THe Breath that Attracted a Siren

I had had a very long day on the road. To make matters worse, I had a cup of coffee at 3pm with a burger and fries from the local fast food chain. I personally don't eat fast food too often, but it was all that was close and I was HUNGRY! Needless to say, an hour later, my breath was filling up the car and began to offend me. Ugh. I was just getting off the freeway and approaching a red light at a major intersection. The light had just turned red and knowing this was a long light, I reached for my bottle of Crest Pro-Health Advanced Mouthwash which I now always travel with. I took a big swig and began swishing when to my chagrin, the light turned green. I quickly capped the bottle, continued swishing and continued through the intersection. Before I crossed over the far crosswalk, there it was, the flashing blue light we all love. I police officer on a motorcycle was signalling me to pull over. I drive for a living, so I was really freaked out about this. I was trying to think what I did. Did the light really turn green? It was a short light. OMG, did I run a red light!! All these thought of paranoia ran through my brain as I slowly pulled to the curb. Oh yeah, mouth wash! I still was swishing, quite frantically now, but I grabbed my empty coffee cup from earlier and expelled the fluid. At least my breath will be good for the officer. Ugh. I look in the side view mirror and he is walking up to me as he removes his gloves. I roll down my window, shaking all the way. He very cautiously asks me for me drivers license, registration and proof of insurance which I had ready for him. He told me to stay in the car and walked back to his bike to most likely run my numbers. Let me tell you, the that short amount of time seemed to take forever as my mind was twirling in scenarios. Finally, he came back and, still holding my info in his hand, asked me if I had been drinking today. Shocked, I spurted out a NO, maybe even a little to strongly because he stiffened a bit.
He then said "I will give you one chance to tell me the truth. What will it be?"
"Coffee....", was all I could stutter out.
"Please step out of the car sir," he said putting his hand on his sidearm. I did as he said.
"What is this about, sir? Did I run the light? Was I swerving? I don't get it?" I pleaded.
"Sir," he continues, as he walks towards my car to peek in it "I was right behind you. I saw you take a swig out of a bottle. It didn't look like a soda bottle."
My body released. Everything dropped as I relaxed and I chuckled.
"Is something funny, sir? I'm gonna need you to do a few tests," he was a bit upset.
I then told him, "Sir, you did see me drink out of a bottle. It was mouthwash. It is right there inside the door." I was leaning over trying to point it out.
He found it, and pulled it out and was looking at the bottle. He set it down, and continued to look through the car. He found my coffee cup and removed the lid and sniffed. He winced and looked back at me quizzically.
"I can't swallow the mouthwash," I explained.
He put the lid back on and walked over to me still carrying the bottle of mouthwash.
He made me run through the tests anyway. And as I was successfully completing all the tasks,he asked about the mouthwash. He said he had never known Crest made mouthwash. I told him I hadn't known either and that I had gotten a free sample from BzzAgents.com to review. He then chuckled a bit as he noticed the mouthwash was Alcohol-free. "Well, I couldn't have been more wrong," he said as he handed me back the bottle and all my information.
He apologized unnecessarily, and I asked if he wanted a coupon for the mouthwash that I had printed off of coupons.com. He shrugged and took the coupon and told me to drive safe. And that was that. I got into my car and headed home......finally

