Baseball is HERE!

If you know me, you know I have loyalties to 2 major sports franchises. In football that is the Dallas Cowboys, in baseball it is the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have been my fav since I was 5 years old. I am very excited about baseball season beginning. I admit I don't watch a ton of games, but I love following the standings and rooting against the Yankees.

I have also recently taken to Fantasy Baseball. This will be my third season. It is a lot of fun and quite intensive. At least it can be, if you are that way, which I am. It requires a lot more attention than Fantasy Football. I drafted last week and am now ready for the season to get going. Who knows, this could be the year the Red Sox win back to back?

A New Adventure...

I am contemplating writing a book. Actually not just a book, but a series of books. This series of books will then launch an opportunity to write non-series related books that will be merely for my pleasure. Did I mention that these will be children's books? It's still in the early process, but I have recently been inspired. My daughter Porkchop loves the "David" books by David Shannon and the Mark Teague "How Do Dinosaurs..." series. I recently found some other gems about a farting dog and a smelly cheese head book. These have given me the desire and drive to make some beautifully creative children's books. As mentioned I can then write, "Leadfoot Joe: The man who wanted to teach the world the meaning of the passing lane"

Funk Schwaaaay

I don't really know much about "Feng Shui" however, I have my own perspectives. I have also my own version "Funk Schwaaaay" which is way cooler. However, I have not decided to blog about either. I am blogging today out of my questions. I wonder often if the crazy thoughts in my head or daydreams could ever be put to movies. I have probably 6-7 movie ideas that I can envision as movies. Some are detailed to the point of simply writing a script out and directing it and it could be done. Others are concepts that with a little effort could quickly be developed into something. I don't know that I am truly missing anything by not pursuing this, however, I do wonder about it sometimes. I once thought out a movie concept listening to John Mayer's "Clarity" album. I don't know if it is a blessing or a curse.

What is this place...

Well, I can see by the large amounts of fanfare and my regular attendance, this blog is a bust. For anyone not in the know, my blogging began in 2003 on another site called "MySpace." You may have heard of it. Back then, myspace was basically a small knit community where you could find some cool bands and connect with a few people. Now, like 1 in 4 people have a myspace site and you can connect with nearly anyone in the world. I made up those facts, but it is probably close. Anyway, myspace is where I started blogging and enjoyed it very much. Today, I am too busy to blog and this site appears to be a failed experiment. I will continue to blog here, but I doubt it will ever have the joy or connection that my former blog once had.

Worst Super Bowl Experience EVER.

I admit it, I am not a Patriots fan, I am a Cowboys fan. However, this year I was a Patriot fan on a mission. To go 19-0 and shut up those stupid Dolphins of 1972. Yes, they are the only team to go undefeated and win the Super Bowl. I don't care. They were far from the best team ever, in fact they don't even crack the Top 5 teams in most lists. But, because they have done something no one else has done, they get to brag about it. They get to pop a bottle of champagne open every year when the last undefeated team loses. I have no doubt that many bottles were popped tonight. And undoubtedly, Mercury Morris from that team will be on ESPN declaring his team as the greatest and none ever better and blah blah blah. Enough.

Tonight was terrible. I hate the Giants because they are in the Cowboys Division, natural rivals. The Patriots didn't play well. The Giants played AWESOME. I give them that. They did what few expected. They beat what could've been called one of the most dominant seasons of all time. I am so disappointed right now. That Patriots deserved to lose the way the played. It wasn't until their second to last drive that gave them the go ahead touchdown, that they looked a little dominant like they had all season. Their Defense failed. Failed to stop Eli "flippin' " Manning. C'mon, if you can't stop that chump, you don't deserve to win. My Cowboys found that out also.

Oh well, sports goes into misery mode for a few months until baseball starts. I hate basketball and hockey is still off in the distance for me. Definitely the worst Super Bowl experience I can remember. At least since I was a kid when the Steelers kicked the crap out of the Cowboys.

Food...

Today I ate the most delicious Whopper I have ever had. If you have been reading, you know that the fast I was participating ended on Sunday night. I must admit, I have re-entered the real world of food gingerly. I have no desire to make myself sick, nor do I intend to gorge myself with any food I can find. I did get my steak for lunch yesterday and I had a Whopper for lunch today. Those were my two main cravings. I have yet to drink a caffeinated beverage, but I cannot imagine staying clear of them forever. I am fine drinking caffeine free drinks, just the problem is most restaurants don't carry them. Just Sierra Mist which I am growing tired of and I DO NOT drink Diet sodas at all. So, we will see how this goes. I am eating smaller portions and I still have had little to no known sugar. I think I am gonna make it.

Day 18: The End is Near

When you end a fast, there are a variety of ways to do it. Most people recommend you ease back into food. I don't think I will be taking that approach. You are also recommended to not return to your former lifestyle of eating. That I will try and follow, but I am not sure. I hope I eat less fast food and drink less soda. I also hope to keep utilizing healthier snacks, but in all honesty it is a crap shoot. I could be disciplined or I might just fly right off the map.

I don't want to disrespect the fast at all, but it has been hard. We not only fasted normal food, but to incorporate the girls into it, we have fasted video games. That means no Wii or PS2 or 3. We were just beginning to discover the joy of the Wii when this fast began, so I look forward to returning and learning to play Lego Star Wars with the girls on it. (That is a reward I bought for them) 3 days to go...

Day 16: Hunger???

