2010: Begin Again - Dream Weaver and Litter Things

Dream Weaver
The fulfillment of your dreams is necessary for the well-being of the whole of humanity. The Divine expresses itself through you and your life. Are you living up to your potential or selling yourself short. And, in so doing, adversely affecting all that is. It’s something I struggle with.

I do believe in a spiritual side of life. In fact, I think we are spirit experiencing the physical reality of the universe. Who and what we are is something humanity has pondered for thousands of years. Seems we still don’t have a definitive answer that suits everyone, and we never will.

God, Allah, Shiva, Jehovah, The Light, One Mind, Divine Spirit, Krishna, Shen, Gaia; they are all expressions of our efforts to understand our place in the universe. For me, I tend to follow New Thought principles, not to be confused with New Age. Forget the crystals; you are connected right to the Divine.

Even knowing this, that we are connected through and with spirit, I still struggle with things that are all too human. Not recognizing the Divine in others is a big thing with me. Certain people and the way they act get under my skin and I react without thinking. Not good. And it’s got me into trouble at times.

But I know I can live up to potential and I like the teaching that individual dreams are important to the All. Here’s a great talk about pursuing your dreams.


It’s the Litter Things that Bug Me!
Thank your lucky stars, God in Heaven or own version of the Divine that I’m not in charge of everything. If I were there’d be some changes made. I can’t stand people who litter.

Someone who has such little consideration for others that they’d just throw their trash around is offensive to me. Even with the big interest in being ‘green’ right now, there still seems to be a lot of people who just don’t give a damn. When I walk Max, I often end up picking up the trash left behind by others. Today it was a paper cup from someone’s coffee. Really, how much effort does it take to carry it with you along the path until you hit the next trash container?

Want to help clean up the planet? Here’s what I’d do if I was in charge (and that’s not likely to happen, so relax, you’re safe).

The minimum fine for littering would instantly increase to $1,000 for the smallest infraction. Drop a coffee cup - $1,000 fine. Leave a candy bar wrapping in the grass - $1,000 fine. Toss a cigarette butt on the ground - $1,000 fine. You can be a slob in your house, but not where others have to tolerate your disgusting lack of manners.

The fine would be payable immediately, or as $500 in each of two successive months. Can’t afford it? Fine. Here’s your options:
1. Authorities will garnishee your wages until the fine is paid.
2. Fulfill 100 hours of supervised community work instead of the fine. This works out to a value of $10 per hour. Hopefully, you’ll spend it in a supervised crew cleaning up parks and roadsides.
3. Serve your time in jail and have a record.

If it’s kids doing the littering, parents are given two warnings. The third time, they are responsible for the kid’s fine, or allowing the kid to work 100 hours of community service.

Yeah, I know. It’s unrealistic and some would say too harsh. But you better believe there would be a decrease in littering and parents may take more responsibility for bringing their kids up right.

Photos: Just me and my shadow - gone over to the dark side! Max waits for me to snap a shot. Ice fishing . . . I don't the attraction. Creek behind the pool the west side - full of snow and a long way from spring!

2010: Begin Again. Proud as punch and Boldy Going

Proud as punch
Big evening for the Bly and Harper families at the Royal Canadian Legion this evening. I’m very proud to say that Lynda, my better half, and Kelsea, my sweetie-bird daughter, were both part of the installation ceremony for the Ladies’ Auxiliary. Lynda is now officially president and Kelsea is the sergeant-at-arms. With Lynda’s mom in attendance, three generations were represented – all members of the Legion’s Ladies’ Auxiliary. I don’t know if there are very many mother/daughter combos on Legion executives, but I’m darned proud of these two!
Photos: Lynda and Kelsea with my mother-in-law, Sharon. And the proud hubbie/papa with the two special women.


Up yours!
This coming Thursday a doctor in Coaldale will boldly go where no man has gone before . . . straight up my rectum with a little camera. Yup, it’s colonoscopy time! OK, truth is one other doctor has followed the same route, but that was 12 years ago.

A few days ago I shared a bit about seeing a men’s healthy program on the Dr. Oz show. I don’t normally watch Dr. Oz, but the theme tied in perfectly with my 2010: Begin Again life theme. And one of the topics being covered was the need for a colonoscopy as part of a health maintenance plan. I already had one scheduled for this Thursday, Jan. 7. Actually, I initially had it scheduled for early December, but it was postponed by the clinic in Coaldale as the doctor involved had injured himself with an auger digging fence post holes.

