Thursday, December 31, 2009
Day #105: Preparing for the new year
I have to do laundry today because I haven't in a long time. I'm wearing my last pair of socks (have some clean underwears left though).
In 2010, I want to achieve some financial goals:
I need to supply my Emergency fund just in case I have another emergency. That will be my first priority.
I'd love of max out my Roth IRA contribution, but that would take more than 25% of my net income. I'd like to contribute at least $1,500.
My 401(k) currently stands at $6,500 and I'd like to see it rise to $10,000 by the end of 2010 with help from my contributions and my company's contributions.
I want to achieve some culinary goals:
I'd like to attempt to write a cookbook. Lofty goal! I would like to attempt it to see if it's something I'd like to persue.
I'd like to devise a regular monthly meal plan so I can track prices and predict my monthly food budget. Currently, hitting my budget is difficult because I buy food whenever cooking the food sounds good instead of anticipating my needs.
The week of eating a vegan diet a while ago made me realize how delicious vegan and vegetarian food is. It's generally less expensive if you're using "real" food like legumes, beans and produce as opposed to stuff like tofu cheese.
I also have spiritual goals I'd like to work towards:
I've been enjoying my time with the Cedar Creek church services and it is continually meeting my wants. I feel that I should be involved monetarily and voluntarily By the end of the year, I'd like to be contributing 10% of my income and volunteer towards at least one activity and join a small group ministry.
I need to fill my spiritual needs. I was doing well until August, then I stopped praying regularly. It's a new year and a good time to rebuild my relationship with God.
I'd like to work on meditation and I want to commit at least 2 minutes a day to be still and relax. It takes me more than two minutes to fall asleep so I shouldn't have much of a problem. By the end of the year, I'd like to have the patience to meditate for a half hour, not necessarily daily.
As far as musical goals:
By the end of the year, I want to enjoy playing piano.
That's really it. Committing myself for closed goals for me in music ends in terrible disaster. I've never achieved any of my musical goals. I'm hoping the goal for this year will encourage me to play. I love playing piano very much but I don't choose to play because I just think about the time I've wasted not playing and how much better I could be if I would have practiced. Bleh!
And my last goal for 2010: Relax.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Days #102, #103, #104: Cold...
On Monday, I went to the shoe repair place to hear that the shoe wasn't ready yet and the bank to realize I forgot my checks on my desk.
On Tuesday, I put the checks in my wallet, went back to the shoe repair place to get the shoe and deposit the checks in the bank. My father and I wandered around the grocery store deciding what to put in the vegetable soup that we'll be making today. I finished Life of Pi, and it was quite a story. I was hoping the book would delve more into the story line of Pi being a devout believer of Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. After the shipwreck, one hears nothing of his comparisons of the three major religions. That realization was a bit of a let down for me. His zoo-keeping background helped him survive, and was interesting, but I'm not sure why his religious exploration made up so much of the first part of the book.
Today, I'll be making vegetable soup and reading another book I've been meaning to read. I'm not sure what one I'll pick - I have a suitcase full of books I've been meaning to read. I also will be going through my hospital claims, bills and payments to see how much I owe. I don't the the hospital staff is figuring correctly.
Ugh.
«Laura»
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Day #101: Salad, lentil soup and a cold
Luckily for me, I usually don't get colds. I haven't had one since December 15, 2007. I'll be battling this current cold with:
Plenty of water
Plenty of sleep
Orange juice (with pulp!)
Tylenol Cold
Warm lentil soup
Elmer
Elmer is a good kitty, and likes to stay around whomever is home. Today, it was me, mostly. He curled up next to me when I woke up and didn't feel like getting up.
I still went to church and grabbed the other ingredients I mentioned in the list.
The lentil soup was delicious!
For the soup:
7 c water
3 c dry lentils
2 c celery chopped
2 c onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
canola oil
pepper to taste
I simmered the lentils, water and salt for 30 minutes while sauteing the onions in the oil and mustard seeds. I chopped up the rest of the vegetables and watched part of The Office until the 30 minutes of simmering was up. I tossed the vegetables and spices in the simmering lentil water, reserving my tomatoes while the vegetables and spices were cooking. After 30 minutes, I tossed in the tomatoes and stirred the soup and let it simmer another 5 minutes.
The recipe says to drizzle red wine vinegar on top of the soup when serving. I was hesitant about that, but turn out, that's a pretty darn good idea!
Thanks to Moosewood Restaurant and The New Moosewood Cookbook, and of course, my brother for giving the book to me as a Christmas present!
I'm looking forward to more of the soup in the next few days when I probably don't feel much like cooking, but would want to eat something warm and full of protein.
Tomorrow:
Bank
Shoe Repair store
maybe the bookstore
Night!
«Laura»
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Day #100: Johnson dinner
The Johnson dinner was good as always! I made butterscotch pie. Delicious!
Pretty laid back day.
I'm on page 245 in Life of Pi and expect to finish it by the start of next week.
Next week I have off of work! How exciting! I'm looking forward to cooking from the Moosewood cookbooks.
Tomorrow: Church, perhaps Verizon, and need to do laundry. Maybe make a salad. If so, I'll post pictures!
«Laura»
Friday, December 25, 2009
Day #99: Christmas!
Pie and chocolate chip pancake for breakfast
Chips and salsa for the heck of it
Lasagna, garlic bread and green bean casserole
And I'm going to read the introductions of the cookbooks I received from my brother Todd for Christmas. I flipped through the recipes and it looks like they are pesco-vegetarian books. I'm looking forward to cooking from the books!
They're from the Moosehead Restaurant in Ithaca, NY. Road trip!
Tomorrow:
Johnson dinner
«Laura»
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Day #98: Christmas Eve
Christmas tomorrow! I'll be eating way too much pie.
Yay!
«Laura»
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Day #97: Christmas Eve Eve
I'm looking forward to the Christmas Eve service tomorrow at my folks' church. The message is always excellent and it'll be nice to see some of my friends there. My brother and his girlfriend is coming over with my nephews and her son and we'll be sharing a meal and exchanging gifts.
