I gotta do me, you do you.

Today was a big day for me n' Edles -- we went to the Bronx Zoo. We met up with a few friends with babies Edie's age, took a series of trains that ended up in a shuttle bus situation that was probably more stressful for the adults than the kids. Zoo was nice, but it ain't cheap to get in, and they nickle and dime you on everything possible, from charging extra for certain permanent exhibits to $3.25 for a bottle of soda that would be $1.75 off the grounds.

We went to the main commissary for lunch, and I ate food I brought, the CSA veg-infused pasta and a pickle, while Edie chowed down on my pasta and pickle, watermelon, blueberries, whole wheat goldfish, a little cheese and a whole mess of unsalted peanuts. The two other kids were fed breaded chicken fingers and french fries, which I understand -- it's easy, the kids like it and peace reigns in the valley. But it ain't cheap, and more than once in a blue moon can be kinda destructive. I felt  bad, a little bit snobby for feeding my child such holier-than-thou food, but I gotta do me, you do you, knowwhatamsayin'?

While we walked back slowly down Fordham Road in the heat and concrete, someone suggested slurpies at 7-11, and damn if 20oz of frozen corn syrup, phosphoric & citric acids, artificial flavor and color didn't hit the spot. In a theater, this drink would have been $6, but here it was $1.62 -- yep, I never had a slurpie at a 7-11 before. I guess I just got a little less snobby, he he.


BREAKFAST: 8am, iced green tea, 1/2 a bagel with cream cheese, .5 bowl, hunger 4/ a5


LUNCH: 2pm, greenie pasta, pickle, water, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 3:30pm cherry slurpie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 5:30pm, peanut butter, a few cashews, a few whole wheat pretzels, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 6pm, 4 mini burritos, brown rice, water, watermelon, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
 ac
EVENING SNACK: 9pm, 8oz chocolate ice cream, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

Grenadine Ick

Woke up late, too hot to go out with Edie in the morning, just stayed in and prepped for the evening's dinner. Took Edles to our friend MAP's office in the afternoon followed by some playground int he rain. A nice evening indoors with another family from the 'hood


TODAY'S COOKING
Grenadine syrup: 2 cups pomegranate juice, 2 cups cherry juice, 4 cups sugar. I made the mistake of walking away and candied it, making a big sticky lump that hardens when hit with cold seltzer, not dissolve.  Will try again and be more careful. (I'm making this to add to seltzer and some lime juice to make an old fashioned Lime Rickey, inspired by the knish lecture I took in this past week.)
Pizza: -sigh-. First time cooking pizza since leaving the restaurant. Watching my hands stretch the (whole wheat Wholefoods) dough, topping the pies as I've seen done 1000s of times. Made margarita, a pepperoni, a white pie with a medley of vegetables I roasted earlier, a nutella pie decorated with jelly beans contributed by a 2 year old guest. It was fun to make pizzas, but it's starting to feel like something from the past already.


BREAKFAST: 10:15am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Milk, banana, good yogurt, CSA blueberries, frozen cherries & mango, ground flax, vanilla extract, salt. Pretty good, not very sweet but still balanced. Edie demanded some, sat next to me with a cup of it, and proceeded to get equal amounts in her mouth, smeared on her nude body, and the bench and walls.


LUNCH: 1:15pm, apple pork sausage, green pasta, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5

DINNER: 6pm, assorted slices of homemade pizza, 3 small ice cream sandwiches, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Sugar Lust

Woke up early to a very energetic and very happy little girl jumping up and down on me. Legs and joints felt much better, lifted weights in the morning, took Edie out to some swings, then grocery shopping before getting her down for a nap and lunch.

Felt cravings for sugar in the afternoon, and ate some ice cream. I picked up some cherries and a zucchini from a new local farmer's market, and made a nice very green dinner. It was a bit too green, it tasted green. For whatever reason, my cravings for sugar went off the charts right after the meal, I haven't had this kind of lust in quite a while. I hoped the cherries would have dampened it, but I guess that and the pasta just primed the pump.

I think I have proper supportive mandels in my closet somewhere. Time to bust 'em out.

