Shopping went quickly today and was under budget. Hooray for me!

I don't necessarily like going shopping, but I do like having access to foods beyond "soda" and "fast." I usually tend to eat better when I have better foods to eat, after all. If I make a regular habit of this, with luck I'll be able to have healthier foods more often (or, if not precisely 'healthier', at least less-insanely-caloric).

My big problems seem to come on my longest working days. I don't eat in the morning, then glut myself at lunch at a fast food place (usually $7-$10 a pop). Then I come home, and eat whatever I have lying around in the brief period before I go to sleep (because I get home at 12, and have to be abed by 2 if I work the next day), which encourages whatever I eat to get stored rather than burned.

Ideally, and if I maintain the good shopping habits which my "be productive" mandate for myself requires, I'll be able to regularly eat a breakfast, bring my own lunch more often (sandwiches, yum! Since for the same price as one take-out meal, a loaf of bread and a pound of meat can make about seven meals), and eat smaller servings for my night meal.

The bitch of it is that this won't make me LOSE any weight, thanks to the stupid adapatability of the basal metabolism, but ideally it'll help me keep from putting any more on.

I'm running a lot of stress the past few days -- 75% the local bus system, 25% my job, but that number will change as the week goes on. Still, all my Christmas shopping is done, belated birthday presents were handed out, my silly sentimentalism confounds some and pleases others, and I've got a steady job. I don't have too much to complain about.

I did some shopping for myself, too; I got the new Spyro the Dragon game and Metroid Fusion. Both really good games. I'm particularly enjoying Metroid, simply because it takes everything that was good about Super Metroid and makes it better. Control in particular is very smooth. It's really a pleasure to play it.

Now to go finish making a character for D&D.

Okay.... I spend too much.

But at least this time it was justified. I raked in a huge bonus from work (since the office lost my timecard, my boss just made up a ton of hours for me). $1400 for the past few weeks. One of which I took off. Not bad, I say.

I started off to the mall, but it began horribly. I couldn't get my playstation to work, then the bus was some 20 minutes late. It was cold and windy... not that I mind. But my CD player was not working properly. It tends to forget it's playing stuff and shut itself off for absolutely no reason... frequently.

The bus finally arrived and it was standing room only (for a 45 minute journey). AAARGH!

But I got to the mall. My first stop was Suncoast. DBZ ANDROID SAGA! UNCUT! ::poing poing poing::

#18 is SOOOOO COOOL!

Then to the bookstore, to pick up a present for a friend of mine... then, the real reason I went... Best Buy.

A new printer -- an new stlye of HP DeskJet with awesome capabilities. A new CD player -- finally! Vampire: The Masquerade: Redemption. I hope it works right.

This rules. ::poing!::