Monday, January 30, 2006

Feed me Seymour

I've made some modifications to the blog, mainly switching back to using FeedBurner to handle the news feeds. If you subscribe to the site's feed, please change your subscription URL to http://feeds.feedburner.com/KrisAndJoGoToParis. This is because Typepad's stats capabilities are very weak, and StatCounter.com only counts visits to the site, not feed requests.

If you don't use a feed reader, but are sick of checking the site every day, you can now sign up for daily email updates using the "Subscribe me!" form on the page.

For more information on feed readers, check out this post.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Weekend update

I'll provide more detail later (yeah right!), but I just wanted to quickly say that we had a fantastic weekend in Geneva with Donna, John, and Raoul. John and Donna are a fun couple and I look forward to spending more time with them. Of course, Raoul is a great dog. Here's a picture to prove it in case you don't believe me.

Dscn0325



In addition to Stew and Jon, Donna has created a flickr site, so you can go there for more pictures of Raoul, including some shots of when he came to visit Jo in Paris.

In other news, we found a down-step voltage converter, so I was able to set up the XBox and it looks like it's working, though I haven't had any time to play anything.

Like I said before, I'll post more later (including my first ever picture of a toilet!), but right now I have to get to bed.

Friday, September 30, 2005

Settling in, technology-wise

Well, the last package finally made it. Here's what it went through.

Date/Time Activity Location Details
Sep 28, 2005 9:59 AM Delivered   PARIS FR Payment received 
8:25 AM On FedEx vehicle for delivery    AUBERVILLIERS FR  
7:38 AM At local FedEx facility    AUBERVILLIERS FR  
Sep 27, 2005 10:23 PM Departed FedEx location    PARIS FR  
8:27 PM Arrived at FedEx location    PARIS FR  
4:11 PM Int'l shipment release    PARIS FR  
3:07 AM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Regulatory agency clearance delay 
Sep 26, 2005 4:10 PM Clearance delay    PARIS FR  
6:56 AM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Regulatory agency clearance delay 
Sep 25, 2005 3:40 AM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Regulatory agency clearance delay 
Sep 24, 2005 3:39 AM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Regulatory agency clearance delay 
Sep 23, 2005 4:04 AM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Regulatory agency clearance delay 
3:45 AM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Regulatory agency clearance delay 
Sep 22, 2005 3:35 AM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Regulatory agency clearance delay 
Sep 21, 2005 3:38 AM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Regulatory agency clearance delay 
Sep 20, 2005 2:56 AM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Regulatory agency clearance delay 
12:15 AM Clearance delay    PARIS FR  
Sep 19, 2005 9:41 PM Shipment exception    PARIS FR Package held for duties and/or taxes 
9:41 PM Clearance delay    PARIS FR  
7:19 PM Arrived at FedEx location    PARIS FR  
7:19 PM In transit    PARIS FR Package available for clearance 
Sep 17, 2005 3:44 PM In transit    MEMPHIS, TN  
10:54 AM Arrived at FedEx location    MEMPHIS, TN  
Sep 16, 2005 9:16 PM At local FedEx facility    SEATTLE, WA  
4:27 PM Left origin    SEATTLE, WA  
3:18 PM Picked up    SEATTLE, WA  

The "payment received" is the €80 we had to pay in duties. I have no idea why we had to pay duties on this box of random crap and not the monitor or the other box of random crap.

Everything is now set up computer wise. It is really nice having a real keyboard and a full-sized mouse to work with instead of the cramped notebook keyboard and travel mouse.

Unfortunately, I fried the power supply on my "real" mouse (a Logitech MX700, very nice) by not paying attention to the voltage rating on the plug. It made a couple popping noises and started smelling like burnt electronics. In the end, it was a good thing because it made me check the power rating on the XBox and Gamecube, neither of which is rated for 220 volts. Now I need a "300 watt step down voltage converter", which I can't find locally, but seem to be plentiful (and cheap) in the states. The Gamecube only requires about 50 watts, but the XBox needs more than 200. No console gaming for me for a while, unless you count the GBA SP. Maybe I'll finally finish Advance Wars 2. Last week I reached 100% complete and got all the unlockables on WarioWare.

