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. ☯️

The Keto Conundrum…

Because I don’t write quite as often as I used to but yet my number of followers apparently continues to grow, I’m going to preface this post by pointing out that in no uncertain terms am I a medical professional, dietitian or specialist. I’m just a tired, cranky Type-1 Diabetic in his 40’s that has managed to live through quite a bit and has tried quite a bit. That being said, the following post is essentially my opinion and what I experienced. It in no way reflects one way or another on folks who may be on a keto diet or planning to try one. Let’s begin…

One of the bigger components of good blood sugar control for someone with type-1 Diabetes is the calculating of one’s carb intake and the proper dosage of insulin to accommodate those carbs. Because not all foods are created equal, the absorption of those carbs can sometimes be tricky, which is why my old pump had an ability to bolus on a delayed timer, for slower delivery in some cases for those foods that digest slower. Something that sadly, my new, fancy pump does not have (although it does other stuff instead, so we’re all good).

One good example of this, is what i consider to be the most versatile and delicious meal in the world, second only to a gourmet cheeseburger… That’s right, I’m talking pizza! Pizza has got to be the nemesis of any insulin-dependent Diabetic. The heavy cheese, grease and processed meats will often mean that if you bolus a dose of insulin at the start of your meal, you’ll likely bottom out as your body will deal with the fat and oils first and only get to the dough later. By then, the insulin has already dropped blood sugar levels to a dangerous point. This is where some delayed bolusing or a lower dose comes in handy.

But if you find yourself hitting that low, you’ll be inclined to treat it with some fast-acting carbs right away. Even though the carbs in your pizza will eventually hit your system, you can’t allow yourself to sit at those dangerously low levels for any period of time. besides the immediate danger, there are health implications associated with frequent lows. I won’t get into those here but this makes pizza one of the most chaotic foods that I eat as it usually leads t a full night of being on the blood sugar roller coaster and going without sleep for most of the night. Not an ideal prospect.

So it would make sense that when it comes other something like pizza, a lower carb or carb-free option would be fantastic. On the flip side, for the same reasons I can’t stand tofu or similar substitutes, I still want my pizza to taste like pizza. this is where the keto diet comes in. For those who may not be in the know and don’t follow “trend” diets, we should start by explaining what a “keto,” or ketogenic diet involves.

Basically, a keto diet is where you try to eat as few carbs as possible and get all your calories from protein and fat instead. That’s why you’ll hear your pompous friend say things like, “I’m keto, I don’t eat that white bread stuff…” We get it, Kyle! You’re trendy. But seriously, the effect usually forces your body to start burning your fat tissues for fuel and energy; a process known as ketosis. This eventually causes some weight loss. This is generally intended as a short-term diet to lose some weight. People who hang on to this trend for longer periods can start to have some issues. For a Type-1 Diabetic, going into ketosis can cause the creation of ketones. Elevated keystones are bad news for Type-1’s. SO one needs to be careful if trying a keto diet.

This brings us to my recent conundrum. I follow a few nutrition and diet pages for multiple reasons and I recently found a post for a carb-free pizza. Are you kidding me? The possibility of having pizza that wouldn’t send my blood sugars into a manic fit for an entire night is like Charlie finding the golden ticket to the chocolate factory. The recipe looked quick and easy and my wife was on board, so I decided to try it. As is my usual routine, I took a screenshot of the recipe and transcribed it into my notes app and while later, so I unfortunately can’t link the recipe or provide credit where credit is due. Perhaps the poster will miraculously see my post and recognize themselves. In any event, here’s the recipe:

Low-Carb Pizza Crust
– 2 cups mozzarella cheese
– 2 cups Parmesan cheese
– 2 eggs
– 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.

Mix all that shit together in a bowl then mash it flat onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Put on whatever pizza toppings you like. We did cremini mushrooms, bacon bits, pepperoni for me and ham for my wife. Bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees. The entire pan was only about 20 grams of carbs. usually, one piece of traditional pizza is more than that.

