Discussions with Zharphyn

General Rambling

Zharphyn — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:54:00 +0000

I was doing really well for a while making regular posts, and then I just stopped. Not certain why. My HCG diet went well, I lost almost 30 pounds in 37 days. My wife and I are planning to start another round on February 3rd. Hopefully I will be more diligent at keeping up with progress posts. I am hoping to lose more than 30 pounds on round two, that is my personal challenge to myself. I need to be stricter with my self-control, and I need to avoid my temptation foods.

I have found myself day-dreaming about winning the lottery more and more lately. I think I need a vacation. I have built a spreadsheet that I use to calculate purchases, staff salaries, cash gifts to friends and family and some of my dream trips. I have been tinkering with my spreadsheet for over a year, and it is getting quite complex with calculations and formula. I have also been cruising MLS listings looking at property, and two have grabbed my attention. A huge estate and a smaller mansion. It can be fun dreaming, but I still have to stay focused on reality. Although I am not completely convinced of the huge estate’s size estimates. According to what I have found about the property, it has a 45,000 sqft house, situated on 20,000 acres. 20,000 acres is 8094 Hectares or 31.25 square miles. To those of you who know the park, Campbell Valley Park is 535 Hectares, which makes this private property over 15 times the size. However, I cannot find a property of that size on Google maps, or the city property zoning. Also, I would think that property of that size would be listed at a much higher price then that for which it is listed. There is reference to it being one of the largest private estates in Canada, which helps support the massive property size. I am tempted to contact the realtor and ask the questions, or arrange a viewing just for fun.

Another one of my guilty pleasures is the Philip DeFranco Show. He has become a very successful YouTube blogger, reporting his personal take on the news. He has quite a flair for interpreting the news of the day, and I always enjoy listening to his “Douche Bag of the Day” and the “BAMF of the Day” editorials. With new episodes airing Monday – Thursday, I look forward to my 6 minute news update. He recently did a live Q&A session in Dublin during his “DeFranco Does Europe” tour. It was the first time he had done such an event, and it was a huge success.

Suicide and Depression

Zharphyn — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:14:15 +0000

There is an epidemic sweeping Canada and the United States. This epidemic is killing teenagers at an alarming rate. I am talking about suicide. It seems to me that lately almost every week I am hearing a report about a teenager committing suicide because of bullying in school. This morning I was reading about Marjorie Raymond, a 15 year old girl in Quebec who killed herself after relentless tormenting in school. Tormenting that she endured for years. Tormenting that has continued after her death. Angel Mythe Reck and Gentil Dauphin Triste have created a Facebook page dedicated to mocking Marjorie in death. I want to know, what are the consequences to these children for their actions? To me, this should be a criminal act. Their actions caused the death of another person. Is that not a homicide? We, as parents, need to stand up and take action. To those of you with children, talk to them about what is bothering them. Talk to them about their day. Maintain that open dialog. But actually listen to their problems. Try to remember what it felt like to be a teenager in middle school. Those feelings of hopelessness. Of feeling awkward, alone, ugly, undesirable. If your child reports to you that they are feeling depressed, take it seriously. That silly teenage crush they had on someone was very real to them, do not diminish it. If your child is a member of the LGBT community, accept them and love them for who they are. As a gay friend once told me, he is happy with his lifestyle, but given the derision he endures constantly, who in their right mind would “choose” that lifestyle. It is not a choice, is a biological directive. It is who they are. Do not be afraid of anti-depressants. It is a medicine like any other medicine to treat a condition. There should be no negative stigma associated with medicine. The most important thing that you, as a parent, can do for your child is to make certain that they know they have your love and support. If your child reports that they are being bullied at school, take action. Talk to the teaches, administration and school board. Demand a meeting between you and the bully’s parents with the children present, and make certain that everyone knows the consequences if the bullying continues. In general, bullies are cowards, and will back down when confronted. Unfortunately, bully kids sometimes come from bully parents. These kids are lashing out at others because they feel powerless at home. A properly run meeting between all parties will show you who the bully’s parents are. If necessary, contact child services and report the parents for providing a hostile family environment. Most importantly, do not back down. Stand up for your child. If nothing is being done by the school, consider transferring your child to another school, or home school. You might well be saving your child’s life, and that is the most important thing there is.

