Book Review: "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto"

Michael Pollan, who appears on the documentary: "Food Inc." and author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" (which I have yet to read) hits the nail right on the head with this book. It is very fascinating, and one of the easiest non-fiction reads I have encountered. His writing style is both entertaining and informative.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in food, eating, and/or nutrition. Learn about what you are likely eating every day and how it can affect you. "In Defense of Food" teaches the history on "nutritionism" and explains the marketing strategies that have turned our grocery stores into vast warehouses of "food-like substances" that are causing our health as a nation to deteriorate. Take back control over what you eat and how you feel by empowering yourself with the knowledge found in this book.

Note: Unlike similar books and movies on the subject, I did not feel depressed and overwhelmed after reading it, rather I feel better about eating, and actually enjoy it more! While I do not agree with everything he says (namely the stuff about wine being good for you) I think that this book is more than worth reading. If you want a sneak peak into some of the subject matter of the book, check out the 4-part movie series on this fantastic blog.

My First Olympic Triathlon!

This will be a post very similar to the last time I talked about my triathlon experience, and I will just put what I learned this time in here, rather than make a separate post for it again.

Alright here goes, my plans to get to bed early did not work out, neither did my plans to go to sweet tomatoes. I ate a bunch of pasta at home and then just tried to go to bed. Getting everything ready took longer than I thought so I didn't have time to do PM yoga either. That may be the reason I could not fall asleep. I just lay there for an hour or more thinking about the race, and visualizing my triumphant leap through the finish line. Finally I put on a talk from speeches.byu.edu, because those usually put me right out, but it still took lots longer than usual.

When my first alarm went off I turned it off and waited until the second, third, and forth went off. Then I was up, and had "The Final Countdown" in my head (I recommend opening this link in a new tab and listening to the song while you read the post!) while I gathered everything up I had so nicely prepared the night before and at some cereal and a banana. Now I was off. I arrived just on time, that is to say, about an hour early. Which was enough time to look around, stretch, talk to others, and get my body marked, but not way too much time like my first triathlon.

After getting my little transition spot all set up, I put on the ol' wetsuit and got in the water to get acclimated. It wasn't too horrible actually, about 61 degrees with a wetsuit is just fine once your feet go numb, and until you put your face in. They delayed the start for a little while to try to clear a bunch of driftwood out of the way of the course, but let's just say they didn't get it all...

When they announced we would be starting in "3...2...1..." I scrambled to get to the back of the group so I didn't get killed and then jumped in and started swimming. I immediately realized why it is important to have anti-fog drops for your goggles, because even with them it is really hard to see the buoy that you are supposed to swim to. At first I tried to just swim with everyone else, elbows, legs, hands and everything flailing all around me... Then it got less crowded, which was nice. I guess I figured everyone had just kind of found an equilibrium with their surroundings, but I was wondering why I kept hearing a whistle blowing and someone yelling "right, swimmer!" I guess I just figured it was someone else's problem, until I stopped and looked around to see that I was way off course! I tried to re-correct my direction and the next time I checked I was off again! It is terribly difficult to swim in a straight line in a lake when the water is moving, the water is cloudy, and there is no line on the bottom to follow. It was all I could do to try to stay with the "herd" but even this didn't always workout, since some of them would stray off too. (See diagram below)

I was already tired and only a sixth into it, and I knew there was only one way to keep my cool: pretend I was not in a triathlon. I would stop for a couple seconds and say hello to the lifeguards, or tell them good morning, just as if I was out on a beautiful summer day for a leisurely dip. When I ran into someone I would politely say "excuse me" and keep going. Last time I could afford to be a little competitive in the swim and committed myself to doing only freestyle stroke. This time, anything was fair game. I would switch to breast every now and then to get my bearings and look for the buoys, then I would do backstroke when I got tired and then I would slap someone on accident and switch back to freestyle, only to find that I had been going completely off course. If swimming straight in a lake is hard, backstroke is 10 times worse! At one point I switched to backstroke after rounding a buoy and when I got my bearings again I found out I had actually been going backwards. And even when I could get myself moving forwards, the buoys seemed to be swimming away from me. Oye ve.