Admittedly, baking Parmesan cheese made the house reek like nobody’s business and I’ll admit that once the pizza cooled, it quickly lost its appeal. While flavourful and satisfied my cheese craving, it may not be something that we would repeat agin. That being said, I didn’t feel full and bloated afterwards like I would with a traditional pizza and my blood sugar levels stayed nice balanced for the night. So, it was a win. My wife, who doesn’t handle cheese very well, didn’t finish all of hers and likely won’t be partaking of the meal, should I attempt it again.

It was a good idea and help with carb and blood sugar control. My suggestions, for anyone attempting to make this, would be to cut the recipe significantly, unless you have a family of four partaking. Keep the portion small and enjoy your couple of pieces while it’s still hot as cooling makes it lose its flavour and honestly, makes it a bit gross. But I think most people can be honest that the soul of the pizza is in the toppings; the dough is just the carrier. So this was a good try. Doesn’t mean I’ll be jumping any deeper in the keto pool though. ☯️

“That Wouldn’t Work…”

One of the most important aspects about being a traditional martial artist is that you need to have an open mind and be willing to learn new things. Even when those new things may not be directly related to your chosen style or art. There isn’t a martial arts style out there that hasn’t incorporated something, a technique, a strike, anything, from somewhere else. To say it isn’t so would be complete and utter bullshit. If you don’t have an open mind and be willing to learn, proficiency in the martial arts is effectively impossible.

In fact, I follow a number of martial arts pages and websites, given my own experience with martial arts. Considering that my style is Uechi Ryu karate, I follow a few Uechi pages on facebook, as well. What’s nice is being able to see others demonstrate the katas and techniques I grew up with, and see some of the work being done with my style around the globe. But more than that, I enjoy seeing some of the inspirational quotes from martial arts pioneers and authors.

Once in a while, I may see something particular, like a photo of someone practicing a technique in a certain way. And since it’s 2024 and everyone is a fuckin’ armchair warrior, there is always, without fail, at least one commenter that will always say something to the effect of: “That wouldn’t work in a real fight. That technique is completely useless…” Strong words from someone who’s likely sitting in an oversized armchair, eating Cheetos and has never trained in martial arts before.

Look, I get it… Some stuff may look ineffective on the surface and to the untrained eye, it may raise eyebrows as to why one would even practice or train in some techniques if they wouldn’t work in a real fight. But here’s the thing that most non-martial artists usually don’t understand; everything in martial arts has a purpose. It should be noted that I’m not saying everything is an effective technique. I said everything has a purpose. The distinction there is quiet important.

One shining example that I’ve seen more times than I count, is a photo of a karateka kicking straight up. Besides the usual comments about why a woman would be doing karate in a training bra and the usual pointless rhetoric that gets thrown around, many would usually comment that kicking straight above your head would be ineffective and basically useless in a real fight. The issue at hand and what needs to be recognized, is not the effectiveness of the kick itself but rather, the hard work the practitioner has endured in order to have that level of flexibility, balance and precision to execute that kick properly. The end result would be that her traditional kicks will share in those aspects and be all the more effective.

It’s comparable to all the chore-based crap that Mr. Miyagi had Daniel doing in the Karate Kid. Or Cobra Kai, I guess, if you’ve never seen the original 1984 movie (although I highly recommend you do, if you haven’t. Great flick!) Mr. Miyagi had Daniel waxing cars to develop his circle block, sanding decks to develop his low blocks and painting fences to develop his wrist blocks. Daniel becomes frustrated by the chores and tries to quit, until Mr. Miyagi demonstrates the skills Daniel has learned through muscle memory and repetition. Not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison but the idea is the same.

The point is, one may not always fully understand the thought or use behind a particular technique or method of training. While you may never have engaged in such specific methods yourself, exploring it instead of commenting on it may give you the insight you lack and you may even learn a thing or two. If you’re lucky. But dismissing or commenting on any demonstrated technique, form, method of training or style, without having first walked a mile in their shoes is not only short-sighted. It’s ignorant. Food for thought… ☯️

Old School Ways Can Be Eye Opening…

I recently had something occur that has not only thrown a ,monkey wrench into my weekly routine but has made me realize just how dependent I’ve become on modern resources and technology. About a month ago, I started a load of laundry and tossed my jeans in; jeans that just happened to contain my debit card. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be such a big deal. On this occasion however, it was a hot water load and it caused my debit card to warp and bend. I realized this when I emptied out the washer and found the card sitting at the bottom of the drum.

