It's Johnny's Birthday

One of America's greatest writers was born on this date. The author of The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row and my favorite East of Eden was born Feb. 27, 1902. To honor John Steinbeck's birthday today I'm re-reading Cannery Row. A charming book about a bunch of guys with no jobs or money that have more life and fun than you can imagine. I'll share with you the first paragraph of the book:

"Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream. Cannery Row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and little crowded groceries, and laboratories and flophouses. Its inhabitants are, as the man once said, "whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches," by which he meant Everybody. Had the man looked through another peephole he might have said, "Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men," and he would have meant the same thing."

Steinbeck's books are still all in print 60 or more years after they were written in more than 50 languages. In Japanese The Grapes of Wrath translates to The Angry Raisin.

Happy Birthday JS, if I could only take one book to a desert island it would certainly be a Steinbeck.

 

Top Priority

In the past if I had a 5k race and a yoga class in the same day, the race would get top billing. But thanks to the help and support of my acupuncturist, Dr. Kimberly Sperling, I am putting things in their proper perspective. Through proper diet, visualization and acupuncture Dr. Sperling is helping me get my blood sugar numbers under control. Last week the evening numbers were very good but the morning numbers were not so good. But this morning's reading of 114, which followed a 103 was quite excellent indeed!

Having said that, there was a 5k race this morning at Sunset Park. Achy knees almost kept me home, but I proceeded on to take 2nd in my age group despite a slow (for me) time of 25:22. But it was a great way to start the day and I knew I had given my best effort when I almost threw up at the finish.

It was a beautiful day in Las Vegas as temps soared into the 70s and what made it more beautiful was that I didn't have to work. This rare Saturday off wasn't wasted as I headed out to Red Rock for Cheryl's Blue Sky Yoga class. It was exhilarating and enlightening as usual. Now I'll just try to focus on normal blood sugar readings and shoot for the improbable but not impossible cure for this potentially debilitating disease.

 

Starbucks Secret

Did you know you can get a medium size (grande) cup of coffee at Starbucks for 40 cents? It's true. They don't advertise this special. Just bring in your own travel mug and ask for a refill. That's only 50 cents. And because you brought your own cup they take another 10 cents off. They'll even add soy milk and you can spice it up with cinnamon and vanilla for free. What a deal. Who said Starbucks was expensive?

Today was my kind of a perfect day. It started with Kim's class at the Yoga Sanctuary. I used to take her Wednesday class every week but a schedule change has kept me away the past year. The class consisted of five young ladies and myself. The small class allowed Kim to give much personal instruction. Every breath was pure joy. After class I enjoyed a couple of cups of Starbucks coffee. Then it was off for a beautiful 5-mile run in Henderson that took in some breathtaking mountain vistas. Under sunny skies and with temps getting into the upper 50s I had no complaints on this spectacular day.

"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Celebrate Education 8k

For the 2nd time in two weeks a top-notch race performance came on the heels on an acupuncture treatment. Saturday it was the Celebrate Education 8k along the Pittman Wash trail beginning at Arroyo Grande Park. The race had a little bit of everything. It started in a grass field for about 1/4 mile, crossed the wash where we immediately soaked our feet in 5-inch deep water and then headed uphill into a stiff wind. It was cold enough in the 40s, but the wind made it feel well below freezing. My first mile was about 8:15 and I was around 16:40 at MM2. But then the race turned downhill with the wind at our backs. That's when I really picked up steam. I must have been under 7 minute miles the rest of the way because I finished in 38:24 -- a 7:41 per-mile pace.

Usually I take 2nd place in these local runs but for some reason I was 4th out of 8 runners in my age group. There were two reasons (excuses) for this. The cold temps kept many casual runners home and only the diehards showed up. When I looked to see who beat me I noticed one runner was from Needles, Calif. and the other from Pennsylvania. So I was the 2nd local runner in my group. Overall I was 59th out of 124 finishers. Not bad and my time was about 6 minutes faster than last year on the same course.

