A Regimen for Remission
This log tracks my regimen of attitude, exercise, stress management, and SCD foods. Since I started this regimen in 1997, I've been able to keep my Crohn's in a drug-free remission.

Monkey-see,
monkey-don't
Even though I may have experimented beyond the SCD from time to time, one must remember that everyone is different. Follow the intro diet for 3-5 days, and stick with the SCD until you are completely symptom free for at least one year before experimenting.

Be sure to read:
Intro to Flog
Read Me
Archives
Laura's IBS log
SCD Web Library

Permalinks:
The linked timestamps are your permanent links to individual log entries.

Get the book:
Ready to get your shit together? Got the intestinal fortitude? Yearning for a nirvana of peristalsis? Buy Breaking The Vicious Cycle! Written by Elaine Gottschall B.A., M.Sc., the book includes guidelines for dietary relief and sustainable remission of Crohns, Ulcerative Colitis, and other IBDs.

Feel free to contact me if you still have questions.

Screen shots are just another form of art on the Internet -- here are a bunch of shots of Linux desktops.
mhs@22:04

Dinner: Turkish-style (marinated) grilled chicken kebabs with veggies, tossed salad, and cauliflower "mashed potatoes". Dessert: Elaine's carrot and walnut muffins.
mhs@21:43

Lunch: leftover trout, grilled summer squash, oven roasted beets, Tunisian carrot salad, and a fresh tossed salad.
mhs@16:42

Breakfast: fruit, nuts, raisins. Fermenting in the Yogourmet: two liters of SCD yogurt, using Sheila Shea's recipe. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a delicious, tangy vat of yogurt!
mhs@07:47

Friday, June 29, 2001

Dinner: Tunisian carrot salad (courtesy of The Joy Of Cooking), grilled summer squash and grilled trout with butter and pepper.
mhs@20:00

Lunch: TJ's chicken masala, nuts, raisins, and a banana.

It is quite hot here in Tucson during the summer. For the last 2 years we've been true environmentalists and refused to fix the broken A/C in our 1992 Saturn. This year I insisted on getting it fixed because I consistently cannot find covered parking during the day and hate to arrive to my destination soaked with sweat. Anyway, Saturn quoted us $900+ to replace the expansion valve and the condenser, including 5 hours' labor. I decided to get a second opinion, and found a local shop which quoted me $500 or so, (but I would have to buy the expansion valve from Saturn myself). So I bought the valve, the guy swapped the valves, and now the A/C works perfectly. Final cost..$170...total (because there was nothing wrong with the condenser after all). The moral of the story: get a second opinion from someone who isn't knife-prescription drug-wrench happy.
mhs@14:09

Following a morning jog, breakfast: fruit, nuts, cheese.
mhs@07:24

Wednesday, June 27, 2001

So, you've probably been wondering where I have been and why this hasn't been updated in a few days. I was out of town (doing some consulting/training work in Scottsdale). Suffice it to say I've been eating some SCD foods, as well as a bunch of illegals. But I'm a seasoned SCD-er and I understand how to balance a complete regimen (it's more than just diet for me, after all) and which things are less problematic for me. No problems to report at this time. :-)
mhs@20:47

Sunday, June 24, 2001

Lunch: tossed salad, leftover salmon.
mhs@13:15

Breakfast: fruit, SCD yogurt, dried figs, cheese.

Dinner, yesterday: steamed artichokes, roasted beets with sauteed beet greens, grilled salmon with walnut-cilantro pesto.
mhs@08:48

Saturday, June 23, 2001

Lunch: tossed salad, leftover chicken and salmon.
mhs@13:13

The newest addition to Mike's section of Glassbird.com: the digipix directory!

The digital photographs in this directory are (C) 2001 by Mike Simons. All pictures are completely unaltered shots taken from a Kodak DC-3400.
The images to be stored in the digipix directory will be too many to create html pages for each of them at this time. Thus, this simply pick-a-file-and-view-it interface.
Today: 11 pictures, mostly of the pre-monsoon storms and sunsets. Enjoy!
mhs@07:32

Breakfast: fruit, SCD yogurt.

Dinner, last night: grilled salmon, grilled zucchini and eggplant, and Indian style spinach with onions. Dessert: a wonderful after-dinner storm (but still no monsoon yet).
mhs@07:16

Friday, June 22, 2001

Lunch: tossed salad, adzuki bean casserole, grilled chicken.
mhs@12:37

Breakfast: fruit, SCD yogurt.

