Each Day A Gift

Sharper Tacts

Fri, 01 May 2026 15:42:56 GMT

Sharper Tacts

My father forever denied saying this to me, so I will defer to him as always. But, I thought he said to me once way back long ago,”Berman, there are sharper tacks than you in the draw”. And, it was either way, said with loving kindness.

The point is simple.

There is somebody somewhere better than you in everything that you are and do. The odds are over one in a billion that that is an accurate statement.

So.

Don’t focus on being the best at something or everything, set your sights on being the best you. Trust me, if you accomplish that then the odds greatly increase on you being better than all the rest.

Be the best you with love and loving kindness and humility and a sense of deep appreciation for the gift that each day brings you and that you can bring others.

Sent with hugs and love and prayers,

David/

Are All Men Created Equal?

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:27:22 GMT

Are All Men Created Equal?

Q? Are all humans created equal? Yes or no?

Q? Are all humans endowed with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Yes or no?

Q? Is the consent of the people necessary in order for their government to derive their power? Yes or no?

If you answered yes to the three questions above (and I hope you did), then there is only one form of governance that accommodates you, a representative democracy. The best example of which is found here in the US of A. A nation of over three hundred and forty million people of every walk of life, of every skin color, religion and so on - living together in relative harmony.

That we should all be judged by our character and our abilities.

We should not be subdivided by skin color, religion, sexual orientation, etc.

Human greatness is derived entirely by our ability to act as one large group. To understand that the differences between us are far smaller than the commonalities we share together.

The US Constitution has provided that framework for a quarter millenia. Turned 13 small back water colonies into the world’s first benevolent super power.

I only bring this up because I have witnessed over the past bunch of years multiple attempts which are ongoing that destroy the very fabric of our society.

Wishing All, a great day,

Each one a gift,

David/

.god (dot god)

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:12:35 GMT

.god (dot god)

Approximately 3,338 years ago my people (I am Jewish) stood in front of a large sea. They had just gone through over 200 years of slavery, and during the last year witnessed 10 miracles - where God “broke” nature. Several examples of that were God turning the water in the Nile to blood and hail falling from the sky with fire inside the hail.

Only 15% of the slaves left Egypt after all of this. And when they thought the coast was clear, their suffering done, their faith and trust acknowledged and rewarded - boom. They came to the edge of a large sea, and they looked behind them and saw the world's most powerful army, the Egyptians closing in on them in horse drawn chariots. And they were not offering them an all expense paid please come back invitation ��

We all need to put ourselves in their place. Because we all have moments like this. The sea may not always be so large, its waters so rough, or there may not be anybody chasing behind us with the intent on killing us.

We all have moments where we doubt our faith.

Our faith in ourselves.

Our faith in our abilities.

And if you believe in God, our faith in him.

Even in today’s connected world there is no .god extension to search for and connect with on the internet. And there is a reason for that.

That .god extension requires faith.

Faith that you are where you are supposed to be.

Faith that you are there for a good reason.

Faith that you are never in a position that you cannot succeed from, and become stronger and better.

Because,

There will always be that next sea that you will approach.

You just do not see it currently, or it's not in focus.

And when you are standing there at the edge of the sea, do not ever lose faith in yourself. You can do it.

Wishes for a great day,

Each one a gift,

David/

Return To Your Babyhood

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 13:35:15 GMT

Return to Your Babyhood

Remember the good old days when you were a baby?

When you never gave up, regardless of how many times you failed. What happened to those good old days?

When you were learning how to walk, you fell down each and every time.

On average 17 times per hour.

Hundreds if not thousands of times.

And what did you do?

You got back up.

Each and every time.

No questions asked.

Never taking failure as your final answer.

And then, you succeeded.

You never doubted yourself.

You never overthought things.

You never got in your way.

If you are now doing these things, preventing yourself from succeeding, getting in your own way, doubting yourself, overthinking things, stop.

You can do it. You have done it before.

When you had far less capabilities and knowledge and support.

Wishes for another great day, each one a gift,

David/

Failure or Revelation

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:25:18 GMT

Failure or Revelation?

You never fail at anything, and that is the truth.

What you are doing is revealing to yourself an area of improvement.

It is important to realize this, because if you are not failing at something, you are not challenging yourself adequately. And if you are not challenging yourself, how do you make yourself a better person tomorrow than you are today?

So please, fail at something often. Be a better person each and every day, because,

Each day is a gift,

David/

Your Matter Matters

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:49:34 GMT

Your Matter Matters

You occupy space and time.

You have mass and volume.

You are composed of atoms; electrons, neutrons, protons

You are matter, and you matter.

What you have that other matter does not have is the opportunity to form it, to do something valuable with it. To create positive value, make the world a better place every day, leave something behind that people want to remember you for.

Your matter, matters.

It is up to you to make your matter matter to everyone including yourself.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

David/

The God Rule

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:45:12 GMT

The God Rule

Try this.

In fact, everyone should try this.

In place of or in addition to the “Golden Rule" ( defined as treating others as you would like to be treated).

The God Rule.

And this is applicable whether or not you believe in God.

God being defined as a benevolent entity, creator of all matter, and source of all moral authority; a supreme being.

Before you do anything, ask yourself, “What would God want me to do?”.

And then do that.

And no doubt, God would want me to wish you all,

A great day, because,

Each one is a gift.

David/

How Many People Do You Depend Upon?

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 14:09:00 GMT

How Many People Do You Depend Upon?

Answer : 5,000 - 10,000

Question : How many people do you depend upon every day of your life?

Point : Make sure you thank as many as you can along your way every day. And for those that you cannot thank directly (the overwhelming majority of them), keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Here is a small list of them and/or what they provide you with:

Water (treatment plant operators, pipe fitters, repairmen, etc)

Electricity (so many people in that)

Energy (the people involved with oil, natural gas, nuclear power, etc)

Transportation

Food (planting, harvesting, processing, transporting, stocking, serving, etc)

Safety and Security (national defense, state and local; police, firemen, etc)

Truckers

Manufacturing, hardware, software, clothing, and beyond

Healthcare related (medications, doctors, nurses, affiliated professionals)

Maintenance personnel

Again, make sure to thank them or be thankful for them,

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

David/

Leadership vs Victimhood

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:25:20 GMT

Leadership vs Victimhood

Diagnosis: Victimhood

One of the most diagnosed and at the same time, underdiagnosed problems in humans is “victimhood”.

The diagnostic criteria for victimhood include:

Being made to suffer or hurt
Feeling helpless or stuck
Externalizing blame (it’s not my fault)
Focusing on what you cannot control

It is augmented by a personal desire to want to have people feel sorry for you because of this, or to use it as an excuse for something, or doing nothing. It leads to small problems becoming large and oftentimes insolvable.

There can be secondary gain present, which means that you may benefit from them. And there could be more to gain as you grow them.

There is a cure, and the prescription is: Leadership

Focusing on solutions
Refusing to stay stuck in helplessness
Taking responsibility for what you can control
Growing through the challenges you face

Be a leader, lead yourself, lead others - focus on winning each day. Because,

Each day is a gift,

David/

Every Parent is a Communist

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:15:24 GMT

Every Parent is a Communist/Socialist

“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”, Karl Marx? No. Actually from a common slogan used within the socialist and communist movements a century before Marx.

I would like to add that not all humans are communists or socialists, but all parents are.

Having four children and lots of grandchildren and witnessing others in similar circumstances, I can attest to the veracity of my claim above.

Why?

To each child we give according to their needs, even if we need to take from others according to their abilities.

And we are sensible enough to stop treating them like that as they grow up and become adults.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

David

Big Horn Infrared Steak Grill

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 17:45:07 GMT

100% Completely Game Changing. Turned my bbq world upside down. Not expecting that after decades time and hundreds of bbq’s.

My tendency is to reverse sear my steaks. Cook them to the temperature I want while accounting for carryover cooking, letting them rest and the energy inside the steak dissipate, and then sear them.

The problem is that I could never get whatever method I was going to use to sear them hot enough. Certainly not to 1500 degrees. And certainly not in 3-5 minutes.

And that is what the Big Horn does, and that quickly. In fact, I used it during one of the recent snow storms in near zero degree weather. And wow, could not be happier.

And there are a number of people who I have cooked lots of steaks for who have experienced the Big Horn, and each one of them, agrees - best steaks ever.

Here in fact is a perfect and easy way to cook your steaks, with minimal effort and during the winter time. Use your sous vide

( https://www.eachdayagift.com/sous-vide ) and set the temperature to 133 degrees for medium rare. If you can, salt the steaks the day before using Maldon Sea Salt ( https://www.eachdayagift.com/maldon-sea-salt ). 2-3 hours in the sous vide depending on the thickness of the steak. Take them out of the bag, apply coarse black pepper and granulated garlic.

Make sure you turn on your Big Horn a few minutes ahead of time. The steaks will take about 60 seconds per side, the sides of the steak 45-60 seconds and you are done. And get ready for a slice of heaven down here on Earth.

And if you have to, you can cook other things on it too including fish, veggies, and pizza (it comes with a pizza stone).

Here is the link to the Big Horn: https://bighornoutdoor.com/collections/grills-griddles/products/big-horn-outdoors-portable-infrared-broiler-propane-gas-grill-1500-degree-stainless-steel

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

David

My Eulogy for My Father

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:34:25 GMT

A few months ago my father aka my best friend passed away. Below is the eulogy I gave for him as requested by a number of people.

Somebody said to me that you never get over the pain of losing a parent (my mother, thank God is still alive and very well at age 89). That time is not a remedy as in an analgesic. What time allows you to do is compartmentalize it better.

It is my hope that everyone feels the way about their parents as I do about mine.

Hugs and prayers,

Each day a gift,

David

My Eulogy for my Father

(Edward M. Berman: August 15th 1934 - August 2, 2025)

Thank you for joining us today.

No doubt dad is looking down, and seeing all of you here is allowing him to rest easier.

It is also a heart warming sight for us.

Thank you for all your gestures of support during the recent past.

These impossible times were made more tolerable because of your continuous love and support.

My dad spoiled us by living such a good and long life.

He was a good man, had a good soul, and had a good heart in every way.

He led a valuable life with the highest ethics and morals.

He was always guiding me without instructing me.

I just wasn't aware of that at times.

Which is what made him such a great parent, role model, and best friend.

Here are some of his teachings that I will carry forever and you might find useful.

Truth:

Always without exception speak it.

It is the only currency in the marketplace of human life and relationships.

Speaking and doing:

There should be no space between what you say and what you do.

Humans listen with their eyes.

Behavior:

You are never alone.

Always do the right thing.

Some three letter entity is always watching or listening to you.

It could be the FBI, CIA, ACP, NSA, or God.

Wingman.

Always be one.

Never for one second let another human being believe that they cannot rely on you.

My dad was always there for me,

When I asked him to be and

When I needed him to be and

He was even there for me when I did not know I needed him there.

Positive Value.

Create it, and as much as you can.

Make others and yourself better every day.

This is what you leave behind - the dividends others reap of you leading a good life.

Being a Parent vs. being a Friend:

My father was my father, and as silly as that sounds he never placed trying to be my friend ahead of being my father.

And for that reason we became the best of friends.

Trust me there were times where we both questioned this parent/child thing.

Probably him more than me for those of you who knew me in my teens.

Fight.

Be willing to fight and die for someone(s) or something(s)

Show them how high that hill is that you would take a stand on.

My father loved us so much, that hill was so high that he climbed.

Three times a week going for dialysis for three years.

All the medical procedures he subjected himself to.

He made it evident how much he loved and cherished the life he built

And how much he was going to miss us. The value he placed on us.

Make sure people you love know to what extent you would fight and even die for them.

His body quit, not his soul.

And lastly,

Love.

Dad was in his hospital bed the day after their 69th wedding anniversary this past June.

He was not doing well.

So poorly in fact that he was being “coded”

His blood pressure was low,

He was passing in and out of consciousness.

Mom was standing by the side of his bed, bending down.

Her forehead on his.

And he was holding her hands with both of his.

He was kissing them and rubbing them against his face

Saying how much he loved her, how sorry he was for what was happening

Over and over again.

Two bodies, two souls 100% connected - for over 7 decades.

Truer love I have never seen or thought possible.

At that moment

In spite of all the people around us, of all the noise, and goings on.

My father was teaching me again, what the goal of my life should be.

Love,

When you love somebody

Tell them that,

As often and in as many ways as possible.

Hug them,

Kiss them.

Text them.

Call them.

Smoke Signals.

Morse Code.

By whatever means, get it out there.

And often.

Because one day you will not be able to.

Forever.

Dad would look me in the eyes and just say “DB”, and stop.

Or call me Duvid.

That love he was able to express,

Sometimes I thought too often, or at the most unusual of moments.

I am going to miss that so much.

Dad, I love you so much.

EB,

I know you are still with us; that you will be with me for the rest of my life.

I promise to continue doing my best to make you proud of me

To continue your work and build upon the value that you have created.

Decisions

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 19:03:15 GMT

Never worry about making the “right” decision.

Worry about making your decision, the “right” one.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs and prayers too,

David/

Daily Goals

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 14:44:01 GMT

Good morning and what is your goal today?

If you can’t answer that question, do not get out of bed.

If you start your day without a goal, without a destination, you are going to be wasting it - a rudderless ship that lets the waves and the wind determine where you end your day.

Whatever the goal may be, or the number of them, make sure your day today is spent navigating towards something. Put a rudder on your daily navigation through life and aim at a port (or two) that you want to dock at. And make sure that port is worthy of your time and efforts.

Wishes for a great and meaningful day to all,

Hugs and love too,

David/

What Is Economics?

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 17:22:42 GMT

What is Economics?

It is the study of the use of scarce resources which have alternative uses.

Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift,

Hugs too,

David/

Connecting With Others

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 14:25:50 GMT

When you enter into a conversation with another human being, connect with them.

Sounds silly, but more times than not, this simple rule is not followed

Focus on that person

Stand square to them

Make and maintain eye contact

Make them important to you

Be there in the moment with them

Do NOT get ready to speak before they are done speaking

Complement them

Put yourself in their place

What do they want or need, or perhaps, what do you want or need

Always be Positive

Create as much value in the conversation as possible

When the conversation is finished, keep it going, offer to be there for them, ask them to be there for you.

There is nothing more powerful than a group of humans.

That person is now your teammate, and you are now part of a group.

Wishes for a great day,

Each one a gift,

Hugs too

David/

The Meaning of Life

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 15:27:03 GMT

What is the meaning of life? It is a question that is pondered often.

It is also a question that you should never ponder. Ever!

The Only question you should ask yourself about life, your life is:

What positive value can I create in my life?

What positive value can I create in my life for myself and others?

Simple.

Done.

Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift,

Hugs too,

David/

Pyrex Parents

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:25:27 GMT

Pyrex is glass that is heat and chemical resistant. Test tubes are made from it for that reason.

Imagine…..

That your parents are Pyrex test tubes. You were created not from human parents but by a concoction of elements and chemicals. And by accident. How would that make you feel?

Now take that Pyrex test tube and imagine….

That there was an intelligent agent putting that recipe together in that test tube from where you originated. That you were created intentionally, for a purpose.

Now you can see the importance of a belief in intelligent design as the origination of the Big Bang Theory. And obviously the fact that that is the best explanation as to its origin.

The most important thing that you can have in life is a purpose to live for.

Hard stop.

Without purpose you are a rudderless boat in the sea of life.

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs and love too,

David/

Functional Information = Intelligent Agent

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 20:32:24 GMT

Functional Information is something that provides you with practical or useful or helpful or valuable information.

Examples are a traffic sign, computer programming, a recipe, a dictionary, a fuel gauge, the alphabet.

Functional information Always requires the effort of intelligent design. It does not happen by accident. It requires the effort of a “mind” or “agent”.

For example, let’s say we remove any evidence of human existence on planet Earth and all that is left are computers. That a million years after human existence was erased, an alien life form lands on Planet Earth and discovers even one computer, or even the elements of decomposed computers such as transistors. What would they conclude? Would they think that the computers were created, self-assembled from the soil or water or air? That they evolved from the basic elements of the planet? Obviously not.

Functional information is Always the product of intelligent design.

“DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created”.

- Bill Gates, The Road Ahead.

Q? What is the origin of our DNA?

Wishes for a great day, each one a gift,

Hugs too,

David/

Bicycle Riding

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 18:41:05 GMT

Please don’t.

Never, ever, ride a bicycle outside.

It is not a matter of if you are going to fall or have an accident.

It is only a matter of when.

Over the past several weeks, including this morning on my way to work, several people riding a bicycle almost died.

One was a good friend of mine who recently spent more than a week in the ICU, had emergency cervical spine decompression, a chest tube placed to reinflate his lung, and still does not have full function of one of his arms.

The other was this morning. A person riding a bicycle fell on the 86th street transverse and, luckily for her, a person driving a car saw her on the road in the middle of the [busy] street, placed his car in the middle of the street and protected her from traffic traveling in both directions. Given it was pitch black with very little illumination from streetlamps located dozens of yards apart – a miracle she did not get run over by traffic. He got out of his car, lifted her off the pavement and carried her to the sidewalk.

The ONLY bicycle you should ride is a Peloton or similar indoor bike, which I think is one of the best forms of exercise available.

I have over 17,500 miles on my Peloton, without ever traveling one inch.

Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift,

Hugs too,

David/

Dry Brining- Turkey

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 17:52:37 GMT

This is my second post on dry brining, the first involved steaks .

It is a gamechanger in a positive way.

I also dry brine my turkey. And you follow the same principles.

1. Clean the turkey

2. Dry it off.

3. Use a cookie sheet and rack.

a. I put aluminum foil on the cookie sheet to make clean up easier

4. Use a binder such as olive oil or butter.

5. Apply a light coat of salt to the turkey, both sides if you spatchcocked yours.

a. I use Maldon Sea Salt

6. Put it in the refrigerator the day prior to cooking.

Remember not to add any more salt when you season the turkey before you cook it.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

Hugs too,

David/

Spatchcocked Turkey

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 15:10:28 GMT

If you have to cook one turkey, this is the ONLY way to do it.

I say that with 99.99% confidence built over decades of cooking multiple turkeys.

We average over 50 adults at our home every Thanksgiving. I make at least three turkeys for them. On occasion a 4th one pops up.

There is nothing easier to make and better to eat than a spatchcocked turkey. And it makes no difference where you cook it. Inside or outside.

Here is a link that demonstrates how to do it.

Helpful hints:

1. Make sure the turkey is not frozen

2. Get a good pair of scissors.

By taking out the turkey’s spine you get to cook the turkey without having to heat up the cavity – which causes your turkey to be overcooked, and dry year after year.

Here are some other helpful tips:

1. 14-16lbs MAXIMUM. Never get a turkey larger than 16lbs

2. Dry Brine. If you can, spatchcock it the day before Thanksgiving and salt it. Put it on a baking pan/cookie sheet so the salt can be absorbed. This will create the juiciest turkey you ever tasted.

3. Seasoning. You do you. I like turkey made this way, simple. I take it out of the fridge an hour before I am going to cook it. Add some black pepper, granulated garlic, and onion powder. If you want some color, a touch of paprika. Either way, you do you.

4. Thermometer. I LOVE the Meater Probe . Get one. It will prevent you from overcooking your turkey and anything else you use it with.

5. 160 Degrees. Remove the turkey from the heat source when it hits 160 degrees. The carry over cooking will take it to 165 degrees and a degree higher or two.

6. WAIT. Do NOT slice the turkey for 15 to 20 minutes after you take it out of the heat source.

Wishes for a great Thanksgiving to all,

Each day is a gift,

David/

Evolution

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 15:32:35 GMT

If you have a curious mind and willingly entertain different points of view, then continue reading. If not, it might be best to stop here. Consider this a form of a trigger warning (still getting used to that concept).

