fat

  • Mafuta ( Fat one)

    When Jennie was first talking about going to South Africa, we discussed the food issues.  Jennie and I both thought she would lose a lot of weight there because the food would be gross.  Then we learned you are force fed.  We weren't too worried because we figured they would be too poor to have a lot of food. 

    Yesterday Jennie called me from her rural homestay.  Actually, I was shocked she got any reception since there is no electric or flush toilets.  Obviously there is a cell phone tower though.  Which I think is odd.

    The first thing she told me was her "diet" was shot at the rural homestay.  She informed me that not only were you not allowed to have leftovers, due to no refrigeration
    , ( not to mention it's rude) you also got fed way too much.  This might be okay for a week if the food was good.  For example, when your on a cruise ship, good food, 24 seven, you let yourself go. 
    Unfortunately, Jennie whispered ( so as not to be overheard and offend) the food is NOT good and there is way too much.  She started listing a typical day and I made her stop so I could take notes.

    Breakfast:  Porridge that looks like cream of wheat but tastes like crap unless you put tons of sugar in it.  Sour Milk.  Four pieces of buttered " toast" ( not made in toaster) eggs cooked in oil, french fries, and fried tomatoes.

    Lunch is at school, but when they are home, it's two NOT Oscar Meyer, Bologna sandwiches with tons of mayo ( I didn't ask how that was kept cold, so I will have to ask ) Tea

    After school snack: french toast ( very strange)

    Dinner:  Huge Polish sausage, pap ( corn mash type thing) heaped in a huge pile on plate with some kind of spinach type vegetable on top.

    After dinner snack or desert:  Popcorn with weird season salt.

    Apparently dinner is around 8:00 pm. and bed time is around 8:30 pm.

    She said all the food is lukewarm, due to the fact that they only have one burner so you can only cook one thing at a time. 

    The rural homestay mom is apparently fat. 

    I don't understand how you can be both poor and fat.  I think I would rather have a flush toilet and TV. rather than two not real Bologna sandwiches.

    Admittedly I am not even close to being a skinny minnie myself, but that's because I can afford to be fat.  I have a flush toilet ( more than one in fact) and I have electric and several TV's.  I even have Cable, a DVD player and DVR.  This actually encourages me to eat a lot.  If I were poor however, I think I would be thin.

    I also feel bad that no one has told the poor, fat, homestay mom, that eating late at night is bad, especially right before bed time. 

    And it's not like they are eating in front of the TV.  I don't get it. 

    Thankfully, Jennie is only there for a week.  Now when she goes back to the other homestay house, I don't think she will feel bad not cleaning her plate.  After all they have a refrigerator for left overs, and Jennie has been there long enough to tell the mom, it's not cool to stuff your face in America. 

    Unless of course you have already enjoyed being thin in your youth, as I have, and now think you deserve to just let go.

    And like I said, you have to be able to afford it.  It's hard for me to feel bad for the poor welfare moms who weigh 5,000 pounds, but now I know that's not unique to America. 

    I have to give my kid credit though.  I could NEVER eat something I don't like.  I couldn't force myself, and I would throw up if I did.  I may be chunky, but I have my standards when it comes to food.  And Pap is definitely OUT.

    I bet she never thought she would long for the yucky bathtub, but I think she is missing her "normal" homestay house. 

    I will let you know when she has updated again so you can read the rural homestay stories yourself.

    Till then, I am going to make myself some healthy Kraft Mac and Cheese, and call it a night.

  • Today was  the day semi ex and I had the case management court  date.  But let me back up.  Semi ex fired his attorney a few weeks ago.  Semi ex's attorney did not get the hint and kept telling semi ex it was a bad idea.  He stood his ground and kept telling the guy he  was fired period. 
    So the guy was supposed to formally withdraw from the case, which he didn't.  Yesterday he call semi ex, and says I talked to your wife's attorney and I will be late to court.  WHAT?!  You were fired!  Semi ex says I fired you, several times already.   Ten minutes later semi ex's brother calls and says the attorney called him and he will draw up settlement papers etc... and won't even charge semi ex any more money.  I tell semi ex this is crap.  He agrees.  Moving on to this morning. 
    We go together, and I tell him were meeting my lawyer outside the court room at 8:45 am  at 8:40 we are parked at a lake Michigan harbor because semi ex loves looking at boats.  In fact our first real date was at Belmont harbor in Chicago. 

    Me: dammit, semi ex, I told you we are supposed to meet my lawyer at 8:45 am. 

    Semi ex: we have plenty of time, look at the boats isn't it pretty here?

    Me:  This is what I hate about you, you know I hate being late, we can come here afterwards. 
    I pout and glare.

    So we leave and arrive at the court house at 8:50 after arguing about the cheapest place to park. We sit outside the court room on a bench and of course my attorney isn't there. 

    Shit shit shit!!!!!!

    Luckily and uncharacteristically, he does not bring this up.  After my attorney came it was established that semi ex did indeed fire his lawyer.  He said "  The guy called me yesterday and told me he spoke to you".  My lawyer basically called his lawyer a liar liar pants on fire and said " ask any attorney here, that guy is horrible". 

    Now the fun part, we have to wait our turn to be called.  It was obvious they were going in alphabetical order and we are " S" .  Semi ex was annoyed because he didn't want to see the fired lawyer, if he showed up.  I said" Oh quit being a wimp, we can make this fun"  So we did. 
    I pointed out an attorney that basically looked like a prostitute trying to dress business like.  Semi ex called her Lawyer Barbie.  She had hair down to the middle of her back but it was all poufy like. She was stick thin like Barbie with big boobs.  She had dark blue eye shadow like mimi on the Drew Carey show and dark red lipstick and blush. She was wearing a black lace dress.  In order to make the dress, (which might have been cute at a late night cocktail party) business like, she wore a light pink rose colored suit jacket and black pumps.  You could tell the jacket was part of a suit and came with a nice matching skirt or pants. If she had worn it correctly  this would have looked really nice on her if she put her hair up and toned down the whore makeup look.

    The there was the attorney directly across from her, I called her metabolically challenged  attorney Barbie.    

    It wasn't the heavy part that bothered me, it was her clothes too, her outfit wasn't nearly as cute as the one above. In reality she was MUCH, much heaver than the Barbie above.  She must have been close to three hundred pounds or more and she was wearing light blue spandex pants with a black shirt.  Okay, light blue pants that are so thin you can see the cellulite roles, not cool.  And the black shirt was a strange material and shade of black that didn't match at all!!! 

    My lawyer was dressed fine in a simple black suit.

    We were told to sit in the back row, so both of us were obviously straining to hear what the other cases were about.  It was really hard and we only heard bits and pieces of things like " supposed to be able to talk to kids four times a day on the phone" and " back child support your honor" 
    Semi ex and I were purposely affectionate, just for fun, and got a lot  of stares.  I actually enjoyed it.  The other couples who were there sat far apart and stared at us or straight ahead with unhappy expressions.

    We are both meeting with my attorney next Tue. to sign that stupid parenting agreement for matt who will be 18 two days after we sign.

    Semi ex called his lawyer ( who was still not at court ) on our way to breakfast.  He said " But I drew up all these settlement agreements last night" Semi ex said " Fine send them to me, but your still fired". 
    I can't believe this guy is still practicing law.  Even the judge seemed relieved she didn't have to deal with him.

    Jennie called us at breakfast to tell us she broke her toe, and she got a 99 on the Calculus test and the class average was 69.  That's our girl.

    Edit: correction it was a 64 average ( big difference) and she broke her toe by stubbing it.  She is my smart klutz dumb kid.