Mirai Sushi

Dear Friends and Family,

We went out to celebrate my new weight tonight.

Mirai Sushi has the distinction of being our local sushi joint. The sushi quality is excellent, as to be expected. And, the prices are in line with the location and the fish quality. I guess it's true about getting what you pay for.

The bluefin chutoro was most excellent - like having a piece of butter cream atop the perfect amount of rice. The rice clearly plays a secondary role to the fish in the nigiri here.

We ordered two of the special maki - a spicy mono which is spicy octopus topped with spicy tuna and an unagi trio which is eel and avocado topped with unagi and sweet unagi sauce. The two rolls were very well composed. The texture of the octopus and the tuna offset each other well and the spicy mixture has a nice spice without being too mayo-y. The unagi was also very well done. It's a pile of eel with eel stuffed in the middle. If you love eel, this is the roll for you. I love eel.

The only disappointment in all of this? They don't carry mackerel. I've been having a serious mackerel craving.

Overall rating: 8/10

Mirai Sushi
2020 West Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 862-8500


Cheers!
mouse

Today = Mouse - 6 Gallons of Milk

Dear Friends and Family,

Just weighed-in for my weekly Weight Watchers routine. And, it's a little scary writing this, because it shows how bad things must have been when I started this 49 weeks ago.

Today, I hit the 50 lb point in my weight loss journey. 50 pounds. According to Weight Watchers, that's the equivalent of 6 gallons of milk.

Wow. I'm speechless.


Cheers!
mouse

01.22.07: More Home Prep

Dear Friends and Family,

Deja vu, all over again. The weekend was a flurry of activity getting our house ready for the party this upcoming weekend. I'm SO excited about seeing everyone again! I can hardly wait. Four more days...

• We boxed all of the miscellaneous paperwork lying around the house. Figure we'll tackle the weekend after the party. It would have been our entire weekend to get through the piles of paper.
  
• Mr. mouse set up a TV he bought so we now have TV - high def over the air free TV. I love it. I never turn it on, but, nevertheless, I love the concept of free TV. I almost feel like it's pirated or something, but, apparently there's such a thing in life as a free lunch.
• We hung up the rest of our pictures. There's one mirror left to hang, and then I think we're about done with hanging things in the new place. It feels a lot more like home with all the wall "art" up. Plus, I think it looks pretty darn good, the placement we went for and everything, if I do say so myself.
• We rearranged the living room furniture and the dining room furniture so that it looks like a place people live vs. a recent tornado zone. The couch and wedge are in the living room. Our closeout Target stuff is in the dining room. We have a computer table.
• And, on the furniture trend, we assembled more IKEA furniture for the bedroom to stash away all the clothing. We have two medium boxes of donate clothing - stuff that doesn't fit anymore. Yeah!
• Last but not least, we assembled another deck box and put the rest of our deck cushions on the deck. So, the upstairs hallway is almost clear.

It doesn't sound like a ton work, but it was a ton of work getting it all done this weekend. Sadly, it takes having company over to motivate us to work all weekend. Otherwise, we'd do like one bullet point, and spend the rest of the weekend relaxing and watching the game and stuff. How lame are we? C'est la vie. Maybe we should have more parties, to be more motivated to clean and stuff. Now, there's an idea :)


Cheers!
mouse

Scary Sunday Morning

Dear Friends and Family,

I had an incident this morning that kinda freaked me out.

I woke up. Came downstairs to make my morning tea. Put the hot water heater on. Lay down on the couch while waiting for the water to heat up. Hot water heater goes off. I get up, assemble the tea, set the timer, lie back down. All routine so far... Timer goes off, I get up to get my tea. I walk over to the kitchen. Get my tea. And get really really lightheaded. So much so I'm standing in the kitchen waiting for it to pass and I come to only because I spill a quarter of my tea on the counter and the hot tea brings me out of it. Wow! Not good, to say the very least. I clean up the mess, make more tea and start researching on the internet.

My first assumption was sugar levels. I get lightheaded frequently in the morning and I always thought it was a pre-breakfast sugar thing. I was really hungry last night after a big dinner and it was too late for a snack so that reinforced my initial take on it all. Also, I didn't get lightheaded before Weight Watchers, so more reinforcing data. Well, after some more reading, I think it's more related to my blood pressure than it is to my sugar level - although that probably compounds the issue or makes me more aware of it.

So, there condition called orthostatic hypotension. It's when you get lightheaded or dizzy upon standing from a sitting or prone position. Sounds just like that happens to me. Your blood pressure is higher standing than sitting or lying down. There's more gravity the heart needs to overcome to get blood to your brain. From what I can gather the condition happens when the circulatory system doesn't react fast enough. So, why me? and why only in the morning?

So, my blood pressure is low. My pulse is low. Generally, this is a good thing. My diastolic (second number) is really low. Again, usually something to be happy about. I know after my recent heart fun and games, that my pulse drops really low when I sleep - into the mid-forties per minute. Again, something to be happy about. My conclusion? I think I get this lightheadedness in the morning because I'm coming out of an especially low cycle from sleeping. Then when I stand my hearts has a large gap to bridge and it's a little slow in the get-go.

The websites recommend getting more fluid - unlikely to help someone who's already drinking 10 cups a day. And, to try to increase blood volume. Umm... Okay. Mr. mouse thinks more cardio will help - stronger heart and everything. Things to contemplate.


Cheers!
mouse

Taking Stock

Dear Friends and Family,

I turned a corner yesterday. I realized it after I parked the car and walked through the building to meet Mr. mouse. After a month of trial and error, things feel like they're falling into place. I'm beginning to get the hang of it.

• job: It's still new and I'm still figuring it all out. But, the building, my colleagues, the cube, it all feels normal now. I have water stocked in my cube and tea bags. I have napkins and tissues. I have friends to laugh with and I'm making progress on my project.
• house: Living with Mr. mouse again is working out well. We don't have a lot of time together on the weeknights with the crazy commute, but it's beginning to feel normal. The mouse pad feels like home now. Before, it just felt like a place I visited when I needed a haircut.
• wellness: Yesterday's gym routine went okay. I found an elliptical I like. And, I was strangely okay with the weights. Maybe it was just using it a half dozen times to get used to it.
• financial planning: I am still really excited about the loan modification. I'm also rolling over my 401k from my old work to my financial planner. No more orphan 401ks.
• commuting: It's still is super long. Let's not kid ourselves here. But, between carpooling and public transportation, this is becoming routine too. The new lot is working out well too. It'll be my default going forward and I'll see how I like it.
• eating schedule: I still haven't figured this one out. Dinner is a LOT later now with the longer commute. Breakfast is a lot earlier for the same reason. And, for some ungodly reason, there is no refrigerator or microwave at work for the time in between. So far, I've been making do with room temperature food. It's getting old. I ordered a tiny fridge from Amazon. Will post it when it arrives. And, I have a deal with a co-worker with a contraband microwave to use it for my lunch. For now, this still requires some tinkering. Plus, with my killer weigh-in this week, I lost another point. So, that needs to be incorporated into the routine.
• sleep routine: Bed by 10 PM. Up by 4:15 AM. Sleep when on the bus or Mr. mouse is driving.
• car: We kept the Jetta.
• driving in a new city: Mr. mouse does the city part. I do the suburban part. The suburban part is no different than driving anywhere else in the country.
• learning roads: I've learned a couple of alternate routes if for some reason Mr. mouse and I are going in separately. Or, I can slough it out on the highway. More importantly, the roads around work are beginning to make sense. I have a decent chance at not getting lost each time I try to do something new.
• finding service providers: We have a dry cleaner. Lisa. I got a quickie manicure at work. It was okay, but my hands are super dry from winter. Will need to experiment more on this one. It was convenient, but average. Everything else can be taken as needed. The dry cleaner was the one I was most anxious about.
• pilates: I might be putting this on hold for now. I think I can make the gym routine work with my current gym. And, the only pilates studio I found by work only offers it in 1 hour sessions. That's a little too rich for my blood. I might hold off and see how I feel in six months. For now, sacrificing it to feel like I've transitioned is worth it.

