Out There

Bikes: Episode I

2006-01-05T20:39:00.000-08:00

I suppose my connection with bikes begins beyond my memories. My earliest memories go back to when I'd ride along with my dad on the top tube of his green three speed, which had perhaps the first version of "Gripshift". It wasn't a beautiful bike by any stretch but I always thought it was so cool that you could shift gears by twisting the hand grip, like a dirtbike. Dad would take me for rides as I sat on the bar between the seat and the handlebar. I remember vaguely how that bar was so hard and narrow like it could cut into my bony butt as we bounced along the pothole-filled gravel road past our yard. My balance teetered on the edge of falling off but I had faith in dad, and my white knuckled grip on the handlebars. It always seemed like he went a little too fast.

One fateful day we were heading towards town about a quarter mile from our house when in my attempts to keep seated on the skinny bar I kicked my leg out to keep balance and my foot got wedged in the spokes of the front wheel just behind the front fork. Well my foot was the best braking mechanism that bike had ever seen. The front wheel came to a stop before the bike did and as quick as the rear wheel could leave the ground me and my dad hit the ground. The gravel, as I found out, was no place for sliding skin. I remember crying hard, until my stomach muscles hurt from not breathing between screams. I think I cried that whole quarter mile walk home and well after that.

My mom said that I was around 2 or 3 years old and details are a little hard to recall. I do know that my dad felt terrible cause my mom didn't approve of my riding with him like that at such a young age. This story came up just a few weeks ago and my mom still had a little "scolding" in her voice towards dad. Obviously I wasn't hurt severely and learned to trust my dad again but I don't know if I ever rode on that bar with my dad after that. You might think this event would have scared me away from biking but as it turned out it didn't, and I spent many more painful evenings cleaning the gravel out of my skin from similar incidents on that gravel road as I rode my own bike a little too fast.

Soul Connection

2005-12-21T19:08:00.000-08:00

This post is in reference to Geez Magazine which you can find to the right under links. I just got edition 1 this week and started reading it today. WOW! This mag. reaches me like nothing I've read before. It's a thick mag. like National Geographic. No ads and tons of thought provoking articles and photos. There's not enough room here for me to explain it all to you and I'm kinda reeling from the pinpoint accuracy that it touched my present state. For the most part it's a magazine exploring the state of Christianity in north america. Challenging everyone to see the truth about faith and our sad state of religion. Here's a paragraph from the intro:

"We've set up camp in the outback of the spiritual commons. A bustling spot for the over-churched, out-churched, un-churched and maybe even the un-churchable. A location just beyond boring bitterness. A place for wannabe contemplatives, front-line world-changers and restless cranks. A place where the moon shines quiet, instinct runs mythic and belief rides a bike (or at least sits on the couch entertaining the possibility)."

There's articles on environment, evangelism, politics, and new angles on "the way we've always done things". I love the one about a man who witnessed an oil spill and stopped using petroleum powered transportation for 22 years. He spent 7 years walking across America while in a vow of silence that lasted 17 years.

I would love to buy all of you a subscription (but I won't). Check it out! It could change your mind.

Note to readers.

2005-12-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to make sure I passed on some info regarding the Master Cleanse in case some of you are going to do it. Tooth enamel can be weakened by the acid in the lemon juice. Don't let this stop you but make sure you rinse your mouth with water after each time you finish a serving of lemonade. Also recommended is rinsing with a little baking soda in the water. I did not do either of these things and still I have sensitive teeth while brushing. Be careful. Good luck.

Old Classmates

2005-12-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

I've been fighting a bad head cold for the last 5 days, missing work etc. Yesterday as I sat at home sick I found myself at the computer doing research for my bicycle posts I am planning to write. I have Garth's scanner at our house and thought it would be perfect for scanning some older pictures of past bikes. As I went through my old photo albums a few pictures of old classmates made me laugh out loud. Ryan, Garth, Jer, and Chris all were represented beautifully in all their teen glory. Mullets, Afros, and general bad hair were the common theme. I had to scan these and send them to each person. It sparked a short interaction of emails between us and it was a blast to laugh on line with old friends. I won't show all the pictures here but again I'll post the one of myself for your amusement. It's one of my favorite pictures of myself when I was 20. It's taken in Gimli at the airport while I'm awaiting my second Skydiving experience. I've never looked better;)

Bicycle Diaries

2005-12-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

The latest in the fleet!

