Year 2, Day 243: Halloween

Halloween is among my favorite holidays, and why not? Unless you are a pagan or witch, there are no religious ceremonies to attend, and at the end of the night you get to count up your candy. I did go through a period of not enjoying Halloween, which I suppose everyone does. That is the period when you are an angst-ridden teen who feels too 'old' to trick or treat but you are too young to drive to any parties where you could mix or mingle with other hormonal classmates. It didn't help that I also was rampantly paranoid that the ne'er-do-wells who erupt in every small town with their baseball bats, toilet paper and eggs would have singled me out as ripe for the picking. When I got my license, and later in college, I rediscovered my joy of halloween, made manifest by throwing loud raucous parties that featured a keg, endless mix tapes and very often, I'm afraid, the local authorities.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean
Heritage Oat Flakes (purchased by mistake and now I must eat 128 oz of them)
Blueberries
Banana
Coffee

Snack
4 Pieces Beef Jerky
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Chicken Kebab Salad
Balsamic Vinegar

Dinner:
Emily's Hungarian Chicken
Asparagus
Pickles
1/2 oz Popcorn

Despite a good walk around the neighborhood (which I helped plan this year), I indulged in absolutely no candy. Ruby was interested (that's a generous description) as to why I didn't eat any candy. She wanted to know if adults didn't eat candy. I said she knew that wasn't true because she had seen adults eat candy, even in her own house. I'm not sure I knew how to explain it to her except with the very unkid-friendly statement that candy has 'little or no nutritional value' and too much can make you feel bad. She promised never to eat candy for dinner. We agreed that was a good idea. But I certainly did reflect on past Halloweens where the overage of candy was gleefully counted, divided and consumed by yours truly. Though I have savored all candy at one time, I think the winner of "if you could only eat one" contest is probably still the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup—but NEVER the small, foiled wrapped ones. Only the big, single or double orange-packaged ones. Ruby asked me if I was "in love with Reese's Cups," which she continually calls "Reese's Bites." I told her I loved them but I was not in love with them.

Year 2, Day 242: Twas the Night Before All Hallow's Eve

Most Mondays can feel like waking up from a night of binge-drinking (metaphorically speaking) but the Monday after Daylight Savings Time seems even worse because somehow it's darker and colder. Just trying to figure out where I left off on Friday was a challenge, but with a Russo's salad I was able to get through it. I knew I was in trouble though when I saw the price of my salad—$4.58— I think an all time low. I knew I would be hungry later. Then, I heard that the oldest son of the nurse at Ruby's school was killed in an auto accident. She is a wonderful and beloved woman and, well, I just pulled up my chair to the almonds, and it was all over.


Breakfast
2 Soft-Boiled Eggs plus 1 Yolk
2 small pieces of Balthazar Rye
Green Tea

Snackz
3 Pieces Beef Jerky
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
35 Almonds
1 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Lunch: Russo's ($4.58)
Red leaf, red pepper, red onion
broccoli, mushroom, feta, chicken
balsamic vinegar

Dinner:
Flounder a la Emily
Green Beans (Though Magnolia ate most of them)
A little bit of left over Blue Ribbon BBQ

When I got home it was time for our annual "Prepare the Candy" for the little trickortreatatti. This has been a banner year for Halloween at our house; we dressed up our porch and Maria helped Ruby carve pumpkins and tonight we isolated the candy and the games (little mazes with balls) and mini-playdohs. I got nice plastic bags with orange twisty-ties, not the paper kind. Ruby and I knocked out about 35 bags in an hour. We had a great time, but like clockwork, Emily was yelling about how there's too much candy, and how we were 'over budget.' She's really not into the spirit of Halloween, me thinks. Tomorrow night, at 64 degrees, we'll see who's right.

Year 2, Day 241: Sunday at the Family Gym

I thought I would get to the gym today, but Emily had so much work to do that we agreed that I would take Ruby on Magnolia's nap and that is usually my time. I suppose I could have made it work some other time of day, but Sunday nights are kind of necessary for everyone to get settled into their places before we hit that routine again Monday morning. With days being shorter and colder and old farm houses being draftier, it takes more and more effort to get up in the morning. I have only worked out at night once, but my experience with working out at various times of day tell me that the earlier you work out, the easier it is. That's not science, just my own feeling about the whole thing. I did take Ruby to the family gym, and during that time, seeing that she was well-ensconced with other kids, I walked a mile around the track. It wasn't a workout, but it was something.

Breakfast
Kashi
Heritage Flakes
1 small banana
blueberries
Coffee

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
2 Sesame Rye Vita Crackers
2 Joy Sticks

Lunch:
93% Sirloin Burger
Greek Salad
Balsamic Vinegar
Peppadews
Pickles

Dinner:
Steak Tips & Broccoli

Amazingly, I went to Costco and Whole Foods today and it really amazes me how people just GORGE themselves on the free offering. I mean it, it's like some of these people have never seen FOOD before. It's like they're kids and it's Christmas Morning, or worse, they're dogs and it's free milk-bone time. Even more annoying is the cart full of a family where the mother immediately sets about handing out treats like they were loot bags at a birthday party, while hapless Costco ladies in their shower caps look on. I have pretty much taken a vow of refusal of these free items since an unfortunate food-poisoning issue with a smoked turkey cube at the Fenway Star Market about nine years ago. And it's a good thing too, because it used to be that there was never a free sample that I did not sample. Ever. Whether it was goose pate or free pineapple, I sampled everything everywhere across this land whenever I got the chance. I'll write about the story one day, but not today. Today is just where I tell you that the people who plan to come to Costco "hungry" really bug me. Sorry if that's uncharitable, it's just the way I feel.

Year 2, Day 240: Saturday at the Movies

Okay, get your coffee. This is a long post.

From the gitgo it was such a rainy, dark, windy day (as forecasted) that I knew there would be few long trips in the offing. A plan quickly assembled itself— my next-door neighbor and her three kids plus Ruby at a nearby showing of "Open Season," one of many indistinguishable 'live' animated films that seem to be as cheap and easy to come by as root beer floats at Pop's Choklit Shop. A quick pizza lunch at our house (courtesy Papa Ginos) and we were off. My neighbor got the tickets and I took concession stand duty. Of course, there would be popcorn, but how much? How to divide it among four kids? The theatre has the answer: a 'small' popcorn and small drink for FIVE DOLLARS and TWENTY FIVE CENTS. That's more than some people spend on THEIR DINNER. But wait, there's more. What kids get is a cardboard container that needs to be folded by the concession staff (note to Showcase Cinemas: this should be done ahead of time) with a hole for a small drink and a hole for popcorn. Not a CONTAINER of popcorn, mind you, it's just like a square that is filled with popcorn. Yes, that's right, the popcorn is just 'poured' into the square hole in the fold-up 'box' container for $5.25.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I ordered three with Lemonade and one with water. The alarmed concession attendant replied "You can't get that with water." Her response was the same as if I had asked for the happy meal with a cheeseburger but asked to have a BIG MAC thrown in for FREE. Like it was a PREPOSTEROUS request that someone would want water for their kid. It isn't like they don't sell water. No, only FRUIT PUNCH (made with no fruit) and Lemonade (ditto lemons). Though I was shocked I just got all four with lemonade. It was easier that way, anyway because then I wouldn't have to sort them out. The woman asked me if I wanted butter on my popcorn. In my best "I'm 40 and I've lost my patience and you're just a damn kid who never lived without a remote control"-voice I asked "is it really butter?" With I thought a bit of remorse she answered "no." I thought, when did they (Movie Theatre Corps) stop the charade and actually just start LYING to people? It's no longer being sold as 'butter flavor' or 'golden topping' now it's just 'butter.' ONLY IT AIN'T.

