I don't remember my dreams often, but they say if you write them down you'll remember them more often.
Last night I dreamed that I was moving my things out and it turned out I still had a bunch of boxes leftover. I packed the truck up and took off.
That's pretty much what I can remember.
August 29, 2007
Working Towards Independence
More stuff packed tonight, in this case, DVD's and all of my Nintendo systems except for the Wii. I still need to sit and watch Crash as well on Netflix.
Saturday night I went and got all of my clothing out and took an inventory of what I owned. I then proceeded to decide what I really wanted to keep, and what could stay. Here's how the numbers broke down:
Original Inventory
Dress Pants: 12
Jeans: 5
PJ Bottoms: 7
Shorts: 8
Athletic Shorts: 10
Dress Shirts: 7
Polo Shirts: 22
T-shirts: 54 (WTF?!)
Tank Tops: 4
Long Sleeve Shirts: 6
Coats: 6
New Inventory
Dress Pants: 8
Jeans: 4
PJ Bottoms: 4
Shorts: 4
Athletic Shorts: 5
Dress Shirts: 5
Polo Shirts: 11
T-shirts: 27
Tank Tops: 4
Long Sleeve Shirts: 4
Coats: 4
So overall I cut my wardrobe in half, and the rest will be going to Damien Ministries because they could definitely use the clothing. It's less stuff I have to move later.
Tomorrow will be a busy day for me, but it will also be fun. I plan on dropping off the clothes, picking up my DSL kit, and doing some more packing, along with a quick trip to Six Flags and the Superman roller coaster. I will also be seeing Joshua and Aiko as well. It would be good to see him because on Saturday we did start a bit of dialog which started some processing about where we are now, what we are looking for, and where things could go. However, we had to cut off the conversation because he needed to get to temple, and my cousins were inside the church hall so I wanted to see them as well. Perhaps tomorrow we can finish the conversation. No I am not expecting a reconciliation, but at least we'll be able to hang out and finish what was started on our own time since it's a time where we don't have to be anywhere else within a few minutes.
It will be good to see him, no matter what happens. I do want Joshua as a part of my life, even if it is as just a friend.
Saturday night I went and got all of my clothing out and took an inventory of what I owned. I then proceeded to decide what I really wanted to keep, and what could stay. Here's how the numbers broke down:
Original Inventory
Dress Pants: 12
Jeans: 5
PJ Bottoms: 7
Shorts: 8
Athletic Shorts: 10
Dress Shirts: 7
Polo Shirts: 22
T-shirts: 54 (WTF?!)
Tank Tops: 4
Long Sleeve Shirts: 6
Coats: 6
New Inventory
Dress Pants: 8
Jeans: 4
PJ Bottoms: 4
Shorts: 4
Athletic Shorts: 5
Dress Shirts: 5
Polo Shirts: 11
T-shirts: 27
Tank Tops: 4
Long Sleeve Shirts: 4
Coats: 4
So overall I cut my wardrobe in half, and the rest will be going to Damien Ministries because they could definitely use the clothing. It's less stuff I have to move later.
Tomorrow will be a busy day for me, but it will also be fun. I plan on dropping off the clothes, picking up my DSL kit, and doing some more packing, along with a quick trip to Six Flags and the Superman roller coaster. I will also be seeing Joshua and Aiko as well. It would be good to see him because on Saturday we did start a bit of dialog which started some processing about where we are now, what we are looking for, and where things could go. However, we had to cut off the conversation because he needed to get to temple, and my cousins were inside the church hall so I wanted to see them as well. Perhaps tomorrow we can finish the conversation. No I am not expecting a reconciliation, but at least we'll be able to hang out and finish what was started on our own time since it's a time where we don't have to be anywhere else within a few minutes.
It will be good to see him, no matter what happens. I do want Joshua as a part of my life, even if it is as just a friend.
August 27, 2007
Bye Bye Sams!
As you can see, clearly I won't be using Sams Club anytime soon.
I've had the Sams Club membership since I moved here to Maryland. Mike was offered by Wal-Mart a Sams Club account, and they would just deduct some money every paycheck so he wouldn't have to deal with renewing membership, it was basically continuous. Since I was a "household member" I was allowed a complimentary card as well.
The closest Sams to me is in Laurel, and I would occasionally buy groceries from there, and use it to get cheap gas, but it was also enough out of the way that I didn't always want to make the trek. Well last Saturday I went to the Costco in Beltsville with some of my friends from church because they wanted to buy a few things for the after show party later. Since I was basically a Costco virgin, I figured I'd give it a shot. So I went in there for the few minutes we had, and i started to like what I saw, so I made plans with them to come back another day.
Tonight was the trip, complete with wandering down the aisles to see what all they had. They carry a number of the same things that Sams Club does, but they carry some better stuff as well. I was impressed to see the selection of fresh stuff from their bakery, including a tray with a turkey and cheese sandwich and Caesars salad for only $6, or their take and bake pizzas for $8, and they were the size of an extra large at Papa John's. Besides that, I could also buy the gigantic kosher hot dogs for cheaper for what I would pay for them at Sams, and these were the Hebrew National Brand (Sams has some no-name brand). More advantages are that it's closer to my place (5 min drive vs 20 min drive) and there's the cheap gas...currently 2.49 for unleaded, yay! So I finally said that yes, I was going to get a membership, and so I did.
Bye Bye Sams Club and the evil Wal-Mart corporation...hello Costco. I even know how to get to one in Phoenix for when I visit my parents. It also means one more connection to Mike that I don't have anymore.
August 26, 2007
Misunderstandings and Mishaps
No, this has nothing to do with Godspell, that went well, but it's for another entry.