The good news is, even though you may think it is not an admirable trait to swim all skiwompus in crazy loops and zig zags, consider the fact that I probably swam farther than anyone else in that lake. So there, I bet I did a half-ironman distance swim, actually. But while I'm speaking of skiwompusness, there was one guy who I think made it his personal mission to swim in a crazy floating zig zag pattern specifically designed to block my progress. Oh well.

Anyway, a few more collisions with people and driftwood as well as a few swallows of lake water to keep hydrated, I made it out of the lake in one piece. I must have been one of the last ones because there were hardly any bikes in the transition area! One glance backwards confirmed my suspicions. I think there were only 2 or 3 Olympic distance swimmers left in the lake, and one was a girl! (they start several minutes after the men). Oh well, at least my bike was easy to find.

I admit it, I was too tired to do a really fast transition, so I took my sweet time, and was a little nervous in getting on the bike because my legs were already sore due to the variety of strokes I had to use to stay alive in the lake, and my arms were so sore that I could hardly support my torso by holding on to the handlebars! I managed to get up and going though, this time not so gung-ho about passing everyone, even though I did a few, of course. Then my morale took another hit when the first place kid came zooming in on his bike shortly after I got on mine.

26 miles is a long way, and it feels even longer when the first half of the bike leg is all uphill. I was happy to have a long downhill stretch to look forward to though. I tried my first GU packet at this point, and it wasn't bad, I just hoped it helped me get back some energy because people were passing me, which is unacceptable, even though most of them were sprint distance people, so they had half the distance to go. Ultimately, I think everyone passed me except for one blessed soul though. He was my motivation to keep going strong, to keep me safe from last place! I beat him to the top of the hill and turned around for the downhill half, only to feel a gust of wind in my face. Terrific. But I was still doing good, until I noticed a girl with a flat tire. As I went by I yelled out, "do you have everything you need?" and she said, "um... yeah..." Not a good sign. So I turned around and biked back to her only to find out she had no clue how to change a flat. I had kept telling myself I just wanted to finish, and not worry about the time, so I helped her. As I did, that other guy zoomed by. Oh well. Once she was good to go, I got back on course and she was close behind me the whole time, but I never let her pass me. Until the run, at least...

As I biked into the transition area, I passed people who had finished and were heading home. I knew most of them were sprinters, but it was still a little disheartening. But then I saw my 3 friends Amber, Lisa, and Tosh walking and cheered that they came and they cheered for me. That renewed my zeal as I got off my bike, slipped my shoes on with my new rubber laces I had just bought (which are fabulous by the way) and grabbed a GU packet and took off running.

The transition wasn't too bad, thanks to the brick workouts I've been doing, but I couldn't finish the GU packet because it made me thirsty so I just ran with it and it got all over me! (but I didn't want to litter!) I passed my friends again who were in the middle of making signs, my favorite was an unfinished one that Tosh read aloud as I ran by, "You are doing GREAT, keep..." it was quite funny. It wasn't long after that when the girl who I helped with her bike ran past me, and for the remainder of the run I was left to battle it out for last place with this woman twice my age. I kind of set my pace to hers, and she started taking little walking breaks so I caught up with her, we were neck and neck for a mile or two, and made it through the first lap, still fighting for second-to-last place.

This part was torture! I think it is unfair to have to run 2 laps because then you know what is ahead and that is no fun, because then I just dread the hills! But to make matters worse, the second lap starts about 10 feet from the finish line, to be right there and then have to run away again, oh... pure psychological torture. I think that is one reason I ended up "hitting the wall" (as they say) a little later and had to take a walking break. Fortunately, I can walk pretty fast because of my long legs, and she would walk periodically too so we were still close. Eventually though, she pulled away from me and I kept run/walking after her. I got my 6th or 7th wind (I think I used up my second one in the swim) as I got close to the finish line, and was able to run the rest of the way there. My friends were there cheering me on, and I ran up to the finish line and mustered all the energy I could to "leap" through it like I had pictured myself doing, but with the way my legs were, I'm sure it was more of pathetic hop, than a triumphant leap.

But I finished! That is the cool thing, and despite pretty much everyone else being done before me, I still got a time that I was okay with, around 3 1/2 hours. And even better news: I found out I wasn't last! There was at least 2 people behind me somewhere. One person who apparently had gotten lost during the run when they took a wrong turn, and an old grandma lady. Bless their hearts.

