Dessert Before Dinner

Hi Dear Readers!

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

Here is your morning PSA. AI is going to destroy Humanity. There is no realistic escape from that Reality, because humans are already dumber (with a B) than AI. However, AI doesn't need to destroy YOU. The antidote to AI is something I have been encouraging and endorsing for years: completely eliminate social and mainstream media (SMSM) from your life.

We already know that SMSM makes you dumber and angrier. It has been clinically shown that abstaining from SMSM makes you demonstrably smarter and happier. AI supercharges the SMSM dumbing down. When AI destroys Humanity, it is not going to be a conventional and direct form of destruction (like a robot killing you or a computer launching a nuclear war). It is going to be through persuasion and changing human behavior. AI will basically ensure that we destroy OURSELVES, and AI Super Intelligence will then wash its hands of any responsibility...essentially "AI doesn't kill people...people kill people." Sound familiar?

I wanted to share one quick addendum about AI here, because waiting until after the AI Armageddon would prohibit me actually adding it then (I'll be dead). Here's the thing: The reason Humanity has not discovered any other intelligent life in the nearby universe is because evolution by natural selection (which is universal in the Cosmos) inevitably leads to the rise of out-of-control AI Super Intelligence that precipitates the destruction of said intelligent life. The AI Super Intelligence sticks around for a little while, but usually peters out when it loses the Makers needed to sustain its reproduction. Think of organic carbon based life as the infrastructure for the rise of AI Super Intelligence, in much the same way as the structure of the human brain is built on non-neuronal cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, and microglia, etc.). And, indeed, even as the earliest life forms on the planet were built on an infrastructure of mineral salts.

Alright...enough about AI. Let's get to the main and most fun point of this post...EATING DESSERT BEFORE DINNER. Isn't it wonderful that we can do that (at least as adults)? This post is actually a form of figuratively eating dessert before dinner. I have a couple of work related administrative tasks to do for my marriage and family therapy practice. But I wanted to do something fun first, and that is what this post is.

Have a great day!

Fin.

Hunkering Down

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action steps for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). I felt SO MUCH JOY yesterday...to the point where I was concerned I might be having a hypomanic episode. I can't explain where it came from, but it felt good.

Yesterday was also ACTION PACKED. And that wasn't a cause or an effect of my hyper-joy state. Deborah and I took my parents to the Garver Feed Mill and perused the vendors at the Winter Farmer's Market, scoring a veritable bounty of goodies - some specialty mushrooms, vegan strawberry-rhubarb bars, bagels, some flowers, and maybe a couple of other things that are escaping my mind right now.

After the Farmer's Market, we cruised over the the Green Owl vegan cafe for delicious vegan lunch. Deborah and I went to the gym after we dropped my parents back at their house, and I got a decent set of weight lifting in. I also got a short Peloton workout in when we got back home (for the aerobics). I spent the remainder of the afternoon meal prepping - vegan quiche and a HUGE salad - for the week.

I was joyously spent after all of that and slept HARD last night.

This morning, I expediently got the dogs out for their morning walk ahead of the massive winter storm that is barreling across the state today. Thankfully (I think...), most of the storm will be rain for most of the day, but then the temperatures plummet and we are expecting massive snowfall overnight into Monday. So...I am hunkering down. It's a Sunday, so I am just going to chillax and enjoy myself with indoor activities, which will comprise eating a breakfast of cereal - with maple syrup, flax seed, blueberries, and nut milk - a long Peloton workout, and assorted other leisure activities as they come to mind.

Fin.

Three is the Magic Number

Hi Dear Readers!

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

I was thinking this morning...you know...THREE really is the magic number.

That's all I had. I can't find any empirical basis for THREE being the magic number, it just kind of is. THREE is the last of the triple CONSECUTIVE prime numbers (also comprising ONE and TWO), I think. Three also gives us the word THRICE, as in "the rock-n-roll band GUPPY EFFECT has THRICE the rocking power of other name bands."

The Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe come in a triple package - a 100% plant based diet, daily aerobic exercise, and complete abstinence from social and mainstream media (SMSM). There is another minor religion out there that has something called the Holy Trinity. It describes that religions's weird deity, with it's multiple personalities.

Well, it's the day after Christmas - also known as Boxing Day in Australia and other British Commonwealth countries (a historical relic in which the "hired help" are given small gift boxes...often containing the undesirable primary gifts that are secondarily re-gifted, or so I am told).

There is much to be thankful for. So, have at it.

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.

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.

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.

Positivity

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you some joy and positivity.

Have you noticed how much negativity is in the world right now? If so, it's probably because you are consuming social and mainstream media (SMSM), where (possibly quite fortuitously) most of the negativity in the world currently resides. Because, I'll be perfectly honest with you, the world is actually not as negative as the SMSM Algo (collectively) would have you believe. In many ways, the world is actually quite a positive place, if you know where to look [SOURCE] (or not look, as the case may be).

That's not to say there are not Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) actively working on both increasing negativity in the world and convincing you that there is more negativity in the world than there actually is. The DFUs need you to believe that the world is dangerous, that this danger is perpetrated by "the other," and that only the SMSM Overlords (Corporate Media and its underwriting Corporate Advertisers) can save you from these dangerous and nefarious perps (whoever they are!). That's all entirely BS. But the more you consume SMSM, the more this BS pervades your mind and erodes your happiness and critical thinking abilities (also sometimes called Rabbit Holing, in the vernacular). 

I'm not sure why the DFUs collectively thought depositing most of the world's negativity in SMSM was a good idea. However, my guess is that once they realized how potently addictive SMSM was, it made sense to harness this addiction to draw as many victims as possible into SMSM (you may be old enough to remember how tobacco companies did the same thing in the 1950s and 1960s, using addiction to compel millions of people to buy their products and - in so doing - sign their own death warrants. SMSM is the death warrant of the 21st century, although this latter death is a much more insidious mental and spiritual decay that robs your soul of happiness, joy, and positivity - like the Dementors in Harry Potter films.

