Running is all about friction points. Some of these friction points are helpful, such as the friction between your feet and the ground. In these situations, you want as much friction as possible.

There are other areas, however, where you do not want friction.

1. Between your nipples and your sweat-saturated shirt. Even worse on cold days when “nippage” is likely to occur. It might look like those suckers could cut diamonds on such days, but I assure you they can not.
2. Between your underarms and the side of your body. In running, your arms are like pistons producing momentum helping you chug along forward. To avoid viscosity breakdown, these pistons need to be well-oiled, just like a V8 engine. Just like it.
3. Between your thighs, a.k.a “chub-rub”. Some people are blessed with ample space between their thighs. Others, like me, are not. If you wish to live the dream of walking the next day without wincing in pain at each step, friction reduction is required.

How do you avoid such friction? Aquaphor. Learn this name early, beginner runner, as you will be saying it often in regret when you forget it.

While many Christians began some other wisemen and celebrating the 12 days of Christmastide this week, I thought it wise to consider the collective words of some more modern wisemen. Below are the results of a study of 1,200 elder American, with ages ranging from 60 to 108. They were all asked “What mistakes should you avoid”?

A wise man learns by the mistakes of others,
a fool by his own.
- Latin Proverb

1. Putting too high a priority on money — Most of the elders believe that a fulfilling job trumps a higher-paying but unsatisfying one any day.
2. Getting into debt — As one 89-year-old succinctly stated, “They should avoid spending money they don’t have.” In other words, don’t buy stuff you can not afford.”
3. Worrying too much – “Worrying never solved anything. So don’t.”
4. Excessive drinking and drugs — Our elders don’t ask that we to be a puritan, just that we know what moderation is and practice it.
5. Rushing into marriage before you’re ready – As a 93-year-old said, “They should think at the beginning, is this going to be for a lifetime?”
6. Passing up opportunities — “Life is an adventure, but to take advantage of it, you have to say yes to things”. Which reminds me of my 2012 goal — gathering 12 friends to run 200 miles in a Ragnar!

What else do you think should be added to this list? I was surprised to not find anything about exercise and health outside the excessive drinking and drugs.

Also, what about sunscreen?!

1. what income it takes to be in this group — 24%
2. how much of the nation’s worth you own — 35%
3. how much of the nation’s tax revenues they produce — 28%

What Percentage Are You?

Before we get started, let’s get personal — go ahead and find out how your income ranks, and what portion of the tax burden you bear according to your income.

Simply enter your AGI from your most recent tax return. You’ll find it on line 37 if you used the Form 1040, line 21 on Form 1040A or line 4 on the 1040-EZ. Or enter your annual salary (the IRS categories are broad enough that your result will likely be the same).

Now, let’s talk about the actual Top 1%, starting with their income.

The Top 1% receive/earn 21% of all income in the US

In 2009 of a total of 75.6 million wage earners, 1.4 million received an adjusted gross income of $343,927 or more. At an hourly wage, that means you need to earn at least $165.35/hr to be part of this group. The average hourly wage in the US is $18.52.

And that was 2009. In 2011, the number increased to 24%, up from 9% in 1976 — meaning their share of the national income pool has nearly tripled since. In terms of income inequality, that ranks the US 52 out of 125 nations.

To put that in a global perspective, there are only 107,565 other people in the world making more than this amount — that’s the top 0.001% richest people in the world.

The Top 1% Owns 35% of the Nation’s Wealth

Where is the wealth of the top 1%? In terms of net worth — total assets minus total outside liabilities —— the top 1% own 34.6% of all privately held wealth in the US.

What you quickly see is that the top 1% don’t invest like the rest of us. For one, that wealth isn’t from real estate. In fact, the top 1% isn’t investing heavily in deposits, pensions, life insurance, or their homes. This is different from the vast majority of Americans, in which their homes are the most significant wealth they possess — 70% of white families’ wealth is in the form of their principal residence; for Blacks and Hispanics, the figures are 95% and 96%, respectively.

What’s more, when you look at financial wealth — total net worth minus the value of one’s home — we find that the top 1% own 42.7% of income-producing assets.

And they are especially not investing it in debt — the top 1% have only 5% of the nation’s personal debt.

The Top 1% pay 28% of all federal taxes

While it’s true that the top 1 percent of wage earners paid 38 percent of the federal income taxes in 2008, it shouldn’t be forgotten that income tax is less than half of all federal taxes, and only 1/5 of all government taxes at all levels.

On the flip-side, Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance taxes (known as federal payroll taxes) are covered mostly by the bottom 90 percent of wage earners. That’s because, once you reach $106,800 of income, you pay no more for Social Security. Think of it this way — Warren Buffett pays the exact same amount of Social Security taxes as everyone who earns $106,800+.

Why does this distinction of income vs payroll taxes matter? More than half of all wage earners pay more in Social Security and Medicare taxes than they do income tax. What’s more, if you count both the employer and employee share of the taxes, the percentage of those paying more payroll tax than income tax soars to nearly 90%.

Here are what the Top 1% share for each federal tax:

1. Federal income taxes: 39.5 percent share
2. Federal payroll taxes: 4.1 percent share
3. Federal corporate taxes: 57.0 percent share
4. Federal excise taxes: 4.7 percent share

Why Does This Matter?

This post isn’t support any market theory or fiscal policy. Rather, it was my research into better understanding what it means to say “the top 1%”.

During this research, it was most interesting to discover two things. First, how bad all of us, regardless of our gender, income, or political party affiliation, are at guessing where we fit in to the top 1%.

Second, it seems that when you look at these ACTUAL, IDEAL and ESTIMATE by INCOME, GENDER, and VOTING, you find that people generally have the same IDEAL wealth distribution. In other word’s — we aren’t that different in what we think is fair, we just have different ways of expressing it.

