Stick A Needle In My Eye, Why Don’t You?

As soon as even the slightest suggestion of sticking a needle into an eyeball is made, most people’s reaction would be utter disgust and horror. In fact, sticking any object into a human eyeball is often a focus of many horror movies and shows. So it often takes people by surprise when I mention that for roughly the past 8 years or so, I have been periodically getting needles in my eyes. This is as a result of a little-known condition called Diabetic Macular Edema.

I’ve written about this before but for my newer subscribers or long-standing ones that may not read every post I write, Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is a condition where fluids builds up beneath and around the macular of the eye and cause4s swelling. While this condition usually occurs in the elderly diabetic population, it’s usually caused by high blood sugars that damage the blood vessels behind the eyes. Since I had a less-than-ideal childhood control over my blood sugars, I’ve developed it much sooner than expected.

DME can be treated by a number of different medications, many of them administered through injections directly into the eye. In my case, I receive a medication called Lucentis. The first time I attended the ophthalmologist appointment for injections, I was scared shitless. Needless to say in my eyes? Are you fucking kidding me??? The worst part was having those weird little clockwork orange clips strapped into my eyelids and the fact I can still see and move my eyes when this is happening.

Originally, I was getting these injections every four weeks. As time went on, that period of time was increased. Last week was my first time of attending an injection appointment after 11 weeks and I’m pleased to say that my eyes had no evidence of swelling or DME symptoms whatsoever. As a result, my ophthalmologist has increased the next appointment to 12 weeks. He’s at a loss because apparently, as one gets older, the eyes should be getting worse, not better. But for some reason, my eyes seem to be adjusting and healing much better than expected. I’ll chalk that up to weight loss, improved blood pressure and cholesterol, all of which can contribute to DME symptoms.

It’s not often I get a positive win where Diabetes is concerned. So I’ll definitely take the win here. The big takeaway is that when you consider all the possible side effects of Type-1 Diabetes, like organ failure, amputation and, you know, death, a treatable condition like DME is pretty manageable. But it also speaks to what I often say about the importance of maintaining one’s health, eating properly and monitoring your blood sugars. Your body is like a house of cards; pulling out one card can make the whole thing tumble. Food for thought…☯️

Eating For Two, Even If You’re Just One…

I love a good dose of nostalgia. I have many great memories from throughout my life and I although I don’t dwell on the past, I do tend to visit there often. For example, when the Cobra Kai series came out, and with a cast of the original Karate Kid actors, I was delighted and excited because it brought back all the feel good emotions of the 1980’s when I watched those movies for the first time. But nostalgia is not only limited to movies and shows. No, no, no. It can also apply to one’s food…

Before moving on to the actual topic of today’s post, I need to point out that everything I’m about to say is strictly my opinion. This should in no way reflect your own view on the restaurant chain I’m about to bring. Which is, McDonald’s… I grew up in an era where McDonald’s;d’s restaurants were the place to go. Fast, cheap and delicious fast food that had a varied menu that had a little something for everyone. For me, that little something was a burger called the Arch Deluxe.

The Arch Deluxe was a burger offered on McDonald’s Canadian menu sometime in the mid-1990’s and was discontinued after the turn of the millennium. It featured a quarter pounder patty but what made it so spectacular was the “secret” Arch sauce, which I found out years later was just dijon mustard and mayonnaise. But still, it had a flavour I just couldn’t get enough of, and also featured a peppered round bacon slice. What wasn’t to love about it?

Considering it came out around the time I graduated high school and I had my own car, it wasn’t unusual for me and some friends to make our way to the nearest McDonald’s to indulge. And since this was years before my carb-counting, I would easily eat one along with a 20-pack of McNuggets (yes, you read that right) as an evening snack. Ah, to have the metabolism of a 20-year old again… But I digress. Given its size and content, it boasted a massive protein hit, which was great for the young man training handily in the martial arts.

I was sincerely bummed out when it was discontinued (especially since I was working at a McDonald’s at the time and had easy access to them). So, imagine my surprise a little over a month ago when McDonald’s launched a new burger called “the Big Arch.” I was overjoyed and looking forward to a hit of culinary nostalgia, until I researched this burger and got slapped in the face with a severe dose of reality. Once again, this is not a slight against McDonald’s or this new burger and you should definitely make your informed decision on whether you try it or not. Because the reality is that I didn’t try it. I didn’t get to taste it. And here’s why…

This big bastard… I mean, burger, boast two quarter pounder patties instead of one. It’s got three slices of cheese as well as other ingredients that raise the carb and caloric count significantly. Sitting at 57 grams of carbohydrates, it likely wouldn’t be so bad, in and of itself. The problem comes in the form of 1030 calories. That’s just a bit under half of a person’s caloric intake for the day. Pair that with the fact the burger contains 88% of one’s daily fat intake and 86% of one’s sodium intake, there was no human way I could eat this burger.

