Travel Pete's Journal: Basements, Kids & Mental Health

More Merry in 2006!

Yes, it's true, "Now, with More Merriment!"

2006 was a very nice year.

I won't get signficantly maudlin for another week or so, when I've downed my last New Year's champagne and eaten my last Giant Shrimp! or two.

But it was good. And this Christmas season was absolutely wonderful. Nice through and through, but the last week was amazing.

The Wintersmith delivered a tour-de-force blizzard to Golden with 3 feet of snow to start things off. No, not this blizzard, I mean This Blizzard!!!!

Days of building snowboard ramps in our front yard and shoveling with neighbors followed. Snow-chilled Beer with friends. Packs of semi-wild dogs and children running the cul-de-sac. No mail. No work. Lots of laughs.

Kathy was off from Wednesday morning, when they declared work closed, through today. And it was fabulous to have this week together for our family. We went to the mountains for a few days of riding, skiing, and enjoying a mountain holiday before arriving back home Christmas morning to find Santa had stopped by Golden whilst we were gone.

Dunno, just a great time all around. I got a buzz going last Tuesday just thinking about a few inches of snow coming our way, and then the blizzard hit and I've been riding a Holiday High for the past week.

Christmas 2006 with my family will be one to cherish and remember for a long time. And maybe, just maybe, I can keep this buzz going until next Christmas.

Damn...

Fortune cookies have gotten a little too honest for me.

Here's mine

Brought to us by the good folks at Sign Generaor

Sorry...

Things are going to get sickeningly sweet the next few weeks on the ol' Travel Pete Journal.

Sorry. :-)

Our Children Deserve Every Advantage

When we send our kids off to school, we work hard to ensure they will benefit from the learning available.

Good schools.
Healthy lunches.
Holding them back so they are bigger and stronger and smarter than the other kids.

All that good stuff, to appease our guilt in not actually raising them ourselves, and to ensure they can go out on their own and not be a drag on society and our retirement lifestyle.

I've gone a different way. Instead of a pat on the back, I slapped a Kick Me sticker on Max's back on the way out this morning.

Priceless humor!

The argument for 2 children only

from the fine folks at Strange Brew

Raising Children

And then there was this... in a report published in the NY Times. It's about child education and the gaps between rich/poor and black/white. This small section is long, but just a snippet of a boring article, so please read it all!

(excerpted because it's long, full article here)

In thinking of the concept "no child left behind"... Why not just concentrate on correcting the academic disadvantages of poor people? Solve those, and the black-white gap will solve itself... Right?

"There had, in fact, been evidence for a long time that poor children fell behind rich and middle-class children early, and stayed behind. But researchers had been unable to isolate the reasons for the divergence. Did rich parents have better genes? Did they value education more? Was it that rich parents bought more books and educational toys for their children? Was it because they were more likely to stay married than poor parents? Or was it that rich children ate more nutritious food? Moved less often? Watched less TV? Got more sleep? Without being able to identify the important factors and eliminate the irrelevant ones, there was no way even to begin to find a strategy to shrink the gap.

Researchers began peering deep into American homes, studying up close the interactions between parents and children. The first scholars to emerge with a specific culprit in hand were Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley, child psychologists at the University of Kansas, who in 1995 published the results of an intensive research project on language acquisition. Ten years earlier, they recruited 42 families with newborn children in Kansas City, and for the following three years they visited each family once a month, recording absolutely everything that occurred between the child and the parent or parents. The researchers then transcribed each encounter and analyzed each child?s language development and each parent's communication style. They found, first, that vocabulary growth differed sharply by class and that the gap between the classes opened early. By age 3, children whose parents were professionals had vocabularies of about 1,100 words, and children whose parents were on welfare had vocabularies of about 525 words. The children's I.Q.'s correlated closely to their vocabularies. The average I.Q. among the professional children was 117, and the welfare children had an average I.Q. of 79.

When Hart and Risley then addressed the question of just what caused those variations, the answer they arrived at was startling. By comparing the vocabulary scores with their observations of each child's home life, they were able to conclude that the size of each child's vocabulary correlated most closely to one simple factor: the number of words the parents spoke to the child. That varied greatly across the homes they visited, and again, it varied by class. In the professional homes, parents directed an average of 487 utterances anything from a one-word command to a full soliloquy to their children each hour. In welfare homes, the children heard 178 utterances per hour.

What's more, the kinds of words and statements that children heard varied by class. The most basic difference was in the number of discouragements a child heard, prohibitions and words of disapproval compared with the number of encouragements, or words of praise and approval. By age 3, the average child of a professional heard about 500,000 encouragements and 80,000 discouragements. For the welfare children, the situation was reversed: they heard, on average, about 75,000 encouragements and 200,000 discouragements. Hart and Risley found that as the number of words a child heard increased, the complexity of that language increased as well. As conversation moved beyond simple instructions, it blossomed into discussions of the past and future, of feelings, of abstractions, of the way one thing causes another, all of which stimulated intellectual development.

Hart and Risley showed that language exposure in early childhood correlated strongly with I.Q. and academic success later on in a child's life. Hearing fewer words, and a lot of prohibitions and discouragements, had a negative effect on I.Q.; hearing lots of words, and more affirmations and complex sentences, had a positive effect on I.Q. The professional parents were giving their children an advantage with every word they spoke, and the advantage just kept building up.

In the years since Hart and Risley published their findings, social scientists have examined other elements of the parent-child relationship, and while their methods have varied, their conclusions all point to big class differences in children's intellectual growth. Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, a professor at Teachers College, has overseen hundreds of interviews of parents and collected thousands of hours of videotape of parents and children, and she and her research team have graded each one on a variety of scales. Their conclusion: Children from more well-off homes tend to experience parental attitudes that are more sensitive, more encouraging, less intrusive and less detached all of which, they found, serves to increase I.Q. and school-readiness. They analyzed the data to see if there was something else going on in middle-class homes that could account for the advantage but found that while wealth does matter, child-rearing style matters more.

Martha Farah, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, has built on Brooks-Gunn's work, using the tools of neuroscience to calculate exactly which skills poorer children lack and which parental behaviors affect the development of those skills. She has found, for instance, that the parental nurturance that middle-class parents, on average, are more likely to provide stimulates the brain's medial temporal lobe, which in turn aids the development of memory skills.

Another researcher, an anthropologist named Annette Lareau, has investigated the same question from a cultural perspective. Over the course of several years, Lareau and her research assistants observed a variety of families from different class backgrounds, basically moving in to each home for three weeks of intensive scrutiny. Lareau found that the middle-class families she studied all followed a similar strategy, which she labeled concerted cultivation. The parents in these families engaged their children in conversations as equals, treating them like apprentice adults and encouraging them to ask questions, challenge assumptions and negotiate rules. They planned and scheduled countless activities to enhance their children's development: piano lessons, soccer games, trips to the museum.

The working-class and poor families Lareau studied did things differently. In fact, they raised their children the way most parents, even middle-class parents, did a generation or two ago. They allowed their children much more freedom to fill in their afternoons and weekends as they chose playing outside with cousins, inventing games, riding bikes with friends but much less freedom to talk back, question authority or haggle over rules and consequences. Children were instructed to defer to adults and treat them with respect. This strategy Lareau named accomplishment of natural growth.

In her book Unequal Childhoods, published in 2003, Lareau described the costs and benefits of each approach and concluded that the natural-growth method had many advantages. Concerted cultivation, she wrote, places intense labor demands on busy parents. ... Middle-class children argue with their parents, complain about their parents' incompetence and disparage parents decisions. Working-class and poor children, by contrast, learn how to be members of informal peer groups. They learn how to manage their own time. They learn how to strategize. But outside the family unit, Lareau wrote, the advantages of natural growth disappear. In public life, the qualities that middle-class children develop are consistently valued over the ones that poor and working-class children develop. Middle-class children become used to adults taking their concerns seriously, and so they grow up with a sense of entitlement, which gives them a confidence, in the classroom and elsewhere, that less-wealthy children lack. The cultural differences translate into a distinct advantage for middle-class children in school, on standardized achievement tests and, later in life, in the workplace.

Taken together, the conclusions of these researchers can be a little unsettling. Their work seems to reduce a child's upbringing, which to a parent can feel something like magic, to a simple algorithm: give a child X, and you get Y. Their work also suggests that the disadvantages that poverty imposes on children aren't primarily about material goods. True, every poor child would benefit from having more books in his home and more nutritious food to eat (and money certainly makes it easier to carry out a program of concerted cultivation). But the real advantages that middle-class children gain come from more elusive processes: the language that their parents use, the attitudes toward life that they convey. However you measure child-rearing, middle-class parents tend to do it differently than poor parents and the path they follow in turn tends to give their children an array of advantages. As Lareau points out, kids from poor families might be nicer, they might be happier, they might be more polite but in countless ways, the manner in which they are raised puts them at a disadvantage in the measures that count in contemporary American society."

Poor Winner?

Some might think my little Feck You post was just being a poor winner. I mean, we all got what we want, right? Right?

Not even close. If all y'all knew how deeply I really feel about the clusterfeck that is the destruction of our nation by Bush, you'd realize it was pretty tame stuff.

Bush has set in motion boulders that will become an avalanche of hell for our children. Hopefully our family isn't under the fall line when it hits.

It's like this...

In either case, I've got the fecking language out of my system for now. I saw someone get a tattoo on TV with a funky saying.

Heh. Now what? Dems are splitting power with Bush. And that will do...?

Nothing when these are the only options we have left.

Feck Bush. Feck dishonest bastards. Feck Iraq war. Feck Corporate Greed. Feck the Holier-Than-Thou's

Politics is a funny business. What a difference a day makes.

Last week, Bush was on the attack, getting ready to hang Saddam, and swearing up and down he was keeping both Congress and Donald Rumsfeld. And Ted Haggard was demonstrating that the Religious Right are Wrong for America.

This morning?

Bush is getting all chummy with Democrats, it's hard to find news on Saddam, and Bush has lost Congress and that prick Rummy has resigned.

Ted Haggard is still proving that a holier-than-thou attitude has its drawbacks.

God Bless Democrats? Huh.

Unfortunately, troops are still dying in Iraq. More troops have died in Iraq than innocent people died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. No need to add the civilian deaths, costs, and disruptions in Iraq. Just this one statistic alone tells me how "safe" Bush has made us. Thanks, butthead.

In fact, everyone in the world basically hates us right now. Thanks Bush! Ruins my travel plans, I'll tell ya.

Fortunately, with today's election, perhaps there will be some international feeling that Americans are waking up. At least, that's what the articles overseas and quotes from foreign leaders are suggesting.

On a(nother) positive note, the big strides Colorado has made the past two years with a Democratic Mayor in Denver and a Democratic legislature will continue. I'm proud of the success and improvement in Colorado, and hope it continues now.

Of course, Coloradoans proved hostile to gay people this time around. Apparently they are worried about it affecting their marriage, just like that homo Ted Haggard, head of a Church even! I mean, if *he* can be corrupted by gayness, just imagine what those gays could do to normal moral folks like us?

It's like being in the white-trash trailor park, and voting to keep the trailer park down the road from getting running water, keeping them just a little bit lower than us, because we all need to be superior to someone. Mission accomplished!

*NOTE ABOUT THE TITLE: I'm swearing in Irish now to ensure that my readership at work doesn't get busted by profanity filters installed by their Ted Haggard boss.

A bit of optimism? Why not...

Here's what Senator Barbara Boxer has to say about the win. Sure, it's optimistic, but what the heck, let's give it a whirl!

No more rubber stamp Congress
No more free passes to the Bush Administration on Iraq
No more arrogance
No more give-aways to the most powerful
No more cozy corruption

Yes to accountability on Iraq
Yes to consumers
Yes to our families and our children
Yes to the environment
Yes to energy independence
Yes to affordable health care and stem cell research
Yes to an increase in the minimum wage
Yes to the recommendations of the 9/11 commission

Track Back 400

I was inspired by a fun blog my wife enjoys reading (Loobylu.com) to track back a few years and see what I was up to ... 3 months ago, 6 months, a year, 2 years, etc... as measured by my blog.

First, I was impressed that I can go back through nearly 3 years of blog entries to February 2004 when I started the Travel Pete Blog!

Second, I realized that a year ago I did no blogging for a couple months as 2005 was really sucking and I wasn't up for it, frankly, so I got nuthin' from last year.

The nearest thing I could find is this blog entry from last September which sort of summed up my feeling for much of 2005.

If you check that entry out, you'll realize why I decided to stop this little "track back" project early. Who knows what else I might find??? Depressing.

