In my last post, I talked about my recent travels to Colorado in my longest entry so far, complete with pictures. During my last night there, I taught some new friends a game I learned in college called, "Killers & Villagers", a psychological mystery game that only requires people to play. The first time it was taught to me, we played till three o'clock in the morning. The great thing about this game, is that the more you play it, the more you understand how your friends operate and manipulate one another, which  you can use to your advantage in future rounds. It's also a lot of fun to hold "lynching" sessions during the game's "day" period in which you vote on players to eliminate. Below, I will outline the rules for this addictive game and give a brief history of its fascinating development by Russian, Dmitry Davidoff, who dates the first game back to 1986 at the Psychology Department of Moscow University. 
     
     Killers & Villagers

Players Needed: 6 or more

Player Types: 2 Killers. The rest are Villagers.

Set up: The game consists of two teams (Killers and Villagers). Both teams work to eliminate the other. Roles are chosen at random by drawing folded, labeled strips of paper out of a hat. Make sure nobody knows what the other players' roles are. Once everyone has gotten their role, fold the paper back, and have the papers collected again and set aside. The first round can now begin. 

     Elect someone to be the "moderator". This will be the person who dictates the flow of the rounds as described here. Have all players "go to sleep" by putting their heads down and secularly closing their eyes. At this time, the two killers in the game will learn each others identity to better work against the villagers. The moderator will now say: "Will the two killers acknowledge each other". The two killers will lift their heads and seek each other out in the group. Once they know each other, they will put their heads back down to "sleep". This should take no more than five seconds. Players can make tapping noises to help avoid hearing the killers move about, which could ruin the game. After a few seconds, the moderator will say: "Everyones' head should be down...and now, all players wake up." The game now goes into its second phase of "day time". 

     This time is now spent with players analyzing, questioning, and accusing each other as they try to figure out who the killer is. Players can communicate to one another why they are innocent and who they believe is guilty. Players will call for votes to eliminate who they believe one of the killers is. Once more than half of the players vote for one particular person, that individual is eliminated and is now out of the game. He or she is now a spectator from then on. It is VERY important that spectators, who will now be able to see who the killers are, does not reveal their identities, give hints to still living villagers, or anything that would compromise the remainder of the game. 

It should be noted that killers, though they work on the same team, can turn against each other if they feel their own life is threatened and they need to divert the heat elsewhere. 

      The game cycles back into the night time period, in which the killers will, once again, look at each other, so that any eliminated villagers can know their identities. The game then cycles back into the day period, in which questioning and voting recommence. The process continues in this fashion until one team is eliminated. It will be the duty of those previously killed off, to confirm which side is eliminated first. 

(*In regards to the moderator, a individual can play WHILE being a moderator if they know what they are doing. You can also have a person who does NOT play the game, and acts solely as a moderator who has no influence on the game.)

     Like I said, the more you play, the more you learn how twisted your friends minds are as they lie, deny, and turn the tide. Seeing what mannerisms your friends adapt as they prove their innocence or lie to your face. I hope you get a chance to try it, as it can keep your party entertained for hours. Enjoy, and please check out my last post, "Colorado Travels" to read all about my time in the Rockies. 

     Here's some more info about this game, originally titled, "Mafia (party game)" sourced from wikipedia:



Mafia (Russian: Ма́фия, also known as Werewolf) is a party game created in the USSR by Dimitry Davidoff in 1986,[2] modelling a conflict between an informed minority (the mafia) and an uninformed majority (the innocents). At the start of the game each player is secretly assigned a role affiliated with one of these teams. The game has two alternating phases: "night," during which the mafia may covertly "murder" an innocent, and "day," in which surviving players debate the identities of the mafiosi and vote to eliminate a suspect. Play continues until all of the mafia has been eliminated, or until the mafia outnumbers the innocents.

Dmitry Davidoff (Russian: Дми́трий Давы́дов, Dmitriy Davydov) is generally acknowledged as the game's creator. He dates the first game to spring 1986 at the Psychology Department of Moscow State University, spreading to classrooms, dorms, and summer camps of Moscow University.[3][Note 1] Wired attributes the creation to Davidoff but dates the first game to 1987,[4] with 1986 being the year in which Davidoff was starting the work which would produce Mafia. He developed the game to combine psychology research with his duties teaching high school students.[4] The game became popular in other Soviet colleges and schools and in the 1990s it began to be played in Europe and then the United States. By the mid nineties a version of the game became a Latvian television series (with a parliamentary setting, and played by Latvian celebrities).[5]
Andrew Plotkin gave the rules a werewolf theme in 1997,[6] arguing that the mafia were not that big a cultural reference, and that the werewolf concept fitted the idea of a hidden enemy who looked normal during the daytime.[4] Mafia and a variant called Thing[Note 2] have been played at science fiction writers' workshops since 1998,[7] and have become an integral part of the annual Clarion[8]and Viable Paradise[9] workshops. The Werewolf variant of Mafia became widespread at major tech events, including the Game Developers Conference, ETech, Foo Camps, and South By Southwest.[4] In 1998 the Kaliningrad Higher school of the Internal Affairs Ministry published the methodical textbook Nonverbal communications. Developing role-playing games 'Mafia' and 'Murderer' for a course on Visual psychodiagnostics, to teach various methods of reading body language and nonverbal signals.[10]
In March 2006 Ernest Fedorov was running a Mafia Club in Kiev, using his own patented variation of the rules. The club organizes games, rates players, and awards prizes (including a Sicily trip for their tournament-series champion).[11]
In June 2006, a Rockingham school inquiry was launched after parents complained of the traumatic effects classroom Mafia was having on their fifth-grade children. Davidoff responded to the reports, saying that as a parent who had studied child psychology for 25 years, he felt that the game could "teach kids to distinguish right from wrong", and that the positive message of being honest could overcome the negative effects of an "evil narrator" moderating the game as if it were a scary story.[12]
Mafia was called one of the 50 most historically and culturally significant games published since 1800 by about.com.[13] Although the game can be played with a deck of poker cards or slips of paper, Looney Labs successfully marketed a commercial version of the game as Are You a Werewolf?, which was later followed by Asmodee Editions' Werewolves of Millers Hollow, Mayfair Games' Lupus in Tabula and Bezier Games' Ultimate Werewolf.[citation needed] A Cthulhu Mythos variant (Do You Worship Cthulhu) was published in 2006.[14]

