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Monday, March 31, 2014

Happy Spring Break to all!

Quick Notes:

*) Please don’t listen to any fool that cooks on “Teflon” with metal utensils to stir food.

(I’m sorry but just the thought of that almost made my food come up to the back of my throat.)

When heated “Teflon” gets scraped by anything metal: tongs or forks or spoons then the heated “Teflon” ends up in the food and most likely can contribute to Alzheimer’s or dementia.

As for any television cooks who ‘in this day in age’ don’t know that by now then they’re indeed uneducated about their profession or ignorant to say the least.

I’m not sure why such fools are ever allowed on television in which they could possible get the public injured or hurt or harmed.

For those cooks who prepare foods at home please switch to wooden spoons or high quality hard plastics that won’t melt on contact with heat or end up in your foods.

Could you imagine melted “Teflon” in one’s food?

(That thought grosses me out in ways that I can’t explain.)

Be careful; cooking is a science and an art.

Cooking isn’t something that’s given airtime to ignorant “feel good” morons who prepare formaldehyde shrimp and white refined pastas. (Gross. I almost lost my second breakfast this morning.)

Why are television personnel so uneducated and dangerous to the public?

It pays off to be educated about a lot of different aspects in life.

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*) Within two days of taking magnesium both of my rotator cuffs feel amazing. There’s less creaking in my joints.

Once more I’ve begun to take magnesium and zinc and vitamin A and E.

About two years ago, my former doctor prescribed all of these vitamins but fall 2013 I stopped taking them because of the articles that came out about how vitamins were bad.

I obviously need to take them yet once again thus I am.

Last week I began taking vitamin D and my entire upper body felt strong again.

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*) Our “Presidential Collection: Premium Quality Bedding: Egyptian Comfort 1800 Series” arrived on Saturday. (Thank you Triple AAA.)

I haven’t slept that well in about twenty years.

Fantastic!

Our 1800 count was like sleeping on butter.

We’ve been meaning to purchase remarkable sheets for about eight years but we finally made up our minds and went for it. We shan’t go back to our 800 count series ever again because they feel like burlap now that we’ve tried the 1800 count.

Quality makes a difference when it comes to objects which one puts near or close to one’s skin. It’s worth the money to splurge on one’s self when it comes to skin and sleep and health.

We’ve been meaning to do a lot of things for ourselves. The years went by. We just didn’t get around to it. It wasn’t the money. It’s almost like it was the energy or the effort since we don’t have a lot of time.

Ever since we’ve begun to get into the practice to purchase online then our quality of purchases went up and so did our quality of life.

We don’t consume much but when we do we like products that are constructed correctly and Made in the U.S.A.

We enjoy products that are great quality because then it means that the products won’t fall apart or injure or harm our family in any way possible and that’s worth our hard earned dollars sitting in the bank collecting interest.

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*) We’ve begun to make small changes to our purchases like: a “fruit and vegetable brush.”

We owned a ‘fruit and vegetable brush’ but it got thrown out in our move as of August 2012. We haven’t replaced it ever since.

Weekly for about one year and eight months we’ve helped each other remember that we needed to replace our brush but the year went on.

We didn’t replace our brush because it was the one object that we forgot each-and-every time we went to the store yet every time that we ate fruits or vegetables then we remembered how much we needed a ‘fruit and vegetable brush.’ What a conundrum.

Finally, this weekend I added the ‘fruit and vegetable brush’ to our shopping list. Eric came home with a decent brush distributed by SUPERVALUE INC. in Eden Prairie, MN but it was Made in China. Bummer.

I’ll try not to be afraid of the brush but many products made in China are just no good.

I won’t be afraid of the plastic handle possibly containing BPA but you already guessed it that as soon as I read the label just now that I’m going to go upstairs and throw out the brush and begin our search all over again to find a ‘fruit and vegetable brush’ Made in the U.S.A. but most likely that’ll be difficult to find.

I believe in a ‘fruit and vegetable brush’ more so than I believe in a fancy gown because we consume fruits and vegetables on a daily basis and must wash off the pesticides on our foods.

Nope, we don’t eat organic produce because they’re far more deadly and dangerous for the body than regular produce with regular pesticides.

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*) I’ve begun to use “Sensodyne” toothpaste and within twenty-four (24) hours I noticed a difference.

Ever since I changed two fillings from metal to white fillings my teeth have been ever so sensitive to cold and hot foods.

Ever since December 12, 2013 I’ve been eating out of the left hand side of my mouth and that’s become cumbersome therefore something needed to be done.

No, I shan’t get any further white fillings done until I can get the first two white fillings under control.

And think of it; I almost got my entire mouth done all at once.

Thank goodness I’ve waited because 2014 sure started out with a health bang.

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*) This weekend we purchased an ‘extended leash.’

The leash can extend as far as sixteen (16) feet and I sure do enjoy it.

I used the leash today for the very first time.

Although near streets and traffic I’ve got to be ever so careful that “Freeway” doesn’t go running out into the street and right into traffic.

I’m getting used to the leash and did enjoy it because “Freeway’s” an eager dog and he can pull quite hard.

We rescued “Freeway” on July 1, 2013 and there’s been quite a few times in which he’s pulled so hard that my rotator cuffs hurt for about an hour afterward.

Now, with the extended leash I can let the leash out before “Freeway” takes out my arms out of my sockets.

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Correction: Housework burns one-hundred (100) calories per hour but if anyone cleaned the way I do then I do believe that it’s closer to two-hundred (200) calories per hour. That type of exercise works for me so I’m sticking with it even though it’s not an Olympic workout. I like it.

Sundays, I stand for about four-and-a-half (4.5) hours straight when I cook all of our meals ahead of time before the workweek begins. I get the workout of my life.

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This morning I ordered-out a waffle from Perkins.

For the second time I’ve asked for the waffle not to have anything added or sprinkled on top but when I opened up the carry-out container, my waffle had white powdered sugar sprinkled on top thus the waffle had to be thrown out.

I’m sorry I don’t like to throw out food but it had to be done.

It’s tough to order-out without sugar sprinkled on top or added to it.

I dislike throwing out food but if I have to then I will because sugar is a contributor to cancer. I’d rather not ingest sugar especially not white powdered sugar. (Yuck.)

Why is it that it’s tough to find foods without sugar in or on top of it in America?

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*) On Monday, I reprogrammed all of our car radio stations.

My quality of life once again went up.

As of Tuesday, I’ve stopped listening to WCCO radio because I refuse to sit through ten straight minutes of commercials from around 11:30am through 11:42am Monday through Friday. (Yes, I timed the drab commercials for one straight month.) (That’s way, too, much life to give away to commercial radio.)

I’ve got half an hour of travel time in the mornings and again in the evenings.

My favorite aspect about WCCO has been their interviews but otherwise programming tends to be the same superficial fluff as any other commercial radio station.

I want more meat and less fat.

I thought that WCCO radio was going to have more prolific programming in content with their commentary based on scientific and political and philosophical and cultural subject matter filled with thought provoking topics (about anything) to consider throughout the day but instead I found a lot of repetitious and lukewarm opinion pieces and much of the same hum-drum content that all other commercial stations talk about instead of being an industry leader WCCO radio tends to prescribe to the same methods of communication as any other commercial follower. (Yawn.) (They don’t know any better and I don’t have the time to sit around and find out.)

I refuse to give away anymore of my time or life than I have to.

I won’t spend my life listening to commercials therefore I cut out WCCO radio all completely because ten minutes of more-or-less straight commercials is one-third of my travel time.

Commercials are complete insanity especially coming from an online generation that doesn’t have to sit through commercial crap if we don’t want to.

Being forced to watch or listen to commercials is like being held hostage without negotiations.

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*) On my own, I recently found 91.1 News and 89.3 The Current and 99.5 Classical. (Whew! I can breathe again.)

I had no idea these radio stations existed until recently on Monday when I took the time to research and reprogram all of the radio stations in our car because the stuff that we had previously programmed was irritating and I’d had enough.

I needed my quality of life to go up.

As I ‘surfed’ channels I automatically was drawn to these more mature and higher quality radio stations in their programming and content thus there they’ll stay.

If these ‘new’ relationships with our ‘new’ radio stations don’t work out then I’ll ask Eric to start making more compilation CD’s again. I’ll listen to uninterrupted music on my commutes for the next decade if that’s what it takes for ‘peace of mind’ and relaxation.

I can’t wait to fill my life with these ‘new’ radio stations’ content without commercials or very little interruptions. Although, these radio stations tend to do pledge marketing which is the same as begging. (Bummer.)

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*) Tuesday night, we stepped out and had a posh dinner down by St. Anthony Main. I hadn’t been to St. Anthony Main in about a decade.

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*) I’ve fallen in love with a show: “Doc Martin.” (Yes, indeed.)

*) I’ve fallen in love with a show: “Jonathan Creek.” (Yes, indeed.)

*) We look forward to “Captain America” this weekend.

Cheers!

Wishing all a great week.

I’ll see you back here on April 7, 2014.

Cheers!

Gabriel

Word Count: 1,927

*) Day #42-#48 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Friday, March 28, 2014

“They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Heterogeneous (unlike, differing in kind)

The population of large cities is heterogeneous.

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Hello.

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part X

“I don’t believe much of anything I read anymore,” said my Father while he referred to sports science medicine.

I don’t either believe much of what I read anymore, especially when it comes to nutritional reports and ‘fly-by-night’ science.

I’m utterly disappointed that advertisers took over science.

In place of scientific experts or twenty-first century modern scientists capable to inform the public of factual information instead ‘what’s trending’ has become popular without much scientific foundation or basis because advertisers ‘go off’ ‘half cocked’ into make-believe land so long as they can sell crappy products to the public and ‘make a killing’ while at it.

There ought to be legal policies and regulations about who can say what about health and science especially in any form of advertisement and in any public open forum.

If one doesn’t hold a doctorate or modern-and-informed (non-religious) data in any scientific field then get the heck out of there because the public must not get harmed or injured at any turn.

One has no business filling the public’s head with nonsense if one doesn’t know how to deconstruct research or hasn’t so much as ever conducted a professional and proper public case study in their life or isn’t caught up to the latest scientific data within the previous year of any year.

Yes, one can hold their own personal ideas and beliefs but that’s as far as it goes when it comes to “personal narratives” thus they’re just that, personal and nothing else.

However, with scientific data and reports then it better hold up to facts, figures and long-term and short-term researched and factually proven outcomes.

No, “dinosaur” science doesn’t apply or the public will surely get harmed or injured by outdated and misguided information without any relevancy to modern times and that ought to be illegal and has no business conducting religious business or affiliations on Congressional Senate and House floors.

Who’s giving whom a hand job under the table?

For example:

One year advertisers say: don’t eat any salt.

The next year advertisers say: its okay to eat salt.

(Well, which is it, man? Make up your mind.)

Personally, I add ionized salt whenever I wish.

I don’t care what anybody has to say about it.

I enjoy it.

One year advertisers say: walk for one straight hour.

The next year advertisers say: only walk in short spurts.

One year advertisers say: chocolate is bad for you.

The next year advertisers say: chocolate is good for you.

One year advertisers say: vitamins are good for you.

The next year advertisers say: vitamins are bad for you.

One year advertisers say: genetically modified foods are bad.

The next year advertisers say: GMO foods are good.

One year advertisers say: properly weight-lift.

The next year advertisers say: weight lift as fast as you can.

One year advertisers say: seven hrs of sleep is good.

The next year advertisers say: seven hrs of sleep is bad.

One year advertisers say: 8-glasses of H2O are good.

The next year advertisers say: 8-glasses of H20 are bad.

Advertisers are like angry and crazed little under-fed monkeys in a long forgotten circus freak show. When’s the long-bearded lady going to come out so we can stare at her in awe of her masculinity and femininity?

Bring out the freaks!

Bring out the chicken people.

****

Personal Narrative

What I’ve begun to do is to listen to my body. Period.

The human body is like a baby.

One’s body will let one know loud-and-clearly when it’s hungry and when it’s full and when it’s wet and when it’s tired and when it’s thirsty and when it needs physical contact and when…

The more I listen to what my body really needs then the more I become attuned to its immense nature and tremendous capacity.

Our lifestyle sure has changed drastically ever since we quit brown and white refined table sugar. It sure is fun.

Our life sure has changed drastically ever since we quit all forms of pastries and muffins and cookies and cake as of a week ago tomorrow. It sure is fun.

Somehow I’m less up-and-down with my emotions.

I feel quite emotionally stable without any sugar in my life.

I’m working through feeding schedules.

As of today, I finally feel more alert and awake then I have in about three months when I felt exhausted to the bone.

My energy level is beginning to pick up but it’s not erratic or up-and-down; it’s smooth sailing. My energy level is rising but at a moderate rate and even keel as it should be.

I can’t wait to reach peak and maximum performance.

Yes, I’m happier with myself than I’ve been in months or years.

When one quits sugar consumption it’s a subtle and quiet happiness that I can’t describe but it feels calm and important.

I fell asleep with a smile over my face last night and that hasn’t happened since last year.

My figure is slim and my skin’s begun to look almost radiant.

My skin’s glowing.

No, it’s not because I’m pregnant (au contraire.)

My skin is beginning to look magnificent for the first time in years.

The benefits are beginning to pay off.

No, I’m not bloated.

Yes, I’m regular.

Yes, I’ve begun to take vitamin D once more.

The only problem I’m still contending with now is that both of my rotator cuffs creak and hurt depending on how I lift something or when I extend out my arms to my sides.

Yes, I believe that my sluggish posture has a lot to with this slight or sharp pain (depending on how I move) therefore I must begin pushups and once again place a book on top of my head when I sit or walk about our home. I’ve got to regain my straight and narrow posture once more.

Cheers!

I wish all a great weekend.

Yours Truly;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal; 724

Word Count: 1,051

I’ve did accomplish my ten-thousand (10,000) word goal for the week.

*) Day #39 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

*) No, a “narrative” isn’t a “report” of any type.

A report must maintain dates, facts, data, figures and evidence.

Must I break it down for everyone?

Please, no.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

“The pace of the ass depends on the amount of feed he gets.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Vested (Clothes, robed, endowed with power)

By the authority vested in her by law she could grant requests.

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[Corrections were made to the previous entry: 6:52am]

[Uploaded and Posted at: 6:06pm.]

Hello.

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part IX

Yes, I’m sure that I don’t know the reasons for why ‘poor’ people smoke cigarettes.

Eric’s theory is that ‘poor’ people smoke cigarettes because they’re hopeless about their future therefore they don’t have much of a reason to live.

Yes, I’m sure that I don’t know the reasons for why ‘rich’ people snort cocaine up their nose.

My theory is that ‘rich’ people snort cocaine up their nose because they’re hopeless about their future therefore they don’t have much of a reason to live.

Yes, it seems that the more balanced and mindful of the classes is the ‘middle income earners.’

‘Middle income earners’ seem to believe that raising their families well is important just as important as getting along with their neighbors and to keep a clean community free-and-clear of crime and violence.

‘Middle income earners’ are the shakers and doers of our villages who seem to believe that there’s hope for a brighter future thus they vote in mid-elections and refrain from self-destruction as well as wish and hope for longevity.

No, we’re not ‘poor’ or ‘broke’ or ‘rich.’

Yes, we’re considered ‘upper middle income earners.’

No, Eric doesn’t smoke anything of any type because his Father died in his early sixties, most likely from cigarette smoke.

Eric’s Father was a heavy smoker especially right after WWII.

Eric’s Father was captured and marched and imprisoned by the Germans as a ‘Prisoner of War’ where he was held in a camp in which Eric’s Father along with many other men starved (literally.)

To keep the hunger pangs from becoming an all, too, terrifying an experience the men smoked cigarettes and smoked heavily because the military rationed cigarettes to the soldiers in those days as well as the American Red Cross did.

Really, it’s no differently than today: today’s soldiers are given amphetamines to cope with their fear of battle thus the cycle of addiction continues.

Yes, I’m neither ‘poor’ nor ‘uneducated.’

Yes, I grew up a ‘wealthy’ youngster and overly educated.

****

Betrayal sure is a terrible thing…

Let it be declared: As Gods are my witness: when I was a teenager of thirteen even though we were stinking ‘rich’ as a family: I was made to work as early as seventh grade at our private school library which frankly was quite an embarrassment to me (personally) because we were a well off family but I was always having to work myself ‘into the ground’ for ‘everything’ and that made me tired early on in life.

Nothing came for free in our household.

I was an indentured servant or domestic slave.

Period.

I worked on “scholarship” as a librarian’s assistant from seventh through twelfth grade (high school) during school hours while other students witnessed me work away yet they understood that our family was stinking ‘rich’ but nothing much added up to them or to me thus I slaved away even though my lifestyle expectations were ridiculous.

By my freshman year of high school my parents’ marriage was on the rocks.

My Father was on his way out of an ut-most dysfunctional marriage leaving us behind to deal with a crazy and insane woman full of perpetual rage and hatred.

All that our adoptive-mother ever did was scream non-stop for about a five year period. (No propriety whatsoever therefore we learned that we didn’t have to uphold to those social rules either when we went in for battle or to protect ourselves from verbal abuse.)

Nothing much else has ever exhausted me in that way as that time period of my life did; eventually both my sister and I began to yell back at our adoptive-mother to get her to shut up because the only thing that she understood was verbal violence and screams and manipulative control.

Our adoptive-mother’s change in demeanor was as though she’d been hit on the head by a heavy rock and became brain damaged.

Seriously.

When a parent gets that out of control then one will not ever be more scared than that in one’s life.

One doesn’t know what one’s parent might do; from-one-moment-to-the-next so one learns not to trust their parental authority because there’s no strong foundation to stand upon.

Nothing much could get our adoptive-mother to shut up thus we endured her ‘brainwashing’ and cruelty and manipulation and verbal abuse and physical threats and negative narrative and ‘character assassination’ of our Father.

Our adoptive-mother had this abusive tendency to physically corner us into tight spaces while she screamed at us.

Most of the time I could handle it except when I was about to walk out the door to go to work or school or practice because then it would take hours before I could settle down and concentrate on my task at hand.

Our adoptive-mother’s abusive behavior left us rattled for hours afterwards and it was meant to do that because that’s how out of control she was.

All that our adoptive-mother ever said were negative slanderous words against our Father for about eight straight years and that got old fast.

I was used for an emotional punching bag because I wanted our adoptive-mother to feel better about herself but after eight years of enduring hateful verbal abuse I got smart to it and decided that she was a hopelessly insane dry-drunk thus I began to think of her as a reckless individual. I couldn’t bring myself to respect or believe anything she said to me or to others for that matter.

No, I don’t trust our adoptive-mother.

I never did and I still don’t today.

Ever since the first moment I’d met her I understood that she was dysfunctional and controlling.

To this day I still don’t believe anything our adoptive-mother has to say about anything because she lied one, too, many times to us and to our community. She brought that shame upon herself.

‘No doubt about it’ our adoptive-mother was a raging lunatic with a vendetta to socially ruin our Father by making up lies that he’d had several affairs (15) on her when our Father had done no such thing.

I went and interviewed the women that my Father supposedly had slept with. Under oath the women stated that no such event ever occurred. I believe them.

We weren’t ever supposed to talk about the abuse outside of our home or much less to anyone else yet my best friends knew all about the insanity that befell our home. I didn’t keep it a secret from them.

My closest friends knew all, too, well what we were up against. Thank goodness for their unconditional love and respect.

I’ve not ever been so unconditionally loved as I was by those same friends who I adore and respect to this day and they adore and respect me. (Lucky dog, I guess.)

By the age of fifteen I was told (by our adoptive-mother) that there was no money for clothes or shoes therefore I went out and got myself a job working as a ‘busser’ (clearing tables) at a restaurant even though I lied about my age on the application form at the tender age of 15.

I got hired.

I worked hard to keep my job because it was the only source of income to purchase clothes and shoes and at times to feed myself.

I kept my job through four summers of college and I was always encouraged to re-apply at any time I wished.

I worked after school and before speedskating practice and on weekends.

I made decent enough tips to purchase my clothes and shoes at Target or “Ragstock” because that’s all I could afford as a teenager even though later I came to discover that our Father gave our adoptive-mother serious bank for us in child support, however, I hardly ever saw much of that money.

By the spring of 1994 I made up my mind to leave home.

That spring I had to ask our track coach for a voucher to purchase running shoes.

The shame of taking away money from other less fortunate students almost made me ill when we lived on a five-hundred thousand dollar property and our grandparents were multi-millionaires many times over.

That was my tipping point and I went over.

‘That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.’

I left home…

I haven’t looked back since.

It just happens that my story makes for great writing material because I can’t make this stuff up even if I tried therefore I write about it because even though I can’t believe that was my life: I’m informed that parental neglect’s all, too, common in America.

This is the honest to God truth as I know it to be because all I ever did was work. I can prove it because there are W2 forms and other records.

For years our adoptive-mother took me for a sucker and told me that we were ‘poor’ and thus I believed her because I was indeed a sucker yet my younger sister wore Gucci and Armani to high school because she got wise to our financial situation and she was able to collect her full amount of child support thus she had abundant money to spend on booze and cocaine.

It wasn’t until I was twenty-three years old (23) that my sister broke it to me that she’d gone through all of our family’s financial records and she’d discovered just how rich our family was.

She was tired and bored of my stupidity and to get wise to it but I didn’t know how thus as a young adult I continued to work myself ‘into the ground’ because by that age our adoptive-mother wasn’t going to spare a single penny.

The summer of my twenty-fourth birthday when I called up our adoptive-mother in Cambridge while she attended her first year of Harvard: I asked her to lend me $100.00 dollars because I hadn’t eaten in three days and she told me to open up the phone book and to find the nearest food shelter and thus I did.

Mind you; I worked sixteen hour days and three jobs. I still didn’t make enough money from my wages to consistently put food on my table but both of my parents told me that they’d put me through college and not to ever ask them for anything ever again; thus I didn’t. I still don’t because I know the score.

It’s a terrible thing that rich Americans will allow for their offspring to starve even though they’re wealthy with resources.

One won’t find that level of selfishness in Latin American cultures or European countries.

Elders don’t allow for their youth or young adults to go hungry because they’re a village and if one starves then they all starve together because that’s how much they love each other. Not so in educated and rich America.

