Brogo something something...

[Stronkey Kong]

 

This is the view from where i eat dinner:

 

 

I used to keep sriracha and/or valentina at my desk in the lab. Cholula is awesome, but i usually get Valentina and tapatio because they are so much cheaper... And i use that shit like crazy.

 

The tapatio definitely helped my CMac. Next time i make it, in also gonna use only three boxes of Mac and cheese... It will drop the protein total, but increase the pro/cal ratio and cut the bulk and calories total. 

 

Tonights dinner:

 

 

Cod with napa cabbage and carrots in butter and garlic with rice. Topped with a few sprinkles of roasted garlic rice wine vinegar. Confession, this was a botched stir fry. Still good tho.

 

Got my zazen in this morning.

 

Still sore from deadlifts dammit. And my hips are store from the extra stretches I've been doing.

 

Also, i got an email to set up a phone interview for a position i applied for. It's only an administrative assistant position so not super exciting, but it should be better hours, a normal 9-5, better pay, and being in the office with more opportunities to explore career options there and interact with people who can help me move up.

[Stronkey Kong]

 

Phone interview is Tuesday at 11.

 

I think I'm done with the CMac for the week, though only one day. I'll finish it off this weekend. It was such a good idea that turned out bad somehow. finished my day with eggs.

 

Soreness may finally be subsiding.

 

I got 10 minutes of zazen this morning. And today was a good and mindful day. Granted my mind was all over the damn place, but I noticed. I also feel like I'm getting along better with people. I feel more like a human and less like a troll. Basically I've noticed that people say hello to me more, and with people I've hardly interacted with before. I feel more at ease socially and more attentive. I've noticed this before with my practice in the past. 

 

And dudes! Cravings and hunger and shit... GONE! I actually notice feeling full before i finish a damn pile of food... Or the CMac is that bad... But I'm barely drinking caffeine and I'm not feeling hazy and shitty and murderous.

 

Well... I do get cravings but with practice i just kinda work through them quickly and then I'm like Meh... Breathe.

[Moira]

On 3/2/2017 at 7:41 PM, Curl Brogo said:

 

This is the view from where i eat dinner:

 

 

I used to keep sriracha and/or valentina at my desk in the lab. Cholula is awesome, but i usually get Valentina and tapatio because they are so much cheaper... And i use that shit like crazy.

 

What is that sauce from Private Selection? Is it spicy as well?

[Stronkey Kong]

8 hours ago, NucleotidalWave said:

 

What is that sauce from Private Selection? Is it spicy as well?

That's the Aji Amarillo sauce i raved about a few posts back. It's made with aji Chile peppers (idk what those are but) and passion fruit. It's not that spicy, but it's delicious.

[Stronkey Kong]

 

Check this out:

 

 

 

Apple sage veggie sausage slices, sauteed with parsnip slices and kale, topped with queso fresco and served with rice.

 

This dish was perfection. The slightly browned sausage and parsnips complemented eat other perfectly. The kale gave a little freshness and leafy bitterness and the queso added a nice buttery and salty flavor. All the flavors were light and delicate but in perfect balance. The rice was a nice palate cleanser between bites.

 

Redemption, because other than that I ate total fucking garbage today. Protein bars, a crappy vm sandwich, Cheetos, a cherry coke and a honey bun. All that alone got me to probably 2500 cals.

 

I was way into the snooze alarm today so i didn't have time for zazen, stretching, or a decent breakfast. While i attempted being mindful all day, i still felt like i was lost in thought too much and my moments of mindfulness were not as... Full? Or fulfilling? ... As they've been Recently.

 

Got home, did 20 minutes of zazen, then cooked that amazing tasty healthy dish.

 

I signed up for overtime tomorrow, so I've got one more day of the grind, and extra money coming in a couple weeks.

[Stronkey Kong]

 

Finally my weekend begins.

 

the usual cereal for breakfast,a shitty lunch, and dinner was veggie sausage in tomato soup with ramen... Does the trick.

 

And shit, one week left in the challenge and i have made no progress toward testing my maxes. I have gotten a few more workouts in than previous challenges but this goal's tanked.

 

Zazen is going awesome. I got fifteen in this morning and I've been super mindful at work and all.

 

Hopefully i can complete a pile of paintings tomorrow.

[raptron]

Parsnips are so underrated. I love them and sunchokes quite a bit. Yaaay tubers. You are killing it with the zazen lately. I love your observations on the possible impacts it's having on your demeanor. Good luck with the phone interview tomorrow! 

[Jord]

If there are no pictures of the food, did it even happen? 

 

Good luck on your interview!

