The Shangri-La Diet

Upon writing my little "review" for Water for Elephants I remembered that I didn't do the same for my sweet diet book: "The Shangri-La Diet". If you haven't heard of this book, you should definitely pick it up. It's probably available to buy on amazon or something like that for around $6-8 total. Not a bad investment for a diet book.

So to answer your question up front, no, I haven't lost any weight and the reason is because I haven't ever followed the diet. My buddy from work lost 30 lbs. on this diet so I picked up the book to see what it had to say. I honestly think it would probably work.

I don't want to write the whole book but this idea is a serious paradigm-shifter for weight-loss. The author compares your weight to the setting of your thermostat. You "set" the thermostat, if it's too hot, the air comes on; if it's to cold, the heat comes on. For weight, you eat more if you're under your "set" point, and less if you're over your "set" point. This totally makes sense to me and I always hover within a few lbs of my current weight (for those dying to know, a "healthy" 240). So he concludes you have to do something to "lower" your set point.

The second point is that Americans particularly have strong flavor-calorie associations: all of our food is strong-tasting and generally loaded with calories. He feels if you consume 200-400 "flavorless" calories a day, you will effectively lower your "set" point because your body will kick in to the "use the fat" mode. You won't feel hungry and as a result will simply eat less.

That's the diet! Eat whatever you want, just drink 200-400 calories a day of flavorless calories (sugar-water or extra light olive oil). The one catch is you have to consume the oil in a 2-hour "flavor free" zone, and brushing your teeth counts as a flavor; otherwise it would be easy to do it right in the morning and wait for another hour before eating anything. I can't seem to find a point in the day where I can drink roughly 3 tbls of extra light olive oil (not including work hours where I always forget to take a little vial of oil to work). Morning? Going to work and brushed my teeth (not an option to skip in my opinion). Night? I eat dinner upon getting home and brush my teeth before bed.

Anyways, if you want to try a diet I think this would seriously work and basically costs nothing. You should lose the "healthy" way: roughly 2-3 lbs per week. Note you can lose as long as you'd like, but if you stop taking the oil you'll eventually slowly creep back up to your old weight. Sounds promising to me. If anybody knows more about it let me know.

Water for Elephants

Rachel recommended this book to me and the only hesitation I had going in is that I know a number of women who have read this book and liked it and zero men who have read it period. I didn't want to be diving in to some type of "Twilight" females-only love story. Fortunately, this book can be read by both sexes and enjoyed.

Water for Elephants is about a 90-year old man remembering his young days in the depression era working for the circus. I've never really read anything about the circus before so it was actually quite intriguing to think about life as a performer. It made me think what it would be like today working on some type of concert tour. Set up every day, do the show, take down and get on the bus (or train in the book's case) to move on to the next city. The author noted that many of the subplots and events in the books were true stories that have happened on various circus tours, such as an elephant drinking all of the lemonade that was to be sold the the patrons during the show.

Even after reading the book I'm amazed during that time period (or even today for that matter) that so many animals: bears, lions, panthers, giraffes, elephants, etc. could somehow be kept under lock and key and transported all over the country like that. It would take serious trust with the animals to get in some of those cages.

I would recommend this book to anybody who wants an easy, semi-nonthinking read if that makes sense. Most books I usually get about half way through and get so into it that I stay up late finishing the second half in one night. That didn't happen with this book; just an even-keeled, you kind of know what's coming but don't type ride. There are some racy parts for anybody that would want some advanced notice, those parts are pretty minor and probably also true of those times.

Utah's Best Burger

Last week I went to St. George with Rache-Train and the C-Murder for some much needed sunshine. I was also pleased we went to settle once and for all something brewing in my mind the past few months. . . the best hamburger the state has to offer.

I believe I've tried all the "best" burgers available from the obviously low-end (think major chains like Wendy's, BK, etc.) to "gourmet" burgers (Red Robin, Training Table), to "one-hit wonders" (the garlic burger at the Cotton Bottom), and to those that claim they are the best burger ever (i.e. the Counter-OK but pretty pricey).

Overall the past few years I would probably assign the best burger label to the Crown/Apollo/Astro chain (hereafter referred to simply as Crown) Burger. The pastrami burger is an absolute gut-bomb but it tastes so good going down it is worth any painful consequences. A few months ago at work we tried a new restaurant in town, "Five Guys Burgers and Fries". There are so many positives associated with this burger I can't possibly name them all, but a few include: A) the regular burger is a 1/2 pound double; when you're going in for a big-time burger you might as well go all the way, B) going all the way includes adding Bacon (come on, we all knew Bacon was a major player in my best-burger analysis), C) all toppings are free, and the toppings options go beyond the normal ketchup and pickles. I'm not even a huge toppings guy, but I see this as a plus for others, D) the meat and fries are super fresh, you can taste the freshness in every bite!

