M. C. Escher quotation

"Until you're ready to look foolish, you'll never have the possibility of being great."
--M. C. Escher

original source unknown

A homeless holiday

So, what is a homeless guy going to do on the holiday?  Well . . .

I am already at the church I clean, and there is nobody here.  Therefore, I am going to try to clean the church as fast as I can and then get some sleep.

The YMCA opens at 5 a.m., so I will head over there to get some exercise and shower.  That will take about 2 hours.

At 7:30 a.m., the Comfort Dental chain offers free dental work, so I plan on heading over there to see if I can get some cavities filled.  They are open until 11:30 a.m.

When I leave there, I will probably go to a movie theater.  I will pay for one movie and then try to sneak into others if I can.  I need to waste enough time to avoid returning to the church until after 9 p.m., when Christmas Eve services are finished.

I will clean fast and sleep at the church.

For Christmas Day, I have no idea what is going to be open.  I will attempt the WalMart and maybe a mall.  If the WalMart is open, I will start working on my frugalista report comparing WalMart to Target to King Soopers.  If the WalMart is not open, I will drive to the nearest mall to see if it is open.  Otherwise, I have no idea what I will do on Tuesday.

The church is having a dinner, so I cannot return to the church until after 2 p.m.  Hopefully, it will be safe to do that, especially if I can find no other place to be.

I really need to make a few decisions:
1)  Should I keep looking for a job or just get my businesses started?
2)  Will either be easier if I have an apartment or buy a van to live in?
3)  I supposed another important question is do I want to move back to Wisconsin?  Or maybe even somewhere I have never been?  Because I really, REALLY need to get out of this shit hole named Colorado Springs.

---Update 1---
I have done the preliminary cleaning of 3 of the 5 hallways and decided to take a break.  I was originally going to nap, but I remembers there is week-old pasta in the church's fridge, which I was invited to eat by the youth activities leader.  Therefore, I nuked a bowl of pasta and wrote this update instead of napping.  Well, back to work.

From The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

I just read The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen in one sitting.  It is a sweet, captivating, romantic book.  Out if it, I pulled a few quotes I really liked.

"Fate never promises to tell you everything up front.  You aren't always shown the path in life you're supposed to take.  But if there was one thing she'd learned in the past few weeks, it was that sometimes, when ou're really lucky, you meet someone with a map"

"Happiness means taking risks.  And if you're not a little scared, you're not doing it right."

Random quotation

"There are teenagers who have unprotected sex but have a case for their iPhone. Let that sink in." - rocketpowers.tumblr.com

Things turning around? And I just jinxed it.

Things may actually be starting to turn around for me.

I have a job interview at Liberty Tax on Tuesday.  A student of mine sent me an email for a state job that pays $500 more per month than I am making now.  My former college advisor asked if she should forward my info to a private tax prep company.  My RTRP test is less than 2 weeks away.

Today I also turned in my workout cards to my wellness coach at the YMCA.  She was very impressed and is looking forward to drilling me starting Wednesday morning.

My outfits continue to get compliments, although one of my dickeys is already damaged.

On top of all that, I have a best friend again.

Now that I have counted my blessings, let the jinx shitstorm commence!

----UPDATE 1----

I just finished the application for the state job.  Man, was it long!  It took me over an hour just to fill out an on-line application.  I really hope it was worth it.  Now, I guess I just sit here and wait to see if anything comes of it.

As for the job via the college advisor, she is going to forward my information to the tax guy today (hopefully).  Again, it is wait and see if anything comes of it.

At least I know I have the Liberty Tax interview scheduled for Tuesday.  I have to remember to get a shirt and tie out of storage for it.  I've been told I look good in blue, and blue is a color of trust, so I will get a blue shirt and tie.  Of course, I will still wear a vest and watch chain; those are not optional.

----UPDATE 2----

Just scheduled another interview for Friday.  This one is as a teller at a check cashing place.  Not much glamor, but could be some good experience, maybe even lead to a teller position at a bank.  I so much want to believe in this stuff, but I know the shit is going to hit my face any time now.

----UPDATE 3----

I got to the interview today (Friday), and took the time to fill out an application.  When I turned it in, I was told they were running an hour behind.  I had to be at workin an hour, so I had to walk away from the interview.  See, I told you I jinxed it.

Planning for Christmas

Well, I am planning for my first homeless Christmas.  The first step is to find out the schedule at the church I clean.  It turns out, they are shutting down their child development center on December 21 through January 7; and they will be completely closed on December 24, December 25, and January 1.  The next thing I need to find out is their service schedule.  I also need to find out when the school will be completely closed for the holidays and what the local public library hours will be.  With a little luck, I will be hired by Liberty Tax to prepare taxes, so I may be able to spend some of this time at a tax office preparing for tax season.  We shall see.

I had three dreams a few days ago that I just have to get written down before I forget.

In the first, I am sitting in what appears to be a classroom.  Apparently, I fall asleep in my dream.  When I wake up, people are moving their chairs into an arrangement like a school bus.  I try to move my chair as well, but I am blocked by a table and cannot align with the rest of the class.  I apparently fall asleep again.  I wake up to being asked a question that I don't hear.  I feel puzzled.  The teacher says, "Just tell us about how you have started exercising."  I introduce myself, mention that I am an accounting student, and that I have not yet really started exercising.  The other students just stare at me.

