What a long day. I should have been asleep hours ago but we were determined to finish moving and that much activity leaves me wired. But I bet you can guess what's on today's happiness list...
1. We finished moving! Finally. I was getting so tired of moving. But now begins the very difficult task of unpacking, organizing, decluttering, sorting, etc. All the things we desperately needed to do in our old unit but never did, causing so much clutter. We are determined to do it right this time around. We're not "officially" out of our old unit yet since we still have the keys but we want to check our mail tomorrow in case there are more places where we need to change our address since forwarding may still not be working.
2. We went out to Williamsburg and had a fantastic dinner at Forcella. Salads, croquettes, pizza, dessert. It was also a fabulous price, since we got a prix fixe voucher from Gilt City. We loved the pizza (especially mine with porcini mushrooms, pesto and bufala) and would definitely go back.
3. We went to the Gourmet Food Truck Bazaar at the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market for lunch and had cheesesteaks, lobster roll and our favorite slush!
4. We explored a different part of the city by randomly walking around Brooklyn after our Forcella dinner.
5. Google Maps cube game.
6. We got so much done today and were so productive. Hopefully it will be like this every day until we are finally done with our decluttering.
Super late for bed and must go to sleep since it will be an early morning. Going to be exhausted tomorrow but I had to write this list because we finally finished moving! Such a relief to be done with that step.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Happiness List - 04.28.2012
I was supposed to go to sleep hours ago in my continuing attempt to fix my sleep schedule, but I was cleaning/unpacking later than expected. One reason is that everything tonight was later than we hoped since our car battery died, delaying us. There were other minor annoyances - shower rack fell off the wall (what did the previous tenants do?!) but A was able to fix it, I was really cold all day (didn't wear enough for this chilly late April weather), tons of traffic all over the west side (what was going on?!), loud screaming manners-less kids at the museum (sigh), the stupid refs and Lebron flopping all over the place during the Knicks game (so aggravating that I'm just not going to watch if this keeps up) - so this seems like a good day to do a happiness list (even though I am half asleep) to remind myself of the (big and) little things that made it a good day.
1. My grandparents returned from their long trip and we had a family dinner. I missed seeing them and the rest of the family.
2. Warm sunny weather in the afternoon.
3. The underwater parts of the Creatures of Light exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. (The fireflies part, not so much.)
4. Really good Chinese food. Fried flounder, Japanese tofu, assorted Chinese vegetables, rice with perfect texture, garlic garnishes, green leafy vegetables - all good.
5. Looked at and put away (yay) the rest of the boarding passes from our European honeymoon. I didn't even realize they weren't in the box when I re-sorted everything last week. Glad I found them (since Netherlands/Belgium tickets are still yet to be found in our boxes).
6. A and I took a self-photo on the crappy front facing camera on my phone but it actually came out kind of nice.
7. Weighing ourselves on all the scales at the Rose Center (although I forgot to photograph my weight on the moon). I do not want to be on a neutron star where I would weigh over 2 trillion pounds.
8. Found my green Metrocard.
9. It's ridiculous how satisfying it feels to shred paper, but it just feels really good. Somehow it's therapeutic.
10. My mail forwarding went through correctly this time so hopefully I will get forwarded mail now.
11. My aunt's oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies.
12. The clearance sale at CVS on generic Nasalcrom and finding a CVS that had a ton of boxes left.
What made you happy this Saturday? Did your car battery not die today? Ha.
1. My grandparents returned from their long trip and we had a family dinner. I missed seeing them and the rest of the family.
2. Warm sunny weather in the afternoon.
3. The underwater parts of the Creatures of Light exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. (The fireflies part, not so much.)
4. Really good Chinese food. Fried flounder, Japanese tofu, assorted Chinese vegetables, rice with perfect texture, garlic garnishes, green leafy vegetables - all good.
5. Looked at and put away (yay) the rest of the boarding passes from our European honeymoon. I didn't even realize they weren't in the box when I re-sorted everything last week. Glad I found them (since Netherlands/Belgium tickets are still yet to be found in our boxes).
6. A and I took a self-photo on the crappy front facing camera on my phone but it actually came out kind of nice.
7. Weighing ourselves on all the scales at the Rose Center (although I forgot to photograph my weight on the moon). I do not want to be on a neutron star where I would weigh over 2 trillion pounds.
8. Found my green Metrocard.
9. It's ridiculous how satisfying it feels to shred paper, but it just feels really good. Somehow it's therapeutic.
10. My mail forwarding went through correctly this time so hopefully I will get forwarded mail now.
11. My aunt's oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies.
12. The clearance sale at CVS on generic Nasalcrom and finding a CVS that had a ton of boxes left.
What made you happy this Saturday? Did your car battery not die today? Ha.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Finally
Finally the USPS got something right.
After the debacle over the 1st change of address/mail forwarding card, where the post office thought I resided on the 83rd floor, I submitted a new card at a different post office (not the main one but a branch one). The guy I got it from looked like a seasoned post office vet. I told him that the USPS on the phone had told me I could get a card there, and he asked me what happened. I answered that my forwarding didn't go through correctly. He told me it happens all the time and he wasn't surprised.
That's great. Even the post office workers aren't surprised that people aren't getting their forwarded mail.
I submitted the new card, taking extra time and effort to make the apartment numbers super clear. There was no way they could misread it. I still didn't trust them though.
Luckily today we checked the mail and both the old address and the forward address are correct. I have yet to get any forwarded mail but it does take a few days to kick into effect, so hopefully I'll get something soon.
A's still having problems with his. He gets some mail forwarded, some not. But the address in his confirmation was wrong and he had to submit a correction. We'll see what happens. What a mess.
After the debacle over the 1st change of address/mail forwarding card, where the post office thought I resided on the 83rd floor, I submitted a new card at a different post office (not the main one but a branch one). The guy I got it from looked like a seasoned post office vet. I told him that the USPS on the phone had told me I could get a card there, and he asked me what happened. I answered that my forwarding didn't go through correctly. He told me it happens all the time and he wasn't surprised.
That's great. Even the post office workers aren't surprised that people aren't getting their forwarded mail.