Adios!
«Laura»
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Day #96: Vegan meatballs and spaghetti
Other than that, it was great! They tasted awesome, but not quite like meat - but I think that's my fault.
The noodles are just run of the mill noodles, cooked in a not-so-special way,
Meatballs consist of:
Kidney beans (28 oz)
Bread crumbs (1/2 cup)
TVP (1/4 cup)
Garlic (2 cloves)
Thyme (1/4 teaspoon)
Oregano (1/4 teaspoon)
Soy sauce (2 tablespoons)
Steak sauce (2 tablespoons)
Mash the kidney beans until no bean is left whole. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mash, knead and smush the concoction until firm and mixed through.
Ball the beans roughly the size of walnuts.
(This may also be why my meatballs weren't how I hoped - I don't know how large walnuts are.)
Fry the beans in oil for 15 minutes, stirring often.
When the noodles are done, serve the noodles and meatballs with marinara sauce.
Now I'm off to watch a movie!
«Laura»
Monday, December 21, 2009
Day #95: How much do I have to pay?
Goodnight.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Day #94: Non-exciting day
Tomorrow will be more exciting. I'll be making more vegan food. At least you'll get pictures!
{Laura}
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Day #93: Searching for a title
Read Life of Pi to page 101, and watched entirely too much of The Office.
Going to dry laundry and eat some stew.
Tomorrow:
Church
Spaghetti with "meat"balls... (balls consist of kidney beans and TVP)
Goodnight!
«Laura»
Friday, December 18, 2009
Day #92: I don't disagree with my brother very often...
Sorry!
Tomorrow:
Lunch with Niki
Buy Christmas presents
Read Life of Pi
«Laura»
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Day #91: Potluck crashin'
I didn't really crash a potluck my former team was having - I brought cookies! We had a great time eating and laughing and playing Apples to Apples. After work, I went home and made vegan avocado grilled cheese sandwiches with bean sprouts. Delicious!
To get from the top picture to the bottom picture you need:
2 piece of bread
1 avocado
Vegan mayonnaise
Vegan butter
Vegan cheese
bean sprouts
I threw a pat of butter in a pan and heated it up while I grated the cheese (was in a block). I spread some mayonnaise on a piece of bread, threw some cheese on it and microwaved it for 30 seconds. While I was waiting for the microwave to do its thing, I cut the avocado in half lengthwise, removed the pit, scooped out the deliciousness inside and put that on a piece of bread which I tossed in the warmed pan. Took microwaved bread out of microwave, put bean sprouts on the bread/mayo/cheese and flipped it upside down onto the pan-cooked bread with avocado on it.
Then I just waited a minute or so, flipped the sandwich and waited some more, probably 2 or 3 minutes. When the bread was dry and crunchy, I knew it was done.
It was so good I had to make myself a second sandwich.
And now, I'm off with a happy and full stomach!
«Laura»
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Day #90: Ready for more vegan recipes!
I did read up to page 39 in Life of Pi yesterday as well as got my tires inflated. I'll go find more soy ice cream, as it was really good!
Tomorrow:
Avocado grilled cheese
Life of Pi
Now:
Sleeeeeeep!
«Laura»
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Day #89: early post???
I tried Tofutti soy ice cream (chocolate) and it was way better than ricemilk ice cream. I'm going to find another brand of soy ice cream and see if that's even better (I know most grocers stock the So Delicious brand).
After I get out of work, I'm going to head to the Honda dealer to get my tires checked, go purchase soy ice cream, then head home to read a few (probably 50 or so) pages of "Life of Pi" which is the book that won the poll for January's book in the Toledo Book Club.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading more "Life of Pi" and relaxing.
I realized that I'm most relaxed when I'm reading and when I'm cooking. Interesting!
Catch you later!
{Laura}
Monday, December 14, 2009
Day #88: Charlie's Christmas program
I made black bean soup for dinner and enough to have lunch for the next three days.
The soup:
1 red onion, minced
2 cloved garlic, pressed
2 14oz cans of black beans, drained
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
Heat a stock pot with a bit of oil and add the onions and garlic. Cook for at least 3 minutes, but I prefer to cook them longer - I think I cooked them for 7 minutes. Add in the water and cook around a minute before adding everything else. When all the rest of the ingredients are in, turn the heat up to high until the soup boils, then turn the heat to medium-low. Let soup simmer for at least 20 minutes. Add salt or pepper if desired.
And it was very good!
{Laura}
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Day #87: Rice cream!
I am going to cook vegan meals in the next few weeks - I enjoy cooking and don't care if I have to pay attention to the ingredients. However, when I'm eating out, I don't want to pay as much attention or if I'm offered food from others, I don't want to decline just because the item might have eggs or dairy milk in it. I'll let you know what I cook!
«Laura»
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Day #86: boo, no internet on my compy
Laura
Friday, December 11, 2009
Day #85: busy day!
I read the first 10 or 15 pages of Julia Child's "My Life in France" and it is so fun and cute! She is such an inspiration. I look forward to reading more of it.
For tomorrow:
return stuff to Best Buy
visit with uncle
relax
«Laura»
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Day #84: The Julie and Julia movie, experienced by Kassie, Joe and Laura
Tomorrow:
get the little Honda looked at - low tire pressure light is on, probably because the car sat on the lot for a few months before I purchased it.
go do something fun with Niki!
That's all.
«Laura»
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Day #83: More vegan cookies!
Relaxing day! Now I'm sleepy.
Tomorrow:
take compy to Joe's
watch Julie and Julia
eat dinner
«Laura»
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Day #82: Just relax
It sounds so foreign to me! What do I do when I'm not doing anything? I feel like I'm slacking and wasting time when I'm not creating or reading or learning. If I'm just on the computer, I'm not propelling myself forward.
So, I'm going to think about how I spend my time, and how I should spend my time. Should give my time percentages like Ramit Sethi's financial worksheet?
