A Fond Farewell to All-Things-August . . . (specifically frozen confections).

  
So I was explaining to Russ recently that Labor Day is really more funeral than holiday . . .

(a sentiment by which he was not really surprised, having endured 30 autumns with me) and as a reward for my snarky cynicism, mother nature threw us two days in a row of unseasonably cool, gray weather.

this ad is proof positive that truth-in-advertising has been a problem since at least 1940

That prompted me to pull out my jeans and -- I was going to say put them on, BUT -- we'll say attempt to put them on.  Good grief.

If you're already having a bit of an ice-cream-problem type of summer, I would not recommend vacation followed by surgery after which you cease all physical activity for several weeks while indulging in an abundance of self-pity donuts.  Your jeans will scold.

So there's a little work to be done here, along with the necessary arm rehab.  I'll have to see if I can make some headway before the conditioned Minnesotan response to "pack on 15 before the snow flies" kicks in.  (I'm expecting that next week.)

F Minus -- Tony Carrillo

This is a fact I have long suspected.  Because it is unlikely that I would ever be addicted to something that is actually good for me.

I think I'm going to put some photos on my 

studio bulletin board for inspiration.  

First will be this one:

I don't know whether you can tell what this photo is, but it is of two dead fish (one half-stuffed into the other).  It accompanied a newspaper article about fish who die while attempting to eat things as big as they are.  This means that I should probably discontinue the practice of eating things the size of my head.  Therefore, several of my favorites will have to be dropped from the list of approved foods, beginning with the Green Chile Mac-n-Cheese at The Range in Bernallilo, NM  (as well as anything from The Cheesecake Factory).

That photo reminded me of this sorta opposite image, 

which recently came to my attention courtesy of Junk Culture:

World's Smallest Sushi, part of an art project by Singapore-based artists 

Dave Seah, Hwee Chong Chan, and Jody Yeoh.  

Yeah, it's a single grain of rice.  Yeah, it's real.

As with most things, the answer is probably 

somewhere in the middle. 

And portion control comes very naturally

to me in any situation involving fish.....

So maybe adding some sickening seafood recipes to my bulletin board collage would be a good idea:

 

 Shrimp Jello?!!


 

TUNA JELLO???!!!!

  

 

I also think I will put some inspirational quotes on the refrigerator door to give me a boost if I am tempted to cheat:

The second day of a diet 

is always easier than the first. 

By the second day you're off it.

-- Jackie Gleason

Vegetables are a must on a diet.  

I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, 

and pumpkin pie.

-- Jim Davis

What some call health, 

if purchased by perpetual 

anxiety about diet, 

isn't much better than tedious disease. 

 -- Alexander Pope

I haven't had fries since lunchtime, 

so I'm off to a good start! 

It's all about positive reinforcement.

(If anyone hears of a really good sale on jeans this weekend, please shoot me a note.  Because I could really use some new ones anyway, and Labor Day might provide the perfect opportunity for giving my old ones a funeral...I mean, since we're already mourning. Funeral, holiday -- does it matter which?  Both observances call for food...)