Steve, I’ll miss your black, long-sleeved St. Croix mock turtlenecks Levi’s 501 blue jeans, and New Balance 991 sneakers. I’m happy to hear your Zen Buddhist spirit passed in peace in the warm, loving company of your family.

RIP Steve — you left behind a truly “amazing” legacy & “revolutionary” vision. Thank you.

This week, September 19-25, is National Wellness Week, which made me wonder “How do I ensure wellness?”

For me, wellness is currently my most important goal. While I can’t control wellness completely — thankfully I was given some pretty good DNA to work from — the aspects I can control have taken front and center in my life.

My goals with wellness are straight-forward:

1. I want to prevent illness.
2. When I can’t, I want to bounce back quickly.

How I’m Ensuring Wellness

Wellness, to me, isn’t about being a particular weight (although it will help), having a specific Body Mass Index (although lower is better), or running a mile in a certain time (although faster is great). Rather, it’s monitoring my performance in the following 10 Domains of Wellness.

Stress management

“Prolonged stress has an undeniable adverse effect on health. It can — and does — lead to illness. It can also precipitate relapse, both in mental illness and in addiction. The ability to reduce and/or counter stress is critical in dealing with behavioral health problems, as well in promoting health and wellness” (CIHS).

For me, that means ensuring I do things that first avoid stress, and then help me deal with it. To avoid stress, I’m practicing the art of “no” more, or scheduling things 3-4 weeks in advance. Doing so gives me time to prepare as I attend to the other commitments I’ve already made.

To help me deal with stress, I schedule in activities that help me de-stress — exercise, time with wife and pets, and hobbies like this blog.

Healthy eating

The fuel I put into my body directly correlates with my mood. Some foods “burn” dirty, while others clean. Sugary, fatty, or processed foods leave me feeling blah while fruit, vegetables, and lean meats leave me satiated and recharged. Try reducing your sugar intake for a couple of weeks — it’s amazing how different you will feel!

Physical activity

Daily exercise helps me lose weight. However, that’s not entirely my goal. First and foremost, I exercise to reduce stress, spend time with my wife and friends, and for the joy of movement. Scheduling daily exercise helps me achieve these things.

I often put out a large challenge — participating in triathlon, running a half-marathon, or cycling a century — just for the challenge. I know I can complete any of these challenges if I put my mind to it, and when I do it serves to boost my self-confidence. Although some say that is boosted enough.

Restful sleep

Long-term sleep deprivation is associated with many illnesses, including high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and behavioral health problems. So I schedule my sleep, sometimes even rescheduling commitments if I haven’t had enough. Sure, I accept a 4-hour rest some days, but that means the next day I need to make up that deficit; I don’t keep running on empty.

Support network

I know I can’t do this alone. If you are reading this, you are part of my support network — welcome! I “fat blog” because I want to be held accountable. If you see me not taking care of myself, call me out and let me know, please.

Service to others

Wellness isn’t all about me. I get a extra boost of joy when I help others, either volunteering, donating, or even helping a friend with some struggle. In a rut with your wellness plan? Try helping someone else for a bit.

Optimism

There are tons of stuff I can’t do, I’m bad at, etc. But focusing and worrying on these things doesn’t accomplish much. Instead, I try to focus my thoughts on the things I can control and be successful with.

Turns out, there are tons of stuff I can do and I’m good at, too.

Cognitive skills to avoid negative thinking

A person increases their chance at happiness by telling his or her self a more positive story, rather than a miserable one.

As Health Consultant and Writer Martha Beck stated, “Your situation may endanger your life and limbs, but only your thoughts can endanger your happiness.”

Spiritual beliefs and practices

It’s strange an atheist like me would bring up spiritual beliefs and practices. Take a read/listen to this sermon — The Spirituality of Atheism — by Rev. Anthony David of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta.

A sense of meaning and purpose

I need to be able to answer why. It turns out this question has lead to a pretty interesting journey.

What is your meaning and purpose?

What do you do to stay well?

• 1 lb gained every month, or
• 3,500 extra calories consumed every month, or
• 115 extra calories every day, or
• two packets of ketchup at every meal

When you break this down, the weight gain seems inevitable. But to look at it another way, the weight gain could have easily been avoided.

• Cycling 30 miles once/week, or
• Jogging 2 miles twice/week, or
• Briskly walking 1 mile every day

Body Composition

I’m big boned.

There I said it. And I have the measurements to prove it — at the time I had 30% more bone mass than the average 29 year old, 5’9″ male. I also had 30% more muscle, too. Regardless, we won’t talk about how much more fat I had — let’s just round it to more than 30%. Clearly, I had a lot of potential energy to give back to Mother Nature!

Recommended Lifestyle Changes

The lifestyle changes that the nutritionalist recommended worked — I lost 12 pounds in 3 months, or 1/lb per week. However, I stopped adhering to the plan, and 3 years later had yo-yo’ed back up even further from when I started.

In 3 months ago I started the program back-up, this time with the support of my wife. I’ve since lost (and kept off) that extra weight. Weight-wise, I’ve just travelled back 3 years!

Here are my Golden Five Lifestyle Rules of how I’m doing it, in no particular order.

• Consume a base of 1,600 calories every day, more only for extended exercise activities
• Exercise every day for at least 30 minutes
• Eat (read: plan & portion) five 320 calorie or six 270 calorie “meals” every day
• Increase fluid intake
• Get at least 8 hours sleep every night

Here’s to continuing the journey back 8 more years.

In that earlier post I posed the question “how is this time different”? One of the key ways is to add “gamification” — the addition of game play mechanics to non-game applications — to my lifestyle improvement. The end result is that I’m making boring chores as fun as a game.