To fix the mouse I need to order a new power cord for it. Logitech may have a 220 volt version available that I can order, I'll have to look into it. The rest of the mouse is fine; it all works, but I can no longer charge the batteries. For now I'm using a cheap Microsoft optical mouse. It's cordless and works well, but but doesn't have all the buttons I like. It's also not a very good mouse for gaming, but I can't really play any twitch-style games on my anemic laptop anyway. ("Mediocre in every way" is my laptop's motto.) I'll have to resist the temptation to just get the MX1000 or the G7 which are available locally, and use lasers, but are also expensive and not really a justifiable expenditure at this time.

While I'm working on a wish list, I think I'll add this keyboard to my Christmas list (though I'm sure I'll have forgotten about it come Christmas), even though I don't think I can really handle it. I'm a competent touch typist, but I can't say I have every key memorized, especially the punctuation keys. However, as someone who makes his living typing all day, I do really know the value of an excellent keyboard and I'm very picky about what I use. In fact, I had the company I work for purchase a specific keyboard for me because the ones they normally give out are miserable. (Actually, they make me miserable. I don't know how the keyboards feel about themselves.)

Since we're on the topic of keyboards and mice, I'd like to say that except for gaming, I really hate using a mouse, and I hate applications (and web pages - damn you Flash!) that force me to use the mouse. With a little practice, operations you normally use the mouse for become 100 times faster using keyboard shortcuts. That said, for PC gaming, a really nice mouse is essential. However, like I said before, my teetering-on-the-edge-of-craptacular laptop can't really play any recent games of interest, so all I need right now is a competent mouse. I do have a ginormous catalog of really fun, older games locked in storage 9000 miles away, but my plan was to catch up on my growing catalog of console games while I was over here. Unfortunately, that's not happening without a step down voltage converter.

Okay, I've gotten way off my original topic, and I need to start work soon, so I'll get back on track. To round out the technology side of things, Jo and I went down to the local fnac Tech store (It's pronounced "fnac" and not "F.N.A.C." and it's written in lower case. I guess it's actually a word and not an acronym. Crazy French!) and bought a cheap printer / scanner /copier device. We ended up with an HP PSC 1410 simply because it was the cheapest one they had that wasn't a Lexmark. (I don't like Lexmark for a couple reasons. First, I don't think they make quality products, and second, they file dumb lawsuits.) I'm not a huge fan of HP either, especially after experiencing the testament to mediocrity that is the nc6000, even though every printer I've ever bought has been from HP. I think the next printer I purchase where the motivating factor is quality and features and not price will be a Canon, but I don't think we'll need a new printer for several years, so who knows.

Finally, the last piece to the workstation set up, the office chair and keyboard tray, are getting delivered by Ikea some time in the next 15 days. Which, if it's anything like the DSL modem, means it will show up this coming Wednesday. Jo had an email discussion with the Ikea folks who wanted to ship the furniture via the post office rather than a delivery company. Turns out it's cheaper and faster, and they'll deliver it to our door, so we said okay, but it looks like Ikea has become confused and is responding with conflicting emails and unclear phone calls about the delivery method, cost, and time frame, so who knows when we'll get it. I am curious as to why the delivery company exists at all, except that maybe you can't mail everything you buy at Ikea, like a couch, for example.

One last bit and then I'm done, I swear. I'm still missing a couple items that I'm pretty sure I brought over or shipped, namely my Leatherman Juice S2 and my mini tripod. I think I must have tucked them into some corner of my luggage that I forgot to unpack. I'll have to look through my bags again.

Finally (this time I really swear!) some pictures. (One of the barely redeeming features of my laptop is that it has a built-in SD card slot, which is nice because it means my phone, my camera, Jo's camera, and my laptop all share the same memory card format so we can readily exchange media between them. If only Jo's laptop had a built in SD card reader, we would have a complete set.)

Dscn0298 Here is an updated picture of the workspace. You can see the printer, keyboard, and other assorted equipment. I've also switched out the "dining room" chair for a much more comfortable lounge chair. What I really need, however, is an office chair. You can also see the printer box that I need to figure out what to do with.

Dscn0299 Here is a detail of the rats nest of power cables I have going. I hope to clean this up somewhat today. After all, at some point I need to be able to fit a 300 watt step down voltage converter in here.

That's it for now! (See, I told you.) Coming soon: Adventures in coffee making, Blog points update, and (if I find my tripod) I am a giant.

