It's what's for breakfast!

Part of trying to lose weight is eating better. Part of life is being close to payday but not there yet, LOL. So for breakfast today I made something between a quiche and a casserole. I took some sausage, green peppers and onion, and fried them up. I then cooked some broccoli that is getting a little old, but is still good. I put that all into a pie pan and poured some whipped eggs with a tiny bit of salt over meat and veggies. Stuck it in the over for a while. I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top, put it under the broiler for a minute and voile! I have a somewhat healthy breakfast for today and the next few days.

Weight-loss Challenge 2012

Each year my employer runs a weight loss challenge. Last year I finally decided to join a team. It's been a few years since I lost over 120 lbs on Atkins, and since I went off it, the weight has crept back on. I did it last year in hopes of running a 5k by the end of it, but I overdid things with poor footwear and ended up giving myself plantar fasciitis. This had made me less likely to be active, which in turn undid all my work last year in losing weight.

This year I decided try again, but to be smarter about things. I started by getting shoes for work, since I stand all day long. I can't say enough about my Docker's dress shoes. That has made a huge change. My feet hurt a lot less.

I joined a new team this year, and tried a new strategy. Instead of walking or jogging like I did last year, I have been swimming. I have not really been dieting per se. I have been making some better choices in what I eat, mainly cutting back on unnecessary carbs, especially white foods (processed sugar, flour and milk.) The biggest thing is only eating if I am hungry. Have I overeaten using this strategy, sure. The results so far have been good though. I have 25 hours of activity. (We only need 35, so I am over halfway there.) Most telling however is that I have lost 20 lbs in the last 2 months. As we go down the stretch here, I plan to quit the eating before bed, this should give me a huge boost, since it is one of my worst habits.

Last year our team lost first place by a quarter of a pound. So far there are 3 of us in the top 10 for individual weightloss, and next week hopefully it will be 4 out of the 5 of us. I like that it is a competition, because it is much more motivating for me.

Green Thumb II

Here are some pic from my little patio container garden.

 Habenero peppers in the bottom pot

 Jalapenos in the front tan pots, hops in the second row.

 Green bell peppers in the front row and cucumber in the hanging pot. (Willamette hops in the wooden pot.)

 Red Onions

2 garlic bulbs (in with a cascade hop plant)

 Red Bell Pepper

Finally, my topsy-turvy tomatoes which have some promising blossoms. I am very lazy, and my ice maker makes far more ice than we will ever use. So I pile up a bunch of ice on top of the topsy-turvy. As it slowly melts, it acts as a lazy man's drip irrigation system.

Green Thumb 2012

It's been a crazy 2012 so far, maybe I will write some about it later, but for now we're on to the garden -

The garden this year is a bit of a mess with the move, but I have 4 hops bines in containers that have survived the move in various states. The willamette, which never took off at the old house, is the one hop plant that survived the move well. It is up it's rope about 5 feet and the leaves are green and healthy. My top cascade bine was up over 15 feet when we moved, and it died off, so I cut the bines off at about one foot. I thought it might be dead for good, but in the last couple days, new shoots have started and it is growing well again. The jury is still out on the goldings. It looks okay, but is not really growing. I do not expect a harvest from any of them this year, but there is promise for next year.

We have some veggies planted too. The bell pepper seeds I saved from a store bought pepper never took off, so that was disappointing. I have 2 tomato topsy turveys that are going well though. I just planted garlic, onions and cucumbers in containers as well. I am keeping my fingers crossed on those. We might plant a few herbs too, some chives and cilantro maybe.

Other than that, Heidi's rosebush is thriving in it's new container. It has two big flowers forming. Her begonias and marigolds are looking promising too. So far so good.

The patio is a little messy from me planting the onions and garlic just now, so there probably won't be pictures until there are some results to see.

God Bless You, Mr Vonnegut

Putting this here so I don't lose it again.

