#1406, Wednesday, April 15: Old-looking

Post 1406, Day 105 of 2015
- 1,566 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I am surprised at how old I look since letting my beard grow in. I know, you're just as old as you feel. I don't feel old. In fact, I don't about my age or looks. I neither advertise nor conceal my age. What other people think about it, people's opinions about it, just isn't any of my business.

But people do comment about my age and appearance. And it makes me think. In the recent past, people told me I looked younger than my age. Those comments have stopped, and been replaced with compliments about my beard. Compliments are more distracting than criticism. I don't understand why that is, but it is an observed truth, at least with me.

That is why I'm thinking about it today. All I can come up with, is in that in the picture above (a selfie taken today and transformed by fotosketcher), I look more like my brother Andy than ever.

Neither a good nor a bad thing, but interesting. And, of course, in the eye of the beholder.

I achieved this look by not doing something (in this case, shaving). No big deal. 

I like to shake things up every now and then. I like the idea of reinventing myself, and do it whether I need to or not. I just like it. The result? I don't know - hard to judge. And it doesn't matter much. My appearance will change with my help or not. Resistance is futile.

It just is what it is.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   208.4 lbs

Previous Weight (4/14):           208.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                - 0.0 lbs

Diet Comment

No better or worse. I think eating a day's worth of food between 6pm and 1am may not be the trick to losing weight. I also think Quest bars are my friend.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
A bacon-cheese-greens-peppers-onions omelet.

Dinner 
At Eskapes: 

A Spinach Caprice Salad and Pumo Scallops with vermicelli . Not shown: A slice of Lemon Mascarpone cake.

Snack
A berry mix-cocoa-hemp-kale protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kefir, frozen organic mixed berries, kale, whey powder (24g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), raw organic cacao powder, fermented coconut water, chia gel, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon and stevia-inulin blend).

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  34 oz.   Water: 80+ oz. and a glass of Pinot Noir with dinner.

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

 

#1405, Tuesday, April 14: The upside to a bad day

Post 1405, Day 104 of 2015
- 1,565 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

This was one of those days. Craziness at work - as intense as any day I remember at this job: No time even for lunch. Then, after work, evening plans canceled at the last minute.

Which gives me reason to be thankful that these are the worst things I have to deal with. And, boy, am I grateful!

I am grateful for all the problems I had to deal with at work - it helped me appreciate how fortunate I am that days like these happen so rarely. Also, I got to interact (at least, telephonically) real-time with actual people, almost as uncommon. There was a chance to practice my patience, my communication skills, and even learn a few new things.

And, skipping lunch? Well, that just becomes a much-needed fast, right?

The last-minute cancellation of my evening plans? It took me about five minutes to come up with a new plan for the evening. That plan included a couple of open mics I was going to miss. And the first one was so much fun, I didn't get to the other. 

Going with the flow paid off. Who'd have thought? Having so much to choose from, that's gold.

Life is good - I have so much to be grateful for.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   208.4 lbs

Previous Weight (4/13):           208.8 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                - 0.4 lbs

Diet Comment

Better than a weight gain, but really, not much. Today's accidental 24-hour fast should help.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
Skipped.

Dinner

Ground organic turkey, Dal Tadka (lentil curry) and cauliflower.

Snack
Pepperoni, celery, home-made mayonnaise.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  28 oz.   Water: 80+ oz.

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

 

#1404, Monday, April 13: Virtual celebrity

Post 1404, Day 103 of 2015
- 1,564 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I was asked if I was a celebrity. I answered an unqualified "No!"

But am I? The freedictionary.com definition of celebrity is: 1. One who is widely known and of great popular interest. 2. Fame or popular renown.I hadn't considered this.

But when you look at it locally, maybe I am. I have a certain amount of brand recognition in Syracuse - a lot of people I don't know have heard of 'Reverend Ken'. Old friends think its' cool that I have recently developed a new persona (this is a Facebook phenomena). One of my friends here in Syracuse told me I'm a rock star.