TODAY'S COOKING:
Pasta with CSA veg: A pound of mini wagon wheels met a cup of homemade sauce. In the woke, I stir fried some broccoli and sugar snap peas, through in the scallion and zucchini, then added the chopped swiss chard I just par-boiled. A little peanut oil and salt. Looked very healthy. Finished the dish with CSA parsley, which B informed me she finds repulsive after the fact. Oh well, off to the freezer this dish goes then.

AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea


LUNCH: 12:45pm, breaded tilapia fillet, corn on the cob, health salad, pickle, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 5pm, fresh cherries, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

DINNER: 6:30pm, pasta with CSA veg & a little homemade sauce, pretzels with nutella, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACK: 9pm, 5 oz of ice cream, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Knish!

Woke up with sore feet, ankles and legs. I was wearing flip flops all day yesterday, and the walk from Grand Central to home did a number on my joints, much worse than any bike ride. So though I planned to bliss-out on an 80 mile bike ride today, instead I packed up some snacks and trundled off to a well air-conditioned multiplex to catch 3 movies in a row on a single matinee ticket.

While there, my wifey found a little knish lecture at a small community outpost out in Carrol Gardens, and asked me to do it. So I did, a talk from a knish-crazed lady to about 10 random people from all over the city. It was pretty inspirational, and this week I'm gonna knock out some knishes -- can't be too hard to pass the low bar that Yonah Shimmel has been producing these days...

AM SNACK: 8:45am, a small handful of chocolate covered coffee beans


BREAKFAST: 9:45am, banana, good yogurt with honey, vanilla & peanuts, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


AM SNACK: 11:45am, pumpernickel pretzels, water, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

DINNER: 4:45pm, eggplant hero, green salad, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 8pm, a few squares of various knishes, lime rickey, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACKS: 10pm 1 mini burrito, small ramekin of cashews and chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Adventures With Edie

Woke up early and Edie & I hauled butt up to Grand Central for a train to Tarrytown, where we met up for breakfast with my old friend J and her baby. Visited a water park, then took the train back in the early afternoon while Edie slept. Walked slowly from Grand Central to home, stopping in various parks along the way for Edie's eating, Edie's playing, Edie's walking, Edie's exploring, it was pretty much an intense meeting of Edie-love and City-love.

Picked up a nice selection at the CSA - snap peas and a little lettuce and scallions again, kale, some Swiss chard, a little broccoli, blueberries and cheese.

The potatoes I cooked yesterday were good, but there was too little stuff to too many potatoes, and I could have seasoned it a bit more aggressively. I think this pound of snap peas is gonna meet a pound of potatoes later this week....

AM SNACK: 7:15am, iced green tea


BREAKFAST: 10am, pancakes, sausage, diet coke, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 2pm, 20oz Gatorade


PM SNACK: 3:30pm, 4 cabbage & pork dumplings, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5
On the epic walk home, stopped in on the new Clinton St dollar dumpling place. Good, but not really different than the chive & pork dumplings.



PM SNACK: 4pm, large wedge of watermelon, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5

DINNER: 7:15pm, sauteed curry shrimp, roasted potato & snap peas, health salad, water, 1.75 bowl, hunger 4/5 

EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, 4oz ice cream, small ramekin of chocolate chips & cashews, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5 
Sugar hunger got a hold on me. This challenge is gonna take some easing into.

4th of July Challenge

The HVS and I spoke of a new challenge for the month, it's been evolving in my head for more than a week now. Though officially it's a one-month weight-loss challenge, I think this month may be for an ongoing basis:

• Limit restaurant meals to one a week and delivery meals to one a week. 
• Limit desserts to three a week total, including sweet snacks.
• Eat 75% or more of all the produce we get from our CSA on Tuesdays during the week.
• Devise at least one dish each week to be made in quantity to last beyond the week via freezer and fridge, that is both Edie-friendly and B-friendly.

