” A joyful spirit is evidence of a grateful heart”
–Maya Angelo

When the going get rough, it’s time to return to the basics.  Gratitude builds joy even in the worst of times.

Happy Monday!

Please note that the following is my opinion and the basis of my opinion. (For increased clarity, my opinion is written in blue.)

1. Mr. Callom said : “We trust that these actions have resolved your concerns.”

In my initial letter (August 2, 2008) to Kitchen Resources owner and president Gary Leavett, I said: “This is a serious and dangerous issue. As one business owner to another, I strongly encourage you to recall all of these blenders before someone dies. At the very least, you need to discontinue carrying these items.”

The reasoning behind my expressed request and opinion: I was deeply concerned that someone, particularly a child, would gravely injure themselves on these blender blades.

Please note that I have not asked for damages, a refund or any other financial renumeration. I have only asked for something, that in my opinion, is more expensive - integrity.

2. The basis behind my opinion that Kitchen Resources “knew these blades were defective and sold them anyway (from August 15, 2008 email).”

a. I was told by the customer service person that she/he and a number of employees has attempted to speak to the owner about the blade problem with this particular blender. In fact, she/he gave me Gary Leavett’s email saying that Mr. Leavett would have to listen to me as I was the customer. I hesitate to mention this as I don’t want to cost this person her/his job.

b. I informed the company in early July when the blades broke the first time. At that time, I was informed that I would receive a new “stronger” blade. It’s the second set of that shattered into these shards when blending a frozen banana and frozen berries.

c. It’s my opinion that it takes about six months to have a product remanufactured in Asia. Remember, I purchased this blender on June 14, 2008 and received it on June 18, 2008. The blades broke in early July. We are talking about a month and a half since purchase and less than two weeks since replacement with the same blades.

From Mr. Callom’s August 5, 2008: “Just last week we received a quantity of new blade assemblies from our supplier in Asia and I want to be sure that you got the new one.”

Further he states: “We had not been happy with the previous blade, even though I’ve not seen the catastrophic failure that you experienced. This new blade assembly has performed better than the previous ones in the tests that we have done here.”

These two statements lead me to the opinion that Kitchen Resources was not “happy” with the blades on or before June 14, 2008 when I purchased the blender. Moreover, they were not “happy” with the blades when they replaced my original broken blades with the same faulty blades in mid-July.

d. Mr. Callom’s assertion in his August 15, 2008 email: “There is nothing in my email or any fact of this situation that supports any accusation that we knowingly sell defective products.”

This is our differing opinion.

To my knowledge, Kitchen Resources has not recalled this product nor provided what they believe is stronger blades for people who have purchased this blender thus far. In fact, I have no way of knowing if they have replaced the blender blades with each of their distributors. Thus it is my opinion that this product and these blades remain on the market even after my notification to the company in mid-July, at the end of July and in my email to Gary Leavett on August 2, 2008.

Should I learn that this untrue, I will be greatly relieved and happily remove any untruth.

3. Mr Callom: “We respectfully ask that you consider removing from your Internet blog the inflammatory attacks you have made against us and our products. What you experienced is extremely unusual and is not representative of our overall product quality.”

In my opinion, the facts are inflammatory. The very fact that these blender blades shattered - twice - in the normal use of this blender (again frozen berries, frozen banana, and soymilk) is inflammatory.

In addition, when I suggested that my experience was unusual, the Kitchen Resources customer service representative indicated that my experience was not abnormal for this product.

In my opinion, there is no attack here. My experience with Kitchen Resources, Mr. Callom and Mr. Leavett speaks for itself

4.  “This blender will kill someone.” I hold this opinion because:

a. There is no way to know the blender blades are broken.  I missed it the first time.  I only realized the blade was broken when I heard it clink against the plastic bottle.

b.  I tend to be really lucky in these type of matters.

c.  I know that infants and toddlers drink a lot of smoothies.  While I pray it’s not true, I don’t trust a harried, overwhelmed mother to notice the blender blade is broken.

d.  Again, there is no, none, nada, nunka way to know there’s a metal shard inside a thick, dark colored, opaque smoothie.

e. I was using the blender in an approved, in fact suggested, manner.  (There is a smoothie recipe inside the L’Equip brochure that came with the package.)

