DD Prepping

Hi Readers!

What a phenomenal Saturday it is, eh? Especially if you are the kind of person who leveraged the Bad Karma Day holiday this past Thursday into a four-day weekend. And if you are not that kind of person...my sympathies.

Since this blog theoretically (aka, "on paper") doubles as a music blog (as well as a recreational blog), I should probably talk about something musical. The first thing that comes to my mind is that this blog has been nominated for a 2025 Madison Area Music Association (MAMA) award AND a 2025 Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award. No one actually knows why...but I suspect it is because, at a meta level, this blog is a frequent go to for musicians in need of self care and "mojo" (the mysterious ethereal force that gives musicians and the music they perform a supranatural quality - "a whole other level above supernatural..."). In fact, clinical studies have shown that after reading a few posts on this blog, musicians nearly triple their songwriting and live performance power. In reality though, a more pragmatic explanation is that I'm a licensed therapist and life coach, trained in Leisure Science and the Art of Rock Fu. So, this blog helps musicians "declutter" so that they can focus on making awesome rock-n-roll. But again...no one is really sure.

How will you be spending today? Leave a COMMENT below if you want to share. I'll be kicking off the day with some Rock Fu, in the form of a Peloton workout. Sometime this afternoon, Best Buy is delivering and installing a standalone freezer in our basement. The "on paper" reason for this is that my wife Deborah thinks the freezer in our refrigerator is too full and she wants to have an overflow freezer, so that the fridge freezer is less cluttered (again, with the decluttering...see what I mean?). In practice, however, I think we are passively Doomsday Prepping, for reasons beyond the scope of this post.

Well, I feel like that's enough free writing for today. If you've read this far, my sympathies. It's no secret that most of the posts on this blog are just stream of consciousness free association. But, if you're here, then I'm hopeful you got something out of the lengthy diatribe. This blog is one of the few remaining "old school" blogs, still honoring the written word, as opposed to all the audiovisual clutter out there on the Interwebs. Take care of yourselves!

Fin.

Keep Calm and Rock On

Hi Readers!

Happy Hedonism Hangover Day! That's the day after Bad Karma Day (aka, Thanksgiving). Most of you probably ate and drank way more than you had any right to yesterday, and you may be feeling the negative effects of that today. Some people also call it Black Friday, one of the massive corporate money grabs that happens a few times per year, usually around the major holidays observed by the dominant culture (and Black Friday is one of the biggest, tapping into the potent human emotions of guilt, shame, and anxiety to get you to buy things ahead of the upcoming major holidays of Christmas and Hanukah - typically things you don't need or that you will give away to others under the rubric of "promoting Peace on Earth" - a Peace which, oddly, never seems to arrive...).

I'll be the first to admit that I am not beneath taking a slice of that proverbial promotional pie. As many of you know, this blog is free for all to access and enjoy. But we have to financially underwrite it somehow, and we do so using the mechanism called affiliate marketing - whereby a few subtle-but-strategically-placed keyword links, when clicked upon, take you to a site (usually Amazon) where you can purchase something, from which a very tiny percentage of the purchase price goes to us (at no cost to you)!

I thought I'd use today's post to list and share a handful of THINGS that I have found mission critical for living my best life, in hopes that they help you live your best life too. All of these things are things that I can fully endorse, having used them firsthand myself.

A Mood Lamp. Sometimes called a Happy Lamp, these are lamps that give off an intense blue light that simulates daylight, triggering the pineal gland in your brain to dump neurotransmitters and hormones into your brain and bloodstream that "trick" your mind and body into believing it is summertime, even if it's not. As such, people (including me) use these to ameliorate Seasonal Affective Disorder, a common mental health issue in northern latitudes, often comprising symptoms of low mood, low energy, anhedonia, sadness/emptiness, irritability, loss of focus/concentration/memory, and more. If you've experienced it, you know. These lamps can also be used to artificially increase your brain's perception of the duration of daylight each day. Turned on in the early morning or early evening during the winter months, when it is dark outside, again tricks your brain into believing the availability of daylight is longer than it actually is, simulating summertime. I use my mood lamp every day. It sits on my desk and I have it on while I am seeing my marriage and family therapy clients. Be warned, if you use it too late at night, it can disrupt your diurnal rhythm, something akin to jet lag.