I'm open to suggetions on the last one. I would love 10 recipes that I could rotate. Currently, I have two warhorses in my cannon:

1. Pasta with homemade tomato sauce.
2. Mini burritos, whole wheat tortilla filled with slow-cooked black beans, guac, cheese and sometimes rice

I'm thinking 7 or 8 recipes needs to be vegetarian, 2 or 3 can be meaty or all meat. I think making meatballs from scratch (including grinding the meat myself) is a good one. Homemade breaded fish sticks or chicken fingers might be a good one. Bread maybe, or is that more of a side utility food? Pesto? Hummus? Gnocci? Rice & beans? Rice & lentil? Falafel?

TODAY'S COOKING:
Corn on the cob: Boiled it for a spare 4 minutes, slathered on some butter and salt (olive oil for the HVS), came out perfect -- sweet, firm but not too firm, toothsome. My parents used to boil the hell out of corn, but I suppose it was genetically different back then,

AM SNACK: 9am, iced green tea

BRUNCH: 11:45pm, 2 small burritos, small amount of pasta, small cup of ice cream, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

SNICKLELUNCH:  2:30pm, rice & lentils, healthsalad, corn on the cob, pickle, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


SNICKLEDINNER: 7pm, roasted potato & snap peas with breaded tilapia, mango sorbet, lime seltzer, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACK: 10:30pm, 2 ice cream sandwiches

Truffle conundrum

Got to bed around 11, woke around 9 -- I ate kinda poorly the 2nd half of the day, I wonder if that was directly responsible for my utter lack of energy after 7 or so.

B grabbed an ice cream sandwich this morning while I was churning custard, and Edie was on her lap and insisted on sharing the "papa cake". Edie later woke up cranky from her nap, and only uncrankified after her pasta lunch when given some watermelon....which instead of just eating, she would lick a bunch of times like it was ice cream before eating it properly. I wonder if the sugar of the ice cream made her cranky. I think we may need to keep letting her eat anything and everything she wants EXCEPT sweets, and we'll have to limit our own intake when around her. Learning to feed, indeed.

TODAY'S COOKING
Vanilla Ice Cream: I made this custard on Friday but forgot to freeze the barrel, so I churned this morning. The custard was in the back of the fridge, on top, and about 1/3 of it froze. Frozen custard is NOT ice cream, as it freezes while stationary rather than being constantly scraped off a cold surface. So instead of having air whipped in and crystals being so tiny as to be smooth, instead you get an icey block with long, sharp crystals. I broke it up and stirred it the best I could, but the final result still has a little bit of icy crunch to it, boooo.

AM SNACK: 9:15am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 10:30am, toasted bagel with cream cheese, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

AM SNACK: 10:15am, spoonful of vanilla ice cream

LUNCH: 1:45pm, one vanilla ice cream sandwich, a few whole wheat farmer's market pretzels, a small bowl of health salad, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Putting together ice cream novelties, one ended up in my mouth. A little grazing in the kitchen before heading off to a July 4 gathering in Jersey, where I suspect there will be food.

DINNER: 6pm, creamy pasta, pizza with marscapone & prosciutto, 1 beer, 1 glass prosecco, 1.5 ice cream sandwiches, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5
For a 4th of July meal, this could have been a lot worse! The pizza-thing our hosts made was redolent in truffle oil, which makes me think....hmmm, not sure whether I love or loathe truffle oil. Truffles, I love (other than the price), but truffle oil, I dunno. Something weird about it, rings a wrong note, but it does remind me of truffles.


EVENING SNACK: 10pm, whole wheat pretzels, cashews & chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Morning Bleah

I'm finding that morning is the hardest part of the day to get through since my life has been thrown into some minor chaos with leaving the restaurant. Between the tiredness, Betsy & Edie rolling in lockstep, and my mind naturally going to pessimism, it's something I need to strategize -- whether it's food (jump start with chocolate covered coffee beans?), a routine or a ritual, I dunno. I lift weights M-W-F which definitely helps, but I think doing it more than that might be excessive. Maybe a combination of food, an act to help with a work search, and a light yoga routine? Hmmm, could anyone advise me on a light self-guided daily 10-minute yoga routine?!


