Flabulous

Amy Schumer was recently called out as a woman who inspires us because she is a plus size female who still loves her body.  Amy Schumer, a female who wears a size 6 to an 8, called plus size.  I have to admit, I’m a little surprised to learn that this means I am also a plus size female, and apparently have been since high school.  Perhaps I need to go on a diet and get myself down to a respectable size 2?

The idea that a size 6 is entering plus size territory is insulting, unfair, and pretty disgusting.  I’m not knocking people who have an issue with their weight and are either obese or unhappy with their extra pounds, I simply find it horrifying that we are teaching women to believe that such a small size is “plus” and not skinny enough or socially acceptable.  I’m appalled that we’re sending a message that unless you’re a twig with a sizeable thigh gap, you’re a fat cow who will never be truly attractive but who can at least be confident “for a big girl.”

Body image is a serious issue, especially among women, and it’s not difficult to see why.  If we’re honestly being told that a size 6 is a plus size, what is a woman wearing a size 12 to think?  She’s a whale?  What about a woman in a size 18?  Too big to leave the house?  Mind you, these are not uncommon sizes for women in this country, and a size 12 can most certainly be a healthy size for a woman, depending on her body type and build.  I’m one of many women who are built curvy and happen to have wider hips and shoulders than the average woman.  That doesn’t mean I’m “huge” or plus size, it’s just how I was put together.  There isn’t a damn thing wrong with it.

I’m sick and tired of the unreasonable expectations that are thrust upon females to look like a magazine cover 24/7 or risk being torn apart by others.  Even celebrities get shit on when they forgo their makeup as they walk the dog or get photographed at an unfortunate angle.  We’ve all seen the various “ugly celebrity” photo montages online and in magazines, making fun of cellulite or bags under the eyes.  It’s tacky and uncalled for.  Why do we find joy in the destruction of others?  Why can’t we be content with the knowledge that we’re all different and those differences make us uniquely special?

If you consider me plus size when my pant size is in the single digits, you can kindly go fuck yourself.  You are the problem.  You are what’s wrong, not my body.  I am fantastic at my current size and I’d be as fantastic in a size 12 as I’d be in a 2.  We don’t need to conform to anyone else’s standards but our own.  Your definition of perfection is not mine.  If you’re offended by someone’s size, look away.  If you need to mock others to feel better about yourself, go get help.  We need to quit praising women for being “fat but still pretty” and accept the fact that the concept of beauty is different from person to person and no one definition is correct over others.  And for God’s sake, stop calling a size 6 “plus size.”

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  I hope you’re all so busy with friends and family that you’re reading this days after the fact.  My husband is cooking up a delicious dairy-free feast to accommodate my annoying and untimely new food allergy, my mother-in-law will be visiting and bringing goodies of her own, and I get 4 blissful days off of work.  I’m also too broke to even think about shopping on Friday, but even with unlimited funds, I wouldn’t be going anywhere.

The first Black Friday I ever worked was at Shoe Carnival where I worked a 6am to 10pm shift and watched people behave like animals.  I saw two women get into a fist fight over a pair of shoes while their kids watched.  I witnessed the worst of people in a concentrated form, and it was terrifying.  These days, a 6am opening is lame compared to the stores who open as early as 2pm on Thanksgiving Day to give shoppers early access to sales.  It’s a horrible thing.

Supply and demand keeps stores stretching further and further into Thanksgiving.  Midnight worked for a while, but even that wasn’t enough, so now, retail employees across the country find themselves having an early dinner (or skipping it altogether) so they can go to work and appease the crazies who have nothing better to do than map out a strategy to hit as many stores as possible in 24 hours so they can maybe save a couple hundred dollars.

I do most of my Christmas shopping online at this point because I see no point in going to stand in line at Target at 4am to maybe get a good deal on a flat screen sold to me buy some guy who would rather be at home playing Xbox while slowly slipping into a turkey-induced food coma.  There are places that definitely need to be open on Thanksgiving; you need gas stations, law enforcement, some type of food services (grocery, fast food, or otherwise), health care, and so on.  We do not need to have TJ Maxx, GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart, or other businesses who sell things no one really NEEDS on Thanksgiving.  Let those employees have a day off.  They’re going to suffer enough on Friday, why can’t we let them take Turkey Day off?

