One Down, 3506 (Plus or Minus) More to Go

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 120 lbs

I guess that's one week of "maintenance" down. To be honest, I didn't change anything this week. I ate my usual 18 points a day. But, I did use all of my 35 flex points. I was down a couple of pounds for awhile, but, I ended the week, today, at my goal weight.

I don't want to figure out a new eating schema quite yet. I told myself I'd give myself up to six weeks before adding any points back, if I wanted to. Also, I haven't been doing any regular workouts for the past three weeks, so I need to get serious about doing that again. Then, I'll be okay experimenting with the points again.


Cheers!
mouse

07.30.07: Quasi-Normal Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

It was a full weekend in the mouse household.

I ended up working late Friday night to get a short deck done for my boss. Then, we had dinner before tackling ice cream production. We had a small get together planned for Saturday night and wanted ice cream for it. We made orange creamsicle, basil and mint for our three flavors. It's the first time we made basil and mint and I was happy with the way it turned out. I'll do recipes on Wednesday since we didn't eat out anywhere new this past week.

Saturday we woke early and spent the day prepping for the barbecue. Mr. mouse picked up a ton of meat, fruits and vegetables. And we cleaned and cut and marinated our way through the morning. Then, it was some super quick clean up and a bunch of stairs bringing all the gear up to the deck for the party. Fortunately, our first guest showed up an hour late, so we had a chance to relax before it all got started.

The weather was perfect. The company was perfect. The food was delicious. We had a blast just catching up with each other. And, one of my friends brought a card sort game with him in which we have to pick our top four core values.

Mine were (in no particular order):

• learning
• balance
• integrity
• awareness

Mr. mouse's were:

• well being
• freedom
• compassion
• taking care of loved ones

Compassion and freedom made it pretty far on my list, but when push came to shove they didn't make my cut. Still, we had a lot of fun doing the game and we learned a lot about each other in the process.

One of the couples helped us bring all the gear back down to the kitchen. Then, we did a couple of house tours before going back up for fireworks. I think we reminded them about all of the pluses of living in the city. It reminded me about all of the pluses of living in the city. Mr. mouse and I fell asleep on the deck and woke Sunday morning, around eight, to the sun. Highly recommended.

Sunday was packed with errands to prepare for our trip, which theoretically we leave for this Friday. Talk about last minute prep work! We hit the post office to return a parking permit from the mouse house. Then, we went to Ann Taylor Loft to return a couple of blouses and pick them up in new sizes. And, I picked up two new dresses for the wedding on the trip.



Better pictures if you go to their website. Then, we hit Target for random consumables before heading to Bed Bath and Beyond for some hand towels for the half bath. Speaking of Target, they now total all the flex spending qualified spend on the bottom of your recipe for you. How cool is that?!?! Next, it was the mall, return some tops at Banana Republic (accomplished), cancel international calling on my phone which never worked correctly (accomplished), unlock Mr. mouse's phone for our upcoming vacation (major bust with attitude) and look for new bras at the Victoria Secret's 40% off sale (bust). Last, but not least, we hit the bank and deposited a bunch of checks before heading home for the evening.

We had a simple dinner, mostly leftovers since we're in fridge clearing mode. Then, Mr. mouse ducked out to pick up a new memory card. And, I finished up the laundry. We finished off the evening sorting through our bonanza buy of strawberries. (They've been $0.50 a pint recently which is ridiculously cheap) and we were going to make strawberry ice cream but ended up making strawberry jam instead. I'm so excited to try it this morning.

Happy Monday, everyone.


Cheers!
mouse

Why am I Up?

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm up. I'm about 1/2 way through filling out a matrix for work and it's a slow go. I go off on tangents every 15 minutes (like now) and inspiration is slow coming tonight. I should just find the motivation to power through the rest and call it a night.

I'm working from the large green chair we have in the bedroom. And, looking around, the 15 minutes of work each day has worked its magic here as well. There's still stuff left to do...

1. consignment shop
2. Goodwill
3. move the TV
4. hang the mirror
5. move the office supplies
6. clear out the drawers
7. assess the underbed bins

I've got two more days before moving on to the next room. Which, by the way, is full cycle from when I started a month ago - the living room, which, fortunately, hasn't degenerated much from when I was last in it.

Okay. Back to work.


Cheers!
mouse

Root Cause Analysis

Dear Friends and Family,

I think I've sorted it all through - why I'm feeling so off. We were driving home yesterday, and I was STARVING. Mr. mouse asked me if I wanted to go back to Bon Soiree for dinner. They have a three course prix fixe menu on weeknights for $24 per person, no invitation or RSVP needed. I enjoyed the food last time, so I thought it sounded like excellent suggestion.

First off, the non-alcoholic drinks are not free on weeknights, we spent $7 on two bottles of soda that would have cost a fraction of that at Whole Foods. But, there wasn't anything on the signage or menu saying that until we got to the dessert menu after we had drunk the drinks. It was the, oh, surprise, they were complimentary last time... feeling. And, with the exception of a few appetizers and a couple main dishes, the other options all had an "upcharge" associated with it. $2 here. $3 there. $5 here. $10 there. We avoided the $10 upcharge like the plague, but I felt nickel and dimed on the other ones. Really, am I going to not order what I want for $2 more? Come on. Dessert menu comes out, and there's one house option and the rest have an upcharge as well. And, espresso, cappuccino, coffee and tea are no longer complimentary either. So, I passed on those as well. What started off as a $48 dinner for two ended up being a $70 dinner plus tip.

