England (again)

It was Christmas time, and as a gift to myself, I'd decided to take it easy, and stay in one place for a month. If you talk to any person who has traveled for over six months, they'll tell you that you will eventually get to a point where you start to get fatigued. As much as I had been living my life's dream every day of this trip, it can get bloody exhausting. I feel like a guy complaining that he's a bit sick of making love to his supermodel girlfriend, but it's just how it is. No matter how awesome, how much fun, and how leisurely something is, if you do it for too long, you'll start to build up a resistance to the more enjoyable aspects of it, and fatigue will eventually set in.

Interestingly this wasn't homesickness. Apart from missing family and friends, Australia had absolutely zero appeal to me, but luckily one of best friends lived in London, and so for a bit more than a month I got to hang out in one of my favourite places in Europe, with one of my favourite people, and just chill. Sadly this makes for absolutely nothing blog worthy, but there were a few nights that I feel I came out of my shell and regained my travelers' spirit, which I'll briefly share (less than 1000 words each, I promise).

* Christmas with the Goodricks
Rosy's family were kind enough to invite me back to their house, despite the fact that last time I was there I'd tried to infect them all with death plague. It turns out that the Goodricks are a vengeful people, as Rosy's Mum managed to give both Rosy and I a revenge dose of death plague (although that didn't hit us until NYE, more on that later). Rosy's family are brilliant, and it really felt like a Christmas back home in Bowral, with lots of amazing food, plenty of laughs, and sub zero temperatures (sorry, another in joke. My home town is freezing, even in summer. I hate it, it's a hole). I even managed to skype my parents and all my relatives who had descended upon their house for Christmas, and despite my uncles' highly cliched comments about England, and English people, a major cultural incident was averted, and Merry Xmases were exchanged across the hemispheres. It went so well, I think my grandpa even began to understand that what he was seeing was a live feed of his grandson in England, although his perplexed expression every time I answered his questions seemed to indicate that the dodgy Australian internet wasn't the only lagged connection.

I also lucked into some amazing Xmas presents from the already too generous Goodricks, with her uncle giving me some very good Welsh Whiskey, her father giving me some very good Welsh Whiskey (which he'd also gotten from his brother in law, but refused to drink such 'common muck from Wales'), and a survival kit from Rosy's mum for my trip to India, including immodium, hand sanitizer, and an information pack about malaria (she was pretty skeptical about my decision to travel there). I can never say enough thanks to Rosy's extended family for everything they did, but I figured at least I could include some nice photos of them from the festive period.

Rosy and her Dad, Xmas lunch complete.

Rosy's Gran and her Mum. Wow, maybe I should've taken more photos so I could've had some more flattering ones.

Oh yeh, and the moon did this on Christmas eve while we were walking home:

* New Year Eve, London House Party
Rosy has this friend Emma. You know how sometimes you sit around with your mates drinking, and come up with tonnes of great ideas that will never ever come to fruition? Well Emma's that one in a thousand person that will actually follow through on things like this. As a result, Rosy and Emma's house ended up getting turned into something between a club and a restaurant (and the following day a trash heap) for one night only, as all their friends came over and partied it up. This night was made especially memorable for the following reasons:
1. Emma decided that she didn't just want a party, she wanted a dinner party too, and dessert, and entrees, and a quiz, and decorations, and a million other things that I have never seen anyone else ever bother with in a party (miniature plastic fluoro star and moon cut outs for table decorations.....I didn't even know that was a thing).
2. Emma was only back for a few days from America where she was working at the time.
3. Emma had to work, and catch up with family, and I think go to a wedding, in the brief time she was back.
4. Emma cooked for the party, and did the shopping, and brought an extra table, and facilitated for everyone else to bring all the necessary things.
5. Emma had to fly back to San Francisco on New Years' Day.

The final thing that made the party memorable, was I can't really remember much of it, as thanks to the death plague I'd gotten for Xmas, I was on so many drugs that the moment I added alcohol to the mix I became the party-tron 2000, and went into complete black out mode. I had gotten ill about three days before, but knowing I'd probably be hitting the peak of the cold on NYE, had strategically abstained from any medicine, and simply kept up my fluids and stayed in bed to try and get over it. Saldy, this was woefully insufficient, and on the 30th December I left the bed for a total of about 10 minutes, and stopped whining about being sick for about 5. Luckily, the wonder of pseudo-ephedrine turned my lifeless corpse into a Weekend-at-Bernie's like party animal, and it ended up being a great night. I think this pic of Rosy and Sophie from the end of the night sums it up:

*Australia Day Monopoly Pub Crawl
For my whole trip, London had been somewhat of a home away from home for me, and as such, I hadn't really explored it too much. After deciding that this wasn't good enough, I decided to explore it the best way I knew how: by observing the points of interest as designated by a turn of the (20th) century real estate board game, whilst consuming alcohol in a regimented, yet reckless, way. This idea quickly got picked up by Rosy, and then Emma, and pretty soon we were spending Australia day marauding around things streets of London dressed as game pieces from the game.

Of the costume choices, it ranged from the brilliant:

Community Chest....get it?

Two game pieces in one....and a dog?! That could only be topped by.....

...an actual physical wheelbarrow. Emma, being Emma.

To the more obvious:

Monopoly man on left, burglar from jail on right.