Instead, I thought I'd focus on the fact that this is my 400th entry in BlogLand, and I'm quite pleased to have stuck with it for so long. If I go another 50 years, I'll really have something to look back upon. Assuming I can still see at 85 years of age.

Of course, it's not a true diary. Despite what people may think, I *have* actually held back on a number of topics due to the readership I wasn't completely ready to offend. Mostly my family at first guess, but probably some neighbors and acquaintances as well as people I don't know.

Besides, I have secrets. Just how it is. I mean, do you *really* want to hear about digestive tract problems? All the money I lost recently? People who are on my shit list? My thoughts on the economy?

Not really.

Anyway, because 2006 has been a decent year all around (excepting not getting my teaching job) I'll stop here before I get maudlin and gushy and "go negative" as the politicians prefer to do.

I'm a man

Feeling a bit more like that bird in the cage this morning. The one in the entry just below? The one with the severed fingers littering the bottom of the cage?

Yep... Fixed the Garbage Disposal!!!!

I'm a man. Thankee, thankee very much. I'd type more in my honor, but it's hard without the use of 10 fingers.

They. Never. Learn.

It's been a while since we've seen a classic Strange Brew by John Deering and John Newcombe. Today is that day.

Man, sometimes I wish I was that bird. Tough, rugged, independent, unflappable (ahem), taking all comers. Gee whiz.

Find this comic at Comics.com

Instead, I feel more like I got slam-dunked and rolled up like a, well, like a Rollie Pollie pillbug!

Is it the kids' fault the rollie pollies end up in their way, perfectly positioned for a good flickin'? Nope. And, frankly, I would hope the rollie pollie pillbugs see it the same way. I do.

If you can't be good, be careful.

I'd like to give a shout out to all my nieces and nephews. They are the ones who will be growing up in this great world we've created, so they're the ones who need to understand the New Rules.

"If you can't be good, be careful," my wife's Gramma O'Neill used to always say. This is true now more than ever.

In America Today, we are a rules-following society with Zero Tolerance.

This translates as: You Must be Seen To Be Following The Rules.

Kenneth Lay knows this better than anyone else. By definition, you are a good person in American society if you follow the rules. So if Lay isn't caught actually breaking any laws, he's a good person. See?

It's true. Be aware of it folks!

Kids!

"Daddy, that's a super-cool car. Because. Because it has a kleenex box in the back window."

So cute. And yet, they can be such little shits sometimes. Even going so far as to be complete little monsters to Mom. On Mother's Day. Poor form.

Not very smart. I was hoping my guys were better than that.

So what do I do when I get really, I mean realllly ticked off at the kiddos?

I sit them down in front of the TV and let them watch as much as they want. And I feed them McDonald's.

Okay, I don't feed them Micky D's, but I give them sweets and let them veg out and destroy their brains for a while in front of the boob tube. Mean. I know.

Recovery...

There's a reason I haven't been posting.

I'm in recovery.

Family recovery. A few years ago I mused that it would be nice to have more family around.

But, well, all of them?!?

;-)

Turns out the Scottsdale Clan is interested in making a move up to the Greater Golden area. My sister-in-law (and nephew for the weekend) visited this past week or so, and my blogging always takes a hit when I have someone to make coffee for and sit around chatting with.

Add a stomach virus hitting Kathy, myself, and our house guest and it's been a blast of a week. Anyway, the guest left on a big bird today and I'm back in action.

Anyhoooo, looks like we'll be seeing 1, probably 2, and possibly 3 of them over the next several months.

In other news, the BASEMENT!!!!! is coming along beautimously.

The Way I Live

Drywall is finishing up today with texture being applied.

In the meantime, I wanted to point out a wonderfully poignant Tom Toles cartoon.

Not obsessed

I just want everyone to know that *just because* I remember to take dozens of pictures of my unfinished basement and post a dozen basement blogs... yet forget to bring the camera to my son's 4th birthday party... I am NOT obsessed with this project.

Really.

I promise.

I mean, we took Max and his cousins to Chuck E Cheese. How many memories of that do I need?!?!

Time Capsule buried

The Time Capsule, along with 1/2 the dang basement, was picked up for ceremonial burial today.

Or at least crushing in the back of a garbage truck and dumped.

We had so much trash, I felt embarrassed to the point of helping them haul it in the truck. And spreading it around to 3 other neighbors' trash piles for pickup just in case they didn't want to take it all.....

Sheesh. Bad Consumer. BAD!

How to Make your own Time Capsule

Find a plastic capsule, put some dusty papers in it, stick it in the ground--hopefully your car keys didn't fall in-- and try to remember where you left it 100 years from now when you're dead.

Or.......

Stick everything in boxes. Bank statements and financial documents, old business papers and promotional items, school stuff, really any ol' thing that fits in a box, and even a few things that shouldn't.

Tape the box up.

Move with it a dozen times over a dozen years. Stuff it in the basement. Wash, rinse, repeat.

And then forget about it...

Best time capsule evuh! I spent the past few evenings sorting and trashing all this stuff in a final stroll down funny, painful, startling Memory Lane. 1996? Bad stuff, good stuff. 1998? Ditto!

Why? Haven't you been reading the blog? I'm refinishing the basement. Duh.

Opening the Time Capsule

Bit if a tease, really, not telling you what all I found in the time capsule that is the dark recesses of my unfinished basement.

But there was a reason for avoiding too much talk. Much of what I saw was embarrassing or difficult, even in the remembering.

Maybe a dozen years isn't far away enough? Nahhhh.

So what did I find? Personal stuff of course. Probably not that interesting except to me. But then again, the US Mint in Denver just celebrated 100 years of minting coins yesterday with a 100 year time capsule with, get this, 2 scrolls listing the employees of the Mint. Lame.

It was fascinating to remember things long forgotten (and some of them best forgotten, I must say).

Tooth Fairy Arrives Early!

Please, ignore that last entry. It was so 2005.

2006 is all about the positive spin!

So, we're not bad parents, we've simply created an opportunity where Maxwell gets to learn about the Tooth Fairy years before his like-aged friends!

That's like saying the movie It's a Wonderful Life was a suicide tale instead of an uplifting Holiday Miracle.

We're not about that any more.

Parenthood

From an article my wife sent me this morning:
Parenthood is like one of those post-apocalyptic novels, where the people have been reduced to near savagery and have only vague, highly mythologized memories of that glorious epoche before fire fell from the heavens.

Yep, that just about sums it up.

The article link if yer interested.

King Ka-Ching!

And Tom Toles is my Faye! & I'm his King Ka-Ching!

Christmas Cards

I enjoy the holiday greeting card. It's a way to make all the losers I know jealous, and to otherwise update everyone else on what we look like if they happen to run into us at the State Fair or simply wish to avoid us in the local Safeway.

And, while Kathy does the graphics work to bring our family to pristine life, I am the wordsmith. Forging text into something poetic and wonderful, capturing the feeling of the moment and all that.

Here was my first attempt, which was nixed not for its creativity or truthfulness, but because we didn't want to have to print two different cards (costs a bit more).

The rest of the year may suck.

Enjoy '06! The Fishers

Needless to say, too much honesty is not what we're after in America. When people say, "How ya doin?" they aren't really asking How Are You Doing?

And, before offering a few more of my offerings for the greeting card's text, here's what we ended up with...

Liam & Maxwell sprouting like weeds,
Impressing Santa with many good deeds

The year ahead majestically filled,
Dreams and hopes and a future untilled. Fishers 2005

Back to drafts that never made it...

Toning things down a bit (but not enough):
2005 didn’t fly according to plan.
But really, who gives a jolly ol’ damn.

or

It’s time to forget about 2005,
‘06 is coming and we’re still alive.

Funny, but still too much truth:
‘05 was one of those years to forget,
We have hopes that ‘06 is really a hit.

Enjoy ‘06, stop worrying and learn to love the bomb.

Anyway.... Like I said, I've got high hopes for the rest of December and 2006!

Things that suck

I'm voting a bit early.

2005 sucks. The entire year, pretty much.

I still have high hopes for December, though.

So here's a typical event from this year (happened last night):

Daddio wants to see some Christmas lights, his "big bit o' fun" of the weekend.

Yep, 20 minutes of driving in frigid cold weather to see a few lights.

Sonny boy Liam decides he wants to stick his hand down his throat and puke up dinner all over himself and the car seat. Nothing smells better than having French Onion Soup coming back up mixed with milk curds!

So much for a relaxing time viewing the works of my neighbors.

Full American Breakfast

My friends were discussing the Full Irish Breakfast they had whilst on vacation. When I go on trips, I bring postcards of back home to show new friends I meet. I'm printing this for my next trip and calling it the Full American Breakfast.

Full American Breakfast

Laziness means getting in shape

So I got lazy again.

I've been avoiding helping my family move like I avoid the strange diseases (mostly by staying out of Africa). But also by managing to get hurt just before a major move.

Last year I think it was the broken rib keeping me out, followed by a massive ankle injury keeping me from walking, and then earlier this year I was able to get out of moving heavy stuff with separated ribs.

But I thought I was stuck in having to help move Mean Jean's stuff out of her 2nd floor apartment later this month.

Until I was called upon to join a soccer tournament in Breckenridge for the weekend.

Bummer!!!

I'm going to have to miss another move.

So, how does this laziness get me in trouble?

Three games in about 30 hours at 10,000 feet altitude? Schnikies! That's how it gets me in trouble

So now I'm hittin' the gym, playing some indoor soccer, trying to get an outdoor game or two in, and generally hoping not to piss my pants, puke, or otherwise embarrass myself over the weekend.

All dressed up...

And nowhere to go.

Yes, you've heard it, but I feel like I'm livin' it large sometimes, and other times I feel like, well, okay, here goes a long post that I'll try to shorten up.

By way of example, recently I've been thinking about learning Spanish, maybe learning to tap dance, hey! Who knows right? Where does my passion lie?

Well, not with tap, but in learning and improving myself. At the same time as my life is moving forward, new kid and all that, it seems like when I do bother to try and physically or mentally improve things for myself, I'm simply preparing for a marathon, only to find out they canceled it.

Yup. It's a "why bother" mentality that is kind of annoying to me. I rarely believe in the whole "education for its own sake" concept so I usually need to have an endgame in sight.

Right now? Not so much of an endgame because I'm not sure what I'll be doing in a few years. Hopefully, something more than what I am up to now, of course.

In the meantime I'll just roll with the punches and enjoy the vacation.

Motherhood makes you smarter

Well, hopefully smart enough not to do it again.

But seriously, what's with all the articles coming out like this? Motherhood makes you smarter.

Oh, stop. It does not. In fact, the other day, I was commenting that this father used to dun be able to talk good.

Now? Not so much. F'ing "parentcenter.com" and all this crap. Please, stop trying to make me feel better, it doesn't help.

I enjoy my kids, I enjoy having them. It's fun. It's fulfilling. It doesn't make me smarter, or more ambitious, or more organized, or any of that crap.

More writing?

I was recently scanning Engadget.com and came across an opportunity to do a bit more writing.

As I've been slacking off recently with my blog (due to vacation, work, illness, and generally going as far as I can go talking about diets, baby shit and Nespresso), I figured it may be a good way to keep me in the game.

Speaking of game, I declined the chance to follow up with another season of covering the Colorado Rapids MLS team. It was fun, learned a lot, blah blah, but overall can be a bit repetitive. I've agreed to write national op/ed's for American Soccer News, but nothing week-to-week.

So... maybe photography? As most of you know, I'm the family 'n' friends go-to guy on digital photography. Yerp. It took me 2 years to decide on the right camera for me not so much from procrastination as from desire for perfection.

Maybe I can help broaden that advice and help even more people understand the wonders of digiphotoggin' - as well as get the best camera for them.

Heheh. Democrats. They're funny...

Ever have one of those Days? Errr. Decades?

Boo-jah! The Dems have had their pride handed to them. Unfortunately, they also got the realization that the country's still going to hell handed to them, too.

Bummer.

12 February entries

Not a record for me, unless it's a record of fewest entries. I'd have to check.

I've simply had so many thoughts swirling around my brian (and brain for that matter) it's been hard to single out a topic small enough to put pen to paper.

Mostly, this has been the Winter of Our Discontent. Or the Winter of Illness if you so choose. Max has been sick on-off-on-on-off for 4 1/2 months, Liam's on his 3rd cold/virus (he's not even 6 months old), Kathy's fought two illnesses while nursing and unable to use modern drugs, and I've been see-sawing between classic colds and viruses, usually a week after Max gets something.

