Giving Thanks

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I traveled with my beau to visit my extended family in northern Minnesota. Yah sure, you betcha, I did! I didn't manage to get a single photo of any of them, but I did get this shot of my nuclear family at a park near where I grew up in the Twin Cities.

They are totally going to start a band and use this shot for their album.

Anyway, it made me all warm and fuzzy to be surrounded by people who share more of my DNA than the average person. This visit, I was able to look around at my relatives' faces, which I hadn't seen since last year's Thanksgiving dinner, and see little bits of me, my brother, my parents, my ancestors. It's so cheeseball, but it made me feel as though I were a part of a larger group. I have peeps who share my face shape, allergies, memories... It's a good feeling.

Things I'm thankful for (a not-all-inclusive-list):
family
friends
babies
five senses
the ability to walk/run/climb/dance
talent
a good job
the opportunity to have a good education
music
carob (even though it's not nearly as good as chocolate)
a warm home, which happens to be under rent control
rainy days
cheese
vacations
good humor
enough food
a capacity for empathy
sunshine
art
Bryan

Now I'm Wise

I just found my first real gray hair. It's about 3" long, slightly right of center behind the line of my bangs, and curls jauntily toward the front of my head. So, everything I say from now on can be considered a universal truth from an elder. Age has its privileges.

The New Food Pyramid

Perhaps I've been out of touch, but I was surprised to hear that the government has come out with a new food pyramid to replace the old one, which was conceptualized in 1988 and released in 1992, in order to promote a more healthy diet for Americans.

Old Food Pyramid

In researching the differences between the two guides, I found this article, which gives a pretty interesting history of the food pyramid's ramble through time. Personally, I prefer the old one. Perhaps it wasn't as savvy and colorful as the shiny new one; however, I find that the new one looks like a disco floor where the waiter has spilled a tray full of food on his way to table five. Seriously, was this new pyramid developed in a bar in the Castro?

New Food Pyramid


Perhaps, I'm being a bit persnickety because the new food pyramid says that I should take both my mac and my cheese in moderation. I won't go without a fight. I will disco to the death on this one.