Remember how I said that Joshua wanted to be "just friends"? According to him, he said the wrong thing because what he really wanted was to step back for a few weeks because I was busy with things, between Godspell, moving, and work, he felt I was spreading myself very thin and that it was not a good time for me to also be focused on him as well.
I get the feeling there's bit of projection here, he wanted a bit of time for himself to figure some things out, but he also forced me to do a bit of the same. As it is, he's started using his gym membership more and he's going to temple. I'm looking into a gym membership after I move, and I've been very involved in my church. So we definitely have made some changes to get into some good routines for ourselves.
He's made it clear that he wants to be with me in some capacity, whether it's friends or more, thought right now he's definitely leaning towards more. He's looking at the current situation as sort of a bump in the road, and we'll see what it does.
Now I need to think about things, whether I want to go with a relationship with him after my moving and everything else is done, or if I would rather wait to try to sort some other things out and just remain friends for a while. Perhaps we need to see other people first, and if either of us find someone else that makes us happy, well then it wasn't meant to be as a relationship.
It's just so hard to say that right now because when I am around him, I'm happy. If someone could read my mind this past Saturday they would see that even though I got a bit anxious about him being there because I didn't want to make it seem like I was pining for him, I was really so very happy to see him and be around him. Then to have him come up and hug me after the show and give me a kiss and tell me what a great job I did, that was something that just put me on cloud 9. I was so unhappy when he had told me he wanted to just be friends, but I was learning to accept that thought as well. In all honesty, I would rather do what it takes to make both of us truly happy, and yeah, if it meant letting him go, I would do it. I would rather be happy being with him, whether it's just friends or more than friends, than try to create this fantasy that we should be together as boyfriends and make each other miserable instead. That was the mistake I made with Mike, and I'm not going to repeat it again.
So tonight we talked and he told me that yeah, he screwed up with the original message he sent, he was just trying to do what he thought would make me happy for right now, because he said he could tell I was getting very stressed. I don't think it quite clicked that him stepping back added some extra stress for a while there, especially because the reasons I was getting did not make sense. Now whether it was because I wasn't interpreting what he was saying, or because he wasn't doing a good job of explaining it, or even because he was keeping it back from me, I can't say for sure.
All in all, what it comes down to is that I want to be around Joshua in some form because he is a good guy to be with, he's done a lot of good for me and he treats me well. Yes, were these recent events a shit thing to do? Yeah, and I recognize that, and it makes him a bit more human. But, I'm also able to bring that up to him that "yeah, that was kind of a shit thing and it left me very confused as to why you did it." So he now knows that he wasn't very clear when he originally said he just wanted to be friends.
He's going to be going home next week to help his parents out. I think he should also use that time to think things over about us, and see how he really feels about things. I have a planned vacation coming up myself, and I will do the same. What comes out of it, we will see. I really really like this guy, and maybe it's even love, but maybe it's not, and I should really sit down and think things out for myself and where I want to go from here. I know what my parents would say, which would be that I should date a number of different people, but I'm a bit resistant to that idea, but that's a whole other can of worms that I shouldn't get into right now unless I want to be awake for another hour.
As for mishaps, as I was working to unlock the door tonight, I had a 6-pack box of beer that had four beers, one small bottle of Absolut, and a small bottle of Alize, and the bottom dropped out on the box. So crash goes a bunch of glass bottles onto the hallway floor. My next door neighbor comes out to see what happened and I tell her, so at least she knows that no, there's not a serious problem going on here. Somehow the side of my ankle got cut, so I had to bandage that up. Then I had to sweep and mop up broken glass and alcohol. Two beers and the Absolut were victims in this case, everything else was amazingly okay.
Remember how I said that Joshua wanted to be "just friends"? According to him, he said the wrong thing because what he really wanted was to step back for a few weeks because I was busy with things, between Godspell, moving, and work, he felt I was spreading myself very thin and that it was not a good time for me to also be focused on him as well.
I get the feeling there's bit of projection here, he wanted a bit of time for himself to figure some things out, but he also forced me to do a bit of the same. As it is, he's started using his gym membership more and he's going to temple. I'm looking into a gym membership after I move, and I've been very involved in my church. So we definitely have made some changes to get into some good routines for ourselves.
He's made it clear that he wants to be with me in some capacity, whether it's friends or more, thought right now he's definitely leaning towards more. He's looking at the current situation as sort of a bump in the road, and we'll see what it does.
Now I need to think about things, whether I want to go with a relationship with him after my moving and everything else is done, or if I would rather wait to try to sort some other things out and just remain friends for a while. Perhaps we need to see other people first, and if either of us find someone else that makes us happy, well then it wasn't meant to be as a relationship.
It's just so hard to say that right now because when I am around him, I'm happy. If someone could read my mind this past Saturday they would see that even though I got a bit anxious about him being there because I didn't want to make it seem like I was pining for him, I was really so very happy to see him and be around him. Then to have him come up and hug me after the show and give me a kiss and tell me what a great job I did, that was something that just put me on cloud 9. I was so unhappy when he had told me he wanted to just be friends, but I was learning to accept that thought as well. In all honesty, I would rather do what it takes to make both of us truly happy, and yeah, if it meant letting him go, I would do it. I would rather be happy being with him, whether it's just friends or more than friends, than try to create this fantasy that we should be together as boyfriends and make each other miserable instead. That was the mistake I made with Mike, and I'm not going to repeat it again.
So tonight we talked and he told me that yeah, he screwed up with the original message he sent, he was just trying to do what he thought would make me happy for right now, because he said he could tell I was getting very stressed. I don't think it quite clicked that him stepping back added some extra stress for a while there, especially because the reasons I was getting did not make sense. Now whether it was because I wasn't interpreting what he was saying, or because he wasn't doing a good job of explaining it, or even because he was keeping it back from me, I can't say for sure.
