Boring No More!

Ebbs and Flows

2011-02-22T10:24:00.005-07:00

What is it about life that makes it seem to flow by easily and enjoyably for some period of time, and other periods are extremely difficult? I have thought that it is because circumstances will often change and cause us varying degrees of happiness or frustration, but I have realized lately that I still find myself having a particularly difficult or good time even when the status quo of my life remains relatively unchanged. And at other times circumstances change drastically, affecting to varying degrees how I feel.

I am not sure which is preferable, constancy or variance. The terrifying thought of constancy is getting caught in a less than desirable state of mind, so it is only comforting while you are happy and feel like things are going well. In contrast, variance brings reassurance during difficult times that things will and must eventually turn around. Of course it does not matter what I prefer. Life will bring you constantly changing motivations and circumstances, like it or not.

I have my own thoughts and ideas that trouble me that come around every now and then, at times I am incredibly motivated to fulfill certain goals, while at others I just feel like I need to make through the day, week, month, semester, etc. But in the darkest times, the old cliche "when God closes a door, He opens a window" holds true. Some kind of good is always flowing, even if the vast supply of your happiness seems ebbed. That is what we need to hold on to. The fact that happiness is always flowing. There is always something that can bring us satisfaction, joy, or fulfillment. It is difficult to focus on the water that gets past the hoover dam, because all that is held up behind it, and the dam itself are so awe inspiring as to steal all of our attention.

So when I just don't feel at all like reading my scriptures, or sticking to a budget, it is likely at that point that I really like to exercise, and I should focus on that and enjoy it as much as possible until the tables turn and reading scriptures is a pleasure and working out is like pulling teeth. There are wonderful times when many, if not all of these kinds of things seem to flow easily in your life. Embrace those times, however long they last, they are a great blessing.

So when some aspects of life really suck, acknowledge those things, without focusing exclusively on them. Do not convince yourself that your whole life is doomed to sorrow, because you failed a test, got sick, had your feelings hurt, got laid off, lost a friend, or whatever else. As you do so, I think you will find that happiness will "flow" more freely and frequently.

Honestly, I hope that such is the case, because it is what I am striving to do. I am no oracle or guru that has obtained unending peace and happiness. I need this advice as much as or more than anyone, which is often the case with what I write. So if you are struggling, look for the good, and if you are doing great, bask in it. Enjoy it as much as possible, and fill your positive memory bank so that you will have something to draw on when things are not so smooth.

In closing, I quote the demon Screwtape in a letter to his nephew, Wormwood on the need we have for change (ebbs and flows) and the dangers that arise if we allow their kind to exploit that need through fear, as well as an assurance that, in times of seemingly excessive ebbing, eventual flows are inevitable...

"The horror of the Same Old Thing is one of the most valuable passions we have produced in the human heart—an endless source of heresies in religion, folly in counsel, infidelity in marriage, and inconstancy in friendship. The humans live in time, and experience reality successively. To experience much of it, therefore, they must experience many different things; in other words, they must experience change. And since they need change, the Enemy (being a hedonist at heart) has made change pleasurable to them, just as He has made eating Pleasurable. But since He does not wish them to make change, any more than eating, an end in itself, He has balanced the love of change in them by a love of permanence. He has contrived to gratify both tastes together on the very world He has made, by that union of change and permanence which we call Rhythm. He gives them the seasons, each season different yet every year the same, so that spring is always felt as a novelty yet always as the recurrence of an immemorial theme. He gives them in His Church a spiritual ear; they change from a fast to a feast, but it is the same feast as before."

New Year, New Adventures!

2011-01-21T20:10:00.003-07:00

Hopefully, I will be able to settle back into some kind of more regular blogging routine after my rather lengthy hiatus. When school struck last fall, blogging was never the same. Perhaps it was because homework competed with my attention, or perhaps with summer ending, I had fewer exciting things to post. In the near future, I may go back to chronicle some of the things I have done since I stopped blogging semi-weekly, but for now I want to get the obligatory "New Years" post out of the way while it is still January.

2010 was the first year that I made resolutions that I took deeply to heart and they ended up shaping my entire year. I ended up succeeding with most of them, and that made for a very satisfying year. I wanted the same kind of direction this year, so I spent a lot of time pondering about what would be the most important to me throughout 2011. Only 2 goals really stuck out to me, that I knew would be of paramount importance, but I wanted a more meaningful year so naturally I made up several other goals and dubbed them resolutions. As you may be able to predict, the other goals did not make through even the first couple weeks of January. I know I have rambled on goal setting before, but I realized this month that it does not matter how many goals you set at new years or any given time, but rather how important success in meeting those goals is to you. It is like a quote I read once. "Self discipline is remembering what you really want."

I think many goals are made more meaningful when made at times of your life when you are undergoing big changes. Here are a few changes that I have made since I last posted in order to achieve some goals that are important to me.

1. New home. Having transferred to BYU, I now live on my own in Provo, which was one of my goals of last year, moving me further towards independence.

2. New job. (kind of) I still work for the same company, but now I can work from home, which is a very convenient job for a college student like myself, and in order to be more financially independent, I am trying to work more hours and perhaps even get another job to supplement my income. Hopefully that works out.

3. New friends. This one is pretty hard. I love and miss my Salt Lake friends very much, and have no intention of ceasing to play with them. However, since it is not logical to drive 50 miles every day to hang out with them, I obviously have to leave my shell and make new friends here as well, which can be fun but is also kind of stressful in a way; sometimes afraid to just be myself because relationships are still fragile until people really get to know you, and then I can be my weird, crazy, opinionated self. It just takes time.

4. New school. I realize that I already covered this one, but there are other differences than just location. I know the work load will be greater and teaching styles much different. I am, however looking forward to it.

5. New lifestyle. Last year my physical focus was to become a triathlete. This year it is slightly different. Rather than the more exercise-intensive focus of 2010, I have started out this year with a new diet. Put simply, I eat vegetables, protein, and legumes for every meal and go nuts eating whatever I want one day a week. It is from a book called "The 4-Hour Body" by Tim Ferriss, which [don't worry!] I will not give an extensive review of at this time. But given my obsession with health and nutrition, I look forward to seeing how this works out. I may give occasional updates or insights from my experiences with it, but rest assured I am not going to turn this blog into a food journal or show weekly photos of my topless self in a mirror or anything. (Although you can find before pictures of me here.)

So there you have it. I am going to try my hand at blogging every week again, and see how that works out. If it doesn't, I apologize in advance. Have a great weekend!

Something To Be Thankful For

2010-11-16T09:14:00.002-07:00

I have had a couple experiences as of late that have really humbled me, if that is the right word. Maybe a better way to say it is that I have realized how much I have to be thankful for, and I supposed, with Thanksgiving next week, today was as good a day as any to describe my experiences. Please don't think I am bragging in anything I say here, it is meant only to convey how blessed I am, anyone who knows me could name more than several weaknesses of mine, so I am not trying to boast here, just so you know.

Blessing Number 1: The Gospel.
I have been reading this book as of late (don't worry, this isn't a book review post) called "Tortured for Christ" it was written by a man who suffered for his Christian beliefs in communist Romania. I have always been grateful for the Gospel, but I have never had to suffer anything near like what I read about. I won't go into exactly what they suffered, but it was literally the stuff of nightmares. When I hear what others have suffered for something I have always had abundant access to, including the Scriptures, the Sacrament, the Temple, and much more.

Blessing Number 2: My Family.
Throughout my youth, I have long taken this for granted as well. It was not until I went on a mission and into the homes of many, many, different families and individuals that I realized what a great blessing I had. I have two wonderful parents who love each other, as well as me. Four siblings that I love dearly and would do anything for, just as I know they would me. As a family, we sacrifice for, learn from, and teach one another. I could not ask for anything more in a family.

Blessing Number 3: My Friends.
Having been on the side of the spectrum where friends are scarce or non-existent, I am extraordinarily grateful to have such supportive, fun, caring friends as I have now. Many of my friends have sacrificed for me in ways that are more meaningful to me than they may ever know. Others have set examples for me that have impacted me a great deal.

Blessing Number 4: My Health.
In both mind and body I realize more all the time how richly I am blessed. I always kind of figured that school was as easy for others as it is for me. But when I think about how much more effort others put into certain study efforts than me, and have to work much harder to achieve the same results, I realize that a clear mind is a great blessing. (Once again, I'm not bragging, most of you who read this have the same blessing in this regard.) In the same vein, I am so grateful for a healthy body, all five senses, the ability to walk, run, swim, jump, bike, and play. The ability to do virtually anything I set my mind to. I hate to close on a sad note, but I want to share the story that set off this whole reflection on how good I've got it.

Yesterday, as I was driving down South Temple on my way to school when I saw a woman, holding a cane, indicating that she was blind, sitting in a "jazzy" motorized wheel chair, indicating that she couldn't walk, and worst of all, she had driven off the platform of the trax station, and gotten stuck half on the platform, the other half of the tracks themselves. She sat there, rocking back and forth, weeping. I saw her and my heart wrenched. I stopped my car in the middle of the road and ran out to help her. Two other guys were coming up at the same time and together we lifted her back onto the platform. She sit there, weeping, as the other two guys left. I had to resist the impulse to wrap her in my arms and just hold her, trying to offer her any comfort I could muster. Instead, I helped her across the street and asked her what I could do to help. Between gasping sobs, she cried that she was just trying to get to the Crown Burger, I told her I would help her, if I could just get my car out of the road. I parked, and ran back to her, now she was accompanied by a UTA attendant, who called for medical help because this young woman had likely broken her foot, in an attempt to brace herself from falling off the platform. My heart wrenched again, and I couldn't leave for fear that there was anything I could do for her. When the fire department arrived and started asking medical questions, I learned that she also had a damaged back from a bus incident a few months ago, she was on several anti-anxiety medications, and I noticed her "Jazzy" battery was almost dead, and she was only 19.