"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself."
--Saint Francis De Sales
 

Bad Start, Good Finish

The day got off to an unpleasant start with a 188 blood sugar reading. That's about 60 points too high. But I wasn't surprised after altering my healthy lifestyle the day before. I can't be perfect every day, I'm only human.

Fortunately my second acupuncture treatment with Dr. Kimberly Sperling was scheduled for this morning. Dr. Sperling really does care about my mental, physical and spiritual health and made many positive suggestions before we began the treatment. Once again the acupuncture was very relaxing and healing. A strange thing happened near the end. I felt a cool breeze all over my body. Later I asked the doctor about the phenomenon. It was before the door was opened. She said sometimes things like that just happen. It could have been toxins or maybe evil diabetes spirits leaving my body as blockages were set free.

Then it was off to discover a new trail at Red Rock. Today it was the Rocky Gap 4x4 trail that begins at the most western point of the park and steadily heads uphill to the highest peaks that rise to over 9,000 feet. The round trip is over 14 miles. I didn't make it that far today but I will someday. But I ran uphill for almost an hour and probably climbed 5,000 feet. That led to a beautiful bubbling creek that was more than half frozen. It was very peaceful to sit there and listen and watch the water flow through the rocks with ice everywhere. The descent was awesome as I floated downhill and viewed rock formations and ponderosa pines.

The day wouldn't have been complete without a little yoga with live music taught by one of my favorite teachers -- Kim.

When I got home and checked my blood it was down to 88. Almost 100 points lower that 12 hours earlier. I'm back on the healthy path again.

 

 

Kids Still Play

While running around the neighborhood late Thursday afternoon, I stumbled across a pleasant discovery -- kids still play. Just when I thought today's generation was getting fat and lazy while glued to TVs, computers and video games, I came across many school-age kids playing sports in the streets. It was refreshing to see kids playing football, soccer and other games in the streets as I ran by. Maybe there's hope for the future after all.

Meanwhile half a world away, our American kids were playing hockey and defeating Kazakhstan 4-1 in the Winter Olympics at Torino. Five points if you can locate Kazakhstan on a map.

After the run I skipped the usual Thursday night yoga and helped good friends Nancy and Harvey celebrate their wedding at an informal party at P.T.'s Pub on East Sahara. Even former Hilton supervisor Paul Rompel showed up to take part in the fun.

"There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day."
--Alexander Woollcott

 

Uncle Wally Weekend

Today we said goodbye to Uncle Wally. His closest friends and relatives were present at Palm Mortuary Saturday and Sunday to pay their final respects. It's impossible to list all the close companions that came to bid farewell but the ones that must be mentioned were his adoring wife of 20 years Rosa Maria, his loving children Ruth, Wallace, Frank and Tony along with their spouses, children and his three surviving brothers Ham, Marsh and Chuck.

Bittersweet. There was so much joy and sadness, laughter and tears, misery and happiness in one room. A beautiful picture presentation of Uncle Wally's life from childhood to 73-year-old was one of the highlights. Everyone shed a tear and turned a smile while watching the touching presentation of Uncle Wally's life put to moving music.

It was especially hard for Rosa Maria to say goodbye and the children and the brothers. During Sunday's funeral so many incredible words were spoken in the four-hour service.  But maybe the most amazing moment came as the funeral goers left Tito, Dr. Wallace, Mr. Ward, Wally or whatever they called him at his mausoleum crypt. In a spiritual message of light the sun was setting over the western mountains at the same moment a big beautiful cream-colored full moon appeared over the eastern horizon. A stirring moment in time no words could express.

"Grant that I may be given appropriate difficulties and sufferings on this journey so that my heart may be truly awakened and my practice of liberation and universal compassion may be truly fulfilled." -- A Tibetan Prayer  

 

White Rock Canyon

Take it to the limit. That's what the Ward family did on their run/hike today at White Rock Canyon. Taking Dad & Susan to one of my favorite hikes, we proceeded on past the Hoover Dam, four miles into Arizona where we descended down through White Rock Canyon to the Colorado River. I knew the run would be challenging for Sue and rough on Dad, but what the heck they're both in good shape for their age (121 combined). Everyone found the footing kind of tough on the way down but we all made it to the river where we snacked on a couple of oranges and enjoyed the beautiful view. I stuck my toes in the icy river but that's as far as I got.

