Thought of the Day 2010 #32 - Valentine Memories

Several Valentine's days in a row, my family would go to a hotel in
Minnesota called Paul's Place. I really only recall it being on
Valentine's day weekend 'cuz of the brown lunch sack I would bring with
cherry lollipops, Valentines with elephants on them (I always took the
fat animal Valentines personally, even though I doubt much thought at
all went into their selection for fellow students), and a box or two of
chalk message hearts.

Paul's Place = swimming pool. They had a pool, a hot tub and a cold
plunge. The latter we used just for self torturing pleasure.

I remember spending hours upon hours in that pool. I also remember not
being a very good swimmer, so I'd hold on to the edge of the pool a lot.
So much so that I lost my finger prints one year. Oh! One other fun
memory was the first closed circuit television camera and view I've ever
seen. Having a view of the pool was awesome, so we'd know how many other
peeps were in "our" pool.

Overall, good pool time family memories!

formspring.me

Did I just day desert or dessert?

You said desert, but I covered all the angles!

Ask me anything

formspring.me

What's the most amazing desert you've ever had?

Most amazing desert - Death Valley in one of it's most glorious blooms.
Most amazing dessert - hard to pick. There was this awesome, amazing fudgy brownie that I had one time...and I could never find again. Can't duplicated it in a recipe either. I think it was a Borders in Minneapolis, but even repeat visits there, I couldn't find it again. *pout*

There was also the mile-high lemon meringue at the Brother's Deli pie when i was a kid. YUM! I didn't care so much for the meringue, but the rest of it was awesome.

I really love fruit pizza that I make from scratch with a shortbread crust. When the fruit that goes upon it is fresh-fresh, it's devine.

There really are so many...that I can't pick just one.

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formspring.me

I guess I have competition. What should I do to make me stand out above the rest? Gary

I'd say you have competition! Especially since I'm married. :-) Standing out from the rest -- intelligence, sense of humor, even tempered, and that je ne sais quoi. Eh, but everyone says that, right?

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Thought of the Day 2010 #31 - Food Memories

I've been asked a question about food through Formspring.me that I will
try to get to tomorrow. It brought to mind some food memories, akin to
"The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on HGTV. Combine that message with a message
from Facebook, and I'm tossed into a distinct memory of the best beans
I've ever ate. Mexican restaurant in Memphis (don't ask where, I don't
recall) had the best tex-mex beans. They were spicy, saucy, whole beans
unlike what most Mexican places put on the table. I've never had any
like it, and yet 8 or so years later they're still fresh in my mind.
It's funny how scents, and tastes can be so vivid. We've had cameras for
over 200 years and yet we haven't been able to create scent or taste
memory books yet? Maybe it is because it's so hard to get it "right"?
There are so many subtle nuances to aromas/flavors that would make it
pretty complex, but you'd think we'd be getting close developing a
scent or taste recorder? Maybe someone is working on this? Hope so.

Thought of the Day 2010 #30 - Decent Weather

We've had a relatively minor winter thus far, and I understand the east coast is getting hit pretty hard again this weekend. I am a bit jealous! I want something weather-wise to complain about!

Picasa Love

Two minutes to a fun eagle collage. I tell ya, if you haven't tried Picasa...you are missing out.

Taunted Bald Eagle

I took these pictures last weekend. It was a very patient eagle until I started taunting it.

 

 

 

formspring.me

Approx. how many jars of jam do you make in a typical year?

In 2008 I made 350 or so, and 2009 a little over 500. I ramped up production because of a decent crop of fruit and because I was selling so many on Etsy. I had decent sales at the beginning of the fall and right around Christmas. I've sold 115 jars so far and have given away about 90. So, that leaves me with a LOT of jam. I'm pondering a jam sale later this month, so if you're interested, keep an eye on Etsy or send me an email.

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formspring.me

Since you do a photo of the week, do you think you'd ever do a video of the month?

Hmmm..I hadn't really thought about doing it, but it's a great idea! I was hoping to have an excuse to buy a new Canon camera...and that might be a great one.

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formspring.me

Good evening Kathy. I'd like to know when and how did you meet your hubby, and when did you knew he was the one? Thanks

Initially we met online, through email. He saw me on this site and started sending me emails. Several years after the first email, I sent him and email saying that I was going to be at a Vegas bash and asked if he would like to come down and meet me. He did! That was approximately 7 and a half years ago. Time sure flies!

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formspring.me

How did you get to be such a smart beautiful funny sweet outstanding outrageously balanced babe? Talk about a gift to humanity! :)

Thanks, oh, and your check is in the mail. :-)

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Thought of the Day 2010 #29 - Project Runway

Watching Project Runway makes me regret that I didn't go to the Fashion
Institute of Technology when I was accepted way back (mumble) years ago.
Although I dislike the word "fashion", I've always been interested in
textile design. Ah, well...

formspring.me

What do you think about weight loss diets? Each time I've been on one, then gone off it, I've ended up heavier than I was before. :(

Weight loss diets can work for some people. I've known genuine successes. The people who have lost and kept it off the longest make significant changes in their eating and activity levels. There is no miracle diet unlike what the advertisements tell you.
I also want to add, that people are fat for a myriad of different reasons. Anxiety/emotions, hormone imbalances, overeating, depression, inactivity, and more than likely a combination of those. No one diet will work for everyone.