Even now, I have a difficult time keeping the image of this young girl out of my mind. I can still see her, stuck on the tracks, rocking back and forth and weeping because of pain, fear, humiliation, anxiety, frustration, and helplessness. All I wanted was to comfort her, I could only imagine the fear of being lost in a big city, without taking into account being blind, with heightened anxiety, not being able to walk, riding an electric wheelchair in which the battery could die any miunte.

Reflecting on these experiences, I cannot help but feel like I have no right to ever complain about anything, ever. On the contrary, I feel like I should do nothing but go about giving thanks every moment of every day.

Karaoke

2010-11-08T17:39:00.003-07:00

I know it has been at least 20 years since I have blogged, but I admit that once school started, I am always too preoccupied with school assignments and so forth to put much thought and/or effort into blogging. But I did have an experience a while ago that I told some friends I would relate via blog, so I take this brief time I have at work to fill everyone in.
First off, doesn't the word "karaoke" look funny? It doesn't look like it sounds to me and I always have to look it up after wards to make sure I spelled it right. Anyway, where was I... Oh yeah, CostCo. As a matter of fact, I am at CostCo quite often these days, the reasons for which I may have to elaborate upon in a later post. This particular day we had taken a a "field trip" from work (my job is way close to CostCo) to go and get a bunch of free samples for lunch.
It was a good day, we made the usual round from the bakery through the cheese area and up and down the cold aisles to make sure we didn't miss any, ending on the waffles with real maple syrup. Now, there is a delicate art to sample-collection. If you can manage to get a good dialogue going with the sample people, then they will likely give you more and/or bigger samples. This worked particularly well on the chimichanga sample-man who ended up cutting them in thirds instead of fifths and offering multiple pieces to us, score! Yet I digress...
After all the cold aisles, we ended up wandering through the seasonal stuff and we came across a neato little karaoke machine, with built in microphones and speakers. Of course, for Tosh and I, this proved to be an irresistible opportunity to push the limits of our comfort zones and have a little fun at the same time. There were no good songs, and each one we attempted was thoroughly embarrassing. We didn't know most of them, but we did our best, the girls were too wimpy to join in, so they watched from afar and pretended not to know us. After a couple songs, we got a couple of fans, one older, foreign lady actually came up to us to express her enjoyment. We felt our deed was done, until I realized we had one more spectator who deserved a personal tribute...
It was at this point that a song I was actually somewhat familiar came on the screen. It was "All You Wanted" by Michelle Branch. Not the most ideal song for a couple of guys to sing, but it would have to do. The introductory notes started playing and I shouted into the microphone a dedication of this song to the waffle sample lady. It was as stirring a rendition of a Michelle Branch song I had ever sang publicly.
If you are wondering if there is a point to this blog post, you can stop now, because there really isn't. But if I had to make one up for some reason, I would say that it is a tribute to the people in our lives who labor tirelessly to bring joy and happiness to others without seeking personal recognition. In particular, the waffle ladies in each of our lives. So next time you are at CostCo, remember to thank the sample people for the joy that they bring into your life each and every visit, and if you are not in too much of a hurry, stop and sing them a little song. You will not only get the joy of bringing a smile (or look of utter confusion) to some random old-person's face, but you may just get another sample out of them, and that is what it is really all about.

"Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You"

2010-10-11T13:10:00.000-06:00

I don't expect any of my readers to know the origin of the quoted title, unless I have one of those random creepy blog-stalkers. It is a quote from a video I posted a few months ago that I said really inspired me to make something more interesting out of my life. And it is filled with lots of great one-liners and pieces of advice and counsel for life. Highly recommended!

Anyway, back to the point. I have not taken the aforementioned advice as seriously as I have taken others. I do not make it a point to do something scary everyday, because I haven't really been able to see the point. But it started to fit together on that day in Good Earth Natural Foods... But recently, more events have occurred that have taken me well out of my comfort zone, and as a result I found that my comfort zone has expanded each time something like that happens. No wonder there is such value in leaving your comfort zone!

So I thought I would share a couple experiences I have had that have been kind of scary. One of which was forced out of my comfort zone, the other one I voluntarily left it.

First story: The other week I was babysitting my nephew Tate. A note about babysitting, I love little kids, especially ones that I am related to. But there is one thing that I have successful avoided for my whole life as a babysitter, I have never had to change a "poopy" diaper. I came close once, I was playing with Tate when an odious stench filled the air. My sister (his Mom) was due to arrive home any minute, so I prayed that it would be soon. But the situation soon worsened as I discovered that the frothy excretions were not fully contained by the diaper! I panicked and put Tate on his changing table and went to the opposite corner of the room to sit in the rocking chair. He was stranded by a wall on one said and a four foot drop every other direction, so there I sat. Rocking and watching him to make sure he didn't jump/fall off. In a few more minutes I heard the door open and called out to my sister as if this crisis was just barely under way and happily passed the baton over to her, seeking refuge in the basement. Crisis averted!

But the next time this happened, I was NOT so lucky. It was a similar situation, but the problem was that it happened shortly after my sister and brother-in-law left. I knew I could not just wait like last time. So I took inventory of the situation. I ran into the bathroom and started searching through cupboards for supplies. I found a box of latex gloves and quickly grabbed them and when I could not find any surgical masks I ran to the kitchen to grab a paper towel and stuffed it into the collar of my shirt, and proceeded to drop essential oils (Peppermint and Lemon) on it to neutralize any odors. What happened next was all a big blur, I remember hands and legs flailing around, lots of baby wipes, laughing, and a cloud of baby powder... then it was over. I sat there, my mind reeling with the implications of what had just happened, I could not claim total inexperience as an excuse ever again. (But if any of my siblings are reading this- don't get any ideas, I do not plan on repeating this anytime soon!) The moral of this story is though: as long as you have the right supplies and are prepared, and keep your cool, you can make it through even the most horrible situations!

The Classy Way to Execise; Part 1: Spin Class

2010-09-12T15:01:00.001-06:00

Obviously, I have decided to cancel Book Review Monday due to a general lack of interest among my readers. But one failed series attempt deserves another, so please welcome Boring No More's latest and greatest review series: "The Classy Way to Exercise!"

Recently I have taken a few exercise classes at my local 24 Hour Fitness to try new things and see what they are all about. My experiences varied so greatly, and slightly comically, that I decided I would do a few posts to discuss my experiences...

The first one I tried since getting home from my mission was a Yoga class. But since I already did an entire post dedicated to that, I will let that suffice and move on to Spin class. This is the only group exercise class I ever took before my mission. For some reason, I remember liking it a lot more... When I attempted another spin class recently, all I could think of was how awful it was!

Don't get me wrong, I love biking. It is my strongest of the three legs of Triathlon, but I think that if you were to take everything that is awful about biking, and take away everything that is enjoyable, you would get... a spin class. Really, the thrill of racing down a hill with the wind in your face, the feeling of effortlessly leaning into a long turn that makes you feel like you are one with the machine, the sun on your back, passing people, reaching destinations, maneuvering, and cheating traffic laws while laughing at cars... All of the things that make me love biking, gone. And all is left is a dark room with loud music, someone yelling at you, and a whole bunch of fatigue. I do not dispute in the least that you can get your heart rate up or get a good workout from a spin class, but lets face it, biking kicks its butt! Maybe I'll try again in the winter when there's no outdoor alternative.

Positive Thinking

2010-08-26T00:05:00.000-06:00

We have all heard the ancient proverb, "For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Many others may have even read the short, albeit famous book by James Allen on the subject. But I believe that most of us to not make these words real in our lives through application, or at least we do not do it in a conscious way. Which is quite a shame because there is real power in the practice of positive thinking. (as there is with negative thinking as well...)
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To illustrate my point, I will reference a story from Dr. Melvin Fish's book "Healing the Inner Self." The following is a true account.

"A family was in a car, traveling through an intersection, when a drunk
driver went through a red light at a speed in excess of 100 mph. Upon impact, the family’s car was broken completely into two separate parts, and the occupants scattered. The wife ended up on her back in the median. She knew she had many broken bones so she made no attempt to move. Her little child lay some distance away with a badly fractured skull. The husband was the least injured of any of them. He walked over to his wife and said as he looked down on a bloody mess, “I am a dead man.” Before morning, even though he had no serious injury, he slipped from this world to the next. All the other members of the family recovered."

This story demonstrates how much power there is in our words. Because words spring from thoughts, they make whatever idea you have seem even more real to yourself, the same is true for visualization. Allow me to quote another story from the same source cited above.

"This young man had been a basketball player for the university where he had been attending school, just a year or two prior to this time. While playing ball, he suffered a severe injury which damaged the ligaments in his ankle. The doctor told him that the body never heals itself from such an injury and he must accept the fact that he would never walk on that foot again.
He was not willing to accept that diagnosis. He kept all doubt out of his mind by constantly concentrating on the following mental picture: He visualized tiny little men within his body repairing the injury. To make the mental picture as vivid as possible, he even visualized them wearing T-shirts with logos on them. For several days he visualized those little men with
hammers, chisels, shovels, and brooms chipping away, cleaning up and discarding all of the damaged tissue just as workmen would dispose of debris from a badly damaged building before attempting to rebuild it. The next week was spent in visualizing these same little men with saws,
hammers and nails, bricks and mortar, etc. rebuilding his ankle. Two weeks after the injury, this young man returned to his doctor who could not believe his eyes. He was walking on both feet.
There was, however, a lot of stiffness in the ankle. Visualization then took on another phase of healing. The little men began working first, for a few days, with sandpaper, smoothing and sanding away the scar tissue. Next they spent several days polishing and buffing the new tissue.
Last of all they went around through the ankle with little oil cans lubricating the new tissue. The ankle completely recovered becoming as healthy and normal as the other. The interesting postscript to the story is the fact that soon after starting to play ball again he injured the other ankle, which was also completely healed in the same manner. Both ankles are completely normal and he can play ball without any difficulty or handicap."

