I feel like all I ever do is work, eat, sleep, and repeat.

I apparently haven't posted in two years, but feel like putting this "on paper" (so to speak), and do not feel like putting it in a google document.

I feel boring.  I feel depressed.  I feel frustrated.  I feel like all I ever do is work, eat, sleep, and repeat.

I need something to do with my time outside of work that I can think about and get excited about and be energized by.

Here are the things I think want to do.

1. Fix up my road bike/ buy a new road bike and begin riding to work at least 3 days a week
I did this quite a bit last year until I fucked up my shoulder.  I was riding my mountain bike, which is very difficult.  I want the road bike because want to glide.  Mountain bike is difficult to pedal ALWAYS. I want to enjoy the natural therapy the exercise and cold morning hours provide.  Riding back home is stressful and hot, but there's no way around not also riding home.  This allows me to have a good excuse to get exercise, leave work on time, and just be by myself.

2. Doodle Therapy?
This is an idea I've been tossing around for a while.  I enjoy the twitch streaming but am becoming less and less interested in wasting my time playing video game after video game.  I enjoy doodling with the fancy liquid gel pens I bought at Sams Club.  Why not turn this into a thing where I doodle for a few hours, listen to music, and hang out with chat (if anyone joins me).

3. Make the house somewhere I want to be
I hate owning a house.  I hate the house we bought.  I feel trapped by it.  I feel suffocated by the stuff we own.  I (apparently) need to take ownership of the house and make it somewhere we want to be.  I don't think Moose cares that much, at least not enough to take action.  Do things like:  making the outside gardens look nice.  Repainting rooms (walls are so scuffed and dirty now).  Replacing the trim/ugly ass 70s woodwork, carpeting, etc in the dining room.  Cleaning.  Decorating.  Decluttering.  Sperging over curtains and couches and pictures to hang on the walls.  Things Moose and I never ever do because we don't really care.  Maybe this would make the house feel like somewhere we want to be...

4. Make music again
This one is daunting.  I can't go here lightly.  I have to go all in and not get discouraged.  Ten years ago, I was a musician.  I could sing, I could play the violin, I had working knowledge of the guitar,  I knew how to read music and knew a lot of music composition and theory...  Now I'm just a boring 30 year old that claims I used to know these things.  I have entirely given up on a huge part of what was my life.  I need to force myself to at least play violin again.  Ideally, actually learn a software program and record/create music.  (I'll need a new midi keyboard as mine doesn't work anymore)  It is something to do on the computer, anyway...

5. Stop spending money on stupid shit
We buy stuff.... and it never even leaves the package.  Stop buying things, you stupid fools!  This just clutters the house and we never even use the stuff.  Don't be afraid to throw things away.

6. Stop thinking about it (the future)
This may sound off.  Stop thinking about the future?  I am 30 years old and I am hitting the panic stage.  I've had my job for 6 years.  I've been married for 2 years.  We've "owned' our house for 3 years.  Nothing interesting has happened/ nothing has changed for a while.  Now what?  Is it time to just keep on keeping on until there is no more keeping on?  What's next?  What do I do now?  When are we going to be comfortable?  Are we going to have children?  How the heck would that even work?  Why do I care so much?  Why can't I just focus on now?

*sigh*

2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 13

Finally back at it after the wedding...

Crock pot clam chowder (sans potatoes and flour)

Velveeta Rotel Main Dish 

2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 4

This week (week 4):
Moose: Crustless Spinach Quiche with Turkey Sausage - $22.07, 10 servings at ?? each

Dri: Bacon Explosion with Cauliflower - $26.34, 10 servings at 385 calories each

2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 3

This week (week 3)
Moose - Chicken Stir Fry - 10 servings for ~$20, 250 calories each

Dri - Comforting Ground Beef and Cabbage Casserole 10 servings for ~$18, 450 calories each

2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 2

Last week (Week 1):
Moose- Shepherds pie (10 servings at 369 calories a piece) = $25.71
Dri- Spicy chicken and spinach casserole (10 servings at 418 calories a piece) = $23.10

Ran into some issues last week.  Something in the shepherd's pie made me sick all week, had to make Moose give me his spicy spinach casserole.  Oh well.  Hopefully this week is better.