I am not a contentious person. I dislike conflict at every level. I did not expect conflict in this case. In fact, I assumed that a business owner, such as Gary Leavett, would be grateful to know of his risk.

Bloggers are under attack everywhere with nuisance lawsuits designed to shut down blogging. With every media outlet owned by corporate conservatives, bloggers are the last little guy capable of speaking to the world.

Personally, I wish Kitchen Resources would put it’s money into replacing the blender blades rather than threaten me. My opinion is that the threatened suit would cost a lot more than simply having the integrity to make certain that every single person who purchased the L’Equip RPM Blender had safe blades. Imagine the public relations coop!

I’ll keep you posted. I assure you that if I receive evidence that my opinion is faulty, I will remove any and all posts as well as apologize for my mistake.

That’s my word, my integrity and my promise to you.

As always, thank you for reading.

Claudia

Here are our word prompts from Luna Nina.

1. Signature ::
2. Olympics ::
3. 100% ::
4. Damn! ::
5. Gold ::
6. Fresh and natural ::
7. Fraction ::
8. Hurry ::
9. Summer ::
10. 29th ::

Here’s my answers!

1. Signature ::on the dotted line
2. Olympics :: fever
3. 100% :: If you can’t give….
4. Damn! ::Not again!
5. Gold ::fish swim
6. Fresh and natural ::garden
7. Fraction ::of value
8. Hurry ::and get yours
9. Summer :: Sale
10. 29th ::of October, almost Halloween!

Please make a girl happy by leaving your answers!

Happy Sunday!

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

CHAPTER 10

Mike slipped Val’s long hair over her shoulder so that he could caress her back. He was sitting behind her in the big bathtub tucked against a glass block window to the Castle’s backyard garden.  Her elbows wrapped around his knees.  The light from the setting moon danced against the wavy glass.

“Are you going to ask me for a divorce?” Mike asked.

Val turned to look at him.  Her motion in the warm water caused her breast to float into Mike’s hand.  He smiled.  Unable to risk looking at her face, his eyes focused on the beautiful nipple rising to his touch.

“No,” Val said.  “I was going to ask you if you’d like to make a go of being married.”

Mike’s head jerked up in surprise.

“I’ve tried to love without you.  I’m incapable of loving anyone other than you, Michael Roper.  And too terrified to let myself just love you.”

Mike nodded.

“Say something,” Val whispered.

“I’m afraid if I say anything you’ll change your mind,” Mike said.

She turned and leaned back against him.

“What about this Wes guy?” Mike asked.

“I had this dream…  I… I saw Mom.  She was knitting this beautiful golden blanket.  When I got closer, I saw that every strand of the blanket was one of the people she loved - me,  you, Jakey, Jill, Delphie, even Dad. The sun surrounded her in the hazy warm light. She smiled at me and…. When I woke up… I guess it was yesterday… I realized that I only want to be with you.  I think about you all the time, every day, almost every minute of every day.  I…”

“I think about you all the time too,” Mike said.  “Is this guy gay?”

Val laughed.  “You mean, am I back because my fiancé is gay?  No.  I’m back because I want to be with you.”

“I heard that….”

“What?”

“That you have a movie coming out on Friday.  You said told TMZ that you were going home to your husband to generate press for the movie,” Mike said.  “Candy watches Entertainment Tonight for me when I’m working.  I… It’s the only way I get to hear about you every day.”

“I don’t know why I said that.  It just came out,” Val whispered.  She shook her head, “I… I’m sorry.  I’ve really hurt you.  I… I don’t have any excuse….”

“I’m sorry for everything.  I never should have left you.  I regret it every single day,” Mike said.  “I can’t imagine what it was like for you.  You lost your family then me… To lose your mom….”

“It was the baby that really did me in.”

“What baby?”

