02.29.08: Definitely Not Pregnant

Dear Friends and Family,

Okay. There it is. Knowing is better than waiting.

And, the ants going marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah...


Cheers!
mouse

Homemade Bulgur

Dear Friends and Family,

We first had bulgur in Turkey. And, I like it enough to make it regularly at home now. It's like couscous, but couscous is semolina wheat and bulgur is durum wheat.

2 tbs olive oil (30 grams)
1 3/4 cups bulgur
3 cups plus 2 tbs broth or water
salt

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan.
2. Sauté bulgur 3-5 minutes.
3. Add broth/water. Bring to boil.
4. Reduce heat to low. Cover.
5. Cook 15-20 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed.
6. Turn off heat. Put a paper towel between pot and lid.
7. Let stand 5-10 minutes.
8. Salt to taste

Serves 4. (4.5 Weight Watchers points)

Sometimes I garnish with a little chopped parsley. Sometimes I add paprika and/or cinnamon to the bulgur. It's flexible.

Key words: Middle Eastern, core, vegetarian, vegan, carbohydrate


Cheers!
mouse

02.29.08: Still Not Pregnant

Dear Friends and Family,

Day 32. And, I'm beginning to get a little anxious. We took another test this morning since it's the end of my window and of my patience. Still reads - Not Pregnant. Well, um, now what? I guess we wait until sometime next week and test again. Seriously, what's our other option?

I have my annual exam next Friday. I guess I check again on Tuesday - halfway between now and then.


Cheers!
mouse

Budget Update - February

Dear Friends and Family,

February was a surprisingly easy month. Well, I take that back. I went over by $30, so I'm not sure I deserve any pats on the back quite yet. But, I spent $260 on clothes, $25 on gifts in the office, and $20 in charitable contributions. Given that, February was a surprisingly easy month.

Unfortunately, there's a reason it was so easy. No haircut. That's $125 I saved. Since I get my haircut every six weeks, there are months without one. I can't imagine switching hair cutters. I've been with mine for over 10 years now. But, he was $35 when I started. And, now, well, not so much. It's all choices I make. I guess.

March will be tough. It's a five week month. And, I'll have to rein in the spending from February. This is good. I feel like I'm learning financial discipline. And, I'm not sure if I feel like I'm missing anything I've given up.

Description	Amount
Outlet Shopping - clothes	260.23
Gym	62.00
Lunches at Work	43.88
Wax	40.00
Train Pass	31.50
Junior Achievement contributions	20.00
Work - misc (gifts, etc.)	24.99
Taxi	17.00
Weight Watchers	16.95
Water brush	9.99
Snacks, Coffee, Soda, etc.	8.07
Magazine	4.99
Toothbrush Holder	4.36
Tip	2.00
Shared Ride Home	-15.00
Total	$530.96

Cheers!
mouse

In the Time of Apricots

Dear Friends and Family,

Our friend who spent some time in Cairo told us a phrase the other day that stuck with me. We had bought some apricots at the grocery store on Saturday. (I've been in love with fresh apricots since our trip to Turkey.) And, he told us about a saying they have in Egypt that I'm sure will lose something in the translation.

In the time of apricots, it means when something happens when the chances of it happening are super slim. He said they have this saying because apricots are available for such a short time period, they're ephemeral. I like that. And, I have to say, I love the apricots I have right now. I've got it on my list to re-stock tonight. They might just become an "it's almost spring" tradition.


Cheers!
mouse

02.27.08: Not Pregnant

Dear Friends and Family,

We got up this morning to take the home pregnancy test together. According to the stick, we're "not pregnant." I guess I can expect my monthly guest sometime in the next two or three days. If not, then we test again.


Cheers!
mouse

02.26.08: Any Day Now...

Dear Friends and Family,

Sometime between yesterday and Friday is my scheduled "start date" for my next monthly cycle. Which means Saturday is our scheduled pee-in-a-cup date. I guess it's an anxious waiting game, again.

Honestly, with all the work stress, I'm not sure there's ever a good time. But, in a perfect world, it would be next month - so I can get through the calendar year and align maternity leave and the holidays. But, Murphy's Law says it won't align perfectly. It'll be what it'll be.

And, I have a strange feeling it'll be this month. I know it's my mind playing tricks on me, but, I can't shake the feeling. We'll see.

Today, tomorrow, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Four more days until we test. Although, to be honest, I'll be tempted to test tomorrow, my expected start date based on my approximate-at-best math. Maybe I will test tomorrow. Then, if we can always test again on Saturday.

