Hiatus

Hi Dear Readers!

It has been a little while since I have posted. I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action steps for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). Indeed, the reason for my lengthy hiatus from your life is that I was diligently battling DFUs via intentional acts of positivity, joy, kindness, compassion, and altruism (you know...the Jesus-y type things).

Yesterday was Monday and a recovery day from Sunday, which is when my rock-n-roll acoustic super duo GUPPY EFFECT performed a superb house concert for a bunch of cool peeps (videos forthcoming shortly). I thoroughly enjoy performing at house concerts. The main reason is that it's at a house, and thus private property, where the performers and attendees have a lot of autonomy and control over the experience. Typically, there is no charge to attend a house concert, but people are asked to bring a tribute, usually in the form of a snack, side dish, or beverages to share. Optionally, there is typically a tip jar, into which people can reposit legal tender, if they determine that: 1. they were too lazy to acquire the requisite shareable OR 2. the requisite shareable provided was inferior to the sheer magnitude of the awesome rocking happening at the house concert (which they would not have known in advance).

GUPPY EFFECT is going to showcase the open mic at Brix Cider House in Mt Horeb WI this coming Thursday night (8/14). If you're in the area, swing on by. We plan to go on about 8 PM ish.

Fin.

Relaxation Time

Hi Dear Readers!

You know the usual opening greeting by now, so say it to yourself and let's get into it.

I had a fairly fruitful (literally) and productive morning. I got up a little before 8 AM and poured my usual cup of coffee before taking care of the dogs. I had vegan strawberry yogurt, a cosmic apple, some grapes, and toast with vegan butter and jam for breakfast. I cut up three sweet potatoes into cubes and put them in a baggy in the freezer, for later use in the African sweet potato peanut stew I will likely whip up tonight after GUPPY EFFECT band practice. Then I pre-practiced a few songs in anticipation of said practice, before changing into bicycling garb and tooling over to Pinnacle, where I met Deborah (who drove her car there), to relax by and in the outdoor pool there. That's actually where I am right now as I write this. We'll probably swim a few laps if some lanes open up in the pool. It's crowded here today, probably because it is a weekend and hot.

I'll tool home about 2 PM to meet Stefan at my house for band practice at 3 PM. GUPPY EFFECT has a show next Saturday 8/2 @ Bierock in Waunakee WI (actually, it's still Madison, I think). I'm geeked for the rocking, which will follow an intense week of seeing marriage and family therapy clients.

Fin.

Letting Go

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or Dark Magic (DM) powers for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). Some of you must be acquiring DM powers, because the DFUs are definitely suffering right now, and that's a very awesome thing.

I had to practice LETTING GO today. I had wanted to go see a really good band, BOILED IN LEAD, at the UW Memorial Union Terrace tonight. I had even put it on my calendar some weeks ago with full intent to attend. But somehow it dropped off my radar until this evening, when it popped up on my reminders and I was like, "Oh SHIT! That's tonight!" 

I asked Deborah if she wanted to go, but she was already psychologically winding down to chill for the evening and I didn't want to push her too hard to ramp back up her mojo energy and go. I reached out to Stefan to see if he wanted to go. He declined due to family stuff but later DID ramp up his mojo energy and decided to go. However, I did not see his follow up message until it was too late to go and so we didn't go. And I was kind of ruminating on that missed opportunity and beating myself up about it...until I got into a more Zen mindset and asked myself, "What would I advise my marriage and family therapy clients to do?"

I would likely advise them to practice LETTING GO...detachment from the rumination causing the suffering. Just let go of the attachment. It's not a life and death matter. It's just an unfortunate reality. Life is still very very good in the grand scheme of things.

So, in lieu of going to the show, I rage cooked in the kitchen and made a fuckin' awesome pasta dish, which I would not have had, had I gone to the concert instead. Although, I likely would have had a couple beers and an enjoyable time if I had gone to the show. But whatever, man!

Fin.

Another Week of Disinfection

Hi Dear Readers!

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

It was a fun weekend, which invariably leads to the Monday Blues. Not because Mondays are especially bad or anything. In fact, today is going to be a quite spectacular Monday, as I'll explain in a minute. It has more to do with the relative awesomeness of the weekend compared to the week. For example, I got to spend a good part of the weekend with my awesome wife Deborah. She's at work today, so by definition, today won't be AS awesome as the weekend. But it still might be pretty awesome, if awesomeness is NOT like pregnancy (either true or false; nothing in between).

In any case, finding a considerable gap in my marriage and family therapy schedule today, I threw together an impromptu BIKE WITH JOE event, which will take up a good chunk of the afternoon, until I return home to see some psychotherapy clients in the evening.

Take care!

Fin.

I Suppose

Well, Dear Readers, I suppose I should post.

The Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) are not having their greatest week. And that's awesome. It means our collective intentional daily action steps to thwart them are working.

If you recall last weekend's random post, I set myself a wellness challenge for this past week to abstain from all social and mainstream media (SMSM). Since that's my default setting, it wasn't really that hard to do, but I was a little more assertive about it. For example, when Deborah asked, "Can we listen to the news?" I responded, "Nope." And she respected that. Were it not for the wellness challenge, I would have responded with a more passive, "I don't care." It's a mindset thing. You get what I'm saying?

Deborah and I had a wonderful mini-vacation to the pool yesterday evening. We didn't stay too long, because it was an atypically chilly day for mid-July. But we did 30 minutes of weight training beforehand, and we both agree that is paying off in terms of health and wellness.

I had to work a little bit today (Saturday). I was supposed to have two marriage and family Teletherapy clients, but one did not show up for the online session. So it was a light work day. I have a Systems Theory Consult Group meeting this afternoon, but I don't really identify that as work. It's more of a way to stay connected with some experts in my field. I plan to bike to the meeting by way of the Bloom Bakery, where I will score some vegan donuts for the group and a few additional vegan treats for Deborah and I.

I don't know what the rest of the day entails after that. Probably chilling at home. I might practice a bit of music ahead of the GUPPY EFFECT rock-n-roll gigs on 8/2 and 8/10.

Fin.

Poolside

Hi Dear Readers!

Get off the social media! It's poisoning your mind.

OK, PSA complete.

I started this blog post poolside at Pinnacle Athletic Club but had to save the draft and finish it later. Now it's later...

What can you buy for $4.20 these days? Probably a few things. But what it buys Deborah and me, respectively, is a few hours per day at the pool (by way of the gym). Our Pinnacle membership costs about $4.20 per day, each ($8.40 total) if we hit the gym/pool about 3x per week, on average, which we typically do. That's a pretty good deal given all the inflated hype about inflation that you see on social and mainstream media (SMSM). That's cheaper than the chai latte Deborah likes to get at the coffee shoppe.

SMSM has got it in its algorithmic head that there's a financial crisis going on and a bunch of inflation. I'm seeing that nowhere around me. Maybe it's happening somewhere else, and if you are somewhere else where it is happening, please leave a comment below. But if it is NOT happening to you personally, I kindly ask that you STFU and do not comment.

The pool was pleasant today. The sun was out, though it was unseasonably cool for July, due to the freak storms that came through yesterday. It was warm enough though, and after we did our requisite 30 minutes of weight training on the gym floor, we repaired to the pool for a few laps of swimming and a brief episode of lounging poolside.

You can say what you will about the so called Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs), but they are remarkable absent from our lives. I'd say life is as good, if not better, than this time last year.

Work/life balance is...well...balanced. Cost of living is about the same as last year. As long as I adhere to the Church of Bike With Joe tenet of abstaining from SMSM, the DFUs really have no direct access to our lives. If they ever find an analog way to pollute our space, we will punch them in their faces. A good day to you.

Fin.

Addendum

Hi Dear Readers!

Brief addendum to today's earlier post...GUPPY EFFECT band practice is NOT happening this afternoon. Guitarist Stefan B has some family in town unexpectedly. At first, he wanted to just push practice back one hour, to 4 PM instead of the usual 3 PM. I was willing to do that, but also suggested it might be to the benefit of all to simply cancel practice for today.

