Quitting Pop

Pop, soda, coke, whatever you call it I've been drinking between 5-7 cans per day for years. I've tried quitting numerous times, only to get unbearable headaches and just feeling sick in general. A can of Mountain Dew or Mr. Pibb always knocked these symptoms out! I'll share my "secrets" and results with anyone interested in reading this article:

It's now been 4 days since my last pop. I'll tell you what I'm doing, that actually works, to keep the headaches to a minimum. This has been trial and error for years, and I've finally found a way to keep them down.

First, stay hydrated! I'm not a water drinker. When I've tried quitting pop in the past I always bought purified water, but never drank it. Now I keep key limes in my office and at home to squeeze into cold reverse osmosis bottled water. That way it has some flavor, and you don't need to add sugar. I'm actually drinking way more water than I was pop. You're supposed to have 8 cups of water per day, and I'm drinking about 6, 16oz bottles per day!

Second, supplement the caffeine you are losing! The worst of the withdrawal symptoms comes from the caffeine. I've tried going cold turkey only to relapse in under 24 hours. The headaches you get from caffeine withdrawal are about the strength of a bad migraine. I tried substituting coffee, but I can't drink coffee all day long, and you'd end up dehydrated if you tried to, and don't expect to sleep. I needed a way to supplement the caffeine without overdoing it. Finally, I have been using a generic multivitamin with as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, and also time-release guarana seed extract. It's kept the symptoms at bay for the most part, but here on day 4 I had a splitting headache, so I made a cup of black coffee. Of course, that immediately banished my headache to the land of wind an ghosts, and it hasn't been back since. I see nothing wrong with a cup of unsweetened coffee or tea in the morning, it sure beats having a can of Mr. Pibb with breakfast.

Now for my results thus far:

For some reason, even after just 4 days, the thought of drinking pop turns my stomach, I don't know if it's the sweetness or what, but I don't have any desire to drink it.

Last night I slept through the entire night, without waking up, for the first time in probably 5 years. Not only that, but on a Saturday morning I woke up an hour before I usually wake up for work! My Saturdays usually start at about 10:30, today it started at 5:00!

Not only did I wake up early, but I've had a ridiculous amount of energy for the past several days, including upon waking up! I've always been the anti-morning person. I hated that people could just wake up, hop out of bed, and get their day started. I always hit the snooze and struggled to get out of bed. Today I woke up at 5, cooked a full breakfast (never had the energy to before), had a cup of coffee, made my dog a toy out of paracord, did a 15 minute workout, and if it wasn't raining outside today, I'd go play tennis. I don't know what to do with this much energy!

Now, I'm not saying there's a definite correlation between giving up pop and increased energy. It would seem to me that the less caffeine and sugar I have, the less energetic I should be. I'm just thinking maybe the increased energy is from the better sleep I've been getting.

Quinn Costing Illinois More Jobs

I'm sorry I don't have more time to post blog updates, as I'm trying to find additional streams of income to help cope with the huge income tax hike we experienced here in Illinois.

One of those income streams for thousands of people in Illinois was the Amazon.com affiliate program. Basically, you advertise a product for amazon.com and if someone buys it from your link, you get a certain percentage of the sale.

Well, now Pat Quinn, after hiking income tax, has put an end to the amazon.com affiliate program for every single person living in Illinois. I don't think I ever made a dime from the program, I never really tried to. I can imagine, however, that of the thousands of Illinois residents that participated, at least some of them made a few hundred bucks. I also imagine, that some of that money was spent in Illinois, and Illinois benefited from the outrageous sales taxes.

Illinois is all about holding people back. Want to better yourself here? Good luck! At a time when most people were taking pay cuts, Illinois taxed them even harder. Working people in this state have fallen on hard times, and the democrats here have decided to make things even harder. Their goal? I think it's to make people who were earning a living for themselves more dependent on the Government. The more people they can get on the Government teat, the bigger their voter base. Think about it! With all of these new taxes, not one penny was cut from the budget. People receiving aid from the Government will not lose a penny! Their LINK cards will still be filled, their rent will still be free, their children will still get free medical care. Get more people suckling the teat, you have more people that will vote to ensure their free crap doesn't disappear.

