spinning-jennie :: don't hate me because of my parentheses

plunge
So I've gone and done it. Thrown perfectly good money at something that most of my brain is still telling me I really shouldn't require as motivation. But while my freestyle "eat better stuff, walk a lot, and always use the stairs" plan has certainly kept me from gaining weight, the wiggle room has also kept me from losing any. People I like at work rave about the program, as have several online. I don't know how long it's going to be until I can escape my work prison/leave Sacramento, so I'm really feeling the need to make something positive happen for myself, something I can do right now. It just seemed the thing.

No, I'm not going to meetings. Because personally I can't think of anything less motivating than a room full of people.

This is only my second day. It's not easy. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to bank enough points for our first anniversary dinner tomorrow. It's looking like taking an extra walk is the way to go unless I want to starve today.

Factors for success:

My own clinical nature - I'm a minutae-recording geek (and a MARC cataloger, for chrissakes)

I can have as much Diet Vanilla Coke as I want

...and tomato (don't underestimate the power of my love)

I actually like those low-point frozen dinners

I've already gone mostly vegetarian

The whole system is kind of like a game. Not that I'd go so far as to say it's fun, but I do enjoy a good tactical challenge

I'd very much like to start out any pregnancies healthy and in shape

Quitting would be a waste of the money I've prepaid

Factors for failure:

I'm doing this alone. Weak little me, who likes food and this computer chair muchly

... but neither am I doing this in a vacuum - temptation is everywhere, even at home

Current bout of mild depression, which returning to work (the reason for the depression) won't improve

In a word, carbohydrates. Craving them already...

I have follow-through issues

Sigh. We'll just have to see how it goes. Update in a few weeks.
7/31/2003 12:24:00 PM

Jeremiah was a warship
Oh, I'd just love to take this WWII ship cruise from Sacto to SF! The cost is a bit prohibitive right now, though. Maybe I'll just go take a look while it's docked here.
7/30/2003 11:27:22 AM

posterity
You can still view my Blogathon entries/Portland travelogue here, for all eternity.
7/29/2003 06:11:09 PM

burnout cynicism
I've been experiencing a mild case of depression this week. Well, honestly, not quite so mild yesterday. There were more than a few tears and lots of napping. Probably just let-down from all the excitement of last week, exacerbated by a wildly screwed-up sleep cycle.

But at least I had reason to be happier this afternoon. It only reached 95°.
7/29/2003 06:05:26 PM

accomplishment
Lookee! It's gonna hit $100K, I know it!!!

The 11:51am Holy Crap! Update - $99,989.87

And 11:53 - 100,489.87!

This is far more exciting than finishing yesterday morning. Unbelievable.
7/28/2003 10:32:08 AM

more of a Ted fan
The guys did look better (see what they had to work with, how couldn't they?), but not enough that I'd want Carson as my fashion advisor. Jeez, his own outfits are always horrible!

His post-makeover comments are hilariously catty, though.
7/28/2003 09:00:41 AM

praise A/C and pass the Visine
I've finally dragged myself into the shower, and feel at least eighty percent like myself.

The other twenty percent is going to have Victory Dinner (content TBA) with wine and strawberry angel food cake while watching Sunday night cartoons later.

You still have 36 hours to sponsor me or any other 'thonner. As it stands now, the grand total is $90,848.16. Awesome.
7/27/2003 06:02:09 PM

I'm over here!
7/26/2003 05:50:07 AM

you don't need no steenking break
I've been asked to return to work early to take care of "five pallets of textbooks." Not for pay, mind you. For "comp time." Keep in mind that junior high texts are now sometimes as heavy as your college chem book. And a pallet of boxes is often loaded chest-high.

The prospect sickens me so much that my gut instinct is to just resign right now. Like you haven't heard that before.

I wonder if they'd let me do it drunk.
7/24/2003 11:18:22 AM

back to the present
We're back, if unwillingly. We returned to crying kitties (who of course, we're sure, binged on all the food we laid out around the apartment within the first two days), a typically blistering apartment, and news of the recall election (colossal waste of time and money, though I have no respect for the man). Gah.

You can read all about the trip 6:00 am Saturday to 6:00 am Sunday (PST) during the Blogathon. Which is, obviously, a departure from my original "24 young adult books in 24 hours" gimmick.

I just can't bring myself to write about books. I've tried to sit down and compose intelligent synopses repeatedly. But I can't. Inconceivable, but I'm tired of talking about these books. Sick to death. My job dissatisfaction (to be nice) is breeding a certain undeserved contempt of the genre. I spend so many waking hours trying to consume every notable, award-winning, and even possibly inappropriate title, that it's almost as if I can't remember how to appreciate adult literature even if I did allow myself time to read it. Bad, bitter librarian who consistently bites off far more than even her giant maw can chew.

So I'm going to talk about topics I can approach with real enthusiasm. Because writing 48 intelligible posts is difficult enough without adding boredom and frustration to the mix.
7/23/2003 10:40:56 PM

time to escape
See you end of next week, probably. We're outta this pizza oven.

