Continuing adventures of: The saving gas carrot

This afternoon I get word that while I'll be getting the equipment to be ABLE to work from home this week, I won't be SET UP to work from home this week. New ETA on that? Not sure but soon he promises. Soon.

Well played Mr. Carrot.... Well played.

Apparently Phx has some of the cheapest gas in the country right now, which both surprises me and makes me sad for the rest of them. But to me, it's not just the $ I'll save in gas. It's the combo of $ saved in Gas, Starbucks, Fast Food, lunches, and other "stop on the way home" spots in combination with the Health benefits of not wasting the gas, not being overly tempted by the bad food on the way in to work, not thinking I'll just grab dinner on the way home because I'm tired, not spending more $ on food when I have a fridge full of the stuff at home. This is why this carrot is so particularly large for me. It really touches on all I want to do to be living more healthy on a daily basis.

Now - will I actually be given the equipment... Hmmm... stay tuned...

Dangling ideas

They made a fuel cell car go over 200 mph. I should be excited I know. Part of me is happy. But most likely when one of these suckers does come on the market I won't be able to afford it anyhow, much like the current Prius of my dreams. And then it's just dangling out there.

Speaking of dangling...

I was told I'll get all the stuff for working from home this Thursday and I'll set it all up at home on Friday. Again, I see the string attached to this carrot so I'm not holding my breath - but MAN I sure am looking forward to it!

And just to tie up any loose ends - the scale lied. I must have had a sleepy hand on the counter or something. In good news, I've been having some good chats with The Girlfriend and I think I have her convinced to start being healthy in our "home eating" shortly. Fingers crossed...

Too fat for advice?

After looking at several different web resources, trying to look at options for "diets" and general health plans, I stumbled upon an article that mentioned the United States Department of Agriculture had changed the whole Food Pyramid thing into something that could be personalized for you. It's called MyPyramid. So, I go there. Here's what it says

"MyPyramid Plan offers you a personal eating plan with the foods and amounts that are right for you. Click on the MyPyramid Plan box to get started." (color emphasis mine)

Figure I'd give it a shot.

So I enter all my information even the optional stuff -

Age
Sex
Weight (Optional)
Height (Optional)
Physical activity level (3 options under 30, 30-60 or over 60 min a day)

And this is what I get back. (Click to be able to read clearly)

We're sorry. We can't tell you what you should be eating. Because you are too fat. And then the greatest insult - Would you like to see what a NORMAL person of your age, sex and height should be eating???

Seriously - I want to hurt someone. Some naturally skinny person who wrote this because they don't think fat folks would care about their health enough to know what they should be eating.

GRRRRR!

I think I have a new level of hatred for Mr Food Pyramid.

The impossible 2

How much blog-space has been filled by girls chatting about that special visit from Aunt Flo? Too much I'm sure. That said....

So today I was feeling a bit like a pain filled balloon about to burst when one of those negative thoughts passed my brain. "Wonder how much fatter you are now with all this 'stuff' in here?" And since I was, conveniently, walking past the scale, I gave in. How much fatter would I be?

230???? Is it broken??? How could I weigh 2 pounds less right now than I did a few weeks ago? I've been eating fast food. I know I haven't been drinking enough water. I haven't gone to the gym. The night before for dinner I had a Quesadilla - and then a small bowl of ice cream for dessert. How did I lose 2lbs. ???

Well, I knew that I needed to get things back in line. I've already been starting to get things "in order" at my house via organizing kitchen cabinets and such. This always happens before I start eating well. Healthy nesting instinct. I think I should take this as motivation. If I can somehow magically lose 2lbs when practicing bad habits, maybe some of their friends will go join them when I start back on some of the good habits? It's a nice idea. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Tea for two... or three reasons

I love drinks. All kinds. Generally I lean more toward the non-alchoholic type. Tea, soda, chocolate milk, punch, juice, coffee, fizz, milkshakes (they kinda count, right?) - if you can put in a straw, I'm a happy girl. I especially enjoy those things that cross genres. Tea w/ fruit juice. Fruity italian sodas. Chai Latte (Milk + Tea).

While I enjoy these things, I was realizing that I was buying quite a few of these single serving items in glass containers. Not tons of course, but at least several each month. I started doing my mental eco-math and realized that something needed to stop or at least slow down.