We have a couple of big dates in the next couple of months - Feb 3, I'm hopefully transitioning my 401k. Mar 1, I'm starting contributions to my new 401k. Apr 1, I'm hopefully modifying my loan. I think by then I'll be able to revisit my Top 3. Right now, it's wellness, transitions, refinancing. By then, I think I'll be comfortable replacing the latter two with other stuff. It'll roughly coincide with the start of spring a period of rebirth. I like that. Winter always seems to last forever, but it inevitably gives way to spring. I just need to get through winter and by spring life will be different yet again.


Cheers!
mouse

Taking Control

Dear Friends and Family,

The ghost of mouse house. Actually, it's the rewards of mouse house. One of my Top 3 is refinancing the mouse pad with the proceeds from the mouse house to reduce the monthly payments on the mouse pad. This reduces significantly the interest paid each month which ultimately equates to interest savings. And, it makes the mouse pad completely affordable from Mr. mouse's paycheck. This means, if I ever want to take a year or two or three off, I can do so guilt free and worry free.

I assumed all this would involve refinancing the place. The re-finance cost plus the rate increase plus the extension of the term back to 180 months would be offset by the saved interest and the peace of mind. I called to kick-off the refinance process, and it turns out there might be a simpler option. Our back has a loan modification option. I'm not sure how exactly it works, but it seems like you keep your original loan length (so you don't restart the clock to payment #1). And, it seems like you keep your original rate (which is good since rates have risen since). And, it seems like the fee is a $250 processing fee vs. the typical refinancing costs of close to $2,000. Okay. Sign me up.

After learning all this, got a letter in the mail yesterday with the process. The paperwork and checks are due by the end of the month. From there, they do a bunch of hoop jumping and it looks like our payments change effective 4/1. It's a little longer than I expected, but a refinance would probably take us a similar amount of time. If we hustled, we might get it in for a 3/1 change, but in all likelihood, it'd be 4/1 for that as well.

I'll talk to Mr. mouse about it this morning and see where we land. I am hugely excited about it. In fact, I'm inordinately excited about it. It's a little scary how excited I can be about something this mundane, but I am. I'll keep you posted.


Cheers!
mouse

Small Victories

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, after a month at the new job, I think I might have found a solution to the parking dilemma. There's a covered lot that's halfway between my desk and the gym that I can access, I think, from both my desk and from the gym, both in the morning and at night. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I can?

It feels a little further from my desk than the uncovered spot I was using before. Maybe it's a minute or two longer, but, in reality, I don't think it's significantly further. And, it's covered, so no more cold, wet shoes and scraping the car. From the gym, it's for sure closer. So, if the gym is a twice a week routine, I should be indifferent in the walking distance. The BIG improvement is the accessibility. The gates, fence, pond routine was old after trial #1, so I've got my fingers crossed that this is a viable alternative.

Gotta go pack my lunch now. Sorry for the short post. I slept in this morning.


Cheers!
mouse

Sweet Justice

Dear Friends and Family,

You know who I'm talking about. Maybe not specifically, but in general... Ever work with someone you detest so much they make you physically ill? The one who's looking out for #1 regardless of the impact on the company, their fellow employees or the customer? The one who's all talk, no action? The one who thinks they're all that when they're really not much of anything at all? The one who despite all that gets away with it all? Unfortunately, we all probably have worked with him (or her) at some point in our career.

Well, "that person," made my day yesterday. I got an email from my manager telling me that "that person" was applying for a job in our department. Did I know him? Had I worked with him before? Could I recommend him? In 50 words or less, I made sure my manager knew what I thought of "that person." It felt good to know that there was a sense of balance in the world and that I wouldn't have to work with "that person" in my new job. Once is enough for anyone, and I've already had to work with him twice.


Cheers!
mouse

Pizzeria Due

Dear Friends and Family,

I had a most excellent weigh in this morning. And, I had lots of points to spare. When those two forces intersect, we go out for a special treat I normally can't afford. This works especially well on Monday nights, so I have the energy to hit my Tuesday workouts in high spirits.

Deep dish pizza. It's all a matter of preference. Chicago's got many venerable traditions, each with their staunch champions and detractors. Our favorite is Pizzeria Due. Uno was the original location. Due is the second location. Then they went on to calling the rest of them Uno. The original Uno and Due stick with the original menu while the others have the franchise menu. We like Due, because Mr. mouse likes the way they slice their onions (versus others that chop theirs).

We ordered the Uno and a pepperoni with onion to go. Took them home and chowed down. So yummy. If you're in town, it's a definite must try to get a taste of true Chicago.

Overall rating: 8/10

Pizzeria Due
619 North Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 943-2400
http://www.unos.com


Cheers!
mouse

01.15.07: Unpacking Frenzy

Dear Friends and Family,

This weekend was spent in a frenzy of activity on Mr. mouse's part unpacking and putting stuff away. We've got a big party coming up in a couple of weeks and want to get the place ready for it.

We organized the basement so that all the shelving is up and a lot of the boxes are gone. We opened the rest of the kitchen boxes and put all of the food away. And, we cleared off a bunch of misc paperwork from the master bedroom floor.

I say we, but 90% of it was Mr. mouse with me helping wherever he had specific things I could help with. He's got a system and it doesn't help if I try to parallel process. He's an open it all at once and then find a home for it person. And, I'm an open a box at a time until it's all done person. Plus, I get kinda overwhelmed by how much stuff we have. I begin getting the serious urge to donate it all. We'll go down that path, but this weekend was not the time to take on that.


Cheers!
mouse

Aki Sushi

Dear Friends and Family,

We both had a craving for sushi last night so we decided to try a new sushi restaurant. Aki Sushi is not new, just new to us. They've been open about a year now.

Not crowded when we arrived just before eight, the place had only a couple of empty tables by the time we were done with dinner. We ordered a bunch of nigiri sushi and a couple of standard rolls. For the nigiri, we got maguro (tuna), hamachi (yellow tail), sake (salmon), I don't know it's name in Japanese (white tuna), unagi (eel) and tamago (egg). And, for the rolls, we got a salmon skin maki and a shrimp tempura maki. The have all of the out-of-control makis with the fish inside, wrapped in fish outside with crunchy stuff and non-traditional stuff like cream cheese. And, they have the signature makis which take the out-of-control maki to the next level. Call us purists...

Since we just beat the crowd, the sushi arrived quickly. Mr. mouse and I both really liked the rice texture - sweet and tangy with just the right amount of stickiness. The fish was fresh and creamy, although Mr. mouse though it could have been sliced a hair thicker if he was going to be picky. The rolls were good. I thought they had too much sauce on them; Mr. mouse thought they could have used a little more.

My two complaints? They were out of saba (mackerel) and I've been craving it recently. And, both the unagi and the salmon skin could have used a little more char for lack of a better word. I expect a certain crispiness around the edges with the unagi and across the board with the salmon skin. Instead both were cooked through but not crispy. It tasted more meaty that way, but lacks a certain guilty mouth feel. It might be personal preference, but I think I would lean towards crispy over meaty in both of those pieces. Other than those two pieces of criticism, it was a good first try for us.

Overall rating: 7/10

Aki Sushi
2015 West Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 227-8080


Cheers!
mouse

Wellness Update - 01.12.07

Dear Friends and Family,

To keep life nice and neat and organized, I'm writing two separate posts today. One on work and one on wellness.

I think I've got a handle on the lunch routine. It's a lot simpler than I was anticipating. The cafeteria is atrocious. There are no places to eat out. So, I bring my lunch every day. Eating healthy? Not a problem. Points control? Done. Save money? Easy peasy.

Now the gym is an altogether more difficult proposition. The work one, while convenient on the surface is not so convenient. There are moving gates and locked doors and restricted access and multiple parking lots that make me feel like Mario in a Nintendo game gone awry mixed in with a little Sydney Bristow from Alias when trying to go to the gym after work. Does it need to be that complicated? Cheap, but a lot of hassle. Add to that the old and limited equipment and the unfriendly free weights area and it make working out work instead of fun.

I went to tour another facilities. It's a lot nicer and I went yesterday for a free workout. I like the elliptical. And, a lot of the machines are similar. The leg press, glutes machine, dips and pull-ups machines aren't ideal. But, the rest of it is good. I have to meet the pilates instructor. If that works, this might be a workable answer. Next week, I'm going to tour a third gym in the area. And then make a call on which will be a long term solution. For now, next week, I'll use the one at work.