7/18/2003 09:54:42 PM

for Jessa and fellow landlubbers
"A pirate joke a day keeps scurvy at bay."
7/18/2003 01:08:12 PM

cholesterfest
I made this "breakfast casserole" Tuesday, which we of course ate for dinner. If you saw the original recipe (stolen from a popular breakfast meat site), you'd have a heart attack on the spot, but I modified the heck out of it for a slightly more healthful composition. And D. even likes it. If I were just making it for me, I'd add chopped tomatoes and mushrooms. And I definitely would've used veggie Morningstar Sausage Crumbles if they'd had them at my store. Sigh. If I'd planned ahead I could've at least added green pepper, though. In any case, the following is exactly what I used:

Only Partial Arterial Blockage Casserole
1 16 oz. package low fat pork sausage (browned and crumbled)
4 c. cubed day-old bread
2 c. shredded low fat sharp cheddar
2 1/2 c. Egg Beaters or liquid egg product of choice
1 15 oz. can evaporated milk
1 c. soy milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder
Ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325°. Spread bread cubes in well-greased 9x13" baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese evenly. Combine remaining ingredients (except sausage). Pour mixture evenly over the bread and cheese. Sprinkle sausage (and other optional veggies) over top. Cover and chill at least six hours. Bake uncovered on bottom rack for one hour, tenting with foil if top begins to brown too quickly.

6-8 servings.
7/17/2003 05:53:07 PM

"land of the rose and sunshine"
Three days. I'm downright giddy, almost as if I may just be going to meet my woodsier, more temperate and breathable fate (read: more like my native lands, without all that backbreaking snow and killer ice). Despite wet blanket attempts:

Me: Ooh, what should we do first when we get there?
D: Sleep. It's a nine-hour drive!
Me: No, not right when we get there. We should go to the zoo on Sunday... chatter... chatter...

I've already got the suitcases out and mine half-packed. I've got our Tri-Met passes and schedule, the obligatory plastic-coated map with one-way street markers, and trip itinerary courtesy MapPoint (which so far I recommend, not least because it tells you exactly where construction is happening). I could probably be a representative at the Portland Visitors Bureau.

Sometimes I can't help but break out into a rousing rendition of "On the Road Again."

No, we don't get out all that much.
7/16/2003 09:52:29 AM

3d
We visited Central Library last week, and there was a wonderful display of pop-up books in the lobby. I feel funny snapping pics when a security guard is hovering, but you can look at this virtual collection of special books, instead (via plep).
7/16/2003 07:50:53 AM

the last time you'll hear me talk about work until August
We stopped off at the library yesterday so I could feed the fishies, drop off/grab a few books, and show off the new digs. My storage shelving was installed (so I can finish moving textbooks in, finally, after three months of boxed-up limbo), my garbage can was gone (happens every frickin' summer), and there were remains of barbecued chicken wing on the carpet.

Are you sure you don't need a cataloger? Because I can handle the boredom now. I wouldn't even complain about fed docs like I used to. Trust me.
7/15/2003 06:38:52 PM

please click here
Once upon a time, in a fit of egomania, I joined Blogsnob. But their code kept breaking my page, and it honestly wasn't making that much of a difference, so I got rid of it months ago.

Theoretically, when you break the chain, they're supposed to find you and remove your account. I went one better and emailed them myself, asking to be removed.

I was not removed. I kept getting hits (for which I'd feel guilty - being a dead end, which always frustrated me in my own travels!), but what could I do?

Then I got an email. They noticed the missing code, and said that if it wasn't replaced, my account would be closed. Yes, yes, exactly! That's the ticket!

I was not removed. I replied to the email, telling them that I'd asked for cancellation, to please, please close my account.

And - you guessed it - I was not removed.

So I'm asking this favor of you: please click this link to Blogsnob. Go wild, click it a few times. There's a slim chance I'll show up heavily in their referrer logs, and someone there will take pity and cancel my account.

Thank you.
7/14/2003 07:45:37 PM

not much the self-motivated learner
The last time I tried to take an online course... it didn't go well. Since it was free, there were about 200 people enrolled. Too much static, nothing meaningful could take place.

But I'm trying it out again, in a professional, enrollment-controlled environment.

Here I've wasted three years in CA, where tuition at CC is only $11/credit hour. Think of all the stuff I could've been learning on the cheap!
7/13/2003 03:51:01 PM

eventide
I drove to the grocery store up the road a few evenings ago, to get ingredients for the roast and other goodies. When I finished up, the sky was that lovely shade just after dusk drops, too brilliant to be called a name as mundane as sapphire. If there's one thing you need to know about Sacramento, it's that, though the summer days are beyond hellish, the cool, starry nights almost make up for them.

I drove home in the real car with the sunroof and all the windows open, the river breeze tossing my hair around while I sang to the "'80's at Eight." And it was the best I'd felt in ages.
7/11/2003 01:11:16 PM

delicacy = cruelty
I was flipping through my copy of The Visual Food Encyclopedia this evening. It's a beautiful book that contains informative entries on pretty much anything edible you can imagine. Fun to pick up and browse about the history of strawberry cultivation, or how best to prepare rabbit, or how many grams of fat are in an avocado.

