Break Your Eggs.

I made one of my favorite Sunday breakfasts this morning, and I thought it would make an interesting recipe post.

I like eggs.  Used to hate them, but the more I made them my way, the more I began to love them.  This is pretty much a basic scramble recipe, but you can add different things to the mix.  That's the beauty of scrambled eggs - you can't eff 'em up.

Rainbow Scramble
Serves One...sigh.

2 Tbsp Light Butter
2 Whole Eggs
1-2 Tbsp Skim Milk
Dash(es) of Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup finely chopped multicolored bell peppers (I buy them frozen.  It's cheaper.  But if you have red peppers on hand, use 'em.)
3-4 leaves Fresh Basil, cut into ribbons
1 oz grated hard cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, etc.  I got some piave on sale yesterday, and it's salty and tasty and special!)
2 pieces high fiber bread

Melt 1 Tbsp of light butter in a nonstick pan.  Add the garlic and peppers and saute over medium heat until cooked through.  If you use frozen peppers, cook them until the excess moisture has evaporated, but they still have bright color.

Meanwhile, in a cup whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and hot sauce.  Don't you love hot sauce?  Toast your bread.  I don't have a toaster, so I popped them in the oven which took forever.  Add the eggs to the pan and scramble vigorously with a spatula. 

Just before eggs are fully cooked, grate your cheese into the pan and add basil.  Mix it all up.  Add S&P to taste, maybe more hot sauce.  Serve in a bowl with buttered toast that's been cut into halves. 

Enjoy with coffee and a bad VH1 reality show.

So there's that,

Laura

Again with this...

I swear I'll respond to this sometime.

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Hiring Network Online - Victoria Secret - Sales Associate <careers@hiringnetworkonline.com>
Date: 14 Feb 2008 11:54:33 -0500
Subject: Interested in being a Sales Associate for Victoria Secret?
To: laurarmeyer@gmail.com

Dear LAURA ,

We're looking for that perfect employee to fill the Sales Associate vacancy we currently have open. The resume you have on the Web stood out from all others. Your retail training and background make you a great match for our opportunity. I have included some basic info about the opening.

Victoria Secret

Sales Associate

Excellent Income with long term career growth

Candidates should be self starters with a desire to grow within their field. If you are interested in learning more about the vacancy, or if you would like to apply, please click on the link provided. If the link doesn't work, you can also copy and paste the link into another browser and access the Web site that way. The link takes you to the application page that also includes a full job description and other detailed information.

http://findonlinehiringnetwork.com/cmanager2.aspx?em=laurarmeyer@gmail.com&id=aaxxeeww7_kkklokoijjhbhjgh788998789bhgcffgbig011520083ser23&rd=718&j=6565409

Once your application is processed, a member of our HR team will contact to you to schedule an interview. Please allow about 48 hours to be contacted. We're looking forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely,
Keith Grayson
Sr. Recruiter, HR Division

 
So there's that,

 

Laura

Who Needs Chocolate?

I lost 5 pounds since my last weigh-in on January 24!  Ba-ba-doo-bow-bow!

 

So there's that,

 

Laura

Happy VD

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

 

I'm trying to be positive about mylack of romantic commitment this time of year, so I'm not going to worry about it.  After all, I'm better off without some of the guys I dated last year.  Highlights in reverse:

 

• Guy with Asperger's Syndrome who wanted to "be the baby spoon."
• Sweet, funny, improv bicycle boy who enjoys recreational drugs.
• Soccer playing accountant with great abs and poor, nervous conversation skills.
• All the rest - who fall into the fat fetishist category.

Plus, I could also be part of an annoying couple like the one on the bus this morning.  The guy sat next to me, his girl sat in front of him (poor babies couldn't get a seat together), and he leaned forward the whole time to wrap his arms around her and whisper in her ear.  I just kept the iPod in and my paper high, but it couldn't be ignored.  They had matching bright green hats.  When the person in her seat left, he moved to set next to her.  I love this now - I think they were arguing.  He kept leaning in and insisting something to her.  And get this - he was French!  Curly, greasy hair, stubble, searing brown eyes - I had a right to hate this guy.

 

When I got off the bus, I ran into a coworker who was riding a few seats to the front.  I told her I sat next to the annoying couple, and she said, "The one with the matching hats?  Yeah, they were awful.  I thought he was assaulting her at first."  Then some random gay guy chimed in, "Happy Valentine's Day," and we all laughed and kept making fun of them.  I love bitter people.

 

Yeah, I'm better off.

 

So there's that,

 

Laura

Fw: Membership - Thinking of a Change

----- Forwarded by Laura R. Meyer/Chicago/XXX on 02/12/2008 09:03 AM -----

Laura R. Meyer/Chicago/XXX
02/11/2008 05:06 PM

To: info@crunch.com
cc:

Subject: Membership - Thinking of a Change

Good Evening,

I'm a very active obese woman, and I get regular cardio every day of the week, whether it's getting on the stairclimber or elliptical for 30 minutes over my lunch break, occasionally walking the 6 miles home from work, or walking long distances on weekends. I'm self-motivated, keep a dedicated food journal, and am in good general health - normal blood pressure, enviable cholesterol. My doctor tells me I have the health of Michael Jordan, except for the obesity and hypothyroidism. I've been a long-time member of Curves for about 5 years, but my nearest location is in a pretty seedy part of Uptown, and since the peak of winter I've reduced my attendance to weekend days.

