LEGALLY RAW

When Pigs Fly!

2009-05-04T18:09:00.001-04:00

6 Week Deep Tissue Detox

2009-04-11T17:55:00.006-04:00

Spring has sprung!

Time to get those lingering toxins from winter, bad eating habits, pollution and stress OUT of your body to
make room for more energy and vitality!

Dear Rev. King,

2008-11-04T23:07:00.002-05:00

Dear Rev. King,

On August 28, 1963, you stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and uttered those famous words, "I have a dream..."

Your dream has yet to be fully realized, but I'm sure that you are proud of how far America has come in electing its 44th President Barack Obama. I just wish it hadn't have taken 45 years to break this barrier.

Congratulations to the United States, to the world....and of course, President Elect Barack Obama and Vice President Elect Joe Biden...

Let the healing begin.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY SERIOUS

2008-11-03T19:06:00.002-05:00

I voted.

You can probably guess who I voted for. But no matter who you vote for, no matter what country you're in, remember to vote (as long as you can vote without some idiot telling you how to vote without an automatic weapon stuck in your ear, or other hole that might allow easy access to your naughty bits).

For those of you who have been hiding like a groundhog, or other mammal that likes to spend its time five feet underground, there was a more serious candidate running for office, with the last name of Palin. Unfortunately, Michael was born in Great Britain, and can't really run for President of the United States (like Arnold).

Of all the emails I've received, I'd like you to read the last email from the "Silly Party" (this one is not that silly).

The somewhat important 2008 election is upon us.

Silly though we may usually be, we at the Committee
to Elect Michael Palin President would like to take
a moment to say, in all seriousness...

VOTE!

Vote like the wind!

Vote like you've never voted before!

Vote like your life depends on it! (It may)

Vote like the ice caps are melting! (They are)

Vote like if you don't then the Spanish Inquisition
will fry you up and toss you into a Spanish Omelet!

Vote like a crazed weasel with its head on fire that
has to vote in order for someone to dunk its head in
a bucket of water, thus dousing the fire and eliciting
a collective sigh of relief from every other potentially
flammable weasel, stoat or ocelot in the vicinity.

VOTE, YOU MISERABLE BASTARD, AS IF BY DOING SO YOU
CAN KEEP AN OIL-DRILLING, WOLF-KILLING, IGNORANT
ALASKAN MOOSE-MUNCHER FROM EVER GETTING HER IGNORANT,
WELL-MANICURED FINGER ANYWHERE NEAR THE BIG RED
ARMAGEDDON BUTTON! (You can)

Ahem.

We believe we've made our point.

*****************************************************
And now back to our regularly-scheduled silliness...
*****************************************************

SPLUNGE!

Until next time...

Your friends at the Temporarily Serious
Though Usually Quite Silly Party

P.S. If you're not a U.S. citizen, please feel free
to close your eyes and vote metaphysically.

Michael Palin for President

11870 Santa Monica Blvd.
Suite 106-535
Los Angeles, CA
90025
US

If you still haven't made up your mind, you might consider waiting outside on your roof for the little green men to take you back to the planet you've been living on for the past 20 months. You've missed it all.

My final thought on this whole campaign:

THANK GOD ITS OVER!

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

2008-10-28T16:52:00.002-04:00

Tired of having mud shoved down your throat? Longing for commercials advertising the latest in birth control, hemorrhoid creams, or the most recent artery clogging SAD menu at the local fast food joint?

Well, humor is said to be one of the best things to drive away depression. I don't know about you, but after a two year long Presidential campaign, I want it to be over!

Until then, my thanks to Paris Hilton. I'm not a Paris fan, but I must admit that she's brought some much needed humor into this election!

ENJOY!

HE'S ALIVE, AND HE'S EXCITED!

2008-10-19T13:35:00.007-04:00

Yes, I'm alive. I've been glued to my television watching Keith Obermann, and trying to figure out who is winding the "Caribou Barbie" up each morning.

Although this is probably the most important Presidential election in my 51 years this time on the planet, I want to take the time to say:

TURN OFF THAT TELEVISION AND SIGN UP FOR THE NEW BODY ENLIGHTENMENT SYSTEM TODAY!

Yes, there's something more important than the talking heads on television. There's someting more important than the stock market crash of 2008. There's even something more important than trying to figure out whether the dog is going to make it out the back door without making a mess on your nice hardwood floor. YOU are more important than anything else going on in the world around you!

If you don't take the time to take care of yourself, you won't be able to help those around you! You'll wind up with your leg in the air, wearubg a pair of black sheer support hose, because your phlebitis is acting up for the first time in more than 25 years! (I speak from experience! But that's another post.)

So sign up now for the BEST DAMN RAW PROGRAM ON THE INTERNET!

THE RAW DIVAS' BODY ENLIGHTENMENT SYSTEM!

The Raw Divas have teamed up with Angela Stokes, and Dr. Adiel (“Dr. T”) Tel-Oren, MD, to make this the most exciting and informative Body Enlightenment System ever!

So do yourself a favor, and make a commitment to yourself. At the same time you can have a little fun by making sure that my wife Keely, who is the Customer Service Diva, works her butt off and I get the bed to myself for the next few days! Yes, I'm a bed hog! (No, I don't wear lipstick!)

YOU'VE ONLY GOT UNTIL NOON (That's Eastern Standard Time) ON OCTOBER 25, 2008 TO SIGN UP FOR THE MOST EXCITING BODY ENLIGHTENMENT SYSTEM TO DATE AND TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND AS A NEW MEMBER OF THE RAW DIVAS!

I CAN'T HOLD BACK!

2008-09-01T08:22:00.006-04:00

I've been trying to control myself, but I just heard John McCain say during an interview on The Today Show that Americans were happy with his choice. I might give you cause to be pissed off at me, but I hope I'll at least cause you to think.

McCain is right that we're happy if we want to see Obama in office.

HEY JOHN! WAKE UP! YOU'RE HAVING A SENIOR MOMENT...AGAIN!

SARAH PALIN IS NOT ONLY A MISTAKE BUT SHE'S INSULTING!

There, I've said it. I know, but I had to yell it from the roof tops. This is the most important election in the last 100 years.

Now let me explain myself.

Why is she "insulting"?

I shouldn't have to even point out the obvious after she was booed during one of her first forays on the National scene. Its even more obvious as the boos came from the Republican base. But it goes further than that.

John McCain wants to be the candidate of change yet he picks out an evangelical christian who wants to force woman into the dark corners of back alleys if they need an abortion, and who wants to continue the politics of division by denying basic civil rights to honest Americans based upon their sexual preference.

Oh, I am so excited that she's a lifetime member of the NRA, and finds it fulfilling to go out and blow the brains out of a caribou.

Sarah Palin doesn't advance the causes of women in America, she takes them back to the 1960's. So its not a real surprise, as McCain can't seem to move away from the message that he's qualified to be President because he was a prisoner of war.

Why would you pick a person like Sarah Palin as a Vice President? Well, just like Bush, she's an evangelical Christian. We've had an evangelical Christian as President for 8 years and he's been a total failure with the worst approval rating in American history. Nixon was a better President!

OK, she was mayor of a city of less than 7,000, and has been the governor of a state for less than 2 years with a population that is less than the city of Austin, Texas.

Do you really want to take the chance of this person being the President if McCain can't even finish his first term because he's 72 years old?

Well, she does have other qualifications. She was called "Sarah Barracuda" by her High School Basketball team. (Putin is quaking in his boots!)

Ed Rollins, a conservative, and CNN contributor wrote: "she was runner-up for the Miss Alaska title, won Miss Congeniality in that contest and plays the flute."

HOT DAMN! We've got "Gidget the Musician" as McCain's running mate! She can play the "Pied Piper" and get the bad guys to leave their caves in Afghanistan!

McCain has made a big issue out of who is the most qualified leader. In my opinion he has made a case as to why Obama is the best choice for President. In McCain's first big decision he has picked a person with absolutely no real experience to be a Vice President, let alone a President.

Our last president was at least a Governor for a full term, Palin has only been a Governor for two years.

Whatever your religious background, you need to ask yourself if you trust Senator Joe Biden to step in to the office of President, or a Governor with little National experience, and no International experience, but who was once "Miss Congeniality"? Hip, hip, hooray?

Sarah Palin in 1982, Wasilla High School
Anchorage Daily News

ITS JUST NOT FAIRE!

2008-08-03T11:13:00.003-04:00

Where have I been? I have no idea! I've been involved in everything but my own life. Its time to get grounded, and renew!

I can tell you about the last 24 hours. They are the most surrealistic in the last couple of weeks. Keely and I went to the Ohio State Fair.

We had volunteered to help Sue Miller with her Migun booth at the Buckeye Sports Complex. We both enjoyed introducing people to the Migun bed. After a month of having one in our home, we're still hooked! My sleep patterns are more regulated, and Keely's doctor told her that she had the blood pressure of a teenager. Not bad for your late 40's!

Things were going well until I decided to take a walk. I wasn't sure if I'd walked into a Robert Altman, or a Michael Moore film.

It was hot and sticky. There was the bearded lady and the little person holding the python.

People were walking around stuffing their faces with every type of "food" imaginable! Cotton candy, caramel apples, and all sorts of chicken, pig, and cow parts, that were roasted, deep fried, battered, and bruised.

Caligula would have been right at home.

The said it was only 84 F, but with the blacktop, and the crowds, it felt like it was over 90.

Then I got lost, and saw the Bricker Bldg. The doors were closed and I figured it had to be air conditioned. I should have stayed in the heat. It was like walking in to "infomercial hell"!

The Bricker Bldg. had every piece of garbage you could imagine. There was the booth called "Egypt World". Everything for sale had an Egyptian theme, and was probably made in Thailand. There were ladders, and shovels, and siding. I probably could have found that person who grates on my nerves that hawks "Oxy-clean" on the idiot box if I had stayed longer.

Then I heard it. There was band music. Just like in a Robert Altman, or Michael Moore film, a marching band was coming straight down the aisle at me. High School students playing their hearts out, with smiles on their faces, bent on the destruction of sanity!

I would have loved to have known who the idiot was whose idea it was to have a full band walk down the main aisle of a crowded building in the middle of a fair!

There's something innocent about a fair, and something outrageous at the same time. Fairs remind me of how little America has changed. We are still a country of people demanding instant gratification. We feel that because we're Americans we aren't responsible for how we treat our planet and the rest of the counties on this insignificant world (on a cosmic scale).

We screamed when gasoline hit more than $4.00 a gallon. Now that the prices have dropped, we aren't as concerned.

Will I go back to the fair this year? No way in hell!

Should you go to the fair? I'd highly recommend it. A visit to your local fair will hopefully remind you that its time to take a step back, re-assess your life, and take responsibility for your actions.

Oh, one last thing. I'm a political animal. Nothing is more fun than getting steamed at times over the stupidity of those in Congress and the flocks of sheep who walk in awe of their positions in Washington.

We are in one of the most important Presidential elections of the last 50 years, and it is starting to remind me of children playing in a sandbox. Has either party considered how dumb they look to the rest of the planet? I just want to vote and get this over with!

This past week, McCain was proud of the ads he ran comparing Obama to two really stupid looking blonds in the news named Paris and Britney. I have one warning to McCain.

Watch trying to make blonds look dumb. After all, John, you married a blond, who was addicted to painkillers back in the early 90's. Sounds Hollywood to me!

I guess John McCain has even more of a connection to Paris and Britney than Obama has! But maybe McCain's memory isn't what it used to be when he was younger. Although I'm not 100% happy with either candidate, I'll vote for hope, over someone who appears to me to be nothing more than a caustic, mean, old man. After eight years of fear and hatred, we owe America and the world a real chance at happiness.

Hope to talk soon!

Our New Baby Migun!

2008-07-04T08:02:00.013-04:00

Our Migun is here! I must admit that I was shocked the first time I used it.

When I use the bed at our local Migun dealer, Migun of Westerville, I'm out the door in less than an hour. When I used it at home I didn't get the same reaction. I FELL ASLEEP! I didn't wake up for over an hour!

Can you believe a piece of medical equipment that relaxes you so much, while doing great things to your body, that lets you fall asleep? It's un-American!

How does Migun expect Americans to accept a piece of equipment that gives you a deep heat massage and lets you relax! Americans aren't supposed to relax! We're supposed to be driving the girls to dance class, singing class, art class, soccer, baseball. We're supposed to be working long hours without pay. We're supposed to be eating crappy fast food, and worrying about our hearts, our stomachs, our weight, while our butts hang over our chairs!

How dare Migun present us with a tool that helps to align our body, relaxes our body and mind, and lets us fall asleep, while assisting the body with detoxification?

For shame Migun for selling a product that will actually help us reach our health goals!

I guess I should take a moment to once again thank everyone at Migun of Westerville for helping us down the road to better health. Can you believe that there are people like Sue Miller, the Westerville Migun dealer, who cares enough about people and a product to take the chance on a new career? I stopped by after work on Wednesday, July 2, and the place was mobbed! They were so busy that I let someone else take my spot since I knew my Migun was being delivered on Thursday.

To all those people who were using the beds on Wednesday, don't be so selfish. Do what I did. Buy a bed from Sue! You'll be even more happy if you can get up in the morning, and fall asleep on your own Migun. Let people who haven't been introduced to the Migun use the beds like I did on Wednesday!

No, I won't accept the excuse that you don't have room for a bed. We own a condo, We made room for our bed, and we're damn glad we did!

On a personal note, I think I alluded to knowing Sue Miller in a previous life. That life was 3rd grade at Ranchwood Elementary in Mansfield, Ohio. Well, its worse than that. Not only were we in 3rd Grade together, but in 1st Grade at Ranchwood, and Kindergarten at Woodland Elementary. We hadn't seen each other for over forty years, and didn't make the connection until after we'd bought the bed from her.

Sometimes the universe does something to prove to you that you made the best decision. Learning that Sue and I went to grade school together was that message for me.

You want proof! OK, I'll give you proof! Here's the proof! Here's a picture of both Sue and I in Ms. Mosey's 1st grade class. She's in the last row on the right with her blonde hair, blue dress with big white buttons, and her huge smile! Next to her on the end is her friend Nancy Trbovich. Me? I'm front and center in the first row. I've got the red sweater on that's unbuttoned at the bottom. I was hard to dress even then!

Make sure to stop in at Migun of Westerville at 2509 West Shrock Rd., Westerville, Ohio, 43081 and say hello to Sue. She hasn't changed in all these years. Their new hours beginning on Monday, July 7, 2008, are from 10AM to 6PM Monday through Friday, and 1PM to 5 PM on Saturdays. If you're new to Migun, call ahead and set up a time so they can talk to you about what you can expect. Their number is 614-882-4133.

Where can you find me? I'll probably be someplace, six feet under for posting this picture! ;-)

WE'RE EXCITED! WE'VE BEEN MIGUNIZED!

2008-06-22T09:00:00.006-04:00

Where have I been? Living.

A lot has been going on. For the first time since September I've been able to relax at work. Our workload has become manageable for the moment, and we're all learning to breath again! I decided to take a break.

So now that I'm back, what am I excited about? MIGUN!

No, I didn't buy a gun! We're buying a "Migun"!

Remember, a Raw Food diet is not the magic bullet that some might wish you to believe. Food isn't the only thing that impacts our lives. Its true that it is probably the most important tool you have for a healthy life, but many other things will support happiness.

Happiness is also a "Migun" (My apologies to John Lennon for thinking of his song at the time I wrote this. If you know who the Beetles were (and I know some people in the world have no idea whom I'm talking about) you'll understand the reference.)

"Migun" is a therapeutic bed that was developed at least 20 years ago in Korea. It is a therapeutic massage bed that incorporates deep heat massage. It uses massage heads made of Jade which is based upon the principles of "Acupressure, Acupuncture, Heat-Therapy(Moxibustion), Chiropractic, and Massage".

So, how do you feel after being "Migunized"? WONDERFUL! During a recent session I fell asleep and snored for most of the time I was on the bed!

After only 5 sessions, my Chiropractor, the wonderful Laura Skaates, told me that she could see a big difference in my body. Keely cancelled her bi-monthly appointments with a massage therapist because it totally "opened up" her back and Dr. Laura could easily work her magic.

So, how can you get "Migunized" too?

If you're in central Ohio (or anyplace else in Ohio), I can highly recommend Migun of Westerville. If you're in some other state, check out Migun's website for the local Migun dealer. Just please tell them that you heard about Migun from me, Bob Bush, and my favorite Migun dealer, Migun of Westerville.

Oh, did I tell you that you'll get twelve 30 minute sessions for free?

Thank you Sue for bringing Migun to Westerville, for spending your time at the Asian Festival this year to introduce people to Migun, and for all you've done to help make this happen. Thanks to Nicole too for all of your invaluable assistance, professionalism, and smiles, and your first sale...

THROUGH EARLY MORNING FOG I SEE....

2008-06-01T14:12:00.006-04:00

Through early morning fog I see
visions of the things to be
the pains that are withheld for me

Remember these words? No? For years they were part of the American landscape at least once a night every week. These days you can hear them every night on cable TV. Here's a little more.

I realize and I can see...
that suicide is painless
it brings on many changes
and I can take or leave it if I please.

If you haven't figured it out yet, the name of the song is "Suicide is Painless", and it was from the movie and television show "M*A*S*H".

Don't go flying off the handle. I'm not advocating, or planning suicide, although I am of the opinion that there's no real difference between suicide and death (but that's a totally different posting). I've picked the song because to me it symbolizes change on many different levels.

The show focused on a group of people caught in a senseless war, trying to save lives, and sanity. It emphasizes the insanity, and incompetence of those in power. It made us laugh, and it made us cry.

I just got back from the grocery store, and felt like I was in a wasteland. Prices had skyrocketed. I was going to buy mangoes but they were $2 each, and they weren't even organic. I wanted an avocado, but they looked old and shriveled, and were also $2 each.

I watched the people loading up on chips, and cheese, and red meats, and soda pop, and sugary treats, until their baskets overflowed. They waddled down the aisles with their thighs rubbing together, as they pushed their carts to the next item of gluttony, and those were the men.

I felt ill.

I am not proud of America at this point in our history. We watch as children die on the battlegrounds of the Middle East so that we can drive our 10 mile per gallon (or less) SUV's and "pick-up trucks with our NRA approved rifle racks in the rear windows". (Thank God that Charlton Heston died before "Soylent Green" became a reality...or is it?)

We run to our doctors, demanding the most recent drug that we saw on TV to control our bladders, or our heartburn, instead of taking responsibilities for our lives.

We allow incompetent men and women to continue to lead our nation further and further into disarray.

I guess suicide isn't that bad. We're all doing it through our diets, lifestyles, and by failing to take responsibility for ourselves. Its just taking a lot longer than normal.

Just a little ray of sunshine this week ain't I?

THE FINALE (Without Epilogue)

2008-05-24T00:01:00.003-04:00

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men/ Gang aft agley."

-Robert Burns

After walking all day in Salem, MA the last thing I really wanted to do was go out to dinner for another big meal. I could have gone back to the hotel, and curled up for the night without any problems, but we had reservations for 7 PM, and Keely had her heart set on eating out. (Thank you again Mr. Burns!)

Our dinner plans on Saturday took us to Beverly, about 10 minutes north of Salem. We stopped at a beach, and I walked in the Atlantic. I figure you can’t go to the east coast without trying to freeze some part of your body off.

Dinner was at Robert Reid’s “Organic Garden Café”. Several years ago I drove from a Peace March in Providence, RI to eat at the Café. It was my first experience eating out at a real raw restaurant.

The food was as good as I remembered it to be. There are a few cooked items on the menu like steamed rice, or a regular tortilla, that can be substituted instead of the raw soaked wild rice, raw nori, or a leaf wrap. Keely had a raspberry lime “Ricky” to drink that was great, and the apple crumble dessert was really tasty. For our main courses I had the Veggie Burger Plate with raw onion rings (top picture) and Keely had the Sampler.

If you don’t want to make the trek into North Boston, make sure you make reservations for the Organic Garden Café in Beverly, Ma. when you're in the New England region.

I had planned on leaving the hotel around 11 AM on Sunday, and eating at “The Grasshopper Vegan Restaurant” in Allston, MA, but we were too close to Salem. Keely hadn’t gotten to spend time in the old graveyard, so we checked out and headed back into town.

To make a long story short, Keely got her pictures, I discovered that a crypt isn’t that uncomfortable to stretch out on in the sun for a short nap, and we got lost again trying to get to lunch in Allston.

The problem with Sunday lunch was that we had to drive again through downtown Boston. I’d like to know who the hell decided that it was a good idea to put on and off ramps in the middle of a tunnel. I mean really! That’s like putting ramps in the middle of a bridge over Boston Harbor. (I’m sure they’re probably there too, but our route didn’t take us there.)

Once we found the proper highway, and a parking spot, we had our last meal in the Boston area at “The Grasshopper Vegan Restaurant”. The Grasshopper isn’t raw, but it is vegan, and it is Vietnamese. As you should know by now, I won’t give up Vietnamese food whenever given the opportunity to imbibe. The servings were so big that we thought we were sitting in a restaurant in HaNoi.

Of all our meals this was the least expensive. We had “Chicken Fingers” (top picture) and BBQ “Pork” on lettuce as appetizers.

I had the “Spicy Curry Vegi-Squid with Onions, Mushrooms, Peppers, and Lemon Grass” (top picture). Keely had “Sautéed Spinach with Garlic” with spinach that was piled at least six inches deep on a huge platter. Needless to say we had more than enough for dinner.

I ordered the “Vegetarian Nori Rolls” to go. These were a wonderful surprise. Instead of using rice, they used rice noodles. The nori rolls were a lot lighter, and easier on the palate. I plan to try the same thing using raw Kelp Noodles!

If you’re a vegan, or not 100% raw, “The Grasshopper” is a really great alternative in Allston, MA.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful. I collapsed at the Courtyard by Marriott on Sunday night in Moosic, PA. We spent some time on Monday replacing the headlight that decided to die on us during Sunday’s drive, and finally arrived home at about 10 PM Monday night.

The total mileage was 1674 miles in 5 days. I didn’t think that my ass could be any flatter, but it is. My one regret is taking a wrong turn, and having to merge on to the Ft. Pitt Bridge at the height of rush hour in Pittsburgh on Monday night.

But, all in all, it was a trip we both needed, and deserved.

To those of you that had to huddle in your cellars in Central Ohio with the tornado sirens blaring, just remember that it was sunny and 65 in Salem on Sunday, May 11, 2008.

A special thanks to Katie, Kara and Murmur for watching Clyde and Dove Cakes. They've grown to love you as much as we do.

Of course we need to thank Dr. Laura Skaates, DC too for getting us ready on Wednesday before we left, and putting us back together when we returned to Westerville after a long drive. What would we do without her, and the rest of her staff! (Thank you for recommending another massage too!)

KEELY'S SALEM FANTASY COMES TRUE! (Part III of IV. I Changed My Mind!)

2008-05-21T08:30:00.001-04:00

After wallowing at Grezzo on Friday night I honestly didn't want to do much for a couple of days. I was happy. I was feeling sated and could have curled up in the sun like a Cobra, and let my body digest a fantastic meal for at least a day before heading back to Westerville.

Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one in the car. Least you forget, Keely was with me, and as the beaches of the South China Sea and the Buddhist Temples of Central Viet Nam might pull at my heart ... Salem calls Keely like a swallow returning to Capistrano.

So, off we go in search of the official Witch of Massachusetts, Laurie Cabot.

If you haven't heard of Laurie, you're not a crazed Halloween fanatic like my wife. I have bats hanging from the fireplace tools in the living room. Elves peak out from the railing leading to the second floor. Our bedroom looks like a horror house (but that's another issue!)

I doubt that there's a reader that hasn't heard of the Salem Witch Trials. Sometimes I think that what happened in Salem isn't much different than what "W" has tried to do to the Gay and Lesbian Community in the U.S., without the hangings...wait a minute....

Moving on before I get myself into even more trouble.

Our hotel in Danvers was even closer to Salem than Grezzo. After about 15 minutes we found a free parking lot just off the main street, and went in search of our first "Wiccan" shop.

A lot of people hear the words "Wiccan" or "Witch" and immediately think of Satanism. Thank you Hollywood and the holy rollers of America for spreading this misconception. In my opinion Witches, and those who practice Wicca were the founders of what is now called the Green Movement in America.

Wiccan's are people who believe that we share the planet with the planet. All life is connected, and we are stewards.

Witches don't do harm, not even to themselves. They can be found in all walks of life. Who knows, you might even work for a Witch (be nice now!).

We didn't start out looking for Ms. Cabot's shop, "The Cat, The Crow, and The Crown", but followed Keely's usual pattern of visiting every nook and cranny of each shop, while I hunted either a bookstore, a coffee shop, or a nice sunny spot where I could "people watch".

I got lucky and found a great little coffee shop called the Gulu-Gulu Cafe that serves wonderful coffees and beer. What more can a man ask for? I sat reveling in a huge cup of flavored coffee, listening to some really off-the-wall music, relaxing in an eclectic atmosphere....and then the cell phone rang.

We continued on our journey in search of the Official Salem Witch, hopping from shop to shop. My next stop was a book store where everything was 50% off, and books were literally stacked to the ceiling. I'm not kidding. I think I heard books go flying at least 5 times while I was there, and I know that two of the avalanches were due to me!

We finally made it to the wharf shops where "The Cat, The Crow, and The Crown", is located sometime around 12:30 PM or so. In my usual fashion, I had seen everything I wanted to see in about 10 minutes, while Keely hadn't finished the first shelf of goodies. So I went outside and found another bench to sit on and smell the sea air. I didn't realize at the time, but there was a method to her madness.

