Quick Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse and I talked yesterday morning. Things are better.


Cheers!
mouse

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Dear Friends and Family,

Wow. I'm having so much fun with this. We should do this more often. Not.

We all know the fiasco that went down Wednesday night. And, there was an implied suggestion that there's always Thursday. And, guess what, no surprise, we're headed into Friday, and I'm not really sure where any of this is headed.

What it comes down to is this. I get that there's a lot of this I can't control. I get that. I get that there are large elements of surprise to all of this. And, that managing expectations is nearly impossible. What gets me totally frustrated is that to the extent that we can control this, or predict this, or set expectations, we're not doing that. I understand Mother Nature has a say in this and she won't answer my questions. But, really, why do I have to be guessing my own spouse's thoughts and actions?

I'm really glad we went down this path. I need these fun and games like I need a giant hole in my head.


Cheers!
mouse

Our First Box

Dear Friends and Family,

We got our first CSA box yesterday. It's the size of a standard box of copy paper and was chock full of fresh fruits and vegetables. We got:

• a bag of apples
• a butternut squash
• an acorn squash
• 2 pie pumpkins
• a bag of cranberries
• a bunch of parsley
• 2 leeks
• a bag of carrots
• a bag of onions
• a bag of potatoes
• a bag of sweet potatoes
• some popcorn
• a jar of honey

Overall very happy. The shapes and sizes of the produce are smaller and more irregular than what you find in the grocery store. But, I think that's a good thing. We'll have to try cooking with it this week. I think it'll be a lot of fun.


Cheers!
mouse

When Push Comes to Shove

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm peeved. It's about process. It's not rational. But, for me, for now, it's real.

Mr. mouse and I had more discussion last night on approach. He wants to take a laissez fair approach to "all of this," letting his (and implied) my whims and flights on fancy guide our timing. And, me, if I construct a plan, and I know my plan maximizes my chances for success, then, I'm like why not follow my plan?!?! Plus, I distrust his plan, it seems, in my opinion, like all talk no action. Oh ye of little faith.

Well, it seems like whenever we hit these impasse points, he just refuses to budge. He anchors on his position and he thinks he's persuading me with logic and reason and all it really is is me giving up. I try logic and reason and it doesn't work on persuading him. And, he's essentially worn me down over multiple iterations - different topics, same sore point. I feel like it's always his way or the highway. And, I know it's not the case, but sometimes it feels like it. And, when it feels like that, it sucks.

I'm not an analyst on his team. And, sometimes, I feel like he treats me like one. Like my opinion doesn't count for as much. Like I don't have an equal vote in the matter. Like my way isn't equally valid. Like I don't have a voice. Like I have no control over the situation. And, it pisses me off. And, if you couldn't guess, right now, I'm pissed off.

My thoughts are, really, we don't know. There's no scientific evidence that your approach is any better than my approach. For God's sake, why, for once, can't we do it my way?!?! Why does it always have to be your way?!?! What's the harm?!?! Humor me, for once, for crying out loud! And, it's not limited to this one instance. But, this one instance is the instance I want to write about.

Well, what to do going forward? I always try to focus on what's in my control and what's not in my control. Clearly, I can't force him to follow my plan. There's nothing less fun than forced intercourse. And, I can refuse to follow his plan. The same holds true on in reverse. But, to what end? Glory in my Pyrrhic victory? Wonderful. So, really, with his approach, he wins every time. And, every time I lose, I lose a little faith, and a little confidence, and a little piece of myself. I wonder if he realizes the tertiary costs associated doing it his way?

Um, not to point out the obvious, but, unlikely to be "in the mood" given my current mood. And, doesn't that make me the villain, sabotaging his grand old plan? Not that I want to, intentionally, but, um, hello?!?!


Cheers! (or not)
mouse

Electricity Tracking: November 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

Was able to print out the electricity bill at work. Yeah! Still up from last year, but I think I'm beginning to think about this more analytically. There was a large jump after I moved here and I can think of three possible root causes - keeping the house warmer, the extra fridge, or extra hot water. We should be able to rule out the house temperature this winter since it's now set cooler than when Mr. mouse lived here last year. We'll see what next month's reading shows.

• Last year Oct, we consumed 469 kWh. This Oct, we used 642 kWh. We're up 37%.
• In Sept, we spent 643 kWh. So, we're even, M-O-M 0%. I guess it makes sense.
  
• And, at last report out, we had been trending +41% YTD and with Oct's addition we're trending +40%.