The second dream has me sitting in the pew of a church.  There is some sort of play going on.  As I look forward, something rises toward the ceiling.  It feels like a huge popcycle stick covered with decorated paper plates.  It go up for a long time, until it finally falls backwards from its own weight.  The person who was raising it is furious.  He raises some sort of large paper man and proceeds to tear it to pieces.  He then storms through bundles of brown paper and up the aisle.  There is now someone sitting next to me.  It is a woman I recognize, although I cannot remember her.  She says, "Well, that's Bob for you."

Lastly, I am standing in a bright room.  I turn my head to look behind me.  There is a bed with a man lying in it.  I return my gaze forward.  There is now a very unkempt and crazed looking man in front of me.  He is carrying a flat-head screwdriver.  It sucks on it and then threatens to stab me with it.  Something happens, causing both of us to alter our gaze.  When I look forward again, he is gone.  I turn my head to look behind me.  There are four men walking in slow motion toward the bed.  Three of them are naked; the other is wearing a pair of white tights with the crotch cut out.

This is when I wake up.  I would love to hear what Freud would have to say about these dreams.

Google Drive kind of sucks

I want to backup the files on my 500 gb external drive, so I thought I would use Google Drive, since it is available.  First, Google Drive required me to download an app to put on my Mac (which is running 10.6.8).  Okay, I did that.  The app created a folder much like the Dropbox folder.  I am simply supposed to move files into the folder, and Drive is supposed to sync with my folders.  Unfortunately, this never happened.  There is also no option to start a sync, although there is an option to pause.  Maybe I am just too impatient, but I am really not happy with there being no information on whether or not my files are syncing or have synced.  Therefore, I went back to the old way of getting files out to Google Drive:  I uploaded them.  At this point, I would have to say that the new Google Drive sucks as compared to uploading file and compared to Dropbox.  Since Google+ is also suspending my account for not using my legal name, I think it is time to cut back on my use of Google products.

I thought I would check out Microsoft's SkyDrive, since I also have an email account with them.  SkyDrive has 7gb of free storage compared with Google Drive's 5gb.  SkyDrive also has an app available to create a folder to put synced items into.  However, the app requires 10.7, and I am only at 10.6.8.  I could still use SkyDrive to upload folders, but that took forever using Drive, so I am not all that enthused about trying it.

Okay, I just tried syncing something smaller, a folder with 2.4mb.  Nothing happened for what seemed like the longest time, then I got a "unable to connect" error on the drop-down menu.  After that, the toolbar icon (that looks like the three-arrow recycling logo), started to change hues.  When that stopped, the files were in both the folder and the on-line drive.  I suppose my difficulty was trying to load too much as one time.  I will proceed using smaller files and see what happens.

I started a 483mb folder at 1:24 p.m.  Before it began to sync, I opened the drop-down menu and clicked "Pause" then "Resume".  Within 1 minute, the icon started changing hues again.  The title of the folder has appeared on-line, and little check marks are appearing next to the file names in the folder as they sync.  As of 2:57 p.m., the sync is still running.  I am beginning to wonder if it would just be more beneficial to forget this and start everything fresh.  I forced it to stop so I could go on with other things.

While waiting for this procedure to complete, I checked my backed-up .zip files.  I have almost 31gb of old backup.  Combining SkyDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox, I have a total of 13gb to use.  I guess I need to start deciding which backups are really needed.

Shoe insoles

A while back, I bought a new pair of boots to wear during my cleaning job.  After wearing them once, they already began to fall apart.  In an effort to get use out of my investment, I purchased some of those gel insoles.  I first tried the Dr. Scholl's blue and purple gell.  I cannot recall when I purchased them, but the gel in the heal has already deteriorated.  Today I purchased a WalMart generic called ProFoot for around $5.  The package says "satisfaction guaranteed", so I am going to be testing the longevity of these insoles as well as the guarantee, which I will definitely use if these things fall apart the way the Dr. Scholl's did.

Just put the ProFoot insoles into my boots.  Honestly, they feel pretty good.  The top is some sort of faux suede, and my foot feels cool and like it is standing on a plush carpet.  This is kind of neet.  Now I really hope these last longer than the Dr. Scholl's.

Goodbye, Google+

Well, Google+ has just told me my screen name is no longer good enough.  I either have to post under my legal name or my G+ account will be suspended.  So, it's goodbye to G+; hello to Blogger.  This space is now going to be filled with even more banal trite than before.  You are hereby warned!

Bourne Legacy

Just saw Bourne Legacy, and I feel it is a waste.  First, it is shot in that close-up shaky hand-held camera style.  Sure, that is supposed to heighten the tension, but it also eliminates any chance of actually appreciating the stunt work.  Also (I've said this before and I'll say it again), nothing made me want to invest my time in these characters.  Finally, as they were pulling away on the boat at the end, I sat there dumbfounded thinking, "That's it?  That's the end?"  The entire movie was a disappointment from start to finish.  Oh, and they used scenes in the trailers that did not appear in the movie.  Not cool.

