PEOPLE CAN NOT BE THIS IGNORANT, RIGHT??!!??

As seen on CNN:

"A candidate for the Republican National Committee chairmanship said Friday the CD he sent committee members for Christmas - which included a song titled 'Barack the Magic Negro' -- was clearly intended as a joke."

This man is ignorant, racist, stupid, and apparently a sore loser. The only JOKE here is that this man is part of our governing body.

My Holiday Shout Out

Since the holiday spirit is all around, and since I just saw an amazing movie (Seven Pounds) that definitely makes you wonder what kind of difference you are making in this world, I have decided to give a shout-out.  There is a guy who has been working at Phipps Plaza AMC movie theater taking tickets for as many years as I can remember. Now I am not talking about some young kid with braces holding down his first job. This man has got to be around 70 if I had to guess. He could be doing it because he loves the job, or he could be doing it because he unfortunately still needs to produce income, OR BOTH! However, every time I go to see a movie I love seeing that this man is still taking my tickets. He doesn't just rip the ticket and point you in the right direction. First he asks what you are seeing, followed by his personal review of the movie (although he has yet to say "This sucks, dont see it").  Then he ALWAYS makes some joke about the movie, or something I have said. It doesn't have to be a good joke, because it makes me happy anyways. As far as I am concerned, this man is an Atlanta institution. So G-d bless you ticket taker.

PS:  Ignore all reviews. Seven Pounds is an amazing movie that will touch you to the core. If you don't cry at least once in this movie, you probably are lacking a soul.

Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Jolly Kwanzaa and a Super Festivus for the Restofus.

A Medical Miracle

If you haven't already seen the news this morning, I have an amazing medical story for you. Doctors in Barcelona have just successfully transplanted a new windpipe into a 30 year old Columbian woman that was made completely out of her own stem cells. Stem cells are baby cells........undifferentiated into one of the more complex cell structures that makes up our specific organs. Doctors have found a way to take these stems cells and help manipulate it to form a human windpipe. This should be considered amazing in its own right, but since the stem cells came from the patient herself, she will not have to worry about the ever present risk of her body rejecting the transplant.

The woman needed this transplant because  she has been suffering from Tuberculosis and her trachea had been stripped of all the cells leaving just connective tissue, and one of her bronchioles was almost completely constricted. In the US alone, there are about 25,000 new cases of TB each year.  For this reason, and so many others, is why I support stem cell research. I know there is controversy out there about where the stem cells come from and to each their own, but successful stories such as this one prove that all funding, all research, all testing.......should move forward as fast and as safe as possible!!

I'm a Simple Man!!

I am just going to go ahead and put it out there.........I hate places that have a bathroom attendant. Via paying my check, buying tickets, or whatever, I probably have already paid for the right to use the bathroom at the facility. I get up from the table and head towards the bathroom hoping for some personal time with the urinal.....waiting to get that amazing feeling as your bladder is voiding. I turn the corner AND THERE HE IS!!  He sits there looking all smug, quietly lining up the brut cologne, the scented hand soap, and the Q-tips.  I then realize that I all I have is a $20 bill. This leads to the financial dilemma that we have with bathroom attendants.  I mean are you supposed to ask for change? I mean it is weird enough for me to have someone turn the faucet on, spray a little soap in my hands, and then hand me a paper towel..........AND THEN expect money for it.  It is even worse when you then have to give them a $20 and ask for $19 in change from their plastic tip basket. If they don't have the change then you have to go out to the bar to get some and then come back in to tip the guy OR you just have to look him straight in the eye and walk out without tipping knowing the attendant is trying to drill a hole in your back with laser beams from his eyes. Everyone has to earn a living so it is not the attendants themselves I dislike. However, let all of the bars and clubs of this world know that I hold whether or not you use a bathroom attendant as criteria for where NOT to party. It can change everything........when to "break the seal", how much extra money I have to blow on Golden Tee, can I get that extra cheeseburger at late night McDonald's?!?!? All important things to think about.

Checking In

It's been almost a month since I put something down on here so I figured I would write some random thoughts:

My friends both in Atlanta and Ft. Lauderdale finally broke me down because I finally saw my first episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia a few weeks ago and its already one of my favorite shows of all time. I have finished the 1st, 2nd, and current season but I still need to go back and see most of the 3rd season. I mean with classics like "The Gang has a Jihad" AND "Charlie has a baby"......how can you go wrong?

