I'll start out with a rather tasty vegetable stew I just made for my evening meal. Perhaps it isn't so noteworthy as it is fresh on my mind. I do thing the wine I put into it, as well as the expired vegetable broth, is the primary source of its flavor. Since I just got a bunch of fresh garlic powder to make the various marinades for chicken jerky for my (youngest) daughter and her husband to taste, I also include some of that. Oh, and fresh ground black pepper. Other than the flavoring, it's just potatoes, carrots, and a leek. I will eat something else but I haven't figured out what just yet. I haven't even calculated the calories per serving for my calorie counting spreadsheet. This will go a long way to figuring out what else I will eat. I do need to eat my legumes yet for the day.
I would have eaten some for lunch but I had lunch on the road today, the Old Pedro Mountain Road. (I think I wrote about it in an earlier posting.) Anyway, it isn't nicknamed the "Planet of the Apes Road" for nothing. With all of its deterioration, it is only suitable for walking. And walk I did. I started out intending only to walk to where I had prior to my receiving "that darn pedometer," to see how far I had walked on that earlier hike, 5.5 miles round trip, but the day was so nice, I decided to walk further and hike on some new to me trail/road. On the Montara side of the mountain, the road is definitely more degraded. At one spot the road itself has completely slipped away and a rather crude trail was hacked out of the hill above where the road would have been. Then there was the section that was a new service road, only because I missed the little trail that didn't look like an old road at all off to the right. (I caught it on my return just to say I walked it.) Since there wasn't a convenient bench or rock or even a semi-dry log, that allowed me to sit, I ate my apple, Clif Bar, and whole wheat English muffin while walking. I was originally going to walk the whole road to its connection with Highway 1, but instead walked a short side trail to the last trail that Marilyn and I hiked and turned around. All in all, I walked 11 miles in just over three hours and 20,175 aerobic steps.
While the scenery was beautiful, including the clearest I've ever seen the Farallon Islands, I didn't take my camera. If I had, I may not have gotten nearly so much aerobic walking in.
Last Sunday night I went to an Academy Awards party, well viewing party. While I could see the TV, I really didn't do that much viewing. It was really just an opportunity to get together with some of my Fremont friends, many of whom I hadn't seen for over a year, some longer. I spent the entire evening talking with the husbands of the real avid viewers, the husband of the hostess of the party in particular. There were other conversations that came and went depending on the level of interest in the award being given out. I was asked for the recipe of the dessert I brought, the Basic Chocolate Cupcake from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook. I also took a Peanut Butter Buttercream icing from the same cookbook on the side. I didn't want to cause anyone who might have a peanut allergy grief. (Really it was just because I was running late and didn't want to take the time.) Most people, allergy or not, ate them plain. I was able to leave all that I took there. I needed to get back on my life diet and didn't want the temptation of very rich, even if vegan, food around.
As far as the chicken jerky I'm making, I got three recipes off of the Internet and am making up eight pounds of chicken breasts spread across each of them. My PCT walking daughter and son-in-law are to do a taste test to see which of the three they want to carry with them on the trail. I plan on making turkey jerky for the actual hike but Costco didn't have any boneless, skinless turkey breasts. This is the first time I've used chicken. Of course, it's the first time I've made jerky in a long time, at least ten years. Their tasting might be a little off from more than just the chicken.
I guess, at least from what I've written, not much of significance happened. Oh well, it seemed more significant when I started.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Blog Thinking
Two posts in one day. Well, the first one was a short one.
After coming back from the "wellness presentation" yesterday, I didn't want to change clothes and go back out into the rain to take my trash and recyclables to the curb for the next mornings pick up. Since my trash can is over sized, I felt I could go a couple weeks without too much piling up. After all, I had done it before. Low and behold, I woke up early this morning because my furnace came on. So I got dressed in my exercise clothes and decided to run the trash and recyclables out. I made it just as the recyclable truck was driving by. I hung around in the rain for the bins and brought them up to the house leaving the trash can for the other truck.
After my wild rice was done cooking for the Mango Black Bean Salad that I like, I decided to take a walk. I get out to the curb and there was my trash can with the lid off and the trash still in it. I guess its better than dumping it on the street but if they weren't going to take the trash, why did they remove the lid. I dumped the water out as best I could and moved the now covered trash can back to the house.
Then I proceeded on my multi-purpose walk. Multi-purpose because I had a destination, a shopping errand and wanted to get some aerobic walking in to make up for not walking yesterday. (Aerobic is defined by the Omron Pocket Pedometer to be at least ten minutes of continuous walking with a certain number of steps in a minute.) In a little less than seven miles, I did over 12,000 aerobic steps. I did take a big break in the middle with the buying and reading of a newspaper while drinking my latte. It may be my last latte because I just checked on the number of calories that are in one.
On the walk I found myself making mental observations and working out the wording of how I would write about it, if I were to write about it in a blog. (Thus the title of this blog posting.) Unfortunately, most of those observations and wordings were less than memorable in their own right and made more so by the passage of time from then to now, when I'm actually writing.
The walk actually started in the rain, (Yes, I was that determined to get a walk in today.), but about a third of the way to the Safeway that was my destination it stopped. By the time I was walking back, it was actually partly sunny. The sun didn't mean that the streets gutters were dry or that all the back yard drains weren't still acting like little springs, some even like fountains, and didn't keep my jean cuffs from getting wet, but did lift my spirits. I was all set to walk in the rain and it turned out I didn't have to.
There was one huge pickup truck that had a battery charger doing its thing on the trucks battery. I couldn't help but wonder if the trucks battery was drained because of a lack of use. Gas prices have crept back up to $2.239 for regular and I can't imagine that truck getting all that great of mileage. After the second six months of just sitting, my much smaller truck had to have the battery replaced. It would no longer take a charge.
Well, I'm off to fix my now much reduced dinner and make up for that latte. I'm trying to have five servings each of grain, fruits, and vegetables and two to three servings of legumes all within my ideal weight times ten calories, of which no more than ten percent are to be fat calories and all eating done by 7:00 PM. If I were working, it would be impossible.
