So last week, I was a bit down due to eye stuff, but this week beginning to bounce back a bit. First off, I was invited to be one of four featured readers at Hot Ottawa Voices, Aug. 14 at Tree Reading Series in Ottawa. (I am hoping to release my second chapbook that night too!)

Second, I went to see my family doctor who told me I am doing wonderfully with my blood sugar control. That’s good news because it takes away the guilt I was feeling last week. So the eye things are not something I could have avoided by staying off chocolate and ice cream (well, perhaps, if I had done that twenty years ago!) So a friend and I have gotten together to form our own little support group and to get back on track with our CHIP program. That is the Complete Health Improvement Project. We tried it out a couple of years ago, and it worked well, but I think neither of us were as committed to becoming vegans (or at least vegetarians, or even flexitarians) as we are now. However, over the five weeks last time, I lost 7 pounds, dropped some points off my blood sugar and cholesterol levels and cut way back on animal proteins in my diet.  The CHIP program was developed by Dr. Hans Diehl, from Loma Linda, and you can check it out here: http://www.chiphealth.com/

Diets in Review gives this program an excellent rating. http://www.dietsinreview.com/diets/chip/