All in all, what it comes down to is that I want to be around Joshua in some form because he is a good guy to be with, he's done a lot of good for me and he treats me well. Yes, were these recent events a shit thing to do? Yeah, and I recognize that, and it makes him a bit more human. But, I'm also able to bring that up to him that "yeah, that was kind of a shit thing and it left me very confused as to why you did it." So he now knows that he wasn't very clear when he originally said he just wanted to be friends.
He's going to be going home next week to help his parents out. I think he should also use that time to think things over about us, and see how he really feels about things. I have a planned vacation coming up myself, and I will do the same. What comes out of it, we will see. I really really like this guy, and maybe it's even love, but maybe it's not, and I should really sit down and think things out for myself and where I want to go from here. I know what my parents would say, which would be that I should date a number of different people, but I'm a bit resistant to that idea, but that's a whole other can of worms that I shouldn't get into right now unless I want to be awake for another hour.
As for mishaps, as I was working to unlock the door tonight, I had a 6-pack box of beer that had four beers, one small bottle of Absolut, and a small bottle of Alize, and the bottom dropped out on the box. So crash goes a bunch of glass bottles onto the hallway floor. My next door neighbor comes out to see what happened and I tell her, so at least she knows that no, there's not a serious problem going on here. Somehow the side of my ankle got cut, so I had to bandage that up. Then I had to sweep and mop up broken glass and alcohol. Two beers and the Absolut were victims in this case, everything else was amazingly okay.
August 24, 2007
Straightening Things Out
I have a few other plans in mind for the next month or two.
After Godspell, my focus will be on getting everything of mine packed. As I go through items, I will decide whether they need to go with me, they should stay behind with Mike, they need to be donated to charity, or they simply need to be thrown out. I have already donated nearly an entire bookshelf of books, and I will be going through my clothes (especially the smoke filled ones) to make donations. My goal is to take only the basic stuff that I need. I don't have a huge amount of space in my new apartment, and the last thing I want to do is fill it up with things that I'm not going to use. I am also making a list of things I will need to buy for the new place. It's all the simple stuff; dish soap, a broom, a vacuum cleaner, a mop, hand soap, bath soap, etc.
I have already made my change of address request to the post office. My cell phone is now in my name, the newspaper is now in my name and the change of address is on file with them. I will be picking up my DSL kit either tonight or tomorrow so I have that ready to plug in when I move over to the new apartment. The only other thing I need to get my own account for is Netflix, and I will do that as soon as I move.
For a mid-week treat, if I can get a lot of things packed before next Wednesday, I'll go to Six Flags, but if I don't get enough done, I won't go and I will continue to pack. Thankfully my nights will be free after Sunday.
September 8, I am getting those keys to the new place and getting the hell out of Dodge. Hopefully I have enough help to get everything out, but the prospects are looking good right now. I have a moving dolly lined up to use, which will definitely be needed, especially when those crates of books are moved. After I get things into the new place, I will spend the rest of the weekend and Monday unpacking. If I focus on getting unpacked I can have it done quickly.
After that, it's my time to get settled. As of now I am basically on hiatus from dating for at least a month because I really do need to get things settled and consider just what it is that I want to do. I already have plans forming in my head, and right now they're all about me; and you know what? I'm just fine with that. I will be joining the local fitness center because it's cheap for residents to join ($190 for the whole year! It's not on the website) and I know there's a lot I can do to get in shape there. I'm going to go out and do the things I want to do, whenever I want to do them. No it doesn't mean I'm not going to see my friends, I will still keep in touch with them as well.
Beyond this next month, we'll see what happens. For now, it's time to concentrate on work, this weekend, and moving.
After Godspell, my focus will be on getting everything of mine packed. As I go through items, I will decide whether they need to go with me, they should stay behind with Mike, they need to be donated to charity, or they simply need to be thrown out. I have already donated nearly an entire bookshelf of books, and I will be going through my clothes (especially the smoke filled ones) to make donations. My goal is to take only the basic stuff that I need. I don't have a huge amount of space in my new apartment, and the last thing I want to do is fill it up with things that I'm not going to use. I am also making a list of things I will need to buy for the new place. It's all the simple stuff; dish soap, a broom, a vacuum cleaner, a mop, hand soap, bath soap, etc.
I have already made my change of address request to the post office. My cell phone is now in my name, the newspaper is now in my name and the change of address is on file with them. I will be picking up my DSL kit either tonight or tomorrow so I have that ready to plug in when I move over to the new apartment. The only other thing I need to get my own account for is Netflix, and I will do that as soon as I move.
For a mid-week treat, if I can get a lot of things packed before next Wednesday, I'll go to Six Flags, but if I don't get enough done, I won't go and I will continue to pack. Thankfully my nights will be free after Sunday.
September 8, I am getting those keys to the new place and getting the hell out of Dodge. Hopefully I have enough help to get everything out, but the prospects are looking good right now. I have a moving dolly lined up to use, which will definitely be needed, especially when those crates of books are moved. After I get things into the new place, I will spend the rest of the weekend and Monday unpacking. If I focus on getting unpacked I can have it done quickly.
After that, it's my time to get settled. As of now I am basically on hiatus from dating for at least a month because I really do need to get things settled and consider just what it is that I want to do. I already have plans forming in my head, and right now they're all about me; and you know what? I'm just fine with that. I will be joining the local fitness center because it's cheap for residents to join ($190 for the whole year! It's not on the website) and I know there's a lot I can do to get in shape there. I'm going to go out and do the things I want to do, whenever I want to do them. No it doesn't mean I'm not going to see my friends, I will still keep in touch with them as well.