Funny picture of some dogs

I usually avoid participating the latest web meme (though I did my fair share of promoting that JibJab "This Land is My Land" video), but I can't help myself on this one. You have to check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/sontheimer/22864970/.

While there, you may as well check out the rest of flickr. It a cool place to explore. In particular, be sure to check out this and this.

News from other blogs

Thanks to the cool "headlines" features of NewsGator, I've just added a "News from other blogs" section to the bottom of the column on the right. These are the latest entries from the blogs I check regularly. (Some of the blogs don't provide titles and / or descriptions in their entries, which is why there are sometimes weird blank lines in that section.)

If you're looking for an RSS news reader, I highly recommend NewsGator. I use the Outlook version which you have to pay for, but the free web version is really nice as well. Stew prefers Firefox's Live Bookmarks feature, but I like the more detailed view NewsGator provides.

If you're not familiar with RSS and you're checking this and other blogs every day to see if there's been an update, then you should definitely look into it. See the article linked above for more details, but what an RSS reader does is tell you when a blog has been updated so you don't have to bother checking it every day. Wikipedia has a list of several readers (aggregators in the technical parlance), many of which are free. The article lists NewsGator under commercial software, but there is a free version that works in Firefox or IE (and probably Safari as well). Maybe I should update the article.

You can use the "Subscribe to this blog's feed" link on the right to get to the RSS feed for our blog.

I made some other changes to the sidebar a couple days ago if you haven't noticed. I removed the ads (which have earned me a whopping $1.29 since starting this blog) and some of the other lists that don't really apply anymore.

Monday, September 26, 2005

The monitor has arrived

Well it finally made it, along with a package from Stew (fifty points for Stew!). Still no keyboard or XBox yet. I called FedEx and they said I had to pay about €80 in duties and they had left a message for the recipient in France to that effect. I explained that I was the recipient and I was in fact in France and I had not recieved any such message. So I got the phone number for FedEx in France and Jo is going to give them a call tomorrow. She thinks we can fight the duties, but with what I've heard about French beauracracies, I have my doubts.

We have the computer set up in the armoir, so it is hidden away when I'm not working. As you can see, I clearly need a keyboard. I have one, but it's stuck in customs. Also, we'll be ordering an office chair from Ikea to replace the one in the picture.
Dscn0297

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Trying again

After Jo spent almost an hour with a clueless tech support person from the ISP, we're trying a new solution. I'm using a combination of Google Web Accelerator, Tor, and Privoxy to allow me to quickly surf the web and use secure sites that the ISP can't get to.

Tor is built by the EFF, so I trust it, and will probably send a donation their way if we keep using it. Privoxy is open source and recommended by the Tor folks, so it's trustworthy as well.

However, depending on what servers you connect to, Tor can be slow which is why I only use it for SSL sites. However, my setup doesn't work in IE, so Jo is stuck using it for everything. (I'm trying to convince her to use Firefox, but she is reluctant to do so.)

We'll see how it goes. Ideally the ISP will figure out that their servers are screwed up and fix them, especially since they prevent you from getting to their own Internet site. (The tech support guy thought their site was down, but I could get to it just fine using the web accelerator.) If you decide to get a broadband connection in France, I would avoid Neuf Telecom (or "n9uf", as they like to call themselves). Wanadoo seems very popular, and I've read good things from people who have used them.

Friday, September 23, 2005

Customs update

We got a call from FedEx today, the monitor is coming on Monday, but it looks like the XBox is still stuck.

On a different note, updating the blog through the work proxy is really, really slow. I need to find another solution. Typepad supports posting via email and they have a posting API, so maybe I can find other ways to do this.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

How to contact us

There are several ways to reach us while we're in Paris. This post outlines your options.

0. Post to the  blog
Remember that you can get blog points for posting comments to the blog. It's a great way to send a message to us and all our friends.

1. Email
We'll both be checking our email pretty regularly, now that we no longer have to go to the "boy basement" to do so. I'm at krismarkel at gmail dot com and Jo's at jomarkel at gmail dot com. (You'll have to break the "anti-spambot secret code" in order to figure out our real addresses. Trust me, it's not hard unless you're a spambot. Also, don't take Jo's email address as a sign that she's planning on changing her name. She keeps threatening to, but has yet to actually go through with it.)