This rehearsal cancellation is not as detrimental to the mission as one might, at first, presume. True...we do have a gig on 8/2, which is coming up fast, but we will have ample opportunities to rehearse before then, notwithstanding today's minor setback. Additionally, today is one of those fantastic summer days in Wisconsin - sunny, temps in the upper 70s, light breeze - when it is ideal to be in the out of doors vs in the basement rock cave rocking. Indeed, Deborah and are are currently poolside at the outdoor pool at Pinnacle Health Club (aka, the gym), soaking up the sunny vibes and swimming a bit. If GUPPY EFFECT were practicing today, I would be on a timetable to leave this poolside paradise around 2 PM, to get home in time to change and prep for practice at 3 PM. Not that I felt any pressure or urgency about that, considering we got to the gym around 11 AM, worked out, and repaired to the poolside about noon. In fact, we might still depart the pool for home around 2 PM anyway, because a plan is afoot to go check out the Fete de Marquette neighborhood music fest later this afternoon. The absence of GUPPY EFFECT band practice opens up a larger time window for festing. We may take our dogs Nyah and Ziggy to the fest as well.

Anyway, that was the long way of saying that plans change and it's best to just roll with that and find the silver linings, because if you are rigid and inflexible with change, it will bend you over and plow you from behind. And, as many of my readers know, arse rape is the domain of a different band I am a part of - HIATVS.

In unrelated, but important, news, I am doing a wellness challenge this week - abstaining from all social and mainstream media.

Fin.

Sunday Funday

Hi Dear Readers.

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

This is your weekly Sunday reminder that the single most important thing you can do for your mental, physical, and spiritual health is GET OFF SOCIAL MEDIA. Boycott it completely.

It takes about three weeks of social media abstinence to overcome the addictive dependency most people have on it. But it is very possible to do, if you substitute other positive activities for social media use instead. The main reason people succumb to social media use is boredom. If you stay actively involved in non-boring things, you will do fine. There are a gazillion pretty easy and no/low cost positive activities you can choose from, if you give it a little thought (I recommend inventorying a list of five to ten of these). Get out into nature and walk around using your five senses. Read/listen to a book. Watch a movie or TV show series. Make a recipe and eat it. Ride a bike. Explore the public transit system in your city. 

The main reason people turn to social media to alleviate boredom is the EASE of doing so. It's really not all that rewarding (small dopamine bump) and sometimes it leaves you feeling drained and angry (very negative emotions). But social media use is SO EASY, by design, that people will usually just pull out their smart phones and succumb to it, sometimes for a much longer time than is healthy. Alternative positive activities may take a little more effort to get going on, but not that much more, and they are often significantly more rewarding and time limited. So don't let ease be the enemy of your optimized enjoyment. Someday you are going to die and when you are on your death bed, are you going to be happy about how much time you spent on social media?

What's in store today, you ask? If all goes to plan, there will be exercise and rocking. I'm not sure of the exact order yet, but it will likely go something like this: pre-practice GUPPY EFFECT songs this morning (while Deborah sleeps in), in anticipation of this afternoon's GUPPY EFFECT band practice; bike to the gym for a swim and some lounging by the pool (great weather today); have the aforementioned GUPPY EFFECT band practice; and unscheduled time in the evening. Of course, I'll intentionally observe the Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe, eating only vegan food, exercising, and abstaining from toxic social and mainstream media (SMSM).

Fin.

Weekend Looming

Hi Dear Readers!

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

I wish this blog found more people. Because a lot of the insights here are pretty good, if I do say so myself. Today's insight is that social media (SM) is a toxic thing that causes mass psychosis in the population, unbeknownst to them. I am sure everyone reading this is like, "Oh, that's not me...I have free will and critical thinking capabilities." And that's the issue. Everyone reading this is wrong about that. Social media decides what you will see (and therefore prioritize) on it and it will give you opinions to hold on it that reinforce your preexisting notions about whatever it is. I think everyone knows this by now. Until you accept its power over your thoughts and feelings - and sometimes actions - you will be enslaved to it. AI has only made the problem exponentially worse.

It's Deborah's birthday this weekend and we are going to fill the time with FUN. We're getting dinner tonight at Luigi's Pizzeria, with some additional family joining (not gonna lie...I could do without the additional family and both Deborah and I would prefer a one on one outing with each other...but convention dictates we have to accommodate the family, who are probably going to stick us with the tab, totally against convention...sigh!). On Saturday, I think we are going to head downtown and hit the farmer's market followed by the Art Fair Off the Square. I'm hopeful that I can encourage Deborah to ride bikes downtown instead of driving, to avoid traffic and parking, or at least agree to take the BRT bus down there.

On Sunday, I might do a morning bike ride, and I definitely have GUPPY EFFECT band practice in the afternoon.

Fin.

Nobody Reads This

Hi Dear Readers!

How are you? I hope you are well. I know that you are if you are an adherent of the Church of Bike With Joe, because you have minimized or eliminated your exposure to toxic social and mainstream media (SMSM), and are aerobically exercising and eating healthy religiously (in the secular sense of the word).

I mowed the lawn this morning, intentionally directed at the expedited demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs), and one in particular. How are you putting good into the world and bringing Karmic Justice to all the DFUs? Leave a comment letting us know.

I came to a realization today...that the SMSM AI Algorithm is relegating this blog to the proverbial sidelines of the Internet, preventing you from accessing its profound benefits for mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. The purveyors of SMSM need you to be addicted to it for purposes of mind control. I know that sounds like a conspiracy theory, and I am totally against conspiracy theories, but it is not. If you google "brain hacking 60 minutes," you'll find a 60 Minutes segment with Anderson Cooper that validates this narrative, with no conspiracy theory needed.

This blog is an existential threat to SMSM because this blog promotes avoiding SMSM, whose very existence depends on people not avoiding it but rather being addicted to and dependent on it.

I don't have a solution for this. But...if you do have the good fortune to stumble upon this blog, please share it with friends and family, if you care about their salvation.

If you care about the planet, consider that the server farms required to support social media and AI use ridiculous amounts of energy. So every time you use them you are killing the planet.

Fin.

Silent but Effective

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and or actionable ideas for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). If not, I still hope you have a fantastic day.

Due to an unforeseen gap in my marriage and family therapy schedule this morning, I am making the most of the opportunity to write a brief post. 

A silent but effective way to protest is to boycott the things you are protesting. There is an app called Yuka that allows you to scan bar codes on products and determine how good or bad they are from 0 (bad) to 100 (good). If you use it effectively, you can significantly support more good things than bad.

But even if you don't want to get all technical about it, you can use common sense. Vote with your dollars by shopping at local businesses (mom and pop shops) in your community and getting your food from farmer's markets and CSA farms. It might cost a little more, but the impact will be felt and it will be worth it.

The main thing is that you try and don't sell out. You don't need to be perfect about boycotting bad things, just better. Do your best, as one of the 4 Agreements directs.

Take care!

Fin.

Halvsies

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, or action steps furthering the demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). it has been a little while since I have posted, so I hope you have been using the time off for self care.

Speaking of the demise of the DFUs...I received a sign this morning that one of the most diabolical FUs is about to experience a karmic setback. I weighed some strawberries on the kitchen scale and they weighed exactly 333 grams. 333 is half of 666, so I took it as a sign that some kind of karmic payload is about to be dropped on the top DFU.

What else? Well, I've been filled with positive energy lately. I've been out on bike rides and my marriage and family therapy practice is thriving. My musical duo GUPPY EFFECT has been rehearsing regularly and playing some shows. I have been voting with my dollars a lot and boycotting big bad businesses as much as I can. My folks are going up to their cabin this weekend, where they will be for the summer and likely into early fall. I'll be kind of passively house sitting for them while they are away (checking in on their house to make sure everything is OK). We will be visiting them at the cabin over the July 4 holiday weekend. That should be fun.

Not much more to report. I'll just conclude by reminding everyone how you optimize and maximize mental, physical, and spiritual wellness: exercise aerobically daily, eat a plant based diet, and avoid all social and mainstream media.

A good day to you!

Fin.

We Are There

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action steps for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). It has been a while since I have posted. I apologize for any gap or void in your joyful experience that may have been caused by that, but I do have a plausible excuse. I was waging my own personal battle with the DFUs. And I am happy to report a major victory.