I pulled out my often "just used for parties" iced tea maker. I love this so much, I'm shocked I don't use it more. I'm starting to play with different combinations of tea - something that (shockingly) I'd never really thought about doing before. My current fav combo is 1 family sized Luzianne Tea bag and 1 mint tea bag. Yummy minty tea!!! Perfect for summer and I'm never even encouraged to pull out the sweetener. Mind you - I LOVE good sweet tea. But I'm hoping that not only can I save a few bottles by making it en masse, but I'll also save a few calories.

Less waste. Less calories. Less money. Totally healthy.

When time flies, healthy flies

Time is flying recently! Positively flying!

Big parties and planning and folks coming in from out of town and food and cooking and baking and going out to eat/drink/socialize day after day after day. Not that I'm really complaining but OH my goodness time sure does go quickly when you're busy.

Unfortunately, this has brought with it convenience food - as we're always on the go, or the kind of special "bad" foods that are only made when folks are in town or for special parties. And of course there has been no time to go to the gym, yet that $50 leaves my check account month after month. And then many of the friends/family don't understand how we recycle so it's a matter of trying to casually pick out those cans and bottles out of the trash, dump and rinse them and put them into the recycle - without being called "The Recycle Nazi" too many times through the night.

So while absolutely wonderful, the last month hasn't exactly been "healthy". That said, my number on the scale has not changed. So apparently I haven't gone too overboard. That said, I've been saying how important it is that we make some clear changes shortly. The Girlfriend wants those changes in organizing the house. I'd have a messy house if it meant I was spending more time cooking healthy foods and going to the gym - but I know we need to find a happy medium between the two to keep a happy and "healthy" house.

Micro-eco steps

Lately I'm obsessing over little things.

Example One: Which is better - a small paper towel, a paper plate, or wasting water to wash a dish when in a drought. Answer - I go dish, unless I'm feeling unbelievably lazy - which happens. Then paper towel.

Example Two: Is it ecologically better to drive to the music store to purchase a new CD or to download the album - when I know I'll end up burning it to a CD anyhow. I mean, the energy to Internet search and burn + disc (and possibly trashed disc if first one doesn't work perfectly as happens sometimes) + Jewel case I'll end up using + paper I'll end up writing names of songs on or using the gas to buy something that already exists? Answer. I buy the cd. From a local independently owned music store like Stinkweeds. I feel like that somehow balances things. Though considering the nearest one to me is 20 min away, I'm not sure it's quite an even trade.

Example Three: I start debating about which way to drive to work in the morning. Fairly straight path on regular surface roads (lots of lights) that gets me here in about 25-30 min, 45MPH with exception of 4 school zones that take it to 15. OR do I take the freeway which is actually a farther in miles driven, takes 20-25 min on a good day, 30-35 on a bad day - but is almost completely non-stop so I'm theoretically using less gas. But then you have to factor in that you use more gas going faster. Answer - I take the streets. But I wrestle with this one often. [And yes - I know it would be better to take the bus, and I would LOVE to do it, but that just doesn't work well in my city. Not would I have to walk more than a mile each way to and from the stops, but also it would take an hour an a half of just driving time. So, that plus 20 min of walking on each side would make for an approximate 2 hour and 15 minute commute. And no one wants to be walking 40 minutes in Phoenix heat before walking into a professional office. Just doesn't work.]

Yes - these are helplessly small things. But if I put a nickel a day in a piggy bank from the time I was 5 until now it would be almost $550. Is that huge? No. But it adds up. And it wouldn't have hurt much to give it either. Just like these little things I do, or try to do. They may be small decisions, but if each one of those were an ecological "nickel", and I found 10 of those tiny things to do, then 25 years from now I will have added almost $2300 to the ecological economy. Not too bad.... not bad at all.

Besides, wouldn't you rather be paying INTO it, than to get that as a bill in a few years?

Product or packaging?

Petco offers bulk kitty litter. It's your standard clumpable clay based litter. And so - I realized I was in a bit of an ecological quandary. Continue to buy the wheat based litter that is better for the environment - but requires a new box every month OR buy the litter that isn't so good for the environment - but requires absolutely no waste of packaging.

This is kind of a tough one.

I think I'm going to stick with the wheat for now. We're still in that slow transition period with the kitty. I have quite the picky kitty and these things take time. We're not quite at a 50/50 mix - but like 35% wheat/65% clay. But if she decides wheat isn't good enough for her waste - I at least feel better knowing that a low waste (no packaging) option is available.