Just Like Nascar - Make Em Wear Their Sponsors

Well, it's actually only been formalized. We've all known for sometime that corporations have been funding political campaigns for sometime. Whether we're talking about Unions or Churches, or formalized businesses, small or large, incorporated or LLC's. They all do it.

The Supreme Court decision which conveys this though as permissible might be a huge misstep for all Americans. Just at a time when we're on the precipice of another financial downturn, the court takes this step to further undermine our confidence in our financial system, our legal system, our political system and ultimately our country.

I say this because by formalizing the right of corporate America to pour (additional) money into political campaigns the power pendulum has further moved to corporations OVER individuals.

Think about that for just a moment. This is another step in our countries movement to provide corporations with the same rights as individual citizens.

While a corporation is made up of citizens who work and run it, it shouldn't be viewed as an entity with the right to life. Capitalism in fact demands that the death penalty be imposed on it if it doesn't meet up to it's obligations to serve its constituencies, customers and share holders.

After the most recent Supreme Court decision, the individual constituent, mom and pop America will never be able to walk into a congresspersons office and gain an audience that will hold as much weight as say, Apple, General Motors, or Chevron-America. Who's appointment would you cancel if you only had time for one?

No. Mom and Pop America are screwed. Even Political Action Committees and grass roots organizations will never hold the clout, financial, political, media as NBC, IBM or Exxon-America. The sad thing is - these corporations ARE Mom and Pop America. We've disguised it of course, with fancy financial schemes and offerings but where does the money for your 401k go? Well, right to Westinghouse, American Airlines and Shell Oil-America of course. In the form of mutual funds we all invest in these companies. They take our money, with the promise to grow it. By the time we retire, or so the theory goes, we have a nest egg to which to supplement our Social Security, which in itself isn't a guarantee of existing by the time many of us reach the age of retirement.

But what happens if the corporations squander all their money and go bust? Well, don't worry. Mom and Pop America will bail them out. Under fearful terms like "too big to fail" we couldn't possibly let all those investments go out the window. But, by giving corporations carte blanche to go ahead and squander that money on trying to buy influence, they have essentially given the green light to the erosion and ultimate destruction in the faith of the American financial system.

So, I give you my money over the years through my 401k and you squander it. That's ok. Now you'll take a bail out through my taxes. It appears, almost as I'm paying TWICE and never really have a guarantee of ever seeing a return. Because the typical American investor, not unlike the typical American voter is too disillusioned and to apathetic to actually follow the trail of money it's not likely AIG-America will ever be accountable for all that money. No, Wells Fargo-Americal will never really have to make a full account because now they've just purchased a chunk of where the real power lay, in the U.S. Legislature.

Do you really think they will regulate themselves to prevent themselves from gaining access to money and influence that would thwart their own re-elections? Far from it. They'll schmooze Macy's America and if it all comes crashing down, Mom and Pop America will just have to come up with the funds.

After all, Bank of America will be OK. So will the Insurance congolerates. The true catastrophe may lay ahead. In a system where corporations, take our money and give it to legislatures, who will now protect corporations OVER individual citizens there's no incentive for the single voice in America.

The legislative agenda, the direction of the country and in fact the very electoral process itself will now be decided in block rather than vote by vote. If you thought the American single voter was disillusioned and detached before - just wait a few elections cycles. All this bodes bad for America. Well... unless you're McDonalds - and you're floating your guy Ronald for president. On second thought how could that clown be any worse than the ones sitting on the Supreme Court?

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Chester the cutest dog ever

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Originally uploaded by ChristopherSolis.

C!

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Originally uploaded by ChristopherSolis.

C!

My Chart

Well, as I neared the end of the lap band adventure, here's the final graph. The little kick up at the end is my bounce up from the loosening. Which, they said may occur, mostly because I'm EATING now. Although I don't want that trajectory to continue up, or I'll have to get an adjustment to have saline put in. I'd prefer not to which means, diet and exercise - the two words I couldn't escape before - I still can't escape. But, now - anyways - I feel "hopeful".

Hope you're well. I am too.

Back to Food.

Well, it's been about 18 months and I reached my goal weight of 150. That's down from 280 and I feel so much better. Well, Mostly.

Mostly because towards the end of my lap band experience, I was having extreme difficulty holding down anything. Even water. This obviously is concerning because I wasn't sure what was going on. It became serious as I was experiencing dehydration and unable to go to the bathroom.

