20181001 - SAVERS the NIGHT BEFORE (actually on 20180930) BACKWARDS

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in WITCHES by Roald Dahl

Ada came in and I'm now reading to her.  Fun time!

I can only say that I'm LOVING the time with Joe & Chrissy's family, even though they're all a bit flu-ish.  I'd be very glad to NOT do my "reverse routine" tonight if it means spending more time with them.

We'll see how this "reverse routine" goes.

EXERCISE

Doing my regular full 30 day month routine in reverse.

1. push-ups 60
2. (skipped inversion table)
3. shoulder rolls 60
4. bicycle crunches 60
5. finger/toe stretches 60
6. ankle/wrist circles 60

(yay - I did it!  The push-ups weren't all that hard to do)

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

Sorry that I have to say, on J&C's scale, I'm 189 tonight.  AGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

We'll see how it goes when I get back home to Winnetka.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud 60 seconds

SILENCE

I will lie in silence all night, until the alarm wakes me up at 3 am.  (9pm - 3 am - 6 hours is just right)

20180930 SAVERS on SUNDAY in AMERICAN FORK, UT

SILENCE

I lay in Ada's bed, thinking nothing thoughts for 60 seconds.  But an annoying American Fork cricket disturbed my empty head.  I thought, til now, that crickets only chirped of an evening.  But.... no.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

I did my full 30 day routine:

1. ankle/wrist circles 60
2. finger/toe stretches 60 + 10
3. bicycle  crunches 60
4. shoulder rolls 60
5. (didn't do back stretches)
6. squats 30
7. push-ups 30

It's Sunday, so I do squats AND push-ups, only 1/2 as many as usual.

READING, WRITING

I read for several minutes with Ada, who came quietly into the (i.e., her) bedroom at the perfect time - just when the dawn was beginning, and I had done my "in-bed" part of my routine.  So we talked in the dark for a bit, and I mentioned that I had read her book on her table, the one titled "WITCHES" - and she was so excited.  She and I began talking about how you can tell if a woman is really a witch, or not.

The whole time, I was trying to subtly determine if she herself believed in witches.  I still don't know for sure.

She read about 10 pages.  So that counts for my reading for today.

20180929 SAVERS for SATURDAY in UTAH

SILENCE

Tried to do this in Ada's room; as usual, I couldn't empty ALL thoughts.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, KEn Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also said aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my almost normal 30 day routine (in Utah, in Ada's bedroom)

1. ankle/wrist circles 60
2. toe/finger stretches 60 + 10
3. bicycle crunches 60
4. shoulder rolls 60
5. back stretch 3 minutes
6. squats 60

Hard to do it EXACTLY the way I usually do, but it's the best on-the-road version I can come up with.  The challenge will be to do it EARLY Monday morning before I leave for the airport to fly back to LA.

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in THE WITCHES (a book that happened to be lying on Ada's bedroom table.

Written by Roald Dahl

Well, I have an idea of what kind of books 11 year olds are reading these days.  11 year old GIRLS, that is.  Amazed that "doing away with children" and deceptive witches are among the ideas rolling around in Ada's head.

But so be it.

I have a full day ahead of me, and so will now stop writing.

20180928 SAVERS for FRIDAY PUSHUP DAY

SILENCE

Woke after too little sleep, but still tried to silence my brain for 60 seconds.  Kept thinking about the SCOTUS & what's in store for the USA.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

Yesterday, I weighed 186.0.  Wonder what today will be:  ________

EXERCISE

I did my full 30 day routine:

1. wrist/ankle circles 60
2. toe/finger stretches 60
3. bicycle crunches 60
4. shoulder rolls 60
5. inversion table 3 1-min sets
6. push-ups 60

These were "2 sets of 30" or "30 each way"

READING, WRITING

Read for 60+ seconds in SAPIENS

It's easy to cast doubt on any suggestions this author might put forth about life 70K years ago, or even 10K years ago.  But if he's right, tribes differed due to the introduction of fiction (i.e., religion) even though they lived in very similar circumstances.

But they were all foragers until the advent of the agricultural revolution.  We're addressing the space of time between the Cognitive Revolution (70K years ago) and the Agricultural Revolution (______ years ago).