Cheers!
mouse

Frustrated with Paperless Billing

Dear Friends and Family,

Normally, I'm a big fan of paperless bills. They cut down on mail and reduce the chances of missing a payment. But, yesterday and today, I've been having trouble accessing my electric bill. I was able to pay it. But, I can't view it. It's in the ballpark, so I'm not concerned about the amount. But, I am tracking my electrical usage so I would like to see the details so I can compare the numbers.

PISSED! PEEVED! ANNOYED! TORQUED! FRUSTRATED!

Way to punish the customer for trying to do the right thing.


Cheers!
mouse

11.13.07: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 120

Hmm... Goal weight. Funny how when you first hit it you're ecstatic, but, when you re-hit it from the other direction, it's not nearly as much fun. It's been a little bit of a weekly see-saw the last month. And, this week was a little goofy - I missed dinner on Sunday night, so last night, I tried to balance that out to get to an even 24 + flex. This week, I'm going to target 22 + flex. Just to get my buffer back.

Now, to report on my "food" consumption.

FOOD

almonds, apple pie, banana, brown rice, birthday cake, cashews, challah bread, chestnuts, chicken, congee, oatmeal raisin cookie, egg, maple syrup, shrimp, soon tofu, strawberries, striped bass, sushi, tea, truffles, whipped cream, white rice, wine, yogurt

BORDERLINE

amaretto, bagel, bran cereal, chow mein, lactose free milk, mustard, pajun, parmesan cheese, roll, sesame seed oil, soy sauce, turkey meat (deli)

NOT FOOD

chicken sausage, diet iced tea, diet mountain dew, diet pepsi, gummy fruit snacks, Kashi lunch, kim, peppermint pattie, pita, sheet cake, Subway sandwich, yogurt covered pretzels

Not bad. But, definitely room for improvement.


Cheers!
mouse

Leap of Faith

Dear Friends and Family,

Not sure where all of this is headed, but after a lot of discussion, Mr. mouse and I decided to skip on the birth control last night. Okay, just to be clear, we know where it could be headed, on a physical level. On the mental and emotional level, I don't know if anyone is ever in the know.

My initial feelings? One of observation and learning and a little bit of skepticism. That's it? That's all it takes? Wow. It hardly seems possible that such a life changing event can be so quick, so ephemeral, so seemingly trivial.


Cheers!
mouse

11.12.07: Emerald City + A Good Night's Sleep

Dear Friends and Family,

Friday night, Mr. mouse and I went out to dinner to celebrate his birthday. We went to an awesome restaurant called Spring and had the chef's menu. This place might become my favorite celebratory dinner spot. We got home, and since I was exhausted, we promptly fell asleep on the couch.

It was an early Saturday morning. We packed and headed out to Seattle to see one of Mr. mouse's close friends who, coincidentally, shares a birthday with Mr. mouse. The flight out was smooth - we played Scrabble, ate breakfast, and got some work done. We got picked up at the airport. I'm stunned at how quickly the kids are growing! And, we went to Chinatown to pick up some food. Got home and chowed down. Our friend's sister-in-law just moved to Seattle recently, and she joined us for the afternoon. We went to the sculpture garden and then to the supermarket. Mr. mouse made basil chicken, steamed striped bass, and salt and pepper shrimp for dinner with bok choy, eggplant and rice on the side. Mr. mouse's friend and I baked a cake and made whipped cream for frosting. The kids loved the whipped cream. It was hilarious watching them.

I totally crashed Saturday night after dinner. I was SO tired. Mr. mouse and his friend stayed up and caught up while we were all asleep. Sunday morning was another early morning. The morning flight canceled, so we had a 1-stop trip back vs. a non-stop. Still, we got home around 4:30 and slept until this morning. I feel so much better now. The cold seems 95% better, I'm caught up on work and I'm caught up on sleep. Life is good.


Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #12: Community Supported Agriculture

Dear Friends and Family,

Way to pace yourself, mouse. Introducing Action Item #12, the last action item for 2007. Any more great ideas will have to wait until 2008 for implementation. No point burning yourself out.

I went back to a site I found early this fall to check on their spring sign up. And, I was giddy to find that they have a winter share program this year. Sign me up! A community supported agriculture share is a program. You pay X dollars up front and at a specified interval you go to a specified location and pick up a box of produce and other goodies.

Each program has it's own definitions, but, generally, they're organic, small producers within a close proximity of your home who grow small batches of fruits and vegetables that are picked when ripe. The one I joined, Home Grown Wisconsin, focuses on the Chicagoland area. We pick up our first box next Thursday. I can't wait.