Like a Komodo Dragon in search of a meal, Keely was waiting to meet Laurie Cabot. She knew that Laurie was giving a reading and should be done on the hour. My wife, who hates to talk on the phone, became a paparazzo out to get a picture of Mariah Carey's wedding!

At about 15 minutes after the hour my cell phone rang, and Keely asked me to come back into the store to take her picture with the Official Salem Witch, Laurie Cabot. My quiet wife, had just spent the last 15 minutes with Ms. Cabot, and got her to agree to a picture with her, despite signs all over the store which said "NO CAMERAS OR VIDEOS". Will wonders never cease!

Our trip might have ended at that point but we still had two restaurants we had planned on eating at. The first was the "Organic Garden Cafe" in Beverly, MA. This is probably the oldest raw restaurant on the East Coast that I know of, and "Grasshopper Restaurant", a cooked, but vegan, Vietnamese restaurant in Allston, MA. (You should know how we are about Vietnamese food by now!

I could rush through these meals, and the last three days of this trip, but I've changed my mind.

Stay tuned for Part IV of IV. I promise there's only four parts to this series...maybe...who knows....

Watch for "THE FINALE (Without Epilogue)" coming this weekend!

FIVE STAR RAW (Part II of III)

2008-05-18T09:23:00.004-04:00

It is now about 6:30 PM on Friday, May 9, 2008. After several months of planning we are on the last leg of the reason we went to Boston.

We've battled traffic, and the near insanity of east coast drivers. I've decided that the only difference between driving in Boston and Saigon is that instead of all the motorcycles in Saigon, the people in Boston drive cars. Both are just as crazy, in my opinion.

The rain is light but steady. I've dropped Keely off at the restaurant on Prince St. She’s going to run in and ask them where I should park as I weave in and out of traffic. She calls me on the cell phone and tells me to hurry because she's standing in the middle of a parking spot along the street holding me a spot.

The streets around the restaurant are just about wide enough that you can stand in the middle and touch the brownstones on both sides with your arms spread. Parking is at a premium. This is old north Boston. It is an area filled with neighborhood bars, restaurants, and ethnic bakeries that have stood for literally hundreds of years. It is an area of history. I can feel the lives as I drive the narrow streets.

Hurrying back to the spot that Keely is protecting with her body, I see the sign above her head that says "resident parking only, permit required". I imagine taking a cab to bail our car out of the Boston impound lot somewhere in another state, and wind up in a lot four blocks north of the restaurant. Keely has my rain coat.

But we have finally made it to:

Grezzo? You mean you haven't heard of Alissa Cohen's new restaurant at 69 Prince Street in Boston? My heart goes out to you. If you haven't heard of Alissa Cohen, or her new restaurant, you are in a drug induced coma, and under the control of aliens from the planet Rombulus that is circling a star 500 light years from earth.

Alissa has one of the top raw foods recipe books you'll ever find. The only thing she's done that is better is to open Grezzo.

Grezzo opens at 5 PM. It is small, seating only about thirty people. But Grezzo, like her owner Alissa, is full of energy, vitality, love, and creativity.

The staff is outstanding. They couldn't have made us feel more welcome. It was like sitting down in someone's home. But unlike a home, I would highly recommend making reservations. Ours were made the first day reservations were accepted.

The menu changes on a weekly basis. Alissa, and the staff at Grezzo, are committed to providing the highest quality, fresh organic foods available.

I had pretty much decided weeks ago what I was looking for, and unfortunately, I wasn't in top form after two days of driving. Keely, after being able to miss massive portions of the audio book we were listening to because she kept falling asleep, was primed, and ordered the Chef's Tasting for $59.00.

The first course was soup, and it was wonderful.

The soup on the menu was Sweet potato and pink grapefruit soup with red chili, and Thai basil, or Sweet white corn with jicama, avocado and cayenne. Both soups were $8 each. With the Chef's Tasting, you get both soups. Like with any raw food, the flavors were a riot and exploded in your mouth.

Unfortunately we had a problem keeping our mouths closed. We were hooked.

Course two was the appetizer. Oh, it just keeps getting better.

The chef's sampler gives you both appetizers. I had already decided that I had to order an appetizer and wasn't about to share with Keely.

Keely's first appetizer was the Gnocchi carbonara. This was a wonderful dish of house-made dumplings, creamy rawmesan and fresh English peas with crispy eggplant and pea shoots. It is listed on the menu at $11 a plate. I've never had the cooked version, and after sampling this one, have no wish to eat it unless I eat it at Grezzo's.

Remembering my dead flesh eating and drunken nights at Ohio State University in the mid 70's when we'd slink off to White Castle for a 25 cent burger, known at 3 AM on a Saturday morning as a "slider" ( aka "rat burger", and "kangaroo meat", normally to be regurgitated an hour later in the most unpleasant of manners) I had to go for a Grezzo Slider.

I cried, and considered offering my body to the chef for the recipe.

The slider was messy. I picked one of them up with both hands, and the tomato and raw blue cheese, slid into my beard, and back onto the plate (not my lap for a change). I wanted to crawl up on the table and just roll in whatevah I wasn't able to lick off the plate.

Keely got one slider with her Chef's Tasting, while I got two for $12. We almost came to blows. I felt like a caveman protecting his kill. There was no way I was sharing. It was fortunate that the plate couldn't soak up any of the slider, or it would have been history.

Alissa stopped by our table several times to talk to us despite the restaurant being packed. She is a wonderful person. She told us that the idea behind Grezzo was to show people that raw foods didn't mean you couldn't eat like a gourmet. Raw foods wasn't just a plate of greens, a smoothie, and some nuts. Raw foods can be as gourmet as you want it to be.

Then one day a friend of hers was sitting at the bar, and pointed out that at every other restaurant in the area he could order a great salad, but in the one raw vegan restaurant in the area, there wasn't a salad on the menu!

Keely had the house salad which was soft baby lettuce with house-made cheese, croutons and green goddess vinaigrette and was listed on the menu as $11, but was included in the Chef's Tasting. Thank you to Alissa's friend!

As we were waiting on our main courses, Alissa showed up with a plate we hadn't ordered. "Here, I want you to try the papaya steak, its my favorite!"

Keely and I looked at each other in disbelief. We weren't expecting this at all, and neither one of us really like papaya. But what could we do? Here was the owner who cared enough to share her favorite dish with us. We couldn't say no!

We looked at the dish and thought something was wrong. This papaya dish which was served with creamy dill vermicelli with marinated cucumber and olive salad, and was listed on the menu at $21, looked like a piece of salmon crusted with star anise. It was even ribbed to look like a piece of cooked salmon with the flesh starting to flake.

We approached it with caution, took a bite, and looked at each other with amazement. It wasn't salmon, and it tasted nothing like the papaya we had prepared at home. It was wonderful, and gave us a new appreciation of a fruit we had turned our nose up at in the past. Oh Alissa, we thank you for caring enough to force our palates and eyes open to the wonderful papaya prepared by a real chef!

I'm getting tired at this point. I'm full, I'm sated, I want to curl up in a corner and fall asleep. I feel like a Roman General who has eaten his way to the top of Mt. Olympus, but we still have two courses to navigate.

Keely ordered the Native tomato ravioli with house-made Boursin, micro mint, Italian parsley and truffle which was listed on the menu as $21. Of course the entree was part of the Chef's Tasting. This was a wonderfully light version. It was satisfying, but not overpowering. It was a work of art and included a great raw Italian bread stick.

Being on the East Coast, I had to go for a dish that reminded me of the Atlantic Ocean, so I ordered the "Land and Sea" for $23.

I have read several reviews of Grezzo online. There was one uncomplimentary review that complained that the servings were too small. I can only believe that this in"duh"vidual was used to bellying up to the local buffet and spending hours at a time seeing how many plates that they could devour for their money. Whoever you are, I'm sure your cardiac surgeon will be happy with their new sports car.

When the "Land and Sea" was placed in front of me, I asked for a box before I picked up my fork. I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish it. The "Land and Sea" is a very earthy dish made of lobster mushrooms, yellow oyster mushrooms and hedgehog mushrooms, smooth ricotta, dulse and kelp . It demands your attention as it towers above the plate with a wonderful salad of greens and mushrooms to the side.

This dish draws you to the very brink of creation. You taste the sea, and the earth. The Chef has created a dish the gives pleasure to the senses and fills you with wonder as to why anyone would ever want this dish to be cooked.

I think it was at this point that Alissa stopped by the table again, and I told her I was considering just titling this blog as "Burp!". In some cultures the belch is the best compliment you can give your host.

And then there was dessert.

I don't think there is a person who practices a raw foods diet that hasn't tried to make ice cream. If you think you've done a great job, like I have in the past, accept the fact that you're a failure at making this dessert. I'm ready to admit my failings after eating at Grezzo.

We decided that we wanted two desserts, but couldn't eat much more. So we ordered the "Rich Brownie Sundae for $11, and asked for the cheesecake to go.

Every time I make raw ice cream it is chunky. It lacks the creamy consistency of a dairy product. The house-made gelato, with chocolate truffle sauce, and brazil nut crumble, was unbelievable. It was rich and creamy, and tasted just like a high end dairy product.

The entire evening felt like we were there for only 30-45 minutes. It was almost three hours. We were both in shock.

I hope that everyone gets the chance to visit Grezzo. Alissa Cohen is a wonderful host, and has an absolutely fantastic restaurant. I tipped more than 30% of the final tab. You might be shocked when I tell you that the bill for the two of us, with tip, was $165.00, but consider that in 1978 I ate at what was considered a five star restaurant, and paid $125.00 just for myself. Grezzo outshines that experience by a million fold! As Keely said “The meal was more than worth the cost of the gas!”

If you can’t make it to Grezzo, do yourself a favor, and buy Alissa’s book “Living On Live Food”. You can get both her book, and companion DVD on her website at: http://www.alissacohen.com/ or by ordering them through your local independent bookstore (our recipe book is now autographed!).

As we walked back to the car and proceeded to get lost for more than an hour in downtown

Boston, trying to find MA-1 north, I kept asking over and over: “Can I PLEASE have the Slider recipe? I promise I won’t tell!” (I can beg worse than any two year old, and I have fifty more years of practice than they've got!) Maybe there's a New York Butterfly....

For reservations at Grezzo call: 1.857.362.7288

You can find them on the web at: http://www.grezzorestaurant.com/

All I can do is say, “BURP!”

Don’t forget to watch for the last installment of our raw trip to Boston: “Keely’s Salem Fantasy Comes True”.

IT'S ALIVE! (Part I of III)

2008-05-17T17:05:00.002-04:00

I bet you've been wondering why I've been so quiet? I've been on vacation.

Several months ago we heard of the opening of a new restaurant in Boston, and decided that it was time for a road trip. When we originally made the decision, the profit mongers on Wall St. and the oil privateers weren't fully encroached in the rape of the American public, so gas wasn't as bad as it was when we left Westerville, OH on Thursday May 8, 2008. But once our plans were made, the threat of McCain actually being elected couldn't have kept me home (although I didn't sleep as well as I could have during the trip).

I guess I could have told you that we were going to be on vacation, but there is that little issue of home security while you're gone. Remember, never put anything on the web that you don't want everyone in the world to know about.

I've been racking what little brain I have available these days as to how to tell you about our trip. I was going to call this blog "Burp!" to begin with, then I decided on "Five Star Raw". I'm going to use "Five Star Raw" but that will be Part II of what I've decided will be a three part report on our trip. Part III will be "Keely's Salem Fantasy Comes True!". (No, it has nothing to do with "Elmo's Bras and Girdles". Take a shower please!)

While the purpose of the trip was to eat at a "raw gourmet" restaurant in Boston (don't worry, I'll give you the name here in a moment), the trip was more than just food. Most of our friends were shocked when they found out we were going to drive instead of fly, but while at times instant gratification is nice, I believe you miss so much of the world by not traveling by land whenever possible.

I was pleased when we left home at 7:10 AM. I think leaving within 30 minutes of our scheduled time is a first for anyone in my family. I remember going on vacation with my grandparents in the 60's. If the plan was to leave by 8 AM, we were lucky to be gone by noon. My grandmother was part donkey. You literally needed to light a stick of dynamite under her tail, or hang a Perfect Manhattan from a stick to get her to move faster than a snail on speed.

For most of the trip we relied on Mapquest. Mapquest has actually gotten a lot better than it used to be. I remember there was a time when it would tell you to turn left when you really should turn right. I'm not going to blame Mapquest for any mistakes made while driving around Boston. I'm a firm believer that the interstate system within 100 miles of Boston was designed by the famous Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, but more on that in Part III.

Don't plan your travel time around Mapquest. The service still sucks in its predictions of the time your trip will actually take. I did better with tea leaves. I'd plan on at least three extra hours, then the recommended "Mapquest" time for any trip. We drove 477 miles our first day, and arrived at the Fairfield in Scranton by 6:15 PM. Just under 500 miles in 11 hours isn't too shabby, and I got to see Detroit kick the Stars' collective asses. (I'm still betting on Pittsburgh in 5!)

The Fairfield was as nice as any Fairfield, and I've stayed in a number of them. Trish checked us in, and couldn't have been nicer, or more professional.

The next leg of our trip was from Scranton, PA to our hotel north of Boston in Danvers, MA. We stopped at "The Promised Land" to fill the car up with "liquid gold". Why they called it "The Promised Land Fuel Stop" I'll never know. I really can't understand how they intend to sell much gas when all the windows have signs that say "No Parking"! How can I fill the tank if I can't park and fill up the tank?

We stayed at the Townsend Suites in Danvers, MA, which is another Marriott property. Some of the Townsends tend to be a little run down, but this one was in great shape! Our hotel was only 16 miles north of the restaurant, and a straight shot south on MA 1. Easy right?

Remember what I wrote earlier? Nothing is easy when driving in Boston....

Make sure to watch for Part II: "Five Star Raw" or "Who's That Lady?"

Wait a minute. Did you really think that I'd tell you the name of the restaurant? I'm not that nice! If I had to drive almost 800 miles to eat dinner on Friday night, you're going to have to wait 48 hours for the answer. Let's see if you can figure it out from this picture of the sidewalk in front of the door.

Not a good enough hint? OK, then I'll give you one more chance. See if you can figure it out from this picture. Ask yourself: "Who's that Lady" with Keely?

If you don't know who Keely is, I'm not about to tell you!

Stay tuned!

And Now for Something Completely Different

2008-05-03T14:51:00.002-04:00

I'm going to wax nostalgic this weekend, and step back to a day when laptops meant something you placed a TV dinner on, and cell phones didn't exist. There were cars, but gas was less than fifty cents a gallon. Let's all step back to 1977.

Some of you might only know of this year through history books. I pity you. It was a fun time to be alive. I was attending Otterbein College, after being too wasted to remember most of my time at Ohio State University.

I invited the woman I was dating back then to go with me to Cleveland to see the World Series of Rock at the Cleveland Stadium. Cleveland Stadium has since been torn down, and replaced with Jacobs field.

To quote Wikipedia: "The World Series of Rock was known not only for its arena rock spectacle, but was also notorious for the rowdiness, rampant drug use and drunkenness of the crowd. One concertgoer fell through a hole in the backstop net while sliding down it and landed on the concrete of the lower grandstand, suffering a fractured spine. The Cleveland Free Clinic maintained tents on site staffed with volunteers."

Yes, the World Series of Rock was like heaven on Earth for any 21 year old.

I'm not sure which event we actually attended. I remember that the drink of choice was anything you could sneak in the stadium in your hip flask, and the drug of choice was marijuana. All you had to do is sit long enough and a joint would be passed to you every few minutes.

I remember a group of women who were sitting in the upper part of the stadium holding a sign up to the group on stage that said "Show us your Tits". The rockers yelled, "Show us yours first and we'll show you ours!" The women showed theirs, the rockers showed theirs, and a fun time was held by all!

I'm only guessing, but I think was saw, Peter Frampton, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, the J. Geils Band, and Derringer. I was only there for the crowd, and to...well, you know....

Friday night Keely and I stepped back more than forty years to the mid 1960's. We went to a local ballroom and saw "The Neighborhood Boys", "The Gas Pump Jockeys", "Hurricane Johnny and the Stormfront" and most importantly the "Dantes"!

I'm surprised at the number of people that I know who are coming out of the closet and letting it be known that they used to play in a band. I didn't know for the longest time that a friend of mine was a member of the band "The Ohio Express". You might remember "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy (I got Love in my Tummy)". I'd known Tim Corwin for probably 20 years before I learned of his past.

Keely used to work for Valerie Hayden. Keely found out that Valerie's husband was the lead singer for "The Dantes"! So, when we found out they were going to be playing a reunion concert, we had to go!

The music was great, but I must admit I'm going to have to start therapy. I'd never seen so many people in their late 50's and 60's trying to subtract 40 years or more off their lives! It was truly a sight to behold!

Just to give you an idea. Remember in 1977 the drink of choice was anything in a hip flask and the drug of choice was marijuana. Last night people were drinking "lite" beers, and the drug of choice was "Geritol".

The sign being held up wasn't "Show Us Your Tits", it was just one word "Midol". Why Midol I have no idea, but one woman pointed out that there probably wasn't any one in the crowd that needed Midol. Now if it was "Prevedia" or some other menopause drug....

I decided that I was going to have to call a therapist this next week, when the overweight man in his mid 50's, wearing shorts, a "Jethro Tull" t-shirt, and dark socks, shook his ass in my face.

Oh, and I can't forget the other guy in his 50's who showed up with what looked like a really bad blond toupee, wearing a "bright blue, seersucker, zoot suit"..... I really need help.

Now don't get yourself upset. I wasn't the only one laughing at everyone. The group standing at the railing next to us were trying to figure out if there was anyone there under fifty! Of course Keely had to raise her hand...SHOWOFF!

The night was meant to be fun. It was a night to step back and relive those days of fun in the sun, trying to make it in the back seat of a '56 Chevy, when the local drug store had a soda counter where everyone gathered after school. It was a chance to remember chanting "Hell No We Won't Go", and sneaking out after your parents went to bed.

It was a great night to escape, release, and remember...

Its just too damn bad that those same people have lost their will to stand up to the establishment today, and yell at people in Washington, "HELL, NO, OUR KIDS WON'T GO!". At one time they had the courage to demand an accounting of our President. At one time they had the courage to force a man from office who had a higher approval rating than Bush has today!

OK, if you really must know, while I was out to impress that day clear back in 1977, it didn't work...

"A Raw Recipe? Don't Shock Me!", said Keely.

2008-04-19T07:10:00.005-04:00

Sometimes I feel like pontificating (No, that's not a bodily function! Like my parents used to tell me, "Go look it up in the dictionary... or maybe "Google" it.) But then the Boss tells me that I should do something about raw foods.

So, I was wandering around Gone Raw and came across a recipe for "Spicy Green Beans". I thought to myself, "Damn, I bet that sauce could be tweaked a little bit, and wind up as a great entree." Of course it also helped that I'd just finished watching a documentary about Julia Child.

I hope you enjoy this quick little recipe as much as I did!

Spicy Cashew Noodles

Makes 2 servings

1 bag kelp noodles
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 tablespoon miso -- dark
2 tablespoons nama shoyu
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon chili paste (probably not raw)
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1/2 cup cashews, soaked at least 2 hours
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, as garnish (optional)
Cilantro for garnish (Cilantro is always wonderful. I just didn't have any at the time for the picture.)

1) Soak kelp noodles as instructed

2) Blend remaining ingredients, and pour over noodles.

3) Allow it to sit several hours or overnight in refrigerator to allow flavors to infuse the kelp.

Don't be afraid to adjust the spices to your own taste. I love ginger!

Make sure to give me the credit if people like it, otherwise you're on your own with this one!

East Indian? You Are Kidding Aren't You?

2008-04-12T08:53:00.001-04:00

I don't usually eat East Indian food. I don't have anything against it. Well, OK, I do, but let's blame Keely.

You see several years ago I had surgery on my left foot. I'd decided that three surgeries to correct a couple of things, including a large cyst, was what was called for at that stage in my life. So, after the first two, I decided to go the disability leave route instead of walking around on drugs with a cast up to my knee.

Of course the downside of this scenario is that Keely was in charge of feeding me.

I was between raw journeys at the time, which made it easy for her to nuke a frozen dinner. I must admit that she was trying her best, and I didn't complain since I was enjoying my pain killers, but there's only so much Indian a person can eat in six weeks! (Vietnamese I can eat every day!)

For at least five years I haven't touched Indian foods.

Then I found Julie's Raw Ambition, and her "Baby Bhindi: Bhindi Masala with Baby Zucchini". OK, I can eat Indian again, well, raw Indian.

Julie's recipe was ultra easy to make! My one change is that I like plastic zip lock bags. OK, they aren't the most environmentally friendly things in the world, but you can put food in them and it helps marinate your dish. So, I put the onions in a small sandwich bag, and stuffed them on the bottom of the dehydrator. Then with about 30 minutes to go, I stuffed the zucchini in a large zip lock bag, and added the 2 tablespoons of the marinade.

My only complaint is that Ingrid over at Natural Living Cuisine posted another recipe for Broccoli Bites after Julie's recipe was ready to eat, that really would have added to this dish. Ingrid has posted some really great recipes! Next Sunday Ingrid!

Don't be afraid to surf the net, as there are some great people out there putting out fantastic raw recipes! Find your favorites and subscribe to their feeds!

Its Pig Lovin' Livewurst!

2008-04-06T11:24:00.002-04:00

So, Keely's been complaining that I need to come up with something totally, 100%, raw post. This is three posts this weekend! Does that mean I get the next three off? Probably not.

OK, here you are, a recipe for "Pig Lovin' Livewurst". How did this one come about? I had a "Dr. Rex Harrison-Dolittle" moment, and found a recipe for What Am I, Chopped Liver? at Goneraw.com. So I decided to look a little further for a liverwurst recipe, and viola!

Don't ask me if it really tastes like Liverwurst. I haven't had any in decades!

So, without further ado I present unto you:

Pig Lovin' Livewurst
(Let my Piggy Live!

Makes 4 servings

1 1/4 cups Brazil nuts
1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
1/4 cup onions, finely diced
1 tablespoon nama shoyu
1/2 teaspoon paprika, I used smoked
1 teaspoon agave syrup
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon coriander, finely ground
1/8 teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine ingredients in food processor until smooth. Might have to stop and let machine rest because of the nuts. Allow mixture to sit covered on counter for 2 hours, or place in dehydrator for 1 hour at 110.

Shape into small roll about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and place on plate in refrigerator until chilled. I let it ripen in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning you'll find a lovely roll of "Pig Lovin' Livewurst"!

Slice and serve on raw crackers or in romaine, or other lettuce (just as long as you don't waste your time using iceberg.)

I did something extra special with my "Livewurst". Liverwurst is used to make sandwiches with rye bread, eggs and onions. I made a batch of carmalized onions. and some of Heidi Ohlander's "Deviled eggs". (If you want the "Deviled Eggs" recipe, you'll find it in her Easter Recipe book. Don't be cheap, show her your support. Heidi and Justin support you enough don't they with Raw Food, Right Now?) I used the "Deviled Egg" recipe as a base, added a small slice of "Livewurst" and topped with the carmalized onions. Even Rachael Ray would have to say "YUMO!" (God, that woman makes me cringe. She's right when she says she's not a chef!")

Feel free to share. Just give me the credit if you like it, otherwise tell them you made it!

Oh, I forgot to thank Jeff Bucchino, "The Wizard of Draws" for the great pig clipart! Check him out!

Bon Appetit! (or whatevah!)

How About a Quickie?

2008-04-06T09:29:00.002-04:00

Keely and I have a set schedule of Tai Chi Saturday mornings and then grocery shopping. Our major mistake is not packing a small snack to eat between the two. The lack of food results in much snarling and gnashing of teeth.

On Saturday we ran down to the Clintonville Community Market, which is our favorite co-op in Columbus. I was starving! I hunted throughout the grocery, fighting the urge to grab a vegan bologna sandwich that the market makes fresh every day, or a "Whoopee Pie", or something just as decadent, from Patty Cake Vegan Bakery. Then I saw the Love Force and Deep Root's raw products.

Grabbing a pack of Love Force's Sun-Flax Focaccia raw bread, a pack of the Sun-Flax Italian raw bread, and a pack of Deep Root's Red Cabbage, (along with our other purchases), we headed to the car.

The Sun-Flax Focaccia never made it from the parking spot.

I don't want to go too much into what you can do with these two products. Keely and I are tag teaming this one. You'll need to read her Raw Diva Keely blog to learn more about lunch. Let me just say that both of these manufacturers have developed high quality, fantastic products. You might look at the price tag and shiver, but remember, this is quality food. Think how many times you've spent twice the amount on some cancer causing piece of garbage to shove in your body.

When you're in a hurry, or just don't want to take the time prepping food, Love Force and Deep Root have the answer. Quality is worth the money, and the money you spend on Love Force and Deep Root products is money well spent.

Check 'em out!

Why Do I Eat Raw Foods?

2008-04-05T20:43:00.004-04:00

We've all read the books, heard the talks, watched the DVDs. But is there a reason why I'm raw?

I will be posting a wonderful brand new raw concoction in the next day, but I found a cooked foods recipe that explains it all better than I could ever explain my choice:

Apple-Onion Lard

Serves 12

1 pound lard
2 medium onions -- chopped
2 small apples -- chopped
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Melt lard slowly together with onions, apples and spices. Let simmer for about ½ hour to let lard absorb flavors. Cool, stirring often, then pour into stoneware container. Keep in refrigerator.