My next endeavor is to tell the stories for each bike I have owned in my life. Sounds easy but there are a few. I'm hoping those who love bikes and those who don't can appreciate the people, places and events surrounding this passion of mine. Above is my most recent purchase from today. I'll give you the story later. For now good night and stay tuned.

Results and SCARY pictures

2005-12-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

Start laughing already! I can't believe I'm posting these pictures. Talk about an exercise in humility and setting ones self up for blackmail. Anyway, I wanted to give the before and after results of the Master Cleanse to my faithful readers. Sorry it took so long. First off this was intended for health reasons and secondly for achieving a leaner body.

My biggest hope was to see an improvement in my psoriasis and I would say I've seen some improvement but not a cure. Although I can still see that the skin on my elbows and knees isn't "normal" the white flaking skin is gone. I'm glad for that much.

I am 5' 11.5" tall and my weight before was 173lbs. Afterwards my weight was 162lbs. 11lbs total which translates to just over a pound per day of liquid diet.

Now about the pictures... The one on the left was taken first thing on the morning of day 1. The one on the right was taken first thing on the morning of day 10. I was relaxed and there was no stomach bulging or sucking in for either picture. The things I noticed were my stomach of course then my chin and lastly my neck. I never noticed the last two until now.

The aftermath

2005-12-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

Turns out the first day after the fast is worse than any day during. Who would have guessed? My energy level were at an all time low and I just couldn't seem to drink enough orange juice to get sufficient calories. All day was O.J. only. I barely had enough energy to go to small group at Gord and Bec's house. I pretty much sat there with my head in my hands trying to conserve my strength.

Today was day two post fast and it was better but still low in the energy levels. All day I looked forward to supper where I could eat solids for the first time in nearly 10 days. At lunch I put the ingredients together for the veggie soup I was going to eat after work. Dar bought me some organic vegetable broth and rye wafers to go with it (she's awesome!). I had one bowl of soup and 4 wafers at 6pm and man was it good! Dar tasted it and wondered why I liked it so much. To her it was very bland. I think my sense of taste has been heightened along with my sense of smell. My stomach handled it like a trooper! Then at around 7:30pm I had another bowl and 4 more crackers. At that point my stomach said "enough and too much". There was some discomfort and a feeling of being too full. No serious side effects yet but the full feeling is sticking around. Sure is nice to chew on something again.

It's over...early.

2005-11-29T20:15:00.000-08:00

There's been a big change in plans. I've decided to end the fast at 9 days instead of 10. I could mention many reasons but the big ones are as follows. After careful consideration I've come to the conclusion that I cannot properly end the fast in time for a family Christmas gathering on Saturday if I go 10 days. I had hoped I could, but after doing some research and seeing how hard it was for Dar's digestive system after 4 days, I decided to end the fast safely. The coating on my tongue is going away. My mind has been working over this decision repeatedly today. It's hard because I take pride in finishing things that I start. I'm finding consolation in Dar who supports me either way and the fact that for a first multi day fast 9 days is still substantial. Other sources recommend 3 days as a first fast. I've also lost a lot of weight and don't really want to loose much more. I will still continue to lose weight for the rest of the week though. Tonight was volleyball again and I felt great. I could also notice that my vertical improved! A few times I was looking over the net to where I wanted to hit the ball. What a cool feeling! I plan to post results like my weight before and after as well as a picture or two. I want to thank all my fans...ha ha. Hope I haven't disappointed anyone. Keep in touch and hopefully I'll continue finding motivation to blog here. Let me know what you think of what's been discussed so far. Bye

Day 8

2005-11-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

Today started off rough with low energy and a brutal head wind as I cycled to work in the morning. I had to stand and pedal in some areas which brought me to an anaerobic level that I could feel in my lungs. Dizziness also came with the bike ride to work. To top it all off I had washed/rinsed my hair in the morning and it wasn't totally dry. The saltwater had less effect on me today for whatever reason. Maybe 3 trips to the throne instead of 5 or 6. No flax seeds this time in the bowl. Instead the new symptom was a "burning ring of fire" all day. I don't have roids so I wasn't sure what was happening. When I told Dar about it, she said that other people were reporting the same symptom online and it's just another sign of detox. I also checked for the sensitive teeth issue I've been having and it is common as well. Sounds like the lemons may be eating at my teeth. So I'm supposed to rinse my mouth with water after each dose of lemonade. I sure hope it helps cause brushing my teeth is very painful at times. Two more day of this and I'm off. Yahoo!

One week done!

