Time and Experience

I just noticed that I've not posted in quite some time. Like 4 months. Suppose I've been busy, yeah, that's it. Busy.

My new trucking business has taught me a whole lot of lessons and given me a whole lot of experiences. Mostly good. Some not so good. And a few very outstanding. Being in business for yourself, making all the decisions and making all the mistakes, plus making all the bucks is where one should be in life. Get rid of the boss!

Where else are you going to see a site like I saw near Elko, NV earlier this summer? For some reason crickets just came out and totally took over this part of Nevada. What a mess! Had a great sandwich here by the way. Tasty. Ain't gonna see this sitting behind a desk watching a computer screen or punching keys on a cash register at some quick mart.

But I've also found out that driving a Peterbilt for a living can be a tremendous burden on keeping healthy. It is very tempting to snack while driving. Not good to do that. So far I've been disciplined enuff not to do that. And it has been very hard to exercise. So I have gained a few pounds since the last time I blogged. Gotta be honest. 5 pounds, ok? The deal is I still have a plan and I stick to it as much as possible. Like a football coach I learned to modify my game plan as the situation changes. Like walking 4 miles instead of 6. Keeping to the food management routine I established before going into this business. Staying healthy and slim as I have pictured myself to be. Ain't letten the truck put the pounds back on me, no sirree.

I'm having fun. I'm enjoying life. I'm seeing this great country that I love so much. God willing, I'll be alive a while longer to enjoy all that this country has to offer and to savor all the challenges that life has to offer. God bless.

Notes from the Past

Remember me? I'm the one that got into trucking. Lost all that weight. Has a bitchin Knucklehead chop. Yeah, that guy.

I've been on the road now for 4 weeks. Thought I'd share a few random thoughts.

First, a list of states: California, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Colorado, Utah, Kansas, New Mexico. Some I have been to twice.

A list of major cities: Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Boise, Idaho Falls, Great Falls, Portland, Sacramento, Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, Lafayette, Pascagoula, Memphis, Mobile, Denver, Jackson, Baton Rouge.

Lots of road kill, especially armadillos and deer. Nothing compares to the Mississippi River. I met a shipmate from the sub I served aboard quite by accident. Some folks should not have a driver's license. At Great Falls, MT it froze. At Mobile, AL it was 90% humid and hot. It's a challenge to get a shower. A client opened his home to me so that I could have a shower and he took me to dinner in Springfield, OR. Fuel is cheaper outside CA. I have a lot to learn.

I have yet to get bored on the road. So much to see and experience. This is a great country. Go and see for yourself. Nothing is learned in front of the TV.

O yeah, some of the loads: farm plow, hardboard, engine parts, trailer, mine equipment, 9' diameter tires for dirt movers, metal working machines, shipping containers.

And through it all, I maintained my healthy habits. Walking upto 6 miles a day. Eating small portions. Taking the supplements. And having fun. God, I love this country and trucking.

I'll see ya on the other side.

Road Runner

"BEEP BEEP" Like get outa my way. Coming thru. Got places to go and people to see. Ain't no coyote gonna slow me down.

Greetings from the road. I'm now an official, paid, professional trucker. And life is grand. Doing what I've planned and making my life what I want and not being dependent on what some boss may want to make of it. Know what I mean? Freedom in my case is: no corporate morons, to make my decisions, bare the consequences (good or bad), face the challenges in my way, make my own hours and so much more. A load on the trailer, a place to take it, and seeing all that America has to offer, man I like this country, hell I LOVE IT!

However, comma, there is one big butt in my way. Diabetes. It is still there. In the back bunk waiting for me to slip up. Yes friends, it is a boss for life. One I have some control over. Being on the road has challenged my healthy life style but has not destroyed it. I still find time to walk. I still eat lite. In that regard I use a 48qt cooler that holds my milk, KEFIR, fish oil, and other things. I eat just one meal in the evenings. And I'm fanantical about keeping my routine as near normal as possible. After all, I don't want to find the 50+ pounds that took me quite the effort to lose!

Gotta load for me to haul?

Tractors and Trailers

So, just what is in a name I ask you. If I say the word 'tree', which one popped into your head? Or if I say 'cow' which one appeared that time?

For us to have a meaningful communication then words must be chosen very carefully so as to impart the idea that we wish to convey. Is that heavy or what? When you read the title to this post was this the image that appeared in your mind? It's ok because as a young boy/man I worked this kinda combo on the farm. We did not have a cab or a radio or A/C like this tractor no doubt is equipped. No sirree, the tractors I worked were more of the cook your brains while depleting as much sweat out of your body and breath as much dust into your lungs kinda tractor. I hate farm work.

