Morning Babble / Scribbled Morning

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Monday, February 1, 2021

Vit – amins. Have you had your vit-amins today? This past weekend, I said how I was listening to Sapiens on Audible and the narrator (it’s not the author) says vitamins that way. Vit-amins (listen to the video below). I’m not making fun, but I actually enjoy the sound of it.

Now, not this past weekend, but the weekend before, I mentioned about how staying active helps you with fighting COVID and, of course, we all know about the mask thing, too. But – Vitamin D is another big one. I’ve actually been taking it for years. Initially, I had been taking them because it helps with stronger bones and the benefits on the immune system.
But then last May 2020, I heard Dr. Rhonda Patrick when she was on Joe Rogan’s podcast: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/jre-1474 The stats that she was pointing out about being vitamin D deficient and then also struggling with COVID was mind boggling. Then, just yesterday, another favorite podcast of mine and someone I follow on all of his platforms, Dr. Peter Attia included within his newsletter about Vitamin D in relation to COVID. https://peterattiamd.com/does-vitamin-d-deficiency-raise-covid-19-risk/

Please be sure to check it all out for yourself, but stats are crazy in your favor that if you aren’t deficient in Vitamin D, you got a better shot against this virus. Here’s a link to the one that I use: Thorne Vitamin D

Also, I ran today! The streak continues . . .

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“If it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it.” — Marcus Aurelius

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Sunday, January 31, 2021

One very full month of running and vlogging. I already did my run for the day, so I officially have done a 5k run every day for the month of January. I also did a vlog post each of those days as well. February is tomorrow and I’m going to keep it going. I will have a 3 day fast in the 2nd week of the month. On the other weeks, I’ll continue my 4 days of the 18:6 fasts.

And now . . . I wanted to introduce something else that I want to be held accountable for – a month long alcohol detox. Now, I certainly don’t believe that I have an actual problem. However, I do want to see how my sleep pattern changes, my appetite, my skin – I think I get these rashes now when I drink . . . that’s never a fun thing to discuss. “I get this rash.”

Anyway – a year ago in February and March, I had begun talking about trying to do this for the month of April 2020. But then . . . COVID. In turn, back to drinking! However, it’s now 2021 and I want to try doing it for real this year for the month of April. I know there is “Dry January” as well as “Sober September” and “Sober October”. I don’t believe there’s a name for April, but I’m rolling with “April Drought”. I’ll be just fine, but I will miss my wine with pasta as well as the IPAs with my pizza on Friday nights. But that’s for April!

Bring on February!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“The reward for good work is more work.” — Tom Sachs

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Saturday, January 30, 2021

Little slower this Saturday morning, but I did run. 5k is done. Last night, it was family movie night again but we started with the newest episode of WandaVision again. It’s getting so much better and I am so glad that we hung in there. Marvel fans should be smiling . . . I think. Of course only being a 30 minute show, we then went off and watched Infinity War. We’ve seen them all, but sure let’s do it again! I already know that another viewing of Endgame is coming which isn’t a bad thing at all.

Got my new book: Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho. I want to add it to the rotation, but I’m currently reading these three:

Why We Sleep from Matthew Walker, PhD
Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

I’m the type of reader who can jump around from book to book. I just don’t enjoy plowing straight through it all. My mood changes. Some nights, I don’t feel like reading about death. Other nights, do I really need more politics? And finally, some nights, instead of reading about it . . . let’s go do it – sleep! I normally have a “fun” book mixed in. I need one of those.’

I am listening to Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. Does that count as a “read” book in my Goodreads app when I’m done?

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“Be the person that your dog thinks you are.” — Chris Rudolph via Chase Jarvis book

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Friday, January 29, 2021

Paper work Friday, so I get to have a real mug to drink out of . . . not a thermos one. Also, it’s new tube of toothpaste Friday for me. Sorry, but there’s something about starting on a new tube. No pressure on getting out enough onto the brush.

Sooooooooooooooo, I ran. Now, being at home for a paperwork day, I could have gone out on the trails, but after letting the dogs out this morning. Well, I knocked it out safely on the treadmill! Anyway, 5k is done – creeping up on nearly 100 miles for the month!