A Swish in Time

I am usually out on the road for work, but occasionally I have to venture back to the office and check in to see what's going on and let them know their money is going to a living entity. For those of you who travel a lot, you know the sleep hours get wonky, the diet gets destroyed and coffee becomes your best tool to repair the day. Aside from all the other hazardous side effects of this behavior, the breath seems to suffer the most. I mean, I can strip the paint off a new car with my breath at some points of the day. The last thing I need to do after being on the road for eleven days, is appear at the office and level the entire staff with one hearty, "Heeeeeellllllllooooooooooooooooo!!!!". So I've learned to have stashes of mouthwash everywhere. Today's stash point is the glove box. I always travel with my mouthwash. So last week I came back from a mild trip. It was early evening and I was thrashed. I took a swig of my Crest Pro-Health Advanced Mouthwash, swished for a minute, and into the bush it flew. I confidently walked into the office and gave my trademark hello. I then had a meeting with seven of my colleagues minutes later. After my wordy presentation, I was asked by the big boss, who used to do what I did, how my breath was not toxic (he still suffers from rancid breath). I thought, "really, this is what he asks me after I gave the presentation of the millennium!" Ugh. Well then it dawned on me, this stuff must be working. So I filled him in as the rest listened. I told him that I often do Bzz campaigns with BzzAgent.com(that was another 5 minute detour). I explained that currently I was reviewing Crest Pro-Health Advanced Mouthwash which I had received for free, and was just now reaping the results. I told them that not only does is freshen breath by destroying germs, it is supposed to prevent cavities and help strengthen your teeth and gums. I have no proof of the latter personally, yet, but my dentist will sort that out. I brought the bottle in to let them all pass it around and sniff and shake and read the contents. I then orchestrated a group swishing. I passed out little dixie cups and dosed them all. We watched the second hand swing around to 12 and we all threw back and commenced swishing. It was a very odd scene. There were many different swish techniques. There was the rapid rabbit swish. The chimpanzee upper lip swish. The chipmunk full cheek swish. And my favorite, the Newton's Cradle cheek-to-cheek swish. A few passers by had to double take and lean into the room to see what was happening. A few of us almost spit the purple fluid across the room as bouts of silly laughter bubbled up. As the second hand swung back around to 12, we spit back into our cups and burst out laughing. As the laughter died down the chatter was insane. There was one person who was fighting the after taste. She had just had a lemon cough drop before the meeting and apparently lemon does not go with purple. You have been warned. I directed them to the coupons.com web link where they could all print a generous coupon for themselves and retrieved the remains of my bottle. Placing it in my file drawer, I invited everyone to use it as necessary. To my chagrin, two days later, both the men's and women's employee bathrooms had a bottle on the sink.

the Mad Maggies - Heaven On This Earth

the Mad Maggies - Street Dog

ME

Street Dog! the new video from the Mad Maggies

the Mad Maggies -- musical voyagers

MorningStar Farms

On my road to a healthier eating style, I have come across MorningStar Farms, a wonderful company that offers many alternatives to meat. I was recently invited by BzzAgent.com to join a campaign for MorningStar Farms in which they gave me discount coupons to try their products and share my findings with others through word of mouth and tastebuds. Not only are their products healthy and nutritious, they also offer a wide varieties of tastes and textures allowing one a massive template to create ones own culinary cookbook. Here is recipe I have used with MorningStar Farms products:

Spicy Black Bean Burger Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:
2 MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers
1 Tbsp. of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cup of pumpkin, cubed
3 cups of vegetable stock
2 teaspoon oregano (dried or 1 Tbsp. fresh)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Fresh parsley, handful, chopped
14oz (400g) of tomato passata or canned chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp. vegan worcestershire sauce or tamari
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 teaspoon sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
2.) Slowly cook the oil, onion and garlic on medium-low heat until soft.
5.) Add crumbled MorningStar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers, celery, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, stock, herbs, tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30minutes. Can add more water if needed.
6.) In a casserole dish, add all the bean tomato mix then top with the garlicy mash.
7.) Optional step: sprinkle with natural almond meal and a drizzle of olive oil.
8.) Bake for 40 mins or until slightly brown on the top.
9.) Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!

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I have been a part of this yummy Bzz Campaign for Smartfoods snacks.  An alternative snack company that offers yummy goodness without sacrificing heath.  Their products use All natural ingredients, no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. They are free of Trans fats and use absolutely no MSG!   Every one who knows me knows what a picky eater and label reader I am. I am here to tell you I actually enjoyed them.  They did not sacrifice any flavor.  They do use dairy in some of their products, which is something I usually steer away from.  Over all, I like the flavor and feel safe with the ingredients. Give them a try!

