After reading this fabulous post I realized that I had forgotten to post about a monthly fat meet up in the San Francisco Bay Area…that I’m hosting! Ha-ha! Yes, it’s at my cafe. I’m so excited about it, you have no idea! Hope you can come!

What: My first ever giveaway, yo! Oh, what do you get? Any one handmade item of your choice from my Etsy shop! Great for gifting or for yourself. Woo! (Winner will be chosen at random by using one of those randomater-sites, have to find one, suggestions welcome!)

When: Starting today until September 30th. Winner will be announced on Friday October 1st!

How: You may enter 4 ways/times 1.) by commenting below with your email address 2.) by posting the link to this post on  Twitter 3.) by posting the link to this post on your Facebook and 4.) by linking to this post on your own blog/journal. Easy-peasy! Please include your username for tweets and FB posts so I can see them.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter: @Notblueatall!

Thanks!  =0)

You know, almost anything you feel you “have to” do, like cleaning and washing, can become a chore, even a drudgery; while those things that remain optional, like Disney World and Twister, can seem far more inviting, even fun.

So, as you go down the path of life, particularly when it seems you must force yourself through the motions, it just may help if you pause and give thought to the countless souls who’d give most anything for the option of even your “chores.”

Life… it can sometimes be like one of those really, really “good problems,” huh?

Tallyho,
The Universe

Touche` Universe! My head was in that exact same space. I was driving in to work this morning and listening to KPFA(.org) and I am not sure who the guest was, but they were talking about the disappearing middle class versus the sprawling of poverty in the U.S. I may not have that quite right, but the point is that their conversation made me think about myself, my friends and my family and how in the last two years our lifestyles have gone from comfortable, but not by any means rich, to struggling every damned day to pay the bills.

I read something yesterday about the cost of health care having gone up some astounding percentage and this made me think of England and France and every other country who has free universal health care for it’s citizens. *sigh* And what a mess we’ve made of our own health care systems here. I mean, it’s not the like the actual cost of doing the same procedure/job/etc went up…no the insurance companies simply keep raising their prices! No real reason for it other than the fact that they can. Plain and simple! And how sick it makes me feel to think or even to know in some instances that I will probably be denied medical treatment at some point in my life due to nothing but my size.

This made me realize that I should talk to my husband about this, specifically, because if something did happen to me and I was unable to advocate for myself, he would have to and I think he should be well informed when the time comes. And we never know when that time may come. Sobering thought.

Taking a moment each day to be humble and grateful for all that I have and even for what I don’t has really helped me stay grounded and happy. It has given me sort of a check-in moment and allows me to see that even on a “bad” day, things aren’t so bad at all.

I’ve been reading Linda Bacon’s “Health At Every Size” and every day something just sort of slaps my face and says, “OH MY GAWD! EVERYTHING I’VE EVER BEEN TOLD ABOUT MY BODY AND DIETING IS A DAMNED LIE!” and it makes me so very thankful that she wrote this amazing book. I seriously want to buy a copy for everyone I know! I wish it was in every school library in the universe! I know I will be buying at least five copies for various family members who truly need this information. I want to send one to Michelle Obama! How could I do that, or more to the point, how could I get her to read it?

I wish I could commit the entire book to memory. I want to carry it with me so that when ignorance attacks I can defend myself or fight back with actual knowledge and wisdom and facts…scientific facts! (Oh man, I so held back the urge to type “scien-fucking-tific facts!” Ha-ha!) It pains me to the core when I think of the amazing and incredible people who’s lives have been shortened or taken away entirely by a corrupt and misguided medical industry. To find out that it’s the exact same people (sometimes) that are screwing up our own government with the lobbying and whatnot. UGH! I want to scream at the heavens and shake my fist at, well, everything!

How do we get the truth out when it has no corporate backing?! Reading “Health At Every Size” has made me realize that all of the anomalies in my life actually aren’t anomalies at all! I’m normal in the sense that I am healthy. My numbers have always come back normal (blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose levels) and always to the chagrin of doctors & nurses who read them to me.

The “thin is in” trend comes and goes, but mostly goes as larger lovelies always come back into vogue. I think the only reason it’s held us in it’s grips this long this time around is due to the invention of marketing either in print or television or what have you. It’s taken hold of our society and while I have begun to see more and more people of size in the media, it’s nowhere near normalized yet.

And that’s where fat activists come in: we must be publicly fat! We must stop using words that make other people comfortable and start using the word FAT! Make them shift in their seats if they must, let them hold onto the lies if they insist, but they will never be able to tell me again that I am wrong or other or not worthy of any damned thing! We need to encourage each other and support one another and for once I just want to see a happy fat on t.v. instead of the continuously humiliated and depressed or abused fats on reality shows.

This weekend, while I’m out walking or shopping or serving organic goods to my customers, I will hold my head up high with a full heart and a knowing smile. I will welcome conversation and open dialogue. I will use the word fat in places where I would have otherwise referred to myself as a “big gal” or “plus sized” or “my size” and I will not allow other people’s negativity to seep into my consciousness!

Because I am worthy and strong and fat and happy and healthy (and many think I shouldn’t exist)…too bad for them, I AM A UNICORN!!!

