So there are a handful of things I feel like discussing today, starting with this blog in relation to a guy I chatted with last night at the LVPS meeting about “monetizing” this blog. I’m not sure that’s a word, but it’s what he used to describe making money from ones’ blog site. I’m sure I’m not the only one hurting for money these days, but if I could link to sites like Canon and REI based on the equipment Honey uses for photography and the stuff we use to go camping all the time, that would be awesome! There’s another blogger I’ve just heard about who did this, and got to quit his day job as a result, you may want to check out: The Strobist. Anyway, I’m not against having ads on either side of my riveting tales of misadventure; I just don’t have a lot experience doing them/getting them/maintaining them, etc. If anyone has any feedback on this issue, I’m open. It would be a great help [the making money part] to our future plans, which will be a secret for now – just know that it involves living the simple life and seeing the sites, and any support from readers like you would be much appreciated. Donation links are coming soon.
Secondly, or more accurately back to the LVPS meeting of last night, I just want to say that was the best one I’ve been to. Miss Sazzy ran the meeting with efficiency and humor (I voted for your Wonder bread shot) and there were the most people I’ve seen, as well as the most new members. And in the spirit of everyone who always says, “I just want to go shoot something” I
have a grand idea. I propose a camping trip to Kolob Reservoir, maybe in April when it’s warmer but not hot, and invite all the LVPS members, their families, dogs, etc. There’s a reservoir where you can swim or fish, hiking, Zion National Park is right down the road and an easy day trip, there’s Bryce Canyon if you’re willing to drive a bit further, good times, lots of macro stuff, scenery stuff, and I’m also suggesting a pot luck for one night. It’s a 3-hour drive, give or take, but it’s worth it. More details on that later after I pitch it to Sazzy – so if you read this before I get to you, give me a call! The green chili burrito (chile for you Latin folks) at Oscar’s Café in Springdale is worth the drive by itself, and I can assure you I’ll be eating there before I head for home.
What else was on my mind…. oh yeah! I got a book from the library the other day, finished it in a day, and was left with a feeling of ‘Wow’. It’s a collection of 9 short stories by different authors called Seeds of Change, edited by John Joseph Adams. It explores what might happen in the future from different view points like racism, giving up the vote, or going bananas about recycling. Just as a teaser, the first story is called “N-words” and explores what might happen as other nations (who have fewer moral issues about it) experiment with stem cells and cloning, going so far as to clone dogs, endangered species, and then Neanderthals. They’re nothing like we imagined; they’re smarter, faster, stronger… and regular people fear and hate them. Another story proposes what it might be like to be “face blind”, where your brain doesn’t recognize skin color or facial expression, in theory preventing prejudgment of people and avoiding misunderstanding due to misinterpretation. It was an interesting read, some stories more interesting than others, but it challenged me to think outside the box (apologies for another use of a very tired cliché) and consider what could happen with global advances in technology. It’s stick with me long enough to write about it here and I read it days ago, so it’s worth picking up.
In other news, I’ve embarked on a life-changing task that will segue into a full-on life change. I’m doing what’s called a ‘periodic monodiet’, something I read about in Fit for Life: A New Beginning. The premise is for 3, 5, 7, or 10 days, depending on your needs, you eat nothing but fruit and it’s freshly squeezed juices (you can also do one where you have salad with your fruit, but the point is everything has to be raw). It gives your entire digestive system a much needed break, since fruit takes almost no energy to digest, and cleanses your insides. For the record, I ate four bananas throughout the day yesterday and didn’t get diarrhea. I’ve also dropped some weight, as I didn’t have to do the dance this morning to get into my previously rather snug jeans. Don’t ask about actual pounds because henceforth I’ll never know – I’ve sworn off use of the scale because it makes me neurotic. Originally, I committed to 3 days (today being the third day) figuring that no matter how hard, I could last at least that long. In actuality, I’m considering going for five because it’s been so easy. My hands don’t shake, the energy is incredible as is my sense of smell (I’ve nicknamed myself Bloodhound during this time), I don’t have any symptoms of my acid reflux, no cramping, none of the unpleasantness of “Oh my God I need to eat or I’ll fall down”. The only side effects I’ve noticed (besides losing some weight where it counts) is the heightened sense of smell (you wouldn’t believe how good barbeque sauce smells!), being thirsty, and belching. Apparently the bunny lifestyle works for me.