After coming back from the "wellness presentation" yesterday, I didn't want to change clothes and go back out into the rain to take my trash and recyclables to the curb for the next mornings pick up. Since my trash can is over sized, I felt I could go a couple weeks without too much piling up. After all, I had done it before. Low and behold, I woke up early this morning because my furnace came on. So I got dressed in my exercise clothes and decided to run the trash and recyclables out. I made it just as the recyclable truck was driving by. I hung around in the rain for the bins and brought them up to the house leaving the trash can for the other truck.
After my wild rice was done cooking for the Mango Black Bean Salad that I like, I decided to take a walk. I get out to the curb and there was my trash can with the lid off and the trash still in it. I guess its better than dumping it on the street but if they weren't going to take the trash, why did they remove the lid. I dumped the water out as best I could and moved the now covered trash can back to the house.
Then I proceeded on my multi-purpose walk. Multi-purpose because I had a destination, a shopping errand and wanted to get some aerobic walking in to make up for not walking yesterday. (Aerobic is defined by the Omron Pocket Pedometer to be at least ten minutes of continuous walking with a certain number of steps in a minute.) In a little less than seven miles, I did over 12,000 aerobic steps. I did take a big break in the middle with the buying and reading of a newspaper while drinking my latte. It may be my last latte because I just checked on the number of calories that are in one.
On the walk I found myself making mental observations and working out the wording of how I would write about it, if I were to write about it in a blog. (Thus the title of this blog posting.) Unfortunately, most of those observations and wordings were less than memorable in their own right and made more so by the passage of time from then to now, when I'm actually writing.
The walk actually started in the rain, (Yes, I was that determined to get a walk in today.), but about a third of the way to the Safeway that was my destination it stopped. By the time I was walking back, it was actually partly sunny. The sun didn't mean that the streets gutters were dry or that all the back yard drains weren't still acting like little springs, some even like fountains, and didn't keep my jean cuffs from getting wet, but did lift my spirits. I was all set to walk in the rain and it turned out I didn't have to.
There was one huge pickup truck that had a battery charger doing its thing on the trucks battery. I couldn't help but wonder if the trucks battery was drained because of a lack of use. Gas prices have crept back up to $2.239 for regular and I can't imagine that truck getting all that great of mileage. After the second six months of just sitting, my much smaller truck had to have the battery replaced. It would no longer take a charge.
Well, I'm off to fix my now much reduced dinner and make up for that latte. I'm trying to have five servings each of grain, fruits, and vegetables and two to three servings of legumes all within my ideal weight times ten calories, of which no more than ten percent are to be fat calories and all eating done by 7:00 PM. If I were working, it would be impossible.
The Secret to exercise
If I have a mild case of OCD, I know how I got it and am also sorry it has only manifested this way. For over 20 years I have been counting, mostly to do my back exercises where I am to hold certain positions for five seconds and repeat them a certain number of times. This has led to counting in several different timing situations and whenever I'm bored, like the song "Counting Flowers on the Wall."
Unfortunately this OCD hasn't manifested itself in even a mild case of cleaning house, although I must admit to a certain fastidiousness when it comes to cleaning my person. (My youngest daughter has even called me germophobic. I'm not really. I just don't want the hassle of cleaning up later, if I can reasonably avoid it.)
Now back to the exercising: Probably everyone has learned to approximate a second by counting them with the appendage "one thousand," as in "one one thousand, two one thousand, ..." All during my second counting while I was married to Marilyn, I substituted another three syllable phrase, "I love you." (I don't think I ever told her that I was doing this.) Well, Marilyn had me listen to the audio book of The Secret, in which Rhonda Byrne talks about gratitude and saying "thank you" often, and now I'm doing so when I exercise. "I thank you," is another three syllable phrase.
I must admit, if done properly, saying thank you results in less stress. I started saying it to myself when I got exhausted while I was skiing and I was tensing less even though I was still exhausted.
I wish there were other secrets to exercising, like getting the benefits without actually having to do it. But at least I like most of it, particularly the walking. When I used to run, early in the morning in Houston because during the summer that was the only time the temperature was low enough for me to be able to, 80, I didn't have the knowledge of the power of "thank you." While I can't say that I enjoyed running, I did like the endorphin effect, the second wind. I've never gotten to that point walking, but then I haven't done it all that long.
Unfortunately this OCD hasn't manifested itself in even a mild case of cleaning house, although I must admit to a certain fastidiousness when it comes to cleaning my person. (My youngest daughter has even called me germophobic. I'm not really. I just don't want the hassle of cleaning up later, if I can reasonably avoid it.)
Now back to the exercising: Probably everyone has learned to approximate a second by counting them with the appendage "one thousand," as in "one one thousand, two one thousand, ..." All during my second counting while I was married to Marilyn, I substituted another three syllable phrase, "I love you." (I don't think I ever told her that I was doing this.) Well, Marilyn had me listen to the audio book of The Secret, in which Rhonda Byrne talks about gratitude and saying "thank you" often, and now I'm doing so when I exercise. "I thank you," is another three syllable phrase.
I must admit, if done properly, saying thank you results in less stress. I started saying it to myself when I got exhausted while I was skiing and I was tensing less even though I was still exhausted.
I wish there were other secrets to exercising, like getting the benefits without actually having to do it. But at least I like most of it, particularly the walking. When I used to run, early in the morning in Houston because during the summer that was the only time the temperature was low enough for me to be able to, 80, I didn't have the knowledge of the power of "thank you." While I can't say that I enjoyed running, I did like the endorphin effect, the second wind. I've never gotten to that point walking, but then I haven't done it all that long.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
I think I may have found my business
Whether this business is only part time or supplementary, remains to be seen but I certainly liked what I heard. It also fits with my undocumented but long thought about business principles. What's more, I can see it helping my sisters and mother. (Maybe they, at least my sisters, would like to go into the business as well?)
Yes, it is MLM. The number of doctors and nurses who were at this meeting was amazing. There were also a seemingly equal number of hairdressers, but that is another story.
The meeting was at the Marines Memorial Club and Hotel. It is an obviously old but very well taken care of hotel with unworn carpets, gilt on the ceilings that appeared bright, old style electric candle chandeliers with no bulbs burned out or cobwebs. It was also near the theatre district and Union Square.