Then, the woman 'assembling' the boxes put EVERY SINGLE CUP ON TOP OF A PIECE OF POPCORN, ensuring the cup's faulty equilibrium, and creating an unnecessary threat to my dryness. With a withering half-eyebrow raised in her direction (she had fled after 'completing' her job) I set about removing the errant loose popcorn so the cups would be straight. Deputizing the lone boy from my next-door-neighbor's house, I piled the combos on him and we both walked VERY slowly until we got to theatre, a trip that took nearly ten minutes and during which we lost precious few kernels. As it was, I got a backup large popcorn (which was called for by my neighbor) and two sets of chocolates—Raisinettes (Mother's request, I suppose the most nutritious of all candies except for Goobers, which I think they stopped selling because of its atrocious name) and a massive KitKat bar, that would have caused a spike in a the glycemic index of a right whale. It was kind of a weird day, and it wasn't that great from a SoBe perspective. I could have gotten the dark Raisinets (it claims "anti-oxidants" on the label) but that would have been selfish. As it was, I only ate four of them.

Breakfast
3 Eggs
2 small slices of Balthazar rye bread
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Snackz
4 oz of totally unhealthy, cooked in trans-fat oil popcorn
4 raisinets
3 oz. almonds/cashews

Lunch (leftovers)
Blue Ribbon pulled chicken
blue ribbon burnt ends
leeks

Dinner
Greek salad, feta, scallions, peppers, celery
balsamic vinegar
chicken breast

MINDLESS EATING: MY NEXT BOOK PURCHASE
I have often wrote here about "mindless eating" which I often mean to be thoughtless, you don't even know you're doing it-eating like finishing Ruby's peanut butter and jelly sandwich crusts or throwing a few bites of mac & cheese in your mouth instead of throwing it away. Now, several close friends have sent me the NY Times article about the doctor who has written a book called "Mindless Eating." This very relevant excerpt, below:


Seduced by Snacks? No, Not You By KIM SEVERSON, New York Times

“We don’t have any idea what the normal amount to eat is, so we look around for clues or signals,” Dr. Brian Wansink said. “When all you see is that big portions of food cost less than small ones, it can be confusing.”

Although people think they make 15 food decisions a day on average, his research shows the number is well over 200. Some are obvious, some are subtle. The bigger the plate, the larger the spoon, the deeper the bag, the more we eat. But sometimes we decide how much to eat based on how much the person next to us is eating, sometimes moderating our intake by more than 20 percent up or down to match our dining companion.

Much of his work is outlined in the book “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think” (Bantam). It is peppered with his goofy, appealing Midwestern humor and practical diet tips. But the most fascinating material is directly from his studies on university campuses and in test kitchens for institutions like the United States Army.

An appalling example of our mindless approach to eating involved an experiment with tubs of five-day-old popcorn. Moviegoers in a Chicago suburb were given free stale popcorn, some in medium-size buckets, some in large buckets. What was left in the buckets was weighed at the end of the movie. The people with larger buckets ate 53 percent more than people with smaller buckets. And people didn’t eat the popcorn because they liked it, he said. They were driven by hidden persuaders: the distraction of the movie, the sound of other people eating popcorn and the Pavlovian popcorn trigger that is activated when we step into a movie theater.

(And I dear readers, am no different. I would have fed at the stale popcorn fountain for days if I had been allowed...)

Year 2, Day 239: Fridays with Emily

Emily has every Friday off for the rest of the year. Don't ask me why, I just live here. But I did agree to take some time off to match her time off and this Friday I decided I could work a half day. So after I dropped off Magnolia at the JCC, I walked to the second floor and did 6.5 miles at level four in under sixty minutes. I'm starting to think I'm ready to move on to to the next level of workout, especially when I see people doing the stair-cruncher, or whatever it is, and reading the New York Times Book Review. I couldn't even do that thing for a minute, but these folks are bored enough to need to READ. At this time on the elliptical, I am still sweating, so I'm not ready to raise the level yet.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean
Heritage Flakes
Blueberries
1 Small Banana
Green Tea

After Gym Snack
6 oz French Vanilla Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Super Chunky Peanut Butter

Lunch: Strip T's
Grilled Salmon
Salad with Balsamic Vinegar

Snack:
1 oz. Boston Lite Popcorn
3 Pieces Beef Jerky

Dinner: Blue Ribbon
Burnt Ends
Pulled Chicken
Beans
Emily's Leeks

For my after gym snack today we were out of plain yogurt, so I had Vanilla yogurt, which of all the choices, was the next best thing. I was surprised to find it sickeningly sweet and I only used one tablespoon of peanut butter, but the Vanilla turns it into a 300 calorie snack from the 200 calorie snack it would have been if I had had plain. A healthy lunch at Strip-T's was a good antidote, even though we ended up eating at 11:15AM, because we were tight on time, so I could have skipped the snack entirely, but I like to eat something after the gym because I understand it is the time when your metabolism is the highest.

Year 2, Day 238: Have Run Out of Titles

Though I tried hard to plan a walk for the whole gang, it ended up just being me and a very special guest, an ex-Domaniac who now has a nine-month old. She made it seem like we were going to go slow because she had a stroller, but in fact we whipped around that river in record time. It was quite a workout and it was a good thing because it felt a lot colder than we thought it was going to be and we were both fretting about her son's condition (though he was absolutely fine; kids are nearly almost always more amazed than bothered by being outside. If you remember your childhood, it was probably one of your parents chasing you with a coat and telling you to 'put it on, you'll catch a cold,' which you knew wasn't true and so you didn't.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean!
Heritage Flakes
Blueberries
1 Small Banana
Green Tea

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
30 Pistachios

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Chicken Kebab Salad
with Balsamic Vinegar Only

Dinner
Turkey Crumble
Lettuce Wraps

I can tell you that as I continue to master the turkey-crumble recipe I have come face-to-face with two conclusions. One, you can do almost no wrong with this recipe. Tonight I added the tops of a bunch of scallions (often called green onions and old Chinese food trick) towards the end as well as the juice of half a lime. Fantastico! Two, is that using dark meat turkey and oil is not very SoBe friendly, so it's just a little bit of guilt that I have to work through. Since mostly the meal is whatever's in the turkey plus lettuce, it's a pretty good meal over all, but I can't help thinking that I could somehow make it healthier for me. I'm not dwelling on it, but I am thinking about it.

Year 2, Day 237: Though it's "French", It Contains No Crustaceans

Yesterday I was at Dunkin Donuts and I suppose you could say it's the food-addict's equivalent of ogling a lot of young pretty girls (that are made with sugar, flour and trans-fats). I am by now accustomed to people loading up their waxy-paper bags filled with donuts and munchkins and always too many napkins and coffee-stirers but yesterday I saw a new product that I just couldn't believe. It's called "(New) Warm French Toast Twist." Though knowing the type of folks who work at DD I'm not sure they can hold true on the warm part, but that's what the microwave is for. As if their donuts weren't bad enough for you, now they're saying this is the perfect treat "for any time of day." First they convinced you that donuts, which were really a treat for cops or World's Fair denizens, could be eaten any time of day, but especially for breakfast. Now they're trying to convince us that this 380 calorie, 46-gram of carbohydrate, 16g of sugar treat, whose ancestry is breakfast, can be eaten ANY TIME OF DAY.

THEIR MARKETING: French toast, with a twist.
You'll love our new Warm French Toast Twist: pastry dough wrapped around delicious, sweet filling, and brushed lightly with glaze. Served warm! Try it with a Caramel-Cinnamon coffee.

Still someone needs to explain to me how it differs significantly from the 'sticky roll' or 'coffee roll.'