We headed uphill back out of the canyon and that's where the real challenge began. Sue's a much better uphill runner. I lagged behind her. But when we stopped to wait for Dad to catch up it seemed like forever for the Golden Oldie in the mustard colored hat to catch up. So I doubled back and ran about a mile where I found him. There was no need for worry. Dad had stopped to talk to other hikers and had accepted their offering of chicken and a candy bar. When we got back to the car there were six very tired knees, ankles and feet.

After a little down time, we visited with Uncle Chuck at cousin Ruth's, saw her kids Madeline and Mia and then enjoyed a delicious meal at Green Valley Ranch. The Ward family felt a little like Olympic athletes after completing their endurance event.

 

Typical Day Off but with Family

Today was a typical Thursday for me -- a great run, Sweet Tomatoes and yoga with Cypresse, but what made it really special was having Dad and Susan here to share it with me.

Sister Sue flew in from Houston this morning and checked into the new Wynn Casino. Dad had arrived from Buffalo the night before and checked into Chez Ham. Sadly, it was the untimely death of Uncle Wally that brought us all together for this weekend's funeral service. When Susan came knocking on my door it was lunchtime so we headed off to my favorite restaurant -- Sweet Tomatoes -- the Salad Bar Restaurant. Although Dad & Sue both eat meat, they like salads too and both enjoyed a delicious, nutritious meal.

After Sue went back to Wynn, I needed to get a run in and Dad was up for a walk, so we headed over to the Pittman Wash for a beautiful outdoor experience under a sunny skies with temps in the 70s. Then it was Susan's turn to accompany me to yoga class. She enjoyed meeting Cypresse and did quite well for someone who hasn't practiced yoga for a while. The icing on the perfect day was a stop at the Go Raw Veggie Cafe where we all enjoyed another delicious vegetarian meal. I don't know if I can convert them, but it didn't seem like they were missing their animal flesh today. It was great being together again for the first time since August.

 

Super Bowl -- The Day After

While some people are recovering from too much eating, drinking, or betting the day after the Super Bowl, I too had to recover but for different reasons. Because we offered about 300 different kinds of bets on the big game, there was a lot of checking and posting to be done after the game. The final score sheet, a 16-page double-sided legal stapled book, wasn't finished until six hours after the final gun sounded. Needless to say I was a little tired when I got home after 2 am. I didn't drink or bet, but someone brought in some cookies and that's like death to a diabetic. I have the discipline to say no to drinking and gambling but I can't resist chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies.

So to deal with the elevated blood sugar today I went to my 2nd home, Red Rock Canyon, and had a beautiful 2-hour run from the Welcome Center, past the entire Calico Mountain Range, beyond Sandstone Quarry and behind the Calico Mountains to the Calico Tanks. I met some nice tourists from Canada (Montreal and Halifax) and offered to snap their picture. They were very thankful and said I must be in very good shape to be running on such challenging trails. Well, we all gotta do what we gotta do.

Then I briefly meditated on the bench with the best view anywhere. I'm sure the bs is back to normal by now. Can't say the same about myself.

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it."
--William Arthur Ward

  

Great Run

Sometimes everything just feels right. Today was one of those days. Don't know if it's the acupuncture, the recent runs at Red Rock or White Rock, yoga classes with Cypresse & Kim the last 2 nights or another long stretch of alcohol abstinence but whatever it is (probably a combination) led to a stunning performance in today's Make a Wish 5k.

Almost 400 runners participated in the 3.1-mile run so I wasn't expecting to pick up any hardware. But still I felt pretty good as I hit the first mile in 7:35, the 2nd in 15:12 and finished in 23:42 for a 7:39 per-mile pace. Not expecting to take home anything but a free bottle of water I was shocked to see I'd finished 2nd in my age group and 62nd overall. And even better I beat Nina Radetich of Ch. 3, who had beat me by 30 minutes in the marathon. Nina was 129th today.

