Tag Archive | food

happy thanksgiving

Nov22

Happy Thanksgiving! Well, Happy Thanksgiving if you’re reading this in the States. Otherwise, I hope your day is going well!

My plan is to spend the day with my family eating pretty much everything I see, which will include appetizers like cheese and crackers and veggies and dip; turkey with stuffing and gravy; squash; the ever-amazing string-bean-with-mushroom-soup topped-with-crispy-onion-rings casserole; pasta (for our vegetarian guests); and cranberry sauce. Not to mention the pumpkin pie (my contribution) and cheesecake.

I’m sure before the day is over, I’ll have enjoyed myself to the point of sleepiness. A little like this guy.

sc cat looks ferocious, but he’s just worn out (and wishes you a happy thanksgiving, too)

Have a great day!

put a smile on your face…

May31

Every week, I spend a lot of time packing up food to take to work with me.  Because I’m running around in the morning, and my appetite doesn’t kick in until I’ve been up for a bit, I pack a breakfast…then there’s the rest of the day. Midmorning snack, lunch, afternoon snack. I do stock some foods at work (nuts to add to my yogurt or oatmeal mostly), but generally, I spent about 10-15 minutes a night planning out my food for the next day (if I try to do it in the morning, I always end up leaving later than I planned).

My food packing brought to light a major difference between mr. strivingcynic and me. You see, mr. sc can pack his food in containers and “fold and close” plastic bags. I try to use containers..and I’ll use fold and close for things like apples…but given certain klutzy certainties of my life and packing style, I need the bags with the “zippers.” I once made the mistake of trying to pack a sandwich in a fold and close and lost the sandwich between the kitchen and living room due to my poor handling technique (I had forgotten to pack it in the kitchen, my lunch bag was already in the living room…). I just cannot fold in a way that seals.

Over the course of a week, I’ll try to reuse plastic bags when I can. The bag that held pretzels on day one can easily hold a sandwich on day two. So, that makes me feel better about spending the money/not just using them once and throwing them away. Usually, I buy these at the supermarket, and aside from the fact that the zip bags always cost more than the fold ones, have never really paid attention. Then I bought a double pack of the Target brand Up and Up…and I noticed something.

 

a box of bags…


A closer look…

who you looking at?

Aside from “aww…that’s so cute,” I can’t help thinking “umm…would anyone ever seriously try to pack an open face peanut butter sandwich into a plastic bag?” I can tell you when I pack pb sandwiches that are “closed” I usually end up with blobs of peanut butter all over the bag (making it unreusable…). And yet the peanut butter in this photo looks so pristine…I can see the knife/spread marks and it makes me picture a mom (I know it could be a dad..) pushing the knife back and forth over the bread before cutting the little pieces of fruit onto the slice. This “sandwich” is just adorable. But I don’t think it could exist inside a plastic bag in reality.

Of course, the fruit face makes me smile or laugh every time I see it.

 Fold and close or zip? And if you pack food, what is your “technique”?

grocery bill wreckers, pt. 7

May3

Another grocery bill wrecker has been identified, so it’s time to name number 7.

Let’s just look back at the last 6 (and yes, the list is cobbled together from previous posts).

1. My eyes (contacts, drops, medications…)

2. My cat (food, food, litter, special food he likes as a treat, food..)

3. My [not so] shameful tea addiction (50 varieties last time I counted..)

4. Impulse buys (would you walk away from chocolate malted milk ball cookies? I don’t think so).

5. The seasonal/limited edition flavor item. This is usually worst in the fall going into Christmas…but some companies have turned the limited edition into an art form.

6. My need for variety/options. Variety packs almost always cost more (as does buying a second flavor of any product), and yet I can’t help myself.

And now, joining them is another product born out of another of my quirks: the need to add flavor to my water.

Drinking more water is one of those perpetual “dumb” resolutions I have (I call it dumb because how hard is it to drink more water? Apparently it’s very difficult. That and putting lotion on my dry hands [bet they wouldn't be so dry if I drank more] are crazy/impossible for me…). (It’s also interesting to consider the fact that I buy into all those statements that drinking tons of water will do amazing things for my looks, my well-being, and so on.) And the thing is, I really don’t drink much of anything else (aside from tea). I’m not really into drinking my calories and didn’t want to spend money or drink a lot of diet products with aspartame or artificial sweeteners…so I decided I’d drink more water. Problem was, I would get a glass of water…and just not drink it, or anything else.