We don't need more handouts, we need less spending! The only people suffering are the suckers like me that still WORK for a living!

Here is the e-mail I received from amazon.com:

Hello,
For well over a decade, the Amazon Associates Program has worked with thousands of Illinois residents. Unfortunately, a new state tax law signed by Governor Quinn compels us to terminate this program for Illinois-based participants. It specifically imposes the collection of taxes from consumers on sales by online retailers - including but not limited to those referred by Illinois-based affiliates like you - even if those retailers have no physical presence in the state.
We had opposed this new tax law because it is unconstitutional and counterproductive. It was supported by national retailing chains, most of which are based outside Illinois, that seek to harm the affiliate advertising programs of their competitors. Similar legislation in other states has led to job and income losses, and little, if any, new tax revenue. We deeply regret that its enactment forces this action.
As a result of the new law, contracts with all Illinois affiliates of the Amazon Associates Program will be terminated and those Illinois residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com , Endless.com , or SmallParts.com . Please be assured that all qualifying advertising fees earned prior to April 15, 2011 will be processed and paid in full in accordance with the regular payment schedule. Based on your account closure date of April 15, 2011, any final payments will be paid by July 1, 2011.
You are receiving this email because our records indicate that you are a resident of Illinois. If you are not currently a permanent resident of Illinois, or if you are relocating to another state in the near future, you can manage the details of your Associates account here . And if you relocate to another state after April 15, please contact us for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program.
To be clear, this development will only impact our ability to continue the Associates Program in Illinois, and will not affect the ability of Illinois residents to purchase online at www.amazon.com from Amazon’s retail business.
We have enjoyed working with you and other Illinois-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to Illinois residents.
Regards,
The Amazon Associates Team

Media can't make up it's mind

I didn't watch the SOTU. I did for a few years, but it's nothing but a pep rally.

The interesting thing is, media coverage from salon.com states "Tea Party Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito are expected to skip to night's State of the Union address"

I wasn't aware supreme court justices were elected, and ran as tea party members. I also wasn't aware that "to night" was two words when used as an adverb.

They're just trying to lump conservatives, republicans, and RINOs into one philosophical mindset, and then trying to portray that mindset as racist rich people.

Also, how can the tea party be racist if Clarence Thomas is in it? They need to make up their minds. Is the tea party racist, or is Clarence Thomas a tea partier? Maybe they think he's a racist black extremist, and are unaware that his wife is white.

This post is mostly tongue-in-cheek. I know Clarence Thomas and the tea party aren't racist, and I know not all democrats think so. I know that because I know some democrats in the tea party movement. I just get so sick of this partisan BS.

LIBERALS: If you have a valid point, make it and back it up with facts. Don't just spout the usual garbage from your mouth and expect people to take it as gospel. You should be trying to change people's minds, not preach to your misinformed choir. If the tea party is racist, find some hard evidence. A picture of the 3 people you planted with Hitler signs isn't going to cut it. A video of Klansmen removing their hoods and turning out to be Rand Paul would be convincing. Or even a simple mission statement from the tea party saying they want to make minorities stupid and poor would convince me. I'm sick of your method of arguing where you state "It's already been proven, I'm not going to debate this." You generally say that about things which are hotly contested, because you don't know the facts you're trying to argue!

"The tea party is racist, that's a proven fact, I'm not going to argue this anymore."
It's not a proven fact, it's just something that you have no proof of and are unwilling to offer any for.

Sorry that my posts go from one topic to another, I'm a free association writer, just as Michael Savage talks on his radio show, except I try to keep my posts related to one subject at a time.