2. Snail mail
You can send us cards or care packages a the address below. USPS works fine for letters and packages, but it's slow. (It took two weeks to get a package here from Boston.) UPS and FedEx are faster, but a lot more expensive. If you use FedEx, check both the overnight and economy rates; sometimes the overnight is cheaper even though it's faster. It all has to do with what space is available on which planes.

You'll get 5 blog points for a post card, 10 for a letter, and 20 for a care package. This puts Rebecca way in the lead for blog points, but I'm too tired to work the math tonight.

Johanna TROBOUGH
5 rue du Pont de Lodi
75006 PARIS
FRANCE

75006 is the postal code if you need to specify one. You should address the package to Johanna since her name is the one on the concierge's list.

4. Skype
Skype is a really cool and totally free VOIP program that let's you talk to people over the Internet. The sound quality is amazing; it sounds like you're in the same room. Everyone I know who has used it really likes it. You can download the software from http://skype.com. I'd recommend the beta version, but any version will work. You'll also want to get a headset (headphones and a microphone) for your computer. Once you get the software and headset installed, just add "krismarkel" and "jomarkel" to your contacts. You'll be able to see when we're on-line and leave us voice-mail when we're not.

Three blog points to anyone who contacts us via Skype. I think Frank is the only one who's done this yet.

5. Phone
We have two phone numbers. The first is the number at our Paris apartment: 33-1-46-34-75-71. To dial this from the US, dial 011 first. If you're already in Europe and don't desperately need to get in touch with us, this is a good number to use. There's no voice-mail or answering machine yet, so you'll have to call when we're at home. The second number is for those in the US: 206 965 8134. This number will reach me (not necessarily Jo) in France or the US, so long as I have a computer and an Internet connection. You can leave a voice-mail and I should get it within a day, if I don't pick it up directly. (This number is courtesy of Skype In, one of Skype's pay services.) Just remember that there's a time difference when you call. Paris is +1 GMT, while the East Coast is -5 and the West Coast is -7. So our time will be 6 to 9 hours after your time depending on where you are.

Two blog points for anyone who calls us, but you can only get a maximum of two points a day this way, so it does pay to call us more than daily. Also, we we're not here to get your call, you're out of luck. No points for missed calls.

6. Visit
Compared to what I was expecting, our apartment is huge. We can easily accommodate anyone willing to sleep on the couch and once we get an inflatable mattress, we can accommodate more. We could probably even fit two mattresses in our living room if we need to. From our apartment you can walk to Notre Dame, the Louvre, and the Orsay. Notre Dame is actually really, really close. The Eiffel Tower is a bit of a hike, but very close using the Metro. We've already had two sets of visitors and have a couple more lined up for October.

You can earn 50 blog points for every visit. Only two visits and you earn the opportunity to post to the blog!

I made it

Well, I'm in Paris. I've actually been here since Sunday, but continuing problems with the Internet connection have prevented posting.

First, there was no Internet connection. I was able to leech off of an unsecured wi-fi network, but I didn't want to do this more more than a few minutes a day. Plus it was really, really slow.

Yesterday the ADSL modem arrived and I managed to get the Ethernet connection working (following the directions in French!), so I was finally able to do some real work. However, the modem is seriously locked down, to the point where only once computer can connect to it at a time. When Jo got home from class, we worked together to get the wi-fi running, but still only one computer could connect at once. There were lots of references in the manual to tell you how to enable "advanced" mode on the modem to allow multiple connections, but there was nothing to tell you the user name and password for the modem's admin pages. And, even with one computer connected, we could get to most sites, but not certain ones, including the ISP's support site (http://neuf.fr). After a few hours of experimentation and searching through Google, I was able to log onto the modem and get both computers connected.

That was all yesterday. When we tried it again this morning, everything was working, but certain sites were still unavailable, including http://neuf.fr, http://nordstrom.com, and http://eclaircie.typepad.com. (I could still RAS into work.) I installed the Google Web Accelerator, which does a lot of cool stuff, but mostly it allows us to use Google's proxy servers, so we can now get to all the sites. Except for secure (https) sites, which means I still couldn't post to the blog.

Finally, after connecting to work and using their proxy, I can get to the blog update pages. Unfortunately, it is really slow (everything is going through a poky proxy server 6000 miles away), and Johanna can't use this solution. We'll try calling the ISP's support line tomorrow.