Then I had learned that Amber won a gift certificate (that she gave to me) for being the most supportive fan there, and even cheering for everyone else too. My friends are the best! They even shaded and fanned me as I lay on the ground and as I stretched. Not to mention that they got me a whole quart of chocolate milk that I drank on the way home. I doubt they will ever know how much it meant to me to have them there cheering me on. And especially to have them there to give me and my bike a ride back to my car because there is no way I had another 3 miles left in me to get back to it myself!

During the ride home my feet were so sore it hurt to even just have shoes on, and for some reason even my fingers were sore. But man, was it nice to shower and take a nice long nap when I got home...

THE END

Training

Both in honor of my Triathlon tomorrow, and in response to request from a reader, (Shayla, this is for you) I have decided to do a post that outlines my basic training strategies over the last months.

I did not have money for a coach, so I read almost everything I could find to get an idea of what to do, I would frequently check out USA Triathlon's website, as well as Active.com. And if you are into keeping logs and stuff, which I have not the patience for, beginnertriathlete.com is very helpful. I would also read books and magazines, and recommend: "Triathlon 101" by John Mora.

The first step is to register for the event, and make sure you give yourself enough time. Having paid $70.00 or so, should help keep you committed. I didn't do this at first because I got the Triathlon bug in the fall, and there were no races to sign up for, but I knew I would in the spring. I would go to the gym and stuff throughout fall and early winter, but it wasn't until closer to when I had a specific date in mind that my training gained a lot of structure.

It doesn't take a coach to know that you should focus on your weaknesses first, so that is what I did. I was horrible at swimming, so I committed myself to swim 3 times a week, and I then I would run 2 days a week, and bike once. It took me a month or two until I could swim more than two laps with relatively decent technique, and that was gained from watching others, taking their advice (if it was good) and you tube videos. But be careful who you take swimming advice from, a lot of people don't know what they are talking about.

The weeks went on, and I would add a lap each time I went swimming, add a mile every now and then while running, and eventually incorporating new things into my workouts like Yoga and weight training. And when I reached a milestone, (Half marathon run and mile swim) Sickness struck. This was awful, because I had to work back up to where I was, and then I got sick again like a month later. (Thus, the last post!)

Things have a way of conspiring against you to test your commitment. Even though I successful dodged the sickness bullet recently, I did manage to fall pretty hard on a run the other day and take some skin off of my knees. That held me up in running and swimming for another week. Things get frustrating, some days it is like pulling teeth to work out, and you don't know why running two miles is so hard, when last week you did ten! But you never know how your body might be doing one day, so cut yourself some slack.

One thing I did not have a problem with during my training is eating enough. When you are training hard you have to eat a lot more, especially carbohydrates. Do not think that significantly increasing exercise without increasing calories is a good idea. It may be good for weight loss, but it is not good for your health, and it is certainly not good for your training. You need those calories for energy and recovery, if your muscles can't recover properly, then your workout was wasted.

While I'm on the subject of carbs, let me just explain "carbo-loading."

• Who? This is a good idea for endurance athletes, who are racing for an hour or more. A sprinter need not carbo-load.
• What? It is a way to increase the amount of energy (glycogen) your body stores in the muscles.
• Why? So you you can go farther, faster. Duh!
• When? You can do it over time to gradually build up your glycogen stores, and then typically the night before a race, like a marathon or triathlon, just TANK UP on carbs! (Mind you these should be complex carbs, not donuts, cake, and rice krispee treats)
• Where? Buffets are good, my favorite is Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation.
• How? See also, "where." Just eat a bunch of carbs, particularly the night before a race. (There is a more exact science on how to do it, if you care, click here.)
  

So there's most of my training experience. If you are doing a triathlon, make sure to do some brick workouts, so you are not surprised on race day at how much it sucks to go from bike to run, and if you are marathoning, go at least 20 miles on your own, and make sure it is not too much of a struggle. We like surprises, just not on race day.

Other than that, some last tidbits of random advice...

