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

 

Good start, familiar slide

Well today was supposed to be the first day of the new me on the pH Miracle and it was off to a good start. Salad for breakfast. Low blood sugar reading. Sunrise yoga. Lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. That's where it started to unravel. The salad was alkaline and pure but one little muffin led to another and the disaster was on. I was reading the book at ST and it talked about a transition. If it had said do it this way, the right way, and avoid sugar and all the evil acid-producing items I would have followed it. But it said it was ok to have a "transition period" that's where I went wrong. One too many muffins led to ....well I don't need to go into all the details here but tomorrow is another day, a working day, my Monday. So I'm going try to get back on the right track. But I do suffer from some demons. It's in my blood. Heredity. If I'm strong I can get on the right sugar-free path. And by sugar free I mean no baked goods, no wine, no beer, no cheese. If someday I can put the same devotion to those goals that I have to going meatless the last 4 1/2 years I'll succeed in disabling my diabetes. It's a work in progress. Today was a good start, tomorrow I hope to follow through to a good finish. And that would mean not using the comps I have to Terribles pool party. Alas, the dilemma I face between fun and health. I think in the long run I'll win but it's a constant struggle.

Now back to Buffalo 66 the Independent movie about a devout Buffalo Bills fan who is too stuck on the Bills to realize her son just got out of prison. I'll battle on like the Bills and someday win this fight but it's not going to be easy. Namaste (may the spirit in me salute the spirit in you).

  

The pH Miracle -- Alkalize or Die!

OK, here we go again. After a couple of false starts I'm back on track to a natural cure for diabetes. The pH Miracle. The key? Your health depends on the pH balance of its blood, striking the optimum 80/20 balance between the alkaline and acidic content in the body by eating certain foods. I was already on the right path but now coffee will be replaced with wheat grass. Salads and green vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's the price anyone has to pay to be free of health ailments and prescription drugs.

It's not for everyone but as my acupuncturist said you can't help those that won't help themselves. But if you want to lower cholesterol, lose weight, end indigestion, get off of insulin this is a proven effective program. Eating the right kind of food is the single most important thing you can do for you and your health. And you don't have to go totally Vegan like me, you can even eat turkey! The worst offenders are dairy products followed by animal protein, white flour, processed foods, chocolate, coffee and alcoholic beverages. Have I lost everyone yet?

And now for that never-ending question: Where do you get your protein? Have you ever heard of anyone dying from a protein deficiency? Americans eat way too much animal protein. That's why more than 50 percent have high cholesterol levels. But did you know there is plant-based protein? It's true. Wheat grass juice is 25 percent protein. Vegetables carry all the amino acids (the building blocks of protein). Not every veggie contains every one, but by eating a wide-range you are getting all the essential amino acids. Here are a few veggies with their protein per calorie in parenthesis. Alfalfa sprouts (40%),  Broccoli (49%), Cauliflower (27%), the list is endless. And of course there is protein in beans and soy milk, soy nuts, etc.

Best of all, alkalizing allows "Green" athletes like me to increase athletic performance by building stamina and muscle as well as pure energy. Well I'll be the Guinea Pig. Let the experiment begin!

"Even if our efforts of attention seem for years to be producing no result, one day a light that is in exact proportion to them will flood the soul." --SIMONE WEIL

Sunrise Run to Sunset Park

By the time I got to Sunset Park yesterday morning at 6:15, the sun was already a few degrees above the horizon. So this morning I left home at 5:55 and witnessed a beautiful sunrise as I was heading east on Sunset Road toward Sunset Park.

Today I re-committed to get my healthy lifestyle back on track. Somewhat out-of-sync since Mom's visit in April, sidetracked by the Alaska adventure in June, challenged by a career change and derailed by Don's visit last week somehow my good diabetes numbers were not too pretty. I'm not blaming anyone but myself. But like a free pastry at the Hilton, it doesn't take much to tempt me. Like my acupuncturist advised I should be as faithful to avoiding sugar in food and drink as I am to avoiding meat.

