Dear Readers,
I don't normally like to shill (wait, maybe I do....hey! Do me a favor and click on those ad links--they're bound to be fun, with all the random topics I've been writing about), BUT today is the opening bout of the 2010 Windy City Rollers home season, and I'm so excited that I have to make sure I tell you about it!
If you happen to be in Chicago and have no plans for the evening, come out to the UIC Pavilion (doors open at 5 PM, game starts at 6 PM) and catch all of the action. Tickets are $20. Unk's doing the national anthem, and Power of Cheer is our halftime entertainment. Honestly, if you've never seen Power of Cheer, come to the bout just for them. They are the perfect combination of hilarity and awesome.
The bouts are Hell's Belles vs. the Double Crossers, and Manic Attackers (sporting new Manictards) vs. the Fury.
Fury star Kola Loka is back! Also, tons of new skaters this year, including transplants Dinah Party (from Gotham Girls Roller Derby) and Jackie Daniels (from Grand Raggity Roller Girls, and she's one of the featured skaters in "Whip It"). The new crop of rookies are really impressive skaters, so this season should be fantastic. After seeing several weeks of scrimmages, I'm really excited to see how these teams skate against each other.
Also debuting: Several new refs and NSOs (non-skating officials). As Intejill, the Assistant Head of Stats, I'm really proud of our staff and the work we do in making sure the bouts are fair and safe. Plus, I'm especially pleased with my specialized integer pants (pants-by-number) which should debut tonight!
Hope to see you there--if you come, please give me a shout out! I'd love to say hello!
Your pal,
Jill
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Upgrade This
Dear Travelodge,
Within one day of our three-night stay in the Natick Travelodge, the Boy and I made a pact to earn enough money so that we never have to stay in a Travelodge again.
Oh, I understand. Travelodge is a "budget-friendly" hotel, with reasonable prices, which we appreciated (as well as the free internet and the "upgrade" to the room with the microwave and fridge--a girl's stash of Diet Coke has to chill, you know). However, is it too much to ask that all the lamps in the room have light bulbs? And that the used towel hanging on the back of the bathroom door is removed before we check in? And that the alarm clock isn't connected to the main light switch, so that if you flip the switch off, the alarm clock goes off as well? Maybe Sleepy Bear doesn't need to get up in the morning, but I sure do, and having to set the clock from scratch every night is a pain in the neck.
Is this "you get what you pay for" pricing?
Just curious,
Your pal,
Jill
P.S.--I understand the Boy is freakishly tall. At 6'5", he's quickly discovering he doesn't fit into much of Massachusetts, including the shower stall in this hotel. Just another fun Travelodge discovery!
Within one day of our three-night stay in the Natick Travelodge, the Boy and I made a pact to earn enough money so that we never have to stay in a Travelodge again.
Oh, I understand. Travelodge is a "budget-friendly" hotel, with reasonable prices, which we appreciated (as well as the free internet and the "upgrade" to the room with the microwave and fridge--a girl's stash of Diet Coke has to chill, you know). However, is it too much to ask that all the lamps in the room have light bulbs? And that the used towel hanging on the back of the bathroom door is removed before we check in? And that the alarm clock isn't connected to the main light switch, so that if you flip the switch off, the alarm clock goes off as well? Maybe Sleepy Bear doesn't need to get up in the morning, but I sure do, and having to set the clock from scratch every night is a pain in the neck.
Is this "you get what you pay for" pricing?
Just curious,
Your pal,
Jill
P.S.--I understand the Boy is freakishly tall. At 6'5", he's quickly discovering he doesn't fit into much of Massachusetts, including the shower stall in this hotel. Just another fun Travelodge discovery!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
One Man's Trash...
Dear Wrigley's,
The Boy bought a pack of Doublemint for our airplane trip today, and we definitely noticed your change. By change, I mean, "Wrigely switched to paper wrappers and saved about 850 metric tons of foil from going into landfills every year."
OK, that sounds really nice, but now aren't there 850 metric tons of paper going into landfills instead? I mean, you could recycle the paper, but I tend to put my used gum in the wrapper, especially if I'm not near a garbage can and just can't chew it anymore. I put it in the wrapper and then in my pocket or purse until I do find a garbage can. You can't recycle that paper! I can't be the only person who puts chewed gum in the wrapper!