New Music Friday:

Weezer’s full album OK Human is out now.
Mighty Mighty Bosstones released The Final Parade – a nearly 8 minute song
Miss Taylor Swift put out – the “forever is the sweetest con” chapter of her music. The chapter title is a line taken from her evermore song “Cowboy Like Me.” 6 pack of musical joy – 3 songs from each of her albums that she released last year. Marketing genius she is.
The Weeknd is releasing a compilation album on February 5. Gonna hear a lot about him over the next week since he’s performing during the Superbowl halftime
Anderson East posted an InstaGram video of him writing “It’s finished” – stay tuned for that
Finally, Black Pistol Fire – two piece rock band out of Austin, Texas, but originally from Canada. You can put them in the same grouping as White Stripes and Black Keys but they still have their own Black Pistol Fire sound via Kevin McKeown (guitar/lead vocals) and Eric Owen (drums). New album – Look Alive – is out now!

It was Sunday night, November 1st, 2015 and my wife and I were going to the Fillmore in Philly to see Gary Clark Jr. We were there with another couple who are known as G-Dog and Caff to our kids. They are the ones who got us the great seats – thank you. We all had a great dinner prior and were then off to the show to see this new blues guy stud. Being Gary Clark Jr., you would have thought that we would have known that there would be an opener . . . someone, anyone off the streets – Dog Tooth Violet? At one point, these two guys come out on stage looking like the crew. One was fiddling with the guitar, while the other was checking over the drums. The guy checking the guitar then rips out a couple licks that was like – whoa, stage help showing what he can do. Then, I looked back over the drummer, who was in the process of taking his shirt off. Hmmm – he’s getting awfully comfy. They then did the 1 – 2 – 3 nod thing and BAM! It was on – the best live band that I have ever seen – hands down. When this COVID thing is over. I’m heading to as many of their shows as I can.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” — Benjamin Franklin

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Thursday, January 28, 2021

3 days behind without the scribbles, but they are coming.

In the meantime . . . the video streams on!

Pigskin Gourmet YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/PigskinGourmet What’s Cecil doing: https://www.instagram.com/goodmude/

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Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Sorry – scribble is coming, but please enjoy the video!

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Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Scribble coming!

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Monday, January 25, 2021

Back at it on a Monday, my 5k run is complete. My outside run yesterday was my best time since the Turkey Trot in November 2019! So, pushing 2020 out of mind more & more. Feeling good, but my weigh-in this morning tells me that I had a pretty good weekend, too. Doing the 18 hr fast / 6 hr eating window for the next 4 days.

Just finished up my journal writing in our house library. I actually have two journals – one is the Daily Stoic Journal – which has a prompt for the day and, like Marcus Aurelius, you have a morning entry and, like Seneca, an evening entry. Now, I also have a 2nd journal and this is the one that I wanted to highlight. It’s the One Line a Day Journal – 5 year diary. Every night I write a couple lines of what happened during my day. I really enjoy looking back and seeing what occurred a year ago, two or even three years ago. This is my 4th year into the 5 year journal. So, three years ago, I had a lot of excitement written for my Eagles heading to the Super Bowl – I didn’t know yet. Looking back one year, I didn’t do much that day, but one year ago yesterday, I was happy that I had a 5 day week at BJJ – miss those days. And then one year ago tomorrow, it is my brother’s birthday, but we also lost Kobe Bryant that day – crazy. Anyway, the One Line a Day Journal – here’s a link: https://amzn.to/2MgHepY

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“You suffer more in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca

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Sunday, January 24, 2021

So, I ran. I really did run yesterday. BUT – I forgot to say that I ran and my buddy Jack mentioned it right away on Facebook. Got hit up on Instagram and Twitter for the same thing. But again – I ran.

I was just such a mush mouth yesterday and I know that these videos don’t have to be perfect . . . but it was bad. After I finally got the take done right and realized after mixing everything together that I never said that I ran, I sort of stared off for a second and then stated, “forget it” and off it went to YouTube. My friend, John Klug, can attest for how many times I can bumble and stumble when he used to record me for radio commercials – back in the day. I created great outtakes though that made the holiday parties always interesting when he played everyone’s goof ups back. Thank you for tolerating my mess-ups, Klug. Any Ravens fans will probably recognize his voice along with people in the nearby area because of all the work he does. Incredibly talented guy that I was fortunate enough to work with at a couple radio stations. Check out his work at John Klug Voiceover.