The 4 Agreements (book). Shared with me by a mental health counselor I was seeing years ago, this book has proven a resilient, relevant, and extraordinarily pragmatic spiritual guide. I don't have much more to say about it, other than its tenets (the four actual Agreements) collectively cover the management of a significant number of the hassles and BS nonsense life throws at you.

How Not to Die (book). While The 4 Agreements is a great reference guide for improving mental and spiritual wellness, How Not to Die (by Dr. Michael Greger) is a must have screed for improving your physical (and to some extent also mental) health. The good doctor does extensive research on the peer reviewed scientific literature on the role of nutrition in human health. He shares a lot of this info FOR FREE on his website nutritionfacts.org. But he has also compiled all the best bits into this great book, How Not to Die.

I'm gonna pause it there for today, mainly because I have to pee, but also because I have to get a-crackin' on today's action packed agenda: a Peloton workout (to burn off a fraction of the calories I consumed yesterday), practicing rock-n-roll songs (ahead of GUPPY EFFECT duo band practice on Sunday), booking airplane flights for my parents (so they can visit my sister in Colorado for Christmas), and possibly making my infamous vegan curry, if time permits.

I wish you all a wonderful day and I hope that you have a fulfilling and enjoyable weekend. Try to fast from social and mainstream media if you can. I know you can't, but try...you will really notice the improvement in your Zen if you do.

Fin.

Happy Bad Karma Day

Hi Readers!

I hope you all have a Happy Bad Karma Day (aka, Thanksgiving), if you celebrate it. Although many people don't like to hear or acknowledge it, I am not known for ignoring the elephant in the proverbial room. Fact: There is a lot of historical trauma, suffering, and oppression embedded in ("baked into") this American holiday. It's rooted in colonialism and racism.

That doesn't mean you can't have a happy Bad Karma Day. In fact, you should intentionally do so. It's really the only way to practice forgiveness, honor the oppressed, and heal the cultural wounds symbolized and recognized by/on this day. That being said, one way to honor the oppressed and heal the cultural wounds (and be happy) is to choose not to engage in the oppression and suffering of sentient beings...like turkeys (Oh, yeah...I am really in the sh!t now!). I encourage you to intentionally go vegan for the holiday, knowing full well that the culinary conventions of this day are potent and most people won't be able to rise above them. This is not weakness, don't get me wrong. It's just that tradition is a potent emotional driver for a lot of people, and we all know from Psychology 101 that the emotional brain overrides the rational brain just about every time the two come into conflict. Plus, most Americans have been acculturated since birth to accept the notion that slaughtering millions of birds on one specific Thursday of every year is totally fine and normal...maybe even patriotic(?). It's weird though, no?

If you choose to accept my challenge and go vegan today, be warned...this may free your mind and the side effects of that can be profound (it untethers you from blindly accepting cultural norms and narratives, which can be mentally and emotionally destabilizing, especially if your entire identity is defined by external social cues - in which case your ego completely evaporates and your consciousness "disappears"). But it also liberates your conscience. Once freed, that genie is difficult, if not impossible, to return to its bottle. You join the ranks of the unconventional and non-comforming. That can be scary.

Here are some tips, if you want to accept the karmic rewards of going vegan, if just for the day. You can still completely stuff yourself on plant based foods (which tend to be lower in calories, on average). You can cook a plant based roast, such as the Gardein vegan Turk'y Roast. Consider making a vegan side or main dish, like this African Sweet Potato Peanut Stew (which I will, in fact, be bringing to my family's Bad Karma Day celebrations today).

I'm not going to entertain counterfactuals like "I could never go vegan" or "I need meat in my diet." You do you. I'm just saying, good karma comes to those who detoxify and disentangle themselves from bad karmic forces, of which today's holiday is definitely one. I said what I said and I'll own that.