My time traveling through Colorado was well spent. I enjoyed myself thoroughly despite set backs described in my previous post. I covered a fair amount of ground, exploring downtown Denver, a large portion of its northwest  corner, Red Rocks, the small, old miner town of Idaho Springs, and even managed to record a spontaneous podcast on my flight with a fellow from Fort Collins named Levi Wall. 

(Pictures of my trip are included below. You can hear the podcast with Mr. Wall here: http://www.coastalnoise.com/podcast.html)

Upon landing I promptly retrieved my bags and awaited my Colorado connect, Hoard. He arrived like clockwork and after a brief introduction, we made our way west to the highlands. My first true day in Denver, I was treated to the spectical that is Red Rocks. Like many of the finer details of Colorado, especially its nature aspects, it is very difficult to describe just how impressive Red Rocks is. From the top of the highest seats, the city of Denver stands majestically in the background, the town of Morrison just off to the right, a cozy town tucked into the mountains which is granted the privilege of baring witness to the grand image of Red Rocks on a continuous basis. Bleachers descend toward the stage and exercise enthusiasts run the lengths of each row, which I'm told equates to two miles. 

I am granted to a real treat as a trio of tourists take to the stage to test the legendary acoustics that the venue is noted for with a run of the, "Star Spangled Banner". Everyone present watches, some with hands on their hearts, as the group reaches their conclusion. Over the notes of the the three singers, you can feel the stillness in the air, along with the strange external silence that is present just beyond the song itself. The rock formations on each side carry the music clearly up to where I stand. 
The crowd erupts with applause and the ameuter performers drop their serious demeanor for comical bows of gratitude. Below I see the museum where lists of past performing artists adorn the wall. Phish, The Grateful Dead, The Eagles, The Beatles, Hendrix, Blues Traveler, Ben Harper, Jack White, The Allmen Brothers, and the list stretches on. Group viewings of old films are posted with Donnie Darko, Pulp Fiction, Woodstock, Office Space, Anchorman, The Big Lebowski...A series of titles, one after another, that would all be good fun to view in such a place. 

I listen briefly as Willie Nelson proclaims his love for the venue in a short video, then browse a wall full of memorabilia of past shows. A signed Tool with King Krimson poster catches my attention. Leaving Red Rocks, I see their are several trails that branch off that runners take to as they begin their morning exercise under the clear blue skys accompanied by a mild chill made bearable by the warm, beaming sun. 

Before seeing the main street of Denver, my friend shows me to a Jazz bar where live music is being performed for lunch. Over the course of my meal, a rotating cast of musicians come and go from the stage: Two piano players, a guitarist, a drummer, a stand up bassist, a xylophonist, and several singers. Overall, it makes for a great introduction to the heart of city life. 

Next comes the downtown region of Denver, 16th Street. A quick walk through shows a rich diversity of restaurants, clothing stores, coffee houses, bars, shopping malls, and, of course, dispensaries. By the end of my trip, I will have visited the downtown area twice and neither times does the foot traffic feel to congested or hectic. People stroll about casually, reflecting a calm and relaxed vibe I come to associate with Colorado more and more. Much like in Boulder, many people walk about with their canine companions. Free buses go up and down 16th Street shuttling people where ever they wish to go on the strip. 

One of the city's biggest parks near Capital Hill comes next. I'm told many first time residence move to this area, mostly young adults. The park is large indeed and I see a gaggle of geese take to a near by open space to graze. Runners with dogs make their way along the length of the sidewalks next to the lake and even though the skyscrapers of the city are so close, it is oddly quiet as I stand behind the park museum that doubles as an Imax, where elementary school students are leaving from a field trip. I have many moments like this during my stay, in which I wonder how such a busy city can sound so subdued. 

Before the evening sets in over the park, I discover that there is an isolation tank center not far from where I'm staying called, A New Spirit. I stop in to see if they can fit me in for a float. They are booked, a fact that actually makes me happy as it shows the tanks are getting good use. The lady behind the counter tells me you almost always have to reserve a tank a week in advance to be able to float. Having just had a discussion about isolation tanks in the last podcast  with Levi Wall, I was very eager to check out their set up. After seeing both tank rooms I tell them I may return before I leave Denver. 