This week (Week 2):
Moose- Grilled chicken breast with asparagus and Parmesan cream sauce (10 servings at 525 calories a piece) : $29.01
Dri - Mushroom and Goat Cheese Meatloaf (10 servings at 511 calories a piece) = $32.71

Up a bit on calories, up a bit on cost, but still about on track.  We should try to aim for 400 calories, but this week, we ended up a little higher.  Still pretty good, though!

We still ended up spending about $125 at the store total.  We did buy some other things like toothpaste, etc at the store this week, so hopefully we can still get the bill down as we get used to this new eating plan.

2014 Body and Wallet Diet - Week 1

Moose and I have decided to diet before our wedding in February.  In addition, we've decided to attempt to keep to a real budget.  Turns out we spend a lot of money on food.  Like a lot.  We buy full groceries, eat out a ton, and end up throwing leftovers and unused food away.  We had some success last year with a diet that involved making casseroles and portioning them out.  So, combine the two and you've got the bulk-food body and wallet diet.  Goal is to make two meals with 8-10 portions each on Sundays, keeping the week's food cost around $50-75 at the grocery store.  We're still going to do our traditional Monday night dinner with friends, but hopefully we can make enough to eat lunches and dinners through Friday, and perhaps Saturday.

Goals (listed cleanly):
1.  Go grocery shopping Sunday.  Buy only what is needed for the week and keep it to $50-$75
2.  Sunday afternoons, make two meals with 8-10 portions of each, making enough for lunches and dinners through at least Friday.
3.  Lose weight.
4.  Save money.


Week 1 recipes

Low Carb Shepherds Pie

Low Carb Spicy Chicken and Spinach Casserole

I think I know what I want

I think I know what I want.

I want to work at Graco until I have kids.  I don't want to have kids until I have my car loan and student loans paid off.

I want to be able to have the option of being a stay-at-home mom for a while, only a few years.  We'll see.

Then want to go back to school at the U and get a Master's in education, like what Adam did.  2 summers and 1 full year of teaching.  You get a Master's in education and you get a teaching license.  Maybe I'd even be able to squeeze in a few tech classes I wanted to take before.

Then I want to get a teaching job where I teach kids basic electronics and basic software.  Think EE1301.  Start with binary and basic circuits.  Do cool labs with LEDs and logic circuitry.  Do some assembly on microcontrollers, do some C on microcontrollers, do some HTML5 or Java on a computer (of course, I'd have to learn this too).  HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE?  I wonder if there is a technology magnet school somewhere in town where I'd be able to do that.  Or maybe do it for home school groups.

I know Moose wants to go back to school at some point.  Maybe he should do that sooner rather than later and I could support us for a few years.  Hmmm... hmmmm.

Anyway, I just wanted to post that here because I think it's neat.

Mo money, mo problems

I've been working really hard to reign in my spending. I've been doing somewhat better, but I still spend too much on silly things.

It has worked fairly well for me in the past to compartmentalize things. This is why I have so many bank accounts. I think I may need to split it up further. Here's how my split sits right now:

Joint bank account (rent, gym, other joint bills): $500/paycheck
US Bank account (remainder): $1000-ish/paycheck

Out of my US Bank account:
$425/paycheck - Car or Student loans
$250/paycheck - Savings
$40/paycheck - Gas
$10/paycheck - MPR Membership

This leaves me with about $400 or so to play around with. I tend to blow through this, especially when things like groceries are purchased.

I'm thinking I need to change up the split a bit more...

Joint bank account (rent, gym, other joint bills): $500/paycheck
TCF Bank account (fun money): $200/paycheck
US Bank account (remainder for bills and stuff): $800-ish/paycheck

Then I can only spend the stuff in my TCF account... I dunno how this will work, but I might want to consider splitting my paycheck up like this automatically and see how it goes for a while.

123 Gluten Free

O. M. G.

123 Gluten Free products on Amazon

2013 Resolutions/Goals

Things I'd like to do in the next year...

