Tis the Season

Had a great day today.  Have been contemplating adding a new service to the Douglas Environmental Solutions offerings and took today to network.  I discussed the idea with some colleagues and had a few "coffee meetings" to get some feedback.  I often get so caught up in something like this that grabs my attention that it really helps to have an impartial 3rd party to bounce the ideas off of.

Today started with the Chamber of Commerce's weekly Breakfast Network.  This week's installment was the last meeting for the year, so I wanted to make sure I could be there to say all my "Merry Christmas's" to everyone - this late in the month, I'm unlikely to see these friends and colleagues again until 2010.  I bumped into a few people who I was specifically interested in talking to as they've been through the startup phases of product launches before and I wanted to see if they were thinking along the same lines I was.

Seems I'm not too far off the mark with this, and confirmed it with a "coffee meeting" with Mark Meincke, a local realtor with Remax.  We intended to have a 20 minute chat about it, but instead talked for about two hours about all the potential ways this new spin-off for Douglas Environmental could go.

As our coffee meeting ended up a lot closer to noon than I anticipated, Mark and I headed over to Fusedlogic for their Christmas/Anniversary Open House - it was a good mixer, as well as giving the chance to listen to Walter Schwabe, their CEO, give a primer on Social Media "2.0" - a great interactive discussion about ways to leverage the Internet to build relationships, versus just using it for blatant marketing purposes.

Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Blogging, Twitter and numerous other technologies were discussed.  It was a very captivating discussion as Walter used examples from the crowd - picking out their websites, discussing strategies relevant to each attendee's specific field.  All-in-all, a great afternoon (even better with snacks, coffees and Christmas Spirits being served!)

Got back to the office in time to catch up on emails and correspondance.  Found out we picked up a $300 vet bill and potentially $2000 more coming in a month or two...  Pets are great! :(  I guess that's it - we'll call that a day.  Tomorrow is Friday, I have the morning to finish up paperwork, get back to a few clients and end the day testing water for a colleague I have now bumped into 3 out of 4 days this week!

EnviroLink: What's this Build Up??

EnviroLink: What's this Build Up??

Pounding the Pavement

It was an interesting afternoon. I went around with some other politically-inclined people and knocked on doors with and on behalf of our MLA, Dave Quest. With all the controversy going on right now, I really wasn't sure what to expect. I guess going into it without expectations was good. There were a few of us that hadn't been before, so we were paired up with people that had done the "door knocking ritual" before.

It absolutely was worthwhile doing this. I must say, it definitely took a lot of people by surprise - politicians knocking on doors when there's no election on. Overall, the feedback was generally positive. We ran into a few nurses that had a lot to say, and given the timing, that's definitely not a surprise. They have a hard and usually under-thanked (if that's a word) job and the last thing they want to hear about is anything that could potentially make things more challenging or less-rewarding...

There were a lot of comments about Ed Stelmach. Some positive, some not so positive, but it was nice to see that there are actually some people out there paying attention. We did get one door slammed in our face - I am a bit puzzled by that... I don't quite understand the reaction. If you're upset about something, and someone is there wanting to hear about it, why shut them off? I would have at least expected a good "vent session" (which we were privileged enough to catch twice today....)

At any rate, it was a beautiful day, the weather cooperated and the people out there paying attention to their community and the goings-on of the government really made it worthwhile. Of course there were a lot of people that had no clue about anything going on, but you have to expect that - its not like this is top of mind for everyone out there. Its just nice to see that at least for some, it is.

Working my way thru new books

For Christmas this year, Chris & Irene got me a gift card for books. I'm pretty finicky when it comes to my reading material, and depending on my mood at the time I go shopping, it could be a business book that strikes my fancy, or something frivolous. Gift cards are safe...

Anyway, I've been fascinated by the concept of smoking meats lately - Carri and Miller bought me an offset smoker for my Fathers Day gift this year and its getting a great workout this summer.

One thing I've struggled with in the past was ribs. They never seemed quite as good at home as at the restaurants and I couldn't figure out why. I have tried all kinds of techniques from boiling and steaming (which I really don't like - you end up with pork-tasting broth, so you KNOW flavour has been lost from the meat!,) direct grilling them over hot coals (excellent flavour, but not always very tender,) baking them, but until recently I never had a lot of success. Now, it seems the mystery has been solved - Steven Raichlen, host of PBS's "BBQ University" has a number of books out that happened to catch my eye.