Over the course of the next couple days, I call every morning to find any previously available slots taken. Though I would have loved to have floated for an hour, I was still glade to see the popularity of the tanks growing. 

Later that night, I'm sitting at Hop and Pies, where I'm told the thin pizza crust is made with a secret recipe that makes it melt in your mouth. I test the claim with a mozzarella cheese pizza with sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions, and whole roasted garlic cloves. 

It's a knock-out. 

I end up eating an extra slice or two because they do, in fact, seem to melt away with ease. Before leaving, I have also gotten the chance to sample a beer of my choice. Colorado, being a state of numerous breweries, offers a wide variety of beverages year round. I taste the "Grasshoppa", a local gluten free, cider beer that had a texture and taste more in common with a champagne than a beer. I good drink. 

The next day I hike up a trail in Jefferson County, about a half hour drive from Denver. Later on, I walked through the old mining town of Idaho Springs which lays snuggly between two mountains, one which has a small waterfall. The town is only a single mile in length and has a population of 2,000 people, most of whom live up in the mountains. 

Dinner that night was in one of Idaho Springs popular downtown hangouts where one could grab a bite and play a game of pinball on over a dozen of the restaurants operating machines. I met a couple who had lived in the town for a time and had just bought a cabin up in the mountains. We talked through dinner and then parted ways just before a pinball tournament was scheduled to start. Before leaving, I recommended to my two new acquaintances that they consider looking into the Gulf Coast area for a warm winter home, for they were seeking such a place as they were both nearing retirement. 

Getting the urge for a late night snack once back in Northwest Denver, I made a brief walk to the local grocery store, Sprouts. Stores like this are abundant around Denver, since its citizens regularly demonstrate against chains like Wal-mart, demanding the franchise stay a certain distance from the center of the city. A quick bit of research seems to confirm this, and Google maps show any Wal-mart stores more towards the outskirts of the city. I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me McDonalds gets similar treatment in these parts. 

At Sprouts, I browse the selection of food and notice a great deal of in house made products and organic options. The day before I had two slices of the stores home made bread and proclaimed it the greatest bread I've ever eaten from a store. With a whole store of delicious food before me, I decide on a bundle of organic kale...of course. After I prepare my greens (which also turn out to be fantastic) I watch, Lincoln, on the television as I get ready for bed. After it ends, I'm still somewhat awake and decide to watch whatever show is on the previous channel, which happens to be South Park. Since I'm in the state where the show takes place and I haven't seen an episode in years, I let it play. Kenny battles the forces of Hell with God's golden PSP, which he designed to find Heaven's new version of Keanu Reeves. 

It's awesome. 

After seeing Daniel Day Louis age 20 years in the course of two and a half hours, I was in serious need of a good laugh. The funniest part of Lincoln was finding out Tommy Lee Jones is sleeping with his maid. He really is a Man In Black! Boom!

The following day, I become acquainted with a new group. Through a family friend, I meet Allie who has been living in Denver for several years and has roots in Atlanta as well as Ocean Springs, my hometown's neighbor. She tells me she met Two Chainz, the rapper, last night while out on the town. She has the picture to prove it. It's an impressive introduction and I wonder if she casually meets other celebrities on other nights of the week. With one of her friends, we make our way to Rootdown, which is serving brunch. 

The food and atmosphere at Rootdown is exceptional. At our table we have a fried egg sandwich, steak and eggs, home style potato fries, fruit and my own plate of almond flour buttermilk pancakes with pear sauce and maple syrup. The rest of the day is spent hanging with more friends who live around Sloan Lake. As it starts to rain, we make ourselves comfortable indoors watching the Bronco's game, playing Mrs. Pac Man, card games, Apples to Apples, and Killas and Villagas. I will have to write an instruction guide to this last one as it is a great psychological, mystery game to play with friends and family. 

We have to tare ourselves away from the festivities as it gets late into the night. In a previous round of Apples to Apples, I put down a Big Mac card. Now, everyone wants to grab a late night snack at McDonalds, which debunks my previous theory about its receptivity in the city and also greatly opposes my previous late night snack of steamed kale the day before. 

My new friends laugh at me when I order oatmeal, but I laugh back when they discover their French fries are cold and I'm the only one with warm food. The window workers also get a good laugh as they read the sticky strips of paper we have had stuck to our foreheads for the last several hours. On them, is what can only be described as, ridiculous shit. 

The night concludes as we part ways and the next morning brings better weather. I take a stroll through the neighborhood to find somewhere to eat breakfast. Not finding much of a selection, I settle on the Family Dollar, of all places, where I stock up on trail mix, sunflower seeds, an assortment of dried fruit, and instant noodles. My flight doesn't leave till seven at night, which gives me a few roaming hours in the city's downtown. By mid-afternoon I head to the RTD station to make sure rush hour traffic doesn't prevent me from making my flight on time. 

On the bus, I meet a guy who says he has lived in Colorado for 10 years, but now resides in Idaho. When I ask him why he would ever leave such a place for Idaho, he tells me he moved at the suggestion made by his meditation teacher, who he has been practicing with for several years. I can tell he probably thinks that I think he is strange for saying such a thing, but I tell him I have seen several Buddhist meditation centers around Denver these past couple days and admire the city's diversity of spiritual practice. 

