Habits? What are those? [sylph]

[WhiteGhost]

13 hours ago, sylph said:

figure out if we actually want an air fryer,

We have one but I use it mostly for reheating meats.  It is way better at it than any other appliances we have, though, so it gets plenty of use

[sylph]

On 8/6/2020 at 11:14 AM, Manarelle said:

 

If this is because you're debating getting one, I would like to add my voice to the "definitely do it" side. We got one I think two years ago and use it a LOT. It is amazing (and disgusting) how much oil comes out of food when you reheat it, and even if you only ever use it to reheat food, it's so worth it. We also found some great fried chicken recipes that we do at least twice a month. Only thing we haven't figured out how to air fry is hush puppies, but 1 out of LOTS isn't bad. 

 

Oh, and following, of course.

Thanks for the input and welcome aboard

 

Debating now whether the counter space will be worth the use. Hubs is a bit of a french fry fiend and we've not had much (any) opportunity in that area since COVID, so for that alone it may be worth it

 

 

20 hours ago, KB Girl said:

Whew indeed! Sounds quite nice tbh  

It was one of the most productive, least brain-weasel-y days I've had in a long time.

 

11 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

We have one but I use it mostly for reheating meats.  It is way better at it than any other appliances we have, though, so it gets plenty of use

It probably wouldn't get much use in that category for us, in all honesty. Digging through some more air fryer recipes and review sites later, probably.

[sylph]

Week 1, Thursday

• Cleaning Dishes x 2, litter
• Working Out Walk in the morning, walk with hubs in the evening.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

Pretty uneventful day, really. Picked up groceries, where they actually remembered to give me my entire order 🙄 Read a lot

[raptron]

Walking and reading sounds like a nice day.  

[Mad Hatter]

1 hour ago, sylph said:

Picked up groceries, where they actually remembered to give me my entire order 🙄

Success! 😄

That does sound like a nice day. 

[Manarelle]

On 8/7/2020 at 11:22 AM, sylph said:

Digging through some more air fryer recipes and review sites later, probably.

 

https://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/air-fryer-chicken-legs/#wprm-recipe-container-63669

 

Not "crunchy" fried chicken but so delicious. Every single time I try to batch cook those for the week's lunches, we end up having it for dinner that day, too. If your gentleman like fries, it's worth the counter space. Perfect fries. Now i'm getting hungry... 

[sylph]

On 8/7/2020 at 12:24 PM, raptron said:

Walking and reading sounds like a nice day.  

 

On 8/7/2020 at 12:58 PM, Mad Hatter said:

That does sound like a nice day. 

It is, in normal times. Now, it's getting a little old, to be honest.

 

 

On 8/9/2020 at 3:47 PM, Manarelle said:

 

https://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/air-fryer-chicken-legs/#wprm-recipe-container-63669

 

Not "crunchy" fried chicken but so delicious. Every single time I try to batch cook those for the week's lunches, we end up having it for dinner that day, too. If your gentleman like fries, it's worth the counter space. Perfect fries. Now i'm getting hungry... 

Perfect fries? Oooh, I was on board for even 'good.'

Which model do you all have?

[sylph]

Week 1, Friday

• Cleaning Dishes x 2, litter
• Working Out Walk in the morning.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

Week 1, Saturday

• Cleaning Nope
• Working Out Nope
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

Week 1, Sunday

• Cleaning Dishes x 1, litter, laundry
• Working Out Nope
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

 

-------------------------------------------------------

 

Week 2, Monday

• Cleaning Dishes x 1, forgot about litter
• Working Out Nope
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

 

The weekend turned into a weekend of nope. 👎 Sat around and read more, didn't get any walks or workouts and barely kept on top of basic cleaning stuff. No reason, really.

 

I don't work on Mondays, currently, so there was no pre-work walk. There was, however, some driving around to learn more about interesting towns with hubs. We did a little loop around for a couple hours to put some towns on our "definitely don't want to live here" list vs. our "worth further investigation" list. It was actually a very productive afternoon, and something we haven't done much of for various reasons. We are both SO READY to get out of this apartment and find a house, but doing that safely here (and then being able to safely do whatever painting/flooring/other upgrades should we find/buy something) is giving us pause. Also, waiting to find out what the housing market is going to do so we don't wind up over paying or settling for 'almost right.' We are picky and have a fairly narrow set of 'must haves' that don't fit together in very many places, so it's a bit tough to wrangle with right now.

 

We cut things a bit short, since it was forecasted to rain in the mid afternoon. It wound up NOT raining until after 8p, but it was a HECK of a storm with high winds (up to 50 mph) and the possibility of hail. I don't think we got any hail here but there was certainly some very loud thunder and very close lightning that basically parked itself over central FL for about an hour and a half. I could hardly hear myself think.

