Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop Butter Mini Bags Microwave Popcorn

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Halloween!

So, why the popcorn, today? It's not the healthiest food, nor the tastiest. It's microwave popcorn, after all. But, if you happen to stop by the mouse house this afternoon incognito, it's what we'll be handing out as treats...

Last year, we did full size candy bars (score!) but had ~12 trick-or-treaters so I had a bunch of bars left over. This year, I didn't want the temptation of candy lying around the house so we scoured the local Target for trick-or-treat ideas that wouldn't be sitting around the house for a year gathering dust if we didn't get enough trick-or-treaters. It's lower in fat than candy and you don't have to worry about kids with nuts allergies. Mr. mouse wanted to hand out stickers or some other trinket. Maybe next year we'll do that. Although, by next year, we should be at the mouse pad which is not Halloween friendly.

Weight Watchers info? 1 point per mini bag. I had one last night. It's a good alternative to chips if you MUST have something in hand while watching TV. It's also got the benefit of being pre-portioned out, so you know when to stop. I'll eat through the leftovers, but I don't think it'll become a staple in the mouse household.


Cheers!
mouse

10.30.06: Offerama

Dear Friends and Family,

Ahh, I love Indian summers. This weekend was another glorious fall weekend.

We raked the leaves, went over to our neighbors for dinner, picked up Mr. mouse's clogs, met with our financial advisor, and ran a bunch of little errands.

I got a call early Saturday morning from the company I had interviewed with. They want to extend me an offer. I should get it in writing this week. On the surface, it's a great offer. There's only two small problems... title and work. It's a lateral position AND it doesn't move the ball forward in terms of the type of work I want to get into. So, I'm not certain how I'll respond. We'll see how this week plays out.

Will keep you posted.


Cheers!
mouse

Orlando Trip, Day 3

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm home now.

Yesterday was the last day of our Orlando trip/meeting. We had the afternoon with our Miami team to work on women's leadership. I am finally beginning to be able to sort through names and faces on the team and getting to know personalities. I missed our September meeting because I was at my interviews and now I'm really bummed I did because this meeting would have been even better (for me) if I hadn't missed the last one. Everyone is so energetic and overflowing with ideas... It's inspiring.

I also had the chance one night to do a little shopping. Normally, I'm not a shopper, but I'm beginning to enjoy it more and more. They had a Lucky Brand Jeans at the outlet and I decided to try a couple of pairs on (great prices, so I didn't feel guilty about it). Now, don't laugh, but I have much better success with men's pants than women's. My complete lack of hips and/or butt might have something to do with it. So, I ended up with a pair of new jeans this week. I think I'll wear them to work today.

TGIF, everyone.


Cheers!
mouse

Orlando Trip, Day 2

Dear Friends and Family,

Wow. Yesterday was a long day. We had meetings straight through to 6 o'clock. What was tough was the afternoon break-out sessions were geared toward our team members, but we had to slough through them as best we could.

We went out for dinner last night with everyone and then three of us decided to go for a walk rather than going out for the drinking and dancing. I was glad since I'm not much of a drinker anymore and was never much of a dancer. I really got to know both of my colleagues so much better. They're really cool people. We spoke a lot about what it means to be a woman in the workforce and how to balance family and work. I got a lot of perspective from the both of them.

We've got more sessions this morning before we meet with our smaller team this afternoon. I'm looking forward to the afternoon meeting.

Sorry the posts have been short yesterday and today. I don't have as much time in the morning to capture my thoughts on "paper" while I'm down here.


Cheers!
mouse

Sunny, but Cold

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm in Florida. It's sunny but cold here.

We've got a holiday leadership meeting over the next two days. Yesterday was a cultural immersion and the business case on diversity. Today is department-specific strategies. Thursday, I meet with my Miami team for one last time before the holidays. Uh, how the #$%@! did the year go so quickly?

I love these inspirational moments. Times like these, the company is a great company. Maybe it's just my department. That's probably the case. If you asked me if I would recommend the company to others, I think I can honestly say I can. It's just if you get caught in an odd loop like Trixie, Frenchie or me, it's just tough finding a niche and a career path. But, the company overall, I can recommend it. It's the best I've worked at so far.

I was tempted to take Friday as a vacation day and stay in Florida for a long weekend. But, as I mentioned before, I opted not to, and take another quiet weekend at home instead. Still, it's good to be down here for work, again.