I felt terribly bad for our adoptive-mother because I believed her lies that our Father had left her financially destitute but seven short years later she went off to Harvard on our collected child support and ‘shit really hit the fan’ then: I ended up homeless for one night and my sister dropped out of college within the first semester of college during our adoptive-mother’s first year at Harvard.

My sister was found wandering the streets of Miami barefoot and homeless after about a year of wandering the streets with a boyfriend whose main interest was heroin.

The bottom line is that: we grew up neglected in a ‘rich’ household and no one cared if we lived-or-died well because the adults ‘only’ cared about their selfish interests and melodramas.

As adoptees we got purchased like designer handbags but when there no longer was any further use for us then we became discarded and neglected.

I don’t have a single reason to lie about any of this because I’ve stood and witnessed others strip me of my humanity. I know what ‘this American life’ is all about.

‘This American life’ is about spiritual corruption and neglect.

The reason why my sister got caught smoking marijuana in the girl’s bathroom during eighth grade and snorted cocaine by ninth grade and blacked out drunk by tenth grade is because no one loved us enough to care about us and that’s the honest to God truth even though these are the most painful words I’ll ever write in my entire life.

When adults don’t love you as they ought to then all you can do is hang on to that little bit of candlelight flame sitting inside your chest and love yourself because you can see that there’s a bit of spark left in you even though much hope for light has gone out.

No, opportunity and pressure and expectations can’t ever replace the innate desire for love. To be loved without conditions or terms is all that youth ever want and that’s why it’s so easy to manipulate youngsters unless they’re smart and savvy as they ought to be.

The reason why I quit speedskating my sophomore year of high school at the age of seventeen is because my home life was a complete and utter disaster. I had to do everything in my power to keep myself and my sister and our adoptive-mother and our household going.

It became my job to take care of an out-of-control and insane dry-drunk adoptive-mother who felt slighted by the fact that her husband stopped loving her because she’d always been a liar and a cheater ever since the age of twelve as well as hyper critical and a bitter hag.

It was my Father who recently shared with me that our adoptive-mother had been considered a liar and a cheater by her parents and they knew very well what she was like.

My sister tried to commit suicide three times. Three times during high school; there’re hospital records to prove that she had her stomach pumped from pill overdose.

Happy youth don’t ‘try to commit suicide.’

The reason why all of this is painful is because at the age of ten I made the conscious decision to allow for our adoption to go through.

If I would’ve known what was to occur I would not have allowed for the adoption to go through. Not then and not ever. Nope.

I allowed for us to get adopted into a hateful and racist country and culture as well as to a dysfunctional family.

But hey, at least I get to write about it because no one’s going to keep me from writing the truth. Not ever.

Without a publisher’s deal, I choose to write as I do, to tell the truth about my life because when I’m done with this blog I don’t ever want to write nonfiction for as long as I live.

I write because I want you to know me.

I shan’t hide my true self from you.

I write so that the reader may learn wise lessons.

I’ve not once wanted to get paid to write about my life but I most certainly will get paid to write fantasy because material sure is difficult to come by.

This is my sacred space.

I stand upon this sacred ground.

The Gods watch over me in this space of courage.

Nope, adults weren’t looking out for us because we weren’t considered family and we weren’t worth the bother. We were considered objects. We’d been purchased, bought and sold and discarded with the garbage.

I left home at seventeen for art’s boarding school because I thought I was going to go crazy with an insane and abusive mother.

My only regret is that I left my younger blood sister in our adoptive-mother’s care. That’s something that I’ll regret for the rest of my life but I have forgiven myself for my mistake.

My sister ‘almost’ didn’t graduate high school because she’d missed more days than any other high school student ever had in recorded history of her high school.

Yes, my sister’s quite intelligent but she hardly ever bothered to show up for school and no one ever cared enough to make sure that she did.

My sister’s senior year: I returned home and did her homework for her and got to her to graduate. I don’t care who knows it now. It was the least I could do for her because she was either drunk or high much of the time. I had to get her through school no matter what and I did.

I wasn’t the only one who helped her get through her senior year of high school.

Other students’ parents stayed up all night and sewed costumes that my sister was supposed to sew for the school’s one-act play (which went on to win state for the costumes that year.)

Even though my sister was supposed to become a ‘famous’ fashion designer she never (nope, not ever) learned to sew anything and that defeats the purpose of becoming a fashion designer.

No, this isn’t to diminish my younger sister’s character.

I only wish she’d learned to sew in seventh grade because then maybe she would’ve gotten serious about her craft instead of losing out years to drug and alcohol addiction while semi-bragging to the world that she was going to become successful while our adoptive-mother egged her on but as the years went by my sister didn’t have anything concrete to show only lip service and that’s a tragedy anyway one looks at it.

At the age of eighteen in my junior year of high school I began to smoke cigarettes.

I was a legal adult. I could do as I pleased.

Yes, I did smoke about half a pack (correction) a day in those two years between my junior and senior year of high school; mostly at night after the day was done and everything else got accomplished.

I smoked cigarettes because I needed to take in a deep breath but it seemed as though I couldn’t get enough oxygen to my lungs.

I smoked cigarettes because I didn’t feel like I could ever quite take in a deep and full enough breath therefore I smoked because it helped me achieve that goal to deeper inhale.

I smoked cigarettes because it felt so darn good after a meal.

I smoked cigarettes because it was the greatest pass time of my life especially when I was ever so busy with everything else going on: when I smoked it was permission to take a break from all of the activities going on that just didn’t seem to ever end.

I smoked cigarettes at nighttime because I liked it even though I was busy as heck.

*****

Yes, I smoke one (or two) 100% tobacco “American Spirit” cigarette(s) per day when I’m completely alone.

Yes, I smoke cigarettes when I have absolutely not a single pressing responsibility chomping at the bit. I like to enjoy my cigarette and not be disturbed or rushed for anything in the world when I do smoke a cigarette.

Yes, I smoke a cigarette ever so quietly and alone and in solitary.

Yes, “Freeway” is kept indoors.

No, I’m no longer a “social smoker” as I used to be in my mid-to-late twenties, which I hardly ever was much of a social smoker.

No, I most certainly don’t smoke a cigarette when I’m out in public.

Yes, I’m a “closeted cigarette smoker” and that’s my private business as well as Eric’s and no one else’s. (My Father knows but I don’t smoke around my Dada or any family members or friends.)

I smoke cigarettes only in the great outdoors and on our private property.

I smoke because I still can’t seem to get that deep inhale as I used to when I speedskated.

Yes, I’m still in search for more oxygen like in those days when I was an athlete. I’ve not ever been able to find that again in my life.

Yes, my Father tells me that when I’m ready to quit smoking cigarettes all together that I ought to rigorously exercise two-hours a day and enjoy the ride. I just might. He tells me that I’d still make a great athlete and I think he’s right.

Yes, I’ve got to quit smoking cigarettes by August 2014:

We’d like to be pregnant by August 2015 but I require one full year to detox otherwise I refuse to get pregnant without a year of detoxifying.

I told Eric that I refuse to smoke cigarettes while we’re rearing our children and youth but as soon as we’ve raised our children and the youngest is off on their own then in retirement I’d like to go back to smoking one-or-two cigarettes per day as I have done for the past eight years or so.

It seems as though I smoke a lot but really I put out cigarettes half way through and return to them when I can: not because I can’t afford cigarettes but because hopefully in some psychological way that habit of only smoking half a cigarette at a time will help me cut down to nothing.

Look: I enjoy smoking cigarettes but I also have a life to lead and not much time to sit around and take down ten cigarettes at a time but if there was no fear of serious lung cancer or if humans didn’t die horrible deaths from smoking cigarettes then I’d indulge more often.

No, I no longer consider myself ‘poor.’

Actually, we’re almost considered ‘rich’ with annual assets and income of two-hundred thousand or more per year then one is considered ‘rich.’ We’re technically ‘upper-middle income earners.’

I ‘never’ knew I was ‘poor’ until our adoptive-mother put that idea or concept into my head.

As an Indigenous Maya: I’d always been glad and happy to be alive and to see each sunrise but as an adoptee it wasn’t enough just to be, to sit quietly and enjoy life.

I was forced to constantly strive or achieve or perform like a trained monkey when all I cared about was to enjoy the present moment but it wasn’t good enough to be in the present moment because I was constantly forced to think about the future and much, too, much pressure was placed on me to succeed at all costs.

How boring indeed.

There hardly ever was a today to be enjoyed:

there was ‘only’ “the” future.

I don’t think in those terms.

I’m not like that.

I like to quietly sit inside the present and relish there.

As an indigenous Maya: if we sense that we live inside any type of cage or prison then we begin to wither away and die (literally) because the concept that there won’t be freedom means a spiritual death and without a spiritual life we can’t hope to linger inside a cage forever.

My teens and early twenties was very much a prison.

I felt as though my cultural prison sentence wouldn’t end.

No, I don’t feel hopeless about my future.

Actually, I feel quite hopeful.

No, I don’t expect you to understand but the concept of an incarcerated culture such as this one is: then such a culture doesn’t give me much hope for others’ future.

If I were to die tomorrow then I’d go out a happy human because I got to see and learn and live through much.

I’ve lived a fulfilled life.

I’ve endured and succeeded and now we thrive.

Yes, I thrive.

I’m an adult.

Don’t tell me how to think.

Simply present me with information.

I’ll make up my own mind.

I don’t care what you might think of me: but let’s get this quite clear between us: It’s only ever been the ‘rich’ who’ve ever offered me cocaine and freely snort that shit up their nose because they can afford to and they like it thus I don’t judge it: especially Ivy Leaguers and doctors and medical doctorate students and professors and attorneys and architects and other professionals and commercial editors and publishers and writers and producers and directors and business folk and corporate giants and, and, and… Please. Let’s get real.

So, what’s worse: cocaine or cigarettes?

I chose a cigarette any day.

Thank you very much.

Cocaine use makes people illogical and paranoid.

No thank you.

Ah, the ‘rich’ and the ‘poor’ aren’t very different because both aren’t very educated.

Ah, the ‘rich’ and the ‘poor’ are quite similar.

The ‘only’ real hope for America is the ‘middle income earners’ who work hard, rear their families and don’t commit to insane lifestyle choices because they don’t go to extremes.

“Moderation is the key to success,” my Grandmother (only Mother) used to say.

How right she was.

Indeed, how right she was about most things.

Yours Truly;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal; 2,000

Word Count: 4,167

*) Day #38 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

“From a tiny spark comes a great conflagration.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Perfunctory (performed mechanically, without interest)

His grades are low because his work is done in a perfunctory manner.

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part VIII

[Disclaimer: No, I’m not even tired or exhausted of writing.

However, I’m tired and exhausted of ‘only’ writing “negative” criticisms to teach valuable lessons of the soul. (One more year to go and I can attain my goal and begin to write “positive” criticisms.)

Athletics taught me to achieve and attain goals thus I write.

I was first and foremost an athlete before I became an artist.

I was a darn good athlete because I was capable and did keep up with the speedskaters from Lake Placid, New York (our recorded times prove it) but I was a terrible runner and always came in last from all of the schools in the state (recorded times prove it.)

(My little Indigenous body loathes running of any type. I can carry my body over great lengths and distances while gliding across the ice instead of bouncing up and down on my ankles and knees and hips. I’ve proven that I can run fifty miles (at a time) because I trained for two summers and accomplished it. If I were ever to need to do that again then I could because I’ve got muscle memory imprinted into my cellular structure.)

I began my journey as an athlete in the fifth grade when I won first place in a skating contest and beat all the boys from my grade school.

A year prior to that win I could be found picking fruit from the jungle floor. Two years after that win I found myself competing at state against some of the best skaters at that time and two years (correction on timeline) after that I qualified for nationals at Lake Placid but didn’t compete that year and the year after that yet again I qualified for nationals and did compete at the John Rose Oval in Roseville, Minnesota. (Ha!) (That’s the only medal I ever kept.)

I know how this gets done: with patience, practice and smart play.

I’m not willing to ‘pull ahead’ until I’ve fulfilled my practice time and technique training because those two qualities will make an all American writer out of me.

I’ve got huge dreams (what can I say: I’m a ‘girl’ at heart) when it comes to this writing discipline but not without first putting in the practice time like I used to before and after school: long before the sunrise and long after the sunset each day.

We used to skate in all types of ungodly cold weather.

It was athletics that taught me about pacing, stamina and leaning into the wind while crosswinds almost blew us over and off the rink.

For tough end-of-the-season weekend practices, we used to skate twenty-six mile marathons while crosswinds blew across the oval making visibility almost impossible.

We dressed in nothing but ‘long-johns’ and freezing thin little tights while we froze our fingers and toes (without socks on) as the clock ticked away.

With each completed rotation, we came closer to our goal to finish up those twenty-six ungodly and unforgiving miles more painful than giving birth.

This is the trick to completing twenty-six miles of anything: mental strength and endurance more so than physical strength.

The body reaches a point of heightened-elevation and it can carry itself but it’s the mind that must endure for the long haul and that’s truly the trick in the discipline to learn correct technique and form and muscle memory to carry one through to the end.

The trick is to learn how to mentally endure for the long-run and not for the self-satisfying short sprint.

So, if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all; because here I come.

I’m rounding this corner to my left and not you or your Lake Placid Grandmothers are going to get in the way of me getting this done and getting it done right.

Excuse me, but I’m working my rear off over here. What are you doing? Nothing. Then we don’t have anything to say to one another. Yep.

No, I don’t ever regret my decision to quit speedskating in my sophomore year of high school to begin my rigorous literary education because all I ever wanted to be was a writer since the first time I ever saw words on paper.

Words on paper are like…

I’ll always be an athlete at heart but I’m a writer and that’s what I do.

To write is to think thus I’m a thinker.

****

Eric’s teaching me not to go out of my way and be helpful to strangers no matter how much they might seem in peril or distress.

Others can help out but I can’t. (Okay.)

I can be as friendly as I wish to be with perfect strangers however I may not under any circumstance help out anyone that I don’t know or that I’m not acquainted with and for good reason because Eric tells me that I’m delicate as a teacup but furthermore I tend to get physically injured or harmed when I go out of my way to help out perfect strangers.

I got slightly injured today helping out a stranger.

At noon “Freeway” and I pulled into our driveway, got out and locked the car.

One driveway over: I stopped and noticed the skinniest black youth holding a thick red dog leash. (The large red dog leash should have been my first clue as to how large the dog was but no.)

I stopped and noticed the youth because he was neither anyone we’ve ever seen before nor one of our neighbors yet he looked to be trespassing unto our neighbor’s driveway without malice or intent.

I stopped and asked the frustrated youth if anything was the matter.

“It’s my dog. I’ve been chasing him for over an hour,” he declared.

I hesitated for a moment but decided to lend our assistance anyway.

“Would you like some help?” I called out.

“That would be nice,” he answered.

Thus both “Freeway” and I moved in closer and walked the length of our neighbor’s driveway and stopped at the edge of a snow bank the height of my upper thighs.

“My dogs around the corner,” said the youth.

I couldn’t make out the dog.

“Maybe, if your dog stands here then my dog will come over,” he said.

With my sweetest human voice I called out to a dog that I didn’t know.

From around the corner came out the biggest brown bear dog I’ve ever seen in my life.

Without any hesitation the large dog got close to “Freeway.”

As the two dogs got close in proximity and got acquainted with one another the youth placed the leash on his dog’s collar.

I realized that my knees were locked while the two dogs sniffed butts with each other but as soon as I corrected my mistake and relaxed my knees the two dogs began to snarl at one another.

Before I knew it the larger dog was about to paw “Freeway” like a basketball and commotion ensued.

I yanked “Freeway” free from the dog that came up to my waist.

As I did that, the dog caught a hold of “Freeway’s sweater and wouldn’t let go but I yanked harder than the dog could pull on the sweater and got “Freeway” loose from the dog’s clamp.

At that point I wasn’t sure if the larger dog had bitten “Freeway” or not.

When I yanked “Freeway” loose he landed on the right side of me but then the dog kept coming at us therefore I picked up “Freeway” as soon as I could and held him up on my left shoulder while I blocked us from the charging dog with my right forearm.

From the moment I yanked “Freeway” with my right arms and he landed on the right side of me to placing “Freeway” on my left shoulder while I blocked the dog with my right forearm; I did a pivot and moved ever more closer to a snow bank on my left hand side and eventually as the dog continued to charge at us, we came to the edge of the driveway and there was really no other place for us to go.

We fell over into the snow bank and I regained my balance as quickly as I could while the dog continued to charge at us and the tiny little youth did his best to yank his dog back on his leash.

“Freeway” barked ferociously while on top of my shoulder.

I kept “Freeway” up on my shoulder for the remainder of the situation.

I preferred to get bitten than to have “Freeway” get bit, if it came down to that.

(If his dog had taken a bite today then I would’ve bit back. I would have taught the dog a lesson and a very difficult one. My Father told me that if a dog ever bit me then to bite back therefore thus I believe.)

I silently regained balance, stood up and backed away.

Astonishingly enough I was still holding my car keys, gloves and travel mug on my left hand while boosting “freeway” on my left shoulder while using my elbow to prop him up as all of this happened.

I backed up and walked back to the sidewalk except that “Freeway” wouldn’t let up. He continued to bark ever so ferociously and I continued to hold his little twelve pounds over my left shoulder.

The other dog continued to come at us as even though the youth did his best.

“Freeway” was in such a state that by mistake I dropped all of the objects I held in my left hand and there they lay in the middle of the sidewalk.

As I bent down; to pick them up while “Freeway” incessantly continued to bark and struggle free I continued to reach for my belongings while doing everything all at once.

While I stood up my gaze met the other dog’s gaze about a foot away but if he had leapt then it could’ve been my face he could’ve taken a bite out of.

“Freeway” wouldn’t stop barking and thus the youth without so much as a word turned around and left.

When we went inside I immediately called Eric to let him know what had happened.

Instantly I checked to see if Freeway was injured or bitten or anything else. In those fleeting seconds I was terrified that “Freeway” had come to harm.

I noticed blood, but I couldn’t see any blood on “Freeway.”

I desperately looked to see where it came from until I realized that it was my own blood that I saw.

Aye, Aye: just a scratch.

It all happened so quickly.

With love;

Yours Truly;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal; 1,500

Word Count: 1,817

*) Day #37 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

“Can fire be near tow and not singe it?”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Ruction (quarrel, rough and tumble fight)

The friendly argument soon developed into a ruction.

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part VII

We’ve made some subtle changes to our lifestyle and it’s really started to pay off.

For example: for about a year (2012-2013) I went without SPF on my face or body because our previous SPF that we purchased smelled bad.

I can barely handle the smell of most SPF on my face therefore for a time I gave up on SPF all together which isn’t something that I recommend especially not to skin cancer patients or those in remission but I did it anyway.

Our previous SPF was high quality but we also discovered that SPF 60 doesn’t do much good for one’s skin anyway therefore I discontinued the use of such product.

In my mid teens I used to wear “Olay” because it’s silky smooth and a great product overall but hence I had my accident and was thrown on my back by a schoolmate and landed on my pituitary gland at the age of nineteen (19) then and immediately I began to develop a lot of cystic-acne and completely stopped wearing my ever endearing “Olay” because I didn’t want to contribute to the already excess of natural oils developed in my pores yet dry skin develops further acne therefore it’s a “Catch 22.”

From the years of 19 through 22 I didn’t wear any SPF.

At the tender age of twenty-two (22) in my junior year at the university I developed melanoma.

Still after surgery I went without SPF because the cystic-acne that developed around the rest of my face was terrible and painful yet I had to take care of my skin as best as I could. I dealt with a lot of cystic-acne which I don’t as much anymore.

I have, however, stayed out of direct sunlight ever since the age of nineteen because dermatologists had prescribed topical creams that mandated that one stay out of sunlight thus I did so.

I hardly ever go out in direct sunlight except with SPF or a wide brim hat on and long pants and long sleeved shirts.

I limit my time outside as much as possible.

Yes, I watch the clock and make sure that if I’m outside between 10am and 2pm that I clock it because I do require a good dosage of vitamin D as well.

Ever since I began to take birth control to balance my hormones (September 2013) (specifically pituitary gland and ovaries) I’ve stopped developing acne on a daily basis and only get three or so bumps the week before my menstrual cycle opposed to the fifteen to eighteen bumps I used to get on a daily basis. I hardly ever get any acne anymore.

As of February 2014 once again I’ve begun to wear SPF 15 on my face and it just happens to be ‘sensitive’ “Olay.” I wear the type that doesn’t have perfumes or dyes in it. I’m grateful this product exists. (Thank you.)

I’ve once more returned to this remarkable product that not only makes my skin feel amazing and silky smooth but it also blocks UV rays and protects my skin from further skin cancer.

No, I don’t believe that “Olay” will keep me from developing further skin cancer down the road but I do believe that this product does its best to protect the millions of men and women who use it on their face, those of us, who, allow for this product to get as close as our beloved ones do when we hug or kiss those that we love dearly.

My skin and my hormones have truly begun to settle down. I no longer have any mood swings of any type. It’s been a long road to recovery and health is everything. I’m grateful to be alive and to be healthy once more.

Furthermore, we purchase as many products as possible without dyes or perfumes in them, nevertheless, one lotion that I don’t break out from but that smells heavenly is “Burt’s Bees” ‘naturally nourishing’ “Milk & Honey” body lotion.

I can’t gush enough about “Burt’s Bees.” (Thank you.)

I discovered “Burt’s Bees” in the fall of 1999 at the University of Iowa’s bookstore.

I believe in “Burt’s Bees” because I don’t break out in rashes or hives when I use their products and that’s a huge deal for me.

****

For the past two years I’ve been wearing the wrong prescription lenses.

My previous eye doctor apparently thought that I was far more blind then I really am thus for two years I’ve been wearing the most unfashionably nasty hair-line fracture of a headache directly behind my right eye.

My right eye is exhausted from having to constantly readjust to blurry vision.

Two years ago we purchased two sets of lenses (for me) therefore I’ve had new glasses ever since two years ago.

Nevertheless, for two years running both pair of lenses were the wrong prescription hence the same slight hair-line fracture of a headache continued to reoccur.

As it happened my second set of glasses didn’t fit very well therefore I kept them in a drawer for most of the second year until recently (March 2014) when I had them adjusted at a new place as I waited for the correct prescription to arrive.