I'm not saying the food wasn't good because it was. Well, to be honest, I wasn't particularly thrilled with my braised pork shoulder. It was just too salty for me. But, Mr. mouse really liked it, so it might just be me. I'm just saying it annoyed me to have found myself spending 40% more for dinner than I had expected to. I'm not sure I'm entirely sold on the concept anymore.

I feel better now. Sorry to vent.


Cheers!
mouse

Thursday Blahs

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm not feeling super happy. I got woken up early by a thunderstorm. I'm super thirsty from dinner last night. And, I think I'm feeling hormonal on top of everything else.

Q.E.D. I'm drawing a blank on my writing topic. Nothing positive is coming to mind. And, therefore, I'm making the executive decision to skip today's post. Maybe after the A/C kicks in and I've had my morning tea and I'm feeling more put together, I'll write a post.

Otherwise, have a good day everyone.


Cheers!
mouse

Coalfire Pizza

Dear Friends and Family,

I was craving pizza Sunday night even if it increased the risk that I wouldn't make goal this week. And, I decided I would be willing to forgo goal for a week to maintain a normal life.

I read about Coalfire Pizza in Chicago magazine in an article they did on thin crust pizzas in the Windy City and decided to give it a try. The pizza was excellent. The crust is thin, but still chewy. It's cooked in a coal fire oven so there's a nice char on the bottom and on the crust that I really liked. They're a tad more liberal with their tomato sauce than I would be, but it's not overly salty or tart or sweet, just good tomato flavor.

I'm torn between going back and trying all of the other places in the article. Choices. Choices.

Overall rating: 8/10

Coalfire Pizza
1321 West Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622 map it
(312) 226-2625


Cheers!
mouse

GOAL!!!

Dear Friends and Family,

Yes. You read right. I weighed in this morning. And, somehow, in one week, I lost the last three pounds. The scale tipped on Saturday morning, but I assumed that that was because I was up all night reading Potter. Then, it dropped again on Sunday, and I thought, maybe... maybe not. Then, it gained 1.5 on Monday, and I wasn't sure, back to normal or salty pizza... Then it dropped 0.5 today to exactly where I needed it to be to make my goal.

I started this whole journey the week of 2/20/06 at 188 pounds. 74 weeks, 68 pounds later, I am able to proudly hold my head up and say, 07/24/07: 120 pounds. I'll be switching to maintenance mode, so the hard part's still ahead. But, I'm so excited to take my first step on this new journey.

I couldn't have done it without your support. Thank you so much for cheering me on!


Cheers!
mouse

07.23.07: Deathly Hallows

Dear Friends and Family,

We decided to spend the weekend at home forgoing both a Police concert in Toronto (sold our tickets) and a weekend in Austin (will have to do it later this year). Instead, we went to the book store on Friday night, read through the night, slept briefly, and then read through the day on Saturday.

Sunday, we slept in. And, then headed out to a barbecue with Mr. mouse's work colleagues. Two of Mr. mouse's friends from Houston flew up for the event and I got to spend some time catching up with them. They've been really supportive of my Weight Watchers thing. So, it was exciting to be able to share with them how close I am to goal.

We went out for dinner and then crawled into bed for some more zzzs. The weekend flew by, but it was very restful. We've got a ton to do this week to prepare for vacation.


Cheers!
mouse

Done

Dear Friends and Family,

Six hours of sleep, followed by a quick shower and eight hours of reading, and, I'm done. All I can say is, "WOW!"

Time to figure out dinner.


Cheers!
mouse

1/3 Way Through

Dear Friends and Family,

1/3 way through the book and I've come to the realization that I need sleep. Guess it's time to get some sleep before tackling the rest of it.

Cheers!
mouse

Home Now

Dear Friends and Family,

We're home now. Time to start reading! Not to spoil it for anyone (which I wouldn't do!) but it looks long and it looks good and I can't wait a moment longer.

We got it at 12:33. So, the wait wasn't too bad.


Cheers!
mouse

Off to the Book Store

Dear Friends and Family,

We're off to the book store to join in the midnight madness that is Harry Potter 7.

Thanks for the gift card, Trixie.


Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #3: Hot House Mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

After doing lots of reading, I've decided to tackle the big things first. There are people unplugging their TVs every time they're done watching and other semi-nonsensical things trying to reduce their energy consumption. I'm too analytical. The good old Pareto rule must apply here. 80% of my energy consumption is tied up in 20% of my plug-ins. And, without having all the facts on the tables, I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that my A/C unit is one of the 20% big hitters.

I've got two cooling cycles set for the mouse pad. The morning cycle goes from 4AM to 7AM. And, the evening cycle goes from 6PM to 9PM. Those two cycles are set at 78°. The rest of the time, the thermostat is set for 88°. I'll have to do a manual adjust on the weekends we're in town and/or we have company. Most people like it cooler than that, and I'm not going to make my guests suffer. 78° is plenty cool for me. But, I know that's not the norm. I'll adjust the winter setting in October. October 23rd to be exact.