I have this unfortunate habit of taking my debit card out of my wallet, using it, then slipping the debit card back into my pocket without placing it back in my wallet. Lesson #1 for me, as this action is what caused the problem. Had I simply put the card back into my wallet as opposed to dropping it loosely in my pants, all would be well. As a result of my oversight, I now found myself with a debit card that would potentially not function for its intended use. Considering this is the primary expense account for our household, access to those funds is rather important.

Over the next couple of weeks that followed, I tested and used this debit card without issue. The chip function worked normally, despite the card’s misshapen state. The tap function also still worked for day-to-day purchases. In essence, it appeared as though the card was fully functional despite the damage I had caused to it. As a result, I was in no hurry to try and have the card replaced. I had no issue until I tried to use the card at an actual ATM machine. I had stopped in at my local bank’s branch and tried to put the card into the ATM to withdraw a cash amount. This is when I discovered that the warped state of my debit card wouldn’t allow the ATM to accept the card. Fuck me. Of course there’d be a problem…

While most banking or payments can be done by debit or credit card, some payments do occasionally need to be done in cash. Further, there is a growing movement by local businesses to prefer cash payment as debit or credit card payments tend to impose fees and charges against a business that don’t happen if a consumer is paying in cash. But i digress. My point is I needed to replace this shitty debit card so things could get back to normal. And as those who know me may have noticed, I’m not a big fan of change, especially to anything I do that’s routine.

I walked into my bank and requested a replacement card. Since debit cards are embossed and need to be created, I was issued a “temporary” debit card with nothing on it but a magnetic strip. We’re talking old school swipe to use. On top of that, the card would only work in my bank’s branches or ATM machines. Lovely. Since the majority of retail locations don’t house an ATM machine from my bank, I’ve been forced to calculate my expenses ahead of time ands withdraw money BEFORE running errands or shopping.

This additional need has opened my eyes to a few different things. First, it’s woken me up to how much we spend on a weekly basis without thought. I’m not claiming to be rich. In fact, far from it. But having to use cash and calculate whether i have enough for what’s sitting in my shopping cart has made me realize that I never bother to do such calculations when I’m using a debit card. I mostly wind up tapping or paying without paying much attention. For obvious reasons, this isn’t a good ting and I’ve found myself putting back the “nice to haves” and unnecessary items that I may have grabbed in prior shopping trips that I realize I wasn’t carrying enough cash to purchase.

What initially started as an inconvenience has opened my eyes and made me aware of our household’s spending and what steps I can take to mitigate some of it. Sometimes, the most inconvenient of instances can still yield some positive outcomes. I think there’s something there about finding the silver lining. In all honesty, given that I grew up in the generation where debit cards became the “thing,” I’m not sure how I survived shopping and living life on cash alone. Sometimes it’s good to take a look back and go back to a simpler means of getting things done. There are always lessons to be learned. Food for thought… ☯️

The Ontario Odyssey: The Aftermath…

My wife and I recently travelled to Toronto for a work-related business trip. Since my lovely wife celebrated a birthday close to that date, we felt it would be a nice trip for her to join on, since we would have our evenings to enjoy each other’s company and a much-needed break from our little ones. We were lucky enough that their grandmother was able to come spend a few days with them so that our trip could be accommodated. This would be the first time my wife would actually stay and wander within the City of Toronto.