John F. Kennedy quote

"There are three things which are real: God, human folly and laughter. The first two are beyond our comprehension. So we must do what we can with the third."
--John F. Kennedy

My source for the quote

Looper

It has been a couple months since my last movie post, so I thought I would do another one.  I went to see Looper not too long ago.  The time travel plot is interesting, but I couldn't help but equate many of the sequences in this movie to The Terminator.  There is a guy who travels back in time to kill the past version of a person to prevent a future event.  The mother of one of these persons is named Sara.  Can we get any closer?  The looper character is also Sara's protector and eventual lover, although he does not come from the future.  Or so we think into a really well done ending sequence that adds more time travel questions than it answers.  I like endings like that.  The unfortunate thing is the movie that occurred before the ending.  I realize we are dealing with a punk-style anti-hero, but one still needs to create a desire to like the character or want him to succeed.  So many movies nowadays are driven by what can be generated in a computer; it would be nice to actually cheer for a character again.  Other then the ending, the best part of the movie was the fantastic pocket watch, pictured here:

I found out this is a Victorian watch made in England for sale in the Turkish Ottoman Empire around 1850-1880.  I was so taken by the watch that I actually bought one on eBay.  It is supposed to arrive in 7 days.  Another thing about the pocket watch is it may not have been what was originally filmed.  There are several websites that are selling this "official Looper replica watch."

This is a very different style from the one in the first picture.  Anywho, there is enough time travel conflict to make the scifi enjoyable, but the characters aren't worth rooting for.  Therefore, I would recommend you wait until Netflix or Redbox carries it to see this picture.

Quotes about ignorance

"If ignorance is bliss, there should be more happy people."
--Victor Cousin

“You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”

--Harlan Ellison

 

“We kill all the caterpillars and complain that there are no butterflies.”

--John Marsden

 

“There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance.”
--Hippocrates

 

“Intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility.”
--Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

 

“Ignorance is ultimately the worst enemy of a people who want to be free.”

--Jonathan Hennessey

 

The Source of the Quotes

Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!

I just had a really weird dream.  Here is what I remember.  I was in a big fight.  I really couldn't tell what I was fighting, but I knew there were people on my side fighting with me.  It is a very small room with lots of furniture.  One of the enemies (with no physical form) goes behind my grandmother's old writing desk.  I get all serious and say, "If you so much as scratch that, I will kill you."  The entity goes behind a bookshelf next to the desk, and I push the bookshelf on top of it.  I then let out a deep guttural yell that causes everyone to stop and stare at me.  The end.

When I woke up, my heart was racing, and my face was flush.  I've never had this kind of physical reaction to a dream before.  I wanted to get it written down so I start remembering more of my dreams.

Charles Darwin & Ernest Hemingway quotes

"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge."
--Charles Darwin

In other words, people who don't know anything believe they know more than somebody who actually knows more.  I can honestly see this in my behavior, and I pledge to try to actually know more than just believe it.

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self."
--Ernest Hemingway

quote source

Men in Black III

Recently went to see MIB III.  Nothing much to report.  It is an okay movie.  I snickered a few times but never outright laughed.  I paid only $2 to see it at the local budget theater, so I don't feel ripped off. The one thing that needs to be said:  Josh Brolin is an extremely underrated actor.  He has played George W.; he has played Jonah Hex; he has now played K.  This guy needs an Oscar-worthy role because he deserves one.

Longfellow quote

"Believe me, every man has his secret sorrows, which the world knows not; and oftimes we call a man cold, when he is only sad."
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Abraham Lincoln quote

"No matter how much cats fight, there always seems to be plenty of kittens."

--Abraham Lincoln

Vaughn Monroe quote

"When opportunity knocks at the door, some people are out in the back yard looking around for four-leaf clovers."
--Vaughn Monroe

George Washington quote

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence."
--George Washington

Will Rogers quote

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
--Will Rogers

John Wayne quotation

"Life is hard; it's even harder if you're stupid."
--John Wayne

Dumbledore quote

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
--Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The Dark Knight Rises

Well, I finally went to see The Dark Knight Rises.  How can I say this?  It began as one of the most boring, humorless films I have ever seen.  I realize the idea is to give Batman a darker edge, but this is the only movie I can recall ever watching where I wanted to check my watch.  Perhaps it relied too much on being part of a trilogy and did not develop the characters enough so the movie could stand on its own.  Whatever the case, I found the first chunk of the film to be utterly unmoving.  The ending, though, was a well-crafted piece of film making.  I did not see it coming and thoroughly enjoyed what the film makers accomplished.  Compared the the rest of the film, though, it kind of feels like they had this terrific ending and just built a story in front of it.  Furthermore, I did not feel anything for any of the characters.  I really didn't care what happened to Batman or Catwoman; Alfred was a whiny pussy.  Blake was okay, but he wasn't as involved as he needed to be because it wasn't his movie.  All in all, there was nothing in this movie outside of the ending that made me feel like it was worth my time or money.

Gasoline experiment revisited

While using my car for a lot of short trips recently, my gas milage fell below 30 MPG.  This really concerns me because I am still paying nine cents per gallon more than I need to.  I am hoping the MPG will rebound with the change in driving habits back to my regular schedule.  Of course, it could also be damage from the Waldo Canyon fire we had here in Colorado Springs.  Maybe my air filter just needs a good dusting.  I'm going to have to go on line to see where the air filter is and see if I can clean it or replace it on the cheap.

The body wants what it wants.

After several failed attempts to adjust to one of the polyphasic sleep schedules, my body decided it wanted to do the work for me.  What has basically happened is I started listening to my body for what it needs, and it decided it wanted to sleep when it was dark out.  Right now, I am sleeping from about 1 a.m. to when the church's CDC opens around 5:45 a.m.  During the day, I sometimes need a nap but not always.  I am feeling a little dizzy all the time on this schedule.  Of course, that could be because I am now downing three bottles of generic LifeWater per day.  This could be Vitamin B poisoning.  All I know is I am sleeping at a regular time and am accomplishing at least one major task and/or goal per day.  It is hard to argue with the body.

