My Favorite Person...The Prophet Muhammad

Guest blog! Guest blog! Enjoy this little diddy below from our favorite friend, Sam the Cheese Man.

If anyone happened to catch the 200/201 episode of South Park it has stirred up quite a little controversy. Let me give you a quick synopsis of the 2-part episode.

In the episode (200), all celebrities who have been mocked by residents of South Park plan to file a class action lawsuit against the town. Tom Cruise promises to end the lawsuit if the town can produce the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.

In (201) Ginger Separatist Movement forces the townspeople to have Muhammad step out of his bear costume, we learn that Stan, Kyle and Kenny, on Mr. Hankey's suggestion, have replaced Muhammad in the bear costume with Santa Claus. The conflict between the townspeople and the Gingers is prematurely ended by Mecha-Streisand entering the town, killing Pip, and destroying Casa Bonita, Country Kitchen Buffet, and Raisins.

Wow not much of a controversy considering every time the word Muhammad is mentioned it was censored, the Prophet was never shown. But oh-no, many Muslims are enraged. Why is this? For simply mentioning the “holy” Prophet.

Here inlays the real problem. Muslims think their religion is holier than the next. They charge that the Prophet is so holy that no one can idolize him. Then why are there so many Muslim men named Muhammad? Is not naming your child after an illiterate businessman who couldn't read idolizing him?

So here we are in the 21^st century and you can have your life legitimately threatened for basically the thought of mentioning Muhammad. In fact the NYPD has upped security at Comedy Central’s offices in New York City citing a website called www.revolutionislam.com, which is the same group that organized and carried out a PRO Bin Laden rally in Queens. They are taking our wonderful rights (the right to free assembly and free speech) and using fear and intimidation to force the major TV networks into self-censorship. It’s fascism by fear. The idea that if you write satire or choose to make fun of 1 person in particular and then your life or business will be subject to violence is unbelievable.

Think back to 2005 when Danish embassies were burned and people were murdered. Name one news channel or paper that would let YOU decide what is an offensive cartoon or not. Not 1 of the major news networks stood with the Danish newspapers....Fox...MSNBC....CNN....NYTIMES....LA TIMES.....all silent and too scared to publish a satire cartoon. It’s hard to determine who is really more ridiculous the people who cower and don't stand up for free speech or the people who are running around playing the hurt feelings card and threating people with violence.

I'm just singin' in....my dreams

I dream most nights, which I am grateful for. I hear that a lot of people don't dream at all. I've been told by loved ones that I dream so often because my brain is incessantly busy. That's ok with me, because even if I dream I wake up feeling rested. Due to my active dreams and a reoccurring event in my dreams, I am convinced I played an instrument and wrote my own music in a past life. (Yes, I whole-heartdly believe in past lives and we shall leave this for a later post.) First of all, since I can remember music has been incredibly influential for me. I remember the first two musicians that I fell in love with. The first one caught my heart when I was about 3 years old. Her name was Tina Turner. I have vivid memories of her Private Dancer album playing on my mother's record player. As I sat on the floor I just stared at the record case, entranced by her long legs, shiny heels and RED lacquered nails. It was my first celebrity crush for sure.

Then we moved to Ohio and my friend's mother, who lived across the street was a huge fan of Carly Simon. By sheer exposure, I too became a huge fan of Carly Simon. I remember I had her Coming Around Again album on cassette tape. My friend's mother had it on CD so I would often go to her house just so that I could look at the CD booklet - bigger, better pictures than what you found in the cassette case. On other occassions, you would often find me in bed listening to my Sony Walkman which of course was playing a Carly song, usually my favorite, "Do the Walls Come Down," or perhaps I was on the back patio giving the trees a free concert - me lip syncing to any of the songs off that album. The best was when it was a windy day and I could pretend I was her, performing at the 1987 concert on Martha's Vineyard - a VHS I watched religiously. Thanks to a close family friend who also happens to be a neighbor, just a few months ago I enjoyed the same concert on DVD. This time it was a more grown-up experience which included a late night with surround sound, champagne and Chambord.

