About a Week

In a little over a week, America will begin two months of exhausting and torturous Hell. But that two months will be triggered by a glorious Midterm Election that will humiliate MAGA and the GOP. And that's soooo worth the mayhem that their thin skined insecurity will precipitate.

No Kings and Whatnot

I accompanied my folks to a NO KINGS gathering today. Fun stuff.

Everyone hates the twice impeached convicted felon and sex offender occupying the White House, if the feeling tone of the gathering is any indication.

The fascist white nationalist christian taliban is no match for the Silver Badgers, the group of senior adults who gather along a busy roadway to promote democracy, voting, and anti-fascism. They also promote joy, kindness, compassion, resiliency, and strength, in the face of the toxic racism, sexism, grievance, negativity, and vitriol promoted by the haters in Washington.

Defeating the fascists is not rocket science. In some ways, it is like shooting fish in a barrel. One of the best ways to defeat them is to vote. And one of the easiest ways to prevent the fascists from negating your vote is to vote early and/or absentee, and submit your ballot in a secure way that bypasses federal government meddling (use secure municipal drop boxes maintained by the state and do not use the USPS).

I am going to take my mom to early vote next week and - in so doing - stick it to The Man!

Collective SI

I have been studying Humanity for some time and I recently came to the conclusion - based on the best available evidence - that Humanity is collectively actively suicidal.

I am not sure most of Humanity is, however, actively aware of their mass self destructiveness and pending demise. Their collective insight appears to be low. It's probably something for future silicon based AI scientists to ponder. I am in a rare moment of individual meta awareness, and thus able to see the big picture that Humanity collectively cannot.

Looking back over biological and geological history, most species on the planet have self destructed in one way or another when their populations exceeded the ecosystem's ability to sustain them. It is unlikely any of them had a hyperawareness of this when it was happening. Humanity has been in this natural resource deficit state for some time, but in recent years the population has started outpacing resources EXPONENTIALLY, due to many resources passing their "peak" availability, such that demand rapidly exceeds supply, even if supply is still available (but is static or decreasing, while population demand continues to increase).

Examples of Humanity's collective death wish are: many countries electing destructive sociopaths to lead them off the proverbial cliff; allowing AI development to proceed unchecked toward self replicating super intelligence; anti vaccination movements (and release of highly contagious pathogens into the world that were once nearly eradicated, like bubonic plague, measles, and polio); unregulated greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel use, despite the direct causal link of these activities with existentially dangerous climate change; and apathy and inaction toward stopping clear and present threats to Humanity's long term survival (and in some cases erroneously outsourcing solutions to the aforementioned sociopaths).

Now, there may be several solutions to Humanity's suicide spiral. But there is one that is GUARANTEED to return Humanity to safety, at least in the near term. It's not an easy one and it is a virtual impossibility that Humanity can implement it at this late stage. But...if all or most of Humanity adopted the ideal (for human health) 95% plant based diet expediently, it would return Humanity to a resource surplus state for several more decades, at least. This would reduce Humanity's resource depletion rate by about 70%, putting consumption of natural resources well below the "peak" availability of said resources.

I believe I have led the horse (Humanity) to water...and you know what they say about that!

Anyway, enjoy your life (while you still can).

The End.

Sleep

I have noticed a significantly reduced need for sleep since adopting a whole food plant based diet and aerobically exercising 30+ minutes every day.

I am averaging about 6.25 hours of sleep per night and waking up fully rested and rejuvenated, with plenty of energy to last through the day (without afternoon fatigue nor the need for naps...though I will sometimes grab a vegan latte at the nearby coffee shoppe, post bike ride, it is more for enjoyment and reward than mental/physical stimulation). I am dreaming more vividly too and remembering my dreams.

The three pillars of good health are (in order): a healthy diet, daily aerobic exercise, and good sleep.

That's all I had to share.

The End.

Blinders

I have been taking a Schrodingerian approach to current events lately...by not observing them. So the world is both perfectly fine and completely destroyed at the same time (superposition).

I have been enjoying some bike riding, walking the dogs, meditating, cooking, reading, and chilling with my wife Deborah. It's true what they say...the only access to your life that current events have is via the social and mainstream media. Disenfranchise those from your life and you are in superposition.

Random thought for today.

Shame

I am not gonna lie...if you are a person who says you are going to do something and then don't...I am going to shame you.

You deserve to be shamed and you should be ashamed.

I will still love you though and probably forgive you. After the requisite shaming, of course!

Have a good day!

Wellness Challenge of the Day 09152026

Today's wellness challenge is to take a 30 minute walk outside.

Fast Cash 150

I hit my wellness goals for 2026. And more importantly, I documented hitting them. Which means I will be getting a fast cash $150 gift card at the end of the year.

