a round tuit

this, that, and the other (thoughts, ideas, and discoveries) from a baby boomer

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wasting time

July 20th, 2010 · for fun, whatever

“Time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted.” [John Lennon]

(Photo taken in English Bay, Vancouver, aboard Chi-Ling)

“Honor yourself in deciding how to spend your time, and then let yourself be and enjoy it. Moments come and go too quickly to waste one worrying about another that’s past. So enjoy your moments today, whatever that means to you, and know in doing that you’ve had a successful day.”  [from tinybuddha.com]

 

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previous enthusiasm aside…

June 24th, 2010 · my world, remembery

Today’s the day both Ian and I start our drug dependencies…
(see previous post about mine; his is something else)

Everything that I’ve ever put in my mouth to date has been optional. But now I begin taking something I can never quit taking. EVER. At the moment of putting that first tablet in my mouth, dang, it took courage.

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feels like a miracle

June 23rd, 2010 · my world, reference

Today I feel like I’ve been offered a miracle for the “aging” symptoms I’ve been feeling for months!

Bear with me as I tell this story with essential background.

Aging: we all do it, right?

I’m 61 years old. I keep a journal about my aging. It’s not a negative thing, just objective observations, tracking symptoms (such as looking in the mirror and seeing my mother—sheesh!) But this year I stopped making entries because this year it has just seemed like I’ve had an accelerated progression, symptom after symptom appearing. Figured it was time to stop writing it all down and just work on acceptance. I’ve come a long way with the latter, and I can honestly say that each day still feels like it’s better than the last. Aging doesn’t bother me psychologically or emotionally; it’s just the dang body wearing out that’s annoying.

Annual physicals are important

June is my month for an annual physical. My doctor knows and accepts that I self-manage my health, so was cooperative when I called to get a requisition form for some blood tests in advance of the physical. I requested blood sugar, cholesterol, and thyroid tests. The thyroid request was just an impulse. Five years ago, the test had shown my TSH was a little high; then I self-treated with kelp supplements (for the iodine), and the TSH count went down a bit the next year, so I’ve been figuring it’s all good. However, I tend to follow my impulses—I believe my instincts are based in self-knowledge at various levels, so I usually follow them. When I thought about getting a new thyroid test, I went for it. Good thing, in this case! [Read more →]

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my new toy: BlendTec blender (my review)

June 11th, 2010 · BlendTec diary, I'm recommending, my world

I got this blender earlier this week and I’m so excited and enjoying it so much I want to tell you about it. There are other BlendTec & Vitamix reviews out there (see links below), and here’s my take on it all.

1. Why did I want it? Why liquify my fruits & veg?

Actually, for me it’s more about getting a bunch of veggies into one serving. It’s hard to sit and eat a snack of 4 big carrots, an apple, a tomato, and some fresh ginger, as well as a cup or two of water. I get bored and full. But I thought if I could buzz it all into a drink, including some of the carrot greens, make an easy-to-consume-in-one-sitting (and delicious) drink… well I just knew I’d be eating way more whole foods and more often. That’s what I want to do.

So recently, I decided I wanted a juicer. But I had one in the past, a really expensive one too, commercial quality, high powered, best of the bunch at the time. Ended up hating it. Not using it. Hated cleaning the pulp out of everything. Hated that it wasn’t using the whole food. Felt like a huge waste. Tedious cleanup meant I didn’t get it out and use it much. So this time around, I wanted something that would liquify the whole fruits or vegetables and be a fast clean up.

On a different line of thought, I was thinking for the thousandth time that it would be a luxury to have an ice cream maker, and that maybe I finally deserved one for my retirement years. “Back in the day” I really loved making homemade ice cream with a friend in his ice cream maker.

I didn’t have a blender…well, just one of those electric wand jobbies. I’ve made my smoothies for years with it. But it doesn’t chop up fruit, just blends stuff. I have a great Cuisinart food processor, but it doesn’t make smoothies very well, and anyway, it’s too big for making single- or even double-serving smoothies. And a tedious cleanup.

Then I remembered a long discussion last year with Christa, when she’d told me about the Vitamix blender. It could do all of the above — make whole-food juice, ice cream, and blender-style cleanup. So I went back to my bookmarked websites about the Vitamix.

