Brooklyn, Manhattan, & In Between Just Before Christmas 2008

My road trip departure was delayed by many factors... New England ice storms, light construction in my dad's residence, a snow storm, packing and cleaning, finishing last minute details in preparation for a 10-week departure, another snow storm... but I finally arrived in Brooklyn, New York last Friday just before a big snow storm hit and left NYC under a few inches of snow that stuck around for a few days, froze, and laid testament that winter and the Holiday season had arrived. The snow was pretty... for a few minutes... then it began to melt, leaving puddles and re-freeze, leaving slippery walk-ways. The air was crisp... but slowly chilled to painfully bone chilling. Holiday cheer was evident around each corner in NYC and the Holidays and Spirit from around the world, from every nation and belief was openly celebrated in shop windows, clothing, and signage... A top reason I love New York and feel the passion of the world on the her streets. A long nap to recover from my mid-nights drive from New Hampshire to New York readied me for Friday evenings Ethiopian feast with Chuck and Christina in Manhattan... a walk through the snowy streets and a ride on the F subway brought us up a flight of stairs into SOHO, Manhattan. We entered the brightly red Ethiopian restaurant awaited our Vegetarian Platter for 3... a table sized platter of soft sponge-like flat bread covered with 10 different sauces, beans, and vegetables spiced somewhere between India and the Mediterranean (for those who have yet to taste Ethiopian cuisine). Scrumptious... and the best part being that the soft sponge-like bread platter base layer soaks up the delicious flavors and is eaten near the end of the meal! Thank you Christina for remembering my affinity toward Ethiopian food and treating Chuck and I to such a blissful dining experience! And like many Ethiopians that eat this cuisine, I didn't gain a pound :) The following day, I headed off to Manhattan again to visit my Great Uncle Jimmy that I had only met once or twice before and hadn't seen in 20 years! I was very excited to learn that Great Uncle Jimmy now 92 years old is still with us on this earth plane and in good health. I went to meet him at his uptown Manhattan Apt. and was amazed to see what great shape he is in and how much he looks like me! His nurse aide instantly exclaimed, “Wow you two really look alike!” 3 more couples we met during the day asked me if Uncle Jimmy is my father. That gave us some good laughs! Great conversation and connection ensued and I was so happy to find another relative that I share so many commonalities with. Uncle Jimmy and I walked to a nearby Irish pub (where I put on my best Irish accent and thought of Emmet) and Uncle Jimmy and I both had a sheppard's pie and warm water no ice to drink. I asked Uncle Jimmy many questions about how he's maintained his health... he didn't have any definitive answers... however, it became quite clear to me as our conversation progressed, that it's not only his diet, exercise, or medical care that has kept him well. His secret to longevity seemed to be in his happiness, positive outlook, active life, and affection towards friends. He had studied Tai Chi for a few years and quite liked it... as well as yoga... but now only took walking as exercise. Uncle Jimmy had recently fallen and broken his wrist. Before leaving, he took off his brace and I did some massage on his wrist, arm, and shoulder and did some extending of the wrist and arm. We had many great stories to share and had a wonderful afternoon. Seeing Uncle Jimmy was a great gift... He inspired me throughout the day as I saw him doing little shoulder rotations for exercise/range of motion. He often straightened up his posture while we sat at the Irish pub awaiting our sheppard's pies. He had great patience with his body... though his movement was slow, it was sure and steady. This visit made me realize how important it is to have our elders in bur lives to remind us of where we are heading... our physical bodies will transform... and inspire us to choose positive habits that will keep the life force flowing strongly through our bodies. Have you called an elder in your family today? The following day Christina, Chuck, and I met with Josaphine and Alicia (two old friends from high school) for brunch in The Village of Manhattan at an all Organic Vegetarian Restaurant. Wonderful conversation about life;s changes since the last time we had met a year ago. Josaphine shared the awesome transformations that have been happening in her life since watching all of the Eckart Tolle New Earth webinars on Oprah.com . Then we went to the newly opened Brooklyn Trader Joe's Market where I had a transcendental shopping experience! This Trader Joe's location is set in a plush 1800's Bank with magnificent 50 foot high ornately molded ceilings, chandeliers, huge windows, and a huge space. I saw so many products I had never seen before, and so many of the products had wonderful ingredients... in fact... the pre-packaged prepared foods had the same ingredients that I would use to prepare the dishes myself. I loaded up on organic apples, nuts and seeds, and pre-packaged prepared Indian dinners that I'd be able to microwave in gas stations along the way of my road trip... Now I will eat well! And the prices!!! Trader Joe's is doing a great service for it's customers... many items were half the price of similar items at Whole Foods and better than similar chemically laden foods sold at supermarkets across America. If you are in the vicinity of Trader Joe's and used to buying packaged or prepared foods, check out Joe's! Monday night, a final delicious burrito dinner cooked by Christina and some conversation, before I departed on another mid-night drive from NYC to Washington D.C. to visit Dan and Jennifer (friends from Taiwan that returned to the states last year). So far, D.C. has been magnificent and inspiring to my soul!!! Only my 3rd time to our capitol city, this is the first time I'm getting to appreciate “him” (and all of his grand phallic statues that dot “his” landscape). Stories from Washington D.C. next time...

