Fat on a Plane

Recently, an article has been kicking around facebook about an airline which is going to begin charging people by weight.

My initial thought was one of revulsion. As a full figured woman I already have issues flying - fear that the seatbelt wont fit (it always does - just barely), not enough elbow/whole arm room (I always end up either with one arm on top of another person's arm or under theirs. Either way it's not an enjoyable experience), dear god please don't seat me by the window because heaven forbid I need to pee, I'm going to have to make everyone get up 'cause there is no way I can climb over people (and just shoot me if someone has fallen asleep and I have to wake them up); and these are on top of all the everyday flying concerns: is my luggage going to make the weight limit? (I always over pack) Am I going to be stuck next to a crying child, or any other really annoying person? Let's play the game of how may times the food cart will hit me in the elbow before I start to bruise; And of course the horrible fear that I might die in a firey crash.

But I read the article anyway, and you know what, I get it. Well, some of it.

Samoa Air is instituting a policy where your ticket is based on your personal weight and the weight of your baggage. Their planes are smaller and how much weight is in the plane is very important to the ability of the plane to function. So from that stance I get it.

I also appreciate that it appears Samoa Air also wants to try and make the seating more comfortable for people who aren't small, either in weight or in height.

"It works both ways. People who pay more deserve more. ... So, it is in our interests that we take care of the people that who've chalked in at 150, 180 kilograms (330, 396 pounds). They've paid their fare and the we try to give them what they should have, which is a comfortable seat. We try to make sure they have space around them, that taller people have got more leg room -- within the confines of the airplane these days we try to do it." -- Chris Langton, Samoa Air chief executive (quote from CNN article - link below)

Now, it's probably not very likely that the States or Canada (the two countries where the majority of my flying happens) is going to institute this anytime soon, so I get that it's not really something that is going to effect me. But I do feel a twinge of, how shall we put it, mild annoyance that because of my body type I will have to pay more for a flight, but from a mechanics prospective, I do get it.

What I don't agree with are the comments from people posting the article on facebook. They range from non-judgmental or mildly insulting to outright cruel. Also, interestingly enough some comments on the CNN site have turned into a debate on "poor people" and "their lack education" making them fat. But that is a complex topic for another day...

But generally it is people who say things like "maybe this will get people to work out and be healthy" which really irks me. To which I would respond: Why? I already live in a culture where everything I do costs more because I'm plus size. What's one more thing going to do to me?

I have to pay more for my clothing, for my health care if something happens because of my weight (which cross my fingers it hasn't yet), for furniture (cheap spindly stuff will break). I have (or have had) to endure taunts or dirty looks, pity, my own occasional self loathing...I've had to deal with things like that for most of my life, so why would this suddenly make me "be healthier"? And frankly, even though I'm bigger, I'm pretty damn healthy. My cholesterol is fine, my sugar levels are in the right place, every blood test I have comes back passing with flying colours. Of course there is more stress on my bones and heart and I get that. And I do eat healthy and I work out. So I don't understand why you think something like this is going to shame me into changing. And it's this idea of having to be shamed into a "change" that I don't particularly care for.

Also, as a point of fact, if you have a very tall man/woman with muscle who is the picture of health, he/she is going to be paying more than a small non built man/woman because of the weight difference. So interpreting the article as saying that fat people are being penalize is wrong and a bit short sighted.

Anyway, that is my opinion on the topic.


You can read the full article from CNN on Samoa Air here:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/02/travel/samoa-air-fare-by-weight/index.html

Belated Birthday Post

Hello there!

It's been a while since I posted, but I'm back! And I'm back with some lovely pictures!

It was my birthday on September 24th - I'm 24 years old now! Yay! It was a little sad because I'm away from my family and friends so I didn't really do anything. But Katherine, the Assistant House Steward that I live with here at Greenway in England took me out for dinner (which ended up being take away 'cause the restaraunt was closed) and we watched a movie back at the house. It was a nice relaxing time. I also spent the morning doing conservation at a castle so that was pretty damn cool.

