My goal this week was to come up with some method to remind me to eat. I had visions of a stopwatch/alarm system, written schedules, all sorts of complicated stuff. Since the first step in developing a good plan is to start with past success (or so I think), I spent a little time thinking about times when I have not had so much trouble eating, and what I was doing to make my life easier during those times. I came up with a pretty short list:

• I always ate breakfast within 30 minutes of waking. Eating breakfast right away seems to get my metabolism going, and as a result, I seem to do a better job of remember that the whole food thing is important.
• I always had meals prepared ahead of time, so “convenience” could never be used as an excuse. Although it means sacrificing part of one afternoon each week, when i would take the time to plan out a week’s worth of meals, buy all the food I’d need, and do any food prep I could (and still expect the food to taste good when it came time for me to eat it), the idea of going to a fast food joint didn’t sound so convenient. Instead of sitting in line, paying a bunch of money, and eating food that tastes alright (or even downright bad), I can go home, take something good out of the fridge, and eat. Easier, cheaper, and better for me.
• I always kept good things in the house for snacks (fresh fruit, for example) and did not keep any junk food on hand. If I’ve got to go to the store to buy a cookie when I want one, I am not likely to eat any cookies, because fruit is sweet, too. One thing I do often have in my freezer is some slow churned vanilla ice cream. If you have not yet discovered the joys of a little vanilla ice cream topped with quickly-chopped fresh fruit (of any kind, really) on a hot summer night, then you have not really lived.

Not that when I was following these guidelines I didn’t occasionally deviate, but it tended to be a one time thing, rather than the beginning of a pattern. I realized, after making this list, that I don’t need some fancy system. I just need to spend a little more time planning, and remember to eat breakfast. Not all that difficult, really.

+++++

So this week, my goal is to get to a place where the above three rules are easy to follow. My trip to the farmer’s market on Saturday is a good step - I got some good fresh food to eat. This is such a simple goal. I am so glad I sat down to think about what I needed to do to be successful! Now if only I had some ice cream…

+++++

The numbers

• starting weight: 236
• last week: 228
• current weight: 228
• difference: 0
• total weight lost: 8
• percent of body weight lost: 3.39%
• goal weight: 160

Posted: August 20th, 2008 under ww, all.
Comments: none

This isn’t a blog, exactly. It’s just a site with a feed. A really awesome feed.

I am talking, of course, about the movie trailers on Apple’s website. Although I don’t check here often, when I find myself with an afternoon to kill and a desire for mindless entertainment, I will spend a couple of hours catching up on all the latest trailers.

The only downside to this is that, as this site is my main source of movie news, and as trailers are released months (even a year or more sometimes) before the movie itself will be in theaters, I often forget completely what the movie’s about. I see the title, remember something vague about it being possibly good, and then go see it. Ok, ok. Rent it. Sometimes my memory fails me.

Posted: August 19th, 2008 under inspiration, entertainment, all.
Comments: none

I don’t know who first said this, but I just heard it spoken by Chuck D while he was being interviewed by Henry Rollins on The Henry Rollins Show (I checked the first season out of the library).

This phrase, make the few the many, came at the end of a conversation about activism.  Chuck D also said that we cannot wait for the government to act for us.

This struck me, because it seems to put nicely the thoughts I’ve been having lately.

It’s an election year.  Normally, I try to avoid politics like the plague.  Not because I don’t care about the other people I find in the world, and don’t want them to have at least as good a life as I do, but because I sometimes view politicians as carriers of a disease called cynicism-and-apathy.  They may not display any symptoms of this disease themselves, but they sure do a good job of inflicting it upon others.

I don’t really know who is at fault, but when I see anything relating to politicians in the media I tend to walk away from the experience feeling just a little bit more dirty than I had before.  Sometimes, I feel a bit like shooting myself.  I think the world must have gone insane when I wasn’t looking.  I realize that not all politicians are bad, and that it’s entirely possible that most of this insanity is created by the media, in an effort to retain the rapt attention of their viewers and sell more advertising.  That is, after all their job.  It’s how they get paid.

