Been earning my living and fulfilling the provider obligations to my family by the sweat of my brow, 6 days a week. Hard work makes for thirsty work. Here in Hawaii, when a hard day's work is done, we say "Pau Hana!" -- the work is done.
Pau hana means it's almost time for the ritual imbibing of libations enjoyed by most blue collar workers everywhere. You know, that time of day one looks forward too while laboring for hours under the sun's radiant heat: BEER:30 PM
Those of you in colder, wintry climes reading this, it may same like I'm complaining...e kala mai {excuse me} but I'm not. I love the heat of the sun, but it is tiring to work long hours in 80 degree tropical sunshine with my shirt off at mid-day, working on my tan in the middle of January.
Hard my life, yeah? lozlolzlol
By the time I get home after a day of labor in the tropical sun, I've already had a couple of micro-brewed, high alcohol content (typically 6-9%) pale ales. The fasted exertion of working 8 hours without consuming anything but morning coffee, water and a cigar at lunch break, leaves me with a vague sense of hunger...but it quickly dissipates after the first gulp of a cold brew. The buzz starts to kick before the first ale is finished.
Imagine that. All those liquid carbs made from fermented grain mash on an empty stomach. I imagine it causes my blood sugar to spike pretty high. Shhhh...don't tell anyone! Wouldn't want to get kicked out of the paleo conspiracy cult by the more zealous paleo diet adherents!
By the third ale, I'm at home and freshly showered and playing with paleo baby - who is now more like paleo toddler. Then the wife serves dinner and suddenly the sight and smell of a hot plate of home cooked, real food, reawakens the ravenous beast in my belly. I devour my food, than finish with a dram or two of either Scottish single malt or some of Kentucky's finest straight whiskey, and then it's time to log on and check the email and read up on the blogroll with a nightcap.
Ideas for blog posts come to mind, but lately I've just been too tired and buzzing pleasantly from the ale and whiskey to feel the mental energy required to go through with signing in here and start composing a new post.
I'm no longer a cubicle desk jockey in which I'm logged on to teh interwebz 8 hours a day of alternating between my old virtual work and blog reading, commenting and writing. I've also had ideas for some more Spearhead and IMF entries. The old cliche about the older you get, the less time you have seems to take on new meaning. I'll get around to those ideas eventually.
As much as I enjoy the extemporaneous composition of writing posts, I enjoy reading more. Sometimes I read blogs and comment threads til I'm nodding off. Blogging ideas oft come to mind when I first log on, but they remain unfulfilled and filed away for future effort when I lose the time in reading other people's posts and comment threads.
The only reason I'm writing right now is because I decided to do a quick check today on the level of substance dependence I may or may not have developed as of late. I abstained from my now customary stop at the grocery store on the way home for some micro-brew. Nor did I indulge in a dram of my modest collection of cask-aged firewater.
No problem.
No feel of "need" or that I'm missing something.
Good. I may drink a bit too frequently, but I know it's still not hit the point of being a mental or physical crutch that I HAVE to have. But I do begin to suspect my lack of inspiration for blogging about the same old - same old has something to do with my now customary post-work libations. It's either have some drinks, relax, and go to bed and get ready for another day of hard work to support the family...or sobriety and the increase in inspiration and motivation necessary for blogging.
Given such a choice, I don't expect to resume regular posting anytime soon.
Cheers!
16 comments:
I hope you're not pau with the blog, Brah...
You know, that time of day one looks forward too while laboring for hours under the sun's radiant heat: BEER:30 PM
I like that - BEER:30 PM - haha.
A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.
Take care and be well, Keoni.
I have fond memories of the winter I spent in Hawaii 27 years ago. (I'm 55 now)
I too, developed a powerful love of cold beer and by the time I relocated (to Alaska) it was getting out of hand.
For me, the solution was to substitute weightlifting and pushups for other addictive behaviors. Now I'm the strongest geezer in the gym, and can do 600 plus pushups in an hour.
Give it a shot if you get too soggy from all the brew.
Tip number two. Non-alcoholic beer tastes good too.
Enjoyed you blog while it lasted.
We would miss you badly. You are one of the best men on the face of this planet :)
Living the dream, eh brother? Good on you; you just gave me my first smile of the day.
I'll wait patiently, you're on my RSS feed.
I'm new here and thus fear that you aren't joking about suspending the blogging as I enjoy immensely and have learned so much in so little time I would hate to see you go. AND, it looks like I had it all wrong. I thought this was such a great blog BECAUSE you had had some drinks, were relaxing, and work hard to support your family!
Phil
LOL
Thanks for the well wishes folks...not quitting at all. Just saying I no longer have as much opportunity to blog as frequently as I used to. I still read everyone else's blogs everyday, and will still comment here and elsewhere while I have my morning coffee and get ready to head back out to work.
But coming up with new blog posts just takes too much time...time that I don't really have as much of anymore. I'm working three different jobs now.
Ironically, I'm also making more money than I have at my old white collar job for the past 3 years, so in terms of financially, I am doing better.
I lost my mojo with paleo. I used to have these sugar spikes where I'd work feverishly on numerous blog posts, sometimes pumping out two or three in a sitting. Now I just sort of meander around the interwebs and occasionally write up a blurb. I just can't get as excited about it anymore, so I'm with you there.