Looking at my work schedule, I dedicate 10 hours of my day on grooming myself, driving to and from work, and sitting in my cubicle. That's 42% of my weekday. I prefer to sleep 8-9 hours to be sure I'm nice and functional for the hours that I'm awake. That requires 33-38% of my 24 hour block. It leaves me with 21% or only 5 hours. I also have to eat dinner!
Do you have any suggestions on how I should schedule myself to get rest but not slack off?
«Laura»
Monday, December 7, 2009
Day #81: Laura the pseudo-celebrity
All the thinking and talking and meeting left me pretty tired by this evening (and I wrenched my knee two hours before the interview, so I was trying my best to look like I wasn't in considerable pain or limping around!) so I'm heading to bed. I know, it's not even nine, but sleep is the best medicine.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Day #80: Kale!
Breakfast:
cookies!
Lunch:
pizza!
Dinner:
kale!
I baked kale with oil and sea salt, thanks to a recipe from Anne Berg! It was crunchy and salty and tasted like a potato chip. Tomorrow, I'm going to work through lunch because I'm leaving early - going to have an interview (no, not a job interview) with a marketing fellow from UTMC talking about my stroke and the level of care that UTMC exhibited. Sleepy time to make sure I look my best!
«Laura»
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Day #79: Vegan Pizza #2
Vegan eatings:
Breakfast:
3 (or 5) chocolate chip cookies
leftover stew
Lunch:
Mustard pretzels
Dinner:
Vegan pizza
The second try of pizza was wonderfully successful! I loved it - tasted just like pizza! I grated the "cheese" - I think it was better than having it sliced.
I went Christmas shopping with my mother and we bought almost all of the gifts on our lists. It's always nice to have a successful shopping day, even if I have to sacrifice a real lunch to do it!
Tomorrow, I'll be heading to church, but I'm not sure what else I'll do. Eat vegan leftovers, certainly. Maybe play some piano! Right now, sleep!
«Laura»
Friday, December 4, 2009
Day #78: Two more days of Vegan week!

Vegan eatings:
Breakfast:
Tea
3 clementines
Lunch:
2 pieces of vegan pizza
footlong veggie sub sans cheese
Dinner: Curry
Chips with pineapple salsa
Lemonade
Don't get me wrong - I'm enjoying eating vegan food! I just won't miss checking everything I eat to make sure it has vegan approved ingredients! Last night I made Chickpea and Spinach curry as well as Chocolate Chip cookies. Both were very good!
Curry needed a little extra salt.

Cookies were just amazingly delicious! (see photo at top) I'm looking forward to Saturday and eating more cookies!
«Laura»
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Day #77: Lucky number 13!
Vegan eatings:
Breakfast:
3 clementines
Lunch:
Chipotle Stew (Still as amazingly awesome as the first time!)
Delicious veganness for dinner!! (see photo at top)
Greek salad
Artichoke and tomato and mushroom soup
Hot chocolate with soy milk. the clerk forgot to not put whipped cream on it....that's fine, I got a spoon and disposed of the cream into my soup lid.
I looked around the Toledo vicinity today to see where I could purchase vegan cheese.
I thought I found it in Meijer: Veggie slices! Next to the tofu! But it has a milk protein in the ingredients. I sadly put it back and went to Anderson's.
No luck there. I was surprised, I thought Anderson's had EVERYTHING!
I called Wal-Mart, Kroger, Giant Eagle, Schorlings, Bassett's Health Store, Churchills, Super Churchills, Reddy Food-N-Spices, Target, Aldi's, then I finally found Claudia's!
They even had more than one brand of vegan cheese! I was so excited!
I just finished baking my vegan pizza and I'll pack it up for lunch tomorrow!
«Laura»
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Day #76: Done with Julie and Julia and now I'm onto Isa
Breakfast:
Tea
Lunch:
4 clementines
Chipotle stew
Dinner:
Greek salad without the feta cheese
Blueberry bagel with grape jelly
Dessert:
Hot chocolate made with soy milk
Snack:
Guacamole with tortilla chips
I enjoyed Bible study with Niki and Tiff and I finished Julie and Julia and LOVED it! I'm looking forward to the book club meet.
Now I'm sleepy. Will update tomorrow!
«Laura»
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Day #75: Doux Vegan!
Vegan eatings for today:
Breakfast:
Tea
Lunch:
Chipotle, corn and black bean stew (leftovers - and just as wonderfully tasty as when it was made originally!)
4 clementines
Dinner:
Stir fry consisting of:
--White rice
--spinach
--mushrooms
--bamboo shoots
--water chestnuts
--pea pods
--garlic powder
--curry powder
--onion powder
--salt
--pepper
Dessert:
--hot chocolate, made with soy milk.
So far, my taste buds don't think that this vegan food is like a death march to blandness. It's been quite good! Next recipes will be spinach and chickpea curry, and chocolate chip cookies. I found one brand of butter that is vegan at Meijer! (No vegan butter at Kroger.) Yay for Willow Run!
I'm considering dropping this daily blog back to a weekly blog and starting a music composition blog and a cooking blog. I'm going to see how much cooking and writing and all I do during the Christmas break before I make my decision.
Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to finishing Julie and Julia (only 100 pages to go!) and having Bible study with Tiffany and Niki.
Right now, I'm exhausted.
«Laura»
Monday, November 30, 2009
Day #74: Hey, it's vegan week!
Vegan eatings:
Breakfast:
clementines
trail mix
--dried fruit
--nuts
--seeds
--M&Ms. (Crap! I didn't realize that they're not vegan!)
Lunch:
Subway footlong veggie sub (no cheese!)
--lettuce
--pickles
--cucumbers
--green peppers
--black olives
--banana peppers
--jalepeno peppers
--vinegar
snack:
trail mix sans M&Ms
dinner:
Chipotle, corn and black bean stew
--crushed tomatoes
--onions
--carrots
--potatoes
--black beans
--garlic
--cumin
--chipotle peppers
--lime juice
side:
--fries
--malt vinegar
I read Julie and Julia during lunch, and I'm glad, as I didn't have time today to read after work. This dinner took quite a while!