Back in my mid-20’s, I was fairly involved politically, at least at the local level.  Among my achievements was playing a part in helping to get the president of my university removed.  He was an embarrassment to the school, and his replacement has done wonderful things, both for the university and the town in which it sits.   Although it took a lot of energy to do this, being successful was gratifying.

Then I tried to exert that same influence on some of our state legislators, and hit a brick wall of indifference, and even derision.  I felt overwhelmed by helplessness, and decided that politics could live without me.   Instead, I would lead by example.

Now I am in my early 30’s.  I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out just what it was I thought was important, and how to live in such a way to reflect those values.  I find, though, that simply living is not really enough.  One must still act in an outward manner.  By that I mean that being a self-sufficient hermit is not really the highest good for me.  It does little for me to live well, if no one sees my shining example (I am poking a little fun at myself here, feel free to laugh).

I don’t really like being preached at, and so I tend to avoid doing the same.  But I do think that there are ways to have a positive impact beyond the private choices that we each make. Activism and volunteerism are two important ways to help continue to be part of a solution, rather than part of the problem.  This might mean something as small as donating books you’ve read to the library, offering to give time to a friend or neighbor you know could use it (without waiting for them to ask), or writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.  Each of these might seem like nothing.  In the grand scheme it may not really change anything, but in my experience, good works are a bit like compound interest: if you start contributing early, and continue to contribute regularly, a little goes a very, very long way.

I am still a little shy of politics (although I did finally reregister to vote).  Maybe someday I’ll get over my feeling of dread at the thought of having to wade through the crap required to be an ‘informed voter” and feel a little bit like my vote isn’t tantamount to drawing a name out of a hat.  But that’s a discussion for another time.  Right now I’m taking the next step in becoming a better citizen - getting involved.

Posted: August 18th, 2008 under inspiration, politics, thoughts, all.
Comments: none

…I knew how to play the piano. Not well, mind you. But I could bang out a tune or two. I’ve still got a stack of piano books, actually. I’ve had these for years and never used them.

A few weeks ago I was reading something (don’t ask me where) talking about hobbies that don’t cost much money. Since then I’ve really been thinking a lot about the hobbies I have. There are a lot of things I dabble in, and some are quite a bit more expensive than others.

Normally, playing the piano is rather expensive, as you’ve got to own a piano. In my case, I am lucky enough to live in a town with a college. This college has a nice new music building, and in said building are nice new practice rooms. Many of which have pianos.

Totally awesome.

Now I am at present a horrible pianist. But I hope to remedy that over the coming months. I’ve got everything I need (access to a piano, music, all my digits), all I have to do is wander up there and plunk a few keys once in a while. Ok, maybe it’s not quite that easy. I am hoping, though, that it will be fun, and maybe even relaxing.

+++++

And now for the update you’ve all been waiting for…. drumroll please…. ahem… drumroll?

Anyone?

Guess not.

Ok, well just in case there is still anyone out there, I’ve got a short update on my only real ongoing art project, cross stitching a woman in a kimono. As of August 11th, I was making some good progress. Then things slowed way down. There was a lot of drama at work. It was hot. I spent too much time on the internet. I was saved, however, on Thursday, when I attended a meeting of my local Stitch n Bitch chapter. There was surprising little bitching, and frankly, little stitching as well (good conversation does that), but it got me in the mood. Friday night I pulled out all the stops.

By this morning, I was truly impressed (with myself). I haven’t quite decided that it’s time to set a deadline for this project, but at this rate it’s certainly doable. Can I finish this in a year? I just might. Should I make it a goal? Not yet. I worry it’ll stop being fun if it becomes something I have to do.

Starting to look like something, isn’t it? I’m on vacation this week - this project is one of my top priorities.

And speaking of completing projects, check back next Monday for a look at how my last project turned out. It’s at the frame shop now, when it’s done I’ll post pictures.

