CHRONOLOGICALLY BLESSED

[Mark D]

I can't recommend this recipe enough. I know a number of us in here are low carb to paleo, thought you'd like to try it.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/breads/r/flaxbasicfoc.htm

sent from my tiny particle accelerator

 

Granny Nogg:  My wife got some flax meal yesterday, we're going to try this.  We'll make it with sugar instead of artificial sweetener, since we REALLY dislike that stuff (as I noted with the discussion of whey powder), but I don't think 1/6 to 1/12 of a tablespoon of sugar per piece of bread is too bad anyway.

 

I'll let you know how we like it.

[Mark D]

I have had it with people today. Language Warning!

Rant 1)

I don't want to know what or was not done within the Ambulance Centre today. I am not interested in gossip and innuendo so.......fuck off.

This due to the over active gossip machine of any organisation, usually with the help of people with too much time on their hands and little in the way of imagination to keep themselves and the mouths occupied.

Rant 2)

When my Boss starts a sentence with "Leanne I respect what you do on the Ambulance...........but..........." Yeah well you can fuck off too.

The second rant coming because the old cow boss is putting more pressure on me to abandon my Duty on Ambulance Friday in favour of her crap, she has failed in her duty to find a replacement for me, she knew I was coming onto her team and had 4 weeks prior to starting work to get this organised, I have never worked at the pool on a Friday, she knows this, in 3 years it has never changed. Leaving this to last minute shows how confident she is in her Bullying tactics, that she will get her own way. Not today Zurg!

 

 

Incompetent bullies make the worst bosses.

 

I had a manager once who believed she could get anything she wanted from her employees if she demanded it loudly enough.  One time we had a database update program bomb and corrupt the database, so the ONLY thing we could do was restore the database from backup (we took backups along the way for exactly that reason),correct the problem, and re-run the update.  She asked me how long the restore took, I told her about 45 minutes.  She said (loudly) "I want it done in 20 minutes."  Now I'm a talented programmer, but I can't pull I/O cycles out of my....nose.  She's one of only two managers I've ever had who, if I walked into a job interview and saw her sitting there, I'd walk out again because I'd refuse to work for her.  (The other was just a lying sack of crap I wouldn't believe if he told me the sun would rise in the East tomorrow morning).   

[peelout]

The older I get, the more stretching seems like the hardest part of my workout.  More so than strength or core training.   Shouldn't it be relaxing?  I mean I'm just bending for gosh sakes!.  Part of getting old.  I'll deal w/ it.

[Granny Nogg]

My wife has never seen me without a beard.  It's full but (mostly) neatly trimmed.  Someones it gets a little shaggy if I don't get around to trimming it.  Whenever I trim it she says "That's the man I married!"

 

When I grew it, I went from "looks like he didn't shave" to "has a beard" in a bit over a week.  Oddly, the best thing you can do to make that transition is to trim off all the facial hair that you don't intend to keep as part of the beard, the throat and cheeks above the beard for instance.  

 

Edit: Duh, forgot I added a picture.  In that picture it's a little shaggy, about due for a trim.

 

Yeah I hear you about the constant maintenance or it gets shaggy.  Allen's always trimming his mustache.  Funny thing is, it takes me usually an average of a day to notice.  How?  Because I get poked when he kisses me.  Not on the day he trims it, but invariably the 2nd day.  I think it's 2nd day because the hairs have had time to lift and stand straight out more because they're shorter.  

I've got nothing against the Duck Dynasty boys, but those beards are just.... well, I never had a thing for ZZ Topp either.  

I was watching this one documentary/interview thingy on the Duck Dynasty guys, and the interviewer is in a truck with one of the bearded men, I think the oldest son.  Anywhoo, a fly buzzes around this guy's beard about chin level, and GOES IN.  Not just staying on the surface of the beard but climbs on inside and STAYS THERE.  The camera is staying on the area where the fly went in and the interviewer is still talking to the guy and I'm like.... GAGGGG.  If a man's facial hair is that long or unkempt or what have you that flies are so very attracted, ewwwwww.  

 

I have had it with people today. Language Warning!

Rant 1)

I don't want to know what or was not done within the Ambulance Centre today. I am not interested in gossip and innuendo so.......fuck off.

