Excellent Activism

I generally decry the activist, whiny culture which seems more and more common in America. However, I truly love excellent activism couched in wit and reason. With that, I give you:

The Meatrix
The Meatrix 2

In trying to live a natural life, I become more sympathetic to the way animals are treated. I hate being treated as a cog in a machine; it seems unpleasant to them too. Also, grass-fed beef is absolutely delicious.

First Novel is a Lulu

A book review of Conspiracy Untold by Brad Leiphart

I have contemplated this review for over a week and I was unsure exactly what to say about Brad's first novel. It defied easy categorization and therefore, comparison was difficult for me. The basic style was reminiscent of Ludlum but the protagonist, Ryan Hull, was far more gruesome in his methods, like Jason Bourne but with less control. The novel also used the scenery of Philadelphia and the environs to good extent, just as Ludlum often vividly described the locales of his adventures. The story also contained many detective elements, yet Ryan was more gruff and direct than a PI written by Raymond Chandler. Fortunately the plot was also far easier to follow, which was a big plus over Chandler. My biggest complaint was the brevity of the novel, ending in under 300 pages.

Even though it was the first novel in The Corrosion Legacy series, I hoped for a more exciting climax, though I enjoyed the lively banter between the two principal characters which brought the novel to a close. Lively banter and the vivid action sequences were the biggest discriminators for this novel and I hope they continue in the next installment.

Stuff Catholics Like

A great new group blog has started up, called Stuff Catholics Like. Ironic Catholic has just written an excellent post on sex. Everyone knows Catholics like sex, right? Where else would those big families come from?

Practical Ease of NFP

In light of the previous exchange at I Have to Sit Down, I decided to write about what can be done, practically, by each spouse to make abstinence easier.

The single best thing that can be done to make abstinence easier is not to focus on it with all of one's mental power. I know, easier said than done. I notice that I constantly focused on abstinence in the first years of NFP. The focus on abstinence made it larger than life and it loomed over everything, casting darkness upon the things we were already doing to handle abstinence. At the worst, this attitude would have me counting the days since our last interlude, which only made everything more difficult. In this case, accurate charting was actually an obstacle to learning charity.

Putting the focus on abstinence was an extension of focusing on myself and focusing on the self is antithetical to developing virtue. All virtues are learned by dying to self in some form or another, and the sacrifice involved in abstinence is only beneficial if I actually sacrifice with the proper attitude, not just grudgingly endure what I am giving up until "go time."

The News is not New

I am happy that this article is brief and gets the facts straight, but I am tired of the journalistic slip of claiming newness in something old. The Church has condemned contraception, artificial or natural, since the Didache, if not earlier. Humane Vitae merely shocked the would by being constant. I imagine reporters waking up every day:

"Look the earth is still here!"
"Wow, the sun is shining!"
"Air, there is air!"

9 Weeks on Reliv

Neither I nor Reliv International make any health claims about our products. They are just optimal nutrition. The body is the miracle.

Health: I have been able to exercise a bit more but I don't think that accounts for my decrease in body fat. According to the same body fat scale that I have been using for years, there has been a noticeable decline in the fat percentage of my body. I am also down a few pounds and I can eat like I did in college.

Business: No new customers but I'm enjoying spending time to meet people who I would usually ignore, even if I never talk about the business. I have heard some excellent motivational speeches and received lots of training in sales. My support group has helped to bolster my confidence and keep me focused.

One of the eminently Christian aspects of Reliv is that the rich serve the poor. The people who have built successful businesses and pull down large incomes are the same people who help the young upstarts. Much is expected from those to whom much is given.

TOS vs. TNG vs. DS9

I have finally made that critical nerd decision. I have decided that Captain Kirk is my favorite Star Trek captain. Sure, he was an over-actor and he had an annoying trait of leaving the ship in the hands of some random chief while it was in mortal danger so he could beam down to the planet and talk things out. What clinched it for me was that he could deliver a joke (Picard couldn't) and he knew how to fight (Sisko fights like an actor). In general, the fight sequences have completely won me over to Kirk. His fight sequences involved throws, punches, kicks, and grappling. In DS9, every Federation officer threw double overhand smashes and Klingon warriors crumble. It is fake, even for acting.

I can't wait until my lovely, nerdy wife and I finish watching all of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) and move on to Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) since we've already watched all of Deep Space 9 (DS9) that will only leave the dumb ones which I hope to convince my wife never to watch.