Breakfast
5 Slices Ham
1 Egg, 2 Yolks
1 Slice Balthazar Bread

Lunch: Russo's ($4.82)
Red Leaf, red pepper, red onion
chicken, feta, broccoli, mushrooms
balsamic vinegar

Snack:
2 Pieces Beef Jerky
1 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
Robert's Magnifico Turkey Crumble
Lettuce Wraps

Dessert
The Very Last HoneyCrisp Apple of the Season

Dunkin Donuts does provide nutritional information at their Web site, which is of course, another way in which the poor are disenfranchised— they can't readily access information about the junk food which is consistently the least expensive food option they have. On the plus side, Dunkin Donuts is so over the top about conveying what is in and not in their foods from an allergy perspective, that they aside from what you would expect (Peanuts, Soy, Tree Nuts, Wheat, Eggs and Milk) their list also lists FISH and CRUSTACEANS. Now come on. Am I missing something? Is there any item on the Dunkin Menu ANYWHERE that really requires the disclaimer "CONTAINS NO CRUSTACEANS?" If you don't believe me, go to their site:
https://www.dunkindonuts.com/aboutus/nutrition/Product.aspx?Category=Bakery&id=DD-964

Spongebob, I think I sense a product tie-in...

Year 2, Day 236: The Scientist

Emily bought me a pound of ham from Whole Foods and so now I am honor-bound to eat it every morning before it gets too slimy to eat. In my new SoBe life I am finding it more important not to waste food. In my old life I was a big food waster, and in two different ways. One, I would ALWAYS order more than I could eat and that went especially for Chinese or Barbecue or any meal where you're eating family style. But I was also a food waster in the way that I stored food I had no intention of ever eating. For the most part, I detest all leftovers, with the exception of turkey crumble, and perhaps deli meat. It was always the argument that 'someone might want this.' So wherever I lived there were lots of 'science experiments' in the fridge. It took me quite a while to break that habit, and to some degree, I am still putting away things that I'll never eat, but now I have a new generation that 'might eat it.'

Breakfast
5 slices of Virginia Ham
1 Slice Balthazar Multi-Grain Bread
Green Tea

Snack
Medium Dunkin Donuts Coffee
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
3 Sticks of Beef Jerky

Lunch: Chang Shin Yahn
Hot and Sour Soup
Chun King Pork
Green Beans and Pork

Roasted, Salted Pumpkin Seeds

Dinner:
Shrimp
Asparagus
Hamburger

The thing about the second kid is that they want everything the first kid has and you have to wait until they're old enough to understand why they can't have ice cream to withhold it from them. In the meanwhile, it's VERY hard not to eat the kid's ice cream and cone when it's just laying there, because one or both of them are having a tantrum about when they got or didn't get said ice cream. I'm not saying that happened tonight, I'm just saying it.

Year 2, Day 235= 600th Day On My Diet

The 600th day on the South Beach diet is for me, no more reason to reflect than any other day. I did treat myself to a haircut today, which always, and has always, made me feel better. My hair seems to grow incredibly fast and I as a kid I was known for being quite a mop-top. The guys at my barber's are three brothers and their dad. I've been going there for about six years. I don't miss the fancy stylists at all, except that I did always love getting my hair washed. But now that I wash the hair of both my kids, I don't feel that I'm missing the experience all that much. So the brother cutting my hair says to me "So, you're really keeping the pounds off, huh? How are you doing that?" Then I feel like the character who is called a chicken in the movies— do I have to start telling him about the glycemic index? About giving up pizza? About staying away from junk? The Boston Globe had run an article about the possible banning of trans-fats that became the basis for my lecture. My God, I thought, I've become thin, and simultaneously, a wet blanket.

Breakfast
1 Slice Balthazar Multi-Grain Bread
5 Slices of Ham
Coffee

Snack
4 Slices of Beef Jerky
1.5 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Lunch: Ariadne
Grilled Squid over Arugula with Hummus
Tuna Sashimi with Guacamole, Carrots and Soybeans

Dinner
Steelhead Trout with balsamic glaze
Broccoli
Peppadews
2 Chicken Nuggets

Emily met me for lunch today and wanted to go to a fancy restaurant about five minutes from where I work. We got there right when they opened at 12, but the waiter did not take our order for nearly 10 minutes, claiming he was 'busy.' There were two other tables of two there. We both ordered an appetizer salad and something else, but 40 minutes later our food had not yet come. When it finally did come, it was excellent, but that time I was not only late to get back to work, but both Emily and I had parking tickets. So that added $30 to the lunch tab. As Emily and always joke (from a conversation overheard 10 years ago when we were on vacation) "A big letter is coming."

Year 2, Day 234, Davis Farmland

Throughout our couplehood together, I was most often the one who wanted to get up early and go somewhere, most often Brunch. I often compromised with Emily, letting her go to Starbucks on the way to a brunch place, or just going to a high-end coffee shop like Beans or Joe's in Allston. So it's no surprise that I was desperately excited to get Ruby and the family out to Davis Farms in Sterling, MA. I was initially attracted by tales of the corn maze, in which talented operators of farm equipment create brain-teasing paths throughout massive acres of real corn. While it sounds like great fun for adults, upon closer inspection, it did not seem age appropriate for my kids. There were other issues— the unknown effect of a claustrophobic environment and the cost ($12.95 per visitor). For various reasons, including the suggestion of our hosts (friends who live nearby in Princeton, MA) we decided to go the Davis Farmland Petting Zoo, a pretty cool setup where your kids can buy feed and feed real, uncaged animals as they stroll around a farm-like setting. Ruby and Magnolia literally were like pigs in slop as they went around touching and feeding and patting goats, pigs and deer. At the end of the Farmland there was a setup of little play houses that Ruby wanted to move into forever. For lunch we went to the Herd Rock Calfe, an ingenious spot that serves all of America's kid-friendly dishes, so I made do with what was there. It wasn't too bad since I had loaded up on nuts and joy sticks prior to going to the park. It was a great time even though it was a little on the cold side. At the last minute, Ruby asked me to get face-painted and I dusted off my skills and made her into a cat, which she remained as all day until the dreaded shower made it come off.

Breakfast
Heritage Flakes
Kashi Go Lean
Blueberries
Banana
Coffee

Snack
1 Joy Stick
3 oz Almonds Cashews
1 Spartan Apple
2 Dark Rye Vita Crackers
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Lunch
2 Slices of Ham & Cheese as a rollup
3 Spoonfuls of Chili

Dinner
Breast of Chicken Slices
Broccoli
Pickles

Magnolia loves pickles. Why, we don't know. We know that when sees something she likes, she will scream it's name "pickles! pickles!" which is not unusual for a two year old. It's not unusual to want to try everything everyone else is eating either. But it is very unusual for a two year old to like full sour garlic pickles, and to eat more than one of them at a sitting. They are low in carbs, but to tell the truth, they aren't really bursting with nutrition, and are very high in sodium. I'm afraid to see what happens on the day she meets her first corned beef sandwich.

Year 2, Day 233: Bat Mitzvah

Today Ruby and I were to attend a neighbor's Bat-Mitzvah. I originally was gong to have to work, because a client needed us to come in on Saturday (which I regard as hostile), but it got cancelled when something didn't go right for them. So Ruby and I suited up and got to temple. I knew she would get distracted quickly, so I brought three sucking candies. I felt kind of bad that I was resorting to the worst of the worst—sugar, corn syrup and artificial flavors- to keep her at bay, but there was little other choice because the iPod headphones would have been an obvious giveaway. After the relatively brief 90-minute service, the Rabbi sliced the challah and asked if any kids wanted some? I gave Ruby the slight push she needed and she nearly toppled the bema to get to that challah. She took two pieces, ostensibly one for me. When I refused she gave the traditional shrug and proceeded to eat it herself. I let her have a coke at the kids bar for behaving and then we got on the with the business of the day, which was two more playdates.

