Forgotten Quotes

Me: "The wind woke me up this morning."
Natasha: "My alarm clock woke me up this morning."

Ah ha ha, the way she said it was priceless.

Michelle: "Oh, right, you ate a banana and now you hate yourself."

Funny. And today was such an entertaining calculus day...the whole day was really very amusing actually.

NaCl

Blogging in the kitchen. Really quite fun. Listening to Cuban Jazz right now, and the kitchen just seemed like a very lively and appropriate place to blog {even though nobody is at home, so I'm not sure how definitively "lively" it is}.

So even though I don't particularly desire to, I'm going to make a food list of today, so I can better re-examine my after-school eating problems.

smoothie (more like mush as the blender decided to die today) with silk, banana, blueberries, flaxmeal
whole-wheat fettuccine with tomatoes, red onions, broccoli, and other things. mmm! {kindly provided by noodles and company.}
small grapefruit
small bowl of left-over stir-fry + brown rice
raw blueberry bar
raw chocolate + peanut bar
banana
some almonds
ww bread slice
oatmeal [t. flax oil]

and probably other things that I really shouldn't have eaten! Gah! Even when I'm full, I have this great idea of what food item would perfectly complement the flavors in my mouth and run after it. It's like this: oh, oatmeal. mm, dates sound good. oh, what about some almonds to go with those dates? now we definitely need soymilk. and what are dates, almonds and silk without a banana? mm...this reminds me of a blueberry bar. It's exactly like that, and it's horrible.

I've tried to eat a full meal (i.e. oatmeal) as soon as I come home, but then I feel odd because I want to have dinner too. Key: I don't really need dinner, and am not hungry at all by six o'clock, but know that I should eat something so I won't be digging through the refridgerator at 8. {My desire to have a "proper meal" also factors in...} So, once again, I have come up with a solution. {By the way, I'm full of good, pragmatic solutions. I identify many problems, but then fix them as soon and as efficiently as possible. In fact, I'm a great problem-solver!} Solution: make a "proper meal" as soon as I come home! And even though I don't reallly feel the need to eat while I'm cooking (most likely because of the smells and sights), if I do, I shall eat fruits and vegetables (alternating each.) Then, at around 5:30, I'll put together something light [extremely light.] A salad, a parfait, something of the flimsy nature. This way, I'll be satisfied asap, I'll get my proper meal in, and I'll also do some preventive care so I'm not sporadically munching by 8ish.

This actually sounds like a viable plan. Let's see what happens. I'll do my very best though.

You know, chewing is an amazing thing. When I'm dining at the dinner table [that plan has definitely worked as I've been sitting down to eat for the past week or so], I chew my food twenty times before I swallow it. That extra time does some pretty miraculous things: permits the food to go through my digestive system at a proper rate, gives plenty of time for the "I'm full" signals to get to my brain, makes me much more likely to obey them, and surprisingly, doesn't leave me with a taste chain reaction [my identification of process described above; oatmeal>dates>almonds>silk>banana>entire kitchen]. Everybody should chew much more. It's quite fun as well.

I've also been listening to Bach lately...For some reason, I expected his music to be much more dramatic than it really is. Surely, some rare variations are, but even those are more depressing/gloomy. It is pleasant to listen to though. I wouldn't call it a favorite, but I'd classify it as good "Sunday brunch" music.

I haven't been blogging regularly lately...I've been successfully trading off my blogging/internet time with reading, and other task time. It's working out splendidly!

As you may have noticed, this post is entitled NaCl. Why, you may ask? Well, sodium and chlorine are my two favorite ions. However, the bonding of the two is one of my unfavorite natural occurances...ever. It's a horrid, vile, and despicable thing. Okay, so it's really not that bad, but I don't use salt while cooking...ever. Ergo the melancholy that comes with finding out that most of the entrees at University of Chicago have colossal amounts of sodium. The human body only really needs about 500 mg of sodium per day for proper functioning, and the only reason I can think of to justify about 2,815 grams in a pasta dish is that it's prepackaged, pre-processed, and pre-cooked. This makes me sad. Extremely sad. You have no idea...I suffered from major anxiety yesterday. So what did I do? Eat, of course. But that's not my point right now. I did indeed come up with a plan! Not all dishes have a revolting amount of sodium. Some, like the Greek Vegetable Kabobs, only have about 148 mg, which is something I can live with, happily! Thus the plan: look at the menu a week ago and allot my daily 500 mg properly. If the dish has over 1000 mg of sodium, I'll just eat a salad that day. Also, the salty meal will be eaten for lunch, as to properly give time for digestion and salt-working off. I'll also have to be particularly careful about ingesting all of my required vitamins, minerals, and etc. For this end, I am going to keep a food diary for a month, do nutritional profiles of each repeated food, and then come up with Chicago replacements. Also, I'm going to have to get my blood nutritional profiles done when I'm back for the winter break, just to make sure that I'm not horribly lacking in something or other. But eh, what can I do? At least I'll be properly enlightened and informed!

