serenade the weekend squire who just came out to mow his lawn

Title of this entry is a lyric from a song that is suited to the day of the week this is posted. And yes, I like the song. If you don't, well that's just your fault for having no taste. (grin)

Don't Shoot Food (what, you don't remember that from Gauntlet?)

My grocery shopping bill: $28.97. Either I'm eating less or getting better at shopping, because when I first moved here, my bill was always over thirty dollars. Usually thirty-five or more.

I'm probably saving cash because of substitutions.

For example:

A six-pack of 16oz Dasani lemon-flavored water in bottles is $2.99. I now use Arizona Diet Icea Tea mix. It's priced higher but you get a lot more drink for the buck. You also don't have to deal with a bunch of plastic bottles you have to get rid of later.

Maxwell House (or any other brand) coffee singles, about $4.00. I now use Taster's Choice instant. A plastic bin of that is eight bucks. It may be twice the price, but you get 105 mugs o' coffee out of that compared to nineteen for the coffee singles. To my pallet, they both taste the same. With the singles, you're paying 21¢ per cup. With the instant, 8¢ a cup. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but for some, going the 21¢ route can add up real quick.

Put it this way, even if you have the money to spend on coffee, isn't it annoying you only get nineteen cups o' joe out of a singles box?

ZephyrHills brand gallon o' purified water: $1.25. Generic Publix brand: 65¢. Why anyone would spend more on ZephyrHills I have no idea. There is literally no difference in taste. Water is water. The only difference between waters is whether it has salt in it or not. Dasani, for example, has a small amount of salt for flavor (it's true, read the label).

Side note: I use purified water for my betta fish (which works very nicely), my coffee and mixed drinks. Municipal water, i.e. city water, is good for washing, bathing and whatever - but not for drinks. The water you use really does make a difference in the taste.

In addition to the above, I'm also eating less than I used to. I found out that if I have a hot drink (like coffee) when I think I'm hungry, afterwards I don't feel like eating. Well, not unless I really am hungry, then I eat.

See Rich walk. Walk, Rich, walk.

My treadmill successfully made the journey from Inverness to Tampa yesterday. I've been wanting to get this blasted thing in my apartment for weeks, and now it's finally here. Awesome. Now I can get back to my walking regimen and get rid of those annoying last few pounds.

After I slim up I'm considering going to a tanning center, because after all, I am the whitest guy in Tampa. From what I gather it's not that expensive, and it works so long as you keep up with it. At present I have what I call "driver's tan", i.e. my left arm is somewhat darkened. No one notices it unless I point it out.

I'm relatively sure a few people would be more than a little surprised if they saw me tanned. It'd be different, that's for sure. But a good kind of different.