Posted on March 1, 2018 under Thursday Tidbits with 4 comments

Gluten free tofu… my fav

 

A few days ago, I was in the produce section at Sobey’s , when I bumped into the Greek philosopher, Aristotle. I couldn’t resist the temptation to ask him one of the great existential questions of our time; “Aristotle.  Is it possible to be vegan and happy at the same time?” His writings cover many subjects including logic. He was deep in thought as he shuffled past the Brussel sprout display. For the first time in ancient or modern history, Aristotle was stumped.

Strange conversations occur at funeral receptions, especially when they are extensions of a discussion that had their genesis in the cathedral, moments after the funeral of an old friend. I was exiting Tigh Dhe earlier in the week when I bumped into my dentist. I had been battling a toothache for several days.

Not surprisingly, we both showed up at the funeral reception. He was joined by his wife and the three of us had a wide ranging discussion about food and pain. I felt a bit sheepish discussing a toothache while nibbling on a small plate of sweets. To add to my shame, I discovered that I had, unknowingly, removed the sweets from the table assigned for the family of the deceased who had yet to arrive. I looked around the room for telltale security cameras but even worse, my act of larceny was captured by many people at my table.

Well one thing led to another and we ended up comparing notes on diets including the Mediterranean, the diabetic diet, vegetarian and vegan. There are theories that suggest a vegan diet can alleviate arthritis pain.

My most recent MRI provided me with some illumination about my chronic pain. “There is moderate degenerative disc disease at the levels of C3-C7 with moderate- sized paracentral and foraminal disc protrusions at the levels of C3-C5 causing predominantly moderate neuorforaminal stenosis.” Loosely translated, I have a pain in the neck.

When I got home, I decided to poke around the internet to see what people are saying about diet and arthritis. I was particularly interested in what the Arthritis Foundation had to say on the subject. Study results are inconclusive. Apparently, vegans don’t consume any animal products at all including meats, eggs and dairy. But… and here’s the kicker, you can eat all the tofu that you want. What a relief!

On a subsequent visit to Sobey’s, I bumped into Ari again. (We’re now on a first name basis.) I asked him for his thoughts on tofu.  For a man who commented extensively on physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theater, music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics, politics and government, I thought that the merits of tofu would be a piece of cake. But even one of the brightest minds to have ever lived could not fathom why anyone would willingly and knowingly consume tofu on a regular basis.

I decided that I needed some empirical evidence so I consulted with one of my daughters who was vegan years ago. She told me that it’s not easy being vegan. (Cue Kermit the Frog: It’s Not Easy Being Green) It requires a fair bit of work and planning. She said that it is particularly tricky in social situations where food is being served. I asked about tofu and she assured me that with proper preparation and seasoning, tofu can be quite satisfying. I noticed that she had her head down while uttering this truism, all the while consuming my lovingly prepared sweet and sour meatballs.

I figured that I had done enough meaningful research to have one more go at Aristotle. “So, Mr.A (a tip of the hat to Mr.T at the Olympics), is it possible to be vegan and happy at the same time?”  He was deep in thought as he sifted through a bin of alfalfa sprouts.

“Yes, it is possible but not until this summer when marijuana is legalized.”

 

Posted on February 26, 2018 under Monday Morning Musings with 6 comments

The Art of Conversation

 

A conversation.

I have been writing for six years now… 856 stories and counting. What started out as a lark has turned into a passion. I love to write. I know that I will never win any literary awards. My writing is simple and I rarely use any big words. Hell, my English methods teacher in my Education year at St.F.X. more or less told me ( and most of my classmates ! ), that I was borderline illiterate as he tore my first several essays to shreds issuing  failing grades. I think he would be surprised and possibly horrified, to know that I am working on my fourth book.

So. Pray tell, dear readers, why do you continue to read my musings?

I have a theory. Here are a few statistics: 73% of you are 55 and older with nearly 50% of you over the age of 65. Most of us have a shared experience. Our roots are similar with some mixture of Scottish, Irish and French. Most of us are Baby Boomers and grew up in the 50’s and 60’s as kids watching Ed Sullivan and Bonanza.

Being from Antigonish, most of us were raised Catholic. I always get a big reaction whenever I post something about my Catholic upbringing.  I have often thought about writing a whole book about growing up Catholic. And then I quickly come to my senses and realize that this is a really bad idea!

