The Perils of Plans

"Plans are nothing; planning is everything" (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

     When I was in high school I had my whole life planned out. Once I got into University for Computer Engineering I’d go off and do computer stuff all the time. Then I realized that Computer stuff mostly involved looking at code all day and decided that ‘some sort of science’ would probably work. I ended up studying Economics in university and now work at a library. Not to say that planning is always bad, just than an excess of it is likely to lead to undue stress.

     An area that definitely benefits from planning is meal management. I work in what is apparently described as a ‘middle shift’, unlike a night shift (which is what I thought I was doing) I come in sometime after lunch and stay until sometime before midnight. Due to this I usually need to plan to eat something for supper. While I could go out and find some fast food nearby, it would be prohibitive as I usually lack non-student back up to cover while I’m away, and it would get expensive fast.

     Due to this, I usually find myself having to plan out what I want to eat over the weekend, and prepare some of it then. Generally I cook a meal on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and coast on the leftovers for the rest of the week. There are usually some shortcuts, a side of potatoes, when cooked en masse can last over many meals, and veggies can usually be eaten raw or the prepared the day of. Generally, I really just have to focus on a main. I try to make my meals relatively balanced, so I plan for some sort of protein based main, a side that can be starchy, grainy or milky and then a vegetable side. Sometimes I get lucky and I can smoosh many of these things together, like when I made stuffed peppers, but usually I need a little more forethought.

I try to plan a little further than this... usually.

     It can be easy to rest on your laurels though. This week I learned the hard way when you feel like you’ve cooked plenty, and your fridge looks full but not with the right kind of food. This weekend I made Mac and Cheese (The homemade kind, not Kraft Dinner for all you doubters all though), Sarah made Quinoa with Paneer and Mango and then I made some Salmon with fried potatoes as a side. Thinking this would be fine along with a few leftovers hanging around in the fridge from last week I didn’t worry about food preparation this week.
    
     Predictably this backfired hilariously as it is now Tuesday and all I’m left with is Split Pea Soup! Fortunately the way my schedule breaks down I don’t need anything for Wednesday (as I have a big lunch when I get to work from French  class and then just have a sandwich or something for supper) and Friday I usually just have a sandwich as it’s a dayish shift. So that just leaves Thursday in which I guess I’ll be having soup.

I hope you enjoy that all your meals consist of 80% water!

     Speaking of planning, thinking about this has once again made me realize how much I would love to own a car. I keep wiling time away by pricing models of cars and comparing reviews. This isn’t exactly productive planning since car models change and I’m unlikely to get anything as long as I work under a contract with a set expiry date. It doesn’t make sense to commit to a big car payment when in a few months you may have a stint of no job at all. For now I just have to sigh despondently and daydream about the day when I can travel faster than 40km/h.

Maybe I can compromise.