The cute second pair of glasses were the coolest green color but they ‘squished’ my brains-in and then I really received tremendous headaches. I stayed away from my second pair of glasses not knowing that they could be adjusted by heat to fit my facial width.

I simply figured that if one purchased glasses and if the glasses didn’t fit well when they arrived in the mail then one was out of luck.

I didn’t know that glasses could be molded or adjusted to fit my face.

I thought that because ‘every’ pair of glasses which I’ve ever purchased before fit perfectly once they arrived thus I didn’t need them adjusted therefore I concluded that if my March 2012 glasses didn’t fit then the problem was with my facial width and not with the product. (Ha!) (I’m so Indigenous sometimes.)

No, I didn’t tell Eric about the glasses because I was embarrassed to tell him that I thought I’d made a mistake therefore instead I simply put away the glasses hoping he didn’t notice that I wasn’t wearing them but he noticed alright.

I continued to wear my black pair from March 2012 but right at the beginning of the second year (March 2013) my lenses were slightly scratched.

My glasses weren’t as they should have been but ‘out of fear’ for my strict and ‘know-it-all’ eye-doctor I kept wearing my old glasses instead of getting a second opinion from another doctor or getting the second pair (the greens ones) adjusted to fit my face. (Ah. Life lessons.)

The reason why I didn’t return for another eye exam last year (March 2013) is because my former doctor told me that I would need bi-focal lenses at this time last year (March 2013) and those prospects terrified me and kept me from seeing my former doctor.

Finally, when I went in to see a ‘new’ eye-doctor this March (2014) not only did he discover the mistake that my previous eye-doctor had made with my prescription but he assured me that I won’t need bi-focal lenses for another five-to-nine years. (Whew.)

Our insurance paid for our March 2014 eye-exams.

We went our merry way.

We decided not to purchase lenses at our eye-doctor’s office because the clerk ‘up-sold’ us on one single purchase.

One pair of eye-glasses alone came out to an estimated eight-hundred and thirty-four dollars (correct) ($834.00).

(One pair. As if.)

(That’s highway robbery.)

My Roseville, Minnesota aunt and uncle told us about an online store in which my relatives purchased their pair of glasses for as little as ten dollars and they were right.

“Zenni” is the unbelievable eye-glass online store. (Thank you.)

I have a stigmatism on my left eye and even so “Zenni” sold us a most beautiful pair of baby-blue (“The Simpson’s sky-blue) eye-glasses (for me) at the total ‘unbelievable’ cost of forty dollars ($40.00.) Yep. (My eye-glasses are beautiful! I think they’re my favorite pair ever!)

Eric’s two sets of lenses each cost about thirty-seven ($37.00) dollars. Eric bought regular clear prescription eye-glasses and prescription sunglasses.

My new glasses just came in the mail as of last Wednesday: I can finally see correctly! I can see.

I don’t get any more headaches.

Finally, on Sunday night Eric adjusted my glasses under hot water and with a pair of needle-nose pliers. My eye-glasses fit beautifully. Better than any other pair of eye-glasses have fit before, but again Eric’s ‘good like that.’

Today is my second day wearing this new pair of eye-glasses and I don’t have to squint with my right eye to see these typed words.

My vision hasn’t felt this good in years.

I’m in love with life once more.

Cheers!

Indeed!

I’m still waiting for my prescription sunglasses to arrive in the mail.

I can’t wait to pick out a third pair but there are so many choices to chose and pick from that it’s taken me weeks to make up my mind.

My quality of life once again has been made even better than before.

*****

For months now I’ve been brushing “Freeway’s” teeth (our pooch / dog) but he hates it with all his might.

Finally, Eric purchased an “Orapup” from an online company and ever since it’s arrived in the mail it’s made our lives easier.

With the purchase of a new “Orabrush” also included came two human ‘orabrushes’ for both Eric and I.

An “Orabrush” is a tongue brush that’s soft and perfect for gently brushing away bacteria off of the tongue all the way from the back of the tongue to the front of the tongue. (Thank you.)

One simply places the brush at the back of the tongue and brushes forward but not ‘in-and-out’ ‘only’ forward. Repeat and rinse. Perfect.

Wow, all three of us smell wonderfully fine to the rest of the world and to each other.

For a while “Freeway” smelled like ‘open garbage’ each and every time he opened his mouth no matter how much I brushed his teeth (once a day.)

Finally, “Freeway’s” breath doesn’t smell bad at all.

We can all get close and cozy to each other which is nice because our dog is so kind and gentle but that breath of his had to be done away with.

Also, on the human front; I’d like to think that ‘orabrush’ has done quite a bit for my breath as well. Anything that takes away bacteria in a friendly manner and takes care of stinky breath is alright with me.

As the reader has probably already gathered, I like a hygienic and pristine lifestyle because a clean life means less germs (although some germs are necessary) and fewer bacteria.

Nevertheless, I’m someone who enjoys an orderly and fashionably clean lifestyle because a hygienic lifestyle represents health and vitality (to me) and what more is there other than great health. Nothing.

The next line of business is to find a “dog-seat” for “Freeway.”

Yes, I’m serious.

I’m tired of “Freeway” getting loose from the leash buckled into the seatbelt or his harness (which he slips out of) and climbs on the back window of the car while we drive. We pull over each and every time he does that and retie him down.

It doesn’t make me nervous to have “Freeway” run freely or jump up and down in the back of the car (the length of his leash) but it sure does distract me from driving therefore I want my quality of life to get better on that front thus we must find some type of “doggie-safety-seat” for him because I’m afraid that one of these days we’re going to end up in a car accident because “Freeway” has a tendency to roll down the car windows or tear at his pillow or sheepskin bed or leash or whatever else.

Yes, “Freeway” can and does roll down the car windows in the backseat.

There must be something out there.

If there are child-safety-seats (car-seats) then there must be dog-safety-seats for unruly dogs like ours.

There must be a product that can manage to keep our dog seated in one spot long enough for us to drive to and from places.

A product with a dog friendly leash-harness seat option or device or bucket seat or safety seat.

The reason why “Freeway” gets overly excited in the car is because he’s a small little fellow and jumps up and down so he can get a somewhat decent view out of the car window but not without much commotion on his part.

Yes, “Freeway” wears a harness and a leash as well.

We refuse to choke him around his neck therefore he also wears a harness because it’s the humane thing to do.

Alas, I’ve got to begin my search for such a product.

Yours Truly;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal; 2,000

Word Count: 2,234

*) Day #35 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

P.S. We’ve fallen in love with string cheese once again: “Market Pantry” low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese. Oh, my goodness. It’s so good. “Freeway” can’t get enough of it and neither can we. (Thank you.)

Monday, March 24, 2014

“If the shepherd is lame and the goats are swift,

there will be an accounting at the gate.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Ruddy (a healthy reddish color, reddish)

The ruddy complexion of his face shows he exercised violently.

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part VI

I’ve given up baking any more ‘sugarless’ goodies.

Due to my ignorance I had no idea how many calories were in ‘sugarless’ cookies or muffins or cake. All I knew was that they were tasty.

I knew better but I really wanted to believe that if I baked organic, whole wheat, honey and gluten-free baked goods then my waistline wouldn’t suffer but any baked good really does add up over time.

We’ll have baked goods and cake and pastries on special occasions like birthdays or Holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas.)

Sadly to say; As of this weekend I also gave up “sugarcane” or “honey” homemade cookies or muffins or other baked goods because they do me no justice when it comes to living a wholesome lifestyle.

I decided to give up any form of “sugarcane” ‘anything’ as a substitute to brown or white refined table sugar because I broke out in hives this weekend and we had a slight allergy scare.

Eric and I managed the situation beautifully.

No, I didn’t go into anaphylactic shock this time but I did have to drink a lot of water over the course of a six hour period to help my liver clear out the allergens from my system.

Eric and I have been ‘cheating’ the ‘baked-good-Gods’ by pretending that ‘anything’ organic or non-sugar or gluten-free or honey based would be better than any other “regular” brown or white sugared muffins or cookies or cake but we finally ‘faced the music’ and dealt with the truth that homemade baked goods weren’t doing us any good, either, so there you have it.

We’ve said ‘goodbye’ to baked goods as an ‘everyday’ occasion.

Sigh.

What now?

How bleak life looks from this perspective. (Ha!)

We were trying to ‘beat’ the ‘sugar-Gods’ by substituting brown or white refined table sugar with “honey” or “sugarcane.”

For the first time ever we tried a new yellow cake mix batter with “sugarcane” and I almost fell over. My body didn’t handle it well.

I’m definitely allergic to the yellow cake mix and / or to the “sugarcane” in the yellow cake mix.

It was a sign from the Gods to stick to our regiment and not to go wandering off course when it comes to our serious and dedicated new nutritional habit without sugar of any type. (Okay.)

I came to discover that “commercial” honey is also watered-down and either brown or white refined table sugar is added to the honey.

I’ve discovered that honey is overpriced and expensive but way watered-down.

What a bummer indeed.

I grew up eating honey from the comb instead of watered-down sugar-added honey therefore I consider honey more of a solid than a liquid.

Honey from the comb doesn’t taste as outrageously sweet as watered-down sugared honey does from a manufactured bottle therefore we’re going to cut out water-down sugared honey as well.

“Sugarcane” is out of the question. No more. Bye-bye.

We haven’t touched brown sugar or white refined table sugar in weeks.

We’ve purchased “Agave Dream” ice cream. ‘I swear’ it’s the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted even though I’ve tasted ice cream all over the Eastern Seaboard and they pride themselves in making the best ice cream in the country.

We’re going to stick to “Agave” as a ‘sugar substitute’ even though we’ve not ever made it a point to add sugar to any of our cereals or oatmeal (which I don’t consume anymore) or coffee and tea or anything food related for that matter.

The only thing that we’ll miss terribly is the baked goods because that was definitely our form of daily sugar intake and now that there won’t be any more bakes goodies then we’ll truly become walking sticks.

I’m more bummed out by not eating baked goods than I am about going without sugar. I just am. I like that source of nutritional intake but I’ll live. Yes, I’ll go on and thrive.

The only reason why I enjoyed baked goods other than the taste was because the calories really did cling to my body and I didn’t feel as hungry as I do as of late.

I’m hungry every three hours, it seems.

Instead of every five or six hours like I used to be.

As of late; going without sugar or baked goods makes me hungry on a constant and regular basis but that can only mean that I’ve got to give this period of adjustment some time because any alteration to one’s nutritional intake can mean changes by leaps and bounds.

Yes, I’m eating more eggs and no-hormone bison and brown rice and homemade (no-sugar) whole wheat bread and no-sugar peanut butter and no-sugar cereal (yummy) and nonfat yogurt (yummy) and mashed potatoes and so on and so forth, lots of fruits and vegetables.

I’m quite proud of how we’ve handled this transitional period.

At times it’s been a little tough but not, too, bad.

Actually, Eric’s doing better with this no-sugar than I am.

Funny how things turned out?

Yes, I’ve discovered that when one quits sugar or baked goods that they must be substituted with something else like nonfat yogurt and no-sugar cereal and such or the terrible and tremendous hunger pains do take over quite easily.

I’ve discovered that protein takes care of that hunger but one can’t eat, too, much protein or it feels like lead or cement in one’s stomach. It’s a fine balance to eating healthy.

My main concern is that I don’t like hunger pangs and as of late all my stomach does is complain of hunger and like a newborn I take care of it and keep it on a feeding schedule so that it doesn’t end up screaming it’s head off.

I know this might sound strange: but this is kind of fun.

It’s like re-calibrating the body to determine maximum health.

As difficult as all of this change is; it’s also fun to see how much the body can endure and how well it can change to better perform. It’s like fine tuning an instrument to play at maximum performance.

I do sense that my body is beginning to feel better and more in touch with itself. It’s fun!

Yours Truly;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal; 1,000

Word Count: 1,065

*) Day #34 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Friday, March 21, 2014

“When one blind man leads another, both fall into the pit.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Perjury (false swearing, violation of an oath)

He was found guilty of perjury.

--- --- ---

[Corrections were made to the last two blog entries. Wow! I make a lot of literary mistakes. I think that editing is far more difficult than writing is.]

Correction: from “premed” to “primed.” (Ha!) (Thanks.)

Correction: from “Next Generation” to “Seventh Generation.” (Ha!)

[Corrections were made to spacing. I lost my HTML spacing for Microsoft Word spacing this week and it was difficult to get my margins ‘back on track.’]

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part V

Due diligence and discipline is far more difficult to achieve than “self-gratification” or “selfishness” is.

Maturity and compassion is far more difficult to achieve than “anger” or “prejudice” is.

Okay; let’s tackle a complex and abstract subject like “spirits in objects.”

(I know it’s difficult to think about this but work your brains and bring yourself to a place of enlightenment in which your mind is open to new lessons and opportunities for learning because what else is there? Nothing much else.)

I want one to forget ‘everything’ one knows about Western culture and ‘be’ open to one’s world as it is and not as one perceives it to be:

According to Western physics this immediate desk which I write upon, isn’t a solid, rather it’s made up of “atoms” and “molecules” which forms a solid state yet in actuality the desk isn’t what I perceive it to be because it is what it is in its actual physics form which is far more complex than I understand it to be or try to understand yet ‘I’m one with the desk’ because it’s my job as a human not to consider myself as separate or as an individual apart from the Universe(s) rather as one with the Universe(s) because I’m made up of star dust particles and I’m not ‘only’ of the Universe(s) but I’m also the Universe(s) itself. (Okay.)

(I won’t get into physics because I’m terrible at terminology, however, physicists tell me that I blow them away with my abstract concepts because I think in terms of Maya concepts instead of Western concepts about astronomy and the Universe(s).

I love physics more than most other subject matter.

Physics is like a day-dream come true in a sugarless cone.

Physics is pure poetry.)

When any “conceptualist” or “designer” or “artist” or “engineer” or “creator” ‘breathes’ life into their projects then they “formulate” or give shape to their projects with both “negative” and “positive” energy or discharge.

(Think of it: in terms of “positive” and “negative” discharges in a battery.) (You understood that.)

When a “creator” of any type has an ‘innate’ need to “rebel” or to give its audience a “middle finger” because they’re extremely “angry” or “disappointed” by the world then that creator will ‘give shape or form’ to objects that are either “angry” or “abusive” and thus shapes the form and life of the object which will then be used or carried or worn by or on the human body; then such humans will carry such energy upon them for the span of the objects duration or life possibly creating ‘bad luck’ or negative energy surrounding the object or the individual who’s chosen to take responsibility for such an object; no matter what wicked this way comes.

When any “conceptualist” or “designer” creates ‘anything’ out of spite or “anger” or “disappointment” or “rebellious” nature ‘without a cause’ then the object is developed in “fear” and “malice” ‘full of resentment’ and ‘anguish’ for a better life.

The object which comes to be and created out of “self-loath” and “anger”: then understands that its main “function” and “purpose” throughout the span of its lifetime is to “insult” or to be “petty” rather than to “contribute.”

One’s purpose in life can’t be full of “insult” or “petty” endeavors otherwise that object or human has no real “purpose” or “meaning” at all whatsoever other than to become collected dust or garbage piles for ultimate and further waste on Earth.

According to ‘some’ Native American belief systems: an “angry” or “mean” or “sad” or “disappointed” created-object can’t “disguise” what its “true nature” already is no matter how much it may pretend to be “pretty” or “beautiful” or “sacred” because if it’s unbalanced then it’s unbalanced and must go in search of its other better half otherwise it will age unwisely without the power to change.

An object created ‘only’ with “negative” discharge can’t disguise itself to be a “complete” object when it doesn’t or can’t find its “positive” discharge or ‘other half’ to complete its purpose in life.

To create something with ‘only’ a “negative” discharge is to be “lazy” or “hateful” or misguided as a creator and not much of an “artist” at all.

One can possibly be considered a “creator” but that doesn’t make one an “artist.”

If one “hates” and that’s the main purpose or function for creating ‘anything’ to share or sell to the world which in turn will manifest further anguish in the world of humans then it’s meaningless.

The main purpose to art is “compassion” otherwise one’s neither anywhere nearly nor remotely considered an “artist.”

****

Okay; I’ll spell it out because I love.

[Even though, I haven’t completed my full five years of “negative” literary criticisms to teach valuable lessons of the soul then I’ll begin my study of “positive” criticisms of the mind in the second half of my ten year term, and even though I haven’t completed my full outcome here it is:]

The entire point: to ‘great’ or ‘excellent’ writing is to first point out the “positive” aspects to any subject matter and then in equal amount portray the “negative” criticisms in any topic because that’s “constructive criticism” to be “fair” and “justified” to any topic of discussion or writing or analysis.

Now, one may not state: “Your hair is pretty,” but then go on with a list of ten things that don’t work because then one’s taking “advantage” of one’s powerful role in influential teaching and learning.

One can’t point out one good aspect to anything but then criticize the rest because that’s considered a true “fake” or “hater” by definition.

Note: It’s difficult to come up with an equal amount of positive traits to counteract criticisms therefore writing happens to be one of the most difficult disciplinary art forms to undertake because it’s considered tough cerebral work to stay “fair” and “equal” to any subject matter.

There you have it and thus storytelling sure is tough to do well.

Anyone can tell a story but not anybody can do it well.

A balance in the force is crucial for “great” or “excellent” writing or ‘anything’ else in life for that matter.

*****

As an artist, one’s entire tried-and-true purpose in life is to find compassion.

An artist doesn’t become an artist because they’re full of ‘angst’ or ‘anger’ or ‘mean-spirited’ ideas or simply because they can pump-out-ideas like a hot dog factory.

An idea well done for the sake of an idea is over-cooked: or “void-of-life” or “spirit” or “meaning.” It just is and the cook knows that better than anybody else does because they realize that there’re no juices flowing in the meat.

Lack of integrity does shame the creator.

A creator ultimately comes to realize that they know line and shape and form but they know nothing else about compassion or humanity thus they fail themselves time-and-time again causing further and deeper ‘angst’ or ‘anger’ or ‘disappointment’ in a creator.

These “negative” qualities evidently ‘come through’ in the work because these types of creators can ‘only’ go to the deepest places of shallow insecurities or means-and-measures to become massively liked yet such work doesn’t mean anything to anyone and it’s all, too, obvious because the creator couldn’t find their center of gravity that which to create from thus their work dies with them. (Yikes.) (Ouch.)

Creation done out of ego isn’t the same as artistry.

A creator isn’t considered an ‘artist’ even if-and-when they tend to find ‘something’ that works for them and they ‘stick with it.’

If one doesn’t eventually evolve or develop or progress to a place of ‘heightened awareness’ towards empathy for their human counterparts then one hasn’t learned the most difficult and valuable lesson of all: compassion is concern and no, it’s not ‘wishy-washy’ or ‘something’ to make a mockery out of but rather ‘something’ real and concrete and wise and beautiful that holds ‘true’ value and sentiment not merely and ‘only’ line and shape and form which means nothing when held together by sweatshop labor.

******

All art is political otherwise it’s simply considered a ‘hobby’ or a ‘character study’ towards further self-awareness.

Now, to create art that is political by nature is to become an expert at the ability to craft such a delicate balanced structure between “beauty” and “message” without sounding trite or like a whiner or like a donkey’s arse or immature or like a sappy sentimentalist.

‘All art is political’ and it’s serious business.

Art changes the world without having to be brutal about it or throw around punches out of fear for one’s own.

It’s quite rare to come across “artists” because it means that they’ve gone through rigorous artistic trials-and-tribulations.

No, I’m not talking about melodrama or sad fits of anger or crying ‘over spilt milk.’

I speak about “intrinsic” aspects of creation that causes an artist to wake up and become part of a more integral life which is tied in with nature, love and hate, and machinery, and invention, and mathematics, and science, and the stars, and death, and spirits, and physics, and the very breath of life and imagination and proven facts.

Yes, I’m considered a “professional artist” because I’ve already written 10,000 hours of “positive” and “negative” academic criticism. I’ve published and sold my work in newspapers and small publications.

I wrote my first 10,000 words over the course of six years in which I wrote one-and-half (1.5) (correction) twenty-page papers each day of the week for four straight years. I’ve proven myself to my peers and Masters. I’ve written almost every day for twenty years (1994-2014) and I still have a long ways to go.

Now, I’m indeed proving to the world how this is done.

When this year is over and May 2015 arrives: then I’ll have 15,000 completed solid ‘proven’ hours of writing done.

I shall, then, begin the second five years of this experiment’s study to write with “positive” criticisms and complete 20,000 full hours of writing and become an “expert artist” in my field of expertise because one wants a pilot to ‘put-in’ their flight hours before they fly commercial aircraft.

If only I had another five years after that then I’d put it all together for you, but alas…

I don’t have fifteen years for this blog study or series.

I’m only ‘allotted’ ten years because I must then go on to write from an “expert’s” viewpoint such literary aspects such as short stories and novels and screenplays towards the ultimate endeavor to write masterpieces in the form of poetry before I die.

I’ll prove to you that compassion exists in art.

I’ll prove that to you because I’ve done it before.

I’ll prove that to you because I’m giving you everything that I’ve got even though my cheeks do at times turn a little red when I spell out intimate aspects of life. I’m an introvert and I’m human after all.

If there isn’t any compassion in a creator’s work then it’s not art: It’s a “creation” or “thing” or “blob” but it’s definitely not art.

I can’t wait to ‘turn the page’ in about a year because writing ‘only’ from a “negative” critical viewpoint makes me exhausted. I’ve never worked harder at anything else in my entire life as I have with this teaching and learning exercise.

I’m here not because I’m a ‘great’ teacher or learner or writer but because I love words.

I fell head over heels in love with writing as early as the age of twelve. I’ve not questioned my love for this craft but once when I began to show signs of tumors growing in my uterus in my mid-to-late twenties when I began to hemorrhage for weeks at a time but otherwise I’ve held steadfast to this love that’s carried me for two whole decades and it’s not yet let me down however it doesn’t allow for anything but ever evolving concrete love and truth.

I love thus I write truths.

Yours Truly;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal; 1,625

Word Count: 2,110

*) Day #31 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

I’m wishing all a remarkable weekend.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

“Storms pass, but their driftwood remains.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Unbridled (unrestrained, violent, not held in)

When he saw what was going on he displayed unbridled wrath.