Train with a friend, it is much easier. Tell everyone what you are doing, it helps to make you feel accountable to them, and gets you more excited. Know your limits and listen to your body, if your resting pulse goes up or you get sick often, cut back. Make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep at night, really. (Especially the week or two before a race) Make sure you enjoy it, it is okay to hate it sometimes, that may be inevitable, but love it at least half the time. If you think long runs or bikes are boring, get books on tape, they are awesome. Stretch, especially afterwords. Mix it up, take different routes and don't always try to add more distance, sometimes work on speed, sometimes just take a walk and let your body recover. Ease up on the training the week of the race. Stay off the scale, don't focus on weight loss, focus on training, the rest will take care of itself.

There you have it, almost all of my training experience in a nutshell. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go to Sweet Tomatoes before PM yoga and getting to bed early. Wish me luck, I will doubtless post tomorrow on how great I did.

How to NOT Get Sick

As any of you who have read my blog know, the last time I did a Triathlon, I got sick 2 weeks before. Because of this, my swimming was sub-par on race day and my entire training schedule had a big nasty wrench thrown in it. I learned from that experience, that it takes approximately 2 weeks to fully recover from being sick, and get back to where you were in your training when you started feeling ill.

Needless to say, when my nephew and sister got sick a week or so ago, I took every precaution, and when I started feeling that dreaded "scratchy throat" feeling with my biggest triathlon yet in ONE week, I was desperate. I tried almost everything I knew that could possibly prevent illness, and tried to learn more and do that too.

The good news is: something that I did, or maybe a combination of things worked, and my scratchy throat was better in a day or two with no disruptions to my training. So for the benefit of those of you who also consider "s-i-c-k" to be a four letter word, I decided to post the list of 10 things I've done to help my immune system emerge victorious...

1. Prayer
I did a lot of begging, pleading, and bargaining with the Lord because I know that what is important to us is important to Him, and unless necessary for our own growth or experience, He is happy to help us out if we will just ask.


2. Positive Thinking
This one almost goes hand in hand with number one, as it is in my opinion a way to exercise your faith. But even if you are not religious, there is a lot of power that comes with the way you think and visualize things. We can truly attract what we think about and visualize, good or bad. I think I may do a post on this later, when I can go into more depth. For now, just don't say or think what you don't want to happen.


3.Vitamin C
This is probably the most well known precaution known to man. I am not sure how much of the effect is a placebo and how much is valid, but I took enough vitamin C pills/chewables to kill a small horse. (This was easy to do because the chewable ones taste really good!)


3 1/2. Airborne
I know that this stuff is mostly Vitamin C and is listed as number 3.5, but it also has some herbal stuff and zinc or something in there to help, so I drank 2 or 3 of those a day.


4. Eucalyptus Oil
Of course I have to throw in an Essential Oil remedy or some of my readers might be disappointed. (...Amber) Rubbing 2 drops of pure Eucalyptus Oil on the bottom of your feet after showering is a great way to strengthen your immunity. I did this a couple of times a day, as well as sleeping with a little Eucalyptus and Lavender on a tissue in my pillow case. (You can also diffuse EO's to kill airborne germs in your home. (Namely Spruce, Cinnamon, Frankincense, and any Citrus oils)


5. Water
They say when you get sick to drink lots of clear fluids and get lots of rest, I say to do the same thing to avoid getting sick. I drank a LOT water the last week, and I got a LOT of rest. This helps to keep your body clean and free of toxins that weaken your immunity. Also, don't be afraid to get really sweaty, that is a great way to clear your body of toxins as well. I think you can "sweat it out" when it comes to some sicknesses, especially in the early stages. Also, cut down on dairy intake until you feel a lot better, dairy increases mucous production, which is where the germs live that make you sick.


6. Common Sense
We should always be eating lots of fruits and veggies and avoiding sugar. But this holds ESPECIALLY true for when sickness is more of a possibility. I'm already on a "Dessert Fast", (as you know) and I think that helped a lot, but I also ate tons of fruit the last couple weeks, melons in particular. FYI: The amount of sugar in one can of soda can lower the efficacy of the immune system for several hours by almost half! And we all know to wash our hands frequently (but NOT with anti-bacterial soap!) and not touch our face a lot.


7. Nasal Cleansing
When I first heard what a "Neti Pot" was, I was completely freaked out by the idea. Basically you just pour salt water up your nose, and it cleans out your sinuses, it feels great and is quite entertaining to watch the water come out of the other nostril. And when you have clean sinuses, you have no germy mucous to get you sick.