Hmmm. The guy who’s going to go rooting around in my bowel injured himself with an auger? Ironic.

So, here’s the poop on colonoscopies. As Dr. Oz notes on his website:

“No routine cancer-screening test brings about more anxiety then a colonoscopy. Not necessarily the worry of results either. It's the test itself that drives people to skip the test. It is invasive, uncomfortable, embarrassing and intimate. It is terribly inconvenient: It takes a day to prepare and a day for the test.”

But it SAVES LIVES! On the show, Dr. Oz noted about 25,000 people in the U.S. alone die needlessly each year from colorectal cancer. A colonoscopy can make the difference. Uncomfortable embarrassment or death? What to choose, what to choose?

I made my choice.

From my own single experience, I would say the actual cleanse is the worst part. No shit! I’m not kidding! That bowel needs to be clean. The first time I went through it, I had to skip food the day before and drink this horrible liquid – four litres of it! To be honest, I couldn’t make it through the full jug. I got just over three litres choked down, but that was enough to clean like a white tornado.

This time it’s a two-day prep with a liquid diet, two drinks of a pico-salax mixture and three bisacodyl tablets. Instructions say ensure a toilet is nearby at all times. I start the liquid diet on Tuesday. Take the first pico-salax Tuesday night. Stay home from work on Wednesday for the thrill of the PS after effect. Liquid diet on Wednesday, final PS and bisacodyl tablets Wednesday night, then examine on Thursday.

On the upside, after Wednesday it will be a few days again before anyone can tell me that I’m full of it! Also, maybe this’ll kick start my weight reduction plan! Do not expect photos from the procedure!

Health Bonus:
Here's a cool story about the bacteria that help us out and where they live on our bodies, courtesy of Live Science.

What are you weighting for?

2010: Begin Again!

“Hi. My name is Derek and I have a weight problem.”

Sorta sounds like an AA intro, doesn’t it? Except, of course, this isn’t anonymous. It’s a confession, but it’s just between you and me. So keep it quiet, OK?

I never used to have a weight problem. When I was a teen through my 20s, I could eat just about anything and not gain much weight. That all changed in my 30s. Now, at 52, I have a weight problem. How much of a problem? Well, it’s embarrassing to admit, but I currently weigh 200 lbs. (Skipping the metric on this one. Pounds sound more ominous.) Two hundred frackin’ pounds! 2-0-0! YIKES!!!

As noted in yesterday’s entry, I was watching Dr. Oz right around Christmas and he was doing a show about men’s health issues. Weight was one of the issues. Men who carry excess baggage around the middle have a significantly greater risk of heart attack. I tell ya, the heart goes flat and that spare tire won’t do anything to get you back on the road.

So, what am I going to do about it? 2010: Begin Again! I’m committing to shedding pounds this year. Sensibly. Nothing too extreme. By Christmas 2010 I want to weigh 170 pounds. That’s a 30-pound reduction in about 12 months. Do the math and that averages out to less than four pounds a month. Like I said, nothing too extreme.

Reduced meal portion sizes, reducing the junk food intake and increasing physical activity forms the basis of my plan. Sounds fairly straightforward. But for me, it will be a challenge. See, I’ve looked at the appetite suppressors that are supposed to make you feel full so you stop eating. Problem is I often eat because of the sense of taste, not because I’m hungry. I LOVE ticklin’ my tastebuds! But I know I can make the changes necessary to get down to 170. Just watch me!

Today’s photos:
It was time to clean the mouse cage today. The photos show me holding Thelma (white) and Ripley (brown) while transferring them back to their cleaned cage. Louise’s photos were all blurry. She’s got to learn to sit still for the photographer! Funny thing is, I used to feed critters like these to pet snakes. Now the snakes are gone and I’m finding the mice are a hoot. I still like reptiles, but the mice put a smile on my face with their goofy antics. They’re small, easy to care for and they make me laugh. Can’t ask for much more! To see more pix of Thelma and Louise and Ripley, check out http://bit.ly/6nUBgH.

Had to throw in one of myself for the day, too. That's me waving to you. Thanks Mac Photo Booth.