We (meaning all of us protectors and advocates of Wholesome Goodness in the Cosmos (WGC)) are now officially in the Age of Positive Dark Magic (APDM). If these terms sound foreign to you and make no sense, that's because they are brand new. We have never been here before. And it is a very good spiritual place to be. Henceforth, DFU destroying DM is - as of today - pouring prolifically into this world from the Spirit Realm and wreaking chaos, havoc, and justice (karmic and legal) on the DFUs.

I am hopeful and confident I can keep the DM portal open for the next three to four weeks, which should allow enough DM into this world to finally rid us of some of the more egregious and toxic DFUs.

OK. Stay hopeful and positive. Be kind and compassionate. Do your best and don't take anything personally.* Be impeccable with your word and don't make assumptions.* If you can do all those things, victory over the DFUs is guaranteed.

Have an awesome day!

Fin.

*NOTE: The asterisked recommendations are from The Four Agreements, a great spiritual guide for happiness and wellness. The Four Agreements, broadly practiced and applied by humanity, could actually save the world.

Saturday Fatter Day

Hi Dear Readers!

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

It's Saturday. And I'm fatter today. A pound fatter. That being said, I am not overly attached to the feedback from our bathroom scale. I am all about PROCESS GOALS, and you will likely be all about them too after you finish reading this post.

The bathroom scale reflects a metric. I am working toward my ideal body weight of 185 pounds. I weigh about 17 pounds over that, as of this morning. If I were overly attached to what the bathroom scale tells me, I would feel like a failure that my weight went up a pound, instead of down. In fact, I would always feel like a failure every time I got on the scale and found my weight was not at the ideal. Metrics like weight put you in a pessimistic failure mindset and should be disenfranchised from your life.

Instead, focus on PROCESS. A process is something you engage in consistently that is intended to move you toward your goal. When you focus on a process, you are in a success mindset, because every time you follow through on your process, that's a win, regardless of what the metrics are saying. My weight loss process is to eat a lower calorie whole food, plant based diet, exercise daily, and avoid stress and toxicity (which increase cortisol in the body, a hormone linked to weight gain). It's an achievable process and I follow it most days of the week. When I end the day and can check all the boxes of my process, I feel great. It's a success. Yesterday, I did not follow my process fully (I ate more calories than I burned with exercise). So, I fully expected the scale to reflect some weight gain. Thus, when the scale moved in the wrong direction from my weight goal, I understood exactly why. And it actually reinforced that my process is a good one. When I follow it compliantly, my weight consistently goes down. And even if I get derailed from my process from time to time, the general trend is toward achievement of my ideal weight goal (e.g., six steps forward, one step back).

I have also linked my process to the demise of the DFUs. That motivates me to keep moving forward, whether or not the weight loss actually contributes to reducing the number of DFUs in the world. That strategy falls more into the category of a "Jedi Mind Trick." But whatever works.

Fin.

A Spell

Hi Dear Readers!

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

It has been quite a spell since I posted. I could make a case that I have been busily consuming curated information on the state of the Universe, but that would be hyperbolic. I have done some of that, and I have results to share below, but I have actually been mostly busy enjoying the analog life for the past 10 days or so. A lot of outdoor bike riding and a performance at the Vegan Sausage Fest, intentionally targeted at the demise of the DFUs.

Here's what my analysis of the state of the Universe has elucidated: 1. Avoid social and mainstream media (SMSM) as much as you possibly can. It's super toxic and highly addictive, and it reprograms your brain in a very destructive way. Think of your eyeballs as the interface through which the social media algorithms enter your brain and begin the wholesale reorganization of your thought processes, including undermining your critical thinking abilities. Insidious.

Now, many of my readers will scoff at this, believing their free will and critical thinking abilities to be unimpeachable. And that's OK...science really does not care. In fact, there is a very easy way to illustrate this using the scientific method.

NULL HYPOTHESIS: SMSM does not have any ability to reprogram my critical thinking abilities.

EXPERIMENT: Expose yourself to SMSM with a sociopolitical biases toward beliefs opposite to the ones you currently hold for one month.

OUTCOME: See if your beliefs have changed after this exposure compared with baseline.

QED.

It also would not hurt to vote with your dollars by buying local at mom and pop shops and avoiding big multinational retailers.

Alright, take care.

Fin.

Sunday Funday

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you (despite the efforts of the AI Algo to keep it from you) and brings you joy, insight, or action steps toward the demise of the diabolical forces in the universe (DFUs).

Today's a Sunday Funday. These happen every once in a while when the usual happiness and joy of doing basically NOTHING on the weekend is supplanted by the even greater happiness and joy of doing something FUN!

You may be wondering, what is this FUN that Joe speaks of? I'll tell you. In this particular instance the FUN is meeting some people from the Powered by Plants vegan cycling team for a short-to-medium-ish bike ride, followed by a vegan pizza lunch at the home of some members of said cycling team, where Deborah will meet up with us, due to her not participating in the bike riding portion of the FUN.

The next thing you may be wondering is, why are you telling me this and why should I care? That's an easy one. This kind of FUN infuriates the DFUs, who are devoid of joy and incapable of experiencing fun, so caught up are they in more diabolical pursuits. So this level of FUN promotes their demise in a much more active way than does just the usual casual kind of chilling on the weekends.

Fin.

Unfriend the Zone

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or actionable TO DOs for disenfranchising the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) from your life.

There is apparently an epidemic of grievance going around, promulgated by a handful of DFUs under the moniker of "flooding the zone [with s**t]." The DFUs behind the aforementioned epidemic have tapped into the public's social media addiction, piggybacking on that epidemic to ensure that they can firehose all this s**t down people's proverbial throats (You have, I'm sure, heard of the "mind's eye," right? Well, I am referring here to the mind's throat). If you are tuning in to social and mainstream media (SMSM), you are in this metaphorical zone and vulnerable to the tsunami of s**t that these DFUs are flooding it with.

Here's the thing though...you can exit the zone. Yeah, I know...crazy right? You may not know it, but you can simply step out of the zone and let these DFUs drown in their own s**t, while you are liberated from it. All you have to do is abstain from SMSM.

I did not say it would be EASY. Addiction is hard to break. But it's totally within your power to choose to simply leave the zone.

Take care.

Fin

No Ordinary Tuesday

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, or action steps for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). As it turns out, reading this blog has been clinically proven to improve your physical, mental, and spiritual wellness.

It feels like a good day to me. Does it feel like a good day to you? I don't know why, but I feel like something very positive for the Cosmos will happen today. We'll see, I guess.

I'll be manifesting my usual amount of Dark Magic today. After seeing a couple of marriage and family therapy clients this morning, I will pound out a DM-generating Peloton workout directed at the demise of the high priority DFUs. As usual, I'll be generating a baseline level of DFU-defeating DM by adhering to a whole food, plant based way of eating AND abstaining from toxic social and mainstream media (SMSM).

That's a good segue into reminding you that consumption of SMSM is incredibly toxic to your mind, body, and soul. The lethal dose is about 10 minutes of exposure per day. If you simply have to consume SMSM, please limit your use to less than that! Remember that the easiest way to keep DFUs out of your life is to abstain from SMSM entirely, since that is the only access point into your life for nearly 99% of all DFUs.

Fin.

Great News

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action steps for bringing about the demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). If not, then I hope you at least have a very good day.

I have some great news to share. I have received indications from the Cosmos that the DFUs are going to suffer a significant setback soon, probably within a week, and definitely within a fortnight. I just wanted you to know and perhaps this great news will float your proverbial boat today.

Take care!

Fin.

Earth Day is a Good Time to Disenfranchise the Diabolical Forces in the Universe

Hi Dear Readers!

Happy Earth Day! I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action items for disenfranchising the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) from your life.

Since it's Earth Day, perhaps you are thinking about ways to shrink your ecological footprint and protect the planet from climate change and global warming. Do you want to know what one of the best ways to protect the Earth is? I'll tell you. It's going to a plant based diet [SOURCE]!

You don't even need to go 100% plant based - just a little bit more plant based than you are currently.

Switching to a plant based diet is probably one of the most impactful AND easiest things you can do for the Earth. But you can also buy things locally from mom and pop shops, boycott large multinational corporations (polluters), drive a fuel efficient car, join a CSA farm, bike/walk/public transit to more places instead of driving, compost kitchen waste, and recycle. Also, try to use less plastic.