If we stop giving in to the pressure and stay home on Thanksgiving, stores will stop with these insane hours and stupid sales.  Even if you don’t care at all about Thanksgiving, you should care about having a day off from the real world.  A day where everything can go quiet and you can focus on being with loved ones, being with yourself, or just taking some quality time for your favorite activity.  If you honestly can’t control yourself (or can’t stand your family) and HAVE to go shopping before you start convulsing, go online shopping.  Lock yourself in a room and go bid-happy on eBay.  Find something to do that doesn’t involve making retail employees leave their house so you can get $5 off a new jacket.

Today is either a wonderful day to spend with family or the perfect day to sleep until 4pm.  Either way, it’s a day we all deserve to take advantage of and stay away from the harsh neon lights of the Super Stores down the street.  Stop being a mindless retail puppet, lured from your home by the promise of 50% off Playstation games.  The only alarms you set should be food prep related, and the only reason to get out of sweatpants should be to change into a pair of even stretchier sweatpants.  And if you do choose to ignore me because the deals at Sears are just TOO good to pass up, try not to be a cunt to those who are skipping their holiday just so you can buy a weed wacker and electric drill.

Improving Yourself From The Inside Out – @shellystins (Guest Writer)

I’ve always been kind of fascinated by people who can change their life in dramatic ways. It’s like one minute they’re living this life that leaves them feeling tired, empty, and lacking. And the next, they’re completely satisfied down to their soul and grinning from ear to ear because they feel so good about themselves and who they are. And what I’ve noticed most about the people who achieve this type of almost miraculous transformation is that it generally involves them altering their lives on both a personal and professional level. In the case of this post, it can occur when changing your diet and also pursuing a career in the field of health coaching.

It only makes sense, really, because when you go through the changes yourself, it puts you in the perfect position to help others who need to go through the changes to reach their own goals too. It gives you the ability to say, “Hey, I’ve been there. I know how it feels, but I did it and I know that you can do it too!” It also enables you to give little tips and tricks that you used to get through the dreaded lack of motivation phase and to overcome the hurdles that threaten their ultimate success.

Take the story of Jil Larsen, founder and owner of Magic Mix Juicery in New York City, for instance. She was diagnosed with melasma, a skin disorder. Upon doing research about how she could effectively deal with it, she learned that she was eating too much, but not enough of good, healthy, vitamin-rich foods. So she started juicing and eating healthier in an effort to regain her health, which she did—and her melasma joyously reversed. Born from this experience was her desire to help others eat less and eatbetter so they too could experience better health. This is when she opened Magic Mix Juicery and now serves healthy food to people in the Financial District in New York City. 

Of course, one part of achieving this level of life change requires making changes in your own life. How? Fortunately, there are a number of ways. For example, the American Heart Association recommends expending as many calories as you eat, eating a wide variety of foods, and making sure those foods are full of good nutrients. This basically means eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, poultry, fish, and other good-for-you menu items. It also means limiting the amount of processed foods you eat (think crackers, chips, cookies, and things like that). 

But if you need help figuring out exactly what changes can provide you the greatest impact and the greatest ability to change your life, another option is to do what Jil did. Take a health issue near and dear to your heart, maybe one that is affecting you personally. Then, learn as much about it as you can and start making positive health-based changes to help ease, if not eliminate, the condition or concern. You could then become a health coach (or enter a similar career path) to help others in similar situations make the necessary changes in their owned lives to enjoy a better and higher quality of life.

This is the same basic principle behind what makes Cancer Buddies Network such a success. When people can work with someone who has walked in their shoes, who not only struggles with the physical issues they face but the mental ones too, there’s no better feeling. It’s like receiving a hug from a long lost friend, reminding you that everything will be okay.

Say Cheese

I always wondered why certain people would choose to cut amazing food groups out of their diet.  Vegetarians, vegans, the “I don’t have a gluten allergy but I go gluten free for the health benefits” crowd.  I used to say often that if I was allergic to peanuts, I would lose my mind.  I love food that is worthy of the highest critical praise and I love a greasy basket of fried nonsense from the state fair.  Eating surrounds so many events in life and it’s best to go in with zero restrictions.  Or at least it was.

In early August of 2015, I was diagnosed with severe lactose intolerance and a milk allergy.  I can’t even eat something that “may have” come into contact with dairy without getting horribly sick and feeling miles south of the worst hangover I’ve ever had combined with what I imagine the human body feels like after falling off a cliff.  Farewell pizza, cheese curds, most baked goods and alfredo sauce.  Hello soy cheese and almond milk and butter made out of oil.  Forget casually going to a restaurant and ordering whatever sounds good because half the time, there’s some milk product hiding away in the meal that keeps me from getting close to it.  Hell, I washed dishes the other day that had sour cream on them and got a godawful rash on both of my arms.  Things are very different for me now.

