Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/7030
After much training with no fights coming to fruition, I finally have a fight lined up for next month. And get this, it's local. People have been asking me for years when I'll fight locally again. I haven't even come close since my first fight a few years ago in Redding. This fight will be at Gold Country Casino on March 27. I'll be fight- ing another local, Chico's own Melis- sa Moore. I saw her fight there last year; she's good, has a nice ground game. This should be quite a bat- tle. If you plan on going, make sure you get your tickets soon. They sell out fast. In addition to this fight, I have another experience lined up for this weekend. I'll be the primary corner for one of my fighters, Thomas Ballard. It's his first fight, and I am more nervous for him than I am for myself. I know he'll do awesome because he trains like a mad dog and has dieted faithfully and gotten down to his fight- ing weight without having to rely on saunas, plastic suits and dehydration. I am very proud of him, and I know he has the skills and endurance nec- essary to win. He will be fighting in Salinas, in case anyone wants to make the road trip to support our local fighter. I'll be sure to take some pictures and let you know what happens. Another iron I have in the fire — two of my fighters might fight in a smoker match (non sanc- tioned boxing match) in Chico in April. Here's the catch, they'd be fighting each other. The good thing is one, Nic D e F r a n c i s c o , trains out of my fight club class at Red Bluff Fitness and the other, Michael Davis, trains out of my MMA conditioning class at Bodyprojex. They know each other and have trained together on occa- sion. Let me tell you, it would be weird to fight someone you train with and are kind of friends with. I could do it, but it's hard to try to smash a training partner. For both, this would be a first fight. It's a great way to test the waters and see if you really want to be a fight- er. You wear headgear and 18 ounce gloves, which are huge, and it's only two 90-second rounds, I believe. If you can tolerate getting punched in the head for a minute and a half, you can probably cage fight. My only problem will be, who should I corner? I may just have to have a couple of my other fight- ers corner them both. It's hard when you want both fighters to do well. So, I'm staying busy with the fighting game. I'm preparing for a fight myself, getting ready to corner one of my fighters for an amateur MMA fight and setting a couple of new fighters up for a box- ing match. Never a dull moment. Oh, yeah, I'm still dieting for my fight, so if you need any help losing weight, I'm posting my diet on my blog — http://eskimowarriror.blog spot.com. It's really hard to cheat when you have to post everything you eat. ---- Avery Vilche has her B.A. in physical education and a certificate in exercise physiology. She has been a fitness instructor in Red Bluff for more than 17 years. Her background is in boxing, kick boxing and wrestling. She can be reached at vilcheavery@yahoo.com. Friday, February 19, 2010 – Daily News – 5A $ Money $ 2 Lend Cash 4 Notes McKinley Mortgage Co. CA DRE # 01773837 Call 530-241-0977 800-909-1977 Largest Selection In Tri-County • Herbal Medicines • Edibles (Foods) • Clones 1317 Solano St. (530) 824-4811 www.tehamaherbalcollective.vpweb.com Corning Calif. Smog Check starting at $ 29 95 (most cars and pick-ups) Pass or FREE retest COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR + cert. All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. Dear Annie: My son is 19 and a freshman in col- lege. His girlfriend is 17 and a junior in high school. They have been dating for almost two years, and their relationship has been very physical from the begin- ning. Due to diligent obser- vation and minor snooping, my husband and I are con- vinced they are sexually active. We have talked many times to our son about per- sonal responsibility and strongly encouraged him to wait to have sex. We care about his girlfriend and are terribly concerned about her getting pregnant at this young age. My question is, should we attempt any kind of communication about this with the girl or her parents, or just MYOB? — Trying To Be Helpful Dear Trying: If you are worried about an unwanted pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease, the person to talk to is your son. Tell him you are aware that he and his girlfriend are probably sexually active. Ask whether he is using pro- tection every single time. He should not leave it up to her. He is an adult now and needs to understand that the decisions he makes have an impact on others. We hope you have an open enough relationship to dis- cuss this frankly and honestly. Dear Annie: I'm 49. My parents divorced when I was a teenager. My mother's family was not supportive and for several years had no contact with her. I wrote let- ters to my aunts and uncles, saying how petty and vile they were to ostracize their own sister in her time of need. My father engaged in nasty actions of his own to hurt us. He also became estranged from his younger brother, and as a result, I lost contact with those cousins. Over time, my mother gained back the support of her family, but I knew my relationship with them had been irreparably harmed. My relation- ship with my father took more than two decades to heal. All this drama taught me that I couldn't count on my family to offer support when it was needed. Recently, I came across informa- tion that explained a lot. A year before the divorce, my mother had an affair with my father's younger brother. Now I have a lot of pent-up anger toward my mother. Her self- ish actions hurt a lot of people. But I feel I need to apologize to my aunts and uncles for the terrible things I said to