It's so easy to be more Earth friendly and a win-win. The main obstacle is ignorance about how to do it. But here's the thing - you have a giant library at your finger tips that you can use to figure it out. It's called the Internet and you should spend five minutes using it to identify ways you can be more Earth friendly.

Don't forget to fast from social and mainstream media (SMSM) regularly too. Those server farms that house and run SMSM use a ridiculous amount of energy.

Take care.

The End.

Mesmerized

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or an absence from your life of Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs), the biggest of which are social and mainstream media (SMSM).

Last Saturday was the final day of the Church or Bike With Joe high holiday known as 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs. It's a period of reflection amplified by a complete abstinence from SMSM. I'm curious to hear how it went for Church adherents who read this blog. Leave a comment below the post.

One reflection I had during the holiday was just how potently mesmerizing SMSM is on the average human mind exposed to the toxic stuff. My almost fortnight of abstinence from SMSM illustrated this quite vividly. Fasting from SMSM is one of the best and easiest things you can do for your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. I don't know how the technicians behind the SMSM algorithms did it, but they have found a way to almost completely MESMERIZE users of SMSM. The definition of MESMERIZE I am using here is the complete neutralization of higher brain functions, like reason, critical thinking, and executive locus of control, allowing the emotional lizard brain to take over the mind.

I know there are a lot of skeptics out there who will read the above and think it's some kind of insane conspiracy theory. Maybe it is. But there is a very easy and conclusive way to prove that: try abstaining from SMSM for one week and see what happens to your own mind. One of three things will happen. 1. Your mind will be liberated from the SMSM algos and your higher brain functions will actively and observably resume (my hypothesis). 2. #1 won't happen and you will (rightly) mock and ridicule my claim above (your hypothesis). 3. You will be unable to abstain from SMSM for one week because you are - by definition - addicted to and dependent on it (Reality). #3 is the most likely outcome of engaging in my challenge, because the algos are designed to make SMSM more addictive than heroin. And that's the moral of this story - SMSM is highly addictive and enslaves eyeballs to it [SOURCE]. The algos can basically input whatever information they want to into your receptive and addicted mind.

So, if you are able to overcome your enslavement to SMSM and abstain from it for one week, let us know which of the other two outcomes (#1 or #2 above) you experience, by leaving a comment below.

Take care!

Fin!

0 Day

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you some joy, peace, insight, and/or action items for the defeat of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

This past Saturday (yesterday), many of us celebrated the final day of the 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs. The rituals of the holiday, when followed, are intended to usher in the destruction of the DFUs, via Karmic Justice. Much like the Easter holiday of a lesser known religion, which prophesies the resurrection of a mythical deity, the expectations are often not matched by Reality. And that's OK. We come together with common cause.

I had a fantastic closure to 12 Days. Deborah and I took the Madison BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) downtown and hit the Dane County Farmers Market opening day, securing some gourmet mushrooms and some lettuce seedlings for the garden, along with more sweet pastry treats than we had any business purchasing. Since it was by definition a FREE DAY (holiday feast day + farmers market pastries), we enjoyed it. We took my folks out for Chinese food at the Hong Kong Cafe in the evening. On Sunday (today), I rocked and rehearsed a bunch of tasty rock-n-roll songs for an upcoming jam with some buddies.

That's about it.

Fin.

1 Day

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action steps for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). If not, then I hope it brings you an Oxford Comma or several.

Do you know what today is? It's THE DAY...when -  according to Church of Bike With Joe prophecy - the DFUs are disenfranchised from our lives by way of Karmic Justice. By tomorrow morning, a new era of peace and prosperity will be ushered in.

That being said, I'm ushering in my own peace and prosperity, and not waiting for the Cosmos to render it (although I am confident and hopeful that it will). To wit, Deborah and I kicked off the last day of the high holiday of 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs (April 1-12) by BRT-ing it down to the first Dane County Farmers Market (FM) on the Capitol Square of the year. We drove to the BRT terminal near us on Junction Road and parked. The A Line BRT bus to downtown was already there and waiting for us. We scanned our BRT bar codes on the scanner on the pretty much empty (except for us and the bus driver) bus and took seats. The bus ride was fun, smooth, and fairly quick, picking up a considerable number of people on the way downtown. We got off on State Street a couple blocks from the FM and walked the entire four sides of it, scoring some lettuce seedlings, gourmet mushrooms, and more caloric sweet vegan pastries than we had any right to (it's a day of celebration, after all). We ate an early lunch of vegan pizza at Ian's Pizza on State Street, then BRT-ed back to the Junction Road Park & Ride and our car. We grabbed bevvies at the MOKA Coffee Shoppe before heading home to unload the FM bounty and chillax a spell with the dogs.

I took advantage of the awesome spring weather to bike ride in the out of doors. The route took me past my folks's house, where I popped in, fixed some plumbing, and invited my folks to dinner before continuing my ride.

Deborah was coming out of a power nap when I got home. I took our dogs for a short walk to do their business and showered, at which time D was alert and ready to go. We picked up my folks at their house and took them - in D's sleek new car - to the Hong Kong Cafe for Chinese food. After dinner, we dropped my folks off back at their house and went home to celebrate the last hours of 12 Days with some dessert (FM pastries).

Hopefully by tomorrow, the DFUs will all be gone.

Fin.

2 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or immunity from the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

As the Church of Bike with Joe high holiday of 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs winds down (and ramps up to the final celebration on Saturday, when the DFUs suffer a significant setback, according to prophecy), I am reflecting on some positive insights I have had during the complete and total fast from social and mainstream media (SMSM) proscribed for the duration of the near fortnight period of the holiday.

The primary insight is a bit meta. It is that the absence of SMSM from my life has had no net negative impact on my life whatsoever. It's as if it were never there. In point of fact, its absence from my life has improved my quality of life (QOL) and productivity substantially. I have been a veritable rock star of accomplishment and self care since the start of the high holiday on April 1.

The second insight is that I have had almost zero interaction with any DFUs since the start of 12 Days, leading me to the epiphanic revelation that DFUs reside almost exclusively within the domain of SMSM, and nowhere else. As it happens, the real world is - for the most part - fairly DFU-free for most people in most places in the known Cosmos. Interaction with SMSM leads people to believe a false narrative that the DFUs are superfluous everywhere all the time. But that's simply an illusion - and one you can dispel through SMSM fasting. This is a powerful observation. It means most people have the power to liberate themselves from DFUs by simply boycotting SMSM. That may be easier said than done, given that SMSM is so ubiquitous and highly addictive. But the choice and the power to be free of DFUs resides within all of us (meaning most of us) and we do not have to be powerless against or enslaved by DFUs.

By random chance, today kicks off Deborah's and my 8th Anniversary Week, which will extend from today through Friday 4/18. I'm going to pound out an intentional Peloton workout today, before seeing a handful of marriage and family therapy clients. Deborah bought a new car and I will get to see that after she gets home from work, about 4:30 PM. Tomorrow, we plan to celebrate the final full day of 12 Days with a trip down to the first Dane County Farmer's Market of the year, by way of the BRT (bus rapid transit). I don't know what the rest of the weekend has in store, but I know it will be great.

Fin.

3 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, other positive feelings, or actionable goals. If not, I hope that it reduces negativity and suffering in your life, at a minimum. 

Because...it's Day 10 of the 12 Days! We are in double digits. Three days to go (counting today) until the big celebration on Saturday 4/12 - the day that we will be liberated from the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs), according to Church Prophesy. It's also the first Dane County Farmer's Market on Saturday and the weather is prophesied (by Weather Bug) to be very nice that day. So Deborah and I will check it out! We might even take the BRT, which I have been wanting to do for some time now.

I am actually too busy focusing on Leisure Science today to post much. Suffice to say, I had a rocking morning and knocked off a ton of chores (recycling, compost, dishwasher, fruit salad, etc.). I have my Mindfulness Class here in a little bit. Then I'll meet my folks at Starbucks for a coffee and a chat over the noon hour. I think my dad is struggling with some things and I want to offer him some emotional safe space to work through it. I will see a handful of marriage and family therapy clients today too. So, I'll pause it there for today.