8. Bom Dia
Danielle gave me this advice, and it is actually quite an enjoyable remedy. Near the produce section of the grocery store, where they sell the "POM" and "Naked" Juice is a product called "Bom Dia" it is a mix of Acai berry juice, and others that have tons of antioxidants. I got the Mangosteen one, and it was really good. The only downside is that they are a little pricey, about $3.00 for one 8oz bottle. But totally worth it!


9. "Cold Kicker"
I got this recommendation from Salt Lake Running Co.'s Blog. It is a juice concoction of raw carrots, ginger, and garlic. It really sizzles the taste buds, but I can't see how it couldn't help.


10. Homeopathic Potion
This is one that I only use in severely drastic circumstances. I have only ever used this potion twice. The first time was to end a month-long sickness on my mission, and the other was just last week. It may be the worst thing I have ever tasted. It is a mix of Echinacea, Cat's Claw, Goldenseal, and Grapefruit Seed Extract. It is so terribly bitter, and the echinacea will numb your tongue and throat if it is not diluted, so you have to put a tablespoon or so into a bottle of water and sip it throughout the day. It is truly awful, but it truly works.

The other options are ones I do not really suggest, some try Zicam, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or flu shots. I think that all of these will only contribute to a weaker body and immune system in the long run and make your body more dependent on them, rather than helping your body do its job more efficiently. So there you have it, stay healthy!

Book Review: "The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy"

This book by Valerie Ann Worwood is the best one I have found on the subject of essential oils. It contains useful and interesting information on the history of Aromatherapy and the various uses for essential oils. It has a great index that makes it easy to find what essential oils are good for what problems, how to use them, precautions, and even why and how they work. Valerie Ann certainly did her homework on this one, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about and use EO's for themselves. I got it from the library, but plan to purchase it as a reference book to keep on hand.

Other noteworthy books on the subject are "The Aromatherapy Bible: The Definitive Guide to Using Essential Oils" by Gill Farrer-Halls and "The A-to-Z of Essential Oils: What They Are, Where They Come From, How They Work" by Joy Bowles. The former is a very easy read that is good for any beginner or newcomer to the subject, and focuses a lot on aromatherapy massage as well as making your own oil blends, and has an excellent list of essential oils in the back and information on each one. The latter is basically an encyclopedia that goes into depth on each oil, the pictures are fantastic, and the detail is quite impressive. So if you want to get the nitty gritty on Tea Tree Oil, its scientific name, origins, potency, or just want to see what a "tea tree" looks like, then this is the book for you.

As a final note on the subject, if you are at all interested in Essential Oils, but not enough to invest a whole bunch of time into buying/ reading a book, I have posted a link to my favorite Essential Oil Blog here.

Book Review Monday!

In the interest of giving a little more structure to my blog, while at the same time motivating myself to read more, I have decided to start a new tradition...

Book Review Monday!

It is pretty self explanatory I suppose, each Monday I will post a review of a book I have read recently (or maybe a while ago) and tell you if I liked it or if it stunk...stank? I will also try to just give a brief overview and tell you why or why not I recommend it and any other comments I feel like making.

Anyway, in order to celebrate the ushering in of this new exciting tradition, today you get 3 book reviews for the price of one! Enjoy.

Naysayers

If there is one thing we all have an over-abundance of in our lives it is these kinds of people.

Everyone has experienced their fair share of disappointments and let downs, and some have had much more than anyone should have to endure. These kinds of things are very painful, albeit some more than others. As human beings we are programmed to avoid hurt, and one way we think we can avoid it, is to simply not attempt anything where failure is at all likely. The next thing that happens is that people become jaded, bitter, and cynical because (even though they may not realize it consciously) they are living far below their privileges by not attempting to excel.

Of course, these characteristics end up spreading like a disease from person to person until most of the population is infected. And in order to make themselves feel better, they find pleasure in making sure everyone around them experiences the same disappointment. Sadly, I have found that this principle is almost universally acceptable, and a very choice few are immune to its negativity.