I submitted the new card, taking extra time and effort to make the apartment numbers super clear. There was no way they could misread it. I still didn't trust them though.
Luckily today we checked the mail and both the old address and the forward address are correct. I have yet to get any forwarded mail but it does take a few days to kick into effect, so hopefully I'll get something soon.
A's still having problems with his. He gets some mail forwarded, some not. But the address in his confirmation was wrong and he had to submit a correction. We'll see what happens. What a mess.
Happiness List - 04.27.2012
1. Taco bar! (aka Mexican catering for lunch)
2. Watched L&O: Community a few more times. Still so, so awesome.
3. More good TV from Thursday (Scandal, Vampire Diaries, Secret Circle, Person of Interest, etc).
4. Got some unpacking done. Every time we finish a box or can consolidate into another box, it feels good.
5. Paper shredder arrived. I love Prime.
6. Ma po tofu.
7. Dry sauteed string beans.
8. Seamless pick up from my iPhone app. So. Easy.
9. Found more restaurant business cards for our collection in our piles of random crap, as well as more Metrocards. What's nice about the business cards is that they immediately have a place to go and what's nice about the Metrocards is that I can photograph them in the morning and then get rid of them.
10. Also found our tickets for the airport bus in Brussels. I love international transit tickets. I didn't remember actually getting tickets on the bus but I guess we did. I do remember our bus ride early in the morning, roundabout after motion sickness inducing roundabout. Thank goodness for Haribo.
I know I keep a "happiness list" so that I don't dwell on the unhappy or frustrating parts of life but (a) why is it so cold at the end of April?! (I was freezing on the way home and my legs felt like ice), (b) why does the Post Office suck so much?! (I don't think any of our mail is getting forwarded at this point), and (c) why am I so dizzy?! (It makes it really hard to pack and move). I'm sad I missed the NASA flyover but that's more bummed than frustrated or upset. Just one of those days.
2. Watched L&O: Community a few more times. Still so, so awesome.
3. More good TV from Thursday (Scandal, Vampire Diaries, Secret Circle, Person of Interest, etc).
4. Got some unpacking done. Every time we finish a box or can consolidate into another box, it feels good.
5. Paper shredder arrived. I love Prime.
6. Ma po tofu.
7. Dry sauteed string beans.
8. Seamless pick up from my iPhone app. So. Easy.
9. Found more restaurant business cards for our collection in our piles of random crap, as well as more Metrocards. What's nice about the business cards is that they immediately have a place to go and what's nice about the Metrocards is that I can photograph them in the morning and then get rid of them.
10. Also found our tickets for the airport bus in Brussels. I love international transit tickets. I didn't remember actually getting tickets on the bus but I guess we did. I do remember our bus ride early in the morning, roundabout after motion sickness inducing roundabout. Thank goodness for Haribo.
I know I keep a "happiness list" so that I don't dwell on the unhappy or frustrating parts of life but (a) why is it so cold at the end of April?! (I was freezing on the way home and my legs felt like ice), (b) why does the Post Office suck so much?! (I don't think any of our mail is getting forwarded at this point), and (c) why am I so dizzy?! (It makes it really hard to pack and move). I'm sad I missed the NASA flyover but that's more bummed than frustrated or upset. Just one of those days.
Friday, April 27, 2012
1+1=3
(Touch, episode 1.2, originally aired March 22, 2012)
One of the midseason shows I was most looking forward to was Touch. I was intrigued by the idea of a genius child trying to communicate with his father and making connections all over the world. Then again, I do love anything that reminds us that we are living in such a small world and are truly all interconnected. And I watched 24 from the beginning and kind of miss Jack Bauer sometimes.
We recorded the pilot of the show when it aired during the January "preview" but didn't end up watching it until the show was almost back on the air. We liked it but weren't sure where it would go. Then we fell behind between packing and moving and the second episode disappeared from on demand. I finally caught it online a few days ago but since A didn't have time to see it, I recapped it for him yesterday morning. I still haven't decided whether to stick with the show for its run - there are things I like about it and some things I don't - but it occurred to me how ridiculous some of the plot points were. I can suspend disbelief but only so much.
For example (and apologies if you haven't seen the second episode of Touch, but it's been over a month since it aired, so I will talk about it freely):
- Kiefer/Jack Bauer (what's his character's name? Martin? He'll always be Jack to me) sees a dog for a few minutes while transporting him. Yet at the end of the episode when he sees the dog he immediately knows it's the same dog and recognizes it. Seriously? There are no other dogs that look like Lyov?
- No one can just waltz onto the field in the middle of the day at a baseball stadium and scatter ashes. That guy would be tackled by security in seconds.
- The Russian mobster grew a heart? Really? Because his kid thinks he hurts people? I watch enough crime shows on TV to know that he would have just postponed the beating while on the phone with his kid, not let the guy off with all of his debts paid.
- I still can't get over the fact that they took the kid away from Kiefer because he was "unfit" to care for him when the school is the one that keeps losing him (or the social worker) and the kid has a perfectly nice home to live in. I know it's the premise, but it makes absolutely no sense that he would be an unfit guardian when he can clearly take care of his kid! This is probably the toughest part of the show to me because the storyline of taking him away just feels so contrived. I am willing to be spoiled if you tell me they dropped this plot point because the ridiculousness of it is taking away from the show.
- The dog ran from the airport (which I think is supposed to be JFK) to the baseball stadium? I thought they had said it was the Yankees but maybe I was wrong. Either one, you want me to believe the dog ran there and was there when you got there on public transportation. It's like they're using Castle's map of New York in all of its screwed-up-ness.
- Jack kept pace running with the bus his kid jumped on until the bus stopped to let him on. Right... I know Jack Bauer is kind of superhuman but he can now run as fast as a bus?
I'm sure there were more things but that's all I could think of right now. I will continue to watch for now to see how I feel about the show. The timeslot is tough because Person of Interest is much better, The Secret Circle is a guilty pleasure, and Grey's Anatomy has been better lately than in recent years. Luckily, other than Person of Interest (grrrrrrrr CBS), the other shows can all be watched in some alternate format (online, on demand). I haven't paid attention to how it's doing in the ratings and whether people think it will be back, but so far, I'm still curious to see where it goes.