Given these two examples, would you not rather utilize this power to make your life better? This is the principle upon which the book and documentary "The Secret" are based. The law of attraction, or the law of the harvest. We get what we focus on consistently, and too many of us in our day and age are consistently visualizing and talking about the negative. Saying things like "I hate my life." "My life sucks." "I'm so ugly." "I'll never reach ____ goal." "I just know I am going to get sick." and so on and so forth. What horrible realities to create for yourself!

Visualizing what you want to happen, and saying positive things about your life and situation is the sure fire way to happiness and success. You may have heard of people practicing "affirmations." To society, it seems like a silly practice, but it can help a lot with focusing your thoughts on the positive. It involves saying positive statements that are in present tense about yourself. So rather than "I will be skinny someday", you say something like "I am excited. I weigh ____ pounds and have never felt better. I love to look in the mirror, and have my clothes feel loose on me. I radiate a sense of health and well-being to everyone around me." See the difference? Imagine how much more powerful that last affirmation is compared to the first, and when combined with a visualization, just imagine the possibilities. But to have it work we have to stop attending pity-parties that we may tend to throw for ourselves, as these will only cause us to focus on the negative, which is what we will end up getting more of.

I know that this process is effective and that it works. I use it often in my life for a variety of problems and concerns. For some reason, it tends to be most effective right before bed and right before you wake up, perhaps your sub-conscious mind is most active at those times and takes those affirmations as truth. I know as well as any how difficult it can be at times to think positively, but in closing this post I will share with you a method I have used to help me when the negative and stressful thoughts start piling up.

I made a list entitled, "Things that make me sad" and write down everything I could think of that was bothering me or causing me stress. These have been things like: "My room is a mess, I need to study my scriptures more, one of my car's tires is going flat, I need to read more..." My last list had 35 items on it that were causing me grief. They can be anything. Then I changed the title to "Things that make me happy" and converted every negative thing on that list into something positive. So my new list was something like this: "I am excited to clean my room tomorrow, I love to study my scriptures everyday and receive inspiration from the Spirit, I'm so glad that I can get my flat tire fixed for free tomorrow, Thank goodness for great authors and tons of books to read..." and the list went on. By the time I was done, I felt really good about my life and the stress was almost completely, if not entirely gone.

All of this can work just as well for you, just keep your thoughts and words positive, and if negative burdens pile up, get them out of your mind and on to some paper where you can deal with them from a more objective stand point, and then change them into fuel for a better life. Good luck.

Cookie Dough

2010-08-19T17:00:00.006-06:00

Today has been one of those days...

You have probably heard of the grieving process. (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance) Well, today I thought I would outline the process I have gone through amidst my anxieties and frustrations:

Stage One: "Fake it 'till you make it" This step is similar to denial in which you try to act as if nothing is wrong. You keep a smile on your face, and try to not dwell on negative things said to and/or about you. Depending on the quantity and severity of your difficulties, this may be the only step you need. But on a day like today, I had no choice but to continue to...

Stage Two: "Venting" When you pass the point where you can just let those things roll like water off a ducks back, there is usually no option but to seek the willing ear of a close friend or family member to unload on. This conversation will typically be quite one-sided, with you complaining in great detail about your circumstances and criticizing the people who contributed to your woeful state. Even things completely unrelated to the current day's issues will tend to arise, in a desperate attempt to make your situation seem more dire, and thus obtain more sympathy. Typically, there will also be a lengthy explanation included in which you explain how none of what is wrong is in any way your fault, and was exclusively caused by others. (Either by their ignorance/stupidity or more often their outright evil/malicious intent to make you feel miserable.) Note: If you are the one being vented to, there is no use in trying to reason with the "venter," all you can do at this point is listen, and say things like "I'm sorry" or "I love you."

Stage Three: "Letting the wound fester" After the venting process is complete, there will typically be some very wise advice given by the "ventee," which (because of their wisdom and lack of involvement in the situation) is objective, accurate, and extremely valuable. They offer this advice and help as a physician offering a soothing balm to ease the pain of a serious laceration. Unfortunately, at this point you choose to completely ignore what they say, and may even go through parts of stage two again. But the advice sinks in subconsciously, ready to be recalled at a time when you can think more rationally. (In a sense, you take the balm or ointment from the doctor, but refuse to apply it.) At this point, you tend to end up basking in the "self indulgent hot tubs of self pity."

Stage Four: "Cookie Dough" This is when you attempt to ease your pain by burying it in pleasure. In my case, frozen cookie dough. When you are eating cookie dough with a glass of milk on the side, everything is right with the world, there are no problems, and your mind is clear of everything but the euphoric sense of bliss emanating from the sugary gob in your mouth... That is, until you swallow. It only takes that long for troubles to fully reassert themselves, but that is easily solved by taking another bite... And another... This process may continue until you run out of cookie cough or you start feeling sick, whichever happens first. Either way, it will come to an end, and most likely you will end up at...

Stage Five: "Obtaining More Cookie Dough" Okay, so this isn't really stage five. That is, unless you have had a really hard day, in which case it may be necessary. But in most cases you will continue on to...

[The Real] Stage Five: "Rising above" I do not know the science behind it exactly, but that part of the subconscious mind where the good advice received in stage three is stored is somehow released into the conscious mind when the two hemispheres of the brain are connected by a wave of cookie dough-induced endorphins. The sickening, junk food feeling in your gut brings you back to reality, and you start being able to accept the wise counsel given to you by your loving friend or family member (or both, in my case). You begin to realize that what happened really wasn't that big of a deal, and the things that people said (or didn't say) weren't even that mean to begin with. Ultimately you decide to just move on with life because it is far too short to dwell on trivial things. Besides, life will keep moving on whether you like it or not, so you might as well enjoy it, if for no other reason than this: as life moves on, this day ends up farther and farther behind me. Now that is a comforting thought, almost as comforting as cookie dough.

Which reminds me, stage five will often end with some kind of resolution to go to the gym and work off all the cookie dough you ate. Which is fine, because doing so will not only burn off cookie dough calories, but any residual negativity as well.

Book Review: "The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It"

2010-08-16T22:17:00.001-06:00

This book by Michael Gerber is truly a must-read for anyone who aspires to be an entrepreneur. It is also good for people who want to better understand entrepreneurs. It dispels the common myths surrounding people who start their own businesses and the myths that those same people believe that lead them to fail.

Among the most valuable things that this book helps you to do is see the future of your business, and to visualize what you want your business to go, and how to get it there. I imagine that there are people out there who believe they have no interest in entrepreneurship, but after reading this book and getting a new perspective, they may find the prospect more appealing.

Two weeks ago I reviewed another book on this same subject, both of these are important to read, as they help you understand the difference between owning a job, and owning a business. This one contains information on how to remove yourself from the framework of your business so that it can run independently without you, through other people. The other book will help you remove people altogether from your business and run on an even higher plane of automation. Very fascinating for anyone who wonders how business works. Check it out.

The Scariest Moment Of My Life!

2010-08-12T11:33:00.006-06:00

I have come close to death and severe injury on many occasions in my life. I have nearly drowned twice, once while whitewater rafting, the other time in the ocean. I have had some scary close encounters with shards of glass that should have cut me to ribbons, and have had large rocks falling from above that just missed landing on me. I have been lost in the wilderness by myself more than once, and have nearly fallen off a few rock faces. I have been threatened to be shot while staring at a loaded shotgun. I have lost control of cars on black ice and/or snow several times, and confronted members of the Aryan Nations.

But all of that pales in comparison with what happened yesterday in a Good Earth Natural Foods store... But before I tell you exactly what happened, I will need to provide some background.

Last Christmas, I planned an extra special gift for my dearly beloved sister, April. She had recently gotten into the whole/natural food scene, and so I made and stocked a custom grain cupboard for her. To get the grains needed, I went to WinCo, and Good Earth Natural Foods. I found out that my dear mother also needed to go to these two stores, so like any good son, I decided to go with her. (And also so I wouldn't have to pay for gas.)

Anyway, I'll get to the point. There was a certain cashier at Good Earth, and she was extremely beautiful and radiant. A great smile, and tons of light in her face, she was practically glowing. Anyway, I tried to strike up a little conversation, which is quite difficult when you aren't really buying a lot. So I asked her to show me where something was, then I purchased it from her, and under the pressure of the people in line behind me, I wimped out and kept walking. After I left the store, my mother commented on how the cashiers thought I was "cute". This bolstered my courage and I asked if she would wait in the car while I went back inside to seek this fair maiden's number.

I went back in, grabbed some random product and got in her line. As luck would have it, the person in front of me had some protest about how much something cost, or they couldn't write a check, or their card was declined, or they were paying in all pennies, or something. They must have been there for 10 minutes, and I am standing behind them looking like an idiot because there is another line that is completely open. My nerves grew more tense, and then I heard a car horn. I thought it was my mother, and all my confidence was shattered. I put down whatever it was and left the store, only to find out that it was some one else honking, but it was too late. I could not go back. I was left to wonder if I would ever see this beautiful girl whose name started with "C" and was a little bit strange but I couldn't remember it because it was covered in part by her hair.

Anyhow, it was quite a traumatic experience, and every time I have gone to that store since, I have looked for her, but my efforts have been in vain. That is... until yesterday.

Of Course, fate would not allow me to meet this girl under normal, non-awkward circumstances though. The first time we met, I was with my mother (whom I love, and is in no way embarrassing to have around other than the fact that she is my mom...) and this time I was going to the aforementioned store to get supplies for a "Clue" themed party to be held that evening; and of course, was already in my costume. So here I am, dressed up as a character from a board game, this time having given a ride to my sister and nephew, and there she is. My sister sees how my eyes lock onto this angelic creature, gives a knowing look, and prods me over to ask for her number.