Gumdrops from gelatin, a conclusion

After making four batching of "gumdrops" using gelatin-based recipes, I have come to the conclusion that these are not going to produce true gumdrops.  They are simply various stages of jigglers and gummy candies.  I am, therefore, abandoning the gelatin-based gumdrop recipes and moving on to the pectin-based recipes.

A soap by any other name . . .

As any good frugalista would know, Suave is probably the least expensive soap-like product in the U.S.  That is why I decided to give it a try.  However, I have had a few odd reactions to Suave products.

First, I have some sebaceous cysts on my face and head.  When I use Suave, these cysts become inflamed and painful, eventually requiring drainage.  I do not know why this happens with Suave soaps.

Second, believe it or not, I seem to be suffering from chronic constipation that is associated with when I started using Suave.

The particular line of Suave I am using is Suave Naturals.  To monitor what might be causing these reactions, I decided to purchase the next least-expensive soap.  This happens to be the Kroeger brand at our local King Soopers supermarket chain.  I am going to create a spreadsheet (Google Doc Spreadsheet) to keep track of the ingredients of the soaps I use.  In this way, I hope to determine the offending chemical.

Netbook-to-Tablet project

In a previous issue of Popular Science magazine, I came across an article on how to convert a netbook to a tablet in five steps.  Since then, my mind has raced around wanting to do this project.  Well, I have taken the first steps.  Here is a link to the article.

Once I got that information, I went out to eBay to search for inexpensive netbooks.  I was kind of surprised to see I could get a new netbook for under $40 on Amazon.  Hopefully, I will get one for even less on eBay.

It will be about a week before I update this project again because I have to wait to get a netbook in hand.

Gumdrops, second batch, part 1

Since my first attempt at gumdrops was a minor disaster, I reviewed the recipes I made my concoction from.  There was only one recipe that did not boil the gelatin, so I decided to make an attempt at that recipe without making any adjustments, except for size.

I cut the recipe in half so as to not waste too much sugar.  I put the gelatin in a spouted measuring cup and proceeded to boil the sugar on its own.  The sugar came out nice, but working according to the instructions, the boiling syrup got up to only 210°F.  I added this to the prepared gelatin in my glass cup, added color and flavor, and poured this into the pan.  The original recipe says it makes 24.  However, this half-batch filled 24 molds and had some left over.

I am also testing methods of removing the gumdrops from metal molds.  One mold I left alone; the other I sprayed with cooking spray.

Now it is just a matter of waiting 24 hours to see how they solidify and if I can remove them without much damage.

How much does a cup of sugar weigh?

I really hate using measuring cups.  They are so often inaccurate.  One can overpack things like flour or sugar, and the companies that make measuring cups do not issue guarantees of accuracy.  That is why when I work with recipes, I prefer to convert everything to dry weight measurements.  One reason my gumdrops may have failed is the sugar was inaccurate.  To eliminate that type of problem in the future, I need to know how much a cup of sugar weighs.


According to the sugar packaging, 1 tsp. = 4 g.  If we multiply this up, 1 tbsp. = 12 g., 1/4 c. = 48 g., and 1 c. = 192 g.  However, using my stainless steel measuring cups, I find 1 c. = 210 g.  According to answers.com, 1 c. = 200 g., right smack dab in the middle of the two.  According to the C&H Sugar website, 1 lb = 2-1/4 cups.  The conversion is 1 lb = 453.59237 grams.  Divide that by 9 to get 50.3991522 grams per 1/4 cup.  Multiply that by 4 to make a full cup, and the total is 201.596609 grams per cup.  Therefore, the 200 grams is a more accurate approximation than the weight listed on the sugar packaging.


What all this means, then, is I can convert recipes by 1/4 cups.  If a recipe calls for 1-1/4 cups of sugar, I can weigh out 250 grams and have an accurate input.

Eating After Exercise

While trying to figure out the schedule for my 4-hour body eating plan, I came across some information on what to eat after exercise.  The basic consensus seems to be take in liquids but also take in carbs to build muscle glycogen and some protein to help absorption of the carbs.  A ratio keeps being mentions of 4 grams of carbs per 1 gram of protein.  The liquid should be enough to replace what was lost during exercise.  One must weigh oneself before exercise and then again after exercise.  This is the amount of moisture lost through sweating.  The recommendation is to drink 20 ounces of fluid for each pound of weight loss.  As for carbs and protein, the most appealing suggestion to me is to eat a 9" banana and drink chocolate milk.  This is what I have now made my after-exercise snack.  When combined with 4-hour meal plan I will still be able to afford all the food I need during a week.

Figuring out a 4-hour diet

The 4-Hour Body eating plan is fairly simple, but I have to try to figure out how to make it work with homelessness.  The basic schedule is breakfast, lunch 4 hours later, smaller lunch 4 hours after that, and dinner 4 hours after that.  Exercise should be finished 1 hours before dinner.  Plugging this into my desired sleep schedule (see polyphasic sleep), dinner would have to be about 8 a.m.  This puts the small lunch at 4 a.m., lunch as midnight, and breakfast at 8 p.m.  All except dinner, then could be eaten at the church I clean overnight, leaving only the after-exercise dinner to deal with.  That actually isn't so bad, because the church has a full kitchen.  The problem lies in storage.  I basically need to buy groceries daily, make a pot of something I won't mind eating 3 times, and having time to clean up the church's kitchen when I am done.  Chili comes to mind, as that would include a protein, a legume (beans), and vegetables.  I'm just wondering how expensive it is going to be to buy each of these every day.  A couple cans of beans and a bag of frozen veggies should be inexpensive enough, but buying meat individually each day is going to rack up the costs.  I need to research high-protein chili recipes to determine if I can make a pot of chili every day with the money I have for groceries.