I've been giving the food thing a lot of thought. And it becomes a crazy grid, on the left hand side are all of the major food groups (i.e. grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, dairy, meats) and on the top are a bunch of attributes (i.e. organic, food vs. "food", non-inflammatory, cholesterol, flexitarian, neighboring state, etc.). In a perfect world, I'd have all of the boxes checked. In an imperfect world, it's a lot of guessing and small changes that add up to small improvements. Joining a community supported agriculture program gets one row filled out pretty well - organic fruits and vegetables from neighboring states (reduces transportation costs to get food to the table). It'll be fun to try it and see how it goes.

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. 08.16: I unplugged the blow dryer.
5. 09.01: I tried compact fluorescent light bulbs.
6. 09.02: I replaced the dishwasher.
7. 10.11: I will keep the house at 50°/74° for the winter.
8. 10.29: I started a budget, reducing my purchases.
9. 11:01: I signed up for Residential Real Time Pricing.
10. 11.08: I will track my "food" consumption.
11. 11.09: I will switch from bottled to tap water at work.
12. 11.09: I am trialing community supported agriculture.

Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #7D: Winter Thermostat Setting

Dear Friends and Family,

Still tweaking. Mr. mouse says it's too cold at night and he's been getting sick because of it.:

• 58° -> 60° -> 65° (sleep)
• 68° -> 76° -> 74° (morning)
• 58° -> 54° -> 50° (daytime)
• 68° -> 70° -> 72° -> 67° (evening)

Minor tweaks, really.

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. 08.16: I will unplug the blow dryer.
5. 09.01: I will try compact fluorescent light bulbs.
6. 09.02: I will replace the dishwasher.
7. 10.11: I will keep the house at 50°/74° for the winter.
8. 
   
9. 
   
10. 
    
11. 
    
12. 
    

Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #11: Water at Work

Dear Friends and Family,

Just in case you're curious - still tired, still battling the remnants of a cold, still could sleep an entire day. Thank God it's Friday.

Yesterday was a sad, sad day at work. I finished my last Diet Mountain Dew. And, since I'm switching to food only, I won't be ordering any more diet soda. You're probably wondering why I'm counting this as a new action item. It's step #1 in a two step process to wean myself off of bottled liquids at work. So, even if I could buy unsweetened, brewed, iced tea at work - it's food, after all, I won't. And, once my existing bottled water supply is exhausted, I'll be switching to tap water. One more action item left for the year. Then, I'll have to hold off until 2008.

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. 08.16: I unplugged the blow dryer.
5. 09.01: I tried compact fluorescent light bulbs.
6. 09.02: I replaced the dishwasher.
7. 10.11: I will keep the house at 54°/74° for the winter.
8. 10.29: I started a budget, reducing my purchases.
9. 11:01: I signed up for Residential Real Time Pricing.
10. 11.08: I will track my "food" consumption.
11. 11.09: I will switch from bottled to tap water at work.
    
12. 
    

Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #10: Track My "Food"

Dear Friends and Family,

Wow. I'm tired today. I've been battling a cold all week. And, I've been super busy at work. I feel like I could sleep for an entire day and still be tired. Okay. Deep breath. Onto my topic of the day.

I went to reread an article by Michael Pollen called Unhappy Meals. And, on page 11 of the article, he has a list. It's his way of defining food vs. "food."

1. "Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food." Okay, roughly speaking, that means it needs have been around by 1900. I've decided I'm going to take a looser definition of the your great-great-grandmother, since my great-great-grandmother wouldn't have recognized milk or a banana or a strawberry or bread. If someone's great-great-grandmother, anyone's, would recognize it. It makes the cut.

2. "Avoid even those food products that come bearing health claims." Easy enough. Chances are not too many foods from the 1900's came with health claims.

3. "Especially avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable c) more than five in number — or that contain high-fructose corn syrup." The high fructose corn syrup is easy enough. I'm going to add partially hydrogenated anything or other to the list. Both of those are evil. Fortunately, neither of them are likely to be found in food (see #1). The tougher one is avoiding ingredients that are unfamiliar, unpronounceable, or more than five in number.

Making the transition to food will be a boon to both my health and the environment. The health piece is pretty obvious. The environment piece - less processing, less shipping, less packaging, back to nature. So, Tuesday, with my weigh in, I'll post my "food" items. Hopefully, as I get better at tracking, the list will shrink in size.

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. 08.16: I unplugged the blow dryer.
5. 09.01: I tried compact fluorescent light bulbs.
6. 09.02: I replaced the dishwasher.
7. 10.11: I will keep the house at 54°/74° for the winter.
8. 10.29: I started a budget, reducing my purchases.
9. 11:01: I signed up for Residential Real Time Pricing.
10. 11.08: I will track my "food" consumption.
    
11. 
    
12. 
    