2. Research

I knew I needed a high-powered blender. Didn’t want to be disappointed again about the results, especially for smoothies. A short googling session about Vitamix revealed to me the newer kid on the block, the BlendTec– because googling for Vitamix reviews kept bringing up “Vitamix vs BlendTec” sites. I found out that these are the only 2 units on the market that will liquify even tough vegetables, manage ice cubes right in the mix, cope with thick nearly-solid creams during ice-cream making, etc.

I began reading the comparisons and reviews. I focused on the ones written by people who have used both products. The others are all by people giving praise for their own blender, with no idea what the other one is like. Kind of pointless, except for reading what features people love in the one they selected.

3. Why did I pick BlendTec?

They both seem like great machines. I can honestly say I’d buy either one for the job.The home models are both in the same price range, without specials, discount coupons, etc. Vitamix is slightly more expensive, but both are expensive for my fixed-income budget But I know you do have to expect that when you want a high end machine with lots of power.

So it all comes down to priorities for features. My main reasons for my choice, in order of my own priorities:

  • SIZE was the main reason. I have a miniscule kitchen. I want the blender on the countertop, and ALL my countertop has cupboards over it. The Vitamix at 20.5″ is too tall to fit under there. The BlendTec at 15.5″ fits perfectly.
  • PROGRAMS: BlendTec has 30 preprogrammed operations, plus fully manual options like 10 speeds, pulse. Even better, the programs run themselves. The speed goes up and down as needed for the item(s) being processed, and best of all, the machine stops at the end of the program. No babysitting the blender. VitaMix doesn’t have that.
  • WARRANTY. Warranties mean something to me. Not so much because of getting free repairs done. More because of what they imply about how the company stands behind their product. At first I was disappointed to see all the reviews mentioning BlendTec’s 3 year warranty compared to VitaMix’s 7 years (with an optiion to purchase more, for 10 years). BUT! I called BlendTec and they said yes, they have 3 years on everything, AND they have a LIFETIME warranty on the blade and the driveshaft/motor. Lifetime! That tells me it’s a well made machine.
  • SERVICE. I found out there’s a local vendor for the BlendTec, and that they are also a Canadian service depot for the machines. IF there’s ever a problem, I won’t have to wait for parcel service for the repair/replacement. 
  • IMPATIENCE. ;) Once I’d decided on which machine I wanted, I wanted it NOW and it was great not having to wait for an internet order to arrive. I just went to the local vendor and bought it.
  • FAST CLEANUP Basically, it’s just rinse and put back on the base. If the task contained oil or something that doesn’t rinse as well, you just have to put a cup of water and a drop of detergent, pulse, and rinse. (But it’s dishwasher proof if you want to. So far I haven’t felt the need.)

Question from a relative: “The BlendTec though? Sounds a little excessive as it can blend an iPad and a rake.”

(See the fun “Will It Blend?” series of videos!)

My reply: The ipad and rake are just illustrations of the motor power and durability. I’ve tried with other blenders in the past that could never do the juicing thing properly. I have a food processor that can’t even make juice or even good pulp out of some veg & fruit. Ever try sawing your fireplace logs with a kitchen knife? It’s not about overkill, it’s about getting the tool for the job you want done properly. There are only two blenders on the market that can take up the whole plant and make it drinkable. This one can make whole juice out of even the tough veggies, make fresh hot (!) soup from a pile of them, pulverizing the pulp too so you get all the fibre & nutrition as well as the juice. You can throw in the seeds, hulls, skins (of some), all of which hold fibre and nutrition. And it can make green smoothies — a drink of kale every day, that’ll clean yer tank (and make you healthy, ya!)

4. So anyway…

I’ve had my BlendTec for a week and I’ve used it more than anything else in my kitchen this week. I’m such a happy camper! I’m experimenting with recipes 3 or 4 times a day. Tonight I’m going to make some real, homemade ice cream — with real cream, real vanilla pod, real excited kid-feelings. YaY!

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drinking green

June 11th, 2010 · BlendTec diary

I have to say, I was very doubtful about being able to enjoy a green blender drink. Not the color–just the idea of drinking liquified greens. I do eat healthy food and lots of greens, but I figured some of them just need to be cooked. Raw liquid kale? chard? spinach? Um….

But I finally braved it.

I’m a convert! This drink was absolutely delicious — like I mean REALLY delicious. I’ll be having more of this yummy health drink and trying lots of variations to it. What was in this one?