Cheers!
mouse

In Da Club

Dear Friends and Family,

:)

Had my weigh in yesterday... and...

I'm, now, in the healthy BMI range.

It hardly seems like something to brag about or be proud of, but, it is and I am. It's been seven months of sloughing through it, but it's been worth it. Currently, 65% of Americans aged 20 and over are overweight or obese. I've joined the 35% who are not. Good of me! I'm not sure what my eventual end goal will be, but whatever it is, it'll be me.

I've still got a wellness journey to continue. I want to improve my body fat percentage. I want to lose a little more weight, although if I don't, it'll be fine with me. I want to figure out how to get my dairy in each day without it being a chore. I want to reduce my LDL and increase my HDL. I want to start getting more cardiovascular exercise into my routine. I want, I want, I want... I guess it's a never-ending cycle of continuous improvement.

Oh, most importantly, I want to figure out how this will work once Mr. mouse and I are together and my whole routine gets a little jumbled up. It'll be a couple of weeks of learning, but, like everything less, I'm sure it'll work out fine.

For today, I'm simply glad to be considered healthy again.


Cheers!
mouse

10.23.06: Little Sweden

Dear Friends and Family,

Quiet weekend before the holiday madness begins.

Saturday, our neighbors came over for a wok potluck. As one of them put it, "an American potluck is usually created in a Lutheran church basement and involves lots of hamburger, potatoes and cheese in a casserole to feed 24."

Well, it's a good thing we went the wok route since there was only seven of us. We had guacamole and chips, Vietnamese spring rolls, fried rice, stir-fried chicken with peppers, mushrooms and cashews, asparagus in a sesame dressing, baby bok choy with mushrooms, steamed snapper and jalapeno shrimp. For dessert we had wine, angel food cake with peaches, moon cake, amarula, wine and more wine. Everything was so yummy. It was worth the extra 10 points of flex. We had a fun moment when Mr. mouse tossed the jalapenos into the oil, the capsaicin got airborne and all of our sinuses were seared instantaneously clear.

I showed one of my neighbors the blog :)

We had another fun moment when one of them brought up the classic Monty Hall problem. They had a variant of it on Deal or No Deal. Of course, the answer is if given the option to switch at the end, always switch. Probability says you're better off switching. Well, we set out to try to explain the whole thing with three clear tupperware and a yam. Omigod, was it ever so funny. Lots of wine and club soda made for much merriment. Can you get drunk on club soda?

Sunday, we drove up to Little Sweden and got clogs. I bought two pairs; Mr. mouse special ordered one. I like them in the kitchen, the extra two inches makes a huge difference in shoulder strain when you're as short as I am.





The red ones actually have a leaf pattern punched into them, but I couldn't find a picture... Here's a pair in fawn, with the leaf pattern:


Eventually, the black pair will be for outdoor use and the red for indoor use. For now, the black pair are for the mouse house and the red pair for the mouse pad. I love them. They have boots too. I'm so tempted. Stop me now...


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Like gorgeous pictures of food? Read this article on Fall's Most Fattening Foods.

RECOVE(RED)?

Dear Friends and Family,

Slept well last night. Chest pains seem to be getting better. The frequency is way down and so is the intensity. Will take it easy this weekend. I have a follow-up appointment on 11/6.


Cheers!
mouse

PRODUCT(RED)

Dear Friends and Family,

Warning: Politics and religion ahead. You've been warned.

Need to rewind the story to one of the last times we were in London... Not sure if it was last year on our way back from the Brugge (also spelled Bruges) or on our way back from the Maldives or from Scotland. The exact time and location matters not... Suffice it to say, awhile ago...

It's when I first saw the Motorola MOTOSLVR Red. I wanted one BADLY. First, it's red, which is so cool. Second, it's an ipod, which is so cool. Third, even more important, it supports a cause I feel passionately about... AIDS relief in Africa.

The (RED) Manifesto

We were in Africa a couple of years ago, on safari. The absolute sheer raw beauty of the place takes your breath away. It's the birthplace of the world as we know it. I'm not a outright religious person, but to see Africa is to see beauty in creation and in Mother Nature's creatures.

Africa, for being so rich and bountiful, is also so poor. The people, it brings tears to my eyes. They live with so little. We live with so much. It seems so unfair. Politicians have long been big on the Middle East, there's easy oil there after all. What's the reward for being big in Africa? Well, maybe there's no real reward. A de-stabilized Africa doesn't scare our politicians the way a de-stabilized Middle East does...

