I was sitting at my table in Artists Alley signing away, which is pretty much what I was doing whenever I wasn’t on a panel or heading to or from a panel. And someone brought me copies of “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” to autograph.
And there was Ringo’s signature on several of the covers.
I just stared at them. It took a long tme for me to be able to pick up my marker and write my name as well.
It was the first time that I’d ever found myself looking at the autograph of a co-worker on a series who’d passed away…certainly a co-worker who was younger than I.
I still have no earthly idea why it wasn’t the other way around. That it wasn’t the health-conscious Mike who was looking at my signature while I, who’d been carrying so much extra weight for so long, had succumbed to the heart attack I’d so blithely invited.
I know it’s one of those things where you’re just supposed to believe there’s a reason for all this. More and more, though, I’m moved to think that it’s just further proof that life is random, unpredictable, and unfair. Then again, as William Goldman wrote in “The Princess Bride,” No one ever said life is fair. It’s just fairer than death, that’s all.
PAD
• 
“But I don’t sit in judgment on them. I don’t have to. Their own bodies are doing that.”
Ouch! Very well written and explained, but with this last paragraph, you’ve lost it.
How did he lose it? Judgment, here is used to reflect that an unhealthy body let one know that it is unhealthy through physical symptoms? No moral judgment inolved at all.
“5) when you feel hungy, wait 10 minutes before eating anything (to see if it’s real hunger or just the emotional desire for food),..”
The rest of what you said is common sense, but I wouldn’t subscribe to this one because basically you’re suggesting that someone sit around and try not to think about food…which is like trying not to think about pink elephants. If you feel hungry but there’s no mealtime-related reason for it, it may not be emotional desire for food: It may well be that you’re thirsty. The brain’s signals for hunger and thirst are remarkably similar. The problem is that people associate thirst with parched lips or dry throat, and so don’t realize that hunger pangs may actually the body announcing that it needs liquid. I’ve found that if I’m hungry for no discernible reason, a glass of water is a far more effective remedy than “don’t think of food.”
“But I don’t sit in judgment on them. I don’t have to. Their own bodies are doing that.”
Ouch! Very well written and explained, but with this last paragraph, you’ve lost it.”
And you’ve lost me, or at least my understanding of what you’re talking about. Again, there’s no moral issues here. Yes, there is the occasional metabolic exception. I know at least one person whose body is so out of whack due to unbalanced hormone secretion that he could limit his diet to eight hundred calories a day and still gain weight. But for the most part, the first, best indicator of one’s dietary habits is the reaction of one’s own body. It’s hard to hide a hundred excess pounds. Everyone who sees you knows you’re eating too much, no matter what they tactfully refuse to say to you. I mean, everyone who sees me now says, “You look great!” The flip side of that is, a hundred pounds ago, I looked terrible, but no one wanted to say so.
And when your knees are going, your back is going, your very blood is turning against your, your eyesight is diminishing, your arteries are getting clogged…that’s your body rendering its final judgment.
PAD
This topic could be an interesting history for a comic: one character, for example one of the Madrox has weight problems, etc. and so this way you expose to a greater audience the problems that overweight brings.
Not joking, though I’ve never been to the US, I’ve read that one of the problems is the high percentage of morbidly obese people and the lack of concern about the problems that “too much donuts” causes.
(But if you do domething alike, prepare for the critics and for the people mocking and having fun at your expense).
But I don’t sit in judgment on them. I don’t have to. Their own bodies are doing that.
Wasn’t it Orson Welles who said “Gluttony is not a secret vice”?
PAD: I find it ironic you work in a profession that celebrates the idealized body image (for men and women) even more than Hollywood. Except for Amanda Waller, I can’t think of any rotund comic characters whose girth isn’t the butt of a joke or source of power.
I’m not passing judgement on you or the comics industry. This IS fantasy after all. I’m also not asking you to create a new overweight super-team who battle weight loss instead of villians (large bald men = Weight Watchers, get it? hello?). I just thought it was an interesting observation.
BTW, I know someone at work who loses a pound a week by eating 5-6 small meals a day and exercising regularly. He’s lost at least 60 so far.
“…which is like trying not to think about pink elephants.”
When I hear “pink elephants,” I always think of the gray Hulk using them in a similar analogy, back in Incredible Hulk #33…2?… when he pried gamma technology knowledge from Bruce Banner’s memory 🙂
Come to think of it, why would most super heroes have good muscle tone? If you can bend steel in your bare hands it would be pretty tough to not get flabby–I get at least a little exercise shlepping my carcass around campus but guys who can lift buildings without effort would have a tough time working up a sweat. Superman could spend weeks on the Flexmaster Pro and it shouldn’t do anything for him. So where did those washboard abs come from?