Will try my eating solution tomorrow. Yay.

Story from Guardian Unlimited. A Must-Read!

Some Coats May Have Fur From Dogs

Friday February 23, 2007 12:46 PM


AP Photo WX102, WX101

By KASIE HUNT

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP)- That fur trim on your jacket that you think is fake? Tell it to Fido. An animal advocacy group says its investigation has turned up coats - some with designer labels, some at higher-end retailers - with fur from man's best friend. Some retailers were set scrambling to pull the coats from shelves, take them off Web sites and even offer refunds to consumers.

The Humane Society of the United States said it purchased coats from reputable outlets, such as upscale Nordstrom, with designer labels - Andrew Marc, Tommy Hilfiger, for example - and found them trimmed with fur from domestic dogs, even though the fur was advertised as fake.

``It's an industrywide deception,'' said Kristin Leppert, the head of the Human Society's anti-fur campaign.

The investigation began after the society got a tip from a consumer who bought a coat with trim labeled as faux fur that felt real. Leppert and her team began buying coats from popular retailers and then had the coats tested by mass spectrometry, which measures the mass and sequence of proteins, to determine what species of animal the fur came from.

Of the 25 coats tested, 24 were mislabeled or misadvertised.

Three coats - from Tommy Hilfiger's Web site ShopTommy.com, Nordstrom.com and a coat from Andrew Marc's MARC New York line sold on Bluefly.com - contained fur from domesticated dogs. The others had fur from raccoon dogs - a canine species native to Asia - or, in one case, wolves. The single correctly labeled coat was trimmed with coyote fur, but it was advertised as fake.

Most of the fur came from China.

In response to the Humane Society's investigation, Tommy Hilfiger stopped selling the fur-trimmed garment and said it was looking into the matter. ``We were quite concerned to hear of this finding,'' said spokeswoman Wendi Kopsick.

Nordstrom called the 62 consumers who had purchased vests with dog fur trim to give them the opportunity to return the vests ``because we would never want to deceive our customers in any way,'' Nordstrom spokeswoman Brooke White said. She said Nordstrom no longer buys fur trim products from the vendor, who had marketed the vests as faux fur.

Charles Jayson, chief executive of Andrew Marc, disputed the Humane Society and insisted in a statement that all fur on his coats labeled as raccoon contains ``only farm-bred raccoon fur from Finland, and our items labeled 'faux fur' are a 100 percent synthetic fabric.''

Importing domestic dog and cat fur was outlawed in 2000. Intentionally importing and selling dog fur is a federal crime punishable by a $10,000 fine for each violation. Michael Markarian, executive vice president of the Humane Society, said his group had contacted all the retailers and designers selling mislabeled coats or coats with dog fur.

Raccoon dogs look like oversized, fluffy raccoons and aren't kept as pets. Importing their fur is not illegal, but activists argue they are still a type of dog.

``This is an animal that is routinely killed by stomping them, or beating them, or skinning them alive,'' Markarian said. Video produced by Swiss Animal Protection and posted on the Internet shows raccoon dogs clubbed or slammed on the ground and some writhing, gasping and blinking as they are skinned alive.

The discovery of domestic dog fur is the latest twist in the investigation that ensnared retail giants Macy's and J.C. Penney late last year. Both of those retailers were discovered selling coats with raccoon dog fur labeled as raccoon.

J.C. Penney initially removed the offending garments from its stores around Christmas - but eventually it had employees scratch out the 'raccoon' label with black magic marker and put the coats back on the shelves. Macy's immediately pulled the items from its shelves.

