tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34013865904925819712024-02-21T07:25:49.902-08:00Frank Black RebootsFrank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-21890875639099262252011-09-07T17:49:00.000-07:002017-05-24T05:38:53.240-07:00September 7th, 2011 - Day 60 of 60I am going to open up a little bit here and lay bare one of the parts of my personality I wish were different. First, some background... If you met me at a party or in line at the store or maybe at a bar, you'd probably think I was a decent sort of guy. I am sure I am not everyone's cup of tea, but in my experience most people seem to like me. A lot of that is due to the fact that I am what I appear to be. I don't put on a different mask for people, I just allow myself to be myself. Yes, there are protocols and decorum, so one should behave a certain way in certain situations, but I am usually myself. I tend to be a tad too cerebral (that doesn't mean I am smart, it just means I think too much), I use humor (No, I've NEVER said "Pull my finger") as a means of facilitating ease and breaking down walls, but I also use it as a defense mechanism. I'm cool with that. I am opinionated and I usually don't suffer foolish arguments. I will, however, buy you a drink even if your views and mine are at odds, as long as you think your position through and can give it a credible defense. I believe man is a mental, physical and spiritual creature and needs to nurture all those components. I genuinely care about people and the world and have tried my best to do my part. But, I also realize I am one person and I have no desire to be a martyr or hero. I believe ANYONE can sing and encourage it. I believe men should dance together (not cheek to cheek, but more <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKFYTFJ_kw#t=00m34s" style="color: #e69138;">like this</a>). I believe we live in a system that is terribly broken and outdated and in need of replacement. I believe every person has a song to sing, a story to tell an a unique insight to offer. As I age I have less patience for foolish distraction. I enjoy seeing young people having fun. I tend to be able to see both sides of an argument and don't always feel someone has to be "right". I think advertising is one of the worst things ever foisted on our society and the profession is one step above pedophile. No, I don't mean putting out a sign stating you offer a service, I mean making it your mission in life to convince the world their lives are meaningless without your useless crap. Seriously, you suck. I don't like professions that feel doing things quickly is better than thinking them through. I like cats AND dogs equally. I think animals are an equal creation in the world and we have no right to treat them the way we do. And, finally, I think I am addicted to Cacao Goji Seed Chunks.<br />
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So, the part where I open up a bit... When Halloween rolls around, I start to get edgy. It isn't because I worry about my car being egged or the cost of candy (I live in the country so I think I've had three "trick or treaters" in twenty years). Rather, it means that the next holiday is Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas. Now, I will quickly say that I have nothing against these holidays. I find the excessive eating on Thanksgiving to be a bit much, but if it is only one day a year, go for it! As for Christmas, I despise the commercialization of the holiday and I loathe the rampant consumerism. But, as a holiday, it has many fond memories and I enjoy it. But, the thing I don't like about these holidays is the mandatory family gathering. I just can't take it. It drives me mad. It doesn't matter if it is my family or my wife's family. They are all wonderful people. Salt of the earth. It is just that they at are all... so... BORING. You'd think that in a room of forty or fifty people that someone would have something interesting and stimulating to say. Not so. Literally, I want scream and run away. I don't care who is on "American Idol". I can't imagine finding the latest gossip from church the least bit interesting. I don't care about your child's bowel habits. I guess I am just a bad person or something. I hate it so much that it is scary. I know it is my issue, so don't think I am blaming anyone or thinking myself better than anyone. I know I am the loser here. My favorite holidays have been the one's where we had our friends over rather than family. Just spectacular days. Interesting people with actual thoughts in their heads and a healthy curiosity over how the world works and a mind that turns in the direction of considering what that all means. And FUNNY. Shit, my friends are funny. Family... not so much. It is sad.<br />
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So, my point? Once I manage to grit my teeth, put on a happy face, tell myself to get over my petty, immature bull and be human to everyone, etc. I find that I get through it all and the world keeps turning. I will sit there and smile for a while, knowing that it is now the longest possible stretch of time before I have to do this again. What a wretched thing to think! I should be ashamed. I'm not, but I should be. But even when I realize I have a long time between "performances", I know it will happen again. It is one of those things we do because we must. I feel guilty because I'd rather spend time and holidays with my friends than with my family. My friends ARE my family. Then I get into a guilt spiral because I know my family all love me and wish we were closer... blah, blah, blah.<br />
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So, here on the last day of my Reboot, I am feeling a bit unfulfilled. It has been, without a doubt, a spectacular Reboot. I feel so good that I sometimes can't believe it. I have yet to get bored with my monotonous diet. I have more energy, sleep less and just feel like a new person. So, if all that good stuff is true, why am I being such a "Negative Nelly" here today? Well, I think it is because I realized, like my holiday obligations, that a Reboot is an ongoing obligation. I also realized that I need to step up a few things. The danger of giving things a name and giving them finite time limits is pronounced. When you name something it becomes some kind of a spectacle. Instead of thinking, "I think I'll try to eat well and walk around the block every night for a couple months and see how it goes," it now becomes, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to announce to the assemblage that I will be undertaking a Reboot over the next 60 days!" Once you do that, expectations are high. And, when you assign starting and ending dates, each day near the end becomes more and more vital. Did I do enough? Should I try harder? And, when you combine these things, it stops being just a start to a new way of thinking and living; it almost becomes a type of contest.<br />
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I do understand the benefit of all the things I just said. I like goals. Goals help us see we can make progress in bite-sized, manageable portions. It gives us focus and a target toward which we can aim. I do know this. But the sort of personality I have never lets me just relax there, just like I can't relax in a room filled with my family. The Reboot is the door to a new world and over the last couple days the full force of that notion struck me. I wasn't finished, I was just at the end of the first beginning. Now I am on to the next beginning. It is "the song that never ends, it just goes on and on my friend..." Even before this Reboot ended, I started to consider my next steps and the next after that. That is good, but it is also a bit frightening. I am happy my mind is thinking in that way, but I am also certain that all my thought on this means it is not easy. That hardest part is fitting in with everyone else. I find that so hard. I don't like sticking out and being a spectacle. I don't mind being different, but it appears I am <i>always</i> that person who does things differently. That is something I'll have to work on in my head over the next weeks and months.<br />
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My Reboot is over, yet it has just begun. I don't mind telling you that I am a tad uncertain over what the next weeks hold. That is odd coming from me, because I am overly-confident in all I do. I am not uncertain I can do it, I am uncertain over how I'll handle my life. This really is a change of your life. No one who is "normal" generally thinks like this. They eat what is there. Burger? Super! Macaroni Salad? Yum! But now I've become "one of those" people. I don't like the idea of being "one of those people." I don't want to be a problem, nuisance or "special case". I don't want to be the guy on the airplane who gets the "Kosher, Vegan, Organic, Fair-Trade, Non-GMO, Cruelty-Free Meal."<br />
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I've lost about 15% of my bodyweight on this Reboot. That isn't much, but I didn't have a lot to lose in the first place. My next phase will include more rigorous exercise for a few weeks. And, now that my 60 days are up, I will include cooked vegan food in my diet if I so desire. At this point it is easier just to stay mainly raw. I foresee smoothies, raw food and the occasional rice and beans dinner or maybe lentil stew. Not very thrilling, but it works for me.<br />
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You guys have been so amazingly inspiring to me. I've heard your stories and been so motivated by them. This community, which has the WORST web page in the world, has the best people in the world. Everyone rides along on the energy wave of each other. It is contagious motivation. It is real people who care about one another. It is very moving.<br />
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I've thought about it for a bit and I've decided it is probably best to end the blog at this point. I will keep it open in case I decide I have a new insight or decide to do another Reboot, but I honestly think there are so many of you that have wonderfully insightful and motivating things to say that I really won't be adding anything to the conversation. I've said all I need to say here and that should be enough. I don't want to be the old guy who keeps repeating the same story over and over.<br />
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From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each and every one of you for the inspiration, motivation and illumination. You guys are the best of the best. Don't give up on your Reboots or on each other. See it through to the end. Once you've done that, I pray that, like me, you'll be faced, not with a finish line, but a broad expanse. You'll see that your Reboot was just the start of change. It was to show yourself that you CAN change anything you desire if you want it badly enough: your eating habits, your health and even your world.<br />
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Thanks Joe, Phil and all of you for a transforming 60 days.<i> </i><br />
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<i>We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.</i> <br />
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M.K. Gandhi <br />
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<b>Progress: </b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZZeGX-IwW0zSkFt5jiq-zlwOu6KHCywYHTpwT6J2K9LVpsa6pwEQBnG9GVHWqqUzdReqqRt5XAu75qtaEmpIOaNloTku8un5PH2HEKqrP-8zJD3acJBhM-ME7tYxnnEfn-aJUFArYxfv/s1600/GreenXX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZZeGX-IwW0zSkFt5jiq-zlwOu6KHCywYHTpwT6J2K9LVpsa6pwEQBnG9GVHWqqUzdReqqRt5XAu75qtaEmpIOaNloTku8un5PH2HEKqrP-8zJD3acJBhM-ME7tYxnnEfn-aJUFArYxfv/s1600/GreenXX.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 100% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 147.1 lbs.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_1oKnKmNkp194UJ4jxXO3dOhq8SAMCqTaGJ5yRY-mGCoanWuK08O-lKGzBaJqc8ICYfllZmwL8INfTC5RMQD19wdAmO3zcTSjg6b5oImCnOKl77xgRxwbb4bAoFacXA8UKVGONrTQ5kj/s1600/Weight+-+20110907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_1oKnKmNkp194UJ4jxXO3dOhq8SAMCqTaGJ5yRY-mGCoanWuK08O-lKGzBaJqc8ICYfllZmwL8INfTC5RMQD19wdAmO3zcTSjg6b5oImCnOKl77xgRxwbb4bAoFacXA8UKVGONrTQ5kj/s320/Weight+-+20110907.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Banana, Almond Butter, Clementines, Watermelon, Salad, Broccoli Slaw, Cacao Goji Seed Chunks</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-A1_O2ACvm8KRdzstU1w3UtuocNDxBWwi1PcC3UHjuQWmEscYSb83uedCeUnYtwLRRVdxtlnp39GdAHYBBstX20ycKHAuf4RmW0CjsLaD64aE0Z1XOk_mkuI_og6Ii1iM8alzDY1v9qsg/s1600/Food+-+20110907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-A1_O2ACvm8KRdzstU1w3UtuocNDxBWwi1PcC3UHjuQWmEscYSb83uedCeUnYtwLRRVdxtlnp39GdAHYBBstX20ycKHAuf4RmW0CjsLaD64aE0Z1XOk_mkuI_og6Ii1iM8alzDY1v9qsg/s320/Food+-+20110907.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast and lunch (minus almond butter)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-30681404334928238852011-09-06T16:24:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:16:31.404-07:00September 6th, 2011 - Day 59 of 60I'd like to interject a trifling bit of perspective on all the Rebooting that has transpired over the last 59 days. While this has all been spectacular in so many ways, there are other things occurring outside the verge of my Vita-Mix and beyond the borders of my blog. As we speak, it just won't stop raining in New York. There are towns not too far from me that, in essence, do not exist any longer. In Texas, vast acres of farm land and residential areas are being burned away. A part of my college town, Oklahoma City, burned and there was no nearby water to quench the flames. In the horn of Africa there is a severe drought and famine that has displaced almost one million people and has led to the deaths of tens of thousands. And those are just the headlines new enough that people have yet to grow bored reading them. I could go on (as I tend to do) but I will not. All I will say here is that as I near the end I wanted to remind myself and everyone else that Rebooting is a wonderful thing that more should do, but in the cosmic scheme of things it is a low priority. It isn't just the previously mentioned troubles that I'd like you to bring to mind, but the fact that the endless election season is upon us and we have the chance to change all these foul things we've talked about over these weeks. In the end, we really do have some kind of choice. No, I don't think it is enough choice or a level enough playing field, but things can be done. So, my hope is we invest at least as much time, energy and resources into the upcoming election year (that seems like a century) as we invested into our Reboots. The juice Reboot is good for us, a national Reboot is good for everyone.<br />
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With that, I'll not labor over juice with pulp vs. juice without pulp. I am certain we can all weigh the pros and cons of that issue and come to a conclusion with which we can all live.<br />
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I promise I'll be back to normal (whatever that is) tomorrow.<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GMAx0o7XONmwpnjpjnLEPSu5_HsmREy_iUDIgTZkUYEexAaFesVS5cjV2sOMLT8LEOr5XPOk3tJEGEhqMeMtSXqnHOQo30_6Fq660OtTMQMYVDYxxWzBPjN8BANcUo0L-WB5O1srWPsQ/s1600/Green95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GMAx0o7XONmwpnjpjnLEPSu5_HsmREy_iUDIgTZkUYEexAaFesVS5cjV2sOMLT8LEOr5XPOk3tJEGEhqMeMtSXqnHOQo30_6Fq660OtTMQMYVDYxxWzBPjN8BANcUo0L-WB5O1srWPsQ/s1600/Green95.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 95% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
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<b>Weight: 145.9 lbs.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLX7mpvShODxFxx5ZY3vGS4EN1EPVLl3hNSmyh_-BmiNdhWnIWwyRcAYjEtVY_rVbo89X2Np15Nk2SjkZqC7eWS6X6cwvsVPm2nEYqgS86Jp0-Z4gl-UVAo_WFTcUVbuyBvBrZIbsYh40o/s1600/Weight+-+20110906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLX7mpvShODxFxx5ZY3vGS4EN1EPVLl3hNSmyh_-BmiNdhWnIWwyRcAYjEtVY_rVbo89X2Np15Nk2SjkZqC7eWS6X6cwvsVPm2nEYqgS86Jp0-Z4gl-UVAo_WFTcUVbuyBvBrZIbsYh40o/s320/Weight+-+20110906.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Watermelon, bananas, almond butter, mixed nuts, apple, cacao goji seed chunks, broccoli slaw</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7Y1IMiNVYiItQr7mpI6fudCHKLAweJDG3q34hTchdGzKBGb1ocoArtolOAgA29nU0NLm5Lxuyllagp8xGXm288znt9hr-19SgVmd1MUdMrUkxqTFnKiL1wmuWlfWpWCf68z5cz01CimA/s1600/Food+-+20110906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7Y1IMiNVYiItQr7mpI6fudCHKLAweJDG3q34hTchdGzKBGb1ocoArtolOAgA29nU0NLm5Lxuyllagp8xGXm288znt9hr-19SgVmd1MUdMrUkxqTFnKiL1wmuWlfWpWCf68z5cz01CimA/s320/Food+-+20110906.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even a photo of watermelon makes me hungry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-38226834458515259332011-09-05T16:34:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:16:40.391-07:00September 5th, 2011 - Day 58 of 60If yesterday was the most difficult day of this final weekend of my Reboot, today was the most tedious. It was "Family Holiday Gathering Day": the perfect ending to the weekend. It is the time when you cram yourself together with too many people (far too many of whom are children) into far too little space while there is too much conversation about far too little of interest for far too long. Added to the "too" pile was the fact (and when I say "fact", I mean FACT) there was no edible item anywhere to be found. When I say these words, I know the knee-jerk reaction is to think, "Well, he means there wasn't much to eat or that it didn't taste good." No. What I mean is what I said: NOTHING TO EAT FOR ME. Snack crackers by the truckload, cheese/cheeze by the ton, meats, dips, cooked salads and even booze. No "food". It was all so uninspired that I, too, am uninspired. It is all I can do to manage a few words as stale as the Ritz crackers must have been after sitting out in a bowl all day long.<br />
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Not even one fresh salad. The closest thing to eat was a dip which had tomato, onion, peppers, etc. but also a thick paste of some sort of cheese-like substance. Happily, I was prepared and there were no dramas or scenes or endless apologies. It all worked out and it was all good. I survived the day and the next time I will likely worry about such things will be Thanksgiving. I am sure many of you were in the same boat this weekend, so I do feel your pain.<br />
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The most intriguing thing was how absolutely unappealing it all was. I mean, even if I couldn't eat it, could I at least lust over it? Could I have the small-consolation of fantasizing what I'd do to that main course if I was given the opportunity? Greasy chicken wings with a thick coating of sugary-smelling sauce, tasteless-looking salads that probably needed the endless sodium to even stimulate a taste bud in much the same way smelling salts attack the olfactory system. It was all simply foul and disgusting. Not one plate of raw veggies. No fruits out there waiting for flies to land on them. Not even nuts. Wow. That, my friends, is astounding.<br />
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Now let me be quick to add that I fully understand that I am the weirdo here. I know everyone else looked and saw "food". I know I am the odd duck. But even so, I think this whole situation was spectacularly indicative of what is going on in this world. Who can afford to feed that many people well? It is easy to open a bag or container or can and just slurp it into a bowl. Everyone likes snacks. They sell well because they appeal to the system. The salt, sugar, fat, crunch and interesting shapes all woo us. For whatever reason, it wasn't working for me. It was like a mule in a bikini: Dressing it up didn't help.<br />
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After this weekend, the next couple days should be a walk in the park. It is a rough world out there, dear Rebooting friends. I hope you all were able to weather the storm. If not, I hope you, at least, had the good sense to choose cannibalism over Doritos<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(tm)</span>.<br />
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<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpSXbB7ppmcQibO90XFvnXkx5c5_cJyBFFw4yYU7qnxwzCAaCqqqh-VDHZPjwd5qsFecLKyGkeiZlueQzJxP47UpUjhV89JvC5QEZGfBJRNAE4YQUqgkNfHSkvygEFikm73yocnFJ5jjH/s1600/Green95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpSXbB7ppmcQibO90XFvnXkx5c5_cJyBFFw4yYU7qnxwzCAaCqqqh-VDHZPjwd5qsFecLKyGkeiZlueQzJxP47UpUjhV89JvC5QEZGfBJRNAE4YQUqgkNfHSkvygEFikm73yocnFJ5jjH/s1600/Green95.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 95% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 146.3 lbs.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jE7VsDxZI85u15z9ht8DjhFcurbIYUyx8cUwixjts5XT6CHE5_3fJ-hWaf0z6zTcWzn1fybeZQXAr8doDucpLXYd4j3WdVObIRymjkJExkk9F27Wu0KXA2wn6v5BfSRD26z72cd_75wX/s1600/Weight+-+20110905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jE7VsDxZI85u15z9ht8DjhFcurbIYUyx8cUwixjts5XT6CHE5_3fJ-hWaf0z6zTcWzn1fybeZQXAr8doDucpLXYd4j3WdVObIRymjkJExkk9F27Wu0KXA2wn6v5BfSRD26z72cd_75wX/s320/Weight+-+20110905.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Clementines, banana, almond butter, raw cacao goji seed chunks, almonds, salad</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCOD2i9AOcSMlV8dvgnUwZl0UwsqGxC-dGke26jAqGeD7RwneGrHxQg5H5CMOEWp6Nwloz8-390wri2IgkjAv2bJsx9G0myrqkeWkVsG9WRR5p9TH7IJSsVZojDN5FZL2-6baAa15IYH6/s1600/Food+-+20110905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCOD2i9AOcSMlV8dvgnUwZl0UwsqGxC-dGke26jAqGeD7RwneGrHxQg5H5CMOEWp6Nwloz8-390wri2IgkjAv2bJsx9G0myrqkeWkVsG9WRR5p9TH7IJSsVZojDN5FZL2-6baAa15IYH6/s320/Food+-+20110905.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-86987476459519005672011-09-04T17:19:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:16:51.245-07:00September 4th, 2011 - Day 57 of 60Earlier in the week sprinting legend Usain Bolt of Jamaica was disqualified from his bread and butter (did I say that... must be craving it) event, the 100 meters, due to a false start. I can't pretend to know what it must be like to be a world-class athlete with so few real events in which to display your prowess. Really, you've got the World Championships and the Olympics. So, it is like being a great musician and only getting to play two or three concerts a year and they all mean EVERYTHING. With normal people, you work at least five days a week, so if you mess up, you shrug your shoulders and you go on. With someone like Usain Bolt, you can't afford to do that. You work incessantly all for what... 30 good seconds on the track a year or so? All the work he put in for so long was out the door because of a misunderstanding of the rules. Quite hard to take.<br />
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When you combine the level of proficiency with the massive training and the psychological stress, these athletes are like taut violin strings ready to snap. Is it any wonder Bolt had a false start? His whole life revolves around exploding out of those blocks and running faster than anyone has ever run in the history of our planet for less than ten seconds. It is amazing beyond words. All that pent up energy and anticipation and competitive fury. I am shocked more of them don't false start. I've seen horses do the same thing in the gates before a race. They are edgy and just want to run. Those gates are a foreign place to them, but the open track in full gallop, that is where they are in control and where they are comfortable.<br />