I would imagine that for a non-0Diabetic who isn’t on Ozempic and makes a combo out of this bad boy will easily cross the halfway mark for their daily caloric intake with just one meal. And the nail in the coffin is that I don’t think the arch sauce used on this burger is the same one as the original Arch Deluxe, which is hugely disappointing, since it was one of the standout ingredients of the original. The result is that despite having hit the menu over a m,both ago, my most recent visit saw me order my piddly Junior Chicken sandwich, which still sits at 36 grams of carbs despite only having 380 calories.

It goes without saying that Diabetes sucks big time and prevents a lot of things in my life. But somehow I think that even if I wasn’t Diabetic, I would a diffuse time in justifying eating a burger that would basically punch both my kidneys in the nuts with the amount of salt. All in all, when it comes to the Big Arch, I’ll have to enjoy my pinch of nostalgia through someone else’s eyes. Such is life…☯️

Stop And Smell The Roses…

I’ve always kind of been the type to push himself a lot, especially when it comes to my work. For the most part, I never stop, unless I get sick and even then, I end up powering through if my illness takes a bit more time than I’d like. This instinct has served many of my previous employers well through the years. Even though most employers make a nice show of telling staff not to come into work when they’re sick or to make sure they take their vacation time, it’s very seldom a happy thing when staff are absent from their post for any length of time. It can make for a scenario where even people who aren’t as much of a “go getter” as me question whether they should actually take time off or not. But in the interest of one’s health, let me tell you… You absolutely should.

First and foremost, let me slap you in the face with a small dose of reality. Speaking only for myself but generally speaking, I’m out of the house for work purposes at least 10 hours a day. By the time I leave the home and get to the office, put in my 8-hour day and make my way home, that’s my 10 hours. We have a pretty structured daily routine that involves eating supper and cleaning up, which averages about two hours. Okay. Then, depending on what day of the week it is, we follow a showering/bathing schedule for the boys, I help with laundry and cleaning and whatever other chore may be required that day, which usually leaves an hour, if I’m lucky, to just sit and veg out in front of the television with my wife. Conceptually, we could be using that hour for something productive, like exercising, taking our boys outside or sitting at the table with a drink and good conversation. But by this point, we’re usually both so burned out from the day that we’re in bed shortly by 9 pm (if not before) to grab what hopefully ends up being 8 hours of sleep. Only to do it all over again the next day.

I’ve often heard it said that one must work to live, not live to work. While it would be far better not to have to work to live either, one must also admit that there must be some outlying purpose to life besides sitting at home, so work can be okay. But the important thing is to make some time for yourself and keep that time for either personal self-development, training, relaxing or just straight up doing something for oneself. The important aspect to bear in mind is that there’s a huge difference between being “off work” and actually relaxing. You can be at home doing nothing but still not relaxing. While sitting in front of the television binge-watching your favourite show can be relaxing on occasion, when it becomes the habit and part of the only hour to have free to the entire day, you may be stuck in a repeating loop that you’ll be unable to work your way out of.

What I mean by this, is that it’s important to change up what you do with your down time so that you don’t become stagnant. I’ve had a rough go in recent months, between my use of Ozempic, weight loss and lessened energy levels, I’ve moved away from my usual fitness regime and favoured resting up on the couch with my evenings so that I don’t turn into a bag of absolute smashed ass at the office the following day. The problem is that doing the former does not prevent the latter.

Through my studies, I’ve often held the belief that all life is created from energy. So a simple equation to life can look a little something like this. Everything alive moves. Movement creates energy. Energy sustains life. Life creates movement. It’s a simplistic view of how we maintain ourselves but the reality is that as soon as you eliminate any one of those three, the other two will falter.

If you stop moving, you won’t maintain your energy and you’ll die much sooner. This is why it’s so important that one makes the time to keep some movement going in one’s life. While one may feel it’s better (and usually easier) to just rest up with the precious little time one has in their day, taking time for some self-care and actually entertaining distraction can be important.

Last week and completely out of the blue, I decided to take the week off. At least the first half. Thursday and Friday I had my eye injections, but more on that in another post. I’m one of those people who carry over more vacation time than he takes, so I figured I should end that cycle and take some time off. No plans, no destination; just pure, unadulterated time off. And I’m happy to say that I did absolutely nothing.

Most people would assume that vacation time means you need to travel, visit family or do something specific. But there’s something to be said for just staying at home, kicking back and maybe doing a few things in the house you’ve been putting off. Despite travelling to Saskatoon for my eyes on Thursday, it was a good week of sleeping in and relaxing. And sometimes you need that. ☯️

Alive And Well, And Still Hitting The Keyboard…

Hard to believe the number of years that have gone by since I started this blog. Originally, it was a means to an end; intended to help me maintain my writing skills while continuing to build my writing acumen and researching various topics that interested me. Unlike most bloggers, I started this through the lens that I was doing it for myself. It didn’t matter how many followers I had or how much or how little I wrote. As long as it held my interest and I wanted to continue , I was accomplishing the goal.

