Yes, it's that time. Some ball drops, most people drink too much and then wake up and it's just like the day before. Well that hangover might not be a daily thing.
I spent an hour talking to the in-laws about how they should go about putting some things away, food and water. They actually initiated the meeting and even had some appetizers and wine for us. Brother in-law wants some information as well, and now I'm wondering if I missed some big event or news story.
Perhaps some people just 'wake up'. It's actually humbling, considering I think I don't know much and sort of stumble around and get lucky. A years worth of food for 2 people can be very inexpensive but variety is what costs a lot of money. Sustain life or sustain and enjoy it a little more. Oatmeal for a year once a day would make me vomit, but it will keep me alive along with other things. The biggest concern I have for them is an adequate supply of medicine, lucky nothing that needs to be stored in a fridge. We were having a good discussion until the budget came up, and suddenly everything got derailed about how the spreadsheet doesn't make sense to me. The expenses they have each month are mind boggling and if they want to save so the money lasts then they have to make changes right away. I'm talking about little things like grocery store shopping once every 2 weeks, not each day. Shopping each day for food can easily add up to $1200 or more a month.
We are overrun at work with business, not complaining, but our employees need to get off their asses and work. Shift workers bother me, it's like giving away free money when you have customers waiting 10 minutes to get helped... and all the employees who are working are already with customers. I'm charming and can distract some people for a few minutes, I just want everyone to work all day like I am so we can all have bigger paychecks.
This is a short post, I have to order lunch for the management staff, we can't leave our desks. Have a safe weekend, make some 2012 goals and most of all have a great time living.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Back to normal
Well I suppose I'm not normal so getting back to normal isn't really a good statement. The normal people scare me.
My weekend without using the computer was a success, I didn't even watch the news. Spending time with family and friends is always nice, the holidays just make it a little more festive. We had a traditional Christmas dinner that ended up being later than planned, somehow 4 bottles of wine got emptied and then no one really cared about dinner so much. I don't really drink so I was just relaxing and cooking the turkey when I realized everything was done and I had to herd everyone to the plates. Fun.
I'm looking forward to the new year, time to make some goals and slowly check them off my list. Planning a trip to Mexico later in 2012, planning a trip to Moab in the spring. I have a lot of weekends booked up with work events so I have to plan everything very carefully, nobody can take my place and do things the way I like. Lot's of running to do, my training is going well, getting back on track after all the snow (hard to run for a few hours when it's so deep).
All the food laying about this weekend got me thinking and I spent a couple hours in my food storage checking supplies. After reading an article by another blogger (http://whatifitistoday.blogspot.com/) about food, I was wondering how much I really have. Inventories and such are fine but when you actually put pen to paper and calculate, things can change. I was very confident that I have a lot of food, about 2+ years worth. After figuring a lot of things out, and some guessing, I'm pretty accurate in that figure but I do need a few more things in the basics category (pasta and flour). Huge variety and the ability to cook, drink and clean made me very comfortable.
I also realized when SHTF that I will have a lot of company, but that's a post for tomorrow perhaps.
My weekend without using the computer was a success, I didn't even watch the news. Spending time with family and friends is always nice, the holidays just make it a little more festive. We had a traditional Christmas dinner that ended up being later than planned, somehow 4 bottles of wine got emptied and then no one really cared about dinner so much. I don't really drink so I was just relaxing and cooking the turkey when I realized everything was done and I had to herd everyone to the plates. Fun.
I'm looking forward to the new year, time to make some goals and slowly check them off my list. Planning a trip to Mexico later in 2012, planning a trip to Moab in the spring. I have a lot of weekends booked up with work events so I have to plan everything very carefully, nobody can take my place and do things the way I like. Lot's of running to do, my training is going well, getting back on track after all the snow (hard to run for a few hours when it's so deep).
All the food laying about this weekend got me thinking and I spent a couple hours in my food storage checking supplies. After reading an article by another blogger (http://whatifitistoday.blogspot.com/) about food, I was wondering how much I really have. Inventories and such are fine but when you actually put pen to paper and calculate, things can change. I was very confident that I have a lot of food, about 2+ years worth. After figuring a lot of things out, and some guessing, I'm pretty accurate in that figure but I do need a few more things in the basics category (pasta and flour). Huge variety and the ability to cook, drink and clean made me very comfortable.
I also realized when SHTF that I will have a lot of company, but that's a post for tomorrow perhaps.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Merry Christmas, a little early
I'm going to be busy the next few days so I figured I would get a post up while I had time. 2 feet of snow this morning and it's still coming down hard. I'm not concerned at all, I enjoy when it snows like this. It's better then 3 inches that turns to slush, at least this is a workout when I shovel. The dogs were having a blast tearing around and leaping over the snowbanks I made shoveling, even a squirrel braved the snow to wave it's tail around and get Rock barking.
