Mega Update - 30 day Vegetarian trial post-mortem, miscellaneous updates

It's been quite some time since I've updated my blog. I apologize for my lack of updates. It's been a very busy couple of weeks - I have some major projects going on at work which have rigid deadlines.

Right now, I'm comfortably lounging on my couch while my wife is busy exercising to EA Active. It's a lot of fun and it keeps you from getting bored by varying the routine. You can also customize your workout. It's nice to see a workout program that doesn't emphasize what your weight on the scale is. Instead, it keeps an eye towards building your fitness. Focus on the keyword "building" - it doesn't start you out in a Biggest Loser-style kick-your-butt-to-Mars workout pattern. You slowly progress to more demanding exercises.

My status update for my 30 day Vegetarian trial is also overdue. For that I apologize as well. I did very well with the trial and I am planning on continuing with Vegetarian lifestyle. The major obstacle has been divining the inspiration for preparing varied meals. I haven't quite found my menu planning groove yet, but I'm getting there. A major difficulty I am running into is what I can only interpret as a lack of adventurousness in the kitchen. I look at the fruits and vegetables in the fridge, then I look at the beans, rice, and canned goods in the pantry and I find myself wondering what I can prepare with those ingredients. Infrequenty, I am overwhelmed with several ideas, none of which has an evident appeal over any other. This greatly adds to the complexity of meal time. If anyone has a strategy they use for planning meals, I would love to hear about it.

This brings me to another object of contention. Tofu. It is so insanely flexible, promising and endless array of possibilities. So what is my problem with it? I have not mastered the block of bean curd. I learned a decent method of draining the block of tofu from VeganYumYum (a blog I follow) which involves wrapping the tofu in a couple of layers of paper towel and then in a terrycloth, and THEN placing a heavy object like a cast iron skillet on top for 15 minutes or so.

Treating the tofu in this way yielded better results than what I did the first couple of times I handled the curd; I just wrapped it in paper towels and pressed it by hand. Not terribly efficient. Like I said, I am a total tofu n00b. If anyone has tried and true methods for draining and seasoning tofu, I would be most grateful to hear about them.

I also recently acquired a Chicago Cutlery santoku for $15 at Wal-Mart. Oh marvel of marvels! I never knew slicing and dicing could be so miraculously easy. I always watched the way hibachi chefs sliced through steaks like they were warm sticks of butter and having a sense of awe come over me. Now I have that same sense of awe as I watch the blade pass through the object of my cutting like silk. Pure delight. That was, of course, until I foolishly tried to use the santoku to cut the stem off of a tomato using it like a pearing knife.

Big mistake.

The knife glided its way through the flesh of the tomato and into the flesh of my thumb. Fantastic, clean cut. It was such a clean cut that it soaked through two layers of bandages within seconds so I had to be find something to use as a styptic. Yahoo answers to the rescue! I found a post by a veterinary assistant suggesting that corn starch will do in a pinch. It worked like a charm. I am pleased to say that the cut has healed nicely.

I'm glad I took the time to make this update, and I am glad you took the time to read it.

Until next time,
Charles

Attitude of Gratitude

I believe that being grateful for all of the things in our lives, be they great or small, widens the channels that more blessings are sent to us through. By being grateful we allow ourselves to receive more to be grateful for.

At this minute, here are the first five things that come to mind that I am grateful for:

1) I have a loving wife
2) I have an awesome son
3) I have a good roof over my head
4) The rain is bringing more life to my surroundings, and with it, more fresh air
5) I have a tranquil little fountain on my desk; it has a small zen garden that I like to gaze into from time to time

If we are not grateful for the things that we have in our lives, how can we consider ourselves deserving of receiving more? I encourage you to think for a moment and genuinely be grateful for the blessings in your life, great or small. I challenge you to start off every day by thinking about the things you count as blessings. Develop an attitude of gratitude.

I am grateful that you are here reading this message right now, and I am grateful for anyone that I have inspired to in turn be grateful.

You are welcome to reply to this post with the things you are grafetul for.

With love and gratitude,
Charles