A Change of Pace; Round 2

My current plan is to drop almost all of my vitamin supplement intake for multiple reasons:

1. For at least a week, prior to surgery, I am not supposed to be using ANY supplements. After 6 surgeries, I'm still not sure why I can't use vitamin supplements.
2. The cost of buying supplements.
3. The waste (given my minimal disabilty income) of purchasing single vitamins (A, C, D, E, etc.) and a multivitamin is a little much.

Well, my first reason is probably my least impactful. back in March, when Surgery 7 was originally scheduled, I stopped my vitamin intake. When the surgery was canceled, I went back on my use of supplements. The main reason that I'm thinking of this is that I will eventually have to stop using the supplements prior to the surgery - whenever it finally happens.

The second reason is a little more impactful. With the current situation, income is very limited. The last thing that I need to spend it on is my supplement intake. 

The third reason is just by my own choice. I found a good multivitamin through Vitacost. It uses 2 capsules per day, according to nutritional info. My goal was, and still remains, to use one per day just to insure the intake of the vitamins. It also increases the number of days that one bottle wil last.

So, after I run out of my current stock on hand, my plan is to stick to the multivitamin and the vitamin D until the week before my surgery final occurs. After that, I will re-evaluate how things are going...

A Change of Pace

With the thrill of Covid-19, lots of things have changed while some remain the same... (Now, I have The Song Remains the Same going through my head!)

Today, two days earlier than expected, I received my recent order from Amazon: a case of Bai Puna Coconut Pineapple, Organic Chia Seeds, and Organic Stevia Powder. While I have consumed both the Bai Puna and the chia seeds, this will be my first attempt to use stevia powder. Sure, I hve consumed several things with stevia as a sweetener all ready included on the list or ingredients. The difference is that I don't add sugar/sweetener to anything. For instance, the tea I drink is always unsweetened.
One of the things that I like to drink, though, is Kevita's Lemon Cayenne water kefir. That uses stevia as the sweetener and it delivers only 5 calories per 8 oz. serving. I really like the limit in sugars, the taste, and the probitic effect that the kefir provides. I don't really like the price that one bottle costs, though. The best price that I can find it for is about $3. Not really expensive, but...

So, here's my plan! I'll brew some tea - either green tea or Bigelow's Lemon Ginger tea - and add some lemon juice, cayenne, and the stevia powder. I'll be lacking the benefit of the kefir but I'll gain the benefit of the lemon/cayenne. Bigelow's Lemon Ginger IS marketed as probiotic. It includes the ingredient of Ganeden BC30 probiotic (follow the link to learn more about that).
The RIGHT thing for me to do would be to squeeze my own lemons (and use grade B maple syrup) for the Master Cleanse, but that's not my current goal. I simply want to add the benefits of the lemon/cayenne beverage to my consumption without the price.
For dinner tonight, I'll be consuming about 5g of net carbs for the whole meal... chicken, cauliflower, cheese, and lemon ginger tea with the said added ingredients.

I definitely plan on increasing my lemon/cayenne tea over the next, couple of days. So, we'll see how well the added stevia powder works for me - I may just not like it...

Comedy or Tragedy

I think that I had a dream where I was performing on stage... No, wait... I DID perform on stage for many years of my life. 

What I have recently been thinking, though, is that maybe it would be a good thing to do to return to the stage. However, to do so as a stand-up comic! I mean, I have a LOT to talk about. As well, I could react to my experiences with either comedy or tragedy... The way things currently stand, I'll be going back in for surgery - the current planned date is Wednesday, May 13. The result will be having a dent in my head. Given previous experience with this, said "dent" will be a sizable concave in my head as seen is the following picture:

I am only guessing that the result from the upcoming surgery is going to mimic this appearance.

I could definitely be depressed from the results of my health. I could blame the things that happened to me during my life. I could be sequestered and isolate myself at home.

...Or

I could enjoy the good things in my life. I could share the experiences with others and, maybe, encourage people.

I actually looked in to visiting the hospital after my own recovery to visit the patients. I would share my story and/or get their stories... Basically, just to let them know that they are in the best hands.

While this is still a possibility, I'm not sure if is the best thing for me to do.

Laughter is the best medicine...

The other side of the coin is that stand-up comedy can be a very healing tool to use - not just for the comedian, but also for the audience. I mean, if I can go on stage and just get a laugh from the hole in my head - well, why not? Further, if I can encourage others by relaying my story through humor, I think that would be a great thing. Granted, I have a lot of work ahead of me. I need to revisit my past and construct my comedy bits. While I have worked with comedians - from follow-spot for Jay Leno to security guard for Joan Rivers - and have performed comedy skits and plays on stage with others, I have never been a comedian. So... Why not now?