I served 3 bowls, and have five large bowls packed up for lunches. I'm excited that my first try was so successful!
Tomorrow, I'm going to hang out with my friend Niki! Yay!
«Laura»
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Day #73: Julie and Julia and Laura
I enjoyed church with Kassie and Leo! We went to the 10:45 service, and it was packed! I'd like to try a different service or at least get to this service earlier than we did. I'm really enjoying the Cedar Creek atmosphere and I'd like to give it a try. Of course, it's always easier to go to a new place with a friend as opposed to just by yourself. It's also nice to have a friend that knows where she's going! (Thanks for making sure I don't get lost, Kassie)
The guacamole was delicious! More than delicious! I was trying to get every bit of guac from the bowl.
I didn't visit my uncle, but I will do that tomorrow.
Right now, I'm off to bed!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Day #72: Weirdest menu ever
breakfast:
pickles
chocolate chip pancake
pork roast with potatoes
lemonade
lunch:
cheesy casserole with fried onions
chocolate peanut butter pie
starbucks double chocolate chip frappacino
dinner:
chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cups
pickles
clemetines
more pickles
lemonade
I purchased the book "Julie and Julia" at Barnes and Noble and will read it by Thursday, as I have a book club meeting then!
Rereading this menu makes me laugh.
Tomorrow:
Read "Julie and Julia"
Go to church with Kassie
Make guacamole
Visit with Uncle Louie
Read more of "Julie and Julia"
Right now:
Sleep!
«Laura»
Friday, November 27, 2009
Day #71: Johnson dinner
I didn't get too far in my songbook exercises, but I'll continue working on it tomorrow.
Also, tomorrow I'm planning on heading to Barnes & Noble to read Julie and Julia sometime during the day.
That's all!
«Laura»
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Day #70:AlmondChocolatePudding
Tomorrow:
Make a pie
Work on songwriting
Visit with family
«Laura»
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Day #69: Veganlicious
I drank some in a glass and it's quite good! It's a bit like delicious nutty candy. Thicker than skim or 2% cow milk, not as "chalky" like soy milk.
Tomorrow I'm just going to hang around home and get creative stuff done. Woo!
«Laura»
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Day #68: Happy Birthday, mother
I didn't get the song done... but I'll have plenty of time to do this weekend!
«Laura»
Monday, November 23, 2009
Day #67: Mmmmm, hummus!
My to-do list for tomorrow:
Wish my mother a happy birthday (She's so cute!)
Think about Christmas presents for others (no, I won't be doing black friday)
Write a song (I hope to prepare it for recording soon after)
Panera is kicking us out. Goodnight!
«Laura»
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Day #66: Cedar Creek
After the service, I ate a delicious veggie sub! Kassie, Leo, Joe and I hung out at their house for an hour or two, then they went to Menards, and I went home.
I played with my phone and got all the contacts that I care about from my Palm Centro into my Env Touch. Didn't really do anything creative - ended up watching real films of WWII filed with horror and gore. Wasn't exactly what I wanted to watch. I really wanted to watch something lighthearted, but my mother wanted to watch WWII in HD on the History channel. It was a good show, but... sobering.
Tomorrow, I want to hang out with Niki and eat hummus! That's all I really want to do!
«Laura»
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Day #65: Internet on my phone day!
I went to Gino's Pizza this evening with Joe and Kassie. We saw Murder Among Friends, a delightful play about attempting to murder your loved ones. I didn't do much today except for that.
Tomorrow:
Church with Kassie
Play with my phone
Do something creative
That's all!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Day #62: The Lavacake edition #2
I've been busy taking photographs of different work teams at the office. I'm terribly exhausted. Night!
«Laura»
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Day #61: The exercise is done!
Risk-taking
Calm, laid back
Fun
Artsy
Frugal
These are traits that I have or wish to acquire.
So tomorrow, I want to work on the artsy trait. I'll be heading to Barnes and Noble. I think I'll work on taking macro photos with my 50mm f1.8 lens. I'll upload a few good ones tomorrow!
«Laura»
Monday, November 16, 2009
Day #60: Yay for willpower, Toad!
I didn't buy any books! I also couldn't come up with four more people for the exercise I'm trying to complete. I have tomorrow!
«Laura»
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Day #59: Go go Bible quiz
I went home and recorded a silly song (I won't upload it here, mostly because it isn't that fantastic) and then took a three hour nap. Niki and I stayed up quite late last night!
Tomorrow is the beginning of "Spirit Week" at the office. I'm excited for Tuesday, "Bundle Up Day". Finally, I won't be cold in the cubicle!! Joe and I are official photographers, so we get to randomly walk around the office all week.
To do tomorrow:
1) Go to Barnes and Noble with my father.
2) I am determined to NOT buy a book!
3) Finish an exercise, listing 10 people whom I respect and what qualities they possess. I have six on my list so far.
There you have it. The computer and I are going to go sleep in different rooms! This arrangement is working out nicely!
«Laura»
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Day #58: Yay, Niki is in town!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Day #57: The Re-arrangement
Tomorrow, I'll work on getting my room organized, make waffles for breakfast, do laundry, play piano, write songs and visit my grandmother.
Sounds like a nice cozy day.
My computer's new home is the spare room so when I go to bed, I can't watch more Hulu than I planned.
Goodnight!
«Laura»
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Day #56: Hey apostrophes, why do you make people so possessive?
Decided this afternoon:
When at home and not doing something important (important=anything that does not involve watching TV/Hulu or wasting time on the Internet) I will play piano - scales, etudes, original songs, chord progressions, covers; or ukulele, or write songs, or learn something about recording.
Tomorrow, I'm going to work on rearranging my room so I would want to get to my piano and play it. The computer is going to find a home elsewhere in the house.
And I'm going to sleep.
«Laura»
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Day #55: Sleepitized!
Played ukulele.
Made two chocolate chip waffles.
