This is why you're fat

Since we're all feeling nice and guilty after the Thanksgiving holiday... I thought I would link you all to a web site devoted to the world's most dangerous foods. This Is Why Your Fat takes submissions from readers on recipes that are so fatty you can't believe anyone actually eats this stuff. Whether you're intrigued, disgusted or just hungry... this is a site you can't stop looking at. After eating all that food last week, this site may actually make you feel better about what you consumed. Hey... it could have been worse!

Like all great web sites... this one inspired a book called, This Is Why You're Fat: Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks by Jessica Amasson and Richard Blakeley. Amazon is selling it in paperback for less than $10. Not a bad Christmas present idea...

Here are some of my favorites from the online site.

Bagel Bite Burgers - Mini burgers with bagel bites as buns

Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich - Leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, corn, cranberry sauce, mac & cheese, spinach balls, puerto rican rice, brussell sprouts, pearl onions, bacon, white castle hamburgers and ravioli inside a foot long bun.

Eggs Benedict Poutine - French fries, brown gravy and cheese curds topped with a poached egg, bacon, Hollandaise sauce.

The Steakinator - 2 8oz Prime Angus steaks with braised short rib, cheddar cheese, bacon and a fried egg on a toasted cheese and garlic sourdough bun.

Twinkie Casserole - 24 Twinkies topped with caramel, mini marshmallows and brown sugar topped with caramel icing.

Where the Buffalo “Rome” - Triple-decker pizza stack (1 ham, 1 sausage, 1 pepperoni) layered with boneless buffalo chicken wings, topped with a ranch and buffalo sauce, sprinkled with bacon bits. Served with a side of ranch dressing.

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

This brightened my day. I hope it does the same for you.

It's all about Breast Cancer People!

Breast Cancer is all over the news this week! The medical world is up in arms about a government task force's new recommendation that women start getting mammograms at age 50, advice that goes against the American Cancer Society. I did a story about it last week for WSJM. You can read more about the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force's recommendation and what local doctors think about it here.
Since the task force released its findings, I've seen different groups address it in different ways. My favorite online news magazine The Daily Beast featured the topic as its Big Fat Story, and there's this awesome video out there now aimed at spreading breast cancer awareness! And, I was dying to share it with you all! Hope you enjoy!

People of Public Transit

I have to thank one of my readers for this one! People of Public Transit is a great follow up to the widely-publicized People of Wal-Mart. Like the Wal-Mart site, People of Public Transit takes photo submissions from readers on the crazy sites and sounds on city subways and buses. There's nothing like seeing something so unbelievable that you just HAVE to share it with your friends and family... or in this case the entire world wide web.

This site brings me back to my days in Washington, D.C., when I would ride the bus to WTOP before the morning commute really took off and my only company was a few homeless guys.

I don't know if anyone sees any characters like these on Berrien County's Dial-a-Ride or at one of the many area Wal-Marts. But, if you do... take a photo and e-mail it to me at christine@wsjm.com. I'll put them up here, and we'll all share in the local craziness for one day.

But for now... here are some folks from People of Public Transit.

The Wedding Post

Someone asked me yesterday, "So, have you blogged about your wedding yet?" I hadn't really thought about it, but here it is. My wedding post.

I got married on October 17th and it was absolutely perfect and most definitely the happiest day of my life. I heard so many horror stories about wedding-day drama, but everything went swimmingly. Now, a while back, I told you about my beloved wedding-planning site, WeddingWire.com, and while I hold true that this site was my absolute life saver... when it got down to the wire, I didn't have time checking my online to-do list and filling in the digital budget. All that stuff kind of went out the window, and I really only used a good old fashioned pen and paper to stay on top of things. Here are a couple of family photos from the wedding. I'll share more when I get the real photos back from the photographer.

An Oldie But A Goodie

I actually had to check and make sure I hadn't written about this site before because it's actually one of my all time favorites. So much so... I actually did a news story about the site and interviewed the site's founder Frank Warren when I was reporting for WTOP in Washington, D.C.

Post Secret is a wonderful guilty pleasure. It works like this: people mail Frank their deepest darkest secrets and he posts them on his web site every week. It's all anonymous, so Frank's contributors are never revealed. The site is the basis for countless books and even made an appearance in the All American Rejects music video for "Dirty Little Secret."

