I forgot I’m leaving for my backpacking trip on Thursday night, so I’d best use up my supply of fresh vegetables before they go bad. I threw the pasta sauce I made last night into the freezer….I’ll have pasta some other week. During my lunch break today, I browned the hamburger with garlic and half an onion, and then added water, one of those Mexican chicken bouillon cubes, carrots, and the diced potato. This stew should get me through the week.
While digging through the pantry today, I found the mother lode....a stash of instant ramen! I planned on eating tuna and crackers for lunch, but had ramen instead. That allows me to save the remaining can of tuna for a future meal. I have cheese, elbow macaroni, milk, and canned corn….so perhaps I can make a tuna casserole. The date on the milk is 6/25, so I put three Tupperware containers worth into the freezer (about one liter total). We have three tubs of ice cream taking up valuable real estate in the freezer, so I don’t have space for more milk. Oh well, no use crying over frozen milk…
Good news is I have a lot of protein. I came across some frozen hot dogs and a can of spam….so I should have some awesome meals down the road. Also have flat iron steaks, venison, beef liver, trout, and something that looks like pork or chicken….all safely frozen for future consumption.
Okay, enough about food…..it’s getting me hungry! On a side note, it’s hotter than a dog again today! I showered last night after midnight because any sooner, I would have sweated to death. Today, I finally gave in and turned on the AC…just don’t tell anyone…
Monday, June 28, 2010
Hotter Than a Dog!
I went hiking on Sunday at Las Trampas Regional Wilderness. Las Trampas is one of the many open space areas managed by the East Bay Regional Park District. It was over 100 degrees on the trail today....and I drank almost three liters of water.
On another note, I'm doing pretty well clearing out the fridge, freezer, and pantry so far. As I noted previously, my challenge is to see how long I can survive without going to the grocery store. I was a bit tired after my hike today, so for dinner, I mixed canned tuna with mayo and spread it on crackers. I started cooking some red pasta sauce, using the can of tomatoes from the pantry, half an onion, and garlic. I'll probably have pasta for dinner tomorrow.
I also have some hamburger defrosting. I can't decide whether to mix it with Cream of Mushroom soup and make SOS....or if I should make a hamburger stew with it. I have a few carrots, one potato, and 1.5 onions left, so I'll probably make hamburger stew....that way I'll get more meals out of the hamburger and will make good use of my remaining fresh vegetables.
On another note, I'm doing pretty well clearing out the fridge, freezer, and pantry so far. As I noted previously, my challenge is to see how long I can survive without going to the grocery store. I was a bit tired after my hike today, so for dinner, I mixed canned tuna with mayo and spread it on crackers. I started cooking some red pasta sauce, using the can of tomatoes from the pantry, half an onion, and garlic. I'll probably have pasta for dinner tomorrow.
I also have some hamburger defrosting. I can't decide whether to mix it with Cream of Mushroom soup and make SOS....or if I should make a hamburger stew with it. I have a few carrots, one potato, and 1.5 onions left, so I'll probably make hamburger stew....that way I'll get more meals out of the hamburger and will make good use of my remaining fresh vegetables.
Butterflies
Summer is here and I'm loving the long daylight hours. I've been out hiking five times in the last six days (I jogged one day instead of hiking). Saw some beautiful butterflies at Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve on Saturday. They were a bit preoccupied and allowed us to stick our cameras in their faces.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Steak Again!?
The family left town on Monday for the whole summer and left me with a fridge full of leftovers. My objective is to see how long I can survive without going to the grocery store. I plan on living off leftovers and the contents of the freezer/pantry for as long as possible.
We had steak on Sunday for my son’s birthday (and Father’s Day) and bought a few pounds too much. I’ve been eating steak for lunch and dinner since Monday…and probably have a few more meals before it’s gone. The fridge was also packed with fresh vegetables, lettuce, carrots, celery, and broccoli. Unfortunately, it looks like the veggies will run out before the steak. I hope there’s some Liquid Plumber in the cabinet because there could be some major CC problems (Colon Cloggage).
Here's today's lunch. Notice there’s no rice on the plate…a strange sight for an Asian plate. Well, I’m too lazy to cook rice so I’m clearing the bread out of the pantry. Why cook rice when there’s bread ready for the eating?
We had steak on Sunday for my son’s birthday (and Father’s Day) and bought a few pounds too much. I’ve been eating steak for lunch and dinner since Monday…and probably have a few more meals before it’s gone. The fridge was also packed with fresh vegetables, lettuce, carrots, celery, and broccoli. Unfortunately, it looks like the veggies will run out before the steak. I hope there’s some Liquid Plumber in the cabinet because there could be some major CC problems (Colon Cloggage).