 

I've gotten a walk in already this morning. I'll do dishes and litter around lunch time (as per usual) and hopefully make myself get a workout in after work. I'm due for a Push day, so it shouldn't be too time consuming to at least get a few sets of SOMETHING done today and get back in the routine I'd started last week and the week before.

 

Thursday this week is a work Zoom happy hour. I will plan to participate but may or may not have a beer. Perhaps instead I will make myself a mocktail--I had some ginger ale + cranberry juice last week on one evening and quite enjoyed it, so that could make a reappearance.

[Manarelle]

4 hours ago, sylph said:

Perfect fries? Oooh, I was on board for even 'good.'

Which model do you all have?

 

I will fight anyone who says the airfryer doesn't make perfect fries. I like shoestring fries best, but the gentleman prefers thicker ones - both end up delicious. We got this GoWise fryer, I think off Amazon, several years ago. No regrets. 

 

3 hours ago, sylph said:

I don't work on Mondays, currently, so there was no pre-work walk. There was, however, some driving around to learn more about interesting towns with hubs. We did a little loop around for a couple hours to put some towns on our "definitely don't want to live here" list vs. our "worth further investigation" list. It was actually a very productive afternoon, and something we haven't done much of for various reasons. We are both SO READY to get out of this apartment and find a house, but doing that safely here (and then being able to safely do whatever painting/flooring/other upgrades should we find/buy something) is giving us pause. Also, waiting to find out what the housing market is going to do so we don't wind up over paying or settling for 'almost right.' We are picky and have a fairly narrow set of 'must haves' that don't fit together in very many places, so it's a bit tough to wrangle with right now.

 

We cut things a bit short, since it was forecasted to rain in the mid afternoon. It wound up NOT raining until after 8p, but it was a HECK of a storm with high winds (up to 50 mph) and the possibility of hail. I don't think we got any hail here but there was certainly some very loud thunder and very close lightning that basically parked itself over central FL for about an hour and a half. I could hardly hear myself think.

 

Yikes, glad you made it home safely. I hear you on ready to get a standalone house, but that's something you'll hopefully be in for years to come, so worth it to wait to find the right one, I feel. Unless you intend to live there for a while and resell, which the market doesn't seem very kind to lately. 

[sylph]

1 hour ago, Manarelle said:

I hear you on ready to get a standalone house, but that's something you'll hopefully be in for years to come, so worth it to wait to find the right one, I feel. Unless you intend to live there for a while and resell, which the market doesn't seem very kind to lately. 

We would definitely like this to be our 'forever house' for the foreseeable future so we're definitely trying to be patient/find the right thing/not compromise, but man is it hard when the neighbors get noisy...

[KB Girl]

Sorry the apartment is making you want to move out in a rush.. 

But all the days with no alcohol, that's great  

 

[sylph]

Week 2, Tuesday

• Cleaning Dishes x 2, litter done
• Working Out Morning walk. Nothing else.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

 

Week 2, Wednesday

• Cleaning Dishes x 1 by me (and one by hubs, since he made dinner), litter done, trash out, also some laundry due to kitty puke 🤢 Poor thing is having a heck of a time with hairballs. I think the hotter weather is making her shed more which is making her groom more. I'm brushing her more often, but she doesn't like her belly brushed, which is where most of her grooming is happening, I think.
• Working Out Morning walk. Nothing else.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

Last night was the first time I really considered having a drink. No reason, really? Mostly I was bored and cranky and a minor non-painful but annoying health thing has popped up without any of it's usual predisposing factors so I was grumpy that I was doing everything 'right' and it still didn't make a difference. Sigh. And I've not worked out in days and am feeling guilty about it but also can't seem to make myself do anything about it (like, you know, work out).

 

Blargh.

 

But, as advertised above, I did NOT have a drink.

 

This evening is a work zoom happy hour. This would constitute a 'reason' for a beer, but if I pop my head in for that, I'll likely mix up a ginger ale & cranberry juice instead. I don't think I feel like having a beer today.

 

Other plans on the docket:

• I have some avocados in the fridge that I need to assess ripeness on and see which ones may need to be put out on the counter for ripening before making more guacamole. 
• I keep meaning to make a veterinary appointment for my noisy old man cat. I don't know if he's anxious or has some physical issue (he's on meds for both) but he is very vocal almost all the time. For his benefit and our sanity, we need to figure out what's going on with him. The clinics around here get middling reviews. There's a cat clinic that I like the looks of a few towns over but that'll mean ~half an hour in the car for him and he hates travel in the car. So, a bit of a trade off. The clinic we used in MI was a vet I've known since I was 5, we took our family pets to forever and I worked there at the front desk while I was in high school and summers while in college. I know I'm not going to be able to replicate that, but it does mean my standards will be high.
• Too many air fryer options! Size, brand, other functionality--it's all making me a bit bonkers, honestly.