TODAY'S COOKING
Ice Cream Sandwiches: Last week's left over mint ice cream was enough for about 15 sandwiches. Forgot to freeze the barrel, so will have to make to make the vanilla ice cream for another dozen tomorrow.
Health Salad: A nice simple vegan slaw for our vegan picnic on Monday!


BREAKFAST: 9am, iced green tea, 5 small pancakes, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

LUNCH: 12:30pm, penne in sauce with shrimp, ginger ale, 2 cc cookies, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5 

PM SNACK: 3:15pm, 1 small ice cream sandwich
Wasn't planning on eating this but MAP came over, and mommainlaw, B, MAP and even Edie were all eating these things I ate this morning, so I ate one to be sociable. Edie was going nuts on mommainlaw;s sandwich, licking the ice cream then grabbing her hand and pushing her face into it when it was pulled away from her, all the while strenuously repeating the word, "CAKE!"


PM SNACK: 4:45pm, slice of streetza, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Was in the playground, B was feeling hungry because all she had to eat all afternoon was...an ice cream sandwich, so I got a slice for her, and I couldn't just let her eat alone!

DINNER: 6:30pm, shrimp toast, small amount of beef & string beans with white rice, ice cream sandwich, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACK: 9:30pm, left over beef & string beans with rice, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

Of Two Minds

230.2--->227.4--->221.0

Well, this is the lightest I've been in a while. I'm of two minds, as I usually am about this stuff...

• Negative: Work stress from finishing up at the restaurant definitely saw a lack of appetite for a few weeks -- starvation diet is not sustainable, healthy or desirable. 
• Positive: I've been riding a lot more the past few weeks, I've cut back on restaurant and take away food to try to budget better, and this past month I've notched up the amount of weight I've been lifting three times a week. My routine now includes two sets of push ups, 18 and 9. The greatest number of push ups at my peak strength in high school was 10. I'm sure if I tried to blow out, I could hit 25 to 30....

Babysitter came, and spent the morning picking up groceries, a few things fro the farmers market, the pet store, and diapers and a potty from the baby store. Popped home for a smoothie then jumped back on the bike to meet B at the doc for a scan of the fetus.

TODAY'S COOKING
Creme Anglais: Another round for ice cream sandwiches for taking to various holiday weekend events, this time sticking with traditional vanilla, though more vanilla-y than most.
Chocolate Chip Cookies: Used dark chocolate chips, a bit further with the brown sugar and less with the white. Had to bite Betsy from going beserk on them when she got home, now under lock and key in the freezer until ready to be sandwichatized.

AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea


BREAKFAST: 10:45am, smoothie, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
Milk, banana, flax, a lot of fresh blueberries that Edie hasn't been eating but we got a lot from the CSA, frozen mango and cherries, vanilla extract and salt. Forgot the yogurt, still exceptionally thick and filling.

LUNCH: 1:30pm, red curry with shrimp, basmanti rice, a beer, a few bites of cookie, a few bites of cupcake, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Celebratory lunch on the UES with B & her momma, we just had an anatomy scan to check the new bebe for health and gender. Yep, it's a healthy babay!



PM SNACK: 4:40pm, watermelon, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 7pm, large green salad, breaded tilapia fillet, pickle, water, 1 cc chip cookie,  1 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACK: 9pm, popcorn, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
I used twice the amount of butter and olive oil in making this batch -- Betsy said it was the best yet, though I didn't tell her why, he he he.

A Walk Around

Chill day, play ground with Edie in the morning, a walk around downtown in the afternoon and meeting with B for dinner in a park then more wandering. Prelude to the holiday weekend, I suppose.

AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea

LUNCH: 11:30am, good yogurt with honey, vanilla, peanuts, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5 

DINNER: 5pm,  falafel platter, small piece of baklava, lemonade, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


EVENING SNACKS: 9-10pm, chocolate chips & peanuts, 2 small burritos, small amount of pasta, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5

1-Pack

Woke up to Edie doing a hard belly flop onto my middle (OOFAH!) As I was doing a small stretch in prep for weight lifting, I noticed a weird curve in my upper-midsection. I felt it, pressed it, prodded it, is it a hernia? It felt firm but pliant, no discomfort or pain...it's a muscle!! I have a 1-pack! Call the fitness magazines! Call Hollywood! My fat pad still pretty much hides whats been developing these past 3 or so months, but it was still pretty nice to see, however fleeting.

