My Heart is Healthy

The scanner used for testing calcium / plaque buildup on the heart at the Arizona Heart Institute in Phoenix, Arizona

September 9, 1999, I quit smoking after having only begun 4 years earlier. So, at 36 years old, I spent $500 on a new test to determine how much plaque my heart was carrying. Well, the bad news was that I had 9 small bands on my heart where plaque had taken hold. I was in a group where 88% of the population in my age group had healthier readings.

Fast-forward to today and the test is now only $99. It was time to see how much worse things are. Boy, was I surprised, the plaque is gone. I am now in the 10% group where 90% of men age 40 – 45 have more plaque than I do. Although I still don’t exercise much at all, I made tremendous changes to my diet. I don’t eat fast food, I make the effort to stay clear of sugar and white flour, I use grapeseed oil to cook with and eat a lot more fresh and sometimes raw veggies. I drink a good amount of pomegranate juice, take vitamin C and E along with a calcium supplement and lecithin. Now I need to get my blood pressure a bit lower.

My heart scan was performed at the Arizona Heart Institute at 2652 N 20th St in Phoenix, Arizona – call them at 602-240-6150.

Head in the Clouds

Mid day looking up at a crystal clear sky with light whisipy clouds floating by in Phoenix, Arizona

Having won $365 million in the lottery the day before, our heads were in the clouds all day. Ok, our heads were in the clouds, but we didn’t win the lottery, so much for the power of positive thought. I suppose being lucky every day in life is a fair trade for not being lucky in a really big way for only one day.

The smog blew out that has been hovering over Phoenix. The promised rain for the weekend never materialized. A few lone light wispy clouds blew through making for a beautiful midday sky.

Weed The People

Going for Sushi this evening a van sits in the parking lot emblazoned with giant text reading "Legalize Medical Marijuana" here in Phoenix, Arizona

Dinner tonight was medical marijuana, just kidding! We were going for sushi at one of our favorite sushi restaurants and couldn’t help but notice this large van with rather large text demanding our attention to Legalize Medical Marijuana. After visiting the website listed on the van, www.grassynoel.org it turns out that the guy a table over with Karma, his black lab, was indeed Noel from the Grassy Noel website. Funny, it was just about a year ago that I photographed this car in front of a local grocery, he too had a message for the world.

During dinner, we met Marlon and Stacey and proceeded to have a great conversation about travel, culture, food challenges, and sushi. Nice couple.

Little Farm in Gilbert

A turkey from the Little Farm in Gilbert, Arizona

Visited the Little Farm in Gilbert today. You may have read about this place on my website before as I do on occasion write about the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) service that Caroline and I subscribe to. Well, I finally made my way out to Gilbert, Arizona, to visit the farm and to see where our bag of fresh organic veggies comes from. I had the chance to meet Lauren, who showed me around and introduced me to the animals. What a bunch of great characters! Especially the pot-bellied pig who nudged me about, looking for apples or any other treats I might have for her. I will be posting a more in-depth article about the farm on my other site www.happybumblebee.com