Like any respectable over 21 Bostonian (well, townie suburbanite south of Boston) on St Patrick’s Day I have a Commonwealth responsibility to uphold by honoring a watering hole and taking down a pint or two of beer, preferably Irish.

My choice is Guinness, as is most Bostonians on this day. Lucky for me the bar’s tap I attended in Boston flowed endless.

HOLIDAY BAR PREPARATION 101: Proper planning goes a long way

Now, understand this day I did live my life normally.

4-6 organic and tailored meals to my physique and fitness goals with about 1-1½  gallons of water consumed throughout the course of the day.

I even had myself a little interval session about 2 hours before my first sip of Guinness at 8pm.

ROB’S INTERVAL WORKOUT:
Sled Sprints : 90-225 pounds x 25 yards x 11 sets
Active Recovery between Sprints : Superman’s : 60 seconds AMRAP

The above workout took me about 15 minutes.

After my training session I instructed a group personal training class for 45 minutes at my private fitness studio in Marshfield, changed, and headed to Boston across from Boston Garden.

Now this is when the night still feels familiar.

I enjoyed some conversation with one of the regular’s at the bar, which was packed of course, being Thursday night, Boston, and Saint Patrick’s Day. We threw a few Guinness back together and then he proceeded home. In fact, I also indulged in this delicious corned beef dinner with my few beers.

Straight up Celtic-Bostonian traditional!

Then, as what usually occurs at a bar when I venture out, girls began having conversation with me. Mind you, I do not approach women. It’s not my style. I hang out and let people flow in and out of my space. In fact, I wasn’t even trying to entertain women seeing that I’m sort of involved right now.

Well these two girls decided to spend their evening engaged in conversation with me. Each trying to out-due the other as if one were better.

NOW HERE’S WHERE THE NIGHT IS NOT-SO-NORMAL.

I get up to use the bathroom. Normal.

I leave my beer on the bar at this establishment. Normal.

It is left with my friend bartending behind the bar. Normal.

It is left with two girls sitting next to my drink at the bar. Sort of normal.

I come back from the bar having a few more sips of familiar Guinness.

Meanwhile still texting friends who may be coming to meet me at the bar as I had been doing the previous two and a half hours.

I look at the clock it’s 11:04pm, gave myself a midnight curfew so I could be at my fitness studio to lead another group personal training class at 5:30am.

I look at the clock it’s 4:58am, according to my IRONMAN TRIATHLON wristwatch.

Just before I saw the clock I opened my eyes to see that there is vomit everywhere in my car, I am freezing. Thankfully not the type who panics I reference my memory to understand how this happened.

MY MIND IS BLANK.

Completely VACANT.

I quickly text my instructor-on-call and let her know that I can not make it to class on time and ask if she could lead it for me. Thankfully she says yes.

I attempt to operate my car home and sadly I can merely handle 40mph between the breakdown and the slow lane on I-93 south and Rt-3 south towards my residence in Pembroke.

The entire travel trying to understand what went wrong, how much I drank, who let me leave this way, knowing this isn’t normal for myself and hoping that I arrive safely.

I get home some 50 minutes later crashing into my bed; feeling awful, unnatural, and completely unhealthy. I know there must be some drug in my system at this point because I have not had a hangover in 15 years practically. This is FAR different.

I set my alarm for 8am to try and salvage part of my studio sessions that day (Friday).

I have the craziest dreams. So vivid, so real, it’s almost hard to believe they are not.

I awake, 10:53am, alarm sounding off, ridiculously late, dozens of missed phone calls and text messages from friends and clients.

I fall back asleep near 11:30am and reawaken at 1:40pm.

That’s near 12 hours of sleep for someone who averages 3-4 commonly. Seven hours on an occasional lucky day.

Until 6pm that evening I felt hazed. I could not even perform quick toe raises without the feeling of my brain meeting a sledgehammer quickly dismantling my every thought.

One of the worst effects from being “ruffied” is losing the desire to drink fluids and eat. I went hours before I could put any water in my stomach. Forcing down an organic navel orange took 15-20 minutes. I lost all appetite, but knew it was crucial to begin healing my body efficiently.

