Tuesday, March 29, 2011

To Fleegan...

             To Fleegan, my other big sister, thanks for the pro advice on art, I need it.  Also you inspired me. Well actually your web page(http://fleegan.com/) inspired me to post some pics of my own. So these first set of photos are for you.
New Jersey bear and yes it is crazy how quite they are when they walk.
 Turtle i met during a mountain bike trip in Illinois.

Elk crossing in Kentucky. A bit of info; elk was hunted to extinction on the east coast by the beginning of the 1900 and then reintroduced in Kentucky in 1995 and now there is a thriving population of over 5,000.

 Old dirt road. Not much more i can say about that.





Battlefield in Gettysburg.

 Alabama monument in Gettysburg.
 National Cemetery in Gettysburg.
 Cubs win. Cubs win.
Downtown Chi-town.
Chicago looking north from the top of Sears Tower. 
Piatt Castle in Bellefontaine, Ohio(pronounced bell-fountain).


Again thank you Fleegan for being awesome.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

A Standard life

    I have finally come to the end of my standard life. After eating 2-3 servings of dairy, 2-4 of fruits, 3-5 of veggies, 6-11 of wheats and grains, 5.5 ounces of meat/proteins, 7 tablespoons of oils, 64 ounces of water, 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep, and 30-90 minutes of physical activity a day, I feel well standardized. The hardest part about this week wasn’t getting it all done but getting a schedule so I wasn’t downing all this in one meal.  I have to admit I did cheat a little on Thursday and Friday. Thursday I didn’t get my full 30 minutes of physical activity in.  After dinner  I was thirsty for something other than water, so to quote a man from the past, “I don’t need water. I have water up the ass, I need a beer.”  So I indulged myself to cold, filtered drink of hops and barley. Actually I had four. Friday I didn’t get all my foods ate,  I fell short on veggies. Other than those two days after getting a schedule down it was easier then I expected. 64 ounces of water seems like quite a bit  but when you space it out over a 15 to 16.5 hour day(accounting for the 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep) it really isn’t that much especially with the exercise I was getting.  The sleep was the hardest thing to control.  I may have missed it by a few minutes here and there.  All in all I was eating well balanced meals, getting enough exercise, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough sleep.   To my surprise I felt great and I may try to continue my standardized schedule.
         Along with keeping up my current daily routine of standardization I’m going with some artsy challenges drawing, painting, maybe some photography.  Each day I’ll do a little research maybe pick a famous artist learn a little and attempt to dabble in some art.  With opening day around the corner I'll leave you with this, “Cubs win, Cubs win.”

“It was a woman who drove me to drink.  And you know,  I never even thanked her."                                                                                                                           -WC Fields