Leave a comment below and let us know how your 12 Days are going.

Ciao!

Fin.

4 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

Happy Wednesday! I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, or action items for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). And if not, well...I still hope you are thriving in the midst of the chaos.

Here it is...Day 9 of the 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs, a high holiday of the Church of Bike With Joe (BWJ). 4 days to go...including today (thus the title of this post).

Saturday is the last day of the 12 Days. It's a magnificent day of celebration and, if the prophecies are true, it is the day when the DFUs will be karmically disenfranchised from the world. This may correlate with the prophesied rising of a lesser known mythical religious figure who will lead the world to salvation. So, we shall see...

In any case, the predicted demise of the DFUs notwithstanding, Saturday is the first day of the Dane County Farmers Market on the Capitol Square in Madison WI. Deborah and I plan to attend. This weekend is also the observed weekend of Deborah's and my wedding anniversary (8 years, if anyone is wondering). A reminder that Memorial Day weekend 2025 is the 10 year anniversary of our chance but fortuitous meeting.

Today comprises at least three action items. Per usual, I will see several of my marriage and family therapy clients throughout the course of the day. Around noon, I will pick up our grocery order at Festival Foods before taking my parents to see another senior living home. I'll see a couple more therapy clients in the evening to round out the day. I'm also going to try to make a batch of this awesome falafel, time permitting.

Leave a comment below about how your 12 Days are going. Any obstacles? Any successes?

Take care and remain hopeful and vigilant.

Fin.

5 Days

Hi Readers.

Happy Tuesday! I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, or action items for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). And if not, well...I still hope you are thriving.

Here it is...Day 8 of the 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs, a high holiday of the Church of Bike With Joe (BWJ). 5 days to go...including today.

Yesterday was a bit of a blur and I am still trying to organize in my mind just what went down. But I do know this...social and mainstream media (SMSM) did not intrude on my life. And that's a fantastic thing.

As I reflect on yesterday, I know I had a marriage and family client first thing in the morning and another one late in the afternoon. Between those two mental health therapy clients, I took the dogs for a walk and pounded out a 50 minute Peloton workout. I think I also did some administrative work for my therapy practice.

In the evening, we were slated to go over to Deborah's son Devon's house for some socializing and board gaming with him and his wife Gretchen. However, it was called off for some reason by Devon...not sure why. That ended up being OK with Deborah, since she was pretty tired out after her long day at work saving the world from DFUs.

Today is a busy day of seeing clients for me. I get a brief respite in the afternoon to squeeze in a Peloton workout before seeing more clients into the evening. Action packed would be an understatement.

Anyway, leave a comment and let us know how your 12 Days are going and what the DFUs are doing to foil your best efforts at SMSM fasting. Perhaps some other Church of BWJ adherents have some tips or tricks to share to help you out.

Fin.

6 Days

Hi Readers.

Happy Monday! I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, or action items for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). And if not, well...I still hope you are thriving.

Here it is...Day 7 of the 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs, a high holiday of the Church of Bike With Joe (BWJ). 6 days to go...including today. It just so happens to be a Monday, even though the holiday does not necessarily correspond to a day of the week or even care.

The social and mainstream media (SMSM) fast proscribed by the Church and the holiday are going well. I have been reading audio books and listening to fiction and radio drama podcasts. Truth be told, even when the 12 Days are over, I will probably continue to fast from SMSM, because it's good for the soul to do so. The holiday is really just a first order catalyst for second order change, if you follow my meaning. No? OK, well, it's not important.

Today is a lighter Monday than a typical Monday. But not by much. My Mondays are, by design, usually pretty light. But I am still going to see a couple of marriage and family therapy clients. That's about half as many as I saw last Monday. No one nows why. But we like it!

Shortly, I'll take the dogs out for a quick "walky walk" (as they call it...or at least as they respond to it when I call it that). Then a thorough Peloton workout in the mid-afternoon. Tonight, Deborah and I are slated to go to her son's house for board games. That typically always ends up being more of a s**t show than anyone anticipated, but we do our part and put in the effort.

Fin.

7 Days

Hi Readers.

Happy Sunday! I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, or action items for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). And if not, well...I still hope you are thriving.

Here it is...Day 6 of the 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs, a high holiday of the Church of Bike With Joe (BWJ). So, we are about halfway through it. That could be a good thing or a bad thing or even a neutral thing, depending on your point of view and frame of reference. I'm quite enjoying it though, and so my point of view is that it is a good thing that it's still going. It will be a good thing when it ends too, provided the Cosmos sees fit to dish out some Karmic Justice in the DFUs. I have been quite enjoying the holiday's proscribed total fasting from social and Mainstream media (SMSM). While I have not idea what is happening in the greater world out there, the complete absence of the toxic SMSM from my life has significantly improved my mental, physical, and spiritual health and functioning. 

The plan for today is a simple one. I plan to exercise in the morning (ideally with Deborah), practice music all afternoon (honing songs for upcoming GUPPY EFFECT due gigs), and attend a film festival film with Deborah in the evening. Boom. Easy peasy.

Leave a comment and tell us how your nearly a fortnight of SMSM fasting is going. Or even if you have not been able to shake the SMSM addiction, let us know what are the obstacles. Maybe someone can help!

Fin.

8 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

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

As the founder and leader of the Church of Bike With Joe, I am currently fasting from social and mainstream media (SMSM) for the church's high holiday of 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs, which proscribes 12 days of fasting from SMSM from April 1 to April 12. As such, I have not been privvy to the goings on in the larger Cosmos. That being said, I hear tell from reliable sources that the DFUs are, predictably, suffering major losses and nearing their demise, as would be predicted by the Prophecies of the Church. April 12 will be a glorious day indeed.

I checked in with one of my non-SMSM sources about the state of the stock market. As predicted, all stocks are down...except beer. Beer does well in good times (celebration) or bad (drowning sorrows). It's a solid and stable stock. Buy shares in beer!

It's the weekend in Australia right now. I have to see a few marriage and family therapy clients on Saturday morning, and then Deborah and I will be perusing a big film festival going on in our area.

That's all I got. Take care!

Fin.

9 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this post finds you and brings you joy, peace, and/or action steps toward the demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

Speaking of that, we are now in the single digits of the countdown for the 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs, one of the high holidays of the Church of BWJ. Only 9 days (including today) remain. If you recall, the basic (but not easy) ritual of this holiday is to abstain from all social and mainstream media (SMSM) from April Fools Day until April 12 - almost a fortnight. This fasting from the poison of SMSM detoxifies the mind, body, and soul, resulting in disenfranchisement of the DFUs from your life (and - ideally - everyone's life!).

This festive holiday is loosely correlated with the Easter holiday observed by the other (arguably less cool) churches and religions of the world. And it serves roughly the same purpose - to restore and rejuvenate good moral values and ethical goals, by bringing back the First Principles of Wholesome Goodness (FPWGs). The DFUs despise the FPWGs and they work very hard to undermine them, using SMSM as the media for their diabolical agenda. So, by abstaining from SMSM dutifully for the proscribed 12 days, you are effectively immune to the toxicity of the DFUs, disempowering them and making them vulnerable to the karmic forces that will be their undoing (aka, demise). I won't lie, abstaining from SMSM is no easy task. The stuff is highly addictive and hard to quit, which is perhaps why most people continue living in a chronic state of suffering and toxic grievance (the main symptoms of chronic SMSM consumption).

Yesterday (Day 10 of the holiday) was a lighter marriage and family therapy counseling day for me. I had my Mindfulness for Therapists class in the morning, followed by a couple of client sessions in the early afternoon. Then I pounded out 40 solid minutes on the Peloton before whipping up a vegan pizza for dinner (I embellished a Salvatore's frozen vegan pie with diced yellow peppers, canned mushrooms, and a heavy helping of Miyokos liquid vegan mozzarella cheese...so good!). It fills me with no small measure of joy that the DFUs will never know the glory of a Salvatore's vegan pie thusly embellished. But they made their bed, so that's all I have to say about that. 