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On day 57 of my Reboot I felt like Usain Bolt and those race horses and didn't know what to do with myself. I am trying so hard to relax because I know I need to do so. I've worked too hard for too long and I need to understand that relaxation is as much a component of health as the ability to work. So, after a while I did alright. I was planning on going to our annual Irish cultural festival, but my grandson wanted to come over and spend the night, so we stayed home instead. All that pent-up energy was getting me edgy and, truth be told, it still is. Like a sprinter, I am in the last few strides of my Reboot and I can see the finish line. Now, the fact that you see the finish line doesn't mean you relax. Any runner knows that the finish line is just a place through which you continue to run. Yes, it is a goal of sorts, but it isn't the end. With my race coming close to the point at which I can slow down, I still feel the burst of energy. I don't know what that might be. I think part of it is I am still uncertain of my direction after this ends. Yes, I know what I want to do in a general sense, but I guess I want something more solid. Too many distractions and too many choices. And, if I am honest, I will say that I am uncertain. That is likely because, unlike the thoroughbred and the sprinter, the race isn't the place in which I am most comfortable. I have years of training to put in before that occurs. But I will be fine and once the last day goes by I will know what I will do. I may do nothing except keep running in the same direction for a bit because it seems like a safe and smart thing to do, just as those sprinters do. <br />
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The good news is that Usain Bolt was able to channel that energy not used in the 100 meters into wins in the 200 meters and a gold medal/world record for the Jamaican team in the 4x100 meter relay. Even starting falsely can end up in a truly victorious finish.<br />
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Finally, I think all my extra energy comes from knowing that my finish line is really just the starting line. It is almost like being Bill Murray's character in "Groundhog Day" in that when I hit that finish line tape, all I am doing is coming off the blocks again. That sort of uncertainty can make one's energy churn. Usain Bolt can revel in his victory, but champions are only as good as their next race. Like a runner on a <span class="st"><i>Möbius</i></span> strip track: there is no beginning and there is no ending. All there will be is the race. Once you can wrap your head around that, it all works out. Since my early nutritional life was one giant false start, I hope my end will be like Mr. Bolt's and not only afford me redemption and some small victory, but also help wipe away the disappointment, regret and damage from that failure. Like Mr. Bolt, I plan on giving my best, even when there are false starts and the occasional misstep. Unlike Mr. Bolt, my biggest race is every day. Thankfully I am not celebrating with the Jamaican track team, for I would likely succumb to the overpowering wiles of Jerk Chicken.<br />
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<b>Progress:</b> <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2uLsIe5VZvea9zrs2BXzYDFIVYAKQMyxVrEsfr3PoRJI5L5XY4mAPcGuEl1bcUDxwzikZNMcTpvBasqbwFFvVhbIuT0YBoXC1qqlJEdjfjPAFJfP3ZnVpca9pzahPQG6pVRnZU1q4l3l/s1600/Green90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2uLsIe5VZvea9zrs2BXzYDFIVYAKQMyxVrEsfr3PoRJI5L5XY4mAPcGuEl1bcUDxwzikZNMcTpvBasqbwFFvVhbIuT0YBoXC1qqlJEdjfjPAFJfP3ZnVpca9pzahPQG6pVRnZU1q4l3l/s1600/Green90.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 90% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 147.5 lbs.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvJKpPI0XMHu1CH9zUEuv1fDEzo_DWyqsG26OqO2Dzlckj4cNBiY97iOrHIoiGFLT5TigiAAWJzDhJc0hs42qbfDI78vLu7feoe_pWJ-VtkaF-HhYehxqANFYFzQ2WQN0Lh07c7hH27fN/s1600/Weight+-+20110904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcvJKpPI0XMHu1CH9zUEuv1fDEzo_DWyqsG26OqO2Dzlckj4cNBiY97iOrHIoiGFLT5TigiAAWJzDhJc0hs42qbfDI78vLu7feoe_pWJ-VtkaF-HhYehxqANFYFzQ2WQN0Lh07c7hH27fN/s320/Weight+-+20110904.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Banana, Almond Butter, Raw Cacao Goji Seed Chunks, Clementines, Cherries, Watermelon, Almonds</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMd_T8NG6azFfzoz7oSyhkVrTLT8tJUrN2X3NhKjC4C2G3qoXiaUTudeKsVImVxt4sI7lNloAIkpZVlKmDvEfrXFHMLlq4cr5Wlc8Vj56cJzArlUGO9ZocqfKq2xTyp-GRhWvu4Un1NJqx/s1600/Food+-+20110904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMd_T8NG6azFfzoz7oSyhkVrTLT8tJUrN2X3NhKjC4C2G3qoXiaUTudeKsVImVxt4sI7lNloAIkpZVlKmDvEfrXFHMLlq4cr5Wlc8Vj56cJzArlUGO9ZocqfKq2xTyp-GRhWvu4Un1NJqx/s320/Food+-+20110904.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This happy chap is from my garden. (I added the eyes)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-70530073442789436272011-09-03T18:35:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:16:58.323-07:00September 3rd, 2011 - Day 56 of 60A few days ago I read <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/article2412108.ece"><span style="color: #e69138;">this article</span> </a>and was going to comment on it when I was distracted by other things. Even after the distance a few days can bring has been inserted into my life, I am still troubled by the article's contents. If you were to read some of my other writings (AKA "rantings") you'd know I am big on several subjects, one of which is overpopulation. I love people (in concept) and I am happy when people are happy to have children (as long as they are not kicking my seat at the movies). But even when everything goes right in our procreation process there are still looming issues that face us all. I am not going to belabor points that have been made <i>ad nauseum</i> by minds far more gifted than mine. You and I both know we are in for some rough times ahead if changes are not made and made soon. The depth of that trouble depends on how we react to the myriad issues facing us.<br />
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In general, we react to troubles by assuming someone who is really smart is taking care of things and we can all go on with our lives as usual. That means driving a vehicle that may be too large, costly or gas-consuming than our needs require. That means a house that may be far larger than we require. That means living beyond our economic resources. Etc. Anyone who only occasionally thinks of these things should take time to watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0ghHia-M54&feature=related" style="color: #e69138;">this video</a> and really try to comprehend the crux of the matter from a purely scientific, mathematical and emotionally-detached perspective. When we understand the inextricably-bound issues of over-population, energy production, consumption, agriculture, climate change and political turmoil and how their converging ramifications form a synergy that will not be deflected with positive thinking or better campaign slogans, perhaps we'll wake up? My hope is that we do so before it is too late. And, really, had we made just a few, minor adjustments in our lives a few short years ago, we could have avoided many of the issues we are now facing. No one was asking for us to live in shacks and eat gruel and have only one pair of shoes. A video such as the <a href="http://www.eenvandaag.nl/binnenland/35444/topeconoom_rifkin_niemand_ziet_de_crisis_die_komt_" style="color: #e69138;">one here</a> outlines a few of the challenges we face, but also offers a few potential courses of action (sorry that there is a commercial in Dutch beforehand, but there is an English-speaking interview in there).<br />
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I am not here to preach to you or convert you to any particular way of thinking. You are a free moral agent and must decide how your time, energy and resources are allocated. But I am trying to, at least, make you aware of information I feel is often unreported or, at best, under-reported in the mainstream media, but has been common knowledge in many circles in our world for years. And, regardless of what you think of my particular point in this post, I hope you will at least read the previous sentence and feel a ring of familiarity. Meaning, what was your perspective on food, nutrition, medicine and health prior to seeing "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead?" What has changed in your perspective after being introduced to the doctor who treated Joe Cross, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and saw how well his methods worked without costly drugs or dangerous procedures? Did it cause you to seek out other, similar, information, like the new-to-DVD movie, "Forks Over Knives", or "Food Inc." or "Food Matters" or any of dozens of books, videos and web sites that give straight talk on the political, economic and cultural manipulation of food and nutritional information? If you have sought deeper and more "alternative" perspectives on food, then the information about which I am speaking today will be of little surprise to you. <br />
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Food links all that we do. We wake up in order to eat. If we have a family or clan we wake up to ensure that everyone eats, is safe, is well and is as joyful as possible. That is what we do. The rest is happy accessories and options. If you had a guaranteed source of nutritious food and a safe, healthy home in which to live, how would that change your life? What could you do differently? Well, as housing, property, food and similar items are NOT free and closely controlled, that is a moot point.<br />
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You are reading this post because you, somehow, ended up on a web site that helps those who wish to "Reboot" their lives. At its core, the Reboot is about the choices we make once we have facts. Once you have that information you must then decide on its veracity and how to live based on what you now know. You likely know much more about food than you knew in the past, so now you must live in accordance with this new knowledge or choose to ignore it. These other things about which I am speaking are no different except their ramifications go far beyond your personal health, weight and lifestyle. This information is like a "Reboot" for our civilization. <br />
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Do with it what you will. No salesman will call, you don't have to join anything, you don't have to wear a special hat, you don't have to sell your SUV and you don't even have to tell another human being you give a flying fig one way or the other. But I can say from personal experience that once you start to see each piece of the puzzle, you then start to see the picture it forms. Once you see that picture, you see how you, your children, your friends and your community all fit into that picture. Once you see that, you understand why you need to do something, regardless of how small that something seems to be. And, like a Reboot, understanding the need to start is the most difficult phase. But, like a Reboot, once you do start, you will understand things in a way you've never understood them before. Things will make sense in a way they've never made sense before. Your world becomes a new world. Like your Reboot, you'll say to yourself, "Why didn't someone tell me about his before?"<br />
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This is still all about the Reboot. Reboots are not just personal. Reboots can happen to families, nations and planets. The only thing that needs to happen is for someone to understand the need to Reboot and then to take the first step.<br />
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<b>Progress: </b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLK7plLCdKOswPNnM-eIXSdXIoVd5KYS9FzdIRdkQr-XWDfXoH86OnMYFL1hX-r-7DYk5wavkgm-KRwbZSh6yqeLzdN60ZJ1JkLitNwLBHJ8NxOhL44EJmAbttbrQ_BgqZQalv3rV7SsX/s1600/Green90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLK7plLCdKOswPNnM-eIXSdXIoVd5KYS9FzdIRdkQr-XWDfXoH86OnMYFL1hX-r-7DYk5wavkgm-KRwbZSh6yqeLzdN60ZJ1JkLitNwLBHJ8NxOhL44EJmAbttbrQ_BgqZQalv3rV7SsX/s1600/Green90.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 90% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 147.4 lbs.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPzz6nBJUrj6TO1lOZXy_yoUkSQyk6JxZmaJt-O8rZHY1aHe1XBhPmKc0VBAAQV71tMn_4OaaNpkn3V47mPfI6ai5WZFyOCH-uKhTq_HhZQDi0ZJi5vxDyH7WJvRvY03qOwrYqSG_mlhh/s1600/Weight+-+20110903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYPzz6nBJUrj6TO1lOZXy_yoUkSQyk6JxZmaJt-O8rZHY1aHe1XBhPmKc0VBAAQV71tMn_4OaaNpkn3V47mPfI6ai5WZFyOCH-uKhTq_HhZQDi0ZJi5vxDyH7WJvRvY03qOwrYqSG_mlhh/s320/Weight+-+20110903.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: watermelon, Bananas, almond butter, cherries, almonds, raw cacao goji seed chunks, salad</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT8VN48WVXQ1XQsGAOXhXT782Otq8nsvAsminBE_HFIzkD01-tQpJd8KDjaBktHNdGnUGyHu_aKLqXKVY_odTuizrIsBJ4wfk9_snABKLHiTYD2gpWW6LWRn-NYzq-e-p4_nqZmLmYa4h/s1600/Food+-+20110903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXT8VN48WVXQ1XQsGAOXhXT782Otq8nsvAsminBE_HFIzkD01-tQpJd8KDjaBktHNdGnUGyHu_aKLqXKVY_odTuizrIsBJ4wfk9_snABKLHiTYD2gpWW6LWRn-NYzq-e-p4_nqZmLmYa4h/s320/Food+-+20110903.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice salad. Sorry for the crappy cell phone snap.</td></tr>
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<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-36242916565896703532011-09-02T17:41:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:17:04.089-07:00September 2nd, 2011 - Day 55 of 60After so many weeks of grueling work, the potential for three uninterrupted days of rest (sort of) can be a bit too much for one's psyche. It is almost as if one needs to be retrained to do nothing. Granted, with all the work to do around the house in the aftermath of the hurricane, there is plenty to keep me occupied (and then some), but just knowing I don't <i>have</i> to go into the office is a strange feeling. Now, I've not yet decided if I am going into the office, but the fact is that I don't have to go. That is the distinction. It is an important distinction. There is no end of work to be done, but that fact will ever be. It is just that the work doesn't have the urgency it did in the weeks leading up to the first day of classes. The wounds are not spurting blood, just oozing a bit. They get put back a bit in the triage line.<br />
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Sometimes it takes more effort to be kind to yourself than it takes to be thoughtless. I didn't say the word "cruel" as it may be too shocking for some to take, but that is what occurs when one is thoughtless about one's needs. We get into rhythms in our work, our relationships, etc. and we don't think about it. As it relates to my Reboot, I think the rhythm is helpful. Finding a groove that works for you and lets you easily manage something so healthy and rejuvenating seems wise. But when you are so used to working around the clock and forgetting why you work in the first place, well, that isn't so good. No one benefits when someone works themselves into ill health, stress-related mistakes or worse. There comes a point where you understand that the work will still be there (and perhaps more of it), but if you don't leave it behind in a physical sense and in a mental sense it will get the best of you. The simple act of taking a day or two off can reap great benefits. And, really, it isn't as if you are "taking" anything off. You've earned those days off. You deserve those days off and more. You are a human "be-ing", not a human "do-ing". We work to live, not live to work. It is easy to forget that when you get into the habit.<br />
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This Reboot has been a compressed version of that concept. It has been a microcosmic "Labor Day Weekend" in the scheme of our lives. We take a short break from all our labors (eating the wrong foods, not resting, not getting the right sort of exercise, etc.) and allow our body to come to a place where it can heal and revitalize. In fact, the act of slowing down sometimes gives us a place of quiet we've not had in a very long time. That quiet gives us the space to really hear what our body is saying. You know what it is like to be moving so fast you can't even hear what your body or anyone around you is saying, right? The best we can manage is a nod and a "yeah", as if we actually were listening.<br />
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The irony for me is that my Labor Day Weekend is also the last weekend of my Reboot. Not so much "irony" as " deliciously coincidental". The sabbatical my body has taken from the labor of mistreatment and thoughtlessness has one more long weekend. I've considered stretching out my Reboot a little while to allow more time for rest and rejuvenation. I may or may not do that. Regardless, it will have to come to an end at some point. This weekend is the spiritual "last weekend", even if it isn't the last weekend in practice. I'm also confronted with the idea that my nutritional and biological rest from my typical-American-diet-induced labors can actually end permanently. I can be embarking upon a perpetual Labor Day Weekend for my body. That idea excites me to no end. <br />
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Three days off from labor is a long time when you are used to working 7 days a week. But how much better is the idea of never working again? While we all may need to labor to provide for our material needs, we may no longer need to labor as it relates to our diet, health and well-being. This weekend could be the beginning of a lifetime of rest for our bodies. No more straining to digest too much fatty, processed and protein-heavy foods. No more struggling to sift through the junk in our systems to find a scrap or two of nutrition. No more peaks and valleys in blood sugar, weight and energy levels due to refined foods. No more fighting with addictions to foods whose effects mimic drugs too closely for my comfort. No more battles, no more dreading the next meal, no more fighting against nature. Just one long period of well-deserved rest for the weary.<br />
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Happy Labor Day weekend!<br />
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<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOKIalZV-a5gM86QUoX5NwBFdwQpYlnf2KnBe4zZ554S_ZHJ71dhZ3p7tEyR6rD00BXRididZlTUnU83LwGIWJT0kfWv_vNkwJaLghu-IWm4lTai8D332FAC7zebBSH_rx1tuGXg2hET0/s1600/Green90.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOKIalZV-a5gM86QUoX5NwBFdwQpYlnf2KnBe4zZ554S_ZHJ71dhZ3p7tEyR6rD00BXRididZlTUnU83LwGIWJT0kfWv_vNkwJaLghu-IWm4lTai8D332FAC7zebBSH_rx1tuGXg2hET0/s1600/Green90.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 90% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 147.2 lbs.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2eyDtfyyq6pL2nHQTq0NjMZeSk0TLUlQ9hGWYHlnD-chyDF-GVYXX8CblDxsZbmwx9-163Hy6TUmkJHSrMsJXwpPPevyZtoxFo55BAJ4kQsTdNzZ-AAdrxFMABOnaV0YxF3pPizs1EJs/s1600/Weight+-+20110902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2eyDtfyyq6pL2nHQTq0NjMZeSk0TLUlQ9hGWYHlnD-chyDF-GVYXX8CblDxsZbmwx9-163Hy6TUmkJHSrMsJXwpPPevyZtoxFo55BAJ4kQsTdNzZ-AAdrxFMABOnaV0YxF3pPizs1EJs/s320/Weight+-+20110902.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Watermelon, Strawberries, Bananas, Almond Butter, Broccoli Slaw (2x), Raw Cacao Goji Seed Chunks</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidi-3bD5k50yKD6_irbGWJxXu2iJLzCG3-3pfQgPXxqUGzL9eTTnqCIdaE0cr1Vx0txpFSW_IBv3vXJWr7CFTb8-oLZfkoQxx1E-Snc2hSyzcTXHlGnz__sAPqB_hdOkODE66OysstoM1X/s1600/Food+-+20110902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidi-3bD5k50yKD6_irbGWJxXu2iJLzCG3-3pfQgPXxqUGzL9eTTnqCIdaE0cr1Vx0txpFSW_IBv3vXJWr7CFTb8-oLZfkoQxx1E-Snc2hSyzcTXHlGnz__sAPqB_hdOkODE66OysstoM1X/s320/Food+-+20110902.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How I adore thee, beloved Broccoli Slaw.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJDZqjumU69JedMKxf2xZ_EvFym5m-ElezuQ9-suXA_d_DfMVxE7lwC4B8WGqIR4gg1jLt66pU6bfdq_G43HZZZrcns2KHsM1LGl8sg1O1Nr89gemEINgsRN50cF20bFRenWwFWY4Hevt/s1600/Food+-+20110902b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJDZqjumU69JedMKxf2xZ_EvFym5m-ElezuQ9-suXA_d_DfMVxE7lwC4B8WGqIR4gg1jLt66pU6bfdq_G43HZZZrcns2KHsM1LGl8sg1O1Nr89gemEINgsRN50cF20bFRenWwFWY4Hevt/s320/Food+-+20110902b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look what someone brought in to OUR office today!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-72294544355490087752011-09-01T17:42:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:17:13.667-07:00September 1st, 2011 - Day 54 of 60Over the last few days I've noticed the widespread effects of the hurricane in the strangest places. As I live in a watershed area things tend to be a bit more damp, but generally very livable. Having creeks, streams and ponds as neighbors is only troublesome in situations like this. One thing you notice (other than roads being washed away) is the detritus assembled in unlikely locations. It was as if the waters called a meeting and everything that wasn't nailed down decided to attend. Grasses, silt, hay, papers, and any manner of floating materials simply relaxed and allowed the waters to take them on a trip. After today I felt a little bit like that.<br />
<br />
Apart from my normal activities (and, really, I have no normal activities) I received a telephone call from one of our offices regarding an issue with software. I stopped in on my way back from another job to take a look at the issue. One of the people concerned with the problem is a woman who has been battling cancer for several months. I don't know her well, but the first day I met her I knew she did yoga. I knew it simply from the way she bent over and started up her computer. When I asked her about it she was sort of taken aback, but in a good way. Our paths cross rarely and I didn't even notice she was ill until she was well into treatment. As we spoke today, she seemed a bit more animated and resolute than she had been in the past few months. Her hair is like a freshly growing field of flax. The stubbly signs of life are just coming forth and I think it may be mirroring what is going on in her life. As I worked on the software she explained what was wrong with it and what she needed. She then asked me if I wanted a doughnut. I followed her gesturing hand only to see the exact same box I saw yesterday in the office I mentioned in my previous day's post. I saw that box and I hated it in an unreasonable way. I had no right to hate it, but I did. I hated it because I blamed this woman's cancer on it's brightly colored design. I blamed childhood diabetes, obesity, cancer and everything except the bombing of the World Trade Center on that box. I wanted to grab that box and throw it out the window, but I composed myself inside and told myself to just get a freaking grip.<br />
<br />