*sigh* - I'll never learn how to read & absorb information quickly, and then to recall it.  I guess I'm better at expressing ideas, thoughts & facts accurately (spelling).

20180927 SAVERS for SQUATHURSDAY

SILENCE

Lay in bed 60 seconds; tried.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

Closer and closer, via I.I.

EXERCISE

Did my full 30 day 60 monthly routine; it's getting more and more pain free.  YAY!

1. ankle/wrist circles 60
2. finger/toe stretches 60 + 10
3. bicycle crunches 60
4. shoulder rolls 60
5. inversion table 3 1-min sets
6. squats 60

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.

The author cautions about relying on a comparison between early Sapiens foragers and modern-day foragers, since today's foraging bands of Sapiens are dealing with neighboring agricultural societess upon which they rely to some degree; also today's weather patterns are certainly different.

So what should I write on the screen?  Wer weiss?

Moving on now.

20180926 SAVERS for HUMPDAY

SILENCE

I was silent for 60 seconds upon waking up.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

It's ingrained into my brain.  Brain ingrain.  But I wonder how useful it is to be doing this.  It probably will help, and it probably won't hurt.  I'll have a new visualization after 10/10, possibly having to do with another weight control goal.  We shall see.

Today I'm hoping to break (get a lower number) than 187.

EXERCISE

I did my normal full=30-day routine:

1. ankle/wrist circles 60
2. toe/finger stretches 60 + 10
3. bicycle crunches 60
4. shoulder rolls 60
5. inversion table 3 1-min sets
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30  (almost couldn't do the 2nd set, but I DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS

The author calls early man "foragers" because they didn't have any way of preserving their food or for the most part, their artEfacts.  He makes the point that it's hard to know precisely how they lived since they had parishable artifacts, and they had to move much more often than we do today.

It would be hard to describe today's teenager's lives if you didn't have anything to go on except hand-written documents.  So, that's understood.

Hopefully he (the author) will soon get to what he DOES know.

20180925 SAVERS FOR TUESDAY SQUAT DAY

SILENCE

Started day with lying in bed, trying to be silent for 60 seconds.  Mildly successful.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my regular routine for a full 30 rep month!  Yay!

1. ankle/wrist circles 60
2. toe/finger stretches 60 + 10
3. bicycle crunches 2 sets of 30
4. shoulder rolls 60
5. inversion table 3 1-min sets
6. squats 2 sets of 30

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.

The author contends that artEfacts from early man were of perishable material; we call it "stone age" but it's better called "wood age" since they likely had many more artEfacts of wood than stone.  But we still have their stones to analyze.  By contract, today we have millions of artEfacts which will enture for future anthropologists to observe.

Yawn.

I have more time to write:

I'm still caught up in the dilemma of "moving on with my life" v. staying with Dr. P and waiting for him to retire (or die).  I'm also stuck in the dilemma of developing a relationship with George (living in another country; disabled) v. staying in the US & working at Red Hat with Joe.  Writing that last sentence is a first - I hadn't seen it "in print" yet.

I don't know what to do.  I raise my shoulders and stretch out my arms before God and ask, "What should I do?"

I STILL don't know what to do.

So I live in the moment.  No long term goals - never have had any.  Just wait til someone calls and says "I want you."

Enough.

20180924 SAVERS for MONDAY, MONDAY

SILENCE

Tried again for 60 seconds

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

Excited by the prospect of breaking 187 this morning.  We'll wee.

EXERCISE

1. ankle/wrist circles 60
2. toe/finger stretches 60 + 10
3. bicycle crunches 60
4. shoulder rolls 60
5. inversion table 3 1-min sets
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30 (DID 'EM!)

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS

Author brings to fore the disagreement among analysis historians and others.  One side argues that early man was naturally disposed to family units, jealously guarding partners and children, being monogamous, and passing the baton from father to son.  The other side argues that early man was naturally disposed to egalitarian groups where there was no thought of monogamy - only procreation, survival, and winning against weaker others.

To understand this controversy in greater depth, we need to know more about how sapiens lived between 70K years ago (cognitive revolution) and 12K years ago (the onset of the agricultural revolution):  their sexuality, their society and their politics.

