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At End Of Day - It's Your Life

BobLee: Aug 31; '12: I have two primary arenas of socio-cultural interest – Sports & Politics. I endeavor to keep them separated here (and am

managing to do so better than I would have ever imagined). Both of these arenas are septic fields overflowing with angst, anger and toxic malevolence. ..... The next several months are going to see that toxicity go thru the roof. I offer a few suggestions for maintaining a modicum of perspective balance in your life.......

As evident this week, we are in a state of flux over our weekly BLSays column schedule. Monday & Thursday doesn’t fit that well with the Saturday radio show and our new Monday column on chapelboro.com. We may shift to a Tuesday / Friday schedule ...... or maybe not. Maybe a Monday / Friday?? For now just hang loose until we figure it out.

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Crystal Light, Daily walks, Audiobooks ...... and minimal Gluten – There you go. BobLee’s handy dandy menu for slowing down your descent into the maelstrom of terminal insanity.   Unless a concrete colon IS your objective? Will it work for you? No clue..... but that combo has definitely benefitted me.

I use Crystal Light (or any of numerous other no-calorie water flavorings) to get myself to drink a minimum of two quarts of water per day.   I keep a 32 oz water bottle in the fridge and take a long swig anytime I walk by. Everyone knows water is great for keeping one’s innards well lubricated and reducing that “I’m empty - feed me” feeling. But, for me, just “drinking water” was always too boring so I could never incorporate it into a regular daily regimen. For the past 18 months I have.

We used to buy Diet Coke by the case. We haven’t bought any Diet Coke for over a year. Don’t remember the last time I had a “regular” Coke or Pepsi.... or Sweet Tea.   Yeah, I know going off Sweet Tea is sacrilegious. What can I say?

Over the past 18 months I’ve walked over 1,300 miles over the local Greenway system. I was doing 5-miles/day but have cut back to around 3/day lately.   I don’t powerwalk nor do I stroll. I walk briskly at about an 18-20 minute/mile pace. That pace allows me to smell the roses and commune with Ma Nature to the degree that works for both me and Ma.   Sometimes I walk in the AM, sometimes in the PM. I am not a slave to a schedule.... but I walk 8 outta 10 days.

The buffer seasons of Spring & Fall are the optimum walking seasons. Duh. No surprise there.

An odd component of my walking regime is that I purposely wear nothing to indicate my sports or political partisanship.   I don’t interact with fellow travelers other than a polite smile and a subtle wave but I try to do that with everyone I pass on the trails. Most return in kin..... some don’t.   I think my purposely non-partisan appearance ups the number who return my smile and/or slight wave.

My favorite fellow walkers are families on bicycles and moms with toddlers in strollers.   I’m sure X number of them don’t vote like I do nor cheer for the teams I cheer for; but the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy of the Greenway removes that animosity from the interactive equation

Bicyclists and cars get along like Palestinians and Israelis; but I’ve never had a problem sharing the Greenway with bicyclists.

I’m approaching the 200 audiobooks mark. 95% escapists action-adventure-mystery fiction with the occasional Outliers or History “listen” sprinkled. Currently “realistening” to a history of the Commanches.   Audible.com is as efficient a buying process as there could ever be.   99% glitch-free. I am maxing out my 10-12 favorite authors but somehow manage to find new ones.   See my list of favorites there on the right.   I have my walk / realisten system down to a science with the only variable which trek I want to travel today..... around one of several municipal lakes or thru a wooded glade or pass a meandering river or even just “around the neighborhood”.

I never walk with anyone even Blondie. She walks too but we never do so together. The solitude (man, nature & his audiobook) is a key component in the process at least for me.

The minimal Gluten thing is a new wrinkle just added six months ago but already seeing benefits.    By not eating “bread” one eliminates the easy temptation of a fast-food sandwich.   “Minimal Gluten” means I will occasionally eat wheat in the form of a thin-crust pizza but I’ve eliminated 90% of “bread” from my diet with nothing but much less digestive issues as a result.

None of the afore-mentioned elements required extreme self-discipline on my part. I managed to incorporate each of them into my daily lifestyle with minimum inconvenience and noticeable positive benefits.   I don’t fight any tendency to “go off the wagon” on any of them.

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Back to my original point that much of my work day is spent in partisan combat. Not unlike a vice cop or a proctologist..... I have to interact with my fellow man in his/her least desirable form. I suppose I could be a copywriter for Hallmark and live in a world of rainbows, balloons and smiley faces but that’s not the path I’ve chosen.

Whatever path you’ve chosen or find yourself in at this time of your life, I hope it involves some forms of daily enjoyment..... some release valve from the derm & strang.