Stretched.
Played piano.
To do tomorrow:
1) Going to get a schedule together for my post 5pm life.
2) Do something musical.
Yep. That's all.
«Laura»
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Day #54: A Well Respected Man, demo version
"A Random Walk Down Wall Street" by Burton Malkiel
"The Automatic Millionaire" by David Bach
"Fasting" by Jentezen Franklin
"The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing" by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer and Michael LeBouef
"Inside Songwriting" by Jason Blume
"Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die" by John Piper
"The Indie Band Survival Guide" by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feeham
"Confessions of an Introvert" by Meghan Wier
"All You Need to Know about the Music Business" by Donald Passman
"The Republic of Plato" translated by Allan Bloom
"Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife (won't be selling, but need to re-read beginning and read to the end)
"Selected Stories" by O. Henry
"Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?" by Molly Ivins
"Mere Christianity" by Clive Staples Lewis
"A Fistful of Fig Newtons" by Jean Shepherd
"The Sirens of Titan" by Kurt Vonnegut
"The Economic Naturalist: In search for everyday enigmas" by Robert Frank
I recorded the baritone ukulele and vocal part at the same time and this MP3 is the second take.
So, here it is!
Download
«Laura»
Monday, November 9, 2009
Day #53: Chocolate chocolate chip waffle!
I really liked today. I got a lot of work done, but wasn't stressed out. At home, I ate dinner with the folks, found more books that I've been meaning to read and made a chocolate chocolate chip waffle! It was an amazing dessert. The waffle doesn't look super chocolaty, and it isn't but it has subtle hints of cocoa goodness in the batter. The real chocolate flavor comes with the chocolate chips inside and the chocolate syrup on top.
Anyone feeling like they're somehow going to contract diabetes yet?
I didn't play scales for a full hour, but I did play for a good amount of time. I stopped before the full hour because I started making mistakes that were due to tiredness. I usually get tired around 9 or 10pm, but if I'm awake, I am "functional" again around 1-3am. I wake up whenever I have to, but I'm not fully there until 10am. I'm good until 2pm through 4pm and I get sluggish. Then 4pm to 9 I'm full of energy. Ramble, ramble, ramble. I could have deleted most of this paragraph but I felt like wasting your time.
Next. Didn't list the books because I want to read them first! I actually want to get through the books I've purchased. I shall prevail!
Play whatever I want. I practiced "A Well Respected Man" on the ukulele again. It's a fun little song!
I'll be stretching right after I publish this post.
For tomorrow:
1) Stretch
2) Play scales
3) On this site, list the book I want to read and how long I'll take to read them
That's enough for now. I want to encourage, not overwhelm myself. Adios!
«Laura»
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Day #52: Busy busy busy!
I hope Toledo can get a revitalization. It's a nice town, but it feels like a ghost town. Tomorrow's to-do list:
1) Stretch
2) List books on half.com
3) Play scales for an hour
4) Play whatever I want on whatever instrument I feel like playing
Ben Folds is my musical hero, and he played scales every day for six months to get to where he is - and so I just need to make it a priority. There is no reason for me to NOT make music a priority. If I start today, I'll be very comfortable where I am just before my 25th birthday - also around Ben's age when he started doing piano seriously. There is no time like the present!
♪Laura♪
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Day #51: Waffles!!
I used:
2 eggs
2 cups of unbleached flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbs sugar
4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp vanilla
Heat waffle iron per manufacturer's instructions. Beat eggs. Combine rest of ingredients in order. Beat until the batter is smooth and consistent. Pour 1/2 cup batter on the waffle iron.
For vegan waffles, one could substitute 2 tbsp flour, 1/2 tbsp shortening, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 2 tsp water for eggs and soy milk for regular milk.
Super delicious!
I cleaned my desk but kind of took a nap instead of listing my books on half.com.
I did email the eateries and my father decided he wanted to eat larger seeds than the pumpkins I have will generate, so I'm waiting for him to get me some large pumpkins.
I didn't stretch but will do that before I go to bed.
Tomorrow, I'm going to church and then the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in the afternoon, followed by eating at Bluewater Grill.
My to do list will be pretty short:
1) Stretch
2) Make a chocolate waffle for breakfast.
That's it! I'm looking forward to a pretty sweet day tomorrow!
I'll take pictures of the waffle making process then, too!
«Laura»
Friday, November 6, 2009
Day #50: The FAIL edition
I spent the evening watching TV with the family and Elmer.
To-do list for tomorrow:
1) Make waffles
2) Clean Desk
3) Email eateries
4) Pumpkinate
5) Stretch
6) List books on half.com
Okay, yay for waffles tomorrow!!!
«Laura»
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Day #49: Cute Elmer edition
I know, this picture is a year old, but it's still one of my favorites.
Anyhow:
In my stretch book, Zone 1 is all about upper legs, hips and trunk. It's nice to start an exercise program but I'm more looking forward to Zone 2, shoulders! Hopefully I'll be able to be correctly limber to get rid of most of my shoulder pain.
I did laundry, I stretched, adding one new exercise to the other six that I've practiced and I moved the pumpkins to the garage. Saturday, I plan on setting up a card table and cleaning out the pumpkins then.
Didn't clean the desk, nor did I email eateries. I have a letter set up for businesses, I just haven't gotten the email addresses. At this point, I'm getting sleepy and I have a whole weekend ahead of me, so I'll conquer these things at that time!
Things to do tomorrow:
1) Have bible study with Tiff
2) Email businesses
The other things I will do on Saturday.
Later!
«Laura»
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Day #48: I blame it on AT&T Wifi
I read the magazines and pitched them except for one issue of Scientific Mind.
Didn't clean desk nor dug up books to list.
Uhm, neither did I inventory the pantry.
If AT&T wifi was any good at Barnes and Noble, I would have got more vegan meals plans, but I did check out Veganomicon (awesome cookbook), and I plan on purchasing it soon.
I did enjoy Barnes and Noble with my friend Laura! She's cute and fun!