20180923 SAVERS for SUNDAY 9/23

SILENCE

Tried again, but thoughts wandered during the whole 60 seconds.  Keep trying.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, read aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my full 30 day month routine on a Sunday:

1. ankle/wrist circles 60
2. toe/finger stretches 60 + 10
3. bicycle crunches 60
4. shoulder rolls 60
5. inversion table 3 1-min sets
6. squats 30
7. push-ups 30

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.

Author suggests that perhaps in the earliest times of Sapiens (30K years ago), there might not have been families, since it was before science discovered that a pregnancy resulted in an identifiable father's sperm.  Maybe women had sex with MANY of the men she lived near, so that she could "combine" the attributes of the best warrior, the strongest, the most caring.... etc.  There is no evidence that "families" existed as they do today.

But who knows?

Each day when I read 60 seconds, I learn something new, and I'm "prompted" (by myself, I guess) to write about it.  But today, I'm at a loss.

So I'll quit now.

20180921 SAVERS for SUPER SQUAT SATURDAY

(In general, I feel better physically AND emotionally, now that I've done approx. 50 days (of 60) of my controlled exercise and healthy food eating routine)

SILENCE

Tried to count off 60 seconds while I lay in bed first thing this morning.  Hard to empty thoughts and have complete silence for any length of time, let alone a full minute.  But I keep trying every day.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

I'm hoping to be at 188 or less today.


EXERCISE

1. ankle/wrist circles 60 (30 each way)
2. toe/finger stretches 60 + 8 + 2
3. bicycle crunches 2 sets of 30
4. shoulder rolls 60 (30 each way)
5. inversion table 3 1-min sets
6. squats 2 sets of 30

Closer and incrementally closer to being a physically fit 68 year old.

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.

The author is beginning to describe life for Sapiens of 30K years ago, and almost immediately connects their developing DNA to how we live today.  Addressing sweets and the Sapien tendency to over-indulge, he describes the 30K Sapien as having only ripe fruit to eat as "sweets" - and since they indulged in eating fruit - perhaps OVEReating fruit - we now have the same DNA sweet-tooth.  So we over-indulge in sweet foods, live in highrises, and keep gaining weight.

But not me!

I'm on a 185 by 10/10 program that is working!

YAY!

20180921 SAVERS for FRIDAY A MORE TRUE FULL-30-DAY MONTH BEGINS

SILENCE

Tried to silence my thoughts while still in bed this morning, for 60 seconds.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said them aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my "TRUE FULL 30 DAY MONTH" routine (or something like that):

1. ankle/wrist circles 60 (30 each way)
2. finger/toe stretches 70 (1 for each year, +2)
3. bicycle crunches 2 sets of 30
4. shoulder rolls 60 (30 each way)
5. inversion table 3 1-min sets
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30

So, this is the "next phase" in which I've added more reps & sets, to make multiples of 30.

READING, WRITING

Read for 60 seconds in SAPIENS.

The author addresses Sapien evolution as:

1.  30K years ago, we were "hunter-gatherers" - forragers

2.  Then 2K years ago, we became "agricultural"

3.  Today, we're urban workers

He says that modern psychology postulates that much of our social & psychological present state comes from the long pre-agricultural period.  In many ways, we're still "hunter-gatherers."

I don't know if he's right.  But my thoughts about the evolution of our species often include the thought that we might not be able to continue much longer in our urban-technology mode.

Qui sait?

20180920 SAVERS FOR THURSDAY SQUATDAY

SILENCE

Tried to empty thoughts for 60 seconds, filled thoughts with counting.  Oh well.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

I'm hoping I'll see 1 and 2 8's this morning..... II....... So we'll see in a bit.

EXERCISE

Did my full 30 day routine:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats 2 sets of 30 (easily done)

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.

This is a summary of what he has come to believe about Homo Sapiens, and the relationship between BIOLOGY and HISTORY..... after the COGNITIVE REVOLUTION:

1. Biology sets the basic parameters for the behavior and capacities of Homo sapiens.  The whole of history takes place within the bounds of this biological arena.
2. However, this arena is extraordinarily large, allowing Sapiens to plan an astounding (why "astounding?"  Without a reference, it might be "minimal.") variety of games.  Thanks to their ability to invent fiction, Sapiens create more and more complex games, which each generation develops and elaborates even further.
3. Consequently, in order to understand how Sapiens behave, we must describe the historical evolution of their actions.  Referring only to our biological constraints would be like a radio sportscaster who, attending the World Cup football championships, offers his listeners a detailed description of the playing field rather than an account of what the players are doing.