Also, the two of the packages I sent got hung up in customs. One has made it through and should be delivered tomorrow. Hopefully the last one will make it through tomorrow. (We sent a fax today that FedEx had requested.)

That's all for now. I'll post pictures and more interesting stuff later.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Found a cafe

I found an Internet cafe for Jo right near our apartment: Cyber Cube.

She plans to check it out later today (as I type this, it's Saturday in Paris) to catch up on email and set up Internet access at the apartment.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Our phone number in Paris

While our Skype number will continue to work once I get to Paris, for the time being you can reach Johanna at 33-1-46-34-75-71. (The '33' at the beginning is the country code for France.)

If someone knows of a good Internet cafe she can use, she's trying to track one down. The one we frequented last time we were in Paris has closed, which is surprising. It was really nice, and it was always pretty busy.

I'm going to track one down myself and give her a call later. (If I call her using Skype Out, it only costs me 1.7 euro cents a minute.)

A fun way to kill five minutes

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=pug&pl=1

Ignore the Counter Strike videos.

Lookout Paris, here I come!

If reconnecting with my wife weren't motivation enough, a press release linked to from this arstechnica article links to this report (pdf), which states, "In France, a 15 Mbps connection costs about $38 per month."

This is over 3 (and more like 5) times as fast as my old $50 per month cable modem connection.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Lots and lots of stuff

Sorry about the lack of posts. I was trying to do this new thing where I wait until I get home to post, but by the time I made it home, I was too tired to write a decent post. Hopefully I'll soon be able to efficiently upload pictures at work, which will make posting easier.

In the meantime, here are all the pictures I've taken since my last post. This isn't everything I've eaten, or everything I've done, but it's an easy way for me to feel caught up.

Dscn0073I think this is a grande drip and lemon poppy seed loaf, but this is from Friday morning, so I don't remember exactly.



 

Dscn0074I have desks at work in two different buildings, about six blocks apart. In one building, I just moved to a new desk. (I call this desk "desk number two" because compared my other desk, this is the crappy one. Get it?) Desk number one is near the DAWN snack bar, where you can purchase a variety of snacks for fifty cents. Desk number two is now near a snack bar that has Red Vines, Hershey's Miniatures, and other high-calorie, low nutrient snacks, all for free. So far I've been pretty good at resisting temptation, but I had some Red Vines. I don't know how I'm going to resist these every day. They're literally sitting two feet away from my cubical. I really like Red Vines, but I'm not sure why. If I had to guess the main ingredient, I would have to say "plastic".

Dscn0075This is my lunch from Friday. It's a tuna salad sandwich and a small chocolate chip cookie from Il Fornaio. The sandwich is good, and the cookie is best chocolate chip cookie you can get, but I really hate this place, mainly because it's so expensive.



Dscn0076Here's a close up of the cookie. Il Fornaio makes their cookies thin and crispy instead of thick and chewy like most other places. I really love these chocolate chip cookies. I honestly haven't had better, even though I can make a pretty mean cookie. (It's probably the only area in the kitchen where my skill surpasses Jo's.)


Dscn0077This appeared on the snack bar near desk number two on Friday. It's a bag full of fortune cookie rejects. There's even a few fortunes in here, but I haven't tried to see what they are. I wonder if they're rejected fortunes to go along with the rejected cookies. "You will lose at the lottery yet again." I have a thing about not eating food that's been rejected by other people, so I don't think I'll be trying these.


Dscn0078_1The Monorail got stuck on Friday afternoon, which must have totally sucked for people trying to reach the Bite of Seattle that started on Friday. I was walking home and noticed it sitting on the track so I took a couple pictures. This was after they had unloaded everyone by pulling the second train up next to the stuck one, and having everyone move over. "Mind the gap!"


Dscn0079_1Another picture of the stuck Monorail. You can see the two trains together at komo news.

 




My new camera can take short movies, so I filmed (Do you call it "filming"? There's no film involved.) some kids playing in the International Fountain. This was at the Bite, but there wasn't much in the way of crowds. Probably because it was still relatively early on Friday (around 5:00 PM), and it had been raining most of the morning, which may have scared people away. Normally, the Bite is shoulder to shoulder people.