You may have seen a lot of this in social games on Facebook as they often include techniques like:

• achievement “badges”
• achievement levels
• “leader boards”
• a progress bar or other visual meter
• awarding, redeeming, gifting, and otherwise exchanging points
• challenges between users
• embedding small casual games

Applying Gamification to Weight Loss

Track Everything

First, I track everything — every calorie I consume, every calorie I burn, my weight, my body fat, and my body measurements. It’s basic math — if I want to lose 2 lbs/week, I have to consume/burn 1,000 calories less every day. 500 is coming from eating less; the other 500 is coming from being more active. On days I *eat* more, I have to workout more; on days I *workout* more, I can eat more.

While very time-consuming, this has been critical to me understanding how actions relate to each other. For example, I now know that a 4 mile run in the Georgia summer will have me losing nearly 42 ounces (3 lbs) of water, which I need to replenish post run.

Tracking everything also promotes specific, positive behavior.

• I record food before I eat it, so I know the impact, and often reduce the portions.
• I avoid complex meals, which would require me to enter in 4 or more ingredients. This keeps my meals quicker to make and track.
• I learn about portions. I now know what a cup of most anything looks like, or what a 350 calorie meal is (hint: it’s much smaller than you think, but also more satisfying than you’d imagine if you wait a bit after).
• I learn about caloric density. I select foods that will keep me full with the least amount of calories. A piece of bread, with its 100 – 140 feather-light calories, is never going to satisfy me like an voluminous apple, or two peaches, or 3-4 plums. The choice becomes that much easier.
• I plan my meals ahead. When it comes to fighting hunger, the best offense is a strong defense. I know I will be eating every 3 or so hours, and always thinking about my next meal can get tiring, albeit distracting. Therefore, I cook large meals in advance and divide them up into smaller portions. Also, I rarely walk out the door of the house or office without some fruit or nuts for later.

Visualize the Burn for Feedback

I then visualize my progress with the online weight-loss tool Livestrong (yes, they have an app for that, too). Looking at a number isn’t helpful; seeing that number visually in a given context is. This type of real-time feedback loop encourages and inspires me in a couple ways.

1. At a macro level, I can quickly see my progress across time with graphs like the daily weigh-in graph.
2. At a micro daily level, I receive the real-time feedback I need to stay on track and remain inspired to make healthier decisions.

For example, at my current weight, age, and height, and my target pace of weight loss, I am allotted about 1,600 calories/day for my sedentary lifestyle. If I want that 6 oz filet mignon (350 calories), I better plan on 3 miles of running first. Or, I can opt for that 6 oz of grilled chicken (180 calories) and keep my daily exercise shorter.

Weight Loss Rewards

One of my favorite elements of the gamification of weight loss is my reward system. Every level (6 lbs, or 3-5 weeks) I unlock access to a basic reward. And every milestone (18 lbs, or 2-4 months) I unlock a mega-reward. Originally, my rewards were time-consuming and calorie-increasing things like video games or special dinners. I found out, however, that I preferred rewards that kept me motivated to progress to the next level rather than delay it.

6 lbs: Withings WiFi Scale

Stand on the scale and it will recognize who you are, tell you your metrics, and then automatically upload your metrics to a web server. I can then pull up these measurements on my web browser, iPhone, or iPad — no more manual recording and entry.

12 lbs: Withings Blood Pressure Monitor

My family has a history of high blood pressure. I originally started Operation Bootcamp back in 2008 after learning about some high blood pressure measurements while donating blood. Also, I was getting married soon. I lost 12 lbs across 3 monthly sessions, but more importantly I got my blood pressure back under control and at or below 120/80. I can not recommend daily cardio enough to lower your blood pressure. Fact: my average resting heart-rate is now in the low 50s.

This monitor is great because I simply plug it into my iPhone or iPad, press start, and it automatically uploads the results onto the same web server that houses my weight metrics.

18 lbs: Maine Golden Coast Cycling Tour.

My first mega-reward! For it, my wife and I will be cycling 150 miles across 5 days around Acadia National Park near Portland, Maine. There’s even a day of sea kayaking so we can rest our legs. I snagged a deal online, and was able to use an expiring SkyMiles companion certificate to cut the plane tickets in half.

On this, our most popular trip, you will see Maine as it really is and discover the flavors and colors that make it unique. Our guides will lead you from the top of Acadia National Park’s Cadillac Mountain, through lush forests, and along charming farms surrounding Rockport. You will cycle through fishing villages, famous towns, and breathtaking coastal scenery. When you aren’t on the bike, there will be plenty of time to taste, touch, see, and do. You’ll dine on lobster and seafood fresh from the sea, sample artisan cheeses, and catch the sunset from the deck of a restored schooner.

My mouth is already watering, and it’s not from the cycling.

What weight loss tips were successful for you?

What you are looking at is a result of 10 years of exercising too little, consuming too much, and being sedentary too long. The result has been the net gain of 85 lbs from my leanest days from rowing in crew in high school.

85 lbs — that’s nearly 300,000 in caloric energy in excess fat. That’s enough energy to briskly walk 3,000 miles from Boston to Los Angeles. If someone were to make walking a full time job — 40 hours/week — it would take them nearly 5 months to walk that distance.

How The Great Gain Started

The Great Gain didn’t occur over night. Rather, it occurred very, very slowly — at about the rate of 100 excess calories/day.

The Great Gain didn’t go unchallenged. There were three heroic attempts:

1. In 1998, I lost 20 lbs over 3 seasons of rowing in crew. I then gained 30 lbs across 3 years.
2. In 2002, I lost 17 lbs over 6 months through mostly running. I then gained 60 lbs across 6 years.
3. In 2008, I lost 12 lbs over 3 months through Operation Bootcamp. I then gained 20 lbs across 2 years.

That brings us to today. I’m now in my fourth attempt fighting the Great Gain. Since this attempt started 6 weeks ago, I’ve lost 16 lbs. How will this time be different? Over the next few days, I will be blogging — fat-blogging? — how.

Have you ever experienced 20 lbs of weight loss? How did you do it? How did you maintain it?

I eat at El Pollo Loco about once a week. Coupons in hand, I can get a delicious meal for two for under $10. I usually eat the same thing, a 2-piece chicken (skinless) combo meal with two sides.