Posted: August 18th, 2008 under art, all.
Comments: none

Finally.

I know, some of you think I should have done this weeks (months?) ago.  Well, I finally did it.  I turned in all my gear, and sent in my letter.  Effective immediately.  I’ve always wanted to use that in a real life situation, but never really had the chance.

I am feeling really good about this.  Although on paper this was a Good Job, it wasn’t any good for me.  At least not in the end.

Working for a startup was a blast, to be honest.  It wasn’t all peaches and cream or anything, but it was definitely a challenge, and I learned a lot in a very short period of time.  Gotta love that.

Working for a company that’s hoping to establish some kind of world hegemony is, unfortunately, not at all my cup of tea.  I’m not a big fan of corporations to begin with, and this one had some major problems.  I suppose they all do, to be fair.  Which, again, is why I am not a big fan.

The upside (you were just waiting for that, weren’t you?) is that I now know better.  The next time I consider a position at a large company, I am going to ask a lot of questions about the culture.  Since I know I am capable enough to be picky, there’s no reason for me to give such a huge chunk of my precious time to a company that doesn’t share my personal values, at least to some extent.  Life is just too damn short.

Plus I like to sleep at night.

Posted: August 18th, 2008 under well being, all.
Comments: none

Yesterday morning I made my first trip to the Ellensburg Farmer’s market. The last time I lived in town, the farmer’s market was pretty small - 10-15 tables in a corner parking lot downtown. Since I’ve been gone, it’s grown considerably.

Now there are probably close to 40 contributors, enough that the city shuts down a street to provide space for them all. And where in the past the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables seemed pretty limited, there are all kinds of things available now. I came completely unprepared, and still wound up walking away with quite a haul (for me, anyway).

There are also some amazing artisans selling their wares, from these incredible carved wood bowls (I was seriously tempted to buy one for salads) to jewelry and hand-made pottery. And of course lots of yummy baked goods. I managed to limit myself to a single loaf of pumpkin bread (and no cookies - I have a will of iron).

I wish now that I’d taken pictures of it all. It sounds like my schedule will make it difficult for me to make it back, as I’ll probably be working Saturdays (the market is open 9am to 1pm on Saturdays). I am going to see if I can negotiate a late start time on Saturdays while the market is open, because there was some really great looking food there, and for the same or less than what I’d pay in a store.

If you’re ever in town on a Saturday morning, I suggest you check it out.

Posted: August 17th, 2008 under frugality, food, all.
Comments: none

I don’t know how it happened, but somehow over time I’ve accumulated quite a collection of cookbooks. At this time I have 18 (or I did at last count, I think they’re secretly breeding, so I am not sure if this is still accurate). I am pretty sure I don’t need 18 of these, especially since these days I either make up stuff completely out of my head, or get a recipe off the internet.

Now I know a few of these must be somewhat useful. But really, if I don’t use them they aren’t worth much, are they? As part of my effort to simplify, partly to get rid of excess things (100 thing challenge), and partly to give my cooking creativity a boost, I am going to pick a handful of recipes from each cookbook and give them a shot, at the rate of about one a week.

This ought to keep me busy for the next several years, I imagine.

This week I decided to start with Cooking in Style the Costco Way. To be perfectly honest, I don’t even know where I got this book. I have this feeling that I picked it up for free at Costco (at the instigation of the thought Man, free cookbook!). I don’t actually know. If this belongs to someone of my acquaintance, and you’d like it back, I am sure you can have it. Even without cracking it open, I am pretty sure I can live with out it. In fact, if this is a book you’d like to have, please email me or leave a comment. I’ll mail it to you (even if it wasn’t originally yours).

(Upon further research, I am not fairly convinced this was a Costco freebie, and am surprised to 1) find it listed at amazon.com and 2) see that people are actually trying to sell it for as much as $10!)

That said, as long as no one requests to become the proud new owner of Cooking in Style, I shall proceed.