We'll see how I feel tomorrow.


Cheers!
mouse

02.26.08: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 120

I'm so glad you're here to keep me honest because this was a rough week, eating wise. I had a trip to Boston mid-week that included dinner out with a friend. Then, as you know, over the weekend, we had friends over on Friday and Sunday and went over to a friends' place on Saturday. Oh, to think, Saturday morning, I was 117.

Obviously, another week to try to do better. At a minimum, I've got to stay under 120 which is my two pound cap.

FOOD

almonds, apricots, asparagus, banana, beef broth, block cheese, bulgur, butter, champagne, chicken fried rice, corn tortillas, egg whites, grouper, Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream, homemade dal, honey orange cake, Michael's aioli, Michael's fish stew, Michael's fruit tart, Michael's stuffed dates, olive oil, pasta, pineapple, pistachios, popcorn, potatoes, roast chicken, strawberries, sushi, whipped cream, white rice, wine

BORDERLINE

Alliance cupcake, baguette, Bennison's apple pie, bran cereal, lactose free milk, Petit Robert lamb shank, Petit Robert macaroons, Petit Robert navy beans, Petit Robert potato leek soup, Petit Robert sausage link, Piece pizza, pretzels, Z Square chickpea burger, Z Square french fries

NOT FOOD (14)

Au Bon Pain turkey sandwich, Costco bluberry muffin, Costco croissant, english muffin, garden burger, Kashi granola bar, Lay's Baked potato chips, mandoo*, Oscar Mayer turkey, rotel, tortilla chips, Trader Joe's bread, water crackers, Whole Foods chocolate truffles


Cheers!
mouse

02.25.08: Weekend with Friends

Dear Friends and Family,

Our weekend was filled with friends - going over and having them over.

Friday night, we had a colleague and his girlfriend over to play mah-jong. They arrived at seven. We ate dinner. And, started play around nine. We played two winds which took us until almost one. I made a tactical error on one hand in waiting for a tile that was all out. But, all-in-all, it was great to break out the set and stretch the mind.

Saturday, we slept in. And, attempted a lemon honey cake for dinner with friends. What an complete and utter failure. We headed out, instead, to our favorite bakery and picked up a half dozen cupcakes. Saturday night, we headed over to our friends' house for dinner with a former colleague and his wife. It was another fun night, but another late night. Which means...

Sunday, we slept in. But, it was sunny and warm. We had just enough time for a walk to get in some air and some exercise. We walked downtown to a store Mr. mouse was curious to see and walked part of the way back. It was about 90 minutes of walking in total - not a ton, but not bad. We average about 3 mph, which would mean we covered just under five miles. Sunday night, we threw a chicken into the oven and made some bulgur and had our friends over for the Oscars.

And, now, it's Monday. And, another work week is upon us.


Cheers!
mouse

A Stretch and a Sigh

Dear Friends and Family,

After a week of seeming hell, I'm doing much better.

1. It's Friday.
2. It's 20° out.
3. I've been out of the office two days, effectively.
4. I haven't had to commute for two days.
5. I was beyond productive on the road.

I'll take the early bus home this afternoon. I'll sleep in tomorrow. Life will be good again, until the next bump in the road that is life.


Cheers!
mouse

02.21.08: Tenderness

Dear Friends and Family,

Well. We did everything we were "supposed to do" for the month. May the hypochondriac games begin! These mind games are the toughest part of "trying".

I've been feeling a little puffy and bloated and out of sorts. And, I've had some crazy chocolate cravings. And, last night, after I took my bra off, I felt some fullness and tenderness in my breasts. And, I'm not due to "start" for another week or so. So, it's a little early for water gain.

Which makes me wonder. Are we? And, when I wonder, I feel a certain level of terror. My god, what have we gotten ourselves into? I think I'm reacting to the crazy, insanely difficult pregnancy my missing co-worker was going through. Who in their right mind would want to be that miserable? I need to see more examples of shiny, happy pregnancies and shiny, happy babies.


Cheers!
mouse

Total Lunar Eclipse

Dear Friends and Family,

I met up with a friend for dinner last night. We were insanely early for our dinner reservation. So, we went for a walk down Commonwealth Avenue. And, I remarked on how beautiful the moon was. It was perfectly round and full and bright and white.

Then, after dinner, back at the hotel room, I finished my email and logged out and read an article about a total lunar eclipse. And, I looked out the window. And, lo and behold, it was almost gone. Actually, I found out later, it was just coming back.