But all sides are not created the same. Below are all the El Pollo Loco sides (small) ordered by calories, from lowest to highest.

1. Fresh Vegetables, 4 ounces, 57 calories, 3g fat
2. Loco side salad (no dressing), 3.2 ounces, 62 calories, 3g fat
3. Light Cilantro Dressing, 1.5 ounces, 70 calories, 5g fat
4. Mash Potatoes, 6 ounces, 124 calories, 2g fat
5. Flame-grilled Corn, 4 ounces, 132 calories, 6g fat
6. Cole Slaw, 4 ounces 134 calories, 10g fat
7. Corn Cobettes, 6 ounces 162 calories, 5g fat
8. Chicken Tortilla Soup, 6.8 ounces 165 calories, 8g fat
9. Spanish Rice, 4.5 ounces 170 calories, 2.3g fat
10. Pinto Beans, 6 ounces 196 calories, 4g fat
11. BBQ Black Beans, 6 ounces 200 calories, 3g fat
12. Sweet Corn Cake, 3.7 ounces 250 calories, 10g fat
13. Mac n cheese, 5.5 ounces 253 calories, 15g fat
14. Sweet Potato Fries, 3.6 ounces 327 calories, 20g fat
15. French Fries, 3.8 ounces 329 calories, 17g fat

I often struggle with staying properly hydrated while exercising. I know this because I often inflict the following pains upon myself:

• I get cramps on my sides, which means I need to take deep breaths.
• I get stomach cramps, which means I ate to much or too recently.
• I get muscle cramps, which means I’m dehydrated.

How Much Water Should I Drink?

So, this led to me wonder how much should I drink before, during, and after exercising?

• Drink a glass of water 10-15 minutes before you start to exercise.
• Plan to drink fluids every 20-30 minutes during exercise.
• Drink 20-24 ounces for each pound lost during exercise to help replenish fluids.

I also found some other advice on how to stay hydrated to avoid cramps, as well as simply stay healthy.

• Remember caffeine and alcohol will make you expel water, so drink less the days prior to a long run.
• During the race, all your drinking should be done in the beginning. Stop at these early water breaks.
• Beware the Gatorade. It can often be too sugary and often doesn’t replace the need for proper amounts of water.
• Post race, look toward protein rather than sugar to help rebuild those muscles. Gatorade G-Series has a well-reviewed drink for this called Recover.

]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/how-much-water-drink-exercise/feed/ 0 felfoldi postimage_bmoore_20110516-174713_full http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/what-i-found-upon-entering-the-felfoldom/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/what-i-found-upon-entering-the-felfoldom/#comments Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:59:33 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=555 ]]> The Garden at the Spearmint Chalet is nearly complete after nearly 3 months of anticipation (and several years of savings). First, mad props to Shawn Walls, proprietor of Garden Mason. If this post comes off as braggadocios — it should. Shawn is exceptionally talented in his craft and I feel fortunate that our paths crossed when they did.

In The Beginning, There Was The Garden…



The Creative Vision

The project began with a 2 hour in-person consultation. We provided general information about our goals — to grow herbs and vegetables, to create a livable space, and to withstand the demands of the Demon Dogs. Within a couple of days, he hand-crafted the sketch on the left. We gave him complete artistic freedom on this project so every idea is his own, except for His Holiness, The Shower, which was a childhood dream of mine to have in my backyard.

Here are some of his words on the project:

Sometimes the scale of a project lies in its depth. My goal in building this garden was to conjure a sense of history by employing some of my oldest inspirations—childhood treasure maps and National Forest Service paths—and newer ones like Dan Snow and the book PrairyErth. These photographs were taken before the new wood was stained. Special thanks to Lee Mitchell for his masterful carpentry as always, and immense thanks to Clarke Titus for his help in conjuring up the spiritus loci.

The following virtual tour is a combination of the original contract language he drafted (I’m not kidding) as well as before and after photos he took throughout the project.

Welcome to The Garden

Entering the Kitchen Garden, I was bathed in the fragrance of a rose climbing on the arching arbor. As I passed between the arching arbor’s twin planters, I noticed that clematis was growing with the rose. Then I saw the vegetables, herbs, lavenders and rosemaries. They were mixed with irises and crocuses. One long bed had asparagus mixed with drumstick alliums. No one was looking, so I tore a spear of asparagus off and ate it.



Before: the driveway. After: The Grand Garden Entrace. They cut openings for plants & installed a blind to hide the garbage & recycling.

What I Saw Upon Entering The Garden

At the other end of the alley, growing over a matching, though slightly deeper, arbor was one other rose with more clematis. As I opened the gate, I noticed that I was unable to pass straight into the Grand Dining Patio because of a low baffle with grape on it, and it was over this that someone handed me a beer.




Originally, the garden entrance was an uncomfortably small corridor to the right. So they cut straight through the end & installed a baffle with a grape to slow down the energy.

The Garden Path Less Travelled

I could go to the left and walk down a ramp beside a hedge of blueberries, or I could walk to a stone landing at the foot of the wooden stairs. I offered what I’d brought with me to someone going up the stairs to the drinks table on the Observation Deck. From the landing, I walked down the broad stone steps, with pineapple guava on my right and Emerald arborvitae on the left, all the while focused on ‘Mt. Airy’ fothergilla emerging from the patio.




The original and new view if you’ve walked to the left where the mulch service ramp is.

Pausing For Tea on the Grand Dining Patio

I turned to the Grand Dining Patio. Where the table almost met the grape baffle, I noticed creeping phlox spilling over a thin retaining wall. On the opposite side of the table was deciduous azalea, whose curving trunks provided a delicate juxtaposition to the heaviness of the dry-stacked wall. From the cove of the two tables, someone took my empty bottle and handed me a glass of some exquisite South American wine.



