Pomegranate Juice

If I'm a fanatic about one thing, it's having one particular best friend that I can really connect with.
-James Kirkwood
"Good Times Bad Times", a novel

Pomegranate juice appears to lower blood pressure and it is loaded with antioxidants.
Just drink it.

In some clinical studies, pomegranate juice has been shown to be of significant benefit, especially in the prevention of heart disease. To start, a glass of pomegranate juice contains about 40% of the US Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C. It also has Vitamin A, E and folic acid in good quantities.

Pomegranate juice has about three times more antioxidants ounce for ounce than does red wine or green tea. It has been shown to work well as a blood thinner. Some research has shown it may be an excellent agent for promoting blood flow to the heart. It also has been shown to reduce plaque in the arteries, and to raise “good” levels of cholesterol while helping lower “bad” cholesterol.

Some research has also evaluated the antioxidant nature of pomegranate juice and its usefulness in fighting certain forms of cancer. Pomegranate juice has been tentatively shown to reduce incidence of breast and skin cancer. It has also been tested and shown to slow the growth of prostate cancer in mice.

It may prevent and slow Alzheimer's disease. In one study, mice bred to develop Alzheimer's disease were given pomegranate juice. They accumulated significantly less amyloid plaque than control mice and they performed mental tasks better.

Another interesting study has evaluated pomegranate juice and osteoarthritis. Pomegranate juice tends to act as an inhibitor on enzymes responsible for damaging cartilage. These studies applied extract of pomegranate directly onto damaged cartilage. More research would have to examine a cause and effect relationship between oral ingestion of pomegranate juice and reduction in cartilage deterioration.

Twenty-five years ago today:

February 5, 1985
Tuesday

I received an impersonal postcard today from Brenda Dickson of 'The Young & The Restless'. There was a typewritten message on the card and the only personal touch were these words:
'Dear Michael
-And I love the butterfly note card. It is very pretty.'
So...beats me? She didn't even let me know about lunch together one day. What the hell? She must be too busy to make time to meet someone new. She may not have even typed the card.

I also got a postcard postmarked Feb 4, 1985 from Paloma. It depicted a neon sign of HOLLYWOOD. She wrote:
Dear Michael,
Just a few words to tell you that I miss you. I love the beaches and I am having a great time. Write soon.
Love,
Paloma

I had lunch with Dale Orlando (the over sized, jolly fellow) in my SDC (Sales Development Center) Office. We ate at CARL'S JR. and he loaned me one-hundred dollars! That was especially nice of him.

I had sixty-three sales points today.

Carl Brooks is complaining a lot about his back pain.

I received a letter of commendation from Steffanie Redding of KGB Partnership. She does spell her first name 'Steffanie'. She even sent me a Valentine's Day Card! She has slacked off on calling me so much because she received my little card that I sent her that depicted a horse in a field. I hinted to her in that card about NOT calling me at work unless it was business-related.

When I arrived home from work I telephoned Paloma to Thank her for the postcard. She told me more about her trip to Los Angeles. It was funny to hear her tell the story of her ordeal. They had a car accident on the way down (near Santa Cruz). They had left at 7AM and arrived in Los Angeles at 11PM. They took Highway 1 (the scenic route). They listened to music on cassette tapes repeatedly over and over again. They went out to a few places including a posh place with snob people. One of the places had 'too young' of a crowd.
"I still had a good time even with all of the driving I had to do," Paloma said.
It sounded like a fun experience that would not be forgotten any time soon.

John came over to show me his new car. He bought a new maroon Honda Accord and plans to sell Sherri's green truck any day now. I thought it was a nice car. I liked the color. We went for a spin together around the block. I'm glad John took the time to share this with me. I guess it makes me glad because I care for him and think of him and his family so much. They are 'my' family.

I went to the gym again and saw this older looking muscular guy that I had seen before. He is a sort of Jeffrey Burr lookalike (only older and more muscular). He came into the shower while I was in there and we both observed each other. I know he is a 'questionable'. I can tell. I want to get to know him. Maybe I will see and talk to him the next time.

After working out--since it was a Tuesday--I recalled Frank Vasconcellos telling me he'd been to the gay skating rink after not going for a long time. And so, I decided to drop in. When I first walked in I met this really tall guy named Chris (what else is new?). This Chris is twenty-seven and lives in Oakland. He came to the rink alone and we made gibberish talk. We talked about skating and I mentioned how I had just come from my gym.

Suddenly, I was drawn to the smile and gallant aura of a fellow named Robert who was wearing an earth toned burnt-sienna colored shirt and dark leather pants.
"Hey, where did you get those pants?" I asked.
Robert replied, "Wilkes-Bashford."
I think I gulped for a second there, realizing his name is Robert, like Bob.
"Oh, do you know Robert Umland who works there?"
"Uh...I don't know, what does he look like?"
"He's the one with the receding hairline and handles the Sport shop."
"Oh, I do know who you mean, but you know it's funny because all of the salespeople there have receding hairlines."
We both laughed.

This Robert seemed nice despite his small gold pierced earring. I did not like that. He had a nice smile but he went off to skate with a few of his pals. I did find out that he is twenty-five, born in 1959 and lives in San Francisco.

Bill Helbush was there, too. He came along on his skates and hugged me. I was having a beer on the sidelines. Bill forced a peck of a kiss on my cheek. He looked as though he had gained a little weight. He seems to be a very promiscuous flirt throughout this rink. He continued his skating as I looked on.

Then my "uh oh" vibes came along because I was just thinking silently to myself about who else I might see here that I know. I thought of Bruce Goree. And sure enough, at that very moment I saw Bruce! He was with two other guys. I never disclosed to Bruce that I might be gay, so he was suddenly starting to hang out with me.
"So, what are you doing here?"
"I'm just visiting Bill," nodding my way towards Bill as he sped by on his skates.
Bruce made a snide remark, "Yeah sure, you got caught."
"Yeah, maybe so but I haven't been caught in any acts."
Bruce laughed it off. What else could he do?
PHOTO: Actor,
Patrick Swayze on skates

I saw the new Robert looking at me from the corner of my eye. This made me wish that Bruce would just split. Bruce and I talked some gibberish, too. I would be lying if I said I felt NO stress about seeing him. Why do I care? I rarely talk to Bruce anyway.
Bruce shrugged. "I may give you a call on Saturday unless, of course, I end up going home with you tonight."
I smiled, catching his drift and thinking silently to myself, "Uh oh, No way!"
"Are you gay...or what?" Bruce asked in a point blank unexpected turn.
Just to shut him up I said, "Bi."

I left the mucky place by 11PM, realizing the place showed no real improvement. While I did get a few other double-takes and head turns I made no other conversation with any one. It was time to go. Yawn.

"Lovely man...lovely."
(I always get a kick out of him calling a man "lovely". He's extremely masculine; it's incongruous and a little dated, I suppose, but good to hear.)
-James Kirkwood
"Good Times Bad Times", a novel