Category: Pointless Ramblings

NYC health board bans trans fats at restaurants

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I don’t usually do commentary on news items, but this one really caught my eye. An Associated Press article on CNN ( NYC health board bans trans fats at restaurants) reports that the New York City health board has instituted a ban on the use of trans-fats in restaurants. They have to switch over to non-trans-fat fryer oil by July 2007 and have a year after that to totally elliminate it from their kitchens.

I’m just dumbfounded by this. Granted, trans-fat is bad for you, but so is alcohol and remember how well the last ban on that went over? What’s next, do you think? Salt? Jalepeno peppers? Because they can cause heartburn, you know. The article tries to infer a parallel between this ban and the ban on smoking in restaurants (which NYC was an early adopter of) but these are totally different things. If you choose to eat a heaping plate of french fries at the next table, I don’t have to eat second-hand-fat because of your choice.

And it’s always amusing to read the “I don’t want to be a parent so let’s let the government be one for me.” quotes:

It’s the danger a bad diet poses to children that has experts the most worried. It’s also what worries Kathy Ramirez, a 26-year-old New York mother who takes her toddler to McDonalds every week. She approves of the ban and a related measure passed Tuesday, requiring restaurants that already disclose calorie counts — mostly chain restaurants — to post them right on the menu.

“It’s hurting us, all this fat, but the kids really like it,” said Ramirez, pointing to 3-year-old Amber, who’d just finished her dinner. “It would be better to know what we’re getting.”

Here’s a crazy idea, Ms. Ramirez… if you don’t want your kid eating fatty food, don’t take her to McDonalds every week!!! Oh, but I see… she really likes it. Maybe in a couple of years she’ll really like tequila, and you can take her out for shooters every week. For her seventh birthday you can let her eat the worm.

OK super-cynical mode off. I read not too long ago that Dunkin Donuts was struggling to find a replacement for the oil/grease/lard/whatever that it uses to make its donuts and wasn’t have any luck at all. All the non-trans replacements left the donuts greasy or soggy or tasting bad. So getting rid of this stuff is, I guess, not trivial. It’ll be interesting to see what alternatives restaurants come up with, and what impact those alternatives end up having on the taste buds and gastric systems of New Yorkers.

NaNo 2006, Day 16

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It’s been a hectic couple of days and I haven’t found the time to get to the Novel. And that’s my fault, but it took my dear friend J to point that out to me. I continue to treat the novel as something I do when I have nothing else to do. And yet, it’s important to me. Very important.

I need to make it a priority. To make time for it. We’re past the half-way point now. I’m running out of days for ‘making up lost time.’

The good news is, I finished the last article I have due last night (I hope, at least. The editor could always request rewrites). So for now I have no other writing committments.

Another bit of wisdom I heard was about when to write… and basically the answer was “Whenever you have a free moment.” This came in a round-about way from Cory Doctorow via Mur Lafferty, in a piece she did in a daily NaNoWriMo podcast where she shunned the idea of writing rituals. I’m a little guilty of being ritual bound. I have to have a block of time set aside to write in. I’m trying to break out of that mold and write a bit in the cracks and crevices of my day. A hundred words here, a hundred and fifty there…they add up, right?

A nice surprise

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So this afternoon I’m actually on a mini-roll of writing when the door buzzer goes off. “Bloody hell” I mutter (ok, so maybe I said “huh?” but ‘bloody hell’ sounds more interesting). I’m not expecting anyone so it’s either someone at the wrong building or, y’know, some other irritant. How the hell am I supposed to earn my Recluse Merit Badge when people come buzzing the damned buzzer?

But it’s the UPS guy, which is weird because I haven’t ordered anything. And he’s got a big, heavy box.

Flashback to last December. I was so jazzed at the end of my first NaNo that I decided I was going to really work at this writing idea. And in that flush of enthusiasm I registered for the World Fantasy Convention 2006, which was held Nov. 2-6 in Austin, TX. I went to work and put in for the vacation time…11 months in advance. I was pumped!

I never anticipated being unemployed though. So I couldn’t go to the convention; between airfare and hotel accomodations, I just didn’t have the money. I didn’t bother asking for a refund of my fee or anything. I just…well, it was pretty depressing, the whole thing. (We won’t go into the fact that from Dec 2005-Oct. 31 2006 I didn’t write a word of fiction.)

So where was I? Yeah ok, so it’s the UPS guy with this big box. I sign for it and look at the label and it says “World Fantasy Convention 2006.”

“What the hell?” I say to the cat. She gives me ‘that look’ and goes back to licking her bottom.

So I open it and its full of goodies from the con! There’s a bookbag stuffed full of novels, plus a program and a few magazines. They even sent my badge. So now I have ten new novels to read, and not a single one is a duplicate of something I already had.

What a cool treat!!! It made my day. It made my day so much that I registered for World Fantasy Convention 2007, in fact. That one’s in Saratoga Springs, NY, so I can drive there… I know I can go if I can drive there.

NaNo 2006, Day 2

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Bleah.

Day 2 and I’m already discouraged. Well, a little discouraged.

My NaNovel is dull so far. And… well, I’m not really sure where its going. So far my MC (Main Character) is more an observer than anything. I need to get him engaged somehow.

And life is being a pain. Suddenly I’m in demand at irregular times. I should’ve expected this since we just launched a new site but still its been frustrating. I had urgent emails asking for help at nearly midnight last night, and they kept coming in throughout the day.

Mind you, I’m not complaining, except in terms of the impact on my NaNovel. The impact on my wallet is very, very much appreciated. 🙂

The NaNo counter widgets are slowing down DC, too. Next year I’ll have to build something local. BTW those little lines above the logo aren’t errors. They’re a ‘sparkline’ that is suppose to show how far over or under my daily quota I am. As we get more days behind us hopefully the information will be more clear.

Quote of the day

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And if you think about it, all the major life events happen to people between the ages of 18 and 34.
-Dawn Ostroff, CW’s president of entertainment. (Wired magazine, Oct 2006, page 54)

So all the major life events are behind me! I’m apparently never going to die. Nor will I retire. And being born, first day of school, graduating high school… none of that was major. Of course she did lump graduating from high school in that age bracket. I guess she had trouble and had to repeat a year at some point, poor thing.

What a ditz.

[CW is the new network resulting from the merger between UPN and The WB.]

Anatomy of a Layoff: Wrap-up

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So, I went away for a month, didn’t I? Time flies… spent a few weeks just totally *lost* in World of Warcraft, living crazy hours at the computer. Coping mechanism? Absolutely.

My first unemployment checks are starting to roll in and I’ve got a decent ‘nest egg’ so as long as I remain anal about not spending money I’m still good for a time.

The layoff is behind me now. I can’t deny I’m anxious about the future, in a big way, but escaping for a couple weeks allowed me to let go of most of the baggage. And I’m thinking in all kinds of crazy ways… another job web developing? Maybe. But what about tending bar for a while? I’ve done that in the past and made good money. What about getting a job in a bookstore…pay will be crap but it’ll give me time and energy for outside of work opportunities. Essentially I’m thinking of jobs that aren’t going to take a lot of ‘white collar’ energy so when I get home at night, sitting down at the computer to write won’t feel like an extension of work.

Anyway, now that I’m dusting off the blog again I figured I should wrap-up this layoff series of posts.

Comments are still broken.. one of the things on my to-do list is fixing that… sorry for the inconvenience.