My original intent in writing this post was to vent about how awful these individuals are, having experienced a seemingly constant flow of negative feedback on a variety of goals and endeavors from a variety of people. It has been especially common when I express my desire to start my own business. (or businesses as the case may be) Many times, people start listing off statistics about how many small businesses fail, and how I should focus on getting a "good job," even though in my opinion jobs are far less reliable, but I will have to go into the virtues of entrepreneurship later, that is a post of its own.

Anyway, after thinking a lot about it I think that naysayers (as cripplingly irritating as they may be) need our sympathy and encouragement, rather than our criticism. Cynicism cannot be cured by negative feedback, on the contrary, that is exactly what it feeds on, therefore negativity will only make it worse. Remember, chances are they are only that way because they have been let down many times in their life, and seeing others succeed only reminds them of their failure. They need a goal, a dream, an endeavor! And more importantly, they need to accomplish it, to achieve success, and we need to help them. That way they can realize how much better it feels to succeed with someone's help, rather than to help someone fail.

A final word on the subject. Failure and disappointment are inevitable, but the pain we feel is much worse if we view it with a bad attitude. Consider these quotes from Tom Hopkins:

I never see failure as failure, but only as a learning experience.

I never see failure as failure, but only as the feedback I need
to change course in my direction.

I never see failure as failure, but only as an opportunity to
improve my sense of humor.

I never see failure as failure, but only as an opportunity to
practice my techniques and perfect my performance.

I never see failure as failure, but only as the game I must
play to win!

Summer is Here!

I know that the official day that summer starts is not for a couple more weeks, but I think that summer should start on Memorial Day. That is when most pools start being open, that is close to when Lagoon starts to be open weekdays, and just a week or two before the kids get out of school, or... I start school again.

My point is, from whatever unofficial view point you look at from, summer has begun! I even saw a 5 day forecast that didn't have any rain scheduled in it, that was a welcome site. (I am thankful for the rain though, it has made everything green and beautiful!)

To officially kick off the summer season, I went camping this last weekend. It wasn' t like real, hardcore camping because it was technically a stake activity. I know this diminishes a bit from the adventurous, solitary spirit of camping, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. But I did still sleep in a tent, and just to feel more independent, we set it up about a half mile away from everyone else, right by a river. That was nice because I love the sound of rushing water. The funny thing is, I forgot to grab a sleeping pad from my camping gear, but fortunately I had my yoga mat in my car. Ah, 3 millimeters of pure comfort... Anyway, here are some other highlights of the weekend.

I was kind of sad that there was no lake nearby, I think camping is always more fun by a lake, and I wanted to test out my new wetsuit in a little open water swim to get ready for the Rock Cliff TRI in a few weeks. There were some cute girls there, one in particular who's name will probably not appear on this blog in the near future unless spending time with her becomes a more common experience... ;) So that was good, we also got to do service on Saturday which was a good workout-- we dug rocks out of the horse corral that turned out to be boulders, and had to get them out, it was a pain, but so satisfying to get a big 400 pound rock up out of the earth. (Note this rock looked like it could weigh a half a pound before we started digging and found it to be the tip of a proverbial iceberg!) The rest of the time was walking around, exploring, talking, and sitting around the campfires...

Which reminds me, it was pretty rough not to be able eat smores in such an environment, and the water tastes like they took it from a swimming pool, so the soda and kool-aid were even more appealing. But fortunately, there is strength in numbers. Tosh and Suki were both there as well, and Suki got her friend Holly to go off desserts too. So we had a good support system, even though smores weren't the hardest part, it was breakfast the next day. Tosh and I were expecting pancakes, and debating how we would deal with the syrup issue, but they blindsides us with Costco muffins. (And by muffins I mean, really big cupcakes without frosting.) We debated amongst ourselves whether this was a dessert or not, but when we saw that there was more sugar than flour in the ingredients, we had a meager breakfast of grapes, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Yep, that's how hard core we are.

Bite Me!

One of the most common things I do to avoid boredom is play with my friends. A while ago I was at Amber's house and we were playing games from the television game show: "Minute To Win It!" My friends and I were trying to do the "bite me" challenge which involves picking up a 2 inch high paper bag with your mouth, and only your feet can touch the ground. Amber filmed us and later made this video. I thought it was funny, so I decided to put it up as a testament to how much fun you can have with a little creativity and very little money. (If you are bored and want to know how to play this and many more fun games using only common household objects, you can find the "blueprints" to all of the games from the show here...)