After dinner, Deborah and I drove across town to see if we could catch a Wisconsin Film Fest film at the Barrymore Theater. We could not, because the line was ridic long and - on principle - Deborah and I do not do ridic long lines. Instead, we popped into the nearby Bar Corallini for an overpriced vegan dessert, then went back home.

All of the above happened with ZERO consumption of SMSM. It feels pretty f**kin' good to be free of that s**t.

Fin.

10 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

It's Day 3 (April 3rd) of the 12 Days to the Demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs), a high holiday of the Church of BWJ. Only 10 days (including today) remain and then we can all celebrate the absence of DFUs and live in harmony, contentment, and peace for the remainder of the year. This aligns with the dharmic concept of Radical Acceptance, leading to the alleviation of suffering. Ideally, this is a collective alleviation of suffering (if we all participate in the 12 days!). However, it may be an individual alleviation of suffering, and that's cool too. 

How is your fasting from all social and mainstream media (SMSM) going? Any intentions you have set around it? I mean...besides the demise of DFUs, of course.

I got a whopping 55 minutes in on the Peloton bike yesterday, in addition to some sit ups and dumbbells, by way of SMSM avoidance.

Yay!

Fin.

11 Days

Hi Dear Readers!

It's Day 2 of the 12 Days to the Demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). That means 11 days remaining of the longest high holiday of the Church of BWJ. The holiday is celebrated with complete abstinence from social and mainstream media (SMSM) starting on April Fool's Day and going for almost a fortnight thereafter.

How are you celebrating it?

Fin.

12 Days

Hi Readers!

Today was the first day of the Church of BWJ's 12 Days to the Demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). Since it's a countdown to said Demise, we start on Day 12 and count down the consecutive days until April 12 (Day 1). And on Day 0, we feast in celebration of defeating the DFUs).

The 12 Days are celebrated with INTENTIONAL fasting from Social and Mainstream Media (SMSM). It's kind of like not eating meat for Lent or whatever. But Church of BWJ adherents don't eat meat anyway. So, instead we fast from toxicity. I was completely SMSM free today, and it was great. In Church Lore it is believed that this SMSM fasting deprives the DFUs of their life force, making them susceptible the the Dark Magic that ultimately destroys them.

Fin.

13 Days

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, or action items to defeat the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

As some of you may know, it is the Eve of the 12 Days to the Demise of the DFUs (DD). If sources are to be believed, the DFUs will experience a major setback on April 12, 2025 (or, alternatively, the Forces of Good (FoG) will experience a major victory. In honor of this, we here at the Church of BWJ will be participating in intensive intentions intended to bring about the DD.

Tune in starting tomorrow for ideas about ways you can intentionally help bring about the DD.

Fin.

Good Vibes

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or actionable ways to undermine and disenfranchise the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

I had a whopping good weekend. What about you? Friday afternoon, if you recall, I did not see any of my marriage and family therapy clients, because I had a doctor's appointment with an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist, comprising a hearing test and a consult with said ENT specialist about the so called pulsatile tinnitus that I have been having. As expected and predicted, I got a clean bill of health. My hearing is fairly normal for my age and there are no identifiable causes of the pulsatile tinnitus. I guess it just happens in some people. I'm writing this post on Monday morning (albeit backdated to Sunday morning) and I am not currently experiencing the condition. It tends to be more noticeable when I am stressing my cardiovascular system, such as with exercise. But I can sometimes also hear it when things are very quiet around me, and right now I have on the Spa Channel on Sirius XM in the background.

Anyway, I finished up with ENT around 3:30 PM, and since Deborah got off work about 4 PM and we were both near downtown and I had ridden my bike to ENT because it was a nice day...we decided to meet for dinner at Salvatore's on East Washington, which we did and it was enjoyable. After dinner, I threw my bike into the back of Deborah's car and we drove home for a relaxed evening.

Saturday...now that was an action packed day! We took my parents to brunch around 10 AM at Everly, by way of picking up our Powered by Plants (PbP) merchandise from Beth Skogen (the organizer and trademark holder of PbP) at a nearby location that had been predetermined earlier in the week. After brunch, we visited CostCo and UW Provisions for a variety of super-sized staples. Returning to our home, after dropping my folks off at their home, we unloaded the bounty acquired at the stores we had visited, and then exercised. I got a nice long Peloton workout in, with INTENTION (the demise of DFUs). I can't recall what happened thereafter, but it was for sure good.

On Sunday, the pace was a bit more laid back. I went with Deborah to water the plants at the homes of her sister and mom, respectively. Returning home, I pounded out another DFU-busting Peloton workout before honing a triad of songs on bass guitar for the afternoon band practice with GUPPY EFFECT semi-acoustic duo, comprising me and Stefan Boerboom, which transpired forthwith. The jams were tasty. We woodshedded our arrangements of Chop Suey by System of a Down, Silly Love Songs by Wings, and Heading for the Light by the Traveling Wilburys, and the vocal harmonies were tasty.

I will admit that I did overeat a bit on the weekend, thus granting the DFUs a little respite from the non-stop Dark Magic (DM) I have been fairly consistently fire hosing them with the past few months. But the fire hosing returns with a vengeance today, starting with a fast until early afternoon. I plan to jump on the Peloton later this morning, after seeing my first mental health client in a little bit. Not entirely sure what all the rest of the day will bring, but I am fairly certain it will bring a few more psychotherapy clients.

Alright, you all take care of yourselves, and - if you want to - leave a comment below this post about what intentional actions you are taking today to undermine and disenfranchise the DFUs.

Ciao!

Fin.

Spa Time

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, or protection from the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). 

Today is a SPA DAY, although not in the traditional sense most of you are probably conceptualizing right now. This is more of a DIY spa day. The goal is to minimize stress and maximize self care, relaxation, positivity, detoxification, and things of this nature. Most of all, it's a day to keep the DFUs disenfranchised from my life. I encourage my readers and adherents of the Church of Bike With Joe to actualize their own spa day today, whatever that might look like. Do it intentionally.

The DFUs have been potent of late, with no signs of slowing down. So, remember...following the Three Tenets of the Church of BWJ manifests DFU-defeating Dark Magic (DM). That's Church speak for manifesting positivity, happiness, kindness, altruism, joy, compassion, peace, detoxification, and other good things in the universe via INTENTION (positive action), which will by the very nature of the thing countervail* the DFUs' bad intentions (negative actions). It sometimes helps to visualize a specific DFU for which to manifest neutralizing DM/INTENTION, thereby focusing it on a particularly diabolical FU.

I've already begun my DM INTENTION for the day, by drinking a healthy smoothie and asking Alexa to play the Spa music channel on Sirius XM. Shortly, I'll pound out a substantial and invigorating Peloton workout (directed at a specific DFU that everyone hates...you're welcome!), after doing a few relaxing stretches. Some time around noonish, Deborah and I are going to manifest some "Negentropy" (a fun, cool, new term I learned yesterday at my Systems Theory consult group) by spending an hour compiling and uploading tax documents electronically to our accountant's secure database. I've got a couple hours of musical jams scheduled with Stefan of GUPPY EFFECT from 3 to 5 PM, after which I will drop my car off at the Kia dealership ahead of some servicing it is going to receive tomorrow. Then it will be a relaxing evening of decompression and chillaxin'.

That's about all I got for today. Again, I hope you'll join me in some intentional DFU-busting DM today, but totally fine if you've got other things planned. Just know that positive DM increases exponentially as more people engage in it. So, a little bit goes a long way. Leave a comment below, if you are participating in DM today or have any questions or concerns about how to do it. There really is no wrong way to do it, as long as it is positive and detoxifying and disenfranchises the DFUs from your life for a spell.

Take care!

Fin.

*NOTE: Countervail means "offset the effect of (something) by countering it with something of equal force."

What Intention is Doing for You Today

Hi Readers! 

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, enlightenment, or freedom from the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

I don't have much time for my check in with you today, because a Peloton "Triple Bypass" workout awaits me in a few minutes, and I have to squeeze it in before I start work seeing marriage and family therapy clients today.

I just wanted to let you know what the Dark Magic (DM) Intention is manifesting for you today: disenfranchisement of DFUs from your life. You're welcome.

I'll also share what the DFUs are not going to enjoy today as a result of that intention: peace, happiness, the runner's high, love, contentment, a healthy diet, and positive feedback. There are probably some other things they will be denied. But that list is ample.

