Final Entry

 You may have noticed the expiration date has come and gone on this journal. This unsuccessful experiment was supposed to end Sept. 13, 2006 when the Corp of Discovery tasted whiskey for the first time since July 4, 1805. After further review I came across an entry where they met traders going up the Missouri River Sept. 6 with whiskey and that was really their first taste in more than 14 months. But either way this particular journal will end today Sept 23, 2006 on the 200th anniversary of the successful completion of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

Today's Highlight in History: Two hundred years ago, on Sept. 23, 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis more than two years after setting out for the Pacific Northwest.

To commemorate it in his journal Capt. William Clark wrote: "We rose early.. Descended to the Mississippi and down that river to St. Louis, at which place we arrived about 12 o'clock. We suffered the party to fire off their pieces as a salute to the town. We were met by all the village and received a hearty welcome from its inhabitants."

Capt. Meriwether Lewis had stopped writing journal entries over a month ago when he was shot in the ass by one of the enlisted men in a hunting accident. He recovered and was walking again but never wrote another journal entry.

It was fun writing all of these journal entries and sharing them with my friends and family and if I can think of a new topic, mission or goal I may begin another journal in a new direction soon. This journal was read by more people than I'll ever know. When Uncle Wally died Neo Tech followers found it, someone I'd never met went to see my acupuncturist after reading an entry and if you do a google search for local newscaster Nina Radetich you'll find one of my entries.

So that's it for this blog, but as Lewis & Clark said many times in their journals, "We proceeded on...."

 

Sunset Run, Yoga after Dark

Returning to Red Rock Canyon for the first time since Don was here last month, I witnessed first hand the damage of last week's "Scenic Fire." For some reason they have to name wilderness fires and this one, within the scenic loop, was thus named. The fire, caused by lightning just like the one in July 2005, was made worse by high winds, low humidity and invasive grass. Now signs warn hikers not to stray off the path because  kicking up hidden embers might rekindle the fire.

The main purpose of today's visit was a 6 pm yoga class in a secluded spot near Sandstone Quarry. I arrived early enough to get a 45-minute jog in around the perimeter of the recent blaze that closed the loop and Visitor Center for several days. It was sad to see all the blackened tree and plant stumps but it's still a small portion of the recreation area.

Yoga didn't begin until the sun had disappeared over Bridger Mountain. It was a good size group of more than 20 that hiked in the twilight to our sacred spot behind Sandstone Quarry. It was a seamless transition from daylight to starlight as the sky slowly turned to midnight blue and the diamonds in the sky came out one by one.

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."
--Frederick Koenig
 

Perfect Sunrise

The last time I saw a sunrise this good I was on Miami Beach, staying at the World Famous Fountainbleu in 2003. While I've seen a lot of sunrises lately they've all been imperfect. Either I get there a few minutes late and the sun's already risen (as opposed to Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises) or the sunrises are blocked by buildings or trees. But on this Labor Day morning I made an extra effort to be on the mountain at Sunset Park well before sunrise. Setting out at 5:55 a.m. I summited the mountain at 6:09 and the sunset wasn't due until 6:15. I had a few minutes to enjoy a 180-degree panoramic view of all the mountains that surround the Las Vegas valley from north to south. As an orange-yellow-red-cream colored (take your pick) sky hovered above the eastern hemisphere I couldn't help but think that the multiple mountain ranges I saw looked like one-dimentional cardboad cutouts from some giant Hollywood western set.

 When the sun finally began to emerge, one minute late due to mountain blockage, it looked like liquid gold pouring between the peaks in the distant mountains behind Lake Mead. It took four full minutes for the full sphere to clear the peaks and light up the day.

That is when I pondered that the sun is 5 billion years old and only has 5 billion years to go until it burns itself out. Our giver and sustainer of life is half-way to extinction. While this is no problem for athiests, for those who believe in reincarnation and multiple lifetimes this may cause some concern. Have no fear. Get ready this is deep. The universe has gone through many beginnings and endings according to Hindu philosophy. So don't sweat it when the sun burns out. The cycle will repeat.

Now that I've delivered my cosmic message for the day I can relax and watch this week's Game of the Year: Florida State @ Miami. I'm on the verge of registering for this year's Las Vegas Marathon Dec. 10. Prizes include a trip to Tahiti and a stay and Mandalay Bay. Not for winning. Just for signing up. Wish me luck. See you in this universe or the next...