2007 Action Plan

1. 07.20: I pledge to make a difference.
2. 07.20: I will track my electrical consumption.
3. 07.20: I will keep the house at 78°+ for the summer.
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. 
   
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. 
    
11. 
    
12. 
    

Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #2: Knowledge is Power

Dear Friends and Family,

Putting myself on an energy consumption plan is really no different than Weight Watchers for the Home. The first thing I am going to do is track my monthly electrical usage. I went back to look at the data. And, since I've moved into the mouse pad, the energy consumption has shot up almost 33% a month. Part of that is we're home more. Part is more dishes. Part is more laundry. Part is I keep the place warmer in the winter.

Our yearly consumption in 2006 was 7,343 kWh with an average consumption of 620 kWh per month. This year, we're averaging 822 kWh per month. Not sure what changes I'll be making, but at least now I'll be able to know if it's impacting our electrical consumption, which, by the way, is the first thing I'm tackling.

2007 Action Plan

1. 07.20: I pledge to make a difference.
2. 07.20: I will track my electrical consumption.
   
3. 
   
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. 
   
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. 
    
11. 
    
12. 
    

Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #1: I Pledge to Make a Difference

Dear Friends and Family,

Got some sleep last night. Finally! Still planning on napping this afternoon.

I think our environment needs help. And, even if Mr. mouse and I aren't huge consumers of our world's natural resources, we are consumers. I want to become more conscious and more purposeful about my consumption. Note sure where this will lead. But, that's not a reason to not start the journey.

2007 Action Plan

1. 07.20: I pledge to make a difference.
   
2. 
   
3. 
   
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. 
   
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. 
    
11. 
    
12. 
    

Cheers!
mouse

Time for a New Top 3

Dear Friends and Family,

I've been meaning to write this post all week and haven't had the time or energy to organize my thoughts. Not sure how coherent I am right now, but, I'm going to attempt it.

I think it's time to update the Top 3.

1. There's Weight Watchers. And, I'm ~3 pounds away from my goal weight. I'm making decent progress on the last mile. I'll continue to plug along at it since it doesn't cost me lots of extra cycles right now. And, then, I'll need to learn maintenance. So, net net, no changes on this one.
2. Then, there's flylady. I've been diligently doing my 15 minutes of housework every day with the exception, obviously, of this entire week. I've made good progress. And, I want to continue down this path to see where the journey ends. I think it'll end where it began. My house will lift itself out of chaos (can't have anyone over syndrome) to the nirvana that was my apartment when I first got out of school. Back then, in my first moments of independence, I got to figure out who I am. And pack rat with clutter everywhere is not me. This has been more therapeutic than I originally realized it would be when I started my first 15 minute session. And, I'm excited to continue to make progress.
3. The roof and the door. They both leak. And, I'm tired of the stress associated with either of them. Really, don't we make enough to NOT have a leaky roof over our head? Well, it's more a matter of time than money. And, I've decided that when we get back from vacation, we will be tackling the water coming into our house. Enough is enough.

Okay. That's me for now. Need to go get ready for work.


Cheers!
mouse

Feeling Like Roadkill

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm not one to whine about work, but this week has been a doozy. It's been non-stop since Friday preparing for a workshop we're having today. And, I haven't done a good job taking care of myself this week. I've hit the gym zero times. I've done a poor job with my eating choices. And, I haven't been getting any good quality sleep. So, it's no surprise that I'm feeling wiped. And, to say I feel like roadkill is an understatement.

I think a good nap tomorrow afternoon and then lots of rest this weekend will get me back in fighting form.


Cheers!
mouse

Friends Sushi

Dear Friends and Family,

Trixie and I were nearing the end of our walk on Saturday and checking out food options. And, just as we were walking past Friends Sushi, Trixie asked me if there were any small, decent sushi places nearby. It seemed like fate, so we went in for a try.

I was pleasantly surprised. We ordered four rolls to share - salmon avocado maki, spicy himachi maki, unagi cucumber maki, and shiitake mushroom maki - and two pieces of tamago, one for each of us at the end of the meal. The rolls were all good. The ingredients were fresh. The spicy himachi had just the right amount of spice. The cucumber added a nice crunch contrast to the unagi. Both the salmon and the avocado were buttery and creamy. And, the shiitake mushroom kept it all balanced. I couldn't decide which one I liked the most. They were all good in their own way.

I took a brochure so I could remember the place for the write up. And, on the back of the menu it says September 2007 Grand Opening. Okay.

Overall rating: 8/10

Friends Sushi
710 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611 map it
(312) 787-8998
http://www.friendssushi.com - site not live yet


Cheers!
mouse

So Gong Dong Tofu House

Dear Friends and Family,

We wanted to take Trixie for soon tofu, but our usual place is closed on Sundays. So, Mr. mouse looked for a recommended place on lthforum.com.

So Gong Dong is short on style and long on taste. The exterior is nondescript and the interior clearly hasn't been updated in the past 15 years. But, the food is good. We ordered the mandoo (dumplings) to share and a bowl of soon tofu for each of us. The dumplings were a mix of beef dumplings and kim chee dumplings. Both were good. The filling was a mix of meat, tofu, kim chee and noodles. The dumplings were steamed so the skin was soft and translucent. Mmm. I love dumplings.