This due to the over active gossip machine of any organisation, usually with the help of people with too much time on their hands and little in the way of imagination to keep themselves and the mouths occupied.

Rant 2)

When my Boss starts a sentence with "Leanne I respect what you do on the Ambulance...........but..........." Yeah well you can fuck off too.

The second rant coming because the old cow boss is putting more pressure on me to abandon my Duty on Ambulance Friday in favour of her crap, she has failed in her duty to find a replacement for me, she knew I was coming onto her team and had 4 weeks prior to starting work to get this organised, I have never worked at the pool on a Friday, she knows this, in 3 years it has never changed. Leaving this to last minute shows how confident she is in her Bullying tactics, that she will get her own way. Not today Zurg!

 

That's a bummer you had such a rough day at work.  But I had to giggle a little at the Zurg reference.  It made me think of Zorg from 5th Element.  I suspect your boss and Zorg may have much in common. 

 

Granny Nogg:  My wife got some flax meal yesterday, we're going to try this.  We'll make it with sugar instead of artificial sweetener, since we REALLY dislike that stuff (as I noted with the discussion of whey powder), but I don't think 1/6 to 1/12 of a tablespoon of sugar per piece of bread is too bad anyway.

 

I'll let you know how we like it.

Oh!  What did you think?  Did you use golden flax or the regular? 

___________________

I got my Epic Quest done today, I had an Epic Workout this morning, and now I'm gonna go have an Epic amount of sleep.  */passes out*

[SevenofSeven]

Tried a tactic at work today, because yes she did start again with the Friday thing. I put my hand on her shoulder, looked down at her but straight in the eye, used her first name instead of the usual Mrs A we all call her and said "No Lillian, I will not be here on Friday, you know this to be true, you will have to figure something else out". Well, blow me down she backed off and said they would try combining my last classes in with the other teachers, being the last day they only play games anyway. Now why the bloody hell couldn't she have gone with that plan when one of the other teachers brought it up Monday?

Felt pretty pleased with myself, because I felt grown up doing that. Yeah I know right, I am 44 and felt like I adulted myself well in a work situation instead of feeling inferior and child like.

[Mark D]

 

 

Oh!  What did you think?  Did you use golden flax or the regular? 

 

 

The package just says "Flax seed meal", so I'm guessing regular.

 

We didn't make it yet, things like that tend to happen on weekends.  I'll report after we make it and try it.

[Granny Nogg]

The package just says "Flax seed meal", so I'm guessing regular.

We didn't make it yet, things like that tend to happen on weekends. I'll report after we make it and try it.

Okay. So a couple things I've learned:

--Definitely DO plan on using some spices or flavorings in the recipe. By itself it's a little bit flax-y. Which is fine if you like that flavor and all. But if you aren't used to it, then it's a little weird. So add onion, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, or Italian or Greek seasoning, or grated parmesan, or anything that strikes you.

--Definitely do use GOLDEN flax seed, not the darker flax. It lightens up the flavor of the bread so that it's less like canned brown bread or rye bread, and more like a mild cornbread. Unless you like those stronger flavors, of course!

--Make sure the flax you use is finely ground and nowhere near it's sell-by date, and not in a see-through bag or container when you buy it at the store. Air and light are flax's worst enemies.

--Store any unused flax in the freezer in a sealed container or ziplock freezer bag, as it has a short shelf life once it's opened, even in the fridge. If you smell it and it smells fishy at all, then it's rancid. The oils in the flax go bad easily, so I don't recommend buying it in bulk from the health food store's bulk food area because it's likely rancid already.

--To give your flax a finer texture, you can run the ground flax through a coffee grinder. This makes it almost flour-like.

sent from my tiny particle accelerator

[peelout]

Went to the visitation of my friends 16yr old grandson today. The boy died in a car accident.  He had just got his license, and got a used jeep for Xmas.  

 

Five factors probably played in the reason for the accident and subsequent death:

1)  Driving at a high rate of speed,

2)  Driving on a road which has a dip which is known to local teenagers as a place to get some air,

3)  Lack of experience in handling sudden problems that an experienced driver might have been able to handle

4) Driving a jeep which is not the most stable vehicle

5)  Not wearing a seat belt.

