A simple Cost and Benefit Analysis

Hi Dear Readers!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hugs!

Fin.

Monday Motivational

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's Monday, and for me that means kicking off another work week of marriage and family therapy AND social and mainstream media (SMSM) fasting. I cannot fully express how AWESOME it is to be totally free from the toxicity and negativity of SMSM incursions (not excursions) into my life. The DFUs are almost totally disenfranchised from my day to day existence, since SMSM is currently the ONLY pathway the DFUs have into my (and most people's) life. I'm happier, smarter, and more productive as a result. There are myriad ways in which SMSM makes you angrier and dumber, all whilst sucking away your time - a finite resource that you cannot get back (although you can generate a little bit more of it with a plant based diet and daily aerobic exercise).

Shortly, I'll be taking the dogs out for their morning constitutional (aka, walk). Then I'll hop on the Peloton trainer for a decently long workout (ideally, 90 minutes, but probably a little less). Once those goals are checked off, the rest of the day should unfold in the typical way.

I don't have much to add to that. So, let's call it and all get back to being awesome, giving off positivity and optimism, and in so doing CRUSHING DFUs left and right.

Fin.

Thursday Meanderings

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).

You may have noticed an uptick in posts from me this week. That's because I am on a 5-Day Social Media Fast, and when I don't have the distraction of useless social media to waste my time, I use that time for more productive things.* It feels great to be free of the negativity and toxicity of the social media. But also, it feels even better to deny the Big Tech companies from profiting off my attention. I encourage all of you to try a five day fast from social media. If enough people do it, the Big Tech companies will feel the dent in their bottom lines. Ideally, someone with some charisma and persuasion power would call for a General Boycott of social media for a day, week, month, or (stretch goal!) year. If social media wasn't so ridiculously addictive to the human mind, this might even be possible. But the Big Tech companies were ingenious in making social media both irresistibly addictive and immensely profitable.

I remind everyone again (and this is not disputed by anyone), you are not the customer of social media (that's why it is free). YOU ARE THE PRODUCT. Every time you use social media, Big Tech profits off the time your eyeballs are on the screen, to the tune of billions of dollars. And you NEVER get any cut of that pie. Your attention is nothing more than a commodity and as with any commodity, the goal is to mine and exploit more and more of it. Think of social media as an attention mining operation, and the more addictive it is, the more profitable it is. So, if you can escape the addiction (and that's no easy task), withhold your attention from social media exploitation companies until/unless they offer to pay you for the use of your attention. Remember way back in the day when people with landline phones would try to charge Telemarketers who called them for the use of their phones for business purposes? Some of those people even took the Telemarketing companies to court and WON! So, there's hope. But not much, because you are human and that means you are ridiculously bad at resisting addictive things. But...change my mind and prove me wrong. I'll wait...

I guess that's all I have. I should wrap it up, because I want to get a few minutes of mindful meditation in before I kick off an action packed morning of seeing marriage and family therapy clients. I have the afternoon off today (because when you are self employed, you can take time off whenever TF you want, albeit unpaid). I will meet my parents at the Middleton Starbucks at lunchtime for some chit-chat and the NYT mini-crossword. Then I'll come home and pound out a solid Peloton workout with intention (outcome = the demise of a certain specific DFU in the next few days).

Fin.

* NOTE: It could be debated if writing blog posts is actually a "productive thing." But that would also be unproductive because all signs point to blog posting being a far more productive pursuit than social media doom scrolling.

A Happy Day

Hi Dear Readers!

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

It's a happy day. I don't know exactly why, but it is. I cannot put my finger on any underlying or causative factor. I have to work today, and although I love my work as a marriage and family therapist, it does not necessarily cause or correlate with happiness, in the truest sense of the word. It can often be satisfying and even joyful, but those emotions are not quite happiness, per se. I guess I am happy that I am in a career that aligns with my Values.

It's also not a particularly great weather day. It's a bit rainy and gray. Temperatures are above freezing, which I guess is good, but not quite in the thermodynamic comfort zone I prefer. For the weather to make me truly happy, it needs to be above 60 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly sunny. Those conditions are likely to be met TOMORROW, and so perhaps I am feeling anticipatory happiness? It's anyone's guess, but that's about as good of a guess as any other.

