Thursday, March 14, 2024

On Writing


 Writing. If one reads a lot, it follows one must be a good writer. Most of my outlet for writing is in the comments section after someone posts. For the most part, I think my writing is a waste of time, I'm not sure if anyone reads it, but it lets me formulate my thoughts. And writing on the computer comments could come back to bite me, in that what I write is there forever.

When I write, I like to have something to say. A different view or take that no one has thought of that might tickle the curious brain of someone reading. Reading something and getting the expected is boring. What fun is reading that? I like being surprised when I read, or when someone has personal experience about a topic that brings it much more to life. 

So when I write about something in my blog, I might give a statement of facts, but I want to give a spin that the reader might not have of. (Not good to end a sentence in a preposition). And even if my writing is poor, that's OK too, that's who I am. 

Saturday, March 2, 2024

The Ascetic Diet


 Dr. Mc Dougall calls his diet "The Starch Solution". Nathan Pritikin "The Pritikin Diet". Alan Goldhamer's diet. They are all the same with a few iterations. And might I say, these 3 gentlemen are my nutritional heroes who I consider brilliant.

So there are different names for the diet, but they all boil down to the same foods, high in carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, grains), with no oil, and very low in salt. Of course no meat or alcohol.

Since many like to name the diet, I'll call mine, "The Ascetic Diet". So 99.99% can read this and say "No fuckin way". Believe me, I understand and don't blame you.

But what if all the studies done that ultimately lead to this kind of diet are true? What studies you ask? Yep, there are reputable, well-researched studies that one could peruse to draw a conclusion. 

NutritionFacts.org has a YT channel and Michael Greger (the host) will flash studies on the screen. I'll pause the video while he's talking, open another tab, and find the study the doctor is talking about so I can read myself. Sadly, some studies are behind a paywall, and only when a fee is paid can the studies be viewed. Other times, the studies mentioned will be indexed in a nutrition book and the studies can then be researched.

Did you know you can reverse heart disease through diet (and exercise)? Sugar diabetes (Check out Mastering Diabetes) cured? Become unobese?

What if there truly is an ideal diet that will normalize blood pressure, glucose levels, and weight? There is such a diet. Or better said, a way of eating. But restaurants, our culture, food commercials, everything about everything, is 180D opposite of this. Going to a friend's house for dinner? Pack your fruit and veggies and don't eat what they serve. Same with restaurants, except don't bring food, eat before you leave. 

It's a decision not to be taken lightly, but it can prove to be the most important decision of your life. But it takes total commitment. Chef AJ's YT channel has excellent guests, and I recommend looking up Dr. Peter Rogers.

The beautiful part about finally learning that a low salt/fat vegan diet is the most healthy, you place yourself in parameters of what you can eat ad libitum. There virtually are no boundaries to eating the foods our bodies have evolved to eat. Look up environmental mismatch and how it relates to the foods we eat and how we evolved to this modern processed food culture. It'll blow your socks off.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Post Op Nurse


 An interesting job would be a post-op nurse. They are the ones who are around you after you wake up from surgery. The drugs used to put one to sleep during an operation have for real some kind of truth serum in it.

You know how when you have conversations but rarely get up close and personal? Well, when I woke up from my operation last week, there was the post-op nurse beside me. She just let me talk and I soon told her intimate details of my life. In fact, more intimate than my wife even knows. 

So if I'm not a one-off, others experience the same thing I do. Therefore, being a post-op nurse, they must have some interesting stories to tell.

That's a big reason I like Jehovah's Witnesses. Where else can you walk up to some random person and talk about the great issues of life.

If you ever want to get a load off your mind, and can't afford an hour with a psychologist, seek out where the Witnesses hang out. Usually, I find them in parks (by two). If you're lucky they might be hot chicks, but that's not been my experience. 

Monday, February 12, 2024

3 Big Days of My Life

 


I went to the library on campus (Cerritos College). This is back in the latter '70s. Even though I always loved libraries, that day I made a discovery I had never known before. I understood the power of libraries and how I could use them to access any information I needed. Coming upon the realization, I went outside the library and sat on a bench in front. I sat there in glorious happiness soaking in what I had just learned. 

My second "Aha" moment came in 1995. That's the year Microsoft came out with GUI (graphical user interface) instead of MSDOS. From there, I'd spend so much time getting on the internet via a company called America Online better known as America Offline. But realizing then what I just discovered, again, I just went outside, sat on my porch steps, and thought of the wonders of the internet and my new reality.

My 3rd "Aha" came less than a month ago, Jan 15. I call it my reborn again day. I learned how a diode works. I've studied diodes for ~50 years, but I never truly got it. (The valence shell with the 4 electrons, allowing them to pass in one direction). I kinda knew before, but that day I knew. And since that day, the floodgates have opened up. I've been able to absorb information/knowledge like never before in my life.