So, I did run yesterday. As for today’s run, that’s about to happen after a family breakfast and outside on the trails. Gonna be cold, but I’ll be ready. Also, I always try to say “I ran” in different ways, too. Mainly because I don’t want it to come across arrogantly or negatively. I really do want to encourage every one to get there “whatever” on. You don’t have to be a nut like me with doing it every day. I certainly didn’t start out this way. I slowly built up. Make a weekly goal. Then, twice a week goal. You build it. Important time to stay active, too, with Covid. The numbers are way in your favor if you’re being active. Just a simple walk . . . and a mask.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”— C. S. Lewis

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Saturday, January 23, 2021

Every Friday night – it’s Saturday morning by the way – but every Friday night (last night), our family has “movie” night or in some case, we watch specialty shows like The Mandalorian or like now, WandaVision. It’s a spin-off TV series from the Marvel Universe on Disney Plus. We then fell into watching again – Age of Ultron, which includes Wanda and introduces Vision. Anyway, we’re watching WandaVision every week now. Definitely different. Creative look with the settings resembling I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, and Bewitched on the first 2 episodes and now last night, they used The Brady Bunch setting. My kids might not get what’s going on . . . but I see it.

FYI – the actress who plays Wanda, Elizabeth Olsen, she’s the younger sister of the Olsen twins from Full House. It’s one of those facts that if you don’t know . . . you can suddenly see the similarities and such. If you already know, I’m sorry that I was late to the party.

I’ve been getting picked on for wearing a hat all the time. So, here it is (go watch that video). I know you expected long and flowing, right? Unfortunately, it’s always been sporadic and wispy. I like wearing hats though – that’s all.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
Never buy an expensive home or fancy car if it means you have to buy cheap food, wine, or coffee. – Topher Kearby

Where to find Topher Kearby:

website – https://www.topherkearby.com/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/topherkearby/
All the links – https://linktr.ee/topherkearby

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Friday, January 22, 2021

It’s Friday. 5K is done. I have a paperwork day at home, so I get to see my family. I did do a weigh in this morning after my run. Typically, I weigh myself on Mondays & Fridays. It’s always interesting to see how the 18 hour fast with 6 hour eating window helps with the food control during the week. Remember – I always do 4 days of that. So, today – I was quite pleased. Nothing earth shattering, but it’s working. Now, come Monday . . . I’ll see how good of a weekend I really had. Did I really need all that pizza and wings? And the answer is always – YES!

New Music Friday:

Weezer has a new song out called “All my Favorite Songs” – full album OK Human drops next Friday AND they still have Van Weezer coming out on May 7th
Not to be outdone with pumping out new music – Taylor Swift has more. She’s a machine.
Lastly, I did see that there’s a new song from the Black Pumas, but it’s a Spotify single. So, if you don’t have Spotify, you can’t have it. I know – iTunes does the same thing at times.

But – back to the Black Pumas (Spotify link) – by far, one of my favorite bands from last year. Very chill, bluesy sound. I’ve enjoyed it many a times in what we call our house library. Read at night to it. Journal. Hang with the kids. Watch my wife paint.

Again, Black Pumas (iTunes link). Give them a listen.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
There are two types of time: alive time and dead time. Dead time is the time you spend waiting for life to start happening for you. Alive time is the time you spend seizing the moment and becoming a better version of yourself. –

Expanding on Robert Greene’s (his mentor) commentary on Alive Time vs. Dead Time . . . Ryan Holiday

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So, I had a couple ideas for today: talk about sleep, cold showers, or even bitcoin. But then, I was going through my morning routine and making coffee. This reminded me of the fact that author Seth Godin enjoys the routine of brewing java in the morning, but doesn’t enjoy the coffee for himself. Likes the smell. Likes the routine. Won’t drink it though. So, his wife gets a beautiful prepped cup of coffee every morning.

So, I then remembered his daily blog post that is always emailed to me every morning. Drinking my coffee, I read it. And now, I’m reposting it because it’s a problem that we all fall in to. It’s also the quote of the day:

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
The trap of busy – Everyone who wants to be busy is busy. But not everyone is productive. Busy is simply a series of choices about how to spend the next minute. Productive requires skill, persistence and good judgment. Productive means that you have created something of value. Perhaps your self-created busy-ness is causing you to be less productive.

– Seth Godin // Go sign up for his daily blog for yourself at https://seths.blog/

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Yesterday, I mentioned the horse of Ulysses S. Grant and it’s name being Cincinnati. I then mumbled aloud what came first the city or the horse. So, I had to look it up. The city was settled in 1788, so it won by like a 80 years. Another fact of Grant’s horse though – not too many people were allowed to ride his horse, but when President Lincoln visited Grant during the Civil War . . . he got to ride Cincinnati. One final fact of the horse – Cincinnati went with Grant to the white house when Grant was elected president.

Big day today:

Got my 5k run done already
White house will have dogs again
Got ourselves a new president with Delaware’s own Joe Biden.