Facebook, has, by and large, fostered this sense of celebrity, and that's another reason it sucks. As if another reason was needed. But if celebrity is, as I think, a media thing, and not some actual character/personality/biological or psychological

What use is celebrity to me? None. What use is it to anybody? Well, some celebrities get perks: Free stuff, party invitations, and benefits unknown to non-celebrities (like me). Me? No perks asked for, none received. Real friendship, on the other hand, has brought me a staggering number of benefits.

Of my nearly-a-thousand Facebook friends, I would guess less than ten percent have ever met me in person. More people are aware of Reverend Ken than know Ken Kellerman, by far. Although they might say they know me, what they mean is that they recognize the name or the image from Facebook. This kind of virtual celebrity is useless to me, and I question its value to anyone.

The reality is that only a few hundred people have ever seen Reverend Ken play bass, which is all that Reverend Ken is known for, and specifically how that nickname came to exist. Nicknames are fictitious shorthand to identify people and have something about their stories - but most people have no idea what the story is behind my nickname.

Or know anything at all about me. Celebrity? I have fellow-musicians who I play with tell me they didn't recognize me but they'd heard of me. The difference between word-of-mouth and celebrity.

Who cares? I'd just as soon they just introduced themselves, and told me, "Pleased to meet you," as I would to them, and skip the false/virtual familiarity.

That way, everybody's on an equal footing, and that's the way it should be. 

Nobody really lives in a virtual world, so virtual celebrity is oxymoronic.

File it under "People's Opinion of You are None of Your Business". Good or bad.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   208.8 lbs

Previous Weight (4/10):           208.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                + 0.6 lbs

Diet Comment

I didn't lose any weight over the weekend. Actually, I think I did, but eating dinner at one in the morning last night may have affected the results when I got on the scale six hours later. Today's eating almost identical to Friday's. Still craving Quest bars, too.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
A cocoa-hemp-kale protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kefir, kale, large organic egg, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), celery, raw organic cacao powder, fermented coconut water, chia gel, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch

Buffalo chicken breast and shaved Parmesan cheese chopped salad: baby kale, baby spinach, chard, escarole, cole slaw mix and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner
Buffalo chicken breast and pepperoni with cole slaw.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  28 oz.   Water: 64+ oz.

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

 

#1403, Friday, April 10: Musical seance.

Post 1403, Day 100 of 2015
- 1,561 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

Despite my tiredness, I had a great, late night last night.

It started out with the open mic where I had debuted my guitar-vocal set. This time, however, with quite a few friends in attendance, it was all social, no playing, before I had to leave to sign up for a second open mic that I had been unable to attend for a couple of months. Once I had an idea of where/when I'd be playing, I headed out to the Dinosaur BBQ for dinner and my friends' blues band.

After dinner and a set, I headed back to open mic two. This one is at my favorite playing club, Mac's Bad Art Bar, with its great sound system, engineers and stage.

I was asked to sit in with a group whose regular bass player couldn't make it. Congas, keyboards, guitar and drums - four musicians I'd never met before. And they were playing jazz, so I couldn't read the chords off the guitar (all inversions) and had to rely on the keyboard player (band leader, anyway) for the key and progression... Not too hard to keep up with, because it was pure improvisational music.

So. Much. Fun.

Because that thing happened, when your attention becomes effortlessly focused and you hear what everyone's doing, and you can relax and let go and be in that totally alert and timeless and effortless place.

Talk about a good time. Everybody on stage felt it. Everybody was smiling. What a meditation!

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   208.2 lbs

Previous Weight (4/9):            207.8 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                + 0.4 lbs

Diet Comment

Last night's dining out broke the loss trend. I will make up for it on the weekend. I hope. Meanwhile, did anyone notice the lack of Quest bars? I am trying to kick, but to be honest, I am craving them multiple times a day.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
A cocoa-hemp-kale protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kefir, kale, large organic egg, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), celery, raw organic cacao powder, fermented coconut water, chia gel, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch

Buffalo chicken breast and shaved Parmesan cheese chopped salad: baby kale, baby spinach, chard, escarole, cole slaw mix and balsamic vinaigrette.