Now the next morning I woke up, made myself a frozen strawberry, frozen blueberry and frozen blackberries (all organic fruits) shake with low carb protein powder, had my multivitamin and a niacin capsule and headed to the St. Patrick’s Brant Rock 5k being held in Marshfield (office zip : Brant Rock) next to Arthur & Pat’s restaurant. I arrived with some of my dearest and favorite training family/clients. I ran a decent 21:27 (6:42/mile). Came in 42^nd overall out of 1651 runners.

Not too shabby for a kid who had just been drugged with no control over his body just a day earlier.

After the run I headed to my fitness studio, Robert Belley Fitness, and punished my body with a 51 minute intensive session. Just for kicks, here’s my workout below:

A1) Outward Press          6-8
A2) DB Row                        4-6
A3) Back Squat                  7-9
A4) Weighted Pull-Ups 3-5

    1 Sledge Hammer        75 sec
    2 Box Jumps                   45 sec

B1) Rack Pulls                     5-8
B2) Bench Press (||)       3-5
B3) Clean                             6-8
B4) X-Over Lunge             3-5

    1 Hanging Leg Raise Hold
    2 Plank

It was tough but good.

After my second workout I went home and continued to dig a fire pit my roommate Dominic started in the backyard. Nothing like open fire on the lake during the warmer seasons.

Now why on Earth would I do all this despite being hung over still from the rufilin (Rohypnol)? Because f**k that guy who drugged me that’s why.

I refuse to let someone feel they have the upper hand on me. And to be honest, if it were in a manner of legit ability I’m cool with that. But when someone cheats or tries to under hand I lose it. Very few things in life can do this to me but that is one of my peeves.

And honestly, this has long been my stance: if caught with Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam)or similar substance on their persons distributing or implementing it, should be a minimum 5-10 year sentence.

There is only intent to control another, dismantle their ability to function, stand, walk, remember, have choice, have freedom and protect themselves. It’s truly horrifying what a drug like that can do to someone’s life. I could have died in my attempt to save myself into my car. I could’ve been hit by an oncoming vehicle crossing the busy intersections of Boston, or fell and nailed my head off a curb or edge.

It is a central nervous system depressant in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are sedative-hypnotics used to treat anxiety, insomnia and sleep disorders, and seizure disorders; they are also used as skeletal-muscle relaxants.
above from http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/rohypnol.pdf

 

from http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/roof_01.htm
Rohypnol has been prescribed as an effective sleeping pill and is also used as a sedative and preanesthetic medication in some countries. The effects of flunitrazepam are fairly long-acting. When combined with alcohol or other drugs, Rohypnol can impair judgment and motor skills and cause memory loss or blackouts (lasting 8 to 24 hours after ingestion). Loss of inhibition can also occur, with or without alcohol. A person under the influence of Rohypnol can appear to be drunk, display no coordination, blood-shot eyes and slurred speech.

 

Sedation can occur as soon as 20 minutes after ingestion. The drug’s effects will peak within 2 hours and may persist for up to 8 hours or more, depending on the dosage. Other adverse effects associated with flunitrazepam include visual disturbances, drowsiness, confusion, decreased blood pressure, memory impairment, gastrointestinal disturbances and urinary retention. When mixed with alcohol, Rohypnol may cause respiratory depression, aspiration or even death. Although classified as a depressant, Rohypnol can rarely induce excitability or aggressive behavior

Again, I did not know I did this or that I left because under this drug you have no abilities or control of your actions.

EVERYTHING IS VACANT.

My driver’s side door is keyed literally over 20 times because I can tell that I must’ve been on my knees, fallen next to my car trying to crawl into it and repeatedly missing the door lock. The scratches travel all the way south along the panel to the bottom of the door. There are key scratches and gouges all around the key lock within 18 inches. That’s how uncoordinated you become on this drug.

It’s deadly and absolutely abusive to do this to someone.

