In the wine industry, a “Methuselah” is the name given to a bottle that is the size of 8 normal bottles, and is named after Noah’s grandfather, who did lots of begatting before dying at aged 969 – now we know how he managed it.

So, purely for the sake of scientific experimentation, I decided to put this latest claim to the test by upping my red wine intake to 48 glasses a day, following the Methuselah guideline. The economics and logistics of the project became somewhat challenging when my wife insisted on joining me in the experiment. I tried to convince her otherwise, telling her that one of us needed to remain sober (e.g. to make sure the cat got cat food and not peanuts and Pinot Noir for every meal), but she justified her actions on the principle that there is no way she can bear to be with me when I’m drunk unless she is too.

There now follows an accurate log of how our experiment went.

Day One: As is the case for all medications, we took our wine at regular intervals throughout the day. I insisted we follow this form of dosing ourselves, and although my wife initially objected to my replacing her breakfast glass of orange juice with a large glass of Cabernet, she soon came around, and actually had a second glass, and then a third as she warmed to the experiment and the need to maintain scientific rigor throughout. By lunchtime we had consumed two bottles of wine each, and although we had no evidence that we would live longer as a result, the prospect was highly attractive.

By mid-afternoon we were both into our fourth bottle and my worry about logistics and cat-feeding were brushed aside by the fact that we were so drunk neither of us could clearly be sure that we had a cat, or even a hippopotamus.

Day Two: We both awoke with the sort of headache that makes you want to lift your brain out of your skull and soak it in ice water for the rest of the day whilst you go back to bed, brainless but content. However, after a few gulps of booze and a handful of painkillers, the “hair of the dog” effect kicked in and our brains didn’t seem to matter much anyway. By the end of breakfast my wife was laughing hysterically and insisting on having a second bowl of muesli, this time steeped in Merlot rather than Liebfraumilch.

Day Three: I assume there was a Day Three, but I have no recollection of it nor notes relating to it.  My wife cannot add any detail as she is not talking to me (and hasn’t since the project concluded – but at least she’s moved back into the house).

Day Four: Because we didn’t stock up with food before our exercise started, and owing to the fact that neither of us was in any state to drive at any time of the day or night, we started to run out of things to eat. This led me to an interesting discovery, viz:  the disgustingness of what you’re willing to eat increases exponentially with the amount of alcohol you have consumed. On the one occasion when I got close to the full eight bottle ration, I actually managed to nibble on a piece of tofu.

Day Five: I woke up laying on a gurney in a hospital Emergency Room. When I moved my head to one side, which turned out to be an unexpectedly laborious exercise, I saw my wife in an identical situation, looking back at me, and not very nicely. I had no idea how we got there or what they’d done to us, but despite the tube coming out of my mouth, I had a very detached feeling, and wondered if I’d died. A doctor came and admonished us for what he mistook for a reckless binge. I tried to tell him that we’d been involved in arduous scientific research, but instead I emitted a noise that sounded like a strangulated quack.

My conclusions? I cannot clearly verify that an intake of 48 glasses of red wine a day extends life, but if you try to do it, all meaning of time disappears, so it’s pretty irrelevant anyway.

In my search for answers to my specific questions, I have read hundreds, if not thousands, of books and listened to hundreds of audiotapes searching for the one true answer that would make my life totally fulfilling.  And, yes, they all contained wonderful information and useful ideas.  However, there is a difference between reading about ideas and actually incorporating them in your life.

When I started my NLP training, my goal was to learn as much as I could so I could help as many people as I could.   About three months into the training, I realized this training was to help me heal from my years of programmed behavior by my home environment and school environment and workplace environment.  My training helped me heal from years of being dissociated from my own life in order to make it day after day without going quietly numb.  I became aware of the inappropriate and fearful messages that bombard us day after day.  I rewired my brain so it now understands the subtle and not-so-subtle messages we need to be aware of on a daily basis.

