Let’s talk about haystacks for a second

The beauty of this forum is that I can talk about whatever the hell I want, without reproach. Or something like that. Anyway, I’m in a sentimental mood for the moment. It might just be a side-effect of being dangerously close to turning 40. I remember almost exclusively looking ahead when I turned 30. But now, as I approach what statistically is likely to be the halfway point of my life, I find myself constantly looking back - thinking about what I can do better moving forward.

That pic above, taken last week, is me & my two sons at a neighboring farm. Standing atop that pyramid of hay held a special type of significance. Just last year, my youngest one was too fearful to climb past the first step, and this year he made it to the second to the top row. Next year it’s virtually certain he’ll ascend to the top with no trace of apprehension in sight. This is the hope and anticipation of all parents – and of anyone in a position of nurturing young minds.

Career coach for a day

Just yesterday I presented at the annual career symposium at California State University, Northridge. First off, I think it’s amazing that I get continually get asked back to present to a college where, during my undergrad, one of my professors incredulously asked, “Alan. what on Earth are you going to do with your life?”

This post is inspired by an article called Berried in hope: a scientific look at the implications of exotic fruit juice marketing, the main article in the May 2008 issue of AARR. I find this topic interesting because it’s so highly misunderstood by so many. Not to mention, big bucks are flowing through an industry that makes a lot of promises – but does it fulfill them?

Meet the competitors

Charles Shaw wine is also known colloquially as Two-Buck Chuck. As its moniker implies, Charles Shaw runs 2 to 4 bucks a bottle. It’s sold exclusively through Trader Joe’s grocery stores, which are numerous throughout the US. Despite their dirt-cheap price, the 2002 shiraz and  2005 chardonnay have topped the field in prestigious wine competitions. Although Charles Shaw is available in a variety of types of reds, I’ll refer to red wine as a general category.

The following is a collection of things I’ve blabbered off in message boards and elsewhere. I got the idea of posting this from the illustrious Emma-Leigh, a fellow moderator at bodybuilding.com who stuck a similar collection of my quotes at the top of the female bodybuilding forum. If you’re easily offended, please stop reading right here. If not, enjoy the tidbits…

• The majority of health nuts will spend $100’s a month on useless supplements, but won’t spend a dime on actually educating themselves on the facts about the body.
   


• I love it when I hear folks say that human adults weren’t meant to consume milk, much less the milk derived from a different animal species. Are you kidding me? So who gets to decide which parts of the cow we should consume? Let me get this straight–we can eat the cow’s muscles, but not the milk that laid the foundation for the growth of those same muscles? Huh? The logic is just too rock-solid for me.