Breakfast
2 Scrambled Eggs
4 Slices Ham
1 Slice Balthazar Bread
Coffee

Lunch:
Greek Salad (Romaine, Feta, Peppers)
Hamburger
Pickle

Snack:
Almonds & Cashews

Dinner
2 Hot Italian Sausage
Breast of Chicken
2 Florets of Raw Cauliflower
1 Diet Ginger Ale

Though this was not the worst kind of eating night (like an out of control one) or the most volume (like a poker night) it was a pretty bad one, from all accounts. I made my kids beloved spaghetti sauce and it involves hot Italian sausage which no one in my family likes except me, and so when it is done, I naturally eat it all, though usually I leave it in the sauce (that I freeze in batches) and when I unfreeze it, I eat the sausage. This time, I just ate the sausage all day till at night, I realized I had to call it dinner, though as we were coming home, my neighbor insisted I take a huge plate of Bat-Mitzvah food with me...I agreed and Emily and the kids ate it.

Year 2, Day 232: Making the Most of Your JCC Memebership

Was an easy going day. I went in late to work and worked out in the morning after getting both kids off to school. A miserable, rainy morning, but still warm. Once again, I did 6.5 miles on the elliptical, and in under 60 minutes. The whole time I was on I had the machine closest to the gym, so I had a good view of the step aerobics class going on there. To my amazement, I noticed not one, but two septuagenerian men in there. I have to say, for the first half hour, despite the fact that they were outnumbered 15 to 2, they did very well. In the second half hour I noted that they were paying less attention and seemed to be letting their eyes wander (a no-no in co-ed gym experiences). I thought, 'those guys are really making the most of their JCC membership. Bless 'em!"

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean
Heritage Flakes
Banana
Blueberries
(New) Unsweetened Soy Milk

Scraps:
Buttered bread (Balthazar) that Magnolia didn't eat

Post-workout snack:
6 oz. plain yogurt
super chunky peanut butter


Lunch: New Ginza
Salad
Miso Soup
2 octopus, three tuna, two whitefish, two salmon
pickled ginger

Snack
1/2 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
1 oz. Peanuts

Dinner:
Robert's Amazing Turkey Crumble
Lettuce Wraps

Though Emily brought the turkey crumble to our house, I made it what is today. And why not, I have a talent for the melange. Here is the recipe, and of course, I made up the amounts because I have no idea how to estimate them and I only ever use measurements when I'm following a recipe. Just do what feels right.

Oil
Garlic
Onions
Peppers
Cabbage, Celery, Leeks or Mung Beans (or anything you have in the house that won't over power the other flavors. I wouldn't use asparagus, f'rinstance)
1 lb Ground Turkey (for three adults)
Fish Sauce (3 Tablespoons)
Oyster Sauce (1 Tablespoon)
Soy Sauce (1/4 cup)
Red Chili Sauce (1-2 Teaspoons)
Balsamic Vinegar (1 Tablespoon)

Heat the oil in the wok, and add the garlic, then add the onions and other vegetables that take some time to cook (or sweat). Add the oyster sauce. Cook a few minutes. If you more vegetables to add, add them. Then add the fish sauce and chili sauce. Add the ground turkey and soy sauce simultaneously. Stir-fry to ensure even cooking and piece-size. Add Red Chili sauce. Leave on medium high heat for a few minutes. Before serving, finish with the balsamic, but do let it cook for a few minutes afterwards. Serve with lettuce or cabbage wraps. Lettuce is crunchier, but less flexible. Cabbage in whole leaves holds the mixture better and is actually a wrap. Romaine is good, but it's more like a boat. Obviously, the longer you cook the mix between adding liquids and the longer you cook it, the more firm your sauce-mixture will be. If you cook it too quickly you will get a lot of leaking lettuce wraps.

Year 2, Day 231: When Black Thursday Comes

Just a day when I thought nothing would go right. When I was testing out my soy milk (it looked like its consistency had changed from suffering a too-cold fridge)I foolishly put it where it could get knocked over by the next thing I took out of the dish drainer, which happend to be a humoungous pot for making noodles for Magnolia. If you want to know about a jinx on your day, try spilling a full cup of suspect soy milk everywhere—on your pants, your floor, your counters, your wife, and your new kitchen carpet. That's really an eye-opener.

Breakfast
1 Slice of Balthazar Rye with Super Chunky Peanut Butter
Green Tea

Snack
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
3 Pieces Beef Jerky

Lunch: Peter's kitchen
Kebab salad with feta

Dinner:
Hamburger, Broccoli, Pickles

Dessert
1 nip

Since I lacked the supplies for cereal, AND used up all my time, I had to improvise breakfast, which can be challenging when everything in your fridge is a suspect in the "what smells so bad?" game. The fridge was subsequently emptied, but like many puzzling mysteries, the smell was never sourced, so it may have been a conflated smell. E. Pluribus Unum of smells. I ended up having peanut butter on toast, and I noticed that I was less hungry in the morning than I usually am.

Tonight there was a ZBA meeting in Needham, and that made me have to come home and have a nip. For those who want to know my feelings about the entire situation, you can visit the Needham Times, who published my commentary, both in print and online:

http://www.townonline.com/needham/opinion/view.bg?articleid=582370

Year 2, Day 230: Free Fallin'

Let's start with the good news. There was once again a sheet cake in the office for an employee's birthday and I didn't even flinch. But on the bad side we went to celebrate at the Chinese Place and there were a few non-SoBe friendly things, like "Peppered Chicken", which turned out to be deep-fried and covered in a sugary, gloopy sauce that was DELICIOUS. The other items were all OK, but there's no doubt that it was a 700 calorie lunch if it was a calorie at all. I did have the good sense to skip the spicy wontons altogether, though, for once. Feel like I've been in a bit of downward spiral lately. Could be the change of weather.

Breakfast
2 Eggs, Plus 2 Yolks
1 Slice Balthazar Rye
Green Tea

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1 oz. Popcorn
2 Pieces beef jerky

Lunch: Chang Shin Juan
Boneless Spare Ribs
String Beans with Pork (interestingly, these were dry-cooked string beans, not gloopy).
Chun King Pork (Spicy, with Cabbage)
Chicken with Spinach (SoBe A+)
Peppered Chicken (SoBe F)

Dinner: Pho Pasteur
Green Salad (iceberg)
Sashimi (Tuna, Yellowtail, Whitefish)
A few bites of grilled chicken

I know there are families that can go out and their kids behave. I don't know any of them, but I know they are out there because occasionally we sit next to them, or across from them in a restaurant. Or Emily and I will see them when we're out without the children. I'm not sure how you get those children, but mine are the ones that need to take a few laps around the fish tank until they get hungry enough to eat. Ruby actually needed to leave the table, I took Magnolia to stand next to huge fish tank and a couple with a 2.5 year old boy started talking to me (a sometimes annoying facet of parenthood). I noted that their boy needed a new diaper, but they just kept on blithely eating and talking. The father said to the boy (who was shouting at every fish that he called "Nemo") "What do you want to eat?" His answer: "Corn." The father's reply "Okay." I surveyed the table; there was not one corn niblet to be found. Magnolia and I returned to our own sweet-smelling table, and waited for our order, which she didn't eat, and nearly slid across the table, Joe Pesci style. I thought "One day they're both going to WANT to go out to eat." So I can't give up now. Just got to tough out these first seven years.

Year 2, Day 229: Lots of Pork

I left my original title even though on reflection, it's not at all true. I thought, "I had ham for breakfast, bbq for lunch and white-meat pork cutlets for dinner." But in fact I had brisket for lunch (which is from a cow) and turkey cutlets for dinner, but they were done in the style which Emily usually makes pork cutlets. So a stupid title, but relevant to the current political season. So I left it.


