My compliments to the chef – that would be me

This isn’t exactly what I cooked… but it’s close

I just made myself the most incredible dinner. It was so good, I ate a little too fast, and now I need to rest… while I digest.

I’m flying solo tonight, which means I can make myself meals my spouse doesn’t much care for. I like spicy foods and strong tastes, but my spouse prefers bland foods without much seasoning.

Since I’m on my own tonight, I went out and bought myself some food I almost never eat — and have never cooked for myself. I got myself a really nice swordfish steak (probably previously frozen, but still looking good), some tart dark greens, and some long-grain wild rice. I sauteed up some onion and mushroom and red pepper in olive oil, then I laid the swordfish steak in the pan and arranged some of the cooked rice around it. I covered the lot with the tart greens, covered the pan, and I let it cook for about 20 minutes.

I turned the steak once, about 10 minutes in, and it looked great. It smelled great, too, which was encouraging. I’ve had some bad experiences with buying fish around here, but this time it was just right.

So, I had my dinner. It was delicious. I had to really hold back and not cram it down my gullet… especially with the side of sweet pepper relish I added. Pretty awesome, if I say so myself.

The great thing about this cooking, is that it’s something I can do myself, when I’m on my own, and it’s really, really good for me. It does wonders for my timing, my coordination, and my sense of time flow. It keeps me on my toes, and it keeps me fully engaged. It’s good for me in every conceivable way. I can make what I like, I can experiment, and I get to enjoy the results. Even if things don’t turn out perfect, I still eat it. I’m not a picky eater, actually. But I sure as heck do enjoy a really good meal.

And that’s exactly what I had tonight.

I’m going to digest a while, then have some ice cream in a little bit. Not too much — just enough to reward myself for a day well-spent… and get ready for the week to come.

So much for the Tyrosine supplement experiment

Yeah, thanks but no thanks.

A few days back, I bought some L-Tyrosine capsules to help my body produce more dopamine. I didn’t get the heavy-duty dosage. I wanted to keep things simple, for starters. In theory, it was a good idea, because I have really been feeling the burn of low energy and distractability and memory issues and sleep problems and a lot of other issues that can be related to low dopamine levels.

On top of that, I also learned that the part of the brain that produces dopamine is very vulnerable to concussions, so there we go… more reasons to supplement my system with a little extra.

I’ve been eating more foods that are high in L-Tyrosine, the amino acid which the body converts to dopamine. Bananas, peppermint tea, eggs, avocados… it’s been good. But even though I felt great, I thought I needed to boost just a little bit more, so I picked up a supplement to take.

I’ve been taking it for the pas three days, and today I have just not been feeling well. I feel weird, if anything — woozy and off, with a headache and lots of vertigo. I feel a bit like I’ve been drugged, which tends to happen with me and supplements. I’ve tried to take L-Carnitine in the past, to help with recovery from workouts, but that just didn’t work. It made me feel worse.

L-Tyrosine seems to have the same effect with me.

So, I’m stopping the extra supplementation and I’m focusing on the food. I hate feeling this crappy — especially when it’s my time off from work, and I have free rein to do what I please, however I please, whenever I please.

Well, whatever. I’m going to make myself some dinner and chill out. I’d rather focus on food, anyway, and not get into chemistry which may or may not work. I’ll take it easy tonight… read a bit and work on some finances stuff. Just chill out, while I can. The week is starting up tomorrow, and it’s time to ramp up for the new year. I have another day off work on Monday, then I work one day on Tuesday, then New Year’s Day comes on Wednesday. And then Thursday and Friday come down the pike, and it’s back into it the week after.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time figuring out new year’s resolutions and such. There’s no point to that. I know what I need to do, and I will just do it, regardless of the time of year. The things I want and need don’t have best-used-by expiration dates on them. And they don’t become more important just because of the calendar. I sometimes think of the new year as a fresh start, but it’s really no more of a fresh start than every day of my life. I have the ability to start fresh whenever, so that’s what I do.

But for now, it’s time to chill. And make some good food for dinner.

Onward.

When it all pays off

Just a quick note before I head out to work… I had dinner last night with some colleagues whom I’ve been working closely with for several years now. They are not located at my office, but we talk on the phone frequently and we see each other in person once or twice a year.

This is the part of my job that I love — meeting new people from everywhere, learning about their lives, and helping them do a better job. On the surface, I am employed in a technology field, but the real place that I do my best work is really with people.

And I have to say that the difficulties I experience on a daily basis actually make me better at dealing with lots of different kinds of people. I know I have to work a little harder for myself, so I go that extra mile for others as well, and I don’t just take a lot of things for granted, when I work with them. I give them room to mess up and make things right, and I try my best to be there to help them when they need it.

We all need help, every now and then. That is for sure. And to be able to offer others help without making them feel stupid or foolish, really helps us all to get the job done.

Last night, I saw again what a big difference this makes with people. We had a great dinner, we laughed and laughed and had a wonderful time. I will be sorry to see these folks go back to their offices, but it’s been great seeing them in person.

So yeah – all the work, all the struggle, all the effort… it’s really paying off. And for that I am most grateful.

Now, off to work…