Thursday, January 25, 2018

IF YOU CAN DREAM

There is a Disney song, 'If you can dream.' It is 'sung' by the various voice impersonators of the many of the Disney Princesses. I am a 60 year old man - I admit I actually like the song. I will tell you what I don't like. A bunch of angry DACA 'Dreamers' congregated at Disneyland Park a couple of days ago to protest the inaction of Congress to legalize them. Here is the truth: The Democrats and the Republicans WILL NOT be deporting them. The deal that Donald Trump wants is that a new law should include the building of 'The Wall.' These 'Dreamers' who are here illegally should just shut up. Their dream is going to come true. The dream of conservatives that a wall will be built to help reduce this problem in the future will also come true. Those demonstrators who had the, shall we say, cojoñes, to protest and BLOCK THE ENTRANCE TO DISNEYLAND... perhaps they should have been arrested AND deported. And perhaps that would send the message to the Dreamers currently protesting by Senator Schumer's home. I despise Senator Schumer. However, protesters should not be protesting by the PRIVATE RESIDENCE of public officials. This happens to Republicans all the time. It should never happen. A few arrests of those people would solve that problem too

–

IF YOU CAN DREAM LYRICS

(Ariel)
There is a world where hope
And dreams can last for all time
I wonder this place to go
You know it
When your heart will find

(Jasmine)
Hearing our song as old as rhyme
Hold my hand we're gonna fly
While a magic ride
Is just a kiss away

[Chorus:]
If you can dream for wishful making
On a star is coming true

(Pocahontas)
The colors of the wind will lead
My heart right back to you

Cos if you can dream,
Reflections in a diamond sky,
Come shining on through

(Aurora)
Romance will always be so new
And love will save the day
If you can dream

(Snow White)
Someday my prince will come
It's certain as the sunrise
(Cinderella)
One day the slipper fits
And you see the love in his eyes

(Belle)
It's the tale as old as time
There's no mountain we can't find
When you're finally mine
And just a kiss away

[Chorus:]
If you can dream for wishful making
On a star is coming true

(Pocahontas)
The colors of the wind will lead
My heart right back to you

'Cause if you can dream,
Reflections in a diamond sky,
Come shining on through

(Mulan)
Romance will always be so new
And love will save the day
If you can dream

[Bridge:]
(Belle)
So the story goes
Never tire the rose

(Jasmine)
There's a whole new world
Waiting there for us
Waiting just for us...

[Chorus:]
If you can dream for wishful making
On a star is coming true

(Pocahontas)
The colors of the wind will lead
My heart right back to you

'Casue if you can dream,
Reflections in a diamond sky,
Come shining on through

(Snow White)
Romance will always be so new
(Ariel)
And love will save the day, Ohhhh

(Mulan)
Love will save the day
If you can dream

(Ariel)
You can dream

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Hy-vee - Oatmeal - Apples & Cinnamon	770	161	11	21	875	42
	770	161	11	21	875	42
L U N C H
Subway - Sun Chips- Harvest Cheddar	210	27	9	4	320	3
Subway - Seafood Sensation	820	100	38	26	1,480	16
	1,030	127	47	30	1,800	19
D I N N E R
Panda Express Shanghai Angus Steak	340	26	10	34	1,280	18
Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp	400	30	26	16	520	10
Panda Express Brown Steamed Rice	440	75	11	10	420	2
	1,180	131	47	60	2,220	30


Totals	2,980	419	105	111	4,895	91
Your Daily Goal	2,020	252	67	102	2,300	75
Remaining	-960	-167	-38	-9	-2,595	-16
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 90 extra calories from exercise today

Thursday, September 15, 2016

THE PEOPLE WALKER

I first heard about this guy, The People Walker, a couple of days ago when I saw it on someone's facebook newsfeed. Then yesterday, an article about THE PEOPLE WALKER, showed up on the drudgereport. I think that I might want to be a 'people walker' (at least part-time) These days, I sure walk a lot, and other than the loose change that I find in the streets, and all the important health benefits that accrue to me, it is completely unprofitable.

The article below appeared in The Guardian. It was linked to the drudgereport seen by millions of people around the world each day.

Los Angeles

Half full: solutions, innovations, answers

'We need human interaction': meet the LA man who walks people for a living

As the digital age makes people more lonely, Chuck McCarthy created a service to stroll with strangers – but the job is more people whisperer than walker

Rory Carroll

@rorycarroll72

Chuck McCarthy recently auditioned as a homicidal biker for a TV show, but the actor is finding glimmers of fame, and possibly a business franchise, with another role: Los Angeles’s first people walker.

He walks humans for $7 a mile around the streets and park near his home, pioneering an alternative to dog walking that requires no leash, just an ability to walk, talk and, above all, listen.

The idea initially struck the underemployed actor several months ago as a joke, an imaginary way to make extra cash, until it became real.

“The more I thought about it, the less crazy it seemed,” said McCarthy, draining a bottle of water – he now takes hydration seriously – and heading out into the sunshine for another walk, this time with the Guardian trotting in step.