After about eight months of training, my first really wonderful healing experience happened.  The instructor was explaining about internal critical voices and had demonstrated the exercise.  The students were then directed to pair off and take each other through this exercise.  The instructor took one look at my face and asked what was wrong.  My critical voice had kicked in, big time.  All I could hear inside my head was you can’t do this, you are not capable of learning NLP, you won’t get it right, you never get it right.  The instructor then took me through the exercise to discover what the positive intention was for my critical voice.  My critical voice wanted me to be the best person I could be.

I cannot adequately describe the miracle I received that day. I no longer have noise inside my head, instead there is a blissful silence.  I can hear myself as well as other people clearly when we communicate.  This silence releases my creativity.  By allowing myself to heal during my training, I removed the pressure from myself to be perfect, to know everything, and to always have the right answers.  I learned how to trust myself in situations and to better understand the dynamics of what is happening around me.

NLP taught me sitting on the sidelines of my life wouldn’t get me anywhere.  One of my greatest learnings from my NLP training is

Life is experiential.

Do you sit on the sidelines watching the parade pass by?

Are you expecting an engraved invitation to arrive?

All my life I was afraid to participate, reluctant to join in,

fearful of drawing attention to myself.

Then, I got older and perhaps a little wiser.

I started taking chances, looking foolish, and speaking up.

Life brings you wonderful surprises and unexpected

blessings when you take action.

Today, try one new thing.

Call someone you would like to have a conversation with

and invite them to coffee.

Attend a class on a topic you know nothing about.

Call up that cause you truly believe in and volunteer.

Consider this your invitation to step out into the world and share your gifts.

We need to hear your voice.

We need to see your smile.

We need to feel your enthusiasm.

Life is to be experienced!

The first reason is that running to lose weight seems to me like treating the symptom rather than the cause of the problem. While running is good exercise, and does burn calories, you’re not overweight because you’re not running enough. You’re overweight because you’re consuming too many calories.

While exercise can be an effective part of your weight loss program, the absolute best way to burn calories is not to consume them in the first place!

Eating healthy and eliminating wasteful empty calories is a much better strategy than heading out for a run to “work off” that big meal. To make matters worse, you can also fall in the trap of using that run as justification for eating more than you should.

The second reason I don’t recommend running for weight loss is the reality that running can be tough on your body: tough on your feet, tough on your knees, and tough on your joints—and this is just at your optimal weight. When you’re overweight, all of those stresses on your body are magnified and the potential for injury is just that much greater.

If you add age into the mix, which is where a lot of us pick up that extra weight, the risks for injury are compounded further still.

So if you’re starting a weight loss program, my advice is to hold off on the running for a while.

However, if you are determined to run, I highly recommend at the very least being careful and getting educated about the sport of running. Although running seems like a natural enough activity, if you strap on any old pair of shoes and tear off down the road, you could be asking for trouble.

Many running and sports stores hold periodic clinics or seminars where they teach you how to run properly and (hopefully) injury free.

These learn-to-run seminars cover a wide range of topics including how to select the proper running shoes for your feet, injury prevention and treatment, proper nutrition tips for before, during, and after your runs, cold and hot weather running, and a host of other practical tips and advice.

The best part is that your instructor will also be your coach and will be a great resource for all things running.

The old expression “You have to walk before you can run” applies really well here. One of the best ways to ensure safe and injury-free running is to start slowly. Start with walking, and work in brief periods of running, and increase the amount of running you do in very small amounts per week.

My recommendation though, is still to wait until you have lost some of that weight.

I like running. I just don’t like doing it while carrying an extra 50 pounds! And, to be honest, my body doesn’t like it much either.

Or do you force your unwilling self to turn up to work so that you get paid? Do arguments, rumours, bullying, and minimal work satisfaction make up your day, resulting in stress, tension and other negative feelings?

There is a way to fix this (besides moving to a deserted island!) If you’re willing to make some changes, your hours at work can become much easier to handle.

Work place relationships take time and effort, just like any other relationship. Here are 8 tips to help you cope.

1.Don’t take it personally
The occasional hurtful comment is probably not aimed at you. We all have stress or personal problems, plus the frustration of driving to work in heavy traffic or battling with public transport. People tend to lash out at the nearest person available.