+++++

The ingredients

I am a big fan of breakfast foods. Although I don’t always remember to eat it, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I like it even better than dessert. The very first recipe in this book is something called Breakfast Monte Cristo Sandwich. Now, the Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all-time favorite books, so you can bet I am going to try this sandwich. Plus it looks yummy in the big, glossy, drooly picture included in the cookbook. Here’s what Costco says I should use for ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 T water
• cooking spray
• 8 slices thick egg bread or texas toast
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 4 slices swiss cheese
• 8 slices canadian bacon
• 8 slices cooked bacon
• 6 eggs, scrambled

Before you have a heart attack, this is for four servings, not one. Still, I can feel my arteries hardening, just thinking about it. Good stuff.

I decided to go with:

• 2 eggs (which I will eventually scramble)
• 2 T water
• dab of olive oil
• 2 slices sprouted grain bread
• 2 thick slices mozzarella cheese
• 2 slices vege ham
• 2 slices vege bacon

I didn’t buy any of this stuff at Costco. In fact, I bought about half of it at a store right down the street called Better Life Natural Foods. I’ve never really shopped there before. The idea of turning this recipe into a mini-adventure into pretend foods sounded good.

+++++

The directions

Because my ingredients vary, my method will vary as well. According to Costco, I should:

1. Mix two eggs and water in a shallow dish.
2. Coat and electric skillet or frying pan with cooking spray. Preheat electric skillet to 350 degrees of heat frying pan over medium heat.
3. For each sandwich, dip 2 bread slices in egg wash and place in the skillet.
4. Place 1 slice of cheddar on 1 bread slice and 1 slice of swiss on the other bread slice.
5. Briefly warm 2 slices of both canadian bacon and cooked bacon on a grill or in a pan, then place on top of cheddar cheese.
6. Place 1/4 of the scrambled eggs on the bacon. Top with second slice of bread, cheese down.
7. Repeat for remaining 3 sandwiches.
8. Continue to grill until golden brown, turning occasionally, until cheese melts. Makes 4 servings.

That’s kind of a big production, with lots of pans and crap involved. Instead, I decided to:

1. Cook bacon in small frying pan, then cook ham, set aside.
2. Mix eggs and water in shallow bowl, coat 2 bread slices, then cook bread in frying pan.
3. Scramble eggs in frying pan.
4. Assemble sandwich: bread, slice of cheese, eggs, ham, bacon, cheese, bread.
5. Toast in toaster oven or grill in frying pan on medium low heat until cheese melts.
6. Eat it up.

See how easy that was?

+++++

The result

As I was assembling the sandwich, I realized that I had not cooked the bread long enough, and so it slightly soggy. I didn’t worry about this, as I thought the toaster oven would take care of it (I opted for that vs more frying). However, I did have some nagging thoughts. Was the choice of pretend meat going to haunt me? I’d gone out on a limb and tried pretend cheese and the results were frankly a disaster (I had to mix it with real cheese to even get through it). What if this stuff tastes like crap, too?

Turns out, pretend meat is a heck of a lot better than pretend cheese! And leaving the bread half cooked helped keep the whole sandwich from drying out too much in the toaster. I didn’t think about it at the time, but the sprouted grain bread I chose was dryer to begin with that the texas toast/egg bread originally called for. What might have been a goof probably saved the sandwich. Boy, I am good.

And so was the sandwich. It wasn’t the heavy grease bomb I assume the original was. Instead, the bread was hearty and filling and the garlic and pepper I added to the eggs enhanced the light flavor of the pretend pork products. Overall, it’s something I’d eat, probably for breakfast on a morning when I happen to wake up earlier than usual and with a little extra pep, and decide to reward myself with a cooked meal.

I realize some of you are probably wondering how it is I can claim to be testing the usefulness of a cookbook if I haven’t even gotten to the cooking part and I’ve already deviated so far from the recipe as to make it almost completely different. This is how I cook. When I was younger, I used to think it was imperative to follow a recipe. I am not sure what happened,* but somewhere along the way I lost this drive and ever since, I have had a hell of a time following a recipe, even if I’d really, really like to.