I hoped this might put him at ease, and sure enough we had an enlightening conversation for the remainder of the ride to the airport. He even extended an invitation to me to his groups yearly winter retreat which lasts a month long in a city just east of Pueblo in the southern region of Colorado. I thank him even though I know I cannot make such an event. My travels are concluded for the time being, although the idea of a month long retreat is an interesting one. 

At the airport I wish the fellow traveler a safe return and make my way through the terminal routine. The TSA lines are short today. I sit by my gate, 3 hours early, and listen to podcasts and finish my book, "Never Cry Wolf". When I get home, I will pick up the first book of the "Salt" series by, Maurice Gee. The flight is delayed another hour and a half. I tell myself it's better late than never and think back on the airport story from my last article. 

Yes, definitely better late than never. 

On the plane, I begin writing about my journey while its still fresh in my mind, but don't finish it for another two days when I am at home and spending time with my baby niece, who has learned a new phrase while I was away. I am told, just the other morning, she walked up to my brother-in-law and said, "change my butt". 

Yes, everyday she becomes more and more sophisticated and it is a joy to bare witness to. I have certainty missed her in my time away. She, along with the rest of my family, make up a big reason why even the most beautiful places like Colorado, will never have it all. I will be thinking long and hard about my future return to the west, and in what regards my next trip will be for. What ever the reason my be, I look forward to seeing the Rockies again very soon. 

Until next time, Colorado. 

Stefan 

It had to happen eventually. After becoming somewhat use to the process of moving through airports during the few travels of my life without issue, it was only a matter of time before something had to go wrong. Last year, I flew to Boone, North Carolina to see my sweet heart of a friend Kayla, then took off for Boulder, Colorado to couch surf before heading to Portland, Oregon for a three day conference on business management in running Isolation Tank centers. I went to all these places in a matter of days, with my biggest of problems being I needed to switch a flight. Besides that, I have flown over seas to Europe, Jamaica, and other parts of the US without much of a hiccup. However, Jesus couldn't get around in airports without having a few bad days eventually. It just so happened that today was my turn, and the set backs were a major drag to say the least.
I did my best to stay relaxed and get rested last night and did so by picking a movie from my Netflix selection, which only seems to get bigger as I rarely sit down to tackle the films I pick. I am sure this a problem many users have. I narrow my selection down to Requiem for A Dream, a JFK documentary, and a South Korean mystery, psychological thriller called Oldboy. Thinking I might see some kung fu, I choose Oldboy, not knowing how ever discovered this moving (I later traced it back to a Tony Jaa movie I watched a few months ago, Ong Bak 2, that turned out to be a roller coaster ride of one crazy fight scene after the next....check it if your down with "the arts").

I have to tell you, because I respected this movie so much after seeing it, Oldboy is badass. I could write an entire blog on it (and might just) but I will merely wet your pallet here to encourage a viewing. Oldboy is a movie from 2003 that follows the story of a drunken man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years before waking up one day in the outside world. He then tries to figure out what has happened to him, why people believe he murdered his wife while still confined, where his daughter is, who the man who kidnapped and restrained him is, and how to kill him. I won't say anything more for now. Just see it!

After the epic conclusion, I go to sleep and wake to make my journey to MSY Airport. Despite leaving two and a half hours early, I greatly underestimate the level of morning traffic in New Orleans. Wish someone had given me the heads up about this.

Sometimes, the price of experience is great.

With time running short and a series of muttered curse words already uttered under my breath I struggle for several minutes to find the parking garage I'm supposed to use. I get to my destination and literally sprint through the entrance of MSY. My flight isn't scheduled to leave for another forty minutes. No problem...or so I think. Upon arriving at the check-in desk, a stoner looking character who is twiddling away on his phone looks up and says, "Nah man, planes already closed."
You gotta be kidding me. 
No worries. Since I wear my sunglasses at night, I keep my calm and try to talk with the guy to see what can be done. Nothing, he says.

This guy...

Two other people come in and are denied access. One goes into a rage. I'm thinking if we all raise enough hell someone will let us on this damn tin can, but nobody seems to be here except the monkey behind the counter. Finally, the manager shows up, and kindly tells us the plan has departed.

Thank you. You have been very helpful.

"Can we get another flight out today?"

"No, there are no more flights today. The next one will be two days from now."

What the shit! Do you people send one plane out and then call it a day? So now, if I take this reschedule, I will miss two days in Denver and will either have to find someone to stay with in New Orleans or go back home, only to make the return drive Saturday. Not happenin.

"Can we get refunds since you wouldn't let us on."

"Hmm, I don't know. Call this number to see."

Spoiler alert: You DO NOT get your fucking money back when Frontier Airlines decides they won't let you on your plane. To make a long story short, I was on hold a half hour before I was told this by an agent who said it as calm as a Hindu cow in a much less exciting way. I did my best to seem angry and super inconvenienced (which I was in both regards) but it's hard to play the part when I know that the defusion of responsibility is so great, that no matter who I talk to, nobody is truly at fault for my predicament and can't really do anything about it. If anyone can be blamed, it's me. But please, for the love of God, don't make me admit that. At least not today.

So I'm still trying to figure out what I will do about my predicament. I have my contacts in Denver who are expecting me know what's up and they kindly help me look for alternatives. My sweet mom, at home with my niece who can be a handful, is now dealing with her frustrated son who has her also searching for a way out.