Plus, what are all the MacGyvers of this world going to do without foil wrappers?
Just curious. Thanks for your time.
Your pal,
Jill
The Boy bought a pack of Doublemint for our airplane trip today, and we definitely noticed your change. By change, I mean, "Wrigely switched to paper wrappers and saved about 850 metric tons of foil from going into landfills every year."
OK, that sounds really nice, but now aren't there 850 metric tons of paper going into landfills instead? I mean, you could recycle the paper, but I tend to put my used gum in the wrapper, especially if I'm not near a garbage can and just can't chew it anymore. I put it in the wrapper and then in my pocket or purse until I do find a garbage can. You can't recycle that paper! I can't be the only person who puts chewed gum in the wrapper!
Plus, what are all the MacGyvers of this world going to do without foil wrappers?
Just curious. Thanks for your time.
Your pal,
Jill
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
So, How Much Is Too Much?
NOTE TO READERS: Although I do like writing snail mail, sometimes e-mail is much more efficient. Tamara, a whip-smart woman I used to work with, got back to me right away with a really helpful answer that sheds a lot of light on the subject of yogurt (and it's frightening what some food processors will do). What do you think?
Hi, Jill,
You raise an excellent question!
All yogurt will contain some natural milk sugar (lactose), even if it is unsweetened. As a rule, a typical 6 oz container of plain, American-style yogurt will contain about 11g of natural sugar (or, 1.8g/oz). A typical 5.3oz container of Greek-style strained yogurt will contain 6g of natural sugar (it loses some of the lactose in the watery liquid that is removed from the straining process).
Any sugar in your yogurt beyond these naturally-existing levels is added sugar.
So how much is too much? Well, keep in mind that every 4g of sugar is a teaspoon. Most experts agree that a reasonable upper limit for added sugar in a healthy diet would be about 10 tsp/day... though bear in mind that this refers to a "typical" 2,000 calorie diet, which is more than many women are eating (or should be). 5-9 tsps added sugar per day is more realistic (nutritionally, but probably not in practice) for many women.
So the question is: how do you want to spend your added sugar budget? If you don't drink sweetened drinks (including your morning coffee/tea) and rarely have desserts/sweets, etc.., then maybe you can afford to spend a few tsps of sugar on that breakfast yogurt. But even so, many choices still seem excessive.
Among the yogurts you inquired about, The Cultural Revolution yogurt at 11g for a flavored 6oz variety is a great option... and I love that it's organic as well. (It appears they produce a greek-ish style yogurt which is how they keep the total sugar low even though they add additional). A few brands you mentioned (Better Whey, Cascade Fresh) had 14g-16g sugar for a 6oz container; that's like 3-5g added sugar, or ~1 tsp. I find that pretty reasonable if you're going for a flavored yogurt instead of plain. Another good choice for flavored yogurt is Siggi's Icelandic Style Skyr (10-11g sugar per 6oz).
Once you get much past the 16g of sugar range for a 6oz yogurt, I tend to think it's a bit much, and might advise you to try buying plain (or even better, plain Greek yogurt) and adding 1 tsp honey per 6-8oz to sweeten it yourself. By this guideline, you'll probably disqualify 90% of the yogurts sold in the supermarket.
In other words, the Activia at 17g (per tiny 4oz container, no less) is outrageously high...it has 2.5tsp of added sugar in that itty bitty little container. If you like the 4oz size, I'd recommend Stonyfield Farms Yo Baby yogurt; it has 12g sugar (~1 tsp added) per container, which makes it more appropriate for adults than babies, anyway.
Another big offender in my book includes the Stonyfield Farms Organic flavored varieties, which typically have 21-23g sugar per 6oz serving (again, that's 2.5-3 tsps of added sugar!).
