To cookie or not to cookie

This has been buzzing around the news for a while, so I thought I might as well weight in on it. Earlier this month, a primary school teacher confiscated a pupils’ crisp bag because it was unhealthy. This then prompted a big hullabaloo over who should decided what to feed school children- parents or teachers.

I think the only papers who covered it were the Daily Mail and the Telegraph- not really the place you turn to for unbiased, legitimate news. And true to their tabloid form, they made sure to bulk up the quotes which called the school ‘Guantanamo Bay‘, or the teachers ‘Food Gestapo’.

Next, Channel 4 news ran a segment on it asking whether or not this was appropriate, with some wanting government intervention to keep these sweets away. I’m not sure about the rest of the UK, but the Scottish Government already passed legislation outlawing ‘unhealthy’ food to be served in school cafeterias, including all vending machines. However, there is no such legislation stating that parents cannot pack a candy bar or soda into their child’s lunch box along with their meal. So it has now become a battle between who thinks what is best for the children.

Now, I am all for healthy eating, but personally, I think this has become WAY out of hand. As much as I love the UK, I can’t help but feel that the government plays a wee bit too much of a determining factor in people’s lives. While I am all for healthy initiative, such as the smoking ban that has made everyone’s life better in cramped, dark pubs and clubs, snatching a child’s soda away from a packed lunch their mom gave them is too much.

Although, there are very marked differences between how I was raised and Scottie. When my mom did have time to pack me a lunch, I always got crap. Carrot sticks, dried seaweed, soymilk boxes and peanut butter and wheatgerm sandwiches on whole grain bread. I was so envious of everyone who got the small crisp bag, the lunchables, and a soda. If I were a kid, my lunches would totally consist of all those things I didn’t get to have. But since my mom packed my lunch, I had to eat what was in there or starve.

Scottie had a TOTALLY different upbringing. As a kid, he got a packed lunch and 25p to buy a milk. As he got older, the kids were allowed to LEAVE campus to buy food from any of the shops around the school. He told me that his diet used to consist of a chocolate milk (which apparently he became addicted to and HAD to have everyday), and then either a portion of chips and a chocolate bar, or a deep fried pizza, or crisps and a chocolate bar…you get the picture. Let a kid choose lunch in a convenience store or chippy, and obviously what do you think they’ll pick?

I see a few ways the UK can cure this. Closed campuses for one. I never heard of a US school that wasn’t a closed campus. Hell, everyone I met at SD thought I was lucky to NOT have a 8ft chain link fence around the school. If you’re a kid and you’re stuck on school grounds, you will have to eat what you have. Since schools are now supposed to serve only healthy meals, be happy with your lasagna, apple, salad and milk.

And for those who opt for packed lunches, packed by parents who load up the lunchbox with chocolate, crisps and sausage rolls, there’s a way to make them not want to eat them: fear. Prey on their insecurities by constantly showing them pictures of obease people eating pie. Surround them with images of people too fat to get out of bed, who are suffering from painful bedsores, and can’t function anymore. And then tell them it’s because they ate chocolate in primary school. And pizza in secondary school. 12, 13, 14, 15 year old girls ( and probably guys too) are SUPER self-concious at that age! Get them while they’re young! Tell them that if they drink that soda, they will never look like Miley, the Jonas brothers won’t want to talk to them, and Zac Effron would totally laugh at their overhanging belly pooch.

Of course I’m not serious about all this (even thought it would totally work- or create a nation of aneroxics), but it’s not more ridiciously than outlawing what parents can pack for their child to eat. If the parents want to frack up their kid’s life, fine. Eventually the kid will hopefully learn (like Scottie did) that a roll filled with butter and chips is not a healthy sandwich.

I bet you totally don’t want that second helping of ice cream now, do you?

Busted

To make up for that last, self-pitying moan, here’s something worth a cruel chuckle. Or maybe it’s because I’m just evil like that.

Anyway, my living room window looks out onto a busy street, a bus stop, and one of the corporate offices for Bank of Scotland. Next to the bus stop is a parking bay- but only after 6:30. Otherwise, you are not under any circumstances allowed to park there. It’s 5:00 just now and I saw someone drive up in a very flashy sliver porsche. Then Mr. Parking man walked by, took 3 pictures of the car, from every angle, AND a picture of the sign saying ‘no parking’ and slapped him a ticket. The owner of the car came back just in time to see the parking man walk around the corner. Hoo, but I love seeing people with more money than me getting slammed with little inconveniences like that.

Attack of Blerg

I know everyone has one of those days when they just don’t want to get out of bed. But for me, its seriously become a ‘why even get out of bed- there’s nothing to get up for’ kind of depression. And I hate it. I wish wish wish I had something to get up for. Because waking up for something denotes a purpose, and at the moment, I have no purpose!

Every fracking day is the same: I get up when I force myself to, spend all day online looking for jobs, filling out applications, and sending off CVs and cover letters. Sometimes, the only time I leave the house is when Scottie gets home and we go out to buy groceries. Sad, super sad, I know. I have been trying to make use of the clear weather to get some walking and exercise in, but lately, the Arctic winds of death are driving invisible ice shrapnel into my blood stream, while a deluge of grit and dirt make a bee line for my eyes. At the moment, being outside walking about is so not the place I want to be.

Today was one of those days that I wish I just never left the house, much less my bed. In order to be somewhat productive and do something with my life that isn’t moping around the house, I’ve been tossing around the idea of joining a gym. My friend Zonko has been getting on my case about it and said that it would at least perk me up and give me something to do. I’m not so sure about that perking up thing, because the last time I went with her to the gym I came home and had a emotional meltdown- talk about total endorphin fail- but at least she is right about it giving me something to do.

So today I had a meeting with someone from Virgin Active to get a tour of the gym there. Nice, I suppose, and the lady gave me a free pass to use tomorrow, so we shall see if I survive that, but then came the payment details. £46 off peak. WTF?!? Being unemployed as I am, I was really in hoping for something under 40 quid. I mean, it was a nice gym and all, but soooooooooo not worth £46. Especially since I wouldn’t be able to attend any of the classes I was interested in.

After hicking it back from Virgin, I then left to trek over to the opposite side of Edinburgh to the Barcelo gym found in the Carlton Hotel. They had offered to give me a free 3 day pass starting next week, and are £37 a month. They are a very small gym, but have all the bits and bobs I suppose you would need. However, they only offer 6 or 12 month contracts. Since I may not be in Edinburgh in 6 months, I don’t really want to commit to that. After treking back from the Carlton, I went on line to do some more job searching and found one for a cafe in Cannongate, posted on the 23rd. It said to drop in your CV, and because I’m desperate for a job, back across the city I went. To be told they had already filled the position. In less than 3 days.

This right here is a VERY SAD PANDA.So basically, today I walked a total of (and I totally just calculted it on Google Maps) 5.5 miles today FOR NOTHING. The job was a bust, the gyms as waaaaaaay too expensive for someone unemployed, and all the while, it was FREEZING, it was WINDY and after and hour of being camped out in front of the heater, I am still cold inside.

Bllllllllllllerrrrrrrrrrrrrg.