Burlington Coat Factory also pulled some coats with mislabeled fur from their shelves. Rap artist Sean ``Diddy'' Combs stopped producing and selling coats from his Sean John line that had raccoon dog fur, and rapper Jay-Z pulled coats with raccoon dog from his Rocawear label.

Mislabeling fur is a misdemeanor punishable by a $5,000 fine or a year in prison. Fur valued at less than $150 is not required to be labeled.

A bill introduced by Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Mike Ferguson, R-N.J., would close that loophole by requiring labels for all fur regardless of its value. It also would ban fur from raccoon dogs.

``Americans don't want Lassie turned into a fur coat,'' Moran said. ``In the U.S., we treat cats and dogs as pets, not trimmings for the latest fashion wear.''

Other retailers the Humane Society said sold mislabeled raccoon dog fur included Lord & Taylor, BergdorfGoodman.com and Neiman Marcus.com. Designers whose clothes were mismarked included Donna Karan's DKNY and Michael Kors. A coat from Oscar de la Renta advertised as raccoon had raccoon dog fur.

Neiman Marcus, which owns Bergdorf Goodman, said it removed Bogner and Andrew Marc coats from its Web sites. Michael Kors said it was investigating, and a DKNY spokeswoman said the label was unaware that raccoon dog fur had been used.

Donna Karan's executive vice president for global marketing and communications, Patti Cohen, said, ``While it is not illegal to use this type of fur, we have taken measures to ensure that it is never again used for any of our products.''

A spokeswoman for Oscar de la Renta declined to comment.

^---

On the Net:

The Humane Society of the United States: http://www.hsus.org/

Slate Article

food

Every Bite You Take
How Sysco came to monopolize most of what you eat.
By Ulrich Boser
Posted Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007, at 3:53 PM ET

A hot dog from Yankee Stadium. Potato latkes from the Four Seasons in Manhattan. Sirloin steak at Applebee's. The jumbo cheeseburger at the University of Iowa Hospital. While it would seem these menu items have nothing in common, they're all from Sysco, a Houston-based food wholesaler. This top food supplier serves nearly 400,000 American eating establishments, from fast-food joints like Wendy's, to five-star eating establishments like Robert Redford's Tree Room Restaurant, to mom-and-pop diners like the Chatterbox Drive-In, to ethnic restaurants like Meskerem Ethiopian restaurant. Even Gitmo dishes out food from Sysco. Should you worry that one source dominates so much of what you eat?

Like any retailer, chefs need wholesalers that distribute goods cheaply and efficiently, and Sysco's 400,000-plus item catalog conveniently sells everything a cook needs to run an eating establishment. A little more than half of their products are brand names like Parkay and Lucky Charms. The rest are Sysco-packaged items like 25-pound bags of rice, half-gallons of salsa, boxes of plastic gloves, beer mugs, dish-washing detergent, not to mention 1,900 different fresh and frozen chicken products. Whatever a cook orders is delivered straight to the kitchen door at bottom-barrel prices: One Sysco invoice I got my hands on has a 25-pound bag of Uncle Ben's Converted Rice selling for $20.95, or about 84 cents a pound, while a 1-pound box bought through Amazon Grocery costs $2.09.

All of that seems relatively innocuous—restaurants need to make a profit, after all. But Sysco also hawks pre-packaged food. While chefs have long relied on shortcuts like freezing and using canned goods like beans and tomatoes, it's entirely different to pass off one of Sysco's thousands of ready-made items—ground beef burritos, vegan tortellini, quiche Lorraine pie, tiramisu cake—as homemade.

The ingredients alone on some of the pre-made items are enough to make a restaurant-goer swear off eating out. The breaded cheese chicken breast, for instance, contains monocalcium phosphates, sorbic acid preservatives, and oleoresin in turmeric. The Serve Smart Chicken is particularly frightening. While it looks natural, it consists of parts of other chicken breasts mashed together into a single, chicken-breastlike block. As the company notes on its Web site, our "unique 3-D technology gives you the look and texture of a solid muscle chicken breast, at a fraction of the cost. … Available in four great flavors: teriyaki, BBQ, fajita and original." What Smart Chicken tastes like, I'd rather not know.

