The nutrition of beer...

As is my normal practice when I sat down to write I grabbed a tasty beverage. Today on a very rare occassion I happen to have beer on hand, and that seemed exceptionally appealling. I took a big swig and put the bottle on my desk. To my surprise I notice a nutrition label, something I don't believe I have ever seen before on a beer. I understand the move in our society to be more conscious of nutrition, but on a beer? I have looked at nutrition labels on things like cereal, or sauces, or products that present themselves as healthy alternatives. But beer? Who really cares that a "big Rock" -"traditional Ale" has 18% of your daily intake of niacin? Most sane people when looking for something healthy would drink water, juice, or milk.

Because I work as an addiction counsellor I have heard just about every possible justification/rationalization for drinking known to man, and many of them are a little far fetched, but I must admit I have never heard anyone say that they drank because it helped them meet their required daily intake of magnesium.

However I did learn one interesting tibbit, that a beer provides 2% of daily intake calcium. Well I guess I need to drink another 49. :-)

Stuck in Lethbridge...

The mild fall, took a drastic change today and I woke up to a genuine blizzard today. Was planning to drive home today, but the weather was so bad that I decided to stay the night and challenge to road in the morning. It is going for make a long day tomorrow, but the bright side I get to watch satellite tv, instead of peasant vision. I guess you have to always try and find the silver lining!

Another photo from the Great divide...

I won't be blogging over the weekend, so I will give an extra post today. I just think this is a cool pic. I took this picture our second day travelling by the Jack Pine River. At this point we were 2 days from the North West boundary of Jasper national park. This is the shelter I slept in for 3 weeks. If you think that it looks cold and wet, then you would be correct.

Could the day go any slower...

I know the majority of people in the world love fridays, but I think those of us in the helping professions love them a little more. Because as of fridays at 4 pm I am allowed to envolk the I.D.C. clause. Or the "I don't care" clause. Currently I have a great group of clients, but you still get tired of "active listening", being empathetic, and compassionate at the time.
Obviously I still need to be caring to my friends and family, but they are well aware that there will be moments that for my own sanity I will need to envolk the I.D.C. or the S.I.U.P. clause (Suck it up princess!). So because I was desparately waiting for the end of the day, it seemed like a insanely long day.

Have a halloween party tomorrow. Still need to come up with a costume. My old stand by of cowboy gear won't work as it is a theme party. "Gods and Goddesses". Well best be off to try and create something.

Sunrise over Sheep creek

This photo was taken at sheep creek, just east of Intersection Mountain (the mountain on the BC/AB border where BC starts to jut Eastward).

There is an arguement between my friend and I who took this photo. I am certain I did, and he is certain he did. It really doesn't matter.

As I was looking at this photo I was reminded about the promise of every new day and the importance of always pushing on. This photo was taken while I was on a three week horse pack trip down the great divide. We had to camp for 3 or 4 days at Sheep creek because 2 horses went lame on us, and the weather was horrible. Right around when this photo was taken we were contemplating giving up on our goal, and just trying to get to nearest civilization (which was still 3 days aways). We were wet, dirty and a bit discouraged. Thankfully we decided to push on and it became one of the most impactful experiences in my life. I am certain that memories of that trip will often be an inspiration for my posts.

And so it begins...

I have long since lost count of my many failed attempts at journaling. It was not that I hated writing it, or did not find it incredibly helpful to put my thoughts on a page, or that I did not find my thoughts incredibly amusing when I read them years later. It was...well... I just suck at it. I would make 3 or 4 entries and then forget about it or misplace it (every time I move I stumble on a past attempt and get a good chuckle). I also realized that it was never something that I could become overly excited about. What struck me was that I am too much an extrovert to really enjoy the quiet reflection which is classic journaling. I find it much more therapeutic and enjoyable to share my inner thoughts with another human being, especially if it over a tasty beverage, such as coffee or a beer.

So the other day as I was reading the blog of a friend, I recognized an opportunity to unite the reflective qualities of journaling with my extrovert and narcissistic tendencies of wanting share my thoughts with others. So with a tasty beverage in hand my blogging journey begins...