“Before I tell you, I want you to be clear: I left Wes.  I left the ring, the beach condo, and everything.  I don’t want to be with him.  Tomorrow, Wes is going to say that he loved me enough to encourage me to sort out my life.  My publicist talked him into it as a way for him to save face.  He can be vicious if he’s humiliated.”

“But that’s not true?”

“No, that’s not true.  I left him a note saying I was leaving.  I don’t know why I said that at the airport.  It’s like my soul spoke the truth - I wanted to come home to my husband,” Val said.  “I was just one of Wes’s women, one in a long line of trophy brides.”

“Why would you want that?” Mike asked.  His voice held hurt and confusion.

“It’s safe.  I don’t have to risk….”

“Losing again,” Mike finished her sentence.  He settled her back against him and kissed her head.

“I want to be here with you. This is my choice and my choice alone.  It’s been a long time since I’ve made my own choice….  It feels good… right.”

“What about the meeting tomorrow?” Mike asked. “Jake said you have a….”

“The meeting got me off my ass yesterday.  I’ve wanted to come a million times, a billion times.  I’ve wanted to beg you like I did when we were kids.  I just never had the courage.”

“And now?”

“I just want to see if we can make it work. I mean… If you …”

“There’s nothing in this world that I want more than to be your husband every single day,” Mike said.   “But Val, what baby?  How…?”

He didn’t know how to ask the question.  He knew she wasn’t pregnant with his child.

Val turned again to look at him.  He looked away when her eyes filled with tears.

“We were pregnant - you and me.  I didn’t tell you because I wanted to be sure.  Remember you asked me if my breasts were bigger or if I’d gained weight?”

Mike nodded his head.  “Your body changed. I could see it in the photos.”

“Couple days after Mom died, I lost the baby.”

“Oh Val,” Mike said.  He held his arms out to her. She nestled her head on his shoulder. “Oh God….”

For the first time since that awful month in Hollywood, Mike cried.  Lying together in the bath, he cried for himself and her.  He cried for their baby.  Then in jerky unplanned sentences, he told her about the days and nights he was dead to the world.

When the bath water cooled, they migrated to soft blankets in front of the fireplace.  With his head on her lap, he told her about the one thing that got him through - the unbreakable love in his heart for Valerie, for her.

When the sun peaked over the horizon, Mike slipped Val’s original wedding ring from her right hand.  His eyes held the question which she answered with a nod.  He slipped the ring where it belonged, on her left ring finger.