Restaurants make a mint from serving these pre-prepped foods, since the meals can be purchased in bulk and stored in a freezer for months. A box of 36, 4-ounce chicken Kievs, for instance, can be kept in an icebox for up to 180 days. And the savings from labor costs are considerable. Each reheated Angus country fried steak will bring in almost $5 in profits. In the words of Sysco, these meals require nothing more than the ability to "heat, assemble, and serve."

It comes as little surprise that institutions like hospitals, universities, and military bases flock to Sysco's pre-cooked foods. But well-regarded bistros and pubs have also begun to offer such items to save time and money. Recently, New York magazine reported that Thomas Keller uses frozen Sysco fries at his Bouchon bistros. (While a company spokeswoman wouldn't confirm the brand, she confirmed the use of frozen fries.) Mickey Mantle's Restaurant, an upscale sports bar, serves Sysco's pre-made soups, like Manhattan clam chowder and vegetarian black bean. And then there's Edgar's restaurant at Belhurst Castle, which has won numerous awards of excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. There, the kitchen takes Sysco's Imperial Towering Chocolate Cake out of the box, lets it defrost, and then sprinkles it with fresh raspberries before serving it to diners. "We've had a lot of success with that cake," executive chef Casey Belile says. The Edgar's menu, of course, does not list the dessert as a Sysco pre-made cake, but it does charge $8.95 for the experience.

The company has a long history of championing frozen foods. Sysco founder John Baugh has been quoted as saying, "frozen foods taste better than anything I could grow in my garden." He started the company in 1969 when he saw an opening in the food services marketplace for a large, national distributor that would beat out local competitors through its sheer size. At the time, Baugh owned a small frozen-food company in Houston, and he convinced eight other regional food distributors to join forces to form a national conglomerate. Within a year of its start, Sysco posted more than $100 million in sales, and for the next 30 years, snapped up more than 150 local food distributors, becoming the largest in the nation. The company is about 50 percent larger than its next-largest competitor and five times bigger than the third-largest player; its boxes and cans are now as common in restaurant kitchens as salt and flour. A very partial listing of its better-known customers can be found here.

Some obvious food trends have helped Sysco's rise to Wal-Mart-like dominance. In 1970, households spent 34 percent of their food budget on dining out, compared to almost 50 percent today. And as small, local farms have closed down to make way for strip malls, restaurants increasingly depend on regional and national food processors to supply them with basic ingredients. While Sysco has smartly capitalized on all of this as the middleman between individual food distributors and the kitchen door, it's also earned the ire of gourmets, who portray the company as a leviathan that destroys local economies—and good taste.

But many quality restaurants, like Tree Room, use Sysco responsibly—shying away from pre-made items they can disguise as their own. Bardia Ferdowski of Bardia's New Orleans Café in Washington, D.C., purchases only raw and unprocessed Sysco products such as flour, potatoes, and beef, and receives frequent deliveries so that ingredients are as fresh as possible. For its part, Sysco has also been upping the quality of some of its offerings. It now distributes more locally grown meats and produce, and teams up with companies like artisanal cheesemonger Murray's to deliver specialty foods. Chef Tom Hosack of Hudson's at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Wash., for instance, buys most of his greens through Sysco, and they're almost all regionally grown.

And not every cook has the time—or the money—to spend every afternoon foraging for fresh heirloom tomatoes at the local farmer's market. Nor do they need to. Many of Sysco's products—the meat, the vegetables, the fruits—are not that different than what you'll find at your local supermarket. But no restaurant diner should pay a chef to defrost and heat. Cooks are called cooks for a reason.
Ulrich Boser is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report.

Article URL: http://www.slate.com/id/2160284/

Quote of the Week

Attributed to Ms. Parrish: "Wiley, I'm not going out with you, EVER!"

Oh, I laughed for minutes. Yes, minutes.

And here's another funny quote. But it wasn't the quote of the week, more like the quote of the day.

"That's crazy talk." < Me.
"A crazy duck?!" < Lydia.

This was particularly funny as we were in Calculus and I said it after Kaelin drew a graph and mused something along the lines of, "And that's what an ln graph looks like, right?" Or, maybe it was something else. Anywho, Kaelin likes us to respond many a time, so...I did. Ah ha. I'm funny. And so is Lydia. We're funny. Together.