My Denver friend makes the suggestion I keep my return flight with Frontier and book a one way flight with someone else today. Hey, why let all the money go down the drain? Might as well use them for something, and they do owe me a return flight. It's a solid idea, besides the fact it will cost me a pretty penny. Something that is not adding to my totally awesome mood. I ask my mom to scan the web for flights. She confirms a finding by my Denver friend and I go to book it.

Then, I get the e-mail.

Frontier Airlines has canceled my return flight that they owed me.

#$@*! $##@!

Or something like that...

And so...I find myself on the phone, on hold, AGAIN, this time for an hour since nobody is at the Frontier desk anymore (Remember? Because they sent out there one 9am plan for the day and then went to the stripe clubs). I sit with another one of the abandoned Frontier flyers who was with me earlier and see she is also trying to make it work out. The other girl who was left in the cold took the Saturday flight like a conformist, but hey, you do what you have to do, I'm not haten. Anyway, I'm still sitting there, me and this other lady, both of our phones on speaker waiting for someone to pick up.

The same hold music is playing in sync from both our phone speakers. The scene could almost be romantic if we both weren't considering arson.

I haven't eaten today and have been up since six thirty and I'm refusing to do so until I have a plan of action. With my luck, by the time I get this return flight reinstated, the ticket I wanted to purchase to get to Denver will already be bought by someone else. Thankfully, I get my return back without saying nasty things into the phone. I book another outgoing flight.

At the end of the ordeal, I have paid a $300 mistake and now have a flight course that, instead of my original 2 hour non-stop, will take all day to complete, and I will have lost an entire afternoon in Colorado. On top of all this, I am exhausted from everything, including my few hours of sleep last night.

The TSA lines are extra long today and my first hour in the terminal I secretly wish I could just go home. I realize I still haven't eaten. I brought two packs of "emergency" oatmeal in my book bag for days I go hiking or whatever other reason. Having spent more than twice the amount of money I expected to spend before even leaving the airport, I decide, I am indeed, in a state of emergency. In this state, purchasing the normal $10 sandwich at ANY airport restaurant is instantly out of my broke ass trip budget. And so, I break out a pack of oatmeal, pour it into my water bottle, and drink my first meal of the day at twelve o'clock at the B7 gate.

After that, I do something I never though I'd do successfully in an airport terminal. I fall asleep laying on the ground, my backpack and bundled hoodie as pillows with the sleeve draped over my eyes. I wake up and walk around waiting for my flight. My cousin Hope sends me a picture that one of her students has drawn for her projects. Its the Slender Man. Its pretty awesome. I start reading a book that I pulled from the shelf at home called, "Never Cry Wolf", a true story of a lone Canadian biologist who goes to the Arctic to live and study wolves for over a year. It draws me in and the time passes.

Before long, I am boarding the flight and feeling better. I release my frustration I had toward Frontier. I don't hold it against them. For the first time that day, my excitement is restored for my trip. I don't think about the extra money that has gone from my pocket. It is in the past, and I am on my way now. I don't think of my lost day in Colorado. The mountains will still be there to great me in the morning. What is done cannot be undone and I will not live with the problems that existed a few hours ago. Fair weather is in my future, I am sure of it.

Colorado, take me in.

Stefan

     I posted an article yesterday about beating your sickness, complete with tips on how to make a speedier recovery. One of my suggestions was the traditional advice of making sure you had plenty of vitamin C in your diet through the consumption of such products as orange juice. I was shocked when I followed up by doing some additional research shortly after I posted it, and found the entire first page of my search warning me of the dangers of orange juice. What! When did this happen? I thought orange juice was our friend. This demanded my attention. 
     
        I started scanning through blogs and medical journals and found a staggering amount of surprising information. Apparently, orange juice became the selling point for a lot of clever business men back in the day when people first started believing that vitamin C played a major role in boosting the immune system. This was largely due to American chemist and Nobel prize-winner Linus Pauling writing the book, "Vitamin C and the Common Cold" in 1970, despite a lack of scientific backing for the text. Before long, marketers began promoting and selling orange juice because it was widely believed to be a super food that effectively combated the common cold and, of course, tasted great. And so, the campaign began. 

     Current claims, however, are showing a different story. Researchers are doing studies in which some groups receive set amounts of vitamin C supplements everyday and others do not. Results show that not much difference is noticed, unless you are someone who doesn't get near enough of these vitamins from your daily diet. Other studies that have given participates increased amounts of vitamins A and C have shown they can actually disrupt the body's natural balance of oxidants and antioxidants.

      If the claims are true, then taking vitamin C isn't going to help you much if you have a cold. This is why the company that produced Airborne got sued. They advertised a product that claimed to keep you from getting sick (largely due to its high vitamin C levels). Since the science didn't support it, they were taken to court and eventually settled for over $20 million dollars.   

     Another big problem with the orange juice myth, is that modern processing uses fructose in their production. Extra sugar in your diet is never good and can cause weight gain, high cholesterol, metabolic dysfunction and more. Fruits are also a carbohydrate and, in liquid form, has a much quicker effect on fat gain. The fact that fructose is found in so many other products because it is cheaper to produce than sugar isn't helping the matter. This is not to say sugar is a bad thing entirely. On the contrary, our body needs sugar to convert into energy, however, as a society we are taking in too much these days. Even people who live in regions where oranges grow such as Florida or California, only have them seasonally. This means that other food sources were needed to supplement for vitamins and minerals, but with modern production methods, people have access to these fruits almost all year round. 