In other news, today is in many ways no different than any other day as far as self care and positivity. In about five minutes, I'll get my Peloton workout out of the way, then move on to prepping some Bad Karma Day food, comprising: aforementioned sweet potato stew, apple pies, vegan roasts, and mashed potatoes (using vegan butter and oat milk). I already knocked off my DuoLingo Spanish lesson and moved the three bags of water softener salt to the basement (putting two of them into the softener salt basin). These may seem like mundane and commonplace things not worthy of mention. Counterpoint: In Buddhism, enlightenment comes through intention and mindfulness in simple daily activities. Choose to be hyperaware today.

Blessings from the (secular) Church of BWJ!

Fin.

Hex

Hi Readers!

I had to put a Hex on a privileged white woman today. I was at the Willy Street Co-op out of necessity - well aware that it's a bit of a haven for the privileged undesirables. I was hoping to score a vegan pumpkin pie for Bad Karma Day (aka, Thanksgiving). I went to the pie section of the store and said woman was standing there right in front of the pies, perusing the options and taking up a LOT of physical AND emotional real estate (if you know...you know). No crime in that, and it's not what I had to Hex her for. However, it was pretty clear that I was waiting to peruse the pie options too after she was done...and she took literally FOREVER to make up her mind about what pie she wanted. That alone would have been worthy of a mild Hex. But then, after she had been there farting around for like five minutes already, she parked her shopping cart right in front of the pies and walked away. Just...walked away...no explanation given. It was clearly some kind of passive aggression, no question about it.

But nope! Not today, Karen. I pushed her cart right out of the way and put the full Hex on her disappearing form right then and there. No one knows how the Hex will manifest itself in her life. But it won't be good for her. 

In other news, it's a light week in the realm of marriage and family therapy. I think a lot of my clients have the week off and their minds are on other things besides having therapy. I have a couple of therapy clients today, and a few more tomorrow. Then, I have Thursday and Friday off, to celebrate Bad Karma Day with my family.

I'll end with a reminder that it is essential to your mental, physical, and spiritual well being to disenfranchise social and mainstream media (SMSM) from your life as soon as possible (but definitely before January 20, 2025). It's increasingly clear that SMSM compromises rational thought and emotional well being. It programs you to focus on negativity and black/white thinking. The key to well being is positivity and realistic thinking. But the latter cognitive processes are harder to do, especially when resisted by the opposing forces of SMSM. Our emotional brains are wired to focus on negatives and simplify everything into binary black and white choices that are easier to understand. The SMSM companies know this well, and they actively engineer their platforms to amplify negative messaging and addict you to grievance. If you think that sounds like a conspiracy theory, don't take my word for it. Watch THIS. You can do a simple experiment to verify this too...just go read any comment thread on any SMSM post online. It's toxically negative and extreme! Or if you doubt the addictiveness of SMSM, try quitting it for a week. Or even a day. Not so easy, huh?

There is no place in anyone's life for SMSM. However, it's your choice. All I can guarantee is that fasting from SMSM will make you happier and, frankly, a better person.

Anyway, have a great rest of your week!

Fin.

Sunday Funday

Hi Readers!

It's another Sunday. So, you know what that means...it's another FUN DAY!

By way of developing Scripture for the Church of Bike With Joe, I thought I'd outline some of the Blessings of the Church today. In a prior post, I described the three Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe. It is by following said Tenets that the Blessings of the Church are bestowed, comprising:

1. Ideal Health. This is not the same as perfect health. That cannot be guaranteed. Following the Tenets of the Church bestows "best possible" health. That is what is meant by Ideal Health.

2. Ideal Happiness. Similar to the first Blessing, this is not the same as perfect happiness. It's "best possible" happiness. By following the Tenets, your mental health and mood will be as balanced as possible.

3. Clean Blows. These were alluded to in a prior post and you can learn more HERE.

There are other Blessings too. But these are the main ones.

Fin.

Separation

Hi Readers!