Oops.  I just started adding this to my 4-Hour sleeping plan, and I have a conflict.  I sleep from 11pm to 2am, so I cannot eat at midnight.  I need to completely rethink my scheduling.

The Y is open until 9:30pm.  If I exercise at 8pm, shower at 9pm, leave at 9:30pm, buy groceries, make chili at the church and eat by 10pm.  That would put my sleep at midnight-3am and my naps at 6:30am, 2:30pm, and 6:30pm.  This is smack dab in the middle of my school classes.  I've got to come up with another solution.

Anal retentive research into rock candy

Well, my anal retentive mind has turned now to rock candy, and boy, this subject is more involved than I had thought it would be.

Rock candy means different things to different people.  In fact, rock candy was not originally what we perceive it to be.  Rock candy was originally poured into pans, much like a brittle or a toffee, although rocking (the process of growing sugar crystals) was used to create rock candy fruits and flowers in the 1700s.  The oldest printed recipe of rocking onto threads appears in the 1901 cookbook, The Candy-Maker.  The recipe even states there are special kettles with holes to pass the thread through.

This is the rock candy we know:  Sugar crystals grown on a wooden stick.  In researching how to make this simple confection, I have found it is not only not that simple but there is no exact foolproof method of doing it.  Every recipe/procedure I have found for making rock candy differs from the previous.

Basically, to make rock candy, mix water and sugar, hang a medium (wooden stick or string) in the mixture, and allow time for crystals to form.  Everything outside of that varies depending on who has written the recipe.

The temperature of the water varies.  Most recipes have the water boiled.  One actually calls for a temperature of 170°F; another goes all the way up to 265°F.  The majority have the water boiled before the sugar is added, while a few create a syrup by boiling the sugar with the water.

The amount of sugar used varies.  The most used ratio is two volumes of sugar to one volume of water.  However, I have found recipes with 3:1 ratios and 3:2 rations, as well as recipes in which the instruction is to "continue to add sugar until no more will dissolve."  After the dissolving, a few recipes suggest straining the sugar into the jar.

Some recipes call for pre-sugaring the stick before putting it into the sugar solution; others say this is not a necessary step.

As for color and flavoring, this part of the process is all over the place.  One video I watched has the color added before boiling the water.  Other recipes add color right before adding the stick.  Still another view is adding color after the crystals have formed for 1 week.

Where to keep the jar is another area of disagreement.  Some say to keep it out of light and temperature fluctuation, while another puts the jars in direct sunlight to help with the evaporation process.

With all these variations, it is going to take me some time to come up with my initial procedure, which I will post in my next rock candy post.

Yawn . . .

Today's Polyphasic Sleep Progress:

I lay down for the 1:30pm nap.  All went well, until the alarm went off.  I was so proud I got up with the 2pm alarm that I rewarded myself with another 30 minutes of sleep.

The 5:30pm nap was similar, but the extra sleep was less reward and more oversleep.

Just tried the 11pm 3-hour sleep.  It was very fitful and not restful at all.  I am not hopeful for getting up after the 5:30am nap later today.

All in all, though, I have to say I am happy with today's progress.

David Brinkley quote

"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her."
--David Brinkley

Polyphasic sleep progress

On Thursday/Friday, I had a fairly successful polyphasic sleep day.  Well, at least more successful than my other days.

I started with my 3-hour sleep period from 11pm-2am.  I slept fitfully, but I did get some sleep.  I even dreamed of sleeping, which was quite odd.

My first of three naps was to be at 5:30am, but it got postponed to 6am.  Unfortunately, I ended up sleeping about two hours instead of the 30 minutes.  At least I got the nap into the schedule.

The second nap was at 1:30pm.  I got to sleep on time and actually woke up with the alarms at 2pm.  This was a perfect sleep.

The third and final nape was at 5:30pm.  Although I got to bed on time, I did not have the willpower to get out of bed when the alarms went off.  The snooze button is my new enemy.

Although I would have liked to get a second day of this sleep schedule, I needed to work from 7pm Friday night to noon Saturday.  This really threw off my attempt.  I will try to get back on schedule again on Sunday/Monday.

Polyphasic sleep fail

Ever since I have tried to get onto a polyphasic sleep schedule my sleep schedule has been all over the place.  I don't seem to be able to sleep when I want to.  I'm not sure I am going to keep trying for this, although it will help when I go homeless at the end of July.  I'm going to give it one more shot.  Hopefully, things will get better this time around.

Gas experiment, an epilogue

Just an update on my use of Shell gasoline.  My latest tank was 39.83 MPG, and my continuous average right now is 35.45 MPG.  This is a far cry from my grocery store gasoline range of 30-32 MPG.

Gumdrops, first batch, conclusion

Well, these didn't turn out, but what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, or something like that.

The gumdrops had three problems.

First, they were crystalline.  I know one problem in candy making is if one doesn't get all the crystals dissolved the candy will crystalize again.  Therefore, I need to take more time to melt the sugar and clean the sides of the pan before boiling.

Second, they were mushy.  This is probably too much moisture, so that means not enough boiling.  The recipes I found gave a time and not a temperature, as is done with most candy.  I think perhaps I need to choose a temperature stage.  Hard ball seems to describe a gumdrop texture best.  Depending on what source I use, hard ball stage is anywhere from 248° to 266°.  The trick will be doing the actual hard ball test during the cooking.  I hope I get it right fast so I don't waste too much sugar syrup.