Originally, my intention had been to write primarily about karate and Type-1 Diabetes. After all, these were the topics that I was deeply versed in. Over time, I started to include topics related to Buddhism, health & fitness and nutrition. All of these things tied together in some form or another, lending credence to their inclusion. And of course, there’s no denying that I frequently make a point of writing my opinion on a variety of topics, whether they relate to my primary subjects or not.

Over time, I started making small goals for myself, challenges, if you will. I started by challenging myself to write about something on a daily basis. This may sound easy in concept but it definitely wasn’t. trying to figure out something to post daily was often very challenging, resulting in my seeking opinions from others as to what they would like to see posted and even topics they’d like to see me cover. In a way, it got me to come out of my little shell and consult with others, as well.

As I got into the groove to post daily, I started to challenge myself with numbers. Let’s try posting for 100 days in a row without missing a single day. Done. Let’s try a full year. Done. Let’s even try posting for 1,000 straight days in a row without missing a day. Abso-fuckin-lutely done! After that, I decided to take a step back and focus on other projects, train at some other dojos and work on myself a bit. I also have a day job that, you know, I should probably not ignore. So I took a break for a while.

As the months have droned on, I’ve slowly started to return to this blog, writing more frequently than I have in the past year. It’s not that I really have more free time to do so or more opportunities but I have come to recognize that I still enjoy it. And when you find something you enjoy, it’s kind of hard not making the time for it. What’s been nice is I seem to have a slight increase in followers in recent months. I’m no online influencer or anything but even if all of these folks only read the occasional post here and there, it’s nice knowing that someone is seeing my words and possibly gleaning something from them. I’ve even received a few reader comments recently, which is always nice to see.

It’s been nice to get back to something that’s essentially become familiar and comfortable. While I don’t think I’ll ever go back to writing a post on a daily basis, it still nice to see increased followers and some engaging by some of them. It shows me that while I’ve been doing this for myself and I enjoy it regardless of the outcome, there are still some folks who are getting something from it, as well. ☯️

The Rusted Tools In Your Box…

The world has evolved into an environment where people will typically pick up the phone and call someone if they need something in their homes repaired. Everything from our vehicles, our property and even our bodies are typically repaired or healed by outside individuals. And more and more, as time goes by, it seems that this is the way of the world. But it wasn’t always so. I grew up with the remands of the generations that kept their own tools, worked on their own cars and repaired their own homes.

During my youth, I got to experience the watering down of this societal trend. My grandfather had a basement full of tools and a pretty comprehensive workshop. As a carpenter and a blacksmith, you can still see some of his handy work floating around my home town as things created back then were built to last, even when they were made of wood. The thing is, he used all of his tools daily, and kept them all clean, oiled and maintained as needed otherwise ensure that they lasted and were of use for their intended purpose.

Next, we have my father. A well-meaning man, he was never very handy with repairing things himself. Put him in front of a computer and he’d turn into an operator from the fuckin’ matrix… But he wasn’t very adept at getting past anything more than hammering a nail to hang a photo frame. Having been directly raised in that environment, I fall very much into this same category. My point is he had a number of very handy tools available within the home. The problem is he never used them.

The result is that within a very short number of years, those tools began to rust, corrode and erode, rendering them all but useless and in some cases completely destroyed. There was nothing more heartbreaking when I had to go home to close down my mother’s apartment than having to scrap a bunch of tools that had succumbed to the passage of time and had become absolutely useless. I mean, I wouldn’t have been able to fly a bunch of steel tools back to Saskatchewan anyway, but it was still a shameful waste. Those tools would have been better served in the hands of someone who would have used them and maintained them properly.

So believe it or not, this post is actually related to karate and the martial arts. So I’m going to bring us back to THAT. Learning different styles and techniques has often been compared to having multiples tools in your toolbox. Much like a traditional tool (hold your jokes, I’m not referring to myself), if you don’t use your techniques and train consistently, you’ll get rusty. You’ll become ineffective. Your tools will basically be useless. Only if you maintain them and work with them, will your avail;able tools continue to serve you well and protect you, in the event you need them.

Somehow, in my head, I always feel as though I could be responsive and hold my own in the event of a fight. At least part of that is true because the knowledge is still there. The light willing, that’ll never go away. So knowing how to protect and defend myself, knowing how to execute techniques and perform my katas and train effectively… Those are the things that never go away. But like the hammer that sits in the toolbox for twenty years, it may still be able to hammer a nail but it won’t keep the rust from setting in. The same can be said of us. Train hard, train consistently and keep your tools maintained. As the old saying goes, you don’t stop karate and get old; you get old when you stop doing karate. Food for thought… ☯️

Supplementation, Part Six…

Well, here we are again. This is the sixth time I publish this post. And for good reason. I’ve essentially made my peace with the fact that I’ll be posting this around this time every year when the weather starts to turn colder.

