There is a big problem in my life that I have been ignoring for years. Or, just papering over and pretending to deal with. It’s one of those things that is private and if I chose to never mention it then noone would ever have any clue about it. It is easily hidden and even easy to ignore. Sure, there are a couple of times a day when I am confronted by this issue and am forced to deal with it. But the soon evidence of it is shoved back in a drawer, or hidden under other things. I’ve spent money to try to fix it. I’ve thrown things out, I’ve tried to just live with it, but it never fails to come back and bother me again. I know for certain that I am not alone in dealing with this problem. But I wonder, for those who’ve dealt with this issue successfully, how do they do it? Is it will power, is there some magical solution?

Some of you may have already guessed what I’m talking about. For those of you who haven’t, read on…

Yes, I am talking about mismatched socks. It seems every year I spend a small fortune buying new tube socks, new gym socks, new dress socks, new hiking socks. But it doesn’t seem to matter. Soon enough, the perfectly matched and specially purchased fall into the same old rut – only one sock remains. Who knows where the other one went? I don’t.

There are, of course, those rare pairs that somehow manifest a mystical ability to stay intact for many years, no matter how often they’re worn. For these gifts from the universe, I am greatful, and from them I am given hope.

But for the vast majority of socks, it is inevitable that sooner or later they end up orphaned. A single sock, trying so hard to fit in with other similar but not quite identical socks. Black socks with different patters. White socks with different toe details – yellow, grey, logo’d, blank. Brownish/greenish socks, all desperately searching for their sole-mate, but condemned. Their fates sealed: perhaps they’ll eek out a few bottom-of-the-drawer-no-other-choice mismatched wearings, or they’ll sit their, sometimes for years, unworn, in a desperate but ultimately futile longing for their match. And I, their equally forlorn conspirator. Deluded, pretending, that perhaps, maybe, one day the long-disappeared pair will crawl out from some corner, emerge from hiding, and re-appear through the eternal black hole of sockdom.

But nay. Mismatched socks to not spontaneously re-combobulate.

And as for me, the human manifestation of the orphaned pair — on the one hand I cannot find the internal strength to accept the reality of a lost sock, and on the other hand I abhor the thought of donning two that do not mimic each other in each detail: color, material, thickness, pattern, and logo. And thus I’ve doomed myself to a drawer, and a life, full of unmatched socks.There they sit, unusable. Unwearable. Unbearable.  Yet I’ve not the heart to dispose of them, clinging ever to the stupid, foolish idea that one day I’ll find a pair for at least one of them and for that — a faint and futile hope — I keep them all.

take off, eh.

Even though life doesn’t exactly adhere to the calendar,  I can honestly say that 2008 did have a unique personality, different than any year I’ve experienced before. Here’s a look back at some of the new discoveries in my life that made a positive difference.

A. Podcasts

2008 was the year I really started subscribing and listening to podcasts. Podcasts are neat because they offer fresh content to your earbuds on a daily basis, at no cost to you! Plus, you have an archive of news or music that you consume as you please – not according to a broadcaster’s schedule.

During the peak of the campaign season, I found a handful of entertaining and informative political and news podcasts. Some of them are good enough that I still subscribe, including these:

• The Young Turks, hosted by Cenk Uygur, is a hilarious and smart show for the progressive audience. Cenk has a knack for highlighting the absurd and offensive antics of the right (or left, when appropriate) and presenting them in a  humorous way.
• Rachel Maddow is the single smartest pundit on TV. A brilliant addition to cable, but her podcast is a better way to consume the show.
• On The Media from WNYC – the smartest media  analysis show. Awesome segment this week covering Bush’s final press conference. Classic shit.
  