Now, I know politics brings mixed emotions with people, so that’s why I’ll talk about this guy (watch the video below), which turned out to be the greatest gift of the holiday season for my 11 year old. However, he’s been sharing it with his little sister, too.

Season 1 of the Mandalorian – it was know as Baby Yoda

Season 2 – We learned it’s name was Grogu, but I call him Go-gurt to rile up the kids by acting that I don’t know it’s name.

By the way, that last episode of the Mandalorian of Season 2. I was standing, clapping, and cheering at the end. If tears were seen . . . I wouldn’t deny it.

Quote of the Day:

“This is the way.” – The Mandalorian

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Dark roast coffee is my beverage of choice every morning. Today, I’m on the road in NJ. I’ve already knocked out my 5k run on the treadmill. The podcasts that I listened to . . . I kind of jumped around a bit and didn’t really find anything there to talk about.

But – you know, we do get a new President tomorrow. Not sure if you heard. So, it got me thinking of a book that I read last year by Ron Chernow – Grant. He also wrote that other tiny book on Alexander Hamilton that turned into a pretty big deal on Broadway.

I like going back and seeing what I marked up in the book and saved:

page 935 – Mark Twain bought Grant’s memoirs. Paid him as he should have been paid. Pretty much saved his family with their money issues at the end.

p. 376 – Grant who needed seven hours sleep was told about Napolean only needing four. He scoffed at those stories and said that he probably made up his short sleep at night with naps during the day.

Same page – Cincinnati was the name of his horse. Which came first the city or the horse?

page 616 – When he accepted his party’s nomination to be President, he simply replied with “Let us have peace.” And that is the . . .

Quote of the Day:

“Let us have peace.” – Ulysses S. Grant

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-Monday, January 18, 2021

Back at it on Monday and a lot of you have off today because of it being a holiday in recognition of MLK, which means – you don’t have an excuse to not be active today. I already knocked out my 5k on the treadmill. Yesterday, I did it a little later because I did it outside on the trails, but I definitely enjoy knocking it out in the morning. Get it done with early feels good!

Today though on the treadmill, I was really enjoying one my favorite podcasts to listen to: The Dave Chang Show. I believe I mentioned this podcast last week, but said how I had to bail on it because of all the food talk and how I couldn’t handle it during my 3 day fast. In turn, I’m a couple shows behind, but the one I heard today discussed snacks. They talked about peanut butter pretzels as being one of the best snacks ever along with Cool Ranch Doritos. AND – we have those pretzels here in my house! Once off the treadmill, I pulled them and deemed them my snack later today at 3 o’clock coffee.

I’m just a really big fan of this podcast, but it’s definitely for adults because of the language at times. I truly find myself laughing aloud to the show and feeling as if I’m a part of it. Plus, I always learn something. The way Dave Chang described XO Sauce – I immediately scribbled this down and began searching for recipes. Great show to enjoy – most definitely!

Quote of the Day:

“Whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can’t ride your back unless it is bent.” – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Sunday, January 17, 2021

Another Sunday made special by getting some extra sleep. I actually wanted to get outside early and do my 5k run on the trails. Unfortunately, I didn’t hit the dryer start button last night and still had wet clothes this morning. So, slight delay, but big family breakfast coming up next and then after I wait a bit, I’ll finally hit the trails for my 17th 5k of the year.

Enjoyed some new vinyl last night and this morning, Aside from that and Besides this. It’s the White Stripes Greatest Hits collection which actually came out back in December. However, I had ordered through Jack White’s record company, Third Man Records, a deluxe set which included a whole extra record of music. Initially, this package was supposed to be here to my house just before the new year on the 29th. Then it moved to the 30th. Next, it was pushed back to January 2nd. And then – it just disappeared. The Post Office all of sudden changed it’s message and sent a reminder to me that Covid is out there and causing delays, but the records were still “in transit” but without a delivery date. Obviously, this story ends happily ever after, because I finally got them this past week.

Worked all week, so I savored the time in our house library enjoying these 3 vinyl records. If you got a record player, I highly suggest getting at least a couple of your favorite artisit albums on vinyl. There’s just something about setting the mood with an entire record album. No remote to skip around. Just the whole album side and hearing it the way the artist wanted you to. I got my music geek on, didn’t I.

Quote of the Day:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — Robin Jones Gunn

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Saturday, January 16, 2021

Happy Saturday, but I do have a job out in NJ today, which I’m not looking forward to at all. BUT – I’ll be stealing my son again for additional help, which I am looking forward to.