I went to visit the lovely lap band folks at True Results clinic where I've been going for a couple of years. They were nice enough to put me under the scope, an x-ray-like procedure where they have you drink the barium solution and watch it go down. As I saw the dark liquid enter my throat, esophagus and then down to my stomach - there it was. The stomach. The band. Everything.

But as the liquid hit the stomach nothing happened. That is to say, nothing was entering. That was a problem obviously and explained why my blood pressure was so low and I was feeling so crappy. I wasn't even able to take in liquids. Additionally, you could see on the screen that my esophagus had become somewhat bloated or "dilated" as the folks at True Results were telling me. A condition where when the band has slipped or is too tight the food backs up into the esophagus. This is not a healthy condition. So, the protocol turns out to be to remove the saline immediately to allow the food to pass into the stomach naturally without restriction.

Well. That turns out to be ok for me. 1 because the condition is not comfortable and I thought at points I would die of feeling constricted. 2 because I've pretty much met my goal now and so it's time to have it reduced anyway.

What occurred after this can only be described however as the equivalent of uncapping a volcano. When the band was loosened all that acid that had been building in my stomach shot up into my already dilated and irritated esophagus and I thought throughout the day that I’d pass out. Really – I felt weak, dizzy and like I’d collapse from pain. I’d never have thought heart burn or reflux could be so severe that it’d make you lose consciousness. I was wrong.

It turns out after a week of Dr. visits and general not feeling good - I feel better. Much better.

I celebrated my feeling good with - and get this - a visit to the gym. I'm thinking I must have changed on some level that I hadn't because this, before my surgery, would never have occurred to me.

Food has always been my first choice of celebration. So, for me to go and have a walk on the treadmill to celebrate my victory is not only a 'new' thing - it's a revolutionary one.

Of course, that was last Friday. Then came Saturday. I woke up "hungry". It's been a while since I've woken up famished. With the band, I rarely found myself in a situation where I felt "hungry".
The worst I felt was more described as indifference. Like "I could eat, or not. I'm not sure one way or the other". But this morning - Saturday - was definitely that old feeling that I hadn't experienced in a while which was 'hungry'.

So, I thought "waffles". I thought that because of all the breakfast foods I missed during my lap band mode, this was probably one of the hardest to give up. During my 18 months with the band I ate eggs and bacon, pretty much anything but bready things like toast, pancakes, biscuits, etc. But waffles I missed.

So I had some. They were delicious. Well. I don't have to tell you!

But then I thought about all the things I missed and proceeded to reminisce with sandwich, pasta, pizza, cookies, smores and more. Not all in one sitting of course. But throughout the weekend.

Nevertheless it left me a little worried this morning when I stepped on the scale and found myself at 155. Good golly miss Molly. How can one gain so much back in such a little ole thing as a weekend? Well. It's all coming back to me now. How I got into the situation I was in, in the first place! And, I've enjoyed my weekend of walking down memory lane. I'm sure there are other things I'd like to remind myself of how good they are. (Chocolate cake?). But I have a life time to eat those things and in moderation. This, as we know, is not a word I’ve been familiar with.

I'm going to remind myself of refocus and commitment. So, as I sit here, Monday morning, with a cup of hot tea and a handful of almonds - I'm reminded that I actually like eating the lap band way. I feel more than just a sense of being satiated for my hungry. I feel a victory in the investment in myself and my health. Sure the pizza, sandwiches is all good. And, I'm sure with some level of restraint I can have those things. As a matter of fact, when eating that Italian sausage and peppers sandwich at Mandola's, I finished half, and wrapped the other half to take home. I checked in with my stomach that responded "hey. we're unbanded! We can eat the whole thing. No problem!” And, rethought how much food was on my plate, and whether I really needed to eat a whole sandwich in one setting. Even, if I could.

I decided it was better to spread so much food between two or more meals. Maybe I did learn something! Maybe something took. Time will tell - but that's my prayer for today.

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The Dallas Crew

The Dallas Crew
Originally uploaded by ChristopherSolis.

I had such a great time in Houston this last weekend. It was great to see friends converge from Dallas, San Antonio, Houston AND Austin. I hope the trend continues.

This picture reminds me of happy and warmer days. It's cold now. :)

The End of An Automotive Era

My first car was a Pontiac. I was so happy that day. I believe I may have written about it here before. I was as intensely sad to see it hooked up and taken to the wrecking yard (what we now call auto recyclers).

To think the last one that rolled off a line was a G6. Not on of the marks most exciting or even memorable models. Maybe that's indicative of the problem. And, speaks to the end result.