Edie had the day with the sitter & summer camp, so I spent part of the morning working on work-related matters, then road the bike to Coney Island and back. Indulged in a Chinese brick -- it makes sense to do this for lunch and after a strenuous activity, as compared to a bigger brick for dinner, where I probably hadn't done much of nuthin'. And a full stomach helps shopping rationally at the supermarket, which I did right after.

AM SNACK: 8am, iced green tea

BREAKFAST: 9:30am, 4 small buttermilk pancakes, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5


LUNCH: 2:15pm, lomein & fried rice, small wonton soup, water, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5

DINNER: 7:45, green salad, 2 pieces breaded tilapia, large piece of watermelon, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
I bought a big bag of breaded raw tilapia at the supermarket,  a few pounds for under $12. Farm raised in China, I wonder if this cheap protein is ok. Funny to eat it with a green salad of CSA vegetables. One side organic and local, the other side of the plate....less so.


EVENING SNACK: 10pm, peanut butter with chocolate chips, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Kale Fail

The day wore me out in a good way yesterday, fell asleep around 11 and got 9 hours sleep. Woke up sore and muscle-tired in a few places. Took Edie to a music event in Madison Square Park in the morning, out to the swings in the afternoon.

Cutting back restaurant and take out food, ate everything mostly homemade today. Got a load of salad greens at the CSA, had a bowl full o' them before my heaping bowl of pasta.

TODAY'S COOKING
Kale chips: Got an excessive amount of kale from the CSA today. Deveined it, chopped it, tossed it with olive oil and old bay seasoning. Roasted at 375 for 12 minutes. Discovery: too much oil, came out crunchy in spots and wet in others. Ate a little, then had to toss. Will do it better next time.

AM SNACK: 9am, green iced tea


AM SNACK: 9:45am, banana


LUNCH: 12:45pm, 3 mini burritos, 2 pickles, a lump of brown rice & lentils, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 3pm, watermelon, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 6pm, a few kale chips, pasta with sauce and fresh basil, salad greens with Greek dressing, a small piece of CSA cheese, can of ginger ale, 2 mint ice cream sandwiches, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Riding

Edie started summer camp today, just a few hours in the morning Mondays and Wednesdays, in the same place where she'll be starting preschool in September. She's growing up!

Lifted weights in the morning. The weather was too perfect to not cycle, so I rode up to Nyack and back. Weird riding out there on a Monday. Not many other cyclists, but a lot of tree-trimming trucks, Con Ed and Verizon trucks, etc, jamming up the roadways.

AM SNACK: 7:30am, iced green tea


BREAKFAST: 9:15am, toasted bagel w/ cream cheese, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


BIKE SNACK: 1pm, bag of corn chips, banana, pack of 3 cc cookies, 24 oz Gatorade, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 5:30pm, pancakes, can of ginger ale, one mint cc cookie ice cream sandwich, water, 1.75 bowl, hunger 4/5
On the way home I was kinda vibing on getting a brick of Chinese, but B texted that she wanted pancakes, so instead of spending $6 on a brick, I stopped by the local market and got $6 worth of top-shelf buttermilk and cooked up enough pancakes to last me & the fam a solid week. A good investment.

Harmonious Ice Cream Sandwiches

I went out in the morning to collect a few local delicacies -- knishes, bialies, pickles -- for a couple of B's friends who came over for an easy brunch.

I assembled the ice cream sandwiches in the morning, and they were pretty good -- the cookies were only about 1.5 wide, so two or three of them could make a portion. The strong vanilla presence in both the ice cream and the cookie really tied it together, but the mint of the filling and the brown sugar and chocolate of the cookie sang together in good harmony.

Also in three-part harmony, B, Edie & I all took blissful naps in the afternoon and got back to it after a quickie lunch. I took Edie out to the swings, then food shop, then once home, I took off to visit the HVS in Brooklyn. After a local restaurant meal, the rarest of rare happened: a snicklebikeride! We did a loop around Prospect Park on one of the most beautiful nights of the year, not cold, not warm, just right.