Dscn0081On Thursday night, Stew took me down to pick up some stuff at UPS and FedEx, and then we went to Snappy Dragon for dinner, which was delicious. I have some really good food (and some not so good food) at Snappy Dragon, but this meal was one of their best. I didn't have my camera, so I couldn't take any pictures, but on Friday evening I reheated some vegetable chow mien with homemade noodles and fried tofu. It was fantastic.


Dscn0087On Saturday morning I had some corn flakes with sugar. I had accidentally left the milk out on the counter for a good chunk of the previous evening, so I didn't trust it and had to eat my cereal dry.


 

Dscn0088Stew was yet again helping me run errands on Saturday morning, and when we stopped for lunch, we noticed that they were filming a movie on a bus parked across the street. This picture was taken using a digital zoom, which is why it's a bit fuzzy, but I think it still looks pretty good.


 

Dscn0089_1 Stew was playing around with the "portrait" mode on my camera. Five blog points if you can name the restaurant we were at. (I should probably give you five points just for reading this far.) There's a pretty big hint in the picture.


 

Dscn0090Another portrait by Stew.


 

 

Dscn0091Here's my burger. This is another clue as to where we were eating.



 

 

Dscn0093This was my dinner on Saturday. Angel hair pasta with Emeril's Vodka sauce. The drink is Sierra Mist Free mixed with orange juice and ice cubes. Nothing special, but good and satisfying nonetheless.




Dscn0094Microwave kettle corn for dessert. Delicious and un-nutritious.



 

Dscn0095More orange juice and Sierra Mist Free to wash down the kettle corn.




 

 

 

Dscn0096 Here's a "self-portrait" of my new camera. So far I really like it. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but it is really, really small. It fits in my pocket, even when it's in the case.



Dscn0097Another picture of the camera. Can you see me peeking around the corner?



 

Dscn0098Because this blog isn't boring enough, I've decided to start posting pictures of the groceries I buy. This is milk from Safeway. Johanna doesn't like this brand of milk "because it tastes too much like cow". I normally get non-fat, but for some reason I've been picking up low-fat recently.







Dscn0099I was down to zero garbage bags in the house, though I didn't really want to buy 42 bags (I'm only here for another week), I figured I'll need some for packing and cleaning, and the rest I can take to Stew's.




 

 

Dscn0100Still with me? Because it's about to get "off the hook" as they say. ("Hey brother." Ten blog points if you can identify that reference.)

Something that probably only my wife knows about me (until now) is that I'm a toothbrush fanatic. I generally get a new toothbrush every month, and I always get the Oral-B CrossAction Vitalizer, size 40 regular, soft. My wife thinks this is a bit crazy, but she's not the one who the dentist says has "super teeth" and never any cavities. So when I saw the Pulsar sitting seductively in the grocery store display, I had to give it a try. It's essentially the toothbrush version of the Mach 3 Power, which is the razor I use. (Oral-B is owned by Gillette. The razor is okay. The Power blades are fantastic, but vibrating razor actually nicks me more often so I use razor with the vibration turned off. I wonder if Gillette will get sued over the toothbrush as well.) As a toothbrush, it's pretty nice, but my teeth don't feel as clean as with the CrossAction Vitalizer, and the vibrating is pretty annoying. I don't like electric toothbrushes for the same reason. (According to Consumer Reports, studies show that electric toothbrushes aren't any better if you know how to use a manual toothbrush properly.)

Dscn0101Conditioner. In the land of hair care, "Full and Thick" is code for "makes you look less bald". I don't think it really does anything for perceived baldness, but it does make my hair feel silky.




 

 

Dscn0102I was down to my last vitamin, so I picked up some more. "With lycopene", so I no longer have to worry about lychanthropy. I have a rant about vitamins that's been going on in my head for several years. If this post weren't already so long, I'd include it here.



Dscn0103Cinnamon Life for breakfast, and grape nuts to include in yogurt.

 

 


Still with me? That's it for groceries for now.

Dscn0104Sunday morning breakfast. Cinnamon Life with milk.



 

 

Dscn0105Sunday lunch. Strawberry yogurt with Grape-nuts.



 

 

Dscn0106Sunday afternoon snack. More Life with milk.



 

Dscn0107Monday breakfast. Strawberry scone with some soft of grande Starbucks drink. I suspect it's a drip, but I really can't remember. I have no idea what I had for dinner Sunday night.



