That’s About It – Period

Again, I bring the lovely August McLaughlin into you lives.

This time the topic is menstruation.  That’s right.

Here is the link to her website:   August on Menstruation

If you don’t want to listen to the whole thing, here’s a great video

that takes about 10 minutes:  Thinkx on Women and Menstruation

Namaste,

Scott

To Vegan or not to Vegan…

As many of you know, I have been vegan since July of 2014.  For those that have difficulties knowing what that means, I do not eat meat, nor take in dairy.  That means no hamburgers, no cheese, no eggs, no milk, no ice cream, no regular chocolate.  I did this because I read a good book that discussed research stating nearly all people in the study who stuck to a vegan diet (and they were diabetic) had their blood sugar, their cholesterol, and their blood pressure go down, as well as their weight.  For many they stopped being diabetic about 6-9 months into the program.

My blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol has, indeed, gone down.  My weight has dropped a bit.  The problem was that, after 17 months of the diet (and being very careful for the first 8 months), I am not satisfied that, the program has been worth it.  My feelings are if I would eat reasonably and exercise I would see as much, if not more, positive results.

I do not feel this means it doesn’t work; it just doesn’t work well enough for me.

So, after some deliberation, I have altered the diet for me.  I will still restrict myself to more leaner meats.  I will still mostly avoid regular chocolate.  I will still cut down on cheese.  I will still, of course, watch my sugar, test my glucose, and blood pressure, as well as take all my meds.

However, I believe my life will be more fruitful  and enjoyable) if I do this in moderation, exercise in moderation (try 20-30 minutes of light-moderate exercise 3x a week), and try to keep more active in general by doing a lot of versatile things.

I no longer love food; I enjoy food, but it no longer rules me.  That came out of this diet.  I proved to myself and others I could do this for over 1 year.  There’s nothing wrong with the diet.  If you watch your protein and vary your foods, it is very healthy.  I may go back on it again if I start feeling sluggish or gaining weight that can’t be explained by muscle.

I just wanted to keep all of you up to date on me, one of my favorite subjects.

I am making some social changes in my life; perhaps, more on that another time.

In the meantime, let me simply wish you all well, eat healthy, enjoy life, and smile – a lot…

Namaste,

Scott

The Darker Side of Some Things

A few nights ago, this was one of the main stories in a town near me.  I spend a lot of time there, and so, this could have been me or I could have been a bystander.  It is a restaurant I go to and my neighbor works there.

http://fox59.com/2014/06/29/shooting-at-anderson-restaurant/#axzz36GpPFmp4   (Shown Below)

Police investigate shooting at Anderson IHOP

ANDERSON, Ind. (June 29, 2014) — Police are investigating after a teenager was shot outside an Anderson IHOP.

Cops responded to a report of ‘shots fired’ at the restaurant around 2:45 a.m. Sunday. When they arrived, they found a 17-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the chest. The teenager was transported to St Vincent hospital and is listed in stable condition.

Police made two arrests in the shooting. Eighteen-year-old Michael Wright has been preliminarily charged with attempted murder. Nineteen-year-old Christopher McGregor has been arrested on a preliminary charge of aiding, causing and inducing attempted murder. Both suspects are from Indianapolis.

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This was another article that came out soon after the first.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2014/06/29/indy-teens-arrested-ihop-shooting/11726343/   (shown below)

 

2 Indy teens arrested in IHOP shooting

IndyStar 9:51 p.m. EDT June 29, 2014

(Photo: Jan Priems, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE

ANDERSON — Two Indianapolis teenagers are facing charges after a shooting outside an Anderson restaurant that seriously injured a 17-year-old boy.

Anderson police say 18-year-old Michael J. Wright is charged with attempted murder and 19-year-old Christopher L. McGregor is charged with aiding, inducing or causing attempted murder. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys.

Police say the shooting occurred about 2:45 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of an IHOP restaurant near I-69.