What I’ve noticed more than anything is that the world isn’t friendly to people with dietary restrictions.  Order something without cheese and be prepared for people to look at you as if you have leprosy.  It’s not fun being THAT person who has to turn down birthday cake at work or pizza parties with friends or Halloween candy because your body will reject it in all sorts of fun ways.  It’s difficult to avoid allergens when it seems that virtually everything is processed in a factory that also processes food items with nuts and milk and gluten.  I won’t even get started on how expensive it becomes to find things that are acceptable and safe.

At work, people look at me with sad faces when I turn down certain foods and give them an honest reason why.  When I don’t feel like giving a reason, they look at me funny, as if I’m a freak of nature for declining an 8am doughnut.  Dealing with this for the last month and a half has made me very confused about why there is barely any focus on dietary restrictions.  I have to make separate shopping trips to get what I need because stores just don’t carry it.  I don’t expect the world to cater to every individual need, but lactose intolerance is hardly a rare thing.  Mine may be more serious than most, but it makes me wonder why such a large population of people are left without reasonable options.  My goal is to find a way to get more options; I just need to find the starting line.

Zero Water, Zero Help

On March 23, 2014, my husband and I upgraded to a Zero Water filtering system.  We had previously been alternating between Brita and Pur, as we have hard water where we live which makes filtration essential.  Zero Water’s filtration system consists of five stages, which is much more complex than Brita or Pur and should provide cleaner and better drinking water.  It comes with a meter to test your water before Zero filtration and afterwards, which shocked both my husband and I, as we had far too many dissolved solids showing up in our before water.  Having recently installed a filtration system in our shower, we felt confident that the Zero water pitcher was a fantastic next step for us and were very happy with our nearly $40 purchase.

Fast forward to the week of April 14, 2014, slightly over three weeks later.  My husband began to notice a strange odor in the house.  We cleaned and scrubbed and Febrezed and investigated.  I grew paranoid when my husband sat next to me one day and almost instantly said “what is that smell??”  I was confused when he went into the kitchen one evening and asked if I had made tuna.  And finally, after pouring a glass of water from our Zero Water filter, he found the culprit.  Our pitcher stunk.  It smelled like an old aquarium.  Upon removing the filter from the pitcher, the smell grew even stronger.  It was enough to make us sick.

We began checking our cups to make sure the issue wasn’t coming from another source.  The cups were all fine, the Pur filter we have directly on the faucet was giving us odorless water, and the water straight from the tap was free of odor as well.  I hopped on Google and read this review on Ripoff Report:  “I purchased a Zero Water Filtration pitcher system about 3 weeks ago. A few days ago, I noticed a fish smell in my kitchen.. So I decided to clean out the kitchen sink pipes.. The next hour the smell was still there.. I poured a glass of water from my Zero Water Filtration pitcher system and found the problem.. The water smelt like a dirty fish tank filter.  I called Zero Water. They told me that where I live has a high amount of materials in the water and the only thing I could do is to change the filter every 2 or 3 weeks to prevent the smell.”  This is apparently such a common problem that they include the following on their official website:

So, not only is the filter life greatly exaggerated (or grossly misleading at best), but the fishy smell is practically a guarantee once the filter has reached the end of its life span.  My husband and I did some thinking, and are now left wondering if the filter issue that caused the odor is the same thing that was causing me to have migraines, nausea, and caused the water to have an odd taste when it warmed to room temperature.  The FAQ on the Zero Water site, along with common sense, urges the consumer to remember that filters don’t last forever, especially in certain areas of the country, and filter life times do vary greatly.  That being said, I did not shell out nearly $40 just to have three weeks of acceptable water before having to throw my nearly $40 pitcher in the trash can.

For our Brita and Pur water pitchers, we would fill it from the kitchen faucet that is also filtered by one of their products.  This double filtration system of ours would allow us to get months out of our filters.  Even at the end of a filter’s life, we would notice no odor and little to no change in water taste.  I don’t care how bad the water is in my city, there is no excuse for any consumer to be given fish-water after three weeks of using a filtration system.  I would rather go out in my backyard and drink straight from the pond than drink aquarium leftovers from an overpriced so-called “top of the line” water pitcher.