Still, it was good to watch it. As an added bonus, the eclipse plus an excellent dinner with a good friend did much to lift my spirits.


Cheers!
mouse

The Bleakest Hour

Dear Friends and Family,

Another whine and cheese post about me being down. Sorry to drag you through the quagmire that is my life now.

It's damn cold out. By my calculations, this should be the last bad one (sub 20° without the wind chill, if you want MY official definition of cold, sub 5° without the wind + wind, qualifies as damn cold) before winter breaks. It should be, but it might not be. It needs to be. I feel like I'm losing my mind.

Work has turned more political. There's a lot of jockeying going on. And, frankly, I'm not enjoying that right now. We're supposed to be super busy on this super important project. But, really, I feel like a pawn being played between a couple of disinterested players. I hope the situation rights itself soon because when it's not fun, it ceases to be something I'm interested in and merely becomes work.

Hormones. When they hit, they hit with a vengeance. And, it's "that" week. So, whatever I'm feeling, it's magnified by the fact that my body takes my mind on a roller coaster loop-de-loop spinning teacup whirlwind this time of the month. And, it, frankly, sucks.

The commute. Here was my typical week. Mon, I would take mass trans. Tues, I would take mass trans. Wed, Mr. mouse and I would carpool. We would go out to dinner after work. Thurs, would be more mass trans. And, Fri, I'd work from home. Lately, Mr. mouse's Wed meetings have been canceled, so I've been doing the mass trans thing on Wed. And, because of a bunch of random reasons, I've ended up in the office on Fridays. That takes it from three days of mass transit to five. That, plus the fact that it's been fraught with problems recently, has added to my stress.

I miss my friend. Sometimes work was harder for having to work with her, but, I miss having someone to talk to and the days seem longer in the office without her. Morale's been lower on the team, but it's not palpable. It's more subliminal and subconscious. And, I haven't gotten accustomed to not having her in the office.

And, that, my friends, is five reasons why I'm feeling down and out today. Hopefully, if I can make it through today, the worst of the weather will be behind us. Then, if I can make it through the next week, the worst of the hormones will be over and done with as well. Then, I'm tackling three things and not five. And, it won't seem as insurmountable.


Cheers!
mouse

02.19.08: Weekly Weigh In # 105

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 118 or 119

Depending upon the scale and the weigh in day, it's between those two numbers and that's way better than the 121 I reported last week. Guess what?!?! It's my 2 year anniversary on Weight Watchers! Needless to say, I'm very satisfied with the results and will continue on maintenance, at least for the foreseeable future.

Also on my list of wellness updates, after effectively a 2-3 month hiatus, we hit the gym again last night. I noticed I had slowly been losing my muscle tone and my core strength, so I decided to get back in the routine. Tonight, if all goes to plan, yoga and a quick jog.

What'd I eat this past week?

FOOD

almonds, banana, Burger King side salad, homemade dal, homemade polenta with tilapia and tomato sauce, oatmeal with maple syrup, orange juice, pineapple, roast chicken with sweet potatoes and parsnips, roast chicken tacos, strawberries, yogurt

BORDERLINE

cereal with lactose free milk, cereal, Chinese: drunken chicken, Chinese: beef chow fun, Chinese: stir fried vegetables, Chinese: fish congee, homemade pork fried rice, homemade sloppy joe with polenta (aka tamale pie), homemade sloppy joe with rice, Piece mushroom artichoke meatball pizza, Spring desserts (3)

NOT FOOD (11)

Burger King whopper jr, homemade banana ice cream, homemade chicken sausage fried rice, homemade turkey and cheese sandwich with Lay's Baked potato chips, homemade turkey and cheese sandwich with Orville Redenbacher's microwave popcorn, Hop Haus bison burger with mushrooms, Hop Haus french fries, Hop Haus salmon burger, Java City soy hot chocolate (total waste of points, it was lukewarm and not yummy), Kashi granola bar, m&m cookies


Cheers!
mouse

02.18.08: Let's Go Somewhere, Not

Dear Friends and Family,

After a stressful week, we toyed with an impromptu trip to raise our spirits. My trip requirements were: someplace new, sunny, warmer than here, direct flight and hotel points. Unfortunately, such said place didn't exist. It was raining in a good portion of the Western Hemisphere and the places that weren't raining that Mr. mouse came up with were California, New York and London. Frankly, and not to sound spoiled, but I will, I just wasn't that excited.

