It's been a while since I last posted. Mostly because last week was an insane week of work. Everyone in development stuck around late every night to hit our Friday deadline.
I put in about 60 hours. A good thing about the company I work for is they (usually) will pay for your dinner if you work late. So since everyone was here, a lot of pizza was ordered most of the nights. Luckily it wasn't that Tata's crap they normally order. This was straight-up Pizza Pizza. Ever-so-delectable, mouth-wateringly tasty Pizza-Pizza...
So, Subway was fantastic.
One thing I've noticed in the past week or so is that I don't really crave cigarettes anymore. Although, every once in a while I'll get a whiff of one in passing that smells like heaven, but for the most part it doesn't really even bother me. I'll chalk that one up as a win as well.
On the night of our anniversary, Lindsay had surprised me at work and rented us a hotel room at the Radisson for the evening. The room was awesome. It was a junior executive suite, decked out with everything you could need in a hotel room. A long executive table, a flatscreen TV, a little desk to do stuff at if you had stuff that needed to get done. Oh and windows across two full walls. I'm going to post the pictures of it here when I can get them off the camera. It also had some stuff that you probably wouldn't need in a hotel room. Like a safe. And a sleep-number bed.
If you've never slept in a sleep-number, go ahead, try it; It's the only kind of bed in the world that comes with a customizable mountain range on one side and a pile of puddy on the other. You can literally roll from prison on one side to a pool on the other if you were so inclined. Oh you can switch them too with their handy-dandy remote that requires as little as a degree in astrophysics to use properly. So I guess what I'm trying to say is you probably don't want to use one of these beds. Although, we did have a pretty good laugh playing with the controls.
The rest of the room and hotel and experience was really, really great. That night we had the pool and hot tub/spa areas to ourselves, so that was nice. Lindsay also set us up breakfast in bed the next morning which I thought was awesome. Partly because I've never had a strange man in a blue robe bring me food while I was half-naked and still 99% asleep, but mostly because the food was really good and it was a thoughtful thing to do.
On the night of, I took Lindsay for dinner at Frankie Pesto's, seeing as how she'd never been there, and it's essentially right beside the Radisson. This is sort of where the portion control and stuff from my last post kind of breaks down a little. Frankie Pesto's gives you a pile of food. Most of it is greasy, cheesy, pasta sauteéd in butter and oils and other stuff that would tranquilze a nine-hundred-pound silverback gorilla. We both ordered one of those meals and it was pretty fantastic. The only down-side: Lindsay ordered a Sprite. However, because it was our anniversary dinner, we had both decided that it would be alright to let it slide this one time. Unfortunately though, strike-two for Lindsay.
Over the last few days, Lindsay and I have been talking about what we can do, aside from the challenge, to improve our health. So, me being me, I researched, analyzed, digested and understood most everything that I could find on the subject through some carefully targeted, well thought-out internet browsing (read: I Googled it). Most websites out there will tell you pretty much the same thing: "Don't eat fast food and don't drink pop.". Good thing for us, we're already doing that anyway. We've also agreed that we'd make a concious effort to make and plan our own meals, which I'm hoping will help us out with this whole portion-control dilemma. Now that both Lindsay and I have relatively stable nine-to-fives, I think I can safely assume it will be a marginally easier task. I hope.
Day twenty-two. I think we're doing quite well.
P.S.: If ever you're in room 236 at the Radisson in Kingston, the combination to the safe is "8882".
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Mom's visit/Photoshoot weekend
This past weekend my mom and brother were here for a visit.
I think it's universally accepted that when your family members come to visit (or vice versa), you eat. A lot... You just do. For example: I cannot visit my grandmother, even for a minute, without her asking me if I've eaten and subsequently attempting to feed me everything in her fridge, which actually equates to a years worth of nourishment for a small nation. Not that I didn't love every second of their visit (because I did), but this weekend was hard.
My mother is a saint.
She was very supportive of the challenge, which doesn't come as a surprise to me. She purchased some Kirkland brand granola from Costco (this stuff), which she buys every time she's here because there isn't a Costco in the North. Every time she wanted to eat some, she'd always ask myself or Lindsay if it was alright, just to make sure we weren't going to eat any and throw off our challenge. She read the physical contract (Lindsay pinned it to the wall in my apartment) and compared my wording of the contract to something that Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory would produce. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not. Either way it was adequately hilarious. My mom is awesome. The only thing that wasn't awesome: She smokes.
My brother likes his candies. And his chips. His chocolates not so much, but they're up there. In contrast to my mom, Chris had no problem at all eating the aforementioned items (and all the power to him by the way): Doritos, Skittles, some weird fish-chip things from the Asian Market and a myriad of other stuff that's strictly against the challenge criteria. It was pretty friggin hard to say no Doritos, but we managed.