I don't make up stories in my blog. I don't need to fabricate anything. Life is too amazing and strange for anyone to feel the need to lie. These coincidences are all around us each day. We either fail to see them or we fail to understand them. I see a woman who was vital and strong one day; bald, frail and worn-down by sickness the next. No, the doughnuts didn't cause her cancer, but I am wondering what did? I don't know her so I don't know her diet, environment, life or issues. Maybe it was chemicals in her water as a child, maybe it was radiation from the microwave oven? But the one thing I wish she didn't ask was if I wanted a damned doughnut. If anyone else had asked me if I wanted a doughnut I would have smiled and said something about my girlish figure. Today, I didn't.<br />
<br />
I hope never to see that box again, but I imagine I will. I will see that box again just like I saw my good friend (who is a diabetic) eating some bullshit food with a colorful wrapper when I came back to the office today. I walked into the room (with my boss sitting right there) and said, "What the hell are you eating? Do I have to watch you every second?" He knew I was right, so he gave me no grief. He knows I say these things because I care for him and want him well. But today, I was angry. I was not angry at the people who were ill, I was angry at a world that allows this to go on. No, I don't want to ban junk food. No, I don't want a "nanny state". But I <i>do</i> want those charged with our protection to protect us. I want them to stop hiding behind monied interests and corporate bottom-lines. I want people to stop worrying about the ramifications of the truth on the economy and start worrying about the ramifications of lies on human beings.<br />
<br />
The waters are receding where I live. There are benchmarks all along my drive home that give me a sense of how things are where I live. My friend Charlie raises Black Angus steers on his farm. Near his home is a tributary of our creek that has been rushing quite heartily over the last few days. On my way to work it was high and spry. Tonight on my drive home it was only a step or two above normal. My last few days have been a bit like that. I am hoping to begin the comforting caress of "normal" soon. But for me, "normal" has changed. It no longer includes things like brightly colored doughnut boxes. Lives around me have changed from more pressing things such as cancer and hurricanes. And the lives as near to me as a digital inbox have changed as well, mostly for the better. I'm good with change, but I'm also sick of seeing high waters and doughnut boxes. To whomsoever is trying to tell me something, I get it already.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIotz_cLTDr06E3KFHeVHnVjlVJ1LqQlX5468FuAZN_HYnQfuOorDUwzW4NOu6vocF5q00sZk0b3P1KxBk2nXqbGDU14Emc-36blT0D-eI5SrW3YART0iSf2H4hrCt4suS6bI_80fKGLI/s1600/Green85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIotz_cLTDr06E3KFHeVHnVjlVJ1LqQlX5468FuAZN_HYnQfuOorDUwzW4NOu6vocF5q00sZk0b3P1KxBk2nXqbGDU14Emc-36blT0D-eI5SrW3YART0iSf2H4hrCt4suS6bI_80fKGLI/s1600/Green85.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 85% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Weight: 146.7 lbs.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIef8qJKLQqmjm2zNXK00ExzpEQU0j9l4FtbbAE_4cthXT5I8NcgBe6dbe6_exau1N-7asI7nkoS4WpIwG2_3lELX27g1jU2YExihhRPAXgLLuDVsL69ocQaxYKeEGFof07dfgRhhMcvz4/s1600/Weight+-+20110901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIef8qJKLQqmjm2zNXK00ExzpEQU0j9l4FtbbAE_4cthXT5I8NcgBe6dbe6_exau1N-7asI7nkoS4WpIwG2_3lELX27g1jU2YExihhRPAXgLLuDVsL69ocQaxYKeEGFof07dfgRhhMcvz4/s320/Weight+-+20110901.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Clementines, bananas, almond butter, raw cacao goji seed chunks, apple, cherries, salad, watermelon</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3qJVXeVVYXWUll4pzR2YVREzvntYw52I7UXiZokoc-c9SJqFVUL45rUVOcxFw_zeFRcxvFdnXjAVIgYbNKKXp07pYi8L691RCjSO7bqtLx3FiL5CRYBl237Lm7Vd0ZcD-Z0FX49SbnHM/s1600/Food+-+20110901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3qJVXeVVYXWUll4pzR2YVREzvntYw52I7UXiZokoc-c9SJqFVUL45rUVOcxFw_zeFRcxvFdnXjAVIgYbNKKXp07pYi8L691RCjSO7bqtLx3FiL5CRYBl237Lm7Vd0ZcD-Z0FX49SbnHM/s320/Food+-+20110901.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Few things in life are more lovely.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-13145188954059656122011-08-31T17:06:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:17:19.959-07:00August 31st, 2011 - Day 53 of 60I think most of us have hear the phrase, "I wish I was a fly on the wall." It is used to describe the ability to be in a room, unnoticed, while the normal activities of the day unfold (especially the sordid activities). Today I was in an office taking care of a particularly mindless, yet important task. The entire process took about half an hour. I was stationed in a location that was in the midst of things, yet after a few minutes it was as if I was blessed with Harry Potter's "Cloak of Invisibility." The main thing I noticed was everyone's reaction to the box (a large box) of doughnuts on the table next to the entry. I have to say, without fail, 95% of the people who entered the room had an interaction of some sort with that box. Now, those who had the interaction were not all employees of that office. I don't know the particulars of that box of doughnuts, but it appeared that someone brought them in for the consumption of the members of that office. This particular office always has some kind of food (treats) out for communal consumption. Most people stopped, opened the box, scrutinized the scrumptious snacks picked one out and them moved on. A few stopped, looked at the contents, thought about it, and then moved on without partaking. This may have been due to the ever-dwindling choice of cakey confections. But the ones that intrigued me the most were the ones who walked by the box, eyed the box but kept moving on to other things. These people seemed to always come back and always eyed the box. Eventually, most would stop, open the box, chastise themselves in some way, and take a doughnut. Many just strolled up, took a doughnut and started eating it with a smile. But some seemed so distraught with themselves that I felt terrible witnessing the moment unfold. I mean, if you want a doughnut badly enough, just take the thing and eat it with pleasure. But these people had stern words for themselves. "I should do this". "I am so weak." "I know this is so bad for me." On it went. One particular woman came in quietly, walked right over to the box, opened it for a moment, took her doughnut, held it in her hands in such a way as to obscure it, walked quietly out and never had any expression on her face other than sadness. It was as if she was scoring some heroin in some back alley and couldn't stand thinking of herself as human. It broke my heart.<br />
<br />
Pretty much everyone I know loves doughnuts. What is not to love? The only down-side to doughnuts is they are junk food. What I saw on the face of those people, in general, was a general disdain for themselves and even a downright disrespect for their "weakness". These people have no idea what they are up against. If you think you can just stop eating junk food, you need to think again. What you are dealing with is evolution, genetics, programming, addiction, science, technology, marketing, peer pressure and popular culture all conspiring against you. To be able to give up such things is a monumental task. It really is a very big deal.<br />
<br />
The recently released movie <a href="http://www.forksoverknives.com/">"<span style="color: #e69138;">Forks Over Knives</span>"</a> has a section regarding the nature of diet as it relates to obesity. Psychologist Doug Lisle, PhD., states, "It isn't that people become more self-indulgent, it isn't because they are lazier than they ever were, what is happening is that their mechanisms of satiation are being fooled." The narrator goes on to describe how refined and "calorie dense" foods don't trigger our "stretch receptors" and "density receptors" properly which causes us to overeat. Processed and/or unnatural foods fill us less and fail to trigger the sensors properly. That makes those sensors tell our brains, "You need to eat more food!" As Doug Lisle continues, "The problem with weight management in humans is that if you make these foods completely artificial, which we do today, you wind up with a problem that the people <i>have</i> to overeat just to be satisfied." <br />
<br />
As I watched the pained expression on these people's face (for the most part, though some were pretty happy) my heart broke. I wanted to do something, but really, what can I do? Do these people need one more person in life telling them what to do about their weight issues and how they were weak? I don't think so. If those looks on their faces told me anything it was that they already knew this. What they needed was for someone to tell them that they were wonderful, valuable and fantastic human beings who deserved better. They needed to know there was a way out of that mess. Sadly, today was not that day. Sometimes you need someone to come along and help you out of the ditch in the road and sometimes you need to pull yourself out of the pit.<br />
<br />
As my heart grieved, I continued to watch this seemingly endless conga line of despair. One after the other they would walk up and take the "drug" and walk away. Why do I think of Jonestown and Kool-Aid? I guess I'm maudlin.<br />
<br />
After I finished my duties and left, all I could think was "The fly on the wall would have been more nutritious."<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrQN6QbBJMu8_7qHBoZbFsVKBFkwDsOZSGjzTkQPUUyhMvUygGL3PAZpVVkB3tiKEyJmuUsU3hdNKU50bVVCaGy3ZjzZzNrN51nPul5TlSL_JLTnHyoJOc72ZU23XDe-wZ8ggghBxfa-D/s1600/Green85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrQN6QbBJMu8_7qHBoZbFsVKBFkwDsOZSGjzTkQPUUyhMvUygGL3PAZpVVkB3tiKEyJmuUsU3hdNKU50bVVCaGy3ZjzZzNrN51nPul5TlSL_JLTnHyoJOc72ZU23XDe-wZ8ggghBxfa-D/s1600/Green85.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 85% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
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<br />
<b>Weight: 146.5 lbs.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWqaiYdjP9g_HzTI2RdaWEn4ouu8jE7b5Gxsf1MwpW-T6wjxH2V0L91spPG6xkf6VN7MYdaADJNu6tfBoJ6bTUJcB3hm2vaZ-gUQsPUbe66YAk7Zb6t8VC-7TSUCKAwCF5pLFMXn9LuZy/s1600/Weight+-+20110831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWqaiYdjP9g_HzTI2RdaWEn4ouu8jE7b5Gxsf1MwpW-T6wjxH2V0L91spPG6xkf6VN7MYdaADJNu6tfBoJ6bTUJcB3hm2vaZ-gUQsPUbe66YAk7Zb6t8VC-7TSUCKAwCF5pLFMXn9LuZy/s320/Weight+-+20110831.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Clementines, Cherries, Bananas, Almond Butter, Mixed Nuts, Raw Cacao Goji Seed Chunks, Salad, Broccoli Slaw</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sK24hKW_K4XY1E576n0mYpkH9X8v4eUGpFxxuSMTIl9sfsdtigmGq1a9dfhfRMmRBL0OEs2C9RNKhJZXX6_nQVkokJaRzYN3y4kQGa0xOML4DnxtDfh7AAM1phZGqG8TKZvfITC2SrFU/s1600/Food+-+20110831b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sK24hKW_K4XY1E576n0mYpkH9X8v4eUGpFxxuSMTIl9sfsdtigmGq1a9dfhfRMmRBL0OEs2C9RNKhJZXX6_nQVkokJaRzYN3y4kQGa0xOML4DnxtDfh7AAM1phZGqG8TKZvfITC2SrFU/s320/Food+-+20110831b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The greens and purple cabbage are buried.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMyA5WPDn2Pv0YRjgkn8MaT9Y2Be4EHqvfU8N8L7_87KDtkcJ07HuS2fwqU-zEZDQVGTbJTbGS7eEqSbi-uTSfXkJEGqfd0yOxCK4LVCgOJYylHH4pvdISRkl-dG8svhVUCC-qSAhAuGO/s1600/Food+-+20110831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMyA5WPDn2Pv0YRjgkn8MaT9Y2Be4EHqvfU8N8L7_87KDtkcJ07HuS2fwqU-zEZDQVGTbJTbGS7eEqSbi-uTSfXkJEGqfd0yOxCK4LVCgOJYylHH4pvdISRkl-dG8svhVUCC-qSAhAuGO/s320/Food+-+20110831.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love how these look in salads.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-76522466069026095742011-08-30T17:03:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:17:25.642-07:00August 30th, 2011 - Day 52 of 60The belated first day of classes was today and the campus was a beehive of activity. I found myself running around like a madman again today, but I still had time to get important things done and eat. I ate a lot today, but that is alright. I feel like I am due. The first day of class is stressful for everyone, but especially the new students. They are nervous and don't know what to do with themselves. They are afraid they are not in the right place or they'll forget something or do something wrong. It is their first day in a "new school" and they are now free to create a new persona. They don't have to be judged by the past and have nothing but the future in front of them. I am amused at how casually the kids dress. I made myself laugh as I imagined a bunch of kids dressed up in prom formals for classes. That sounds like a good idea to me, but it would take some real commitment to make happen. After a week or so, they will start to figure out the feel of the joint and all will be well. They'll make new friends and new memories.<br />
<br />
I've still not decided anything on the remainder of my reboot. Well, I guess my decision is to make no decision. Too much is going on at work for me to get overly creative or motivated. Quite a few people who are just back to work from their summer break asked me if I lost weight. I told them I had my eyebrows done. They look at me strangely and I know all I well.<br />
<br />
I don't have much to say as I think I am operating in a sleep deficit of several days. I wish I could lay down now and sleep, but it is too early. I'll just have to figure out something to do for an hour or so. <br />
<br />
While it isn't my first day of school, it is getting to the end of my first reboot. I guess I am trying to create something new. Perhaps not a new persona, but a new container for my persona. I am not nervous nor am I concerned about being in the wrong place. I am in the right place at this point. If nothing else, I know none of this education will go to waste regardless of what I do with it.<br />
<br />
Sorry for the lack of insightful words tonight. I'm just feeling the effects of the past couple weeks.<br />
<br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUgIfoj87CvswH5UZUgfqWlE3YIHGCZMIm_EM3dotBlsFnawBm_N0YxzXqtiRL4aYm-mr3uMVYjLF_f7XmeYXAaBquYJektnIp2jb3r_Ay2XiXxDFd_vIot-TBoaU5RXbN07YBW3udy9L/s1600/Green85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUgIfoj87CvswH5UZUgfqWlE3YIHGCZMIm_EM3dotBlsFnawBm_N0YxzXqtiRL4aYm-mr3uMVYjLF_f7XmeYXAaBquYJektnIp2jb3r_Ay2XiXxDFd_vIot-TBoaU5RXbN07YBW3udy9L/s1600/Green85.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 85% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 147.1 lbs.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2t4UwrPHHeyshPMfSSW3v8TLt2BeU52PDGcJhVDjltuX0bicntOsozvbOxIRa5av8tl9Q0Ke1m0YTcboVSthTCH8cdXCiVg5LV0Jg05eeiKdNpT1dSOvPrHMsmj03Nk1eEU-RxfC3YQy/s1600/Weight+-+20110830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2t4UwrPHHeyshPMfSSW3v8TLt2BeU52PDGcJhVDjltuX0bicntOsozvbOxIRa5av8tl9Q0Ke1m0YTcboVSthTCH8cdXCiVg5LV0Jg05eeiKdNpT1dSOvPrHMsmj03Nk1eEU-RxfC3YQy/s320/Weight+-+20110830.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Cherries, Clementines, banana, almond butter, almonds, raw cacao goji seed chunks, large salad, broccoli slaw.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi6ZQfppCvMg1KJ3ezu3TE5_P4oEs3YZFciK3Lq_JhoLd4v7Dw_SnXwQco2IjPx4p0BLyq1SKlDXeParVGP_vHKVPynNnFx1XRAIpY_OdUkXXW71CUgSdxXfGXCrTPZU8_cv0x5GlmtoK/s1600/Food+-+20110830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi6ZQfppCvMg1KJ3ezu3TE5_P4oEs3YZFciK3Lq_JhoLd4v7Dw_SnXwQco2IjPx4p0BLyq1SKlDXeParVGP_vHKVPynNnFx1XRAIpY_OdUkXXW71CUgSdxXfGXCrTPZU8_cv0x5GlmtoK/s320/Food+-+20110830.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-25623714872867870122011-08-29T19:45:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:17:32.557-07:00August 29th, 2011 - Day 51 of 60Good grief, did I say something stupid like "things are leveling off" and did I give the impression that the hard part was over with my work? It is 10:10 P.M. and I am just getting home. My reward for a hard day's work is stuffing my face with cold watermelon and writing something here in the hope I'll find inspiration by the next sentence. So.... how was your day?<br />
<br />
As classes were canceled today due to the hurricane, I took advantage of the relative quiet to finish up a few things I thought important and had nothing but issues. I will spare everyone the technical mumbo-jumbo, but suffice it to say that I needed to improvise quite a bit today. I had to drive to our "south campus" to finish some things and found several of the rooms were not cooperating in the way I expected. After a bit of tap dancing around I finally found a way out of the situation and got things moving. Then, back on the "main campus" I had one particularly difficult machine which had a hardware failure earlier in the week. That rectified, I moved on to ensuring the software was up to snuff. That machine, too, needed some ingenuity. It was frustrating and time consuming, but it appears to be working. Then, finally, one lab that was sort of forgotten (not really, but sort of) had to be made ready for classes, so I figured I may as well do it now. Hours later and some real vamping behind me, it, too, is done. Now I am exhausted and trying to see how much watermelon I can jam into my body before I burst.<br />
<br />
As I was running to and fro (not "seeking whom I may devour") today I noticed my foot was still giving me trouble. I was walking around in my socks for much of the day. While that made the blister happy, my feet started to hurt around 8:00 P.M. Walking around that much on a hard floor can make your feet sore if you are not used to being without shoes that much. That set my mind awhirl... "Why did I get a blister in the first place?" As a man, I am not overly concerned with fashion. Clothes are utilitarian to me: cover nakedness, keep me warm, keep me safe from the environment and occasionally protest those in authority with an appropriate phrase on a t-shirt. I wear two pair of shoes, mainly, over the course of the year: my boots for cold weather and winter and my Crocs the rest of the year. I've been wearing this pair of Crocs each day, without fail, since April. That is FIVE months. Never a blister, pinch or problem. They are the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn. These are not the kind with holes. They are all black and look a bit less "playful" than most Crocs. I ordered them from a restaurant supply house in Colorado. So, what was up? I guess all the improvising I did today made my brain wake up as I considered my bad fortune with the blister and came up with my solution: If you recall, I mentioned a few days back my fingers felt stiff and swollen from all the walking and swinging my arms. It never occurred to me that my feet are sort of like my hands, only on the other end of my body (and I don't do "high fives" with them). I think they were a tad swollen, too, and that caused the blister.<br />
<br />
My day has been long and fruitful, but it was filled with lots of improvisation due to difficulties. All the trouble was put to rest, but it wasn't easy. My Reboot has been long and fruitful. It has been useful and put a few things to rest. With only ten days left I've gone quite far. It has been wonderful, but it has required a bit of improvising as well. When you are not used to eating a certain way or making juice frequently or making smoothies frequently, you have to either think outside the box or you have to find a rhythm you can live with for a bit. Then, once you start noticing how the rest of your life is affected by the Reboot, you need to improvise there as well. What do you do when invited out to lunch? What happens when friends come over? What do you do on a long day trip? Etc. When you Reboot you sometimes have to think on your feet (even when they are aching and blistered). It is so easy to revert to comfortable, old habits. They fit better than shoes that don't give blisters. But they are the shoes for another time. Your new life requires new ways of thinking and new ways of thinking outside of the norm. Habits make some situations easier as they are easy and familiar. New habits are needed and that will take time, effort and ingenuity. Give your Reboot as much time as you can. It isn't just to lose more weight or to feel better. It is also to give your mind and body time to adapt to a new way of eating, thinking and living. You'll also train your mind to think of ingenious and adaptive ways of living in the world, yet live within your Reboot.<br />
<br />
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to use my new-found ingenuity to figure out why an idiot eats half a watermelon when he comes home from work and makes himself sick.<br />
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<b>Progress: </b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsO9nrXRUubS1bwgtFlp2oewK6fqnLdgIrw50nM33lsgfvc5MhOIG-3uu6nJ7xtzvAwxyTnRYjoDv_mY0aR5LqsZudyRykc_Z-_EL3MAkvx48ekMQPLj-cDoFLrGcjvL5pElMM3jmyLK_g/s1600/Green85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsO9nrXRUubS1bwgtFlp2oewK6fqnLdgIrw50nM33lsgfvc5MhOIG-3uu6nJ7xtzvAwxyTnRYjoDv_mY0aR5LqsZudyRykc_Z-_EL3MAkvx48ekMQPLj-cDoFLrGcjvL5pElMM3jmyLK_g/s1600/Green85.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 85% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 147.9 lbs.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13x8m3oZ72DeKESabPRHqe7pX5uRx6XbCtjP7TWZ0TFALGQQWVZ-oVXMKFVkiRS2tP38HjlWjcOJflqcOxZYW9RDoTCd1kJgvXUy1_94xyb8Hvj6DmoZOcFou9VMh3lANIgsILiPR8eOZ/s1600/Weight+-+20110829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13x8m3oZ72DeKESabPRHqe7pX5uRx6XbCtjP7TWZ0TFALGQQWVZ-oVXMKFVkiRS2tP38HjlWjcOJflqcOxZYW9RDoTCd1kJgvXUy1_94xyb8Hvj6DmoZOcFou9VMh3lANIgsILiPR8eOZ/s320/Weight+-+20110829.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Clementines, bananas, almond butter, cherries, salad, raw cacao goji seed chunks, watermelon (way too much watermelon)</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkqcNS4xKPlWCD0F8XCZLDnGMIaz9si9nZ33x6iEvGtX6i7XuC5rVWXs-ZiNPi3RZt11N2uoXL9y60DkjlmLyEVAJQKcBdEhA2FG1_XSa4doxkqRar9BdcHfpW7FBkq-dnZLZnSAddAga/s1600/Food+-+20110829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkqcNS4xKPlWCD0F8XCZLDnGMIaz9si9nZ33x6iEvGtX6i7XuC5rVWXs-ZiNPi3RZt11N2uoXL9y60DkjlmLyEVAJQKcBdEhA2FG1_XSa4doxkqRar9BdcHfpW7FBkq-dnZLZnSAddAga/s320/Food+-+20110829.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-7676887294151094622011-08-28T14:15:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:17:39.295-07:00August 28th, 2001 - Day 50 of 60While much of what I write here on my Reboot blog has little to do in a practical sense with the mechanics of Rebooting, I do try to weave the conceptual flavor of Rebooting into the words. I am certainly one who understands the value and need for practical, how-to types of writing. We all need to learn and those who have done or are doing something tend to generate the sort of information those embarking on that journey crave. But I am more than happy to defer to those more skilled than I when it comes to the nuts (raw with no salt) and bolts (don't bolt your food) of the Reboot. I tend to wax philosophic because I am one who feels motivation and deeply understanding "the why" of things is crucial for success. People will gladly walk to their deaths, singing a song if they feel the cause is right. Now, while I understand that drinking juice made from Beets and Arugula and Brussels Sprouts and Okra may taste as close to death as one can come (well, equally close might be a Red Bull/Prune Juice shot, which I'd call a "Bullsh*t". It will get you running in all possible ways), I also realize that the Reboot isn't quite as dire as that. But I most certainly DO want everyone to succeed in all aspects of their lives. I especially want people to succeed in their Reboot, as I know that once they get a certain distance down the Reboot path, it will affect other aspects of their lives. It is a connected series of occurrences which all flutter in the same breeze. Think of it like <i>Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon</i>, only we don't use bacon any more. For example:<br />