Sailor from the ship 

 To the misguided:

Rosy in a playboy pit lane girl leotard, supposedly representing the ye olde automobile from the game (scarf and aviator goggles didn't cross her mind apparently).

To the completely esoteric:

Richard representing the fabulous American geezer game piece.

Sadly the costume MVP's stay was cut short, as the wheelbarrow was universally banned by the London buses after we attempted to catch our second bus of the day. For some reason the bus driver took offense, and wouldn't buy Emma's excuse of 'But it's my baby pram, I'm from the country', and he then radioed around to the other buses meaning that after three straight refusals, the barrow was abandoned. Tragically this is all that was rescued of it:

Wheelie McBarrelson: 2013-2013. RIP.

Originally, we'd all planned to meet up at Old Kent Rd, and then move together through the entire Monopoly board, stopping at each spot for a drink. Railway stations would be used for quick food breaks, and for every colour on the board, you had to consume a similarly coloured beverage (G&T for light blue, beer for amber, vodka cranberry for pink etc.). We also brought a pair of dice, and at each bar we'd roll them, and whoever had the lowest score would have to pull a 'Community Chance' card, which had various challenges ranging from 'Income tax: Go consume another beer' to 'You've won second prize in a beauty contest. Go find the person in the bar who beat you and get a photo with them'.

I still maintain I would've won if it weren't for his glorious curls.

One of the best rules was 'No talking until the next bar', which Rosy managed to draw at the exact time we met up with her parents for half an hour. Disappointingly she took a penalty shot, and was then allowed to converse with them, but it was funny while it lasted.

Anyway, the original plan didn't work out so well, as London people seem to have extremely busy social calendars on Saturdays, and so we agreed to a staggered start, with Rosy and I beginning the board (after Emma was lost for a couple of stops to say goodbye to Wheelie) and then gradually increasing our posse through the day. The group also ended up dwindling towards the end, as it began to drizzle, and all the drunk locals began to say 'Why the hell are we going to a place I walk past every day for work?'.

The captain realising she wants to jump ship after reading the remaining itinerary.

Luckily for me, Rosy was as committed to the cause as I was, and together with our trusty cheat bottle of vodka (we counted a hefty swig as a proper drink in order to express our way through some of the more clustered central London spots) the two of us managed to get to every stop. I think that next time I'm in town during summer, we will have to try it again, this time with a group starting it together and finishing together (and a toy wheelbarrow). Here are some of the days' highlights:

Same costume...awkward.

Emma risking her life to make sure went to Bond Street and not New Bond Street (turns out there was a massive sign for Bond street about 20 metres away).

The only evidence of me with my moustache (next time I'm growing a real one)

The Goodricks get in on the action.

'Community Chance: Your holiday bonus came through. Recreate a holiday photo using props from the bar.'
You've got to love that that card came up in a bar decorated for Australia day.

Finished!

*The Best Xmas Present Ever!
For Christmas, Rosy got me the awesome gift of tickets to an Arsenal game. I have been a fan of the Gunners ever since I saw Dennis Bergkamp turn the sport into a ballet while watching the weekly Premier League highlights as a kid. After deciding to come to London during the Xmas/New Year break, I had thought about trying to get some tickets and go see my first ever European football match. Unfortunately Arsenal tickets are usually either sold out or prohibitively expensive for a backpacker. However, Rosy, utilising every inch of her generosity and resourcefulness, managed to score us a pair of tickets to Arsenal v Newcastle Utd at the Emirates stadium.

The problem with buying sports tickets as a present, is that unlike something physical, or even a predictable experience like buying someone a holiday or a sky dive, the end value of a sports ticket as a present is often left up to mercurial nature of the game. Many a well intended present has gone down in flames thanks to a rained out day of cricket, or a coach benching a star player due to a niggling injury. Luckily for me, Rosemary Elizabeth Margaret Goodrick is not one to leave these things to chance, and somehow arranged for the two teams to put on one of the most entertaining matches I've ever witnessed, with the added bonus that the good guys won.

I won't bore you with too many details, but the two teams exchanged goals, with Arsenal continuing their extremely frustrating trend of handing back leads three times, until the 84th minute, at which point Arsenal finally broke serve (when the score is 5-3 I think tennis terminology kicks in), and then turned on the afterburners to score two more. The icing on the cake came from Walcott in the 90th minute, when he was fouled in the box, but insisted on clambering his was back to his feet, and before the ref could get the whistle to his mouth, had burried the ball in the back of the net and sent a crowd notorious for its' lackluster atmosphere, into local derby levels of hysterics. Even the highly unlikely scenarios I used to imagine while kicking the ball around in my front yard as a kid were more plausible than this match, and yet, somehow Rosy pulled it off.

*It Snowed and I Got Really Really Excited
In what I can only assume was the worlds largest blizzard (there was like 6 inches of snow!!), London was blanketed with snow. Most Londoners were pretty nonplussed about this, and continued on their merry way. I, on the other hand, turned into a 7 year old (down from my usual maturity age of 9). After getting into a snow fight with some punks in an estate house who were pegging snowballs at the cars going by (they won when they pulled a blade and I ran away), I proceeded to grab a dustbin lid and a garbage bag and began systematically gathering every bit of snow from the cars and pavement of Hannell Road until I had enough to do this:

Upon being greeted by this on her way home, Rosy decided she wanted to play as well, and so, after deciding that the two drunken snowmen were Jarrod and myself, we set about building Helen.

