Walking Downtown

One of the things I love most about my adopted city is its beautiful and vibrant Downtown area. It's one of the things that drew me to the city on my first visits. Downtown La Crosse is one of the largest historic districts in the state, with beautifully preserved nineteenth century buildings and a bustling restaurant, bar and retail scene. The area has suffered from the Recession, especially along Fifth Ave., but it is still hustling along, and is a one stop destination if you're into shopping and eating locally. While it can get a little wild after dark on the weekends--this is a three college town with more bars than churches-- I love walking around on warm weather evenings, especially in the Spring when people first start to get out. The air is full of the smell of fried food and people eating outside. The bar doors are thrown open wide, spilling music and the smell of beer out onto the sidewalk.

The other day I had a meeting a couple of hours after work. It was a vanilla sky spring evening, so instead of going home and coming back downtown, I took an aimless walk.



The Batavian Building, originally a bank, is now an office building. Check out the interior here.



Looking east on Main toward the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman. Here's a similar view on a postcard from 1905.



Many of the buildings are businesses on the ground floor with apartments or offices on the upper floors. Also, many of the buildings feature the name of the original owner on top, some with a date. I wonder who started that particular trend. It's pretty cool, especially when the same family still owns the building.



Some colorful facades on Third St.



More Third St. The Library is a great place to grab a drink if you can get in before the college crowd.



No downtown is complete without an independent record store. Deaf Ear Records has great selection and pricing on CDs and vinyl. There's also a smoke shop on the second floor.



Pearl Street Books is one of my favorite places to spend an afternoon. I only took a quick peek, though, since I'm desperately trying to save money. Used books are a dangerous temptation.



Next door is Jules', which I've featured before. Premium coffee and chai are things you have to do without when you're trying to be thrifty as well.



More outside looking in. I feel like such a creeper taking pictures of strangers, and I'm shy about approaching people. Buildings are much easier to capture. All Glazed Up is a relatively new paint-your-own pottery studio. We used to do this frequently at a studio in Jonesboro when Maya was little, but it's been awhile. We may have to try our hand at it again soon when we feel like we're running low on condiment dishes and coffee mugs.



I ended up on a bench in Riverside Park, watching the sunset while a man played his ukulele on the bench next to me. I fled when the mosquitoes arrived, but it was nice to just sit and be still for awhile. There was a moment when the light really turned that I felt the temperature drop and the wind shift. One of those moments you miss when you're going going going.



Coming back from the park with the light almost gone.

Tuesday Tunes: The Comfort Zone

This one is another playlist from the book Love is a Mix Tape, by Rob Sheffield. Have you read it yet? What are you waiting for? It's available on Kindle so you can have it in your hands almost instantaneously if e books are your thing.

I was intrigued by this mix, because Sheffield made it to play while he washed the dishes. I like to listen to music while cleaning, but I tend to go for roots music or hip hop. He made this tape in the spring of 1992, when he was settling into a domestic routine with his new wife. I was in the eighth grade at the time. We had a CD player, but CDs were still so expensive that I still got a lot of music the old fashioned way, by recording it off of the radio. I think that in the spring of 92 I owned three CDs: Nevermind, Dangerous, and Ten. Sheffield's mix has a lot of songs I would have recorded off of top 40 radio. I love a fellow music lover who has a deep and unabashed love for pop.

So I tried this one out while cleaning the kitchen, and it really is a great soundtrack for chores. There were a few songs I couldn't find on Grooveshark, but the overall mood is definitely intact.

Lunch Time

Not much to say about this past week. I'm back on track with my sleep schedule and it was the last week of Leading Ladies at the community theatre. It was also our last week of classroom training at work, so this week things get real!


First Break: Honey Greek yogurt, berries, granola and flax seed, orange, chocolate almond milk.
Lunch: Chickpea curry, salad with cranberries, Gorgonzola, almonds and balsamic vinaigrette, apple.
Second Break: Veggies and hummus, hard boiled egg.



First Break: Banana, chocolate almond milk.
Lunch: Bean burrito, salsa, salad with balsamic vinaigrette, berries with honey, almonds.
Second Break: Veggies and hummus, apple.