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part IV

Aside from the fact that I’m backed up with two handwritten apology notes (for Sept. 2013) (still need to be written: I’ve got a year leeway for apology notes) I’d also like to write many letters (2013-2014) and “thank you” notes: I’ve got one special and particular “thank you” note to write to our dearest friends whom took it upon themselves to gift us with a “Kitchen Aid” hand mixer (KHM72 & KHM92) for Hanukkah 2013. (Thank you.)

Finally, this Sunday Eric opened the packaged electric hand mixer, took it out of the box and its wrapping, we wiped it off and used it to make peanut butter honey cookies. (“Nature’s Finest” honey from Hinkley, MN.)

The tremendous aspect about our new hand mixer is that the handle is kind and gentle on the hands and it’s easy to hold for those of us with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome sporting a brace while we cook.

The handle is smooth sailing.

I was beside myself to actually like handling such a kitchen utensil when so many electronic apparatuses are painful on the hands.

Not only was the handle perfect for those of us with petite hands and especially with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome but also the hand mixer was one of the quieter ones we’ve ever encountered.

Eric and I actually held a conversation while I electronically hand mixed the cookie dough batter without once needing to shout at each other. We could actually talk to each other without ever having to raise our voice.

My life has once more changed in a positive manner because of this quiet electric hand mixer. (My quality of life just went up once again.)

Americans seem to have hearing loss on all fronts.

I personally believe the reason for this hearing loss is because: ‘everything’ in this advanced and ever so technologically savvy culture is extremely loud and filled with “busy” noise: from cars to appliances to movie theatre audio levels to incessant music or radio in shops or restaurants to medical waiting rooms which is unnecessary and causes the Americans to go deaf. (Pity.)

(Yes, I get laughed at by strangers for my ideas until professional research comes out stating that my already “common sense” ideas are in fact true. (It takes time for some forms of science to catch up with the need for real cultural solutions.)

My peers and equals don’t laugh at me anymore because they’ve learned to value and respect the very fact that I’m right most of the time not because I’m a ‘know-it-all’ but because I hold true concern for people’s health and for factual scientific data.

Yes, in 1999, I told a physics class full of peers that I believed that ‘something’ could travel faster than the speed of light and they all laughed, then in 2012 or 2013 it was indeed and factually scientifically proven that ‘something’ can and does ‘travel faster than the speed of light.’) (Ha!) That’s cute.

Who’s laughing now?

I am.

There’re times in which I can’t believe how loud machinery or appliances are and Americans put up with that.

Yes, I love coffee shops, especially individually owned and creative cozy little places that remind me of my days in France or Italy or Spain or Germany. (Ah, how I miss those places right about now, alas.)

I love to sip on a cappuccino or espresso but I gave up on going to coffee shops because Americans seem to take the liberty to paw strangers as an excuse to get by in line and also I gave up going to quaint little coffee shops because the espresso machines are so darn loud that when I leave a coffee shop I ‘almost’ feel slightly deaf plus on top of that normally some idiotically loud commercial radio is blasting at full octave.

It’s, too, much and, too, déclassé for me to spend my time in such absolute absurdity. (Yes, I worked in coffee shops throughout my twenties. I also can make a mean and lean espresso.)

When I vacuum with a “Dirt Devil” vacuum that I fell in love with because it actually vacuums I do wear ear-plugs because I refuse to go deaf in the next four decades of vacuuming that I’d like to get through in my lifetime.

I stopped using some of our 1950’s heavy metal kitchen appliances because I thought I’d lose my hearing. I love heavy metal kitchen machinery from the 1950’s but it sure is loud as the dickens.

No, I hardly ever listen to radio throughout the day unless I’m driving. Yes, the television ‘tube’ is off the entire day.

I’ve got business to conduct therefore my life is for the most part a sanctuary filled with a quiet lifestyle of wealthy standards as it ought to be because sanity and calm quiet is priceless in America when so many American children and adults seem to have gone deaf or scream a lot instead of speak at proper volume because they can’t hear themselves and that’s pitiful and embarrassing for those adults and children unlike French or Italian or Spanish or Latin American or Asian children who understand that the world doesn’t revolve around them because they come from countries that have seen thousands of years of history in the making therefore they’re classy enough not to scream or shout unless they’re terribly angry at someone or something and one isn’t angry every single day therefore one has no need or reason to shout every single day. Right? Right.

For the past eight years, Eric’s wanted to supply me with an entire kitchen full of respectable and inexpensive yet good quality appliances but I refuse because when I think about it I just don’t want to go deaf from the loud noise of the kitchen appliances.

Hence, every year that Eric brings it up I tend to pass up kitchen appliances. I bet Eric’s wondering what I’m getting at.

I do quite a bit of baking and cooking yet I still stir everything by hand and that, too, can take a toll on the body over time.

Yes, I’m in search of quieter or “completely” quiet (if there’s such a thing) set of kitchen appliances that can ‘get the job done’ without causing hearing loss to our future children or to us otherwise I’m willing to sacrifice my wrists for our future children’s hearing especially the children’s first six years of life when they’ll hold a relaxed and disciplined and quiet lifestyle here at home with me before they attend online school or Barnum Public School or?.

For about eight years I’ve wanted a small yet somewhat ‘quieter’ espresso machine for our home (not an industrial one) but I’ve held out all this time.

No, nothing super large or expensive or fancy because we’ve got a tiny little 1952’s kitchen and economy-of-space is ‘everything’ in these 1950’s kitchens.

I’ve been meaning to get around to purchasing a blender but my goodness blenders are so ungodly loud that it just doesn’t seem worth my time or effort or money therefore I’ve stayed away from purchasing one for eight years.

I’d love to ‘sport’ our kitchen with a juicer but those things are so large and heavy and loud that they leave me jarred afterwards. I think that I’d rather keep my hearing than make a cup of pressed juice.

I’ll press fruit by hand and it works just the same or better than a juicer does. It’s fun to get in there and use my hands to handle our precious foods. I wash my hands quite thoroughly.

I’ve been meaning to get a dishwasher all these years but I still think that dishwashers are quite loud even though Eric’s on the verge of getting us a dishwasher any minute now because it would be nice to have one but I just don’t want to have to listen to it clunk along.

No, I don’t mow the lawn anymore ever since Eric bought a new and extremely loud lawnmower this past fall 2013.

Yes, for about seven years of our marriage I mowed the lawn.

I mowed the lawn with a push mower even though Eric didn’t like it.

I loved that little push mower. I’d still use it except that Eric was set on getting a new motorized lawnmower. (I’ve got to get Eric ear plugs to mow the lawn this summer.)

****

I’m terribly surprised that by the year 2014 most of our culture isn’t run by lower audio levels or volume or done away with senseless busy filler noise in public places.

I attribute that to this American culture having a tough time with “maturity” and “adulthood” and also with “quiet.”

With quieter sounds comes better hearing, but also with quiet comes introspection and for those who haven’t reached their full “potential” or “maturity,” they haven’t learned about the beauty in the “sound-of-silence” or the “sound-of-quieter voices” or the “sound-of-peace” thus causing them to get terribly lonesome or lonely or feel bad or angry about the fact that possibly their lives didn’t turn out as they expected it to and they aren’t quite the people they dreamed they’d be by this time therefore intrinsic promises were broken to their spirits and souls and bodies and minds.

The use of a loud voice or sound is there to scare one’s enemies and not oneself.

The use of a loud voice or sound is for warring.

If one can choose peace over war anytime then peace always brings about communal prosperity especially in a time in which so many working professionals “telecommute” from home and make a living that way.

The world’s changed.

American children and adults must learn that in homes very much like ours someone works hard to keep a nice community and neighborhood for others even if our neighbors war with loud voices for no apparent reason.

Especially when our black-American neighbors war against themselves out of self-loathe or against the twilight or curse the dusk; either way, we shall veer course and ignore their loud war-cries coming from their open kitchen window which spills out into our neighborhood and overtakes our street each and every day of the year. (What a tragic war this is.)

War is boring indeed.

The reason as to why America refuses to “mature” is because as a culture it’s so afraid that if it does then it’ll lose its youthful vibrancy but if anything our culture will gain a robust sense of self-respect and dignity which is deserved by all.

In our neighborhood, I sometimes catch school children and teens get off their school bus and immediate they begin to shout and scream like wild monkeys because they haven’t been taught self-respect or because no one really cares if they live-or-die well and intrinsically they know that to be true therefore they’re starved for attention and these youngsters take over our streets and neighborhoods and communities with their loud mouths because they don’t know about God(s) or nature or peace or satisfaction or love or respect or dignity.

My heart goes out to these loud and unruly children and youth but like hell if our future children will ever interact with such lost and forgotten neighborhood children because bad and ignorant behavior sure does rub off and so does exemplary and good behavior which all I can do is be a model citizen and the rest we leave it up to the Gods. May the Gods be with us.

“Telecommuting” is the way of the ‘near’ future and Americans must “mature” or we’ll miss out on millions upon millions of dollars for our communities and neighborhoods and villages because telecommuting from a foreign country would be the easiest resource to outsource in the world.

If professional Americans ever were to get the chance to live in Barcelona without having ‘to go into the office’ each day then I think they’d do it ‘in a heartbeat’ but that means deserting the rest of America to turn into Detroit’s everywhere and we can’t have none of that. (Although, I’d rather live in historically sophisticated culture than modern ghetto mentality culture like America considers itself without realizing how lucky we really are to be here with our freedom of speech and press even and especially when both get abused.)

You do know why “rich” and “wealthy” people live in gated communities, right?

Aside from safety; rich and wealthy people live in gated communities for the peace and quiet and that’s ‘almost’ worth more than anything else to them and they’re willing to pay a pretty penny for it.

It’s tragic that in America we must purchase our peace and quiet because we’re an immature country full of spoilt and starved brats down to the core of our soul.

It’s tragic that in America our Middle Income Earnings don’t get us peace and quiet as it ought to out-of-respect for our neighbors.

Remember: when one’s a renter or a visitor in any neighborhood then one is a guest therefore one must be on one’s best behavior.

Remember: when one’s a property owner then one must take pride in presenting oneself to the best of their ability and in accordance to the rest of the neighborhood’s culture even if one were to hate it or not.

If one chooses to become part of any neighborhood then one must abide by city ordinances and overall quiet and calm culture no matter how ghetto one may perceive themselves to be. Peace.

One more final point: Change’s already here.

What will it be: self-respect and self-restrain or self-gratification and self-war against the self and spirit and mind and body?

I choose self-respect starting right now.

Why don’t we begin together?

Shall we?

Let’s.

Please, be quiet.

Thank you.

Yours Truly;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal; 1,761

Word Count: 2,377

*) Day #30 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

--- --- ---

[Corrections were made: (7:43am)]

The more I hurry then the more mistakes I make.

Correction: from “telecommunication” to “telecommute.” (Ha!)

Off to sit down with our accountant.

Good news: all’s well: now we’ll need to speak with our personal banker about bonds and stocks. Cheers!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

“Ropes drawn too taught break.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Virus (germ, usually one that causes disease)

There is a great deal of talk about virus infection.

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part III

I believe that “three almonds a day, keeps cancer away.”

I believe in the “medicinal properties” inside the apricot’s inner seed pit does and can indeed release anti-cancerous chemicals that can and do fight cancer in human’s cellular structure.

I believe in drinking ‘only’ one cup of coffee per day (no matter how tired I might be.)

I believe in shade-grown and “Fair Trade” and preservative-free grown coffee without artificial flavors added.

I believe in the “medicinal properties” of non-sugared dark chocolates (without sugar added then dark chocolate is bitter.)

I believe that some foods are major contributors to some forms of cancer especially...

I believe that twenty-minute walks (at a time) are far more productive and effective than an hour at a time.

I believe in washing our dishes with “Seventh Generation” dish soap. (Correction.)

I believe in washing our clothes with “Arm & Hammer” laundry soap especially the ‘free and clear’ type.

I believe in having no artificial dyes or minimal perfumes in our soaps or lotions, (although I love the smells of “Milk & Honey” and “black raspberry.”)

I believe in staying out of the direct sunlight as much as possible especially between 10am and 2pm.

I believe in wearing SPF no higher than 45 because after that studies show that higher SPF count may actually contribute or cause cancer due to the chemicals that make up for a higher SPF count.

I believe in leisurely time.

I believe in short naps.

I believe that rest makes workers more productive.

I believe in sleeping eight hours per night.

I believe that “telecommuting” is the way of the near future because studies show that workers are far more productive when they work from home or from their preferred location (although ‘it’s easier to hack into a laptop used at a public location therefore it’s best to work from a private study.)

I believe that white refined table sugar causes different forms of cancer and tumors (because studies show the factual proof.)

I believe that white refined table sugar is a drug and more addictive than cocaine.

I believe in drinking a cup of tea when one is “tense” or “nervous” or in need of relaxation or a good day-dream is far more productive than most other things.

I believe in drinking Mate tea and whole-leaf teas (loose tea leaves not bagged teas.)

I believe that work creates purpose and that keeps people living longer nevertheless, time-off is highly valued and necessary for an exceedingly regarded kind and healthy and long lasting lifestyle.

I believe that there ought not to be any “formaldehyde” or “aspartame” in soda (pop) such as “Zevia” soda which contains: “no sugar,” or “no calories,” or “no artificial sweeteners” and is “vegan,” “kosher,” and “gluten free.”

I believe in not taking much of anything commercial seriously other than “factual” health and wellness information and love and respect and dignity and ‘give credit where credit’s due.’

I believe in greedy corporate “zombies.” (Ha!)

I believe in lighting a candle instead of cursing the dark.

I believe that “fear” and “anger” and “trauma” are aspects of life that humans ‘only’ learn to cope with and don’t quite ever overcome their difficulties just as psychologists have taught me so: One doesn’t ‘get over’ anything, one simply and ‘only’ learns to cope. (Okay.)

I believe that writing from a negative critical perspective takes far more energy than writing from a positive critical perspective in literary criticism. (I’m exhausted.)

I believe in a positive attitude and in optimism but not without a good douse of skepticism. (Ha!)

I believe in flossing each and every day.

I believe in not consuming endangered species like tuna or swordfish.

I believe in vaccinations for both children and adults.

****

Yes, I like to keep my waistline trim as much as possible although with my stubborn Maya ancestry my little pooch or belly fat tends to want to expand at any turn or at any chance it gets to eat anything with, too, much fat in it. (Ah, the balance of life.)

Yes, I tend to consume anywhere from 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day but by the end of the day-and-before I go to bed my mathematics comes out to 1,200 calories total because it’s important to me to know my calorie-count even though the ballerinas tell me not to do that. (Okay.)

I just found out that the average human female burns about 1,600 calories per day just living and breathing.

I walk our dog for about twenty minutes once a day.

I do one hour of straight housework each and every day.

No, I don’t do one hour of housework per day because I necessarily like doing so (not especially) however, I do housework because housework “kills two birds with one stone.”

#1, I get my cleaning done and #2, I get an hour’s worth of exercise each and every day.

No, I can’t stand to go to sweaty public or private gyms where I have to stop and wait for other “mad” gerbils to sweat all over treadmills or weight-lifting equipment apparatus with their “crazed” new weight-lifting fads in which gerbils go as quickly as possible from one weight-lifting machine to the next without much quality to the muscle work put-in (take a real weight-lifting class, please.)

No, I don’t ‘put-in’ one hour of housework per day because I’m a “bored housewife.” I ‘only’ wish I were. (Right, ladies? Right.)

If anything, I ‘almost’ wish all I did -- all day long was to ‘only’ look after our home but alas I’m a “working girl” or “working stiff” and “semi-retired” from some forms of film work (documentaries).

Yes, ‘nearly’ sundown on Fridays we take the Sabbath and do absolutely nothing on Saturdays but say Yiddish prayers and eat amazing foods and ‘be happy.’ (No, we’re not officially Jewish.)

Yes, I do three hours of housework on Sundays and on top of that I cook for about five hours straight. (By Monday morning my pants are swimming on my waistline.)

No, I don’t do one hour of housework per day because I don’t have anything better to do because I’ve got piles of digital files to go through. (Yes, I’ve got projects to last me the next decade.)

Yes, our taxes are due tomorrow when we sit down with our accountant.

Yes, even though I was prepared and primed to become an “Executive’s Wife” I’m still a “working girl.”

Yes, I was brought-up and trained and schooled to be nothing but an “Executive’s Wife” and to run a household and the social functions of an Executive.

No, I’m not an “Executive’s Wife” but all of my training comes in handy especially when I’ve got my own work to exceed at, and, while both Eric and I run independent companies with a cliental roster from here to the moon and investors who require concrete work done each and every day to satisfy their needs that their investments are worth their money. (Whew.)

We’re busy people and for that reason alone I make sure to set aside one hour per day to do housework because I do all of the cleaning and washing and laundering and walk the dog on weekdays. (No, I don’t resent our setup.)

We’re busy people and for that reason alone I make sure to set aside one hour per day to clean our home because believe it-or-not housework burns off more calories than most activities do with the exception of skateboarding for one hour (1,000 calories burned) or 1.5 hours of shoveling does (1,600 calories burned.)

Yes, the hour that I take to do housework has actually turned out to be an hour in which I pace myself and get as much done as possible without killing myself.

Yes, the hour that I take to do housework actually has turned out to be a quiet hour not to answer the telephone or texts or e-mails or melodrama or anything work related other than housework.

My one hour of housework per day has actually turned out to be my “down hour” of the day to see to the house and not to look over Excel spreadsheets or blog edits or screenplay rewrites or video edits or film research or commercial (spot) analysis or reading anything because I read a lot in life in general.

I keep up with our contemporary era and “international nepotism.” (Ha!)

*****

Yes, I did.

Yes, I needed to find a form of exercise that wouldn’t hurt and that wouldn’t take up anymore than an hour per day and that wouldn’t force me to go out into the world to mingle amongst sweaty people because I believe that’s unsightly (not literally.)

Yes, I required a form of exercise that would burn off a lot of calories like housework does (100 calories or more burned an hour) and exercise that was productive at the same time like housework is yet nothing that required a lot of change in clothes or equipment because that takes up time.

Yes, I needed that because I seem to be running out of hours in the day.

My days are indeed long.

I do “squeeze” as many productive hours out of my days as I possibly can without killing myself about it and at a relatively medium-slow pace because important work is normally conducted thoroughly and that tends to take time.

Since, I work from home. I’m far more disciplined than the average bloke. I do indeed have to section off parts of my days for certain activities and responsibilities.

No, believe it-or-not when one works from home, one doesn’t sit around in their pajamas and gets to eat ice cream all day long.

Actually, to be an “entrepreneur” or a “capitalist” or an “industrialist” makes time go by ever so quickly that at times it’s difficult to catch one’s breath because something is ‘always’ happening even though all of my work (more or less) is done digitally and online.

We could move to the moon and still get our work done from there because that’s how we set up our companies.

Once, I shutdown our documentary filmmaking department (2013) then there’s no reason to ever ‘see the light of day’ (not literally.)

We’re one of the lucky ones and ‘ahead of the curve.’

We’re lucky because most, if not, then all of our work can be done online and we don’t require much except my wonderful Mac G5 which I tend to literally “burn out” our Macs and must replace one desktop computer per year (that’s how much work I get done.) Do you go through a desktop per year? I do.

******

Even though we hold a lot of responsibilities to many different people (silent partners) it’s ultimately up to me to stay healthy and sane and vibrant and happy no matter what curve ball comes my way.

It’s up to me to approach life from a positive point of view with a lemon-lime skeptical twist.

I want to be extraordinarily calm in all of my functions but all in good time.

I refuse to get “stressed” or “anxious” about the work we’ve got ahead of us in the next decade. The work will get done one day at a time.

I like to work but I also like to rest and feel healthy.

It’s my duty as a human to feel as healthy as possible in life.

I want to approach life with a mature outlook because that outlook will keep me healthy and vital for many decades to come.

I’ve come to the realization that “stress” is indeed the number one killer of Americans.

I simply don’t want to contribute to that vital statistic. I just don’t therefore I’ve carved out a path for myself in this world even if it’s perceived as “independent” or as “entrepreneurial.”

I know that I’m a flawed individual but I want to be extraordinarily and exceptionally healthy to keep going for as long as I can so that I might have time while here on Earth to write Masterpieces (some day.)

If I can’t or won’t keep myself healthy now then I might not have that time down the road therefore I keep my head down and concentrate on today’s work.

Yes, I’m an “introvert” (but I can also party with the best of them) and that’s why I can pump out work like no body’s business. I’m lucky that way.

No, I don’t need a lot of social time or bouncing off ideas to get me started because I’m naturally gifted with ideas and the ability to work alone.

If I hit a bump in the road then I can always ‘jump’ online and hold a tele-conference with important and prominent business players who’ll grant me time and wisdom to help me re-direct my efforts but I hardly ever require re-direction. I can do that on my own.

I’m wishing all a happy and successful and meaningful and peaceful and exceptionally respectful week full of dignity in the workplace no matter what may occur and no matter who’s stepping on whose face to climb a little higher to kiss a little ass.

I give a great deal of thought to all of the office workers of America and I hold a great deal of respect for them. Thank you for your service. This country wouldn’t run without you.

Yours Truly;

Gabriel

Word Count: 2,263

*) Day #29 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

“If everyone swept in front of his door,

then the whole city would be clean.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Undulation (rising and falling as if on waves)

The undulation of the water caused a pleasant sensation.

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part II

(Quickly, I really don’t have much time today.)

Now, to show off one’s mid drift is to say that one considers oneself a twelve year old without breasts or menstruation cycles.

I’m not sure as to why Americans refuse to become “classy” and “mature” adults.

There’s nothing lovelier than to become a mature adult.

No, one doesn’t have to “grow up” but one does most certainly and definitely has to become a “mature adult.”

One ‘only’ shows off one’s mid drift when one’s twelve.

It’s ‘serious business’ to portray oneself to the world at large.

Anyone beyond the age of twelve who shows off one’s mid drift considers oneself a pre-teen and not to be taken seriously at anything at all no matter how successful one might be.

These “ridiculous” ‘modern styles’ are ever so recycled (1970’s) and such styles refuse to make women into adults (in their own right) and as beautiful as women truly are.

If one shows off one’s mid drift beyond the age of twelve (12) then one has immense “regressed development” and ‘everyone’ else knows it quite well.