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Reboot: Day 25: Phase 2 Day 11 - The end

Here begins day twenty-six, day six of phase two of my participation in the Bzzagent.com campaign, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. As a Bzz agent, I joined this campaign a few weeks ago and today I continue on my journey of health and rebooting the body. This is the last day of my reboot! I have reached my goal and lost 15 pounds on the way. It was a fun, challenging and very educational experience. I feel terrific! I will continue juicing as a part of my daily routine, but will now continue back to my regular menu of fresh veggies, fruit, nuts, whole grains, legumes and seeds and the occasional fun meals like pizza, steak and what not. The idea, here, is to maintain a healthy base to allow the body to function at peak performance without sacrificing the joy of being alive. Some people have interpreted this journey as a denial of life's true pleasures, eating "real" food. When in reality, it allows me to enjoys the finer things in life while without sacrificing my health. Which includes not only rich, yummy non-nutritional foods, but also healthy reboots. A reboot is just that, a reboot. It is a good way to cleanse the body of toxins and replenish the coffers with the vitamins and nutrients the body uses to fight off disease and maintain good health. But it does not include all the nutrients the body needs to function efficiently so it is important to eat foods with plenty of protein, fiber and essential nutrients for sustaining good health(ie nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains) I am now fully aware of the damages of processed foods, which incorporated about 60% of the American diet. I know I will probably eat these foods again, but never in large quantities. I have not had soda or "juice" drinks in over six months and plan on keeping these at bay also. I guess just the fact that I am aware of what I am putting inside my body is a huge success. To be honest, I have been craving a big fat steak! Haha! I know, but yum. We'll see whether it happens. For those who believe man is a meat eater, here are some annoying facts to toss around. I'm not taking sides, but I thought this was interesting.

Meat-eaters: have claws

Herbivores: no claws

Humans: no claws

Meat-eaters: have no skin pores and perspire through the tongue

Herbivores: perspire through skin pores

Humans: perspire through skin pores

Meat-eaters: have sharp front teeth for tearing, with no flat molar teeth for grinding

Herbivores: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding

Humans: no sharp front teeth, but flat rear molars for grinding

Meat-eaters: have intestinal tract that is only 3 times their body length so that rapidly decaying meat can pass through quickly

Herbivores: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.

Humans: have intestinal tract 10-12 times their body length.

Meat-eaters: have strong hydrochloric acid in stomach to digest meat

Herbivores: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater

Humans: have stomach acid that is 20 times weaker than that of a meat-eater

Meat-eaters: salivary glands in mouth not needed to pre-digest grains and fruits.

Herbivores: well-developed salivary glands which are necessary to pre-digest grains and fruits

Humans: well-developed salivary glands, which are necessary to pre-digest, grains and fruits

Meat-eaters: have acid saliva with no enzyme ptyalin to pre-digest grains

Herbivores: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains

Humans: have alkaline saliva with ptyalin to pre-digest grains

I've been asked a great deal about why I am doing this Reboot.  There are several reasons. I have spoken about the Bzz campaign, and mentioned the immune system reset. What I did not mention was that I am going in tomorrow morning for some minor, non-life threatening surgery.  It will be an out-patient experience, but will require a great deal of heal time.  I wanted to prepare my body and get it in top shape to perform its healing duties.  I was quoted 3-4 weeks of heal time, and I believe it can be sooner. I will not rush the process but will monitor it very closely.  I would like some time off from work, but not this way.  So  off I go.  I am officially ending my reboot today because tomorrow I will by pumped full of meds which basically nullify my journey.  During the healing process, I will continue juicing, but will also be eating lots of beans, whole grains and brown rice to bulk up and get plenty of protein back into the mix.