I absolutely love this post! I consider it to be one of the best-written and important posts I’ve ever drafted and when I mention this to some of my readers and/or followers, it usually catches them by surprise. Perhaps they believe that my endearment should be reserved for posts about martial arts or even Diabetes. But the truth is, the contents of this post cover a lot of the bases: nutrition, health and requirements of the body, which all play an integral role in maintaining proper health for Diabetes and ensuring one can train and develop their fitness acumen. So read on, if you haven’t. Scroll on by if you read it last year…

I consider the consumption of vitamins and minerals to be an important part of maintaining one’s health. It’s no surprise that modern nutrition is sorely lacking in most people and with every reposting of this material, I’m reminded of the importance of taking a steady multivitamin on a daily basis; a fact my doctors keep reminding me, as well. With the colder weather hitting our area and everyone’s immune system taking a hit, vitamins and supplementation are very important. So, bearing in mind that I’m not a doctor or nutritionist, here’s what I posted all the way back in June of 2019. Enjoy!

One of the key reasons behind the consumption of food is to obtain carbohydrates for energy. The human body requires energy to carry on normal functions and, well… stay alive! But what else do we get from the food we eat? A proper diet will also include a number of vitamins and minerals that we require to maintain proper health, growth and energy levels within the body. We’ve all heard about getting enough vitamins from a young age. I remember getting my Flintstones vitamin everyday as a kid.

But if you’re like most people, you’re likely wondering what these vitamins are for and what they do. My goal is to cover off the main ones here:

Vitamin A: This is an all-around vitamin that provides a number of functions including but not limited to the proper health of various bodily functions, tissues and helps to fight chronic disease and is known to be good for the eyes.

Vitamin B: This one is a bit complicated, as there is a large grouping of enzymes, vitamins and minerals that fall under the “B” category. In general, B-vitamins are used for energy production, immune function and absorbing iron. Some them include B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B9 (folate) and B12. There are a few more that I can’t recall, but B12 is considered amongst one of the most important of vitamins overall because it helps you turn food into energy.

Vitamin C: At some points, this one has been referred to as the sunshine vitamin. I’m thinking that’s mostly because people’s main source of Vitamin C is from citrus fruits. But this vitamin also helps with iron absorption, immune function and is a natural antioxidant that helps with the elimination of free radicals. Eating citrus fruits are also what sailors used to eat on long voyages to prevent scurvy.

Vitamin D: This vitamin helps with the strengthening of bones and teeth. Our bodies are designed to self-generate this vitamin naturally through exposure to sunlight, but obviously that needs to be done in small doses. Modern life has created an environment where more people spend their time indoors, away from the sun. So supplementation becomes important.

Vitamin E: A pretty straight forward vitamin, this one helps with proper blood circulation and clear skin.

Vitamin K: This vitamin is essential for blood-clotting. In order words, if you’re deficient in this vitamin, small cuts or injuries can cause excessive bleeding that can become dangerous.

Folic Acid: We hear people speak about this one as being necessary during pregnancy. And they would be correct! Folic Acid helps to prevent certain complications during childbirth but is important to everyone for proper cell renewal. This one is also known as Folate, or Vitamin B9 (as listed above).

Calcium: Most people should be familiar with this one. Teeth and bones, people! Teeth and bones! Good calcium levels are required to keep those body parts healthy.

Iron: This helps to build muscle tissue naturally and helps with proper health of the blood. As an interesting sidebar, it’s also what makes your blood red through the reflection of light!

Zinc: Immunity and Fertility. I’m a little unfamiliar with this one and haven’t had the opportunity to research it a great deal.

Chromium: This one is near and dear to my heart. Because it helps to control blood sugar levels. Chromium is what helps all the systems of your body to get the energy they need when they need it. Some traditional medicine practitioners will suggest Chromium supplements for Type 1 Diabetics who may have difficulty in maintaining proper levels.

Magnesium: This one helps your body to absorb all the other vitamins and minerals. It also acts as something of a relaxant to muscle tissue and play a role in proper muscle contraction.

Potassium: This mineral helps with the proper hydration of your body and helps to control blood pressure.

There are many others of course, but I’ve tried to cover off the main vitamins and minerals required for a proper diet. We get most of what we need by eating regularly and including a variety of healthy foods. A lot of people take a daily multi-vitamin, which is fine. But unless you are experiencing symptoms or unexplained illnesses, there shouldn’t be a need to actively try and take added amounts of anything. Your medical practitioner should be able to advise you if further supplementation is required. For example, patients who are recommended to take Folic Acid and Iron during pregnancy.