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Yoga and St. Patties

    Yoga week is over.  So, doing yoga everyday was relaxing and stretching.  Now there are different types of yoga. Like for instance, did you know there is a fighting form of yoga? With the many forms and with multiple facilities offering a wide range of classes I had my choices. However, I chose to simply do it in the comfort of my own home.  I simply stuck to a Wal-mart special DVD.  It was a body sculpting, fat burning, muscle stretching thirty minutes. Yes you can get a full body work out from yoga.  I did all the motions from baby cobra to warrior one to downward facing dog and back to my heart center. At the beginning, the instructor tells you to take a deep breath then asks you if that was your first deep breath of the day. Most days it was and it felt good. I can honestly say afterwards I felt good, stretched, and a little more fit.
    Moving on to St. Patties Day. A wonderful holiday that gives people an excuse to go out drink beer, get drunk and kiss or fight someone. But, did you know that we as Americans have really distorted the holiday.  Now, the Irish do celebrate the patron saint of Ireland but not so extensively. At least not so much in the past but are starting to embrace the monetary value of the tourist that flock to the Emerald Isle in search of a traditional celebration. Saint Patrick himself was actually from England. He was kidnapped and held captive in Ireland when he was sixteen. Six years later he escaped and went back to England where he joined the church. After becoming a saint, he did return to Ireland to share his religious beliefs.  His robes weren’t green either, they were blue.  Now I can’t say that it was Americans or Irish Americans that started the transformation to make money on the holiday but it happened and every college kid from coast to coast is extremely happy they did. So, next year when you decide to put on your green shirt with the phrase “kiss me, I’m Irish” or your plastic green hat, why not throw in a little tradition with a little blue. When your sipping  the green beer at your local watering hole, give a toast, a salute, or a little prayer to St Patrick himself and thank him for being a brave soul and returning to Ireland.
    This week I plan on living a standard life. You may ask yourself, “what does he mean?” Well, a standard life per National Institute of Health means I must follow the food pyramid based on a 2,000 calorie diet, get seven and a half to nine hours of sleep, 64 ounces of water, and do thirty to ninety minutes of exercise.   This should be fun.
    Oh and my challenge from last week. How I measure to the average man. Well I did 34 push ups and 32 sit ups in one minute. it’s a little harder then I though it would be. I struggled and took some breaks in between but I got the push ups and fell a little short of the sit ups. Since I have to do 30 to 90 minutes of exercise this week, I will revaluate myself at the end of the week.
    Keeping with the spirit of getting my body and my mind is shape I’ve been researching some “brain exercises.”  reading helps and listening to piano music apparently.  Along with trying to read a little each day, I’ve been attempting to play a game on the Xbox called Brain Challenge. Hope it helps.
    So for now I’m off to live my standard life. Go fourth and conquer, but don’t forget to flush.

“All that I am, or hope to be,  I owe to my angel mother.”
                        -Abraham Lincoln

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Gluten-free

Gluten (from Latin gluten "glue") is a protein composite that appears in foods processed from wheat and related species, including barley and rye.

    Yes you read that right. No wheat products barley or rye for a week.  So no breads, sauces, or beer.  Not a fun week. I did have some insider help, getting advice from some people who have been on gluten free diets for awhile.  They gave me some great ideas that were helpful. Again same as being vegetarian, there are some everyday foods that are gluten free. Most meats including lunch meats, as long as it wasn’t fried or covered in some gravy or sauces.  Most cheeses, fruits, veggies, nuts, and seasonings. The hardest part was snacks. No crackers or cookies were aloud unless of course they were gluten free.  And again eggs are gluten free.
    That being said, my menu for the week was protein enriched to say the least.  So starting
      Sunday I ate eggs for lunch and dinner I had roasted potatoes and chicken tomato and basil sausage which was very delicious.  Monday was going well with an apple for breakfast and left over sausage and potatoes for lunch. Then came dinner...Chicken fajitas on rice tortilla. The chicken and veggies were good with some quesidilla cheese but the tortilla was like eating cardboard. So I switched to a soft corn tortilla and it was twice as bad. After Monday I wasn’t looking forward to Tuesdays menu. For breakfast I ate another apple and lunch was lunch-meat wrapped with swiss cheese. I also started to eat some cheddar gluten free crackers. Not so tasty.  It was like eating stale chips with a bland cheddar flavor.  Dinner was a little better with the rice pasta spaghetti.  Ragu original spaghetti sauce is gluten free with some left over chicken and onion mixed in.  Wednesday lunch was a treat. I went to lunch at a place called The Miller Tavern. I ate a cajun chicken sandwich, without the bun, and a side of wild rice.  Dinner was good too, pork chops, peas and wild rice. Thursday and Friday for lunch again lunch-meat cheese wrap, fritos, and gluten free peanut butter cookies, which were good. Dinner on Thursday  frozen gluten free pizza and Friday baked potato and side salad from Wendy’s.  And to finish the week Saturday i had eggs and sausage for brunch then lamb and veggies for dinner. I’m so glad its over.
    Now as i said i couldn’t drink beer but i was determined to find an alternative. After a few minutes on the internet I found that most liquors are gluten free. So Friday night was Sierra Mist and gin. Saturday I picked up some gluten free beers at my local grocer. Green’s and St. Peters both have some flavorful beers.
    I really don’t feel any different versus last week.  However, after last week and into this week I have notice i don’t feel as tired after meals.  needless to say i have been craving a nasty, meaty hamburger on a bun. So today on my way to visit my parents I stopped and got a double cheese burger and fries from Mcdonald’s. Let me add that McD’s fries are gluten free.  The burger was tasty but I still couldn’t finish it.  I felt full after all my fries and only half the burger and when i was done I didn’t feel 100%.
    So if your looking to go gluten free or have celiac disease(unable to eat gluten) then good luck to you.  As for this weeks adventure,  I was undecided on what to do. I didn’t want to do food again so for the time being im going to do yoga every day for a week and see how i feel at the end.  Also, the average man can do 36 sit-ups and 27 push-ups in one minute. I’m going to see how i compare. Everyday after my yoga I’ll do some push ups and sit ups and see how i rack up at the end of the week. I challenge you to do the same.  So, until next week, hug someone you love, you just might make their day a little brighter.