So there I stood. Eight months, almost to the day since I last saw her, and I go and get the same thing I purchased from her in December, ginger ale. I go through the line, while my sister takes the parallel checkout line, the whole while jerking her head in a "go ahead, ask her" motion, and I wimp out and keep walking. I just couldn't do it, asking a girl out without any basis is too scary. I am fine asking girls out that I know, or even ones I don't know that I can talk to for at least 5 minutes, but the fear of the unknown here was crippling. While my sister continued checking out, I seized my nephew in hopes that he would be a conversation starter, or if hit the jackpot, he would be as enthralled with this girl as I was, then I'd have an easy in. But no such luck. I left the store again, heartbroken. But at least this time I could read her name tag, "Caprise." Once out of the store, my sister threatened to go and ask herself if I didn't, and gave me the same reassuring confidence boost I got back in December. "She thinks you're cute, I'm a girl I can tell."

So for about a minute I gathered my courage, prepared what I was going to say, marched right back in there, she greeted me by saying "back again, huh?" in a melodiously beautiful voice, and I said... "Where is your bathroom?"

Apparently, I needed some more courage gathering, so I went to the bathroom, and on my way back out, I grabbed a sample cup of chocolate soy milk, drank it and then looked for a garbage can that I knew they kept under the registers so I could be close to her. This time there was no one else in the line, just Caprise, standing there looking at me, perhaps wondering why I was wearing a green shirt, green tie, and faded green corduroy flood pants. (I was obviously "Mr. Green" from Clue...) I disposed of my sample cup, looked her in the eye, and turned around to face the door. Then I stopped, turned back to face her, leaned over and said, "Actually I have one more question." She encouraged me to ask it, and I so I nervously inquired : "Not to be weird or creepy or anything, but I was wondering if you ever go on dates with random guys who come into natural... I mean, Good Earth Natural Foods..." She smiled that beautiful smile, giggled a little bit, and then said, "I would, if I was single..."

And that was it, just like that it was over. I gave her another smile, which she returned, and I quietly left the building. Now, this may not have been the ending I wanted, but the good news is, now that I have done it once, I think that I have crossed over some kind of mental barrier I had. So look out random good looking receptionists, cashiers, dental assistants, and girls on the street, there ain't no stopping me now...

Book Review: "On Wings Of Faith"

2010-08-09T22:47:00.003-06:00

Frederick Babbel, author of the previously reviewed book, "To Him That Believeth" shares stories and relates faith promoting experiences from his time spent in post World War II Europe with President Benson as they sought to bring aid to the needy members there.

Teaching doctrine straight up is more my style and preference, but if you are one of those who enjoys hearing others experiences and seeing how you can relate, this book is a must read. Many of the most faith promoting and inspirational stories you have heard in General Conference were taken directly from the first-hand accounts in this book. You cannot read this book without having your testimony of God's love and power strengthened. I especially recommend having read it for the times when you face a task that seems insurmountable, then you can reflect on how the Lord always prepares the way, even though He does so in different ways and for different purposes. And if nothing else, this book is a true testament that the day of miracles has not ceased and that God continues His great work in our day, just as much as He ever has.

Book Review: "The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich"

2010-08-02T23:59:00.002-06:00

Of all of the things in my life that made me want to be an entrepreneur, this book is truly one of the greatest influences. This is how I learned about how much freedom there can be in entrepreneurship, if you do it right.

Quite honestly, it was also this book that ultimately, albeit somewhat indirectly inspired me to start this blog. What would you do with your life if money was not an issue? What dreams and goals would you pursue? These kind of questions intrigued me because, who dared think that it was possible to automate an income to the point where you could work on things you really care about without worrying about having enough money to get by.

This book teaches you how. How to get out of the rat race, and join the new rich. This book is ultimately about freedom, and having control over your own life. In that sense, its mission is similar to that of this blog. Almost everything I post is meant to teach or show examples of how to gain freedom in your own life. I think this is one that everyone should read, and I assure you that it is not a boring business book, but a truly entertaining and engaging read. Enjoy!

Cost-Benefit Analysis

2010-08-01T14:51:00.005-06:00

I don't think there are any activities that bring true, long term satisfaction except for those which involve considerable sacrifice and/or inconvenience. Often, the sacrifice will involve money, and it will always include a sacrifice of some of your time.

A cost-benefit analysis is typically used to make financial decisions, but I feel that it can be applied to most every decision when deciding if the result of carrying out that decision is worth more than the time and resources put into it. Going through this process is necesarry if we desire to follow the ancient counsel: "Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy."

Now the question: What satisfies you? Or in other words, what is so important to you that the time, inconvenience, and money it costs are no longer an issue? The answers will inevitable vary from person to person, but I think there are a lot of similarities in what we each value. As I give and explain my answers to the above questions see if you can identify some things about your own priorities.

Creating joyful memories is one of the most valuable and satisfying things I can do, and on a similar note, I find immense satisfaction in building positive relationships. These two feed off of and reinforce one another, memories are created as relationships are built and vice versa. The long-term worth of good friends and memories exceeds most anything else you can invest in. When difficult times inevitably arrive, I plan on having a reservoir of happy memories to draw on and hopefully a team of friends to support me, just as I try to be supportive of them.

Recently I took a road trip with a few friends up to the Pacific Northwest, which I will no doubt blog more about later. The trip was designed to be relatively inexpensive but of course it still carried with it a sizable price tag in money, time lost at work, missing school, and so forth. But I hardly gave those things a second thought when invited because I knew that the memories made and friendships strengthened were well worth it, and I was right. I also do not typically like to eat out a lot, but eating clam chowder or fish and chips on a pier in Seattle was more than just a meal, it was an experience.

I rarely, if ever watch TV or movies by myself because I do not think the loss of time is worth what I gain. Especially if I have seen that movie before, or if it is not educational in someway. However, I often watch movies and shows with friends/family because spending time together strengthens bonds and so forth. I'm sure by now you get the idea.

Other things that are worth my efforts, I put into goals so that I can measure them better. These are mostly things that are meant to improve myself as a person spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Things like studying the scriptures, exercising/triathlons, reading good books that benefit me with what I learn, which is why I only review non-fiction books on my blog. (I like fiction as well, but typically only listen to it while doing other things.)

Aspects of many of these things are not enjoyable, but the overall result is truly satisfying. Hiking as an example, the blisters, soreness, bug bites, and rocks in your shoes are not very fun. But the scenery and views you see, the peace you feel, the strength and endurance you gain, the appreciation for nature's beauty, the satisfaction you achieve, and (if you are not alone) the relationships built and strengthened, make the whole experience one worth repeating.

Before I wrap things up, I want to make a brief comment on the things we buy, rather than just the activities we spend money on. The same rules for me apply. Most often I can justify a purchase because of the long term benefits it will provide to me, take my recent purchase of a raft for example. It will help me better myself physically as I get exercise, as well as help create memories and friendships as I share it with others. The same went for my bike, my wetsuit and everything else that was required for my triathlons, these things are investments in a better life.

I hope that we are all happy with the way we spend our time and money, and if not, I know that we can be by undergoing a cost-benefit analysis by seeing how activities and purchases will help us later in and throughout life, and beyond. Pleasure is always trumped by satisfaction.

Book Review: "Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!"

2010-07-26T10:40:00.002-06:00

I know that many people have already read this book, and a great many more have already heard of it. But due to a recent experience in Seattle this last weekend, I thought it prudent to review it anyway.

While walking along the coast in Seattle, a man passed me wearing a fluorescent colored t-shirt that said "TAX THE RICH". He might as well have been walking around carrying a sign that he constantly yelled out loud proclaiming "I am an ignorant, arrogant, lazy slob!" One of the valuable concepts that follows along the message of this phenomenal book is this: "That which you tax, less people will do. While that which you subsidize, more people will do." That poor guy I saw in Seattle basically wanted to work less and make more money and let the people who work hard and make lots of money pay for the streets he drives on and the military that protects his home. (Not to mention that he would have them pay for his health care, his groceries, and his childcare so he can go sip espresso and read the Huffington Post without having to worry about his kids.)

Yet, I digress. The bottom line is this: everyone needs to read this book. People need to understand money and how it works as well as why there are rich people and why there are poor people. Everyone needs to learn that money itself is not an inherently bad thing, as a matter of fact, a lack of money can cause a heck of a lot more problems in a marriage, community, or society than having it in excess. This book is not very long, and it is written so as to be incredibly easy to read and understand; it is not like reading a financial accounting text book. So go get it and read it today, you'll be glad you did.

Book Review: "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think"

2010-07-19T21:49:00.009-06:00

I first heard about this book by Brian Wansink in my Health and Nutrition class at school, and upon first hearing of, I dismissed it as nothing more than "another diet book". It was not until later when a couple of students from the class who had read the book reported on it that I began to be intrigued.

Far from being a diet book, "Mindless Eating" examines the psychology of eating. It does not lay out a specific plan or diet to lose weight, but rather it empowers you by teaching you why and how we think about food and eating in general. You can use the knowledge gained from this book to help you want eat more healthy foods, and make yourself want those things that are not good for you less.

The book is written so that a wide variety of case studies are presented, carried out, reviewed, with commentary by the author between and during studies, as well as personal application. Some fascinating experiments undertaken involve how much labeling/packaging, as well as the overall appearance make a difference in people's perception of the taste of certain foods, as well as factors that cause us to eat more of certain foods, even if it does not taste good! For example, did you know that you will most likely eat 33% more m&ms if there are six colors as opposed to four?

If you have any interest in psychology, marketing, or food/eating in general, I believe you will find this book not only fascinating, but empowering as well.

Have It Your Way!

2010-07-18T09:36:00.000-06:00

Never, since the days of the great "Willy Wonka Golden Ticket Promotion" has there been such devotion, determination, and united effort to reach a common goal.

It all started about a month ago when Burger King launched the Twilight/Eclipse game promotion. We learned that not only was it possible to win a Vespa, but also $100,000 or a really fun trip for four! This is when my friend Amber suggested that we buy our beverages from BK until the promotion ends. (The stickers you need to win are on the drink cups and the large "fry-pods") At that time Amber had already purchased several drinks and kicked off the game, and later that evening I suggested we return to buy a couple more, because I had an idea.

So off we went, Amber and Lisa in the drive-thru and I went into the store. They bought a couple drinks, and I asked if I could buy a large water cup for 25 cents, when I found out I could, and that the cups he would give me had the stickers, I got three or four of them. My two friends were so impressed with the idea that we decided to go out even later that night and buy as many water cups from as many Burger Kings we could find in the valley!

