Living Out Loud volume 3: You are what you eat

It's three weeks from the 1st of the month, so it's time to announce the third Living Out Loud Project! The theme this month is food. A lot of folks are giving up things for Lent and many times it's some sort of food. Food itself can have such an emotional aspect that it's no wonder many people can't resist certain temptations. I myself have an entire bookcase dedicated to cookbooks that I just like to open on a Sunday afternoon and shuffle through, with no intention of ever preparing the majority of the dishes but drooling over the photos and combinations of flavors.

It's way down there in the foundation layer of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and yet having a good relationship with the things we eat regularly seems to kick our ass. Hell, I had a burger yesterday and it reduced me to tears.

So for this Living Out Loud Project, I'd like you to talk about your own personal relationship with food. Are you a picky eater? Are there certain foods you love or hate? How have your tastes changed over your life (or are you still limited to the same three foods you would eat when you could fit in Underoos)?

The second part of this project (again with the two-part assignments!) is to try something you never have before. You can cook a dish you've never tried before or try a nationality of food or specific meal you've never dared try before. Maybe you've been scared of sushi but have never actually tried it. Maybe you aren't sure how to use an oven and if you lost the Pizza Guy's number, you'd starve. Maybe you're not sure if your own stomach can handle tripe. Maybe you'd like to try eating gluten-free for a day just to see what it's like for others. Just try something new to expand your relationship with food. And then write about it.

Since April 1 is a "school night" and not a Sunday like our previous projects, we'll push the deadline back to 9pm eastern time. Email me a link to your blog entry at genie [at] inabottle [dot] org (or write the entry itself in the email and I'll post it here if you don't have a blog). I'll compile them after the 1st and announce a winner! There's even a prize! I'm excited to see what you all have to say!

Recap of 2nd Living Out Loud project: our bodies, ourselves

Again, you all continue to amaze me and I'm humbled that you would take the time to write such great things for this project. This month's challenge was to describe something physically about ourselves that pleases us. It could be a body part or an overall physical feature. The project also had a second part of providing a recent photo of yourself that pleases you. Below is a list of the participants: Kitty's Living Like you Love It Her topic is her body's power to adapt. She has done great things to create a positive image of herself and my favorite line of her entry is, "Hello – I made people!!!". And while it wasn't her topic, I feel it necessary to note that God graced her with a great rack. So there.

Gina's What Makes ME Hot Stuff I was afraid Gina was going to chicken out on me for this project but she came through with flying colors! As a fellow brown-eyed girl, I can totally respect her choice of highlighting her eyes. And the grin in her photo is awesome!

Martelle's Hot Stuff I stumbled upon Martelle through LiveJournal and the SCA, but I'm not sure I could have picked her out of a police line up or crowded feast hall. Her entry gave me all kinds of insight into her childhood, the things she takes joy in, and most importantly a photo so I can introduce myself the next time we're in the same place! Looking forward to meeting you soon!

Kim's Living Out Loud II: Body Check As folks have talked to me about this challenge I've mentally noted to myself my favorite thing about them physically. I've always loved Kim's skin and her choice to adorn it in such beautiful detail makes me a bit jealous. I'm just not sure I have the guts for it myself. I also admit to growing my hair out lately with the hope that I'll get more hair brushings.

Megan's My Body. Not Wonderland. I read Megan's entry about her strong legs and nodded to myself in agreement. I got to her photos and started crying. She is beautiful in so many ways.

Karal's Forever on the Hips I've been commiserating with her as she struggles with medical mysteries that make her belly her enemy these days. But sometimes the smallest of things can mean so much and remind us how strong we are.

Rich's Momentos written across my skin I won't embarrass us all by listing all my favorite parts of his, but I do admit that his hands are up there in the top five. Chicks do indeed dig scars - this one does at least.

My own contribution is All of me, why not take all of me. So many things about my body I can't control, but I'm pretty sure I'll always be a million feet tall. The air really is nice up here.

This project continues to bring me much joy and I personally want to thank all of you for participating. It means the world to me! I'm already looking forward for the project due April 1 (great, April Fools Day).

For this project, I have chosen Megan as our prize winner. She has been waging a battle over her body for quite a while now and bared her soul online for us all. I've been wracking my brain for an appropriate prize and have decided that a good massage would pamper all those muscles that serve her so well. Megan will be receiving a gift certificate for a 30 minute massage at her local salon.

I encourage you all to read the entries above and comment. And if you have a suggestion or this month's project, I'm all ears!

All of me, why not take all of me

For our 2nd Living Out Loud project: As I wrapped my hands around a cup of blueberry flavored java this morning in the local cafe, I thought back to all those times well meaning friends and relatives would tell my parents that letting me drink coffee as a kid would stunt my growth. As an adult, I take satisfaction in the hard clunk of the car seat as it slams into the furthest position from the steering column so I can slide all 35" of my inseam into the car.

My babysitter (who was 5' tall and very round) called me her long-legged jay bird and it always made me smile. My whole childhood was filled with physically challenging tasks that my 6'3" father never told me I shouldn't attempt. I thought all kids could move a wheelbarrow of bricks or lift their family dog. To this day I won't own a pet that I can't carry upstairs on my own, which puts my limit at about 80 pounds as long as the dog doesn't fight it.

My high school dance teacher Mr. Watson harped on me to always drop my shoulders so I could show off my long neck. I am eternally grateful that I took all those years of dance because while I never have been particularly lithe (I like food too much), I'm extremely comfortable in my body and know its capabilities. I learned to not hunch forward to make myself shorter. I grew to appreciate the length of my limbs and the way all 175 pounds of me fit together. I never worried about telling folks how much I weighed because I felt like I was in a different bracket than all my shorter friends. It was like telling someone my age in dog years; they couldn't relate.

Somewhere in college, I began to revel in being tall. I slowly realized there were short women who had to pull the car seat forward every time after their husband drove it. I discovered there were people who didn't know what was on top of their fridge (let alone could reach it). There are people who have to find a sturdy chair to change a lightbulb instead of just reaching up to the light. And in a way, I felt a bit of pity for them. I don't necessarily agree with Randy Newman's declaration that "short people got no reason to live," but his quote has certainly stuck with me every time I pull the turkey pan down without climbing all over the counter.

Since most people are on eye level or shorter, I always feel (perhaps erroneously) that I could kick 90% of the world's ass. I'm not easily intimidated. Every time I load some giant purchase from Costco into my car where my arms barely reach around it, I want to high five myself and give a little Marine "hoo-wah!". Take that ridiculously heavy and awkward box!

In the last five years, I've greatly expanded my collection of comfortable high heels because I think I walk much sexier in heels. I'm 72 luxurious inches tall in bare feet. Even being 6' and not 5'11" puts me in a new category of those whose height starts with 6. In heels, I stretch up to 6'2" or 3" tall. Men double-take when I walk past.

My body has evolved over the years. I used to be about 20 pounds heavier than I am now, and a recent doctor's visit shows I've pudged up to 178.2 pounds from my perennial 175 pounds of the last 10 years. I've had some pretty regrettable haircuts as I have experimented with my coif. My belly usually is covered in spots from my insulin pump infusion sites that I never had before 2000. I've had stretch marks on my thighs since puberty hit at 15. Laser surgery removed the need for glasses but I still chew on my cuticles until they're painful. But there are many things that won't change any time soon if at all. I've got magnificently straight teeth, amazingly long prehensile toes and the world's most petite ears. And I will always be tall. No matter other parts of me will sag or wrinkle, there will still be 6 feet of me. And I will always turn heads.