NOTES : This lard is used as a spread on open-faced sandwiches, especially with pickled herring, salami, liver paste or corned beef. Also good on rye bread with cheeses, preferably Danish cheeses such as Havarti, Thybo or Tilsitter.

I guess that every culture has its specialties and that's what makes this planet so rich, but....

Please don't get between me and the bathroom!

Sorry, but I just couldn't help but share this public service reminder with everyone. I guess that lard, apples and onions must be an acquired taste...

Slug It Out!

2008-04-02T10:53:00.000-04:00

Meet my friend. He's a slug.

What's his name? Like you should ask. His name is Sluggo, what else?
Don't ask me how I know that Sluggo is a male and not a female. I don't speak slug, and I have no plans on asking for proof. I doubt if I could tell anyway.

So what's with the slug? Why should there be anything more than the fact that he's a slug.

Look at him. He's long, he's slimy, and he's got two antler's that look like he could be wearing either the crown of a King or the crown of a Fool. But when all is said and done, he's still a slug.

Are we really any different than a common slug?

Strip away the facade. Take away all of the masks we wear. Remove the clothes, the titles, the Botox. Strip away all of the preconceptions and are we other than a mass of atoms, held together in an ideal of an existence. Are we any more than Sluggo?

Or is Sluggo more than what we are?

Look at the slug. He's a slug. He lives in the moment. He has no aspirations other than being. He's not worrying about his idiot supervisor, or whether he can afford the new HD TV that his neighboring slug has in his hovel. He exists, and he lives....

Oh, but I could spend just a moment as a slug. To live in the moment. To be one with my environment, to listen to the world and eat food not to satisfy my ego, but to satisfy my life.

Maybe being a slug isn't really that bad. Be he Fool, or be he King, he is...and isn't that enough?

WATERMELONS RULE!

2008-03-29T22:46:00.008-04:00

What's this crap about watermelon? Well, when you haven't eaten for 24 hours, the experience of having the watermelon juice running down your arms can be the most wonderful experience of your life!

No, I haven't changed my mind. I still believe that a long term fast is harmful to the body, well at least my body. But there's nothing wrong with starting the spring Body Enlightenment System (BES) off with a 24 hour fast.

Yes, the Raw Divas (not the WWE Raw Divas, I'm talking about the beautiful, classy smart Raw Divas!), are at it again. Keely and I are in the thick of things as usual. So what's different this year?

I'm riding a bicycle.

Now most people wouldn't be surprised by that fact, unless you actually knew of my aversion to anything that required an expenditure of energy. But I like it. Because of the rain, I've only been out twice. But that's twice I've actually done the path at Highbanks Metro Park without breaking anything on the bike, myself, or anyone I've passed. (Ite helped that people jumped off the bike path when I got near them!)

I'm enjoying my Schwinn Sierra GS. Its a nice "weekend warrior" 21-speed bike. Don't ask my what I need 21 speeds for. All my bikes growing up had one speed, and it was measured by how fast I could pedal.

So expect more posts as we start a new BES journey, and I learn how to ride a bike after 30 years. (Could I have 25 days in the pool as to when I scrap the first knee!)

My thanks to the people at Performance Bicycles for helping get me back on the path! Here's to my first "century"!

Now excuse me while I go get naked and soak in a herbal bath for the next 20 minutes or so (now you're stuck with that vision for at least the next 24 hours! No, there aren't going to be any pictures!)

A Blessed Ostara

2008-03-23T19:03:00.012-04:00

A blessed what?

Ostara! Oh, come on, its always celebrated around the spring equinox. Its the time when we celebrate the rebirth...

Whoops, wrong religion. OK, let's step back to pre-Christian Europe, and the area now known as Germany. According to Kveldulf Hagan Gundarsson and Gunnora Hallakarva "[t]he feast of Ostara takes its name from the Goddess Eostre, of whom little is known, except that she must have been a Goddess of spring, fertility, rebirth, and the rising sun. Her name is etymologically connected with both the "east," and with a word for "shining; glorious." The Ostara worship was so strong in the Germanic lands that the somewhat similar Christian feast of rebirth and renewal was given the Goddess's name." (Check out their entire article at: http://www.vinland.org/heathen/mt/ostara.html)

So, what did I do to renew myself today? I looked at my new bike. That's right, I've taken another step to health. It sits in the middle of the living room, with the helmet hanging from the handle bars. I probably should have taken it out today, but to be honest, I find myself suffering a little bit from "51 year old male doesn't want to make more of an ass out of himself than normal" syndrome. Oh, I'll take it out this week, and probably do a header, but I thought I'd read the book, and do some surfing on the Internet to figure out how to work the "21 gears". (My first bike didn't have a gear!)

So that was my first move toward rebirth this Ostara. Have I got something else planned? (If you have to wonder, think about why I'd ask the question if I didn't have something up my sleeve?) I'm going on another fast!

Hold on Tonto, I thought you were against fasting. I am. But I'm not going on a food fast. I'm going on a "Digi-Fast". I'm turning off my computer.

Oh, don't worry, I'm not turning off my computer for good. Just for a few days each week when I'm at home. I have to have the thing on at work, but I'm learning that the job is nothing more than a tool. Its no longer my life.

So what has my life become? Like most of you I spend hours on my computer. I download all sorts of things. I surf, I check out the forums, and I post on my blog. Instead of sitting for hours in front of the TV, I sit in front of the computer, while the rest of the world passes me by. The television was called the "boob tube" when I was growing up. Its been taken over by the Internet. I'll admit it: I'M A DIGITAL ADDICT!

So as part of my rebirth this "Ostara" I'm going to eat as close to 100% raw as I can. I'm going to take my bike out and see if I can grow wings when I do a header. And finally I'm going on a "Digi-Fast". At least two days a week, I'm going to turn off my computer. That's right, the switch is going to be flipped off. I'm starting with Friday and Saturday.

I'm going to spend more time with my wife, and friends. I'm going to spend time reading books that will help me connect with my inner self, and I'm going to reconnect with the world around me.

So, what's your plan this Easter, Ostara, Asatruar or Eostre?

Note: I realize that the picture is sickeningly cute. I'm trying to atone for all those rabbits my Great Grandmother used to fix me for Easter Dinner! Just be glad that I didn't use this picture on this post. (Talk about a sickening "Hallmarkesque" moment! ):

To be honest, I was going to post it but my friend Thomas threatened to chew off my....OH GOD NO! NOT THAT! TAKE THE LEG INSTEAD! PLEASE GIVE IT BACK! (Damn rat!)

My thanks to the fine folks at Performance Bicycle for the great deal on my new Schwinn Sierra GS, lovingly named "Flash"! (Don't ask me the name of my Palm Pilot!)

Try a "Slow"

2008-03-15T22:26:00.006-04:00

Before I start, let me remind you of my fundamental beliefs when it comes to your life.

It’s your life to live. No one controls you. You set your own path.

You choose to eat what you eat, drink what you drink. You die when you have fulfilled your goals.

To quote Bill Murray: "It just doesn't matter."

OK, that's not the best quote. Let's change it a little bit.

"It just doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, says, or does, just as long as you are happy in your walk, and harm no one, be it an animal, vegetable or mineral."

That sounds a lot better.

So remember, what I'm about to say is my own opinion. You have to make up your own mind, and decide what makes you happy.

Having said that, let me say: "Fasting of any type really sucks!" (I feel much better.)

For those of you who have been following my "Bob's Legal Lemon" posts on Tera's My Lemonade Cleanse you know that I did a 10 day Master Cleanse fast. For 10 days I had nothing but "Lemonade" during the day, a glass of laxative tea at night, and salt water flush in the morning. By the night of the last day I wanted nothing to do with "lemonade".

Oh, I lost weight, and I'm sleeping better. But by the 10th day I was more scatterbrained than usual. I was on the edge. I was bored with the diet.

But is fasting natural? I've read the books. I know that the "fast/feast" experts say that after a while you might even have a religious experience.

Is it a religious experience or is it the body saying "Hey stupid, get real! Real food that is!"

Over the centuries we have drifted away from nature. We surround ourselves with boxes on wheels, stilts and wings. We flash information around the world in seconds. We want our food fast, and we want a lot of it without any thought of the consequences of our actions.

Then, when our body says "enough is enough", instead of slowing down and giving it the food that will allow it to naturally come back to a balance at the speed that is best for the body, we decide to fast.

Look at the name we give the denial of fuel. We even call the practice "FAST". Instead of working with our bodies we try to ram them back on track "FAST".

Did you ever think that after we've forced garbage upon our bodies, that we might be doing even more damage by a "FAST", when what we really need is to work with our bodies and allow them to seek their own level through a program of healthy food that is meant for the body.

Do you really think that the only way to "detox" is through a "FAST"? Why not detoxing through a "SLOW"?

What the hell's a "SLOW"?

Simple. A slow is a natural diet of high energy foods. It’s a diet for your body.

Bet it sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, a "SLOW" is much harder than a "Fast". It requires you to live with your body. It requires you to be responsible for your body. It requires you to listen to your body.

Responsibility is a word we don't use much these days. Instead we go to our doctors and ask for a pill. We point our fingers and act the victim.

You will probably have to give up some of the food that you like. Why? Because you live in your body, and it just might not like the same things you do.

Your body is a much deeper relationship than a commitment to another being. You can walk away from another creature. The only way you can get away from your body is by dying.

Think about how you want to live. You can "FAST" if you want to "FAST". Or you can start living with your body, and giving it as much respect as you would give to a person you love. Remember, it was the tortoise who won the race by going "SLOW", not the "FAST" hare!

Me? I'm going to take life "SLOW" and smell the roses too.....

(Gee, I wonder if they caught it? Oh, life is so much fun at times like these!)

Talk About a Snow Job!

2008-03-09T11:48:00.002-04:00

For anyone who doesn't get CNN, a newspaper, or any type of electronic or print information, Columbus, Ohio got hammered with snow. The official total at the work hive is 20.5 inches (about 50 cm.).

Of course there's the idiot who is visiting a neighbor who parked his "I am short a male organ so I bought a big pick-up truck to make up for my lack of any type of meaningful manhood" Ford in front of the dumpsters, across four parking spots and has left it there since Friday night while his jackass friend came and picked him up yesterday. (Can you tell that if I had the number of the towing service we use, I'd show him how easily it can be moved?)

I could get my car out and back in our drive this morning, but for the fact that I care more about the rear end of my car than I do about the side of his stinking manhood! (I hope that he's never allowed to reproduce.) Its times like these that make me realize I have a ways to go before I can claim to be a Bodhisattva.

Before I show you my pictures, I just want to let you know that I've only got two more days of the Master Cleanse to go. I'm glad I did it, but I'll be glad to get back to a solid food diet too. Please check out the great article on our friend Penni Shelton out in Tulsa. She's doing a 92 day "Juice Feast". I can't imagine it! Its a great article for a great soul!

Check out Penni at:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/lifestyle/article.aspx?articleID=20080308_4_D1_hpoun37577

OK, here's the pictures. Be afraid, be very afraid. I'm going to go cough up a lung.

Our Condo

Our cars...I think....

The early hours.

Our cars from the front door, before I was ready to brave the glacier. (See the "I have no manhood truck"?)

This last is the picture of the idiot with his "manhood lacking pick-up truck". I guess he really parked in part of the road. Makes him even more intelligent.

Where's Bob?

2008-03-06T11:20:00.002-05:00

Bob's on Day 5 of his 10 day Master Cleanse. I'm not going to say that he's totally enjoying it, but he's enjoying the experience. He's blogging at the end of each day on Raw Diva Tera Warner's blog "My Lemonade Cleanse".

Please feel free to jump over to his Legal Lemon page on Tera's blog for the next few days. While you're there check out Tera's postings, and Katy Joy's 10 day blog page too!

I'm going to try to get him to post something here on Sunday. That will be day eight!

Until then: Hide your cheese.

Thomas

Hosanna Heysanna

2008-03-02T17:17:00.001-05:00

A NOTE: I wrote this post about a week ago. Since then I decided to do a 10 day Master Cleanse Fast. Like with a house, I decided that now was the best time for a spring cleaning. It is the best fit for my lifestyle. Of course the best thing about it is how Peter Glickman, author of the book "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days" says that the only person who can decide what is right is you. That was a big plus in my book. You can check out my MC adventure at My Lemonade Cleanse, brought to you by Tera Warner of The Raw Divas! (Click on the nice colored words after reading the rest of this post to get there!)

So read on, I hope you enjoy this post. (Damn, that picture makes me look like a middle aged male sweating his ass off in the Mekong Delta while eating fresh durian. Type casting!)

Sanna Sanna Ho Sanna Hey Sanna Ho Sanna,

Hey JC, JC won't you fight for me?

Remember those words from the rock Opera Jesus Christ Superstar? We sang the music, we argued the message, we cried at the end of the film.

How can we really find nirvana, heaven, or whatever we believe the after life to be? We flock to temples, churches, tents and fields. Old people send their Social Security checks to support the Mega Church ministries that fill the airwaves on Sunday morning, with the promise of miracles of never ending wealth if only you pledge your checks to their keeping.

Some of us meditate for hours. People still flog themselves, mentally and physically. We starve ourselves, and walk miles to the top of mountains. Some feel that raw food is the answer to a long life. But do any of these paths lead us to true peace?

They just might. They're tools, and every now and then we need a tool. A ladder is a tool, and we don't think twice about using a ladder to change a light bulb. A screwdriver is a tool, and we'll use one to remove the cover on the back of a dryer.

Isn't meditation, prayer, or fasting just as much of a tool as a ladder or a screwdriver?

But do we really need any of these tools to reach the peace that we are seeking in our lives? I propose to you that we really don't need anything other than reaching out and becoming part of that which is our birthright!

A couple of years ago, a dear friend and I were taking a walk through one of the Columbus Metro Parks. We stopped, as was our habit, at the nature overlook to see if there were any deer nearby. For just a moment the world stopped, and there was a peace I'd never felt before. The normal background sound of birds and traffic from the nearby highway disappeared. The wind stopped, and for a moment we were in that place between time, between breaths, where all is connected and life exists as one. It ended too soon, and we both looked at each other wondering what just happened?

Sound crazy don't I? But isn't this what we are all striving toward? To be one with that which connects all that exists? To be free of fear, or want?

Did it really happen? I think so, and that is all that really matters.

What did I do to cause this moment? Did I meditate, pray, fast, or flog myself? No.

I merely allowed myself to accept that which is everyone's birthright; peace, love, and life.

If you need a tool, I have an experiment for you to try. The next time you go to buy your food for the week, don't just fill your basket. Try listening to the food you buy. Pick it up, and see if it feels alive. Pick the fruit or vegetable which feels more comfortable in your hand. Remember Chevy Chase in Caddyshack, when he looked at Danny and said to "Be the ball". Well try to be the red pepper, the durian, or the grapes. If they don't excite you, put them back, and pick up another piece until you feel comfortable with the food you plan to ingest.

The closer you come to your reality, the more you'll realize what your reality really is, and become one with your world.

May you each experience that moment, and may it fill your life with wonder, and the realization of your birthright, whatever path you walk.

Yeah, that's a picture of me zoning out in the Mekong Delta while gnawing on a lovely hunk of durian. Nirvana. Heaven on earth. Better than contemplating your navel. Understand that I really can't stand my picture being taken. But I figured I'd post something for #1 Daughter who is in Belgium. Keely and I really miss you Sera.

Korean Raw

2008-02-24T18:19:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago I discovered Chef Landria. She's Vietnamese, an avid bike racer, and a raw chef.

Now given my penchant for anything Vietnamese, you think I would have made one of her Vietnamese recipes first. Nope, I went Korean.

May I introduce Chef Landria's Kimchi, and her “Chap Chae” Korean Clear Noodle. Sorry but the "Pajon" bread just went into the dehydrator.

You can buy Chef Landria's first volume of recipes by checking out her website at:

http://www.cheflandria.com/

You won't be disappointed!

Here are two close-ups. The first is of the "Chap Chae" and the second is of the Kimchi.

A Snarl, A Sneer, A Whip That Stings, These are a Few of My Favorite Things

2008-02-17T19:18:00.002-05:00

Over the years I have abused my body. I've got no problems admitting what I've done, and I'm proud of every step I've taken in life. Besides, I can't do anything about the past.

I can do something about the future.

I've killed countless numbers of brain cells. On my 21st birthday I remember drinking the 17th shot of Tequila before my body said that it was time to stop, in the most classic way possible. The body made its point not once, but at least four times.

I drank 2 quarts of Long Island Ice Tea when I passed the Bar (Hell of a thing to call the exam you take to become a lawyer isn't it?). I remember my body expressing its opinion on that little fiasco for at least three days.

It seems like I've eaten almost everything that jumps, flies, swims, runs, or slithers that is known to humanity. I'm not ashamed of any of it, nor would I change the past, even if I could. That's my life, and it what makes me the person I am today.

I'm learning to value that which I've paired myself with for the few decades I've decided to inhabit this planet. I'm discovering each little nook and cranny (Thank you for pointing that one out Alexyss! No, Keely, I'm not going to explain that comment any more than I have. There will be a few people who will understand it, and have juice coming out their noses about now!). When I eat I look at the reaction my body has, and the feedback it gives me. I'm realizing that horses build muscles to allow them to gallop for leagues, not on cooked foods, but on raw plants!

But then I look around me, and notice how so many of the people I've come to care about are starting to "juice fast or feast" for 90 days or longer, and I wonder how could something like this be good for me?

Let's face it. Fish swim, have sex, and defecate in liquid. They can't exist in air except for very short periods of time. But they can't exist on just liquids either. Even fish eat solid food!

So how can a juice "feast" of 90 days or longer really be healthy? For me, it wouldn't be.

Don't get me wrong. I think that a juice fast of just a few days is healthy for me. It gives my body a rest. It allows my intestinal track to deal with the crap (literally at times) that I force through it. But I really don't think that I'm built to exist on nothing but liquids for more than just a few days.

Ever hear of "The Sproutman" Steve Meyerowitz? This guy doesn't research something, he immerses himself in a subject. He's not afraid to ask the questions the so called "experts" don't want asked. I got to hear him on a teleconference as part of the Raw Diva Sisterhood, and was totally blown away.

He wrote a book called Juice Fasting and Detoxification. Why do I feel this is such a great book? Because he believes a person should look at the reasons why they want to fast. Are they doing it to purify, to heal, or because its in vogue. The worst reason to follow a juice fast (or feast) is because everyone else is doing it.

Pick your time, pick your place, and take it one day at a time. Make sure that you are fasting for the right reasons. Most importantly be careful. Do your research and make a plan. Don't just decide to start fasting on Monday morning. Do a prefast diet, and make sure that you're planning on how to exit the fast. We've seen the damage that not having an "exit strategy" can do to the world. (Yes Virginia, that was a political comment slipped in without others realizing it!)

Would I talk to my Doctor before I start a fast of any type? That's a personal choice. Of course the medical profession feels like you should bare your soul to your Doctor. I'll leave it up to you. I never do anything just because a Doctor tells me to do it. I make my own choices in life.

Would I suggest checking out Steve Meyerowitz's book? I'd say that Juice Fasting and Detoxification should be required reading for anyone contemplating a juice fast/feast.

Personally, I'll stick with solid foods and green smoothies, with maybe the occasional one or three day fast thrown in for a day of rest. Viva la Green Smoothie Challenge!

Oh, Yeah......

2008-02-15T09:03:00.009-05:00

OK, so I'm setting a record with my third post in a week. I haven't done this for a while. Most of you will be reading this after a long day at work. Or maybe you're taking a moment at work, hoping you don't get caught by evil management with a disciplinary notice for misuse of the employer's computer system.

Well, I'll tell you my secret this week (which should really piss you off at me). I'M OFF WORK TODAY! Yes, I'm doing the little happy dance, because I'm at home, and others had to work!

Anyway, the reason for this special post is to share a great new blog with you. Have you heard of Chef Landria? She is a cyclist and a raw food chef who has lots, and lots of Vietnamese raw food recipes in addition to Korean, and other goodies!

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm hooked on Viet Nam (Yes, Gertrude that is the correct spelling!), so when I found someone churning out raw Vietnamese recipes, I fell to my knees and thanked the Buddha for a miracle! (No, I'm not being sarcastic! Remember I converted several years ago.)

So take a moment and check out Chef Landria. She's got her first group of recipes available for purchase. Its only $7.50 to download, and is well worth the money. I can't wait to get my Kelp Noodles from Sea Triangle Noodle Company.

Just look at this picture from her Flickr site (there's a lot more pictures too!), and you'll know why I'm excited! I doubt if you'll be able to find a more tastier "Bun" than this! She has also posted several of her recipes on GoneRaw.com if you'd like to check her out!

For the uninitiated. Don't forget to click on the underlined words, and you'll be magically transported to those sites!

OK, so here's a second picture for anyone who gets excited over a nice set of "Buns". Sorry. I just couldn't pass it up! Well, I could have, but you know me by now.

AND THEN I HEAR POOR GUB-GUB SQUEAL!

2008-02-13T22:57:00.006-05:00

On this Valentine's Day, I'm going to take a different track with my blog. I'm going to appeal to the senses.

There might have been a day sometime in your life, that you remember sitting down at the table with family and friends tearing into a piece of blood red steak, the juices dripping from your chin.

You may remember wandering around a Renaissance Festival with a Guinness in one hand and a turkey leg in the other, the grease dripping off your fingers, and you wallow in the sensual delights.

But then like Rex Harrison's Dr. Dolittle, your remember why you eat the way you eat.

Does that mean you can't eat raw, and feed your fantasies? Heaven forbid!

Here's a treat to feed that deviant part of us that may dream of latching on to a slab of bacon, but remembers the squeal it represents!

SMOKIES!

You might think that you're eating bacon, but these have been Gub-Gub approved!

2 cups raw (we hope) almonds, soaked overnight
1/2 cup nama shoyu
1 Tablespoon liquid smoke (not raw, but essential)
2 teaspoons smoked salt
2 Tablespoons Agave

Soak almonds overnight. Drain, and marinate in remaining ingredients 8 hours or overnight. Dehydrate at 105 degrees until dry.

Laughing the Night Away!

2008-02-10T13:30:00.000-05:00

My God but we can be such a serious species. We find it tremendously hard to laugh at times. I remember a Christmas dinner (or was it Thanksgiving) I had fixed more than 10 years ago. I did battle with the evil phyllo dough.

For those of you who have never dealt with this beast, it comes as thin sheets of uncooked, unleavened flour dough. Left to itself it dries and becomes very brittle. My assignment was to make a vegetarian main dish using phyllo. Well, suffice it to say that instead of enjoying the experience, my language would have scared the saltiest sailor, and made me curse the Greeks who came up with this dough that took control over my body.

Food controlling my body? Could I actually believe in such a thing? No, I can't believe in such a premise.

But wait! That goes against everything that has been written about foods. What about, "you are what you eat"? How many people have used that quote in their talks to the point where it has been emblazoned on our brains?

If you've been a follower of my posts you'll realize that I am not a believer in fate. I don't believe that there are outside forces that determine where we travel in our lives. Sure choices may drop in our laps, but we make the ultimate decision as to what ulitmately happens!

I'll agree that foods will change us. Foods create a chemical reaction in our bodies. But do you really think that the cow jumps down your throat? Will that grape fall from the vine, turn into a liquid all by itself, ferment, and get you drunk? No way!

Maybe there is more truth to the phrase "You are what you eat". Let's look at it again.

Who is the control in the sentence "You are what you eat"? You are!

Who sits down at a table and pours bottles of pop into your stomach? You do!

Who goes into a restaurant and orders a "gin and tonic"? You do!

All foods have an effect on our bodies, but we have the choice of what we eat. We control our lives and what makes the chemical changes that determine whether we are skinny or fat, energetic, or depressed.

I have a friend who told me that given the choice of eating the foods they wanted to eat, or having their gallbladder removed, they'd be more than willing to have the surgery. That's their choice. Me? I'll gladly listen to my body, than make a car payment for some surgeon.

So when you make your plans for the coming week, try changing your view point. Don't follow instructions, but consider your choices. Realize that there is a cause and effect.

If you get up, pour yourself a shot of vodka before you go to work, you might be arrested, wind up in jail, and lose your job.

If you have a cup of coffee, with a tablespoon of sugar, you'll probably race through life for maybe an hour or two, and wind up crashing for the rest of the day.

Instead, why don't you take a while by yourself. Laugh at your past choices, and how you have let them control you and the way you interact with others.

Make a plan to laugh with life and enjoy the foods you eat, with the full knowledge that you are in control of what you use to make it through life.

Raise a glass of water to yourself, and live for once knowing that "you are what you eat".

Oh, phyllo isn't a raw product, so don't worry about that nasty little pastry. I won't tell you what I called it and the rest of the family who offered their help at that time in my life!

The Windmills of my Mind....

2008-02-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

OK, so I missed my posting on Sunday. I'd decided that would be my blogging day. "The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men Gang aft agley" (Thank you Robert Burns.)

I've got a rather in depth, kick ass "blob blog" that I've started, but just like a nice batch of rejuvelac (which I've yet to make correctly), its fermenting.

So, since Thomas copped out on me, and refuses to act as my stand in, I'll take a quick moment just to acknowledge of couple of things.

Keely jumps on my case every now and then because I don't always jump up and make a comment on my blog in response to someone who leaves a comment on my blog. I'm still learning the ins and out of blogging. I have things set up so that I get a copy of every comment. I'm trying to figure out how to respond directly to each and every one of you. I really do appreciate every comment that people leave. It just feels weird leaving a message on my on blog. To quote Richard Bach:

"If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finally overcome space and time, we've destroyed our own brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don't you think that we might see each other once or twice?"

