First of all, I will not say that I don’t believe there is a risk in consuming raw products, but for the FDA to ban them is outright crazy. The FDA is after all, the same organization that regularly approves drugs, both over the counter and dcotor prescribed, that can and do kill people all time. According to the first article, “raw milk can contain deadly bacteria like E. coli and salmonella and has sickened more than a thousand people since 1998″, and recently was “blamed for sickening 30 people in Colorado”. In my opinion, 1000 people since 1998 doesn’t seem like that much of a threat, after all, how often do you hear about people overdosing on FDA approved drugs? I’d be willing to bet my life that it’s certainly more than 1000 people in 10 years, wouldn’t you? And here the FDA is worried about people getting sick from raw milk? I just can’t believe that the FDA is even trying to tackle this one.

Even more crazy is the fact that in my local health food store, there is a warning sign hanging above the raw sprouts, stating that they may contain harmful bacteria that can make me sick. Why are there no warning signs hanging at McDonalds, KFC, Burger King or over the grossly processed freezer meals or the 1000 calorie and 70 grams of fat Hungry Man meals regularly sold in mainstream grocery stores? You tell me, which do you think is more likely to kill you in the long run?

Someone interviewed in the NPR article pointed out this inconsistency, noting that you can go to the store and buy beer, liquor, and cigarettes no problem, yet the FDA wants to mandate that you cannot drink raw milk. Even more absurd is the fact that it’s been documented many times over how lax the FDA is in regulating the growth and slaughter of meat and poultry, where bacterial contamination in these products is commonplace, even with their supposed oversight and regulation.

I would also like to note that E coli and salmonella are not just a potential hazard in raw milk, but in addition to beef and poultry as I already mentioned, these nasties can additionally can be found in eggs and even on produce, as proven by past spinach infections. But the goverment tries to “protect” us from the bacteria in meat by making laws stating that restaurants having to cook meat to certain temperatures to kill the bacteria, and by recalling tainted produce. But they don’t make eating rare steaks or raw eggs at home illegal, so why should they regulate consumption of raw dairy?

Humans have, for thousands of years, been consuming both raw and cooked meats, raw dairy, and raw produce. Certainly people have died due to food borne illness, and of course there is still the risk of food borne illness when sanitation is lacking during food production, but rather than try to change how we have eaten for thousands of years, and force us to only to eat only certain products which in many cases don’t even resemble anything that nature can produce or have been pasteruized and effectively had a good amount of nutrients killed through this process, why can’t the FDA work on fixing the system that turns out tainted food in the first place? If the FDA would ban factory farming, and actually enforce proper sanitation in the production of our food, the risk of these deadly bacteria even entering our food chain would be reduced. Or at least in the absense of that, simply let us decide what we want to eat. After all, the FDA does let us choose whether we want McDonalds, KFC, or a six pack of beer for dinner, all of which are worse for us that a glass of raw milk anyway.

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When I lived alone several years back, I wouldn’t even generate one plastic bag’s worth of waste. And I don’t mean a garbage size bag — I always used leftover plastic bags that found their way into my apartment, typically your average plastic bag that you would get from a grocery store.

Now that I live in a house with my girlfriend, we barely generate more waste than that. And now since we use reusable bags for shopping, we’ve turned to using other plastic that comes into the house for garbage bags. An empty bread bag or a produce bag does just fine as a garbage bag for a couple days, and also keeps the house from smelling and attracting flies since a regular size garbage bag would last all week.

But I’d say over two weeks we generate maybe two plastic bags worth, barely enough to fill up the bottom 20% of the garbage bin. So my thoughts are still the same, how does a single family home generate an overflowing bin of trash in two weeks?

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The company I work for has had quite a turbulent history. I was one of the first employees to come on board, and we grew quickly, too quickly. First We moved offices and had a nice office downtown with a great view. But within a year, it was decided that we outgrew our our lovely office, and so we moved again. This time to another downtown office with another great view, but now we had the entire floor. Problem is, around the same time, we stopped growing. Oh yea, and the economy took a crap. So over the course of the following two years, we downsized, and are now just a tad bigger than when I started with the company.