2005-11-27T22:08:00.000-08:00

So far things are still going alright. 7 days and 7 pounds later my belt buckle finds itself at the next hole. Went to church and afterwards walked through the Convention Centre to see the Arts and Crafts sale. A lot of junk but also a lot of amazing artwork. We bought two items there for Christmas gifts but can't tell you what because someone might be reading this... The big test for me came today. Dar's parents were hosting the Grey Cup party at their house along with her sister in-law's birthday party. So I missed out on homemade Pizza, Caesar salad, buns, and cake. Of course I also got questioned during the meal about my fast by people stuffing amazing food in their mouths. Yes it was hard but yesterday and today I've enjoyed the smells of food around me. First of all I know my digestive system couldn't handle any of that food now and secondly my sense of smell is amazing making the aromas so delicious. Here's a question for myself and anyone who wishes to give me some input: Should I end the fast at 10 days or wait until my tongue clears up indicating that my detox is complete? Tuff call cause I've got both extended family gatherings next weekend. Ouch!

Over the "hump"!

2005-11-26T19:50:00.000-08:00

Sure is nice to be over half way through this fast. Quite a "flush" again with the saltwater. I took it at 5am hoping that I could be finished with "the runs" before work. Well for some reason it waited until 10min. after I got to work. Found some flax seeds floating in the bowl again. Work was OK but it sure was nice to get home. I sat on the couch for the remainder of the day napping, playing Xbox, and watching TV. I even got to see both games of Hockey Night In Canada... SWEET! I have felt like napping more since about thurs. afternoon. I hope my energy comes back a bit for Volleyball on tuesday.

5 days (half way)

2005-11-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

It's a little surreal today. I seem to be moving in slow motion. Like being in a daze somewhat. My sense of smell is quite heightened which makes working difficult. Any time someone starts a truck I almost choke on the fumes. On Tuesday at volleyball my B.O. was horrible yet nobody acknowledged it when I mentioned it. Maybe it was worse for me. I think my taste may have also been effected, but my diet isn't allowing me to prove that. There's still that white coating on my tongue that's been there since Monday night. I continue to make a deliberate effort in brushing my tongue a lot. I'd rather be brushing my tongue anyway because my teeth are sharply painful when brushing them. Tomorrow morning it's saltwater time again (yay-read sarcasm). I wonder if my stool(liquid it will be) is going to have that strange yellow/green color like on Thursday. Funny how on Thursday there were flax seeds floating in the toilet bowl after not eating for over 3 days. I am curious what will be there tomorrow. Am I losing my mind?

Dar and I just finished watching Kingdom of Heaven and it's put me in a different frame of mind tonight than other nights. I think it's the thought that people claiming to follow the will of God, whichever religion, were and are capable of horrible deeds. Maybe it's best to let God choose sides if sides are to be chosen. Peace

On the fourth day of...

2005-11-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

Big day at our house! Dar started eating this evening. If any of you know her you won't be surprised with what I have to say. She is too kind sometimes! She is always so concerned about other people especially me that she'd gladly discomfort herself for the comfort of others. She came into this master cleanse kinda last minute and never promised to do 10 days. Still she wanted to do it together. I also believe she tried the cleanse partly to support me. Today she struggled in deciding to start eating because she didn't want to eat in front of me. She even asked me how I felt about her eating again hoping I wouldn't be disappointed in her. Unfortunately for her I didn't react well cause I felt like she was babying me a little. So an apology is in order on my part for getting frustrated with her when she was only trying to be considerate. I really have to watch my words when I'm hungry and tired(no excuse). This cleanse has already done good for our marriage by challenging our skills in communicating and mood management.

On another note. I felt a "weak" lack of energy this afternoon at work. I think an inadequate amount of lemonade was consumed today. I got home, had some lemonade, and went for a 45min. nap. I think the daily dosage will be increased from this point.

On the third day...

2005-11-23T22:12:00.000-08:00

Things went well. I avoided taking the saltwater this morning and opted for the tea instead. The results were very different! Although it is a laxative tea it has little or no effect compared to the saltwater. Today we both were in much better spirits and the food cravings have lessened substantially. We had our "small group" at our house for the evening which was good too. Of course the topic of conversation seemed to focus around our fasting. It's still funny to hear people's reactions to it. One of the hardest things today was when I made a fruit platter for our guests as well as put icing on fresh muffins that Darlene made. I still feel that the most likely way I will "slip up" is to inadvertently eat rather than give in to cravings. After our friends left I cut up the leftover fruit and put it into the food dehydrator. A few times the small pieces almost ended up in my mouth almost subconsciously. Once morning arrives tomorrow the plan is to take the saltwater earlier so I don't have to dash to the bathroom when I should be leaving for work(like yesterday). Fun stuff!....? It's starting to feel a little overwhelming to think that I've got 7 days left of this especially when on Sunday Dar's parents are having all of us over for a Grey Cup/Birthday party. You've got to see the spread of amazing food that Dar's mom can, and will, put on! This will truly be the greatest hurdle for me. A small part of me looks forward to the challenge. I must be sick and twisted!