That's one fine talking seagull!

I guess I'm still sort of "blog challenged". But I'm working at it!

This is awards season! Heidi and JS Ohlander of the blog "Raw Foods, Right Now!" have started a new award called the "Raw Food Inspiration Award".

Heidi and JS turned me on to The Raw Divas. Tera Warner and Amy DeWolfe have really made a huge change in our lives. If it wasn't for Heidi and JS we would never have found the Divas. Of course Heidi's recipes are really awesome. Each recipe book totally blows away the previous book!

So, when I got a call from Keely (da wife) to go to "Raw Foods, Right Now!", I just about fell out of my chair in my "cubicle/cell/attempt to work space in a converted warplane factory" (please don't support Republican Bob Taft if he ever runs for a national office, or dog catcher), when I found that Keely and I were one of the first five people to be given the "Raw Food Inspiration Award" by Heidi and JS.

Its not easy to get an attorney to shut their mouth. We like to talk, even when we're the only ones listening.

Heidi and JS have been such an inspiration to us. They were the ones who got us on the track we're traveling at this point in our lives.

To Heidi and JS, you got an attorney not only to shut his mouth, but to feel very humble.

To be included in the people you have given the award to, is an honor, especially when it is given by two such inspirational people.

OK, I'm beginning to sound like a "Hallmark" card. (No, I refuse to provide a link to Hallmark. I've provided enough support over the years by buying their Christmas ornaments. I should have bought their stock! Just "Google" them.)

Back to the "blob blog".....

BEWARE OF THE BLOB!

2008-02-01T20:20:00.003-05:00

Beware of the blob, it creeps
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of the blob

Can you believe that it was Burt Bacharach who brought us such wonderful songs like "Arthur's Theme", "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head", "The Look of Love", "Blue on Blue", "What the World Needs Now is Love", and "What's New Pussycat?", who wrote the theme song for that great little B movie "The Blob"?

The way I feel right now, I'd take Steve McQueen with one hand behind my back (bet you didn't know he starred in the original "Blob" did you?). Just call me "Bob the Blob".

I'm in vacation mode. I really don't want to play anymore. I don't feel like doing a damn thing. I want to loaf.

In the next few weeks I'm going to be walking out of work for a week. I won't be sitting in a cubicle, in an airplane hanger that was once used by Boeing to create instruments of death. I won't have to listen to the childish interplay of those around me, and shake my head in wonder as people prove the "Peter Principle" on a daily basis.

What will I be doing? I'll be eating at Alissa Cohen's new restaurant Grezzo in North Boston, and Robert Reid's Organic Garden Cafe in Beverly, MA. We'll be wandering the streets of Salem, and checking out Laurie Cabot's Wiccan book store The Cat, The Crow, and The Crown.

So if I seem abnormally quiet over the next few weeks, its because I'm storing up for when we return. There will be pictures, and hopefully recipes too. There will be stories of wonderful dinners at two of the premier raw restaurants in New England.

Get ready to be jealous.

CATS COULD BE SO LUCKY!

2008-01-26T19:48:00.001-05:00

Our favorite restaurant Ha Long Bay Vietnamese Kitchen in Columbus, Ohio was once again recognized by the Columbus Dispatch for its great food! So in celebration Keely and I went to dinner Saturday night. I tried a great new mango drink. It had fresh mango, and fresh oranges. I must admit that after two, I really didn't give a damn whether the booze was raw or not. Boy can that man make a mean martini!

My meal wasn't raw. I could have had a salad, but this is my "any chance I can get to feel as if I was in Viet Nam" treat. I can relax, enjoy my friends, and my wife. Don't ask me what I ate. I don't really order anything anymore. I let the owner fix me whatever he'd like me to try. He knows that little creatures are off limits. I've never been disappointed yet. P.A. is a true Chef!

Tonight's meal was centered around Tofu. Oh, and then there's the "fungi". His mushrooms are really unbelievable! The mushrooms are full of flavor, and juicy! I haven't found a raw recipe that matches the texture and flavor! When P.A. fixes a meal you can taste the ingredients. You don't get something that tastes like it is fresh out of the can when you eat at Ha Long Bay.

If you would like to see pictures of Keely's meal and the appetizers, go to her post on Raw Diva Keely.

Every chance I get I like to give Ha Long Bay a thumbs up to anyone who might be in the Polaris area of Columbus, Ohio. Outside of SaiGon you won't find better Vietnamese food around.

OK, so on to the recipe of the week. Nope, I'm taking a week off. My brain is fried. The work load is really crazy, and I'm zoning out on mundane things like plain old fantasy novels this weekend. I'm reading a great series with a woman as the "kick ass protagonist" who wound up with Joan of Arc's sword. Its called "Rogue Angel" by Alex Archer. There's ten books in the series. Yeah, its published by the same people who bring you "Harlequin" novels, but these are a great read. (No, you won't get me to admit to reading a Harlequin novel or two!)

So my recipe to share is one I picked up off of the "Raw Freedom Community" forum. You can link there from the Sunny Raw Kitchen. "Snowdrop" posted this charmer.

Do you miss that "hot dog" on a Saturday afternoon? Wish you could watch people dress in tight clothes and try to beat the crap out of each other while running down fields, skating on ice, or just pummeling each other? I'm pleased to share with you:

Snowdrop's Raw Whole Food Hot Dogs!

Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 cups walnuts, soaked
1/4 onion
1/4 beet
1/2 carrot
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons agave syrup
2 tablespoons nama shoyu
2 teaspoons hickory smoke flavor liquid
1 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Sprinkle cayenne pepper

Blend till smooth in food processor. (Note: Where the recipe calls for 1/4 onion or beet, I used somewhere between 1/4-1/3 cup of each. It really depends upon your taste.-Bob)

Form dough into hot dog shapes on teflex sheet (6-8).

Dehydrate 105 about 4 hrs.

Flip onto grid dehydrate to the texture you like. (Another hour or so.) Roll lightly into shape.
Serve warm.

Until next week, just try living without thinking, it might be more fun than you realize, and just might surprise you too! (Yeah, I got to throw a little philosophy in at the end, or it just wouldn't' be me!)

(PS - I made Bob use Romain leaves as a bun for the Hot Dogs. Add some Bubbies sauerkraut, mustard and ketchup, and you've got a raw dog that any little rodent in your house will love! Hmm, can I get his Highness to try making "Raw Pigs in a Blanket"? What's this crap about cats in the title anyway? Probably his poor spelling at work once again. Who knows what he's up to now! That boy needs a real vacation, and an office to work in, instead of a cubicle on a recycled factory floor. - Thomas)

The Inspirational Blogs In My Life!

2008-01-24T21:24:00.000-05:00

First a little history... This award (and three others) is the brainchild of Christy Z of Writer's Review. You can read the full rules, the meaning of the award and get your award badge at her post HERE. Basically, if you are tagged for the award, you go her site, get the badge for your site, then tag 5 others.

SAY WHAT?

OK, I'm fried. Its been a really weird week. Tuesday night was a one hour night, and I'm stressing out. But I wanted to tag these people with the INSPIRATIONAL BLOGGER AWARD! TeriLynn of The Daily Raw tagged me. I wish I could have tagged this wonderful person, but someone already got her! She got my wife too. I should have been able to tag Keely, but I guessed I tagged her 25 years ago, so I won't get too upset.

So, my five Inspirational Blog Award list begins with "Freshtopia"! Who? If you haven't been to Freshtopia.net, you're really loosing out. Tanja Andrews is not just a beautiful person physically, but you can tell that she has a wonderful heart, and is really excited about everything she does. She and Oscar Grimm have developed one hell of a site and some fantastic raw videos. I'd pay to see her work! Man, what she can do with a Vita-mix and Godzilla! Tanja and Oscar are two great people! Tanja deserves being one of the 10 Sexiest Geeks!

I've got to tap both Tera Warner and Amy DeWolfe. We've talked about their Raw Diva Blog (and Keely already tapped them), but they both have their private blogs where they share their private thoughts and their lives. These two ladies have helped us address the real issues in our lives.

The Sunny Raw Kitchen has to be on the list. This is a fantastic site for wonderful raw recipes. Don't limit yourself to just the blog. They've also got a forum where you can find great things like the "Hot Dog" recipe you'll see in the next few days!

I've got to tag one other person with an "Inspirational Blog Award". She's a red head who dreams of New York, but is surrounded by, well, not a whole lot of anything. If you've traveled through Oklahoma you'll understand. There's plains, and there's wind, and there's Tulsa. If you haven't been to Real Food in Tulsa, you're missing a treat! It takes a strong person like Penni Shelton to bring raw foods to Oklahoma! I must admit that I hope she never makes it to NYC. I'm more likely to be in Tulsa than I am NYC. I'll take the plains over the concrete jungle any day of the week! Anyone who can come up with a Raw Mojito is a genius! I'd just like to know where's the weight hiding she's worried about! Those pictures can't have be retouched!

I'd love to give this award to everyone who takes the time to do a blog in order to give their readers a chance to laugh, cry, escape, or better themselves. There's so many I've missed, but pass on the kudos. I'm sure that someone will tap you too!

The Way We Were.....?

2008-01-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

I got lucky growing up. I could have been born into a rather mundane family, but decided to live a little on the edge.

My grandfather was an adventurer. He loved life and those around him. He could be rather territorial at times, but figured the best way to treat people was to be nice to them, no matter how they felt about you.

He was born on a small 110 acre farm in just north of a small town called Denmark, Ohio. The farm remained in the family until just a few years ago when we decided as a family unit to sell it. The farm was my grandfather. It was never the same after he passed over in the early 1970's.

I remember my great grandmother raising baby chickens in the one bathroom. The smell of the food on a Sunday afternoon. I remember my great grandfather with his gray stubble on his face. A kindly, but quiet man.

In the early 1960's my grandfather became the Mayor of Mansfield, Ohio. During those years I traveled with him, and my grandmother to conventions in Washington, D.C., Boston, and Dallas. My most embarresing memory was when my grandmother asked Ted Kennedy to watch me so she could hit the bar. My grandfather didn't drink, but didn't stop my grandmother from enjoying a Perfect Manhatten.

I remember how the second year I met him, Hubert Humphrey remembered me, and called me by my first name. Whether someone reminded him, doesn't matter, because in that moment I was number one. For someone who was only maybe nine years old, that was a moment to remember.

Then there was the Sunday I went to church with my Grandparents. It wasn't our regular service. We were attending a special service at a local church. The minister's nephew was preaching that day. The local minister's name was The Reverend Joel King, and his nephew was The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Like I said, I got lucky growing up.

At times I think that I've done it all. But then I look at those around me and realize that I've just started my life. I'll be 52 this year. What is that really but a number?

There is a song from the 1970 called "Signs". It was done by the Five Man Electrical Band. You might not remember it:

And the sign said long haired freaky people need not apply
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said you look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do
So I took off my hat I said imagine that, huh, me working for you

woah!

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

And the sign said anybody caught trespassing would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and yelled at the house, Hey! what gives you the right
To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in
If God was here, he'd tell you to your face, man you're some kinda sinner

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

Now, hey you Mister! can't you read, you got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat
You can't even watch, no you can't eat, you ain't suppose to be here
Sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside Uh!

And the sign said everybody welcome, come in, kneel down and pray
But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all,
I didn't have a penny to pay, so I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign
I said thank you Lord for thinking about me, I'm alive and doing fine

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

We have our own little signs today. Our lives are built around such like our credit rating, the number of hours we work, the number of activities our children are in. We run ourselves ragged to prove to others we are successful. We are killing ourselves over our own signs.

Well tell you what Mr. Banker, you can take your credit rating and shove it where the sun don't shine!

Mr. Principle our children don't need multi million dollar schools with 50 different activities!

And to the Hollywood writer, I don't need your sorry ass "reality shows", and your poor reporting, and poor actors with their lives so screwed up that they take on a life of their own and have become more important than the child in Darfur. Dr. Phil can go back to his hole in Texas as far as I'm concerned.

Why? Because I've got life, and I'm going to live it.

Each morning I'm going to take responsibilty for every piece of food that I put in my mouth. I'm going to take responsibility for every word I use, thought I think, smile I fail to share.

For what ever you might think, the world does revolve around each and every one of us. Our choices shape our world.

The memories of the past, are as much alive as the momories of the moment, and the dreams yet to come.

Make your choice today and make it stick. Try starting with what goes in and out of your mouth.

What's a BOINC?

2008-01-15T19:04:00.000-05:00

For those of you who remember the television show "Moonlighting" you might think that "BOINC" is something that Bruce Willis didn't get to do on "Moonlighting" but actually got to do with Demi Moore. Sorry Bucko! It happens to mean a lot more than rutting in the halls.

BOINC is a small program that you can download that runs on your computer in the background while you're placing orders on line, blogging, twittering, e-mailing, watching movies, downloading movies, or any other meaningless activity that you engage in during the screen writer's strike (I'm sure that we could get into a long drawn out discussion as to whether we're really at a loss given the vast wasteland of the "Boob Tube" these days. Read a book, and exercise your imagination, instead of being spoon fed.).

BOINC is not a virus. Both Keely and I have BOINC running on our computers.

BOINC is a program manager which allows people from around the planet to come together and donated computer space to assist scientists who are trying to discover treatments to various diseases that take the lives of people every moment.

Right now we are assisting in the search for the treatment of cancer, Dengue Fever, AIDS, in addition to helping others study African climate changes, and in a Human Proteome Folding Study. (Yeah, I know. What's a Human Proteome Folding Study. Its all discussed on the web site!)

You'll find a link on the right side of this page which shows the number of points Keely and I have earned since we joined the community on October 21, 2006. Whenever our computers are turned on, we are helping others in studies that we hope are making are planet a little better for all.

Please take the time to download BOINC and to help others too.

It doesn't cost you a thing, and might actually do some good.

I can promise you that it feels good to know that you're actually making a difference.

Remember that while the pebble is small, it still creates a ripple that when dropped in the ocean touches every shore in the world. We might not feel it, but that doesn't mean we don't make a ripple, and with enough ripples, we create a wave.

Where Am I?

2008-01-13T12:30:00.000-05:00

Its been a weird week. It seems as if the world around me has really been crazy. Work has been totally out of control since the beginning of the year. It seems as if people have really been doing stupid things.

On the world front, fathers have been tossing children off of bridges to kill them, people have been flying from one State to the next trying to convince voters that they will be the "change President" if elected (while saying the same things as everyone else running for office), and the President we've got is trying to convince everyone that he isn't the Scarecrow from the "Wizard of Oz" reborn.

Is it the world, or is it the way I'm reacting to the world that's causing my problems?

Its me.

I hear you screaming that I can't take responsibility for the people around me. You're right. I can't. But I can take responsibility for how I react to the rest of the world.

I could ask my Doctor for a drug to help me deal with my problems. I could give control of my life to someone else. Or I can take a step back, and reassess where I am in life.

As member of the Raw Divas, I get to participate in a teleseminar every Saturday night, while on the Body Enlightenment System. Rosetta brought up how our body changes every 7-10 years. Because our body changes we should be reassessing our choices.

Rosetta is right on point. However, I feel that we should be in constant contact with our bodies. That shell you inhabit is yours for only a very short period of time. It is a vehicle for you to experience a world full of boundless energy and choices. At times, this world can put you on sensory overload if you don't stop to see where you are, and how you got there.

Right now, Keely and I are eating mono meals. By eating only one fruit or vegetable at a time, the body is given the opportunity to fully digest the food in front of it. So we haven't been perfect. We had Vietnamese last night for dinner and for lunch today I made some raw coleslaw. For the most part its been smoothies for breakfast and single fruits or vegetables for lunch and dinner.

What has happened this past week? Katie told me that my skin looked great. I'm feeling more relaxed with life (although it might not have manifested to those around me, yet), and I'm less likely to accept those actions of others that might challenge my world.

In other words...I'm taking control of life. For the first time in months I did a short walking meditation at the park.

No matter what is happening in the rest of the world, we need to deal with our world first. Until we have our own house in order, we can't help those around us.

If you think that the fuel you place in your body isn't the most important thing in your life, take another step back. You really need to look at the whole picture.

I Have a Secret....

2008-01-06T14:44:00.000-05:00

I've got a secret to share with you. No, it is nothing as spicy as a Britney Spears fixation (which is more like watching a train wreck in progress), nor do I spend my nights dressed up in wool.

I build models. I build little plastic representations of weapons of mass destruction. These are 1/35th, 1/48th, and as large as 1/6th scale metal and plastic representations of mostly World War II tanks, planes, and trains. Every now and then I'll drop enough to buy groceries for a week on something more modern.

Why is there this fascination? Like a lot of people, I grew up trying to keep from getting too high on plastic cement while putting together these little models of "Robby the Robot", the Munster's "Munster Mobile" and other bits of memorabilia. I like sitting around and trying to make little pieces of plastic and metal into bigger pieces of plastic and metal that look like something out of history. I'm not building real weapons of mass destruction, nor do I feel like I'm promoting the practice of war. Its a hobby I enjoy.

I also subscribe to a Blog done by Dave Klaus. Dave owns a company that (thankfully) provides all sorts of after market parts, and wonderful fun things to those of us who hide behind closet doors building our models. The name of the company is Meteor Productions, Inc.

I've re-posted his blog (with his kind permission I might add) because of its importance to everything we do. I hope you'll take a few minutes to read it. Don't just think of your spouse or children putting together a model plane, or tank. Sit back and think of how you approach things in your life. Do you look upon the things before you as a child might? Do you look at things with excitement at what you might just learn from the experience? Do you look at doing something for the pure pleasure of doing the act, or because you feel you have to do something?

Sure, you might think that Dave's message has nothing to do with raw foods. You're wrong.

Keely and I just started a 30 day BES program. We're taking a step back from the table and eating as simple as we can get it. You probably won't hear a dehydrator, food processor, or anything other than a blender around our house until February. We're going to work on our own models, our bodies. We're going to eat as pure as we can, and see what happens. No processed foods (yes, there are raw processed foods that can be bought), no fancy dehydrated meals, nothing more than plain, fresh fruits and vegetables, with a simple smoothie thrown in now and then for fun. We are really hooked on the Raw Divas' Programs. Tera and Amy have done a fantastic job!

We're going to be children, and enjoy our lives.

And I'm going to build a model. Although I might take me 30 minutes. I never was a fast builder when I was a kid.

My thanks to Dave Klaus, President of Meteor Productions, Inc. Every now and then we need to be reminded of the child within us, and let that person come out to play!

Read on!

oh, one final note. I meant to post this on Sunday, but I had some problems with the formatting. I had to rely on a rat for help! Dave's is a lot prettier, but the message hasn't been lost. He'll be happy to sign you up for his updates if you visit his site at http://www.meteorprod.com/.

From Dave Klaus At Meteor

Hi Bob,

(Sorry about the obstreperous email subject line, but this is the most important letter I've ever written and I want you to read the whole thing).

While Christmas is a time to renew, replenish, and strengthen our caring thoughts and actions towards others, New Year's Day is our yearly reminder that we need to take stock of our own life, both past and present.

Easily spoken, much harder to accept: "What's past is past, and it cannot be undone. We have no control over and cannot change what's already happened."

(Of course, we CAN stop beating our heads against the wall, but that's PRESENT and FUTURE action, isn't it?)

We -- you and I -- CAN control what we do from this point forward, so I'm going to focus on this for a few moments.

Whatever may be going on in your life right now and for the next year is well outside my personal knowledge, so please let me concentrate here on our shared love of scale model building. OK, I know what I'm about to say to you is patently obvious, but sometimes it's helpful to hear it again!

# First, modeling is your hobby, not your life. Hobby/Life, Life/Hobby. Not the same. Got that? Keep your perspective on this, and don't allow others who are unable to make this distinction to negatively affect your life - or your hobby.
# Now, I LOVE this hobby and I bet you do too, because I don't think you would be a Meteor client if you didn't. So: what do we love about it?

# I love having the ability to DREAM of my finished model, sitting on the shelf, admired by others, and the joy the realization of that dream brought to me. Do you?
# I love the CREATIVITY, both in myself when I build a model (or master pattern) AND when I look at the accomplishments of other modelers. Do you?
# I love having the DESIRE to craft a superior scale model that is (mostly) my own creation, and having the desire to constantly improve my modeling skills. Do you?
# I love actually IMPROVING my modeling skills, constantly, because I want to and I know I can. Do you?
# I love being able to CONCENTRATE on the project at hand, without distraction, and ignore whatever else is going on in my life during my exercise of creativity, desire for accuracy and improvement, and knowledge that no matter how good (or bad!) my skills are right now, I can and will get better as I build more models. Do you?
# I love the feeling of ACCOMPLISHMENT I get when I've actually finished a project and it's on the shelf. Yes, I love the doing, and I also love the joy of having the project DONE. Do you?

Don't get me wrong; I have a bunch of partially finished projects (bet you do too). That's the result of my enjoyment of the "doing" or "starting" part.

But I'm also willing to bet cash money that all those unfinished projects also weigh heavily on your heart and spirit. They certainly do for me!
Your Dreams (In Seven Seconds Or Less)

It's pretty likely most good things that have happened in your life started in your dreams. I bet it only takes seven seconds of reflection for you to see this is true. Your dreams are important -- CRUCIAL -- to your existence.

Your dreams belong to you. You own them.

DO NOT allow anyone else to take them away from you, or to demean them, or to tell you you're not good enough. EVER.

DO NOT allow others to steal, damage, or destroy anybody else's dreams and accomplishments. I guarantee you've seen this time and again at model club meetings and constantly on the internet chat rooms. Will you stand up for yourself? Will you stand up for others? Make it happen in 2008.
Courage

Courage is essential to our enjoyment of our hobby (and our lives, for that matter).

* It takes COURAGE to finish a model project. It only takes HOPE to start one.
* It takes COURAGE to stand up for your dreams, even when others attack, demean, and try to destroy them.
* It takes COURAGE to stand up to the huge and constant wave of negativity that has been and is washing across most model club meetings and all the internet modeling chatty rooms.
* Most of all, it takes COURAGE to stand up to yourself when you tell yourself "I'm not really good enough" and "Everybody will laugh at my model."
* It most assuredly does NOT take courage to criticize other people's dreams and efforts, especially when you hide behind the anonymity of the internet chat rooms. In fact, that behavior is COWARDICE exemplified.

Let me tell you about the bravest modelers I've ever known. (These will not be stories about guys like Frank Mitchell or George Lee, who are (were in George's case) also exceptionally brave modelers).

The quiet profiles in courage I'm talking about are the guys who dreamed BIG, then did their absolute best to make their dreams reality . . . in the face of extremely negative reactions, outright derision, from "fellow" modelers.

# The first is a guy I met in the mid 1980s who built two models a week. HE FINISHED TWO MODELS PER WEEK. His wife and family were his biggest fans. He showed up at our local model club meeting one night with SEVENTEEN finished models. His workmanship and painting skills were exceptional. He was pretty good at applying decals. Nonetheless, he failed to win even a single modeling trophy or ribbon at any of our club or regional model contests, although he always entered.
# Why were his skills never recognized by his "fellow" modelers? Because this guy built according to the blueprints of his dreams, not major aircraft manufacturers. Not a single one of his several hundred aircraft, tank, truck, or car models looked anything like something that could have come out of a Revell or AMT box.
# I vividly recall seeing one of his "works in progress" where he mated the front end of a Revell 1/48 Rockwell B-1 bomber kit to the main fuselage and wings of a 1/48 Academy FB-111 kit. Can you even imagine what that thing looked like? Well, this superbly creative guy imagined how it could look and he made it real. It did not look like a B-1 and it certainly did not look like a FB-111, but it sure looked GOOD! (And the conversion was beautifully executed.)
# Can you guess the response of nearly all the model club's membership? (If you guessed "admiration for his modeling skills" you'd be . . . wrong. If you guessed "derision" you'd of course be correct).
# With immense admiration and gratitude, I'm pleased to report this outstanding modeler did NOT allow the negative feedback to affect his love for the hobby nor his output rate (he did, however, leave the club). Could you (or I) have stood up to this pressure? WOULD you or I have stood up?

The final group of heroes I'd like to tell you about are cut from different cloth. (You'll recognize this group from your own experience, although perhaps you may not have recognized their bravery.)

# I've also know quite a few other modelers whose skills fit into quite a different category, but I admire their courage just as much (actually more) than the hero I just described.
# These guys were all modelers. They built, they completed models. They didn't screw around, they BUILT MODELS. However, unlike the first hero, most of their models would have had trouble scoring high enough to place last in a model contest.
# If there's any humanity in you at all, you've already figured out: SO WHAT? These guys dreamed, then they acted. That makes them modeling heroes in my book.
# I bet you've known guys like this. They never seem to last too long in local modeling clubs because of the negative feedback they seem to get, but I'm sure you've known such guys.
# There are several important lessons for us here.

# First, as I just said, these guys DREAMED, then DID. Most of the rest of us just jabber.
# Second, every one of the guys I'm talking about here was fully aware that his models were "not up to IPMS standards." While their modeling skills may not have met the standards the naysayers always apply to others (but never to themselves), these courageous guys kept on FINISHING MODELS. If that's not behavior to be admired by the rest of us, I don't know what is.
# Finally, at least in the cases described here, every one of these guys kept IMPROVING. In the late 1980s, the IPMS club I belonged to at the time finally accepted one such modeler "into the bosom." His models still didn't come close to meeting "IPMS standards," but my God, they were an order of magnitude better than when he first joined the club.
# In fact, and I'm proud to have been a member of such an IPMS club, at the end of the year we bought a huge trophy - much larger than our "Top Model Of The Year" trophy, just for this guy as "Most Improved Modeler." You should have seen the light in his eyes and joy on his face when we presented him with this trophy.
# That, my friends, cannot fail to touch your heart and make your own spirit soar.