I am In Style

Choosing businesses by my small business philosophy has finally given me the determination to break the chains of cheap haircuts at SuperCuts. I went to a local salon which advertises in my parish's bulletion, the In Style Salon. I received an excellent haircut and had high quality conversation. Both of those experiences only occur randomly at SuperCuts, roughly once in every four visits. The price was steeper, but well worth it. I am planning to budget more money for haircuts in the future. There were some drawbacks, like having to schedule an appointment in their more restricted hours of operation, but those provided philosophical reward to me. I want to set my hours and have customers arrange to come to me, why should I expect other businesses to fit into my schedule? I have noticed that most businesses are populated by people who may want the same things. Sounds like the perfect application of the Golden Rule to me.

I Like Small Businesses

... and I can not lie. You other jobbers can't deny. When friend walks in with a big idea and a little business on the side, you get sprung."

I just couldn't resist that. Perhaps I should work to improve my self-control. Anyway, this quest to start my own business has tremendously increased my empathy for other entrepreneurs. As a result of that, I have been updating my Business Links. Please visit them and use them, if they are in your area.

By the way, I receive no compensation from any of these businesses (except for my own, obviously). I merely want to see them succeed.

7 Weeks on Reliv

Health: Well, I've had a massive sinus congestion for the past week as part of a cold. I've doubled my intake of Innergize and Classic. I definitely feel better after taking them, but I rarely get colds that last this long. I guess this could be a detoxification effect since I was hoping for sinus improvement anyway. I will have to wait and see. I've got another rash on my forehead, but my dry skin has returned so I feel like I am actually losing ground.

Business: I lost my first customer. Definitely a deflating experience. I have tried to come at this whole business venture with the attitude of failure is good, as long as it is educational. I am still learning how to focus through the failure and not let it deflate me. I am continually exceeding my goal of talking to someone new about Reliv every week, this gives me hope that I will eventually find more customers.

My biggest intellectual concern is the self-selection bias of the distributors. I am afraid the product only appears to work because the people who have no noticeable improvement, simply don't sell it or take it. Whereas, those people who happen to improve while taking it, incorrectly attribute their improvement to the shake. Of course, I can't prove either hypothesis but it weighs on my mind.

'Wit'

This might be the pinnacle of news reporting. An outspoken old guy who runs his own business, lives in Philly, and is pro-life. And I get a cheesesteak to go!

Fruitless News

The on-line news world is great. Like this article which roughly encapsulates the general mindset among Catholics who think the Church should be made into their image. The comments are also fun, mostly from bitter, gun-toting, religious anti-immigrant people, no doubt. I will have to comment soon, so scroll down all the way to the bottom and see if I did it yet.

I must say, I particularly love the irony of a woman claiming that the Church isn't "with it" or current, and then only citing data from 40 years ago.

Ratified Christian Truth

A man can not serve two masters, for he will love one and hate the other.

My new business experiment has completely proven this Christian teaching and I am not alone. Even though there is massive awkwardness in my direct selling, home-based business, I would much rather do it than my high-paying corporate job. The more I perform my usual duties, the more cog-like I feel. I pray the Lord will give me the strength to keep going, and bless my efforts at self-employment a thousandfold. (though, a millionfold would be nice!)

Listening

Direct sales has raised my level of attentiveness to the lives of others. I have been engaging in more conversations with those people who are usually invisible: clerks, cashiers, fellow parents wrangling their children at rummage sales. Meeting people, even in brief conversation, is a very pleasant experience even when it isn't. The bad experiences give me much to pray about and the feeling that I may have brightened their day a little through some social contact. The good experiences remind me that we are all stuck together on this crazy, spinning mudball called Earth so we might as well enjoy each other.

To paraphrase G.K. Chesterton, people are more real than you can imagine.

5 weeks on Reliv

So I've been on this health/business adventure for 5 weeks. Here's where I stand:

Health. After a bizarre rash and pimples on my forehead, this detox ended and my head returned to normal. No reversal in my receding hairline. I have been sleeping better; I am more refreshed after the same amount of sleep. I feel like I sleep 7.5 hours when I only sleep 6 hours. 7.5 hours is my ideal for an average night of sleep, so I'm functioning more ideally. I had strange pimples on my knees which quickly went away. My boil/ingrown hair has stopped improving though it improved steadily up until now. My skin is smoother and the clogged pores on my triceps have become smooth, as if I exfoliated every day (I didn't, loofahs are for girls).

Business. No new customers but I am slowly sharing my business with people I encounter. I attended a special event and met many Pennsylvanian distributors. They were genuine people, not polished salesman. They were friendly and respectful of differences (no dirty looks when I mentioned NFP). God was mentioned liberally and mutual support was abundant.

