Long Overdue Update

So many things going on that I haven't had a chance to think straight:

This week--Thursday "Book Sale and Blood Drive" at the Red Cross by Vancouver Mall. 1pm to 6pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/616710488360123/

October 3-6 is I will be working shifts and signing my books at the Portland Fall Home and Garden Show
Thursday: 11am – 8pm
Friday: 11am – 8pm
Saturday: 10am – 8pm
Sunday: 10am – 6pm
More info on their website though I don't know our booth location yet. http://www.otshows.com/pfhs/

AND MY GIANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!
I'm hosting a novel outline boot camp at the Galeotti's Annex in Battle Ground. October 11th and 12.
Here's the poster I worked up.

Friday night will begin with some cool thoughts to get you seeing the big picture and laying out the bones of your outline, you compost overnight and then Saturday will have two sessions that fill in more needed information than you ever thought you could decide prior to drafting the novel itself. The secret to a fast, clean draft is preparation. Set yourself up for success this November. Just send me an email at sir _ Bunch at hotmail dot com to register and mention this post in your email to receive a $10 early bird discount between now and Friday (Sept. 20). So tell everyone to join us. Event size limited to 25 writers.

October 26th is the NIWA book fair, from 10am to 12:30pm, at Latte Da coffee and wine bar. Here's a link to Greg's site for more info and a poster that explains most of the details. I'll be there selling/signing.

http://gregoryezschomler.blogspot.com/2013/09/ill-be-celebrating-launch-of-new-book.html
http://www.lattedacoffeehouse.com/

Wow! Anyone else super busy?

I know I haven't updated you guys in a while now. I've even got bits and chunks of things prepped to go, but it sure seems like I go from one thing to the next without a break. I joked to a friend the other day, that I was going to have to start scheduling my B.M.s or I'd never get one in.

It must stop and it will, but updating this blog right now, while near the start, is not the first thing I must do. I'm sitting here on the hottest day we've had in a long time in the only coffee shop with broken AC and thinking that I've become distracted with business again. So today you get a article from a ministry close to my heart that I think we all need to view or read. I'll post again soon.

God bless,

From http://thenobleheart.com/2013/09/we-must/?utm_source=We+Can%2C+We+Must++9+11+13&utm_campaign=We+Can%2C+We+Must+9+11+13&utm_medium=email

Long time no post...

I know it's been awhile. It's going to be awhile longer. Crazy busy life right now. BUT here's a fun way to waste time.

I write like
Neil Gaiman

I Write Like. Analyze your writing!

A Happy Friday Update

Well I'm nearly through cycle 2. All I have left to challenge back is Gluten Saturday and Sunday, then Soy Wednesday and Thursday. Then I have two more days of Cycle 1 to reset everything and I get to finally go to the cycle 3 I've been planning. So far I've had no reaction to anything, save for a little gas after drinking milk, which is not necessarily a sign of inflammation. I think we just don't digest things well when they haven't been in our diet for a bit. I'm not going to really go back to milk anyway.

While I'm on the topic of Cycle 3 here's what I've worked out so far:
(I incorporated the research I did on Uric Acid diet based cures so I can ditch my sore joints and spine.)

My Cycle 3 ideas: (make/insert charts of foods to buy and where, of pg 243, 245-249)

For all the foods below, “as ingredient” means I’m not adding it back but I’m not going to be hyper-vigilant. “Every other day,” “twice a week,” or “Weekly” refer to eating that item that often and not being hyper-vigilant about it as an ingredient. “Avoid” means I’m going to take measures to avoid it, but if it can’t be helped, so be it.

RE Sweeteners: Add back honey, 2oz dark chocolate (>70% cacao), Cane sugar as ingredient

RE Peanuts: Weekly, but I’m not going to buy peanut butter. Thus I’ll almost never have it.

RE Alcohol: Twice Weekly Red Wine, Weekly Gluten Free Beer, (challenge Dark German or Tequilla)

RE Corn: Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, Ear corn Weekly, Movie Popcorn Weekly, Non-GMO gluten free corn chips twice a week

RE Soy: Avoid unless it’s a trace ingredient such as in vitamins or food bar

RE Gluten: Avoid, although I’m going to allow gluten free carbs in moderation (every other day)

RE Dairy: Avoid milk (sub coconut or almond), Cheese in moderation (every other day) + (try goat milk/cheese and raw milk?)

RE Eggs: Add back free range without restriction.

