Dear Brick & Mortar stores

Sometimes I want to pick something up and touch it before I buy it. Sometimes I want it right then. Those are times I go to brick and mortar stores.

My hope is, if things go well, that I walk out if your shop with less money, a smile, and a bag of stuff I went to get.

You know what I don't need to do? Go to your store and be told you don't think those sell well enough to stock but you can order shipped directly to the store at no cost and I can pick it up... some time.

No. I know how to order things and I can also have them delivered to ME and not have to go BACK to your store that didn't have what I wanted in the first place.

So, I get it, you instruct your helper monkeys to offer that service, but seriously, I'm holding a smart phone in my hand. I'm showing you your own website that says you have it. I know how the Internet works.

I also know I have never and will not ever, let a brick and mortar order something for me that I have to go back to get. At least offer to ship it to me. I'll still say "no," but at least it'll appear you're trying to be convenient for me.

Carb Creep during my Quit.

I quit smoking back in October and mostly stayed close to my diet during that time but allowed myself to go off it to avoid smoking. If I'm dying for a cigarette and can get myself through it without smoking by eating a wedding cake? Well... Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Nothing that extreme. But I was eating the flavored oatmeals in the morning for breakfast, not healthy. I had chips in the house, granted they were tostitos and I dipped them in salsa and didn't eat a lot at once but still.... not good.

So, tonight I went shopping after work and bought frozen vegetables. I want fresh but I can't afford fresh and if I don't eat it right away it spoils so fresh isn't practical for me right now. I also bought some chicken. I'd intended to buy tilapia but all the tilapia was farm raised in China and I'm not in favor of that because I'm not sure if the farm-raised in China is fed feces or not. I've read reports that they were and the idea isn't one I'm crazy about. I'd rather not thanks all the same. So, I skipped the tilapia. I'll shop for it elsewhere.

The main thing was I got healthy stuff. Forty dollars in frozen vegetables, meat, cheese, and two dozen eggs is an awful lot of food. Total net carbs of entire purchase is probably less than the average american will eat in a day... and I'll eat this over the next week or so as I try and refocus on taking care of myself as well as not smoking which honestly was the primary concern for the past few months.

As I put away the groceries I de-carbed the house. The exception is I didn't throw away the instant oatmeal. I may need it later if I'm starving to death or something. I just can't get myself to throw it away. It's food man! You don't throw away food. Chips I can throw away. Fig Newtons I can... there may even have been some old chocolate chip cookies. I'll neither confirm nor deny. But there aren't any more!!! The oatmeal I was eating has been replaced with the steel cut oats and they're delicious and seem blood sugar and weight loss friendly so far.

Wish me luck. I'll try not to bore you too terribly much with talk about my diet. But I'm gonna. I know I will. I get a little obsessive when I'm doing something.