June 19, 2008
Finished my first session in cardio rehab this morning. Beth quizzed me on my eating habits and what a typical day's eating would be. She nixed my morning V-8 (someone told me tomato juice is good for the heart) as being too salty. She recommended a Trader Joe's version. She stunned me when she said I could have Canadian bacon. Then she floored me when she said I could eat mole and guacamole! I told her, "Keep talking dirty to me, Baby!" I felt like she gave me back my life. After my heart monitored physical workout (fat ratio: 21%, weight 172, blood pressure: 110/60, average heart rate after treadmill: 78) I drove down to 3 Margaritas on East Bell and had the mole, whole beans and a side of guacamole ($24, includes tip, sue account). Man, that was sweet!

Beth also recommended several cook books by Joe Piscatella who had a heart attack, thought he could start over on eating what he wanted, then had another one five years later and vowed to clean up his act. He wrote a cookbook called "Don't Eat Your Heart Out." I intend to get it. Sounds like my kind of guy.

After my heavenly Mexican food lunch I waded down Scottsdale Road to a Audio transfer store to get the Terry Mitchell 8mm film of the Exits playing live in 1964 transferred to DVD video. Paid for a rush on it (20% surcharge) and I'm supposed to get it on Saturday.

Yesterday afternoon I finished the layout for the proposed BBB artwork on my Cowboy Statesman op-ed piece that will run this Sunday in The Republic. Here is the layout I submitted:



I sent word to the Arizona Republic art department they could reduce it in size, tilt it (Dan H. would), reverse it, cannibalize it, or whatever they want to do. I just wanted to give them somewhere to start. Can't wait to see what they come up with. The piece is supposed to be on the cover of the Viewpoints section.

You should recognize quite a few of these cowboy portraits since more than a few were poached from my sketchbook.

Speaking of my sketchbook, here are the sketches from last Saturday, drawn at the WWA marketing session. Yes, that's Johnny D. Boggs and Cotton Smith and Sherry Monahan, to name just a few of the libelous images. However, I will not I.D. the Custer nut. He was weird, but nice.



And here's the next day's series of sketches:



Back to the sepia washes I love so much. The old coot, bottom right, resembles the legendary Western movie heavy Jack Elam (who was from Globe), but it was totally unintentional.

Oh, and Beth also told me if I'm going to Peru to visit my son (at 11,000 feet) I have to start getting in shape now. She recommended I go north to Prescott, Flagstaff and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and go hiking, so as to get my heart ready for the high altitude. Man, I love this woman. Hey, honey, we got to go north and hike and eat mole.

"Balance is the key to success in all things. Do not neglect your mind, body, or spirit. Invest time and energy in all of them equally—it will be the best investment you ever make, not just for your life but for whatever is to follow."
—Tanya Wheway