Okay...I'm going to use the D-word...DIET!!!

That's right. I said it. I'm starting a DIET!!! And best of all, I'm owning up to it. None of this "It's not a diet, it's a way of life" crap. Sure I'm going for a lifestyle change, here, but I'm not denying that I'm on the D-word. I was inspired by Papa Bear Steve who's lost over 25 pounds in the last couple of months! So, I decided to do what he's doing.

Here are the basics:

• No Sugar
• No White Flour
• No Pop
• No Fast Food
• No Junk Food
• YES Vegetables
• YES Fruit
• YES Whole Grains
• YES Lean Meats
• YES Low-fat milk products

I think you get the point. So this is basically what I'm doing, and I've been doing it since Monday. Want to know the best part? It WORKS! As of yesterday morning (two days of dieting) I'd already lost 5 pounds! I'm guessing that's from giving up the pop, but who knows? Best of all, I feel a TON better already! No more being tired all the time. No more being sick. Just being healthy. The best part is, I've kinda got my family doing it, too. I told my parents what I'm doing and they agreed to buy the food if I cook (which I love to do anyway). I think that's going to help a ton!

Oh, and tomorrow night we're having some friends over for a pizza night. Guess what I'm having...whole wheat veggie delight pizza from Papa Murphy's. Perfect, eh? Anywho...tonight I made something quite yummy (thanks to Jessica who inspired the recipe). We had Spinach-stuffed Chicken Breasts with Garlic Roasted Asparagus and Baked Potatoes with low-fat sour cream and chives. Here's my recipe for the chicken. Try it! It's SO good! (by the way, the picture is just a generic photo of stuffed chicken...I didn't take a picture of my food...)

4 Chicken Breasts
3 Cups Fresh Spinach
3-4 Basil Leaves
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the spinach and basil a few times until finely minced. Set aside. Pound the chicken breasts to about 1/4" thick. Top chicken with spinach mixture and cheese. Roll up tightly (you'll get a spiral of chicken and spinach). Rub the outside with olive oil and italian seasoning. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Try it out and let me know what you think! It is YUMMY! :-D

The Wisdom of "You've Got Mail"

I'll admit it: I'm a sap. I really truly enjoy watching some "chick flicks." Namely those that are actually done in good taste and have a plot, but especially You've Got Mail. I really think that Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks give so much hope for those of us who are still looking for love, but I mostly like it because of all of the wise and entertaining lines that are dispersed throughout the film.

"I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils, if only I knew your name and address." Lines like these make you truly appreciate the simple things in life. Obviously you can't just go to a floral shop and ask them to send your loved one a bouquet of sharpened pencils (or even if you can, they'd probably look at you very inquisitively and judgmentally). However the entire message centered around this simple line from an e-mail is to look around. Pay attention to the little memories that come your way when some seemingly insignificant sensory experience jogs that corner of your brain where a memory resides. Learn to be observant in the world around you, and you will eventually become very wise.

"Don't they know you're supposed to have a last name? It's like they're an entire generation of cocktail waitresses!" I think I read a little more into this line than most people ever would (or even the writer meant), but I really like the way it points out that people from the younger generations (like myself) can be so shallow! If people my age were more willing to put some thought into what they do and say, they would be a lot better off.

"The Godfather is the I Ching." Okay, so this may not make a lot of sense, but I, too, have recently discovered the wisdom of Don Coreleone and the lessons he can teach. Every single question in life can somehow be answered by the Godfather. For instance, when Kathleen in You've Got Mail has troubles with her shop, Joe tells her to "Go to the mattresses." Sometimes you need to fight for what you believe in, and although it won't always work in your favor, if you go to the mattresses, you will always win in one way or another.

The other seemingly inconsequential thing that I get from You've Got Mail is the need for us to support our local businesses so the conglomerates don't take over the world. Sure, I like to shop at Wal-Mart as much as the next guy, but I still think we all need to support the small businesses because that's what makes the backbone of our country and our way of life! If you'll notice in the frame below, the three Fox's are cha tting over coffee about the success over there store, and in the grandfather's newspaper is a picture of A dolf Hitler. It's very subtle, but it's there nonetheless. What do you get out of this?

In a completely different tone, have you ever noticed that when Annabelle is throwing rings at the ring toss, the one she throws is pink and the one that makes it on the milk bottle is green??? It's true! Check it out!!! Amy showed me this one.

Do you have any favorite "wisdom" movies? If so, I'd love to hear about them!

The Art of Random

One of the best things that I've learned in college has had nothing to do with academics. In fact, it doesn't really even have anything to do with college at all! It's the art of being utterly random, which, in fact, is truly an art. Some of the best times in life happen when you can allow yourself a little spontaneity, and this week, I've truly allowed myself to do just that!

Spring break, for most people, is a time for relaxing on white sandy beaches and dancing at clubs until all hours of the morning. Spring break for me, however, is rarely that adventuresome. I tend to stick around home, earn a little extra cash, and then travel with my family or friends at different times in the year. This year was no different, but I decided not to work as hard and actually take it as a break (so I don't burn myself completely out).

Some friends and I decided to head to a hotel in exotic Ogden, Utah for the night last night! That's right! Ogden! We got two rooms (a guy and a girl room), and partied the night away. Now when I say party, I mean we played iPod Idol and Truth (like truth or dare without the dare), watched YouTube videos, had a fashion show/runway in the middle of the hallway, and every other tidbit of wholesome mischief we could find. It was one of the greatest times I've had in a long time! Best of all, I only went with three people I know...the rest I met there. It was SO much fun, and I highly recommend to all of you that you try something truly random when you're feeling a little blue. It helps!

INTERVENTION!!!, or, in the mind of obsessive-compulsive Nathan

I'm writing this post as a quasi "self-intervention." Now don't get your knickers in a twist. I'm not addicted to anything too harmful – just clipping my fingernails and toenails. Does that sound a little off to you? Well, here's the story:

So I have an abnormally fervent obsession with fingernails and toenails. In fact, sometimes I even judge people according to the cleanliness of the nail and the quality of the manicure. I especially judge myself on the same specifications. One of my biggest pet peeves (if not my all-time biggest) is the length, cleanliness, and shape of my fingernails and toenails. They always have to be perfect. ALWAYS. If one my fingernails has too much of a point, out come the clippers until it is perfect. What's worse is, after I've fixed the nail in question, I realize that I have made it shorter than all the rest, so I think to myself, "Well, I guess they all have to be cut." I then proceed to manicure all of my nails to the same length and rounded shape. In addition to these clippings, if I notice any of my nails to be a little dirty and I can't seem to get the dirt out, I clip them. If that doesn't work, I proceed to pick at the skin that was formerly underneath the fingernail – sometimes until I'm bleeding. I know...too much information. But wait...there's more.

My toenails are an entirely different story. I've always heard that if you cut your toenails straight across, you have less of a chance of an ingrown toenail, which can become extremely painful. My semi-illogical brain, however, needs to have that same rounded shape on the toenails that I must have on the fingernails. This brings an all new dilemma in that I have to keep them unusually short to compensate for the risk of those horrible ingrown nails.

All of this combined means that I often cut my fingernails and toenails three or four times per week. That is extremely excessive, I know, but I have to appease that obsessive mind that controls these horrible urges! So right now, I am writing to force myself to keep from trimming my nails. And, so far, it's been working! I guess if I write about it, that might just let a little of the pressure out of my system for a minute. Maybe I'll be able to go four days this time without trimming! How about you? Do you have any obsessions like mine, or am I just some weird anomaly?