The City Mouse in the Country

       **I actually wrote this piece a few days ago, but recently found that I'm part of a growing trend towards a more "Plant based" diet.  You can learn more about this trend here.**        Thanksgiving came and went and we have one major food holiday coming up soon...and my scale was showing me going the opposite way of where I wanted to be.   Due to inactivity and snacks I had gained back about half of what I worked so hard to lose over the last several months.        Part of my plan for losing weight was changing my diet and trying to eat a bit healthier and greener.  I've already written about some of the vegetarian and vegan dishes I had tried.  "Meatless Monday's" were just part of the calendar now, and I often found myself having a salad, or trying a vegetarian or vegan item when out to dinner.  Recently I tried Seitan "chicken wings" for example at a bar and restaurant in Pittsburgh.     An example of Seitan wings     I took the

    With Thanksgiving on the horizon, many people have asked me what I am thankful for in the last year.  My glib replay is the title of this article.  I know it seems like I'm being a whiny little bitch right now but bear with me, it does get better.     It's not that I have nothing to be thankful for, I'm still healthy and neither my family or anyone I know has lost a family member to COVID.   I have a roof over my head in a house that, all though dated, has good bones and is slowly but surely becoming "our" home.  All my bills are paid on time and both Sue and I have good paying jobs which we actually do enjoy and like...most days.          I am just feeling stressed and pushed to the limit by circumstances that I can not control, for example this week alone I will have worked ten days straight often putting in a minimum of twelve hours a day for the majority of those days.  When I was a younger man working for an engineering firm in Charlotte, NC I would not h

  This is not meant to be a political post, however when you talk about the economy - even in general terms - it's bound to be political   This is meant to be an educated opinion piece and I am very aware of my own confirmation bias.  So I worked hard to keep informational and interesting.        Skimpfation .   If you have not heard of it yet, wait.   It's the newest buzzword in the media and it describes an economic condition where services are not where or what they used to be; but you are still paying the same price (or a slightly higher price) for the same product or service.  It's always been part of "inflation" but is more noticeable now as store shelves are empty and wait times become longer.    Case in point...you out to dinner at your favorite restaurant and your meal comes with plastic silverware instead of the normal silverware you are used to.  Perhaps your wait for your food is a bit longer as well because of staffing issues.       That's Skimpfa