First Break: Mixed nuts, dried fruit, chocolate.
Lunch: Spinach and Millet with Lentils, berries with honey, almonds, granola and flax seeds, orange.
Second Break: Veggies and hummus, apple.



First Break: Banana, chocolate almond milk, granola, almonds, dried fruit, chocolate.
Lunch: Barley Caponata, salad with cranberries, Gorgonzola, almonds and balsamic vinaigrette, orange.
Second Break: Veggies and hummus, apple.

Throwback Thursday: March 25, 1994

It's been a minute since we visited my precious teenage journals. Maya is approaching her fifteenth birthday, so I found it appropriate to share this entry from two months before my fifteenth birthday.



First of all, let's talk about that dream about The Edge having a baby named Ivanhoe. Not so hard to imagine a celebrity naming their child that these days, is it?
Also, the lesson I learned and wrote down in this entry is so important, and I have tried to follow it since. There have been many nights where I have been struck with inspiration and drug myself from bed to write it down. Now I usually keep something to write with next to the bed, or use One Note on my phone.



So then I start going on about my birthday, with that passion that kids have for being older, though really they're only in a hurry to be twenty one, as evidenced by my assertion that it would all even out in the end, when my older classmates would turn thirty a few months before me.

What really cracks me up is that, once again, it's evident how much L.M. Montgomery and Jane Austen I was reading at the time, once I start trying to wax poetically philosophical about pressed flowers. Man, I was so lame.

Maya here. I just wanna put my two cents in, since I'll be turning 15 in less than two months and all. I'm actually kind of the opposite right now when it comes to growing up and such. I'm perfectly happy being one of the 'younger' kids, and I have no desire to grow up faster. I remember being in fourth grade and thinking to myself that I couldn't imagine being in 8th grade. It was only four years away, but it felt like an eternity! Now I'm about three months away from finishing freshman year and becoming a sophomore. I'm three years away from college! A job! A house! Bills! Marriage! Children! Time goes by too quickly! I've learned that I need to stop wishing time away, because you don't get it back.

Tuesday Tunes: Rumblefish

I'm currently reading Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time. If you love music, if you're a boy who loves music, if you're a girl who loves boys who loves music, you should read this book. The author, Rob Sheffield, is a music writer who was living the kind of life many of us dreamed of when we read Sassy and Spin and Rolling Stone before it was lame, or watched Reality Bites and Singles. While I'm now glad that I'm not really a member of Generation X, back then, my friends and I lamented that we were too young to be out on our own going to shows and writing about music and exchanging mix tapes with someone who shared not just a casual love of music as background noise, but whose very life was inescapably intertwined with the music in their head and all around.

Sheffield had that. And he lost her. And he wrote about it by writing about some of those mix tapes they exchanged and shared. It's a very short book, and I don't really want it to end. But I may read it over and over, just like I listened to Pearl Jam's "Daughter" over and over in my room after school in the ninth grade.

I found all of the songs on the first mix in the book, Rumblefish, and this was my soundtrack for Saturday. A few old loves, and a lot of new.

Perennial

"At first it seemed that green things would never cease pushing their way through the earth, in the grass, in the beds, even in the crevices of the walls. Then the green things began to show buds and the buds began to unfurl and show colour, every shade of blue, every shade of purple, every tint and hue of crimson."
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Mild winter, early spring. It's been feeling like an Arkansas spring, early and fast. Hopefully it'll slow down. One thing I really love about Wisconsin is that the transitional seasons take their time.
The other day, I noticed one little crocus peeking out of the dead leaves. Then out of nowhere, a few days later, there was a whole line of them, in full bloom, the vanguard of spring. I've been walking a lot lately, so I've been on the lookout for the subtle signs, like leaf buds and bird activity, but these purple flowers are a sure sign. After I took a few shots of them, I realized that I've taken photos of them every spring we've been in this house.



March 14, 2010
We moved in the day after Thanksgiving in 2009, with all the flora already dormant. It was fun that year to see just what had been previously planted. There were some lovely surprises, and some things that made us scratch our heads a little. Trevor was still working two food jobs, and I was about six months away from the final promotion at my old job. Maya was in seventh grade. We were still learning the ins and outs and little quirks of our new house. We turned the boiler off way too early that year, and ended up with some really cold nights in April. I came to know and love the play of light and shadow in the house during the day as we really started settling in.