I didn't get to the pumpkin patch, nor did I match my black socks or email local eateries.
However, I did do some stretching and added two exercises.
Tomorrow:
1) Email local eateries regarding vegan entrees
2) Stretch
3) Pumpkinate
4) Clean desk
5) Do laundry
Right now, I'm going to sleep. Later!
«Laura»
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Day #47(a): Stretchy!
Elmer was in the harness, but we've decided to get him a different harness, and he really gives me dirty looks when he's in it.
I voted!
Didn't get to the pumpkins - it was dark by the time I was ready.
Read the intro and four exercises in the stretch book.
Practiced those four exercises.
Didn't match up my socks. Not an urgent task.
To-do list for tomorrow, 11/4/09
1) Read magazines in room, then pitch them
2) Clean desk
3) List books on half.com
4) Inventory my part of the pantry
5) Find more vegan meal plans
6) Enjoy Barnes and Noble with friend Laura
7) Get the pumpkins around and ready to be massacred
8) Match black socks
9) Stretch - add a few more exercises to the ones already known
10) Email local eateries to know if they have vegan meals on the menu
My guess is that I'll get through items 1, 5, 6, 8 and 9 tomorrow, but wanted to give myself more things if I happen to find the time.
«Laura»
Day #47: Today's to-do list
To-do list:
1) Put a harness on Elmer
(We really would love to have him be outside with us, but he runs away when we put him on the ground.)
2) Vote
(Of course!)
3) Clean out pumpkins to get the seeds
(Mmmmm!)
4) Read a part of "The Stretch Book" because I'm tired of my back and neck and shoulders always hurting
(Ow. : ( Sad.)
5) Do some stretching
(Ahhhh...)
6) Match up my black socks
(They're in a pile and it's going to be a pain to look for a pair of socks in the morning.)
Okay, so I feel better - I don't want to abandon this blog, and writing everyday is important to me, so I'm glad I'll be able to continue writing about "Things I did today" and not feel bad for occasional short posts.
‼Laura‼
Monday, November 2, 2009
Day #46: A realization?
Meanwhile...
«Laura»
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Day #45: The COSI edition
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterfli/sets/72157622589746817/
After the exploration of science, they made dinner and we played Uno drums.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Day #44: Roasting Charlie's Birthday

Friday, October 30, 2009
Day #43: The fatigue
Sorry about the short posts lately, but I'll get back to better stuff soon!
«Laura»
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Day #42: Don't Panic!
Unrelatedly, I still love my Honda Fit!
«Laura»
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Day #41: So tired
«Laura»
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Day #40: The lava cake edition
I didn't roast the pumpkin seeds today because I realized if I was going to participate in the potluck for the Canadian/Nissan teams Friday, I will need to make the cakes today. Tomorrow I'm going to a Ben Folds concert in Columbus, and Thursday is my last scheduled doctor appointment about the whole stroke stuff, so I'm going to celebrate after that!
The small cakes will get filled with hot fudge Thursday night, then frozen until the potluck. They'll be served with ice cream and Magic Shell on top after being microwaved a short time. Everyone whom has tried my concoction has given me rave reviews!
«Laura»
Monday, October 26, 2009
Day #39: A not yet finished project
And, I need another day to practice. My sound quality isn't up to my standards. But here's a picture of my seeds taking over the kitchen! (I'm posting this entry through Flickr!)
«Laura»
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Day #38: A Well Respected Pumpkin Seed
I also am soaking pumpkin seeds to prepare them for roasting tomorrow. Yay!
I'll record the song I learned tomorrow so you get to laugh at my poor uke playing.
Thanks for checking in!
«Laura»
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Day #36: Weekend, woo!
Other than that, I'll just be reading. How boring! Heh.
«Laura»
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Day #35: The reading list
I'm currently working through David Bach's workbook, "The Automatic Millionaire" and I have three other books that are on my pile, "A Random Walk Down Wall Street", "The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing" and "Vegan with a Vengeance".
I'll start reading "A Random Walk Down Wall Street" right after I'm done reading the current issue of Wired magazine.
«Laura»
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Day #34: Speech! Speech!
«Laura»
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Day #33: Kentuckle photos
Monday, October 19, 2009
Day #32: Hair today, gone tomorrow
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Day #31: The DO SOMETHING you LAZY PERSON day!
I introduced myself to a photographer who specializes in photography for live concerts, which would be a dream position besides, of course, writing the music for the live concert.
I wrote a few songs (yeah, I really did!)
I ate way too much food...uuughh...
I know today is going to be a crazy "Let's sit in the car for five hours straight from northern Kentucky to northern Ohio" day.
Thanks for the great weekend Niki and Lexington!
I'm all packed for the drive home...
«Laura»
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Day #30: The Kentucky edition
Niki lives in a very nice house in suburbia with two roommates, whom are not here this weekend (one offered her bed for me to use, how generous, considering she's never met me!)
We went to Baker's 360 which is an upscale club on the 15th floor of a building. It was quite....loud. There was a sushi bar, and I bought yellowtail nigiri; it was delicious!
Now Niki and I are in a coffee shop downtown. We just had lunch - a ton of mediterranean food that was delicious! After such, I'm not sure what we're going to do.. maybe go to a cupcake buffet at 5:30, maybe to dress up for the club, maybe I'll just play piano (one of her roommates is a piano teacher) until 2 in the morning like I did this morning.
Whatever we do, I'm sure it will be a unique blast!
«Laura»
Friday, October 16, 2009
Day #29: The super tired edition
Then I get to go to Kentucky! I'm excited! Niki has wireless internet in her home, so I will be bringing my laptop for posting. I had too much work to do and couldn't get my posts for Friday and Saturday done. Oh well, no time like the present.
I'll let you know how the drive down went!!
«Laura»
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Day #28: Forget it!
No compulsively checking Mint or ING.
No using Facebook (Don't use it much regularly anyway)
No watching Hulu (What?? I have to wait to Sunday night to watch the Office??? Nooooooo...)