According to the Water Resources Authority in Massachusetts, a fishy smell is caused by algae growth.  The public health department of Washington says that organic matter is to blame for the odor.  Plumbing Supply says it could be from chlorine and ammonia used to treat the water supply by the city, or naturally occurring elements barium and/or cadmium.  While I have no doubt that there are all sorts of minerals in my water, I feel 100% confident that my water supply is not to blame.  I have been using the same water supply for over six years now at either my own home or my mother-in-law’s, and have not once had an issue with foul-smelling fish-water until wasting my money on a Zero Water pitcher.
Even positive reviews I’ve read about the pitcher acknowledge the fishy smell.  And while I can’t say for sure, I feel confident that something in the filtration system was making me sick and causing headaches.  I would not pay $5 for a filtration system that is going to make my water and home stink after three weeks, nevermind pay $35 plus tax to get started and $15 for every replacement filter in the future.  Zero Water is a rip off, plain and simple.  I wish I had done more research prior to making the purchase, but I hope that putting this out there helps sway others from making the same mistake I did.  Pur and Brita are fantastic, and I wish I had stuck with what I knew instead of making the switch to a water filtration system that was Zero Help.

Fitmiss – The Beginning

Back in December 2013, my husband sent me a link to Fitmiss.com, a site he had stumbled upon and thought I would be interested in.  The site, services and products are all geared towards women who lead a busy life but who also want to be sexy, strong, balanced, and healthy.  Since I was desiring to lose 10 pounds when I received the site link (it’s ALWAYS 10 pounds, as I focus more on how I look/feel rather than what I weigh), I made a plan to get some supplements and get a plan going after the holidays.

I started my healthy eating plan and exercise regimen on January 6, 2014, then started my Fitmiss products on January 9th after they arrived in the mail very shortly after purchase.  I began with Burn and Tone; Bodybuilding.com was running a buy one get one free special that I had to take advantage of.  Burn is a 6 stage fat loss system; energy, focus, appetite reduction, fat metabolizer, anti-stress and mood balancer, water shed diuretic complex, and enzymatic matrix.  You take two supplements prior to a healthy breakfast and/or lunch.  Tone reduces body fat and increases muscle tone; it contains CLA to support weight loss and promote healthy metabolism, virgin olive oil to support a healthy appetite and healthy blood sugar levels, and avocado oil as an antioxidant and to promote collagen skin levels.  You take one supplement with each meal, no more than three per day.

It’s been two weeks as of today since I began using FitMiss’s supplements, and I have lost 10 pounds so far.  Normally I wouldn’t care how much I’ve lost, but I also began using the BodySpace feature on Bodybuilding.com to track workouts so I stay motivated.  Counting calories as I am doing is a surefire way to lose weight, but it always leaves me tired and is always difficult due to so many cravings and temptations.  I’m inclined to believe that this is not a placebo effect I’m experiencing, as I’ve used other products in the past and never felt as good as I do now using FitMiss.

If I sound like a cheap advertisement right now, I deeply apologize.  Trust me when I say that I wouldn’t be writing about FitMiss if I wasn’t completely convinced that it works.  The first big indicator for me is how I look.  My waist has thinned, my legs feel solid, my stomach toned.  I have never seen results this quickly by simple diet and exercise alone.  The second big indicator for me is my energy levels.  I’m always a grumpy sod in the mornings (and when I think about the next morning), but my energy during the day has seriously increased and I feel motivated and ready to go.  The third indicator is my appetite.  I am no longer always hungry, or craving a snack soon after finishing a meal, plus I find it easier to control portions.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect to jump on the bandwagon so quickly.  I researched FitMiss products for nearly a month before deciding to make the purchase and try it out.  The big things that sold me were that most of the ingredients were either things I already took as supplements (but lower quality) or tried to consume, that the reviews were very positive and warnings were almost non-existent, and that reputable shops and sites carried the products (Walgreens, Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, etc.)  I’m skeptical of things like this because of various supplements I’ve tried in the past, so I always proceed with caution.

Today, I decided to ditch my current vitamin regimen and begin taking FitMiss Balance instead; I ordered a bottle that will hopefully arrive next week and will give me a 30 day supply.  It is a daily vitamin with minerals, antioxidants, probiotics, and a 25 fruit and vegetable complex, plus omegas.  It contains 100% of the iron I need for the day, is loaded with B vitamins, delivers total immune support, is specially formulated for women with vitamin D and calcium, and is a hell of a lot easier than my current vitamin routine.  I’ll give it two weeks and post an update, but I’m overly confident that I will love it and that it’ll work perfectly for me.

Getting in shape is hard as hell, no matter who you are.  FitMiss has made it easy.  I can be lazy when it comes to exercise, I adore food and often feel tempted to cheat when trying to eat well, and I get tired very easily.  These last two weeks, however, have been embarrassingly easy.  I’m getting what my body needs when I force it to exercise and deny it chocolate cake.  I’m mentally in the right place to be getting healthy and I feel as if I have my own personal coach with the supplements and the BodySpace site and phone application.  The fact that I’ve seen results to quickly has motivated me to keep going strong, and I have no doubt that I will be in shape by the time my husband and I celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary.