What's interesting about these "3 big days" is they all revolve around knowledge. There's so much to know, so much to learn, and it's sitting, waiting. I especially love watching YouTube videos followed by Wikipedia. Here's a trick if you want to learn something quick, but don't want to watch 5-20 minutes of bullshit on YT. In the YouTube search bar, type in #shorts then the subject. That way if there's a topic of interest and a video has been made of that in "shorts", it'll pop up. Great time saver.

Saturday, February 3, 2024

Slava Ukraini. Heroyam Slava.


 I totally support President Zelinski and the people of Ukraine.

The civilized world, knowing the lessons from WWII, that if we don't stop Russia now, we're in a world of shit. There's a reason why Finland joined NATO and Sweden, long a neutral country, is itself trying to join NATO.

And countries around the world are helping Ukraine. 

A couple of YouTube channels I follow are Anna From Ukraine, Jake Broe, and Denys Davydov.

All are wonderful blogs. Anna reminds me of the girl protagonist in the movie "All the Light We Cannot See". I seriously pray the FSB doesn't get to her. Brave woman.

Jake is from the US and does a great job.

Denys is a pilot (from Ukraine) and used to do pilot videos. Now with the war, I'm guessing he's exclusively doing videos about the war. Also, I subscribe to his telegram channel, where he posts pictures and videos that aren't allowed on YT.

Banana Chips (Part Deux)

 So yes, I had my oatmeal for breakfast.


Yeah, I cried.


No more my Sweet Dulce.

Banana Chips


Most mornings I have oatmeal for breakfast. Sweet Dulce, (my girl in the pic above) would always be there to share my banana. I oftened thought, "what's it going to be like the first time I cut bananas for my oatmeal, and Dulce's not here?". This morning I'll be finding out.

Dulce passed away last night. To say I loved Dulce would not do justice. Only people who have pets can understand the deep love we have for our animals. 

Dulce, from the very beginning, had me wrapped around her little paw. And I was wrapped around her paw until the day she died. Dulce was an independent ol' cus. In her younger years, she really didn't like being petted. I'd go to pet her, and she'd be like "fuck off" and get away from me. It never bothered me, in fact, it would crack me up. It wasn't until the later years, she would let me love on her all I wanted.

I don't know the bond Dulce had with me, but for me, the bond I had with Dulce was like no other. I never had dogs growing up, but I think if I did, I would have been a different person in my youth. Dulce, in her way, humanized me. She brought something out of me I didn't know was there. She was my best friend, I loved her so.

Goodbye, Sweet Dulce, you brought me much happiness in all the years we were together. 

 

Friday, November 10, 2023

Getting Old


 Getting Old

I just came across my blog after 10 years. I completely forgot about it, so it's cool to read my old posts. I think they hold up quite well.

I'm definitely in the autumn of my life, probably not too far from entering winter. I'm now 69, and my goal is to make it to 70. My paternal grandfather, father, and brother all died in their sixties. So if I make it to 70, it'll be quite the feat.
 
Three kids, all 13 years old, go to a fortune teller. The fortune teller tells them, one will die before turning 14, one will die before 15 and the other will die before the age of 16. Sure enough, one died before turning 14, another died before turning 15 and the one about to turn 16 got so scared, he committed suicide.

For me, if I do commit suicide, I'm at least waiting till 70. Eighty or ninety wouldn't be too shabby either. 

Ray Kurzweil, a most brilliant man, believes this generation will escape death. Not sure how that will happen, but one way I suppose would be to upload our brain to a computer. A quasi-computer/humanoid. That shit sounds frightening to me. I'd like to live a long life, but imagine being part of a computer and you couldn't off yourself even if you wanted, stuck forever inside some kind of algorithm.

 

Friday, December 26, 2014

Food

When I grew up in the 70's it was normal to be of a normal weight. Today, many in US will not know what it's like for the majority to be of a normal BMI. Today, in regards to BMI, it's normal to be abnormal. It's the normal that stick out.

From the later 80's to early 90's there became a massive change in America. Weight gain happened on an unprecedented scale never seen before in human history. The person who first realized this, at first didn't believe her numbers. But looking every which way, she realized she was right. Her name is Katherine Flegal and she was a research scientist for the CDC.

Have you ever seen the BMI charts where the nation's BMI per state is calculated? It's quite dramatic and where the state with the lowest obesity today would have been the state with the highest obesity back in the 90's. The change in the last 20-30 years is unprecedented in the evolution of mankind.

Dr Kessler, former head of the FDA, wrote a book called "The End of Overeating". He talks "off the record" with a food industry leader. The exec tells how food is created to make what is called "Bliss point". Where salt, sugar and fat are mixed together so that food becomes hyperpalatable.

Food becomes hyperpalatable through two ways, loading and layering. An example of loading is tortillas fried in oil. An example of layering are potato skins (first fried (that's loading)) and then adding the bacon, cheese and sour cream.