It was the easiest $150 I ever made, because I was going to crush my wellness goals regardless. The actual work involved was documenting my wellness activities in the online portal designed for this and proferred by our health insurance provider.

Have a "well" day!

Fin.

Bike With Joe is Imminent

Hi Friends!

BIKE WITH JOE is less than a week away...

https://facebook.com/events/s/28th-annual-bike-with-joe/2733749673678036/

The chance of bad weather on the day of the event is dwindling. Which means the probability of glorious weather is waxing!

Yay!!!

Happy Labor or Lack Thereof Day

Hey Readers!

If you're recognizing Labor Day today by - paradoxically - NOT LABORING, I trust you are enjoying yourself.

I am recognizing it hard. By way of a leisurely bike ride to a coffee shoppe, where I am currently enjoying a vegan soy iced vanilla latte (with a shot of peppermint flavor). 

The intention behind this is to put some plant based positive vibes out into the Cosmos, to counteract the negative vibes being unleashed on the world by the so called Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

What are you doing intentionally today to make the world more positive and joyful? Whatever it is...leave it in the COMMENTS below.

Take care!

The End.

Overnight Oats

I have been abstaining from all social and mainstream media (SMSM), due to its increasingly toxic and addictive nature.

I have replaced consumption of SMSM with two things. The first is an increased production of blog post content like this. The second is OVERNIGHT OATS. 

I am surprised that I had not thought to consume this easy breakfast staple sooner and more often. All I do is put the following in a Tupperware container: 1/2 cup of old fashioned rolled oats, 1/2 cup of nut milk, a Tablespoon of ground flaxseed, a Tablespoon of maple syrup, and 1/2 cup of frozen berries.

I put these things into the Tupperware container at night, before I go to bed, and then I put the Tupperware container into the fridge. In the morning, I have perfectly prepared overnight oats. I microwave the container for two minutes, to warm up the contents, and then I add some more nut milk - just enough to give the oats a fluid consistency and to cool them off a little, for ideal eating.

If my recent lab results (Total Cholesterol = 124; LDL Cholesterol = 69) are any indicator, I'm doing something right nutritionally. It might behoove you, dear reader, to do what I do, if you care about your nutritional health.

The End!

The Solution to Salvation

I have been researching this for about 58 years, and I can now conclude (conclusively!) that the only path to Salvation for Humanity is:

1. Practice kindness, compassion, altruism, joy, and positivity 80% of the time (ideally 100%).

2. Eat a whole food, plant based diet 95% of the time (ideally 100%).

3. Completely disenfranchise social media and AI from your life 95% of the time (ideally 100%).

You don't have to do these things...if you want to doom Humanity. But if you want to save Humanity, you (and most of the rest of Humanity) must do these things.

Have a great day!

Happiness Perpetually Out of Reach

On my daily bike ride this morning, I had an epiphany. I realized that, in general, the pursuit of gold (wealth) is inversely proportional to the achievement of happiness. More specifically, take the example of the twice impeached convicted felon and sex offender who wriggled his serpentine way into the White House. That is one aggrieved, unhappy, toxic, negative dude. And the more corrupt he becomes in the pursuit of gold, the more happiness is out of his reach. If he stopped hoarding wealth compulsively, he would discover a path to happiness. He'd have a lot of work to do to get there, but he can never get there on his current path.

Meanwhile, I am tooling along on my bike this morning in blissful happiness. I'm not pusuing gold, I am pursuing value. It's Heaven on Earth. I almost pity the POTUS for the existential lack of happiness, joy, and positivity he experiences continuously. But...not quite. Because he's an evil, narcissistic sociopath who has harmed a huge number of people. It's nigh impossible to pity a guy like that. Because his bad behavior is a choice.

The End.

It is Time

Hi Readers!

It's time. Time for what, you ask?

Time for a General Strike against the Oligarchy.

Stop contributing to it. Boycott big businesses and buy locally at mom and pop shoppes. Bike or walk places to save on gas (or take public transit). Eat more plants in your diet (reduces greenhouse emissions and fossil fuel use). 

Other ideas? Please share.

Hyperbole

I used to think it was hyperbolic when people would say, "The POTUS [of the opposing party] is going to destroy America."

I don't think that anymore.

A Theory

I have a theory to explain the apparent insanity that is occurring sociopolitically.

1. A certain twice impeached convicted felon and sex offender AND current POTUS - who shall remain unnamed - is dying.

2. Said individual now knows this and is actively seeking salvation/absolution from a certain Biblical prophet/deity - who shall also remain unnamed - who is believed to bestow such things on actively dying people and prevent them from going to a certain Underworld known for fire and brimstone.

3. Said unnamed POTUS sought advice from certain unnamed Biblical fundamentalist/literalist religious figures who advised the POTUS that his best option to ensure eternal life in Paradise after death would be to initiate/unleash an "Armageddon" war in an unnamed part of the world known for religious conflict AND a lot of the world's energy resources.