And of course that left us with no need for a large downtown office. I’m not exactly sure what happened, or the course of financial events, but ultimately with less than a week’s notice we were informed that we’d be leaving the office, to work from home. As a computer guy, this works out great for me, as I had already been equipped to work from home and had been doing so on a semi-regular basis for the past few years. But as far as the company is concerned, I’m not so sure what the outlook is.

I’m not certain when or how this will all come to an end, but for now I’m really enjoying the flexibility of working from home and getting to mostly be my own boss while I try to figure out what my next move should be. I know that at this point it won’t last forever, and I feel fairly certain that “the ship is sinking,” but at the moment it is about all I can ask for while I try to focus on creating my own income streams on the side and contemplate the future.

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Riding along the US / Mexico border

Day 1 – San Diego to Alpine
We left at about 9:30am from Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach after a few goodbyes, and were riding a high heading out of the city. We made some good progress, stopped for a pizza lunch, then hit the road again. Our last 20 miles were a serious uphill battle, and around the time our weary and not yet road accustomed legs nearly gave out, we had completed 50 miles and reached the Ma Tar Awa RV Park just east of the Viejas Casino. We were too late to check in, as the office had already closed, but we saw someone cleaning who let us slip in on the agreement that we would pay our dues in the morning. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but being that it was late April and were at an elevation of a few thousand feet, it got chilly quick. There was no dinner to be had anywhere, so we snacked on what was in our packs, set up our tents, and were quickly off to sleep.

Day 2 – Alpine to Jacumba
Though the chilly mountain air made waking up difficult, the wild turkeys and their noises made waking necessary. I was a bit slow in rising due to the cold and some sore legs, but eventually we made it to the campground store for some snacks, and then were on the road again. The morning started in much the same way that it ended — with an uphill climb. We labored uphill until we peaked at around 4200′, then cruised into Pine Valley for some lunch. After a solid meal and a serious mental pep talk we headed out. That night we made it into Jacumba, after completing only a mere 40 miles. Not a lot of mileage, but after all that climbing and not enough preparation, we were happy to splurge a bit at the Jacumba Hot Springs Hotel, right next to the Mexican border. We soaked in the hot springs, showered, had dinner and a beer at the hotel diner, and set in for another good night’s sleep.

Day 3 – Jacumba to Glamis
In the morning, while eating breakfast, we met another cyclist who had come from Northern California and was heading to Arizona. After introductions and some chit chat, it was decided that he would join us for a bit. We prepped for the day, then headed out. The big event for the day was a 3000′ drop over 15 miles down into the desert valley, on the freeway shoulder no less. We covered this ground in no time, and put in 40 miles before hitting El Centro for lunch. From there we headed north into the Imperial Valley, through Brawley, and riding a tailwind decided to push towards the Glamis sand dunes. With the sun setting, aching legs, and no campgrounds for miles, we decided to do a bit of renegade camping behind some dunes. It was a 90 mile day and I was hurting, so it felt great to put up the tent and have a dinner that consisted of a 7-11 sandwich and a cherry pie. Not exactly healthy, but after a day like this quite satisfying.

Renegade camping in Glamis sand dunes

Day 4 – Glamis to Blythe
We woke up and rode into Glamis, which consists of exactly one general store containing supplies for the all the people who party and ride their ATVs, dirt bikes, and trucks in the recreation area in the dunes. I had a stellar microwave breakfast there, and stocked up on water since it would be more than 40 miles until the next place of civilization. Even though it was still late April, we were in the desert and daytime temperatures were soaring into the 90s, so water supplies were essential. The ride was long and hot, and for much of it we were passing through the farmland of the Imperial Valley, which is all supported by a series of canals diverted from the Colorado River. After riding 70 miles today, our arrival in Blythe was joyous, and once again we decided to splurge on a hotel where we could cool off. Our new cycling friend who had joined us from Jacumba was leaving our company here, so we celebrated with some margaritas which were made in a blender he was carrying. (He packed a lot of strange items he brought along.)

Day 5 …
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5/27 – Wake up, breakfast, visit with mom. 2:30PM hit the road, head to Boston. Arrive Boston @ 4. Check into Copley Square Hotel. Relax {briefly}. 5PM Complimentary wine in lobby. Walk down Boylston to Boston Common. Follow Freedom Trail to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Bowl of clam chowder and our first quahog. Hop on the T, head to Newbury and the Back Bay for dinner at The Other Side Cafe. Down the street to The Pour House. 11:30 PM to bed.