So, we stayed home. Saturday, we went to the park and the zoo and the outlet mall - all good opportunities to get some sun. Then, Sunday, we ran a couple of errands and bought item #2 of our Christmas gift:

TiVo HD

It has an HD tuner in the box, so we can hook it up to our rabbit ears. We also set up our receiver and our sub woofer and three speakers. So, I'm not sure what this does to our electrical usage. I'm pretty sure it'll go up. I'm not sure by how much. We'll see.

The other thing I did on Sunday was go through an Italian cookbook I had for inspiration. I found a bunch of vegetarian dishes that I want to try now that I've "mastered" polenta. I think next on my list is minestrone soup. With a good hunk of bread and a vegetable dish on the side, it could be a meal. I've focused on bean dishes, like dal, because the vegetable and carb dishes are more familiar. Outside of eggs, milk, soy, and nuts, beans are the easiest form of protein out there if you're looking for meat alternatives.

And, now it's Monday. Let the stress begin.


Cheers!
mouse

Homemade Dal

Dear Friends and Family,

We made our own dal a couple of weeks ago, but the consistency was all wrong and it was too bland for my taste buds. Since I had some time today, I decided to try making another batch.

1 tbs olive oil (15 grams)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt (3 grams)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs fresh ginger, grated
1/2 tsp turmeric (3 grams)
1 tsp cumin (6 grams)
1/2 tsp pepper (3 grams)
4 cups water (960 grams)
1 cup dry mung beans (230 grams)
salt

1. Rinse the mung beans, pick out any stones.
2. Heat olive oil. Sauté onions and salt until translucent.
3. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin and pepper.
4. Cook 2-3 minutes.
5. Add enough water to de-glaze pan.
6. Add lentils and rest of water.
7. Bring to boil. Simmer, partially covered, 30-35 minutes.
8. Salt to taste, about 1 tsp more.

Serves 4. (4 Weight Watchers points)

I'll warn you. It's got bite. If you want, reduce the turmeric, cumin, garlic and ginger by half.

Key words: Indian, core, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, anti-inflammatory, protein


Cheers!
mouse

Homemade Polenta

Dear Friends and Family,

We made our own polenta this week and it was SO easy, I was stunned. We had been buying packaged polenta forever under the assumption that polenta is like risotto, a ton of work measuring and stirring and everything. But, it isn't. And, the homemade stuff is all natural, no preservative, goodness. It's a great, low point alternative to pasta. And, for the gluten-free, it's got that going for it as well.

1 cup water (240 grams)
¼ cup cornmeal (50 grams)
salt

1. In a COVERED saucepan, heat water until boiling.
2. Pour in cornmeal, in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
3. Reduce to simmer, stir and cook to desired consistency.
4. Salt to taste.

Serves 1. (3 Weight Watchers points)

I cooked it for an additional 1 or 2 minutes. You can stir in olive oil, cheese, butter, etc. if you want, during the last couple of minutes of cooking. I think it tastes delicious without any additions. I drizzle a little olive oil on top and add whatever pasta topping sounds good. This week we had tilapia in tomato sauce.

Key words: Italian, core, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, carbohydrate


Cheers!
mouse

Stress Squared

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday morning I was stressed about the winter and my effed-up commute and my new work-assignment-from-hell that goes until the end of March. Today, I get to add two more straws onto the camel's back.

I found out a close colleague and friend is leaving the group. And, it not 100% voluntary. And, she's upset, and in shock, and angry and frustrated and a whole bunch of things. And, she needs a friend. And, I want to be that friend. And, I should be that friend. And, I will be that friend. But, frankly, the timing couldn't suck more.

Because...

Guess who gets to pick up her workload? With zero transition time? Moi, of course. And my old work? Still there. And my new work? Still there. I swear, I may take up smoking at the rate the month is unfolding.

I need to take a moment to regroup and center and not lose it. And, I need to dive deep and find that reservoir of strength I know I can draw from. And, I may need to revisit my Top 3 to make room for work, recognizing that the work-life balance is going to suck for the next 46 days. And, trust me, I'm counting down, every single day.

Fun and games.


Cheers!
mouse

Winter Blues II

Dear Friends and Family,

Add to the lack of light and the lack of warmth, a new job assignment from now until March 31 that's high stress. You'd think I'd be dying for spring. Guess what? You'd be right.

But, my friends, that's not enough. My commute has been effed up beyond belief. Here is a log of my last two weeks.