Cheers!
mouse

Work Update - 01.12.07

Dear Friends and Family,

I had a 1:1 with my manager yesterday. I wasn't sure what to expect because I'd been working on a bunch of stuff on my own and I wasn't entirely sure I was headed in the right direction. Add that to a new working relationship, and I was a little nervous going in.

I got a lot of good feedback on what we need to accomplish over the next two weeks and a general good feeling that I've made good progress over the past two weeks. So, I felt a lot better by the end of the day. All in all, a decent start to transitioning into work.

My one gripe? It's on the IT front. Every system and every tool has a unique user id and password. I've almost committed the cardinal sin of writing them all down at my desk on a post it note. Trust me, I wouldn't be the only one.


Cheers!
mouse

Cho Dang Soon Tofu Village

Dear Friends and Family,

Another night at the gym, another dinner out. It's a good thing I've been saving money packing my lunch. Otherwise, we'd be eating dinner at home a lot more often. I love soon tofu. In case you missed my last blog post on it, it's here.

Cho Dang is one of my favorite soon tofu places in town. It's consistently delicious. The broth is rich and spicy. The tofu is mild and creamy. And, the rice is served in a hot bowl and develops (depending upon the night and our luck) a most delectable char. I love charred rice. It's like candy, only better.

We discussed whether the place deserves an eight or a nine rating. If the rice was consistently perfect, I'd give it a nine. But, sometimes the char is missing and sometimes it sticks too much to the bowl. So, we settled on an eight, but it's a high eight. The added bonus is it's low in points so I can have it without any guilt about negating my workout.

Mr. mouse ordered the combo which comes with seafood soon tofu and a side of kalbi. I ordered the mixed soon tofu which is a blend of beef and seafood. We both get them at "typical" spiciness which is spicy without being outrageously hot. The kalbi is good, standard cut of meat, slightly sweet marinade, brought out pre-grilled on a plate shaped like a cow. Don't ask. But, yes, they also have pig shaped plates.

Overall rating: 8/10

Cho Dang Soon Tofu Village
1719 West Algonquin Road
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
(847) 956-8638


Cheers!
mouse

Category Miscounts

Dear Friends and Family,

I love the category feature in new Blogger. It's one of the main reasons I made the switch to new Blogger - using Firefox to manage all of the random cookie issues with making the switch. But, there's a glitch in the category count that's bugging me. Still have no clue how to fix it. I wrote Blogger - yeah right... I'm hoping, somewhat optimistically, that they'll notice it, release a patch and the problem will solve itself. Otherwise, I'll just live with my miscounts.

Okay, what on earth am I talking about? If you label a post before publishing, it automatically adds the category to your post. And, the category count (in parenthesis) goes up by one. Voila. But, if you then modify that post (say you found a spelling error or wanted to add a post script) and then re-publish the post, the category count goes up again. But, really, there's no additional post... You'll see I'm off by two in work and by one in eating out. C'est la vie. It's annoying, but not enough for me to spend the time to figure out a fix.

My lame work around? I try to remember to remove the category label before editing a post. Then, re-label it once I re-post it. Usually it works, sometimes it doesn't. Then, I get annoyed with myself for forgetting. Sigh.

I am grateful these are my worries and not bigger things.


Cheers!
mouse

Don Don

Dear Friends and Family,

Don Don, Fine Korean Cuisine. All I have to say is... Really, is this the best name you could come up with after a night of soju and hard thinking? Sigh. We went last week after my gym workout. But, I'm jut catching up on writing this blog post.

Don Don specializes in a couple of pork dishes and offers the standard portfolio of Korean restaurant dishes. Their specialties include pork sausages, pressed pork and a hot stew called gam ja tang - which translates into potato stew, but don't be fooled, it's chock full of pork neck pieces, hence it's tie in with the restaurant theme.

Mr. mouse ordered the gam ja tang, which he really like. It's a lot of work to eat, so if you don't have the patience to pick meat bits out of neck parts with chopsticks, this is not the dish for you. However, if you love odd cuts of meat in spicy native broth, this will be right up your alley. I tried a sip of the broth, and it was very porky and spicy at the same time, a little addictive in it's taste, I don't think I personally like the soup enough to eat a bowl of it. Mr. mouse does.

I ordered the bibimbap - a standard Korean dish of mixed vegetables and rice served in a wicked hot stone bowl. It was good, but standard. The rice had a nice crispiness from the hot stone bowl and the marinated mushrooms were excellent, but the dish overall was average.

I'd go again to keep Mr. mouse company the next time he has a gam ja tang craving, but I'll probably try one of their specialties next.

Overall rating: 7/10

Don Don
1177 North Elmhurst Road
Des Plaines, IL 60016
(847) 981-5220


Cheers!
mouse

Boston Blackie's

Dear Friends and Family,

I hit the gym tonight, which means you can fairly easily deduce two things. I had extra activity points for dinner and I was famished by the time Mr. mouse picked me up. It was a close call between deep dish pizza and Blackie's for broasted chicken.

I'm a big broasted chicken fan - back from the Michigan days. So, we headed off for a fried, I mean broasted, chicken dinner. We ordered a half chicken for $6.99 and a side baked potato for $1.99. I had half the potato with a tsp of butter, 1 leg and 1 thigh for dinner. The chicken was crispy, but the batter was a little overdone. Mr. mouse has gone for lunch and said it's much better at lunch time. The meat is juicier and the batter is just right. I'm game for trying it again, since tonight seems like an anomaly. The food was fine, just not as good as I was expecting.

Needless to say, the portion sizes are ridiculous. We split one dinner and had leftovers.

Overall rating: 7/10

Boston Blackie's
222 East Algonquin Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(773) 545-RIBS
http://www.bostonblackies.com/


Cheers!
mouse

Little Black Dress

Dear Friends and Family,

It's weigh-in day today.

I haven't lost a lot of weight in the last month, about a pound in four weeks. And, being it was the holidays followed by house closing compounded by lack of access to the gym, I'm okay with that. In fact, overall, at this point, I'm okay with losing a pound a month. What's weird is my density has been changing. Now, I've always been physically dense, but I've gotten more dense recently, if that makes any sense... So, my weight doesn't change, but my size changes dramatically. It's happened a couple of times in the past year. It's so weird.

Where does the little black dress fit into all of this? I had one that was a little too little. Don't we all? And, it was sitting in the closet as an aspirational goal. Well, by fall, I'd gotten close enough that I wanted to wear it to the wedding this past weekend. So, I kept it closer to the front. Tried it on every so often. Just kinda kept checking. And, it looked like it'd be fine... a little snugger than I'm comfortable with... but fine. Then, we packed it along with everything else we owned for the move. Well, this past weekend, I put it on for the wedding, and it was better than fine. It fit perfectly, if I do say so myself. And, I think it might end up being a one wear dress, unless I come to a screeching halt in my progress OR I have another event in the very near future. In one sense this is nothing to complain about. In another, it was my little black dress with some very classic lines and I'm disappointed to lose it as an option and an aspiration. Still, I'm glad I had the opportunity to wear it when it was just right.

Yesterday, I noticed this phenomena as well. A pair of pants from last November... add it to the donate/consignment pile. This is getting to be an expensive proposition. I'm more complaining because I don't really have time to go shopping between now and the beginning of February. Then, I might as well look for spring clothes. It'll be fun to get the spring wardrobe. I haven't been this excited about getting new clothes in a long time.

I have a hot date with the elliptical and free weights tonight.


Cheers!
mouse

01.08.06: City by the Bay

Dear Friends and Family,

We went out to San Francisco over the weekend to attend a friend's wedding. MK, the groom, is a close friend of mine. We did our summer internship together and shared a lot of common experiences. That being said, I wasn't sure if the weekend would be "worth" it since we would know 0 people at the wedding outside of the groom.

We had a lot of fun. We met a couple of people who didn't know anyone either and spent the cocktail hour with them. And, then, I ran into a person I knew from recruiting. I hadn't seen SC in over 10 years and it was good to catch up. We had amusing company at our dinner table. All in all, it was a fun evening. It was definitely worth it.

