Some observations from a reluctant traveler

[Nyboy]

Not sure if they do this to woman, but large chains charge a extra $2.00 for sizes over xlarge. I don't want to hear takes more fabic, we are talking Kmart / walmart the fabic they use cost pennies.

 

[digitS']

You have come full circle to where I was in my first post on this thread, @so lucky. The way the passengers dressed in the 1950's, probably reflected their vanity more than anything else. As the airline employee mingling amongst them, the stewardess was a girl who decided to turn down modeling jobs for the enjoyment of travel.

I know that it can be unkind to comment on loved ones weight but I worry about them. Calories don't come from air. Excess calories can cause some serious health problems.

I have serious balance problems. On the hoola hoop thread, it was said that learning how was like riding a bike, the skill remains.

Riding a bike was a big deal for me when I was a kid. We moved to town when I was a teenager and that bike was my escape from a too small city lot!

When I went off to a university, I decided to give up having a car. Dang! Walking to work thru icy streets was tough but I had a bike for better days.

Walking was important to me. I had another vehicle soon enuf but for many years, my favorite summer recreation was finding isolated guv'ment land, in interesting locations, and hikng up there to camp, swim and fish! I'd walk in town just for fun.

That is all, pretty much, history. I have one leg that does little work and another that does less. I don't know if I can ride a bike, doubt it. Doubt that I can swim, roll in a spiral, while swimming in a circle and sinking ...

I get around! Want to make it worse? Want to have to use a "walker" or take a quick route to a wheelchair? Gain some weight!!

I'm not very heavy. I'm over six feet and weigh 190 (now that I've lost 5 pounds ). My summer goal is 185 but I'll go to 165 if I have to just so I can still get up and walk! I don't have to fly - just walk.

Some of you know how I struggle to keep the weight off in the winter when I'm less active. It is not anything onerous, naw!! I eat more! Mostly more fruit but I'm eating plenty of vegetables right thru the year. Yum!

Steve
on balance, he's off balanced

 

[Carol Dee]

Not sure if they do this to woman, but large chains charge a extra $2.00 for sizes over xlarge. I don't want to hear takes more fabic, we are talking Kmart / walmart the fabic they use cost pennies.

YES they ALL do it. (I know because I have to pay the extra!)

 

[AMKuska]

4. Everybody in the Western U.S. sports a tattoo, except me.
The size of the tattoo seems to be in direct proportion to the wearers youth and beauty. I saw many pretty young women with huge tattoos on major portions of their body. There are going to be a lot of sagging butterflys in the next decade or so.

This is not true. I am in the western U.S. and I do not have a tattoo. I may be the only other one though. ;-)

Just for fun:

 

[thistlebloom]

Yep.

Saw her in the Oakland terminal.

 

[Nyboy]

Love it!! dance while waiting at bag claim.

 

[Smart Red]

Not sure if they do this to woman, but large chains charge a extra $2.00 for sizes over xlarge. I don't want to hear takes more fabic, we are talking Kmart / walmart the fabic they use cost pennies.

Yes, they do it to women as well! But I notice the size 2 is not cheaper than the size 16 despite a whole lot less material so it isn't really a cost issue.

 

[Smart Red]

I have a friend who had a lovely small rose tattooed on her 'chest' many years ago.
Now she boasts a long-stemmed rose.

 

[Kassaundra]

I am sorry if my comment offended or hurt feelings. It was not my intention.

I weigh more then the charts say I should for my height, gender, and age. There is morbid obesity in my family, I struggle everyday w/ weight, I cannot eat what my skinny friends can and get away w/ it like they can.

I live in OK one of the leading states in morbid obesity, I work in the health care industry where I see the consequences of super morbid obesity, or morbid obesity everyday. I see many, many 40 something year olds LIVING IN NURSING HOMES only b/c of their weight. Our equipment keeps getting bigger and bigger to accommodate, but people are outgrowing even the bariatric equipment, to large to fit in a loveseat sized wheel chair, or a power cot w/ a 750 - 900 lb range. The regular power lifts aren't big enough now the lifts have to be built into the walls and ceilings of the buildings. People living in their beds w/ there stashes, stacks, and stacks piled high all around the bed of soda, cookies, candy, etc... and not just the one "crazy lady or guy" but more people then I can count. Obesity, morbid obesity, super morbid obesity is pandemic in my world, the consequences are very real, very bad on a personal level (the individual), to the family, to the community. The problem is "simply complex" yes it is a basic calorie in/ calorie out ratio, however what drives our society to the point where so many individuals have these kind of issues is complex.

None of this excuses my flippant comment, in my world if you don't turn things into a joke, you would never stop crying about it all.

 

[thistlebloom]

I really respect your input and perspective Kassaundra, and all of the people who work out there daily and deal with these issues.
That's you and Heather, and Jared.

I am sheltered from personal contact with any of that, I only know about it from reading or hearing about it from people like you guys. We all joke about stuff, and personally I wasn't offended by anybodys remarks. They were more about a situation and not directed at an individual.

I shared the story about my mils attitude because it was offensive to me since she had met my family, and didn't have the common courtesy to curb her cruel jokes. That was an example of a lack of personal compassion.

This thread sort of took an interesting turn.
My original comments were mostly to point out the general lack of forethought to our appearance. Which to me indicates a lack of respect for ourselves.