Anyway – I’m hoping this vlog thing is working for you all. As I stated on day 1, I was looking for accountability. I said it aloud that I wanted to run a 5k everyday and would need help & encouragement along the way, but I’m also here to cheer you all on with whatever you’re doing. Whether it’s hitting the treadmill too, or the Peloton, or the whatever, please feel free to reach out, because I really enjoy hearing that there are others out there trying to hit some goals. I did do my 5k on the treadmill, so the streak continues.

With the recent talk of birthdays around here (MLK day is recognized on Monday), my wife brought up the other day – Fairy Bread. This is what they basically have as their “birthday cake” in Australia. It’s typically made with white bread, spread on some butter, and finally topped off with what we would call sprinkles. However, Australians would get irritated and declare that these toppings are “hundreds and thousands”. My daughter saw the picture and called them sprinkles. Go see for yourself here. It does look good, but I can’t imagine happy people in America receiving this instead of a big old unicorn cake or something.

Quote of the Day:
“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” – Rumi

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Friday, January 15, 2021

3 day fast is done! And – remember – I do those monthly because of the reset that the body goes through during that amount of time and have learned that it helps my allergies. In turn, I’m not really doing them for losing weight or anything. However, for controlling the weight and gaining more self discipline with food intake, I do perform the 18 hour fast / 6 hour window of eating during the workweek for 4 days in a row. I don’t do that during the weekend though. Hence, I can enjoy this peanut buttery delight, which appears to have Cheerios in it, so I deem it breakfast. That’s just how I roll.

New music Friday, so I’ve already been listening to new music today. Enjoying the 5 covers released by Death Cab for Cutie – it’s called The Georgia EP. They cover TLC’s Waterfalls, REM, and even Neutral Milk Hotel – holy throw back to college for me. Looking forward to more music to dig into today and the weekend.

Haven’t done my 5k run yet, but since I’m home all day with paperwork Friday and see that it’s going to be a nice one, I’m taking it outside on the trails today. Plus, it appears that there is rain all weekend, so I’ll probably be on the treadmill running those daily 5ks.

Today is Barry Marucci’s birthday and I miss him. Our family lost him late last year, but he will always be my brother-in-law and friend. Today’s quote of the day might not be originally his, but it’s how I learned it. In addition, it might not be the most appropriate but that’s the way he rolled. He kept us all on our toes, which everyone needs in their life. He said this to me many a times before leaving family get-togethers.

“Don’t let your meat loaf.” – barry marucci

It means don’t “loaf”—stay active. Go make it good day everyone!

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Thursday, January 14, 2021

So, day 2 of the 3 day fast was a tough one yesterday, mainly because I wanted to . . . you know, eat food. Couple things that happened throughout the day: (1) I did have to change the radio station at one point because of a Wendy’s commercial about their Baconator, which made it sound so glorious. (2) Driving around, I couldn’t listen to one of my favorite podcasts – The Dave Chang Show – because he’s a big time chef and I couldn’t handle the food talk. (3) Amazing how the senses strengthen up during a fast. I was at a stop light – one of which that I sit at many a times. I then started to catch a wonderful smell – it’s Burger King. What? I didn’t even know that it was there, let alone visit it before. My nose was trying to direct me.

And now, Day 3. This is the day where dog treats look good. I put the dogs outside and when they come back in, they’re looking at me as if “Are we getting our treats or is this fool going to eat them?” They’ll get their treats.

Even though I’m fasting, I ran my 5k today and it was tougher than I thought it would be. You can exercise during a fast, but you have to listen to your body and obviously, these aren’t the days to try setting personal records. Take it easy!

Yesterday, I was reading from Doris Kearns Goodwin book, Leadership in Turbulent Times, and learned how Teddy Roosevelt ran 3 to 4 miles every day. So, today, I brag about 5k every day in 2021 and he’s like, 5k everyday 1878. Great book so far and I can’t wait to dig into it some more.

I had another quote planned out, but chose to go with one that I had marked in the book:

Teddy’s dad says to his son: “Theordore, you have the mind but not the body, and without the help of the body, the mind cannot go as far as it should. You must make your body.” Teedie (Theordore) responded, “I’ll make my body.”

Go get Doris’ book here!

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Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Day #2 of the 3 day fast is here and see – I’m still here. Today is the toughest day though with what feels like no end in sight. 6:18pm Thursday can’t come fast enough. In the meantime, I feel good. I ran. I slept good, too, which is important because during a fast that can be difficult at times. Mainly, it’s because your stomach wants you to go back into the kitchen for food. In turn, I do take a Magnesium supplement – MagMind. It’s not necessarily a sleep aid, but it helps you have a better sleep overall. I always have crazy dreams when I take it, which means deep sleep was achieved! Also, I never take my vitamins 7 days a week. My goal is just 5 days since I don’t want my body getting used to what I’m putting into it. With MagMind, I normally will take 3, maybe 4 times a week about an hour before bed.

