Privacy and Social Networks

Posted on Posted in Deliberate ConsumptionTagged , 7 Comments

This is something that’s been bothering me for awhile, and that I continue to struggle with. How do I maintain my real life social connections and get rid of data mining services like Facebook?

I have a handful of friends whose correspondance with me is primarily through Facebook. I can’t help but wonder if I would never hear from them if I wasn’t on there. I’m even scared to admit to myself what I would do without the constant status update stream.

What makes Facebook so evil that I want to get away is simple. Facebook cleverly gets you to willingly put your demographic information on their site. Then they encourage you to connect with friends and family. Then there’s pages to become a fan of, groups to join, and before long, the data they have simply amassed includes info on where you’ve lived, what company you keep, what you like, where you shop, and they compile this and sell it to the highest bidder.

Consider this: they also know what it takes to get you to compulsively play games. This data also has value.

I can easily find information on just about anyone I meet these days with a search of Google and Facebook. Cobbling this info together, plus some other public database searches, and I’ve got a good bio on them. I do these searches out if curiosity, and don’t use the information for personal or professional gain. Even with some information obscured, Facebook leaves a bunch of information that helps missing pieces fall into place.

My best advice to myself is to drop Facebook now, and don’t look back. I want a better answer than that. I want to have my connectivity with my anonymity.

Will I lose real friends by losing Facebook? That’s the real question.

Goal Oriented Rest Days

Posted on Posted in Fitness and DietTagged , , ,

A friend of mine recently proclaimed his pride in my fitness accomplishments. I’ve gotten this a few times recently as I’ve been talking more and more about my training. I shrug it off – for one, I’m a bit self-conscious, and for two – my accomplishments are often a benefit of my neurosis.

A few years ago, my doctor told me that I was “goal oriented.” She’s a rare physician that actually takes time to talk and listen to me, and frankly, this was the first time I realized that my compulsive need to finish what I start, when I have a goal in mind, could work to my benefit. I was over a hundred pounds over weight at the time, and I had a specific goal in mind (it was not scale related, but health related). I joined Weight Watchers that weekend with the goal being to just try it, and not to expect any other results but to just add some accountability to my life.

My inability to give up on a goal has led me to lose almost 100 lbs through Weight Watchers over the past two years. I’ve had some bumps and setbacks, but my compulsion to do it right (track what I eat, make the right choices for the given day/week, not over-do it) has paid off.

Now I have a new goal – to run a distance that in my whole life, I never thought I’d do. Frankly, even running a 5K or a mile seemed crazy. My current weight is what it was at age 13 (and I’m still overweight.) I’ve never had this skill until now. I’m shooting for my goal – and frankly, I’ve been training too hard the past couple weeks.

I know this because I ache all the time. I was jumping up to running for over an hour before I got really comfortable with just running 30 minutes regularly. I was excited. I realized, “hey, I can do it! It didn’t kill me!” But that’s not a measure for success.

Despite the fact that I want to run today – and tomorrow, I’m taking a couple days off before I start up with my official Team in Training schedule. I’m considering taking a yoga-for-runners class. I know I’ve mentioned it before – but being still is just as important as running, and is probably harder for me to do.

So this is a reminder to myself – and to those out there that are like me – rest days are important, and are goal oriented. You can’t train if you don’t let your body recuperate. Your body will fail you.

Recipe Sunday: Favorite Salad, Tuna and Greens

Posted on Posted in Food and DrinkTagged

Here’s a quick and easy recipe that is just about one of my favorites. It uses Fishing Vessel St. Jude’s Wild Troll Caught Pacific Albacore tuna (which is superior to what you find at most grocery stores due to mercury and sustainability issues). We also use our favorite greens (Wild and Spicy Mix) from Alm Hill (also at the Ballard Farmer’s Market.)

Here’s the basics:

Lemon French Salad Dressing

1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoon paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper
3/4 cup Olive Oil

Combine all but the olive oil in a blender or container that you can use with an immersion blender. While the blender is running, slowly add in the olive oil so it emulsifies, about 30-60 seconds, or until well blended. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

The salad:

Take the greens of your choice (I’d say about 2 cups per bowl) and pile them high in a bowl. This is where you can get creative. Some of my favorite toppings include kalamata olives, avocado and tomato. Then there’s my standard 6 oz can of tuna nicely shredded up on top (use anything you like for protein, chicken, nuts, tofu, whatever.) Pour on the dressing, and you have a refreshing, tasty salad. A mainstay of my summer diet. One can of tuna usually equals two portions. Use left over dressing for salads throughout the week!

Ceramic Work So Far

Posted on Posted in Arts and CraftsTagged , , 1 Comment

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I’ve been taking ceramics classes at a local community college and thought I would take some pictures of some of the work I’ve done this past week. I’ve hit a bit of a breakthrough lately, and have learned to successfully “throw off the hump.” It’s pretty exciting, and I ended up putting more hours in the studio this past week than I have in a long time. I look forward to see how these fire and glaze.

Exercise and Weight Maintenance

Posted on Posted in Deliberate Consumption, Fitness and DietTagged 1 Comment

The New York Times Magazine has a article titled Weighing the Evidence on Exercise, which is an interesting look at how exercise effects weight loss and appetite.

Not too long ago I recall Marie Claire having a rather unscientific, completely anecdotal article on which gets you thinner faster, calorie counting or exercise. Their findings were that the woman who dieted, but didn’t really exercise (this was a two woman comparison!) lost more weight than the woman who just exercised.

Certainly, my own anecdotal experience was similar. When I weighed around 260 lbs, and was going to the gym regularly (3x/wk, 30+min cardio, 45 min weights) I didn’t see the scale budge much. I wasn’t counting calories, though, and I am pretty sure, in retrospect, I ate up most of the calories I burned. My real weight loss started when I started tracking every thing I ate, and having a set ideal of food I ate for the day/week. That came without exercise, and the exercise came later as my body started feeling more capable.
(Keep in mind, at my heaviest I started avoiding having to step up on curbs because THAT was too much of a strain.)

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