Federal Tax Increase

Obama lied. As shocking as that two-word sentence may be to some, to those paying attention, the words "no shit" come to mind. The lie that I'm referring to is that he would only raise taxes on the richest Americans, those making $250k and up.

If you thought the lame duck congress extended the Bush tax cuts, you thought wrong. I just received a paycheck that's missing something. The federal taxes taken out of my paycheck increased by 23.86%. Supposedly, this is offset by a decrease in the amount taken out for Social Security. Many workers pay into a private pension and are exempt from social security. While we don't have to pay into Social Security, most of us already have for the first half of our lives, and there are laws in place to make sure we never see a penny of it.

So, the Federal Government is now collecting 23.86% more from taxpayers. That means they can increase spending by that amount and fool people into believing it's not adding to the deficit. If you have been paying attention to what's going on in this country, you already know that Social Security is going to be bankrupt before most of us can retire. If Social Security is it's own department, Social Security would now be receiving less, meaning the money would run out sooner. Well, it would if it wasn't a pyramid scheme from the start. What is the democrats' plan? Are they trying to ruin the future for everyone? I have a hard time believing they consciously are trying to ruin everything, I think they are just so dedicated to their lies that they are blinded to the truth.

For those of us where I'm employed, it means our paychecks are actually less than they were a year ago. The real shitty part is that we live in Illinois. That means when the democrats' 67% income tax hike goes into effect we'll really be hurting. As if the property, sales, gasoline, firearm, and vehicle taxes weren't painful enough. What is their goal? Are the democrats intentionally trying to ruin the economy? In Illinois I think the answer is yes, and I think most of the population here is too stupid to elect somebody that could fix it.

What are you doing to ensure you can retire? Are you planning on the government to be there with your money when you reach that age? Are you buying silver? Gold? Stocks? Do you have it stashed away in a bank account?

Is Danny Davis the Emperor of Black People?

I'm getting sick of politics with the Chicago mayoral race, it's already degenerated to the point of playing the race card. It reminds me too much of Jesse Jackson on South Park. A black candidate warns Bill Clinton not to campaign for his friend or the black people will get him! Really Davis? You're suddenly the emperor of black people? You can command them en masse to punish Bill Clinton? Not the blacks I know! In fact, most of the blacks I know think you're a crook! Even the die-hard democrats! Not that I want Rahm Emanuel as mayor any more than I want Davis, because they'd both do a terrible job! The only decent candidate (Meeks) has dropped out!

I really believe Meeks wants what's best for the poor communities of Chicago. I think he could've made great strides in ensuring that the kids who are most in need of a good education are able to get one. I think he could've worked with businesses and convinced them to open their shops even in the bad areas. As a reverend he's already made huge progress in both of these areas. As mayor I think he could have done even more, and without robbing the taxpayers of Chicago to do so.

Now, the vulture known as Rahm Emanuel is trying to profit from Meeks' early exit. Go ahead everyone, google Meeks for mayor, you'll see that Rahm paid good money to make sure his name pops up on the side. I think I'll click it a few hundred times to make his campaign pay for it!

All we're going to get with Davis or Rahm is the same old crap Daley fed us. They'll blame crime on the dumbest possible causes. Remember Daley's excuses? Someone is shot and Daley says something along the lines of "well, the weather was nice." Nice weather causes murder. Or the other Daley favorite "it's the guns, we need more laws." Of course! How silly of me! It's not the politics polluting the police force, it's not the unchecked gang activity, it's not that police are having powows with gang bangers, it's not that there are laws in place to make people defenseless victims. It's a combination of guns that don't exist in his City because there are laws against them, and the nice weather. I wonder how many places with no gun laws have nice weather and no murders. Maybe someone should do a study and let Daley, Davis, and Emanuel know the results.

I'm sure the people in Vermont don't cower in fear of a nice day.

Bunn Phase Brew Review, It Kicks Ass!