Instead of a cake this year we made cupcakes. And not just any cupcakes. Cookie Monster Cupcakes!



This is what they were supposed to look like




Cupcakes fresh out the oven and beginning to make the frosting




The add-ons!




The first Cookie Monster!!




Army of Cookie Monster cupcakes!

 Wow these cupcakes were soooo sugary! I think that if I were to make them again I would try a different style of frosting. This was just water, blue food dye and icing sugar. Looots of icing sugar...

Even though we didn't do much for my actual birthday, the two days before I went to the Looe Music Festival in Looe, Cornwall. And of course, it rained the whole time.

But I was able to take some time out of my busy schedule to act as magistrate in a medieval jail. You'll notice the Cookie Monster shirt... it was a themed weekend.

Waiting for the concert to start on the beach was a very wet affair.

The Tall Man. My mortal enemy. He tricked me into taking my spot at the concert by saying "Excuse me" and acting like he was trying to move through the crowd. I got him back by rubbing my wet pants all over him. I dried off quite nicely. He couldn't really do anything about it because we were packed in so tight. I was dancing. It's not my fault he was standing to close to me. Suck it!

Ah yes...sunny Cornwall...

The Problem with Traveling...

I've traveled back and forth between Canada and California for several years (by car, U -Haul and plane). I've traveled to Scotland to live for a year studying abroad and whilst I called St Andrews my abode I journeyed  into England and across Ireland. I've visited Texas, Oregon, Tennessee, and New Mexico. And most of this traveling I've done on my own so I've learned some of the ins and outs of how to be a good traveler (I don't profess to be an expert, but I'm not useless). I've been stranded at train stations, stuck in traffic jams, gotten on the wrong bus and I've missed connecting flights. I'd like to think I'm prepared for every type of situation and have the emotional stability to handle being out on my own in the big wide world.

But can I pack my suitcase appropriately? No.

Apparently when it comes to packing I am no longer a 23 year old woman with two degrees and the emotional fortitude gained from years of living with a crazy family. No. When it comes to packing I am a 4 year old who must have everything she sets her eyes on. And woe to anyone who gets in the way of that. Mine! It's all mine I say!

My friends have tried to help me, asking me to justify each piece of clothing that goes into my suitcase (right down to underwear and socks), but something I've learned over the past few trips - I can justify anything that goes in that suitcase. And I mean everything. For example: I flew from Toronto, Canada to Santa Ana, California in May to spend the summer with my Dad and Step-Family while I earned some money to support myself in my upcoming internship. What made it into my suitcase? More clothes then I really needed, maracas and panpipes, books that I haven't read yet (even though I spent the whole month of May and half of June unemployed), and tons of papers that I can't even remember why they made the cut. Not to mention all the DVDs (which I also haven't watched), pictures in frames, jewelry and electronics.

To be fair I was packing for the summer in California and the winter in England. Two vastly different temperatures. So the sweaters that I packed did have a real justification. But now that I'm 8 days out from flying to my internship in England I find myself, again, stuck in the same dilemma. The problem is that I like clothes too much. I have too have different outfits with removable parts (cardigans and leggings and such) so I can always feel different - fresh and new every day. Now, this being said, I do not spend lots of money on these clothes. There is a lovely thrift shop near my house where items range in price from $1.90 to a whopping $5. I'm such a big spender... So in the next couple of days I will either be lamenting the clothes that must be left behind or figuring out ways to travel via plane, subway, and train to my internship with a 50lb check-in bag, a 15lb carry-on and a bulging purse.

Should anyone have any suggestions on how to cut myself off emotionally from my things, I am all ears. Well, not all of my things... just some of them.

The Arboretum in Arcadia, California

The first thing you will notice when you visit the Arboretum are the peacocks. You wont see them (though if you’re lucky you might run into one of them attacking their reflection in the bumper of someone’s expensive car), but you will hear them.  