I should preempitvely start this post by mentioning that I have no inherent dislike or hatred for large cities in general. After all, having travelled the likes of New York ( 8million people) and Tokyo (about 13 million people), Toronto is a far cry sitting at only about 3 million people. Still, that’s a marked departure from our home city of only about 250,000 people and the difference in population exposed us to some very harsh realities of modern society at its worst. Here are some of the highlights…

Our trip started decently enough, albeit with a 30-minute flight delay on our departure. While this didn’t affect our 1-leg direct flight, some of the passengers connecting in Toronto were visibly nervous and upset with the delay. Understandably so. While not seated together (we booked separately as my job covered my flight cost), our flight was uneventful and we landed in Toronto in late afternoon. The differences in our home environment and the big city were immediately evident upon trying to get through the terminal.

Majoratively and for the most part, I’ve noticed that people in the big city will go absolutely out of their way to avoid eye contact with others. While this is a personal choice and fine in concept, the practice is a bit more problematic. Especially when you’re in a large crowd. As we were walking at a rushed pace to find a cab, I had to repeatedly ask people to bring their eyes up as most people either had their eyes down on their phone or would simply walk right into others by virtue of not making eye contact. Just to be clear, I’m not of the impression that it’s everyone else’s job to get out of my way. But at least have the decency to keep your eyes up and contribute to the flow of foot traffic instead of being a hindrance. This would be common sense but I guess if sense were common, there wouldn’t be a term for it.

We stepped out of the terminal into. 36-degree summer heat. The sweat immediately bloomed on my forehead and the dizziness from the heat kicked in immediately. Exhausted and harassed by the crowds, we were quite happy to get to the hotel and check in. Not wanting to exhaust ourselves further, we opted to dine at the bistro located within the hotel, where I enjoyed a very lovely gourmet burger and some crispy fries. It was a nice ending to a day’s travel. We retired to the room and unceremoniously passed out shortly thereafter.

The next morning saw me deal with day 1 of my meetings, followed by an evening of dining with the group at an organized dinner. The menu was too extensive to get into, quite honestly, and the food and wine flowed freely, which made for an excellent evening of conversation, food and relaxation. The following day saw my meetings end around the noon hour. With the second day of conferences completed, we now had the remainder of the day to ourselves and decided to venture into the downtown core to shop and explore. This is where the issues began…

Besides being misdirected to a shopping centre we didn’t want by a “helpful” taxi driver, the heat basically floored us and sapped all life from us. By the time we reached the downtown core, we experienced the full gamut of human ignorance and indifference for one’s fellow man. Walking like a flood of angry badgers and completely oblivious to other people in their path or attempting to walk through, the population continued on the almost religious adherence to avoiding eye contact and willingly walking into others. Despite some verbal attempts, I even had a couple of occasions where I had to hold a had up to prevent someone from walking face-to-face into me. I’m surprised I didn’t get into a fight, to be honest.

Our overall downtown trip was not only disappointing but was enough of make us realize that populated city centres are not our thing. We begrudgingly made our way back to our hotel and once again dined in the main floor bistro, as it was convenient and easy. While we were still ultimately happy at having had some private time to spend together, the overall experience that was Toronto was not ideal. For us. Just to be clear, it wasn’t ideal for us. But we still had the opportunity for good conversation, some fine meals and the opportunity to travel together. That still tips the scales to the positive side.

The lesson for anyone out there reading my little rant right now, is that we live in a world of continuously evolving technology and as it carries on, we get more and more immersed in this technology. We ignore the real world in favour of burying our face in screen where we suddenly become brazen, outspoken and even quasi-offensive (or sometimes flu-blown offensive). But yet in the real world, we ignore the people around us and pretend they’re not there, even in a large crowd. In many ways, this is quite sad.

Let’s just say that I’m quite happy living in an environment that has a little population as it does. Both my wife and I are from towns with a population of a few thousand. Neither one of us can stand large crowds or millions of people. Despite this, we try to accommodate living in the real world because that’s where we all exist. But I won’t lie when I say we were quite happy getting back to our little city and making it to our quiet home in our little suburb. ☯️

Don’t Stress Over It…

I’ll be the first to admit that my tactics at approaching life have changed significantly over the past five years or so. And undoubtedly with positive results. It’s no secret that stress can have a number of adverse effects on one’s physical and mental state, especially in the long term. If you live a life of constant stress and anxiety, you’ll do more damage to yourself than the stress is worth. And chances are, the people behind that stress won’t give two shits about how far you put yourself out there.

Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to nasty effects like muscle tension, headaches, stomach problems and even heart and blood pressure issues. In addition to those few and according to an article posted by WebMD, symptoms of prolonged stress can include chest pains, rapid breathing, insomnia and loss of sex drive. I can’t but help but feel that the last one is a bit of a chicken or the egg scenario… lack of sex drive stresses you out, so you suffer more lack of sex drive, which stresses you out further… Brutal. But i digress…

Stress can also lead to the old saying about things “weighing on your soul,” as it can affect the emotional part of one’s health, as well. Loneliness, difficulty relaxing and becoming easily agitated can all be caused by prolonged exposure to stress. The problem comes from the body “fight or flight response,” which is triggered by harmful situations in one’s environment. It’s important to note that what may be considered stressful for one person may not be stressful to another. For example, some people may give zero fucks about how clean their bathroom is, while another person may get stressed out if a towel sits out for more than a couple of days.

So how does this tie in to Type-1 Diabetes? Well, the short answer is, surprise, surprise, EVERYTHING affects Type-1 Diabetes and stress is no exception. Stress will often adversely affect blood sugars, mostly due to the release of adrenaline and glucagon during those periods of increased stress. The result can be blood sugars that will slip easily out of whack, especially if you’re on a clever little insulin pump that will try to adjust for rising blood sugars but won’t understand WHY it’s happening. But all things being equal, everything described in the last few paragraphs are reason enough to try and avoid stress as much as possible.

We live in a crazy world that seems to promote stress rather than try to mitigate it, so it can be hard to avoid. For the most part, I spent over twenty years waking up to an alarm, hitting the ground running and rushing to get from point A to B, every day. There are reasons why my A1C’s have been total shit for almost two decades. In recent years, I’ve flipped the script a little bit on what it means to be healthy and have made some changes. I no longer wake up to an alarm. No, I’m not rich and I do hold a day job. I’ve accomplished this by having a reasonable bedtime at night and sticking to it in general terms as a daily routine. Even on the weekends, when I know I can sleep in a bit, I won’t wake to an alarm but will allow my body to wake on it’s own, which is far less stressful and shocking to the system than any alarm one could imagine.

A bit part of managing one’s stress has to do with how you choose to begin your day. My morning routine usually includes those first few sips of caffeine, followed by showering, dressing and prepping my lunch. Sound pretty standard? That’s because it is. The difference is I make a point of taking my time and not rushing. If I should be a few minutes behind or late, so be it. Granted, not everyone has that benefit but if you do, be sure to take advantage of it. On your way to work, try listening to some music as opposed to the news. Find a tune that you’ll sing to or groove to. Or both. Puts you in a much better mindset than hearing what political or world issues may be threatening your world.

Obviously, I’m not suggesting burying your head in the sand; I’m just saying there’s no need to constantly make yourself on edge and there’s plenty you can do to calm yourself and reduce your stress level. Finally, find some time for yourself. Whether it’s meditation, sitting with a book or just sipping a pint while watching a game, take the time to decompress and unwind. While built with the inherent ability to react to stress, we’re not built to be constantly exposed to it. That’s why so many people experience burnout and develop mental health issues.

Keep tabs on your stress. Doing so will help with one’s overall blood sugar control and help promote better overall health; diabetes-related or not. And let’s not forget the most important reason, health and stress issues aside, for doing well of this for yourself, which is to be happy. It’s important to be happy. If that isn’t motivation enough to help get you out of bed without an alarm, something may need to be changed. Food for thought… ☯️

A Belt Is Just A Belt…

I still vividly remember the first night I stepped into Sensei’ dojo. I was young, impressionable yet still chock full of sarcasm and quasi-narcissism. However, I was extremely aware of my own reality and recognized that I needed something life-altering in order to keep myself alive. Karate turned out to be the path towards that goal. After that first night, it would only get better. That’s not to say there wasn’t a significant amount of literal blood, sweat and tears. But I was willing to work at it and do what had to be done to reach my goals.