RE Meat: Continue with free range chicken, grass fed beef, game, goat/lamb, and wild caught river fish in 6oz portions.

RE MSG: Avoid (not really mentioned in Virgin Diet)

Continue

with breakfast smoothie/shakes. (easy and I can make time to pack a lunch)
with lettuce wraps and salsa tuna for lunches
4x15 exercises,
parking at far end of the lot & taking the stairs,
to eat within an hour of waking and not after 8pm
getting up two hours early

Things I need to add

Increase exercise (do some research), take burpee challenge

I want feast and fast day’s cycling through the week so I think my 5% will all be on a single day.

Divide the shopping list into three-day increments to reduce waste (no preservatives).

Use small plates, smell dinner cooking, sit down away from TV and enjoy my food.

Wear a pedometer to track activity level.

While writing—burst for 20 minutes then walk around.
While watching TV—getup every commercial break until 8:30 and walk around

Researched ways to reduce Uric Acid:

I literally can’t avoid foods high in purine as there would be nothing left to eat. So add to Cycle 3

1.       Eat antioxidant foods: red bell peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, broccoli, grapes, and so on

2.       Continue to increase fiber: Absorbs uric acid

3.       Continue Virgin Diet oil recommendations: basically oils that go rancid destroy vitamin E

4.       Continue not eating baked goods with saturates fats and trans fats

5.       Supplement with Vitamin C & E

6.       Supplement with Celery Seed Extract: (or roots) long used for gout, rheumatism, arthritis

7.       Supplement with Raw apple-cider vinegar: thought to change blood pH and reduce uric acid

8.       Cherries are recommended but I’m alergic: contain chemical compound thought to bind with uric acid and carry it on out (40 every 4 hours)

9.       Take a uric Acid Cleanse: Solaray makes one, probably others too. (luckyvitamin.com)

Brainstorming ways to make it better/ more affordable

Grow my own sprouts?
Ferment my own veggies?
Make my own kombucha?,
Explore an aqua-ponics set up?

Track where each item is cheapest
Request some stores start carrying my favorites so we can reduce number of trips.

Going forward

I do want to repeat Cycle 1 and 2 once a year.

I don’t want my life to be as consumed by food, journaling, weighing, shopping, as it is right now. This was fine for a season but in cycle 3 it must be second nature. I refuse to make my entire life about physical fitness. I need to find something that interests me for exercise.

Two forms of exercise, start with walking and 4x15 (find pulling exercises to add to my resistance training.) Eventually I’ll need to up my game though, add some stares or jogging and a gym so I can get better variety of resistance. (I still want a total gym though). (http://www.thevirgindiet.com/resources/4x4/index.html)

Today's Health Food experiment was Tumeric--Elixir of Life. 

Taste was bracing but not awful. Price was expensive at around $6.50. As an experiment it wasn't a terrible price but can you imagine buying half a dozen for the fridge. As for how I felt after drinking it???? Well lets just say I didn't notice the word cleanse clearly printed on the label. I blame the fact that it was hour 5 of a 6 hour marathon grocery shopping with my mom. I love the company and I don't mind doing the heavy lifting, but you just have to know the day is sacrificed if we go together. 

We did enjoy a wonderful lunch together--Hula Boy, my favorite Hawaiian BBQ. I subbed in brown rice with my chicken and added a salad, went light on the dressing, went all kimchi/no mac salad. I figured it was pretty healthy. I did sin twice today though. I didn't think about there possibly being gluten in the hot sauce at Hula Boy and when we got to whole foods they were roasting peppers in the parking lot. I had a sample of one rolled in a shell with cream cheese. It was heavenly. Anyway, there's no way to tell if my afternoon fun was from those two sins or from the 'cleanse' function of my Health Food Experiment. I can safely say none of it's in my system now. 

If anyone is considering this diet I'd strongly recommend you do cycle 1 and plan out cycle 3. Instead of doing cycle 2 just go into your doctor and ask for a blood test for food sensitivities. Have them check for IGg and IGc. For one thing, I suspect that I'm a statistical outlier and I'm sensitive to less common foods. The second tier of common foods to cause inflammation is Strawberries, Shellfish, Citrus, and Tree Nuts. Since I know I'm allergic to the first two, I'm nervous that I'm sensitive to one or both of the other. That would mean I just tortured myself for over a month and didn't even eliminate my inflammation. That might explain why I dropped 22lbs in 18 days and then held at that number ever since.  