So foods like spinach dip might sound healthy, but far from it. The spinach is merely coloring to all the added fat. Salads sound so nutritious, but when the fried chicken, cheese and ranch dressing is added (layered), it hardly can qualify as an healthy food.

When eating at restaurants, one is going to battle with one's health against the greatest minds in food science. Drugs, cigarettes we can do without. Food we need. But the food we've learned to eat reaches our bliss point and is so hyperpalatable that we constantly overeat.

I have a friend that everytime she eats she makes a comment about the food. It's sad because while she does the battle constantly in her mind, she realizes she will never win. One can't eat the way America eats and have any chance of being an ideal weight.

The foods we're meant to eat are whole and from the earth. They don't taste nearly as good as the food we're accustomed to. To eat these foods is difficult. But to wean oneself from these hyper foods is the only way to find long term health and happiness.


The Buffer Zone

In life there are three zones. The top zone is the "life is good" (LIG) zone, the middle is called the "buffer" zone and the bottom is called "YOURFUCKED" zone. (YOURFUCKED is an acronym for: you only understand real freedom until clearly kill every dream.)

The LIG zone is the ideal zone. Life is good. No house, car payments and 106 in savings. Whenever something happens, and there are always unexpected happenings, it becomes no problem. Dip into the buffer zone, recover, and back to the LIG zone.

The buffer zone is also a good place to be. One can deal with life's vicissitudes and with patience find themself in the LIG zone. Bumps in ther road are just that, bumps in the road. The buffer zone allows one a certain amount of freedom and peace.

The YOURFUCKED zone is the lease desired zone. Take away the other two zones and this zone is what remains. When one is in the YOURFUCKED zone, forget about the LIG zone. Strive for the buffer zone. I used to say that 103 ($1,000) would be a good place to start for a buffer zone, but lately I realize even that is too optimistic. For many 102  would be a great goal to strive for.

Sure, it's easy to have $100. But to have a $100 always at the ready is something quite different. The $100 should be touched only in the most dire of straights. If any of the last $100 gets used, it gets repleneshed ASAP. Even go without food for a few days if necessary. Dumpster diving is the order of the day until that $100 is refunded.

Imagine what 103 would do for many if learned how to deal with 102. The power and freedom would be incredible. I dare say it would be much more important than growing from 106 to 107. How powerful is that?

So if in the YOURFUCKED zone, work hard to find the buffer zone. And grow that buffer zone. Remember, from simply going from the bottom zone to the middle zone is much more drastic than Warren Buffett making $10B in one day.


Thursday, December 25, 2014

What Everyone and Everything Seeks

I believe it's true what Ayn Rand teaches (or at least what I think she teaches). And that is that man seeks above all else his own self interest.

I was driving around Long Beach, CA the other day and I realized that everyone, and I mean everyone, pursues happiness as their ultimate goal. Whatever is done, it's done for the sole purpose of individual happiness. Every single thing. From the tiniest breath, to even enduring extreme pain, it's ultimately for our own happiness.

I'll take it even further and say altruism is ultimately selfish. I'll let the reader think about this.

Even alcohol, cigarettes and drug abuse. It's all about happiness.

It's the mature person though that can look long term and deny short term pleasure. By denying short term pleasure, even enduring short term pain, in the long run will reap daily dividends.

In fact, if someone was to learn what makes them happy, what truly makes them happy, could save enough and never have to work again the rest of their life by the age of 30. Once "enough" can be well defined, "enough" is not nearly as much as we currently think it is.

What can be more important than the breath we just breathed or the beautiful sunshine?

There's so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful for my material things, but I'm thankful for so much beyond that. Gratitude should be a natural outcropping of this great life we have the pleasure to live.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Food Thoughts

Been thinking about food things and thought I'd create a new post.

Isn't it weird (being a so called vegan) when I eat fruit/veggies I get comments that I'm too skinny and my diet isn't healthy.

But eating fried chicken, french fries, cokes, you get the idea--no one says a fuckin thing. It's only when I don't eat what's the status quo that all of sudden people are concerned for my health. But if I kept chowing down the hamburgers/hot dogs and chips, I wouldn't hear a word.

And we take it for granted that eating fried chicken and french fries, food that is dropped in 100% vegetable oil is healthy. To tell someone that oil, the most concentrated/processed food on the planet that it's not healthy, and they wonder what the hell I'm talking about. Don't I know that oil is healthy for the heart? What's wrong with me?

Potatoes, not allowed now on the WIC (Women, Infant, Child) program, but butter, oil, meat and dairy certainly is. Why is the potato so bad for your health it's banned? Oh, those evil carbs. Yes, the white potato is only 1% fat, has all the protein, vitamins and minerals in that one food alone.