Day 2

2005-11-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

Tough! Again hated the saltwater in the morning. "Flushed" most of the morning. Dar and I had the afternoon off and went to the Peg for some shopping. Both of us were struggling with hunger and resulting mood swings. Pray for our marriage(just kidding). We're learning to not take it out on each other. Seems like comminication is even more difficult when you're hungry and grumpy. I played volleyball tonight from 8-10pm and felt great during and especially after. I had ample energy for 5 games and we even played short handed 5 vs. 6 players! On top of that we won 4/5 games. Our team name is SWAT and you can check out the league website if you wish. www.smvl.ca So that should give some indication as to energy levels during the fast. That said today up until around 6pm was the hardest so far. Walking through the mall smelling and seeing all the food was the worst! We would have eaten many things that otherwise we would avoid.

Day 1

2005-11-21T22:16:00.000-08:00

Here we go! First off we're doing pretty good. Hungry but only in the lack of calories sense with mild dizziness. The herbal laxative was alright but the saltwater in the morning was pretty tough. Dar tried to drink the saltwater but opted for the tea instead. I've got energy and have been in good spirits all day. Hunger just hasn't been a big issue at all. That is surprising cause on single day fasts in the past I've gone crazy just trying to avoid thinking about food. So far food isn't tempting me too much but I have to make a conscious effort to not eat inadvertently out of habit. The guys at work are having fun with me at coffee break too. I have to cut them some slack cause they're tired of me pushing healthy eating and fasting on them. Four weeks ago Dar and I did a liver/gallbladder flush which gave all our friends and coworkers a good laugh too. I like to provide entertainment to the people around me even when that isn't the purpose. So the herbal tea is down and we're off to bed and dreading the morning saltwater already. We have some before pictures but they aint going here! I look very goofy first thing in the morning with my shirt off and a dorky smile on my face. We'll just use them for personal reference.

Practice run

2005-11-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

OK, some updates on the master cleanse are in order. Darlene has come aboard along with Bec, Gord's wife. However, the Funk's (Bec and Gord) are only committing to a week or so. Darlene and I are going to see if we can make it past a week. Normally it would be 10 days minimum. We're starting Monday and they're starting Tuesday. It's Sunday night and we just finished our herbal laxative tea and Dar's hearing "rumblings" already :) I know I'm getting ahead of myself because I haven't even explained why I'm doing this. Briefly I'm hoping to simply detox myself and specifically want to see if my psoriasis and stomach issues will clear up and if I'll feel better overall. Tonight I'm going to take a picture for the before shot and weigh myself in the morning for the weigh-in. I don't promise to post either but could be talked into it. That's it for now cause I'm too tired to blog clearly. Stay tuned!

"ALL ABOARD!"

2005-11-17T10:34:00.000-08:00

Last night as I was trying to setup my blog and I ran into some difficulties with my cookies. It just so happened that Darlene's cousin Gord was over and I got him to help me out. I mentioned the "Master Cleanse" to him and he said that he's in. So I'm thinking maybe there's others out there who are up for this as well. That was the invite by the way. Check out the link here http://www.master-cleanse.com/ and see what you think. I'd love for this to be a forum for people to talk about their experiences during the cleanse. Dates are still pending.

Beginning again.

2005-11-16T19:03:00.000-08:00

So this is humble attempt #2 at blogging. The first didn't last long and surely sucked! I'll blame the failure on lack of mission. Now there is a mission (should I choose to accept it) which is ... da da da dumm ... to journal my 10 day "Master Cleanse/Lemonade Diet" fast. Beyond that I make no long term commitments to continuing this blog. Although I have a desire to continue blogging beyond the fast, past success rates dictate a 100% failure rate. Seriously I think an effort on my part would be beneficial in a journaling sense as well as staying in touch with friends and family.

Official date and details of "the fast" will be posted shortly. ETA is end of November.