We couldn't find any hair rollers, otherwise this would've been the perfect Helen.

*I Kidnapped the Queen
My three temporary roommates Lydia, Emma, and Rosy, were all die hard monarchists, and through the whole time I was there, I was forced to endure witnessing three otherwise extremely intelligent people, have in depth discussions about where they think Prince Harry would be going for a beer that weekend. In turn, they were forced to endure an ingrate from the colonies rant and rave about how redundant the Royals were, and how literally anything was more interesting than a bunch of people who are only remarkable for the fact that they have become famous by doing even less to deserve it than Paris Hilton (God I hope that sentence doesn't give Prince Philip any ideas). Anyway, to try and illustrate just how little they need a monarch, I decided to steal their Queen.

'One is flying Ryan Air??!? What on Earth is that?'

I now realise it wasn't the actual Queen (this one is smiling), but at least I showed how much I appreciated the generosity and hospitality that the three girls showed me, by stealing something from them, like a true Pikey.

I can't really think of any other stories from London that make for an interesting read. One night worth mentioning was the evening I met up for a drunken night with my College room mate Dave. The night probably made for a good yarn, except all I remember is riding a Boris bike across London at 4am in order to get to a bus stop where I knew I could get a bus home. I Google mapped it the next day, and my journey was around 8km (or 11km if you account for my drunken weaving), but I'm sure someone has some good stories at our expense. I also met up a couple of times with my mate Torin who is living in London for the next six months.  One of these nights was a very fun evening watching the Superbowl, which doubled as my leaving party as I was headed off to Israel the day after. But apart from that, it was just really good to be in one place for a while, and especially enjoyable thanks to how much I love London. The weather does suck, and for that reason I could never see myself ending up there, but there is an English 2 year work visa with name all over it, and while I have no idea what I'll be doing the next few years, if I can somehow fenangle it so that I end up in London, I wouldn't mind it one bit.

OK, so all the pretty pictures are in the dark because there was about an hour of sunlight the whole time I was there, but I still love the place.

And I know I've mentioned it a thousand times before, but there's no way I would've enjoyed it as much, or been able to stave off the homesickness, without having such a good friend in Rosy to hang out with. Never has someone done so much for a traveler with that traveler doing so little in return, but somehow she managed to always make me feel like I was paying my keep with my limited selection of meals I could cook, or my sporadic bouts of boy cleaning (1 unit of boy cleaning = 0.03 units of girl cleaning). But luckily for me she didn't seem to mind, and we touristed the crap out of London for the better part of a month. It was so much fun, that it ended up being extremely hard to leave, but the middle east had momentarily broken out in peace, and so I was back to being a gypsy, and on a plane to Israel...

More about → England (again)

Adjust - Find the Balance, Repeat Steps 1 & 2 Again and Again and Again

Usually winter-time training goes pretty well for me. My wife sends me off to Maryland to stay at my family's place. I get to paddle and see my family and she gets to do...nevermind, I don't want to know what she gets to do while I am away!!

These past few months of training for the Carolina Cup have not gone as well as planned. There has been a lot of upheaval and so many curveballs have been thrown in my direction that my eyes almost well up with tears every time I think about clicking on that button that registered me for the Graveyard Elite race instead of the Money Island Open race. The Graveyard race takes you out in the ocean and the last time I raced in the ocean off Wrightsville Beach I got pummeled. I expected to spend a lot of time in Ocean City trying to get acclimated to wavy seas but didn't make it there once...

As I have examined all that has gone wrong I have divided up things that are my fault, my wife's fault, my mother's fault, and the fault of TOoMC (Things Out of My Control).
Me: 473
My Wife: 0
My Mother: 0
TOoMC: maybe 1 but really 0

I have had to adjust to many of my own mistakes and try to find some balance in life to continue progression and to keep things on an even keel. Here are highlights of a few tests and trials:

As soon as I got back I rushed out to paddle and went into the wind using a 9" blade because I was panicked that I was behind my mileage schedule. End result - dangerously shore shoulders. Anybody reading this who is a paddler is shaking their heads thinking what an idiot...I know I know.

My offseason time in the weight room might have been too much. Being that it was winter I spent a lot of time lifting weights and running and standing on medicine balls. I introduced a few more exercises into my weight routine that focused on getting my shoulders stronger. The transfer from land to water did not feel very good. During my last re-entry into paddling after a long hiatus, from November to January, I did not feel as uncomfortable getting the paddling muscles into a smooth flowing motion. This time around it was quite different and quite uncomfortable. I knew I should have dropped a day of weights and gone into the hot yoga room!!

This trip I took Eli Mongrel with me. Eli is such a sweetheart but he is a HANDFUL! My wife and I decided that winter in Oxford would be good for trying to work on the separation anxiety with the mongrel because the building where I would be staying would be empty of occupants and my mother's house has no full-time neighbors on either side. Well, there were plenty of cars in the parking lot on weekends and my mom was in Florida on vacation so she wasn't around to help out with the process. I don't mind a dog barking his head off as long as he isn't bothering someone else and/or flailing against his crate. Coming back from a paddle and finding Eli with a bloody snout or completely busted out of his crate did not make the process easy.