Yesterday, snow, 2 hours and 20 minutes to get home. The day before, COLD COLD COLD, as in 0° with a wind chill of -18° on the train platform COLD. The day before, I worked from home. The day before, accident on highway, 2 hours and 45 minutes to get home. The day before, snow, 2 hours and 30 minutes including an hour wait for the bus. The day before, slow train, fast bus, 40 stranded commuters, I took a cab into work. The day before, snow, as far as I can recall, the commute was okay. The day before, I worked from home. The day before, snow, 3 hours and 15 minutes to get home, after giving up on the bus and then driving in the snow.

So, by my careful count, 1 of my past 7 commutes over the past two weeks has been incident free. OMFG! And, it's supposed to be bad the rest of the week. And, I need to drive for these crap morning meetings. And, that's less sunlight and less sleep and more stress and Fridays in the office and I'm gonna lose it if I'm not careful.

We've seriously toyed with a corporate apartment or an extended stay hotel to put an end to this madness. Mr. mouse can take the train in. And, I can offload a lot of commute stress and just cope with job stress. We'll see how next week goes. But, I for one, am DONE, D-O-N-E, DONE with winter and the cold and the God forsaken snow and the miserable 5-6 hours of my life each day lost to commuting. And, please, please, please, someone, make it spring now, please. I'll be good. I promise.

Each day brings me one day closer to my goal. And, Mr. mouse, he's such a trooper. We'll pull through this one way or another. I've been through worse.


Cheers!
mouse

2008 Mouse Pad Plan - Financially Speaking

Dear Friends and Family,

We're fortunate enough to not live paycheck to paycheck.

Which leads to the age old question of what to do with the extra money. We've done the obvious - fully fund the 401k, fully fund the IRA, save up a decent rainy day fund (should be completed this year), and put aside for our taxes.

Then, we send over a scary amount each month to our financial planner. That's called starting late and trying to catch up on building up our retirement nest egg. And, it's a good thing.

And, that leaves us with just enough left to wonder what to do with the extra. Should be enjoy ourselves and lead a lusher lifestyle? Should we save even more for retirement? Should we donate it to a worthy cause? Should we pay down the house?

Our planner would say we should save it. It's a better return than paying down the mortgage, has more flexibility, and will make retirement come sooner rather than later.

We could just spend more - on ourselves or on a charity. But, I'm not there yet.

What I want to do is pay down the house. Call it irrational because it is. But, there's something about owning your home free and clear. No mortgage, no rent, only taxes and our monthly assessment. That would be wonderful.

But, in times like these, with work uncertain and everything, it's hard to send an extra amount each month. What if in October I want the money and it's locked away and I can only tap into it with a home equity loan? Well, that would blow.

After some careful math this weekend, here's what we ultimately decided to do. Instead of paying extra each month, we're going to put that extra in a money market account - auto transfer to keep ourselves honest. And, then, at the end of the year we're going to send a big check and do the whole loan modification option again. Then, 2009, our mortgage payment shrinks yet again. And, we do the same thing over again in December 2009 with another chunk of saved up money.

It costs $250 to modify the loan, and there's the hassle of paperwork. But, ultimately, you save about $2K each year in interest and the paperwork is worth the yearly flexibility.

So, that's our plan. We'll see how it works this year.


Cheers!
mouse

02.12.08: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 121

Wow. I was doing so good until Friday.

Then, I had an ounce of pistachios and we went out for Turkish for dinner. And, our friends were delayed. So, I had a glass of wine (2 points) and waited. And, then got hungry. And, then got famished. So, when the food arrived and it was delicious, I ate. And, then I ate some more. And, then, just in case, I had some extra. And, it was worth it. And, when I got on the scale Saturday morning, I was no worse for the wear.

Then, I worked all day Saturday. And, on Sunday, I wanted a treat. So, I made blueberry pancakes. And, used up a lot of points on carbs. But, again, seemed no worse for the wear when I got on the scale Monday morning.

Then, yesterday, a co-worker and I went out to lunch. And, it was churrascaria-style. And, I ate a reasonable amount. But, when I got home, I had an ounce of almonds and then dinner. And, when all was said and done for the week, I had used my 18 points, and my 5 flex and then 5 additional flex per day. Yikes. No good mouse.

Well, here's my theory. I think the winter's getting to me. There's the lack of light which has always been bad. And, now, with trying to be green, it's cold, all the time. And, I'm just not coping with it well. All of the other "sacrifices" have been rather painless, even the budget. But, the winter thermostat thing, it's killing me. I might have to turn it back up a couple of degrees to make it the last six weeks until spring.