One of the midseason shows I was most looking forward to was Touch. I was intrigued by the idea of a genius child trying to communicate with his father and making connections all over the world. Then again, I do love anything that reminds us that we are living in such a small world and are truly all interconnected. And I watched 24 from the beginning and kind of miss Jack Bauer sometimes.
We recorded the pilot of the show when it aired during the January "preview" but didn't end up watching it until the show was almost back on the air. We liked it but weren't sure where it would go. Then we fell behind between packing and moving and the second episode disappeared from on demand. I finally caught it online a few days ago but since A didn't have time to see it, I recapped it for him yesterday morning. I still haven't decided whether to stick with the show for its run - there are things I like about it and some things I don't - but it occurred to me how ridiculous some of the plot points were. I can suspend disbelief but only so much.
For example (and apologies if you haven't seen the second episode of Touch, but it's been over a month since it aired, so I will talk about it freely):
- Kiefer/Jack Bauer (what's his character's name? Martin? He'll always be Jack to me) sees a dog for a few minutes while transporting him. Yet at the end of the episode when he sees the dog he immediately knows it's the same dog and recognizes it. Seriously? There are no other dogs that look like Lyov?
- No one can just waltz onto the field in the middle of the day at a baseball stadium and scatter ashes. That guy would be tackled by security in seconds.
- The Russian mobster grew a heart? Really? Because his kid thinks he hurts people? I watch enough crime shows on TV to know that he would have just postponed the beating while on the phone with his kid, not let the guy off with all of his debts paid.
- I still can't get over the fact that they took the kid away from Kiefer because he was "unfit" to care for him when the school is the one that keeps losing him (or the social worker) and the kid has a perfectly nice home to live in. I know it's the premise, but it makes absolutely no sense that he would be an unfit guardian when he can clearly take care of his kid! This is probably the toughest part of the show to me because the storyline of taking him away just feels so contrived. I am willing to be spoiled if you tell me they dropped this plot point because the ridiculousness of it is taking away from the show.
- The dog ran from the airport (which I think is supposed to be JFK) to the baseball stadium? I thought they had said it was the Yankees but maybe I was wrong. Either one, you want me to believe the dog ran there and was there when you got there on public transportation. It's like they're using Castle's map of New York in all of its screwed-up-ness.
- Jack kept pace running with the bus his kid jumped on until the bus stopped to let him on. Right... I know Jack Bauer is kind of superhuman but he can now run as fast as a bus?
I'm sure there were more things but that's all I could think of right now. I will continue to watch for now to see how I feel about the show. The timeslot is tough because Person of Interest is much better, The Secret Circle is a guilty pleasure, and Grey's Anatomy has been better lately than in recent years. Luckily, other than Person of Interest (grrrrrrrr CBS), the other shows can all be watched in some alternate format (online, on demand). I haven't paid attention to how it's doing in the ratings and whether people think it will be back, but so far, I'm still curious to see where it goes.
Happiness List - 04.26.2012
1. The Crepes Truck and their delicious Iberian crepe (with chorizo).
2. Deciding to order a paper shredder.
3. Teaming up to clean out the Snuggle random box of crap.
4. Finding the papers confirming that I passed the bar exam. That was such a relief when it happened.
5. Korean fried rice.
6. The Community Law & Order episode. So, so awesome.
7. Don't Trust the B in Apt 23 and Best Friends Forever continue to be funny. This is a good time for comedy.
8. Caught Wednesday's Revenge. One of the best new shows this season and still getting better!
9. Got up early again with my alarms - and today there was no sun, only a thick layer of clouds. It's sad how much of an accomplishment being able to timely get up is, but it is what it is.
10. It's May Sweeps time!
2. Deciding to order a paper shredder.
3. Teaming up to clean out the Snuggle random box of crap.
4. Finding the papers confirming that I passed the bar exam. That was such a relief when it happened.
5. Korean fried rice.
6. The Community Law & Order episode. So, so awesome.
7. Don't Trust the B in Apt 23 and Best Friends Forever continue to be funny. This is a good time for comedy.
8. Caught Wednesday's Revenge. One of the best new shows this season and still getting better!
9. Got up early again with my alarms - and today there was no sun, only a thick layer of clouds. It's sad how much of an accomplishment being able to timely get up is, but it is what it is.
10. It's May Sweeps time!
Problem Child
One of our projects tonight was to clean out a Snuggle box of random crap that we brought up from our old unit. We started looking through the boxes of random crap downstairs, but with so much paper to go through and shred, it just made more sense to do it in the new unit. Of course, that was the theory behind throwing everything in a box when we left Chicago - "we'll go through it when we get to NYC" - but this time we are really committed to doing it. The cycle of clutter has got to stop.
One of the things A found in the box was a hard to read list of items on my stationery. A scan of it told me that they were notes from one of my dreams, probably written as soon as I got up and very quickly so that I wouldn't forget anything.
So, what was I dreaming about on October 7, 2005? (Yes, I know, it's embarrassing the amount of clutter we have.)
There was a problem child who was put in our apartment. He knew how to clone himself. We thought there was only one clone at first but then we found out that he made 5 clones of himself. [6 problem children?! Yikes.]
[Somehow in the middle of those ideas I wrote "some relation to shoeboxes." I do not know what problem children and clones have to do with shoeboxes.]
There was a lot of deception going on. It was also scary because he kept finding us and trapping us. [In many of my dreams, I run around a lot. This must have been one of those.]
["Some trailers sitting around table" - no idea what that meant.]
Next I wrote "can transform" but I'm not sure what the clones were turning into.
After that I was describing an image that I can actually still see in my mind after reading this. Apparently the problem child put a candle inside a girl which caused the candlelight to shine out of her like sun rays on a child's drawing. After the light came from her in every direction, she could no longer be saved. She was in a trance and followed whatever he did or told her to do. In addition to being tragic and awful, it was also really creepy.
We felt like the situation was hopeless. I looked at [illegible person/being] and said to them that they needed to do something about it because he/she/it was an angel.