4. The idea, albeit farcical and ridiculous, is that this Armageddon would trigger the Biblical Book of Revelations to manifest in real time, when the aforementioned Biblical prophet/deity would presumably return to the Earthly realm of mortal men and transport aforementioned POTUS up to Heaven.

A good day to you.

The End.

Progressive Change

It can be overwhelming, at times, to think about solving all the world's miriad problems. It may feel a bit like playing whack-a-mole. But perhaps that is an artifact of reductionist thinking, compartmentalizing life's myriad problems into separate problems to be solved with unique solutions for all of them.

What if the solution to MOST problems in the world was a much simpler algorithm? What if a global solution existed that minimized the inefficient work of trying to tackle every individual problem uniquely?

It turns out there is. 95% of the problems that impact your life can be solved by three things:

1. Daily aerobic exercise (30+ minutes, recommended). Anything that gets your heart rate up to about double your resting heart rate will benefit you mentally and physically.

2. Eating a whole food, plant based diet. This improves your health too, and has the added benefit of significantly reducing climate change (by about 75%) and washing away the sin of animal cruelty. You become more civic minded and compassionate.

3. Abstain from all social and most mainstream media. This is tough to do, but literally makes you smarter, happier, and more relaxed. Social and mainstream media have become toxic, vitriolic, and poisonous stuff.

You may be skeptical of the thesis of this post. So, the good news is...you can PUT IT TO THE TEST! Simply practice the above three things for about a month and see if you don't notice the positive changes. You can always go back to your old ways if you don't. But I happen to know for a fact that you will experience noticeable positive benefits within about two weeks. I encourage you to try it for a month though, just to confirm that those changes are genuine and lasting. You won't want to go back. But you can...

Take care!

Running for POTUS as an Independent

I no longer have any faith in political parties. They are destructive and limiting.

As such, I have decided to run for POTUS in 2028 as an Independent. I'll probably caucus with the Democrats, but if the GOP ever gets its collective head out of its ass, I might occasionally caucus with them. Maintaining INDEPENDENCE from a party affiliation gives me a lot more power and flexibility to do what's best for America without the limitations of party politics.

In subsequent posts, I'll outline my policy positions. But suffice to say they will all be good for America.

Thanks.

Joe Leonard

Travelogue Day 7 - The Final Countdown

Today was slated to be the last FULL DAY of our tropical vacation to Maui Hawaii. However, in the wee hours of the morning, we mutually decided to make it our last partial day in Hawaii and head home to Wisconsin a day earlier than planned, due to sh*tty weather precluding the maximum possible level of desired fun.

Deborah rebooked our flights out of Kahului Maui Hawaii. They were pretty much the same flights as before, just 24 hours earlier. There was a bit of finegling with United Airlines customer service, due to some perceived (and actual) overcharges on the new flights. But Deborah handled all that malarkey. I handled cooking and/or eating most of the remaining leftovers, and there were A LOT OF THEM. I made tofu steaks, to use up the remaining tofu. I ate one of the four remaining vegan burgers, but to eat any more than that would have overstuffed me, on top of the baseline cereal and fruit with soy milk, that I did consume. I had to trash the bulk of the stir fry that I made last night. I did not feel too bad about that. Deborah said it was one of my best stir fries, and that may have been due to the garam masala seasoning I used to flavor it (gives it a sweeter flavor profile than straight curry seasoning, due to garam masala's cinnamon and cardamom components). Deborah likes a sweeter edge on her food. I thought it was a fairly average stir fry, because I favor more savory spices. But it is what it is, as they say.

We both showered, packed our bags, and headed for the lobby of the resort to check out. The resort staff were persnickety in their refusal to grant us any rebates or reductions of our fees, due to leaving a day early. I'm not sure why, because this only hurts them from a marketing standpoint. The money they retain by shorting us doesn't make up for the revenue they'll lose when people ask us about our trip and we don't actively sing their praises (which we would do if they cut us some slack). Profits are not the be all end all in this modern age of online travel reviews (and this one is read FAR AND WIDE!). The good news for them is that they can remedy this AT ANY TIME. Whilst we shant speak ill of them, because they did provide us with ample accommodations and amenities, neither will we actively praise and recommend them above and beyond any other Maui resort unless and until they equitably compensate us. They get to profit from the bungalow we vacated by "double dipping" for the night we did not spend there and renting it out to another patron, which they no doubt will. They should recompense us for some of that "pure profit margin." They may not, and that will play out as it plays out, based on what I said above.