I'm working my way through them (good thing for the cleansing program or I'd need new clothes again!) and have had a lot of new great flavours and fantastic results! My favourite book so far is his Ribs Ribs Ribs! book. Starting on the first page and working my way through we've yet to come across a bad recipe. He takes you step by step thru the technique and makes it easy. If you've been struggling with ribs, this is your easy ticket to success!

I've posted a link from Amazon.ca below directly to the book. The book is almost free, and the techniques and recipes are priceless - check it out!

1st Run on the New Smoker

Wow - what a new concept. I remember my dad had a purple box-like metal thing that we used as a kid, that's my only experience with charcoal. While I do remember going outside to toast marshmallows over the still-hot coals for dessert, as well as making "banana boats" in that unit, I was WAY to young to figure out how it worked and it was a charcoal grill, not a smoker with an offset firebox...

I preloaded the firebox with about 60 pieces of lump charcoal (as opposed to briquettes) and then fired up my Weber chimney with another 30 or so. Once a grey ash formed on the coals in the chimney, the hot coals were placed on top of the fresh coals in the firebox - apparently this is called the "Minion Method." To me, that lets me add enough coals to get the smoker going for a good 4-5 hours without doing much else to it.

The first project? Carri brought home something she wanted to try for "beef on a bun" - a 3-pack of AAA Sirloin Tip roasts from Costco. Good stuff, but not the "already tender" kind of meat you'd normally have if you were to just cook it normally for a medium rare roast.

I wanted to get my hands on some apple wood to try that flavour for smoking the meat. Searching Google, I came across an ad on Kijiji for "free apple wood" - couldn't resist contacting them, and sure enough, they had just hired a company to cut down a 30 year old apple tree in their yard and figured they'd try to get rid of it themselves rather than paying the company to haul it away. I swung by on Thursday and grabbed as much as I could fit in the back of the Avalanche (ok, some in the cab as well...)

Carri sliced me up some chunks out of a smaller piece of the trunk - she made me 6 pieces that would be roughly 3 inches in diameter and about 3 inches long. I ended up using them all over the course of the 6 hour cook. The roast turned out VERY tender, but in all honesty - a bit "too smokey" for my liking. I think I'll try one or two chunks next time, but for my first attempt with the new rig, it turned out to be a success!



Pulled it off the smoker at 4pm and let it sit for 75 minutes wrapped in foil. Carving it showed me the most-amazing smoke rings I'd ever seen. A deep "purpley" ring went around the entire roast - almost a centimeter deep. We'll be trying this again, but with a little less smoke. I may go a little longer.

The average cook time at 225F is 1.5 hours per pound, so for 6 pounds of roast, that should have taken 9 hours. Due to the fact there is WAY more surface area and WAY less depth to 3 small roasts than 1 large one, I assumed it would take less time. I think it still could have gone a little longer - the internal temp got up to 150F, and it stayed there the entire time it sat foiled on the counter.

That would indicate the meat was still on the "plateau" -this is the temperature at which the meat remains while all the connective tissues are rendered and broken down. At this phase, even though heat is being added in the smoker, the temperature of the meat remains constant and all that energy goes to breaking down that connective tissue. I've heard meat can actually stay at that level for up to 4-5 hours!

Anyone that's ever had a pulled pork sandwich is familiar with the OH SO TENDER meat that results. Next time, I think we'll do a pork shoulder or maybe a pork "picnic" roast, a little more time and a little less wood. All in all, what a great way to spend a relaxing day off!!!

Almost there! Cleansing and Fat Burning System Worked!

After only a few short months, I find myself within 2 pounds of reaching my goals. In late 2008 when I started, it seemed like a pipe dream, that I could shed that much weight and do it in such a short time period... I wanted to be back to 190 by my birthday, which is now just ten days away.

