Local Happenings

One of the many feathered visitors we have at the lake. Not being familiar with many birds, I Googled, and he is an Eastern Bluebird. I think he's gorgeous. We dodged a tornado at the lake last week by about 20 minutes. We'd had a burger at a little cafe in a small town 8 miles from us. When we arrived back at the lakehouse and turned on the news, we heard that we'd just missed it. When we got back home here, we discovered we'd been hit by a freak hailstorm. We may need a new roof. Baseball size hail broke one of our cars windshield, and left dents of that same size all over it. The lawn looks like gophers have been hard at work. I know that you can't tell the depth of this hail hole, but it's about an inch and a half deep, and baseball size. Many homes have windows busted out, but we were fortunate to only have our screens ripped. Also we have some smashed guttering,and a few chipped bricks. We feel fairly fortunate, compared to others, but we've just been issued another tornado watch until 10 pm. Well, that's life in Oklahoma, and my emergency closet is ready. Sigh. Okay, now back to the phone, waiting for return calls from insurance adjusters, roofing companies, etc.

Be Healthier in the Long Run

Lose weight fast is touted many weight management programs but the reality is that if you lose weight fast you are likely to put it back on just as fast. Many weight loss diets are actually dangerous with prolonged use. Making wise choices will make your lose weight experience more effective and be healthier for you in the long run. An overweight person did not get that way overnight though sometimes it feels that way if you are struggling with a weight problem. Anybody who is overweight will inevitably have taken several months if not years to get to that stage, most of them would ideally like to lose weight fast because they want a quick fix. They want to reach their target weight as quickly as possible, so that they can get back to normal. What many people don't realize is that if you lose weight fast the chances are you will gain weight just as quickly when you have finished your diet. Don't be fooled and don't be very enthusiastic by advertising that makes everything sound and look too good or exceptional.

There are many diets available that promise the most amazing results. However it is possible to lose weight consistently over several weeks and this could over time be classed as fast weight loss. But in order to successfully lose weight fast you need to change your perception of the word fast in this context and follow a healthy diet like the slim fast diet. A weight loss of 2lb per week on a regular basis would mean that you would lose approximately 16lb over a 2 month period. If you have dieted sensibly and consistently then you will have lost 16lb of fat and will be far more likely to keep that weight off. If you tried to lose weight fast by following a fad diet then you may have lost 9lb the first week and probably put a couple on the following week as your body adjusts. You may get despondent and have a few days off and put a bit more back on. Over the 2 months of this type of dieting you may only lose about 2lb in total. We live in a world of fast food, fast cars, fast everything. We want a quick fix and we are not prepared to go to the trouble of doing things the way nature intended. 

A diet that promises that you will lose weight fast is manipulating you into believing it is the answer to your prayers. Any weight loss diet plan program should be approached hand in hand with healthy eating. Well balanced nutritious food eaten on a regular basis, in conjunction with a moderate exercise plan is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. This is a diet for life, not even a diet for the duration of the weight loss program. It is vital that any weight loss regime teaches you how to change the bad eating habits that have caused you to be overweight in the first place. This is about re educating your taste buds and changing your dietary habits. Once you have reached your target weight you can always have the occasional day off but the healthy eating plan must be the mainstay of your new way of eating. Put the lose weight fast regime behind you and start to approach your diet in a new and different way. A minor change in your lifestyle eating habits can make a huge difference when you are trying to lose weight fast.

Standing Ovations

India just beat Australia at the MCG, for the first time since 1986. This happen on February 2008. They did so because they played brilliant one day cricket. The Australian's batted like millionaires and didn't seem interested in steadying the ship when early wickets fell. Like always, Australia never gave up in the field, but India under pressure did what Australia didn't, they slowed down, stuck to their plan (to make 160) and who cares how slow they did it, but you can't do it from inside the dressing room. They bought their best game, Australia didn't, no big deal. What was a big deal though, was what Tendulkar did to Lee in that third (or there abouts) over. The cover drive, and the on drive... sublime! I could watch them over and over, and i did at least10 times, and now another game is comming, should it make the high expectations!

An Old Interview

Am I alone in feeling that post-match radio and TV interviews make everyone who watches them cower on the sofa and cringe? If I had my way, I'd ban them. Having experienced various aspects of the media in both my home and working life, I know how important producers deem these interviews to be. I once worked for a radio station covering a football match between two giants of English football: Aylesbury vs. Aldershot. I had to make sure I recorded the post-match reactions from players and management. After a dire game, none of the players wanted to talk, but the losing manager was able to offer me his priceless thoughts. His team were gutted by their loss and they had one or two things to work on at the training ground. When I asked what they were, he said he could tell me but he would have to shoot me. Despite this rather droll answer, I deleted and did not file the interview as I didn't think it added anything to the story of the day. I don't blame the journalist, he is trained to enquire about the feelings of the player, even though the viewer or listener knows well that he will be feeling delighted if he has won and disappointed if not. I don't blame the player or manager who answers the questions, which can often be answered best with a Yes or No. My favourite moment came last year when Mushtaq Ahmed was giving one of the countless interviews he has to give. We had won the game after one of the senior players had been left out the side. A journalist asked Mushie: "Do you feel that the selectors and you have been vindicated by the result of this game?" Mushie replied: "I don't think the press are vindictive. They can write what they want." They certainly can, if only they didn't have to interview us at the end of games.