#5. I'm Going on a Diet vs. I'm Changing My Lifestyle

You know what I find interesting?

The complete dichotomy of "over-weight" America and the "obsessed-with-organic-product-working-out-24/7" America. Maybe it's just because I am sucked into this bubble of Orange County where appearance is everything... and right across the county-line border are people who actually enjoy their food. I don't know.

I'm sick and tired of people "going on diets." I think diets are totally ineffective. Because the minute you deprive yourself of something or you tell yourself that something is "bad" for you, the more you're going to want it. (Not "you" of course, but the proverbial "you.")

I am in the process of trying to shape-up for my move to New York City so that when I hit the town, I am the best version, physically, of myself. So far, it ain't going so well. The other day, I think I ate 10-12 oatmeal cookies (they were delicious, homemade cookies), the next day I had three too many pieces of pizza, after that I yes -- I did this -- I am horrified to admit -- I ate an entire Ralph's coffee cake all by myself. One half at night, and the next half in the morning before going to the gym. But I must say that I have been working out harder than ever, and it does feel great!

I recall when I was on a Daniel fast at the beginning of the year. The only foods I was supposed to be eating was anything derived from a seed. Bascially, no meat, bread, or sweets. And I felt wonderful. I didn't feel weighed down as I do now. I felt literally like it was easier to move - not so sluggish. And that is the lifestyle change I am employing starting right this very moment. I mean I won't be on such strict guidelines because it won't be a spiritual fast, but I will be focusing on my physical and mental health. I am moving to a city that requires me to be alert every second that I'm awake and about, and I can only hope that I would use common sense in taking care of my body.

New plan: raw fruits and vegetables. A lot of water. Gym 5 days a week. A new attitude. No fast food. I will blog my results and use this forum as accountability. Yay for you people.

I'm not on a diet. I'm changing my lifestyle.

The Theory of the Third Place

After watching You've Got Mail fifty bajillion times, I am confronted with the idea that everyone has a third place. The first place is your home. The second place is your job. The third place is where you spend the remainder of your time. Starbucks has made their billions by becoming the professional third place.

More to follow...

#3. June 5, 2010

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!! - It happened. It totally happened. The one thing that I didn't want to happen with this dang thing happened. I stopped. I stopped blogging. I stopped sharing my thoughts with my negative six readers. (Why I picked the number six is beyond me; you pick the significance.) But now, I am writing a blog because I am watching the fantastic Julie & Julia, a film by the fantastic Nora Ephron who really - I think is in the lineage of Jesus (how? I don't know). She's just fantastic. (Dang. Could I use "fantastic" more? Actually - yes. Fantastic. Fantastic. Fantastic. Fantastic. Fantastic...)

I thought this would be different.
Apparently, I was stupid to think that I would actually write in this thing daily - but here's my question: who in the heck reads this thing? What is the purpose of a BLOOOOG? WHAT is the purpose? A very, very intelligent friend of mine asked, quite honestly and innocently, "So, a blog just turns into someone's rant on life?" And I thought, Yep. You basically nailed it on the head. I guess the reason I thought this would be different was because it's an "e" thing. And when I say "e" thing, I mean the same "e" as in "e"mail, or "e"trade, or "e"check = electronic. And aren't "e"lectronic things supposed to be "e"asy? I thought because I got to type this one that I would do it more often because I feel that my thoughts are more fluid when typed; I feel they flow better. What the heck - "I feel" this. "I feel" that. I am very certain that my thoughts flow better when typed. (If you can't tell, I'm sorta miffed that this is my first entry in over a month!) So electronic versus traditional - laziness and procrastination still take the cake; tell that to Apple.

I want it to be different.
There are suuuhhhh-hhhooooo (so) many things that have happened to me over the last month that I haven't written down. I have not really written anything in a long time. And the one thing I do know is that writers write. Writers write daily. That's what separates them from non-writers. Writes write and non-writers non-write. Good for them. I am now unemployed (by my own doing; the day I'm fired from a job, blogspot.com will be the third to hear about it) and out of school - I have plenty of time to write. So help me Moses, I will write!

See you in a year.