 Despite a good running program, I'd gotten away from my faithful Ayruveda practice. My regular yoga teacher Anne, returned to teach tonight after a 2-week vacation to London and Paris and after a little de tox tea and some chakra balancing meditation I feel that I'm back on the right path again. Just like the Red Sox, who just ended their 6-game skid with a 5-4 victory over the Angels tonight.

It's only Wednesday and I already have 21 miles on the running shoes. That's about triple my work commute mileage. The new job is still a work in progress but hopefully things will work out.

"The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you."--John E. Southard

 

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Up at 5 a.m. to beat the heat, we proceeded on to Lake Mead. Don had seen the Hoover Dam on his last visit but had yet to experience the Tunnel Trail. Long gone are the trains and tracks that helped build the damn dam. Today hikers, bikers and runners can enjoy a broad view of Lake Mead from a flat grade cut into the side of solid rock.

We proceeded on the 4.5-mile round-trip trek and found a few volunteer photographers to operate the mini cam. It was a beautiful calm day, mostly shaded as the hot sun had yet to reach its intensity. I took a little detour on the return route as Don slowed down to take in the breathtaking view that will be delivered in a future photo album to loyal readers of this journal.

Hungering for a non-salad breakfast, Don persuaded me to take him to IHOP where I was fortunate to find a vegetarian omelet on the menu. On Don's last full day here I frantically searched for a few remaining fix-it items. All I could find was the guest bathroom sink's stopper that had been rendered ineffective by Haven sleeping his large cat frame in the sink. At first it looked like another trip to Home Depot but Don was able to repair the original part. The other fix was so easy I could have done it. The reason the kitchen clock had stopped was the battery had died. Time no longer stands still.

Now time is running out on Don's 2006 visit we only have time left for a run at Sunset Park and an early Red Sox-Yankees game on ESPN. Then the fun ends as Don flys home and I return to work at my new job.

Taking Care of Business

The last two days have not been all fun and games. It's been fun, games and Don fixing stuff around here.

The fun. Yesterday I took Don on the Calico Tanks Trail at Red Rock Canyon. No one I know has ever been on this trail before. It's a moderate to difficult climb behind the Calico Mountain range. It's too steep and rocky to run. Eventually you get to a "tank" or a small body of water that you'd never expect to find in the desert. It's a lot of rock-to-rock climbing and eventually you can see back into the Las Vegas valley from an angle that is usually only viewed from an aircraft window. Later that evening we were complimentary guests at a pool party where we enjoyed free food and beverages.

The games. We watched and wagered on baseball and football and enjoyed moderate success. Exact results cannot be divulged due to IRS and spouse monitoring of this blog.

The work. Earlier Don had repaired my vacuum cleaner and washing machine but with some free time before the Red Sox game today he was able to repair my shower slow-flow water issue with an unknown (to me) plumbing part and something called caulking (also unknown to me). Then he fixed the guest's room closet hanger that until now could not support very much weight. He even told me my car's shaky handling was caused by a tire issue and soon I found I needed a new set. One had a bubble and two others were cracked. After 60,000 miles I guess it was time for new tread on my truck. I couldn't find anything else for Don to fix so we enjoyed the Red Sox come-from-behind victory over the Tigers.

 

Night on the Town

Once again it's great having out-of-town visitors cause it gets me out on the town. Don and Cassie McCoy are visiting from Batavia, N.Y. The father and daughter made the trip in a remarkable 34 hours with only one overnight in Nebraska.

Engineer Don was the perfect guest as he fixed my vacuum cleaner with a $2 belt and my leaking washing machine with a hose adjustment. Even though I had a 6am run through Sunset Park and worked 8:30-4:30 on the fifth day of my new job I had to take the hillbillies from hicktown out on the town tonight. No expense was spared as I took them to the Las Vegas Hilton buffet. Fortunately my former coworkers were nice enough to comp us to the culinary feast. We proceeded on to the Fremont Street Experience where they enjoyed the light show in the sky. We went into the oldest continuous casino in Las Vegas the Hotel Nevada where Cass enjoyed her first gambling experience and we all contributed to the hotels positive balance sheet.