I didn't expect the meeting to be so interesting so when I found myself fighting dozing off on the BART ride in, I decided to get a latte, if I happened to pass a Starbucks. (Passing a Starbucks in San Francisco is a foregone conclusion if you are walking more than a couple of blocks. In the financial district on a weekday if you don't see a Starbucks within a block you don't have your eyes open. Also within that block is likely to be a Peet's and/or a Tully's with about four other eateries that also serve coffee and espresso drinks.) Now, I'm wide awake.
The medical presentation was given by Dr. Shanhong Lu, MD, PHD. She gave the background of why the products work, and why they need to. She also brought a level of understanding to me about Marilyn and some of the difficulties she had, particularly why some of the prescribed medicines didn't work as well as they were supposed to for Marilyn.
Since I'm not going to look up the spelling for any of the medical terms she used, I'm not going to try and repeat her talk from my notes. But one point she made was that pharmaceutical prescriptions are the third leading causes of death in the U.S., with cardiovascular disease number one and all forms of cancer number two. There were a number of people, nurses and hairdressers, who stood up at the end of her presentation and contributed their own testimonial of getting off of medicines, getting out of pain, getting enough rest, and basically being happier.
Dr. Lu also quoted an American Cancer Society 2008 prediction: Now, one out of two men and one out of three women will have cancer in their lifetimes. While a lifetime of eating right will provide some protection, eating right is really very difficult to do. Even on my vegan diet, I have trouble eating all the servings of organic, or at least pesticide free, fruits and vegetables I should and I certainly haven't eaten right all of my lifetime. But I know from Marilyn's experience that cancer comes from three or four generic categories which culminate in a breakdown of the immune system allowing cancer to thrive. (One of the categories is aging, which is accelerated by stress and pollution, two of the other categories.)
There was a 71 year old nurse that stood up and gave a testimonial. She really looked to be in her fifties. Then a 66 year old nurse stood up and talked about her healthy weight loss. There were several 48 year olds testimonials. The products of this company address the immune system's health in a proactive way, which I guess addresses aging as a side effect.
Some of the results testified to occurred rather quickly. I'm going to try the products out when I can join up and see what they do for me.
A couple other notes: What with the raining all day and my failed attempt to fix my leaking kitchen drains, it now looks to be isolated in the garbage disposal, I didn't walk much at all today, including no aerobic steps. I had thought about going out tonight and walking around the neighborhood but I got home rather late and it is raining rather hard. I'm glad I was able to do twice the walking I needed to yesterday.
I was able to forward a text message from my cell phone into Facebook. This means that if I can't get The Spot to send my position directly into Facebook, I will be able to forward the message The Spot sends to my cell phone, that is if I can get The Spot to do that. I tried to get an OK message sent around noon but I was driven back indoors before it was sent or maybe my registration earlier today hadn't taken effect yet. If it ever stops raining long enough, I'll try it again.
Yes, it is MLM. The number of doctors and nurses who were at this meeting was amazing. There were also a seemingly equal number of hairdressers, but that is another story.
The meeting was at the Marines Memorial Club and Hotel. It is an obviously old but very well taken care of hotel with unworn carpets, gilt on the ceilings that appeared bright, old style electric candle chandeliers with no bulbs burned out or cobwebs. It was also near the theatre district and Union Square.
I didn't expect the meeting to be so interesting so when I found myself fighting dozing off on the BART ride in, I decided to get a latte, if I happened to pass a Starbucks. (Passing a Starbucks in San Francisco is a foregone conclusion if you are walking more than a couple of blocks. In the financial district on a weekday if you don't see a Starbucks within a block you don't have your eyes open. Also within that block is likely to be a Peet's and/or a Tully's with about four other eateries that also serve coffee and espresso drinks.) Now, I'm wide awake.
The medical presentation was given by Dr. Shanhong Lu, MD, PHD. She gave the background of why the products work, and why they need to. She also brought a level of understanding to me about Marilyn and some of the difficulties she had, particularly why some of the prescribed medicines didn't work as well as they were supposed to for Marilyn.
Since I'm not going to look up the spelling for any of the medical terms she used, I'm not going to try and repeat her talk from my notes. But one point she made was that pharmaceutical prescriptions are the third leading causes of death in the U.S., with cardiovascular disease number one and all forms of cancer number two. There were a number of people, nurses and hairdressers, who stood up at the end of her presentation and contributed their own testimonial of getting off of medicines, getting out of pain, getting enough rest, and basically being happier.
Dr. Lu also quoted an American Cancer Society 2008 prediction: Now, one out of two men and one out of three women will have cancer in their lifetimes. While a lifetime of eating right will provide some protection, eating right is really very difficult to do. Even on my vegan diet, I have trouble eating all the servings of organic, or at least pesticide free, fruits and vegetables I should and I certainly haven't eaten right all of my lifetime. But I know from Marilyn's experience that cancer comes from three or four generic categories which culminate in a breakdown of the immune system allowing cancer to thrive. (One of the categories is aging, which is accelerated by stress and pollution, two of the other categories.)
There was a 71 year old nurse that stood up and gave a testimonial. She really looked to be in her fifties. Then a 66 year old nurse stood up and talked about her healthy weight loss. There were several 48 year olds testimonials. The products of this company address the immune system's health in a proactive way, which I guess addresses aging as a side effect.
Some of the results testified to occurred rather quickly. I'm going to try the products out when I can join up and see what they do for me.
A couple other notes: What with the raining all day and my failed attempt to fix my leaking kitchen drains, it now looks to be isolated in the garbage disposal, I didn't walk much at all today, including no aerobic steps. I had thought about going out tonight and walking around the neighborhood but I got home rather late and it is raining rather hard. I'm glad I was able to do twice the walking I needed to yesterday.
I was able to forward a text message from my cell phone into Facebook. This means that if I can't get The Spot to send my position directly into Facebook, I will be able to forward the message The Spot sends to my cell phone, that is if I can get The Spot to do that. I tried to get an OK message sent around noon but I was driven back indoors before it was sent or maybe my registration earlier today hadn't taken effect yet. If it ever stops raining long enough, I'll try it again.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
That darn pedometer
Actually it's a great pedometer, Omron Pocket Pedometer. It works in a variety of placements about the body: pocket, belt, ... It keeps track of total steps vs. aerobic steps. It has conversion features into miles. It has a week's worth of memory. The only thing wrong with it is the amount of exercise it is going to make me do.
