Mishkin Berteig

Childhood Rhyme

One bright morning in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight
Back-to-back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise,
came and killed the two dead boys.
If you don't believe this lie is true,
ask the blind man, he saw it too!

Sanitation and Autoimmune diseases

Rats and people: do we need exposure to disease in our lives?

My Brother Benja - New Games

Check out: www.benjagames.tk - flash games with lots of violence!

New Civ4 mod Released

My friend Christian has been working with several other people on a major mod to Civ4. The mod is called Total Realism 2.0. The announcement and details are found on the forum announcement, and you can get more details on the project page.

I Lost my Wedding Ring

I lost my wedding ring at the Rest Stop on the South side of the French River on highway 69. I went back there today to try to find it, but I could not. If anyone finds it, please let me know. Thanks.

Egypt Course Upholds Baha'i Rights

This is a great step.

Friend's Blog

A friend that I met in Jersey City, Laura Harley, has a blog about music and art.

Sixteenth Day of The Fast

Well, the fast has been going well for me this year. There have been some rough spots: my afternoons were excrutiating for a little while. My energy level would plummet and my brain would turn off. Once I even took a nap at work - helped a lot as I was able to be productive after that. Since I'm paid for my hours, and not just a little bit, I felt like I had a responsibility to my client to be effective. So I looked for ways to do that without breaking the Fast. One thing that has helped a bit is going for a mid-afternoon walk. Another thing is chewing gum (which probably isn't quite proper, but since it's litterally 1 or 2 Calories, I figure it's probably still within the spirit of the Fast).

Another good thing: my weight has actually continued to drop. I'm now at 201. I haven't been that low for at least a year. Last year for the Fast I didn't lose any weight at all. I figure that in the few days remaining, I'll definitely get down to 200, and maybe 199. After that, I'm going to have to work really hard to keep my weight down.

I've also started doing regular morning exercise. It's light, but it's better than nothing. I do the "Five Tibetan Rites" which are very similar to some yoga exercises. They seem to be helping my back a bit, although I find doing sit-ups is much more effective. Problem is I often forget to do sit-ups in the evening which is when I like to do them. Oh well.

Sixth Day of the Fast

Ug. My weight is up to 208 today. I over-ate yesterday while travelling. Today I'm also not fasting but I am only drinking water. I need to kick the illness that is still hanging onto me. Hopefully some good rest and healthy food will help.

Fourth Day of the Fast

Dad and Anna left this morning. They're going to Fort McMurray via Toronto. I could have left with them; caught the same flight, but Anna wanted to visit with Dad :-) I'm going to Toronto this afternoon for a 1/2 day training session I'm delivering.

The weight thing: well, I'm at 206 again. No loss, no gain. Last night was a big meal. We had Ghormeh Sabzi (a Persian dish made with parsley, cilantro and leeks), rice and then apple crisp for desert. I ate quite well.

Third Day of the Fast

I've started the third day. I woke up before sunrise and drank some water as usual. However, now that it's 9:30am, I feel like I didn't get enough. The bedroom was very dry last night and this morning. My weight is down a little: I'm at 206 now. I've created a weight burndown spreadsheet to encourage myself. I'm still sick with a cough: I'm going to go to Target this morning to their medical clinic. I'm not sure if I'll get medication, but I really need to be better on Monday for my presentation to CapitalOne.

Melanie is weaning Verity. She started on the first day of the Fast. Verity had more trouble with it last night than usual. But still, Verity is adjusting. She's been drinking more water and juice and hopefully will start eating more solid foods too.

My Brother Benja the Flash Maniac

My brother Benja does flash animation. He just sent out an email announcing a bunch of new stuff. WARNING: violent, gorey and offensive material!!! (But also really really hilarious!) Here it is: Benja's Flash Site.

Second Day of the Fast

Well, this morning I was at 207. A reasonable decrease. I managed to fast the whole day yesterday: started the morning with a class of water, then broke my fast also with a glass of water. I ate a fair amount that evening, but not too much. Melanie made a fantastic chicken curry soup.

First Day of the Fast

I'm still sick with a sore throat and stuffed up head, but I'm fasting today (so far). I have a few goals for this Fast: dawn prayers every day, lose ten pounds to get down to 200, and finish reading the letters of Shoghi Effendi that we were asked to read for the current five-year plan.

Dad and Anna are visiting us in Maryland. We're staying in corporate housing in a town North of Baltimore. It's nice to have them around. I just wish we had even more time with them.

Expressing my Concerns

Today I had a brief but very intense conversation with Melanie over lunch. I've realized that the two of us have been letting ourselves get caught up in an escalating battle of wills with our kids, particularly Justice. It has led to raised voices and giving orders on both sides. So I talked to Melanie about it and we argued a bit. I left the house feeling really bad about "fighting" with Melanie, but also feeling like I had to say what I said (details not necessary for this forum :-) ).

Anyway, we're in a townhouse in Baltimore while I am working at a great place as an agile coach. I'm enjoying it very much: it is both challenging and easy. I feel that I am offering a lot of value, I am challenging the corporate culture in a good way, and I have been getting to know some really great people. We got here Jan. 16th and we'll be here until Apr. 7th or so. My dad and Anna are coming to visit next weekend.