What a great morning in the canyon.
I'm looking forward to a nice run tonight too, it's a fantastic workout, sort of like doing slow squats up and down. My neighbor was shoveling this morning and had just gotten done running and told me I should call in and go for a few miles. Tempting. It's going to be negative temp's tonight so I'm really looking forward to grocery shopping and pulling people out of the ditches and sidewalks.
Whatever your plans for this weekend, if any, Merry Christmas. Have a safe and joyous weekend.
What a great morning in the canyon.
I'm looking forward to a nice run tonight too, it's a fantastic workout, sort of like doing slow squats up and down. My neighbor was shoveling this morning and had just gotten done running and told me I should call in and go for a few miles. Tempting. It's going to be negative temp's tonight so I'm really looking forward to grocery shopping and pulling people out of the ditches and sidewalks.
Whatever your plans for this weekend, if any, Merry Christmas. Have a safe and joyous weekend.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
It feels like Christmas!
I love nice weather, it doesn't matter if it's snowing or sunny, all the weather is nice. If you can't control it, try to enjoy it. Crisp air that makes your nostrils stick a little, crunchy snow under your feet. Wearing a stocking cap even if your hair looks like you are a teenager who hasn't showered in a week, once you take it off. Passing people on the road who made 2 eye holes in the snow and ice on the windshield; it's not Halloween folks. I think it's like texting and driving, it's not worth my life and a couple minutes won't hurt especially if you plan ahead.
and that damn kettle bell ringing drives me to the brink of insanity.
Yes, the holidays are almost here.
Then of course it's fun to run at night and look at all the holiday lights up around the area. The Broadmoor hotel is real close to the house and they do a lot of lights each year. It causes some major traffic issues this week until new years, but as long as they stay off the sidewalks and I pay attention, it's just traffic. Around the neighborhood there are a lot of million dollar homes that try and outdo each other with lights, but still remain pretty classy in tradition and nothing too gaudy. People with 30 yard spot lights just blind the crap out of me, perhaps they are doing it for security but each one of those houses has a 10+ foot shadow around the house... so much for security, maybe they like a big light bill.
My Christmas cards finally showed up just in time to get them out to a few people who will be surprised I actually did cards for the first time in 15 years. I will get them out in the mail tomorrow so they shouldn't be late, but it's the message not the time. With so much negative and bad stuff I decided to try and put a smile on faces of my best friends and family, I hope it works. My Brother will be surprised to get a gift card for Lowes, something I debated doing, he doesn't like to talk about me and my life. I don't do it to compare but when he asks me what I've been doing, I tell him, and that's the end of that conversation.
Look, more cookies arrived! really.
and that damn kettle bell ringing drives me to the brink of insanity.
Yes, the holidays are almost here.
Then of course it's fun to run at night and look at all the holiday lights up around the area. The Broadmoor hotel is real close to the house and they do a lot of lights each year. It causes some major traffic issues this week until new years, but as long as they stay off the sidewalks and I pay attention, it's just traffic. Around the neighborhood there are a lot of million dollar homes that try and outdo each other with lights, but still remain pretty classy in tradition and nothing too gaudy. People with 30 yard spot lights just blind the crap out of me, perhaps they are doing it for security but each one of those houses has a 10+ foot shadow around the house... so much for security, maybe they like a big light bill.
My Christmas cards finally showed up just in time to get them out to a few people who will be surprised I actually did cards for the first time in 15 years. I will get them out in the mail tomorrow so they shouldn't be late, but it's the message not the time. With so much negative and bad stuff I decided to try and put a smile on faces of my best friends and family, I hope it works. My Brother will be surprised to get a gift card for Lowes, something I debated doing, he doesn't like to talk about me and my life. I don't do it to compare but when he asks me what I've been doing, I tell him, and that's the end of that conversation.
Look, more cookies arrived! really.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Mountain house lasagna
I always wonder if people who have a lot of food in the house can never find anything to eat. I swear I am going to wear out the hinges on the cupboards sometime soon. I was done running, didn't have a lot to eat for the day and was scouring the house thinking I don't have anything to eat and there isn't any food in the house.
Seriously, what was I thinking. My creative process was shut down by my hunger, but I've dropped from 4500 calories a day to 2000 so it's a real struggle. I'm working my way back up slowly, in conjunction with my running plan. I really don't need 4k calories a day when I am only running 2-3 miles a day for the next few weeks. This really works great with my holiday schedule, I seem to be split between all kinds of things and places but I can always break time out for a 30 minute run.
