Other than the chickweed, I don't have too much to report. This morning Jake and I drove downtown to the coffee shop to meet our friend, the playwright Michael R. McGuire. (We normally walk but it was raining.) Although I've posted in the past that all other things being equal, I'd rather buy tea than coffee so the shop owner makes a little more money, today I was dragging and opted for coffee.
When the weather cleared I walked to Fiddleheads. I've had an awful, awful craving for sweets the past few days, the kind of craving that sweet potatoes couldn't touch. I thought I'd buy a chocolate muffin, but instead I discovered my not-very-junky favorite new junk food: Cocoa Mole sprouted sunflower seeds by Kaia Foods. These were delicious! The ingredients were organic sprouted sunflower seeds, organic raw agave nectar, organic raw cacao powder, organic vanilla extract, organic cayenne pepper and sea salt. A really piggish amount was only 2.99--a small price to pay to be able to finally think about something other than chocolate. And now that I've tried them, I can probably replicate them at home.
I bought a little lettuce and a carrot, too. And I managed to bring them home in something other than clear plastic bags. :)
Tomorrow Mike has a reading of one of his plays down in Westport. A bunch of us are carpooling down to see it (yay) and we'll be getting home late. So I probably won't be posting again until Thursday.
Daily Consumption Totals:
Entertainment: $2 (I've been vacillating, but I've decided not to include tips.)
Food: $6.10
Miles Driven: 1.5
Foraged: chickweed (There's been lots of foraging since I started this blog. This is just the first time I've mentioned it.)
We have a guinea pig. I go to the park and pick whatever is green. Some of it he eats, some he leaves. He knows better than I. He still loves his carrots and the butt ends of celery stalks but with the greens from the park he eats less pellets. This is relative since eating is his main occupation. I figure that like us, he benefits from fresh rather than pre-prepared.
ReplyDeleteWhy not include tips in your calculations? I understand they are subjective, but they are an expense. I tend to tip well so I always factor that in when I consider going out and where I choose.
Cheers.
WK
Whalehead! It's so good to hear from you! If you have a blog or are starting one, let me know because I miss your writing (and you.)
ReplyDeleteDon't you love the the daily ritual of picking wild greens?
About including tips...I might reconsider. (Given the number of followers I have, if one person complains that constitutes a public outcry.) I had decided against including them because I also tend to tip well, and so including the tip looked like a sort of boasting: "Oh aren't I generous? Let's make sure the blogosphere sees how generous I am." I also didn't want readers to think that my local coffee shops are charging exorbitantly for a cup of coffee.
On the other hand, not including them makes tipping seem like an afterthought or--worse-- optional.
Well, we won't get into the optional part, which it really is, nor the idea of minimum wage paying the bills or why servers are paid less than that.
ReplyDeleteI think including "Tip: XXX" would reflect what you are spending without comment or calling attention to how generous you are. I think the kind of readers you are attracting will understand that paying for human capital rather than commodity is worth it and choose not to judge one way or another. It would be a more accurate accounting of expenses if you want to be a stickler. If you don't want to mention it (and you have valid reasons) don't mention it at all. I think it's a valid line item if offered without commentary though. The amount will speak for itself.
My original blog is still around with its original address (http//whaleheadking.blogspot.com) from its New London inception. It's gone through some permutations as my situation changed scenery. You can waste a lot of time in the archives. I don't have many followers either or many commenters. It gets decent traffic for what it is though and I've learned not to be attached to fair-weather, button-click friends. Please feel free to follow!!
I'll be checking in regularly.
Best wishes,
WK