Beyond politics, I also found these podcasts to rule:

• Tiesto’s club life podcast offers up a fresh dose of trance each week. Tiesto is considered one of the top 3 trance DJs in the world, so you know that his music selection is strong. Only negative is sometimes he talks a bit too much. Perfect for the gym, or for the pre-party.
• More Apple nerdery than you can handle on The Talk Show with Gruber and Benjamin. Last new episode came out in October. But, it was great while it lasted.
• Real Late with Peter Roseberg comes from uber-station Hot 97 in NYC. Rosenberg is the quixotic DJ who finds – and plays – the real deal hip hop. Not the BS MTV/BET/KMEL stuff. And, he’s funny.
• Edge of Sports host Dave Zirin brings together the people from the sports world and politics. So, I guess it is kind of politics-y, but not really. Intellectual for the sports fan.

B. Other Stuff

I discovered some non-podcast things, too:

• Traveling lunges transformed my lower body workout routine from average to BLAU!
  
• Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz was easily the best book I read in ’08. A book unlike any other I’ve come across.
• Cambria. I had always imagined a town like this  – the quintessential central California beach town – exisred, but never knew that it actually did. In reality, far more magical than I could have hoped. A real treasure.
• The wonders of Yelp on the iPhone ensured I never got lost or ate at a third-rate, overpriced restaurant, no matter what city or neighborhood I was in.
• Keyshia Cole, Immortal Technique, Milosh, and Dining Rooms were the new artists I heard for the first time in 2008 that I played the most.
• Honey Crisp apples. Holy mackerel, where have these apples been all my life! They are sweet, they are crispy, they are perfect. Oh, and they’re organic at my local Whole Foods. Yum.

C. The Main Thing

The discovery of the greatest significance, though, was when I realized how much drinking was affecting my sleep. Since my college days, I had suffered from ‘transient insomnia’ and for many years just lived with it. Today, I have no such affliction. Why? Well, thanks to something I discovered during my first alcohol fast, last May: a crash course in the power of sugar. Prior to the fast, I was drinking easily two drinks a night before bed. Sometimes, more. And, almost without fail, after crashing, I’d wake in the middle of the night and then toss and turn, unable to return to deep sleep.

Once I began the fast, I regularly experienced nights of uninterupted sleep. It did not take long to figure out what was going on: the sugar content of the alcohol had been messing with sugar levels in my blood and, thus, my sleep. Wow. That revelation reinforced my motivation and efforts to cut way back on drinking.

The consequences of both of these changes (less alcohol, more sleep) are hard to overstate. I feel better, I look better, I spend less. And there is nothing that can replace, or make up for, a good night of sleep. Psychologically, emotionally, and physically, there is no subsitute for rest.

D. In Conclusion

There were other things, too. I finally listened to Getting Things Done, and instituted GTD principals at work and home. I paid off two huge loans, and discovered the joy of having money in my bank account. I didn’t discover, exactly, my drawing talent. But I did continue to develop it, and that has been a proud personal achievement, too.

All in all, not a static year. And that, above all, is what is important. Life, as they say, is a journey. I don’t want to be in the same place from year to year. To grow is to discover new things – some good, some bad – and evolve. And sometimes, a podcast is just the tool to do that.

Happy discoveries to you in 2009!

Ride the bus.

If the bus were cool, more people would ride it.
If the bus were cool, car drivers wouldn’t be frightened
of the “dangers” of sharing their motorized transit
with folks they don’t know – delinquents and vandals.

If the bus were cool, less gas would be wasted
If the bus were cool, admit it, YOU’d take it
You could take it to work or take it to practice
You might even like it, if you tried it.

Sadly, too many see the bus as a joke
Say these serious people and snobberly folk:
“The bus is for others, they’re not for my kind!”
“I am too busy, I am far too refined!”

But the bus, you see, is actually awesome
When people move together, the city soon blossoms
with texture and energy of those with whom you share
your ride as you ride the bus from here to there

Sharing your seat is not always grand
and sometimes, it is true, you may have to stand
Sometimes, though, you can offer a hand
And help someone in need, a mother or elderly man,

And there are times when your ride on the bus has a moment of fright:
someone clipping his nails, or a theft or a fight
and the bus – damned bus!  – doesn’t  always show up on time.
But give yourself cushion, and all will be fine

The bus saves gas, it saves you from searching for parking
It gives you a reason to do a little more walking
You can read a book, or the paper, or look at the sights
Buses are safe, economical, they run day and night

So the bus, you see, is not for the poor and “those fools”
The bus – like the train or the subway – is a wonderful tool
To take you shopping, sightseeing, to work or to school

The bus, it is true, is truly quite cool.