When my mother finally returned from her trip she was exhausted and on the verge of getting sick so I didn't want to leave Eli with her for too long. Eli Mongrel is not a comforting companion for the very tired individual, especially an individual you love and who has bent over backwards all of their life for you! My paddles were either kept too short or I went too fast because I was worried about the mongrel bothering all of Oxford's winter-time population, which was more than I expected this year. Also, the water was just too cold to keep flowing over Eli's private parts when I took him paddling with me!! Damn recessed deck!

My board was full of water. This one hurt. My 12-6 DEAN got dinged on the nose while in winter storage, not by me, and out of curiosity I tipped the tail end up to see if any water was inside of it. WOW, was I surprised!! There were microscopic hairline fractures along the seam at the tail where carbon fiber joined what looks like balsa wood. I cut those out and tipped the nose up then watched the water really flow out of it. I left it at an angle and traveled back to Chicago to pick up more gear, hoping I would be able to patch it when I returned.

Unfortunately, there was still some dampness around one of the holes so I needed some sun to dry the surface around the ding. Sun has been hard to come by this year! As I began to panic I began to smear Marine Tech on the holes and dinged the bow again moving the board around to find sunlight so I smeared more Marine Tech on the board. All the dings were fixed and sanded except for one. I tried to rush things and just created more work for myself. I knew, at the very beginning, I should have cut the tail off and let the board drain and the foam dry completely. Such is happening right now so the board should be ready to repair when I get back from my 2nd unexpected trip back to Chicago.

Looks like we have to move again. (Our building was sold and the new landlords are awful and do not deserve one penny of our rent!) Gracie's mom has permitted us and the two hairy mongrels to return to her house in Ogden Dunes so my employment plans for the summer are up in the air again. I am back in Chicago trying to see if I can work something out, but my wife has graciously allowed me to return to Maryland for the summer if opportunities await there. And it is still so dang cold here in Chicago that the thought of going out on Lake Michigan doesn't really excite me, but I have to in order to get some more miles under my belt. Eli went swimming this past Saturday and his body felt like a block of ice when he got out. It was so extreme that I got a little nervous that the cold would affect him physically. However, he did not even shiver and his tail wagged for more. (We left the beach after feeling his body.) The dog is a lot tougher than we all thought...unless he is out of sight of his momma!

Where has global warming been this year? Last winter spoiled me. I haven't be able to man up and get out on the water on these cold dreary days. Although I wish it wasn't, this one is still my fault because I have the gear to be out there and still be safe.

I think I have complained enough today...

The best part about venting my whines is realizing that I still cannot wait for the Carolina Cup weekend to arrive!! I am doing a paddle clinic with Danny Ching, as are a lot of my paddling buddies, racing out in the open ocean, which is always a great learning experience, getting my Level 3 certification in Paddle Fit, which might help me earn a shekel or two, and getting the opportunity to see old friends and family and possibly make some new ones. How can getting ready for any part of this upcoming weekend be a bad thing? There is only one answer to this question:

IT CAN'T BE A BAD THING!

Having to adjust to the circumstances life throws at you, if you react properly, increases growth. When you don't react properly you dig some deeper holes, but...if you, again, adjust, there is great potential for growth. I am working on that great potential now!

I am still growing and learning how to become a better Christian, husband, son, dog owner, paddler, business man, friend, and family member. During these recent trials I have discovered a lot of areas where I still need work. This is good, sometimes hard to accept but good nonetheless. I hope that on the other side of April 27th I will have worked hard enough so my growth is noticeable to others and I can have a positive effect on those around me.

All the while I will be open for advice from others to make this positivity happen!!

Come on spring!!

More about → Adjust - Find the Balance, Repeat Steps 1 & 2 Again and Again and Again

Sex and India

Before I traveled to India, I had a pretty solid idea of what to expect. Great food, hot weather, lots of hassling by touts, and kids playing cricket on every block. None of these have been anything less than I imagined, however there has been one aspect of Indian culture which has totally blindsided me: their attitudes towards sex. It really shouldn't have, after all this is the country that came up with the Karma Sutra, but having never really had any romantic link with anyone of Indian heritage, I was completely ignorant of anything more than the shallowest aspects of their sexual culture. However, having arrived here it is now patently obvious that not only is sex a huge part of Indian society, but it is also as integral to their struggle to progress from the developing world to the first world as any financial factors. I'd originally planned to write about this in my first blog post on India, but given the recent assault on the Swiss backpacker (which occurred shockingly close to where I was at the time), and the sheer volume of the issue, I thought I'd share with you my own perspective on what is now an issue of global concern.

Before I deal with the issue of rape, I’ll attempt to paint a picture of the sexual attitudes that tend to pervade Indian society, as without this, it’s hard to truly put the culture of rape into proper perspective. I'll remind that these are the observations of a guy who has only been in the country for a month, and that I am in no way generalising the people of India into this one stereotype, I am merely reporting what I consider to be the pervasive attitudes among the general population.

Historically speaking, India appears to actually be blessed with one of the healthier cultures regarding sexual attitudes. Unlike the Catholic and Islamic religions, the Hindu religion actively encourages sex. The Karma Sutra is an integral part of the Hindu religion, and it is integrated not just into their teachings, but also their temples.

In a church this'd just be another picture of Jesus.