The victim’s name was not immediately released by police. He was shot in the chest and was in stable condition Sunday night at an Indianapolis hospital.

Investigators say the victim and Wright had been having an ongoing argument in recent weeks.

Shortly after the shooting, the suspects were stopped by Fishers police on I-69.

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Now, granted I am reading some into this, but if those 2 young men were stopped in Fishers, then they had left Anderson and were on their way back to Indianapolis.  It doesn’t read as if they were evading police, nor did it sound like they were particularly concerned about the whole thing.

This is what has come to concern me in recent years.  I see a growing tolerance of violence, injustice, and pain.  I watch a lot of horror movies.  I watch, read, and write a lot of violence.  Still, it affects me.  Even in the movies or in a book or in something I am writing, I feel the violence and the pain.  I get angry at injustice; I abhor someone who has no feelings and cannot think about something and the pain or whatever not bother them at all.

I have sat and probably will sit in that restaurant.  The waitress/friend was telling me about all the blood that was everywhere.  It is my understanding that the human body has around 6 quarts of blood.  Now, a person is in sad shape if they lose an entire quart.  I don’t know how much this person lost, but even if it was only 2/3 of one quart or about 1 1 /2 pints, think about how much that is if it sprays everywhere.  It bothers me that those 2 could do that and then just drive away.  A disregard for human life is what it amounts to.  And that is where I believe our society is slowly heading.

Do I think that movies have caused this?  No, they are a symptom

Do I think that the Internet has caused this?  No, it is also a symptom

We are, in my opinion, always so quick to blame, often without looking deep for the true problem’s base.

Let’s look a bit deeper and realize that, most likely, all of us contribute to this problem by ignoring the situations that are real and that exist all around us.  If we would truly look, we could well see the problems and then muster up some courage to start the ball rolling concerning changing the attitudes.

We just need to look and truly see, then to simply do some small thing.  It could be as simple as making a comment on this post that someone else reads and decides to take it up and start something big.

You really don’t know, so let’s go!

Namaste,

Scott

Read more: http://fox59.com/2014/06/29/shooting-at-anderson-restaurant/#ixzz36Gq7BZTy

A Diet and a Date

This is my new Friday posts instead of doing Flash Friday.  I hope you enjoy!!!

Source: Google Image Search licensed for reuse. Click pic for page.

Well, these last couple of weeks have been both adventuresome and rough.  I would like to discuss two major items in my life during this period.

First, I have been reading the book “Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes.”  Now, I normally read these with a grain of salt and I did so this time.  However, this book agreed with most all of the research I have already done on the subject, it drew information from other studies done at valued institutions, and it made sense.  I also liked that it really went into some good detail on exactly what happens when I eat different foods (or don’t).  It played down exercise (not because he didn’t find it beneficial, but because the book was about diet).  So, I finally got to read a book that met most of my requirements.

The very basic (please don’t judge the book from this summary) was that a great diet for reversing diabetes is a vegan diet that includes:

1)  No animal products whatsoever (no cheese, meat, milk, animal fat, etc…)

2)  No oils (very minimal)

3)  Focus on low GI index foods (foods that raise the blood sugar level slowly – under 70, I believe)

This put a terrible constraint on my eating habits, but I have to say that, three days into it, I feel pretty good.  Results so far:

1)  My blood sugar is normal (90-100 most of the time)

2)  My blood pressure is normal (120/58)

3)  My weight is slowly moving down (supposed to do about 1 pound a week)

There is a lot to the book, so, if you are thinking about doing this, please read the book!  I could not believe how many of the foods I thought were good for me have animal products in them.  I had to empty (nearly) my cabinets, refrigerator, and freezer.  However, what is in there now is, without a doubt, good for me.

The choices are not as bad as I thought and, in about three months, I should see a very noticeable difference in my blood sugar, blood pressure, and weight.  The idea is to be able to stop taking (or, at least, reduce) many of my medications.  The final hope is that my neuropathy will disappear, my blood pressure will be normal, my blood sugar will be normal, and my cholesterol will be normal, all without any or at least less medications.  Also, at 1 pound a week, I should lose about 12-15 pounds in the three months and it should not come back.