As far as your question about the different types of sweeteners, there's no real difference between sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or fruit juice concentrate as far as how your body metabolizes them. No source is any better or worse than the other. So don't be fooled by "organic cane sugar" on an ingredient list as being somehown benign or healthier. Straight fructose (or higher-fructose sweeteners like Agave) is metabolized differently than the other sugars, but for the quantity found in a 6oz yogurt, it doesn't make a measurable difference one way or the other for good or for bad. Sugar is sugar is sugar. Having said that, I'd take real sugar over those artifical sweeteners in the diet yogurts any day; at least your body knows what to do with it. I avoid aspartame and acesulfame potassium in all foods and drinks as a rule. The only time I think these products are acceptable is for people with diabetes who need to strictly avoid sugar for glycemic control reasons, and even then, I'd recommend trying to develop a taste for a plain yogurt or (even better) plain Greek yogurt first before resorting to the artificial stuff.
Hope this helps clear things up! It makes me sad that our supermarket has become so complex that highly intelligent, educated people need to consult nutrition experts just to navigate the yogurt aisle... but I'm glad I could help in any event.
Your pal,
Tamara
Hi, Jill,
You raise an excellent question!
All yogurt will contain some natural milk sugar (lactose), even if it is unsweetened. As a rule, a typical 6 oz container of plain, American-style yogurt will contain about 11g of natural sugar (or, 1.8g/oz). A typical 5.3oz container of Greek-style strained yogurt will contain 6g of natural sugar (it loses some of the lactose in the watery liquid that is removed from the straining process).
Any sugar in your yogurt beyond these naturally-existing levels is added sugar.
So how much is too much? Well, keep in mind that every 4g of sugar is a teaspoon. Most experts agree that a reasonable upper limit for added sugar in a healthy diet would be about 10 tsp/day... though bear in mind that this refers to a "typical" 2,000 calorie diet, which is more than many women are eating (or should be). 5-9 tsps added sugar per day is more realistic (nutritionally, but probably not in practice) for many women.
So the question is: how do you want to spend your added sugar budget? If you don't drink sweetened drinks (including your morning coffee/tea) and rarely have desserts/sweets, etc.., then maybe you can afford to spend a few tsps of sugar on that breakfast yogurt. But even so, many choices still seem excessive.
Among the yogurts you inquired about, The Cultural Revolution yogurt at 11g for a flavored 6oz variety is a great option... and I love that it's organic as well. (It appears they produce a greek-ish style yogurt which is how they keep the total sugar low even though they add additional). A few brands you mentioned (Better Whey, Cascade Fresh) had 14g-16g sugar for a 6oz container; that's like 3-5g added sugar, or ~1 tsp. I find that pretty reasonable if you're going for a flavored yogurt instead of plain. Another good choice for flavored yogurt is Siggi's Icelandic Style Skyr (10-11g sugar per 6oz).
Once you get much past the 16g of sugar range for a 6oz yogurt, I tend to think it's a bit much, and might advise you to try buying plain (or even better, plain Greek yogurt) and adding 1 tsp honey per 6-8oz to sweeten it yourself. By this guideline, you'll probably disqualify 90% of the yogurts sold in the supermarket.
In other words, the Activia at 17g (per tiny 4oz container, no less) is outrageously high...it has 2.5tsp of added sugar in that itty bitty little container. If you like the 4oz size, I'd recommend Stonyfield Farms Yo Baby yogurt; it has 12g sugar (~1 tsp added) per container, which makes it more appropriate for adults than babies, anyway.
Another big offender in my book includes the Stonyfield Farms Organic flavored varieties, which typically have 21-23g sugar per 6oz serving (again, that's 2.5-3 tsps of added sugar!).
As far as your question about the different types of sweeteners, there's no real difference between sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or fruit juice concentrate as far as how your body metabolizes them. No source is any better or worse than the other. So don't be fooled by "organic cane sugar" on an ingredient list as being somehown benign or healthier. Straight fructose (or higher-fructose sweeteners like Agave) is metabolized differently than the other sugars, but for the quantity found in a 6oz yogurt, it doesn't make a measurable difference one way or the other for good or for bad. Sugar is sugar is sugar. Having said that, I'd take real sugar over those artifical sweeteners in the diet yogurts any day; at least your body knows what to do with it. I avoid aspartame and acesulfame potassium in all foods and drinks as a rule. The only time I think these products are acceptable is for people with diabetes who need to strictly avoid sugar for glycemic control reasons, and even then, I'd recommend trying to develop a taste for a plain yogurt or (even better) plain Greek yogurt first before resorting to the artificial stuff.