them so long ago. I realize I'm never going to have the kind of relationship I want with them, even if I do apologize. How can I atone and get past the hurt and anger? — Florida Dear Florida: You are being awfully hard on yourself. You were a teenager and protective of your mother. It's likely your relatives assumed you didn't want a relation- ship. They could be quite willing to start over. But first you must forgive everyone involved, including both of your parents, as well as yourself. If you continue to hold on to your anger, you will keep looking for someone to blame. Counseling can help nudge you in the right direc- tion if you are unable to get there on your own. Dear Annie: The way ''Nervous in Virginia'' described her hus- band's driving sounds exactly like an adult driver affected by ADD. After 42 years of living with an undiagnosed Attention Deficit Dis- order, my husband began taking prescribed medication. To our amazement, the most obvious dif- ference was his astonishingly improved driving. Perhaps ADD may be the cause of this man's reckless and distracted driving. — Enjoying the Ride Now Dear Enjoying: Maybe, although it doesn't explain his extremely inconsiderate reaction to his wife's distress. But we hope she'll look into it. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Worried about our sexually active son Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar FEATURES DEAR DR. GOTT: My father called and told me about your views on picky eaters. You said not to let them rule you. How arrogant could you possibly be? Have you ever treated a child with autism? They would rather starve than eat offending foods. And, if you were to force them to eat it, most likely they would vomit like my daughter. You need to have a reality check, doctor. Your post has just given hundreds of family members ammo to belittle us moms with spe- cial-needs children who have food aversions. Shame, shame, shame on you. DEAR READER: I must confess I have never personally treated a child with autism, and I respect the additional care and attention parents and care- givers must provide. I am sure that you do every- thing within your power to keep consistency in each day if things are to remain on an even keel, and part of that consistency is like- ly mealtime. Looking back on my original column, I think you may have been unnec- essarily offended. The child I wrote about was 3 years old and did not have any medical conditions. Rather, and to repeat, he preferred a diet of Chee- rios, Ramen noodles, chocolate cake, ice cream, wieners, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, cashew nuts, sausage and cheese pizza, pancakes and Pedi- aSure. His parents and grand- mother were concerned enough to write me because they didn't know how to deal with him regarding better eating habits. He clearly had the upper hand. I responded by indicating they could be facing medical prob- lems such as diabetes, obesity, coronary-artery disease and high-choles- terol readings down the road if nothing changed. And I stand by my origi- nal statements. Childhood obesity and its long-range consequences are epidem- ic, and the sooner appro- priate modifications can be made, the better. This isn't always the fault of any one person or circum- stance. Fast-food chains, a hurried lifestyle, long working hours for parents and a great deal more come in to play. We wouldn't be human if we took the hardest path all the time. Also, I didn't recommend forc- ing offending foods on him. I simply indicated that the foods that contained empty calories should not be made readily available but should be replaced with more healthful choic- es such as fresh fruits, raisins, and carrot and cel- ery sticks. A firm diet modification is/was truly recommended in his best interests. While I am not recom- mending you make dietary changes and force anything unwanted on your daughter, you might speak with her pediatri- cian regarding the two fol- lowing suggestions: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, some parents have found success with a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Gluten is found in the seeds of wheat, oat, rye and barley cereal plants, while casein is the primary protein in milk. Because both are present in so many of the foods we eat every day, it is extremely difficult to follow this recommenda- tion. This is especially true if you eat out at all, because you never can be positive of the ingredients in restaurant foods. Other parents have found suc- cess with vitamin B6 when combined with magnesium, which makes the vitamin effective; however, research results are mixed. I always welcome opposing views and hope I never get too old to be informed by readers who may have different ideas than I do. Thank you for your input. Readers who would like more information on autism can find easy-to- understand information at www.nimh.nih.gov. Dr. Peter Gott is a retired physician and the author of the book "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet," available at most chain and independent bookstores, and the recently published "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook." Parent takes Doctor Gott to task on eaters Dr. Peter Gott Wanna see me fight live in person? Avery Vilche Fitness Buff Famed biologist to speak CHICO — George Schaller, one of the most highly regarded field biologists in the world, will speak at Cal- ifornia State University, Chico at 4 p.m. today, in Holt 170. Schaller's talk is The last of the silence: Wildlife studies in the world's wilderness and it is free and open to the public. Schaller is the author of numerous books, including The Mountain Gorilla – Ecology and Behavior, The Last Panda and Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator-Prey Relations, for which he won the National Book Award.