The author will now explore what life was like (i.e., how we lived, ate, interacted, etc.) 30,000 years ago, given that we are the same as our ancestors of that earliest time.

20180919 SAVERS for HUMPDAY THIS WEEK

SILENCE

Tried it; possibly I'm resigned to simply block out as much sound as I can, while also trying not to let my mind stray to anything except the passage of 60 seconds.

AFFIRMATIONS:

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said them aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

I feel like I'm going to make this goal!  We shall see.

EXERCISE

In spite of my visit to the Doctor (Terando) yesterday, where he froze off a skin tag on my lower back with liquid nitrogen, and where I got a flu shot (left arm is a bit sore), I was able to do my entire regular full 30 month exercise routine!

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets (ankles seem to bother me a bit)
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30 (more easily done than I expected, given my sore left arm)

YAY!

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS

The author asks and answers the question, "How is it that 30,000 years ago, we had the same genetic makeup as we have today, and yet we could only fashion tools from sticks and rocks?  And now today, we can manufacture nuclear missiles that fly around the world (almost)?"

And his answer is that we have learned to interact socially, cooperate, utilize collective mind power.

(I'm guessing that the author wanted a longish book, so he says the same things in several different ways.  As always, I'm a critic, and my criticisms have not changed since junior high in Vienna, where my book reports always included:  "Too many details.")

20180918 SAVERS on TUESDAY MORNING

Last night I wore my CPAP for the first time in a long time.  I slept through the night.  Well, it was from about midnight til 5 am, and I didn't wake up even once for the bathroom.

SILENCE

Tried counting to ensure I did 60 seconds.  My thoughts were of numbers and counting on my fingers.  But that is at least not complex. 

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my normal full 30 day routine:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. finger/toe stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats 2 sets of 30

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.

The author expounds on the idea that we are both similar and different from other apes.  The significant differences occur when we look at our ability to gather in groups larger than 150, where we usually act "civilly" rather than in pandemonium (as apes would do).  And often the motivation to do so has to do with imaginary entities (gods, corporations, etc.)

I'm happy to know this, but it makes little difference in my life.

20180917 SAVERS for MONDAY MORNING

I woke up at 3:something, and thought it was too early, but couldn't go back to sleep, so I lay on my bed and took the "in bed" parts of my routine very slowly.

SILENCE

Tried to think of nothing for 30 seconds.  Couldn't, but I still tried.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

I messed up A BIT while chez Ashton, but not too bad.  I still did my routines as much as possible.  I might be "set back" for that, but I'm still on track to reach 185 by 10/10.

EXERCISE

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30  (yay!)

Wondered if I'd make it to 30 on the 2nd set.  I DID!  I rested 3 full minutes between sets, which seems to be the "magical rest time" for me to make it through the 2nd set.

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in A PASSION FOR WISDOM - brief history of philosophy.

The author discusses the Greeks who took over others in the Aegean peninsula (?) area, and settled in as they borrowed from the Egyptians, Phoenecians and others to form their "culture" or "society."  The most powerful influence was borrowing the Egyptian god Osiris, who became the Greek god Dionysis, and that spiritual philosophy came to mean that humans were part spiritual and part physical; this was appealing when you consider the life they led:  he borrows the British philosopher's phrase in describing life:  "nasty, brutish and short."

20180916 SUNDAY SAVERS chez ASHTON

SILENCE

Tried to think of nothing for 60 seconds

AFFIRMATIONS

Did none today

VISUALIZATION

Did not do it.

But re weight, I was "more-than-usual" constipated.  I later went to the drug store and got a laxitive, which worked fairly quickly.

Weight:  191.2 lbs.

Diet chez Ashton is extremely difficult.

EXERCISE

I was awakened from a deep sleep by Eli, and although he was around, I was able to do my routine exercises:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. back stretches - over edge of bed
6. squats 30
7. push-ups 30

Didn't do any of the other SAVERS routine today.