That exercise is the subject of this blog. But first let me give a little background. My middle sister gave it to me as a gift. It must have arrived late yesterday because I noticed the package as I was going out to get today's, Saturday's, paper. Instead of heading off to get my kitchen faucet early this morning as I had planned, I was instead setting up the pedometer. (The most difficult part of setting it up was finding my measuring tape to measure my ten steps.) After inserting the battery, I had to set the time, input my weight, and set my step length, two feet ten inches.
After setting it all up, I went to get my faucet, which Fixtures and Faucets didn't have in stock and had to order for me. At least since I had to pay a shipping charge, it will be shipped directly to my house. Since Fixtures and Faucets was just a couple miles away from Whole Foods, I went on to Whole Foods to get some quality vegetables and fruit, including a bag each of frozen peaches and mangoes. I'm glad I had my cold bag because I decided to go walking before I made it home.
Instead of turning left at Fassler, I turned right and parked in a beach access parking lot out close to the ocean. I suppose the whole area is considered Rockaway Beach.
The waves were something to see. As were the surfers. I walked along Rockaway Beach and over the hill to Linda Mar Beach. I ducked into the Taco Bell to unzip my two layers of jackets so I could check my new pedometer. (This particular Taco Bell is eight or nine on the best Fast Food locations list, kind of a Fast Food Wonders of the World. Maybe it was just the U.S.) I had only walked 2,700 steps or so, so I decided to hike up to the road end of San Pedro Point.
As I was walking I noticed a surfer who was changing out of his wet suit. He had it down to his waist with his whole upper torso skin exposed to what I considered a chilling wind. This was quite a contrast to my attire of a T-shirt, topped by a Christmas gift Ohio State sweat shirt, (Thank you sister-in-law/brother-in-law Jan and Ron.), then my fleece vest zipped up all the way, and finally my North Face shell, also zipped up. At least I wasn't wearing my cross-country ski gloves that I had with me. After the stripping surfer, I noticed a woman running along the beach in just a tank top and shorts and a man playing with the waves in just a swim suit. Most of the fellow walkers I passed were a little more clothed but none were so to my extent. Most had on some kind of a sweatshirt or wind breaking jacket and either spandex pants or jeans.
There were a lot of walkers, a few bikers, and even a few Segway riders. These could be rented at Rockaway Beach and ridden as far as I walked. Of course, they aren't much exercise, but they look like fun. About half the people I passed were friendly, acknowledging my presence or even saying "Hi." The other half mostly avoid eye contact.
I did see one kid on a BMX type bike that had a surf board carrier attachment, kind of like a side car without a wheel. I don't know whether or not it was a commercial after market add on or something they built themselves but it looked neat, well, very functional.
All in all, I walked over 6,000 aerobic steps and over 10,000 steps, five miles, so far today. If I hadn't stopped to take pictures, which you can see in my Kodak Gallery Album, I would have probably had more aerobic steps. Even though it has rained a couple times since I've gotten home, I'm debating on going out to walk a two-mile distance I know of to see if I've calibrated my new pedometer correctly. That darn pedometer! It's too easy to use and draws me to use it.
That exercise is the subject of this blog. But first let me give a little background. My middle sister gave it to me as a gift. It must have arrived late yesterday because I noticed the package as I was going out to get today's, Saturday's, paper. Instead of heading off to get my kitchen faucet early this morning as I had planned, I was instead setting up the pedometer. (The most difficult part of setting it up was finding my measuring tape to measure my ten steps.) After inserting the battery, I had to set the time, input my weight, and set my step length, two feet ten inches.
After setting it all up, I went to get my faucet, which Fixtures and Faucets didn't have in stock and had to order for me. At least since I had to pay a shipping charge, it will be shipped directly to my house. Since Fixtures and Faucets was just a couple miles away from Whole Foods, I went on to Whole Foods to get some quality vegetables and fruit, including a bag each of frozen peaches and mangoes. I'm glad I had my cold bag because I decided to go walking before I made it home.
Instead of turning left at Fassler, I turned right and parked in a beach access parking lot out close to the ocean. I suppose the whole area is considered Rockaway Beach.
The waves were something to see. As were the surfers. I walked along Rockaway Beach and over the hill to Linda Mar Beach. I ducked into the Taco Bell to unzip my two layers of jackets so I could check my new pedometer. (This particular Taco Bell is eight or nine on the best Fast Food locations list, kind of a Fast Food Wonders of the World. Maybe it was just the U.S.) I had only walked 2,700 steps or so, so I decided to hike up to the road end of San Pedro Point.
As I was walking I noticed a surfer who was changing out of his wet suit. He had it down to his waist with his whole upper torso skin exposed to what I considered a chilling wind. This was quite a contrast to my attire of a T-shirt, topped by a Christmas gift Ohio State sweat shirt, (Thank you sister-in-law/brother-in-law Jan and Ron.), then my fleece vest zipped up all the way, and finally my North Face shell, also zipped up. At least I wasn't wearing my cross-country ski gloves that I had with me. After the stripping surfer, I noticed a woman running along the beach in just a tank top and shorts and a man playing with the waves in just a swim suit. Most of the fellow walkers I passed were a little more clothed but none were so to my extent. Most had on some kind of a sweatshirt or wind breaking jacket and either spandex pants or jeans.
There were a lot of walkers, a few bikers, and even a few Segway riders. These could be rented at Rockaway Beach and ridden as far as I walked. Of course, they aren't much exercise, but they look like fun. About half the people I passed were friendly, acknowledging my presence or even saying "Hi." The other half mostly avoid eye contact.
I did see one kid on a BMX type bike that had a surf board carrier attachment, kind of like a side car without a wheel. I don't know whether or not it was a commercial after market add on or something they built themselves but it looked neat, well, very functional.