——-

This poem was inspired by Amanda’s post lamenting the total lack of public discourse on the many benefits of public transportation, in particular as  great means to get around when you are out drinking.

[...] buses aren’t being used as much as they should be, but a large part of the reason why is the mental block of growing up in a car culture.  Making it easy on people is only half the battle.  The other half if getting people to realize how easy it is, which sometimes feels like an insurmountable problem.

She posits that part of the problem is our cultural taboo on discussing potential good decision that can be made while engaging in ‘bad’ behavior. All of our drinking and driving discourse simply discourages drinking. But, why not have a parallel campaign that promotes public transportation as a viable alternative? After all, the bus is cool.

Yet here I stand, at the dawn of a new year, declaring my abstinence from this old friend. An entire year without a single cup of joe.  Whether it will be a battle between time and force of will, a wonderful and memorable experiment, or possibly a well-intentioned but ultimately doomed enterprise – well, only time will tell.

Why am I doing this?

Coffee is not evil. It is not debilitating. On the contrary, it is warm and filling, and with a little bit of cream or milk, it tastes most excellent. But… coffee also is not a health food. In fact, it has a bunch of pretty negative qualities. It leaches calcium from your body. It dehydrates you. It’s a diuretic. These things are not good for you; they speed the aging process.  And, most important to me, over the past year coffee has become an unbreakable habit and, thus, a crutch.

To wake, each and every day, with the idea that my morning cannot truly be OK until I’ve had that first drink of café, well, it just doesn’t sit right with me. So at some point last fall, I started to ponder the possibility of quitting ol’ Joe. At first I thought I’d try a month without it. But then I started to realize that wasn’t going to do the trick. What I needed was a total break from the bean. I’d go whole year sans java. And as 2008 drew to a conclusion, the idea just kept germinating, until it sprouted green and true.

What is the upside?

the health benefits of tea, according to wikipedia.org

In the other corner, we have tea. Tea, tea, the magical elixir. Full of anti-oxidants, battler of free radicals. And tea, unlike coffee, is available in a mind boggling array of flavors and qualities. True, coffee also can be had in a vast array of formulations. And, yes, different beans have different tastes.

But tea itself is among the most varied and versatile foods there are. From black to white, green to herbal, hot to cold, spicy to sweet, for breakfast or dinner, to stimulate or to relax, to fulfill or to cleanse, there is a tea for that! Tea, it seems, is a wonderfood. And I aim to taste them all!

soy chai latte in a cup

So I plan on this: during my 365 days of coffee-free living, I will use the opportunity to explore and share as many new teas as I can! Just five days in on my trek, and each day has brought it’s own version. New Year’s Day, I took the easy way out, slurping a Chai latte from Starbucks. Then, a couple of green teas at home. And a pot of black China tea shared with my mom at the Kensington Cafe. Yesterday I downed a couple servings of home made Zhena’s chai tea. And today, it is Zhena’s Breakfast Bliss black tea. Yum.

morning tea. yumm.

I’ll be posting weekly updates and reviews of my teasplorations. Until the first one, just know that so far I am very encouraged that, rather than the fear and skepticism I felt just a couple of days ago, I am totally encouraged and confident that I really will make it through the whole year without a single drop of coffee! Yes, the old stimulant is being replaced with a new one, but it’s like going from eating a fast food burger to a organic vegetable. They are both food, but one is practically poisonous and the other is nutritious and delicious!

For months years I have encouraged my mother to work out. In the last few years we’ve watched her mother gradually lose some of her mobility and seeing G-ma become more and more aged, I’ve begun to worry about my own mother’s health fading as she enters “seniority”. So I would nag her, “Ya know, Mom, you really should join a gym, go work out, lift weights…”. Twas totally effective. Nawt!

In August, my mom’s work situation changed and I told her “Hey, let’s start working out.” The bulk of the kudos goes to her cos when the ball was in her court, she totally charged ahead. We made plans and <gulp> actually headed to the gym.