So, I compromised a bit:

zero calorie vitamin water

I actually don’t drink this straight from the bottle…I find it too sweet. But, I find it flavors water nicely (and, let’s face it, it’s less expensive to water it down…). I have a much better chance at drinking water if it’s got a nice fruity flavor to it. Only thing is that I think these are $1.40 apiece at my local stop and shop…sometimes they go on sale for $1.25, but even better, sometimes they go on sale for $1.00. That’s when I pounce (and they seem to be on sale pretty frequently). If I buy 5 when they’re a dollar each, I get one more bottle than if I buy them at $1.25…it’s like a free bottle (except it isn’t…).

Then there are the powders…oooh, the powders…sounds a little sinister, right? That’s why I keep them in this tin:

the girl at the register where I bought this called it a "death metal kitty"

[But really, I got it because it resembles someone we all know and love:]

what?

Anyway, back to the powders. When you open death metal kitty up, this is what you see

lemons and limes, sort of

These are a bit old. The True Lemon and True Lime (and I’ve also had True Orange) are just crystallized lemon, lime…you get the picture. So, it’s flavor, but not sweetness. These are okay in that they impart some flavor (but I do like my sweetness). The Crystal Light is, of course, more sweet than flavor. They’re not bad price-wise…about $2.70-3.20 for a box with around 20 servings…(I think..it has been a while since I bought these).

The fact is though, I drink more water when there’s flavor. And I’m using tap/work water cooler water…I’m not buying bottles of water as well.

Verdict: My need for flavored water is perhaps an unnecessary expense, but doesn’t drive up my bill too much [and once I start drinking more water, I'll be fabulous, right?]

what?

Do you drink mostly water or something else? Where do you fall on the “flavored water” spectrum? What do you think of the resemblance between strivingcynic cat and death metal kitty?

lamest spreadsheet ever…

Feb25

The other day, I explained how my need for lots of variety tends to wreck my grocery bill. One prime example of this: buying samplers for my Keurig (to be fair, they don’t seem much more expensive [if at all] than boxes of all the same flavor).

Now, last week, I ordered two “sampler” boxes from Amazon (as far as I can tell, the companies that do this pretty much just throw random flavors into a box or bag…). By the way…this was odd. I’m not great at math, but here’s what was on offer from the same company. I could either buy

1. a 24 pack for about $16

2. a 34 pack for about $27

3. a 35 pack for about $28

Does that make sense to you? I couldn’t figure out why on Earth there was even an option between 34 and 35. When I broke down the cost..the first option came out to about 66 cents each; the third was 81. So, I decided to buy two 24 packs and got 48 coffees for 6 dollars more than I would have gotten 35 for.

So, this is what I”m dealing with:

a mound of k cups (and yes, same photo from the last post)

There are at least 24 different flavors in here, from I’d say 6-7 different brands. Some flavors are distinct to one brand (Butter Toffee is a Gloria Jean’s flavor), but others, like Hazelnut and French Vanilla, are available from different brands. When I first got the Keurig…here’s how I thought I would keep track of which flavors I like.

a list. written on a k cup box flap, no less

I think the top one says “GM flavor good” (GM is probably Green Mountain, the brand most represented). Next line has “Cappuccino” (misspelled). So I the first line is my list heading “Here are the Green Mountain flavors I like” and the second line is the only flavor I wrote down.

Now, as much as I love sampler packs, at some point I’m going to get tired of the “duds” and will want to buy some of my favorite flavors specifically. With 24 flavors going on, how will I remember? Well, believe it or not, there are K cup apps out there that will let your keep track of your favorites, but from what I’ve seen, they don’t include every type.

Enter my solution. The world’s lamest spreadsheet.