Dinner, yesterday: in honor of the send-a-message-to-Bush-voluntary-rolling-blackout, we had all lights off. A wonderful occasion to grill some trout, toss a salad, and enjoy some chilled gazpacho by candlelight!
mhs@07:58

Thursday, June 21, 2001

Lunch @ Cafe Paraiso: salmon and cheddar quiche, tossed salad.
mhs@13:30

Monsoon isn't here yet but we had a nice storm last night. Here's a photo of the storm heading West over Pusch Ridge. I'll post more pictures later.

mhs@07:21

Breakfast: SCD yogurt, fruit.

Dinner, last night @ Sheila Shea's house. Wow, what an SCD feast! Sheila went all-out on this one. While watching "The Merry Widow", we enjoyed: a nice glass of cava (Catalan champagne), echinacea tea, split-pea and spinach soup, coleslaw, and a salad of chicken, almonds, basil, grapes, celery. Dessert: a very Mediterranean delicacy of figs stuffed with almonds in a yogurt sauce. Way to go, Sheila!
mhs@07:13

Wednesday, June 20, 2001

A small rabbit seems to have found its way back into the yard, and is eating my cactus again. It seems to have ignored the tomato and pepper plants, for now. I must chase it out...

Lunch: gazpacho, tossed salad, leftover grilled chicken, cheese.
mhs@13:12

From the Blogger.com homepage, a link to a good article about web logs, journalism, vanity, and fraud (article originally appeared in Release 1.0).

Breakfast: an apple, SCD yogurt. And no, this site is not a fraud! :-)
mhs@07:12

Tuesday, June 19, 2001

Dinner: tossed salad, adzuki bean casserole.
mhs@20:13

Lunch: Oooh, exciting!! I found an unique recipe on Berkeley's SOAR for an adzuki bean casserole with peppers and apples. I modified it a bit (no soy sauce) and it was pretty good! It has a very interesting mix of flavors and textures. Also, I'm sure it is meant to be eaten hot, but mine was just fine alongside a tossed salad and some leftover grilled chicken. :-)
mhs@12:25

Breakfast: an apple, some SCD yogurt, nuts, raisins, cheese.
mhs@10:04

Monday, June 18, 2001

Dinner: gazpacho, steamed squash, and grilled chicken with a spice rub.

Before dinner: attempted to re-catch the snake... but failed. Nature sure loves our yard!
mhs@19:57

Before my morning walk this morning, I chased this baby California kingsnake into a plastic recylce bin. Kingsnakes eat other snakes, as well as lizards.

mhs@14:00

Lunch: tossed salad, leftover grilled chicken, Havarti cheese; pecans and raisins for dessert.
mhs@12:51

Breakfast: an apple, some SCD yogurt, nuts, raisins.
mhs@08:45

Sunday, June 17, 2001

Dinner: gazpacho, steamed yellow squash, leftover grilled lamb. Delicious!
mhs@19:55

Lunch: tossed salad with grilled chicken. Dessert: an organic orange, a chunk of cheese (English double Gloucester with chives).
mhs@12:26

Lizard teaches rabbit how to get under the fence
A large desert spiny lizard wandered right up to a young rabbit as the rabbit pondered what to do with the fence I put up to keep naughty bunnies out of my garden. The two got less than an inch from each other, they almost touched noses! Then the lizard tried to jump through the fence (and wasn't able, it is window screen after all), and then looked at the rabbit, went up to a small opening between the chipped rocks and the fence, and crawled under. The rabbit then proceeded to dig the chipped rock away in an attempt to make a larger hole! It was really something to see! Alas, I tapped on the window to scare the rabbit away. I'll have to put some heavier rocks in front of that opening!
mhs@11:47

Breakfast: fruit, cheese.
mhs@08:28

Saturday, June 16, 2001

Dinner: gazpacho, followed by a Guinness, grilled summer squash and eggplant; grilled lamb with garlic and rosemary. Afterwards: I got this picture of another naughty bunny!

mhs@20:57

Snack: fruit shake.
Lunch: leftover grilled chicken, Indian-style cauliflower.
Breakfast: fruit, dccc, nuts, raisins.
mhs@15:26

Friday, June 15, 2001

It is June, and the bunnies are up to no good. No, they are not playing rabbit tag. They are eating everything that contains the smallest bit of moisture. Why? Because it is hot, it is dry, and they are very hungry and thirsty! They are eating the prickly pear cactus, they are eating my pepper plants, my tomato plants, and even my baby staghorn cholla with the violet flowers. I had to put up a little fence, and I hope it keeps them out. They are a joy to watch but I didn't purchase and plant tomatoes and peppers for their consumption!
mhs@20:49

Dinner: grilled whole chicken (lots of leftovers), tossed salad, and a (oh no!) beer.