Trouble is, I want to incorporate weight training into my routine, but I don't know where to begin or how to stay focused. And I hate gyms. Not the equipment so much as clientele who see them as meat markets - women who wear makeup to workout; sleazy weightlifters; and all of those who stand in judgment of a person like me who looks like she doesn't eat healthy or make the effort. Needless to say, I'm pretty bitter about my experience with franchise gyms. Even some staff have a tendency to not take me seriously: when I went to check out the Lincoln Park Bally's in 2005, I had to wait around for a staff person to even talk to me, then I was eventually pressured by a salesman who made me feel guilty for having my hang-ups about this kind of atmosphere and my inability to commit to a contract on the spot - when I just came for a tour. That's exactly why I didn't sign up then, and why I left in tears.

I don't mean to sound so judgmental of gyms, but when you spend a lifetime in my body, you are treated very very differently in normal settings - from the bus, to a restaurant, to a gym. Hell, I get a sideways glance at restaurants when I request egg whites or that my entree not be cooked with additional oil, as if imposing on my server will make a dent in my condition.

In short, I know I need to lose weight, and building muscle will help me burn more calories. But I don't know how to utilize the free weights in my office gym to their full advantage; and I don't want to end up looking like some overtoned, hairy-kneed Helga from the Soviet Bloc.

I'm asking about a Crunch membership because this seems like a legitimate gym that's embracing - or at least marketing to - all kinds. Is that what I can expect from your staff? As far as judgmental clientele are concerned, I've come to not care about that. But I don't want to have another Lincoln Park Bally's experience with a member of your staff. What are your membership fees? Could I work out at any Crunch in the city, or am I limited to one location?

I've lost 100 pounds in the past, and I'm sure I can do it again. I just need to get over this hurdle, and I need a big change in my routine. Can I expect something new with Crunch?

Thanks for your time,

Laura R. Meyer

I Think

- and this is a big think - I'm going to start walking to and/or from work on a daily basis when it gets warmer and there's more daylight.  Make like Jared the Subway guy.

 

 

Everyday People

 

I already walk home from work occasionally, about once a month.  It's nice to see the shore and listen to my iPod.  It's about six miles, one way, and I can do it in about 90 minutes.  I think it will be a battle committing to it in the morning, when I hate to lose precious sleep-in time.  Maybe I'll start working it in gradually on evenings and see where that goes.

 

I don't plan on doing any theater for awhile, until I get a handle on how performances can affect my job schedule.  So I need a new hobby.  I've been looking into marathon walking, but I don't plan on looking like one of those jerks with flinging arms.  I can do distance without looking like a jerk.  I've been thinking about spending time on Saturdays trying to tackle parts of the Chicago marathon trail.

 

I'm just putting this out there, so I'm sorry if I'm rambling.

 

Manda, do you want to think about traveling to do marathons together, with you running?  There are really cool ones all over the country.  It might be a fun bonding thing!

 

I'll let you all know how this develops.

 

So there's that,

 

Laura

I Don't Know What's Worse:

Grocery shopping at 2:00 pm on Sunday during the rush, or grocery shopping at 2:00 pm on a weekday with the jobless and the elderly.

 

After today, I think it's the latter.

 

After my tooth removal today, I totally could have gone back to work - it wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be.  Instead I decided to stick to my 1/2 personal day plan, and pamper myself.  I walked several blocks to the grocery store to fill up on instant mashed potatoes, stovetop stuffing, soup and yogurt.  I thought I would be in for a treat; nobody would be in Jewel at 2 pm on a Friday!

 

 

Wrong.

 

The parking lot was packed.  The place was crawling with people in walkers, wheelchairs, windsuits and hair-dos.  Dear. God.  I made the mistake of getting a shopping cart, because I couldn't get that thing through a single aisle without waiting for some gumming octegenarian to figure out what they were looking for.  Considering that I was in the market for the same things today, I couldn't really avoid them.

 

In the soup aisle, this white-haired woman wandered right up behind me while I was looking for a decent sale on instant potatoes.  Instead of saying something, she just kept on my ass until I got out of the way.  Then she went ahead of me, and when I moved my cart up the aisle a little bit, she started poking around it looking for food on the shelf behind.  When I saw her try to move it (my purse and coat were in there!), I did what I always do:  pull it aggressively out of the way and fling it to the other side of the aisle.  I think my point was made.

 

Oh hell, I would have done the same thing if this was a 30 year old.  People always expect me to get out of their way, and the few times I try to do the same, nobody does it for me.  Roar!  I'll try to be inconsiderate too; I could live longer.

 

Then I was comparing high-fiber yogurts when this tall old man in a stocking cap came looking over my shoulder.  "Oh, I heard those things are good.  They're on sale.  I think I should get some.  You're a good shopper."  Ahhh.  AHHHHH!!!! 

 

If there's nothing I hate on this earth, there will always be old men (that I'm not related to, of course).  I fucking hate old men!  And I can give or take old women.  It just depends on the kind.

 

I'm just really trying to digest this all right now.  Seriously?  I felt like I was in a Jewel-Osco filled with zombies...and the occasional college student.  These two girls walked by and said, "It's so bad, because I'm sooo hungry.  It's bad, this is the worst place to be when you're hungry.  I'm sooooo hungry.  I'm hungry."

 

EAT SOMETHING!

 

All right.  I'mma take some pills and watch tacky judge shows.

 

Guess I'm a lot like the elderly after all.

 

So there's that,

 

Laura