I am a "grown up" 5 year old with a mortgage

I've been having trouble sleeping.  That's not quite true, I have no problem sleeping.  I love sleep.  Sleep is wonderful.  I want to sleep all the time.  All I want to do once I get home, get done rushing around with dinner (because I get home around 5 and Jim goes to bed by 7, it's a frenzy), is lie on the couch with a blanket & invite Kona to come curl up on my feet and snooze with me.  Problem is, I fall asleep on the comfy couch & don't wake up until late.  Then I drag myself to bed for some broken sleep.  Maybe 5-6.5 hrs.  Put a few of those in a row with early and/or late workouts, and I am nodding off during the day or at least aware of a constant nagging eyelid twitch.

So I can sleep just fine if I get myself in bed.  How do I get myself to go to bed on time?  I have no supervision as Jim is asleep and the puppy is an enabler to my bad habits.  Sometimes she even goes up the stairs and puts herself to bed!  The jerk.

I was thinking about buying some foil star stickers.  You know, the ones you used to get on your homework?  You don't know if you're younger than me I suppose.  "Back in my day, we used to write on PAPER with PENS!  We didn't have these newfangled lap top computers!"  This weekend I decided I was going to make myself a star chart and pick up some foil star stickers.  I jumped on Amazon prime after deciding there was no way I was going on a physical hunt in stores for these suckers.  So, "star chart" was what I ended up searching for.  But guys, this didn't just return hits on star stickers.  Oh no, I found all sorts of crazy things.  This included the magnetic "I can do it" Star Chart for kids.

Oh yes, "buy it now"!

What really had me sold was the picture that read "go to bed and stay in bed".  Yup, that's what I need!!  I take that to mean "don't fall asleep on the couch, go to bed and get 8 hrs of sleep!"

The star chart came in the mail today!  I set to work sticking velcro sticky tabs on the back of the goal photos, and made a few write ins.  I may switch em up but here's my first pass.  Full stars for Monday!!!

Seriously!  Water the plants, help with the dishes......eventually I'm going to have to make one that says "put the clean laundry on the guest bed away - that is not a permanent storage location".

What is my goal?  42 stars!  Obv.  Why should you not be striving for at least 100 %??  Why is this even a write-in?

What is my reward?  Let's zoom in on that one:

Seriously, you don't get a reward for doing what you're supposed to.

Side note, there were kids double dipping in some apps at a party I was at on Saturday, and I seriously considered marketing the Wasabi peas to them as a new flavour M&M.  I didn't but I was *this close* to trying it with the next brazen little crumbsnatcher.  Kids gotta learn.

So there's the star chart, which is brilliant.  You can copy my idea and manage your life, search "I can do it star chart" on Amazon.  Less than 20 bucks and you can be in control of your life.  You're welcome.

On to food.  What did I make tonight??

Leftovers bowl!  Nomnom cumin/garlic flank steak over some veggie pasta (I rarely have pasta but totally craving it!), cilantro/garlic/lime juice/sea salt/olive oil, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes, baby spinach, feta crumbles, pistacios (to add a bit of crunch).

I made a quick salsa for tomorrow night with tomatoes, vidalia onion, garlic, 2 chipotle peppers in a drizzle of adobo, fresh squeezed lime juice, sea salt and cilantro from my garden.  Buzz buzz done!

Then I went on to experiment with Tulsi, because I have 6 plants growing outside and have decided this is my new favorite thing.  Was going to make a hot tea then shut the water off.  Decided to make a cool water infusion instead. The first one is holy basil (tulsi) - gotta get some of the flower spikes too.  Usually i rip these off as the plant puts energy into the flowers instead of the leaves, but they are pretty special in the tea/infused water.

The next was a combo chocolate mint & orange mint.  So I'm expecting chocolate orange goodness.  Mmm.  The chocolate mint is my next favorite thing.  I love to go graze on my planter boxes.

That's about it.  I am posting this and headed to bed by 9 so I can get up at stupid-o-clock and do my workout at the beach.  More importantly, I'm gonna earn my "go to bed and stay in bed" star.  See ya!

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." — Inigo Montoya

Here's a thing I started as a draft and didn't post in 2018.  I'm going to stop thinking so much and just post anecdotes even if they're not finished.

Hello, internet!  Hello, 2019!

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Set the stage - it's approximately 4:30 pm on a weekday in the summer.  I'm leaving the locker room at work & headed out the side door to grab my bike from the rack to commute home.  I'm wearing a particularly bright Vanderkitten shave ice kit.  It's fluorescent yellow, pink & blue.  I like being seen in traffic, and between this and an obnoxious random pattern blinky light, they get the job done.

Usually I get out the back door unnoticed.  But not today.  I've been spotted.  It's kinda hard not to get a comment when you're wearing fluorescent rainbow spandex.  At that point, you just have to own it.  You are now a Zebra that has been spotted on safari by a jeep full of tourists.

Coworker:  "Wowwww, you look so professional!"
Me:  "Wait, what?"
Coworker:  "Your outfit.  You look like a professional."
Me:  "Ummmm, I think you mean I look good, or maybe matchy?"
Coworker:  "Can I take a picture with you?"
Me:  "Yeah!"  :::poses w/ coworker, throws peace sign and a big smile:::  hops on bike to commute home.

I occasionally dazzle the non-cycling layperson whenever they see me or hear about my accomplishments.  Accomplishments that I am extremely proud of, not to belittle anything here, but in very amateur level fields.  Please don't call me a professional cyclist, that's just embarrassing for everyone involved.

On the other end of the spectrum, this conversation also took place:

Coworker:  "Hey nice cat outfit!"
Me:  "Uh...." 
get that elitist thought out of your brain.  they were trying to be nice and have literally no idea what a cycling kit is.  don't_you_dare....
Coworker:  "You know - that cat shirt you were wearing the other day when you went biking, it was really bright!"
Me:  "Thanks!" 
now wave and smile!  :::waves & smiles:::  there, was that so hard?  :::virtual face palm in my mind:::  you did the right thing, good job.

I started thinking, I obviously don't have life sponsors, but if an advertisement for my life was subtitled, it would go something like this:

Jen's life 2018, made possible in part by:

Coffee Craving
Polar Seltzer
Run Fast Eat Slow / Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow (Cookbooks)
Robin Farina's Mad Coaching Skills (Actual Pro Cyclist)
Gordo's Fish Tacos (w/ jalapenos & a side of guac)
Colonial Bicycle Company
Susanne Delaney - Personal Advisor & Doppleganger
Tim Young - Amazon Personal Shopper
NH's 18 Miles of Scenic Coastline along Route 1A
NECX
Safety Pins
Lobster Rolls
Maple Syrup
Puppies
Alpaca Wool Socks
Clever Off-The-Cuff Puns
Hare Brained Schemes
Daydreams
Adventures
Naps on the Deck
Peanut Butter Sauce
The Internet