It troubles my mind that sapphires and rubies are different colors of the same gem. “Pink sapphires” could just as well be called pink rubies—and why aren’t they? It makes more sense. We don’t call the light blue stones “blue rubies.”
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So, when you have people who put out autobiographies when you’re PRETTY SURE they’re personally unable to successfully clack two words together, but then there’s no “as told to” or other credit—I guess this means there is such a thing as a totally on purpose uncredited writer. In fact (*two neurons clacking together*), I guess that’s what “ghostwriter” MEANS. That seems like it might be kind of…unsatisfying, as jobs go.
It shouldn’t surprise me that such a job exists: manuals don’t usually have authors on them, and yet we know someone wrote them. Advertising copy doesn’t have an author’s name on it, either. But…in those cases, we know someone wrote it, but we don’t know WHO. In the case of a celebrity autobiographer, we know someone wrote it, and the celebrity takes the credit—and no doubt goes around claiming to be a published author.
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Dieting tricks I keep expecting to see developed for mass use:
1. Temporary taste-bud numbing
2. More stuff like that berry that makes everything taste sweet
3. Something that messes with the thing that makes us feel hungry
4. Parasites
Those dieting tricks all sound good, although for me I’d need something that messes with the boredom problem so that I never feel bored & eat. OR something that I would PREFER to do while watching TV other than snack. It can’t just be something busy-making to keep my fingers busy so that I don’t want to boredom-snack, it has to be something that messes with that need and make the replacement thing be PREFERRED. I’m not certain that’s possible.
I JUST listened to a Radiolab episode about parasites and I kept waiting for them to tell me where I can buy temporary, non-disgusting, I-will-never-have-to-see-them-on-the-way-in-or-out tapeworms. No dice.
And I want that berry. I used to stalk it.
I had no idea sapphires and rubies were the same stone. Go freaking figure.
Hm, I would seriously consider the taste bud numbing thing…just so long as it wasn’t permanent. Seems like a horrible thing to lose forever, one of your 5 sense.
Parasites? I am ooged out by that one.
You know, Food Reward seems to be the Next Big Thing in nutrition. We’re now expected to only eat food that’s bland. Just FYI. So, look forward to THAT.
I do need to point on here that if “Take a pill so you are never hungry” didn’t work for me, I don’t think anything else would.
I was on perscription medication that was supposed to absolutely squash my appetite. And it totally did! But I still ate, even though I wasn’t hungry.
What IS that??
I always think that about speech writers too. They’re not allowed to ever take credit for the lines or speeches that they write, even if those lines/speeches get really famous.
So even if they wrote, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” and that gets quoted a million times, it’s always JFK who gets the credit and not them.
I think that would be unbearably frustrating.
Naw, I think they’ll stick with the current diet “trick” – make women feel like crap for not looking like models. That causes a huge amount of stress eating AND guilt purchasing of diet aids and exercise equipment. So. That’s nice.
Ha ha, this will blow your mind then (re: ghostwriting!) http://www.edutopia.org/textbook-publishing-controversy
i am not 100% on this, but i am pretty sure that the name of the stone has to do with the elements that make it up. so sapphires and rubies might have different elemental constructions that would affect their color (and name). then i googled it, and apparently there are some kind of sapphire and ruby pokemon cards or something, so i didn’t wade through 8 pages of google results. so i can’t confirm!
What got me – is that sapphires come in YELLOW (really pretty).
And there are GREEN diamonds (in my husbands ring).
Mmmhhmm – parasites…!
J.
I’ve needed to comment on several of your last posts because there’s been something to make me laugh (or probably think, but I don’t remember those right now) in all of them. On this one, I’ll just say that your future-of-diet suggestions sound like something out of a dystopian novel. Throw in “mind control” and you’ve got your thin, docile population to exploit!
yeah, I’ve done many translations that don’t mention my name anywhere. a bit unsatisfying, but part of the job.
i didn’t know about rubies and sapphires! (also, I can never spell sapphire right the first time. ha!)
Rubies and sapphires are sisters? Learn something new each day!
Parasites, hmmm?
I’ve heard of parasites being used for allergy/autoimmune control. I believe the guy who sells them also, uh, produces them.
there was an article in the NY Times a few months ago that the economy in China is so terrible that women are ingesting parasites to make themselves appear thinner and more attractive so they can get a job.
I think I could go for the taste bud numbing thing as long as it was not permanent.
The thing that makes you not hungry is called crystal meth. Illegal, but effective. The antidote is pot if you think eating occasionally is important. You’re welcome.
haha @ sam!
i don’t think numbing my tastebuds would stop me from eating, sadly. not living with a human garbage disposal who can consume 2x his body weight in junk food a day without gaining a pound would probably help, though.
That thing that makes us hungry (or, anyway, one of them) is leptin — remember all the fat and skinny mice in the news a few years back? My husband’s company works on that, among other things, but they haven’t found the solution yet, except for people who have extreme conditions.
Botox for tastebuds?
We were on a boat cruise last Saturday and I didn’t eat all day and never felt hungry. I think our ability to connect eating with actual hunger has been (possibly irreparably) screwed up.
Sapphires and rubies? Really?
I wrote an essay for my (dumbass) boyfriend in university, then had to restrain myself from confronting the professor when it didn’t get a good mark. I’m sure it was because the boy was a dumbass – that essay rocked, man.
My job is basically legal ghost writing. I won’t go into details, but suffice it to say that every day I draft and write things that someone else signs. On the one hand, sometimes it’s too bad that the public at large doesn’t know about my work. On the other hand, when it’s something controversial that makes people angry or fired up, I’m super glad that no one knows my name or associates me with it. My personality is well suited to being a behind the scenes person, so as long as my boss appreciates what I do, I’m satisfied.
I’d still eat even if my tastebuds were numb and probably more (as evidenced by my eating when I am congested and can’t taste much). One thing that I like to eat that leaves a sweet aftertaste and makes other foods taste sweet is steamed artichokes. Love them!
Maybe take a vacay to Mexico and taste all of the local food and drink the water and eat the ice?
;.)
I’ve been a ghostwriter. I’ve written actual no-shit books that other people put their names on. I haven’t done it in a long time, but I do have friends who’ve made an entire career out of it, for real.
I can’t believe that ruby / sapphire thing never occurred to me before, considering I was a geology major. And you know, you are SO RIGHT. Of course, we could just call them all by their real name, corundum, but maybe that isn’t marketable enough.