The Big Confession, Ms. Lazypants

This weekend I have so many things to do that I decided instead to just avoid all of it. That's my way, sometimes. 

Well, I haven't done nothing.  There's an experimental erythritol lemon loaf in the oven, I bullied The Programmer into buying not one, but two new couches and I took receipt of some awesome gifts from my family in Liechtenstein.

The package included a bottle of wine from the Prince's vineyards. This may be my favourite Pinot Noir in the world. Prince Alois knows what he's doing with the vino production. We busted this open while settling down for the most cringe-worthy thing I've ever seen on TV, the Lance Armstrong confessional (apparently Oprah is now the Pope or something?).

I wasn't going to wade into the debate about all of that, but I watched both parts of the Oprah special, found myself discussing the situation with my friends and discovered that, rather than being neutral, I actually do have a point of view.

My point of view is informed by 20 years in the 'health food' and 'dietary supplement' industries.   I'm trying to figure out why people seem so shocked, amazed and hurt by a celebrity, a professional sportsperson, confessing to using banned substances. What do people think goes on whenever there are huge amounts of money at stake? This goes not just for professional sport, but in business, in real estate, in marketing and in nearly every area of life.  Rising to the top by lying, cheating, embezzling, pushing boundaries and destroying anyone that disagrees with you is an accepted part of 'business as usual' as far as I've seen.  I'm not saying this is great, but it is what it is. Maybe I'm just hardened by 'time in the trenches', but I'm not shocked, I'm not surprised and I don't think any more or less of the guy than I ever did because I'm busy dealing with my own stuff.

The thing is, there is a reason why my current client base is small, and that's because I've done my best to have nothing to do with those that think it's ok to do dodgy shit. It's an honour to be currently working with the most successful and most ethical people I've ever dealt with. It can be done, but let's face it; it's harder to succeed while telling the truth, being honest and conducting business transparently and entirely above board. The world seems to be in a condition of dismay that one cyclist, that most have never met, lied about being free from performance-enhancing substances. But, actually we are all being lied to every day on a far more personal level, and nobody kicks up a fuss.

Sportspeople that promote special foods, supplements and sports clothing: did they use those to get their amazing physiques, medals and trophies? Those little breaded fish bites: are they really 'an excellent source of Omega 3'?  Bloggers and celebrities that seem to maintain a figure-competitor body but claim to 'eat anything they want'... really?  

Vegan products that are presented in environment-destroying packaging, 'naturally extracted' products that have been through 200 chemical processes, alternative  healthy foods that create massive waste, incorrect ingredient lists, 'massaged' scientific results that are carefully presented to the advantage of the product for sale, creative interpretation of lab test results or use by dates, larger companies copying and wiping out smaller companies (which have no budget for a legal defense), nutritional 'recommendations' that are heavily influenced by the food industry.... I have to say, a few years ago I considered getting far away from it all and becoming a housewife ..

.. if only I had talents in that area. :-/

So, that's my opinion. Don't be surprised, don't be gullible, question everything, grow your own food,  choose your friends/associates carefully, drink wine. :D

..and use this type of soap.

Heh, this is a present from Sistasana (of the Liechtenstein contingent). It's the best present ever because it suggests she might read my blog (busted!).

Let's talk:  Lance Armstrong. Are you devastated?  Oblivious? Too busy cleaning the floors to care?  Join me, give your opinion, I'd love to hear it.

Crazy little world

Picture Source

Like everyone, everywhere, I've been quite distracted by the destructive natural events in Japan and feel enormous sympathy for the people there. Like New Zealand, Japan is affected by movement of the gigantic, relatively mobile, tectonic area known as the Pacific Plate, which covers the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The edge of this plate is known as the 'Ring of Fire' because it is dotted with volcanoes and prone to quakes. Of course, we like to ignore this because the countries around the Ring of Fire are beautiful places to live. Humans... not known for making decisions based on logic.

Although the 'perts are telling us that the Christchurch quakes and Japanese quakes are not related, I'm not sure how they can conclude this. Perhaps they are just trying to quell panic? At this stage, I'm in favour of all experts just opening their mouths to utter one phrase: "we don't know". Really guys, at a certain point, when earthquakes keep popping up all around the Pacific Ring, doesn't that get a bit embarrassing? I'm not sure that anyone really has a handle on what earthly events are connected or what will happen next. We are just not that good at understanding our planet.

We live on a revolving ball that is hurtling through space and is made of plates that basically float around on a bed of soft rock and magma. I guess we can expect things to move now and then - although it would be preferable if the earth could master the art of small movements. Sometimes I like to think about the celestial reality of our existence and feel simultaneously awed, terrified, and angry that humans treat the earth (and space, come to think of it) with such disrespect. We have no real idea about the forces at play and yet feel quite happy to continue sucking whatever we can out of the earth and pumping the poisonous by-products into the atmosphere. Sometimes, rather than fall into a funk about it all, I find it's best to just think about something else.... like people that inspire me.

Today, for those asleep at the back, was the Run for Christchurch. This inspiring and enterprising group of runners have not only raised almost $10,000 for the Red Cross here in Christchurch, but also managed to surprise themselves by creating something of a global event - a truly amazing effort. Although the Japanese disaster has rightly taken the full attention of the media, this does not diminish the level of need here in Christchurch - a fact that is sorely obvious to those of us that see it every day - and every cent will be well spent. To everyone that participated or donated, I would like to send a big "Thank you" and "Well Done!". I would have been running myself except for the little issue of agonising backpain.

Whinging about my condition seems petty considering the current level of global catastrophe, but I have to admit that today I'm a bit pathetic. The second and third days after a disc blowout are generally the worst, so I'm just taking it easy and popping a panadol if it gets too extreme. Although I could get a strong prescription painkiller, my general preference is to feel a bit of pain so that I know when I might be causing myself more damage. Today I managed a trip to the shops with my mum (Mamasana) who got back from overseas yesterday - she carried the heavy stuff and bought lunch ;)

She also turned up with gifts from my sister in Liechtenstein. Who couldn't feel a bit better with this little pile of wonderfulness in hand?