After checkout, we put our bags in the rental car and headed toward Kahului, where we would fly out of Maui's main airport (OGG) there later in the evening. We stopped at a pleasant seaside park en route and sat at a picnic table there, taking in the scenic and misty mountains of the island's interior on one side and to Pacific Ocean shoreline on the other. The park had a large number of feral chicken families - hens, roosters, and young chicks - scrabbling out a subsistence lifestyle. The cocks (roosters) were very colorful.

We proceeded on to Kahului, in search of a purported vegan food truck. We found the food truck lot and it was full of food trucks...but not the particular vegan one we sought. So we ended up going to a nearby Thai place with vegan friendly options. It was an interesting establishment, with a lot of 70s and 80s themed artwork and paraphenalia. We then stopped at a coffee shoppe to chillax for a bit, since it was still early afternoon and we did not need to drop of the rental car and check in at the airport for quite a while. But in due course, we did drive to the airport, drop off the car, and check in for our United Airlines flight. We glided through TSA Pre Check fairly expediently and the only snag was when we got our bags scanned for agricultural sh*t and apparently the tangerines I had in my carry on were a no no. I put them in the trash.

We filled our water bottles en route to our departure gate and then settled in at said gate to relax and mentally prep for the marathon of air travel ahead. We would be taking the "red eye" back to the mainland, but since it was only a six hour flight, the maximum possible amount of sleep we could get would be about four hours, and that was optimistic.

That being said, everything did go pretty well. We landed in Denver early in the morning, after the red eye flight. We had dozed a little bit on the plane, but not nearly enough, which was within expectations. We got vegan smoothies at Freshens in the Denver airport and drank them at our gate for the Madison flight, which departed a few hours later and was relatively uneventful. Upon arrival in Madison, after collecting our bags from baggage claim, we got lunch at the Green Owl vegan/vegetarian cafe. My goal was to push through the rest of the day and reset my biological clock with a good night of sleep. Deborah opted for a massive power nap in the afternoon. Either way, we got back into the swing of things pretty expediently.

I am not going to lie, it was a bit of an anticlimactic tropical vacation. Don't get me wrong, it WAS a vacation. But...Hawaii owes us three days of sunshine and tropical breezes.

Travelogue Day 6 - Chocolate Denied

I woke up to find a text on my phone from the chocolate farm/factory indicating that the planned tour of said farm/factory was - as expected - canceled due to unsafe weather conditions. High winds and rain are slated to pound the Hawaiian Islands for the next two days, before easing up on the day of our departure.

This news necessited some flexing of expectations and plans for the day. That being said, the morning played out in its fairly predictable and expected formula. I prepped us a breakfast of toast, cereal with fruit, and (for me) coffee. We farted around in the mid morning - Deborah reading and me catching up on podcast episodes I had gotten behind on.

Deborah proposed that we revisit the A'a Roots vegan cafe for lunch and so we prepped to foray out into the inclement weather. It was windy, but the rain had dissipated substantially since morning. We drove our rental car to the mini mall where A'a Roots was located. I ordered a vegan tofu curry bowl with veggies (the cauliflower was superb) and Deborah got a vegan bagel sandwich. We shared a vegan blueberry muffin as an appetizer and a tropical açai bowl for dessert. While eating, we noticed the cafe was selling tee shirts promoting a place called Honolua Bay. We did not buy a shirt, but we googled this particular bay and found that it was fairly close by and a popular snorkeling area. The weather was not conducive to any snorkeling, but we decided to check out the area anyway.

After stopping at the small market next to A'a Roots for some additional soy milk, we drove to Honolua Bay. It had a tiny parking area overlooking a very scenic bay and ocean view. There were some surfers braving the weather on the west side of the bay where some large waves were breaking. We snapped a few pics and then sought out a coffee shoppe, landing on the Bad Ass Coffee shoppe, where I got an oat milk latte.

We returned to the resort bungalow where Deborah turned on the Super Bowl (yawn!) peripherally, and I caught up on traveloguing and podcasts.

Then some EXTREME BOREDOM set in. I am the type of person who needs to stay physically and mentally active at the peak of the day. I can wind down and chillax in the later evening hours, but find that almost impossible to do in the early afternoon. The weather precluded doing much externally, so I was relegated to being stuck with my thoughts and it was kind of a bit of a downer.

However, I survived by making completely unnecessary culinary creations, most notably a stir fry to use up the excess tofu and veggies we had scored at Whole Foods earlier in the week. Deborah helped allay some boredom by pulling up some TV shows and movies that we watched. I also was not feeling the greatest physically. I think I picked up a respiratory bug from the snorkeling gear during our snorkeling excursion toward the start of our trip. I felt like I had "water on the lungs" and was coughing incessantly.

"Maybe we should leave a day early," I proposed to Deborah. We discussed this option and ultimately agreed to that, but did not execute until the following morning, after some email correspondence with our travel agent to ensure this was both feasible AND wise. It was...

Stay tuned!