As I began to grow and progress within the dojo, I started to take notice and recognize the different belt ranks and how they seemed to play a role in the overall flow of the dojo. Generally speaking and for most people, black belt is usually the ultimate goal for the students. Ironically, achieving black belt was never ACTUALLY one of my goals, although I would eventually achieve it in early 2002. It would be a turning point for me and a significantly important day in my life and my martial arts journey.

One phenomenon that I’ve come to realize over the years is that the majority of students who stick with it long enough to reach black belt soon quit afterwards. For me, I never actually permanently stepped away from karate, although I can admit there have been times in my life where I’ve taken a hiatus. Such a break is never inherently a bad thing; one sometimes needs to evaluate one’s life in order to rot determine next steps. But the one thing I never did is hang up my belt permanently. And such a thing should not be done. Although addressed in different ways in different styles, Sensei always said that passing black belt was a student’s way of formally asking his Sensei to teach him karate. Can’t do that, if you quit.

I recently read a post online by Steve Rowe. For those who may not be familiar, Steve Rowe is a martial artists and author and has posted a number for very insightful things about the martial arts. One of the best takes on black belt that I’ve read in while was from him. Here’s a taste…

“Taking responsibility for themselves.
Their own training.
Their own standards.
Their own progress.
Never blaming others for a setback.
Being stroking enough to help others.
THAT’s a black belt.”

I wish I could find the post again but I’m sure if you Google Steve Rowe, you’ll no doubt find it. But the post goes on to talk about how becoming a black belt is an investment in oneself and how passing black belt is like finding the ladder that you now need to climb. Not only do I truly love this perspective but I agree with it, as well. Over the past 22 years, I’ve continued to push myself, to learn new things, to teach others and to continue my training.

If I were back home, I have every confidence that I would have climbed the dan ranks without question by now. But deep down, I understand that it doesn’t matter. It’s just a belt. And the certificate is just a piece of paper. It’s what you do with those that knowledge once you have it that will make you an effective martial artist. Food for thought…☯️

A Hearty Middle Finger To Type-1 Diabetes…

It’s been a little over two weeks since I started on my brand new Medtronic Minimed 780G insulin pump. To be completely honest, I upgraded primarily because my previous pump’s warranty ran out and I didn’t want to risk being stuck high and dry if something happened to it that required repairs. While I looked up some of the new pump’s enhanced features, including but not limited to upgraded SmartGuard technology and Bluetooth connectivity for better communication with the CGM sensor, I kinda wondered just how worth it getting a new pump would be.

Over the past couple of weeks, my curiosity was satisfied many times over. With at least two sensor changes and multiple reservoir changes, the difference in my overall blood sugar control has been phenomenal. While I couldn’t guess at what my A1C is currently sitting at, I would assume it’s dropped significantly from my last bloodwork results, all thanks to the increased control and time in range that the new pump has provided. One handy feature is to be able to monitor my blood sugars and perform certain functions through an app on my phone. One of the fun features is that it provides a percentage of time in range for the previous 24 hours. I used to average somewhere between 70 to 80% time in range. Lately, I’ve been hitting the 90’s. And then a few days ago, this happened…

It’s a pretty satisfying feeling, knowing that for the past 24 hours, your blood sugars have been so well controlled that you haven’t gone out of range at any point. Obviously, I could hit a low or a high in the following hour and that percentage would drop but still… In that moment, I had been in range for the 24 hours preceding that moment. While it could have happened before, I don’t know that it ever has. And even if it had, I would have had no way to comprehensively know it before getting this pump. I’m almost looking forward to my next round of bloodwork…

To say I’m impressed and happy with this new pump would be an understatement. The monitoring and micro-bolus adjustments have made things great. Between that and how much my blood pressure and organ health are improving, it kind of feels like everything is coming up me. Here’s hoping that nothing breaks the spell… ☯️