Day 16

Zharphyn — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:36:54 +0000

Things have been going well overall. I had a couple of days where I stumbled, which affected me. One day I forgot to take my afternoon drops, and the following day I got margarine on my hands whilst making the kids their lunch, so I think I have only lost about 2 lbs over the last 3-4 days. But still, that is 2 lbs in 4 days! My jeans are looking very baggy on me, and people are commenting on my face looking thinner. I will be happy when I have lost enough weight in my fingers that I can once again wear my wedding band.
I have decided to end phase 2 of my journey on Dec 21, 2011, because that will give me enough time to end the VLCD before Christmas Eve. Although I have been informed that the Christmas dinner at the in-laws will be ribs and chicken wings. Normally I would love that, but since the ribs will (presumably) be covered in BBQ sauce, which contains sugar, and the chicken wings will likely also have a sugar based coating I will not be able to eat them. Even if the ribs are plain, if they are pork ribs, the fat content is likely too high for to consume. I am going to have to start doing some research on allowed/disallowed food during maintenance.
My wife and I are fantasizing about our next gorge period, scheduled for mid-February. The restaurant Montana’s has an all you can eat rib night every Wednesday, during which, everything on your plate is endless, not just the ribs. My wife is dreaming of a Chinese buffet, and I want a platter of Nachos. I also am thinking about getting a dozen doughnuts from Timmy’s and eating some jars of Nacho Cheese dip. Thinking back, we really did not take advantage of our previous gorge period properly. Alcohol, pizza, potato chips, and chocolate are things that I am definitely missing right now, that I look forward to eating in excess next February.

There are a couple of friends that I am hoping to encourage into joining me for my next cycle. I am 2 weeks in and, while it is a constant test of will-power, I would recommend this diet to anyone that is overweight and looking to lose 20+ pounds.

Day 13

Zharphyn — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:13:26 +0000

It is day 13, I was down 2.5 pounds today, which brings my total to 17.4 pounds. On my Naturopath‘s advice, I increased the number of drops that I take each dose, and my feelings of hunger have gone away. I also stopped eating onions because I think my body was having difficulty processing them. The days that I ate an onion as my vegatable, my loss amount decreased to the point where I actually gained. Cut out the onion, and my body bounced back immediately, and my daily loss amount went back up. I have added cilantro as my seasoning of choice, mix that with Frank’s® RedHot® Sauce and you get an excellent flavour with some great heat. On my GP’s advice, I am going to try and go for 36 days. This will put my first day of non-VLCD maintenance on Christmas Eve. This will allow me to eat a little bit of the family Christmas dinner. I still won’t be able to eat stuffing or potatoes, but turkey will be nice.

British Columbia Supreme Court Declares Polygamy Still Illegal

Zharphyn — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:16:17 +0000

The supreme court today passed down their verdict on polygamy in British Columbia. The short version is that polygamy is still illegal, and that law is not a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights. I disagree with this ruling, not because I agree with polygamy, or desire a second wife, but because, once again, the law is taking away our rights for no logical reason.

The reason for this violation of our rights is under the guise of protecting women and children, but do we not already have laws protecting women and children from exploitation? Polygamy, at its core, does not inherently exploit people. The current religious leaders of Bountiful, BC are exploiting people. Courtney Stodden is a great example of underage children exercising their legal rights. At age 16, Courtney married a man 35 years her senior. She did this with her parent’s consent, which makes the union legal. Don’t get me wrong, I find the union extremely morally distasteful, but I defend her right to make this choice. If anyone, regardless of age, is forced into a marriage, then their rights are being violated. It does not matter whether they are becoming someone’s first or fifteenth spouse, if is done without consent, then it is illegal.

We should not be basing our laws on either religious beliefs, or moral beliefs. The Charter of Rights is supposed to be defending our rights, and our rights should be upheld. If you can make informed consent regarding your actions, and your actions do not hurt another being, then why would your actions be considered illegal?

Legally, I can marry one woman, and have a dozen live-in girlfriends, as long as all adults are in agreement. I can have children with all the women simultaneously. (Personally I think I would have to be insane to do that, but I was talking legal, not rational.) So why does it suddenly become illegal to marry all of my girlfriends, and make them my wives?

In the meantime, I am still waiting on the supreme court to decide what to do with prostitution.