I don't know what it is about it... but the site is really intriguing. There's something about reading other people's confessions that makes you feel better about whatevers harboring inside your own heart.

I've always wanted to send a secret in to Frank, but I've never had a secret that compelled me to actually releasing something to the public through the site. Maybe some day.

Here are some of this week's secrets. Just like all secrets.... the cards can get a little racey... but I'll keep it PG here.

Determined To Predict The Weather

With my wedding day now only 12 days away... I have become absolutely OBSESSED with checking the weather forecast for Columbus, Ohio. Even though I know no respectable weatherman (weather person for those of us who want to be politically correct) will forecast farther than 10 days... I keep looking for trends and signs that there won't be rain. But, instead what I'm finding is that not a single weather site can agree on what the conditions will be the week before my wedding. See for yourself...

The National Weather Service doesn't forecast further than a week...







Neither does Weatherbug...









Here's where I get really confused... The Weather Channel says there will be clear skies before my wedding... but MSN Weather says I can expect rain...


























I realize those two are hard to see... but trust me... one says Wednesday October 14th will be sunny... another says there's going to be storms.

I don't really have any specific weather website recommendation. Rather, it's just an observation of how sites, claiming to have the same information, can be different.

Yes, I just wrote a blog on weather forecasts... and if I've managed to bore you to death, I apologize. But, really... these are the sites I've been spending most of my time on lately. I guess that's what happens when you have "bride brain."

UPDATE
Yet another weather forecast site, AccuWeather.com claims to have a 15-day forecast. Don't know how reliable THAT is... but it's predicting a mix of sun and clouds, high of 54 for the big day!

The Best Worst Place To Ask Questions

The best worst place to get information isn't Wikipedia... it's Yahoo Answers. I use this site all the time, but always with a grain of salt. Most recently, I've been using the site to bounce off ideas for my upcoming wedding. Whether it's centerpieces, invitations or gifts for the groomsmen and bridesmaids... I've used Yahoo Answers to get an unbiased point of view. And for that, I generally give Yahoo Answers a thumbs up. However! Yahoo Answers can be a dangerous little beast!

When you use this site, you have to remember that any "yahoo" can pass off their opinion as factual or justifiable knowledge.

A couple months ago, I put up a post asking what the general consensus was on serving "pigs in a blanket" at my wedding reception. The caterer's only option my fiance Tim thought his family would enjoy. I'd never heard of anyone serving such a thing at a wedding reception and was a little hesitant. So I thought, "What the hell? Lets see what Yahoo Answers thinks!" I threw the question out to the world wide web, and waited for the responses to pore in. It didn't take long, and the answers I received were completely unexpected. Instead of actually ANSWERING my question, the general consensus on my post was that I was a snob for questioning my fiance family's tastes. I was cussed at and personally insulted like never before! I immediately reported the other users for their language and offensive content. I showed it to Tim, thinking he too would be just as appalled. But after he read through the post, he started laughing hysterically. But, not at the responses I received (while he thought those were funny too). He was laughing at me for taking something so seriously.

And he's right. Yahoo Answers is absolutely ridiculous. Browsing the questions its amazing to see how many people are searching out answers about their pets, spouses and hell... appliances!

And, while I've cut back on asking, I've instead started answering questions! I've found adding my two cents on what dress I think is cuter or what recipe to try is extremely addicting.

More for Less

Everyone knows my wedding is coming up. (33 days, but who's counting?) Now, like every bride I'm doing what I can to look my best on the big day. And of course that means eating less and lots of cardio. I've been doing 30 minutes of cardio, five times a week. And after two weeks of my new regime, I decided it was time to step on the scale and celebrate the fruits of my labor. But, I was disappointed to find that I had not lost a single pound. I couldn't believe it! I thought, "Surely... there must be something wrong with the scale! There must be something wrong with me..." Then I decided to do some research. After hoping online, I learned my problem wasn't that I wasn't working out enough or eating too much... Actually, I wasn't eating enough! The recommendation for my little dilemma was to actually eat MORE! Apparently, my body was holding on to my fat cells because it was in starvation mode! Faced with the reality that I may not be able to shed any weight unless I ate more, I've started counting calories for the first time in my life! My saving grace in all of this is the Calorie Counter Database. It has a database of 1000s of foods and tracks how many calories you consume each day! I've yet to find a food not listed on the site! It also has a lot of great diet and nutrition tools to help you figure out your BMI, your calorie burn profile and your diet profile. Since I've started using this site and eating MORE, I've lost two pounds! I always thought loosing weight was about working out more and eating less, but I guess that's not always the case!