Their unique calls to one another fill the air, making you feel as if you are about to walk into some strange land.  And really, it is a strange land. No other place will you walk along a desert garden path, lined with cacti and strange sculptures, to find yourself in a bamboo forest; and emerging from this forest you find a palm tree lined lake, filled with fish, frogs and many more ducks than you can count.

My mom used to take me this place as a kid. We would spend hot, lazy Sunday afternoons sitting by the enormous fountain eating our homemade sandwiches and sipping on ice-cold lemonade we bought from the café. It has been many years since I’ve been back (life just seems to get in the way of things sometimes), but this time I went with two of my best friends. Even as a kid there was always something new to explore, but now, as an adult? Well, it was amazing…

We spent the day remembering what it was like to be a kid and have fun. We let our imaginations run wild! We ran through the bamboo forest imagining we were on an epic journey; we climbed to the top of a waterfall and proclaimed that we had discovered this land in the name of… well… we didn’t quite know, so in the end we claimed it in the name of ourselves: This was now Haleigh-Becky-Gary-Land, and woe to those who would say otherwise!

The grounds are not so large that you can’t get through them in a couple of hours, but it’s also big enough, with enough winding pathways, that we rarely ran into other people who could destroy the fantasy of a new world we had created. One important lesson I did learn that day, though, was that if one is going to sing Disney songs (badly) while in the bathroom – maybe one should not sing quite so loud, or one should entirely own the fact that one’s singing abilities will never win one the coveted American Idol role. Apparently Becky and myself amused several passers by with our rendition of Mulan’s “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” – But Gary was not amused.

There are two historic homes on the property, along with a magnificent barn. There is an adobe house built in the mid 1800s, which is unfortunately in very bad repair. As a historian and a museum studies student, it was difficult to see – but everyone in the heritage business knows there is never enough money to go around. The Queen Anne’s Cottage, built later in 1885, however, seems from the outside to be the picture of conservation. This house was a party house. Literally. It was built with the express purpose of being used to host parties – there isn’t a kitchen or bedroom in the place. If you look in the windows (for you’re not allowed to enter the premises) you will see rooms decorated as if this were a fully functioning house, but it’s only for show.

The barn is just as grand as the cottage. It is two stories and painted white with red trim to match. There are two large rooms to house carriages and two small wings where the horses’ stables are located.

Even the doghouse is grand…

Sadly, the exhibit panels in the barn are, like the adobe house, in desperate need of repair. If you wish to learn about the history of film at the arboretum you can, but only partially – several of the text panels have peeled away from their supporting board and have curled onto each other. The Plexiglas cases may have once fitted nicely together, but I suppose with age and exposure to the elements, it has warped and gaps have appeared. Dust and dirt has fallen through those cracks and now lines the old velvet lining of the shelves. 

So there are a few things that could use some good ol’ spit shine (please don’t be literal and spit on the artefacts…) but I’d say the good far and away outways the bad at this place. Especially at the price you pay. It’s less than $10 to spend the day enjoying the antics of fat little squirrels and watching people set up what looks to be a beautiful wedding ceremony in a rose garden and finding hidden bush sculptures.

Thumbs way way up to the Los Angeles Arboretum! 

Travel Bucket List

A friend of mine (Brandy) and I are going to be spending about two weeks traveling in the UK in December and into January, so I've been going through travel books at the library and googling things like "castle + UK" and "UK + free". I already knew, but it's really hit home now, that there was no way we were going to see and do all things I want - especially because as a friend I have to let her have some input on the itinerary. *sigh* Oh the hardships I must deal with ;)

So since I have discovered there are so many places I would like to go I decided to create a bucket list of travel - a list of places I want to see before my demise. It's a work in progress and I plan on adding to it in more detail as the years progress and I am financially stable enough to take vacations/holidays, but so far I've come up with a smattering of places in the UK.