Mr. mouse ordered the pork soon tofu, Trixie ordered the vegetable soon tofu and I ordered the beef soon tofu. The broth was spicy with a hint of fermented bean paste in the soup base. The tofu was creamy and mild. The soup contained a good mix of tofu and vegetables. And, they did an excellent job with the rice. It was cooked in a hot stone bowl. The rice was cooked for exactly the right amount of time with the right amount of water. The "crust" came off in one giant piece and I munched on both Mr. mouse's and mine.

Overall rating: 8/10

So Gong Dong Tofu House
3307 West Bryn Mawr Avenue
Chicago, IL 60659 map it
(773) 539-8377


Cheers!
mouse

No Post Today

Dear Friends and Family,

Broadband down this morning. Just got home from work. No change in weight. See you in four hours.


Cheers!
mouse

07.16.07: Trixie and Me

Dear Friends and Family,

The weekend got off to a shaky start. I had a conference call from work that started at 3:30 and was supposed to go for an hour. Instead, it ran over by a mile. I was starving half way through and snuck in a snack to tide me over until dinner. We ended the call in all-hands-on-deck mode, and me the only one without a blackberry. A follow up call to my boss confirmed that he didn't expect me to hang out by my computer all weekend doing email which is a good thing since my password decided to expire and I couldn't access email anyway. Fun. Fun. I love when work intrudes on the weekend.

After the call, Mr. mouse and I had dinner and did some quick pick up because Trixie was on her way over after she had dinner with her Dad. We hung out on the deck even if it was a little chilly out until she got here. Then had wine and chatted for a bit before turning in for the night.

Don't ask why, but we all got up super early on Saturday. Well, not super early. Just super early for the weekend. We had breakfast on the deck before heading out for a haircut appointment for Trixie with my beautician. While at the salon, we got a recommendation for a tattoo parlor from one of the women, and headed there next. We improvised on the walk route so that it would take us past the place, and found it without a problem. Trixie got her butterfly installed and we were on our way for our walk. We ended up doing about half of the walk I had originally scoped out, but it worked out perfectly for the day. We walked downtown and then through downtown, ending with sushi and a pit stop at the Whole Foods for picnic fare.

Our end destination was Millennium Park for a free concert by the Grant Park Orchestra. We spread out a blanket on the lawn, broke out our rotisserie chicken and fruit and just enjoyed the scene. It was a sea of people at the concert (Beethoven to Gershwin) and it varied from a person sans blanket reading a copy of the Economist to a family with several small kids and a bag of nachos to a group of older couples with hampers, fold out tables, flowers, champagne and the works. I love the diversity. The concert was a perfect ending to the day. And, Mr. mouse offered pick up service afterwards. So, after a quick walk through the park, we met him in front of the Cultural Center for a quick ride home. We sat on the deck and enjoyed recapping our day before turning in for the night.

Sunday, we got a later start and made it to Milk & Honey for breakfast/lunch. Trixie got the huevos rancheros. Mr. mouse got a caprese salad, chicken sausage, and a blueberry plum cobbler. I got a BLT sandwich and a side of fruit salad. Afterwards, we stopped off to pick up some doggy treats before piling into the car for a trip to the Field. We walked through the Darwin exhibit which was spectacular and the Dinosaurs exhibit which was okay. I picked up the funnest book on Hot Chocolate. I might have to make a weekly treat for myself once I'm on maintenance. We booked it up to Korea Town for some soon tofu before coming back downtown for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I won't say anything about the movie in case you haven't seen it yet, except to say I really liked it and, WOW, they don't look like kids anymore. We crashed when we got home.

And, it's now Monday morning. Mr. mouse is dropping Trixie off at the airport and I need to go catch up on work before I get into the office. All in all, a most excellent and relaxing weekend. And, now, I just need to make it through this week, which promises to be a heavy one, before HP7 comes out this weekend. I can't wait!


Cheers!
mouse

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

Dear Friends and Family,

This one is always a crowd pleaser. Just remember to open a window and turn the fan on high before you start.

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

• 4 slices jalapeño pepper
• 1 slice ginger
  
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• pinch white pepper
• 1 tbs corn starch
• 4 tbs canola oil
• 1 lb shrimp (no smaller than 36#)

1. Slice the jalapeño into rings/ovals with the seeds. Slice a slice of ginger. Crush the garlic.
2. Mix the salt, black pepper and white pepper in a bowl.
3. Peel and devein the shrimp. Mix the cornstarch with a cup of water. Add shrimp to the cornstarch mixture.
4. Heat oil over a high flame until shimmery. Drain shrimp and pat dry. Fry shrimp in batches until they JUST start to turn pink.
5. Remove most of the oil from the pan/wok, leaving about 1 tbs in the pan. Reheat oil over high flame. Add jalapeño slices, ginger and garlic to oil. Bloom for ~30 seconds. Add salt mixture to the oil, saving a couple of pinches for later. Cook for ~15 seconds. Add shrimp and cook for ~30 more seconds.
6. Plate and sprinkle with remaining salt mixture.