The latest style to show off one’s mid drift is based upon the basis that “stylists” seem ever so “desperate” to show off women’s upper bodies but it seems that stylists understand very little about “classic styles” or “old money.”

The reason why “old money” is old is because it’s been sitting in the bank collecting interest for about one thousand or more years.

It seems as though; “contemporary stylists” come from “trailer parks” and don’t understand Greek or Ancient mythology or “old money.”

It’s easy to make fun of “modern stylists” because one would think that they come from “trailer parks” or that they’re ‘poor’ gay men who hate women or female stylists who hate women and can’t get it through their thick skulls that “business etiquette” and “proper attire” are indeed about money. (There, I spelled it out for all of you.)

“Proper attire” makes way more money for an individual more so than “passing” or “trending” styles do those which are aimed at twelve year olds.

“Classical” and “proper presentation” makes way more money than “trending styles” do no matter what one may think because “classical” is a mode of presentation that’s considered timeless.

I know you hate me right about now (readers write in and tell me so) but I’m the one having to spell it out for you and that’s ‘always’ uncomfortable to do so even though I’m placing a golden nugget in your hands.

No, I didn’t grow up in a “trailer park.”

No, I’m not considered any type of “white trash” stylist.

What rubs ‘anyone’ the wrong way is that I know how to "dress for success" and that means etiquette “old-and-new money” dress code.

I was taught by “old money” how to dress for future investments and that’s the difference between looking “trendy” and making the big bucks.

People are trusted to conduct business by their “classical look” opposed to their “whorish” styles.

I’ve spelled it out for you.

Now you can continue to stay ‘broke’ or you can take it to the bank.

I’m already laughing all the way to the bank.

One more thing: the “sexiest” “classical look” is to show off one’s back but not one’s bum and not one’s cleavage or mid drift.

One’s back says more about one’s health and fat content than one’s bum or one’s mid drift or one’s cleavage.

One’s back determines how much body fat one carries and how well one can maintain one’s upper body.

One’s back says more about one’s weight or one’s health than showing off one’s cleavage or mid drift ever does.

A “bare back” is the “quintessential” height of sophistication while showing off one’s cleavage or one’s mid drift is to be indecently dressed and not ready for anything, especially not national television or business success although don’t ever wear a “bare back” to a business meeting.

Now, that’s money going back worth eleven hundred years.

(You owe me big time.)

****

No, Eric’s not a “yuppie.”

Yes, Eric grew up as a “farm boy” and the reason why he’s not a “yuppie” is because he cares less about ‘anything’ that isn’t a big deal.

I, on the other hand am considered a “yuppie” by two accounts: #1, when it comes to food and #2, when it comes to our pooch. (Ha!)

Otherwise, Eric says that I care less about ‘anything’ that isn’t a big deal.

Normally, I don’t much care about ‘anything’ even if I were to write about it.

No, I really don’t care much because I’ve got a busy lifestyle and I’m constantly working at slowing down my life.

I constantly take-in deep breaths and try to do as little as possible although it seems close to impossible because life in America is way, too, fast paced.

We haven’t taken a vacation since 2010, not because we can’t afford a proper vacation but more precisely because we work, too, much and that’s just absurd.

We’d like to ‘get away’ but there really isn’t any place we’d like to drive other than to Missouri.

We don’t mean to sound like ‘old people’ but as we’ve gotten older we’ve made money and the more money one makes then it means more work thus we stay in the city “with the rest of the miserable lot” in the summer time and have a great time together no matter what happens.

On weekends we lock ourselves in and try to do as little as possible although we’ve discovered that to be a sham because ‘something’ always comes up.

When we’re together we try to make our lives as easy as possible and joke around and heat up food and have healthy snacks and watch fun programming (without commercials) and discuss current events as well as “conspiracy theories” because it’s fun as well as “correct” history since Eric used to be an archeologist.

We’re ‘always’ reading something interesting that might compel the other therefore we discuss what each of us is currently reading for fun each week.

We make tremendous discoveries each week even though I’m a “girly-girl” and Eric’s a man.

Eric’s very patient with me because he knows that I’m an “ultra-femme” (no, not a lesbian) while Eric really is a grown man of fifty and has very little interest in what I like yet he’s very kind by all accounts no matter what and that’s what makes Eric so ‘saintly’ and such a gentleman.

Eric doesn’t nag at me and I don’t nag at Eric.

Why would we?

We don’t.

Nagging isn’t love.

We’ve got a list of about a thousand or more projects we’d like to get through in the decade to come but we also take it one moment at a time.

Eric’s far more patient than I am with the passing of time.

I find that I hold an ‘imaginary’ pressing timeline in my mind.

I’m constantly in search of more time because I think that I’m running out of time with all of the projects I’d like to get done but if it wasn’t for Eric’s relaxed demeanor than I’d have a belly full of ulcers.

Eric’s really good at laughter without making fun of other people or cutting down or undermining others and that’s what makes him so much fun to be around.

Eric doesn’t have to bully his way through life to find or gather real and true joy. I’m ever so happy that I married well and that I married an educated “farm boy.” I got lucky in life.

I think half the battle in life is to marry well.

I did that.

I married well and the rest is a piece of pie.

I married a man who isn’t afraid of my anger or joy or sadness or happiness or temperament or in times of worry and in times of deep frustration of disappointment when things aren’t going well or glee when things are peachy.

I’m a ‘lucky dog’ to have married a man who is well beyond my years and ever so mature to treat me as his equal even if in many ways I wasn’t quite as mature as Eric was when we moved in together at the age of 28 and 42.

Eric’s far more calm and relaxed than I am about many things.

Eric’s got a thicker skin than I do about some things.

Eric’s kinder than I am in some ways and in others he’s not.

Eric’s stable and intelligent and not easily bamboozled.

Eric thinks that I’m beautiful and that’s all that matters.

When we got together Eric knew perfectly well that my health wasn’t very good yet he ‘stuck it out’ and decided to make a commitment to me and I to Eric.

I can’t believe that he’d do that for me.

In the first year of our relationship Eric lost fifty pounds because of my home cooked meals and in some ways I saved Eric’s life because he had terrible hyper tension which is almost none existent now.

We’ve saved each other throughout the years.

We run our home like a tight ship and we work well as a team.

Eric’s a remarkable carpenter.

Eric’s a ‘whiz-kid’ at anything technological or scientific.

Eric’s a literal ‘genius’ and doesn’t take anything seriously.

Eric’s got a wicked little sense of humor. I love him for it.

We married on April 16, 2009.

I can’t believe that five years have flown by ‘in the blink of an eye.’

I ‘never’ knew how much I’d love being married to Eric.

I ‘never’ knew how much fun it would be to be married to Eric.

At times our marriage has been difficult but it’s also been fun especially now after two surgeries out of the way and birth control in hand and our first puppy, “Freeway.”

Yes, in our first year of marriage we lost a child in utero but that’s between us until the day we die.

We’ve made it.

After eight straight years of living together and going to hell and back again; we’ve really made it.

We love each other and that’s all that matters.

I ‘never’ knew I could be this happy with one man; my love.

I always thought I’d grow to be an old maid and take care of my extended family who hates me more than they hate themselves.

Eric saved my life and gave me a new life.

Eric doesn’t control me nor tell me what to do.

Eric minds his own business and I mind my own.

We share a life and at times we’ve yelled and cried and gotten stinking mad at each other but that’s only because we care so much about what happens to the other.

We don’t ever want to see any harm come to the other.

We respect each other and it’s obvious.

We love each other and it’s obvious.

We adore each other and it’s obvious.

It’s wonderful to be loved because it means health, beauty and a rich lifestyle full of wellness.

More later…

Gabriel

Word Count Goal: 1,840

Word Count: 1,884

*) Day #28 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Monday, March 17, 2014

“Writing is Love.”

Young Cassidy

Unremitting (never submitting, forgiving, surrendering, incessant)

He performed his duty with unremitting energy.

--- --- ---

Hello.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

To all of the great Irish poets and lyricists!

Happy St. Urho’s Day!

To all of the great Finn farming men and women!

(Today, we buried our own.)

Correction: from “Golden Triangle” to “Golden Rectangle.” (Ha!)

***

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle Wellness

Part I

Note:

Size 8: 35-inch bust, a 27-inch waist, and 37.5-inch hip

Marilyn Monroe: 35-22-35 (Monroe was tiny.)

--- --- ---

Modern Survey: White women ages 18-25 on average: 38-32-41

Modern Survey: White women ages 36-45 on average: 41-34-43

--- --- ---

*) Okay: since readers asked:

Yes, I’m ‘technically’ a size 8 but I dress in size 10 which is a loose and comfortable fit on me.

Yes, my “bust” ‘is less’ than 36 inches.

Yes, my “waistline” ‘is less’ than 28 inches.

Yes, my “hips” ‘are less’ than 34 inches.

****

Let’s put it to rest: Marilyn Monroe was a size six (6) or four (4) by 1950’s measurement standards (which run much smaller than by today’s commercial measurements) and by today’s measurements Ms. Monroe might’ve been a size two (2) or zero (0).

Ms. Monroe was a tiny woman by 1950’s and today’s standards.

By modern American standards today most American women “couldn’t put an arm through” most of Ms. Monroe’s dress collars.

Let’s put it to bed: Monroe was tinier than most women of the 1950’s with the average waistlines of 24-26 inches while Monroe sported a 22 inch waist.

No matter what today’s “vain” commercial sizes might be: ‘an inch is still an inch’ and clothing ought to be numbered as such otherwise America wouldn’t have such an obesity epidemic. (It does no good to lie to consumers because catastrophic cultural events begin to manifest themselves into early mortality rates.)

The more fat a person carries on their belly than the more chances for heart disease and other ungodly diseases not to mention diabetes and early death.

Yes, in order for a woman to be considered a lady she must not “squeeze” herself into a smaller size that which she already is.

Women aren’t sausages therefore one must not present themselves to the world as though one is “encased” inside the gut linings of animals.

One’s figure isn’t so much about what one can “squeeze” themselves into rather it’s about line and shape and dimension.

There’s no reason for women to be smug about their size 8 if they look like hotdogs in their clothes.

If women or men “squeeze” themselves into a size or two smaller that which they can actually muster then they look ridiculous and much fatter than they really are yet they must not wear clothing that sags on them either.

It’s best for one to go a size up and have the clothes fit comfortably loose enough for movement and function than to look as though one can’t properly breathe because that’s not attractive either.

The fun secret about wearing clothing that’s just a little bit bigger than one’s actual measurements is that one ‘only’ knows one’s actual smaller sizing and that’s fun to leave the world guessing how “petite” or “small” one truly is.

As Americans we’re going to do away with the “stuffed sausage” look and the “muffin top” look because both looks are simply absurd.

We want people looking their best not as though they’re about to faint on sight or be ravaged by a pack of wild dogs because the dogs believe the humans to be sausages.

*****

Ever since we quit eating sugar, I’ve not lost much weight around my mid drift (1 inch) but I sure have lost weight from my face and neck.

Through research, I’ve come to find out that “facial fat” has to do with liver dysfunction. (Back to that liver business. Thank goodness that I don’t drink much liquor or alcohol or I’d be in serious trouble.) (One drink per day (for women) otherwise chances of cancer drastically increase.) (Two drinks for men per day or the drastic chances of cancer goes way up.)

Last night I noticed my first wrinkle around one of my laughing lines (no, not my mouth) and almost fell over. (I survived.) (Ha!)

I’ve been informed by friends in medical professional fields that as one looses weight on their face then many facial lines and wrinkles begin to appear and become noticeable but not to lose hope because hence I’ve met my weight loss goal (20 pounds from March 2014-2015) then it’ll take one complete year for the elasticity in my face to tighten up again (March 2016). (This is quite the project.)

Okay, I’m all about it.

My health or my wrinkles?

My health.

Yes, I refuse to have my face cut open and have any unnecessary surgical procedures done.

I refuse to be cut open for any type of plastic surgery unless I’m to be in a terrible accident (‘knock on wood’.)

Within recent months, I looked into having “dermabrasion” procedure done for acne scars but when all was said and done I’ve decided against the procedure.

“Dermabrasion” calls for a literal “wire brush” to be taken to the surface area to scrub away several layers of skin and one must go through as many as six to ten sessions of peeling away surface skin which can be quite dangerous when exposed to sunlight.

(I’ve gone through melanoma (skin cancer.) I must stay clear of direct sunlight. To take off the top layers of skin would defeat the purpose to protect and shield my skin from direct sunlight exposure.) (No, I’m not a candidate for this procedure. I know better. I’d like to stick around for a while…if you don’t mind.) (Ha!)

No, thank you.

I’ll stick to my sauna “loofah.”

Thank you very much!

By many accounts from different people who’ve gone through the “dermabrasion” procedure, they say that afterwards they looked as though they’d gone through the windshield of a car and looked more terrible than they ever did in their lives with their little and faint acne scars that were barely noticeable to begin with.

Yes, I’m very lucky:

No, I don’t have “perfect” skin but my acne scars are faint and light.

I’ve been told by people that my scars aren’t all that noticeable and that the faint scars are somewhat endearing but at the same time I’ve also been informed that I don’t have “perfect” skin which I already knew that.

I take impeccable care of my skin which means one can’t wash, too, much or, too, little.

No matter what: Please, wash one’s face before going to bed each and every night of one’s life.

The mistake I made as a youth and in my twenties was this: I considered acne as something “dirty” instead of bacterial therefore I used to wash my face up to six times (or more) per day and that can actually cause further bacteria to spread to other parts of the face and neck. Washing twice a day is just fine.

******

Yes, once-or-twice per year I’ll get one most terrible acne-cyst on my facial cheeks.

I take care of my annual or bi-annual cystic-acne as if it were a newborn.

The trick to any acne is not to pop it ever otherwise it will scar for decades or for life. Have patience.

Rather gently apply hot compresses (washcloth) until the swelling comes down or the puss is extinguished from the infected area due to bacteria however don’t use one’s hands or fingers because one will extract oils from one’s fingers and add those oils to the already infected bacterial area.

Whatever, one, may do, don’t touch one’s face ever.

It’s best not to touch one’s face for any reason.

I’ve learned to heal my cystic-acne through much patience and care and time.

No, I don’t get cystic-acne very often but when I do it’s painful and uncomfortable and there isn’t much I can do about it but to tend to it ever so gently and carefully to make sure that it doesn’t leave a scar.

When it comes to cystic-acne I can live with the passing blemish that’ll remain for as little or as long as three months.

When I attend to cystic-acne and ever so gently apply daily moisturizer (SPF 15) then the blemish normally disappears all completely and goes away. The new skin looks as good as new and no trace of a cyst is apparent. (Whew.)

It pays off to be diligent and careful and patient with skin.

No, my skin doesn’t look bad for all of the infected bacteria it’s dealt with over the past twenty some years ever since I was thrown on my back by a schoolmate when I was 19, landed on the back of my head and my pituitary gland took the brunt of our fall with my schoolmate on top of me and that’s why I’m hormonally imbalanced. (Another blog for another day.)

Birth control makes me calm as a summer breeze when normally birth control makes crazy-raving-crying-lunatics out of women.

Birth control has the opposite effect on me but when I’m not on birth control, holy cow.

On September 2013 I began birth control and now I wake up with one small acne bump (or none most days) opposed to fifteen or eighteen acne bumps before the birth control ever kicked in.

For years I lived with painful inflammation because believe-it-or-not some acne can be quite painful even if people don’t talk about it.

Acne’s an inflammation of the skin, what does anyone expect?

Reoccurring acne is exactly like any reoccurring illness.

*******

The latest research I’ve done on beauty as a subject matter states that most people aren’t simply-and-only attracted to others due to their “perfect” skin tone or flawlessness. (Whew.)

Because I’d had acne for so long; for the longest time, I thought that people were ‘only’ considered “attractive” to others with “perfect” skin but it turns out that that’s not the ‘only’ feature or physical attribute or quality or emphasis that people find attractive on a “universal” scale otherwise those injured at war wouldn’t procreated.

Personally, one of the more attractive actors of all time: 2003 “Battlestar Galactica’s” Edward James Olmos. I think he’s quite a handsome gentleman and obviously Mr. Olmos doesn’t have “perfect” skin but he’s quite attractive to look at on the widescreen.

I’ve recently had my face measured by professionals.

My face comes close to the measurements of the “Golden Rectangle” or “Divine Dimensions” even though I have an oval face (of the Olmecs) and a rounded jaw (of the Maya) under the slight baby-fat chin. (Ha!)

Yes, my eyes are “almost” perfectly symmetrical.

My eyes are different by “one point” and that’s great because people who are “perfectly symmetrical” tend to be considered less attractive and their perfection is almost off-putting to the average on-looker.

Those who are considered “extremely” attractive aren’t perfectly symmetrical (the eyes aren’t exactly the same point) but tend to be quite as close as possible to symmetrical but off by a one point or so.

No, I’m not ‘tooting my own horn.’

Yes, I’m surprised to find out that by geometrical means and “universal” cultural standards I’m considered a “beautiful” specimen of the human species even though I used to purposely make myself look “ugly” for pictures when I didn’t fully trust the photographer behind the camera.

Most of my young life was a struggle when it came to my looks because primarily white women (of all ages) who hated my guts had a tendency to ‘come out’ and ‘flat out tell me’ that they thought I was “ugly” as well as my former Caucasian male friends. (No, I don’t need anybody’s pity because even in the middle of that struggle I felt beautiful.)

For the most part, I’ve ‘always’ felt beautiful but it’s nice to have a geometrical test tell me that I actually am considered at least by “universal” standards “beautiful.”

Wow, I’m actually considered “beautiful” by classical and modern geometrical standards and ratios especially when other races didn’t perceive me to be so out of jealousy or envy.

‘Nobody’ can take away another’s beauty no matter how cruel they might be.

It’s been a long journey…

I feel stronger in my ability to consider myself someone of beauty which was intended to be so by the will of the Universe(s) and star dust.

I’m glad that we’ve settled that before I die and continue my journey through “Flower Mountain” (Mayan Underworld and Afterworld.)

I’m glad.

When I die; one thing will be for certain: I’m not “ugly” no matter how many people might tell me, that, and from now on and forever more or ‘from here on out’ I shall know the truth and I shan’t ever question it for as long as I live.

Please, find a cure for all sorts of acne.

Thank you very much.

Yours Truly;

Gabriel

Word Count: 2,167

*) Day #27 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Friday, March 14, 2014

No Blog.

See you Monday, March, 17, 2014.

*) Day #24 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

No blog.

*) Day #23 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

“When one link snaps, the whole chain collapses.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Protagonist (follower, an active participant or leader)

The protagonist of communism was brought before the investigating committee.

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Legal “Medical Marijuana” 2014

No, legislators don’t “cut deals” or negotiate bills (to be made into laws) with law enforcement no matter how much of a tantrum law enforcement may throw because law enforcement’s job is to enforce laws and not to make laws otherwise America’s democratic Republic becomes a totalitarian “police state” and we can’t have none of that.

****

The first of three major arguments made by law enforcement for-or-against legal “medical marijuana” is these: some law enforcement is “afraid” that there’ll be “a rise” in teen usage of “medical marijuana.” (As if. Take a look at the latest (2012-2013) drug research out there.)

Let’s debunk this theory once and for all:

#1: Today’s teens were yesterday’s toddlers who grew up in an era and in a generation that the message which was ‘pounded into their heads’ was that smoking causes deadly forms of lung cancers thus most likely if today’s teens smoke ‘anything’ then they’ll most likely die a most horrible and painful death. True.

Therefore, today’s American teens are anti-smoking ‘anything’ because of their terrifying fear of dying young and a painful death from different forms of lung cancers.

Furthermore, most likely many of today’s teens witnessed their Great-Grandparents or Grandparents or aunts or uncles die from some forms of lung cancers because that’s what these generations grew up with therefore today’s teens are quite personally aware of the dire implications that comes with lung cancer and carcinogens unlike previous generations did.

#2: Today’s teens were yesterday’s toddlers who grew up in an era and in a generation that was overprescribed A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. drugs like “Ritalin” which contains medicinal properties in the likes of “meth” or “heroin” therefore today’s teens are ‘hooked on’ “heroin” because “heroin” acts like A.D.H.D. prescription drugs.

Furthermore, today’s teens are also addicted to “heroin” (powder, not injected) because “heroin” isn’t easily detected like cigarette or marijuana smoke is and “heroin’s” cheap to purchase ($5.00 per “stamp” of “powdered heroin” while a pack of cigarettes now costs nearly a whopping $10.00.)

(Most teens don’t have “disposable incomes” ‘to play with’ as previous generations did therefore cheap “heroin” is easy to come by and cheap to purchase unlike “medical marijuana” which goes for $37.00 per one-eighth of an ounce.) [Is that correct? Well, we’ll have to change those market prices in this country, won’t we? Yes, indeed. We can’t have our cancer patients dying horrible deaths and being ‘gouged to death’ by the market as well.]

[Yes, I’ve done extensive research on drugs for a feature film we were going to produce but backed out of as quickly as possible.]

(In my humble opinion that’s ridiculously expensive.

I bet a lot of that marijuana is also terrible like bagged tea is. Bagged tea is the dustings off of the factory floor that gets bagged and sold to ignorant Americans and large profits are made from dirt. If one is going to buy proper tea then purchase the whole leaf and not the dustings. No wonder Americans get cancer from food products.)

#3: Factually proven in modern teen drug studies and scientific research (2012-2013) the #1 drug of choice amongst teens the ages of 13-17 is “heroin” all throughout the United States of America. Period. (Come on catch up with the times.)

*****

The second argument that law enforcement makes against “medical marijuana” is that “medical marijuana” “will make it into the wrong hands” and that’ll make law enforcement’s job more pressing and demanding. (Actually, not so.)

Let’s debunk this theory once and for all:

When “medical marijuana” gets passed in the form of a legal legislative bill by the Minnesota House then “medical marijuana” “will make it into the right hands.”

“Medical marijuana” “will make it into the right hands” of cancer patients and not “recreational” or “street” users who already smoke it anyway without the help from hospitals or dispensaries. (Wake up.)

By law; it’s illegal to share or dispense of one’s prescription drugs and that would go for “medical marijuana” just as any other prescription drug is personal and only prescribed to a particular patient.

“Medical marijuana” would be treated no differently than any other prescription drug such as “meth” or “heroin” based “painkillers” or diabetes drugs or heart disease drugs are.