And, as you can tell from my prior posts, we had the chance to eat out a lot. Those burgers from In-N-Out, ah, heaven on a bun. I'm also a big fan of Culver's burgers. But, I digress. We hit the dim sum place again on Sunday before our flight back. And, there's a Japanese place, Sankaku, located by gate 70 in Terminal 3 in SFO, that has spam musubi for sale. We got the last one!

If you're wondering why I was posting over the weekend, it's because we had some down time before and after the wedding. Mr. mouse was watching TV and watching flights land. And, I was using the time to write on eating out. If you don't do it right away, it quickly fades into a low priority.

Both the flight out and the flight back were uneventful. I love living in a hub city. I say this now. I'm sure we'll have less than smooth experiences in the future, too.


Cheers!
mouse

No Mai Gai

Dear Friends and Family,

No this isn't another restaurant review. In fact, I'm sure none of you will find this funny, but, personally, I find it absolutely hilarious, so I'm writing about it.

When I was writing yesterday's post on lunch, I used a wikipedia article to help me with the spelling of all of the dim sum dishes. Well, there's a dish we usually get called no mai gai which is glutinous rice wrapped in a lotus leaf and then steamed. The rice is filled with bits of chicken, sausage, shrimp and other goodies. So, I always knew the dish as rice wrapped in lotus leaf, never by it's real name. Now, there's no forgetting.

Rewind like 12 years to when Mr. mouse and I started dating. We used the term gai (chinese for chicken) and the english term guy interchangeably. Don't ask me how we started because the roots of that joke are lost in the annals of our long history. Well, those of you who know us know we have an army of plush friends. They are all generically known as gais. What happens when you pick up a gai you think is your own and then you realize it isn't. You put it back down and you say "no mai/my gai"... get it?!?! Of course not, but, for us, it's roll on the floor laughing.

Now you know what kind of stuff keeps us entertained. Full weekend write-up coming tomorrow, as usual.


Cheers!
mouse

In-N-Out Burger

Dear Friends and Family,

We couldn't resist. We had to hit the local In-N-Out. And, boy, are we glad we did.

An average In-N-Out burger is a good burger, but these were even better than usual. The burgers are made fresh, never frozen. And, the fries are fresh, never frozen as well. It's a privately owned, family operated burger chain - read not franchised. And, I'm a big fan of the fresh grilled taste. We got there at midnight, and the place was packed. Our burgers had a nice char and were well seasoned. The buns, made from "real sponge dough," were grilled to perfection, crispy without being crunchy. All around, it was so good, we decided to order seconds to take back with us to the hotel. Yes, I had two burgers tonight after a wedding dinner.

Overall rating: 8/10

In-N-Out Burger
11 Rollins Road
Millbrae, CA 94030
(800) 786-1000
http://www.in-n-out.com/


Cheers!
mouse

Fook Yuen Seafood Restaurant

Dear Friends and Family,

You guessed it. More Chinese food. We called Mr. mouse's dad for a dim sum recommendation. We're staying right by SFO and wanted something close by. Fook Yuen is located off of the Millbrae Avenue exit on the 101. There's a parking lot located right next to the restaurant and when we arrived at 11:30, there was no wait to get seated.

Instead of using the usual rolling carts, the dim sum is brought around on trays which is surprisingly more efficient than carts. We got our usual har gow (aka har gao aka shrimp dumpling), lo bak go (turnip cake), fung zao (chicken feet), paigu (pork spareribs), congee (rice porridge), har cheong (shrimp wrapped in rice noodle rolls), cheong fun (stir fried rice noodle rolls) and potstickers. There's a ton of other dishes we usually get, but dim sum is always expensive (Weight Watchers points-wise) so we went easy on it.

The quality of the dishes was good. I'd say very good compared to the Midwest, but what you'd expect in Northern California. A couple of the dishes were a little cold by the time they got to us, which was disappointing. But, they did a nice job with the shrimp dishes and the potstickers, so we left happy and full.

They had a couple of more esoteric dishes, not weird dishes, but dishes that some restaurants don't always carry. We don't normally get the cheong fun, but since it was available, we decided to partake. And, it was worth it. How do I count the points for dim sum? It's a complete guess on my part:

• 3 pts 1.5 har cheong
• 2 pts 0.5 oz pork spareribs
• 3 pts 1.0 oz cheong fun
• 2 pts 1 potsticker
• 4 pts 1/2 large bowl of congee
• 2 pts 2 har gow
• 2 pts 2 chicken's feet

18 points for brunch. Ouch! But, it's not often we get real dim sum, so it was worth it.

Overall rating: 6/10

Fook Yuen Seafood Restaurant
195 El Camino Real
Millbrae, CA 94030
(650) 692-8600


Cheers!
mouse

Fung Lum Restaurant

Dear Friends and Family,

We came out to San Francisco for a friend's wedding. If there's one thing I look forward to in San Francisco, it's Chinese food. In fact, one of my favorite places to hit is right at SFO airport. Fung Lum is in the food court and they serve a variety of dim sum and Chinese pastries.

The pricing is a bit steep for a full meal, but for a quick snack, it can't be beat. It's $5 for 3 pieces of dim sum. Last night, we got 2 servings of the har gow and 1 serving of the curried beef pastries. We brought them back to the hotel room for a late night snack. The har gow (aka har gao aka shrimp dumplings) were nicely done - good translucence on the skin. And, the curried beef pastries hit the spot. I'm always surprised the dishes are as fresh as they are.

Overall rating: 8/10

Fung Lum Restaurant
Terminal 3
San Francisco International Airport
(650) 821-8383


Cheers!
mouse

It's Friday!

Dear Friends and Family,

Five days into the new year, two weeks into the new job and already there's nothing new and exciting to write about. Who would have thunk it?

The week went quickly, and I learned a lot. I think I have the bus routine and the carpool routine figured out - this is where we drive to Mr. mouse's work together and I drive from there to my work and then in the evening do the whole thing in reverse. I know I don't have the where to park at work figured out. And, I don't think I have the how to do the whole drive alone figured out. But, it's a start.

As for living with Mr. mouse, the first few days were pretty stressful, but it's quickly turning into a non-event. We eat dinner together and then we do our own things until we go to sleep. Most of our evening events revolve around unpacking and organizing and we just find we do that stuff better individually than together. Trust me, organizing the kitchen pantry is not a team sport.

I think this morning, I'll spend some time calculating our expenses from mouse house renovations. This will get me moving down the path towards refinancing the mouse pad.


Cheers!
mouse

Working Out is Hard to Do

Dear Friends and Family,

Went to the gym both Tues and Wed night. Wasn't sure how it'd all work out with the new gym and the new routine and everything. But, figured it was time to try it all out.

Tues night, my workout was cut short because I told Mr. mouse I would be ready by a set time for him to pick me up. Then, I ran a little behind in getting down to the gym. Then, I ran more behind in getting laundry service set up. Even more behind when I realized I now have to remove make up before exercising. And, the result? I skipped my cardio and did weights only. For upper body, most of my routines are free weights, which translates well from gym to gym. But, this gym doesn't have 8 lb or 12.5 lb dumbbells, so I've got to pick between 5, 10 and 15 lb dumbbells. I took it slow on Tues and felt fine yesterday. Today, I'm sore. This is normal.

Wed night was an absolute fiasco... I left my car (and locker) keys at my desk, so I had to walk back to get them - 10 minute round trip. Then, I realized I had to use my badge to lock the temp locker so I need to get let back into the gym. Then, the whole make up routine. And, my lunch wasn't agreeing with me. And, I was hungry. But, I hit cardio with a vengeance. Okay, not quite sure what happened in between Thanksgiving and now and in between switching machines, but holy cow, it was hard. HARD! Did I say, hard? It was killer hard. Okay, lower body weights next. Unfortunately for me, this is mostly machine driven and I can't say I have them all figured out yet. I guessed at weights since the machines are different, and I can't say I love the abductor/adductor machine. It's just old. And, there's no glutes machine...

Now, the fun begins. Skipped the shower since it was already late. Packed up and headed out. Well, come to learn, they'd closed ALL of the doors. And, I needed to go through the basement of the building to the one door that's card controlled. And, then I needed to walk the perimeter of this beast of a building to get to my car. Keep in mind it takes 5 minutes to walk through the building... around it, well, we all took geometry, it's longer than through it. And, it's cold and dark and kinda scary out there. Well, get to the car, and find out then they'd closed all of the exits and only one mysterious exit is open. Could they make it any harder?!?!