Breakfast
4 Slices of Ham (a little dicey on the sell-by date)
1 slice Balthazar Rye
Green Tea

Snacks
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
30 Almonds
4 Pieces Beef Jerky

Lunch: Blue Ribbon BBQ
Brisket
Red Braised Cabbage (with apples and bacon, though I saw little evidence of either)
Green Beans
Pickles

Dinner:
Turkey Cutlets
Sauteed Peppers
Cabbage Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Parmesan

I took the Domania Gang to Blue Ribbon BBQ today after several meetings where we all discussed it, and frankly, drooled over it. I got the brisket, which is pretty plain and though I was refused a big green salad as a side, I improvised and got the braised red cabbage (yummy) and green beans. Under the cover of getting everyone to try a piece, I managed to give several large pieces of brisket away to my comrades, thereby limiting my portion, which is necessary because it's very, very, very hard to walk away from a Blue Ribbon portion of anything. Continue to do a little out-of-control snacking (including 30 almonds).

Year 2, Day 228: Magnolia's Birthday

Today was Magnolia's 2nd birthday and as befitting a two year old, we didn't really celebrate though we allowed both girls to have an ice cream party and get all dirty and sticky. Then baths, then bed. Meanwhile, I was feeling a bit out of control, especially with my snack list getting very, very long.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean
Heritage Flakes
Blueberries
Bananas
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

Lunch: Russo's ($5.41)

Snack
1 Old Smokey
1 oz Boston Lite Popcorn
30 Almonds
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1 Beef Jerky
1/8th oz. of Smartfood

Dinner
Mini Burger
Bok Choy
Pickles

Because Magnolia's favorite thing to do is to shriek like a wounded animal until you open some unreclosable item, like a banana or a yogurt smoothie, I have taken to making smoothies out of those items. It has worked out well, because both Ruby and Magnolia love a smoothie. It is essentially like ice cream but with 50% less sugar and all the vitamins of the fruit from which it is made. So I freeze the uneaten bananas and store the yogurts and to fill it out, I purchased some frozen fruits at Whole Foods, like berries and mangos and papayas. Then I throw in whatever fresh fruit we have around (like blueberries, melon or apple) and into the blender. I have to say that the blender doesn't do a very good job with all those frozen things— not like at Jamba (or Jera)'s Juice where it just liquifies in seconds. I have to get in there and break it up with a knife. But eventually it comes out with a texture like frozen yogurt and everyone's happy.

Year 2, Day 227: Rocky Racoon

I had a very hard workout today and for the first time I went 6.5 miles. As usual, I did not think I was going to make it and the fourth and fifth miles were just absolute torture. I must say that I have noticed a correlation with working out in the morning (after breakfast) and ease. It's easier to work out in the morning. I think every meal you have (lunch, f'rinstance) makes it that much harder, and when you have a delicious brunch it's just that much harder to suit up and hit the machines. I treated myself to some chorizo this AM and I have to confess that I just absolutely love it, and for some reason, Aquitaine Bis has the best non-barbecue pork products in the land.

Breakfast #1
1 Slice Balthazar Bread
4 Slices Ham
Green Tea

Brunch
3 Eggs with Cheese
1.5 Tubes Chorizo
1 Slice Bacon
2 small bites of French Toast

Pre/post workout snack
1 oz popcorn
6 oz plain yogurt
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 pieces of rye vita dark
plus 2 oz 50% Jalapeno cheddar

dinner
beef satay leftovers
bok choy
japanese salad
2 spare ribs

When I got back from working out and had a few snacks, I was ready to get some housework done, and the first thing I set my sites on was putting the Mosquito Magnet in the shed. I asked Ruby for help. Now she didn't really need to help, but it was a beautiful day and she did need to be outside. We went out to the shed and while I was rearranging the junk that's there (and we've only had the house for three years) I heard a noise that I knew didn't come from Ruby. I looked over at the high chair and I saw a large raccoon, probably the size of Magnolia, very frightened, crawl into the spot usually reserved for children. I shooed Ruby away, but of course, the very act of doing that made her want to see what I was shooing her away from (when will parents ever learn?). We came as close as we dared and we saw its eyes behind its little burglar mask. It so cute we both thought. And so rabid, I thought. We vamoosed inside and I called the police, who fielded the call since Needham's crack Animal Control squad doesn't work weekends. Their solution: leave the shed door open and see if the raccoon crawls out. Trying to hide my indignation I asked "that's it? You don't come and put the cuffs on him? I mean, he is wearing the burglar mask!" Their was a silence on the other end and then he said "You can call Animal Control on Monday." I thanked the officer for his time.

Year 2, Day 226: Visit from MOM

After a night of Sushi and Chinese, I was looking to get it back in the holster, and I so I returned to the old standby—Turkey Bacon and Eggs. This served me pretty well for the day, and with the exception of a little bit of Ruby's carnival-acquired popcorn, the morning was a good catch up. However, lunch was problematic. We went to the Met Bar in Chestnut Hill. Usually, the service is highly attentive and experienced, but this time we got a near-mute who did not take our order right and as a result the whole lunch took over two hours. There were eight of us (so tip was included) but half were late and you know when that blood sugar drops it's hard to make good eating decisions.

Breakfast
3 Eggs over easy (one broken, and that was getting off easy)
3 strips turkey bacon
green tea

Snack
about 1/2 popcorn
1 medium dunkin donuts half/decaf
2 bites of hamburger

Lunch: Met Bar
3 shrimp with cocktail sauce
about 6 fried calamari, with spicy mayonnaise
greek salad with chicken
a bite of a chocolate cupcake

dinner: fuji steakhouse
2 salads
a few bites of shrimp, steak
sashimi: yellowtail, salmon, tuna, crab
vegetables (zucchini, sprouts, broccoli)
2 glasses red wine
avocado salad

As with the previous night, we were hosting my Mom and a friend of hers, and he was not a sushi fan. So both nights we got sushi and other cooked food. In this case, Japanese Steakhouse-style shrimp and steak (aka cooked on a very hot grill by a show-offy Japanese knife-wielder with an irresponsible amount of butter). Sometimes that means those who can eat both kinds of food (Sushi & Non-Sushi) fill up a little more than they should, but as always with a Saturday night splurge (and they seem to be piling up more and more) I know there is the Sunday Morning workout.

Year 2, Day 225 Lots of Celebrations

Emily has a new schedule where she has no classes on Friday so we met and had an impromptu date. With our situation, it was probably the closest we were going to get to an anniversary celebration alone, and we took the opportunity. We went to Strip-T's, which despite its awful name is an incredible place about a mile south of Watertown Square. We were both totally knocked out by our lunch (she got the salad and sirloin steak strips) and I suggested we get a piece of sheet cake for Ruby. When we thought it about some more, we knew we had to get TWO pieces of sheet cake, so that Magnolia might have a chance at getting one. After all, it was her birthday coming up, too.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean
Heritage Flakes
Blueberries
Banana
Unsweetened soy milk
green tea

Lunch: Strip Ts
Blackened Tilapia
Mango Salsa
Mesclun Greens
Oil & Vinegar Dressing

Snack
Coffee
4 Sticks Beef Jerky
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar

Dinner: Sushi & Chinese
Salmon, Tuna, Whitefish
Beef Satay, Bok Choy, Spare Ribs
2 Glass of Riesling

So my Mom came up to join in all the joyous celebrations of the weekend, like our wedding anniversary and Magnolia's birthday. All in all, they weren't really celebrated as much as they were acknowledged and we all had a good time being together. Since my mother loves in a perpetual state of Sushi-starvation, we were only too glad to oblige by having sushi/sashimi both nights of her visit. Since I hate to drink alone, I was all too happy to break out the vino.

Year 2, Day 224: First Trip to Russo's?

Unbelievably, today (Thursday) marked my first trip to Russo's this week. Therefore, you know two things about my week: one, it probably has more calories than usual, and two, the eating is worrisome. A lot of people (including me in my old life) can point to stress leading to eating. Now I am starting to see that equation turned around; if I'm not eating well, it stresses me out. See previous posts about addiction to nuts.