That's all I have in my notes. What a disturbing dream! Some sociopathic child creating clones of his sociopathic self and putting other people into trances. It's like he was building some army of evil. Shudder.
On the plus side, we found my official law school transcript and I found the paper proof that I passed the bar exam. That was nice to find.
One of the things A found in the box was a hard to read list of items on my stationery. A scan of it told me that they were notes from one of my dreams, probably written as soon as I got up and very quickly so that I wouldn't forget anything.
So, what was I dreaming about on October 7, 2005? (Yes, I know, it's embarrassing the amount of clutter we have.)
There was a problem child who was put in our apartment. He knew how to clone himself. We thought there was only one clone at first but then we found out that he made 5 clones of himself. [6 problem children?! Yikes.]
[Somehow in the middle of those ideas I wrote "some relation to shoeboxes." I do not know what problem children and clones have to do with shoeboxes.]
There was a lot of deception going on. It was also scary because he kept finding us and trapping us. [In many of my dreams, I run around a lot. This must have been one of those.]
["Some trailers sitting around table" - no idea what that meant.]
Next I wrote "can transform" but I'm not sure what the clones were turning into.
After that I was describing an image that I can actually still see in my mind after reading this. Apparently the problem child put a candle inside a girl which caused the candlelight to shine out of her like sun rays on a child's drawing. After the light came from her in every direction, she could no longer be saved. She was in a trance and followed whatever he did or told her to do. In addition to being tragic and awful, it was also really creepy.
We felt like the situation was hopeless. I looked at [illegible person/being] and said to them that they needed to do something about it because he/she/it was an angel.
That's all I have in my notes. What a disturbing dream! Some sociopathic child creating clones of his sociopathic self and putting other people into trances. It's like he was building some army of evil. Shudder.
On the plus side, we found my official law school transcript and I found the paper proof that I passed the bar exam. That was nice to find.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Chorizo
So, 12 hours or so after writing a long post here about "Meat Day," I go out and get chorizo at lunch. *shrug* It happens.
The chorizo crepe was so worth it. No complaints about meat here!
Happiness List - 04.25.2012
1. Hope, cautious optimism, flashes of self-confidence. (Sorry for being cryptic but some things have to stay private.)
2. No line at Shake Shack! Every time I've gone there for custard, for the longest time, the line has been out the door. I guess I just got lucky with the timing today because the line was out the door within a couple of minutes after my arrival. Shackburgers instead of just custard!
3. Delicious Khmer sausage sandwich from Num Pang for lunch.
4. Walking over 10,000 steps on a Wednesday that I went to work.
5. Getting up extra early with my alarms, before the sun really came streaming in, proving to myself that I really can do it.
6. Finally watched the Once Upon a Time episode from weeks ago where we found out why Regina hates Snow White. I. Love. This. Show. (How are we so behind?!)
7. I got every question right on the Survivor reward challenge except for one. Who would have guessed that was the person at camp who doesn't work? (Don't want to spoil.) That clearly doesn't match the edit I saw.
8. Went through a few more magazines. Every little bit counts.
9. I walked through Grand Central Terminal in the afternoon. Still one of my favorite indoor spots in the city.
10. My page a day islands calendar at work had a photo of little islands in Palau. Gorgeous. Maybe someday we'll see Palau. A girl can dream.
2. No line at Shake Shack! Every time I've gone there for custard, for the longest time, the line has been out the door. I guess I just got lucky with the timing today because the line was out the door within a couple of minutes after my arrival. Shackburgers instead of just custard!
3. Delicious Khmer sausage sandwich from Num Pang for lunch.
4. Walking over 10,000 steps on a Wednesday that I went to work.
5. Getting up extra early with my alarms, before the sun really came streaming in, proving to myself that I really can do it.
6. Finally watched the Once Upon a Time episode from weeks ago where we found out why Regina hates Snow White. I. Love. This. Show. (How are we so behind?!)
7. I got every question right on the Survivor reward challenge except for one. Who would have guessed that was the person at camp who doesn't work? (Don't want to spoil.) That clearly doesn't match the edit I saw.
8. Went through a few more magazines. Every little bit counts.
9. I walked through Grand Central Terminal in the afternoon. Still one of my favorite indoor spots in the city.
10. My page a day islands calendar at work had a photo of little islands in Palau. Gorgeous. Maybe someday we'll see Palau. A girl can dream.
Meat Day
I was around 10 years old when I stopped eating red meat. I just didn't really like it. As I got older, I decided I was also abstaining from meat for health reasons. I never stopped eating poultry, fish or seafood. Just red meat (and other meat like pork).
For some time, I was really strict about it. If there were bits of bacon, I picked them out. Roast pork in the fried rice? Picked that out too. Some people thought that it made me picky but I could find something to eat in almost any restaurant, even steakhouses. I just stayed away from meat.
People asked me sometimes if I missed a big juicy steak. Never. I never liked steak, which is possibly why I didn't care that I stopped eating red meat. What types of things did I miss during the years when I didn't eat meat? Meatballs. Hot dogs. Hamburgers. Ground meat in some sort of wrapper (Jamaican beef patties, samosas, etc).
Gradually, I began introducing more meat into my diet. I think it started with my "ballpark exception." Rationalizing that there wasn't much to eat at the ballpark other than hot dogs, and since hot dogs don't really taste like meat anyway, I decided I would be OK with eating hot dogs at the ballpark. Eventually it became hot dogs at home. Swedish meatballs. A bite of A's lamb dishes. I still didn't really eat much meat but I would try it when I had the opportunity and then just go back to what I was otherwise eating.
A few weeks ago, it hit me that I seem to have completely given up on my meat restriction, instead just choosing certain types of it (ground meat... perhaps pink slime does taste good, ha) over others (steak). I could eat kofta everyday. I decided that, considering my lifestyle, this can't be good. This much red meat while not working out, and as a general matter, can't really be a good thing. Besides, I always feel better when I eat vegetables anyway.