So I have shared with you the first two musical artists I ever fell in love with, but I also failed to mention that my life plays out with a soundtrack. Ask any close friend of mine and if we happen to be eating in a Chipotle, having a beer in Brooklyn, shopping at Urban or anywhere else music may be playing, almost always I will say, "Oh my gosh! This song takes me back to [fill in blank here]." My experiences are defined by the music that was playing. Whether that happened out loud for everyone to hear or if it was playing in my head...which has happened more times than I admit. There is a song from the late '90s that reminds me of an old boyfriend, however he has no idea because at that memorable moment the room was silent and the song was only playing in my head.

So besides my two major musical loves and the constant backdrop of music in my life I say that I must have been a musician/writer in a past life because I have written music in my dreams. Songs I have never heard before and when I wake up I can still hear them in my head. I can't even begin to process how I would get this music out of my head and onto paper or recorded....there is an absolute block in my brain once I am awake. So instead of scrambling to get the song recorded in some medium I just enjoy the music while it plays in my head until the rattling of the day slowly brings the music to fade.

Does music have a profound effect on you too? Any talent you have that is only used while visiting dreamland?

Oh, the pursuits of Health

Well isn't this encouraging.....


In my quest to stay true to the Angie Diet, part of my lunch yesterday was steamed vegetables. Said vegetables included: carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.


Let's also note that I am suffering from sever allergies and my nose is so stuffed up I can not smell a thing!


So I take my steamed veggie goodness and sit at my desk. Here comes Neel, tall, skinny, young salesman, zooming past my desk, his suit rippling and clinging to him because of his waif frame."Does it smell like garbage in here to you?"


Neel is known for being a bit of a smart-ass so I look at him, glare and say, "No, it does not smell like garbage!" Thinking, 'whatever skinny, go find some investors.'


Then Feeney comes over and says "Ahh, yes, I knew someone made the steamed veggies. Smells like garbage."


WHAT?! I can't smell a thing - does it really? No wonder Neel said that. Two seconds later, Nick, the powerhouse trader from Scotland with the bizarre, twisted sense of humor and his All American, straight from the heartland sidekick, Matt come walking over. Their faces scrunched like "ewww, what is that smell??"


You can guess where it goes from there. I still can't smell a thing - but was ordered by Nick to eat my food immediately because we had investors coming over for a meeting in 15 minutes. As I inhale my food out comes Matt with an air-freshener can spraying like there's no tomorrow. He totally over-did it, which is clear since Feeney is nearly doubling over coughing and spitting up 'white lilies and linen.' Luckily for me I didn't smell a thing - garbage or lilies.

What a mermaid eats

Hello Flounder, Sebastion and Ericccc....oh la la, Eric.

Still perusing mermaid status. Here's what's on tap for a mermaid lunch.

• one slice whole wheat toast


• thin layer of dijon mustard on said toast


• topped with two pieces of roasted turkey and slice of cheddar cheese


• side of steamed string beans drizzled with oil and vinegar, topped with cracked black and red pepper


• side of 1% milk fat cottage cheese


• endless tall glasses of ice cold water

Photo below kiddos! Eat up!

What did you have for lunch today?

Idiots on parade

You can guess from Koosh's Subway Manners post that we are very observant of the idiots that run rampant in this city. Of course there are plenty of geniuses in every field that pepper the town but we still have a few village idiots in residence.

I encountered two of these all-stars before the clock had even hit 8am this morning.

1. On the 1 train headed downtown. Get to stop two (66th street) and the train is packed and since I was standing right by the door I did the polite (and CORRECT) thing to do which is step outside the train so people can get off. Now the unspoken rule is...people who are waiting to get on the train must first let those that stepped off (ie: ME) get back on the train before they try to board. But no....low and behold these two ladies barrel on through in front of me (while people are still getting off mind you!) and take two steps into the train and stand right in front of the door, bodies all over the 'stripper pole' so no one else can use it. So I am annoyed, it's 7:45 and I am still suffering from sever allergies (haven't even brushed my hair in two days if that indicates how tired I have been. I have been washing it though - at least I manage that part) but my patience for morons, rude ones to boot is low....reeeal low. I try and give them the benefit of the doubt and think, ok, they must be getting off at the next stop just like me, that's why they insist on standing by the door. SO we get to Columbus Circle and I step off to exit look behind me and see that they CONTINUE to stand there not exiting in addition to not stepping aside in effort to let anyone off. I roll my eyes and think, rude dummies that are too engrossed in their own bubble to think about those around them that are sharing the train.