2. Pause before you say anything
Once the words are out of your mouth, it’s impossible to fix them. Don’t let automatic responses define you. How will your comment be taken? If it’s going to escalate a situation then don’t say it. Sometimes silence is the best answer.

3. Don’t email in the heat of the moment
Emails are a permanent record. They might seem like conversation, but emails continue to exist in computer systems and printed records. Don’t say anything nasty about anyone. Be very careful about the words you type.

4. Treat your colleagues and customers with respect
Sometimes it’s hard to treat someone with respect when they are being impolite, rude, or bad-tempered. Keep your cool. You will be the stronger one if you refuse to be baited.

5. Don’t pass on gossip
This is a difficult one! Speculation about a work colleague acting suspiciously could seem harmless. Talking about two members of staff who might be having an affair won’t hurt anyone, right? Wrong! The words we hear and say influence our thinking. Gossip diminishes our ability to deal fairly with colleagues. Keep the details to yourself, and disregard them.

6. Avoid irrelevant arguments where possible
Everyone has a set of opinions. I know it’s hard to believe, but yours may not be right! If you are arguing about an important issue that affects health or safety at work, it’s acceptable to stand up for yourself. If, however, you feel obliged to argue because you “know” you’re right, then drop it. The hurt feelings and ongoing war of words could continue long after the argument is forgotten.

7. Always be polite
Take a deep breath and be polite, even if it’s through gritted teeth. Give others the benefit of the doubt. They may be under immense pressure, or have family or health issues.

8. Ensure your work meets your manager’s expectations
Your wages and your promotion at work may seem to be out of your control, but you can become the sort of person that managers like to have around. Always complete tasks given to you within the allotted time. If you cannot do this, ask for assistance, or an extension of time, well before your deadline. When you have some spare time, offer to help someone else who may be falling behind in their work. Qualities that managers look for are: reliability, commitment, and responsibility. Sometimes it helps to pretend that the company is yours – how would that affect the way you work?

These ideas may seem too much, but anything that improves those long hours spent at work is worth it. Try out some or all of these hints – you may be surprised at the results.

When the matter was discussed to determine where the root of conflict occurred, it was discovered that several factors were at play regarding unfulfilled needs. The continued involvement of third parties that supported the conflicted party, brought undue stress on one side further escalating the matter.

It was not until the accused party chose to confront the main issue with all persons involved. Through that person’s willingness to risk the relationship in order to gain mutual resolution, healing was extended.  Each area of contention then had to be broken down to the core, before real rebuilding of the relationship could occur.

While issues such as this one are common, an awareness of conflict triggers can aid in future prevention such as:

A failure to listen. Do you listen, but not really “hear” what is being said? Active listening means being connected to what is and is not being said taking into account inflection, tone, root issues, and personal story. Often times, a person hears the words, but misses out on the unspoken story risking conflict when a misunderstanding occurs.

A failure to accurately perceive. The ego, or perceived personality is born out of fear. Its natural defensiveness works to shield and protect. Yet, if a party is truly innocent in a matter, what is the reason for defending oneself? Often, it is an automatic response due to previous bad experiences with a party, a triggered memory, or one of the following:

• A feeling of being threatened

• A need to compete with the other party

• A feeling of weariness or stress

• An external need not being met

• Internal thought contradictions

So, how can resolution be achieved? To bring resolve, the conflicted party (ies) must choose to openly discuss all that is imagined or accurately perceived in reference to the reasons for disagreement.

The road to resolution occurs when both parties are willing to resolve the matter.  However, resolution must be done with the branch of love and goal of relationship.   The solution should maintain a future focus rather than a past mentality.

The mediator should keep the parties’ options multi-functional and beneficial to all concerned.  Whereas, the parties should hold no contradiction inwardly or outwardly.

Many times conflict occurs when we avoid confronting an uncomfortable matter out of fear of loss.  However, when the obstacle is seen as temporary, once passed, it provides an opportunity for long term healing enabling the parties in dispute to open to a vulnerable yet beneficial part of the relationship.