That's why I SO look up to Bono for taking up the cause of Africa. AIDS relief isn't glamorous, it isn't about self-enrichment. It's about giving back to people who need it so desperately. All the other celebrities getting involved. It makes me glad because people need to be aware!

The phone... Well, buying it in Europe would be a boatload of money because phones there aren't subsidized. Then, there would be the tricky business of unlocking it. Then, the tricky business of porting my cell phone number to a GSM network. Then, if all the stars aligned, I'd be in business. Decided at the time to wait and not get lost in the complexities.

Well, now, it's here. Well, not MOTOSLVR, but MOTORAZR is and the ipod is and I'm nearly giddy trying to decide which products to buy to show my support of the cause. I am so excited! I can hardly wait.


Cheers!
mouse

Bargain Hunter Strikes Again

Dear Friends and Family,

We went to Best Buy Sunday night to pick up an ipod charger for Mr. mouse. He left his at the mouse pad. Ah, I can't wait to not have to organize my life around "I forgot to bring over."

It's Sunday night, probably about an hour before they close. We get the charger. Mr. mouse wants to look at cameras. Okay. I've been contemplating an addition to our camera family for awhile now. Point and shoot and pocket camera need a big brother or sister to do the heavy lifting when we travel. We look. We play. We're just in shopping mode.

Mr. mouse wants to look at appliances next. Just because. He loves appliances. It took him three hours of fun and games to decide between the "final two" when we bought our dishwasher. So, we're in the appliance section when he spots the close-out deals of the century. Apparently, they're discontinuing a line of kitchen appliances or at the very least not carrying them anymore. They were marked over 50% off and had instant gift cards to boot. Score!

We're now the proud owners of a double wall oven and a cooktop for a kitchen remodel in the mouse pad that is still in the most preliminary of planning stages. We're talking, it's on the list with a bunch of potential other projects like new closet organization system and painting the living room.

Well, when it comes time, the appliances will be waiting for us. They'll look awesome once we install them. And, the double wall oven will be FABULOUS for Thanksgiving, just not Thanksgiving this year. I can't wait.


Cheers!
mouse

Life with a Holter Monitor

Dear Friends and Family,

Post #2 for this morning...

I got outfitted with the Holter monitor yesterday. It's not hugely uncomfortable, but there is a constant checking to make sure everything looks like it's still attached. Last night's sleep, one of the worst I've had in a long time. Lots of trying to find a comfortable position with all of the wires.

When I got "installed", the technician had problems with the orange probe. She moved it and then re-attached it with a second adhesive dot. I was a little skeptical but figured she knew what she was doing. Like as not last night, the sucker fell off. So, I re-attached it this morning with a new dot. I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! #$%@!, I knew it! I should have re-did it yesterday afternoon.

Hopefully, there wasn't a ton of information from when I was sleeping. Still, it's 6 of my precious recorded 48 hours...


Cheers!
mouse

Disappointment

Dear Friends and Family,

I got a phone call yesterday from the recruiter. The company I had interviewed with decided thanks, but no thanks. I asked for feedback from the recruiter on what the process.

For now, it's back to the drawing board.


Cheers!
mouse

Health Update II

Dear Friends and Family,

Went to the hospital yesterday for a follow-up with the doctor on all of the tests they've been running. They've pretty much ruled out heart attack and heart disease which is a good thing. And, all of the different blood work looks normal. Thyroid is doing it's job. Salts in balance. Okay...

Overall, should be feeling fine. But, obviously, I'm not. The pain is intermittent now. And, the intensity has gone down. But, it still occurs a couple of times each day. I go in today for a Holter monitor. It's essentially a portable monitor you wear 24/7 that monitors your heart rhythms. I wear it for 48 hours and they see what they can find. If nothing shows up, I get the "rest until the symptoms go away" treatment. If something shows up, then, we go from there. Follow-up in three weeks to see how I'm doing overall.

I do have the option of just finding a cardiologist if I want the extra piece of mind. I'll see how this week progresses...

There was one interesting blip in my otherwise beautiful blood work. Cholesterol... Total number low which is great, but the HDL was low too. HDL is the "good" cholesterol. The doctor didn't seem worried. She recommended regular cardiovascular exercise once I get the all clear to go to the gym again. But, I've been trying to do some reading on how else to boost it.