No, this is what I had in mind for a tractor. My Pete. A whole different idea don't you think? As an exercise google this: tractor trailer. What you get are site after site about OTR rigs like mine. Even for google searches you have to be very specific in the words you use. Now go back to your search and add to front the word 'farm'. Your search string should look like this: farm tractor trailer. Different sites right?



All this leads into my nonuse of the word 'diet'. I don't do diets. Why? Because they fail. First in your mind then on your hips. There is no one that I know that has been on a successful diet. No one. Sure, you lose pounds for a short while. But it comes back and more. I am on a food management program. It's planned. It's flexible. And it's mine. I have reprogrammed my outlook about food and life. That is very different than a 'diet'.



Now, I need a trailer for my Pete. I think this will do just fine.

Peaches and Noses

Many years ago we lived in a little bump on the map known as East Gate, just outside Dayton, Texas, which is east of Houston. Specifically in a farm house owned by the Lessakers (man I mangled that last name but that is how it sounded!). It was a magical place for a boy.

Spring time in East Texas is such a quiet time because of the fog. So thick you can't see the hand at the end of your outstretched arm. Sound is muffled and visions of buildings and things are like seeing them through a gauze, if you see them at all. I remember the walks down that long shell driveway early in the mornings. I could usually see about 20 yards and the temperature was mostly cool and comfortable (not the case in August!). Fog is such a great medium to stimulate a young boy's imagination: what was that sound, what was that that just walked across the drive in front, is someone waiting on the other side of that tree. Man, I loved mornings because they were almost always to myself. I was free to be whatever my mind could make up. It was one adventure after another in the Spring.

But what was really special for me was my time that I spent with Mom and Dad on the front porch. We had lots of discussions and Dad taught me so much about life and politics and family and values and work and Mom taught about learning and helping and doing your best and honesty. My most vivid memory however was watching Mom and Dad interact with each other. I doubt if there was ever a couple more in love and devoted to one another. On that porch I learned about giving and trusting and loving a life mate.

It would be late in the afternoon, near time for the sun to give it up for the moon. Dad would have been home for a few hours and supper would have been fixed, eat, and chores done. The heat of the day would still be in the house so the only logical place was the front porch by the peach tree. And that is where we would settle. and talk. and play. Mostly tho I would watch. Dad would have his head in Mom's lap, reclined down the porch steps. Mom would run her hands over Dad's short cropped hair, massaging the day's tension away. All the while talking about this that and the other thing. Eventually, Mom would work on Dad's face. Squeezing pimples out and such. Especially around the nose, I was always amazed how much that needed attention.

We didn't watch a great deal of television back then. Maybe there wasn't much to watch in the first place. There ain't nothin that can take the place of the real life I was experiencing. Man, I miss that porch.

Raw Eggs and Cinnamon

I'm not one to hug a tree or bleed my emotions all over someone. Just ask anyone who knows me. I don't take serious some busy body telling me how to do a thing so as to save the planet or what all if that busy body drives a Volvo or hybrid and thinks that they are superior in some way and are saving the planet or what all. Come on, a car is a car. And let me tell ya another secret, there is no such device or animal known to man that don't pollute. You breath, you pollute. Get a horse and see what you step in all day. Read all your whining left leaning blogs on the internet instead of the paper ones? Guess what, you are the worst kind of polluter. The electricity to run your computer came from somewhere. It took big industry to produce your computer. I could go on and on.

So, what does all this have to do with raw eggs and cinnamon? Lots. If I recommend something that is good for you and your health you know I do that because it works. I've done it. I'm not doing it to make me look good politically or what ever. I believe in results. If it could be shown that hugging trees will impart by osmosis some health intensifying remedy, I'd do it all day long! I'm glad to report the following:

• raw eggs are good for you. They are tasteless tho somewhat sweet!


• cinnamon helps to increase insulin tolerance.


• stevia is a great way to sweeten your food/drinks without calories or carbs!


• your mother was right, eat your veggies.


• cod liver oil and fish oil are a great way to supplement your diet for omega-3


• eat a handful of red grapes every day


• drink a glass of wine every day


• get plenty of sleep


• and so much more!

I am convinced that doing all the above and more has kept me very healthy and even lessened the illness that came over me these past few weeks. My weight is now being maintained near 155, an improvement from 160.

I know some of the things I do seem like a 60's radical hippie thought them up. I don't care. I feel great and look good.

Egg anyone?

Almost Hell Month

I know, I know, it has been awhile since my last post. Seems life just wanted more of my attention. And did it ever.

Do you know what Hell Week is in boot camp? If you're a veteran of any armed service you do. That is the kind of month I've been having.

