My first Soy Burger Experience

My last post about Veggie Burger got me thinking about how I started eating those things, so here's the post about it.

I'm a carnivore, I love meat. Beef (until recently), Chicken, Pork, Fish, I loved it. The thought of a Soy patty seemed to be, heretical.

Anyway, one day my brother informed me of a vegan friend that was supposed to stop by, but never did. In preperation, he had purchased Boca brand Meatless Burgers. Since the friend was not coming over, and he had bought them, he decided to give it a try. It was actually quite good, a lot better than I expected. So he have one to me. I liked it. It's consitency is softer than a burger, and the flavor isn't the same, but they made it with liquid smoke, and seasonings. It was something I could eat and it was tasty, so I decided to buy some.

Now, after a while of just the burger-like patties, I decided to branch out. Their breaded chik'n is one of my favorites (could be because it has the largest amount of fat). The sausages were okay, but I wouldn't run out and tell the world.

Now I also tried Good Burger's version. Not as tasty. So I would reccommend the Boca variety of meatless products to give a try, I bet you'd be as surprised as I was. It's in the Frozen Foods section, usually after TV Dinners and before the Pizzas.

Vanilla Milkshake

Is what I was craving last night, and the Missus brought me one from Burger King.

... Yes this is what I'm writing in my Blog about....


Also, I found that Burger King sells Veggie Burgers, which aren't half bad once you get over the fact there is no meat in them :)

End of an Era

Well, today I paid off the balance and cancelled my Bally's Total Fitness account. I have access to the gym until April 28th, but since it's now 30+ minutes away, I doubt it.

I went exactly when I needed to. It helped me during a rough time in my life to feel better about myself. I went for a full year and a half with very little "I don't feel like it" moments.

Now, I did fall off the wagon. A mixture of City of Heroes MMORPG, 8 weekends straight of painting my brother's house helped break my routine. I did enjoy it, but man, it took a chunk out of my life. 5-7 (or later) every weeknight plus most of the morning on Sunday. It was hard to have a social life. Good thing I didn't have much of one.

Well, I'm not in that shape anymore, but I am happy with who I am, and I'm not as big as I once allowed myself to get. Perhaps in future I can find a gym closer to me, but for now, the money will go to the house.

Yes, Cookie Dough and White Chocolate

Well I wandered over to Crown Center to see if my lottery ticket was my retirement ticket (it wasn't) so I decided to stop at the custard place to see if it sounded appetizing. I found they had Cookie Dough as a topping, so I thought yes. Well, I also wanted Chocolate Chips, but right now I'm concerned that the chocolate might upset the stomach, so I went with White Chocolate, as it's really just cocoa butter & no cooca.

Now when I ordered this the lady seemed perplexed, then gave the order, and the person who was to make my concrete seemed perplexed. and then a third member, repeated the order, trying to sound as if someone really wanted that combo.

Am I missing something? is White Chocolate and Cookie Dough a faux pax? Can we just order my food without the subtext commentary? thank you.

Any ideas

on what i could drink/eat in the morning to help me wake up that

1) does not have caffeine
2) does not have high acidity

... Yes, I know there is no such drink, but a fella can dream, can't he?


Also, after 3 months of holding onto it from Netflix, finally watched Miracle last night (1980 US Olympic Hockey Team). Not a bad little underdog story, and weird to hear Kurt Russell talk with a Minnesotan Accent.

Harry Homeowner Update

Well, it was supposed to snow, fairly badly on Tuesday, and there was just a wee bit of junk still in the garage. So, I finally, FINALLY got all the stuff moved and the Missus and I can now park in our own garage.

It's a different experience. Walking into a dry 50ish degree Garage (it's insulated, and there's a heating vent in there, so it keeps it at a cool, but not frigid temperature) instead of a downpour or blizzard while having to scrape off your car, making you later than normal for work.

Gotta buy some tennis balls though. As My truck takes just about the length of the garage, and I don't want to run into Sara's headboard in there.

Unpacking

Takes a very long time.

Spent the weekend looking for the ever elusive Tall Blue Kitchen Trash Can. Got a runner for the garage door to the stairs, a lovely purple picture with the Japanese symbol for dream for the bedroom, and a Doorbell extender that stopped working. No trash can.