Basically, we haven't had that big well-kid recharge we normally get, where Max is a blast and we party all night for a few weeks until the next illness. In a lot of ways it just wears ya down and that makes it hard to write coherently, I can tell ya that.

Add the stress of extra doctor visits, potty training, Kathy's pain and lost sleep, Liam's snuffling, Max's irritability, and my wondering what lies ahead when 2005 will be my first $0 income year.

WOo!!!!!

Potty Training

That's all I have to say about that.

That, and check out the Fisher Brothers page.

Ahhh. Family!

What if I told you that I was recently spending time with my entire family in our room, lounging around? Even the dog was nearby at the door (our room the only one he's not allowed into).

What if I told you that Kathy was nursing Liam, I was hanging on the bed, and Max was sitting on a blanket on the floor next to me?

Sounds bucolic and family-oriented and wonderful.

If only it hadn't been at 4:30am, and if only it hadn't included 3 of 4 of us being sick!

Some mornings, well, just shouldn't be that way.

Or maybe they're all like that, really.

Check out one stay-at-home Dad's view of life raising small children.

Big Day All 'round!

The Fisher Brothers are doing well today!

Sure, Max was running a 103F degree fever earlier this week, but now he's doing circles on his bigwheel around the house, and Liam got to spend his first moments in one of those circular bouncy saucer toys (he sits in the middle, his feet sort of touch the plastic disc bottom, and there's 360 degrees of toys).

So far he loves it!

And Max, pretty good on the bigwheel, slammed on the brakes and did a skid to stop when I stepped in front of his path. Just a reaction save, but a great skid stop!

Liam also put down his first real rice cereal meal, did very well! (We tried a bit last Saturday, didn't get too far). Some was left on the ground, the table, his cheek, etc. but overall he really seemed to get into the feeding! So much so, in fact, that I brought up and cleaned his high chair so we can try again for lunch!

Awesome... check it!

Fitness '05

Do you know what's better than getting the "gift of fitness" for Christmas?

Following up and making an appointment for the decently full body analysis tomorrow morning at 9:15am.

What's even better than that?

It's not today! (Hello? Weren't you paying attention?!?)

Yup, it's French brandy for breakfast, beer for brunch, and Vodka chasers tonight before I get body religion tomorrow morning!

It's like starting to floss the day before you go to the Dentist. What's the point? :-)

The eval will cover:
Body composition
Basal metabolic rate
Dietary analysis (DOH!, maybe no Vodka tonight)
Personal Training session
Heart Rate Monitor

Luckily, I've gotten warmed up by having 14 weeks off from soccer due to my most serious injury ever, so I'm flabby and out of shape, ripe for the pickin'!

Happy Holidays!

Ooof....

Terrible Two's

How fun is this? I've got Max and Liam at home, and here's a typical morning.

Kathy gets ready for work, I come down, put out the trash (a lot since I missed it last week because we're the first stop), and make a cappuccino...so it can sit there unconsumed for a while since I'll suddenly be busy.

Make Kathy a mocha, get some eggs 'n' toast 'n' bacon ready for her. She needs to eat a lot as she's feeding Liam and can't afford to lose too much weight. Our little guy is topping 14 lbs and verrrry hungry.

Argue with our other boy Max that he's not hungry yet, but he insists on getting his own egg, won't share Mom's. No way.

Lose first argument of the day. Make Max his own egg. Mom leaves.

Max immediately declares he doesn't want the egg and wants to play video games (which he can't play).

Argue with Max, hoping he'll eat the egg.

Eat cold egg myself after losing argument. Suddenly, Max wants his egg....

No he doesn't. Yes he does.

Ooops, time for Dora. No, wait, Max wants to watch one his videos, can't think of the name offhand. Fisher price Dumpy the Dumptruck or something.

I put it in, start it... Max throws a tantrum, "I don't wanna watch it!!! I wanna watch Liam's Baby Video!"

Ahhh. So, it's going to be one of those days. Niiiice.

Next: "I want something" which translates into, "Now I'm actually hungry."

Chocolate rice krispies for breakfast it is! What a chocolatey treat for Daddio, running down his chin, chest, diaper, legs, toes, bench, floor...

By the way, there's new pix and videos up of the kids at the Fisher Brothers website!

I'm sorry

That Bush got elected and that we did so poorly in educating fellow citizens to the truth that lies behinds the lies that are Bush's words.

My favorite remains the "Healthy Forest Initiative" right behind the classic "pro-life" movement from death-penalty fans.

Sorry Everybody. We failed this litmus test for the 21st Century. But, now I know that I need to actually work a lot harder next time.

Cheers,

BilFish

The Conciliatory Bush

A few friends have recently said to me (desperately hoped?), "Well, now Bush may want to be seen as a 'good' president in history and might do the right thing and won't have to pander to a narrow voting audience."

Well, he's certainly going to do the Right thing. He's pushing to ban gay marriage, he's pushing to make tax cuts permanent, he'll be pushing anti-abortion Supreme Court Justices, and he just pushed into Fallujah.

Well, Hallelujah for "reaching across the aisle." I think people just assumed he wasn't reaching across to yank their chains. Ahhh, well.

At least we can return to my initial take on things: Bush now owns everything, so if anything goes wrong, it's HIS FAULT.

See Tom Toles political cartoon below for clarification of my position:

What is done can be undone?

"It will be a bad 4 years, but anything that is done legislatively can be
undone in the next 4 years."

So says a friend of mine... I say:

I worry more about what cannot be undone after 4 years (along with the theory that "growing population" states are all small, Republican states):

. Environmental decisions that make things too late
. Decisions not to curb our energy uses (AP reports say an additional $300 BILLION will go to oil-producing nations this year). That's Billion with a Bomb.
. Decreased nobility in government functions -- less trust, more corruption and "ends justify the means" policies and activity
. Badwill created around the world that can't be undone. Generations of newly-minted terrorists pissed off at us.
. Divisiveness across the country is increasing (well, I guess this can be undone, but there's no sign of it yet)
. Supreme Court becomes aggressively, uhhh, "constructionist" as Bush calls it, but that's not what he means. He means "anti-abortion." As he says, "Look at my track record."

I guess this is my biggest concern. It's not that Bush has hurt me today (heck, we're well-off and have health insurance), it's that he's setting policies in motion that hurt us all tomorrow and cannot be undone (relaxing arsenic restrictions for drinking water, and not toughening gas efficiency laws for cars, and allowing indiscriminate logging in national forests and 2-stroke engine snowmobiles in Yellowstone, to name an example or four).

Fresh beginnings

Again to refresh: I'm not a Republican, I'm not a Democrat. I'm an issues guy. In this election, I felt Kerry best reflected the issues of not destroying the nation.

Having said that, I continue to believe Bush has hijacked the Conservative Republican party and plans must start now to ensure the Republicans can't gerrymander the entire country to stay in power.

I have an idea... called Put Up or Shut Up

"The Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, not to mention the next Supreme Court nominations. The Republican party is completely in control of our nation's destiny and have the power to make positive changes in America. If they fail, or just plain fail to make progress on behalf of Americans, there's nobody to blame but the Republican Party. Period.

What issues matter most to you? Keep tabs the next 4 years, and make sure the Republicans make you proud."

The worst the elephants can do is prove me wrong by improving our nation :-)

There it is. Spread it around. Pass it on.

Bush won. So, what didn't work?

Tell me everyone doesn't have an opinion on this one...

Why did Kerry lose this election when you have so many people like me, who are conservative, traditional Republicans who jumped the fence.

1. It's tough to overturn a sitting president, trebly so when we've got a war raging uhhh, somewhere. Middle East if I remember right. The news doesn't show much about it.

2. The number of voters expected did NOT turn out despite the long lines. There was a failure of motivation and organization here.

3. October yard signs don't win elections, or Kerry would have gotten a landslide. Corollary: October's a bad time to get the campaign on track. Or September, or August. It's got to happen earlier, if you want to change minds.

4. Money didn't win the election. $600 Million or more was spent this election (vs. $112 Million in 1992) and it didn't seem to change one person's mind. Ouch. The $6 Million Man was more successful.

5. Attack ads deepen both bases, but don't seem to have changed minds. Probably attack ads help incumbants. i.e. Well, if they both suck, I'm sticking with what we have.

6. The Democrats had some key issues they could have pounded Bush on, but either failed to bring the issue up (i.e. Supreme Court nomination powers) or brought it up tooooo late and too weakly.

7. I became "pro-Kerry" as opposed to "anti-Bush" wayyyyy too late in the election cycle. I, and too many of my friends, were almost embarrassed to actually be for Kerry for too long. He didn't earn our vote until it was too late.

8. In a sense, people-power failed. At least, last-minute people power. The Democrats didn't organize early enough, except for Howard Dean, who was not backed by the Democratic party bosses.

9. The Democrats platform seemed mostly "we'll do better, and we won't touch Social Security." Officially, I still don't know what the platform is. And that's not a great platform to espouse. Ultimately, I am very close to Kerry on most issues, but his lack of progressive ideas for each issue (at least until too late) killed his ability to get people in his camp.

Can I live with US?

Just 4 more years of (this) Bush.

Of course, there are other Bush brothers...

Ultimately, I think we must all find ways to be happy in our lives, and that's what I'll be focusing on. I'm not sure where it will lead, although I'm guessing that more local activism could be one path, or just sort of focusing on my close friends and family and ignoring the outside.

We'll see.

I'll keep posting as I attempt to sort out what this really means about us Americans. I mean, can I still live with US?

I get this split-personality sense of Americans. We are caring about our local community, maybe even to the state level, but at the national level we are hard-assed, death-penalty loving cold-hearted bastards.

My friend in AZ says: I am so ashamed of Americans right now, and Arizonans in particular. Individuals can be smart. "people" cannot.

Maybe that's it. I mean, if I talk with someone, the conversation is reasonable. Put it to a vote and idiocy prevails. Heh.

election over

Now I guess we'll see what the fallout is. I'm reserving judgment for a couple of days.

Won't stop me from having a stiff bracer, but I'm reserving judgment.

Let me note that I don't consider Bush a Republican. *I* am a Republican. Going into debt over $500 Billion dollars in a single year while shepherding the largest expansion of government in 40 years even as the Constitution is thrashed by introducing religion in to politics is NOT a Republican ideal.

In Colorado, local state election information is interesting. We voted for a Republican president, have a Rep. Gov, but will likely have a Democrat State Senate & House.

Colorado passed a $4 Billion light-rail and public transit measure, very cool. Helps: the poor, environment, sprawl, smog, long-term infrastructure costs.

Colorado passed an 80 cent a pack tobacco tax to improve our health ($160 Million a year will be generated for smoking-related education, etc.). Helps: health of individuals, healthcare costs for everyone else, the poor.

Colorado renewed a tax to fund the Scientific & Culturual Facilities District again, a great way to dole out cash to museums and whatnot around town. Helps: wealthy, children, and everyone who bothers to take advantage of these facilities (Zoo, railroad museum in Golden, Art Museum, etc.), and the poor since it makes great culture inexpensive.

Colorado also passed a 10% Renewable Energy requirement for the public utilities, which is very far-sighted and I expect to actually save us money down the road along with being environmentally friendly. Helps: war on terrorism (reduces energy needs and payments to foreign countries), poor since it will lower costs locally, and the environment.

So, it's interesting.

On a personal and local level (pretty much all education bonds and taxes also passed in each county) we're very giving, progressive, environmentally aware, care about our health and the whole bit.

On a national level, we want hard-nosed, death-penalty approving security nuts.

Go figure. Are we a bunch of psychotics or what? That's what I'll be spending a couple days to think about.

Took time off...

From blogging, when I had to make an emergency trip to Phoenix to see if I could help take care of my mother.

She has a chronic illness and was in a bad way. I'm not sure I helped, but she certainly stabilized and was able to spend some quality time with her doctors while I was there.

Anyway, today's election day and I spent a few hours this morning in 22 F degree weather holding up signs in favor of Colorado's Amendment 37 which mandates at least 10% of CO's energy from renewable resources by 2015. Doesn't sound like you'd get much of a fight, but power companies don't like change.

I'll be doing last-minute canvassing this afternoon from about 2-7pm.

Not only does volunteering feel good, you get to talk with other active folks, get new opinions, and realize there's a lot of people out there who also want change.

I have to admit, I'm less frightened by the possibility of Bush remaining in office now. My experiences that past few months show me that even as he works to divide the nation, there's a lot of people like me coming together who want to work for positive changes in our nation.