All in all, I walked over 6,000 aerobic steps and over 10,000 steps, five miles, so far today. If I hadn't stopped to take pictures, which you can see in my Kodak Gallery Album, I would have probably had more aerobic steps. Even though it has rained a couple times since I've gotten home, I'm debating on going out to walk a two-mile distance I know of to see if I've calibrated my new pedometer correctly. That darn pedometer! It's too easy to use and draws me to use it.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The walk that wasn't and the one that was
After at least three days of cold and threatening rain today seemed to be both less cold and at least the air was free of excess moisture. I became determined to go for a walk but wanted to do so at a place that I hadn't been for a while, or ever, and wouldn't be excessively muddy.
My first choice was to walk on the paved path along Crystal Lake Reservoir. Since the total walk could be up to 14 miles down and back, literally down and back up, I loaded up my three liter camel back, grabbed my wind breaker, with the warmer skiing gloves, and proceeded to get a latte and read the paper. After the "coffee break," I drove to the closest path access and was amazed that it appeared that I would have the whole path to myself. Literally no other car was parked in the small parking area. When I got out of my car, it was obvious why this was so. (I had intended on inserting a picture here but for some reason it isn't uploading. There is a link to all the pictures I took at the end of this entry.)
Unfortunately, I didn't have a second choice. Since I had to proceed onto I-280, unless I wanted to violate the signs that said a U-turn was illegal, I decided to go to Princeton Harbor, just north of Half Moon Bay for a walk along the coast. Marilyn and I had been on portions of this particular walk more than once. One of our first anniversary dinners in the Bay Area was at a seafood restaurant just off of Highway 1 and even then we walk for a brief distance and time along the paved walkway on the beach side of the restaurant. I remember it particularly well because I had abalone for the second, and so far the last, time in my life. The restaurant building is still there but it is under a different name.
I actually parked in the boat launching parking lot where there were signs about paying but they seemed to only apply to overnight parking, at least that was my interpretation. It must have been the case because my car was still there and did not have a ticket and a "citation/towing" was the enforcement threat. (When I returned from my walk there was a mini-convention of UPS trucks. I'm sure they interpreted the parking the same way I did.)
I did walk further than I had ever walked with Marilyn or my children, although I didn't walk out on the jetty. There were a couple of fishermen out on it but the tide was in and the waves were splashing rather well. I wasn't concerned about getting knocked down so much as not wanting to get wet. The last time we walked there as a family, we talked with a sniggler. I think I've had eel before but don't think I would ever want to catch one. They don't look particularly appetizing.
There was one section of the walkway that ran right next to Highway 1. As I was going south, I was barked at, by some kid in a passing car. I don't really know what comment he was trying to make, perhaps that I was dog ugly(?) or he was species confused, but other than getting my attention like a horn would, it had no affect on me. Of course, it may not have been directed at me at all and It's just my egocentricity that makes me think so. On the way back to my car, I was barked at by a real dog, hopefully chained in some way to an RV it was near. Whether chained or not, it didn't attack.
Other than birds, I didn't see any wild animals. I did see a couple gulls going at it. I thought about taking their picture but by that time they were in the water and moving away from me. It would have been difficult to tell that there were two gulls. They looked very similar to each other but one appeared to be winning although, if that were the case, the other should have fled the confrontation. They were definitely not playing.
Then my pavement ran out. I decided to go on and hope that my shoes wouldn't get too muddy, which I guess they didn't. (I ended up taking my hiking boots off when I got home anyway because of some gum I picked up at Safeway, or Safeway's parking lot.) While I wasn't done walking, my path ran out. I even followed it a little bit away from the coast, hoping to be able to cross over to Miramar road but it stopped right at an incomplete bridge. I could have walked down a muddy embankment to get to some concrete steps and continue on but I didn't like the thought of having to scramble back up the embankment when I finally decided to come back. So I turned around.
It was warm at and walking away from the car, so I didn't wear my wind breaker. I was second guessing myself on the way back. I don't know whether it was because I was walking against the wind or it had picked up but my Ohio State sweatshirt and fleece vest just wasn't quite enough protection.
I noticed a couple of spots that looked like the next area destined to be swallowed by the Pacific Ocean. In and of themselves, they weren't that much area but it was obvious that erosion had been happening for some time and there didn't look to be any effort to slow it down, at least not there. It must have been public land, land that everybody owns and no one cares for.
See all of the pictures I took on this hike and attempted hike in my Kodak Gallery Album.
My first choice was to walk on the paved path along Crystal Lake Reservoir. Since the total walk could be up to 14 miles down and back, literally down and back up, I loaded up my three liter camel back, grabbed my wind breaker, with the warmer skiing gloves, and proceeded to get a latte and read the paper. After the "coffee break," I drove to the closest path access and was amazed that it appeared that I would have the whole path to myself. Literally no other car was parked in the small parking area. When I got out of my car, it was obvious why this was so. (I had intended on inserting a picture here but for some reason it isn't uploading. There is a link to all the pictures I took at the end of this entry.)
Unfortunately, I didn't have a second choice. Since I had to proceed onto I-280, unless I wanted to violate the signs that said a U-turn was illegal, I decided to go to Princeton Harbor, just north of Half Moon Bay for a walk along the coast. Marilyn and I had been on portions of this particular walk more than once. One of our first anniversary dinners in the Bay Area was at a seafood restaurant just off of Highway 1 and even then we walk for a brief distance and time along the paved walkway on the beach side of the restaurant. I remember it particularly well because I had abalone for the second, and so far the last, time in my life. The restaurant building is still there but it is under a different name.
I actually parked in the boat launching parking lot where there were signs about paying but they seemed to only apply to overnight parking, at least that was my interpretation. It must have been the case because my car was still there and did not have a ticket and a "citation/towing" was the enforcement threat. (When I returned from my walk there was a mini-convention of UPS trucks. I'm sure they interpreted the parking the same way I did.)
I did walk further than I had ever walked with Marilyn or my children, although I didn't walk out on the jetty. There were a couple of fishermen out on it but the tide was in and the waves were splashing rather well. I wasn't concerned about getting knocked down so much as not wanting to get wet. The last time we walked there as a family, we talked with a sniggler. I think I've had eel before but don't think I would ever want to catch one. They don't look particularly appetizing.
