{"id":260,"date":"2007-01-18T11:13:40","date_gmt":"2007-01-18T17:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/index.php\/2007\/01\/18\/resolution-desk\/"},"modified":"2008-02-11T23:26:28","modified_gmt":"2008-02-12T05:26:28","slug":"resolution-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2007\/01\/resolution-desk\/","title":{"rendered":"Resolution Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"

This must be the way to get a couple of New Year’s resolutions accomplished: Start and finish early. It works, it has to work this time.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 26, My Beloved and I returned to Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. By mid-month, I dropped nine pounds and relaxed into the just-a-little-carb Phase 2. She’s been doing real well, too.<\/p>\n

I don’t intend into fall back into the Big Bag o’ Chips Almost Daily (and whole Tub o’ Dip) routine, which is where 2006 ended. That urge is gone.<\/p>\n

MB thinks it’s easier for me than her due to gender, but there are lots of guys with serious weight problems. Mine was modest. All I can say is that my motivation was rage. When I got angry enough at myself — when I saw my gut poking my shirt out from beneath a sweater vest — I got on and stuck to this sensible diet (third time in four years). A woman at work said I’m not heavy. True enough, but I felt lethargic, and that just won’t do.<\/p>\n

Oh, the second resolution? More frequent Brick<\/strong> postings. An attack of the shy’s hit me on the New Year. This Inferious Curse (has Harry Potter learned a potion to spell that one?) blocked me, had me convinced I have nothing vital to say to my “15 readers<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

The page for Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007, of my Poetry Speaks page-a-day calendar has a mini-biography of William Stafford, being his birthday. It emphasizes that he wrote a poem every day for decades, including the morning of the day he died. “Stafford urged writers to ‘lower one’s standard’ in order to sustain the ongoing practice of a writing life. In his final poem he counseled, ‘Be ready for what God sends.'”<\/p>\n

Lots of folks would think that quote means: Keep looking up. We daily writers (just because no Bricks<\/strong> have been uploaded doesn’t mean ol’ Longhand hasn’t been swirling Waterman ink across Clairefontaine paper), know Bill means that God gives the best inspiration and more frequently to those who go ahead and get going without it.<\/p>\n

As I approach 10 pounds lighter, I have the energy to heed the reminders of my second resolution: Two sticky notes that read: “Daily.” “Local.” But Daily means forget thoughtful pieces. But Local means ignore Pressing Issues. Or do they?<\/p>\n

Writer’s Block? That’s like the opposite of SPF block, where you get burned by avoiding exposure to sunlight by staying indoors at your desk. Write? Get out! Don’t forget a hat. -30-<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This must be the way to get a couple of New Year’s resolutions accomplished: Start and finish early. It works, it has to work this time. On Dec. 26, My Beloved and I returned to Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. By mid-month, I dropped nine pounds and relaxed into the just-a-little-carb Phase 2. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technical-difficulties"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1363,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2009\/06\/i-am-so-controlling\/","url_meta":{"origin":260,"position":0},"title":"I Am So Controlling","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"June 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"You scroll through the Internet and land here. Your choice, your control. I create an essay, choosing topic, slant and wording. I'm in control of what you're reading now. Hah! The wife reminds the husband about some chore. \"You are so controlling,\" he says. The husband expounds so about his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "American Culture"","block_context":{"text":"American Culture","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/american-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":640,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2008\/08\/to-serve-dragon\/","url_meta":{"origin":260,"position":1},"title":"To Serve Dragon","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"August 26, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"(A reference to the Twilight Zone classic episode, \"To Serve Man.\") At Shady Hills, we worry a bit about the cats' diet since that canned-food scare last year. Most current pet food books recommend raw foods. After all, who cooked for Rosemary and Tiki in Fayetteville fields and alleys? Besides\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4495,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2013\/10\/easy-vegan-breakfasts\/","url_meta":{"origin":260,"position":2},"title":"Easy Vegan Breakfasts","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"October 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It's time to get excited, and a little nervous, for tomorrow's first of three classes of \"Vegan: As Easy as You Want.\" They're in the conference room of Ozark Natural Foods (not in the store but several doors up in its office), and as of Monday, two-thirds full, says ONF\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Kook Cooks"","block_context":{"text":"Kook Cooks","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/kook-cooks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ben Pollock at high school weight July 2013","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Ben-%40-WordCamp-072613-227x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":296,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2007\/03\/peanut-tiest-dogs-and-cats\/","url_meta":{"origin":260,"position":3},"title":"Peanut-tiest Dogs and Cats","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"March 20, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"We go around on things like this, My Beloved and I: Consumer Reports likes the Great Value ground decaf. Not the whole bean and not the regular coffee, where the magazine prefers Eight O'Clock whole bean. The Wal-Mart house brand Great Value in other foods seems very much like the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News, Spin"","block_context":{"text":"News, Spin","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/news-spin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":288,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2007\/02\/rough-cuts\/","url_meta":{"origin":260,"position":4},"title":"Rough Cuts","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"February 27, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Decision-making, in retrospect, was simpler in youth, even the tough decisions. From choosing which burger to which college, most were cut-and-dried. The more the years pass, the more complicated it gets. I bet the young folks have no trouble picking out a home computer or laptop. At a store, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Body, Home, Street"","block_context":{"text":"Body, Home, Street","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/body-home-street\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4328,"url":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/2013\/06\/omnivores-manifesto\/","url_meta":{"origin":260,"position":5},"title":"An Omnivore’s Manifesto","author":"Ben S. Pollock","date":"June 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"We're trying veganism, My Beloved and I, now in our 11th week of cutting the ovo-lacto from our comfortable vegetarianism of over two decades. Look Out For That Bus! It'd been a year since my last fasting cholesterol blood test. The results so floored my doctor a week ago --\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "American Culture"","block_context":{"text":"American Culture","link":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/category\/american-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Power Plate diet diagram of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/PowerPlategraphichirez-300x285.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benpollock.com\/brick\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}