I heard about this book listening to NPR the other day. It is a story about food divided into three sections…the first is about “industrial” food production, the second “organic” and the third “hunter/gatherer”.

I must say it is quite insightful, and pretty damn shitty. I’m not going to go into the heavy details of what I’ve been learning for two main reasons. One, it would be extremely complex and dificult to summarize this whole giant book into my simple typing. I just don’t want to…plus you really ought to read it yourself. Two, although I am sure it is very factual and accurate…it also (in my educated opinion) a bit “extreme”. The author is definitely giving an accurate portrayal of the food industry but at the same time his word choice leans more on the far end of the spectrum.

This book is poiniant for a very simple reason…I am in bad shape. What I mean to say is…I am not as healthy as I ought to be. I smoke way too much, do not get enough exercise and generally feel pretty crappy about my well-being. Granted this is hard-core allergy season (and I’m suffering due to it)…I still feel (and believe I look) worse than I ought to.

The hardest thing here is to quit smoking. Just thinking about it (and I do a lot these days because I can honestly say that it’s weighing heavily on my mind) makes me cringe a touch. I haven’t stopped…but each one I light up is really bothering me.

Plus…something pretty crappy happened this past Friday. It didn’t happen to me…it happened to someone I know and care dearly for. They didn’t die, or get hurt…but through a foolish and childish act they got themselves into a world of trouble. I respect this person a HELL of a lot but at the same time I see the road they’ve gone down and I do NOT want to end up on the same path. It is very important to me that I don’t.

This weekend is going to be a gnarly one. It’s Mother’s Day and that means the busiest day of the year for the restaurant. I’m stressing over it a bit, but not to the point where I’m freaked out. But I am going to let it serve as a turning point for me…the last day of…rather…a new day of a new era.

Yes that above sounds a bit fatalistic and all that…but it’s time I do more for myself.

And what better day than May 15th? It is…after all…Monday. Whatever that means.