Oh ya...
You may be wondering why this picture is sideways... well so am I. It's vertical on my desktop, online, etc. But blogger wants it to be horizontal and I can't seem to change it. Choose your battles.
I had a mountain house lasagna 2 serving pouch sitting around from a camping trip so I decided that would be dinner. Tea kettle whistles, pour in 2 cups of water and stir (then cuss at yourself as you pull out the oxygen absorber covered in melted cheese) and let sit for 10 minutes. I can eat anything, especially being from a poor family growing up and almost 10 years in the Army. The lasagna with meat sauce was actually really good and while I ate the whole 2.5 serving pouch instead of sharing, I wasn't hungry! I give this a good review!
In a real emergency or even a backpacking situation, it's not a lot of calories but it will keep you from starving and get you somewhat fueled up. I think making a side of elbow noodles and mixing it all in would be the perfect combination.
I've done 3 runs with my heart rate monitor and it's pretty interesting. I used to think I was working hard but it turns out I was backing off a lot on the hard stuff. Running up a steep hill seems like I am working hard but in reality my heart rate is LOWER than if I was running on a flat surface. Mentally I think that breathing hard and heavy legs means I am really trying. Now my effort is based on heart rate and I am literally taking minutes off my old record times. My old limits on effort are going away, it's good to get in better shape even though I thought I was cardio fit.
Speaking of running, new dog Rock was very calm last night downstairs while I was in my office, I was very proud of him. Then I noticed it's cause he was busy eating my running shoe. By the time I discovered it, he was doing other dog things so I couldn't really scold him, he wouldn't understand why. My fault for leaving them on the floor where they belong.... I think I can salvage it, will find out tonight if it will cut into my ankle at all. I will bring a blister pad just in case.
Seriously, what was I thinking. My creative process was shut down by my hunger, but I've dropped from 4500 calories a day to 2000 so it's a real struggle. I'm working my way back up slowly, in conjunction with my running plan. I really don't need 4k calories a day when I am only running 2-3 miles a day for the next few weeks. This really works great with my holiday schedule, I seem to be split between all kinds of things and places but I can always break time out for a 30 minute run.
Oh ya...
You may be wondering why this picture is sideways... well so am I. It's vertical on my desktop, online, etc. But blogger wants it to be horizontal and I can't seem to change it. Choose your battles.
I had a mountain house lasagna 2 serving pouch sitting around from a camping trip so I decided that would be dinner. Tea kettle whistles, pour in 2 cups of water and stir (then cuss at yourself as you pull out the oxygen absorber covered in melted cheese) and let sit for 10 minutes. I can eat anything, especially being from a poor family growing up and almost 10 years in the Army. The lasagna with meat sauce was actually really good and while I ate the whole 2.5 serving pouch instead of sharing, I wasn't hungry! I give this a good review!
In a real emergency or even a backpacking situation, it's not a lot of calories but it will keep you from starving and get you somewhat fueled up. I think making a side of elbow noodles and mixing it all in would be the perfect combination.
I've done 3 runs with my heart rate monitor and it's pretty interesting. I used to think I was working hard but it turns out I was backing off a lot on the hard stuff. Running up a steep hill seems like I am working hard but in reality my heart rate is LOWER than if I was running on a flat surface. Mentally I think that breathing hard and heavy legs means I am really trying. Now my effort is based on heart rate and I am literally taking minutes off my old record times. My old limits on effort are going away, it's good to get in better shape even though I thought I was cardio fit.
Speaking of running, new dog Rock was very calm last night downstairs while I was in my office, I was very proud of him. Then I noticed it's cause he was busy eating my running shoe. By the time I discovered it, he was doing other dog things so I couldn't really scold him, he wouldn't understand why. My fault for leaving them on the floor where they belong.... I think I can salvage it, will find out tonight if it will cut into my ankle at all. I will bring a blister pad just in case.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
What do I pay these people for?
The phone call early Sunday morning from a work related number is never good, especially when you stay up really late Saturday night. The alarm at work is going off, and unlike a normal door sensor, this code is for glass break. The police have been dispatched and there are 2 command centers within 2 miles so I'm expecting someone would meet me there.
The owner and I show up a few minutes apart but the vandals are long gone, riding 2 bicycles they apparently needed more than we did. It could have been a lot worse, there is a lot to steal here, but we keep the building locked up internally as well dividing it into 3 sections. Customer information getting stolen is of course a nightmare but they were after the 7 year old cheap bicycles they must have seen when walking by the building.
When the police finally show up 30 minutes later they take us on our word we should be here at 5am, and there are no fingerprints to be done of the door, on the rock tossed in the window, etc. Lame, really. We pay to have police dispatching when the alarm goes off, I wonder if I can get my money back.