And they began again.

~~~~~~~~~

Jill woke when the early morning light hit her eyes.  Stretching in Jacob’s comfortable bed, she smiled.  The sheets smelled like Jacob.  She turned toward the warm body next to her to find Sarah.  Sarah licked her face and Jill laughed. Hearing the odd sound that woke her, she sat up to see what was going on.

She wandered across the open loft toward the sound.  Passing the sagging couch, she saw Jacob sitting at his round dining table.  Wearing only his white boxer briefs, he spoke quietly into a Bluetooth device connected to a cell phone.  He was also texting someone on his Blackberry. His fingers blazing across the Blackberry keys was the sound that woke her.

Unsure of what to do, she stopped walking.  Her eyes darted from his muscular legs, flat belly and round muscular shoulders.  Her hand moved instinctive to hold the rising heat in her belly while her eyes settled on the dark line of hair that ran like an arrow from his belly button. In that moment, Jill noticed something she hadn’t allowed herself to see.

Jacob was a hunk!

Embarrassed, she turned to go back to bed when Jacob smiled and winked at her.  She smiled at his greeting. She waved her hands to indicate that she didn’t want to interrupt. But Jacob walked to her.  Without breaking the conversation, he kissed her lips and hugged her.

“Good morning,” he murmured.

She sighed.   She melted into his embrace

“Ok, you know where to find me if you need me,” Jacob said.  “Right.  I’ll be there.”

Jill moved to step away from him but he held her in place.

“Thanks,” Jacob said.  He pulled the ear piece from his ear and tossed it on the table.  Returning his attention to Jill, he said, “How are you feeling?

“Really good,” she said.  “You’re a balm for any insomnia.”

“I’m glad.  Katy is doing very well. They’ll release her to our care this morning. Rest, quiet, stuff like that.  I was able to cancel most of my day, but I have to attend a meeting at eight-thirty.  I shouldn’t be too long, but I have to go,” he said.  “I thought Mike could take you to the hospital.  That way, you can be there when Katy wakes up.  I’ll come and get you when I’m done. Will that work?”

“I know that you have a company to run,” she said.

“Help my father run,” he said.  He kissed her nose.  “The company runs itself. I mostly run interference for my father. That’s what the meeting this morning is about - one of my father’s messes.”

Jill smiled.  “I’ve never been with anyone who had a job, so I don’t really….”

Jacob laughed.

“How about some cereal?” Jacob asked.

“I understand it’s the house specialty,” she said.  “Crunch Berries?”

“Mike finished them yesterday.  I was going to get more at Walgreen’s but I talked to the pharmacist for too long.  But I can go right now.”

Jill shook her head. Wandering to the table, she saw Jacob’s Blackberry vibrate.  She felt a flush of guilt. She shouldn’t distract this important man.

“You have a phone call,” she said.

“Also I have an assistant.  If anyone really needs me, they text,” he said.  Jacob pulled the boxes from the cabinet.  “Would you like me to go get some Crunch Berries or can you choose something from my vast selection?”

Jill’s pierced brow relaxed. She laughed.  “I love cereal.”

“See I knew you were a girl with taste.”

“What are you working on?” Jill asked.  “Oh, I probably shouldn’t ask.”

“No, it’s Ok.  There’s a group that estimate jobs. They estimate we’ll spend down to the gallon of gasoline, what company resources will be required and how much we’ll make from each project.  It’s a hard job, really hard. We have some talented people who keep us in business.”

Jacob sat down in his chair.  He turned the laptop for Jill to see.

“They send me these projections and I look them over.  I run the numbers, double check their numbers, look at the work schedule, stuff like that.  If it seems reasonable, I send the entire thing to my father to see if he wants to do the project.  Pretty boring.  I get a bunch of these every Monday morning.”

“Can I see?”

“If you sit on my lap,” Jacob said.

Jill plopped down on his lap.

“Mmm.” His hands stroked her legs.

“I’m pretty good at budgets and numbers, so this is interesting to me.  I never knew how companies did this kind of thing.”

Jacob kissed the back of her neck while Jill pretended to study the spreadsheet.

“You have beautiful skin,” he said.

Jill turned her head to look at him.  “Jacob.”

“Hmm?”

“You have a busy morning,” she said.

“Mmmm,” he said.

She leaned away from him to catch his eyes.

“Yes, busy morning,” Jacob said.

Jill stood from his lap.  “I don’t want to get in the way of your….”

Their eyes caught with a jolt.

Jacob lifted Jill off her feet.  Jill wrapped her legs around his hips.  Their lips caught and he carried her to bed.  There was no hesitation, no sadness this morning. Jill was hot, relaxed and ready for him.  He pulled off her t-shirt and panties at the same time she dragged down his boxer briefs.  They joined with fast rising heat.  Jacob kept a slow easy rhythm but Jill pulled for him. They rose in fast union.  In one blinding flash, Jill stopped moving.

“Oh,” Jill said.

Jacob pulled back to check if she was all right.  He smiled.  She began to release in waves of pleasure.  Patient, but insistent, he continued the pace until she began to rise again. Caught in her rising heat, he gave in to his passion.  Together, they slipped off a cliff. They held each other tight through the rise and fall of blissful sensation.

“Stay right there.”

He kissed her lips, her nose, then rose to attend to the condom.  When he returned, she held her arms out to him.  He dropped into her arms.

“How are you?” He said.

“Really, really good, thanks.  You?”

“I feel amazing.  You don’t feel funny or sad or embarrassed….” He stopped talking when Jill laughed.

“Oddly no,” she said. “If you do that again, I’m your slave.”

He laughed.  “I hate leaving you, but I need to take Sarah out for a bit before I get ready to go.  Would you like to come with us?”

“I think I’d like some time to myself,” Jill said.  “Is that all right?”

“Of course.  I washed your clothes from yesterday but they aren’t quite dry.  I have sweats that might fit you.”

“Sweats are great.”

Getting up from the bed, he began to dress in running gear.  He gave Jill a pair of sweats.  She rolled down the top to make them work.  In the t-shirt and sweats, she had a charming sexiness that almost dragged them back to bed.  She smiled at the look he gave her.

He scooped her up in a hug. His lips found her mouth.  With effort, he broke from the kiss.

“This is so not how I wanted to do this,” he whispered.

“Regrets?”

“Only that I have to keep moving,” he said.

Jill stepped back from him to help him gain some control.  He smiled his thanks.

“Delphie would love to see you.  When you’re ready for company, just open the door to the house.  I’ll be back soon.”

He brushed her lips with his mouth.  He picked up Sarah’s leash and Sarah waited at the door to the stairs.  Opening the door to the stairs, he turned to look at her one last time.

“I love you, Jill. I always have.”

He closed the door before she could respond.  Jill went to the windows to watch Jacob and Sarah but the iron fence perimeter of the Castle front yard was surrounded by paparazzi photographers.  She saw Jacob whistle for Sarah then head around the back.  Unsure of what to do, and not wanting her picture taken, she plopped down in the sagging armchair.

Yesterday, her mind was consumed by her Trevor screwed up life.  Today, she was…. She smiled.  Happy.

In a blaze of emotion, her fear and guilt returned.

What would Trevor think?

She heard Trevor screaming voice telling her that she was a worthless whore.  Jill pressed her hands against her ears.  But the voice in her head continued its rampage.  She was almost in tears when she heard a knock on the door to the apartment.  Without thinking, Jill walked across the apartment to open the door.

“Don’t let that man steal your happiness, sweetie,” Delphie said.

Jill dropped into her arms.