We spoke of a weight-loss challenge, which I think will be good for me about now, so starting Friday the 1st, I'll institute some new rule or approach to limiting my calorie intake and increasing my low-density food intake....

BREAKFAST: 8am, iced green tea

AM SNACK: 9:30am, 6 misshapen chocolate chip cookies, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


BRUNCH: 10:30am, knish, half a mimosa, a pickle, one mint ice cream sandwich, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5


PM SNACK: 3:45pm, half a knish, a little watermelon, water, .25 bowl, hunger 4/5


SNICKLEDINNER: 7:30pm, vegan singapore mei fun, a few veg dumplings, a few veg samosas, half a peanut butter bomb, water, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

Pretty lucky

The scene I witnessed yesterday made the cover of the NY Post -- oddly pushing coverage of the passage of gay marriage in NY State off the front page. The woman lost her job and her boyfriend dumped her on the same day, and I think the article mentioned she was only living in the building for a week, so I imagine that could have been an unstable situation, too. I'm a pretty lucky guy.

A little sore from lifting yesterday, which is a good thing -- soreness means the lifting is making a difference. And Gawd knows so many people work out mindlessly with out the push to get out of the comfort zone, and wondering why nothing changes. Something is changing!




TODAY'S COOKING:
Machta Ice Tea: Haven't had tea in a while, time to get back on that horse. 1.8 ounce of the stuff was $16, so I think I'm going to either switch or find it in bulk on-line, like I do with uber-expensive vanilla beans. In the meantime, I used .9 ounce to steep a gallon of water, but I noticed on the packaging the leaves can be used twice. So though it'll fill the fridge up for a while, it's a good efficiency.
Mint Ice Cream: Made the custard yesterday with mint we got from the CSA. Tastes pretty damn fresh, and the extra vanilla bean doesn't hurt.
Chocolate Chip cookies: How does one define a chocolate chip cookie? Chocolate chips, sure. Vanilla flavor cookie, ok. Equal parts brown and white sugar creamed with butter, that's key. It's such a constricted formula, but it tastes so good!
Rice & Lentils: Wanted a side dish for burritos. Dumped a 2 cups of shortgrain brown rice and 1 cup of black lentils into the rice cooker with 8 cups of water, salt, smoked paprika, ground up some dried mushrooms, onion powder and white pepper. Came out pretty tasty.

BREAKFAST: 9am, banana


LUNCH: 1:15pm, watermelon, pasta with sauce and a little cheese, a spoonful of mint ice cream, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 3:30pm, a beer, a slice of pizza, a small square of blackbean brownie, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5


DINNER: 8:30pm, 2 homemade burritos, brown rice & lentils, water, 4 chocolate chip cookies, 1.25 bowl, hunger 4/5

OOFAH!

When Edie jumps on me in the morning, the noise I make when the air is pushed out of my chest is, more or less, "OOFAH!" Now Edie likes running up to me or B with a slap/hug and shouts "OOFAH!"

Well, I left the restaurant, and while I did give 2 weeks notice, my last day was this past Monday, with the drama and silliness I expected from a boss with whom my relationship was rather odd and always sort of unstable for the two years I worked with him. Basically, for the past several weeks the wind has been knocked out of me in slow motion, and is only slowly coming back to me in the same sluggish way.

I've been taking it easy this week, and B has been spectacularly supportive, the best wife/friend/life partner/mom I could have ever hoped to meet (and marry & impregnate & stuff!) I don't know if the wallowing and the existential crisis and the feeling-sorry-for-myself is over yet, but I'm starting to come back to normal, and have a more positive outlook. I lifted weights this morning for the first time in weeks, felt good. Got a call about a potential gig from a contact last night, don't know if it's for me but taking a meeting next week.

My family is in good health. Our home is clean and comfortable. And I don't ever have to go back to work for that guy. My three goals: cook some, see friends I've neglected lately, and slowly ease into a work search.