Now, I didn't label 5 Guys the best burger in the state the first day I tried it, even though I was highly impressed. It is the days after when you start to realize just how good it is. I couldn't stop thinking about it! I just wanted to go back because all day I kept thinking, "Dang! That burger was freaking good!" And so, of course, I went back. I've been back multiple times since. So good, so fresh, how could this not be the best burger Utah has to offer? (Editor's note: I still think the Crown is dang good and pretty much label it as #1A, but this 5 Guys place just has something to it).

I had one hangup on my final declaration. . . In-And-Out. Too many "Californians" or wannabe Californians always talk about how it is the best burger on the planet. They too emphasize freshness and simplicity in the menu. We all know one is coming to Draper but Utah already features an In-And-Out in St. George. I had forgotten about this until we saw it last Thursday. Of course we had to go for lunch! I had only eaten at In-And-Out once before like 4 years ago. I remember thinking "This is good. I am enjoying my meal and would never be opposed to coming to eat here; however, it is not the best burger I've ever had". Since that one visit was so long ago I was excited to renew my acquaintance with In-And-Out in order to make an educated decision.

In-And-Out was cheaper than I remember, and the fries are definitely top-notch fresh. I would put them on par with 5 Guys for freshness no problem. The burger, however, was good but not "best" category. It was fresh, but a little small (their double cheese is like a McDonald's-size double cheese). I don't know the whole "secret menu" garbage either so that is arguably a downer for me. I thought, "This is exactly like the first time. Great meal, no real complaints at all, just not the best burger I've ever had".

So that settled it for me, 5 Guys offers the best burger you can get in Utah. If somebody has a better place please don't keep me in the dark. If you go try 5 Guys, take notice of not only how good it is the day you eat it, but how bad you want it again the next day (like me right now!).

Pandora!

If you haven't ever hear of this sweet site, let me introduce you to pandora.com! This is one of the best sites the internet has ever created! A buddy at work introduced it to me about a month ago and I've been listening to it nonstop ever since. Pandora is an internet-radio site where you enter an artist or a song and you "create" a radio station that plays music from that artist or similar artists (based on something called the music-genome project). I don't know how it works but as the various songs play you can definitely agree that they all relate in a general way within each station you create.

So this week on my ever expanding list of created stations I decided to take a trip down memory lane, as in "riding with my mom from ages 4-10 listening to New Mix 107.5" memory lane. My station anchor? None other than the classic Wilson Phillips! It shouldn't be hard for anybody to imagine me belting out "Release Me" or "Hold On" without hesitation. I will say that listening to their songs this time around I've noticed every song has a quasi-bridge-guitar solo that would be described as the antithesis of a "face-melting guitar solo". Seriously, even when Wilson Phillips was at their peak performing to a packed stadium, there's no way during one of these solos the hired professional guitarist was thinking, "I'm shredding the guitar to Wilson Phillips!" Be that as it may, I take them for what they are: a classic easy listening group who dominated the airways in their time. Their station offered up plenty of other soft-hits gods (like rock-gods, but soothing and romantic!): early Madonna, Tiffany, Pat Benetar, Richard Marx, Lionel Richie, Chicago (or Peter Cetera, their lead singer who later had a solo career. I note this because I heard all these songs and kept thinking "I know this song but I've never heard of this guy! So I investigated). Basically every song that comes on I mark the "thumbs up icon" because I love it. (One downer to note-after about 6 hours straight of the same station you start to get repeats of all the same songs).

My "coming out" of the soft-hits closet this week has had a couple of interesting effects: 1) all my coworkers who at first were ripping me and acting all "manly" like they didn't like what I was listening to within hours were crooning right along with every song. Either they love it like me or had mothers who also listened to "New Mix" and FM100 in their youth (probably a little of both). 2)I keep discovering old favorites again and again through all these links, at which point I discover another old memory! Some of the favorites from this week of soft hits: Gloria Estefan (You know you want to "Get on your feet!") Mr. Mister ("Take these broken wings"), Michael Bolton (Yes, THAT Michael Bolton! I even heard a new sweet song, "How can we be lovers if we can't be friends?" that was just too catchy to not enjoy), and of course the kings of the 1-hit wonder soft hit, Toto (you know how FM100 plays only Christmas music through December? I think the rest of the year they have an automatic "Africa" every hour on the hour. Seriously, I never switch to that station without getting myself some "I bless the rains down in AFRICA! boom, boOm, bOOM, BOOM! Gonna take some time to do the things we never HA-AAA-AAAD! ooo, ooo!)

Pandora-awesome. If you have some other sweet golden oldies for me let me know.

I'm Sick

Is there anything worse than being sick? Whenever I get sick or even can feel myself getting sick I go into panic mode. "What did it ever feel like to be healthy?" Whenever I get sick I start off with a sore throat and after 5 minutes of a sore throat I can't remember what it ever felt like to be able to swallow normally and I wonder if I will ever know what that feels like again. Of course this only lasts a few days but days turn into ETERNITY when you are sick. Right now is especially the prime time for me to get sick. All I want to do is sleep for 14 hours or so; instead I'm at work for that long. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy: spend a few months working like crazy, definitely EATING like crazy (and we all know I can pack it in with the best of them), sitting and stressing all day, not sleeping much, and avoiding exercise like it would kill me (which, of course, it might in my current state).