1. How to boost your "good" cholesterol
2. 10 Ways to Help Boost Your 'Good' Cholesterol

Maybe now is a good time to incorporate two more changes to my Weight Watchers routine. Good health guideline #4 is Have some healthy oil (olive, canola, sunflower, safflower, or flaxseed) each day. "Some" equates to 2 tsp a day. I've got little to lose by adding it in (besides 2 points a day) so I'll give it a try. And, the other change is swapping out beef for fish. Now, beef is part of my culinary heritage, and I'm not going to give it up altogether, it's just a balance thing.

I'll keep you posted.


Cheers!
mouse

Leaves Begone!

Dear Friends and Family,

The weekend went by in a flurry.

Friday night I went over to see Mr. mouse. Saturday morning haircut. Nice clean, sharp interview haircut just in case. And, Saturday afternoon we came back so Mr. mouse could rake. We had a showing Saturday afternoon :)

Slept in Sunday. Mr. mouse raked the back while I tried a new recipe for tortilla soup. The raking turned out fabulous, the soup not so much. It was too bland and salty. Mr. mouse added a chipotle pepper and some cumin. Much better.

Here's a sneak peek of what's to come this week. I'm tempted to write about it all now, but, then, it becomes tough to categorize. I've become a slave to my own structure. What have I done to myself?!?!

• Tuesday: Health Update II
• Wednesday: (Red)
• Thursday: Bargain Hunter Strikes Again
• Friday: TBD

Running behind. Mr. mouse set the alarm for 4:21 pm vs. 4:21 am by accident. Happy Monday!


Cheers!
mouse

Plateau?

Dear Friends and Family,

Good morning.

I'm a little frustrated with Weight Watchers. Or rather, I'm frustrated with my lack patience. When I dropped from 24 points a day to 22, the weight came off like mad for a couple of weeks before I steadied out to a pound a week. Now, going from 22 points a day to 20, nada. I've been the same weight for three weeks running...

I've got a couple of hypotheses. First, since I am now in the "less to lose" category, it will be a slower game and I need to adjust my expectations accordingly. Second, I've been sick and being sick always throws everything off and once I feel better things will hit their stride. Third, there was a plateau I hit about 10 pounds ago where my weight didn't change, but my body did, and this is what's going on again and I just need to be patient. Fourth theory, too much processed foods and I need to start eating more natural foods. Fifth theory, I had a couple of weeks of eating all of my points (regular, activity, flex) and I need to going back to just eating what my body needs. And, last but not least, sixth theory, I am not eating enough and I need to "shake it up a bit" with something like the Wendie Plan where you use a very jagged distribution of the flex points. Oh, and just thought of one more. Seventh theory, I need to do a better job of following the 8 Good Health Guidelines, not just about dairy but all of them.

So, how to test these hypotheses? Lord knows. A proper design of experiment using, say four weeks per effect, would take 20,160 weeks or about 380 years. A totally different issue might arise between now and year 2386... I guess there is no way of knowing for sure which of these theories holds true. Maybe I just need to be patient and as long as I'm not gaining, take each week as it comes...

C'est la vie.


Cheers!
mouse

Test

Dear Friends and Family,

Just a test as my blog is currently showing up as someone else's chess blog...


mouse

PS: Hmm... Posting fixed the problem. Weird.

Health Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Good morning.

Still taking it nice and easy. My heart/chest is feeling a little better. Still some discomfort, but the intensity is down from Saturday. And, yesterday, it went from a constant dull ache to an intermittent dull ache. I feel it this morning, but we'll see if it continues throughout the day.

On a positive note, it definitely hasn't gotten any worse.

Last night, I conquered a food quandry. I had five points left for dinner... I had lunch and then found out we were having lunch brought in for our meeting... I was intending on skipping lunch at the meeting, but our admin, bless her heart, knowing I am on Weight Watchers brought a special lunch just for me. So, being socially correct, I thanked her and had my two point soup. How sweet is she?

Which brings me to dinner... Five points and nothing coming to mind... Campbell's Chunky Chicken Noodle soup and a slice of toast? Lean Cuisine? Would work, but sounded too processed. Inspiration hit as I was walking to the car. Supermarket sushi. I got 6 pieces of sushi and 8 pieces of sashimi for dinner. Nice.

Good article in the New York Times on snacking. Trixie, any chance of convincing you to order the book for me from Amazon with your free shipping?

This morning, no caffeine after 6:30 and no food after 8:30 to prepare for my stress EKG. I find out all of the results next Monday, hopefully.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Yesterday marked the end of our Indian Summer. We had our first snow flakes and the wind shook a lot of trees bare.

