The weather report says only a scant chance of scattered rain, so I’m gearing up to bike to work again! So I’ll make this quick before I go.
Firstly: I know you were all so very concerned about the other {Noelle Tannenbaum} who (accidentally) used my social security number in 2005 and caused me to not get my 2007 refund. Well, I sent some papers to the IRS, made a few phone calls, and yesterday, I got a big fat check in the mail! I’m hoping we can now call this problem resolved, and now I have a way to pay my winter’s oil bill. And as for the other {Noelle Tannenbaum}, I hope she’s prepared to get a big old bill in the mail!
2: I’m participating in my next swim meet in Vermont in two weeks. Because my coach likes to “challenge” me, I’m swimming breast stroke and back stroke. My butterfly is getting better, but still only good for entertainment purposes.
C: So the squirt bottle thing. For as dumb as my cat is, she’s pretty smart. All I have to do is pick up the squirt bottle, and she runs away. But there’s a hitch. Today she got so agitated after seeing the bottle, she threw up in the living room. The whole point of not letting her eat people food was to keep her from throwing up. Time for a new plan, I think.
IV: Holy crap, there is food growing out of my ground.
- I made it through Vegan March, and no-pasta no-Ramen April was a success. I was going to alternate the two, but then I realized that would mean a life with no mac & cheese, which is not the kind of life I want to live. So I had a big bowl of mac & cheese on May 1st, and declared the month “no high-fructose corn syrup May.” But then I realized that HFCs are in Every. Thing., so I just went the whole month without soda. My challenge this month is “no fried food June.” I figured I should get it out of the way before county fair season this summer, when I move on to “only one dessert a day July.”
Posted by Ben on June 5, 2008 at 9:21 am
Your self-discipline is SHOCKING.
Once I settled into the vegetarian routine, I lost all interest in moderating my other intakes on the long-term. Not that I eat terribly, but a deprivation-of-the-month club would probably make me cry.
Posted by Dutchess of Kickball on June 5, 2008 at 9:25 am
OMG good call on getting the fried food ban out of the way before the fair. You’ll have to give up no carnies for that month.
Posted by courtney on June 5, 2008 at 9:32 am
I love your food plans. I think you could actually market that as a successful diet.
I agree: A life without mac and cheese is not a life worth living.
Congrats on the fat check! That Other Noelle is going to FEEL THE PAIN, I tell you.
Posted by stefanie on June 5, 2008 at 9:38 am
I actually think I could do One Dessert a Day July. The rest of those ideas scare me a little bit. You’re so right about high fructose corn syrup, though. So bad for you, but so hard to avoid. It’s in BREAD, even. Bread! Sigh.
Posted by Lara on June 5, 2008 at 9:49 am
I like the idea of No Fried Food June…except I had french fries…TWICE…yesterday. Hi, excessive use of ellipses!
Posted by lizgwiz on June 5, 2008 at 9:56 am
I’ve been trying to cut back on high fructose corn syrup, and you’re right–that’s incredibly hard. It’s EVERYWHERE. Our food system in this country is messed up.
Yay for big checks in the mail! Whoo hoo!
Posted by deutlich on June 5, 2008 at 10:04 am
Uhm. I all sorts of love your monthly disciplines. No Fried Food June? AWESOME idea.
And.. I think I shall jump on that bandwagon.
Posted by alexa on June 5, 2008 at 10:12 am
ok, that last paragraph with all the food disciplines for a month really made me laugh. like really did.
good luck with no fried food! who needs french fries anyway?!?
Posted by Kristabella on June 5, 2008 at 10:32 am
I’m impressed by your discipline. Not only the eating, but the biking. I decided to take the bus to work Tuesday, thinking this would be a new trend. But then it was supposed to maybe rain the rest of the week and also I have to get up earlier, so The Great Bus Experiment of 2008 lasted one whole day.
Posted by bing on June 5, 2008 at 10:39 am
I don’t know how you give up pasta. I seem to eat it all.the.time. I can’t stay away. No fried foods…sadness, but so much healthier for you. Good luck! I could probably do it, but then I’d cave and eat a fry.
I used to swim, and damn was the butterfly hard. I kept getting stuck doing it because I had a better grasp on it than my teammates. But I’m sure it still looked AWFUL!
Yay for your fat rebate check!
Posted by jennifer on June 5, 2008 at 11:57 am
Cat puke in the living room and Mac n Cheese on May 1st. This was a giggle-packed Quick Post.
If I were you, I would be LIVING for July. Sounds like a month of, ahem, sacrifice for you. It would be for me since I eat dessert about 5 times a day!
Take Care.
Jen
“I want to ride my Bicycle I want to ride my Bike..”
Posted by Vanessa on June 5, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I love the idea focusing on one food item per month, makes it much more attainable than the everything all at once approach I try (and fail).
Posted by Laurel on June 5, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Thank goodness the IRS finally sent you your dollars! Phew.
Good luck on your new swim meet strokes! You’re going to rock.
Posted by Pants on June 5, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Avoiding high fructose corn syrup is like deciding not to breath air. Except healthier, I guess.
Posted by freeandflawed on June 5, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Yay! Glad you got paid!
Posted by Allie on June 5, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I actually don’t have a hard time avoiding HFCS (which I know is a totally annoying thing to say). But I will admit that our grocery bills are absolutely ridiculous because of it.
What a kick in the pants that your cat puked anyway!
Posted by Gretch-a-sketch on June 5, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Yay for money!
Also, if you do try the beet pizza you absolutely have to let me know how it turns out.
Posted by Musing on June 5, 2008 at 7:48 pm
You give me hope. For months we’ve tried to get my daughter’s social security number corrected, and we’re still having issues with the IRS over it. Maybe by next year it will be all straightened out!
Posted by Sobe on June 5, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Next stop….BEIJING!!!!!!
Posted by nancypearlwannabe on June 5, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Wow, Noelle for the win! You show that IRS who’s boss.
Your no-fried-foods June sounds good in theory, but when you live near the beach it is very, very difficult in practice. Can I just stick to the no Ramen? ‘Cause I don’t like Ramen anyway.
Posted by The Modern Gal on June 5, 2008 at 10:17 pm
You could write a book about your monthly food fasts. Seriously.
Posted by Brando on June 6, 2008 at 12:03 am
It’s like Lent every month! I am also impressed with the discipline.
I have resolved that nothing stops the cat puke. I have offered sacrifices to the Cat Puke God, but he/she/it mocks my prayers.
Posted by sadieandleo on June 6, 2008 at 11:38 am
My cats react to the squirt bottle differently. Leo runs for dear life under the covers of the bed and Sadie just sits there and gives us this look, “I dare you.” And then throws up on the rug because she’s indignant.
Posted by mickey on June 6, 2008 at 11:47 am
I don’t really understand the eliminating of one food category per month thing. Unless it’s like the breast stroke and you’re just challenging yourself. It just seems like a weird deprivation hobby to me. Good job on the growing stuff, though.
Now “Eat Only What I Grow Month” would be really impressive.
Posted by apollocreed on June 6, 2008 at 1:53 pm
But what about the french fries?????
Think of the french fries you fool!!!
Posted by manager mom on June 8, 2008 at 9:22 am
I had another person with my name who worked at my company and when I was on maternity leave she somehow managed to charge a whole bunch of stuff to my corporate Amex. She quit a month after I got back and it took almost a year to straighten everything out. But she was in Executive Compensation so at least I got some good, salary-laden emails that were mis-addressed…
good luck with No Fried Foods June!!!