As Gary Taubes says in one of his books, it's better to eat lard than eat broccoli. Oh yes, a meat centered diet is healthy and those evil carbs we must outlaw and stay away from. Just look at indigenous populations around the world that before industrialization suffered no obesity. The reason, they only ate bacon, steaks, soda and milk. Or possibly foods like beans, rice, potatoes.

The science is too in favor for the truth to be muffled too much longer. Instead of being labeded a freak by eating a whole foods plant based diet, in the future it might be looked on as strange eating the carcass of a cow that's been soaked in oil and butter.


Thursday, February 13, 2014

LA Zoo--Zeitgeist Betwixt Animals and Man

Went to the LA Zoo yesterday.

As a kid I mused, "how do they know what to feed these animals". Turns out it's pretty simple--grass, veggies and fruits. The Cambodian elephant eats 300lbs of grass per day. Man, that sure makes for a lot of shit.

Watching four of the biggest animals-elephant, giraffe, hippo and gorilla-they all ate a vegetarian diet. Yet as a vegan I'm always asked, "But where do you get your protein?". A protein deficiency is called Kwashiorkor, and as far as I know, besides parents who severely abuse their children, there hasn't been a case in America, since I don't know how long. But I bet it's been a long time.

It's comforting to see the animals are fed a whole food plant based (WFPB) diet. They had a few monkeys quarantined because they had diabetes. My guess is the kids fed them their ice creams. Just kidding, but monkeys get diabetes just like we do.

Two things disheartened me during my visit. It just felt wrong being a voyeur looking in on them and that these animals are captive for our viewing pleasure.

The other thing that bothered me was noticing that we feed the animals better than we feed our own children. If the animals ate was was offered to the children, there'd be a hell of a lot more cases of diabetes.

But we're setting up our children for diabetes, because there's no doubt, what these kids are eating is incubating and eventually will manifest itself in diseases that western man gets. What we do see though now is manifested in their obesity. See a kid obese? No need to do further  tests. An obese child will have health problems.

The offerings at the park were churros, ice cream, cokes, candy, popcorn--you get the idea. Why not have at least one eatery that offered WFPB food? Fact is, it'd go out of business. Let's be honest.

So when a child does decide to eat a WFPB diet, he's SOL, because the average restaurant defaults to a highly refined/deep fried/meat/dairy menu.

When potatoes are not allowed on the WIC program, but if schools do not offer cow's milk they lose government funding, you know we have a problem with children's nutrition.

The animals might not know they're eating a WFPB diet, but that's their reality. If someone asked me what I ate and I told them a whole foods plant based diet, they'd ask--"What's that?".

Monday, February 3, 2014

Food, What Should Be The Real Name

So it's Superbowl Sunday and we have a small gathering at our house.

Friends know my food sensiblilities and make things I might like. Pea soup for example. Gets me thinking about how we name foods. Pea soup sure sounds healthy. Peas, carrots, onions. Reality is, pea soup nowadays is very, very high in salt, high in saturated fat with ham, sausage etc.

A better name might be salt soup. Or saturated fatty meat soup. Or why not get to the bottom of it and call it high blood pressure soup, or atherosclerotic soup. Or this shit leads to early death soup.

Thinking about it, instead of Apple Pie, with all it's sugar and refined flour, we could rename it Diabetes Pie.

I like how we have these names for foods that conjure up family, togetherness, and wholesomeness, but really is nothing more than an appetizing word to get you to eat shit. That's really the fucken truth. Let's get fucken real and be honest about it.


Friday, January 17, 2014

A Time to keep my mouth shut, A Time to....

Customer's always right, right?

You know and I know it's just not true.

So today I'm at the $.99 store. I'm at the cash register and the cashier is dealing with a customer that is ahead of me. The customer is a lady who is being mean to the cashier. She just keeps giving her grief and won't let up.

After cashier is done with that customer, she's ready to move on to the next. There are 2 bananas lying on the belt in front of customer's other items. Cashier asks if the bananas are hers. No they belong to previous delightful customer. Cashier will give previous customer the 2 bananas, but she will have to pay for them. Customer gives cashier grief saying she's already paid for them. Cashier looks for receipt to see if that is true which both she and customer know it's not. Customer says "I'll pay for them again". She is charged $.25 for 2 bananas and then scowls at cashier for not saying "thank you".

Really, I wanted to stay out of it, but I couldn't. I told the lady that she's a bitch. A few other words were exchanged, but truly, she was the ugliest and rudest person I've come across in a long time.

Then after she left and cashier is dealing with me, we make small talk and she then apoligizes for the other customer. I told her "please, don't apoligize for her". So now it's her fault that the customer treated her like shit and she has to apoligize to me. The wackiness just keeps building.

She finishes with my order, I'm set to leave but what happens? She finds it necessary to apoligize one more time.

She was a nice girl, but I wanted to wack her upside the head too.