1/2 c. water
1 c. skim milk
1 slice of pineapple, with core and eyes
2 leaves of kale
1/2 a lime, roughly peeled
1 ripe banana
1 cup ice cubes

Oh so good.

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2 reasons to choose organic, and the 13 best foods to start with

June 11th, 2010 · I'm recommending, reference

Two reasons: nutrition & pesticides
(not the only 2 reasons, but these are a good motivational start for organic-newbies)

To me, the percentages from the studies below are fairly convincing. 

1. Nutrition: Milk is one good example
(from http://www.realage.com/tips/the-organic-product-with-more-nutrition)

“In the study, organic milk sported 39% more alpha-linolenic acid and 60% more conjugated linoleic acid than the conventional milk. Good stuff; research suggests that these healthy fats may help fight cancer and protect against type 2 diabetes. The milk from organically raised bovines also provided more vitamin E, beta carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.”

Another article I just came across (and borrowed the above photo from):
Two Uncomplicated Reasons to Choose Organic Eggs and Milk
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mairi-beautyman/two-uncomplicated-reasons_b_107…

2. Pesticides: 12 Foods Where Organic Makes Sense
(from http://www.realage.com/tips/12-foods-where-organic-makes-sense)

Avoiding the “dirty dozen” could dramatically cut your exposure to pesticides. What’s the dirty dozen, you ask? It’s a watch list of the 12 most pesticide-polluted fruits and veggies. Solution: Grab the organic versions. …going organic with these 12 fruits and veggies could cut your exposure to pesticides pesticides as much as 90%!

Fruits
•    Peaches
•    Nectarines
•    Strawberries
•    Cherries
•    Apples
•    Pears
•    Imported grapes

Veggies
•    Spinach
•    Lettuce
•    Potatoes
•    Celery
•    Sweet bell peppers

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slurls

June 8th, 2010 · for fun, whatever

A new term for me today, “slurls” — slurred URLs. The sometimes unfortunate results of putting company names into URLs without spaces. Read the following URLs. I mean read them.

Andy Geldman, author, has compiled 150 pages of slurls in his book Slurls: They Called Their Website What? Gelman said, “In a world without spaces we mentally insert out own. And you might not stick yours where I stick mine.” 

Check out the hilarious slurls quiz on Facebook.

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5 Essential Zen Habits for Balanced Living

May 18th, 2010 · I'm recommending, reference

I’m sharing this blog post from the blog zenhabits: simple productivity. BALANCE has been my focus/theme for 2 years now. My life was really out of balance when I began. Lately, since retiring, it feels like I and my life are getting closer to the state of balance every day. So finding and reading this post felt rewarding. Its advice closely matches my process of coming into balance.
……………………………………..

balanced living

“Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.” – Robert Fulghum

Do you sometimes wonder whether your life is in balance? It is easy to know if you lead a balanced life because if you do then:

- you enjoy every moment and every second,
- you can cope with any difficulties,
- you can be happy without any reason to be happy,
- you can be yourself and love the person you are.

#more

Today the world constantly tries to throw you out of balance and sometimes no matter what you do you still feel like your life is going in the wrong direction (I know I feel this way sometimes.) Balanced living might seem like one of those theoretical terms that nobody can put into practice but in fact there is nothing simpler than living a balanced life.

It might take some work at first but once you get in the flow and discover the simple ways to steer your life in your desired direction you will feel empowered. You will be inspired and energized by every day of your life. Your life will be full of amazing adventures and events that will make every day memorable. You won’t be wasting your life anymore or spending gloomy hours contemplating about the misfortunes that might have happened on your way.

Does balanced living mean that your life will be full of only positive people and events that will bring you happiness every moment of your life? Not at all.

Balanced living is when you can always offset any negative events in your life with positive ones. It is also when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Balanced living is when you are happy working and playing equally. If you picture happiness and everything great in your life as a diamond, then any negative things that may happen are just the setting that makes this diamond shine only brighter.

If you want to live a balanced life then there are 5 essential habits that you need to develop.