• ALNWICK (Northumberland)
• Castle and gardens, lived in by the Percy family since it's founding in the 1700s (?)
• Saturday markets
• BARNARD CASTLE (Co Durham)
• Bowes Museum (established in 1869)
• Castle ruins
• Market Cross (built in 1747)
• BEVERLY (Yorkshire)
• Walking tours
• St Mary's cathedral features architecture from the 12th century to the Reformation
• Wednesday markets
• BUXTON (Derbyshire)
• Roman spa town
• Perrier water own the water plant
• Gardens (pavilion)
• Edwardian opera house
• Water can still be drawn from an old fountain in town 
• CHIPPING CAMPDEN (Gloucestershire)
• Market hall
• Alms houses
• Inns with hanging signs
• 14th - 17th century honey colored cotswold stone
• LUDLOW (Shropshire)
• One of the only walled towns
• Castle
• St Lawrence's Church
• Medieval street plan with Georgian facades
• GLASTONBURY (Somerset)
• Abbey
• Jesus' undocumented trip to England ;)
• Earliest English monastic centre
• Graves of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere found here?
• Glastonbury Festival
• New Age flair
• CORNWALL COAST
• HADRIAN'S WALL
• I've actually been to one spot on the wall but I would love to explore around it more
• BATH
• Roman Spa and museum
• LONDON
• Buckingham Palace
• Changing of the Guards
• Tower of London and Beefeaters
• Key Ceremony
• London Walking Tour
• British Museum
• Enlightenment Gallery
• Assyrian Lion Hunt from Nineveh
• Clocks and Watches Gallery
• East Stairs
• Shakespeare's Globe
• Greenwich (boat needed)
• Houses of Parliament and Big Ben
• STONE HENGE
• OXFORD
• THE COTSWOLDS
• CAMBRIDGE
• STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
• CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
• YORK
• CHALK FIGURES
• Dorset and Wiltshire
• Uffington White Horse (Bronze Age)
• Cewne Abbas Giant (17th c.)
• EDINBURGH
• Royal Mile
• Edinburgh Castle
• Mary King's Close
• GLASGOW
• CARDIFF
• BEN NEVIS
• LOCH NESS
• GLEN CO
• Hiking trip 
• WINDSOR CASTLE
• WARWICK CASTLE
• STIRLING CASTLE
• CAERNARFON CASTLE
• CONWY CASTLE
• LAKE DISTRICT
• SNOWDONIA
• THE TROSSACHS
• YORKSIRE DALES
• YORK MINSTER
• DUBLIN
• KYTLER INN (Kilkenny)
• Descended from Alice Kytler the witch

Sheesh.... this is going to take a while...

Job Front

So I know that the job market is pretty dismal right now, especially in California - at least this is what I keep hearing. But silly me, I thought I'd get a job much faster than I did. I started looking in early May and now that is is early June, I have one part-time position which I just received yesterday. Yep, starting next week I will be working the evening shift three days a week at a hostel in Fullerton. I'm really looking forward to it - I can't wait to meet interesting people from around the world (do people from ALL around the world stay in Fullerton? I guess they must since the place is doing well and it is only six miles from Disneyland, and lots of people show up for that...).

The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the prospect of having to kick out homeless people. Apparently that is a problem for hostels - people treating it like it's a shelter. I'm not so good at the confrontation, so hopefully these instances will be few and far between for me.

Before I got this job I went on a few interviews (Knotts Berry Farm included) and I even signed up with two employment agencies. But the issues I've found is that I'm overeducated or overqualified in some way. At Knotts everyone was all friendship and smiles until I let it slip that I had an undergraduate degree already and was working on a post-grad degree. And even that would have been fine I think, except I also had goals. After they heard that you would swear I had the plague the way they avoided me and looked down their noses at me. Now it could be in my imagination - I will give you that. I have a tendency to overreact. But there was a definite shift in attitude towards me. In the end it appeared that they would rather have the solemn guy with two weeks of warehouse experience taking photos of people as they walked into the park instead of me, the person with seven years customer service experience and who has worked at tourist attractions before. But fine. Whatever.