Beyond this next month, we'll see what happens. For now, it's time to concentrate on work, this weekend, and moving.
It's All A Mental Game
It's amazing how much discipline I can have for myself. It gets easier and easier to think towards the goal of eating better. I'm being realistic about just what it is that I want to do.
I'm not just making a goal that I am losing weight. It's broad and unrealistic, especially if I am going to measure just by how much I weigh. We hear over and over again that your weight will go down then up if you exercise because you drop fat and then start gaining muscle. So my more realistic goal is that I want to drop body fat. Currently I sit at 20%, which isn't terrible, but it's not great either, especially because I have risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. I would like to get it down to 15%, which is about what an athletic man should be at.
I find that I am not craving sugar as much as I used to. That was actually something I used to do when I was younger was cut back on the sugar (sodas especially) and I would drop off some of the weight. Well I'm combining that with eating a lower fat diet, and I find that mentally I'm not trying to reach for the cookies, cake, and other sweet stuff. I still crave sometimes after a meal, but a stick of sugar free Orbit gum takes care of it. Anything to trick the body a bit, and I get fresh breath as well, it's a win-win.
I whipped up a great stir fry last night, I took some cooked chicken and threw it into the wok with green peppers, green onions, bean sprouts, some cilantro, and salsa. It was great, especially wrapped up in a tortilla. For a side dish I had some Mac n Cheese. I'm not totally beating myself up over eating the mac and cheese, simply because I treated it like a side dish and did not eat the whole box like I would in the past. I even had some for lunch today, and there's enough leftover for another meal.
That's the one thing that's going to suck about being in the new apartment, the stove is electric, and my wok is for a gas stove. Maybe I'll have to find someone nearby that I can have dinner with often. I do have a propane gas burner that was supposed to be used with a turkey fryer, but obviously I can't use it inside nor anywhere near my apartment.
Besides the nutrition, I am saving money because I'm not eating out as much as I used to. I have started tracking my expenses by using Wesabe. It's easy to put my bank transactions into the system, and I can tag the transactions to see where they're going. They also let you set goals, so I actually have a goal about spending less than $50 a month on eating out, and a goal to spend less than $20 a month in the cafeteria here at work. So far I'm doing well towards meeting those goals.
There's more to say, but this has gone on long enough so I'll leave it here for the moment.
I'm not just making a goal that I am losing weight. It's broad and unrealistic, especially if I am going to measure just by how much I weigh. We hear over and over again that your weight will go down then up if you exercise because you drop fat and then start gaining muscle. So my more realistic goal is that I want to drop body fat. Currently I sit at 20%, which isn't terrible, but it's not great either, especially because I have risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. I would like to get it down to 15%, which is about what an athletic man should be at.
I find that I am not craving sugar as much as I used to. That was actually something I used to do when I was younger was cut back on the sugar (sodas especially) and I would drop off some of the weight. Well I'm combining that with eating a lower fat diet, and I find that mentally I'm not trying to reach for the cookies, cake, and other sweet stuff. I still crave sometimes after a meal, but a stick of sugar free Orbit gum takes care of it. Anything to trick the body a bit, and I get fresh breath as well, it's a win-win.
I whipped up a great stir fry last night, I took some cooked chicken and threw it into the wok with green peppers, green onions, bean sprouts, some cilantro, and salsa. It was great, especially wrapped up in a tortilla. For a side dish I had some Mac n Cheese. I'm not totally beating myself up over eating the mac and cheese, simply because I treated it like a side dish and did not eat the whole box like I would in the past. I even had some for lunch today, and there's enough leftover for another meal.
That's the one thing that's going to suck about being in the new apartment, the stove is electric, and my wok is for a gas stove. Maybe I'll have to find someone nearby that I can have dinner with often. I do have a propane gas burner that was supposed to be used with a turkey fryer, but obviously I can't use it inside nor anywhere near my apartment.
Besides the nutrition, I am saving money because I'm not eating out as much as I used to. I have started tracking my expenses by using Wesabe. It's easy to put my bank transactions into the system, and I can tag the transactions to see where they're going. They also let you set goals, so I actually have a goal about spending less than $50 a month on eating out, and a goal to spend less than $20 a month in the cafeteria here at work. So far I'm doing well towards meeting those goals.
There's more to say, but this has gone on long enough so I'll leave it here for the moment.
This is Why I'm Moving
I came home from rehearsal tonight to find the bathroom sink in this state. Yes, this is an un-retouched photo of Mike's hair all in the sink. You'd think he'd know how to run the water after trimming.
Folks, between the fact that he never cleans, he's started smoking in the house again, he's eating the food that I'm buying for me, and he keeps lowering the A/C since I'm the one getting stuck with the bill, I am so glad I am moving out of here. September 8 cannot come soon enough. I'll probably have to throw out most of my clothing that's still in the bedroom just because of the smoke contamination.
And for the record, yes the living room is a disaster right now because I have a bunch of boxes piled up, but that will change after this weekend because Godspell will be over and I'll be able to work my ass off on packing.
August 22, 2007
Healthy Snacks...Or Are They?
This Tuesday's Health section of the Washington Post had an article about snacks that they tested on kids that were only 100 calories. The results that came about were interesting, though there are a few other questions raised from these results.
The one thing it ultimately comes down to is that everyone has different tastes and they're going to like different things. Many of the kids didn't care for the hummus, but it's something that I would eat. Looking at some of the portions, they also aren't much for me, but at least these are good suggestions. Then again, is it really going to hurt if you have 150 calories instead of 100? As long as you're not snacking every hour, you will be fine.