READING, WRITING

Did neither today.

20180915 SAVERS for SATURDAY chez ASHTON

SILENCE

60 seconds, tried, but kept thinking about my crazy dream about being held hostage at gunpoint by gangsters.  I never knew why.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, read aloud for 60 seconds

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

Weight:  190.6
(not bad considering I ate 1/2 restaurant serving of chicken curry w/white rice, followed by a small scoop of vanilla ice cream & a home-made chocolate chip cookie.  My "healthy food" diet w/no between-meal snacks collided with life chez Ashton yesterday.

But today, Saturday, is a new day, and I can - AND WILL - resume my 60-day campaign (185 by 10/10) to exercise, eat healthier and BE healthier.

EXERCISE

Did my normal routine on a Saturday of a full 30-day month:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. back stretch - after 1 60-sec set, I noticed bad lower back pain, so I only did the one.  The stretch part felt good, but the pain might not be worth it, so..... waiting til I get back home to use the inversion table
6. squats 2 sets of 60, with Eli counting out the 2nd set for me.

READING, WRITING

Read for 120 seconds (since I missed yesterday) in SAPIENS.  Author is attempting an explanation of the birth of "cultures" among humans.  He gives a very confusing chart titled the "Cognitive Revolution" and how it evolved into "cultures" among humans.

I am not clear-headed yet about what he is saying, but simply put, there were no cultures before history, only biological aspects of existence.  Then, with the advent of groups and cultures, history began.

Biology evolved into history.

Hmmmm.  I'm guessing that people began to "record" stuff much earlier than the advent of cultures.  But what do I know?

I know that there HAD to be a day on which the very first human being recorded something.  I don't know when that was, of course.  But there HAD to be that day.

Same as there HAD to be a day on which the very first 2 male human beings had sex.

I wonder just WHEN those 2 days occurred.
Again, what do I know?

20180914 SAVERS for FRIDAY CHEZ ASHTON

SILENCE

60 second attempt; mostly thought of an empty rotunda.

AFFIRMATIONS:

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

I'll weigh myself on Ashton's scale (in kgs); my goal in kg:  84.09 kg

Weight:  86.2 kg = 189.6

EXERCISE

Did my normal routine:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. finger/toe stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. back stretches 2 30-sec sets over edge of bed
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30

WOW - I did the whole thing!!

READING, WRITING

20180913 SAVERS on THURSDAY, EARLY AM

Woke at about 4:30

SILENCE

Tried to silence my world for 60 seconds.  There's so much going on in my life right now, it's not easy to think of nothing for even a few seconds.  But I tried.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, read above aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my full 30 day month routine:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats 2 sets of 30

I'm so very glad I'm keeping up on this.  When I'm in OC chez Ashton, I might have more of a challenge, but I'll fight to make it happen!!!!!!!!!

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS

Apparently Sapiens far surpassed Neanderthals in their ability to group & strategize; the Ns were unable to compete with the developing intellect of Sapiens.  This stark difference between the two groups could explain why the Ns became extinct (as far as we know).

I'm filling some time while my eyebrow color sets.  I have much to do, but I like it.

Writing includes choosing the right word.  The author of SAPIENS used "traditional" to describe behavior of the Ns, but I anticipated that he might use "limited" - he's being careful not to denigrate.

Or something.

20180912 SAVERS in SPITE of DR PRUITT'S CONDITION

I spent the night on the sofa in Dr. Pruitt's living room.  I got fairly good sleep, and he's sleeping peacefully this morning.

I stayed the night due to Dr. P's paranoia and I was really scared for him.  He thought someone was trying to break in.  I rushed back to his place (having already settled in for the evening); he was in the lobby, and too afraid to go back to his apartment, fearing someone was making noises outside the building, and was ready to come in and do some harm to him.  He refused to go up for about 2 hours.  I coaxed him and tried to reason with him, to no avail.

I should have connected his paranoia to a statement he's made several times - that he gets paranoid if he smokes pot.  I should have realized that speed might also make him paranoid.  But I was beyond the ability to think that through.  I texted his doctor (Michael Gottlieb), and was conversing with him when Dr. P announced that he'd go up.  So crisis was defused for the time being.