Alrighty, very long stream-of-consciousness post over, for now.

[KB Girl]

On 8/13/2020 at 4:26 PM, sylph said:

But, as advertised above, I did NOT have a drink.

 

That is awesome! It's obviously a bit of a comfort for you normally, so this goal is so challenging RN, you're doing great.

 

On 8/13/2020 at 4:26 PM, sylph said:

And I've not worked out in days and am feeling guilty about it but also can't seem to make myself do anything about it (like, you know, work out).

If you were to work out, do you know what you'd do? 

[Manarelle]

On 8/13/2020 at 10:26 AM, sylph said:

Cleaning Dishes x 1 by me (and one by hubs, since he made dinner), litter done, trash out, also some laundry due to kitty puke 🤢 Poor thing is having a heck of a time with hairballs. I think the hotter weather is making her shed more which is making her groom more. I'm brushing her more often, but she doesn't like her belly brushed, which is where most of her grooming is happening, I think.

 

Aw, poor kitty. Hot weather is no fun for furry beasts. 

 

On 8/13/2020 at 10:26 AM, sylph said:

I keep meaning to make a veterinary appointment for my noisy old man cat. I don't know if he's anxious or has some physical issue (he's on meds for both) but he is very vocal almost all the time. For his benefit and our sanity, we need to figure out what's going on with him. The clinics around here get middling reviews. There's a cat clinic that I like the looks of a few towns over but that'll mean ~half an hour in the car for him and he hates travel in the car. So, a bit of a trade off. The clinic we used in MI was a vet I've known since I was 5, we took our family pets to forever and I worked there at the front desk while I was in high school and summers while in college. I know I'm not going to be able to replicate that, but it does mean my standards will be high.

 

Those are some high standards, but understandable that you'd want the best for your kitties. Were you able to find a compromise? 

[sylph]

On 8/15/2020 at 10:18 AM, KB Girl said:

If you were to work out, do you know what you'd do? 

Yep--next workout would be a push day, so some bench, some shoulder press and some flyes. I just... don't wanna (still!)

 

On 8/17/2020 at 11:34 AM, Manarelle said:

 

Aw, poor kitty. Hot weather is no fun for furry beasts. 

 

 

Those are some high standards, but understandable that you'd want the best for your kitties. Were you able to find a compromise? 

She's always been a bit of a puker, but it does seem to have increased since we've moved down here. I may need to shift her diet a bit for some better hairball prevention.

 

I think I'm going to take him to the half-hour away place. I need to call and get him an appointment. That's on the list for this week.

[Mad Hatter]

On 8/13/2020 at 5:26 PM, sylph said:

But, as advertised above, I did NOT have a drink.

Awesome!

 

7 minutes ago, sylph said:

I just... don't wanna (still!)

Aw man, right there with you!

[sylph]

Okay--updates...

 

Week 2, Thursday

• Cleaning Dishes x 2, litter done
• Working Out Morning walk.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

After work on Thursday was our department happy hour. I had ginger ale + cranberry juice and didn't miss having a drink. Yay.

 

Thursday evening we had a HUGE electrical storm which wound up zapping up through our coaxial cable and frying our modem. Everything had its electrical plug protected by a surge protector but not the coax. Sigh. And, it was pretty late in the evening so everywhere was closed for their nightly COVID disinfecting procedures. I had to put in an order for a store pickup on Friday morning.

 

This meant, of course, that leading my Friday morning meeting via Zoom was not going to happen, so I was scrambling via text and email on my phone to ensure the meeting would be led appropriately and all the topics could be covered by someone who had at least some knowledge of how that would happen. Fun times on Thursday night.

 

On the plus (?) side, I think our downstairs neighbors' cable went out too because it was BLESSEDLY quiet for a change.

 

 

 

 

Week 2, Friday

• Cleaning Dishes x 2, litter done.
• Working Out Morning walk.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

As promised, I spent Friday morning going to get the new modem and hubs and I spent a good 3-ish hours getting it all set up and working. Sigh. I did get a walk in ahead of time, at least, and got a little work done that didn't require the internet. I hear that my meeting ran smoothly (mostly) despite my absence and all is well there. Friday night all was still quiet from downstairs.

 

 

 

 

Week 2, Saturday

• Cleaning Dishes x 1, but there wasn't many to do regardless. Also laundry and litter.
• Working Out Nothing.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

Not much to report for Saturday--reading and some video games and not much else.