So, that's good news.

Here's hoping for more, and predicting a Kerry landslide if enough voters actually get out there! The fewer the voters (i.e. less than 110,000,000) could very well give Bush the the Electoral vote win.... speaking of which Electoral Vote.com is a fantastic little site to understand the Electoral College more and how that's working.

Volunteer for Freedom

I've been surprised by the sudden wide support for Kerry.

Whether it be yard signs, bumper stickers or people willing to say they are actually voting for Kerry (vs. simply against Bush)... things are looking up.

But first, a little Halloween humor for ya...

Hopefully Bush is a turkey.

My biggest issue regards the lack of civility and the divisive nature of Bush's politics. This man has single-handedly turned neighbors against each other throughout AmeriKa, and I really can't stand it. I think people in America want to get along, but Bush is framing the debate and discourse as "all or nothing."

We're at war, he says, you are for us or for the terrorists. You are for my drug policy or the terrorists win. You are for my energy policy or the terrorists have already won. You are... getting the idea.

So, I spent a sunny Saturday out volunteering to get rid of Bush and install someone in the White House who generally has the same views I do on most issues: John Kerry. From strengthening how we take care of people here at home to our relationship with countries around the world, Kerry's got the right ideas.

And it was a great way to spend 4 hours! If you'd like to try it, I strongly encourage you to do so. It's fun, non-confrontational (no shouting matches with Bush acolytes) and easy to do.

JohnKerry.com - and if you don't have the time or gumption, give generously of the wallet.

I gave up a whopping 4 hours of my Saturday, which will feel good whether the cancer of Bush stays in office or not. Several people even invited me in for a cold glass of what I like to call "thanks to environmentalists, it's clean" water. Bush, of course, has lowered standards HE campaigned on for arsenic in water as well as various air pollutants. Nice. Talk about flip-flop.

So, maybe I didn't save the world, but I got some literature out and it was absolutely fantastic to see how many people are shocked by the divisiveness happening in our country. Makes me feel like there's people out there who can't stand all this... Maybe I'm not that out of touch with America after all. Maybe Bush is out of touch. Yeah, actually, that's it. And I'm not going to let him ruin my country.

One thing I heard over and over again: the "all or nothing" and "0% tolerance" policies of the Bush administrations force everybody with a difference of opinion to become enemies. 0% tolerance means you can't disagree and still be friends... it's a weird all-or-nothing world coming our way if we don't change this mantra. Your neighbor disagrees? He must be wrong (and evil). What's with that? Sounds like the Middle East.

So, volunteer, and give 4 hours for a more friendly winter!
JohnKerry.com

It's so easy it's embarrassing. And you'll enjoy it. Don't worry, it's not confrontational, you are not arguing with a bunch of Republican supporters. It ain't like that. It's friendly. I politician promise you ;-).

Even if you can't volunteer, remember a few words to spread:

1. Vote. Really, there's so many people who don't, it's surprising. But this election matters, it's not just two talking heads this time. Lots of what we were doing when I volunteered was NOT trying to change Bush supporters' minds, but getting Democrats and Undecided people to think about voting if they haven't done so recently.

2. Vote early. Avoid the November 2nd rush, avoid any weather problems. You can often vote at county offices and what not. In Colorado, early voting starts October 18th, for example.

3. Vote often. Okay, just kidding on this one :-))

4. Vote by mail... in areas where you have electronic balloting but no paper trail!!! I think you'd like to have a record of your vote, no? Vote by mail or vote at Early balloting locations, usually which offer paper-based votes.

5. This is my personal contribution: Ask someone voting Libertarian or Independent to give up the vote for a cause. This is a greater good issue, and while I respect that they can and should vote that way (I voted for Nader in 2000), I'm still going to beg them to vote for Kerry November 2nd.

The other great thing about volunteering... it helps solidify and gel your confidence. For those who have come to have firm convictions on this? Get some balls people. If you believe in something, then it's worth fighting for. That's a reason I've always like the Republican mindset. They are out there fighting. In fact, I think I'm still a true liberal Republican at heart, but my party's been co-opted by some jerk who uses phrases like "compassionate conservatism" to mean "screw you."

Liberation Day!

Okay, it's not November 2nd, but still... ;-)

Max is getting ready for his first day back at daycare today, after a 3-week absence where he stayed home with his new little brother Liam. See Fisherbrothers.info for their new website!

Maxwell kicks his Adidas soccer ball while the Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer team trains in the glorious Fall of Colorado.

Having heard the daycare lady would be gone this long, I bemoaned my freedom a bit, but it's turned out to be quite all right, although the first week we clearly struggled a bit to get in the pattern.

Now, I think we've got it down. Max has been to art museum with Mom. He's broadened his historical horizons with Dad at the Denver Nature & Science Museum (x2) and we even got a membership. The best part is that we've hit maybe 20% of the DMNS museum, so there's lots to see! My fave is the Space Colony and Martian lander area, lots of cool hands-on stuff.

Anyway, we haven't been "productive" in the bill-paying, house-cleaning, car-fixing, errands sense, but I definitely think we've accomplished a lot. Max has been kept busy, Mom's caught up on sleep (a bit) with the new baby attached, and Dad's had some fun taking pictures with his early Christmas gift, the new digital camera.

Having said all this, of course, I'm excited for the opportunity now to get a few of those errands done... :-)

Liberals getting busy!

Two calls tonight. First from a volunteer in Massachusetts to roust me out of my chair Saturday morning and get campaigning for Kerry.

Mind you, I used to think of it as "campaigning against Bush" but I've now heard enough to be fully convinced that Kerry's got it right.

Second, from the Center for Biological Diversity. They are an environmental organization I have supported economically and with my time since my days as a student senator of the University of Arizona defending them against the Young Republicans (and I was a registered Repub at the time), 1994-ish. No kidding.

I strongly urge you to give them your time and/or dollars. They do a very lot of good with a very small amount of cash. They are extremely aggressive without being dishonest or illegal.

So, why all the calls and interest and, frankly, desperation lately? Because environmental causes have taken a big hit under Bush and with a poor economy. And because Bush has also laid waste to a number of social and international policies that I thought were generally coming to be set in stone.

Yet, because people are pissin' in their pants, we want someone like Bush who is unclouded about how he goes after bad guys. No "rehabilitation" here, just tough love and executions.

So, yeah, 4 years of Bush should scare the crap out of anyone who cares about:
. Our ability to deal with ever-stronger neighbors such as China.
. Our chance of not pissing off EVERYONE else in the world.
. Our ability to have clean air/water/food/forests for my children.
. Education? hehehe....
. Wanting to deal with a $30 Billion a year drug-war habit. We can't afford it.
. Oil policy? $50/barrel and much of it going to Middle East Princes and terrorists. What a great policy...
. Divisiveness - Bush has torn our country apart farther than anyone in decades.

Two quotes come to mind. The first was from a longtime military advocate (supposedly a shoe-in to support gun-happy Bush) which I published in yesterday's blog.

Second comes from a long-time Republican campaign activist and all-around conservative I was having dinner with a few months ago:

"Shit, if I knew we were going to run $500 Billion deficits with a Republican president and congress... at least if I vote for a Democrat our kids will get an education with all that wasteful spending!"

From Democracy for America's front page a cogent understanding that free-wheeling spending on oil will come back to haunt us:

President Bush needs to understand that America is financing our own attackers by sending money to the Middle East that could be spent in the U.S. on renewable energy. Some of that money ends up in terrorist hands and some ends up financing fundamentalist schools throughout the Islamic world which teach children to hate Americans, Christians, moderate Muslims and Jews. Because we have no renewable energy policy, we are helping to teach the next generation of terrorists and suicide bombers to hate us.

That sucks.

Just a reminder: ya gotta buy more than books and do more than gripe if there's any hope of ditching the Bush habit. 29 days or so left until the election, this is your last chance to give until it hurts!

I've been donating like crazy to everyone I think can win (tight senate races, presidential race) and every group I think that can change minds. Get on the bandwagon or regret the onset of a 4-year hangover!

I used to be "anti-bush" but now after spending some time listening to complete arguments, I'm actually pro-Kerry. I'll be out Saturday morning canvassing for a few extra votes. Hey, if I don't I know I'll be kicking myself come November if things go poorly. Actually, Bush will be kicking me, and all of us, the next 4 years. Hello smog, goodbye sunny skies. Hello drug company profits, goodbye being able to eat and get medicine at the same time... I figure if nothing else the exercise Saturday will give me a head start on staying healthy enough to avoid extra health care I won't be able to afford!

So, where do I give?

John Kerry's Campaign
http://www.johnkerry.com/index.html

Move On - 3rd party organization producing really persuasive, effective, targeted ads
http://www.moveon.org/

Tight, winnable senate races - Like Ken Salazar in Colorado
http://salazarforcolorado.com/

And, aggressive environmental organizations that continue to try and contain the damage being done to our future
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
and
http://nature.org/

Find $25 or $250 or $2500 and get it rolling for a cause - our future.

Bush's golden parachute

We can all hope this is his swan song.

From Mr. Tom Toles, urban cartoonist.

I normally don't spend a lot of time simply repeating the words of others, but it's a feel good way to get into Monday!

A less feel good way to do it is the quote from a friend of mine who served in the Middle East through this war.

"1,000 Patriotic Americans won't be voting against Bush this November."

Think about that statement from one of our armed service members.

5 O'Clock Funnies?

I saw this cartoon and thought, yeah, why can't life and the 5 O'Clock news be a bit more like this?

Then I thought, wait a sec, I've been reading all the crime stats, and crime, especially violent crime, is WAY down over the past 30 years. Yet, at the same time, crime reporting on tv is up something like 600% I read in one study, and everyone's running around locking doors, buying guns and guard dogs and alarms for their houses!

Don't give in, life's not going to hell folks. Things just keep getting better ;-) Violent crime is at its lowest level ever since the Justice Department started keeping tabs on it.

Here's another article highlighting decreases in crime and increases in fear purchases. Just google "crime is down" for more!

From the excellent Strange Brew comic

Outthink, Outwit, Outsteamed

outsmarting your kid, outwitting yourself.

It's all about the steam.

Ya see, Max likes watching Thomas the Tank Engine movies. So, to get him to occasionally not watch, we say that the steam engines need to "get more steam" so we can turn it off.

We should have realized that Max would buy into this a little too fully.

Every morning it's been "Daddy Daddy! Thomas the Tank Engine has more steam!"

Basically, "Play the movie, Daddy..." And he's right. Since he said it first, we can't really say "no he doesn't have more steam" or now we're in an argument with a 2-year old.

Huh.

Luckily, things are better now that he likes watching Dora the Explorer. We've changed our tune and learned our lesson.

No, Max, Dora needs to rest so she can have more adventures.

37 weeks: Full term, baby!

"Congratulations!

Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel."
——from our weekly baby e-newsletter

Wow. Pretty cool, huh? So, we're getting ready. The crib is going back up in Max's room this morning (well, Max & Liam's room). Two weeks ago Max got his "bigger big boy bed" which is a twin on a wooden frame we got from the neighbor who was moving and didn't need it anymore.

It's embarrassing, but it took us something like 10 days to find a cheap twin mattress in Denver. This despite having a nationwide mattress mfgr called "The Denver Mattress Company" based here. Sheesh...

So, things are rolling along. My good friend Janice "Space Cadet" Houston is having her first child this week (maybe this past weekend, I'll have to check my email!) and all signs are go, so it's definitely baby season.

I even mashed up a banana to add to plain yoghurt for the first time since monkey-mashing for Max's early breakfasts when he ate the soft stuff, probably more than a year ago.

Yep, it's definitely baby season! And Kathy's looking forward to just 9 more days of work before some much-deserved time off. From getting paid to work, that is.

Anyway, this is just to alert everyone that I'll probably miss a day or two of blogs unless the baby conveniently arrives Friday night (scheduled for Saturday the 25th of September). And, of course, blogs could be very sappy and baby-oriented for a while.

:-)

My Atkins Diary: Follow-up

Here's an article that indicates some potential problems with the Atkins' diet.

The Lancet is a premiere English medical journal, but this article seems a bit weak to me...

It just says people have more side-effects during the diet. The researcher then goes WAY out on a limb to suggest that having constipation could somehow hurt in the future.

Hopefully, there's more to it in the actual medical journal article. Either way, they're right, there are effects from draining carbos from your diet, definitely.

On the other hand, the article seems to be confirming two things I find interesting about low-carb diets:
1. It's not water loss, it's real fat loss
2. People can stay on the Atkins diet better, and lose more weight and have better blood lipid and cholesterol levels.