Music:  Everyone should get the newest CD from Kings of Leon. I had not heard much of their stuff previously, but after hearing the song "Sex on Fire" I was hooked. I also recommend the songs "Closer" and "Use Somebody."  My buddy Todd from HOTlanta said I should look into this band named Elbow because the lead singer looks like me. I have to say after checking the band out that I am a little insulted by the appearance reference as the lead singer looks like he has had a few too many cold British winters and few too many nights in the pub, BUT.....the band is actually pretty good.

Working out has become pretty important to me. I will never be one of those people that says they actually enjoy the pain that is cardiovascular exercise, but I am getting pretty addicted to the feeling just after I am done. I think it will take another 2-3 months of dedication to actually get my goal of a six-pack but hopefully I can stay healthy so I can at least try for it.  Normally about this point I get some injury that will keep me from running for a few weeks and throw off the workout mojo, but I will keep my fingers crossed!

Finally, since I should continue to pay attention in class today, I will leave you all with one last thing.....

I am psyched about the outcome of last night's election. And that acceptance speech blew me away......which is mostly due of NBC's The West Wing.  I watch that show all the time and it inspires me, but what has always made me come back to watch the episodes time and time again was the speeches that Aaron Sorkin wrote for Martin Sheen's fictional President Bartlett. They were eloquent, rousing, and inspirational. I wrote blogs and made jokes about how I would like to see President Bartlett as the actual President of the US......POTUS if you will.  All of this because Bush has worn me down.........made me feel that America had lowered the bar for what we expected in the leader of our great nation. And I can not believe we voted him in for a second term!!  

Now I know President Elect Obama is just that.......our future president who has not even stepped into office, BUT  for about 10 minutes last night I saw and heard everything I had been waiting for over the past 8 years (and more).  I saw a man who WAS a candidate, flip the switch and BECOME the office of president. I saw a time in the future where traveling internationally does not come with the question, "Do you like President Bush" with that the tone that says we blame you personally for all foreign policy.  I saw 150,000 people turn an acceptance speech into a rally for change on behalf of at least the majority and hopefully soon, the nation.  There are many questions still left to answer, and promises to make happen, but we are on our way. 

"This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."    -Barrack Obama (and obviously his speechwriters)

That is what I look towards The West Wing for.....what I look towards my president for!

The Immaculate Conception............Of A Shark!!!!

Now I can not say for sure whether this is an example of evolution, global warming, Chernobyl, or just a good ole fashioned immaculate conception, but scientifically THIS is amazing!!! There are now two examples of aquarium sharks having asexual reproduction.

The first case of this, and I quote "virgin birth", happened at an Omaha Zoo where a hammerhead gave birth to a baby shark. There were no male sharks to inseminate the female. At first this seemed to be an isolated event. It grabbed attention yes, but it may have been slightly blown off as an anomaly or an isolated event.

However, this most recent discovery shows that while this may not be the answer to the sharks' declining population, it still may be the tip of the iceberh of some type of pattern of change for a species that seemed to be evolutionarily unaltered for millions of years.  This most recent case occurred in our friend Tidbit, a black tip shark that died last year in a Virginia aqurium. The shark underwent an autopsy since she had died suddenly due to a reaction to the anesthesia during a routine physical exam.  During the autopsy vets discovered the embryo of young, black-tip shark amidst gestation. However, there were no male black tip sharks present AT ANY POINT during her life at the aquarium. 

Cross-breeding? Evolutionary change? Immaculate conception?   

Things that make you go hmmmmmm! 

Not a smart move - but NOT suprising!!!

You knew this fairytale couldn't go on forever.  I was shocked yesterday when I went onto IMDB, or another movie/TV gossip website and I saw the headline "Hef Dumps Girlfriend."  Now this is not the surprising part. Hef is a young 82 years old, a successful millionare entrepreneur, and well, lets admit it.....an all-around nice guy. So dumping one of the many girls in his harem should not be a big deal.  

Now go ahead and guess which one he let go?  

You would think it would be Bridgett. I mean she is the oldest  and while still fit, in the worst shape of the three as well.  And lets be honest....Hef is all about the outer packaging!!

You would think it could be Kendra. While exactly the look Hef wants, she is certifiably crazy. She is always saying really stupid (though possibly edited by E) stuff on camera, still acts like a 16 year old, and seems to have nothing in common to share with her "boyfriend." 

BUT NO!!! He dumped Holly!! The girlfriend who had been there the longest of the three. The one who actually shared a bed with Hef and if anyone actually was having sex with him....it was her. On the show she appears to be the most devoted girlfriend ever, claiming to want to have his babies and makes sure to call every 20 mins when away from his side!!   