 

 

 

 

Week 2, Sunday

• Cleaning Dishes x 2, trash out. Forgot about litter
• Working Out Hubs and I took an evening walk, which was nice.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

 

 

 

 

Week 3, Monday

• Cleaning Dishes x 1, litter.
• Working Out Nothing. I don't work on Mondays so typically it's too warm outside to walk by the time I get up.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

More reading and video games and sitting around. We had planned to do a little driving around and learn the area some more, but a giant storm blew in in the afternoon (despite a perfectly clear forecast) so we opted to stay in.

[sylph]

3 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

Aw man, right there with you!

I am feeling like a slug and feeling bad about it, but I can't seem to make myself do anything about it. It didn't take much to knock me off my rhythm on this one, that's for sure.

[Mad Hatter]

4 minutes ago, sylph said:

I am feeling like a slug and feeling bad about it, but I can't seem to make myself do anything about it. It didn't take much to knock me off my rhythm on this one, that's for sure.

Same.... I haven't even been in a rhythm for months now, so you're still doing well in my books!

[sylph]

Week 3, Tuesday

• Cleaning Dishes x 2, litter.
• Working Out Pre-work walk. Blergh. This category shouldn't even really be called 'working out' any more.
• Food and Drink No alcohol. 

 

That's all I got. Tonight some work friends want to do a zoom happy hour. I may follow my 'there has to be a reason' rule and crack open a beer.

[raptron]

19 hours ago, sylph said:

 

• Working Out Pre-work walk. Blergh. This category shouldn't even really be called 'working out' any more.

It's stiiiill movement!

 

19 hours ago, sylph said:

That's all I got. Tonight some work friends want to do a zoom happy hour. I may follow my 'there has to be a reason' rule and crack open a beer.

Seems like a reason! 

[sylph]

Okay, so it's been, like a week, almost?

 

Uh-- let's see--I think I'm going to break these down by goal, rather than by day, just because.

 

Cleaning

Litter and dishes were done most days except Saturday (I think?)

Laundry was completed over the weekend.

Yesterday there was also some vacuuming and I gave hubs a haircut

 

Working out

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and this morning I got pre-work walks in. (usually about a mile)

Saturday hubs and I did an hour (3.something miles) around the apartment complex.

Sunday hubs and I walked for a mile or so in the evening

Monday we did 4+ miles walking after we each did a weights workout. Yep. Actually lifted some weights. And a giant walk. My knees were cranky yesterday but alright now and I'm starting to feel some pec DOMS (likely from that last set of flyes that I did)

 

Food and drink

Had a beer on Wednesday to go along with happy hour, as advertised.

Otherwise, no alcohol. Mocktails are really good for this, even when not fancy. (diet ginger ale + cranberry juice and diet, caffeine-free Coke with lime juice are my go-tos, now) It feels like drinking a special thing, which satisfies the urge for me. Who knew? It was mostly about Drinking a Special Drink rather than Drinking Alcohol and I never would have known if I didn't make this  goal (with the mocktail aspect) a part of this challenge.

 

Okay, I think that catches me up. Sheesh.

 

Oh, and @Tobbe posted this in Hatter's thread and it really resonated with me, so in case there's anyone here who hasn't seen it, here you go.. (For everyone else, you get it again.)

 

 

[Tobbe]

2 hours ago, sylph said:

Otherwise, no alcohol. Mocktails are really good for this, even when not fancy. (diet ginger ale + cranberry juice and diet, caffeine-free Coke with lime juice are my go-tos, now) It feels like drinking a special thing, which satisfies the urge for me. Who knew? It was mostly about Drinking a Special Drink rather than Drinking Alcohol and I never would have known if I didn't make this  goal (with the mocktail aspect) a part of this challenge.

 

A good kombucha does that exact thing for me! Highly recommended if you haven't tried yet (And if you have, and didn't like it, try a different brand. You'd be surprised how different they are)

[juliebarkley]

12 hours ago, sylph said:

It feels like drinking a special thing, which satisfies the urge for me. Who knew? It was mostly about Drinking a Special Drink rather than Drinking Alcohol and I never would have known if I didn't make this  goal (with the mocktail aspect) a part of this challenge.

What a wonderful thing to take forward from this challenge, regardless of how successful the rest has been. And yay for getting back into some physical activity!

[WhiteGhost]

19 hours ago, sylph said:

It was mostly about Drinking a Special Drink rather than Drinking Alcohol and I never would have known if I didn't make this  goal (with the mocktail aspect) a part of this challenge.

Awesome takeaway from this!