Book review: Why We Get Sick

Book cover for Why We Get Sick by Benjamin Bikman, PhD

As part of my regular reading rotation, I make it a point to include books about diet and nutrition. It may be an old adage, but it is so true – we are what we eat. Our diet has a huge impact on our health, In fact, I would contend that it has the biggest impact.

Fortunately, a lot of research is being performed on how we can improve our physical and emotional well-being through diet and nutrition. I’ve also been fortunate that my sister, who is in the health care industry, has also taken an interest in the subject. As part of my wellness reading, she suggested the book Why We Get Sick by Benjamin Bikman, PhD.

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Las Vegas: Off The Strip

I’ve been going to Las Vegas on a regular basis for almost 30 years. Up until the last few years, I spent nearly all of my time on The Strip. There is so much to do on that stretch of road that you can easily overlook the fact that Las Vegas is a major metropolitan area with over 2 million residents. Considering this reality, I figured there had to be plenty of things to do that were not on The Strip. I was certain that those who make their home in Vegas don’t spend all their time under the lights and at the tables.

The Bellagio and Caesar's Palace on The Strip in Las Vegas

So over the last few years, I’ve researched and explored food, coffee, and recreation options that aren’t on Las Vegas Boulevard. As of 2023, here’s a collection of some of the best places I’ve found that are worth the trip off The Strip.

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Book review: The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

Book cover for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

My primary fictional reading genre is science fiction. Every so often, I like to step outside my comfort zone and read something a little different, especially when a book comes highly recommended.

It’s how I happened upon The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab. Both Amanda and Courtney read and spoke highly of it, so I figured it would be a welcome diversion from my usual reading routine.

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Book review: The Every

Book cover for The Every by Dave Eggers

A few years back (9 to be exact), I read The Circle by Dave Eggers. In that book, Eggers painted a future where a dominant technology company encourages users to embrace total transparency. People aren’t forced to give up their privacy, they willingly do so for greater good. When I read the book, it reminded so much of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World where people willingly submit to government surveillance.

Last year, when I saw that Eggers wrote a follow-up to The Circle, I knew I would have to read it. I was curious to see where Eggers would take things in The Every.

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Behind the Scenes at a PGA Tour Event

Last year, I signed up as a volunteer for the US Open, which is being held at The Los Angeles Country Club. I’ve been wanting to attend a US Open for some time, and this seemed like a good opportunity given how close it is to home.

When the USGA sent out their request for volunteers, I figured, why not? The cost for the volunteer package was on par with the cost for tickets. Plus, it guaranteed access without having to go through the ticket lottery, which is more challenging than usual this year. Tickets are in limited supply due to capacity constraints at LACC.

The rub is that I had never volunteered at a professional golf tournament. Given the importance of the event, I figured I should get some experience before showing up. For my first assignment, I volunteered at a local LPGA event, which turned out to be a great experience. For my second assignment, I decided to volunteer at The Genesis Invitational, the PGA Tour event held at The Riviera Country Club.

The sign for the PGA Genesis Invitational from behind
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Book review: Four Thousand Weeks

Book cover for Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Everything I’ve been taught about time management, everything I’ve read, everything I’ve learned is about how to organize our time to get more things done. It’s been beat into me that time management is about focus, discipline, planning, and prioritizing.

Is it possible that what I’ve been taught, that what I’ve learned is wrong? Have I’ve been managing my time incorrectly all these years?

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman challenged my relationship with time and how I manage it. Instead of laying out yet another system that shows how to squeeze more tasks and activities into the limited time we have, Burkeman turns the concept of time management inside out. He start with the premise that we have a limited amount of time, approximately 4000 weeks if we’re lucky enough to live to 80 years of age, and works backward from there to develop techniques that get the most out of those 4000 weeks. Keep in mind that I didn’t say how to get the most things done in that limited time. I simply said getting the most out of that time, which is an important distinction that I’ll come back to in a bit.

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A moment of self-importance

2022 SCGA Tournament of Club Champions towel

At the end of last year, I got the opportunity to play in the SCGA Tournament of Club Champions. As the name implies, it’s an annual event held by the SCGA that is open to those who win their golf club’s club championship. I’m still unsure how I happened to win the Sterling Hills Club Championship. It’s a 36-hole event, and I was mired solidly in the middle of the pack after the first 27 holes. Over the last 9, the putter came alive, I made a few shots, and lo-and-behold, I was told that I won by one stroke. Little did I know how important that last birdie putt on 18 would be.

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Book review: The Maxwell Daily Reader

Book cover for The Maxwell Daily Reader by John C. Maxwell

In addition to reading a daily spiritual devotional, one of my other morning routines involves a daily reader that is more “secular” in nature. By secular, it means the reader contains inspirational notes around personal development, character, business, mindfulness, and/or leadership. Besides the inspirational notes, I’ll often use the reader as a jumping of point for my daily journaling exercise. Examples of daily readers I’ve used in the past are The Daily Stoic and The Mindfulness Journal.

Last year, my daily reader was written by renowned business leadership and management consultant John C. Maxwell and appropriately named The Maxwell Daily Reader: 365 Days of Insight to Develop the Leader Within You and Influence Those Around You.

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Blog housekeeping – RSS feed

rss feed icon

When I originally set up this blog up over 10 years ago, I syndicated the feed through Feedburner. It seemed like a safe thing to do, and at the time, all of the top blogs were using the service. However, it’s a Google product, and given Google’s penchant for sun-setting (i.e. killing) services, there was always an inherent risk to relying on it.

For years now, I’ve been hearing about the imminent demise of Feedburner, but I’ve basically ignored the chatter. I continued to have the RSS icon at the top right of the header point to the syndicated feedburner URL. So even though the service is still active and working, albeit with reduced features, I’ve decided it’s time to make a change.

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