To begin, I moved. Or we moved that is. As you know moving is very stressful, even with all the planning and coordination and such. But the problem for me anyways was I got sick to boot! Not that laid up in bed high fever cough it hurts everytime you sneeze sick. The low level fever scratchy throat why now kind of sick. Tired. Sleepy. Achy. On a time squeeze. No fun I tell ya.

And the grass needed to be mowed. And the Peterbilt needed attention as well. Fix this. Fix that. Get the monies mailed for permits and tags and the other government fees and such. And I was getting rid of this and that so as not to move it. Sold my car and one of my bikes. Do you realize how difficult it is just to give stuff away? I didn't know charities could be so dadburn picky!

And still, after three weeks I still have this irritating cough. But that's ok, because I know it will go away someday. The reason for my optimism is due to the fact that I continued to do my plan. Walk everyday. Eat the right foods. And in the proper proportion. No matter what is going on in my life I must maintain my health. Because without IT, nothing else matters.

Now, just where did I put that Peterbilt?

Some Experts Ain't

From the 4th Edition of Webster's New World College Dictionary: n, a person who is very skillful or highly trained and informed in some special field. Did you notice that definition left out credentialed. So, I suppose if you did a thing for [blank] amount of time you will be expert at it.

OK, let's see how that works. I've been riding my Knucklehead for 7 years. I'm an expert at riding that particular bike, right? Don't have a piece of paper stating I'm expert at Knuckleheads, just a driver's license. Worked as an electrician for 15 years which makes me an expert at electricity, right? My wife and I have been married for 34 years. We are both experts at keeping marriages together, right? Do you feel like something is missing here?

You betya. No one can know all there is to know about a thing. Each of us can be a so-called expert on different aspects of the same subject. If you wanted to know how to ride my particular type of bike then you would want to know all that I know. But don't count on my expertise to help you ride a rice burner correctly. I worked as an industrial electrician. Wouldn't be much help in wiring your house. My lovely bride and myself managed to keep our bonds together but we wouldn't have a clue as to how to tell someone else to keep theirs. Expert? No such thing.

All I'm getting at is be leery of "experts". Especially if there is some kind of political agenda going on. My experts can beat your experts any day of the week and twice on Sundays! I would never tell you I'm an expert and that there is only one way to do a thing. If I did that it wouldn't take long before someone stepped all over my toes. And I'm not into pain, believe me.

Now, if I can only find an expert to tell me what all this means!

Shiny Parts

When I built the bike that you see in the picture back in '00 (that's year 2000, not 1900) I purposely thought through the project so that I would not be tempted to put shiny parts on her. It was expensive as it was without the added prices of all the neat shiny parts one can get for a H-D. Besides, that is what most folks do when they get a bike, trick it out with all the stuff they can find, so as to make their bike, their statement to the world. Which is OK, if you have the bucks.

And now, it starts over again. Do you realize how many shiny parts there are for a PETERBILT? Chrome appliques for the windows, headlights, door trim, around the oval emblem on each side of the hood, naked women profiles for the mud flaps!, yeah buddy, triple train horns, and on and on and on. Not to mention all the pretty lights! Geez Looeeeez. And I'm sure that every part will place an additional horse power or two to the load. Right.

Well, I've lived long enuff to know when just the right amount of shiny parts will make a statement and too much is overkill. Same goes for other areas as well. Take your health. Exercise, eat the right foods in the proper proportions, and getting enough sleep will maintain you for years. It's not a bad idea to add some supplements (shiny parts) that make up for some lack in your basic plan but you don't need all of them. Get with your doctor and nutricianist to map a plan just for you.

Have you ever seen one of these? Man I gotta have it for the truck!

Commit

Sleepless nights, sweaty palms, unable to focus, a fashion nightmare in public, all the signs that a really big decision is about to be made. A decision to commit to a course of action that has no guarantee of success. Or failure for that matter. O, if only life came with a waranty.

But it don't. So, I've made the decision. I've made the committment. My new career in trucking starts today. There is nothing like putting money where your big mouth is! Getting into this business is very costly. The truck, the trailer (which is the big determinant in what you haul), the insurance, the fuel, the yada yada yada. That's the money part. The jobs will come with the right attitude and work ethic. And a belief that this is the right thing to do for me. With God's blessing, I ain't gonna fail. No way.