“Always do sober what you say you’d do drunk.  That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”
                                                   -Ernest Hemingway

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Climbing starts


Climbing chalk…$10
Chalk bag…$25
Day pass at the rock gym…$10
Ripping a hole in your finger while conquering a difficult route
…PRICELESS




Saturday, March 5, 2011

Vegetarianism

    Well, it has been a week.   A week of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch all week except one garden burger on Friday.  I never craved a turkey club more in my life. Surprisingly I found out how easy it is to be vegetarian. Not only is it easy but its practical.  Most people are vegetarian at some point whether it be for one meal or their whole life.
    Take my lunches for instance, PB & J sandwich with a side of chips and an occasional Payday.  There is no meat there what so ever. Trust me, I looked.  There is a plethora of simple foods that people eat without thinking about it that are meatless.  Aside from PB & J’s you can eat egg sandwiches, grilled cheese, and green bean casserole, just to name a few.  Vegetable soup, tomato soup, potato soup, cream of mushroom, cream of celery, and the list of soups that people eat everyday goes on. Cheese pizza or any other pizza that you get without meat. There are thousand different ways to make salads, and yes, salads can be a main course not just a side dish. 
    I had the chance to eat many good dinners this week also. Sunday, for instance, I had tofu stir fry.  Sounds discusting I know but surprisingly it was delicious. Now, tofu isn’t for everyone but don’t knock it until you try it.  Monday was a tasty egg muffin sandwich with pepper jack cheese and a side of hash browns. Tuesday after I spent some time at the rock gym I was starving and wanted something filling. So, I made southwest mashed taters and a three cheese grilled cheese.  Wednesday was pizza day.  A delectable spinach and three mushroom pizza from the frozen natural food section at Kroger’s. The pizza wasn’t to expensive either around the same price as any other name brand frozen pizzas. Thursday Amber made one of my favorite sandwiches, apple and cheese. Sautéed granny smith slices with a little cinnamon, Swiss cheese slice, put it together between your bread slices and cook it like a grilled cheese. We had a side of sweet potato fries.  Friday, again I resorted to the frozen section of natural food area for some vegetarian  lasagna. Again, I wasn’t disappointed with the taste. Tonight we will be dining on some green bean casserole made with green beans picked and canned in Greeneville, Tennessee by Ambers grandma.
    So, now that I have completed my meatless week and look forward to a turkey club, I challenge you to do a meal, a day, or even try a week of being vegetarian. I made it and I feel good. No it won’t change your life dramatically but you will see how easy it can be.
    Starting Sunday I become gluten free. Also, if you want any recipe from above, post a comment and I’ll get that posted.   So until next week, try something new, you just may like it.

“Be happy while you’re living, for you’re a long time dead”
                            -Scottish proverb