~~~~~~~~

Denver Cereal is a serial fiction set in Denver, Colorado.

You can get your daily dose of Denver Cereal at DenverCereal.com

Chapters are posted on Saturdays on this blog.

claudia hall christian is a novelist.

Ten days after my email, I finally received a response from the company who sold me the faulty blender. But it’s not pretty.

“Dear Claudia,

We have received your second email dated August 5, 2008 regarding your experience with our blender. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. It is our understanding that you have received a replacement set of blades from us and a new blender from the distributor at a discounted price. We trust that these actions have resolved your concerns.

Unfortunately, the second email that you sent to us and then posted on an Internet blog under the title “This Blender Will Kill Someone” amounts to actionable product disparagement. You grossly distorted my initial response to you by claiming that we “knew these blades were defective and sold them anyway,” that the blades are “dangerously thin,” that the blades form “dangerous shrapnel in the normal course of use,” and that we have acted with “criminal negligence.” These are outrageous allegations that we categorically deny.

I clearly explained to you that we had never seen the catastrophic failure that you experienced. I told you that we were sending you a new, improved blade assembly, specifically referring to the stainless steel cone and ball bearings of the new assembly. There is nothing in my email or any fact of this situation that supports any accusation that we knowingly sell defective products.

Your Internet website, OpenGrove.com, publishes such articles as “Lost Art of Apology,” “Avoiding Conflict,” “Forgiveness Meditation,” and “Getting Over It.” We agree that these are important ideals, and we hope that they could be applied to this very situation. We respectfully ask that you consider removing from your Internet blog the inflammatory attacks you have made against us and our products. What you experienced is extremely unusual and is not representative of our overall product quality.

Sincerely,

Steve Cottam
Product Manager
Kitchen Resouce, LLC”

My response:

Dear Steve,

Thank you for getting back to me ten days later. I will happily remove the blog if you answer these questions:

1. When did you realize the blades were “disappointing”?
2. Now that you KNOW what these blades can do, have you sent replacement blades to every single person who has purchased this product?

Claudia Hall Christian

Please note, I have not asked for money, replacement or a refund. I have only asked that they remove a faulty product from the market.

