Kathryn

I watch it (and have the first two seasons on DVD as well). If you like jigsaw puzzles, there are 4 "Lost"-themed puzzles available (I see that Amazon.com has them) that are supposed to reveal some of the secrets.

I don't know how you do it, but if you make it a cardio workout, you must do it in a very unique way! A cardio workout is an activity that you do at a continuous pace, a pace which you could maintain for long periods, over 20 minutes (walking running, biking, aerobic dance, step classes). There is so much stopping and starting in rock climbing, I would think the only way to make it 'cardiovascular' would be to do it on one of those rotating walls you can fiind in some gyms, and set it so you are continuously climbing (like you could do on a Versaclimber machine). I could see maybe being able to do rock climbing in short aerobic bursts, but that would mean picking up the pace and you'd most likely reach the end point you were climbing to too soon to make it a sustained activity. (Just because something makes one sweaty and makes you breath harder doesn't mean it is an aerobic activity: heavy weight lifting does the same thing and it isn't considered a cardiovascular exercise).

I have a 7-cup Cuisinart that I love! I got it on sale at Amazon.com a couple of years ago, but didn't start using it until this past summer. It makes hummus in a hurry and is great for all processing jobs (and easy to clean). For pie crust, I've heard that it's important that the water be cold (even put an icecube in it so it is very cold). Somehow, this helps with the texture of the final product (I've never been a pie maker, so this is just hearsay!)

Not to worry, it's actually a very nice fitness forum for folks who workout at home, mostly women. We discuss a lot of different things in the Open Forum, and there are now quit a few veg*ns there (some of whom, I am happy to say, I helped to convert). It's just that a thread started about "Fast Food Nation,' and branched out from there to a discussion about whether or not humans are meant to eat meat. It's one "meathead" (ha!) who hardly ever posts to the forum that is combin up with some of this stuff, but the appendix crap is from another---not too bright, I must say---forum member. Now, the site where this woman got the appendix info from is really whack! It is some odd religious group that seems to be promoting a high-meat diet (as well as some odd tools to assist the appendix in its work of 'digesting raw meat'!). THAT is definitely a "complete and utter lies presented as fact" site!

Reading. Going for walks and exploring your surroundings. Hanging with friends. Weekend road trips. Watching movies. Doing crossword puzzles or sudoku (better for the brain than computer games, unless you choose the right kind of computer game). Taking classes in something you are interested in. Learning to bake bread from scratch. Whatever you want to do and not something you'll feel like you 'have' to do.

I hear you! I've had a recent online discussion with one person in particular who is anti-vegan and not about to change. But I kept responding to his messages in a civil way (though whenn he stated that he believed animals are here for us to use, I did have to pause before posting something nasty) with logic, facts and compassion. Why? Not for him, because he seems like someone who will never change his ways. But for the other 'onlookers' who read the thread or participated in it and may be open to thinking about veganism as a possibility. By stiffling any hostility I felt towards this person, and respondiing to his challenges (whereas he never gave supporting evidence for his claims about human intestines having a cellular make-up that favors meat eating) I came off, I think, as the more rational of the two of us, and perhaps more convincing to those others. So whenever somebody gets on your nerves and seems to goad you into an argument, try to remain calm (harder to do in person, I know!) because that way you're a better representative of veganism and may have an influence on others (just not the person you're talknig to directly).

Rock climbing wouldn't be a cardiovascular workout, hiking or backpacking would be (unless you stop and start a lot).

LOL! Happy Turkey Liberation day! (I am SOOO sick of hearing this called "Turkey day," because it's not in honor of turkeys, but a massive butchery of turkeys). Love the cartoon! I saw a commercial yesterday that showed a woman preparing turkey, with her hand up the rear of the cadavre, digging out the parts that were stuffed in their. I think one reason I became vegetarian when I did is that I didn't want to deal with prepping my own food and dealing with dead bodies. Don't people ever get grossed out about stickiing their hand into the butt of a dead body? It's amazing what humans can block out of their thoughts.

FYI: I just checked with a vet. Animals (including dogs) don't even have an appendix. It's amazing what out-and-out false information is out there, just to support some group's agenda (which is what some non-veg*ns think about veg*ns, unfortunately). (I think this whacko "religious" group wants to sell some of its 'energizer' and 'wrap-around energy pad." It feels like a waste of time trying to discount this b.s., but if I don't, the statement is out there, ("the appendix was designed to help digest raw meat") someone else sees it and it sticks with them, and they take it as fact and pass it on. I am learning some about debating 'anti-vegans' and keeping it civil (not for the benefit of a couple a-holes I'm debating directly, because they are set in their ways, but for the benefit of onlookers, who can see who is the more rational of us and get true info on which to make decisions).