<br />
1) You decide to do the Reboot, but worry you are not strong-willed enough.<br />
2) You start out whirring whatever is in your 'fridge in your old Osterizer blender. Hey, it ain't half bad! Oops, I think that was cheesecake I put in there.<br />
3) Inspired by your general lack of death from your first homemade juice, you feel less fear and buy a new juicer, lots of fresh produce and walking shoes.<br />
4) You find you love juicing and walking and feel so wonderful you can't believe it. Within four days you decide to go for the full 60 days like Joe and Phil.<br />
5) * Something extraordinary happens here *<br />
6) You win the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the Powerball jackpot, find true love and finally learn to whistle with your fingers in your mouth.<br />
<br />
See how easy it is?<br />
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As I write this very sentence, the center of Hurricane Irene (now a tropical storm) is as close to me as it is going to get. This whole situation got me thinking... well, about the things... about which I think: motivation, natural law, optimal living methods, reality vs. perception, etc. Our ancestors (long, long ago ancestors) didn't have real-time tracking of storms or ceramic water filters or weather-repelling radial tires or even a raincoat. They looked around and saw something was up from the sky or inferred looming danger from the behavior of the animals or from pure instinct. The storm would come and they would seek shelter where they could find it (caves were the favorite). Then what did you do? You rode out the storm. You sit, listen to the lullaby raindrops fall and just watch life. Or, put in less urgent terms, consider the seasons: I've read in some places that in the Winter, before food storage was perfected and Tupperware's invention was unimagined generations away, people mainly laid around and moved as little as possible during the cold. They would, literally, hunker down. They didn't have chainsaws and gas-powered splitters. Firewood was hard to come by. You kept the temperature as warm as possible (above freezing), lay around in piles and only moved when you had to do so. You saved energy, stored calories and reduced the possibility of injury. You ate very little since you had very little food and subsisted on all the fat you stored by consuming all you could when it was available. I think this ancient memory is still embedded within us and explains why we simply cannot pass up the <span class="st"><i>hors d'oeuvres </i></span>platter at parties whenever it comes near. Add to this the lack of snow shovels and lack of light. If you are like most people, when it is gray and rainy you just want to sleep. I think that is another built-in feature of our model.<br />
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I bring all this up because Irene is knocking on my windows and asking to come in for a visit. While I'm sure she is fine company and has many interesting stories to tell (she has traveled all over the place, after all), I am really not in a place where I can do that. Irene has brought along waters, winds, gray skies and a general feeling of inadequacy. So, we sit and we wait. We read and we just allow ourselves to BE. We put the rest of our lives in perspective and find a seed of gratitude for our general lot springing up. And, I realize that over the past weeks I've been running around so much that I am sure the load of calories I've been eating would be taking a toll on my waistline if I spent each day like this. The relaxations is welcome, but I know that just sitting here is not burning many calories. But, sometimes life compels us to adjust. And that, FINALLY, is the point of this whole post.<br />
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We have to learn to adjust in our life. We often learn it the hard way, but we <u>will</u> learn it. Experience is the best teacher and the experience of others is even better if we are smart enough to understand that at a young age. When learning to shoot, one stumbles on the concept of "Kentucky Windage". That being the slight alteration of aim to take into account a long target distance and the intervening wind as it pertains to accuracy. There are insane numbers of ways we've learned to adapt that we don't even consider. How many times have you taken a class in life and had to adjust how you wrote or answered questions just to ensure you got a better grade from your teacher? You didn't say what you really felt, but you said what you know the teacher wanted to hear to ensure you received an A+. How many times did you alter your appearance or behavior outside of the norm to impress a date or important person? How many times have you started a recipe and found you were missing an ingredient, so you had to wing it? I could go on. Thinking about the storm for me wasn't just about the obvious things, it was also about how it would affect my Reboot. I ensured I had adequate food in case the lights went out for a prolonged period. I understood that my energy expenditure was limited, so I adjusted a few things. I put it into the context of general life and how we eat and why we eat and what we eat. The Reboot, if done properly, affects EVERYTHING you do. It is not just a physical reaction to fewer and higher quality calories. It is understanding the natural order of things and trying one's best to live in accordance with that understanding. Yes, the Reboot IS philosophy. "As a man thinketh, so is he."<br />
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I have no idea what the fallout of Irene will be on my home, personal effects and life. I'll know for certain once it is past for a day or so. Likewise, I have no idea what the fallout of the Reboot will be on my life. On the one hand (trying not to be overly dramatic) I feel like Neo being offered the red and blue pills. Once you know something, you can't un-know it. On the other hand, I am well-aware of man's incredible ability to rationalize any thought to suit his desires. "Oh, it is just one cookie, what will it hurt?" I do know that, like Irene, the path is uncertain and sometimes you have to just go with the flow and hope for the best. For now, the best I can do is listen to raindrops made of water that may have come from the Caribbean. I'll sit and listen and try to understand their purpose in my life. And, in the midst of that, I'll know that something has changed in me based on how I have started to frame all I do in the context of my Reboot. While it may not spark the sort of change that will give me 120 years of life, transform my body into one able to do underwear modeling or even win me the Nobel Prize, it is a sign of REAL change. That is something we can all agree is welcome (unlike Irene).<br />
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Goodnight, Irene.<br />
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<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSjRa-As2bbB751cMwMca_jR7cPCioZGeKaSReWAel5XwriV9oAkrzYKp0k-GvLpeYFoRn_jCGoYIrjyGLy7Rh4hxhJYkNDOn2R8ZVzBSgx73zuCu0E07jiVrodFzOXoAQp0iIqxRNSDu/s1600/Green80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSjRa-As2bbB751cMwMca_jR7cPCioZGeKaSReWAel5XwriV9oAkrzYKp0k-GvLpeYFoRn_jCGoYIrjyGLy7Rh4hxhJYkNDOn2R8ZVzBSgx73zuCu0E07jiVrodFzOXoAQp0iIqxRNSDu/s1600/Green80.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 80% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 147.3 lbs.</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGgG8mZT9sQjo_JoxhC8FFOqv3e3e_C8xYxZMuzrZEI5LLNokvK1Ioz6_mk-08gemhSrLcT-Y0FctAgfPM15ruo_F6t3GoQ-uMBs_5AT0RH15k-eOS-oo_PBgejs9QqCHUEZaP1N3VqQu/s1600/Weight+-+20110828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGgG8mZT9sQjo_JoxhC8FFOqv3e3e_C8xYxZMuzrZEI5LLNokvK1Ioz6_mk-08gemhSrLcT-Y0FctAgfPM15ruo_F6t3GoQ-uMBs_5AT0RH15k-eOS-oo_PBgejs9QqCHUEZaP1N3VqQu/s320/Weight+-+20110828.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm sure the bandage adds several pounds.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Food: Watermelon, Raw Cacao Goji Seed Chunks, Broccoli Slaw, Banana, Almond Butter, Cherries</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5sQSgRgx5mJBCIJRWmTwrVizHRXsAJvI3LIhvNQJvnA6mBTOfE2-a72NmqS32iE_rhNsRhTCboYl3zGX-pc76EhCkzGy9U8hoR7_axjs9TwETfnSLe1FBu4UjZIC_Jab-aXhQcRD9kXP/s1600/Food+-+20110828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5sQSgRgx5mJBCIJRWmTwrVizHRXsAJvI3LIhvNQJvnA6mBTOfE2-a72NmqS32iE_rhNsRhTCboYl3zGX-pc76EhCkzGy9U8hoR7_axjs9TwETfnSLe1FBu4UjZIC_Jab-aXhQcRD9kXP/s320/Food+-+20110828.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watermelon while reading about water is appropriate.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEe8qZ7mdVckYGiMbs4JgtdrJX-uvZs967odEfpDybc7JhleEsAMSPhygIr2QLnLUr30h0VUounTjBg7OL-Ol4gW7aFy8QB2dZ465dtMr5V1iTY-crcYAjN554js7YI1nfbyRzXrCankg/s1600/Food+-+20110828b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEe8qZ7mdVckYGiMbs4JgtdrJX-uvZs967odEfpDybc7JhleEsAMSPhygIr2QLnLUr30h0VUounTjBg7OL-Ol4gW7aFy8QB2dZ465dtMr5V1iTY-crcYAjN554js7YI1nfbyRzXrCankg/s320/Food+-+20110828b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neat-o! They have my raw salsa in organic now!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-1165632876680345942011-08-27T19:06:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:17:46.283-07:00August 27th, 2011 - Day 49 of 60I wish I had one of <a href="http://www.fitbit.com/" style="color: #e69138;">these</a> things over the last couple weeks. I'm sure when I put the device into my computer at the end of the day it would come back and tell me that, obviously, something was wrong as the data doesn't compute. As you may be able to see on my weigh-in this morning, I had a blister on the top of my right foot. I walked for hours straight yesterday. Going from room to room to room to room, and from building to building. I did it again today for a good nine hours straight. I just didn't stop. I can't imagine the calories I've burned. Sadly, I am trying to make up for those calories by eating everything in sight now that I am home.<br />
<br />
My day started by picking up a few things at the store and filling up my car in the event the hurricane decides to visit my home. I got some fruit and veggies and a new LCD flashlight and then I went to work. The good news is that, at this point, all the desperately crucial work is finished. As the storm is heading our way we decided to cancel classes on Monday, so that gives me another day to tie up loose ends if need be. I'll take the next couple weeks to deal with the less crucial work and then, hopefully, be caught up and go back into my normal mode.<br />
<br />
While I wouldn't call this a denouement, things are leveling off. Another way that is true, sort of, is all the hurricane hubbub. It is all we've been hearing about for days and days. A sure way to get people to buy your newspaper or watch your TV show is incessantly talking about danger, threats and horror. I've heard nothing but hurricane-related speculation and worse-case scenarios for the last few days. If I watched TV very much I'd be frantic. Yes, hurricanes are serious, but does it really help anyone to talk about it incessantly for days on end? Is it edifying in any way? Sure, give the warnings and state the facts. But, please, stop with the endless coverage of what <i>may</i> happen. It is driving me nuts. Luckily, the thing will come through tonight and tomorrow and then, hopefully, we'll get on with things.<br />
<br />
In addition to the most crucial work and the most juiceful hurricane, another thing coming to its ending phase is my Reboot. As I was walking around today I realized that on Monday I'll have only ten days remaining in my Reboot. That sort of number has symbolic meaning, if nothing else. Doesn't everyone like to countdown once "10" is reached? I thought a bit about how things were going and what I may want to do. While I am very pleased with my Reboot, I am going to consider my options. While I knew the food-phase wouldn't offer the same dramatic results as the liquid phase, I was hoping for more. I feel really good and I know things are happening. Patience is a virtue, so I may just stay the course.<br />
<br />
In our lives there are peaks and valleys. Most of the time is spent hiking up to the peak or ambling down into the valley. The lingering at the zenith and the abiding at the nadir are brief. The circuitous wandering between the two is where we spend the bulk of our time. In the space of an average work year, my insanely busy times usually don't exceed six to eight weeks. In the space of a lifetime, disasters are few and far between. The span of a Reboot has a few days flush with excitement. Since it is a unique adventure I imagine my comparison isn't fair, but after a week of rebooting one tends to fall into a rhythm that almost becomes "normal". Once the end is within sight, however, we allow our minds to look to the end and turn over the possible permutations.<br />
<br />
I remember a time in my youth when I was the passenger in a Saab that was going across the country. We were going through the desert in the Southwest toward Las Vegas. There isn't much to see, so to say the ride was boring would be kind. After endless dust and brown I spotted something in the distance. It looked like a lit sign, but how could a lit sign be seen in the desert during the day? The odd thing was that, as we drove ahead, we didn't seem to get to the sign. Apparently, this place was farther away than I assumed. By the time we got there we had driven quite a long way. I saw that sign from a long way off and had plenty of time to consider what it was and what it might mean to me. It turned out it was a gas station with a very tall and very bright sign. Still, in an endless sea of arid earth that light was a welcome distraction. In a sea of mindless consumption, this Reboot is a welcome change. No, this stressful and frantic time of year in the midst of my normal workload is NOT welcome. But we need our lives punctuated with these occasional exclamation points. <br />
<br />
So, as I get a day of rest (I hope) after a long stretch of insanity, I will consider my lasts days on this Reboot. I may just reflect and leave it at that. Or, I may wish to go out with a bang. Whatever I decide, it will be out of my great affection for the previous days of mindful consumption.<br />
<br />
The best part of the ending is knowing that a new beginning shows up to introduce itself.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOZv21Q14cv48CYJDQ2-grRSG1xtsoHyqHb5_pb6ERzDD0fzQI-u-_PH6-_uSx_QTIzCAQES-yQNvKCZOrhsF2ZcS7-wgotqwRRVYxohlzV6ryQ8UIgDtozdfhfAU9iMBuXuU_hAZfryd/s1600/Green80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOZv21Q14cv48CYJDQ2-grRSG1xtsoHyqHb5_pb6ERzDD0fzQI-u-_PH6-_uSx_QTIzCAQES-yQNvKCZOrhsF2ZcS7-wgotqwRRVYxohlzV6ryQ8UIgDtozdfhfAU9iMBuXuU_hAZfryd/s1600/Green80.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 80% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Weight: 147.4 lbs.</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD2-pHznd3r0Hc6J0fK__uw2YAeOpZmxodEutIFu86KH1sxDZk3rmAtnuUjKCWlU9WoXnoY8vhXVQ2ky8oulZAJ_DCRCYf8YOj_W75ETRJ9_Pu3-D4EviRuI7pmkL6OiGp2Eiakyd5ldr/s1600/Weight+-+20110827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuD2-pHznd3r0Hc6J0fK__uw2YAeOpZmxodEutIFu86KH1sxDZk3rmAtnuUjKCWlU9WoXnoY8vhXVQ2ky8oulZAJ_DCRCYf8YOj_W75ETRJ9_Pu3-D4EviRuI7pmkL6OiGp2Eiakyd5ldr/s320/Weight+-+20110827.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blister boo-boo on my right foot. :(</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b> Food: Watermelon, Fresh Mixed Fruit, Raw Cacao/Goji/Seed Chunks, Broccoli Slaw, Cherries </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0Zcfk0o1gbllSaubyJAkuws4PNVbLbFk2FJ1aG481Jem2HyQRziJ4Q31-h4HVAgoWPEUb-npJfZQF1IwGEWxYd-OO_gk6fJOd6iv5sDLnS0x9NpLZ_zxSpiGHd-GDJLHT6SuRgHGwOEP/s1600/Food+-+20110827b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0Zcfk0o1gbllSaubyJAkuws4PNVbLbFk2FJ1aG481Jem2HyQRziJ4Q31-h4HVAgoWPEUb-npJfZQF1IwGEWxYd-OO_gk6fJOd6iv5sDLnS0x9NpLZ_zxSpiGHd-GDJLHT6SuRgHGwOEP/s320/Food+-+20110827b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was SO good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_I0GYzuziXlz9UG8AkpMUF7Gtg3zTr0x3_L8F60Yj413m0_8WrGifYWEQnAj5LwO2ISkKDPUV7J6JOrZqUSDkC5QTiF_0ePWIN_vL6VhRyO9LqR1eTYY32wpHwnZR_o9dOLAMtZCHavG/s1600/Food+-+20110827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_I0GYzuziXlz9UG8AkpMUF7Gtg3zTr0x3_L8F60Yj413m0_8WrGifYWEQnAj5LwO2ISkKDPUV7J6JOrZqUSDkC5QTiF_0ePWIN_vL6VhRyO9LqR1eTYY32wpHwnZR_o9dOLAMtZCHavG/s320/Food+-+20110827.jpg" width="320" /></a><b><br />
</b>Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-22836268591858994132011-08-26T20:39:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:17:54.664-07:00August 26th, 2011 - Day 48 of 60This will be another of those posts that will barely make it in under the wire. Today was longer than yesterday and yesterday was too long. My head is swimming and I am so amped up on Raw Cacao Goji Seed Chunks that I may not sleep for days. The workload is astronomical in scope. It will not be done in the time frame I'd like, but it will be close. The laws of physics apply here as they do everywhere. If I had a few people working with me that were as... what are the words I want to use... were as driven to deliver high quality products in as compressed a time frame as I, things would be done. As it stands I am the orchestra leader for this work. You have to see many things at once and understand how it all comes together. Some of that is genetic, some is experience and some is dumb luck.<br />
<br />
The layers and layers of complexity that we deal with are staggering. While it isn't brain surgery, rocket science or even rocket surgery, it is complex and it is exhausting. These days I think it is every bit as physically demanding as it is mentally demanding. I came home late yesterday and wondered why my fingers felt stiff. I realize that I just don't stop once I get to work and I am walking so much and so fast, I am swinging the fluids into my extremities. Damned law of physics, again!<br />
<br />
Things would be better if everyone listened to me. No, not about everything, just about my little section in my little world. I've told everyone for over twenty years how best to deal with things, but the layers of complexity and bureaucracy make it almost impossible to get things done well. Never-ending arguments over "who is going to pay for this" and "which job has priority" and "why do they have this while we only have this" and other nonsense. I'm sure everyone who works for or with others understands this.<br />
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In my head I have a vision for how things work. The vision is a large-scale plan. The "big picture", if you will. Within that big picture is the striking detail into which my thoughts zoom when I have to actually deal with that task at the moment. The translation from big-picture to details isn't that bad for me. I am the sort of person who thinks things through exhaustively. As an introvert, I have likely planned an entire activity before I ever mention it to anyone. And, once it is mentioned that means it is going to happen. Why? Because I do not want to be or even be perceived as one of those people who says something but doesn't deliver or never follows through. Extroverts tend to do that, but not because they are scattered or liars. They do it because that is how they brain-storm. They throw it out there and see what people say. "I think I am going to backpack naked across Nepal!" They wait to see the reaction. My dad is <i>classic</i> extrovert. Always going to do something, go somewhere, etc. You'll know what I am doing when I am doing it. If I need someone's opinion, I'll ask. Sadly, in the case of my work, too many people stand between me and my vision. <br />
<br />
With your Reboot, you need a vision. You need to fully understand the concepts, fully understand the implementation of those concepts and fully understand the requirements of implementing those concepts. You need to understand what a Reboot is. You need to determine if you really can do it, or if you are just excited and hope you'll "get into it." You need to realize that making juice takes time, energy and money. You need to realize that if you have a family, they will probably not be Rebooting with you and that might be awkward or tempting or worse. You need to realize that you'll be shopping a lot. You need to see that a good juicer or blender is priceless. You need to see that clean-up time is longer than you think. You need to do several "dry runs" (or, as I call them, "wet runs" since you actually make juice. But I don't call them that out loud for obvious reasons). You have to visualize the amount of juice you'll need, when you'll be able to make it and from what other activity does that time come. You need to plan for social engagements and other settings where food or the lack of you eating it could be troublesome. You need to imagine how your Reboot will apply to your work. Do you eat out a lot at work? Is there a cafeteria? Is there a kitchen or refrigerator where you can store your juice? Do you, in fact, have anything appropriate into which you can put your juice? Do you have enough of them?<br />
<br />
You get the picture. This is how my brain works all the time. Ever sorting, sizing-up, considering, planning and processing. Yes, it can be exhausting. I guess that is why I do yoga. But that is the sort of thinking that helps me in my work. It also helps me in my Reboot. I've never been without food or resources for my nutrition. It has all gone well.<br />
<br />
Everyone is different and what works for you may not be something I'd even consider. As long as you are happy and getting the results you want, I am happy for you. But I maintain that above all other things (fancy juicers, a nice "Rebooting" web page, eight books of juice recipes and even an autographed photo of Joe Cross on your refrigerator) NOTHING will help you more with your Reboot than the right mental attitude and mindset going in to the game. If you've not solidified everything in your mind, you are on shaky ground. Make up your mind, make your plan and make it happen. That will get your through your Reboot and perhaps a few other things in life.<br />
<br />
Right now, I have made up my mind to go to bed. I have a feeling that task is a bit easier than making "Turnip Pistachio Horseradish Energy Juice".<br />