I was planning on putting together packets for Consumer Reports, the District Attorney of Salt Lake City, and the Utah Attorney General this weekend.

We’ll see how long it takes them to respond this time. Any wagers?

“What if you didn’t have insomnia anymore?”

I laughed.  I know all the sleeping tricks. In fact, I am the sleep guru.  Insomnia is my lifelong friend.

“Don’t be a jackass,” she said.  “Just sign up for this newsletter.”

Being the good middle child (who responds resentfully to bossiness), I signed up for the freakin’ newsletter.  Day after day, I received email about sleeping.

But I know better.  I have done all of their stupid tricks and tips.  HA!  I even started showering at night so I had a chance to “dump the day” (as recommended by Pete Seigel).

Insomnia is my life long friend.

Then, the woman who gave birth to me started acting up again.  Her sister dead, she unleashed a wave of abject cruelty that left everyone involved stunned.

(Well, except me.  I knew it was only a matter of time.)

And I didn’t sleep for three days.

Everything fell apart.  I stopped writing.  I stopped engaging the world.  I shut out D. and Rose to an extent that they started pestering me mercilessly.

And the stupid Insomnia newsletter arrived saying:

“If you are doing all of these things, maybe your brain doesn’t know how to sleep.”

I read a brain study that said that brain patterns get disrupted. Rather then reseting, the brain continues the disrupted pattern.

This was particularly true for people with insomnia that starts in childhood.

At a weak moment, I purchased the CDs.  When they arrived two days later, I was so exhausted I didn’t remember purchasing them.  I made mp3s and stuck them on my mp3 player.

Another round of escalating nastiness and I found myself staring at the ceiling again.  Insomnia, my old friend, returned.

3 AM: I listened to the tape.

3:20 AM: I was sound asleep.

Next night? I slept like a baby - all night.

Go figure.  It’s only been a week.  I’ve had a few more rounds of insomnia.  Put the tape on and wham - asleep.

I don’t know if my insomnia is gone forever.

Maybe.

Right now, sleeping even a few hours at a time is sheer bliss.

Here’s the best, all be it odd, facts about losing weight:

1. Calories don’t matter that much.
It’s not your number of calories but what’s in your calories.  You can’t over eat, but focusing on calories decreases our focus on quality food.  Further, there’s research that suggests that any reduction in calories sends your body into starvation - moment to moment.

2.  Sleep is vital to weight loss.
Sleep deprivation increases your body’s tendency to store fat - regardless of your caloric intake.  There’s also evidence that you will feel hungrier the less you sleep

3.  Stress makes you fat.
Under stress, your body releases cortisol which is our “fight or flight” hormone. Your body stores fat in direct response to stress. As a therapist, I worked with a woman who took a high stress job and within 30 days she gained 30 pounds. She ate and exercised exactly the same - and still gained 30 pounds right in her stomach.

4.  Hormones rule the world.
No amount of exercise and caloric reduction can over come our hormones.  For example, after you eat something very sweet, your insulin spikes.  When your insulin spikes, your body stores fat.  Period.

5.  Glycemic index is complicated and too often misquoted.
The Glycemic index is the rate at which a food increases your insulin response.  While it’s an interesting idea, you never eat one food by itself. For example, bread has a high glycemic index. But if you eat that bread with peanut butter or tuna fish, the sandwich has a low glycemic index.

6.  High intensity circuits strip fat from you.
The original research was done with HIITs and bodybuilders. Currently, trainers such as Jillian Michaels or Valerie Waters, put together exercise circuits that create high intensity workouts, build muscle and get rid of that nasty fat. (Valerie has been doing this super cool body assessment on her blog.  Check it out)

7. Running stairs is cheap and very effective.
Don’t waste your time on an eliptical machine!  Run the stairs in your building.  Find a place in your local part and run those. Even a short stairwell will give you better results than an hour slogging away at the treadmill.  Virgil Aponte calls himself the Stairs Guru - he gives away a lot of videos. Check it out if you need inspiration.