5/28 – 11AM Farmer’s Market Copley Square. Hop the T again, lunch at America’s Oldest Restaurant, Union Oyster House. Walk to North End, visit Paul Revere’s House, walk more. Take the T back to hotel. 4PM, leave Boston. Hit Memorial Day traffic heading to Newport, Rhode Island. 6PM, arrive Beech Tree Inn. 7PM, head down to Thames Street. 8PM, dinner. 9:30 PM meet up with old friends after a wedding rehearsal dinner. 1AM, sleep.

5/29 – 9AM breakast at B&B. 12 noon head to cliffs for 6 mile cliff walk. Enjoy the day, come back @ 2:30, clean up and prep for friend’s wedding. 4:45 cab to Wharf. 5:30 ceremony starts. 7:15-9:30 dinner. Dancing, drinking, friends. 12 midnight, sleep.

5/30 – 9AM wake, 10:30 check out. 11AM drive scenic ocean view drive and visit Fort Adams. 4PM stop at brother’s house back in CT, visit with his family. 5:30PM leave, 6:30PM @ mom’s. 8PM head out for dinner with friends. 11:30 back to mom’s. Sleep.

5/31 – 9AM wake up, breakfast. 11:30am head to dad’s. Visit. 1PM-7PM Barbecue and visit with Grandparents back at mom’s.

6/1 – 3:30 AM. Wake. 4:40AM return rental car. 5:30 check in. 6AM head to DC. 8:45AM head for San Diego. 10:45 arrive San Diego. 12 noon HOME.

Currently: sitting and thinking and can’t believe how much I did this weekend!

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In the past I have always stayed away from Exxon Mobil, I don’t think I need to explain why no one should like them. (Except their shareholders … remember their billion dollar profits while people couldn’t afford to buy gas??) Even though it’s been a silent protest of mine for years now, I’ve always thought that it was sort of silly. I mean, sure, you can single out an oil company for having a bad track record, but really, aren’t they all bad? Is there a such thing as a “good” oil company?

Exxon Mobil was responsible for one of the worst environmental disasters in history, so even before they started raping the public they had a target on their back (yet still managed to bring in record profits). And in the past few years, with all this noise from Chavez in Venezuela, these silly emails have been going around calling for boycotts of Citgo. And now of course British Petroleum has eclipsed Exxon in the disaster category, becoming the new bad guy.

There are so many bad things about oil companies, if there is a need to be protesting one or the other all the time, isn’t that a pretty good indicator that things need to change? And not to mention the Middle East and all of our problems there. (I’ll just leave that one at that, without getting political.) At the end of the day, all oil is evil and should be boycotted if we truly cared. When it comes down to it, there is no good solution, and unfortunately all that is happening is our thirst for oil continues to increase.

Rather than these temporary boycotts of where we buy gas, we should focus on reducing the need in the first place. Before getting in the car and then wondering where we should fill up, we should think about whether we need to get in the car in the first place. We need to start walking more, riding our bikes, and taking public transportation.

Don’t think I am immune to this, it’s something that bothers me deeply, the fact that I have to get in my car more often than I would like. Which is why I am posting this in the first place. (Side note: Reducing meat consumption can keep more greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere than giving up your car.) Driving a car is so easy, we get in and go and it’s just a fleeting afterthought when it comes time to fill up. Which is cheapest, should I pass the Mobil station? What about Arco? Citgo?

Unfortunately, we don’t always have these choices, which is why I’m even wondering, will it do any good to boycott a “bad” oil company. Oil is such a big part of our life, we often have no choice in the matter. So until we all work to reduce our need for oil, this will continue to be a cycle where there are no winners, and the oil companies can have their way.

On a positive note, it does seem like the public awareness of such issues is raising. People are becoming more concerned about the environment. They are paying attention to where the products they consume come from, and how they are produced. So maybe the tide is turning. Maybe people will begin making lifestyle changes, and maybe we will begin demanding these changes of our elected leaders.

I want to know what you think? Will temporary boycotts of these oil companies make a difference? Will it just be like a slap on their wrists before another quarter of record profits? Will people begin change their habits?