It seems that this law enforcement theory can be easily debunked because when patients with calamitous ailments live-and-die from many different forms of painful cancers or other deadly ailments then patients aren’t able to “get their hands on” legal “medical marijuana.”

Not being able to “get one’s hands” on legal “medical marijuana” can only mean that cancer patients and others with detrimental ailments must trek outside of their immediate and present communities and “make connections” to some “shady” people that could bring them to their ultimate demise.

Anytime that a patient is ill with a deadly form of any disease then it’s easier for others to take emotional or physical or psychological advantage of the patient.

Illegal marijuana makes it easier for some dealers to “cut off” supply to patients when patients need the “medical marijuana” most or it’s easier to “hold ‘something’ over the patient’s head” or to raise the price or cost of “medical marijuana” without justifiable means because there’s “no one” there to report such crimes to and market price can fluctuate just because some immoral dealer says so.

It’s a terrible conundrum to place patients under such duress in the last days of their lives and to “turn patients over” and place patients in the hands of some manipulative or abusive or cunning dealers who don’t care if the patient lives-or-dies well because some dealers only care about what they get out of the deal in return and there’re no ‘checks-or-balances’ to these “quasi” business transactions.

Yes, I’ve been informed by cancer patients that the biggest problem about getting their hands on “medical marijuana” is that “some” South Minneapolis dealers stopped dealing in money all together and almost ‘force’ patients to exchange “medical marijuana” for sex.

Now, that’s another can of worms all together.

Now, we’re dealing in sex crimes more so than misdemeanors.

Some disgustingly manipulative or cunning or abusive dealers carved out a stake in that mischievous territory but there’re no laws or regulations in place for the safety of patients or women in general.

Therefore some patients will go so far as to exchange sex for “medical marijuana” because they can barely contend with their pain and this is how patients must spend the remainder of their years or months of their lives as sex prisoners to some drug dealers.

Once some drug dealers conduct their business in sex crimes then there’s no reason for some drug dealers to begin to ‘pimp out’ the patient in exchange for “medical marijuana” because the patients’ money is no longer the currency sought after as previously thought.

It’s riskier for cancer patients to trek out of their communities and safe homes and try to “make connections” to drug dealers or pimps or prostitutes when patients normally wouldn’t otherwise and if patients do it’s simply and only to calm their many painful cancerous symptoms.

Personally, I’d urge law enforcement to “open up their eyes” and stop living and working under previously thought of “baby boomer” stigmas as modern modes of operation because whatever law enforcement may have thought that the world was like, in many ways, it no longer applies.

Law enforcement must move along with the times and high tech and low tech crimes.

Law enforcement must not get in the way of conducting and writing laws because since law enforcement has become dinosaurs and truly don’t fully understand the vast and complex cultural problems that our citizens and civilians deal with (here on the ground) then law enforcement has become an outdated and dusty resource for our communities and law enforcement doesn’t get ‘a say’ about passing laws because they no longer apply to the times in which we live in. Period.

If anything, law enforcement has to stop worrying about which hands “medical marijuana” will end up in and start thinking about sex crimes committed against patients and women in the exchange for unregulated street marijuana.

Please.

Set one’s priorities correct.

I made my second argument and it’s an evidently good one.

No, I didn’t want to spell it out but it needed to be done.

[Yes, I’ve got a pulse on cultural practices from “old world” to “street cred” and that’s what makes my outlook valuable as a researcher.

No, I don’t take on others’ lifestyles.

I observe and study and ask tough questions and get tough answers in return thus I learn what is and what isn’t.]

What‘s it going to be?

Is society going to preserve the decency of our patients or are we going to throw them to the wolves? (Legislature must choose.)

Personally, I hated it when I encountered young women or cancer patients who exchanged sex for marijuana because money is no longer the valued exchange rate.

Organized sex crimes have become the hot commodity for some South Minneapolis marijuana drug dealers.

Come on America!

Let’s protect our women and cancer patients.

When did purchasing “medical marijuana” become an excuse for sex crimes or sex trafficking?

People‘s money is just as good as anything.

******

Ultimately what “medical marijuana” comes down to is the preservation of patients in the long run.

It’s embarrassing and all, too, obvious to see that “baby boomer” law enforcement still upholds to the many stigmas and negative propaganda that which they learned in junior high in the 1950’s when it comes to their outdated generational outlook on “medical marijuana.”

Look; America is a legal-and-illegal drug filled culture that can’t very well deal with pain of any type therefore it self-medicates even if it means stuffing fifty cookies into one’s face over a three hour period late at night when Americans feel sad or lonely or bored.

Americans haven’t learned to cope with fear or loss or pain therefore they self-medicate but when it comes to dire ailments those which cause actual tremendous physical pain to a human then we’re talking about the morality to do the right thing by patients who can barely breathe without having that very act hurt them.

Yes, marijuana is everywhere in America.

Yes, I’ve been informed that “on every other block” in America that one can encounter a marijuana dealer who won’t submit others into sex crimes but dealers are there nonetheless and modern dealers come in all shapes and sizes and races.

Yes, I believe that marijuana has held a bad reputation and negative outlook in propaganda because “someone” wants it that way, but remember that it was the C.I.A. in the 1970’s that introduced “LSD” and “Angle Dust” and “heroin” and “cocaine” into America’s streets and Americans are still dealing with the aftermath of that effect on our society.

I believe that all drugs ought to be legal. Period.

Sincerely;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal: 1,791

Word Count: 2,035

--- --- ---

*) Day #22 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

--- --- ---

*) Yes, this weekend Eric and I play chess to see if we stay in our present neighborhood or move.

--- --- ---

Size 8: 35-inch bust, a 27-inch waist, and 37.5-inch hip

Marilyn Monroe: 35-22-35 (Monroe was tiny.)

--- --- ---

Modern Survey: White women ages 18-25 on average: 38-32-41

Modern Survey: White women ages 36-45 on average: 41-34-43

--- --- ---

*) Okay: since readers asked:

Yes, I’m ‘technically’ a size 8 but I dress in size 10 which is a loose fit on me.

Yes, my bust ‘is less’ than 36 inches.

Yes, my “waistline” ‘is less’ than 28 inches.

Yes, my hips ‘are less’ than 34 inches.

Yes, the measurement around my stomach’s belly button ‘is less’ than 30 inches. (35 inches or beyond 88cm is considered “obese.”)

No, I shan’t give out my precise measurements because that would be improper to do so.

However, many of you are wondering how “obese” I am and would like to know my “relative” measurements.

Yes, by American Western medical practices and standards I’m considered “obese” but my measurements indicate otherwise. (Ha!)

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

“If you’re busy with tar, your hands will get dirty.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Proselytize (to seek to convert, win over to your own opinion)

Missionaries go to foreign countries to proselytize the natives.

--- --- ---

Hello.

Yes, indeed free Tibet.

Happy Tibetan New Year 2014!

[My Roseville, Minnesota and now Manhattan, N.Y.C. (resident as of the past 19 years) cousin lived in Nepal for several years therefore I’ve got a relatively good idea about Tibet.]

***

Legal “Medical Marijuana” 2014

First valid point, from what I remember about basic governance is that laws are passed for the overall protection and civic progress of citizens and civilians.

Laws aren’t passed upon the basis or needs of law enforcement therefore America would become a “police state” and we can’t have any of that.

Law enforcement provides a specific ‘supposedly’ peaceful service while legally protected citizens and civilians (under the American Constitution) are the customers (clients) no matter how else much differently law enforcement may perceive or portray themselves to be; especially when sending minorities off to prison has become lucrative business in contemporary America (the new Jim Crow laws).

Law enforcement isn’t any type of law makers and they shan’t ever become so otherwise that would come to mean a “conflict of interest” or a Fascist’s state. (I don’t think so.)

Now, I’ll argue for-and-against the many multiple points in debate to legalize “medical marijuana” and “recreational marijuana” or not.

[Disclaimer: Yes, I’m conducting a personal study on botany (the study of plant life) however and nevertheless I neither grow nor smoke marijuana. No, I don’t sell or purchase marijuana. Period.

No, I’m not any type of medical expert.]

Second valid point, after nearly two decades of conducting a serious socio-cultural study about the use of “medical marijuana” (illegally purchased or not) in cancer patients I’ve come to discover that nothing much else relieves the dreadful and deadly forms of pain in dying cancer patients as “medical marijuana” can and does.

It seems that the problem with “painkillers” is that “painkillers” tend to “dope” or ‘heavily’ “medicate” or ‘overly’ “drug” cancer patients causing the patient to feel “drunk” leaving them with very little motor function or at times with very little motor skills yet the “painkillers” don’t alleviate the deep excruciating bone marrow pain in cancer patients living one day at a time knowing perfectly well that their days are numbered and they’re not fooled by life-or-death or treatment.

The main argument for “medical marijuana” is this: “medical marijuana” helps cancer patients keep their appetites regular until the very end.

While cancer patients fight the battle of their lives and the many other harsh modern forms of cancer medications or treatments; those very modern medical cancer practices cause cancer patients to lose their appetites, indefinitely.

Now, the situation seems to be that “medical marijuana” does seem to help cancer patients with their appetites otherwise cancer patients wither away from what seems to be malnutrition as well as other forms of modern cancer treatments or practices that seem to be by all contemporary accounts barbaric and inhumane.

I’ve come across AIDS patients or prostate cancer patients or brain-and-bone or breast or melanoma (skin) cancer patients who prefer “medical marijuana” to any other forms of “painkillers” while the patients struggle to survive and live and die honorable deaths.

These patients with calamitous and deadly forms of cancers or AIDS will go to great lengths to illegally acquire and purchase (which can place patients or loved ones in dangerous situations) “medical marijuana” even if that means spending their last days in prison because their severe pain couldn’t be any worse than any prison sentence and patients know that better than any law enforcement member or judge or doctor or attorney ever could.

Personally, we’ve lived through the dire and heartbreaking lives-and-deaths of our close friends who’ve lost their parents to AIDS as well as our close family members and friends whom we’ve lost to detrimental and deadly forms of bone-and-brain and breast and prostate cancers.

If one’s not ever gone through the loss of a beloved one who has lived-and-died from any violent forms of cancers or AIDS then one has no idea about that type of Earth shattering loss and what that daily struggle is like and I hope that one never does.

The suffering one’s beloved-ones go through in the last years and months and weeks and days and hours and minutes and seconds of their lives is unbearable to watch and to speak of. (I must go on with my essay. I can barely bring myself to write about this.)

Death by the many different forms of cancers or AIDS is a messy and brutally painful business.

There’s nothing clean or peaceful about the extreme and devastating forms of cancers and the types of death it brings about.

Indeed, dying is messy business.

Third valid point, after everything’s said and done; Personally, I’ve become a strong supporter and advocate for “medical marijuana.”

I think that it’s the right and proper thing; to do well by our American citizen-and-civilian populations to conduct a more humane and sympathetic approach to their painful and cancer-ridden lives and deaths.

I believe that the humane thing for People to do is to be able to die with as much dignity as possible and with as little pain as possible.

Since “medical marijuana” holds medicinal properties to alleviate such atrocious and violent forms of cancerous pain then it’s our national responsibility as a democratic state under a Republic that “We The People” get behind “medical marijuana” and pass it in the form of legal and just laws.

We must make “medical marijuana” legal more so for our People’s sake than for our law enforcement’s rebuttals.

Whatever law enforcement’s arguments may or may not be, for or against “medical marijuana,” if law enforcement stands against legalizing “medical marijuana” then that can only mean that they’ve not had to bury their own from deadly forms of cancers.

(How tremendously wonderful for them, however, how deeply crushing and sad for those families and friends and communities who’ve buried their dead after nine straight years of battling many different forms of cancers alongside their close family members and friends. When our close family members and friends were diagnosed with different forms of cancers they lived-and-died with cancer and pain for many years.)

It’s not only our national duty but our ‘just cause’ to insure that as an overall American culture that we mature into adults and recognize the many valuable properties and medicinal strength in “medical marijuana” so that our beloved ones may live and die with dignity.

Fourth valid point, what I don’t seem to completely understand is this: why is methamphetamine or amphetamine based “painkiller” drugs over prescribed like hotcakes in the big-pharmaceutical medical drug-dealers and pushers market but “medical marijuana” gets a bad reputation?

The reason as to why methamphetamine or amphetamine based “painkiller” drugs are over prescribed is because such drugs are made with highly addictive opiate properties such as meth or heroin and that’s the crux of the entire drug dealing operation.

Anything “meth” or “heroin” based will not only rapidly ‘hook’ or make an addict out of anyone but also keep an addict coming back for more while drug-pushers (doctors) of big-pharmaceuticals get kickbacks for making 50% of the American population a culture of addicts and ‘hooked on drugs’ such as “painkillers.”

How come no one’s writing laws against big-pharmaceutical methamphetamine or amphetamine based “painkiller” drugs overprescribed to Americans and why is it that law enforcement isn’t making a peep about it?

What gives?

Big money and propaganda.

It’s been factually proven that marijuana isn’t physically addictive while “meth” and “heroin” will not only alter brain chemistry but also physical chemistry as well. (I’ll need to conduct further research.)

Since, America is a somewhat nation full of dry-and-wet drunk alcoholics and “painkiller” addicts what’s the point of placing so much negative propaganda on “medical marijuana?”

The reason as to why there seems to be so much negative publicity and propaganda against “medical marijuana” is because big-pharmaceuticals don’t quite know ‘how to tap into’ a “black market” much less how to compete against something as common as “medical marijuana.”

Fifth valid point, Americans demand leadership on this topic of discussion when it comes to “medical marijuana” because Americans are no longer insecure or immature about the medicinal properties to alleviate pain when it comes to their suffering and dying of close family members and friends.

When so many of our beloved Americans live-and-die each-and-every single year from devastating forms of cancers, Americans have come face-to-face with the many stark realities about our nation’s overall heath and a country that’s ‘quick to make a buck’ but refuses to take the lead in caring for the vastly and dire needs of this country’s citizens and civilians and their better interests for progress and dignified means of living and dying and coping with cancer pain.

Dying is quite personal business.

Being someone who’s had damaged melanoma cancerous cells (most likely that’s what’ll kill me in the end; once one’s cellular structure becomes damaged by cancer then “it’s only a matter of time.” (Although, I could live to be 100; one never knows.)

Being someone who’s already gone through treatment when I was 22; neither my country nor my country’s men or women will keep me from living-or-dying a dignified death if and when we cross that bridge again then I’ll self-administer “medical marijuana” as a form of self-medication and no one will have anything to say about it because my sentence will already be a painful death.

When and if (the Gods willing not to be so) that I may someday die from melanoma (‘knock on wood’) no man’s country or region or laws will dictate how I’ll live-and-die because cancer is painful and debilitating at the best and worst of times.

No one’s going to tell me how to live-and-die with cancer in my body.

Let’s get going!

We’ve got work to do and laws to pass for the protection of cancer and AIDS patients and “medical marijuana.”

Peace;

Smiles all around;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal: 1,468

Word Count: 1,676

*) Day #21 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Monday, March 10, 2014

“If you eat your bagel,

you’ll have nothing left but the hole.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Astute (shrewd, wily, sagacious)

The manner in which he handled his opponent showed him to be an astute politician.

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Thoughts

Last Monday, one week ago -- today, our Kettle River Elder was struck by a deer. She’s alright. She’s not injured in any way. Thank you to her insurance personnel for being so honest and professional with her about her automobile insurance.

[Our Kettle River Elder is 87 years old but by no means is she senile or incompetent. Our Elder has all of her faculties and brains intact and she’s mentally sharp as a knife. She does word puzzles and continually reads and we believe those two functions help out tremendously.]

Two Fridays ago -- ten days ago, today, our Kettle River Elder fell on the bottom step landing to her basement stairs. Thank you to Mercy Hospital in Moose Lake, Minnesota for bandaging up her cut and for taking such great care of our Elder, our beloved one.

Our Elder is the matriarch of the family and she means the world to us all. She just does. She’s our world and our love.

Our Missouri niece safely arrived at our home early this morning at around 12:30am.

We’re glad to have visited with our young niece (the beautiful ballerina and certified nurse) before she made her way to St. Cloud, Minnesota at noon today to see to the status of her great-uncle whose health is grave and apparently he’s on his ‘death bed.’

Our extended family predicts that great-uncle may pass away this week. We may be burying another of our own yet once more this year.

Personal note: One of the gravest social blunders of 2014, which I made earlier this year was to attend a familial funeral in jeans.

It was inappropriate of me to do so.

I shan’t do it again.

I’ll pay our proper respects next time.

It’s just that that morning I tried on my dress pants and neither pair fit me therefore I went in jeans but as soon as we arrived we realized that we’d made a grave mistake because we had.

Our deepest cultural and social apologies to our dearest extended-family for wearing inappropriate attire to a funeral. It shan’t happen again. I can’t explain to the reader how embarrassed I was. What a disgrace, indeed. I was brought up better than that.

Notes:

*) No, I don’t hate Target Corporation in any way.

Are you insane?

Please. (Don’t be so insulting as all that.)

(Why does the reader get me so wrong?)

(Don’t answer that. It’s rhetorical.)

I simply want to ignite a spark under Target’s arse and get Target going and ‘out of its rut’ ergo so that Target might become one of the more successful and highly sought after companies in America or the world (for that matter) however Target mustn’t forget their Minnesota initial humble and caring mission statement because that’s what made them so unique and great to start.

I’ll do my Ut-most best to get Target into a competitive and intelligent and smart and sympathetic “modus operandi.”

There’s nothing like a tiny-little me to get a large corporation such as Target to get their ‘head back in the game’ and ‘put their house back in order’ because if I’m right then Target must operate at maximum capacity and with Ut-most humble responsibility until their troubles are over due to the fact that the world’s watching and that means that consumer respect and corporate high standards are in order (respect is a must) towards a means to thrive in this all too competitive world market.

The world market is one now.

(United and not fragmented.)

We’re one of Target’s biggest cheerleaders (both Eric and I) but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to ‘spoon feed’ Target when we know exactly how many millions of dollars are at stake for the company and for Minnesota.

[To be one’s biggest critic is to become one’s greatest supporter because one cares enough to take the time to criticize that which is ludicrous about any stupendous thought, word or deed.]

I was educated and brought up by old world money. I know how this game is played. No, I hold absolutely no ‘real’ power or money in this high stakes poker game but I most certainly know how the game’s played and by which rules to win by and I know exactly how it’s won because I’ve watched my relatives win at this for over three hundred years.

--- --- ---

*) Why can’t the reader understand “alter-ego?”

My “alter-ego” is my sweet and curmudgeonly Finn-Minnesota Grandfather, Al Long, who had ‘a heart of gold.’ He wasn’t bitter. He was simply particular and to the point. (Ha!)

*) Yes, I know perfectly well that I don’t control people, places or things but I do write with Ut-most proper sentiment because I know exactly what tends to win the game of life. (Ha!)

*) Yes, I know perfectly well that I hold no control over people only my household therefore I like to keep a neat and clean house but by no means am I delusional to think for one moment that I control outcomes or destinies or people. Please. (I’m, too, smart for that.)

*) Ever since our favorite waitress no longer works at Crystal Perkins it’s not the same. She was such a jewel and we greatly miss her. We used to attend Crystal Perkins because of her.

She’s a tremendous waitress, whether we’re talking five-star dining or diner-style of service. We used to attend Crystal Perkins because of her and now, we’ll have to find another place to dine and to take our friends and family members out to eat. (It’s not the same without her.) (An excellent waitress is difficult to come by.)

*) Peace, everybody.

Settle down and learn the literary lessons. Goodness, one would think that one’s not been properly educated.

I’ve got much, too, much other business to attend to.

Cheers!

Smiles all around;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal: 587

Word Count: 1,131

--- --- ---

*) Day #20 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

*) Okay, I’ll address it since some readers asked: no, I don’t ‘bathe in’ the tub.

I soak in the tub but I wash with soap standing up in the shower before-or-after I ‘soak’ in the tub.

Yes, correct: women who bathe in soapy water tend to get yeast infections when they sit for prolonged periods of time in soapy baths therefore only ‘soak’ in “Epsom” salt baths and leave the soapy washing while standing up before-or-after bath time.

For those of you who don’t know: there should never be any soap or perfumes or dyes near vaginas.

There, is that specific enough for you? Yep.

Nope, no, dyes or perfumes or soaps in-or-on vaginal products because they wreak havoc on women’s PH balance. Please no.

Friday, March 7, 2014

“If cats wore gloves, they would catch no mice.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Urbane (courteous, polished)

Her urbane manners were the talk of the gathering.

--- --- ---

[Corrections were made again for your reading pleasure and enjoyment.]

Correction: from “drags” to “rags.” (Ha!)

Correction: from “where” to “wear.” (Ha!)

Hello.

***

Target 2014

One, when I attended private schools (all those years ago) it was mandatory that we wore “proper attire” at all times except for Fridays we were granted one “casual day” per week and even then we weren’t “allowed” to wear labels on our clothing or torn clothes or shabby looking clothes.

“Casual Fridays” were fun but somehow we understood that we didn’t take school or others as seriously as we did the other four days of the week and that was a perfect lesson learned by all.

If we weren’t properly attired in proper “uniform” or garb then we got sent home to change and students paid a $50 dollar fine each-and-every time that we appeared on campus looking like slobs. (Rightly so.)

Two, there’re many psychological studies that indicate that “relaxed attire” vs. “proper attire” does indeed make a difference in the psychological effect of subservient workers if upper-level management or corporate leaders decide to abandon all “proper business attire” from their positions or titles those which one holds then productivity and profitability lessens to almost a complete halt. (Ouch.)

When one refuses to dress for a particular corporate occasion or for a proper title or position then others take those “dressed down” less seriously and their authority is either diminished or undermined or compromised. (Rightly so.)

Three, when it comes to Target and their “dress down” policy specifically Target’s CEO’s and their “junior executives” then such a “lazy” or “mindless” act automatically makes them ‘a laughing stock’ in the standardized business world because it means that Target doesn’t think much of their positions or responsibilities as other working global adult professionals do and that can only mean that “slob professionals” ought to be undermined and laughed at behind their backs by all other professionals in the standardized global markets as well as possibly stop doing business with “slobs” because slobs are ‘no one’ of any real consequence.

Slobs are ‘nobody’ and it shows.