1. Cut down on pop & artificial sugar consumption. I'm thinking I need to limit myself to 24oz a day. So, 2 12oz. cans or 1 20 oz. bottle. THIS INCLUDES ENERGY DRINKS.

2. Come up with and stick to a manageable budget. I always come up with stupidly unattainable goals for a budget then I fail spectacularly and spend several months catching up. I need to come up with something better.

3. Go to the gym 12 times per month. We have the membership now. We should use it. We'll see how crazy it is around the new year, but

4. Stop making excuses about allergies. I allow myself to eat potato chips and tomatoes occasionally. I don't check information when I eat out. I don't want to do this. I'm tired of being sick. This leads into #5.

5. Get back on a keto/paleo/low-carb diet. I feel better, I can maybe lose a little more weight. If only Moose would join me, it would be easy!

6. Get into art and music more. I intended to do something spectacular this year with music, but the goals were a little too lofty. I want to actually develop my hobbies instead of just think about what I would do if I had the time. Sundays have already morphed into cleaning days around our house, so maybe I can find time then.

Food and Diet

I've made a lot of changes in how I eat over the last year.  I think all of them make me feel a lot better, a lot healthier, and just less sick in general.  Turns out finding out about all of the things that have been making your sick does a lot for your physical well being.  It sucks, but it's worth it.

But... I'm left with very few "vice" or "comfort" foods.  I turn to eating excessive amounts of Old Dutch potato chips and ice cream.  These things are fine in moderation, but once I have a taste, I want the whole bag/pint/etc.

The best I have ever felt would have to be when I was following an extremely low carb diet.  I would love to get back to that.  Bonus: I could lose that last 15-20 pounds I have hanging around before I'm back in the "normal' BMI range.

Using the keto calculator, I can determine what sort of calories, protein, fats, and carbs I should be following.  It gives me the information below (for a 6.5lb loss per month).  Also, I really just like the round numbers.

1400	kcal Net Calories Consumed
25	g Carbohydrates (7%)
100	g Protein (29%)
100	g Fat (64%)

I'll eventually need to tweak this, but I think these are good guidelines for me to follow. 

I may still splurge a bit over the holidays, but it's hard when you can't eat flour, corn starch, or soy...  I might be able to have some treats if I make them myself, but I'm not hopeful.  I did find an awesome recipe I could make keto-friendly.  Maybe I'll try it for the christmas party.  Substitute sugar for sugar-free sweetener, sub cool whip for heavy cream, use dark chocolate/unsweetened cocoa for the chocolate. I think it has great potential!  Heck, I might even make it with normal sugar if I feel up to it.  It only has 1/3 cup as it is... that may or may not be taking into account the sugar from the cool whip, though.  WORTH A SHOT!

Another LoL halloween costume idea

I got a dress like this from Charlotte Russe for $5.

I've been trying to decide what to use it for, so here's a half-assed halloween costume idea... sexy female astronaut teemo.

Plus, I already have (something like) these:

So, to complete the costume, I would need:

1. A helmet.
With modifications to face shield, adding ears, etc.

Another option would be dealer visor + ears:

2. A pair of snowboarding mittens, painted silver (or buy silver mittens...). Or could do something like this:

3.  A big (silver) belt.

4.  Dryer vent hose (not required)

5.  Face paint.

6.  And making the blow gun/staff.

Crock Pot Indian Cuisine

Gotta try this!

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/12/crockpot-chicken-makhani-indian-butter.html

Costume Idea Dump - Arcade Sona

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Credit Card Crud

I have a credit card.  It has a modest limit.  It is tied to my main checking account.

It has grown fat and tired.  It has been over used.  It's too easy to buy things when you don't have to pay for them right away.

My credit card expires today.  I don't intend to activate my new card.  I'm not going to use it.  I'm not going to tie it to every goddamned online store and use it willy nilly.

I've made a couple of purchases online today.  Cards Against Humanity - Second Expansion, and another pair of slightly larger (and super onsale) Vibram 5 Finger running shoes.

Hopefully, putting things on my debit card (with a limited supply of money!) will help me to not buy things as much.  I've been doing better, but not as well as I had hoped.  Gencon kinda screwed up my savings plans.... and I haven't even paid Moose back yet.

