Chris's Musings

After a *gasp* several month siesta from posting anything to this blog, I have finally found an opportunity to get outside my house (one that is undergoing renovations), sit in an environment that is conducive to bringing out my creative side (a Starbucks), with a laptop that runs on it's battery and isn't demon-possessed (more to come). This weekend, I finally got tired of suffering with all of this bad technology and bought a new MacBook.  This less than 3 pound beauty has been like a breath of fresh air for me.  I bought my original MacBook in 2007 and instantly fell in love with it (I'd been a PC guy up till then).  The things I had to worry about with PC's (viruses, long load times, drivers, etc.) were non-issues with the Mac.  I do a lot of work with technology on the business side, but I'm not an "IT ticker guy."  I want my computer to work; I don't get under the hood.  Hence, since 2007 I've been a pretty loyal Mac guy. Eventually, all

Single on Valentines Day.  Is this you?  It's me. You know, when you are unattached (but not unloved... read what I wrote last year ), you really have a decision to make about your attitude and your posture today because, let's be honest, you know it's V-day.  You can either a.) be grateful for your friends, family, and the God that loves you so much and give that love out to others, b.) be bitter, or c.) be or do something that you'll very likely later regret.  In the cases of b. or c., there are some really (and I mean really) lame things that can be done when you are in categories "b" or "c."  In the interest of transparency, I am not innocent so I'm not only being funny and hoping to keep you from being lame, but I'm also speaking out of past "lameness" experience which I hope that you can avoid next year, if not this year :-).  Here's about 10... Posting a bitter rant about how much v-day sucks on your Facebook account.

Today is day 30 of my Whole30!  Yes, my friends, I have managed to survive this. Actually, I'm doing really great.  This program has really been a good catalyst for me re-engaging with healthy habits and developing some new ones.  I don't regret the "suffering" and if anyone would ask if I would ever do it again, I would resoundingly say "Yes!"  (I would recommend it for anyone as well... you learn a lot by taking the Whole30 challenge) The question that most people have asked me about "Day 31" (tomorrow) is "So, what are you looking forward to the most when you're done?"  Obviously, the expectation is that I'm going to go grab my favorite non-compliant food and enjoy it.  A coworker of mine told me that I should eat a cupcake, and I think she's going to bring one into the office tomorrow.  I think that if I went from "no added sugar whatsoever" to "frosting overload" I may go into diabetic shock, so I

It's Day 16, otherwise known to me as "Whole30 HUMP DAY - WOOT WOOT!"  Can you tell I'm excited?  14 days till I can start eating fake food again... oh wait, maybe it isn't all that great ;-) To tell you the truth, the whole thing has been a great experience so far.  I get bored with my food, yes.  I get massive cravings.  But... I feel great and my energy levels are good. A few days ago, a friend in my Whole30 support group posted this blog article to our group page (by the way, I don't recommend anyone doing this without some moral support).  It's pretty funny ( http://whole30.com/2012/09/doing-the-whole30-when/ ).  However, I think this list is somewhat incomplete and I feel somewhat compelled to add a few based on my experience.  I'll put it in here as a points system... tell me how many points you have, if in fact you are doing Whole30 (and have been on the program for at least a few weeks) +1 point:  You feel your clothes getting looser (

First off, Happy New Year everyone. A new year for me usually starts with a little goal-setting for the year, as well as making some commitments.  One of these I started last year (to my knowledge) was to do a "reset" of my diet during January to re-establish some good habits and potentially establish a few new ones.  I did a "paleo" diet last year and really got a lot out of it. A few folks I know did Whole30 last year, and I decided last year that I'd do Whole30 for my reset this year.  I started on January 5th after serving at the Passion conference.  What's been neat is that several friends are also starting the program (either on Jan 1st or on Passion+1 like me), and the encouragement that I've gotten from the Facebook group has been great. The program is basically "like" paleo but more strict when it comes to a couple of things.  First, you can't have any products with added sugar, including any type of sweetener (which forc