Definitely something to consider though. Like I've repeated and repeated, what are the effects of carrying around a lot of fat? Now that, to me, is really bad. Not only is it inherently unhealthy, it means you can't exercise, which makes everything worse.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

The Efficient Life

In America, we strive for maximum efficiency, which coincides with maximum productivity.

However, neither of these are necessarily conducive for maximum enjoyment, leisure or happiness.

Bit of a problem there.

By way of example, I present a recent errand I ran. I needed to get tickets for the Colorado Railroad museum for the weekend in October that Thomas the Tank Engine visits.

Normally I'd hop in the car, get down there and back and be sitting at my computer in about 15 minutes.

Instead, I chose to ride my bike, stopping by Poor Boys Bagels for breakfast and then meandering over to the Museum. Got my tickets, shopped around the store for a bit, and had a leisurely ride back.

It was great. But, it took an hour. And made me realize that we don't use cars to deliberately avoid exercise, fresh air and good experiences. We use it to gain 45 minutes of time.

It just occurred to me that the 60 minutes I spent biking around Golden were really quite enjoyable. I enjoyed the life of leisure for an hour, got some fresh air and exercise, relaxed a bit, and generally have good thoughts about my time spent.

Huh. Wonder how I would have spent the 45 minutes I gained if I'd driven?

My Atkins Diary VII: Journal Entries

Just so you don't think you are going crazy, here are two sets of "diary" entries. One by me and one by a friend, regarding a few of the first days on the Atkins' diet.

A little more "lighter side" of low-carbing it for ya!

From me to my buddy...

"I'd be interested in how things are going, you'll have to give me a journal perspective, i.e....

Thursday, Day 4. I almost jumped an old lady for a slice of New York Style pie, but I resisted. The darkness is settling in, but I feel like there's a light at the end of the fridge door and soon, very soon, good things will be coming my way.

Friday, Day 5. Wendy's for lunch. Again. I'm sick of that bitch.

Saturday, Day 6. Crap, no work to keep my mind occupado, I just have to sit at home and sweat it out here with my beef jerky and pork rinds.

Sunday, Day 7. I researched on the Internet what people on Atkins eat. Why do they eat pork rinds? These are freakin' gross. Damn them. Oh, by the way, lost 5 lbs this morning.

The usual.

Love,

The BilFish

——————————————
(My buddy responded)
Hehehe...Mine would look a little like this I think....

Day 3, Wednesday.  Went to Wendy's for lunch....what's new.....got the same thing I got yesterday, and the day before that, and the day......I find myself huddling over my food, like some ferrel animal guarding its precious tiny morsel.  If somebody just walks by me, I snarl at them.  Damn I miss bread...

Day 4, Thursday.  If I have to eat Wendy's once more, I swear to God I'm going to go find that Dave and dig him up and......must get a grip...No matter how much protein I eat, I'm always weak....I find I'm having strange dreams. 

And sometimes can't tell the truth from the dream...  I see other people eating junk for lunch and I just have to laugh.  They don't know what they are missing.  Yeah right, they dont know......*sigh*

Day 5, Friday.  Well, shit.  Normally I would get myself something nice for lunch to celebrate the fact that the weekend is coming.  But nope!  Wendy's.....Well at least the weekend is almost here.....can't wait to get my hands on some beer.......oh wait!   

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo!!!!

To quote a line from 2001 A Space Odyssey:  I feel my mind going...Dave...

==================
My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game

When and how you diet is always a mental game, no more so then when you take on the rigorous challenge of a low-carb diet while surrounded by skinny Midwest carb-loving folks as I am...

Getting into the game: Pregame decisions
There is strategy in thinking of when to start and undertake a low-carb weight loss diet.

First, find a time that has minimal distractions. Holidays are horrible, vacations are villainous.

This time around, for example, I chose the day after our live-in guest from Paris left town, because I knew that during his stay we would be out and about and trying different foods and it could be difficult to limit myself.

Further, August was scheduled to be a quiet month for us with no big parties, trips or plans in the works. Perfect for focusing on the diet without undue distractions that steer you off course or make you jealous enough to stop dieting.

I think at least two weeks without distractions is important, but perhaps it is more like 3 or 4 weeks. After my first week, we held a morning birthday celebration in Golden Gate State Park. Wonderful scenery, mountains and setting but tough to watch everyone eat carb surprise and potatoes followed by cake.

Give yourself distance and time, distance and time!

First half of play
Stay busy. This is critical to not thinking about food until the first week is over and you really stop worrying about food. Basically, it takes a week to get past the frantic nature of always figuring out your next low-carb adventure, and three to four weeks to retrain your habits not to want to reach for junk food all the time. It's good training!

At the beginning, realize your body will be feeling weird physically and mentally. Physically you will feel odd losses of energy that tend to go away quickly. Digestion swings wildly on the back end, if you will.

But that's not the problem. Mentally you almost feel a bit deprimé (depressed). My theory is that your body craves carbs and old habits, so partially forces this mood to try and get you to eat carbs.

The big issue is that you go through the thinking that you are being deprived, because you were bad or defective or something. You start to think a candy bar is a right, not just a corporate gimmick, and you are deprived.

You need to remind yourself that being thinner and having control over whether you eat carbs is your true right. Cold french fries? Don't need 'em. Another candy bar that just spikes my blood sugar and makes me feel bad? Pass.

As I said above, it takes 3-4 weeks to retrain bad habits out of you and when you go off the diet you'll be happy you did! Finally you can eat carbs, but you'll definitely be smarter about choosing "good" and "bad" carbs, seeing them for what they are.

French baguette with Nutella and a banana in the morning? Glorious!
Bag of stale Doritos? Limp and greasy french fries? Uhhh, glutonous.

Second half of play
Weeks 2-4 are the easier ones by far. Keep in mind that if you have a bad day in terms of carbs just get past it, don't give up, and you'll quickly be losing pounds again.

So far I have lost 10 pounds in, lessee, 14 days! Pretty massive weight loss, so it'll slow significantly. Besides, I might be cheating on the scale a bit, hopping to one foot or the other to jimmy the max weight loss ;-)

Weight loss expectation guidelines
o End of week 1: you should see 1-5 pounds lost, as your body gets into weight loss mode.
o End of week 2: an addition 3-5 pounds lost.
o Weeks 3-5: Depends on how much you have to lose. When you start getting slimmed down, the weight loss tends to slow a bit.
o After 2-3 weeks: Note... sometimes, if you lose a lot of weight one week, you'll see a 3-4 day "consolidation" period of no weight loss. Usually that means you were on the scale at a different time of day or perhaps you had too many carbs one day or whatever. Don't worry, it's normal.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary V: Laughing at yourself

It's been a bit tough the past couple of weeks on the diet, especially losing out on my favorite cappuccinos. So, when you are working through a low-carb diet, you need to find humor where you can.

John Deering's "Strange Brew" comic is one of those places I find my inspiration each morning!

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

Stuttering Meemees

Sorry, must take a break from the Atkins discussion...

Just as I thought things were going well, here comes another gotcha!

Max started st-st-stuttering!

Yep. Full bore, wh-wh-wh-what is that you say?

Turns out it was probably situational, and now that it's toned down a bit I'm definitely a happier camper.

On July 31 Robinson, our guest from France, left for home in Paris. On the evening of July 31 Mr. Boppy, Max's pacifier, left for the trash...

Yep, got rid of the boppy Saturday night, and by Sunday morning Max was stuttering, increasing Monday and crescendoing on Tuesday, then lasting the rest of the week.

Finally, yesterday, 8 days later his stuttering reduced a bit. Today was even better, and I'm hopeful it was simply a short adjustment-oriented event.

However, I've read it's a phase many kids go through, and can last for a month or more and have no ill effects.

Yuck.

Just another parental experience I could have done without!

My Atkins Diary IV: More diet tips

I've been holding out on you. There's a wonderful new change to the Atkins' diet since I first tried it nearly 10 years ago!

It's called "net carbs." Basically, what Atkins decided/discovered/whatever before he died recently, was that you could get by with 20g of NET carbs per day.

What's a "net" carb? Any carb your body wants to absorb and use. What does NOT count? (i.e. you get a free pass on, don't have to count it towards your 20g/day, you get to cheat a bit) In a word. God's Fiber.

Yep, fiber, much misaligned for its gastrointestinal workings, this is actually your friend.

So, if you pick up any Atkins' bars or products, you'll see "net carbs" which means that if there's 5 total carbs and there are 3 grams of Fiber, then the Net Carbs total is 2, so you only have to count 2 towards your 20g that day!

There's another derivation to "Net Carbs" designed for the men on this diet — alcohol. Now with beer, you're still hosed, unless you're willing to puke up Michelob Ultra the next morning. Better yet, try Coors' Aspen Edge, it's actually decent, much better than Coors Light if that's a proper sentence.

However, the secret is to go with liquor that has decently low carbs (I did this a bit my first Atkins' go around in 1997, before Atkins "Okayed" it). Scotch, whiskey, diet-coke and Jack, that type of stuff is low carb, and if you drink good scotch straight up you'll drink slowly, trust me. So, that's a way to get around that problem. Problem? I don't have a problem... :-)

Atkins' recommends, during the induction phase, no caffeine (fuck that, ahem) and limited alcohol (that's up to you). I ignored both with no problem results, although I did switch to wine after a while and found that could reduce my weight loss, finding 1 glass of dry red to be okay at night.

Here's the comment on these things, which seems to fit, from a
low-carb F.A.Q. I saw online.

Still, less alcohol means less calories and less carbs so it means greater weight loss. So there. Feel free to skip a few drinks perhaps. Worked for me.

Finally, let me point out that at places like Carl's Jr. you can now get a big lettuce-wrapped burger for the low-carb lifestyle. How cool is that? I hate fast food, but dang that's convenient. Perhaps try Subway's low-carb wraps. I haven't, but they could be good!

Another carb cheat used by low-carb food makers: Maltitol, sucralose and all these strange sugar things that aren't sugar. They don't count, but look at the label to tell you which ones. It's not natural I tell ya, not natural at all.

One final "new find" for this diet: low-carb tortillas. In the 5-7g net carb range per tortilla, I can !

And a note about that 20g of carbs limit in the induction phase forcing the body into ketosis and weight loss.

Ultimately, it depends on each person's reaction to the low carbs, but Atkins' book basically says that some people could probably get away with 30 carbs, whereas some others have to go as low as 10g or less per day to get that weight-loss trigger started. I found that 20 per day for me worked well, but you'll have to take it as it goes and see how strict you need to be. Start ultra strict and take it from there.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary III: Atkins diet secrets

More secrets culled from my private files on dealing with life in Phase 1, the induction, super-weight-loss phase of the Atkins' diet.

You may have questions about sports and exercise, rolling into phase 2, life after the diet, etc. so here are some life tips from my experiences.

Also, one controversial note. Women do poorly on this diet, men do really well. Dunno why. All the guys I know have lost weight, lots of it. The 3 women I know who have tried it don't like it and have not lost weight.

So, if you're a woman, take note. It may not work for you. One common thread? Cheating. Women try to make nutritious, balanced, good-tasting meals. Guys try to lose weight.

First tip: Don't worry, it doesn't matter whether you believe in the diet or not, it works. As long as you are strict you will lose the weight, at which point (usually after 1 week) the diet becomes too damn easy!

Sports and Exercise:
I play indoor soccer and during the diet, at least the induction phase of no carbs, it's more difficult. Normally in a workout your body wants carbs, carbs, carbs because they convert to sugars so easily and then the body has insta-energy.

All the products such as "goo" and whatever for cyclists and runners is just a bunch of very simple sugars to easily break down into immediately usable energy.

So, don't sweat it (pun intended) at the gym, you'll get through it. Remember, losing weight is even better than hitting the gym for your health.

Phase 2 and beyond
As for "beyond" the induction phase... couldn't tell ya from experience! I tend to simply go back to my normal diet, with changes.

I find that after Atkins, I tend to look askance at evil carbs and just naturally go lower carb as I start to think of: chips, pizza, fries, cookies, etc. as "bad" calories — which they mostly are. So, it changes my lifestyle and how I view what I eat. No more cookies and candy, it's just wasted on me, especially as I don't really have a sweet-tooth to begin with.

If it's a french fry in front of me, it better be a dang good one.