Happy Weekend Before Bad Karma Day! I hope you are spending it wisely and this blog post reaches you at a time when you most need it in your life.

The weekend comprises a few fun things for me. Deborah and I will do a bit of grocery shopping ahead of the holiday festivities this coming week. I'll - of course - practice the Tenets of the Church of BWJ (summarized HERE), as I do just about every day.

I had a deep(er than usual) thought yesterday, and I thought I would share it here. As a Church leader, I keep a very strict separation between our Church and the State, as per the rules we were all likely taught in grade school, if you were paying attention. There was a good reason for establishing that separation when it was established - churches were too powerful and persuasive to be allowed to meddle in the lives of people who were no religiously inclined. In this modern age, it almost feels like we need a separation between OTHER THINGS and both Church and State. One of those things is social and mainstream media (SMSM). The 4th Estate, as SMSM is sometimes called, is a powerful and persuasive entity in its own right. It has a moral, ethical, and legal obligation to give us accurate information, so we can realistically assess Reality and make informed and reasonable choices in our lives. SMSM has become poisoned by meddling from both Religion and Politics, which we all know are the two things that no one should ever discuss or allow into their personal lives and relationships. The only way to free yourself from Religion and Politics, is to abstain from SMSM (until such time as it is legally and institutionally separated from Church and State). That's why abstinence from SMSM is one of the three primary Tenets of the Church of BWJ.

I need to flesh this idea out a little more, but right now, I feel one of the Blessings of the Church coming on and I am going to go indulge that!

Fin.

The Fast

Hi Readers!

It's a week until Bad Karma Day! That's what I call Thanksgiving, because it is bad karma to eat innocent animals. I said what I said. Do with it what you will. Did you know turkeys enjoy music and will sometimes sing along with it [SOURCE]? Groovy.

I hope all of you are engaging in some social and mainstream media (SMSM) fasting. I typically engage in it starting around Halloween and continue it as far into the new year as I can. I'm aiming to fast from it for the entirety of 2025. Motivational speaker Tim Ferriss first alerted me to the strategy of SMSM fasting and its physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. Ferriss is wrong about quite a number of things, but also right about a few other things (just like average person!). One of the things he is right about is fasting from SMSM, which is toxic to mind, body, and soul. I would extrapolate his conclusion to ALL toxins. For example, junk food is toxic and should also be avoided. Toxic people are toxic and should also be avoided. Toxins drain your life energy. So identify them and disenfranchise them from your life. SMSM is one of them. It's not the easiest one to disenfranchise from your life, because SMSM is designed to be addictive [SOURCE]. But if you are able to free yourself from it, you will be glad you did.

I truly hope this blog post finds you. And if it does AND you benefit from it, please share it with someone else who could benefit from a little fasting from toxic SMSM.

A good day to you!

Fin.

Light vs Dark

Hi Readers!

As I was tooling away on the Peloton trainer this morning (great 60 minute workout, by the way!), I had some thoughts about positivity vs negativity. I attributed positivity to LIGHT and negativity to DARK, as I think most people logically would. Then I spent some time thinking about what concepts fall under each of these somewhat binary categories. Here is what I came up with...

LIGHT: Love, kindness, compassion, tolerance, empathy, altruism, equity, justice, democracy, freedom, sharing, honesty, cooperation, teamwork, uplifting, peace, calm, contentment, positivity.

DARK: Fear, hate, grievance, vitriol, misery, intolerance, sexism, racism, autocracy, kleptocracy, oppression, greed, harm, toxicity, shame, blame, chaos, dishonesty, agitation, aggression, negativity.

It occurred to me that a lot of people seem to dwell in the DARK these days, especially if they spend a lot of their time on social media, and it sounds exhausting and miserable. It seems like the LIGHT is a much more fun and enjoyable place to be. It's certainly the place I find most hospitable to my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.*

Thoughts? Leave a comment below.

Fin.