有中文 Why “flip them the bird” when you can...

Dear Friends and Family,

(Chinese: 朋友門好,

我最近很忙照料爸爸. 有控就寫信給你們. 繼續看.) I put my other email update on hold hoping to share this amazing information, organization, and resource with everyone before Thanksgiving... Oh, the plague of perfectionism... it took me hours to write this and post it online. Anyone have any suggestions on how to cure perfectionism... or at least improve it?

Margo (媽媽Ma1 ma1 in Chinese) & Precious (吉米爬山了在媽媽家附近. 這座山是5,520英尺 高) hiking up Elk Knob Mountain 5,520 , neighboring Mom's Mountain 5 minutes up the road in October to see Autumn leaves delighting in color... One of many wonderful hikes that Precious and Mom enjoyed during his 12 day visit to Boone, North Carolina..

Precious sharing his apple with a goat and two soft, sweet sheep.

Why “flip them the bird” when you can...

join me in showing your Gratitude and Appreciation for Animals and all that they provide us by taking a few moments to peruse:

“ Even If You Like Meat... ”

( http://www.veganoutreach.org/EIYLM.pdf )

*~ Canadian Version Here ~*

(Chinese): 感恩節快到了! 跟著我謝謝全世界上的動物. 看以下 這本小冊子: *~ Chinese 中文這裡 ~* (沒有電腦病毒)

*Need a .pdf viewer to open the above file? Interested in an unbloated alternative to Adobe Acrobat?

Download “Foxit Reader.exe” for free here. (Chinese: 這個軟體採有英文的)

After perusing “Even if you like meat...”, please share with me; any thoughts, views, or inspiration that you have. We may not have learned about these current realities of cruelty at home, in school, or in the media... but now that we know, what action will we take?

Precious James & Frank (best friends since 5^th grade) picking apples in New Hampshire Nov. 1^st) Crunch, crunch... mmmm...mmm... good!

Resources:

VeganOutreach provides many resources, educational materials, nutritional info, & recipes to help us taper off our meat consumption. These materials are available for free download, or available as pamphlets by mail.

If you are grateful for receiving this information, please share it with others! Better yet, bookmark www.VeganOutreach.org and continue exploring their excellent resources to find out how you can help stop cruelty by sharing this knowledge. The resources page is abundant with more fascinating information, pamphlets, videos, and more!

Sheila and Presh juggling apples and reminiscing over old Coach Carolyn who taught us how to juggle in 7^th grade PE class. Coach would be proud that we've graduated from juggling tennis balls to fresh fruit!

Already a vegetarian?

“By choosing to be a vegetarian, you will accomplish a great deal of good over the course of your life – you will spare many hundreds of animals from the malicious maws of modern agribusiness. But for every person you convince to go vegetarian, you double the impact of your life's choices. So, if tomorrow you hand out 60 booklets to new people, and just one person decides to go vegetarian, you will have saved, in only one hour, just as many animals as you will save with every single food choice you made over the rest of your life.” (to read the full text of “Is being a vegetarian important?” by Matt Ball, visit: www.VeganOutreach.org/vegimportant.html )

Vegetarian Friends, the “Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating” has excellent and important nutritional information for vegetarians, vegans, and those of us on the way. I will write in more detail about it's great worth & wisdom next time.