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Last time I posted about it, I was just switching to my Vibram Five Finger shoes. The transition set me back, and for a while I was continuing to nurse a strained calf. But now I am happy to report that I have gotten over the first major hurdle. My calf injury is long gone, and for the first time in my life my runs actually feel like runs, and I feel like I am actually getting a workout as opposed to a beating.

The transition to the Vibrams definitely took some time due the changes in the muscles I was using. Initially it was my feet and arches, but those seemed to strengthen up quickly. Then it was my calves that were holding me back. Not hurting me, but starting to tighten after about 3 miles or so. So for about a month I leveled off there, doing about 3 miles 4 days a week. And finally one day it just clicked, I came home and instead of having sore feet or sore calves, I just felt great!

And now I’ve bumped my distance up to about 5 miles at a time. I know it’s still not great, but considering when I started I couldn’t even make it 1/2 a mile in my Vibrams without aching, I feel like it’s been great. And now that all my muscles are in sync I have actually increased my speed too, finally getting to a point where I get a great cardio workout as well, and don’t collapse when I get home.

It feels great to go out for a 45 minute run, put 5 miles in, and actually feel great when I get home. Not to mention I’m experiencing no soreness, having no knee problems, and no shin splints or anything like that either. The only thing I noticed after my last run was that the bottoms of my feet felt worn out. But I would expect this, since it’s certainly still new for them to be so unprotected from the concrete. I would imagine that if I could find a nice dirt trail I could probably increase my distance by 25 to 50%.

(As a side note, I just noticed this morning that I actually have arches now! My entire life I have been close to completely flat footed, but now I have a visible arch. Amazing!)

From here on out it seems that I’ll just keep bumping up the distance and the time as my body sees fit. It’s just going to be a constant challenge, and I’ll just listen to my feet.

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As I’ve written recently, I’ve been eating mostly vegan, and have even experimented with a raw diet in the past. But I have not sworn off of meat completely, since I do believe that we have evolved to truly be omnivores. That said, I do believe in veganism and what it stands for, and I do firmly believe factory farming is wrong (on many levels). I don’t see the act of eating meat as inherently wrong, nor do I think it is it morally wrong. But I do think what has happened to our food system is wrong.

Typically when I am trying to answer a question about health or diet, I think about how things would be in nature, before we got too smart for our own good and decided we could outdo Mother Nature. And so when it comes to food, that means before factory farms, before synthetic chemicals, before the industrial revolution, and even before agricultural as we know it. The theory (that I buy into) as it relates to diet is that things have changed so rapidly in the last 10,000 years or so (which is but a blip in the history of life) regarding agriculture and animal husbandry and the food we eat, that our bodies haven’t evolved as quickly. So what we think is healthy is a bit different than what our body thinks is healthy and what we would have eaten only a short time ago as hunter/gatherers.

Of course, these animals we would have eaten would have all been “free range” animals, taken from a natural environment where they ate their natural diet, not raised in stalls, eating junk, and injected with who knows what. So the first problem as I see it is that our society has so totally disconnected meat with the animals it actually comes from. Most people who love a thick steak don’t make that connection, they don’t think of the life that the animal lived (or was created to live), or the factory farm that they are implicitly supporting by eating that meat.

Sure, if you look at the natural world, you will see that plenty of animals eat other animals. But you will also see that they aren’t eating other animals three times a day at 7:00, 12:00, and 6:00 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So the other problem is that we are eating entirely too much meat as well.

Needless to say, what I am getting at here is that my pseudo-vegan diet of late is not related to a belief that humans shouldn’t eat meat, rather it is an ethical and moral decision that I am struggling with. My compromise has been that I will stop eating meat, dairy, and eggs that in any way relate to or support factory farming. But if I get my hands on beef that has been free range, grass fed, pasture raised and humanely cared for and slaughtered, then I will compromise. I’m still not sure how I feel about eggs and dairy. (I am leaning towards eliminating all dairy regardless or its source.)