There was one section of the walkway that ran right next to Highway 1. As I was going south, I was barked at, by some kid in a passing car. I don't really know what comment he was trying to make, perhaps that I was dog ugly(?) or he was species confused, but other than getting my attention like a horn would, it had no affect on me. Of course, it may not have been directed at me at all and It's just my egocentricity that makes me think so. On the way back to my car, I was barked at by a real dog, hopefully chained in some way to an RV it was near. Whether chained or not, it didn't attack.
Other than birds, I didn't see any wild animals. I did see a couple gulls going at it. I thought about taking their picture but by that time they were in the water and moving away from me. It would have been difficult to tell that there were two gulls. They looked very similar to each other but one appeared to be winning although, if that were the case, the other should have fled the confrontation. They were definitely not playing.
Then my pavement ran out. I decided to go on and hope that my shoes wouldn't get too muddy, which I guess they didn't. (I ended up taking my hiking boots off when I got home anyway because of some gum I picked up at Safeway, or Safeway's parking lot.) While I wasn't done walking, my path ran out. I even followed it a little bit away from the coast, hoping to be able to cross over to Miramar road but it stopped right at an incomplete bridge. I could have walked down a muddy embankment to get to some concrete steps and continue on but I didn't like the thought of having to scramble back up the embankment when I finally decided to come back. So I turned around.
It was warm at and walking away from the car, so I didn't wear my wind breaker. I was second guessing myself on the way back. I don't know whether it was because I was walking against the wind or it had picked up but my Ohio State sweatshirt and fleece vest just wasn't quite enough protection.
I noticed a couple of spots that looked like the next area destined to be swallowed by the Pacific Ocean. In and of themselves, they weren't that much area but it was obvious that erosion had been happening for some time and there didn't look to be any effort to slow it down, at least not there. It must have been public land, land that everybody owns and no one cares for.
See all of the pictures I took on this hike and attempted hike in my Kodak Gallery Album.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Memorileum
This post is intended to celebrate the significance of nothing and absence can be quite significant.
Yesterday, and for quite a few days before that, I overindulged, not so much in the quantity of food, although I'm sure I ate too much as well, but in the type of food. I keep telling myself that even vegan food can be bad for me. With high fat content vegan cookies, refried beans with guacamole burrito, mashed potatoes with vegan no trans fat margarine, and the list goes on, I had eaten myself into an upset stomach that a newly purchased Tums Ultra bottle wasn't making a dent in.
Now I know why I was doing it, a hopefully mild form of depression. Even if mild, I'm not motivated to do anything, except eat and watch TV, which, except for fixing the food, are both demotivating. When watching TV, I tend to stay up later because of the effort it takes to go to bed. After I eat, I am lethargic to the point that all I want to do is watch TV.
When my father was in college, I read his Behavioral Psychology text. At the time, I didn't agree with all of it and probably still don't but with my greater understanding of nutrition and the role it plays in a persons immune system or even chemical balance, I may agree with it more now than I did then. Besides, I have been able to smile at myself in the mirror and lift my spirits and attitude. Smiling for others improves any interaction you might have with them, reinforcing the improvement. I know that I like to think when I walk, hike, or even cross-country ski but those thoughts can sometimes take on a form of worrying. So, what I've been doing recently is follow some advice I picked up out of The Secret: "[Think] thank you" as I stride, "thank" on my left foot and "you" on my right foot. I don't know whether or not it has the effect that the book alludes to but it does tend to mentally relax me with a true feeling of gratitude and my mind no longer races around without going anywhere.
All of this is making a short story long but I also know why I am hopefully mildly depressed. In addition to the stock market collapsing, I live in a memorileum. Literally everything reminds me of Marilyn, even the things that are new to me are distinguishable by their lack of direct ties to Marilyn, although many of them can have a memory tie. An example of the latter is the MacBook I'm using right now. After we moved to Pacifica, Marilyn went to a digital picture class where the instructor was able to do some amazing things with a Mac. Marilyn said she wanted a Mac but didn't want me to get one for her. I got this MacBook last January, not because of Marilyn but because I was fed up with the hardware and software quality that I had gotten from PCs. There is even a Marilyn story for the hiking boots I am wearing right now. In early 2005, Marilyn wanted to make a quick stop at REI for some birthday shopping. I headed over to a nearby Starbucks for some headache prevention. (It is so good to be off of caffeine.) I got done before she did and wandered into REI looking for her. She was still shopping so I went by the hiking boot area and noticed these on sale. I bought them. I can't believe they are that old.
Even on my walk around the neighborhood this afternoon, to mail a couple envelopes and return three misdirected envelopes, I was reminded of Marilyn. There is this monstrosity of a house just around the corner on Glacier. It is a full three stories tall. They got away with the third story because the access to it is through pull down stairs, making it an attic. (This is something like the PT Cruiser being a truck.) I know this because on one of my walks with Marilyn, she went into the construction site and we went up those pull down stairs at least part way to see the size and finish of the rec room attic. I would have never done something like that on my own. Thanks to Marilyn, I've been in quite a few Pacifica houses.
So, I've changed my behavior, at least for today. I have gone on a one day fast of water and Metamucil only. I have left the TV off and will see if I have the will power to leave it off for good. I intend to start eating again tomorrow, but just the wholesome low fat foods I should be eating.
I also intend to do more, not just because doing more will give me more to write about, but because new memories...
Yesterday, and for quite a few days before that, I overindulged, not so much in the quantity of food, although I'm sure I ate too much as well, but in the type of food. I keep telling myself that even vegan food can be bad for me. With high fat content vegan cookies, refried beans with guacamole burrito, mashed potatoes with vegan no trans fat margarine, and the list goes on, I had eaten myself into an upset stomach that a newly purchased Tums Ultra bottle wasn't making a dent in.
Now I know why I was doing it, a hopefully mild form of depression. Even if mild, I'm not motivated to do anything, except eat and watch TV, which, except for fixing the food, are both demotivating. When watching TV, I tend to stay up later because of the effort it takes to go to bed. After I eat, I am lethargic to the point that all I want to do is watch TV.