<br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1VX_otTB23l5mug9IuxmSYpcE_ABBjTCOsVoJ7GJ3S0vJDUelHqWA_hHlhl9esJ42A5x2P_3dkiNNe-gqOcr9eFmHKPC5RGMSxvIT1Bi8FE6tVtSymE8_0c8cSrwiZef9lvgUCkQfeoc/s1600/Green80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1VX_otTB23l5mug9IuxmSYpcE_ABBjTCOsVoJ7GJ3S0vJDUelHqWA_hHlhl9esJ42A5x2P_3dkiNNe-gqOcr9eFmHKPC5RGMSxvIT1Bi8FE6tVtSymE8_0c8cSrwiZef9lvgUCkQfeoc/s1600/Green80.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 80% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 148.3 lbs.</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKGvKFPhmRLoWYbSx_Q1fjjSW_KtJflsrgwtGjMWIkYEUnT0n1wtoj3P1mHytDHa313Qt1akuNviVB0wQFXMSiiJtDGfbFJnFI7GlSN3xT7t_B5-agZTbpYPKWMWg712BB8Lo75Tnn6NZ/s1600/Weight+-+20110826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKGvKFPhmRLoWYbSx_Q1fjjSW_KtJflsrgwtGjMWIkYEUnT0n1wtoj3P1mHytDHa313Qt1akuNviVB0wQFXMSiiJtDGfbFJnFI7GlSN3xT7t_B5-agZTbpYPKWMWg712BB8Lo75Tnn6NZ/s320/Weight+-+20110826.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I seem to be hovering in this range.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Food: Smoothie, apple, banana, almond butter, almonds, raw cacao/goji/seed chunks, cherries.</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRitR9-Eeg7m7KCqjlY27PHwYMLq4a0vtTb6cycHCfHamY8xoWk9AncvKp-Bw91cODyXG7_W_P430FV5WWPKDoYomly85V17MWQsIdrE3pknfIECZLwmRu6QkQJxN4wJPbkk1EiN_dmWGZ/s1600/Food+-+20110826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRitR9-Eeg7m7KCqjlY27PHwYMLq4a0vtTb6cycHCfHamY8xoWk9AncvKp-Bw91cODyXG7_W_P430FV5WWPKDoYomly85V17MWQsIdrE3pknfIECZLwmRu6QkQJxN4wJPbkk1EiN_dmWGZ/s320/Food+-+20110826.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-90976484607261043712011-08-25T19:02:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:17:59.656-07:00August 25th, 2001 - Day 47 of 60Having put in a 14 hour day, I can say with some confidence that my Reboot has not shortchanged me on energy, focus or motivation. Still, I am only human. I am so tired that my eyes are involuntarily crossing. No, wait, I am doing it on purpose. Never mind.<br />
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I was going to try and write something profound about something deep, but I forgot it when I was nearly drown walking to my car. I don't recall rain that hard in a very long time (and I've been in some hurricanes). So, between my fatigue, the hour, my dampness and the strange feeling an opossum is waiting for me to come outside, I will make this the briefest post of my Reboot and end with a haiku or limerick, I've not yet decided...<br />
<br />
<i>While the workday itself was sheer hell,</i><br />
<i>My Reboot is going quite swell</i><br />
<i>But I'm so pressed for time,</i><br />
<i>All I offer is this rhyme</i><br />
<i>In lieu of my standard nov-el</i><br />
<br />
Ah, limerick.<br />
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Hope you all are having a poetic Reboot.<br />
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<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpSbOxl_6pTWma9DPW3MCtqJ-RhcYRztanivEqR8Uk0csr2f8i-u4B5C0cnZ07RlnaPQhygqlN-gpfCqorv1N3XFg9ZmZzd_MESHs85J6Thd7CcfSVX9g5LmQ7k6KVZ8TZ5trRL6rplLX/s1600/Green75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpSbOxl_6pTWma9DPW3MCtqJ-RhcYRztanivEqR8Uk0csr2f8i-u4B5C0cnZ07RlnaPQhygqlN-gpfCqorv1N3XFg9ZmZzd_MESHs85J6Thd7CcfSVX9g5LmQ7k6KVZ8TZ5trRL6rplLX/s1600/Green75.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 75% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 149.4 lbs</b>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-nTo27Hio8UIXEZGpVBPA-j_G6uunR-t2bY2jKPM2igP0O-BzmWcrZ_196f9D56F_Z4p5xF5CcYHEt1NlwiuooR1D3YJ10OUvHxzQQ5NhH-Q1KaZU9_h8aT5d_Y0G1J91Ma5O5ZWKyDx/s1600/Weight+-+20110825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-nTo27Hio8UIXEZGpVBPA-j_G6uunR-t2bY2jKPM2igP0O-BzmWcrZ_196f9D56F_Z4p5xF5CcYHEt1NlwiuooR1D3YJ10OUvHxzQQ5NhH-Q1KaZU9_h8aT5d_Y0G1J91Ma5O5ZWKyDx/s320/Weight+-+20110825.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Smoothie, apple, nectarine, banana, almond butter, tomatoes, far too many raw cacao/goji/seed chunks.</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qSc-w07fNkAV50IQsXST2TQ6ejZZZxDnobv09BpNxhyphenhyphenlBNkfany_yooYnjbYtXj2265Izk-ekeCQ5cxCcvG-g_1urk7D6uoVnWoL8TnUNXkgK6lQXNSIMpfm2Fjr013KCpv04_Z50eEt/s1600/Food+-+20110825b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qSc-w07fNkAV50IQsXST2TQ6ejZZZxDnobv09BpNxhyphenhyphenlBNkfany_yooYnjbYtXj2265Izk-ekeCQ5cxCcvG-g_1urk7D6uoVnWoL8TnUNXkgK6lQXNSIMpfm2Fjr013KCpv04_Z50eEt/s320/Food+-+20110825b.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoothie: Before</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhimQWlJ4u3IfSNV1uPcrnH1E7jSjTDW5hGux_Mza5DGF6BMifDoC79diBoK1RAMIiftb79n9GuYhPhJNBAJ9LhJuzFtojETW5kHMOPATeDFe_g2FtAnZKxyyDW4PZuhNZpYBiV3wYpy6k/s1600/Food+-+20110825c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhimQWlJ4u3IfSNV1uPcrnH1E7jSjTDW5hGux_Mza5DGF6BMifDoC79diBoK1RAMIiftb79n9GuYhPhJNBAJ9LhJuzFtojETW5kHMOPATeDFe_g2FtAnZKxyyDW4PZuhNZpYBiV3wYpy6k/s320/Food+-+20110825c.jpg" width="213" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoothie: After</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKurOQ2s-GbIWms4fDoMuOKRIpa0662ag4zyR06WYZ8xOyMFGXotx2O6LjkNYRboQ863jPMa9-Gv_9fnfxhJRfA42Z7KpaI-cAT0VB4xFvm_SESs9Zrr7DMLHRKfCt7-VovnHL_oCciXrc/s1600/Food+-+20110825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKurOQ2s-GbIWms4fDoMuOKRIpa0662ag4zyR06WYZ8xOyMFGXotx2O6LjkNYRboQ863jPMa9-Gv_9fnfxhJRfA42Z7KpaI-cAT0VB4xFvm_SESs9Zrr7DMLHRKfCt7-VovnHL_oCciXrc/s320/Food+-+20110825.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These little chaps came from my garden.</td></tr>
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<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-13473022877582484872011-08-24T17:57:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:18:05.289-07:00August 24th, 2011 - Day 46 of 60In my never-ending quest to make computing safe for students, I continued on with my faster-than-light campus rounds. I had been moving all over the place for hours on end and was getting a tad fatigued. Nothing sounded better to me than a nap in a hammock (if I had one). As I was darting into labs and classrooms, there were gaggles of students looking around for their soon-to-be classrooms with furrowed brows; tenaciously clutching class schedules as if they were the map for the "Treasure of the Sierra Madre". Many of them were animated in their speech, simply brimming with anticipation and optimism for the upcoming start of the semester. I had one student ask me where, "Room Oh-3-2" was. I told him that it was in the basement of the building and that seemed to illuminate a section of his brain: he got the point of the "oh". There we so many young people with that look of purpose and determination, seasoned with uncertainty, mixed with positive excitement. The start of the Fall semester in college is one of those watershed moments. All the potential you imagine is within yourself is set in motion on that first day like the waters released from a dam's flood gates.<br />
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When the Freshmen walk on campus everything is possible. Before the first day of class, everyone is at the top of the class. All their dreams are intact, their future is golden, they are taking the first step toward realizing their full potential. It is all good. As time goes on, the preconceived notions of college life are brought into sharper focus via the lens of reality. The best intentions of students suddenly become lost in the endless responsibilities of student life. The ideas of incoming Freshmen are forged in a fire of optimism. Very quickly, most of those fires begin smoking and some may even go dark. It isn't an easy life. It is like learning to juggle while riding a unicycle <i>and</i> buttering toast. Yes, it is that hard. My heart goes out to these kids. Most of them are in over their heads. They were not challenged in their old schools. If they were lucky enough to attend a private school, a challenging public school or are self-motivated, things go better. When their expectations are grounded in fact, that makes it better as well. It helps to have a sibling or friend that did this before you so there is some idea of what to expect. But when you walk in cold, all you have are TV shows, movies and urban legends. While many of these students seem like they walked off the set of "Welcome Back Kotter", they imagine themselves in "The Paper Chase". The dream of double majoring in Physics and Philosophy quickly becomes a major in Math, which quickly becomes a major in Psychology, which quickly becomes a major in Communications. The hope of having perfect notes, dependable study partners and a rigid schedule gives way to photocopied notes from a friend of your roommate's girlfriend, Googling "The Krebs Cycle" and reading over notes while watching your torrented copy of "Porkies 2". <br />
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Reality has a way of holding a mirror up to our faces without the benefit of letting us comb our hair first or getting us out of this unflattering fluorescent light. Many of these kids will be fine. We have a lot of smart cookies that will go far. We also have many who struggle no matter how hard they try. It is heartbreaking to see. To go from a bright future in your mind to feelings of self-loathing and insecurity is a vast swing. Fortunately, there is endless help available if they only ask. But for some it is easier to take a bad grade on a test than to admit they need help. Part of the learning experience in college is outside of the books and lectures. Part of it is learning how to be a functioning adult in society. You learn how to make schedules, be on time, complete assigned tasks, socially interact with unfamiliar people, work in groups, work alone, ensure your clothes are clean, do you own shopping, etc. It certainly can be far too much at once for some. The last statistic I read was that only 56% of incoming Freshmen will earn a 4-year degree. That is a hard number to face.<br />
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When we start out on our Reboots, we, too, have nothing but blue skies ahead. Everything is possible and our expectations are out of sight. As time goes on and life wears us down, we find it can become difficult to keep up with our expectations. We can lower them, of course. Some find that harder to do than just quitting. Others find that the pressures of jobs and family are too much and they can't keep up. All the issues that face our fresh-faced Freshmen are faced by Rebooters: Uncertain of how to proceed; Always wondering if they are in the right place at the right time; Meeting new people and adjusting to a new social circle.; Always trying new and unfamiliar things; High expectations that are modified by harsh realities... You get the idea.<br />
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I don't know if there is a "graduation rate" for Rebooting. I know that a large number of people who were on the "JoinTheReboot.com" site seemed to disappear after a couple weeks. I don't know if they just stopped coming to the web site and continued on with their Reboots alone or if they stopped everything. Some may prefer the Facebook page, etc. Still, there is a lot of difficulty with Reboots and it shows in many of the comments. But, like the Freshman's dose of reality, there is no real failure. All of this is part of the learning experience. You are not only learning math, science and history, you are also learning social skills. You are learning personal management, real life and how you deal with real life. You are learning about yourself. What higher calling could their be?<br />
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For those just starting out on the Reboot, all I can tell you is to enter into it with an open mind, flexible goals, realistic expectations and a conviction of mind to see it through, even if you fall short occasionally. We don't know how we will react to situations until we are in their midst (or their midst is within us). We have no clue what such radical changes (college or Rebooting) will do to us. But we do know there is a support system that can help us out when we need it. We know there have been others that have gone through this before us and can give us their options and their support. Sometimes you need to take a break. The only time there is failure is when you don't try. If you don't try, you don't learn anything except how not to try.<br />
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When classes start next week, everything will be buzzing and exciting. The chatter will be loud and animated. This is just like the feeling one had when they first purposed to Reboot their lives and joined the web site. Keep your goals in focus. Don't let small setbacks sidetrack you. This is a learning experience for us all. We start out in a deep hole, sometimes. We have habits (not studying for students, not eating well for Rebooters) we have to break and new habits to learn. I am encouraging you all to look at the start of the school year as a start for your own "Reboot school year", as it were. Learn more about the things that will give you a healthier life. Learn how to take control of the things in your life that now control you. And, most of all, learn about yourself. I have a feeling that is a subject you'll use for the remainder of your life.<br />
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"You there, in the back row... are you chewing gum?"<br />
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<b>Progress:</b> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86wP98vGqovCab-Z96Uf9_psPeRdOSv2F7HGhhoE4rVXCd3Lp6dkXJ08nWvaJkGgpeFR6b54dJaXgFId_4vZa9jxWbQ0gjHWpbSSfpw4GjkLMuV2j8Kw7zdD9oqn_usrMpSHS3U8ZAJ4u/s1600/Green75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86wP98vGqovCab-Z96Uf9_psPeRdOSv2F7HGhhoE4rVXCd3Lp6dkXJ08nWvaJkGgpeFR6b54dJaXgFId_4vZa9jxWbQ0gjHWpbSSfpw4GjkLMuV2j8Kw7zdD9oqn_usrMpSHS3U8ZAJ4u/s1600/Green75.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 75% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
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<b>Weight: 148.4 lbs.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDNAteaekZYHRY6UHR0e68xdqpDN_8IgmwVE_VXLQbpOfA0ArZCkJGQ3me4TtZDy2eOuaIZmHeqQErY8wl-fj7T1NcYZ2glO4PnFPIfgebOmOJy7RME7zXBy_PpWwSDmncSabURnbJfj4/s1600/Weight+-+20110824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDNAteaekZYHRY6UHR0e68xdqpDN_8IgmwVE_VXLQbpOfA0ArZCkJGQ3me4TtZDy2eOuaIZmHeqQErY8wl-fj7T1NcYZ2glO4PnFPIfgebOmOJy7RME7zXBy_PpWwSDmncSabURnbJfj4/s320/Weight+-+20110824.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Food: Nectarine, apple, smoothie, banana, almond butter, nuts, broccoli slaw, cherries, cacao/goji/seed chunks (way too many)</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOf_VohkUJ0sCqmNtQYL6D6rwmnCl5j6s2A-HR4gDSFVh3s7rU0x07CeasgwteYMQT9La-WNTFLP8T_dENxZg-ruEc202wPgV0tSVGKWQW4aLQMGs_XoGUKKATpu8QZaDmPa4UF2T2HDY/s1600/Food+-+20110824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOf_VohkUJ0sCqmNtQYL6D6rwmnCl5j6s2A-HR4gDSFVh3s7rU0x07CeasgwteYMQT9La-WNTFLP8T_dENxZg-ruEc202wPgV0tSVGKWQW4aLQMGs_XoGUKKATpu8QZaDmPa4UF2T2HDY/s320/Food+-+20110824.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Pre-pre-masticated meal.</td></tr>
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<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-27786846980844529602011-08-23T18:33:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:18:13.004-07:00August 23rd, 2011 - Day 45 of 60<div class="im">
<i>Darling I don't know why I go to extremes.</i></div>
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<i>Too high or too low there ain't no in-betweens.<br />
And if I stand or I fall,<br />
It's all or nothing at all.<br />
Darling I don't know why I go to extremes.</i> <br />
Billy Joel - I Go To Extremes<br />
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Old Frank is feeling good, but he is also feeling tired. Even if you are in ace shape, you still need rest. I found myself in the midst of a contradiction today. I am complaining that I'm tired and in need of some rest; meanwhile, I am carrying two computers to the building next door (one in each hand held by their handles). These are not little computers, they are old time IBM (when IBM still made them) machines. Then, after I deposit one machine, I proceed to carry the next one up the stairs with one hand while, quite literally, quick timing it up. I laughed when I got to the top. I did it without even thinking. There is no way I would have done that six weeks ago. No way. So, I swing between the extremes of feeling wonderful, yet feeling overworked. There would have been no extremes six weeks ago. There would have been Frank feeling tired morning, noon and night. No bounding up the stairs. No clear mindedness. No concentration to allow me to get through so many things in such a short time. If there is proof needed that the Reboot is for more than your beach body, this is it. We can look good, we can feel good, we can think well and we can be healthy. Yes, even with a perpetual Reboot, we all have to go sometime. But when I go, I want it to be after a good, long life and not after having suffered for endless years with one debilitating health issue after another.<br />
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Extremes are strange things. Polar opposites seem like you are as far apart as you can get. But sometimes even those extremes are joined. Heads and tails are extremes, yet the two parts of one whole coin. Night and day are opposites, yet we cannot have a whole day without them both. My thinking here is more along the lines of human history. Bear with me as I ramble... So, imagine being human at the dawn of time. You eat what you find. You walk in the forest and eat various greenery, fruits when they are available, roots, berries, a stray nut if you are lucky, etc. Life is good. Sure, it has its down sides, too, but you really don't have a lot about which to complain. With enough food to eat and by living in accordance with nature, the abundant food regenerates in cycles. You learn those cycles and when certain foods will be available in which locations. With all this food, you have abundant, even excess energy. You reproduce prodigiously. So do your fellow hunter/gatherers. As time goes on, you start to notice there are other people in your olive grove that never were there before. Suddenly, the olives are not as plentiful. Looks are exchanged. Before too long you notice more people everywhere going after the same food you thought was yours alone. Now there isn't as much food. You need to walk farther to find more. The places that were once abundant are now decimated, even overused. Some don't come back the next year. You have to walk even farther. Before long, you realize you have to hunt other animals for food in the Winter as you are not fat enough to get through and your Winter food supplies of roots and nuts are hard to find. Now it isn't as easy to get food. Before you just picked up what was there. No running, no killing, no hard work. Now you can stalk game for days and weeks at a time and then have to haul it back great distances to feed your tribe. Once you are back you just go out again and again. Life used to be a stroll in the garden. Now, it is an endless hunting trip. It doesn't take too long before the hunting trips become expeditions. The game is moving and so are you. That is now your life. This is how the population stays relatively even.</div>
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Fast forward a few thousand years... Some smarty pants (or maybe smarty toga) discovers a way to grow food through agriculture and even store grains. You learn how to domesticate animals. Your sore feet thank you as they no longer have to live as a wandering hunter/gatherer. You've moved up to farmer. You grow your food and store what you can. You raise animals. Life, again, is good. Again, you have plenty. Again, you reproduce abundantly. Again, you soon find more and more people encroaching. When the weather makes things bad in the field, you wonder if people are coming into your fields and stealing your grain or your crops. You wonder if those missing animals were not just runaways. You start to become suspicious of your neighbors. When poor weather makes your crops wither, all you have are the stored grains. There are riots, fear and panics. Then strangers who are very large come around and begin taking things. You are a farmer, so what can you do? They are warriors. You decide you need to learn how to be a warrior. In time you have weapons and form alliances with your neighbors. You fight over food and wine and gods and love. This is how the population stays relatively even.<br />
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Fast forward a few thousand years... Some smarty pants discovers that coal can be burned. This is an abundant energy source. You learn how to dig it out of the ground. It seems like it is endless. You can make hot fires. You can stoke fires in boilers. Those fires help you make things from metal easier than when you did it by cutting down all the trees. We learn to build steam engines for trains. We learn to manufacture goods that people want to buy so their lives are easier. We are better at growing food. We are better at raising animals. We are better at making war. Our number rise. We know more about what makes us sick. We live a bit longer. We still kill one another. We live in larger numbers more often than we did in the past. It can be dirty and harsh, but there is work and food and safety as there is civilization. There are plagues and there are wars. This is how the population stays relatively even, but slowly begins to creep up.</div>
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Fast forward a bit... Some smarty pants discovers that oil is highly concentrated energy. We learn to make no end of things from it. Most useful is gasoline. We learn to do all the things we did with coal, only better. One gallon of gasoline can do the work of more than 500 men for one hour, or one man for more than 500 hours. Things take off. We learn to grow food with petroleum-based fertilizers. We build power plants from our old friend coal and from our new friend oil. We have electricity to run stoves and refrigerators. We grow more food, we can store food better and transport it long distances with these automobiles we've created and with trains. With all this extra food we reproduce prolifically. Soon, our population doubles. Then, it doubles again. Then, it threatens to double again. It used to take a very long time to double. Soon, even with all our ability to make food, we find that others are starving. Some people are getting sicker at younger ages. We are not sure why. They have odd troubles like gout and diabetes and other strange things our parents never heard of that much, except for a few rich people. Our medicine becomes amazing against broken bones, severe trauma, bacteria and virus issues, etc. We create machines, even machines that think, which do the work we once did. We are so productive that is astounds the mind. Yet, with all the productivity, we work more than ever. We feel stressed and unsettled. We are not as happy. We live longer. We still kill each other. Even with all our killing, we notice our population isn't even. It just keeps going up and up. Soon we notice that we need more petroleum than we can harvest. We begin to feel afraid.<br />