Before going off on my rant about Danny Davis, I thought I'd review a product we purchased today. This is my Bunn Phase Brew review:

I have to say, I thought I'd had a good cup of coffee before. I had that free Gevalia coffee maker and thought it brewed a great cup of coffee, even though the coffee itself from Gevalia tastes like crap. The Bunn Phase Brew really shocked me. The temperature of the coffee was too hot for one of my guests, and they asked for an ice cube to cool it down. For me it was perfect. Too hot to drink right away, let it sit a few minutes. The way coffee should be. Not only was there a difference between the Bunn Phase Brew and the free Gevalia brewer that words can't describe, it actually brews better coffee than any coffee shop I've been to. Coffee Bean Connection in Baraboo, WI, makes my favorite coffee, Jamaican Me Crazy, and I still have some grounds from August when I was passing through (I buy enough to last a long time). It's the only flavored coffee I drink, because while flavor is added, it's not sweet. I drink my coffee black, I don't like sugar or milk in it. I like to taste coffee when drinking coffee, and that's mostly how this tastes, but with a slight hint of flavor. I always get a large cup of it from the shop, and a few pounds of grounds to make pots at home with the Gevalia that don't come close to the shop. Well, these 4 month old grounds actually turned out better than the shop!



The Bunn Phase Brew uses what they call a "revolutionary" method where all the water is heated to 200 degrees, and instead of being dripped down, it's sprayed in a steady stream so that all of the grounds are evenly saturated. It takes about 5 or 6 minutes for the water to heat, and then only 3-4 minutes to completely brew. The fact that the brewing time is shorter, and the water is distributed evenly means that the coffee is never bitter. Think of an espresso machine, it doesn't take long to to brew and is very strong. That is a similar principal to what this pot does. Short brewing time, yet strong coffee.

The construction of this pot also impressed me. It is very sturdy, fairly heavy, and uses a lot of stainless steel. In fact, the entire filter basket is stainless steel, which is great if you have taste buds like mine and can taste the plastic in your coffee when a plastic basket is used. It doesn't do a lot of fancy things, it has a digital readout, you can set the clock, program the timer, and tell it to start. Really, what else do you need?

When liberals can't win they... try to burn you?

I bet you didn't hear about this on the local news. That's because they're trying to portray the Tea Party as a bunch of vile, hateful, violent nuts. Of course, that description better fits the leftists trying to control every aspect of our lives. The Chicago Tea Patriots Christmas party was attacked by leftists. If the Tea Party had tried to burn down a democratic meeting it would be all over the news. What happened in Chicago, of course, doesn't play into agenda of the left-wing media machine, so it wasn't reported. Here are the details directly from Catherina Wojtowicz, the lady in charge of the Chicago Tea Patriots:


Last Friday we held our downtown Christmas Party at Dugan's Irish Pub.

We had a great crowd and the bar was filled with Christmas cheer until smoke began to fill the entire venue.

At approximately 8 p.m. the Chicago Fire Department were called to the bar to put out what was a very smoked filled bar.

After waiting outside for nearly an hour, we were told that the bar was closed for the night and we were asked to gather our belongings.

There were four small dynamite looking devices found in the men's bathroom, smoldering in the trash can.

The following evening I received a phone call from Chicago Police Department Bomb and Arson officials.

Written on the lid of one of the toliets was: F*CK THE TEA PARTY. Obviously with something other than an asterisk.

Bomb and arson officials have deemed this incident an arson.

Luckily, nobody was hurt, however, the good people of Dugan's lost an awful lot of money.

Police are investigating and we are not going away.

Look for us to have a ONE-MORE-TIME! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW PARTY in Chicago's Loop after the New Year!

To the dozens who came out to Dugan's, I am so sorry for all this trouble. There are some very hateful people in this world and they will do whatever necessary to stop those who are fighting for freedom!

And we hope those who came out and those who were unable to make Friday's event, join us after the New Year!!

Thank you for your faith and support! You are the heart and soul of the tea party movement; without you, socializm would rule!

God bless you and your families during this Christmas Season!