Again, this has been a fun experience, and look forward to doing it again soon. I will continue with a six-day reboot every two months, or so, and another 15-day reboot in six months.  I hoped this blog has helped people and I recommend joining Joe Cross at Join the Reboot.  There is lots of information, recipes and forums to help you find your best path to a healthy new you.  Thanks again to Bzzagent.com for allowing me this opportunity to participate in the awesome campaign.

Reboot: Day 21: Phase Two Day 6

Here begins day twenty-one, day six of phase two of my participation in the Bzzagent.com campaign, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. As a Bzz agent, I joined this campaign a few weeks ago and today I continue on my journey of health and rebooting the body. Over the course of the last three weeks during this Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead campaign, I have met a lot of new people and forged new bonds between old friends. Two such friends are a married couple, Maggie and Gary, I have had the pleasure of playing music with for the past year and a half with The Mad Maggies. They have been following my progress with this Bzz campaign through my Blog, On the road to my destination, and have been asking me questions throughout. Gary has also been following Joe Cross, himself, on his page, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. As of last week, The have purchased not only a Hurom juicer, but a Vitamix! They began their 15-day juice reboot on Monday. I believe Maggie is doing a six day reboot, but will remain plant based in diet in  solidarity I have been following their progress through their Facebook pages. It is quite humorous reading their stories and seeing all the parallels between our journeys. Last night I went over to their house to go over some details of and up coming tour and live album we are planning. When I arrived, I noticed instantly, a change in their appearance. It had only been 6 days, but there was an unmistakable change in their being. Gary lost about 7 pounds and their skin and faces looked, healthy! When I walked in the door, they were excited to have me try one of their creations. I was actually bombarded by concoctions. First, they handed me a leftover of Gary's famous avocado smoothie, made with the Vitamix. It was nothing short of heavenly.Maybe Gary will share  the recipe and I'll share it with you all. Next, they handed me a watermelon juice made with the Vitamix and all but the skin of the watermelon. It was blended perfectly so there was just enough pulp to make it a fun experience to the mouth without losing any flavor. Sweet!  After which, they preceded to peel, de-seed and cut up an entire cantaloupe. After 20 seconds in the Vitamix, the declared it was their first time trying this, and poured me a glass. Three words...De. Lish. Us! We sat out back sipping on our smoothies and talking shop. About two hours later, Maggie declares she is hungry. Dinner time! They asked if I would like to stay for dinner. Absolutely is my answer. I wanted to see this Hurom juicer in action. I was not disappointed. They created a beautifully yummy juice containing spinach, red beets, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, parsley, bok choy, kale, apple....I know I am forgetting something, but let me tell you, I have a Breville Juicer, which I love, but it is loud and makes juice like no tomorrow. The Hurom juicer works slow, quiet and methodically to extract all the juice from the pulp allowing a bit of the pulp to seep through. It has to be experienced. Well, we toasted to our health and future success in the music world, and drank away. It is very rewarding to do things for oneself that you know are great for one's health. But it is equally, if not more rewarding, to have friends join in the experience of taking care of oneself and each other. This has been a great campaign and I plan to incorporate juicing in my routine in one form or another for the rest of my life. I feel great, and am honestly more optimistic towards just about everything. Thanks again to Bzzagent.com for allowing me this opportunity to participate in the awesome campaign.