In the car we went, fortunately Lisa had her GPS so that we could plot a course to as many BK's as was possible. Some would give us the cups with the stickers, others would not, one lady made us pay full soda price just to get the water cups! One guy was sneaky and gave us some of the cups that were defective and didn't have stickers... Well, two can play at that game, so we took them to another BK and complained that they had no stickers on them, so she gave me some new cups with stckers, but the gross part is... She kept the cups without stickers that we had already used, and gave them to Amber when she went through the drive-thru to buy more water cups! Isn't that disgusting? She gave Amber USED cups, and she did not even know we were part of the same group, because I was in the store, not in the car with Amber. Ick.

Overall, we ended up getting TONS of cups, stickers, and instant win prizes though. And since then we have continued to patronize Burger Kings, look through the garbage cans, petition people for their empty cups and frypods, and collect stickers in every way we could. It was quite an adventure, especially the first night.

Unfortunately, the contest ended today. And we are not in possession of a Vespa, $100,000.00, a trip, movie tickets for a year, or even the collectors Eclipse water bottles. But that is not to say we finished empty-handed. We have coupons for free Whoppers, french toast sticks, shakes, sausage biscuits, and probably about 30 cheeseburgers! Not to mention the fact that I stayed really hydrated buying and drinking all of that water, and we had fun anyway.

I close with a sentiment from modern philosopher, Jack Handy:"It's funny that pirates were always going around searching for treasure, and they never realized that the real treasure was the fond memories they were creating."

Book Review: "Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling"

2010-07-12T16:26:00.006-06:00

This is one of the books that I review that I do NOT recommend to everybody. That is not to say that I do not think that it is an extremely informative and fascinating book. John Taylor Gatto hits the nail right on the head when it comes to his conclusions about the world of compulsory schooling, and he of all people should know, he spent 30 years as a teacher in the New York public school system. While there, he would continually notice things that were wrong, and over time as he tried to fix them, he learned that the system was purposefully set up to be broken.

I don't suggest everyone read this book because the content can be quite distressing. My brother Rob who recommended it to me put it best, he said that this book is "The Blue Pill" and for those of you who did not catch or understand the Matrix reference there, it simply means that oftentimes it is easier to remain in ignorance than to know the startling truth. If you are not comfortable with drastically changing your paradigm concerning American Education, in particular the public school system, then this book is not likely for you.

However, if you would rather know how things really work, what the problems are, and how to escape/avoid their effects... This one is for you. One final note: John Taylor Gatto's first book "The Underground History of American Education" is available to read for free from his website, check it out as well. (Note: you will probably need a dictionary, this guy is smart!)

Book Review: "To Him That Believeth"

2010-07-05T22:46:00.002-06:00

When it comes to books about the Gospel , there are very few I could recommend more highly that this one. I truly consider this book a staple in Mormon literature, and think it deserves a place on the shelf right next to the Standard Works!

The author, Bro. Frederick Babbel is a wonderful writer, and keeps a very good pace when covering the material. He does not breeze over it so as to leave you confused or wanting for more information, but at the same time does not bury you in repetitive statements and superfluous stories to illustrate an already well established point. Managing to keep it simple enough to understand and deep enough to enlighten, the author provides you with a lot to ponder and much reason to glorify God. When I finished this book, I thought it was like a "greatest hits" album that covered some of the most precious pearls of knowledge I had acquired from a variety of sources. All of this combined with a tone that is in no way condescending or superior, makes for a volume I could describe in two words: "truly edifying."

If you don't have a copy, buy one and read it now; If you do have a copy, go read it again!

Just Desserts

2010-07-04T22:06:00.002-06:00

Now it is July, and you know what that means. Wait, you don't? Well, I'll remind you: This month means that the Dessert Fast of June is ended! You may recall that Tosh and I were planning on ending it triumphantly today, but then we realized we wouldn't even be together, so we went camping the night of the 1st instead and had smores that night.

I really must say, the anticipation was the best part, because I could hardly finish mine. I had also been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to eat some junior mints I had been saving for several weeks, and I kid you not: I could hardly eat three of them because they were so sweet it felt like they were burning my mouth! Unfortunately, I am confident in the ability of my taste buds to quickly re-adapt.

My observations following this undertaking are few. I noticed several things of note though... Right when I stopped I broke out horribly, I think because my body was detoxing. After that though, my skin was a lot clearer. There is a noticeable energy difference (increase), but it was not as defined this time as it has been in the past. The only other thing is that I almost got sick twice last month and both times I was able to overcome, so I think my immunity was a lot better. So there you have it.

Anywho, now that I have talked about that and this post is still kind of short, I will close by talking about the camp out Tosh and Katie and I went on... We went up to where I did my triathlon at Rock Cliff campground. We stopped at BIG 5 on the way so Tosh could buy a fishing pole, and I saw that they had inflatable rafts on sale, and I could not resist buying one! So we went up there, claimed our space, had our dinner and then I was anxious to go out on the lake, and even though it was after 11pm, I was able to get Tosh and Katie "on board" with the idea. On the walk to the lake we saw fireflies! That is exciting because I have only ever heard of them and didn't know they even existed in Utah.

On the lake we were considerably squished into my little boat, but had an amazing view of the stars. It was so peaceful and serene, we all loved it. In the morning we went out again, except I was swimming in my wetsuit some of the time. But I did learn that it is a good idea to make sure your fishing pole is secure before you jump out of the boat because Katie may or may not have been holding it, and she may or may not have let go for fear of her life because you jump out in such a was that could have tipped the boat. Either way, my fishing pole (which was really my dad's) may or may not have ended up at the bottom of the lake that day.

Lessons learned from today's post: (also from the experiences that the aforementioned post are based upon) 1. Camping is fun. 2. Sugar is bad. 3. Rafts are fun. 4. Lavender oil in water really doesn't keep bugs away. 5. Fireflies do exist in Utah! 6. "Where the Wild Things Are" is a weird movie. 7. Reheating sticky rice in tin foil on a campfire doesn't work. 8. Don't wear flip-flops and/or shorts camping in a place densely populated with various "itchy-bitey" insects. 9. Fishing poles don't float. and 10. Camping is the one of the only times I can really clear my mind and just think... or not think whatever the case may be.

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

2010-06-28T08:07:00.003-06:00

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!

2010-06-26T16:54:00.011-06:00

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

2010-06-25T15:50:00.002-06:00

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

2010-06-23T16:02:00.010-06:00

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"

2010-06-21T05:56:00.004-06:00

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!

2010-06-20T23:17:00.000-06:00

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

2010-06-17T15:23:00.007-06:00

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!

2010-06-09T10:53:00.006-06:00

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!

2010-06-08T07:08:00.001-06:00

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

2010-06-04T07:00:00.003-06:00

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

2010-06-01T18:06:00.005-06:00

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.

Dessert Fast

2010-05-30T21:07:00.010-06:00

You may think that the title may be an extract from a sentence something akin to: "Go get me some dessert fast!" But alas, it is referring to an actual fast, in the sense of going without food for a period of time. But instead of going without all food I am going on a fast of "just desserts." (pun totally intended) How long can one be expected to go without dessert, you ask?

How about the ENTIRE month of June?!

I really have my friend Tosh to blame for all of this. He started his abstinence from delicious, sugar-filled confections a week or two ago, and I thought I might as well be a good friend and do it with him, but I would wait until June to start, and then break the fast triumphantly on the 4th of July. June seems like a good month to do it, there are no major holidays, and like I said earlier,
I don't crave sugar as much when I am active, which I will certainly be in the summer.

I actually did this same thing 2 years ago, and it was hard because I was all alone, but I figure there is strength in numbers, so in addition to Tosh, I talked my friend Suki into doing it with us. This time it should be a cinch, right? Anyway, one thing I learned last time is that when you stop eating refined sugars, regular food tastes WAY better. If you don't like vegetables, see how good they taste after two weeks without sugar, you may be surprised, and you may not even want to add any salt. Another thing I learned is that the longer you go without sugar, the worse you feel when you eat it, and the less you enjoy it. This may sound like a deterrent for some, but honestly it is one of the best benefits to going without for a while. When I broke my sugar fast 2 fourth of July's ago, I ate every dessert I could see, and thought I was going to die afterwords.

Okay, so this is my last weekend when I can have dessert for a while so I have not been shy with the Dunford chocolate donuts that were at my parents' or the cookie dough in the fridge, and I think tomorrow there will be some serious last minute sugar fixes to satisfy. Maybe I should have tapered down my sugar consumption before the big day... Oh well, too late now!

So here's the rules*:

Fruit is totally okay, I can eat all I want and more.

Condiments are still okay, I can have jam on my toast and/or PB&J sandwiches.

Granola bars are okay, but only in strict moderation. (No more than one box of bars per sitting)

Desserts (especially those made with refined sugars) are all out. (That means no cookies, brownies, Crème brûlée, rice krispee treats, cake, pie, candy, candy bars, otter pops and... dare I say it? ...ice cream... )

Sugar Cereals are out.

All Soda and other sugary beverages are forbidden. (Gatorade is alright for during workouts, and chocolate milk as a recovery drink.)

No "Sugar Free" substitutes that are sweetened artificially! (Since these are worse for you than the alternative anyway, and have the same dulling effect on your taste buds, making you want more and more sugar.)

*This is not a contest, it is something we are doing for ourselves. There are no prizes, and no judges but yourself. There will inevitably be circumstances in which we must decide whether or not something should be eaten. (i.e. which cereals count as sugar cereals) This is up to the individual, we stand to gain nothing by "cheating" because we would only be cheating ourselves. We, as participants are supporting one another, not competing.

And that's about it, I will start in a little more than 24 hours, wish me luck! In the meantime, I think I could go for another bite or two of cookie dough...

