Halfway To Whole: My Whole30 Day 15 Report

January 20, 2016January 25, 2016 / Alex Doriot / 2 Comments

FullSizeRender-14 I haven’t had a piece of bread in over 2 weeks.

I also haven’t had any dairy. Or any sugar.

Not even a Cheerwine.

That’s because I’ve been on The Whole30.

The Whole30, if you’re not familiar with it, is not so much a diet as it is a food reset. You spend 30 days eating pretty much only basic, natural foods.

The 30 day process supposedly allows your digestive system to reset and your mind to form a new perspective on eating. Then after 30 days you slowly reintroduce problematic foods into your diet to find out the way each type of food truly affects your body.

My wife pushed for us to go on the Whole30 to start the year. I’ve had problems with my digestive system over the years so I thought it would be interesting to see if the diet would really have any positive effects.

A little over halfway through the program I haven’t really noticed any significant digestive effects (the book does say it can take the entire 30 days for the process to fully work). I have however found I do have a few other observations: Continue reading →

Red Cup Psychology

December 9, 2015December 14, 2015 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Few things say Christmas like a Peppermint Spice Mocha.

I do my best every year to get at least one of every Starbucks holiday drink – even an Egg Nog Latte if they’re available.

It’s not just the drinks that taste good – it’s the red cups.

For years now Starbucks has rolled out special red cups during the Christmas season to hold their holiday drinks.

They don’t offer any flavor. They don’t change the content of the drink inside of them.

Yet when they come out each year the red cups evoke a special feeling in many of us. They’re a signal for the holiday season. We feel more drawn to drink out of them than the typical white cups.

You might have heard a little something about the red cups this year. Continue reading →

POP GOD POPcast: Episode 24 – David Keel

August 14, 2014 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

Welcome to the POP GOD POPcast – an exploration into the lives of people seeking God in the present tense.

This week’s guest is David Keel. David is a teacher, speaker, scientist, youth pastor, legendary coffee drinker, and most importantly my former Sunday School teacher. David shares openly about his journey to meeting Jesus at rock bottom, his on-and-off youth ministry career, and how he comes up with his offbeat analogies. We also get real about the struggles of joblessness and how to keep the faith when the paychecks stop coming. Plus David offers a look behind the scenes of Fort Discovery where he worked for over a decade! Enjoy this deeper look inside the life of a teacher who made a true impact on my life.

Listen to the podcast here:

Or Download on iTunes or Listen on Podbean

Check out David’s website to book him for Speaking Events

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, rate it, leave a comment, listen to all the other episodes, share it on Twitter and Facebook and anywhere else. I’d really appreciate it. Thanks.

I love sharing stories of people seeking God in the present tense. Let me hear your feedback. Leave me a comment and let me know how to improve things, what you’d like to hear discussed, and give me your ideas as to who you’d like to see on the next episode of the POPcast.

Jesus and Jerry Seinfeld

October 8, 2013May 28, 2014 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

Jerry Seinfeld would have made a great Young Life leader.

Can you imagine the talks he would give? “What’s the deal with forgiveness? Have you seen this? Have you heard about this?”

It’s not just the jokes Jerry would kill at. Jerry Seinfeld is really good at relationships.

For the past few months Seinfeld has been putting out a web series called “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.” The show is exactly what you think it is and is absolutely worth 15 minutes of your time.

Each week Jerry phones up one of his famous funny friends, picks them up in a classic car, and picks their brain over coffee.

I’ve never not laughed during an episode. The wisdom from legends of comedy like David Letterman, Larry David, and Don Rickles is valuable for anyone in entertainment, business, or even ministry.

In between the laughter and the glamour shots of Lamborghinis and latte art, what I really take away from each episode is just how simple relationships have to be.As Chris Rock put it in his chat with Jerry, “Everything is about company. A gourmet meal with an [jerk] is a horrible meal. A hot dog with an interesting person is an amazing meal.”

Jerry Seinfeld, unsurprisingly, is really comfortable at talking with people. His conversations with comedians are at once light and deep. It’s something Jerry Seinfeld has in common with Jesus. Continue reading →

The Pumpkin Spice Dilemma

September 18, 2013September 26, 2013 / Alex Doriot / 1 Comment

I love the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.

I just don’t love it yet.

2013 marks the tenth anniversary of the Starbucks signature fall drink. This year also marks the earliest Starbucks has ever rolled out the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

It feels too early to me. I have a hard time sipping a Pumpkin flavored drink when its still 103 degrees outside. Something just doesn’t jive between my brain, body, and taste buds.

Seems like the signifiers of the holiday season roll in earlier and earlier each year. Continue reading →

What To Do When You’re The Worst At Fantasy Football

September 10, 2013September 18, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

Mondays are pretty good for me.

On Mondays I wake up to a cup of coffee from Buona Caffe, take a long walk with my dog Roc, and plan out a week full of possibilities.

On Mondays I usually get a chance to go running and spend some time working on future blog posts.

On Mondays I gather with my closest friends and watch wrestling, something that a bunch of guys in their mid-twenties are probably too old to still do.

On Mondays the hopes of a new week are abloom. The problems of the week before have passed.

It’s Tuesdays that I hate.

nydailynews.com

Every Tuesday during the fall I wake up to dire news. Each Tuesday morning I open up my computer and start my day depressed. That’s because on Tuesdays I find out my Fantasy Football fate. Continue reading →

What Is Your Definition?

June 12, 2013June 13, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

I’ve been drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee the past few weeks.

My commitments to work, family, and friends keep piling up. Blog posts don’t just magically appear. There are Arrested Development episodes to be watched. Sleep takes a backseat. Coffee becomes a fine friend.

If you had told me coffee would be my life preserver through this time a few years ago, I would have done a spit take of whatever non-coffee beverage I would have been drinking at the time.

For the first 20 or so years of my life I despised coffee. Hated the taste of it. Hated the idea of it. My parents were never java drinkers so it was never prevalent in my house.

One morning when I was in elementary school I asked if my mom could would make me a cup of coffee. I’d heard so much about these magical beans and the powerful drink they produced.

She made me a cup of strong black coffee. One sip was all I needed to know I never wanted to so much as smell coffee again. Continue reading →

Macho Madness

April 5, 2013 / Alex Doriot / Leave a comment

(It’s Wrestlemania week on POP GOD! Join us everyday this week as we count down to Wrestlemania XXIX this Sunday with new posts searching for God in the squared circle.)

Today we’re talking Macho Madness: That confidence, strength and intensity personified best by the one and only Randy “Macho Man” Savage.

May you tackle all of today’s challenges with Macho Madness. May you turn your life around 180 degrees. May you go left when the world tells you to go right.

You are more than a conqueror, and no matter what life brings you can trust “the beat goes on”.

Happy Friday. (And no more questions!)

(Click here if the video above does not work.)