My version costs quite a bit more in the short term than the original (although I got the bread on sale for only $1.65, which I think is super cheap), but I can’t even begin to guess the financial, physical, and psychological costs of having a heart attack. I don’t really think pretend meat is the answer, but it’s an option, and one I had not yet tried.

Oh, and for anyone who cares, my version is about 12 points on the weight watcher’s system. That’s not great. And not good enough to justify eating regularly. It would have to be something of a treat.

+++++

* Actually, I think it has something to do with my home ec teacher in high school who insisted that we follow every recipe exactly. “It’s like chemistry.” She said. True, cooking is actually a kind of chemistry. But I happen to knowthe best advances in chemistry come from experimentation and accident, not precise imitation. Unfortunately for me, she didn’t like that line of thinking. I did manage to pass the class, however.

Posted: August 16th, 2008 under cookbooks, food, books, all.
Comments: none

Ok, maybe not.

We are now concluding day one of three in a heat wave covering most of my beloved Northwest.  I happen to live in the part that’s already hot and deserty, so when we get a heat wave, it’s generally no fun.  Somehow, we’re only officially in a “heat advisory.”  My family are in “excessive heat warning” territory.  Sounds bad, but it basically means it’s as hot in places like Portland and Seattle as it normally is here.

Rough.

The trouble for me is that it’s been a while.  I’ve had air conditioning for the last three summers.  Before that, I lived somewhere that wasn’t quite as susceptible to the sun.  My current apartment (now affectionately known as The Oven)  is on the second floor and faces south.  Like the whole thing.  The floor plan is basically one long hall with bits of apartment situated along the axis.

Today our official high was 102 degrees.  Checking the predictions for tomorrow, the weather is slated to be “hot.”  I didn’t know hot was a kind of weather.  But it certainly applies.  Our long term forecast includes a thunderstorm Monday, so I guess what’s going to happen is this:

1. It gets really hot, like cook-an-egg weather.
2. All of the lakes and rivers run dry, as their water is boiled into the atmosphere.
3. It rains like the dickens.
4. We return to our regularly scheduled summer.

One of these upsides of all this heat is that the 80 degree weather we’re supposed to have following the aforementioned storm should feel like a dream.  Since I am not likely to sleep much in the heat this weekend, that’s probably just what I’ll do.

Oh yeah.  Can forget upside #2 - I love a good thunderstorm.

Posted: August 15th, 2008 under randomness, all.
Comments: none

So, I’ve officially been in my new place now for a week. Before I moved, I had these grand aspirations. I wanted to go through all my boxes and get rid of as much stuff as I could bear to part with before moving, so I didn’t have to haul it across the state (yet again). I also had these vague notions of how I would get organized and put together my first complete list of my 100 (or so) things.

Um, yeah.

I did make it through the boxes, but vague notions are not my forte, apparently. If I don’t write stuff down in my calendar (and then make big signs reminding me to check it) I get distracted, and start in on other things.

In fact, I haven’t even finished unpacking yet. Which brings up something very, very interesting. I’ve been living quite comfortably for a week without the contents of six whole boxes. Maybe I should just take those six boxes down to the ol’ thrift store and say adios. Better yet, maybe I can sell it on ebay or craigslist and make a semi-quick buck.

Hmm.

(That loud noise you hear, metal-on-metal - the one that reminds you of a car crash - those are the gears in my head, trying to turn.)

This 100 thing challenge has really got me thinking about things I (we?) can really do without. I know when I was on the truck I didn’t really have that much stuff. Just a few clothes, a place to sleep, some books and maybe something crafty to work on. Oh, and my trusty laptop. Gotta have the laptop. I can type far more quickly than I can write.