Money from Somewhere

The most ludicrous claim made by Robert Kiyosaki is that, somehow, money will appear when you need it. He recounted his experience, after his first start-up went bankrupt, of being nearly destitute. It seemed to him that money would show up when it was needed. For the first time, I have found that to be true. I have set aside my investment money and I am striving mightily not to touch it for personal use. This month, family funds are low but, so far, money has appeared exactly as I need it. Not so much that I could be profligate, just enough to keep on as we are. Kiyosaki repeatedly stressed the value of generosity and his board game seemed to indicate that he knew generosity related to the appearance of money when needed. Personally, I consider it a paycheck from the Big Boss.

An Important Request

Thanks to Peter at With a Grain of Salt, I read this post on how wives can help husbands with difficulties in abstinence. The comments go all over the place, but cover almost every issue related to the practice of NFP. It is an interesting exchange so I thought I would bring it to light. Hopefully, I can develop a post on the topic soon, using my comment as a starting point.

Back to Basics

As my dear reader may have noticed, my blog has diverged into some tangents which may not have anything to do with the quest to live a natural life. However much progress was made in the quest to discover true manhood this past Sunday. As always, the basics lead the way. The basics being, of course, Church and video games.

Sunday started with video games, since I splurged on Saturday and purchased the Windows XP versions of all the King's Quests and all the Police Quests for a total of $25. I began with KQI and showed my daughters how a true knight should handle himself, obedient to the crown and picking up every stray object in sight. That adventure was followed by Mass, with two exceptionally obedient daughters, one who won the praise of departing parishioners for her ability to genuflect and her charity in depositing her Rice Bowl money into the poor box.

Upon returning home, my brother invited me over to try my hand at Guitar Hero III and I was rather hooked. We played for a couple hours, though I never made it past the Easy songs, and discussed life, the universe, and everything. As a break from the carpal tunnel inducing guitar, we broke out Super Mario 3 for the NES and went to town. I was able to impress my brother by remembering obscure tricks like the White Coin Ship and the alternate text when beating a Koopaling in a Frog, Tanooki, or Hammer Brother Suit. I think the time spent in a house where four guys live was good for my soul, I rarely spend that much time around Y chromosomes. It also served as good preparation for my Knights of Columbus meeting that evening, where I received my second degree. It was an honor, and an excellent close to the day.

I believe that manhood was restored in my spirit through quests (even digital ones), prayer (Mass), fraternity (the best brother in the world, I mean it), and knowledge (sharing arcane game info to those who can appreciate it). May I learn more by traveling these familiar roads.

Religion is Like Direct Selling

I have read the comment a few times, while choosing a business, that direct selling is like a religious movement. Since religion is primarily shared through personal contact, many people note the similarities in method: sharing personal stories, a deep conviction that what is being shared is very important, and a hope of camaraderie. I have discovered recently that I prefer direct selling over the other option, mass marketing. I would rather that someone who I know approach me and offer me something which they have found useful as opposed to air-brushed models, high-tech stuntmen, and rich celebrities getting paid to talk for 3o seconds about something that they probably never heard of before their agent presented them with a deal.

I know it's a stretch but it seems that the principle of subsidiarity as John Paul II espoused, would prefer direct selling. Direct selling definitely occurs at a lower level of society than mass marketing. Just the thoughts of a man trying to live a natural life.

3 Weeks

I have been in the supplement business, and on the product, for over 3 weeks now. Business has been plugging along more easily than expected, due to the significant help from my sponsor and those supporting her. I have even had excellent support from distributors who have no financial ties to me whatsoever. I am very impressed at the caliber of people involved in this business since they would take the time to help me build up my clientele even though there is no financial gain for them. I consider that a sign of the commitment to ethics which Reliv has.

I have also noticed some improvements in my health, such as higher energy and better sleep, especially if I add an extra shake before I go to bed. I am a bit more anxious, but I think this crazy venture is causing that, since I was definitely anxious about this venture before I even drank a shake.

Even though business has been easier than expected, my first customers still seemed easy to get in comparison to my recent experiences. I keep looking for signs that I am supposed to be in this business, as opposed to volunteering for a crisis pregnancy center or something. With that in mind, I watched the promotional video which Reliv has, by clicking Play at the top of their website, and at the very end is a shot of Dr. Kalogris shaking hands with John Paul II while the Kalogris Foundation is feeding needy children. I consider that a small sign that I am somewhere on the right path.