Plant Parenthood

The title of this post is a deep cut pun. There was supposed to be a Powered by Plants vegan cycling team RAGBRAI training ride this morning. I biked to the UW Arboretum parking lot, arriving at the designated time of 8:30 AM. The ride was slated to roll out at 8:45 AM. So I hit the Porto Potty in the Arb lot and then bided my time, keeping an eye out for fellow PbP Cycling folks (the jerseys are always colorful and easy to spot).

By 8:45, no such regalia of jerseys had made manifest. As it turns out, in my haste to get to the ride start on time, I had failed to check the PbPC team Discord, where team leader Beth had posted earlier in the AM that the ride was canceled due to predicted foul weather. 

I contemplated riding the 37 mile route to Oregon on my own, because despite predictions of foul weather, there did not appear to be any of said detrimental weather forthcoming. Bigger picture, the absence of predicted atmospheric maelstroms was in part due to the dismantling of NOAA by the administration of a certain twice impeached convicted felon and sex offender who shall remain unnamed, rendering weather forecasts effectively unpredictable. But that's tangential to this story.

I opted instead for a shorter ride, that would lead me eventually back home via "the scenic route," with a coffee stop at MOKA. But, long story short the PbPC RAGBRAI training ride was ABORTED. And because abortions have historically been performed by Planned Parenthood, my clever mind declared that this ride abortion was the work of PLANT PARENTHOOD. Get it???

In truth, though, my ride ended up being more of a premature birth of an undersized bike ride that eventually grew up to be a fully functional adult bike ride (aka, RAGBRAI 2026).

FIN.

Have a Great Day

Hi Dear Readers.

This one is a short one. So short that I am not even going to type my usual introduction.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

That is all.

Fin.

A simple Cost and Benefit Analysis

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action steps for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

I have received some pushback on my thesis that boycotting all social and mainstream media (SMSM) is a good idea for improving mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. I want to reiterate that I am not saying it is an ABSOLUTE GOOD idea. I am saying it is the LESSER of two evils...a RELATIVE GOOD. I would love it if SMSM were informative, positive, motivational, and non-addictive. But it is none of those things and is increasingly the opposite of those things. It now contains more misinformation than information. It is ridiculously negative and rife with toxic grievance that leaves you feeling empty and angry and devoid of joy. It discourages civic action by substituting it with the aforementioned aggrieved negativity (whining on social media has become the ONLY form of action people take on important civic and social issues). And if you need proof that it is more addictive than heroin or nicotine, just try quitting it for a couple of weeks, or even a couple of days. QED.

So, this is a simple cost and benefit analysis. There may have been a time when the benefits of SMSM outweighed the cost. But that time is long gone. You are now better off avoiding it completely. For one thing, it keeps DFUs largely out of your life, which by itself is a wellness advantage. It also denies the Corporate Overlords of SMSM your attention and money. Recall, the reason SMSM is free for you to use is because YOU ARE NOT THE CUSTOMER; YOU ARE THE PRODUCT. The customers of SMSM are advertisers who pay for your time, attention, and eyeballs to increase their profits. If you have any doubt about this, ask yourself why there is so much advertising on SMSM? If it were not profitable, why would companies advertise? Boycotting SMSM is a form of civic action, as you are reclaiming the commodity that is your attention and time, and you are impacting (albeit minimally) the bottom lines of big, exploitative corporations (you are very gently "sticking it to THE MAN").

Once you free yourself from SMSM, you become significantly/relatively smarter and happier (though, in absolute terms, you will still be of average intelligence and moderate mood...an improvement only in that it is a return to your baseline from a much worse off state...). This is why boycotting SMSM is a massively positive improvement in your wellness environment, akin to quitting nicotine, alcohol, and/or drugs. Add to that a healthy plant based diet and daily aerobic exercise and you will find yourself almost unstoppable, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

In quasi-related news, there will be a GENERAL STRIKE across America and the World on May Day (5/1/26). I encourage you all to participate and here is the info: maydaystrong.org.

I will be participating by avoiding SMSM (obviously), purchasing NOTHING, and closing my marriage and family therapy business for the day. Actively, I will be enjoying time with friends and family, hosting a bike ride, and generally chilling TF out.

Hugs!

Fin.