April 5, 2011
Last winter seemed interminable. It came in with a record setting blizzard at the beginning of December, and didn't truly let up until late April.
When this picture was taken, I was still working at the day job that took over my life. Trevor was working full time and was just really starting to think about going back to school. Maya was finishing up her last year of middle school. We were making more money than we ever had, but weren't really happy because we were hardly ever together as a family, and were making all this money at jobs we couldn't stand. The more I think about getting fired, the more I realize what a blessing it was. I still think the reasoning and the way it was handled were bogus, but it was still the best thing that's happened to me in years.



March 17, 2012
Money's tight, the house is a mess most of the time, and we're still really busy, but there's a general happiness in the house that wasn't there in the last year. Trevor's back in school, I'm back to work, and Maya is thriving in high school. I'm cautiously optimistic about things to come this year. In the fall, Trevor planted some bulbs from his late grandfather's beautiful flower garden. We have no idea what kind of bulbs, so there will again be beautiful surprises popping up in the next few months. I can't wait.

Lunch Time

I've been staying up too late, lingering in bed too long, and rushing around in the morning trying to get everything together. I still managed to make my lunches, but my mornings were more stressful than they needed to be. A million points to me for eating a salad every day.



First Break: Chocolate almond milk, banana.
Lunch: Spicy penne Alfredo, salad with balsamic vinaigrette, honey Greek yogurt, blackberries.
Second Break: Mixed nuts, dried fruit, apple.

I was so glad that I froze some of the pasta I made a couple of weeks ago, because I was just able to throw it in the lunch bag. It acted as an ice pack as it thawed. I ate my salad first and heated the pasta in the same bowl.



First Break: Chocolate almond milk, banana.
Lunch: Lasagna, salad with balsamic vinaigrette, honey Greek yogurt, blackberries.
Second Break: Apple, orange, string cheese.

Coming off of tech week and opening weekend, Monday night was my first free night in awhile, and it felt like I had a ton of extra time. So I ended up making lasagna. It was a small batch, made in a loaf pan, and was chock full of veggies.



First Break: Chocolate almond milk, banana.
Lunch: Tuna and avocado, salad with balsamic vinaigrette, orange.
Second Break: Mixed nuts, dried fruit, apple.

Not much to say here. I'm still really enjoying the tuna and avocado combo. I just need to remember to sprinkle some lemon juice on my avocado so it doesn't oxidize quite as much by lunch time.



First Break: Chocolate almond milk, banana.
Second Break: Veggies and hummus, orange.
Supper: Salad with black beans, hard boiled egg, string cheese.

Thursday we had box lunches from Subway provided by work. I had to go directly to the theatre after work, so I used the extra room in my lunch bag to take dinner. I was a little worried that the salad wouldn't be enough to get me through the show, but with the added protein and fat of the egg and cheese, it was fine. There may have been a little backstage snacking on Twizzlers and Sour Patch kids as well.


Friday was another potluck, but luckily this one was upstairs so I wasn't tempted to graze all day.


Next week, I'm switching things up a bit. I'll be eating my lunch during the first break so that I can walk in the park most of the lunch hour.

March Birchbox

Last month, Birchbox sent an email giving subscribers the choice of a regular Birchbox and a special edition Teen Vogue one for March. I said yes to the Teen Vogue box, because they promised that there would be items in the box that would appeal to all ages, and I figured that anything that was way out there for me would appeal to Maya. I also figured that I will end up getting whatever would have been in my regular March box at some point in the future anyway.



1. Twistband Hair Tie: The one I got is baby blue. These hair ties are made of super soft colored elastic, and are designed to not only look better worn on the wrist, but to prevent creases in your hair. They're also more gentle on the hair. I wear my hair up in a lazy bun most of the time, and have a hair tie on my wrist the rest of the time, so I like the concept a lot. However, I'm also incredibly bad at keeping up with hair ties. I can't justify spending $1.50 per band on what is essentially elastic ribbon tied at one end.