Time for a Blog!

I love my family and friends so much! Seriously, you have no idea. They truly mean the world to me, and I couldn't get by without them. I really appreciate them, almost to an extent that is innately incomprehensible. So thank you, thank you for being there when I call, or write, or email. Thank you for your advice and for your silent succor. I'm just now beginning to realize that I have a great support system, and that's a worthy "lifetime achievement" in itself.

I used AVEDA Rosemary and Mint shampoo and conditioner today. First of all, I love AVEDA products. They're a really great company and their things make me really happy...The shampoo and conditioner are very refreshing, cooling almost. They make the scalp tingle with utmost joy.

I also lunched at the dining table today. It's such a lovely table/room, and it's a definite shame that we barely ever utilize it. I am very ashamed to admit it, but most of our food intake occurs at the coffee table, you guessed it, in front of the television. Actually, most of my food intake occurs standing up. Ugh. When one eats food in that manner, there are no "meals" to be had. No savoring, no pausing to let the flavors mingle in your mouth. Oy vey. So I have resolved to become a more patient eater, no, not eater, I resolve to be a true "diner." I give credit where credit is due, and my food deserves that extra time, attention, and care. I believe that this will also help with proper and thorough chewing of the food. I think we underestimate how important chewing really is... The digestive process begins in the mouth. Our mouth actually releases various enzymes that begin the break-down of certain nutrients on our tongue. Isn't the body a beautiful thing? So yes, I've made a pragmatic resolution to eat at the dinner table, while listening to classical music. Not that I really need the entertainment, but I might as well polish up my classical musical know-how as well. Who knows, maybe I'll become a classical and chewing dilettante? Ah ha ha, I love alliteration.

Time Went to Bed: 11:20 p.m.
Time Awoke: 8:40 am, and as there was snow outside, and the gym didn't seem like a viable option, I went back to bed for another 15 minutes.
Total Time Slept: 9:35 (It's a good thing I got enough sleep yesterday, as today won't be nearly as good. We're talking negatives here people. But not to worry, it's for a good cause. I'm having dinner with some friends that I haven't seen in a really long time. We always try to get together, but it hasn't been working out lately...Until today! (drumroll.) So maybe net-benefit analysis is positive anyways?)

Food:

5 (or six?) whole wheat, pine-nut, raisin, banana, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, flax seed, and flax meal muffins. (I made them myself, and they are delicious.)

c blackcurrant tea
c. unsweetened silk
4 oz acai-pomegranate juice

org green apple
date

leftover golden tofu with noodles. mmm.

Last read: Moby Dick by Herman Melville. This is one funny and worthwhile book people. Don't let others scare you!
Last watched: The Real Housewives of Orange County. I know, I know, I'm sorry?
Last listened to: Brother Louie by Modern Talking. Modern Talking is one of my favorites. And this is a great song.

Mood of the day: definitely a 9
Current mood: 9.5

I've been having very "high" days lately. This is very good. I'm very content as of late, and that fact only makes me even more so!

Currently looking forward to: dinner with Rich and Mandy. Yay!

What made today memorable: AVEDA Rosemary & Mint Shampoo and Conditioner. Making muffins. Reading Moby Dick in the morning while still in bed. Realizing that I'm losing interest in playing the Sims. Kind of spooky, actually. Dining at an actual table!
Who made today memorable: Rich and Mandy, or they will at least.

Thought of the Day: If you don't want to lose me, fight for me. Fight harder, stronger, and better than ever before.

Celebrations: No school. Huzzah.

Have a lovely day!

Snow Individuals!

News: I am opening my blog to the world. What does this mean? Censorship, lots, and lots of censorship! Okay, not that much, as it's not like food diaries are "R-rated," but there will be some deletions.

Time Went to Bed: 11:17 p.m. {I think?}
Time Awoke: 8:30 am
Total Time Slept: 9:13 {Less than yesterday, but it was worth the night-time reading.}
Dream(s): I was a mean and stringent teacher, I remember that. But I wasn't really the teacher, I was just pretending. Or something. And I assigned a 65 slide minimum powerpoint presentation...to be completed in the span of two hours...And I think I ate some chocolate pie. Mm.