Dscn0108Monday lunch. Market House reuben with a pickle and coleslaw. I didn't touch the coleslaw, but I did eat the tiny oatmeal raisin cookie that came with the meal.



 

Dscn0109Afternoon Starbucks. Again, I don't remember the exact drink.



 

 

 

Dscn0110Monday dinner. This is why I shouldn't buy sweetened cereal. The empty glass had Metamucil in it a few moments before I took the picture.



 

Dscn0111This was my drink with dinner. Sierra Mist Free with orange juice.



 

 

 

 

Dscn0112Tuesday breakfast. Not really! This little guy was waiting for me in the shower on Tuesday morning. This picture is also taken with the digital zoom, which is why it's so blurry. I didn't really feel like going into macro mode on this fella.



Dscn0113This is the real Tuesday breakfast. That's a latte and a croissant if it isn't clear.



 

Dscn0114Tuesday lunch. I hate Subway, both because they're evil, and the food is terrible. But if I'm jonesing for something hot and I don't want to leave the building, a toasted six-inch meatball sub on white bread with no cheese, lettuce, cucumber, green peppers, salt, pepper, Parmesan (which isn't a cheese as far as Subway is concerned), and oregano gets the job done.



Dscn0115When I start getting emotionally unbalanced, I start to eat crap (hence the Subway sandwich), which further unbalances me, which leads to eating more crap. I picked these up from the DAWN snack bar (next to desk number one) and scarfed them down right away.



Dscn0116Of course, if you really want to eat crap, it's hard to beat McDonald's. This is a Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal. I think I got Sprite to drink. Of course I felt terrible after eating it, and I didn't really enjoy eating it to begin with. Also, whenever I eat at McDonald's, I take a look at the other people in the restaurant and think "this is what I'm going to end up looking like if I continue to eat here". That usually keeps me out of a McDonald's for a few months, at least. Next time you're in a McDonald's, take a good look at the other patrons and you'll see what I mean.

Dscn0117More groceries! I really wanted to get ice cream, but I settled for Power Bars instead. Johanna likes to tell me that Power Bars are really just candy bars, but I don't think that's really true. I'm not saying that I think they're healthy, but they're certainly better for you than a Snickers bar (or a 100 Grand and a bag of Bit-O-Honeys for that matter).



Dscn0118Lots and lots of yogurt. There's no way I'll eat all this before I move, especially since there's already some yogurt in the fridge. To the extent that I was thinking at all when I bought this, I was thinking, "I have an entire box of Grape-nuts. I'm going to need a lot of yogurt to go with it."



Dscn0119Tuesday dessert, part one. This is the chocolate peanut butter flavor. Do they no longer make chocolate Power Bars? I've been keeping my eyes open, but haven't seen any recently.



Dscn0120Dessert, part two. This one is peanut butter, which represents the pinnacle of Power Bar gastronomic experience.



 

Dscn0121Wednesday morning coffee, though this is really tea. Grande iced soy chai latte from Caffe Ladro. Best chai in Seattle, but you need to use soy milk to get that sweet and spicy thing going. Unlike most chai, Ladro's is very spicy and not particularly sweet. Just the way chai should be, unlike that treacle you get at Starbucks.






Dscn0122Wednesday lunch. I really hate getting lunch from Starbucks, so this gives you a good idea of how my day was going. I don't know exactly what grants this chicken club sandwich an "NW" designation, but it was pretty good. The drink is a grande mocha.



Dscn0123Wednesday dinner. Pork tacos from Taco Del Mar. This time I got the "small" drink, so the portions were much better suited to my appetite. All the staff in the store were wearing "in training" tee-shirts, which made me wonder who was doing the training. The tacos were good even if the guy didn't really know what he was doing.



Dscn0124I took this picture because I saw it and thought, "Why does Taco Del Mar have a profile of Darth Vader on the wall?" Does it look like Darth Vader to anyone else, or is it just me?





 

 

Dscn0125Wednesday dessert. Grape-nuts in orange cream flavored yogurt. I don't know why I got this flavor of yogurt. I know I don't like it, but when I was in the grocery store I was thinking, "It will probably taste good with Grape-nuts." Why I thought Grape-nuts and orange was a good pairing is beyond me. I think I must have a brain tumor.

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