Adventures in Healthy Eating

About 2 weeks ago, the wife and I decided to make a major change in our lifestyles. So with a little bit of planning, we have made a serious Dietary Overhaul (here is where you would hear theme music exemplifying the point).

Our diets were, to say the least, fairly poor. For example, lets take the Lost Coast Brewery, one of my favorite dining establishments. A good meal there consists of 2 pounds of buffalo hot wings and basket of fries and a tall frosty beverage. This, as it may sound, is not the best meal for you (which should seem obvious). But the fact is these hot wings are quite literally the best wings on earth. The sauce is hot, but not too hot. The wings are usually tender and juicy. The fries. Oh the fries. They are seasoned with some sort of seasoning that is a perfect compliment to the wings. It's a good meal.

Then, we introduced the Dietary Overhaul (que Theme Music).

No more eating out. No more wings. No more fried foods.

An example: the other night we had salad, artichoke, and broiled sirloin steak. Last night we had chicken breast and asparagus. We have learned to make "Faux-tatos." This is steamed cauliflower that is put into a food processor and blended smooth. Add a little fat free half and half, a little light butter, salt and pepper to taste. Not bad. But it still tastes like cauliflower. And the rumors that asparagus makes you urine stink are very true.

So there we have it. The Dietary Overhaul (que Theme Music) is in full swing. Every meal has some sort of vegetable, and sodas and other carbonated beverages have been cut down to almost nothing.

The bright side, weight loss is a direct result of the Dietary Overhaul (que Theme Music).
So we will continue on. And it seems I'll have to be content to simply live with the memories of wings and fries.

A new connection to an old friend.

It seems as though my little corner of the Internet has garnered some attention from as far away as Canada, eh.

Allow me to introduce Kathy Arnold. Kathy and I have been friends for almost 15 years now. We started out as pen pals back 1994. And although we have never actually met in person, we have remained friends for all that time. For a time we exchanged letters to each other, then as time went on, emails and an occasional phone call, a quick how do you do.

After a time she got married to David and they moved to Canada, eh (I believe he is actually Canadian, eh), where they now have 4 kids. Kathy is from Utah. Our friendship turned into the rare email sent from one or the other with the family news and what not.

Then, after I received the latest Family Update letter I sent a reply back that she should keep in better touch. So I shared the blog with her and her family. Now she has finally gotten up the gusto to leave a comment and say hello.

So, welcome Kathy. It’s been a long time and hopefully we can remain in better contact. Good friends are hard to come by. Lets not waste time catching up. I’ll have to introduce you to Delia. She can tell all about the trials I put her through on a daily basis.

The Mattole Valley

The fishing trip could have been better, but here is Cody's one "dumby." Good for him.
The entrance to the Mattole Valley from the coast is amazing. I don't think this picture does it justice. Oh well. Its well worth the drive.
This little church had the look of not being used in a while. But it sure looked neat.
This bridge, although it has a steel frame, has a roadway to it made of wood. Rather odd really.
Deer are everywhere.
The drive ends up going through a stand of old growth redwood trees. Very nice.

It was a nice little trip and I plan to make it again.

A little bit of catching up.

With the recent departure of a certain almost-nine-year-old I thought I would have all sorts of free time. I'm not sure where this plan went awry, but here is the general rundown on recent activities and thoughts that accompany them:

• The trip to Fish Lake never materialized. Apparently, that area is still very smokey, and there is a bridge that is closed. And this bridge is apparently essential to travel to and from. So instead we went to Petrolia to fish for Perch (see below).
• The Perch fishing was somewhat of an exercise in futility. It fealt as if the coastal winds were blowing at about 50 mph (which makes fishing with light tackle very difficult). After about an hour of simply losing bait to the treacherous, watery depths we decided to call it a day and do something else. At this point Cody managed to catch the only dumby in the ocean. He was a good size fish, but we ended up letting him go. Cody was more excited about the fact that he caught fish, and I did not.
• Once packed up we headed up the Mattole Valley. We went to the actual town of Petrolia, which is very small, and the even smaller town of Honeydew. It was a lengthy drive but really is quite beautiful the whole way and worth the drive it takes. In fact, it would make a wonderful day trip and there are many places to stop and have lunch. This is something I will have to store in my cranium for a later date. If the wife and I ever have the same days off I could take full advantage of that idea.
• I did take quite a few pictures of the area, nothing really spectacular, but worth a look. I will post those later tonight.
• I have spent the last 5 days working, and when I get home it seems there is very little time to myself to make a post of any sort.

So there it is. I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing that I can post a good portion of my life's activities in just a few short paragraphs. What can I say?

Irrational fear and the fishing trip.

Irrational Fear. It seems like it has its own name. Its an intangible feeling yet it manages to get a hold and squeeze the very life out of you. My fear of flying is a perfect example. My fear of wild rodents is another.

But now I find myself facing a new fear. The fear of the unknown. Cody and I want to go trout fishing tomorrow. He wants to go to Fish Lake. Its little tiny lake in the middle of absolutely nowhere. There is a strong possibility of seeing wildlife on this trip, and a very strong possibility of seeing bear. This, in and of itself, doesn't frighten me too much. After all, Cody is a hunter, and usually goes armed to these types of areas. I am no stranger to a gun either, so between the two of us we shouldn't have a whole lot of trouble to worry about.

So why the uneasiness? Why the hesitation? Why the anxiety? Am I really a person who doesn't like to try new things, and simply settle in for the same old, same old? On any given day I can tell you my routine. On a work day I have a set routine. On my day off I have a set routine. I do not deviate from that very often. I even tell other people that my life is somewhat dull. I don't like to go out all that much (I much prefer an evening at home). I don't enjoy parties where there are people I don't know. I don't need to experience new things, just for the sake of experiencing a new thing.

So, I am simply getting ready for tomorrow. I'll have my fishing licence, my fishing rod, and my camera of course. The area should be beautiful. There should be plenty to see. And hopefully, I'll get over my silly anxiety about going out to the middle of freaking nowhere and we'll have a good day.

I'm sure I'll have a report tomorrow.

Thanks for tuning in.