I think if someone genuinely wants to lose weight, there are ways to do it, but for each person, that path will be different.

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formspring.me

Cat your clothes always look so beautiful. As a fat woman how do you find good looking clothes that suit your style and look good on you? Where there any hits and misses along the way finding clothes that suit you and your style?

Thanks for the compliment! I often worry that most of the photos on here of late have me in my "travel clothes"...black skirt and various tops. Gotta travel in comfort!

I shop at a lot of different places online as there are no fat girl shops in Utah aside from Lane Bryant and Torrid. Oldnavy.com, avenue.com, eshakti.com, ullapopken.com, loveyourpeaches.com, junonia.com. Those are the primary spots. And, yes, there have been lots of hits and misses at each. Sometimes it's the quality. Sometimes it's the fit. Ya just never know when buying strictly from online. Ulla Popken used to be the most reliable, but it's really not any longer. Now I find that Old Navy is the most reliable for sizing, but quality is hit and miss.

I also make some of my own clothes, which again are hits and misses only because I often need to resize a size 18 pattern to fit my girthier frame. While I've gotten *pretty good* at resizing, once in a while I do make errors and I end up with a pile of half sewn boo-boos.

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Thought of the Day 2010 #28 - Blogger.com, FTP and Upcoming Site Changes

I found out today that Blogger.com is going to discontinue FTP
publishing in March. They claim that only a minor percentage of their
patrons use FTP. I know why that is...when I tried to set up an FTP
based blog a few months ago, they buried the self-hosting FTP settings
pretty deep...no one would want to bother with it.

This blog, and obviously the main page of this site, is recreated daily
through Blogger's FTP publishing. Because I have a sh*tload of non-blog
content behind the main page, I cannot move my domain to the Blogger
servers. So, I'm left with a couple of options -- move my blog to a
subdomain of catay.com like blog.catay.com or move to a different blog
publisher which opens up more cans of worms. I would feel bad about the
second option because I've been with Blogger since the days they were
begging for donations to keep them alive during their startup days. I
sent in my donation and received the free stickers. Woot! Now, of course
they're a part of Google's empire. They've come a long way!

Whichever way I end up changing this site (and a few others) there will
be some significant changes coming.

Thought of the Day 2010 #27 - Cereal

I'm in a serial cereal eating pattern right now. Can't get past breakfast without some crunchy goodness and milk. Yum!

formspring.me

You were one of the first proud fat chicks I found on the internets, and you've always been an inspiration to me. What were the defining moments for you on your own journey of self-acceptance?

This is a tricky one, because there's little awakenings happening every day. I think self-acceptance is a constant journey, ya know?

Over the past couple of hours I was trying to think of actual defining moments, and just a few come to mind.

An early one, was when I was a 12 year old kid, a public health nurse was summoned to my home because I was a fat kid. Talk about making me feel like a freak. But I held my own that day and I took a stand and refused to get weighed by the nurse. It was clear I was fat. There was no purpose for me to step on that scale. The nurse was shocked that I refused and luckily, my mom supported me when the nurse looked to her to get my fat bum on the scale.

Looking back to my childhood and my mid-20s, I think the primary thing that got me through was my focus not just on my appearance. I was successful in my school life and my career not because I was fat or despite of the fact I was fat. It was a non-issue, or at least I didn't think it was, and maybe that obliviousness aided me in being successful at most of what I tried?

I do recall the little successes I had boosted my self esteem and encouraged me to take further risks. I took a lot of little risks, but looking back, I wish I had risked even further because I think I could have reached even loftier goals.

There were times when I struggled with self-acceptance and self esteem, and there still are, but I know that when I choose to take risks, to step out of the comfort zone, I can fly. And I think everyone else can do the same, too. All it takes is a little risk.

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formspring.me

Any current favorites in the recently released movies?

Most of the movies I've seen recently have been new to DVD. Tops in my mind from the past couple of weeks -- Hurt Locker, Food Inc., and 500 Days of Summer. The latter I expected to be solely a teen flick, but it turned out to have a lot of depth and good music.

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formspring.me

I'm a large person and have a terrible time finding a comfortable computer chair. Do you have any suggestions? --Kathy

I found that doing a butt-test at Office Max or other stores that offer chairs is the best way to go. My current chair is an Office Max butt-tested variety that I picked up about five years ago. It had one issue with a wheel about a year ago, but with a quick presto-change-o wheel replacement, it's good to go again.

When the wheel was a problem, I ended up buying a Safco Uber Big and Tall chair from online. As promised in the name, it's BIG! Plenty of butt room! Unfortunately, it was completely uncomfortable for me 'cuz I'm on the short end of things at 5'5" and because it's made for taller folks, the minimum height was just way too high. I had to have a foot rest to keep from cutting the circulation off my feet as they dangled over the edge. I ended up giving it to my step-daughter who LOOOVES it. So, depending upon your leg length, it may or may not work for you.