Keurig Cups Rating, 0-4 Buy again? Notes
Southern Pecan (Green Mountain) 3.5 Yes  
Butter Toffee (Gloria Jean’s) 3.5 Yes  
French Vanilla (Wolfgang Puck) 2 No  
Crème Caramel (Wolfgang Puck) 3 Yes  
Caramel Apple Cider (Grove Square) 2.5 Probably not 10 cals, but sickly sweet

Yes, this is how I intend to keep track of which flavors I like. I kind of can’t believe I’m using a spreadsheet for this, but I suspect if I don’t, I’ll end up buying a flavor I think I like, only to (re)discover it’s one I rejected. (This is how my Excel spreadsheet pastes in, more like a table).

I know some people love using spreadsheets. I find them useful for some things, clunky for others. In this case, it looks like I can keep it pretty simple…but I have to admit, I’m a little embarrassed to have a “coffee flavors” spreadsheet.

What do you think, is this a good idea? Do you keep track of anything “unusual” (using a spreadsheet or otherwise)?

grocery bill wreckers, pt. 6

Feb23

The time has come to name yet another grocery bill wrecker. We’re at the 6th installment of this series that investigates why my grocery bills are always higher than I expect them to be.

Let’s just look back at the last 5 (and yes, the 1-4 statements are taken directly from  my pt. 5 post.).

1. My eyes (contacts, drops, medications…)

2. My cat (food, food, litter, special food he likes as a treat, food..)

3. My [not so] shameful tea addiction (50 varieties last time I counted..)

4. Impulse buys (would you walk away from chocolate malted milk ball cookies? I don’t think so).

5. The seasonal/limited edition flavor item. This is usually worst in the fall going into Christmas…but some companies have turned the limited edition into an art form.

And now, after some more grocery shopping, I’ve thought of number 6…which is not so much born of necessity, but of my own weakness.

My need for variety/options.

It used to be that I only needed one box of cereal, one type of dessert in my home. As years have passed, I’ve discovered that even when I have some perfectly yummy cookies in the house, well, what if I get bored? much better to have a second type for a little variety.

How does this manifest itself? There are two ways I can think of in particular. The first is the aforementioned, I already have this, but why not have another type of this. The other day, I mentioned the fabulous Trader Joe’s Pinacchio (pistachio and white chocolate) cookies. But, do not think they came to a cookie-free house. Oh no…there are also some Trader Joe’s European bistro biscuits waiting to be eaten. And these are also yummy cookies that do very well when dipped into tea. But it wasn’t enough for me.

This also isn’t a matter of the different preferences of people in our household, which might excuse some level of variety (I like Vanilla soymilk for example, the other strivingcynics prefer plain cow’s milk). This is the result of me seeing an item in the store, licking my lips and saying..well, it would be nice to have that too. As a result, we have three types of cereal, two types of crackers, two types of ice cream, two types of cookies, and we’ve already discussed my tea dependency.

three types of nut butter, two types of cookies, two types of salsa . . .

The second opportunity for variety-style grocery bill wrecking is the “sampler pack.” As an incredibly indecisive person, I cannot resist the lure of the sampler…it means I can try everything, it means I don’t have to choose…but it often means that I’m paying more money for less of a product than if I just paid for a box of same. For example, sometimes we’ve bought the “fancy cracker sampler” (where the funky graham cracker-like one gets left untouched). Even sc kitty’s beloved Whiskas is a variety pack (he can’t have the same old seafood flavor all the time after all).

At the moment, the biggest manifestation of this is when I purchase K cups for my Keurig. You see, there are so many flavors out there…and they all sound so good. And I discovered on Amazon that there are places that sell “variety” boxes (although according to the reviews, sometimes they’re heavy on one flavor). So, I keep ordering them so I can try as many as possible. I’ve also bought variety packs of granola bars, and teas (I know). And of course, it always ends up that one flavor gets a little left behind.

a bouquet of coffee flavors

Verdict: Although I think it’s somewhat harmless and natural…my need for variety is definitely a grocery bill wrecker! But, at least I have choices!