I decided that instead of Meatless Monday I would do "Meat Day." I would aim to only eat meat (this does not include poultry, fish or seafood which are unlimited) once a week. If I had it more than one day a week, that would be fine and there was no point beating myself up or feeling guilty about it, but once a week was just a health goal to aspire to.
I don't think about it most of the time but I just try to be conscious of what I eat. It did occur to me today, as I picked up our Shackburgers, that today was clearly going to be Meat Day for the week. Sausages for lunch and Shackburgers for dinner. Definitely Meat Day.
For some time, I was really strict about it. If there were bits of bacon, I picked them out. Roast pork in the fried rice? Picked that out too. Some people thought that it made me picky but I could find something to eat in almost any restaurant, even steakhouses. I just stayed away from meat.
People asked me sometimes if I missed a big juicy steak. Never. I never liked steak, which is possibly why I didn't care that I stopped eating red meat. What types of things did I miss during the years when I didn't eat meat? Meatballs. Hot dogs. Hamburgers. Ground meat in some sort of wrapper (Jamaican beef patties, samosas, etc).
Gradually, I began introducing more meat into my diet. I think it started with my "ballpark exception." Rationalizing that there wasn't much to eat at the ballpark other than hot dogs, and since hot dogs don't really taste like meat anyway, I decided I would be OK with eating hot dogs at the ballpark. Eventually it became hot dogs at home. Swedish meatballs. A bite of A's lamb dishes. I still didn't really eat much meat but I would try it when I had the opportunity and then just go back to what I was otherwise eating.
A few weeks ago, it hit me that I seem to have completely given up on my meat restriction, instead just choosing certain types of it (ground meat... perhaps pink slime does taste good, ha) over others (steak). I could eat kofta everyday. I decided that, considering my lifestyle, this can't be good. This much red meat while not working out, and as a general matter, can't really be a good thing. Besides, I always feel better when I eat vegetables anyway.
I decided that instead of Meatless Monday I would do "Meat Day." I would aim to only eat meat (this does not include poultry, fish or seafood which are unlimited) once a week. If I had it more than one day a week, that would be fine and there was no point beating myself up or feeling guilty about it, but once a week was just a health goal to aspire to.
I don't think about it most of the time but I just try to be conscious of what I eat. It did occur to me today, as I picked up our Shackburgers, that today was clearly going to be Meat Day for the week. Sausages for lunch and Shackburgers for dinner. Definitely Meat Day.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Happiness List - 04.24.2012
1. I got up an hour earlier than yesterday! I wrote all about it this morning and was really excited about how great it made me feel. Let's hope that tomorrow (well, technically today) I can successfully get up an hour before that!
2. Snow pea tips at lunch. And I discovered that they take credit card at that Chinese place because the person in front of me paid by credit card. I always thought they were cash only.
3. I think I am finally done with going through 2006 issues of US Weekly that we found in our old unit.
4. A good One Republic medley here.
There were a lot of stressful things today, both good stress and bad stress. I need to get better at dealing with stress but I haven't been able to go to yoga or massage therapy for quite some time. Hoping tomorrow (technically today) will be a lucky and happy day.
2. Snow pea tips at lunch. And I discovered that they take credit card at that Chinese place because the person in front of me paid by credit card. I always thought they were cash only.
3. I think I am finally done with going through 2006 issues of US Weekly that we found in our old unit.
4. A good One Republic medley here.
There were a lot of stressful things today, both good stress and bad stress. I need to get better at dealing with stress but I haven't been able to go to yoga or massage therapy for quite some time. Hoping tomorrow (technically today) will be a lucky and happy day.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Good Morning Sunshine
One of the things I hated the most about our old unit was the lack of morning light. For me, natural light in the morning was either one of the things I never knew I needed until I didn't have it or something I've needed more and more as I've gotten older (or both). I've never really been a "morning person" (something I would love to change) but I used to be able to get up to alarms instead of being in a hibernation-like sleep all morning.
The old unit faced west so it had great afternoon light but it was so dark in the morning. It was on a low floor so that didn't help either. We tried leaving the blinds open at night, but since we were on a low floor, we had a streetlight right outside the window. I thought maybe being exposed to light all night made it more difficult to get up because the sunrise didn't make much impact. We tried closing the blinds and using a light alarm, but that didn't work. In the old unit, after the first winter set in, I think I was only able to get up early when I was coming off a welcome European jet lag or during the weeks we slept in the living room (which faced east) because the bedroom A/C was broken. What a backwards unit. Bedrooms should face east! We both were in such deep slumbers in that old unit.
We made some changes with the new unit. Hopefully some combination of them is making a difference, because it would be really great to feel like a "regular" person, not to mention the fact that I desperately need this "getting up early" thing to stick.
So, what changes did we make?
First, our new unit gets a ton of natural light in the morning. It was a big reason (in addition to increased space) why we liked the new unit better. The sunlight comes streaming in through the window. We face south but we still get a lot of light. I've always loved southern exposures. We're also high enough that we can leave the blinds open at night with relatively little light coming in.
Second, I read somewhere that snoozing your alarm is one of the worst things you can do. I think I always knew that, but I was so tired that I didn't particularly care. Now that we have sunlight, which seems to raise my energy levels (and is why I hate going to my office which lives in the shadow of another skyscraper and has no light), I thought we might try to set our alarms for the time we actually want to get up, instead of letting them go off for an hour before that in the hopes that maybe we would hear something through the fog. If your brain knows there's no time for snoozing, hopefully it will respond better and actually just get up.
Third, and I discovered this by chance, we set the TV to music choice instead of NY1. I love NY1 and I love the news but I kind of just keep sleeping when it's on. I noticed that one day when we forgot to change the channel to NY1 that I got up in the morning a lot earlier when the music was on. I wonder if it makes a difference. I used to get up to the radio all the time when I was younger so maybe that's what I've needed all this time? We didn't use a music wake-up in the old unit for the past few years, ever since my clock radio broke.
Last, we got a new bed. It's really comfy but perhaps it also just provides better sleep.
I've been trying with Project Life Improvement to get up earlier in the morning for the longest time (and to go to sleep earlier since after 2 am isn't really a great bedtime). I really hope it will actually stick this time.