Poured-in-place concrete tables in the middle of the new dining room. A welcome mat out of fieldstones stops pavers we made by cutting the driveway.



A blueberry hedge is planted to separate the dining room from the neighbor’s house.

A Jaunt Down the Hidden Foot Trail

I turned around and noticed a footpath leading round the other side of the deck. As I walked to it, I saw—espaliered against the new latticework beneath the deck — Snowflake oakleaf hydrangeas. They were protected from hyperactive canine mutilation by a low wire fence. There were also grapes planted to cover the pergola, but I couldn’t pull my eyes away from a mixture or hydrangeas. There must have been 15 of them, and then carried around His Holiness, the Shower, from which I had to avert my eyes. Someone was just dressing in a white towel while singing a NuShooz song. I acted nonchalant and drank way too fast what I should have savored.



The dining room is hugged on the downhill side by the long wall.



The long wall’s “halves” separate the two patios.



‘Snowflake’ oakleaf hydrangeas are planted against the deck for future espaliering.

Descending into the Communal Fire-Pit



View of Staircase to Communal Fire-pit from Observation Deck

I went back the towards Grand Dining Patio, looking over the dry-stacked wall, where, down hill I saw camellias. The entrance to the Communal Fire-Pit Patio again offered a choice of left or right. Before I could choose, I was handed a mixed drink, which tasted a bit off, but maybe it was because it had been preceded by something less vulgar. Whoever handed it to me slapped my back once in good gesture, and I descended the right stairs unwillingly drawn by the Elephant in the room. I pulled my eyes from it, and tried to make out the garden around the Lower Patio. I saw tea olives. There were more plants, but I first took a seat on the curving bench that faced the semi-circular steps and placed my cocktail beside me. I noticed that the planting beds had all been tilled, amended, and mulched.


In the split staircase’s cavity, they planted partridgeberry for ground cover. And a rock statue in reverence of Bacchus.

Under The Glowing Spell of the Communal Fire-Pit

The glow from the Fire Ring was making it harder to differentiate textures in the crepuscular woods, so all that I could reckon were perennials. At least, I think it was the play of light on the leaves. I started feeling off. Someone else’s fingers touched mine. He apologized and said, “Oops, I think I got yours by accident,” handing me the tumbler. I took a sip and looked around some more. I saw edgeworthia and more deciduous azaleas. The dancing fire was making me lightheaded. I stood up to test my balance, and then I noticed I had to pee. I decided to sneak down the mulch path, but I tripped on someone’s ankle and fell amongst deciduous hollies.




Camellias are planted to help hide the shed.

What’s wrong with me? I thought, trying not to roll down towards the existing magnolia. Farther down the path, I strayed and slipped. I stood and slipped again and again, grabbing hold of mixed shrubs and wondering what that horrible smell was. Oh, god, I thought, I’m in the mine fields!




Stain will help the wood recede, but time too will help as plants luxuriate from their posts.

Somehow, I found my way into the neighbor’s property and simply grabbed onto the fence for a few minutes. The world was rocking left and right and my tongue was swollen. Somewhere along the field-stone, Cherokee, or recycled-concrete way, I had been slipped a mickey. And I was about to pass out.

But I had to pee still, and I was bound and determined that I wasn’t going to do that lying down. After secluding myself from all eyes, I finally let loose. And relieving myself while I gradually became diagonal, that night’s final thought crossed my mind:

What—? Is that asparag—

The next day, I awoke. My head was shaven, my boots were gone, and someone had painted my toe nails. And there was a note. It said, “The next time someone invites you to a garden party, pay as much attention to the people as you do the plants.”



Oakleaf hydrangeas, grapes, and a pineapple guava will soften the deck’s lines.


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/what-i-found-upon-entering-the-felfoldom/feed/ 1 felfoldi Felfoldi-design driveway entrance View of dining patio to deck from garden entrance View of Grand Dining Patio from Deck dining trail-from-dining trail-from-deck trail stairsdown stairs fire-pit-top fire-pit-bottom firepit-back http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/facebook-diet-goals/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/facebook-diet-goals/#comments Sat, 19 Feb 2011 20:48:00 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=545 ]]> Just over 10 days ago I began my Facebook Detox. This detox limits my personal Facebook time to 10 minutes/day, although the current average across this period is 5 minutes/day. Some have accused me of this detox not really being a detox at all since I do spend time on Facebook. I have several arguments to that:
• This is a life-style change, not a diet. I use “detox” and “diet” for attention-getting shock value. In the end, I hope to greatly curtail my time on Facebook, possibly to only 10 minutes a day, every day. The remaining time will go into things I value more — sleeping, reading, working, exercising, or conversing with friends/family face-to-face, and, well, ruminating on ideas and thoughts.
• There is a value to Facebook. My business — my livelihood — is built on understanding the importance and specific value of social networks like Facebook. And I personally believe there is a value to them. However, I also understand there are other priorities in my life — my health, or my family and friends. Time spent on Facebook can compete with these, so a balance is necessary. Facebook isn’t evil, in fact it has many benefits I will post about in the future.
• This detox is not a prescription for everyone. I was talking with a friend over dinner this week and they suggested that my Facebook Detox comes off as sanctimonious at best and downright hypocritical at worst. To clarify, I’m not prescribing this Detox to everyone. I needed to make this conscious effort to control my Facebook habit, especially as it expanded to whittling away multiple hours/day. If you spend 2 hours/day on Facebook, maybe you should consider your time investment on Facebook. If you don’t, then you probably don’t have much to concern yourself about. I recognized I wasn’t investing my time the ways I preferred, and I isolated Facebook as a large part of my problem.

My goal with this Facebook Diet / Detox / Lifestyle Change is simple — to invest my precious time wisely, consciously, and efficiently on the people and things I value most. The use of Facebook can in fact help with some of those things — are you coming to my Monday Meager Meals event, organized on Facebook? Without vigilance for some, however, the use of Facebook can be a detriment. I’m trying to figure out where Facebook is beneficial and what tools exist out there to re-align the use of Facebook with my goals.