If you’re a chick who is looking to tone up and get healthy, I highly recommend checking out both FitMiss and BodyBuilding.com.  If you’re a guy, I deeply apologize that the FitMiss products won’t do jack for you, but BodyBuilding.com is worth checking out, plus they have hundreds upon hundreds of vitamins and supplements and muscle building products and other things I don’t quite understand.  Getting healthy is a process, and sometimes part of that process means relying on things like an app on your phone or a pill you pop a few times a day.

Let me be clear though in saying that nothing I’ve seen on FitMiss would make me tout it as a miracle pill.  It’s just not.  But if you’re putting in the work and need an extra boost to not only see results, but to FEEL better and be healthier, you should give them a try.  Follow them both on Twitter at @IAMFITMISS and @Bodybuildingcom.  Good luck!

Greek-Themed Christmas Party Ideas

Décor, Bingo Games, and Food Suggestions For a Fun Night

The holidays bring cheer to everyone who celebrates it, and in Greece, Christmas is a special and festive occasion filled with fun and entertainment. According to the World of Christmas, a typical Greek Christmas lasts up to twelve days.  I don’t know about you, but I could get used to twelve days of holiday fun!  An Athens Mayor even constructed the largest Christmas tree in Europe. However, instead of gift-giving on Christmas Day, Greeks exchange presents on January 1st which marks St. Basil’s Day.

Since not everyone can afford to go there for a vacation this month (myself included), there is another option—add a Greek touch to our own Christmas party. Here are a few ideas for a Greek-themed night:

Décor and Costume
The shades representing the Greek flag should be the color scheme: white and blue. Good Housekeeping suggested adding a gold touch to symbolize the deities of mythology. Golden-yellow flowers may be placed around the house, and the host may use blue-and-white dishware. Guests should be advised to wear Greek-inspired costumes like flowing white dresses or togas.

Games
For a twist to the usual party entertainment, a bingo game can be organized for the guests. The traditional bingo game with random numbers being called out will excite participants, especially with the promise of a prize. Human bingo is another option, especially for a big crowd—a bingo card with random descriptions should be distributed beforehand, and guests will find people who fit the bill. This is similar to the mechanics of collecting gods as the game levels up in BingoGodz, and the one who “collected” the most people wins.

Food
A traditional Greek Christmas menu includes soup, salads, entrees, side dishes, and cheeses. Sample dishes are recommended by About.com’s Greek Food section; for starters, chicken and rice soup as well as Yiaprakia (stuffed cabbage) may be served. Salad choices may consist of Tzatziki, Greek country salad, and beet and garlic salad. For the main dishes, consider cooking lemon pork with celery or roast lamb with sage and thyme. Fried potatoes or spinach and cheese pie are the perfect side dishes, and slices of feta cheese will also delight guests.

Amazing food, great games, and togas?  You can’t go wrong with that, plus it makes for a very unique and fun time!  Try it out, and please come back after the holidays to share your stories and photos!

Cranky Comments

I recently received a comment on my blog, A True Masterchef, regarding Ben Starr who was a season two contestant on Masterchef.  The comment is:

Ben Starr is an opinionated and infantile nuisance! He has had his fifteen minutes and now that he is on the outs he has done nothing but ‘screw’ the integrity of the contract that he signed with masterchef. He thinks that he has the right to ‘correct’ everybody who thinks contrary to his thoughts about masterchef and about reality TV and if you disagree with him, he will do everything he can to defile your position: only Ben Starr can be right! Ben Starr is a very dangerous person. He dresses his persona up in this very passive….’gooey…ga..ga..type’ but when you challenge him on his ideologies that he espouses on his blogs, he goes absolutely nuts and he edits your responses and then threatens you!
Ben Starr is no sweetheart.
People need to read and I mean really read everything this guy writes about. He is extremely shallow…a fine example of a person that given a little bit of knowledge….can be extremely dangerous!

You can read Ben Starr’s so-called dangerous thoughts on his blog by clicking here.  When he’s not writing about Masterchef, he writes about his travels, the animals he loves and raises for food, instructions on how to properly cook certain things, and other wonderful food-related topics.  He also addresses more serious issues such as the recent passing of season three Masterchef contestant Josh Marks, the struggles our homosexual community faces, and the dangers of reality television in general for the participants.  He has not only been a help to me directly via Twitter and his blog, but he has helped many people and continues to educate those who wish to listen.  A fame whore he is not.