When my father was in college, I read his Behavioral Psychology text. At the time, I didn't agree with all of it and probably still don't but with my greater understanding of nutrition and the role it plays in a persons immune system or even chemical balance, I may agree with it more now than I did then. Besides, I have been able to smile at myself in the mirror and lift my spirits and attitude. Smiling for others improves any interaction you might have with them, reinforcing the improvement. I know that I like to think when I walk, hike, or even cross-country ski but those thoughts can sometimes take on a form of worrying. So, what I've been doing recently is follow some advice I picked up out of The Secret: "[Think] thank you" as I stride, "thank" on my left foot and "you" on my right foot. I don't know whether or not it has the effect that the book alludes to but it does tend to mentally relax me with a true feeling of gratitude and my mind no longer races around without going anywhere.
All of this is making a short story long but I also know why I am hopefully mildly depressed. In addition to the stock market collapsing, I live in a memorileum. Literally everything reminds me of Marilyn, even the things that are new to me are distinguishable by their lack of direct ties to Marilyn, although many of them can have a memory tie. An example of the latter is the MacBook I'm using right now. After we moved to Pacifica, Marilyn went to a digital picture class where the instructor was able to do some amazing things with a Mac. Marilyn said she wanted a Mac but didn't want me to get one for her. I got this MacBook last January, not because of Marilyn but because I was fed up with the hardware and software quality that I had gotten from PCs. There is even a Marilyn story for the hiking boots I am wearing right now. In early 2005, Marilyn wanted to make a quick stop at REI for some birthday shopping. I headed over to a nearby Starbucks for some headache prevention. (It is so good to be off of caffeine.) I got done before she did and wandered into REI looking for her. She was still shopping so I went by the hiking boot area and noticed these on sale. I bought them. I can't believe they are that old.
Even on my walk around the neighborhood this afternoon, to mail a couple envelopes and return three misdirected envelopes, I was reminded of Marilyn. There is this monstrosity of a house just around the corner on Glacier. It is a full three stories tall. They got away with the third story because the access to it is through pull down stairs, making it an attic. (This is something like the PT Cruiser being a truck.) I know this because on one of my walks with Marilyn, she went into the construction site and we went up those pull down stairs at least part way to see the size and finish of the rec room attic. I would have never done something like that on my own. Thanks to Marilyn, I've been in quite a few Pacifica houses.
So, I've changed my behavior, at least for today. I have gone on a one day fast of water and Metamucil only. I have left the TV off and will see if I have the will power to leave it off for good. I intend to start eating again tomorrow, but just the wholesome low fat foods I should be eating.
I also intend to do more, not just because doing more will give me more to write about, but because new memories...
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The new "EST," anti-EST
Should there be any readers of this blog entry, I must caution you that there will be quoted language that some may find offensive.
Today, February 7, 2009, I was invited to attend a free meeting that was basically a sales job for a Sterling Men's Weekend, which teaches men to be men rather than SNAGs, Sensitive New Age Guys.
Before I discuss this meeting, I should state some disclaimers: While I didn't consider it appropriate for me for a variety of reasons, some of which I will go into, I have nothing at all against people receiving the help in whatever form works to become better people, better men. Further, without going to the actual Men's Weekend, I cannot know the totality of the discussion and events that occur there and if I were to go to one, I couldn't write about it because the registration form includes signing a lot of fine print, of which one of the provisions is a non-disclosure agreement.
The bulk of the discussion that occurred tonight was about men and their relationship with women. On the man's side there are two modes: the mustang mode of short term relationships that are all about fun, and the long term relationship that is mostly about procreation, the mule mode. Corresponding to this, women are in one of two states: the "I want something from you" state and the "I don't want something from you" state. In a widely separated conversation, women are supposed to use sex as a tool that is made even more effective because they don't particularly enjoy sex. Before marriage, they grant sex to get what they want and after marriage they withhold sex to get what they want.
Interspersed with all of the sex and relationship discussion, they had former attendees of the Men's Weekend stand up and talk about their experience in general terms or ask "refresher" questions. Many of these former attendees meet regularly with their men team for ongoing mutual support and advice and several brought guests with whom they had cultivated a relationship sufficient to invite them and "sponsor" them for the Men's Weekend.
When a "guest" was convinced of the worth of such a weekend, he was to stand up grab his balls and yell "F**k It!" I never felt the inclination. From time to time the leader, Justin Sterling, would ask for one of the guests to say why they weren't signing up, what was holding us back. One person who said it was money and asked whether any of the men there had jobs that he could do to obtain the money was encouraged to take the step anyway and that the money would be made available to him. Several of the alumni of the weekend passed him cash and at least one guest did, not me.
I did not stand up and say why I wasn't signing up for the $500 weekend, which, by the way, is down from the cost of some of the previous weekends. I don't know whether this is the result of a primary, secondary, or both effect, i.e., the venue costs less as secondary or the discount is to attract more participants, primary. Among the reasons I did not sign up were first and foremost, the main thrust of relationships with women for sex is not applicable to me. The second is that I have a fundamental disagreement with the way a male-female relationship is simplified, perhaps oversimplified, not that I didn't recognize the simplified interaction descriptions that were discussed as also being in my past. But hopefully I've learned from my past on my way to simply being a mature male human being.
But if their model works in spite of what I would consider to be flaws, more power to them and the people who are employing those models. There were a number of men who stood up to talk about how the men's weekend had saved their marriage. It also has supposedly let them know themselves better. Talking crudely about pussy aside, they also talked about commitment and being a man of his word. Several people spoke to the lack of a male role model in their lives.
There were men from all socioeconomic backgrounds and ages there, including a number who were incarcerated at some point. The meeting portion lasted for three hours.
There is also a Women's Weekend and several speakers spoke to how their significant other had attended that.
Today, February 7, 2009, I was invited to attend a free meeting that was basically a sales job for a Sterling Men's Weekend, which teaches men to be men rather than SNAGs, Sensitive New Age Guys.
Before I discuss this meeting, I should state some disclaimers: While I didn't consider it appropriate for me for a variety of reasons, some of which I will go into, I have nothing at all against people receiving the help in whatever form works to become better people, better men. Further, without going to the actual Men's Weekend, I cannot know the totality of the discussion and events that occur there and if I were to go to one, I couldn't write about it because the registration form includes signing a lot of fine print, of which one of the provisions is a non-disclosure agreement.