Cheers!
mouse & Mr. mouse

The Gap: Why Sales Have been Down

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been a running joke of mine recently, so I figured I'd share it with you. The Gap. I've been very disappointed in the Gap recently. They WERE my go to store for the basics: khakis, polo shirts, t shirts, etc. But, not anymore. I just don't get them any more.

In the era of vanity sizing, where I am now either a 2P, a 2, or a 4P in 90% of the stores I shop in, at the Gap, for some reason the L and the XL fit me just fine, thank you. Okay, point #1: When 66% of America is either overweight or obese who can fit into the M, the S and the XS?!?! Who?!?! That's half your inventory that's not turning productively.

Now, when I find something that physically fits, in the L or the XL, it's just not flattering. It makes me look like the Michelin man with little rolls of fat in all the wrong places. If it wasn't for the fact that I can find clothes elsewhere that fit just fine, I would think, maybe, I was the issue. The clothes are fine. I'm just fat and ugly. But, I can find clothes elsewhere. So, I know I'm not the problem. So... Point #2: Don't make your customers look ugly, it tends to reduce sales. Find styles that flatter people. That effectively kills the turns on the half the inventory that made it through the first cut.

What amazes me is that they're owned by the same parent company as Banana Republic. Now, that's a store I love. And, where stuff fits and flatters. Do they not talk to each other? Speaking of which, I need to check out their sales racks. The dry cleaner lost two of my summer blouses, so my stock is dangerously low.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: I love the Michelin Man. I just don't think I can carry the look as well as he does.

More Progress on the Mouse Pad

Dear Friends and Family,

We continue to power through organizing the mouse pad. I've been spending the week working on the kitchen and Mr. mouse has been emptying out the garage so that we can fit both cars into it.

The progress on the kitchen hasn't been as dramatic as the progress on the living room and the dining room. This is probably because we spent some time working on it before I began my structured 15 minutes a day thing so the counters were already clear. This past week, I've spent some time sorting through the pantry, emptying out old food from the fridge, clearing off all of the magnets from one of our fridges, sorting through our vases and moving the keepers into the living room where they belong, and organizing the scary area under the sink. I guess it's still progress. It's just not the big splash progress we were making in the first two rooms. Three more days on the kitchen before we move on to the next room in the house.

The progress on the garage has been amazing. Mr. mouse really outdid himself. I think part of it was prompted by the two parking tickets we got in June - one for leaving the car parked on the street during street cleaning and one for being too close to a hydrant. Or, maybe he just got the bug. Either way, he posted an ad for our moving boxes online and sold all of them for $244 and a bottle of champagne. Now, with a bit of moving things around, we should be able to fit both cars into the garage. We'll see.

And, last, but not least, we sold our Toronto Police tickets. This frees up that weekend for either visiting some friends in Texas, curling up with the new Harry Potter at home, or more working on the house. All four options sound fun to me, so I guess we couldn't really lose on this one.


Cheers!
mouse

Bon Soiree Underground Restaurant

Dear Friends and Family,

A friend at work told me about Bon Soiree. They're a catering company that decided to open an "underground" restaurant. You go to their website and sign up for a seating. Every week, people get "invited" to join for dinner, up to 30 people per evening. It's a five course prix fixe dinner for $55 a person. It's BYOB, no corkage fee.

Our menu

1. sweet diver scallop, summer plum chutney, and pepper-lime drizzle
2. chilled velvety zucchini & roasted garlic soup, toasted coriander
3. salad of haricot vert & fresh artichokes, macadamias and pink peppercorn vinaigrette
4. sliced flank steak, heirloom tomato salsa, wasabi whipped potatoes, charred red onion sauce & chive coulis
5. chef's assorted selection

We had a surprisingly easy time getting "invited" to dinner. I think it's because they've added a weeknight dinner and a second seating on Saturday. The pressure's eased quite a bit on demand for the prime Saturday seating. We brought a bottle of South African red and a bottle of port and (don't ask) the remnants of a bottle of rum.

Seating is split between inside the restaurant and a cozy backyard patio. We opted for the patio since we have had a love affair with courtyard patio style dining dating back to our first trip to New Orleans. I wasn't sure what to expect food-wise so I judiciously saved up ALL of my flex points, just in case. But, no worries, between the portion sizing and the ingredients, it worked out fine. All of the dishes, with the exception of the mashed potatoes, were light and summery. None of them were overly creamy or saucy. And, since most of it was vegetable based, it wasn't a heavy hit to the Weight Watchers points bank in the end.

The food? It was excellent! Mr. mouse and I both enjoyed each and every dish. I especially liked the scallop with chutney. I forgot how good scallops are. And, we resolved to have them at home more often. Will add the food porn pictures once Mr. mouse uploads them to flickr.

Overall rating: 8/10

Bon Soiree Underground Restaurant
2728 West Armitage Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647 map it
(773) 486-7511
http://www.bon-soiree.com/underground


Cheers!
mouse

The Phoenix Restaurant

Dear Friends and Family,

We drove out to Chinatown Sunday morning for Shanghai dumplings (aka soupy dumplings), but the restaurant we were going to try was closed. And, since fate had fortuitously offered us a parking spot in front of Phoenix, we decided to give it a try.

