Question about grocery shopping

If you read this blog, take a sec to answer this/these questions...

How often do you grocery shop?
And how is your grocery shopping done?
by this I mean...do you go 1 big shop to the next big shop? do you do 1 big shop with a few small shops in between? etc.

When we lived in Vancouver we did all our main grocery shopping at the beloved Real Canadian Superstore (aka Stupidstore). We would shop once a month at Stupidstore and then go weekly to the Dunbar Produce store to get our produce for the week. And occasionally some stops into Stongs to get milk, eggs, etc. But for the most part we would go each month and stock up! We found it was betetr on the budget to do it this way as well.

When we moved here to Edinburgh we assumed we would do something similar but had a couple problems with that. 1)the fridges are smaller here and 2)the freshness doesn't last as long on food here. So we have been doing our big shop (actually we have our groceries delivered) twice a month. Even still we are havung trouble with the freshness on things lasting 2 weeks. Which means more quick stops in at the small grocery store. I mentioned to Derek yesterday about the possibility of getting groceries delivered once a week and while it would be really nice to do this it would also be a hassle, not to mention then having to pay 4 delivery fees each month.

Anyway, there is lots to think about but in the meantime I thought I would ask you, just out of curiosity, what your grocery routine is?

After typing 'grocery' so many times I realize what a strange word it is....

Metro

The Metro is a free newspaper distributed throughout the UK Monday-Friday. Metro offers the most up to date news, sports, gossip and more. It has become my daily routine to read this paper on the bus on my way to work. Every morning I walk from my house about 10-15 minutes to catch the bus. On my walk to the bus I pass by a wee booth that is set up on the corner of Princes Street and Queensferry Road, where a guy sits and hands out the Metro newspaper. In stride I walk past the booth, grab the paper, say 'cheers' or 'thanks' and continue on my way.

Lately I have started to wonder if this guy realizes that I walk by at the same time every single day. Does he anticipate that I will be stopping by or am I a just another passerby? I also can't help but think what a boring job he has. He sits in a rinky dink little booth with no heat, no electricity and his sole purpose is to give this paper to as many people as he can. I wonder for how many hours does he sit there and I really wonder if it is the same guy every day. I think I have deduced that there are 2 guys who do this job 5 days a week, or maybe they work half a day each...hmmm. This week, the city has been doing work on and, I think, replacing the sidewalk where the Metro guy usually sits in his cozy hut. Therefore he has had to stand out on the corner with his big stack of papers and pass them out. I can't help but feel bad for him. Although, for all I know he could be making some £30,000 a year just to hand out free papers.

The Metro has truly become part of my every day life. I start many sentences with 'I read in the Metro...' and feel proud when I know news before Derek has read it online. My friend, Trudy, is an avid reader of Metro and it brings about good conversation. It is interesting to read about the latest trend or the latest statistic on Global Warming, drinking while pregnant, or Harry Potter.

I heart Oregon

My friend, Jess, got me this shirt for Christmas and I absolutely adore it. Now I can represent Oregon in Scotland! The outline of the state is made up of little hearts, and the wee heart in the middle is where my hometown, Bend, is located.

Motivated

Before I begin this blog post I have to tell you that I am currently sitting at work and looking out the window where amazingly beautiful snow is falling from the sky. I just ran outside so I could feel it hit my face. It's gorgeous!

Anyway...

Christmas and New Years has come and gone, my much anticipated 2 week break from work is over and I am now back to normal life. I guess it's good to have routine and to stay motivated in that way, but breaks or vacations never seem long enough and even though I had several days with nothing to do, I didn't seem to accomplish all that I wanted to. Having no plan or no schedule makes me (makes us humans?) lazy.

Last night as I anticipated coming back to work I laid wide awake, for what seemed like hours, unable to fall into a deep slumber. I thought back over the break and my lack of motivation to get anything done and started to think about how on earth people stay disciplined and motivated to do things. Then I wondered how much 'self-motivation' plays into it all or if it more comes from outside pressure/encouragement/obligation. Would I actually be able to get up at 6.30am if I didn't HAVE to go to work? Think of professional athletes, would they be where they are, as fit as they are and as good as they are all alone? Or is it really thanks to their coaches and trainers?

I often think that if I didn't have to work and could spend my days exactly how I wanted to, that I would be happy and in shape and have the time to do everything and anything I wanted. I wonder how true this is. Would I actually get up early and go jogging? eat healthier? volunteer at a children's hospital? make cards? spend time making fancy dinners before Derek gets home? teach myself a foreign language? I would like to think so but the reality of it is that it probably wouldn't happen. Some days, yes, but not every day as I would like it to. That is unless I had someone there with me, pushing me to get up and go running with them, sitting with me and learning that foreign language together. Then, even if I didn't feel like it, I would still do those things. I think that is the key. Though I would love to be more 'self-motivated', I wonder how much it actually plays into my (our?) life.

Something to think about at least. Maybe thinking these thoughts will encourage me to get up off my bum and do more! We'll see...