"So, What About Me?"

I'll bet on you. Will you?

I'll bet you have the dreams inside you to start the process. Will you?

I'll bet you have the desire to actually fill your display shelves with your creations. Will you?

I'll bet you have the courage inside you to complete the process (even if it's been a while since you demonstrated to yourself that you actually have that courage). Will you?

Will you bet AGAINST or FOR yourself? Make it happen in 2008!

Dave's
"TEN STEPS IN SEVENTEEN MINUTES" Prescription For Getting Off Your Fat Ass
And Getting On With Your Modeling Life
(I'M NOT KIDDING! DO THIS TODAY!)

1. Take your cheapest model kit, the one you're very unlikely to ever actually build, off the storage shelf. Preferably one that's still in its shrink wrap.
2. FORGET ABOUT what this model might look like when you finish it.
3. FORGET ABOUT any and all judgments you or others might make about its quality.
4. UNPLUG your spray booth and put your airbrush away.
5. CLEAR your modeling desk of everything except this model kit box, glue, nippers, scissors, and an X-Acto knife.
6. HIDE the reference material. PUT AWAY the aftermarket decals, resin bits, sanding sticks, paint, paintbrushes, rubber bands, tape, and everything else not included in step 4.
7. RIP OFF the shrink wrap, WITH YOUR FINGERS. No scissors or knives allowed.
8. TEAR OPEN the kit box, smell the styrene, and take a moment to remember the absolute JOY you felt as a kid doing precisely this same thing.
9. CUT OUT the box top and prop it up on your workbench so you can easily see it. Throw the rest of the packaging away.
10. FINISH THIS MODEL RIGHT NOW.

Here's what you are allowed and not allowed to do:

ALLOWED

# You are allowed to use your nippers to remove the parts from the trees and your X-Acto to clean up the nubs
# You are allowed to read the kit instructions, but you don't hafta if you don't wanna.
# You are allowed to use any type of glue you wish.
# You are allowed to giggle uncontrollably, although NOT while you have an X-Acto knife in your hand! After all, there's nobody else around to hear you, and even if there is, they'll just think "Dad's back to making his crazy models" anyway. They might even enjoy the sound of your laughter, just as your Mother did when you were a boy doing the same thing.

NOT ALLOWED

# You're not allowed to trim, fit, or sand pieces for better parts fit. They are what they are and you're gonna glue them together just as they are!
# You're not allowed to prepaint anything. In fact, you're not allowed to paint anything at all on this model.
# You're not allowed to trim the decals before you soak them. You will cut them out of the decal sheet just like you did when you were a kid, and like the fit of the parts, the decals are what they are.

DAVE'S DEMANDS

(Told you I had some demands!)

# Yes, I DEMAND you enjoy yourself while you do this.
# I DEMAND you finish this model in 17 minutes or less. You can do it; you did it when you were a boy!
# In the fairly likely event you find yourself resisting some of the prescriptions above, you are allowed to rationalize to yourself that you're not really doing this because you want to, or even think it's a good idea, but it's because that rat bastard Dave Klaus is MAKING you do it!
# Send me an email when you've FINISHED this model. Send it by clicking this link: YES, DAVE, I FINISHED A MODEL AND I HAD A GREAT TIME!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, filled with love (first), lots of model kit gifts (second), and I wish you and your loved ones a fantastically amazing and prosperous New Year.

Man, I LOVE this hobby!

DAVID H. KLAUS
President
Meteor Productions, Inc.

(c) 2008, Meteor Productions, Inc.

HAPPY NEW WHAT?

2007-12-30T13:20:00.000-05:00

Well, its the last Sunday of another year. Some of us might be laying around like bloated walruses because of too much celebrating. You might be laying on your back on the couch, staring at the ceiling, as you listen to whatever you've indulged in crawling slowly through your intestinal track, the chemicals from the processed foods leaching though the walls into your system.

Slowly, your body wakes up, and manages to put up natural barriers to the garbage you've poured into your bloodstream. The body is reacting differently to each new chemical. It is happy one second, and taking a nose dive the next moment, trying to shut your brain down into a sleep induced state to protect itself from further assault.

Many of you have been engaging in our national pastime of the "New Years Resolution", aka "setting yourself up for failure".

I did something last night I should have done at the beginning of my vacation. I started to read a book by a teacher. You've read about my teacher, Thich Nhat Hahn, before. He is the Vietnamese Buddhist Monk who lead the Vietnamese Buddhist Peace delegation to the Paris Peace talks.

One of the meditations he teaches is "walking meditation". I'm far from an expert in the practice, but the idea is to just walk. Yeah right, that's simple. No, its far from it.

Normally when we walk our mind is at odds with the practice of walking. We think of buying the groceries, arguing with our partner, what we didn't do, what we have to do, or what we don't want to do. We don't walk. We don't feel our foot as it connects with the ground. We don't feel the weight of our body as it applies pressure to the ground through our foot. We don't feel our body settle in position for the next step. We don't really walk.

The purpose of "walking meditation" is simply to become one with the walk. Instead of thinking of everything else in our lives, we should be doing nothing but walking, and being in the place we are at the moment.

I heard David Wolfe talk once about how he uses every moment of his life to the fullest. When he eats a meal, he'll read a book, cramming as much of his life as possible into that moment.

But can we honor the author of the book by also eating? How can we honor the chef by splitting our thoughts between the book and the food? In my opinion we do a disservice to both by splitting our attention.

Like walking meditation, we should practice to live in the moment by honoring that act we are participating in the moment before us.

When we take a bite from an apple we should think of the taste of the apple. We should savior the the juice as it rolls off our tongue, and realize everything contained within the small piece within our mouths. The apple is not just a fruit, it is the people who nurtured the apple to its ripeness. It is the tree, and the ground from which it grew. The apple is the rain, the clouds, the sun, and the stars. When you ingest the apple you ingest a small portion of the universe to nurture yourself, and become one with all that exists...

Whatever you do, make sure in the coming year that you honor the act. If you're preparing a raw food meal, leave the kitchen television turned off, and give yourself totally to the preparation of the food.

If you're eating your meal, just eat. Make sure that you start digesting your food before you take the next bite. Give honor to the food, and realize where it comes from, and who has made the food you eat.

Realize how we are interconnected with all that is, and for the upcoming year, try just living. You might just discover how fun life really is when you go with the flow.

When I spent a week in Estes Park, Colorado several years ago, at a week long retreat with Thich Nhat Hahn, he taught us a mantra, or prayer, which helps me to center.

I have arrived, I am home,
In the here, in the now,
I am solid, I am free,
In the Ultimate I stand.

May you discover the peace and happiness that is your birthright in the upcoming moments of life.

A GLOBAL MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2007-12-25T19:26:00.000-05:00

A good chef, be they raw, or cooked, are only as good as their utensils. A dull knife is good for mashing, not slicing, a tomato.

How many knives do you really need? I'm one of those people who believe that one really great knife is all you need for a kitchen. That's why I bought a Global 10" Chef's knife.

I got my knife from MetroKitchen.com. This is one fantastic internet supplier. My purchase was shipped the very next day, and delivered right on time. I called customer support because I lost my email showing the shipping date. I was out of town at the time, but they were able to tell me that the knife had been delivered! MetroKitchen.com is listed by Global's U.S. supplier as an approved Global dealer.

But what about my nice little paring knife for small things? Use the tip of the blade! You don't need to have a drawer full of knives. You need one really great knife.

Oh, and a first aid kit. The first aid kit is really important. Yes, that's a bandage you see on my index finger. Didn't even feel the blade slice through the fingernail, and take off a small piece of the finger. It was a nice bright red to go with the holiday season, but I didn't feel much of anything. A great knife, and a first aid kit will make for a great holiday for your budding Chef!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

IT SLICES, IT DICES, IT AMPUTATES

2007-12-23T16:58:00.000-05:00

Just a real short update for the holiday season.

If someone gives you a knife, thank them.

If you've never used a real knife before, take it slow. You're probably not the same caliber as an "Iron Chef".

Even if you're an "Iron Chef" learn your knife before you decide to play Speed Racer.

Keep the band-aids in the kitchen.

Lay down with your finger above your head until the dizziness passes if you're too stupid not to take it slow until you become familiar with your knife.

If one of your friends and family find the piece of fingernail that you cut off along with the tip of your finger, tell them that they won the prize, and hand them a $50.00 bill.

Make sure that you ask for a Global knife. I've never been able to dice, chop, or slice like I've been able to do with my new 10" Chef's knife. Global is great.

Time to change the band-aid. Blood is starting to seep through.

Peace!

Merry Bah Hum...You got me what? Well....

2007-12-23T09:01:00.001-05:00

I'll admit, as will Keely, that I just don't get into the whole Christmas thing anymore. Maybe its garbage on the radio like: "You can buy more Christmas with your money when you shop at ...". Maybe its due to all the crass consumerism. Maybe its realizing that all those that get together an smile one day will be back to their sniping and growling the next day.

Katie and Kara asked everyone not to buy them gifts this year. Emily, Rocky and Max sent homemade Christmas cards using the Internet to save paper, stamps and energy (and the insane trip, and wait at the post office too!) These are people that I really respect, and care for, because they're not afraid of stepping outside the box. (Besides, if there was a historical Jesus, does anyone really think that such an advanced soul really cares what the person behind the pulpit says you should do, as they pass the plate for more money? Jesus didn't need a multi-million dollar mega church with surround sound! No, the only message the Jesus I remember learning about as I grew up in the Methodist Church was a person who talked about loving each other, not about worshiping him as a deity!)

OK, Ebeneezer, get back on track.

I've got to go grocery shopping today. I'm not looking forward to this trip. I really could do a juice fast for the next few days, but no, friends of ours went and totally messed up my holiday. Well, they didn't really mess it up, I needed something to try out the Global 10" Chef's knife that I got for a holiday I don't really celebrate (Hey, I didn't say I wasn't a hypocrite! I'm Buddhist, not perfect! That's not right. We're all perfect. We just don't acknowledge it. But that's another blog.)

Yes, the woman who is responsible for throwing the economies of various third world countries into disarray with her eggless salad recipe has come up with a Christmas Recipe Book. Our little Holiday Elves, Heidi & Justin Ohlander worked overtime to get a new Christmas ebook out just in time for Christmas.

Keely would love to make everything in Heidi's book, but its just not going to happen, unless she goes shopping like I'm going to do in a few minutes, and makes it herself. But the Mango Cranberry Chutney looks so wonderful! No, you know my feelings on that issue, buy the book. I'm not publishing any recipe unless they say I can. I think we should all support this great people who are trying to advance raw foods, and their own lives at the same time.

I've got a couple of recipes that I've been wanting to make while I'm on vacation. I've got to make Rawcaroni Salad today or I'm going to start breaking things, and there's a Bok Choy Asian Salad recipe I found on GoneRaw.com. I can't forget the Hazelnut Pesto Shredded Brussels Sprouts! But this recipe book will be getting a workout over the next few days. I've already made the cheese ball. No, I take that back. I've already eaten a large portion of the cheese ball....

Wait. Did I say I was on vacation? Yes, I'm hibernating until January 2, 2008 (or longer, depending upon the lottery!) I'm planning on sleeping, reading some great Buddhist manuscripts, and just being a royal pain in the tush to Keely (nothing new there). We're going to spend some time with Katie and Kara, and eat out (don't you dare assume that I'll be eating anywhere but Ha Long Bay!)

I'm also going to be fixing some of Kristen's Raw wonderful recipes from her holiday ebook (note to self, buy her new ebook "Kristen's Raw: The EASY Way to Get Started and SUCCEED with Raw Food". No, she didn't ask me to say that. Kristen does great work, and I'm always willing to help out a friend), and planning on taking part in the Raw Divas next round of the Body Enlightenment System set to start in January (more great friends. Even though one isn't sticking to the 10:30 rule. Send that picture lady!).

So, if you don't hear from me in the next week, don't worry, Thomas the Blog Rat isn't far away! (Yeah, who's the real rat in the family?)

OK, the baby doesn't have anything to do with raw Christmas recipes. But, just like ever child in the world, she is what Christmas is supposed to be all about. A child only knows how to love (I know, and fill a diaper!) Besides, you all need a reason to say: "Awww" if you already don't have a reason!

Happy Holidays!

Nothing But Pictures! (Well Almost)

2007-12-21T09:08:00.001-05:00

Keely and I were honored to spend Thursday night with our friends at Ha Long Bay Asian Kitchen in Columbus, Ohio. P.A. and his wife Christina fixed some of the best Vietnamese food to share with invited customers that you'll find outside of Viet Nam!

Most of the staff got to take the night off. It was great to just sit and talk with several of the wonderful staff. That's Annie on the left, Beth (aka "S&C" Straight and Curly") in the center, and Kim on the right in the front row. Of course we couldn't leave out Christina and Kim's sister!

Just when you thought you couldn't eat anything else, there's desert! Oh, My, God!

Boy, Chirstina loves having her picture taken doesn't she? Me? I hate having my picture taken, but who's that she's holding? I'M AN UNCLE! I'd say that's a little lady who will outshine her mother (and have her father standing guard at the door. Remember, that when she's old enough, and the little boys who'll be interested in her are old enough, her Dad owns a BIG Chef's knife, and I'm a lawyer. So treat her like the lady she is!)!

NO, NO! KEELY, GIVE THE BABY BACK TO CHRISTINA! I'm afraid I'll have to bail my wife out of jail one of these days!

Yes, Beth, we know you got your hair straightened. Yes Beth you're teeth are white! Yes Beth, you are the best waitress that Ha Long Bay has working for them!

Yes, Bob. Sera, Christine, Annie, and Kim are going to stuff you in the blender for that last line when Sera and Christine get back. But Fresh & Giggles went on vacation (Oh, I'm really dead meat now!) and we miss them. Face it ladies, you're all great. OK, Sera, you're the best! (Dad)

PLEASE, check out Ha Long Bay Asian Kitchen when you're in Columbus, Ohio. Of course call ahead if you've got a large group. You'll find them located at: 8489 Sancus Blvd, Columbus, Ohio. Their phone is 614.436.4087.

DIVAS DELIGHT!

2007-12-18T19:49:00.000-05:00

Its me, Thomas, your favorite Blog Rat. Bob's still not up to par. Right now he's laying in the middle of the floor looking like a seven day old Whopper that's been sitting in the sun because it got dumped out of the garbage can. His arms and legs are splayed out like a starfish. That boy's so rancid right now, I wouldn't touch him if he was the only thing left to chew on!

The good thing is that Bob's on the second day of the Raw Divas Three Day Green Smoothie Challenge. He's actually been really good. He's been having smoothies for all of his meals. The bad thing is that since everything goes in the blender, there are no crumbs for me around the house!

He's gone through so much spinach in two days, that even Popeye would be scared. There's a banana shortage in Columbus, and they have had to make 2 trips to the grocery for frozen fruit.

The Divas picked a great time for the Green Smoothie Challenge. Bob was getting more and more run down. Dr. Laura, the best Chiropractor (she'd have to be to put up with Bob) was shocked that in 24 hours he was just as bad as if he hadn't been there the day before.

Bob's learning the hard way that you can't play games with your body. If you give it mixed signals, it will jump up and slap you in the face. The body wants consistency. It wants good clean food. It wants rest, and a stress free life. Bob has a tendency to care about things when those in charge seem to be out in la la land. He's learning that jobs aren't really that important. Your health, friends, and life are more important. The job is nothing more than a means to an end. Luckily he's only got an overnight trip out of town, and then he has until January 2, 2008 before he feels he has to do anything. He's got his mega millions lottery ticket. The boy knows that before the reality there must be the dream! (If he'd only dream me up some cheese!)

Hopefully Bob will be back soon. I'm tired of playing stand-in for him. My little paws aren't that great on the keyboard, and there's no cheese in the house.

I think I'll nibble on his toes and see if that will get his butt in gear. No, forget it. He's too far gone right now, even for me to touch. Rats do have their limits. We're actually much cleaner and nicer than most would have you believe. Rats are people too, don't you know! Besides, he owes me for all the work I'm doing right now.

Don't forget to check out the Raw Divas. They've been a lifesaver for both Keely and him. Divas rule!

ON OUR MENU WE HAVE....

2007-12-16T09:58:00.000-05:00

Bob's rather under the weather this week, so I'll be sitting in for him as his alter ego. You can call me Thomas, I'm a little bit of a rat at times.

If you haven't noticed in your own life, the world appears to have sped up lately. We're running around like chickens with our heads cut off (that's one hell of a picture for a raw vegan to think about isn't it?). People seem more and more frustrated. Tempers are frayed, and those around you just might be participating in the most petty dramas that we've seen in years!

It's so easy to slide back into old habits and roll in the mud with those tossing the dirt. It's so easy to make pigs out of ourselves at parties, and partake of all sorts of sweets and foods with the idea that one day isn't going to matter. Oh, then there's that one day at the in-laws, and the one day at your best friends, and the one day at your church (or other place of worship), and the football game, and, and, and.......

Ever heard of Ben Stein? He was in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", and does the Visine commercials. I just heard Ben say on television that based upon sales figures this might not be the best Christmas in recent memory. Earlier this week, I heard a commercial about how much more Christmas you'll be able to buy because of a store's low, low, prices.

Bob hit on this issue in his last blog. Christmas isn't something you can buy. It isn't based upon sales figures, or even whether you go to church or whom you choose to pray to. Christmas is a season where people get together to take a breather from life. It is a time to take stock of yourself and those around you. It is a time to extend the olive branch and seek resolutions, instead of starting revolutions.

Christmas is time for you to look at your own life and make decisions as to what you want for your future. Take a breather. Reach out to those around you, and thank them for a year of learning, a year of support, a year of life.

When you get together, its true that a piece of cheesecake, or a hot toddy won't hurt you in the overall scheme of things, but isn't fresh fruit shared with those you love much better.

Come together as this year ends to give thanks for yourself and those who take part in your play called life. Rejoice at all that you have given and to what others have given to you.

Just remember that a real gift asks for nothing in return.

Have a wonderful holiday season, and whatever you do, don't make a pig of yourself. Bob will be back later this week after his Green Smoothie Queen's Three Day Challenge.

Boy, Bob needs a good cleanse! Even the pigs won't go near him right now!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2007-12-11T21:36:00.000-05:00

HAPPY WHAT!

Did I just wish you a "Happy Holidays"? Why didn't I say Merry Christmas? I'm being unAmerican!

This time of the year is not just for Christmas, nor is it a holiday season that is specific to just the United States (No, not everything revolves around my country. Just because my last name is Bush, doesn't mean that I'm trying out for one of Dorothy's escorts!). I haven't counted the number of different holidays, but one thing I know is that all the people who gather together to spend time with family and friends, all want one thing: Peace. So why shouldn't I wish everyone who gathers together during this time of year, and prays for "peace" a Happy Holiday, instead of a Merry Christmas? To me it just doesn't matter, one way or another, just as long as the end result is a lasting peace on earth for everyone, no matter your race, religion, culture or sexual preference. We are all interconnected, no matter our beliefs.

Besides, you forget, I'm Buddhist.

So, a happy Dia de los Santos Inocentes on December 28 to anyone in Spain, or of Spanish decent. There's Boxing Day, which I believe is the day after Christmas in England. Happy Hanukkah of course. Then there is the Islamic celebration of 'Eid-ul-Fitr on December 16, 2007, and Kwanzaa. I can't forget my friends in Viet Nam (This is the correct spelling, for anyone questioning my ability to spell.). I wish we were with you for Tet this February! Whoops! I forgot Bodhi Day which honors the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, who is also referred to as "The Buddha".

And to those of you who celebrate no religious holiday, but choose to celebrate your life and love for each other, our love especially goes out to the two of you, too, (and anyone else who have been discriminated against because of their love, and beliefs. Someday the injustice will be corrected. Of course in our hearts there is nothing but acceptance of that which is meant to be.).

To our old friends, to our new friends, and to our friends we have yet to meet, Keely and I send our love to you this holiday season. Remember the words of a wise seagull who once told a student:

If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finally overcome space and time, we've destroyed our own brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don't you think that we might see each other once or twice?

(Thank you Mr. Bach for your wonderful book about a seagull who learns to fly!)

Yes, I'll stick with Happy Holidays to everyone! To me it seems the right thing to do!

What do you mean there's nothing about raw food in this post? Doesn't inner peace come from providing that which we inhabit with foods that are nutritious? Raw foods result in nothing dying. Raw foods are about peace and life!

Oh, yeah, the neat graphic is courtesy of Crystal Cloud Graphics (there, I've fulfilled their request for allowing me to use their wonderful clip art! Click on their name, and check them out!)

Remember, there's nothing better in the world than Peace. If you don't believe me, just ask a child...

Happy Holidays, and peace my friends.

I FEEL SO LOVED!

2007-12-09T12:39:00.000-05:00

I received this wonderful email on Saturday!

"Ave, gentleman!

I miss you in the morning, I long for your sweet tender touch. If I denied it, I'd be so remiss. I miss you in the afternoon, I long for your smile. Darling, I am waiting for you so much. I miss you in the evening, when the blue black curtain falls; I stare in your eyes and wish that you would kiss me. I miss you in the night time; I long to hold your arms. Please write to me, my only one, and fill my heart with love. I wrote this to you, These words come from my heart! I am looking for a soul mate! Find me here: "UKRAINE BRIDES ONLINE"

Waiting for your reply Sabryna B"

I feel so loved to know that my soul mate is just a click away in the Ukraine! Yeah, right. I didn't just get off the boat folks!

The Internet can be used for good, or ill. This email is a perfect example of one of the latter uses.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of bride, Viagra, penis enhancing, multi million dollar offers. I'm tired of unsolicited emails offering the best vitamin enriched, sleep aids, or the best raw foods on the planet!

Yes, I used the words raw foods. Do you really think that our community is immune from the leeches that slither the electronic highways? No way! They seek out people to prey upon in forums, and chat rooms. They phish, and try every trick they can to empty your pockets of money!

Have I been ripped off? No, I'm careful of whom I deal with on the Internet. I've got my favorites like "The Raw Divas", "Raw Food, Right Now", "Kristen's Raw", "Freshtopia", "The Daily Raw Cafe", "Twitter", "The Sunny Raw Kitchen", "Gone Raw", "Karen Knowler", and my most recent find, "Give it to me Raw" (No, that last one is not a porn site! Its a great new site for people who are interested in a raw food lifestyle to connect with others of like mind. Check it out. After you finish my blog of course.). I've got many more listed on my companion site (still under construction. Sorry if I didn't list your name there, I'm working on it!).

Of course my favorite site is "Raw Diva Keely". Remember, my wife? Like any of you are going to be in front of her... unless you pay me of course! (That offer will get me a place on the couch for the night.)

So watch yourself this holiday season. Look to the left and to the right as you cross the Internet highway. We've got some great sites to support our raw adventure, but there are a few
(Note: if you didn't get that, the picture is the last word of the sentence. OK, I should have put more than one picture of a skunk to make it grammatically correct. Its a rainy Sunday here in Ohio!)

SPROUTMAN AND DIVAS, OH MY!

2007-12-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know, I haven't blogged since November 25Th. Its been a week to remember. I've got to learn that work is nothing more than a means to an end. Work is not my life, nor does it control my life. I'm in charge, and if anyone else thinks that they're in charge of my life, they're sadly mistaken. (Notice an undercurrent of dissatisfaction? Oh, I'm so impressed!)

So, how do I deal with those things in my life that upset me? I've fallen in love with a business book by Robert Sutton, a professor of business at Stanford. He wrote a wonderful book called "The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't". It talks about dealing with insufferable people, and conditions in your life.

Bob lists fifteen things he believes on his blog. I love #2: "Indifference is as important as passion." Of course #15 might just be the most important: "Work is an overrated activity".

Now that I'm done with venting, its time to turn to the most important thing in your life, your body. Well, to you its your body, to me its my body that's most important, but I hope you get where I'm going.

There are two products we've rediscovered this week. One is from our favorite people, The Raw Divas!

Yes, you can now buy Diva Jugs! Oh, splurge and buy a pair of jugs! These jugs are green with wonderful uplifting sayings. If you buy now, you can take part in their new "Green Smoothie Challenge". To say that the Divas have been life changers is an understatement!

Then there's this ugly bag. Its from The Sproutman! It might be ugly but it holds tons of nutritious sprouts within a few days! Made of natural hemp, it provides a great medium to grow those healthy sprouts that you spend half of your weekly budget on at the market for just pennies.

So, if you're looking for something for Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year. Me? I wish I could be in Viet Nam for Tet. Some day. I hear its one hell of a party!) let your keyboard do the shopping with THE RAW DIVAS, and The Sproutman!

You can't go wrong by giving yourself and a friend a chance to participate in the next Body Enlightenment System, starting the first weekend of January 2008. The gift of health is always a great gift! The Divas will help you battle those cravings in 2008 too! So click on the highlighted links, and check out both the Sproutman, and THE RAW DIVAS!

Oh, I almost forgot. There's some great news from the Food Network. Emeril's prime time show "Emeril Live" has been canceled! Its just too bad that the people at the Food Network can't get interested in providing information on healthy nutrition. Except for Alton Brown at times, the Food Network is not about health, but about entertainment. (That as they say, is my own personal opinion! Yes Giada, we know that your teeth are straight and white! I've never known a person that can make a smile look like a grimace. She might be thinking of her grandfather, Dino De Laurentiis's movies! Then there's Paula Deen. I can't take a person who believes that mayonnaise should replace butter, and has a laugh that grates like fingers on a chalkboard!) Hmmm, maybe I should save this for another blog! I can be so catty!