     Enter vegetables. Many vegetables have higher levels of vitamin C and far less sugars. Take a look at some of these comparisons, one which happens to be the all mighty kale plant:

Amount of Vitamin C


1/2 cup of red chili peppers - 181mg

100 gram serving of yellow peppers - 184mg

100 gram serving of raw kale - 120mg 

1 cup broccoli - 89mg 


1 cup of orange juice - 98mg 


     Fruits are important, this isn't an article suggesting that you cut oranges out of your diet. I would simply suggest a little research into the matter yourself and consider eating more vegetables when you are sick or needing to boost your vitamin C intake. As I said, I'm a little surprised myself in my findings, but I'm glade I found it now instead of weeks down the road.  If you find any other information that confirms or refutes what I have discovered, please send it to me! Below our some of the websites I used to compile what I have written. 

http://modernhealthmonk.com/orange-juice-is-killing-you/

healthaliciousness.com

http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2011/12/for-the-last-time-orange-juice-will-not-cure-your-cold.html

          Stuck inside, still attempting to get better, I've decided to construct a brief guide for, "Getting Well". My Denver trip is in two days, and I've been working diligently to stay in fair health as friends and family all around me fall to this God awful virus that's going about. Perhaps, if you suffer similar aliments, you can find some useful ideas to turn the tides.
          
         Rule #1- Keep the orange juice handy. I'm lucky in the fact that my family produces a fair share of these fruits this time of year. Nothing beats a fresh orange from the tree, but if its not available to you, get you some OJ in a bottle stat! Get a gallon or more if you think it will be a particularly bad sickness. The body isn't capable of producing vitamin C on its own, so getting it through oranges is a great way to go. They are also good sources for calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
         
         Rule #2-Drink tea. Make it hot to sooth an irritated  throat from sinus drainage. Green tea will boost your immune system provided by the plants abundance of flavonoids and catechins, particularly epigallocatechin-3-gallate. Like in orange juice, green tea is a good source of vitamin C, as well as vitamin E. Studies show time and time again that individuals who drink more tea than others are less prone to diseases, whether they are small colds or, in more serious situations, certain types of cancers. 
        
         Be sure to add honey if you can. Local honey is particularly good because small traces of pollen that you are exposed to in your area gets displaced in honey when bees are producing it. This creates an effect similar to when you receive a vaccine. Essentially, when you get a small amount of something in your body, antibodies are created to combat them and a defense is made against all other similar invaders. And so, the theory goes, small traces of pollen introduced into the body, will create a better defense for higher levels in the future. I highly recommend the article which I will post below. It enlightened me to the fact that bees actually make honey through a process that involves regurgitating nectar from their stomach into their honeycombs. As a fan of honey my whole life, all I can say to that is...delicious...
          
          Rule #3 - Have a balance of indoor rest and outdoor recreation. This one various depending on the severity of your sickness and the type. Some will argue the best thing you can do when experiencing a cold is kick back on the couch and "veg" out. Not a terrible idea for someone who is feeling...terrible, but I'd recommend a little fresh area during your recovery time. 
          
          After a few days of the worst part of my cold, I really felt like an early morning walk (this was right after I wrote my last post on the Supreme Veggie Shepherds Pie) so I decided to do just that. My cold was half due to my allergies and all the pollen in the air but I felt like taking a risk. It wasn't the best move. I took a hike through some woods and a nice neighborhood close by and when the sun started warming up I felt the heat, know what I'm saying? 
        
          I retreated back indoors and became more cautious of such actions. Instead, as lame as it sounds, I pace the house to get some movement while listening to podcasts, as well as dedicated time for stretching which helps in circulating blood through the body. Getting sunlight is important for recovery, so I make sure to stand or sit in rooms full of windows if going outside for long periods is difficult. Avoid gyms for the time being, where you can bet everything is covered in germs.
      
          Rule #4- Do things that make you laugh. Watch comedies, play some video games with friends online, flip through some old family photos, talk with someone who makes you smile over the phone, tickle yourself if your capable (and send me a video of it, because I won't believe you otherwise...You know, that could be a great YouTube compilation...a bunch of videos of people tickling themselves and laughing about it...could you imagine all the condescending comments that would be posted? All drop this stupid side thought now...). 
         
           A good laugh will relieve stress, decrease pain, drop heart rate and blood pressure, all made possible through the release of endorphins, the bodies natural pain killers. Studies also show that laughter lowers serum cortisol levels. All this adds up to suggest that laughter can actually raise your immune system. So go on! Why so serious? 
        
          Rule #5 - Stay hydrated with plenty of water which keeps your nasal passage moist and allows your body to rid itself of particles from bacteria. Continuously flushing your system with steady H2O intake is always important, especially when you have a cold.
       
