day full of health

Today was all about health. It began with an inauspicious stuff-up. When I got to the dentist, he discovered that he'd forgotten to order the materials for the gold crown, so it was a wasted journey. Presumably it comes in a bullion van.

But now I had extra time on my hands, and I used the time to go and see the GP. By chance, I got the great GP instead of the lackadaisical one.

(1) I asked her to explain what the fat liver means. At first she was as perplexed as I was. Fat liver is unheard of in skinny teetotalers. But then I explained that I had been eating lots of fat, especially butter, to balance up my Northern hemisphere friend giving up dairy. I should have known better.

The doc said: Aha! That'll be what's causing the fat liver.

I had been trying to gain weight, but it seems everything balances up, and while fat makes fat people fatter, it can make thin people actually lose weight. Except presumably in the liver.

So I've to replace some dietary fat with protein, and everything will gradually balance out again. Result!

(2) The recent chest x-ray showed something called chronic airways disease, which sounds bad, but she says it's just caused by aging, and having smoked. It's not reversible, but if I stay active and don't smoke (why would I after 25 years?) it shouldn't be a big problem. Result number 2! I'm not falling apart any faster than I should be. The universe is unfolding as it should.

(3) After Buddhist vegetables with noodles near the doctors, I went for the 2-yearly check up with the surgeon built like a shithouse. I was feeling quite buoyant, and treated him like the young man he is compared to me. And he was much friendlier than usual. Perhaps in the past, by being a scared little child in the doctor's office like most people do, I used to put him off balance too.

The checkup took about two minutes, everything seemed clear, and he charged me about half. Result number 3!

I went to a great wee cafe for tea and almond cake. The healthy diet can start tomorrow.

(4) When I got home, the dog's trial heart medication seemed to be kicking in, and she was acting younger, the labored breathing apparently gone for now.

What a great day it turned out to be.

I played the library yoga DVD, and followed along, doing umpteen different warriors.

Cooked a stir fry just in time for the cellmate's return from work. Then watched Graham Norton. Kate Hudson was on. She looks like Denny (a more glam version to be sure), even down to the hands and mannerisms. Lovely.

This a photo of Kate or maybe Denny, it no longer matters which. I can't afford to be choosy.






- iPod post

my family and other dying animals

Surrounded by family and other animals all on their last legs. Obviously it's great that it's not me, but still it gets me down a bit.

But everything balances up, and the unsettling seems to be opening up the musical emotions.

For forty years I've loved the Hendrix studio albums, except for one track on Axis. If Six Was Nine. Now suddenly it's my favorite track.

Likewise, Miles Davis is a genius (Dances toured Europe with him as sound engineer), but I could never stand Bitches Brew. Tonight I've heard it with new ears. Colossal half-hour grooves! You wish they'd never end.




Recently I did something a bit like those Japanese calligraphers who stand still in front of a blank sheet, just contemplating and concentrating their energy. Then there's a flash of brush and ink, and a finished painting in front of them.






In the same way, after a year or two without brewing any more beer, I suddenly made and bottled two brews in the same week. Just like that!

The actual bottling was a good excuse to drink a glass or two straight from the tap. The taste was reminiscent of the rough Buccleuch brews of old. In those days, when a brew was ready for drinking there'd be a knock at the door, and in walks Hotters, the DB, Tony and the brothers McGinty or whatever. Frank the Post would play the guitar worse than any blissheid. People talked shite or at least I did. Mary Hopkin was the only sensible one there.

Nowadays the home brew's much better, but the friends are not there to help enjoy it. It all balances up.

- iPod post

sobering experience

Recently I discovered by accident how to do yoga in power mode. I've decided it's time to start demanding more of myself.






Thanks to a fitness app called GPP Intensity, I've found a great exercise called burpees. Very simple but completely knackering.






A fit young person is supposed to do 12 in 30 seconds, followed by several other killer activities, and repeat all of it several times without a break. I managed just 4 burpees in 30 seconds before I needed a complete rest. Pathetic.

But I came back to it in the course of the day, and it makes you really feel alive. It loads up the heart so you can feel it going boom! boom!






Now, I know what you're thinking - I'll give myself a coronary. But nobody in my family has ever had heart trouble. Mind you, we've all had cancer. It balances up.

PS Note to self - never try burpees first thing in the morning or you'll set off the shagger's back. Actually, do the yoga beforehand and you'll probably be warmed up enough. How do fit people manage to have time left over to do normal living?