From here, I’m going straight into the eating methods of the original Fit for Life book, written by Harvey Diamond and his lovely wife Marilyn. It’s got 3 months of what to eat for every meal of every day to get me started and thinking in the right mindset. It also works out well that vegetables are usually the cheapest things in the store. Long term I’m planning to become a vegetarian for the majority of the time, and I say it like that because if Honey and I get to travel to some of the great local restaurants I’ve seen on Man vs. Food – I’ll be having the signature BBQ that day. Follow me? So I’m on a roll and plan to keep it that way. Eat healthy, be healthy, and get off my self-pitying arse and take responsibility for my life.
Secondly, or more accurately back to the LVPS meeting of last night, I just want to say that was the best one I’ve been to. Miss Sazzy ran the meeting with efficiency and humor (I voted for your Wonder bread shot) and there were the most people I’ve seen, as well as the most new members. And in the spirit of everyone who always says, “I just want to go shoot something” I
have a grand idea. I propose a camping trip to Kolob Reservoir, maybe in April when it’s warmer but not hot, and invite all the LVPS members, their families, dogs, etc. There’s a reservoir where you can swim or fish, hiking, Zion National Park is right down the road and an easy day trip, there’s Bryce Canyon if you’re willing to drive a bit further, good times, lots of macro stuff, scenery stuff, and I’m also suggesting a pot luck for one night. It’s a 3-hour drive, give or take, but it’s worth it. More details on that later after I pitch it to Sazzy – so if you read this before I get to you, give me a call! The green chili burrito (chile for you Latin folks) at Oscar’s Café in Springdale is worth the drive by itself, and I can assure you I’ll be eating there before I head for home.What else was on my mind…. oh yeah! I got a book from the library the other day, finished it in a day, and was left with a feeling of ‘Wow’. It’s a collection of 9 short stories by different authors called Seeds of Change, edited by John Joseph Adams. It explores what might happen in the future from different view points like racism, giving up the vote, or going bananas about recycling. Just as a teaser, the first story is called “N-words” and explores what might happen as other nations (who have fewer moral issues about it) experiment with stem cells and cloning, going so far as to clone dogs, endangered species, and then Neanderthals. They’re nothing like we imagined; they’re smarter, faster, stronger… and regular people fear and hate them. Another story proposes what it might be like to be “face blind”, where your brain doesn’t recognize skin color or facial expression, in theory preventing prejudgment of people and avoiding misunderstanding due to misinterpretation. It was an interesting read, some stories more interesting than others, but it challenged me to think outside the box (apologies for another use of a very tired cliché) and consider what could happen with global advances in technology. It’s stick with me long enough to write about it here and I read it days ago, so it’s worth picking up.
In other news, I’ve embarked on a life-changing task that will segue into a full-on life change. I’m doing what’s called a ‘periodic monodiet’, something I read about in Fit for Life: A New Beginning. The premise is for 3, 5, 7, or 10 days, depending on your needs, you eat nothing but fruit and it’s freshly squeezed juices (you can also do one where you have salad with your fruit, but the point is everything has to be raw). It gives your entire digestive system a much needed break, since fruit takes almost no energy to digest, and cleanses your insides. For the record, I ate four bananas throughout the day yesterday and didn’t get diarrhea. I’ve also dropped some weight, as I didn’t have to do the dance this morning to get into my previously rather snug jeans. Don’t ask about actual pounds because henceforth I’ll never know – I’ve sworn off use of the scale because it makes me neurotic. Originally, I committed to 3 days (today being the third day) figuring that no matter how hard, I could last at least that long. In actuality, I’m considering going for five because it’s been so easy. My hands don’t shake, the energy is incredible as is my sense of smell (I’ve nicknamed myself Bloodhound during this time), I don’t have any symptoms of my acid reflux, no cramping, none of the unpleasantness of “Oh my God I need to eat or I’ll fall down”. The only side effects I’ve noticed (besides losing some weight where it counts) is the heightened sense of smell (you wouldn’t believe how good barbeque sauce smells!), being thirsty, and belching. Apparently the bunny lifestyle works for me.From here, I’m going straight into the eating methods of the original Fit for Life book, written by Harvey Diamond and his lovely wife Marilyn. It’s got 3 months of what to eat for every meal of every day to get me started and thinking in the right mindset. It also works out well that vegetables are usually the cheapest things in the store. Long term I’m planning to become a vegetarian for the majority of the time, and I say it like that because if Honey and I get to travel to some of the great local restaurants I’ve seen on Man vs. Food – I’ll be having the signature BBQ that day. Follow me? So I’m on a roll and plan to keep it that way. Eat healthy, be healthy, and get off my self-pitying arse and take responsibility for my life.
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