Book Review: "Leadership and Self-Deception, Getting out of the Box"

2010-05-26T15:23:00.004-06:00

This short book with a long title was written by The Arbringer Institute, and endorsed by Stephen R. Covey. This book provides a fantastic scenario which teaches about self-deception and what kind of effect it can have on you, your friends, family and business relationships. Written in a way that is very easy to understand as well and helps to keep you interested from chapter to chapter, Leadership and Self-Deception is great for people who have a hard a time with non-fiction, and is quite short as well. Most people could read it in a day.

The focus of the book is on recognizing and avoiding self-deception in the workplace, with a secondary emphasis on the family. But the principles taught apply to all human relationships and, if applied, will help change your paradigm of how you see others. The knowledge gained from this book is truly liberating, and not degrading. I recommend it to all.

You're not hardcore... unless you live hardcore!

2010-05-23T13:45:00.005-06:00

I hate to admit this because it makes me sound completely lame, but I have never really been to a concert. You know, like a rock concert... I have been to The King's Singers, and some symphony-type stuff, but never really the real thing. So in an effort to make myself more "cultured" or whatever it is I am supposed to be, I went to a battle of the bands the other day. When I was invited by my friend Amber, I knew I could not pass this opportunity up. Now, I am aware that this still does not count as a genuine rock concert, but it is as close as I have ever really gotten outside of playing rock band. And I was pretty excited, even though I do not listen to rock that much.

Anyway, the evening came, and we piled into the car and drove to Provo. (I know, as if I couldn't sound more lame, I am claiming a Battle of the Bands, in Provo of all places, as a hard core experience - but wait... it gets better.) We got there with enough time to eat dinner first, and the amount of anxiety that went into choosing a place to eat could have an entire blog post all to itself, but I will let it suffice to say that we went to the Malt Shoppe from which we proceeded forth to ROCK!

Here's what happened. We walked in to this little hole in the wall cafe place with a brick room in the back with neon signs and everything. I felt like I was in a movie. The first band had just started and we met some friends there and some stood in front while myself and others found a couch in the back to sit on. Somewhere between 10 and 30 seconds later, I realized that I would not be able to take this kind of torture, not the band wasn't good (they weren't) but it was just that the "music" was so LOUD that I thought my eardrums would burst and I periodically checked to see if blood was dripping from my ears! I think I was the only person in there who thought so because every one else looked like they were having fun.

My excuse is that I do have more sensitive hearing than most people. I can hear those high pitched noises that most people can't hear after 18, and I never play my music really loud because I intend to be able to enjoy it well into my 40's at least! Yet I digress...

I tried to get used to it, I really did try, but it was too much... and yes, I had to plug my ears. (even then it was too loud, but at least not intolerable.) Don't laugh, even though I know the site of my sitting on a couch at such an event with my fingers in my ears must have looked completely ridiculous I had no other choice, or so I thought.

I wasn't sure which was worse, looking like a moron or a severe headache coupled with lasting ear damage. Then there came a point during WakeSide's turn (the second band, which was actually pretty good) when I decided that both of the aforementioned scenarios were unacceptable. So what did I do? I left. Not for good of course, I paid for this thing, and I intended to get my money's worth. Not to mention the fact that I got a ride there in the first place. But I did start running down the street. I knew there had to be a drug store somewhere near by that would sell me some earplugs, but after running for about half a mile I still saw none in sight, so I went the other direction and low and behold... The Marriott Hotel. Of course they would have earplugs, maybe even free ones for guests, or possible guests as the case may be. So I ran there, inquired at the front desk who asked me what room I was in, so I came clean and was referred to the gift shop. It was the best $2.49 I'd ever spent. I popped those babies in and ran back to catch Wakeside's last song, which was great despite the fact it lacked about 35 decibels.

For the rest of the night I was able to be up and in the action jumping around and looking like a crazy person, but at least I fit in just a little bit better. I had lots of fun, and coincidentally got a free CD, not to mention keeping my hearing in tact.

But if you think I am any more lame than you already did before reading this post, lemme just say: I saw one of the drummers had earplugs in too. So there.

At least next time I will be better educated on proper rock etiquette.

Hillariously True

2010-05-20T19:39:00.002-06:00

So, I was on my friend's blog today and saw this list and thought it was funny enough to copy to my own. You can find hers here.
1. There is a great need for sarcasm font.

2. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

3. Bad decisions make good stories.

4. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

5. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

6. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

7. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again

8. A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

9. Was learning cursive really necessary?

10. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

11. Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

12. Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

13. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a putz from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

14. Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

15. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

16. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

17. MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

18. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

19. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

20. Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

21. If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

22. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

23. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

24. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

25. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

26. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

27. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

28. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

29. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

30. Why is a school zone 15 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

31. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

32. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

33. It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

34. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

I hope this made you laugh as much as it made me laugh!

Midnight Hike

2010-05-19T15:38:00.004-06:00

I really like hiking. A lot. And this year wasn't the super-best for snow shoeing, so I have been excited for the weather to be nice so I can go back to the mountains, my favorite place to be.

Anyway, we had a semi-not-too-cold day a week or two ago and my friend Tosh and I were trying to figure out what to do one night. It was a clear night, and so I insisted we go hiking, and he was cool with that. So we went up Mill Creek Canyon to Church Fork and hiked up Grandeur Peak at like 10ish or something. I have never been hiking at night before, (unless you count snow shoeing) but I found it to be quite enjoyable. Near the top we did hit some snow, but it wasn't too bad, and the view was great.

I never seem to learn my lesson about bringing water because I think I won't be gone long, but often end up quite thirsty. Oh well, it all worked out.

I feel like this post is missing something. Meaning? Depth? Purpose? All of the above, perhaps? Oh well, it's a post, and who really cares if it is funny, clever, or meaningful. Just be grateful there's pictures for this one!

The point is: Hiking is fun, and is better at night if there is a lot of moonlight.
Me, AT THE TOP!!! With city light coming out of my stomach...
This one we were trying to look "manly." Did it work?

I moved before the picture was done, so the lights ended up on my face, obviously...

What not to do the night before a 5k...

2010-05-17T09:53:00.005-06:00

Salt Lake Running company just opened up a new store in my area, or rather, moved a location... But the point is they were having a grand opening celebration, which included a free 5k. I am all about racing, and I am even more excited when they are free because the only thing that keeps me from racing every other week is a lack of excess money.

Anyway, I digress. This particular race (like most of them) was on a Saturday morning, and I had a date Friday night. I was not thinking about what I had the next morning when I decided it would be fun to go Ice Skating for my date. I have only been ice skating once in my life, and I thought it was fun, and it was out of the ordinary enough that I thought it would make a good date, and I was right. We had lots of fun, in spite of the fact that the skating place opened later than usual because of an event they had there. We just went to CostCo and ate samples, then played Rock Band at Best Buy. When I got on the ice, it felt just like it was my first time all over again. And I was all wibbly and wobbly, and so was my date. It was so uncomfortable that she decided to switch from hockey to figure skates. I was too nervous to make the same switch, since I thought figure skates were only for girls, but I eventually gave in and I must say... I like figure skates way better, I was faster and had better balance, and dare I say it? Much more graceful.

The point of this whole story is, ice skating makes your ankles, knees, and legs overall pretty sore, and you shouldn't do it the night before a race, it will make it that much harder. The good news is: I still managed to finish in 25ish minutes, which isn't too bad considering...

Book Review: "Nephi's Isaiah"

2010-05-11T18:28:00.009-06:00

As was my goal, I finished a book this week to report on. "Nephi's Isaiah" by Denver Snuffer Jr. was a fabulous commentary and explanation of Nephi's intentions behind quoting the ancient prophet in his own record. For such a difficult task as engraving characters on gold plates, Nephi certainly thought it worth the effort to inscribe a sizable portion of Isaiah's words. I never took the perspective of reading these words as if Nephi may have had different intentions in writing them than Isaiah's.

Nephi knew we would have access to the bible, and could have just said, "read Isaiah, chapters..." Just as we often use the words of others to get a point of our own across, so does Nephi, and this book, while not intended to be an exhaustive work on the subject, opens up new ways of thinking and reading the words of both of these great ancient prophets.

Namaste

2010-05-11T13:07:00.004-06:00

Photo Credit Here

I really enjoy reading articles on Active.com and USATriathlon.com, they often include tips and information that are quite handy for training and racing. It wasn't too long ago that I read one about the benefits of doing Yoga, for triathletes in particular.

I thought about it quite a bit, and talked to my some people about it, and decided there would be no harm in trying it in the comfort of my own basement. So I got "AM/PM yoga for beginners" from Wal Mart and tried doing both AM and PM every day for a week. (This was back when school was in) Let me just say, it may be quite entertaining and even comical to watch ( and listen to...) from an outsiders perspective. But in doing it myself, I have noticed that it is quite relaxing and helps you to focus and concentrate better. I would say it is almost... empowering.

My point is... It is always a good idea to try new things, and if you haven't tried it yet, I recommend Yoga as one of those things. Variety is the spice of life! There are many activities I have seen others do and be curious and desirous to try myself, but never had the nerve to try. But when I did, it turned out quite fun, and occasionally, I don't care for whatever it is I tried, but at least I know now.

Who knows, I may even try a water aerobics class one of these days... But probably not.

Success!

2010-05-10T10:04:00.002-06:00

This is just a short post in response to the one on Accountability. It is quite true that being accountable to a deadline gave me the motivation I needed to get my product packaged, letter written, and delivered to the owner of Good Earth Natural Foods. Sweet! I also bought my domain name, so even though there is nothing on there yet, my business has officially launched! ( Or does that happen when I sell something... I'm not sure to be honest, either way, I am making big progress. This week, I want to get my website all set up nice. :)
www.sosimpleessentials.com

What I've been up to...

2010-05-07T12:44:00.004-06:00

So during the last couple of weeks I have found myself at work a little more than usual, which is not really what I feel super good about. There are other things that I think would be better uses of my time that I have not been doing as much as I should. Not that I have given up on my higher pursuits, but I find it amazing that I get almost the same amount of stuff done when I am in school vs. being out of school. Surely the principle discussed in my last post applies.