My hunger has dissipated greatly. I am only 5 days away from the end of this fast and I feel pretty good. I am still cold all the time and I am still hankering terribly for a Whopper and Steak, otherwise I am fine. I don't miss carbonated beverages much. I still don't drink enough water or pray as much as I should. I do drink a lot of juice now. I typically don't eat until lunch time. I may snack on a few peanuts and drink a shot of V8. Yesterday I had a banana for lunch around 1pm and was totally content. I ate some strawberries at 6pm before I left work. Last night I had some roasted potatoes and carrots for dinner. That's pretty much it. I figured I would've wasted away to nothing, surprisingly though my pre-new years pelt is still holding up strong. Oh well, this isn't a diet as much as a drawing near to God experience. I will miss the sacrifice, but not the menu.

Day 10: PBJ is the DEVIL!

Ok, the title is a bit off mark, but man that stuff will haunt you. Every morning I make my daughter's lunch for school and her favorite sandwich is Peanut Butter & Jelly. I have made this sandwich or others for her for the past 2-3 years of school, and a common practice when finishing the sandwich would be to either lick the knife or my fingers with the excess PB or J on them. I have now realized how difficult it is to avoid that task while fasting. No, it would not ruin my fast if I accidentally licked my finger with a little peanut butter on it. Still, my goal is to stay away from sugar and meat and caffeine and dairy and lots of things I am accustomed to.

I am at a point where I am not really hungry anymore. I actually only eat once or twice a day and that is more out of habit than necessity. I am finally praying more with the fast and feeling much better about it. Now, I am looking towards my exit strategy on the fast. How do I return to a "normal" free world of eating? Should I stay off the caffeine completely, or barter a Coke only once a day? Do I rush out for a 23 oz T-bone on Sunday night when the fast ends or do I gradually ease back? I know the right answers, just which ones will I choose?

Day 5: Clarification

I wanted to clarify something here. I am not blogging about this fast to brag, but more to share my experiences. I hope I don't moan too much here or divulge more of my fasting trials than necessary. I just enjoy blogging and currently this is my life.

I went to the store again today and spent almost $20 on lunch and snack stuff. Cherry tomatoes, bananas, tomato juice and a few other simple things. It's getting better though. I ate very little today and was content. I have full faith that I will make it through this well. Now, here comes the weekend. Go Cowboys.

Day 4: Fast Lessons by Doug

Alright, I acknowledge I am a rookie at this 21 day Daniel Fast and I have a lot to learn, but I have already gained some valuable knowledge in these first four days. I have fasted in the past, but never for more than 3 days. Also, when I fast, I typically only fast 1 meal. I have often joked if I prayed more I would get more credit for fasting because I often miss meals. So far, here are a few things I have picked up from this fast:

1) Day 1 is easy and then awful. At least for those coming off of caffeine.
2) Don't underestimate the fast it is powerful and will change things.
3) Drink a lot of water. You pee a lot, but it also helps the process.
4) Designate time for prayer. If you don't you won't gain the benefits of the fast as much.
5) AVOID GROCERY STORES after the fast has begun. Big mistake Day 2. (Imagine an early recovering alcoholic going to a bar for some water or orange juice - BAD IDEA!)

I must admit, I am doing better with this, but I do need to pray more. I am avoiding food properly, or more like eating the acceptable foods properly, but I am not spending as much time in prayer as I should. This is possibly due to the insane schedule I am keeping, and also due to lack of discipline. I will do better at this though.

Day 2: The Fast is Slow

I have decided to blog about the 21 day fast I am on. It is a Daniel Fast which was explained rather clearly in previous blog. I must admit, I wasn't terribly intimidated by this at first, my only fear was the lack of caffeine. Little did I know that 15 hours in I would be flippin' out like a druggie in rehab. I am still convinced I had a real headache, not one connected to the fast. I didn't have breakfast yesterday, no big deal, I do that all the time. I had an incredibly bland salad for lunch and then the headache came. I didn't expect it, but man it was terrible. Around 3pm I was in my office cold and frustrated. Not so much with the fast, but with this headache. I eventually went home, got in bed and moaned like a pansy. I finally broke down and took some Tylenol around 5pm. At that point my head was killing me and I was ready for the Lord to take me home. Life improved around 7 or 8pm. I am amazed that I had that much difficulty with such a simple thing. I am half way through Day 2 and doing much better. I still haven't eaten much, but I am feeling better. I haven't prayed enough, but I am working on that, I have definitely gotten more focused. I will continue to update my progress.

Then There Were Two...

So today I blog again. I am still conflicted because I blog semi-regularly in the SPACE place, but I am drawn to the innocence and purity of this place. I think I like this because I can blog BIG or SMALL and it really won't matter. I don't have a massive group of friends who read or view here, so I will be ok to blog whatever.

Tomorrow, actually in an hour I will be starting a 21 day Daniel Fast with the rest of our church. It is interesting because there are very specific things you can and cannot eat. My main sacrifices will come in the ways of caffeine, meat, preservatives, additives and sugar. I am not a big sweets or dessert guy, so that shouldn't be too bad, but eating a salad for lunch and dinner without it being slathered in dressing and bacon bits doesn't sound appealing. Nor does dropping off of caffeine completely. However, this is about making a sacrifice for God. He knows my heart and my desire. So if the water I drink isn't distilled, but is still water and not a caffeinated sugar laced beverage, I think we'll be cool.

A New Year...A New Blog

I have been a "blogger" for several years. I have blogged through myspace at massive proportions. At one point I would blog 2-3 times a week and had weekly features called "the Monday Blog" and "the Thursday Update." I was averaging 100 views per blog and receiving a lot of comments as well. I enjoyed the feedback and it fed my ego greatly. I have contemplated heading out into a non-myspace blogging world, so I am checking this out. The problem is I am in an unknown, unestablished community for me. Well, here's to a new year and to a new blog. See you in 4 months.