*NOTE: If you are a lover of the LIGHT too and are exhausted and disgusted by all the divisive and toxic fear, hate, grievance, and vitriol purveyed by social and mainstream media (SMSM), you are not alone and you may find the safe place you are looking for in the Church of Bike With Joe. Check it out HERE.

Time to Ride

Hi Readers!

I am giving it my best effort to post a new post here every day. The Algorithm LOVES new content, am I right?

That being said, I am planning a big, fun, awesome post for this coming Sunday 11/24/24, and because I am putting all my effort into that post, I don't have a great deal of good content for today's post. I'll share with you what I got thought...

Per usual, I will be seeing marriage and family therapy clients today. I'm also going to jump on the Peloton trainer here shortly for an INTENTIONAL 60 minute workout, dedicated to world peace and harmony.

I had a couple cute song lyrics pop into my head earlier: "I built a little spaceship in my backyard. If found the specs online and it wasn't too hard. Making things airtight was the trickiest part. Don't want to decompress and explode my heart."

Alright. With that weak sauce, I had best sign off.

Fin.

Biking

Hi Readers!

Despite global warming's silver linings, it is still late fall heading headlong into winter in Wisconsin. While climate change allowed me to comfortably rake leaves this morning in the middle of November, it's getting a little too brisk for fair weather bicyclists like myself to bike outdoors. So, with the exception of a rare record warm day to come (which is actually fairly likely), most of the bike riding to be done here over the next few months will be indoors - in my case, on the Peloton trainer.

If you have a Peloton, you can certainly connect with me in that community. My Peloton name is @ragbraijoe (tag = #poweredbyplants). I will likely continue to schedule Facebook events via the BIKE WITH JOE FB group. However, these will likely be events like "get coffee" or "play board games," rather than "bike outside somewhere." Can you dig it?

In other news, this blog was just nominated for a Wisconsin Area Music Industry award for Best Blog. How cool is that? Vote for this blog if you like it.

I supposed I should talk about music then. The GUPPY EFFECT semi-acoustic musical duo is up and running again. We are mostly focused on rehearsing and honing material right now, but hope to play a house concert of coffee shoppe gig here sometime soon.

Fin.

Raking and Stew

Hi Readers!

Today is the day...that I rake the accumulated leaves in the yard to the curb for pickup by the city.

Today is also the day that I make African Sweet Potato Peanut Stew.

I also have therapy today. Yes, marriage and family therapists also go to therapy! We are people too and therapy makes everyone a BETTER person.

Beyond that, today comprises the usual things: eating a whole food, plant based diet and getting in some aerobic exercise (Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe).

Lastly, I'll remind everyone that the best way to reduce anxiety and regain your peace of mind (should it be missing) is to abstain completely from social and mainstream media (SMSM). I cannot stress this enough. If you can fast from SMSM for a week, you will notice a significant improvement in your Zen and mood. Try it.

Fin.

Sunday Funday

Hi Readers!

It's Sunday. So, you know what that means, right? It's also a FUN day.

I kicked it off with a whole food, plant based breakfast comprising coffee (with coconut/almond milk blend), avocado toast, and a banana. Next on the agenda is a Peloton workout of 30-60 minutes. If all goes to plan, a vegan lunch with my parents at the Crisp-n-Green is on the agenda for midday shenanigans.

Deborah and I plan to hit the Willy Street Co-op and CostCo this afternoon for some grocery essentials and possibly some vegan Thanksgiving options (likely a couple of Gardein Turk'y roasts). I have GUPPY EFFECT duo band practice with Stefan at 6 PM this evening, and I'll need to hone some of the practice material ahead of time. So, I'll probably hit the Manwich Music Mansion about 4 PM, to start said honing the quintessential semi-acoustic rock-n-roll that we produce.

That's about it for my Sunday Funday. I'll be abstaining from social and mainstream media (SMSM) by listening to music, reading Kindle books, and engaging with the real world. How about you? Leave a comment below letting us know how you will thwart Evil today.

Fin.

Un-Psychedelic Breakfast

Hi Readers!

A joyous day to you! Because you cannot have joYOUsness without YOU. Am I right?