Ask me anything

formspring.me

Hey sis, what is the meaning of life, the universe, you know, everything?

Well, typically I'd say '42', but recently it's 'cream cheese'.

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Thought of the Day 2010 #26 - Asking

I'm pleased that I received a couple of "Ask Me Anything" questions.
I've put the question box over there, on the right ---?
The answers will appear here on my blog and on
http://www.formspring.me/cataycom where you can also ask questions. So,
ask away! What have you got to lose??

formspring.me

Hi Cat! Was wondering, whats a tipical day for you like?-Paul

Hmm...a typical week day starts with a trip to the bathroom at 7:45ish. Followed by a trip to the office (which is in my house, so the commute isn't far). Depending upon the day's workload, I work between 4 and 10 hours, usually closer to 6 or 7. I break for lunch 'round about noon and have been attempting to eat food from home rather than fast food or the like. Lunch usually lasts an hour or so. If work is really busy, I'll grab something quick from the kitchen and head back to my desk to eat there. Otherwise, I head to the living room for the television news.

Really, nothing too exciting!

After work is over, I typically take a shower. I put on my play clothes and there's play time which can be a bunch of different things, depending upon the time of year and what's going on. Shopping, crafts, sewing, reading magazines, surfing for new creative endeavors online, jamming, looking for something new to whip up for dinner, etc.

Evening consists of movies or television very often during the winter months. Summer months usually are more active with outside stuff, chatting with family on the back patio, digging trips, etc.

Often, too, Winter and Summer (and everything in between), we often go on photo drives with the digital SLR. Hunting down wildlife on the eastern and western sides of the valley, etc.

Nights end in the 11pm to midnightish time frame, punctuated with a trip to the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth.

As mentioned, not really too exciting on a typical day.

Ask me anything

formspring.me

Checking to see if thingy works....eh...Starting out with an easy one...What happened to the rest of your face in your pic?

It does work! I thought no one had asked anything, but there you are...asking! Who knew I had to login?
Anyway, what happened to the rest of my face? I'm not sure which picture you're referencing, but in most of my partial face shots, I've cut out the ugly side and left the better looking side for display purposes. Oftentimes one side or the other will do odd things and clearly it must be punished by banishment.

Thanks for your question! Ask me more!

Ask me anything

Thought of the Day 2010 #25 - Go Ahead, Ask Me

Click this link and ask me anything! http://www.formspring.me/cataycom
I'll do my best to answer promptly and honestly. Feel free to ask
anything that pops in your head!

Thought of the Day 2010 #24 - Words

On any given day, I figure I speak about 500 different words. I clearly
need to get out more.

Thought of the Day 2010 #23 - PSotW

I finally updated the Photo Selection of the Week area of the site...and
filled in lots of blanks. Wooohooo!

Thought of the Day 2010 #22 - iPad

The new Apple iPad was introduced today. I'm excited to give it a whirl.
I'm excited by the size of the screen, the touch controls, and the ebook
support. My major disappointment? I really wish they would figure out
how to display pop-up books properly...

Thought of the Day 2010 #21 - eBay Greed

I received an email from eBay indicating that yet again they are
changing the sales fee structure in March. Because they change their
policies often, I can't help but imagine they have a board of greedy
bastards number crunching to find a way to get more, more, MORE profits.
Across the hall, they have a sniveling group of marketing weasels trying
to figure out a way to spin the new fee structure so that it seems they
are changing for the benefit of all. Eh, what's new? I guess a lot of
companies do that.

It's just that eBay is at this point nearly a monopoly for certain
categories of auction items. They have the buying traffic for antique
bottles (as an example). Moving listings to a startup online auction
house just isn't feasible without traffic to drive items to their proper
value. You just get nibbles and basically sell the items at a discount
due to the lack of interested buyers.

eBay knows this...and well, bend over. NOW!

I do have to give them a minor prop for their flattened final value
fees. They're high, but at least now they're very easy to figure.
Well...that is until they change their fee structure again later in the
year...

Thought of the Day 2010 #20 - Buttars

Utah State Representative Chris Buttars (quoted as saying, "...gays are the biggest threat to America" amongst other pearls) is an idiot. When I hear him speak, my skin crawls as his repulsive, cowardly and imbicilic thoughts roll through his lips.

Honored!

I am honored and humbled to have been immortalized into art by the world renowned FA Painter, Marty!

 

Stop by his blog and look at beautiful works of some lovely women. (http://fa-painter.blogspot.com/) He's got a knack at bringing his subject's personality to life. Just wonderful.

Thought of the Day 2010 #19 - Luck

Does luck really exist? I would consider myself lucky to find out the
truth.

Thought of the Day 2010 #18 - Looting

In Haiti damage, is it really looting when the building being "looted" is completely collapsed? Isn't it more of a service of clearing rubble? No idea if the shop owners have insurance, but if they do, you know it's already been declared a complete loss.

Thought of the Day 2010 #17 - Seventeen

Remember when you were seventeen? I'm sure you thought you knew
everything, too. Turns out, we didn't even know half of what we know
now. Maybe when we are 80, we will look back to now and think the same
thing? Nah. We we'll probably be back to knowing half of what we know
now.