Chicago has a disappointing track record for dim sum. So, we both had the bar set pretty low walking into the place. The food was, surprisingly, pretty good. We only had a couple of dishes, but they were all fresh, hot, and well flavored. I knocked the rating a point because the service is slow, the carts don't come out frequently and when they do they don't follow an efficient pattern and if you don't get to them quickly, they run out. So you have to work to get food. You expect some degree of that in a dim sum restaurant, but this was more work than usual. They have a "last mile" issue, or technically, a last 100 feet issue.

Still, I'd be willing to go back. Since, so far, it's the best dim sum, quality wise, we've had in the Chicagoland area. Unfortunately, given the sad shape of dim sum in the Chicagoland area, that's not a ringing endorsement.

Overall rating: 7/10

The Phoenix Restaurant
2131 South Archer Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618 map it
(312) 328-0850
http://www.chinatownphoenix.com


Cheers!
mouse

3 Pounds and Counting

Dear Friends and Family,

Another week, another weigh in. I had the joy of seeing an über low number on the scale mid-week last week. But, alas, I couldn't make it stick. I would have been giddy if I could. Still, I'm down a pound and I'll take that for the week.

What makes this weigh in special is a silly little star you get on the Weight Watchers progress chart. You get one for every five pounds you lose. And, by focusing on the next five pounds, you focus on smaller, more manageable goals instead of getting frustrated or overwhelmed by the bigger, long term goal. Well, I just earned my last pink star. My next goal is goal. I'm working towards the big yellow star. There's nothing standing between me and goal. Well, there is three pounds. But, still. No more pink stars. I'll kinda miss them. But, I'm too excited about Big Yellow to miss them too much right now.


Cheers!
mouse

Dining Room - Phase I Accomplished

Dear Friends and Family,

I didn't think it could be done, but we finished the dining room this weekend! There's a tiny pile of paper that I need to move to my glove box when I drive the car home this week. And, besides that, the room is basically de-cluttered. There's still random stuff to do like pack the wine glasses for donation, figure out how to make my work vpn work from my home computer, donate some food to the food bank, finish the window treatments, fix Mr. mouse's watch and read through a magazine. But, it's better than I thought is was going to be when I surveyed the room on Thursday.

On to this week's room: the kitchen.


Cheers!
mouse

07.09.07: Weekend at Home

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a quiet, productive weekend at home.

Saturday, I woke up early to get my haircut. My beautician had to reschedule my haircut because his close friend died unexpectedly and he needed to attend a wake. How horrible is that? Well, it turns out, his friend was murdered, in Minneapolis, and the investigation is still under way. Stuff like that doesn't happen in Minneapolis. It's a quiet, beautiful place that time and crime forgot. I'm stunned. No new information yet on who or why or anything.

Well, because he opened early to squeeze in my haircut, we had the whole shop to ourselves. The light was filtering in and he chose some really mellow music. And, it was like a private appointment. What a peaceful way to start a Saturday morning. It's just unfortunate the reason he needed to reschedule in the first place.

After breakfast, we headed out for a bike ride. Mr. mouse found a trail so I wouldn't have to spend a lot of time and energy focused on cars and pedestrians and such and could just focus on the bike thing. We did the first leg of it which is about 12 miles in about 2 hours. Frankly, I can run at that pace, so it was more for the getting out and trying it factor than anything else. I was really sore on Sunday - my rear end from the seat and my back, shoulders and hands from figuring out the balance thing. And, I'm still getting my groove on, figuring out things like how to get my foot in the holder thing and figuring out things like how to use the big gear on the left hand side of the bike and lots of other things. But, all in all, I had a lot of fun and look forward to our next excursion. Hopefully, once I figure out all the basics, we can go for longer and faster rides. It'll be fun.

After the bike ride, we stopped by Whole Foods for lunch. I bought a hodge podge of stuff, but ended up eating only half of it. I had shrimp cocktail for a starter and stuffed cabbage for lunch with a flavored iced tea that was 70% organic. What the #$@$! is 70% organic?!?! Whatever. Mr. mouse had a couple of bites of pizza before diving into his chicken panini and lemonade. Guess we were both craving the semi-sweetened drink.

Home. We spent some time cleaning and paying bills before showering and getting ready for dinner. We had reservations for a new place (not new, just new to us) so I'll do a write-up, probably this Wednesday. And, after dinner, we slept on the roof top until Sunday morning when the sun woke us.

Sunday, we went out for Shanghai dumplings (aka soupy dumplings) but the shop we researched wasn't opened when we arrived. We went for dim sum instead, which turned out to be just as good. Then, we spent the afternoon watching another leg of the F1 race. I have to say, it was an exciting race. I'll spare you the blow-by-blow, but, in the end, my guy, Kimi Räikkönen, won! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking dinner (curry chicken with potatoes). Then, we returned a set of lanterns to Target and set up the umbrella on the deck before turning in for the night.

We missed a fun weekend with the neighbors at the cabin, but given how full flight were, I'm glad we weren't cooling our heels this weekend at the airport.


Cheers!
mouse

Curry Chicken and Potatoes

Dear Friends and Family,

Not sure how this will go over or how diligent I'll be about it, but I might start posting Mr. mouse's recipes for his fans.