2. I make it 400 feet to the escalator to go up to street level and I encounter Idiot #2. The escalator is wide enough for two single file lines of people. Again, like clock-work every morning people file into their preferred line. To the right are the people that stand and want to enjoy the ride. To the left are the people who walk up the escalator in effort to catch one of the 4 MAJOR bus lines that pick up at Columbus Circle. As you can imagine from my pushy attitude I am ALWAYS filing into the left line...the one that walks up the escalator. What do I see today though....some woman decides to RUIN the whole system and stand in the left line. The whole escalator gets backed up and us left-line people just make a gruff, inaudible sound and deal with this inconsiderate, moron move. However, as always I try and give people the benefit of the doubt and think maybeee she doesn't know this rule. So that leads me to my next victim of verbal abuse (ha!) the person standing behind her. I do feel it is their civic responsibility to politely tap her on the shoulder and say "excuse me, I'd like to get by," and hopefully everyone else will follow suit and after she moves to the side 500 times she will soon realize that if she wanted to stand she should have stood on the right. There lesson learned.

Now I know Mrs. Steinman is going to call me out on this one and say "you are turning into a pushy New Yorker, calm down." I do appreciate her keeping me grounded. I am proud of my midwest roots and west coast chillness, but I am not backing down on this one. I'm ready for it...bring it on Mom.

I am going to look like a mermaid this summer

Diets. I think of women who talk, talk and TALK about diets but never really do them. That is why I have never done a fad diet because I don't want to be in that category. You know the woman with 85 cats, no life and constantly talking about the new diet she will start.

As some of you know I am at a new financial office now. A hedge fund, which is great. Big budgets, great amenities and the employees...young, smart, studly, men. The ratio is great too. There are two women in the office, me and Feeney, whom I get along with in every way. Could you ask for a better work situation??

Monday Feeney told me she was starting the Southampton Diet. I want to lose a few for this summer so I told her, ok I'll try it out with you. I love to research so I got online to see what this thing was all about. Not the Hamptons Diet most of you are probably thinking about. No. The Southampton Diet is old as dirt when it comes to new fad diets...it's been around since 1984 and turns out it was developed by some quack doc who died of a drug overdose while overweight and bloated in his swanky pad. Yikes! Here's a link to his obituary from the NYT if you are interested in learning more: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/01/obituaries/dr-stuart-m-berger-health-advice-columnist-40.html?pagewanted=1 Not sure I want to trust him with my bod. Especially when one of the afternoon snacks is Melba toast and a cup of beef broth - gag. Now, for the record Feeney and her family members have turned to the Southampton Diet and it has worked effectively for all of them so I am not saying it doesn't work. I just know that it's not right for me.

So now I have reverted back to what I lovingly call the Angie Diet. It really isn't a diet at all which is why it works for me. It's just the way we should be eating all of the time. High lean protein, leafy greens, veggies, low-sugar fruits, whole grains, water, tea and low fat yogurt/dairy. NO sweets, sugars, fried food, soda, fast food, heavy pastas, extra cheese or anything else I love to eat. However, whenever I do get on the Angie Diet I always see results and the first result I feel right away is light and comfortable. Immediately this feeling of bloat disappears. I am comfortable again and I don't feel my stomach protruding because I overate per usual. With that said, portion control plays a big role in the Angie Diet as well. If dining out, before you even begin to eat, push half of the portion to the other side of your plate and know that that half is going home with you and will be eaten the next day for lunch or dinner.

As I embark on the trusty Angie Diet I will keep you informed on what I am eating, learning, doing and LOSING or gaining, as in lean muscle, yes!

So far for the day I have enjoyed the following:

• Coffee with hazelnut creamer and splenda


• Egg white omelet with cheddar and broccoli (100 cals)


• Fage 2% yogurt with strawberries

And here is a helpful link regarding sugar content in fruit. Don't think that all fruit is ok to eat if you are looking to lose. You want to eat the fruit with the lowest sugar content. This means no bananas, pomegranates, cherries, grapes, pears and a few others. Who knew!? Fruits you can count on: grapefruit, raspberries, blackberries, melons, cantaloupe, strawberries, peaches and blueberries to name a few.

For the entire list of fruit look here: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/whatfruit.htm

I'll also be staying active while on the Angie Diet. With this great weather in NYC I enjoyed a nice run around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. How fitting.....

The run was 1.56 miles. See the map below.