The case of the missing lunch

About a year ago, my lunch was stolen from the refrigerator at work. I brought leftover mushroom garlic pork chops (this was before I became a vegetarian, obviously), and when I went to heat it up for lunch, it was gone! First I thought that perhaps I accidentally left the container in my car instead of bringing it in to work, so I checked there. Nope. Then I thought that maybe I left the container at home. Nope, it wasn't at home either. Someone stole my lunch! I sent an e-mail to everyone in my building, asking them to at least return the tupperware container. I never got the container back, though. Since then, I always write my name on my lunch container, even though I don't know how that would stop someone from stealing it...luckily, I haven't had anything else stolen.

Yesterday, one of my coworkers discovered that someone had stolen her food from the freezer. She had a frozen pizza and some chicken that she was going to give to her son, but someone else took it. It wasn't labeled, but it was in a plastic grocery bag.

Who would steal someone else's frozen food? For that matter, who would steal someone's leftovers? I could see if it was a yogurt, or an un-labeled piece of fruit. Perhaps someone could mistake it as their own. But you can't mistake a frozen pizza and chicken, or leftover pork chops!

For those of you who work in offices, have you ever had food stolen from the fridge?

Check out this contest from Prior Fat Girl! She's giving away some of her favorite things!

I Couldn't Handle It

I tried the no-coffee/only water challenge. I really did. I made it through two whole days without coffee. Then I went to the movies, where I caved. The thing that did me in was getting popcorn. I like to drink coke when I have popcorn at the movies. I could have had water, but...well, I was weak. I gave up. The next morning, I had coffee, and it was FANTASTIC! I felt so good that I vowed never to give up coffee again.

I just ordered two vegan cookbooks: Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengence. I can't wait to try some new vegan recipes! I've heard some really good things about these cookbooks.

I really need to get a food processor. My mini one isn't cutting it.

I have yet to find a hummus recipe that I love. People go crazy over hummus, and I feel like I must be missing something...

No Coffee!

Jen (www.priorfatgirl.com) challenged her readers to drink only water for the rest of the month. When I read about the challenge, I thought, “Yeah, right.” I remember trying to give up coffee a while ago (a few months ago, I think), and I didn’t make it any farther than the first day. Then Jen chastised everyone who commented and said that they would give up everything else but coffee. So, I had to give it a try.

Today is day one of the no-coffee challenge. I should call it the water-only challenge, but I hardly drink anything but water and coffee, so to me it’s the no-coffee challenge.
The thing is, it shouldn’t be that difficult for me. I drink one cup of coffee in the morning. Very rarely, I’ll have a second cup, but it’s usually on a weekend, and I most likely wouldn’t drink the whole thing. I make my coffee weak, partly because I like it that way, and partly because I buy free-trade coffee. It’s expensive, so I want to use less of it and make it last longer. So, in theory, I shouldn’t be as addicted to caffeine as someone who, say, drinks a pot of coffee every day.

But it is difficult. I have a slight headache, and I can’t shake this feeling of being tired. I tried sipping water out of a coffee mug this morning, but it didn’t work. Tomorrow I might even try sipping warm water. I think that herbal tea is allowed (probably decaf only), so I could try that in the morning. I once tried to trick myself with decaf green tea. That didn’t work either.

It’s funny, the emotions that I go through when trying to give up coffee. Almost immediately, I start wondering, “Why the heck did I want to give up coffee in the first place?” That’s where I am right now. I’m determined to at least make it through two days. I really think that it’s possible for me to make it to the end of the month, but for now my goal is to make it through today and tomorrow with no coffee.

Is it wrong to eat chocolate for the caffeine? I had some dark chocolate after lunch, and I sort of feel like I cheated, because chocolate has caffeine. But I didn’t eat it strictly for the caffeine. I usually crave something sweet after lunch, so I have a few pieces of dark chocolate. I got one of those Endangered Species chocolate bars (with a chimpanzee on it), and they are so good! I’m so used to dark chocolate that if I try to eat milk chocolate, it doesn’t taste right.

I read somewhere that an apple will wake you up more than coffee will. I went to the store and bought some apples so that I can eat them in the morning. Of course, I’m hungry for one now, so I’m eating one for a snack. It’s so juicy and sweet! I love fuji apples. And you know what? It might just be a psychological reaction, but my slight headache is going away!

One thing that I have to be careful about is making sure that I’m drinking enough water. I felt like a slug all morning, so I really wanted to just sit at my desk and work all day. I had to remind myself to keep drinking water and refilling my cup. (I usually bring a large reusable water bottle, but I forgot it today.) Normally, I don’t have to remind myself to drink water, but I guess when I’m feeling sluggish, it’s not on my mind.

Do you think you can drink only water for the rest of the month? Join the challenge! Give it a try, you might surprise yourself!

Need Direction...

This blog needs direction...or should I just post random things about my life?

I saw Chevelle last weekend. I've seen them about five times, but this was the first time that I was close to the stage and could actually see them play. They are an amazing live band.

Oh yeah, I started running in May, so you can probably expect a lot of blogs about running. I'm hooked! I ran a 5k in June, and it was awesome! Really tough, but worth the effort. I finished at 40:07. I'm a slow runner, but I'm proud that I finished!

Innerpartysystem

I have a new love: Innerpartysytem.