(I’ve just had one of those times when I get distracted. The phone rang. I remembered it take an hour to cook a potato in a toaster oven, not the five minutes it takes in a microwave. I had to pee. I was thirsty. The radio show I wanted to listen to online started. I couldn’t find the playlist. Somehow, an hour of my life got lost in the mix.)

Where was I?

Stuff. Right. Ok. Got it. Speaking of distractions, I’ve noticed that stuff is a major source of this. Just sitting here, I see about 15 things I could be doing. About half the time, these other things strike me as something better to play with. It messes with my ability to focus. Maybe that’s a good thing, since as I discussed earlier, for me focusing=not remembering to eat.

I am pretty sure I can get rid of a bunch of this stuff and still manage to be distracted often enough not to starve to death. Probably.

+++++

Here is my attempt to get back on track with this experiment and work toward finishing The List v1.0. I’ve got to cover everything that wasn’t in a box. Since I’ve already unpacked, this might be a little complicated. Let’s make it easy and start with the furniture:

1. folding card table
2. small desk
3. chair that goes with small desk
4. large desk
5. folding bookcase (new, med.)
6. folding bookcase (small)
7. two plastic patio chairs
8. plastic patio side table (classy!)
9. bedside table (for my non-existent bed)
10. small adjustable bench for exercise
11. small fridge
12. desk lamp
13. dresser

cleaning stuff:

1. vacuum cleaner
2. swiffer mop
3. broom

storage stuff

1. medium cooler
2. small cooler - donating
3. small lunch bag - donating
4. large lunch bag
5. rubbermaid containers with camping gear
6. 8 plastic file holder thingies, two of which are empty at present
7. black plastic thing with house plant gear
8. black plastic thing with old papers I’ve written (maybe I’ll type a couple of these up and share them - they were once interesting, perhaps they still are)
9. grey plastic thing with extra bathroom-type supplies

other stuff

1. elkskin rug (from an animal shot and eaten by yours truly)
2. toolbox

+++++

I just had one of those Am I crazy? moments. Not because I am listing all the crap I own, but because as I work on the list, I find myself having little debates about whether or not it’s important for me to open, for example, the black storage thing and list each and every little thing I might find there. Is it important? Have I just got too much free time?

Posted: August 15th, 2008 under 100 things, frugality, all.
Comments: none

Recently, I decided that my dream of providing all my own food wasn’t going to get anywhere if I just sat around. I’ve been trying this approach for some time, and it’s just not working. Apparently, I actually have to do something.

This week I took a tiny but important step: I bought soil, put it in a couple of pots, and planted seeds. These little beauties hold symbolic value for me: they’re not just sweet basil seeds (I also planted oregano, parsley, and a second basil variety), they’re the seeds of a future I hope to bring to fruition. Some day (sooner rather than later) I hope to be able to proudly say that I provide myself with all my own food.

This is a bigger challenge than it sounds, as I have chosen for my place of residence a steppe environment, and not a verdant California valley, for example. One caveat that I think may help is that bartering is ok. If I wind up with extra of something, I can trade for something else that might be more difficult for me to grow - fruit, for example. Also, my particular choice of residence has one important advantage: there are lots of large wild game animals roaming the hills. Oh, and I don’t have any problems shooting them, if I decide meat ought to be on the menu.

I know. I’m evil. You all thought I was green, and it turns out I am a murdering bastard.

But this is supposed to be a warm fuzzy post on growing pleasant green things. I’ll talk about hunting later.

I rarely use fresh herbs, mainly because I think they are prohibitively expensive. This is also another step - away from a preservative-laden food supply. I chose four herbs I am very likely to use. So far, I’ve spent about $5 on soil and $3.50 on seeds. If I can get $8.50 worth of fresh herbs out of this project, I would consider it a smashing success. Just getting these babies to sprout this late in the year, considering my near complete ignorance of growing stuff, will be an accomplishment. I’ve sprouted seeds before, but never gotten to the point where I could really harvest something. That’s my goal. Here’s where I am starting.

Posted: August 15th, 2008 under frugality, gardening, all.
Comments: none