Even a month ago, I was skeptical I could reach it, but looking at the progress, it was a steady and progressive reduction in weight, inches and body fat percentage. The Isagenix system, (referred to as the "Accelerated Program") was designed for me by my coach Barbilee Hemmings. I met her almost 3 years ago now at a networking function. I only wish I'd paid more attention then, so I could have had a better last 3 years.

I'm coming off the accelerated program and moving to a 'standard' program next week, and from there, we'll see what happens. Now that I'm in the right weight range, I'll be more in-tune to looking at myself in the mirror, judging how clothing fits and deciding when I've actually reached my goals. the scale isn't moving all that quickly now, especially since I've added weight training back into the mix. Now that I'm adding muscle, my body composition is changing, I'm just not "losing weight" -which is completely fine with me!

I'm feeling great, have more energy and looking forward to playing ball again this year!

Almost crawling....

Miller is doing so well lately - he's finally over a cold he picked up when he last visited a local playgroup. This weekend, we're enjoying a visit from Auntie Jodes. When she heard that my parents weren't coming up this weekend for a visit, she jumped at the chance to hang out with Miller one-on-one (and Carri was happy for the "break" that provided - as a matter of fact, she's out and about in town right now... something that is much easier to do without a 20 pound "assistant" tagging along.)

After we had Shane and Brielle over for dinner two weeks back, Carri has been bugging me to get something smoked on the bbq for her. Last time, we had a AAA Top Sirloin roast that I dry-rubbed and smoked for about 4 hours using a mesquite smoking pellet kit my parents got me for Christmas. This thing was amazing - SOOO tender, wonderful smokey flavour - the meat just melted in our mouth.

Today's challenge is a bit different - Carri couldn't find spare ribs I was wanting to do the other day, so she picked up pork short ribs instead. Beef short ribs are traditionally done on the smoker, but pork short ribs are a different animal. We're going to give it a go and whip up a homemade bbq sauce to accompany them. They've been sitting in the rub for about 2 hours now, I should be getting them into the smoker around 2:00 and we'll see how they turn out. I figure a little beer basting probably will help keep them nice and moist.

I'm going to adapt a technique from the BBQ Pit Boys - if you haven't heard of these guys, just google them, or even better - search youtube for them. They have a recipe for every kind of meat (even soups) you could possibly try to smoke. (For the uninitiated, "smoking" refers to a bbq technique that cooks food "Low 'n Slow" for long periods of time.) We did some pork back ribs the other day that were on the grill for 10 hours, even chicken takes this long. A lot of people assume cooking for that long would dry out the meat, but simply the opposite is true.

Now that I've got the pellet smoker, I can infuse apple wood, hickory, mesquite or even a Jack Daniels flavour into the meats. I can't wait until summer comes and this can be done a little more leisurely outside. For now, I have to just be satisfied running in and out of the house to our snow-surrounded BBQ.

What is Professional Networking?

Today, I had the pleasure of being accepted into a local Sherwood Park BNI Chapter. For those who haven't heard of BNI, it stands for Business Networking International. It is an association that consists of chapters all across the globe; it is an association that allows professionals to get together to help each other's businesses grow by utilizing the power of referrals.

Most businesses talk about "word of mouth" advertising, this just takes it to a whole new level. This group meets for breakfast each week and has a very focused meeting that is designed specifically to know more about each other's businesses. BNI's core philosophy is "Givers Gain."

How this plays out in the real world is evidenced in the operation of a successful chapter. Most businesses can benefit from being a part of a network such as this, and as such attending as a guest is strongly recommended. You can visit a local chapter to see what its all about by finding one near you at www.bni.com. (Our local chapter can be found HERE) -as of today, my membership isn't yet listed, but I should be listed on this page shortly...

The meetings run from 7am until 8:30am and are run with a clock-like precision - we're all busy professionals and without respect for each other's time, not much can be achieved.

I visited the chapter twice, as well as a few other chapters before I decided to submit my application. Unlike most networking groups whose sole membership qualification is the prospective member's ability to clear a cheque, a successful BNI applicant has to pass a background check including references of existing clients, as well as successfully navigate an interview process.