Almost cleaned out garage to park truck in it. That should be coming in the next week. Fixed a closet to make it back to a normal height. The previous tenants lowered the bar and addeed 4 shelves into each of the other bedrooms. While this is good in the Noah's Ark Room, the other needed it back at it's normal height. That was really easy to fix :).

I posted something this morning.

I think it had to do with the Green Party I'm going to tonight, with my signature Green Devilied eggs in tow. Can't remember much more about the post, except I think I may have revealed the meaning of life in it. Pity Blogger couldn't save it due to their server problems....

Test

This really isn't a big post except that I apparently seem to be forbidden to view my own blog. So i'm posting to republish the sucker and see if that fixes it.


On another note, tonight is the Tuckness' annual Green party. I have been a participant for the past 6 years now. You must bring a agreen dish, and I have made myself known for my green deviled eggs. They taste the same, but look more Dr. Seuss-y. They go over well.

It will be a small challenge to find something to eat there however, as I have three strikes going for me currently:

1. It's Friday during Lent
2. Hemachromatosis keeps me from eating many iron rich foods
3. This damnable GERD is keeping me from eating anything with flavor.

Wish me luck.

A Blue Kitchen Trash Can

Sounds simple enough, should have found it lickety split, right?

WRONG!

WRONG WRONG WRONG!

I have been to at least 8 different stores, online for an hour, and cannot find ONE stinking tall light blue Kitchen Trash Can to match the kitchen.

I've found White... that'd clash and it'd bug me. Stainless Steel. The Missus nixed that, and I have to agree, fingerprint paradise. So we are on the hunt for a tall, blue kitchen trash can.

Closest was Wal*Mart... they had Blue Lids, but alas, no blue cans....

I'm now considering a black can, to match the appliances.

Why would something that should be so simple to find be so damned difficult?

Creative Eating

With my recent gastro-esophogeal problems, I have had to find a way to eat what won't hurt me, but also have taste. I discovered on Sunday that no sauce on a pizza really isn't that bad a thing. I attempted to try that again last night, but either I placed "light" sauce on the order, or they didn't heed my request. Who'd have thunk that tomatoes would be more acidic than an orange?

The good news is I don't have to sleep elevated much, and the side effects of the medication are not unbearable, just uncomfortable.

My First Quiz!

What crew would you most fit in with?

You scored as Babylon 5 (Babylon 5). The universe is erupting into war and your government picks the wrong side. How much worse could things get? It doesnâ??t matter, because no matter what you have your friends and youâ??ll do the right thing. In the end that will be all that matters. Now if only the Psi Cops would leave you alone. Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) 69% Moya (Farscape) 63% Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) 63% Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix) 56% Enterprise D (Star Trek) 56% SG-1 (Stargate) 50% Serenity (Firefly) 44% Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica) 44% Bebop (Cowboy Bebop) 31% Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) 31% FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files) 31% Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda) 19% Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com

ECHO!

ECHo!
ECho!
Echo!
echo!
ech!
ec!
e!
!

.... does anybody besides me read this thing?

Townhome clean

Spent friday just cleaning upstairs (was by myself) and Saturday had the Missus, My brother, and a friend all stop by. Man 4 people can clean lickety split! Shampooed the carpet downstairs, and locked it up until the 24th, when I have a walk through to see how much of my deposit I'm getting back.

House is still boxed. But there are less of them. My goal is to empty the downstairs/garage so we can start parking in there, and be ready for a desk for Sara.

Toots was cute this morning. She's got her new habit. After the morning walk around the tree, and before I go to work, I put her back with Sara. I used to place her in her kennel, but she'd just whine & bark, making Sara get up and put her in bed with her. Now I just place her back in bed. Well today, Toots finished her tree routine, then made a bee line to the bedroom, circling around the closed door. So I put her there, she went promptly to sleep and I got ready the rest of the way without dog underfoot.

Bad storms last night. Bit of Hail too. Worst of it was to the south of us however. We just got pea sized hail as I mentioned, and a good light show.

Since we're on the subject of maladies

I want to complain about Acid Reflux, or GERD (Gastro-Esophogeal Reflux Disorder). I have recently been diagnosed with it. The malady is simple enough to explain. Acid from the stomach doesn't stay there, and starts splashing up in the Esophagus, causing all sorts of fun from a tickling cough in the back of my throat, to severe heartburn. I mostly stay on the cough. But the cough is bad. Before I finally allowed myself to say i have GERD, i would try to fall asleep, and cough all the way through.