Cheers!
mouse

The Budget and the Wish List

Dear Friends and Family,

Since going on a budget, I'm got a list a mile long of things I want to buy. It's really opened my eyes to how much I consume. I'm really glad I added budget to my action plan. I would have never realized the extent of it all if I hadn't.

I'm two days into the month, and I've already ordered a book on Amazon. I'm really excited about it. And, hopefully, it'll feed into my 2008 Green is Good action plan.

It cost me $27.09, so I've already consumed over a quarter of my budget for the week. I want to get my hair cutter a gift - it's our 10 year anniversary this Thursday. And, I've got my actual haircut on Thursday. See, this is where my eyes pop open. Wow, I thought I was being generous with myself in setting my budget. And, I'm struggling to stay within its confines. Eye opener.

Now, I know you only have a 10th anniversary with your hair cutter once. But, if it's not that, it's something else. There'll always be things I need to get something for. So, this is a good thing. It forces me to be creative and buy fewer things. For the gift, I'm going to dig into our sad, neglected wine collection and pick a bottle for him. I don't drink much wine anymore so it's been gathering dust for the past two years. There might even be a bottle from 1997 - which would be especially cool. There probably is one from 1997 given our inventory turns on wine. See, problem solved. Dollars spent $0.00.

What else is on my list? There's some stuff I can't avoid - my haircut, my vitamins, my Weight Watchers, my gym membership, and my train pass. I'm sure there will be others, but they're not coming to mind right now. Then, ironically, there's a ton of stuff I want to buy to add to my Green is Good list. How twisted is that? There's cloth napkins, socks (for our lower thermostat settings), water bottles, canvas tote, etc. Being on a budget is a good thing. It forces me to pace myself on all of the changes. And, that increases the likelihood that some, or all, of this will stick. And, last but not least, there's stuff on my list that I want, but don't need. The stuff that the budget really helps me keep some discipline around - cubicle hooks, ramekins, a new crock pot, shoes, and other miscellaneous stuff.

This is more fun than I thought it would be. I love a good challenge.


Cheers!
mouse

Top Three Update

Dear Friends and Family,

There's a lot going on in our lives, and I think I need to step back and remember what's important. What's my Top 3?

1. baby, maybe
2. living green
3. money matters

It feels a little weird, taking Weight Watchers off from the #1 spot it's occupied for the past two years. But, I'm feeling comfortable with it moving to maintenance mode. If I feel it spiraling out of control, it'll need to move back onto the list. For now, it's off. And, the house, it is what it is. And, we need to do work on it, but clearly, it hasn't been a priority for us. It should be, but it isn't. Which leaves us with...

Small. Not sure where we'll land on this. I don't have a ton to write. Suffice it to say, it's on the list.

Living Green. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about this. I love planning out changes and then executing against them. There's a running list in my head of different things we can do. And, I think about them. And, I research them. And, I picture life post-change. And, I mull on them. And, then, when it feels right, I implement them. It's fun. It keeps me occupied. It's important. And, frankly, I enjoy it. Sounds like a winner to me.

Money Matters, both large and small. Like #2 on the list, this one is a lot of thinking and planning. And, I like the challenge of a budget and the reward of a nest egg. It's refreshing to have a list of stuff I want to buy and be able to restrain from buying it. I had the same stuff go on with Weight Watchers - a list of yummy stuff I wanted to eat that I was able to be disciplined about. Maybe, this one is a reincarnation of Weight Watchers. Hmm... That's something to ponder. And, with the budget adoption, it takes into account clutter control (my former #2) and ties in with living green.


Cheers!
mouse

Sister Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I haven't written about this in awhile. But, sister drama has crept back into my life. It all started about four or five weeks ago when she called to say that they had found a cyst on one of her ovaries. And, it's been 2-3 phone calls a week since. It's been a lot of me listening and her talking. It's been a big time commitment. And, a bigger emotional commitment. Mr. mouse is still pretty stony on the whole topic. And, I still feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Truth be told, I'm ticked at him for making this harder on me than it has to be. Not that I'm her #1 champion. But, I do want to call the shots on this one. It is my family, after all.

The current status. She had one cyst that ruptured on one ovary. She has a second cyst on that same ovary that is large and growing. Fortunately, for now, it still looks benign. But, it needs to be monitored regularly. On to ovary #2. She has a something-or-other on the other ovary that is forming and growing. Unfortunately, it's tough to say whether it's alarming or not because the image was taken during a point in her monthly cycle when it's tough to gauge these things. So, she's going to get it re-imaged to see what's going on behind door #2.

I honestly worry. And, I hope for good news in the near future. And, I need to figure out how to resolve this with Mr. mouse. It's not working the way he's approaching it now.