Third, they stuck to the metal pans.  Several gumdrop recipes use cooking spray on the molds.  However, I would rather not add fat.  After all, it is already pure sugar.  I think I will have to experiment with submerging the molds in hot water to loosen the gumdrops.


Anyhow, that is the end of the first batch.  I will hopefully try another batch soon.

Gumdrops, first batch, part 1

So, here is the log of my attempt to make homemade gumdrops.

First, I needed the proper kettle.  Based on one candy book, the kettle should be 3-4 times the size of the batch.  I am going to be using 1 cup of sugar, so a 1 quart kettle should suffice.  Off I went to the thrift store, and I was fortunate to find a 1-quart copper-bottom saucepan.  There was even a glass lid in the lid bin that fit.  I spent about $2.50 for the kettle and lid.

Next, it was off to the grocery store to buy sugar, flavoring, and gelatin.  The supply of flavorings at the King Soopers (our local Kroeger affiliate), so I just grabbed a bottle of orange extract.  I already have a bottle of banana flavoring at home, so I can make two different flavors.  I was disappointed the King Soopers did not have bulk gelatin.  I had to pay through the nose for packets.  Off to the interweb!  Well, it turns out I did not pay through the nose.  Most on-line sources for unflavored gelatin are charging much more per ounce, and I would have to pay shipping.  I just do not like the idea of working with packets rather than being able to scoop out a tablespoon.

Well, off to mise en place.

Got my water ready to boil and my other water ready for the gelatin.  Working with the packets of gelatin is a bit of a pain.  I need 1 level tbsp.  According to the Internet, 3 packets = 2 tbsp.  That figures, so I did my best to get to my level tbsp.  In the future, I will get out my scale and go by grams.  According to the box, each packet is 7 grams.  If 3 packets = 2 tbsp., then 21 grams = 2 tbsp, so 10.5 grams would be 1 tbsp.  That now becomes part of the recipe.  On with mise en place.  Measured the sugar; found a wooden spoon.  All set to go.

I put water in my campfire coffeepot to boil and turned on the heat.  I put the cold water in the saucepan and sprinkled the unflavored gelatin over it to proof.  When the coffeepot was boiling, I added the boiling water to the gelatin mixture and stirred until all the gelatin was dissolved.  I then added the sugar and brought the mixture to a boil.  This lead to my first failure.  The kettle was too small; the boiling sugar boiled up over the lip of the kettle and onto my burner.  My apartment now smells like singed caramel.  I reduced the heat and blew on the foam until it subsided.  The next step was to simmer and stir constantly.  None of my example recipes listed what to watch for as the doneness point, so I simmered and stirred for 15 minutes.  I took the kettle off the stove and added 5 drops of yellow food coloring and 1/2 tsp. of banana flavoring.  I vigorously stirred this in.  There was still foam in the pot; this concerned me, but I proceeded.  The recipe I had chosen should have filled only 12 moulds.  However, it filled 17.  This could be a sign I didn’t evaporate enough water.

So, the moulds are now in the fridge.  I shall see tomorrow what my level of success was.

Mahatma Gandhi quote

"Oh, I don't reject Christ.  I love Christ.  It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ.  If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today."
--Mahatma Gandhi
(quote source)

Albert Einstein quote

"Everything is energy and that's all there is to it.  Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality.  It can be no other way.  This is not philosophy.  This is physics."
--Albert Einstein

While I like to think of this an as Einstein quote, I have now discovered that this quote is actually attributable to a channeler named Darryl Anka.  Thanks to Quote Investigator for providing the details.

Struggling in bed . . .

It has been almost a week since starting my Collegiate sleep schedule (4-1/2 hours of sleep with a 90-minute siesta).  Between needing to schedule appointments with college advisors, not being able to fall asleep, and sleeping through alarm clocks, it has been a very difficult transition.  My procrastinatory nature is not helping.  However, I did receive a quote from Albert Einstein that is helping.  I will get it posted under the quotations label when I am done with this rant.

I am going to try to battle the inability to fall asleep with the purchase of a bottle of butter schnapps.  I am going to try to battle the alarm clocks by stopping at the thrift store and buying more alarm clocks.  I think right now I have to find something loud and put it in a place where I have to get out of bed to deal with it.

Also, I have a very busy work weekend coming up.  On Friday, I work my cleaning job from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.  I am then going to my job at the World Arena from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.  Then I have to go back to the World Arena at 10:30 a.m. and work until 9:00 p.m. to be followed by another night of cleaning from 9:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m.  After this, I still have to show up to school at 10:00 a.m. Monday morning.  I may have to wait until after all of this to make another attempt to reset my body clock.  Perhaps by then I will also have the 4-hour body exercise routine mapped out.

Gasoline Experiment, Part 5

Okay.  One month of gasoline testing is completed.  Here are some comparative numbers:

May  = $173.65 total spent, 1561.7 miles traveled, 44.842 gallons used, 34.83 MPG
April = $173.58 total spent, 1489.9 miles traveled, 44.729 gallons used, 33.31 MPG

At first glance, one can see the total spent and the gallons used were almost identical.  That means the average price I paid was very similar for both months ($3.87 in May and $3.88 in April).  However, in May I got 71.8 additional miles and, therefore, 1.52 more miles per gallon.  Had I purchased all my gas at the generic grocery store, I would have bought an additional 2.156 gallons and paid an additional $8.36.

