I was asked to have a “one-on-one” which is a common networking meeting where each person spends about 15 minutes talking about themselves and their business.  There is no attempt to sell- the object is just to get to know each other.  The woman who asked me for the meeting works for an insurance company but has a passion for gourmet cooking (she is French).  When we sat down for the meeting she said to me “I’ve been nervous about having a one on one with you because, if it goes well and we become friends, I’m going to be on you about your eating until you lose weight”.

Wait… what?  Am I being Punked?

So I smiled and said “Well, I would never be friends with someone who behaved that way so you don’t have to worry about it”.

What.   The.  F.  Someone had a big bowl of Crazy Flakes the morning…

My studio is bringing in a dance instructor named Ronnie DeBenedetta.  He is a master’s level dancer which means that he and his partner are the best of the best.  For the past three years, their routine has been him coming out and talking about how he met  a girl online who said that she was tall and blond and a great dancer.  Then his partner comes out in a fat suit behind him.  When he turns around and sees her he is obviously distressed.  She proceeds to dance poorly and slowly and get stuck etc.  Then, she goes backstage and changed out of the fat suit and suddenly she is beautiful and a fabulous dancer.  Now, I understand how some people think that it’s funny but at the end of the day, these are the best of the best in our art- the people who create a standing room only crowd, and they choose to use that forum to make fun of fat people for a cheap laugh instead of being a couple that people can look up to, I’m a little angry but I’m mostly disappointed.

AUSTIN, TX – The International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA) opposes and condemns Mississippi House Bill 282, proposed by Representative W. T. Mayhall, Jr. of District 40, which is "an act to prohibit certain food establishments from serving food to any person who is obese." In the unlikely possibility that this legislation actually passes, it would allow restaurants to refuse service to anyone with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more. The bill does not specify how restaurants should check for BMI but it does state that "the State Department of Health shall monitor the food establishments to which this section applies for compliance with the provisions of this section, and may revoke the permit of any food establishment that repeatedly violates the provisions of this section."

The bill was killed, but what kind of society do we live in that it could even be suggested that restaurants be prohibited from serving obese people by STATE LAW at the risk of having their restaurant shut down.  What’s next – grocery stores can’t sell us food either?  Nationally required "fat camps" until we all look like the stereotype?

For the record, when I was hospitalized FOR AN EATING DISORDER, my BMI was 27.4, still classified as "overweight"  and less than three points away from not being allowed to eat in a restaurant if this bill passed (I was 5’1 and weighed 145 lbs with 9% body fat – dangerously low for a woman.)

For those not in the know, BMI is simply a measurement of weight in relationship to height which has been shown to have some serious issues with actually understanding the level of your health.  At the most basic level, it does not take into account body frame, musculature, bone density etc. so many professional atheletes have BMIs that are "obese", Arnold being the classic example.

For more interesting information you can check out this article:
http://features.us.reuters.com/wellbeing/news/ECD646C8-7DA9-11DC-8F19-62106240.html

And check out The BMI project where pictures are related to BMI – just click on the picture to find out if the person is classified as underweight, overweight or obese – you might be surprised.  I definitely was. 

http://flickr.com/photos/77367764@N00/sets/72157602199008819/

What the fuck people?

I have become addicted to the TED talks.  In one on education and creativity, I heard the following two stories:

The speakers son was in a nativity play when he was 4 years old.  He was playing Joseph and the three wise men came in out of order. 
The first one said:  I bring you Gold.
The second one said:  I bring you Myhr.
The third one said:  Frank sent this.

A little girl who normally did not pay attention in class was suddenly extremely attentive to a drawing lesson.  The teacher, intrigued, walked up to her and said "What are you drawing?"
The little girl said "I’m drawing god".
The teacher said "But, nobody knows what god looks like…"
Without looking up the girl said "They will in a minute."

His point was that children aren’t afraid to give something a go, even if they have no idea what they are doing – they aren’t afraid to be wrong.  He punctuated this by saying "If you’re not willing to be wrong, you will never create anything original".

Fascinating and true…no?

You are a bit of a Tiger, um…. bulldog…no well take what ever animal comparison you would like…you’re a dancer, maybe a gazelle if you imagine your gazelle to be tenacious and won’t take no for an answer then be that gazelle, you know the one who convinces the lions that the wildebeests are looking really good today. THAT GAZELLE.