I would also be curious to see how some of these items ranked nutritionally. Of course, maybe I'm over analyzing that because again, a few cookies aren't going to hurt you, but a few cookies every hour every day will.
At least it's a guide to things I can look for to eat. I notice that already because I am becoming more aware that I'm starting to avoid the things I really don't need to be eating. At work today they brought up a bunch of leftover donuts from a workshop that had finished, and my immediate thought proces was "I would like a donut, but I don't need a donut" which was true, considering it was just after lunch and who really needs to be eating pure sugar when they're going to be sitting most of the afternoon?
The cravings for some of the worst foods also seem to be going away as well, which is a good thing.
The one thing it ultimately comes down to is that everyone has different tastes and they're going to like different things. Many of the kids didn't care for the hummus, but it's something that I would eat. Looking at some of the portions, they also aren't much for me, but at least these are good suggestions. Then again, is it really going to hurt if you have 150 calories instead of 100? As long as you're not snacking every hour, you will be fine.
I would also be curious to see how some of these items ranked nutritionally. Of course, maybe I'm over analyzing that because again, a few cookies aren't going to hurt you, but a few cookies every hour every day will.
At least it's a guide to things I can look for to eat. I notice that already because I am becoming more aware that I'm starting to avoid the things I really don't need to be eating. At work today they brought up a bunch of leftover donuts from a workshop that had finished, and my immediate thought proces was "I would like a donut, but I don't need a donut" which was true, considering it was just after lunch and who really needs to be eating pure sugar when they're going to be sitting most of the afternoon?
The cravings for some of the worst foods also seem to be going away as well, which is a good thing.
Changing Habits
I got into some really bad dietary habits in the last 2 years, well for once, no more, I'm not doing that again to myself. I've been getting away from eating out lately, and reading the nutrition labels more so that I can figure out what's decent for me. This is what I have figured out so far:
1. Reduced fat can be a myth because often the manufacturers reduce the portion size. I did a comparison of reduced fat Cheez-Its vs Food Lion Cheese Crackers. While the reduced fat Cheez-it's were about 5 percent less in fat compared to Food Lion, their serving size was 27 crackers, while Food Lion's was 32 crackers. So that's about a 19% difference in serving size, and so the reduced fat savings are much less because you have to eat less crackers to achieve that value.
1a. Try to measure out your portions when it comes to snacking. Yes, I have sat and counted out 32 cheese crackers into a bowl and then put the box away so I don't overindulge.
2. Even if making your own versions of popular foods are about the same cost or nutrition value, you can avoid a lot of chemicals and crap in the processed food. Joshua got me hooked on mixing some strawberry preserves into plain yogurt since it makes a good strawberry yogurt. Well in making a comparison using Food Lion Non-fat Plain Yogurt and Food Lion Strawberry Preserves vs Food Lion Non-fat Strawberry Yogurt, nutritionally their serving sizes together are about the same, and the cost is about the same. However, in making my own yogurt, I am basically eating cultured milk, strawberries, high fructose corn syrup (okay so that's bad), sugar, pectin, and citric acid. If I ate the Food Lion Strawberry Yogurt, besides the above ingredients, I'd get a number of chemicals, dyes, and preservatives. Mmmmm, algae or crushed beetles anyone?
3. It's really easy to get decent food and shave off the fat. Case in point is Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans. They taste great and have no fat, plus they have lots of fiber, which is good for cholesterol. The one problem, it's a bit high in sugar, so not so great for those prone to diabetes.
4. Nayonnaise mixes great with tuna fish, including the fat free version. So you can make a completely fat free tuna fish sandwich if you combine it with a fat free bread. Throw a little hot sauce in the stuff and you've got a great lunch.
I'm sure I'll have more as time goes on, but it's a good start. I'm already developing a better mentality about how to handle myself nutritionally. I'm teaching myself how to take care of my cravings. I can tell I must be doing something right for my body because now I'm craving the worst stuff, yet I'm not touching it right now. Sure I do occasionally indulge, but now it's more of a treat than just a regular meal. Did I make and eat some rice krispies treats? Sure, but I did stretch it out for a few days, and I haven't eaten any for a couple of years, so it was a special treat.
I also do have the occasional bad moment, last night I was starving after getting home from rehearsal, despite having eaten dinner beforehand, and I had cheddar cheese and crackers. That's not something I should be eating, but oh well, as long as I don't start eating it every day. Still, tonight I whipped up some tuna and nayonnaise and had that on crackers...much better for me.
1. Reduced fat can be a myth because often the manufacturers reduce the portion size. I did a comparison of reduced fat Cheez-Its vs Food Lion Cheese Crackers. While the reduced fat Cheez-it's were about 5 percent less in fat compared to Food Lion, their serving size was 27 crackers, while Food Lion's was 32 crackers. So that's about a 19% difference in serving size, and so the reduced fat savings are much less because you have to eat less crackers to achieve that value.
1a. Try to measure out your portions when it comes to snacking. Yes, I have sat and counted out 32 cheese crackers into a bowl and then put the box away so I don't overindulge.
2. Even if making your own versions of popular foods are about the same cost or nutrition value, you can avoid a lot of chemicals and crap in the processed food. Joshua got me hooked on mixing some strawberry preserves into plain yogurt since it makes a good strawberry yogurt. Well in making a comparison using Food Lion Non-fat Plain Yogurt and Food Lion Strawberry Preserves vs Food Lion Non-fat Strawberry Yogurt, nutritionally their serving sizes together are about the same, and the cost is about the same. However, in making my own yogurt, I am basically eating cultured milk, strawberries, high fructose corn syrup (okay so that's bad), sugar, pectin, and citric acid. If I ate the Food Lion Strawberry Yogurt, besides the above ingredients, I'd get a number of chemicals, dyes, and preservatives. Mmmmm, algae or crushed beetles anyone?