Do you like to keep a variety of a particular item around the house? What are your “variety weaknesses?”

a bit of nice

Feb20

After asking my readers to look at my crappy gift wrapping skills in my last post, I thought I’d show some nicer pictures in this one. Not surprisingly, none of these are things I had any hand in making!

a very yummy bread pudding

This (made by a family friend), was so good. It was sweet, with apples and pineapple juice, and tart with cranberries. It went back into the oven before serving and got a nice crust. I was very happy!

so pretty..

Mr. strivingcynic sent me these beautiful flowers for Valentine’s day. I love the colors.

a closer look

My camera (or possibly my nonexistent photo editing skills) don’t really do the colors justice. It is definitely a “lift” having flowers around. They were actually delivered to me at work (I thanked the delivery guy so much it was as if he’d gotten me the flowers..), but I decided to bring them home (especially good since they’re lasting through the weekend). By the way, yes, that’s the corner of a composition book in the photos. Do they bring back memories?

these are quite excellent

Mr. sc and I found ourselves at Trader Joe’s again last week. I’ll admit it….I walk around TJ’s hoping that I’ll see something that is a) new to me and b) too good to pass up. Usually these things work out well, although a few weeks’ ago’s wasabi seaweed snack purchase, not so much. I walked, I looked, I picked up, I inspected, I put things down. I was intrigued by things like their kettle corn cookies, falafel chips, and chocolate covered potato chips. But what you see in the picture was what got put in the cart. They call them “Pinachios” and they are pistachio and white chocolate cookies. And they are….well, as I said, quite excellent. I think it’s the pistachio that lured me in…I think usually white chocolate is combined with macadamia nuts. I can assure you, this pairing works as well.

and of course, strivingcynic cat is an essential for any "nice pictures" post

Sc cat just loves to bask in the morning sunbeams. Sometimes he looks at me and gives little “pet me, play with me” mews. When I do, sometimes he just closes his eyes and arches a little…sometimes he quickly gets up and gallops across the room (no doubt thinking “Sucker!”). He’s definitely smile inducing.

What picture(s) would you post for a “bit of nice”? What’s your favorite cookie combination?

let the wrapping paper fly

Dec29

So, I’m finally ready to talk about Christmas!

All of us were up, fed, and the adults properly caffeinated and then it was present opening time. Mr. strivingcynic got a lot of clothes and books, both of which made him happy. He is now the proud owner of two zip-up cardigans that will help keep him warm at work, which is always cold in the winter.  Strivingcynic teen got dvds, some books about movies, clothes, and a stocking full of candy and notepads (she loves stationery/office supplies). [Everyone got other gifts as well, but my memory fades quickly].

I got lots of lovely presents. Some open front cardigans (wonderful for my [also cold] work place), books, DSW (shoe store) gift cards. Sc teen gave me a box of chai that I’m drinking as I type. And then there are the coffee related gifts. You see, one thing I asked for (that I’ll admit, I found about through my blog reading) was a milk frother so I could make “fancy” drinks. All that tea I have? Well the ones I drink with milk can now be lattes. Turns out that handheld frothers can be bought for a few dollars (although I gather they often don’t last), so I was excited to get the frother.

Little did I know what was in store. I couldn’t help noticing a rather large box in the pile with my name in it. And when I opened it, I was shocked to see a Keurig coffee maker (another thing I know appears on blogs a lot, but not something I asked for. Mr. sc knows of my love of morning coffee and made a very good guess). He also got me a 48 variety pack of coffee to go with it.

I’m very excited by this, and I’m planning to get some variety of filter that allows you to make ground coffee that doesn’t come in one of the special k-cups (I’m currently investigating the kinds out there. I figure getting such a filter will let me use the coffee I already have and then I won’t be throwing away a cup every day). I’m having fun playing with the Kuerig, trying different coffees, and making lattes! The only downside for me is that I was so proud to use my newly learned throwing away coffee filters technique, but now there are no more filters.

an early Keurig and frother effort (with cinnamon on top)

[So, this photo is staged. The frothing was done before the milk was added to the coffee, but I didn't think to take an "in progress" photo. You get the idea].

And of course, strivingcynic cat got a present, and not just a present, but a *successful* present (ie, one he doesn’t ignore).

a wand with fuzzy boas thingy!!