So why is this happening?  Because she was stupid enough to cheat on him. She is losing an almost unlimited allowance, life in the mansion, and everything else she has never had to work for........Bad move Holly.......Bad move!!

Hef.......I dont know if you are taking applications for a new girlfriend.  I certainly don't fit your preferred profile..........AND I am not into that sort of thing........... but for life in the Playboy mansion........I can try!!

RIP Paul Newman

On friday we lost one of the finest actors (and salad dressing makers) ever to grace the silver screen. Some of my favorites were Cool Hand Luke (the deviled eggs make me want to puke though), Slap Shot, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Hudsucker Proxy. It is refreshing to see someone who can take Hollywood by storm.......for so so long.....and yet never succumbed to the pressure of the paparazzi, never ended up in people magazine with his c$%k hanging out, and never drove around with his child on the roof of his car. He was a fine thespian, a entrepreneur, and a charitable soul.  RIP Paul Newman. 

Get Fit 2008 - Update #3

8/22/08: 190 lbs

8/29/08: 187 lbs

9/6/08: 182.5 lbs

9/16/08: 180.5 lbs

_____________

Total so far: - 10 lbs    (well just about)

Total to go: 15 more pounds

I am getting in the rhythm of things I think. I have not be as great about cooking myself healthy meals, but the meals I have eaten out have been (for the most part) pretty decent. I am working out like a mad man though.

In case you are all asking yourselves......RYAN......what are you going to do once you reach your goal weight????? (AND I KNOW YOU ARE!!!)

The answer is that I am going to buy myself a GIANT cookie cake that says "congrats on getting skinny." ------- SWEET SWEET IRONY

102 Minutes that Changed the World

Yes it has been 7 years since the 9/11 attacks, but in my opinion it will always be a fresh wound. The History Channel put on a documentary recently, with the same name as above, that showed that historic morning in a very different light than what we are used to. There were no celebrities to voice over the action, no catchy music to make you feel emotion that is or is not there.......just raw footage (video, voicemails, phone calls, announcements, etc) of pedestrians, policemen, firefighters, and everyone else who woke up that morning to find themselves at the footsteps of so much evil and yet so much human triumph.

Here are just a few of interesting things I saw.......both good and bad.......the stories you never really saw:

1) At one point you can hear in the background of one video clip, the audio of a man who was SUPPOSED to be in the building that morning, but he was late for work. I am sure there are many examples like him, but you can hear him calling his relieved mother to let her know that he was safe......BECAUSE he was late getting to work due to staying up the previous evening to watch Monday Night Football.  He actually says, "Monday Night Football saved my life."

2) I know that I am being hypocritical in saying this since the footage of this event is what I am commenting on, BUT at some point the journalism has got to stop! A police officer, who could have been one of the hundreds or thousands of civil servants recalled from retirement/day off/whatever to help protect the citizens of Manhattan from further damage, is trying to keep some journalists back from ground zero. How is he repaid???  The stupid journalist spends every last breath saying, "What is your badge number, give me your badge number." Its almost comical that in a time like that, he believed the officer was going be afraid of being told on for keeping him away from the towers.  And this is before the collapse, so imagine if the cop just gave in. 

3)  The documentary was made to show the countdown (102 minutes) from the time the first plane hit to shortly after the second tower fell.  Now if you google it, you can find out the exact times each tower fell. I was sort of curious as I was watching the film so I went ahead and did just that. It made the viewing experience even that much more intense! I was able to sit there , watch the time roll on the TV screen, watch the fireman prepare to enter the building, AND hear the communication between those who were currently on the 72nd floor of tower 1 rescuing people. I saw the time dated on the film, knew the time of the collapse, and realized that I was probably watching the last video and hearing the last audio that the many of those brave souls would ever produce. Watching them, they had no idea it would collapse. They might have thought it could be a possibility, but if so you could never tell in their faces!! I felt like that person at the movies we all hate....."No dont go through that door, the killer is on the other side."  But in this instance, they were going through the door anyways and GOD BLESS THEM!!