Breakfast
2 Eggs (+1 Yolk)
1 Slice Balthazar Bread
Green Tea

Snack
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno cheddar
Coffee
4 Sticks Beef Jerky

Lunch: Russo's ($5.40)

Dinner
Emily's Turkey Crumble
with Cabbage Leaves
Hamburger Bites
Cabbage Salad

(Bites of: Apple Sauce, Coffee Yogurt)

With Magnolia nearing her second birthday, she is becoming more and more of an independent person. While parents hope and work towards this outcome, it can also be frustrating when this new independence manifests itself in the repeated behavior of asking for a banana only to refuse it. Ditto, similar requests to open other non-closable items such as squeezie yogurts, apple sauces, and the like, which inevitably lead to certain parents having to eat (pretending to eat no longer a working scheme) some of said item to get said children interested. While I don't panic like I used to, I don't really want or need the extra calories, but I suppose I'm going to have to grin, eat and bear it for a while.

Year 2, Day 223: Wedding Anniversary

Amazingly enough, it was 14 years ago today that I got married to Emily. Perhaps not so amazingly, that morning involved cereal and milk. The night before, my Stepfather, Sam, asked me what I ate for breakfast. At the time, I was on weight watchers and I was eating a bowl of Wheaties with Grape nuts and Lactaid skim milk every morning. Not dissimilar to what I eat now, except much much higher in carbs because Grape Nuts is like-off-the-hook carb-heavy. It is certainly the highest carbohydrate (and calorie-laden) of any edible cereal that could still be called "good for you" that's out there in the market. Anyway, much to my delight, when I woke up, he had gone out and went shopping for just that breakfast. It was a real unexpected gift, and one I think about alot since he passed on.

Breakfast
Kashi
Heritage Flakes
Blueberries
Bananas
Unsweetened Soy Milk
Coffee

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
Coffee

Lunch: May's Cafe
(Split Among Six People)
Seaweed Salad
Egg Pancake
Five Spices Calamari

Cabbage with Pork
Ma-Po Tofu
Shredded Pork with Bamboo
Chicken Teriyaki

Dinner
Shrimp with Thai Lime Sauce
Wonder Beans

The gang at work have been on a tear when it comes to our "Investigating our Lunch Options." About once a week we have been driving to different places that we know of, or have read about, always ready, as we say in the food-trailblazing business, to 'take one for the team.' This of course, refers to the trailblazer that may have to suffer through an awful meal so your team doesn't have to. As it happens, the gang suggested a place I had gone ONCE previously with Jillz, a good friend and rogue commenter at this blog. I guess they have changed it wildly since Jill and I rated it a "come back at your own peril" place, but I have to say that the meal was quite good and very SoBe friendly. If you can make your way there (to Allston) it was worth the trip, though like any Mom & Pop place, you can't count on speed.

Year 2, Day 222: North Korea Spurs Fast Walking

Things in the world seem at times to go from bad to worse, and I'm never sure whether I'm in the 'there's a balance that will return to save the world' or "Oh God, it's just like in that movie The Day After with Jason Robards." Without food as a crutch, I know I have to channel my anxiety into something and that often includes a fast walk. If nothing else, it was one of the beautiful days of fall and of the week (there was rain in future predictions for the week).

Breakfast
2 Soft Boiled Eggs
1 Slice Balthazar Bread

Snack
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
4 sticks beef jerky

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Chicken Kebab Salad

Dinner:
Leftover Chicken
Habanero Cole Slaw
Steamed Broccoli

Skippy came out with a product called ironically, "Skippy Natural." On its label it proudly declares "No Need to Stir." This is presumably because fans of all-natural peanut butter know it arrives in need of stirring to combine its natural oil and peanuty goodness. Both for my blog-readers and my own naturaly curiosity, I purchased some. I got it home and instantly put it up against the Teddie brand of smooth peanut butter. Funny, I noticed it was higher in sugars and a few other things. Then I noted in its ingredients: sugar. That explains why there's no need to stir. The Whole Kids brand of peanut butter, that was previously my favorite, was also of the no-stir variety. The sugar helps bind all the ingredeints so no stirring is needed. But last time I checked, peanut butter is really made of crushed peanuts. Skippy "Natural" my arse.

Year 2, Day 221: Return to Tennis

Today was Columbus Day and Emily and I returned to the tennis courts for the first time in quite a while. I have been seeing a physical therapist for four weeks now and she told me I could get on the court again. And so, with my arm cast (for tendonitis) and no advil, but plenty of water and moxie, we dropped Ruby off at her playdate and with Magnolia with her sitter, we trotted off to see what we were made of.

The answer was not much. Though at the end of the summer we were able to stick it out for three sets, today we barely got through one. And it wasn't just me with a gimpy, injured arm. She played on the sunny side (though I offered to switch) and we were both exhausted after a grueling tiebreaker to me to a win of 7-6 (6-4).

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean
Heritage Flakes
Banana
Blueberries
Coffee

Lunch:
Romaine
Feta
Chicken Breast
Celery
Broccoli

Post-Tennis Snack
6 oz. Plain Yogurt
3 Tablespoons Super chunky Peanut butter

Dinner (& Stuff)
Chicken
Asparagus
1 Meatball
a few bites of rib meat

Stonyfield Farm is running a new campaign on the top of its lidless yogurts. It says "Reading, writing and high fructose corn syrup? Our healthy vending program for schools is making kids healthier and parents happier. Visit Stonyfield.com for a do-it-yourself healthy vending guide." I went there, and I plan to make sure that's the vending machine in Ruby's school (and maybe the JCC) if I have something to say about it.

Year 2, Day 220: No Ipod

After a few days of carousing, I needed to get back to the gym. I have noted that following any kind of celebration, the workout is much harder. Without a doubt, today's workout was made the most hard by the fact that my headphones did not work, and so I was not only without music, but without the television sound that is now standard on all the ellipse machines. I was desperately trying everything to make them work as I started my workout, but to no avail. My only option was to go back to my car and get my wallet and buy a pair of headphones for $5 (a new service the JCC offers for the TVs that I have already noted are part of ALL the machines). Since I was already in there, signed on to a machine, actually racking up the calories/time/miles, I decided to just try and make it without music. WOW, that's really challenging. By using a combination of the closed-captioned version of VH-1's, the "40 Dumbest Celebrity Quotes" and the sound-less verions of "Back to the Future II" on the ellipse machine's TV, I made it through. But it was very difficult. I had a hard time staying on pace, and after 20 minutes I was behind on my usual 10 minute mile. I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the last 10 minutes, but I did, 6 miles at just barely over 60 minutes. There was an additional cool-down period, to which I said "f**k that."

