A Delicious Life

Recently, I received one of those “funny” e-mails - this one was about work and compared it to prison

Work vs. Prison: Just in case you ever get these two environments mixed up, this should make things little bit clearer.

@ PRISON - You spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell
@ WORK - You spend the majority of your time in an 6X6 cubicle

@ PRISON - You get three meals a day fully paid for
@ WORK - You get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it

@ PRISON - You get time off for good behavior
@ WORK - You get more work for good behavior

Etc.

Sure, work isn’t fun every day, but comparing it to prison? At least you can leave when you want to. And as far as I’m aware, most jobs are “at will” situations - you and the company both have the right to terminate the relationship whenever you want and for whatever reason - and you don’t even have to give a reason.

Why should you work in a job that you hate? Most people spend eight hours a day at work. Assume seven or eight hours for sleeping and the rest of the time for meals, relaxation, time with friends and family. Half of your waking life is spent at work. Wouldn’t it be better to find work you love, or learn to love the work you have instead of wasting energy hating it?

As if dating wasn’t complicated enough, women who make a good living can be seen as a threat to men. A recent study shows that in several cities, women in their twenties were making more than their male counterparts. This NY Times article interviews several young women about the dating issues they’ve had with guys who make less money than they do.

To me, it seems a little surprising in this day and age that men would have a problem with women making more than they do. But I suppose the archetype of man as provider is so deeply ingrained in the social psyche that it is hard for most men to get past this new phenomenon. What do you think? If you’re a guy, would you date a woman who makes more money than you? And if you’re a woman, does it matter to you if your man’s paycheck is less than yours?

About a month ago, I wrote a post about The Now Habit by Neil Fiore, a book that helps you overcome procrastination. I’ve been regularly using some of the techniques that he recommends, and I’ve found that I’m getting a lot more productive even if I don’t use them consistently.

My favorite tool is the Unschedule. It’s a simple chart that you use to block out how you spend your time.

When you fill out your Unschedule,  you are supposed to fill in all of the tasks that you always do first - eat, sleep, workout, etc. - to make sure that you take that time for yourself. Then you need to fill in time to have fun - time with friends, family or to nurture yourself.

Finally, after you have all your to-dos and guilt-free play in, you schedule in your work. That way, you don’t feel like you’re always working (even though you’re not really anyway - you’re procrastinating and putting off work while not doing anything fun or worthwhile).

I highly recommend trying this out if you find you are a chronic procrastinator. It has really helped me not only bring more peace to my life but also get things done on a regular basis.

From Beliefnet’s Buddhist Wisdom e-mail today:

Wars arise from a failure to understand one another’s humanness. Instead of summit meetings, why not have families meet for a picnic and get to know each other while the children play together?

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Martha, the nutritionist from my Toastmasters group and founder of City Girl Bites, recently interviewed me about sugar addiction. You can read the interview on her site.

Want to learn more about sugar addiction? Join me on my teleclass:

When: Tuesday, September 18, 8 pm - 9 pm ET
Where: On your phone
Why: Do you crave chocolate? Do sweets call your name? Do you have a daily energy slump in the afternoon? Learn more about sugar, cravings, and how to overcome the sweet stuff. The class is free, but you must rsvp to get the dial-in number. Please e-mail me at christy [at] liveadeliciouslive [dot] org.

P.S. Speaking of Toastmasters, I won a prize at the last meeting! I got the Best Table Topics award for making the best impromtu speech. I’m very excited.

Music doesn’t really belong on this site, but I include occasional postings about bands that move me because as I explained in an earlier post, music is one of my primary foods.

I saw Curtis Eller perform at Banjo Jim’s in the East Village on Wednesday night. According to his bio, he is “New York City’s angriest yodeling banjo player,” and that is a pretty accurate description. Maybe you’re thinking, who cares about a banjo player? But he’s one of the most dynamic performers I’ve seen in a while. You have to go see him. He’s playing at the Brooklyn Lyceum on Sunday at 7 pm. Go see him.

Coincidentally, I missed seeing a former colleague play at the very same venue that night. He was on earlier in the evening, and I didn’t even know he was playing until I looked at the chalkboard outside when I was leaving. Oh well, next time.

This story from the NY Times really blew me away - a guy who was a two-bag-a-day consumer of microwave popcorn developed “popcorn worker lung,” an inflammatory condition that was leaving him short of breath. Apparently diacetyl, the buttery flavor agent used on microwave popcorn, is likely the culprit. From the article:

“We’re incredibly interested in learning more about this case. However, we are confident that our product is safe for consumers’ normal everyday use in the home,” said Stephanie Childs, a spokeswoman for ConAgra Foods, the nation’s largest maker of microwave popcorn.

Ms. Childs said ConAgra planned to remove diacetyl from its microwave popcorn products “in the near future.”

Pop Weaver, another large microwave popcorn producer, has already taken diacetyl out of its popcorn bags “because of consumer concerns” but not because the company believes the chemical is unsafe for consumers, said Cathy Yingling, a company spokeswoman.

If the flavoring is scarring lung tissue, just imagine what it could be doing to your body when you are eating it.

Everything that you eat becomes your body - your blood, your bones, your tissues, your hair, your skin, your nails. If you are eating garbage, what do you think is going to happen to your body?

The microwave popcorn guy was ordered by his doctor to stop his habit - he was upset, but he complied. The result?

Six months later, the man has lost 50 pounds and his lung function has not only stopped deteriorating but has actually improved slightly, Dr. Rose said.

Fifty pounds, and the only change he made was cutting out the popcorn. And his lungs got better, too.