Reboot: Day 20: Phase 2 Day 5

Here begins day twenty, Day five of phase 2 of my participation in the Bzzagent.com campaign, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. As a Bzz agent, I joined this campaign a few weeks ago and today I continue on my journey of health and rebooting the body. Its been a while since I've updated my status. I am now on day 20 and all is well. All the drama has passed and I am now in auto pilot. The juicing is still a major part of my eating program. I have juice in the morning and at night. In the afternoons I have a plant based meal consisting of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and beans. When I crave a snack, I whip up an awesome fruit smoothie with various frozen and fresh fruits. I like to add bee pollen and a mix of crushed flax, sesame, and sunflower seed into the mix. I've learned a few things along the way about juicing. I've tried to mix it up and try new thing. One thing to never do it juice a whole skinned cactus leaf!!!! Unless you like drinking a glass of St Bernard drool, I suggest you avoid it. That disaster prompted me to hit the books. I've checked out a couple. The first logical place to start for me was The Complete Idiot's Guide to Juicing -Mantesh. This provided the basic who's and what's of Juicing. I then went out and purchased, for a small fortune, Conquering ANY Disease (book) by Jeff Primack. "Includes time-proven "Specific" food healing guidelines for helping the body naturally reverse Cancer and Tumors, All forms of Heart Disease, Diabetes Type 1 & 2, and Autism!! Also provides the keys for: Allergy, Anemia, Arthritis, Asthma, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Poor Blood Circulation, Chronic Fatigue-Fibromyalgia, Colds, Coughs, Flu Virus, Constipation & Digestive, Depression, Eye Diseases & Poor Vision, Infertility, Insomnia, Kidney Stones, Liver Diseases, Menopause, Migraines, Osteoporosis, Prostate Disorders, Sexual Problems, Thyroid Problems & Weight loss." The big book of Juices is another book I'd like to check out. My point being there are so many things to try and experiment with that it keeps things interesting and exciting. I've also met a whole new crew of people who have embraced my journey and are helping me along with new ideas and methods of juicing. I met a woman who showed me the correct way to grow wheat grass, a fairly new addition to my daily routine. I don't have a wheatgrass juicer yet, but I think my friend had mentioned his Hurom juicer would work. I have to check one of those out. I keep hearing they are the bomb! I have also discovered that a great number of my friends are interested in juicing and eating healthier. Since I have begun, 8 of my friends have started on this reboot plan. Some try the 6-day and some more ambitious ones are going for the 15-day. I wish them all the best. They will love the results! Thanks again to Bzzagent.com for allowing me this opportunity to participate in the awesome campaign.

Reboot: Day 15 - End of Phase One

Here begins day fifteen, the final day of phase one of my participation in the Bzzagent.com campaign, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. As a Bzz agent, I joined this campaign a couple of weeks ago and today I continue on my journey of health and rebooting the body. I made it through the first 15 days. Summary, I lost 14 pounds, my arthritis is gone and I have a lot more energy than before I started. I was at an annual boy scout camping trip over the weekend and was extremely shocked and happy when people I haven't seen in a long time complimented me on the way I looked. I had several people ask about what I had done and enjoyed sharing the process with them. What I call phase one was a 15-day all juicing reboot. My goal was to go the first 15 days with nothing but juice. Unfortunately on day number twelve, I weighed in below my goal. I had to start phase two early. Phase two is the same as one but incorporates 1 smoothie and 1 plant-based meal a day. So on the night of the twelfth day, I ate a lot of fruit and salad. I even snuck in, I know, bad, a hot link. I was camping! I did juice 8 liters of veggies before I left for the campgrounds, and stored it in a cooler. I drank one liter for every meal I was there. On day 13, Saturday, I played a fun gig with The Mad Maggies at Korbel Winery in the Russian River Valley. It was a private party for the wine club and had a pirate theme. Not only was it a great night, but I got to eat a beautiful plate of food prepared by the chef on hand. There was a delicious green salad and sauteed veggies. I even indulged in a little coleslaw. I don't recommend eating out during a reboot because they tend to use a lot of salt and oils. But these particular foods were not too overdone and yet very tasty. On day 14, back to the liters of juice as we packed camp and headed home. Day 15 and I was back to work. Mondays are always fun. I've had three 20oz juices through the course of the day and am about to make my dinner salad an smoothie. I had fun meeting the challenges for the first 15 day phase and look forward to the next 15. If feels good to do something nice for myself! Thanks again to Bzzagent.com for allowing me this opportunity to participate in the awesome campaign.