It all sounds good to me, especially since I ate out tonight and had a decent meal.  The meal consisted of:

1)  A cup of long grain rice

2)  A serving of corn

3)  A serving of steamed zucchini and squash

4)  2 slices of plain rye toast

5)  A banana for dessert (I brought this)

I was full and it cost within pennies of what I normally paid.  I also felt good after eating it.  Somehow I feel a bit refreshed (for lack of a better word) all day as far as food is concerned.

I eat a lot of Post Grapenuts and Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (both with unsweetened Almond Milk) with blueberries or sliced strawberries.  I like both of those.  I love rye bread and enjoy eating both fruits and vegetables.

I notice that my sugar does not go as high and it drops reasonably quickly.  Hypoglycemia is the only big worry I have.  A big sugar drop at night can make me dizzy.  I eat a snack shortly before bed.  I don’t sleep right now anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.

Down the road, I hope that it helps my knee and hip so I can exercise (walking) and that the reduced weight will make it all easier.

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Source: Google Image Search licensed for reuse. Click pic for page.

This second one is simply strange.  I will tell you the basics and let you think about the story.

I went to a nearby town a little over a week ago.  While there, I went to the public library to do some reading.  I sat down next to a woman.  It was the day of the big storm in my area.  When the storm began, she and I started talking for a bit.  We went back to reading our books.  Later she began a conversation with me.  At the end, I asked her to meet for coffee.  She agreed.  We talked some more and decided dinner and a movie would be fine.  I was to pick her up on Saturday (last).  She gave me her cell phone number and email.

We emailed the next day and she sent me her address.  We settled on a time and place as well as which restaurant.

On Saturday, about 1pm, I checked my email and saw she had written me a letter.  In it she said that she was visiting her brother who was fairly near the theater and would I rather we simply met there.  I wrote back saying I would enjoy picking her up and talking, but if she wished to meet it was fine.  I then told her that I would check my email at 2 before I left and if she hadn’t written I would pick her up at her home.

About 2:10, I checked my email, had none from her, so I left for her home (about 40 min away).  My GPS guided me right to her driveway.  I knocked, but no one answered.  After some time, I left a paperback I had found for her on her door and headed to the theater in case things had gotten mixed up.

I arrived at the theater about 10 minutes before the show.  She was not there.  I waited until about 20 minutes after the show began, then headed home.

Since that time, I had emailed her once, texted twice, and called twice.  I have never received an answer back.

I have decided that either something bad has happened or her brother talked her out of coming on the date.  There is nothing else I can do, so I have decided to let it go (though I would like to know).

Anyway, for this, I simply wonder if you have ever had any strange things like this on a date (or a scheduled one)?  How did you feel and what did you do?

Enjoy your weekend.

Namaste,

Scott

FF – Friday Fictioneers – 11/1/2013 – “Hyped Up” – Rated PG13

Copyright – Douglas M. MacIlroy

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It’s Friday Fictioneer time again.  A 100 (+/-) word story to go with the photo prompt above.  Hosted by the wonderful

Rochelle W, it is always a wonderful distraction from the humdrum life.  After reading my entry below, click > HERE < for the rest of the entries.  Enjoy!

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Hyped Up

By Scott L Vannatter – 100 Words

The professor looked into the small pond.  He then turned to address his students.

“2054, Metasa, Inc. began making the hormones now used all over the world to help combat the plague.  The virus remains, its 98% fatality rate held in check by the weekly consumption of the hormone.   The by-products of the process have had unforeseeable side effects until now.”

“Professor Dillon?  How do we know about these side effects now?”

Professor Dillon took out a pin and pricked his finger.  The drop of blood fell into the pond and the Koi went feverish attacking it.

“Because it’s begun.”

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Namaste,

Scott