2. essie Luxeffects Nail Polish in A Cut Above: This one is a full sized product! The sample sizes that Birchbox sends are almost always generous, but it's really cool to get a full sized product every once in awhile. Since this is a pink glitter top coat, I didn't want to paint all of my nails on a work day, so I just applied it to one thumbnail. It went on beautifully, stayed on well and should be fun layered over a lot of shades. I'm sure Maya will get more mileage out of it, though.
Like the Zoya polish that they sent in January, essie polishes are toulene, DPB and formaldehyde free. essie has been a cruelty free company in the past, but since its purchase by L'Oreal, that status is up in the air.


3. tarte Lipsurgence lip tint: Another full sized product! This is my favorite from this month's box. This crayon has a light peppermint scent, goes on smoothly, and gave my lips a subtle stain, as though I'd just finished eating a cherry Popsicle. Unlike some stains I've tried, this didn't dry out my lips, either. Fortunately, since I do love this product so much that I will likely purchase it, tarte has never tested its products on animals.


4. Kérastase Elixir Ultime:This is a nice smelling, silky hair oil. Whenever I try a new hair product, I always test it out by itself on clean hair first. It made my hair incredibly soft, but didn't do much to control frizz. It's a great finishing product, however, and worked well to add shine to straightened hair. However, despite being quite a bit more expensive than the Orofluido oil that I received in my first Birchbox, it didn't perform any better, and doesn't smell as heavenly. Then there's that pesky thing with Kérastase's parent company L'Oreal's animal testing policy. They say they don't test their products on animals, but PETA (they have the most accurate and up to date lists) says they test their new ingredients on animals. I just like to play it safe and avoid those grey areas when possible.

5. kate spade new york Twirl: The top notes are super fruity: watermelon, blackberry and red currant. Then it settled into a crisp, woodsy scent. Nice, but nothing to go crazy about. At this point, though, I'm always just amazed when a perfume doesn't give me a headache. Maya hasn't tried it yet, because she's been having some sinus issues, but it seems to be a scent she'd enjoy as well.
Kate Spade doesn't test on animals, though those of you who don't buy leather may not want to support a company that sells leather handbags.

This was a fun box, and I'm glad I took a chance on the Teen Vogue box.

I just started using the Vichy products I got in my bonus box last month, because I was waiting to use up the last of my night cream. They're pretty good, but not amazing. The cleanser lists mineral oil as the second ingredient, which is surprising in a higher end product. I think I'm going to just keep the set around for travel.

Tuesday Tunes: Time Capsule

There was a time when I listened to this song every day while I got ready for school, and pretended that it was the opening scene of a movie. I did that a lot, putting music to action and pretending life was a movie. You do what you can to get through junior high.

I've also really loved when those moments happen on their own. Like driving down the interstate at the right time when music and feelings and scenery combine to make you think this can't possibly be real life, because real life can never be that perfect.

The video is here if you'd like to check it out. I decided not to embed it because there are bugs. Very large bugs. And I don't want to ruin anyone's day. I dig it, though.

Sweet is one of my all time favorite artists. It's hard to choose a favorite album, but I would say Girlfriend and 100% Fun are the best.
Or, you could just go with The Very Best of Matthew Sweet for a good start.

Breakfast Pizza

I've been experimenting with breakfast pizza for a month or so, and I think I finally have my technique down well enough to share. It's not exactly a recipe, since it's more about combining things, but here you go! It serves two. I usually share with Maya since Trevor eats breakfast well before us, and he doesn't eat eggs or cheese. You can use whatever vegetable toppings you prefer.

Ingredients:
1 10-12 inch raw pizza crust*
2 oz cream cheese
1 cup baby spinach.
1 cup diced vegetables**
3 medium mushrooms, sliced
1 egg
1 T milk or soy milk
1/3 cup shredded cheese
Salt, pepper and garlic to taste


*A raw pizza crust is preferable because the egg needs more cooking time than most cooked crusts require. I strongly recommend finding one with a lip on the edge, as this prevents the egg from spilling over. I use a frozen raw crust, and take it out at the beginning of prep so that it is lightly thawed when it's time to go in the oven. I haven't tried it with a from scratch crust.
** In this example, I used zucchini, onion, asparagus, red bell pepper, and grape tomatoes.