I look at like this. I had to commit to a program to get healthy and stay that way. It took time and lots of effort. Research this, buy that, stick a pin in all my fingers to get the blood for the sugar meter, draw blood for analysis for both doctors I see regularly, and so on. Today that committment is paying off big time. I eat right (most of the time, I had pizza last night) and I exercise every day. I weigh 158 now so I am able to maintain a constant near 160, which has been done for 6 months straight. Proof that this time I'll keep the pounds off for good. It was hard in the beginning but now it ain't no thing. Second nature.

So, in twelve months or less I'll have the truck and trailer paid off and a successful business that will provide for me and my family well off the ground. Success for me now is second nature.

Shifting Gears

I have one more week of Class A driving school left before the big drive test at the DMV. I'm a little nervous but that is natural. Failing the test is not even a concern, I got it in the bag. But a week ago I could not have even considered taking the test. My double clutching was more like double grinding.

And you know what? It's been like that for every kind of standard vehicle I've tried to drive. For instance, I had a 1974 Kawasaki Z-1. That bike had 83hp, 4 cylinders, and the gosh darndest clutch. You either stalled it or smoked the rear tire. It took me about 3 weeks to master that clutch. It was quite the adventure in traffic till then believe me! And that ole '56 Ford with 3 on the tree and mosquito fogging motor was what I learned to drive as a youngster, as did my older syblings. I was surprised it still had teeth on the gears by the time my turn to learn arrived. And all the farm equipment, county dump trucks, various hot rods, and small economic cars since then helped me master standard shifts.

But you know, I still grind em every now and again. I still stall at the most dumbest of times. It's part of the territory. I have those OC moments (O Crap) yet. That stuff don't bother me any more. Now it may bother whoever is behind me but that's their problem, right? When I do those things it's because I lost concentration and focus for just a moment not because I'm still trying to get all the coordination down. I slip it in gear, put that I meant to do that expression on my face and drive on!

It's kinda like learning how to lose those pounds and live a healthy life style. There are gonna be lots of OC moments, especially starting out. You can't expect to give up all those goodies without your body rebelling. It wants to eat bon bons and drink 44oz cokes. Come on! But keep the focus. Enjoy the stalls and grinding when it happens. But don't do it too often. Soon you'll have it down like white on rice. Natural.

Believe me, there's nothing like mastering the size and complexity of driving a big rig, unless, of course, it's mastering the old self. The one that got you to where you are today. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Now, go learn how to do that with less weight.

Time -- What, When, HOW

How now brown cow?

Cute. Remember that one? It was a way to inquire about the goings on in one's life since speaking last. How you been or what's up are another way to do it. So, it's been awhile since I last posted so I'll tell ya what now from this brown cow.

My life has been busy on several fronts. Getting ready to move. Started Class A driving classes. Began classes on FOREX trading as well. Paid off all my bills from the sale of my townhouse. O, just enjoying life in general. But more important is that I did not let any of this get in the way of my health.

Distractions are the bane to success in anything that one does. I bet that you started out to do something on your list of things to do and BAM, the phone rings, the front doorbell goes off, the kids start fighting, the water heater springs a leak and so forth. Soon, you forget what in the heck you were going to do in the first place, right? Well, that has been one of my biggest problems throughout life, letting distractions get the better of me. Not now, not ever again.

So, how am I goin to do that? By making and keeping focused on a plan. It has taken me a year to get to the weight I'm at now and eating the foods (or not eating as the case may be) I eat now. I do it per plan. The driving classes could have put me way off the track. Though it did modify my schedule time wise it has not prevented me from doing the plan. The plan is what gets me back on track when something or someone makes me deviate off course just a little bit or a lot. In the old days I would just go off tangent and be gone for years!

That is why planning is so important in all areas of life. For instance, the sale of my townhouse went longer than planned. It got to the wire. I spent down all my savings and no job. Talk about stress. But I had planned for that as well. It kept me on track and sane. I had confidence. I had faith. I did not panic. Praise God. And now I have time to put into play the other parts of the plan to reach my ultimate goal of a debt free and care free and money free and healthy retirement.

A slave to no hard-and-fast rules, he developed a course that is as real as the measles and twice as much fun.

O, the Pain

I'm not really gonna talk here about physical pain. That's not the hurt I'm feelin right now. No, it is more of the anxious kind of pain. Waiting. Waiting and more waiting. For results. For things to happen. For action.

As an example, just when is that global warming deal gonna take place? Crimminy sakes I'm tired of this cold weather, and I live in Southern California! Took the bike out today. Gorgeous. Mostly clear skies. Not a heck of a lot of wind. Just your typical SoCal day. Not a day Al Gore would make a movie about I can tell ya. Except for the temp. And in the shady parts of the valleys very nipply! Sure, it ain't like it is back east. But I'm tired of havin to put on a long sleeve shirt doggone it. Just look at my picture here.

