My flying dream comes to life!

Greetings, fellow humans!

Recently I was fortunate enough to partake in an "Asheville influencer" day at Navitat Canopy Tours which is about 20 minutes away from Asheville. If you have never done a zip line tour, or even if you have... I heartily encourage you to check them out. This is a really safe and easy way to get an unforgettable adventure.

Since I was a little kid, I have dreamed of being able to fly. On May 20th, 2014 it happened in my waking life. Below is a "selfie" video I took on the tour:

Western North Carolina is a beautiful and lush place. I love hiking and biking here. It was also a nice treat to fly above it.

OK, now go outside and play!                        Much love, Mo the human

Every car is a "convertible"

Greetings, fellow humans!

Do you love your car? Bluetooth, cruise control, automatic transmission, power windows, AC, keyless entry... My first car had none of these. Heck, it didn't even have a radio. And I LOVED that rusty old Datsun station wagon! It was the thrill of mobility. It was the wind in my hair, the pure joy of fast movement and the simple visceral pleasure of driving! Sure, it was about as pretty as a stretched out Ford Pinto and smelled a little funky (ok, sometimes a lot funky), but it was loads of fun.

I had a wonderful decade in Boulder, CO where I rarely used a car... I commuted mostly by bicycle. I would enjoy almost every ride (even in wet or cold weather) as I rode through the masses encased in their steel and glass capsules. Since moving back to North Carolina, I find that am part of the encased masses myself.

These days, I sometimes see someone in a roofless jeep or an open corvertible and have a little envy. The other day, I saw someone in a convertible on a beautiful sunny day with the roof and windows up. "What are they doing"? I briefly thought. -Then it occurred to me... "What am I doing"?

I promptly turned off my radio and rolled down all of my windows. (Something quite easily accomplished with the modern convenience of power windows.) Sure, there is no rag top, or even a sunroof in my car, but my work commute changed immediately:

There it was... The pure, simple joy of driving. 

Thank you, random human encased in a closed-up convertible!

OK, now go outside and play!    -Much love, Mo the human.

Agave Nectar: Not so good after all?

Greetings, fellow humans! Please forgive me for the long hiatus from blogging.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a little bit of agave nectar will kill you... What I am saying is that if you avoid high fructose corn syrup you should be even more concerned about agave nectar.

If you're on any kind of "health kick" whether it be an attempt to lose body fat, fight diabetes, or just to feel great and live a long, happy life... You are probably trying to cut back on sugar consumption. Most folks who are paying any attention to what they eat are aware that sugar isn't good for you. You may even be aware of things like glycemic index and glycemic load.


In plain english, the higher a glycemic index, the quicker a particular food will raise your blood glucose aka "blood sugar" levels. In general, raising blood glucose levels quickly isn't really good for you. When this happens, your body must produce loads of insulin and quickly store the excess sugar as body fat. (The exception to this is for post-workout nutrition, which is a subject for another day.) This is just one of the many reasons modern wheat is so bad for human health, but for today, we'll stick to sweeteners.

Many look to agave nectar as a "healthy alternative". At first glance, this seems to be a great idea. Agave nectar is "low glycemic" which means it causes less of a blood sugar spike than other sweeteners like sugar, maple syrup, and honey. Thus, agave is touted as a great alternative sweetener for diabetics and anyone trying to avoid excess sugar. Alas, it seems agave is no better than High Fructose Corn Syrup and quite possibly even worse. How can this be?


This is because the sugar in agave nectar ranges from 57 percent to as much as 90 percent fructose!

Look Here for a list of the glycemic index of common sweeteners.

Look here for a more detailed look from way back in 2010. Or look here for Dr. Andrew Weil's take in 2012. However, we still see the stuff being sold as "health food".

Alas, sweet agave nectar… How we wanted to love you. You are still the dishonest darling of so many health-minded folks. Some vegans still love you as an alternative to honey. Sadly, it seems, like so many food stories we've been told… Your sweet promise turned out to be a lie.

In fact, this lie has been uncovered for quite some time.

 From now on I think I'll call you "High Fructose Cactus Syrup".

OK…  Now go outside and play!

                                        Much love, Mo the human.