1. Preheat oven according to crust package directions.

2. Spread cream cheese on crust.

3. Roughly chiffonade the spinach and spread over cream cheese.



4. Spread diced veggies over spinach.

5. Lightly beat egg and milk. Pour in center of crust. Don't spread it! As it cooks it will spread and expand on its own. I scraped a lot of egg off of my pizza stone before figuring this out.



6. Layer mushroom slices on top, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic to taste.



7. Spread shredded cheese on top and pop in the oven. Use a pizza stone or cookie sheet to protect from spills. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until egg is done and crust is browned.




I like to give mine a generous dose of hot sauce, because eggs and hot sauce go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Please let me know if you make this, so I can make any improvements or clarify my directions. I'd also love to know what flavor combinations you use.

Lunch Time

This week I only had to take my lunch Monday through Wednesday. My training class won a free lunch for Thursday, and we had a potluck on Friday. All three of my packed lunches had hummus in common. I made a batch using Alton Brown's recipe, kicked up a bit with some ground chipotle. The recipe was quick, easy, and cheap. Plus, it made a huge batch, so I have plenty for the coming week as well.


First Break: Iced chai, banana.
Lunch: Vegan chili, oyster crackers, cheddar, plain Greek yogurt, orange.
Second Break: Hummus and veggies, apple.

Trevor made the chili on Sunday night. It's just as delicious as the omni version he used to make and of course, it's even better the next day.



First Break: Cheddar and mozzarella, clementine.
Lunch: Hummus and veggie wrap, salt and vinegar chips, salad with balsamic vinaigrette, orange.
Second Break: Strawberries with honey Greek yogurt, flax seeds and granola, apple.


First Break: Soymilk, banana.
Lunch: Tuna and avocado, Strawberries with honey Greek yogurt, flax seeds and granola, orange.
Second Break: Veggies and hummus, apple.


For the potluck on Friday, I was supposed to make deviled eggs. Trevor didn't get a chance to boil the eggs for me on Thursday night, though, and I ran out of time on Friday morning. I ended up grabbing a quiche from the co-op on my way to work.

I love a potluck, but having all that food around to graze on all day is definitely not the best thing for someone who struggles with portion control. It was all delicious, which was a huge problem! I kept going back for seconds and thirds. I'm glad we don't have potlucks often.

This next week's weather looks to be absolutely gorgeous, so I'm going to plan on meals that are easy to eat sitting on a park bench!

5 Things Friday: What a Week

This has been a fairly stressful week for me, relatively speaking. I decided last minute to volunteer to work backstage for the La Crosse Community Theatre production of Leading Ladies. There was a severe crew shortage, so I said, "Oh what the hell," and stepped up. Since it's tech week, I've had to be at rehearsal every night, and I've been going straight from work to the theatre, with a quick stop for a bite to eat. I basically haven't seen Trevor at all, since he gets up two hours before I do and goes to bed before I get home. I've only seen Maya for a few minutes each morning. I've been getting to bed much later than I've been used to. Despite all of this, it hasn't been a bad week, just a stressful one. Here are five reasons why.

1. New Friends
One of the best things about theatre is that you constantly get the chance to make new friends. Many times these are people you may not have ever had the chance to meet otherwise. In the case of professional theatre, you're meeting people from all over the country. With community theatre, you meet people who may not run in the same social circles. Whatever the case, it's awesome!

2. Old Friends
Working on a show means the possibility of reuniting with people you've worked with before. In community theatre this happens much more often, but I'm still constantly amazed with how small the professional theatre world really is, too. I've been surprised many times to find that someone I worked with in Georgia is friends on Facebook with someone I went to college with, because they worked together elsewhere. I've had a lot of fun on this show getting to work with some of the same backstage crew and one of the cast members from The Glass Menagerie.