 

The first 4 aren't my topic.  But his 14yr old brother was with him and he was wearing a seatbelt.  The 14yr old was standing in line at the visitation w just a small bruise under his eye. It still amazes me when I hear the old and wise give reasons for not wearing seatbelts.  Several times my father in law has told the story about an officer who told him "if the person hadn't been thrown clear, they would have been killed in the car because it exploded".  I really doubt any officer said that or if they did I'm sure it wasn't meant to justify not wearing seat belts.  My mom always said she was afraid if the car went under water, she wouldn't be able to get the seat belt off and would drown.  Guess she thought the majority of accidents result in drownings (I actually know of 1 occurrence of this but thats 1 time in all my years compared to more deaths from not wearing seatbelts than I can count.  Both parents were told long ago that they were never to say this crap in front of our kids.  I can understand young and stupid.  But I will never understand old and stupid when it comes to something like this.  And when parents say "well it only affects me", guess who's watching and learning?

 

Just food for thought for any parents or grandparents out there who still haven't figured out that "Seat belts save lives". What you do does affect others.

[Scumspawn]

Went to the visitation of my friends 16yr old grandson today. The boy died in a car accident.  He had just got his license, and got a used jeep for Xmas.  

 

Five factors probably played in the reason for the accident and subsequent death:

1)  Driving at a high rate of speed,

2)  Driving on a road which has a dip which is known to local teenagers as a place to get some air,

3)  Lack of experience in handling sudden problems that an experienced driver might have been able to handle

4) Driving a jeep which is not the most stable vehicle

5)  Not wearing a seat belt.

 

That is such a sad story. I agree with you totally about seat belts, it's a no brainer as far as I'm concerned, the benefits outweight the tiny risks a millionfold.

It really annoys me when people drive off before they have put their seatbelt on, then in the first 30 seconds of the car moving, usually when they are trying to get out of a parking spot or something that generally is easier with both hands, they put the seatbelt on - what is the problem with putting it on before you move the car!

It annoys me equally with people who tie the string of herbal teabags around the handle of the mug - why! It just makes it difficult to remove.

People, huh!

[suelegal]

Good morning!

 

Starting at the beginning - I'm 63, no kids of my own, but married to a great guy with 2 grownup great kids, and I have 4 grands. I'm 22 years sober, I ride a motorcycle, I love to knit and I lift weights. I currently weigh 168 and I like being strong! I'm a paralegal, work in downtown Manhattan at a small law firm doing big class action antitrust law and I really love my work!

 

And now that I've found you all, I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up at least for a while. I leave Saturday for Philly to begin a trial which, if it plays out for the entire schedule, will keep me there for 6-8 weeks, working 18 or so hour days. I will have little time for anything except work - though I will have my hotel room workout with me sometimes even the 30 minutes extra sleep beats the workout. 

 

I have a tough time in these situations, I'm quick to abandon awareness and conscious eating to stress over-eating and absent mindedly snacking, Add to it that I don't get to make my own food, lunches are generally deli-style and dinners are restaurant or room-service.  You get the picture.  

 

I want this trial period to be different than previous experiences.  I want to be accountable before I put the food in my mouth and hits my gut so I'm stating my intention and putting reminders everywhere!

 

 

 

 

[Granny Nogg]

Went to the visitation of my friends 16yr old grandson today. The boy died in a car accident. He had just got his license, and got a used jeep for Xmas.

Five factors probably played in the reason for the accident and subsequent death:

1) Driving at a high rate of speed,

2) Driving on a road which has a dip which is known to local teenagers as a place to get some air,

3) Lack of experience in handling sudden problems that an experienced driver might have been able to handle

4) Driving a jeep which is not the most stable vehicle

5) Not wearing a seat belt.