Just when I get goin on my new plan to make a lot of money another holiday pops up! Where in the heck are they comin from? I don't remember all these holidays growin up. Days off are such momentum killers. I don't know about you but I get real used to not doin a thing. Again, the pain of waiting.

Or, how about this. I got real aches and pains in the joints. Age, OK? I'm ok with that. But . . . I have read about some things that will help naturally. Let nature take of it, right? Trouble is it takes a few days to a few weeks to start to feel any improvement. Heh, I'm not gettin any younger here, I want results NOW.

On second thought, I know what the problem is, Spring Fever! And I'm so ready for it.

I'm as Excited As . . .

Have you ever had one of those days? Ya know, when everything seems to go . . . GREAT! No matter what you do things just go your way. Well, that is the kind of day I'm having today. Or had, it is almost over with.

I can say here and now that if it weren't for the good health I'm enjoying today would not have been all that great. O, my house sold for what I wanted, a good friend called to get advise on an investment I help him on, my broker called with good news on my orange juice option, I set appointments with people I've been trying to set for weeks, and on and on my day went. I'm just in that frame of mind where I'm getting positive attractions.

I've also added two new (for me) regimens to my daily routine. I expect a lot from this. One is KEFIR and the other is "gasp" cod liver oil! I read where kefir milk is loaded with all sorts of little bugs that your innards need to help your immune system and other things as well. And cod liver oil (and fish oil) has the omega-3 essential for all kinds of good stuff. Now, it may not do all that much for insulin use and keeping blood sugar levels down, but overall health is also important. Gosh, I love bein a health nut!

Yes, I feel GOOD! Even better than this:

The Dandelion

I noticed something this morning on the first daily walk after dining on my oatmeal and coffee. The sun wasn't even above the horizon though the Eastern skies were getting brighter. The street lamps were still on and that gave me enough light to see by. And to see what caught my eye and started me to thinking. It was about 5:30am.

What I saw was a little white puffball on a long stem from a plant next to the sidewalk. A dandelion. The temperature was about 43 degrees F. Any other flowering plant was still snugly closed against the cold. Herein, I believe, is a lesson.

For the lowly dandelion life is all about taking advantage of opportunities. It doesn't matter what the heck is going on around it, the plant just grows and grows and grows. The cold had no effect on it. As a matter of fact the lawnmower has no effect on either, just take a look at my yard! The dandelion will come back at you almost overnight.

After mowing the lawn I can set my watch to when the little yellow flowers will appear. The next day the yard is a sea of yellow. That night the flowers transform themselves into white seed balls, each seed equipped with a wind sail. Just a tiny whiff of a breeze will send the seeds over vast areas. And before long the process starts again. Promulgating the species at a tremendous rate. Not reinventing or evolutionizing, just taking advantage of its own particular set of life abilities.

And in that is the lesson. No matter what the setback or failure may be, one must bounce back. One must do this: FIDO (forget it, drive on!). So what if during some holiday you gain a few pounds. So what if you binged on a two pound cheeseburger with fries and a super sized coke. So what. Enjoy the moment and then get back on it. That's what I do. That's what the dandelion does!

For more information about the dandelion and its usefulness go here http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7469.html

Compliments or Condiments

This past holiday season (and happy President's Day to ya) was a real eye opener for me. So many things, positive things, happened to me. It did not matter what party I attended. It did not matter where I did business. I got complimented on the new me.

Yeppir, the compliments kept on a coming. People wanted to know how I became: slim, trim, energetic, rosy cheeked. There is a new magnetic aura that surrounds me. The ladies look at me like I ain't been looked at in decades. Ah, the come hither looks. Scary.

All this justifies my routine of exercise and eating right. The compliments are the right condiments. Do you think I would now go back to the old me? Not on your life. Back to fatdom. Back to clothes so tight you could see through the threads. Back to being lethargic about life. No. No. No.

Sometimes it takes something extraordinary to jolt you to the next level of life. That something can be a diagnosis of a debilitating disease, such as diabetes or worse. But that terrible moment in time can blossom into a new and wonderful you, if you let it. So get healthy. Get compliments. Get going!

Creative Chaos

"Well, that's another fine mess you've gotten us into." A famous line used by Hardy to Laurel in almost all their films (remember Laurel and Hardy? If not http://www.laurel-and-hardy.com/). They were all the time trying new ways to earn a buck. Elaborate plans that always went screwy in one way or another. And they made millions entertaining depression-era America.