Why do you use Facebook? What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it?


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/facebook-diet-goals/feed/ 0 felfoldi detox http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/pumpkin-ravioli-with-rosemary-butter-sauce-grilled-asparagus-with-lemon-zest/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/pumpkin-ravioli-with-rosemary-butter-sauce-grilled-asparagus-with-lemon-zest/#comments Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:00:21 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=515 ]]> For Valentine’s Day dinner this year my Bride and I whipped up a delicious meal of Pumpkin Ravioli with Rosemary Butter Sauce and Asparagus with Lemon Zest. The meal took less than 15 minutes to cook, it turned out perfect, and the patio-perfect weather made it that much better. Here’s how to prepare the meal.



Rosemary Pumpkin Ravioli

First, there was the hand-made pumpkin ravioli I picked up from Buford Hwy Farmer’s Market. Cook for 8 minutes in boiling water. While that’s cooking, simmer some fresh rosemary with butter for the sauce. Once you drain the ravioli, add the sauce and sea salt to preference. Viola!

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Zest

My bride picked up a grilling basket for me this past summer and vegetables have never been better. Place the asparagus in the basket and add some olive oil. While it’s cooking, squeeze half a fresh lemon and, if you are feeling ambitious, lemon zest. Once it is done cooking (unlike me, toss them to keep them from charring), grate some parmesan on top of the asparagus. Enjoy!


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/pumpkin-ravioli-with-rosemary-butter-sauce-grilled-asparagus-with-lemon-zest/feed/ 0 felfoldi Rosemary Pumpkin Ravioli http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/fivr-tips-facebook-habit/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/fivr-tips-facebook-habit/#comments Tue, 15 Feb 2011 02:54:33 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=490 ]]> Last week I decided I wanted to come to terms with my Facebook habit. There were several reasons I wanted to quit Facebook but most of them centered around I wanted to invest my time in something more productive. So how has it fared?

I haven’t really noticed I quit! Instead of spending my time on Facebook, I’m spending my time cycling and exercising, talking and hanging out with friends I haven’t seen in a while, reading, or, given the activity on my blog as of late, blogging about kicking the Facebook habit. Sure, I miss it, but I’m finding far more joy in the new found time.

Secrets to giving up Facebook

So what’s working?

1. Stop obsessing about your news feed. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have such interesting friends! I used to log in several times a day and scroll through my entire news feed until I read everything from my last log-in. And often I would follow and read the linked articles, or save them to read later. Even though I had “hidden” about 30% of my 600+ “friends”, that’s still a lot to read. By not logging into Facebook anymore, I don’t see my news feed, and I’m not tempted to whittle away hours scrolling through other’s posts.
2. Stop commenting on posts. I’ve identified this as the major time-suck. The posts themselves didn’t take a long time to read, but sometimes I would get into a flame war with someone over a rather ignorant comment (I’m sure they thought my replies were equally ignorant). The result — spending hours researching things online, forming an argument, and then having zero-to-no effect on the post commenter. In other words, a complete waste of time.
3. Post status updates to Facebook from outside Facebook. Some find it humorous that I state I’m quitting Facebook but still post status updates and shares links from afar. Humorous or not, this has satiated my need to stay [virtually] connected to my friends. While I’m happy for those that are able to show restraint when they pop open a quick hit of The Facebook, for those like me that can’t, this has been key to kicking the habit.
4. Read notifications only once/day. I send all my notifications to my RSS reader, which only gets updated every 24 hours. I get to read the comments my friends leave me (I hear you guys!) but I don’t know about them but once a day. The downside is that I don’t get to see “likes”, but alas life will go not knowing a friend likes something I posted.
5. Make it harder to access Facebook. I had two links to Facebook from my phone — one for the app and another one for the website. I deleted both and haven’t logged in with my phone since. I’m apparently too lazy to type in “facebook.com” into my mobile web browser!

Have you found any effective ways to control your Facebook habit?


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/fivr-tips-facebook-habit/feed/ 1 felfoldi facebook-pills http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/why-i-am-quitting-facebook/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/why-i-am-quitting-facebook/#comments Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:47:54 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=470 ]]> Yesterday I began my Facebook detox. Several friends commented on my blog post announcement with comments ranging from support & advice, to taunting & ridicule. Exactly two commented on my blog, where the post originated (thank you Eric and Stacy).

My friend Heidi made a good point comparing the social use of Facebook to social drinking — you start with just a little to be social & have fun, but if you aren’t careful you find yourself binge posting stupid things or perhaps even Facebooking alone late into the night. Facebook is a slippery slope for those not prone to moderation (read: me).

To be fair, I’m not really quitting Facebook. I see and value the benefits of Facebook, which I will share my thoughts on in a future post. Rather, I’m limiting myself to no more than 10 minutes/day (with the help of a timer) and avoiding repeated daily logins trolling for new posts or comments (with the help of sheer willpower). But why?

Tim Ferris has made a living and life from life-hacks — short-term, intense challenges to well-established habits for quick, drastic results. While I openly dislike his braggadocios pomposity, I’m drawn to his radical style of ridding oneself of habits (and I really wanted to type “braggadocios pomposity”). This approach is akin to my personality — “bracing, but refreshing” (thanks Eryn!). Quitting Facebook is challenging one of my well-ingrained habits. Moderation may work, but I want to feel the pain and joy that comes from rethinking and conquering habits.

And it is change, indeed. While I mostly conquered the 2 hours/day TV watching habit that afflicts the average American, in reality I simply traded one vice for another. I could argue that Facebook is a more social, inquisitive vice compared to TV. Yet, surely investing my increasingly precious time in activities other than reading navel-gazing posts, engaging in comment flame wars, mindlessly looking at photos, or passively watching 10 minute videos would be better for all involved.