Food:

semolina, but more like semolina soup because it was very "fluid." semolina + silk+t. org flax oil + 1 whole grain english muffin [wheat flour; I know, I know, but it is the weekend...]

org green apple
many, many org baby carrots
3 dates
.25 c. org raw sunflower seeds
.25 c. raisins

banana
org pb

silk

2 leftover spring rolls w/ rice paper, tofu, vermicelli noodles, carrots, cilantro, and peanut chilli sauce. I could eat these things al day, I swear.

a bit of leftover "golden tofu with noodles." I adore vietnamese food; it could indeed be my favorite cuisine...

Exercise: hour of yoga

Last read: Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. Makes me wonder about actual "spiritual power"...
Last listened to: Lolita by Elefant. This song makes me laugh inside.

Mood of the day: 9
Current mood: 8.5

Currently looking forward to: being at home by myself tomorrow. grey's anatomy + lara's chocolate bar + silk+ lots of reading + maybe sims + muffins/pancakes/E2L bars + stir-fry. Do we see a recurring foodie pattern?

What made today memorable: Mom being sick. [By the way, memorable is never necessarily good; this section is for me to describe what makes today stand out from the others.] Completing all of my tasks. Eating lots and lots of carrots {it's part of the master plan to turn orange.} Not being able to meditate in yoga. Oh, and the absence of the yoga couple {there's a couple that is always there...ALWAYS! I am of course irrationally concerned, but they are most likely on vacation, or both sick, etc.} Funny chat with Natasha.
Who made today memorable: yoga teacher perhaps?

Celebrations: State of facial skin does seem to be improving...

What is Love?

..My neighbors.. They are cool.

Time Went to Bed: 10:52 p.m.
Time Awoke: 8:15 am
Total Time Slept: 9:23
Dream(s): I cannot recollect; however, this night was full of waking up. I think the dreams were pleasant...

Food:

oatmeal w/ silk, oats, T. flax oil (on accident...), 2.2 slices of 8-grain bread. i checked, the bread is wheat...will stop eating it.

org green apple
green pear
3 dates

slice ww bread w/ org pb
silk

water: apprx 2 L so far...

Exercise: SET class + yoga + 15 "amplified abs." very proud of myself as forced my body to go farther and deeper than ever before in SET. i didn't stop or put the weights down once! it also took a lot of emotional strength to take off my shirt in yoga (sports bra kids, don't worry). nervous, but wearing a shirt was almost unbearable. my entire body was covered in sweat. all t urned out very well though.

Last read: moby dick my herman meliville. i <3 classics.
Last watched: simpsons maybe? eh.
Last listened to: this is your night-amber. i <3 dance music too.

Mood of the day: oscillating between 7 and 9
Current mood: 7

Currently dreading: nada.
Currently looking forward to: no no.

What made today memorable: cleaning under my bathroom sink? oh, my shower..mm.

Who made today memorable: jim?

Thought of the Day: it's like there's a party going on inside my brain, and my mouth isn't invited. //////////greeks make me giddy./////less really is more.
Quote of the Day: "If I ever decide to kill myself, remind me to not come to you for advice."

issues: skin on face. i don't know what the cause is, except maybe sweat due to daily gym visits..
celebrations: being in lovely greek company yesterday. Saturday!

I Love My Blog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ5unYaNd3c&NR
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article1363795.ece?openComment=true

I love strong powerful females. Who know what they want and are not going to get bogged down by gender divisions and expectations (including marriage and family), and i was going to say something else, but that, mainly. They come home to an empty house, and I love them for it.

I'm going to be one of those females. I am one of those females. We win.

Time Went to Bed: apprx. 12:39 a.m. can i blame it on Cameron?
Time Awoke: 6:00 am [i want to apologize to my body (including mind, etc) right now. i'm just really glad that i had one of those energy fizz packets. i think it really kept me going. but i am really tired. and am very glad that i get to sleep in tomorrow. yay!]
Total Time Slept: i don't even want to think about it. 5:21 minutes. oh atheist, that is sad and pathetic.