Doc gave me some meds and it got the cough under control. I put myself on 2 Prilosec OTC a day, but the cough has grown stronger in recent days. I couldn't fall asleep last night because I couldn't stop coughing, and this morning a co-worker offered me gum to help slow the coughing.

I guess I need to try some harder stuff, like Nexium. I was going to blow it off, as I have things to do like work and cleaning up the new home. But then my co-worker told me how hers got so bad her esophagus would spasm and she simply couldn't swallow, not even spit. Her mother's was so bad, the scar tissue in her esophagus kept her from swallowing all together.

Nothing like a true horror story to bring the point home. So I have to take 4 hours leave tomorrow to go see the doc. Here's hoping it'll work, and I'll have to say g'bye to Hotsauce, Hot Wings, Pepper, Coffee, Tea, etc.

My tooth is hurting

Well, kinda. Mainly when i have to snuff to keep my nose from leaking all over my soupcatcher. (you're welcome for the visual). but every time I do, my tooth throbs a little.

I've always worried about my teeth like this. I'm nearly 30, and never had a cavity, root canal, bridge work, braces, or what have you. Just a rather strong Tartar problem. So, when one of my teeth begins to ache in the slightest, I grow fearful. I kinda like the notion of keeping all my teeth.

It could also be due to stress, as I tend to clench the jaw when worked up, and i've been on Code Yellow for the past month now.

Anyone want help clean a townhome?

It's empty, but very dirty :) Anyone? Damn. I'm not looking forward to it.

Moving Made Easy.

If you can ever afford it, HIRE PROFESSIONAL MOVERS!
Seriously, They moved all my heavy furinture (dressers, a TV that weighs a metric ton, Couch, etc) from my old house to my new for a bit over 300. Money ever so well spent.

Now, for a more detailed analysis:

Friday: Was supposed to pack remaining loose stuff and ship over to house in two trucks. Mom to help. Mom decided a U-Haul would be more efficient so we went and I rented one. Had it until 3:30pm. Moved about 90% of remaining boxes. Also, backed into basketball post. Now at permanent 30 degree angle from center. Will now need to cut down.

Saturday: Big Move day. Wrong. It rained, and rained, and rained some more. So I called to cancel. They rescheduled for Sunday. Saturday became clean up day and unpack Kitchen. Went well. Our cabinets are deeper than the old kitchen, so most was able to be put away. Small appliances remain. Counterspace remains an issue. (side note: House has an odd quirk: In order to use the Stove Fan, Light, and Kitchen Sink Light, the OUTSIDE light must be on.... this makes outlet space even more necessary) Will think about adding some extra cabinets/counterspace on side wall in future.
No bed, so slept in new home on air mattress. As comfortable as it could be. Need new shower head. Decent pressure, but it shoots it wide, so none really hits you unless you perform odd circular patterns in the shower.

Sunday: Move Day, Take 2. Ate at Chinese Restaraunt near hold home for last time. Movers arrived 30 min early :). Systematically took everything out of my house, showing all the dust and grime and leftover chinese fortunes in my townhome (cleaning will be fun).
Side Note: Saw a heat register that was hidden by couch for 5 years. It appears to have started a mold colony... YEECH!

Brought all furniture into new home, and even set up bed. Home is now home. And unpacking can commence. Bought new shower head, sweats out the back, may need to tighten more, or simply allow calcium buildup to seal. Dryer Vent new nemisis. Tried tightening clamps, would not tighten. Bought new clamps. Worked on exhaust vent, but attaching to dryer still proved difficult. Decided it's easier to slip on, tighten as much as possible, and push dryer far to wall. Washer is next....

Computer & TV after that. Hopefully Cable will be all ready in house tonight.

Tootsie is not handling change well. She's very nervous, and it's scaring me. She was as regimented as I am, and the townhome is the only place she's known her entire life. I must be patient, and get her a new routine. This will prove difficult, as it will take months for the house to be fully settled.

Lent

Fish on Friday Time again. I usually accept this time with full faith.

This year though feels like an off lenten season however. I dunno, perhaps the looming move is dominating my thoguhts, so I don't have time to ponder on fasting & abstinence. My Acid Reflux also kept me from paying attention to Mass with it's really bad Heartburn.

Oh well, I have a good 50+ years left in me, can't have all Lents good.