What’s also good about this present is that it’s something that we can play with with sc kitty. I constantly vow to play with him more, but don’t always live up to my promise (I know, how could I?). Seeing how much he enjoys chasing after the flying boas (he appears to be more of a “birder” than a “mouser” so I don’t trail it on the ground as often as I wave it in the air) makes me feel good, and it’s good stress relief for me and energy release for him!

thanks mom! I won't totally ignore this one!

And of course, present unwrapping was only the beginning. In the afternoon we went to my father’s where we opened more presents, ate a ton of food, and for some reason watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. My dad and his wife’s strategy was appetizer food…so there was veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, quesadillas, turkey meatballs, potato pancakes, brilliant. Dessert included the gingersnaps and chocolate chip bars I brought, almond cheesecake, mincemeat pies, and zucchini bread. And I’m happy to say leftovers were brought home!

What do you think of sc cat’s new toy? Would an “all appetizer” Christmas work for you?

grocery bill wreckers: pt. 5

Nov29

After several trips to the supermarkets this weekend, I realized it was time to revisit a topic that has languished of late on striving cynic: Grocery Bill Wreckers. You remember (or if you’re new here, you don’t), this is where I examine what the heck drives my grocery bill up so much (I go in thinking it’s gonna be $20; I come out having spent $70). Before I get to this fifth and latest addition, let me remind you of what the last four were.

1. My eyes (contacts, drops, medications…)

2. My cat (food, food, litter, special food he likes as a treat, food..)

3. My [not so] shameful tea addiction (50 varieties last time I counted..)

4. Impulse buys (would you walk away from chocolate malted milk ball cookies? I don’t think so).

And introducing the next grocery bill wrecker to join the list………………[and on another note, looking back, it annoys me that I wasn't consistent with abbreviating or not abbreviating "part" for the previous titles...]

The seasonal/limited edition flavor item.

From October on, we get assaulted with special flavors in our coffees, teas, ice creams, soy milks, candies, you name it. And I am a sucker for almost all of it. Example 1:

gotta have my holiday-flavored hot beverages!

what's on the right

a closer look at the left

Just a sampling of what’s out there. One pumpkin coffee; one gingerbread coffee [I loved Trader Joe's pumpkin coffee and made the mistake of not buying 10 cans immediately...and that's it till next year according to them]; one gingerbread tea; one cranberry pomegranate tea [stash markets it as seasonal, not sure if I see it that way]; a “Christmas Eve” flavor tea; a “Holiday Chai” flavor tea; a pumpkin spice tea; and a “Candy Cane Lane” tea. And I can tell you, that I’ve held back. There are other varieties of Christmas tea out there (eggnog flavor, sugar plum flavor, sugar cookie flavor..it goes on and on), that I’ve resisted buying…for now.

Last year my family became addicted to a gingersnap flavor ice cream by Turkey Hill. I have walked past the freezer case and looked for it longingly, but it hasn’t showed up yet. But, I have seen a peppermint ice cream and had a pumpkin ice cream back in October.

candy cane flavor? not fair!

I went to Trader Joe’s on Sunday and decided to buy gingerbread mix rather than the pumpkin bread mix that I have bought my previous trips (no doubt, I’ll be buying both again). Once again, I got majorly sucked into a Trader Joe’s display….and as my eyes widened and my heart started beating faster I knew I had to have a box of Joe-Joe’s.

For heaven’s sake, how am I supposed to resist “chocolate sandwich cookies” with peppermint bits in the cream? How? How? It’s beyond me. Needless to say, they didn’t stay in their unopened state for very long. So, first of all, yum! Second, I love the pale pink cream. Third, yum!

What other seasonal treats await? Chances are, I’ll find out.

Verdict. An addiction to the flavors of the season (whatever season it is) can be an absolute grocery bill wrecker!

In other words, I’ll do it again, and again…

Are you addicted to any “seasonal” flavors? What “holiday flavor” treats are currently lurking in your house?

a little sprucing up here, a little updating there, and blog anniversary pt. 1

Nov26

So, I finally did what I said I was gonna do and changed this blog (and a special thanks to Stephanie for her classic comment on my “don’t be alarmed/I’m playing with my blog” post)!