Curry Chicken and Potatoes

• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 large onion
  
• 6 slices ginger
• 8 cloves garlic
  
• 2 tbs curry powder
• 1 chicken or 3 lbs of legs, thighs, or breasts with bone
  
• 20 baby potatoes
• 1 can chicken broth
• salt

1. Slice the onion (longitudinally, not rings) and ginger. Crush the garlic.
   
2. Cut up the chicken and potatoes into pieces about 2 inches x 2 inches. (If you're not comfortable chopping up the bone, then just cut the meat off the bone and use the whole bone.)
3. Mix curry powder with water to make a thin paste.
4. Heat oil over a medium flame. Saute onions, ginger and garlic for about 3 minutes until they are soft.
   
5. Add the curry powder/paste to onions, ginger and garlic. Bloom spices in the pot for a couple of minutes.
6. Add chicken and potatoes. Add chicken broth to cover. Simmer 30 minutes.

Cheers!
mouse & Mr. mouse

The Police at Wrigley Field - Set List

Dear Friends and Family,

We went to the concert last night and Mr. mouse had an absolute blast. I had fun as well, more fun than I thought I would, truth be told. The weather was perfect - high seventies, no humidity, with a slight breeze. The sun was setting over Wrigley Field and we had some killer seats on the field. I'm a firm believer in yoga, now, seeing how amazing Sting looks compared to the rest of the band. We go again in two weeks. It'll be fun.

Here's the set list:

1. Message in a Bottle
2. Synchronicity ][
3. Walking on the Moon
4. Voices inside My Head, When the World is Coming Down
5. Don't Stand So Close to Me
6. Driven to Tears
7. Truth Hits Everybody
8. The Bed's Too Big without You
9. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
10. Wrapped around Your Finger
11. Do Do Do Do De Da Da Da
12. Invisible Sun
13. Walking in Your Footsteps
14. Can't Stand Losing You
15. Roxanne

The encore:

1. King of Pain
2. So Lonely
3. Every Breath You Take

And, second encore:

1. Next to You

Cheers!
mouse

Clutter Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Don't ask me how I got into the non-morning posting mode. Cause I don't know. Last night I wanted to write, so I did, and this morning, I didn't have anything new to write about, so I didn't. Now, I do. And, I've got a reserved topic for tomorrow morning to get me back on track. Phew. Now we can all go back to worrying about bigger issues at hand, like global warming.

I've been studiously doing my 15 minutes of clean up a day. And, it has, amazingly enough, begun to make a big difference in the house. The living room has maintained itself from last week. And, this week I've been working on the "dining room" or rather that area of our house that is in between the living room and the kitchen. This is an area where clutter knows no bounds. It accumulates and grows and stockpiles and truth-be-told, I believe it breeds upon itself and creates yet more clutter. So, it's been a slow go.

Day 1: I made a small clean area on the coffee table by clearing a pile of papers from it. Day 2: I cleared off the top of a kitchen island/bar we have (with the exception of 5 IKEA wine glasses we're donating, some hardware pieces we need to finish hanging the window treatments, and Mr. mouse's watch which is drying in the sun). Day 3: I cleared off my study table which had become a dumping ground for all sorts of random pieces of paper. Day 4 (today): I sorted through all of those papers from my study table dump yesterday. I only have two more days to dedicate to this area before I need to move on to the kitchen. Clearly, it's work in progress.

What amazes me is that fifteen minutes a day is enough to make visible progress. And, it's just short enough of a period of time that I know I have fifteen minutes to take care of stuff like this. Woot!


Cheers!
mouse

Bombs Bursting in Air

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse is napping on the roof.

We had an All American July 4th. We slept in. Had lunch. Then, went shopping. First we hit Target where we purchased more deck furniture, on clearance. It's still sitting in the trunk. We didn't have the time nor the energy to carry it upstairs tonight.

umbrella

umbrella base

We also picked up some lanterns for the roof. They're outdoor rated and solar powered. So, we can leave them on the table and they'll turn on automatically every night. We picked up two different styles. Not sure which we'll end up keeping and which we'll end up returning. Mr. mouse likes option #1 more. I like option #2 more.

lantern, option 1

lantern, option 2

After Target, we headed to the mall. We picked up a swimsuit for me for vacation in August. And, two more pairs of jeans, one for Mr. mouse and one for me. Then, we went to the supermarket and picked up some food for the week. We had a hodge podge of stuff for dinner, hot dogs, corn on the cob, olives, chips, guacamole, and fruit salad. Don't ask me how, but I made it all fit into my 18 point daily allocation.

The fireworks started as soon as it got dark. And, continued at a brisk pace until about an hour ago. They're still going off, but not nearly as many as earlier in the evening. It was pretty stunning, the different fireworks going off. Next year, we're going to have to have a party and share the wealth. July 4th will be on a Friday so it'll be perfect timing!

And, while looking forward, I also snuck a peek backward to last year. We didn't remember seeing all the fireworks last year, but I do recall an entry in my blog called Rockets Red Glare... And once I read it, all of it came rushing back. We spent Friday night and Saturday at the mouse pad. Then, we drove down to Indianapolis for the race. Then, flew back to the mouse house for the Fourth. But, we were so busy working on the house, we passed on dinner with our neighbors. It seems like forever ago that we were working every weekend on the house. Boy, it's good to have that done. And, I know we're booked through Labor Day. But, we're going to have to find a weekend to fly back and visit with everyone. Fall will be good for that. While it's still warm enough to grill.

