You know, I can just hear ol' Waylon saying this...."Ya just never know what you'll find on Hazzardnet; or in Hazzard for that matter." I am almost 15 years removed from High School, I am seriously overweight. I maintained an average 260-280 in High School. I lost a couple of roles in Drama Club productions due to this weight. Which sucked when the young man they eventually cast as Sherlock Holmes couldn't speak as fast as Sherlock Holmes or as convincingly as I could. Poo on them!!! When I moved out on my own, I was studying to be a chef. Now in Culinary School, they ask you to eat everything you prepare, so I gained more weight. In the pursuit of a part time job, I started working in a local movie theatre, where I found my passion for the movie industry. I tore the ligament and strained the tendon in my knee one fateful day, which laid me up in bed AT HOME for 3 months. Now being on my own, it was TV dinners, Burritos, Pizza, Fried Chicken, and Mickey D's with a side of Wendy's and Jack in the Box thrown in. Being that my friends didn't cook and I couldn't stand on my own two feet to cook. All in all, by the time I got better, I had put on almost a hundred lbs. I could barely walk. I was tired all the time. The doctor informed me that I was now diabetic, hypertensive, and I had sleep apnea. I continued on the downhill slide gaining more and more weight until 2000 when I tipped the scales at a whopping 450 lbs. I started working for Disney in 2001, in Florida, and suffered a heat stroke. I decided at that point that enough was enough. I started eating slightly healthier and watching my intake, but being on my own and with a credit card to boot, wasn't the best thing. Fast forward to present day. It has taken me 8 long years, but I am down almost a hundred lbs. At present I weigh (according to the Dr. Scale, just last week) 355. I am currently out of work and so eating healthy is not an option right now, as healthy food costs more than junk food. By junk food I mean, hot dogs, canned goods, and the all mighty ramen, the ultimate in poor nutrition, but oh so cheap!!! lol I am trying to drop back down to my high school weight, but it is a challenge. Since I am still a diabetic, I avoid all sugary drinks. I only drink sugar free Green Iced Tea and Water. So I really have to watch what I put in my mouth, because the sugar level is still high. I just have to take this one day at a time and hope for the best. Who knows maybe it will take me another 8 years to lose another 100 lbs. I certainly hope not, but who knows. As for being teased and ridiculed, I have learned a lot from the Duke and Kent families. I am very easy to get along with, and with everything you have to take a grain of salt, because its very easy to snap back at someone making a snide or rude comment about your appearance. The trick is not to. Thank them for saying something to you, and tell them politely that you are working on bettering yourself and that comments like that only help motivate you. It doesn't hurt, berate, or insult. Thank them again and send them on their way. Trust me, you will feel loads better than if you went off on them. Just think of all the lessons we learned from Uncle Jesse and Jonathan Kent. They are two men to aspire to be like. Thanks for letting me say my peace, I'm down and gone. JD Hogg Jr. P.S. Even though I took the namesake of a Hogg, I strive to be like Uncle Jesse...lol