Saints Challenge Day 7

1.  Caffeine

Unable to find any internet resources recommending going cold turkey.  MacGyver continues to ply me with Postum, a Mormon favorite.  Last weekend was shot on excessive napping, non-caffeinated headache meds, and warmed ginseng water which tasted objectionable enough that I think it is still in LDS bounds.  During the work week, I got a crash course in smoothie making to fill the breakfast caloric void and continue to quaff ginseng.  So far so, good.  Getting up at 5:30am reliably with nowhere to go.  Wanting to pass out around 21:00.  I should probably wean myself off ginseng at some point... and the hot chocolate is questionable, Belle.

2.  No Alcohol

With yawn onsets at dusk, this one was also pretty self-regulating.  OK, there were a couple meals this week where I might have caught a piqued eyebrow and accusation of preggers until I explained what I was actually doing.  Out of "solidarity," I think MacG has doubled his consumption for me.  Also, the chickens are out of food, so MacG better get brewing soon.  

3.  Expletives

For my purposes, g-d is not a swear word, even if taken in vain.  I'm only swearing off the 7 you can't say on TV.  This one has been hardest to adhere to because there is no deliberation or internal struggle to say or not to say.  I slipped up at least once on the first 3 days.  Performance over the week has improved tremendously as a function of avoiding perilous yard work and driving activities.

4.  Tithing

Payday.  MacG had suggested I "tithe" into mortgage payoff; I tithe far more than 10% of my income into this "charity" already.  We have some pretty ambitious mortgage payoff goals, but I also have a goal to make 101 Kiva loans, and I still have a ways to go.  So my tithe went to establishing internet at a Pakistani refugee camp in Lebanon, a Cameroonian phone booth, a Zambian wire transferring service,  chicks in Vietnam, a Filipino internet cafe, a Peruvian freezer, a Paraguayan toilet, a Kenyan apiary, a San Diego hippie pre-school, and a Mexican cow poop digester (cook your steak with cow farts ftw).  Thoughts so far:  10% of my bi-weekly income really isn't *that* much (ok, so there are like 26 installments per year). I usually am in excess of 10% before I even begin to think about clicking checkout on Amazon.  It seems like in small amounts, it can help a lot of people.


5.  Health

This one has less concrete success criteria.  The caffeine and booze embargo nets out to be a slight nutritional upgrade, even if I have had some ice cream splurges this week.  Did manage to set up a membership and do a quick 40 minute lap swim on Monday, do a bike-run-swim triple brick on Tuesday, a chiropractic adjustment on Weds, and a short joy ride on Thursday before my tire got flat at the foot of The Hill we had set out to conquer.  Sunday is sprint triathlon moment of truth.

6.  24 Hour Fast!

So there is a bonus challenge of not eating or drinking for 24 hours that slipped Elder's mind.  I suspect that this traditionally occurs tomorrow, but since I'm not quite ready to attempt a triathlon without any water, this will need to be rescheduled.