Lack of Gas = Crappy Eating (aka, the story of the lone sardine)

In case you were wondering, it takes fire to cook. Here, fire means electricity. This may not come as a surprise to most of you, but for those of us just finishing a move, it's more than a little distressing. It's an odd story that doesn't bear recounting, but let's just say that I won't have a cooking surface until Thursday, and that it's not because I forgot to have it turned on.

Nonetheless. Upon waking this morning, I was in quite a rush. When I did get to my apartment, where food might have been waiting, the only thing there (due to said move) was a block of cheese and some ketchup. I chose neither.

When getting to work, I thankfully discovered the oat bran cereal I left last week. I ate about half the box. It's pretty high in grains and fiber, so not too awful. I was also happy to discover the can of sardines in my drawer. While the majority may turn their nose up at these lovely little fishies, I'm here to tell you that they are a gift from the sea. High in protein and healthy fat, they are a quick meal that can't be beat--particularly when put on a piece of bread. Nummy!!

Unfortunately, my office mates didn't agree, and I reasonably acquiesced to their preference that I not eat them. Sadly, as I was unable to cook anything to bring, this left me with...campus food. (Duhm duhm duhm) Quizno's appeared to be the best option, so I ordered a chicken sandwich. Fine and dandy, probably not too many calories--but $8!

To be fair, my food woes of the day have been almost solely based on poor planning and time management skills. Despite that, I can't help but secretly and unfairly blame the prejudice against sardines for my plight--branch out! Give it a shot! It's cheaper than Quizno's, after all.

Monday, and on being behind already

It snowed last week. A foot of true powder covered the streets, the hills, and every car uncovered. It was beautiful, and I wished I was in a cabin with a fireplace.

Unfortunately, my internet was also out during that time, so I didn't exactly finish the intro posts as I had intended. All that is left is Friday's Local Stuff introduction, which you'll get Friday!

Monday's topic is food.

Like many people, I have a conflicted relationship with food. My natural inclination is to eat fried, sweet, salty, wonderful yumminess. Thankfully, I genuinely LOVE vegetables, fresh fruit, and grains, so I am able to overcome my base desires for bad food.

Most of the time.

Sugar. It's an addiction. Most people don't want to admit it--or, alternatively, they do admit it, but don't really think about what that means. When people talk about the quality of chocolate, they'll say, "Oh, you get used to the darker, less sweet stuff, and eventually you don't even think the other tastes good."

That's because, like any addiction, once it's out of your system, you don't crave it anymore. That doesn't mean you can't easily pick up the habit again--even just one little brownie, I think, would be enough to get that sweet tooth reactivated.

Next time you pick up something sweet to eat, consider if you're even thinking about whether or not you want it--or is it just a habit, a craving that you can't deny?

Sugar is certainly something I have a problem with. It's one of the things I'm hoping to work on as part of this blog.

Barefoot Numero Uno

Welcome to my brand-spanking new blog. Well, ok, it's been sitting around, quite dusty, for a while now. Nonetheless, I am officially activating blog power.

I plan on doing roughly 3-4 posts per week, with the following subjects on the following days.

Monday: Food (sounds general, but you'll see a trend develop quite quickly)

Wednesday: Gardening

Friday: Buying and Dealing Locally

Randomly: Everything else

The theme, if you will, will be sustainability.

If you're good little readers and keep an eye out, there will also be giveaways and contests. To support local people, defined as anyone in the state of AR, since Little Rock is centrally located, there may also be coupons for local businesses available here and there.

I appreciate everyone's readership, and patience with my developing trajectory...

Happy Living!