I’ve got a busy day ahead, which is good. Keep my mind off of food! However, I do have something to look forward to tonight. I don’t always talk sports here, but I am excited about hockey being back. Looking forward to seeing my Philadelphia Flyers take on the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight at 5:30pm. I’ll say “hi” to my family at the kitchen table and then keep on walking downstairs to enjoy the game. I’ve got my Oskar Lindblom shirt on courtesy of Biscuit Tees. If you don’t know his story, please read about him – cancer survivor. Lastly, I even have my Gritty facemask for the day ahead! Go Flyers!

“Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” Wayne Gretsky

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Tuesday, January 12, 2021

There’s a new show on Netflix, but then again, when isn’t there a new show, right? Anyway, Nicholas Cage hosts “History of Swear Words” and the first show is on the big one – the “F” word. I don’t think I’ve heard it used that many times since that Limp Bizkit album – Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. Track 2 (Hot Dog) is where Fred Durst brags about saying (singing?) that word 46 times in the song. So, my wife had the show on and I was laying there. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it through the 2nd show, which apparently was about the “S” word.

Alright, 5k run done for the day AND my 3 day fast is underway. Today is the easy day. Thursday is the day I get to eat. And – tomorrow is the toughest day. Every morning of the fast, I start my day with a glass of water and add a light squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. I didn’t say Countrytime Lemonade. Simple, light squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt – that’s it for my excitement of eating. This helps settle and ready the stomach for the day of fasting. Otherwise, it’s black coffee, regular water, bubbly water (no sugars and such), and decaf plain tea at night.

I use the Zero app to track everything – it’s a free one. Click here for more. Thursday night at 6:18pm . . . I eat again!

Just a reminder – I’m no doctor. I just enjoy reading and learning about what my body can do. In turn, I like explaining to others what I’m trying. Always read info on your own and any concerns about trying this . . . check with your doctor.

“Starve your distractions, feed your focus!”

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Monday, January 11, 2021

Back at it on a Monday – ran the 5k on the treadmill, doing the vlog, and tonight I begin the 3 day fast after dinner, which means I won’t eat again until Thursday night.
Now, why do I do this? Well, initially, it was an interesting challenge to see if I could do that. However, after reading more & more, I learned how the body’s system goes through a “reset” after about 48 hours of fasting with the following 24 hours helping this reset even more.

I have horrible allergies. Couple years ago, I would need to pop Claritin-D 12 hour pills – 3x a day. Figure that math out. My doctor said it was okay, but I was wired. So, back in 2019, I started these monthly 3 day fasts and I was able to eliminate the Claritin D medication. Now last year, I got away from the fasts and I needed the Claritin D again, but not as much since I did manage a fast here and there. I think we all have a asterisk next to 2020, right? Now, I’m not a doctor, but the success I had in 2019 correlated with the fasts.

So again, 3 day fast begins tonight after dinner, which is pasta, sausage, and red wine. Can’t wait.

90% of success is just showing up. Get there and start working. You’re not going to feel perfect everyday.- Joe Rogan

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Sunday, January 10, 2021

Slept in! It’s Sunday and I’ve got family time ahead today. I’ve got my glitter tattoo of a unicorn horn – thank you Violet. Just reading. Relaxing. I mean, I’m still in my PJs, which by the way – I believe all pajama pants should have pockets. Such a tease to have a couple pairs with pockets and then to go back to ones that don’t. All future pajama bottoms must have pockets! 🙂

Anyway – I still need to do my run. Since it’s a nice one outside, I’ll be doing that shortly out on the trails. Looking forward to feeling the chill but also the sun on my face. Enjoy some nature! I’ll also be listening to some new tunes from the new music released on Friday: Kings of Leon / Fratellis / Tom Morello – I mainly got my rock on. I’m building a new running playlist that I’ll post at some point soon on Spotify.

Just to follow up on yesterday’s babble about comic books – see: I did get the new edition of The Boys. Not messing around. It’s good stuff, but again, don’t leave it laying around for the kids to see.

“No matter what anyone says or does, my task is to be good.” Marcus Aurelius

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Saturday, January 9, 2021

Look a mug with a handle. If you go with one without a handle, you need thick walls. The mug shown in the video is the one that made me think I could have a handle less mug. Sorry – Too much mug talk.