I always get sick right when I think, "Maybe I will make it through this season change without getting sick for once!" Which of course during the nice pre-storm weather last week, I thought. Here's to all who get the yearly (or in my case, seasonally) cold. To our suffering and misery for the few days it lasts. To the NyQuil and DayQuil that pulls us through. I'm going to bed (hopefully I won't wake up to my alarm in the morning).

World Without End

So I'm in this new little habit of writing a review of every book I read, mostly because I want to be able to remember how I liked a book when I think about it, even though books rarely come up in my conversations because I'm the only nerd out there who reads for fun.

"World Without End"-no, not a church book, but that would make a good title. This book is kind of a sequel to "The Pillars of the Earth" that I read last year. Not the same characters, but roughly the same time frame and same city setting. I'm pretty sure the writer, Ken Follet, just set it up that way to have easy access to all the geography he had set up in his previous book. This was valuable to me as well as I felt like I was right back in the setting as the first book. Both of these books are over 1,000 pages. It took me two months to read. Whenever I embark on such a sizable book, I certainly take the "this is a journey" approach. The length of the story spans pretty much a lifetime, and it just seems like nothing ever goes right. This is actually one of the things I like about these books. It is set in old-time England. While the book is fiction, the author did a lot of research to portray what life would be like in the time. That is the most interesting part of both books. Whenever I read, I can't stop thinking about how hard it would have been to live in that time; and how much harder it would be to live as a peasant. Six days a week of all-day backbreaking labor just to pretty much eat. How would it be to live under a "Lord" or "Earl" to whom you would have to submit for everything in life? Crazy times. Even crazier that people actually lived through that era and here we are today.

While the book was entertaining, if you pick it up and read the cover summary, the "secret" that is supposed to carry the whole book is basically an afterthought by the end. I also think there was a bit too much graphic stuff. On one hand, I'm sure it was necessary to paint a real picture of how life was back then, but I don't want to recommend it to somebody and have them come back and say, "you didn't tell me about this and this. . ." So in the end, great book, but if you're thinking about reading it and don't want any undesireable surprises, maybe ask me about it.

Larry H. Miller

Every time I walk into a Megaplex Theatre I think about Larry Miller and how awesome he is for our state. Have you ever been to a movie in another state? I've been to theatres in other states that make our $1 theatres look glamorous. Obviously the movie theatres, the restaurants, the car dealerships, etc. are all part of what made him important for our state. Obviously the most important reason he was important to our state was my beloved Utah Jazz.

I thought Larry was a spectacular owner. I loved that he was open to the media. Whenever he did interviews on 1280 or 1320, I was locked in to hear whatever he had to say. Whether he was talking sports or his political views I absolutely could not change the station. He shared inside stories and honest business perspective on what was going on for the Jazz and real world issues. I thank him for making himself so available to the public. I hear owners of most major sports franchises don't comment publicly and hide away in the luxury suites. I would hate to have an onwer like that. Give me a Larry Miller or Mark Cuban anyday. Outspoken, sitting courtside, interested in what is going on and interested in winning. No wonder the world hates Donald Sterling and the Clippers.

I had one encounter with Larry Miller in my lifetime. It lasted 2 seconds and was most certainly un-noteworthy in the life of Larry Miller, but I obviously will never forget. I was working as the gateshack guard in the Pepperwood Community in Sandy. People that pulled up in the visitor lane were required to tell me where they were going, their name, etc. Up pulls a white Mercedes-Benz, the hundred-thousand-dollar type, not the "just a luxury car" type. He pulls up and I freeze: "That is Larry H. Miller" I think to myself. What do I do? Do I shake his hand? Ask for an autograph? What??!! I do nothing. "Good Afternoon. Where are you headed?" "I'm here to visit my son Greg Miller." Then the kicker, "What's your name?" He gives me the quickest look like, "Come on, you know exactly who I am." And it was true, I did. But he was completely gracious, "Larry Miller". "Have a nice day". As he drove off I thought of 1,000 things I wanted to ask him about the Jazz, but the opportunity had vanished. I'm sure a punk kid asking Jazz questions when all he wants to do is visit his son would've bothered him anyway, but still.

I can't remember where I discussed this, I'm sure it was at work since that is where I spend my life these days, but somebody brought up the concept of what would happen in your "perfect day". Not necessarily your last day on earth, just your perfect day. Amongst other things, I said the cap to my "perfect day" would be watching the Jazz win an exciting, close game. Not winning game 7 of the Finals or even necessarily a playoff game, just watching them play and win. The night before he passed, the Jazz pulled out an exciting, come-from-behind win over the Celtics. I read that when Gail told him they had won, he was happy.