Breakfast
Kashi
Banana
Blueberry
Coffeee

Lunch
Chicken Breast
Romaiaine/Red Leaf
Feta Cheese
Orange Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar


Post-Workout Snack
6 oz Plain Yogurt
3 Tblspns Super Chunky Peanut Butter
1/2 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
3 Egg Omlette with Swiss Cheese
3.5 Strips of Turkey Bacon

I must credit Dr. Banjaree, my college geography teacher, with helping instill in me the ability to withstand incredibly boring periods of my life. In order to finally graduate college (which took me five years of school, spread out over seven years of people time) I had to attend summer courses, which were geared for shorter cycles (summer sessions were five weeks) and so naturally the classes were much longer. This was a three hour lectuure on geography, which I thought would be an exciting class, except when taught by a inhibited, low-talking, charisma-starved teacher who essentially sucked all the life of out of the room and simultaneously made it warmer everytime she began her lesson. To try and stay focused for three hours was already very difficult for me, but to pay attention to someone who intrinsicly understood that she was barely worth paying attention TO was nearly impossible. The clock hands seemed to torture me as they barely moved, and they made loud sounds in my head when they did. From this experience I learned not to loAfter a few days of carousing, I needed to get back to the gym. I have noted that following any kind of celebration, the workout is much harder. Without a doubt, today's workout was made the most hard by the fact that my headphones did not work, and so I was not only without music, but without the television sound that is now standard on all the ellipse machines. I was desperately trying everything to make them work as I started my workout, but to no avail. My only option was to go back to my car and get my wallet and buy a pair of headphones for $5 (a new service the JCC offers for the TVs that I have already noted are part of ALL the machines). Since I was already in there, signed on to a machine, actually racking up the calories/time/miles, I decided to just try and make it without music. WOW, that's really challenging. By using a combination of the closed-captioned version of VH-1's, the "40 Dumbest Celebrity Quotes" and the sound-less verions of "Back to the Future II" on the ellipse machine's TV, I made it through. But it was very difficult. I had a hard time staying on pace, and after 20 minutes I was behind on my usual 10 minute mile. I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the last 10 minutes, but I did, 6 miles at just barely over 60 minutes. There was an additional cool-down period, to which I said "f**k that."

Breakfast
Kashi
Banana
Blueberry
Coffee

Lunch
Chicken Breast
Romaiaine/Red Leaf
Feta Cheese
Orange Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar


Post-Workout Snack
6 oz Plain Yogurt
3 Tblspns Super Chunky Peanut Butter
1/2 oz Boston Lite Popcorn

Dinner
3 Egg Omelet with Swiss Cheese
3.5 Strips of Turkey Bacon

I must credit Dr. Banjaree, my college geography teacher, with helping instill in me the ability to withstand incredibly boring periods of my life. In order to finally graduate college (which took me five years of school, spread out over seven years of people time) I had to attend summer courses, which were geared for shorter cycles (summer sessions were five weeks) and so naturally the classes were much longer. This was a three hour lecture on geography, which I thought would be an exciting class, except when taught by a inhibited, low-talking, charisma-starved teacher who essentially sucked all the life of out of the room and simultaneously made it warmer everytime she began her lesson. To try and stay focused for three hours was already very difficult for me, but to pay attention to someone who intrinsically understood that she was barely worth paying attention TO was nearly impossible. The clock hands seemed to torture me as they barely moved, and they made loud sounds in my head when they did. From this experience I learned not to look at the clock, because it becomes your enemy. I began to bring my textbook and read it just so I wouldn't be tempted to do something that would lead to my failing a test. I thought it could never get any worse, until I took geology the following semester. If I thought borders and rivers in detail were boring, I had no idea how boring micah schist could be in the lab setting. Is it any wonder I didn't go to graduate school?ok at the clock, because it becomes your enemy. I began to bring my textbook and read it just so I wouldn't be tempted to do something that would lead to my failing a test. I thought it could never get any worse, until I took geology the following semester. If I thought borders and rivers in detail were boring, I had no idea how boring micha schist could be in the lab setting. Is it any wonder I didn't go to graduate school?

Year 2, Day 218: Fran's 50th Birthday

I worked for Fran for six years and tonight was her 50th birthday party. It's all people that I have seen over the years at other parties and Emily and I had a sitter and went at 7:30. It was really the first time since my 40th birthday that we "went out for the night, all night" in Boston. It was a swell party (what a swell party that was). There was lots of food (which we ate), lots of people (who we talked to) and lots of wine (which I drank) and lots of dessert (which I didn't have any of but admired from a far). Though the incredible food was a night-long distraction, there were a few people that hadn't seen me since probably 2002 or 2003 that were very surprised at the way I looked. I suppose that is the one part about losing weight that you never get tired of. I mean, if someone said to me "name the benefits of losing weight," I don't think I would say "people saying I look great" in the top five, but maybe it's number six. Is it wrong to enjoy that? I certainly have been enjoying it, and I suppose in that way it is a great reinforcement against recidivism.

Breakfast
2 Eggs,
3 Strips of Turkey Bacon

Snack
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
1/2 oz Popcorn
Almonds & Cashews
Coffee
1 piece rye vita

Lunch:
Romaine Salad, Tuna, Red Peppers, Balsamic Vinegar, Almonds

Dinner:
Broccoli & Cauliflower
Tenderloin Slice
Spiral Ham Slices
Cheese/Grapes Plate
Shrimp & Cocktail Sauce
Asparagus
Brussel Sprouts
2 Glasses Red Wine

For the second night in a row, it was a top-heavy meal day, with the bulk of the calories coming at the end of the night. We tried to limit the eating, but there was so much good, SoBe friendly stuff served by our hosts that it was kind of hard to keep it in check. And parties tend to be difficult for everyone— even a few people who claimed they hadn't 'known it was a dinner party' after an hour grabbed plates and ate a lot of dinner. It was just that tempting. And I thought, I've got to go to the gym tomorrow. Repeat after me: Must go to gym tomorrow...

Year 2, Day 217: Poker Again?

So. Poker tonight. How can I watch my caloric intake? What sins will be visited upon me tonight? We continue to try to use Russo's for our catering, and though we have not yet made it inexpensive, it's definitely cheaper (and better for you) than Chinese. As I have previously reported, poker is a high-volume, high-protein, high-fat night, which makes challenges me to have mostly a low everything else day. Usually I try to have salad, but today it was Sushi, which is OK since thats high in protein but low in fat. I was compelled to have a fourth piece of jerky just to make it through the four o'clock hour, but otherwise I was pretty good.

Breakfast
2 Soft boiled eggs
1 slice of balthazar toast
green tea

snack
coffee
four pieces of beef jerky (140 calories)
2 oz. 50% Jalapeno Cheddar


Lunch: Sushi 21
Sashimi Special

Poker Dinner:
1 diet coke
1 UFO (Beer)
Pistachios
Almonds/Cashews
Olives
Three Roll Mops (Cheese, Roast Beef, Turkey, Ham, Salami) Mustard
Pickles

I did have a beer tonight because basically whatever I was trying to do was not working. I had to buy back in several times but a few games turned it around for me and I believe I cashed in the big winner. I'm not sure if I have explained how one of the poker players insists we have pie every week, but he does and if you try to argue with him, you go down a rabbit-hole of irrelevant statements and petulant barbs designed to provoke without proposing any ideas. For nearly a year this made me just provide pie of all different flavors, but tonight we took a vote and we resolved to eliminate pie from the menu. Now before you cheer the health-conscious poker players, the decision was mostly financial and environmental; that is, only four of us at most even eat a pie (though a few of us, who shall go unnamed, have seconds). There is almost always an entire half of a pie left over, which in the paraphrased words of a 50s song, has to "go home with the date that brought it." The new vote was for something sweet, but something smaller, like "rugleach or frozen snickers" I heard someone suggest. No kidding, that was the suggestion.

Year 2, Day 216: iPod Problems

Courtesy of my Mom, for my birthday, I got a new video iPod. Weeks later, wouldn't you know it, they upgraded the whole line. No matter, I was very happy with what I had as it was smaller and had a larger capacity than my previous one. Also, it could play videos which I thought would be good in the gym, which so far it isn't. That could be a programming issue— we'll see. But before going home for the holiday I foolishly tried to upgrade it to the latest software so I could download an episode of "Fairly Oddparents" for Ruby, should we find ourselves without an appropriate distraction. This update caused my iPod to totally fitz out, necessitating lots of restarting on the elliptical in New York, erasing the hard drive, a call to tech support, and sadly, a boxing up and returning to Apple. In my Aileen-inspired to quest to get something for this breach of product-working etiquette I sought out customer support, who may or may not reward with me a set of Apple coffee mugs. Stay tuned.