I don't know about you but I've had my share of screwy plans as well. I was gonna get rich selling oil additives. No wait, let's be an auto broker! Nope, that ain't it, surely long distance is the ticket. Plus so many more that I tried and was never able to quite make the money that was flashed before my eager eyes. I had no plan either. I had no desire. I had not the slightest idea what I was doing. Does this ring a bell?

What changed for me was the diagnosis of pre-diabetes and the march of time. I now had to really focus on it and plan it and do it or I was gonna have something I really did not want, a needle everyday for the rest of my life. There must be a clue here somewhere. I talked to experts in nutrician and health management. And then I read and read and read all sorts of books about motivation, selling, time management and so forth. Putting all that together is finally paying off.

At the beginning of this year I sat down with pad and pencil and began the process of putting my future together, one that will benefit my family as a whole. My motto for this year is A = R; Actions = Results. Whatever I do must add to the goal of a comfortable retirement. I will explore all opportunities with an open mind. Explore new ways to earn an income and increase the networth of my estate.

More importantly, however, is that I will continue to exercise to stay trim, fit, and heatlthy. Eat all the good stuff (with a few no no's along the way!) to keep my glucose and other levels all in the normal range. Cause if you ain't healthy it don't matter how wealthy you are!

Here's an idea and I wonder if this chap ain't on to somethin!

My Life as a Garbage Disposal

I had the great fortune, nay, privilege to grow up in the '50s and '60s. It was a time of quiet and calm. Eisenhower took care of us and God bestowed His graces on us. More importantly was the fact I had super parents to raise me. Both parents were of the Depression and WW2 years and from them I learned how not to waste food. My dad, bless his soul, was the master of "what in the heck is that you're eating?" crowd. He put together some of the most bizarre concoctions known to man.

I watched one night as he fixed himself a milkshake. At least that is what he said it was and since I was probably no older than 7 I just took his word for it. In went the vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup, normal so far, but things got a little weird after that. The malt was OK and the peanut butter too. The ketchup I would have left out. If recollection is accurate I don't think the pickle added all that much as well. But then again what would a 7 year old know of such things, right? I don't recall all the ingredients today but you get the idea. Dad asked me if I wanted to sample it and I clearly remember running away from that thing as far as I could get my little legs to go.

However, today I ain't to shabby at putting my own concoctions together that might not make it on the restaurant circuit. Having to watch carbs and cals because of diabetes has forced me to be creative. Tonight, as example, I put together a "pizza filling scraped from cold left over pizza on a bed of iceberg lettuce dowsed with 2 tablespoons of honey mustard dressing and slices of green bell pepper." Ah, ecstasy.

Is It Warm or What?

A friend emailed me today with several pictures from Versoix, Switzerland. Apparently the ice storm was recent. As the picture shows it must have been a doozy. Another friend emailed about the same time wanting my take on the global warming controversy. Talk about timing, right? Following is my answer.

From all that I've read there is no doubt that we are in a warming trend. There is also some evidence that it may be just a temporary spike between ice ages. Plus, there is great dissention from climatologists about the valididty of the computer models that are used to promote the global warming scenario. All this leads to . . . confusion.

I am of the opinion that the market place is always the answer, even obliquely. Point, I walk a tremendous amount, up to 3 hours a day. I incorporate as many tasks as possible when I do, such as going to the library for a book to read, getting milk and bread from the grocery and so on. This leads to a great healthy body and no use of valuable resources or waste of dollars out of my pocket. I used to live across the street from AMGEN, where I worked for many years. I planned it that way. It was an advantageous money move for me. I could walk to work and not use a car, thus saving again precious dollars and resources. I say this because capitalism will in the end save our resources, reduce the effects of global warming and keep our freedoms in place. All because of self-interest. I live a life style that most greenies refuse to do!

One final point. Back in prehistory a volcano erupted, the largest eruption ever known. It spew so much ash and particulates into the air that it took more than 10 years for the atmosphere to clear to just a haze. It dropped the world's temperatures over 15 degrees C. Killing off most of the population of animals at the time. This is not a unique event. It will certainly happen again or some such catastrophe like a meteor hitting the Earth. Even if we humans ignite every nuclear device we have, release all of the freon in storage, or burn to the last drop all the hydrocarbons in the ground it would not equal the amount of damage that one volcano produced.

Follow the money my friend. The groups so worried about global warming have a need for funds.

It's All in How You Look At It

This mornings weight: 158

I got a bit scared the other day when I saw the needle on the bathroom scale charge to 161. I must have been a bad boy for a little while. So down to business and get back to 160. Guess you can see I went further than that! I have found that once you have lost the weight and have maintained it at the new level for some time that it is very easy to lose a pound or two in 24 - 36 hours. Apparently, once you know how it ain't no thing anymore.