Reboot: Day 12

Here begins day twelve of my participation in the Bzzagent.com campaign,  Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. As a Bzz agent, I joined this campaign a  couple of weeks ago and today I continue on my journey of health and  rebooting the body. Wow!  It's already Friday. Well this was a very busy but productive week. 1 major project was finished yesterday and 1 will be finished this afternoon. There's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment. Speaking of accomplishment, day number 12. I woke up bright and early this morning and walked into the gym. The first thing I did was weigh myself.  It has been 6 days since I stepped on a scale. I thought my eyes were filled with morning goo as I stared at a 175 on the scale. That is below my target weight. I do not want to lose anymore. I am now at a crossroad. It is only day 12 on phase 1. I believe I must enter phase two early. My phase 2 is the same as phase 1 but incorporates 1 smoothie and 1 plant based meal a day. I do not wish to lose anymore weight. I guess I need to hit the weights harder and bulk up more. Ugh. I can't believe I lost 10 pounds in 10 days. I do feel really good. Still no return of the arthritis in my hands. The pain in my feet has come back so I am now positive it's got something to do with my back. That's another blog.  Alrighty then. Looking ahead I have a weekend of camping and a great show out in the Russian River area. Thanks again to Bzzagent.com for allowing me this opportunity to participate in the awesome campaign.

Reboot: Day 9

Here begins day nine of my participation in the Bzzagent.com campaign, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. As a Bzz agent, I joined this campaign a couple of weeks ago and today I continue on my journey of health and rebooting the body.  I have to say I feel like a new person on Day nine. I awoke with absolutely no sign of the headache I had had for the past two days.  My hands are still pain free and my feet are still improving.  This is getting interesting.  The tire around my waist is slowly disappearing, too.  The belly blub is still chillin, though. I guess I actually have to work for that...ugh.  Well, to everyone's wonder, I am still only juicing.  At this point, I have a lot of friends questioning why I am doing this.  They now realize I am totally committed to finishing what I started. I have to admit, I, too, am a bit surprised I am still going. I love food. I can't wait to eat something other than juice. But here I am. I am actually pretty content with everything. I believe the results I mentioned earlier are my drive now. This is really working....huh, who'da thunk it.  Thanks again to Bzzagent.com for allowing me this opportunity to participate in the awesome campaign.

Reboot: Day 8

Here begins day eight of my participation in the Bzzagent.com campaign, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. As a Bzz agent, I joined this campaign a couple of weeks ago and today I continue on my journey of health and rebooting the body.Day 8 was a bit of a blind spot. I'm not sure why but I suffered a severe headache yesterday. Almost migrainish. I'm not sure if it was from detoxifying, or maybe I have some how compartmentalized all the crazy life experiences that have piled up on me over the last few days. Granted, they were all the little things that didn't deserve a whole bunch of power. Somehow I let the little irritations manifest in my brain where they began feasting on my nerve endings. Regardless, the end result was painful. I was squinting all day like Clint Eastwood. And of course, on this day, everything required my immediate attention.  I managed to muscle through the whole day and by 6 pm I found myself sitting on the couch in a dark room. I drummed up enough energy to make myself a dinner juice. Afterwards I went for a short 20 minute walk, took the shower and went straight to bed.  Okay, that covers the days happenings. I have made a few observations that are very interesting. About 4 years ago the ball under my right foot pinky toes started to go numb. About a year ago the left foot started. I drive a truck 5 days a week and I play drums 7 days a week so my feet get a workout. I thought maybe it was wear and tear. Just be sure I went to the doctors. They ruled out diabetes and several other diseases. About 6 months ago I started getting arthritis in both my hands. Again I thought it was from my drumming and my driving. Now I don't know if this is coincidence or not, but over the last few days the arthritis in my hands is completely gone and my feet have been the,awing out.  I have had days where my feet haven't hurt at all, and the numbness seems to wane. I have also had days where my hands don't hurt at all. But I have never been pain free in both my hands and my feet at the same time let alone 2 days in a row. I am going to be optimistic and hope the juicing is helping these situations. Time will tell. Thanks again to Bzzagent.com for allowing me this opportunity to participate in the awesome campaign.