I saw Tomb Raider today; I pretty much agree with this guy that the game is better than the movie (even though it continually crashed my pc). They did a great job making Angelina Jolie look like the computer-generated Lara Croft.
mhs@20:37

Lunch: leftover salmon, tossed salad, and a peach.
mhs@13:11

Breakfast: fruit, dccc, and a walk.
mhs@08:12

Thursday, June 14, 2001

Dinner: tossed salad, grilled salmon, cauliflower "mashed potatoes", and a glass of Nugola Vecchia.
Lunch: a double cheeseburger (no bun) from Carl's Jr., and a tossed salad.
Breakfast: a jog around the neighborhood, fruit, dccc, dried figs.
mhs@19:24

Wednesday, June 13, 2001

Dinner: the last of the turkey burgers, Swiss chard, and some Indian-style cauliflower with ginger, onion, and tomato. Delicious!
mhs@18:43

Lunch: tossed salad with vinaigrette dressing, leftover turkey burgers. Morning snacks: bananas, dried figs, pecans.
mhs@12:44

Breakfast: an apple, some dccc with honey, and some cantaloupe.
mhs@06:48

Tuesday, June 12, 2001

Dinner, after yoga: leftover turkey burgers, cauliflower "mashed potatoes".
mhs@20:43

Lunch: leftover grilled spicy chicken, cauliflower "mashed potatoes", sauteed Swiss chard.
mhs@13:15

I think one of the most exciting parts of life is our ability to continue learning. While we may forget some things along the way, we are able to learn new concepts, methods of communication, tools, and more. Part of this learning often comes with the guidance from experts, leaders, parents, or mentors.

This guidance and direction provides the foundation with which we can grow, learn, and share our knowledge with others. It is particularly beautiful and gratifying to take our learning and share it as a message for others’ benefit.

It seems unfortunate when our leaders and experts have become so closed-minded through past experiences that they will no longer provide assistance or direction to those seeking answers in an effort to “further the cause”.

Everything changes, and people must allow and accept change for the most positive changes to occur. Perhaps this hands-off approach is part of an unspoken, ambiguous plan of the leader to allow, perhaps even force, the rest to continue learning on their own? Seen in this light, what was previously considered to be a hindrance to the cause can be seen as a liberation allowing positive growth and change!

This freedom allows us to embrace those in need, to re-acquaint ourselves with those we might have formerly rejected, and to have open discussion and knowledge sharing. We are fortunate for the solid foundation, which supports us in managing this change and taking our message to the world!

I'm off the SCD listserve... Onward ho!
mhs@09:16

Breakfast: fruit, nuts.
mhs@08:52

Monday, June 11, 2001

Dinner: Indian cauliflower with onion, ginger, and tomato; sauteed kale and garlic; grilled turkey burgers with Indian spiced. Delicious! And as usual, a nice after dinner walk around the neighborhood.
mhs@20:05

Lunch: leftover grilled spiced chicken, tossed salad, canteloupe.

Breakfast: a long walk, followed by fruit, dccc, honey, and dried figs.
mhs@13:03

Sunday, June 10, 2001

Dinner: a delicious homemade feast! Once again, we've proven that eating at Laura & Mike's is healthier, tastier, and cheaper than eating out! Cauliflower "mashed potatoes", grilled zucchini, and grilled chicken breasts with a spice rub from a recipe in The Joy of Cooking. The spice rub: fennel, dried red chile pepper seeds, ground mustard seed, salt, cinnamon, ground coriander. I chose to grind them all together in a mortar to ensure the rub wouldn't fall off during grilling. After grilling, spread the breasts with an oil, garlic, and cilantro dressing (it called for lime as well but we were out of lime). Delicious! Afterwards, a nice walk around the neighborhood.
mhs@20:48

Lunch: tossed salad, the last of the chicken stir-fry.