Day 9

Zharphyn — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:40:35 +0000

Down another 1.9 pounds today! Brings my total to 10.9 lbs since starting my HCG journey. When you factor in the 7+ lbs I gained while loading, one could claim that I have lost 18+ lbs, but I am counting from my opening weight on day 1. I have food cravings almost constantly, and it takes great will power to resist temptation. My son gave me the remains of his lunch yesterday, and the slice of homemade pepperoni pizza with extra cheese certainly looked very appealing, but I resisted.

I was initially concerned about using Frank’s Hot Sauce for flavouring my food, but I must agree with their slogan, “I put that * in everything”. The chicken and lettuce I had yesterday tasted great, and the hot sauce encouraged me to drink my water. I have also been using balsamic vinegar, curry powder and cayenne pepper. Hopefully my stomach will shrink soon, because I am tired of always being hungry, it makes the temptations harder to fight off. At least every morning on the scale is very encouraging to me.

Smart meters

Zharphyn — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:25:03 +0000

I received a video via email yesterday that has got me thinking. In the video, the speaker claims that the smart meter allows the energy company complete knowledge of what devices you are using in your home. I find this very difficult to believe. The smart meter would, at best, be able to determine that a device drawing, say, 3 watts was just turned on, but what type of device seems a little far-fetched to me. The speaker continues to claim that the energy company will be able to track every time you use every device in your house, how green you are, whether you leave a light on for your dog, etc. The energy company would then be able to sell this information to police, government, media, or whomever based upon implied consent. The speaker says that all you have to do is write a letter, he even provides a template, forbidding them from installing the meter and you are safe. I hate to break it to you, but once the power company is done installing the smart meters on those locations that have not protested, they will take action against the hold-outs. The energy company is providing a service that you pay for. The smart move for them would be to take on a service charge for the ‘outdated’ meter that you are insisting upon using. Better yet, the service charge will be in the form of a surcharge per kWh, causing huge bill increases for you to continue to resist the energy company’s actions. All of this is perfectly legal so don’t bother bitching to your elected representative. The government is in full agreement with the energy company after all. And when the energy company tires of the game, they will simply shut off your power until you agree. Oh, and at that point, installation will be at your cost. Do not forget that all of this only applies while you live in your current residence. The moment you move, if your new place does not already have a smart meter, your energy company will require the installation of a smart meter before activating your new account, again, at your cost.

Pick your battles, and make certain that you have the ability to win.

Day 8

Zharphyn — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:13:49 +0000

Well, it is day eight and I have not cheated. I am down 9 pounds, so far, and people are seeing a difference in my face. My wife wants to go the full 40 days, but that puts us right into Christmas. I do not think that I can do Christmas functions on a VLCD. I do not have my calendar in front of me, but I believe day 40 is Christmas eve. I would start maintenance on Christmas day, which is still VLCD for three days. Although Christmas dinner with no starches would be tough. If I have a bad day on maintenance, I can always follow with a steak day, which almost sounds like fun. No food all day, then a 14oz steak for dinner. I will decide closer to day 26 to see where my feelings on continuing lie.

Day 2

Zharphyn — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:32:32 +0000

Well it is day 2 of my HCG diet. I am still in the loading stage. I overstuffed myself yesterday, and I had trouble sleeping because my stomach felt distended. I woke up this morning, and weighed myself to discover that I had gained 5.5 lbs since yesterday. I will try to take it a little easier today, but the instructions say that the better I gorge myself now, the better the diet will work.

I went shopping and bought a new digital kitchen scale today. On sale at Canadian Tire for $20. Then I bought the basic manual for the HCG diet at the Naturopath’s office now that they have stock. Tomorrow start the VLCD portion of the diet. 23 days of that and I will see what results I get. 1 pound a day, here I come.

It starts tomorrow

Zharphyn — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:35:19 +0000

Tomorrow I start my journey through the HCG diet. Today, I met with Teena at the Selkirk Clinic to discuss the specifics of the HCG diet. I am excited and nervous at the same time. The first two days are fun, eat as much as you can. To quote from written instructions: “If you do not ‘pig out’ properly, you will not see the results you want.” I am good at pigging out. It is something that I am very good at. On day three, the real diet starts; 500 calories a day. To lose a pound a day, I am will to try.