Snack
Buffalo chicken breast and celery with mayonnaise.

Dinner
Cheeseburger on Ezekiel 4:9 Flax sprouted grain bread with cole slaw. Mixed berry smoothy with almond milk.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  16 oz.   Water: 64+ oz.

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

 

#1402, Thursday, April 9: Sleepless soul compromise

Post 1402, Day 99 of 2015
- 1,560 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I'm so tired today. I may be getting too old for weeknight gigs that don't get me home before 2:30AM.

I arranged to take the morning off from work, but that, unfortunately didn't stop me from waking up at my usual time to go to work. Falling back asleep was less difficult, so I know I must have been tired. And I didn't sleep long enough after that.

I've written many times about my terrible sleep hygiene. Too bad. I'm living with it, because I can't think of an immediate solution that doesn't compromise my lifestyle. I've lived through a lot of negative lifestyle habits before. A lot.

And I won't stop going out at night, doing what brings me joy, and plugs me in to an inner joy. I can't see the value in anything I do being more important.

It doesn't seem complicated to me. For the next nine months, I have a day job that is very positive for me. I won't quit early, unless it somehow loses its value to me. As an avocation, I'm a musician. There is nothing new about musicians' hours interfering with the life lived among non-musicians.

Loss of sleep is a cheap price for keeping body and soul (especially soul) together.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   207.8 lbs

Previous Weight (4/8):            208.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                - 0.6 lbs

Diet Comment

More loss is good. This is a trend that should continue at least until the weekend.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
Herbs, greens, capicola, cheese, onions and peppers omelet. I have a new technique for making this particular dish, which I'll share: I have a two-quart cheap ceramic non-stick saucepan I heat a little, drop in some coconut oil, then add frozen peppers and onions and cover. Once the onions and peppers have cooked for a while, I fill the pan with the mixed greens I have on hand (Fresh Express Organic mixes - lately, I've been using Super Greens, today an Herbs and Greens mix), stir and cover to cook down. If I am adding meat - like today - it goes in after the greens have wilted down. Once the mix is bubbling, I add my beaten eggs, stir and cover. Then, if I am using cheese, it goes on top, the cover goes back on, and I wait until the cheese is totally melted. Turn off the heat, let it sit a few minutes. Uncover for a minute then turn over onto plate like a pineapple upside-down cake. Not really photogenic (looks like a mottled, yellow-brown disk), but delicious!

Snack
Pepperoni with celery and home-made mayonnaise.

Dinner
At Dinosaur BBQ:

BBQ Rueben with cottage cheese and salad.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  36 oz.   Water: 68+ oz.  A glass of Sierra Nevada IPA

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

 

#1401, Wednesday, April 8: Warning: So-so singer approaching

Post 1401, Day 98 of 2015
- 1,559 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

My first musical instrument was guitar.

I was inspired by my Aunt Dorothy (RIP) when I was very, very young. Her guitar playing and singing was the very first music I ever heard made live. At least, the first I remember, and my recollection is entirely of my delight.

And she inspired me (along with Roy Rogers, who I used to imitate) to take up guitar, at around age 8.

The thing is, playing guitar for me was all about supporting my singing. I never much cared for playing it, except as an accompaniment, and never really cared whether or not I became a good guitarist. In fact, I never really enjoyed or appreciated guitar work back then - it seemed other, and magic. Not something I would do.

I really enjoyed singing, though. I thought I was a good singer. When I first joined a band that played out (or aspired to), it was as a singer who played little or no guitar. I've never owned an electric guitar, and that is what was required to play in a band (back then). My classical guitar, restrung with metal strings and an add-on pickup never cut it.

But in my early teens, I was in demand as a singer, not a player.

Then I discovered bass. It was like someone threw a switch. Suddenly, the demand for my singing just stopped. Despite the fact that I barely knew how a bass was supposed to function (and only had a borrowed bass, and never a bass amp), it was bass that attracted me, and my singing 'career' was put on the back burner.