I will do better this week. I must do better this week. I may cheat on the thermostat, if it allows me to do better this week. I can do better this week.

FOOD

almonds, amaretto, banana, blackened catfish, blueberries, blueberry pancakes, bok choy, brown rice, carrots, coffee, dal, fish tacos, mixed greens, nigiri sushi, orange, pistachios, roast chicken, roast potatoes, spicy Korean soup with chicken, egg white and rice noodles, white rice, wine

BORDERLINE

cereal with lactose free milk, homemade sloppy joe, pork fried rice, Churrascaria buffet salad, Churrascaria french fries basket, Churrascaria meats, Spring ice cream sandwich, Spring rice pudding, Spring sorbet, soy cappuccino, Turkish bread, Turkish hummus, Turkish baba ghanoush, Turkish lamachun, Turkish rice pilaf, Turkish kebabs, Turkish baklava, and last but not least, Turkish tavuk gogsu (chicken custard dessert) with Turkish tea

NOT FOOD

chicken sausage, chocolate fondue with strawberries, bananas, pound cake and pretzels, dark chocolate squares, Edy's Apple Pie Ice Cream, frank and beans, French onion soup, paczki (Polish donut - Mardi Gras tradition of Mr. mouse's from his Motor City days), panettone, Werther's hard candy

Clearly my problems this week were eating out and cleaning out the fridge. Here's to a better week this week.


Cheers!
mouse

Sister Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Had a chance to talk with my sister last night:

• Surgery went well. It wasn't cancer.
• It was endometriosis...
• (uterine lining growing outside the uterus)
• Now, she's on a mission.
• Two kids or probably more. ASAP.
• (as in yesterday)
• She getting married later this year,
• to a guy she started dating last fall,
• a couple of months after her divorce.

How can two sisters be more different?

More to come, I'm sure.


Cheers!
mouse

02.11.08: Quick Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

Before I get started on the weekend, how is it already mid-February?!?! By my count, we're already 12.5% way (give or take a couple of days) through the year. OMG!

Okay. Back to slow ramp on a Monday morning.

Friday, I was working on a big ole doc for work when shazam, blue screen, corrupted file, fraught mouse. What can you do? Open Word. New document. Start from scratch and hope it goes faster the second time round.

Friday night, we met up with my Turkish friends for dinner. They're expecting. And, it was so good seeing them because she's doing amazing. My one colleague at work is getting by. But, it's been a downer watching her. Her pregnancy has zapped a lot of her energy. Well, I gorged on food at dinner; it was so good; it was worth it.

Saturday, I spent the day working more or less. I took a break here and there to do some small errands around the house and give myself a mental break. But, essentially, it was a work day. Oh, and, I also napped around 5 o'clock. I love afternoon naps. After my nap, I had a nice hot cup of coffee to wake up. And, then, I got into a groove and punched out my document. Sent it off. 2 o'clock (in the morning) and it was time for bed. But, it felt so good to be done.

Sunday, I slept in. Blueberry pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast. Yum! Then, I was lazing around and enjoying the sun. But, Mr. mouse was anxious to go out. So, we bundled up (it was 0° outside) and went shopping. We stopped by two camping stores looking for a brush for my Sigg bottles. No luck. (Note to self, buy Sigg stock, short Nalgene stock.) Then, we went to Ann Taylor Loft to try on some new pants. My old pants were getting a little baggy even if my weight's stabilized. So, I decided to try on the 0P pants. They're a little snugger than I'd like in a perfect world. But, they do fit better than my 2P's. And, they were on sale, so I bought two pairs for $80.

We hit the supermarket next. And, on a whim, I threw a packet of corn tortillas in the cart. Got home. Opened the fridge to look at dinner options, and decided to make fish tacos for dinner. Mr. mouse made a quick batter of corn starch, chili powder and beer. He cut up some tilapia, coated it with egg white, tossed it in the batter and then onto a hot pan with a drizzle of canola oil. I diced up some onions and jalapeños, cut some avocado chunks and lime wedges, spooned up some Rotel and some salsa. Mr. mouse heated up the corn tortillas. I cleaned some mixed greens for a side salad. And, voilà, dinner was served. It was so yummy. And, minus the beer which you can sub in club soda, was gluten free, for those of you who track flour intake.

Then, we played a game of Stratego which I completely fumbled. And, a game of Pass the Pigs which I won by sheer luck. And, a game of Golf on the Wii which Mr. mouse won easily. And, last but not least, Practice Bowling, which I lucked out on big time. Then, it was time for bed.