4) I could go on forever, but I will leave you with one last quip.  I think another area people never think about is the 911 operators that were working that morning. I am sure at some point ALL of Manhattan called to report what was going down. The history channel actually lets us listen to the calls from people trapped inside the building to those operators and it is INSANE!  There were all types of interactions. Some of the operators remained calm, went by the book, and did there best to relay positions, injuries, etc to the rescue team. You could hear others who tried their best to follow protocol, but overwhelmed by sorrow, grief, were pretty helpless (which unfortunately is understandable). BUT here is the other side of the spectrum and it makes me sick!!!! There was one recording of a 911 operator who was trying to help at first, but took a completely different direction. He was talking to someone on the 100th floor of tower 1, telling them to stay put, and stay low. Good advice, yes! The person he was talking to, obviously in a state of panic, kept saying they were going to try to find a way out. When the operator heard this, he got very defensive and angry as if this poor trapped soul was challenging his authority, and the operator actually says, "No sir, don't do that, you know what, I AM HANGING UP!!"  Are you kidding me???

That is all for now. 

Get Fit 2008 - Update #2

8/22/08: 190 lbs

8/29/08: 187 lbs

9/6/08: 182.5 lbs

The weight is starting to come off, but there is no way it can stay such a constant decrease. I expect to start dropping maybe 1-2 pounds per week MAX.    The only faults this week were a few chicken tenders and some beer, but a guy has got to live, right?  The cardio is getting easier, but the strained muscle/tendonitis is getting worse, so I guess we will see how this goes.  See you next week.

Forget the Presidency.....There's a More Important Debate!!

Man-Vs.-Wild    OR    Survivorman

For me, it's not really a debate at all. Survivorman is by far the better of the two survival technicians. But follow me here....let's take a different direction with this one. I am actually going to tell you some cool stuff about Bear Grylls. 

First,  he has an awesome name.  I love Bears. And I love grilling things.  

Next....let's look at some of the cool things he has accomplished (thanks to IMDB):  

1) Served in British Special Air Services (I know nothing about them, but they sound badass)

2)He has climbed Mount Everest

Now I have done a lot of research about this intrepid mountain and I know this is no little feat!!! For this I tip my hat.

3)In June 2005, He broke a world record by hosting a dinner party at a table suspended below a hot air balloon at 24,500 feet.

-I mean it was about time. We all flirted with this record...thinking we would be the ones to break bread amongst the clouds....but Bear.....He is a DO-ER!!!

4)He led the first unassisted crossing of the frozen North Atlantic Ocean, in an open, rigid, inflatable boat! 

-Carnival Cruise Lines, I believe, has now expanded their vacation options to include this very same voyage. Who comes up with these challenges??

5) Finally, he owns his own island on the Welsh coast, which he keeps as a nature reserve, and lives on a converted barge wife his wife and kids, Jesse and Marmaduke.

-His name is Marmaduke. You don't mess with Marmaduke. 

Now I do have to say there are quite a few things about Man vs. Wild that bother me and keep me from becoming a true fan. Most importantly, it always seems like Bear just got back from the local Motel 6 to start filming.  Secondly, he takes the most ridiculously complex approach to EVERYTHING.   You could walk down the snowy mountain, slide on your rear end, figure something out. Nope, not Bear. He finds an animal to kill so he can skin the hide and prepare it as a sled.  And the eating!! Oh, the eating!!! Now why is it so important that he eat raw sheep heart? He just got the thing of a nasty Irish Bog and he decides the best coarse of action is to eat raw sheep heart. Myself, I would cook up a little meat.

I am too tired right now to discuss the pros for Survivorman, but basically.......It's just a dude with a camera and a smile.  He says drop me here and I will see you in 5 days. 

Procrastination Nation!

Before I get to studying for the day/night....here are two things I feel must be brought to public attention:

1) This is one of the funniest informercial products I have ever seen. It is called the Aqua Globe. The concept itself is very logical and functional, it even fills a niche. Its purpose is to water your plants for you using about a 2 weeks supply of H2O. The soil supposedly absorbs the water only as fast as the plant needs it.  This is all fine and dandy, but has anyone looked at the big picture??  The Aqua Globe is at least half the size of the majority of household plants. Unless its solely to take care of things while you are away, its basically like decorating your house with Aqua Globes and using the plants as support.  Nope, not for me. I am going to stick with my electric meat thermometer, and 8 note harmonica set.  

2)  Duffy, No Ummmm Dorky, I mean P. Diddles, Sean John, No wait.....The Vote or Die guy... Whats his name???  Sean "Diddy" Combs is now finally campaigning to lower the cost of oil and thus fuel.  This is great thing!! So why am I making fun this "Bad Boy for Life?" Well it's because he is tired of having to ride in first class on commercial flights with the common folk!  He is outraged that his  private jet excursions are getting too costly, sometimes up to $200,000 (Don't worry, its roundtrip).