In the apartment, he insisted on sitting by the door to listen in case gangsters might be trying to break in, and he said he'd buy a gun tomorrow (i.e., today).  Later, he went to his office nook to "distract" himself by looking a porn on the internet.  And then later, he said he'd go lie down.

This was the first time I could relax.  So after he fell asleep, I lay down on the sofa, fully clothed, and went to sleep for a few hours.

Later, when I woke, he was asleep.  As far as I know, he's been asleep since then.  (I checked on him every 2-3 hours, and could see that he was breathing.)

I really wondered if, because of this incident, he had lost his mind, and would be forced to quit.  But now that I've had time to process things, I think he did pot or speed, and was having a bad trip (paranoia, sweating, disorientation, suspicion, etc.), and just needed to let it "play through."


So this morning, I was very glad I had already done 32 days of my routine + diet, and that the strength I've derived from doing so has helped me to get up and do it again this morning, even though I'm still at Dr. P's apartment.

SILENCE

Tried to quiet my brain for 60+ seconds.  Mildly successful.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also said them aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my routine chez Pruitt!  Amazing, even though I had to improvise a bit:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. finger/toe stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. back stretch 2 1-min sets (I lay back on Dr. P's 2 leather chairs with feet and head hanging almost free.)
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30 (since this month is a full 30 day month) - I anticipated not being able to complete the 2nd set, so I rested for 3 minutes between sets, and I believe that was what made me able to do the full 2nd set without any significant struggle.  YAY!

READING, WRITING

(The intro to this post counts as my WRITING for today)

Picked a random book off Dr. P's bookshelf (YENI, by Daniel Burstein) and read a random selection for 60 seconds.

The author states (on the page I randomly selected) that Japan's chief exports are no longer automobiles and technology, but capital.  They grew rich through hard work (Alger Hiss (?)), and with the excess capital, they began investing globally (real estate, corporations, financial commodities, etc.).

20180911 SAVERS and TRAGIC DAY FOR AMERICA 17 YEARS AGO

SILENCE

Emptied mind/brain/head of thoughts for 60 seconds while lying in bed.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60+ seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

I BROKE 190!!!!!!!!  (weight this morning is 189.2)

EXERCISE

Did normal 30-day month routine:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats 2 sets of 30 (it's a full 30-day month)

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS

The author says Sapiens (v. Neanderthals) figured out how to cooperate within and sometimes outside their band to hunt.  He uses the word "potlatch" to describe the feast after a hunt/kill.  Potlatch means:  an elaborate feast (esp among early NA tribes) to display wealth; things were given away.

I need a potlatch in my life (hint, hint, David).

Wonder why the computer dictionary doesn't recognize "potlatch."

On with the day!

20180910 SAVERS ON THE 1/2 WAY MARK OF TRIP TO 185

SILENCE

Lay in bed for 60 seconds, tried to empty all thought.  Not easy, but maybe I got closer today.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud for 60 more seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

I started on 8/10, 1 month ago.  I weighed approx 205.  I decided to lose 2.5 pounds a week (2.5 X 8 weeks = 20 lbs.

So today is the 1/2 way mark, so I should have lost 10 pounds, and weigh 195.

Today, the scale shows: 191.0  (4 pounds ahead of expectation)  YAY!!!!!!!!

EXERCISE

Did my full 30-day routine for a Monday:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. finger/toe stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. push-ups:  2 sets of 30 (since it's Monday, and it's a full 30-day month)

I was just barely able to do the 2nd set of push-ups.  But I DID THEM!!!

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.  The author says that Sapiens are the only entities that have ever established trading agreements, which are based on trust.  They traded things like shells and obsidian, and he speculates that they also exchanged INFORMATION, and within that information was likely concepts of imaginary forces and beings; the practical ones discussed imaginary things like currency and corporations.

60+ seconds of each.

20180909 SAVERS for SUNDAY

SILENCE

Did 60 seconds of silence while still in bed

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, did 60 seconds of reading affirmations aloud.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my usual routine a la Sunday:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats 30 (since it's Sunday)
7. push-ups 30 (since it's Sunday)

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.