Now I don’t know about you, but I was actually nervous about going to the gym (even though I’d been paying my membership fees for well over a year, all I’d ever done was go to pre-natal yoga). It has been many years since I’ve been in a gym working out and I felt intimidated by the machines and defeated by the “What will I do?”edness. Enter my awesome bro and my determined mother. Rick gave us a workout plan and Mom became the motivator. Since August we’ve worked out 2-3 times per week and progressed from the “Express” circuit workout to the Hammer machines and free weights. W00t!

The gym is a weird place. Our gym in particular is very family oriented and the people seem very suburban. Wade stands out (o yes, did I mention he goes to the gym too?) because he is one of the few men with a  beard. We’d both independently noticed this aspect of the gym-people tribe. It’s funny because there seems to be a strict aesthetic at this particular gym. While there, I listen to my wee ipod, which is filled with slamming underground hip-hop and energetic house music and the contrast between the visual (bland middle class peops) and aural (Immortal Technique, Invincible, The Presets) is often hilarious. I didn’t really appreciate my music player before, but now, WOW! There are some songs that get me so motivated and energized. It is so fun! I didn’t know before.

Another aspect of this experience is that we are trying to embrace it as something we’ll do for the rest of our lives rather than the “I’m gonna lose 20 pounds then everything will be perfect”-mentality. Toward that end I’m not really thinking about weight loss, but more of a pursuit of strength, developing musculature and ability. Tis paying off. My goal is that I’ll still be working out in a year – I may lose some weight – but mostly I want to be stronger, more fit and committed to developing my body for the rest of my life.

This past week we went hiking in the desert and I scrambled up some dry falls (& with a 18# baby strapped to my back!) that I would not have been able to do without help before. They were challenging but I made it up. Twas exhilirating to know that our work is paying off in concrete results that allow us more ability and strength. I definitely feel more balance and strength and resilience and that motivates me. Overall, I am so very glad that I took the leap and that I have the good fortune to have all the resources I need to make it a go. Yay!

• TV: So far, Sunday Ticket + 42″ HD x NFL = hot damn! I recognize that this indulgence in watching football could be seen as, I dunno, juvenile. However, the fact is that I love the NFL. To be able to choose fromt the full schedule of games, pick the ones I most want to watch, and record and watch them on a big fat crispy screen in Dolby surround …. I mean, wow! Not cheap, of course. But not a moment of doubt or regret (so far, at least!)
• Best new color guy: Brian Billick. He did the Saints game, which was the early game that I watched. Dude has chops. As a head coach, he was always one of the best, in terms of quips and cleverity, for post-game interviews. As a broadcaster, he brings the deep insight into stratgey and psychology that only a head coach is likely to have, and offers the kind insightful comments that you never get from all the John Madden wannabes that have dominated the second-tier broadcast booth teams for the past decade. Also, he seems to have decent chemistry with play-by-play guy Dick Stockton.
• Logo overload: Between the league logo neck shield, Gene Upshaw patch, American flag decals, special event memorial patches (Colts’ stadium opening), athletic apparel branding, helmet manufacturer, and acual team logo, the players’ uniforms have become almost unbearable to look at. Jesus H. Christ, what is next? TV screens on the side of the helmets?
• Trend alert: crazy eyeblack. Last week I noticed that lots of college players are wearing the band-aid-like eye-black patches with professionally printed text on them. Sure, no problem. This week, I saw at least five NFL players with eyeblack grease that looked more like war paint. It looks mean, I guess.
• Loose ends:
  - Play of the day: Reggie Bush’s 4th-quarter score, starting with a great catch, followed by some darting cuts, finished off by a wicked dive into the end zone. Dude has skills.
  - Matt Forte, rookie running back for Chicago, looked phenomenal against Indy. Too bad I didn’t start him on my fantasy team.
  - Lucas Oil Stadium: Wow. Why are all the good football stadiums other states? Also, cool first name.
  - Hyundai Genesis commercials: Yawn. Third rate Lexus riffing.
  - Other commercials: Skipped ‘em all! DVRs rule.