Most of my stories are just about everyday things. The topics are endless (and occasionally mindless). But the stories form some kind of narrative and what it boils down to is that we are really just having a conversation through the use of technology. I feel very connected to all of you. When I’m writing, it’s as if you’re sitting across the table with your cup of tea and we’re just shooting the breeze. You mention something harmless and right away my wheels are spinning knowing that I have the kernel for a story.

Lest you think that I pore over every word that I write, you’re wrong. That should be obvious! I usually jot down a few key points in my trusty scribbler (I’m keeping Hilroy in business). The meat of the story, if there’s such a thing, is usually crafted in my head somewhere between Hawthorne Street and Liquor Lane on my morning walks. As many of you know, I often pull out a line from a tune from the past to set the tone of the story.

And then, I turn on the computer, open the Word program and start. It usually comes gushing out like a storm drain in a flood… or an open sewer. Pick your own analogy. I write the whole piece start to finish, in one go, pausing only to sip my coffee. Most of what I write is done in the early hours of the morning.

Why am I telling you all of this? I don’t have a clue! From time to time, I bump into one of you on the street and we have this kind of conversation.

And really, Week45, is just one, elongated conversation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

One more thing. The most often asked question? What is Week45?

About 10 years ago, we took our first trip to Florida and shortly after that, we bought our first time share. For the uninitiated, time shares are typically bought by the week, based on a time share calendar. So, the first week of January becomes Week 1 and the last week of the year in December is Week 52. I know that you are all math whizzes and can quickly determine (roughly) what week of the year we bought our initial time share.

My writing “career” began in Florida and when it came time to “brand” my business, I thought Week45 was as good as any.

There. You know my most intimate secrets. And I know a lot of yours!

I’ll keep writing as long as you keep reading.

Have a great week.

Posted on February 22, 2018 under Thursday Tidbits with one comment

Coffee and conversation

 

In the year 5555,

Your arms hanging limp at your sides,

Your legs got nothing to do,

Some machine’s doin’ that for you.

In The Year 2525 – Zager and Evans

I’m seriously thinking of heading for the hills and crawling back into my cave.

While more than half of the population of the world struggles to find food on a daily basis, we in the west can simply pick up our smart phones and order our groceries on line and have them delivered to our door. Before you start accusing me of being a Luddite, hear me out.

I have no objection to having one’s groceries delivered to the door. The old IGA on College Street did that for a long time but it was mainly a service for people who were elderly or who didn’t own a car. But you can be damn sure of one thing: those old people got their arses out of the house and probably walked to the grocery store and actually had human contact. They chatted with the clerks, the butcher, the baker and most likely the store owner.

Now, Zager and Evans were no Lennon and McCartney but some of their words from this one hit wonder in 1969 were remarkably prescient. Are we quickly becoming the laziest species of all time where it is entirely possible to avoid all human contact? It sure seems like this some days.

Speaking of Luddites, I made my very first on line purchase from Amazon two weeks ago. I can see the appeal. Browse, click, pay and presto, my new microphone for recording “Live from the Beach” was at my doorstep. Before you accuse me of not shopping locally, I tried but couldn’t find this device that plugs into my iPhone. And yes, like just about every living soul in North Eastern Nova Scotia, I have ordered a Wheel pizza and had it delivered when it was just too comfy to stay put… or too stormy! The Wheel always finds a way to deliver the goods.

Shopping on line definitely has a huge appeal. You can do it any time of day or night from the privacy of your own home. Prices are usually reasonable and you don’t have to step outside and face the elements. I can see this being a big deal for older people who dread winter and icy conditions.

We are fast becoming a world of Zombies. We are so attached to our mobile technology that human contact is becoming a lost art. I won’t be around to read the studies but I feel fairly confident that the wide spread use of mobile technology will be shown to have serious long term health consequences. I have been watching the Olympics and every time they pan the spectators, everyone is looking at their cell phones. Why did they bother traveling to South Korea?

I don’t know about you, but my most pleasant times are still sitting face to face with actual humans in a “no cell phone” zone, sipping coffee and telling lies. ( Thanks Rob, Dan and Dave yesterday at Java Blend in Halifax ).

Here’s a novel idea. Leave your cell phone home. Drive or walk (another lost art) to a local business. Buy something. Talk to the salesclerk. You just increased your life span and that of your local community. If we continue to shop on line, which businesses will be left to support sports teams, arts groups and local charities? Think about it.

Or you can just get your club and head back to the cave with me. We can chat with Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. “ Yabba-Dabba-Do”!

Have a great weekend.