This post, however, is not really about my abilities to lose poundage at will. I want to talk a little about conquering fears. And to do that I want to tell a story. A true story of perspective.

As I recall these events took place one early morning, oh, about 8ish. It was on one of my walks and I was at the halfway mark at the time. Walking along the left shoulder of the road I passed a series of sandbags that was stacked along the periphery of a construction site. Not much in the way of unusualness in that except for the life and death drama about to take place.

On one of the sandbags sat a pill bug. Soaking up some of the early morning sun I suppose. The smallish bug must have felt every footfall that I was producing as I walked along. Sorta like mini earthquakes. The closer they came the more nervous the bug became. Finally, as I drew almost abreast of his position, he bolted across the sandbag to hide.

Unbeknownst to my little bug friend someone else was also looking at him. Someone that was very hungry. Someone that was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. That someone was a slightly built and wickedly fast lizard. She too could feel my footfalls. She too was at the point of panic when I drew near. But she had a goal that overshadowed her fears. She was hungry. As soon as the bug bolted the lizard met it lickedy split on the sandbag and devoured it. Then off to a shady spot as far from me and as hidden as it could be from my eyes.

The drama had thus ended.

So, what are the lessons here. Well, number one, look before you leap. If you just go blindly through life a really very bad thing is gonna happen. Blindly reacting through fear to circumstances is a recipe for disaster. Number two, stay focused on your goal. That lizard was not going to let me spoil her breakfast. She had a burning desire to eat and she was not about to let me distract her from it. Finally, number three, over coming fear by letting it work for you is a reward in itself. That lizard let me provoke the pill bug into running away blindly, with no regard to safety. A very fatal mistake.

Ya know, I'd much rather be a lizard than a pill bug. I got goals. Do you?

A Formula for Success

"One day Karyn decided she was no longer willing to commute in smog laden traffic to sit in a cubicle for eight hours, come home, eat, sleep, wake up and do it all over again."

I cannot tell you how many times that line or one similar to it has caused me to lose a lot of money. It goes right to the heart does it not? Who hasn't felt trapped in a job going no where. Who isn't looking for the gold watch and endless summer days rocking on the porch. And what does that mean anyway?

People are looking for freedom, plain and simple. Freedom to do all that you would do if given the time and resources to do them, right? The definition of freedom will be different for each of us but the common factors will be the same, money and time. And that is what got me in trouble.

I am an easy mark for the easy sleaze. Yessir, I am on the look out for doin it the simplest and fastest with the leastest amount of effort, aren't you? I just know that the latest guru has the answers to wealth and freedom without any effort. Man, I dream of winning the lottery or getting a huge inheritance. Dream on bucko. Well dreamin ain't gettin, know what I mean? It takes action and a plan.

Having growed up on a farm hard physical labor is nothing new to me. I really like getting sweaty and all. But that ain't gonna get you rich. Money wise that is. So I spent 20 here, 30 there looking for just the right formula to get me to richdom. That won't get you rich either. It will get someone rich, just not you. But it did get me an education. An education on what will get you rich.

In all that I've read from all the various multimillionaires is this: decide what you want, have passion about it, put a plan in place to get it, act on your plan. And never give up. That is the formula for success in whatever you do, in all areas of life. Now, you don't need to spend 20 here or 30 there to find out. Use that money for yourself and let the gurus get rich off someone else.

The Why and The How

Over 50 years ago a very brilliant man wrote a book. Now, nothing unusual in brilliant (or not) people, man or woman, in writing books, yesterday or today. But this book had a huge impact on the way people think. The author was Viktor E. Frankl. His revolutionary book Man's Search for Meaning. In it Frankl describes how he found it possible to embrace life even though Frankl was undergoing the most hideous of circumstances. He is a survivor of not just one or two Nazi concentration camps, but four, and he lost all, his mother, father, pregnant wife and possessions. All that remained was one sister. Yet Frankl not only lived, he lived a long and full life. He was fond of quoting Nietzsche, "He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how."

So, with that said, I too have found that the why is so important in all areas of life because it will provide the necessary impetuous to continue on, to bear the how. My quest to lose weight due to the possibility of taking insulin shots was very powerful. I'd do most anything to not have to face a needle every day. And that is still true today. But that is not enough to continue my regimen of eating what is good for me, in appropriate portions, and to exercise as much as possible. I know this is a regimen that has to be followed for the rest of my days.

What is driving me to stay on course is my family. I am not done yet in providing and protecting. I must stay healthy so that my energies are directed in making sure my wife and I have a comfortable retirement, one that is financially secure. It is also my wish to make sure that my granddaughter is given a better shot at life than her father or me. It is not in my plans to pay the health industry all that I accumulate in health costs.

