Day 8

I'm blogging at night now. There's just too much to do in the morning. Preparing juice takes a solid hour now. Today - 2 heads of red leaf lettuce, 5 lbs carrots, one head celery, 6 apples, 1/2 cuke, parsley, ginger and that was about it. Yielded 4 quarts of juice. 3 mostly green and a carrot apple ginger kicker for the evening. I really didn't feel hungry all day.

I did get caught at work with the green juice - my bad. Now everyone really thinks I'm off my rocker. It really isn't normal for people to only drink juice for sustenance. But I am - and right now I feel pretty good.

I have a morning routine down - did figure out that there really needs to be a specific order to it. The enema should come after the morning constitution probably. No one really wants details. No mess - just some real quick moves on my part. I keep thinking of that scene in "The Right Stuff" (sorry no hot link to the right IMDB page) where Scott Glenn gets his in the hospital. Yikes!

One thing that is taking a while to get use to is how the inside of my mouth feels. The teeth do feel a bit fuzzy at times - I brush them a lot to rid them of the feeling. And there is a pseudo hint of a metallic taste. Not really noticeable until I think about it - not disgusting or even distasteful - just this presence of a minor/mild/ almost non- existent taste. I am hoping it passes.

I am nervous about this weekend - 3 full days away from my juicer. I'm hoping I will be able to find a good place to "eat" at during y time down south. I am not sure if I'll be able to blog much either - but will make the best attempt I can.

Week 2 Day 1 The Hero's Journey continues

"The Hero's Journey" - not my words, this is what David Rain calls it, this juice feasting thing. He says that it will bring all sorts of awakenings - spiritual and synergistic and other words I can not remember. He says all this as I'm driving in my car listening to his spiel. He says all sorts of random but amazingly consequential things will happen. And then a truck passes me with these words boldly painted on its tail gate "Hero's Plumbing" which just about says it all. I smile. It's much more plumbing than the hero thing.

One thing: I pee a lot. About 12 times a day at least. Which is supposedly normal. Once an hour. And at least twice during the night. It's like a pregnant women or something (apologizes to anyone who has been pregnant). I am becoming re-hydrated apparently. My steady diet of soda actually was dehydrating and my new regimen is repairing all that damage. My skin actually felt better today - smoother and healthier. It was noticeable the difference.

Today's juices:

Spinach, red leaf lettuce, parsley, celery, wheat grass, apple, carrot x 2
Carrot, apple, ginger x 1
Carrot with a shot of wheat grass x 1

Today's weight: 191 a total loss of 9 pounds last week. I'm sure it will slow down this week.

Day 6

Almost a whole week on the fast - and time has flown by. Really. I kind of have a rhythm down now although the weekend does throw things a bit into turmoil. Mainly because I really like sleeping in. Weekdays - up at 7 and juicing by eight. Saturday - up by 8:30 - quick juice because then we had to go get our taxes done. The good news - we owe less than $1000 in taxes. That was a lot less than I expected.

Then we went to the movies. This required me to have juice made in advance and to bring for the evening. We saw "The Reader" first - it is still renting space in my head. A multi-layered film and that Kate Winslet is pretty frickin awesome. Then off to the drug store to find an enema kit - this time I was successful. Fortunately we were out of town so I didn't have to use the slick ruse I had developed to save myself embarrassment. I figured I'd buy a "Ha! You're turning 50" card to give the impression that it was all a gag gift. Slick huh? Kind of like buying condoms in the old days - it was good of "American Graffiti" to show me how. After that we saw Frost/Nixon which lead to a long discussion on the car ride home about Ron Howard movies. Another great film from him.

So this morning I used above mentioned contraption - 2 things: one, it was not as weird as I thought it would be and 2: It was as weird as I thought it would be. Plus - it sure took a lot longer coming out than going in. And that's that. I do feel better today. The David Rain interview said that doing an enema a day for the first couple of weeks would be very beneficial and eliminate headaches and sluggishness. Today I would have to agree - it might be a placebo effect - but that's okay by me.

Tomorrow (Monday) starts a new week. I'll weigh in and continue the feast. I'm not feeling enormously different yet - but I am feeling the benefits of no caffeine, no junk food, no diet soda and lots of liquid veggies.

Day 5 (and the morning of 6)

Have to start out with the delicious drink I had this morning: pineapple, orange and carrot - like liquid candy. Normally I would have a green juice but we are getting our taxes done today and I'm nervous that we will owe more than we have available to pay. So I thought I'd treat myself this morning instead of the usual. It was well worth it. Besides - this is a feast not a fast - I definitely feasted this morning.

I's been 5 days since I've chewed anything and it does feel weird. I haven't had any gum which I chewed a lot of - and nothing solid at all. The other day after juicing as I was cleaning up I found a slice of apple that I had neglected to run through the juicer. I panicked - the juicer was all cleaned and put away and I had this apple bit in my hand. I think I contemplated that apple piece for about a minute before I finally put it down the sink disposal.