Did you or do you ever wonder about how you, how we humans got here?

Do you believe we evolved from a “lower” form of life such as chimpanzees?

Did you ever fully explore the concept of evolution? Did you find any gaps or holes as to why it may be the wrong answer as to how we got here?

I don’t want to dive deep here. There is a book you should read that I just finished; it's free if you have a kindle- Darwin's Doubts.

Here are some brief thoughts as to why the theory of evolution does not explain how humans got here.

1. The Big Bang Theory. That there was a birthing moment to our universe and the several Trillion other universes we know of. If you believe in the Big Bang Theory (a universally accepted theory) then how do you explain it being the Big Bang and Evolution? Something from nothing is not evolution. Put another way: Evolution is about survival, Not about arrival.

2. The Cambrian Explosion. It is an interval of time about 538.8 million years ago and is referred to as the Biological Big Bang. It lasted for about 13 – 25 million years and during that period there was an “explosion” of new life forms. There remains no explanation as to how so many new forms of life evolved so quickly – too short a period of time for evolution to have possibly been a cause.

3. Junk DNA. The theory of Evolution requires us to have DNA that is “junk”, that we evolved from to where we are. And that over the course of time, the amount of “useless” DNA would continue to increase as we evolved from lower forms of life. Less than 5% of our DNA is junk whereas if Evolution is how we got here the amount should be far greater.

4. Mutations in our DNA that occur early in biological development where it can lead to the greatest changes in form and function lead to death and demise universally. And if the “mutation” survived, and survived long enough the ability to reproduce itself is infinitely small.

5. Epigenetics. It is the “stuff” in your cells that is not DNA but controls the formation of your body. They are not susceptible to mutations in your DNA. Evolution by definition does not involve them.

6. Consciousness. What evolutionary benefit does it derive from? Why can we think about stuff outside the need for us to survive, much less thrive. Music, philosophy, physics, and pass this on to successive generations. Where did that evolve from?

7. Primordial Soup. That stuff billions of years after the Big Bang- that after the Earth was formed after the birth of our Sun supposedly gave rise to life. What was that primordial soup made of? Chemicals such as sodium and chloride. Where did they come from and how do you get to the formation of DNA much less a cell wall? The original chicken and egg question. You cannot have DNA without a cell wall to protect it, and you can’t have a cell wall without DNA.

These are just a few holes in the dike that is the Theory of Evolution. I hope that you choose to explore this further. Why you should do so is important and will be an upcoming post.

Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift.

Hugs too,

David/

A Muslim, A Jew, A Costco Parking Lot

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 16:40:12 GMT

The other day I was loading up my car with stuff I had just bought at the Costco in Yonkers, NY.

Their parking lot is paved over an old Jewish cemetery and there is a large granite memorial located on the left side of the road leading into it recognizing the Jewish Synagogue and cemetery.

As I often do, before I leave to go home and unload my car, I walk to the memorial and say a prayer in their honor.

Well, after I finished saying the prayer, I looked up and turned around, and there was a gentleman in his mid-40’s standing behind me. His family was not far from him walking towards the entrance. They were obviously Muslim – his wife and mother or mother-in-law and kids were all dressed as such. He was wearing jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt with sleeves rolled up.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Yes” I said, “sure”.

“Were you saying a prayer, were you reading from the Torah?”

“I was saying a prayer for the dead, just wanted to pay my respects to them and make sure they are not forgotten”, I said.

I continued. “The prayer for the dead does not include the thought of death but of life and peace – of looking forward.”

We spoke for another few minutes about life and happiness.

And then we said goodbye, wished each other well, and hugged.

Each on our way in different directions, we looked back at the same time and smiled at each other.

And at that moment, while praying for the dead, my life became brighter and better - forever.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

David/

Never Complain

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 15:40:40 GMT

Never Complain

No exceptions to that Rule. Zero.

Complaining only and always generates friction, and not good friction such as the friction generated by hitting your brakes on your car's wheels.

Friction generated by complaining only creates breaks in the relationship you have with the person you are complaining to.

If there is something that is bothering you and you want to express that to another human being, do so in, at worst, a neutral way, or even better, a positive manner.

Let’s say you are at a new restaurant and there is something wrong with the expensive steak you ordered. How do you approach that?

Ex: I ordered my steak medium rare and look, it's so well cooked I can use it to replace the worn soles of my shoes. What’ wrong with you people? This is supposed to be a steak restaurant and if you can't get that right, what else are you getting wrong?

That will probably get you some external source(s) of saliva mixed in with your steak juice when they come out with your second steak.

How about this approach:

Ex: I really appreciate your efforts here, but it appears as though my steak is overcooked for my taste. We have heard such great things about your restaurant from our closest friends and are looking for a place we want to frequent more often given that there are really very few if any [good] steak restaurants in our neighborhood that any of us like.

And then just stop talking.

Odds are you will get a retry on that steak you ordered, sans the external source(s) of saliva.

I cannot think of one instance where you cannot turn a complaint into a positive statement maintaining focus on the same desired outcome.

Let me know if you have any.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs and Love,

David/

No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 13:25:26 GMT

Contrary to what you may have heard or believe, the fact is: NO Good Deed goes Unrewarded. Or better said, every good deed gets rewarded.

When you do a good deed, doesn’t that make you feel good, if not amazing, inside?

I cannot recall doing one good deed and not feeling fuzzy and warm inside.

What if you do a good deed to a person or animal or charity and Not One Single person is around to witness it? Does that diminish from the great feelings you have created for yourself?

What if your good deed elicited a response you were not expecting, even a negative one? When I walk back and forth to the surgical center, I carry and hand out beef jerky sticks to the homeless. On very rare occasions, the person I hand it to throws it back at me. I still feel good inside because my goal was noble, and it was worthy of my efforts. It did not for me, and should not for you, take away from the good feelings it generates inside of us. It should not be a test as to whether or not I am going to do a good deed again.

The truth is that every good deed gets rewarded, bar none. The recipient of that reward is always you.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs and love too,

David/

What You Are Today

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 15:19:18 GMT

What You Are Today

Should NEVER prevent you from becoming even better, more special, more awesome, more loving, more caring tomorrow.

ALL Your limitations are Self-Imposed.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs and love too,

David/

Fixing Congress

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 15:38:15 GMT

Term Limits – 2. Just like the President of the United States.

Salary – Will be the median of the State they represent.

Overseas Travel – None, Zero.

Single Issue Bills ONLY – each bill voted upon will be on 1 (one) issue at a time

Under Oath – any time a Representative “speaks” to the public they are assumed to be under oath. They can be tried for perjury by a jury of their peers from their State.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs and love too,

David/

Cigarettes Vs. Snickers Bar

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 15:45:09 GMT

If you need to choose one or the other, please choose to smoke cigarettes.

One pack of cigarettes a day, which contains 20 cigarettes, vs. 20 snickers bars a day- Which one provides you with the best chance of “long term” survival?

One snickers bar has 35 grams of carbs and 280 calories x 20 gives you 700 grams of carbs and 5,600 calories. In a very short period of time you will be an overweight diabetic with a markedly elevated cholesterol level and hypertension.

Worldwide death statistics for each category are:

Lung Cancer due to smoking – 1.5M (a pack a day x 20 years or more)

Hypertension -10M

Elevated Cholesterol – 4.4M

Obesity – 4M

Diabetes – 1.5M

If you were wondering about how many people die from emphysema worldwide annually – 0.135M

So, not even close.

If you are going to choose between eating a Snickers or smoking a cigarette, FAR FAR safer to smoke that one cigarette.

The best answer is obviously “C” – None of the Above.

So think, think real hard before you eat a snickers bar or any form of pure sugar.

Wishes for a great day, as many as you want,

Hugs too,

David/

Something From Nothing

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 18:09:06 GMT

Q? Does something ever come from nothing?

Can you name one thing besides the Big Bang Theory, that something comes from nothing?

Q? Can energy be created?

We are taught that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, that the total energy of a system remains constant; that it can change from one form to another. That is the Theory of Conservation of Energy.

If that is true, then does that disprove the Big Bang Theory? Because the Big Bang Theory is that nothing existed before the “Big Bang”, and if it did – how did it get there?

Just some food for thought.\

Wishes for a great day to all.

Hugs too, each day a gift,

David/

You Are A Slave

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 14:26:08 GMT

You are a slave to your cell phone.

I think it was easier for Moses to free the Jews from 210 years of slavery in Egypt than it will be to free you from your master. And he was God’s messenger.

And master’s have become far smarter. They have no need to shackle you or impose their will on you physically. There is no threat of starvation, no potential loss of basic human rights, liberties, or freedoms.

Walking back and forth from the surgical center today, a total of 22 city blocks, I found that 1/3 to 2/3’s of all the humans I passed along the way were walking head down interacting with their cell phones. And the rate was higher if you were in a coffee or donut or bagel shop, near 100%

I have walked into restaurants and seen anywhere from half to the entire table looking down on their cell phones and ignoring the others at the table. Even couples out for “date” night where their date was obviously not their partner.

There is no doubt in my mind that if you ask a 2- or three-year-old to draw a picture of mommy or daddy, included will be either ear buds or a cell phone or both. The only question will be color.

It is rare that I see somebody pushing a baby carriage actually paying attention to the baby. And if they are, that cell phone is in hand ready to be “yes sired” quicker than an army recruit in boot camp. Soon baby strollers will come with lane keep and object warning as standard equipment.

Apologies in advance because my first cell phone was called the brick way back in 1989. It was a portable 10lb battery with a shoulder strap that I plugged the handset into after disconnecting it from the phone jack in the car. My car had an antenna screwed into the back of the car so it would be able to pick up a signal. Back in those days, having a cell phone antenna on your car was a status symbol. And that device allowed me to not be glued to my house phone when I was on call for my medical practice. It was brilliant. And at $8.00 a minute, my monthly Verizon Wireless bill has not changed one bit, even with far many more phones on it and unlimited usage.

Funny thing is, that although now my cell phone folds in half, fits in my pocket, and weighs a fraction of what my first one did – I think it is a greater burden to carry with me. I must be more mindful to put it down. To pay attention to the people around me, especially when they are making the effort to be with me physically. And just in general, so I can enjoy the world around me.

It is so easy to glance down at it, to look for posts on twitter or to check emails knowing that there is a significant chance it's spam. And mind you, there is nothing important that requires your immediate attention to it happening at the time you are going to look down at it and ignore the world around you. Zero chance.

Anyone that needs you, really needs you, will call you.

Imagine yourself all day walking around with an old fashioned telephone handset attached to your ear waiting for a phone call. Duct taped around your forehead and chin. You would be better off if it were. At least you would have eyes up and be paying attention to the world around you. You would be focusing on the present and waiting for some random unimportant thing to happen in the future.

Your cell phone is now called a smartphone. I object to that. It is only as “smart” as its operator. And from my observations over the past few decades, it has enslaved its “owner”. It has separated them from their freedom. And in that way, it is smarter than its owner. And I object to that.

Praying that you are smarter than your “smart” phone. Only you have something to lose.

Hugs,

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

David/

Apricot Rack of Lamb

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 17:53:42 GMT

There are moments in life that you just need to share with others, quickly. I have been cooking racks of lamb for decades. And on an often basis - hundreds of them. No utensils needed, single bites of evidence of a higher life form in existence.

Last night was that moment. And I can offer several witnesses if so desired including my wife: “Best Ever”, “Restaurant Grade, actually better”.

So now that I have completely blown managing expectations, here goes.

Racks of Lamb.

I get mine from Costco.

A minimum of 2lbs per rack if possible.

I usually cook 4 racks at a time, minimum.

I vacuum seal what we don’t eat

And freeze them.

Ready to sous vide them whenever. Tastes like just made.

Grass vs. Grain fed.

I MUCH prefer grain fed racks of lamb.

Far less gamey to my palette.

Australian racks of lamb tend to be completely grass fed.

American racks of lamb tend to be grass fed and then the last several months or so they switched to grain feed.

Feel free to do your own taste testing.

I stay far away from completely grass fed animals.

Preparing the racks of lamb.

Very simple.

You don’t have to do anything if you do not want to.

I tend to clean it up a little.

Take excess fat off and the silverskin.

This allows for more surface area for the seasoning to set into.

That said, I am not obsessively compulsive about it.

Pre Cooking Marinade

Depending on how many racks you are going to cook, change the amounts accordingly:

I put 4 racks in a 2 gallon zip lock bag.

And I did it by eye, so these are approximations. You will get the gist of ratios though:

Olive Oil - .5 to .75 cup

Balsamic Vinegar - .5 to .75 cup

Garlic Powder - 2 to 3 tablespoons

Honey - 2 to 3 tablespoons

Salt - 1 teaspoon at the most

Black Pepper - 1 teaspoon at the most

Herbs de Provence - 1 tablespoon

Put the racks in, meat side down towards the bottom of the bag, shake it around, seal the bag and take out as much of the air as you can.

Let it sit for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, overnight is great.

Make sure to shake and rotate the bag every now and then.

The Cook

I used my Weber charcoal grill.

Feel free to use any cooking device you have available.

The only requirement is you need to be able to slow cook it with indirect heat or bake it and then sear or broil it.

Take the racks of lamb out of the fridge 30 to 60 minutes Before cooking them.

Feel free to gently season them.

Be CAREFUL of adding salt.

See below for what I did

Two Zone Cooking

I put charcoal in a basket on one side of the grill, and kept the other side void of charcoal. A hot zone and a “cold” zone. I put the lid cover with the vent over the cold side forcing the hot air to circulate over the cold side and the food.

If you are using an oven, bake at 350 degrees until the internal temperature is 123-125 degrees and then take them out to rest for 20-30 minutes.

I added some maple and cherry wood chunks to the charcoal

You be you. I would stay away from strong woods such as hickory and more towards the sweeter, lighter, fruitier woods.

Either way, Charcoal is the best heat source, almost always for any protein.

Seasoning

I strongly believe in creating levels of seasoning.

Hence the pre-cook marinating. That is step one here.

Step two had two parts for me:

Part A - Lightly apply and pat in Suckle Busters SPG Rub (also some sugar in there)

Then apply more liberally and pat in

Part B: Suckle Busters Sugar Daddy

I put the rack in the Weber, meat side down with the bones resting on each other like a teepee. Covered it and waited until…..

123-125 degrees

For medium rare, take them off the heat at that point and let them rest for at least 20 minutes.

The carry over cooking will take them to around 130 degrees

Searing Time

Build up your fire.

Add more charcoal.

Turn up the heat or turn on the broiler.

Ripping hot.

When I cannot hold my hand above the grill grates for more than one second is when I know we are good to go.

While you are getting your heat source prepared and letting the racks rest, make your searing marinade.

The 4th level of flavor here.

If you are using charcoal, and smoking wood you are getting closer to double digits of levels of flavor.

Searing (and Serving/Dipping) Marinade

This marinade is so good, I need to work on an intravenous form.

It made heart bursts with joy and cranial nerves explode with excitement.

Apricot Preserves - 1 jar

Balsamic vinegar - 1 tablespoon

Hot Water - 2 tablespoons

Salt - .5 teaspoon

Black Pepper - .5 teaspoon

Mix it all together and brush it on the rack of lambs.

Then sear the rack of lamb.

All sides.

20-30 seconds and flip, and flip, and flip until you get that gorgeous color of caramelization. The smell is ridiculous too.

When it's done, give it another gentle coat of the marinade and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Then slice and serve, with the marinade close by.

You can do the same thing in the oven using the broil function. Make sure to not let it get too close to the broiler itself. Keep the oven door open and keep a close eye on it. You can always add more sear, you can never remove too much of it.

It sounds like a lot of work. I did not think it was.

It is a quick, easy cook which is great.

About 40-45 minutes to get it to 123/125 degrees.

20 minutes to build the charcoal bed up to blistering hot (during which time the racks had to rest anyway)

2-4 minutes of searing action.

Just overall Game Changing for me. A rare event.

Let me know what you think,

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs and love to all,

David/

Meater Probe

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 14:31:01 GMT

Meater Probe:

https://store-us.meater.com/products/meater-2-plus

Really simple

If you are serious about cooking meat, even chicken, order the Meater 2 Probe .

There are a number of wireless digital thermometers out there

This one is the best by far.

Hundreds of cooks are using them.

I have been using it for years

The Meater 2 came out right before Thanksgiving and you are able to put it anywhere including into frying oil. Which I did when I deep fried the turkey.

It takes the guesswork out of when your meat/chicken is ready to be taken off the heat and rested. Meat is too expensive to get it wrong

Yes, it takes a bunch of cooks to get used to how it works

In general, you place it in the protein getting cooked.

Go to the app and set up the cook:

Select what you are cooking
Select the temperature you want it cooked to

It will give you a countdown to when it's ready, following the temperature of the protein all the way.

It calculates the carryover cooking time , the resting time, and lets you know when it's ready.

Truly a great device.

Wishes for a great day

Hugs too, to all,

David/

Differences

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 17:44:12 GMT

We are all different in many ways

only

to give us the possibility

being great in all of them.

Wishes for a great day,

Each one a gift,

Hugs and love too,

David/

Judge Me By My Duodenum

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:48:34 GMT

Over the past almost forty years, I have performed thousands of Upper Endoscopies – guiding a scope through a patient's stomach and into their duodenum while they are asleep.

This thought hit me this morning while doing one.

People judge and are judged all the time.

Knowingly, and unknowingly.

I know that I get judged all the time. And this world being what it is currently, I want to be judged by my duodenum!

I identify as A duodenum

Tongue in cheek, or endoscope in duodenum.

You might ask why?

With 100% concordance over decades of experience in performing thousands of upper endoscopies, never once by looking at someone’s duodenum have I ever been able to tell:

Their genotype or phenotype.

Their chromosomal makeup.

The color of their skin or eyes or hair.

Their height or weight.

Their religion or their primary language.

Their ethics or moral character.

Their educational background, hobbies, charities, or interests.

And on and on and on.

So, for those out there who want to judge me, judge me by my duodenum.

And perhaps when you find yourself in a similar situation of being judged, or perhaps even judging another human being, think about your/their duodenum.

Because you know as much about their duodenum as you do about them as a person, an individual human being.

And you need to know a lot about a human being, a real lot, before they let you judge their duodenum.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

Hugs and love too,

David/

No Sweat Exercising

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 16:25:50 GMT

NO Sweat Exercising

Another oxymoron, but one I find very useful.

And I think you can too.

At the end of my day before going to bed, and before brushing my teeth I will take my [25lb] dumbbells and do 10 repetitions.

I put them down, and go brush my teeth. After brushing my teeth for 2 minutes and nine seconds (one of my kids was born February 9) I go back to my dumbbells and do another 10 repetitions.

I then shave and after shaving, go back and do another 10 repetitions - perhaps with my 20lb dumbbells.

Then shower, and another 10 reps.

So, in the process of going to bed I will have lifted somewhere between 1,400lbs to 2,000lbs without breaking a sweat!

I do this 3-4 times per week.

That calculates to about 225,000lbs of lifting each year. All in the space of a few minutes, a few nights per week, with less than a few drops of sweat - actually none.

If you start out with 10lb dumbbells - you will lift approximately 100,000lbs each year.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Need Your Help

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 16:34:45 GMT

Move the United Nations to Gaza, which was posted here in late March, continues to gain traction.

www.movetheuntogaza.com

I would love for you to sign the petition at the bottom of its homepage:

www.movetheuntogaza.com/sign-the-petition

I would really love for you to spread the link to all your friends and family.

People are asking what the “day after the war in Gaza” looks like.

This is the answer to that question.

The day they start building a new United Nations in Gaza will signal to everyone that the war is over. Hopefully, forever.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

David/

You Are What You Do

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:36:51 GMT

It is very simple. You are what you do.