Cheers!
mouse

11.06.07: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 118

Yeah! The scale wavered between 118 and 118.5 this morning, so I weighed myself 5 times and took the median. Last week was a much better week, eating-wise. I had my 24 points + 35 flex. And, for the first time in three weeks, I didn't go over. Yeah!

I did a better job with both the snacky foods and the bread basket. Tuesday lunch was a smorgasbord of food at the alumni meeting. Thursday, I had the last of the lemon pound cake from Boston. Friday dinner was a smorgasbord of food at the Middle Eastern restaurant. And, Saturday, I had both ½ a cupcake and butter pecan ice cream. That's where my flex points went. And, it was worth every point.


Cheers!
mouse

Budget Update - October

Dear Friends and Family,

I was doing so well until we went to the mall Friday night. I knew I was going to over-spend the budget, because I need a suit for Friday (I'm interviewing a slate of candidates, and apparently our department dresses in a suit to do that.) I toyed with "counting" the suit towards November. But, ultimately, I think I'm going to reset the dials for November and start with a clean slate. With Weight Watchers, it doesn't carry over. And, I'm going to take a lot of the lessons I learned there to here.

Description	Amount
Train Pass	7.75
Lunches at Work	9.53
Snacks, Coffee, Soda, etc.	6.23
Yoga Class	45.00
Clothing, Shoes, etc.	884.70
Total	$953.21

Cheers!
mouse

PS: I bought two suits and a jacket. We're returning one of the suits and the jacket. And, I bought a pair of jeans, rain boots and a knit hat. Guilty. I've got resolve to do better in November.

11.05.07: Motor City Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

We drove out to Michigan Thursday night for our dentist appointment. Normally, we schedule them for Saturdays, but we needed to reschedule to go to Boston a couple of weeks ago. I have to say, I do love making a long weekend out of it. It gives us so much more time to see friends.

Friday, after the dentist, we drove out to see our friends Dan and Debbie and their two boys. Then, we headed out to the mall, to pick up a suit for me before heading out to dinner. In case you're wondering, I've got 13 food reviews to do. I will catch up. I will catch up. I will catch up.

Saturday, we slept in, got some work done, and headed out to see Mr. mouse's friends, Dave and Pam, their two kids, and amazingly, their dog from almost who is 14 years old. We had lunch with them. Their kids are old enough to stay home alone if Dave and Pam want to have an evening out alone. Wow!

For dinner, we headed over to see a third batch of friends - Rob and Lisa and their two kids. Dan and Debbie came by as well. We had Korean food followed by cupcakes and ice cream. Lisa always picks up my favorite ice cream. She's so thoughtful. I love her. We stayed up to play a couple of rounds of mah-jongg, but turned in pretty early.

Sunday, we slept in, headed out for some dim sum, picked up some bread, and drove home. We got home around 6 o'clock, which was perfect for eating dinner, tidying up the kitchen and still turning in at a decent hour. I caught a cold Saturday night, so the extra rest was good. And, one of our friends missed his connection, so he came over for the night.

And, there was the weekend.


Cheers!
mouse

Action Item #9: Residential Real Time Pricing

Dear Friends and Family,

Earlier this week, I was out of ideas. And, just like that I've got a new item for my green changes. This is why life is good.

I've had an item on my to do list for a couple of months. Residential Real Time Pricing (RRTP) is a program ComEd offers that allows consumers to pay for electricity at a potentially lower rate. How does it work? Let's say over the span of a month, ComEd generates X amount of energy at Y cost. It divides X by Y and based upon your kWh usage, it sends you a bill. This works out to be "fair" if your average energy usage matches the overall population. But, for households like ours, that assumption doesn't hold true. Most of our usage is at night, when energy is cheaper (and demand is lower.) For households like ours, we're subsidizing the system overall. With RRTP, we pay for electricity as we use it at the going rate instead of at a blended rate.

It doesn't save the environment - since it's net carbon neutral. Our consumption doesn't change. But, it does save us money. And, theoretically, it should make us more aware of our usage during peak hours, when electricity is at it's most expensive. I called yesterday. It takes 6-8 weeks for them to install the new meter. There's a flat $2.25 per month service charge and minimum 12 month commitment.

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. 08.16: I unplugged the blow dryer.
5. 09.01: I tried compact fluorescent light bulbs.
6. 09.02: I replaced the dishwasher.
7. 10.11: I will keep the house at 54°/74° for the winter.
8. 10.29: I started a budget, reducing my purchases.
9. 11:01: I signed up for Residential Real Time Pricing.
   
10. 
    
11. 
    
12. 
    

Cheers!
mouse