HAPPINESS IS A WARM CORN BREAD

2007-11-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

Blogging is not the easiest thing in the world. Sometimes you just don't have anything exciting to say. I figure why bore others when I'm boring myself.

Given that admission, and Keely getting ready to ask me to haul the laundry from the 2nd floor to the basement (When did they stop putting clothes chutes in homes? Drop the clothes down the chute, and they'd land right by the washer!), I'm going to take a "get out of jail free" card, and point you to another blog.

I've discovered "Twitter" and have been "twittering away" lately. Twitter's this neat little site where you get 140 characters to vent. You can watch what other people are doing like Sarma Melngailis of One Lucky Duck, Heidi and Justin Ohlander of Raw Food, Right Now, and Tanja Andrews of Freshtopia! (Hey, they're not all women. Justin's hiding in there!)

Then there's a new person I discovered on Twitter. She calls herself Rubyvroom. Rubyvroom's real name is Penni Shelton, and her blog is Real Food in Tulsa. Now why do I find her so exciting? Isn't it obvious? WARM CORN BREAD! Oh, man, this one almost didn't make it to the dehydrator! It has the right amount of heat and sweetness, along with that grainy consistency that you find in "cooked" corn bread.

OK, I guess that the "blog block" wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. But if it wasn't for "Twitter" I wouldn't have found Penni and her wonderful corn bread recipe. I can't wait for it to be finished! Its going to make a great addition to my snack bag for my overnight business trip on Monday to Youngstown, Ohio. (I'll go anyplace these days where I'm not stuck in a cubicle in a converted airplane hanger!)

So stop reading me and get over to Real Food in Tulsa! That Corn Bread is really smelling great! (One piece just got eaten, and its only half done!) Go make your own! I have no plans on sharing.

Thanks to Ace Cuervo, a photoprapher with the Tulsa World, who took this great picture of Penni back in 2006.

Don't forget that you'll find all of my favorite links, including Penni's blog, at More Than Anatevka, my blog about blogs!

More than Anatevka

2007-11-25T11:29:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are unfamiliar with "Anatevka" this was the name of the Russian village in the play "Fiddler on the Roof" (I say play, because Zero Mostel was the only Tevaye in my book!) It was a place that people scratched for a living, but always seemed to find their way with each other's help. They were a community.

I've started a new blog called "More than Anatevka". You won't find my usual posts there. I just loved Connie's idea of a separate blog with all of the great links that she'd found! Check her out at Banana Island.

So, as the list grows, so will this blog. I'll still have a few that will change on the main site, and I'll make a post when something really exciting peaks my interest.

So check "More Than Anatevka" every now and then, and see what new wonderful places I've discovered in my journey through life. You'll probably find a few non-raw blogs of interest too!

Please feel free to email me with something exciting (of a raw, self-help, or Buddhist nature please) that you think I'd enjoy. If I like it I'll make sure to give you a nod, and add it to the list!

Of course, Keely's blogs will always be at the top of this list. Hey, I've been with her for over 25 years, you expect otherwise? (Thank you dear for catching my typo!)

Don't forget to "Twitter", and to check out the Raw Divas too! RAW DIVAS ROCK AND RULE!!

WHAT AM I THANKFUL FOR THIS THANKSGIVING?

2007-11-22T08:28:00.000-05:00

Its Thanksgiving. What am I thankful for this year? Myself!

Oh, I can just hear you now! That's an attorney for you, always thinking about himself. I'm supposed to be thankful for my family, my friends, the blessings of my God. I should be thankful for the roof over my head, my job, the car in the driveway, my nation, the men and women fighting around the world, etc., etc., etc. Oh, yeah, sorry. I just heard someone say on TV, "my boss". (I'm not even touching that one!)

But the one person we always leave out is ourselves. We race around the house working our proverbial asses off (sorry to you purists, but sometimes a little profanity is needed) to make our family and friends happy. We race from grocery to grocery to make sure everyone has exactly what they want to eat. We work ourselves sick, and on the Friday after Thanksgiving, we race from store to store, fighting for that toy, or best price so that no one is disappointed on Christmas morning. Then, sometime during the next forty-five days (can't forget making sure everyone is happy for New Year's Day!), the proverbial ass will spend several days in bed because we've totally forgotten about the most important person in this whole crazy time of the year: ourselves.

I bet everyone has someone in their life who is always worried about other people. Do you really think that you can make others happy, if you don't look out for number one first? Its impossible. Sooner or later, you'll crash. You'll blow up, get sick, or even die. Do you really think that those people you love will be happy when you're sick or dead? Unless they're a selfish bottom feeding reprobate, I doubt it.

You can only make those you care about happy, by being happy yourself. When you're miserable, you make others miserable. So take a moment this Thanksgiving, and give thanks for yourself. Let others do things for you. Work together, and share in your choices today. Make something for yourself and share with those around you.

Remember, unless you take care of yourself, you can't take care of others.

Let them eat fruit, not turkey. You'll feel better, and the turkey will be a lot healthier!

I'm rather proud of this Thanksgiving meal! BURP! ('scuse me!)

Rain Drops on Roses, and Whiskers on Kittens

2007-11-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd take time out to highlight a few of my favorite sites on the Internet. I was driven to this because a person that I admire left such a wonderful comment on one of my posts. So as a way of thanking her I'll start with her site.

Have you been to Freshtopia? Tanja Andrews, the host of this great site, is, well, FANTASTIC! Freshtopia has a series of videos that you can download, or just watch, showing you how to make a number of raw recipes. These aren't your usual videos that someone with a 20 year old camcorder has posted on some site. These are professionally produced, crammed with information you can use, laugh your butt off, videos that anyone interested in their health should have in their library. Tanja has a great screen presence that has you smiling within the first few seconds, and heading off to the grocery as soon as she's done. (Thank you Tanja, you've taught me so much, while letting me have fun, and laugh with you too!)

Jumping several thousand miles across the big pond, there's The Raw Food Coach, Karen Knowler. Karen lives in England and used to be the Managing Director of The Fresh Network. She is the author of several great books that you can download and start using today!

Speaking of downloading books, take a moment and jump to Raw Food, Right Now! Heidi and Justin Ohlander have you covered for Thanksgiving. Their little Thanksgiving ebook is on sale, and just can't be passed up. Justin had it right when he said that Heidi's raw egg salad recipe is used as money around the world. If you're looking for something to shock your cannibalistic friends, this is the recipe. Add a little green onion, and some raw pickles from Bubbies, and your friends will be amazed! Just one warning about the recipe. Double it or you'll be sorry!

I've written several times about Kristen's Raw. Well, Kristen Suzanne has put out some wonderful recipe books. She's added two more ebooks in the last few weeks. There's now a dehydrating and a holiday recipe book. All books are ebooks, and just wonderful! I just had some of her "maple syrup" on some raw French toast this morning. I'm purring! Oh, she's so good.

Do you like to make challenging recipes? Well, then Russel James is your man! This Raw Chef is a real challenging Chef. If you're familiar with, and liked Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein's book "Raw", then you'll just love Russel's site. (I figured I better include at least one man in this blog.)

Speaking of recipes, Teri, will you adopt me? I want to be one of your test subjects just like your children! OK, I'll just keep using all those wonderful recipes you keep posting on your site The Daily Raw Cafe. Now excuse me, but I have to make another batch of Basil Limeade. I've got to use up some lemons, so I'll tell you how it works. Man are you great!

There's one site out there that really isn't connected to anyone but those interested in raw foods. The site "Gone Raw" is a recipe sharing site. There are more than 2300 members, and more than 1300 recipes. Membership is free, and you even get a recipe box so that you can store your favorite recipes! I don't know who these people are who have developed this site, but their generosity and support of the raw community is to be applauded!

It was Heidi Ohlander who helped me discover The Raw Divas! These ladies have already been the subject of many posts. What can I say about Tera's bubbly infectious ultra supportive personality, and Amy's awesome work as a graphic artist in addition to her unending work building a fantastic program! Oh, these two women wear me out!

Tera and Amy are two truly life changing people. They have developed programs to help people seek their maximum health. I shy away from dictatorial, preachy people. I like people who listen and provide me with information and options so that I can make my own decisions as to how I plan to live out my life. If you want a fun, supportive, informational program, where you can learn about others, and yourself, while having a great time, then the Raw Divas are for you!

The Divas have just published their new program in dealing with cravings. I've just started to delve into the program, but what little I've read shows that not only have they done their homework, and they've got another winner!

What are my most favorite sites of all? My wife's of course. Would you expect any less of me? (At least until I buy a softer and newer couch to sleep on at night.) Keely's got two great blogs. One blog deals with her raw diva travels, and the second is what she describes as her "happy little corner on the web". You'll find some of her arts and crafts there. Both sites are not to be missed!

I know that there are several sites listed under my favorites. I don't mean to slight anyone. Sunny Raw Kitchen is wonderful, as is Melissa Gilbert's "Love Raw Life". I can highly recommend all of these sites.

But do yourself a favor and go to Raw Food, Right Now! Heidi and Justin have compiled a list of Raw Blogs. Make your own list and share it today!

"Eat my pickles. Wear clean underwear. Marry a doctor."

-Bubbies' Slogan

CRAZY DRIVERS!

2007-11-17T10:04:00.000-05:00

I don't really yell "Crazy Driver!" at someone who makes me mad as I'm driving down the road. What I really yell (which might include some hand movements) might get my blog canceled, and most definitely gets Keely upset if she happens to be riding with me. There are some things that people do that really torks me off.

I can't stand people who like to slow down just to watch. Its like they're thanking their gods that it wasn't them. Yesterday I got stuck in a slowdown while driving the interstate. When I finally got to the cause of the problem it was a man changing a tire along the side of the road. What was even more ludicrous about this incident was that the lane on the other side of the 30 foot median strip was backed up two miles. Maybe it was because the man was driving a gas hog of an SUV.

Then there are the speeders. I'll usually set my cruise control four or five miles over the speed limit. Yes, I admit that I'm breaking the law. That makes me a criminal just like everyone else. Its a generally accepted practice, but doesn't make it right. Of course, there are people that like to drive even faster, and yell "crazy driver" or worse, at me for not breaking the law enough for their liking.

The thing that really ticks me off about the speeders is that when they do come upon the police looking for speeders, they have the insane idea that slowing down below the speed limit is going to save them from getting in trouble. So the person who passed me because I was going 70 miles per hour in a 65 zone, when they wanted to drive 80 miles per hour, holds me up because they're now driving 55 miles per hour in an attempt to save their sorry butts! ARRRGGGHHHH!!!

OK, I'll explain what this has to do with raw foods. Like so many people I'll jump into something with all my heart. I've got my Vita-Mix, my Champion, my Excalibur. I've got who knows how many recipe books.! I've gone 100% raw at least three times, adding cooked foods back into my system after a period of time.

Yes, like many of you I'm a "crazy raw foodist driver"! I'll stomp the pedal to the floor and go all out ignoring years, and years, of cooked foods. Then one day that seed that has been planted over the years sprouts in my system, and I've just got to eat those french fries, covered with ketchup. This leads to the cup of coffee loaded with chocolate (and the band plays on).

One day I'll wake up and decide that my body has been assaulted enough, and I'll dump all the cooked foods. Things will be fine until that next "cooked cop" sitting along the side of the road.

See the connection?

How much do we help ourselves by jumping in feet first, and going 100% raw? We do great for a while, then we start adding things back into our diets that really aren't raw. First we might use maple syrup, a cooked food. An how about that dried herb for seasoning? Do you really think that the herb is "raw"?

Do what I'm struggling to do. Try a steady, constant, and reasonable speed in your diet. Some of you might be able to speed through life and never get caught (my money is that you've really gotten a "food citation" for eating something cooked, but just won't admit it or will rationalize your minor indiscretion).

Don't ignore what you do, or rationalize it. Just accept what you've done. If you eat a candy bar, accept it, then go on with life.

Instead of going 100% raw, take a moment and take stock of where you are. You might keep a food journal for a couple of weeks and see what you eat. Make notes as to what was happening when you ate the food. You might begin to see that you eat certain foods when you're happy, or stressed.

Once you really know where you stand, slowly start making changes in your diet. Don't shock your system with a liver/kidney flush, or a three week water fast. Pick one thing in your life that you want to do differently, and concentrate on that issue. Once you're happy with what you've done, embrace the change and move on to the next issue.

Remember the old fable about the tortoise and the hare? That rabbit ran like hell toward the finish line, while the tortoise just put one foot in front of the other, keeping a constant pace. It was the tortoise who won the race, and left the rabbit sitting along the side of the road.

BRAS and GIRDLES

2007-11-11T16:28:00.000-05:00

Bras and girdles? What's with the title? Is my deviancy finally showing through? No, sorry, I'm not admitting to anything other than the title really pertains to raw foods.

No, I'm not commenting on the fact that it seems like more women than men are interested in maintaining their health,either. I've been going to the Youngstown, Ohio area now for twenty-five years. Keely was born and raised in the area. For as long as I can remember there's been a store near the mall called "Elmo's Intimates: Bras and Girdles".

I'm sorry, but I couldn't have thought of a worse name for a shop. When I hear the name "Elmo" I think of a Muppet. Now I'm not about to go into any store and buy underwear for my wife unless she's got it pre-ordered and all I have to do is walk in and pay for it. I'm not embarrassed or anything, I just hate shopping. But really, what woman would want to go buy underwear from a puppet? Whoops, I'm not supposed to call it underwear am I? Men wear underwear, women wear lingerie. Harrumph! Happy?

So, on Friday Keely and I finally stopped to take the picture for this post, and I noticed the smaller sign that read "100 SIZES". OH, MY, GOD! I freaked! Let's be honest. Ever since the bra was created, prepubescent males have been scared to death of the things, and this fear doesn't fade with age. But do you really need 100 sizes sold by somebody named "Elmo"?

Am I being fair? Of course not. But how different am I than any of you reading this blog?

Ever heard of the Broadway musical "Avenue Q"? Its an adult version of the Muppets (and works well with the Elmo tie in.) One of my favorite songs is "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist". In the song the puppets face their own racism.

Everyone's a little bit racist
It's true.
But everyone is just about
As racist as you!
If we all could just admit
That we are racist a little bit,
And everyone stopped being
So PC
Maybe we could live in -
Harmony!

Can we really address racism by arguing that people be more tolerant? I believe that we can't. I believe that problems of racism are more closely tied to the "ego". It is an inherent belief that we must be better than those around us, and as a result, they aren't as good as we are.

This feeling isn't limited to race, culture, sexual orientation. It is ingrained in our religious beliefs, in the way we look at sports, and even our eating habits! We rush to judgment, just like I did with Elmo.

How many of you remember the "Beef" commercials. The ads that made it seem unAmerican to eat something other than beef?

We are assailed on all sides by commercials making us feel that we are bad parents if we don't buy the right frozen dinner for our "hungry man".

Then there's the world of raw foods. There's dozens of gurus, doctors, nuts, and well meaning people. THERE'S REALLY 100 SIZES! There's a theory and strategy to fit every body (or everybody). Sometimes you feel like you've found the right fit, and sometimes you might attend an event and come away feeling like nothing but a boob. (Sorry, but I just couldn't let that one pass.)

Whatever you do, never believe that you know the answer! But doesn't that mean that you'll always be searching? Yes!

That's what ties us together. We're all in the same search for perfection. We're all striving to be happy. It matters not what our race, culture, religion, or sexual orientation might be. We're all looking for the answer to the eternal question to the meaning of life.

So let your ego sit in the corner. Look to your fellow human being in a new light. That person has a piece to the puzzle. There are no right answers, or wrong answers, and once we all realize that we're looking for the same answer, it might be a little bit easier to share.

I had the opportunity to listen to Tera Warner of "The Raw Divas" interview Steve "The Sproutman" Meyerowitz. This guy is intense! The neat thing about Steve is that he isn't afraid to question authority. He searches, and asks the hard questions. He's always looking for more information, and appears to be energized by the world around him. I highly recommend that you check out Steve at http://www.sproutman.com today!

Whatever your path, what ever you choices, just don't forget, there really isn't one size to fit all....

I'm not Kidding!

2007-11-05T07:22:00.001-05:00

I tried an experiment with a separate blog called "You've Got to be Kidding". It just didn't work.

One of the basic reasons for me eating raw is that I believe that it makes me feel better. The second blog brought out the weights that I'd been hanging around my neck, and didn't feel good.

So, as of today, that other blog has disappeared. You can still expect a "zinger" every now and then here, but I'll leave the complaining to others. I'd rather focus on the positive. The negatives will still be there, but the more I look to finding the positive things around me, the less the negatives will want to stay and play.

Its time to give energy to that which is good and empowering, and let the negative go, and wither away....

Jacob Marley will always be rattling his chains, but there's no reason that I can't find the music in them.

Come One, Come All, To Kristen's Raw!

2007-11-03T07:44:00.000-04:00

So when was the last time you checked out Kristen's Raw? You haven't? Well, after you're done reading me, jump over to her site! No, forget that football game. I think that your spouse, friend, whatevah, can fend for themselves for a little bit longer. Tell them that they are more than capable of getting their fat butts up out of their chairs and getting their own glass of water. Besides, a game is a game. I think that my life is a little more important than who wins the NCAA national championship (as is most everything else more important that I can think of in the world around me, especially Keely! Can I please have an 'AWWW' for that?)

Why am I so excited about Kristen? She's got two new recipe e-books out! (Thought I was going somewhere else with this one didn't you!)

Its the easiest things in life that impress me even more and more, and when I see a recipe for "raw maple syrup" I lunge!

Her two new recipe books are Kristen Suzanne's EASY Raw Dehydrating, and Kristen Suzanne's EASY Raw Holidays. Who can resist "Oktoberfest Raw German Chocolate Brownies", or a "Holiday Not-Meatloaf" which are just two of the recipes in her Raw Holidays e-book.

Oh, and of course to keep my Excalibur happy in her dehydrating recipe book there's "Green Beans with Garlic Sauce", "Sunny Italian Patties" and "Savory Crispy Zucchini Noodles". (I'd say "YUMO" but Rachel Ray just grates on my nerves! I don't like "baby talk"!)

So please, jump over to Kristen's site and check out all of her recipe e-books. She's made it really easy to buy, and download them directly to your computer. I'm sure you'll be as happy as I've been with her books. I've got them all!

On a personal note, make sure to flood Keely's websites on Thursday, November 8TH. ITS HER BIRTHDAY! (Send money and I'll tell you that she's going to be...... No, I won't tell you that she was born in 19....)

Have You Gone Raw?

2007-10-28T09:38:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard of the web site "Gone Raw"? No? Well, let me introduce you to a great little site that has grown by leaps and bounds. Gone Raw is a site where people who like eating raw gather to share recipes. You can become a member for free! Most of the recipes are the members own creations.

This morning I came across a recipe that I just have to share with you. It was created by the Gone Raw member "Kanayada" who has published three recipes in the last month since joining the site. I think she's got a thing for chocolate, which is fine with me!

Choco-Cherry Milk

1 serving

I just made this because I was craving the chocolate cherry ice cream recipe from this site but didn’t have any frozen bananas. It’s actually very tasty.

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon cacao or carob powder
2 dates
½ cup fresh or frozen cherries

Preparation

Blend everything together and enjoy!

Of course just like Kanayada didn't have everything to make ice cream, I didn't have everything this morning for her recipe. So, I made some changes too. I didn't have the almond milk or dates (I know, dates should always be in the cupboard. But the go so well with almond butter as a snack!)

Here is my version:

Choco-Cherry Milk

1 serving

Ingredients

8 ounces water
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoon cacao or carob powder (I told you I like chocolate!)
2 tablespoons raw honey or agave (I used the agave last night to make another batch of "The Daily Raw's" Basil Limeade.)
½ cup frozen cherries

Preparation

Place water, almond butter and honey/agave in blender and blend for several minutes. Strain the mixture and return to the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until frothy.

Either way I think you'll find this to be a nice refreshing drink. Thanks again to Kanayada and Gone Raw for thinking outside the box!

Jumping on the Bandwagon

2007-10-24T18:30:00.000-04:00

I look around at some of the things going on in my life, and wonder if its really worth the energy. What are the most important things to hold onto? What should I be working toward?

Of course health has to be at the top of the list. But which way should I turn? There are gurus all around me. There's raw foodists, cooked foodists, fast foodists. There's fruitarians, vegetarians, and people who believe that we should eat nothing but meat. I feel like I'm on a merry-go-round, or a gerbil's wheel, running with no end in sight!

So I stop, take five steps back and shove everything off the table. I begin with a clean slate. There's only one thing to deal with. Me.

Its time to look at the person I have to face every moment of my life in this world. I have to look at where I am and where I've been. Until I see the path behind me, and where I stand, I'll never know whether my next step in life is the best for me, and only me.

Am I being selfish? Not at all. I'm honoring my life plan. Until I confront myself, and deal with my issues, I'm not able to help those around me.

So do I turn to books? Do I turn to CDs? Do I turn to the myriad of self-help websites on the net?

No, I turn to myself. I listen. I acknowledge. I honor.

Only after I turn inward, do I turn outward. I seek out those people who best fit my beliefs. I don't go for glitz, or baubles or beads. I go for substance. I don't look for the demagogues, the people who demand my respect, I look for the well meaning people who want nothing more than to share their knowledge with the community of the people around them. These are the people who understand that through sharing comes growth.

Its time to live life to its fullest. Its time to make your own choices. Choose your own plan and don't believe the snake charmers who offer the overnight silver bullet to be found in a raw foods lifestyle. It doesn't exist.

Raw foods are a tool to change a lifetime of existence. Raw foods are not the answer to your problems. Don't jump on the bandwagon until you're ready to deal with your life.

You are the only answer to all of the challenges you face. Listen to yourself first, then listen to those around you.

Suicide in the Heartlands

2007-10-21T11:35:00.000-04:00

No, I'm still alive. No, I'm not dying. Its been one devil of a week, and I'm not adapting well to the changes in the season, and the changes I fail to acknowledge around me. Posting had taken a back seat for a few days as I've traveled the State working, and attempted to get life under control.

This weekend four of us ventured into one of the most well known shows in middle America. Its called the Circleville Pumpkin Show. Its touted as the largest free show around. There are parades, and food. There are shows and food. There are rides and food. There is culture shock.

I don't want to come off sounding snobbish, although I probably will sound just like that, but I really felt out of place. People were gobbling down thousand of pieces of pumpkin pie, pumpkin donuts, deep fried Swiss cheese, deep fried veggies, and the "awesome blossom", which is a deep fried onion. There were tons of pumpkin fudge, and pumpkin taffy, and pumpkin pizza being sold.

I walked around the streets looking at the people with their cigarettes hanging from their lips, and their stomachs sticking three feet out in front of them.

I saw their complexions deteriorate by the second as they inhaled the grease, and drank the sugar infused lemonade and soda pop.

I'll admit that the four of us, Keely, Katie, Kara and myself, committed suicide in the heartlands. We wallowed in festival with our feed bags strapped to our mouths, and within one hour felt like lawn trout. We were bloated. We were sluggish. We were ready to curl up and sleep, allowing our stomachs to purge themselves of the infestation.

Am I glad that I assaulted my system? Did it really taste good? Was it worth it?

HELL YES!

I'm human. For this one afternoon, if felt great to get out in the clean fall air of small town America. It was nice to feel the press of the crowds and to get in touch with the people. To see the looks, and hopes on the faces, so many dreaming of a simpler time in their lives when the tons of pills, the horrors of war, and the fear of economic depression, did not weigh heavily upon their shoulders.

It reminded me of how much food is as much a method of communication, as it is nutrition for our bodies. When we venture into the world we must be the diplomats, honoring the choices others make, leading by example not by demand. Guiding not shoving. Listening, not threatening.

I'm glad I had that donut, that pumpkin cream puff, the deep fried onion rings with aged cheddar sauce that tasted like melted Velveeta, the deep fried cheese stuffed pretzel with nacho cheese sauce, the pumpkin pizza, the kettle corn, the pumpkin fudge, and the deep fried Swiss cheese, all washed down with the birch beer. The best thing we had was the bottled water. For an afternoon I was able to reconnect with my past and reinforce my choices for the future.

Oh, and yes, I feel like the garbage that I stuffed inside my system, just like everyone else does this morning in middle America. I just wish everyone else would realize why they feel like hell.

Oh God, I need a smoothie and a colonic....

A Special Twist

2007-10-14T18:43:00.001-04:00

PINK BASIL FIZZ

1.5 cups Basil Limeade from "The Daily Raw Cafe"
2 T Agave Nectar
2 cup Frozen Strawberries
Club Soda

Place all ingredients, except for the club soda, into a blender and blend until smooth. Fill a glass halfway to the top with the Basil/Strawberry mixture, then top off with club soda. Decorate with fresh strawberry or mint!

My thanks to Teri of "The Daily Raw Cafe" for coming up with a great recipe to use as a base for this drink. The Basil Limeade is wonderful all by itself!

ASSAULTING THE SENSES

2007-10-14T12:37:00.000-04:00

OK, so I'm not very good at puns. My attempt at humor can be more "pun"ishing than most anything else. But I try.

So what's my naughty little secret? What do I like to eat without abandon?

Salt!

.

We've heard all the bad things about this rock. It stops cells from growing. It kills food. It drives our blood pressure up, and causes us to retain water. Salt can harden our arteries and lead to a premature trip to becoming lawn trout. We even use salt to melt the snow on our roads so that we can deplete more of fossil fuels in search of more salt!