This is not about Ben though.  This is about my commenter.  This is a person who chose to read a blog of mine that was about Christine Ha that only briefly mentioned Ben.  This person chose to ignore the real topic and instead attack a person who quite honestly has been nothing but genuine and straightforward.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, but I cannot understand why it was necessary to call him dangerous and accuse him of editing responses.  I cannot understand why certain people only make the effort to comment on something when they have something negative to say.

It is not necessary to insult someone in this way, especially on a posting that has very little to do with that person.  If someone is truly evil or dangerous, why not address that person directly on their own site, via email, or in another fashion?  What good is being done by telling me that someone I enjoy will threaten me if I ever disagree with him?  It’s petty and silly and wholly unnecessary.  If the goal is to educate me or assist me, provide me with facts and/or proof of your claims.  There are a few people who visit here on a regular basis who do exactly this; they give me links that educate, information that is backed up by concrete evidence, and opinions that are based on fact.  Those comments are meaningful and those comments matter.  The drivel above does nothing but irritate my eyes.

The ability to comment anonymously can be great for those who are normally afraid to open up, but it also makes it easier for cowards to come out of the woodwork and spout off with nonsense with the peace of mind that no one can really confront them or out them.  It makes it easy for people to be intolerant, abusive, or obnoxious.  Someone afraid to say F*ck Obama to their peers can do so without fear in the comments section of a news site, shielded by a fake email address or a guest posting.  The freedom to be whoever you want to be online has made people in general act hostile, cruel, and too often like children.

Surely we can find a way to express our opinions without littering them in places that aren’t appropriate, attacking people who don’t deserve it, or speaking as if we’ve never taking an English class in our lives.  I don’t care that my commenter doesn’t like Ben.  I care that they chose to post unsubstantiated claims on my posting about a totally different person and did so in a matter that makes them sound like a child.  That isn’t why I started this blog.  I welcome discussions; key word being discussion.  If someone wants to go off on a rant, do it, but do some thinking while your fingers fly across the keyboard.  Without effort, your words are meaningless.

The above comment did not change my opinion, did not educate me, did not humor me, and did not accomplish anything the poster likely set out to do.  Other than give me something to talk about while I try to wake up on this fine Thursday morning, it was for nothing.  Wasted effort on their part and probably too much wasted time on mine.  The internet is such a fantastic tool, yet we use it for the dumbest possible things.  All it takes is a few more minutes to come up with something that can either make someone laugh or make someone think.  If you’re going to take the time to say something, say something that matters.

You Want Fries With That?

Today, thousands of fast food employees will be going on strike as part of the ongoing battle to raise the minimum wage for fast food workers around the country.  Employees of Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, and even some from Macy’s, Sears, and Dollar Tree are currently or about to walk off their jobs in protest of their low wages.  The minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour ($7.35 in some areas), with most fast food workers making somewhere between $8 and $9 an hour for their service.  When working at those wages, especially with part-time employment, it is quite a challenge to pay bills and care for a family.  They would like their wages to be raised to $15 an hour to properly compensate them for their work and to allow them to live comfortably.

The National Restaurant Association isn’t exactly showing support for these workers.  They say that only 5% of restaurant employees are making minimum wage, half of that 5% is comprised of teenagers, 7 our of 10 of the 5% are under 25, and most of the 5% works part-time.  These people seem to be working after school jobs or working to supplement the income they are earning elsewhere or that their spouse, partner, or parent earns.  Outside of that 5%, you have people like Shaniqua Davis of New York who has worked at McDonald’s (and is currently unemployed) and unable to care for her child and pay the bills with the part-time, low paying wages she received.  A friend of mine also showed me an article highlighting a young single woman with three kids who cannot make ends meet with her low wage.  Call me cold-hearted, but it’s difficult to sympathize with people who aren’t even trying, like unemployed Davis, or who make bad decisions and end up with three kids to support by the age of 24.  This is not proper justification to raise wages.

Ronald Ehrenberg, a professor of industrial and labor relations and economics at Cornell University, says that “because of the difficulty of getting jobs in general…for people with relatively modest education levels, you have a lot of people working in these companies who are trying to support a family based upon their earnings alone.  That’s very, very difficult to do.”  He and others want it to be known that these jobs are not just help by high school students trying to save up for a car, but by people with families to support and real bills to pay.  These fast food and retail workers are tired of earning less than what they feel they are worth.  The strike today will be the largest so far and they hope that it will bring real change.  The few live interviews I’ve heard were from employees in management and lead positions in various fast food companies that feel they are being short-changed by multi-million/billion dollar corporations.  And I do have to agree; management positions in retail and fast food are stressful, busy, and don’t provide proper compensation for the work that is done.