Don and Cassie are off to LA Sunday while I am off to another day at CBS. Where today they gave me my first cell phone. And I didn't think I would ever get one of those contraptions.

 

A New Dawn

Today I embarked on perhaps the final frontier. My last career. A job that will hopefully take me to retirement at Computerized Bookmaking Systems or CBS. It was such a great feeling on the 4 minute and 41 second drive. The same time it takes to win the 1-mile race at a high school track meet.

When I started my work station was clean, pristine and a bit sterile. So I tacked up an environmental calendar and a 2006 Buffalo Bills schedule and changed the computer's screen saver to a Lewis & Clark trail scene. Other photos and mementos will soon follow.

My new co-workers were so helpful, friendly and low key. We trained on typical fixes we'd make to common problems we'll field at a leisurely pace. It'll take time, but soon I'll be an intregal part of the team. By mid-afternoon I was helping a casino fix a problem with the wrong track name printing on it's betting slips and I felt like part of the team. The day was broken up my many coffee and tea breaks and Internet web surfing of my favorite sites: AOL, Red Sox, Buffalo Bills and a few others. By the weekend I'll have a TV hooked up at my desk to the in-house cable TV system

They're excellent about giving me time off for a dentist appointment Thursday and friend Don's visit next week. It's all good. I may even ride my bike to work tomorrow.

12 years, 8 months, 4 days

Monday, Jan. 3, 1994, my first day working at the Las Vegas Hilton. I was actually hired at the end of 1993 but they thought it would be best to wait until after New Year's to start training. When I first started it was a big change from my sports editor job at the Key West Citizen. I used to be a big fish in a small pond, now it was the opposite. But I adjusted, turned into an avid runner, lost 75 pounds, bought a condo and was diagnosed with diabetes. A lifetime in 12 1/2 years. Everything but a wife and a family. But I had a loving family both inside and outside the Hilton.

Monday, Aug. 7, 2006, my last day at the Hilton. Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday I started this job as a ticket writer and later an admin operator. Some co-workers like Katherine Mannix, Brian Moriarity and Ramon White have died and so many others have moved on. Art Manteris, Carolyn Evely and Tony Miller to Red Rock, Chuck Esposito and Kathy Bowman to Caesars, Doug Beil to Terribles, Cyril Burger to the Flamingo, Frank who I got Haven from to the Barbary Coast and beyond, there's so many that have left the Hilton and moved on and now it's my turn.

But today there was no sadness, no tears shed, not a moment of doubt or regret, Only peace and joy. That's not to say there weren't a few heart-felt goodbyes. Hugs from Rosemary, the office manager who used to replace me at 5 am when I had the graveyard 9pm-5am shift in 1995, and from Mary Padilla, who exchanged so many books and I was happy to introduce to authors John D. MacDonald and Carl Hiassen. Sincere handshakes from Mike Dindia, my 12-yr control room buddy and Mike Overend who admitted we'd had good times and bad but said I wasn't all bad because I was a Springsteen and a hockey fan. There were many others who wished me good luck. Some I had only known for a week or two but that's the nature of the business. How did I ever last 12 years?

There was no gold watch or going away party. That's just as well and speaks for the current management. In the past many people who had served less time had going away parties but those parties were funded by employees who were no longer here, not the Hilton. Hell, I was only at the Key West Citizen for 7 yrs and they threw a big bash for me. But this new corporation takes away liberties, privileges, flex days offs and does not deal fairly with its employees so it was time to make a break.

Fortunately, Terribles Casino saw fit to invite me to a Pool Party after my last day was done, so with my long-time friend Lynda Collins, who had known me from a personal and business side at the Hilton, we celebrated under a nearly full moon with live music and complimentary refreshments poolside.

Now I must get a good nights rest to start the next chapter at CBS beginning tomorrow morning.

