Category Archives: Health

Activism, Health, Tobacco, Vallejo

Tobacco Free Solano at Vallejo Health Fair

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I stopped by the Vallejo JFK Library’s Joseph Room, where they were hosting a Health Fair. I tabled a bit with Tobacco Free Solano (see my T-shirt), who I’ve volunteered with as a Co-Chair for several years.

The video below is a little video panorama of the Health Fair that the Vallejo JFK Library was hosting in the Joseph Room earlier this week. I made to that Tobacco Free Solano was in attendance since it was only a tiny blurb in the Vallejo Weekly. This was early on as it was getting set up, but a very cool idea and networking opportunity for local agencies and other non-profits.

Activism, Bears, Gay, Health, Tobacco

Tobacco Control at Lazybear 2025

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I would give them a D+. I’m very impressed they did NOT have the cigar event on the schedule this year. Whether it took place unofficially I did not hear.

There was some signage that the resorts and bar used, but I still had to approach at least a dozen people over the week with blatant disregard for the explicit signs that they were sometimes smoking immediately under. Most apologized to me, which I was not expecting.

Here is the pool at the West Sonoma Inn. Three VERY temporary signs (yellow) were there to tell people to only smoke in designated areas, but there were guys smoking on the edge of the pool all week. Some of them told me that they were told that smoking in the FIELDS was okay, so I had to point them to the one designated area, which is under redwood trees and on the premises. I do not believe this location is appropriate, but an accommodation, much like the one at the Triple R in the parking lot. Here is that “designated” area at West Sonoma Inn:

At the bonfires it was EVERYWHERE and while some of the guys tried to stay off the most crowded areas off the sides, but these assholes were smoking combustible commercial cigarettes at Ground Zero. Unbelievable. I guess next year I need to take far more footage and pictures to document better, but I was TRYING to enjoy my vacation.

The Woods, which had the most explicit signs that said “this entire property is smokefree,” had people smoking AT the pool right under the signs (until I confronted them), some of them went off to secret area between fences until I confronted them. One of them told me “it’s just a vape.” What is this? 2017? People actually staying at the resort were also observed by me (Room 4) to be smoking openly right in front of their doors. I guess it was repugnant for them to smoke in their own rooms against policy, but they wanted to share their passive smoke with every passerby.

Many of my friends were unfortunately some of these vapers. I told them the rules generally, but I did not want to be the constant bringer of bad news either.

One of the ironies is that a former heavy smoker friend of mine who now smokes a vape with zero milligrams of tobacco, miraculously, was at this booth. Notice that it raises money for Sonoma Health? Raising money for (gay men’s) health is, after all, the origin of the non-profit Lazy Bear Fund. I also feel that it should not be the responsibility of volunteers and board members to enforce the law in a town that obviously violates it 365 days a year. The onus should be on the resort and bar owners.

I did ask my friends who volunteered and I was assured that they had a STERN lecture to have people only smoke in designated areas, but no one was deputized to actually ask. I was in a long line to get into the Woods and I heard my volunteer friend ask everyone to not bring any glass into the pool area. I asked if he was reminding people that there is no smoking on the property at all and he sort of dismissed me that there were signs. I asked if they were reminding people to respect the signs and another friend of mine in line behind me said he would “rather breathe second hand smoke than step on glass in the pool.”

“Well guess what?” I said, “We can have both!”

Activism, Gay, Health, Politics, Tobacco

Tobacco End Game Presentation at City of Hope’s Pride Health Symposium

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After working remotely for more than four years, I finally had a good excuse to fly down and see our gorgeous campus in Duarte, California. I had sometimes waved to the building from the freeway when driving by on my way to vacation in Palm Springs, but on this day I had the privilege of speaking about my pro bono tobacco activism at the Pride Health Symposium!

This is the presentation of my life! In it I summarize decades of pro bono activism in tobacco control that I’ve done, but most importantly it exposes so much of what Big Tobacco continues to do to poison humans all over the world. I also concentrate on the strides that have been made locally in the Bay Area in the last several years, but since I started this in the 1990’s it’s always been about fighting the industry worldwide. My presentation is 50 minutes long and that’s after I had to cut it back. I was so honored to speak at the Pride Health Symposium at my employer’s campus for the Board I joined for LGBTQ employees. I gave this in late June for Pride Month, but I work on this issue all year long. It’s highly personal and I’m very proud of it. I can almost not believe I got through it. Thank you to so many for your support!

Here is the official video of the presentation I gave:

I was also recently asked to join the Board of Pride in the City, which is the LGBTQ employee group. My closest fellow co-workers also came from far and wide to support me, which was so heart-warming. I am very lucky to work with such great people and such an important institution fighting the scourges of cancer and diabetes every day!

Kelly took the beginning of my presentation.
Selfie video on our gorgeous zen campus!
Activism, Family, Health, Memoriam, Tobacco

Dad Gone 34 Years

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Thanks to Big Tobacco, today marks THIRTY-FOUR years since my dad has been gone because of his smoking. He was only 50 years old when he died (the same age as his mom from her smoking), so he could very reasonably be alive today at 84.

This is one of my favorite pictures of him with me. He knew how much I hated his smoking and he thought it was funny when I would draw “Cancer Cures Smoking” signs and tape them to his nightstand. One year for MY birthday, he bought a smoking cessation kit for himself, because he knew how much I wanted him to stop, and this was all before his quintuple bypass at age 48.