In the end, I’m quitting my Facebook habit for the following reasons:

• to regain control over an annoying vice by directing the intensity of my stubborn willpower
• to focus my attention on fewer, but more meaningful and fulfilling friendships
• to invest my time into mindful activities I value — exercise, learning new things, experiencing life

Yes I will still share links & videos daily (I already have 30 days pre-scheduled). Yes I will check-in for a few minutes each day (but only from my desktop). And Yes I will get notifications of comments to my posts fed into my RSS reader.

But no, I probably won’t reply to many posts or comments. Instead, I will consider other’s posts, research them a bit, marinate on my thoughts, & then maybe take the time to form a clear, concise response in the form of a blog post. Or, better yet, maybe call that friend, check-in with how they are doing, and share and celebrate the unbearable lightness of being with them.


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/why-i-am-quitting-facebook/feed/ 3 felfoldi facebook-coke http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/how-to-beat-facebook-addiction/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/how-to-beat-facebook-addiction/#comments Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:34:55 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=460 ]]> I’m addicted to The Facebook.

This addiction happened slowly over time. It started with a couple quick hits before going to work, just enough to get me through the day. Then I started to hit up The Facebook while waiting in line at the grocery store. Finally, it started interfering with my work and I was taking hits at the office.

I tried to control the addiction. I turned on a website blocker for firefox to limit my Facebook time to 10 minutes a day. But I gamed that system by simply hitting up the website from my smartphone, which was free from the time shackles. In the end I just turned off the blocker. I gave in; I gave up.

That was a year ago.

Fast forward to the present and the addiction has taken its toll. Here are some of the less-than-proud places I’ve hit up The Facebook.

• in the bedroom
• in the bathroom
• while eating meals
• watching TV or a movie
• driving
• flying

He who among you is without The Facebook Sin throw the first stone. Admit it, you’ve pulled up the website before and pressed refresh several times in a few minutes. That’s how it begins — the First Hit of someone tagging you in a photo or note. Then, the Second Hit of achieving the coveted “like” for your witty comment. And then finally the Great Wallop — persuading someone to completely overhaul their belief system because of your thoughtful, well-research comment (I’m still working on that one).

Have there been benefits? Sure, I now get paid to provide social media strategies for companies like GM, Rinnai, and Buckhead Life Restaurants. But the losses weren’t worth it. Too many have suffered because of my addiction. It has to end.

This series is about my Facebook Detox — how I am going to beat my Facebook addiction. Fellow Facebook Friends beware, this will not be pretty. But with your help and support, I can beat this.

So I ask — do you have any words of advice? Have you tried beating your Facebook addiction? What was successful? What wasn’t?


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/02/08/how-to-beat-facebook-addiction/feed/ 7 felfoldi Facebook-Addiction http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/is-chick-fil-a-homophobic/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/is-chick-fil-a-homophobic/#comments Fri, 28 Jan 2011 16:26:23 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=441 ]]>


They have they best fries.

Earlier this January there was a tiny uproar in the homosexual community when it learned Chick-fil-a was providing food donations to a non-profit that believes that same-sex couples do not deserve equal rights, the Pennsylvania Family Institue. The organization holds an event with workshops like “Help, My Child is a Homosexual” and “Gay Marriages, What is the Big Deal” with sagacious advice such as “inviting [your gay child] home is one thing, but there is no display of affection.”

Chick-fil-a president Dan Cathy (son of the founder Truett Cathy) issued this statement, which sounds reasonable and great. As Dan the Man points out, Chick-fil-a donates food to tons of organizations, and none of it should be seen as a particular endorsement. Except then some bloggers started doing some research into the matter.



WinShape is Chick-fil-a's charitable arm

That brings us to Winshape, Chick-fil-a’s charitable arm. The non-profit is funded by the revenues that Chick-fil-a amasses when we enjoy their delicious food — their fries are the best! And, as Dan Cathy clearly indicates, they are willing to serve everyone and anyone in exchange for their coin. How noble that their pockets are blind to color, race, and sexual preference!

The issue, however, is that Winshape is NOT blind to sexual preference. When pressed, this is what they have to say when asked if LGBT people are invited to their retreat:

“WinShape Retreat defines marriage from the Biblical standard as being between one man and one woman. Groups/Individuals are welcome who offer wholesome, educational conferences and programs that are compatible with Biblical values and WinShape’s purpose. We do not accept homosexual couples because of the statement in our contract.“

And there it is — Chick-fil-a directly invests your coin into their flagship non-profit that doesn’t welcome LGBT couples. Every year Winshape welcomes 8000 individuals, as long as they aren’t homosexual couples. We wouldn’t want homosexuals to have healthy, compassionate relationships, right?

And that brings me to the big question — do I continue to make my weekly visit to Chick-fil-a knowing that they purposely direct their profits to fund their flagship charitable arm that believes same-sex couples do not deserve equal rights? Or do I go on, enjoying those delicious waffle fries?

Word on the street has it that Wendy’s and McDonald’s have some excellent chicken sandwich options these days, and they cost less, too.


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/is-chick-fil-a-homophobic/feed/ 0 felfoldi chick-fil-a meal winshape retreat logo http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/top-five-ways-to-become-an-on-time-person/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/top-five-ways-to-become-an-on-time-person/#comments Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:47:42 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=428 ]]> This year I’ve been working on being on-time to both personal events and business meetings. Here are the top 5 tactics I have adopted that have been most helpful.

Plan for travel time

If a meeting is at 9am, and it takes 15 minutes to get there, go ahead and give yourself another 15 minutes of padding, especially in the morning. In the unlikely event you get there early, check and reply to voicemails, emails, or read that article you saved with Evernote. I’m writing this blog entry on my iPad because I was blessed with little traffic and thus had an extra 15 minutes.