The old unit faced west so it had great afternoon light but it was so dark in the morning. It was on a low floor so that didn't help either. We tried leaving the blinds open at night, but since we were on a low floor, we had a streetlight right outside the window. I thought maybe being exposed to light all night made it more difficult to get up because the sunrise didn't make much impact. We tried closing the blinds and using a light alarm, but that didn't work. In the old unit, after the first winter set in, I think I was only able to get up early when I was coming off a welcome European jet lag or during the weeks we slept in the living room (which faced east) because the bedroom A/C was broken. What a backwards unit. Bedrooms should face east! We both were in such deep slumbers in that old unit.
We made some changes with the new unit. Hopefully some combination of them is making a difference, because it would be really great to feel like a "regular" person, not to mention the fact that I desperately need this "getting up early" thing to stick.
So, what changes did we make?
First, our new unit gets a ton of natural light in the morning. It was a big reason (in addition to increased space) why we liked the new unit better. The sunlight comes streaming in through the window. We face south but we still get a lot of light. I've always loved southern exposures. We're also high enough that we can leave the blinds open at night with relatively little light coming in.
Second, I read somewhere that snoozing your alarm is one of the worst things you can do. I think I always knew that, but I was so tired that I didn't particularly care. Now that we have sunlight, which seems to raise my energy levels (and is why I hate going to my office which lives in the shadow of another skyscraper and has no light), I thought we might try to set our alarms for the time we actually want to get up, instead of letting them go off for an hour before that in the hopes that maybe we would hear something through the fog. If your brain knows there's no time for snoozing, hopefully it will respond better and actually just get up.
Third, and I discovered this by chance, we set the TV to music choice instead of NY1. I love NY1 and I love the news but I kind of just keep sleeping when it's on. I noticed that one day when we forgot to change the channel to NY1 that I got up in the morning a lot earlier when the music was on. I wonder if it makes a difference. I used to get up to the radio all the time when I was younger so maybe that's what I've needed all this time? We didn't use a music wake-up in the old unit for the past few years, ever since my clock radio broke.
Last, we got a new bed. It's really comfy but perhaps it also just provides better sleep.
I've been trying with Project Life Improvement to get up earlier in the morning for the longest time (and to go to sleep earlier since after 2 am isn't really a great bedtime). I really hope it will actually stick this time.
Happiness List - 04.23.2012
Despite the weather being cold (back to the 40s!), there were some things today that made me happy:
1. Tropical punch G2 is pretty good.
2. One of the Metrocards I found in our cleaning up was (a) not expired and (b) not empty! It had 15 cents left on it. Rather than letting those 15 cents go to the MTA, I added $2.10 to my card and now have enough for a trip. I saved 15 cents from going to waste!
3. They were doing a Blackberry Be Bold promotion on 42nd Street. If you had a Blackberry, you could enter to win free tickets (I don't remember for what, other than the Yankees). Not many people stopped. Blackberry is really fighting an uphill battle right now since the technology just isn't anywhere close to what Android and iPhone can do. But since I still have a Blackberry for work, I could enter the contest for the tickets (you need BBM). Maybe there will be less competition. Ha.
4. I still love the Seamless pickup option on my iPhone app. I've used it 3x over the span of a week. It's so easy. Almost too easy.
5. Missing is a really good show. I don't understand why more people aren't watching. It's thrilling, the characters are good, the kids aren't annoying, lots of smart people and action. And it's filmed in Europe! You can't replicate that with a set.
6. When cleaning up a pile of crap, I found a bunch of work papers that I forgot years ago to bring back to the office. At least those are easy to get rid of!
7. Diner waffle fries.
8. Opportunity and hope.
1. Tropical punch G2 is pretty good.
2. One of the Metrocards I found in our cleaning up was (a) not expired and (b) not empty! It had 15 cents left on it. Rather than letting those 15 cents go to the MTA, I added $2.10 to my card and now have enough for a trip. I saved 15 cents from going to waste!
3. They were doing a Blackberry Be Bold promotion on 42nd Street. If you had a Blackberry, you could enter to win free tickets (I don't remember for what, other than the Yankees). Not many people stopped. Blackberry is really fighting an uphill battle right now since the technology just isn't anywhere close to what Android and iPhone can do. But since I still have a Blackberry for work, I could enter the contest for the tickets (you need BBM). Maybe there will be less competition. Ha.
4. I still love the Seamless pickup option on my iPhone app. I've used it 3x over the span of a week. It's so easy. Almost too easy.
5. Missing is a really good show. I don't understand why more people aren't watching. It's thrilling, the characters are good, the kids aren't annoying, lots of smart people and action. And it's filmed in Europe! You can't replicate that with a set.
6. When cleaning up a pile of crap, I found a bunch of work papers that I forgot years ago to bring back to the office. At least those are easy to get rid of!
7. Diner waffle fries.
8. Opportunity and hope.
Monday, April 23, 2012
El Correo
Those ads with the Post Office begging and pleading that we send more mail? Perhaps people would send more mail if they didn't have to deal with your bureaucracy and your blatant attempt to force people to pay you for services that used to be free.
Case in point: changing your address.
It used to be that those cards to change your address were everywhere at the post office. Easily accessible, easily filled out, dropped in the mail, forwarding done. Now it's hard to find the cards. We went to the main post office and first they told us you could only do it online. But changing your address online means paying them $1! When we noted that, they "found" a few cards for us to fill out and we thought we were done.
Not so fast.
Apparently, despite my not very sloppy handwriting, they interpreted an S to be an 8. Really, are there a lot of apartment buildings with more than 80 floors in Manhattan? Do you use your brain?
I called them today and mentioned their mistake. Their only solution? Cancel the previous request and put in a new one. And if you do it over the phone or online, that'll be $1, please.
Are you kidding me?
You messed up my mail forwarding and you want me to pay you? If I had paid you the first time, you would make me pay you twice? For your own incompetence? (And by "your", I don't mean the nice lady on the phone, I mean the USPS in general.)