I also ended up at a few interviews who misrepresented the job on their add and over the phone. I decided that I would pretty much do anything this summer (wear house, picking, administration, receptionist, call centre, server, janitor, maid, whatever) but I refuse to be a telemarketer. I've already done the cold calling and dealt with the angry people whose personal space I just invaded. I don't need to repeat that. I don't have a problem upselling things over the phone - I just want to be the one who is called, not doing the calling, that way I know the person is really interested and I haven't just ruined their day. And I know those call centers exist because I have called them after seeing an infomercial at one o'clock in the morning because of my acute desire to have the Magic Bullet or the bamboo Spanx. So a few places that I interviewed at (and got the job but I had to turn it down) didn't let me know there was cold calling involved until I got to the interview - even though we discussed what I would be doing over the phone. It was a bit disheartening.

But finally getting this hostel desk clerk job has been a real boost. I'm excited to get started and earn some money!

Why do I need money you ask? Well, other than the regular reasons of bills and basic living expenses, I am planning on doing some United Kingdom based traveling come December, so I need me some mula! There will be more to come on the traveling plans. Oh I have so many ideas all jumping around in my head. I need to sit down and figure them all out.

So if anyone is reading this, the lesson I feel I've learned this past week is that you can't be too cocky. I'm really proud of my education and my work experience, but I was a little too sure of myself. This past month of doing nothing and watching what little money I had saved flow through the gas tank of the family van has been an eye opener. The saying also goes: "Keep calm, carry on." And it really does ring true. There is always going to be stress, but deep breaths and reminding yourself of the good things in your life really does help calm you down. And carrying on and not giving up does wonders for you self-esteem when you finally get what you've been searching for.

Lil' Brother's 8th grade pre-graduation board meeting thing

So today I joined my Step-Mom for a pre- 8th grade graduation presentation/lunch/board meeting thing for my brother. We were treated to a lovely cello performance by one of the students and a rendition of some religious "The Lord is King" type song by a group of girls. The entire time the girls were singing the words of Eddie Izzard kept running through my head:

"There is something phenomenally dreary about Christian singing...all those Christians religions [other than Gospel singers] (which is mainly Caucasian white people) with all the power and money - enough power and money to make Solomon blush ... they are the only group that can sing Hallelujah without making it sound like a Hallelujah."  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuEuY4BUMfM

After that we got to watch all the parents whose 8th graders were their last kid in the school and would be leaving stand up and express their fondest memories of the place. So that was about 45 minutes of listening to people I'd never met before, knew nothing about, and would never see again. The parents put in PIP (dunno what it stands for but I'm guessing the p's are 'parents' and 'participation') hours - at least 20 per year. This involves going on school field trips, volunteering to cut out papers, sell ice cream every Friday outside the school - all sorts of helpful stuff. So I guess these parents (80% moms) spend a lot more time at the school then my mom and dad ever did - I went to public school - so in a way they feel like they are graduating too, I guess.

I should point out that my brother goes to a private Lutheran school. And I'm not sure how I feel about that. I definitely don't think that private religious schools shouldn't be around and everyone has a right to their beliefs and as far as I can I try to respect that. But if these are the people who are teaching my brother to be homophobic, then I'm not too keen on them. Last night I heard him say: "I'm kind of okay with gay people, but I don't think I'm okay with them getting married." This is the kid who uses the word 'gay' to describe everything from a situation to a colour. Last week he and his cousin kept yelling about the colour yellow being gay. I asked how a colour to could have a sexual orientation. One minute of silence later I got: "'Cause it can." Very clever boys. Very clever.

Now, my brother didn't use to be like this. To be fair I've been living in a different country than him for six years and have only seen him sparingly on summer visits, but I'm pretty sure this attitude began around the time he started going to this school. My other sister who goes to public school doesn't have any such notions. So private religious institution, I think I may have to blame you.

So now I have to decide how to handle this. Do I be the overbearing older sister who calls him out on his idiocy every time he brings it up? Or do I be the quite reserved one who tries to 'respect' his opinions and all that rot while subtly giving him things to think about like civil liberties and basic human decency? Hmmm... Lots to think about. All I know is that I love my family, but I wont be around bigatry and hate. It's not worth my time when there are so many other amazing people in the world that I can spend my life with.