But there's one thing about salt that we can all agree on:

Damn salt tastes good!

Salt has taken on a new status in food preparation. The cardboard container with the little girl holding her umbrella has been relegated to the dark corners of the grocery store. Today salt is a gourmet item. You can buy salts of all kinds online. There's "truffles and salt" (3.5 oz. for a little over $22.00), or Murray River Pink Flake for $32.00 a pound!

I have my favorites. Himalayan Pink has a wonderful flavor. Mild, yet it does not have that harsh chemical taste. It make flavors jump in your mouth. Of course the Salish Alderwood Smoked Salt is orgasmic!

Just like anything we eat, salt can be dangerous. We must always seek a balance in our lives. I try to listen to my body. Sure there are things I might eat that are far from healthy, but that's my life and my right. But can you imagine a great Italian tomato sauce without salt?

If we can drink, and use a good wine to enhance our foods, and food experiences, there is no reason why we can't do the same with any food ingredient like salt. But just like wine, don't overdue it. Eat and drink responsibly!

Oh, and if you've got a "Whole Foods" in your area, the salts are carried back with the cheeses. Now if I can convince Don to expand his salt Rack I won't have to make the trip across town! (Go ahead and click on the link for a wonderful experience. NO, the Internet is not just for Porn!)

Now where's the shaker?

Where's Dr. Laura! LAURA GIVE IT BACK!

We Have Taken Control Of This Blog For A Special Announcement!

2007-10-09T22:52:00.000-04:00

Why start another blog? Well, like Keely, I found myself wanting to touch on subjects that didn't deal with my raw food lifestyle. Those of you who have been following "Legally Raw" have seen me touch on politics, religion, sex, and other areas of interest.

So check out No! You're Kidding! when you get the chance, and...

Be afraid.... be very afraid....

We now return control of your mind to you, just don't waste it!

I HAVE BEEN SAVED!

2007-10-08T19:53:00.000-04:00

No, not that! I'm not running for a political office here in the United States. Besides I'm a Raw Buddhist Lawyer. (Now that should make your head spin!)

I have found the recipe that I've been looking for this past week. I wasn't planning on posting anything for another day or two, but I've got to share this one.

I can be lazy. I'm human! Live with it!

I can't stand making almond milk. Let's be honest here. Soaking the almonds, blending the almonds, and straining the almonds, is nothing more than a major pain in the ass.

Now I'm not so lazy that I'll go buy a box of almond milk. Its not raw. OK, neither will our almonds be raw because of the idiots in our Federal Government who are listening to the lobbyists, who are paid by the people who want to sell the new machines and make money (Gee, is money really the root of all evil?) by killing our food, so they can make more money selling their drugs. (Sounds like we're playing "Kevin Bacon" doesn't it?) Besides, boxed almond milk is too expensive, and usually tastes like crap.

In walks Kate Wood (LOVE YOU KATIE!) with her book, "Eat Smart, Eat Raw". On page 156 you'll find:

Nut Milk

2 Tablespoons almond butter
8 ounces water

Blend for a few minutes. Strain and serve. Add date, banana, or apple concentrate if sweetener is desired.

How much sweeter can making almond milk get. So I say get lazy. There's nothing wrong with saving time. Oh, and go buy the book!

Kara and Murmur too of course. (Yeah, don't worry. The person this last sentence is meant for gets the hidden message. Just keep wondering. I'm not telling!)

How Time Flies!

2007-10-07T06:27:00.000-04:00

Has it been five days since my last post? It seems like only five hours! Sorry, but life's been tough, and my heads been spinning from all the work at work.

I know, I know, stop whining, we've all got a lot of work! But its a national past time for Americans, ranking right up there with baseball, football, Britney Spears' private parts, and the drugs we take. Isn't America a wonderful place to live? We can be so high class at times!

The really nice thing about whining is that it takes our mind off of all the more important things in life. No, I'm not back to Britney. I'm talking about your life.

NO, not your life in a "tabloid" way. Sorry, unless you're married to an alien (outer space alien), or have the inside track on where a politician hides their brains these days, your life just isn't interesting enough to make one of the rags (i.e. Fox News).

What I'm talking about is your day to day interactions with yourself. This doesn't include the person you love and live with, your children or anyone else that you co-exist with. I'm talking about that person you look at every morning in the mirror.

Don't try to break the mirror. Just remember that you're not stuck with that person. You can change who you are. You can wear different clothes. You can stop your road to cancer, and throw away the cigarettes. You don't have to eat the same foods as everyone else eats for fear of being considered crazy.

Let's stop and look at that last sentence. That's so well written I think I'll repeat myself. Add a little color and bold type. You don't have to eat the same foods as everyone else eats for fear of being considered crazy.

Guess what? There are people out there who already think that you're crazy. They think you're crazy because you cross your legs when you sit down. They think you're crazy because you snort when you laugh (that one can be hard to refute!). They think you're crazy because you are you!

Should you care? Many of you do care. But you can't do a thing about anyone's but your own thoughts. You can't control what anyone does with their own lives. The only person you can control is yourself!

Oh, I hear it now. But I love them! IF YOU LOVE THEM LET THEM GO!

We've all heard that line before: "Let them go". I consider this the true meaning of love. Let the person walk their own path. Let them make their own choices. Let them learn their own lessons. This doesn't mean turn your back on those you love. Your job is to stand beside the path, and be ready when they ask for help. Your job is not to lead them down your path. Let them walk their path, as you walk your path.

So don't worry about the looks you get when you sit down with your Tiffin full of medjool dates stuffed with almond butter, a fluffy green salad, and a great big piece of "Spinach Stuffed Meatloaf" from The Daily Raw. You've got the right to make your own decisions as to how you want to lead your life.

Thank those around you who mean well, and let them continue on their own path. Don't be surprised if one of those people approach you on the sly and ask for more information on your raw lifestyle. Give of the information freely, without being dogmatic, or preachy. Even the carnivores have a right to eat the little animals of the world.

Be open to the world around you, and allow others their freedom. We live in a wonderful time. There are so many challenges and opportunities for growth in our world. But first we must learn to listen to those around us, and allow them their freedom too! (Oh, could that open a whole different train of thought!)

As a side note, I had a wonderful experience last night! (There's a tabloid writer somewhere just hoping that this will be the next paying article...SORRY!) I love teasing a friend about her email program. She uses Outlook (OK, that's a really big mistake. Check out Mozilla and their browser's ThunderbirdFirefox! Neither program has locked up on me yet, Bill Gates!). Every now and then Outlook changes the dates. I'll get a response from her to a recent email that appears to have been sent three months earlier.

This person has her own blog. I noticed last night as I was catching up on some 125 blog entries that I've missed over the last several days that she posted on March 10, 2007, and sent her a note that her computer "barfed" again.

Each person sees life differently. She's used a different date format. 3-10-2007 isn't March 10, 2007, its the third day of the 10Th month, 2007 or October 3, 2007.

Remember, or worlds are different. Accept that truth, and then revel in the experiences, and choices before you. Live life to its fullest, and never be afraid to say you're wrong....

Thanks again for the lesson:

(I just love the country western theme. Oh, I've got some better pictures. I'll share them, and tell you more about her next week. I just won't share all the pictures I've got. She's definitely "Daddy's Girl".)

BEAT ON THE BRAT WITH A BASEBALL BAT!

2007-10-02T19:02:00.000-04:00

"We have received an inestimable gift. To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe - to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it - is a wonder beyond words."

Gratitude: Where Healing the Earth Begins
By Joanna Macy
Shambhala Sun, November 2007

I stopped by my local bookstore this evening on the way home from work. Keely's off to her mother's until Friday, and I'm free to run around the house in my underwear without being yelled at. (Hey neighbors! You thought the full moon had set? HAH!) Of course, I make no promises that I'll publish this post without some type of typographical errors, (or saying something to subject me to the wrath of Keely) but I'll give it a shot!

Joanna Macy's article was the first thing I opened the magazine to as I took it out of the bag. I thought what a wonderful quote to use for this posting. So sitting down with my laptop, Star Trek Voyager playing on the TV in the background, and The Ramones singing "Beat on the Brat with a Baseball Bat", I went totally blank.

I'll speak to Macy's quote latter this week, but something more important came to my mind, based upon this experience. I remember hearing David Wolfe talk once about how he tried to use every minute, in every way possible. At that time when he ate his breakfast, he'd sit reading a book.

How many of us will sit and watch TV while eating, or think about how we'll get the kids to soccer, softball, baseball, that meeting with their parole officer, bible class, or an myriad of other topics? (I wonder how many of you just passed over the parole officer without a second thought?)

This isn't the first time, or the last time, I'll refer to Buddhism. I'm not out to convert anyone, as it is not a religion but a way of thought. It helps me center my thoughts when the world gives the illusion of spinning out of control. Buddhism talks about living in the present, and dealing with that which is before you.

When we listen to our child, spouse, coworker, or fellow human, we should listen, and not think about our next appointment, or meal.

When we walk down the street, we should put one foot in front of the other, feeling the slap of our foot on the concrete or earth.

When we pick up an apple, and bite into its flesh, we should experience our teeth cutting through the skin. We should embrace the gift of how readily the flesh gives of its juices to provide nourishment to our bodies. We should taste the earth that grew the tree, and the rain which watered the tree to produce the fruit we eat.

No matter what we ingest we should honor, and thank the food for what it gives us. Not only should we honor the fruits of the earth, but we should honor our body by picking the right fuel to provide the nourishment our body needs to carry it through life.

Never think that the foods that I eat, or any "raw foods guru" says you must eat for proper nourishment is correct. We are each individuals, and must discover that which is best to maintain our body in proper relationship to our environment. I don't believe that an Eskimo could exist on the same diet that someone living along the Amazon would need to survive.

Don't try to pack every activity known to humanity into your day. When you eat, try doing nothing but eating. Listen to that which you ingest, and honor those who brought it to your table. Experience your food, don't inhale your food.

Through right action, the enzyme rich foods will digest easier, and provide that needed to enhance your lifestyle.

Oh, and don't play the Ramones while eating or typing. There's a time and a place for everything. Punk rock does absolutely nothing for the digestion, or your train of thought. Might not help the headache either.

LET'S GET REAL!

2007-09-30T09:12:00.000-04:00

Have you been reading the blog "Raw Food, Right Now"? You need to read it "right now".

I recommend Heidi and Justin's blog because of their common sense approach to a raw lifestyle, and because of their continuing support of The Raw Divas.

Like all lifestyles the raw foods "movement" has its fanatics. These are people who feel you're going to hell if you don't eat 100% raw. Sure, its possible, but unless you're going to adopt a monastic way of life its not easy to change. Its not easy to make the commitment.

About 5 years ago I spent a week at a Buddhist retreat in Estes Park, Colorado. It was a retreat hosted by Thich Nhat Hanh. He explained that people shouldn't turn their backs on their religious background. I came away believing that Buddhism is a practice to help people embrace, and enhance their lives. I have grown to realize that this teaching doesn't apply to just our spirituality, put applies to all portions of our lives, including what we eat.

It would be wonderful if we could turn our backs on cooked foods, and embrace raw foods without ever giving a thought to cooked foods. But let's get real!

In my case I've got a 50 year history with cooked foods. When I was growing up I ate lobster, roast beef, and all types of animals. Should I look at back at that person as evil? Of course not. It would be like cutting off my hand because of a hangnail!

I could go on, and on, about the lunacy of some in the raw foods movement. We need to remember that we are all on a search for health, that leads us down different paths. Some are longer paths, and some are shorter paths, but they lead to the same end. Don't walk away because you can't live up to someone elses expectations. Adding even a little raw foods to your diet is much better than eating an all cooked diet!

So make sure to check out "Raw Foods, Right Now". I love it when they rant.

Oh, and don't forget to listen to Heidi's first Podcast with THE RAW DIVAS! Tera and Amy are really doing great things for people who want to add more and more raw foods to their life. They realize the necessity of communication and community. They realize that we are all searching for a better life. The Divas realize that there are no correct answers to our questions, except those answers we find for ourselves.

Yes Honey, You're Right, I'm Wrong....

2007-09-28T18:11:00.000-04:00

Isn't it hard to admit when we're wrong? It shouldn't be. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being wrong. When we realize that we're wrong, we turn the corner down the right path.

Well, I was wrong, and I owe my wife an apology. She was right.

We were in Youngstown, Ohio the other day, and she'd misplaced some weapon that she uses for knitting, and threatening my continued existence with at other times.. She said, "I haven't lost it, I just haven't figured out where I put it yet."

Five minutes later I stopped my head from spinning over the perceived insanity of that statement, and got the car back under control. Unfortunately, my headache lasted for the rest of the night.

People can be really dense, and I'm among the densest at times. It took three days for me to realize the importance of her message.

Today I came out of the local co-op. I was buying what I needed to make the spinach stuffed meatloaf recipe that Teri posted on The Daily Raw (drool). I crossed the street without becoming road kill along with some neighborhood squirrels. There were two posters stapled to the telephone pole. Two families had lost their cats and were offering substantial rewards.

I've been in one of those mellow, a little more laid back, moods. I thought of these two families who had "lost" someone they loved that were a part of their lives.

I then proceeded to bash my head against the pole. I had an epiphany.

Our society has developed an attitude that things end. Our lives end. Our job ends. Experiences end, etc., etc. etc.

But do things really end? Not really. Our bodies don't end, they change. By saying we've "lost" something we've declared an end to some thing's existence.

The term "lost" is not as positive as "I just haven't remembered where I left it". My wife's approach to what she couldn't find at the moment was a much more positive and a much more mature approach to life in general.

No "religion" (provide your own definition for that one please. I'm not touching it.) that I know of, preaches an end to life. Life doesn't end, life changes. The body doesn't really die, it changes.

We don't lose friends, we gain new friends.

Think of how much fulfilling our lives can be if we shift the way with think from a life of loss, to a life of searching for the changes that we place around us every day.

Will you find what you thought was lost, or might you find something that far exceeds your expectations. That my friends is part of the lesson, and the real crux of the journey.

How does this apply to raw foods? How doesn't it apply to raw foods.

Take the first step, and trust your instincts by answering this question on your own. Don't lose things anymore, change your lives and the way you think. Start your journey anew.

You might even surprise yourself....

I HAVE SINNED!

2007-09-23T20:45:00.000-04:00

So you blew it. You fell off the wagon. You ate cooked food. You might have even eaten of the body of another living creature.

Now you’re miserable. You’re shuffling around the house, causing others to think how to easily end your suffering.

Well, I really love telling you this, but SO WHAT? Who have you hurt (well, there is the animal flesh that had to come from something living, but I'm going to guess you didn't kill something)? What you ate didn’t cause a bomb to go off. It didn’t result in some child going hungry in a third world country.

What you did was make a choice. Most importantly, it was your choice. No one forced you to eat what you ate. There was no gun to your head, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with what you did. Honestly, I’m glad you ate what you did.

OH GOD! You’re happy that I ate something bad for me?

Not in the least. I'm happy that you made a choice. If you didn’t want to eat whatever it was that you ate, you wouldn’t have put it in your mouth.

Haven’t you got the idea yet? I’m not about to take the responsibility for what you’ve done. I’m not going to give you that “out”. Wake up and take responsibility for your actions!

But you’ve got so much responsibility already, I hear you whine. I hear you say that you don’t need the extra stress.

Do you really think that handing something you could do yourself to another person to make the decision for you doesn’t create even more stress? If you’ve got someone looking over your shoulder, you’re going to be more concerned about making them happy, than making yourself happy. Who is more important anyway?

Think about this. When you take responsibility for what you put in your body, you wind up giving yourself the foods you need to make yourself the happiest you can be. When you take the chance to plan your meals, you make informed choices. The more informed you are, the better choices you'll make in the future. Its a nice vicious circle that will help you, not hurt you.

Nothing that you do on your journey through life is wrong. If what you do was wrong for you, you wouldn’t have done it to begin with. You eat when you eat, to nourish your body, mind and soul. Even when you make the decision not to eat something because it doesn't agree with you, you've nourished your body by taking the healthier path!

There is no wagon to fall off of as you travel a raw path to health. Some people might try to convince you otherwise. They might tell you that you've sinned against some higher power if you haven't followed their proven path to a raw lifestyle, but I'll bet you that they're trying to sell you something at the same time.

Just remember that some of your steps may be forward, some may be backward. What ever steps you take, make sure that they’re your own steps, for only you know what path is the right path for your life!

What Have You Got?

2007-09-22T14:23:00.000-04:00

This is 1968 Dearies, not 1948!
What the hell you got 1968?
That makes you so damn superior?
(And gives me such a headache!)
Well if you really want to know 1948!
I got life Mother
I got laughs Sister
I got freedom Brother....
I GOT MY HAIR!

-I Got Life

I remember bringing the soundtrack from Hair home, and playing the song "Sodomy" for my mother. I think that was the year she gave up on me, realizing that I would someday fall from grace by becoming a lawyer.

I was twelve years old when these words were first sung in New York City, and audiences gasped as men and women bared their souls (and asses) on stage.

To me the song highlights the differences in generations. The people of 1948 had lived through a world war. Millions had died, and our world had stepped back from the brink of disaster. For the first time in recorded history the United States had used a nuclear weapon against their fellow human beings.

Where are those men and women who danced in the mud at Woodstock. Where are the voices who called for an end to slavery, and inequality. Where are the people who called for religious freedom, and the right to love those they wished to love.

Its been almost forty years. A lot of those people are paying $100.00 a week to fill their Hummers, and sending their children, and children's children off to die for their right to drive the beast.

They're counting their 401Ks, and making plans to retire to a community in Florida or some other warm region of the world.

Those men and women have relinquished their rights and responsibilities, popping their pills, and shrugging their shoulders.

Those people are the walking dead.

Are you mad at me? I hope so! I planned it that way. I'm tired of the people who sit back and don't take responsibility for their actions. I'm tired of the people who clamor for the pill so they'll be assured of an erection when the "time is right"!

How many times do you have to hear the words "YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT"?

Are people who claim to be raw foodists much different than the "flower children" of the late 1960's? Some are, some aren't.

Just like the 1960's there are the Pied Pipers, saying follow me, throw me your alms!

There are those who wear the buttons, and hats, like the hypocrites who go to church, temple, mosque, or whatevah, and then ignore the teachings the other six days.

But then there are the people who honestly believe in this lifestyle. We don't claim perfection, nor do we claim to have the answers. We know that we are human, and are on a magical tour that can open doors if we are strong enough to turn our backs on the conventional.

Many of you might have heard the teaching "If you meet the Buddha on the road kill him". I'm sure you'll find many explanations for this saying. The one I like the best is that the true answers lie within each and every one of us. When we listen we'll come to the realization that being a raw foodist and taking responsibility for what we eat, also requires us to take responsibility for our living conditions, our thoughts, our actions, and our environment.

As a raw foodist we can't sit back and let others make our decisions for us.

If all you want to do is change what you eat, and not what you think or do, you might as well go back to your old way of eating.

In a little over two months it will have been forty years since 1968. Let's not forgot where we've been, and make a conscious effort to change the next forty years for the good of the world...

I hope that the majority of you realize that what I've written might just have a shred of truth to it, as you are already making the changes in your life. You're thinking about what you eat, and the impact of your diet on your world. Seek out those that you are comfortable with, and share ideas, recipes, and life!

Oh, my other favorite line from Hair?

"Shit....I ain't dying for no white man!" (or clown, King, girl with pigtails, or any other Madison Avenue creation!).

A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO ME!

2007-09-18T17:08:00.001-04:00

Just call me that Mad Hatter, but I'm really crazy about this WHOOPS!, almost said the "s" word!

So what is the picture? Its a raw birthday cake, what else? I was challenged by a Raw Diva who was looking for a special birthday cake that would fit the Body Enlightenment System program.

So what is the recipe? There's only 3 ingredients. Watermelon, bananas, and strawberries (I'm not including the candle since most people tend to not eat it because of the waxy build-up in their stomachs!)

Ready? Got your crayons and paper? OK. Take one seedless watermelon and cut it into the shapes you want to serve your guests. Take enough bananas and strawberries and shove their bodies in a blender. Blend their corpses (making you really hungry aren't I?) until you've got an icing. You might have to add more bananas if the icing is too thin. Then assemble your cake by using the banana-strawberry icing, and your watermelon as you would any layer cake!

This only took me 5 minutes, and passed the "Keely Taste Test". Keely's my tester. If she'll eat it, anyone will.

Keep it simple, and use your imagination! You don't really need a lot of ingredients for a delicious meal!

Bonjour Viet Nam

2007-09-16T18:47:00.000-04:00

So Bob, two posts in one day. What's up with this? Don't you have any type of a life? Yes, and I'm loving it!

Here's my first try at creating a raw food recipe. Its based on one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes called "Spicy Lemongrass Tofu". Not a bad first try. Go ahead and see what you think. I'd value your feedback! Just watch the peppers. They can be vengeful!

Spicy Lemongrass "Tofu Zucchini"

Makes 2 servings (or one large)
One of my favorite cooked Vietnamese dishes has been Spicy Lemongrass Tofu. I tried to figure out something to use instead of tofu to make this a raw dish. Since the tofu is usually deep fried, I went with the zucchini instead of eggplant. Zucchini has a light flavor, like tofu, and stays crisper.

1/4 cup lemongrass, finely chopped
3 tablespoons nama shoyu
2 teaspoons thai bird chilies, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1 tablespoon agave syrup
12 ounces zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2/3 cup basil, loosely packed and shredded.

1. Combine the lemongrass, soy sauce, chilies, turmeric, agave and green onion, and garlic, in a bowl.
Add the zucchini and turn to coat them evenly. Marinate for at least 1 hour.

2. Drain off all but about 3 tablespoons of liquid. Place in a bowl into the dehydrator for at least 2 hours at 100 degrees. Serve warm.

Note: If you don't like it spicy, cut back on the chilies! If you can find Asian Basil, then use it. Regular Basil can be substituted, as can cilantro.

Oh, and don't forget to check out The Raw Test Kitchen. Teri has posted some great pictures of one of her most recent recipes! Thanks Teri!

Homicide or Suicide, Which is More Socially Acceptable?

2007-09-16T09:05:00.000-04:00

These are our friends Katie and Kara. No, they have not killed each other, or us, nor are any of us planning on doing any of the aforementioned acts of violence to each other, as the title of this blog might suggest.

OK, so get to the point Bush, what mental exercise are you playing this time. Well, the four of us got together recently at a local tea house. Katie started the ball rolling wondering what a squirrel's tail felt like. Of course Keely had to chime in, and the four of us decided that the tail probably felt like a guinea pig's fur (if you could get the squirrel to sit long enough to feel the tail. They tend to be more worried about burying their nuts about now. WATCH IT!)

Anyway, Kara then asked the question, "Which is more socially acceptable, homicide or suicide?", and we were off to the races.... (Our conversations tend to be as far reaching as our imaginations. Really magical!)

How much of a difference is there really between homicide and suicide. Both are the taking of a life. I think that most of use would agree that life is precious, and something that we don't really have a right to end.

Let's take a look at suicide. When we commit suicide, we take our own life though the introduction of some substance meant to end our breathing and the rest of our body's functions. Do we have a right to commit suicide? Why not? It is our body...or is it?

There is a thought that we actually have more control over our lives than we like to admit. Some beliefs hold tight to the thought that we control the moment of our birth and death, and that there really is no such thing as a victim. Terms like "the devil made me do it" are nothing more than a easy way out of taking responsibility for our actions.

Don't worry, I'm getting there.

So how does this apply to a raw foodist? Like I should have to tell you?

Think back to the time you went through your first detox, after switching from dead foods. Remember looking at a tree, and seeing how detailed the leaves were? Remember how much brighter the sun was, and how everything around you felt alive?

Now try an experiment. Just a small one. Walk out the door, and walk down the street to the local carryout. Pick out that one piece of processed garbage that you used to revel in when you were growing up. It might be one of those banana cream filled things that never seem to age no matter the shelf life. It could be a box of cereal filled with different shapes, and tons of sugar.

Take your purchase and go sit in the park (pick a safe park please!). If you don't already know what will happen, open your purchase and take a bite. Now, wait and listen. Listen to your taste buds. Listen to your body. Listen to the world around you, the colors, the birds, the life. Listen to things slowing down, and wanting to run away from what you just did to your existence.

Did you just commit suicide? You probably destroyed some cells, and shortened your overall time on the planet, but I hope you found the lesson worth it. Sometimes we need the kick in the butt to remind us of the reasons for our journey. Would we cherish the rainbow as much without the storm? Do we cherish good health as much without the occasional reminder of how we feel without taking full responsibility for our actions. Our body is as alive as we are, and will will do everything it can to guide us down the right path if only we listen.

Don't think that you really have to conduct this experiment, especially if you are under a doctor's care. God forbid! The whole thing can be done in your mind. Just sit back and allow yourself to step back to that time in your life when you didn't realize the necessity of treating your body in a healthy and respectful manner. Then take a moment to tell that earlier you, to tell that person who is still trying to discover their own path through life, that they need not worry. Help is just a breath, and a mouthful, away.....

Our choices in life can be a form of suicide, or even homicide. We have a responsibility not only to ourselves, but to our body, and to those around us. Food is the most personal choice we have as it impacts our lives at the very cellular level.

Don't just eat. Think what you eat. Take responsibility by making healthy choices. Even eating raw foods can be bad if you don't listen to your body, and combine your food in ways to let your body live, and share in a life of joy!

Now I hope you got all that!