Obviously, all of this is extremely important; not only for proper health and fitness, which is important to me, but to help with Type 1 Diabetes as well. Taking a daily multivitamin can help to ensure that your body gets everything it needs, in combination with carbohydrates, lean proteins and fibre. My wife Laura originally gave me the idea for the post I wrote in 2019 when she asked about B-vitamins. Every time I re-post this material, I think of her. The credit for this post is all her! ☯️

Read The Fine Print…

The world has taken a dynamic shift in how it carries on business and not all of it for the better. Decades ago, an honest smile and firm handshake were enough to guarantee value and honesty. In some instances, most instances really, deals were struck by the word of the involved parties alone and didn’t require contracts, terms and conditions and specific fine print in order to complete a given transaction. Oh, how far we have fallen in that department! That’s right folks, today’s post is a rant so buckle up!

We live in a world that is increasingly lived online. Where the internet used to be something you occasionally jumped on for some limited purpose, practically everything from our health, to bill payment and banking and even our movie and show viewing habits are all done in the online environment. In fact, the last television I purchased came equipped to connect directly to my internet so that I can use my streaming services directly through the television without connecting any of my devices to do it. You can even solicit the services of many industries that would have required an in-person visit, not too long ago I, such as medical and legal services.

So, what’s the downside to all of this? Simply put, the online environment makes it WAY more difficult to ensure the quality and validity of what you’re obtaining. It’s incredibly easy to get fooled or defrauded if you’re navigating online and not everyone has the foresight to check properly when visiting an online website. But even when you’re purchasing or getting something out there in the real world, there are still pitfalls and perils that most people don’t acknowledge. And they can’t really be blamed. The modern world moves pretty fast and in the words of Ferris Bueller, “you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Let’s use one of the most common examples of modern society; the purchase of a cell phone. Cell phones are wonderful in that they provide a number of tools and resources at your fingertips that would have otherwise required an entire room to hold about 25 years ago. The modern cell phone contains telephone and text message capabilities but also basic tools like maps/gps, calculators and a web browser that provides the entire world’s information literally at your fingertips. It’s constant reminder about how wrong my teachers were, when they used to tell me to show my work in math because I wouldn’t always have a calculator available.WHO’S LAUGHING NOW, KAREN??? But I digress…

The point for the cell phone example is that the purchase of a cell is a significant investment. You need to research what brand and model you’d like, what features you want included and what price it may cost you. After all, the price of most modern cell phones is high enough that you’re not typically purchasing it outright but financing it over the term of your cell pone contract. Once you decide to purchase and you sign up, there usually a whole mess of paperwork being thrown at you. This paperwork can include but won’t be limited to warranty information, service conditions and financing documents. For the most part, the seller will show you where to sign and you’ll do just that… usually without reading all the aforementioned terms and conditions.

The buyer can’t really be blamed for this oversight. After all, it’s a lot to read and who the hell has time for that when they’re excited and in a hurry to walk away with their new cell phone, right? The problem is that by blindingly signing those documents without reading the terms and conditions, you may open yourself up to some vulnerability that you didn’t consider at the time. You have no idea what you’re agreeing to, or acknowledging certain things that may not be covered or provided. In the event of something happening with your phone, there may be certain repairs or coverages that won’t be provided, or maybe you’ll pay certain fees for certain services that you aren’t aware of during the front-facing conversation with the seller.

There are certain things that you can do to better protect yourself when engaging in those types of interactions. Whether online or in person, the most important aspect to anything you do in the modern world is to take your time. There’s nothing worse than rushing your way through something JUST because you want it. Take time to research what you’re getting into. Talk to people. Read reviews. And read everything that’s put in front of you BEFORE you sign it. Let me reiterate. Read. Every. Thing. Period. This applies to puchasing vehicles to shopping online to fool sold fashion purchases at a store.

Take time to read the fine print. Although the world moves pretty fast, slowing it down a bit to consider what you’re getting into is a guaranteed way of protecting yourself and keeping you informed about what you’re getting into. You’ll be all the better for it and will prevent compromising yourself into agreeing to something one-sided. I’ve always been lucky enough that I’ve never suffered a significant loss but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t gotten caught on a couple of occasions. It sucks. Now, I can promise you that no matter how many times they say “Just sign there,” my response is usually “Fuck off, I’m reading this first.” I’m the customer. I decide. The customer may not always be right, but they can always be safe. Food for thought… ☯️

Come On, Feel The Noise…🎶

Recognizing that my follower-ship has grown by a fair bit in the past year, it’s begun to dawn on me that I could and should start reposting some of the better topics I’ve written about. After all and if we’re being realistic, the odds of someone reading through the thousands of posts I’ve written is somewhat unrealistic. So reposting seems like the next logical step. Plus, when I do something that elicits a changes or reminds me of an already addressed topic, it only makes sense to talk about it, right? But now that I’m done explaining myself, let’s get on with it…

Sleep is something that I’ve had an issue with for as long as I can remember. An elusive thing at best, the quality of my sleep often depends on blood sugar levels, stress, PTSD symptoms, other medical issues (ex: colds, flus and the like) as well as the fact I have two small children in the house.