Had we shown up and needed the police, we would have had to handle the situation without them. It's another reminder to not count on anyone and to be prepared for as many situations as you can be. Having a no weapons at work policy really bothers me on a daily basis, but we had a good laugh that we both were armed. Perhaps now I can get an exemption to the policy.
The other bad part is the alarm company failed to inform us that the digital recorder for half of the 16 cameras had failed a week prior and was no longer recording or storing data for 7 days like it should have. If they know the system isn't working correctly, they should have told me and I would have made some changes to record only the important areas. The cameras look fine on the display, they just didn't record... It's not like it would have done any good, I just wanted to see the bastards in case they had worked here before (that's usually the case in business robberies not bank or medicinal related). I wonder if I can get my money back.
On a positive note I got a heart rate monitor for my training runs and so far it's pretty neat. If I'm feeling like crap I can still have a good workout and I can really train the right way instead of guessing. The 50 mile training program I started is going to be hard but I'm determined to give it my best and hopefully see some huge improvements in my health and my running.
The owner and I show up a few minutes apart but the vandals are long gone, riding 2 bicycles they apparently needed more than we did. It could have been a lot worse, there is a lot to steal here, but we keep the building locked up internally as well dividing it into 3 sections. Customer information getting stolen is of course a nightmare but they were after the 7 year old cheap bicycles they must have seen when walking by the building.
When the police finally show up 30 minutes later they take us on our word we should be here at 5am, and there are no fingerprints to be done of the door, on the rock tossed in the window, etc. Lame, really. We pay to have police dispatching when the alarm goes off, I wonder if I can get my money back.
Had we shown up and needed the police, we would have had to handle the situation without them. It's another reminder to not count on anyone and to be prepared for as many situations as you can be. Having a no weapons at work policy really bothers me on a daily basis, but we had a good laugh that we both were armed. Perhaps now I can get an exemption to the policy.
The other bad part is the alarm company failed to inform us that the digital recorder for half of the 16 cameras had failed a week prior and was no longer recording or storing data for 7 days like it should have. If they know the system isn't working correctly, they should have told me and I would have made some changes to record only the important areas. The cameras look fine on the display, they just didn't record... It's not like it would have done any good, I just wanted to see the bastards in case they had worked here before (that's usually the case in business robberies not bank or medicinal related). I wonder if I can get my money back.
On a positive note I got a heart rate monitor for my training runs and so far it's pretty neat. If I'm feeling like crap I can still have a good workout and I can really train the right way instead of guessing. The 50 mile training program I started is going to be hard but I'm determined to give it my best and hopefully see some huge improvements in my health and my running.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Cookie coma
Seriously people, stop letting your wife cook. I have great willpower, but when they are standing there asking me if I like it, what can I do. Everyone knows I can cook so I am like the taste test guy.
Seriously, stop it. Can't live on cookies alone but today I think I'm going to try. STOP!
I'm fighting a cold, something else everyone likes to bring to work, so I took a night off from running and feel really good today. I slept really well for once, very not normal for me, nice to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the weekend. I'm going to hit a nice long run tomorrow morning, hopefully 2.5+ hours to restore my sanity. Keeping up with all the blogs and news can make for a weary mind, especially when it's powered by cookies.
I cranked up the propane heaters to make sure they worked and checked my propane supplies. I rotated 10 gallons of fuel storage that had been sitting for almost a year. I cleaned all my stuff out of the Discovery so I can tow it to the shop on Tuesday, I don't want to drive it and damage it anymore just in case. Having a dual axle flatbed trailer proves worth every penny a few times a year when I'm not hauling my toys around to off road. Always something to do to try and stay prepared, since you never know what or when.
Seriously, stop it. Can't live on cookies alone but today I think I'm going to try. STOP!
I'm fighting a cold, something else everyone likes to bring to work, so I took a night off from running and feel really good today. I slept really well for once, very not normal for me, nice to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the weekend. I'm going to hit a nice long run tomorrow morning, hopefully 2.5+ hours to restore my sanity. Keeping up with all the blogs and news can make for a weary mind, especially when it's powered by cookies.
I cranked up the propane heaters to make sure they worked and checked my propane supplies. I rotated 10 gallons of fuel storage that had been sitting for almost a year. I cleaned all my stuff out of the Discovery so I can tow it to the shop on Tuesday, I don't want to drive it and damage it anymore just in case. Having a dual axle flatbed trailer proves worth every penny a few times a year when I'm not hauling my toys around to off road. Always something to do to try and stay prepared, since you never know what or when.
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