Well, our power went out -- again -- about 45 minutes ago. Affecting 1809+ customers. Same thing happened about 6 weeks ago! Back then, a vehicle ran into a pole holding the transformer that connects the grid all 1800+ of us are on, even though all the utilities on my street are underground. They're above ground where this transformer is. Just got a text from Duke Power that the cause is -- again -- vehicle damage to equipment!! Last time this happened 6 weeks ago, the power ended up staying off TWELVE HOURS -- not the 4 hrs that they first estimated. So, here we go again! Thankfully, my upright freezer not only has a good bit of frozen stuff in it, it's also NOT self-defrost, which in this case, is a GOOD thing, because the ice buildup on the coils will also help keep things frozen. For the fridge, I have this huge one gallon jug of frozen water that I keep in the freezer for times like this, and just transfer it over into the fridge -- sort of like when we used to have the "ice man". Last time, this jug kept all our fridge stuff COLD, so that even though the power was out for 12 hours last time, all our fridge stuff was fine! So....we'll see if this turns into another 12 hour shenanigan!! At least today it's warm and breezy, so I actually have a couple of windows open and don't have to worry about any cold weather. Last time, we shut 3 extra bedroom doors and had the gas logs on low. It kept the rest of the house at 67 degrees in very cold weather, so that was OK. This time we don't have that issue.

I participated in a Saint Louis Bread (AKA Panera) taste test. Showed up at their test kitchen, got a bag containing two items to bring home. After tasting filled out a survey online. Will get a gift card to the restaurant as payment.

Well, our power was only out for about FIVE hours. So that was a big improvement over the last time it happened!

Good news! How refreshing.

Tonight we're attending "Music of Pink Floyd"...a collaboration of the Symphony and a full rock band. Should be interesting.

My daughter is really excited to go back to school after 2 years on Monday. Finished You on Netflix. Weather is too cold for a walk but still improving.

Working on the projects. Making real, noticeable progress. At the end of this, I will have a tidy storage unit, less stuff on hand, a much cleaner place here, and substantially more space for plants. My green and sometimes blooming darlings had became crowded and unhappy. I will also have a weeny pay check because I cannot do this many projects and work at the talking head job during the same week. One or the other, says the back. All is well anyway.

I just finished watching "Inventing Anna" on Netflix. This was a well done documentary. A 25 year old immigrant scammed millions of dollars from friends, banks, hotels, everyone around her.

More of projects, a little of oldie-but-goodie tv, and a fave workout.

I'm hoping that my laundry will do itself.

Last night was the third one in a row that I spent 90 minutes (or more) tossing, turning, and trying to sleep. I don't know what's going on, but I do know that my ineffectiveness today is directly related to the problem.

Two hours of snowshoeing. Fitbit says I burned 850 calories. lol

It's dump day and moving day, all in one! Getting rid of some stuff-- even just putting it outside until today-- felt like a few thousand head of stampeding critters had been lifted from my chest. We end by moving other things back to storage until we have time & space to deal with a little at a time. A few at a time. Just enough for a week or a weekend. That is the new rule. ! !!!!!

Has anybody here eaten seitan? I have an email pen pal I met when I was working on location for 6 weeks for my day job. She took me home to meet her husband and kids and they sort of adopted me while I was there. I email or text pretty often with everybody in the family. She emailed that she is making a lot of seitan now that she has learned to make it in her bread maker machine. I googled and I get that it is a vegetarian meat substitute that is high in protein and lower fat than tofu. But I have never seen it and never heard of it until now. What exactly is it? Does it taste good? How would you use it? What would you cook with it?

K. I have a vague memory of something called 'gluten bread' and recall that it came from a grocery store bakery. If it is true that seitan is made from gluten, this is probably the same product. Anyone who is not gluten-free could use it as they would other bread: sandwiches, etc. ?

@prince wrote:

Two hours of snowshoeing. Fitbit says I burned 850 calories. lol

Well, that's close to a quarter of a pound. Was it worth it?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/28/2022 04:49PM by guysmom.

@guysmom wrote:

@prince wrote:

Two hours of snowshoeing. Fitbit says I burned 850 calories. lol

Well, that's close to a quarter of a pound. Was it worth it?