Take care!

Fin.

Delays

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, or at least some immunity from the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

I am hopeful and confident that Karma is going to take care of some DFUs soon. But, it's certainly taking its sweet time!

That being said, there is a dearth of DFUs in my vicinity. So, that's good, and probably largely attributable to the Dark Magic (DM) being generated by my following of the Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe. If you're experiencing any DFUs in your area, please consider adopting and adhering to the Tenets. It takes about 2-3 weeks for full detoxification of DFUs from your life, once you start following the Tenets with at least 80% compliance. This has been proven by Science.

I was able to get outside for a couple of long bike rides earlier this week, when the temperatures rose well above 50 degrees F. I may have landed GUPPY EFFECT v2.0 a gig on Friday 4/4 @ the Bierock in Waunakee, opening for Mudroom at their monthly First Friday Jam. My marriage and family therapy business is going great.

I'm going to go now, because I need to do a quick mindful meditation before seeing clients this morning. I'll pick up our groceries later, followed by a bike ride (hopefully outdoors, but possibly on the Peloton).

Take care!

Fin.

Horse

Hi Readers!

I hope this post finds you and brings you joy, positivity, and/or action items.

It's a quick one...just a reminder to vote with your dollars by boycotting large corporations, drive less, buy local, and abstain from social media.

Ciao!

Fin.

Quicky Post

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action items.

The evidence keeps pouring in that social media (SM) is highly addictive and mentally, physically, and spiritually toxic. I cannot stress enough how mission critical it is to your life and well being that you boycott, disenfranchise, and abstain from SM. I am well aware that SM's addictiveness makes it virtually impossible for most people to quit it (if you doubt this, it's easy to test that thesis: try quitting it for a week. No? There you go...QED). However, I am not interested in most people. I am interested in YOU, if you are someone who recognizes the destructiveness of SM to all that is good in the world.

My mission to help people quit SM and reclaim their lives and well beings is a bit of a David vs Goliath effort, since the SM algorithms screen for and suppress blog posts like this one. That's why I start most of my posts with "I hope this blog post finds you..." Because, it probably won't. If, however, this post did reach you, leave a COMMENT below.

Have a wonderful day!

Fin.

Boycotting

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action items.

Last Friday - I believe it was Friday February 28th - a number of you "boycotted" large multinational corporate retailers and some other s**t, in a largely failed attempt to disenfranchise the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs...of which large multinational corporate retailers comprise a big part). But what you mostly didn't boycott was the one thing that would have had an actual impact on the DFUs - SOCIAL MEDIA. And do you want to know why you didn't boycott social media? I'm not going to dance around this issue...it is because YOU ARE ADDICTED TO IT. No shame/no blame...it's addictive f**kin' s**t: SOURCE.

Now, that last paragraph likely disenfranchised a number of readers of this post from reading any further. And that's OK. But if you are still reading, I am going to share the failsafe formula for sticking it to THE MAN, if you are the type of person for whom sticking it to THE MAN is a noble goal. Before I lay it out, a bit of preamble: The DFUs don't care about you. They care about profits. They are not immoral (willfully undermining morality)...they are amoral (lack the capacity for morality). The way most DFUs encourage you to funnel money toward them is through advertising and addiction. Both of these mechanisms are integral to SOCIAL MEDIA and in our modern age, 80%+ of DFU advertising is via social media, which is why there are actual companies in Silicon Valley that are paid by social media companies to make social media as addictive as possible. Social media is free for most of you to use because the advertisers are paying for your eyeballs: SOURCE.

Enough said. Here's the formula: Vote with your dollars by boycotting large multinational corporate retailers whenever you can. Perfection is not the goal, just significant change. Buy from local "mom and pop" shoppes whenever you can afford to. Travel less (and use public transit, bike, or walk when possible), to avoid paying as much for gas. Buy groceries from local grocers and ideally join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm and shop at farmer's markets. I can almost guarantee that no matter where you live in the world, there is a CSA nearby.

That's mostly all you have to do to stick it to THE MAN.

Fin.

Welcome to the Weekend Again

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or immunity from the measles and bird flu.

The Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) are gaining strength rapidly. That's probably because not enough people have joined the Church of Bike with Joe (CoBWJ) or at least adopted its Three Tenets. Science has concluded that this is the only way to disenfranchise DFUs from your life and counteract their destructive forces. I am but a mere messenger of the CoBWJ. The rest depends on YOU!

Alright, my PSA is complete. What else? I don't know. It's the weekend again, which seems to be the principle window of opportunity for me to share my experiential interaction with the Cosmos. This particular weekend is proving to be less intensive and action packed than I had anticipated. I was supposed to have a New Orleans Jazz gig this coming Tuesday (aka, Fat Tuesday = Mardi Gras). However, that fell through due to plague (the essential guitarist of the planned quartet was laid low by some kind of horrible infectious disease). Because the gig was slated to be performed at a senior living complex, we collectively deemed it best not to introduce the plague to the immunologically vulnerable inhabitants of said complex, despite said guitarist being "on the Mend," so to speak, as of this writing. So, no gig means no practice for said gig. The group was supposed to rehearse last night, so my Friday evening unexpectedly opened up, allowing Deborah and I to watch an overrated episode of "Severance" and the newest movie in Marvel's "Venom" franchise. Having only about an 85% proficiency in the jazz repertoire slated for the gig, I had also planned to spend a few hours today and tomorrow honing material. I will probably carve out an hour or two to do that anyway, because it's just good fun and skill building. But, the urgency of it has been lifted, and that actually feels pretty good. Despite the absence of a looming jazz gig, GUPPY EFFECT acoustic duo (with Stefan Boerboom on guitar and backing vocals) is still slated to rehearse tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon. That group - comprising Stefan and me - has its next gig on Saturday May 24th, at the Vegan Sausage Fest.

What else? Deborah and I are currently leaning TOWARD emigration to Australia, or at least toward obtaining her partner visa and permanent residency (I'm already an Aussie citizen), should sociopolitical circumstances require us to move to Melbourne. We do not make this decision lightly. But when a country becomes an abuser and malignant sociopathic narcissist toward its people, there are only two options for the abused: 1. stay and suffer further abuse and likely death OR 2. escape and disenfranchise the abuser. There is a third option, which comprises the abuser being arrested and jailed, but that one is currently not feasible. Anyway, today we dug out all our necessary documents and paperwork to begin the lengthy and costly administrative process of getting Deborah her partner visa and permanent residency in Australia.

What else? Not much. I am about to complete one of the daily Tenets of the CoBWJ, a 60 minute Peloton workout. After that, I may practice some New Orleans Jazz tunes just because I can.

Alright. I am glad we got to spend this asynchronous time together. Have a great weekend!

Fin.

Action Packed

Hi Readers!

I hope this post finds you and brings you some joy, happiness, or insight.

Today will be action packed...with ROCKING! Well, that might be too strong. This morning, I will actually be JAZZING, as I hone New Orleans style jazz songs for a gig on 3/4/25. This afternoon, I will be semi-acoustically ROCKING with Stefan of GUPPY EFFECT duo fame. So, today will be action packed...with MUSIC-ING. But, that doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily.

Yesterday, I said I would propose a wellness challenge for this coming week. I wanted to propose challenging everyone to go without any social media (SM) for a whole week. However, I realized how impossible that would be, due to the highly addictive nature of SM. Most people simply could not abstain from SM for a whole week, or even a whole day. So, instead, the challenge is: try not to actively engage with SM for a whole week. You can look at it (after all, SM advertisers are paying for your eyes). But don't like or emoji anything you see. Don't comment on things you see. Definitely DO NOT POST anything. Can you do it? Still highly doubtful. But...that is why it is a challenge. If it were easy, you would not feel challenged.

The Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) are out in force these days. Continue to intentionally practice your self care toward their demise.

Take care!

Fin.

Weekender

Hi Dear Readers!

It's the weekend, and I hope this blog post finds you and brings you some joy, insight, or freedom.

I was thinking it might be fun to propose a weekly challenge each week and then challenge people to complete it. I don't have any challenge ideas right now at this moment, but it's only Saturday. So, I'll think on it and propose an idea tomorrow. Hopefully...