Food:

smoothie w/ blueberries, banana, soymilk.
hazelnuts.

c. org brown, wild, indian, red, etc rice mix.
8 oz long english cucumber
tomato
org green apple

slice 9-grain ww bread w/ org pb.
c. silk.
banana. [i am a soy-loving monkey.]

potato corn chowder. too liquidy. had to add salt as completely bland and disgusting without. i figure it's okay however as i never eat salt, or anything with even a "low" sodium content. had to have it over rice to make it more filling. will maybe add many more potatoes tomorrow. maybe even more rice. a lot more rice to make it more of an odd, "this-is-what-happens-when-you-turn-unsuccessful-soup-into-risotto." corn + celery=ew. 2 least favorite vegs. apparently, uchicago did the 1st research on celery decreasing blood pressure. why is it good for you? ugh. actually, i don't mind it in vietnamese cuisine, but don't bring it home for me to cook. ewww.
2 slices 9-grain ww bread. [just realized i had 3 pieces of bread today? excuse me? unacceptable.]

water: apprx 1.5 L

Exercise: weight lifting; abs; i figured out how to work more efficiently and less painfully on the hamstring machine. yay, as hamstring and inner thighs are dead today.

Last read: autobiography of a yogi. am already hilighting things. this book makes me truly happy.
Last watched: emeril live. i don't even know how to describe that man...
Last listened to: shake ya body by tyra banks. okay, so she should stay away from singing.

Mood of the day: 8
Current mood: 8

Currently dreading: nada.
Currently looking forward to: nuh uh.
[why have i stopped currently dreading/looking forward to things?! perhaps this is actually good as i am just accepting things and living more of a thich nhat tanh lifestyle? hm.]

What made today memorable: english class recruitment. noel giving me gift. understandable physics test that i could actually work through. and who got e on #15? yeah, that's right. discussion on obama/hilary with parish. love that lady. prob the only thing about taylorsville that i'll actually miss... oh, and jim walking dina 45 mins before i got home. score. and cooking soup. first one was better...also, talking to michelle about "the one," mcsteamy, and the vet. movie-worthy.
*oh god, i'm tired. yawn.

reflection of yesterday:
i can't wait to "grow up" and live by myself. to not buy coffee filters, or salt, or plenty of other things. to buy environment friendly, biodegradable, toxin-free, organic cleaners in recylced and recylable bottles. i can't wait to shop at gaiam. oh, and buy everything in bulk. and have hundreds of shelves of hundreds of glass containers [artisan made, perhaps from sea glass, organic environment-friendly material, recycled, fair trade, oh god, my mind is reeling...] of various bulk everythings. and about twenty different kinds of flour. ooooooooh. and to make my own tortillas, and salsa, and peanut butter. oh, and to buy goji berries. and not even pb, almond butter, walnut butter. mmm. have time to cook because i dont' have to do anything else. nobody to please except myself [euphoria<<] nobody to walk, nobody that i have to share my time with. ah, the greedy self-serving part is going to be very happy...which really, is a large part of who/what i am. but we all are. and like cameron says, "nobody is ever 100% genuine." that kid has so many good proverbs. and i can't wait to not ever have to go into one of those sterile "grocery" markets where everything is shipped from half way across the world and it's killing the planet, other people, and you. markets where all of the dead drones work. oh, and they look dead. and i can't wait to not have to handle toxic moth balls or have jim spray around noxious ant poison. [if only he would clean up after himself, and not leave eaten burrito plates lying around for hours.] mmm. paradise. oh, and to live in a house where flesh has never been cooked. <3

reflection of today i'll do tomorrow as i am way too tired right now...

I Adore Tyra Banks

Really, I do. She is attractive, loving, and very warm. She's very pragmatic as well. ...AND, she's brutally honest. She's not afraid to tell the world that she has stretch marks and cellulite. Apparently she's 161 pounds. She's simply amazing.


Time Went to Bed: somewhere between 11:15 and 11:30 p.m.
Time Awoke: 8:24 am
Total Time Slept: somewhere between 8:56 and 9:09 hours. figuring out how much i slept is good for my brain. and i'm pleasantly surprised at how much sleep i received.

Food:

2.5 pieces of whole grain bread smeared with organic self-milled pb {i had 2 .5 pieces and 1 whole piece at various intervals throughout the day}. i should stop eating the bread as i doubt it is whole wheat...