A few weeks ago when I was at the Sterling Hotel in Allentown, Aaron from A Utopian Skyline (www.myspace.com/autopianskyline) was raving about Innerpartysytem. Geoff from Ajar (www.myspace.com/ajarrocks) came over and said, "Are you talking about Innerpartysystem?" They both went on and on about how awesome the band was. Usually when musicians talk about other bands, I listen. I checked them out the next day, and I decided right away that they were worth of all the praise. Then I found out that A Utopian Skyline was playing with them at the Chameleon Club! It was a Thursday night, which is tough for an office person like myself, but I had to find a way to swing it.

I got to the Chameleon Club just in time to see A Utopian Skyline finishing their sound check and start a few minutes early so that they could play a slightly longer set. They're so considerate of their fans, who probably drove a long distance to see them. They played a short but energetic set on the smallest stage space ever. The Chameleon Club's stage is huge, but most of it was taken up by Ashes Divide's drum riser. It's tough for A Utopian Skyline to play in such a small space, because their music requires a lot of movement. They pulled off a stellar set and even threw in a new song at the end, which was quite heavy. Nice!

Then Innerpartysystem started setting up. I was sort of surprised to see the guys setting up their own stuff. I had imagined they would be hanging out backstage while roadies did all the work. Perhaps they weren't as big (famous) as I thought they were? Anyway, as they brought in nearly a million synths and even brought in a couple of spotlights, I grew even more excited. I had been waiting for this show all week, trying not to get over-excited and build up my expectations. I was afraid that Innerpartysytem wouldn't live up to my expectations, but wow, did they ever!! I was so glad that I had arrived early enough to get a good spot right in front of the stage. I danced along like a crazy person and didn't care what I looked like. They are amazing and insane live! Everything I wanted them to be, and more. I was blown away. After they played, I found Aaron and thanked him for raving so much about them. The guys came back to their merch booth and hung out with their fans for a while. They were so relaxed and approachable. I got to meet Jared, the drummer, and he was really excited to be playing shows so close to home. He convinced me to attend their show at The Works in Reading on Saturday. Okay, it didn't take much to convince me.

Ashes Divide was...okay. I was still reeling from IPS's set, so it took me half of their set for me to start to get into it. To their credit, they played a solid set to a very appreciative crowd. By the end, I was really digging their vibe (sorry to get all 70s on you there, but it happens). They played a cover of Fleetwood Mac's Chains, which was very powerful, and they played their single The Stone last, which was the song that everyone had been waiting for. They, too, hung out with their fans after they played. Overall it was a great night and I'm really glad that I was there to experience it.

I have to admit that I talked nonstop about IPS to my sister until she agreed to go to the Reading show with me on Saturday. We got there a bit late, and we thought that the opening band (Smooth Like Clyde) had already finished playing. We fought our way through the crowd to the bar for some water. For some reason, it wasn't crowded at the bar and I got drinks right away. The bartender did some tricks, like tossing glasses around, and I almost felt like saying, "You don't have to do all that, I only asked for water." ha ha! We took our water and squeezed our way closer to the stage. We found a good spot, but we were having trouble breathing. Then we found out that Smooth Like Clyde was about to play their second set of the night, and IPS would play later. We decided to go downstairs for some air, which turned out to be a good decision, because I thought Smooth Like Clyde was pretty terrible. Now, I don't usually say things like that publicly. To the hundreds of people upstairs drinking and having a great time, they probably sounded awesome, but to the two most sober girls in the room, it just wasn't working.

Fast forward a little bit because I have things to do and must end this blog soon. IPS took the stage amidst lots of smoke and lights. And the crowd went wild! I love seeing hometown shows. As Jared had promised, they played a longer set and had more lights than at the Chameleon Club. It was insane! My sister fell in love with them instantly. Somehow, we had lucked into a great spot to watch the band. It was kind of far from the stage, but it was up higher so we could see them really well. I love to see a crowd really get into a band's performance, and this was a great spot for seeing everything. It was an amazing night.

www.myspace.com/innerpartysystem

Saturday 1/5/07 - Rock Show!

We attended the Nu World Disorder CD Release show in Allentown on Saturday night. I really enjoy live music, and I love the opportunity to dress up for a show. This picture was supposed to be my "pissed off" metal pose. I don't think it's very convincing, though.

It was a great show! There were 10 bands, and several of them were from out of state. Lots of different kinds of music, and we met some really cool people.

New Accessories!

I'm having some blog spacing issues, so I apologize if this post doesn't look right. My outfits have been pretty boring lately, so I haven't been posting them.

I got this watch at Big Lots for $8. I had been an anti-watch person for years, but lately I keep finding myself in a position where I need one (i.e., meetings, doctor's office). Once again, I have to thank my sister for being my good luck in finding this bargain! I was looking for a square faced watch, and this is exactly what I wanted!

These shoes are my most recent purchase: $6 on clearance at Payless! They are a replacement for my Vans sneakers, which have served me well for the past three years. Aren't they cute?










Oh yeah, I was so bored yesterday that I took a picture of my tissue box at work. It's a stylish tissue box, though! Also pictured: my favorite travel mug (with a peanut butter & banana smoothie inside) and a framed picture of my husband at work.

I might go to a thrift store this weekend. Hopefully I'll have some wonderful pictures to share!