Lent!
I can’t believe it’s time for Lent again.
As you know, this is when we listen to a lovely rendition of Ave Maria (as well as something somewhat less timeless) and, in recent years, discuss what we’re giving up for Lent.
It looks like I’m giving up carbs for Lent again. Though I will be making some (small) exceptions. Monday nights, I will enjoy a bowl of berries for dessert. WrestleMania Sunday Night, I will enjoy a feast during the show. (I won’t eat potatoes that night, and I might not have more than a mouthful of the good baked beans, but I will not prevent myself from enjoying hot wings that have been sauced in carbly sauces.) And, sadly, the government is still keeping the recipe for carb-free wine out of the hands of the vintners. So that means I’m giving up wine too.
Last Friday, I went to my little college diner and talked to the kids behind the counter about the burger I’d like to order. They brought the short-order cook out from the back. I explained to him that I was giving up carbs for Lent and this would be the last burger I was going to have until Easter. If I died before Easter, this was going to be the last burger I was ever going to eat. As such, I’d like one worthy of being that.
I ended up with a bacon cheeseburger with jalapeños and a fried egg (over medium) on it (and the various rabbit foods and pickles).
Easily one of the top 3 burgers I’ve ever had in my life. I recommend it.
And tonight Maribou and I went to the ihop and we got the pancakes and are now ready to dive into Lent proper.
So… what are you giving up for Lent?
(And I need another “Oh, I remember that song!” song for the post… here’s one.)
Normally I would be doing something diet-related since I am usually still recovering from holiday self-abuse in March. This year was no no exception in that category as i managed to pack on 18 pounds over a 4 month period of gluttony (the holiday feasting training just kept rolling into the new year). Luckily I have managed to lock things back in already and while subsisting on no more than 1800 calories of chicken, rice, etc per day I have managed to drop 7 of the 18 pounds in about a week. The one good thing about putting pounds on fast is that they come off fast too.
I realized a few days ago that I need to Marie Kondo my reading material. I have once again become buried in to-read items. As I type this I am staring at a full shelf of hardbacks that have been taunting me for quite some time. There are 3 work books (assigned by my director who has fairly uninspiring tastes). A bunch of spy novels and at least 4 painfully thick history books. On the shelf above are several graphic novels from my daughter, who is going to ask about them sooner or later. And despite doing my best to avoid them, there are at least 20 magazines. Quarterly alumni publications, This Old House magazine and lots of newspaper clippings from my mother and mother-in-law who have been asked to express their love in a different way in the future.
All of this pales though to my online article clippings. That darn little Pocket app and the companion icon at the top of my Chrome browser are just so darn easy to click. I have become very, very adept at reading the first paragraph of an online article and then absent-mindly sending it to Pocket for reading in the future. Even when I visit Pocket with the intention of reading the article I instead spend 30 minutes adding subject tags to each one to avoid having to actually dig in. And for someone like me that is very Type A when it comes to getting stuff done, when you realize you are procrastinating it starts a terrible wave of self-loathing that just feels gross.
So…the plan is to not add anything new to the reading pile during Lent and we will see what it looks like on Easter. And maybe to celebrate my resolve we’ll go to the barbecue place in the old car wash that ironically has one of the best fish sandwiches I have ever had. As long as I stay under 1800…Report
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It’s good now. This post was the first casualty of this morning’s site implosion.Report
The Lent is too damn high!
I am giving up texting for lent, and this will be easy (as all good things should be) as I Don’t Text. It’s the others that I now need to convince of their evil ways.Report
I decided to not buy any “frivolous” things (that is: things not food, medicine, necessary items to repair other things, or necessary cleaning supplies) for Lent, estimate how much I spend in an average 40-day period on frivolous things, and send that to some group doing good work (likely a disaster-relief charity).
Because, really – I have enough stuff and shopping (especially online) is often my way of soothing my feelings when they get hurt, and I probably need to learn more productive ways of doing that.Report
Ooooh, that’s a good one! I should have done that. I have developed a really bad habit of buying new disc golf discs a couple of times per month. A moratorium would be healthy.Report
Re: Hamburgers. There’s a food truck here in town called “Patty’s Gourmet Hamburgers.” We just had their Proper Patty (hers with cheese, mine without). With a hand-made patty made from smoked brisket and something like three other cuts of meat that I can’t remember now and this incredible sauce and these spicy pickled onions…oh man! After Lent, track these guys down. I think they could crack your top 3.Report