Well, I guess yesterday was all about learning. And, learn I did. Here's to transitions.


Cheers!
mouse

Commuting Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Today, I try driving into work. I'll pick Mr. mouse up on the way home. We'll see how it goes.


Cheers!
mouse

More Cookies Please, Not!

Dear Friends and Family,

I nearly threw the computer out the window yesterday. Mr. mouse was able to find and fix the problem.

Cause: remember when I disabled cookies on my computer so I could track who was tracking me? Blogger required a cookie to use, which I was okay with - I just cleared the cookie frequently. Well, when "new" blogger came out, it required a Google cookie in addition to the Blogger cookie which I was less okay with - after all that adds my search info to my cookie info... okay, more manual clearing. I can deal. Now, there's a third cookie www2.blogger.com that needs to be allowed to make blogger function.

Symptoms: Blogger couldn't login... You'd enter your user id and password and it would get stuck in a continual, indefinite loop trying to authenticate you and login on. Instead, it would redirect between sites and get stuck.

Solution: I downloaded a second browser and allowed all three Google cookies. It'll be used only for posting/reading blogs. And, my primary browser will go back to being my primary browser. Problem fixed.


Cheers!
mouse

Already Late

Dear Friends and Family,

Running behind... Wrote a long letter to a girlfriend this morning and then spent some time trying to figure out what's wrong with my computer. So, gotta run and get ready. Need to pack lunch, pack my gym bag, pack my computer bag. And, then get to the bus station.

Wish me luck at the gym.


Cheers!
mouse

01.01.07: Home, At Last

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy 2007!

I won't spend a lot of time stating the obvious... While 2006 went very quickly, it was the year that seemed like it was never going to end. It reaffirmed my lesson of resilience and perseverance and reminded me I need to have faith in the end goal.

I'm going to recap and kick-off the year, section by section, so be warned, it's going to be a long post. Ready?

2007 weekend updates: We flew back to the mouse house neighborhood for the weekend. Our neighbors were having a New Year's Eve party and we wanted to count down with them. We landed just ahead of a quick but intense snowstorm. We ran a couple of errands before the party. We dropped off some business school recommendations, picked up some shot glasses, loaded up on caffeine and got some take-out sushi to kick-off the evening. The party was a ton of fun, as to be expected, and we toasted in the new year with some of our closest friends. We also had a chance to meet the new owner of the mouse house, he came over for the party. Sunday, we went over to Trixie's for brunch, but didn't stay long. By 1:30, we had our plants loaded into the car, and we made the long drive over to the mouse pad. Officially, as of this moment, everything we own is in one location. Wow!

baby... maybe: Apparently, the next lunar year is the year of the Golden Pig. It's an event that occurs every 600 years and is apparently going to result in a mini baby boom in the Far East. So far, no news news on this horizon for Mr. mouse and me. Although I might write more one day about this Golden Pig phenomena, if I end up researching it.

blogs - news - technology trends: We've got both computers and our wireless network up and running. The TV is still in the box, low on the priority list. I love my blog. That about sums up technology trends for us.

clutter diet: You'll see a lot of posts in this section this upcoming year. We have a lot less space for storage in the mouse pad. And, we've gotten a lot of low grade stuff we need to get rid of. Basically, we're combining 3+ households into one. We've got the staging+remnants from the first house, we've got the mouse house, we've got staging from the mouse house, we've got miscellanea Mr. mouse picked up to get by in the old apartment and we've got mouse pad stuff. My head is spinning from the amount of stuff we have. For example, neither of us drink coffee, we have four coffee makers. We don't squeeze fresh juice, we have two juicers. The list is endless. On top of redundancy, remember, we have less storage space. And, I never took a hard stance on tossing things. This year, this will be a top priority for me.

eating out: Although we're going to try and eat in often, I've made the commitment to post restaurant reviews here.

food: This was a spot for me to post food items I was discovering through Weight Watchers. It's been on the back burner for the last couple of months as my Tuesday posts have been regular updates. Not sure if I'm discovering a bunch of new food or if I've settled into a new lifestyle. This might be another section of the blog that evolves.

infrastructure: OK. What gives? I can't access blogger from my computer. It works fine from Mr. mouse's. Very annoyed. Will need to figure this out.

life in general: Top on my Top 3 is transitioning. I've got a long list. In no particular order, there's job, house, wellness, financial planning, commuting, eating with Mr. mouse, lunch routine at work, living with Mr. mouse, gym routine, work schedule, sleep routine, car, driving in the new city, learning roads, finding service providers, pilates, etc. Wish me luck.

money matters: Now that Mr. mouse and I have some discretionary cash flow, we need to think about how best to invest it. Also, now that we've got some time, I want to seriously think about who we should be using as a financial adviser. And, we're putting plans together to refinance the mouse pad. We want to take the check from selling the mouse house and use it to lower our monthly mortgage payments. By my math, that makes my income 100% discretionary, taking a lot of pressure off me if the new job doesn't work out.

mouse pad: Mr. mouse wants to dive into a kitchen remodel. But, I've got some more practical considerations before we begin tearing the place apart. I'd like to finish unpacking and get the place to a livable state. Then, in my opinion, we need to fix the roof leaks, overhaul Mr. mouse's car, and figure out a mysterious bed creak which is most annoying.

Top 3: I could go back and look at what my Top 3 was, if I wanted to be consistent and accurate. But, I won't, not today. Today, I feel like looking forward and not being totally concerned about being connected to the past. My Top 3. Well, wellness is still on my list. Transitioning. That's on my mind. And, the house refinance. I think that's a good list for now.

wellness: To say this is going well is a huge understatement. If you had asked me last Jan 1, I would have never thought I could be where I am now, in one short year. Sometime this next year, most probably, I will hit whatever is to be my "goal weight". Then, I'll focus on other aspects of health and wellness. For now, my focus is on finding a routine and on getting back to the gym. Between my heart, quitting work (thus losing access to the gym) and the holidays, it's been close to two months since I've had a decent work-out. Time to ease back into it.

work: So far, so good. Five days under my belt, so still in honeymoon phase. Will write as relevant things come up. If I say nothing, assume it's all good.

archive - career hunting: I guess it went quickly. Wow.

archive - mouse house: This was a big focus of 2006. And, it feels good to have it behind us. I'll miss the community and the convenience. But, I'm excited to be together with Mr. mouse. I'm glad this chapter is closed.

archive - old work: Four and a half years... Longer than any other company I've been with. Still a great company with a great future. I learned a lot about work and about myself. The work being done on women's leadership is an amazing component of old work. If Mr. mouse had found a job in the area, we'd be happy at the mouse house and at old work. That's okay. Last year was a tough year, and I'm glad to be in a new environment.

archive - transitions: A temporary area to write about the transition from old work to work. Ten days that went very quickly. Without the blog, I'd probably forget them. Now, they're captured for me to revisit.

archive - vacation 2006: Now that we're not spending every weekend working on the mouse house AND we live together so time alone is less of an issue, we'll be doing a lot more traveling. High on my list is going back to visit my grandfather. That'll probably be this spring. And, we'll see a lot of our friends on short weekend trips. And, once we settle in and take a breather, we'll plan a vacation for 2007.

Still with me? Well, I've got to go and scrounge some dinner with Mr. mouse. Hope you're as excited about the new year as I am.


Cheers!
mouse

Last Trip or First?

Dear Friends and Family,

The closing went without a hitch. (It took about an hour.) And, the new owner seems like a really nice guy.

While we were walking to our gate last night, I asked Mr. mouse if this was our last trip out as residents or our first trip out as non-residents. Hmm... Not sure where I stand on that one. Guess it doesn't matter what it ultimately is. Our next trip will definitely be as visitors.

It's an official close to one chapter. Onto the next.


Cheers!
mouse

Farewell, Mouse House

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Thursday morning. It's closing day. Odds and ends to accomplish this morning. And, then, we must bid farewell to the mouse house. All good things must come to an end.

Mr. mouse woke up last night as the last log was burning in the fireplace. We sat and enjoyed it together for a little bit, and then I went up to sleep while he hung out in the basement. He offered to bring the airbed downstairs, but it felt right to sleep in WBR, it's the room we slept in the first night in the house. It's only fitting it's the room we sleep in the last night in the house.