Cheers!
mouse

My Imperfect Alarm Clock

Dear Friends and Family,

I've had an emotionally and physically exhausting week. Between the lack of sleep and a brutal commute, I've been barely getting by all week and counting the days until the weekend and the promise of sleep.

So, Mr. mouse decided to let me sleep in this morning. On any normal Friday, that wouldn't be a problem. But, today, I have a ton of work to do. And, deeper down, I don't like it when he makes that decision for me. That's not his call to make. I decide when I wake up and when I sleep. Just like I decide what I eat and what I wear. I don't like it when he oversteps his bounds, especially on deciding my wake up time.

It disrupts my morning routine in too many ways - I wake up disjointed, so right off the bat it's no good. I need to rethink my day. Bad. I don't have that relaxed feeling of time in the morning. More bad. The first thing that needs to go is my time for tea and slow waking. Great. The second thing that needs to go is my time for blogging. And, hence you end up with a garbage entry post. And, third, the morning is my time to think grand thoughts and dream big dreams. And, poof, it's gone. And, I'm diving into the day. And, somehow, he did me a favor. Wunderbar.


Cheers!
mouse

Surprise House Guest

Dear Friends and Family,

We had a surprise house guest last night. Our friend, CAR, was headed back from France. But, with the weather we had last night, she missed her connection and then the later flights canceled.

We went out for sushi. And, then, over to Spring for dessert. We came back pretty early and turned in pretty early. I was beat from a bunch of consecutive late nights. And, CAR was coming off a trans-Atlantic flight. We all needed our Zzz's.

CAR is thinking green and sustainable too. But, on a much bigger scale than me. There's trying to change a lot to one household's impact on the environment (i.e. us and our action plan). Then there's trying to change a little to many households' impact on the environment (e.g. through better design). For now, I'll continue to do the little things I can to make the world a better place.

Maybe one day, some day, when I'm ready for my next big change, I'll think about I want to do different, career-wise. Sadly, it's probably about 6-8 years from now. But, you never know, things can change all the time. Maybe it'll be sooner rather than later. We'll see.


Cheers!
mouse

Doing My Civic Duty

Dear Friends and Family,

For the first time, caught up in the fervor that is Election Year 2008, I voted in the primary elections. So, who did I vote for? And, more importantly, why?

As a social liberal, fiscal conservative, W. and I have very little in common. In fact, in 2004, upon waking in November to another four years, I debated moving to Canada. So, here I am, four years later, wanting to (and feeling obliged to) take a more participatory role in what is, essentially, my largest civic duty, voting. Not that I didn't vote in 2004, but I waited until November before taking any real part in the process.

First question: Democrat or Republican? Ask me when I first started voting and I probably would have said Republican. Since then, I've evolved and so has the party. And, when asked last night, I said Democrat.

Ballot in hand, I had the much tougher second question: Clinton or Obama? And, my colleague summed it up so succinctly. Your heart says Obama. Your head says Clinton. Change. Yes. Experience. Yes. Dynasty. No. Abstain Votes. No. What's a girl to do? I can't say I'm educated enough to see any substantive difference in policy. So, I followed my head and a tiny bit of my heart (I still love the thought of a female president as a role model for the young girls in our country) and cast a vote for HRC.

We'll see how it all unfolds as the relentless primary race continues on.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Met up with an old work colleague last night. She was in town on business. I love her. She's so solid. If I could work with her again, I would, in an instant. She gets so much done and is so consistent. It was refreshing to see her again.

02.05.08: On the Baby Making Train, Again

Dear Friends and Family,

Another month, another ovulation window, another try at baby.

I've spent a lot of time fretting about the impact this will have on work. In my head, I know it shouldn't have any impact whatsoever. In my heart and gut, I can't get over all of my fears and worries about seen and unseen biases in the work environment. I can't help but wonder if having Small will impact my career.

It's tough. But, for now, I'm still willing to take the leap of faith and try. This will definitely be one of those one step at a time things. Otherwise, it'll overwhelm me.


Cheers!
mouse

02.05.08: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 120

Wow. That's tough to write. Two weeks, four pounds. Time to get back under control. First, there was the Chinese New Year party weekend - with prep food, party food and post party food. Then, there was LA. And, late dinners and bad breakfasts and agency snacking. And, there was the four days of non-stop grazing and eating junk, knowing that Tuesday it'd be time to pay the piper.

