#1828, Wednesday, March 29: A pause for computer problems

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Post 1828, Day 88 of 2017
- 2,280 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

A night of playing, and came home feeling good.

But my computer problem (not charging) has returned, and I am aggravated.

I don't know how long I will be without a computer, but you won't be seeing any new blog entries until my computer is fixed.

I am writing this on my MacBook Pro's last charge, and when I'm done, I'm bringing the computer in to the Apple Store. This will be a very expensive repair - when I was talking to a friend who is an independent Apple repair person, he told me it would cost me about a thousand dollars for him to repair it, but that Apple would be able to fix it for less.

See you on the other side.

I am grateful that this is, at the moment, my biggest problem, but it still grates.

Food and Diet

Today's Weight:                      208.5 lbs.

Previous Weight (3/28/17):           208.5 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                       - 0.0 lbs.

Diet Comment

I hope this is not a change in momentum - I will have to work to make it so.

Food Log

Breakfast
2:00pm:  

Omelet with peppers, onion, greens, chia seeds, hemp seeds, parmesan cheese and bacon.

Lunch
6:30pm:  A Quest bar.

Dinner

1:30am:  Roast beef with cole slaw, and carrots with home-made mayonnaise.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 1;   Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 60+ oz. and two shots of Jameson's Irish whiskey.

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#1827, Tuesday, March 28: When the bill comes due

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Post 1827, Day 87 of 2017
- 2,279 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I got more things done today, even infinitesimally reducing the size of the pile of procrastinated to-do's.

I am working on accepting my reality as it is, but I admit to feeling a bit guilty about not having done a lot of stuff, and planning to address it in the future, where it will, it seems, perpetually wait for me to be 'in the mood' to take it on.

Meanwhile, my 'present' rewards me just for showing up.

The historical record shows a day of reckoning will come.

The historical record also shows 100% survival rate for all my previous days of reckoning.

I'm nothing but grateful for that.

Food and Diet

Today's Weight:                      208.5 lbs.

Previous Weight (3/27/17):           210.0 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                       - 1.5 lbs.

Diet Comment

I lost all the weekend weight gain. Knew it.

Food Log

Breakfast
12:25pm: A Quest bar.

Lunch
5:15pm, at CoreLife Eatery:

Tuna poke salad with: Kale, cabbage, quinoa, cucumber, carrots, scallions, ginger,edamame, avocado, tuna poke, sesame seeds, almonds and miso-sesame dressing. Not shown: A cup of chicken bone broth.

Dinner

11:30pm: Roast beef with Philippe's famous hot mustard, cole slaw and pepperoni. Really a lot of it. And a Quest bar.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 0;   Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 88+ oz. 

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#1826, Monday, March 27: It's doing to its undoing

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Post 1826, Day 86 of 2017
- 2,278 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Today I found it difficult to concentrate.

I meditated when I got up, then accomplished one thing by intention, then had some food and fell asleep at around six. I woke up - watched some shows off my DVR, fell asleep, rinse repeat for the next six hours, then bed.

There are things I want to do, and things should have already done that I put off. I did not do them, and I am not getting them done.

That is what it means to not have to do what you don't want to do - which is inexorably leading to having to do something I don't want to do.

That's the way it goes, I guess. At least (except for the inexorably leading to part) that's the way it is.

Food and Diet

Today's Weight:                      210.0 lbs.

Previous Weight (3/24/17):           208.6 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                       + 1.4 lbs.

Diet Comment

I cheated on the weekend, I gained weight. I won't cheat this week, I'll lose weight.

Food Log

Breakfast
1:25pm: Green protein smoothie with coconut milk, kefir, large organic egg, chia gel, kale, spinach, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), raw organic cacao powder, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon, coconut oil and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch
6:30pm: Cottage cheese and a Quest bar.

Dinner

11:30pm: Pepperoni and Dubliner cheese.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 1;   Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 64+ oz. 

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#1825, Friday, March 24: Mindfulness vs. the Future

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Post 1825, Day 83 of 2017
- 2,275 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I was asked whether making travel plans, going to the doctor, or investing are not mindful activities, due to their focus on the future.

While I am not mindful about everything, all the time, mindfulness is nothing more than paying attention to what is happening in the present - even if that means realizing that your present includes some non-present-time direction.

So, when I think about the future, the mindful thing is to appreciate that, in the present, I am thinking about something not in the present (at which point, I am no longer thinking future thoughts, I am right now thinking about what I was formerly thinking about. This doesn't negate the thoughts that I had, even if it stops or changes them.

But when I act on my thoughts about the future - looking at airline schedules, checking for the best time to travel, booking a hotel, etc. - then I can be mindful. These are all activities done in the present, and I can be mindful about them as I do them.

