This is a real sandstorm.



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I'm not sure how many of you knew this, but Will Ferrell has been running marathons for the past few years:

"Will Ferrell, famous for Saturday nights in New York, will be joining the field for Monday afternoon's race in Boston.

Ferrell, known for his work on "Saturday Night Live," and his wife, Viveca, will race in their third major marathon.

The Ferrells ran the 2001 New York Marathon and both finished in 5:01:56. Last June, they ran the Stockholm Marathon and finished in 4:28:02. Will ran a 1:45:02 half-marathon in November.

Ferrell has been training under coach Gary Kobat and has lost 25 pounds. The actor recently told Runner's World that his hard work has certainly paid off. "Whenever I see an old friend or cast member, they say 'Wow, you look great.' And I feel great, too. I have more energy, and I've found that my increased fitness makes me feel better about myself in an overall sense.""

I mention this because he has a new movie coming out (actually about 10 movies coming out), Kicking and Screaming, where he looks so skinny. It's amazing.

The kids and I have been going a little stir crazy since the drop in the weather so I decided to take them to a matinee. The only kid movie showing was Robots so we went to the 12:30 showing. I should have called about the prices first. Abby and I were both $6 a piece. The popcorn and twizzlers were another $6. The kids finished the popcorn so that was worth it. But the movie was so visually unappealing, lacking in comedy and character development and basically boring that I wouldn't recommend it for anything more than $1.50 a ticket. Half way through Abby asked when it would be over. Not to mention that fact that Luke wouldn't sit still or be quiet so I held him really tightly until he went limp. It was a crappy time had by all.

"The reality is, if you get 600 bus drivers together, see if you can find a skinny one..."


This leads to some interesting questions? Are there occupations where being fat is a significant enough issue to merit a dismissal, not hiring, reprimand or something? Where do employers have a say in the weight of their employees? Is it discrimination?

I'm all about capitalism and the government staying out of business for the most part. Of course, in a decent world, we wouldn't have to tell companies to not discriminate based on insignificant stuff like color, sex, or religion. It seems absurd that I even have to say that. But a person's weight can have a serious impact on someone's ability to do certain tasks and be in certain environments. Or it may just misrepresent the company's image. This, coupled with the fact that about 99% of overweight people are fat by choice, leads me to think that employers should have a say in the size of their employees. If, however, you are going to "discriminate" based on weight, this should be clearly defined in a contract and opportunities should be provided to help employees maintain their weight, like with an exercise room or membership to a gym.

So what are some jobs that require certain-sized workers?

doctors, nurses, surgeons (they represent health, not to mention they have to move around tables and get up close to patients)
factory workers (though they usually lose weight on the job)
nutritionists, physical therapists, physical trainers (duh)
waiters (getting around tables)
salesmen (especially door-to-door)
daycare workers (taking care of kids requires energy, not sitting around)
television anchors, reporters
acrobats ?
valet drivers
construction workers
people who sit near me at sporting events and such (that's not a job)

Have I given this too much thought?

I can't believe this is real!

"I'm enjoying the relationship and to be honest with you I didn't think I would."

-- Former President GEORGE BUSH on his unlikely friendship with BILL CLINTON, quoted in the New York Daily News.

Update on the Wendy's finger chili...

Wow.

I hate cigarettes, yet I find this funny.

Thank God for braces.

Arena Football League teammates of Al Lucas stood stunned as the 300-pound lineman they called ``Big Luke'' was carried motionless on a stretcher off the Staples Center floor.
Lucas, 26, a former player with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, died Sunday from a presumed spinal cord injury sustained while trying to make a tackle for the Los Angeles Avengers, the team said.

Holiday World has its own blog now. They heard Jamie had one.

I'm usually comfortable talking about and witnessing breastfeeding, but...

As far as I'm concerned, Grace Jones can sit where ever she wants.