We went out to eat a few times, once to Lonestar again (I was working Thursday and it's the fastest lunch you can sit down and eat) where we successfully avoided the chips, and once to Copper Penny because it's my favourite restaurant in Kingston and I know my mother enjoys it. With that said, I think a part of the contract that both Lindsay and I feel we're somewhat taking advantage of (for lack of a better phrase) is portion control. We do eat out quite a bit, which we've both agreed that we should probably cut down on, but we also tend to snack relatively frequently after supper. Perhaps this will be our focus in the following weeks.
A small bit of back-story for the last part of this post:
For the past few weeks I'd been emailing back and forth with the girls from Niche Photography here in Kingston to setup a surprise photoshoot for Lindsay and I (from which I'm really stoked to see the resulting images), seeing as how September 13th is our one-year anniversary. Her sister Cassy is an esthetician and as soon as she found out about the photoshoot, generously offered to do Lindsay's makeup and hair the day of the photoshoot (which turned out wonderfully by the way). Consequently, Lindsay wasn't at my place on Friday night, but instead stayed at her place to be surprised Saturday morning. It worked out really well actually.
On Friday night, my friend/neighbour Lee and his girlfriend Ashley came down from upstairs and the four of us, myself, Chris, Lee and Ashley, got our drink on. A lot. The evening's excursions began at my place after which we somehow worked our way to the Grizzly Grill. That's besides the point... Now, anyone who is a smoker will attest to the fact that drinking and smoking are peas and carrots, cheese and wine, Abbot and Costello and all that other stuff that goes together like peas and carrots. The whole night I didn't crave or smoke a single cigarette. Magnificent. Although, there is a very good chance that I may have urinated on a Hakim Optical. Maybe.
All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Not only for this challenge, but also because the photoshoot went exactly as planned and I got to see my mother and brother.
I think it's universally accepted that when your family members come to visit (or vice versa), you eat. A lot... You just do. For example: I cannot visit my grandmother, even for a minute, without her asking me if I've eaten and subsequently attempting to feed me everything in her fridge, which actually equates to a years worth of nourishment for a small nation. Not that I didn't love every second of their visit (because I did), but this weekend was hard.
My mother is a saint.
She was very supportive of the challenge, which doesn't come as a surprise to me. She purchased some Kirkland brand granola from Costco (this stuff), which she buys every time she's here because there isn't a Costco in the North. Every time she wanted to eat some, she'd always ask myself or Lindsay if it was alright, just to make sure we weren't going to eat any and throw off our challenge. She read the physical contract (Lindsay pinned it to the wall in my apartment) and compared my wording of the contract to something that Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory would produce. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not. Either way it was adequately hilarious. My mom is awesome. The only thing that wasn't awesome: She smokes.
My brother likes his candies. And his chips. His chocolates not so much, but they're up there. In contrast to my mom, Chris had no problem at all eating the aforementioned items (and all the power to him by the way): Doritos, Skittles, some weird fish-chip things from the Asian Market and a myriad of other stuff that's strictly against the challenge criteria. It was pretty friggin hard to say no Doritos, but we managed.
We went out to eat a few times, once to Lonestar again (I was working Thursday and it's the fastest lunch you can sit down and eat) where we successfully avoided the chips, and once to Copper Penny because it's my favourite restaurant in Kingston and I know my mother enjoys it. With that said, I think a part of the contract that both Lindsay and I feel we're somewhat taking advantage of (for lack of a better phrase) is portion control. We do eat out quite a bit, which we've both agreed that we should probably cut down on, but we also tend to snack relatively frequently after supper. Perhaps this will be our focus in the following weeks.
A small bit of back-story for the last part of this post:
For the past few weeks I'd been emailing back and forth with the girls from Niche Photography here in Kingston to setup a surprise photoshoot for Lindsay and I (from which I'm really stoked to see the resulting images), seeing as how September 13th is our one-year anniversary. Her sister Cassy is an esthetician and as soon as she found out about the photoshoot, generously offered to do Lindsay's makeup and hair the day of the photoshoot (which turned out wonderfully by the way). Consequently, Lindsay wasn't at my place on Friday night, but instead stayed at her place to be surprised Saturday morning. It worked out really well actually.
On Friday night, my friend/neighbour Lee and his girlfriend Ashley came down from upstairs and the four of us, myself, Chris, Lee and Ashley, got our drink on. A lot. The evening's excursions began at my place after which we somehow worked our way to the Grizzly Grill. That's besides the point... Now, anyone who is a smoker will attest to the fact that drinking and smoking are peas and carrots, cheese and wine, Abbot and Costello and all that other stuff that goes together like peas and carrots. The whole night I didn't crave or smoke a single cigarette. Magnificent. Although, there is a very good chance that I may have urinated on a Hakim Optical. Maybe.