That said, I would find it strange to say I’m vegan, as would I find it strange to associate myself with the meat eating crowd. I don’t think there is a box or label to put on it, other than to say I don’t believe in the way we have come to treat these “factory” animals, and that I am trying to become a more conscious eater. I suppose it could be a hybrid diet drawing influence from both (raw) vegan and Paleo. (Though the moral and environmental issues behind consuming a lot of seafood is another entire topic.) And just because I believe a raw diet has some merit, and I associate with the ideals of veganism and believe in what they both represent doesn’t mean I should deny myself something that I may want or crave, (namely a grass fed, free range, organic beef burger with onion, lettuce, tomato and no cheese), which is where the Paleo influence comes in. I think it’s totally acceptable for me to be “vegan” 6 days a week, and I think that is a great compromise of my morals, ethics, and beliefs. And just because I may break the rules of veganism to enjoy meat once in a while, it doesn’t mean that the rest of what I am doing is all for naught. Nor does it change the big picture of my lifestyle choices.

I think this will suit me just fine for the time being. I’ll make a choice that’s right for me, no need to label me.

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Then more recently I’ve had some of my attention diverted with trying to network a bit. After a year or two of writing for just myself and few people, I realized that if I want to get any sort of real audience (no offense to the few of you who’ve been loyal followers ) I’d need to step it up in the networking department. I’ve been a bit more active on Twitter, and just recently (sort of hesitantly) started a page on Facebook, though I now suspect Facebook may be more helpful than Twitter. Twitter seems to be easier to connect with people, but it also seems to be a bit of a more narcissistic crowd, people who follow just to get followers, and who just ramble a stream of consciousness with no real intention of visiting me or my website. But who knows, I may change my mind again. But now that I’ve created my Facebook page I think it may be helpful … if I can attract a loyal crowd there. I’ve also been a bit more proactive about commenting on other similar blogs, where as before I used to just read and go on my way.

As I mentioned, I’ve been at this site with differing amounts of intensity over the past year or two, and about six months ago I realized that if I want to monetize it, I need something more than articles and introspective posts. I realized that my career won’t be made as a blogger. So I’ve been working on an eCommerce portion of the site as well, and it’s taking longer than I hoped (probably my detail oriented side kicking in, making me do extra work), but I do plan on bringing that online soon. And with that I’ll need to start marketing it agressively, so that will take up some time.

But I do plan to get back to writing about the core things that this site is about: sustainability, health, travel, getting outside, and adventure.

Even though I’ve been I’ve been catching up on my writing (two Thailand posts, last year’s Mammoth trip), I still have a lot of catch up writing to do (my 400 mile cycling trip, the rest of my Thailand trip) and have a few new articles I want to write as well (diet related, the economy, career burnout).

Oh yea, and that work thing I’ve got going on every day too.

How about you? Are you staying on track? And also, thanks for reading. I appreciate having you along with me.

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John Lee Hooker Jr onstage
Mammoth Lakes, Beer and blues festival

The Bluesapalooza Beer and Blues Festival is a welcome getaway for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, beer, live blues music, or any combination of the three. Even though we’re located a good 6 hour drive away in San Diego, we decided it would be a good weekend trip to head up to Mammoth for a great weekend of relaxation. In case you’re not familiar with this event, it happens once a year at Mammoth Lakes, usually around the beginning of August, and takes place outdoors at Sam’s Wood Site.

The setting is actually quite spectacular. Somehow a stage is set up in a small clearing, and then the beer tents and spectators take their places in and around the trees. So you need to make sure to get there early and set your chairs up so your view is not obstructed. All those technicalities aside, it makes for a very nice and relaxing weekend, getting to enjoy beer and good music while in a nice, tranquil, outdoor environment. And being that it’s in August, the weather is perfect, even up at close to 8000′ elevation. Bright sunny skys, daytime temps in the 70s, and then cooling down to sweatshirt weather in the evening make it a nice escape from the heat of summer back home.

As far as the beer goes, there is a great variety, and more than you can drink. From what I could tell, quite a few of the breweries were semi-local (California), and there was good representation of the breweries I was familiar with, with San Diego being well represented, as well as a few breweries from Orange County, Santa Barbara, the Bay Area and Northern California, not to mention all the other great craft breweries that were there. As with any beer festival, there were lines at the good tents, but nothing too terrible. At least you’re outside in the shade of the pines, so it’s definitely manageable. And it seemed like most vendors had their beer last until the end or close to the end of the day.

The festival is billed as a three day event, but we opted to only puchase tickets and …

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