I had a small epiphany while fire watching last night. I'm a very different person from the person who moved up here four and a half years ago. When I left my former employer, I had lost faith in a lot of things... in people, in religion, in life, in a lot of things. In my time here, I've found my faith again. Most importantly, I've found faith in me and in life. It's weird I didn't even notice it while it was all happening. I just realized it lat night. I'm leaving a much stronger and more confident a person than the person who came here.

For this, I am thankful.

We'll come back often enough to see my friends. In fact, we're slated for a trip out in a couple of days for a New Year's Eve party. It'll be our first trip back as guest/visitors instead of as residents. I hope the next residents enjoy the house as much as we did and show it the care and love it needs to make it a home.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: I'm glad I have this blog. It started as an experiment from work. And, now it's a chance for all of my friends here to keep up to date on me.

PPS: Timer just went off. Time to wake Mr. mouse.

'Twas the Night before Closing

Dear Friends and Family,

'Twas the night before Closing, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

Well, almost... I'm in the basement with a roaring fire going. Mr. mouse is asleep on the airbed. We had a busy busy day today, but we got ALL of the errands we had on the list for today done. Good job, team! We:

1. changed all of the addresses on our utilities, bills, etc.
2. cancelled insurance
3. re-confirmed close details with our agent
4. picked up a couple of gifts and cards
5. got a quote on fixing the bumper
6. picked up firewood
7. ate lunch
8. forwarded our mail
9. hit the bank
10. picked up dry cleaning
11. picked up our Christmas ornament for the year (better late than never)
12. picked up contacts
13. un-assembled and reassembled some shelving
14. moved some stuff to our neighbors for storage until this weekend
15. swept the garage and tossed some stuff
16. met with our neighbors for pizza and wine
17. transferred two tables over to my neighbors' place
18. made a fire to enjoy the rest of the evening...

which is exactly what I am doing right now.... Mr. mouse fell asleep as soon as he got the fire going... And, that's okay. It would have been nice to have his company, but the time alone is good too. Kinda free flowing on the thoughts and memories and just enjoying the quiet time.

Tomorrow will be a hectic day, we have a couple of errands left to run. And, it'll be an emotional day. I'll miss the house here. It was a good home. And, with all of the work we did to it, it's in pretty much perfect condition. Seeing it empty, it reminds me of when we first moved in... brings a smile to my face... we were SO excited and happy to have gotten the place, it immediately felt like home. The basement was our favorite spot, we loved the built-ins, the fireplace and the newness of it. I spent a lot of my time down here, watching TV, talking to Mr. mouse, sleeping. It was my morning spot and my after work spot.

And, there's the brand new kitchen - with the built-in sink and all the extra counter space. And, the bathroom we re-did, with the new vanity, the tile my friend helped me pick out, the awesome tile job Brandon did with the diagonal tile and the clever spliced border... And, the new garage door and front door. And, the two bedrooms we rediscovered in staging the house... And, once all the furniture came up from the prior house, having it around felt like home. The four years here went so quickly. Time of reflection are good. They make you grow and mature.

For now, just enjoying the quiet time by the fire. Will write more in the morning.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse House Wrap Up

Dear Friends and Family,

It's our last full day at the mouse house and like always there's a ton to be done, mostly odds and ends like drop off clothing donations and things like that. I wish we had one more day. But, I know, no matter how many days we have, I'd wish we had one more, so I'll have to accept it is what it is. After all, I had yesterday afternoon to myself here.

I'll miss the mouse house. But, it's different from the first home we sold. I think I was more emotionally vested in that house... it was our first house, we did a LOT of work on it, we fell in love in it, we both lived in it full time... mouse house is different... I'll miss the easy access to everything I want and need, the short commute, and most of all, the sense of community... So, very different things, but I'll miss it nonetheless. It was a good home for us.

We have an early close tomorrow morning. So, I'll be posting early again tomorrow.


Cheers!
mouse

Quick Trips Home

Dear Friends and Family,

Just got up. Mr. mouse is snoozing one more time before we start getting ready for our trip back... Rental cars turned out to be in short supply so we got a one day rental from the airport. That means we need to return it by 8AM. Yeah!

So many funny things happened yesterday. We got home. And, my Dad showed us a proclamation he has gotten from the city for some volunteer work he's been doing for the past 20 years. Get this... He has an official appreciation day. I was joking that next year, we need to plan for a parade. How cool would that be? I could drive a float. Mr. mouse could do an inflatable balloon like in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. My Mom and Dad could end the parade waving from a carriage. OMG, I crack myself up.

My parents somehow had the time and energy this year to get a tree. It's a little tree with a little tilt. But, it's cute.

We headed out to pick up my Sister. Then, we headed out to my Mom's church to meet the priest. He's younger than priest I've met before. We had a quick lunch in the church basement and headed off to the nursing home to see my Grandma. She's doing so well! I'm so glad! Her eye sight's gotten a lot better since the operation. And, she's got her wit about her. We opened presents with her and kept her company for the afternoon.

Afterwards, we came back to the house for a couple of hours before meeting up with my Uncle and Aunt for dinner. They're doing well as well. Came home to exchange gifts and spent the rest of the time roasting chestnuts and catching up with my Sister and Mom.

Holidays are good.


Cheers!
mouse

12.25.06: Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

There's nothing like holiday tradition to ground you. Every year, we fly back to see Mr. mouse's folks and my parents for the Christmas holidays. Normally, we're in town for 4 days, 3 nights with ~2 days with each set. This time, we're only in for two days. We figured with the move and new job and house closing and everything, this is what we could make work for the year. Next year, we'll have more time.

Saturday, we spent in the mouse pad. Mr. mouse napped in the morning while I worked on blog maintenance. We hung a couple more pictures, opened and unpacked a couple more boxes and tried a new barbecue joint for dinner.

Sunday, we flew out to see Mr. mouse's folks. We had lunch at a little Vietnamese shop with his dad and step-mom. Then, we broke off on our own for the afternoon. We went to see Mr. mouse's mom (at the cemetery), hit Target to pick up gift boxes and then the local pizza joint for a pie to bring back. Mr. mouse's step-brother and his girlfriend took the train in from their apartment and we all sat down for the traditional Christmas dinner. Big smile.

Gift exchange followed by a call to his other step-brother finished off the evening.


Cheers!
mouse

Smoque BBQ

Dear Friends and Family,

After reading about Smoque BBQ on Daily Candy, we decided to give the place a try. Now, sometimes you feel like living life on the edge and sometimes you just like safe and sound. Smoque BBQ is one of those safe and sound places. Specializing in barbecue in general, it's still a little schizophrenic. It offers Texas brisket, Carolina pulled pork, St. Louis ribs and generic baby back ribs and chicken.

We ordered the St. Louis ribs and Texas brisket. It comes with four sides - corn bread, french fries, baked beans, and peach cobbler - and cole slaw and pickles. The brisket was fork tender, fatty brisket. Nice texture, but it was a little salty compared to the brisket we've grown used to. The ribs were nicely smoked with a decent, but generic rub. Each came with its own barbecue sauce to use as desired.

The corn bread, moist with good corn flavor, wasn't overly buttery or cakey. It was my favorite part of the meal. The french fries came in their own bag. Fried twice, they were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside without being too greasy. I didn't have either the baked beans or the peach cobbler, but Mr. mouse thought the beans were a classic Midwest baked beans - sweet with an overture of onions with some nice chunks of pork. His take on the cobbler? A little tart in a good way, they were individually baked which was a unique touch.

It's BYOB. Some people brought wine to have with their barbecue. Uh, we're guilty of barbecue with champagne, so pot here isn't going to call the kettle black...

The funniest part of the whole experience was the people watching. To begin with, no less than an even dozen of Chicago's finest came to partake of the barbecue - four detectives, and three different groups of police officers. You never felt more protected. And, then, there was the guy who ordered the pulled pork sandwich - obviously he doesn't keep strict kosher! We had a good time...

Overall rating: 7/10

Smoque BBQ
3800 North Pulaski Road
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 545-RIBS
http://www.smoquebbq.com/


Cheers!
mouse

Happy Belated Winter Solstice

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse is napping on the couch, so I've been updating labels on ye olde blog.