Clutter Control, Simplicity Part II

Dear Friends and Family,

Not a lot to write today. Still feeling the same. Sleeping more. Waiting on test results. Waiting on interview feedback.

Today is a good day to take stock of more ways to simplify my life. What's on this week's docket to make life less complex for Mr. mouse and me?

1. I have a business trip to Orlando later this month. Was seriously toying with taking the Friday after the trip off and making a long weekend in the theme parks with Mr. mouse and a couple of my friends from Atlanta. But, decided not to. That's one more weekend of activities to plan, hotel and theme park tickets to purchase, travel arrangements for Mr. mouse, and too much at this point. The icing on the cake is Mr. mouse pointed out I can't ride and rides now with ye olde heart condition anyway. Done and done.
2. I need to return the rest of my baseball playoff tickets. Total outlay, $35 + shipping and handling. Not bad for the real option value of the tickets. Still, good to be done with sweating those details.
3. Old Navy... I went on a shopping expedition to Old Navy with a colleague at work. And, we bought a bunch of new clothes for me. Some of it isn't my style, but I bought it anyway. I am seriously tempted to return it. Why spend money on clothes I'm not going to wear? Time to return the stuff and be done with it.
4. Hangers. I have a pile of plastic hangers from my recent shopping excursions and I don't use plastic hangers... A girlfriend told me she is short on plastic hangers. So, I need to dump those puppies all is a paper bag and bring them to work. Out of my life and into hers. Sounds like a good exchange of karma.
5. Food. Need to simplify what I eat. Less packaged foods, more simple ingredients. The fake food needs to leave the house. After all, why should I have pre-made spaghetti sauce when I can make my own just as easily? How did a craving for Jell-O pudding get past my vigilant guard? Working on getting it all back under control. Must break this recent plateau, although I'm not really sweating the plateau yet. Just want to get the food back to the core food groups.

Hopefully, all of these things will, in the long run, make life less complex for me. Small steps, but progress nonetheless.


Cheers!
mouse

Stonyfield Farm Organic Fat Free Milk

Dear Friends and Family,

With all of the heart scares I've been having, I'm taking a back to the basics approach - less prepared foods, more natural ingredients.

Looking at Weight Watchers' Eight Good Health Guidelines, #3 is include two servings of milk products each day.


There have been articles about how consuming dairy MAY aid in weight loss. (e.g. French Women's Diet Secret: Yogurt)

The question on dairy is what and what brand. I inherently think organic has to be better. Ideally, I'd like grass fed cows vs. grain fed cows. No antibiotics, no steroids, no growth hormones. I want that old school ideal - cows let out to pasture every day to graze on naturally growing grass come back to the barn each night to be milked by hand...

For now, I'll stick with Stonyfield Farm, even if Business Week wrote about the Organic Myth using them as an example of what can go wrong with organic. They're sold at my local food co-op. I'll do more research once I have the time.

In addition to my daily yogurt, I've added a cup of skim milk with dinner every night.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: going in this morning for more lab work - two more vials of blood... probably won't know anything new until next Monday when I go in for my follow-up appointment.

Motor City, USA

Dear Friends and Family,

The SD card is not cooperating, so no photos until I can figure it out.

Friday evening, I flew out to see Mr. mouse. We had my favorite for dinner and then turned in early for an early morning trip out to southeastern Michigan to see friends, eat broasted chicken and get our teeth cleaned.

Saturday night was a bit of a scare. I'm not sure if you remember a small postscript from awhile ago. I had a heart scare one night. Next day, went to urgent care and they said they couldn't diagnose unless I was having an incident right then and there... It went away. Seemed like a one-time freak incident. Didn't think twice about it.

Last Thursday night, it felt weird again. Not for long. Not in the same way. Just not quite right. And, then, Friday, at work, it happened again. A noticeable change in the "depth" of each heart beat. Fifteen minutes later... Nada mas... Hmm... Saturday morning, again, not quite right. A slight discomfort and uneasiness. It goes away after I sleep and eat. Doesn't bother me enough to keep my from playing tackle football with BB and JB who are 80 and 83 pounds apiece and unable to really do serious damage yet. Saturday night... There it is again... And, five hours later, it's still bugging me. So, we head into the emergency room.