While my experiment did not result in less money out of pocket, it did result in a savings of gallons I did not have to buy.  I also realize there are other variables which were not limited that could have had an impact on my results.  After all, my per-tank MPG ranged from 32 up to 39.  Looking over my old numbers, though, my generic gas MPG ranged from 27 to 35 with monthly averages ranging from 30 to 32.

I am satisfied that buying the more expensive gasoline at Shell is definitely providing me with increased MPG resulting in a small savings over buying the generic grocery store gasoline, and I will continue to believe this until my gas milage drops below 33.

Gas Experiment, Pre-Part 5 notes

Since I started this little gasoline experiment back on May 3, gasoline prices have dropped 15¢, and I have earned a 30¢ discount on the grocery store gasoline.  This discount has to be used before May 31.

Recalculating my original calculations:  If the Shell gas is $3.82 per gallon and I get 35 miles per gallon, that comes to 10.91¢ per mile.  The generic gas is $3.76 per gallon and I get 32 miles per gallon, that comes to 11.75¢ per mile.  I would save 0.84¢ per mile by buying the more expensive gas.  I drive about 330 miles per week to work, so I would save $2.77 per week on gas.

Now, calculating the 30¢ discount, my generic gas would be $3.49 per gallon or 10.9¢ per mile.  Is this worth polluting my gas tank for?

If at first you don't succeed . . .

Well, today I tried my first polyphasic sleep schedule, what I am calling the Collegiate:  A chunk of 4-1/2 hours of sleep with a 90-minute nap later.  Unfortunately, this test is already on course to be derailed.  One of my bosses called me and woke me up 1 hour early today, and I could not fall back to sleep.  Instead, I wrote this blog.  My other boss wants me to work during my scheduled sleep times next week.  Therefore, it may actually be a couple weeks before I can put a schedule in place and try again.  Too bad. I was looking forward to having those extra 2 hours to catch up on my procrastination.

Figuring out polyphasic sleep times

The hardest thing about polyphasic sleep seems to be figuring out what times to sleep.  The original chart doesn't include exact times, only approximations.  Other pie charts I've found also have the same problem.  In fact, the pieces of the pie charts indicate equidistant sleep times, whereas this only exists on the original chart for the most extreme polyphasic sleep schedules (those with 5 or 6 sleep sessions per day).  This confused me, so I developed this spreadsheet to help me calculate when I should go to sleep.

The top portion is based on the original chart.  Simply change the first time (remember to use the time format of 12:30 pm) in the time column, and all the other times will change to show what time one should go to sleep using that polyphasic sleep schedule.  I have not included the 6-nap option because that is simply a 4-hour schedule; i.e., sleep at 1 am, 5 am, 9 am, 1 pm, 5 pm, and 9 pm.

The lower portion of the spreadsheet follows the pie chart equidistant formula of scheduling polyphasic sleep.  Simply enter the new time (again, remember to use the time format of 1:17 am) in the column for how often you wish to sleep.  The spreadsheet will tell you when to go to bed.

Some folks may notice I have added a classification to the spreadsheet that does not exist in the polyphasic literature:  Collegiate.  One, and only one, website noted this is the sleep pattern of most students, and it is actually the one I wish to try to begin my transition to polyphasic sleep.

My problem with adopting to this type of sleep schedule is I am a pussy when it comes to making decision.  I wuss out more often than not.  We shall see how I can bring about this type of change in my life when I have no real will-power; my brain is more of a dream factory.

Anyhow, that is the latest on my polyphasic sleep project.

Robin R. Meyers quote

“Condemnation feels good and it is now a staple of religion, politics, and the media (both left and right), but it changes nothing. Compassion, on the other hand, changes everything.” 
― Robin R. Meyers, Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus

Willy Wonka quote

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple."
--Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Gas Experiment, Part 4

The last 2 tanks of Shell continue to vary but show improvement over the generic gas.  One was 34.77 MPG, and the other was 36.27 MPG.  The odd thing is the 36.27 was because of 3 more miles but 0.12 gallons less.  That little bit of shift created an increase of 1.5 MPG.

Will I or Won't I?

Well, the first part of my polyphasic sleep schedule is now in place.  I have moved my normal sleep time to noon-7:30 p.m.  I fell asleep well and woke up before my alarm.  Now I just have to figure out what the next step.

Gasoline Experiment, Part 3

That's more like it.  For my latest tank of gas, I got 36.96 miles per gallon using Shell gas instead of the generic grocery store brand.  Just to make sure this is not a fluke, I checked all of my MPGs for as far back as I could go.  This revealed some striking numbers.  I did, indeed, have some previous tanks of gas as high as 35.99 MPG.  However, my records do not indicate where I purchased the gas.  My monthly average MPG, though, indicate 30 MPG during the cold months and 32-33 MPG during the warm months.  Therefore, a monthly average over 33.66 MPG should prove the Shell gas is a causal factor.  I guess this means my next gasoline post will be at the beginning of next month.

Gasoline Experiment, Part 2

Okay.  Just filled my tank again.  The news is not encouraging.  The MPG this time around was only 33.56.  A bit disappointing compared to what Shell gas did for my car last time.  Well, we shall see how this second tank comes out before making any decisions.  After all, when I had 2 tanks of Shell followed by 1 of generic, I got 39 MPG.

