Photo by Svadilfari / Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic

Two seconds: The amount of time I wish would elapse between eating my last bite of Thanksgiving dinner and starting on Thanksgiving dessert.

Two hours: The amount of time that actually elapses.

Complete hell: The amount of time in between these two events.

Over the years I’ve had varying opinions about whether food addiction exists and if I have it, but the single-minded focus I felt in anticipation of devouring some dirt cake and apple crisp on Thanksgiving presented a strong case for its existence.

Literally the moment I finished eating dinner, I wanted to eat dessert. I love sweets and I knew there was a delicious concoction of crushed Oreos, whipped cream and cream cheese sitting in the fridge. I found myself sitting at the table while other people were still finishing their meals thinking, “Oh my God! Eat faster! Don’t you want dessert?!” Then when we were all done, we helped with the washing up. (I supervised!) And people mingled. And went to the bathroom. And started chatting. [...]

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I really meant for there to be a few more entries posted between this one and the last giveaway so my blog wouldn’t start to resemble The Price is Right. But, uh, my head hurts and I had a lot of work to do, so I didn’t make it happen. If I start making y’all wear name tags and start saying “Come on down!” I give you permission to smack me.

This is the final Commit to Fit giveaway sponsored by Subway, and the one I kept putting off because it meant I’d have to make an actual commitment to fitness. Here’s the official blurb-age:

Have you decided what fitness commitment you’re going to make? Think about what your Commit to Fit Challenge is. It can be anything from running your first 5K to trying out a new class like tai chi or zumba. Let us know what it is and we’ll provide you with the funds (up to $100) to help you meet your challenge!

After reading all your suggestions on this post, I decided to just [...]

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I wanted to pop in for a moment to let everyone know that I’m not dead, nor did my IKEA bookcase finally collapse on top of me. I’ve just been very busy with freelance work, which is good because I can afford to buy bread and fruit and Sherlock DVDs, but also a little nerve-racking because OMG WHY DID I TAKE ON THIS MUCH WORK?!

To tide you over, I was going to post a list of the most popular entries on the blog generated by the WordPress Popular Posts plugin I installed a few months ago. Then I discovered what the most popular post on this site is, for the past week, the past month, and of all time.

Get your not-safe-for-work answer after the jump.

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Jared, the Subway guy, finished the New York Marathon last weekend in five hours, 13 minutes, 28 seconds. I’m trying to remember the last time I spent over five hours doing anything constantly, and the only things I can come up with is sleeping. And most nights little kitty paws or meows wake me up pleading for food before I can get that much continuous sleep. So, big props to Jared!

It’s also time for the second-to-last Commit to Fit giveaway Subway has been running in association with Jared’s goal to run the marathon. This one is about famous athlete inspirations, and I was given the choice of a prize pack associated with one of these athletes:

Michael Phelps

Tab Ramos

Ryan Howard

Nastia Liukin

Laila Ali

I’ve got to be honest and admit that I only recognized Michael Phelps and Laila Ali. I was 50% sure Nastia Liukin was a gymnast, so that puts my recognition rate at exactly 50%, which is an F. I’m sure they’re all fine athletes, especially since they’re part of a Subway giveaway and my ass [...]

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Photo by melliegrunt / by NCND 2.0 CC

I’ve been reading The Pain Chronicles by Melanie Thernstrom, a well-researched and fascinating book about pain viewed through the filters of history, literature, science, religion and the author’s personal experiences. Of particular interest to me was the idea that disease is sometimes seen as metaphor. For example, a common 19th century belief about consumption (a.k.a. tuberculosis) was that it was a “spiritualizing struggle between the body and the soul, in which mortal flesh was slowly consumed in a way that heightened both beauty and creativity.” This view seems sort of silly now that we know tuberculosis is caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis. Similarly, cancer was once seen as a sign of repression, and HIV was originally viewed as punishment for homosexuality, both of which have similarly been proven false after the mechanisms of the disease were discovered.

This is when it occurred to me that obesity is still seen as a disease of metaphor.

Obese people have been assigned many traits by mainstream culture. They’re weak-willed. They’re lazy. They don’t [...]

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