Paula & Al on Today Show (source: The Atlantic)

The big news this morning is Southern food maven Paula Deen’s announcement on the Today Show that she has type 2 diabetes. She’s had it for a while, apparently, and now she’s also come out as a spokesperson for a diabetes drug.

The media and everywhere online have been giving her a lot of flack about it. Some even go as far as to insinuate that she somehow deserves it given all the “un-healthy” food she promotes.

I feel bad for her. Truthfully, I enjoy watching her show! Some of her recipes, especially the extreme ones like the cheesburger on Krispy Kreme donut leave that queasy, sick feeling in my throat just watching it, but hey, it’s amusing in a morbid kind of way. That’s why I watch it. It’s like all you rubber neckers who clog up the highways whenever there’s a wreck. We all slow down to take a look even if it makes us cringe. Admit it.

I liked watching Paula Deen because she seemed to genuinely love food. Relished it! You can see it in her body. At least she’s not matchstick skinny and pretending to enjoy all the rich, calorie laden food she cooks. You can tell the woman eats what she cooks! No crime in that.

I do, however, don’t agree with this new venture she’s going into as a paid spokesperson for the diabetes drug company. She will also be promoting ways to manage diabetes through healthier diet and exercise on a website sponsored by the drug company. It’s all and good, I suppose. Maybe someone will see it, take heed and make a difference in their lifestyle.

Personally though, I would probably have had more respect for Paula if she had just told everyone to “Kiss my grits!”
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I received this email today and I thought it worth sharing with you. If you live in North Carolina, please click on the link below and show your support for our teachers. In my daughter’s high school alone, they lost two great teachers last year due to budget cuts.

The petition is very close to its goal of 5,000 signatures. Help them get there by signing the 1% for Kids petition online.

Dear North Carolina MoveOn member,

The loss of thousands of North Carolina teachers is hurting our kids and our economy.

That’s why I created a petition to the North Carolina House and Senate and Governor Beverly Perdue on SignOn.org,which says:

We the undersigned support a 1% surtax on individuals earning more than $250,000 per year, with the proceeds going exclusively to hire back the thousands of North Carolina teachers who have been fired due to state budget cuts. Our kids are our economic future, and a high-quality education system is essential to ensuring that our state will continue to be a good place to live and do business.

Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=269225&id=34635-9928674-Nmx1pix&t=2

Thanks!

–Jeff Callahan

It’s been a while since Heinz officially rolled out the new ketchup packaging, but since I don’t frequent fast food places much, it’s only today that I got to try out the new “dip and squeeze” packaging. I think I like it! It’s much easier to open that the old rectangular packs and it’s also a lot less messy. I like that!

It’s official. Both college girls are back to school and we are left with an empty nest again. Well, almost empty…

We have one daughter left at home and she is loving being back to the ‘only child’ status again. Although she was glad to see her sisters (I think), she was a bit grumpy while her sisters were home, having two more people telling her what to do. Now, it’s back to having her way again.

She still won’t take a photo with me and her sisters though, so instead she took this photo of me and her big sister yesterday, on the way to dropping her off to school. I was getting so sleepy driving that we had to stop and stretch and wake up.

I just love the color of the woods in winter, don’t you?