It's remotely possible that today will see the defeat and/or demise of one or more DFUs. I have no evidence for that, but if true...it would absolutely be a happy day. There is a retroactive happiness for future events that can sometimes be felt in the present (and past) due to quantum entanglement and tachyon particles. I'm not sure what the mathematical equation for that is, but as with most Laws of Nature, it is probably an exponential function of some kind, meaning the happiness generated increases exponentially the closer in time one is to the happiness-inducing singularity. If that's the case, then said singularity is probably going to happen soon, because the happiness vibes are quite intense.

Or maybe I'm just hypomanic today.

In any case, I hope your day is filled with happiness too (which would be another indicator of a universally experienced pending demise of DFUs).

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. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Resolution Time

Hi Readers!

It's getting to be about that time again...the time when we reflect on our successes in 2024 and make New Year's Resolutions (NY REZ) toward process improvements in 2025. I succeeded pretty damn well in 2024, so I am honestly not sure what to resolve to do better (or more of) in 2025. I will, of course, continue: eating a 100% plant based diet, aerobically exercising daily, and boycotting all social and mainstream media (SMSM), challenges I was quite successful at in 2025.

I had the thought a couple days ago that I'd like to go to more local live music shows in Madison WI, where I live, in 2025. I'd also like to perform more live music shows - ideally house concerts, with my semi acoustic power duo GUPPY EFFECT - in 2025. I am not super ambitious or motivated about that, so I probably should not make it a NY REZ. But we'll see...

I'd like to have more formal and official date nights with my beautiful wife Deborah. However, I typically avoid NY REZ that involve other people, because I only have autonomy and control over my own ambitions. So the NY REZ in this case might be more like PUSH for more date nights in 2025. Whether they actually transpire is a secondary outcome.

I definitely want to make more income in 2025. Again, there are variables involved in this that are potentially outside my full control, including getting sufficient client referrals to keep my marriage and family therapy caseload full. This is confounded slightly by the two-week vacation "down under" that Deborah and I are taking to kick off the new year. I won't be seeing any clients while overseas. My fiscal year, therefore, essentially starts on 2/3/25. That's cushioned a little bit by the residual caseload of clients I will see in the first two weeks of 2025, before we depart. That will actually be a decent number of clients, and I should be close to fully booked, but I am not intaking any new clients until after the trip. I think I can also streamline my schedule a bit better in 2025, to optimize income. I'm going to tackle that latter goal in the next couple weeks heading into 2025.

I can't think of anything much else right now, so I think I'll end this post. If I think of any more NY REZ, I will update this post or compose a new one.

Share your NY REZ in the Comments and have a great day!

Fin.

Positivity Post

Hi Readers!

According to the free LOSE IT app that I use to track my diet and exercise, I am down just over four pounds since starting my December Wellness Challenge on 12/1. I was 202.2 pounds on 11/30, the day prior to starting the challenge (Time Zero). I was 197.8 pounds as of this morning (12/4). If you want to be a stickler for details and argue that Time Zero was actually my morning weight on 12/1 - and there is some logic to that - then I am only down 3.2 pounds. Still pretty good! I have largely achieved this by exercising away (on the Peloton trainer) more calories than I eat, and practicing intermittent fasting (not eating between about 8 PM in the evening and noon the next day). My goal is to lose 15 pounds before the end of the year, so I am ahead of schedule. That being said, weight loss is not linear and those last five pounds are going to be harder to lose than the first five. That's not even taking into consideration the dietary risks, temptations, and pitfalls of the upcoming Judeo-Christian holidays. While I personally don't celebrate or recognize them (they are not Church of Bike With Joe holidays), much of our family does, and so we join in to honor our loved ones, more so than the mythical deities they pay tribute to via excessive holiday hedonism and sloth.

It's barely 8 AM on Wednesday 12/4 and I have already crushed and conquered a number of my TO DOs. In about 15 minutes, I will see my first marriage and family therapy client of the day, after which I will squeeze in a decent Peloton workout and attend a continuing education webinar (whilst eating my first meal of the day). After lunch/webinar, I will go pick up the groceries I ordered online this morning. The remainder of the afternoon and evening comprises seeing a few more psychotherapy clients, before retiring for some disconnection and self care.

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.

Another Superb Day

Hi Readers!

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

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

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

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

WEEKEND AGENDA:

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

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

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

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

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

Fin.

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