Time Thief

There is a time thief in my world. I work less than I have in years; my bank account is suffering but talk of money is boring. I have projects lined up around the house just waiting for me to begin. They are interesting and inspiring projects but I don't have time to start.

I think there are two time thieves in my world. One is the internet. It sucks my time like a young vampire sucks blood. I am a willing victim as an information junkie, this medium was made for me. "I'll look it up!" is a daily almost hourly phrase in my evenings. Silly supposedly brain training games eat my time; I feel closer to addiction playing Bejeweled than I ever have in my life. When the system has been down, I feel the need for a fix and when it can't be met, I move to a facsimile game just to get a hit.

My other time thief is living on an island. I seem to have more appointments in town than I have had in the past. Whether it's the doctor, the dentist, the alternative medical woman, bloodwork, meetings, job interviews, catching up with city friends - I'm in town almost weekly. A 15 minute doctor appointment takes a minimum of 6 hours: line-up and wait for the ferry, the ferry ride, the drive into the city, the appointment; while waiting for the next boat back to the island, might as well use time wisely and run some errands: groceries, gifts for others, buying things you can't get on the island, finding better selections, etc.

These time thieves are bothering me a great deal these days. I feel that I am not using my time effectively, blaming myself and my inadequate planning of my free time but I think it's the thieves not me.

I feel that a decision is looming: status quo or make a move. Rural bliss or city stimulation. The idyllic island life with nothing but time to spare is a myth for me. Is it me or my situation? Could I find more time in the city with all its stimulation and diversion? This is my dilemma, the decision to ponder, my future choice.

Clean Eating

I've been on a cleanse since mid-July. I started it to better my health, kick start weight loss and improve things inside and outside. It's been a roller coaster of tiredness, resistance, revelation and reconciliation. Now I'm eating protein, fruits and vegetables and a bit of high quality organic probiotic yoghurt. Yah know, it's not bad. It takes more thought. I think days ahead when planning my grocery purchases. I'm not usually a daily meat eater so now I'm shopping in that corner of the store searching for good quality fish, chicken, bison and occasional 'other' meats. Restaurants are a challenge. So much is 'with bread' or chips or pasta. But overall I've become more concsious of my consumption. I'm 'prescribed' to keep it up for another 3 weeks. I've bought too many expensive supplements and will use them up then re-assess. It's a program that I think I could maintain for most of my life with the occasional (weekly or couple of times a week) 'event' of going out for dinner, to the pub for a burger, beer and fries. Might just work.

Summer Breakfast

I'm not eating wheat for a bit. I know, I know, it sounds trendy and like I'm following the band wagon but it's not for any allergies, diagnosed digestive ailments. I'm on a cleanse to see what happens to my body with the elimination of certain foods. No booze, no coffee, no processed foods, no flour, no wheat products. Brown rice, fruit, vegetables, fat, protein, organic probiotic yoghurt. It's not so bad in the summer. It would be dreadful in the root vegetable season. I'm enjoying bowls of cherries.
So breakfast has no toast or cereal and I'm not sure if potatoes are 'legal' so I only consume them occasionally.
My boss is away and she had a crop of arugula which inspired my summer breakfast. A poached egg laid on a bed or arugula, great good quality bacon fried crisp and then lightly fried tomatoes. Pour the bacon fat over the arugula drizzle with balsamic and there's a lovely treat. Almost didn't miss the stack of multigrain toast.