Sunday Stealing

 WEIGHT

1. My biggest barrier to weight loss is... motivation. I don't like being fat, but I don't care enough to do anything about it.

2. What is your relationship with food like? I don't know. I eat when I'm hungry, I eat what I like. I have no response beyond that.

3. What was the last time you had fun that made you smile for a few days TCM had a Hitchcock marathon on Thanksgiving, and #TCMParty on Twitter was a fun way to watch with fellow fans (nerds) who are always very funny.

4. What are triggers in your life that lead to eating? Boredom. Hunger. Time of day.

5. What inspires you to be healthier Worry about my always sensitive gastrointestinal tract. I'm careful to eat more fiber.

6. Name two foods that you think are “bad” Spicy chili and any wine. Because they literally make me sick.

7. Are your expectations for yourself too high? In some things, yes. In most things, no.

8. Would you like more fun in your life? Yes

9. What is your one comfort food? A cheesey, gooey ham and cheese omelette.

10. How would you give someone encouragement?  Focused time

11. Do you get enough sleep? No. I don't sleep well. I hope that, in 2021, my new insurance carrier will approve a sleep study.

12. What activities make you feel more relaxed  Books, movies or work. I find that if my mind is fully  engaged, I'm less anxious.

13. Where do you need to practice forgiveness in your life? I need to put the past in its place. I'll never get answers from people who are dead.

14. What is one thing you have not done because of how you looked? Skinny dipped

15. What would you like more of in your life? Love, of course! As the Lads from Liverpool tell us, "Love Is All You Need."

 

Just when I was starting to feel warmly toward Fred and Gladys ...

Reel/Real

I just binged on Season 4 of The Crown. Because it's the Diana Season, it's my favorite thus far. Considering how well I know Diana's saga, I was surprised by how thoroughly I was drawn into her episodes.

Over the years, I have warmed a bit to Camilla Parker Bowles, now HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Diana's boys seem to bear her no ill will. She's been a workhorse during the corona virus crisis -- taking care of Charles herself when he came down with the virus, celebrating first responders, encouraging children to participate in a lockdown reading challenge ... watching The Royals in action, modeling good behavior during the pandemic. has made me see the wisdom of having designated "heads of state." All we have on this side of the pond is the First Family, and I think we can agree that over the last four years, this First Family has, at best, phoned it in. 

I can also appreciate the romance between "Fred and Gladys," as they call each other. They have loved one another for a very long time, they waited forever to be together, and overcame obstacles we can never understand. 

But then there's Diana. She was collateral damage.  A fragile, sensitive teenager in love who became heartbroken and disillusioned on the world stage. It was hard to watch her struggle again last night, just as it was hard in real time. And because we know how her story will end in that Paris tunnel.

Of course, The Crown is a drama and not a documentary. So maybe the series' decidedly pro-Diana spin isn't fair. But, as always, she tugs at my  heart.

Speaking of heart, I still cannot abide Margaret Thatcher's complete lack of one. She's a major character this season and while I admire her for all she overcame to reach the position of Prime Minister, I still find her politics appalling. I have always believed that it's the role of government to do for the individual what the individual can't do for himself, and that, as Dr. King said, "It's a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps."