I have been baking bread recently. After doing the math, I found that it is not cost-effective to bake your own bread. At least if you buy the ingredients in small quantities. Unfortunately, the selection is limited at the local grocery store. But fortunately, there are a few warehouses and wholesale clubs. So, this weekend I picked up ten pounds of sugar, twenty-five pounds of flour, and a brick of yeast.

Not to be outdone by my recent bakery prowess (all of four loaves of bread), Rachel made some cornbread last night. It was very good. We have been trying to eat healthier. This means that now we actually have to make a concerted effort to plan and build meals. Rachel has spearheaded this initiative by selecting recipes and building an ingredient list.

Lately, I have wanted to make some bread. Rachel and I used to own a bread machine. However, I did not like having a gaping hole in one end of the loaf. As such, we sold the machine around the time we moved from California to Ohio.

I live in Lorain, OH and commute to Twinsburg, OH (about an hour away) each day. For those familiar with the area, I take 611 to 90 to 176 (Jennings) to 480. On Monday, I was on 90 near the 176 exit. I hear a traffic announcement stating that the ramp from 176 to 480 would be closed until 6:00 AM. I decided to take a "slight" detour.

Rachel and I went to watch "The Dark Knight" yesterday afternoon. The movie was great. Heath Ledger did an excellent portrayal of "The Joker." I was a bit concerned that we would not make the movie in time. I had intended on doing my homework last weekend, but I ended up catching up on some much-needed sleep. Unfortunately, this meant I was up until midnight putting the final changes on my work before I turned it in. Of course, this meant that I also slept in.

After a few months of being without my treadmill, it is finally up and running again. My mishap a few months ago fried the main circuit board. Last week a replacement board arrived. I think it took about an hour to swap out the boards, re-lubricate the running deck, and put all the covers in place. I am looking forward to jogging again.

So far, today has been a quiet day. I imagine that as it gets darker outside, it will become louder. Several of my neighbors have been setting off fireworks for the last few months. I enjoy fireworks as much as the next person does. However, I do not think that they have as much visual impact during the day as they would at night. Of course, I do not enjoy listening to the racket well past midnight. At least I do not have to work for a few days. Therefore, if the noise keeps me up tonight, I can sleep in tomorrow.

Last week, I was supposed to take my Microsoft 70-548: Designing and Developing Windows-Based Applications by Using the Microsoft .NET Framework exam. On Monday of last week, I had finished with my exam preparation book. I went online to schedule the exam. I saw that Tuesday was already booked, but Wednesday was free. Since I am currently taking Wednesdays off, I signed up for the 9:30 AM slot. I wish I had paid attention to the date. Apparently, fellow exam takers had filled all the slots for last week and I had inadvertently registered for this week.

"What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And makes a slinkity sound?" A Slinky of course! At my desk at work I have a small slinky collection (about a dozen). Last night Rachel and were browsing the Target Company Store. I have a Target-branded self-stirring mug that is gradually wearing down. I was looking for a replacement (which I could not find) when I found a Target-branded Slinky! I sprung into action and ordered one.