No reading blogs (I read most of my blogs at the cubicle during lunch)
Why will I not have access to my computer and the internet?
I'm heading to Lexington, Kentucky to see my friend Niki! She's very cool and cute!
I'm sure I'll be taking photos and writing lyrics. I'm a musician and photographer! I forget that. I really shouldn't. Anyway, here I go, see you later, internet!
«Laura»
P.S. This weekend's blog posts are already written and will be scheduled and released on time. No worries! : )
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Day #27: The Automatic Millionaire, Chapter 2
I do my best to watch both the pennies and the dollars. I've been loosening the belt a bit, being okay with an occasional hot chocolate and a cheap 6 inch sub from Subway for dinner while I'm at Barnes and Noble, writing away. More than 90% of the time, I pack my lunch rather than buy it. And if I'm eating out, I either eat half of it and save it for the next day's lunch or order something cheap, like a cup of soup. I don't go out to eat to taste certain foods, I go out to be nourished and spend time with friends.
I'm not going to complete the exercises in this chapter because I have my budget set up well that I'm within the limits I want, and I have lived it for nearly a year. I know my "Latte Factor" and it's either a part of my frugal want or it's not a transaction.
I'm looking forward to getting this medical debt off my back, but what I really ought to do is STOP THINKING ABOUT FINANCIAL STUFF!
Yeah. I yelled. I'm in Barnes and Noble and I'm writing about finance, which is good, but I really should write a song. Play piano. Or flute. Something! That's my gift! I'm just getting worked up about things that won't be affecting me for the next 40 years.
I have my 401(k) and my Roth IRA set up. I have a budget that works and most, if not all, of my expenses are automatic. I don't have to worry about a darn thing.
Perhaps I should shift my focus to composing or minimalism or fasting or Bible study.
Here I come, piano. I've missed you!
«Laura»
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Day #26: The Automatic Millionaire, Chapter 1
Actually, maybe this way:
R = I want this in retirement
B = I want this BEFORE retirement
X = I don't care if it is before or during retirement
The Automatic Millionaire Goal Developer | ||
---|---|---|
Actionable Goal | Y/N | How close? 10 = Achieved, 1 = Not Begun |
Save money in my 401(K) and Roth IRA - enough to live off of dividends/percentage of portfolio | R | 2 |
Continue creating passive income streams through blogging, composing, etc | B | 2 |
Enjoy spending money on things that are important to me and not spending money on things that I don't care about | B | 5 |
Give 10% of my income (or retirement withdrawals) to the church | B | 5 |
Sign up for frequent flier programs or a credit card that gives back miles | X | 1 |
Have a vacation fund for this type of travel (not include the "Travel" goal) | B | 1 |
New Zealand! | B | 1 |
Europe! | X | 1 |
Israel! | X | 1 |
Get a Master's degree (perhaps PhD) in Music | B | 1 |
Exercise interests in music, writing, cooking, vegetarianism, minimalism, reading, investing | B | 3 |
Buy/build a house that suits my creative needs | B | 1 |
Have some sort of self-sufficient house (solar or wind power) if I can handle or hire for the upkeep | X | 1 |
That's interesting. Most of my goals are before I retire. Two thoughts come to mind.
1) Does that mean that I'll still want to do the same things in retirement that I want to do now or in my 40s?
or
2) Does that mean I cannot see that far into the future to be realistic?
Hmmm. Maybe I need to re-evaluate my goals toward retirement. Or not.
«Laura»
Monday, October 12, 2009
Day #25: Worried?
In my debt basket, I owe around $15,000 on my car (including interest) and $5,000 in medical debt. Luckily, I have five years to pay the car loan off, and I hope that I can get rid of the medical debt in the next 6 or 7 months.
In my savings account, I used $4,000 of the $10,000 for a down payment of my car. My first goal is to get rid of the medical debt, and after that, I will build my savings fund back to its original state.
But I still worry. And once the debt is gone and the savings is back, I'll still worry. I'll have more goals and want to learn more things which will cost time and perhaps money.
However, worrying about uncontrollable things is silly. I should just plan, do my best, watch what I spend money on and enjoy the day instead thinking about my daily spending.
«Laura»
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Day #24: The Barnes and Noble realization
I'm heading there tomorrow after work. Right now, I'm heading for a nap. Darn lazy Sunday.
«Laura»
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Day #22: The phone conversationalist
Got a lot of work done,
called Progressive to change my policy from my Cirrus to my Fit,
had them fax the changed policy to Brown Honda for proof that the new car is insured since I'm getting my financing through American Honda Finance Corp,
called Westfield insurance to make my statement (and hopefully get my $500 deductible back since it wasn't my fault),
faxed the local Progressive rep my bill of sale to get the sales tax reimbursed (up to the value of the sales tax of the Cirrus),
called Straightline, the company that manages my 401(k) on the cheap and negotiated a good rate for my account management,
drove the awesome fun new car a little, from home to work, then to the local hospital to see my friend Tiff (She works there) and drove back home.
I just finished the ice cream, so I might buy more tomorrow before I head to Joe and Kassie's.
Mmmm, ice cream...
«Laura»
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Day #21: The Fit is Go!
This weekend will be a rather lazy weekend. I'm looking forward to it!
I'll have pictures soon!
«Laura»
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Day #20: Last full day of driving a 2005 Dodge Neon
Tomorrow is the day to get Fit. Tonight is the night to get sleep. Later!
«Laura»
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Day #19: Car car car car car....
I said my final goodbyes to my crunched Cirrus during lunch today. I drove the Fit again and absolutely loved it! My friend, Joe, said it felt like being in a cockpit.
Tomorrow I'm heading to different banks to get interest rates on a loan.
«Laura»
Monday, October 5, 2009
Day #18: Totaled!
The Fit handles spectacularly well and the controls are intuitive. It is a fantastic car.
I went through three medical tests today and I think I passed two and failed the other one.
