the ideal

i took a test in my health class today and decided to do some figuring after i finished. according to the "ideal" formulas, am the ideal weight for a person of my stature: 105 lbs. according to the same sources, i should be consuming 1600 calories every day to support my weight and activity level. well, this of course leads me to question how much food equals how many calories. i checked the backs of a couple things when i got home and mostly just debunked my faith in the fda.
a single serving of plain (as in no sauce, dressing, or salt) cooked pasta is 1 cup. this cup of noodles contains 210 calories; a serving of 2% milk is 8 ounces (half a soda can) and contains 180 calories; 1 cup of chili has 270 calories; 1/2 cup of peaches contains 80 calories; 3 pickles contain 5 calories (the same as a stick of gum); i couldn't find the calories for the carrot sticks and celery. now according to the fda, i'm supposed to have at least 6 servings of bread/pasta (1260 calories), 3 servings of milk (540), 2 servings of fruits (160), 2 servings of meat (340), plus 3 servings veggies (we'll be kind and count the 15 from the pickles), and enough water to cook the 6 servings of pasta. all of this comes to a grand total of 2315 calories. with this many calories in my diet, i would supposedly gain 2 lbs a week, even without the pasta sauce. i would also be extremely bloated, and i didn't even get pasta sauce.
there's something wrong with this. obviously, the "ideal diet" has not gotten me to my ideal weight and consumption level. on the flip side, however, were i to only eat the 1600 calories prescribed to me, i would be left with 3 cups of pasta, a cup of pasta sauce, a single 6 oz yogurt, 1/2 cup of peaches, and a tall glass (24 oz) of milk. this still leaves me hungry at the end of the day.
perhaps this helps explain the staggeringly high--and rising-- numbers of both anorexic and obese people in the united states. these are not words of great wisdom. problem.

#42

art classes are a funny thing. by nature, art is very personal. yet, it is meant to be shared. i think that it is the concentration of the individuality in a classroom that is so interesting. the students that are so self-contained in other classes are exposed through their artwork. they can't not be. it's interesting to see who these people i have known for so long really are. is it as much of a surprise for them to see me?

i love the piano. i know some people who are amazing with their hands on the ivory. i wish that i could play.

i live in the best place. i am incredibly lucky. it astounds me to know what that piece of cloth means to me. i could not say enough for it, flawed though it may be. i love the promised land.

it's still trying to follow the sun. as much as they try though, sunflowers have down-time too. i suppose that it's best that way, though it does not always make me happy. there is a purpose to it, i am sure, and the time for sun will return soon. i like the broken trampoline in the background. it adds a nice touch.

night falling. why does the night fall? where does that expression come from? that's a discussion to be elaborated on later,i think. for now, those mountains are beautiful, and as much a part of "home" to me as walls and a roof.

a warm home in winter. i think that people living in warmer climates would have a harder time understanding that sentiment. i love having a warm home, water, clothes, bed, and machines that heat things. plus, within all that, is my family, which is really what home is.

bollywood

it's late and i haven't re-written my essay for school. instead i watched a video with my sister. well, the last half of it. it was very interesting. it was a hindi movie by bollywood. there was a heavy american influence in what they did, even though some of it didn't make any sense. most of it was syntax or other cultural nuances. like, when they would randomly burst out with "come on, charlie!" and continuity was shaky. i liked it though. it was a good movie. it made me think of rauf and his comintated pictures. it's a different life. i wish that i were more cultured.
hmmm, time for that essay.

to me

honestly, i think that i've pretty much failed in my assignment to take group shots over the break. i haven't even really used that camera at all. trouble. maybe tomorrow i'll be able to do something before or after work. hopefully. at any rate, what i've been busy with in the mean time has been rather thought-provoking in many facets. the most recent has to do with something that is as historic in my family as the cloth diapers we were wrapped in as babies: idaho. we went for a quick trip to see family while we had a minute. i started thinking today as we were packing up to head back of things that stood out and meant a lot to me. what the significant objects are, if you will. i thought of pictures in the basement, the pool table, a horse-bridle mirror, a record collection, a china cabinet, or mom's bronzed shoes. i thought of a scene that i'd seen hundreds of times that really was an idaho scene to me. i wish that i had thought of all of these in time to take pictures. i didn't. instead, i got two quick shots on the way out. i feel like i've missed something.

anyway, i've babbled for a long time and all i really had to share was a few pieces of idaho and what it is to me. but remember, it's missing a lot. it's not the whole picture.

nun

i'm ocd, get over it. yes, i've finished my homework, get over it. this is what happens when i have stuff to do and no life.

anyway, on with what i really want to talk about.
elder came home last week. it's been interesting having him here. he's the same person, but not the same. i remember some things that i notice are the same and i see other things that are not the same at all. who is this person? i don't really know how to act around him or what to do. i know that i had the same problem when sister came home last year, but i still don't know what to do about it. mostly i just feel awkward and silly.

then again, i know that i have changed a lot. i am not the same as i was two years ago, hair aside. it's odd to think that he only really got snapshots of what was larger than life for me.

i kind of wish that he had come during school because it would have given me an excuse to do something all day instead of just feeling out of place. That is one reason why i finished the homework that i had. kind of the anti-social way out, but what can i do? oi.

Christmas is good. it always is. it was carnage all day. it's a great picture, isn't it? Christmas carnage. it seems sos weird to me sometimes that people give me presents. i got so much. i get so excited. i still wake up at six. i was just happy that all the family was there. that was the best. though, i won't say no to a stuffed reindeer. it's so cute!