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The extremes are stark: famine to abundance; leisure to endless toil; ignorance to knowledge; endless resources to scarcity; small population to massive population. Why is it we can't see the extremes and make adjustments? If we know our modern diet is hurting us, why don't we use our knowledge to grow clean, healthy food in such amounts that everyone could afford it and stop eating things that hurt us? Why not use our modern medical knowledge to continue giving wonderful acute care, yet teach people that stress, poor diet, lack of community, lack of true rest, overwork, pollution, anxiety and physical inactivity can all harm our health? Can't we use our abilities to create wonderful products in vast numbers to ensure no one goes without books, tools to foster creativity, tools to bring ease to our existence, tools to free our time to do more human things, and supplies to keep everyone healthy and happy without resorting to endless work and quest for profit? Do you follow me on this? We tend to embrace the extremes as a positive value. We discover something new and run to it without considering what we've left behind. Once we discover Indian food, does that mean we have to reject Chinese food? Can't we find a way to keep the best of the old and the best of the new?<br />
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There needs to be balance in our lives. Our Reboots have show us how out of balance we've been. Six weeks into it and I see how much better I can be. What else should we balance? Work and play, activity and rest, new technology and old technology, people and things, etc. We need to consume less. We need to make less of ourselves. We need to consider what we are doing and how it will affect ourselves, our families, our communities and our world. We need more of a plan. We need to stop running toward the extremes and start looking for a place in the middle.<br />
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I don't talk about my Reboot with anyone, but some who are close to me know something is up. They look at me as if I am an extremist. They don't understand that <i>they</i> are the extremist. I think I am, finally, walking toward balance. I am striving for harmony. I seek sustainability. If I eat a hamburger tomorrow and then go on with my Reboot or my post-Reboot diet, I will be fine. They will continue down the road of the extreme. If that makes them happy, I am happy for them. I am not judging. But I think I am speaking from experience when I say I am now moving toward a place of moderation, compromise and wholeness. I am trying to stay away from the extremes and find a comfort in the middle way. Sometimes seeking the middle way makes you an extremist to those who have much to lose. So be it.</div>
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<b>Progress:</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0ggwC9Xrs96f-vRzAf2Z8mF23YQsBnme1bGGw74vnvjVPj8VlkhCbyfTZ6b3phpTCDCCuy19EdPMuIexvyfagach898fwLxNo_YGV7yNYMREklopPCuk8sg9TOhbGO1Pg97-WXp96aHE/s1600/Green75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0ggwC9Xrs96f-vRzAf2Z8mF23YQsBnme1bGGw74vnvjVPj8VlkhCbyfTZ6b3phpTCDCCuy19EdPMuIexvyfagach898fwLxNo_YGV7yNYMREklopPCuk8sg9TOhbGO1Pg97-WXp96aHE/s1600/Green75.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 75% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
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<b>Weight: 148.9 lbs.</b></div>
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<b>Food: Nectarine, banana (2), almond butter, mixed nuts, broccoli slaw, cherries, raw cacao/goji/seed chunks, apple</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhxyHlHmtekjGGYkLD3AxhQ2tvrz3bamwskfueRsiQPWOnycmWmKmmMRaGUVjyQ0RfdCmDeSMCFTWP2juS5T10JiJD-9fxf_VcgJomYcykb0Wz7DDWlD2gC69AlO7fUfxq72-7FBc5HD7/s1600/Food+-+20110823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhxyHlHmtekjGGYkLD3AxhQ2tvrz3bamwskfueRsiQPWOnycmWmKmmMRaGUVjyQ0RfdCmDeSMCFTWP2juS5T10JiJD-9fxf_VcgJomYcykb0Wz7DDWlD2gC69AlO7fUfxq72-7FBc5HD7/s320/Food+-+20110823.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broccoli Slaw "El Diablo" with tomato</td></tr>
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</div>Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-65551492075007281972011-08-22T19:31:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:18:19.581-07:00August 22nd, 2011 - Day 44 of 60Nature is replete with examples of renewal, rebirth, evolution and adaptation. Animals learn to use tools and adapt to environments that include encroaching civilization. Viruses mutate to become more stubborn and resistant to our medicines. That doesn't explain to me how the average computer user lives within a frozen space-time continuum (“Eddies,” said Ford, “in the space-time continuum.”<br />
“Ah,” nodded Arthur, “is he? Is he?”) and shows little to no interest in leaving with the exception of updating hardware in order to play a new game that is all the rage. In fact, I'll bet half the people I know who ask me for computer hardware advise are doing so just because they want to play a new game or browse the web faster. And, really, who can blame them? Why spend money on something if it isn't necessary? But it is one thing to be frugal and another to be oblivious. While some animals, life forms or undefinable objects may deal with things on their own, sometimes they need some help. If you drive a car and never think to change the oil, shame on you! If you own a pet and never brush their hair, tisk, tisk! As for me, I am, at this moment, trying to do my part by breathing life into hundreds and hundreds of computers.<br />
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Your computer needs attention like your car, your dog, your significant other or even your shoes. Without regular attention, maintenance and TLC, things can fall apart. While the work I am doing right now is mostly mindless zombie tasks, there are some issues that need considerable thought. If you've ever played with a sliding puzzle (the sort that have numbers or letters or a picture that must be placed in a specific order) you'll know what it can be like with computers. If you add an update to a machine, will it break something else? Or, if you add an update, it works for most things, but breaks just one thing unless you update that thing first and THEN add the other update? Sounds crazy, but that is how it goes, sometimes. Dozens and dozens of applications on hundreds of machines. Then dozens more applications on the network and then the network operating system, etc. And, as anyone who owns a computer knows, years of use and abuse can take their toll. You started off with a a fairly pristine setup and time does nothing but add crap, updates, temporary files and god-knows how many unwanted files and applications from years of web browsing. Then you have outdated software that just can't keep up with modern requirements. Is it any wonder most people are frustrated with the computers? I feel like I am in a constant wrestling match with machines. Now, I don't blame the machines, per se. The issue with most (not all) computers is the operator. Or, as we tech guys are fond of saying when the owner of the computer is within earshhot, "We have a PEBMAC problem here." PEBMAC = "Problem Exists Between Monitor And Chair". <br />
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Is it really your responsibility to know all this computer jazz? How much does one have to know to get by in this world? Should I get a PhD. in Automotive Engineering to make sure I can fix my car? Do I have to graduate from the Culinary Institute of America so I can fix a good meal? Now you are saying I need to be a Computer Engineer just to Google "funny cat pictures"? No. Our modern culture has long since outsourced expertise on most occupations. Long-gone are the days when someone was an expert on many or most things in their lives (think Erasmus or a farmer from one hundred or so years ago). But, what I am saying is we all need to take some sort of responsibility for those things that directly influence our ability to function in the world. While you may not need to know how to adjust the timing on your automobile's engine, you do need to know how to check the tire pressure, oil level, and how to operate it properly. You may not be a Veterinarian and capable of diagnosing Feline Leukemia, but you should know how to feed and water your pet. When it comes to your computer, you don't need to know all the intricacies of the operating system, but you should know how to update your software and how to safely browse the web without causing havoc.<br />
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When we get to the point where I am doing some of my drudgery-type tasks, it still can get a bit complex. These things need to be done, thought, to ensure compliance, security and performance. When I think of my Reboot, I can become a bit overwhelmed. I, like many of you, have been interested in health and fitness for most of my life. I have seriously pursued these since my late teens and redoubled my efforts in my twenties. In all the years that have passed, various fads, theories and techniques have changed and schools of thought have come and gone. I don't even want to think of some of the things I've done in the name of health. While I may not have a PhD. in nutrition, an M.D. or even a correspondence school diploma in Traditional Chinese Medicine, I do know that science can do many things well, but nature usually gives us what we need to maintain our health. Regardless of fads and technology, we can do more to maintain our health and fitness by just eating food (real, wholesome food), exercising regularly, creating and maintaining good relationships and keeping a positive mental attitude. I am not against technology (obviously), but I am against technology dehumanizing us. I am also very much against using technology as a savior. TV is not a babysitter, for example. Computers can't write your term paper. Cell phones can't take the place of human interaction. All these devices are wonderful, but they can only do so much. They make our lives convenient. They should be freeing up our time so we can be more human. They remove obstacles so we can do the things we do best: think, create, dream, inspire and love.<br />
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Your Reboot is not the end-all and be-all of your life. Like a chainsaw, it is a tool that is useful when used in the proper context. But, sometimes, when a guy buys a chainsaw, everything looks like potential firewood. You can't buy a computer, turn it on and then never do any maintenance and expect it to work flawlessly forever. You can't buy a car, drive off the showroom and never expect issues if you do not perform maintenance. You can't do a Reboot and expect it to fix all your health issues forever without ongoing and vigilant maintenance. The Reboot is the purchase you make at the store. It has a manual, so to speak. The Reboot is the start of a new perspective. You need to actively perform the maintenance required to keep your body and your life in good operating order. Yes, that is a very tall order. Yes, it can be confusing. No one knows everything and we each are different. We have different capabilities and different requirements. In the end, just like with your car, your computer, your home and your pet, YOU are the first line of defense. You are the primary caregiver. You are the go-to-guy. You have the responsibility to discern what is best for your life. The Reboot is like your taste of religion: Your conversion is a momentary event followed by the daily practice of your faith for the rest of your life. As I sit here, hours after I normally go home, waiting for endless processes to grind out on ancient hardware, the comparison between maintaining these machines and our bodies is too similar for words. Unlike my PC, I can't upgrade my memory or my hard drive. I need to be able to run today's software, as it were, on yesterdays hardware. Our Reboot is the first step in our ongoing maintenance that allows us to do just that: stay current in our out-dated hardware. Sometimes I wish I could wipe my hard drive and start fresh. This is especially true for anyone who has experienced the film "Gigli". But that is for another post.<br />
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<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxbBcYPSkYu1TEk_mealpmredtxvxL5KaKdOwKo-GZZVQ9Kx8NGtXD52Otm2ZEShCkU5XjbVqfA1xIxCWVwNzH4pQhZB6fABNxgJK4cgIHZllW9Nl0MgmAwkB7AVfEyUlbz5_hMploJvB/s1600/Green70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHxbBcYPSkYu1TEk_mealpmredtxvxL5KaKdOwKo-GZZVQ9Kx8NGtXD52Otm2ZEShCkU5XjbVqfA1xIxCWVwNzH4pQhZB6fABNxgJK4cgIHZllW9Nl0MgmAwkB7AVfEyUlbz5_hMploJvB/s1600/Green70.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 70% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 146.8 lbs.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7NmQqzDZEKFn132RkRQ77Pg4qVhfkYIyMdlg1iCBrGOW23taolFmXCQXCXu5ccOyMohw0mr4H8-jZ4aQhIe2145SJyxff5KJK-_NpNnpg4GycxnczasWvExb3_VmNwV0pMT5ISx4KASY/s1600/Weight+-+20110822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7NmQqzDZEKFn132RkRQ77Pg4qVhfkYIyMdlg1iCBrGOW23taolFmXCQXCXu5ccOyMohw0mr4H8-jZ4aQhIe2145SJyxff5KJK-_NpNnpg4GycxnczasWvExb3_VmNwV0pMT5ISx4KASY/s320/Weight+-+20110822.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At this point, I have no idea what the deal is.</td></tr>
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<b>Food: Grapes, cherries, banana, almond butter, nuts (too many), raw cacao goji seed chunks, broccoli slaw, three apples (they are so good when they are fresh)</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoyFP-ShV2iBCwupjJrhoCpvI1dJSvogx6Jy-ehgDhbjs44Aw8_IHwsmEtGSH46dYuXKQIJ5dLh1eqDOwUTv5BXL3lfYYotfhkv4Q30RSpfRfrIluvJ30iBlbHozhQVWLDnCrNP1ZYw1H/s1600/Food+-+20110822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjoyFP-ShV2iBCwupjJrhoCpvI1dJSvogx6Jy-ehgDhbjs44Aw8_IHwsmEtGSH46dYuXKQIJ5dLh1eqDOwUTv5BXL3lfYYotfhkv4Q30RSpfRfrIluvJ30iBlbHozhQVWLDnCrNP1ZYw1H/s320/Food+-+20110822.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-4669121482762044362011-08-21T17:36:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:18:25.711-07:00August 21st, 2011 - Day 43 of 60<i>"Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? You better run! You better take cover!"</i><br />
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What better way to use one's sole day of rest than to arise early and toil in the garden for five hours. I had no choice as the peas need to go in now if I hope to get any for the Fall. So, a bit after seven I was out in dew-damp earth, reaping the neglect I'd sowed. My schedule has been such that I'm not attending to garden and home matters as I'd like, but things are still relatively functional. The pea seedlings (the <i>peedlings</i>) were not going to wait another day. There were rumblings of insurrection from the two pans of young and bold fruits-to-be (yes, peas are, technically, a fruit like a tomato). So, rather than watch my peas make like pea soup and split, I did the work. After a few hours I saw some dark weather coming in like a cinder-soaked curtain. But it was the thunder that was the most ominous. The sound of that thunder was the sound you'd hear in a movie where God speaks. Horror movie thunder pales to God-movie thunder. I knew I needed to get moving, but I still was a good 45 minutes off. Luckily, the thunder was a warning for me as the storm was so strong, I could hear it coming from a long way off. As I placed the last baby into its bed and tucked it in with its earthen blanket, I felt the first drop of rain. I got my wheelbarrow of organic earth covered and stowed in the nick of time. By the time the first splash of water from my upstairs bathroom shower hit my mud-caked body, the skies completely opened up and my garden was getting its mud-caked body showered as well. The lightning and thunder were very present and power flickered a few times in homage to the savage power of nature. The storm was intense, but brief. After thirty minutes or so the world returned to calm. With my work behind me, I was finally free to eat something and read for a while.<br />
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Thunder is one of natures most respected harbingers. When thunder speaks, everyone listens. I whispered a "thank you" to thunder as it graciously gave me ample warning of impending "satus interruptus". Without it, I may have been stuck in a muddy predicament. When it comes to our Reboots, I wonder what the "thunder" moment was for you? What thunder warning did you hear that made you take notice? For me it was pants that were far too tight and a loss of my once proud physique. Walking up the hill to work was more of a chore than it should have been. Mainly, it was the sallow look on the face of the chap I see when I shave. Some spark was fading. It was as if I was walking on the edge of a precipice and really didn't care. I wasn't interested in falling over, but I wasn't taking the sort of precautions one should take in that situation. I had been mulling over a change for weeks. Two years earlier I attempted a change that didn't work out due to social and family pressures. In retrospect, that never should have happened. This time it will <i>not</i> happen. Without the thunder, I never would have know a storm was so close.<br />
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As the clouds cast their last, feeble drops of rain toward the earth, the thunder says its goodbye. The drenched ground eagerly soaks up the succulent gift from above and sets to work building life. My seedlings were none the worse for wear. Their baptism complete, they were now about the business of pea production. Without faith and hope, no one plants seeds into the ground. Why bother with the weeks or months of labor if you don't plan on seeing a harvest? Without faith and hope, no one starts a Reboot. Why bother with the weeks or months of labor if you don't expect to see a harvest? But we <i>do</i> expect to see growth and a harvest. We sow because we have faith. We know all the labor, even in the midst of the storms, will be worth it when we reap our bumper-crop.<br />
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A gardener watches the world for signs of when to act. When she sees certain insects move or certain shoots spring up, she knows it is time to plant. When she hears the thunder, she knows to protect the vulnerable plants. A Rebooter watches her body for signs of when to act. When she notices certain feelings or symptoms, she knows it is time to juice. When she hears the thunder, she heeds the warning and sets to her task. She sips her juice in gratitude and whispers a quiet "thank-you" to the passing thunder.<br />
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<b>Progress: </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQUJuzOSbZ7aUvtlH0iRdpkLdrrZ7d7xc975pFjudmBtCOJmz7pySz1keX4CjeLLW_4xbDAcrDH2SVNhwq3aZnyx2rH1BnB8tT2k0g44NuZzIDYFw-NQ6JPwgpPmnM5xP5R6wxK8A4rBh/s1600/Green70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQUJuzOSbZ7aUvtlH0iRdpkLdrrZ7d7xc975pFjudmBtCOJmz7pySz1keX4CjeLLW_4xbDAcrDH2SVNhwq3aZnyx2rH1BnB8tT2k0g44NuZzIDYFw-NQ6JPwgpPmnM5xP5R6wxK8A4rBh/s1600/Green70.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 70% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 149.7 lbs.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylEf_Bmiri5OJkKzUgV8d6fdqnCcBM3EsfvIQ_-R3XITXOiC6rDPx7v5W-26rU7kirYLUBy-JUcOsUi7wYc5F6n82oQ2CS79HyRwxda5xtexRbVJbP4INQRfJlUG2zKJL3rLBxhyphenhypheniP2xa/s1600/Weight+-+20110821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylEf_Bmiri5OJkKzUgV8d6fdqnCcBM3EsfvIQ_-R3XITXOiC6rDPx7v5W-26rU7kirYLUBy-JUcOsUi7wYc5F6n82oQ2CS79HyRwxda5xtexRbVJbP4INQRfJlUG2zKJL3rLBxhyphenhypheniP2xa/s320/Weight+-+20110821.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up just a little from yesterday.</td></tr>
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<b>Food: Homemade salad, banana, almond butter, raw cacao goji seed chunks, tropical smoothie, fancy eating-out salad, first local apple of the season.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DTGW8BS2fiUXJjfL1iEQ158Ru_17iULsel9HPdelEezRiw7GPi5MU4B_iKKD5e35HpuHkhwubUUvoDcJY9EaeC4sKZ21JQmFS9jQM4PvNN-e9xDlB-sVqmbXTYBoDMbV_h3Eey5x5gu1/s1600/Food+-+20110821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span id="goog_469730908"></span><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DTGW8BS2fiUXJjfL1iEQ158Ru_17iULsel9HPdelEezRiw7GPi5MU4B_iKKD5e35HpuHkhwubUUvoDcJY9EaeC4sKZ21JQmFS9jQM4PvNN-e9xDlB-sVqmbXTYBoDMbV_h3Eey5x5gu1/s320/Food+-+20110821.jpg" width="320" /><span id="goog_469730909"></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5QmiBwCMuuyXkFszfgNW5ELzN4SbcrrSBDvkYub-Z6E1auUsQabELIRN_BiQAUHK3591vannjZhgXIHPJxfD9zuy92kE0E0HKnVMqz_zfipYOFnzdxl0Gy9dxmxINeNm63mpsAQ4R0Vg/s1600/Food+-+20110821b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5QmiBwCMuuyXkFszfgNW5ELzN4SbcrrSBDvkYub-Z6E1auUsQabELIRN_BiQAUHK3591vannjZhgXIHPJxfD9zuy92kE0E0HKnVMqz_zfipYOFnzdxl0Gy9dxmxINeNm63mpsAQ4R0Vg/s320/Food+-+20110821b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-82009250939284151822011-08-20T16:28:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:18:36.813-07:00August 20th, 2011 - Day 42 of 60I love my work. I will say that working in general has become difficult, but I still love what I do. I will stop working as soon as I can because I have ten-thousand other things I want to do in life, but I don't dread getting up to work. I do dread getting up and putting up with the crap that goes with work, but I guess we all do. Things are not managed well and there is always too much required of me. That can lead to stress. Strike that, is DOES lead to stress. You ask too much of someone and it can tax them to the point of reduced efficiency. They will miss little things that can lead to big problems. Overlooking even a small thing might lead to serious issues in your systems. If you don't give workers the tools or training they need it will frustrate them and the results will be less than optimal. If you don't ensure they are working reasonable hours and take some time off, they will burn out. I thought of these things in passing as I was working today. I normally don't work on Saturday but my workload is such that I have no choice. Hopefully, this extra work phase will only last for a short time and I'll go back to normal sometime in September.<br />
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This whole concept is directly applicable to your food life. Most people love to eat. They may not like the political crap that goes with eating (eat your vegetables, don't eat too much junk, etc.) but we sure do love our food. If we eat too much, we can overtax our bodies and they will not work as efficiently. After prolonged overconsumption we can cause a breakdown of vital processes that can lead to illness. If people are not trained how to eat properly, they will assume they are doing alright. I had direct experience with this as a few people at work were "bragging" about eating well by holding up a certain food as a "health food." I gave them the evil eye, but I didn't want to discourage them. I asked them a few questions that I hoped would get them thinking. I believe people should have treats occasionally to reward good behavior (I'm not a prude) but treats as a lifestyle are not productive. Overeating makes the body work too hard. It is very hard work to process a large amount of heavy food. We get sluggish, run-down and overweight. Sometimes your body needs time-off from its labors. For some that means a REAL time-off with fasting. For others, the Reboot is the perfect bodily vacation. Less food to digest, less stress over what to eat, proper nutrition ensures you get what you need and revitalizing energy returns to motivate you. And, after a nice Reboot, you may return refreshed to your labors and with a new perspective on food.<br />
