I've got the will, and I've found a way.

I'm happy to report that I am finally in possession of all of the tools I need to get back into fighting shape. Here, in the heart of whitetrashville, where I currently (and gratefully) make my home, is my fairly-complete home gym: nice Olympic weight set and proper stands and benches, adjustable dumbells, and best of all, my elliptical trainer. It appears that the majority of my neighbors are deep into a self-destructive lifestyle not very much unlike that which I have left behind, and I am alone on a mission to make up for lost time. I can only imagine what they are doing on the other side of those walls. I can't save them, but I can be the change I want to see.
Part of that change is getting into the shape I was when I left the joint in December of '04. I won't do it by dieting. Creating a killer low-carb "diet bread" (killer light?) is on my short-list of worthy projects, but don't expect me to eat it. I have never been a dieter. I just exercise hard.
I put on a few pounds when I quit smoking a few months ago, and my arthritis kicked in and made running a painful ordeal. To reduce the impact on my joints, I finally purchased a good elliptical trainer. and now it's on! Ok, it's not going to be as easy as it was in my 20's, but people who use age as an excuse just get older quicker. I readily accept the challenge not to go quietly into my later middle years.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Eat Killer Bread...Lose Weight!

The "tasks" section of my Outlook program keeps getting bigger by the day. Each one of these planned objectives deserves its own blog entry. But today, it's all about the latest bread I've been working on. Tentantively called "killer light", it's a "diet" bread with 70-75 calories, 4 grams of fiber, and 10 grams of net carbs (14 minus 4) per slice.

This bread's story begins with "market research" done on the fly at farmers' markets--conversations with killer bread-lovers who told me they wanted a lower-calorie bread with "killer taste and texture". This is not an easy task, since these are not "diet bread" qualities. I am not willing to use artificial ingredients, and I prefer to use organic ingredients wherever possible. I believe this may be the first diet bread that isn't "on drugs". ("Say 'no' to bread-on-drugs", I always say.)

To keep it natural and healthy as well as "diet" means using ingredients which don't taste so great (like oat fiber) in quantities which are significant nutritionally, and filling, without detracting from the product's taste. Another aspect of creating such a bread is to make the serving size smaller, and yet large enough so that people don't feel cheated when they eat a slice. This means a piece with a diameter that's a little smaller, and sliced as thinly as possible, but still as functional as a bigger slice.

Is it an art or a science? Whatever it is, I just feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be doing something that has the potential of making peoples' lives better, including my own.

I still have questions to answer. For instance, should I use organic agave cactus syrup as a sweetener, since it has a low-glycemic index? How much fiber is too much? Is the serving size just right?

If you would like to be a "killer light" guinea pig, please email me. All you'll have to do is come by NatureBake any time after I have made a batch. I'll give you a great deal: 2 bucks a loaf. You give me your feedback.

Partying with Monkey and Mueller...

WooHoo! What does Killer Breadman Dave do on New Year's Eve? I'm happy to report that I am hanging out with my cats, Mueller (the Calico mama) and Monkey (the Siamese daughter). Earlier this evening, I ran 4 miles. Then I played my guitar for 30 minutes or so. The History Channel has kept me entertained since then. It is now 10:45 PM and I'm pretty sure I will be asleep in my king-sized bed before 2007 begins.
Since I got out of prison on December 27, 2004, I have done just about nothing but work. I have enjoyed every minute of it, but I'm not sure that I know quite what I should be doing when I'm not working. I will say that partying with M&M suits me just fine tonight.
If you are interested, here's a link to a new documentary video made about me by Emiko Badillo and Michelle Majeski. If you read this far, you will definitely like the short film.
Click here to watch the film.

a little tune for ya...tell me what you think.

Here's the track I recorded for the KPOJ radio commercial and video.

Hangin' tough with KPOJ's Jason Van Houton

First blog entry commemorates my first radio commercial.

Here I am at KPOJ-AM, "Portland's Progressive Talk Station", recording the spots that are currently airing a couple of times a day on the radio, as well as their streaming "Listen Live" feature on the KPOJ website.