Thursday, September 30, 2010

Health at Every Size

"The road to health and happiness is wide enough for everyone." Dr. Linda Bacon

I love food and for a long time I didn't love my body. I like my body more these days but I have noticed that I will be sneaky about food. I don't want people to know how much I've eaten in a day or if I've eaten shortly before getting together friends and then eat again. I'll buy a candy bar and position it behind my book or put it in a pocket. These actions MAKE NO SENSE. I don't (always) feel guilty about eating that food but I do feel guilty about how I will be perceived for eating it in context with societal beauty norms. Which I am inherently supporting by not fully accepting who I am and what shape that takes. I have used coffee to kill hunger so I can skip a meal. I have eaten large plates of food that should make up two meals and finish it in one.

I have an ongoing discussions about food and perceptions of my body with myself all the time. The conversation is a lot more positive than it used to be and I think that folks like Dr. Bacon (I know, I KNOW) help to make those conversations easier and more productive.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

In the stars today

Your Horoscope - Today, September 29, 2010
You delay, you procrastinate, you are simply lazy. You take longer to do things than most people, K. Why? Consider the fact that you may be scared of taking the next step. Perhaps you are scared of facing the truth. Perhaps you are scared of making the next decision. By the time you are ready to move, you hope that someone else has already decided which way you should go. This method has probably gotten you far, but perhaps not in the direction you need to be going.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Grinds My Gears

Yesterday I was discussing banks' responsibilities to their customers with my colleagues because of an issue that had arisen -- namely that postdated cheques were paid early because they were deposited at an ATM. The bank claimed that because the items at ATMs are no longer checked before being sent to a processing centre it is impossible to prevent the early clearing of postdated cheques. If the scenario were to act out in this manner and my account was short funds because of the early processing, I am sure that the same bank would also have fined me. In other words, punishing me because their systems lacks accountability.

When I worked at a bank ten years ago, all deposits made at the ATM were checked by two bank officers prior to being sent out with the day's work. The larger banks have moved away from this to random checks of the materials such that it is easy for the items above to escape a routine check and balance. This is happening at the same time that the same major financial institutions are requiring more personal information for third party deposits -- such as company payments -- and signing away all liability for errors made in such financial transactions as wires. The banks want more and more from the consumers in terms of information and fees all the while reducing service capabilities and removing the onus of their own responsibilities to provide secure and professional services.

It's ridiculous and it makes me fuming mad.