I'm feeling okay - I've been listening to the David Rain tapes (actually CD to MP3 on my iPod) and am coming to the conclusion that I will need to do the big "E" in order for things to move out better - to get the full effect of the cleansing aspect of the feast. Found out where to get one (hopefully) an maybe tomorrow will be the day.

I did have all 4 quarts (day 5) and a quart of lemon/cayenne/agave/msm too. I didn't have any caffeine yesterday and am feeling the effects of that withdrawal for the moment. I now that the beginning is going to be rougher because it's the farthest I have to go from my baseline. As my body adjusts to the feast I am hoping (assured by others) that I will start to feel a lot better. We'll see. I'm committed to doing 60 days but if somewhere along the line I feel I can do the full 92 I will go for it.

JF Day 4

Went and saw Milk last night - a powerful movie. At times quite unsettling. It is always interesting to me how in times of crisis there always seems to be someone who will step up to the plate. I thought about so many of my friends and what they must have had to go through (and may still be going through) in order to live their lives in fulfilling ways. Isn't it just human nature to want to be loved and accepted for who you are? If you haven't - go see the movie or rent it when it comes out.

But enough about heavy stuff - let's talk light. I snuck on the scale today and have lost 6 lbs. already. I imagine that is normal when one goes to a purely liquid diet. But I also feel much lighter too. I still have a minor headache at least once during the day - but it is getting smaller and I am feeling better. My fear is that I will have a "fasting crisis" which is supposed to be avoided by drinking the gallon of juice a day. Last night we got home late so I did the lemon juice/cayenne/agave mixture for my last quart.

Overall I am feeling fine. The literature warned me that my blood pressure would lower a bit at first and to be careful standing up too fast. I have felt that a little bit but nothing that I haven't felt before. I may try the hot/cold shower this morning which is supposed to stimulate the lymphatic system.

I did attempt to buy an enema kit yesterday but Walgreens did not have one. I'm not sure where to look next. Still very apprehensive about this aspect of the feast but we will see. I promise no details if this ever happens.

I am concerned about next weekend when I'll be in Anaheim Thursday - Sunday. I'll be lookig for juice places and hoping it won't be too bad. I'll bring lemons etc. but may have to fall back on Jamba carrot juice. We'll see.

Juicefeast day 3

The nice part about this experience so far is I know exactly what I'm going to do for food each day. I wake up - I juice for the day - I go to work, bring my juice and thats it. Not a lot of thinking about where I'm going to have lunch or what snack can I eat from the snack machine etc. There is one place near where I work where I can get fresh made juice and that pretty much is my option.

Today I feel pretty good (and by today I really mean yesterday since I keep writing these the morning after.) I have had a slight headache but am chalking that up to moderate caffeine withdrawal. I'm having tea in the morning but hope to wean myself off that soon.

I only had 3 quarts yesterday - but feel fine. My goal is still to have at least 4 quarts everyday. I tend to have 1 in the morning, one for lunch and one around 4 and then one once I get home. I'm hoping to try the lemon juice and cayenne pepper drink using agave rather than honey. Unfortunately the bulk cayenne pepper didn't make from my basket to the counter last night. So I'll try again today.

I started listening to the audiobook/interview with David Rain - his site is http://www.juicefeasting.com/ - I'm also reading Angela Stokes's book "The Juice Feasters Handbook" - this has been the most beneficial to me so far besides having someone that is also doing the feast about 30 days ahead of me.

About enemas - sorry haven't gone that far yet. I don't know if the idea is putting me off or that I'm just afraid to go buy the materials needed to preform one. I may break soon because I am getting pretty in to this right now and am feeling like I really want to do this right. Yeah --- we'll see.

Day 2

Never drink beet juice near carpet! That was a mess and it took toxins to get the stain out. Yikes! Had a awful juice this morning. Garlic is not the best flavor enhancer for 32 oz of juice. I think I might have it in a more concentrated amount next time. I need to find the best place (both price wise and organic wise) to get my juice materials.

I have also been starting the morning with 24oz. of fresh water and then waiting at least 45 minutes before I juice. I read somewhere that this in its self can be cleansing. We'll see.

Day 1 Juice Feast

This is actually day 2 in the morning. I started the fast yesterday. Had 4 quarts of juice. Mainly carrot, kale, spinach, apple, celery, ginger, sprout juice. Found I need to make 3 quarts in the morning. One for breakfast , one for lunch, and one for before teaching. I peed about 50 times. I also drank 2 liters + fresh water. My goal is to get up and have about 24 oz. water and then nothing for at least 45 minutes - then juice. I am drinking caffeinated tea (a no no) - just not ready for the withdrawal symptoms. Although I did get a nice headache yesterday.