Neither of us has received any forwarded mail. I know it takes some time but now we're out of that window period and we should be getting forwarded mail, not mail at the old address and people telling us their mail got returned. There are still so many other places where I need to change my address as a general matter (so much to do, so overwhelmed!) that this hassle is really something I was hoping we would not have to deal with. Now we're at the point where the forwarding may not start until after we no longer have access to our old mailbox. Fantastic.
Off to the Post Office over lunch (exactly how I wanted to spend lunchtime) to see if I can find another one of those stupid cards and to see if this time they realize that I don't live on the 83rd floor. If they mess it up again, I'm not sure what to do.
Happiness List - 04.22.2012
It's been awhile since I did one of these happiness lists. Considering how overwhelming life is with moving and everything else going on (not all of which I've talked about here), I want to concentrate on the good, the little things (and sometimes big things) which I am thankful for, the things that make me happy.
So today's list (for Sunday) of things that made me happy:
1. We got to see friends who live far away. R and C were stopping by NYC on the way back home and we met up with them at Newark Airport for a couple of hours. R is one of A's good friends from high school, so it was great to catch up, even though it was only a couple of hours and we hung out on the check-in line and in the airport food court.
2. We had a good dinner at Bonefish Grill. It was A's first time at Bonefish Grill and possibly mine (I can't remember if I went to one years ago). We had healthy grilled seafood with lots of veggies for sides. The fried calamari wasn't so healthy but it was tasty. We were quite happy with dinner.
3. The rain washed a lot of the pollen out of the air. I could breathe today (for the most part). According to the pollen forecast, it won't last and on Tuesday it will be up near 11 again, but a day off from tree pollen was very necessary.
4. I found even more gift cards that still have money on them. Yay!
5. While going through piles of stuff, I found some old photos that brought back good memories, like the time at Foxwoods when 6 of us crammed into a photo booth. I really don't want to forget any of the good memories but my brain feels so overloaded...
6. Going out to Jersey and driving on the Turnpike reminded me of another reason why we're working so hard on the move and unpacking (even though it is so hard to have enough energy these days). Once everything is neat and in order, we can go out and do things and not have to worry about our apartment and decluttering! It will be so liberating!
So today's list (for Sunday) of things that made me happy:
1. We got to see friends who live far away. R and C were stopping by NYC on the way back home and we met up with them at Newark Airport for a couple of hours. R is one of A's good friends from high school, so it was great to catch up, even though it was only a couple of hours and we hung out on the check-in line and in the airport food court.
2. We had a good dinner at Bonefish Grill. It was A's first time at Bonefish Grill and possibly mine (I can't remember if I went to one years ago). We had healthy grilled seafood with lots of veggies for sides. The fried calamari wasn't so healthy but it was tasty. We were quite happy with dinner.
3. The rain washed a lot of the pollen out of the air. I could breathe today (for the most part). According to the pollen forecast, it won't last and on Tuesday it will be up near 11 again, but a day off from tree pollen was very necessary.
4. I found even more gift cards that still have money on them. Yay!
5. While going through piles of stuff, I found some old photos that brought back good memories, like the time at Foxwoods when 6 of us crammed into a photo booth. I really don't want to forget any of the good memories but my brain feels so overloaded...
6. Going out to Jersey and driving on the Turnpike reminded me of another reason why we're working so hard on the move and unpacking (even though it is so hard to have enough energy these days). Once everything is neat and in order, we can go out and do things and not have to worry about our apartment and decluttering! It will be so liberating!
Home Stretch
One week. That's how much time we have left until we need to be completely cleared out of our old unit and moved in to our new one. I can't believe that the bulk of our moving time has already passed. It seems like we should have so much more time. My usual lament of "where has all the time gone?" seems especially applicable here since, as we look around our old unit, we still have SO MUCH STUFF. It's not like we haven't been moving. We've both been moving and unpacking just about every single day (I had to skip a day or 2 due to getting home too late from work). How do we have so much crap?!
Our bedroom and bathroom are the most "zen" rooms of the new unit. They're pretty much done other than some little things here and there and started out fairly organized so I'm hoping we can maintain that. Considering the amount of stuff we need to go through and unpack and organize in our living room, I need our bedroom to remain an oasis, a spot of tranquility in our chaotic unit. I've always wanted a room for an escape from the crazy world, but our old unit never got there because we just had so much clutter and so much stuff. I truly believe in de-stuffing and am really trying, but it's just so hard. I did go through 10 magazines between last night and this morning and that felt good. I also went through my Metrocard collection this weekend, photographing them so that I can throw them out. Just one less thing to keep around and find a place to store. Must keep going with Project No More Clutter!
Our bedroom and bathroom are the most "zen" rooms of the new unit. They're pretty much done other than some little things here and there and started out fairly organized so I'm hoping we can maintain that. Considering the amount of stuff we need to go through and unpack and organize in our living room, I need our bedroom to remain an oasis, a spot of tranquility in our chaotic unit. I've always wanted a room for an escape from the crazy world, but our old unit never got there because we just had so much clutter and so much stuff. I truly believe in de-stuffing and am really trying, but it's just so hard. I did go through 10 magazines between last night and this morning and that felt good. I also went through my Metrocard collection this weekend, photographing them so that I can throw them out. Just one less thing to keep around and find a place to store. Must keep going with Project No More Clutter!
Friday, April 20, 2012
I Don't Want the Paper
After getting call after call on our landline with no one there, this morning there was finally someone on the other end of the line. Unfortunately he was trying to sell me the New York Post. I thought our number was on the "do not call" list...
I tried not to let him get too far through his speech and told him we were not interested. Over and over and over. I told him we don't get any papers (true) and have no intention of subscribing to any papers (also true), so we were not interested in his free trial. Why would I get a week of the paper and then put the burden on myself to remember to call to cancel something I knew I didn't want in the first place? After 5 or 6 times, including one where I tried to make clear that it's not HIS paper (although I am not personally a fan of the Post) but any paper, he finally gave in, although he sounded like he didn't believe me when I said we do not get any papers and do not buy any papers to read (true). We don't buy any papers in print. We read what we need to online (this can't be surprising these days). And we certainly don't want newspapers adding to our clutter. We have travel magazines for that.