But if you have ideas, share in the COMMENTS.

Fin.

The Cosmos

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, positivity, and/or insight. It's a dark time...and I don't mean that metaphorically. As I look outside, it's actually a dark time, with dusk fast approaching and a gray sky (currently unleashing something of a blizzard, which is not unusual for this time of the year). The daylight is waning fast. I just finished a solid Peloton workout and took a nice hot shower, so I am feeling great! Not only that, I also found the time and will power to shovel some snow off of the back deck, so that the dogs, Nyah and Ziggy, have easier access to the yard when they go out to potty. I think Nyah used to live in Texas, and so I don't think she has had much, if any, exposure to snow or cold. However, she seems to love it. Because, when I had her out in the yard a few minutes ago, she went into turbo mode, racing around the yard in apparent glee as she churned up the light and fluffy snow (light and fluffy bodes well for the marathon of snow blowing I very likely have to do in the morning. Although, we have "a guy" now...so there is a non-zero probability I won't have to snow blow at all...but I think it is very small probability indeed).

I'm not sure what to write about, beyond what I just wrote about, so I am going to simply jump right in. In the theology and traditions of the Church of BWJ, The Cosmos is the source of all positivity and the so-called power of positive thinking. The way adherents of the Church of BWJ harness and manifest this Cosmic power is through INTENTION - linking positive action with an OUTCOME. Sometimes, but not always, the intentional positive action is directly linked to the outcome. For example, by intentionally eating healthy and exercising daily, the desired outcome is positive health and wellness, and the cause and effect is well established. There is also a direct link between the intentional eating of a plant based vegan diet and the positive outcome of protecting the planet from climate change. This link, while supported by science, manifests on a more collective scale, because the output power of the vegan diet for individuals is fairly low. It requires a minion (aka, a lot) of people (ideally several million to a billion) to be vegan to really manifest a reduction in global warming and harmful climate change, perpetrated by the Diabolical Forces of the Universe (DFUs). Unfortunately, the Church of BWJ is a very individualistic religion, positing that adherents only have control over their own actions and the consequent outcomes of those actions. So, to summarize, eating a vegan diet has a strong positive effect on the outcome of individual health and wellness. It has a much weaker (albeit non-zero) effect on the scale of the entire planet and climate change.

I want to end this post by circling back to the intentional actions that are indirectly related to positive outcomes. For example, an indirect positive outcome is the disenfranchisement and demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) that make everyone's life worse. The intentional action used to manifest this positive outcome is adherence to the Three Tenets of the Church of BWJ, which have a collective amplifying effect on each other (the more of them you do, the better...and the more people that do them collectively, the better): 1. Eating a whole food (80%), plant based (100%) diet. 2. Aerobically exercising daily for a minimum of 30 minutes. 3. Fasting from toxins (including mostly toxic social and mainstream media). We encourage you to do these three things and help bring about the demise of the DFUs. Thanks!

Fin.

I Should Probably Post Something

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, happiness, and/or utility.

After we got back from our trip Down Under, Deborah and I spent some time exploring the possibility of possibly moving to Melbourne to live for a few years, if Deborah can get a Partner Visa (I am already an Aussie citizen, due to being born there). There are numerous reasons for this. We did some research and met with an Australian immigration lawyer who told us we'd probably get approved, but it would not be cheap. We are not planning to act on this information just yet (many obstacles, including dogs and family constraints). But if America continues its current slide into ridiculousness and oblivion, we could execute The Plan, if things get just too far out of control. I'm ready to make the move now. I think it would be great, but I am respecting Deborah's wishes, because I can go either way (with my dual citizenship). I'd work through the obstacles methodically. None are insurmountable.

In the meanwhile, I am fully back into the flow of my marriage and family therapy practice now. I'm slated to play a jazz gig in a few weeks, on March 4th, and I need to establish some weekly rehearsal time on that. I'm excited for it. Stefan and I jammed GUPPY EFFECT v2.0 (semi-acoustic incarnation) yesterday, despite my limited vocal capabilities (due to oral surgery last week to fix a dumb thing with my gums). I've been maintaining social amd mainstream media (SMSM) abstinence quite well, and I cannot lie...it's awesome. Freedom from all that 24/7 unfiltered toxicity and vitriol is amazing. I still consume some news analysis - in a very curated form - through some of my favorite podcasts. But I manage it the way the media used to do it...exposure to curated news and analysis at defined times during the day (typically in the car or while exercising on the Peloton).

I have to take my mom to her piano lesson tonight, so I must sign off. But I'll be back soon. Thanks for reading!

Fin.

I Tried to Warn You

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you some joy, peace, happiness, or useful insights. 

Some weeks ago, in mid-November 2024, I encouraged and advised my readers to fast from social and mainstream media (SMSM) due to its deleterious effects on mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. I have no idea how many of my readers took me up on that challenge, but I do know that those who did not are now suffering the serious negative consequences of continuing to consume toxic SMSM, which I totally warned you all about. If you are suffering from SMSM addiction and its destructive consequences, I am sorry that's happening to you.

What I refer to as the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) are now fully in control of and exploiting for their own personal gain the SMSM infrastructure. They are doing what is commonly called "flooding the zone with sh!t," so that there is no room for anything that is not their complete load of toxic diarrhea. As a result, consumption of SMSM now literally makes you dumber, angrier, and unhappier. It's also painfully more addictive and difficult to disenfranchise from your life (if you doubt this, I challenge you to abstain from SMSM for a week, or even a day).

While it made more sense and was considerably easier to escape SMSM at the end of 2024 and into early 2025, that does not mean it is impossible to do now. It's just much harder. That being said, three weeks of complete SMSM fasting is all it takes to detoxify it from your life and restore your intelligence, critical thinking skills, happiness, and positivity. I continue to encourage you to disenfranchise SMSM from your life. Coupled with daily aerobic exercise and a whole food, plant based diet, you may even achieve Enlightenment.

Fin.

Down Under Day 14

I had mixed feelings today, because it was the day we had to leave awesome Australia and return to mediocre America. Australia really has their socio-political sh!t together. They have great infrastructure and a generally post-modern, 21st century society. Deborah and I both want to move here, especially if America continues its anti-intellectual descent into idiocy.

Anyway, we got up about 7 AM. Deborah showered first, and I showered second, during her post-shower ablutions. We took it at a leisurely pace, because we were not getting picked up to go to the airport until 9:30 AM. We went down to the hotel restaurant for our last breakfast in Melbourne (the usual!), before checking out, donating our Myki public transit cards to the hotel for the use of future visitors, and then waiting out front of the hotel for our limo to the airport, who arrived on time.

The trip home to Madison WI met our expectations, given the rigamarole of international travel and the mediocrity of the American air transportation system. We managed to sleep a fair amount on the long overseas leg of the trip, from Melbourne AUS to San Francisco USA. Our seat mate on that flight was agreeable and did not need to get up much to pee. We were given fair to good vegan meals on the flight.

We landed at SFO at about 8:30 AM on Saturday, which was before we left Melbourne (at 1 PM Saturday, Melbourne time), due to the weirdness of the International Date Line (we got an extra Saturday, to make up for the Sunday we lost when going to Down Under...). We made our tightest connection, the flight from San Francisco to Denver, with a few minutes to spare. Even though the Melbourne flight was on time and we had over two hours to make the connection, American customs and immigration slowed us down (because they just don't have their sh!t together...a common theme with American infrastructure in general and transportation infrastructure specifically). But we made it, and that's all that matters.

Returning to the States, I became accutely aware of how much farther along into the 21st century other modern post industrial nations are, compared to the US. When did the US lose its will to live? When did its people decide to capitulate to mediocrity and anti-intellectualism (aka, anti-woke)? When did Americans decide to regress back to the 1950s? I don't know. But what I do know is that America needs to up its game. A lot. Chaos is not a viable sociopolitical vision or goal.

We had a relaxed and unrushed layover in DEN, awaiting our Madison flight, which was on time and smooth. My sister Kate picked us up at the Madison airport, at which point I was thrust fully back into my normal life, as she regaled us with our known (but avoided thinking about much for two weeks) upcoming family obligations.

Overall, a great vacation.

Fin.