People of Walmart

I rarely go grocery shopping alone. And, while I hate shopping at Walmart, I'm forced to do so because of my wonderful wages as a reporter. But, going to Walmart alone opens up so many people watching possibilities. I do it every time I go, and now there's a website that is based solely on that. People of Walmart is a collection of all the great characters you can only find at Walmart. Here are some recent featured customers.

The site has also received a lot of media attention lately, with features on CNN and Time websites. Apparently, that's flooded People of Walmart with more visitors it can handle and isn't working regularly. Still worth a visit if you have a chance to check it out. I'm anxious to see it up and running again, so I plan on checking it regularly.

Live Hope Love

It's been a while since I've felt truly moved by a web site. But, LiveHopeLove is more than just a web site. It's a testament to the lives of those living in Jamaica with AIDS.

The site shares the experiences of poet and writer, Kwame Dawes. It illustrates his experiences and conversations with people affected by AIDS, both those suffering from the disease and those supporting that struggle.

I think LiveHopeLove is the purest example of a web site. It uses video, audio and text to bring the resilience of these people from across the globe into your own home. And, I would have never experienced these individual battles had it not been for the efforts of its creators.
It's no wonder the site is the 2009 People's Voice Webby Award Winner in the Art Category and an Emmy nominee.

The LiveHopeLove website is just a piece of a larger multi-media reporting project. There is also an extended essay in The Virginia Quarterly Review (Spring 2008), two short public television documentaries and a collection of poems documenting Dawes' experiences. The Pulitzer Center of Crisis Reporting funded the project.

Now, I don't normally include information like this, but I really wanted to throw out accolades to the individuals who had a hand in putting this site together.

Poetry/Special Correspondent: Kwame Dawes
Executive Producer: Jon Sawyer
Co-Producers/Videographers: Nathalie Applewhite and Steve Sapienza
Videographer: Doug Gritzmacher
Photographer: Josh Cogan
Interactive Website: bluecadet

Here's One For the Habitually Bored

Here's one that kept me laughing for a good solid 5 minutes... AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com. The name explains itself: an online collection of some seriously creepy family photos. I had more favorites than I could ever possibly share on this blog, but here are the final contenders that made the cut.

Ok, now who does this? What role could bears possibly play in these people's lives that it caused them dress up and darken their noses? On the plus side, the little kid is pretty adorable.


Ok, now if the bears didn't get your creepy juices flowing... the freaking Ninjas should! Seriously, who are these people that think of this stuff?! They're probably into role playing games too!


Now, I think the possum adds that touch of class we all look for in a family photo.

This kid totally got cropped out of what is otherwise, a very nice family photo.

Why ofcourse a kid grabbing himself automatically makes a family photo a little awkward... but I'd also like to point your attention to the mother in this photo. Something about her screams, "Get me outta here!" Almost like she's had "Mom!" screamed at her one too many times.

Too cute for words

A friend of mine sent this to me via facebook today and I thought it was so unbelievably adorable I HAD to share.

Just something fun from our dear old world wide web.

http://www.raincitystory.com/flash/screenclean.swf

And since we're enjoying the puppy love. Here's a photo of my dear Edgar, who I've talked about countless times on Moody in the Morning. He's my one-year-old german shepherd/boxer/terrier mix known for destroying love seat cushions, digging up cement in my basement and jumping through my kitchen window.

When I get a chance, I'll add a photo of the 8-week mutt I'm foster pet-parenting. Anyone want to adopt her?

Are you really surprised?

Come on... you knew this was coming...

For all you brides-to-be... The key to wedding planning: Weddingwire.com. This site has seen me through all of my wedding planning and I highly recommend it. Granted... My wedding is still a work in progess, but it has been my saving grace every step of the way.

