Not 'Wild And Crazy,' But Low-Carb Forever

Uh-oh, everyone! I made a really BIG boo-boo this time and I've brought on the wrath of someone whose cage should never be rattled -- the girlfriend!

No, not MY girlfriend (I am married to the lovely Christine, after all!), but rather the girlfriend of low-carb success story John Fenz whose name is Emily.

In what was meant to be a flattering piece about Fenz' weight loss was actually seen by Emily and Fenz as a "slam."

OUCH! Yikes! How could this happen? I write words all the time at this blog, how could I have been so insensitive and write something that would cause someone to think I was being anything but complimentary (unless, of course, they are a low-carb opponent and there's NO mercy!)?

Well, alas it has happened and I promised Emily today that I would share her concerns and e-mail with you so that the REAL John Fenz can be shared with the whole world.

Here's her e-mail of gentle chastisement of me today:

Hello Mr. LowCarbMan,

I am the girlfriend of the recent subject of one of your blog postings...John Fenz.

For the most part, John and I both thought your blog was nice and uplifting and accurate. But I gotta say that by opening with a slam to his character, you really made the rest of it less savory. Maybe by calling him "wild and crazy" you meant no harm, but it comes across with a very negative connotation. Also, the fact that you follow up by inviting random people to visit a web site about him makes it seem like you are out for gossip and scandal.

John IS an ordinary guy, and no more wild than the next college student. That web site you found was something he had to create for an IT class -- a mere school project meant to be humorous and taken in jest. His idea was that the teacher would perhaps give him points for creativity, seeing that his computer skills were not the greatest, which was a pretty smart move on his part to compensate in laughter what he was lacking in computer geekiness.

But something that was once meant to serve as a lighthearted joke has now had to be taken off the Internet because of your blog post. John disabled the web site because he did not want your readers to get the wrong idea about him and judge him on a web site for which they did not know the trivial background.

In reality, you will not find a student more conservative or hardworking than he is and he is VERY Republican (not that I condone Republican viewpoints, I am just contrasting the reality of the situation with the picture you painted in the beginning paragraphs of your blog). He not only works for the Town Attorney AND a private attorney as a certified paralegal assistant in both cases, BUT he is doing these things BEFORE even entering law school -- a feat matched by few!!

So for you to say that he better put his party hat aside is quite presumptuous of you, given the fact that you had NO IDEA how well-balanced and organized he is with his life. This is not to say, of course, that John does not enjoy the occassional beer because HE DOES! And you would be happy to know that it is always LIGHT BEER! :)

After reading this email, it even seems to me that I am probably being a little too hard on you, but I'm not! I really thought the rest of your blog was quite inspiring and actually showed John in a good light. I was just writing to tell you that your initial thoughts on John were a little skewed and needed to be placed in their proper context.

Anyhow, congratulations on your weight loss. I know it is something John deals with everyday -- having to watch what he eats and setting aside time to vigorously exercise. I am impressed with the both of you because I would never have the willpower to achieve something like that.

Thanks for your time,

Emily

Well, Emily, I guess it's time I go sit down at the dinner table and start eating my low-carb roasted CROW! :-~

I am SOOOO SORRY that you felt my "wild and crazy" comment was a negative one. I sincerely apologize to you and to John for creating any unnecessary harm to his character in any way. I never thought of that phrase in a negative light until now and have even referred to myself in that manner in this previous blog post. I can now see how you would see it differently, though.

There is nothing but great admiration from my side for what John was able to do and I even saw so much of myself in him. I, too, was a Poli Sci major in college and got my Master's degree in Public Policy and I tend to lean to the conservative Republican side politically (even if I don't always agree with everything they say and do!). I wish John great success in law school and beyond.

THANKS again for writing, Emily, and I appreciate the professional manner you used in handling this. It looks like John has found himself a fine young lady who is VERY capable of handling herself and her man for many years to come. That picture you sent me with you guys together made it quite evident that you both are crazy in love with each other (I hope I got THAT right, anyway!).

May you two live a long and healthy life together if that is what God has planned for your lives. And tell John to hang in there with the low-carb lifestyle. It's gonna keep me and him in tip-top shape for many years to come.

Stop by and say hello every once in a while and let us know how you are doing, okay? Take care!