You are your actions, and your actions define who you are.

Second Learning today:

Be Quiet

Manage expectations by being quiet.

Too often people say something that they do not act upon.

And that is a killer.

Because you are what you do, not what you say you are or are going to do.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

Hugs and love too,

David/

Anti Semitism is a Sign of a Diseased Society

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 18:00:06 GMT

This post has over Three Millenia of 100% concordance with the fact that every single country that Jews have been invited in as guests, eventually uninvites us. Sometimes in the most unceremonious of ways.

Without exception to this fact, that when a society uninvites their “their” Jews, the dustbin of history awaits them. Don’t get me wrong, a society with Jews as members does not derive its success from their presence the same way by getting rid of “us” dooms them to failure solely because of either our presence or absence. It is more like having a fever, a sign of a potentially larger problem.

Antisemitism is a sign of a dysfunctional society.

A diseased society.

A society without a foundation of agreeable definitions of:

What is right vs. what is wrong.

What is a male or what is a female.

What can I say vs. what I cannot say.

A dysfunctional society, a diseased society is one that allows:

Bad actions or bad behavior without consequences.

The blurring of right vs. wrong.

Multiple “truths”.

No rules, no guidelines, no parenting – just “kids” or immature humans who can exert influence.

Antisemitism is built upon a society whose foundation is without rules, without boundaries, without agreed definitions of right or wrong, an inability to recognize simple facts of life, without a shred of the truth, of good, easily agreeable values.

Antisemitism is a sign of a diseased society, and often that disease is not kind to the host [country]. In this case the host does not have “organs” but has other groups of humans that comprise it. Because we are all guests in our society, not just the Jews. We are all members of some group, a smaller part than the whole.

This post is a warning to all. Our society has a fever. Antisemitism is just a sign of something very wrong here in the United States of America. Something I never thought I would see given our temporal proximity to the Holocaust – the reason so many Jews currently live here.

And there is no need to worry about us Jews.

We have over a 3,000-year history of survival.

Of being invited, and then uninvited.

Of surviving far worse than what we are currently experiencing here in the United States of America.

People here get to choose where they live. Their neighbors, their guests. How they want to live, under which set of laws and rules. What type of behavior and ethics and morals they have and experience.

This is the question you need to answer, now. And you will make a decision one way or the other. By doing nothing you are doing something. If you have a fever or the world's worst headache, by ignoring the warning signs that something is wrong – is doing something. You are choosing to do nothing about something.

While you can, do something. It will benefit you, and yours for generations to come. The United States of America I believe is the best opportunity that Jews have had to live [here], until we voluntarily want to leave. Since 1584 when the first Jew moved to America – for 460 years there has never been a reason to think that we would ever want to leave, or have to.

Hugs and love to all,

Wishes for a great day,

Each one a gift,

David/

Compromise is the Currency of Consent

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Fri, 31 May 2024 15:38:24 GMT

Human success is based on our ability to work together with other humans.

Be it one on one or in a group.

Be it personal or political in nature.

Individual consent is mandatory for any human-human relationship to succeed.

Compromise is the bedrock or “currency” of that human-human interaction.

Without compromise there is conflict.

When the effort to compromise is exceeded by the desire to control, the amount of conflict is determined by the value of what is at stake to the shareholder(s).

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Flowers For My Mom

Tue, 28 May 2024 16:03:03 GMT

Flowers for My Mom

Today is my birthday!

The ONLY reason I am bringing this up is that more than 40 years ago my now wife suggested that I send flowers to my mother on my birthday.

We are having dinner tonight with my parents.

The flowers are already in a vase at home with a bow on them.

Ready for delivery.

A thank you to my mom for all the hard work she did today many years ago.

A thank you to her (and my dad) for all the hard work and love they continue to invest in me.

Suggestion:

On your birthday, thank your mom or your dad – thank someone who cares about you, loves you, knows everything about you and still will stand by your side regardless.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Each one a gift,

David/

TuT is King

Tue, 21 May 2024 18:57:55 GMT

TuT is King

TuT being time under tension.

Talking about lifting weights - preferably light weights. The heaviest weights I lift at my age (65 years old) are 30lb dumbbells. And only on rare occasions. My dumbbell weights of choice are 25lbs.

The key is the time that the muscles you are exercising are under tension

The time you lift them up or one way, AND the time you relax the muscle(s) and put the weights “down” to the resting position.

You should also fully extend the muscle making sure you do not hyperextend it.

Wishes for a great day to all

Hugs too,

David/

Enough

Wed, 15 May 2024 15:16:27 GMT

When is enough, enough?

When is enough, too much?

When is enough, “dangerous”?

In my morning prayers I say that I have enough. That I have had enough, that I have enough, and I will have enough in the future. It has been, is, and will always be, that way

.What is enough? Enough is exactly what I have today.

Could I have more? Yes.

Do I need more? No.

I have enough.

There are multiple posts on the blog alluding to this

I have enough.

I am thankful.

I am going to focus my efforts on those around me, on creating value.

If I focus my efforts on getting more when I have enough, there is a loss of opportunity to help others - making sure that they have enough.

.Enough becomes dangerous when you don’t think you have enough

You start worshiping false idols.

.Eventually God wins, aka nobody escapes life alive

And the material goods you have acquired now become ownerless.

Make sure the wealth in the value you create far exceeds all else.

Those are the memories that last the longest.

.Wishes for a great day, each one a gift

Hugs too,

David/

Good Vs. Evil

Wed, 01 May 2024 18:54:44 GMT

We VoluntarilY live in a very Balkanized, categorized, subdivided, separated, grouped, sectioned, labeled, society.

We VoluntarilY separate into:

White and Blac

Rich and Poor

Oppressors and Oppressed

Colonized and Colonizers

Strong and Weak

Truth and Your Truth

And we create a nonporous wall between the groups. You are one or the other. You cannot be both, even a small part of the other. And you cannot change sides. And being part of one group often forces you into other categorizations.

Good and evil are, in modern times, applied with the same net effect - of being placed on one side of the division between two categorized groups.

Good and evil are also, in modern times, given the same leeway on an individualized basis in that you can have “your” truth, you can also have your own definition of good and evil.

Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was never intended to be based on anything other than physical bodies. For sure not a person’s values, or how they define good from evil, or how they divide up the world into their own categories.

If good and evil are relative, if white is white and black is black - or oppressed is oppressed and oppressors are oppressors, and so on - - then all white people are bad, potentially, and all weak people are good, and so on.

Is there ever an instance where 100% of all people in any category are either good or evil? Yet we are witnessing this first hand [again] now.

If you think Israel is evil and Hamas is good then you need to take a hard stop and think about his post.

You may think that Israel is a Jewish State totally composed of Jews, all white, all oppressors, all colonizers, all strong people, all of them rich. You could not be further from the Truth. 20% are Arabs of whom over two thirds of them strongly support and stand behind the State. In fact, they refuse to move out of Israel. I could go on and on to dispel all the other incorrect sectionings of Israel, but will not. Feel free to do that yourself.

My point is simple, and two-fold.

The current environment in which we again VoluntarilY divide people is not only dangerous but also wrong.

Our current environment in which we define good and evil in relative terms is dangerous and wrong.

And if we do not VoluntarilY put a stop to this, our future is going to be highly diminished.

Wishes to all for a great day, each one a gift

Hugs too,

David/

God

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 14:16:12 GMT

Answer: No

Question: Do you have faith in God?

Reason: I don’t have faith in God, because faith is defined as spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

Answer: Yes

Question: Do you believe in God?

I have enough reasonable evidence to believe in God and hence there is no need to have “faith” in God.

Sidebar: The thought that humans are the highest rung on life’s ladder is impossible for me to wrap my head around. It in fact creates waves of nausea for me. Suppose humans are the greatest form of life - that humans are capable of deciding right from wrong, good from bad, acceptable from unacceptable. We all have proof, and some of it in color, that according to some humans, other humans are not worthy of basic human rights. The right to life, the right to self-determination. Some humans are responsible for the greatest of evil deeds - real genocide in fact.

Additionally, a belief in God creates a moral obligation to do good. You accept the burden of answering to a “higher authority”, a higher rung on the ladder than the one we stand upon.

Wishes for a great day, each one a gift

Hugs too,

David/

Be Appreciative

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 14:22:45 GMT

You can only be appreciative if your life is connected to a purpose.

The gift that today is, is a gift wrapped box with a bow on top. What is inside that box you are wondering? And this is the magic of being human and alive. You get to choose what is in that box, and do so every day.

In case you are wondering what is in my box, first you must know that I am greedy. I always have more than one gift box waiting for me to open every day. Why settle on one when you can have many. Ex: the genie pops out of the magic lamp and says to you that you have one wish to make, and it can be for anything. What do you wish for? Me, my response is unlimited wishes.

Here are some of my daily boxes – and please realize that I don’t open them all at once or even all of them every day:

The box of being able to tell people I care about a lot that I love them.

The box of learning a new language (Hebrew) which I open twice a week.

The box of being able to be a better husband, son, father, brother, physician.

The box of being able to help others.

The box of being able to be a better cook.

The box of being able to be a better Jew.

The box of being asked to have a grandchild or two sleep over the house.

The box of being able to speak to my parents.

The box of people trusting me, asking for my advice.

The box of waking up, and recognizing all the gifts that surround me.

The box of being loved.

The sins not having or opening the box. There are few things worse than not having a gift box to open, or not opening it/them.

When you open your daily box(es), life becomes appreciable. It warms your heart, drives your soul, guides you on a beautiful path.

Praying that your life’s pathway is bright and beautiful and meaningful.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Numbers + Calories

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 18:04:59 GMT

Q? How many calories does the average person have in “storage”?

Q? How many calories does the average person burn every day?

Q? How many calories are in 1 pound of fat[ty tissue]?

A: 150,000 calories in “storage

A: 2,000 (actually a little less)

A: 3,500 calories / pound of fat[ty tissue]

”This is why I focus on the pathway of leading a healthy lifestyle rather than an ideal body weight

.Focusing on weight or losing weight forces you on a long, very long, pathway that often is lined with potholes, speed bumps and traps, rest stops, and poor visibility. For example, if you are 20lbs too heavy, you are carrying 70,000 extra calories that need to be burned. You burn 2,000 a day - so if you fast and eat nothing, it's going to take you a month or so to lose the weight. Let’s say you have to eat something every day and are able to consume 1,500 calories (2,000 LESS THAN the average American diet), you will lose about ONE POUND PER WEEK

!Tying together a number of previous posts, here is what I believe is the ideal pathway for most of us

:Do not eat after 6 or 7pm at night.
Do not eat again for at least 12-14 hours the next day.
Consume no more than 60 grams of carbohydrates a day.

And that is it.

Notice I did not even mention exercise at all. If you don’t put it in, you will not have to take it out/off

.Wishes for a great day to all, hugs too

David/

Move The UN

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 15:45:39 GMT

Move the United Nations to Gaza

I am requesting your feedback here, your thoughts, your intellect.

This post has as its only motivation, peace in the Middle East.

There stands in front of us a HUGE opportunity that never existed before.

An almost blank slate upon which we can paint the most magnificent of pictures - Peace in the Middle East.

My proposal is to move the United Nations to Gaza.

Build a new United Nations campus and make it the primary location instead of its headquarters in Manhattan.

Here are some of the benefits - substantial ones:

Create a long term foundation for economic development and growth, and improve the living standards of the residents of Gaza. The UN generates almost $4 BILLION in economic output for NYC. The GDP for Gaza in 2022 was about $8 Billion.
Provide for direct positive reinforcement of world goals for peace and prosperity and promotion of human rights.
Allow for direct and open observation, friendship, and oversight of the region.
Encourage international and regional cooperation.
Open pathways to increase dialogue and friendship.
Directly, first handed protection of human rights.

Wishes for a great and peaceful day, to all,

Hugs too,

David/

The Wonder Of It All

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 15:59:45 GMT

Tonight, go outside at sunset and look up to the sky.

Tomorrow morning go outside and gaze at the sunrise.

Our sun that you see either setting or rising is 93 Million miles away from you.

On a clear evening you can see the Andromeda galaxy which is about 15 Quintillion miles away from you. A quintillion is a billion billions.

For completeness sake, the farthest galaxy from us that we know about is about 78,000 quintillion miles from us.

Now look at the horizon. Realize that you are seeing approximately 3 miles due to the curvature of the Earth.

This should make you wonder. And this is the purpose of this post - Never lose the sense of wonder. Of how small you/we are - both individually and as part of a group of humans. In fact, search it out.

What are the odds of you being here in this moment? The answer is well beyond a quintillion quintillions to 1.

The real question is Not why [you are here] but what are you going to do with it - with your gift of today - of each day you get?

Each day is a gift, make sure to wrap it well.

Hugs and love to all,

David/

Zone 2 Training

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 14:12:58 GMT

The only important thing about Zone 2 training is doing it.

And you should target 75% to 90% of all the time you spend exercising doing it.

And doing this, you will find exercising fun and enjoyable.

Exercising will become almost sweat free in fact! And you get to choose what form of exercise you do - walking, swimming, indoor cycling, etc.

Here is how to do Zone 2 training - Ideally 150-200 minutes per week.

As an example, Peloton Indoor Cycle is my favorite form of exercise. I get on the Peloton bike and start pedaling until I get to the point where I can still have a conversation with somebody but a little more strained than just sitting down and talking with them; that the person you are talking to knows that you are exercising. You should never get to the point where you are pedaling and you are unable to talk to somebody. I have learned over time that that correlates to a heart rate for me that never exceeds 130-132. I often do these workouts for 45 to 60 minutes; never less than 30 minutes.

You may not even sweat while doing it. I guess that means that exercising may now become a no sweat thing, so easy to do? So go exercise, it's no sweat.

As always, stay in touch with me.

Wishes for a great day to all, each one a gift

David/

Apgar Score

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 17:42:02 GMT

Take yours daily.

The Apgar score developed by Dr. Virginia Apgar in the early 1950’s and remains the method used to evaluate the health of all newborns at 1 and 5 minutes after birth. The criteria used to determine a baby’s apgar score is their pulse rate, muscle tone, respiratory effort, skin color, and response to stimulation.

You should create for yourself your own personal “apgar” score and determine it every morning and/or evening.

Create a list of the things you want to measure every day and give each one a value from 0 to 2, with 2 being the maximal score.

Here are examples of what you may want to measure:

General Health

Stress

Sleep

Nutrition

Contentment

Optimism

Grade yourself from 0 to 2 in each category and follow your score daily.

Wishes for a great day, each one a gift,

David/

We Are Not OK

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 19:45:58 GMT

I am not OK.

For the past several months people have been asking me as an opening to a conversation, “how are you doing?” Up until October 7th my response was always, "Very well – Thank God – each day is a gift."

The other night a friend from the Midwest and I spoke, and he asked me, “How are you doing?” And I responded, “I am not ok.” The same thing I have been saying now for over several months. He reached out to me because he knew that even though we had not spoken for several weeks. “I am here with you David”, he said. The conversation warmed my soul and left me in tears, forcing me to barely get out the words expressing my deep appreciation and love for him.

I am not ok, and not one single Jew is either. The spokesman for the 15 million of us I am not, that said I have yet to come across one of us that is.

Being able to trace our history back over 3,000 years we are unable to identify one country that has allowed us to maintain a permanent residency. Whether it be the Egyptians, Babylonians, Romans, Spaniards, Russians, Poles, Germans, or even now in France and Great Britain – we become unwelcome guests. Sometimes uninvited in the most horrific of ways.

Barely more than a handful of decades after the Germans decided that we were not welcome anymore, my pupils have fully dilated at the amount of anti-Semitism here in my country, in my State, and in the City in which I work. They remain dilated at the anti-Semitism displayed in full public view, under oath, on the internet, on the television, in writing and in action. They remain dilated by the governmental and non-governmental organizations that openly embrace it. Many of these entities which we stood shoulder to shoulder with in their defined roles and efforts to right wrongs or prevent miscarriages of justice.

I am not ok with worrying now about my children taking an Uber, wearing their Star of David outside their undershirt, being able to go to a Jewish owned restaurant or business – for fear of their safety – here in the United States of America.

I am not ok with the First Amendment being used to threaten my existence, my being here in the United States. There is no context necessary when people call for my extermination just because I am a Jew. There is no contract with the freedom of speech when it is used to threaten me because I am a Jew. There is no contract with the First amendment when it is used to gather selectively in front of a Jewish owned business to shut it down. There is no contract with the First Amendment if I am not able to freely worship and express my belief in Judaism. The First Amendment was not intended to be a death warrant for Jews, or any other groups of people. “We the People” is supposed to mean all of us. And when it does not, we have ample evidence in recent memory of what happens to all of us, not just the Jews.

The events of October 7th are irrefutable facts. You can view for yourself, in living color, the atrocities perpetrated on Jews in Israel because Hamas and Gazans broadcast them live and recorded them directly. An equivalent of approximately 50,000 Americans were butchered, slaughtered, raped, burnt alive, tortured, and mutilated on that day. Another almost 7,000 were taken hostage including babies, children, women, and the elderly, including Holocaust survivors.

I am not ok seeing people tear down posters of Israelis who are being held hostage. The Selective moral outrage boils my blood. I can name very quickly a number of other “conflicts” that currently find Muslims in the center of malintent. And yet not a peep – from anyone.

All that said and what that phone call provided me with, is that while I am not ok, my heart and soul are comforted by the fact that there are many people who are standing by my side. In dark moments the rays of light and warmth that emanate from those who care about you are brightest.

Praying that you all are bright lights to others,

Wishes for a great day, each one being a gift,

David/

A First in Two Millenia

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 16:29:55 GMT

A miracle occurred in the midst of the terror and tragedy of October 7, 2023. For the first time in over two millennia every Jew is aligned. From Ultra-Orthodox to the “Yom Kippur Jew”, from those who observe Judaic laws every day to those who participate in Judaism one day a year – we are all aligned.

The First Temple was destroyed because there lacked a belief in God. Four hundred years later the Second Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred Jews had for one another.

There is no gray now, only black and white. Life is being viewed in high-definition resolution. Antisemitism is making itself clearly visible to all who are looking. Around the world, in places of education, in institutions of governance, and in public gathering places and streets. It is being recorded, published, and broadcasted.

Good people are standing up. As individuals, and as groups of humans. As much as we are seeing antisemitism birthed in the most unexpected of places, so has the pushback. It takes time to respond to noxious stimuli, to fully define the magnitude of the insult and its potential for doing harm.

I am not going to profess any knowledge as to why October 7 ^th happened. Why is not important. It is dangerous to ask that question because it allows us to get stuck on it. We have been asking why to a multitude of calamities over thousands of years, and all we get is another one following the previous one. The proper question to ask is, what am I going to do about it?

In front of us is an opportunity that has not existed since the destruction of the Second Temple two thousand years ago. Perhaps even a reason for our most recent dispersal too. What we need to do is maintain our alignment over time. We need to keep the door open for people to join us and support them when they arrive.

Loving kindness, giving without expecting anything in return, is a source of happiness and fulfillment. Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl’s “Man’s Search For Meaning”'s theme is that life is defined by happiness and fulfillment, especially during times of suffering.

What stands before us during this time of immense suffering is a unique opportunity to remove hate from the world. To replace it with loving kindness, so that we may all live full lives. That peace and happiness prevail for the generations that follow us, allowing them to fulfill the immense potential found in the human condition.

Hugs,

David/

Loving Kindness

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:45:31 GMT

Loving Kindness or “Chesed (Hesed)” in Hebrew means kindness or love between people. It is derived from the word Chassad which means eager or ardent desire.

It is something you do for somebody because you want to do it for them.