Let's talk about FRUIT today. I am currently in the process of eating a metric pantload of the stuff for breakfast, comprising one banana, two apples, and a large but uncertain number of grapes. Damn, this stuff is filling! And it's really low calorie too. Since fruit is a plant based whole food, it's totally allowed and encouraged to be eaten by adherents of the Church of Bike With Joe. The Cosmos rewards the eating of fruit with one of the Blessings of the Church: CLEAN BLOWS. If you are curious, you can read more about clean blows HERE (and apologies in advance!). The Blessing is usually bestowed about 24-36 hours post-consumption of said fruit (or fruit salad) and it is believed to indicate that the individual has been bestowed with Cosmic (albeit temporary) protection from Evil. 

I will be seeing a handful of marriage and family therapy clients this morning, after which I will attend the monthly Systems Theory consult group meeting that I participate in semi-regularly. On my way to the meeting, I'll stop by the office to get my business mail. It's very possible this evening will comprise going to Best Buy to acquire a couple of essentials for the coming Apocalypse, including a new TV for the bedroom and possibly a standalone freezer for the basement (to hold overflow vegan pizzas).

There was (and still is) a possibility of me attending a Bombay Bicycle Club ride tomorrow - the final one of the 2024 cycling season. But the window of opportunity on that is rapidly closing, due to weather. This is probably for the best, because there was talk of getting together with my parents for lunch at the Crisp-n-Green tomorrow, and the bike ride might cut into that. So, it may be a Peloton workout at home instead. Such is life...and a good effing life it is!

Are you a member of the Church of Bike With Joe yet? There's no obligation whatsoever. It's optional, but encouraged, if you are looking for an organic lifestyle that is guaranteed to improve mental, physical, and spiritual well being (Enlightenment). I am sure there are many other ways to find Enlightenment out there. However, I have no idea what those are, and joining the Church of Bike With Joe is one of the easiest and most certain ways to achieve said goal. The Church has three basic Tenets, and if you follow them, you'll achieve ideal wellness. The Tenets are:

1. Follow a whole food (80%) plant based (100%) way of eating.

2. Exercise aerobically for at least 30 minutes every day.

3. Abstain from and avoid mental, physical, and spiritual toxins (including social and mainstream media, toxic people, and poisons like nicotine, drugs, and alcohol).

That's it. Membership in the Church is an act of DOING those three things. There are no fees or dues. There are no Church Fathers (except maybe me, since I started the gosh darn thing). There are no places of worship, other than within your own physical, mental, and spiritual lived experience (consciousness). If you adopt and integrate these Tenets into your life, you will start to notice the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits (aka, The Awakening) in about 2-3 weeks.*

Joining does not even require 100% adherence to the Tenets - just having the INTENTION to do so is enough (although Enlightenment cannot be guaranteed if you don't follow them at least a little bit). Following the Tenets should feel like the natural and authentic thing to do (at least after 2-3 weeks of following them, if not right away). And not following them should feel uncomfortable and unbalancing and destabilizing. If neither of the aforementioned things are true for you, then the Church probably isn't for you. And that's totally OK! Don't try to pound a square peg into a round hole by pursuing something that violates your authentic narrative and values. That would be a waste of time.

You may be wondering why these three things, in particular, are the Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe. In short, these Tenets are derived from what Science has told us are the best ways to optimize wellness. 

Some have asked, "What is the most important of the three Tenets, if...say...I can only follow one of them?" The answer is the third one - avoiding toxins (especially social and mainstream media). Eating a plant based diet and daily aerobic exercise are not feasible or possible for everyone. The Church understands this and emphasizes INTENTION more than action on the first two Tenets. The third Tenet is actionable for almost everyone, because it involves NOT doing (abstaining from) something, which is achievable for just about everyone. It's easier to not do something than it is to do something (you can test this yourself...). You know, there was actually a time in the world, not too long ago, when social media did not exist and mainstream media had to be accessed ACTIVELY (it wasn't always passively ubiquitous in your life).