Also, I don't take care of my health to increase my longevity, although I think that's a worthy endeavor. I take care of my health to have a better Now.

Food and Diet

Today's Weight:                      208.6 lbs.

Previous Weight (3/23/17):           210.8 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                       - 2.2 lbs.

Diet Comment

Nice that I'm dropping weight as fast as I put it on - and feeling entirely good doing it. The trend line is dropping now, as well. I will probably cheat this weekend, if only because I'm curious to see what effect it has on my progress.

Food Log

Breakfast
12:50pm:  

Omelet with peppers, onion, greens, chia seeds, hemp seeds, parmesan cheese and bacon.

Lunch
6:30pm: Cottage cheese and a Quest bar.

Dinner

11:30pm: Pepperoni.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 1;   Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 70+ oz. 

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#1824, Thursday, March 23: No comment

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Post 1824, Day 82 of 2017
- 2,274 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Nothing today.

Food and Diet

Today's Weight:                      210.8 lbs.

Previous Weight (3/22/17):           213.8 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                       - 3.0 lbs.

Diet Comment

Very gratifying to see my unmodified eating plan correct the excesses of my trip, and look: I'm under the trend-line. Goal: get that trend-line leveled out.

Food Log

Breakfast
3:20pm: Wild-caught salmon and home-made mayonnaise and a salad of spinach, kale, chard, cabbage, shaved parmesan cheese and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Lunch
6:30pm: Cottage cheese and a Quest bar.

Dinner

11:30pm: A Quest bar.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 1;   Coffee: 0 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 40+ oz. 

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#1823, Wednesday, March 22: Back to music

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Post 1823, Day 81 of 2017
- 2,273 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Right back to playing bass, last night and tonight.

It's simple and easy and makes me feel good.

Although I haven't really been gone that long, it is great to reconnect, especially with the other members of i am Fool, and tonight's playing included a Fool rehearsal. It felt great to play like that - three open mics and a band rehearsal in my first two days back.

Music is important to me, in a very personal way - it is a part of my social and spiritual life. It brings me community and joy - it is my church, if not my religion.

Getting to make music after returning from a trip like the one I just took helps me settle back into my 'regular' life.

Food and Diet

Today's Weight:                      213.8 lbs.

Previous Weight (3/21/17):           216.5 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                       - 2.7 lbs.

Diet Comment

I am not surprised that after a month off, a return to on-plan eating quickly shed pounds.

Food Log

Breakfast
1:25pm: Green protein smoothie with coconut milk, kefir, large organic egg, chia gel, kale, spinach, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), raw organic cacao powder, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon, coconut oil and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch
6:30pm: Carrots and home-made mayonnaise, and a Quest bar.

Dinner

1:30am:  Roast beef and pepperoni and cottage cheese.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 1;   Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 40+ oz. and a shot of Jameson's Irish whiskey.

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#1822, Tuesday, March 21: And, we're back and grateful!

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Post 1822, Day 80 of 2017
- 2,272 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I'm back after 27 days of travel (Woodstock, Westchester County, New York City, Pittsboro, North Carolina, Wilbur-on-the-Sea, Safety Harbor, Florida). I had a great time.

Along the way, I began to gently question why I was having a great time.

And, I realized I was manufacturing it - more or less bringing the party with me in my mind.

It is a kind of mindfulness thing - where I am without expectations and just go with however things are, or seem - as long as I'm not feeling threatened, by which I mean worried about the future based on something going on in my present. And the bar for me feeling threatened is pretty high.

So, whatever happens is pretty much okay. Which okay-ness makes things pretty easy. That ease, in turn, makes for peace of mind and happiness.

And when you're happy regardless of the external circumstances, you can be happy with them - again, as long as you don't perceive a threat.

And, it makes me an easy house-guest.

It starts with an appreciation of what you have, what exists in your life - gratitude, if you will.

Food and Diet

Today's Weight:                      216.5 lbs.

Previous Weight (2/22/17):           205.7 lbs.

Net Loss/Gain:                      + 10.8 lbs.

Diet Comment

I could not  be more pleased to have gained less than eleven pounds in the four weeks since my last weigh-in, since I have not had a single on-plan day since I last wrote. Still, I now have more than fifteen pounds to lose. This should be fun.

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped. 

Lunch

6:30pm:

Omelet with peppers, onion, greens, chia seeds, hemp seeds, parmesan cheese and bacon.

Dinner

1:30am:  Pepperoni and cole slaw, and a Quest bar.

Liquid Intake

   Espressos: 1;   Coffee: 22 oz.;  Tea: 0 oz.;  Water: 56+ oz.

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!