I’ve written a number of posts that outline the benefits of a good night’s sleep. There’s no getting away from it; sleep is a necessary and integral part of a person’s health, well-being and interestingly enough, their sanity. For Type 1 Diabetics, sleep is a mixed bag, because our sleep is affected BY our blood sugar levels, but sleeping through lows or highs can also be extremely dangerous.

I’ve written about the benefits of white noise and its counterparts before, and explained how they can help people with falling and staying asleep. Both my sons have somewhat chaotic sleep patterns and don’t always go to sleep easily or stay under once they do. As a result, my wife found them a couple of white noise machines on Amazon. The nice part about these machines is they come with a variety of different sounds, not just white noise. AND they also glow. And you can choose from a variety of colours. Not too shabby for a kid’s device.

After a particular weekend of camping out in the basement with my oldest, he brought all his blankets and toys back to his room and it was discovered that he had left his white noise machine behind. Curious and since he never uses the SOUNDS but only leaves the glow on, I decided to hook it up next to my bed and try it out. After all, I’ve used an app called Noisli on occasion (more on that below in this post), and white noise has been helpful on occasion.

Much as with my previous post, I should start by explaining what the hell white noise actually is. Not everyone is familiar with White Noise, or its lesser-know cousins, Pink Noise and Red (Brownian) Noise. Let’s do some learnin’…

White Noise is described in layman’s terms as a sound that contains all the audible frequencies that can be heard by the human ear. These frequencies are all at the same intensity, giving the sound an almost “static” quality, which is how many people describe it;

Pink Noise is a sound that contains MOST audible frequencies, except the higher ones, and whose intensity decreases as the frequency increases. This can potentially make it more pleasant than white noise, and a good alternative if white noise doesn’t work for you. The sound of a steady rainfall is a good comparison.

Red Noise, or Brownian is similar to White and Pink but with even fewer high frequencies, described as having more bass notes than white noise, which makes it more tolerable and pleasant to listen to than White Noise. An undisturbed ocean wave lapping on the shore is a good comparison.

All three of these are mathematical constructs that do NOT occur naturally in nature, despite what many people think. Although white noise is often generically described as “background noise”, all three of these sounds need to be carefully constructed in order to qualify for the definition. Some people have tried white noise and noticed no benefit. In cases such as those, it would be to their benefit to try pink or red noise, as these could be alternatives that would work well for them.

There are a lot of benefits to using white noise. First and foremost, white noise will buffer out background sounds that have the potential to wake you during the night. A slamming door, a revving engine outside or a family member going to the washroom all have the potential to at least partially wake you, disturbing your sleep cycle. White noise prevents this. It’ll also help you stay asleep as it will mask noise that may wake you and even if you do wake, it’s usually easier to fall back asleep.

White noise also helps to shut off your brain. Have you ever tried going to sleep, only to have life’s problems replaying in your head? Or upcoming tasks lingering in your mind? White noise will help to prevent this, as well. It can also be a helpful tool while learning how to meditate, as it helps the practitioner focus and shut out the distractions that may prevent them from effectively reaching a level of meditation.

I’ve been using my son’s white noise machine for a couple of weeks and the results have been noticeable. I use a sound setting that provides a thunderstorm in the background. Being born and raised on the Eastern coast, I spent a good part of my life sleeping through thunderstorm. The steady staccato of the rainfall, accented with the occasional crackling of thunder is a comfort and it was surprising to me how much that comfort has helped get me to sleep. That being said, you don’t need to pay big money or buy a white noise machine. You can experience the benefits of white noise in a number of different ways, from downloading free apps on your phone that will produce it, all the way to paying moderate money for an actual “white noise machine”.

I use a free app on my iPhone called Noisli. What’s nice about it (besides being free) is that it allows you to experience a variety of sounds such as rainfall, thunder, leaves blowing, rustling trees and has all three “Noise” options including White, Pink and Brownian. It allows you to blend and mix all these sounds to your liking, which means you can have a rainstorm with thunder and heavy blowing winds, if that’s your go-to relaxing sound. If anyone is interested in the actual machine we use in our household, it’s available through Amazon Canada here and retails for $29,99 CAD.

At the end of the day, sleep is one of those things that will affect every other aspect of your life. If your sleep routine sucks, it WILL affect your health, appetite, work and fitness life… all of it! That’s why it’s so important to have a regular and consistent sleep routine (going to bed around the same time every night) and ensuring your sleep is profound and deep. You can take advantages of the methods I’ve described above without breaking the bank, or don’t be afraid to take advantage of sleep therapy if you find that it still isn’t happening for you.