“Come to think of it, why would most super heroes have good muscle tone?”
Isometric yoga exercises and having to carry the weight of so many cliché ridden, heavy handed plots all the time. The weight of the last few years worth of mega crossover series would kill the average character. Hëll, they’ve almost been fatal to the readers.
You are correct, sir.
You start out by pulling one train-car, and you work your way up to juggling one with your feet, like in the Impossibles.
PAD said: “I think, Tom, the best response to the concept of such things being “their business” was expressed b Marley’s ghost:
“Business!” cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
And if Dickens doesn’t do it for you, how about John Donne:
“No man is an island, entire of itself…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
I’m trying to toll a bell.”
Ah, I see. What this boils down to seems to be a fundamental difference in philosophy. I disagree with both Marley’s ghost and John Donne. That’s cool.
“Ah, I see. What this boils down to seems to be a fundamental difference in philosophy. I disagree with both Marley’s ghost and John Donne. That’s cool.”
Enjoy the chains you’ll be hauling for eternity.
PAD
I hear one of the reforms Scrooge implemented after embracing humanitarianism was to replace the pâté served in the orphanages with gruel.
PAD – If you read my comment as a summary of your own position, you are correct that it is not very accurate. I meant it as my own take on the issue, but that may not have been written clearly. I do disagree with you somewhat on the subject of how easy it is to lose weight: You and I were both lucky that our systems responded very positively to improved diet and increased exercise. I don’t really understand why reduced intake and increased fuel-burning does not give some other people such results, but it seems to be the case. Some metabolisms and body chemistries make weight loss much more difficult than either of us found it. 6’2″, 190# seems acceptable to me, although further reduction as I get older and less active would probably be a good idea. I’m only about three years younger than you, so there’s no generational distinction to speak of. I’m glad it worked out for you, but it does come much harder for some.
I don’t think “Their own bodies are doing that” is at all out-of-bounds. When you have been insensitive, and perhaps sometimes else, I have always felt free to criticize you – but this statement doesn’t seem like anything but common sense. I am quite sympathetic to those unable to help themselves, but not at all so to those unwilling to.
Looking at my post which occasioned PAD’s correction, I see that he could not have read it other than the way he did. I did state that he and I agreed on something we did not. His take on the ease of weight loss is not the same as mine, although I agree entirely about its necessity.
“Enjoy the chains you’ll be hauling for eternity.
PAD”
Well, seeing as I don’t believe in any kind of afterlife, I’m not too worried. 😉
“Well, seeing as I don’t believe in any kind of afterlife, I’m not too worried. ;)”
I suspect that was Marley’s philosophy as well.
PAD
Not to mention, Tom, that “oh, there’s no afterlife so I’m not worried” feeds into the misperception that atheists lack morals. As an atheist who considers himself moral, I’d like to ask you to cut it out. 🙂
TWL
TWL, I meant that I’m not worried about dragging chains around for eternity, not that I think it’s okay to do anything I feel like doing. I consider myself very moral.
No worries, Tom. I didn’t mean to say that I thought *you* meant it that way — it’s more a concern that I’d rather not give the “atheists are immoral” crowd any extra ammo.
TWL
it’s more a concern that I’d rather not give the “atheists are immoral” crowd any extra ammo.
You should have thought of that at the Faculty Christmas party last year, pal. Tsk, tsk.
Dammit, Mulligan — you assured me that those pictures would never see the light of day! (And I swear that the sheep was 18…)
Yeah, but was it a female sheep?
Let’s just say it had a wide staaaaaaance.
See, I would have just gone with “Of course it was a female sheep, what am I, some kind of weirdo?“
But there’s a lot to be said for originality.
That said, I apologize for derailing the thread into humor, when the subject is anything but funny. Ringo was a great guy and a great talent, in world that needs a lot more of both.
I almost went with your response first, but decided to head off into a different direction.
And no apologies needed so far as I’m concerned, at least — I think we could all use a lot more humor these days. (I know I could.)
I’ll say in seriousness that while Ringo’s art was never one of my major favorites, he clearly had a chunk o’ talent — and even more importantly, based on all the stories he was a tremendous guy. I’m very sorry for his passing and his family’s loss.
(And as to all the discussion about weight loss, it’s certainly gotten me more inspired to drop some poundage myself. I’ve never been morbidly obese, fortunately, so I’m hoping that some relatively moderate diet and exercise changes will take care of it.)