Nonetheless, due to Grievance Addiction, many people still find it hard to abstain from social and mainstream media (SMSM), which was literally designed by diabolical forces (in Silicon Valley) to be more addictive than heroin or nicotine [SOURCE]. If you doubt this, I challenge you to abstain from SMSM for one week...or even one full day. You'll see what I mean. And if you have already kicked the SMSM habit, great! You are well on your way to becoming a Church of Bike With Joe adherent (should you so choose).

Fin.

*NOTE: I'm not gonna lie to you...the window of opportunity to join the Church of Bike With Joe is still very wide open, as of this posting. No urgency whatsoever. If this were about marketing some kind of religious scheme to profit off of, I'd probably lie and tell you that the window of opportunity is CLOSING SOON, SO ACT FAST! Nope. It's not. And - much like Honey Badger - I honestly don't have any strong incentive to encourage you to join the Church, other than empathy (which, one could argue, is the currency of Karma). In fact, the Church really doesn't want any members who aren't INTENTIONAL about being members. As I said earlier, following the Tenets should feel like it aligns perfectly with your values and authentic self. If that's not the case, don't join. That said, it takes 2-3 weeks of following the Tenets to feel the benefits (Blessings), so give it a sporting chance if you are on the fence. But if you know healthy vegan eating, daily aerobic exercise, and avoiding toxins like SMSM are not for you, move along...nothing to see here.

As of now, there is no urgency whatsoever to join the Church of Bike With Joe. However, the window of opportunity to join very explicitly closes on January 19, 2025, a little over two months from now. You can literally join any time right up to the deadline, and it's super easy to do. As I said earlier, just INTENTIONALLY start practicing the three Tenets of the Church described above...and you're IN! Because it takes 2-3 weeks to reap the full mental, physical, and spiritual rewards of adherence to the Tenets, I would do so no later than about New Year's Eve 2024, if you plan to join (or you just want to give it a practice run). In fact, you could make joining the Church your New Year's Resolution, if you like. Most people give up on their New Year's Resolutions about 2-3 weeks into the new year anyway. So, if it ends up not being your bag, you've sacrificed nothing.

You can, of course, also join the Church after the January 19, 2025 deadline, but the Church makes no guarantee of mental, physical, and spiritual salvation on or after January 20, 2025. We also don't make any guarantee of that on or before that date either, because get real...how could anyone guarantee any such thing? However, an inability to guarantee salvation does not mean we don't KNOW it will happen. That's what FAITH is all about...knowing something with your heart and soul without any scientific evidence whatsoever. It's important to say here that the Church of Bike With Joe LOVES Science and Science underlies the three Tenets of the Church (which is why we capitalize Science). We believe Science to be one of the best ways to understand Reality. Science is integral to the FAITH of this particular Church. So, even though believing in Science is not a formal Tenet of the Church, we really dig Science and hope you do to. Dig?

Another Superb Day

Hi Readers!

I had another fantastic night of sleep last night, despite waking up a couple times due to distractions (both my wife Deborah and our dog Ziggy were unusually restless, for some reason). My mood is more like 8/10 today (10 = ideal mood). If you recall, I was a 9/10 yesterday, a record mood score and the highest it has been in quite some time, despite recent sociopolitical setbacks (many of which I am blissfully unaware of for reasons that will soon become apparent). The one point drop in mood score today is probably attributable to a jam packed weekend ahead. It's jam packed with awesomeness - let there be no doubt about that - but I still have to thread the needle carefully to make sure everything (itemized at the end of this post for my own benefit and so as not to bore you with it now) gets done. And yes, that "thread the needle" simile is intentionally Biblical (if you know...you know!).

