I have a problem with gaging the amount of oil I need in a skillet. I’ve discovered, thanks to Todd’s dad, that I can use a lot to make fried eggs, because the eggs don’t care and you can just paper towel them to death later. I thought I might try that technique with pancakes this morning–bad idea. First off, I think I used slightly less milk this time than I did last time, because I used a 1/2 c. measuring cup this morning, instead of a measuring cup that goes up to 2 c. I know you’re supposed to measure dry things in the individual size cups and liquids in the big measuring pitcher-type thing, so I don’t know why I used the measuring cup this morning for milk. Anyway, so the batter came out thicker than last time, but I thought I was just misremembering things (this was only my second time making pancakes). This created the first problem, and the large amount of oil was the second problem. The third problem was that I think I used a higher temperature than last time, because those ‘cakes were really cooking fast when they hit the skillet. Suffice to say, I ended up with these fat little greaseballs that were an overall brown color, instead of the pleasant golden with darker spots. Tossed those. I realized part of my problem and poured out some grease but this only led to the second batch of pancakes being burnt. Then I realized the temperature was probably too high and that I needed more oil. At this point, I decided it was a bad morning for pancakes and instead made waffles. When I say I “made waffles,” what I really mean is I took some frozen Eggos from the fridge and baked them for about 10 minutes. Those turned out fine.

I’ve gained weight. Not enough to make me a big tub, but enough so that not all my pants fit comfortably. I can still get them on, but I ain’t walking out the house in them because I’d look like one of those slutty 13-year-olds in too-tight pants. I discovered this about a couple of my dress pants this morning because I was getting ready for my quasi-interview with the GamerzEdge guy this afternoon. My upper half is still slim because I never gain weight there, but my lower half is another story; darn thighs. I’ve been trying to eat less and healthier lately, and I’ve even gone so far as to do sit-ups, push-ups, and jumping jacks, but it doesn’t seem to help. Not being able to wear whichever pair of pants I want, though, is enough of an annoyance to get me serious about this weight loss idea. No more sweets, no more delicious Wendy’s fries, no more tasty food, apparently. I should also cut out all that refined sugar crap, too, which will be a real hindrance with drinks because I’m big on sweet tea. Uggh, I tried this about a month ago with soft drinks, going for Diet Dr Pepper. I was able to take it for a few days, but I never could finish the entire 12-pack because man do I hate artificial sweetener. Jessica apparently loves Diet Dr Pepper, so every time she visits me, she drinks one; yay, they weren’t wasted!

When I read Jem’s entry about her bad eating habits, I felt better because here was another person in a less-than-active job who was giving in to the doughnut frenzy at work. Though I don’t know what a “grease-laden sarny” is, exactly… Anywho, so I gained most of this weight in my last co-op at Lexmark because I 1) sat on my butt all day, 2) came home too tired to work out, and 3) was surrounded in doughnuts, bagels with cream cheese, and the occasional cupcake. Going into the co-op, I was at my skinniest in a while, so I was feeling more relaxed about eating unhealthy things, I guess.