June 10

Post 855, Day 160 of 2013
- and 891 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

OK - I'm just played, and going to bed early. See you tomorrow!

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         211.2 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     211.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 0.0 lbs

Diet Comment

No change. This must be a hangover from the weekend.

Food Log 

Breakfast

Skipped.

Lunch
Cocoa-kale-hemp-chia protein shake: Almond milk, kale, cocoa, hemp seeds, chia gel, a large egg, vanilla whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, vanilla, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend.

Snack

Hard-boiled eggs and home-made mayonnaise.

Dinner

Italian-style chicken sausage (with peppers and onions) and whole seed Dijon mustard with a Spring Mix, cole slaw mix, red bean and balsamic vinaigrette salad.

Snack

Cole slaw.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  32 oz.   Water:  80+ oz.

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June 9

Post 854, Day 159 of 2013
- and 890 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I will be playing the Vermont Reggae Festival, backing up Chyna Nicole, from Brooklyn, NY by way of Jamaica.

I met her and her manager, Fitzroy, at rehearsal today. It was great playing with Mike again - it has been over a year since the last time - and we are a rock solid rhythm section. Chyna and Fitzroy were very happy.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         211.2 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     208.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 3.2 lbs

Diet Comment

Weight is back up after yesterday's cheat, but not all the way up. I must strive to make this a good week, diet-wise.

Food Log 

Breakfast

Skipped.

Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner

Cocoa-kale-hemp-chia protein shake: Almond milk, kale, cocoa, hemp seeds, chia seeds, a large egg, vanilla whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, vanilla, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend.

Snack

Hard-boiled eggs and home-made mayonnaise.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  24 oz.   Water:  32+ oz.

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June 8 - Cheat Day

Post 853, Day 158 of 2013
- and 889 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

It turns out I might get a chance to play some reggae at the Vermont Reggae Festival, which is actually held outside of Rochester, NY.

How cool would that be (being that I love to play that style and haven't had a chance to for about a year now)?

Very.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         208.0 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     211.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 3.4 lbs

Diet Comment

Weight is back down, but not for long. I knew I was going to cheat today, and cheat is the right word, because this is no longer a designated high calorie high carbohydrate day. But it was. Big time.

Food Log 

Breakfast

Italian-style Chicken sausage (with peppers and onions) with sauteed peppers and onions, spinach omelet with salsa and lentils.

Lunch

Ezekiel Golden Flax sprouted grain cereal with blueberries, almond milk and stevia-inulin.

Dinner

This is where it gets a little unfortunate for the day, and makes it a full-on cheat day: I ate at the Sahota Palace Indian restaurant, having a fair sampling of vegetarian and meat dishes, including lots of beans, but also rice and bread, and rice pudding for dessert. After, although I was pretty satisfiedI picked up some chocolate ice cream and walnuts, for post-dessert dessert, and ate it until I thought I would explode.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  28 oz.   Water:  68+ oz.

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June 7

Post 852, Day 157 of 2013
- and 888 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Facebook can be a huge time toilet, and I hate it more than I like it, but it is great for finding and keeping in touch with old friends. 

I am planning on visiting one of my oldest friends in Brattleboro, VT in a few weeks. About a week ago, I learned that a friend whose history goes back even further also lives in that part of the world.

I've been continuously in touch with my host for fifty-eight years. We met when my family moved to a garden apartment in Whitestone Queens, in 1957. By then, first grade was in full swing. I met Laura a few months earlier: She was (to me) the prettiest girl in my first-grade class.

And this is what Facebook can do: I found her there a few years ago, after meeting her brother in New York City. He and I Facebook-friended, and through him, I found his sister - who I hadn't seen since 1961. We said "hello" on a Facebook message, and so now I occasionally see her posts.

One of which was tagged, a few weeks ago, in Brattleboro. Planning on visiting, I shot her a FB message, and instantly got the answer that she was also into meeting and catching up on the preceding half-century or so.

I hope that happens. I tried to connect once before, but she was out of town then. Now it is exciting. 

And that is what Facebook is for, I guess. Making you feel good, however temporarily - or, more properly, providing the stimulus that sets all the internals in motion.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         211.4 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     208.8 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 2.6 lbs

Diet Comment

I don't get why my weight is up today. Not at all. Is it the blueberry smoothie I had late last night?.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Cocoa-kale-hemp-chia protein shake: Almond milk, kale, cocoa, hemp seeds, chia seeds, a large egg, vanilla whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, vanilla, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch
Chocolate marble bundt cake (and lots of it - fail!).

Dinner

Italian-style Chicken sausage (with peppers and onions), cole slaw and lentils.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  22 oz.   Water:  96+ oz.

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

 

June 6

Post 851, Day 156 of 2013
- and 887 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

What is the meaning/value/raison d'etre of my Daily Comments?. 

Basically, it they are conversations I have with myself. The good ones (let us agree to define the good ones as the ones that inspire me to answer a question I've posed for myself - let's not be judgmental as to their quality) let me gnaw at some topic a little bit, until I've gleaned a little nutrition (read, insight) from it.