Most of the runners stuck around for the drawing for a free brand new Saturn sedan after the race. I didn't win. But I still consider it a winning day.

 

Full Day

It would be hard to pack much more diversity into one day:

Up at 6am, counseled Susan on LV accommodations, kept doctor's appt to discuss current diabetes and hyper tension condition. And had blood drawn to evaluate inner chemistry.

After a brief stop at the grocery store and dry cleaner's it was off to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch. After fasting 15 hours due to blood work I had a healthy appetite.

Then it was time for my first acupuncture treatment with Dr. Kimberly Sperling. This was the highlight of the day, month, year. The consultation dug deep into my soul and Dr. Sperling may have come up with the cause of my internal imbalance. How else do you explain someone living almost half a century with no blood sugar disorder and then all of a sudden full blown diabetes? And the acupuncture treatment that followed was pure nirvana. I can't wait for my next visit in two weeks.

Well, I was already on the west side of town so I picked up my packet for Saturday's Make a Wish 5k. And then why not cruise out to Red Rock for a sunset run? It was a beautiful thing to run up the steepest hill as the sun was setting and the half-moon was rising. I finished just in time to take in Kim's yoga with live music to cap another perfect day.

"I have realized that the past and the future are real illusions, that they exist only in the present, which is what there is and all there is." -- ALAN WATTS

Greatest Adventure

If it wouldn't have been for a hiking couple, I still might have never found the elusive and once thought mythical hot springs near White Rock Canyon. Anticipating Dad & Susan's visit next week for Uncle Wally's funeral, I wanted to take another trip to White Rock Canyon, just 4 miles past the Hoover Dam in Arizona. This was my third trip to the beautiful canyon that descends from the mountains for 3 miles to the Colorado River. But on my previous two trips I had not located the hot springs that hikers relax in before making the ascent back up the wash to the parking area. On the way down to the river I ran into a retired couple from Utah. They said they had been to the hot springs before. It was located just a quarter mile down river from the end of the trail. While they stopped for lunch I proceeded on in search of the hot springs. While searching I met up with a Chinese couple who were also looking for the hot springs. They too were having difficulty finding them. But it was such a beautiful day from the 70-degree temps, to the blue sky to the beauty of the mighty river the man said that even if they didn't find the springs he had still won. How's that for a positive attitude?

Finally at the bottom of a steep hill I saw the Utah couple again. They were taking off their shoes and waving me down. They disappeared into a curvy watery wash. I followed where they went and came across many small waterfalls. I scaled the rocks around the water, which was warm by the way, so I knew I was getting close. Finally I got to a 25-foot steel ladder I had heard about that led to the springs. It was like finding the Holy Grail. I knew I was almost there. When I scaled the ladder there it was -- a big beautiful natural bathtub. The Utah couple was soaking in the warm water. So I took off my shirt and shoes and joined them. It was awesome. Paradise found. After a good soak they told me a different route out of the canyon. I ran off ahead as they hiked. But after about 30 minutes of running I came across a 20-foot rock wall that I didn't think I could climb. Oh, no. Would I have to return and go back the other way? That could take hours. What the hell. I cautiously wedged myself in there and wiggled up to the top. I made it. But a few 100 yards later I came across a wall that had been formed by thousands if not millions of years of water flow. This hill was too much for me. Oh well there was still 3 hours of daylight I might as well return to the river and go back the way I came. But as I was heading back the Utah couple came up. They showed me a way around the steep incline that was treacherous to say the least but I followed them up and around. We were back on the trail and I jogged the last mile back to the parking area.

What an adventure. At least now I know where the hot springs are and where Dad & Susan can and can't go.

That might have been enough for the average Joe, but I still made time for Cypresse's Thursday night yoga. Knowing I was the only one in the class who had had such an adventurous day.

 "Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow."