Waiting for the Cicadas

Dear Friends and Family,

Although there are many, many species of cicadas with varying life cycles, we here, in Chicago land, have been talking about and bracing for, the "big one." Yes, there are cicadas every year, but apparently, every seventeen years there is a swarm of them. And, this year is the year.

Also, apparently, it needs to be warm enough for a couple of nights for the cicadas to emerge. We've had a really cool/cold spring, and the last few nights were the first warm nights we've had in the season.

So, we're all curiously awaiting the onslaught of the cicada. So far, it's been a non-starter. I can't wait to tie one to some floss and fly it like a kite like we did last Labor Day.


Cheers!
mouse

7 Pounds and Counting

Dear Friends and Family,

I didn't expect to lose any weight this past week. Maybe after my plateau, two consecutive weeks of weight loss seems almost decadent.

Seven more to go, officially. Uh, okay.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Meets the CEO

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday afternoon, I had a meeting with the CEO. It wasn't just the two of us. It was my boss and me and the CEO and his staff. We had thirty minutes on the agenda to cover the work I've been doing for the past six months.

The prior meeting ran 10 minutes over, so we ended up short on time. But, I have to say, it was pretty cool being introduced to him in a small meeting setting.


Cheers!
mouse

05.29.07: Second City + Emerald City

Dear Friends and Family,

There's so much to write about. It's going to be impossible to do it all justice. We had a fun-filled weekend split between two cities and multiple friends. So, let's get to it!

Friday

Friday, the mom (from Texas, not Minnesota) and I both logged onto our respective computers to work from home. I got through about half of my emails and a quarter of my presentation - not the most productive of days, but what can you do? I assuaged my guilt by committing to bring my notebook on the plane to work on the flight.

Friday night, the dad and the son arrived on their flight. We did the obligatory house tour and then headed downtown for some deep dish pizza. Due, of course. After dinner, we started walking down Michigan Avenue for our evening constitutional and to see the sights. We snuck into the Intercontinental to see the pool. I'd gone swimming there before, when we stayed at the hotel, and it's a beautiful pool, and for being in a hotel, off the beaten path. Next, we hit the Tribune Building. I've walked past the building a ton of times and never noticed that the exterior has bits and pieces of other buildings all over it (i.e. the Alamo, the Taj Mahal, etc.) Huh. Never noticed it... And, we went into the lobby too. The dad is from Chicago. And, his dad worked on the Tribune Building when it was being built. That added a dimension to seeing the artwork. We'll have to add it to our trivia if we bring anyone else inside. And, last but not least, we walked down to Millennium Park to see the amphitheater, the "bean", and the fountain - with the two heads that spout water every couple of minutes. I've decided, I like Millennium Park more at night than in the daytime. It feels more city. And, that my friends catches you up on Friday. Phew.

Saturday

We slept in, ate breakfast at home and determined our itinerary for the day. First on the list was the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette. Started in 1920, it was completed in 1953. The Baha'i faith centers on three concepts - the oneness of God, the oneness of mankind and the oneness of religion. It's got a lot of concepts I can agree with, on the surface, but I don't know nearly enough about the religion to truly say anything about it. Now, the temple, it's absolutely gorgeous.


There's a visitor's center in the basement where you learn about the religion and the temple, before going upstairs. Interestingly enough, the Baha'i do not allow donations. Only the Baha'i are allowed to donate. It's considered a privilege. I kind of like that. The dad remembers his dad bringing him to the temple. Back then, it wasn't enclosed from the elements. There weren't any doors or windows. And, there weren't any chairs in the main temple. The temple would have seemed a lot more exotic and foreign without the chairs and the windows and doors. And, I guess, it would have seemed more connected to the outdoors - you'd hear birds and feel the wind as you meditate. I guess nowadays, you'd hear mowers and trimmers and leaf blowers and cars. Maybe it's a good thing it's enclosed now.

Next, we drove down to the Cultural Center. The dad remembers being here with his dad. I liked learning about Chicago from him from his dad. It added flavor to the sights. I've decided, I will no longer go to the Cultural Center on a Saturday. They're always prepping for a wedding, and I like to remember the place as where we got married (back before it was Grand Central for weddings). We spent most of our time on the G.A.R. side of the building. The dad's great, great, great, great grandfather (not sure how many greats, so I'm taking some artistic liberty here) fought in the Civil War in the Grand Army of the Republic, hence why the dad's dad brought him there.

From there we headed over to the Art Institute. I'm going to gloss over this one or we'll never get done. We saw Impressionists, miniature rooms, arms & armor, and Greek & Roman antiquities. Then, we headed home to change and gear up for the White Sox game. We all changed into some pretty dorky, but entirely functional, rain gear, since it had been threatening rain all day and a light drizzle had started by the time we left the museum. By the time we made it down to the stadium, they'd canceled the game. Great. Guess we'll try to sell the tickets for the rescheduled game, since it's a Monday day game. Deciding to make lemons out of lemonade, we hit Chinatown, since it's close to Comiskey Park. Will anyone ever call that place U.S. Cellular Field? The dad doesn't remember Chinatown when he was growing up. We're guessing it wasn't settled until later. We bought a bunch of Chinese pastries, a third wok ring and a sushi mold to make rice balls. Then, we headed up to Greektown for dinner. (reviews to come, later this week) And, since the night was still young, we headed out to Kingston Mines to listen to some blues music. We got home just before two. And, the parents turned in shortly thereafter. But, the son, Mr. mouse and I stayed up to chat. We broke open the pastries and talked about the upcoming summer and senior year of high school and college and life in general. The time flew, and before we knew it, it was almost four and we dragged our respective butts to our respective beds.

Sunday

We left our neighbors with the keys, a roughly drawn map and our cell phone numbers. And, we headed out to the airport to fly out to Seattle. We landed around lunch time and headed over to one of Mr. mouse's friend's home. He was out of town, but his wife was home, and we got the house tour and then spent the afternoon catching up with her. Then, we headed over to Mr. mouse's college roommate's house. En route, we picked up some congee and noodles for a snack and some sashimi and veggies for dinner. Mr. mouse's college roommate has lived in Seattle since before Mr. mouse and I met and we've been going out to visit him pretty regularly. He and his wife have two kids - the daughter is just about to turn three and the son is a couple of months shy of a year. They just finished a kitchen remodel. It's a huge improvement over the old kitchen and has me itching to redo ours. However, I think we should focus on fixing the roof first. Sigh. I fell asleep on the couch, but I'm assuming Mr. mouse had a chance to catch up while I was snoozing. I guess I was tired from staying up late the night before.

Monday

We met up with one final friend in Seattle for a tour of his new place and breakfast before heading home. We played Scrabble on the way home and I bingoed three times! snarling, floured, and expiate for a score of 434 points. I don't think I've ever bingoed three times in a single game. I'm lucky to get one. And, I had a fourth bingo, valuate, and no place to play it, so I broke it up and used it for parts. Mr. mouse got vestige for 346 points. Yeah, mouse!

We got home, caught up with the mom, ate dinner and turned in for the night.

All in all, a busy busy weekend. But, it was so good to see so many people. And, I learned a lot about Chicago that I didn't know before.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Apologies in advance for grammar, spelling, stylistic errors. Need to go get ready. No time to proof and refine.

Amazing!

Dear Friends and Family,

I went to get my hair cut last night. And, Paul, my beautician, told me I look AMAZING! That means a lot to me, because I've been with him for almost 10 years now, and it's the biggest compliment he's ever paid me. And, he wouldn't say it unless he meant it.

Then, on the way home, I saw two bunnies playing in the lawn. We used to have bunnies at the mouse house, in our backyard. But, bunnies in the city? Now, I've seen everything. They we a little bigger and a little more fierce looking than our mouse house bunnies, but nonetheless, it totally made my evening to see them.

Last, but not least, we have neighbors visiting again. This time, from Texas. Our first neighbors from the first mouse hole are coming up for the weekend. The mom flew in last night. And, the dad and son are flying in tonight. We went out to dinner last night and then turned in for the night. It was close to midnight by the time we got home.


Cheers!
mouse

Mandalay Restaurant

Dear Friends and Family,

Late night take-out. A perfect way to fill the belly after a night of wine and laughter.

We ordered six dishes, but I only tried five of them.

1. Crispy pancake: GBD - golden brown and delicious
2. Mango chicken: hot, spicy and sweet all at once
3. Walnut, broccoli and tofu: standard vegetarian stir-fry
4. Basil spicy eggplant: good
5. Coconut rice: goes well with the mango chicken
6. some other rice dish: too full to try

All in all, standard late night take out. I liked it because I've been craving hot & spicy and sweet & sour and most of our dishes had those flavors.

Overall rating: 7/10

Mandalay Restaurant
4348 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94118 map it
(415) 386-3895
http://mandalaysf.com


Cheers!
mouse

Servino Ristorante

Dear Friends and Family,

Lunch with two young children and their parents, always an exercise in keeping them entertained, getting them fed and getting some food to eat yourself. With four adults, you're success rate skyrockets in getting all three accomplished.

Tiburon was filled to the gills when we went, because, unbeknownst to us, there was a wine festival planned for Saturday afternoon in Tiburon. Fortunately, Servino didn't have a wait and could seat us on the outdoor patio. I ordered the pollo al forno, a roast half chicken with a mushroom gravy. It comes mashed potatoes and roasted red peppers. Mr. mouse ordered the sausage pizza. Both were good, but in the end, I'd rate it as standard Italian, a notch above chain Italian, but not a destination restaurant.

Overall rating: 7/10

Servino Ristorante
9 Main Street
Tiburon, CA 94920 map it
(415) 435-2676
http://www.servino.com


Cheers!
mouse

Turquoise Cafe

Dear Friends and Family,

We went to Turquoise Cafe once before with our Turkish friends. So, we weren't surprised when they wanted to go again when they were in town last week. One of their close friends knows the owner. And, it's a regular haunt of the local Turkish community. That being said, there's lots of non-Turkish customers so you don't feel out of place either way.

First, bread with olive oil and a spread - highly addictive. Then, lentil soup - excellent and filling. Next, eggplant spread (like baba ganoush) and a pizza-like dish with ground lamb and tomato spread on a thin crust bread. You sprinkle lemon on it and top it with some greens and fresh tomato, fold in half and consume - heavenly. Main course, kebabs, both chicken and ground lamb - tender, moist, just-one-more-bite, irresistible. And, last but not least, dessert. A custard-like flan, rice pudding, baklava and tea. Sigh.

It's so good, but when you have a bite of this and a bite of that, it ends up eating up all your flex points. But, it was worth it. I can't wait to go again.

Overall rating: 8/10

Turquoise Cafe
2147 West Roscoe Street
Chicago, IL 60618 map it
(773) 549-3523


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Goes to the Gym, Again

Dear Friends and Family,

After taking about two months off from the weight lifting, I did a round of upper body free weights Tuesday. I had a lot more energy after the workout than I did two months ago. I think taking the time off was good for my body. I may have been overworking myself. I felt good yesterday, but today I feel sore. I'll go again this afternoon so that next week won't be so bad. We'll see.

I lost another 0.5 pounds, which is great. I still celebrate every loss, especially after my 6 week plateau. But, honestly, my interests have shifted somewhat from pure weight loss to other aspects of wellness. I've been focusing on removing wheat from my diet, with the exception of my morning cereal, and adding more rice and salad to my lunch and dinner. And, I've said goodbye to grape tomatoes and hello (again) to baby cut carrots. And, I've contemplated removing pork from the diet and adding more fish as well. We'll see.


Cheers!
mouse

Negotiations, Work in Progress

Dear Friends and Family,

I decided to tackle talking to Mr. mouse about my sister. We had a long talk on our drive down from San Francisco to San Jose. I'm not sure we made progress on her specifically.

Mr. mouse is still on the want-nothing-to-do-with-her-ever stance. I'm not sure what my stance is. But, I know I don't like ultimatums. I especially don't like ultimatums on stuff that I think should be mine to decide - like relations with my family. For example, I'd consider it absurd to try to dictate to Mr. mouse what his relations with his Dad should be.

I think this is the real crux of the issue. At least I have it identified now. It's not about my sister. Not really. It's now about how Mr. mouse and I make decisions about stuff we feel strongly about. My sister, unfortunately, is just collateral damage at this point. It's progress, at least in understanding what I'm solving for.

Speaking of my sister... I was on the phone with my cousin last night. She and I have always been close. We're only two months apart and spent a lot of time together growing up. She thinks my sister may have bi-polar disorder. One of her employees did and my cousin thinks, on the surface, that my sister exhibits a lot of the same symptoms. I'll have to do some research to see if I buy that.


Cheers!
mouse

05.21.07: City by the Bay

Dear Friends and Family,

After several starts and stops, we made it to San Francisco, Saturday morning, on the flight to San Jose. I slept part of the flight and worked the rest. We picked up a minivan, after we landed, and then drove up to our friends' house. They live downtown, a block away from a church that Mr. mouse's stepmother's niece got married in. What a small world.

We headed out to Tiburon for the afternoon for lunch. And, the girls got their fill of walking around downtown before we loaded them back in the car to return home. It was sunny and breezy and relaxing and refreshing to spend time with them. Maybe I was intoxicated by the food coma from Italian, but it just felt heavenly.

It was close to bedtime for the girls by the time we got home, so they were a little cranky and fussy. We all amused them as best we could and then put them down by around 8 o'clock. After which, we uncorked a bottle of wine and caught up everything we'd all been up to since the last time we met. Around 9, we ordered Burmese for dinner. As you can guess, I've got several food write-ups coming up in the near future - Turkish, Italian and Burmese. We all fell asleep shortly thereafter. Guess everyone was a little tired from the day in the sun.

Sunday, Mr. mouse and I got up early to fly back to the mouse pad. We made the early morning flight without a hitch, and through some clever rearranging even ended up sitting next to each other. Score! Mr. mouse slept for most of the flight while I worked on my presentation. I have to say, I got more work done than I would have if we had stayed at home. Nothing like close to eight hours of downtime to catch up on work. We got home, unpacked, did laundry, organized the main floor, cleaned the kitchen and then sat down to a delicious dinner of pork chops and potatoes. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. Mr. mouse caught up on some TV while I called one of my old girlfriends from old work. It was so good catching up with her. I miss her so much!

So, a weekend that stated off disastrously ended on a high note. We got to see several old friends, Friday and Saturday. We spent a day lazing in the sun. We frittered the night away over some wine. We caught up on work. We caught up on the house. And, I got to reconnect with my girlfriend.


Cheers!
mouse

Chilling at the Airport

Dear Friends and Family,

After two hours sleep and a still-fuzzy train ride out to the airport, Mr. mouse and I have been cooling our heels at multiple gates trying to get out to the City by the Bay to visit some friends. So far, we've not made the San Fran flight, the Vegas flight and the San Diego flight. And, we're hanging out to try and not make the San Jose flight before turning around and heading home.

Hanging over my head is my presentation and my page full of to-dos. Neither of which got completed yesterday.

On a positive note, I went to happy hour with some friends from grad school and it was so good seeing them all again. I didn't realize so many were here in Chicago. I'm looking forward to seeing them the next time the group gets together. And, after happy hour, Mr. mouse and I met up with my Turkish friends from Minnesota for dinner. I need to write a review. The food was absolutely delicious!

Oh! And, some miscellaneous updates on the mouse pad. They started work on the driveway. It's about half done and it a huge improvement. And, we recently got separate bins for recycling. They're so pretty and blue. I'm in love.


Cheers!
mouse

Saving for Retirement: The Tipping Point

Dear Friends and Family,

Phew. Got my draft presentation out for my first meeting. I've got five meetings, a presentation and a page full of to-dos today before I can say hello to the weekend. Honestly, working from home saves on the morning and afternoon commute, but I am really working, not just hanging out eating bon bons.

I saw an article in the Journal yesterday that struck a chord with me - A $1 Million Retirement Fund: How to Get There From Here (registration may be required). It talks through some simple math about how much you'll need for retirement... blah... blah... blah...

But, the article also highlights an interesting tipping point in the whole equation. Once you save up twice your eventual income, saving for retirement becomes easier. At that point, more of your savings come from the earnings on savings than from deposits into savings. (i.e. Say you want to make $80,000 a year by the time you retire, then $160,000 is the number you're after.) While the goal isn't easy to reach, the author advocates trying to reach it by your early forties.

Not sure how this translates into a savings goal for anyone out there, but thought it was an interesting read anyway.


Cheers!
mouse

Surprise Visit 2

Dear Friends and Family,

Working from home today. Overslept, so I don't have a bunch of time. I've got a busy day ahead of me - a bunch of conference calls, an unplanned/surprise visit from my friends from Turkey, a happy hour with a former professor and dinner with Mr. mouse and the Turks.

Sorry. Have to run to go finish a presentation.


Cheers!
mouse

Sister Update

Dear Friends and Family,

It's been awhile since the last update on the sister situation.

She's going through with the divorce. All in all, I think it's a positive thing. She seems happy and relieved now that they're in the final stages of negotiations. I guess there was a lot wrong in the marriage that I didn't have visibility to. She's seeing a counselor/therapist and that's helping a lot. She's doing well in her classes. She's remained upbeat throughout the whole thing, all things considered. And, she's relied mostly on herself and her friends to see her through the emotional ups and downs.

But... And, you knew there was a but coming...

Things are still very awkward in the mouse household over all of this. Mr. mouse is still not on speaking terms with my sister. He wants nothing to do with any of it whatsoever. From his point of view, she has a history of ups and downs and this is just one more up that'll inevitably be followed by one more down. He gets a sour look whenever I'm on the phone with her that puts me in a very awkward position.

Me. Where's my head on all of this? I detest when she calls me at work. I'm at work for crying out loud! But, I'm worried it's something critical. Like he got violent and she's calling for help. So, I answer. No, she's calling to say she got an A on her chemistry final. Just to be clear, that does not deserve a phone call at work. Then she wants to chat. I guess from her standpoint, it's time that's less awkward because Mr. mouse not likely to be at my work. But, that's not a routine I want to establish. Other people, I feel like I can hang up if things get busy and they take it for what it is. My sister, I feel like she reads too much into it.

I'm torn on the whole issue. She's someone I'm close to, for better or for worse. But, Mr. mouse is someone I'm close to, as well, for better or for worse. I feel trapped in the middle and I resent that feeling. I don't have a huge desire to jump in and declare her my new best friend. But, I don't feel like I need to be sneaking phone calls in behind his back. I'm going to have to find a solution to all of this, but for now, it is what it is.


Cheers!
mouse

One Down, One Million More to Go

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday turned out to be a great day.

1. I lost 1.5 lbs, finally.
2. My friend's visa ap jumped forward almost a year.
3. We've saved up six months worth of expenses again after depleting our reserves to modify our house loan.
4. We made our first non-IRA investment payment.

Although all good milestones, the last is the one I'm most proud of. We've always tried to be frugal with the greenbacks. But, most of the cash over the past ~15 years has been towards credit card re-payment, student loans, car loans, house payments (our first house, the mouse house, the mouse pad), 401k, IRA, employee stock purchase plan, and last but not least, saving up one year's worth of living expenses since that gives us the flexibility to do our own thing if we want to or need to.

But, yesterday, finally, we made our first check to our financial planner for nothing more than to save and invest. It's not tax deferred. And, it'll be invested in none to glamorous mutual funds in a balanced portfolio. But, it's a start towards wealth accumulation that's been a long time in the making. Mr. mouse and I decided we would take the longer approach with the mouse pad to have the cash flow to invest.

I gotta say, it feels good.


Cheers!
mouse

8 Pounds and Counting

Dear Friends and Family,

Whoopee!

After six weeks at the exact same weight, I've broken through my plateau to lose one and a half pounds. Yeah!

I'll continue with the jogging and the higher protein lunches for now. Don't know if either of them are related to the change or if it was merely a matter of time. Either way, it can't hurt.


Cheers!
mouse

Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm been lackadaisical on the Tuesday food posts. Sometimes I have one to write about. Sometimes, I don't. It's been warm enough for us to grill, so, today, let's talk hot dogs.

Typical grocery store hot dogs are five or more Weight Watchers points. Last year, sometime, I read an article on Weight Watchers titled Shopping List Must Haves and it extolled the virtues of six different foods that you must try. Last on the list were the Hebrew National 97% Fat Free Beef Franks. Typically, I don't eat a lot of second gen food anymore (more on this later), but when I do, I love finding a low point alternative that works.

Mr. mouse and I tried these a couple of weeks ago to see how they would taste. The instructions said to boil them, not grill them, so we did. And, surprisingly, they were pretty good. You could tell they weren't the full fat version, but at 45 calories, 1.5 grams of fat it was one point vs. four points for the regular one. That means two hot dogs can be had for two points plus buns. I read about a couple of low point bun options, but we haven't tried any yet. With some potato chips, you've got a classic summer entrée for six points!


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Trixie, we took the Wendella Boats tour.

05.14.07: Great America and More

Dear Friends and Family,

Our neighbors from Minnesota flew out to visit us. And, their French teacher/exchange student, Frenchie II, came out with them. We had so much fun over the weekend, I'm dreading going back to work today.

Friday night, they flew in and we went out to dinner. We went to Enoteca Roma and I ordered the polenta, just in time too since it gets dropped with the summer menu. Phew. We brought dessert back to the house and chatted while waiting for the Dad to arrive; he flew in on a separate flight.

Saturday, we woke up early and had breakfast at home before piling in the cars and heading up to Six Flags Great America. It was a little crisp when we got there, but otherwise, a perfect day to hit the park. We caved and bought the Gold Flash Pass that saves you 75% of the time on any given line. If you're a roller coaster rider, it's the way to go. We would have spent hours in every line without it. Let's say your time is worth $10 an hour, which is a ridiculously low estimate of the value of free time, but let's say $10. The pass costs $20. You break even on your time in one or two rides. Uh. Okay. Sign me up. Dinner? Due. Perfect ending to a fun filled day.

Sunday, we woke up early again. We wanted to have breakfast at the Bongo Room. They don't take reservations. It was Mother's Day. Recipe for potential disaster. We got there at 8:30, they open at 9 o'clock. We were fourth in line, and didn't have any trouble getting seated. The end of the line, not so fortunate. Breakfast was delish, as expected. And, I made it through points-wise, by ordering the Eggs Benedict without hollandaise. Frenchie II ordered and finished the Chocolate French Toast. That's an accomplishment to write home about! If you're curious, search Bongo Room on flickr. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Mr. mouse and the Dad left to do some grocery shopping while the Mom, the Daughter, Frenchie II and I played PS2. We then piled onto the train to go downtown for a boat tour of Chicago. I hadn't taken the tour yet, so it was a new thing for both Mr. mouse and me. The weather turned out perfect for the boat ride and I'm beginning to love the Chicago skyline. It's still not New York, but it's not bad either. There's just something about being on the water that's so relaxing. If we ever decide to start spending serious time in the summer here, a boat might be in our future.

We got home in time to grill dinner on the deck. Lobster, steak, chicken, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, baguette, wine, sun, view, hammock, chaise... Santé!


Cheers!
mouse

Work Update

Dear Friends and Family,

I'm drawing an absolute blank on what to write about this morning. So, for lack of any better topics, you're getting an update on work which I don't write about very often at all. I've been at work for about five months now. I know. That's really hard to believe. I feel like I just started yesterday, but it's been almost half a year already.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it an 8-. The work is new and makes the day go quickly. The people are fun and engaging. I'm beginning to make some friends whom I enjoy hanging out with. And, I get paid well for what I do. Really, what more can you ask for?

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll stay the next two years (I'd have to pay back my relo and signing bonus if I left before my two year anniversary) and assess where I'm at. If things continue to go well, I'll stay. If not (or if I find my entrepreneurial love), then I'll be onto my next adventure.


Cheers!
mouse

Refocused Mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

I've come to accept, maybe, that my current weight might end up being my maintenance weight. I'll stay on my 18 points a day and my 35 flex points a week, but I want to start thinking about other health aspects.

For starters, I think I've slipped back into a carbohydrate laden diet again. So, I'm going to try to limit my carbs at lunch and try to get more high quality proteins in. My target is 60 grams of protein a day, which is more than what I've been getting recently. Yesterday, I had a chef's salad sans cheese with two steamed chicken dumplings. It kept me full, but didn't give me a ton of excess energy at the gym. That's something else I need to figure out.

But, for now, I'll take a focused, semi-disciplined approach to limiting the carbs at lunch and I'll see where that goes.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Mr. mouse is all better now.

Too Much Fun on a School Night

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night, I invited a colleague over for drinks after work. The weather was too nice and it would have been an absolute waste not to use the deck. But, one drink turned into multiple drinks. And, wine is expensive on the Weight Watchers scale. And, wine turned into walking out for dinner. And, dinner turned into pizza and pasta. And, on Day 2 of the week, I'm down to twelve flex points. Ouch. Time to climb back on the wagon.

But, my real concern is for Mr. mouse. He had a couple of glasses of wine. Three, maybe. And, then had a couple of beers with dinner. Three, maybe. And, when we got home, he made a beeline for the deck and slept up there for a couple of hours. Then, he came down and slept in the bathroom for the rest of the night. I'm not sure he's doing so well. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's not doing very well at all. I'll check in on him again soon. I was really worried last night. And, to be honest, I still am. Let's not do that again.