          Rule #6 - Eat garlic...raw. I did this by making some white bean and chick pea hummus two days ago, which I plan on writing a recipe guide for soon. I made sure to throw three cloves in the mix. What's so great about garlic? Suzanne Hall says it best in her post for thechalkboardmag.com:

"Garlic is a powerful antioxidant with antimicrobial, antiviral and antibiotic properties. For colds and flues, it also provides decongestant and expectorant effects. While none of garlic’s components have been isolated by science as the sole explanation for garlic’s flu-busting effects, vitamin C, a slew of enzymes, and minerals such as sulphur and selenium, definitely play a role."
  
          Rule #7 - Get your sleep. Your body's best time for recovery is when its deep in REM sleep. Don't neglect it.

        These are only a few suggests of mine. Of course, you should always consider talking to your doctor before combating any infection or disease, and follow any recommendations he or she provides. Depending on your situation, antibiotics or other medications may be suggested to you. I hope this article is useful to some. As I'm finishing up outside with the last rays of the sun going down, I feel a little better myself. I hope you do too.

Stefan

Bee's & Pollen article:    http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/allergies/allergy-treatments/local-honey-for-allergies1.htm

       It's five o'clock in the morning and I get out of bed with no real plans besides making an incredible breakfast for myself. I've been sick the last couple of days and need to do something to take me out of the low energy state I've been dwelling in for hours. You know that monkey from 28 Days Later? The one who starts the whole thing off on a down note when that hippie girl tries to go in and play G.I. Jane Goodall? That's how I've been feeling this week. Like the monkey from 28 Days Later, except it's hung over, doesn't move much, and watches re-runs of bad, old sitcoms. 
Feeling considerably better this morning, I make a trip to the store to find something worth while to make. Somehow, I find myself back at home an hour later drinking orange juice and eating roasted garlic potatoes chips. 
This is what my breakfast has become...
     
        Feeling like I underachiever, I try to rationalize the situation. I've been too tired to do much of anything, but yet found myself awake before the sun came up and made a trip to the store to buy supplies and get some light exercise walking around, so that's a decent accomplishment. Although I didn't do anything extravagant for my first meal of the day, I figured I could write an article on one of my favorite dishes and that would make up for it. Its been two weeks since we've done a follow up podcast, and it may be another week and a half before I get around to it, since I will be in Denver soon (hopefully recording an episode). All of this is more the reason to write to you now. 
My friends and I spent a weekend up in Starkville this past week with our friend Jacob (check out CNP #13) for one of his school's biggest football events. We all made food to bring to the day of tailgating and it was quiet the spread I must say. There were boudin balls from  Louisiana,  two kinds of bean dip (one I made by taking a hummus recipe and modifying it with white beans), Oreo cake, chicken, and Jacob's contribution of two Shepherd's Pies baked in pie crusts and they were damn good. It's funny however, because despite having eaten this dish for my whole life, I still meet people (including one or two in Starkville)  who have never heard of it. It's crazy to me, especially given the fact that it is very simple and fairly easy to make. Here, I will outline one of my takes on this classic dish.
        
         I discovered this recipe a few months back on allrecpies.com when I was going through a six month vegetarian stage. It is actually a vegan dish but I will highlight the section where you can feel free to add or modify the meat (I recommend the latter). Here is what you need:
Original recipe makes 6 servings-

* Mashed potato layer:

* 5 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

* 1/2 cup mayonnaise

* 1/2 cup soy or almond milk

* 1/4 cup olive oil

* 3 tablespoons  cream cheese 

* 2 teaspoons salt


* Bottom layer:

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

* 1 large yellow onion, chopped

* 2 carrots, chopped

* 3 stalks celery, chopped

* 1/2 cup frozen peas

* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

* 1 clove garlic, minced, or more to taste

* 1 pinch ground black pepper to taste

* 1 (14 ounce) package vegetarian ground beef substitute (This is where you can modify if you wish but I recommend you take the high road for this. You may find it pleasantly surprising. There are many soy "meat"  products out there that taste great cooked into this dish. You could also keep it vegetarian by substituting black beans for a "western" style shepherd's pie. If you just have to have your meat though, I suggest a lean turkey sausage. Alternatively, you can go without this step all together and just load it down with vegetables. 

* 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar-style  cheese

Directions

Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low, and boil the potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes; drain.
Stir the mayonnaise, soy milk, olive oil, cream cheese, and salt into the potatoes, and mash with a potato masher until smooth and fluffy. Set the potatoes aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion, carrots, celery, and frozen peas  until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the Italian seasoning, garlic, and pepper.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and crumble the vegetarian ground beef substitute into the skillet with the vegetables. Cook and stir, breaking up the meat substitute, until the mixture is hot, about 5 minutes.

Spread the vegetarian meat substitute mixture into the bottom of the baking dish, and top with the mashed potatoes, smoothing them into an even layer. Sprinkle the potatoes with the shredded cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and slightly browned and the casserole is hot, about 20 minutes.

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT
       Now you don't have to resort to an evening of potatoes chips and whatever falls into your glass. I've made shepherd's pie using this recipe several times (sometimes two or three times in one week it's so good) and I can assure you if your a fan of this traditional dish, this route will not disappoint. Give it a shot and I'll be back with other great finds in the future. Stay full my friends. 

Stefan

(Update: Just thought wanted to give an update in regards to my last post "The Weight Gainer Green Smoothie". I've remained dedicated to a steady diet involving two peanut butter protein shakes a day with olive oil added to the mix and have found great results. In the past 14 days, I am up by 5 lbs. and plan on continuing.)

