Recent Reads: Zero - The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

 

Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
 by Charles Seife

I found out about this book in a post by my blogging friend June at Live and Learn-Toss and Turn.  She writes much better book reviews than I do (which is why I've linked it) and her review led me to request the book through the library.  Maths was perhaps my weakest subject all through school, but, I have enjoyed reading about it from time to time, including A History of Mathematics by Carl B. Boyer, which I had in my home library until I included it in my September 2024 round of decluttering:

A History of Mathematics - 2nd book down on the left
stack of books, under the book with the red cover

I found Zero: The Biography of a Dangerious Idea by Charles Seife to be quite interesting.  It discusses the origins of the concept of zero or nothingness and its duality with its partner, infinity.  It traces the development of zero from its invention by the Babylonians to the role it currently plays in understanding our universe from the Big Bang theory to black holes and to the search for a theory of everything.

Description Inside the Book Jacket

The book is more than a book about maths, it also discusses history, knowledge, and learning and how religion and beliefs impacted that learning and knowledge.  

I already knew some parts of what the book was discussing, but, I still enjoyed reading this book and found it very interesting.  The library has several other books by this author and I am planning to request one in the near future.

In the meantime, I am resting in bed due to my sciatica flare up and reading two other library books that I've borrowed.  So, there will be more book reviews to follow.  In addition to the books, I read a few magazines I borrowed from the library, but, they were home and garden related magazines.  Daughter returned them to the library for me, yesterday, a day before they were due.  

I am grateful for:

- Being able to read (physically, with the help of reading glasses)
- Being able to read as a result of learning to read
- Teachers who taught me to read at schools I was able to attend
- For libraries and the ability to borrow books and other material from them
- For access to a variety of books 

Have you read this book?  Is it something you might be interested in reading?

Meal Planning: July Week 1 Review and Week 2 Options

Wild Asparagus Fronds

This was my list of meal plan options for July Week 1 (June 29-July 5)

Brunches/Lunches:  Bagels; Egg salad sandwiches; Tortillas with eggs and lunu miris; Milkrice with seeni sambol; French toast/Waffles/Pancakes; leftovers, toast

Dinners: Ground beef keema curry with rice and vegetables; Chicken curry with rice and vegetables; Tortillas with either ground beef or chicken curry; Macaroni & Cheese Fettuccini Alfredo Pasta (boxed mix) with tuna (or hamburger patties from the freezer; or, maybe hot dogs for 4th of July (if they go on sale, later this week, for a 4th of July dinner) Shrimp curry; Salmon steaks with asparagus fronds

Snacks/Desserts: Oranges, bananas, mandarins, flan, patties, apple pie? papaya, cherries, nectarines, white peaches, plums, apples, fruit salad, brownies, cookies

Here is how that worked out:

Monday:

Breakfast:  Bagel & cream cheese

Lunch:  Rice, ground beef keema curry, sauteed curried green beans, cucumber salad, kale mallung:

Monday Lunch

Dinner:  Boxed fettuccini pasta mix with frozen green peas added and a hambutger patty:

Monday Dinner 

Dessert/Snacks: Chocolate chip cookies; bananas, oranges

Tuesday:

Brunch: Bagel with butter

Dinner: Rice and leftover curries (keema curry, green beans, kale) with freshly cooked dhal

Tuesday Dinner

Dessert/Snacks: Bananas, oranges, cookies

Wednesday:

Brunch:  Milkrice with seeni sambol

Dinner:  Rice and leftover curries (ground beef keema curry, dhal, green beans)

Wednesday Dinner

Dessert/Snacks: Bananas, chocolate chip cookies

Thursday:

Brunch:  Banana

Dinner:  Rice, shrimp curry, leftover green beans

Thursday Dinner

Dessert/Snacks: Cherries, dates, bananas, cookies

Friday:

Brunch:  Leftover milkrice and ground beef keema curry

Dinner:  Rice, shrimp curry, dhal with spinach added to it:

Friday Dinner

Dessert/Snacks:  Brownies, cherries

On Friday evening, when my gardener friend M was here, he shared some wild asparagus fronds (pictured at the top of this post) that he had been given by one of his other clients.  She gets boxes of fresh organic produce from a farm delivered weekly to her house and she often shares various items with him.  According to a text she sent him, which he showed me, these asparagus fronds were wild asparagus and the side shoots or leaflets forming on either side of the main stem are the parts that are eaten and are served at just two Michelin star restaurants.  Now, I don't know for sure if these are wild asparagus or not, but, I do know that the leaves of asparagus that are grown mostly for the spears or shoots are edible.  The leaves are needed for food production for the plants, but, a few leaves maybe picked from each plant without causing any damage to the plants.  The stems are usually too woody to be eaten and the berries (found only on the female plants) are poisonous and should not be eaten, but, the leaves are edible.   So, I picked the tender side shoots and a bit of the tender tips of the stalks, too, and added them to the salmon I cooked for Saturday's dinner, along with the larger Berkeley Tie Dye tomato I had picked from the garden on Friday.