The author says that we have evidence that 30,000 year ago Sapiens bands must have navigated to other lands because there were no natural deposits of certain substances (e.g. obsidian) where they lived.  In Neanderthal places, there is no such evidence.  He gives as examples the Sapiens and Neanderthals of Central Europe & the British Isles.

Amazing that someone figured all that out!

20180908 SAVERS EVERYDAY on SEPTEMBER 8TH

SILENCE

Did 60+ seconds of silence while still in bed.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud 60+ seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats 2 sets of 30 (since this is a full 30 month)

READING, WRITING

Read 60+ seconds in SAPIENS

Learned that humans at some point began to pass on behaviors (not because of genetics, mutations or evolution, but because of their ability to imagine).  E.g., Catholics had a non-reproductive elite (celibate priests) who did not use sexual prowess (!!!) because they were "alpha males;" rather, they passed on a BEHAVIOR to others of succeeding generations.

In my VERY SIMPLISTIC mind of my younger days, I reasoned that within Catholicism, the Pope was the ultimate leader and example of all righteousness.  I reasoned that if people wanted to be "good" and "better" and "heaven-bound," then they must necessarily want to follow the Pope's example in every way.  And I left the question open:  "Why would not ALL Catholics become priests and eventually, like the Pope, celibate and holy?"  I concluded that the Catholic Church must necessarily be wrong, but I wondered how it could have lasted so long with such a basic and fundamental flaw.

The answer, of course, is that it appears that each of us has a unique and different path to follow.  Now, I know there is nothing wrong with choosing celibacy.  And I believe it should not be forced upon people who desire to spiritually evolve into better beings.

20180907 SAVERS on SEVENTH of SEPTEMBER

SILENCE

Today I was silent with ear buds for 60+ seconds; it went a little better.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, repeated aloud for 60+ seconds

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my normal routine:

1. wrist/ankle circles 40
2. finger/toe stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30 (second set was a struggle at 25th push-up til 30th, but I DID them!!)

READING, WRITING

Read 60+ seconds in SAPIENS.  It's only semi=light and had a hard time reading, but I read a full paragraph:  the author says that genetic alterations were the cause of adding more refined technology and further steps in social evolution.  Until those alterations took place, Sapiens/humans/homoerectus people did not progress past stone tool technology for about 2 million years.

I can see that evolution is a very s-l-o-w process when observed from today's relatively lightning-speed changes.  "I-I" (incremental improvement) comes to mind.  It's a term I invented in my discussions with George Makrides.

*enough*

(I wish you enough)

20180906 SAVERS for THURSDAY

SILENCE

As I lay in bed earlier this morning, I tried and tried to empty my brain of any thoughts.  Is it even possible?  Who knows?  I tried for 60 seconds.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, said aloud (20 times) for 60 seconds

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

Yesterday I was 191.6 (yay).  What will I weigh today?

EXERCISE

I did my normal routine - 30 day mode!

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats 2 sets of 30 (+4) since this is a full 30 month.

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.  Learned that the reason humans can behave as they do is because of some element in their DNA makeup.  Animals can't become feminist and change their social behaviors, but humans can.

A lot of what Harari writes makes sense to me.  It might not be new news, but to me it's enlightening.

- "Grandma started in about the rats again."

- "MY Grandma WAS the rat."

- "Grandma Rat ate bad cheese, and we left her alone for days because of her cheesefarts."

(enough)

20180905 SAVERS EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING

SILENCE

Woke up at 4:30, more alert than I'm used to lately.  Tried to block out all thoughts for 60 seconds.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also said aloud for 60+ seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

Visualized for 60+ seconds

EXERCISE

Did my normal routine.  "Normal" now means "full 30 reps"

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30 (since today is Wednesday, and this is a "full 30 reps" month

I exercise for MORE than 60 seconds every day, but that's ok by me!

READING, WRITING

Reverse order today (since it's still dark out, and it would be hard to read right now)

As I stare wide-eyed into the pre-dawn darkness of night, I see across the room electronic constellations of green and red staring back at me, as if to say , "What are YOU lookin' at?  We've been here all along.  And they are every bit as far from me as Orion., and the big dipper.  But they don't twinkle.  They just are.