[Stronkey Kong]

1 hour ago, raptron said:

Parsnips are so underrated. I love them and sunchokes quite a bit. Yaaay tubers. You are killing it with the zazen lately. I love your observations on the possible impacts it's having on your demeanor. Good luck with the phone interview tomorrow! 

 

Under-tasted more likely. I'll bet most reading this have not ever had one.

 

And not feeling like a judgmental troll is nice.

 

1 hour ago, Taddea Zhaan said:

If there are no pictures of the food, did it even happen? 

 

Good luck on your interview!

 

Currently the meal both did and did not happen... 'ey Schrodinger.

 

Stupid photos will not upload right now. Stupid phone, etc. I'll be getting a new one, then maybe real internet access here soon.

 

I also need to post my attempts at making Turkish coffee this morning.

 

Thanks for the luck! This phone interview is probably just a screen. 

[miss_marissa]

Good luck with the phone screen! Any good paintings over the weekend?

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

4 hours ago, Curl Brogo said:

Under-tasted more likely. I'll bet most reading this have not ever had one.

I have had parsnips roasted, mashed, sauteed.

[Stronkey Kong]

 

I tried to finish the CMac today. I just can't. I think the culprit is the cheese. I bought the store brand Mac and cheese and it's so bland composed to the others I'd been eating. Plus i really should have cooked the other stuff. Ugh. Such a waste, but i ate most of it.

 

I just did 45 min of zazen. A really good session. I noticed something really weird going on with the lighting in the room... No lights were on but the room started to get brighter. I figured it was the sun coming out, but when i finished, the sun wasn't out and it's still raining off and on. Anyway, the important part is that even though I perceived some difference in the lighting i didn't look around and try to figure it out. I stayed focused on my breath and the fact that my leg was hurting because it had fallen asleep so long. 

 

I spent must of the day painting... on my computer. I had another go at Mozart's K545. I'm really satisfied with the colors, but the composition is needing something...

[Stronkey Kong]

Are more sausage and parsnips for breakfast.

 

Then after shopping i bulk prepped a bunch of pasta and veggie sausage with veggies in tomato sauce. I have enough for four days portioned out with about 1600 cals and 99 g protein per portion.

 

I did two 20 min sessions of zazen today, one this morning and one this evening. I had a semi mindless day and caught my mind rambling about a bunch of shit.

 

The culprits:

 

Turkish coffee again this morning, caffeine really does contribute a lot to rambling thoughts.

 

Dealing with my Mom trying to "help" me get a new phone. we're trying to add a line to their service because of bundled rates etc. She damn near went all the way with it before i even committed to doing it. She got an all caps text from me for that. Then she over compensates by trying...

 

Forget it. It's past. No new phone for me today.

 

And i had my phone interview/screen. Somewhere in the middle. Longer and more in depth than a typical screen, but not quite the whole interview. I think it went well. They probably won't hire for another month or so. Honestly i don't think it would be the best job for me, but it might be something. I'm gonna poke around and see if i can talk to someone in the finance department about how to get in there.

 

And i did two more of the quick note paintings. Then i arranged them into a power point so i can flip through them. Something else I'm considering doing is making a book from it. Once i have a good collection of these paintings, I'd assemble them with some writings on the ideas behind them and self publish it as a study. Then it's also like a catalog for my work as well as a work by itself.

 

 

[CourtnieMarie]

nice job on all fronts! moms are moms. sigh.

[Stronkey Kong]

 

I had 2200 or so vegetarian  calories with about 125g Protein by noon today. Good thing too because our managers decided last minute to push us to a goal with a project... Long story short... I was running in circles with Saran wrap for five hours straight so more calories were needed. 

 

I'm trying not to complicate or lengthen this post by skipping some contextual background here. It was a crazy day.

 

Tofu and veggies with butter and plum sauce for dinner.

 

Zazen done when i got home... 15 min.

 

Also talked to my manager about the phone interview. I honestly don't think I'd be a good fit. It really is an extrovert's job. She's gonna try to set me up to talk to people in the finance department and see if they can get me crunching numbers.

 

[Jord]

12 hours ago, Curl Brogo said:

 

 

Also talked to my manager about the phone interview. I honestly don't think I'd be a good fit. It really is an extrovert's job. She's gonna try to set me up to talk to people in the finance department and see if they can get me crunching numbers.

 

 

I have seen a lot of people struggle with this and I think it's awesome that you figured that out about yourself. I had a friend in college who got a teaching degree and she never ended up in that profession because she just wasn't extroverted enough, the jobs would never work out or no one would hire her. Definitely important to know what types of jobs are good for your personality! 

