the hell out of a pizza too! That might not seem really important but if you had my cooking skills, you'd know it was a must.

Great topic again pkh

The bold statement above, both literally and figuratively, just makes my blood boil!

So you see a large person and you automatically ASSUME they're at an all you can eat buffet around the clock stuffing their faces?!? You're a doctor I take it too, since you seem quite confident that medications and "gland problems" cannot possibly be responsible for excess weight?

I studied the brain and the human body quite extensively and you are sorely mistaken. Certain medications affect one's metabolism and appetite not to mention energy level. Cancer patients often lose weight due to treatment that makes it virtually impossible to eat and maintain adequate caloric intake. Antidepressants cause chemical changes in the brain and weight gain is often a side effect even though caloric intake and expenditure hasn't changed one iota! In fact, research shows that depressed people are considerably less active and tend to overeat more in many cases... so energy output generally increases and caloric intake decreases when on antidepressants...yet these individuals tend to gain weight. According to your logic above, this couldn't possibly occur, yet it does. Do some research.

I know this from personal experience as well. I watched my fit and healthy Dad wither away following chemo before he lost his battle to the dreadful disease. I also took antidepressants once, not because I was depressed but as a preventative migraine med, and I gained 50 lbs over 4 months with no change in eating or activity levels. I was thin to begin with in case you were wondering, and when I went off them due to the weight gain side effect, I lost most of the weight (not without effort mind ya!). So don't tell me or believe that fat people are fat because they overeat, period. That's just hogwash!

Your choice in women, fat or thin, is your choice but you have no right to ASSUME that people choose to be fat anymore than they choose to age or have hair. In fact, you CAN choose to age or have hair. You could choose to be bald by having hair yet shaving your head anyways. You could choose to age...suicide is always an option, and one I would most likely choose if I was the woman that had to try to fit in your skinny little pants to impress you. Thank God I don't have to worry about that though, not because I couldn't either, but because I CHOOSE not to! I want a man that's a little less concerned about what's on the outside and more concerned about being compassionate on the inside.

Edit: to fix the bold issue ... to make a statement bold

First question..."You've read the bill?" "Why sure!" you answer. Second question... "Do you understand it?" "Oh sure!" you reply, "what's hard to understand about it? It's all right there in black and white. Uh duh!"

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr3590enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr3590enr.pdf

906 pages for the actual bill that was passed

And while 906 pgs doesn't seem like that much, there are approximately 20,000 pages of regulations to sift through to understand what will be required under the bill, per this article from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/how-many-pages-of-regulations-for-obamacare/2013/05/14/61eec914-bcf9-11e2-9b09-1638acc3942e_blog.html



It's one thing to say "Sure, I read the bill" and another to say "Yup, I COMPREHEND the bill and the regulations required to meet the standards set by it."

I comprehend that I will never comprehend the absurdity of our government!

Pandora most of my waking hours.

Santana Radio this morning.

Currently "No One To Depend On" by said artist. Perfect song for me coincidentally!

Awwwww...

I remember that feeling. Bittersweet watching our kids reach milestones; happy that they've accomplished them, but sad that they're growing up so fast. I don't know if I was crying tears of joy or sadness when I watched my son walk down the aisle when he graduated from high school. Seemed like one minute I was wiping strained carrots out of his hair in his highchair and the next he was standing there in his gown asking me to help him attach a pointy square cap to his head! I remember that morning so clearly, standing there so full of pride at the man he'd become, yet wishing somehow I was still checking for carrots.

Hope your girls have a great first day. Try not to be too sad...you got 'em this far Mom. Cheers for you!

The Blues Radio ...on Pandora

Stevie Ray Vaughan "The Things (That) I Used To Do" is playing right this minute.

I scream "Stay back imposter! What have you done with my boyfriend?" Then I faint because it surely must be a case of alien abduction and my brain can't handle the shock.

My man's idea of romance is pointing at the package, raising his eyebrows in that come hither way and saying "Hey baby, I know you want some of this."