8.  Long slow cardio (mostly) doesn’t work.
Why do you think that the people at your gym continue to look the same?  Long slow cardio won’t help you lose weight.  You’ve got to do high intensity to lose weight.

9.  Whatever exercise program you are willing to do is the exercise program that works the best.
Let’s face it. No matter what the latest study shows, there’s a lot of exercise that you simply won’t do.  Find something you think is fun and do it. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s not enough. If walking is your thing, walk. Tennis? Play tennis.  You can increase intensity and do everything you need to do.  Just do what you love.

10.  Everyone’s metabolism is a little different.
There’s a bulk of research that shows that people can be slip into 3 types of metabolism: vegetable, protein and mixed.  They use these determinations on the Biggest Loser.  For example, I’m a ‘protein’ also called a ‘fast burner’.  I think about food all the time.  My husband is a Veg. He never thinks about food, eats what’s in front of him.  I need more protein and fat; he needs more carbs.  (For example, we became vegan - he lost 30 pounds and I gained 40 pounds.) For the test, check out Eat, Move and Be Healthy by Paul Chek.  Here’s a free test so you can test your metabolism.

11.  Anything premade with more than 5 ingredients should not be eaten.
Most of human life, people made their own food.  Only through the use of petrochemicals (made from imported oil) has there been premade food including frozen food.  My body cannot metabolise processed food.  Even if I keep calories equal, I gain weight when I eat processed food.  Period.

12.  Artificial sweeteners make you fat.
I haven’t found a good reason why this is true, but study after study shows that if you use artificial sweeteners, you will  get fat. Some people say the sweetener is confused by the body and stores as fat.  Some people point to the insulin spike caused by the sweetener.  Either way, if you want to be trim and healthy, don’t use this stuff.

13.  What is your favorite diet or weightloss tip?
Put your answers in the comments and I’ll add them.

~~~~~~~~

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Nope. Didn’t happen.

The new scanner is broken.

As a public service, I want to share with you things that will not fix your scanner:

1. Yelling and/or cursing out loud will not make the scanner work.

2.  Calling the place you bought it will never work.

3. Nor does expecting a call back from their technical support.

4.  Screaming at the top of your lungs: “WHY CAN’T YOU JUST WORK?!?!?!?” might work in some cases, but did not work in my case.

5.  Turning it on and off does not work.

6.  Re-installing the driver does not work.

7.  Reading the on-line documentation and/or the printed documentation does not work.

8.  Begging the house ghosts, spirit guides, God or other spiritual intervention works for most things, but not when your scanner is broken.

I just thought you needed to know.

Oh, what does work?

Calling the manufacturer and having them send a new one.

Ok, you can return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Thanks for reading.

“Joy lies in the fight, in the attempt, in the suffering involved, not in the victory itself”
–Mahatma Ghandi

Happy Monday

Here are our word prompts created by Luna Nina.  Please leave your responses in the comments.

1. Month to month ::
2. Adjusted ::
3. Prank ::
4. Mop ::
5. Clarity ::
6. Parenting ::
7. Glenn ::
8. Fingerprint ::
9. Pineapple ::
10. Attorney ::

Here are my responses:

1. Month to month :: I set goals, evaluate what I’ve achieved, and move forward.
2. Adjusted ::to life in Denver
3. Prank :: Bell
4. Mop :: Rag
5. Clarity :: Desired, rarely obtained
6. Parenting :: Plan
7. Glenn :: Ivy
8. Fingerprint ::for vetting
9. Pineapple ::Upside Down Pancake
10. Attorney :: of Record

Thanks for playing!

Who’s playing this week?

• Beautifulmess
• Ian Healy
• PerpStu
• Janeywan
• Karen MEG
• Citizen Jane
• Melissa
• The other Claudia
• SorenJ
• Krissa
• Dana at Awareness
• Squirrelly at Lone Grey Squirrel
• No Nonsense Girl
• Janet at Fond of Snape
• LoopyKD
• Tommie at Tuesday Update
• Jameil
• TexasHolly at June Cleaver’s Nirvana
• Fear and Parenting in Las Vegas
• Los Angelista

Happy Sunday!