In my late teens, bass (as I slowly figured out which part of bass playing was ass, which elbow) became all that anyone wanted from me. I listened with some envy at singer-guitarists who got a lot of attention (and admiration), but couldn't get any when I tried that. Not as mature a singer, and definitely no more than a passable guitarist, I couldn't attract anything positive to myself, so I retreated to bass. Actually, that turned out to be a good choice.

I pretty much stopped singing.

But I didn't stop enjoying singing. However, I lost confidence in it. I knew I wasn't as good as I had thought I was, or maybe just not as good as I'd been. My vocal performances, when I exposed myself to the public, were often criticized.

Now, I don't care. I like to sing, and people are either going to get behind it or just have to endure it. I don't imagine myself starting a new career as a singer, but when I go out to open mics from now on, I'm going to bring a guitar, and only maybe a bass, too. Except for the ones where I am needed as a bass player. That is still what I am, first, these days.

But I won't deny myself the pleasure I get from singing, going forward.

World, you've been warned.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   208.4 lbs

Previous Weight (4/7):            210.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                - 1.6 lbs

Diet Comment

More better. Below the trend line.
 

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.

Dinner
Cheeseburger with sauteed peppers and onions and cole slaw.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  28 oz.   Water: 96+ oz. A shot of Jameson's.

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

 

#1400, Tuesday, April 7: Locavore

Post 1400, Day 97 of 2015
- 1,558 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I eat organic food as much as I can. But I am beginning to wonder don't know exactly why.

I am thinking about where the information that leads me to do this comes from. Moreover, I am thinking how similar this information is to current events (that is, news). I am better at avoiding almost all news than I am at avoiding non-organic food.

The information that drives me to buy and eat organically is fear-based. Why do you buy organic? Fear. The fear that non-organic food is unhealthy. Fear that I don't like the idea of capitulating to fear. I'd rather overcome it.

And, for a lot of what I eat, there is little-to-no difference between organic and non. When it comes to vegetables, for instance, organic uses organic pesticides, which are just as 'dangerous' as inorganic pesticides.

At least, as far as I know. The problem is, I don't know anything. Not really. I have the US Agribusiness telling me everything is safe. I have various health-food enthusiasts telling me that this food is the opposite of space. Not knowing is scary, which is the intent of both sides. Scare me by telling me that it is a money or your life decision.

The one thing that I understand is the difference between farmed food and wild food. I don't need to know the difference between cage-free eggs or grass-fed beef and their respective alternatives. Both are the natural way these animals feed.

Logic says that local is the way to go. Knowing the grower of your food makes a lot of sense to me.

It's like cooking - the control over what you eat is absolute when there's a direct connection between the grower and me. Yeah, locavores!

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   210.0 lbs

Previous Weight (4/6):            210.0 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                - 0.0 lbs

Diet Comment

No sleep after 3:45am. Otherwise, I might have dropped a little.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
A cocoa-hemp-kale protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kefir, kale, large organic egg, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), celery, raw organic cacao powder, fermented coconut water, chia gel, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon and stevia-inulin blend.

Tuna salad and baby kale, baby spinach, chard and cole slaw mix. Not shown: A Quest bar for dessert.

Dinner
Two Quest bars.

Snack
Pepperoni.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  16 oz.   Water: 64+ oz. and 12oz of beer.

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

 

#1399, Monday, April 6: Celebrity message

Post 1399, Day 96 of 2015
- 1,557 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I hadn't written anything on my blog today (usually, I write the commentary during the day). Today, I didn't, and I went to sleep without having accomplished that particular task.

I woke up in the middle of the night to pee. Before going back to bed, I checked my phone. Something I never do in the middle of the night (and lots of times, I forget to do it during the day).

There was a text message from Alex.

We'd talked during the day - he was excited - he'd met Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac and they'd hit it off. Mick had invited him to dinner, given him VIP tickets to the night's show in Bakersfield, backstage passes and an invitation to the after-party. He'd asked what my favorite song of theirs was (Rhiannon, by the way. I very much admire and appreciate the Fleetwood-McVie rhythm section - and they were the only band I knew named for the rhythm section).