Even that didn’t stop him from resuming smoking a month later and within two years an aortic aneurysm caused him to hemorrhage to death in rush-hour traffic on Highway 92 here in the Bay Area. He never regained consciousness and it turned my entire family’s lives upside down, including my immigrant mother who was somewhat lost without him. I had no choice but to step up and protect her and her household with my two younger siblings, so I grew up very fast knowing at that moment what I wanted to concentrate on with my activism when I went to law school (I was still in college on the other side of the country).

Activism, Food, Health

Food Co-op Potluck in Benicia

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Shea’s leek and zucchini frittata was popular at the Cultivate Community Food Co-op potluck we attended at a home on the highest hill in Benicia (gorgeous views of a huge). The former mayor of Benicia was there, as well as many advocates for fresh food and the efforts to create a food co-op here in our area. For more information check out Cultivate Community Food.

Incredible panorama from fellow food co-op owner at the top of Benicia:

Happy birthday Mary Frances!

Art, Health

A Win at Optometrist

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In these pictures I’m digging the architecture of the optometrist’s office. There were some frustrating days this week, but when I heard they were making an exception to take back my distance glasses and upgrade them to transition lenses for only $75, the week wasn’t a total loss. Not being able to see distances and read my phone without touching my face/glasses has made traveling, driving, and any excursion out of the house, much more of a challenge these past few months after having to replace the glasses I lost in the fire.

Bike, Health, Outdoors, Scooter, Technology

My first EV!

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My first electric vehicle was a very affordable scooter. It’s powerful (enough) and very convenient. I’m already thinking of creative ways to use it. I can go to doctor and dentist appointments nearby, down to the marina to row, and maybe even concoct a way to transport dogs in their fully enclosed wagon! It might be a stretch, but I could even transport my kayak on its cart down to the waterfront with this!

My new GoPro is going to go well with this as well!

Put put!

Test driving with the dog cart (no dogs were hurt in the making of this video). Notice it’s empty because I did not want to risk it with the dogs even in this situation, but at least I know there’s enough power to do this.

First ride with Polar in a makeshift front poncho. I will soon order a comfortable dog poncho for the front for him and a few other of the more adventurous dogs that like to travel.

Health, Photos, Selfies

One Hundred Pounds Down Today

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As Edina says in Absolutely Fabulous, “Sweetie, dahling! If people could lose weight with diet and exercise, EVERYBODY would be doing it!”

Summary of health milestones at age 55:

  • I’m 100# down from my top weight as of TODAY
  • Normal blood sugar even after dropping some oral meds
  • Have not needed insulin in 13 years
  • No cellulitis/hospitalizations for that in at least 13 years
  • No CPAP needed in 12 years
  • Ideal blood pressure confirmed every morning
  • Ideal cholesterol because of 12 years of vegetarianism, so having a stroke is statistically impossible and likely the same for a heart attack.
  • Rocking a nice tan and a long beard
  • With rowing, gardening, and other activity, I actually have some muscles

Today I’m a little emotional in a way, but so inspired and confident about the future. I want to share a journey to show how important it is to not give up on oneself. I may sound naive, but I am confident I can keep the regiment I’m on, and the behaviors, to keep my weight down without any extreme effort. I have lost the last forty pounds gradually and with the right combination of activity, diet and medication. I love that people notice.

About 13 years ago I was at my top weight, was on a CPAP for many years by that point, poking my skin EIGHT times a day between testing and administering short and long-term acting insulin with injections, countless oral medications for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. I remember feeling resigned and thinking my body had betrayed me with no end in sight. even though I knew I was very loved and had a lot of good friends and support all the time.

My doctor, probably frustrated with my lack of progress, suggested that I think of getting an insulin pump installed on my body. Aghast, I told him I would research it, but I kept on asking him for some magical “pill.” I was so frustrated that the insulin and some of the oral medications made me HUNGRIER and I told him that I would forage more when those medications increased. He agreed. He said the more insulin I take, the hungrier I would become as well. The snowball effect was taking a toll on me.

I have written many times about how the gastric sleeve surgery changed my life. I approached my doctor about that and then met with a series of dietitians, psychologists, surgeons and support groups. While at 5’7 and 265 I was not nearly as big as some of the other patients, but my pancreas was pretty much done with me, my diet and my lack of movement. Every time I tried to hike, I got the TINIEST of scratches and I would end up in the emergency room or end up being hospitalized for several days to be monitored so that the infection wouldn’t spiderweb up my leg to my heart and KILL me.

When people asked how I lost the initial weight, I would instinctively say, “I took the easy way out and had surgery,” but FUCK THAT. It was NOT easy. After signing my life away and countless appointments, I suffered for six months without solid food and had to recovery from a major surgery. I threw up countless times because of the order I ate and drank or took one bite too many while not paying very close attention. I had to explain to people that I loved their food, but I could not physically consume more than a few ounces of solid without becoming violently ill. I also noticed almost immediately that I could not process meat as I had before, and so I went vegetarian (as I had dreamed of doing for years prior) in part so that I could eat the healthy stuff and not push my new digestive system to the limit, as many who have this permanent, irreversible surgery have discovered. I cannot chew gum, use straws or drink carbonated drinks without extreme heartburn, developed anemia for which I now have to take highly soluble iron pills, which reversed my anemia and heartburn with constant belching I had for so long that could have resulted in esophageal cancer. I made a lot of social and time sacrifices to get there, and I underwent all of this to save, simplify and extend my life, while reducing medical expenses and supplies I used.

My diligently going to medical appointments and continuously researching new medications as they became available, securing a wonderful endocrinologist and a dietician who helped me tweak them to the ideal combination made the difference. Recently the dietician told me, “We don’t need any other appointments; you’re doing everything right.” I have the healthy bright future I was always looking forward to and I’m feeling terrific about myself.