Now, corporate CEO’s on average make around 16 million per annual income salary.

Most “junior executives” compete for the position to someday become “top dog” CEO’s of corporations such as that of Target therefore Target must abide by and set a professional business standard so that when “junior executives” apply for CEO positions all over the world then Target’s “junior executives” won’t get ‘passed over’ by either the East Coast or the West Coast or the Japanese or the Chinese or the Russians or the Brazilians or the Europeans or the Africans or the Canadians or the Mexicans. (Yep.)

Any edge that one may find then use it because world markets sure are competitive and many “bright” and “intelligent” minds in the form of “junior executives” are ‘coming up in the world’ and that means “proper attire” is in order to be taken seriously as well as respected especially by subordinates and other powerful industry leaders.

Yes, to dress for a specific professional or social part or to dress properly takes time and effort and money and energy but that’s just the point. Isn’t it? (Yep.)

If one desires to become a corporate or non-corporate business leader in any industry or branch of business then one must ‘dress the part’ because the money and the effort are worth it otherwise one’s either become “demented” or “lazy” or “stubborn” or 'out of touch' with global business standards because in other parts of the world and in America no one’s going to take a CEO dressed in jeans seriously. Why would they? They wouldn’t.

CEO’s dressed in jeans aren’t respected because ‘everybody’ knows exactly how much CEO’s or “junior executives” make per annual income salary and to arrive at work in jeans and t-shirt is to say: “I don’t care about the money therefore I shouldn’t make it. Don’t entrust me with your millions of dollars.”

For CEO’s or “junior executives” to dress like their subordinates (which CEO’s tend to starve their subordinates on meager wages,) such an act only indicates that desperate corporate leaders desire to tell lies and to be approved in the very same manner in which their minimum wage subordinates are treated those very workers who go home to mice infested flats or dine on cheap noodles because that’s all that they can afford and that’s not their fault.

Is that how CEO’s and “junior executives” would like to be treated as such? Treated as worker-slaves to starve? Okay. We can arrange that. ‘One big slice of humble pie’ coming right up.

The reason why CEO’s and “junior executives” can’t be seen dressed like slobs or “dressed down” is because when one’s responsibility is to handle millions of dollars as well as millions of dollars in merchandise then other professionals around the globe expect those in positions of power and leadership to conduct themselves in the Ut-most “decent” and “proper” manner even if they snort cocaine in the bathroom on their lunch breaks or are overly medicated on painkillers.

Four, one thing that I loathe about Target is this: Over the past decade (or so) Target seemed to want to be “acknowledged” by consumers in the same fashion or manner as that of large department stores or designer boutiques yet many of Target’s minimum wage workers are either rude or crass or overworked and underpaid especially many black female workers or Eastern European-American white female workers are atrociously behaved and difficult to deal with throughout Minneapolis Targets; black-American or otherwise or Somali-American or otherwise or Ukrainian-American or otherwise or Russian-American or otherwise.

The other thing which I loathe about Target is this: Target’s cheaply purchased (at cost) and some deadly made Chinese merchandise and products are overpriced yet Target’s products are of the same or of lesser quality in value as those of Wal-Mart.

(I would know: I’ve forced myself to do comparison shopping at both retail conglomerate stores.)

Consumers do realize that Target doesn’t seem to want to be “considered” another Wal-Mart, nevertheless, regardless of “Target’s ‘quasi’ branding” or whatever the brand might seem like by most consumer standards what Target doesn’t seem to understand is this: Target ‘seemed’ to stop caring about the “correct” and “appropriate” regional Midwest pricing of their merchandise or products to keep the price of goods locally priced by economical standards while Target turned into a cheap whore dressed in a million dollar dress only to pretend ‘to pull the wool over’ the consumers’ eye.

(The consumer can always tell the difference between a warehouse store or a boutique front.)

To most Minnesotan consumers, Target will always be another Wal-Mart whether she’s dressed in a million dollar gown or not because the entire concept of Target is “more for less.”

Therefore, most consumers acknowledge that Target isn’t a “designer store” or a “designer brand” no matter how much the CEO’s continually shove “Target Boutique” down our throats, we know better.

We used to like Target’s humble beginnings and social respectability because most consumers didn’t have to pay ‘through the roof’ for ‘overpriced’ hardlines or some of today’s ‘ugly’ and outdated 1980’s and 1990’s look-alike styles that stubbornly refuse to move with the times; (not in the same manner that consumers used to pay for good quality generic clothes back in the 1990’s;) unlike today consumers pay inflation costs without much increase in their paychecks and Target seemed to overlook that.

According to the 2010 U.S. consensus: the average annual income per American household of four people make twenty-eight (28) thousand dollars per year.

According to the 2010 U.S. consensus: the average annual income per Twin Cities' households of four people make thirty-eight (38) thousand dollars per year.

Nowadays, most ‘everything’ at Target costs an ‘arm and a leg’ to shop there and that’s considered hypocritical by their former and initial standards.

Minnesota got Target ‘off the ground’ when Target first got started in business yet Target hasn’t returned the favor to most Minnesotans living on thirty-eight thousand dollars per yearly annual income or in the aftermath of a recession which is slow to recover while inflation keeps rising.

One can’t have their cake and eat it, too,

especially when one’s hypocritical.

Here’s the dichotomy: Target pretends to be ever so ‘high end’ yet Target desires for the consumer to believe that their prices are the lowest all around when that’s not factually true.

When did Target become so “arrogant” and ever so lost from their initial corporate mission statement? (Don’t answer that. It’s rhetorical.)

Furthermore, one of the reasons as to why Target can’t seem to get their merchandise into Canada fast enough is because Target’s truck drivers didn’t hold proper passports and the slightest oversight causes Target to miss out on millions of dollars in profit.

It’s obvious to see that Target’s data breach will be a strong sting for quite some time to come because trust is everything.

It’s obvious to accept that Target’s top CEO’s didn’t cover all of their basis and didn’t implement better internal security systems because they seem to think that it’s cheaper not to deal with potential problems than it is to deal with them while the problems arise and blatantly stare at one in the face and bite one in the rear end.

Target can’t have it both ways: Target can’t have CEO’s and “junior executives” dressed like slobs or “dressed down” while handling millions of dollars in the same manner that Target can’t brand itself a ‘Paris boutique’ when Target’s in the likes of Wal-Mart.

The dichotomy isn’t possible.

One can’t possibly say one thing and do another.

No, I don’t care to become any of Target’s CEOs.

Indubitably not.

Don’t be so daft, however and nevertheless, I personally know twenty-three year olds who run multi-million dollar self-made companies and they don’t “dress down” like slobs.

One dresses in jeans and t-shirt only if one were to get down and deal with serious equipment or computerized digital programs like we do (as broadcast engineers) each-and-every single day.

Broadcast engineering work can sometimes be dirty work in the same way in which an electrician’s work can be yet electricians rake in the ‘dough’ because their work can be physically taxing and difficult to endure at times.

When one deals with heavy cables or fiber optic wires or serious multi-million dollar HD equipment then one is ready and prepared to go in and conduct technical rewiring or ‘surgery’ on a satellite dish or reroute a microwave signal on top of a building via transmitter from a splendid studio office otherwise what’s the purpose of wearing jeans and t-shirt to one’s ‘cushy’ “corner office” if one doesn’t have to. What’s the point indeed? There isn’t one other than laziness.

It’s fun to dress in “proper attire” because it means that one holds a “proper” place of importance and value in the world.

“Proper attire” means that one’s family and parents and communities have granted one ‘all’ of the possible opportunities to carve out a proper place in the world more so than just shoveling snow at a ski resort or changing beds or cleaning bathrooms in hotel rooms or frying fast foods.

“Proper attire” indicates pride in one’s hygiene, look and appearance.

“Proper attire” states power of mindfulness.

“Proper attire” says “I can get myself together in the mornings and conduct business.”

“Proper attire” says “I care what happens to me each day.”

‘Not in a million years’ will I conduct business in someone else’s office in jeans and t-shirt and flip-flops and expect to be taken seriously because to “dress down” implies that ‘I don’t care’ and that’s not true.

I do care to conduct proper business in “proper business attire” especially if and when handling a single dollar because money’s difficult to generate at the best of times even if one were to have ‘all’ of the money in the world.

‘Not in a million years’ will I conduct business via ‘teleconferencing’ from our private home study in jeans and t-shirt and flip-flops and expect to be taken seriously because to “dress down” implies that ‘I don’t care’ and that’s not true.

I do care to conduct proper business in “proper business attire” especially if and when handling a single dollar because money’s difficult to generate at the best of times even if one were to have ‘all’ of the money in the world.

Look, “proper attire” does indeed matter no matter what today’s latest ever-changing dress styles or fads may be.

Standards must be maintained because style may be ‘here today, gone tomorrow.’

To dress ‘business fashionable’ doesn’t imply to be ‘stuffy’ by today’s standards, however and nevertheless, ‘one must maintain standards’ if one so desires to be taken seriously while conducting business in one large global economy.

Yes, I’m one ‘lucky bastard’ because I’m spoiled enough to ‘telecommute’ from our private study at home, however and nevertheless, I meet with hundreds if not then thousands of different types of prominent global business leaders throughout the year through means of ‘teleconferencing.’

I do uphold to “proper standards” in dress code because I care very much what and how business gets conducted.

One doesn’t run a film company in ‘rags.’ (Ha!) Nope.

I wear many ‘different hats’ throughout my days.

I dress and change specifically for what’s required of me throughout different times of the day even though I may change back into jeans and sweaters as often as I can when it isn’t required of me to conduct proper business via online or in person.

No, I don’t ever so much as blog in pajamas because psychologists have come to find that one’s proper dress code determines one’s productivity and profitability in the workplace therefore I uphold to self-discipline especially when no one’s around to see me conduct business because I know the difference between proper or not; (even if others don’t know whether I’m in proper dress code or not;) plus in a moment’s notice any prominent business leader may ‘pop’ online and require something important of me therefore I’m ready to go. I seize the moment.

‘I’m prepared’ because that’s what being an independent business entrepreneur is all about: being prepared for anything at all times.

The world’s changed folks, but not that much; keep up or bust.

It’s easy to decipher: which artists or CEO’s or “junior executives” or attorneys or doctors or other working professionals attended public education vs. those of us who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars on ‘crème de la crème’ educational standards or those who attended excellent public schools like Barnum’s public school system because Barnum’s schools are in the running with most private East Coast schools. (We would know. ‘We’re keeping a close eye’ on Barnum’s public educational system because their scholastic standards are excellent, indeed.)

Excellent education is there to teach future leaders to make proper and correct choices and decisions (no matter what) and not simply to ‘fly by the seat of one’s pants’ or according to one’s whimsical desires or trends because those wayward leaders are possibly, too, “lazy” or “mindless” or “stubborn” to care about the overall picture.

P.S. When one wears anything see-through such as “sheer” (is for curtains) or chiffon materials then one better wear an undershirt or t-shirt or proper business slip or tan top under one’s outer clothing.

One doesn’t ever leave the house without a proper undershirt even if one’s outer layer isn’t see-through in case of emergencies or kafuffles then if one must take off one’s outer layer then at least one has something proper underneath to go by.

Why does this “casual” dress code of Target’s seem like ‘a cry for help’ or a ‘sign of desperation?’

Cheers;

Gabriel

Word Count: 2,650

*) Day #17 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

“If you don’t eat garlic, you won’t smell.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Gist (main point of a question)

The gist of his talk could be given in one word.

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Legitimate Case Studies

Definitions:

Case Study:

: a published report about a person, group, or situation that has been studied over time; also :a situation in real life that can be looked at or studied to learn about something

Control Group:

A control group in a scientific experiment is a group separated from the rest of the experiment where the independent variable being tested cannot influence the results. This isolates the independent variable's effects on the experiment and can help rule out alternate explanations of the experimental results.

Control groups can also be separated into two other types: positive or negative.

Positive control groups are groups where the conditions of the experiment are set to guarantee a positive result. A positive control group can show the experiment is functioning properly as planned.

Negative control groups are groups where the conditions of the experiment are set to cause a negative outcome.

Control groups are not necessary to all scientific experiments. Controls are extremely useful where the experimental conditions are complex and difficult to isolate.

----- ------ ------

Yes, in the past I’ve conducted many different types of academic and professional “case studies” about many different subject matters concerning different events, places or people under the excellent tutelage and guidance of Ph.D. professors or other professional individuals or experts or masters in different fields of expertise.

Documentary field work is no different than a factual reporter’s work or journalist or investigator or anthropologist or other forms of observatory science which sets out to discover facts and not subjective opinion about patterns, behaviors and situations.

First, a “case study” involves a “thesis” set out to prove or disprove an argument in debate for or against patterns, behaviors or situations.

A “case study” is done with great consideration and meticulous observation and thoughtfulness and paperwork filled with tedious daily entries and sometimes minute-by-minute data entry filled mostly over a long period of time (months or years) to better understand the subject matter but not to injure or cause harm to the subject matter at hand because observation is about inspection, examination, intellectual scrutiny and watching more so than participation. (It just does.)

Second, a “case study” requires heaps of data entries.

For example; if one were to discover the migratory patterns of certain species of bird then one would have to get out their ‘nifty’ thick notebook and pencil to better observe the migration patterns of one or several species of bird each and every day (for a certain length of time) or each time (specifically) that that particular species of bird made their flight overhead and in which direction (precisely) as well as weather conditions and temperature and barometer pressure readings and wind speed and wind direction plus much more.

With any “case study” it’s best to focus-in on one subject matter or topic-of-study rather than several aspects of any subject because data entry sure is tedious and difficult work to keep up with all of the “correct” and “continuous” data constantly coming-in and in need of sequential organization and order.

If one were to conduct any “case study” then one would be “obligated” to record in their data entries the “specific” bird or birds one observed with great interest as the bird(s) made their bi-annual migratory travels from north to south or vice versa.

One would be “required” to write down specific times and dates for each observation about such migratory crossings at different times of the year.

In other words: “case studies” are tedious work and by the end of any “case study” one finds themselves with large volumes or amounts of collected data to look over and analyze in order to summarize one’s legitimate “findings” from the data observed and collected.

At the end of any “case study” data entries must be collected and read over and analyzed to arrive at an educated and scrutinizing on-going “conclusion” about the subject matter and to make particular arguments for or against that which stood for debate to debunk any subjective opinions about assumptions made and substantially back-up facts with evidence, numbers and factual information.

The researcher ought to have so much collected data and information that one could truly speak to the many different qualities and facets of any subject matter because the research collected was done with “precision” and “focus” and a specific (proved or disproved) thesis in mind or patterns, behaviors or situations which were or weren’t as previously thought of.

Third, when conducting any “case study” one must not “alter” or “change” numbers or data entries at any time because then the research becomes fraudulent and unusable and complete garbage and one must start their observations and data entries all over again.

Fourth, one must have ‘saintly’ patience and keep or stay an objective observer as much as possible whenever conducting a “case study.”

Sixth, “case studies” are for learning that which is the unknown in the ever changing patterns, behaviors or situations of anything studied.

Eighth, “case studies” are conducted with an objective viewpoint yet the collected data doesn’t stop to ‘seize to amaze’ the researcher, ever.

“Findings” are extraordinarily interesting and fascinating even if it’s the hypothetical ‘findings’ in the ever breathing patterns of a ‘blob’ or “couch potato,” as an example.

Ninth, in any “case study” it’s best to leave one’s “large picture” or overview readings and analyses till the very end because at any point anything can change and other less obvious patterns or behaviors or situations can ‘come to light’ and reinforce or disprove any thesis.

Tenth, one really doesn’t know what one’s about to discover until one discovers it therefore try to make absolutely no assumptions about anything studied until the very end.

Eleventh, the heart of any “case study” lives inside the pages of one’s substantial and meticulous record keeping notebooks.

Twelfth, a “controlled” “case study” is best conducted inside the walls of a private space like a studio or laboratory to privately conduct experiments.

Thirteen, anytime that a researcher conducts a “public” “case study” then it’s mandatory by law to inform the public of such implementations.

#1) The public must be notified and informed of “start-and-end dates” and “times-of-day” or “days-of-the-week” in which any such “case study” will be conducted otherwise such misconduct may be punishable by Federal Law because the public has rights and may not become “guinea pigs” without their knowledge or consent in the same manner that it’s illegal to take a picture or a video recording of any private citizen without their consent or knowledge for other’s personal gains.

#2) Even if a judge rules in favor of a ‘demented’ photographer by “moral code” and “public court-of-opinion,” one’s neighbors don’t deserve to have their picture taken while in their underwear in the privacy of their own homes (at any time) because ‘everybody’ knows that it’s wrong and in bad judgment coming from the photographer who’s without character but mostly seeks infamy and monetary gains to use others as it would be in the same case as it were to conduct a “public” “case study” without the public’s knowledge or notice.

The public can’t afford to have mad scientists or photographers or “freelance” documentary filmmakers or “quasi” reporters or journalists running about the place mad or crazy with ego driven justifications because if something were to go wrong and the public gets injured or harmed or placed in danger then the public knows exactly as to whom to address their grievances more precisely and directly and where to direct a class action lawsuit if need be.

#3) Warped scientists or corrupt government officials or “freelance” documentary filmmakers or “quasi” photographers or reporters or journalists or private business owners with public businesses aren’t exempt from lawsuits therefore ‘cross the T's and dot the I’s and.’ (The more responsible than the more professional and the more respect one deserves for taking an interest on behalf of the public and their concerns.)

One’s not considered to hold a bitter attitude when one follows the proper channels to be responsible rather it’s considered respectful adulthood not to swindle the public out of their intellectual property.

#4) ‘Always’ notify and inform the public of one’s intentions or the public can end up owning one’s business because the public holds rights and no one ought to make money from the public or make them “lab rats,” as an example.

Fourteen, “public” “case studies” aren’t the same as “privately-funded corporate” “case studies.”

Fifteen, anytime that any “public office” or branch or institution thereof holds any “case study” with “public funds” or resources then all of the collected data or outcome or “findings” of such research belongs to the public because the public financed the study.

Sixteen, anytime that any “privately-funded corporate” “case study” is conducted most likely it’s done for the benefit of corporations and not for the public good or interest.

Eighteen, beware of “case studies” that are subjective by nature especially in their findings or readings or analysis of the data involved when it comes to corporate interests.

Nineteen, one can do a “case study” on just about any subject matter nevertheless one must maintain meticulous record keeping and data to back up one’s findings.

Twenty, when it comes to “privately” financed and conducted “case studies” one can stop the research at any given point or decide not to share one’s findings with the public at large.

Twenty-one, when it comes to “publically” owned financed and conducted “case studies” one must continue the research until it’s done and one must share one’s findings with the public at large.

****

My First Case Study

In my junior and senior years of high school I took both chemistry and physics from the same instructor.

Even though I didn’t understand a single word she spoke not because she didn’t speak with perfect diction or not because she didn’t speak perfect English like an angel but more precisely because at that time I’d only been in America for my first seven-and-eight years without previous schooling thus most subjects went right over my head and thank goodness I was exempt from test scores because I was an ESL student and comprehension was difficult.

One of the things that got fully imprinted into my skull was how to conduct a “case study” over the course of a four month study because a small study-group of chemistry students chose the difficulties of conducting a “case study” about the socio-economics of panhandling. (This; “case study” humbled me to the core of my soul. It was one of my more difficult academic endeavors I’d ever participated in for sure.)

The premise of the study was that as researchers we weren’t allowed to tell those whom we panhandled from that our efforts were made in the form and for the purpose of a “case study” otherwise that would’ve defeated the purpose of the study.

As a group we devised a record collecting and data keeping system about the socio-economics of panhandling such as:

*) How much money would we make at different times of the day or night?

*) How much money would we make at different locations throughout downtown?

*) How much money would we make depending on our attire?

*) How much money would we make if we spoke perfect English vs. dialectic English?

*) How much money would we make if we were showered or un-bathed?

*) How much money would we make if we stood or sat down?

*) How much money would we make if we were polite or not?

*) How much money would we make if we told a story or not?

*) How much money would certain members of the controlled group make if they were more petite than others?

*) How much money would certain members of the controlled group make if they were fair skinned or not?

These were the basic questions those which we had to get answers to fulfill the requirements of a well-rounded and well-conducted “case study” over the course of four months to get our data collected and numbers and findings and write out our analysis.

I never made a single penny throughout the entire study. Nope.

Not once.

I was awkward and seemingly, too, embarrassed or to unable to ask anyone for money in any proper panhandling manner that didn’t bring disgrace to my character or family.

Once-a-week, for one hour, for four months straight, we went out as an academic group and either collectively or split up we panhandled and wrote down our data.

It was tough because people didn’t even want to look at us or interact with us or they had a tendency to be mean or dismissive or disgusted by our efforts.

It was real tough for me.

Eventually as the “case study” went on week-after-week and month-after-month “I gave up” (more or less) and brought a book and sat down on the pavement and read or did my homework because for four months straight people didn’t want so much as to give me a pence therefore I gave up while my smaller and fair skinned counterparts were doled out as much as twenty dollar bills at a time.

It was remarkable how much money our academic group made in those four months which we then donated at the end of the semester.

Yes, panhandling can be a lucrative business and nontaxable also.

More later…

Gabriel

Word Count: 2,071

*) Day #16 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

“You can’t make ten when even one doesn’t exist.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Glean (to collect grain left by reapers; to collect facts, etc. gradually or bit by bit)

Under Stalinism the Communists in America had to glean Party policy from the Moscow daily papers.

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Hello.

***

Russia 2014

From what I can remember about international law: ‘anytime’ that an ‘elected’ political figure (democratically elected or not) ‘forfeits’ his or her “position” of responsibility then he or she no longer holds any type of power in office for that particular “sovereign nation” and won’t be granted further protections under its laws because well, it’s obvious: by fleeing, the individual states that he or she may no longer desire or no longer are capable to further administer any investment or stakes or responsibilities as a duty to its People or Nation and that goes for kings and queens as well and they know that all, too, well.

To forfeit one’s political position of public office by fleeing one’s “sovereign nation” indicates that one may no longer either “collect a paycheck” (and ‘go pass go’) or govern from afar because that’s simply and utterly senile and imprudent to think so.