I have been dating a little bit. That's progress. And I am slowly making headway on one of my business ideas. But I think I need some accountability to get things moving so here's the deal. By the end of this week (it's Friday) I will have petitioned Good Earth Natural Foods to sell some of my products. That's my goal.

Wait, I never discussed my latest idea did I? I have been doing some research and experimenting with Essential Oils lately, and I think they are amazing! I have used them for several purposes and have had great success. So, naturally, my entrepreneurial mind is determined to market these wonderful products. Don't worry. I'll soon have a link that you can buy them from on this blog ;) . As a matter of fact, I think I will start working on a website too. See, it is great to blog about this stuff, it gets me really motivated.

In other news, I have decided to do the Rock Cliff Olympic Triathlon in June. This is twice as long as the last one I did, and the swim is open water, which I am actually pretty enthused about. So, hopefully the weather will warm up past 60 degrees and I can be more motivated to go out in it. I did a brick workout a couple days ago, a bike up the canyon followed by a 5k. Man, it was cold coming down the mountainside I tell you, and I got a flat tire. Oh! the bane of my existence. Flat tires... Oh well.

Accountability

2010-05-07T12:32:00.003-06:00

A good friend of mine recently started his own blog, and one of his first posts really described how I feel a lot of the time. You can read it here. He talks about how he tends to get more done when he has more scheduled. Which seems contradictory, but it is so true. When I have a bunch of free time, things seem so much less urgent, because there are no deadlines. In "The 4-hour Work Week" (a fantastic book, by the way) the author, Tim Ferriss talks about this same principle. And how productivity increases exponentially as deadlines draw nearer. That may be over simplifying it, but I'm sure you get the idea.

I suppose the point I'm trying to make here is that I have no posting deadlines for this blog, therefore I end up putting off posting until something really exciting happens. And then I still end up waiting. So, I am going to try to post at least once every week, just to keep myself motivated, since that is one of the main purposes of this blog, and every other week I will do a short book review on a book I read during those two weeks. I am trying to give myself some deadlines and make myself accountable and therefore more productive.

There you have it. I am now accountable to the three or four people who ever read my blog, the pressure is on.

What I learned...

2010-04-24T13:16:00.005-06:00

Here is what I learned that I will apply to my next triathlon.
1. You don't need to get there so early.
2. If you can, find a friend or at least an acquaintance to race with, or that you know will be there. It would have been nice to have someone to talk to pre-race and afterward too.
3. Do rest the week before, but make sure you at least can do the swim distance easily at least one week before race day. (It helps to not get sick)
4. Do more brick workouts, that means biking and running, so you can get used the the transition. Just because you can do each individual leg of the race easily, does not mean you can easily do them all back to back.
5. Especially if the race is longer than a sprint, wear padded bike shorts!
6. If the swim starts in waves, rank yourself one notch lower than you really think, it is better to pass people than get passed. (See: Luke 14:7-11)
7. Bring toilet paper. Photo Credit

But one thing I think everyone should realize that I learned is this: It is worth it!

My First Triathlon!

2010-04-24T12:19:00.009-06:00

Okay, So I just got home from my very first triathlon and I thought I would give the details since they are still fresh, and at the end I will share what I learned...
So I went to bed super early last night and set 5 or so alarms just in case. (unless you count drinking a lot of water, then it would be 6 alarms ;) ) I did my pm yoga practice to calm me down and do some stretching and it worked like a charm. I woke up 1 or 2 times in the night with a mix of excitement and my 6th alarms going off early, and when 5:00 came, I was up and ready to go, having laid out all my stuff the night before, and my bike in the car already. I ate some oatmeal with peanut butter and a banana and took off. I way overestimated the time it would take me to get there, in my frazzled and excited state of mind I actually factored in extra time for traffic, just in case. (note: it was 5:30am on a Saturday!) Suffice it to say, I was there in like 15 minutes, got my race packet, they wrote numbers all over me, I stashed my bike in the transition area, and still had 2 hours until the pre-race meeting.

I spent most of the time just wandering around in the cold in flip flops and a swimsuit, fortunately I did bring a hoodie, but my feet were cold. I did some stretching, some a.m. yoga (which made me feel silly in front of everyone) and eventually the time passed and it was 8:00, pre-race meeting. They covered the basics, told us where the course went (like I'd remember, that's why they have signs!) and I headed to the bathroom before the race. Apperently, I wasn't the only one who thought it was a good idea to lose a few ounces of weight before starting because there was no toilet paper, and unfortunately I did not notice until it was too late. This was a dilemma, 20 minutes until race time and I was stuck in a stall. How humiliating. I quickly analyzed my options, and decided I'd have to ask the stall next to me if they could "spare a square". I was just working up the courage when I heard the people in both other stalls loudly complain about a lack of TP in their stalls as well. Now I was doomed! I scanned my surroundings for other options, no toilet seat covers, no tissues, and then... there it was. Divine providence had placed a scrap of paper towel at my feet, and though I knew it was disgusting, I had no choice, that scrap saved me.

After that exciting moment, we all got in line to start the swim according to our 100m swim times. I placed myself with the "average" swimmers, I stood in line among these middle aged women and thought I was in the right skill group, I was wrong. My number was called and jumped into the water and took off. I haven't been swimming hard core for a couple of weeks because of a recent illness, but I thought 2 weeks wouldn't matter, I was wrong. I struggled to make it to the end of the first lap, near paralyzed at the prospect of doing the same thing 7 more times, I tried to keep reminding myself I was a good swimmer and had done a mile a couple weeks ago without too much trouble, 400m was nothing. But I did not believe myself, each time a middle aged lady swam past me I felt more and more humiliated, my only scrap of dignity I could maintain was to not give in to the urge to start doing backstroke, if I could do the whole thing freestyle, even if I was slow, I would feel okay about it. I think about 4 people ended up passing me, which is scary because they pace you 5 seconds apart, and I was with the "average" people.

Every time I caught a glimpse of the remaining laps, my determination faltered a tiny bit, but somehow I made it. I jumped out of the water, and wobbled over to my flip-flops and hoodie, and walked to the transition area, not able to jog. I was worried that I felt so drained but I got to my bike, put on my bike shoes, helmet, and shirt, and was off.

Now I was in my element. I was not even deterred by the huge hill that lay before me because I passed almost everyone in sight. It was incredibly satisfying to fly past so many people, I did not even realize that biking was as much of a forte as it was. I cruised up the hill, for a few miles and was regaining all of the confidence that I had left in the pool. It was particularly exciting to pass one of those people with the 3-4 thousand dollar bikes. Right near the top of the hill, another guy managed to pass me, and as he did, he said: "Man, you're flying on that thing!" Oh, that did it, my confidence and adrenaline went into over drive, I couldn't let this guy be the only one to pass me, so I began chasing him down a big hill, but he was quick! So I crouched down and relished in the sound of the wind passing as I torpedoed down this hill at 30-40 mph. I lost a little momentum on a sharp turn, but did not let up, even thought the guy in the blue shirt that passed me was nearly out of site. I kept going, another stretch of downhill, and then it was time to pay for all the fun I'd had with a very long, very steep climb. It was seemingly endless! Each time you thought you could see the top, you would get there and just see another stretch of uphill, but this turned out to be a great blessing, because I ended up passing about 5 or more people on this stretch, including Mr. Blue Shirt. My legs burned each time I pushed down on the pedal, and somewhere in the back of my mind a piece of advice I'd heard or read started to warn me: "Don't give it your all on the bike, because it will make the run incredibly difficult". I tried to reassure myself I was not giving it my all, just my most. Besides, it was now my goal to not let anyone else pass me, now that I had regained my lead over blue shirt. And when I finally reached the top of the hill, I but into high gear and let loose. There were 3 people in front of me that I could see, and I could tell I was closing in on them. I overtook the first one and crouched down into a more aerodynamic position, chasing the remaining two. I slowed slightly at an intersection and the guy I just passed breezed by me. Now it was on. I put my heart and soul into overtaking all three of them, and at about 100 yards to go until T2, I did just that. It was so close that when I dismounted the guy that had passed me was right behind and ran past me to his bike spot. But I did not care, I had won the bike leg of the race! Walking afterward was difficult though.

I made it to my little spot and changed shoes much faster than I had in T1, and tried jogging a little bit. Wow. They are not kidding when they say T2 is the hardest transition. And of course, the run leg began with a nice stretch of uphill running, on grass... I passed people I saw walking and desperately wanted to join them, but just like my determination to stick with freestyle in the swim leg, I tried my best to not start walking, no matter how slow I ran. There was a guy about two feet in front of me that I set my pace with, if he could do it, I could. I just hoped he didn't stop to walk because I needed the motivation I got from following him. The uphill did not end after the grass, and continued up and up through some neighborhood in Kearns. The guy I had been following had a ridiculous watch that would beep every mile, and when it went off the first time, he announced "one mile!" and I just about died. "You mean I have two more to go?!" I almost started walking right there, but did not give in, I could see a water station and knew it must be the halfway point, I only walked to drink my water and then kept running, knowing that the downhill had to start soon, even though I was beginning to think that the whole running course was something akin to M.C. Escher's painting of the never ending staircase!

Then I saw the spires of the Olympic Oval, which I knew housed the finish line, and the descent began! A couple of people got bursts of speed and ran past me, but it was all I could do to keep running, I smiled at ever spectator I saw and made small talk as I ran by at a pace of what may have been only 3mph, until I made it into the building and onto the the track, only 100m to go! My original intent was to sprint the last bit, but that did not work out so well, I managed to pick it up to a normal running pace at least with about 15m to go, and then I crossed the finish line.

Oh, what relief! What fun to hear the people you never met cheering for you as you ran through. I celebrated by eating a banana and drinking some chocolate milk, and I soon learned that was all my body could handle at that point. A few minutes later (ironically) my Sister, brother-in-law, and nephew showed up, and took pictures and gave me a balloon. :)

The final results... 83rd Place, (woot!) which is out of about 300 people I think... And I finished in 1:28:38, which made me happy since my goal was to beat 1:30:00. The realization of what just happened didn't hit me until I was driving home and a wave of satisfaction came over me, now I really am a triathlete!

