Have you heard of Roger Mooking? (or here)

I just discovered him during my stay on the couch the last few days. He’s is…I just think that he is amazing!

Okay, so I think he’s adorable as hell! What can I say? But seriously? He’s crazy-talented! He is a chef, has his own tv show, musically talented & accomplished and a husband & father to boot!Wow!

I ended up watching a lot of shows on the cooking channel and found his show and tonight? Tonight we’re making one of his recipes for dinner! Because, OMZ! It looked too good not to at least try to make it! He does make it look easy.

I wanted to post about him because I’d never heard of him before and hello?! Rad-fatty alert! I don’t know if he identifies as fat, but he exudes a gorgeous-fat-soul to me. He has that thing…Charisma! Yes! THAT! Oh man. And he’s Canadian! I’m hooked on his show, for sure! And that channel reminds me of what Food Network used to be and I miss that. *sigh*

Please, if you’re into cooking at all, give his show a shot! I know you won’t be disappointed. =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)

OMZ! (The “Z” is for “Zod”, FYI.) The season finales are over and done and Whoa! Which season finales? Drop Dead Diva & Huge, of course! You know, the two fattest shows on Cable T.V. Ha-ha! It’s true though. And I have enjoyed them both, so very much.

I’ll admit, when I first saw previews for DDD (Drop Dead Diva), I was so not amused, let alone sold on it’s plot. It did seem a bit too silly. But then I read Margaret Cho’s blog and the way she described it and talked about it’s overall message and all, well, I had to at least give it a shot. And I did. And I fell quickly in love with it’s flawed characters and sometimes silly writing style. It is a Lifetime show after all. And so I watched and watched and well, the DVR is truly a fab technology (because the commercials are straight-up unnerving!) and now that the second season is over? I can’t wait for more!

Truly, Margaret Cho’s character, I think, doesn’t get enough scenes/lines. I just love her so and her character is so witty and hilarious and real. There was an episode of the second season where her character is asked to go into a police hangout/bar and she has to explain that she can’t because, um, they’d like all know her in there! Ha-ha! Some of the plot twists fell flat for me, but the last two hours/episodes? OMZ! So good! And I’ve been quite impressed with the development of the “Stacey” character. And dear sweet “Fred” with all of his naivete and sweetness. Aw!

But that moment, when “Grayson” tells “Jane” that he would like her to be his best man…Oh My Gah! My breath caught in my throat! I felt for her! Here she was about to lay it all on him, the truth, the reality that is being in “Jane Bingham’s” body all of this time? And then when he gets hit by the car and looks up and calls “Jane” “Deb”? Whoa! Okay, I was expecting something like that, but just not quite like that. Ha-ha! It’s fun, but I can’t wait for more more more!

As for Huge? Well, I won’t even attempt to recap it here. Not when the masterful Lesley Kinzel of Fatshionista does it with flair here. Such a great finale! I mean, you really get to the heart of these characters we’ve all come to know and love over the course of the very short season. I never thought I’d be watching anything but reruns of a sit com on ABC Family, but I am glad I found out about Huge!

The finale was actually a “to be continued” venture and began last week with “Parents Weekend.” Which tells me that there will be a second season, if for nothing other than my own glimmer of hope, considering where they left us at the end and all. I almost wish this show was on a major network, but I tend to dream big. (Pun-fun!) This last episode had some incredibly emotional moments: “Becca” confronting “Chloe” about their defunct friendship! “Will” and “Amber” sort of almost bonding! “Ian” kissing “Amber”! (EW!) And my favorite: “Alistair” beginning to create his own identity! I totally welled up at that point, you guys! I love him so! He is beautiful!

What I don’t love is the “Ian + Amber” thing. I mean, it just seemed like she was settling and not truly interested in “Ian” and I love him too much to see him get hurt by her. I honestly thought that when he asked “Will” to stick by him while his parents were there was a step in the right direction. When she touched his arm? I nearly died! I have so been there, thinking I was making some giant/scandalous move when in reality it was so subtle the guy hadn’t even detected it! UGH! Guys!