The first 4 aren't my topic. But his 14yr old brother was with him and he was wearing a seatbelt. The 14yr old was standing in line at the visitation w just a small bruise under his eye. It still amazes me when I hear the old and wise give reasons for not wearing seatbelts. Several times my father in law has told the story about an officer who told him "if the person hadn't been thrown clear, they would have been killed in the car because it exploded". I really doubt any officer said that or if they did I'm sure it wasn't meant to justify not wearing seat belts. My mom always said she was afraid if the car went under water, she wouldn't be able to get the seat belt off and would drown. Guess she thought the majority of accidents result in drownings (I actually know of 1 occurrence of this but thats 1 time in all my years compared to more deaths from not wearing seatbelts than I can count. Both parents were told long ago that they were never to say this crap in front of our kids. I can understand young and stupid. But I will never understand old and stupid when it comes to something like this. And when parents say "well it only affects me", guess who's watching and learning?

Just food for thought for any parents or grandparents out there who still haven't figured out that "Seat belts save lives". What you do does affect others.

Yes. I'm a firm believer in seat belts. I always wear one. A loved one in my family does not. Sometimes I get so frustrated by that. But I can't control others, even for their own good. I've told him, though, if he dies because he didn't wear a seat belt, I'm bringing him back to life so I can punch his lights out. You can imagine the effectiveness of that empty threat.

Seat belts saved 3 of my children's lives in 2005. They were teenagers. A friend was driving, it was night, a country road, with a truck coming at them down the middle of the road in the opposite direction. The friend swerved to the shoulder, hit loose gravel, spun and lost control, spun more and slid across the road. A guard rail went through the passenger side window and continued out the back window. The car landed on its side in the gravel in a slight depression in the opposite side of the road.

Motorists who'd been behind the swerving truck saw the whole thing and stopped to call 911. They got out and ran to the boy's car to see if they could help.

Our youngest son was 12 and still buckled into his seat belt. He was behind the driver, hanging sideways from his belt, unconscious.

One of our middle sons was 16, and had been sitting behind the front passenger. It's unclear whether he was wearing his belt or not. He can't remember. But the guard rail missed his head by inches. After the motorists arrived, he climbed out the back window, in full panic.

Our daughter was 18 and unconscious in the front passenger seat. She'd been wearing her seat belt, and she was trapped underneath the crumpled remains of the fender.

Their friend, the driver, was also 18, had been wearing his belt, and was hanging from it above our daughter. He weighed 370 pounds, and that seat belt was preventing him from falling on her and crushing her.

While the dust settled, our middle soon climbed back into the car through the rear window, and tried to get his little brother out. He couldn't get the seat belt un-buckled, likely because he was panicking. The youngest one was crying and saying his wrist hurt. He had a clean break that busted the growth plate on his left wrist and required micro surgery to reattach it. Doctors told us the break was clean enough that they were able to save the growth plate. He was in a cast for 8 weeks, but otherwise fine. He's married now and is a great step dad to a little girl.

During the commotion of our middle son trying to get the youngest one out, the other kids woke up. The driver was hanging from his seat belt and too frightened to move. The paramedics had to cut him out of his belt and drag him out through the windshield.

Our daughter was underneath the car, her head and body lying on the ground where the passenger door had been ripped off by the guard rail, her hips and legs trapped by the fender. The paramedics had to cut a hole in the fender and pull her through it. Her pelvis was broken in 3 places, two in front and one in back. She also required micro surgery, and had to have metal plates put in her pelvis to reassemble it. She was in the hospital for almost a month. She'd gotten poison ivy, from the ground where she'd been laying when the car landed. Doctors warned us that she'd never walk again. But she made a miraculous recovery. Not only can she walk, but she regained almost full mobility. She does have permanent issues; she's a somewhat high risk pregnancy and has to have cesarean section deliveries. She's married now and has a 2 year old daughter, with a second daughter going to be born next Monday. Her hips bother her in cold weather, and she can't run very easily, but she was never a runner before the accident, so it wasn't a huge loss. She will always set off metal detectors. She has two huge 9-inch long parallel scars running up her back on either side of her spine. She calls them her skid marks.

Our middle son came through the ordeal miraculously unhurt. A few minor scratches but doctors think those were from glass and metal as he climbed in and out of the back window. He used the motorists' cellphone to call me. I'll never forget his words: "Mom, don't freak, but there's been an accident." He's married now with an infant son.