Yay...

Let's see how this goes...

Nightshade

So, I was told at the allergy doctor that I am allergic to tomatoes.  Generally, a tomato allergy is a nightshade allergy.  Generally, this type of allergy causes joint pain, inflammation, and/or stomach discomfort.  I've been valiantly avoiding tomatoes since I got the results, but apparently I should also be avoiding:

• eggplant
• potatoes
• bell peppers
• spicy peppers
• cayenne
• paprika
• pimentos
• tomatillos

I haven't had bell peppers or anything for a while, but I have been eating potatoes and bell peppers and spicy things rather heavily.  I can't really be sure if these things are affecting me or not, but it probably can't hurt to cut them out for a while as well.  I know I had a really bad reaction to a meal a while ago that involved a baked potato, possibly undercooked. I should really be avoiding potatoes all together.

Not sure I can live without potato chips - might have to eat lots of pork rinds again.

Money and Savings

I spend too much money.  It's been a problem that has been plaguing me since I got my first job in college.  You have money?  Sure, let's buy things that sit in boxes in the basement for all eternity.  I like spending money.  I like having new things.  I like opening random boxes sent from the internet.  Buuut I'm an adult now.  I should evaluate these habits and stop as many of them as possible. 

Starting August 1st, I am not going to order anything from the internet unless I can't get it anywhere else.  (I gotta have my cheese chips)

I've been setting myself up for failure with saving for a long time.  Right now is no exception.  I come up with goals for saving, but don't subsequently cut down my spending.  I have about $300 per paycheck (or $600/mo) that I am not putting into big bills or savings right now.  I know I have been spending more than that.  This means I will eventually max out my (meager) credit card limit and pull the money out of savings to pay it off and start all over again.  I end up not saving anything.  This has happened to me numerous times in the past.

The one time I had some success saving was when I told myself I had to pay for everything in cash (this doesn't work very well when you also have auto payments coming out of your checking account... damn you year subscription to WoW) but this helped me immensely.  I only had so much to spend but I could still spend it how I pleased.  I may need to try this again.

What about the temptation from the internet?  I probably need to go through and delete a bunch of my subscriptions from shopping mailing lists...  but I like to look at them.  At least I've stopped checking out Woot daily!  I've only ordered one thing from them in the last, oh, probably 3 months.  I consider that a success.  For the time being, I will change my shopping filter on my gmail account to mark all of my emails in those filters as read.

So...  plan, starting August 1st: 
1. Pull out $200 in cash. 
2. Spend as sparingly as possible.
3. On second monthly paycheck, pull out another $200 if necessary.
4. Spend as sparingly as possible.
5. Try to pay off the remainder of credit card balance in the mean time (or just pull this from savings for now to have a fresh start, I haven't decided yet).
6. Only buy things online if they can't be purchased anywhere else.

Alfredo Sauce

Since I can't eat tomatoes or canned alfredo sauce anymore, I need to get good at making alfredo sauce.  Here's an easy recipe I found that I want to try.

• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1/2 pound of butter
• tablespoon of granulated garlic, or really finely minced fresh stuff
• 2 cups grated parmesan cheese (buy it whole, grate it yourself!)
• 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsely

Simmer the heavy cream and butter on low heat.
Add garlic and pepper and keep whisking throughout remainder of ingredients
Add 2 cups of grated parmesan, a little at a time, remembering to whisk/stir throughout
Top with parsley.

Abbey Road Gif

Tara sent this to me.

Proposed Night-of-the-week Schedule

Moosey and I have discussed only playing video games one night a week.  But what does that mean for the other nights of the week?  Here are some ideas.

Monday - Cleaning/mowing/laundry, Applebees (9-11pm)
Tuesday - Flash Game Work
Wednesday - Personal Project (Music, art, etc) work
Thursday - Date night?  Special dinner/movie/going for a walk, etc?
Friday - Video Games
Saturday - Shopping?, shadowrun, DnD (7-11pm)
Sunday - Relaxation/whatever, perhaps lots of cooking for the rest of the week?