My first job was at Chick Fil-A making $5.15 an hour with an eventual raise to $5.35.  I worked that job during my junior year of high school, switching to retail for $6 an hour during my senior year and during breaks at college.  Eventually I moved to Shoe Carnival, making $7.25 an hour and moving to $8.50 while supporting myself, paying for my apartment and car, and taking care of all my bills.  It was a challenge to make so little and still take care of myself, but I did it and always tried to do better.  In all my jobs, low paying or otherwise, I took great care to be the best that I could be.  It is what allowed me to upgrade every time I switched jobs and what allowed me to advance in companies while still there.  At no point did I ever think that a minimum wage fast food or retail job was the best I could do.  At no point did I feel that they owed me anything more than what they were giving me.  Also, at no point did I take an offer for management because the wages were too low and I knew I could do better.  Knowingly going into management when you know the wages are too low isn’t the fault of the company, it’s a decision you make on your own.

I understand and sympathize with the workers who aren’t making enough and who are struggling to pay their bills and survive.  I’ve been there myself, making so little that I had to resort to doing things that were definitely beneath me to make due.  I know how hard it can be and I’ve made it a point to never be in that position again.  I’m just not so sure I support the idea of starting fry cooks and cashiers at $15 an hour.  I come across people on almost a daily basis who do not do their job well enough to justify that amount of money.  Yes, I do think that they should be compensated better, but I don’t agree that the minimum should be set so high.  Now, if a system is proposed that allows employees to work up to that rate in a timely matter by advancing, doing more work, and taking on more responsibilities, I’ll be behind it 100%.  Start at $8 per hour and step up your pay by learning more, doing more, and educating yourself.  Ensure your employer knows your value so you’ll have a fantastic reference for a new job that you probably should start applying for.

Another friend of mine sent me an article that said President Obama’s plan to increase minimum wage to $9 an hour was still a far cry from what workers really deserve according to a study done in 2012 by the Center for Economic and Policy Research.  It says that “the minimum wage should have reached $21.72 an hour in 2012 if it kept up with increases in worker productivity.  While advancements in technology have increased the amount of goods and services that can be produced in a set amount of time, wages have remained relatively flat.  Even if the minimum wage kept up with inflation since it peaked in real value in the late 1960s, low-wage workers should be earning a minimum of $10.52 an hour.”

It should be obvious to everyone that our current minimum wage is embarrassingly low.  A bump to $9, as the President has proposed, would be a great start in helping these low paid employees and hopefully also reducing the amount of people receiving government assistance in order to get by.  As far as the strike goes, I highly doubt that any employees of any company will get the results they are hoping for.  They are expecting a miracle.  By walking out of their jobs, they likely assume that the companies will see their value and up their compensation.  But these companies will probably replace unhappy employees with eager new hires faster than they will bump the current employee wages up to $15 an hour.  That amount is absurd and shouldn’t be considered, especially not for entry-level unskilled workers who drop frozen food in a deep fryer for a few hours a day.

The girl at Hardees who spoke in a fake British accent while taking my order doesn’t deserve $15 an hour.  Neither does the cranky cashier at Wal-Mart who shot me a dirty look when I said hello, or the guy at Burger King who screwed up my order, or the woman at Long John Silvers who shorted me $7 worth of food.  If you half ass your job, you deserve half of $15.  Unskilled labor done poorly does not deserve a higher wage.  As far as the rest of the employees go, the ones who take pride in their job and work to the best of their ability day in and day out, the ones who move up in the company and are working to give themselves a better future, they do deserve more and they should get it.  I hope that these people are able to find some success in raising their wages since they have the work ethic to back up a justification for higher pay.  That said, I’m not going to hold my breath for any kind of drastic change in our future.

I Hate Everyone

If you’re somewhat of a regular visitor here or on my Twitter page, you know of my crazy obsession with all things Gordon Ramsay.  Hell’s Kitchen just recently wrapped, so now my sole Ramsay fix is in the form of Masterchef.  Last night’s episode cut the contestants down to six in what was definitely an emotional and somewhat surprising episode.  As with many reality shows, Masterchef gives us heroes, villains, underdogs, and all kinds of real and manufactured drama.  Reality can sometimes be boring in the minds of producers, so they generally are always very careful in their editing choices and storytelling so that the audience remains hooked and continues to watch the entire season.