Here's today's lunch. Notice there’s no rice on the plate…a strange sight for an Asian plate. Well, I’m too lazy to cook rice so I’m clearing the bread out of the pantry. Why cook rice when there’s bread ready for the eating?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Choices
I carried my camera on a jog today and came across this railroad switch in the tracks. I immediately thought about the paths we choose to take in our lives. Each and every day, we all make choices that can have a profound impact on the rest of our lives. We all need to consider the consequences of our actions BEFORE WE ACT and make the right decisions. Making poor decisions sets one down the wrong set of tracks. We also need to assess our current situations and what we want our future to be....then see if we're even on the right set of tracks.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Life Lessons
The wife and kids are away for the summer, so I am once again the boss of the house!! It's only been two days and I've already learned a few things.
Lesson #1: Dump the water out of the cups before loading them into the dish washer. This will save you the follow-on step of mopping the floor.
Lesson #2: Perhaps it's time to fix the sprinkler system. We've been using these sprinklers that screw into the hose for the last few years because I was too lazy to fix the broken sprinkler. One of the neighborhood kids (possibly related to me) stepped on it and broke the PVC pipe below the ground. Anyway, I went to Home Depot yesterday and bought another cheap screw-in-the-hose sprinkler.
Lesson #3: If you're going to set your refrigerator temp at the coldest setting, do not fill up a glass container full with water and cap it. Today, I noticed a minor flood in the fridge. Apparently the water froze, expanded, and shattered the glass container. I swear I set the fridge at the middle setting....perhaps one of my roommates changed it.
Okay, that's it....I'm sure there will be more lessons learned in the upcoming days and weeks.
Lesson #1: Dump the water out of the cups before loading them into the dish washer. This will save you the follow-on step of mopping the floor.
Lesson #2: Perhaps it's time to fix the sprinkler system. We've been using these sprinklers that screw into the hose for the last few years because I was too lazy to fix the broken sprinkler. One of the neighborhood kids (possibly related to me) stepped on it and broke the PVC pipe below the ground. Anyway, I went to Home Depot yesterday and bought another cheap screw-in-the-hose sprinkler.
Lesson #3: If you're going to set your refrigerator temp at the coldest setting, do not fill up a glass container full with water and cap it. Today, I noticed a minor flood in the fridge. Apparently the water froze, expanded, and shattered the glass container. I swear I set the fridge at the middle setting....perhaps one of my roommates changed it.
Okay, that's it....I'm sure there will be more lessons learned in the upcoming days and weeks.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Family Ghost
The theme for my photography project this week is "Mid-Day Portraits." Unfortunately, my family left for Guam today to spend the summer with Lola (Grandma)....so I have no subjects for portraits. I decided to take a picture of the family ghost.
I set-up the camera on rear curtain sync and remained in the frame for a few seconds...then quickly left the scene before the shutter closed (before the flash fired).
I set-up the camera on rear curtain sync and remained in the frame for a few seconds...then quickly left the scene before the shutter closed (before the flash fired).
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father's Day
Hope all you fathers, dads, papas, and grandpas out there are having a great Father's Day today!
I dragged the kids out into the front yard for a quick photo. Kevin wouldn't smile unless I prompted him to and Kami looked over to see if he was smiling...right as I snapped the photo.
I dragged the kids out into the front yard for a quick photo. Kevin wouldn't smile unless I prompted him to and Kami looked over to see if he was smiling...right as I snapped the photo.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Reaching for the Clouds
The clouds rolled in yesterday afternoon, so I dragged the wife out for a romantic drive, looking for some open space to take some pictures that included the sky. This is a random field in Livermore, CA. We drove around creation looking for a cool vantage point. I intended to photograph the hills north of Livermore, but then I stumbled upon these weeds. I used my super-wide angle lens to exaggerate the height of the stems.
After a few snaps, I suggested we hang out for another hour and a half until the sky got more color....but she thought what I had was good enough. She loves me....but not that much!
After a few snaps, I suggested we hang out for another hour and a half until the sky got more color....but she thought what I had was good enough. She loves me....but not that much!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Waking Up in a Strange Place
I woke up in the middle of the night and noticed my wife wasn't in bed. I figured I must have been snoring too loudly and she went downstairs to sleep on the couch. Then I looked at the clock and realized I was in the Marriott Hotel in San Diego, traveling on business.
Here's the lamp on the hotel desk. I didn't adjust the white balance because I felt the warmer light complemented the brown tones in the lamp and wall.
Here's the lamp on the hotel desk. I didn't adjust the white balance because I felt the warmer light complemented the brown tones in the lamp and wall.
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