Thank god I did not drive my vehicle under that condition and had the sense to just sit, lock myself in, and throw the keys on the passenger area as to not reach easily. If I had driven I would’ve killed someone or myself potentially. And most likely it would’ve appeared as drunk-driving although it was obviously the furthest from.

Placing someone’s life in a position where they have absolutely no control over it through a chemical means is attempted murder. No doubt.

You have no way to predict what will happen next to that individual while they react or behave under said influence. I could’ve been beaten in the street for bumping into the wrong headstrong person that night and woken up in an alley stabbed, murdered and robbed. Who knows?

The possibilities under that influence are devastating.

AND THANK GOD IT HAPPENED TO ME AND NOT A WOMAN THAT NIGHT AT THE BAR.

At least I’m a durable, strong metabolism, calm individual under said situation who can take a load of abuse before something would ever give. I can only imagine others may have gone to the hospital, stomach pumped, or been raped or robbed or…

I’m fortunate it happened to me and not to a female at the bar. I hope.

So please, if anything, always hold your drink in your hand. Even if you’re somewhere you feel safe and know people do not let your hands off of your drink.

It’s rare for guys to be ruffied but when there are jealous and insecure people around anything can happen to confident individuals as myself. Just be careful.

Rob

www.RBFIT.com

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There’s a new study out about raises and pay cuts at work but it’s more about human nature than anything else.

The study found that when workers get raises, it doesn’t make them work any harder.  BUT, when workers have their pay cut, it DEFINITELY makes them slack off.

The main reason is that we BELIEVE we’re worth a raise, and our current level of work has been rewarded so there’s no reason to step it up.  At the same time, a pay cut is so DEVASTATING for our morale that we rebel by performing worse.

It’s satisfying and amazing to me to see the increasing number of individuals who are interested in not only working out; but eating healthy and learning how to do it. This past month I conducted a number of healthy cooking classes (8) and was extremely pleased to speak to and meet honest people who said” I just don’t know how to cook”! My eating habits don’t mesh with my workout, job or private life. One confessed, “I work out early morning’s for an hour and then 50 mins at lunch. Only to find they never fullfilled there craving for a good meal or two. I hear instead: lost satisfaction in fresh-frozen prepackaged food, ordering out on the way home, the brutal “drive through” or mini-substitutes which ultimately left them hungry and tired!  

Taking time to learn how to cook and further nourish there kitchen skills was a self deserved gift for some and others were turned out by family or friends who, I was told, were tired of listening to the whining!  (So our blog, “give the gift of a cooking class” helped!!)

But seriously… so many folks are trying to “cut weight” by exercising and doing a great job, but they say after that there stuck….with what to eat?

After reviewing our four point plan and making some simply delicious recipes we had several satisfied guest willing to reconnect and make time with there kitchen and its contents.

Following is a recipe we created at one of the sessions:

Chicken Cacciatore

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (3-pound) chicken cut into eighths
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8oz cremini or white mushrooms, quartered
• 1 large red onion, cleaned cut in half and thinly sliced
• ½ yellow, green and red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1T. jalapeno pepper finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar 
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

PROCEDURE:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper and place in the pan, skin side down and cook until golden brown 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the chicken to a large plate.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat through, add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes then add the onion, bell pepper’s to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and rosemary sprigs to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
3.  Stir in the wine, add the vegetable stock, tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
4. Return the chicken to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook until the chicken is tender about 40 minutes. (Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a large shallow bowl and cover loosely with foil.)
5. Increase the heat to medium high and cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced in volume 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and season if needed with salt and pepper, stir in the vinegar and basil and pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs.

 We choose a recipe like this because it gives us the opportunity to show how to utilize the remaining ingredient in multiple meals in the following days. Give it a try then get creative on your own and eat well!

Ciao and thanks,

 Bernard Kinsella

Highland Kitchen

Highland Kitchen is the type of place I would recommend to a friend for pretty much any occasion.  The atmosphere makes it great for a date, for a celebration, or just with a group of friends for a good meal.  However I would suggest you go during a weekday.  Monday through Thursday you get seated quickly, if there is any wait at all, and you get plenty of attention from the staff.  On the weekends the staff is still good, but since they don’t take reservations on Fridays or Saturdays you could be waiting up to an hour since it’s a small restaurant.

