Partially Miserable

I consider today to be an upgrade from yesterday (even though I have returned to the office), but not much of one as I’m still partially miserable.

Speaking of miserable, I think that I felt worse than those riding BRAG yesterday, but at least their outlook looks like clear skies to the end.

Yesterday’s Daily Challenge
Use a smaller spoon or fork than you usually do at one meal or snack today.

Using smaller silverware forces you to slow waaay down! Many of us eat too quickly and finish our food long before the brain gets the message that the stomach is full. Eating too fast also prevents us from savoring each bite. By slowing down how much you can take in at one time, you’ll be more engaged with the food, and it may even seem like there is more on your plate.

I tried a similar scheme with plates a few years ago, the rationale being that if I had to get up to refill my plate I’d eat less. Unfortunately it didn’t help me lose weight, but I still think that it’s a good idea.

If You Want Me As A Customer You Need To Provide Customer Service
After milling about yesterday, consulting my schedule, and then watching the latest episode of Mad Men, I finally showered and rallied myself out of the house. Unfortunately the reason to do so was laundry.

Not being near my beloved lavanderias, and never wanting to enter any of the laundromats near my hood, I drove over past Decatur (because there seem to be no laundromats between East Atlanta and Decatur) to a place I’ve used in the past. As it was not quite 5pm yet I was stunned to see a lot of people doing their laundry already. Nonplussed, I entered, dropped my bags near two unused washing machines and marched to the register to break a $20 bill (I really didn’t want $20 in quarters).

Me: Can I get two $10s?
Woman Behind Counter: (in cautious English) No.
Me: What? You won’t give me two $10s?
Woman Behind Counter: No. (points toward change machine)
Me: But I don’t want $20 in quarters…. Oh never mind.

At which time I retrieved my laundry and left the building. I refuse to give business to places which do not provide adequate customer service.

I wound up doing laundry at the laundromat across from Manuel’s Tavern, and oddly talked myself out of buying a King of Pops.

Oh For The Addition Of Shrimp
One of June’s Super Secret Projects is “Cupboard Clean Out 2012” during which I look to use or rid myself of all of the items in my cupboard. I plan to have some outlandishly weird meals over the next few months…

Last night I made a dish that turned out wonderfully well, and with the addition of some grilled shrimp would have been amazing. As you’ll read in a second, while I may try to reproduce this in the future, it may never turn out as well again.

I decided that I was going to use the unused chicken stock remaining from lunch with the stone-ground grits that I bought at the farmers market two weeks ago. While cooking I added two stalks of rosemary (from my, ahem, “garden”, no less!) chopped finely. With a few minutes remaining in the cooking I produced a small jar of sweet bell pepper pesto and added it, along with some (unfortunately crappy) parmesan cheese (you know, the vile stuff in the canisters).

Oh.
My.
Goodness.

If I can ever find such a thing as that pepper pesto again, I’d buy it along with some real parmesan cheese and some shrimp and make my new signature dish.

Grits?
By a New Yorker?
What has this world come to?

Errata, Addenda
Here are some tidbits that I’ve failed to use this week.

  1. After fifty years the NY Mets finally pitched their first no-hit game last Friday night!
  2. On the same evening the Florida Gators pitched a no-hitter against Bethune Cookman
  3. The Gators went on to win their regional tournament and are headed to this year’s College World Series (well, at least I think they are).
  4. Three very important packages (regarding more June Super Secret Projects) arrived yesterday! One of the packages contained two gift cards — $100 for Amazon.com, $50 for iTunes — which I “earned” by using my credit card. The other two packages shall remain secrets until I complete the project to which they pertain.
  5. Florida trip for the next-to-last weekend in June arranged! Florida in June is going to feel like Hell, but at least I’ll get to visit my mother.
  6. Today marks the six-year anniversary of me showing up at Graveyard Tavern, the end of the “All Chicks, No Dicks” hash, and being booed out. Little did I know that my night was to get much worse as the food poisoning, which I could only assume was delivered by the food I ate at Lettuce Souprise You!, kicked in.
  7. Today marks the six-year anniversary of the last time I ate at Lettuce Souprise You! (at least I don’t recall having eating there since).