Read for 60+ seconds in SAPIENS.  Author restates that 18th C French Sapiens switched overnight from believing in the "Divine Right of Kings" to  the Sovereignty of the People.  From then on, humans progressed geometrically faster than other humans (wonder who he was thinking of) and animals.

20180904 SAVERS TUESDAY FOR

SILENCE

Did 60+ seconds of silence.  A bit more successful this time.

AFFIRMATION

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also, 60+ seconds reading aloud.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my "full 30" regular routine:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats 2 sets of 30 (since it's now a "full 30 month," and from here on.)

Note:  Woke up with very little of the usual pains in myu right shoulder and left knee and lower back.  YAY!

READING, WRITING

Read 60+ seconds in SAPIENS

The author again emphasizes that there are TWO worlds humans live in:  1) a REAL world composed of rivers, trees and lions, and 2) an IMAGINED world composed of god, corporations and nations.  1) is real, and 2) is imagined.

I had never contemplated this, but now that I have, I believe it.  I'm led to ask then, in which of these two worlds does the author's concept lie?

*sigh*

20180903 SEPTEMBER SAVERS III

SILENCE

Woke up and tried to silence my brain for 60 seconds.  Abysmal failure.

AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
6. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also read aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my normal "REACHED 30 REPS" routine:

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. push-ups 2 sets of 30 (since this is a "REACHED 30 REPS" month)

READING, WRITING

Read 60+ seconds in SAPIENS.

The author claims that Peugeot, and the Church do not really exist; that it's not all that difficult to "create" a corporation, but it IS difficult to CONVINCE other Sapiens that it exists.

I see the logic, but I'm not really convinced.... yet.  I sense that what he's saying is true.

20180902 SUNDAY SAVERS SEPTEMBER SECOND

SILENCE

Did 60+ seconds while lying in bed, with ear buds & pillows.  It's STILL very hard to empty my head of thoughts for a full 60 seconds.


AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
6. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also read aloud for 60 seconds.

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my normal exercise routine this morning.  Now I'm at a full 30 reps for every month.

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. toe/finger stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats 30
7. push-ups 30

Today is 9/2, and from now on, every month is a full 30 rep month.  So, nothing less than 30 reps  per set (except for inversion table time)

READING, WRITING

Read 60+ seconds in SAPIENS.

The author tells how Armand Peugeot formed the COMPANY Peugeot, which was the entity that a customer could sue if he had been wronged.  Armand Peugeot could not be sued personally.

This "creation" by Peugeot was accomplished in the same way that sorcerers and priests formed in the minds of the people that supernatural beings were involved with mankind.  Peugeot and the cures (Catholic priests) IMAGINED it.  The people believed it.

Thus both churches and corporations became part of the Sapien experience.

Wow.

20180901 SAVERS for SEPTEMBER 1st

SILENCE

60 seconds of silence

Then a full body "Healing & Blessing" - took a while, but it's a good feeling.


AFFIRMATIONS

1. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
2. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
3. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
4. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
5. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.
6. I, Ken Taylor, lose weight through daily exercise and eating healthy food.

Also said aloud for another 60 seconds

VISUALIZATION

185 by 10/10

EXERCISE

Did my usual routine - today is the 1st day of the "full" routine.  August was a "+1" month, but from now on, it'll be a full 30 reps for each set.

1. ankle/wrist circles 40
2. finger/toe stretches 70
3. bicycle crunches 30
4. shoulder rolls 40
5. inversion table 2 1-min sets
6. squats (Saturday is a squat day) 2 sets of 30 (Since it's September 1st, and from now on, every month will be a "full 30 month")

READING, WRITING

Read 60 seconds in SAPIENS.  Read about how the idea of CORPORATIONS came about in tghe 13th C, and before that, people were afraid to form new businesses since they could have ended up destitute or dead as a result.

But ironically, the entity WITHOUT a body became known as a CORPoration, a body of nothing within our imaginations.  CORPORATION is the name we now give to limited liability businesses.  

But WRITING

I must acknowledge Senator John McCain, his life and fatherhood and loyalty to America.

I'm glad he lost to Obama, but I'm glad he won at life.  Maybe.... just maybe his life will keep us going.

His daughter Meghan stated it clearly:  America was always great!