And to bring it full circle and finish the “subject line” that began this email:

Why “flip them the bird” when you can...

slip them some delicious vegetarian alternatives and a copy of "Even If You Like Meat... " Sure to be an unforgettable Thanksgiving!!! Don't forget lots of Veggies too!!! Yum Yum!

If you don't forward this email to everyone on your email list, you may not have bad luck... but the animals won't be as lucky... as if you Do Forward It !!! :)

What are you thankful for this year?

I'm giving... Thanks for life, thanks for all animals, thanks for family & friends, thanks for health, thanks for the abundance we are blessed with, thanks for the minuscule bit of suffering we endure compared to the suffering of so many beings on this planet, thanks for change... the change we create everyday in the world through our choices, thanks for choice and the choices that we make that help others enjoy a peaceful happy existence, and thanks for you and your thanks (which are???)__________________________________ .

Peace, Happiness, Health, and Prosperity,

Precious James 包吉米

www.myspace.com/preciousjames

Precious James and (Bah-bah in Chinese) “Pop” (as New Englanders say) James Senior at “Shogun Japanese Restaurant” celebrating Andrea's Birthday. Dad was happy and healthy for this feast... as well as for the shopping spree around town that followed.

Ready for Veg videos? Click here for http://Veg-TV.info and direct downloads.

Let's make it a Happy Thanksgiving for Everyone!

Precious 3-week Experience at a Meditation Center

Dear friends and family,

I recently tasted a nectar so sweet that I must tell you of the tree from which it's fruit fell... Such an opportunity so rare, that few will have a chance to take it in this lifetime... take the course that will shed light on depths unconscious, lead to truths rarely experienced...

I've just returned from a month at a vipassana meditation center in Massachussets. I attended 2 courses and volunteered in between. The benefits I have realized from the visit are inumerable. I attended my first 10-Day course in Taiwan 1 year ago. I was quite skeptical of the organization and teachings during my first course... but by the end of my first 10-day course, I was amazed at the increased peace and balance I was experiencing. I felt such great benefit from the course, that I immediately volunteered at the Taiwan center to help with the next course. After volunteering at the Taiwan center and at the Massachussetts center this year, I began to discover what a wonderful organization it is. An organization offering EVERYONE the opportunity to have 10 days to look within, know thyself, and discover the truth that resides deep within each and every one of us. The course teaches tools that lead practitioners to deeper peace and happiness and help the practitioner better steer through the trials and tribulations life is bound to bring each one of us. I have also come to know that one can stay true to their own faith, of any religion, and attend a vipassana meditation course without conflict. A vipassana meditation course will only serve to strengthen one's morality, devotion, faith, peace, and compassion.

"There are no charges for the courses - not even to cover the cost of food and accommodation. All expenses are met by donations from people who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the opportunity to also benefit." Visit: http://www.dhamma.org/

So, your seat is waiting for you. All you need to do is find the time; the 10 days to attend. Many of you know of,.. have followed,.. or have even joined me on my adventures and travels through the last decade. And many of you look forward to your next vacation, when you can take your next adventure to some far away place... But after all of my travels... I am amazed to have experienced the greatest adventure, the greatest benefit, the most peace and happiness by traveling WITHIN during this 10-day meditation course. And depending on your location... you may not have to travel so far to attend a course. There are Vipassana Meditation Centers around the world that are run by volunteers that are old students. These old students come to the centers to voluntarily serve, so that others may experience the same benefit that they themselves have experienced... and such has been my motivation for the 4 courses I've volunteered for this year. Visit their website to find the closest center to you: http://www.dhamma.org/
The video introductions on dhamma.org are a bit old and I don't recommend them. There are more recent videos about vipassana by following the "Podcasts" link here: http://www.pariyatti.org

Through the course, I had the chance to sharpen my awareness, consciously observe my thoughts, habits, and patterns, and develop a more peaceful, balanced, loving, compassionate mind... all the while learning a technique that will allow me to do so more often.