All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Not only for this challenge, but also because the photoshoot went exactly as planned and I got to see my mother and brother.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Week one
It's been a few days but: today marks the last day of the first week of the challenge.
The hardest part for me this past week has (obviously) been the lack of cigarettes. I'm pretty sure now that I've quit smoking, everyone else has started to make up for it. Seems everywhere I look someone has a smoke in hand... Seriously, it's almost commercial. Last Thursday I remember driving to ball and looking at the vehicles in the lane beside me, I'm probably sure everyone had a cigarette.
Last night at ball was the most difficult by far though. The other team all seemed to be heavy smokers, when they'd come to coach third base I'd get a whiff on the bench. The smell of it was one of the most intoxicating and beautiful aromas I've had the pleasure of inhaling. Now, for non-smokers that's the most disgusting thing in the world and I do understand that, but for a smoker it's comparative to smelling freshly baked triple chocolate fudge brownies stuffed into fresh-baked waffle cones from a bakery in the heavens... Yeah okay so it's not quite like that but it's close.
Speaking of which. The food portion of the challenge is actually going quite well. Lindsay and I have had one accidental slip-up which we both acknowledged at the time. This happened yesterday, I had invited her to lunch with me and we went to Lonestar, seeing as it's right beside where I work. Lonestar gives you free tortilla chips and salsa just for walking in the door. After decimating the bowl of them we both kind of stopped and realized that not only are they tortilla chips, they're also deep fried. Strike one for us. Although, I think because it's so early in the challenge and it's so new to both of us, it was a learning experience. The rest of lunch was rather enjoyable.
With that said, I must admit I'm very impressed with Lindsay's willpower and fortitude. Yesterday was one of her teammates' birthdays, so we stopped in for a few minutes after baseball to wish him a happy birthday etc... His wife had purchased a red velvet birthday cake. Now, I've never actually eaten red velvet cake, but everyone knows what velvet feels like. I only imagine that same smooth, silky excellence. In cake form... and... in my mouth...
Lindsay politely declined without reserve. It was awesome. Watching her do that with ease is a pretty good motivator for me and only one of the reasons why I know we'll both share triumphant success over the next ninety-three days.
Week one? Check.
Bring it on.
The hardest part for me this past week has (obviously) been the lack of cigarettes. I'm pretty sure now that I've quit smoking, everyone else has started to make up for it. Seems everywhere I look someone has a smoke in hand... Seriously, it's almost commercial. Last Thursday I remember driving to ball and looking at the vehicles in the lane beside me, I'm probably sure everyone had a cigarette.
Last night at ball was the most difficult by far though. The other team all seemed to be heavy smokers, when they'd come to coach third base I'd get a whiff on the bench. The smell of it was one of the most intoxicating and beautiful aromas I've had the pleasure of inhaling. Now, for non-smokers that's the most disgusting thing in the world and I do understand that, but for a smoker it's comparative to smelling freshly baked triple chocolate fudge brownies stuffed into fresh-baked waffle cones from a bakery in the heavens... Yeah okay so it's not quite like that but it's close.
Speaking of which. The food portion of the challenge is actually going quite well. Lindsay and I have had one accidental slip-up which we both acknowledged at the time. This happened yesterday, I had invited her to lunch with me and we went to Lonestar, seeing as it's right beside where I work. Lonestar gives you free tortilla chips and salsa just for walking in the door. After decimating the bowl of them we both kind of stopped and realized that not only are they tortilla chips, they're also deep fried. Strike one for us. Although, I think because it's so early in the challenge and it's so new to both of us, it was a learning experience. The rest of lunch was rather enjoyable.
With that said, I must admit I'm very impressed with Lindsay's willpower and fortitude. Yesterday was one of her teammates' birthdays, so we stopped in for a few minutes after baseball to wish him a happy birthday etc... His wife had purchased a red velvet birthday cake. Now, I've never actually eaten red velvet cake, but everyone knows what velvet feels like. I only imagine that same smooth, silky excellence. In cake form... and... in my mouth...
Lindsay politely declined without reserve. It was awesome. Watching her do that with ease is a pretty good motivator for me and only one of the reasons why I know we'll both share triumphant success over the next ninety-three days.
Week one? Check.
Bring it on.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Tempting...
Yesterday was somehow the worst possible day that we could've picked to start this challenge.
A co-worker of mine recently gave his letter of resignation and yesterday was his last day. As is customary with employee's last-days, work had a lunch for him at The Iron Duke pub. We get there, I'm starving, and all I can think about is how I'm going to stuff my pie-hole with more sweet potato fries than any mere mortal has ever stuffed into any pie-hole anywhere...
I had the salad.
And the salmon wrap... Which I was actually rather disappointed in to be honest. The service was also bad and very slow but that's beyond the point.
