Going To The Racetrack

At the checkout line in the supermarket today I got into a conversation with a man behind me about the weather. I noticed he had an absolutely enormous jar of pancake syrup. I told him that it probably contained high fructose corn syrup which reserach has shown is more likely to add to weight gain than sugar. When we looked it contained corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is cheaper than sugar and is in practically everything.



I then suggested that in the future he shop the walls of the supermarket which is where you find the fresh produce, fresh fish, meat and poultry and dairy goods. In supermarket parlance that is known as the racetrack. So go to the racetrack and stay away from processed foods.

Disaster Preparedness, Yet again

Yes, I'm writing about disaster preparedness again. I do think that the floods in the Midwest should be a warning to all of us that soemthing could happen at any time. As I write this there are also fires raging in Northern California. We cannot control the weather or other natural events.

People in Iowa thought they woudl be all right because they were misinformed about the possibility of flooding in some areas. Something about a gauge malfunctioned and they thought the river would crest lower. Unofrtunately a lot of Cedar Rapids wound up under water and parts of Iowa City along with lots of smaller towns. I was in Iowa City years ago for a weddign and thought it was a lovely town. It is sad to think of it as being underwater.

Remeber that you need to have a kit fully packed and ready to go in case you have to evacuate in a hurry. Many people did not and it just makes things more difficult in a difficult time.

Closets

I just saw the Sex And The City movie (featuring lots of absolutely bizarre clothing) and there is a scene where Carrie and Big are looking at New York apartments and find one that is absolutely fabulous (especially by New York standards) but the closet is exceedingly small. Big promises he'll build Carrie a wonderful closet -- and he does.

But to my way of thinking maybe Carrie should start to simplify her life and get rid of some of her clothes and shoes (perish the thought). The movie is a paean to overconsumption and materialism. Every luxury brand you can think of either gets mentioned or has a shopping bag with the logo showing. I often wonder, more and more lately, what has happened to this country that it sometimes seems like all people care about is acquiring more things. More and more and more.

I know that closets have become a big business and I have made sugestions to people about redoing their closets for maximum usage But I think it's time that we start to think about just what we are putting into our closets. Are these really things that we need or are they just things that we want. Are we buying things to make our life better and easier or to impress others. How often do we use these things? Do we buy things we never use? Does Carrie really wear all of the shoes she has. I doubt it.

Ultimately the movie is about friendship. That's more important than closets or designer clothes or shoes.