What's on your Thursday Menu?

Morning all. Gotta get moving quick because I am going to see my parents this afternoon, but I also have a ton of school stuff to do, too first.

I'm really not looking forward to seeing my mom today. She asked me to plan a big fancy 50th anniversary party for them this summer and I am happy to do it. But my mom's tastes are fancy and I am unemployed... Anyway, I found a very fancy venue and the room was completely reasonable! Yay! But I have to use their approved caterers, and OMG. I was hoping to do this for like $50/person but I talked ti them yesterday and they told me I can't do it for less than $150/person. Dammit. I just can't spent 20K on a 3 hour party. I have to tell my mom today that we can't use that venue and she is going to be pissed. Plus, I have no idea how I am going to pull anything nice off, now. I have a stomach ache just thinking about this conversation.

Between that and some other really bad business related news I got yesterday, I can say yesterday was a terrible day. I wallowed with bad food choices, because... I suck at this.

QOTD: I'm bored with my playlists. Any good music recommendations? All genres welcomed!

B: egg bite

L: @ mom's ... tbd

D: chicken spring rolls from TJs

Good morning QJB and menuers,

JB, you're amazing to plan your parent's party. Are they not contributing to the budget? That's a steep price tag for what sounds like a beautiful venue. Hope everything is okay for you and the business, and that today brings better things.

QOTD- I don't get to listen to much music anymore besides the radio while commuting. Insert your favorite top 40's station here. I was amused to hear the Victoria's Secret song a few months ago, though. Personally, I love alternative music. It's always funny that when I travel somewhere with an alternative station, they're playing music from 20 years ago.

I'm going to work from home again today, though they'd like me to go in. There's still a good amount of snow and we had a pretty good freeze last night, so I'm just going to play it safe. If I lived four miles from the office like I used to, I'd definitely go in. Today is my virtual consult with the orthodontist to go over everything before I get the braces on. Apparently they can 3-D model my face to show what the results are anticipated to look like, so that will be neat. Other than that, work today. I have a half day tomorrow so really trying to cross things off my list.

My friend is prepping to come out and asked me yesterday if I own a hair dryer. She knows me...because I don't. Ha.

Accountability- I thought really hard about making a small rice pudding. I even put it in MFP and the macros dissuaded me.

Exercise - Pilates for dummies, recumbent bike. The mat and blanket really do help preserve my back. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Menu

Egg white fritatta x2, ratio yogurt, last of the meat and cheese as an open-face sammich on whole grain bread, boiled egg and triscuits, seaweed.

Onward to great things!

I am lucky enough to not have to do anything to my hair beyond wa**** and bru**** (and to be honest, I forgot to pack a brush last week so made do with finger combing and no one noticed) but I did pick up one of those small travel dryers for when I have people visit. It's like my international adapters though, I always have to figure out what safe place I put it in when I need it. This weekend, I have to find both my adapter and my travel tripod so it will be a treasure hunt.

Oh hey, I wonder where my international adapter got off to? Good luck finding yours. I did used to have a folding travel hairdryer but it didn't make the move with me.

I always put my international adapter in the drawer next to the passports, because that's when I need both of them.

I think we can let that rice pudding thought slide.

Whew! I'd be in so much trouble if there was true accountability just for your thought, like that TNG episode. It does help to admit it, though.

I have a cosmetology license. I am a user of the blow dryer. The one I am currently using is a Jilbre (Big Name when it comes to Haircare) I found it for 50cents at a church rummage sale before the pandemic. Best purchase ever!!

I do own a hair dryer but try not to use it since it is so drying. I usually wash my hair the night before, apply mousse, let it air dry, but I do have to curl it every day otherwise it will be stick straight and unsightly! I love that most hotels do provide a hair dryer when I travel just in case I need to use one.

It is funny, most alternative stations do play music from 20 years ago. Always Nirvana...

Good morning QJB and menu-ers! It's jr Friday and I am ready for the week to end.

QJB, there is planning and there is paying for; having you pay seems unreasonable but some mothers can certainly be that. I hope it works out and you don't end up with months of stress over this on top of everything else.

QOTD - I recommend Amanda Shires "Take it like a man" as one of my favorite new albums of 2022. Also, I am listening to a lot of The War and Treaty, Melissa Etheridge, Jason Isbell, Band of Heathens, and the Six soundtrack. You should listen to Six, it will make you happy and moving in your seat while you drive. Extra exercise and happy endorphins!

Work has had a couple of very stressful weeks but they have decided to put a little extra pressure on. They just gave us the preview of the communication coming out on Friday requiring everyone to return to the office 40% of the time starting April 3. In fascinating news, it was ONLY a VP level meeting but somehow I know of at least 2 teams that pretty much heard the announcement and the responses to the Q&A within an hour or so of the meeting. Very bad and un leader like behavior from my peers. It's a requirement but it's also "not going to be tracked" and it's up to each leader how they structure the 40%....so it's going to be a sh*tshow I suspect. I do think they tried to make it reasonable for a dispersed organization like we have -- travel counts towards it, on site at any of our locations or customers count toward it, but it's going to be a challenge. I also noticed in the questions that the groups where I know they will have the biggest resistance look like they want to be the most like 2019 so that's also not going to go tremendously well. I have to wonder if they timed the announcement to take advantage of all the fear in tech given the huge layoffs right now; I mean I would have probably done it that way.

Busy day today so I'll get my workout in before my 6 am calls, it's the last of my rowing HIIT and core series and then after work I'm meeting my step sister for dinner at a local winery. Will be fun, I haven't seen her in a few months.

menu today

coffee plus half and half X 2

ratio yogurt

pita with ham, cheddar, pickles

tbd on dinner - they only offer flat bread pizza options so I might try something new - peso, artichoke, mozzarella and olives. And a glass of wine.

Have a Terrific Thursday everyone!