Breakfast: fruit, dccc, dried figs, cheese... sort-of grazing all day!

Dinner, yesterday: Bad move, I had some pain and lots of diarrhea after a substantially non-SCD dinner at a local Mexican place. While I've done the non-SCD thing before (long-time readers of this web log will recognize this), I feel that this meal was unique in the following ways. First, it was late and I was very very hungry. Second, I ate a bunch of tortilla chips while waiting for my salad. Third, the mix that was in the margarita had a lot of sugar in it (real margaritas do not have sugar!). Lastly, the carnitas (aged pork in a tomato sauce and spices) had been substantially sweetened. All told, a really nice mix for a case of D. Gee, I should have gone for some ice cream for dessert to top it all off! ;-) Lessons re-learned: eat when you are hungry, even if it means a snack before going out to eat at a restaraunt. Don't eat corn chips. Fajitas are a better bet than most other things at a Mexican place. Drink something without sugar.

Also, we went to yoga class yesterday morning and the excellent substitute had us doing some new poses and had us focus on breathing into our abdomen. I think all of this in one day was a bit too much for me. [ End of lecture! ] FYI: all is well today. :-)
mhs@16:39

Saturday, June 09, 2001

Lunch, after a very nice hour of yoga with a substitute instructor (who may be brought on permanently): leftover grilled chicken sausages, awesome tossed salad with mustard and garlic vinaigrette. Dessert: sulphur-free dried apricots.
mhs@13:44

Breakfast: fruit, dccc.

Dinner and a movie, yesterday: grilled (Han's) chicken, garlic and pepper sausages from Wild Oats, tossed salad with an awesome mustard garlic vinaigrette (from The Joy of Cooking) while watching the very funny and spellbinding "Shadow of the Vampire". I really enjoyed this film of a director (Malcovich) making a movie where the actor who plays the vampire (Dafoe) gets very, very involved in his role. But is the actor really an actor..?
mhs@07:31

Friday, June 08, 2001

Sizzle!!!!

I just went out to pick up the mail. It is HOT out! The thermometer reads 106 (and it has been in the shade for the last 4 hours)...

Lunch: leftovers from last night: spicy chicken stir-fry, spinach with garlic. Dessert: a peach and a monster cookie.
mhs@12:35

Breakfast: fruit, dccc.
mhs@09:45

Thursday, June 07, 2001

As a casual "winter Sunday hiker" (I don't hike the Arizona trails when it gets over 85 degrees, what a wuss..), I have to admire this Mark's hiking stories (click the link to Travels to get there). A link from Mark's site pointed me to a very cool site about Mt. Kilimanjaro (uses Flash very nicely!).
mhs@20:38

Dinner: sauteed spinach with garlic, grilled zucchini, and (more of the) leftover spicy chicken stir-fry; followed by our daily walk around the neighborhood.
mhs@20:08

Lunch: leftover chicken stir-fry, lentil soup with Havarti cheese, and a peach.
mhs@13:26

Breakfast: fruit, dccc, honey.
mhs@07:11

Wednesday, June 06, 2001

Dinner: tossed salad, sliced avocado, and a stir-fry of chicken with organic carrots, snap peas, red pepper, and onion in a Penang sauce.
mhs@19:34

Lunch: steamed baby peas, steamed squash, and leftover chicken. Dessert: Havarti cheese.
mhs@12:57

Related to the post below, an ethnologue of the languages found in Spain.
mhs@09:12

Way cool: A group called the Long Now Foundation is leading the effort to build a Rosetta Disk which will contain 1,000 languages engraved upon it, visible to anyone with a magnifying glass and/or a microscope. The Rosetta Project aims to distribute these disks in a special glass sphere to libraries and museums around the world, as well as sell them. The goal is to have "distributed backups" of so many languages which are disappearing each day, and something which can be used far into the future. The glass spheres were developed at the Los Alamos nuclear labs and can withstand salt water, sunlight, and nuclear radiation. This distributed backup system is based upon the archival principle, "lots of copies keep stuff safe". The language samples will be etched into a three-inch nickel disk because today's technology of personal computers, CD-ROMs, Windows operating systems will surely be considered long-lost technologies.