Texting

This is a pretty random post on my thoughts about the modern day miracle of text messaging. In reference to texting, I echo a common sentiment of one of my favorite Television detectives, Adrian Monk: "It's a gift, and a curse."

For quite some time I have been against this popular phenomenon, claiming outwardly that I thought it was stupid and you should just call that person and say what you have to say falling in with the people who say that it damages proper social interaction.Yet, inwardly I was thinking that I really just didn't want to pay the extra 20 bucks a month.

Ultimately I caved and got texting like everyone else, and thinking back on it, I identified a few links in the chain of events that led me give in.

1. I was going on a blind date, and the girl (let's call her, "Laura") who orchestrated it was supposed to "call me with the details." All I knew was the day and time. And the nearer that time got, the more anxious I got. No call came, and I did not know this girl's phone number! At 6:00 (the time the date was supposed to start) I was frantic with rage and embarrassment. I felt horrible for this girl who I had never met, doomed to be the fifth wheel in a group of couples, and yet so powerless to help at the same time. I can't remember how I finally got a hold of someone who knew what was going on, but I remember it took a lot of frantic effort. When I finally was able to speak to Laura I immediately proceeded to chew her out for not calling me, when she replied that she texted me the address...

2. Includes a series of less-specific events that involved me missing other crucial bits of information that were texted to me...

3. Includes a series of less-specific events that involved me missing out on certain events and activities because the invites were texted...

4. My friend Amber's woeful lamentations at my lack of texting, because she does not like to talk on the phone, and if it weren't for me using facebook and her having a blackberry on which she could check said facebook, we would likely not have been able to be friends...

5. Me missing out on whatever funny, secret conversations were going on between texters in the same room as me (at Amber's) during movies and what not...

6. And finally, I found out that I could get 1000 messages for 10 bucks instead of 20!

I have now been an official texter for about a month now, and suffice it to say, I am quite pleased with my decision. All of the things I was missing out on before are now remedied, my friends are all happier with me, and my fingers are getting faster every day.

But there are a few things I have learned since...

1. Predictive text is amazing!

2. I never would have thought 1000 messages wouldn't be enough for a month, but now I see how it can be.

3. It is great to be able to tell people things or ask questions without the possibility of being cut off, and a lot easier to communicate with those you need to (but may not want to), as well as telling multiple people things at the same time.

4. Cha Cha is amazing!

5. The biggest downside of texting is that there is not tone of voice. Be careful with this one. I have found that people will interpret the tone of your text based on their mood that day. One person might text: "How are you?" and the response, "fine" could mean anything to them. If they were in a good mood they probably interpreted that fine to be genuine and sincere. If they were having a bad day, they may think that the person they texted was having an equally awful day, and then text: "what is wrong?" which will really annoy the other person in they really are fine. This can get more complicated with people thinking that you are being rude or upset in your texting. I have heard even the simplest texts recited by the reader with an angry or sassy tone which can completely change the meaning of the original message. So be specific with you questions and responses, and don't jump to conclusions, you may just be putting your own spin on something that was composed with a completely harmless intent.

Day 1

This is just a brief update...

There is already one thing that I know I will not miss over the next month: sugar hangovers! Since I ate more sugar than usual yesterday I have a bad one today. The symptoms are not those of a traditional hangover as I know them, there is really only one main symptom... a constant feeling of slugishness. I know that is not a real word, but the day or two after I eat a lot of sugar, it always slows me down mentally, motivationally, and of course physically. I hate it, not only is working out (or doing anything productive for that matter) way harder, but getting myself to is just as difficult.

But at least I overcame! I went running today, despite the difficulty AND the rain, and then even went hiking after! It was fun, even with a little rain. For the first time I saw two elk, and we heard a pack of wolves, or maybe coyotes... Anyway, that is when we turned around and headed back! :)

And now I feel way better, I guess the cure for a sugar hangover is lots of exercise! And just for your information: Tosh and I "amended" the rules of the dessert fast...

Granola Bars are now banned because we looked at how much sugar they had in them.

Fruity/bubble gum is banned, but mints and minty gum are okay.