Category Archives: Lifestyle
Why My Facebook Account Is Disabled
This will be brief because the reasons aren’t complicated.
The political vitriol from all sides was getting old before Trump even declared his candidacy, let alone won the nomination and election. Facebook’s privacy policy is built on a shifting shoal and I don’t like trying to keep up with it. I’m tired of scrolling through the feed mindlessly looking at those “Tasty” videos, which for some reason I find annoying but hard to look away from, like when I’d pass through the living room as a ten or twelve year old child while my younger sisters were watching Barney, only to find myself sucked into it somehow, and then have some inane earworm stuck in my head for the rest of the day. And I’ve now seen enough photos of other people’s croissants to last several lifetimes.
It’s been a long time since I logged in and felt that I was getting any real value or enjoyment out of Facebook. So that’s why my account is disabled.
Mojitos
My parents invited me to join them for dinner this evening. I arrived and let myself into the house. The aroma of vegetables cooking wafted towards me from the kitchen, and along with it the sounds of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s 1992 hit single Baby Got Back. Much to my surprise, the music was selected not by one of my teenage sisters, both of whom were out, but rather by my mother, a 50-something English professor at a Catholic seminary.
I walked into the kitchen, and Mom offered me a mojito. It was tasty, but it’s important to remember to muddle the mint, not shred it. In any case, the meal was delicious.
My Gluten-Free Experiment
I have two good friends who are on a gluten-free diet: one for his own health & wellness reasons, and the other because her son has an extreme gluten sensitivity, and it was easier for the whole household to go gluten-free than it was to teach a six year old what he can and can’t eat. Both friends always have great things to say about going gluten-free: they have more energy, they don’t get the mid-afternoon energy drain, etc. I decided to give this a shot for 30 days. Here is what I learned.
- I did feel more energized after about two weeks on the gluten-free diet. However, at around the same time I went gluten-free, I started waking up much earlier and exercising. I changed too many variables at once. When I reintroduced gluten at the end of my 30-day trial period, but continued with the rest of my new routine, I didn’t feel any more sluggish. Therefore, I don’t believe my increased energy was associated with the lack of gluten.
- Foods designated gluten-free tend to be more expensive and often taste pretty bad. So, rather than buying gluten-free bread, etc., I just didn’t eat foods usually containing gluten during July.
- Fortunately, there are other grains (rice, corn, potatoes) that are naturally gluten-free.
- Several ethnic cuisines are almost entirely gluten-free, including Indian, Mexican, and most Asian foods.