Throughout the day I listen to talk radio whenever I have the opportunity.  At several times during the day when I listen in, the local news manages to infiltrate it’s way into my day in order to discard it’s tidbits of useless information into my skull.  By the end of the day, it usually takes a bobby pin and a few cotton swabs to get all of the that junk out of there.

Yesterday was no different.  Even worse is that the same story you hear at 7 am while driving to work is the same dribble you hear at 5 pm on the way home.  God forbid local news breaks out after 10 am around here.

Anyhoo, one of the stories thrown at us ad naseum yesterday was the recent report that obesity is on the rise nationwide.

Forget about the European debt crisis, the national debt crisis, the presidential campaign, Iran going nuclear regardless of it’s mad scientists being blown up by car bombs, that new guy running North Korea, that old guy running Cuba, that ugly shade of green which showed up on the awards show last night, the NFL playoffs, and everything else which gets us just worried enough to keep two feet of our lower intestine tied up in a good slip not.

We’re all getting fat.

For what it’s worth, obesity makes up exactly 50% of the two conditions Americans can possess which is still subject to unadulterated mockery without the benefit of public rebuke and demands for heartfelt apologies followed by requisite sensitivity training.

The other 50% is Christianity.

Imagine how us fat Christians feel.

You may have noticed I used the word “fat” in what could be considered an insensitive manner.

It’s okay.  I’m fat.

Add to that the fact that like I said before, the act of mocking the obese is still accepted in today’s culture.

Of course there are a couple of ways to approach this.

1. Offer up a rant   (TharpSterized for your enjoyment) on how offensive the treatment is.  Complain about the seats on airplanes and at basketball arenas and how they are just a little bit too small.  Case in point, while at Spurs game last Friday night, my son looked over to me and said “My arm is on your fat.”  Sadly it was.  Don’t consider that a cute statement uttered by a young child who doesn’t know better.  The kid is 17 and would have gotten kicked in the groin if I weren’t wedged in that tight seat wondering how the nerves in my muffin top could be so sensitive.  Righteous indignation doesn’t really work here.
2. Offer up a rant (TharpSterized of course) on the hypocrisy of our culture as a whole (and a hole) and it’s treatment of obesity.  Point out the paradigm shift which has taken place in the last half century which has made us reliant on dining out as opposed to fending for ourselves out of the fridge.
3. Point out that obesity has been around for quite a long time and suggest the statistics and concerns offered up in the factoid laden news is symptomatic of a growing awareness of an age old problem.  Either that, or it’s a slow news day.

But you know me, and you know by now that I’m not interested in blogging that which is derivative.

Instead, I’m just going to incorporate various pictures of food I’ve taken over the last few months or so.  They were initially taken because I had a really good blog idea for them at one point.

For now, I’ve changed my mind and have chosen to put them here instead.