It is Not something you give somebody because they “earned” it.

Q: Who were you [loving] kind to today?

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs too,

David/

Rear View Mirror Of My Morning Habits

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 17:58:37 GMT

It hit me this morning, and the reason why the book Atomic Habits by James Clear is on my recommendation list, just how many habits I have and go through every work morning.

Wake Up + gain consciousness.

Say a quick thank you.

Wash up.

Get dressed (cleans scrubs being set on top of my dresser the night before).

60+ seconds of a dead man hang.

Walk the dog.

Give the wife a "goodbye and have a great day" kiss.

Say my morning prayers.

Take my supplements.

Fill my travel mug with cold brew coffee (prepared the night before).

Do the garbage/recycling.

Choose and listen to a lecture on the drive to my office (40 minutes).

Arrive at the office, turn the lights on, check the thermostat.

Recite Maimonides' prayer for the physician.

Push Ups to fatigue (82 this morning!)

100 sit-ups.

Drink ½ glass of seltzer.

Put the travel mug in the freezer/refrigerator.

Sit down at desk and tackle emails.

All before I even see my first patient.

When you think about it, building your day (and life) around a series of good habits is easy as long as you don’t look backwards. It can get overwhelming when you list your habits and then check each one of them off each time you do it.

Nike is right – just do it.

Jelly Roll is correct too. He is a southern rapper I listen to when I exercise. In one of his songs, he says to “take the rear view mirror off ….” Meaning so you can't look back at life and some of the decisions you may have made that you probably should not have. Just look forward and make sure you stay on the right pathway.

Mr. Clear is also correct. Create for yourself good [daily] habits. Make sure they're good and worthwhile.

When you direct yourself towards happiness and success, create a map outlining the “refueling stops” along the way, and you will get there.

Define where or what “there” is. Good relationships, good health, increasing your knowledge and becoming wiser. Appreciating the value of each day, being humble, being thankful, and so on.

Life is the sum of your daily accomplishments and growth.

Creating good daily habits,

Not looking backwards,

Focusing on what is in front of you,

Designing daily habits that keep you on track,

All allow us to achieve the maximal benefit, reach the greatest lengths of our potential – and hopefully provide light for others to use as they travel along their own life’s pathway.

The power in that as both an individual and as a group of humans is limitless and timeless.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Hairy Walls

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:40:34 GMT

Can a wall be hairy? Obviously not.

If it cannot be hairy, can it be bald? Obviously not again.

Walls do not grow hair, so they can be neither.

If I ask you to go out to the store and get me a square triangle, could you?

Again, obviously not.

How about 8 purples?

This exercise demonstrates the importance of using words wisely.

Words are not only important, they also have power and meaning.

They are a direct reflection of you.

And, once you say something, you can never retrieve it – make it go away.

Think before you speak.

Speak with purpose and meaning.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Imperfection is Perfection

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 15:36:21 GMT

Do not think that being imperfect is not perfect.

The state of imperfection creates space to achieve perfection, to accomplish, to create value and meaning.

Imperfection is indeed perfection.

This is true in ourselves and the world around us.

It creates opportunities for us to make tomorrow better than today, both as individuals and as a group.

Hugs to all,

David/

God did NOT Create this world

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 12:55:49 GMT

God did NOT Create this World...

And yes, as is stated on the Meet the Author page of the blog,

I am an observant Jew.

Believe it or not, God did NOT create this world.

God created Adam and Eve’s world.

The world we are living in was created by “the original sin”, eating from the Tree of Knowledge. The world we live in was created by Adam and Eve and not God.

Recently there was a discussion about why so much evil and bad in this world. Why didn’t God just create a perfect happy world for us to exist in? My belief, and more to come on this in future posts, is that part of the answer lies in that we are tasked with two charges as human beings:

1. To perfect our soul, and
2. To rebuild the world to where it was when God created it.

If we strive to do both, imagine how beautiful Planet Earth can become.

Imagine the value and the gift every day would provide us with.

Hugs to all,

David/

A Parent, Not A Friend

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 14:02:11 GMT

A parent cannot be their child’s friend.

And in fact, should not try to be.

It is antithetical to the role a parent has to play in their child’s life.

Friendship is a bilateral relationship that involves two consenting parties. Friendship stops when one of the parties ceases to give their consent to the relationship.

A child does not possess the ability or maturity to give consent, or for that matter many other things as well – that is why they can’t vote or drive or buy alcohol, or own a gun or volunteer for the armed services.

Trying to win your child’s friendship at the expense of being their parent, their advisor, their educator, their protector, their confidant, their role model can be very expensive for both you and them.

I have found in my many decades of parenting my four grown children ages 29 to 40, that by being their parent first and foremost and always, has created the foundation we all share today as best of friends. They all know that as much as I cherish their friendship (and respect), I am and will always be first and foremost their father. This understanding has created an extraordinarily meaningful life for me – and a foundation upon which each day is a greater gift than the previous one.

Wishes that each of your days is greater than the previous one,

Hugs too,

David/

A Parent's Love....

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:20:32 GMT

…. always exceeds the love a child has for their parents.

How you treat your parents will be how your children treat you!

Honor your mother and your father – the first “human commandment”.

I suggest you pay close attention to that ��

Wishes for a great day to all.

Hugs too,

David/

Fear

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 14:35:38 GMT

Does Fear Propel or Paralyze you?

What is fear? I define fear as that unexpected moment in life where you don’t have time to be anxious or worry. A sudden rapid linear acceleration that takes you with it and seemingly will not let go of you. And it’s headed into either the unknown or a place you don’t want to go voluntarily.

You have two choices. You can choose to ride along with it and react, or you can choose to “STOP” and create a mental time and space to think and contemplate and plan and react purposefully. To be proactive or reactive.

Even taking a 2 to 5 second “pause” and thinking about what is happening, defining your potential downside risks. This is you creating space, putting a brake on the rapid rate of events unfolding. Giving yourself a chance to act, even if your action(s) do not stop the event – it has the potential to – it also now creates a feedback loop where you are putting the brakes on the acceleration, of having space and purpose to act and be proactive. You are bringing to bear your greatest asset – your ability to think and plan. You are now being proactive. You are now experiencing the all or none feature of your brain – it is now focusing on finding a fix and now fear has no place or space in your brain to live.

Ex. If you all of a sudden notice a stranger following you. Down into the subway, into the car, and then out of the car, and then out to the street when you get off at your subway stop. What do you do? If you let fear paralyze you, you end up cornering yourself in a small space completely paralyzed by fear and at their mercy. You have let fear paralyze you.

Or you can put yourself into a quick mental time out. Take a deep breath and mentally relax. You may need to try more than once to do it, but once you do it, magic happens.

When you get to the street surface you can look for a cop. If none are there, you can look for ways to go in multiple directions and see if that person still follows you. And if they still follow you, you can get on your phone and dial 911. And if they still are following you, you can yell “FIRE” (yelling "help" never works, it is ignored too often and every human being is afraid of being burned by fire – they will stop and look). You can think about how to stay away from getting yourself locked into a tight quarter without escape. You can take your keys out of your purse and (God forbid) get ready to defend yourself.

You have now taken fear and let it propel you instead of being paralyzed by it. And this is true in so many situations. Remember if you do nothing that is still your choice and action.

Fear - embrace it, let it propel you and not paralyze you. By doing that, you have a far greater chance of success and happiness.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Carry Over Cooking

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 13:57:08 GMT

How many times have you cooked something to a perfect temperature only to serve it 10 or 20 minutes later and find it over done?

It is important to realize that whatever you are cooking, and let's focus on steak because I can, is absorbing energy from your cooking source – an oven, a pan, a grill, etc. The energy it absorbs brings it from raw, to medium rare, to medium, to medium well, and then [God Forbid] well done.

The space between those levels of doneness can be measured in a minute or less depending on how hot your cooking source is, the amount of energy it is emitting. A grill top at 600 degrees Fahrenheit will progress through those stages far quicker than one at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

The rate of rise in doneness is also dependent on the size or thickness of the steak and how much energy it is going to take to get it to where you want it done. A 1.5” steak [which is the thickness I always recommend] takes more energy than a 1” steak. Hence one of my reasons for never buying “thin” ribeye or NY strip steaks.

Sidebar: There is a misconception that you take your steaks out of the refrigerator 30 minutes or an hour before you cook them to get them to room temperature. That is false. Do this test – temp your steak in the fridge with your thermapen and then take it out and temp it again 30 minutes later. Let me know if it reached room temperature.

Carry over cooking is what happens when the energy you have placed in your steak continues to cook it after you have taken it off the heat source. Just because you take it off the grill does not mean that the stored energy in the steak all of a sudden disappears and stops exerting its forces. That stored energy will continue to exert itself and continue the cooking process – it will slow down because once off the heat source no more new energy is being entered into the steak.

Think of your car and its gas tank. You fill it up full and you have 400 miles of range when you leave for your trip. You can only turn your car on and cannot turn it off. Your destination is 350 miles away. You get out at mile #350 but your car goes until its source of energy is fully depleted another 50 miles.

That is exactly what happens in steaks and other food you cook. And you need to take that into account. If you don’t, you end up with overcooked steaks, dry overcooked chicken, etc.

Sidebar: If you use your MEATER probe to assist you in cooking your steaks, they do a good job taking that into account re the carry over cooking that will occur automatically.

In general, what I do to aim for a medium rare steak (132-135 degrees) is bring it to 127 or 128 degrees and take it off. With chicken, 155 to 160 degrees, depending on how I am cooking it (spatchcocked, whole rotisserie, etc).

It is far better to undercook steak, you can always add heat to it. There is no reversing the cooking process once you go past medium rare. It is also illegal (at least in my kitchen) to go past medium rare.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Don't Be Bored

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 13:57:20 GMT

Don’t be bored. Why? Bored people are boring.

Stated another way, if you want to be left alone, attract no one, create a deep and wide moat around yourself – be bored.

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs too,

David/

White Board

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 15:11:15 GMT

White Board. Simple. Get one. One for your office. One for your home. Put it on a wall in a room you frequent and that would allow for it – meaning that only the people you want to see it can see it.

On the white board write stuff:

To Do Lists

Not to Dos

Short Term Goals

Long Term Goals

Things you want to measure perhaps, and how to, from beginning to end

Use it to communicate with people

Up to you how to use it, but use it.

It struck me this morning how useful and obvious it is to me, and now hoping it is to you as well.

People keep shopping lists, often on the door of their refrigerator. Consider your white board a listing of all the ingredients you need to keep your life well stocked and full.

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs too,

David/

Memorial Day

Tue, 30 May 2023 16:40:05 GMT

Since this country was founded and fought for, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died while serving for the United States of America.

The American Civil War was witness to an estimated 655,000 deaths when our population was thirty-one million. That would translate given our current population of over 334,000,000 to over 7,000,000 Americans sacrificing their lives today. Seven Million!

I provide this foundation in order to ask whether or not there is anything you would fight and die for? Your family? Your country? Your religion?

And depending on your answer, I am interested in the reason why or why not.

There is a part of me that believes that being willing to die for something makes life different from those who do not believe there is anything worth dying for. That it imparts upon those willing to sacrifice their life for something an internal operating system that adds another sail and more accurate rudder to one’s life “boat”. That they have harbors of happiness, accomplishment, value, and success that are not as available or deep to those who are not willing to sacrifice themselves for any thing or reason.

I am truly interested in your thoughts.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Thermapen

Wed, 03 May 2023 14:22:16 GMT

Thermapen , get one. Either the Thermapen One or the Classic.

There is nothing more important than knowing an accurate temperature of what you are cooking, especially if it is meat or chicken or fish.

Sidebar: There will be an upcoming post on Meater which is a wireless temperature probe I also use. They are not mutually exclusive.

The difference between medium rare and medium can be measured in seconds and not minutes, especially when cooking at high temperatures.

And when you take into consideration as you must, the amount of energy stored in what you are cooking once you take it off or out of the heat source, knowing what the current temperature is, is vital.

Sidebar: There will also be an upcoming post on carryover cooking; the fact that the temperature of what you are cooking will continue to rise after you stop heating it directly.

I have spent enough money and bought so many other digital thermometers that I would have been better off, saved money, by buying the Thermapen from the outset.

Full Disclosure – I am not receiving any “kickbacks” from Thermapen. I just think they are the best and you should have one if you take cooking seriously.

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs too,

David/

1 Second Rule

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 15:08:16 GMT

We recently enjoyed the Jewish Holiday of Passover, when God freed the Jews from the bonds of Egyptian slavery over 3,300 years ago. Passover is also called the Holiday of the Matzah, which is bread that is processed before the dough can rise. Think of a saltine cracker without the salt and moisture or taste.

The difference between Matzah and Bread (which we are not allowed to eat during the entire eight days of Passover) is 1 second. That one second when the dough starts to rise, makes bread and it becomes unsuitable to be consumed for those eight days.

The 1 Second Rule is the concept that it only takes a second that separates two opposites.

Bread vs. Matzah

Going left vs. Going Right

Doing vs. Quitting

Right vs. Wrong

Life is best led by creating the context where the 1 Second Rule rules.

Ex. You are going to take an 8 hour hike up a steep 4 mile hill. If you view your hike as 8 hours long, or 4 miles high there will be opportunities to quit the hike. If you view it as a continual set of 1 second decisions (the 1 second rule) you will complete the hike and never consider quitting.

If you look at your life, goals, aspirations, and challenges, and you frame the timeline in decades or years or months or weeks or days or even hours, you increase your ability to not achieve them. To quit. To give in. Especially if what you are doing is “voluntary”.

Frame them in a series of continual one seconds decisions and you will achieve everything you want to achieve.

Stated another way, less positively. If you are in an unhappy place, halfway up that hike, or one third the way through that organic chemistry class you need to complete and you are looking at another 2 miles up that hill or 2 months of studying the formation of complex carbon based molecules, it is easy to quit. You see all that pain and suffering in front of you, even though at the end of that journey the view will be amazing or you can then get into medical school. But the pain, so much pain and discomfort, it's just unbearable for that much longer – there is no way I can tolerate it.

Think about it in one second intervals, that only one more second of suffering – and you can withstand that. Anybody can do anything for one second. And then another second, and so on. But then the seconds turned into minutes, and then hours, and then days, and then weeks, and then months, and then years, and then decades.

And before you know it, you succeeded. You are enjoying the most amazing view of life possible. You will have accomplished all that you set out to. You will have won and not quit. And then you can take that win and build on it. And then you can show others how to do it. And then there will be others, lots of others who will join you at the top. And how great will that feel?

Wishes for a great day, with a great view [on life],

Hugs too,

David/

Ps. And the 1 Second rule applies to you both physically (that one second it takes to decide to down a gallon of ice cream before you go to bed or not), mentally and spiritually.

Daily Reconciliation

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 18:19:56 GMT

We start each morning being grateful for all of our blessings .

It is important to do your nightly reconciliation.

General – how good was today?

Specific – what good stuff happened, what stuff can I improve upon, what stuff should I have done, and so on.

Make a note to yourself, when you are going to bed at the end of your day, what do you want to do tomorrow?

In “life's ocean” your row boat needs a rudder and paddles.

Defining what yesterday was, and planning on what today will be, are your guidance coordinates to make sure to keep you away from stormy waters and heading to your proper port of call.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Be a Fan of Yourself

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 13:17:00 GMT

About twenty plus years ago I stopped rooting for “my” Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers. And yes, it is completely unfair that at age 11 three of the four of them won “World Championships”. And yes, ridiculously unfair that my father being from Queens would take me to Shea Stadium almost every weekend to watch the Mets and Jets play.

Then, the unthinkable started to happen. Rules being bent, professional athletes started seeking alternative ways to improve their already amazing God given talents. And as time moved forward it became obvious to me that they were more interested in themselves than the fans and even the team they played for.

As I started to drift away from spending time collecting cards, watching sports, and reading sports articles, I began to realize the value of that newly found time continued to increase.

I started spending more time with my wife and kids and friends. I started doing new hobbies. I started reading more and learning about so many topics – all of my choosing.

Not that I am saying getting lost in an hour or two of TV or movie entertainment is bad. What I am saying is that appreciate that you are allocating the most expensive and important thing you have – your time. You are always deciding as to the value of that time and whether or not you are interested in getting dividends from it. And that decision is a permanent one.

Starting today – consider being a FANatic of yourself and those around you – the people who care about you, and you them.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Multivitamins For Your Soul

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:14:13 GMT

Give Thanks.

Wake up and give thanks, first thing you do even before standing up.

Give a thank you for something, or for things, but be thankful.

Every human being is a combination of a body and a “soul”.

Of being conscious and being able to think and communicate those thoughts - and the physical plant upon which it rests and resides.

We are conscious of our body, our physical plant. We eat. We drink. We provide our bodies with sustenance. We maintain our bodies by paying attention to our nutritional and physical needs.

How do we maintain our souls? If you think about it, our body, whose sole function is to support our soul, occupies our minds' attention to a far greater extent than our soul does. Did you follow me there? In other words, what have you done for your soul recently? How are you maintaining it?

Start by giving thanks.

Here are a few things you can be thankful for:

Thank you for waking up today. Just by saying thank you – by thinking you know you are alive and have another day ahead of you that you can shape to your benefit.

Thank you for the bed I am waking up in.

Thank you for the HVAC providing my bedroom with warmth.

Thank you for my indoor plumbing.

Thank you for having food in my refrigerator in my kitchen so I can have breakfast.

Thank you for the clothes I am wearing.

Thank you for the ability to do what I am about to do today.

Thank you for my physical well being.

On and on you can go – you should go.

Think of each and every thank you as a vitamin for your soul.

And think about taking a multivitamin for it every morning.

No worries either - much easier to swallow and they are free.

You need to maintain your soul as you do your body – and for most of us, we probably should take better care of it than we do our bodies.

Wishes for a great day to all of you (pun intended),

Hugs too,

David/

Grand Manhattan

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 14:13:58 GMT

Earlier we posted about Manhattan , the drink.

There are numerous variations of the Manhattan.

Here is one I was unaware of and fell in love with.

2oz Rye (Pikesville)

1oz Sweet Vermouth (Carpano Antica)

1 oz Grand Marnier Liqueur

Orange or cherry bitters (3-4 shakes)

Luxardo Maraschino Cherries (jar)

Steps:

Put your glass(es) in the freezer or put ice in them to cool them down.
Combine the rye, vermouth, Grand Marnier and bitters.
Dip your mixing spoon in the Luxardo Maraschino Cherry jar and coat it with the syrup.
Take your dipped coated spoon and mix up all the ingredients.
Get your drinking glass(es) ready.
Take one or two Luxardo cherries out and put them in the glass
Chill your Manhattan by adding ice or adding it to an ice filled container and stir vigorously for 30-45 seconds.
Pour your Grand Manhattan into your glass leaving the ice behind.
Enjoy.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Dairy is Evil

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 14:03:57 GMT

I hope the title grabbed you in for the ride below.

Proviso: This only applies to humans who are fully grown, usually age 18 or greater and are no longer seeing a pediatrician.

Dairy is Evil! I truly loved writing that. A subscriber requested that I opine on dairy – and this thought quickly made itself clear and present to me.

What are the benefits of eating dairy? There are a few, including it’s a good source of calcium and vit d and other nutrients and protein.

But at what cost?

First, let’s tackle the Whole milk vs. Skim milk issue.

Here are some interesting factoids:

Calories: skim milk has One Half the calories of whole milk, BUT,

Carbohydrates: skim milk has 10% MORE carbs than whole milk!

Calcium: skim milk as 20% more than whole milk

Factoid: Vit D

The FDA allows manufacturers to add Vit D (84 IU per 3.5 ounces).

Unfortified whole milk has more Vit D than reduced fat milk, but still has less than 1% of your daily recommended Vit D.