Well, I just realized, winter solstice has come and gone. The days are now getting longer :)


Cheers!
mouse


PS: post #200 - it feels right to commemorate the start of longer days...

Adding Value

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday was a good day. Granted I got a late start so I missed my bus, but, there's something to be learned in that...

My cube neighbor is cool. He's West Coast. I'm East Coast. We've got an agreement that we're both okay with that. We spent a piece of the morning just chatting since we're both relatively new to the department.

I had a couple of meetings in the afternoon where I started to kick off my project and I got to work with some people I had met earlier in the week. I finally felt "normal" and I felt like I was "adding value." So, four days into it, I will, ala our great and fearless leader, prematurely declare victory. I feel like this will work. If before I was glass is neither half empty nor half full, now I am glass is half full. It's the little things that make life worthwhile.

Now, you're probably wondering what's up with the late post this morning. Well, I have the flexibility to work from home as warranted. And, being I have zero meetings and four inches of reading, I figured today was as good a day as any to work from home. To top it off, my entire department is out today, so reading in the office yields only the benefit of practicing my commute. Thanks, but no thanks.

Happy Friday, everyone.


Cheers!
mouse

Commuting Options

Dear Friends and Family,

I hate to say it, but this is what my life has been reduced to... My excitement for the day yesterday was, big drum roll please, I tried taking the bus to work. Or, rather, I took the train to the bus to work.

On the positive, I slept in both directions, which means more sleep for me overall. I've been dragging this week with getting up at 4 every morning after two weeks of sleeping in. And, it's cheaper than gas. I think I can save on auto insurance by making my car a leisure vehicle. And, to ease my sleep even more, it's more environmentally responsible. The icing on the cake? I get at least 10-15 minutes of walking in just getting to the train station.

On the negative, I'm on a schedule. I need to come and go on the bus schedule which I'm not sure is going to work with the new job. Working out will be tough, since the last bus leaves pretty early. Time wise, I think it's break even in the evening, but, I think it takes ~30 minutes more in the morning. Not sure, exactly, but, that's what I think, based on my three data points at three different times during a very non-standard week... in other words, lots of room for data error. And, so far the weather has cooperated - dry and warm. Not sure how much I'll like it in the cold.

As insurance, we bought the Jetta, warts and all. It's still at the mouse house, but we'll be driving it back Jan 1. It'll be my other commuting option.

What are my options? And combination of the following:

1. public transportation: bus and train
2. carpool: with Mr. mouse, we drop him off at work and I take the car from there
3. carpool: with Mr. mouse, he drops me off and doubles back to work (exception based at best, probably)
4. hybrid: semi-public: train to car left at park and ride
5. private: car

I guess we'll have to see how the schedule and options evolve over time. Keep in mind, you can choose a variety from the above on any given day. Once you have two cars here, there's no commitment to one or the other. So, I can do option #4 in the morning and #1 on the way home and do #2 the next morning and #5 in the evening. The permutations can make your head spin... Well, at least I know I have flexibility, if nothing else.


Cheers!
mouse

Made the Switch to "New" Blogger

Dear Friends and Family,

Sometime between yesterday morning and this morning Blogger announced new blogger, formerly known as blogger beta. Okay, maybe it's a good time to switch.

I know there are a lot of good reasons for making you create a google account, which Mr. mouse got for me awhile ago, but, I can't say I like account consolidation. More importantly, now, it requires you to turn on cookies to use blogger. This, I am not happy about. Not sure if I'll stay on blogger for my tiny audience or move to another service. We'll see.

For now, I'm curious to see what the post looks like and see what the other capabilities are. So, short post for this morning. Will be working on looking at infrastructure instead.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: word of advice to the smart people at google, maybe you should include the words blogger and google in the default dictionary for this service, no?

So Far, So Good

Dear Friends and Family,

Good morning. Sorry, no food posting today.

So, I know you're dying to know... how'd it go?!?!

Yesterday was a typical first day in the office. We had group orientation in the morning where we covered paperwork - make sure you're legal to work in the country, taxes withholding, direct deposit, etc.; company history; mission, values, etc.; benefits, policies, getting started, etc.

Then, we were met at lunch by our buddy and left to fend for ourselves in the afternoon. I got my badge, so it's official now. And, I spent the afternoon doing a lot of reading. I have a 1:1 with my manager this afternoon and my first meeting this morning. I have a new cubicle mate; he's funny, but I miss Frenchie. And, it's very quiet in the office, so it's not as lively as the old office environment - you get a lot more done, but it takes a little getting used to. So far, so good.

The gym is okay, it's not as large or as new as the old gym and it has a little gym odor, but for now, it's serviceable. It's $25/month, so I'll probably join regardless... use it for a couple of months and see how it goes from there. If the odor/age bothers me, I'll find a new gym at a later point. If not, then we'll call it good.

The cafeteria, on the other hand, is going to be a tougher sell. Granted, the old cafeteria set a high bar... I had sushi options, a great sandwich bar with house roasted turkey, four yogurt options and a full suite of fruit and vegetable salads all at reasonable prices. This one is a lot pricier for lower quality food. My sandwich yesterday - the wheat bread was a cheap fluffy bread with no flavor and/or texture, the turkey bland, watery and flavorless, the yogurt was a carb-control option - never again, and the price - 25% more than my old lunch. Hmm... Might be just the incentive I need to pack my lunch on an ongoing basis... Today, I'll try carvery and see how that goes. If that works, I'll be okay. Like the gym, I'll give it a couple months of use, see if I adjust or if it's really an issue. Unlike the gym, I have an easy contingency plan, bring my own lunch, which I'll probably do 60% of the time.

Well, off have my tea.


Cheers!
mouse

12.18.06: First Weekend Together

Dear Friends and Family,

Good morning!

As you can see, I'm out of transition and back to the routine. Good to know someone's feeling optimistic this morning.

So, what happened over the weekend? I picked up Mr. mouse at the airport Friday night and we headed out for dinner. We went to a local seafood place and had the cold platter - raw oysters, peel and eat shrimp, seared ahi, half a lobster tail and cerviche. Very yummy. I ordered a cup of soup to start with and we shared a dessert. It felt like a celebration. We headed over to our neighbors for a glass of wine after dinner and then hit the sack (aka the airbed).

Saturday, Mr. mouse packed the last of our stuff while I slept in. I'd been battling the sniffles for a week under the assumption it was dust, but Mr. mouse wanted me to work it out of my system either way before Monday. We flew back Saturday night with the last of the clothes/shoes, the last of the plush friends, the two back-up hard drives and the computer. The mouse house is pretty empty now.

Sunday, I woke up super early with some pretty odd dreams about the upcoming new gig - it was Devil Wears Prada meets I. M. Pei. Weird. Had breakfast and napped for two or three more hours. We hung a couple more pictures and went grocery shopping. Seven o'clock sharp, I tuned in for three hours of Survivor Finale plus Reunion. I miss my TiVo. Ask me, why I'm addicted? It's the organizational behavior major in me that's fascinated by the people aspect of it all. Afterwards, we turned in early so I could get some Zzz's.

And, here I am bright and early, Monday morning. I have time for tea and this entry and then need to be ready to go by 6:15 am. Yep, that's the glorious commute I signed up for. Actually, Mr. mouse is driving me this week, so I can't complain. That way I don't have to tackle new job and new commute in one fell swoop. He's such a trooper.

Happy Monday, everyone.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 10, Reality Sinks In

Dear Friends and Family,

Met Trixie for lunch yesterday. Wow. Just what the doctor ordered. I felt so much more relaxed just sitting down with her and chatting. You need good friends.

Shopping on the other hand was a bust. They were out of the blush I needed. And, I shook myself free from the grasp of a cake pan I've been eyeing. Cake pan? Seriously? I don't need a cake pan! I don't make cakes. It's just so cute, and I think it'd be perfect for Baby mouse, who isn't even born yet. And, I've resolved Baby mouse isn't going to have a Wisteria Lane childhood. So, this cake pan, pure 100% clutter.