TWL
The sheep had Tim when it flashed him its hoof in the next stall.
I wish there was something I could say that would provide comfort to those who knew Mike Wieringo, but I’m coming up empty. He was incredibly talented and by all accounts a generous, kind, and amiable man. He is gone and people are hurting. They have my condolences, which is the best I can offer.
I weigh 270 lbs, which is about 70 lbs too much, and I most certainly do not take offense at what Peter has written about the dangers of overeating and lack of exercise. Instead, I consider it good advice and have been thinking about it a lot. I need to remember that my current habits will almost certainly lead to diabetes, heart disease, and/or other ailments. Even if it doesn’t shorten my life, this excess weight will certainly reduce my quality-of-life.
I was 200 lbs when I was in my early 20s. I can get back there again.
If I were sitting next to Peter eating a hamburger and he were poking me in the belly while repeatedly chanting “you’re a fat fatty fat-ášš” I’d be pìššëd and might possibly punch him. But he is spreading his message in a forum where I have a choice about whether or not to pay attention. I can’t see anything wrong with that.
Last but not least, I go away to Oakland for three days only to come back and discover that Tim Lynch is doing the nasty with sheep. That can’t possibly be good for you, Tim. Nor for the sheep.
Tim Lynch, I sincerely looked up to you as one of the best and brightest among the posters here. But I have learned that the sheep are now part of The Great Squirrel Conspiracy and therefore you by extension must be as well. The squirrels and their allies are the greatest threat this world has ever known and I will fight them in the fields, I will fight them in the cities, and yes, I will fight them in their trees. I will ask for, nor give, any quarter in this Great War, sir. You have been advised.
“If I were sitting next to Peter eating a hamburger and he were poking me in the belly while repeatedly chanting “you’re a fat fatty fat-ášš” I’d be pìššëd and might possibly punch him. But he is spreading his message in a forum where I have a choice about whether or not to pay attention. I can’t see anything wrong with that.”
And besides, I wouldn’t know what else you’d done during the day.
For instance, last night I was in the neighborhood of Holstens, the diner which my parents took me to any number of times while I was growing up in Bloomfield, NJ…and which gained national attention when the last scene of “The Sopranos” was filmed there.
And I splurged, because how the hëll often do I get to Holstens?
So I had a cheeseburger platter and a brownie sundae.
Except, planning ahead, I had a very light breakfast, a very light lunch, I hit the gym in the morning, went power bowling in the evening when I came back (five games in forty minutes) and, by the way, left half the french fries and only ate half the sundae.
Net result: weighed myself this morning and I’d dropped a pound from the previous morning.
Even the rare splurge can be managed if you’re just smart about it.
PAD
If you google milk and diabetes, you’ll find reports of conflicting studies of their relationship. I mostly remember the BBC reporting this year a pint a day cutting the risk of diabetes, but there are also reports of milk above moderate quantities increasing the risk. I moved to skim and don’t miss even 1%, but more than 2 servings a day should probably be considered neutralizing whatever benefit a moderate amount provides.
But I have learned that the sheep are now part of The Great Squirrel Conspiracy and therefore you by extension must be as well.
Ah, but that’s only true of ordinary sheep, good sir. Not dangerously clever sheep like Harold. Harold got wind of the conspiracy early and managed a successful escape.
Don’t prejudge. Don’t assume that all sheep will follow blindly like … like … okay, I’ll concede that point.
Even the rare splurge can be managed if you’re just smart about it.
It’s obtaining that smartness that’s the difficulty, I think. I’m impressed with your ability to plan that well for the Big Holsten’s Splurge (a splurge I understand, having been there myself a few times many years back).
I’ll also be honest and say that you probably have it slightly easier in terms of planning exercise, because you’ve got a job where you can set your own flexible hours. Teaching doesn’t lend itself quite as well to that. I still try to get lots of exercise-bike time in, but it’s more difficult now than it was during the summer, even more so when I’m recovering from respiratory ick that my lovely daughter gave to me before getting over it herself.
Doesn’t mean I can’t do it — it just makes it tougher logistically.
(Your statement about leaving half the sundae/etc. is very well taken, though. One big change I made at the start of the summer was to work on taking 1/3 to 1/2 of any meal home when I eat out. Doesn’t mean I don’t have those fries eventually, but it’s over two days rather than in one go.)
TWL
Harold is holding out against republican pressure to give up his senate seat. His wife is humiliated. He has a family-values-bëšŧìálìŧÿ voting-record. It’s all a simple misunderstanding.