If you ever get to the Columbus area make sure you check out the place where Katie (without the glasses) and Kara (bet you probably figured out she's the one with the glasses already didn't you?) work called The Raisin Rack. Its the best independently operated health food store in Central Ohio! Say "Hi" to Jan while you're there too. We've known him for close to 15 years. He's a great person and a wealth of information (as are Katie and Kara too!).

(OK Don. Now you can put the gallon jugs of Organic Apple Juice on sale, as we're getting low! Of course I use bottled organic apple juice. Sure I'm cutting a corner, but are you going to really suggest that you'd rather I pick up an egg sandwich from some clown on the way into the hanger? No, its not as good as firing up the Champion Juicer at 5:30 in the morning, but its a lot better than the alternative, and I'm not perfect...just ask Keely, she'll tell you!)

If you found a typo, don't worry, it will soon disappear. My editor is still asleep. We were up late with the ladies of "The Raw Divas"! They started a new round of the BES last night, and we are so excited! Talk about a great group of people!

HEY CINDY! (She's my new Body Enlightenment System Buddy!)

Sigh.....

2007-09-11T22:26:00.000-04:00

I wish I could say that I took the pictures, but I can't tell a lie. I swiped them from her site, Kristen's Raw. But its for a wonderful cause.

Halfway through the Body Enlightenment System, I was surfing the web, looking for new and exciting recipe ideas, when I came across a a Raw Chef that I'd never heard of before. Well, I must admit that the pictures were a wonderful hook to get me to look further (he says as he blushes and ducks the sharp objects heading his way from across the room). I couldn't find any pictures of this chef from her days as a bodybuilder, but I did discover that Kristen was a graduate of the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute in Fort Bragg, California. Now I was really excited.

Sure you say. Look at her! Sorry to disappoint you, but this is the man who is not afraid to admit that while other boys were running outside playing football, and chasing the neighborhood girls, I was glued to the TV watching Graham Kerr, "The Galloping Gourmet". I found the Westinghouse Cookbook more fulfilling that looking at copies of National Geographic behind the summer house. Yes, being an Associate Chef from a school that I would love to attend is exciting, and will get me to look further!

So, despite not being able to find out more about the bodybuilding background (OK, I'm not perfect!), I pulled out the old piece of plastic and downloaded her six e-books.... My heart be still.

Now normally I've tried to make at least one of the recipes before I talk about a book, but I also read a recipe book like I do a novel by Frank Herbert, Tolstoy, or Thich Nhat Hanh. To read a book, one must put oneself in the author's place. You must listen to the author's voice as they share their experiences.

You can do the same with a recipe book, and Kristen Suzanne's recipes are a symphony to enjoy! She has branched out and uses what many would consider non traditional ingredients. How many have used rosewater in a raw recipe, or any recipe? I have, and it is so good!

Her recipes are as simple, and sinful as "Almond Butter and Sweet Berry Jam on Chocolate Bread". There's Mexican Lasagna, and Bananas Foster, just to name a few! Oh, my heart be still!

I am ashamed that I have yet to make any of her recipes. I've been busy, and have stuck to the tried and true things like my Spicy Mango Salad. It is time to kick the old to the side, and strike out on a wonderful journey through Kristen's recipe books! I plan to wallow, and be like the lobster in Annie Hall. Just cover me with Peppermint Chocolate Mousse instead of butter please!

OH BOTHER! Do I start with the dessert book, or the entrees book? Maybe a nice salad, or a smoothie. No! Soup and a side dish!

I'm tired of trying to pick out a single book. ITS BUFFET TIME!

Just make sure you check out all of Kristen's recipe books at Kristen's Raw! She proves that a way to a person's heart is through their stomach.

Be good, hop to her site, and just maybe I'll publish one of Kristen's recipes in the next couple of days to try for yourself...if you're lucky! Yeah, maybe the Peppermint Chocolate Mousse! (its no Mickey Mouse Mousse either!)

Draw A "Get Out of Jail" Card Today!

2007-09-10T21:35:00.000-04:00

Are you tired of that run down feeling?

Are you tired of carrying the extra weight?

Are you tired of your pimply complexion?

Well, don't pass go! Draw that "Get out of Jail" card and jump to the Raw Divas' website right now! You've just got a few more hours to sign up for the last "Body Enlightenment System" of this year!

Lets face it. The season is changing and you're going to be facing all the in-laws and out-laws during the holidays. So why not face the days to come with a fresh start and a new outlook on life!

Please take a moment, and check out the Raw Divas right now. Keely and I both feel that it was the best experience that we've had in a long time!

But don't believe me. Go ahead and find out for yourself. You've got nothing to lose but sludge that has built up in your system from years of a Standard American Diet.

Don't expect anything but honesty, support, and a great time out of Tera, Amy, and the entire community (especially from Gertruida Jacoba Maria Hof)!

Divas Rock the Raw World!

Now do I get that picture? (Private joke folks. Like my wife has learned, I'll say things in the blog from time to time that has no meaning to anyone, except for the person its meant for. Yeah, it drives the rest of you crazy, but that's life! Excuse me but Keely's getting ready to throw a sharp object so I'd better run......)

An Honest Sunday

2007-09-09T10:07:00.000-04:00

Before I delve deeper into a day of food preparation for the next few days of living, I thought I'd drop by and post something original. There is a thought that everything that is written, has already been done, and what we do today is just a variation upon the original theme. (There goes any thought of writing the great American novel!)

We graduated this last week from the Raw Divas' "Body Enlightenment System". Its been a wonderful 30 days, and we're not stopping. We've branched out, testing our bodies. We actually had a vegan "cooked" meal the other day, and learned what it was like to swallow a bowling ball whole. The food tasted great, but our bodies were sluggish, and rebelled in the most unpleasant of ways (which is not good on a hot day, with the car windows rolled up, and 150 miles to drive!).

We're learning that we do not control our bodies. We live in cooperation with our bodies. When we listen to the signals we are given, and treat our bodies as asked, it provides us with the support to enjoy our surroundings. It allows us to spread our wings and take flight.

We love the Divas! They realize that honesty in dealing with people is more important than anything else. They don't hide behind titles, and keep their hearts pinned to their shoulders for the people they deal with to see.

Like any movement, the Raw Food lifestyle has its gurus, rock stars, and charlatans. It is a "raw" movement, seeking its balance in a world gone awry. It is a powerful movement, energizing those who partake of its bountiful table.

Like all things in life, you must listen to your heart. Seek your own balance, and do what you feel is the best for your life and body. Not everyone will ring true, but all have a ring of truth embedded in their message.

The raw food movement it like an onion. Sometimes you have to peel back the layers to determine whether the onion is sweet, or fiery.

Like all things in life, do your research. If someone demands your attention, if they demand your respect, RUN LIKE HELL! No one is entitled to your respect. Respect is something that is earned.

Beware of those selling snake oil. You'll be able to tell them as they are wrapped in their own "bling".

The most important thing when it comes to your journey is to be honest with yourself. Never surrender your own innate ability to choose the path that is right for you.

You might ask why my blog is titled "Legally Raw". Remember, in my very first post I talked about the fact that I'm an attorney. I'm not in private practice, and when I'm away from work, law is the last thing I want to discuss. The Raw lifestyle is something that you can do without anyone's permission. It harms no one, and empowers those who have discovered the changes it can have on their lives. Being raw is something that is "legal" for anyone, hence the title "Legally Raw". The title has nothing to do with "law".

Oh, right, now to get serious! I picked up a new recipe book the other day called "The Raw Transformation" by Wendy Rudell. I haven't had much time to explore it yet, but when I start salivating over the recipes, I know its going to be good! Check her out! We've exchanged a few emails, and I'm very impressed with this lady!

Now for the kitchen. I'm hoping to get to Kristen Suzanne's recipes this weekend. Now there's a woman with some creativity! I can't wait for her next collection of recipes! More on Kristen in the very near future! For now I've posted a link to her site where you can check out some of her recipes, and you can purchase her ebooks for yourself too!

THIEF! THIEF!

2007-09-08T13:35:00.000-04:00

OK, I'm plagiarizing! Well, I'm not really stealing anything. I'm being lazy. I've had a rough week. People have really been doing strange things, and I can't find the stinking eggplant recipe that I'd planned to make this weekend! It was an eggplant burger recipe that you put a marinade over to make it more like dead cow flesh! IT IS REALLY TORKING ME OFF!

So, in light of everything else, I'm going to take the easy route and introduce you to a woman from England. Her name is Karen Knowler. She's a "raw foods coach" (for lack of a better term). We heard her talk the other night as part of the Raw Divas "Sisterhood".

The thing I liked about Karen is her honesty. She's not into the "bling" or into being a raw food celebrity, with people fawning all over her. (OK, I like a little fawning myself on occasion). She doesn't want a flock of sheep following her. I really feel she just wants people to be happy in their own lives. That is what drew us to the Raw Divas.

So, without further introduction, I give you the obligatory statement, and then her most recent posting titled "What do You Need to Believe". Check her out please!

Ahem....

Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

(Honestly, I couldn't have said that better myself.)

And now for the main event:

What Do You Need To Believe?

From Successfully Raw Issue 60:

Belief is one of the most powerful, if not THE most powerful, internal drivers in existence.

When we believe in something, both our head and our heart are engaged, and taking action becomes easy because we are already in alignment.

Belief also rides side-by-side with imagination, meaning that even though much of what we believe may not be visible to the physical eye, we can have such a strong faith and a passion in what we believe that the path ahead, although not always clearly visible, is nonetheless compelling, exciting and perfectly beautiful to us in our mind’s eye.

Natalie (name changed) came to our coaching call on Monday frustrated because despite being somewhat into raw foods she just couldn’t fully embrace it. Her main reason was already known to us both: Her health situation had brought her to raw because quite simply it was the only thing that had helped ease her issues, and yet she had found herself really struggling with going raw despite regularly surfing the web for inspiration, enjoying some of the recipes and knowing intellectually that it is what she needs to do.

This was the challenge that was presented to me during the short 15 minutes that we had together: How can I stop fighting the raw journey and learn how to love it and not resist it?

Speaking with Natalie it became clear from some of the things she was saying that not only was she resisting the present situation, but she was also wistfully looking back to the past and wishing she was there, at a time where she did eat anything and everything she wanted to without issues. It dawned on me then that our first priority was to bring her fully into the present, into her current reality and truth and also to have her looking more joyfully to the future. Upon asking Natalie if she generally spent most of her thought time in the past, present or future, she said “Mostly the past, sometimes the future, and rarely in the present”… this confirmed some of what I had already suspected to be at the root of the problem. We cannot make progress when we are not in the NOW and don’t own and engage with the present.

Further discussion revealed that Natalie also had an issue with being potentially called a “raw fooder” if she changed her diet to mostly or all raw foods. Me too! I have a distinct dislike of labelling people, especially according to their diet, and Natalie had subconsciously and consciously decided that as she didn’t want to be called a raw fooder she wouldn’t in fact eat like one most of the time!

Clearly not the best way to get the results that she wants and needs for her health when raw foods is the only way of eating that works for her and has been helping to heal her!

So there were two main resistances: wanting to stay mostly in the past and also resisting being labelled. Both very powerful blockages to her being where she wants and needs to be if she is to get well.

But of course Natalie was speaking to me for a reason: She DOES want to eat raw. Sure, mostly it is because she wants to be well, but she is also inspired, if a little in awe, at the stories of raw transformations that she has seen on the web and other aspects of raw food eating have intrigued her.

Well, quite possibly this was the only time I had ever had someone on a coaching call who was so very split in two as Natalie was. But being in limbo is not the best place to be for any of us for more than a short while, and when your health – your very foundation for a great life – is at stake then moving forward and working with what helps heal you is, of course, the only way to go.

So we returned to the challenge in hand: How can I stop fighting the raw journey and learn how to love it and not resist it?

Already we had discussed how living in the past is not great for any of us on any level. Natalie agreed and also acknowledged that she had never really consciously realised that she was living there before. It certainly helped her understand where a large part of the resistance was coming from, and she happily agreed to consciously focus on bringing herself into the present moment and “living there” as often as possible because the former approach had definitely not been serving her.

As far as labels were concerned, it was time for the power coaching questions:

“What label would you like to put on yourself that will assist you and inspire you to continue on your raw food journey? OR -- What do you need to believe for raw foods to be a joyful experience for you?”

I shared with Natalie that as I don’t like being labelled a raw foodist either, I had come up with my own private “label” (a name I give myself) that I use to quickly and passionately align me with my needs and values that speaks to ME, inspiring me to be the highest version of myself on a daily basis. While I keep this name private, I shared enough with Natalie for her to recognise that her label doesn’t need to be about food at all, but simply needs to speak to her in a way that feels good and inspires her to embrace raw foods and enjoy them from a newer, much more expansive and excited place.

My coaching challenge to Natalie, as we neared the end of our 15 minutes, was to have a think about what she would like to believe about herself and/or the raw food journey for it to be a joy for her so that she could leave the past behind and move forward into all the pleasures and benefits that raw food can bring. This challenge really spoke to Natalie as already she was seeing that there was light at the end of the tunnel, now all she had to do was tap into herself and find out what would inspire her from within so that she could get well again.

A few hours later we had our second call of the day. Natalie was thrilled to announce that the answer to the coaching challenge had simply dropped into her mind as she walked home from work that night. She excitedly reported how it really spoke to her and had already created a shift inside her and how happy she was with what she had come up with.

I’m sure you’re itching to know what Natalie “got” as much as I was, right?

Well, Natalie gave me permission to share it with you, so you’re in luck!

At the start of Monday Natalie’s belief was:

“I’m being forced to eat raw food because of my health”

By Monday evening Natalie’s new, much more empowering belief was:

“Raw food has chosen ME!”

Quite a shift, I’m sure you’ll agree! Natalie loved the idea of feeling specially chosen by raw food, it really worked for her.

Since then I have heard from Natalie again via email reporting back on how her eating has changed this week:

“Just to let you know I am doing really well since our call even though I have hit detox! The words about being chosen are really working for me and I am repeating them through the day to help me. I have maintained about 90% raw which I am really pleased with and the cooked things have been vegan or vegetarian and whole foods so I am really pleased.”

“When I say 'raw food has chosen me' to myself, I emphasise the word 'chosen' in my mind more than the word 'me'. When I think about being chosen I get an image of my success being an inspiration to other people. That's a very powerful emotional image for me. Normally I fight detox symptoms but as you said on our call, I've learned to see them as a reward. (Who would have thought that mucous was a reward, but it is!)”

Wow for Natalie and a big wow for any one of you who have in the process of learning with Natalie recognised how your own beliefs about raw food may be holding you back!

Of course you know what my coaching challenge is going to be for you this week, don’t you? It’s the same one as I set for Natalie and here it is again especially for YOU:

If you feel that you are not quite “there” internally or externally with raw foods, specifically to the degree that intellectually or medically you desire, asking these questions of yourself can absolutely give you the breakthrough you need as long as you stay true to you and what matters in your life to YOU.

As above, it doesn’t even have to be about food necessarily, it simply has to be a belief about yourself that automatically requires you to eat more raw foods in order for you to fully realise and externally manifest the dreams or goals you have for yourself.

To get you in the groove here are a few other different examples of “labels” or beliefs that could/would work for people, depending on what speaks to them…

* Raw food is my medicine and I am on full time, full strength medication!

* Raw food is my lover

* I am a lean, green, fighting machine!

* I am strong, fit and healthy, running on living foods and loving it!

* As I eat, so shall I show up in the world

* Born to blossom

* My connection to the planet is everything to me

* I am the artist of my body, mind and soul and my palette comprises of raw foods, daily exercise and having tons of fun!

* Raw food and I are one

* I choose raw bliss

* I am crazy, sexy, cool!

* I ooze raw-ness : )

As you see there is no end to what you can come up with that might perfectly work for you!

I’d LOVE to hear from you about what you either already believe about yourself that keeps you in alignment with raw foods, or what you have now come up with to keep you aligned as result of reading this article.

As I hope you will have learned, and also as per the article of two weeks ago, those subconscious beliefs have so much power over us until we bring them up and out and consciously change them to something much more aligned and empowering for who we really are and who we wish to become.

And what’s more, the great thing about beliefs is that we can change them at any time! So you can tweak it, overwrite it, reinvent it or upgrade it at any point in the future as soon as it stops working for you or if you feel it doesn’t quite hit the spot. Very cool, huh?

Have fun with this and please DO share! I’d love to share your answers with other blog readers, with or without your name as you wish and I really REALLY do mean that! Email me at karen@therawfoodcoach.com or post your thoughts, comments or realisations in the comments section below.

On a personal note. If you find yourself unable to locate that stupid Eggplant Burger recipe, try looking first in the recipe book you've compiled on your computer. You might just find it, after searching for about 5 hours, in the sandwiches chapter. #@$@!

Laboring My Day Away

2007-09-03T14:12:00.000-04:00

Normal people would be out walking around the park, tossing the dog, kicking a football (or is that kicking the dog, and tossing the football?). Me? I'm fixing food for the next several days.

In the past 24 hours I've made "English Muffins" from a post on http:/goneraw.com. I've made "Oh My This is a Tuna!" which was recently posted on the blog The Sunny Raw Kitchen. Then there was the Spanish Scramble from Ani Phyo's book "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen".

I've still got the eggless egg salad from "Raw Food, Right Now", and some onion bread to make.

Oh, and then there's the "Eggplant Parmesan" that I made for lunch. I don't have the recipe ready yet to publish, but Keely said its a keeper! Here's a picture to tempt your taste buds!

This next weekend I'm planning (between Tai Chi, a wedding, and lunch out with a friend...WHEW!) to pick out a great recipe from one of Kristen Suzzanne's books, and report back next week. You can check out her books at "Kristen's Raw". I could make it easy and post her link here, instead of making you look under my favorite links, but there are some thing's that are worth the work, like "Kristen's Raw"! Oh, just click on the link on the right side of the page, fourth down, under my favorite links. OK! Here it is lazy! http://kristensraw.com

Until next time, don't forget to do your own research and listen to your body. Its been screaming about all the garbage you've been shoving in it since birth. Don't you think its about time to start listening?

Oh, and for people in Scotland and other parts of the world who aren't familiar with our strange ways (but know we're strange) in the States, Labor Day is a day that was declared by President Grover Cleveland at the end of a bad Pullman (as in trains) strike. Its a day when laborers celebrate their jobs (most of which are being outsourced) and their families. So we all hit the Labor Day sales forcing all of those working entry level jobs to wait on us... (I think I'm being sarcastic there, aren't I?)

Labor Day has nothing to do with motherhood. Hallmark's got Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Sweetest Day, and a few days they haven't released to the general public yet, covered.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream, For Ice Cream!

2007-09-01T21:46:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have been following my blog for the past couple of weeks, you've come to know how serious I can be at times. You know that I can be such a fanatic when it comes to raw foods. So this post might come of a little bit of a surprise to you.

Now that I've got you totally confused, you should be ready for the one, the only, Tanja Andrews! I can just hear Jay, standing next to Silent Bob saying "What the F is a Tanja Andrews?" Oh, now don't tell me that there's some people reading this blog who don't know who Jay and Silent Bob are? They're only the greatest comedy team since Laurel and Hardy, with mouths like Lenny Bruce! OK, so Jay sounds like Lenny Bruce. Bob's silent, more like Harpo Marx, hence the name Silent Bob.

Oh, yeah, better get back to Tanja. Tanja is the great host of Freshtopia! Right dear, explain everything, and leave nothing to the imagination. Freshtopia is a raw vegan web site with wonderful recipes, and fantastic videos! Tanja is not only beautiful, but is able to get her message across in a fresh, funny and informative manner.

Freshtopia.net has at least thirty-three videos showing you how to prepare raw foods. There's the raw vegan ice cream courtesy of another of my favorite blogs "Raw Food, Right Now!" There are also several videos dealing with environmental issues. These are professional, informative, and entertaining videos that I can highly recommend! You'll find a link the the Freshtopia web site under my favorite links.

Did I also tell you that you can download the videos? You can!

Now if I can only get Tanja to send me an autographed picture to brighten my dreary cubicle at the old World War II Boeing Plant, south of the runway at Port Columbus. Have pity on me Tanja! (Hate seeing an attorney grovel don't you? Yeah, neither do I!)

Tanja was kind enough to give me permission to post one of her videos. I went with a favorite of hers, the vegan ice cream. So, check her out, and get on that ice cream train. Just like the ice cream, Freshtopia is a really sweet site!

OK, I know I wasn't going to post anything for a few days, but I had the urge! (Don't go there please!)

Until next time, do something nice for someone, and don't say anything, just smile. The smiling might still drive them crazy! (I just hope Keely doesn't get any ideas and start smiling. I think she increased my life insurance last week.)

Snoopy Never Lived a Dog's Life!

2007-08-30T19:41:00.000-04:00

A raw life style forces you to look at more than just what you eat. Once you start cleaning up the sludge that accumulates over the years of shoving garbage into your system, the mind is allowed to explore the inner and outer world in greater depth and clarity.

As my body has cleansed itself (as it has been doing on a regular basis. Yes, that's a pun!), I've been able to review my life.

Remember sitting in front of the TV on a cold winter's night with your family when you were young? You might have had a cup of hot chocolate and a bowl of popcorn as the snow fell outside the window. It was a special night that you looked forward to for months. It was the night of the new Charlie Brown special.

We all have a little bit of Charlie in us. We keep trying to kick the football. We might fall flat, but just like Charlie we never give up.

We've got our cool dog Snoopy! He may be real, or he may be imaginary, but he's there. He makes us smile when we need him, and never leaves our side. He never led a dog's life.

Then there's the little red headed girl. Remember her? Charlie was head over heals in love with her. While she never seemed to notice Charlie, she gave him a reason, and a purpose to improve himself. The little red hair (or red headed) girl is only symbolic of course. Anyone can have the spirit of this character in their heart.

I hope everyone knows someone like Charlie Brown knows. These are really neat people. They're so full of energy. They walk a path that may seem harder at times to some, but to others who allow them their freedom, they display a strength, vitality, and honesty others never match.

Some little red head girls face their past and see that by sharing happiness, it is returned tenfold. They love life, and live it to the fullest!

Yeah, I've got a picture of a little read headed girl that meets these qualifications. Those around her find her to be infectious. You can't help but smile when she's around!

I've been lucky in my life to have learned to watch for the "red headed girls". They aren't limited by age, sex, or the usual line up of qualifications. I've been married to one for 24 years now. In the past few years, I've hooked up with someone I've known for lifetimes. Katie and her spouse Kara have done more than they'll ever realize in filling our lives with joy (and sharing Murmur too!). We've loved them both from the beginning.

OK, let me have the chance for a big build-up. Be good or I'll ask for donations through PayPal just to let you look at a picture of the newest person who changed not only my life but Keely's too! Fine. Here's that little red headed girl, curls and all!

No, I won't give you her name! I'll tell you that today she is over 21 years old. You'll know her when you meet her, and will never regret the meeting. She will change your life, through her knowledge, laughter, and sharing.

Never turn your back on the gifts the world will share, when you start living as one with your environment. A raw diet has opened worlds for me, many of which I have yet to acknowledge and explore. I hope your path is as wondrous

OK, I know, GET SOME SLEEP! You're starting to sound like a Hallmark card again!

I may not be posting for the next few days. I've got a big weekend planned. I'm taking my wife to Tai Chi on Saturday. The Doctor said that her hoof is healed enough that she should be able to participate (and count to at least ten if she remembers how to do that. OK, she can really count to 50. But I can count to 51!). I'm hoping to work on a couple of new and exciting raw recipes too! If they work out, I promise to post them in the near future. Anyone know how PayPal works? Just kidding!

Of course then there's the time I'll be spending in the hospital after the woman in the picture gets through with me!

Until next time, remember that whatever your path, its yours to walk. You might invite others with you. Its always fun to share the world with a friend!

And They're in the Home Stretch!

2007-08-29T21:28:00.000-04:00

Its been a rough week. No, it has nothing to do with our new raw regimen. Its work, and life in general.

Oh, give me a break! It was the full moon, AND a full lunar eclipse! If that doesn't turn your life upside down, and set the family to baying, I don't know what will! I had to pay Keely to take my muzzle off this morning!

The best thing so far has been our PJ Teleseminar with the Raw Divas! Tera Warner turned 32 on Tuesday! Tera Warner and Amy DeWolfe are the "founding Divas". Its fortunate that Tera's mother also showed up for the call, or it don't think it would have gotten as far out of control as it did! It took me two hours to stop laughing so I could fall asleep!

Besides laying a great foundation for being a raw foodist, the Divas have made these thirty days something to embrace. They've been honest with their experiences, listening and offering support. They've made raw fun! I'm sorry to see that we're in the last week of the Body Enlightenment System!

The Divas have provided us with direction without demands, suggestions without being domineering. They've understood our ups and downs, and treated the group with honesty and dignity.

Oh, there I go again, sounding like a Hallmark card. Of course those who know me, and my feelings regarding the Hallmark Christmas Ornaments after being married now for 24 years to a woman who has collected Hallmark ornaments since day one, will tell you, I HATE HALLMARK!

But I digress.

Please check out the Divas, you can't go wrong! DIVAS RULE THE WHOLE RAW WORLD! (And Amy owns two miniature Dachshunds which means she's fantastic in my Dachshund luvin' world!) Make sure to check out their Seven Day Detox program too! ITS FREE!

You'll find a link to the Divas in my list along with other great websites that I'll focus on in the near future. There are tons of great blogs and websites to help you on your journey to health and well being (wellness is not a real word outside of Madison Ave!). Don't just read, SEARCH!

Until next time (when I'm more coherent)! But now I must run to the bathroom, and straight to bed. I feel "Mom's" presence!

(Yeah, I admit it. There's a lot of inside jokes in this one!)