The mediator can be integral in acting as a bridge of resolution by first understanding how the parties in dispute communicate further analyzing:

1.   How the parties in conflict perceive their version of the story and experience?
2.   How their perception has changed the ability for the parties to reach a resolution?

The mediator/facilitator further can observe and seek to understand the language of the individual and collective parties to determine how information is being perceived and exchanged in reference to the conflict.   It is essential that the parties and the conflict must be seen as it truly is, void of imagined roles, perceived or real offenses, in order to find common ground.

Resolution can never occur when a matter is one sided where the same person continues to be the victim and the other, the offender. Generally, cyclic conflict results from a root of disagreement that has never been confronted and dealt with through completion. This is unfair to either party, as no one person can meet all of another’s needs without giving up a part of himself or herself.

Painful encounters with conflict allow parties to move through errors in thinking, false third party influences, or unhealthy patterns to heal fragments that continue to add to the division between the parties.

The journey to resolution though not always enjoyable or welcoming, can prove to be rewarding in the long term.

In summary, the keys for both mediator and disputing parties are to:

1. Desire and work towards resolution.
2. Understand that which exists within oneself.
3.  Embrace opportunity to uproot any root(s) of dissension.
4.  Lay aside fear and risk loss being open to change and forward progression.

When the mediator sheds light on how conflict holds opportunity, the parties can move from a blame-shifting mentality to one where there are no “sides” but solutions.

Indeed, the chilly bite in the air has already faded, the fog is already wisping away, going, going, gone into the pale blue sky. The mountains of fire and emerald are alight with the sun. The old man knows this, sees it more clearly than he ever did with the strong eyes of youth – no matter the fraying on the edges of vision. For more years than he cares to remember, he has watched this beautiful sight. Ah, but was there not somebody to share this sight? Yes, through the years, many somebodies, many smiles, many wondering eyes. So many shared memories, and nobody now left to share them with. They weigh so heavy on the old man’s stooped shoulders.

His porch is all but silent. He is lost in memory and thought, the only avenues he traverses nowadays. Ah, once there would have been a woman in the chair that now sits empty next to his. Children sitting with them – children rubbing sleep from their eyes and clutching at blankets to ward away the nip of the chilly wind off the lake. Heart and hearth, both warm then. Now the old man is alone, and beneath the smile on the face and the wonder in his almost-unseeing eyes there is a shadow of pain.

The cold wind off the lake comes, the last echo of the frozen night before. The old man shakes like a leaf in the wind. Indeed, like a leaf in the wind. He is the last leaf on the branch. Old, crinkled, wrinkled, past ready to be borne away to venues unknown. But the wind forbears to carry him away, morning after morning, and he wonders morning after morning where that wind will take him. He will welcome it, for he is tired, and he is old, and he has had his fill of laughter, and tears – he has had his fill of years. He will welcome that wind, but he will not chase it, for he wonders where it shall sweep him to, and he has had his fill of everything but these mornings, these mornings of fog and sun and mountains and lakes and beauty and sorrow. These mornings of the blazing fire of summer’s death. Ah, such beauty always catches his breath away, each and every morning – and one morning, perhaps it will not give it back . . .

And the leaf will whistle away. God knows where.

When Apple released its first iPad in April 2010, it positioned the device as an intermediate solution between the personal computer and the smartphone. It did really introduce any new functionality not already available in the iPhone or iPod Touch devices, but the larger size made some functions such as watching video and note taking more accessible. It was not promoted as or initially used by consumers as a personal computer replacement, but the proliferation of tablets throughout the marketplace does raise some interesting questions about the future of the personal computer as we know it.

For hardware manufacturers, the primary concern is which devices the public will be buying in the future. IT departments and technophiles care more about which devices consumers will be using. The later question is likely an early indicator for the former. As consumers gravitate more and more to their mobile devices for tasks that have been until now exclusively a PC’s job such as word processing and photo editing and as the cloud rises to mainstream usage as a file storage solution, PC’s will find themselves collecting more and more dust. The death of the PC will not be an instantaneous one, but a slow and gradual decline in sales as consumers delay new purchases because their time spent using the device shrinks steadily.