I say, that it couldn't be that many calories Ori would be thin by now! But it was lovely!

Just from the hot food bar at Whole Foods. As I recall, it was pretty good.

@roflwofl wrote:

Has anybody here eaten seitan?

Today was Pilates and walking.

Out with my crew all day Saturday. Trader Joe's was a zoo. Aside from other delicious food, bought their version of Pirate's Booty. Tastes exactly the same to me. Sunday at my sister's house for her birthday. Her DH ordered BBQ; ribs, brisket, boneless chicken wings, corn bread, cole slaw, macaroni salad. My Mom made a huge salad and we bought the birthday cake. Fun. Today? Working, roomba'd and spin scrubbed my kitchen floor. Fading slowly now. Hope you all had a great weekend.

@prince wrote:

@guysmom wrote:

@prince wrote:

Two hours of snowshoeing. Fitbit says I burned 850 calories. lol

Well, that's close to a quarter of a pound. Was it worth it?

I say, that it couldn't be that many calories Ori would be thin by now! But it was lovely!

Well now, that would depend. For example, if you eat 1600 calories every day, and burn 850 in your snowshoe walking, and burn, say another 400 doing whatever (this is just to give an idea), then for the day, you have still taken in 350 calories MORE than you burned. It takes 3500 calories to burn or gain a pound. So at 350 extra calories a day, in 10 days, you will have gained a pound. On the other hand, if you eat 1600 cal/day, and use up 850 snowshoe walking, along with another 1100 calories doing whatever, then at the end of the day, you have taken in 1600 cal but burned 1950 calories, so you will have used up 350 more cal than you took in. And if you do that for 10 days, then you will have lost a pound!

Lovelovelove the weighty math here!

Meanwhile, I am up early-- refreshed and eager-- to finish sort/pack/toss project in two rooms. Yesterday, we schlepped so much heavy stuff that we nearly found a new career. The voc determination/elimination process went something like this: pack, lift, load, unload, offload, relocate, place, wash, rinse, repeat + safety gear = we could be professional movers. Or not. We might just want to enjoy our stuff slowly, over time, and a little at a time and build muscles upon muscles in some other way.

This morning was a Pilates walk with Leslie and Pilates abs.

Lunch with my BFF, who is living with metastatic cancer. She gets immune therapy infusions every 6 weeks, and is holding her own, but the cancer is still there, albeit small. For what she's going through, she's doing pretty well. We try to get together once a month for lunch, and have been doing so for about 4 years now.

A Step class at the gym, then ate my way through the rest of Fat Tuesday.

**Hugs**

@guysmom wrote:

Lunch with my BFF, who is living with metastatic cancer. She gets immune therapy infusions every 6 weeks, and is holding her own, but the cancer is still there, albeit small. For what she's going through, she's doing pretty well. We try to get together once a month for lunch, and have been doing so for about 4 years now.

After work had a consultation for a new roof. Lost my keys yesterday and found them today. Listening to the State of the Union Address while trying to input this Arby's shop.

Nearing the end of projects for this week. We absolutely must be finished up to a point by Friday. Mind you, I do not believe that tptb will perform a surprise visit at the first nanosecond of Friday. Just in case, we will do everything that we think is best as of midnight Thursday. Along the way, I was delighted to find little stories & pics of how other people have contended with their spaces' challenging features while not doing anything outre or losing sight of their personal interior themes. If they can make their worlds work, I can make my world work. Just now, I feel downright wonderful about using stacks of books in out-of-the-way places as makeshift furniture for the inherited plush menagerie. I found a few other hacks to make this work out well. But that is enough for one day. It is time to work out and then take on the mutant laundry....

I got my time zones twisted up today.

I had an interview for a remote EHS position scheduled for 12pm my time and 9am their time. I canceled a $50 Look scheduled for 12pm.

I put on my WFH dress, make up and set the laptop up in the office. I'm 5 minutes early. At 9:05, I realize the time difference.

The interview went well.

At Mass this morning the children from the parish early childhood center aged two and up were in attendance. I will admit I spent too much time watching those teachers trying to keep the toddlers in line. It looked like they were herding cats. Came home, changed, and went for the first bike ride of the season. After an afternoon nap tonight we will go to a soup dinner organized by a group a church.