Clambering up Cold Mountain path, The Cold Mountain trail goes on and on: The long gorge choked with scree and boulders, The rushing creek, the dew-soaked grass. The mossy rocks are slippery, though there’s been     no rain. The pine sings, though there’s no wind. Who can leap the world’s ties And sit with me among the clouds? HAN-SHAN

Running Into The Sun

Up very early Saturday, my run began at 5:22 a.m. under a star-lit sky. The streets were free of traffic as I headed first south and then east. The sky slowly lightened over the eastern mountains and the clouds reflected a multitude of color until the sun rose at 6:16. Having paused to take in the breath-taking sunrise I turned around on Warm Springs above the big hill looking down on the valley and Sunset Station and headed west and uphill back home. The return trip of the 11-mile run had the sun at my back and the sun lit up the western mountains of Red Rock for an equally scenic view on the return trip.

I was a little achy at work but I didn't care because it was my Friday and I'm off Sunday-Monday over the Labor Day Holiday weekend. No major problems at work as the major focus was watching college football games.

Haven was good last night with no more surprises. I got enough supplies for the weekend so with any luck I may not have to leave the house till I work again on Tuesday. I'll run from the house and do yoga at home. And of course there's plenty of fresh veggies to keep me alive. My bp was 129/80 a little higher than I'd like but still acceptable, blood sugar was 87 incredibly low for a diabetic and pH was near 7.0 when I'd like a 7.4. With all the numbers so good I may have a beer or a glass of wine or two (transition) but when this weekend's over it's back on the straight and true healthy athletic path.

 

What's Wrong With Haven?

For the 2nd straight night Haven has left me a present. Not one I'm thankful for. He's pooped right where I normally sit on the couch. Once was accident. Twice is a statement. But I don't know what. All I can figure is he's mad Daisy's been sleeping at the foot of my bed lately. If it happens again tonight I'm going to have to take some drastic measures that may cost me my membership in both PETA and the ASPCA.

I'm hooked on tofu. It only takes 5 minutes to cook it up and today I had chunks in my salad for lunch. What a delicious protein punch!

The numbers continue to be excellent. Tonight I steered away from the Friday night Barley's routine (beer & betting) but still swayed from my perfect diet with a Venti drip with soymilk from Starbucks. It was my first caffeine of any kind since Monday. But it went well John Steinbeck's East of Eden, the greatest novel of the 20th Century, which I'm reading for I think at least the 6th time. Some people have comfort foods, I have comfort books. What guilty pleasures Starbucks & Steinbeck. It doesn't get any better on a Friday night in Las Vegas. Now if I can just get that terrorist cat straightened out...

Cooking Tofu

It tasted a little like eggs, a little like fish and a little like chicken. One thing's for sure it was packed with protein. For the first time I cooked tofu. That bland, misunderstood food that takes on the flavor of whatever it's cooked with. I fried it up in a pan with olive oil and a spicy soy dog and it was delicious.

The proof is in the numbers: pH, blood sugar and pressure all continue to be excellent on this new alkaline diet that's 80 percent fresh vegetables. I'm going to give it a few more days but I'm on the verge of throwing away all my medications. I've gone from 3 scripts down to 1 and the last one may be going soon. That tofu was really filling too.

Of course the day wasn't complete without a sunrise run around the lake at Sunset Park. Today I had the irony of helping my former employer the Las Vegas Hilton  come back from a system failure. First they called to say some terminals were down and the others were running slow. Then, more panicked, they called to say they were all down and they couldn't write any tickets. As I was dialing into their system to see what the problem was my former boss called in a major fit wanting to know who was working on his problem besides me to bring his book back to business. It's funny how the tables had turned. But with a little help with my new friends at CBS we had the Hilton back up and running again in less time than it takes to say "Sayonara Sucker."

"Begin at once to live." --SENECA

Transition

Baby steps. I'm slowly moving toward my green goal one step at a time. Mornings are good. I've replaced coffee with wheat grass and feel much better. I've craved caffeine but realize it's an addictive drug and prevents your body from naturally waking up. That was step 1.

 Step 2 was cutting out the sugar including fruit. Now that I look back that was a big part of the problem. But I love peaches and had a dozen from Susan's Fruit-of-the-Month birthday gift. When those are gone I'll be more on track.

Step 3 no more beer or wine. Well I went to Terribles Pool Party tonight where all that stuff is free and was proud to have a plate with just celery, cauliflower, carrots, pepperchinis and olives. No fruit. No cheese. Just a small but modest desert or two and only a glass of white and half a glass of red. Transition. Even though I'm comped to the next 8 weeks of pool parties I don't think I'll attend anymore.

How can my blood sugar be high when I'm not taking in any sugar? Exactly! I'll just keep testing on the test strips and looking for the dark green result of optimum health. Between checking my blood sugar, blood pressure and pH levels I'm more dialed into my body than any lab specimen.

The trouble is that you think you have time. JACK KORNFIELD