I know the guy was just doing his job but if someone doesn't get any papers and makes it very clear that they're not going to, probably better to just cut your losses and call someone else. I really thought we put our number on the list to avoid these calls...
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Need Rain
Allergies suck.
I haven't had a good night's sleep in a really long time. I can't even remember the last time. These days I usually wake up 2-3 times per night (sometimes 5+) with crazy sinus pressure, or a need to sneeze, or bad congestion, or just an urgent need to blow my nose.
I don't get much sleep as it is. I just want to sleep in an uninterrupted block overnight. (I know I move and according to my fitbit I am "awake" but at least I'm not actively awake during those intervals.) I wish my allergies would calm down enough to let me do it.
Part of the problem is that it hasn't rained in a really long time. No rain means nothing to wash the pollen out of the air and that the pollen blowing around will just keep increasing.
Hoping tonight will be a good night for sleeping.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Pile of Crap
Here's a quick update on our move from my perspective. After dealing with some cleanliness issues for our "ready to move-in" apartment, we finally started moving some stuff up on April 2nd. It was slow going at first as we didn't want to clutter the apartment before getting our new bed delivered and also our cable/internet/phone installed on the 7th. Once that was finally done we went into cleaning/moving overdrive.
So far we've managed to get our TVs, M's dresser, our coffee table, one of our bookshelves, our couch, my computer desk and computer, and our nightstands moved up. We also moved up a smaller bookshelf that used to be in our closet. I managed to move almost all of our kitchen supplies/gear up as well. The worst part about this move is that no matter how much we move up and organize, there seems to be an endless pile of crap still in our old apartment. I don't understand how the two of us could have put together such a monumental pile of serious crap in our lives. Frankly, it's a bit disgusting. Hopefully we can get rid of enough stuff during this move that any subsequent moves will be much easier.
So far we've managed to get our TVs, M's dresser, our coffee table, one of our bookshelves, our couch, my computer desk and computer, and our nightstands moved up. We also moved up a smaller bookshelf that used to be in our closet. I managed to move almost all of our kitchen supplies/gear up as well. The worst part about this move is that no matter how much we move up and organize, there seems to be an endless pile of crap still in our old apartment. I don't understand how the two of us could have put together such a monumental pile of serious crap in our lives. Frankly, it's a bit disgusting. Hopefully we can get rid of enough stuff during this move that any subsequent moves will be much easier.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Do Not Buy Lists
I read an article not long ago about people putting together "do not buy" lists for the grocery store so that they didn't buy too much or buy repeats of what they already have. I think I need to put together a "do not buy" list in general. It's interesting that there is such an overabundance of stuff, since I am much more about buying "experiences" than buying things as a theoretical matter (something else which has come up a lot in articles lately), but I really need to stop the consumption.
So what am I not allowed to buy (except in extraordinary circumstances or until I use up what I have)?
- Lotion
- Underwear (except for the ones I can get with free coupons)
- Antibacterial hand sanitizer (except for the ones I can get with free coupons)
- Bikinis (except pieces to complete the mismatched halves I have)
- Bar soap
- White socks
- Magazine subscriptions (except free to keep airline miles active)
Any other ideas for things I might have too much of which I should add to the list?
Little Bottles
I forgot about another bucket of bath and body products (mostly from hotels we've stayed at), but now I think we are finally done with the cabinet in the bathroom.
The top shelf has some random stuff, poorly wrapped bar soaps to be used soon, lotion overflow and sewing kits. (Perhaps this should be renamed the hotel supplies and sample size closet.) The second shelf has face washes, conditioner/creme rinse and dental floss. (By the way, where did we get all that dental floss?!) The third shelf and the fourth shelf are both primarily lotion. This is in addition to bottles of creams and lotions in the linen cabinet (the part that looks like a Bath & Body Works). The bottom shelf has chapsticks, shampoo and a few random items. My main question after seeing all this is: how do we have so much lotion?! It's not like I never use it, so how can we possibly have so much?! I don't think I'm allowed to buy lotion for a long time unless there are extraordinary circumstances (and I can't think of any at the moment).
It does feel really good to say something is completely done. We are also completely done with the bathroom in the old unit other than some essentials (like soap and toilet paper). It's getting there. Slowly, but getting there.
The top shelf has some random stuff, poorly wrapped bar soaps to be used soon, lotion overflow and sewing kits. (Perhaps this should be renamed the hotel supplies and sample size closet.) The second shelf has face washes, conditioner/creme rinse and dental floss. (By the way, where did we get all that dental floss?!) The third shelf and the fourth shelf are both primarily lotion. This is in addition to bottles of creams and lotions in the linen cabinet (the part that looks like a Bath & Body Works). The bottom shelf has chapsticks, shampoo and a few random items. My main question after seeing all this is: how do we have so much lotion?! It's not like I never use it, so how can we possibly have so much?! I don't think I'm allowed to buy lotion for a long time unless there are extraordinary circumstances (and I can't think of any at the moment).
It does feel really good to say something is completely done. We are also completely done with the bathroom in the old unit other than some essentials (like soap and toilet paper). It's getting there. Slowly, but getting there.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Moving
Moving is such a long process. We're currently in the middle of our overlap period between the old place and the new place, and every day has brought lots of moving and things to do. The good news is, we've been really productive and not just sitting online all day. The bad news is, there's still so much more to go. Living in our new unit currently feels great. There's so much space, it feels so much more zen than the old place, so much more organized, and so much more peaceful. It's full of possibility. A big part of that relaxing feeling is that all of our stuff and clutter is downstairs. Oh well.
On the way to work, I tried to make a mental list of the things we've completely finished moving and unpacking into their new organized spaces. I came up with:
- canned goods
- refrigerator and freezer food
- underwear and socks
- bath and body products (we finally have a linen closet - super exciting - which looks like a cross between a Bath & Body Works and a Walgreens)
- vitamins
- non-prescription medicine
- dishes and glasses
- Wii and accessories
- paper products (like towels and tissues)
- TVs and DVD players
- dresses
There's a lot of things we're almost done with (like food, night tables, etc), but wow, there is SO MUCH more left to do. Can't wait to get home and get to "work"!
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