Hope this helps clear things up! It makes me sad that our supermarket has become so complex that highly intelligent, educated people need to consult nutrition experts just to navigate the yogurt aisle... but I'm glad I could help in any event.
Your pal,
Tamara
Monday, January 25, 2010
Yo-dilemma
Dear Tamara Duker,
Hope you're doing well. I have a question about yogurt, and I looked for the answer on your blog but didn't find it (though really, I would've loved to try the lactose-free yogurt you wrote about).
From time to time, I get on a little yogurt kick. Last weekend I stayed in a hotel, and at the continental breakfast spread, I opted to eat some Activia yogurt. Tasty! I should eat more of this!
Then I day 2, I noticed that my 4 oz. cup contained 17g of sugar, and that felt like a lot. Especially when the ingredients were (according to the website):
CULTURED GRADE A NON FAT MILK, PEACH, INULIN, WATER, CONTAINS LESS THAN 1% OF FRUCTOSE, CORN STARCH, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, KOSHER GELATIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, ANNATTO EXTRACT AND CARROT JUICE CONCENTRATE (FOR COLOR), SODIUM CITRATE, MALIC ACID, SUCRALOSE Am I right? I mean, I feel like sugar or some form of sweetener is dumped into a lot of American processed food, and I'd like to get away from some of that. This week I've been eating yogurt for breakfast every day, which I've really enjoyed. I usually eat Kashi GoLean (fiber, baby!), but the yogurt is a nice change (calcium, baby!). I've been trying a bunch of varieties--mainly various brands from Whole Foods, or Trader Joe's, selected by the sugar content. Here's what I've tried: Trader Joe's Greek-style: 5.3 oz., 11g sugar Brown Cow All Natural Greek Yogurt: 5.3 oz, 17g sugar Wallaby Organic: 6 oz., 19g sugar Cultural Revolution Organic: 6 oz., 11g sugar Better Whey of Life Protein Yogurt: 6 oz., 14g sugar Cascade Fresh Fat Free Yogurt: 6 oz., 16g sugar I have not tried the true Greek yogurts, mainly because they put too much of a crimp in my budget. I've also looked at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Private Label regular yogurts, which had way more sugar in them. That scared me a bit. So, my question--if you have some time--is, What's an acceptable sugar range for yogurt? I understand it's going to have some sugar, but how much is too much? And where should that sweetness come from? I see all sorts of ingredients--from fruit juice concentrate to natural cane sugar to fructose. What should I try to avoid in choosing yogurt? Thanks so much for your time....hope all is well in your corner of the world and with school. The Boy and I are moving to Boston in a couple of months--he got a job with a small consulting firm out there. Good times. Take care, Your pal, Jill | ||||
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Cabbie Mold
Dear Norma I. Reyes, Commissioner, City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection,
I'm writing to send you a cab driver compliment. The Boy and I had an awesome driver last night, one Bruce R. Vandergriff #56775, driving cab #391. He provided efficient, friendly service...well, that really doesn't encompass how I felt about our cab ride. Let me give it to you straight.
The Boy and I don't take cabs all that often, and last night we were debating on whether or not we should wait for the bus or take a cab. We let one go by, then decided that the bus was too slow, so we flagged the next guy down. As soon as I opened the door, I could hardly contain my excitement. Could it be? Really? Yes! An old white guy cab driver!
You might think that's a racist thing to say, and although I appreciate the diversity our great city has to offer, I am pretty particular about race/nationality when it comes to cab drivers--and after almost fifteen years of living in the city, I've experienced enough drivers to have a solid opinion on this matter. The best? The old white guys. They've been driving a cab for decades. They know the city like the back of their hand. You don't give them an intersection, you give them an obscure address, and they'll know the back way that gets you there quicker. They like to chat and have great stories about the city. Old white guy cab drivers rock.
Notice I said old. Young white guy cab drivers? Not as good as the old ones. These guys tend to be temporary drivers and aren't as invested. They're still decent though.
Other really good cab drivers? African-Americans, Hispanics, Koreans (we had such an interesting ride with a good Korean driver once), and Egyptians (more great conversation and decent driving). Pakistani and Indian cab drivers are pretty decent and can be fun to talk to. Their driving is OK.