For fat loss, circuit weight workouts (moving quickly from one exercise to another, like doing a leg exercise, then going to a back exercise, then going to a shoulder exercise, then repeating) is more effective than straight-set work with longer breaks. Also, while some say that weight training has some cardio benefits, it doesn't work cardio endurance. You can get efficient cardio results (and an added fat-loss benefit)in a shorter cardio workout by incorporating interval work. 1-2 times a week (on non-consecutive days) do a short interval workout that varies between steady state cardio and intervals of near-anaerobic blasts. After a warm-up, start steady-state cardio, then every 3 minutes or so, go almost all-out for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Start with longer steady state and shorter blasts, and decrease the length of the steady state and/or increase the length of the blasts as you progress. (If you do a search for 'interval training" on the web, you can probably find more info about this). You can do interval cardio by running, biking, using a treadmill, doing hi-lo aerobics or step aerobics (usually not as appealing to men), doing a kickboxing workout with some blasts of plyometric drills, etc. There are a series of guided workout CD's called "Cardio Coach" that work on the principal of intervals. They are designed to be used with a treadmill or other type of cardio equipment, and the music and instruction guide you to the various levels of exertion. I don't think a lot of cardio is necessary (especially if you are an active person who normally walks or bikes a lot) but some is beneficial.

The Burger King "King" is creepy! In one commercial, a guy wakes up, and in bed next to him is the 'king' offering him a burger! In another, a guy opens up his curtains, and the "king' is standing outside his picture window, like a stalker. CREEEEEPY!

Save a spot at the table for me! What IS Watergate Salad? Are you in denial about its ingredients? Does it contain noodles that look like audio tape?

I pretty easily found the information to show that this person is WAY misinformed (I did resort to Wikipedia for a quick answer, which shows that no one really knows what the appendix is for, but it is probably a vestige from our HERBIVEROUS ancestors, and is helpful for digesting plant matter that is otherwise hard for humans to digest: I like how the answer actually supports an argument that we are born herbivores! Insert wicked laughter at expense of omnivirous non-thinker here! ) Edited to add: just when I thought reason (mine!) was winning out, look what got posted after I asked for some sources for this information: QUOTE: ""The APPENDIX is an extension of the small intestines attached to the top end of the large intestines. The small intestines are the incubator for the body to incubate the bacteria that breaks down the food so the vitamins, nourishment, and minerals the body needs can be dissolved in the water we drink that the body needs when eating raw meat it chewed it up, put in the stomach and mixed with water, acid and bacteria to multiply and break down the food so it can be dissolved in water. But the raw meat takes longer to break down than cooked and ripe food does. The raw meat goes into the APPENDIX and is incubated in the APPENDIX and broken down while the other food goes on down the line. The APPENDIX is the special incubator for the raw meat. The APPENDIX keeps rolling to keep the raw meat mixing to dissolve all the nutrients. When the raw meat gets broken down and soft it comes out of the APPENDIX and goes into the large intestines so the polyps can extract all the water and nourishment. If you would use the energy cleaner and a wrap around energy pad it would stimulate the APPENDIX to roll much more and keep the APPENDIX emptying out to be clean so no old food that didn't break down good enough would become stuck in the APPENDIX and make the APPENDIX sick. Dogs have a large APPENDIX because they use theirs. Humans have very little use for a APPENDIX, if any." http://www.edkuniversity.com/body.html It was a doctor who told me Kathryn--namely the Dr. who removed my appendix. I was able to find this from edkuniversity, yet I don't think it would matter my source. END QUOTE Does this 'source' look valid at all? The appendix rolling around? Some odd polyps extracting nourishment from raw meat? This sounds like totall BS to me! Pseudoscience! And I wonder what doctor removed this woman's appendix? Another member of this whacko religious group?

Just when I thought that thread on another site was done, some other person posts that humans were meant to eat meat (again, it doesn't matter) because the appendix was designed to assist with digestion of raw meat (and is unnecessary now because humans cook meat),. Anybody who has had anatomy and physiology who can address that?

That's an interesting thought. I think many human beings (myself included) don't like to be told what to do. And if they are approached about veganism in a way that sounds like "this is what you should do," (it's their perception that counts, not necessarily how the deliverer of the message feels s/he is delivering that message) they may actually be made to rebel more strongly against the idea. I certainly didn't get into vegetarianism or later veganism because someone approached me and told me I should do it.