Regardless of the type of milk, it is fortified with Vit D to about 100-125 IU per cup.

Even without delving into lactose intolerance (humans started to have dairy products – cows – available to them about 10,000 years ago) and the progress, or lack of progress we have made in our ability to digest dairy – it is easy to conclude that dairy is evil if you are focusing on maintaining good long term health.

On the mineral and vitamin front, there is nothing that dairy provides you that you cannot get [better/healthier] in a tablet.

On the protein side, there is nothing dairy provides you that you cannot get elsewhere at a far lower price in terms of carbs. Remember, our goal is to limit our carbs to 60 grams total per day.

All that said, I am a HUGE fan of cheese. Drunken Goat, Brie, Guoda, etc. You will frequently find me on a Saturday afternoon sitting at the table usually, but not always, with others enjoying a cheese plate. Next to that cheese plate will be, if I am lucky, a good bottle of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay or Moscato di ‘Asti. And if you look really closely, there will be some honey that I let crystallize, and maybe even some other accoutrements (all of them carb rich). Those are special moments for me.

Our goal is to have an amazing journey in life, bringing a smile to ourselves and others. And for me, that involves cheese and wine – which I find much more enjoyable when others are sharing it with me. So dairy is evil, except on Saturday afternoons ��

That said, I will “pre-game” for those Saturdays. In the morning, add an extra few miles on the Peloton or add some extra time elsewhere burning off carbs/calories/weight in order to free up room for the wine and cheese heading my way that afternoon.

It is not easy being human, but it far surpasses all other options.

Wishes for a great and smile filled dairy free day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Kick Your Feet Up

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 13:21:33 GMT

Kick your feet up so that your ankles are above the level of your heart.

Do that at least once during the day.

Ten to 15 minutes.

You can do this when you take your power nap.

You should also do this routinely at bedtime. Put a pillow under your feet.

It is important to let the blood drain from your feet. To get that circulation going.

Use gravity to your advantage. I was going to label this post “The Power of Gravity”.

Think how powerful gravity is.

It causes you to shrink about 1/3 of an inch a decade.

It keeps 1,338,000,000 cubic Kilometers of water from floating into outer space.

(ONE cubic Kilometer of water = 264 Billion gallons)

So, kick your feet up.

It’s good for you.

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs too,

David/

Sidebar: Gravity is also fast, and according to one of my sons, faster than light. Tough to explain because I still don’t fully get it and he told me this over 25 years ago. He said, “Dad, think about what a black hole is and that light can’t escape from it. That means gravity is faster than light because it catches it and holds it, preventing it from getting out -hence why they are called black holes”.

Anyhow…….

Headstone

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 14:46:34 GMT

Your Headstone.

Picture the Headstone of your Grave.

I know, sorry.

Life always leads to death aka God always wins – however you want to acknowledge it is fine by me. You have an expiration date.

Use it to your advantage!

Picture it, your Headstone.

Stop and picture it.

What do you want it to say?

Because while you are alive you have a chance to determine that.

If you wait until you die, you are at the mercy of others to define your life.

Here is what I want mine to say:

World’s Best Husband

World’s Best Dad

World's Best Son

World's Best Poppy

World's Best Brother

World's Best Friend

World's Best Doctor (and I work really hard at this one)

Work Backwards. Picture what you want your headstone to say, and work at making that a reality for how others view your life.

Wishes for many great days,

Hugs too,

David/

Power Naps

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 16:21:15 GMT

Power Naps.

Love them. Been doing them for decades. Twenty minutes or so. I kick my feet up on my desk, recline my chair back, get comfy, and doze off. My alarm is set, just in case.

It was good enough for me if it were good enough for:

Leonardo Da Vinci

Aristotle

Thomas Edison

Winston Churchill

Albert Einstein

John F. Kennedy

Marc Cuban

It takes a minute or two to shake off the cobwebs, but once that is done you feel completely refreshed; full tank of gas.

Definitely worth your consideration.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Keep Your Perspective in Focus

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 15:38:09 GMT

To you, your perspective is reality.

To another person, their perspective is their reality.

You can have two people focus their perspective on the same “thing”, and yet there are times when you will get two very different perspectives of that very same thing they were viewing.

That item can be an object, a group of words, anything but the same thing.

It is important to make sure that you keep your perspective in focus.

It is important that you do not intentionally use blur to alter your perspective to fit your interests or intentions.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

How To Handle Guilt

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 17:11:35 GMT

I was asked by a subscriber (a first) to offer my thoughts on how to handle guilt.

Being Jewish, I can consider myself an expert on this topic with decades of experience.

Guilt is a self-conscious feeling that we get when we act against our own personal beliefs and principles.

Guilt should be viewed as a good thing. You are being introspective. You are evaluating yourself. And you are not giving yourself a passing grade.

The way to handle guilt is to view it as a positive.

It is positive that you are measuring yourself.

It is positive that you are holding yourself to a high standard.

It is positive because you can use it to motivate yourself to be better.

Guilt is that cloud that provides water to nourish you, make you grow.

And that cloud of guilt, like all clouds, will blow over you too, and give rise to a beautiful sun filled bright blue sky.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Wine Temperature

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 17:00:05 GMT

In an earlier post, we spoke about the importance of using the best wine glass you can.

Also important is the temperature at which you consume your wine.

Try this experiment.

Take one bottle of wine, and a white wine would be best for this. Any white wine such as a Chardonnay, or a dessert wine such as a Sauterne or a Moscato d’ Asti.

Use two similar glasses and pour the same amount of wine into each one.

Place one in the refrigerator and leave the other one out on the counter (safe from potential poachers).

Every 15 minutes take a sip from each glass and write down your “findings”.

Your findings could include:

1. Visual appearance
2. How it smells when you swirl it in the glass
3. How it tastes
4. How long that taste lasts on your palate.

If you can, measure the temperature in both glasses two with an instant read thermometer.

If you are up for it, try it with a red wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Zinfandel.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Val-You

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 15:26:47 GMT

Two ways to look at Val-you.

First, do I value myself enough? Is there a proper marketplace value on my existence? Be honest with yourself here. The law of supply and demand applies here as it does in any marketplace.

If you value yourself too much, others will not, and the demand for you will decrease.

If you value yourself too little, others will too, and either leave you alone or take advantage of you.

Be aware of what you set as your daily marketplace value. You can use your interactions with others as guidance.

Second, did you increase your val-you today, and if so how?

Your 9am to 5pm life – did you improve on any of the tools currently in your toolbox? Did you develop, or even start to develop a new one?

Your 5pm to 9am life – there are lots of ways to create value for yourself and others outside of your “work” life. Did you help someone cross the street, donate a unit of blood, give to charity, call someone to tell them you are thinking of them or even love them?

Be aware that your life revolves around val-you.

Value yourself properly, strive to increase your real value – and no inflation please.

Wishes for a great and productive day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Your Wine Glass

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 18:26:56 GMT

The glass that you are about to pour wine into is your window in which you can accurately see your upcoming wine experience.

Wine glasses are broken down into two categories:

The ones you have at home
The ones you use when you are not drinking wine at home

When you are given a wine glass, or one is patiently waiting for you to pour wine into it – make sure its clean, crystal clear! Morning dew on a beautiful spring day – blue skies, wisps of cottony white clouds in the sky, running brook by your feet, undulating hills covered with fresh earth and rows of vines as far as the eye can see. That fresh and clean and crisp. Make sure the glass is room temperature and not hot.

Make sure you do not smell soap or detergent in it. I cannot tell you how many times I have sent wine glasses back, or away from me. If you smell soap or detergent in your wine glass, that tells you everything you need to know. It is a dumb, dumb light blinking brightly in your mind’s eye. Warning you.

If this happens in a restaurant, be careful. They are telling you that wine is not important to them. There are other ways to tell that too, but this is a big one. If the restaurant has a solid wine list and their glass smells like ivory soap, one of two things,

-They will be embarrassed and quickly fix it for you
-They look at their wine list as a source of revenue

If this happens at a friend’s house, it is more difficult to handle depending on how good a friend they are. Several options here,

-Go and rinse the glass out yourself and dry it
-Smell something, say something
-Do nothing and don’t drink, and very last option,
-Suck it up buttercup and drink from the glass. Oy.

That last option sends chills down my spine.

What wine glasses do you have at home?

Are they really clean?

As much as I do not want to say this, what you drink wine from matters. Drinking from a paper cup – not good. Ditto from a plastic cup or a shot glass. Your wine glass has to be able to provide you with a clear picture of the wine's color, its density or body. And, it has to give you access to how it smells or its “nose”.

My preference if you are going to purchase one type of wine glass, is the big “Bordeaux” style glass; big as in 20-22 ounces. Stem or stemless, dealers’ choice. The stem is there so your hand does not warm the wine up. I go back and forth on stem vs. stemless. What I do not compromise on is the size of the glass itself.

Here is where it gets interesting: The weight of the glass. You want as light as you can afford. The lighter the glass the more you focus on the wine itself. Almost as if the wine is floating in the air on its way to your face.

Apologies in advance. Pinot Noir is perhaps my most favorite grape variety. The most difficult to make good wine from, but when it is right, nothing short of magical. Several years ago I splurged on these wine glasses:

Zalto Denk’Art Burgundy glasses

32 ounce glasses that weigh several ounces. So delicate that you have to use your dishwasher to clean them. Truth – dishwasher is safer than hand washing because the stem is so fine. Several hundred uses, 100% dishwasher cleaned, and not one broken to date. These glasses are so good, I use them almost exclusively.

As much as a wine glass can change your life, these did mine.

This is a stemless glass I love too:

Riedel Wine Tumbler Cabernet/Merlot

A great glass that is also found in my wine cabinet.

In conclusion, what you drink your wine in is important.

In order to fully appreciate wine, as in all things in life, the right tools are important.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

What Is A Good Wine?

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 18:38:00 GMT

What is a good wine?

Wine holds a special place in my life. I blame my father and my other father (traditionally referred to as father-in-law; but mine was much more special to me and to my parents), who taught me and shared with me all things wine. To this day I love breaking out and sharing a bottle of Chateau Calon Segur with my dad.

Wine is the connective tissue – often found connecting humans when they share their time and food with other humans. It can be the fuel of creating magic memories.

What is a good wine? A good wine is one that you would purchase again.

You cannot view wine the same way you do liquor or other consumable liquids. There is too much variation in wine, year to year, geographical location, types of grapes, ways you can make it, and so on.

Bourbon is bourbon, tequila is tequila. There is some variation in whiskeys (including the spelling), but in general the taste profile is predictable.

You should never taste a bottle of wine with the expectation that this is going to be the best bottle ever. Also, you should never say that you have had better. Put better, you have had others you enjoyed more. Wine is a journey unlike any other consumable liquid.

There are “old world” vs “new world” wines (old world = parts of the world the Romans introduced wine making to; new world = where winemaking is relatively new).

There are different grapes and blends of grapes to explore. Ex. Cabernet Sauvignon. And you can explore the dramatic differences between old and new world cabernet sauvignons.

I want you to focus on the journey.

I want you to be able to experience the beauty of wine, and why it outlasted the Greeks, the Romans, etc.

Sidebar: What was the first thing God told Noah to do when the Ark hit terra firma? Plant a vineyard.

Get ready to experience good wines, and if you do, buy another bottle or two and put it in your wine fridge .

Get ready to drink some clunkers too.

Either way, get going – doctor’s orders!

Sidebar: An opened bottle of wine, if you put the cork back in or screw the screw cap back on, will last for 3-4 days (4 days for red wines, 3 days for white wines).

Another Sidebar: Wine experts. Like most “experts”, take what they say with a grain of salt. Only you know what you like.

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Your Magic Number is 60

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 17:22:04 GMT

That is your magic number – to a longer, healthier life. Limitless energy. A true sense of wellbeing – hitting on all cylinders.

That is the total amount of carbohydrates you should ingest per day.

We spoke about keeping a diet diary and how important it is to do that.

We mentioned you should count the amount of carbs you take in every day. And this is why, NEVER consume more than 60 grams of carbs/day.

Carbs kill. Sounds very dramatic – in fact that is a dramatic statement. But a truthful one. Spend a day or two in my office with me and you will have overwhelming proof of that being a fact.

Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Elevated Cholesterol levels – out of control.

Define which foods are carb friendly aka low in carbs.

Identify and stay away from those that are loaded with carbs.

Here is some inside baseball info for you regarding carbs and food, the good and the bad:

High Carb – Bad for you: bread, pasta, potato, rice, oatmeal, grains, sugar, soda

Low Carb – Good for you: meat, chicken, brisket, fish, prime ribs, vegetables, eggs, Cowboy Ribeye , bacon, NY Strip.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

$1M or $10M - Which would you rather have?

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 18:20:39 GMT

Q? Which would you rather have?

A: $1M home in a neighborhood of $500,000.00 homes, or
A: $10M home in a neighborhood of $20M homes?

The answer is obvious, be happy with what you have. I know, that was not a choice up above. But that is the correct answer.

Zero doubt that if you had the $10M home and it was the least expensive home in your neighborhood, you would not be happy. And that is silly, because you are living in a $10M home. That has to be a pretty outrageous proposition right there, including the fact that you can afford the taxes.

And zero doubt if you owned the $1M home, the most expensive house in the neighborhood, you would still want more. You would want to be living in a more expensive home and neighborhood.

How about this? Just be happy with what you have. That way you get to answer yes to both possibilities. And you should be happy in either house – there are billions of humans that don’t have a house, or indoor plumbing, or HVAC, or a refrigerator. Remember your levels of blessing you wake up with each day.

Remember to smile too. Whoever or whatever knocks on your [life's] door should be greeted by the biggest smile and the warmest hug. You already have it all.

Wishes for another great day,

Warm Hugs and Big Smiles too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Power of Silence

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 14:28:33 GMT

I was originally going to title this post, “Be a Library[ian]”.

Non-sequitor: Q? What is the fastest form of acceleration? A: deceleration. Zero to 60mph is measured in time, 60mph to zero is measured in feet!

Q? What is the most powerful form of speech?

A: Silence.

Silence is the fence you build and maintain around yourself at all times.

Do not speak without giving what you are about to say thought. Make sure you are listening to what is being discussed. Make sure you understand what is being discussed, and if you don’t you can ask for additional information.

Silence prevents you from speaking.

Apologies in advance, but in order to be foolish, in order to be ignorant, in order to be anything “negative”, it involves you saying something. Words have a value, and often they can have a negative value.

One of my children once said to me, “Dad, put yourself in a [20 second] time out before you respond to someone”. Great advice.

Silence also lets you learn, and learning is good. If you are not talking, you are listening and learning. You are seeking the reason as to why you entered the conversation in the first place.

Taking it a step further, do not curse, do not say negative things [about people], do not say anything except at worst something neutral.

There is a power to silence, there are huge benefits to silence –

Silence is something that should be practiced and perfected.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Take A Dry Shower

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 19:45:48 GMT

Frozen Hot Chocolate.

You have to love some oxymorons. Be smart, take dry showers.

Q? What is a dry shower, or steps taken in dry showering?

Step 1 – Get in the shower and rinse off. Get wet.

Step 2 – Turn off the water.

Step 3 – Soap up

Step 4 – Stand straight up, arms raised towards the ceiling fingers and toes spread open.

Step 5 – Count to one minute (1 to 60 one thousand)

Step 6 – Rinse off

Q? Why take dry showers?

A: Micelles.

Micelles are the chemical compounds that soap form to grab and remove dirt. It takes micelles time to do that. By applying soap at the same time, you are rinsing it off you are decreasing the effectiveness of the soap you are using. And if you are showering to get clean, to get rid of the accumulated dirt on your body, then take a dry shower and give the micelles the chance to do their work.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.EachDayAGift.com

What Makes You Happy?

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 15:50:55 GMT

STOP EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW.

Seriously. Stop. Focus on this exercise.

INSTRUCTIONS: Write down everything that makes you happy.

Ex. My spouse, my children or one of my children, or drinking wine, working, cooking, helping others, etc.

Write down EVERYTHING that makes you happy.

Next Step: write down a plan on how to increase your enjoyment from it.

Ex. I am going to go home every day at the end of work and give my spouse a big hug and kiss and tell them that I love them.

Ex. I am going to text my spouse 3x a week randomly during the day a hug emoji.

Ex. I am going to always put the cap back on the tube of toothpaste because I know how much it upsets them when I don’t.

Next Step: write down something you want to make you happy that currently is not.

Ex. I feel more distant from my parents than I want, and that makes me unhappy.

Next Step: write down your plan on how to correct that.

Ex. I am going to call my parents every Sunday and Wednesday.

Ex. I am going to send my parents flowers on my next birthday.

Take Inventory.

How many things did you write down that make you happy?

How many things did you write down that you want to make you happy but are not currently.

Put your plan into effect to increase your daily happiness.

At the end of each day review and update your “Happiness List”.

Take a few minutes to focus on what you did today to make yourself happier?

At the end of each month repeat this exercise from scratch.

Keep the prior month's list as a reference.

Each day is a gift.

Each day that brings you happiness is a true gift.

Let us focus on bringing more happiness into our lives daily.

The happier you are the better you are, and the better you are, allows you to make those around you happier and better.

Wishing that each day brings you happiness,

That each day is a bright and beautiful one to you,

That your light warms others,

David/

www.EachDayAGift.com

Problems: Solve them, don't suffer them

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 18:52:15 GMT

Everyone of us has problems. They come in all sizes, shapes, and densities. It is part of life, an important part of life. There is no avoiding them. No choice.

You do have a choice as to how to handle them. Two choices in fact. One is you can suffer your way through your problem. The "oh woe is me" approach. Look at me suffer. Hoping to gain some pity or understanding potentially. Allowing problems to grow and pile up and on you. Not good, in fact a bad choice to choose to suffer.

The better choice is to be proactive and solve your problem. Tackle it. Head on. The only person preventing you from doing that – is you!

By taking a proactive stance, by starting the process of fixing your problem you will immediately feel better. It will decompress you and the process of solving your problem will make you better equipped to handle the next one. And there will be a next one, if not more than one at a time.

You will add tools to your toolbox – be not only better equipped to handle your problem(s), but even help others with theirs. And maybe, even gain enough strength and confidence to accept new challenges/problems.

Be a problem solver.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.EachDayAGift.com

Skin- Taking Good Care of Yours

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 19:04:00 GMT

As we have reached the day with the least amount of sunlight, it is important to remember to put on your skin moisturizing lotion with sunscreen every morning before you leave the house.

Here is what I have been using for years.

At bedtime, repeat the process without the need for sunscreen.

I use pomegranate oil .

Yearly Mole Patrol: aka your annual trip to your dermatologist to get screened for skin cancer.

Taking good care of your skin is essential and easy.

It just takes commitment.

Make it a [good] habit, similar to brushing your teeth. And while you have two sets of teeth and more if you need, you only get one chance with your skin.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.EachDayAGift.com

Fail At Something

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 18:45:14 GMT

Fail at something on a regular basis. That should be a goal of yours like it continues to be of mine. It means challenge yourself to do something new, learn something you did not know about before, gain a new skill previously not located in your “toolbox”; to continuously create a new and better you.

Here are some of the challenges I undertook in the past:

I spent one and a half years cooking in the kitchen of a local Italian restaurant after work on Mondays.
I got certified to Scuba Dive – that was crazy because I am not a good swimmer.
I read the Torah and wrote every week on its weekly portion. At the end of the year I had about 40 subscribers.
After reading the Torah, I then read the next 19 volumes of books which took an additional four and half years.
I did Krav Maga for over a decade from my 40’s to my 50’s.
I went to race car school
I read books about things I do not know anything, or enough, about – this provides me with huge fields of opportunities. Examples include the US Constitution, Biographies of all the Founding Fathers and some of the Federalist Papers, and the Peloponnesian War.