5/8 of a cherry pomegranate naked juice

banana
1 c. or so of unsweetened silk
1 c. or so of whole grain cereal flakes. i was very happy that wild oats had these today! it's been about three or so months since my last portion...

mandarin.
orange.
2 lovely green ceramic mugs of organic and fair trade green tea. {from trader joe's...it's been so long...}

2 c. of org. brown, wild, red, others rice mix
good chunk of long english cucumber.
tomato.
1 prune.

Exercise: hour of yoga. good for soreness.

Last read: bio book.
Last watched: unwrapped. food porn!
Last listened to: after all by dar williams.

Mood of the day: 9
Current mood: 9

Currently dreading: nothing.
Currently looking forward to: nothing.

I am way too shooken up to finish this right now...Gah, the things that life throws at you!

Crack

Time Went to Bed: apprx. 9:32 p.m.
Time Awoke: 6:00 am
Total Time Slept: 8:28 hours. better than last night.

Food:

smoothie w/ pb, banana, soymilk.
almonds.
piece of black bread.

1/4 c. of soba noodles w/ tomatoes and celery
mandarin
red apple

oatmeal
2 pieces of 9-grain bread
prunes
peanuts
raisins
black bread
acai-pomegranate juice

Exercise: weight lifting; abs; going to be so sore tomorrow! was already tired...my body is so weary.

Last read: bio book!
Last watched: colbert report.
Last listened to: beautiful by snoop dogg.

Mood of the day: 10
Current mood: 8

Currently dreading: nothing.
Currently looking forward to: nothing.

What made today memorable: science fair. not going to 1/2 of school because of the above. noel and her antibacterial lotion.

Who made today memorable: noel. maybe physics teacher?

Quote of the Day: "i would like melt."
Thought of the Day: hee.hee.heeehehehehe.

Sniff

Time Went to Bed: apprx. 9:38 p.m.
Time Awoke: 5:55 am; actually got out of bed at 6:07 am. was beginning to doze off after alarm went off only to realize that my lapsing back into dream-la-la-land was what led me to wake up at 6:21 (monday) and at 6:22 (tue). ha.
Total Time Slept: 8:17 hours. That's not very good...but today was a great day, and i didn't feel very sleep deprived.

Food:

smoothie w/ 1 T. of org self-ground peanut butter, soymillk, and 1 banana
5 almonds
3 penne arrabiatas (actual penne stick thing; not dish)
7/8 of ww english muffin

cream of buckwheat with .25 c. of buckwheat and 1.25 c. soymilk. 1 T. flax seed oil. (overdid it on flax oil; wasn't going to put that much in, i swear!)

1 banana
1 grapefruit

10 prunes
5 more pennes.

1 c. of roasted potatoes + onions.
8 oz. of acai-pomegranate juice.

Exercise: hour on machine. i did random for the first time today! woo! very fun and tres enjoyable. also, it went by very quickly. who knew reading about vertebrates could be so much fun?

Last read: i don't remember, and that makes me cry. actually, it was "the feeling of ice" by alexandra marinina. great book. but i still want to cry as i haven't read it for a while...
Last watched: colbert report. he's god.
Last listened to: cupid's chokehold by gym clas heroes. love that song.

Mood of the day: 10! more than a 10!
Current mood: 9!

Currently dreading: mm....nothing?
Currently looking forward to: mm....nothing?

What made today memorable: working in a group of three in bio.

Chlorine

Time Went to Bed: apprx. 9:09 pm
Time Awoke: 6:21 am.
Total Time Slept: 9:12 hours. Pleasantly surprised, pleasantly surprised. Was late to Calculus today, but I just had to read Daniel's emails in the morning. And then there's the whole breakfast thing...

Food:

c. soymilk
2 rye banana-raisin-hazelnut muffins. {yum!}

1.5 c. of potato-mushroom-yellow pepper saute. {oily, but good (mom made it)}
red apple.

oatmeal.
2 slices of 9-grain bread.
3 prunes

1 banana

...i love my food diary...

Exercise: 2 min warm-up + hour of weight lifting + abs + stretching

Last listened to: Wings of Forgiveness by India.Arie.

Mood of the day: 5ish. but a high five. taking everything into consideration, that is quite good.
Current mood: 4.5

Currently dreading: bio lab.
Currently looking forward to: ew. nothing. that makes me sad.