They take a bunch of blood to run some tests. They take an EKG to make sure I'm not having a heart attack. They take x-rays to check for blood clots. All they come up with is perhaps I have an inflammation of the sack around my heart. I get discharged and sent home. They strongly recommend I go to an doctor to get further testing done. Fortunately, I scheduled an appointment for today, three weeks ago when I had the first incident.

Sunday, Mr. mouse let me sleep in. I slept until 2:30 pm, considering we got home from the hospital around 3 am... Flew home Sunday evening. Quiet night last night. Still slight discomfort this morning.

One thing I learned in the hospital is how different the body is awake and asleep. Awake, my resting heart rate is ~70 bpm. Asleep, it's closer to ~45 bpm. Wow. That's a big difference. I committed to myself that I'd get more sleep on a regular basis. It does a body good.

Off to have my tea. Happy Monday, everyone.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse's New Clothes

Dear Friends and Family,

I had one of the best days yesterday.

Mr. mouse bought me a new pair of jeans because my old jeans had gotten too big to wear. And, on Sunday, in our mad dash through the mall, I picked up a new top. It's a simple black button down, but it's fitted, made from a stretch material, and you wear it untucked.

Yesterday, I paired the jeans with the top and my old old boots. I had a manicure from Monday when my cuticles were driving me crazy.

Well, all four women in my department said super nice things to me about how good I looked, especially Frenchie. She is so funny. She just got back from France and I didn't realize how much I missed her until now.

Then, two people from my old department gave me big time compliments too.

Now, I know I'm doing Weight Watchers for my health. But, the positive reinforcement, it's huge. Yesterday, to hear so many people say so many positive things, was almost surreal.

I'll have days in the future when I need to remind myself to keep me motivated. Now, I just need to look back on this.


Cheers!
mouse

Simplicity = Bliss

Dear Friends and Family,

Rise and shine, it's 3:45 in the morning. Cock a doodle doo.

Wow. My mind is reeling. It's way too early to be up.

I brought home work on Tuesday night, but procrastinated. I'll do it Wednesday before the game... Then, got worked up preparing Wednesday for my phone interview, figured burn the midnight oil and work Wednesday night. Well, a close girlfriend from Atlanta called last night, so here I am. Thursday morning, getting down to business.

More importantly, what to update you on? I feel a little constrained with the whole category thing to write about only one topic, making my job easier, later, when I need to go bin it into a category... At our conferences last week, a quote from one of the speakers really stuck with me:

"Simplicity is complexity resolved."

It's that simple. I've been thinking about it a lot. If simplicity is complexity resolved, then you can think of it in small baby steps. Each thing that simplifies life in a little way is a step in the right direction. Right now, our lives are amazingly complex. Mr. mouse and I take it a step further by living in two separate cities. But, I also tie ownership of "stuff" to complexity. Each thing you own needs to be accounted for, found a space for, used/accommodated/consumed, evaluated, maintained, etc. The list never ends.

I've been recently thinking a lot before buying anything. Anything I buy adds to my list of things I own. Yesterday, that manifested itself at Target in chocolate. Chocolate on sale... So tempted, but then the thought of one more thing in the house kinda grossed me out. So, didn't get the chocolate.

This is not an issue in the mouse house. Fortunately, we moved a lot of "stuff" to the mouse pad before putting it on the market. But, it is an issue in the mouse pad. I'm not there on a daily basis to contain the stuff and Mr. mouse is a pack rat. I wish he knew how much mental and emotional baggage carting around all the stuff we own is for me. To be able to toss or donate it all would be heaven for me. Maybe once I move there, it'll be easier to tackle.

And, the never-ending list of chores. With his crazy work schedule and being here half the weekends, nothing ever gets done at the mouse pad. So, that weighs on me too. All in all, life will be simpler and a lot less complex once we live together. And, I'm looking forward to it.

Keep your fingers crossed for us.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: (7:40 am update) decided to take action on my thoughts... (1) gave an unused router to our neighbors, (2)threw out some old Republic of Tea tea that I really didn't like, (3) tossed some old crackers lurking in the back of the cabinet, (4) folded up all of my old/too big pants for donation and (5) I'll think of something by end of day for (5).

PPS: (8:05 am update) (5) recycled the plastic cup I got at the game yesterday... I originally brought it home for Mr. mouse, but decided no, we don't need to add that to our collective "stuff." I'm feeling better already.

Categories

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm going to skip this morning's journal entry and categorize one more month.