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I am sure I'll see a couple more Saturdays with work on my calendar, but I can cope. I am hoping that my body doesn't feel overworked and under-appreciated as many of you might feel in your jobs. I wouldn't want my body to go on strike or, heaven forbid, up and quit on me. Balance at work and balance in diet: eerily similar and both vitally important to good health. We may not feel like we have much control over work, but we certainly have control over our diet. So, if you are not Rebooting, go to your boss (that is you) and ask for a raise, of sorts. Insist on a Reboot. If you are already Rebooting, congratulate yourself for treating your employee (that is you, too) so well. Know that your intelligent management will reap long-term benefits for your business.<br />
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This Reboot is one job I will miss when I retire from it. I will look back upon it with fond memories. I'm sure I'll be able to get some part-time Reboot work, too, as I have a lot of experience. :)<br />
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<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEgk47lJo-j6yNQAX6DVuqWHtbIJSV7TC-icdwKnphU09MCPZwq-0O27KhmmuoapWPat7-5J7mU7ONQZcyCPkGZPrF0YiicBFnR7vDPmXXvB4B-DWS0dq49OGrZxZVQ6xKmL9d1aGw6ku/s1600/Green70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEgk47lJo-j6yNQAX6DVuqWHtbIJSV7TC-icdwKnphU09MCPZwq-0O27KhmmuoapWPat7-5J7mU7ONQZcyCPkGZPrF0YiicBFnR7vDPmXXvB4B-DWS0dq49OGrZxZVQ6xKmL9d1aGw6ku/s1600/Green70.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 70% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Weight: 149.4 lbs.</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQziQ3-r1a6DLL3WKtP4fLkadu8r1WK3YWnoL1eLq_ipSoown9DJgaPd-T6c3j5LPvWGig4tQaqaiP8ex1AKL58iEb-vzDU88VlIQYHze04pkY2aMJm9ZrulpqOSueAzYXhmNsNLA-d8Fl/s1600/Weight+-+20110820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQziQ3-r1a6DLL3WKtP4fLkadu8r1WK3YWnoL1eLq_ipSoown9DJgaPd-T6c3j5LPvWGig4tQaqaiP8ex1AKL58iEb-vzDU88VlIQYHze04pkY2aMJm9ZrulpqOSueAzYXhmNsNLA-d8Fl/s320/Weight+-+20110820.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down a bit again. Hope the trend continues.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Food: Cherries, Banana, Almond Butter, Nuts, Raw Cacao/Goji/Seed Chunks, Big Salad</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkogHqoqsSJOazNkuO3Gfz9J1TGLIGDDsBlokjZS8Wki7vj4l8usuNZNbV-S-x3ZAQNuBcvfBNhvQROH2b_13fKxlqya8ncZo9jI0pt0U81hNW-YHt_IdOdHL_luH4Mp7zXvMXQyM9vOo/s1600/Food+-+20110820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkogHqoqsSJOazNkuO3Gfz9J1TGLIGDDsBlokjZS8Wki7vj4l8usuNZNbV-S-x3ZAQNuBcvfBNhvQROH2b_13fKxlqya8ncZo9jI0pt0U81hNW-YHt_IdOdHL_luH4Mp7zXvMXQyM9vOo/s320/Food+-+20110820.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big salad I made after slaving all day at work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-85942369982328241762011-08-19T16:25:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:18:42.991-07:00August 19th, 2011 - Day 41 of 60I am not very good with surprises. Let me clarify that: I am pretty good at surprising people, but people, as a rule, are not very good at surprising me. Now I am not talking about someone jumping out from behind a bush and shouting. That isn't surprising someone or witty, that is being a jejune ass. I am talking about the sort of surprise where you find the right gift, throw a nice party, pick the right food, etc. I find that, most of the time, people try hard to surprise me, but don't. I am an odd duck, no doubt about that, but if you bumped into me at the store or while riding on the train, there is nothing unusual about me and I fit in like everyone else. So, I am not sure why it is that people are not very good a surprising me. You have to know someone fairly well or be very perceptive to be able to surprise people. And, the longer you know someone, the harder it is to surprise them as you know each other so well you either use up your surprises or you just can't fool the other person as they see right through you. I don't need to be surprised, but I am just stating this as a fact (from my perception) about myself. Still, a good surprise is one of those things that stick with you.<br />
<br />
Now a bad surprise, well they stick with you, too. Not in the way you'd like, but they do stick with you. Take my last few days at work, they've been full of a few surprises, to say the least. This is my busiest time of year for work, so I am working a lot of overtime and my pace is whatever the next notch above "frenetic" reads on the knob that controls my body. One surprise was not too horrid, but it required me to postpone a job for a day in order to secure the proper software. Today's surprise, however, was not as benign. As I was seeing to some system in the downstairs portion of the building, a heard a knock at the door and found a woman with a rather concerned look on her face peer at me. She asked if I was doing anything that would cause her computer to turn off. While I may have such powers, I was not exercising them at that time. After I questioned her, it sounded as if her machine did, in fact turn off. Once that realization hit me, I must have turned a lighter shade of white (and I am pretty fair-skinned). At that time I had a large number of machines churning out a process that takes hours. I bolted up the stairs to find that my worst fears were realized. The power was out and it took out my machines as well. In the end, it looks as though a person making a copy was the straw that broke the camel's back and the power went down. I always seem to be the person who discovers when the electrical service isn't quite robust enough for an area. I'm sure they will be putting in a new service in the near future, but that didn't help me today. Hours of work were gone and I had to start over. Needless to say, I wasn't happy.<br />
<br />
Once the whole thing was begun again, I decided to go have lunch with my partner. We'd been working very hard these last weeks on many systems and lunch was becoming a luxury rather than a necessity. Add to that the fact that I don't think I've eaten lunch out since I started the Reboot and that made it all the better. I've had a few smoothies and juices out, but that is it. We were heading down the road when I stopped in a place we'd not frequented. The place had the decor that would remind one of a swanky 60's movie. We decided to sit at the bar. The first good surprise of my day was that I didn't feel in the least bit tempted to drink. The thought of filling up with beer wasn't at all appealing. I opened the menu and it was a very nice selection, but there really wasn't anything raw and vegan on the menu. I saw a few lovely salads, but they all had meat, cheese, grains, etc. I picked one that sounded very good and asked if they could make it vegan. "Absolutely," our bartender told us, as if they did it ten times a day. It was a delightful salad whose picture I've included below where I normally display any food I remembered to photograph. Tons of fresh veggies, some tropical fruit and a fruit dressing. Quite a nice surprise. My friend had a salad as well, but with chicken and a more Asian theme. He was very happy (and he is quite a foodie). When he was finished, he must have pushed aside a quarter pound or more of chicken that he couldn't eat (that is above the chicken he did eat). It is nice to be surprised, especially after a morning of.. well, surprises.<br />
<br />
After lunch things went slowly, but we plowed through them. I have to say, I was full of energy and didn't slow down at all. This is my last surprise for the day: I am feeling so good on this Reboot that I don't want it to end. I feel light (not as light as when I am on liquid-only, but pretty light), energetic and that HUGE hill walking up to my office doesn't seem so difficult. These last couple weeks have been hard and I'll be doing lots more overtime in the next couple weeks as well. But I feel like my Reboot, some fruit, some nuts, some water and some luck will help me sail through with flying colors. Of all the surprises I've had over the last year, this Reboot has been the most amazing. To feel so good is a blessing. I know I can do better and it will take time, but the distance I've come in the short time I've been doing this is nothing short of miraculous. That makes any difficulties or inconveniences all worth it.<br />
<br />
So, while I am not generally a fan of surprises, the last few have not been too bad. I could've done without the bad one, but I think that led to the other good ones. I think the karmic wheel has righted itself again in my favor. And that is the sort of surprise I will take anytime.<br />
<br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl59SK7__ceO6tpAeZv9xCG7Q5dMII28_Gyt0u6m6WRQRbUzL8SmFnisNLO952h-_2Z4SRjkMlG8hR0QJ-amNUtNBZk0LuISd0FPxtZT28k6d-VFb0jrEBeRTZBhAg3uIrSE5pM6ZvW3uG/s1600/Green65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl59SK7__ceO6tpAeZv9xCG7Q5dMII28_Gyt0u6m6WRQRbUzL8SmFnisNLO952h-_2Z4SRjkMlG8hR0QJ-amNUtNBZk0LuISd0FPxtZT28k6d-VFb0jrEBeRTZBhAg3uIrSE5pM6ZvW3uG/s1600/Green65.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 65% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Weight: 150.0 lbs.</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ36t8XHMh54aASpjrY_fBZv0GQN_F-M2yWEfP3obzDXZX2IsuzAvYKnCppMytlUOFVguGnsBfH7-RR5IVW5_la7wkwgJRiz9Z9gDn56_b8LEnKWt-YBMIOmEjBQjkuiAjDQR3D0YnMRMW/s1600/Weight+-+20110819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ36t8XHMh54aASpjrY_fBZv0GQN_F-M2yWEfP3obzDXZX2IsuzAvYKnCppMytlUOFVguGnsBfH7-RR5IVW5_la7wkwgJRiz9Z9gDn56_b8LEnKWt-YBMIOmEjBQjkuiAjDQR3D0YnMRMW/s320/Weight+-+20110819.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Went down again. That was a nice surprise. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Food: Cherries (lots of them), banana, almond butter, lovely salad, broccoli slaw, raw cacao/goji/seed chunks</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfxohA_-rjmWrpUvqpetVKWsj8pMMKambsH2e0erpKiPfdXSdzA2OhYoD_qR8BRABUpvEGPTNpJ7deFAB7AEJr2qrBR_goKXisFWk7xBlHRXdDMmZd-_DOHsLlL7Qtycu4x1AdpROaw28/s1600/Food+-+20110819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTfxohA_-rjmWrpUvqpetVKWsj8pMMKambsH2e0erpKiPfdXSdzA2OhYoD_qR8BRABUpvEGPTNpJ7deFAB7AEJr2qrBR_goKXisFWk7xBlHRXdDMmZd-_DOHsLlL7Qtycu4x1AdpROaw28/s320/Food+-+20110819.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was piled up, but I knocked it down to photograph it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-34620446252553211572011-08-18T17:28:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:18:51.039-07:00August 18th, 2011 - Day 40 of 60The stock market was down again today. I expect more of that to come. I recall so many of my friends telling me to jump into the stock market back a few years ago. I recall that January the market was around 14000. I have a retirement account, IRAs, college fund for the grandkids, etc. but have not been interested in the market as a means of getting rich. It is gambling, plain and simple. I spoke with a co-worker last week who told me she was losing money after 15 or 20 years of investing in what is generally considered a safe and reliable fund. Sure, it can pay off if you know what you are doing, but there is something that is unseemly about a corporation's primary concern being to its stockholders and not to the community-at-large. That tells me if shareholder profits can be increased by laying off my neighbors even though the corporation makes a profit now, they will do it. That is insanity. Yet, it happens all the time. So, when I see the volatility of the market I am not surprised. I am just surprised the smoke and mirrors have lasted this long.<br />
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So, while the stock market is down, prices for your food are up. Prices for all food is up, some worse than others. I'm going to stick in a chart for your consideration:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rH-7CrJIqIWZKHmMZjLwpWUwGBglOkw3rXrS8CmhUkQFiE2IHYEzaI5r2On4Sdo1Za2V4abGHJMqiMdOg9dJNNb8FOJSkE149Oa1Z7AEo7uBI-WoxSWeV69nLfh-vv7ZRpVUhC8mnDM7/s1600/Commodity+Prices.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rH-7CrJIqIWZKHmMZjLwpWUwGBglOkw3rXrS8CmhUkQFiE2IHYEzaI5r2On4Sdo1Za2V4abGHJMqiMdOg9dJNNb8FOJSkE149Oa1Z7AEo7uBI-WoxSWeV69nLfh-vv7ZRpVUhC8mnDM7/s320/Commodity+Prices.png" width="320" /></a></div>
These are recent figures on food and commodity prices from the <a href="http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPOVERTY/News%20and%20Events/22982478/Food-Price-Watch-August-2011.htm" style="color: #e69138;">World Bank</a>. The good news is that prices have fallen somewhat from their peak in February of this year (2011 if you are reading this sometime in the future). The bad news is that most food is up about 33% from last year at this time. Some things are up even higher (corn is up 84%, sugar is up 62%, wheat is up 55%, etc.). That is insane. Why do we have 4 trillion dollars to bail out every greedy bank, investment house, insurance company, auto company, mortgage company and who knows who else, but we can't provide a subsidy for the American family so they can afford good food rather than less-expensive, processed crap? I hope a lot of you out there reading this are getting 30%, 40% or 50% raises so you can keep up on your food bill. I know I'm not.<br />
<br />
A week or so ago on NPR I was listening to a short story being read about an African woman who comes to America to try and make a living. She writes back to her parents that "the rich people are thin and the poor people are fat." That line was noteworthy as it is usually the other way around in her country. When you are poor in Africa you don't eat. In the United States if you are poor you eat starchy, sugary, processed and highly refined foods as they are less expensive. Anyone who has priced organic produce knows that it isn't cheap. Compare that to a box of spaghetti and a store-brand jar of sauce and you'll see why many people who are having money troubles will skip the produce aisle altogether. It is hard enough to buy organic produce and meats when you are single and have a decent job. When you are unemployed, under-employed or employed and poor, you can't do it when you have kids, rent or a mortgage, etc.<br />
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I only bring this up today as the endless news about market troubles and hard times seem to be overshadowing everything. It is news like that which can bring people down and discourage them from their Reboot. The cost of eating well is staggeringly high. The cost of a Reboot is no small investment. But when compared to poor health and general unhappiness, the cost is well worth it.<br />
<br />
I have a lot of boutique watermelons in my garden that will be ready to eat soon. I figure to purchase them would cost me somewhere around one hundred dollars. But the cost of the seeds over a two year period was around five dollars. That is a pretty good return on investment. As a crappy watermelon in the supermarket goes for around $6, I could sell my smaller, yet profoundly more delicious and organic melons for $5 to $8 and no one around here would bat an eye over that price. One taste is all you need. So, while the stock market is going up, food prices are going up, tensions are going up and the cost of a Reboot is going way, way up, I am sticking to my guns. What I am saving in luxury foods, desserts, eating out, drinking beer, etc., is more than making up for my Reboot food costs. I'm investing in the one thing I know will give me good returns: my health. Wall Street can worry about itself, I am putting my money in the organic food market rather than the stock market. Guaranteed growth (even if there are a few bugs here and there).<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadON1FT7J9peCbQ0cS-5AvpNcojqOso7pLNCDZ4jz737-cxHfRPS74_3wxfOFpVS-J_4TyyCwUya5zGlrFs9jw9YC39Oy-arx7R0ILwOn6OEKC8Mk17P5-ssrBwIP4TSMPwutlC3spY8j/s1600/Green65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadON1FT7J9peCbQ0cS-5AvpNcojqOso7pLNCDZ4jz737-cxHfRPS74_3wxfOFpVS-J_4TyyCwUya5zGlrFs9jw9YC39Oy-arx7R0ILwOn6OEKC8Mk17P5-ssrBwIP4TSMPwutlC3spY8j/s1600/Green65.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 65% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<b>Weight: 151.1 lbs. </b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9k0YqetWlQNB1Uam0OvzIn__IqoHY4KbtWt0lXT9ETenbz5lbOroLwu6YRrovyZsqjoBxuzwLjc8c7XG0JO0qdSJ4SCtYGx7jJZRSsuaLSFqDh_7kITmuRkbCW6YeDH3iJxq0BtEN38X/s1600/Weight+-+20110818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9k0YqetWlQNB1Uam0OvzIn__IqoHY4KbtWt0lXT9ETenbz5lbOroLwu6YRrovyZsqjoBxuzwLjc8c7XG0JO0qdSJ4SCtYGx7jJZRSsuaLSFqDh_7kITmuRkbCW6YeDH3iJxq0BtEN38X/s320/Weight+-+20110818.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</b><br />
<b>Food: Grapes, bananas, almond butter, mixed nuts, Smoothie, broccoli slaw</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwad6pYpiAA5f7wrUpn89awkdBCLrFHCPsOSdBdN29I4KgFcX4HrqiaoNcXM27Hp63RttERdSS8KGMTPJQ3wngDNGGAqcsaI8rA_zCm4tzLBCHkmDL6DiIIPUvezEWYLqdSMfxfV9zyN88/s1600/Food+-+20110818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwad6pYpiAA5f7wrUpn89awkdBCLrFHCPsOSdBdN29I4KgFcX4HrqiaoNcXM27Hp63RttERdSS8KGMTPJQ3wngDNGGAqcsaI8rA_zCm4tzLBCHkmDL6DiIIPUvezEWYLqdSMfxfV9zyN88/s320/Food+-+20110818.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long time, no see.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br />
</b>Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-38300970506702882412011-08-17T17:05:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:18:57.369-07:00August 17th, 2011 - Day 39 of 60I am starting to wonder if I should really trust my body. When I think about all the advice I hear regarding health and even advice I've even given to others (which, of course, is completely insane) it is not unusual to hear the phrase "listen to your body". That is the sort of Oprahesque phrase I'd expect to hear bandied about in a yoga studio catering to senior citizens. (Note: I'm not really down on Oprah, I just can seem to pass up appending "esque" to words when the opportunity arises.) Wasn't listening to my body the very thing that got me to the point where I needed a Reboot in the first place? When people say "listen to your body", I sometimes think it is code for, "Well, that isn't what I'd do, but I don't want to be morally, legally or financially liable for what is obviously going to happen to you as you are clueless." Our body is good at telling us when it is in pain, when it is tired, when it is itchy, etc. I just wish it was clearer on things like what we shouldn't eat or how much exercise is good. I've been the sort of person who has pushed their bodies to extremes over the years. In some of my past athletic endeavors I've run excessively, lifted weights excessively, dieted excessively, etc. Not because I feel I am an "excessive" personality, but because I've been led to believe it is what my body really wants if I'd only listen. <br />
<br />
I know that, on paper, listening to one's body is a good idea. The problem is either our bodies are all male and not very communicative or they are clueless and just say the first thing that comes to their head. Do you know people like that? The sort who just make up something when they have no idea what they are talking about? If you asked them, "How should I fix this leaky pipe?" they will just up and say the first stupid thing that comes to mind. "Oh, I'd take a handful of quarters, duct tape them over the leak and then weld it closed with a torch." And it isn't like they are intentionally lying or trying to give bad advice, it is just that they feel it "makes sense". But the reality is they don't have a clue and they don't have the sense to know they don't have a clue. Not only will they give you advice, but they'll say it with such confidence and bravado that no one would even suspect they are stupid. "Oh, yeah, you should always rub tapioca on your dog. It is very good for their coat, it keeps fleas and ticks away and helps them see in the dark." <br />
<br />
I am starting to wonder if my body is really that sort of guy. Now, I can tell you that *I* am NOT that sort of person. If I don't know something, I'll tell you that I don't know. I may have an opinion, but that is a far cry from what I am discussing here. But my body, I really don't know. Our body loves to tell us to eat more. If there is a go-to answer for our bodies, it is "more." The body must be truly separate from the mind as it just doesn't seem to remember what happened the last time we had "more" booze or "more" sun or "more" Taco Bell or "more" touch football at the family reunion. I have to assume our brains do not consider themselves a part of the body or vice-versa. In fact, if anything seems reasonable it is that last statement. Our brains are always plotting a way out of the body as they know the body is always putting it into dire danger. That is why really stupid people are consider to have their brains in their ass. It makes sense as it seems like the only reasonable escape route for a desperate brain that lives in fear. If the brain and the body spoke to each other we'd do things in a much more reasonable manner. But, as everyone knows, we live in a world where someone has to tell you not to pour that cup of coffee on your lap as it is very, very hot.<br />
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I started to think about this today as I was concerned about my water intake. I bring water to work each day and I never seem to feel the need to drink it. Now, that doesn't seem too out of line as I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. Those are loaded with water. Still, you'd think I'd get thirsty once in a while. I am not eating any salt and pretty much all my food is "raw", so I guess that makes it lean toward the hydrated side of the spectrum. I am trying to think of foods that might induce thirst... well, anything with salt, of course. But crackers come to mind right away. Breakfast cereals. A big brick of Shredded Wheat. That seems like the driest food on earth. It even looks like a tumbleweed. Anyway, I am not eating any of that. I am eating nuts, but without salt, raw and not enough, evidently, to make a difference.<br />
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I am going to refrain from researching water intake as I know exactly what will happen. I will Google it, find 87,000 articles in women's magazines and men's health magazines that tell me that I am not drinking enough water no matter how much I am drinking (especially water from a certain company). They will tell me all the things that water does for me, my hair, my skin, etc. Then I'll get some hits from natural health experts that tell me that if my diet was correct and my frame of mind was focused I could absorb the water from the air. If I've not achieved that state of mental fitness, they'd gladly sell me the secret for a nominal price. Then I'd find dozens of people who will tell me how they found love after drinking more water, discovered themselves after drinking water and even got a promotion after drinking water. Then there are the stories about their parent or best friend or their best friend's Chiropractor's tennis pro. Then, in the end, most of them will say, "listen to your body". <br />