It’s Saturday and I have to work. I know it’s not the end of the world because there’s a bunch of people out there doing it. But typically, I don’t have to go out on the road to work on the weekends. Today I do. BUT – it’s not so bad this time, because my son, Elliott, will be joining me. He’ll be along for the ride, for the work, and it gives us a good reason to stop by Captain Blue Hen Comics to treat him . . . and daddy.

The new issue of The Boys is out and I need to pick that up along with a couple other goodies. Have you caught that series – The Boys – on Amazon Prime? Whew. It’s a naughty one. I was reading the comic prior to it being a show. As soon as I heard that it was coming out, I thought “awesome”, but then I thought “how are they going to do that?” But – they did good. Naughty though. Very, very naughty.

Enjoy your Saturday!

“There is not enough time to do all the nothing we want to do.” Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes

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Friday, January 8, 2021

I got a new mug. And it doesn’t have a handle. It’s what I wanted, but I just didn’t think that the walls of the mug would be this thin. So, I need to let my java cool a bit before enjoying it.

It’s Friday! But – I am dragging. Just feeling the first full workweek of the new year. Today is actually a paperwork day for me and I’m home with the family, so that’s always a good thing. I’m also not doing any type of fast, so I’ll be making something to eat really soon as well. Did my run. Doing the vlog. But I am dragging.

I do have new music that I’ll be listening to because every Friday – new music is released and I hit up my Spotify to see what’s suggested for me. Which is typically all over the place. During my radio days, receiving new music and actually getting it ahead of the actual release was always an awesome privilege to have. I just love music.

By the way – if you have Rolling Stone magazine, Miley is on the front cover. Inside, she’s really there to see. I wasn’t ready for that. Anyway, I enjoy their Best Albums and Songs of the year list for 2020. Taylor won it all, but Run the Jewels took #6!

“I will have to remember ‘I am here today to cross the swamp, not to fight all the alligators.’”— From The Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander

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Thursday, January 7, 2021

Hmmmmmm . . . a lot going on right now. A lot. Now, I’m enjoying this chat every day . . . mainly because it’s away from all that other stuff.

So, I ran again. I didn’t mention that yesterday I guess and was called out on it. But I did, because believe me . . . if I didn’t, I would definitely fess up. But, I ran. It’s like my meditation for the day. Helps my thoughts settle in and gets my focus on. Helping the body and mind with the 5k run every day.

Goals for this year:

5k every day
Vlog – I want say every day
Every work week – 4 days of the 18:6 fast
Monthly 3 day fasts

I’ll explain more about that last one in the coming days, but I begin that fast on Monday night.

There is no elevator to success; you have to take the stairs. – Julie Rice (co-founder of SoulCycle, a New York City-based fitness company)

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Wednesday, January 6, 2021

My son, Elliott, does the little intro for my vlog. He’s going to work on some other ones too, but I just wanted to give out the proper props to his work and imagination.

So, I actually started something this past Monday but I haven’t been able to talk about it. Mainly because I try to keep these videos quick & short, so I have to spread out the babble. Anyway – during the workweek, I typically try to do 4 days in a row of intermittent fasting for 18 hours with a 6 hour window of eating. Why? Well, this simply helps me control the food intake – like this week with no Christmas cookies. It also helps me while I’m out on the road, because it gets real easy to shovel in food between work projects that take me from house to house or business or school. While driving, I see the Dunkin’. Or a Starbucks. And there’s always a Wawa. Saves money, too! Also, I only do this 18:6 fast during a regular work week beginning Sunday overnight and continuing through Thursday. I finished dinner late last night – minutes before 8pm. I can eat today at 1:57pm. Oh, and lastly, I don’t do these fasts on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. I mean – come on!

If you have good habits, time becomes your ally. All you need is patience. James Clear

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Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Changing up the morning routine – already dressed for work in the video! We’ll see if this becomes a regular thing.

Now, I’m going to bring up a bad subject and I’m sorry. But – has everyone weighed themselves yet this year? Just curious. If it’s not a goal for you – awesome. If it is though . . . be sure to do it. I have a target weight that I know I want to be at for running better, more ease on my knees, and returning to Jiu-Jitsu. I actually did the weigh-in yesterday. Now, I know I felt puffy, but boy did I have a lot of Christmas cookies. The only other thing that’s different is me wearing my new Garmin watch all the time, which I did have on at weigh-in. I think you know where I’m going with this. It was the cookies then.