This website can’t always be that cozy corner. We do slog thru the muck & mire here because there is muck & mire that must be slogged thru..... but if you can occasionally remove your partisan armor, set down your sword & shield and offer a polite smile to a wayfaring stranger.... it might benefit you AND the wayfaring stranger.

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Gameday With The Good Sports – Art C & BobLee debuts Saturday (tomorrow) at 10:30 AM.... LIVE from Southern Season at U-Mall in Chapel Hill on WCHL 97.9 FM. Art, Ron Stutts and I did a dress rehearsal yesterday. The on-air chemistry was pretty remarkable. Stutts “suggested” I not use one particular sorta-political simile.... reminding me “Dude, this is Chapel Hill remember”. ☺

Will it be your same old-same old pre-game kool-aid slurping rah-rah show? Well DUH – NO! It is Art & BobLee for heavens sakes.

Will we piss off some folks? Well DUH, it IS Art & BobLee for heavens sakes.

Will we have nekkid cheerleaders and kute kittens videos? Not in Week One.

Tune in to 97.9 FM in Chapel Hill / Derm and parts of Western Wake..... or download the chapelboro app from their website and listen via your smartphone from “anywhere” ..... or wait 48 hours for the show to be archived and available right here.

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Posted: August 31, 2012 at 12:07 PM by SaidWHATMedia | with 14 comments

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Comments

	bh
	Bob; what about rice?...are younot eating or is the brown something to substitute? _______ BL: Not entirely eliminated but certainly in moderation. I've found "cold turkey" deletions difficult to sustain. I'm not trying to convert anyone. Simply saying what is working for me. .
	9/2/2012 1:55:35 PM

	58 Wolf Kennel
	What a sensible column. However you sound more like my wife and three daughters in terms of "health". I fail miserably but did walk about 10 miles this weekend down in Atlanta with a new hip and a bum knee. However, I'm still going to sin with Pepsi betraying my New Bern roots. Driving back from Atlanta today, what did you talk about in the "premier" show today? _______ I will recap Show One in a future column. Art went ballistic towards "you people". Rough night for #1 in Georgia Dome! .
	9/1/2012 8:34:00 PM

	SWUNCer
	Agree with your life style change -- mine is much the same these days (Stevia is a staple) -- and many pounds lighter than six months ago. My reasons are for health -- heart disease attacks my family like the ABCers attack Carolina. Except, I walk very early in the morning by the river, see the same folks running, jogging daily, and listen to the same river sounds. I can't imagine ruining nature's music with listening to a book, although sometimes I do listen to my own wakeup music (Mozart). Didn't catch your show today, but glad to hear the Heels proved they haven't crawled into the underground caverns at Kenan. Go Heels, the right way this time! _______ BL: Great game result in Kenan but brutally hot weather day for fans. Fedora Era 1-0. .
	9/1/2012 5:26:14 PM

	nctravellinman
	BL, I too for the most part stopped being an unpaid billboard for x cause / politics / sports. I buy the plain, but colorful assortment of tees WITH POCKETS for my glasses, etc. from LL Bean. Life is remarkably smoother. _______ BL: A small thing, but in today's partisan society, it DOES help. .
	8/31/2012 11:03:18 PM

	fayettewuf
	Your health regime sounds like mine. Gone virtually gluten-free but instead of walking, I swim 4 or 5 miles a week. If you miss sweet tea, I suggest stevia as your sweetener. I make black tea (full of anti-oxidants ) and sweeten it with stevia. As for politics, I have decided in the upcoming presidential election to write in the name of the man with about 8 teeth, who holds the "Will Work for Food" sign that I keep seeing at an intersection on my way to work (if he will tell me his name) _________ BL: Very familiar w/ stevia. Have it on hand as needed. The gluten thing has really made a difference - Who Knew ?? ... .
	8/31/2012 4:52:50 PM

