French Onion Soup, and Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad

Alright people, it's time to step up because this blog is in danger of becoming a Phil-dominated smugfest. My girth is stable at 34.5", and I have made both soup and salad in the last couple of weeks:

French onion soup was great - and proof that it's not just about using up leftovers. (Although Chinese Takeaway soup was really very good). And look! I am eating the tuna salad that Phil, Tara and I made so fast that my fork is all of a blur! Interesting fact: cannellini beans taste like tuna, and have kind of the same texture. A good tuna substitute for all you veganitarians, maybe?

Made it!

Hah! I made a paper deadline :-)

Well, originally it was Friday at midnight, but the cvs server we use to collaborate went down, and none of us could check in - so I postponed the deadline till today at midnight instead. And the first author is at Rutgers in New Jersey, so obviously I meant midnight EST - which is in a whole 2 and a half hours time, and I just finished all my tasks.

Hurrah! :-)

Girth charts and takeaway cheating

No deadlines missed so far (I finished my talk by AAS no problem) - this week I set a March 4th deadline to finish my first citizen science paper (well, its about a tool to enable citizens to do science on the web in teh future, but still). You heard it here first!

Here's some real progress though:



http://preview.tinyurl.com/phils-girth-2011

It's not easy to lose girth - or indeed to measure it! I'm going by the mean of measurements taken with a tape measure round my waist at the bellybutton, breathing in and out as far as I can. Interestingly my minimum-maximum girth range is 2 inches. This waist measurement cannot be the same as the one that is used when making trousers, as my biggest trousers are 34 and they fit no problem. Actually, they are getting a bit big :-)

Oh yeah, and I had 2 people round for dinner last Sunday - Jack and Hayley came over for Indian food and Scrabble. I got to the shops to buy ingredients at 5pm, only to find that the shops don't open that late in Kidlington. I think that feeding your guests takeaway still counts!

This is Not a Sprint

... but if it were, I'd be doing well! :) I finished my first book, Phil gave me another (that at 10pp/day would last me 4 months), and I signed myself up to host a book club next month (we're reading Persuasion). Not bad, though I haven't been doing quite as well at the consistency bit (10pp/day). I think that it is largely out of forgetfulness, which is remedied with a bit more time.

I also stopped by an Asian grocery store two weeks ago and bought udon, soba, and egg noodles - it feels like a declaration of commitment to the cooking resolution. Haven't made anything just yet, though. Climbing I've also made a similar small step - I went last week to the wall at work - and my triceps are still very sore ;).

Jen's 2011 resolutions

OK.... Managed to lose mine between NYE and now ...let's make some more up:

1. Don't take my iphone to bed. It hurts my head and keeps me up.

2. Have more people over for a meal than Phil [he set this one - but in not posting his resolutions yet is making me look the more competitive sibling. Which is probably true, but not in this case].

3. Another 10kg by 14/3/11. Specificity at its best.

4. Dedicate a working late night - just one - and leave the office at 5.30 twice a week every week. Then work out what to do with all that time.

5. No hibernating or hiding. England is just cold and dark. Many friends in London are busy, others just live far away. Work is not more important. Get out and do more. Or stop complaining and leave.

6. Remember birthdays with thoughtful gifts.

7. Prioritise those who matter.

First step number 5...stay or leave....the interminable overseas development specialist's decision. Happy new year everyone - hope to see you soon.

J x x

Tara's 2011

Right so this is tricky!! With a 3 month old baby my life is changing every minute and I have no idea what life's going to be like in the next 3 months, 6 months, 9 months ...! (I've never had one before you see!!)

so I've only got 2 at the moment ... I may add to them later on!

1.

Get into my old jeans - I'm not that far off my pre-pregnancy figure, but there's just that last little bit that's being stubborn - I'm going to do this by:

a) swimming

b)going on VERY gentle jogs

c)going to antenatal keep fit

2.

Cook lots of homemade food

(Phil can keep an eye on this one!)

I'll also help Philip K with his and anyone else with theirs if i can!!!

good luck!

Taraxxx

Phil's 2011 Resolutions

Right then, here we go - I got a little bit of stick over the holidays for padding my lists in the last few years with things I was either doing already or were too easy. So, this year I've only got 6 resolutions, and they are only repeats in the cases where I utterly failed last year!

1. Don't Miss A Single Deadline. I was looking for a way to cut down the number of projects I work on, and to get more achievement per unit time - and then a new collaborator explained to me in November how he makes it a rule not to miss deadlines, ever. He just doesn't do it. So this year, neither will I! Hopefully this will make me take on fewer tasks, and allow me to finish the ones I have started.

2. Play 4 Rounds Off 36. I still want to play more golf, and get better at it, and so this one gets recycled from last year when I didn't make it onto the actual course once. My mate Chris plays regularly in Oxford so hopefully this should make things easier.

3. Get To 32" Waist And Stay There I bought a pair of 32" jeans in the autumn, as usual, and they don't fit! Gah. More football, less frying.

4. Master Soups and Salads. I now have a blender, and suddenly I don't have to buy soup any more! Non-leftover soup is still to come though - but I like soup so much it'll be fun. Salads will be less fun, but they are good for me, and should help with #3. And right now I don't really know how to make any of them.

5. Jump Out Of Bed. I used to be good at this, but lost the knack since moving to this blasted cold country. Just need a bit more motivation. Having said this, I am writing these from bed. Ahem.

6. Have More People Round To Dinner Than Jen. Haha! Bring it on, sis!

Phil K's 2011 Resolutions

Seven is a mystical and a powerful number: the Buddha took seven first steps, there are seven branches to a menorah, and there are "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" in René Depestre's "A Rainbow for the Christian West".

So, I offer you my seven resolutions for 2011. Police them with me please :)

1. Get up at 6am Monday – Friday (and do some writing, reading, sit-ups, push-ups, or some other kind of exercise).

2. Eat breakfast every morning.

3. Exercise at least three times per week: cycle on Sunday mornings, run on Thursday evenings, and go to the gym before work once a week.

4. No alcohol Monday – Wednesday

5. Read at least 10 pages of a book every day.

6. Don’t take my iPhone to bed. Ever.

7. Make my lunch every work day. Taking a bowl of ready-made soup and a packet of bread rolls or bagels to work will not contravene this resolution.

David's 2011 Resolutions

Upgraded from the comments for easy future reference, Hogg resolves the following:

1. No email after dinner.

2. Write at least one paragraph today in one of my long-term writing projects.

3. Stay success-oriented in all areas.

Emily's 2011 Resolutions

1. Read 10 pages in books per day. Read Infinite Jest (counts towards 10 pages). Read The Economist (does not count towards 10 pages).
2. Code something at work, perhaps my own experiment.
3. Go rock climbing 10 times.
4. Learn Asian noodles. Let's quantify this as: know how to make 4 Asian noodle dishes well.