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Why doesn't the human body come with a hydrometer? I think our belly-buttons should pop out when we have enough water and then retreat when we are dehydrated. I also think it should make an audible "pop" when we need water so we get the message. I think a number strange things are perfectly reasonable. Did I ever tell you that it is a good idea to rub tapioca on your dog?<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftNppn6RCjBzuqX_WUq3sfwRpq8yMMy6KG7bt-u9JcNZkKB3o8FJvUlInvDiE9lFUruFZIl1eCzTKLwXPgPLvOyKAfYFrwxcRVPRSDlCEtpf-aRYVxkatUobNWgzy549VKdCQB6DFAfZE/s1600/Green65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftNppn6RCjBzuqX_WUq3sfwRpq8yMMy6KG7bt-u9JcNZkKB3o8FJvUlInvDiE9lFUruFZIl1eCzTKLwXPgPLvOyKAfYFrwxcRVPRSDlCEtpf-aRYVxkatUobNWgzy549VKdCQB6DFAfZE/s1600/Green65.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 65% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 149.4 lbs.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_8Y1VCQWp77ZGLuu_gGh90OE2-WmjkwUf2-8OadrJh0talm5wsnJIL3azqnaLTO5bqs2l2G9WPUvkgLRZS7R9qDtvrrNHIH6ceo_DYfBbdpOBnWKEa91soKbboyzB0-7N9nHalu5tXRk/s1600/Weight+-+20110817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_8Y1VCQWp77ZGLuu_gGh90OE2-WmjkwUf2-8OadrJh0talm5wsnJIL3azqnaLTO5bqs2l2G9WPUvkgLRZS7R9qDtvrrNHIH6ceo_DYfBbdpOBnWKEa91soKbboyzB0-7N9nHalu5tXRk/s320/Weight+-+20110817.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down a little bit from yesterday.</td></tr>
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<b>Food: Mixed melon/pineapple, cherries, banana, almond butter, nuts, broccoli slaw</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6XFwDCsCIs7rumrqfXbQsAyaEbfA4KTvlXfjuEERmt8_3pYvik1_8VCJTsyr7p5InXFr3YTFq4ggF8oVkZraO0uf5g-3V5EskpwTF94VOr01jDRU0CYWzRNjt9RqUHi95IwyxKWHX6S4/s1600/Food+-+20110817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6XFwDCsCIs7rumrqfXbQsAyaEbfA4KTvlXfjuEERmt8_3pYvik1_8VCJTsyr7p5InXFr3YTFq4ggF8oVkZraO0uf5g-3V5EskpwTF94VOr01jDRU0CYWzRNjt9RqUHi95IwyxKWHX6S4/s320/Food+-+20110817.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this beauty: Cacao Goji Energy Cube. All raw!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-12090951573643318622011-08-16T18:56:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:19:08.309-07:00August 16th, 2011 - Day 38 of 60While I'm certain "Rebooting" in the form we discuss here is new to us, the term "Reboot" is not that new. The term was primarily used in computer parlance to describe the process of restarting the machine. The term "boot" was to signify the machine starting or "pulling itself up by its bootstraps". Not a very old term, to be sure. And, given English's predisposition for amusing mutation, it didn't take long for "Reboot" to find another meaning.<br />
<br />
I've long been a "Star Trek" fan. I remember the series when it was originally on TV. It was so impressive I was allowed to stay up late to watch. Time passed, a movie was made and then another and then another TV show (and then a few of those) and then more movies. After a while the whole thing became bogged down in hype, overuse and lack of nurturing. Then someone got the bright idea to "Reboot" the series. The cast of the original series was too old and the newer series didn't hold the imagination of the movie audience. So, what do you do when you have no other option? You reboot. I have no idea if they will continue on with the series, but I found the 2009 reboot of "Star Trek" to be no worse than most of the movies they have made (although "The Wrath of Kahn" is sacred viewing).<br />
<br />
Tonight I was able to view the next installment of the "Planet of the Apes" reboot called "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting much more than apes running around causing havoc and maybe smoking the odd cigar. Instead I was treated to a film that was much more thoughtful and respectful of the audience than I anticipated. True characters and relationships and philosophical conundrums. I won't spoil it for anyone who has contemplated seeing it but figured it was just apes putting man in his place. You might like it more than you imagined.<br />
<br />
And, that word, "imagined", is tangentially related to the whole topic of this evening: Rebooting. As I make my living from technology, the standard term is the one with which I am most familiar. The film-related definition is one we all understand and is the one that caught my eye this evening. The subject of that film also deals with rebooting of a sort. That reboot was of the order of the planet. And now, our small and growing band of Rebooters have a new meaning to bring to the term. When the machine is sputtering and slowing down, you reboot. When the movie series is sputtering and slowing down, you reboot. When your life and your body is sputtering and slowing down, you reboot. It works. The control + alt + delete process is in full swing here and still moving forward. It takes a bit to reboot a machine. It has to check over things and make sure they are all there. It has to load things over and clean out that corrupted and sluggish memory. Our bodies are no different. Like a tired old series, I am getting new life breathed into me. Like a computer that won't stop popping-up ads for Viagra, I am performing a procedure that will make me run better and faster and more reliably. And, like this evening's film, our Reboot has surprised me in its quality and thought-provoking nature.<br />
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I also recalled that apes eat pretty much the way I'm eating right now, so I felt a special kinship with them. If that mountain gorilla can get so big from plants and fruits and the occasional bug, I figure I can't be doing too terribly on my diet. No one would tease him for being a raw vegan. So, while tonight's film was enjoyable, I'll have to say that my favorite spin on the "Planet of the Apes" series will always be <a href="http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/gg168/beefmaster2000/?action=view&current=simpsons_pota.mp4" style="color: #e69138;">this</a>.<br />
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So, all our "monkeying around" with our diets, computers and film series is designed to take what we have and make it better. This Reboot may not make us better in the Darwinian sense, but we may be taking a step toward finding the missing link in our dietary evolution<b>.</b><br />
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</b><br />
<b>Progress:</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzI19fq4C7jiBpjVQQCQiKDw0xdXgtgobpJFVDYoJzdLPnGQCQhX1LLmlVy9fyTcu1v9KKxUhhu8LLqLnctD2qtrYLhCMFDeeg2N3wlmb16xMJLLv1D5ja2ipp_e7X_6FoO6xigYGG4PoO/s1600/Green60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzI19fq4C7jiBpjVQQCQiKDw0xdXgtgobpJFVDYoJzdLPnGQCQhX1LLmlVy9fyTcu1v9KKxUhhu8LLqLnctD2qtrYLhCMFDeeg2N3wlmb16xMJLLv1D5ja2ipp_e7X_6FoO6xigYGG4PoO/s1600/Green60.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 60% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Weight: 149.7 lbs.</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRjeTqUOX0GgYn6AnOaoJ100duYCf9dtEQ5XVCP01tFW3R1rRRPi_k3LmyQ4sZz_ovKnU57Fb9TxKA0ECOSqQFWddJ83TbRZianWKTKo9mICSaJePP-BJG0IpQSTWK2QEaJ-rusI0XfwJ/s1600/Weight+-+20110816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNRjeTqUOX0GgYn6AnOaoJ100duYCf9dtEQ5XVCP01tFW3R1rRRPi_k3LmyQ4sZz_ovKnU57Fb9TxKA0ECOSqQFWddJ83TbRZianWKTKo9mICSaJePP-BJG0IpQSTWK2QEaJ-rusI0XfwJ/s320/Weight+-+20110816.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weight is still creeping up. Hope it stops soon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Food: Peach, apple, tossed salad, banana, almond butter, nuts, broccoli slaw</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn17m6P7C9ZSiUY0OFEXc1yAVdRFhcCdWrxlP3vYPNR_NRzbNZlr-VL3-GLsyeLJwY3ozOFBYuBw0B1uKXoPvXT4KvsbnUfMwLTenrmePBUEw9hwGhyphenhyphenbJGs4De2u8h7uhRhNYWZmuo963F/s1600/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-banner-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn17m6P7C9ZSiUY0OFEXc1yAVdRFhcCdWrxlP3vYPNR_NRzbNZlr-VL3-GLsyeLJwY3ozOFBYuBw0B1uKXoPvXT4KvsbnUfMwLTenrmePBUEw9hwGhyphenhyphenbJGs4De2u8h7uhRhNYWZmuo963F/s320/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-banner-poster.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No photos of my dinner, just this food for thought.</td></tr>
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<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-962137374133984692011-08-15T16:23:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:19:13.264-07:00August 15th, 2011 - Day 37 of 60<i>Time is the universe's way of preventing everything from happening at once.</i><br />
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When I was a youngster there was a game show on TV called "Beat the Clock". I know it has undergone various rebirths, so many may be familiar with it. The crux of the game was a contestant is given a stunt or task to perform within a certain period of time. This could be as simple as moving spoonfuls of sugar across the room and into a container until such time as the container's weight triggered a mechanism that released a balloon. Sometimes the stunts were very simple and sometimes they were crazy. But the star of the show was always the clock. It was huge, ominous and always in your face. If I asked you to do most of the stunts from the show, you'd have no issue. But once you put in that time limit, something happens inside and fine motor skills seem to diminish. The most fun was when the contestant was close to their goal but then noticed their allotment of time was dwindling. The studio audience, of course, was whipped into a frenzy and would scream louder and louder as the time limit was approaching. When those moments came, many contestants would be so distracted by the short amount of time remaining that whatever motor-skills they possessed were quickly diminished and failing. In the end, the buzzer would sound, telling them their time and their hope was now gone.<br />
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From our earliest days we are nurtured to make some sort of peace with time. From the moment we draw our first breath we know that, somewhere, a clock starts. And when you think about it, 10 years, 75 years or 120 years are all just drops in the bucket in the face of the cosmos. Still, time is precious and if we learn anything about time it is that we shouldn't squander it. Time is massively affected by perception. We can spend a weekend with friends and wonder where the time went. We can spend an hour in a sales meeting and wonder if we'll ever get out alive. Many people live in such a way that they are wishing their lives away. Everything they hope for is always in some distant time. "Once I graduate..." "When I get that job..." "After I get a promotion..." "After we are married..." "Once the kids grow up..." Etc. This is a way of avoiding the now, which makes our lives dribble away at a faster rate. No, I am not saying that planning for the future is foolish, but I am saying that living in the future means you are missing the present.<br />
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When it comes to the segmenting of our time, modern society likes to break our allotment into nice... well, "bite size" pieces. We have breakfast, lunch and dinner times. They are all spaced out nicely to facilitate our feeding and not interfere with TV shows. We also change our diet based on our time on earth. Infants don't eat what toddlers eat. Toddlers don't eat what adolescents eat. Adults get to eat things children don't eat. Elderly people eat differently than when they were younger. Time and food seem to be inextricably bound. Most has an expiration date. Some foods are even eaten a certain times (like breakfast cereal). You will often notice that people who rarely look at a clock will start to care about time when food is in the offering. "How long until dinner?" "What time does the restaurant open?" "How long do I have to cook this?"<br />
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In the early part of my Reboot, I felt like I had to consume something every five minutes. I'd look up at the clock and a good three hours would have passed. Time for another smoothie. Ugh! I then let the number of smoothies decrease a bit toward the end as it was becoming a nuisance. Now that I am back on solid food, albeit raw and vegan only for the second half of my Reboot, I feel like I am not eating enough. Now, I've not limited myself in any way other than raw and vegan for the remainder of the Reboot. That means I can eat 24/7 if I'd like. But the realities of life and work and genetics compel me to at least try to be reasonable. The first 30 days were easy. These last 30 are proving to be a pain in the ass. Now, I understand that the prep time for my meals is negligible and clean-up time is the same. I am saving an enormous amount of time by eating this way. Even so, I think I am committing that most abominable of sins: not being here now. My mind keeps wandering off to September 8th when my Reboot will be over. It isn't even that I want it to be over, really. It is just that life will seem to be easier. That isn't true, but for whatever reason that is how my brain is working. <br />
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So, in all, things are going very well so I don't even know why I am bringing this up. Maybe that is the problem? Maybe when things go too well you are always looking over your shoulder, or at the clock? I guess I just need to let things settle into their own groove. Once the Reboot is over, I'll be in a place where there is no clock to examine. It will all be open-ended. How will I react to no time limit? And, by Rebooting, am I attempting to beat another sort of clock from another sort of old TV show? The sands flowing through the hourglass of the days of my life? Sadly, I won't be able to deal with that question now as I am out of time. Thanks for playing our game.<br />
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Readers of "Frank Black Reboots" receive the home edition of "Beat the Clock" <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnA98rDonPy8qYHOaSeK4Txp3vY49TstkdTBrp68Spf-pJfXc4d_DmXzUUmw3IyCFaZp46Vwc1kwxlsCQPWVNiP8GR5pbZA2IMhHAMUs-cVAWsWO_qUKPWYFb9czPujK4E7RaJedk3BBA/s1600/BeatTheClock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnA98rDonPy8qYHOaSeK4Txp3vY49TstkdTBrp68Spf-pJfXc4d_DmXzUUmw3IyCFaZp46Vwc1kwxlsCQPWVNiP8GR5pbZA2IMhHAMUs-cVAWsWO_qUKPWYFb9czPujK4E7RaJedk3BBA/s320/BeatTheClock.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Subject to availability and mood of Frank Black. Void where prohibited or in oxygen/nitrogen atmospheres. Never drive immediately after reading "Frank Black Reboots" or operate heavy machinery. Always flush several times after depositing dead spiders in the toilet. Staring directly into "Frank Black Reboots" may cause blindness. Dilute, dilute, dilute!")</span></div>
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<b>Progress: </b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphHu4iAZxJJkKhaXTFHonhCHY_t-9T7TD_-a-fZbelr-o9XZGZwbujTLA-IrLOlRHGJX70d3yEepOb0XX3D8TwTlD80pnxrwbQfWxfNflvbH1KB8zLOYZPDsoEM0QRafs76cHtctQpe4O/s1600/Green60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgphHu4iAZxJJkKhaXTFHonhCHY_t-9T7TD_-a-fZbelr-o9XZGZwbujTLA-IrLOlRHGJX70d3yEepOb0XX3D8TwTlD80pnxrwbQfWxfNflvbH1KB8zLOYZPDsoEM0QRafs76cHtctQpe4O/s1600/Green60.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 60% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
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<b>Weight: 148.5 lbs.</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1hR0UViDXBAx7fZx46KXmwLGucYSP8eo_DXOt1JdNvxExUgafRRaCPVRuUqz_Cj0G8cKKg_esUzZa4DUtpOQ0HpEh664YqgHTgIhACNHS-5uSabiAdEEXQ4WN9FzUHesE9yZhDUMoypz/s1600/Weight+-+20110815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1hR0UViDXBAx7fZx46KXmwLGucYSP8eo_DXOt1JdNvxExUgafRRaCPVRuUqz_Cj0G8cKKg_esUzZa4DUtpOQ0HpEh664YqgHTgIhACNHS-5uSabiAdEEXQ4WN9FzUHesE9yZhDUMoypz/s320/Weight+-+20110815.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up a bit more. I hope to peak soon.</td></tr>
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<b>Food: Cherries, grapes, nuts, banana, almond butter, salad and broccoli slaw</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiK2JelWprdMVmUvrSA27gd4_Ze7UjrkCZgfGfqcJ9Ry1zwMTm076hDJYziSK0ACenN4DP9ltIbq-CIz1seb6lHWAksSyYJPYUoOGszTN6zSbE5uwchNw7QlL7q0g9I3lFbl-lEAJr-th/s1600/Food+-+20110815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiK2JelWprdMVmUvrSA27gd4_Ze7UjrkCZgfGfqcJ9Ry1zwMTm076hDJYziSK0ACenN4DP9ltIbq-CIz1seb6lHWAksSyYJPYUoOGszTN6zSbE5uwchNw7QlL7q0g9I3lFbl-lEAJr-th/s320/Food+-+20110815.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3401386590492581971.post-15130628306005564662011-08-14T14:40:00.000-07:002012-06-09T16:19:18.894-07:00August 14th, 2011 - Day 36 of 60At this point, the best way I can describe how I am feeling is like someone who doesn't know what to do with their hands. You know the type, standing in the corner and desperately trying to look casual and normal while doing nothing but reinforcing how unwieldy they really are. The odd thing is that I felt the most "normal" when I was just doing smoothies. That phase, of course, is the most unnatural part of the gig. But now, in this awkward 'tween stage, I am starting to feel like I am waiting for things to just end so I can get on with it (whatever "it" is). I am the bad haircut that needs to grow out so something can be done with it. Dodging social engagements and other temptations is a lot more work than I imagined.<br />
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As I examine it, I am having a hard time figuring out why this might be. There is no good reason. I think part of the reason might be my tongue has not caught up to my brain. Perhaps it is analogous to the city dweller going into the country and finding themselves unable to sleep for all the quiet? I went to the grocery store a couple hours ago because I needed bananas. I didn't need anything else, but I really, <i>really</i> needed those bananas. So, list in hand, I entered the store and found myself mentally crossing off all the things I wasn't able to purchase. Normally, I just look at the list and shop. I have enough produce at home, but that didn't stop me from lingering in the produce aisle. It was filled with familiar and non-threatening friends, while the rest of the store was rife with dangerous characters. I tried to mentally conjure what it was like living so very long ago when there wasn't a supermarket within driving distance. I wondered what it must have been like not to have a choice between, literally, hundreds of chocolate products in one place. I tried to fathom a time when seeing tons of fresh produce spread out before you was nothing more than a fantasy. I tried to wrap my head head around not having access to the cuisine of foreign lands within minutes of being on your tongue. When your body has been so conditioned to eat whatever it wants, whenever it wants, the idea that so many choices may not be such a wonderful thing after all is not so far-fetched. It helps when you know most of this uneasiness is in your head. You can look at the feeling, name it, and then remind yourself that you will most certainly live without a roast beef sandwich.<br />
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A steady rain has droned on and on for the last 18 or so hours. The rain convinces you to remain quiet and immobile. That makes your mind the most active part of your body. When your mind has free time it can get into trouble. And, obviously, it wants to bring the rest of the body along for the ride. It makes you think about the food you are eating, the food you are not eating and all the reasons why it doesn't matter. But, as I am fond of saying, everything matters. Giving your mind freedom to wander is one thing; giving it the keys to your mouth is another. After my shopping sojourn I found that a couple bananas with almond butter quieted all the chirpy parts of myself. <br />
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The world is not configured for raw vegans. The next 24 days will be much more challenging than I anticipated. I've eaten raw vegan for months at a time and never had issues like this. It is at times like these that I understand why some people prefer life behind bars rather than out in the world. When you are free to eat whatever you wish or are able to do whatever you wish, such choices can be paralyzing for some. But when you are told when and how to do everything, life takes on a comfortable... well, freedom. <br />
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"What will it be today, sir? Smoothie? Excellent choice. It is our most popular item."<br />
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<b>Progress: </b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJtRD4RWD8w9Jm6-bpgXDznygkY92GPtrR9P4mu2ghiSAc8DWbFAEGso60zTbuR5_hQV1gX3Dn68NA_omYwORychzx23fQNhlk5yUtSxNvl0MtF9dhEvFixyaYNtvE6W-BmRwImFBdu0u/s1600/Green60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJtRD4RWD8w9Jm6-bpgXDznygkY92GPtrR9P4mu2ghiSAc8DWbFAEGso60zTbuR5_hQV1gX3Dn68NA_omYwORychzx23fQNhlk5yUtSxNvl0MtF9dhEvFixyaYNtvE6W-BmRwImFBdu0u/s1600/Green60.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am 60% through the 60 days.</td></tr>
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<b>Weight: 147.9 lbs.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSA8v7Kn9tB-GzrACrNhaqTFFv4CZcx8ov6JsOctRw1rfgCnrKTNKLGFYZThszpoZGgm81dKymKZowpQDhN9RIeNWB6us9jpFogA-1eu8ZGYumyC7gbyJ89kc4uXLbpdkqk7_qnhRikZt/s1600/Weight+-+20110814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUSA8v7Kn9tB-GzrACrNhaqTFFv4CZcx8ov6JsOctRw1rfgCnrKTNKLGFYZThszpoZGgm81dKymKZowpQDhN9RIeNWB6us9jpFogA-1eu8ZGYumyC7gbyJ89kc4uXLbpdkqk7_qnhRikZt/s320/Weight+-+20110814.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Held steady.</td></tr>
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<b>Food: Cherries, Watermelon, Bananas, Salad, Nuts and Raw Cacao/Goji treats.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnM-IAyBRsQg1hENq7y0MXhCoXutLoLbLnr668khGhNj4RhdvF6wL51erJioIo4m3ehYbN-hOVswOXawlok-Bomzgqji9o_Ig4ucO5X8piUEj9Riy1gN12Y_0Gw-NU0FRu3fp5davXq40p/s1600/Food+-+20110814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnM-IAyBRsQg1hENq7y0MXhCoXutLoLbLnr668khGhNj4RhdvF6wL51erJioIo4m3ehYbN-hOVswOXawlok-Bomzgqji9o_Ig4ucO5X8piUEj9Riy1gN12Y_0Gw-NU0FRu3fp5davXq40p/s320/Food+-+20110814.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegan sashimi: watermelon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8llqnVNCOVaQu2JaKSqW9TQdNuu5BuKaK6-YaNAQHp1-LA_HE9V1NXV2QhFqOBe9u1ypc35rXsy4IHeiAQxa6zKC3ub9h3uL6Il7MXJEirnELDpG6oM1o72ScLcqGxq9A6-jwpCQ-JC1/s1600/Food+-+20110814a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8llqnVNCOVaQu2JaKSqW9TQdNuu5BuKaK6-YaNAQHp1-LA_HE9V1NXV2QhFqOBe9u1ypc35rXsy4IHeiAQxa6zKC3ub9h3uL6Il7MXJEirnELDpG6oM1o72ScLcqGxq9A6-jwpCQ-JC1/s320/Food+-+20110814a.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This will get you through anything.</td></tr>
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<br />Frank Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04488839236259488315noreply@blogger.com0