I had a notion (when planning maintenance out last year) of using Lent as a time to go back on the 18 points a day routine, as a time to remind myself of the good habits Weight Watchers teaches and as a time to remind myself that denial is sometimes a good thing. And, fortunately, Lent starts tomorrow, which means I start today.


Cheers!
mouse

02.04.08: The Wonderful Feeling of Clean

Dear Friends and Family,

We didn't do a ton this weekend.

We spent Saturday doing the last of the clean up from the party. And, Sunday, I had time to do a deep clean on the floors. There's our normal cleaning routine which involves a Swiffer mop and several of those micro-fiber cloths. And, there's our deep cleaning routine which involves busting out the Hoover Floor Mate, Method wood cleaner, moving furniture around, and the power scrub. I love the power scrub. The end result is a lovely almond smell and utterly beautiful feeling floors.

I have to confess, we don't clean as often as we could. Normally, it's been a battle just keeping the place organized. It's nice to have reached a point where I can spend time on cleaning and not just organizing. Honestly, it's a never ending battle but one I continue to soldier on in the hopes of one day winning the war. Back to yesterday, the waste "water" that the vacuum picked up was absolutely filthy. There's grey and dirty, and then there's black and filthy. Ours was the latter. I might use my March living and dining room clean up time to do another deep clean on the floor.

1. I love the feeling of clean floors.
2. I hope the water is less dirty the next time around.

And, that, was the highlight of my weekend.

We played Scrabble Saturday night. But, that got it's own post. I tried a new lentil recipe, but that's a later post. And, we watched the game last night which I enjoyed more than I thought I would.


Cheers!
mouse

New High Score

Dear Friends and Family,

Just scored my personal best in Scrabble: 471

Compliments of:

• jaws (triple word score)
• latinos (bingo)
• annually (bingo)
• qat (triple letter on the Q)
• kilo (double letter on the K, double word)
• tirades (bingo)
• both blanks
• and all four esses

I need to go cheer up Mr. mouse.


Cheers!
mouse

Winter Wonderland

Dear Friends and Family,

It started snowing yesterday morning. And, it snowed on and off until just before lunch today. It made traffic a mess, but I love the winter look and feel of snow. Plus, snow usually means it's not as cold out which is also a good thing.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: It's been getting brighter earlier and staying brighter later. This morning, I was able to read the scale without turning on the lights.

02.01.08: The Baby To Do List

Dear Friends and Family,

Time to revisit the list from October.

1. doctor's appointment: annual check up
2. pick an ob/gyn, schedule appointment
3. new vitamin routine/prenatals
4. buy books, read up on what to expect
5. regular sex life, not this 1-2 times a month thing
6. normal work life, manage working late communications
7. exercise routine, I own this one
8. Weight Watchers maintenance, I own this one
9. low refined sugar diet SKIP
10. conceive by 4/21/08

We're making progress against the list. I thought we were half way through, but apparently we need to go back and do step #2 again. Nice. I guess it is what it is. We've got three more months. According to the doctor, 30% of couples conceive within that time frame. We'll see.


Cheers!
mouse

02.01.08: Back to Square One, Almost

Dear Friends and Family,

I got a call from the doctor's office yesterday. The test for the genetic disorder came back negative. And, I tested positive for chicken pox anti-bodies. Yeah!

I asked to be transferred over to scheduling so I could schedule my annual exam, as requested during our pre-conception counseling visit. And, there I learned that our doctor doesn't normally schedule appointments on Fridays, my preferred day for scheduling appointments.

What a pain in the @$$. I felt like the pre-conception counseling session was a complete waste of our time and our insurance dollars. Now, I need to have another one with another doctor and it's on my dime. I was so pissed.

And, Mr. mouse's attitude got me going as well. He's like... how many visits can there be? What's the big deal? Can't you do Thursdays? And, I'm like, no, I have a job - a job I enjoy and a job I'm doing well in. I don't want to ef the whole thing up just to have a baby. I don't want to be taking Thursdays off left and right to go to the doctor.

And, there's the crux of this. I feel like I need to make the trade-off between work and baby. And, Mr. mouse doesn't need to. And, it's beginning already. And, we're not even pregnant yet.

And, he's being very laissez faire about the whole thing. I need him to be more excited, more into it, more enthused. Why is it I'm the one doing all the crazy math and tracking and getting frustrated when we're not having sex at the right time of the month? Why is this all on me?

I'm almost ready to call it quits. I'm really not all that jazzed about all of this right now.


Cheers!
mouse