During the course I explored my relationship with:

my past
people
food
habits
anger
sadness
addictions
self
authority
time
sleep
love
life
death
plans for the future
and more...

and gleaned new knowledge and wisdom about each one. As I left old habits behind, I began developing new ones that I always dreamed of achieving. I cannot recommend this course highly enough.

Peace and Happiness,
Precious James
www.myspace.com/preciousjames

A Miracle to sufferers of Ear, Nose, Throat issues, Sinusitis, Allergies, Ear infections, and Tooth Decay! Especially for Children! 很棒的自然鼻子藥

Dear Ones,

If you, a child, or a loved one suffer from any Ear Nose Throat problems EVER... read on and try an all natural, non-chemical, non-addictive, non-prescription remedy that has been a miracle for me! I'm not selling anything... but I will direct you to a website that sells the following Xylitol products in hopes that it works the same miracles for you that has for me! After teaching Kindergarten for 5 years in Taiwan, I've seen my share of snotty noses (thousands!), and there is no reason for them anymore! 很棒的自然鼻子藥:

Preventing Ear Infections in Children Naturally: http://www.xlearsa.com/html/children.html

I suffered from ear infections as an infant, to recurring strep throat infections as a child, to sinusitis (recurrent sinus infections) and loss of my sense of smell as a teen and adult. Most recently I was diagnosed with asthma for the first time in an emergency room in Taiwan following an "uncontrollable coughing attack" due to "allergies". These ENT symptoms and syndromes are common for so many of us. My main complaints (now cured) were stuffy nose, constant excess mucous, yellow-green mucous, head congestion, soar throats, frequent coughs, etc.

Western medicine offered me antibiotics, antihistamines, decongestants, and finally suggested surgery on my "deviated septum".

Traditional Chinese Medicine offered me daily doses of herbal medicine and acupuncture. After taking herbal medicine regularly for 4 years I experienced no lasting effect and when I stopped taking the medicine, my symptoms returned.



I tried the neti pot with salt water, then added Hydrogen Peroxide, baking soda, and grape fruit seed extract. The neti helped little. I tried extreme dietary changes and even fasting many times... up to 15 days on water only, the "Master Cleanse", but these helped little too. I tried allergy medicines and pharmeceutical sinus sprays to no avail. I tried practicing yoga and tai chi for 6 hours a day... nope. I tried so many other things that I don't even remember... but nothing has worked as amazingly as Xlear!






Also, I've made some recent DIETARY CHANGES:
One thing that also seems to help and effect my sinuses is sugar. I've cut processed sugar out of my diet almost completely. Now when I want something sweet, I eat an apple or a few raisins. When I eat a lot of processed sugar now (in the form of desserts), my sinuses do get stuffy or irritated. I've also stopped eating leavened breads. They are usually high in sugar (most breads contain sugar as the second ingredient). I still occasionally eat sprouted grain breads (like ezkeil, manna, or german unleavened breads). But many people do react to breads' gluten, yeasts, or sugars. I'm not sure how big a role cutting out sugar and bread have played into my sinusitus recovery.

After returning to America last year and visiting my friend Stephen (thank you Stephen!!!), he recommended I try Xlear Nasal Wash spray. Xlear is now sold at many health food stores and can be bought at discounted prices online.
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=XL-1010
List Price $13.49 --- Sale Price $8.89

Xlear is not only for acute infections... one will achieve best results if it is used regularly and preventatively to keep the sinuses clean. We wash our hands all the time. How often do you wash your sinuses?

Here are some consumer reviews of Xlear:
http://xlear.com/blog/dfs.php

Here is some fascinating info and background about xylitol and Xlear by it's developer:
Xlear Page: http://www.xlear.com/xylitol/jones.aspx
You can also read what each doctor in the "Doctors Corner" (of the same page) has written about xylitol.


I have since done heavy research into the product and how to make it myself. I suggest you buy a bottle and see how you like it. If you use it regularly and want to make the solution yourself, read on.

1 Pound of "Xylosweet" Xylitol Powder
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=XL-1001&source=FGXL-1001&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=XL-1001

More info from Xlear and information on how Xylitol can help ear and throat infections:
Nasal-Xylitol Page: http://www.nasal-xylitol.com/

Xlear Patent Page (You are allowed to make the solution for personal use):
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6258372.PN.&OS=PN/6258372&RS=PN/6258372

I made my first batch of Xylitol Nasal Wash and it is working well. Here is my first recipe:

I mixed the following ingredients together, put them in a 16 oz. (500ml) water bottle, and shook it up. I keep the extra in the fridge (probably doesn't need refrigeration).