Ok, maybe not every aspect is healthy.

One theory behind the inclusion of sexual scenes on Hindu temples is for people getting ready to worship to be able to indulge themselves in sexual thoughts before entering the temple, so that it is out of their system once they enter and can therefore focus on the spiritual aspect of their lives. Sure, this theory may be severely flawed, and it doesn't account for the sexual scenes inside the temples, but at least the Hindu church recognises and accounts for peoples' natural sexual urges, rather than repressing them and ignoring them like so many other theologies. 

Another aspect that appears to be healthy, is the role of women in divinity. In the bible, with the exception of the Virgin Mary, who essentially plays the role of Holy vessel, women aren't portrayed too well.  From being responsible for original sin (Eve), to being deceitful hairdressers (Delilah), or just being adulterous prostitutes (Mary Magdelene), women get a pretty bad rap. The images of God are always that of a male, and through the actual teachings of the church women are generally excluded from any sort of position of power (the recent Papal election was described by some Pastors as 'A complete sausage-fest'). The Hindu religion on the other hand holds females in quite high esteem as far as their deities are concerned. Hindu God's can be portrayed in both male and female forms, sometimes both simultaneously, with the God's characteristics and strengths drawn from both genders.

Sadly all this egalitarianism is undone with the inclusion of arranged marriages as a corner stone of Hindu and Indian culture. I can't comment on how this has historically shaped Indian attitudes, but I can hazard a guess. As far as I can tell, the Karma Sutra appears to have been invented as a method of making marriages arranged for social status, rather than love or passion, bear children. It's effectively the three glasses of wine, Barry White, and mood lighting of Indian romance, a method to ignite passion between two complete strangers. Perhaps this method used to work. You will hear anecdotal evidence from many people championing the success of Indian marriages over western marriages, and I'm not going to make the assumption that young lustful heads make wise decisions regarding lasting compatibility and happiness. For all I know this system of parental designation of life partner was superior to our western version of free choice. Was...

To understand why this system is breaking down, and why, in my opinion, it is contributing to the increasingly poisonous culture of gender relations, is that thanks to modern technology, cultures can no longer live in a vacuum. Barring an oppressive government that monitors media consumption, all cultures are increasingly able to freely access information about other cultures, with this usually meaning an influx of western ideals into the other parts of the world (and an influx of Japanese game shows and crazy Russian antics into the west). In India, this has manifested itself in the form of dissidence between the roll of men as a husband in a prechosen relationship, and men as the sexually nefarious beasts as portrayed in western pop culture.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. If you consider the sexual liberalisation of western culture to be a good thing (which in my opinion it most definitely is), then surely the introduction of such a good concept to a culture that as of yet doesn't possess it can only be a good thing. However the downfall of this idea is that the west came up with the sexual revolution organically. The sexual revolution was tied in with massive financial growth, economic equality, women's rights, race rights, and many other major social reforms, which meant that sexual freedom was grasped by all members of society in some form or another, and there was very little exploitation as a result.

Sadly this contrasts with India, whose development is far less uniform than that experienced by western countries in the 20th Century. This has occurred because as the western nations advanced there was very little outside influence impacting the way they progressed, whereas India's development is intricately tied in with the Western world. This has resulted in massive increases in the nations' wealth...for some, and a shift in social values from traditional to western...for some. In my opinion it's this sudden inorganic shift from one to another, based purely on the observation of another nations culture, rather than a fully thought out and naturally achieved cultural shift, which has led to a culture where women are finding themselves increasingly treated as objects, as men chase extramarital affairs, and premarital relationships, while still expecting their arranged wives to fulfill their traditional duties. While only a small sample size, I have heard this attitude echoed by quite a few guys who I have met in my short time in India, with the idea of a husband seeing prostitutes or just having girlfriends on the side seemingly completely acceptable.

I have mentioned how I feel that the Indian sexual revolution is quite shallow, and the result of an inorganic external influence, rather than a natural social progression towards more liberal values, as seen in most of the western world. This opinion has been formed by the many conversations I've had with guys over here. One of the more bizarre questions I've received multiple times is 'Have you ever had a one night stand?'. It's not the question itself that is particularly weird, it's the wide eyed responses you get when they find out you have, and the almost mystical weight they give to this deed. This will not paint a very flattering picture, and I repeat, this doesn't refer to everyone I've met, or the entire population, but the sexual maturity levels of Indian young adults seems to be about that of a 13 year old. A few examples of this behaviour are:

*A guy showing me a picture on his phone of a woman's breasts in two separate ice-cream glasses, with cream and chocolate sauce dribbled down them which he gleefully proclaimed as 'Ice Cream Sundae!!!'

*A group of about 20 men all having their minds blown by the fact I've had more than ten girlfriends in my life, which made me some sort of sexual God in their eyes (to be fair though, they're not too choosy about God's here).

*Some attempts of guys to pick up one of friends by sending her invitations over CouchSurfing. Here is one of quite a few she received:

"Hi,
Are you looking out for a casual relation with enjoyment? Let me know then we can plan for a meeting.
Regards,
Rahul"

She also received this email. It doesn't really add to my point, but it needed to be shared:

" hi
Hi..
How are you..
At such a tender age you are travelling all alone..i am very new to CS..
I think you can be my first guest..I invite only females..and just females..
I host them..take them to places..and have fun with them..
If you are fond of lesbian partner..then come and have me..
so when are you coming..
Nikki.."