Every night Highland Kitchen is open from 5:00PM to 11:00PM, serving upscale southern comfort food with a unique twist.  (Think veal in the meatloaf and goat in the curry stew.)  Since they are only open until 11:00PM I would say this is a great place to start the night, but maybe not end it.  Fortunately since it’s in Somerville you have plenty of options if you want another bar for post-dinner drinks!

Food

Check if the fried chicken is a special when you go.  I think it would be a mistake to go to a place like Highland Kitchen and not at least try it.  I mean, nothing is more southern comfort than fried chicken and they definitely do it right!  It is a massive portion, served with mashed potatoes and gravy, a biscuit, and collard greens.  The greens were ok, but the biscuit and potatoes were the perfect sides and the fat kid in me rejoiced at them.

 

I definitely recommend the blacked catfish po’ boy sandwich to any seafood fans visiting this establishment.  It’s a good size, without being huge, comes with a side of either a salad or fries (my friend went with a salad, but that’s the dealers choice), and is absolutely delicious.  The fish is cooked to perfection, the remoulade is creamy, and the french bread is thick with a crunch.  Even better for those of you on a budget like myself, it’s only $9.95.

 

The apple pie a la mode was the perfect way to end the meal.  Nothing is more American than a piece of hot, crispy apple pie with cold, smooth vanilla ice cream.  There are more creative desserts on the menu, but this one is delicious in its simplicity.

 

Complaints

I try to eat vegetarian twice a week, and when you review restaurants that can sometimes be challenging.  I’m always pleased when restaurants have other, more creative, vegetarian-friendly options on the menu aside from soups or salads.  Unfortunately I wasn’t impressed with Highland Kitchens choices.  They only had one choice on the sandwiches menu (a black bean veggie burger) and one choice on the main courses menu (grilled vegetable kabobs).  So if you are a non-animal eater I would say to stay away.

My other problem with Highland Kitchen is that they have a small menu in general.  I typically enjoy eclectic dishes, and am a pretty adventurous eater.  So since I am open to trying new foods, small menus don’t bother me too much.  However if I was dining with a picky eater I wouldn’t bring them to Highland Kitchen.  With small menus, you can run into trouble if most of your dishes are unique, which theirs are.  I can think of a few friends that wouldn’t have easily found something they wanted to try on the menu.

Rating:

With incredibly reasonably priced meals, a very friendly and knowledgeable staff, and a fun environment I was a fan of Highland Kitchen.  While I don’t think it’s necessarily for everyone, if you like southern foods then I definitely think you should check it out!  It’s a nice change of pace in a city full of chains.  So if you want an affordable meal, but with a better environment and better ingredients, then add Highland Kitchen to your list of places to try.

3 out of 4 forks

I know I have touched on this before, but I thought I would share a little more in-depth today. I hate vegetables.  Actually, I also dislike most fruit, pork, fish, and anything that is not from the poultry family or chips.  Now don’t get me wrong, I wish I did like all those things, but I am also fine just eating my chicken.  I eat chicken or turkey in 1 form or another every day and have since I can remember.  I do have vague childhood memories of eating fish sticks and pork chops though and am not really sure why I stopped or why I find them so gross.

Recently, on my Dr.’s advice, I went to see a nutritionist.  We sat down and I explained my situation.  She looked at me in a way that just said “Holy S%*t!”.  I honestly was expecting that though as I know there is no help for me and for that matter, I am not sure I even want to be helped.  I really just like my poultry.
I also know that this is mostly in my head.  I have convinced myself that everything is gross and I do not like it.  I can share some silly stories about my “food phobias” that would make you laugh and also think I was super weird.  One time I was with a friend and we went to get some stir fry for lunch.  The lady made it right in front of you.  I would wait it out until I was like the only one left in fear that my food would somehow end up with someone else’s vegetables in mine.