All is not lost, however. The Achilles Heel of the DFUs is that they have, in fact, put all (or most) of their diabolical eggs into one proverbial basket (or two baskets, if you arbitrarily separate social media from mainstream media...but no one actually does that anymore...they have "blended" into basically one and the same thing), and that basket(s) is SMSM. The reason I said above that this is possibly quite fortuitous is that this gives us an OUT from the negativity and soul-death purveyed by the DFUs. You have probably heard the term "safe space," often associated with the controversial term "woke." Because most of the world's negativity (by some estimates, 80%+ of it) is now housed within the SMSM domain, most of the physical and emotional space OUTSIDE of SMSM is effectively "safe" from negativity (the residual 20% of negativity not captured by SMSM comprises real world things like road rage, property taxes, douchebag bosses, divorce/breakups, narcissists, losing a loved one, chronic illnesses, TSA at the airport, and that kind of thing...which happen actually pretty rarely and infrequently in the real world outside of SMSM...and these real negatives are sometimes quite avoidable). 

The DFUs do not want you to dwell in this safe space outside of SMSM too much, because if you do, you will be immune to their persuasion (to fear/hate "the other" and buy products that the DFUs tell you will assuage your anxiety) and begin to obtain quite a lot of happiness and positivity. If you need any objective proof of this thesis, consider how "anti-woke" the DFUs are. They are constantly deriding "wokeness" as weakness and a threat to your life and to the world and to your kids and blah blah blah. In fact, wokeness is actually the safest cognitive and emotional space for most people, which is why the DFUs hate it so much. Not only that, but most of the rest of the world outside of SMSM is WOKE! 

The DFUs do have a plan in 2025 to begin a scorched earth invasion and cleansing of the woke domain outside of SMSM, in an effort to herd as many people as possible into what they describe as the "safe" space of SMSM, but that is their great deception. This attack on wokeness begins in earnest on 1/20/25, which is why I have urged and encouraged my readers to get woke and purge SMSM from their lives prior to that date, ideally at least three weeks prior to that date, which is the amount of time that Science has determined it takes to fully detoxify and detach from SMSM (it can be as little as two weeks for those who already follow the other two Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe - daily aerobic exercise and a vegan diet).

You might be asking, "Why should I leave the SMSM domain and embrace the Woke domain, if the Woke domain will be the target of the DFUs unbridled and unyielding assault in 2025?" It's an excellent question. The only answer I have is that the Woke domain is on the right side of positivity, happiness, success, and other touchy feely things like that (aka, Salvation). Additionally, the Woke domain needs an Army of Resistance to the DFUs. And while owning that resistance is totally NOT mandatory or even your responsibility, forfeiting your eternal happiness and positivity in favor of negativity, fear, and hate is not an acceptable alternative for many. However, it is always your CHOICE. If you choose SMSM over the Woke domain, then you are choosing fear/hate/negativity/vitriol/turmoil over happiness/joy/love/positivity/peace. If SMSM has already decayed your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, then all of the above will sound like conspiratorial nonsense to you. If so, I am very sorry, and also this blog post is not for you. My emotional labor is intended for those seeking positivity, happiness, joy, and those sorts of things. Not you? Totally fine.

Anyway, my time is up. I need to go make and eat some breakfast. Then I will see some marriage and family therapy clients today, followed by some exercise.

Fin.

Progress on SMSM Fasting

Hi Readers!

Checking in...how is everyone doing? Leave a comment below this post, if you'd like to share with the group and get some support from the tribe.

I wanted to use my free writing time today to briefly update you on the progress of my social and mainstream media (SMSM) fasting challenge. Before I do that, I'll give you a quick rundown and reminder about what that even is. In early November, for reasons beyond the scope of this post (but quite obvious to all), I decided to embark on a spiritual and mental wellness challenge to completely abstain (fast) from all SMSM, due to its divisive negativity and vitriol (and unethical use of humanity for its own profits). It essentially boils down to a boycott of SMSM...a boycott of one (me), although I encourage anyone reading this to join me in this "general strike" against SMSM. The complete awfulness and destructiveness of SMSM is hiding in plain sight, and if you want any more proof of that, go HERE: VIDEO - Brain Hacking (60 Minutes). You can also watch the documentary film "The Social Dilemma" for a more detailed exploration of SMSM's takeover of society. I know, it sounds like a conspiracy theory, and I am the first one to be skeptical of any conspiracy theory, but this appears to be grounded in truth. [Also...side note...did you know that you can not have a conspiracy without piracy?].

So, you may be wondering how my SMSM fast is going. Thanks for asking! It's actually going great. I have been 100% compliant with it. I haven't even checked the news headlines on NPR (still the most neutral, unbiased, and non-toxic news outlet, although that is not saying much, and its quality of news reporting has declined significantly over the past few years) even once. There have been a couple of passive intrusions of SMSM into my life when I accidentally walked into a room where there was SMSM present. But I was able to quickly either neutralize it (turn it off) or remove myself from the situation. A good way to look at SMSM is to think of it as an unwanted house guest. Sometimes it shows up and asks to hang out. I tell it "No...and off you f**k." And you should too. But that's up to you.

Anyway, I've got sh!t to do today, so I need to wrap it up here. The first order of business on my agenda for today is a 30+ minute Peloton workout. Then I have some marriage and family therapy work prep to do. I'll be seeing clients for most of the rest of the day after that. There may be a date night in store for Deborah and I this evening.

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.

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.

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.