As referrals are an extension of our own reputation, it is IMPERATIVE that only true professionals are admitted as passing a referral on to an untrustworthy individual not only can be frustrating for the person that is searching for a needed product or service, but it can be devastating to the reputation of the person that extended the referral. For this reason, if there are any members that don't respect referrals received by their chapter members, they are immediately removed from the chapter. These folks take their business extremely seriously!

Beyond the commitment to learn about each others' businesses each week, members are expected to meet each other for an in-depth one-hour meeting in which the actual operations of member businesses and information about what makes them special are discussed. In short, by the time a referral is made between chapter members, you can be assured that whoever is benefiting from the product or service in-need will be in excellent hands and treated with the utmost respect.

The in-depth knowledge chapter members have for each other's businesses ensures that by the time a referral is extended, the chances of the professional being recommended being able to provide PRECISELY the needed service are extremely good. It is not uncommon, for example, for multiple types of insurance brokers to be represented within a chapter - each with specialized knowledge and products specifically tailored to dealing with a specific scenario. The best person to talk to if you seek disability coverage, isn't necessarily the same person that would get you the best deal on car insurance, nor are they specifically trained to discuss some of the investment aspects of some life insurance products.

If "Bill" needed some new maple flooring installed, he may ask his brother "Bob" if he knows anyone that can help. "Bob" may have a friend that works as a general contractor and think that may be the perfect person for "Bill" to speak with. If "Bill" decided to ask me the same question, I can look at my professional network to determine who would be the best fit for Bill's needs. In this case, there is Carolee that deals in new home construction, there is Richard who specializes in renovating existing properties, and then there is Blair. Blair is someone that specifically deals in hardwood flooring. While "Bob" may feel that his general contractor buddy is the best person to talk to, I am completely confident that Blair is more knowledgeable in this area - although may not know the requirements for pulling a permit to allow for a new electrical panel to be installed.....

If you are lucky enough to know someone in the BNI world - if they offer to connect you with someone in their network, take the opportunity to meet with the professional involved. They have not only been pre-screened to ensure they are a knowledgeable professional, they are also bound by the BNI Code of Ethics to make sure you are treated fairly.

By all means, do your due diligence as a consumer and make sure there is a fit between what you need and what the professional offers, but rest-assured, you will be treated fairly and with respect!

For more information on BNI and to find out if you could benefit from association with a group of true professionals, please visit a chapter near you. To come out to visit our chapter in Sherwood Park, please email me directly to discuss. If after talking it over, we both feel it would be of benefit to you, let me buy you breakfast and invite you to join us as our guest!

The Joker's Evil Plot Extends Outside of Gotham! Is it a Conspiracy?

Very interesting - last night, Carri and I were over for dinner at Mark & Jeannine's - great meal of buffalo striploins with fresh salad and maybe the world's best potatoes. Anyway, after dinner, we settled in for a few pops and Mark and I got talking. Recently, a colleague and prominent local businessman at the Chamber was promoting the Relay for Life in support of cancer research as he'd just lost a friend to cancer.

The conversation turned to media and if there was manipulation or "social engineering" going on. Its sad, but we see things like this relay, the walks, the marches and all kinds of fund raising going on for cancer treatment - but at the point where treatment is required, prevention is out the door. I'm not suggesting for a second that we don't need better ways to treat cancer, but it would seem ultimately more-effective (long term) if we put more efforts into PREVENTING cancer.

Its not like we don't know the causes... In the 80's, I remember it was almost a punchline that seemingly every day, something new was found to be a cause for cancer. I think that ultimately desensitized the public to the point that if "everything causes" cancer then really what can we do? From there, it just seems to be ignored.

This is a near and dear issue for me as I've had friends and family struggle with cancer over the years (who hasn't?) Some were successful, like my aunt and uncle who over the years both developed and subsequently beat it! Some were not successful - like my best friend in junior high, the kid that sat behind me in Grade 11 French class, my grandfather....

Anyway - when I see the pain in people's faces as they deal with this - whether it is a personal battle against the disease, or trying to support someone going thru it, it really makes me wonder.

I was talking with another business owner at the Chamber on Thursday - she runs a business offering a "chemical free alternative" for cleaning your house. Instead of sprays and harsh chemicals, she shows people how to eliminate the need and use natural products and water. Personally, our business removes the chlorine from the entire home's water supply. We also remove chemicals and allergy triggers from the air we breathe, as well as sanitizing surfaces and protecting them from mold, bacterial and viral infection.