It’s far too hypocritical to want to have it both ways: one can’t possibly believe that they can lead from a far much less when one abandons office due to their own accord or flees to escape the wrath of wronged citizens who require to know the ‘ins-and-out’ for political accounting ledgers about office expenditures as well as state or providence budgets and economical policies.

Money from any “sovereign nation” is not to be used for “personal” or “private” gains or use because those monies belong to the People and the People only.

Any political figure must live ‘within their means’ that which their office grants them and not by the ‘handouts’ of larger corporations that might sway elected officials to set aside the best interests of the People for personal gains or use much less live extravagantly ‘in the lap of luxury’ while American or Ukrainians starve a slow death.

One can’t have their cake and eat it, too. Nope.

Therefore any “quasi” official who deserts its “sovereign nation” by that mere act is one that indicates ‘to the world at large’ that such a “quasi” official no longer holds office or power granted to them by their state or situation.

One doesn’t govern from afar when one has “deserted” or “abandoned” their People’s or their Motherland especially in times of upheaval or crises.

Once, an official deserts their political office (‘post’) then ‘good luck’ and goodbye to them in Russia.

Send us a postcard but don’t return to Ukraine because a deserter has some jail time to fulfill, don’t they? Yep.

****

Now, from the very little that I know about international law: when any “sovereign nation” and their military (in numbers) so much as sets their big toes into another “sovereign nation’s” sovereignty (invited or uninvited) then it’s considered an “invasion.”

From what I can gather Ukraine is indeed its own “sovereign nation” and no matter how “angry” or how much of a Russian enthusiast Crimea may be or appear to be (on the tube) the following is for certain: Crimea is still very much part of Ukraine no matter how much Crimea may or may not like that.

In order for Crimea to “break away” from Ukraine, Crimea must first “secede” from Ukraine’s sovereignty by legal means otherwise for Crimea to invite Putin’s Russian troops into its seaport is also the same as inviting a military invasion upon Ukraine whether Crimea is, too, “lazy” or “stubborn” to admit this or not; Crimea has invited an invasion upon itself and someday they’ll come to realize that by ‘international standards’ not only was Crimea confused and arrogant and ignorant and wrong but also that they, too, shall starve right along with the rest of the Russian People’s of today, 2014.

Since Crimea so boastfully invited Putin’s Russian militarily to invade Crimea’s seaport then Crimea portrays itself not only as a “trader” and “deserted” to Ukraine but also as a terrible culture of insensitive citizens who first think with their overwhelming passionate emotions and not with their intellects.

Crimea, first owes loyalties and responsibilities to Ukraine and to Ukraine’s citizens no matter how much Crimea may loathe the rest of Ukraine because no matter what may come Crimea must first ‘set their ducks in a row’ before it can ‘shoot off its mouth.’

Crimea must first “secede” from Ukraine otherwise it is ‘stone soup’ for supper and hunger pangs for Crimea while it pretends like hunger doesn’t bother them to be captured by Putin’s military army rather than become an invited ‘guest of honour’ at Putin’s table.

Anytime that any People’s or “subcultures” allow for their proper “sovereign nation” to be “captured” or “seized upon” or “invaded” or “ruled by force” then that’s a sub-nation of traders and non-intellectuals who think with their thoughtless whimsical needs rather than with their minds and hearts to be kind and just to other Ukrainians.

To become the sort of trader that allows for other Ukrainians to become invaded or captured is to become worthless to any just cause or truth for that matter.

One doesn’t “desert” a body unless the ‘other’ party caused great harm to themselves or great danger to its citizens then it’s all a tossup game and any man for themselves.

Crimea doesn’t strike me as harmed or in danger by Ukraine only arrogant enough to self-mutilate when Crimea can’t get its way therefore they tried to commit suicide as ‘a sign of desperation’ but the attempt was much, too, weak and all that’s needed is a good stomach pumping and ‘a swift kick to the rear end.’

Other than Crimea’s great self-loathe, Crimea seems like a drunkard lost in their egotistical stupor heightened by further arrogance and wafting smells coming from their anuses therefore Crimea created great harm and danger to the rest of Ukraine’s citizens because they have ‘a bone to pick’ with Ukraine therefore Crimea hasn’t been able to bully or manipulate it’s way to “secession.” (What a great pity, indeed.)

It seems as though Crimea tends to self-harm in-the-process ‘to get even’ with Ukraine simply because Ukraine won’t or hasn’t complied with the whining and spite of Crimea.

Crimea is willing to cut off its nose to spite its face.

*****

Putin 2014

I don’t know what to write about Putin, really.

I wouldn’t care to get our three beloved sisters in Moscow harmed in any way or thrown in jail or sent to Siberia’s work camps or killed therefore I must tread lightly when it comes to this literary whiplashing.

I’d love to sit Putin down and ask him: A) if he’s on any pain medications because he hardly made any sense in yesterday’s media conference B) if he’s a heavy closeted alcoholic drinker and in dire need of intervention by his closest friends C) if he’s ‘lost his marbles’ by invading Ukraine’s seaport of Crimea which doesn’t belong to Russia just as Georgia doesn’t belong to Russia either D) why he can’t seem to conduct himself in a ‘worthy manner’ E) what is it that compels him to be a ‘bully’ on the international stage F) what is it that compels him to hang on to the past when so many of us (generationally) have moved past the ‘cold war’ days G) did he take a hard knock to the head recently (I’m serious) H) why must everything be so difficultly conducted I) is he diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder from his KGB days as a spy J) what is it that compels him to hang on to the past K) doesn’t he realize that this is the twenty-first century and no longer the 1990’s L) does he consider himself a “president” or a totalitarian “dictator” M) why do the Russian People must suffer so N) what’s he so afraid of O) does he realize that he comes across as “illogical” or “insane” and it’s tough to trust his “logic” or “reasoning” lack-of-skills when he saunters off to invade other “sovereign nations”

Now, as a matter of fact: the Russian People, civilians and citizens are neither Putin nor much less Putin’s military army.

As a matter of fact in 2008 Russia invaded the country of Georgia and no one blinked twice about it.

As a matter of fact on December 2011 the Russian People set to the streets in peaceful demonstrations and protests because Putin ‘stole’ Russia’s presidential election and crowned himself a totalitarian dictator to Russia even though his latest self-titled album is “president.” Not so.

Whatever Putin may or may not think about America he’s right by two accounts: Babies ought not to be sold to America in the popular form of “adoption” because to do so is to “culturally” and “emotionally” and “spiritual” cast those children into lifelong cultural and societal enslavement.

*) I’ve been informed by American child psychologists that in ‘private sessions’ that American adoptive-parents will admit that “adoptees” aren’t really “considered” family to Americans because we aren’t. Fair enough. Moving on.

Two, yes America does tend to police the world and ‘stick its nose where it doesn’t belong’ therefore when America’s nose gets bitten by a weasel then no one blinks twice.

However, what Putin is wrong about is America’s lack of “moral values” or character when it comes to our citizenry or body of civilians because our citizens and civilians alike work long-and-hard hours just ‘to make ends meet’ and to keep their neighborhoods and communities and families and friends going as beautifully as possible even when ‘the odds are stacked against them’ by a somewhat morbid and crass and irresponsible congress that seems to loathe the impoverished masses while many of our congress people get filthy rich on insider trading secrets, hey no differently than Ukraine’s former president.

Our citizens aren’t like our American politicians or army or troops or militaries in the same manner that the Russian citizens aren’t like Putin or Putin’s military army.

Our American infrastructure crumbles and our educational system falters and our “poor get hungrier” while our wealthy 1% and rich 2% complain about contributing to society in the form of higher taxes.

I’d ask Putin to travel a bit more.

No, not invade regions but travel and sit down at international citizens’ tables and ‘break bread’ with them so that he may discover that international Peoples of all types are more alike than not.

The other point that I’d like to make on behalf of America is that American workers don’t go around ‘culturally’ insulting other countries.

We have just cause and reason to criticize any nation when there’re human rights violations or human trafficking (of any type) or inhumane slave work or abuses against humanity at large.

If one cares to insult America about our societal standards then by all means but first visit and stay a while before one goes around making mass generalizations and digs at Americans.

America is vastly complex and ‘tough to pin point.’

Plus, only Americans can truly criticize America and we’ll do it justice.

We won’t talk ourselves up or down.

We’ll make ‘matter-of-fact’ statements about any situation at hand.

We’ll write the harsh truths and realizations to create concrete change to better the lives of other generational Americans but ‘please don’t anyone tell us who and what we are’ when foreigners haven’t even so much as been ‘dragged through the mud’ by American bailed out banks or greedy corporations in bed with our government.

If foreigners haven’t been in the trenches right alongside with American citizens and civilians battling warped and some corrupt politicians then foreigners don’t have much to say about America in ‘mass generalization.’ Nope.

I won’t so much as insult Russia by telling them what I think of them or Putin for the matter however don’t think that I haven’t also learned “to read between the lines” to massive commercialistic propaganda no differently than that of Russia’s massive political propaganda war machine.

Each country has their beauty and struggles.

I implore for the American politicians to be careful when it comes to Putin because to invade another “sovereign nation” is to become “insane” and to become “insane” is to be considered a ‘loose cannon.’

Please, to some greedy American politicians, guard our Russian and Ukrainian brothers and sisters from a totalitarian dictator.

Please don’t starve our Russian brothers and sisters any more than Putin already does. Please, no. I plead for the lives of our sisters and brothers.

As for Syria; you already know what to do, but haven’t, thus more than 130,000 Syrians have perished since 2011. What a pity and we thought that after Hitler we wouldn’t allow for such massive genocide to occur in modern times.

I call for diplomatic peace or bust;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal: 1,758

Word Count: 2,410

*) Day #15 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Within 14 days I’ve lost one complete inch from my waistline.

--- --- ---

*) Why is there so much dog poop on our city’s streets and parks as of last week?

Cold weather isn’t an excuse not to be responsible for one’s dog.

By law it’s the responsibility of any dog owner to pick up their dog’s shit especially within city limits.

I stepped on dog poop today and it was most irritating because there were 12 dog poop throughout the park.

Yesterday and today the park became a ‘minefield’ of dog poop.

Yes, I pick up dog poop even in negative 30-below temperature.

Do you know what I came to find out?

I came to find out that it’s easier and not as smelly to pick up dog poop in sub-zero cold temps than it is in the summer time therefore there ought to be no excuses about weather conditions unless one is in a wheel chair and can’t seem to reach the ground then dog poop can be overlooked somewhat but otherwise ‘let’s hop to it.’

It’s the law to pick up dog poop especially in public parks in which those without dogs can also share and enjoy the parks. Please pick up your dog’s shit. Thank you.

How annoying to live amongst some irresponsible citizens in this tiny-little blue-collar working-class city that so desires lots of praise and promotion but doesn’t consistently work to keep the city maintained.

No, don’t raise an eyebrow at me: Eric and I played tennis on top of garbage last spring (that was a first). It was hilarious to do so. Low class and high class met in the middle. (Ha!)

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

“A nut tree will not grow apples.”

(Leo Rosten’s Treasury of Jewish Quotations)

Gnarled (twisted or contorted)

One of Rembrandt’s paintings features the gnarled hands of an old man.

Correction: from “wreck” to “wreak” havoc. (Ha!)

--- --- ---

Hello.

***

Food Power for The People

Shopping List: (3/3/14)

*) “Agave Dream” all natural (no sugar added) ice cream ($4.49 X’s 4) (We’re somewhat ice cream connoisseurs and this is the best ice cream we’ve ever tasted. No joke. It’s worth our money.)

*) Yukon Potatoes ($3.99)

*) Bananas, lemon, apples, golden yams, broccoli, kiwi, pears, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, artichoke

*) “Old Home” all natural nonfat yogurt ($3.50 X’s 2)

*) “Old Home” made with sea salt / no sugar added / no preservatives / 100% all natural peanut butter distributed from New Brighton, Minnesota ($6.19) (We’re somewhat peanut butter connoisseurs and this is some of the best peanut butter we’ve ever tasted. No joke. It’s worth our money.)

*) “Fresh Express” Spinach ($2.99 X’s 2)

*) “Wild Harvest Organic” natural and cage free and large brown eggs, Grade A ($2.79)

*) “Wild Harvest Organic” “no artificial flavors or preservatives” “free range chicken” chicken and vegetable broth distributed from Eden Prairie, Minnesota ($2.99 X’s 2)

*) “De Boles” organic spinach fettuccine ($3.19 X’s 2)

*) “Bob’s Red Mill” 100% stone ground whole wheat flour, all natural, no preservatives (this is the only flour we use for our homemade breads) / ($5.99 X’s 2)

*) “Land Lakes” sour cream ($2.39)

There were other miscellaneous items on our list but all in all our total this weekend came out to: $152.98. We received a fuel discount of $.10 cents per gallon at Cub Foods.

****

I’m not sure what “all natural” means exactly on food labels.

For all I know “all natural” could mean manure foods.

Now, I respect products that state “no preservatives” or “no sugar added” or “humanely raised” especially “no hormones” or “free range” or “free trade” because either by law or public court-of-opinion these very labels better mean just that or class action suit.

I think that mislabeling food packaging is mean-spirited and deceitful (not to mention deadly) to have labels state that they’re “all-natural” when that could mean that the foods simply and only come from the Earth, however, wrongly processed or full of genetically modified corn seed or full of cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup or full of pesticides and other toxic chemicals found in the soil rather than sprayed on the foods which can be washed off with a produce scrub brush rather than grown drenched in toxicity especially “organic” produce (fruits and vegetables).

Already made and packaged “organic” foods seem to be alright but for the most part “organic” produce (fruits and vegetables) make me a little queasy because I know for a fact that “organic” produce must be sprayed with “organic” pesticides ten times per season opposed to “regular pesticides” (in produce) which are only sprayed four times per season which such pesticides are government regulated yet again that doesn’t say much because our government is in bed with large food production and manufacturers.

Eric and I have arrived at a compromise to purchase foods that are “all natural” yet at the same time food labels must also state and abide by “no preservatives” or “no sugar added” or “no hormones” or “free range” or “free trade” because when we read through any label’s table of contents then such labels better mean that otherwise it’s poison garbage and not worth our money.

We don’t want to die young simply because large food production and manufacturers are allowed to get away with murder by American Congress, both House and Senate.

We don’t want to die horrible cancer-filled deaths like our close and beloved friends and family members who ate mostly organic foods for about twenty straight years (didn’t smoke cigarettes or drank alcohol regularly (once in a while) or used illegal forms of drugs) and came to discover terrible and deadly forms of cancer embedded in their bodies (bones and brains and breasts) because American foods are literally poison filled.

It seems that foods in America will kill its People quicker than tobacco or alcohol or painkillers or heroin or obesity might. (Please no.)

I plead for the lives of our American People who used to barely take the time to read food labels but who seem to get smarter by the minute about foods and food labeling and food packaging and food production because they don’t desire to die horrible cancerous-filled deaths either.

*****

On Sunday Eric made golden yam, spinach, “no hormone” chicken breast Crock Pot. (Not a family recipe.)

When Eric’s yam and chicken Crock Pot was complete, we ate and liked it enough to keep it but that first night it tasted a bit weird because it simmered on high for about five hours drenched in cooking wine and chicken “organic” broth.

The golden yam taste did not go well with the cooking wine and chicken broth combination. (Actually, it was terrible.) It held a bitter aftertaste.

We weren’t totally convinced about the recipe which Eric found online.

It wasn’t until I drained all of the liquid content that the food began to smell and taste better.

The following day the Crock Pot leftovers tasted better than they had the previous night. As a matter of fact the recipe was delicious and we ate up to our heart’s content. I had the remainder of it for lunch today.

On Sunday, Eric did all of the grocery shopping while I laundered our bedding and took out the garbage and prepped the kitchen for six hours of cooking work.

It appears that we go through three loafs of homemade “no preservatives” flour bread thus on Sunday I began to knead and bake three loafs for the week ahead (no brown sugar added and it tastes delicious).

Last week, unintentionally I wasted an entire bag of Yukon potatoes.

The entire bag went to waste.

It took me a while to get over the sad death of the ‘deadly-rotted’ potatoes not because we can’t afford to waste food (which we would not do) but because another family could’ve had that for nourishment.

I didn’t realize that if I froze foods in large bulk then when it came time to unfreeze the potatoes they’d turn into soggy-water-mush within less than a day.

A disgusting and fungi smell set off from the potatoes. I could neither bring myself to serve them up nor much less eat them myself.

We added 5-smaller top-a-ware containers each serving two portions per container to the shopping list.

We can take one container out each night instead of one big tub that’ll go to waste when its contents unfreeze and sits in water to rot.

I prepped and made and froze one box of spinach Fettuccini (210 calories per 2 ounces, lots of calories in Fettuccini).

I prepped and boiled and refrigerated half a dozen eggs.

I prepped and boiled and froze as well as refrigerated one bag (15) of Yukon potatoes.

I made mashed potatoes in bulk before I froze them with unsweetened almond milk, no butter added. (Quite tasty.)

I put away groceries and cleaned and prepped side dishes for the week ahead.

It was six straight hours of work and worth it.

******

Yes, last week was awesome not having to cook any night of the week. I mean it was incredibly remarkable. I didn’t have to think about food prep all week. All I had to do was ‘eat, drink and be merry.’

Yes, last week I found that with ‘healthier foods’ full of nutrition that I was hungry all of the time.

As a matter of fact I was hungry every half an hour (30 minutes) but I’m finding that that’s not the case this week with the intake of 2 hard boiled eggs (per day) and peanut butter (no more than two tea spoons per day, 190 calories in two tea spoons of peanut butter) and chicken (portion size: a stack of playing cards per serving once a day).

I can’t believe how my stomach rumbled every half hour last week.

This week my stomach seems to rumble every three hours or so.

Vegetables and fruits didn’t hold me for very long therefore last week I ate more quantity of foods but with less ‘empty’ calories in the foods and higher in nutritional value. (My waistline is considerably smaller than it was two weeks ago.)

I’ve lost one full inch from my waist in 14 days.

No, I don’t like to be noticeably hungry (all the time) therefore I began to eat smarter not harder.

I increased my “no hormone” or “no sugar” or “no preservatives” protein intake to my ‘rabbit food’ (fruits and vegetables) intake and my energy levels spiked way up while my hunger pains decreased way down.

No, I don’t mind eating more quality foods that are full of nutritional value than to stuff myself full of junk because junk food adds unnecessary calories to one’s waistline, but no real health for bone and teeth and hair and skin and vital organs and eye sight.

It’s easier to organize myself to eat healthier than to stuff my face on empty calories stripped of any real nutritional value.

No, I don’t mind carrying around snacks in fancy and expensive top-a-ware adorned with star-and-super-hero stickers because I’d rather take great or even so far as to say excellent care of my health by stopping for a moment and taking care of my body than ignore it or simply just throw something down the gullet for the sake of doing so.

Health is everything.

If one doesn’t have their health then they don’t have anything.

*******

On Friday mid-morning (10am) I held an appointment with Crystal’s ophthalmologists or optician (eye doctor) and he came to discover that last March 2013 I was over prescribed a stronger eye-glass prescription and that’s probably why I’m exhausted from having to force my eye sight to work harder than need be.

For about a year I’ve been getting these slight hairline fracture headaches behind my one right eye and it’s because my prescription was off. No wonder.

I shan’t go back to my previous optician who informed me that by this time, this year, I’d need bifocals when I won’t necessarily need them for another four to nine years.

Another reason why I’m exhausted is because I’m making the change from metal fillings to all white fillings in my teeth.

It’s been a complete nightmare.

I received the first set of white fillings on December 12, 2013 but to this day it’s painful to drink or eat anything hot or cold. I have six more white fillings to go in the next two years.

I can barely brush my teeth without excruciating pain. Yikes.

I don’t want any more white fillings but I know that I must get all of the metal out of my mouth. It’s worth our time and effort and money and energy.

Another reason why I’m exhausted is because I’ve gone through 13 pillows this year (March 2013-2014).

I can’t find a pillow that’s just perfect for the petite contour lines of my neck and body.

We’ve bought cheap and inexpensive and expensive pillows and nothing much has panned out. It’s getting to the point in which Eric will need to conceptualize, draw, design and engineer a perfect pillow for me.

Okay. Health is everything otherwise the slightest unbalance can leave one suffering when there’s no need.

Norske;

Gabriel

Word Count Goal: 1,047

Word Count: 2,254

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Note:

Do you understand that most types of writing take on a form of “alter ego?” Right? Right.

The job of any reader is exceptionally difficult.

As an E.S.L. adult I understand how complex reading anything can be, however, readers must not fail writers because it would be imprudent to do so.

A reader requires ‘to come to’ the table with washed and clean hands and an open mind and an imagination.

For example: Before I write, I say prayers to the Maya Gods.

Furthermore, so that I may jump into “‘alter ego’ character” mode I must work myself up to a “negative critical” ‘state of my mind.’

Yes, I conduct method acting exercises before I begin to write in order to pull the deepest and more intelligent and ‘tough critic’s voice’ and thought provoking roles out of myself because it doesn’t come naturally.

Yes, my personality is mostly ‘intelligent’ and ‘bubbly’ and ‘lazy-minded’ by nature therefore in “alter ego mode” I must force myself to become ‘overtly’ intellectually negative in order to become critical about anything when I write or read, otherwise I’d rather take long walks in the woods or sip on a cup of tea or conduct other forms of creative business other than writing because writing is exhaustive work.

Writing is the toughest work there is in the world.

Every day I have to ‘dig deep’ otherwise mostly what I’d ever write about would be the different types of stitching in embroidery or how delicious “Agave” ice cream flavors are or about the changing sky or weather or cloud formations or flowers or birds and nature.

I’m one of the lazier thinkers of modern times thus I must force myself to think “critically” when I write.

In person, I make “friends” every place I go.

I go about my life and I’m friendly and cheerful and respectfully carefree and loving because I love being alive and holding the great privilege of breath.

Peace.

*) Day #14 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

Monday, March 3, 2014

No blog.

Hello.

I’m taking a “mental health” day off to sit around in jeans and a t-shirt and wool socks and watch movies or finish a novel and eat little healthy snacks and that’s about it.

“Freeway” and I already walked today.

I’d prefer time off to money because money comes and goes but time doesn’t.

Time stands still for no man or woman.

Cheers to good health;

Gabriel

Word Count: 83

*) Day #13 without sugar: It’s alright. I like it.

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