I proceeded on... 

"Let us try to recognize the precious nature of each day."

--THE 14TH DALAI LAMA

Black Mountain

Taking advantage of what might be my last day off until Aug. 15, I returned to scale Black Mountain near Lake Mead for the second time. Not to be confused with Brokeback Mountain, Black Mountain gains elevation from 2415 to 3600 feet. It's a challenge all the way to the top and when you add the searing heat of summer it's downright suicidal. But today the "keep it cool" spirits were with me as cloud cover and a slight drizzle kept it cool all the way to the top. As I hit the summit about 10 a.m., normally a time of day when the mercury has already passed 100 near Lake Mead, I was almost cold. It was thankfully cool and cloudy all the way to the top. One reason I was testing this trail was to see if my friend Don, who is visiting from Batavia, N.Y., in less than two weeks, would be able to make it to the top. But when I met up with a grandmother near the top, the one who took this photo, I knew Don and maybe later Dad, Susan and Mom, would be able to make it.

The reason I won't have any days off for a while is my new CBS job starts Tuesday and to accommodate Don's visit I think I'll be working my weekends to free up the five days he's here. It'll be the usual visitor vacation with lots of Red Rock and Lake Mead trails mixed in with other Vegas attractions.

If the Black Mountain summit wasn't enough I also checked out the biking commute to and from my new job. It's 11 minutes there (uphill and delayed by RR crossing) and only 9 minutes home (mostly downhill). Now that's my kind of commute! At least 2 days a week I'll ride my bike. What a great job and the beard is already underway.

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."--Mark Twain

Perfect Health

Almost 20 years to the day after I started my new job as sports editor of the Key West Citizen I began my career at CBS -- Computer Bookmaking Systems. The day began with my regular three month diabetes checkup with Dr. Land. He said my diabetes was under good control my A1C number was 6.8 down from 7.1 six months ago. A normal person free of diabetes is 5 or 6. I was over 11 when I was first diagnosed. And he completely took me off my high blood pressure medication. It's just not needed anymore with control of coffee consumption and regular meditation.

While my first official day at CBS isn't until Tuesday, today was orientation and I'll get paid for my first few hours. I learned I'll have my own desk and I can hook up a TV to cable. Some days I'll only get a half a dozen support calls other days will be more. But always I'll have a great staff to back me up with whatever problem may develop. Many times I'll be the go-to guy who has seen and dealt with these computer betting problems with over 12 yrs experience at the LV Hilton.

The best part is the health is good. The optometrist said my vision was a perfect 20-20 with no signs of glaucoma. With clear vision I have three days left at the Hilton and officially start my new job Tuesday. The weekends are casual dress. I think I'll ride my bike to work on those days. They have free coffee, specialty tea and bottled water. I can hook a TV up to the cable to watch at my desk. The most spacious workspace I've ever had. It's the right job at the right time. No regrets and no looking back.

"Greed is the basic cause of misery. Free yourself of greed, and the mountains, rivers, and earth do not block the light of your eyes."

--SHE-HSIEN

 

One Week To Go

One week from today I start my new job at CBS. There are still no regrets as I enter the final week at the Las Vegas Hilton. But the real cause for celebration today is William Clark's birthday. Named "The Red-Headed Chief" by the Indians he befriended, the map-making half of the Lewis & Clark Expedition would have been 236 years old today.

You never know who is reading this journal, it's open to anyone on the Internet. A search for a key word, or series of words brings up some of these entries. I found that out when I wrote about Uncle Wally's untimely demise. Recently I did a search for my favorite local newscaster Nina Radetich and I didn't have to go too far down the list to find some of my own entries when I'd mentioned her. I bring this up because my acupuncture doctor said she had recently seen a new patient who came to her because of something she read in this journal. So years after I've turned to dust future generations will still be puzzled by some of these obscure journal entries. I feel like an Egyptian.

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring—these are some of the rewards of the simple life. JOHN BURROUGHS