Natasha Crnjac was the go-to villain when Masterchef kicked off.  The self-proclaimed beautiful and talented home cook was easy to despise with her bad attitude and her lack of compassion for others.  But lately, Natasha has shown a softer side, not giving the producers much “evil” to work with other than the occasional eye roll.  Somewhere along the line, she has become a bit humble.  We are now seeing that she is in fact making friends in the competition, even though that was probably not her intention when things began.  She definitely isn’t my favorite, but it’s nice to see another side of her.

Taking her place as the resident bad guy has been Krissi Biasiello.  She frequently claims to hate her fellow contestants and always seems to be in a foul mood.  Outside of Masterchef, Krissi has been accused of making a racist joke about rape and using the n-word on her personal Twitter page (it has since been deleted).  Doing a Google search for information on her will give you as many results related to her racist remarks as it will about her time on Masterchef.  On a recent episode, she expressed her hate point blank for fellow contestant Bri, who is a sweetheart.  Obviously there was no fancy editing there, but former contestant Ben Starr does offer up some background information on his blog showing that Krissi and Bri are in fact friends.

For those who don’t read Starr’s blog to gain insight or who don’t do any of their own research, Krissi is nothing but a bitter, loud-mouthed ball of hate.  It’s nearly all we see of her on Masterchef, at least until last night.  The first challenge the home cooks faced was to cook a meal to honor their families.  To give the contestants some inspiration, family members were brought in and briefly reunited with each cook.  Each cook except for Krissi.  Her son was “unable to make it” for a reason that went unstated and Krissi was left alone with only a recorded message from her son to inspire her.  It would be a gross understatement to say that she was visibly shaken and incredibly upset.

Had it been me on that competition, watching my fellow contestants hug their children and parents and spouses, then seeing that not a single person was there for me, I would be a wreck.  I’m quite an emotional person and I enjoy physical contact and a lot of communication.  These contestants are denied both of these luxuries, unable to see or speak with their family and friends.  They are isolated, so a visit from family has got to put them over the moon.  Seeing Krissi’s face once she realized that she would have to go without a visit was pretty damn heartbreaking.

I don’t agree with the nonsense that Krissi briefly posted on her Twitter page and I don’t enjoy her “I hate everyone” attitude toward her fellow contestants.  I think she needs to settle the hell down and stop being so hateful towards others; even if the hate isn’t genuine, the words are real and they are unnecessary.  That said, you have to be heartless not to feel for her after last night’s episode.  It’s clear that her son is her life, and clear from the audition that her son considers his mom to be his whole world.  She didn’t deserve the pain of being alone while everyone around her celebrated a few moments of joy and happiness.

If there is something positive for Krissi to take from last night’s episode, it’s that the unfortunate turn of events was key in showing the audience that Krissi is human and not just some hate-filled monster.  She is a loving mother of a sweet little boy who loves him dearly.  She is in this competition not just for herself, but for him.  She also has the unfortunate luck to have cameras following her every move and loving it when she says something cruel that makes for a great sound byte.  I don’t know a single person out there who hasn’t said they hated someone else in a moment of stress or anger.  Putting yourself in her place, in a stressful competition away from everyone she loves, can you really fault her for letting her emotions get the best of her sometimes?

Krissi, like Natasha, is not one of my favorites in this season of Masterchef, but I am beginning to view them both as more than what the producers want me to see them as.  They are both perfectly normal people who were thrust into the limelight and who have no idea how to act in front of a camera.  They aren’t 100% sure on how to censor themselves or how to behave.  They surely forget at times that a camera is on them and recording every little thing.  Through editing choices, they are being molded into characters that don’t necessarily represent the people they truly are.  We don’t know them and it’s unfair to pass judgment and go so far as to harass them on social media over what we see in an hour or two of reality programming.

With former contestant Josh Marks facing heat over felony charges and subsequently catching crap from people on social media sites, the danger of judging a book by its heavily edited cover should be clear.  The fact that reality shows mostly consist of people who are no different from the rest of us needs to be crystal clear.  It’s fine to have opinions and to express those to your friends, but it’s a whole other thing to be making harsh judgments and reaching out to these people in a malicious way.  Understand that these people do have a softer side to them, one that we can relate to and sympathize with, as we saw last night with Krissi.  Understand that the magic of television can do wonders to a person’s demeanor and that the stresses of the camera can bring out things that are very uncharacteristic.  Cut them a little slack and don’t become that horrible kind of person that attacks someone on their Facebook page over a random remark they made on an episode.