On this day, it was just the 2 of us so I felt a little better.  My friend has EVERYTHING put in his while mine was just chicken and noodles.  I watched her every move making sure not 1 shred of anything came across into mine.  And then I watched it happen right in front of my eyes.  1 small shred of carrot came flying across into my noodles!  It kept replaying in my head over and over again in slow motion.  I could feel the sweat coming down my eyebrow.  There was a carrot in my food!
As soon as we got back to the office, I had to dump it all out on a plate and inspect it like a TSA agent going through a suspicious suitcase.  I had to find that 1 shred of carrot and remove it ASAP or I would have to find something else to eat for lunch.  Thankfully, I found it and removed the problem.  I also had to remove the portion of noodle and chicken around it as they were contaminated in my mind.  Finally, I could enjoy my lunch.  Odd, I know.  But it is how I roll!

I will share 1 more little nugget with you.  I tried getting hypnotized once with a group of people for a radio bit.  Half way through he tapped me on the shoulder and had me leave the room as he felt it was not working on me and I really didn’t think it was either.  But like an hour later I started having the urge to eat green vegetables.  I don’t know why that was….but as the minutes went by the urge became greater and greater.  My co-worker (who was the same guy in the stir fry story above) did not believe me and said if I ate a big plate of them, he would buy my lunch.  I said ok and off we went!
The Japanese place we went down the street new me well and my issues with food.  They even had my own plate there with just chicken and noodles.  When we walked in, they immediately said they would order me my special plate but we stopped them and told them to add in as many different types of green vegetables possible.  They laughed and thought we were joking.  In fact, they called over like 4 more people there that knew us and had them laugh at me as well.  Once they saw I was serious, they rushed off to the kitchen to order it for me.

When it was ready, complete with broccoli, peas, pea pods and a few other things that were green, they all delivered it to my table still thinking there was something odd going on.  My co-worker watched in excitement, while still in disbelief that I would go through with it as I placed the 1st bite in my mouth.  I ate it and could not taste anything!  It really had no taste at all.  They all started laughing and were really in amazement.  Me, “Mr. Picky”, was eating a place of chicken and noodles with a TON of green vegetables!  I ate the entire plate!  BUT…there was 1 problem.

The more I ate, the more I was craving Bud Light.  I ended up drinking like 8 bottles and it was not even noon yet.  I still had to go back to work.  It was worth it as it made my day go by fast and I didn’t have to pay the bill!  When we got back to work, my co-worker told everybody.  Most did not believe him and he had to really work them over.  But, unfortunately the next day I was back to normal and had no interest in doing it again.  The feeling wore off and I was back to normal…well, normal to me.

So, now that you have an idea of how bad this problem is, let’s get back to my nutritionist.  As we went through the list of all the things I like and dislike, she asked me where I eat.  I told her that I really skip breakfast, eat lunch at the café in our building and eat out almost every night.  I either DJ in places that serve food or my friends own restaurants.  Her reply was that I need to find less of those friends and more friends that, and I quote, “were farmers”.
She explained that they know how to not only grow their own food, but that they know how to make it taste really good.  While I can understand that, I just don’t see how I would like anything from a farm except some fresh chicken.  I am not sure just because farmer Joe makes me some fresh picked carrot stew (or whatever you make with carrots) that I am all of the sudden going to start banging my spoon on the table yelling “more please!” like I am a little kid eating ice cream.

So I am not sure what the future holds.  I am really not interested in anything new to my food intake menu.  I like my poultry and occasional beef selection.  I like pasta, bread and other carb type items.  While I think plenty of things that I don’t eat smell great, I have no temptation to try it.  I am picky, but happy.  Trying to find a way to eat healthy is going to be a challenge and a creative one at that.
My nutritionist will probably either quit her job over me as she will not be able to handle the feeling of failure or she will tell me she is booked and never see me again.  Either way, I think it will take a miracle and amnesia from blunt force trauma to the head to get me to change.  And if she is reading this, don’t get any ideas.  I will be looking for weapons in your office next time I come by.
With that said, it is lunch time and there is some form of chicken calling me down in the café!