3. Eating Out
My lunch bag is often almost bursting just from my lunches and snacks, so there has been no room to pack dinner. I know that if I were truly dedicated to being extremely frugal, I could have figured something out, but I've honestly just been thrilled to have an excuse to eat somewhere other than at home or work. I haven't been going overboard--we're talking mostly soup and sandwiches here--but it's been a great break from routine. And those pork tacos I had at Bodega last night were delicious.

4. The Play
Leading Ladies is hilarious. With money being somewhat tight, I'm not sure if I would have had the chance to experience it if I hadn't volunteered. If you're in the La Crosse area, go see it! Tickets here

5. Spring!
This has nothing to do with the play, but I'm just excited that we're finally getting some real peeks at spring weather. We've even had a couple of days of Zombie Weather. You know, when it's warm and sunny in winter, and pasty, confused people are shuffling around, cautiously enjoying the weather, but not quite sure what to make of it. (Thanks, Angie, for introducing me to the term!) Those first few days when you can walk outside without having to brace yourself are just heavenly.

Tuesday Tunes: Mmm Mmm Good

I'm slowly getting used to the fact that classic rock stations play music from my early teens. I nearly had an existential crisis the first time I heard Smashing Pumpkins on the classic rock station, but now I just realize it means that at least some of the music I listened to was able to stand the test of time, and that's a little comforting.

Maya is fairly well versed in 90s music, due to Trevor and I still listening to it, and to its availability on the Internet and radio. However, it's fun to be reminded that not ALL hits from that glorious decade have become classics.

I was reminded of this song the other day because I was listening to a song by an artist who sounded a lot like Brad Roberts up there. I don't remember this artist's name. I just remember that when I mentioned the song, Maya hadn't heard it, so I immediately had to find it.

She found it...interesting. She asked if it was popular. I said it was a major hit. And I immediately realized that that's pretty odd, if you look at it in the context of what gets mainstream radio play these days. It's an odd song that's also hard to sing. Pop radio is all about singability. And it honestly doesn't even really have a hook. It's got an anti-hook if you really listen to it. But maybe that's what got it stuck in your head. You take it an octave up or you sound ridiculous trying to sing lower than Garth Brooks. Maybe it was just so ludicrous that it had to work.

Whatever the reason for its popularity, I'm glad that I was reminded of it and was able to look back and smile. If I made a 9th grade playlist, this would be on it.

February Birchbox

The theme for February's Birchbox is "Spotlight," and focused on makeup more than skin and hair care.


1. Eye Rock Designer Liner: Apparently, stick on makeup is becoming a thing. I am fairly adept at applying liquid liner, due to having been in musicals set in the 20s and the 60s, but I do know how frustrating it is when one little slip of the hand leads to starting over. However, I don't think this stuff is the solution. I found it just as frustrating to try to position these strips correctly. It also took forever to get the inner corner to stay down. When I finally got it on, it looked great, but it felt like exactly what it is, having a sticker on your eyelid. Not comfortable at all. And at $13 for four sets, it's not the most cost effective way to rock great eyeliner. You can get a more than decent drug store liquid eyeliner for that price. My advice is to just practice, practice, practice, and look up tutorials for eyeliner on Pinterest and YouTube.

2. Emery Board: This cute heart-shaped emery board was a bonus item. Not much to say about it. I threw it in my purse since I never seem to be able to keep up with one, and was once again without.

3. colorscience pro Mineral Bronzer: While the full size product comes as a pre-loaded brush, the sample came as a pre-loaded puff. I was a little worried about the shade they chose for me "Kissed by the Sun Self Tanner," because self tanner makes me immediately think of Oompa Loompa orange,

4. Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant: I was very excited to receive this one. Exfoliation is a hugely important skin care step. I used to use the Body Shop's Japanese Washing Grains religiously, because I like a very mild exfoliant. I also really enjoy Arbonne's FC5 scrub. However, this is the first time I've found one that's truly mild enough to use every day, but also gets results. It's a fine powder that you mix with water. You can barely tell that it has any exfoliating properties, but the first time I used it, my skin felt softer and looked clearer. It's a little on the pricey side, at $50 for 2.6 oz, but since you use so little at a time, I can see this one giving a lot of bang for the buck. It's definitely on my wishlist.

5. Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint: I like to use tinted moisturizer instead of traditional foundation or even mineral powder if I just need quick coverage. I'm currently using Arbonne's Sheer Finish. The folks at Birchbox chose the right shade for me, based on my beauty survey responses, and this moisturizer gave great light coverage with a very light feel. It's also buildable if you need heavier coverage. However, I still haven't gotten a response from the folks at Jouer about their animal testing policy, so I'll be holding off on purchasing this one. I know that Arbonne doesn't test on animals, and it costs less for the same size. I do seriously appreciate that this sample was in a tiny tube, instead of being in a messy and hard to use packet.


This month definitely made up for the disappointing box last month. I also received a bonus box filled with Vichy products. I haven't had a chance to dive into those yet, but I'll post when I do.

Polar Plunge

Friday was an overcast, 36F day. Perfect to watch some crazy folks jump into the river for charity, right? Luckily, my training class was able to go across the bridge to Pettibone Beach and watch a few members of upper management participate in the Toss Your Boss fundraiser, part of the Special Olympics Polar Plunge.

I'm not sure if I would ever participate myself, but this year would have been a good year to do it. It was actually above freezing out, and there was no ice on the river. Some people told me that in years past, they've had to cut through the ice in order to have a place to plunge. There have also been years where the air temperature was well below zero.


The dive team was prepared for any mishaps.


This guy was definitely my favorite.



There was a lot of sit around and wait, because the plunge was airing live on the 5 o'clock news. Many of the plungers and some of the spectators (those who, unlike my class, were not on the clock) partook in the hallowed Wisconsin tradition of public day drinking to pass the time.

The Toss Your Boss event isn't as heavily attended as the main event, but it was still a fun atmosphere.



Suddenly, the go ahead was given and everyone threw themselves into the Mississippi. All they had to do was touch one of the dive team members, turn around and go back.









It was all over in about thirty seconds, and the teams jumped right into the waiting portable hot tubs. I'm seriously tempted to rent one of these next time I have a party.

I'm also seriously considering participating in this next year. The potential to raise a lot of money for charity by being intensely uncomfortable for a few minutes is very tempting.

Lunch Time

I didn't shop for lunch things last Sunday because I still had a lot of things from my last trip and I wanted to see how far I could stretch things. I think I did really well.
One thing I've noticed since I've been more active and as my moods have stabilized, is that my appetite can get a little insane. So I definitely try to eat often so that I don't pig out completely when I get home.


First Break: Soy milk, banana.
Lunch: Ravioli with marinara, veggies.
Second Break: Almonds and dried fruit, apple.


First Break: Soy milk, banana.
Lunch: Bagel with cheddar, veggies, honey Greek yogurt with peaches, granola and flax seeds.
Second Break: Almonds and dried fruit, orange.

We have a toaster in the break room, so I was able to toast my bagel and throw the cheddar back on.


First Break: Soy milk, apple.
Lunch: Mini pizza, honey Greek yogurt with peaches.
Second Break: Almonds and dried fruit, orange.

I woke up half an hour before my alarm and felt rested, so I used the extra time to make a mini pizza. I used what we had on hand, which was green olives, tomatoes and red bell peppers. It was delicious. I have to say, I was famished by the time I got home, so in hindsight I think I should have thrown some more carrots or another piece of fruit in my lunch bag.



First Break: Banana, mozzarella, red bell peppers.
Lunch: Chickpea curry, spinach and tomato salad with balsamic vinaigrette, honey Greek yogurt, orange.
Second Break: Mixed nuts, apple.

The chickpea curry was frozen, from the batch I made last week. I ate my salad first, then used the container to heat the curry.

Friday I stopped at the co-op on the way to work and grabbed a sandwich, chips and a La Croix water. Kind of a Friday treat. I didn't really need snacks, since we were treated to green eggs and ham at work in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday. The eggs were delicious. Instead of just using food coloring to dye them, they were mixed with pesto. I'm going to have to start doing that to my eggs at home.

Before my grocery trip tomorrow, I'm going to try to come up with some different ideas so that I don't get into a rut. Eating the same old same old, no matter how much you like it, can make running out for a sandwich or sushi for lunch much more tempting.