We then went to drop my car off at the dealer. Lights have been flashing on the dash like they're Christmas lights - first coolant and now oil pressure. What gives?!?! So, they're going to have a look at it. We chatted with my sales guy there who really is a good guy. And, we left to go pick up the rental. I got upgraded to a full size for free. Whee!

Off to happy hour. Not as many people as I first expected, but close friends, so I'm glad. I ended up staying until 10:30 watching two friends play pool. Much better than coming home to the empty house...

So, I get home and all of the furniture is gone, as expected. And, it finally sunk in. I'm leaving. Not sure what's on the agenda for today. But, wow, I start a new job on Monday.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Trixie gave me the sweetest card: to a new year, a new house, a new job and a new you. That really captured what's going on in my head right now.

Day 9, Winding Down

Dear Friends and Family,

Back at the mouse house. Meeting a friend for lunch today and some shopping. Then, headed back home for a quick meal with the neighbors and then headed out to my happy hour. While I'm out, my neighbors are coming over to take the rest of my furniture. It's going to their parents' cabin.

Tomorrow, I've got a list of errands and lunch with another friend. The two weeks have gone really quickly, but it's been time well spent. I have a small case of the sniffles, but overall, am feeling a lot better than last week this time.

Mr. mouse met me yesterday for lunch. And, I headed back to the mouse house on a mid-day flight with... get this... the other half of the dishwasher rack! Nice to know I was able to provide entertainment for 100+ people in the middle of their Wednesday. The one thing I forgot? The camera... Trixie has me covered for tonight so I should be fine, just feel a little lost without it.

Last night, our neighbors came over to keep me company. It would have been pretty barren at home. It was good to have the company. I feel like I know so many people here and very few people at the mouse pad. Sigh.

Sorry so scattered this morning. Need to compose myself and organize before heading out. Happy Thursday, everyone!


Cheers!
mouse

Day 8, Learning by Doing

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday was a productive day. We arranged all of the furniture in the guest room. We hauled all of our books in there and found a home for most of them. And, we set up the guest bed (my bed from the mouse house). Then, we unpacked half of the kitchen boxes and most of our clothes. I got a little frustrated because the closet isn't big enough for two and went on a donation rampage. Mr. mouse told me to go to sleep and finished up the rest. All in all, a very productive day.

Today is another story all together. I had the option of going back for a volunteer event with my old department or spending the day here with Mr. mouse. I knew he had a morning meeting that he was trying to reschedule and I didn't nag him about it. I should have been more clear as to my options in communicating with him. Why? He's at work and I am here. The plan? Spend the day together. The back up plan? He goes to work and I go hang out with my old department. The sign of communication failure? He goes to work, I do nothing. How the @#$!? does that happen? No use crying over spilt milk, but guess I need to think about how to prevent future communication breakdown. Maybe I should have just planned on going to the volunteer event and made that plan A? Maybe I needed to be more explicit? But how to do that with sounding like a nag? Maybe I need to be okay with spending another quiet day at the mouse pad? No. Yes. No. Okay, how to communicate better? Something to think about during this transition.

I'm flying back to the house tonight to have dinner with my neighbors. I'm very excited about seeing them again.

Off to tea and to contemplate having the "talk" with Mr. mouse. What a waste of a morning.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Mr. mouse is headed home for brunch and to drive me to the airport. All is better.

Day 7, Settling In

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse and I are unpacking today. We started moving some furniture around last night, and, in a ritualistic ceremony, we will probably hang our first art work today. We had dinner in the house together last night. I guess it counts as our first real meal here together. We had salmon with pasta (the noodles that are hollow on the inside) and zucchini. I'm thinking about making the switch to the Weight Watchers core plan from the flex plan that I am on. It involves less counting and more managing food types - there's a core list you can eat from. I'll see how eating with Mr. mouse every day works for my wellness plan. That's part of the transition. I'm just taking it one day at a time.

I'm a little congested. Not sure if it's a cold, the stress from last week or just plain dust. Off to tea and then unpacking.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 6, At Peace

Dear Friends and Family,

Just woke up and am having the morning tea. Mr. mouse is working this morning and I'm enjoying the feeling of the mouse pad. We've been struggling with naming the place. We've had The Ranch, The Winter Cabin, and now... The Flat? The Walk Up? The Loft? The Brownstone? The Park? None of them fit yet. But, The Winter Cabin took awhile to name too.

Not sure what's on the agenda for the rest of the day and week. I know I'm going back to the mouse house for at least a couple of days. Will dwell on figuring out the schedule after tea, later this morning. For now, just sitting and absorbing.

Oh, and need to find my scale so I can weigh in tomorrow.


Cheers!
mouse

Day 5, Home Again

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse and I finished packing and loading the truck this morning. And, in the still of the night, we pulled out of the driveway and headed out to our new adventure. The drive went smoothly. And, we arrived at the mouse pad by 2:10 in the afternoon. The movers showed up and by 5:30 everything was in the new house. We even lucked out on a parking spot right in front of the house for easy unloading.

We returned the truck and headed out to dinner. I way overate, but figured it wasn't just dinner. It's a celebration - we're living together again. Yeah! Mr. mouse is relaxing upstairs. This living together thing is going to take some getting used to. Even with all the boxes, it feels like home.

Tomorrow, I sleep in :)


Cheers!
mouse

Day 4, Moving Day

Dear Friends and Family,

Didn't have time to post this morning. We flew in on the red eye from Vegas. It was a great trip. Sometime in the morning, I found my inner peace. I've turned the corner on all of this and it feels real again.

I accidentally stumbled upon a "spa" treatment Mr. mouse and I partook of while in Orlando. It involved switching back and forth between a really hot pool and a really cold one - kinda like sauna. Well, I drew water for a bath Friday morning and it was scalding hot. Did that stop me? Absolutely not. When I jumped into the shower, I turned the water cold to cool off, and it was like voila. I remember doing this before! So, I spent some time in the cold shower. Jumped back into the hot bath, repeat as necessary. It was so relaxing. I finished it off with yoga relaxation poses. Nice way to start the day.

I went to lunch at Canyon Ranch Cafe. The food is very well composed. I had the crab cakes which tasted delicious without the heavy mayo/greasy taste. Then, I had the portabella mushroom sandwich - another winner in my book. The mushroom was grilled with roasted red peppers which added contrast to the meatiness of the mushroom. And, I finished it off with two oatmeal cookies. $27 for the meal, 9 Weight Watchers points. Would repeat in a heart beat.

I took my walk and then met Mr. mouse for dinner. I'll write more about that at a later date. We went to Nobu. Another place I'd repeat in a heart beat.

We got the truck today. And loaded all of our stuff in it. There's a couple more boxes to pack and we need to load the picture frames. Mr. mouse is napping on the couch for one last time before we sell it. So, I'll give him another half hour before nudging him.

We had dinner with our neighbors again. I'm going to miss them SO much. I wish I could take them with me to our new place. We don't know many of our neighbors there yet, so it's another thing that's changing in my life.

Tomorrow we do the drive and then unload the truck. Fortunately, we hired unloaders, so we won't have to do the heavy lifting. But, we are doing the long drive. I'd better go finish up more stuff...


Cheers!
mouse

Day 3, From the Venetian

Dear Friends and Family,

After a couple of false starts, I made it out to Vegas yesterday compliments of US Airways. They had a $100 ticket available, so Mr. mouse booked me a flight out.

I've got ten days between my two jobs, and today is Day 3. Mr. mouse just left for his conference and I have the day in Vegas to myself. What's on the docket? A bunch of things. I might take a long, hot bath. I might not. I might hit Canyon Ranch Cafe for a nice healthy lunch. I might not. I might go for a walk along the Strip, a loop is about five miles, I think. I might not. I might go to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. I might not. I meet up with Mr. mouse sometime around five for a cocktail hour. If I'm late, no biggie.

As you can see, not really sure where the day will lead, but I'm okay with that. Vegas is packed with memories from past conventions and conferences and visits. And, it's a high of 70 today, and I'm definitely okay with that.

Hope your day turns out as beautiful as mine.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: We went to Lotus of Siam for dinner last night. The food is to die for. If you're ever in Vegas, you must try it. Another chowhound winner.

PPS: (9:43 am) Bath water drawing, plans for an absolutely divine lunch at the Cafe (will write a review tomorrow) and then a long walk afterwards, life is good.