Day 2: September 19, 2007

Photo: Springtime in Devonshire (by Jody Miller)

I went to The Google ... ah ... ah, The Internets today (the above is a Chimpy inside joke) for the videos posted below because since returning from England I have found myself inexplicably drawn to and succumbing to eating the most damaging foods possible: meat, sugar and white flour!

I could analyze into oblivion the reasons, but it would be pointless. I figure all I have is this moment. All I have is now, so rather than waste a moment in the past, I'll simply go forward on this raw food/get fit adventure. My month-long vacation in England sort of threw me a bit off my stride, I think, but I'm now back on track. For me, this road to fitness meanders a bit, but it's leading me back to myself, so I just keep on keeping on. "Back to myself" in the sense that it's gradually unveiling the me that's already there, yet still under some layers of "protective clothing" in the form of fat! I'd prefer a Gortex jacket for protective clothing from now on!

If you can bear with the corniness factor, check out these wacky "Meatrix" videos. I remember seeing the first one a couple of years ago when I started all my research in earnest on garbage food, or "faux food" (and its relationship to obesity specifically) ... before realizing that this fake food is actually the single, most definitive cause of EVERY illness man endures! I say "fake" because one usually expects food to nurture. But faux food does the exact opposite. Maybe a better term then would be fraud food (?)!

I'm posting these videos, as corny as they are, because I think eating mass-produced cooked meats and dairy is the No. 1 cause of disease, yet is so insideously hard to get away from because we have grown dependent on and addicted to its taste, as it is all pervasive in our cultures. It represents comfort, safety, home & hearth and a zillion other things! I'm also posting the videos to remind and reinvigorate myself about the REALITIES of agri-business farms in general so that I re-commit to steering clear of what is grown on them (pun intended)! Faux food isn't limited to just meat and dairy though. It's stuff we've thought is real food but isn't: any food tainted by man in some way; any food that grows naturally but that man then "processes" (messes up) with heat and chemical additives.

Guess I'll be getting rid of that big ole Italian meatball sitting in my fridge just screaming out to be microwaved and slopped up with some white Italian bread! Yup. That will be my ritual kickoff tonight when I get home from work. I'll give it a proper burial ... into the garbage pail. May the meatball rest in peace . . . before it causes me to R.I.P.

The Meatrix

Take the red pill and watch the critically-acclaimed, award-winning first episode of The Meatrix Trilogy.

The Meatrix II

Our heroes Moopheus, Leo, and Chickity return in "The Meatrix II: Revolting" to expose the dark side of the dairy industry.

The Meatrix II-1/2

"The Meatrix II-1/2" takes us to a processing facility, where we learn how we feed our Fast Food Nation.

What I think of myself determines my success. Do I love myself enough to commit to getting this life-threatening fat off of my body? Am I willing to do what it takes to reach the level of fitness I long for? Seeing myself (in my mind's eye) already having reached my goal is crucial to arriving there! If I have realized anything from my time spent in England is that what I THINK of myself can either cripple me emotionally and mentally -- or make me free. I am the master of what comes to me. As I think of myself, so shall others.

Most Astonishing Health Disaster of the 20th Century! (8/10/07)

Don't miss this short, but powerful, video, and if you're able, pass it on to friends and family. (It's even got one of my all-time fave Hawaiians, Israel "Bruddah Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole, singing throughout.)

Most Astonishing Health Disaster of the 20th Century

How sad and ironic that it is Bruddah Iz singing on this video ... as he died of obesity -- obesity unchecked, uncorrected, unhealed. From all who knew him, he was a beautiful soul. (He died a couple of months before I moved to Oahu in 1997).

"White Sandy Beach of Hawaii"

I've been right where he is many a day. It's Waimanalo Beach -- one of the most beautiful in all the Islands.

Video of Bruddah Iz Performing in a Park in Hawaii

Notice How Many Hawaiians Know the Lyrics

Tribute in Honolulu for Bruddah Iz

Check out Rhapsody - You can register (no strings) to listen to all kinds of music for free.

Register for Rhapsody Free Music Here

In This Life - Bruddah Iz

Oh... now I'm on a roll! ... here's a song by Keali'i Reichel, another of my favorite Hawaiian singers.

E O Mai

I Will Be Here (a simple love song that I love)

Okay . . . now I've gone and made myself "homesick" for Hawai'i nei! One look at the photo above -- that SKY! -- tells you why!

Month 5 - August

Well, I've completed my "30 Days to Raw" coaching seminar with Karen Knowler and now I'm back and will be recording in my blog again more regularly for the next eight months or so. When the eight months conclude, it will have been a whole year since beginning this "raw food journal." In that time I hope to be gleefully reporting that I've reached all my goals and am happily tooling along a lot more fit, a lot more healthy, and consistently eating primarily raw foods. Actually, it is more than a hope. It is a certainty! I WILL be telling you all about it.

As the landscape photos that I've recently posted show, I plan to be away on vacation for nearly a month beginning August 15th, just eight days from now. Chances are I'll have limited use of a computer -- but I'll manage to pop on here and there, hopefully, during that time.

I wanted to jot down a few highlights of my coaching time with Karen Knowler, but the clock tells me I must run for my train -- so tomorrow I'll get to that! Karen is the "Raw Food Coach" ... and all-around superwoman who is mum to a five-year old and manages to do the work of at least five people ... as you can see if you take a look at her extensive and highly informative website! Click on her link to the right: "Start Here").

Ta-ta for now. More tomorrow.

Sunset over the Isle of Skye

Sunset over the Isle of Skye, originally uploaded by Basirk.

I'll be in Scotland in a few weeks ... and quite possibly I may be taking in this very view looking out towards the Isle of Skye -- at least, that's what I hear from my very capable tour guide. What a beautiful place. I can't wait!

Yorkshire Dales Waterfall

Yorkshire dales waterfall, originally uploaded by ahisgett.

Hull England

WOW ... this sunset in Hull, England looks surreal. Amazing. I'm heading to England in a few weeks or so and I went looking for some photos of where I'll spend most of my time. It'll be in a town called Hull, where my friend lives. From what he tells me, this photo (and the one just below) are probably some of the "prettier" sights of Hull (tee, hee). He says it's not one of the more "desirable" places folks want to live in England. No matter . . . I plan on having a wonderful time -- even doing mundane things like shopping in a Brit market will be fun to me.

Sunset Over River Hull

Sunset Over River Hull, originally uploaded by Alan M-A.

This is where I'm heading in about a month or so . . . to hang out with a friend of mine for a few weeks. I went on line to see if I could find some photos of the town, Hull (England) ... and this was one that caught my eye ... for obvious reasons. Never saw a sunset like this in Hawaii, even! Gorgeous.