(Just ignore my weird face on this picture)

Sick and Tired....

2010-04-21T07:49:00.004-06:00

So I've had this theory for some time now that the reason I want to eat a bunch of junk food when I am sick is that I think it will make me feel better. (at least temporarily, because it will inevitably end up making me feel worse) But now that I am better from a sickness I had last week, I have discovered what I believe is the true reason, when I am sick, I am not exercising. I always want to eat less junk food when I am exercising regularly, especially because I can tell how much sugar, etc. slows me down after I eat it, and it is never a good feeling to be slow.

In other news, only 3 more days until my first Triathlon, I am so excited. In order to prepare I am having an entirely healthy week, nothing bad for me. I think that is a doable thing for anyone, to be healthy for one week, and chances are, you will feel so much better that you will want to go for two weeks, and so on. So I say try it for a week, healthy is a great feeling.

School's Out!

2010-04-15T09:29:00.004-06:00

What an exciting day, yesterday was my last day of school, so to celebrate I went and picked up my bike from the shop where it was getting tuned-up and assembled. Then I rode it triumphantly around town! Now, this was my first real experience riding a road bike, and with clipless pedals even, but you should all be proud of that I did not even crash or fall over once. Thank you, thank you. I also went bowling with some friends that night that are leaving for the summer, it was a fun day for sure. So, now that school is out today begins my efforts to stay busy and make this summer more meaningful than any that have come before. I thought more about things I want to do, among them are: learn Spanish better, play piano better, learn guitar, and GO CAMPING LOTS! I really like camping, hiking, all that outdoorsy stuff, and I really felt like I didn't go enough last year, so look out mountains, here I come. I know I had better set up some kind of schedule though, to allot time for each of those things, or at least a couple of them.

My first order of business for today though, is to go buy some shorts. To a normal person, this wouldn't seem like a very difficult task, but for me it is. If you don't know me, I am quite tall, about 6'6", and a lot of this height is in my legs, so what would look like "man-pri's" on others, are the kind of shorts I need, anything else just ends up looking like short-shorts. And we certainly can't have that. I heard a rumor that American Eagle shorts are longer than normal, so I may have to check out there, we shall see.

So, that's the news lately, I'll keep posting on how all of this turns out, (not just the shorts) and I wish you luck on having a fun and exciting summer as well.

Nip boredom in the bud!

2010-04-13T15:36:00.004-06:00

So, today I finished all of my school work for the rest of the semester. No more tests, assignments, nothing. After tomorrow, I will have way more free time than I have had for a while now. I will still have my job, but with no classes and no homework, I realized that there is a major potential for ending up with too much time on my hands.

It is a fundamental principle of time management that you should decide what you need to accomplish in any given day so that even if you don't do anything else, you will feel like that day was a success. Since September, triathlon training has been that task. If I spend a couple hours running or swimming or breaking a previous personal best, I consider that day to be successful. And that motivates me to work on it, because I hate the feeling of laying down at night realizing that I did not do anything that day that I considered productive.

Surely, much more of my free time this summer will be spent training in the sunshine, for a change. But as nice as that will be, I know that between training and my part-time job, I will still have lots of time to fill. So I take an approach similar to what I do for new years resolutions, define specific tasks or projects with specific deadlines. Conveniently, these will likely stem from my new years resolutions this year. Besides racing in an Olympic distance triathlon, I wanted to start my own business this year, which I have felt too busy to work on with school taking up so much of my time. I also want to read more, I'd say a book a week if I was confident that I would follow-through, but unfortunately I am not. Therefore, I will try to get through 2 a month, and see where it goes from there. Time spent learning, in my opinion is time well spent.

Another project I have been involved with as of late is "remodeling" my parents BIG backyard. My brother-in-law and brothers have been working on it for several weeks now and are making great progress. This project will also take some time. Which I am fine with, that is another activity that makes my day productive.

My point today is simple: establish a list of a few specific things you want to accomplish, and focus on reaching those goals. If you cannot see how a specific activity contributes to your success, then don't do it until you have already done enough to make you feel good about your day. The more you follow this pattern, the less time you will spend doing the things that just take up time, and the better you will feel.

Note: It is just as helpful to identify your personal time wasters so as to avoid them, as it is to identify the activities that are worth your time. For me those things are TV, video games, and Facebook. I hardly ever watch TV, (it helps to not even have one) I've played video games probably... 3 or 4 times in the last year? And Facebook... Well, lets just say I'm working on that one.

My Own Dream...

2010-04-13T12:26:00.005-06:00

Wow, I was really philosophical last post... So today I decided to make a more personal application and talk about me! That is the idea of a blog right? Hmm...

Anyways, about 10 years ago, I was sitting on the couch on a Saturday watching TV, a relatively common activity for me at the time, and as usual, nothing was on because it was Saturday, and we didn't have cable so I could watch Shawshank Redemption re-runs on TBS, I was stuck between watching one of the same old infomercials I had already seen 100 times like the Bowflex one or the Jack LaLane Power Juicer. (Two of my favorites) But somehow, I got to flipping through the 7 channels we had and I came across footage of the "Escape from Alcatraz" Triathlon. I was quite awestruck, watching this swarm of people swim through freezing water with sharks possibly in there, and running through sand... These people in my mind were the physical elite. Second only perhaps to Olympians. I enjoyed watching it, and was amazed to see a 13 year old finish the race. I was about that age at the time, and I couldn't believe some one my age finished that with all of those adults. And somewhere deep inside of me, something happened.

I sure as heck didn't know it at the time, I would never have thought that I could do what those people on TV did. It would be like the average American thinking they could one day compete with Michael Phelps. So I didn't even allow myself to realize that I had a desire to be like the people I saw on TV, until last September. I was swimming (more like splashing, actually) at the gym with my Brother-in-law, when some how the subject of Triathlon came up. That's when we set the goal to do it, we would be triathletes. He changed his mind a day or two later, but I couldn't go back on it, I had finally allowed myself to believe it was possible, and the idea consumed my thoughts for weeks. I looked up all I could online about the sport, the different distances, and local races. Since it was September, the season was pretty much over, but I resolved stronger than I had before to train through the winter and that in the year 2010 I would be a triathlete.

That has been my dream since then, I am already signed up for my first triathlon on April 24th! I am so excited, I have worked hard. I went from feeling dead after a 5k to running more than 13 miles in mountainous terrain. Swimming was the hardest though. Running does not involve a great deal of technique, but swimming is a different story. After months (literally) of working on my technique and endurance, I could still not swim 2 laps, but once I got the technique basically down, I tried to go one more lap each time, now I can go a mile.

I'm not trying to toot my own horn, I am trying to express the possibility of achieving what you (like me) may have once deemed impossible.

Living the Dream...

2010-04-09T20:52:00.004-06:00

The concept of pursuing your dreams has been turned into a cliche, most often uttered by the cynical individuals (including ourselves at times) in our lives who would have us believe that dreams are worthless, and it is a waste of time to fantasize about them. I believe that many people do not pursue certain goals, or "dreams" because of fear, fear that they would try and fail. This fear of failure is crippling, it tricks us into believing that by not trying best, we will never prove that our best is not good enough. Most people would do almost anything to avoid failing, including...fail. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take", and so by not trying, you are failing.

I had a wise teacher once who said that "Most people would rather have the possibility of success in the future, than pursue it in the present" It hit me hard because I realized that I was one of those people. I would love to fantasize how successful a certain idea or endeavor could be, but I would never do anything to bring those fantasies closer to reality.
The only cure for this is action. Choose a dream, make a goal, and make that goal your priority. Chances are, you will have a team of naysayers telling you that whatever you are trying cannot be done (people are good at discouraging each other) But do not listen. Just work on that goal, and accomplish it. Tell somebody else about it, especially some one you know will be encouraging. If you fail the first time, all that means is that you are still on the road to success, and you are better off, having learned what not to do. This post is getting long, but I want to end with a quote from a man that I respect very much, named M. Russell Ballard,

"...Maybe some of you get weary of listening to the principle of setting goals. But let me tell you something about goal setting. I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principle of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in [his] life."

Everybody's Free

2010-04-05T14:19:00.001-06:00

The first day of the rest of my life...

2010-04-04T14:24:00.005-06:00

So, I am a bit ashamed to say this, but much of my life has been kind of boring. I recently cracked open my journal from my middle school years... The entries went something like this:
"School. Work. Video Games. Sleep." or "Today I woke up and went to school, then work, and watched TV until bedtime." Those are the most embarrassing entries, and I wish there were a lot less of them...

I want to clarify: I was not a complete couch potato all of my youth. But I certainly could have done more. The closer I got to my mission, the more I did. I enjoyed hiking and camping more, I would ride my bike quite frequently, and followed the "Couch to 5k" training plan, and succeeded. (Nowadays, running 3 miles is hardly an activity that I would even make mention of.) One of the best things I did was go on a trip with my Mom to Israel when I was a Senior in High School. But these fun and exciting events were few and far between. I didn't even have that many friends from Elementary School's end through High School. I did not participate in Sports, (if I could help it) not even as a spectator... I was mostly just working and going to school.
But then came my mission, the 2 years that changed everything for the better. And now that I have been home for almost a year, I continue to work hard to make sure that my life never gets as boring as it was all those years ago... From now on, (and since my mission, honestly) I am determined to have my life be boring no more! Because lets face it, you are only young once, and I am determined not to be one of the young on whom youth is wasted.

Obviously, that is the purpose of this blog, to inspire others (of all ages - young and young at heart) to get off the couch and and have some fun, try new things, and make their lives better. Also, I will keep track or the fun, new, and interesting things that I learn, see, and do. I'm also secretly hoping that by keeping a blog, it will some how psychologically motivate me to keep life interesting. P.S. Just FYI, I'm on the right.

So come, let's take a journey...