Schedule time for before and after the meeting

Now that you have given yourself an extra 15 minutes of travel time padding go ahead and put that travel to and from time into your calendar. Also, add some time at the end of the meeting for follow-up. Plan to type up those notes immediately following the meeting when everything is still fresh in your memory. As a rule of thumb, every 1 hour meeting requires 15 minutes of follow-up.

In other words, a 2 hr meeting 15 minutes away really requires 2 hours for the meeting, 30 minutes to comfortably commute, and 30 minutes in follow-up. Yes, that means a 2 hour meeting will actually require 3 hours in your calendar! Try it — you will be amazed how exact this is — and maybe help you realize how much you should avoid unecessary meetings and commuting whenever possible.

Have a hard stop time

At your next meeting, once you actually start the meeting, suggest a hard stop time 10 minutes earlier than the stated meeting end-time. Set an alarm on your phone to make sure this occurs. You will use this 10 minutes to summarize follow-up items, say your goodbyes, and schedule the next meeting. Additionally, I have found that meetings that are “under the clock” stay more focused and to task.

Schedule a walk and exercise

Scheduling exercise is an exercise in scheduling! I use this time to reflect on the day, or maybe just to zone out and get engaged with my activity like cycling. Some of my best ideas have come from serendipity while cycling. My wife and I schedule to walk nightly to a nearby dog-park to play catch with the dogs. The dogs let off some pent-up puppy power, we get to focus on each other (no phone interruptions while jogging!), and we get to burn a could hundred calories. In other words, instead of catching up over ketchup, we catch up over catch!

Schedule sleep

I have found that I perform optimally with 8 hours for sleep. I can go on less for a day or two — sometimes even 4-5 hours — but any longer or less and my mental and physical performance suffers, let alone my ability to deal with stress.

I track my sleep, and if I see a string of 6s I know a 10 is coming up. I’ve even learned to listen to my body and don’t turn on an alarm. The best thing I can do is get to sleep as early as possible, sometimes even 7pm.

Have I become an on-time person?

The biggest challenge I’ve faced with these new approaches to being on-time is that I’m actually more likely to be on time, but most people will still be late. In addition, clocking a meeting can come off as jarring the first few times, and I’m working on introducing this more smoothly. However, being able to not stress about being late, coming into a meeting focused and attentive, having the energy to sustain attention, and not running from meeting to meeting is well worth it!


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/top-five-ways-to-become-an-on-time-person/feed/ 0 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/invitation/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/invitation/#comments Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:21:46 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=404 ]]>

If the devil is truly in the details then our wedding was indeed a hell-raiser.
I’m a digital designer by profession and perfectionist by habit. Jessica — a.k.a. “Craft-zilla” — may be more lax with some details, but that doesn’t stop her ambitious knitting of hats, socks, and baby outfits for friends. For our wedding, no detail was overlooked and even fewer were delegated or outsourced.



Each guest received hand-crated invitations, which were conceptualized, designed, printed, and assembled by the power provided from magical margaritas from El Azteca restaurant. Several invitations were even hand-delivered due to delays in the production process. The same level of detail went into the programs (pictured above). These three-layered bad boys required two types of ribbons, brass tacks, exact-o knife cutting, hole-punching, adhesive spray, and border perforation. Perhaps unconsciously we kept our wedding small just to decrease the amount of effort. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

The table-top decorations were also assembled by the power of craft. Jessica’s mom procured a plethora of color-coordinated candles — last I checked, she still uses the extras in her house. Jessica placed two small pictures frames of our furry kids next to each candle arrangement. If you look closely at them in the photo above you will see that the poor pups are dressed in traditional bride and groom outfits. It’s amazing what dogs will do under the influence of meaty treats.

The crazy craftiness extended to the wedding favors, too. Each guest received a bag of handmade wedding favors, all assembled with care and love in the U.S. of A. Each favor was tasty, or at least tasteful.

• “Watauga’s Waffle mix”: For our first “date”, Jessica ordered the cheapest item on the menu — waffles.
• Maple syrup: This came with the waffles.
• Trailmix in tins: This was symbolic of our love for mixing trails.
• Tree seeds: Growth, nurturing, etc.

My advice to you is to get married.
If you find a good wife, you’ll be happy.
If not, you’ll become a philosopher.
- Socrates


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/invitation/feed/ 1 felfoldi Wedding Spread Wedding programs candles stuff http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/mast-farm-inn/ http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/mast-farm-inn/#comments Wed, 29 Sep 2010 07:00:50 +0000 felfoldi http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/?p=385 ]]>
As I discussed yesterday, Jessica found a rustic B&B near Boone, NC — The Mast Farm Inn. Without must hesitation we both agreed that we should hold the wedding at the very spot we first celebrated our engagement.

Situated in a small North Carolinan town founded in 1840 as Valle Crucis, the Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places. The farm was first established in the late 1700′s. The first structure — the two-room log cabin we stayed in — was built in 1810. The Inn itself was first built in 1880, and by 1915 had 13 bedrooms and one bath. Over time, additional buildings have been added to the farm for a total of 7 guest rooms and 7 private cottages of varying sizes. In all, the farm can comfortably invite just over 50 guests. The Inn still has its own garden that it uses for fresh, seasonal herbs.

The Inn captured the exact ambiance Jessica and I sought — rustic and down-to-earth. We couldn’t have asked for a better location to hold the wedding. What’s more, we scheduled for the wedding to occur in full Autumnal bliss. The foliage was bright and the evening temperatures were “bracing, yet refreshing” — just like our own personalities.

“Habitation”
by Margaret Atwood

Marriage is not
a house or even a tent

it is before that, and colder:

The edge of the forest, the edge
of the desert
the unpainted stairs
at the back where we squat
outside, eating popcorn

where painfully and with wonder
at having survived even
this far

we are learning to make fire

Thanks to Eryn Emerich for the succinct description of our personalities.


]]> http://felfoldi.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/mast-farm-inn/feed/ 0 felfoldi The Mast Farm Inn Mast Farm Inn Wedding At Mast Farm Inn