	NCSU68Grad
	WHOA, Kemosabe. White men (women) speak with forked tongue. You did NOT say 18-20 MPH. You said 18 - 30 minutes/mile....that is about 3 MPH or the standard Military Pace. I remember watching movies (16mm) in Riddick in 1966 where we, as potential IE's, would rate the pace of the walker or the person dealing a deck of cards. THEN, in my first job, they had the SAME films. I remembered the paces and always aced the quizes...I, too, prefer the Chyrstal Lite. Mine Frau adds a fresh cut Lemon and it really has a ZING. I usually make us a second batch and recycle the lemon. I usually do the cardio thing at Rex and try to keep a 4 MPH (15 minute) mile and occassionally jog. I also enjoy the SOLITUDE of my iPod when I work out. I forgot it the other day and the din or chatter in the background really breaks the concentration on the machine....even on the treadmill....which should be mindless. I ride my bike around the neighborhood with it, but would NOT venture out on the country lanes around my development without having all my senses....as poor as my hearing is. Keep up the exercise....I was really waiting for this column to SPLAIN how the NCAA found nothing and would not reopen the ugliness even if the blue ribbon investigatory panels found that no UNC ($$ Sport) athlete had ever attended a class since 1992. The two headlines on the local paper are really funny....and the folks with light blue underwear are NOW crowing about how this is all about nothing. The one with red tints are the opposite. SO this will go on WELL into 2013 and provide you and others with countless inches of column material...going to listen to YOU tomorrow, but NOT the game... ________ BL: There was never any doubt that this would go on.... and on.... and on ..... I have always envisioned a 20-year minimum life expectancy. "Amphibious" and "475" are close to 25 now aren't they? Good Luck tonight - Eat More Dan Cathey Chicken !!! .
	8/31/2012 2:29:11 PM

	Ed Hamrick
	You may want to revise your walking speed - at 20 mph, you would walk a mile every 3 minutes! Not even Roger Bannister could do that. _______ BL: OK !!! I just figured out where the disconnect has been - I meant an 18-20 minute mile .... not mph. :-) .
	8/31/2012 2:06:21 PM

	BC in PV
	I agree 100% with what you are doing. “Time away”, by ourselves engaged in some type of cardiovascular activity is one of the critical pieces in stress management and a better quality of life. I recently completed the book version about the Comanche Nation and Chief Quanah Parker. Makes me glad I wasn’t a settler in parts of the country where they roamed. By the way, I like the photo of you on the BobLee says.com banner. Good luck with the radio show. I’ll listen after the fact. ________ BL: Empire Of The Sun is the one I'm reading and yes, its about Quanah Parker. "Our" treatment of American Indians was NOT our finest hours. .
	8/31/2012 1:41:44 PM

	Sandy Bottom
	...you know, outside of Kin(g)ston. Long time lurker, first time commenter. Not sure of your units and I don't mean to question the effort, but I doubt you are walking 18 mph or maybe 'about' is a relative term. Here is to hoping the red and blues (at least the political flavor if not sports also) can soon begin to have the important adult conversations that need to occur. What made me think the adults had it together when I was younger? Signed, Optimistic on a Friday ________ BL: Realization of the rampant immaturity of supposedly mature adults is one of Life's saddest moments. .... all the name-calling just gets REALLY old some days. . 18-20 minute/mile :-)
	8/31/2012 1:32:14 PM

	Conway
	You have mentioned your walking before, are all the greenways pretty safe? There was a headline in the N&O about some issues of safety. Sounds like a great place to walk. _______ BL: That story is about a BAD section of the American Tobaccos Trail thru Ghetto Durham. DEFINITELY Avoid that. 90% of the ATT is terrific. I have NEVER had ANY issues on the Raleigh / Cary Greenway. Just nice folks enjoying a nice walk thru the woods (on an asphalt path) . .
	8/31/2012 1:30:59 PM

	Nick Long
	Bob Lee-- I will pay real money to see Blondie and Jan dressed as cheerleaders, and they don't even have to be nekkid!! Good luck with the new endeavor. I plan on listening. Thanks for the 97.9 FM tip, because you almost have to be in Orange Co. to pick up 1360. _________ BL: Better chance of seeing a kitten video. 97.9 covers about twice as big a footprint as the old AM signal. And AT NIGHT too! .
	8/31/2012 1:20:24 PM

	SmittyfromDurham
	18mph? Really? Either that modified diet has screwed up your ability to think or you should have been in London last month. _______ BL: Not that fast at all.... and its flat or downhill. .
	8/31/2012 1:18:50 PM

	ncus1987
	"but if you can occasionally remove your partisan armor, set down your sword & shield and offer a polite smile to a wayfaring stranger.... it might benefit you AND the wayfaring stranger." Sage advice. I, too, have my own non-partisan happy place. I spend as much time there as I can, but it's never enough. _______ BL: Such "happy places" are becoming rarer and rarer.... :-( .
	8/31/2012 1:03:03 PM

	JC
	In an effort to maintain ones sanity, one can only listen to WCHL on Saturdays until about 4pm, or an hour after the end of a UNC ballgame. JC _________ BL: Heck, thats all I'm asking. So Sweet Stephanie and Lovable Ed Schultz are NOT your cuppa tea huh? .
	8/31/2012 12:52:36 PM