While the Biblical text which was chosen as the basis for each language's inscribed translation has raised some debate, it was selected because it is the most-widely translated text we know of. The chosen text is the first three chapters of the book of Genesis.

A collaborative, Internet-based effort is underway to verify the accuracy of the translations, as well as catalog detailed descriptions, vernacular texts, and audio samples. To learn more about this project be sure to visit the rosettaproject.org.
mhs@09:09

Breakfast: fruit, dccc. My gut was a bit unhappy this morning in that it felt "heavy" but feels much better since I eliminated. Perhaps the lentil soup for dinner (with nothing else and no after-dinner walk) was a bit much? Oh, and some monster cookies before bedtime..

Dinner, yesterday: see post above. Laura and I went to yoga class last night, the instructor (and her substitute) failed to show up, so the place asked us if we would lead the class! Laura did a wonderful job!!! I was her able "model" and she took us through many asanas, and then I led a few. It was fun!
mhs@07:00

Tuesday, June 05, 2001

Lunch: leftover grilled chicken, sauteed kale with garlic.
The lentil soup came out wonderfully..I can't wait for dinner!
mhs@14:14

Breakfast: fruit, nuts, raisins. I'm at home today, so I'll be grazing while I cook lentil soup this morning!

:-( It appears that the large swallowtail caterpillar has been eaten. There is no sign of it anywhere, and no chrysalis anywhere (that I can find). The little baby caterpillar is up to about 4 mm. in length, still a fuzzy black caterpillar.
mhs@08:21

Monday, June 04, 2001

Dinner: tossed salad, sliced avocado, steamed squash, cauliflower "mashed potatoes", and leftover roasted chicken.

Lunch: middle-eastern style lamb and vegetables, hummus, and some rice. Bad move...it bothered me all afternoon.
mhs@20:27

Breakfast: an apple, dccc, a banana, and two delicious Monster cookies (which my loving wife Laura made last night!!!!!).

Caterpillar update: one of the two caterpillar eggs has hatched. There is a 2 mm. fuzzy black baby caterpillar on our parsley now. It is so small! On the other hand, the larger one has molted its skin at least once since the photo was posted here last week (see the archives) and appears to be ready to enter the chrysalis stage.
mhs@07:02

Sunday, June 03, 2001

I love Mandrake 8.0's Linux distribution; it also got CNet's Editor's Choice award.
mhs@20:03

Dinner: grill-roasted chicken (in pieces), *awesome* sauteed kale with garlic, steamed summer squash with butter, salt and pepper. And a glass of Nugola Vecchia from TJ's.
mhs@19:47

Lunch: gazpacho, tossed salad, cheese.
mhs@15:03

Breakfast: fruit, dccc.

Dinner, yesterday: dinner and a movie rental! :-) Grilled eggplant, cauliflower "mashed potatoes", and TJ's chicken masala (while watching Gladiator).

Lunch: leftover grilled swordfish, tossed salad.
mhs@08:21

Saturday, June 02, 2001

Pre-lunch snacking (post-gym revitalization): gazpacho, manchego cheese, pecans, an apple, dried apricots...
mhs@11:48

As a former fellow New Englander, I really admire Jeffords for sticking to his independent traditions and leaving the GOP. Now I'm in Arizona, and our McCain continues to frustrate the GOP leader. Is "Dubya" the reincarnation of Humpty Dumpty? Has Bush fallen from the wall and beyond repair? (Oh please, oh please...)
mhs@08:09

Breakfast: fruit, nuts, raisins.

I spotted two insect eggs on the parsley--perhaps I'll get more swallowtail caterpillars? I hope so!
mhs@07:56

Friday, June 01, 2001

Swallowtail caterpillar update: yes, that's a swallowtail caterpillar. According to Bruce Walsh at the University of Arizona's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, "It is indeed a swallowtail, being a lighter version of the standard larval form for the Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes). Here's a URL for more information and a range map for the entire US". You will note that the caterpillar in my photo has small "knobs" or protuberances, which do not appear in the picture that is found in the link above. I wonder if these "knobs" are part of the unique Arizona sub-species mentioned on the NPSC page...
mhs@15:50

Lunch: all-you-can-eat Mongolian grille @ Rose Garden.
mhs@15:42

Breakfast: fruit, hard boiled egg, cheese.
mhs@06:56

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