For one thing, the site develops a checklist of what needs to be done based on your wedding date. For a girl who has/had a year and half engagement, it's very helpful. I had no clue what I was supposed to have done a year... nine months... six months into the engagement. Now with my wedding four months away, the checklist is a great helpful reminder there's no reason to pull my hair out. Yet.

The site also has a great budgeting tool. You type in what you what to spend on your wedding and it tells you, my dear lady in white, what to spend. It sets estimated costs for everything from the flowers to the dress to transportation. I often call myself a "bride on a budget" and this has helped me not to overspend.

Finally, I love the guest tool. Not only was it the best place to organize the invite list, but if you need a seating chart... the site makes it easy by importing your guest list into an on-site application that makes one for you.

Overall, it's a great site for great wedding planning. I'm on it every day as the big day approaches and I recommend it for every bride.

Threadless.com

I first encountered Threadless.com my junior year in college. A friend of mine regularly bought t-shirts from the site and each one always seemed unique and interesting.

Whether you're into the fashion or the art, this site has plenty of digital eye candy. Graphic designers from all over submit shirts for sale and for your vote. Dozens of new designs are added daily, so there's always something new to check out. The shirts are pretty cheap too... $5-10.

North Korea- WTF?

If you haven't seen The Daily Beast's "Big Fat Story" today, now is the time to check it out.

I guess, North Korea just can't seem to put it's nuclear toys down. Earlier this week, the North set off a nuclear bomb underground, tested missles and restarted its nuclear plant. And that's shaking up tension across the globe.

Both South Korean and U.S. troops are on high alert today, after North Korea threatened to attack any U.S. or South Korean ships that try to stop its vessels.

Seoul teamed up with a U.S.-led program to stop ships believed to be carrying nuclear technology, and Pyongyang has long said if the South got involved in the program, it would consider it a declaration of war.

The United States has promised to protect South Korea and Japan, two countries too close for comfort to the North's missiles. And now, the U.N. is considering expanding sanctions against North Korea.

One North newspaper commentator warns, "a minor accidental skirmish [could] lead to a nuclear war."

Personally, I'm a little freaked out by this whole thing. I don't know if it's because I have a close friend working in Seoul, South Korea, or what... but I mean really, WTF North Korea? Do you WANT to start a nuclear war?

I believe North Korea wouldn't test nuclear weapons without the intention of using them. But why? What is the greater motive?

I'm really interested to see how the Obama adminstration will continue to respond. How does the U.S., South Korea, China or the U.N. talk the North into leaving the nukes alone, when the nation was already warned it would "pay a price" for the nuclear tests?



Information from The Associated Press Contributed To This Blog

Well, hello there!

I know, I know... it's been awhile since I've tended to this dear old blog. But, now I'm back and ready to pick you up again with all the latest web happenigs.

In the last month I've used the site, or rather program, StumbleUpon.com. This fun tool breaks down the endless and continuous World Wide Web. By creating a simple button in your web browser toolbar, StumbleUpon helps you discover great web sites (a great tool for my dear old blog here). The pages included are highly recommended and tailored to your own interests.

Here are some of the cool things I've found while stumbling...

Random- But Worthy

I almost forgot... I found this crazy video on youtube yesterday... Not a website I know... but I thought maybe someone out there could tell me if these guys are for real!

Save The Words

Today I stumbled upon a very addicting website called SaveTheWords.com. The site compiles a bunch of words that are in danger of extinction. The words featured are never used in daily conversation, let alone in newspapers, books or TV and opens them up for public adoption. It's really clever in that way. You can pick your favorite under-used word and vow to use it as much as possible in your daily life. It even gives visitors some unusual suggestions on how to use the words, like in naming a pet, getting a tattoo or graffiti.

When you visit the site the words call out to you... "Pick me!" and "Over here!" Just begging to be saved and used! Kind of reminds me of those puppy eyes when you visit a pound... It's so hard to say no and pull away. That's how this site pulls you in, you just can't resist. It's light-hearted and doesn't take itself too seriously. The site has just the right amount of sarcasm to attrack both book worms and the regular bored Internet surfer. Anyone can enjoy this site for at least 15 minutes.