Saturday:

Brunch:  Banana, toast

Dinner:  Rice and salmon cooked with onions, tomato, and asparagus leaves:

Salmon with Asparagus Leaves

Dessert/Snacks:  Brownies, papaya, cherries

Sunday:

Brunch:  Toast with butter and pineapple jam (me); leftover milkrice (daughter)

Dinner:  Rice, ground beef keema curry, Persian cucumber salad with Japanese seasonings (shiokoshiou)

Sunday Dinner

Dessert/Snacks:  Fruit salad (papaya, white peaches, nectarines, apples, cherries); the last of the brownies

Well, that worked out well enough, I think.  I went off plan after buying groceries, but, it was fine.  

I am grateful for:

- The availability of food and bargains at the grocery store

- Homegrown tomatoes
- M sharing some new and interesting ingredients

- Convenience foods (boxed mixes, frozen foods, etc.)  in moderation
- Some treats

It's time to make a meal plan for July Week 2.  I am having a sciatica flare up which started on Sunday so, this week's meal plan might have to be mostly leftovers and whatever is easiest for daughter to cook until I feel better and can stand for more than two minutes without pain.

Brunches/Lunches:  Egg salad or tuna salad sandwiches; toast with peanut butter; fruit, tortillas with seeni sambol 

Dinners: Rice with salmon and broccoli, rice with salmon and green beans, boxed mac & cheese with tuna, Chicken curry with rice and cucumber salad, leftovers.

Snacks/Desserts: Fruits/fruit salad

As always, meal plan options will be subject to change, especially if I order groceries towards the end of the week.

How about you?  Did you make a meal plan last week?  Are you making a meal plan this week?

July Grocery Shopping - Part 1

 

Vegetables: Cabbage, Onions, Persian Cucumbers, Broccoli, 
Cauliflower, Green Beans, and Beets;

I did my first grocery shopping for the month on Thursday, July 2, going in person to one of my favorite ethnic grocery stores.  My main reason for going there was to buy salmon steaks on sale for $6.99/lb.  and large, headless shrimp for $5.99/lb.  Neither of which are included in my photos as they were put in the fridge as soon as I got home and I didn't want to take them out again to take photos.  But, I bought six salmon steaks (came to $26.06) and just over one pound of shrimp (came to $6.32).

In addition to the salmon and shrimp, I bought a variety of vegetables and fruit.

Fruit: Bananas, Papaya, Cherries, Red Plums, White Peaches,
Apples, and Nectarines

Some of the items I bought were on sale or offer; others were regular price, but, this store's regular prices tend to be lower than the supermarket's regular prices on produce, so, I didn't mind paying their regular prices.

In addition to the fish, shrimp, and fresh produce, I also bought a few treats:

Treats: Rose Syrup, Chestnuts, Dates,
Coconut Water

My total came to $78.71.  Here's the receipt:

Receipt

July Grocery Budget (for food items only) = $250 + $11.51 carried over from June (I didn't buy the pork chops and potatoes in June, after all) = $261.51

Spent to Date = $78.71

Balance left in July Grocery Budget = $261.51 - $78.71 = $182.80

Later in the evening, I cooked the shrimp I bought, making a curry to have with rice and green beans for dinner:

Shrimp Curry

I am grateful for:

- The availability of groceries
- Being able to shop at the ethnic grocery store
- Weekly deals
- Treats
- A safe drive to the store and back

My joyful activity for the day was enjoying some of the treats I bought.

Since I bought the salmon steaks and the shrimp, my meal plan options for the rest of this week will change from what I had listed in a prior post!

Starting on the Second Half of the Year!

 

Passionfruit Flower

The first half of the year is behind us and it feels to me like it went by in a blink of an eye!  I spent a little time, this morning, reviewing the previous six months.  I started out the new year with the aspiration of focusing on my physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing and while a lot was accomplished towards that goal, I think a lot can still be done!  There's plenty of room for improvement, I think.  It's a good thing that I have six more months left in the year to work towards that!

On the 1st of July, I made milkrice for brunch as is my usual custom to celebrate the start of a new month. We had it with seeni sambol (a spicy onion relish).  