Most of these are edited streams of consciousness. I usually write them whole, nonstop, and then go back and edit for clarity/punctuation, trying not to change the original meaning, although I frequently expand on something written, for clarity or because rereading gave me a new, relevant idea.

Whatever is stylistic is unintentional - that's just my style.

Now, sometimes I don't get the opportunity to finish a Daily Comment all at once. I have noticed that when that happens, it typically ends up with a complete rewrite, and sometimes a whole new topic. Why? That stream-of-consciousness thing.

When you don't see more than a paragraph or three - that means the conversation I wanted to have wouldn't flow. I don't force it (tomorrow's another day). Looking back, you'll see this happens more on weekends than weekdays. That's because my weekend routine is so different from my weekday, at-work routine. it isn't conducive to me spending much time on the computer.

This comment used the production style of the good comments, and, for what it's worth, the new insight is found where I discuss what happens when I can't finish a comment in one sitting.

That's how I roll.

PS: Got the insurance check for my stolen bass amp and GPS yesterday. Cut the loss by half.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         208.8 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     208.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 0.8 lbs

Diet Comment

All that cheese last night hurt - but not as much as I expected. Today is lunch with Al day, so breakfast has been skipped.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
At Ling-Ling's Chinese Buffet and Grill:

Brussels sprouts, kimchee, and, from the "Mongolian Grill", my go-to dish, pork and chicken with cabbage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers and broccoli.

Snack
Hard-boiled eggs and home-made mayonnaise.

Dinner

Roasted turkey, black beans, Spring Mix, baby spinach, cole slaw blend, and balsamic vinaigrette. Not shown: Coconut Paleo bread with guacamole.

Snack
Blueberry smoothie (blueberries, almond milk, Greek yogurt, chia gel, psyllium, cinnamon, stevia-inulin blend.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  22 oz.   Water:  78+ oz.

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

 

June 5

Post 850, Day 155 of 2013
- and 886 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Continuing my musing from yesterday, one reason why I keep on thinking about retirement is all the bad news I hear about this country - and I'm not just talking politically - I'm talking about encroachments on the quality of life of retired people, and financial limitations imposed by the current corporate oligarchy that seems to be manufacturing a future that is downright scary to me.

When I hear news about Monsanto or about the wasteful medical system or Marijuana Prohibition, it is chilling. My response is often to check my 'calendar' to see how soon my retirement comes (968 days today).

Of course, my retiring doesn't change anything except my own circumstances - but that means my perception will change, mainly, I believe, to be able to ignore these things. There will be trade-offs, no doubt, but that is why I'm testing out a variety of locations to start. A factor in my decision about where to spend my retirement (AKA, my life from age 66 on) will be how much the tradeoffs benefit me.

Trading a full set of American quality-of-life doubts for a set of unknown problems - that is the adventure. The promise is that the tradeoffs will be very positive. This is what it says in the Expat tout magazines and websites - that it is worth losing the familiar as long as it includes the familiar fears and concerns and the new hassles are scarier in contemplation than they are when faced.

I won't know until the adventure starts. You could describe that adventure as putting the premise - expatriation offers a better life, one in which current insecurities are traded for the 'fun' task of reinventing yourself in a new culture - to the test. 

To see if the balance really works. To see if I can maintain my sense of adventure when faced with making a life in a new, foreign land, to see what it is like to live without the responsibility of earning your keep. 

Will, as some have predicted, boredom ruin the experience? I doubt it, no matter what I do. 

What about relationships in places where I have no ready-made acquaintances? 

I don't know. Obviously, I don't think either of those important things is going to be a deal-breaker for me.

But there's only one way to find out, and I'm looking forward to it.

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

 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         208.0 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     212.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 4.0 lbs

Diet Comment

I did better yesterday. Even when I had some after-dinner hunger and made an off-plan blueberry smoothie, it had such healthy ingredients that it didn't derail my weight loss. I may have to re-think my position on berries and yogurt - they may not be just for 'cheat days' as they have been.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Cocoa-kale-hemp-chia protein shake: Almond milk, kale, cocoa, hemp seeds, chia seeds, a large egg, vanilla whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, vanilla, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch

Roasted turkey, black beans, Spring Mix, baby spinach, cole slaw blend, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner
A mix of cheeses and some pepperoni. The original idea was to have some cheese with pepperoni. Then I got into the cheese big-time. I overbought, and ate it all. at first with the pepperoni, and then just 'pouring' it down my gullet. Oh, I love cheese. Oh, this is not going to look good tomorrow, if for no other reason than all the salt from all that cheese.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  15 oz.   Water:  150+ oz.

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

 

June 4

Post 849, Day 154 of 2013
- and 885 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Why do I think about retirement so much? It isn't so close that there's something I have to do right now about it, nor is it so far off that it represents a far-reaching goal.

I think it may be because I am fascinated with the idea of starting something so new and different. It isn't shuffling the cards in the deck before a new deal - it seems more like  getting up from the poker table and switching to roulette. The rules of probability still figure into your play, it is still in the same casino, and it is still your life, still you; but the game, and how it is played, is completely different.

