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Sleepwalking in the Garden

Brad — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:57:38 +0000

The temperature the last few days has been in the 60’s. It’s been wonderful. That, plus the time change, has got me home in time to walk in the garden a little bit. It’s a terrible mess, and many things are damaged from the snow, but it still is a spirit-lifter to be outside.

Interestingly, the last few days have also brought an irresistible urge to sleep in the afternoon or early evening. If I don’t lie down for a little while, I pass out sitting up. Wednesday I resisted, and ended up drifting in and out all night. Yesterday I intentionally lay down, and slept for less than half an hour. Why am I so sleepy now that it’s nice outside? That’s just the opposite of what I was expecting.

Strange Peeps

Brad — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:22:25 +0000

I stopped by the drug store yesterday afternoon and made a quick pass through the Easter candy aisle. There was a package of Peeps that looked different from the rest, so I picked it up. Why were there only three of them, and why were they so big?

They were sugar free! I was intrigued. Aren’t Peeps 99.99% sugar and 0.01% food coloring? How in the heck could they make a sugar free version? It must be just a pile of chemicals. I had to try them.

I did not care for these. The most disturbing thing was the texture difference. The “sugar” crystals on the outside of the Peep were not crunchy. In fact, they chewed a little. It was weird. But I do have to say that the flavor wasn’t that bad. They weren’t as sweet as an all-sugar Peep, but they had a vanilla-flavored sweetness to them. If sugar didn’t exist, this would be pretty good. Fortunately, sugar DOES exist. Thank God for sugar!

Sleep Aid

Brad — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:04:22 +0000

While at handbell practice yesterday, I saw a piece of cardboard on the floor of the church sanctuary. Being a compulsive litter picker-upper, I grabbed it. It was the front part of a box of sleeping pills. Sleeping pills in church? Since I’m a borderline narcoleptic, I can’t imagine anyone needing sleeping pills at all, much less in a place where someone talks quietly for twenty minutes while you sit still.

I couldn’t take a picture of it on the floor where I found it because all my bell ringers would wonder why I was taking pictures of litter, and I can’t just explain weird actions away like Lauren by telling them I teach preschool. So I took it with me and took a picture in my car:

Quick Lunch

Brad — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:22:17 +0000

This year for lunch at school I mostly just drink Carnation Instant Breakfast. It takes far less time than more conventional lunches and it’s easy to pack. I drink three packages and use less milk than is called for. My meal ends up being around 600 calories, which isn’t too bad. A 400 calorie Healthy Choice frozen dinner would be more healthy, but it would cost more and take a long time to heat in the microwave. Mixing and gulping Carnation takes less than five minutes. Then I can get back to trying to stay ahead of my schoolwork.

I need about a cup and a half of milk for my lunch. My favorite container is a Tupperware thing Beth gave me. She gave it to me for some other use, but I can’t remember now what that was. It makes a great milk holder. When I forget it at school, I have several back-ups. In the picture below, they’re assembled behind the Tupperware cup. The colorful cup to the right is what I take to school to mix my Carnation in. I got it at a KFC in St. Maarten. It’s fun to use such an exotic cup for my lunch every day. It’s like I’m having lunch in the Caribbean.

Counter Attack

Brad — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:48:03 +0000

Max has somehow learned to jump up on the kitchen counter. I really don’t want him to. Jumping up on the couch or my bed is okay. Jumping up on table-like surfaces? Not okay.

My first clue that he had been on the counter was discovering a chewed Pilsbury crescent roll after school one day. His presence on the counter top was confirmed by a paw print. I checked to see if there was a chair or other route that he might have discovered, but there wasn’t any way for him to get up there except by directly jumping. That meant I would have to block all access. So far it’s been working. I’ll wait to see if there are any other incursions. But how long must I keep this up until he has learned to stay off the counter? I don’t want to do this until he is too old to jump.