Cheers!
mouse

Macaroni Grill - Chicken Florentine Salad

Dear Friends and Family,

We went out for lunch yesterday at work to Macaroni Grill.

I printed out their menu from Weight Watchers ahead of time so I could plan out my meal. I was really surprised, they've been busy adding a lot of restaurants to their database making eating out a lot easier than it was before. For instance, they had Chipotle, Starbucks, Caribou and lots more. Now, I can just look and see what's low in points instead of having to go to the restaurant's website, look for nutritional info, then type it in. Much easier.

With my new 20 point limit, I was originally planning on a 4 point lunch. So, I looked at the menu ahead of time to see what four points would buy me. Either the house Caesar salad without dressing or the house garden salad without dressing for two points. Lentil bean soup would be another two points. We had a plan.

They were out of the soup. They had Italian Herb... Fortunately, I printed out the list and brought it with me in case a friend wanted to peek and check. So, I ordered the Chicken Florentine Salad without dressing. It was a nice blend of chopped salad and orzo with olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes, and other bits. Total cost? Seven points. My fall back was the Margherita Pizza. Half the pie is 10 points, so 50% more than the salad, but, it's pizza.

If we go back to Macaroni Grill, I'd probably order the Chicken Florentine Salad again.

Cheers!
mouse

PS: categories functional :) I'll be adding historical information once I have the time and motivation...

Roof Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse is tearing apart the mouse pad. It's raining really hard there, and for the FIRST time, we're (at least one of us) home to witness it. Guess what? Yep. You guessed it. The roof is leaking water into the house again.

While the leaking is definitely a bum deal, finally having the opportunity to inspect it while in progress to try and get a clue is so much better than finding the residual damage when you get home... Then, you don't have a #$%@! clue what happened. You just see the results.

So, he's cutting into the ceiling drywall to try and get at root cause. And, he thinks he has a handle on what caused the stairway damage. Not sure, but I think he's focusing on the ceiling to try and figure that one out first. Guess he's not getting any sleep tonight.

I, on the other hand, should turn in. I've had a horrible case of the munchies and really have had enough to call it a night.


Cheers!
mouse

Weekend Update - Oct 2, 2006

Dear Friends and Family,

Sorry for the long radio silence. I didn't have access to a secure line on Friday morning so I couldn't write my entry for the day. That being said, I might hold until Wednesday before doing a full debrief... Thursday's interviews went okay, two went very well, one went okay. I'm reading into it that there are personalities that come into play. But, I might be wrong. We'll see... I have one more phone interview on Wednesday with the EVP. Will keep y'all posted.

I caught a flight to Austin on Thursday evening to visit ye olde orthodontist. Well, the whole thing turned into an ABSOLUTE debacle that ended in Mr. mouse buying me a last-minute one-way ticket home. End goal accomplished, but at a final tally of $400+. Fun. Fun. Will write more on this later this week. Boy, I have a ton of catch up posts. Patience.

Onto the weekend. Saturday, I slept in. I mean, I really slept in. Mr. mouse finally woke me. It was 10 minutes to 1 (in the afternoon). I could have slept longer if he didn't wake me. I guess my body needed it. Wow. So, most of Saturday was already accounted for by the time I woke up. After "morning tea" and "breakfast", it was already a little after two o'clock.

We spent the afternoon and evening doing stuff around the mouse pad.



We finished assembling the chair/settee set (two chairs, one settee) we bought off of eBay for the living room. We'll eventually swap them out for real furniture once we have time and money to do the room right. But, for now, they're great. We have seating. We also moved a ton of stuff downstairs into storage where it belonged. And, moved the TV upstairs. Mr. mouse has been watching TV for the past year and half on a portable DVD player which can now be just a just that, a portable DVD player.

Sunday, we flew back to the mouse house. We went out for Chinese for lunch. My love-hate affair with real Chinese food continues. It's so good, but sadly, has about 2 tbs of peanut oil in any given dish, definitely not Weight Watchers friendly. Solution? Decided to take Trixie's advice and go for a walk. It was absolutely gorgeous on Sunday. We walked to the lake, did a circuit and walked back for a good 90 minute walk. Felt a lot less guilt (and heft) from lunch after the walk.

Afterwards, we hit the mall to pick up the last of the pants alterations and a new top that came in. And, we couldn't resist. We bought a baseball jersey now that we're in the post-season. Mr. mouse and I got tired of sharing, so, we each have our own now.

And, that was the weekend.


Cheers!
mouse