Get Fit 2008 - Update #1

8/22/08:    190 lbs

8/29/08:    187 lbs

So far so good. Kinda slow out of the gate. A bout of tendinitis limited the running so I had to try out the exercise bike and elliptical. Trying to lift at least twice a week to get the calories burning. Still can't stay away from Moe's burritoes but overall the diet wasn't bad.  See ya next week for another update....Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel

WWJMD

I would like to follow up a post my friend Jonathan once put regarding his choice of presidential candidates. His post said WWJBD? He was referring to none other than Jedediah Bartlett. I could not agree more. Especially now that it feels like I have to choose the lesser of two evils in November, I would like nothing more than to follow Martin Sheen, eeeer I mean, Jed Bartlett to the steps of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. 

I would like to share someone new with all of you. A new mentor. A new guide.  And well, let's be honest, just a downright great guy!!!!   His name..................... Jack McCoy. Some of you may recognize good ole Jack here and think he is from the show Law & Order, but he is no actor and his prosecutions are no joke.  Are you a baseball player who thinks you can get away with murdering your limo driver? An ex-husband who is going to steal his children from the mother and then brainwash them into giving you love and affection?  What about a religious extremist who murders for their cause?   It doesn't matter what the situation, the crime, the evidence available, the motive, the witnesses...... McCoy weilds out justice like it shoots from his fingertips.  So here's to you Jack!  So I think there is only one reasonable thing to do. Make Jack McCoy Vice President of these United States.  

So who is with me? Who will join the ranks to vote for Bartlett/McCoy 2008! 

Yeah, I've Heard That One Before

So it's that time again! It's time to get my ass into shape. I knew things were looking bad when my scrubs started to fit snuggly.....Scrubs! And they don't hide much to begin with.  So here I go. Starting point: 190 lbs. Goal: 165 by the end of 2008. Feel free to help hold me accountable.

Medical school is an ironic thing......it's an institution devoted to teaching future physicans how to heal, instill healthy values, etc........all the while getting no sleep, eating crappy food, and stressing our bodies to the max. 

RIP late night Frisco Melt. I think I will miss YOU the most.

Esta Equipo Es Loco!!

This is crazy...take a look at this:

This is the Spanish olympic basketball team posing with each individual player pushing the skin folds of their eyes posteriorly so that the slant makes them look more chinese. Now I personally don't think anyone meant for this advertisement to be racist or mean in any way. It was actually paid for and produced by their sponsor, Sauer, and meant to show their hopeful dominance in Spain on this dragon adorned court. Good idea.......BAD execution. 

Who signed off on this though? If nothing else, assuming no spiteful intentions, who decided that it was a logical, beneficial ad for the company. I worked at an advertising agency for a year, and while I would never claim to have a lot of "experience" in that field, I can guarantee nothing like that would have flown past the concepting stage.....and even then it would have been questioned. I mean who couldn't forsee this going terribly wrong. 

My favorite part though is how all of the players act like they are terribly surprised about the global response.  As Jose Calderon, the team's starting point guard, says, "We felt it was appropriate, and that it would be interpreted as an affectionate gesture." REALLY? Bullshit!

Just another reason why..............GO PHELPS! 

 

Anything Brett Favre Can Do I Can Do Better!

Ok, maybe not when it comes to playing professional football. However, the Milwaukee newspaper reported today that the Green Bay Packers might have offered Brett Favre $20 million over the next 10 years to stay retired, stay out of the newspapers, and stay out of training camp. Well I am here to say that I can be the man the packers are looking for. For the first time in my life, I can be as big of a stud as Brett Favre. 

So Ted Thompson (The GM).... I am your man. Pay me the $20 million, heck I will take half. And in return I promise to never show up for training camp, to not interfere with Aaron Rodgers new reign as QB, and to never question your authority in the public newspaper. 

I think that's a fair deal. 

Talk is Cheap

Upon checking CNN today, I finally saw the amazing breaking news of the morning. The House of Representatives is going to formally pass a resolution that apologizes for slavery and the institution of the Jim Crow laws.   I am all for the sentiment, but this is just ridiculous. First of all, as nice (albeit questionable) the intent is for this resolution, it is really just a smack in the face of EVERYONE. Yes I said everyone.