Before the PC becomes obsolete, we are likely to experience an intermediate period in which most consumers bounce between multiple devices such as a smartphone, tablet, and a personal computer. Many early adopters are living in this state right now with mainstream consumers not far behind. Both of the major operating system developers, Apple and Microsoft, are responding to device proliferation by creating an OS that will cross multiple platforms. iOS and OSX are already designed to work together, and  Microsoft  is not far behind with Windows 8 due out in October.

Ultabooks such as the Asus Zenbook and Macbook Air are also emerging as a unique middle ground between the traditional notebook computer and the tablet.  In many ways the lines that separate personal computers from mobile devices are becoming unclear. As tablets become more powerful and notebooks grow ever lighter and thinner, it may soon be impossible to distinguish between the two.

If we look back only a decade we can see that no such capability existed. Of course we had mothers and grandmothers who kept personal telephone directories full of contacts but the problem back then was that we were reliant on people informing us of a change in contact information if everyone was to stay in touch.

These days a quick post on a social networking site allows the world to see our personal information including new and updated contact information. Again you would say that this is surely an improvement on what we had before and that we now never need to lose contact with anyone given the ease at which we can step in and out of each others lives.

Unfortunately whilst I see that this may be an improvement for those wishing to be in regular contact with their Facebook, MySpace or other networking profile friends it does offer us another issue that we have yet to experience.

Over time we come in contact with thousands of people. Work relationships, growing families, school friends and even those we have met on a night out add numerous contacts to our expanding networking friends list. My daughter has something like 500 to date and I am left to wonder if I have ever known 500 people well enough to want to add them to a site where they can watch my daily movements. We have never had the ability to be so easily contactable.

In the past we have known school friends then left most of them behind as we have moved off into adulthood and work. On average most people have three jobs in their lifetime and in each of those positions we have known and left behind those we have worked with and replaced them with our new workmates. In family life we have possibly lost contact with aunts, uncles and cousins as people move around the country or world to start afresh elsewhere. People we have met in bars…we take their number and never cross paths again.

This however is no longer the case and that leaves us with an outcome. It leads us to a point in everybody’s future where we are in contact with more people than we have ever been in contact with. A lifetime of people all crammed into our contacts list. Obviously we may choose not to interact with our entire contact list but the opportunity however remains.

My Mother is 67 years old and is a proud silver surfer. Up to the point when she started her social networking page 5 years ago she had known that 17 of her family, friends and co-workers had died of whatever causes. In the 5 years she has been online and in contact with friends and family once forgotten or lost she has known of a further 23 people to have died. These were all people she hadn’t been in contact with in years. People she had gotten to know once again. People whose lives she was once more part of. People who then died and could no longer post updates.

It has left her quite a bit sadder than she would have been if she had not known about them again. These were people who formed her memories and her past and had made her who she is. Now she discovers too easily that a lot of them are gone. This is of course just part of life but there has always been an element of protection against too much sadness associated with the deaths of loved ones and friends. The protection being the lack of knowledge as to where their lives have taken them.

The average person has over 600 social contacts. Over half of these are linked to a social networking site. A great deal of these people are in our own age bracket so it is safe to say that we will have knowledge of more death in our lifetime than we have ever had.

The knowledge of a friend or family members death usually brings with it sadness. In today’s linked society we are now open to a higher degree of sadness than we have ever been. Updates will stop and contacts will go offline forever and we will be left wondering why so many people are dying when in actual fact they always would have.

We just wouldn’t have known about it.

I know the roof has been well and truly ripped off my house; more than once. All of the insides have been exposed and every room lay bare. Any secrets I had, and I had a few, became an open book for all to see and the furniture of my life has been washed away in the rising flood of emotional reaction.