On and on. Some big, some small. Always challenging myself. Always putting myself in a place where I can fail to not accomplish.

You need to do this. You need to be a different person next year than you are this year. More informed, more capable, hungrier for knowledge. This allows you to help not only yourself move forward and create more value, but also help others. It increases the value others will place in you.

You can make each day brighter for you, and more importantly for others.

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs too,

David/

www.EachDayAGift.com

Don't Be A Pig

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 14:51:06 GMT

This is not related to the phrase “sweating like a pig” which is an impossibility since pigs do not have functional sweat glands.

It is related to the symbolism that a pig is selfish, a glutton, self-centered, never satisfied. Don’t be that. Don’t be a pig, because you know what happens to pigs?

They get slaughtered and consumed.

Wishes for a great day,

Hugs too,

David/

www.EachDayAGift.com

Goal of Life

Fri, 09 Dec 2022 17:05:18 GMT

What is the goal of life?

A: To create something that lasts beyond our body.

God wins, always. One day you are going to die. There are no exceptions to this rule. It also creates a value to the days that we are given. What are you going to do with your days, and why is that important?

The purpose of life is to serve others.

The goal of life is to be remembered, to create meaning with our days.

We do not want to be forgotten. We do not want our lives to have no meaning or value. It is why you may have or plan to have children. Or why you paint or have your picture taken. It is why you help others – either at work or outside of work. It is why you write or call or text others. A lot of our behaviors are designed to create memories of ourselves for others, of creating value that extends beyond our physical body.

Striving to be remembered causes us to lead a life that generates and manufactures value. This is important to humans – foundational; an essence of living a good life. That value that we create follows the same basic economic theory of “supply and demand”.

The supply is our time, ability, resources, and prioritization of creating value.

The demand is created by us serving others. There is no demand or value if you live by yourself on a deserted island. All you have is supply. When that second shipwrecked sailor’s row boat hits your island's shore, there is demand. There is a huge potential of demand in front of us. Over 7 billion humans.

Wishing you a life of great value,

Of great supply and demand – of being a “billionaire”,

And of course, hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Seek The Truth

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 18:56:48 GMT

I know, it sounds corny and hollow. No argument there. That said, do it.

When you are in a discussion or an argument, are you listening or getting ready to speak? Are you being wise , are you seeking the truth or are you playing defense with your current thought?

ALWAYS seek the truth. Whether it be in a discussion or an argument. Whether it be about common current beliefs. Be curious. Ask or seek what the current evidence is that supports the current belief.

The world was the center of the universe for centuries, until it wasn’t.

The world was flat for another bunch of centuries, until it wasn’t.

It took one person to seek the truth, to be wise, to be willing to change their mind. And then the effort to convince others to change their minds.

Sidebar: When you are discussing something with someone, keep an open mind. Ask them why they think their current viewpoint is correct. What evidence do they have to support it? You never know, they may be right, and you will be a better person for seeking the truth.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.EachDayAGift.com

ps. Spread the word, each day is a gift. Get people to join us.

Be A Good Listener

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 16:01:58 GMT

When you are speaking with someone, are you listening OR are you getting ready to speak? How do you feel when you are speaking to someone, and you are not yet done talking and they already have their next sentence locked and loaded and even perhaps on its way back to you? Exactly.

If you are getting ready to speak and not listening, you are diminishing the potential value you can create in that conversation. You are broadcasting to the person you are listening to something far less positive than it should be. You are diminishing the potential value you can be creating with your time and ability. It hurts you and them.

By listening you are creating a stronger bond; a firmer connection; you are affirming to that person who chose to speak to you that they made the right choice in choosing you to speak with. Everybody wins when you listen.

Be a good listener.

Spread the word, and make sure they are listening to you.

Wishes for a great day to all,
Hugs too,
David/
www.eachdayagift.com

Heart Rate

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 13:49:05 GMT

Heart rate. How many times per minute does your heart beat? That is the single most important indicator of whether or not you are in good health. It is the single most important aspect of your health that you should focus on.

Your heart is just a simple pump. Blood comes into it, and it pumps it out on average 72 times per minute, 4,300 times per hour, 104,000 times per day, 3,100,000 times per month, 40,000,000 times per year - 3,000,000,000 times during your life.

Imagine now that you were able to lower your heart rate by 10 beats per minute. That saves you on average about 15,000 heartbeats a day, 450,000 heartbeats per month, or over 5,000,000 heartbeats per year. It gets even better if you get your heart rate down to 52 beats per minute which is my goal – my key performance indicator of being in good health.

How do you do that? It requires one goal – observing a healthy lifestyle that includes eating and exercising properly. That you do so in a way that is manageable, achievable, and consistent. What is a healthy lifestyle? It combines eating properly and exercising on a regular basis.

Eating. Eating properly is keeping your total carbohydrate intake below 60-70 grams a day. Staying away from sugar. Staying away from potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, and grains. Food can either be viewed as fuel or an experience. Neither one should accelerate your demise. This is more important than exercise. What you don’t put into your body, you don’t have to work off.

Exercise. Should be easily available to you year-round. There should be a variety of exercises. They should not put you in harm’s way – where an injury can sideline you for prolonged periods of time. My favorite form of exercise is my Peloton. I augment it with my TRX cables, dumbbells, and a weight bar. And several days a week I do nothing but rest my body (I do a total of 100 pushups every day)

Peloton. GREAT exercise device, perhaps the best ever. My goal is to ride 300 miles per month. Usually 12-15 days per month. It stares at me in my bedroom constantly, beckoning me forth.

Sidebar: No, I do not own its stock.

TRX Cables. They are always hanging from my bedroom door. I try to use them 1-2 per week. 10 minutes. Done and dusted.

Dumbbells. Not heavy. Repetitions are more important than weight. My preference is to do what I refer to as Non Sweating Exercising with them at bedtime. Ten reps of something before I brush my teeth. Ten reps after. Ten reps after I say my bedtime prayers. Just enough to feel it, not enough where I am sweating. Just something that my body sees net calories out before bedtime.

In terms of exercising, you do you. But just do something sustainable and safe.

With limiting your carbohydrate intake and adding a pinch of exercise, you can reduce your heart rate 10 to 20 beats per minute. This will extend your life and give you the best chance of the time you have to be of high quality.

Links:

Sidebar: The best way to define your average Heart Rate is by getting and wearing a “smart watch” such as the iWatch, FitBit, Samsung, etc. They provide you with lots of information including your average heart rate.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Wine Fridge

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 14:11:29 GMT

If you like or drink wine, consider this.

Estimate how many bottles of wine you drink in one year. If it is a larger number than you initially realized – seek help or invite people over to share them with you more often ��.

Any bottle of wine you are buying from most wine stores should not be opened upon purchase. Lots of reasons why, all of them not as important as the fact you need to let the bottle “rest” and “recover” from what was either the bottling process or the trip to your wine store.

Sidebar: If the temperature in the wine store you are purchasing your wine from is above 68-72 degrees, go somewhere else.

Sidebar: If the wine store you purchase wine from sells bottles that are in the front window or in any way exposed to the sun for prolonged periods of time, go somewhere else.

Sidebar: If the wine store merchant describes to you bottles of wine by their “rating”, and not by the type of grape and taste, go somewhere else. The rating is the score given to it by an “expert”. I think we are all done with experts by now.

Sidebar: If the wine store merchant does not ask you anything about why you are buying that bottle of wine such as what are you planning to eat with it or when, consider going somewhere else.

Sidebar: If the wine store merchant does not ask you about what type of wine or taste profiles you enjoy, consider going somewhere else.

Sidebar: If the wine store merchant does not ask you to get back to them with your thoughts on the bottle of wine they just sold you, they are more interested in the sale of that bottle and getting rid of inventory than in establishing a long-term relationship with you – creating a journey you can both take together exploring the world of wine.

Once you have the number of bottles you drink per year multiply by 5.

Ex. I drink one bottle every other month x 12 months = 6 bottles of wine / year.

6 bottles x 5 [years] = 30 bottles.

LEAP OF FAITH: this now requires you to take a leap of faith with me.

Purchase a wine refrigerator that holds 30 bottles.

I want you to purchase 6 bottles this year to place in the refrigerator and let them stay there for five years (from the vintage date on the bottle. I am now opening my 2017’s, next year my 2018’s), starting this year and continuing for the next five years. Trust me on this, something I have been doing for decades. It will change your [wine] world.

I do not know your favorite wines or types of wines. Seek out a advisor or teacher- See post Here.

Always feel free to contact me too.

Here are some examples of wines I have been doing this with.

The Prisoner

For close to 20 years now, long enough the price has doubled, and it has changed owners several times.

1858 Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles

Only available at Total Wine stores. A truly great wine when it hits 5 years old.

Mollydooker The Boxer

An OMG wine (make sure to do the Mollydooker Shake when you open the bottle), and for $23 a bottle. You can fill your wine fridge with this and be very happy.

Wine is a journey that requires an open mind, a tolerance for kissing toads so that when you find that prince you hold on tight. Wine is part of the connective tissue (along with food and friends) that makes life beautiful and bright and interesting – the gift that it is.

Sidebar: We have a tradition of having people who we are with on those magical nights sign a bottle of wine and keep it on the top of our kitchen cabinets. It is two rows deep now, and consideration is being given to digitize it. They serve as beautiful reminders of how fortunate we [all] are.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

David@docberman.com

Be Thankful

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 16:52:09 GMT

Be Thankful – the first thing you should do when you wake up in the morning. Before you get out of bed. You wake up, you are thinking, therefore you are alive. Give thanks for the day ahead of you. Savor the potential that lies in front of you.

Be Thankful for all your blessings you woke up to:

Level 1 Blessings – your present health

https://www.eachdayagift.com/level-one-blessings-body

Level 2 Blessing – the fact you have shelter

https://www.eachdayagift.com/level-two-blessings-shelter

Level 3 Blessings – the fact that you have food in the fridge, HVAC, indoor plumbing.

https://www.eachdayagift.com/level-three-blessings-food

Level 4 Blessings – the fact that you live in a society where you can express yourself, you have money in your pocket, and perhaps even that you have someone you love or even someone who loves you.

https://www.eachdayagift.com/level-four-blessings-the-whip-cream

These 4 blessings you should be thankful for, put you ahead of 99% of all humans ever born and in the top 10% of all humans currently alive.

Be Thankful for those whose lives created the foundation you stand upon every day. Most of them you have never known and cannot name. The person who invented the wheel, electricity, transistors, cement, the printing press, etc. And then there are those who have sustained you, nourished you, molded you into the person you are today. Be thankful. Think about calling one of them up and saying thank you, or telling them that you love them.

Be thankful for the people who are in your life today.

Be thankful for the opportunity you have today to make the world and yourself better.

At the end of today take inventory of what you made of the day. If you are happy with the results, then rinse and repeat tomorrow. If you are not happy with the results, make a plan and put it into effect tomorrow to win the day.

There are no rewind buttons on time.

Each day is a gift.

Make sure you take advantage of it.

Being thankful every morning when you wake is a good way to make that happen.

Wishes for a Great day to all,

Hugs too – and love,

David/

Thanksgiving Turkey Tips

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 14:14:43 GMT

Thanksgiving is 6 days away.

Here are THE MOST IMPORTANT STEPS TO HAVING THAT PERFECT MOIST JUICY TURKEY – I know, an impossible feat. But don’t despair. Follow these steps, the yellow bricks to a great juicy turkey.

Step 1: THAWING

Thaw out your turkey properly. Only two ways, and the best way is to let it thaw out in your fridge.

The thaw rate is 4lbs/day.

Sidebar: the only other way to properly thaw a frozen turkey is by using a cold-water bath. Do NOT defrost your turkey by leaving it on the countertop.

The average size of a turkey is 16lbs, so put it in the fridge today.

And yes, this means your turkey will be ready to go TUESDAY, two days before Thanksgiving. Which brings us to,

Step 2: Dry Brining

I spent years wet brining my turkeys (in a maple syrup bath) and switched recently to what I think is a better and far more simple method which is dry brining.

All that means is that you put kosher salt on your turkey.

1 tablespoon per 4lbs of turkey.

It has to be Kosher salt.

Once you have “bathed” your turkey in kosher salt, put it on a baking sheet with a rack and put it back in the fridge. It is also a good idea to put aluminum foil under the turkey.

Dry brining takes a minimum of 24 hours, and for your best results 48 hours.

Step 3: 160 degrees

We touched upon this in another post about cooking steaks. The same holds true for turkey.

If you wait until the turkey breast hits 165 to take it off the heat, the retained energy in the turkey will cook it another 5 to 7 degrees minimum. And that is why you have been eating dry turkey all your life; why you add cranberry sauce to it – to make it moist.

Take your bird out from the heat when the breast temperature hits 160.

Let it rest for 15-20 minutes so the retained energy in the turkey is dissipated. The meat fibers will relax as it cooks up another 5-7 degrees and they will also release the juices that were trapped in those fibers.

Bonus Tip: SPATCHCOCKED TURKEY.

If you have not tried this, buckle up for the best, juiciest, quickest turkey cook ever.

Spatchcocking a turkey or chicken refers to cutting out its spine and flattening out the bird. This allows the legs and the breasts to cook evenly. And by removing the cavity of the turkey, it cooks quickly. Half the time. About 8 minutes/pound vs. 15 minutes. If you are going to spatchcock your turkey, dry brine it After you do so. And save the spine for the gravy making process.

There is a number of great youtube videos that show you how to do this. Here is a link to a really good one from one of my favorite BBQ guys.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PEAQ_YopGk

1M views!

Wishes for a great Thanksgiving.

We all have so much to be grateful for,

Hugs too,

David/

www.EachDayAGift.com

Purpose of Life

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 18:01:41 GMT

What is the purpose of life?

A: To serve others.

The purpose of life is to serve others.

In order to serve others properly, you need to be the best human you can be.

This creates a positive feedback loop for both you and those around you.

Imagine a world in which we all did that.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Diet Diary

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 18:23:36 GMT

Starting tomorrow, keep one.

Write down everything you eat and drink, and the time you did so.

Next to that entry of whatever you ate or drank, write down the number of calories and carbohydrates it contained.

At the end of the day, total up the number of calories and carbohydrates.

Do this for one week and make some observations, and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift

David@docberman.com

Cowboy Ribeye

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 19:55:30 GMT

Pay attention here because cooking a Cowboy Ribeye steak, or any piece of very thick meat is different from all the rest. If you cook this the way you would a regular ribeye or NY Strip steak, you will end up with a large portion of the Cowboy Ribeye over cooked and only a small portion of the steak properly cooked.

Given: No steak should ever be cooked more than Medium Rare. Personally, if somebody wants me to do that for them, they need to get permission in writing in advance of the cook.

Goal: A well charred medium rare Cowboy Ribeye

Process:

As the Cowboy Ribeye is resting comfortably on your cooling rack, fully seasoned up ( see Dry Brining Post here) , in your kitchen at room temperature, you will go to your grill or smoker, or even oven. What you want to do is SLOWLY bring the steak up to 115 degrees internal temperature.

225 degrees to 250 degrees is the window you are aiming for. Once your cooking device is dialed in there, put your steak in.

Pearl of Wisdom: Wagyu Beef Tallow (purchase HERE ). Get it ready. Here is the cast iron basting pot and brush I use: Cuisinart Basting Pot and Brush .

I put the tallow in the basting pot and warm it up, often putting it in my smoker along with the steaks, until it becomes a golden liquid.

Sidebar: Thermometer. I use the Meater , a wireless thermometer that connects to your phone or iPad. You can use any thermometer as long as you use one. It is essential that you pull the steak off when it hits 115 degrees.

Along with getting your Wagyu Beef Tallow ready, get your grill ready. You can use the same device or another one. I go from my smoker to my Weber 22” kettle. Using the chimney , I fill it ¾ the way up. The Slow and Sear takes that much. You want TWO zone cooking – you need a “cool” area on the grill or cooking device (you can just take it out from the broiler or out of the iron skillet. One half of my grill has charcoal, the other half does not. You want a smoking hot fire, 500 degrees plus.

It is going to take somewhere between 60 – 90 minutes for the cowboy ribeye to hit that temperature. Once it does take it out and let it rest for 10 minutes. While it is resting, baste it with the wagyu beef tallow, BOTH sides. You are doing this to allow the steak to absorb all the energy from the cook and let it dissipate. The temperature will climb a few degrees. You want to let all that stored energy go. If you go to the next step too quickly, you will overshoot your desired doneness because of that excess stored energy and the “new” energy you are about to hit it with... a rookie mistake I have made more than one time.

Here goes – it's been 10 minutes, your cowboy ribeye is glistening with the Wagyu Beef Tallow. You have your food safe gloves on hand (pun intended). Put it on over the charcoal. You should get pretty quickly a response of fat and steak hitting fire. That sizzling and fire is ok, but keep an eye on it. After 20 – 30 seconds, lift the steak by the bone and look at it. The charring process should have started. You can put it back down, usually for 1-1.5 minutes before I take it and put it on the “cold” half of the bbq. Turn it over to the side that was not on the fire, coat it with a little more tallow, and then move it over the charcoal.

Pearl Of Wisdom: you can always put the cover of the Weber on, and that will stop the fire but keep the steak cooking.

Once you have cooked the other side of the steak for 1-1.5 minutes, move it back to the cool side. Your next step is to cook the sides of the steak. Place it “standing” up, fat side down on the fire and make sure it does not fall down. It should be 90 degrees perpendicular to the grill grates. It is essential you render the fat and that could take another 1 to 1.5 minutes. You have your gloves on so you can always check to see how it's going. It is better to check more often than less. You can always add heat to the steak, but you can never remove it once it's in.

Recap: You cooked each side for about 1.1.5 minutes, you cooked the sides for an equal amount of time. You are applying your tallow. You will probably need to cook each side for another 1 to 1. 5 minutes. This is all dependent on how hot your grill is. You should use the Thermapen here, you can't use the meater probe for searing - too hot!

You are aiming for an internal temperature of 128 degrees. There is going to be "carry over cooking" from the stored energy. Always keep this in mind, no matter what you are cooking. If your char is perfect for you, and your internal temperature is 128 degrees, take it off and let it rest. This is the hardest part of the entire process. A minimum of 10 minutes. DO NOT TOUCH that steak for at least 10 minutes. If you want you can LOOSELY wrap it in aluminum foil. Wrap it too tight and that stored energy will go back into the steak and cook it all that much more.

If your char is perfect and your steak is not yet at 128 degrees place it on the cool side of the grill AWAY from direct heat. Close the lid and the temperature will get there. You can even put a little more tallow on it. Keep an eye on the internal temperature and take it off when it reaches 128 degrees.

The REST: pun intended. Once your steak has hit 128 degrees it is going to cook up, release all that stored energy several degrees to between 130 and 135 degrees – perfect medium rare. Do NOT touch it. If you want to cover it, do so loosely, giving the excess heat and energy a way to escape, and therefore not continuing to cook the meat. It also lets the steak “rest and relax” – when the steak is hot it is contracted, and the juices are locked in the muscle fibers. Letting it rest and cool down will release these juices back into the steak.

Slicing:

Slice the steak off the bone.

Separate the outer muscle layer, the spinalis, and cut that into cubes.

The inner portion of the steak should be cut into slices, however thick or thin you want. Personally, I like ¼ inch slices.

Take the juice off the cutting board or wherever it was resting, and pour them on top of the sliced steak.

Lastly, don’t forget to pick up the bone and do not throw out any of the goodness you just worked so hard to create. I do that even in the finest of restaurants, and for sure at my house too.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Be Humble

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 16:39:49 GMT

Be Humble – always, at all times. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Put a rubber band on your wrist and every time you feel yourself even thinking of not being humble, stretch it back until you meet significant resistance and then let go quickly.