That said, I'm much more even-tempered and productive IRL now. My house has never been so neat, the food has never been so good, and my behind has never been so tight. Eh... blogging. I'll get around to it eventually.
;-)
Glad to hear you're not quitting, Keoni.
Here's a possible idea for a blog post for you: did you see "The Descendents"? What did you think of it?
(For my part, I enjoyed it, even if was just an ABC-after-school-special-type-family-drama that just happened to be set in Hawaii, and involve a bit of Hawaiian history and politics. Plus the soundtrack was killer, what with all the great Hawaiian music.)
Keoni,
First of all, congratulations on the consistent employment. Take care of your bank accounts: we'll wait.
Second, what kind of cigars do you smoke at lunch? I'm a cigar smoker too, and I love Fuente, Tatuaje, Carlos Torano, and Avo cigars, to name a few.
Finally, how do I get a private message to you?
I hear ya Alte, many of the critics of paleo always focus on "weight loss" as the be all end all of the debate. I think the steady, day long energy levels is the biggest change I experienced. I used to have to take a nap every single day about an hour and a half after lunch, and I felt groggy and tired after the nap.
Will - never saw that show. I'll have to check it out.
Sean - Funny you should ask, yesterday was the first time I had a Tatuaje corona. Good smoke. My fav's are Padron, El Rey Del Mundo, Partigas, and Arturo Fuente. I don't smoke one every day. Some days, I skip breakfast and fast until dinner. I can't handle smoking cigars on an empty stomach.
Actually, it was a movie, starring George Clooney, which came out in theatres just before Christmas.
In a few months, it should be available for rent / download... Worth seeing, IMO.
How about I eat 3000 calories of meat, egg, cheese and veggies sauteed in butter every day for a month.
You eat 2500 calories of twinkies, cookies, crackers, cake, soda, ice cream and candy every day for a month.
We can both follow the exact same exercise regimen, with you eating 500 calories less than I.
What does logic and scientific inquiry lead you to understand what would happen where we to conduct such an experiment?
No response yet.
Allow me to make a clear response.
Unequivocally and without any doubt whatsoever, you would lose more fat eating the lower calorie high sugar and high carb diet.
To date, the only scientifically proven way to lose weight that has been repeatedly successful in experiments is to create a calorie deficit. Nothing else has been proven scientifically to have an impact on fact loss.
I have actually done this experiment (unintentionally) several times. I used to travel to another country for periods of 3-4 months for work and would eat very little during a high stress period. I remember doing this when I believed in low-carb and before I believed in low carb.
Each time, I lost the same amount of fat and achieved the same body definition. The composition of my diet simply made no difference. Back in the States, I was invariably fat when on low-carb. Eventually I was forced to simply confront reality and accept the truth that the only thing that matters is calories.
But it's an unsexy truth, isn't it? No glamor in so simple a thing.
For any who are interested, BTW, check out the Adonis Index community - it showcases a bunch of guys who got ripped while eating anything they wanted, lots of sugary and desserts, while simply reducing their calorie intake and going to the gym.
To date, the only scientifically proven way to lose weight that has been repeatedly successful in experiments is to create a calorie deficit.
Your belief in the religion of SCIENCE is strong.
The point is not to eat a diet in which you create a calorie defecit to lose weight.
It's about eating nutrient dense food that nourishes your body and allows it to function the way it was designed/evolved to.
This is the sticking point for anyone that denounces "Paleo" as a "cult" or a "fad."
Losing weight is only incidental...indeed, one could follow the tenets of the Paleo diet with the specific goal of gaining weight.
I have actually done this experiment (unintentionally) several times. I used to travel to another country for periods of 3-4 months for work and would eat very little during a high stress period. I remember doing this when I believed in low-carb and before I believed in low carb.
Duh. There's another word for a long period of caloric defecit:
STARVATION.
Why Yes, Starvation DOES lead to weight loss! Who'd of thunk it? Do you know what else has been scientifically proven? How the body responds to starvation. You may have heard of the conventional term for those results: Yo Yo dieting. You even have a role model for how this works: Oprah Winfrey.
Back in the States, I was invariably fat when on low-carb.
Wrong argument. I'm not referring to "low-carb." When I say "Paleo Diet" I'm talking about eating traditional, natural foods that are nutritious, while avoiding natural foods that are harmful (like the lectins, phytates and gluten found in many grains) in addition to un-natural, industrially manufactured, and highly processed garbage foods (hydrogenated vegetable oils).
Nevertheless, if your argument is that "caloric deficit" is "scientifically proven," than why do you feel the need to present your own anecdotal experience?
Furthermore, do you understand that you're presenting your anecdotal experience to a guy whose own anecdotal experience is the precise opposite of yours, and who has linked to the anecdotal stories of literally hundreds of other people who experienced the same results following the Paleo diet?
Eventually I was forced to simply confront reality and accept the truth that the only thing that matters is calories.
True - if the only thing you are trying to do is lose weight in the short term by starving your body.
I worked with someone years back who's father was from the former Czechoslovakia, and at the factory the workers were given beer in the afternoon. Probably after the shift or the last break. At least you still have a job in Hawaii or anywhere in the USSA. Do the homeless communities in your state have names like Obamaville, Geitnerburg, etc. Take care and keep blogging, even though it will be not as frequent.
Post a Comment