So, it's a quarter to four, I'm up, and I've peed and I see a two-hour-old message from Alex.

It's a 40 second video to me from Alex... and Mick Fleetwood. <--Click to see it.

Now I'm wide awake. No sleep for me. And that's today's Daily Comment.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   210.0 lbs

Previous Weight (4/3):            209.6 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                + 0.4 lbs

Diet Comment

I misbehaved - diet-wise - over the weekend, but I'm going to be good now, I will, I will...
 

Food Log

Breakfast
Quest bars.

Lunch

Roasted turkey breast chopped salad: baby kale, baby spinach, chard, cole slaw mix and balsamic vinaigrette.

Dinner
Pepperoni and broccoli with Dal Tadka.

Snack
Celery and home-made spicy mayonnaise.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  24 oz.   Water: 80+ oz. and a pour of Jameson's Irish whiskey.

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

 

#1398, Friday, April 3: See the man with the stage fright...

Post 1398, Day 93 of 2015
- 1,554 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

The pic above was taken right before I started my set - my first ever appearance at an open mic as a singer/guitarist.

If there were ever any question of my impulse control, this should answer it: I have little-to-none. 

A friend of mine was starting a new open mic, about twelve minutes from my apartment, in a club I knew with new ownership. In support, I went there with bass guitar in hand, looking to see if anybody would have a need for me, or, at worst, accommodate me on their set.

About halfway there, I decided that if I could borrow a guitar, I'd play a few songs. I came up with a short list that I could sing and remember the chords to (which meant the entire repertoire was limited to tunes from the mid-to-late sixties).

My friend and host was delighted to loan me his guitar.

I was a little nervous. Playing guitar and singing is nothing new to me, but has been a very rare part of my musical experience for the last thirty-five years or so.

Then the performers started. A very impressive group. All excellent guitarists and singers. Some performed all original material. I began feeling something I hadn't felt in a musical environment in a very long time: Performance jitters.

As accomplished performer followed accomplished performer, my nervousness increased, until I had full-blown stagefright.

Then something kind of cool happened. I thought about how I was feeling, and where it was coming from; I realized I was doing things I don't usually do: Compare myself to other performers, worry about other people's opinions of me, and, most of all, fear of a truly unknown near-term future, that might just hold shame and embarassment.

I got on the stage and told the story of why Roy Orbison wore sunglasses when he performed, as though I had suggested the idea to him, and put on some shades (you can see them in my shirt pocket above). Nobody gave me much of a response. Then I tuned up. And by the time I had finished, I was in that music-performance zone I am so addicted to.

My set list consisted of Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Nina Simone; the Animals), Travellin' Light (Herman's Hermits), Reason to Believe (Tim Hardin). It seemed to be going well, because I was asked for an encore (!). I played No Expectations (the Rolling Stones) and We Gotta Get Outa This Place (the Animals - again).

I knew being afraid of it had made it the right thing to do.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   209.6 lbs

Previous Weight (4/2):            210.6 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                - 1.0 lbs

Diet Comment

My weight loss continues apace. I'm going to try to be very good this weekend, and come back a pound or two lighter on Monday.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
Skipped.

Lunch
A cocoa-hemp-berries-and-kale protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kefir, kale, frozen mixed strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, large organic egg, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), celery, raw organic cacao powder, fermented coconut water, chia gel, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon and stevia-inulin blend.

Dinner
Pepperoni, cole slaw and cheese.

Snack
Cheese, celery and home-made spicy mayonnaise.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  24 oz.   Water: 76+ oz. 

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

 

#1397, Thursday, April 2: Marvin Gaye day

Post 1397, Day 92 of 2015
- 1,553 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

One of my all-time favorite musicians was born on this date.

Marvin Gaye started as a session drummer at Motown. It may have been Berry Gordy's single greatest achievement (among many) to recognize how much more he could do, and to be convinced (by Marvin, of course) to give him the opportunity to do so much more.