It dovetails with why I drink diet soda: why waste calories on soda when I can waste them on important things such as beer? ;-)

As for what the book says, phase 2 is basically slowing down your weight loss once you hit your target weight (say, 170 lbs) by slowly adding, each week, 5-10g of carbs per day until your weight gain slows and finally stops a bit below your target weight (maybe 165 or whatever).

BTW — Cheese is the miracle on the diet, no? I add it on everything, hamburger, omelettes, sausage, whatever! Normally I'm not a huge cheese guy, but I am on the diet, and after the diet I've learned to carefully incorporate it into my regular meals.

What about the fat?
It seems that heavy whipping cream, butter, eggs and bacon do not make for healthy eating. I have two things to say. First, losing weight is good for you. Second, after a few days you find you start going for leaner meats, less bacon, etc. and actually eat pretty well for all the bad stuff you could be eating. So don't sweat it. Lose the weight.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary II: Choosing Low-carb

I recently revealed my gut-wrenching issues. Here's a few words on the world of Atkins, as applied in its most basic form to my life. This is culled from notes I emailed to a friend from an earlier experience with the low-carb lifestyle, at least the few weeks I stuck to it.

Of course, in the past year and more, low-carb foods have absolutely exploded on the scene, so many of my "tricks" aren't quite as necessary today. But this is still a good template to work from if you want to lose weight fast (I lost 16 lbs in 19 days before heading to France last summer) but don't want to ruin your entire life with a stupid no-carb diet (no French baguettes or Italian pizza ever? Puhleeeze).

Nobody every explained how to "do the diet" in a short synopsis, so here's my attempt.

I've been looking at atkinscenter.com and it seems to be a good site. It's got a carb counter for most of the foods you'll encounter, it has articles on how to deal with restaurants and fast food, etc. The carb counter is the easiest way to quick-check what sort of carbs are in food, drinks, alcohol, veggies, etc.

I take a very limited approach to the diet, assuming I'll only be on it for 3-5 weeks. The case last year was that I had less than 3 weeks before I left for France, so that was my target. Because of this, I stayed in what they call the phase 1 "induction" section, which is almost 0 carbs (less than 20 grams per day) to promote maximum weight loss in a short time.

Thus, I don't worry as much about incorporating it all in my lifestyle and trying variety and all of that. I have come up with a core group of foods, stick to them, get bored of them in a few weeks, and exit the diet 15 pounds lighter (hopefully).

The key when shopping is to look for the carbs! Carbs are often in diet foods all the time, so be careful! Even diet drinks sometimes have them (i.e. Snapple has 2-3 grams even being "diet"). Something new in Atkins is that you do NOT have to count fiber carbs. Also, don't eat any deep fried foods with breading, the fat is okay, but the breading brings big carbos.

It's easier now that many foods list "low-carb" on the label and are designed for low-carb, not low-fat as traditional diet foods are. HOWEVER, be careful because the induction phase of the diet precludes most low-carb friendly attempts at replacement foods such as low-carb pastas.

Le Menu

For breakfast, I suggest:
- Sausage / Bacon (I tend to eat turkey sausage and bacon)
- Eggs - hard boiled, beaten down, omeletted, whatever. In fact, a good 3-egg omelette with cheese, mushrooms, a bit of cream (no milk as it has sugars/carbs), and maybe some diced green onion and ham should usually fill you up and feel quite decadent.

Lunch:
I tend to eat the same thing each day. In my case, it's a cheeseburger (with onion, mayo, a bit of ketchup, pickles, lettuce) and no bun as well as a caesar salad (no croutons) along with the normal caesar dressing. In the past, I've done this at Wendy's: "I'm on a diet, can I have a bacon cheeseburger and a side caesar salad, hold the croutons. And a diet coke." Sounds like a joke, of course, or it used to before everyone heard about Akins. Anyway, remove the bun, and don't eat the salad croutons.

Dinner is toughest...
So that's where I eat and snack on everything else (unless I say the hell with it and go back to Wendy's!):
. pickles
. peanut butter (natural, no added sugar)
. beef jerky
. olives
. Spinach (fry it up with a bit of olive oil and garlic salt, yummm, takes 2 minutes and cooks down to nothing, like magic)
. meats — Can you say bacon-wrapped filet mignon? So it's steak, shrimp scampi, baked salmon, baked chicken, more steak, hamburger, buffalo burgers, etc. Remember, no bread-encrusted fried stuff, the coating is carbs.
. some soups (mostly broth-based)
. sashimi (sushi without the rice)
. diet jello cups (no sugar) with heavy whip cream (no light stuff because they add sugars instead of fat)
. tarte á l'oignon which is a great French Onion Tart. Just don't eat the pie crust, it's all carbs and fat.
. Other veggies to eat in moderation include: asparagus, mushrooms, onions, lettuces, green peppers, etc.

Watch your condiments. Mustard is okay, ketchup quickly adds up the carbs due to sugar, but a bit on your burger is okay (and they now have low-carb ketchup, who knew?). A1 sauce has a lot of sugar also, so use sparingly. BBQ sauce is generally a sugary no-no, which is a killer for us sauce-boyz.

My new fave is that with low-carb ketchup I can finally have super-spicy cocktail sauce with shrimp. Ahhh, how I had missed ye! Try wasabi instead of normal horseradish for a twist.

In general, I've found that the first few days on the diet you'll feel hungry because, well, you visually and physically miss stuffing your face with all the extras - corn, potatoes, bread, pasta, sugary pops, french fries, toast, candy, orange juice, milk, beer, etc. that often go with a meal. Also, I assume that the body is taking a day or two to adjust to draining and using its own fat stores.

Both times I've done the diet I find that after 3-4 days my appetite and interest in food disappears, and then I tend to lose about 1 lb a day. I don't cheat at all and try to get around or get close to the 20 grams of carbos. If I can do 10 g, I do. 0 is my goal. But if I hit 20grams of carbs, fine.

I used to buy a few EAS low-carb shakes for on-the-go snacks to gag down. Only get the shakes and snack bars that are 2-3 grams of carbs, don't want to waste more on one food item!

They taste like rat's piss, but can be good if you are desperately hungry and about to, say, go play a soccer game or something else where you need immediate, quick energy.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

My Atkins Diary I: IBS - It's not just an acronym

Pretty much everyone who knows me has come to realize that I am special — or at least I have a special condition: gastrointestinal distress, irritable bowel syndrome, plain ol' piss 'n' vinegar (gas & flatulence and gut-busting pain) if you will.

For those of you who don't admit to watching the Lifetime TV Channel for Women, IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and is said to affect the gals most.

What you probably don't know is that it realllllly sucks in small, insidious ways. Heck, even I didn't realize how much it sucked until the recent visit by our exchange student to Golden, Colorado from Paris for a few weeks in July.

It sucks to the point that I learned a new word in French: deprimes. It means "depression." And our student had an upset stomach when he arrived, then got better, then (on the day he left) got it again. Clearly it was primarily stress-related (along with being 5,000 miles away from home, alone without his parents, eating and drinking different food & water, etc...). So, it has been at the forefront of my mind recently due to his distress.

So, I'm thinking to myself, "people do not simply live with this every day of their lives?" This is actually something that...

Okay, I'm being a touch melodramatic about it, admittedly.

However, something else people may not know: I actually signed up for a clinical trial of a new drug a few years back.

My internist suggested it, I think. Can't remember. Of course his theory is, "If you're alive, you have gas."

I tend to think it's a touch more complicated than that. Anyway, the drug didn't work, but I did sprout some beautiful green peacock plumage from my ass. Kidding.

So, last summer I spent about 2 1/2 weeks on the Atkins' no-carbohydrate diet before heading to France for a good friend's wedding; lost 16 pounds in 19 days. So, not only was it a great diet, but I lost something else: my gastrointestinal lack-of-fortitude.

Yup. Suddenly I felt what other people must occasionally feel: nothing. No pain, no gas, no bloating, no inability to sleep, no embarrassment, no need to know where all bathroom are in a 20-mile radius. Just nothing.

And it was the sweetest nothing at all!

Why in hell would I feel the need to share all this? Cuz.

Sunday I started up Mr. Low Carb's Diet again. Sure I want to lose a few pounds, but that's not the point. My plan is to test whether my IBS symptoms are caused by a food allergy or some direct food interaction.

Seems reasonable given that when I am on the diet I am restricted from all carbs: breads, beers, and beets (sugars). And as we all know, there are two factors in breads & beers that could be an issue: gluten and yeast.

Now, I've tried to stop drinking beer on it's own with absolutely no affect on my gut. So, it's not beer, hopefully — or at least not beer alone.

My simple plan is to diet a few weeks, clear out the ol' system, and then reintroduce foods —slowly— until stomach upset returns, and hopefully figure out what's causing the problem.

I'll let you know how it turns out. I can already tell you 3 days into it that gas pressure completely vanished like singles in a g-string at a strip bar after only 48 hours. Amazing. I had to work to even squeak out a little bubble.

BTW — Atkins, in his book I skimmed through back in 1997, said that yeast-gone-wild in the stomach and intestines, fed by ever-present simple sugars from our crappy diets, was often the cause of such problems. So, we'll see. I'm hoping to figure something out.

My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup

By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.

Simple Complexities of Morning

Timing. It's all about timing. And let me tell you, being a stay-at-home Mom is tough!

That's why I'm a stay-at-home Dad, much easier, because my wife is very supportive.

Anyway, to the story...

This morning I had to worry about:

Getting Max cleaned, dressed and ready, getting our exchange student up in time for his shower, getting my coffee, kissing my wife off to work, oops! too much coffee time for a shit, and generally getting ready to attempt to stuff breakfast into a teenager before he runs off to his horse riding lesson — oh, and another teenager will be dropped off here soon as I need to drive them both up North to where the lessons are, all by exactly 9:00am.

Of course, this morning Max chose to sleep in, which is hampering the efforts. I'll still get him up in time for teeth brushing (waking a child and brushing his teeth immediately is not fun) and maybe an ear wax q-tipping, but that's about it before it's off for fun in the sun at daycare, then I run back to get breakfast and, oh yeah, lunch ready for Robinson who's wandering down sleepily from his room after I've knocked on the door a few more times.

Anyhooo, Little Guy was finally roused by all the noise I was making in the bedroom about 7:50am.

Then it was hold him and brush his teeth (a bit) time followed by one reluctant gargle and spit and put the boppy back in his mouth.

Then it was change clothes time, hustle hustle, get some milk, hustle hustle, "Daddy, I want to stay home" uh-oh, hustle hustle, "I want to take my blankie" hustle hustle and off we go!

Had to carry him most of the way down to daycare (3 doors is all) and then sit with him on my lap for a while as he settled down (no crying). Then, it was time to go outside and play with his buddy Patrick, so he got up and left! "I'll hold my boppy," he concluded as Honey made an unsuccessful bid to get it from him.

Back home, 8:16am, and we start over again, here comes Robinson down the stairs finally from getting ready.

Ding-dong, here's the other exchange student Loren, Bon Jour!

Ayeeee!!!!

AdBusters & Depression

Never start reading AdBusters magazine while simultaneously perusing Time's articles about how Bush is actually guaranteeing big Pharma's profits and higher Medicare costs, and at the same time start reading The Progress Paradox in conjunction with glancing through Michael Moore's Dude, Where's my Country? while occasionally glancing at Fast Food Nation.

Sounds like cynicism overload and it is. Ouch.

No shit. Very depressing...

Reading the Progress Paradox is more on the order of doing research to see if there's a way out of this trap.

They key to escaping the cesspool this wacky world is becoming is to use the rules of the world to achieve escape velocity, then live according to a better set of rules.

Something like that.
----------------
More on AdBusters magazine.

A gift from fellow skepticist Tom Collins, it is so very 'now' with its graphics that it surprises me how, well, out there they really are. There's a thread of language throughout that's really a vocabulary I can only guess at. It's like reading notes from an intellectual psychotherapists convention.

Given this, I'm surprised at how much the recent issue has affected me. Certainly, it's falling on fertile ground. But that's like saying you're trying to plant seeds on mars. It's an alien environment when their words and images come into contact with my brain.

And something is sprouting...

It Finally Happened...

Despite carefully not leaving a forwarding address, our relatives finally tracked us down here in wonderful Colorado.

Yep.

The In-Laws have relocated from Illinois and moved in this weekend. Not to the house, phew, but to the same damn town! Sheesh...

And next week, the Mom-in-Law unit arrives on our dusty shores.

Gonna be a red-letter day in my journal, that's for sure.

Actually, and don't spread this around too much, I'm looking forward to having more family around, I think it'll be quite a kick and we all seem to get along pretty well. With my family well-ensconced in Arizona and Florida, it'll at least cut down on travel planning as we can skip the Chicago-Rockford leg of our holiday travel each year!