BRUNCH: 11:15am, small pastrami sandwich, a little lomein, a little coleslaw, pickle, a cheesy cracker, a few weird multigrain pringles, a bite of pizza, a forkful of pizza, a spoonful of ice cream, .75 bowl, hunger 45
Edie graduated from her NYC funded early learning and literacy program, which she has been attending twice a week for the past 3 months or so. B came, and there was a parent-donated spread, which was fun to graze through.

After dropping B off at the subway, we came upon a dramatic scene at the corner of Canal and Essex. The entire intersection was roped off with police tape, and hundreds of people were standing around looking at a roof. We joined the crowd and looked, and there was a young Asian woman sitting awkwardly on the edge of a building, while two beefy cops seemed to be talking to her. After a couple of minutes, she started gesturing and seemed to start sliding off, when the cops grabbed her and dragged her out of view. There was a collective gasp, then a collective cheer. Walking away as the crowd dispersed, I couldn't help but think why she was there. It's easy to dismiss as simply a crazy person, but what if it was something else? Family problems? Lost her job? Lost her life savings? Betrayal? Made a mistake she can't live with? Who knows? It's sad. My times are hard right now, but not in a jump-off-the-roof hard. Thank goodness for B&E! And the foundation my parents gave me. And my friends. And my bicycles.

DINNER: 6:25pm, 4 small homemade burritos, seared shrimp, water, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Made blackbeans overnight a couple of days ago, nice and thick and tasty. Today made some guac and grated some mild cheddar, wrapped them in small whole wheat tortillas. Skipped the rice. Between the intensity of the beans and the onioniness of the guac, think these are my best yet. Betsy got rather upset about the heavy oily shrimp steam released into the house, agitating her impregnated state. Man, no meal without heavy emotional drama today.....

EVENING SNACK: midnight, cheese steak, watermelon, chocolate chip & peanuts, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Feeling relaxed in a quiet house, got the munchies and went to town. Not the healthiest eating day nutritionally, but definitely a healing day emotionally. Gotta get down on some salad yo.

Update

OK, maybe I wasn't totally honest in my last post. Part of my lack of appetite was the heat, but another part was things changing at work -- it seems my last day at the resto will be this coming Wednesday. I'm still eating lightly, and this weekend I'll attempt my longest bike-ride yet, 145 miles. I'll be back to reporting everything I eat when my appetite goes back to normal, probably next Thursday!!

My only concern is prepping for the weekend ride -- I can not attempt a ride like that without topping off the glycerin supply in my muscles a day or two before. Good thing I'll have time with my wife and my beautiful Edie to relax with!

Update

OK, maybe I wasn't totally honest in my last post. Part of my lack of appetite was the heat, but another part was things changing at work -- it seems my last day at the resto will be this coming Wednesday. I'm still eating lightly, and this weekend I'll attempt my longest bike-ride yet, 145 miles. I'll be back to reporting everything I eat when my appetite goes back to normal, probably next Thursday!!

My only concern is prepping for the weekend ride -- I can not attempt a ride like that without topping off the glycerin supply in my muscles a day or two before. Good thing I'll have time with my wife and my beautiful Edie to relax with!

Heat Break

The last couple of days has been unprecedented heat in NYC, way too hot for this early in the season. The result has been a lack of appetite, drinking a lot of water, but not a lot of eating. Being that I'm spending a lot of time in the kitchen this weekend cooking for Edie's 2nd birthday party this Sunday, I'm going to take a break from this blog and return on Monday with a summary! Thanks, all my 2 readers....

Proper

This morning, Edie insisted on sharing my bagel with me. Shed stand next to where I was sitting at the kitchen table and say, "more!" until I gave her a bite. It's a real NYC bagel, so shed sink her teeth in as far as she could, then pull back with her full weight until her bite tore away. Even before she would swallow, shed ask for more and I had to tell her to chew and swallow before another bite. Yep, she's being raised to be a proper NYC gal.

BREAKFAST: 7:45am, iced green tea, pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
LUNCH: 12:45pm, 3 slices superthin pizza, 8oz Sprite, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 4pm, green salad, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
PM SNACK: 5pm, 3 slices of cheeseless sauceless mushroom and onion pizza, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5