Northbound

The leaves are turning, the year is winding down, and I still want to go to Five Guys.  Ahem.

• Work on second mosaic (you have no idea how difficult it is right now to even make it downstairs to my workbench).
• Get query letters ready for November writer’s conference in NYC (fail).
• Complete one-year warranty review of new house (rescheduled).
• Complete long national nightmare regarding TV (accomplished)

New for this month:

• Get the garage in shape for (possible) painting (deferred for awhile)
• Put together bookcases for family room (one down, one to g0).
• Get safe deposit box (accomplished).
• Schlep to East Rutherford to pick up tile (scheduled)
• Mow lawn (completed)
• Go over contractor’s estimate with wife (accomplished).

Breakfast – Had breakfast at five in the morning, thanks to a cranky baby.  Kashi granola cereal with a little honey.

Lunch – I had a parking space near my office today, and that meant I could go out for lunch, and that’s what I did.  Didn’t go to Five Guys, because a healthy trip to Five Guys (no peanuts, Coke Zero, no cheese, no bacon) is no fun.  Went to Chevy’s, got something relatively healthy (flautas with no sauce, as opposed to chimichangas) and the chicken tortilla soup.  Still lots of points, don’t get me wrong.

Dinner - two hot dogs, a small diet Coke and a hot chocolate at the Atlantic League finals.  Go Patriots.

Got all the new stuff done in August, starting September early.

• Work on second mosaic (deferred).
• Continue query-letter process (eight queries out the door this month, no rejections so far).
• Get everything synched with garage-door openers for both cars (FAIL, have to call Toyota to see what the deal is).
• Get bookcases for family room from Crate and Barrel (ordered; delivery scheduled for next month).
• Get will paperwork finalized (accomplished).
• Get the home theater people to finally fix the channel-changing delay (accomplished at long last).
• Schlep to Toyota dealer to put satellite radio in new van (accomplished, you rock, Lawrenceville Toyota).

New for this month:

• Plan October vacation (largely accomplished).
• Enter Backspace conference contest (accomplished, but they had over 600 entries, so bad news for your old pal CDE).
• Complete one-year warranty review of new house (working on nagging the warranty guy).
• Read (and possibly review) new Captain Alatriste book (read, review submitted).
• Get propane refill for grill (accomplished)
• Wash van (accomplished).
• Wash and vacuum car (deferred).
• Schlep to Costco for formula (accomplished, and accomplished).
• Mow lawn & edge (accomplished).
• Consider spraying lawn for weeds (fertilized, with weed and feed, but it didn’t kill the weeds I wanted dead).
• Get envelopes and photo paper from Staples (accomplished).
• Get landscaper over to see if he can build the rock garden I’m thinking about putting in (accomplished).
• Get tile guy to get rest of backsplash tiled (got estimate).
• Find new coffee table for family room that babies won’t crawl under (deferred until bookcases are installed).

Breakfast – two FiberOne cereal bars, eaten in my car.  We bought another box of these at Costco on Tuesday night (one reason why we had Chinese food).  Five and a half points.  Just enough breakfast to hold one over until…

Lunch – I have packed my lunch three days this week and am very pleased with myself.  The centerpiece item is the Honeycrisp apple – sweet enough for my sweet tooth, juicy enough that I don’t need to pack a drink.  Add to that a cereal bar and some peanut butter crackers, and I’m all set.  Twelve and a half points.

Dinner - leftover taco casserole, I’m guessing 14 points or so.  Came in under the total points for the day (mostly thanks to a late-afternoon bag of M&Ms).