So I began to read about foie gras. I know what it is, and that I'll never be eating it. But I didn't know how it's made.
7/10/2003 11:30:16 PM

twenty years ago
Yesterday I got such a wonderful email in reply to my own from one of my best friends... in grade school. I can't adequately express how this made my day.

It's been such a kick talking to people from that era, we're going to find more.

Never underestimate the power of Google, which, IMHO, should have some kind of "Google Testimonials" page. Screw overpriced Classmates.com and their omnihorrid pop-ups.
7/10/2003 12:26:53 PM

going to get a laborador, that's what
Reason #86 getting a dog is a fantastic idea:

A dog will never tell you that walking with you every day is getting boring. For him, it's not even possible to think it. As soon as you grab the leash, you'll be treated to the display of fuzzy butt-wagging joy you deserve.

(see also Reason #72: fanged defense against the ill-intentioned)
7/9/2003 10:19:46 PM

smells good all up in here

juicy

This four-pound roast has been stewing in my Crock Pot since 8:30 (which, if you're keeping score, is only the second thing I've cooked in it). I told D. not to eat anything too substantial today in preparation, advice which is increasingly difficult to follow myself here in Pavlov's Kitchen. Arf, drool.

It's fun to flip a chunk of beef that big in your browning pan aided only by two spatulas.
7/9/2003 02:05:26 PM

big news morning
Shannon and Edmund got married!

Don Hertzfeldt and Mike Judge are starting up their own Animation Show! Coming soon to a town near you!

Alleluia!
7/9/2003 09:06:08 AM

109?!?
7/8/2003 05:32:05 PM

rawr-choo!
I'm a wicked giant! The halflings (erm, kitties) run and hide in terror every time I sneeze.

Since today is lawnmowing day, there's a lot of running and hiding going on around here.
7/8/2003 01:19:34 PM

ready to go
The spinning-jennie Official Blogathon Site is here.

<tongue-in-cheek>Would you just look at all the imagination/creativity that went into the design? And if you donate, the site will rocket you straight to fame, fortune, and glory as a member of The Sponsor List.</tongue-in-cheek>
7/7/2003 04:23:51 PM

A for effort
In anticipation of the after-school scrapbook sessions, I decided to get my album ready. Which I should explain. Most albums I've found are terribly froufy, cutesy, or just plain blah. And that goes for most of the papers and accessories out there, too - which made me quite the reluctant participant in the sport, until I found this line. The clean-lined geometrics make me happy.

Anyhow. After we got married last year, I picked up a plain white album in hopes that, someday, I'd be able to prod myself to embellish it niftily. It only took a year and a little peer pressure - not too shabby.

I grabbed a sheet of vellum, some [what I believed was] permanent adhesive, and went to work. I was fairly pleased with myself:

I left the album on the table overnight. In the morning, I woke to find:

Turns out vellum is extremely hydrophilic. Open window, rising humidity... bah.

It's a post-bound album which I can easily take apart and re-cover, book style. I've already found the perfect fabric (the blue one).
7/7/2003 12:42:18 PM

doing ~~nothing~~ something day
Two years ago, I pulled an all-nighter (the first in, what? - at least five years!) for a very important charity. Thanks to my sponsors, AIM, and coffee, I made it through the night with a tidy pile of cash for RIF and only a bit worse for the wear.

Last year I had other big things to think about, but I promised myself that I'd return to the Blogathon for another go this year. Please consider sponsoring as I blog for another very worthy literary cause, Book Aid.

Back in 2001, my gimmick was trying something absolutely new on every hour, with alternating life stories and bits about my collecting habits on the halves. Something more bookish this year, I think...
7/3/2003 06:07:01 PM

nothing doing day
At least nothing constructive. I've so far watched Amelie, read a chapter in Azkaban and another in Eternity Code, played a little email Scrabble (thanks to Ellen for this new addictive diversion), and made and eaten a brown rice-mushroom- parmesan concoction.
7/3/2003 01:53:44 PM

sometimes I miss summers on the lake
If I had family around, I'd invite them all to a Fourth picnic and make these starry dipped berries. And maybe a nice peach upside-down cake.
7/2/2003 03:47:21 PM

on your knees
When I have the time and energy, I actually rather like cleaning. Today is Master Bath and Floors Day! Whee!

Neither my grandma nor mom never, ever used a mop - I don't even think they owned one. It had to be on-the-knees scrubbing. Cleaner linoleum you'd never find. And now I follow suit, when I'm serious. Though I cheat with a foam knee cushion.
7/2/2003 08:50:28 AM

the Valley is smiling
Finally, a forecast I can get behind:

Now it'll only be a little torchy in our upper by four!
7/1/2003 11:15:54 AM

I have a tiny collection in the back of my recipe journal
Those little numbered labels on your fruit mean a bit more than you may think. Via fuckcorporategroceries.net.
7/1/2003 07:43:57 AM

GeoURL