This is one of those things that you have to try for yourself in order to be the judge. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for a nap! ☯

Deadpool & Wolverine: A Review (Spoilers Ahead)

One iPod ,my biggest pet peeves with modern society is the propensity everyone seems to have developed for analyzing and critiquing every little detail of every movie and show they watch. While I can say with firm honesty that I have a tendency of comparing any martial arts or policing approaches on the screen to my own experience, I believe that people should just sit down, shut up and enjoy the ride. After all, tv and movies are intended to entertain. While sometimes rooted in reality, this doesn’t mean it will always be an accurate depiction. But I digress…

I got lucky this weekend and wound up with four days off. The stars don’t often align that way and so many days off in a row that I haven’t had to request usually means that my family plans some sort of trip or activity. This time around, we went nowhere and did nothing. Except experience a drainage backup in our basement but that’s a story for another post. No, this time my wife and I chose to keep the weekend reasonably simple and stayed home. We did, however, treat ourselves to a little somethin’ somethin’… We went out to see the new Deadpool & Wolverine movie.

We obviously weren’t going to take our boys to see an R-rated movie but that worked out just fine, because it allowed my wife and I to have a much-deserved date to the movies together. We secured a babysitter and spent the weekend watching the first two Deadpool movies and “Logan” in anticipation. I was a bit surprised at the short play time for the movie, sitting at 2 hours and 7 minutes. Movies in recent years have spent so much time pushing that 3-hour threshold that it was a bit refreshing to watch a superhero movie that was only two hours.

Now, here’s where a few spoilers will start rearing their ugly heads… I don’t plan on summarizing the entire movie, mind you. But of you haven’t seen this movie yet, you may want to consider stopping here. The movie opens with Deadpool digging up the Wolverine’s grave. Some of the comedy comes off as a bit over the top but the movie in its entirety definitely evens it out. Personally, I’m a bit burnt out on the whole “multiverse” concept in shows and movies. Seems like that’s the direction everyone wants to take and it gives them Carter Blanche to use characters and storylines that would otherwise be unavailable to them. But this movie did a pretty good job of it.

Besides a side-splitting montage of Deadpool wandering the multiverse looking for a Wolverine replacement, we get to see the return of several Marvel characters that took place prior to the MCU. This includes the likes of Blade (Wesley Snipes), Elektra (Jennifer Garner) and Wolverine’s daughter, X-23 (Daphne Keene). We even got to see Chris Evan’s reprise his role as the Human Torch and a host of returning mutants portrayed by their original actors from the original X-men movie from 2000. It’s a wild ride of action and fight sequences, plot twists and lots of laughs. It was definitely worth the outing and I think my wife enjoyed it, as well.

There seems to be an unspoken challenge out there for any new movie to outdo others that come out before them. but this one definitely didn’t disappoint. The movie struck the perfect balance of funny, action-packed and nostalgic, all while keeping it short enough that the audience didn’t get bored or exasperated. The only point I would score as a negative is that when Deadpool & Wolverine are eating at the end, they should have been having chimichangas instead of shawarmas. But that’s just me. ☯️

You Won’t Find Reality On The Big Screen…

I think one of the biggest issues I have in modern years is the fact that we can never seem to have a movie or television show aired on screen without someone picking it apart. They question the plot, they question the background and continuity of the story, they even question the realistic nature of what they’re watching. This is just par for the course in a world where questioning and doubting everything has become the status quo, especially in online forums. I say this, fully cognizant of the fact that I’m currently voicing my opinion on an online platform, as well. The irony is not lost on me but I do find it annoying when someone watches something completely artificial, like a movie from the superhero genre, and comment about how Superman’s flight ability wouldn’t work for certain reasons or Iron Man’s suits would weigh to much to operate, even with the miniature hydraulics… I could go on and on but the point is that people have lost the ability to simply watch what’s on the screen and enjoy the ride for what it is; a ride.

But what about something that’s based on reality? There are plenty of shows and movies where the storyline and portrayed environment are realistic and rooted in real life, as opposed to fantasy or science fiction. One good example are police drama shows. being former law enforcement myself, I can promise that despite the realistic portrayal of some of the situations in a given show or movie, there are still plenty of unrealistic inconsistencies in the tactics, investigation methods and approaches used by cops on the small or big screen. I’m sure it drives my wife nuts, as I have a compulsive habit of pointing them all out. But I digress. The point of today’s post is to single out a particular pet peeve of mine as it relates to the reality behind what we see on the screen. That is to say, karate or martial arts training. For the most part, I enjoy a good martial arts show or movie like anyone else. But having practiced Okinawan karate for the past 35 years, a specific tendency that’s portrayed really gets under my skin. Specifically, I really dislike portrayals of amateurs becoming instant professionals.