Off to bed. I've got to catch up on work tomorrow after sloughing off for three days now.


Cheers!
mouse

Happy Independence Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday started out as a very unproductive day. I didn't get as much work done as I wanted. Then, I ended up napping in the afternoon. Talk about being bump on a log, that was me.

I was able to get my act together when Mr. mouse got home. He spent some time changing the tires on his bike and adjusting the tire pressure on my bike so we can go bicycling this weekend. Then, we ate dinner and headed out to meet up with a friend from work and her husband to see the fireworks. Mr. mouse got some awesome shots of it. He impresses me sometimes. He's so handy.





Cheers!
mouse

J. Christopher's

Dear Friends and Family,

We went to J. Christopher's for brunch on Saturday. Disclaimer: I've gotten totally spoiled with the multiple brunch options within shouting distance of the mouse pad. So, the bar is set pretty high.

Mr. mouse ordered a typical Southern breakfast - biscuits and gravy with a side of country ham, fried eggs and potatoes. I got the smoked turkey avocado skillet with pico de gallo hold the cheese. The skillets come with roasted potatoes and two eggs.

I hate to say it, but there wasn't a lot about the meal to make it stand out as a destination place. It was fine. But, I'm not salivating writing about the place. Now, the croissants from Premiere Moisson... That was a memorable breakfast...

Overall rating: 6/10

J. Christopher's
1205 Johnson Ferry Road
Marietta, GA 30068 map it
(770) 579-6800
http://www.jchristophers.com


Cheers!
mouse

Chosun Ok

Dear Friends and Family,

Got the recommendation for Chosun Ok from The Blissful Glutton. We passed a bunch of newer restaurants on the way. Koreans love to eat out.

We ordered the kalbi (marinated short ribs), the sam gyup sal (uncured pork belly), the mandoo (steamed dumplings) and the pajun (seafood scallion pancake). The kalbi was tender with a good marinade. We grilled it over the live coals which adds to the flavor considerably. The sam gyup sal was cut thicker than we usually have it making is a little harder to appreciate the pork flavor and texture. The dumplings were excellent. We should have ordered two batches of those. I could have finished one all by myself. And, the pajun, well constructed, but needed more seafood.

In summary, the kalbi and the dumplings were winners. The pork belly and the pajun were standard dishes.

Overall rating: 7/10

Chosun Ok
5865 Buford Highway Northeast
Atlanta, Georgia 30340 map it
(770) 452-1821


Cheers!
mouse

Ted's Montana Grill

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm writing about a chain restaurant and I'm giving it an 8. Wow. What has the world come to? We went to Ted's Montana Grill for lunch on Sunday. Mr. mouse ordered the naked bison burger with onion rings. And, I ordered the skinny dip (adds avocado) bison burger with jalapeños on a whole wheat bun and a baked sweet potato. The sweet potato was way over-baked. It was mushy, not firm. But, the burger had good texture, a little crumbly, not overly dense and good flavor, which must mean it's higher in fat. Fortunately, they do a decent job of keeping the portions in check. We estimated the burger was about 10 oz. uncooked weight, which is large but not gross.

Overall rating: 8/10

Ted's Montana Grill
640 Johnson Ferry Road
Marietta, GA 30068 map it
(770) 578-8337
http://www.tedsmontanagrill.com


Cheers!
mouse

07.02.07: Hotlanta

Dear Friends and Family,

We flew out Friday evening to visit our friends in Atlanta. I'm always surprised at how short the flight is. I only got about a third of my work done on the flight. It was hot and muggy when we landed Friday night and I was bracing for an entire weekend of heat, but it cooled down and dried up for Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday morning, I got up early to try and finish my work. Then, we headed out to brunch and a trip to the mall. Mr. mouse picked up an 8GB iphone and I got a new pair of Lucky jeans. I'm keeping the jeans. Mr. mouse might return the iphone. It requires a 2 year contract. And, an OS upgrade with another OS upgrade this fall. And, we've just read too much negative press on the speed of the network. Hmmm... We stopped by a grocery store Mr. mouse wanted to see and picked up some food. And, then changed into our swimsuits for a dip in the community pool. Dinner? Korean barbecue. Grilled meats. Yum.

Sunday, I got up early again to try and finish my work. We took the dogs for a walk before it got too hot. And, then, somehow ended up spending the morning watching a Food Network special on Haagen Dazs ice cream. They had a contest to let consumers develop the next flavor. Then they followed their story through marketing, production, consumer research, etc. until a new flavor was launched: Sticky Toffee Pudding. It inspired us to stop by the mall after lunch to share a scoop. It was a winner. And, looking on their website, looks like they have the 2007 contest running now and it's down to three new flavors: blueberry belgian waffle, coco y cacao, and caramelized pear and toasted pecan. Also looks like one of the 2006 runner ups made it into production too... toasted coconut sesame brittle... I'll have to try it one weekend. Okay, enough about ice cream. For lunch, we headed out for burgers and I tried a bison burger and it was good. We came back to the house to watch the F1 race together. And, then, unfortunately, it was time to head back to the airport for our flight home.

Got home in time to spend 15 more minutes on the living room. And turn in early for the night.


Cheers!
mouse