A homemade scrawl across his T-shirt declared him The People Walker, low-budget, mobile advertising. “I’ve been doing walks almost every single day for the past week and I’m getting repeat clients, which is what you want.”

A stroll with this soft-spoken, hirsute hulk seems to be what much of LA wants, judging by the response to his Facebook page and homemade flyers.

“Need motivation to walk?” they ask from lamp posts. “Scared to walk alone at night? Don’t like walking alone at all? Don’t want people to see you walking alone and just assume you have no friends? Don’t like listening to music or podcasts but can’t walk alone in silence, forced to face thoughts of the unknown future, or your own insignificance in the ever expanding universe?”

For many, the answer to one or all of the above seems to be “yes”. McCarthy is fielding hundreds of emails from the lonely, the curious and the adventurous, all seeking a stranger’s ambulatory company.

“I try to listen more than talk,” he said this week, striding past handsome houses in Los Feliz, a leafy neighbourhood near Hollywood.

Conversations with clients are seldom confessional, but he respects confidences. “It’s mostly surface, small-talk type stuff. But I think it’s therapeutic even if they’re not baring their souls.”

Grumbling about traffic, for instance, felt better when delivered to an actual human ear rather than posted on social media. “Tweeting about it and getting no response just makes you feel sadder.”

So many requests have poured in that McCarthy has recruited five other walkers to serve different parts of LA, though he will not take any cut from their earnings until he figures out a professional business model.

Commenters on his Facebook page offer plenty of advice. “Charge more and scale it up. Figure out what the secret sauce is – personality, being a supremely good listener, paying attention to inane bullshit, etc – then train your walker bees accordingly.”

It could grow fast. A woman in Israel has copied the idea, someone in Britain wants him to do it there, and a guy in New York asked him to walk his eight-year-old son to the bus stop each day.

McCarthy, bemused and excited by the attention, is considering crowdfunding to hire techies to design an Uber-style app. In addition to ensuring proximity – he wants to stay local and on foot, not drive across town, let alone fly thousands of miles – the app would let walkers and clients rate each other for personability and walking speed. The latter is a key point for walkers since a slow pace, say two miles an hour, yields $14, versus $28 for a brisk four miles an hour.

“Awesome concept, plenty of screwed up lonely people out there,” said one of his Facebook commenters, suggesting the job is more people whisperer than walker.

But according to McCarthy, paying to be walked does not mean people are friendless. It just means they cannot always coordinate leisure time with friends, a product of fluid schedules in the gig economy, leaving them isolated. “We’re on phones and computers constantly communicating but we’re not connecting as much. We need that human interaction.”

We also need exercise. McCarthy has slimmed down two notches on his belt since starting the professional walking. “I try not to run because it could ruin my brand,” he deadpanned.

Originally from Atlanta, McCarthy is serious enough about acting that he declines to reveal his exact age, beyond saying he is in his 30s. He has found bit parts – most recently in a promo for the film Pete’s Dragon – since moving to LA a decade ago, but no breakthrough role.

“I grew the beard so I could play homeless people.” And, potentially, homicidal bikers. He is hopeful of landing that role.

McCarthy stresses that he is not a personal trainer. “I’m more about motivating someone to leave their house and walk than being a drill sergeant shouting at them.”

Might the daily treks up and down Los Feliz lead to a movie treatment? Thinner material, after all, has made it to the screen. The people walker grinned. “Why not? Maybe (Jean-Claude) Van Damme will play me.”

Late last night I took a walk to the grocery store right before it closed just to get some outside steps. It is one mile to get there. It was a two mile roundtrip.

My true exercise for the day was on the elliptical machine for a 97 minute session

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Roundys - Creamy Wheat - Enriched Farina	360	75	0	12	255	3
Sage - Red Delicious Apple, 1 medium apple	95	25	0	1	2	19
Crunchy Granola Bar - Oats 'n' Honey	380	58	14	6	270	22
	835	158	14	19	527	44
L U N C H
Lunchables - Ham and Swiss, 1 package	260	22	13	14	750	5
Nature Valley (Us) - Crunchy - Oats 'n Honey	380	58	14	6	360	22
Met-RX - Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Protein Plus	310	29	10	31	120	1
	950	109	37	51	1,230	28
D I N N E R
Chicken - Tenders	300	0	2	66	330	0
Spinach - Cooked, boiled, drained	50	8	1	6	661	1
Couscou	150	31	1	6	0	0
	500	39	4	78	991	1
S N A C K S
FRENCH VANILLA ALMOND GRANOLA	500	92	16	10	120	28
Nestle - Dark Chocolate Bar	300	31	18	4	0	0
UNSWEETENED BANANA CHIPS	200	19	12	2	6	1
	1,000	142	46	16	126	29

Totals	3,285	448	101	164	2,874	102
Your Daily Goal	3,379	422	112	169	2,300	126
Remaining	94	-26	11	5	-574	24
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 1,449 extra calories from exercise today

Your Exercise Diary for:

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
STAR TRAC ELLIPTICAL	97	1,270
Walking to Grocery Store	16	161
Walking from Grocery Store	16	161


Daily Total / Goal	129 / 30	1,592 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	325 / 210	3,824 / 4,130