Eastern Europeans are hit and miss. I've had good ones. I've also had the one who was watching a DVD while he drove us down Lake Shore Drive during the morning rush hour (sorry I didn't report that incident. I was too shell-shocked after yelling at him to turn off the player that I forgot to get his number).
The worst? Africans. Usually the ones from Nigeria. They need driving lessons. They need to learn the streets. It's no fun telling your cabbie--who can barely speak English--where Lake Shore Drive is. That guy almost got us into an accident. We did report that one, which your office took care of and kept us in the loop on. Nice job! We've learned that we really shouldn't take any of the maroon/purplish cabs because they tend to have worse drivers. Sad, but true.
At any rate, Bruce took us where we needed to go. He drove safely. He was friendly and told a good story. We wished we lived further away so that we could stay in the cab longer. I don't say that about many cab drivers, but Bruce was really good at his job. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate cab drivers like him. Could you create a mold of this guy and make all potential Chicago cabbies be like him? Cabbies with different colors and accents, sure, but cabbies with the same great attitude and skill sets. Our city would be much better off.
Thanks for your time.
Your pal,
Jill
I'm writing to send you a cab driver compliment. The Boy and I had an awesome driver last night, one Bruce R. Vandergriff #56775, driving cab #391. He provided efficient, friendly service...well, that really doesn't encompass how I felt about our cab ride. Let me give it to you straight.
The Boy and I don't take cabs all that often, and last night we were debating on whether or not we should wait for the bus or take a cab. We let one go by, then decided that the bus was too slow, so we flagged the next guy down. As soon as I opened the door, I could hardly contain my excitement. Could it be? Really? Yes! An old white guy cab driver!
You might think that's a racist thing to say, and although I appreciate the diversity our great city has to offer, I am pretty particular about race/nationality when it comes to cab drivers--and after almost fifteen years of living in the city, I've experienced enough drivers to have a solid opinion on this matter. The best? The old white guys. They've been driving a cab for decades. They know the city like the back of their hand. You don't give them an intersection, you give them an obscure address, and they'll know the back way that gets you there quicker. They like to chat and have great stories about the city. Old white guy cab drivers rock.
Notice I said old. Young white guy cab drivers? Not as good as the old ones. These guys tend to be temporary drivers and aren't as invested. They're still decent though.
Other really good cab drivers? African-Americans, Hispanics, Koreans (we had such an interesting ride with a good Korean driver once), and Egyptians (more great conversation and decent driving). Pakistani and Indian cab drivers are pretty decent and can be fun to talk to. Their driving is OK.
Eastern Europeans are hit and miss. I've had good ones. I've also had the one who was watching a DVD while he drove us down Lake Shore Drive during the morning rush hour (sorry I didn't report that incident. I was too shell-shocked after yelling at him to turn off the player that I forgot to get his number).
The worst? Africans. Usually the ones from Nigeria. They need driving lessons. They need to learn the streets. It's no fun telling your cabbie--who can barely speak English--where Lake Shore Drive is. That guy almost got us into an accident. We did report that one, which your office took care of and kept us in the loop on. Nice job! We've learned that we really shouldn't take any of the maroon/purplish cabs because they tend to have worse drivers. Sad, but true.
At any rate, Bruce took us where we needed to go. He drove safely. He was friendly and told a good story. We wished we lived further away so that we could stay in the cab longer. I don't say that about many cab drivers, but Bruce was really good at his job. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate cab drivers like him. Could you create a mold of this guy and make all potential Chicago cabbies be like him? Cabbies with different colors and accents, sure, but cabbies with the same great attitude and skill sets. Our city would be much better off.
Thanks for your time.
Your pal,
Jill
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Need the Housing Memo
Dear Homeowners,
I think we missed a memo or something. How is it possible to afford a house? The Boy and I are looking at a move to the Boston area (which might be our first problem), and we'd like to buy a house. A single-family house. However, even with a decent down payment (~10%), once you tack on insurance and taxes, it really looks like even a small house in a nice town on a commuter rail (which is what I'd really like) is out of our reach. Or, maybe it isn't, if we were more comfortable with having housing take up pretty much half of our monthly budget.