3. It's really easy to get decent food and shave off the fat. Case in point is Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans. They taste great and have no fat, plus they have lots of fiber, which is good for cholesterol. The one problem, it's a bit high in sugar, so not so great for those prone to diabetes.
4. Nayonnaise mixes great with tuna fish, including the fat free version. So you can make a completely fat free tuna fish sandwich if you combine it with a fat free bread. Throw a little hot sauce in the stuff and you've got a great lunch.
I'm sure I'll have more as time goes on, but it's a good start. I'm already developing a better mentality about how to handle myself nutritionally. I'm teaching myself how to take care of my cravings. I can tell I must be doing something right for my body because now I'm craving the worst stuff, yet I'm not touching it right now. Sure I do occasionally indulge, but now it's more of a treat than just a regular meal. Did I make and eat some rice krispies treats? Sure, but I did stretch it out for a few days, and I haven't eaten any for a couple of years, so it was a special treat.
I also do have the occasional bad moment, last night I was starving after getting home from rehearsal, despite having eaten dinner beforehand, and I had cheddar cheese and crackers. That's not something I should be eating, but oh well, as long as I don't start eating it every day. Still, tonight I whipped up some tuna and nayonnaise and had that on crackers...much better for me.
August 21, 2007
Well now...
I got my things back from Joshua on Sunday, and we talked for a bit.
Basically he says that I need to get settled down and not spread myself so thin. I'm willing to accept that yes, I got spread pretty thin these last few weeks, but hell, I wasn't expecting I was going to just get fed up with a few things around here and move, and I didn't expect Godspell to take up as much time as it did, among other things. Then again, he could also have some unreasonable expectations as to how I spend my time. There's so much I have done in the last few weeks that have been nothing but good for me.
Besides working with Godspell, which even though yes I'm ready for it to be over, I have had fun with it. Plus I have made a few friends out of the experience, including some soon to be neighbors. I took a self-defense course so that I can at least try to fend off an attacker, and I will be taking an advanced course. Since these courses were only one-day courses, I may look into taking a real series of the courses at a nearby martial arts academy. I've done a lot of walking, a lot of hiking, got to even try out some kayaking. If anything, it's defined further what I do enjoy doing, and it's also led me to be more of an independent person.
It was fun with Joshua while it lasted, I learned a lot, and he still wants to be friends, that's cool. I'm getting past the whole "I blew it with a great guy" phase at this point. All the haters can start crawling out of the woodwork now to bash Joshua all you want if it will make you feel better. Funny how you can talk to Mike about my relationships, but you don't have the guts to say it to me. According to Mike, a whole lot of people didn't think that what I was doing was right based on what he was telling you, and to that I say sit and spin. There's two sides to every story and there's a lot of context that you don't get unless you're there.
Anyway it's just time to start a new chapter in my life, which is having my own place and doing my own thing. We'll see where the road leads. The one defined variable is that I am not going to even bother with re-activating any of my dating profiles or even looking for a date until at least a month after I move. It's time for a break in that regard.
Basically he says that I need to get settled down and not spread myself so thin. I'm willing to accept that yes, I got spread pretty thin these last few weeks, but hell, I wasn't expecting I was going to just get fed up with a few things around here and move, and I didn't expect Godspell to take up as much time as it did, among other things. Then again, he could also have some unreasonable expectations as to how I spend my time. There's so much I have done in the last few weeks that have been nothing but good for me.
Besides working with Godspell, which even though yes I'm ready for it to be over, I have had fun with it. Plus I have made a few friends out of the experience, including some soon to be neighbors. I took a self-defense course so that I can at least try to fend off an attacker, and I will be taking an advanced course. Since these courses were only one-day courses, I may look into taking a real series of the courses at a nearby martial arts academy. I've done a lot of walking, a lot of hiking, got to even try out some kayaking. If anything, it's defined further what I do enjoy doing, and it's also led me to be more of an independent person.
It was fun with Joshua while it lasted, I learned a lot, and he still wants to be friends, that's cool. I'm getting past the whole "I blew it with a great guy" phase at this point. All the haters can start crawling out of the woodwork now to bash Joshua all you want if it will make you feel better. Funny how you can talk to Mike about my relationships, but you don't have the guts to say it to me. According to Mike, a whole lot of people didn't think that what I was doing was right based on what he was telling you, and to that I say sit and spin. There's two sides to every story and there's a lot of context that you don't get unless you're there.
Anyway it's just time to start a new chapter in my life, which is having my own place and doing my own thing. We'll see where the road leads. The one defined variable is that I am not going to even bother with re-activating any of my dating profiles or even looking for a date until at least a month after I move. It's time for a break in that regard.
Labels:
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August 20, 2007
Gospell, Part 2
I completely forgot to mention one detail. That's what I get for borrowing from the "press release" that I have been sending to a few local E-mail groups.
I am performing in Godspell. I will be playing the part of John the Baptist and Judas. Yes, I am technically playing two parts, but that is how the show is written. Since John the Baptist is only in one scene, he becomes Judas for the rest of the show.
Kind of ironic isn't it? I run around telling everyone that Jesus is coming, then I turn around and betray him.
Anyway, so if you show up, you'll get to see my smiling face (and capture potential blackmail material, this is DC after all).
I am performing in Godspell. I will be playing the part of John the Baptist and Judas. Yes, I am technically playing two parts, but that is how the show is written. Since John the Baptist is only in one scene, he becomes Judas for the rest of the show.
Kind of ironic isn't it? I run around telling everyone that Jesus is coming, then I turn around and betray him.
Anyway, so if you show up, you'll get to see my smiling face (and capture potential blackmail material, this is DC after all).