To be clear, I refer to an amateur as someone who’s never trained in the artial arts and a “professional” as someone who has trained and developed for a number fo years and has some proficiency in their respective art. I do have some examples of what I’m getting at, and hopefully at least some of you will indulge me long enough to read on… By now, most people have either seen or heard of The Karate Kid. And no, I don’t mean the dog’s breakfast of a remake they released in 201, which by the way, featured China and Kung Fu, not karate. I’m referring to the classic 1984 movie that actually featured karate. Most people would know of it nowadays due to it’s spin off series, Cobra Kai. But I’ll get to THAT in a minute. The Karate kid featured a classic scenario of the new kid in town who has trouble adjusting to his new environment and navigating the social jungle that is high school. Somewhere along the way, he encounters a karate practitioner who bullies and physically assaults the protagonist, which prompts him to learn karate himself.

What I like about this particular example is that Daniel (the protagonist) was the shining example of a 1980’s victim. Small, light weight and essentially no fighting experience when the movie starts. And in true, inspirational 1980’s form, we see Danile train for almost the entire movie in order to fight for a few short rounds at a tournament, under controlled conditions, where he wins some of the battles by sheer luck. in fact, you can see the look of absent fear and doubt in his face as he fights in most bouts. It’s real. It’s viseral. As someone who’s been there, it’s relatable. The Next Karate Kid, which was considered one of the weakest entries in the franchise, was often commented about on how ridiculous is what for the protagonist to have traned for a week in a monastery and was suddenly able to defeat a larger, stronger opponent who had trained for longer. But even this example shows a touch or reality, considering if you listen to the actual story, she describes how she had some karate experience that she learned from her father just a few years prior, setting the foundation for everything that followed. This brings us to Cobra Kai…

Let me clear on one point. I LOVE Cobra Kai. When it first got released on YouTube Red and all I could watch were the first two episodes without subscribing, I was instantly hooked. Cobra Kai, in my opinion, is the perfect drama series. Touching on all the original cast and lending itself to the nostalgia associated to the generation that was there for the original film series and touching on some of the real world problems facing the younger generation, all while reinvigorating the world’s interest in the karate genre. When we look at Miguel, one of the lead actors in the series, we’re reminded of Daniel from the original films. Bullied and laughed at, physically assaulted until he starts training in karate to learn to defend himself. In fact, we see him practicing and training almost any time he isn’t in school, leading to his development, both physically and emotionally. And while that whole cafetira fight might be a bit on the farfetched side (even a seasoned martial artist wouldn’t walk away from that many opponents unscathed), it has a reasonably firm grip on the realities of physically developing oneself and training.

But let’s talk about Hawk from the Cobra Kai series. For those who have been living under a rock and haven’t seen Cobra Kai, be warned: there are spoilers ahead. Hawk is a self-named high schooler named Eli, who is yet another stereotypical demonstration of a “nerd” or “loser.” To be clear, I don’t endorse these terms, I’m using them in a generic sense to relay what the show is trying to portray. With essentially no physical constitution whatsoever and introverted personality that sees him barely speak a word in the beginning, things changed significantly for Hawk after attending one session in Cobra Kai’s dojo where he’s teased and belittled for his appearance and walks out. He then returns with fresh workout cloths and a mohawk haircut, taking the name “Hawk.” All of a sudden and contrary to any measurable logic, he’s “flipped the script” and is now extroverted, outspoken and within a few episodes is holding his own while fighting against opponents that just a short while before. Not particularly interesting.

We see the same thing happen with Dmitri, Hawk’s estranged friend, who walked in the same bullied circles and can barely walk straight, let alone make a closed fist. But then in a particular season finale, we see him not only fight but beat the living shit out of a number of other students. This is probably the most unrealistic thing portrayed about the martial arts that we tend to see on screen. And I say again, don’t get me wrong; I LOVE Cobra Kai and can’t wait to see the final season. I’m particular partial to Mary mouser, who plays Samantha Larusso as she is not only a Type-1 Diabetic but is alos an insulin pump user. If you’re very careful and know to look for it, you can occasionally spot the bump where tey accommodated her wardrobe to conceal it. But I’m just using them as a recent example of this phenomenon. There are plenty out there, in movies, shows and such. While everyone is so busy picking apart plot lines, background and continuities and technology, very few seemt o touch on the unrealistic aspects of martial arts training on the screen.

In my experience, which I also know to be a significant reality I’ve lived through, one can’t gain martial arts prowess through occasional or even light training. To develop the level of some of the skill shown on the screen in such a short period of time is significantly unrealistic. Through the years I’ve recognized that the students who only hit up the dojo once or twice a week and never take it upon themselves to train at home will very rarely develop. Karate is a commitment and a lifestyle, requiring a significant amount of time in training, both in and out of the dojo. This is the only way development and proficiency are achieved. But all of that being said, sometimes it’s important to remember that it’s just a show. Or a movie. Or a book. Or whatever. The key is to simply sit back and enjoy the ride. ☯️