Are we crazy? Did we miss a memo? Or would it just be wiser to spend another year in a rental rather than live with the stress of high monthly costs?
Let me know. I've been watching way too much HGTV lately and feeling like I'm just clueless about the process. How can all these 20-somethings be able to plunk down a ton of money for a house, while I don't feel like I can? Is there some financing thing I'm missing, or am I just not comfortable enough with massive amounts of debt?
Your advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Your pal,
Jill
I think we missed a memo or something. How is it possible to afford a house? The Boy and I are looking at a move to the Boston area (which might be our first problem), and we'd like to buy a house. A single-family house. However, even with a decent down payment (~10%), once you tack on insurance and taxes, it really looks like even a small house in a nice town on a commuter rail (which is what I'd really like) is out of our reach. Or, maybe it isn't, if we were more comfortable with having housing take up pretty much half of our monthly budget.
Are we crazy? Did we miss a memo? Or would it just be wiser to spend another year in a rental rather than live with the stress of high monthly costs?
Let me know. I've been watching way too much HGTV lately and feeling like I'm just clueless about the process. How can all these 20-somethings be able to plunk down a ton of money for a house, while I don't feel like I can? Is there some financing thing I'm missing, or am I just not comfortable enough with massive amounts of debt?
Your advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Your pal,
Jill
Monday, January 18, 2010
Fever Commencing
Dear U.S. Olympic Committee,
Wow, you're good! All I had to do was open my mailbox, see the solicitation envelope from you, and I was ready to donate. Granted, I'm not able to donate a ton--just enough to get that snazzy (American made, perhaps?!) fleece jacket....and one for the Boy, since he looked a little forlorn until I said we could get two. Well, actually, he said he'd make his own donation because he wanted to get his own set of US Olympic address labels too, but I quashed that idea because I didn't want you to spend extra money sending two mailings to one address. That's just a waste.
Anyway, I'm rambling a bit, but that's what happens when I get the Fever. What Fever, you ask? Olympic Fever! Can you believe Vancouver is almost here? I'm so excited to see what these Games have to offer--I actually almost like the Winter Games better because the sports don't get so much TV time in these parts.
Speaking of obscure sports, I'd like to request that you put my $50 (which should hit your account soon--it went to the processing address, and I can't donate online because I don't have a VISA card) toward supporting our biathletes. Oh, I know. All sports are important (except for figure skating, which is mega-important), and all our athletes need financial help, but seriously, I want my donation to go into their budget, because biathlon should be more popular than it is, and these athletes deserve their due.
Wow, you're good! All I had to do was open my mailbox, see the solicitation envelope from you, and I was ready to donate. Granted, I'm not able to donate a ton--just enough to get that snazzy (American made, perhaps?!) fleece jacket....and one for the Boy, since he looked a little forlorn until I said we could get two. Well, actually, he said he'd make his own donation because he wanted to get his own set of US Olympic address labels too, but I quashed that idea because I didn't want you to spend extra money sending two mailings to one address. That's just a waste.
Anyway, I'm rambling a bit, but that's what happens when I get the Fever. What Fever, you ask? Olympic Fever! Can you believe Vancouver is almost here? I'm so excited to see what these Games have to offer--I actually almost like the Winter Games better because the sports don't get so much TV time in these parts.
Speaking of obscure sports, I'd like to request that you put my $50 (which should hit your account soon--it went to the processing address, and I can't donate online because I don't have a VISA card) toward supporting our biathletes. Oh, I know. All sports are important (except for figure skating, which is mega-important), and all our athletes need financial help, but seriously, I want my donation to go into their budget, because biathlon should be more popular than it is, and these athletes deserve their due.
I don't understand why biathlon isn't a major sport in our gun-happy nation. I went to biathlon at the Salt Lake City Games in 2002, and I tell you, it was the most exciting sport I'd seen in years. Even watching it on TV has me on the edge of my seat. Will he hit the target? Will he have to ski a penalty lap? Will he have enough energy to keep skiing at full strength? It's a dramatic sport, and I think more Americans, if given the chance, would become big fans. They just need the exposure to it. Money provides exposure. I'm providing (a little) money.
Thanks for your time and attention. I'm looking forward to a great Games! USA! USA!
Your pal,
Jill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)