Fascinating to contemplate.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         212.0 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     210.8 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 1.2 lbs

Diet Comment

I wasn't expecting that, although I did eat all that cheese. I think the culprit is a heavy dose of salt in yesterday's post-breakfast meals. Today, I'm going to do better.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
Cocoa-kale-hemp-chia protein shake: Almond milk, kale, cocoa, hemp seeds, chia seeds, a large egg, vanilla whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, vanilla, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend.

Dinner
Salmon and egg salad on coconut Paleo bread, with cole slaw, and a Spring Mix and baby spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

Snack
Blueberry smoothie (with Greek yogurt, vanilla almond milk and stevia-inulin).

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  22 oz.   Water:  80+ oz.

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

 

June 3

Post 848, Day 153 of 2013
- and 884 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

How much easier is it to get gigs as a duet that performs, but doesn't emphasize, original songs than for a quintet that does? 

A lot easier, that's how much. Gigs are falling into Chad Bradshaw's lap. By the time June is over, my public performances with him will have exceeded all three years' performances with i am Fool.

Except for both performance groups having original music, the situation is not too dissimilar to the tail-end of my North Carolina musical career. I had a band, and we were working a lot, and there was a musician I worked with as a duo (sometimes, if the gig called for it, we added other musicians). There was no doubt in my mind that the band was better than the duo, but the duo got a lot more work. A lot more.

I know if I were on the audience end, I would choose to listen to more bands than duos by a considerable margin - in fact, most of the duos that come immediately to mind (Simon and Garfunkel, Sam and Dave, Hall and Oates) always performed with full bands. Also, most were singing partnerships, duets, really, and Chad and I have very little of that.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         210.8 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     211.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 0.6 lbs

Diet Comment

Late eating means that although I didn't eat a lot yesterday, and was on-plan throughout, not much weight off.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Cocoa-kale-hemp-chia protein shake: Almond milk, kale, cocoa, hemp seeds, chia seeds, a large egg, vanilla whey powder (24g protein), cinnamon, vanilla, psyllium and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch
At Ling-Ling's Chinese Buffet and Grill:

Brussels sprouts, kimchee, and, from the "Mongolian Grill", my go-to dish, pork and chicken with cabbage, onions, mushrooms, green peppers and broccoli.

Dinner
Pepperoni, Jarlsberg cheese - wow, what a great combination, although the cheese part is off-plan - with guacamole and broccoli with Shahi Rajma (red bean curry).

Snack
Cole slaw.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  22 oz.   Water:  106+ oz.

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

 

June 2

Post 847, Day 152 of 2013
- and 883 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

A very warm Sunday - and I did some chores and hit both of the Sunday open mics.

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         211.4 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     209.6 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      + 1.8 lbs

Diet Comment

Late night off-plan eating strikes again. Until that final snack (actually, the final two items - a chocolate bar and a bowl of cereal), I was doing great with the day. Oh, well.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch

Eaten late in the afternoon: Grass-fed ground beef on coconut Paleo bread with sauteed onions and peppers and guacamole. Not shown: A salad of Spring Mix and baby spinach with cole slaw blend and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner
A very late dinner of egg salad on buttered coconut Paleo bread.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  22 oz.   Water:  88+ oz.

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June 1

Post 846, Day 151 of 2013
- and 882 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

All I want to talk about is the very nice gig I played.

Green Lakes State Park is about 25 minutes away from my apartment. I had never visited there before. It has two glacial lakes, not considered part of the Finger Lakes, for some reason, and a golf course that I am told is one of the New York's best.

Overlooking the golf course, with a good view of one of the lakes, is the Club House, which contains Gance's, a privately-run restaurant. They hired Chad (who invited me) to play a gig, and , because the weather was so nice, we got to play overlooking the whole scene (poor audience, they were facing the clubhouse, so we were their scenery. We got to look at them, and the beautiful scenery behind them. 

The gig went very well, we're getting better each time out. Here's a pic of Chad and the view:

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 Food and Diet Section

2013 daily weight

Today's Weight:         209.6 lbs

Yesterday's Weight:     211.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 1.8 lbs

Diet Comment

Again, not as much weight came off as I'd hoped. That little piece of cake, and, oh, yeah, the booze.

Food Log 

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
A blueberry smoothie, made with blueberries (ahem!), almond-coconut milk, psyllium, vanilla, chia seeds, hemp seeds and stevia-inulin blend. Also, scrambled eggs with coconut Paleo bread.

Dinner
At Chipotle Mexican Grill:

A Burrito bowl, with barbacoa (pulled pork), steak, sauteed peppers and onions, pinto beans, brown rice with lime, asiago cheese, sour cream and guacamole. Chipotle Tabasco sauce (my favorite) added later.

Snack

Eaten consecutively, over a (late) 2-hour period:  Pepperoni and cole slaw; a 71% cocoa dark chocolate bar; Ezekiel Golden Flax cereal with almond-coconut milk and stevia-inulin blend.

Liquid Intake   

   Coffee:  22 oz.   Water:  80+ oz.

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