Seeing the $23 spent for a tank of gas, however, made me think.  At what price is the Shell gas really a frugal purchase?  To figure this out, I came up with this formula.  Generic bill calculation:  165 miles ÷ 32 MPG = 5.156 gallons of gas; 5.156 gallons x $3.869 per gallon = $19.95 total bill.  Shell price per gallon calculation:  165 miles ÷ 35 MPG = 4.714 gallons of gas; 4.714 gallons x ? per gallon = $19.95 total bill or ? per gallon = $19.95 total ÷ 4.714 gallons = $4.232 per gallon.

Is that mathematically correct?  Let's see, 4.714 gallons x $3.949 = $18.62.  Therefore, at 35 MPG I would pay $18.62 total at shell, but at 32 MPG I would pay $19.95 at the grocery store.  As long as I am getting 35 MPG, I there can be a price difference per gallon of 36.3¢ per gallon.

Using the same formulas, can I figure out how much MPG I need using Shell gas?  $19.95 total ÷ $3.949 per gallon = 5.052 gallons; 165 miles ÷ ? MPG = 5.052 gallons or ? MPG = 165 ÷ 5.052 = 32.66 MPG.  As long as I get 0.66 more MPG using the Shell gas, I should be saving money.

So why did the $23.01 today seem so high?  Had I bought the gas at the generic price, it would have cost me 5.826 gallons x $3.869 per gallon = $22.54.  However, using the generic gas would have been 32 MPG, and I would have needed to buy more gallons (195.5 ÷ 32 = 6.109 gallons x $3.869 per gallon = $23.64).

If all of these numbers are correct, I need to get at least 0.66 MPG more at an 8¢ price difference to make the Shell gas a frugal buy.  If I do, indeed, get 35 MPG using Shell, the price difference can be as high as 36.3¢.  In 3 days, I will buy another tank, and we shall see if these numbers hold up.

Polyphasic Sleep?

Another thing in the book The 4-Hour Body is discussion of polyphasic sleep.  This is the kind of sleep pattern supposedly used by Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein, where one sleeps in a bunch of naps rather than all at once.  I am trying to figure out the time schedules, but the graphic in the book is not very well done.  I then tried one of the links in the book, but that is to a restricted blog site.  I will try some of the other links later tonight in the hopes of figuring out the gaps between sleep times.

Gasoline Experiment, Part 1

It figures.  Last night I bought the Shell gasoline.  When I get back home, the grocery store generic price came down 2¢ per gallon.  Recalculating from the last time, that means generic gas is $3.86 per gallon and I get 32 miles per gallon, that comes to 12.09¢ per mile.  I would save 0.72¢ per mile by buying the more expensive gas.  With an 11¢ price difference between gas types, I am still saving money if my gas milage remains at 35 with the Shell gas.

The last tank of gas I bought got me 33.49 miles per gallon.  This is with a couple tanks of grocery generic gas after a few tanks of Shell.  Last night, I bought the Shell gas again.  I should have my first new figures on Tuesday morning.  I can say my car seems to like the Shell.  There is less warm-up time after ignition.  Also, the gas gauge seems to be moving slower than usual, so that is a good sign that this will work.  I am keeping my fingers crossed.  If I can save another $10 a month by buying a more efficient gas, I am closer to my goal and maybe won't have to move or become homeless.  We shall see.

MPG observation

While entering my gasoline purchases into my budget, I noticed something strange.  At one point last month, the Shell gas station was less expensive than my usual grocery store generic gas, so I bought two consecutive tanks of the Shell gas.  Then the prices changed, and I went back to grocery store generic.  However, during those tanks of Shell gas, my miles per gallon went up.  One tank even had 39 miles per gallon.  That makes me wonder if I can save money by buying the more expensive Shell gas because I get better gas milage.  So, how to figure that out.  If the Shell gas is $3.97 per gallon and I get 35 miles per gallon, that comes to 11.37¢ per mile.  The generic gas is $3.88 per gallon and I get 32 miles per gallon, that comes to 12.15¢ per mile.  I would save 0.78¢ per mile by buying the more expensive gas.  I drive about 330 miles per week to work, so I would save $2.57 per week on gas.  This is, of course, as long as the 35 miles per gallon using Shell was truly cause-and-effect.  I may give this another try to verify the hypothesis.  I will also need to find a way to calculate the greatest price variance that would still save me money.

Add protein to diet with cottage cheese

As part of my attempt to improve my diet and body appearance, I got the book The 4-Hour Body from the library.  It has some interesting stuff in it.  One thing this guy pushes is eating at least 20 grams of protein at each meal and eating 5-6 meals a day of about 200 calories each.  Well, I have always had a problem with portions.  I will eat until I feel like I am bursting.  I really need to find some way to restart my "I am full" hormone.  Until then, there was a suggestion I saw somewhere to premake everything I eat and eat the same thing week after week so the calories only have to be counted once.  I am actually kind of in the process of doing that, so I can kind of do both at the same time.  The book suggests eating 4 eggs at breakfast, but I want to save my eggs for a snack at work.  The 4-Hour Body suggested replacing the eggs with cottage cheese.  When I saw the price and sodium content of cottage cheese at the grocery store, I started searching the internet for instructions to make cottage cheese at home.  There are actually two different processes.  One of them uses a buttermilk starter to make cultured cottage cheese; I wonder if yogurt could serve this purpose.  The other is just curdling milk using vinegar; this could create some interestingly flavored cottage cheese.

Jillian Michael's book, Master Your Metabolism, actually suggests carbs for breakfast rather than protein.  Now I am wondering who is correct.

Wow.  This is different.  Not like the other Blogger posts I've created.  Oh, well.  We will try again.