I'll check back periodically to let you know how it's going. The move went well, and there was plenty of beer.

Outwit, Outlast, Outplay your 2 year old

Try it, it's fun!

I can still outwit my little guy Maxwell, although I fear the days may be numbered for the following technique.

First, tell him a (potentially unrelated) fact. Then, tell him why he should do what you want him to do.

For example:

Let's say Max wants to take a bath. But you don't want him to. Try this conversation.

I say, "Max, you ate dinner last night, right?
Max says, "Yeahhh."

Dad: "See, so you're okay. It's Dad's turn to take a shower."

Max says, "Uhhh, okay."

Works great. If the fact is related, so much the better. But it's not necessary.

Strange birthday gifts

First Dad & Peggy send me $1 for my 33rd birthday (see previous blog note).

Now, my wife has given me something special...

Yep. A sack to hold my balls in!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Pho BilFish 33

Who says you can't buy anything with a buck any more?

Yep, that's what my Dad & Peggy gave me for my birthday.

Oh, sure, he's given other things in the past. Education, life experience, love, that sort of thing.

But experiences are so fleeting. Whereas, Stuff is forever! Remember that parents.

Anyway, I used the dollar to purchase two quality, home-made cappuccinos from Nespresso. Wonderful morning!

And what a morning it is... As you may have guessed from the reference, I've decided to look at numbers with an Asian perspective.

Pho 33 is a reference to the various Vietnamese restaurants serving Pho, which is noodle soup where they often add thin slices of meat that are raw, but cook in the hot broth. All the restaurant names are Pho Duk 29, Pho To 47, Too Damn Pho 99, etc...

Pho Tái is a classic version of the dish we often enjoy.

Invariably, whenever asked about these numbers in newspaper reviews and such, the restaurant owner says, "It doesn't mean anything, we just liked the number. It has a pleasing sound."

Well, BilFish 33. Sounds good to me!

Stuttering & Babies

My old business partner turned Benedict Arnold was a stutterer.

World class.

So good, in fact, that he could use it to drive people nuts during business meetings. And did so. Frequently.

We'd be meeting with a sales rep or vendor or client, and Mike would turn his stuttering up a notch. The other team would look at me, hoping I'd finish the presentation or whatever the hell Mike was trying to get out. Anything, really, to speed up the proceedings.

I would sit there, looking serene, comfortable and intently listening to Mike draw things out.

Drove people crazy — and usually got us a better deal in business.

I find it's similar now that Max is working hard to get through his first long (and oh so important) sentences. My previous experience is serving me well.

When Max looks very serious and takes 4 tries to get the right sentence out, I don't laugh at him, or jump in to finish the sentence. Patience, grasshopper. I sit quietly, intent upon what he's saying, and he finally gets the sentence out. Along with a big smile.

And that's my reward. I luuuuuv it!

Yesterday, talking about some cheese we had as an appetizer out on the patio, he said, "Actually, maybe I'll just leave it here right now for a minute," and set the cracker and cheese down on the table for a minute.

Wow, what a sentence! What a kid!

Core Performance

I don't have a category for Physical Health... but I might start one if I get serious about following this new book Dad & Peggy sent me.

Called Core Performance the idea is that I can improve my performance by focusing on movement-based exercises rather than isolated muscle-building exercises.

Soccer's been wiping me out every week, so I'm definitely keen to add performance, power, and sustainability. Sounds good.

First, of course, I need to figure out how to keep the Ben 'n' Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream from dripping onto the pages.

An effort I'm just starting, I'll let you know how it goes. For now, I'm wading through all the pre-hype philosophy about why this is so great blah blah, used by big athletes such as Mia Hamm blah blah...

Chapter 4, here I come! How's that for commitment...

When Orange isn't OK

I don't get the whole bathroom air freshener spray thing.

I mean, I understand the idea of masking an odor with another odor — especially bathroom odors.

What I don't get is why orange? Why ruin a perfectly good aroma for me? It just gets too mixed up and suddenly my brain thinks orange and shit go together. For the record, they don't.

Now, every time I eat an orange, I smell a bit of shit. And every time I take one, I smell a bit of orange.

That's wrong. It's like Clockwork Orange gone wrong.

But I'm not just here to complain. I'm all about solutions.

I'd like to introduce Travel Pete's Lima Bean Air Freshener. It covers odors as well as orange, but you aren't likely to have the aroma brought back up every time you eat breakfast.

We'll quickly follow up with Burnt Broccoli Bathroom Blast.

Or how about Squid Spray?

Mmmm.... "Work Aroma Air Freshener?" Now that makes sense.

Mother's Day

Moms everywhere are celebrating.

For 0.3% of each year, we can all feel good about taking the time to recharge their batteries with flowers and a free lunch — to help them get through the other 99.7% of the year.

With both a mom and a pregnant wife, I get a double! That means just 0.15% of each year being forced to devote time to the ladies that raise the world's youth.

I wrote a personal note for Mom, but I wanted everyone to know a little more about my wife Kathy.

She's kind. Kind of cool.
She's strong and tough. She can find the positive every day.
She shares so much love. With her family, and friends, everyone!
She makes us all laugh — she's witty and funny, a true wicked smart metrosexual!
She brings home the bacon (usually turkey bacon, except when she's pregnant) and lets us all live the good life.
She is an expressive artist. With kids, job, pregnancy, and family obligations there is precious little time for such pursuits. Yet, I'm awed and amazed when she takes a few hours off from all of the above to concentrate on pure expression.
She is a colorist :-) She certainly colors my life to the fullest.

Kathy Haiku
She gives, She does,
She enjoys, She loves.
She's Kathy Fisher.

*Haiku meter can be flexible.

She's warm, and cuddly, and beautiful, and sexy.

And I love her.

I love you, Fuzzy.

The Terrible Two's

No, I don't mean Max, he's actually been a joy and a treasure (when he's not tired, which means it all goes out the window).

I'm talking gas prices in Colorado!

Yep, they finally reached the magic $2.00 barrier today, actually a bit more.

Of course, it could be worse. So far, it's only above $2 for premium gas. The lower stuff is still hovering around $1.83.

And, it could be worse, we could be in California, or Arizona, or one of those other miserable places where "regular" gas is above $2. Yowza!

Plus, it's hot in Arizona. So it feels even worse when you ARE out there dribbling expensive gas into your car and hard-earned cash out of your wallet. The fumes vaporize at 100F degrees and float up yer nose.

Even SUV buyers are re-thinking their lives as screwed-up nature killers.

C'est la vie!

The Trauma of the Mario

Ahhh! The Ice Cream Truck.

What a wonderful reality from my childhood -- racing down the street after the swiftly moving truck in 120F degree weather, hauling ass because we had no shoes and the black tar streets of Phoenix were hot enough to cook eggs (another summer pasttime).

Yup. Good times, good times!

For example, I forgot about having to pay for ice cream.

I'm sure somebody did. I'm sure I did, but boy did I forget that happened.

I know because Max has been on the go chasing down the Ice Cream Truck, introduced to him a few days ago by an overly excited father. Now, he adores it and adores me, or so I hope.

Each day or two, it's another $2.40 worth of Super-Mario face-shaped ice cream onna stick with surprise-colored gumball nose.

Wow, that's expensive love.

Now, to the trauma. Max has been getting the Mario character because it's the only ice cream on the side of the truck that looks, errr, fun, I think.

So he gets the Mario face on a stick with gumball nose, and proceeds to eat and lick it in such a painfully slow manner I wonder if he's my child after all!!!

Unfortunately, this leads to drippage, spilling and, finally, splittage. Yup. The remaining Mario splits in half and drops to the driveway cement.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" is the cry heard 'round the neighborhood.

Max lost his Mario. So, we pick it up, bring it inside, put it on a plate, resuscitate and all is right again.

But it's a good reminder that at any age, there is trauma to be had.

Life's a hard ol' game, no kidding.

One last thing: why do all Ice Cream Truck drivers smoke?

Life Insurance, the final nail...

Yep, Kathy and I both now officially have life insurance. I'm hoping that's a good thing.

Financially, of course, it's the prudent thing to do, especially with one kid and another on the way.

Mentally, it's good for peace of mind, I guess, but I have this nagging feeling that we could become so amazingly risk-averse and pedantic in our lives and this is just one more step down that road...

Hopefully to good things. Hopefully to the confidence to go out and take risks knowing we're protected.

But I've definitely seen too many people get caught up in task of running a modern lifestyle they don't have time to actually live!

Owning and managing and decorating and gardening a home can suck time like nobody's business.

Then there's cleaning, and services (power, phone, cable, internet, milk delivery, mail, newspapers, package delivery) to consider.

Then there's all the other stuff we own: Cars, boats, campers, motorcycles, electronics, computers, tvs, etc.

Then we deal with insurance: car, home, life, mortgage, health, umbrella, bleaach.

Then we need to work to pay for all this. And take our kids to daycare, and school, and sports games and practices, and piccolo lessons, and...and on and on.

The end of the day finds us tired, with lots of crap and too little time to play with it, and nothing left for travel, experience and adventure.

Man. I hope that doesn't completely happen to me.

"I travel because I'm scared of the alternative."

Volunteering... Blecchh

I was looking through a newspaper insert of volunteering opportunities in our community.

It seems like everything is geared towards helping people who are poor, sick, or old. What's up with that?

Okay, just kidding. Kids also need help. So does Mother Nature. I just had to interject a bit of off-color humor to the proceedings. Didn't want people to think I was going soft.

I'm actually hip to the volunteering scene and have been trying to improve my 1 hour a month personal commitment. But I've found it difficult with a young family to get out there and just do it, as they say. I've contented myself until now by saying that we're okay because we donate money to organizations we believe in.

But I know there needs to be more, and I need to volunteer my time as well. Not just for society, but for myself and my well being, and as an example for my family.

I'm pretty generous in terms of what I consider volunteering. Blood donation, for example, counts. I figure that's an hour right there (not to mention a chili-cheese dog and pint of beer's worth of calories to replenish the blood and fluids).

So, okay, that's 6 hours a year out of the way. Now for something a little different. I've been so broad in what I consider volunteerism, I now include family.

2004 is the year of getting the Moms fixed up. Kathy's mom is moving out to Colorado this summer, so there's a tremendous amount to accomplish and assist with. My mom is in need of financial and life planning assistance. Should she move into a cheaper home? How to plan for future financial and medical needs... that's what's on the plate this year.

So, I definitely feel that giving and helping start at home, and we're definitely focused on that this year. The US isn't a social system, so it behooves us to take care of our family first and then extend outward from there.

I tried driving for the Red Cross. Basically, it was taking seniors to appointments, hospitals and such. Not bad, but not my cup of tea. It was me and 20 old guys doing the driving, and mostly you're by yourself because you are in a car. Not the social boost I was hoping for.

I'm now looking again for more opportunities, and I think I'm drawn to the physical outdoor stuff and the hands-on construction stuff. Two reasons. First, I'm young and can/should be able to do this stuff. Second, when I'm older there will be plenty of time for the other, quieter opportunities. I'm also drawn to more social activities, as that's a big benefit I could receive from volunteering.

It's like cruise vacations. Why bother until you are old.

So, I'm trying. But, it turns out, sometimes there needs to be less trying and more doing. I'll fill you in as I get things rolling!

Max back at daycare

Ahhhh!

Max went happily to daycare this morning.

Who would think those 7 words would bring such joy? Not I. Yet I found myself singin' a little tune as I walked back from dropping him off. He'd gotten down from my arms okay, no crying, and went in to get bagels with the other kids. He was happy to be there.

The lack of tears was music to my ears! The birds were chirping merrily, the sun was warming the nape of my neck, flowers were blooming, ants were building, and even the neighbors looked prettier. As a youngster of 25 or so, I certainly don't recall thinking such a small event would precipitate such joy.

But it does. Funny, huh?

I wasn't pushing Max to go to daycare since he was sick earlier this week, but he demanded I put clothes on him this morning, and right in the middle of a good Wiggles song on television he turned and said, "Wiggles off, go Kathy's (daycare lady)." So, it was shoes on and off we go!

Of course, we did enjoy Max's sickdays at home, he taught himself how to get a drink (of water).

Benefits of Donating Blood

Well, there are two. Benefits. Of donating blood.

First, the benefit you know about: it helps people in need.

Second, there are well-understood health benefits to you when you donate blood.