I will mention just two ways that I will use to stay the course. It is not enough to write down goals and then keep them to yourself. One way is this blog. You can be a big part of my life just by writing your comments. Let me know what you think. Ask the question, "are you still skinny?" The second way is to keep checking my weight everyday. Get on the scale to see just where I am at. Over or under from the day before. Like today, I was at 161, that made me walk just a little farther.

I highly recommend you google Frankl and do a little research. Get together your own why for whatever you want to accomplish. Good luck.

A Typical Day

I thought I'd begin by describing a typical day in my life. Not that it is all that interesting of course. But some of you may have prediabetes or full on diabetes or just found out that you are at risk of getting it. My intent here is to show that living with diabetes ain't no thing at all. In my case it probably saved my life!

To begin with, let me tell you how I was on Jan. 1, 2006. That was the day I found the bathroom scale and decided to use it. I stripped down to my birthday suit and stepped on it. Get off you fat pig! Get off! At least I thought it said that. Boy, was I big. Man, the read out was 210lbs. I'm only 5' 7", so I was a beach ball. Plus, I have sleep apnea and the fat on my neck guaranteed my use of CPAP for the rest of my life. I don't know why I felt the need to get on that scale but it put into motion all that happened later.

Around late March of '06 I had a physical with the doctor. The results of the testing confirmed what I knew in my gut. The doc said that if I didn't lose weight and exercise more then I was headed for insulin shots. Well, that was all the kick in the butt I needed to get on some kinda program to not have to use a needle on every square inch of my body. I watched my dad have to do that for years. My wife does it now. No thank you! I got with a nutritionist for an hour and that was the best money I ever spent in my life. A program came together from just the info she gave me. The doctor gave me 6 months to show improvement or else.

I won't go into all the details now but in those 6 months I dropped my weight to 160lbs, a loss of 50! After weighing myself this morning I'm proud to say that I'm still at 160lbs. And do I feel better! No more extra mass to move around. My cars and bikes get better gas mileage too! And the best side benefit of all, by a long shot, is I'm off that CPAP machine for good. I've used that darn thing since 1989. The bennies are well worth the effort I tell ya.

Let me make one thing very clear right now. There is NO magic to losing weight. There is NO pill that will burn it off. Don't waste your time and money chasing what you know is not right. To lose weight, stop feeding your face. It's that simple. And exercise. That is all that I did. Well, and stopped eating all the wrong things; white bread, pasta, processed sugar and what not. And I cut down on my portions. And I keep a close I on the carbs because of the effects to a diabetic. But really the best thing to do is get with a nutritionist and work all the details out.

So, what do I do on a daily basis? My routine? To start, I get up everyday at 4:30am - -

• Make a breakfast of Quick oats and black coffee. Get done about 5:15am


• Go for a 15 minute walk


• Snack at 9:00am; eggs, toast, coffee, some mornings bacon


• Go for a 15 minute walk


• Do work


• Lunch at or near NOON; usually something lite, sandwhich (flourless bread), 3oz of ice cream


• Go for a 1.5 hour walk


• Do work


• Dinner (Supper) about 5:30pm; salad, a meat


• Go for a 15 minute walk

That is my basic day. Not very exciting like I said in the beginning. But I sure feel great. And one more thing, I don't deny myself anything in the way of food. I have my ice cream. I'll eat a juicy cheesy sloppy burger, just not like I did in my ole way of life. You see, I'm not on a diet, no sirree, it's a food management program supplemented with a calorie management component. Now, that's so much better than a dumb ole diet!

A Blog in Time

Welcome to my blog! My hope is that after visiting, it was time well spent for both of us. I'm new at this so please be patient.

This site is definitely a work in progress. Here you will find my thoughts on a wide ranging series of subjects that will change as my mood changes, or better yet as my interests change. Central, however, is my day-to-day life with pre-diabetes, which I will refer to simply as diabetes. How I keep it under control, how it impacts other areas of my life, such as riding my Knucklehead Harley chopper, and how it impacts my motivation for other things as well.

Also, I will provide links to other areas so that further research can be done by you. Just because you see the link don't necessarily mean I endorse that site or agree with any editorial content. It's just that there may be a nugget there that might help you. Let me know if that is the case.

I am a big believer in doing things your way, as long as it is ethical, legal, and moral (must be the conservative in me). So, I have a huge respect for being an entrepreneur, though I am hardly a success at making money. That said, I listen, read, and watch many things motivational, and as my friends know from the many emails I send to them, I pass that info along quickly. Use what you find if you find that you can!