The rest, as they say, is history. A lot of it is triumphant, but much of it is sad, not the least his untimely, filicidal murder.

As well as being a great, emotional, versatile singer, he was a trend-setting songwriter.

And, at Motown, a ground-breaker. He went on strike at Motown when they refused to release 'What's Going On' because it was too political, and raised the stakes to release Motown's first autonomous album. That album was the first to give credit to the musicians who backed the Motown artists.

He was the first singer I associated with Motown. I had the great fortune to see him in performance twice. His humanity showed through the formal settings of his concerts (he performed in a tuxedo both times.

When I saw him at Radio City Music Hall, he stopped the show to make certain a musician who had fallen off the bandstand riser was not injured. Although the musician didn't return, he assured the audience he was all right, and re-started the show to a standing ovation.

To me, he was the epitome of the complete musician - someone who could move the listener by putting his soul on display, even between the lines of the lyric. That he was a great wordsmith was almost irrelevant - you could hear it in his voice, no matter what the lyric.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   210.6 lbs

Previous Weight (4/1):            211.6 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                - 1.0 lbs

Diet Comment

I am happy that what I ate and drank after midnight last night didn't put weight on. A little confused that I still lost weight. But mostly, relieved. It was a good time, I was prepared to see the consequences at weigh in, but no! OK, mostly happy.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
A capicolo/cheese/greens/onions/peppers omelet.

Lunch

Roasted turkey breast chopped salad: baby kale, baby spinach, chard, cole slaw mix and balsamic vinaigrette. And a Quest bar for dessert.

Dinner
Pepperoni, cole slaw and cheese.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  28 oz.   Water: 104+ oz. 

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

 

#1396, Wednesday, April 1: The sin of pride and ignorance

Post 1396, Day 91 of 2015
- 1,552 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

A friend posted that he was proud of never having watched 'xxxxxx' and didn't intend to change that.

I was taken back by this. I actually don't care what he does or doesn't watch on TV. For the record, I think 'xxxxxx' is great, but I have known other people who avoided it, since it seems 'political'.

But, really, proud of being ignorant? Intentionally being ignorant? I take issue with these ideas, but it does lead me to look at myself. Where are my statements of pride? What 'shelter' do I take in avoiding knowledge?

I am ignorant of a lot of things, but I can't say I take pride in any of that ignorance. I have never believed that ignorance is bliss.

I am, however, skeptical of knowledge. Maybe I'm proud of that, feeling that I am not fooled into believing I know the truth about anything. Of course, any pride is ridiculous, and I have been fooled into believing lots of false stuff. And I would have to be crazier than I even am to believe that I know the truth about anything, or that I have some talent that allows me to discriminate between truth and lies.

Too often, we accept as fact what is belief. Too often we learn a 'truth' only to find later that it is not true. Also, there's a Zen proverb I paraphrase as, "Whatever you believe, the opposite is also true."

Truth is paradoxical. We are wired to accept as true anything that confirms our beliefs, and reject what does not. Information presented authoritatively, and repeated, is believed to be true. There are lots of ways to overwhelm our bullshit detectors.

So: Pride in ignorance - crazy, right? But pride in a belief system? Equally absurd.

I'm having none of it.

Food and Diet Section

Today's Weight:                   211.6 lbs

Previous Weight (3/31):           213.4 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:                - 1.8 lbs

Diet Comment

A good start toward my goal to lose 10 pounds in April, undone by late-night drunkenness binge eating after a gig. Sigh.
 

Food Log

Breakfast
A Quest bar.

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. Not shown: Dessert Quest bar.

Dinner
A cocoa-hemp-kale protein shake (almond-coconut milk, kefir, kale, large organic egg, whey powder (36g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), celery, raw organic cacao powder, fermented coconut water, chia gel, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon and stevia-inulin blend.

Snack
Pepperoni and cheese.

Liquid Intake
   Coffee:  28 oz.   Water: 76+ oz. and a shot of Jamerson's and a beer.

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