[Stronkey Kong]

9 hours ago, Taddea Zhaan said:

 

I have seen a lot of people struggle with this and I think it's awesome that you figured that out about yourself. I had a friend in college who got a teaching degree and she never ended up in that profession because she just wasn't extroverted enough, the jobs would never work out or no one would hire her. Definitely important to know what types of jobs are good for your personality! 

 

Problem is, is offered I'd feel like is have to take it, cuz $$$.

 

On my good days i could totally step up and do it. But there are some where heads would roll. Plus there's a lot of event planning involved... Which i would totally phone in cuz introverts don't like most events. And I'd have to be the first face any guest to the building sees. Professional shit like that and I'm most comfortable with my hair down etc. All in all it's really casual there, but in this job if have to put on the fake smile and greet people... just yuk. And managing other peoples' schedules... i can barely manage my own.

[Stronkey Kong]

Yesterday was much of the usual.

 

Today i ate burger king because i needed meat and didn't feel like waiting for a chicken though or two to thaw and cook. Also I've noticed after a few days of vegetarianism, i have problems sleeping. I haven't eaten meat in at least a week and i haven't slept well.

 

Also, i was in a hurry this morning and got a couple protein bars for breakfast from the gas station. I was feeling really bloated all day and i think that's why. So, I'll be staying away from those even more.

 

I'm doing my zazen after my shower.

[Stronkey Kong]

 

So we've finished another challenge.

 

I'm not grading by points and such, but here's what I learned.

 

Eating: I can manage a mostly vegetarian diet pretty well. I think twice this challenge I went 6 or 7 days with no meat. The drawback is that I think it affects my sleep negatively. So eating meat once or twice a week is a good thing for me.

 

I also managed to get 120-150 g protein most days without meat thanks to all those veggie sausages which have awesome macros. Though I'm realizing that these are actually more expensive then regular chicken breasts, so there's a downside there.

 

I also find that my hunger and cravings advertised a great deal, tho this may be due to my meditation practice. Also gluten/wheat and soy are clearly okay for me since i ate a lot of tofu and gluten from those sausages and pasta.

 

I haven't weighed myself in over three months, but i know I'm losing weight/fat. I can see it in the mirror and feel it in my pants.

 

I also found out spontaneously that if i stop drinking hundreds of mg of caffeine everyday the sun doesn't explode. How bout that?

 

I have mediated nearly 30 days in a row. At least 10 minutes every day, and all but one were formal zazen meditation.

 

I'm also getting much better at staying mindful throughout the day, and this is proving to be its own reward.

 

I am not strongly motivated to exercise right now in my life. Not any kind of strict goal oriented program of sorts anyway. The motivation is just not there. I move enough at work. Though i know I'd benefit from a little cardio and stretching, I'd prefer not to lift heavy again until I find the motivation again and I've lost enough weight to want to eat properly to support my recovery. After that deadlift mini challenge I was too sore for too long.

 

I painted a shit ton this challenge. Though many went unfinished. Once i went back to digital, i found i could produce work much faster and without the mess or expensive materials. I'm gonna keep that up.

 

So that's that. I'll be using this info to guide my next set of goals.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

14 hours ago, Curl Brogo said:

I am not strongly motivated to exercise right now in my life. Not any kind of strict goal oriented program of sorts anyway. The motivation is just not there. I move enough at work. Though i know I'd benefit from a little cardio and stretching, I'd prefer not to lift heavy again until I find the motivation again and I've lost enough weight to want to eat properly to support my recovery. After that deadlift mini challenge I was too sore for too long.

I think you are working hard enough in your job you don't actually need formal exercise. Setting aside time for exercise is for people who don't work physically as hard as you do.

[Stronkey Kong]

26 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I think you are working hard enough in your job you don't actually need formal exercise. Setting aside time for exercise is for people who don't work physically as hard as you do.

 

Well...partly true.

 

I think for weight loss my job will suffice if I watch what i eat. But, we're also technically not allowed to lift anything over 35# for the sake of safety, so work isn't going to increase my deadlift.

 

The other thing is that i rarely break a sweat at work or get my heart rate up.

 

I've been sitting down today to sketch out what's happening next challenge and planning with all this in mind.

 

Suggested revision:

 

Formal exercise is for those whose regular lifestyle doesn't meet the demands of their fitness goals.

[Stronkey Kong]

Belated food pr0n:

 

Veggie sausage and parsnips

 

 

Turkish coffee

 

 

Yeah. You're supposed to drink it from a tiny espresso cup or similar because it's basically boiled coffee grounds... but whatever.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Turkish coffee is awesome.

[Leimanu]

23 hours ago, Curl Brogo said:

I also found out spontaneously that if i stop drinking hundreds of mg of caffeine everyday the sun doesn't explode. How bout that?

 

Great job on your challenge!