*The assumption (which to be fair is shared in a lot of male dominated societies) that if a white guy is hanging out with a white girl, he is having sex with her, and that if he isn't, then the Indian who enquired now has dibs to have sex with her as long as the white guy approves.

On one hand I want to say that the male Indian attitudes towards sex are juvenile, and quite naive, but unfortunately this would ignore the power they possess in Indian society, and the more sinister aspect that their perceptions take on with this associated power. This is a country where the man is without a doubt in charge. As the culture develops women are becoming more educated, and in pockets, equality is being reached, but as a whole, there is still a major issue regarding gender equality. For example, you'll notice that I haven't mentioned any opinions I have gathered from women I've met in my travels. That's because you never bloody meet any! In Mumbai I was waiting at a train station for a friend to pick me up, when it occurred to me that I could see about 10,000 people, and only one woman: an old lady begging on a corner. Interestingly this is completely contrasted to my experience in the rest of the world, where the Indian people I have met have been a pretty even mix of male and female. I can't help but feel that one of the overlooked aspects to the Indian brain drain (the issue of India's brightest people moving abroad and staying abroad), is that intelligent people don't want their daughters to grow up in a country where they will be second class citizens.

The photo above broke my heart. It's of my 'friend' Rakesh's wife (he was my friend until he demanded money from me). This is a representation of the typical life of the lower class Indian female. Her day is essentially spent in this one room, cooking and cleaning for her husband, and her husband's associates. The whole time I spent at her house, she was in this room, with the one exception of the time she was upstairs hanging up the clothes. She was given away last year in an arranged marriage, and as far as I can tell, her life will now revolve around kids and domestic chores. It made me sick to hand her my dishes after she'd cooked our dinner, and be told by Rakesh not to even try and clean up anything afterwards. I grew up in a household where my mother was the chief breadwinner. My parents shared their parental and domestic duties brilliantly, but the idea that any of those duties would, or should, be preordained by sex is not only moronic, but dangerous. But she has no voice. Rakesh tells her what to do, then she does it. Any rebellion on her part would lead to reprisals not just from Rakesh, but from any of the males in their close knit community. The town where the Swiss girl was raped was only a short distance away from where Rakesh lived, and I imagine the people responsible for the rape would've been the same sort of farming town people as Rakesh. While I'm definitely not insinuating Rakesh, or even any other people in his town, are potential rapists, you can see how the devaluation of women into an inferior class makes the jump to rape a much more likely eventuality than in a society where they are treated equally. 

The last relevant aspect of Indian culture which I will mention, is that of their Libertarian society. As with a lot of developing nations during their exponential economic growth stages, the Indian society is essentially operated by Libertarian ideals. With money, anything is possible in India, and for money, anything can be done. An example of this is one scam I very likely have been lured by. The scam goes as follows:

An Indian girl sends an invitation to a western male (in my case over CouchSurfing) indicating her desire to experience a romantic liaison with someone exotic. The two of them agree to meet up for a drink, go back to her house, perhaps even have sex, and then, amazingly, the police are knocking at the door, and the girl is crying rape. Only with a considerable 'fine' can the male leave and avoid being officially charged. 

While I assume this scam is predominantly run on foreigners, it is also run on local men from higher castes, further muddying the waters of an already complex sexual culture. Not only is the rape complaint sector of law enforcement filled with fraudulent cases, it feels like the perception here is that rape is only something that concerns the sensibilities of foreigners. Indian's are very good at profiting off the 'weaknesses' of westerners, with traits such as politeness, trust, and the very British/Australian refusal to cause a scene, being constantly manipulated by the locals to squeeze out every last rupee. I can't help but feel there is an element of this with rape, in that it is seen as something that doesn't really capture the concern of Indian society, but that they recognise its' importance to the outside world. This last point may be somewhat of a stretch, but there is no denying the fact that the perception of rape in this country is far off that of the western world. And as an extension of that, the idea of a woman's body, or her sexual favours, being sold for money, is not only commonly practiced  but something that tends to fit quite well into a culture where people have very few limits when it comes to an opportunity to earn rupees.

When considering all these aspects that are ingrained into the Indian sexual culture, it becomes easy to see how rape could be as prevalent as reports seem to be indicating. It's hard to get a true picture of exactly how serious the statistics are, as even in western countries, the reporting of rape is still a work in progress, and one of the trickiest forms of law enforcement to enact. But one thing is for sure. In a country with a corrupt police force, a silenced female population, and a male population that is both at once juvenile in its' understanding of sex, but sophisticated in its'control of distributing it, it should come as no surprise that rape is emerging as such a serious and ingrained problem.

Having painted such a bleak picture, I will say that I think India has taken the first step to confronting this problem. The fact that the outrage of women finally has a voice, on both the international and national stage, is a good sign. This finally gives women a foothold with which to finally make the issue heard, but it will be a long trip from there. The statistic being thrown around currently is one rape in India every twenty minutes, which is truly horrendous, but let's not forget that in western countries our rape statistics are still sickening. Until they read zero it's still disgusting. But at least it seems the first steps towards women's liberation may be stirring, and India can begin its' journey to join the developed world not just financially, but also socially.