 Anyway! To end on a happy note!

The audio format of  "On Becoming a Man" is up on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible.com. Links below:

Audible	http://goo.gl/4U2c63
Amazon	http://goo.gl/NXmuAS
iTunes	http://goo.gl/cPbnLC

There most likely will not be a Monday Post in honor of the holiday and my need to catch up on everything. Have an awesome weekend gang. 

Health update! Updated...

Well, its week number 2 at the exact same weight. Pretty discouraging considering how miserable the diet is. I'm going to have to tweak something. Kristin wants to increase the exercise component. On that theme, we went hiking on Saturday at the beach. It was a beautiful day. She picked a moderate trail...

You can't see in the pictures but it was straight up and down the whole way. After climbing the equivalent of 10 flights of stairs (up and down) I threw in the towel and we turned back to the car. So we did about two miles and 20 flights of stairs. I could barely stand. Then we parked a thousand yards from the beach (the closest spot) and walked there for a picnic. I wanted to die. I don't think I'd normally have had a problem with the hike. I feel like the diet (30 day fast) has left me week. My spine and joints ache all the time these days. Anyway, Sunday I got to play test a new game for Firelit games. Looks like it's got potential. Then I helped a friend move some boxes to storage. We couldn't finish so I did another couple loads this morning. So my point is, I think I get exercise.

To tell the truth I could fall asleep right now, and I'm so far behind on my editing that I don't dare.
Okay here's the promised update part. I may have mentioned this product before but the Go Raw brand has been consistently good and consistently expensive. It makes a good item to have sitting around for those days that you don't have time to pack a healthy lunch. I wish I could say that it fills me up by itself but it's like half an ounce of thin wafer. Even so, it's like elven way bread--very filling. So next time you need a snack and have $3.50 to throw at it grab a go raw bar.

Here's a couple pics of the moderate trail out to Indian Beach.

I'm feeling a bit better today. I've implemented a couple ORG strategies to mitigate the run about that's been plaguing me lately. So don't be surprised if you get an auto-responder when you email me. Desperate times call for desperate measures and I've got to play catch up for a few weeks. Have a great day all!

Monday's Helpful Hint--How to increase happiness!

Here's a cool entry from Dr. Mercola. I like the heart behind this message, but I want to add to it a little. The reality is that life isn't about happiness. I know that's not the gist of the post, but I feel like it needs to be said because there's a new are philosophy these days that anything that doesn't come easy must be wrong. The truth is, when I was asked to list the most meaningful and enjoyable times in my life each one was also among the most difficult times in my life.

I'm still not a fan of work for works sake. I encourage everyone to investigate what they were put here on earth to do, uniquely. For the Christian's among us, this can be as simple as examining the connection you have to God. He projects at you what He expects from you. Often we must grow, before we can take hold of that thing and always its apposed, but when you take a step as the person you were designed to be it will be the best feeling you've ever had in your life. It's unmistakable.

If you need more detail in beginning that journey here's a resource I recommend. http://thenobleheart.com/
Now the post I promised.

By Dr. Mercola

Virtually every parent wishes for their children to be happy, but as adults many of us find happiness to be elusive.

One recent Harris Poll found that, despite an ostensibly recovering economy, only one in three Americans said they’re very happy,1 which means, of course, that two out of three are not.

Unlike concrete achievements such as graduating high school or college, getting a promotion at work, or even getting married, achieving happiness is much more abstract, and, contrary to popular belief, not based on such worldly accomplishments.

You may have material wealth, even power or fame, yet still be unhappy. Or you may have little more than the shoes on your feet yet overflow with joy, because happiness is a state of mind.

I recently reviewed 22 habits of happy people, and they are overwhelmingly positive changes that prompt you to work on yourself, first. If you want to be truly happy, you’ve got to look to yourself because true happiness comes from within.

Are You Guilty of These 7 Sins of Happiness?

Now we’ll take a slightly different slant, which is identifying the seven ‘sins of happiness,’ which author Trent Hand compiled for Lifehack.2 That is, the seven habits or attitudes that make happiness very hard to come by. Hand explained:

“These “sins” are so deadly that we often don’t notice we are falling into their trap until we wake up one day and wonder why we are glaring at ourselves in the mirror.”

1. Comparing Yourself to Others

This will either make you feel guilty for living more comfortably than others who are struggling, or make you feel inadequate compared to those who have more. As Mark Twain said:

“Comparison is the death of joy.”