It was sad to say goodbye to these shows after such  great season. I usually can’t find a single thing to watch during the summer months, but this year was the exception. And it is because of this that I am going to give “Mike & Molly” a try. Yes, it’s a show about two fat people who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. He’s a cop, she’s a grade school teacher. Hilarity shall surely ensue? Ugh! I hate how they meet, but am semi-optimistic that the entire show won’t be a bunch of “Look at my hilariously fat ass” writing. Also, I LOVE Melissa McCarthy! She was so adorable and sweet and cute on “Samantha Who?” and I just want to see her again. I won’t hold my breath, but I will tune in on 9/20 to catch the premiere.

Are there any other fat shows I’m missing out on? Tell me all about it!  =0)

I’m sure this is already everywhere, but I just found it and got all squee-ful over it. I just love “Huge” you guys! It’s that ABC Family show I won’t shut up about. Anyway, I saw that the cast took the Body Peace vows and I just loved what they said. You can catch it all here:

http://www.seventeen.com/health/peace/huge-cast-member-body-peace-treaty

And the original Body Peace Treaty:

http://www.seventeen.com/health-sex-fitness-old/body-types-old/body-peace-pledge

The new ABC Family show “Huge” premiered last night at 9/8central.

I haven’t read any reviews yet, nor have I even talked to anyone about this show because I wanted to watch it and let it soak in before talking/reading about it.

I can honestly say that so far (one episode mind you), I love it!
From the official site: Huge, based on author Sasha Paley’s book of the same name from Alloy Entertainment, is being developed by Winnie Holzman (Wicked, My So-Called Life, Once & Again) and daughter Savannah Dooley.
Promising, no? Look, I’m a death fattie now, but as a kid I was a string bean. I always felt weird around “pretty” girls and when I had to go to summer camp (Catholic/Charitable one at that because I was so poor) I loathed the idea of bunking with strangers, outdoors and away from the few comforts that home provided. “Huge” brought  back those memories and feeling from my own childhood.While this show takes place at a fat camp, I was so overwhelmingly pleased to see the main character “Will” played by Nikki Blonsky, stand up for herself and fight the powers that be. When she said, “I think that inside of me there’s an even fatter girl waiting to get out.” and then annouced her goal of gaining weight while at this weight-loss focused camp? Well, I just about lost it! I mean, I squealed a bit and then laughed and then couldn’t stop smiling. I’m not sure how I feel about the counselor character yet because she just seemed to walk around with a sad face. You want to believe she wants to help these fats, but I get a feeling that’s not her true ambition there. Just sayin’.

I love so many of the characters. But the one that really struck me (and it’s no wonder why) was “Ian Schonfeld” played by Ari Stidham. When he’s in the boat under the dock (?) playing guitar? *sigh* too adorable! And then the talk about the Pixies?! I honestly hope that he and “Will” hook up or become partners in crime or something. They’re just so cool!!!

So, I just checked out the official site (link at the bottom) and there’s actually some pretty cool stuff going on. There’s a bus tour promoting the show that will stop in 8 states at various festivals. Sounds cool, but it ain’t stopping anywhere near me, so I search around a bit. What I find is a link for their “Live Huge Wall” where you can upload your photo and post how you’re living “Huge.” You can also click on the mosaic and see other’s pics and see how they’re living “Huge.” I think this is such a cool thing! I will upload my on pic, tomorrow since I am not on my own laptop today.  Ha!

Overall I think that this show is great! I don’t know that it will change anything in our society, but it means a lot to fatties everywhere to see some semblance of their own image on television. I am glad that they used real fats and not smaller people in fat suits. I just hope the weigh loss thing has some lesson or facts and doesn’t just perpetuate stereotypes and myths.

Official page: http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/huge
Bus Tour page: http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/huge/blogs/null-clone/472087
Live Huge Wall: http://abcfamily.go.com/specials/live-huge/wall