September 25, 2013 

        I started making Kale Shakes almost every morning back in my junior year of college, after I heard about their incredible benefits that ranged from more energy, high levels of vitamins and minerals, guaranteed "regulation", and much more. My leafy drink generally consisted of: Kale, Greek yogurt, an apple, a banana (crucial to mask the strong, somewhat bitter taste of kale), blueberries, a carrot, flaxseed, wheat germ and one or two tablespoons of water and/or soy milk. There are TONS of other ingredients you can put in to your shake, thanks to the fact that there isn't really any bad choices when your combining different fruits and vegetables. Cucumber, celery, small chunks of ginger or garlic, tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, orange juice, coconut oil, a little honey for sweetener...You can't go wrong with any of these additions! Experiment for your preferred taste.  
      
        The power of the kale shake was so impacting in my daily health and fitness routine, that I began to suggest them to anyone who was looking to make a simple, healthy change in their life, especially if they were trying to lose some weight. I turned my family onto them, and now my mom drinks them about as frequently as I do. When my niece was less than a year old, I suggested we condition her to the kale shake by giving her small portions of our daily serving. By the time she could walk, if she saw us getting out fruits and vegetables with a blender, she would squeal with delight and run to the kitchen. She continues to drink them to this day and, as a result, will eat almost any raw fruits or vegetables presented to her.  
       
         Since the first days of making them, my recipe has changed very little. I have heard new research that suggests kale produces an acid called Oxalic to protect the plant from predators such as animals and insects and that too much of it can cause health problems in humans, such as kidney stones. Yikes...Researchers suggest cooking kale to boil out these acids, but then, like with most vegetables you cook, it tends to lose a lot of its vitamins and minerals. Plus, do you really want warm, soggy kale in your smoothie? I know I don't. To ease my mind on the matter, I began switching out kale with spinach for a while (which still has a nice taste), but felt like I was missing out on the powerhouse that is the kale plant. Nowadays, I mix half and half with spinach and kale or sometimes just plain spinach. If evolution is doing its job correctly, my body will handle that oxalic acid nonsense and build up an immunity, but in the meantime, I'll feel a lot better about my recipe alteration until more conclusive research comes along. That being said, I still grow my own kale, which has a sweeter taste, and enjoy it regularly. 
      
            All of this is bringing me to the main point of my article, which involves my new addition to the green smoothie. Last night, an ESPN documentary came on TV entitled "The Book of Manning". I was reading a book nearby but the story caught my attention and I began to watch with interest. The story progressed into the harsh training football players received at Ole Miss, with one player stating something along the lines of: If you could take the kind of running we had to do then you could, "run bare foot, naked through hell and come out on the other end without a sun burn". Intense, I thought to myself and made a mental note never to volunteer to train with Ole Miss players or attempt running through hell barefoot. Needless to say, the documentary got me pumped to workout and to train harder in the next few days. But there is an issue I often have when it comes to training that has been a big factor in my workout regimen: weight gain. I am in a minority of people who have a high metabolism for my age along with other personal factors (such as not being a huge consumer of meat after a six month vegetarian streak).  
       
         I wondered what I could do in the next couple of months to up my fat and caloric intake. Eating extra food, for people like me, can be a chore and harder to do, especially when you only try to eat healthy (I haven't been a "fast food" eater since high school). I regularly drink peanut butter almond shakes once or twice a day to try to up my intake, but even this only produces a little change for me. I've tried powders for years and have had only so-so results. The price of such substances can be a bit ridiculous too.  
      
         Still inspired by the Manning's commentary, I researched online (for what seemed like the hundredth time in my life) for something new that could help me out. I stumbled onto Bodybuilding.com, a site I have visited several times in the past, that had an article that gave me the one ingredient that I thought could put a change to my diet. 
      
        Canola and olive oils.  
       
        It seemed simple enough and further investigation lead me to see just how high these oils were in daily fat values, rich in monounsaturated and polysaturated fats, but pretty low in regular saturated fats. Plus, every tablespoon packs in 120 calories. Bingo. Here was a product that was cheap and I could easily mix to a number of shakes and recipes in the future. I ordered a protein mix I found on sale that contained plenty of good quality protein and calories, and vowed to make some killer shakes using my new knowledge.  
       
        Today, I dropped two tablespoons of canola oil into my green smoothie and hit blend. The shake did have that "vegetable" taste too it from the oil, so I put a spoonful of honey in the mix and a little dab of peanut butter to mask it. Success. The shake tasted good and with all the greens, my body would be absorbing what I needed and discarding (quickly) what wasn't. As I'm finishing this article, I'm downing the last of a peanut butter shake also containing two tablespoons of canola oil and flaxseed. Hopefully, I'll see some results with this new drink, especially when my powder comes in the mail. Before I can recommend this method of weight gaining for other "hard gainers" out there, I must first see what will happen a few weeks down the line. For this reason, drink canola oil at your own risk...Never thought I'd make a statement like that...
       
        I will continue doing some more research on the topic of ingesting these oils as I am doing. Keep in mind, these oils contain about 22% of your daily recommended fats, so ingesting lots of it, especially if peanut butter is involved, is bound to put it on you if you catch my drift. Proceed with caution. In the meantime, I will be observing and recording any changes, and will keep you updated through future posts. Cheers.  
        
       Stefan