We shall see the verdict on Oct 29th.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Day #17: The funeral
Tomorrow I have a few rounds of medical tests... I better get the papers around or else I'll have no medical tests tomorrow. Afterward, I'll get into my regular posting stuff. I promise. I'm sure I'll have something great to say about car insurance, since my car will be towed to a body shop and the claims adjuster will inspect it. I'm hoping that the car will be repaired and the insurance from the girl who hit me may reimburse my deductible.
We shall see.
«Laura»
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Day #16: Clean up day, or One Wedding and a visitation
However, I need to remind myself that this blog is not topic-specific. In fact, I titled it "Things I did today" just so in times where I couldn't get a "real" post done, I can just blog about my day. My goal for this blog is to write every day.
Look I'm writing! So, there you go. Mission Accomplished.
«Laura»
Friday, October 2, 2009
Day #15: The short post
I had the police file a report, and then I filed a claim with my car insurer, Progressive. They called about an hour after that and got more details. It will be towed on Monday to a local shop and a claims adjuster will survey the damage. I'm afraid they'll total my car since it's an older car - 1995 Cirrus.
So, I'm going to eat some ice cream, then go to bed. I'll work on a more substantial post tomorrow!
«Laura»
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Day #14: Thanks for the budget, Ramit!
Ramit advises using rough percentages for the large groups of the budget; fixed expenses, saving, investing, guilt-free spending.
Joe, being the awesome friend he is, created a personalized spreadsheet that with his blessing, will share with you!
The figures in the spreadsheet are dummy data, so please enter data that is relevant to your life (mortgage instead of rent, for example.)
Happy fiddling!
«Laura»
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Day #13: The Automatic Millionaire Workbook; Introduction, part 2
Today, Bach gives us the names of a couple, Jim and Sue McIntyre, whom talked to Bach about early retirement and how their values influenced how much money they'll need to live the way they wanted. Bach suggested writing out a "Values Conversation", a pie sliced into six pieces.
Value |
---|
Enjoy my retirement life |
Continue to tithe |
Be able to see relatives regardless of distance |
Travel! |
Continue to educate myself in hobbies or new ways of enjoying work (ie a new skill) |
Enjoy my home with a sense of happiness and security (ie sunlit room with a piano to create new songs) |
The Automatic Millionaire Goal Developer | ||
---|---|---|
Value | Actionable Goal | How much will it cost? |
Enjoy my retirement life | Save money in my 401(K) and Roth IRA | $2mil |
Continue creating passive income streams through blogging, composing, etc | $? | |
Enjoy spending money on things that are important to me and not spending money on things that I don't care about | $? | |
Continue to tithe | Give 10% of my income (or retirement withdrawals) to the church | $500,000 (just a ballpark figure - I hope to leave a large chunk of money upon my death) |
Be able to visit relatives and friends regardless of distance | Sign up for frequent flier programs or a credit card that gives back miles | $0-$50 (it better be a good deal if I'm going to pay for it!) |
Have a vacation fund for this type of travel (not include the "Travel" goal) | $250,000 | |
Travel! | New Zealand! | $15,000 |
Europe! | $25,000 | |
Israel! | $15,000 | |
Continue to educate myself through hobbies or learning a new skill | Get a Master's degree (perhaps PhD) in Music | $100,000 (ballpark, guessing large for inflation) |
Exercise interests in music, writing, cooking, vegetarianism, minimalism, reading, investing | $0-$500,000 (depends if I just go to the library or if I purchase equipment for the hobby) | |
Enjoy my home with a sense of happiness and security (ie sunlit room with a piano to create new songs) | Buy/build a house that suits my creative needs | $200,000 |
Have some sort of self-sufficient house (solar or wind power) if I can handle or hire for the upkeep | $100,000+ |
This is a great chart to remind myself of my long-term goals and as I age, I can revise them easily.
«Laura»
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Day #12: The Automatic Millionaire Workbook; Introduction pt 1
I thought that reviewing and working through each chapter would be a good exercise for me and a helpful insight for you.
Bach discusses the "American Dream" and how the baby boomer generation is not faring well with their savings and retirement accounts. He continues with posing the question, "What's your idea of the American Dream?"
So then, what is my American Dream?
I want to live debt free (except a mortgage, or perhaps a car loan if the conditions are right). After I retire, I hope to have income passively and work only when I want to. I want to cook whatever kinds of food strike my fancy. I'd like to travel to different parts of the world (United States, Western Europe, Iceland, New Zealand, Israel, Japan) and not worry about money. I'd like the equipment and space to compose and record, assuming I still have my wits about me. Of course, I'd like to taste some of these wants before I retire so money management is very important now and in the future since my wants are rather expensive!
After this exercise is completed, Bach asks to fill out a table titled, "American Dream Snapshot"
What are your top three American Dreams?
What are your top three American Dreams? | ||
---|---|---|
What do you want? | What will it take? | Why is it important? |
The equipment and space to record | $100,000 | Music is my life, and I want to be able to create it anytime I want |
Travel the world | $1 million | I'm not sure how much it will cost, but I feel that $1 mil should cover it! |
Live comfortably without the need to work | $2 million | I want to be able to live on a small(ish) percentage of my retirement income (around 5%) so I won't have to worry about money. |
Lastly, Bach wanted to have readers take "The Automatic Millionaire Truth Tester".
Habit | True or False? | What can I do to change it? |
I buy things I can't afford | False | |
I often spent "some" of my paycheck before I even get it | False | |
I shop for fun, not because I need to | False | |
I say "yes" to new credit card offers | False | |
I only pay the minimum on my credit cards | False | |
I'm often late on my credit card payments | False | |
I don't balance my checkbook or check bank statements | False | |
I promise to save money every month, but don't | False | |
I don't save anything towards a down payment on a home | True | I am not thinking about purchasing a home soon anytime soon, but I know my 10% savings account will be part of that payment when it happens |
I put money aside for future emergencies and I end up spending it | False |
These exercises are a great beginning to looking at what your lifestyle is now and how you want it to be in the future. Next post, I'll discuss the last half of the introduction!
«Laura»