For african americans, it really doesn't do anything. I mean there is no mention of reparations for the slaves' descendants, no change in the present laws that have blacks serving twice as long a sentence for crack as whites do for cocaine.......nothing that will truthfully help them as a race or community. So really what is the House of Rep doing? Its just a bunch of old guys, who have absolutely nothing to do with the atrocities that happened decades and centuries ago SAYING "I am sorry."  Also, aren't the laws and resolutions passed by the US government supposed to represent the American people (the majority that is). If so, this is a little crazy.....I didn't do anything wrong. I wasnt even alive. I like blacks.

For the native americans: Well when do they get their apology. I mean where is that one. How about a resolution that apologizes for contaminating the blankets given to them with smallpox. Sorry for pushing what's left of your tribe into remote areas of the country and abroad. Their "apology" was basically a law passed allowing casinos on indian reservations. I am sure some native americans have made bank from that, but if you go to any reservation you will see it is just pure despair. This was even the focus of an episode of 30 days. No jobs, no money, no food.......only the bitter release through alcohol. And the government funding heading towards these reservations is being cut every year as we fall further into national debt.

And as a Jew........when is the German nation going to pass a law to apologize to me and the other chosen people for the 8 million Jews who wiped out during the holocaust. I know this is not an issue for the House of Representatives, but while they are at it.....

And what about everyone else?!?!. In a country where close to 15% of the population is living near the poverty line, millions are living without medical insurance or access to medical care, homelessness and housing issues are on the rise, parents are losing their children to a war that might never end, clean drinking water is declining rapidly due to draught, and so much more.........TALK IS CHEAP.  Please please please.......No more talk, only action. I hate reading the news and seeing that one of the only recent successful resolutions and bi-partisan agreements is to give a verbal and written apology.

Second Star to the Right and Straight on Til Morning!

I love Disney. I love the parks, I love the movies, and I love how you never have to grow up while involved in their world.  However, when I turn off the movie or leave the park I definitely transition back to the same person I always am. I found an old blog of mine from myspace and thought I would share this guy and his website with you. Here is an example of a guy who just NEVER wants to grow up!!  Remember this one Todd?

Check this out: http://www.pixyland.org/peterpan.  

When Condiments Become The New Currency - A story of thievery amongst us!!

I don't know if you have been to McDonald's, or any other fast food joint lately, but the unthinkable has happened......they are charging for extra sauce. 

This is an outrage and I don't think we, as a country, can afford to sit by and watch this happen. Now I admit,  I am more of a sauce guy than a ketchup guy and I know that puts me in the minority. I have a friend Adam who eats the the food prepared merely as a side dish to the ketchup he actually eats for every meal, like its the fifth food group. Luckily for Adam's sake, and many others, these corporate giants have not hit us where it could hurt the most......ketchup. These beautiful condiment packets are still given in handfuls to any soul who cares to approach the counter or the "2nd window, please pull around."  However, this does not mean that we can afford to be lackadaisical.

Sweet and Sour, Barbeque, Honey Mustard, Polynesian Sauce...........now these are my fast food drugs of choice. How do you think I felt when I ordered my 10-piece nugget meal (which includes a large fry and drink), pull around to the counter to ask for extra sauce and was told that it would be an additional 35 cents per packet.   This is outrageous. I have never worked at a McDonald's but so far it seems the policy is to give 1 sauce for the six piece, 2 for the ten piece, and an amazing three sauce packets if you go for the twenty-piece (maybe back during my wrestling days).

Now let's break it down financially.....   I can not rememeber the full price of the combo meal but for argument's sake lets say it was an even $5.  So for my ten nuggets and and large fries I am given, included in the price, a mere two packets of sweet and sour sauce. This is not even close to enough. Have you seen the size of the dipping packet?? It is one nugget deep and two nuggets wide......so basically enough for two nuggets.  That means I should be getting at least FIVE packets and this doesn't even include the fries (oh no they never consider the fries). Now I admit, I am a very liberal dipper.  I eat sweet and sour sauce like Adam eats ketchup, but that should be my right as a consumer.  If I choose to purchase the amount of sauce that I require......an additional 4-5 packets.....we are talking an additional $1.40 - $1.75.  Thats about 30% of what I paid for the meal alone!!!

I would continue my diatribe with some solution as to how to hit these corporate giants where it hurts, but the truth is that right now they have the power. Any logical solutions, such as buying some sweet and sour sauce from the supermarket, would be in complete contradiction to the convenience and primary reason why so many of us eat at a fast food restaurant. I am going to work on this.......find some way to take back the power......and I will let you know!