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Yet Another Formula to Determine Healthy Eating...BS!

Watching the news on CBS This Morning brought to mine and the world's attention that another formula has been introduced to the public to help one decide whether a food item at some markets is healthy or not. The NuVal system ranks foods from 1-100 with 100 being the best score. During the segment, there were pros and cons raised about yet another scientific way to determine whether certain foods are healthy or not. Some argued that the way the NuVal system is calculated remains a mystery and doesn't deserve the credibility those behind it seek. NuVal says it is very necessary for the health of the general public so they know what they are getting when they purchase food that is put into some sort of container. Why is yet another formula necessary? It's not. Try not to eat foods that come in containers is a great way to ensure healthy eating. Making healthy eating simple is what is necessary. I think the First Lady has it right by speaking about growing your own ingredients and having healthy options available at places like Walgreens, which makes me wonder why she doesn't get nearly enough of the press she deserves...

Why doesn't healthy eating get enough press? I am not talking about Lean Cuisines and Healthy Choice meals; I am talking about Farmer's Markets and roadside stands. Whole Foods has the image as the epicenter of healthy eating but the fact that they sell Tropicana orange juice that has a TON of sugar in it, in my humble opinion, destroys their credibility. If they only sold oranges and/or fresh squeezed orange juice then they would earn some credibility as an institution that cares about the health of its customers but they really don't. They will sell whatever they can, according to their misconstrued guidelines, to keep building a masked image and really fancy stores. I wish I didn't go there but I still do. Whole Foods has the best produce and the best fish in Chicago but I certainly don't think any of those do-gooder hipsters working there have a clue of how the machine works. If they did; they might not work there or they would at least bathe and lose the attitude.

The only formula the consumer needs is: how many ingredients are in the product I am purchasing? The smaller the number the better! According to the NuVal system a box of Post Healthy Classics Shredded Wheat and Bran has more nutritional value than an avocado. Does this make sense? A food that comes in a bag in a box is better for you than something plucked off a tree...Sure, avocados have fat in them but it is monounsaturated fat that is important for the body to prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease (for more on the explanation of fats see The Big Book of Health and Fitness by Dr. Phil Maffetone, Chapter 4). The ingredients in the cereal didn't just come off the stalk and into the box.

Also, the fat in an avocado has a richness that makes you feel full. Cereal in the morning never worked for me as an adult. I was always hungry a half hour later, even if I ate a huge bowl. Just like anything marked low-fat or non-fat doesn't work well for me, because it takes FOREVER for me to feel full! Give me a couple scoops of full-on-fatty yogurt and it will only take a quarter of the amount to feel satisfied compared to that low or non-fat nonsense. The good fats in yogurt help the active body recover and make the stomach feel satisfied. Trust me, I was 225 lbs less than a year ago...

Another point in the healthy formula nonsense is the guidelines for eating. If you are overweight your stomach has expanded. A few ounces of almonds aren't going to do much for one attempting to make a change. The stomach has to shrink and this doesn't happen overnight. Cutting down what was once considered a normal eating habit over time as one attempts to eat healthier and exercise is better than starving oneself. A gradual process is better in the long run than quick fixes. Trying to get someone to eat skimpy portions after a long road of making unhealthy choices is setting someone up for failure. For me, the process worked well as I made gradual adjustments over a long period of time. Add some patience to common sense and you have the best formula for improving overall health.

Trusting the source of your information when building your common sense is very important. I trust Dr. Maffetone. His writings determine my thought process when it comes to making purchases at the store, the farmers market, or the roadside stand. I cannot wait for Farmer's Market season! How come the oranges at roadside stands in Florida aren't as pretty as the ones in Whole Foods (yet they taste the same)?

Eating healthy can be a pain in the butt and expensive but a few extra coins and scrubbing a few pans should be well worth the long-term benefits. I think NuVal, like other nutrition agencies, has good intentions but I wonder who funded their research. So much bad is masked by corporate advertising and fancy colored packaging that it is often difficult to make the right decisions, especially if the consumer is under time restraints. A vet once told me that makers of certain dog foods pay to have other vets say how beneficial their products are to the health of pets. Imagine how bad it must be in the human world where greed and the almighty dollar determine most decisions...If the consumer uses their own brains to make healthy choices when purchasing food our nation would be a lot better off and we wouldn't need politicians telling us what size drinks we can purchase.

Eat healthy a pass it on to the next person!

Check it out the information for yourself: http://www.nuval.com/

The most interesting fact CBS reported is that the NuVal system is only available to retailers for a price, making healthy eating, in the grand scheme of things, even more expensive than it already is.

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SUP and the Evolution into the Healthier Lifestyle

If you had told me a year ago that a person can limit themselves to only one drink and still enjoy themselves I would have nodded along in agreement then walked out of earshot and told the next person that you were certifiably insane. As the point of embarkation for me to evolve into some sort of businessman approaches, I am working on a mission statement that will explain my intent to improve the wellness, fitness, and overall health of any potential client interested in or needing to make a change. All the doctorates in the world can explain theories and offer advice to an individual but it is only when said individual decides for themselves that change is necessary that change will occur. For anyone who has known me for some time they can appreciate the fact that I can now walk into my wife's bar in the middle of a Chicago winter and order a ginger ale instead of a beer and not feel awkward at all. (I may still act awkward but I no longer feel it as well...)