Wishes for a great and meaningful day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Dry Brining

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 17:41:35 GMT

By unanimous consensus this past weekend bbq’ing for people very accustomed to sitting at our dinner table, my steaks were otc (Off The Charts). They are usually mouthwatering delicious and consistent meal to meal, but this past weekend everyone ended up in a meat coma – including me.

There was only one significant difference and that was dry brining.

I had and seized the opportunity to prepare the steaks the day before the cook. Having a vacuum sealer ( see post here ) allowed me to take advantage of a HUGE sale on cowboy ribeyes at Costco. They were on sale for $14/lb vs. their normal $24. After getting the boss's approval I bought a few, vacuum sealed them and put them in the freezer.

Knowing we were having a bunch of people over Saturday evening; I took two out and put them in the sous vide ( see post here ). Setting the temperature on the sous vide to 70 degrees, they sat in there for about an hour and half. And yes, 70 degrees because all I wanted to do was unfreeze them and NOT cook them. At that point when I took them out of the sous vide, they had no evidence of any part of the cowboy ribeye being frozen.

I opened the bag, drizzled a little olive oil on it, rubbed it in so that the salt would stick to the steak. Using the Maldon Sea Salt ( see post here ), I liberally sprinkled it on both sides AND the sides. Those are thick steaks so they can take a lot of salt, in fact they need it. Do not skimp on the salt.

Using a baking tray that was wrapped in aluminum foil, both cowboy ribeyes found a very nice resting place on its cooling rack in my refrigerator for the next 24 hours.

You could tell the next day by the color change in the steaks that the salt had penetrated deep into the ribeyes. That a lot of moisture and juices were going to be held in the steak very tightly – which happened. And, that the char we would be able to put on the steak would be mouthwatering – which happened too.

Take Home Message: Dry brine your steaks overnight if possible. And if it is not, for at least 2 hours.

Sidebar: Remember to take the steaks out of the refrigerator 30 minutes ahead of the cook. NEVER throw a cold steak on a hot fire.

Next Post on the pre-cook seasoning.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Wagyu Beef Tallow

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 14:35:54 GMT

Buy this: Wagyu Beef Tallow

This completely changed my meat cooking game. Brought me from the minors to the Big Show. It will be impossible to fully explain how this will up your cooking game too in one post. There are so many ways to use it, and we are setting out to explore them all and undoubtedly find new ways along our journey.

It will become obvious too that you can use it for other things besides meat including veggies and desserts. You can fry, sauté and sear with it too. And it's healthy to boot – more about that in future posts.

It is 100% pure rendered Wagyu Beef fat.

You are wondering what Wagyu Beef is. Wagyu means Japanese Cattle ( ‘Wa’ means Japanese, ‘gyu’ means cow). It is any of four breeds of Japanese cattle and can be shipped from Japan carrying the name of the area it came from such as Kobe Beef. It gets its reputation by having a very high percentage of intramuscular fat. Fat is flavor. If you are wondering how these cows developed such high levels of intramuscular fat, it was due to their selection over thousands of years in Japan to be draft animals used in agriculture. They had to have superior physical endurance. By having extra fat which is a source of energy in their muscles, this gave them a significant advantage over other breeds.

You can find Wagyu beef originating from different countries too, including Australia (has the largest number of Wagyu cows outside of Japan) and the United States. It gets confusing because in the USA and Australia Wagyu cows are often cross breed with other cows such as Angus cattle in the USA. When this is done you will see it referred to as American Style Kobe Beef or “Wangus”.

I cannot recommend this highly enough. I use it a lot. When I went to Amazon to obtain the link to it above, it turns out I have purchased 9 of these containers over the past 13 months.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

www.eachdayagift.com

Make sure to check out the posts on:

Salt

BBQ Equipment

Maldon Sea Salt

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 14:32:20 GMT

Buy it.

In order to make good food you need good ingredients to help create the foundation of the dish. After experimenting with dozens of different types of salt, Maldon Sea Salt is and has been the reigning champion for years.

It is tough to describe the differences between the taste profiles of different salts because they all in the end taste like salt. And for good reason, they are all salt.

There is something special about Maldon Sea Salt. Not the fact that the company has been making salt for 140 years, or its unique location, or unique crystal shape and feel, or that you find it in the best of kitchens. It just tastes like salt on steroids without being overly powerful. There is a continual release of taste in layers, and the way it feels in your mouth. There is also the fact that when you use it, you can crush the flakes in your fingers and that gives you very unique tactile feedback that you do not get with other salts.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Cold Brew

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 13:41:22 GMT

I know and apologize. Another non-alcohol based post in the drinking category. That said, the best way to prepare either your coffee or tea is by cold brewing it.

All that means is that you use cold water to extract the goodness from either your [coarsely] ground coffee beans or tea leaves. It takes a lot longer to get to the point where they are ready to drink, but well worth the extra wait. I personally allow at least 6 hours of steeping and usually overnight.

Sidebar: The difference between cold brew and iced coffee is that iced coffee is prepared by putting ice in coffee that has been brewed hot.

The benefits of using cold water to prepare coffee is that it contains less acid and creates a cup of coffee that is truly representative of the coffee beans you are using. They don’t use hot water to turn grapes into wine, do they?

Caffeine. Is there a difference in the amount of caffeine between cold and hot brewed coffee or tea? Not really. It remains dependent on how much water and ground coffee or tea you are using.

Milk and or sugar: Do you put either or both in your wine or single malt scotch? And if not, why? And that is why you don’t put either in your tea or coffee. Truly good tea or coffee tastes good by itself. If it doesn't, you are drinking the wrong tea or coffee.

Equipment:

Coffee. You will need a French press and a burr grinder . The ones I use are linked here. They are “inexpensive”, and will save you a lot of money vs. buying your cold brew in a store.

Process:

Tea. You only need to put your tea bags in a pitcher of water. You can also put the tea leaves directly in the French press if you want to be a purist.

Coffee: Use Whole Bean coffee. My go to coffee bean .

I set my grinder to the coarsest setting and 12 cups, the French press holds 6 cups of water.

I put the coffee grinds in the French press, seal it with the cover and let it rest on my kitchen counter overnight.

That lasts me 3-4 days.

Rinse and repeat.

Sidebar: We will dive deeper into coffee in another post. I will say this, coffee is one of the best things to drink from a health perspective. My thermos is always by my side, and in constant use during the entire day. You will even find it next to my Peloton during my rides (1,892 rides to date). It is highly beneficial during exercise too.

Hot/Cold/Room Temperature:

You can choose how you drink it temperature wise. My preference is room temperature. I think it tastes better that way and no ice = no dilution.

So, cold brew. Try it even if you don’t like coffee or tea. It may change your mind.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Sugar

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:52:16 GMT

Simple, don’t eat any. And while you are at it, stay away from complex carbohydrates too. Complex carbs have sugar as a component of their molecular structure.

You are wondering how much sugar is circulating in your body right now. The answer is about 2.4 grams. That is equal to half a teaspoon full, or one sugar cube, or 0.08 ounces. That amount gives you a normal blood sugar level, which is about 80, and an A1C of 4.7.

Now you are wondering how much sugar do I need circulating in my body to be a diabetic? The answer is 3.4 grams. That is how tightly the body regulates sugar. All you need is another quarter of a teaspoon full, or half a cube of sugar or 0.04oz to become a diabetic. That gives you a blood sugar of 140 and an A1C of 6.7. Not much separating you from diabetes, which is why diabetes is so common.

What are the mechanics behind sugar? Sugar is gasoline for your body, assuming you drive a car with an internal combustion engine. Once there is more than enough sugar in your blood, it will store it as glycogen. Imagine filling up your gas tank, hitting the limit of your tank and the pump not turning off. Where does all that gasoline go? Where does the extra sugar go? No place good.

How much glycogen can your body store? One pound or about 2,000 calories worth. Not a lot, but a lot when you consider your body needs only 0.08 ounces of sugar circulating to keep your “engine running”.

What does it do with the extra sugar once it has filled your body's glycogen storage capacity? It converts all the extra sugar into fat. And that is where the problem(s) lie. Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease, and so on. Nothing good. Similar to now standing by the side of your car with the gasoline pouring out of your totally filled gas tank as the pump continues to push more gasoline out. It does not take much to get you into serious life altering trouble. To set your body/life on fire.

So simply said, do not eat sugar in any form. And stay away from complex carbohydrates too. You get more than enough from the things you normally eat that don’t have processed sugar in them. Every time you eat sugar, you are playing with fire.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Don't Worship False Idols

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 14:56:55 GMT

Worshipping is to show honor or reverence to something. In my religion, we are instructed not to worship false idols. The reference point was man-made wooden statues.

Wooden idols are but one example of false idols we can worship. Capital accumulation, substances, people, including ourselves, pleasure, are also a few. False idols tend to be made by humans and marketed overtly or subliminally.

There is a saying that a doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient.

A person who worships false idols is a foolish practitioner.

You should use your time and efforts more wisely.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Don't Be a Cow

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 15:55:13 GMT

The common saying is that the grass is always greener on the other side. The meaning behind it is that someone has it better than we do, that we are envious or jealous of another person. That you are not satisfied with your life or place in life and things are better somewhere else.

You should find pleasure and blessings where you are now and focus on the good you have, no matter how trivial it may seem to you. Think about how you can make things better – both in the short and long term – for yourself. Identify wins you want, of all sizes and go after them. Make sure you keep your priorities intact and do not worship false idols (an upcoming post).

And remember, to a cow the grass is always green no matter what side of the fence they are on. And you know what happens to cows – nothing good.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

PS: Did you remember to drink a glass of water when you woke up this morning?

First Cup of Water

Clouds of Jealousy

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 15:28:01 GMT

If you let jealousy cloud your day, you will never see the sunlight that the gift of each day brings.

Wishes for a great and bright day,

Hugs too,

David/

PS. Did you count your blessings first thing this morning? If not, start here- Level 1 Blessings.

BBQ Grilling Equipment

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 15:26:26 GMT

We recently posted about “charcoal”. In order to make charcoal work for you certain things are necessary, and certain things can enhance the experience.

Here goes:

Grill. There are many to choose from, but the best all around grill is the Weber Original Kettle 22” grill:

Grill Cover. Important to get this to protect it from the elements. My 22” Weber is several decades old and going strong.

Thermapen. It is accurate, reads the temperature of what you are cooking very quickly, and has a large display. I have been through a number of quick read digital food thermometers. This is the best. It is not inexpensive, nor is the food you are cooking. The batteries last a long time, and are easy to change.

Weber Rotisserie. Again, not inexpensive. If you want to make Amazing chicken, and prime rib roasts, get this.

Slow N Sear. It is important to be able to create two zone cooking areas in the grill. One zone that is hot where the charcoal is, and one zone that is less hot aka where the charcoal is not. You can do this manually or you can buy this. I used to do it manually, but this is much better. It prevents the charcoal from moving around during the cook. It is easier to add new charcoal or wood during the cook. It has a removable water reservoir when you want to do low and slow and keep the grill temperature rock steady. I use this all the time, especially when I use the rotisserie.

Charcoal Chimney. The Best Way To Light Charcoal. It also has two handles allowing you to pour its [very hot] contents into the grill safely.

GreenSpark Fire Starters. I have tried a bunch of them. I keep coming back to these. In fact, I just bought the 140 piece box vs. the 70 that is linked below. They are natural, easy to light, and burn for a long time. I use two every time to get the charcoal in the chimney burning quickly. On average it takes 15-20 minutes for the charcoal to light to the point where you can dump it in the grill.

Gloves. They come in two varieties. Both are important to have. One is to protect your hands from the heat, the other is used to handle food.

Rapicca BBQ Food Safe Gloves

Grill Heat BBQ Gloves

BBQ Utensils. Dealers choice here. Some important considerations:

BBQ Tongs. You want extra long ones. You want the amount of force you need to generate with your hand to close it, not to be too great. Grilling several dozen lamb chops will put your hand to the test.

Spatula. Again long and not too heavy.

Fork. I never use one. I refuse to puncture holes in my food for juices to run out of. I use two tongs, or one tong and a spatula to move things if needed. I never use a fork to move any food that I am cooking.

And lastly, aluminum foil. I use it by the boatload. I have the normal and heavy duty always on hand. You will always let the meat you are bbq’ing rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes. You will need to cover it with aluminum foil. You will be cooking side dishes that will be done at different times and will need to be kept warm. You can use it in so many ways. I have tried a number of brands but always keep going back to Reynolds. I get mine at Costco where I purchase it in three different forms:

Regular

Heavy Duty

Bulk

Apologies for the long post today. The good news is that each one of these items will last you a long time and you will derive great pleasure from their employment.

Wishes for a Great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Refer to This Post about Charcoal.

The Human Brain

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 13:50:39 GMT

Topic: Realize the limitations of your [human] brain.

The human brain has not changed much over the past 400 or 500 millennia. You are operating with the same brain your great x hundreds of generations grandparents had. The only difference is that during this wide expanse of time between then and now, humans have been making and remembering and building upon advances / discoveries. This is the foundation we stand upon every day when we wake up. This was done by constantly thinking, questioning, exploring. By trying and failing and then trying again. By keeping and building upon what was true and real, and discarding what was not.

What’s my point? A lot of us accept that the “science is settled”. We don’t question, ask why, or even learn for ourselves. We trust “experts” and others. We are the same people who accepted for long periods of time that the Earth was flat, that the sun revolved around the Earth, and so on. That the “settled science” then was wrong, but still accepted.

Q? If you believe in the Big Bang theory, why? If you believe in global warming, what convinced you? What evidence do you need to change your mind? Our advances were made because we can employ our curiosity, our need to know why.

Before you become a true believer, do your own due diligence.

Force yourself to learn the why’s behind the current beliefs, AND the other side of it.

Re[mind] yourself that you are operating with a brain not much different than it was hundreds of thousands of years ago. That you’re better served using it than just accepting others using theirs.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Charcoal

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 17:30:32 GMT

Topic: Charcoal – Chapter One (more to follow)

Don’t BBQ without it.

BBQ’ing without it is called grilling, or cooking outside with gas instead of cooking inside with gas.

Charcoal is formed by heating wood in minimal oxygen. It removes all the water and sap and other natural chemical compounds from the wood.

There are two different types of charcoal:

Briquettes – made by compressing charcoal into a shape

Lump – natural charcoal, not compressed into any shape.

Each has its own place in the BBQ game as we will see in future posts, and its own sets of pros and cons.

Lump tends to have less ash production, burns hotter, lights quicker, has no fillers or binders that can be found in briquettes, has a natural wood smell (very addictive) and produces lots of smoke flavor. On the downside it burns quicker, in general is more expensive, and can be more difficult to work with given the uneven sizes of charcoal that are in the bag.

Briquettes maintain a steadier temperature, burn longer, and in general are less expensive. On the other hand, they produce more ash, take longer to light, and can produce a chemical smell depending upon which brand you use. They commonly have additives to help them maintain their form such as sawdust.

There are two types of wood sources aka trees that you can make charcoal from – hardwood or softwood. Softwood trees are trees that keep their leaves year-round (ex. pine, cedar, spruce, fir). These trees contain large amounts of terpenes and other chemicals commonly found in soap and foam free fire extinguishers. You will have a tough time finding softwood charcoal for a good reason – its chemical compounds will leave a very bad taste in your mouth.

Hardwood trees (ex. Hickory, Oak, Cherry, Mesquite, Apple, Pecan) do not have the issues found in softwood trees. They can impart on your food unique flavors depending on the type of tree, its climate, thickness of its bark, drying time, and moisture content. Similar to grapes and wine.

Where each fit in your BBQ’ing quiver in general is this:

Lump tends to burn hotter and quicker making it best for direct grilling burgers or searing a steak.

Briquettes are used for longer slower cooks and are used in smoking a brisket or short ribs.

Personally, I have several different types of both lump and briquette charcoal always available to me. The choice is based on what I am cooking, the people I am serving and how much time I have or need to get it done.

But the bottom line is that you can go with either form. Whatever is easiest for you – usually briquettes. I just want you to BBQ with charcoal, and experiment with the different forms and brands.

Several decades ago, we were at my Uncle’s house and he made a variety of food on his BBQ. A game changer for me. The taste was so amazing. He is also a big “wine guy”; the food and the wine that afternoon is seared (pun intended) into my mind’s eye forever.

Sidebar: Kingsford Charcoal (not my favorite) but a very cool history. Edward Kingsford was married to Henry Ford’s cousin. Ford was burning lots of wood to make his Model T’s and suggested that the wood scraps be processed into charcoal. Thomas Edison designed the briquette factory that Kingsford used. “Ford” charcoal was sold only through Ford dealerships initially, and in 1951 an investment group bought it and renamed it Kingsford Charcoal in honor of Edward.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs too,

David/

Wisdom

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 17:23:19 GMT

Wisdom is the ability to change your mind.

It starts with your desire to acquire it.

It requires you to gain knowledge.

It requires you to continually question your current beliefs.

It requires you to admit the frailties of being human.

Wisdom is something you should always be seeking and spreading.

Wishes for a great day to all,

Hugs,

David/

Manhattan

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:23:19 GMT

The last “drinking” post started out, “fooled you, not all posts in this category will be related to alcohol”.

To set the record straight and make it perfectly clear, not all posts here will pertain to alcohol, but most of them will ��

Sidebar: as we continue our journey here on this blog together, it will become apparent that eating and drinking are the connective tissues connecting people. That part of the foundation of life is what and how you eat and drink.

Most of my conscious time is spent in Manhattan and has been for the past thirty plus years. And as great as Manhattan is, the only time you will find the words perfect and Manhattan in the same sentence involves alcohol.

Sidebar: This is one of five cocktails named for a NY City borough and got its name because it was “invented” here at the Manhattan somewhere between the mid 1860’s and mid 1870’s.

Q? Can you name the other four drinks named after NY City Boroughs?

A: At the end of the post.

And that alcohol is not bourbon whiskey which is associated with the drink named after Manhattan. Rye is the foundation of this perfect Manhattan, and Pikesville Rye specifically. You can try other Ryes, but feel free to use the last several years of my experimenting and if you don’t want to repeat the disappointments I experienced – use Pikesville Rye.

Here are your ingredients:

Pikesville Rye

Antica Vermouth

Luxardo Cherries

Angostura Bitters

Ice

Instructions:

Put your drink glass in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill it, then

Combine the following in a glass

2 ounces Pikesville Rye

1 ounce Antica Vermouth

3-5 dashes Angostura Bitters

1 teaspoon Luxardo Cherry juice (from the bottle of cherries)

Stir well

Add Ice and stir again for 30-45 seconds

Remove your glass from the freezer and using a strainer pour your drink into it so that no ice gets in.

Add three Luxardo cherries to it, and enjoy.

Why 3 cherries?

One you eat at the beginning of the drink, one for when you are halfway, and there is no better way to finish than with a cherry at the end.

A: What are the other four names of cocktails named after NY City Boroughs?

The four other boroughs of course.

The Bronx (gin, vermouth, and orange juice)

Brooklyn (rye, dry vermouth, maraschino liquer, and Amer Picon)

Queens, (gin, vermouth, and bitters)

Staten Island [Ferry] (Malibu rum and pineapple juice)

Antica Vermouth

Link: https://www.anticaformula.us/vermouth

Pikeville Rye

Link: https://heavenhilldistillery.com/pikesville-straight-rye.php

Luxardo Cherries:

Link: https://www.luxardo.it/liqueurs-and-distillates/original-maraschino-cherries/

Angostura Bitters

Link: https://angosturabitters.com/

Smiling

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:28:07 GMT

Are you smiling?