Cheers!
mouse

Binge Day Confessions

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday was not a good day for mouse. I had my weigh-in a day early because I was traveling for work and wouldn't have access to a scale today. And, I headed to Kansas City with zero flex points left in the bank.

It all started with the weigh-in. Zero.zero pounds change in the four weeks, since we got back from Korea. Now, I've had lots of compliments on how I look, so I'm feeling good. It's just the number that's refusing to budge. I'd almost be better with it if I had some daily variation which feels more normal. But, again, I think it's a little more complicated than calories in equals calories out. I've read too many people talk about non-linear weight loss and plateaus. There's something more going on here, boys and girls.

So, I'm in Kansas City for some focus groups. That's a setting notorious for food in a city notorious for food. Think of it as trouble squared - a high risk scenario all around. Now, normally, I would have had the will power to make it through the situation. But, I consciously decided to not care for the day. I'm sure I'll be paying for it for awhile, but it was the decision I made. So, last night was the sugar rush feeling. Today is the too much sodium coursing through my veins feeling. Tomorrow will be the still not-hungry gross feeling. And, Thursday, I'll need to face the scale to see what the numerical damage, if any, is.

For all that, I'm strangely okay with it. It's like the people who write about trying to jolt their body out of it. We'll see what next week's weigh-in brings.


Cheers!
mouse

Kamehachi Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar

Dear Friends and Family,

Always game to try a new sushi restaurant, we went to Kamehachi for a late lunch/early dinner before the show. I ordered ala carte sushi and Mr. mouse ordered the nabayaki udon. The salmon wasn't as creamy as I'd like, but the mackerel was excellent and the eel nicely grilled. The salmon eggs and tamago rounded out my order nicely. Mr. mouse's udon looked delicious, and as a nice touch, they serve the tempura separately so it doesn't get too soggy. He could add each piece as he was ready for it. Brilliant!

Overall rating: 8/10

Kamehachi Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar
240 East Ontario Street
Chicago, IL 60611 map it
(312) 587-0600
http://www.kamehachi.com


Cheers!
mouse

05.07.07: Busy Bee Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

It was a fun-filled weekend in Chicago for Mr. mouse and me.

Saturday morning, we slept in until almost 10 o'clock. Then, we started a couple of loads of laundry and had breakfast. It was good to have a weekend at home after a month of traveling. Mr. mouse and I spent some time, to no avail, trying to recreate the roof leak. We had a couple of hypotheses, but none of them panned out. I might have to borrow the pressure washer from a colleague at work to experiment some more.

We headed out to school for the afternoon. There was a get together to celebrate with fellow alumni and say good-bye to one of our close professors. He's moving to another school. I got a chance to catch up with my classmates. Mr. mouse got a chance to catch up with his classmates. And, we went out to dinner with some other alums and one of the program organizers. Life is good.

Sunday, we slept in again. Then, we spent the morning cleaning house, finishing laundry and reading the papers. We met up with a friend and his partner for sushi lunch and a play - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We had front row, center seats. And, I had a bit part in the play, unbeknownst to me or anyone in the audience for that matter. It was fun. And, for my reward, I got a pack of m&m's and a shower of popcorn.

I've got an early flight tomorrow morning for work, in case you're wondering why I'm writing tonight.


Cheers!
mouse

Enoteca Roma

Dear Friends and Family,

We went out to dinner Tuesday night to talk through Mr. mouse's new job and stuff in general. Enoteca Roma has seating for about twelve people plus a bar in the winter and they triple their capacity in the summer with outdoor seating. The place was full on a Tuesday night and I can see why.

We started with a bowl of olives with two flights of wine. Mr. mouse got the red wines and I got the sparkling wines. Nice variety, reasonable price, a great way to unwind and chat while we waited for our food. I ordered the linguine with clam sauce and Mr. mouse ordered a pizza. The linguine wasn't really linguine, it was the hollow pasta noodles that do a much better job grabbing the sauce. And, the clam sauce was excellent - rich without being greasy, it was loaded with baby clams in shell. And, the portion size was just right, filling without being overwhelming. Mr. mouse's pizza came in six square slices - Sicilian style. The crust was flaky with nice chew and the toppings went perfectly with it - a spicy sausage and a spicy pepper. The pizza had the right amount of cheese, which is nice. We finished five of the six slices and brought the last one home. Definitely a place to add to our regular rotation. I was eying the polenta that a person got a couple of tables down from us.