“Thus did a handful of rapacious citizens come to control all that was worth controlling in America. Thus was the savage and stupid and entirely inappropriate and unnecessary and humorless American class system created. Honest, industrious, peaceful citizens were classed as bloodsuckers, if they asked to be paid a living wage. And they saw that praise was reserved henceforth for those who devised means of getting paid enormously for committing crimes against which no laws had been passed. Thus the American dream turned belly up, turned green, bobbed to the scummy surface of cupidity unlimited, filled with gas, went bang in the noonday sun.”
- Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You Mr. Rosewater

The First of Many (I Hope)

With it being my day off and the weather being so beautiful, I took Heidi for a true ride on the bike today. She has been out with me before on the bike, but those were short little rides around town. They were nice and all, but I wanted to see how a long ride would go. I switched out seats on the bike and moved the top luggage attachment back to make things more comfortable a couple days ago. It had been deemed a successful adjustment already.

After I brought Heidi home from dialysis (and then some futzing around with the clutch switch) we were off. We took off through town and out Rt 6 enjoying the sun and wind, well I was at least. The wind was making her a little cold, so she put her hands inside her sleeves. We rode out to through Tiffin, Oxford and Homestead and then north into Amana. I go out to Millstream Brewery whenever I get a chance, so we stopped there. I tried their newest Brewmaster series beer, a rye helles dopplebock. It was very good. Since we had the luggage on the bike, I bought a 4 pack to bring home.

By this time Heidi was very hungry so we rode south through Homestead, South Amana and then into Marengo to check out Fat Daddy's. Unfortunately for us, and for Fat Daddy's, they are not open for lunch on weekdays however. We decided on the Landmark Restaurant in Williamsburg instead, so we took off back through Marengo and then south through Conroy (where I bought the old bike) and into Williamsburg. We almost stopped at Fireside Winery, but I know how hungry Heidi gets after dialysis, so I decided it would be better to get her some food instead. Lunch was fairly good, a patty melt for me and Heidi got a favorite of hers, a hot beef open-faced sandwich with potatoes and gravy. After a piece of fruit of the forest pie (every fruit they have in one pie I think) Heidi started looking pretty tired though.

We decided to skip the winery and just come home. I could tell Heidi was really tired because she agreed to come home on the interstate, which kinda scares her on the bike. The wind was a little stronger on such an open road, but I just took it easy, keeping it at about 65-70, and just let traffic pass us. It was an easy 25 miles home. Once we got home, Heidi managed to take the dog for a short walk before falling asleep in the easy chair.

Thank you hon for an excellent day, and I hope a glimpse of some of what we will be doing once the kids are out of the house. Next time I will try to get out on a Tuesday so Heidi isn't so wiped out from dialysis though. That way we can leave earlier and trek out further. Now I think we may be taking Syd to see Soul Surfer, which is alright by me too.

Hit Somebody

This is not mine. This is Kevin Smith's from here. It is part of a scene he is writing for Hit Somebody. (The part of Blue Jay is being written with John Goodman in mind.) I'm posting it in case it does not make the final film because I think it deserves to be preserved. So, much like the case with the American Gods 'I believe' post, it may not be roguish but it is highly quotable:

BLUE JAY (CONT’D)
When you’re an adult, life’s not very fun anymore, kid. They expect productivity. And the pressure that comes with expectation of any kind - the stress and the anger and the jealousy…
Over a lifetime?
(mimes a heart attack; then)
But that doesn’t happen to hockey players. Know why?

Buddy shakes his head. Blue Jay points to the barn.

BLUE JAY (CONT’D)
Hockey players are allowed to beat people up.

Buddy’s taken back by this. Blue Jay nods.

BLUE JAY (CONT’D)
They take out their troubles on the ice. They take it out on the puck, or some sumbitch ain’t got his head up. For two minutes, all that stuff us mere mortals gotta deal with as thinking organisms on a cold rock in space that doesn’t care whether we hang on or spin off into the Milky Way? The stuff most people call “real life”? For two minutes , a hockey player gets to skate it all away. You can’t drop gloves on life, kid - but in The Game? They’ll cheer you if you do. Because they all know what a struggle… what a fight life can be. And when they see you take a swing - with your stick or a good right hook - they feel like you’re taking a swing for them. And lots of people will tell you that ain’t right. But brother?,
(whispers)
There ain’t nothin’ righter.

Blue Jay winks and smiles widely at Buddy.

Well said... ttfn