If the answer is no or not right now, why not?

You should always, 24/7/365, be smiling. Even if you don’t feel happy, or you are having a very bad moment or moments.

People judge a book by its cover, which is why we have to tell them not to. But being human is not simple or easy. Smiling gives you your best possible cover. It signals to all those around something positive. Far different from not smiling or even frowning.

It sends out good vibes about you to others.

And this is not just for others, but for you too. Smiling when you are happy is easy.

Smiling when you are not happy is harder and even more important. By doing that, you will start to believe yourself – that you are happy, or at the least should be happier than you currently are. And there is always something you can be happy about.

Always. By smiling, you are going to force yourself to find it, hold it tight and use it to propel to a better place. A place where your smile shines a little brighter.

One of my children was called smiley by some. No matter what or where he was or doing he was always smiling. Good times and not such good times. It is very hard to reprimand someone who is smiling. Try it. Ex. Why are you smiling because you just did something that should be erasing that smile from your face? Do you hear me, are you listening to me? “I can’t help it, I am just a happy person, not a perfect person, but a happy smiling person”. Oy, how do you deal with that after you get over being upset they are wearing the wrong emotion on their face?

Imagine if we all smiled. You can help yourself and others just by smiling. Pass this thought along. A smile on your face – and kindness in your heart (future post) is how we should all travel through life.

Wishes for a great and productive day to all,

Hugs too,

David

Time Management

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:19:32 GMT

Time management is nonsense, complete waste of your time.

Go ahead, stop the clock from ticking. Stop the second hand from moving forward. Tick. Tick. Tick. You cannot manage time. Time manages you.

What you can manage is your energy and emotion. Think of your day as one long road winding its way up hills, down into valleys, and traversing flat land. You have a gas tank you start with every day that is full. You can even fill it up during the day if you want to as it empties itself.

You want to take those moments in the day when you are full of energy, when life is a down hill road, when your hair is blowing in the wind with your cars convertible top down and bank it. Another analogy is when you are driving a hybrid or electric car and going downhill. Your car is generating energy it is depositing into its battery.

There are going to be moments when during the day, you are going uphill. Sometimes steeply up hill. That you are dragging your tail. Now is the time where you take your stored energy and use it. That hybrid/electric car – draws energy from its battery when you are powering up hill.

And then on the flat road, when you are coasting through your day. Manage your energy by keeping as much of it stored as possible. Because we don’t always know when during our day we are going to be coasting, or flying downhill, or having to power our way upwards.

The same is true for your emotions. You can regulate them. You may feel sad, but need to be happy – your about to jump into an important meeting. You may be feeling on top of the world. Make sure you can store as much of your emotional energy, so you have some available upon demand.

Manage your energy. Manage your emotions. Father Time remains undefeated – his hands move constantly, perpetually, regardless of your desires.

Wishes for a great day to all,

And of course, hugs too,

David

Sous Vide

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:05:21 GMT

You will fall in love with Sous Vide – or cooking “under vacuum” (translation from French) – a method of cooking using a water bath and either a plastic bag or glass jar that contains the food you are cooking.

Think low and slow, a concept we will visit again in future posts associated with different forms of cooking including grills and smokers.

Sous Vide cooking is commonly found in the finest of restaurants in addition to many homes. You cannot overcook food with it. Vegetables are not dried out, or soggy. Steaks are dialed into to your exact doneness – fish too. It takes effort to not get food perfect with it.

It has a lot of advantages including that you can cook and prepare food and then store it. There is no worry about oxygen oxidating fat so that it becomes rancid. Then when you want to eat it, just sous vide it.

We use it to cook everything - egg bites, grits, vegetables, fish, chicken, steak and so on. We also use it to warm up food that was previously cooked, a HUGE advantage here for sous vide vs. warming up leftovers in an oven or microwave that inevitably leaves the food over cooked, dried out, and far less tasty than

when had originally.

When ordering food either at a restaurant or to be eaten at home we do not hesitate to order what we want in terms of quantity (knowing we are guilty as are other humans who frequently have eyes bigger than their stomachs) because we vacuum seal the leftovers and will either put them in the fridge or freezer. And that when we reheat them sous vide they will be at least as good as when we originally ordered them – sometimes better.

A downside is that food prepared sous vide does not brown, does not undergo the Maillard reaction (a chemical reaction involving the amino acids and sugars found in foods) and or caramelization (the browning of sugars) that produces amazing flavors and aromas. Think about toasting a marshmallow vs. warming it up sous vide.

So here is a general principle or step in cooking sous vide. With steak, if you want medium rare (132-135 degrees), set the sous vide to 120 degrees and keep the vacuum sealed bag of steak in the water for the set amount of time. There are widely available tables that will tell you how much time you need to get to different temperatures of whatever you want to cook. They will also tell you what temperatures you are looking for depending on what you are cooking. It truly is very simple.

Once your get your steak is done in the sous vide, you take it out of the bag, pat it dry, season it (Maldon Sea Salt, coarse black pepper, granulated garlic), and then sear it in an iron skillet for several minutes on each side. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before eating. No worries here either, a number of future posts on all things related to steak and meat heading your way.

Side Bar: Thermapen. A must have if you are going to cook steak chicken or anything that is “temperature” sensitive. It is worth the money. Having gone through less expensive ones and having learned my lesson the hard way on numerous occasions, get this one. (No commission earned)

So get one – a sous vide that is. And this is especially true if you have a vacuum sealer. They make a perfect pair. Force multipliers.

Wishes for a great and productive day to all,

Hugs too,

David

- Anova Sous Vide Cooker and Water Container

- Thermapen

- Maldon Sea Salt

Teacher/Advisor

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 13:27:11 GMT

ALWAYS have one. If you don’t currently, get one. There should never be a moment in life when you do not have one at the beckon call.

The same way you have a dentist to take care of your teeth, a doctor to take care of your health, an accountant to take care of your taxes, you need a person who can take care of you. Your questions. Your actions. Your decisions. A person who can help guide you personally.

In my profession it is said that a doctor who takes care of themselves has a fool for a patient. A person who does not have a teacher or an advisor will never develop into the best person they can be.

As complicated as your health is, your life is that much more complicated. Always have one person who you put your faith in that can help guide you, answer your questions and if they can’t, can point you towards the answer.

And there will be times where that person’s advice or teaching was less than perfect. It is still important to have outside counsel. They should make you think more robustly, be more objective, more exploratory. They will help guide you,

help you grow. Help keep you honest.

And it’s ok to go up to that person who you choose to be your teacher/advisor and ask them if they are willing to perform that function for you. Wishes for a great and highly productive day to all,

And of course, hugs too.

David

First Cup of Water

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 19:26:29 GMT

Fooled you. Not all posts in this category will be related to alcohol. Most, but not all. �� And for sure, drinking alcohol first thing is the morning is usually not a good thing, and should initiate introspection and action if undertaken on a routine basis.

There are lots of “firsts” when you wake up in the morning. Counting your blessings (all four levels as posted previously), washing up, getting dressed, and so on.

An important first in the morning when you wake up is having a cup of water. For the past six to eight plus hours you were in a state of complete fasting. Your body was still functioning, you were breathing, your heart was beating, your “systems” were still functioning and consuming energy and water.

In fact you lose about 1 to 2 pounds every night just from the water your body processes. And your body is about 60% water.

Sidebar: It is always a good idea that if you are going to weigh yourself, do so first thing in the morning ��

You are down about 4 cups of water when you wake up, which is why we usually wake up thirsty. So drink one cup of water when you wake up. It will help get your body get into motion, it will reduce some of your thirst and hunger sensations. It will help with your circulation, body temperature regulation, joint lubrication, and reduce your calorie intake in the morning.

And then there is the benefit of recognizing how lucky you are to having running water easily available to you at your beckon call – a level two blessing (link: https://www.eachdayagift.com/level-two-blessings-shelter ).

Wishes for a great and productive day to all,

Hugs too

Vacuum Sealer

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 15:06:13 GMT

A key and vital piece of equipment that every home should have is a vacuum sealer.

Here is the link for the one I use, and perhaps one of the best $50 investments you can make. You can spend a lot more money on one, but don’t. This one is great.

Link: Vacuum Sealer

Here is a link to the vacuum sealer bags .

Here are a few reasons why you should order one now:

1. Extend the shelf life of your food – two to three years in the freezer; weeks instead of days in a refrigerator.

2. Protects food – from freezer burn or dehydration.

3. Food Preservation – prevents mold or bacteria from growing.

4. Stop wasting food – vacuum seal leftovers.

5. You can buy food in bulk and break it down into smaller portions.

6. Sous Vide Cooking - more on this in an up and coming post.

7. Better tasting food – vacuum sealing food holds its moisture better.

By having a food vacuum sealer, we now cook on the weekends and sometimes during the week with the intention of cooking an additional dinners worth of food to have in the future when we don’t have the time to prepare and/or cook it.

I save money by purchasing larger portions of meat and break them down into steaks, salt them, and then vacuum seal them.

We feel comfortable ordering food knowing that any leftovers will be vacuum sealed and consumed at a later date.

In an upcoming post we will talk about sous vide – cooking food in vacuum sealed bags in a hot water bath. A sous vide machine (commonly found in the finest of restaurants) enhances the value of the vacuum sealer exponentially.

Humans Listen With Their Eyes

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 15:00:21 GMT

Subject: People Listen With Their Eyes

Imagine you are a cigarette smoker. You go to your doctor’s office for your annual physical examination, and your doctor tells you again for the 10 ^th year in a row to stop smoking. Its not good for your health. The studies are clear that it causes lung damage, that it elevates your risk for cancer of the lung and other organs. Just look at those pictures and warnings on the cigarette boxes.

Now imagine that if in that same visit, your doctor stops for a few seconds in front of you, takes out a half-used beat up pack of cigarettes, lights one up, and take a long puff on it and exhales this huge cloud of cigarette smoke.

What are you thinking at that moment? I know what you are probably thinking, and what you should be thinking, and doing. Hence today’s topic:

Lead by example .

There should never be a disconnect between your actions and your advice. This is especially true when it involves other humans that look up to you, perceive you as a role model, or come to you for advice. The moment that there is any separation between advice and action, your advice becomes worthless – and usually forever.

If you cannot lead by example, do not lead at all. Do not think there is ever a separation between what you are paid to do or expected to do, and other parts of your life. For example, a sports star gets paid to perform on whatever their stage of talent is. When they are off that stage, they believe that their personal behavior is their own right and privilege. That they are not being paid to be a role model, they are being paid just for their athletic talents. That is not true in real life. And it is not true for you either. You may not be a professional athlete, but your employer expects that you spend your off-work hours doing the right thing, the same way you are expected to do the right thing at work. And the truth is you are always working, just not always getting paid for what you’re doing.

And speaking of doing, ALWAYS do the right thing. Always act appropriately. Always at the least pretend you are being watched, even when you believe you are all alone.

Imagine if everyone of us always did or attempted to do the right thing. The world would be an amazing place.

Let’s all dedicate ourselves to being the best person we can be, and together make this and future days, great and meaningful.

Wishes for a great and productive day,

David

Level Four Blessings - The Whip Cream

david@docberman.com (David Berman) — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 14:37:17 GMT

A quick recap of the first three levels of blessing that we wake up with:

Being able to check all if not most of the boxes on the first three levels of blessings already places you in rarified air. Lotto ticket territory.

Here are your Level Four Blessings:

America. Being a United States citizen, residing here, being able to enjoy the blessings of our representative democracy, of our Constitution is a gift. To appreciate it even a little bit, imagine that you are a citizen or reside in for example China. Or perhaps North Korea, or Iran, or Venezuela. There are a lot more places you do not want to call “home”. There are very few that offer you the full menu of liberties, freedoms, and self-determinations that you get to choose from here in the United States of America.

Money: Having money in your pocket, or even in the bank. Being able to exchange it to obtain goods and services that others produce or provide for you. Things you need or even just want. The odds are you have some

Love - Being cared about: Having someone or multiple people in your life that care about you or even love you. A spouse, sibling, parent, friend - some other human being that knows all about you and still cares about you. The odds are you have at least one.

Pay attention. Realize all the blessings you are witness to, that you enjoy every single day when you wake up. And if, during the day any reason presents itself for you to worry about or provokes anxiety from within you – double back to all the blessings you have. Imagine a life without them. Imagine how much better you are able to handle them now with the resources you have in place.

We take for granted things that the overwhelming majority of humans do not have – that would trade places with us in a heartbeat, every heartbeat for.

Lastly, at night, before you go to sleep, count them again.

It is my hope that you have many days, enjoying the blessings of them all, and using them to their fullest extent – making your life and the lives of others around as great as possible.

BBQ Flattop Griddle

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 19:24:10 GMT

Curveball. So don’t swing and miss.

Get yourself an outdoor griddle top. I was late to this game, and the reason for this post is that you don’t arrive late here yourself.

There are several to choose from.

My favorite and the one I absolutely love and adore is the Blackstone 36 inch griddle top.

Link

There is not a diner around that does not have one. Most restaurants too. It is the most versatile cooking surface. And the advantage for you is that you are moving the heat and the mess outdoors.

There is nothing you cannot cook on it.

What grill do you have that can cook all of the following:

Breakfast
Eggs
Pancakes
Bacon
Rice/stir fry
Smash burgers
Veggies
“burnt”
Steamed
Sautéed
Seafood
Fish
Shellfish
Breads
Meats
Starchs
Potato
Hash browns
Noodles

It gets better, more seasoned as you use it. It is easy to take care of. It will last forever.

It is the only outdoor grill I have that uses propane or gas of any kind.

If you do get it, get the hard cover for the grill surface, and as an added layer of protection, the cover:

Griddle Lid Cover

Griddle Cover

Level Three Blessings - Food

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 04:01:34 GMT

It was not until about 70 years ago that the majority of American households had an indoor refrigerator.

And it took another bunch of decades before we were able to produce, transport, and consume food in our homes that was safe, nutritious and plentiful. Today, the average piece of produce that you find in your fridge traveled over 1,000 miles to get to your local supermarket.

Let's keep those facts in mind while going through the Level Three blessings checklist:

Refrigerator— Check.

Freezer— Check.

Oven— Check.

Cabinets— Check.

Pantry Closet— Check.

Vegetables, dairy products, meat products, condiments, flour— Check.

Food Checklist? All checks.

The fact is that for the majority of human existence we were hunted by animals, bacteria, viruses—not to mention other humans, where their chances of success were far greater than they are today.

You wake up every day and enjoy Level Three blessings, which less than 0.1% of all humans ever in existence had access to. Think about how many hundreds of millions—if not billions of us—don’t have these Level Three blessings.

Level Four Blessings are next - The Whip Cream .

Gin and Tonic

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 18:36:49 GMT

Summertime.

It is hot and muggy.

There is no better summertime drink than the gin and tonic. Hear me out. I know what you are thinking. Gin? You have to get over your college experience of drinking to excess horrible, poorly made gin that has scared you up until now

Here are your supplies:

Empress 1908 Gin
Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic Water
Grapefruit (optional)
Tall Glass
Ice

Recipe:

1 part Gin

2 parts Tonic Water

½ or ¼ of a grapefruit

If you are going with the grapefruit, squeeze the juice of it into your glass and then muddle it and put the fruit in there too.

Add your gin and tonic water and watch the change in colors happen.

Stir well and then add your ice and stir again for 25-30 seconds.

Enjoy.

Level Two Blessings - Shelter

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 03:46:48 GMT

Now that you have checked all your Level On e blessings, onto the Level Two blessing checklist:

Bed under my body— Check.

Mattress and possibly even a boxspring— Check.

Sheets, pillows, blankets— Check.

Roof over my head— Check.

Climate controlled— Check.

Electricity, lighting— Check .

Bathroom— Check .

Indoor plumbing, toilet, bathtub/shower, running cold and hot water— Check.

Toothpaste, soap, towels, toilet paper— Check.

Closet, clothes— Check.

The Shelter Checklist— all checks .

It is commonly thought that humans have walked about Planet Earth for about six million years, with the last 200,000 of them in our current iteration. During the majority of that time, an unusual amount of our daily time and efforts were directed at providing shelter for ourselves.

We usually enjoy these level two blessings without paying attention to them, not recognizing that less than 1% of all humans ever in existence had access to such comforts. We are fortunate to be alive today.

Together with your level one blessings it becomes easy to appreciate the gift that today is.

Continue to the NEXT POST for Level Three Bleesings.

Level One Blessings - Body

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 03:15:29 GMT

What do you do when you wake up in the morning?

First thing?

In the haze of what is your first moment of consciousness, don’t you find it curious that we have never been able to identify where consciousness lies in the brain?

Consciousness is the realization that you are you, that you exist. That you are thinking, and therefore you are. You begin processing information, making decisions, determining and implementing a plan of action for yourself. Realize how badly you have to go to the bathroom, and at my age note the fact that you were up just a few hours prior spurred to consciousness by those same neural impulses.

I am thankful.

In that pitch black that is my first moment of consciousness, I am thankful. I am thankful for many things, the first of which is that my brain is as operational as it was yesterday.

Think of the checklist pilots must have to go through before they even move the plane one inch, and convert those boxes to bodily functions.

Brain—operational. Check.

No pain anywhere. Check. In fact, very snugly comfortable.

Lungs, operating without external assistance. Check.

Heart— Check. There are times I can hear my pulse, my heart beating in my ears. I know it's working because my brain is operational. Check.

Musculoskeletal System— Check . A little more stiff and noisy than before, but still good to go.

Eyes—Charlie, my dog resting on the pillow above my head. Check.

Nose—Charlie, my dog resting on the pillow above my head. Check.

Body Checklist— all checks . For that I am so grateful, knowing that there are others who are not as fortunate.

These are Level One Blessings . Be appreciative of them and prepare yourself to make the most of them today.

Click HERE to read about Level Two Blessings next.

Each Day A Gift

Sharper Tacts

Sharper Tacts

Are All Men Created Equal?

Are All Men Created Equal?

.god (dot god)

.god (dot god) ﻿

Return To Your Babyhood

Return to Your Babyhood

Failure or Revelation

Failure or Revelation?

Your Matter Matters

Your Matter Matters

The God Rule

The God Rule

How Many People Do You Depend Upon?

How Many People Do You Depend Upon?

Leadership vs Victimhood

Leadership vs Victimhood

Every Parent is a Communist

Every Parent is a Communist/Socialist

Big Horn Infrared Steak Grill

My Eulogy for My Father

My Eulogy for my Father

﻿

Decisions

Daily Goals

What Is Economics?

Connecting With Others

The Meaning of Life

Pyrex Parents

Functional Information = Intelligent Agent

Bicycle Riding

Dry Brining- Turkey

Spatchcocked Turkey

Evolution

A Muslim, A Jew, A Costco Parking Lot

Never Complain

No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded

What You Are Today

Fixing Congress

Cigarettes Vs. Snickers Bar

Something From Nothing

You Are A Slave

Apricot Rack of Lamb

Meater Probe

Differences

Judge Me By My Duodenum

No Sweat Exercising

Need Your Help

You Are What You Do

Anti Semitism is a Sign of a Diseased Society

Compromise is the Currency of Consent

Flowers For My Mom

TuT is King

Enough

Good Vs. Evil

God

Be Appreciative

Numbers + Calories

Move The UN

The Wonder Of It All

Zone 2 Training

Apgar Score

We Are Not OK

A First in Two Millenia

Loving Kindness

Rear View Mirror Of My Morning Habits

Hairy Walls

Imperfection is Perfection

God did NOT Create this world

A Parent, Not A Friend

A Parent's Love....

Fear

Carry Over Cooking

Don't Be Bored

White Board

Memorial Day

Thermapen

1 Second Rule

.god (dot god)

First thing?