Gardener friend M was here to tend to the garden in the early afternoon.  We chatted a bit and I served him some of the chocolate chip cookies that my daughter had baked on Monday.  

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We also decided that it was time to pick two of the Berkeley Tie Dye tomatoes because they have a tendency to split when they ripen.  They are just turning color, as you can see, but, the bigger one is already beginning to split near the stem end:

Berkeley Tie Dye Tomatoes

They do look a bit like they've been tie dyed, don't they?  Neither daughter nor I like to eat raw tomatoes; instead, we add them to various dishes when we cook them.  Or, I make a tomato curry.

In the evening, I picked up friend R and we went to the viewing of one of our friends who passed away after a two year battle with cancer.  Afterwards, I dropped friend R off at her apartment and came home.  Daughter and I had rice, ground beef keema curry, dhal, and green beans for dinner:

Wednesday Dinner

On the 1st of July, I was grateful for:

- Monthly rituals
- M's help with the garden
- Homegrown tomatoes
- Friends
- Being able to give friend R a ride to the viewing and back

Joyful activities included spending time in the garden, picking homegrown tomatoes, chatting with friend R in the car on our way to the funeral home and back, and enjoying a chocolate chip cookie.

Plans for Thursday include:

- Attending my friend's funeral
- Some housework
- Maybe some baking

How was your first day of July?  

June Monthly Photo Challenge: Broken

The monthly photo challenges are hosted by Eileen and the theme chosen for June was Broken.

Here are the photos I took for this month's challenge:

An Egg

Tea Cup Handle

Blue and White Vase

Pendant of a vine covered elephant my daughter made

Jade Candle Holder

And last, but, not least:

A Chocolate Chip Cookie

Thank you, Eileen, for hosting the monthly photo challenge.  I have enjoyed participating in this month's photo challenge.  I am not a photographer and have only my cell phone camera, but, I'm truly enjoying taking these photos for the monthly challenge.  

The theme for July is Black and White, I believe, if anyone else wants to participate in the monthly photo challenge.  The rules are few and simple - all photos must be taken during the month (no archival photos) and there has to be a minimum of five (5), but, no maximum.  

Meal Planning - June Week 4 Review & July Week 1 Options

Monday Dinner: Rice, Chicken Curry, Broccoli

My June Week 4 meal plan options were as follows:

Brunches:  Tuna salad sandwiches✔; Pancakes✔; French toast; Boiled Mung beans with lunu miris✔;  Leftovers, Bagels

Dinners: Chicken curry with rice and vegetables✔;Stringhoppers with chicken curry; Ground beef keema curry with tortillas rice; maybe patties (savory turnovers) and salad; Ham fried rice✔; Chicken pot pies

Snacks/Desserts: Patties if I make some; Cheesecake;✔ Crackers with peanut butter; oranges✔; bananas

Here's how that worked out:

Monday:

Brunch:  Tuna salad sandwiches

Dinner:  Rice, chicken curry, broccoli
Dessert/Snacks:  Oranges, cheesecake

Tuesday Brunch: Pancakes and Sausages

Tuesday:

Brunch:  Pancakes with sausages and syrup

Dinner: Rice, chicken curry, broccoli, carrots
Dessert/Snacks:  Ice cream, cheesecake, oranges, cereal

Tuesday Dinner: Rice, Chicken Curry, Broccoli,
Carrots, Peach Chutney

Wednesday:

Brunch:  Boiled mung beans with lunu miris

Wednesday Brunch: Mung Beans and Lunu Miris

Dinner:  Ham fried rice 

Dessert/Snacks: Oranges, cheesecake

Wednesday Dinner: Ham Fried Rice

Thursday:

Brunch:  Tuna salad sandwiches (me); daughter had leftover mung beans

Dinner:  Tuna salad sandwich, again (me); rice, chicken curry, kale mallung, peach chutney (daughter)
Dessert/Snacks: Oranges, cheesecake

Homegrown Breakfast Potatoes
(potatoes, tomatoes, and chives, all from the garden)

There were only three small potatoes I had harvested from the garden and one small tomato, but, there was enough to share with my daughter for brunch.

Friday:

Brunch:  Scrambled eggs, fried potatoes (homegrown) with tomatoes (homegrown) and chives (homegrown)

Friday Brunch

Dinner:  Chicken pot pies (from the freezer)

Dessert/Snacks: Oranges, olive oil chocolate chip cookies (daughter baked to take to her friend's dinner party on Saturday, but, we had to do a taste test, first!  LOL)

Ground Beef Keema Curry
(Ground beef, onions, celery, carrots)

Saturday:

Brunch:  Bagels and creamcheese

Dinner:  .Tortilla and ground beef keema curry  (me); daughter was invited to dinner at her friend's home)

Tortilla and Keema Curry

Dessert/Snacks:  Sesame candy, bananas, ice cream

Sunday:

Brunch:  Tortilla and ground beef keema curry (me); daughter went to a friend's home for a brunch gathering (and stayed to dinner, too!)