Breakfast
kashi go lean
heritage flakes
banana
blueberries
green tea

snack
4 beef jerky
2 oz 50% cheddar

lunch
boca grande burritos (the oddly named Colorado chicken)
with vegetables, guacamole, salsa hot sauce and black beans.
8 chips and salsa

dinner
chicken
asparagus
broccoli

As a group of workers, we have been going out in the nearby Allston neighborhood to try and discover new places. Today we went to Boca Grande (a burrito joint) because one of my employees 'won' a free lunch just for giving our name to a financial advisor. Though none of us wanted for financial advice, we did want for burritos. I suggested to the group that we could all pony up the $4 for the burrito and go without the advice, but there is something so powerful about a free lunch, so I joined in. This was a good burrito, but in my opinion, not better than Anna's, which I promised to take everyone to the following week.

Year 2, Day 215: French Toast Fantasies

Today was notable for two reasons. One, I had yogurt and peanut butter for breakfast. Two, we went for a very brisk Domania walk. Unusually, I was in front today, with another employee and we got so far out so fast that we actually had to stop and wait for the rest of the staff. During that break, I had time to call in my lunch order at Peter's, which is always exactly the same. While I typically denounce this kind of lack of imagination in others, it is only by committing to the identical lunch that allows me to walk and still be back at my desk in a reasonable time frame. I can't start messing around with choices when I'm on a tight schedule.

Breakfast
6 oz Plain Yogurt
3 Tablespoons Super Chunky Peanut Butter

Snack
4 Sticks of Beef Jerky
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
10 Almonds

Lunch: Peter's Kitchen
Grilled chicken salad with feta and balsamic vinegar

Dinner:
Flounder
Cabbage

IHOP does it again. While most American companies should be figuring out how to help Americans slim down, IHOP is figuring out how to sell more carbs, sugar and fat. How? By introducing "French Toast Fantasies." It all started with their very sad survey:

Nearly one in four adults often fantasizes about food (26%):

-- "Rich and decadent" and "warm and comforting" foods are
most often fantasized about (each 31%), while others (21%)
dream about foods that are exotic and fun.

They conclude that since Americans 'fantasize' about food and travel (did they leave something out?) they thought they would combine them. Note in the press release below, there are some very non-specific travel 'destinations.'

IHOP's French Toast Fantasy lets guests choose from three flavors of French toast that fulfill their favorite food and travel fantasies:

For guests with a fantasy that whisks them away to the sweet and fruit-filled tropical islands, the Caramel-Banana French Toast consists of four fluffy triangles of banana-flavored French toast, topped with fresh, sliced banana, sweet caramel sauce and creamy whipped topping.

For those with a rich and decadent food fantasy, IHOP offers its Stuffed French Toast, cinnamon-raisin French toast stuffed with cream cheese filling and crowned with whipped topping, powdered sugar and delicious fruit topping.

And for those who want a taste of exotic spices from the far corners of the globe, Cinnamon Swirl French Toast features a sweet, flaky cinnamon roll that is sliced and grilled French toast-style.

"Whether our guests dream of food, travel or both, French Toast Fantasy allows them to indulge in a taste bud fantasy any day of the week," said Carolyn O'Keefe, chief marketing officer of IHOP.

The full press release is here:

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=104384&p=irol-newsArticle&t=Regular&id=902841&

Year 2, Day 214: Day One of 5767

It's never a good sign when the first day of the Jewish new year holds ominous signs, like you can't sleep, your daughter cries in the middle of the night for the first time in seven months, and you have, possibly related to all these things, stomach-churning anxiety about the future of the world. Once again, I rue the fact that these things in and of themselves do not sour my appetite. In fact, I am content to eat beef jerky and cheese, even though the air conditioning at work is on so high that I am forced to wear a jacket all day, except when I go outside.

Breakfast
3 Deviled Eggs (1.5 Eggs)
Gravlax
Coffee

Snack
More coffee (not helping the stomach-churning)
2 oz 50% Jalapeno Cheddar
2 sticks beef jerky
1 oz boston lite popcorn
20 unsalted almonds

Lunch: Russo's ($4.85)
Red lettuce, red leaf, red peppers, red tomatoes
mushrooms, broccoli, chicken (in new sliced-shapes), feta
balsamic vinegar

Dinner
Hamburger with Goat Cheese & Onion (Emily's Creation)
Pickles
Cauliflower
Cabbage Salad

Ruby and Magnolia were eating their ice cream when Magnolia pointed to my Bubbie's pickle. Obediently, I handed it over to her, with the expectation that she would take a bite and give it back to me. It seemed reasonable to assume this outcome, since she was currently in her second dessert course, strawberry ice cream with a side of sugar cone. To my amazement, she continued to eat both and demanded more pickles, which Emily had to get out of the fridge. Then Ruby got into the act and everybody was eating pickles and ice cream, which for the longest time I thought was only for pregnant women it 60s sitcoms. I'm not sure the circumstances will repeat themselves that this combo will be available, but I'll let you know if they ask for it.

Year 2, Day 213: The Holiest Day of the Year, Lynn Wore Heels

Something I overheard today leaving the temple. Sadly for all the readers, I don't know the backstory, but you can imagine.

Almost always the easiest blog post to write, as there is only one meal today. Of course, it was a doozy. No doubt it was worth two meals. That's really not making the most of the benefit to the diet of a fast, but once you're that hungry, it's sort of hard to put the breaks on, especially when everything is in little bite-sizes.

Break-Fast (Dinner)
1 small slice challah
2 glasses red wine
1/2 piece gefilte fish
3 deviled eggs
1/2 whole wheat bagel with lox, red onion, tomato, muenster cheese
2 oz. non-reduced fat jalapeno cheese (yummy)
2 bites of Jill's Kugel
pickles, olives

Dessert
3 rugleach
1/4 slice of sponge cake

Absolutely stuffed, and was stuffed about 700 calories in. But you're sitting around, another day of atonement behind you, and you do feel celebratory. Tomorrow, it's the beginning of a new year (but not according to the way I keep my diet journal), so that's three different years to keep straight, and back on the program.

Year 2, Day 212 Bob Woodward: Legs Smooth Like Silk

The title of this blog refers to the funny things that can happen when closed-captioning is involved. I was at the gym today and noticed this particular jam up of messages that I thought was worth relating. Now that I spend an hour at the gym on just the elliptical (I also walked around the track once for old time's sake) I'm needing to really be strategic about my arrival times. As it was, I just made it at 11:15, since they closed today for the holiday at 12:30pm. As I was leaving I heard one JCC official call to another "Are you sure it doesn't say 1:00pm on the Web site? Someone one the phone says it does. The Web site is right? OK." More evidence of the Twilight Zone theory—technology is far advanced beyond the point that we can use it.

Breakfast
Kashi Go Lean/Heritage Flakes
1 Small Banana
Blueberries
1 Cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
Green Tea

Lunch
Robert's Now-Famous Turkey Crumble
Lettuce Leaves

Dinner @ My Brother's House
Chicken Soup
Brisket
Carrots, Onions
Salad with Feta & Balsamic Vinegar

Dessert
2 Rugleach (1 chocolate, 1 apricot)
1 quarter of a slice of sponge cake
1 quarter of a slice of a lemon roll

Tonight, the "Kol Nidre" dinner is usually a 'meat meal'. You end the year with meat and begin the year, after a day of fasting with a dairy meal. So tonight was brisket and salad. Because I was having back-to-back holiday celebrations, I got somewhat caught up in a dessert whirlwind, purchasing at least five kinds of desserts from three different places. They included two kinds of rugleach (one from Russo's), a lemon jelly roll, sponge cake, honey cake, and a babke. Naturally, I thought over two nights we'd consume it all but I was out of my mind because my niece and nephew wanted know part of any dry, Jewish dessert and neither did my kids. So after the second night I took everything to work, where for the most part, it was gladly and joyfully consumed.