Living ~400lbs

… and believe me I am still alive


  • Life in a rural village in India

    Housewives starting businesses with micro loans. Thriving, some of them. But if your husband decides to take your money or hit you or your children, you are his property. It’s his choice. Or is it? The Bandit Queens, by Parini Shroff, takes on all this and more, while being laugh out loud funny. The humor… Continue reading

  • Thinking affects doing

    This is a somewhat dismal quote, but hang on for the flip side. Individuals who perceived themselves as less active than others were up to 71% more likely to die in the follow-up period than those who perceived themselves as more active. This finding held across 3 samples and after adjusting for actual levels of… Continue reading

  • Alcohol

    I seem to have hit on a string of books where the characters drink alcohol every day. Usually multiple drinks at a sitting. Then I read a Tumblr post that reiterates that 3 to 5 drinks at a time is considered a binge, and the liver needs time to process it, so even if you… Continue reading

  • Signal Boost

    Are you thinking about leaving your state or country? This essay has a good discussion of factors. The comments are even worth reading. Continue reading

  • Quote of the Day

    “Wilson writes about how Black women — herself included — feel the pressure to make their bodies, their appearance, their actions conform to what whiteness demands in order to protect themselves, and how this daily negotiation of their existence extends to “performing” health. The bitter irony being that the Black women will still have bodies… Continue reading

  • A few things

    Voting matters. Even if you’ve been in prison, you should be able to get the right to vote restored. If you, like me, are waiting on Philips to send you a non-recalled CPAP, check your spam/junk folder. Despite my sleep doctor’s office having sent them my prescription, Philips insists it needs … my prescription. OR,… Continue reading

  • Books I’ve been reading

    Lost in the Moment and Found by award-winning author Seanan McGuire, the latest entry in her Wayward Children series. This book focuses on Antsy, who we first saw in Where The Drowned Girls Go. It is a challenging book that includes parental death and a manipulative stepparent, but also victorious as Antsy runs and learns… Continue reading

  • Three Things

    From an article on improving treatment of prisoners and staff in prisons to improve rehabilitation: Unlike in the United States, almost all incarcerated people in Norway are ultimately released, Roer said, which got officers thinking more about how to rehabilitate those who will rejoin society.“And we started to say, ‘What kind of neighbor do we… Continue reading

  • “Ask for Jane”

    A good article on women who were illegal abortionists in 1968-1973. Some of the stories she recalls are heartbreaking. They reflect a time when access even to birth control was limited; when a patchwork of abortion regulations meant that women with the economic means to travel could find care in states that allowed abortion, but… Continue reading

  • Things That Derail My Everything

    Doctor appointments, like the 3 I had in 2 weeks. (Mostly it’s because I emotionally freak out about it. I don’t like that but that’s what my body insists on right now.) Medical tests, like the ultrasound I had during the same 2 weeks. (See above.) Doing more physical things around the house, which for… Continue reading

  • Adapting to climate change by raising your house

    Like, on stilts. Marketplace – the NPR show that became a favorite commute listen and eventually a favorite podcast commute listen – discusses how a woman who spent $97.5k on her house ended up spending $100k (mostly from a FEMA grant) to raise it more than 8 feet. Half a dozen workers, drenched in sweat… Continue reading

  • Martin Luther King Jr Day

    Martin Luther King Jr Day

    It’s a holiday in the US to remember (and hopefully learn from) the life of The Rev Martin Luther King, Jr. Continue reading

  • Doctors and dentists and blood, oh my!

    Last week I noticed my jaw was hurting a bit. Always in the same place. Was something wrong? It went away over the weekend, but came back on Monday. It was bad enough on Monday that I called the dentist. I soon had an appointment for Wed afternoon. In the meantime, I took a Tylenol… Continue reading

  • Day in the Life: Shower, Chafing, & Jock Itch

    These days I use the blow-dryer on crevices and wear tummy liners from More Of Me To Love instead of baby powder. (Yay not getting baby powder everywhere.) I like their bra liners too. I continue the use of antifungals as needed, usually in other crevices. Ah, the morning shower.  Warm water to get the… Continue reading

  • Day in the Life: Aerobics

    Day in the Life: Aerobics

    Since I wrote this there’s been a bunch of changes. I got an adapter that let me feed video from VHS to my computer. I made digital video copies of the various segments from the VHS tape. This lets me customize things a bit, such as doing a segment multiple times to work out more.… Continue reading

  • QoTD

    I have always been fat. Continue reading

  • Day in the life: Thyroid pause

    Day in the life: Thyroid pause

    This post was originally written in 2015. These days I’m much more aware of what I call the “thyroid pause”, the 30-60 minutes that I to am wait after taking the thyroid pill, before I eat breakfast or take other meds. I often wake up, check the time, take thyroid, and go back to sleep.… Continue reading

About Me

Former software tester, now retired heart patient having fun and working on building endurance and strength. See also About page.

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