The driver was an emotional casualty. He has never psychologically recovered from the accident, even though physically he was unhurt. He has been in love with our daughter for many years, even though she never felt the same way about him. They've had conversations about it. He blames himself for her injuries. He dropped out of college, stopped playing his violin, struggles to hold down a job, and is a shell of a man. His seat belt literally saved our daughter's life, though. If he'd fallen on her, it would have severed her spine. We've told him that, and we don't blame him at all. But he's never sought therapy to work through his emotional damage and it's very sad.

I don't want to end this story on a negative note though. Our kids are able to talk about the accident if it comes up in conversation. How much they're recovered emotionally, I don't know for sure, but they seem to be fairly well adjusted adults.

Good morning!

Starting at the beginning - I'm 63, no kids of my own, but married to a great guy with 2 grownup great kids, and I have 4 grands. I'm 22 years sober, I ride a motorcycle, I love to knit and I lift weights. I currently weigh 168 and I like being strong! I'm a paralegal, work in downtown Manhattan at a small law firm doing big class action antitrust law and I really love my work!

And now that I've found you all, I'm not sure I'll be able to keep up at least for a while. I leave Saturday for Philly to begin a trial which, if it plays out for the entire schedule, will keep me there for 6-8 weeks, working 18 or so hour days. I will have little time for anything except work - though I will have my hotel room workout with me sometimes even the 30 minutes extra sleep beats the workout.

I have a tough time in these situations, I'm quick to abandon awareness and conscious eating to stress over-eating and absent mindedly snacking, Add to it that I don't get to make my own food, lunches are generally deli-style and dinners are restaurant or room-service. You get the picture.

I want this trial period to be different than previous experiences. I want to be accountable before I put the food in my mouth and hits my gut so I'm stating my intention and putting reminders everywhere!

Welcome, Sue! It sounds like you've got some big food and exercise challenges ahead of you. It's hard to eat healthy when you can't really cook for yourself.

Will your hotel room have a mini fridge? If so, can you stock it from the grocery store with healthy foods, to offset all the eating out?

Wildross, do you have any help for mindfulness while traveling?

sent from my tiny particle accelerator

[peelout]

Sue, Don't know what your time schedule is, but if you have time, hotels usually have stairs.  I take the stairs most of the time in a hotel.  If going up is to much right now, try going down.

[wildross]

Felt pretty pleased with myself, because I felt grown up doing that. Yeah I know right, I am 44 and felt like I adulted myself well in a work situation instead of feeling inferior and child like.

I hope I'm still "growing up" the day I die.  Means I'm still learning.

[wildross]

Wildross, do you have any help for mindfulness while traveling?

 

I second using the stairs, either up or down depending on how high up you are  and your propensity to sweat.  16 hour days make it hard, but don't be shy about taking 2 sandwiches and ditching the bread.  Or asking for something specific if it is being catered every day.  Make friends with the admin/exec assistant/whoever.  Bribe them if necessary to get food that is good for you (hey, they do it for vegans...).  

 

naturally the hard part in all of that is the piece of meat between  your own ears.

[suelegal]

Thanks for the welcome!  

 

Sue, Don't know what your time schedule is, but if you have time, hotels usually have stairs.  I take the stairs most of the time in a hotel.  If going up is to much right now, try going down.

 

That's part of my plan for sure!  That and walking anywhere that I can and doing bodyweight exercises in my room as often as possible.  My goal is at least 3x/wk.  I imagine there will be a gym in the hotel, but they are usually just dreadmills and incline bikes.  I'll check it out when I check in.

 

I second using the stairs, either up or down depending on how high up you are  and your propensity to sweat.  16 hour days make it hard, but don't be shy about taking 2 sandwiches and ditching the bread.  Or asking for something specific if it is being catered every day.  Make friends with the admin/exec assistant/whoever.  Bribe them if necessary to get food that is good for you (hey, they do it for vegans...).  

 

naturally the hard part in all of that is the piece of meat between  your own ears.

 

I'm actually one of the "admins" and I will absolutely be looking for the best foods possible.  I'm generally low-carb, I almost always ditch the bread, grab salad, eat fruit.  I tend not to eat bad food so much as overeating and that's what I want to be aware of!.  

[SevenofSeven]

Can I just say I have seen that seat belts save lives and what can happen to the human body if they are not worn.

Tell your kids to buckle up, because you love them.

