Eats, Good ones

My iPod is presently 10% music, 90% Alton Brown. It's a delicious ratio.

So, I slept.

And it was a bad idea. I've felt much more tired today than I did yesterday, after having been up for 24 hours. That's just dumb. But it's what I've got to work with, so here goes.

Herb Baked Potatoes:
This one is simple, obviously. Let me break it down so you can most certainly understand
Chop up Potatoes
Throw in a bag with olive oil and any desired herbs, plus garlic.
Seal and Shake
Pour Potatoes out on cooking sheet.
350-450, depending on desired crispness inside out out. Flip often.
If you're feeling antsy, hit them with the broiler until your fears melt away.

I was able to make this dish very quickly between healing on that god forsaken video game, so anyone can do it with any amount of time. Enjoy.

Oh, right, I was built this way.

I forgot that I'm not supposed to sleep. I got caught up in enjoying it so much that I forgot how much more productive I am when I don't do it. Let us use this cross examination:

Normal Day

Insomnia

Woke up at 6:30. Biked Six miles to work Worked, half asleep perptually Biked home Played WoW Went to Sleep around Midnight

Woke up on day 1 at 6:30 Cleaned up Kitchen Cooked Lunch Cleaned remainder of house Washed Laundry Ran 1 Mile Biked 6 Miles Met 5 New people at a Coffee Shop Played WoW Upgraded Cellphone to Windows Mobile 6 Installed SPB Interface on Phone Cancelled crappy mailout subscriptions Added every possible number I could to my phone Hatched a genius plan Posted on Blogger Twice Worked out And there's more to come, as my day has not ended!

Yeah, so I don't think I'm really going to sleep much anymore. I've also been waking up like I've got a purpose these days. I hate to admit that WoW has actually made me productive. I hate on it all the time, but in my attempts to not play it, I get too much stuff done. Maybe it's a necessary component of my success. If only I could focus this much without it. I need some other pleasureable leasure activity to avoid.

Barley Soup

Some time ago (months, honestly) I picked up a package of Barley after reading about its nutritious virtues, but to date I'd only made one failed dish with it (and that was mostly due to negligence). But today, that changed. I spotted a recipe about two days ago that I thought fit the bill, matching simplicity with style and few ingredients with a tight budget, and I came out with something delectable. The picture is a little poor, I admit, but that's because I only thought to take it after I'd already eaten half of it, because it's DELICIOUS. My variation involved a scant amount of white wine, allepo pepper, fresh milled black pepper, and salt. Simple. Streamline. Effective. It may not be in season, but my stomach and tongue don't know the difference. I'll be making this again, no doubt.

This Herb Baked Onion came out fairly well, also. Looks a little like a flower, wouldn't you say? It tasted good, as far as a baked onion goes, but it's not quite up my alley. If you're an onion fanatic, have at it. Slice it almost to the root, but some butter in the alleys, a little oregano/parsley and rosemary, and you're on the path to success. Wrap it in tin foil and hit it with 350° for about 30 minutes, or until the onion is reasonably tender. I sprinkled on some paprika at the end for enhancement.

I also made this casserole a few days ago, which was lackluster and only edible when loaded with spices. It needs a serious overhaul.

Turning Wheels

For a few weeks, I'd begun biking everywhere, and much prefered it to driving. However, after a week of storms and a trip out of town, I've noticed that I havn't even ridden my bike in a week, and I feel absolutely terrible. It's as if I'm betraying my body to decay. I also havn't been sleeping very much lately, which also plays into it. And now I feel tired all the time. I made a to-do list yesterday, and didn't complete a single item. This has got to change.

For the Record

Marzipan Sucks.

Alternate Interpretation

World of Warcraft make me surprisingly productive, as opposed to contrary belief. I've noticed that whenever I think about playing it, I come up with as many possible reasons as I can to not play it, and this usually results in me making a to-do list that places it at the very bottom. So, I go through and take care of all sorts of thing that I would otherwise neglect, and only then do I start playing the game. I'm kind of loving this.