2 cups of purified water
1 teaspoon sea salt
5 teaspoons of Xylitol powder
6 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE liquid) anti-bacterial, viral, fungal, natural preservative

I usually apply the nasal wash twice a day while I'm still in bed. Once in the morning when I wake up and once before going to sleep. The way I use the spray is I tilt my head forward (bending over slightly), point the tip of the spray bottle in each sinus straight up (toward the back of my head), spray twice in each nostril, keep my head tilted forward for 10-30 seconds (to allow the solution to spread into my sinuses), then I lay down for a few minutes and let the solution run back into my sinuses. I no longer need to blow my nose (nose blowing being highly discouraged by ENT's). I used to have to blow my nose numerous times per day! After a week of using Xlear, I experienced major improvements in my sinus Happiness!!!


You can purchase empty nasal spray bottles here (to share your solution with family and friends):
http://www.1-800-medical.com/nasal/nasal.htm

I'd like to experiment with adding other popular natural nasal wash ingredients such as colloidal silver, hydrogen peroxide, bakingsoda, and ??? Tell me about your nasal wash recipes.

This girl tried xylitol in her neti pot:
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/answers2/frontend.php/question?qid=20080114140056AAAb66i

Happy Sinuses, Ears, Noses, and Throats to All!!!
Precious James

Sleepless Madness

No sleep after 36 hours of straight productiveness. This beautiful Sunday morning (Sunday being my favorite day), at first light I went to the front door (my only portal for viewing the outside world) and was smitten by the brightest of whites everywhere the eye could see. White fluffiness on every limb of every tree. Quietude. Purity. One of those magical moments that comes and goes... unreplicable.

Visions of strapping on snow shoes and trapesing off into the woods, or... throwing my snowboard in the car and trying to lure family members to join me on a snowboarding adventure, or... cross country skiing down forest trails, or... shoveling the walkways around the house now that we've received another foot full of powdery snowflakes from the heavens above...

Yes, reality did begin to set in again, as it always does. But this morning, the groundless frozen white tundra that extends in all directions... seemes especially extraordinary this Sunday morning. So extraordinary that... an ordinary pot of oatmeal just wouldn't do. Today was a cold day and since I didn't sleep,... today's oatmeal would have to have a warming, KICK to it. So, today's oatmeal began with the organic rolled oats, cinnamon, garam masala, extra coriander and cumin, black pepper, sea salt, cocoa powder (unsweetened), instant coffee powder (a rare treat for this caffeine fearing soul), chopped dates (for sweetness and because I could use one for Valentine's Day), rasberry preserves, carob chips, and extra virgin coconut oil (cause I'd be happy if a virgin with a coconut bra was my Valentine's date... which is probably why Lenny called me today to see why I'm not on Kauai visiting him right now like I said I would be last time we talked 2 months ago, DoOH!)

As you're beginning to guess, I still haven't caught a wink of sleep, and you're probably not yet guessing where this email is going... BUT it does have a definite ending in my mind. The oatmeal was delicious... a culinary masterpiece. Nourishing, with the kick that I hoped it would have!!! Such a kick, that it catapulted me through a morning of cleaning my messy little home and bringing order to chaos. The KICK also helped me to stay awake and prepare for my afternoon meeting to sell the Toyota Corolla I purchased a month ago.

Dad and I met this nice Sound Engineer from Bose Corporation (in Boston) that came to test drive the car. He ran his last Corolla till it died at age 271,000 miles old. He loves Corollas and soon fell in love with mine. Which was grand, because now I have a Toyota Camry that I'm driving and could use a few grand from the Corolla back in my pocket. The Corolla ended up being too small for dad to easily enter and eject from... but the Camry is bigger and better for BIG PAPPA... The Bose Fellow bought the car for a fair price and caused ensuing celebration for the remainder of the evening with Pop, Brother Jim, and Auntie Andrea. Advertising and sellng this Corolla has taken up much of my time lately, and tonight's success was a joy and relief!