[wildross]

I can not fathom people not wearing seat belts.  My Mom and Dad bought a new AMC Rambler station wagon in the early '60's and Mom paid for seatbelts to be installed in the back seat.  I think they were optional equipment for the front seat.  I'm not sure if it was safety she had in mind or just a means of controlling us, but in any case, I've been wearing seatbelts for 50 years.  Ironically, my only traffic ticket was for driving w/o a seat belt.  I was literally pulling out of one parking lot and into the next right as a state patrol officer was going past.  $100 wiser after that.

[Mark D]

Okay. So a couple things I've learned:

--Definitely DO plan on using some spices or flavorings in the recipe. By itself it's a little bit flax-y. Which is fine if you like that flavor and all. But if you aren't used to it, then it's a little weird. So add onion, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, or Italian or Greek seasoning, or grated parmesan, or anything that strikes you.

--Definitely do use GOLDEN flax seed, not the darker flax. It lightens up the flavor of the bread so that it's less like canned brown bread or rye bread, and more like a mild cornbread. Unless you like those stronger flavors, of course!

--Make sure the flax you use is finely ground and nowhere near it's sell-by date, and not in a see-through bag or container when you buy it at the store. Air and light are flax's worst enemies.

--Store any unused flax in the freezer in a sealed container or ziplock freezer bag, as it has a short shelf life once it's opened, even in the fridge. If you smell it and it smells fishy at all, then it's rancid. The oils in the flax go bad easily, so I don't recommend buying it in bulk from the health food store's bulk food area because it's likely rancid already.

--To give your flax a finer texture, you can run the ground flax through a coffee grinder. This makes it almost flour-like.

sent from my tiny particle accelerator

The flax bread is in the oven, I'll let you know how it turns out. We didn't do anything extra, we'll try it plain it see if it needs anything.

[Mark D]

The flax bread is in the oven, I'll let you know how it turns out. We didn't do anything extra, we'll try it plain it see if it needs anything.

Very tasty!

Granny Nogg: any advice about storing the flax bread?

[Granny Nogg]

Very tasty!

Granny Nogg: any advice about storing the flax bread?

Hullo! Glad you guys liked it!

What I do is to use a pizza cutter and cut the bread into 12 equal-ish pieces. Then I take a gallon ziplock bag, put 4 pieces in the bag in a single layer, then put a deli sheet (or wax paper/parchment) on top, then do a second layer of 4 pieces, etc. This makes it easy to grab a slice or two at a time.

sent from my tiny particle accelerator

[Granny Nogg]

Oh. Forgot to say that I store the gallon bag in the fridge.

sent from my tiny particle accelerator

[Mark D]

Hullo! Glad you guys liked it!

What I do is to use a pizza cutter and cut the bread into 12 equal-ish pieces. Then I take a gallon ziplock bag, put 4 pieces in the bag in a single layer, then put a deli sheet (or wax paper/parchment) on top, then do a second layer of 4 pieces, etc. This makes it easy to grab a slice or two at a time.

sent from my tiny particle accelerator

Do you store it in the fridge or at room temperature?

[Granny Nogg]

Do you store it in the fridge or at room temperature?

Yeah sorry, added that after I posted the baggie. I put it in the fridge, because it's only going to last me a week. But if you won't use it up in that time, then put some in the freezer.

It toasts up beautifully in the toaster, but I haven't tried the microwave.

Also, you can slit a slice in half to make two pieces if you like your bread thinner. And miraculously, it still holds up.

sent from my tiny particle accelerator

[Mark D]

Thanks again for the advice Granny Nogg.

Yes, it was yummy toasted with butter and blueberry preserves, and scrambled eggs. My wife was excited about having TOAST.

[Granny Nogg]

Thanks again for the advice Granny Nogg.

Yes, it was yummy toasted with butter and blueberry preserves, and scrambled eggs. My wife was excited about having TOAST.

I hope this will be helpful to her! It sure is to me. Being able to have bread again is fantastic. I love it as garlic bread and pizza crust. It's almost guilt free, and all that wonderful fiber, plus a healthy amount of omega 3 oils, this stuff is a low carb dream come true.

sent from my tiny particle accelerator