Here are my stats:
Waist - 42.5
Neck - 16.5
Chest - 44
Biceps - 13
Hips - 43
Weight - 200 (on the marginal scale) probably more like 206

I really do not enjoy writing (hence the title of this blog). Mostly I do what I have to: answer emails, build syllabi, write articles (actually think about writing articles) and the occasional birthday card my wife sets in front of me. That is the extent of my writing. What I love doing is reading - I read several blogs each day, online newspapers, gossip sites, tech sites, comics etc. I have them tab bookmarked in my browser and reading them all is a daily ritual. So why don't I spend some of that time writing a blog myself?

What I am slowly coming to understand is that as much as we tout reading as a brain engaging activity it is relatively passive when it comes to reading on the internet. I click to some point - read until I get bored (about 3.2 seconds) and then click onto something else to read. I do not have to make a commitment to what I am reading. It is a scavenger-ist activity - go in, get what I want and move on. If the video doesn't load fast enough - move on. If the article requires scrolling or going on to another page - move on. It's like I'm a rock skipping along the water - the only difference is: I never sink.

I'm not the only one that is feeling this: Nicholas Carr writing for the Atlantic Monthly is having similar feelings - in his article "Is Google making us Stupid" (link: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google) he talks about the lack of time more and more of us are spending on deep reading (like books), involved writing and other time consuming and brain engaging activities. He contends that the internet is changing the way we interface with knowledge - and we are all becoming rocks skipping along the top of the water and never diving to any depth.

But what does this have to do with my lack of writing? I'd like to say "Everything!!" - it is all Google's fault. Then I would be able to relax and know there is nothing I can do about this and continue on my happy way. The problem is that I did not enjoy writing way before the internet came into existence. I have always been a reluctant writer. Technology has not made the reluctance go away. I do use the tools that technology has developed - Inspiration, word processors, spell checkers, the internet. However none of these has changed my "feelings" about writing. They have altered the experience - but not healed my affliction. The internet has not made it any easier for me to write. But it has given me a great excuse. And that is this: what if there are just those of us that need to be the consumers of the written word - of internet content, and we were actually just born to surf. All the internet has done is set us free.

Published!

It is not a big piece and it is not peer reviewed but it is something and I'll take it.

See it here:

Elephant in the Room an article for principals.

Splash

Splash
Originally uploaded by Veglandia

I need to be near the ocean soon.

The Drive

Rolling, originally uploaded by Veglandia.

I have to admit I love driving. I have about a 90 mile round trip commute every day and I never get tired of it. I drive through the desert and i listen to music and/or books on tape. I think, I zone, i recharge. I drove to Portland a couple of weeks ago - 17 hours of driving bliss. I was planning a road trip to Texas but decided to take the train instead. because besides loving to drive - I love to ride and look out the window too.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

A year of getting smarter

Today I turn 49. It's more weird than evil. I don't feel that much older on the inside but I do look a bit older on the outside.

The problem is that I have not figured out how to live my life in a way that makes me feel like I'm living my life the way I am supposed to be living it.  I have problems with the way I live life. 

I procrastinate.

A lot.

I spend more time wasting time than getting things done. I am constantly behind. 

I make huge plans but rarely carry them out. 

Most of what I have accomplished in life has been almost completely by accident.

I write in short clipped phrases and have little depth.

This list could go on for quite awhile and that is what is bothering me. Shouldn't I , here on the bring of my first half century, have it a bit more together? I'm thinking I should too. The goal then is to spend the next year working on getting smarter. (and additionally: thinner, finisheder, artier, fitter and several other -ers.)

But I am not so sure how to do all that. I fear making a list of goals which I can later re-negotiate or ignore completely.  Lists swirl around in my head on a regular basis. I daydream in lists of things to accomplish. Or change. Or learn. If I had picked one thing from all these lists years ago I would now know how to play the guitar or the cello, or be able to juggle clubs or have several articles, books and or film scripts written. I would know several languages and be able to paint, draw and sculpt. And would also know html, java, xml and ruby on rails. 

Mostly I know how to stumble (www.stumbleupon.com) read online news and daydream.

BUt if I where to make a list it would look like this

1. Write everyday and get published. (It's a tenure thing)
2. Exercise way more.
3. Explore photography and learn how to control light.
4. Develop my relationships at home (sad that it came 4th isn't it)
5. Eat as healthy as possible
6. Art more

There are a few others but they are more personal. 

Let's see what happens eh?

I'm reading this 9 years later and realize that on the surface not much has changed. I still pretty much have all the same goals. Except #1. I'm published and tenured and that is a good thing. Basically I could move number 1 to the end of the list and move the rest up one. And I'd add one more goal: Work on my connection to my higher power. My spirituality. Maybe even meditate. Maybe.

Big plans

I have big plans for this blog - watch what's coming starting November 27, 2007