Godspell, August 24, 25, 26
My church, St. Georges Episcopal Church in Glenn Dale, MD is going to be putting on a production of the musical Godspell on August 24 at 8 PM, August 25 at 3 PM, and August 26 at 2 PM.
Tickets to each show are $10, there will also be a "Sweet and Savory" reception Friday Night from 6-8PM for an additional $6, $10 if you would like to have wine at the reception. There is a champagne brunch on Sunday from 12:30 - 2 PM, again, $6 for the brunch, $10 for brunch
with champagne.
St. Georges Episcopal Church is located where Greenbelt Road and Lanham Severn Road meet (MD 193 and MD 564), the street address is 7010 Glenn Dale Road. You can call them at 301-262-3285 to reserve tickets. I also have a few tickets that people can directly purchase, so drop me an E-mail if you'd like to get them that way.
For those of you who are not familiar with the show (I wasn't until the director asked about participating). Godspell is a telling of the Gospel of Matthew and focuses on the lessons and parables of Jesus Christ, with a fun twist on the presentation. Yeah, okay, it sounds like it's some clone of Jesus Christ Superstar, but they're not. I think that Jesus Christ Superstar represents the Catholic point of view on Jesus Christ, which is very focused on his eventual death and the lessons he teaches are put on the backburner. As for Godspell, the whole show is going through his teachings with the common stories we all hear about up until the end.
I hope those who read this in the DC and Baltimore area will come, it should be a fun show.
Tickets to each show are $10, there will also be a "Sweet and Savory" reception Friday Night from 6-8PM for an additional $6, $10 if you would like to have wine at the reception. There is a champagne brunch on Sunday from 12:30 - 2 PM, again, $6 for the brunch, $10 for brunch
with champagne.
St. Georges Episcopal Church is located where Greenbelt Road and Lanham Severn Road meet (MD 193 and MD 564), the street address is 7010 Glenn Dale Road. You can call them at 301-262-3285 to reserve tickets. I also have a few tickets that people can directly purchase, so drop me an E-mail if you'd like to get them that way.
For those of you who are not familiar with the show (I wasn't until the director asked about participating). Godspell is a telling of the Gospel of Matthew and focuses on the lessons and parables of Jesus Christ, with a fun twist on the presentation. Yeah, okay, it sounds like it's some clone of Jesus Christ Superstar, but they're not. I think that Jesus Christ Superstar represents the Catholic point of view on Jesus Christ, which is very focused on his eventual death and the lessons he teaches are put on the backburner. As for Godspell, the whole show is going through his teachings with the common stories we all hear about up until the end.
I hope those who read this in the DC and Baltimore area will come, it should be a fun show.
August 17, 2007
Life Throws Me a Curve
Well folks, it looks like I'm back on the market again. I was informed by Joshua that he had been doing a lot of thinking and he wants to be just friends. I kind of saw this coming as I had noticed a change in his behavior the past week. I'm okay, it does hurt right now because I care for him and this was a bit sudden.
Tomorrow I'm going to call him, and return a few things of his that I have, and get some of my things back from his place. There will likely be a cooling off period but I do hope that we can be friends because he is a nice guy in general and I did like hanging out with him.
Tomorrow I'm going to call him, and return a few things of his that I have, and get some of my things back from his place. There will likely be a cooling off period but I do hope that we can be friends because he is a nice guy in general and I did like hanging out with him.
August 10, 2007
Too much to do
and not enough time to do it.
It's been rehearsal after rehearsal, and I can't wait until we actually perform Godspell on August 24, 25, and 26.
Then I have to get ready for Labor Day, right after that, move. Then the weekend after that, a self-defense class. So my weekends are booked for the next few weeks.
Mike and I are talking things out. I got a look at the cell phone bill, it turns out that my charges are $43.71, so the estimate was close. Still, if I had seen a bill in the first place, I wouldn't have had a reason to bitch.
Friday night it's a rehearsal, Saturday morning is set painting, then signing the lease to my new apartment, along with finding out information. Hopefully I can set it up to where I can have DSL active as soon as I get there.
It's been rehearsal after rehearsal, and I can't wait until we actually perform Godspell on August 24, 25, and 26.
Then I have to get ready for Labor Day, right after that, move. Then the weekend after that, a self-defense class. So my weekends are booked for the next few weeks.
Mike and I are talking things out. I got a look at the cell phone bill, it turns out that my charges are $43.71, so the estimate was close. Still, if I had seen a bill in the first place, I wouldn't have had a reason to bitch.
Friday night it's a rehearsal, Saturday morning is set painting, then signing the lease to my new apartment, along with finding out information. Hopefully I can set it up to where I can have DSL active as soon as I get there.
August 05, 2007
Settling into Place
This past Friday I went down the road to another apt complex and filled out an application for a 1 bdrm place. Within ten minutes of filling out the application the guy came back to me and said I was approved. Next week I get to sign the lease, and then I move in on the 8th of September.
It's a decent place, the building was built in the 30's so it doesn't have all the modern amenities. Utilities are included except for electric, but when I talked to another resident she told me that her electric bill was something like $40 a month, so that's very reasonable. My plan is to get DSL because it's much cheaper than cable and I'll still get a good speed. Even when I go off of their promotional rate, it will be $35 a month rather than the $50+ that Comcast would charge. I am really debating if I even want to get cable TV, simply because Comcast's prices are outrageous. Comcast has their most basic service for $13 a month, which has the major broadcast networks, some local channels, PBS, etc. Just to move up to their extended basic service, which has the stuff I would like, such as Sci-Fi and Cartoon Network, is $52 a month. WTF? people, this isn't even for digital service! If I somewhere I could place it, I'd get a satellite dish. I think Bittorrent is going to be my friend when it comes to watching Dr. Who from now on.