The bulk of the discussion that occurred tonight was about men and their relationship with women. On the man's side there are two modes: the mustang mode of short term relationships that are all about fun, and the long term relationship that is mostly about procreation, the mule mode. Corresponding to this, women are in one of two states: the "I want something from you" state and the "I don't want something from you" state. In a widely separated conversation, women are supposed to use sex as a tool that is made even more effective because they don't particularly enjoy sex. Before marriage, they grant sex to get what they want and after marriage they withhold sex to get what they want.
Interspersed with all of the sex and relationship discussion, they had former attendees of the Men's Weekend stand up and talk about their experience in general terms or ask "refresher" questions. Many of these former attendees meet regularly with their men team for ongoing mutual support and advice and several brought guests with whom they had cultivated a relationship sufficient to invite them and "sponsor" them for the Men's Weekend.
When a "guest" was convinced of the worth of such a weekend, he was to stand up grab his balls and yell "F**k It!" I never felt the inclination. From time to time the leader, Justin Sterling, would ask for one of the guests to say why they weren't signing up, what was holding us back. One person who said it was money and asked whether any of the men there had jobs that he could do to obtain the money was encouraged to take the step anyway and that the money would be made available to him. Several of the alumni of the weekend passed him cash and at least one guest did, not me.
I did not stand up and say why I wasn't signing up for the $500 weekend, which, by the way, is down from the cost of some of the previous weekends. I don't know whether this is the result of a primary, secondary, or both effect, i.e., the venue costs less as secondary or the discount is to attract more participants, primary. Among the reasons I did not sign up were first and foremost, the main thrust of relationships with women for sex is not applicable to me. The second is that I have a fundamental disagreement with the way a male-female relationship is simplified, perhaps oversimplified, not that I didn't recognize the simplified interaction descriptions that were discussed as also being in my past. But hopefully I've learned from my past on my way to simply being a mature male human being.
But if their model works in spite of what I would consider to be flaws, more power to them and the people who are employing those models. There were a number of men who stood up to talk about how the men's weekend had saved their marriage. It also has supposedly let them know themselves better. Talking crudely about pussy aside, they also talked about commitment and being a man of his word. Several people spoke to the lack of a male role model in their lives.
There were men from all socioeconomic backgrounds and ages there, including a number who were incarcerated at some point. The meeting portion lasted for three hours.
There is also a Women's Weekend and several speakers spoke to how their significant other had attended that.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
My kind of shopping...
This could also be called: "buying while I can," which is really my kind of shopping, buying. Basically I went to REI and bought a couple of things, well four things but writing about two of them would be too much information. The two things I bought that I will write about were the Spot, for my motorcycle trips later this year and possibly next, and a Halo head covering for use under helmets. Well, bike helmets but I will use it under my motorcycle helmet to help keep my hair from going all directions.
My father has planned a 10,000-mile round trip RV drive to Alaska in his Roadtrek this summer. I am planning on going along. To get to the start, I will be riding my motorcycle another 2,000 miles each way. So, I am buying stuff that will allow me to make this trip, future trips, and preparatory trips, not that the Spot is directly related to that. I am shopping for saddlebags as well, small enough that I don't have to make any physical changes to my motorcycle. This will give me a sissy bar bag, an eighty-five liter backpack, and two approximately 11"x10"x6" saddlebags. I still haven't figured out how to attach the backpack. It is not going to be on my back but backwards on the passenger seat. I also need to figure out a wind and rain cover so it doesn't get beat to death at my motorcycle speeds.
If you are interested in receiving a Google Map email of my location on this and other trips I may take, you can either comment on this entry with your email address or, if you know my email address, send me an email directly. I will be doing some research to see if I can get the Spot's postings directly into Facebook. If I figure it out, for those who aren't yet my FB friend, I will let you know how to become my FB friend and keep up with my travels that way. (My recent experience with Facebook is worthy of another blog entry or two.)
Just one more unrelated comment, which I was originally not going to post. Last week I applied through my current mortgage vendor to refinance my mortgage. They declined my application for a 30-year note that was at a lower rate than my current 15-year note and also over a third less monthly payment. They "sell" the mortgages they write to Fannie Mae and Fannie Mae doesn't buy mortgages that don't have associated income streams. My investments, severance package, stellar credit rating, and payment history on a substantially more expensive mortgage doesn't count for anything. I have written President Obama on this but do not expect anything to come of that. After all, most of the bailout money is going to people who caused the problem rather than to help people who can benefit the most, and thus help the country the most.
My father has planned a 10,000-mile round trip RV drive to Alaska in his Roadtrek this summer. I am planning on going along. To get to the start, I will be riding my motorcycle another 2,000 miles each way. So, I am buying stuff that will allow me to make this trip, future trips, and preparatory trips, not that the Spot is directly related to that. I am shopping for saddlebags as well, small enough that I don't have to make any physical changes to my motorcycle. This will give me a sissy bar bag, an eighty-five liter backpack, and two approximately 11"x10"x6" saddlebags. I still haven't figured out how to attach the backpack. It is not going to be on my back but backwards on the passenger seat. I also need to figure out a wind and rain cover so it doesn't get beat to death at my motorcycle speeds.
If you are interested in receiving a Google Map email of my location on this and other trips I may take, you can either comment on this entry with your email address or, if you know my email address, send me an email directly. I will be doing some research to see if I can get the Spot's postings directly into Facebook. If I figure it out, for those who aren't yet my FB friend, I will let you know how to become my FB friend and keep up with my travels that way. (My recent experience with Facebook is worthy of another blog entry or two.)
Just one more unrelated comment, which I was originally not going to post. Last week I applied through my current mortgage vendor to refinance my mortgage. They declined my application for a 30-year note that was at a lower rate than my current 15-year note and also over a third less monthly payment. They "sell" the mortgages they write to Fannie Mae and Fannie Mae doesn't buy mortgages that don't have associated income streams. My investments, severance package, stellar credit rating, and payment history on a substantially more expensive mortgage doesn't count for anything. I have written President Obama on this but do not expect anything to come of that. After all, most of the bailout money is going to people who caused the problem rather than to help people who can benefit the most, and thus help the country the most.
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