earthdump.com

I’m posting a few things on Tumblr these days. Click here to find me.

I’m just trying to simplify my life a bit.

I just heard on the radio about McDonald’s announcement that Happy Meals will contain a substantially reduced portion of french fries and will be equipped with apple slices.
This is great news. Eating fewer french fries will benefit the health of everyone. Eating apples is a good practice, especially if we eat apples instead of eating french fries.
But let’s not forget that kids don’t always eat all of what’s in the bag. In the case of Happy Meals, my guess is that kids will devour the fries first, eat 3 bites of the cheeseburger after removing any signs of vegetable matter, and tell parents they’ll eat the apple later. We all know that, if the apple slices are taken home, they’ll turn brown before the kids will even consider eating them. And if they’re brown, no kid I know would eat them.
So, nice going, McDonald’s. You get good press and remove the guilt burden from lots of parents who won’t feel so guilty about putting Happy Meal bags on the laps of their kids.
This should have a huge impact on the obesity epidemic in our nation’s children.

It’s 4:41 a.m, though it won’t be for long. It’s dark outside and 79 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s Thursday, July 21, 2011. A massive heat wave is underway, scorching plants and stressing animals.

I consider myself lucky to be inside an air conditioned house and to have slept reasonably well overnight. Other creatures aren’t so lucky. I rode my bicycle to work yesterday. The temperature was in the mid-seventies during my ride in and in the upper nineties during my ride home. That, my friends, was a miserable ride. Especially when I’d have to stop for a traffic signal. Generate substantial heat while exercising, then stand still in a hot room and see what happens. You guessed it, sweat runs down your back and into your britches. Sweat pours off your head and into your eyes. You bathe in your own water and minerals.

Today will be the same. I think I’ll drive to work, however. I want to attend a yoga class this evening. I’d like to arrive home afterward feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. That’s not easy to do after igniting a fire in your gut and trying to douse it with sweat.

Now it’s 5:00 a.m. It’s 78.4 degrees outside. Still dark, still humid, no wind.

Time for oatmeal and a muffin.