I’ve been meaning to write up some rules of etiquette for the comments section of this blog, so here they are! This post is not aimed at anyone in particular (except for the parts that are). As with any rules of etiquette, these guidelines are designed to let everyone know what is considered appropriate behavior. Once everyone knows what is expected of them, we can all relax and enjoy a better interactive experience because we know what the rules are.

The rules are not intended to overwhelm you or frighten you into silence. I generally enjoy reading the comments, and I wish more of the lurkers would feel comfortable enough to stop lurking and start commenting. If you are a first-time commenter, don’t worry, I won’t decapitate you for making an error. However, if you start to comment on a regular basis, I will expect you to adhere to these rules.

So here they are, the Official Commenting Etiquette for PastaQueen.com! They’ll probably make me sound like I have a bug up my ass, but I [...]

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This is just a reminder to let you know my digital camera giveaway ends after this Sunday, January 31. I’m giving away a shiny, new, red digital camera! All you have to do to enter is buy a copy of my book, Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir between Thanksgiving 2009 and January 31, 2010. Get full details here.

Big thanks to all of you who have already entered. I truly appreciate the support!

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You really don’t want to know what this machine was doing:

Honestly, even I don’t know what this machine was doing, and I was too afraid to ask for fear they’d try to pressure me into trying it too. All I know is that the machine wiggled that man back and forth, making him do a human snake impression. This happened last weekend at the inaugural Indy Health Expo at the state fair grounds.

When I saw the fair advertised on Twitter, I thought the $10 entry fee and $3 parking fee would be well worth the potential blog material. And it’s a tax write-off too! The expo consisted of almost 100 booths where exhibitors displayed their wares and/or services. There were also four “stages” set up at the corners where some exhibitors were scheduled to do presentations during the day.

There was a real range of people there, including chiropractors, yoga practitioners, massage therapists giving back rubs in their booths, martial artists, plastic surgeons who had assistants so impeccably groomed they frightened me, dentists bleaching [...]

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My recipe for Capp-oat-ccino Delight aka Oatmeal Espresso was recently published in Dave Grotto’s new book, 101 Optimal Life Foods. Some of you may remember that I entered a recipe contest after the Quaker Oats Living Proof Blogger Weekend in Chicago. My win included the prize of an ill-fated unvacation to the Colorado Oatmeal festival as well as the publication of my recipe in Dave’s book.

Dave was kind enough to send me a copy of the book which I’ve flipped through. It’s a guide to what foods will help you manage or prevent various illnesses. I took special note of the chapters on headaches and chronic pain. It’s a handy little guide, and Dave Grotto is a registered dietician dietitian, so he knows what he’s talking about. Roni from Green Lite Bites has some recipes featured in the book too, so you can double the blogger love even if we don’t get any royalties :)

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For those of you just joining us, read the following text like those recaps before TV shows that summarize previous episodes:

Previously on PastaQueen.com!

PastaQueen regained fifty pounds during a period of chronic pain and depression, but vowed to lose the weight one more time in 2010. She bought a copy of The Beck Diet Solution, a cognitive therapy program, and is reporting on the results each week. Unfortunately, due to thee days of nausea induced by the H1N1 vaccine, she put off Day 8 of the plan for three days, which ironically is called, “Create time and energy.”

Day 8 – Create time and energy

Once I finally found the time and energy to read this chapter, I was tasked with writing a schedule for when I would exercise and complete other activities necessary for weight loss. As a freelancer, my schedule is pretty flexible, so it wasn’t hard to schedule time to exercise. I also decided I can spend two hours on Saturday or Sunday planning and preparing dinners for the week to get it all over [...]

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