*If you would like your own messages from “the universe” sign up for free here: www.tut.com

It’s Friday and while that’s usually my fave day of the week, I’m just not feeling well today. I don’t know what’s going on with me, I’ve tried both cold and allergy meds and neither have made a dent. I’m a true mess. But I’m alive and grateful as hell for that. =0)  So I thought I would share some interesting tidbits from the interwebz. Feel free to comment, discuss, etc. Hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Too many people feel let down because their life and looks aren’t ‘fabulous’ all the time. In Making Magic 2: On the Tyranny of Image, Rachel Hills says, “…One thing I believe quite firmly is that we’re sold a lie that through changing our appearance, we can change our lives. That if only we lost weight, had “better” hair, the “right” clothes, we’d be able to access that certain, indefinable magic we’re convinced the people who do have that aesthetic possess. I’ve been speaking with women who do have that magic – that capacity to make amazing things happen to them – and unsurprisingly, what I’ve found is that it isn’t about what you wear or how you look at all.”

Did you get a chance to read Lesley’s post about Public Health Programs? You totally should, it’s rad!

You simply must read this speech given by Andrea Zanin at The Floating World, a supercool (and absolutely massive) sex-positive annual weekend conference in New Jersey. “This is a talk about the lies we tell ourselves and the rest of the world. It’s a talk in which bullshit will be called, hierarchies challenged and strong statements made. It’s a talk about polyamory, and BDSM, and queerness, but above all, it is most definitely a talk about sex.”

Love Ryan Freitas‘ 35 lessons in 35 years!

A new approach for pan handlers, free credit cards? I truly enjoyed reading this.

And this weekend, I shall be making some pear gelato! I’m so excited! I bought these Bartlett pears at the store $2 for 3lbs and they’re a bit overripe. Perfect for gelato! I’ve only ever done sorbets, so I don’t know how this will turn out, but here’s the recipe.

You can ask me nearly any time of day or night what song I have in my head and I will most certainly sing or hum it for you. Last night while watching tv a commercial came on with a “Fascination” re-do and I was suddenly confused between three songs all at once. This is not unusual for me. I often hear songs within songs or just have a bunch playing at once in my head. Could this help my problem?

Have you been following the fatcasts? You totally should be! They are so fun and informative! And there’s a new one up today! Squee!

There are two other podcasts I’d like to give a shout out to:

Soulful Blend Radio: R U Real? I Am Plus! Thursdays if you happen to listen to last Thursday’s episode, you will hear yours truly sounding like a total valley girl. Oh well, it was a total blast! (Main page: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/soulfulblend)

And Golda Poretsky’s Body Love Wellness podcast! Be sure to stay up to date on her blog, too: http://www.bodylovewellness.com/

That’s it for today. What’s on your mind? What are your plans for the weekend? Tell me about it! =0)

Wow! So, last night I was the guest on www.blogtalkradio.com/soulfulblend and what an amazing experience! The gracious and lovely ladies Adrienne & Rachel were so kind and sweet…I am still aglow from their compliments and love!

If you couldn’t tune in, well, you missed out! What else can I say? Ha-ha! No, I’ll recap for ya! I’m just cool like that. But it was so much fun and we discussed some pretty serious stuff, so I do think you should give it a listen, but no pressure. Ha!

Big Fat Summer Challenge: Originally posted on www.Tabayag.com
We discussed how hard it can be for a fatty to bare arms! Show her legs! And be okay with her paleness and beyond! From sleeveless to strapless, it was an amazing journey. You can read my final post here.

I was asked to tell my story and how I got where I am today. It was a bit bizarre to have someone tell me that I have this amazing and happy life. I mean, wow! But I am very blessed and grateful and I am happy and I think I have an amazing life. You can read my story here.

We talked about being in the moment and what that means and how to achieve it. I tried really hard to not be my usual long-winded self, so I boiled it down to two things: No time to worry, for me at least, when I have to make some busy mom her latte! And staying humble. That is something that seems a bit lost in modern society.

We talked about fat thrift shopping. I explained that I had sworn off of it since going into the larger plus sizing but had given it another chance after reading “Lessons From The Fat-O-Sphere” by Marianne Kirby & Kate Harding. And I found an amazing dress that fit like a glove. Lesson learned: Don’t look at the size on the tags! That dress is a 22/24 that I never would have even touched otherwise.

You guys! Sizing differs greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Of course this lead to different retailers sizing standards, too. Fun! Or not…From the Avenue to LB to Torrid, we discuss our experiences and gripes about being in the upper sizing range of plus size retailers who are supposedly catering to us, yet leave out those of us over a size 26!

We talked about Mad Men star Christina Hendricks not being able to find a dress for big events due to her U.K. 14 size. And I stand by what I said about it being a good thing as it brings attention to the reality of being a fat gal, star or no. And how bigger gals tend to fall into the over sexualized trappings that can happen.

We discussed the impact and how much we love “Drop Dead Diva” and “Huge.” Wish we had more time to discuss these, but we were already way over our allotted time, I think.

And the coolest of the cool: we came up with a fat-club/gang sign of our own (inspired by the U.K. Chubsters! <3) by holding your hands in a heart over your fat belly! BELLY LOVE! WOOT! (It’s actually harder than it looks!)

I will surely be tuning into future episodes and who knows? Perhaps they’ll invite me to be a guest again! You know I have a lot to say, about anything! Ha-ha!

Please support & follow these amazing ladies:
On Twitter: @ohyesfashion On Facebook: RURealIAmPlus

Thanks again ladies, you rock my socks! =0)