First, there's the mental benefit of knowing ya done good. Nothing like it in the world. Right after giving 16oz of blood I'm a bit giddy and light-headed. I assume from the joy of helping others.

And now, there's some discussion that there really are physical benefits to giving up a pint of blood every 56 days (give or take).

First, it's a weight loss program!

Second, there's the benefit of draining extra iron out that you don't want. There are theories that say that men retaining extra iron is what helps increase heart disease risk.

Third, well, okay, it gets a bit fuzzier here, but I've read that by replenishing old, inelastic blood cells with newer, fresher ones you've simply got better blood that is less likely to stick, or get caught, and form clots and cling to artery walls reducing blood flow.

Read this CNN article for a good encapsulation of most of what I've read the past few years and what I've found on the Internet regarding the subject.

CNN discusses health benefits of donating blood.

Tell 'em Travel Pete sent ya!

Home Owners' Associations

The HOA - Home Owners' Assocation.

One of the great inventions of modern American suburbia.

Okay, maybe not the invention, but we've certainly taken ownership of the concept.

I've heard a lot of tales (from my Dad, my friends, my next door neighbor, just about everyone) regarding the contentious dealings that go on in the common HOA. Especially apartment HOAs, they sound scary to me.

I became President of our HOA. Why not see for myself how this work?

As it turns out, an HOA of 21 homes shouldn't be that big a deal, and it's not. We have limited dues, no common areas, and provide no services, so it's more ideal than anything else.

What we do have is a history of some egregious neighbor relations. However, a few neighbors moved and all has been copacetic. It's now our job to ensure things stay that way.

So far, so good. We had another annual meeting recently, with decent attendance. Comments were basically that "even our disagreements are civil," and that's exactly what I hope can continue.

What I've found is that just getting together occasionally and waving at your neighbor and saying hi are a great palliative and wonderful way to keep communications open and conflicts down.

This leads to a result of a better neighborhood, better neighbors, and a more peaceful castle to live in.

So, next time you're involved, think about what you want to get out of your HOA, not who you can argue with. You'll really appreciate the added peace and quiet this engenders.

Magazine Overload

Despite recognizing "MO" or magazine overload for what it is, and despite working to limit our magazine and newspaper subscriptions through a form of active laissez-faire (we actively resist sending in those re-subscription forms incessantly mailed to us), we still have too dang much to read!

But, it's not our fault. Really.

For example, I drop down to the Sunday paper only so I can be considered an old-growth tree-hugger kind of guy (and not hurt my back hauling the 100lb recylcing bin out every few weeks).

What do they do? They counter by giving me the rest of the week (except Monday) for free! Then they tend to add Monday anyway.

To add insult to injury, my well-meaning neighbor gave me a free subscription to our weekly rag, the Golden Transcript. But, I got him back the next year by returning the favor... :-)

I dropped our Skiing subscription which I read for the "ski lifestyle" (having two snowboards, one kid, another kid on the way and no skis, I figured this was acceptable). The industry responds by sending my wife a free subscription.

I let our National Geographic Magazine lapse, but then we gladly accept a gift subscription of Cooking Light from Peggy & Dad.

Sheesh! Will it never end?

Uhhh, nope.

We also got a gift subscription to AdBusters from my best friend Tom Collins. Not just a fantasy drink, but a real buddy.

Who else do I have to blame? Well, myself.

I renewed my PC Photo subscription and spread the joy, giving a free copy to my Dad & Peggy.

We still get Time, although I let their free subscription to Sports Illustrated drop after the 6-month trial (great writing, totally don't need it).

Then I went and re-upped for Wired to stay current on technologies of tomorrow. (sarcasm implied)

Finally, my Dad had re-gifted Red Herring Magazine and Child magazine to us (they got freebies from frequent flier miles). Two more! Ouch. But, Red Herring went out of business. Yea! But Business 2.0 took it over and is sending me 2 years worth of their magazine. Boo....

Yep, it all continues, like a runaway snowball, like a train with no brakes, like a bad analogy on a roll...

Phew. So, I solved MO, finally; at least, temporarily. I increased my en-suite reading (i.e. European term for full bathroom in your hotel room) time to at least an hour a day.

Done!

Youth of Today Goin' to Hell Fast!

Seems like the headlines most people are familiar with lately.

There's a serious amount of talk about teens, sex and popular culture today.

I won't say debate or discussion because it's limited to snide comments and assumptions that crazy-sexy kids are dressing and acting out today, and how this really is bad for them, and how they are all running around having sex all the time.

My mom recently was telling me about an Oprah where she managed to give the impression that every teenager thought sex was like shaking hands, and they were doing it everywhere, all the time, with no regards to their future.

Well, seems like the times they is a changin', I'll agree to that. But not how most people think.

The New York Times reported a couple weeks ago that "Teen pregnancies, abortions fall in 2000."

Teen pregnancies down... Yep, those darn kids are out of control, and sex on TV must be an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it problem...

There's so much bad news out there based on misperceptions, that it's important to also understand that the country isn't quite ready to implode just yet.

The Times quotes from data produced by the Alan Guttmacher Institute. This link takes you straight to the article, which says that teen pregnancy rates have dropped for the 10th straight year.

Read the article for more specifics, as well as an available PDF file for download with breakdowns for each state.

Since 1990, abortions have been cut almost in half, from 43.5 per 1000 teen women to 24. That's significant.

Since 1990, overall pregnancy has declined 28%. Those are huge numbers.

I'll repeat what I said earlier: to me, there's so much bad news out there based on misperceptions, that it's important to also understand that the country isn't quite ready to implode just yet.

Essentially, even as crime and other bad stuff is decreasing, reporting of such crimes and problems has greatly increased on the 5pm Nightly News Police Report. It's a shame.

Another headline in the Denver Post a couple days ago goes even further. It says, "Teens' abstinence, contraception (use) up."

For example, birth rates over the decades... rated as # of births/1000 women for women ages 15-19.

50s ---- 80
60s ---- 97
70s ---- 70
80s ---- 53
90s ---- 62
Today - 43

Hmmmm, from a high of nearly 100 to a low today of around 40. Damn. Apparently all this sex education stuff is working. Kids are seeing the world around them and apparently deciding they don't want to bring kids into this world the wrong way, and don't want to get AIDS.

Bravo!

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad SUV World

A buddy forwarded me an intriguing--if a bit lengthy--article about the myth of SUV prowess.

First, let me preface this entry by saying that just because you can buy something, doesn't mean you should. With affluence should come obligation to your society, future, and children.

Now, to continue...

Turns out that SUV's seem safe, but really aren't, but it doesn't matter, because as humans we think that things that are bigger and taller are inherently safer, but really aren't in this case.

Understand?

If you'd like clarification, read this article by Malcolm Gladwell for the New Yorker magazine.

In psychology, there is a concept called learned helplessness, which arose from a series of animal experiments in the nineteen-sixties at the University of Pennsylvania. Dogs were restrained by a harness, so that they couldn't move, and then repeatedly subjected to a series of electrical shocks. Then the same dogs were shocked again, only this time they could easily escape by jumping over a low hurdle. But most of them didn't; they just huddled in the corner, no longer believing that there was anything they could do to influence their own fate.

Learned helplessness is now thought to play a role in such phenomena as depression and the failure of battered women to leave their husbands, but one could easily apply it more widely. We live in an age, after all, that is strangely fixated on the idea of helplessness: we're fascinated by hurricanes and terrorist acts and epidemics like sars--situations in which we feel powerless to affect our own destiny. In fact, the risks posed to life and limb by forces outside our control are dwarfed by the factors we can control. Our fixation with helplessness distorts our perceptions of risk. "When you feel safe, you can be passive," Rapaille says of the fundamental appeal of the S.U.V. "Safe means I can sleep. I can give up control. I can relax. I can take off my shoes. I can listen to music."

For years, we've all made fun of the middle-aged man who suddenly trades in his sedate family sedan for a shiny red sports car. That's called a midlife crisis. But at least it involves some degree of engagement with the act of driving. The man who gives up his sedate family sedan for an S.U.V. is saying something far more troubling--that he finds the demands of the road to be overwhelming.

Is acting out really worse than giving up?

Colorado Conflict: Growth is Unreasonable

If I could sum up the conflict that is affecting life in Colorado as we know it, it would go something like this:
"We came out here for the peace and solitude. So did everyone else."

An article in the Denver Post yesterday is subtitled: "Ideals clash as county faces high growth" Denver Post Article (only online for 10 days, then use their Advanced Search, look for "Growing Pains in Adams.")

Basically, whoever lived in the country before wants things to remain idyllic. Whoever is just moving in wants roads, stores and convenience. This leads to older owners' property being condemned for roads and schools and such, and it pisses them off, because in Colorado, as in most Western states, growth always wins. I feel sorry for the couple in the article whose house in Adams' county is likely to be paved over.

We have the same issue near my house, but at least I've been aware of it since buying my house, and my house won't actually be leveled. Cities to the north of me want to widen state highway 93 (50 yards west of my house) so they can build malls and new subdivisions up north (i.e. near Rocky Flats Nuclear cleanup site. Yep, you read that right) and get people from down south to drive up there to visit said shopping extravaganza.

Two state-sponsored studies have been done which show this road isn't necessary, and that people won't drive 10 miles west (to where I am) and then up north, and then back east. Yet, studies in these suburban cities up north must be showing some good tax base revenues, because they are pushing like crazy to get the road widened and built up into a true freeway (get rid of the occasional red light intersection and house in the way).

If you want to know the outcome, I'll just say again: Growth will win.

Visit the Institute for Justice, a center dedicated to individual rights (vs. eminent domain used by corporations to grab land they want at below-market prices).

The important issue to try and wrap your brain around is: It's not a matter of reasonability. Growth is unreasonable. You can't argue with it, it just happens (or so it seems around here).

So, if you are in the market for a house, don't think, "oh, well, we were here first, there's no way some new person can come and take my property and my lifestyle." You'd be wrong to think that, no matter how good your "reasons."

Because? Well, because you're matching your feelgood reasoning up against cold hard numbers (i.e. usually new tax revenues for growing cities) and the numbers always win, because people can count them. I mean, how much is it worth for you to lose your home? Just buy another one, right? Right?

I blame Florida

I'm thinking a lot lately, always a bad sign.

Looking for a root cause, I blame Florida (circa 2000 elections).

I hate it when that happens. Thinking a lot, that is.

Accidentally Left of Center

Turns out I'm a Leftie in sheep's clothing! Just took a little "Match your issues to the best Presidential Candidate," located at President Match and found that out.

They also have a comparison sheet, so you can easily see and compare each candidate's stances (current Democratic candidates and Pres Bush) on about 50 issues or so, pretty useful.

I grew up Republican, but I've changed to being independent but wanting the Republicans currently in charge out of office. (i.e. I voted for Ralph Nader, and could be forced to vote Democrat in the November '04 elections).

Hmmm... What a strange, strange world.

Less Content, More Marketing

Recently, someone explained that they enjoy breaking down and analyzing commercials as much or more than actually watching the tv program.

I was put out by this, because, in a sense, that's my line! At least, it was in the 90s -- heck, even as late as a couple years ago. I was quite proud of ignoring the content in favor of dissecting the marketing.

Well, you know it's time to change when everyone's jumping on my bandwagon.

I thought about my jealous reaction for a second, and asked myself, "Why R so many people suddenly becoming idiot savants of the commercial world?" More importantly, "Uhhh, is this a good sign or a bad sign?"

The answer is unknown, of course, but here's a thought...

I used to be proud of breaking down an advertisement, because I was so smart I could see what they were "really" up to, the hidden messages, the innuendo, and the blatant and crass manipulation of our thoughts.

Of course, on a deeper level, I missed something: The marketers were gleefully looking at me and saying, "We know that you know what we know."

Once again, they were a step ahead of me. What they know is that as long as my mind is focused on the commercial, it doesn't really matter whether I like it or understand it:

How do I know this? Take, as recent examples, Jessica Simpson or Paris Hilton. Either has proven to be quite an idiot on television, and not someone we'd probably enjoy hanging out with. Yet, every week, we watch them on television and our brains have completely been unable to separate popularity and celebrity with concepts like "good" and "bad." Just knowing about these people is enough, it doesn't matter what they've done.

Sort of the (in)famous criminal concept, where people are popular because of crimes they've committed.

Well, dang. So much for watching advertisements. In fact, I've become a Tivo fan lately partly to reduce my reliance on watching such ads.

Mostly, however, I've started ignoring the ads because what I realize now is that I now know that they know that I know what they know.

Yep, simple as 1-2-3.