I have finally found an activity that has stuck with me and inspired me to find the time to enjoy it to the fullest. I know I have touched on this in previous posts but it wasn't until the other night when I sat in bed reading and enjoying a single serving of armagnac that I came to fully appreciate the change that has occurred deep within my soul...and this change had to go DEEP in order to achieve success! As I slowly sipped, I felt no anxiousness concerning the fact that I was not going to have another, which was always part of the problem before. In the past, when I would put limits on myself, as I neared the stopping point I would break into sweats wondering whether I would adhere to my proposed maximum intake or how bad my hangover would be if I slid by the proposed maximum intake by just a few drinks. Most of the time the results were not pretty and neither was the next day, even if the next day was sunny, 80 degrees and the water temperature was in the high 70s.

My decision making process is still not functioning at 100%. I can make a bad choice quicker than a lizard's tongue can reach a fly but those moments are much rarer now than in previous years. Getting out on the water is very important to me. Having my body function at its fullest potential in order to receive maximize benefits from time on the water, for not only fitness but pure enjoyment as well, heavily influences the decisions I make. Too many beautiful days were spent behind drawn curtains in front of awful television programming. There is too much beauty in this world to miss out on due to ugly decisions. Finding something that works for the individual, whether it be religion, stand up paddling, rock climbing, jogging, playing a musical instrument, painting, or macrame, having a vested interest in an active pursuit to influence the mind in a positive manner is key to making changes. Ultimately, the individual has to make the decision to change, but getting influenced in a beneficial way helps. Expensive talking-only sessions may seem cheap, not as in price but as in worth, compared to bringing activity into such an equation.

I know this because I have sat on those couches and had those talks and I do not care much for that route. Talking heads offering advice on theories they have only studied and not tested through personal experience is great if it works for you but what if it doesn't? There must be active alternatives available and that is what I hope one aspect of my business will be. Anaerobic and aerobic activity can have positive influences on the mind and body and I am evidence of the benefits of stand up paddling. Since I have taken up the sport as my number one hobby I no longer have the desire to smoke, no longer struggle with the need to drink alcohol, have fallen under 200lbs for the first time in 4 years, and have had my wife ask - "what's up with this sex everyday stuff?" I'm sorry for such openness but there is no other way to describe the benefits of an active lifestyle on the mind and body, especially the over 40 mind and body!

ROUGH DRAFT and IDEAS for EVER-EVOLVING MISSION STATEMENT:
Even Keel Fitness, a stand up paddling based outfit offering clients the resources to pursue a healthier and more fit lifestyle should be coming soon to shorelines near you. This business will cater to the needs of individuals, not only fitness needs but logistics as well. If you want to paddle Even Keel Fitness can make that happen, no matter where you are!

See you on the water soon!

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Can Sweet Juices Cure Diabetes?

 

Type 2 diabetes, which used to be known as non-insulin dependent diabetes, results from the inability of the pancreas to produce sufficient quantities of insulin, or the inability of the body to use the insulin the right way. The majority of those who have diabetes suffer from this type of diabetes.

Diabetes is accepted to be a disease for a lifetime. However, that in itself need not make you feel that it is a completely negative verdict on your life. It is a disease that can be controlled to a large extent by right diet and right exercise. When it comes to diet, it is the raw vegetables and fruits in the diet that will have significant influence in controlling blood sugar levels.

The best form of plant raw food is juices of fruits and vegetables. Juices need very little digestion, and the nutrients in them are absorbed directly into the body as soon as they are consumed. Potassium, iron, manganese, vitamin A, vitamin B7, and Vitamin E are some of the nutrients found in many fruits, and all these are helpful in controlling blood sugar. Manganese is especially effective in metabolizing glucose and thus reducing insulin resistance, and it is found in many common vegetables like spinach, carrots, parsley, celery, garlic, broccoli etc.

Vitamin B7, also known as biotin, is found in vegetables like cauliflower and spinach, and fruits like peach, nectarine, and mango. Besides maintaining blood sugar, vitamin B7 stimulates enzymes, aids in digestion, and maintains tissues. It is best to create your own juice recipe by choosing the fruits and vegetables that are available at different seasons, and by matching it to your taste and your body needs, based on your general health.

To get the best result from a juicing regimen, it is best to use home-made fresh juice. Various combinations of juices are available in the market, but preservatives are in most cases added to juices while commercially producing them. Further, juices are pasteurized to destroy bacteria and other unwanted microorganisms, and the heating involved in the process destroys many of its nutrients and essential enzymes also. It is so much better to make your own juice at home with a blender or juicer.

A juicer is slightly better than a blender for juice extraction. However, if you do not have a juicer, a blender will also work well. You can put the chopped fruits and vegetables into the blender and run it on the ‘chop’ option for a few seconds and then run it on the ‘puree’ option for a few seconds to make a good juice.

By taking the juice of fruits and vegetables, you will be getting much more nutrition than eating the stuff raw. When you eat fresh apples, you may eat one or at the most two apples. But when you drink a glass of apple juice, you will be drinking the juice of about four apples, and so would be getting double the amount of nutrition. By being on a regular juice diet, not just your diabetes but also some of your other health issues would vanish over a period of time.

Check out Harvest Nutrition for information about leading a healthy lifestyle.

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