I will argue strongly that chlorine is necessary for the safe delivery of water to a home, but once it is delivered, the chlorine does nothing but harm - people usually think about the effects of drinking it, but that's only a small portion of chlorine absorption. It is absorbed thru the skin directly in the bath and shower (and TEN TIMES more than what you'd get drinking your 8 glasses a day to boot!)

Then there is the most-dangerous form - inhaled chlorine. This is when the chlorine aerosolizes in the shower, bathtub, doing laundry, washing dishes by hand or machine... We also remove the byproducts of disinfection - something that has been even more-strongly linked to cancer than the chlorine itself.

The food we eat is highly-processed. The soils are depleted of nutrients to the extent that today's foods have less than 1/2 the nutrient content of foods grown 50 years ago. We have been spraying with fertilizers, pesticides, selective herbicides (Monsanto is probably the scariest company I've ever heard of!)

The air we breathe has never been more polluted. Whatever side of the "greenhouse gas issue" you sit on, I think we can all agree that global warming/climate change aside, pollution is "BAD" and it affects the air we breathe.

Just two weeks ago, we learned that Cheerios (and subsequently all "O's" style cereals) have trisodium phosphate (TSP) in them - that is a cleaning product used to prep walls for painting - but apparently that's in what the government calls an "allowable range" under their guidelines. (Why we have a "safe limit" for how much industrial solvent is permitted in the food we eat is beyond me.)

This reminds me of the original (hmm - ok, I think it was the second) Batman movie - the one with Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Joker attempted to poison society by adding chemicals to products the public used every day. No single one in particular would do anything noticeable, but when used in combination, they were deadly - I clearly remember the news anchors in the movie who then weren't showering, shaving, wearing make-up, etc. Funny how life imitates art! This is exactly what's going on with the chemicals and poisons the government allows in our daily lives.

This is one of the reasons Carri and I have chosen to live a cleansing lifestyle. We have to submit to some of these pollutants getting into our bodies. I have purified air and water in the home, we cook our own meals from scratch, we don't use any chemical-based cleaning products - everything in our home is "green" in that respect - but I can't purify the air outside, I need to drive in traffic, I eat at networking mixers and social functions and have to stay in hotels with untreated water, etc. Its impossible to completely avoid all this, but cleansing allows us to shed them from our bodies and ensure that perfect nutrients are available for cellular repair and replacement. (It also has led to my losing 35 pounds - so there goes another long-term risk factor!)

So what happens when we live in these toxic environments? All these pollutants link together, react and our bodies eventually shut down! Polluted air, spraying our bodies with chemicals and byproducts, eating nutrient-depleted foods laced with solvents, fertilizers and pesticides - eventually the body just has to give up. I mean really, are we trying to kill ourselves???

That's where the whole topic of "social engineering" came up last night. We started wondering if all these chemicals and poisons are "allowed" for exactly this reason. If we're all living longer, eventually something has to kill us. Are all these environmental poisons "permitted" just so that we will actually succumb to something? Is it governmentally-intended that we all get cancer and die?

In the US, healthcare and "big pharma" are bigger industries than energy! This isn't an accident. There are lobbyists to convince (buy) government support for smoking, drug use, chemicals and steroids in our foods, poisons like fluoride, chlorine and ammonia added to the water supply.

I can't say that I have an answer or am even qualified to comment on it, but it sure sounds like a good question. The evidence certainly does support it. When there are government approved levels for poisons in our food, water and air, then I guess it certainly at least has to be asked!

Talking with my colleague that runs the "anti chemical" company, she shares a common frustration with me. Its easy to see these things are all bad for you, but no-one seems to want to do anything about it. They label the very people trying to help as "radicals" and return to the ostrich position - burying their head in the sand, then weeping and sobbing when they get cancer and start to get sick. THEN they see the light, but unfortunately, for many, its already too late.

The World Health Organization is predicting a 50% increase in cancer rates by 2020. The American Cancer Society tells us that our risk of developing cancer is one in three over a lifetime.