Dinner:  "Breakfast for dinner" - Blueberry pancakes (me); daughter had pizza at her friend's home

Dessert/Snacks: Banana, Lemon Puff cookies

Well, that worked out well enough, I think.  I went slightly off plan, but, it was fine.  

Moving on to this week - I am calling it July Week 1.  Here are my meal plan options:

Brunches/Lunches:  Bagels; Egg salad sandwiches; Tortillas with eggs and lunu miris; Milkrice with seeni sambol; French toast/Waffles/Pancakes; leftovers

Dinners: Ground beef keema curry with rice and vegetables; Chicken curry with rice and vegetables; Tortillas with either ground beef or chicken curry; Macaroni & Cheese (boxed mix) with tuna (or hamburger patties from the freezer); or, maybe hot dogs for 4th of July (if they go on sale, later this week, for a 4th of July dinner)

Snacks/Desserts: Oranges, bananas, mandarins, flan, patties, apple pie?

As always, meal plan options maybe subject to change depending on the chef's inclinations!  LOL.

I am grateful for:

- The availability of food
- Whatever homegrown produce I am able to harvest from my garden
- Variety in my diet (although, it might look like I'm always making curries)

- Convenience foods (boxed mixes, frozen foods, etc.)  in moderation

- Being able to cook/having the facilities needed to cook

Are you making a meal plan this week? What's on your meal plan for this week?  If you are in the U.S., are you planning a special celebratory meal for the 4th of July?  

June Grocery Shopping Part 4

June 27 Groceries
(Not pictured: Half & Half and Sparkling Water)

I ordered groceries on Friday night and they were delivered on Saturday.  In addition to what is pictured above, I also bought a half gallon of half & half and a dozen bottles of sparkling water (daughter put them away for me as soon as the groceries were delivered, while I was still getting the rest of the groceries out of the bags).  

The tortillas were on a buy 1 get 1 free sale and I used digital coupons for the breakfast sausages and the bagels.  The sparkling water was on sale, too.

Here's the receipt:

Order Summary

Original Item Total$44.91

Item Coupons/Sales-$7.82

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Other Fees+$0.50

Sales Tax+$1.23

Order Total$38.82

---

Item Details

12 Items

CA Redem Val$0.60

1 x $0.60 each

Cucumber, 1 ct$0.49

1 x $0.49 each

Farmer John Classic Pork Sausage Links, 8 oz$4.00

2 x $2.00 $2.79 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.29

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.00

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.29

Fresh Bunch of Bananas – 5-7 Bananas, 1 bunch$2.00

2.9 lbs x $0.68 each (approx.)

Kroger® Fresh Uncooked Chicken Drumsticks, 4.5 lb$5.00

1 x $5.00 each

Kroger® Half and Half Half Gallon, 1/2 gal$5.49

1 x $5.49 each

Kroger® Plain Bagels, 6 ct / 18 oz$2.04

1 x $2.04 $2.79 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.30

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.45

Kroger® White Bread, 20 oz$1.99

1 x $1.99 each

Mission Super Soft Soft Taco Size Flour Tortillas, 10 count$3.49

2 x $1.74 $3.49 each (approx.)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$3.49

Sparkling Ice® Summer LTO Lemonade Variety Pack (Pack of 12), 12 ct / 17 fl oz$11.99

1 x $11.99 $13.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

---

Other Fees

$0.50

Bag Fee$0.50

5 x $0.10 each

My total came to $38.82.

June Grocery Budget (for food items only) = $250 - $26.13 (spent in May) = $223.87

Spent to date = $59.60 + $57.80 + $56.14 + $38.82 = $212.36

Balance left in June Grocery Budget = $223.87 - $212.36 = $11.51

I had been concerned, at the end of my previous grocery delivery (on June 16), that I had only $50 and some cents left in the budget for the rest of the month's groceries, but, I managed to keep my spending under that amount! 

Of course, there are three more days left in the month and there are some really good deals at a couple of other grocery stores which will end on Tuesday (10 lb. bag of potatoes for $1.99; pork chops for $1.99/lb., whole tilapia for $1.99/lb.)  I am tempted!  I could get a bag of potatoes and up to 4 pounds of pork chops and still have some change leftover!  What do you think?  Should I go for it?