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – meh
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – There’s a new kid on the 5by5 Podcasting Network, In Beta.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – don’t care

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0.0 miles
Wheel Mileage – 0.0 miles
Pushups – 0
Situps – 0
Stairs – 0 flights

Days Of Bed-Making – 0

Vegetarian Days – 1
Carnivorous Days – 4
Pancakes Eaten – 0

Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 0

Books I’ve Read/Heard In 2012

  1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me — Mindy Kahling
  2. Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How One Man’s Obsession with Runaway Sneakers and Rubber Ducks Revolutionized Ocean Science — Curtis Ebbesmeyer
  3. God, No! — Penn Jillette
  4. The Elephant to Hollywood — Michael Caine
  5. Here Comes Trouble — Michael Moore
  6. How We Decide — Jonah Lehrer
  7. Steve Jobs — Walter Isaacson

June Goals
– Post at least ten new photos during the month
– Lose at least two pounds (net weight loss)
– Finish two books (audio or otherwise, comic books do not qualify)
– Exercise for thirty minutes no fewer than twenty days
– Not to get sick for the entire month (may be a moot point as of today)
– Eat vegetarian no fewer than ten days
Watch all of the classes in the 2011 Winter semester of Stanford’s CS193P (iOS Development) course

2012 Goals [will be a little less fluid than last year]
– Get my weight under 200 pounds, or at least whittle myself back down to where wearing a 36″ pant size is comfortable
– Completely read ten books, audio books permissible
– Run Sharpened Stone as a real business
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop
– Ride in no fewer than five 50 mile or 50K bike rides
– Run in no fewer than one one 10K
– Submit at least one application under the name “Sharpened Stone” to Apple’s iOS store
– Restore the ITP Estate to a condition where it can be put up for sale at any time
– Buy a new iPhone (iPhone 5?), a new iPad (iPad 3?), and MacBook Air [look, not all goals have to be altruistic]

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient and profitable programmer in Objective-C
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem
– Eat smaller portions
– Start, and continue, to make my own bread using my bread machine as well as using the technique outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
– Read and discard magazines during the month in which they arrive (even digitally)
– See more live concerts than I did in 2011
– Eat more pancakes
– Drive/Fly somewhere for a real vacation

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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9 Responses to Partially Miserable

  1. Steve says:

    Glad you’re feeling better.

    I got a note from my bank saying they were doing away with their bonus points program and I better “use it or lose it”. I ordered up a new noise cancelling headphones which I use when on the tractor and occasionally if I’m under the P/A at a big race. They arrived in no time and are very nice.

    Going to try running this evening at Georges.. as long as my calf holds up.

    Enjoy your day, good BRAG people!!

    -FP

  2. Paulie [eatl/ga] says:

    I fear that my program will end soon to (I am old enough to remember when banks gave out toasters to new customers), and will probably convert my remaining points very soon.

  3. Martha says:

    This talk about banks reminds me I need to close my Wells Fargo account.

    I finally dragged my ass into the office. I wish I could have worked at home today but I have a meeting at 11:30 and Wednesday is the day my CSA box is delivered. Tomorrow (if nothing comes up today) I will be at home.

    I just heard Ray Bradbury passed away. “Fahrenheit 451” just jumped to the top of my must read list.

    I can’t believe you still keep bringing up that night, at least try to remember it as Michelle H’s birthday.

    Good luck with the calf tonight Steve, I’ll be taking my friend on a little romp around Grant Park tonight.

    *a side note, my living room is starting to look like a Jeep accessory show room. 🙁

  4. Paulie [eatl/ga] says:

    I keep bringing that night up since it happened on 6/6, which is easy for me to remember.

    Why are you closing your Wells Fargo account? Now that you mention it, I have to check mine…

  5. Martha says:

    6.6.06 to be exact 🙂

    They are going to start charging $5 month if you do not have direct deposit. I use my ING account for most of my bills, etc…don’t want to go to the trouble of changing anything. Plus you I can deposit checks to my ING account via phone or computer. Which was really the only reason I was keeping my WF account.

  6. Oh yes, I know that it was 6/6/06. 😉

    Well, I have direct deposit through my employer so I guess that I am okay — at least while I am still employed here.

  7. ITP Lurker says:

    Sounds like the brand new laundromat in the Pencil Factory Lofts (Decatur Street by MLK MARTA station), isn’t on your radar yet. Also, there’s a “home is where the hearth was” photo opportunity near the entrance to the new Chattachoochee Bend State Park west of Newnan. It’s on the right, as you get near the park. That is all, now back to lurking.

  8. Wow, that’s great information on both accounts. Thanks, “Lurker.” 🙂

  9. Martha says:

    I told you about that laundromat weeks ago…

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