As for phone, well my number may be changing, we'll see. Mike claims that to pay my part of the cell phone bill is $50 a month, I don't believe him because when I researched getting my own plan, that's what it would cost me just for the one line with unlimited messaging, and I know that lines 2-5 on a bill are $30 a month with messaging, and there's only 2 lines, which only adds up to an $80 bill, soooo I am calling bullshit on that one until I see a bill to prove this justification. Still, maybe I can break off of his contract without penalty and keep my number.
Now is the time to consolidate and pack up. I've been putting items up on Freecycle and also there's a PTA book sale coming up soon, so they'll be taking donations of books. I'll have to go through and see what books of mine I can get rid of. It shouldn't be difficult to decide that one, I've already been making a mental list of what books should go.
So, between GodSpell and preparing to move, August is shaping up to be a busy month for me!
It's a decent place, the building was built in the 30's so it doesn't have all the modern amenities. Utilities are included except for electric, but when I talked to another resident she told me that her electric bill was something like $40 a month, so that's very reasonable. My plan is to get DSL because it's much cheaper than cable and I'll still get a good speed. Even when I go off of their promotional rate, it will be $35 a month rather than the $50+ that Comcast would charge. I am really debating if I even want to get cable TV, simply because Comcast's prices are outrageous. Comcast has their most basic service for $13 a month, which has the major broadcast networks, some local channels, PBS, etc. Just to move up to their extended basic service, which has the stuff I would like, such as Sci-Fi and Cartoon Network, is $52 a month. WTF? people, this isn't even for digital service! If I somewhere I could place it, I'd get a satellite dish. I think Bittorrent is going to be my friend when it comes to watching Dr. Who from now on.
As for phone, well my number may be changing, we'll see. Mike claims that to pay my part of the cell phone bill is $50 a month, I don't believe him because when I researched getting my own plan, that's what it would cost me just for the one line with unlimited messaging, and I know that lines 2-5 on a bill are $30 a month with messaging, and there's only 2 lines, which only adds up to an $80 bill, soooo I am calling bullshit on that one until I see a bill to prove this justification. Still, maybe I can break off of his contract without penalty and keep my number.
Now is the time to consolidate and pack up. I've been putting items up on Freecycle and also there's a PTA book sale coming up soon, so they'll be taking donations of books. I'll have to go through and see what books of mine I can get rid of. It shouldn't be difficult to decide that one, I've already been making a mental list of what books should go.
So, between GodSpell and preparing to move, August is shaping up to be a busy month for me!
August 02, 2007
Self-Defense
For those of you in the Greenbelt area, there's a self-defense class being offered this Saturday, August 4, from 9:30 to 5:30. If you have self defense items such as pepper spray, mace, etc (NO knives or guns) you can bring them along as well. It will be held at the Greenbelt Community Center, 15 Crescent Road, Room 202. If you want the E-mail address of the person to contact to sign up, e mail me at theblackdog at g mail dot com.
August 01, 2007
Grrrrrrr
Now I remember why I am a dog person and not a cat person.
Over the past week I have been making arrangements with a person on Freecycle to pick up some beanbags that I wanted to get rid of. Today she was going to pick them up, all was going to plan until I picked them up from the spot they've been sitting in the living room.
Mike's cat decided to make them into his personal toilet and pissed all over them.
I really hate when I basically promise something to someone, and then I have to cancel, especially when it's due to preventable circumstances.
So I got to call this person up and basically tell her I couldn't give her the beanbags, which sucks because she's a teacher, and she was going to put them in the reading area of her classroom for her kids. Now that's not going to happen.
Do you think I got an apology from Mike? Nope. Not even so much as an offer to help me clean up the rug because that also stunk of cat piss. I swear, if there's a bill for cleaning up pet odor when we vacate (even after my planned shampooing of the rugs) I am making Mike pay for it.
The reason this likely happened? Mike has taken to hiding in the bedroom when I'm around, and he shuts the door and that's where the catbox is. With my stuff being in the living room, it's now all a target for the cat. Mike didn't appreciate when I looked at the cat and said "Piss on anything else and I'm sending you to the pound." but it's how I feel. I'm not going to have my stuff ruined because someone isn't taking care of his pet properly.
Perhaps I should seriously consider moving now, I haven't signed a new lease yet. I could make it work for myself.
Over the past week I have been making arrangements with a person on Freecycle to pick up some beanbags that I wanted to get rid of. Today she was going to pick them up, all was going to plan until I picked them up from the spot they've been sitting in the living room.
Mike's cat decided to make them into his personal toilet and pissed all over them.
I really hate when I basically promise something to someone, and then I have to cancel, especially when it's due to preventable circumstances.
So I got to call this person up and basically tell her I couldn't give her the beanbags, which sucks because she's a teacher, and she was going to put them in the reading area of her classroom for her kids. Now that's not going to happen.
Do you think I got an apology from Mike? Nope. Not even so much as an offer to help me clean up the rug because that also stunk of cat piss. I swear, if there's a bill for cleaning up pet odor when we vacate (even after my planned shampooing of the rugs) I am making Mike pay for it.
The reason this likely happened? Mike has taken to hiding in the bedroom when I'm around, and he shuts the door and that's where the catbox is. With my stuff being in the living room, it's now all a target for the cat. Mike didn't appreciate when I looked at the cat and said "Piss on anything else and I'm sending you to the pound." but it's how I feel. I'm not going to have my stuff ruined because someone isn't taking care of his pet properly.
Perhaps I should seriously consider moving now, I haven't signed a new lease yet. I could make it work for myself.
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