Does this surprise anyone? No - but does anyone want to do anything to avoid being part of these morbid statistics? Maybe - some do. For them, it takes some new knowledge and some lifestyle changes. They are not difficult changes, but they are conscious ones. It requires taking an inventory of your lifestyle and honestly looking at where your risks are.

Is it the air? The water? The food? Do we actually get around to exercising? What products do we use in our homes on a daily basis? A great example is the chemical misting devices that have either a timer or a motion sensor to apply a dose of toxic chemicals on a continual basis - all in the name of "fragrance"! Are you kidding me?!!?!? The company then has the nerve to close their tv ads with "SC Johnson, A FAMILY COMPANY" A very nice sentiment, but SCARY! Its the everyday products like this that scare me the most - chemicals being dosed into the air we breathe under the guise of "home improvement." There are WAY more effective methods of odour elimination as well as better ways to add scents to our home. (If you like the smell of potpourri, how about using it instead of chemicals that smell like it??!?!)

All I ask here is that we, as consumers, open our eyes and start to question things we do and the way we live. We cannot assume that government is there to make sure things in our homes are safe - it just simply doesn't work that way. Like the Joker's evil plot, probably having "one" thing on the hit list in your home or daily use isn't going to be the problem - its the cumulative effect they play on our body. Sooner or later, the fatal straw is added to the camel's back and it breaks. That friends, is how we voluntarily let cancer into our lives.

Cleansing Programs

Wow - well, I never thought I'd be doing something like this, let alone writing about it. I've usually taken a "know it all" position on nutrition. I studied a lot in school, worked in restaurants for 10 years and am nearly addicted to FoodTV -Chef Ramsay just has a way with words....

Anyway, I met Barbilee at a networking function probably 2 years ago when she was talking about nutritional cleansing. I had no real idea what it actually was all about - I just heard about people doing things that reminded me of how Gandhi used to protest and I didn't think that was right for me. What little I knew and WOW - how assumptions can cause problems!

After fluctuating up and down on the "yo yo" (think Oprah) for years, I bumped into Barbilee last summer when she contacted me to order up a reverse osmosis drinking water system for her home. I went over, did the install, we talked a little more about cleansing and I still didn't "get it."

6 months after the install, I got back to her to check on things with the RO system and she emailed me back. I happened to click on the link in her email and watched a video (www.cleanlean.ca) and finally saw what this whole cleansing thing was all about. I called her about it and she told me what all was involved and why it wasn't "fasting" nor was it a "diet." It is a complete nutritional program that is changing my life.

Yes, I have some goals in terms of what I want to lose, and yes, until those are achieved, progress is definitely faster if I watch what I eat and lay off the beer & nachos, but really - that was something I was willing to try since I was absolutely not willing to move to the next-larger size of pants.

I was still skeptical, but when she said there was an unconditional 30 day money-back guarantee, I thought that basically I had nothing to lose but the weight. The decision to start was easy, but with it being the second week of December, I wasn't certain that starting then was a great idea. Turns out there's no time like the present! I am almost done my first cleanse program (as of today, about 3/4 through,) and I'm down 17 pounds already. There is a measurement system they ask you to follow to really see how things are progressing - in all, I'm down 33 inches, and calculating my BMI (Body Mass Index) I'm down 2.4 already -that's a huge change - almost a 10% reduction!!!

I feel better, I've changed notches on my belt, I've had to adjust my watch strap, and my clothes actually fit (kind of loose, truth be told!) We've got a Florida trip coming up the weekend after next and this is going to make me feel a whole lot more comfortable. I should have my goals achieved by my birthday in April, just like I planned. There's been so little sacrifice and so much gained!

I've been a believer in vitamins and supplements for a long time and have taken them religiously even though I've never really felt any different. Granted, I never seem to be as sick as most others, but no different "feel" to life -until now - turns out the answer wasn't just "vitamins" -but a different nutritional approach. I haven't actually used my alarm in the morning in about 2 weeks. I get up, I'm ready to hit the ground running and finally I "feel" the difference. Thanks Barbilee!!!

For more info on the cleansing and nutritional fat burning system I'm using, please see: www.cleanlean.ca