2. Talking About Your Dreams Instead of Going to Work on Them

Talking about your dreams is great, but only if you eventually follow through with them. Make a point to set short-term action steps that will help you achieve your long-term goals – and act on them.

3. Listening to People With Nothing Positive to Say

Spending time around consistently negative people will drain your energy and bring down your mood. It’s generally nearly impossible to cheer a negative person up, you’re better off avoiding them as much as possible and surrounding yourself with positive people instead.

4. Focusing on the News

Watching the news is virtually guaranteed to bring you down and create feelings of helplessness and a lack of hope, as there’s not much you can do to improve the problems you’re seeing. Instead, focus on positive steps you can make in your local community, such as mentoring a child or delivering meals to the elderly.

5. Deciding Someone Else Needs to Change

Finding fault in others, and letting them know what they’re doing wrong, is easy. Much more difficult is looking inward to see how you can improve yourself instead. The latter will pay off by leading to a better you, while trying to fix others will likely be futile and interfere with your relationships.

6. Thinking “Happiness” is a Destination You Can Reach

If you think you’ll be happy once you accomplish a certain goal (like getting married or paying off your house), this is a myth. You must learn to find happiness during the journey, on a daily basis, rather than waiting to somehow find happiness at the end.

7. Forgetting to Say “Thank You”

It’s easy to take for granted all that you have to be thankful for – friends, family, loved ones, your health, your job … By focusing on all that you have to be grateful for (jot down whatever comes to mind on a notepad, for starters), you’ll instantly feel happier.

Living in the Moment: Another Key to Being Happy

Groucho Marx may not be the first person who comes to mind for a philosophy by which to live your life, but his words come with a definite air of wisdom:

“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.”3

How often your mind wanders is frequently a predictor of how happy you are. One study found, in fact, that the more often you take yourself out of the present moment, the less happy you are.4 The researchers concluded:

“ … people are thinking about what is not happening almost as often as they are thinking about what is and … doing so typically makes them unhappy.”

So … allow yourself to be immersed in whatever it is you’re doing right now, and take time to really be in the present moment. Practice mindfulness and avoid replaying past negative events in your head or worrying about the future; just savor what’s going on in your life now.

Center Your Life Around Doing What You Love: 12 Quick Tips

Life is too short to wait to be happy. It’s very important to prioritize your life so that you have time each and every day – or at the very least several times a week – to do the things you love. More often than not, it’s the small, simple things in life that bring the most joy, which is perfect because these are also the things that are oftentimes easy to fit in on a daily basis.

You know what makes you feel good, but here are some simple ideas for making your day a bit more joyful. And remember, when you’re doing these things don’t worry about tomorrow or what needs to get done when you’re finished – allow yourself to fully enjoy the moment:

Take a walk in nature, notice the trees, the sky, the sounds	Spend some time in the sun	Get in a good workout
Read (for pleasure!)	Dance (even if it’s by yourself or with your kids)	Laugh
Eat something fresh; savor each bite	Commit a ‘random act of kindness’	Spend time with an animal … or a baby
Cook, from scratch	Create something	Work in your garden

Update on Diet

I'm trying not to weigh myself but once a week, and I don't count weight but as one indicator. I finally did weigh myself early just to get number for the end of Cycle 1. I was up 4 lbs. Such is life. Lots of things could account for that. So I shall weigh myself again next week and see where I'm at.

In my continuing effort to try new things that I can have on the virgin diet I've tried another tanka meet. This one was more reasonably priced, around $1.50 for a pepperony stick. I t was good and I felt good after eating it.

I also tried a Thunderbird energetica bar. 7 grams of protein from Pea and Quinoa.
The price was okay at just over a dollar. I tried to flavors. They tasted okay, but had an odd consistency. It could be partly the heat that day.



Finally, I really enjoyed my Organic Food Bar.
I give that the coveted 3 out of 3 for taste, flavor, and price.

Update on Writing!
My editing business is going really well. I'm pretty busy with meetings. Now I just need to squeeze in some writing time. LOL. Actually I've changed up the lineup of this years writing, which will make a lot of people happy. The time has finally come to put my sequel to Suffering Rancor at the front of the pack. So I've dug out the scraps I was working on and created a rough outline. I'm not going to draft it until November though, as I have to deal with editing "Footless" when I get it back from my awesome first readers. Ideally in the next 10 days.