  1. Awareness and mindfulness. Awareness is the key to balanced living because it lets you see every moment of your life and appreciate it. A mindful person lives in the present and does not get obsessed with the future or the past. It’s important to plan for the future and learn from your mistakes in the past, but it is even more important to appreciate who you are right now and find joy in this state.
    When you are aware of this moment you are calm and you do not make any decisions that you might regret later.
    When you are mindful you are in balance with the universe.
  2. Appreciation of your body. By “appreciation” I mean taking care of your body. If you are grateful for the very first gift that you received in your life (your body) then you must take care of it. It means making healthy choices in life, exercising and being generally active, eating a balanced and healthy diet, letting your body rest when it’s tired and pampering it every once in a while.
    Your body is the tool that lets you experience so many wonderful moments in life and you need to do your best when taking care of it.
    Clearly, balanced living is not possible without a balanced body.
  3. Creativity. Every day we face a lot of challenges and choices in life. Some of these challenges might be easy while others will be more difficult. If you approach each of your challenges with creativity then your life will be filled with adventures. Conversely, if you turn off your creativity, then your life will turn into torture.
    Creativity is a wonderful tool that lets us turn our dreams into reality, turn play into work and work into play, and enjoy life even when it seems empty.
    Creative people are the ones who can make the exquisite setting for the diamond of their life.
  4. Patience. With patience we can overcome almost anything whilst without it we can ruin almost anything.
    Patience can help us turn our dreams into reality (losing weight, starting a business or blog). It can help us be better parents, spouses, friends and even strangers (sometimes a smile from an understanding stranger can make the biggest difference when you are having a bad day). If you are patient you do not have to worry about the minutes spent in traffic or in the line at the grocery store. With patience you can see results in all your endeavors and you do not have to spend the precious time of your life getting mad or infuriated.
    Patience leads to mindfulness and mindfulness brings you in balance.
  5. Simplicity. Simplicity is probably the most important part of life balance. When you build your life around simplicity you reduce the number of out-of-balance things that can disrupt your happy living.
    In balance everything is simple. There are two opposites (like black and white) and you just have to pick something in the middle:

    • Simplify you work schedule so that you do not have to think about a hundred things at the same time.
    • Simplify your relationships by connecting with people you truly care about and getting rid of the ones you don’t.
    • Simplify your diet by choosing simple healthy ingredients that are part of balanced nutrition.
    • Simplify your social media exposure and enjoy living life and getting things done rather than wasting time online.

    Simplicity makes life balance simple.

These habits have been my lifeline for many years and I cannot imagine a balanced (and happy) life without them.

Living in balance is easy and very rewarding because your life becomes the one of joy, happiness and serenity. If you put some time and effort into turning your life into a balanced direction then you too will live a truly Zen life.

………………………………………………….

Point #5 is a great place to start. My partner and I often use “simplicity” as a self-check. For example, when making a decision about anything, we ask ourselves, “Will this make our lives simpler?”

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the rear view mirror

May 16th, 2010 · my world, whatever

Yup, retirement is certainly proving to be a great b’day present to self. I’m enjoying it enormously. Have pretty much gotten over the “I’m bored, what should I do?” stage already. Ian, my partner, calls that the decompression stage of retiring. (SCUBA diver talk.)

But anyway, it’s so great to officially not have anything to do, to be able to flow from one activity to another willy-nilly, doing just whatever as it occurs to me. What kind of a life is that! Unimaginable, prior to having it. Pretty awesome.
 
Turns out, retirement isn’t about having nothing to do. I’m mostly doing something all the time. But now there are no shoulds or have-tos, and now there’s no schedule. Daily life has become a flow of spontaneous activity. I even leave tasks unfinished, to return to later! (or not!)

Trouble is, when I do schedule some activity or another that has a certain time to do it and a certain place… it feels intrusive. Nevertheless, I’ve decided that I need to have some scheduled days, just to tune-up my feelings of appreciation for the days when there’s nothing I have to do. And appreciation for the willy-nilly flow of unscheduled life.

So maybe a better way to think of retirement, instead of “having nothing to do”, is “not having to do anything”.

And: “life, unscheduled“.
 

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Temple Grandin, the movie and the person

May 4th, 2010 · I'm recommending

If you get a chance to see this movie, I highly recommend it! I just happened upon it on HBO and I’m so glad. Clare Danes is amazing in her portrayal of this amazing real-life person. Here’s the trailer:

Before I watched the movie, I watched the documentary about Temple Grandin. If you’re interested, here are the YouTube links to the 5 parts. Ms. Grandin and her life are fascinating!

 

 

 

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