Overall rating: 8/10

Enoteca Roma
2146 West Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622 map it
(773) 342-1011
http://www.enotecaroma.com


Cheers!
mouse

Chung Ki Wa Korean Barbecue

Dear Friends and Family,

We were pleasantly surprised with Chung Ki Wa. We've driven by it a million times and finally decided to stop in for dinner.

I ordered the maeun kalbi tang (a spicy short rib soup) and Mr. mouse ordered the dolsot bibimbap (a mixed rice dish served in a piping hot stone bowl). The kalbi tang was nice and spicy and the bibimbap had that crunchy texture both Mr. mouse and I love.

Overall rating: 8/10

Chung Ki Wa Korean Barbecue
1658 West Algonquin Road
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056 map it
(847) 806-1633


Cheers!
mouse

Entrepreneurial Mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

I spent yesterday with a group of fellow alums working through current events in our graduate degree program. It's a very high energy group with lots of positive momentum. Like Mr. mouse's reunion last year, it reminded me of my roots and rejuvenated me. I'm glad my program director asked me to join the alumni council.

I got a chance to catch up with my class co-captain as well. And, with several people from Mr. mouse's class. And, I think I know what I want to do. I want to buy my own company or be an independent consultant or build my own company. I want to do something small, but something tangible, something I own. It's high risk, but it's high reward. And, by reward, for me, it's the non-financial reward that'll be the highest. We just need to get a little more stability in our finances and I'll feel comfortable taking the jump.

It all boils down to a concept we discussed yesterday about happiness. There's little correlation between what you make and how happy you are. And, Mr. mouse and I aren't high fliers. So, taking the Bhutan approach, why not pursue happiness? Who knows where it will lead.

January 2009. I'm making a commitment to myself, now, to get our ducks in a row in the next year and half. Then, I can make an honest assessment of what's next.


Cheers!
mouse

Jogging Mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

Got a chance to go down to the gym last night and try the treadmill thing again. This time I did 5 mph which qualifies as an official jog. Hooray! Then, I spent a fair amount of time stretching. Hopefully, I'm not as sore this time around. Although, to be honest, I spent a fair amount of time last Tuesday stretching, so any differences will be due to the fact that this is my second attempt at the whole thing.

I've been at a plateau for the past three weeks - 0 difference in weight for almost a month. So, I'm determined to try something new to see if it'll shake things up. I'm going to try and hit the gym again on Friday for another jog. Hopefully, it'll be better news next Tuesday. Nine and a half pounds to goal is the current status.


Cheers!
mouse

It's Official, New Job for Mr. mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse met with his new boss yesterday, and it's official. He'll be starting in the new job almost immediately. They just need to work out the announcement and transition plans. No dillydallying here, folks.

Mr. mouse seems to be excited about the new job. There's no doubt, he'll miss the old job and the people he worked with. But, overall, he's a lot more positive about the new position than he was Monday night. I guess he's got a lot more visibility into the role after meeting with his new boss.

For now, we'll see how it all plays out. If he does enjoy it, great. If he doesn't enjoy it, we'll go from there. I stressed a bit about it all yesterday, but my coping mechanisms are coming into play. We've faced worse and made it through okay. So, we'll be fine, come what may.


Cheers!
mouse

Monkey Wrench

Dear Friends and Family,

Just when I was beginning to settle into a routine, Mr. mouse told me last night that he will be moving to the downtown office. This has a couple of implications I need to digest.

Mr. mouse drives us both out to his office. Then, I drive the last bit to work. It means I get an extra hour and half of sleep and that my driving is all traffic free, stress free driving. If he moves downtown, I'm on my own commuting.

Mr. mouse will be joining a new department. I know he enjoys his current job. I'm not sure he knows how he feels about the new job. It's something they're asking him to take on, not something he necessarily wants to move to. I'm not sure how it'll all play out, but I've offered up the possibility that if he's unhappy, he can always move or do something different. Also, business in Mr. mouse's world has been okay. But demand has been soft. If they decide to downsize, I could become the single paycheck until he finds something new.

I don't know how it'll all play out. Generally speaking, Mr. mouse has always loved his job and excelled at what he does. So, I'm not used to dealing with hiccups. I know that however it plays out, we'll figure it out as we go along. It's just something to ponder. Will keep you posted.


Cheers!
mouse