I don't see charging admission and selling cheesy souvenirs as a bad thing in itself. There has to be some way to pay for the feeding and care of the animals. Just thinking of how much food the big ones (elephants, for example) go through in a day. However, the fact that zoos do rely on 'customers' for income can lead to situations that are bad in themselves (like providing lots of 'cute' baby animals to show the public, then dealing with them in a not-so-cute way when they grow up). Ideally, the planet would have enough space for all animals to be free, with huge areas allocated just for them, with no human encroachment of their territory. Sadly, I fear that some day, zoos and the like will be the only place some animals will exist anymore, because we humans have spread over the planet like a cancer and can't seem to let nature just BE.

One 'byproduct" of many, if not all, zoos is 'excess animals." Baby animals attract customers, so the zoo likes to have them, but the zoo can't keep them all as adults, so they sell them. Some to other zoos, some to canned hunts, some to who-knows-where. There is a difference between an animal sanctuary type situation (set up for the benefit of the animals, with the goal of protecting animals) and most zoos (set up for the benefit of the public). I'd start with the assumption that the zoo is not a good thing, and make them prove to me that they are good. Do thorough research before you decide that a zoo is acceptable. How are they meeting the animals' needs for space, companionship, etc.? What happens when animals get old? What happens to 'excess' animals? Are any of the animals on display connected with animal experimentation (at the zoo in Madison Wisconsin, the monkies used to be---I hope no more---associated with the cruel experiments of some psycho scientist---he didn't bill himself as psycho, that's my editorializing ---who used them or their offspring in experiments to prove that young need the affection of their parents. He'd take the newborns from their mothers, and provide them with a 'mother' make of metal and spikes covered in burlap, and when these babies grew up, they often did not want to mate, so he strapped the females down to a 'rape rack' to force them to mate, and when they gave birth, many of them killed the babies. I once read a quote from the scientist where he described how one of these mothers smashed her babies skull in and he was appalled at the cruelty she showed..... ) I frankly can't stand to see animals in cages. The only type of zoo I can imagine visiting now would be one where animals are in their own natural environment (which often means that you may or may not be able to see them, because the amount of space they have allows them to hide or do their own thing far from human spectators).

I think this is a great idea! Our society is getting so that cosmetic surgery will someday be the norm, and everyone will look fake. (Or there will be a great divide between humans who look like real people, and humans that have been transformed). I have never heard of such a group, but I think it addresses an important issue.

Sounds like your immune system might be under stress. I think you might have hit on the reason in your last statement, that you think you might be overtraining. And unfortunately, as we age, most things don't work as well as they used to (except for the mind, to a certain extent!), including the immune system not being as strong. Maybe take a recovery week, doing less intense exercise, maybe some yoga, eating more raw foods and getting more sleep/rest.

Yikes, that singer really mangled "Eleanor Rigby"!

I'd love to have a copy of it.

What did running around naked have to do with Thanksgiving? (Unless you're proposing some kind of druidic celebration to take the place of 'turkey-massacre' day.)

Interesting you say this. Here's a snippet from an exchange between me and the other poster (guess who posted what, LOL!): >In my opinion animals are here for our benefit, whether to serve as pets or worker animals or to be served at the dinner table. >Being omnivores, we as humans get the best of both worlds. Why >anyone would want to give up meat or vegetables in favor of >one or the other just boggles me. Some people used to think that humans of races other than their own were here for their benefit. And some men used to think that women were here for their benefit.

I think both full-body and split routines have their advantages, and their place in a rotation. Splits allow you to work each muscle group more thoroughly and give it more rest as well, which is better for muscle growth. Full-body workouts are better calorie burners, and help with fat loss. For splits, I lke the type of three-day split recommended in the "Encyclopedia of Muscle and Strength" by Jim Stoppani. He recommends focusing on three basic lifts, and going heavy with them: bench press, deadlifts, squats. And you build a three-day split around them. One day focuses on bench press and assistance exercises (exercises for 'push' muscles: chest, shoulders, triceps). One day focuses on squats and assistance exercises (legs) The final day focuses on deadlifts and assistance exercises (back and biceps). By having a large-muscle-group exercise in each day, you get the benefits of working large muscle groups (more muscle stimulation, human growth hormone output) and don't waste workouts on just smaller muscle groups (ie: a 'shoulders and arms" workout, which contains no large muscle groups).

LOL! I assume you mean water? (If not, maybe you're thinking of tightening some of that belly skin with a beer belly? )