So, I ran again today and the streak continues. Hopefully, you all are knocking out your goals as well. I have more goals for 2021 coming that I’ll be talking about soon. One of which is coming next Monday. In the meantime, here’s the quote of the day:

“Today is the most valuable thing you can own. It is the only thing you have. Don’t waste it. Seize it. Live it.”

– via Ryan Holiday via Daily Stoic email from 1/27/19.

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Monday, January 4, 2021

First Monday of the year. Back to work. Back to a routine. Me – I’m trying to figure out my morning routine with the addition of the daily 5k runs and vlogging. At this point, I’m just trying to pinpoint when to wake up and do all this stuff, but also be to work on time. I’ll post more about my morning routine as it builds and is recreated.

5k run is already done for the day, which I just did on the treadmill. Prior to the run, I always warm up with a walk for about 3 minutes. At the start of this morning saunter, I so didn’t want to do what was next – the run. However, I always underestimate the power of a good song to get you going. I hit up my Spotify playlist of “Angry Running 3” and Run the Jewels came on. Boom! By the end of my warm-up, I felt as if I could run through the wall. If you got a song that gets you going, put it on!

My quote of the day didn’t have a person to link it to. Whenever I had heard it before, I had scribbled it down. In turn, I wanted to find out who it was and googled race horse. I found all kinds of race horse quotes as well as regular horse quotes. None of which were the quote that I had jotted down. I did see a horse quote that brought a smile to my face.

“If it wasn’t for my horse, I wouldn’t have spent that year in college.” – Lewis Black. After watching “morning babble” on YouTube (please), go search for this hilarious bit.

Nevertheless, the quote I had planned for today was:
“A racehorse wants to run all the time!”

Later Monday night, I found within my notes, who said it. Couple years ago, I heard a podcast of the James Altucher Show and his guest was Ken Langone of Home Depot. He made the racehorse comment. FYI – I like Lowe’s better.

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Sunday, January 3, 2021

I’m still enjoying the holidays and today is the last day of Christmas cookies for breakfast. Probably best too considering when some of those cookies were baked. Alright, let’s not think about that. Anyway – I already did my 5k run on the treadmill. Feeling good, feeling strong, 3 days in a row.

A couple people have reached out concerned and were wondering if I’m trying to hurt myself. I want to stress that I’m making sure that I watch myself and listen to my body. Back in 2019, I tried to do this feat and ran every day from January 1st to July 15th. That last day though, I ran in the morning and then went to BJJ. At the very end of class and after rolling with a friend, we did the traditional fist bump for “good roll” and then I went to push myself up off the mat. My right knee was not happy about that. Something happened. Something was strained. I could barely walk for a couple days let alone run. Since then, I have added some knee exercises and stretches to my routine. I actually feel stronger in that area now.

Today’s quote is from Han Solo, which reminded me that if you type “pew pew” in a text (and as long as you have an iPhone), it is received with the Star Wars “pew pew” sound. Sorry for the tangent, but it is fun to do.

“Never tell me the odds” – Han Solo

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Saturday, January 2, 2021

Enjoying my first Saturday of the year and allowing it to unfold which ever way that it wants. Initially, I had plans of knocking out my 5k run early. BUT – when your 5 year old daughter joins you in the house library and enjoys listening to the Morning Phase record by Beck, well – you keep letting her flip that vinyl and push the start button. It was a wonderful chill morning.

However, the run got delayed. Then there was breakfast. And then, I needed to digest it all. So, I did the vlog before the run again. Once I go knock out the run though, I’ve got 2 days in a row! That’s a chain. As I learned from Jerry Seinfeld and how he became successful, he marks his calendar with a big “X” over the date for each day that he writes. The goal then is to not break the chain and write every single day of the year. I’ve got a 2 day chain – yeah!

Last night, we saw The Greatest Showman with the sickly talented actor – Hugh Jackman. By the way, there’s an an incredible podcast of him via The Tim Ferriss show. I highly suggest listening to it here.

The movie ends with today’s quote from PT Barnum:
“The noblest art is that of making others happy”

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Friday, January 1, 2021

3 things . . . alright, 4 things: (1) Happy New Year (2) When you have an 11 year old on New Year’s Eve, the goal is midnight. So, we all slept in this morning. (3) My 5k run is coming a little later, but it’s coming!

I have many goals this year. One of them being a 5k run every day. The other one is doing this vlog. Basically, I’m here to help, but to be helped as well. Let’s inspire one another and have some fun along the way.

(4) Still eating cookies for breakfast because it’s the holidays!

“Win the Morning / Win the Day!” – Tim Ferriss