In general, the major contributor to my positive mood of late is abstinence from toxic social and mainstream media (SMSM). It's poison to one's mind and soul, but one does not often recognize or realize this fact until one removes SMSM from one's life. I have replaced SMSM with much more productive pastimes, such as reading library books and listening to music (I am listening to System of a Down songs right now, but I have found Gregorian Chant to be quite soothing and relaxing lately). The powers that be (aka, THEY, or in certain parlances, THE MAN) hate this. Fasting from SMSM gives me absolute immunity (to lift a phrase -so I am told - from the pop culture) from fake news and divisive grievance mongering...the diabolical forces THEY regularly use to demoralize and disempower people. I can understand why abstinence from SMSM is one of the three Holy Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe* (the organization for which I am the reluctant, albeit wholehearted, spiritual leader). I can also understand why THEY work so hard to make SMSM more addictive than heroin and nicotine.

Speaking of positive mood and spirituality, let me remind my readers of the other two Holy Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe: Adherence to a (mostly) whole food and (entirely) plant based diet AND daily aerobic exercise. These two spiritual practices alone can bring you to blissful physical and mental positivity and happiness (as the long-lived and happy 7th Day Adventists well know). However, complete enlightenment (as the Buddhists call it) requires removal of obstacles (toxic people and places, including SMSM) to Zen-like peace of mind and tranquility of soul.

This blog post now constitutes a "spiritual reading" of the Church of Bike With Joe, should I ever make the effort to get the Church officially established as a tax-free, non-profit. There's no rush on that, and people are free to join the Church of Bike With Joe immediately, if they so wish. There are no obstacles and no rules other than choosing to follow the Tenets. If you do and you happen to want to let me know, leave a comment on this post. The only caveat to all of this is that if you want to become an ordained minister or spiritual leader in the Church of Bike With Joe, you must practice the martial art of ROCK FU, which I can elaborate on at a later time. 

WEEKEND AGENDA:

Willy Street Coop and CostCo grocery runs. We need bulk dry garbanzo beans from Willy, so I can continue to make one of the Sacramental Foods of the Church of Bike With Joe - FALAFEL. We also "need" a new TV, according to Deborah, and she has her eye on a particular one at CostCo.

I will see a few marriage and family therapy clients on Saturday, followed by a meeting of the Systems Consult Group of which I am a part. This will obliterate most of the day on Saturday. Deborah and I will probably do something fun in the evening. And by fun, I mean chillax and do next to nothing, which is awesome.

I may attend the last Bombay Bicycle Club ride of the 2024 outdoor cycling season on Sunday morning, weather permitting. On Sunday night, I'll practice a bit of ROCK FU with my buddy Stefan, as we are getting together to rehearse songs for the reboot of the GUPPY EFFECT semi-acoustic duo.

I also need to whip up a week's worth of smoothies for Deborah. I am probably going to knock that out this morning yet, before seeing my first psychotherapy client at 9 AM.

Alright, that's my post and I am sticking to it.

Fin.

*NOTE: The Church of Bike With Joe is an offshoot of Dudeism, of which I am an ordained minister, should you need...like...a wedding officiated or something.

Best Dream

Hi Readers!

What is your mood score today on a 1-10 scale, where 10 = ideal mood? And what do you attribute your mood score to (positives and negatives)?

I'm at about a 9/10 today, despite quite a busy and stressful marriage and family therapist's workday ahead. I attribute this to getting a great workout in yesterday (60 intentional* minutes on the Peloton). I also accomplished my "3 Things that Would Make Today a Success" yesterday. And so, by definition, yesterday was a success. I had an awesome night's sleep last night and a couple of cathartic dreams.

Anyway. I hope you all have a very positive and productive day today. Try to make time for self care, and if possible, abstain from social and mainstream media (SMSM). Word on the street is that it's very toxic and radioactive right now, and any amount of exposure can lethally poison your soul. I am encouraging all of my psychotherapy clients to fast from SMSM through at least the end of the year. The mental health benefits far outweigh the newsworthiness.

If your mood score is less than a 5/10 today, take a mental health day, do some self care, and avoid negativity, toxicity, and drama.

Fin.

*NOTE: INTENTION is the manifestation of desired outcomes in the Cosmos through positive action. My INTENTION is always the disenfranchisement of negativity and toxicity in the Cosmos, balanced karmically by an improvement in my positivity and wellness.