Oh yeah, I have a TV now. Did I mention that?

Recycling is good. Reducing is better.

Mayor Gavin Newsom gave Jones a glowing introduction, in which he also touted San Francisco’s enivornmental efforts and accomplishments: 70% of all our waste is recycled, with a city wide goal of 100% by 2015. The city has recently instituted policies like banning cheapo plastic shopping bags and a city government ban on purchases of bottled water. Powerful examples of how cities can lead the environmental movement, and people do not have to wait for the Federal government to act in order to start making battling waste and climate change.

Van Jones takes that mindset to the next level by adding to the mix the idea of a Clean Energy Job Corps – really, a way to affect social justice and bring the economic benefits of the blossoming green economy to a segment of our society and economy that is often overlooked and underemployed.

One key lesson I took away from both of their talks was the idea that collectively we can make radical changes to our own behavior and thus to our society, economy, and world, and we can do so in a way that enriches, rather than harms, our lives individually.

One small personal example: Last year I bought a non-disposable plastic water bottle. The idea was to have a permanent, portable water container – good for home, commute, office, and gym. It worked. Until a coworker schooled me on the horrendous side effects of some plastics – including especially the “No. 7″ plastic my Nalgene bottle was made of. Turns out, not such a great idea. In fact, a bad idea. Very Bad. I read up and decided that an unlined stainless steel canister would be the best replacement. So I got one, and recycled my old nastic one.

The new bottle ($15 Kleen Canteen) is awesome: Works with cold & hot liquids, easy to clean and drink out of, no toxins leeching into my agua. It is lightweight. I take it almost everywhere with me (including to Austin), and as a consequence I almost never use disposable plastic water bottles anymore.

This, of course, is a much humbler endeavor than the grand and hope-inspiring efforts Jones set forth. But every little bit we contribute helps. And I’ll keep trying and keep improving every day.

• In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
• 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
• 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
• >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
• >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
• >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

So there you have it, an avalanche of destruction in a single can. Imagine drinking this day after day, week after week. Stick to water, real juice from fresh squeezed fruit, and tea without sweetener.

From Healthbolt, via Martin Luther

Since San Diego tap water comes from a variety of sources, a number of additives are used to counteract the contaminants founds in the water even after treatment. One of these — I think chloramines — leave a stale, chemical taste in the water (something I did not miss when I visited SF a few weeks ago). Kiosks with filters that are hooked up to municipal water pipes seem to eliminate most of this flavor, rendering the water mostly palatable. The little filter we keep in the refrigerator works for most beverages like tea, soup, or, well, actually nothing. I start gritting my teeth if I have to drink it plain. The fact of the matter is that I’d like to have some type of appliance at home that I can use to filter tap water to make it as enjoyable as I perceive our old brand of bottled water to be.

My requirements are simple. Something that will fit on the counter, something that does not require batteries or electricity, something that will take our slightly dodgy local water and turn it into something cleaner with a lighter flavor. Oh. My. Dorsh. I though I would google a few filters, read some comparison sheets, and blimbo-bango make a decision and buy a new little filter. The filter industry is widely variable and the people who buy them and sell them rely on all sorts of hyperbole to push their product. In addition, I found a subculture of message boards focused on a ‘back to the land’ movement, based on a widespread belief that society as we know it is on the verge of an imminent breakdown. I’m not going to provide any links because I am trying to forget some of the stuff I read. It’s out there and relatively easy to find.

We are still functioning under our stopgap measure: going to the local water kiosk and filling our plastic bottles with reverse osmosified water. We’ve tried this many times or the last several years. Every time thus far this system breaks down after a few months due to memory laspses, exhaustion, and lack of dedication. I am still unclear as to which filter I will eventually buy as my old standbys have failed me in this effort. The appliance I’m looking for is a niche product, something between a whole house filter and a little pitcher filter. In the meantime, I am reading up on filters, learning the lingo, and trying to stay far away from the cultural rabbit hole.

*a quote that does not inspire confidence from the 2006 Annual Water Quality Report