The Fisher King

I just finished watching The Fisher King, currently available on Netflix, and I really liked it.  I've been missing Robin Williams, and doing a lot of soul searching lately because of his death.  I guess that's why this movie drew me in.  Even though it was a tear jerker, I laughed a lot in the middle of it.  I completely lost it when Parry's demons were explained.  I could directly identify with him because of what happened to Hardy and me.  The movie will only be available until Sept. 1st, so get in there and watch. 

The Fisher King is about a New York shock jock (Jeff Bridges) who is racked with guilt after inspiring a killing spree. He eventually finds redemption through his acquaintance with Parry (Robin Williams), a homeless man who was inadvertently involved in the rampage. 

The Skinny on Trans Fat

We've all heard that trans fat is not good got you, but today I got into researching why.  I am NOT any sort of expert, but I just spent a couple of hours reading about this, so I have a little bit of a handle on what it is, and what it isn't for that matter. The most surprising thing I learned is what trans fat isn't! The term trans fat doesn't ever refer to a saturated fat, like butter or any other animal fat. The term trans fat only refers to fats that are unsaturated. 

In addition to having the unsaturated component, trans fat also poses a basic problem in the human body. This is in regard to cholesterol. We have two types of cholesterol in our bodies, HDL (good/heathy) and LDL (bad/unhealthy). My understanding is that trans fat lowers BOTH types of cholesterol, and we don't want to do that. Obviously, when we give a blood sample, we want a high number for HDLs and low number for LDLs. Further, the unsaturated fats that are NOT classified as trans fats help to raise the HDL number and LOWER the LDL. That means we need to consume an unsaturated fat that works with us, and trans fats ultimately work against us. 

Another thing about those lovely fats is they contain Omegas either 3, 6, or 9. Forget about Omega 9, because our body can create that one on its own. Even though our bodies can't produce Omega 6, most people eat plenty of it, so we probably don't have to worry about that one either. Omega 3 is the one we need to think about, because it is the only one that fights inflammation. Fortunately Omega 3 is in some great foods (salmon, spinach, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, flax seeds, and eggs for instance), so it's easy to fit into our daily intake. 

What oil should I use?

Oils are a tricky subject. They are fat. Period. I saw a lot of opinion and controversy over the best cooking oils, but it's probably safe to use those unsaturated fats we are told are good for us, like olive, avocado, canola, or flaxseed. These oils have the correct Omegas and zero trans fats too. If at all possible, fats should come from food, and if using a butter type spread, look for something on the package that says no trans fat. In fact, a good rule would be to look for labels with zero trans fat.

Points of Sail 101

I just read an article about Points of Sail that was so good, I felt motivated to blog about it. It has sailing terms explained succinctly so rather than paraphrase, here is the link. Thank you to whoever is at the helm at the Princton Sailing Team site. Any more information and racing secrets would be given away. 

Sailors should copy, paste, and save this link for occasional reference...

http://www.princeton.edu/~sailing/PrincetonSailing/Sailing_Tips.html

Man Overboard

I was really nervous last night because I knew all weekend that I was going to have to do a figure eight, man overboard drill during sailing class. I wasn't feeling it, and I honestly didn't think I could do it. I practically meditated all weekend on mastering the task. In my mind, I had a picture of how to do it... I had to fall off the wind, travel a safe distance away from the victim, then turn upwind and complete the maneuver by tacking into a broad reach, turning towards the person, and finally luffing the sails so as to slow down to pick up the "dummy" that fell in the water.

Yup. I could describe it, and I could see it in my mind's eye. But up until last night, I had never actually done it. Moreover, since I don't have a sailboat, I could not practice the drill until the actual class. I felt like this was the part of the course that separated the women from the girls. Suffice it to say, I watched a ton of YouTube videos beforehand, and I visualized what to do in my mind's eye. This helped to stave off the anxiety, but doing it would have to wait until class.

Until today, I felt like a wanna be sailor. I was in a place mentally that kept me from feeling like I knew how to sail. While it is true that I have been consistently sailing during race night for about 6 years, I didn't feel like I knew how to sail. For example, I could not drive the boat - without a motor, and I didn't know how to trim the main sail. But today? Today I can say with confidence, that I can, and more than that, knowing that  I can do this particular drill, is what got me there. Because I successfully did the figure eight. 3 times!

I personally take issue with the fact that the figure eight method is the best for retrieving a victim in the super cold Monterey Bay. I think it's too time consuming for a person overboard to wait in that water. Not to mention how it would feel to watch the boat go about 6 boat lengths away before heading back again for pick up. I don't even want to talk about hypothermia. The experts say the figure eight is best because there won't be any jibing going on.  

Today I see the merit of learning the figure eight drill. It requires the use of so many of your sailing skills, not to mention knowledge of the wind, and navigation, that once mastered, it feels like like you've passed some sort of skills test. As an educator, with roughly 10 years experience, that's where the drill becomes invaluable. It makes you prove to yourself, and everyone else, that you can not only sail, but also possibly save someone's life by performing a figure eight in the ocean. But more than that, for me it was the aha moment I'd been waiting for. 

I have come full circle. The first instruction I ever received, in regard to sailing, was on this very topic. It was given to me by my good friend, Robert, over 6 years ago. When I asked him what I could do to assist the crew that day, he said, "Your job is to stay onboard. Just don't fall into the water." He said it simply and mater of factly. And it was good instruction. As sailors, we never want to perform the man overboard drill. But today I realize it's important to learn that if we have to, we can. 

*****

Two great links to videos that show how it's done...

Man overboard drill by Olympic Circle Sailing Club (OCSC) Berkeley:  http://youtu.be/CEdFkbIYGno

How it looks boat animation by PsychoSnail Sailing:  http://youtu.be/VXDIdszPWoY