I’ve lost marriage, business, possessions, respect, self esteem, confidence and social standing. All have gone as easily as debris swept away in the path of a cyclone.

And sometimes in life, this can happen over extended periods that make you question if they will ever end. Maybe a small pause comes, a sigh of relief is released and hopes come of rebuilding. Only to discover it is simply the ‘eye’ of the storm; a brief moment of stillness before the onslaught is renewed.

It’s no wonder then that we compare bad times in life with going through a storm; both can be very destructive, causing incredible pain and loss. I have felt ravaged by the storm and wondered how I would ever find the strength to stand again. But you know, when I did stand up again, after the emotional wind and tear-filled rain had passed, I found that the storm had cleared the air. I was surprised that weathering the storm had done me good.

You see, most of us go through life blaming others or uncontrollable circumstance for what happens to us. But is that really the case? Were there decisions we could have made, before the storm hit, which could have taken us out of its path? Was there safer places and harbours that could have been better shelters during the storm? Did we in fact make the storm worse by running out, into it, unprotected?

There are many things to be learnt from the answers to these questions. And the truth is, in my case at least, I often went into a storm which was of my own silly creation. Selfishness, greed, a failure to look at self, insecurity and a refusal to look ahead will nearly always lead to storm clouds building up. But if we start to walk in a more gentle spirit, considering others more, looking at self in an open, honest way and taking responsibility for what comes out of our mouths, we will often find that the thunder and lightning is on someone else’s horizon.

And it is meditating on this truth that can often bring us to realise and appreciate the benefits of the storms of life.

In the strong winds, what are often blown off the landscape of our character are the very things that caused the storm in the first place. The storm exposes the emptiness and shallowness of much that motivated us before the big blow. An Inability to forgive, a habit of resentment, the hat of negativity and the cape deception, all get blown away with the wind; and we should be thankful they are gone.

I don’t really like going through storms in life; but actually my main desire isn’t to just avoid them. Most of the time that just leads to what could be called a, ‘jumping out of the frying pan into the fire’, situation. Rather than run from the storms I would like to become a better sailor in life. I would like to learn how to read the weather charts better, and to act accordingly. I’d like to learn to be a lot more honest with myself, about myself, and try to be far more considerate of others. I’d also like to try and remain positive and always remember, I can fight the storm, causing a win or lose situation, or I can help all in the storm to find safer ports.

God bless and good sailing; Graham

And then, just as the sun is peeking over the horizon, the most beautiful sound of spring awakens. The gobbling of a spring wild turkey! Soon, the woods are alive with the sound of gobbling turkeys. There are lots of them talking to each other. Doesn’t that just sound great!

And then as you watch the field, here they come. They have their feathers all fanned out and you can see their blue heads and that bright red waddle, and they start strutting around trying to impress the females. Oh, that is a beautiful sight to watch.

While you are watching the turkeys do their dance, you spot an armadillo just outside your blind window. He is busy digging, looking for worms and grubs. He doesn’t even know you are there, and he goes on his way.

And just before you open your eyes you hear something else moving around in the grass behind you and you quickly sit back down and slowly take a peek. And right next to your blind, about 10 yards away, there stands a white-tail doe with 2 fawns grazing on the wheat. You are wearing scent to cover your presence.

Your heart is beating with such rhythm. A good feeling rhythm that calms you. God’s beautiful, graceful deer right next to you. And then, a big, beautiful buck comes out to join the doe. He has a big 10 point rack on his head. Now, wasn’t that worth closing your eyes for?

Oh, don’t worry, nature is always full of surprises.

From a beautiful sunrise
In the early morning sky,
To a bright colorful sunset
That makes you let out a sigh

Nature is the work of a mighty hand
From the great blue yonder
What he makes is beautiful
And it leaves us to wonder

The deer and the wild turkey
Come out on the field to eat
It fills your eyes with beauty
And it gives your heart a treat

The tall mountains and trees
The low valleys and streams
Provide all animals with homes
And fills our mind with dreams

Nature is all around us
If we take the time to look
Cause someday it will all be gone
And may only be seen in a book