I played baseball last night as well. The team we played was Boston Pizza, and there was a deal made: If we beat them, we get free pizza from Boston Pizza. So I'm thinking okay is this actually happening right now? We won. Originally I hadn't intended on going to BP but I drove home, dropped Lindsay off (apparently Big Brother is cooler than Boston Pizza.. who knew?) and made the trek out there.
So I get there, order a beer and start chatting it up. The pizza comes out, and it's amazing how you don't realize how much people want you to eat with them until you're not eating with them. I respectfully declined the free pizza and even after multiple attempts from a myriad of teammates, I didn't cave. Chalk a 'W' on the score-card for this guy.
About 15 minutes later I see a waitress carrying two plates of obviously-succulent, entirely-too-delactable deep-fried chicken wings. Then another waitress with two plates of Thai chicken bites. Then another waitress with a plate of nachos. It's like they know...
So after respectfully declining another round of really-friggin-awesome, I explained to my baffled teammates why I hadn't eaten anything from the pizza, two plates of wings, two plates of thai chicken bites and plate of nachos. They were actually really good about it.
I was also quite happy when I got home to have Lindsay tell me (with that cute look on her face... the one that melts your heart) that she threw out everything from our snack cupboard so she wouldn't be tempted to eat any of it. She ate broccoli and cauliflower instead. Wow.
Very difficult first day for both of us, but a win nonetheless.
A co-worker of mine recently gave his letter of resignation and yesterday was his last day. As is customary with employee's last-days, work had a lunch for him at The Iron Duke pub. We get there, I'm starving, and all I can think about is how I'm going to stuff my pie-hole with more sweet potato fries than any mere mortal has ever stuffed into any pie-hole anywhere...
I had the salad.
And the salmon wrap... Which I was actually rather disappointed in to be honest. The service was also bad and very slow but that's beyond the point.
I played baseball last night as well. The team we played was Boston Pizza, and there was a deal made: If we beat them, we get free pizza from Boston Pizza. So I'm thinking okay is this actually happening right now? We won. Originally I hadn't intended on going to BP but I drove home, dropped Lindsay off (apparently Big Brother is cooler than Boston Pizza.. who knew?) and made the trek out there.
So I get there, order a beer and start chatting it up. The pizza comes out, and it's amazing how you don't realize how much people want you to eat with them until you're not eating with them. I respectfully declined the free pizza and even after multiple attempts from a myriad of teammates, I didn't cave. Chalk a 'W' on the score-card for this guy.
About 15 minutes later I see a waitress carrying two plates of obviously-succulent, entirely-too-delactable deep-fried chicken wings. Then another waitress with two plates of Thai chicken bites. Then another waitress with a plate of nachos. It's like they know...
So after respectfully declining another round of really-friggin-awesome, I explained to my baffled teammates why I hadn't eaten anything from the pizza, two plates of wings, two plates of thai chicken bites and plate of nachos. They were actually really good about it.
I was also quite happy when I got home to have Lindsay tell me (with that cute look on her face... the one that melts your heart) that she threw out everything from our snack cupboard so she wouldn't be tempted to eat any of it. She ate broccoli and cauliflower instead. Wow.
Very difficult first day for both of us, but a win nonetheless.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Day one.
So, my girlfriend Lindsay and I have been planning this challenge for about 2 weeks now and here it is (for lack of a better name): The 100 day challenge.
The premise of the challenge is this: We've outlined, in signed contract form, a list of types of foods and restaurants that, for one hundred days, we will completely avoid. Partially to try and eat a little healthier but also because it's never a bad idea to set personal goals.
The only non-food stipulation in the contract is for me because I'm a smoker, and that is cigarettes.
Essentially, we must comply with the following rules:
Do not eat/consume:
Given our eating habits for the past year combined with my unfortunate love affair with cigarettes/cigars and Lindsay's love of chocolate, candies and chips... We both know that this is absolutely not going to be an a easy challenge. Not even a little.
Holy crap, here we go. Day One: September 1st, 2011.
The premise of the challenge is this: We've outlined, in signed contract form, a list of types of foods and restaurants that, for one hundred days, we will completely avoid. Partially to try and eat a little healthier but also because it's never a bad idea to set personal goals.
The only non-food stipulation in the contract is for me because I'm a smoker, and that is cigarettes.
Essentially, we must comply with the following rules:
Do not eat/consume:
- Chocolate
- Candies of any kind
- Chips
- Soda
- Pizza
- Deep-fried food
- Cigarettes
Given our eating habits for the past year combined with my unfortunate love affair with cigarettes/cigars and Lindsay's love of chocolate, candies and chips... We both know that this is absolutely not going to be an a easy challenge. Not even a little.
Holy crap, here we go. Day One: September 1st, 2011.
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