About the change

I was, for lack of a better word, tired of my previous theme, Koi. I also never really liked the fonts on it (they were too “thick ” [took up too much space] for me). I feel like the new theme, Bouquet, is a little more streamlined. Also, there are 3 different options (I’ve got forget-me-not [blue], but there’s also dogwood [pink], and tiger lily [orange]). If you clicked at the right moment yesterday, you might have seen one of those or a different background. But for now, I’m settled on the standard forget-me-not.

I also added some widgets and moved them around. I kept the calendar widget, but I don’t like how it doesn’t really give an indication of what days I posted on. But, since I have the drop down list (which I added numbers to), and recent posts, I think it’s okay. I also added my tag cloud, my site stats (so you can see what an exclusive club striving cynic is!), and moved my copyright “statement” (no footer in Bouquet).

So far I like what I’ve done. I might make a few more changes/additions (a blogroll? another page? my “about page needs” updating too), but for now, I’ll stick with this. Unless you hate it in which case I’ll move on to another theme (please don’t hate it).

Anyway, moving on to a little Thanksgiving update. I’m pleased to say it pretty much went down the way I said it would in my Thanksgiving post.  Dad made an amazing turkey and stuffing. Someone made real cranberry sauce (delicious) so I had that along with my “with rings from the can” sauce that it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without. The pumpkin pie was eaten with Cool Whip (okay, generic Cool Whip), and there was an alternate dessert that I also ate a piece of along with the pie (it was apple walnut cheesecake and I was very good and ate every bite of both my full-slice desserts). And my leftovers are in the fridge. What a great day.

Finally, November 26 is the one year anniversary of when I decided to take the blog plunge. Well, sort of. I bought the domain, etc. one year ago. I do remember it was the day after Thanksgiving and I hemmed and hawed and finally bought it. My first post didn’t come until December 26. This is because I bought the domain on impulse and then got paralyzed about what to actually do. There was also a WordPress learning curve for me. I do actually have a few views for that first “unposted” month (just checked, I had 7 in November 2010 and 36 in December…I guess I wasn’t private while I figured it out, but there also wasn’t much to see).

What changes if any have you made to your blog? Enough about you, what do you think of my “new” blog?

some gratitude and some….latitude? attitude? ..

Nov24

How can I resist the lure of doing a “Things I’m Thankful for Post” for Thanksgiving [well, U.S. Thanksgiving; I know my Canadian friends celebrated more than a month ago]? I know I should play it cool and say…oh, I’m sure the other bloggers are doing that, but I’m special. Nah…not so much. Okay…just a few things I’m thankful for, then, more Thanksgiving stuff!

autumn and Thanksgiving, perfect together

So, what am I thankful for?

1. Well, the usual “I don’t want to take these for granted” (okay, I really do feel fortunate to have these) things. A home, a job, a family I love, a cat who likes to snuggle when it’s cold.

2. Other stuff I’m thankful for: books, ice cream, my iPhone, being able to meet my running goals, learning about and having fun exchanges with other people on blogs, tv, movies, magazines.

3. Pumpkin in all forms (I know, no one with a blog has ever said that before…but it is Thanksgiving).

yep, I have a pumpkin themed miniature tea set (photo by mr. sc)

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. For most of the last 30 years, I have spent it at my father’s house. The menu varies only slightly: turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole (you know the one, with the cream of mushroom soup and fried onion rings!), butternut squash, cranberry sauce (from the can, with all the “rings” from the can indentations), and pumpkin pie with Cool Whip.

My dad always cooks the turkey and it’s great. I guess because I grew up with him cooking the turkey, I at some point decided that all men know how to stuff and roast a turkey. I have since learned that most men I know haven’t the slightest clue how to deal with one (of course, neither do I).

Dad used to make the squash, but I took that over last year and am doing it again this year. The big difference in how we make it is that he mashes his and adds cinnamon and “sugar” (ie, artificial sweetener). I’ll dice and roast mine and do cinnamon and a little maple syrup. I always make the pumpkin pie. Pretty much the same way (frozen crust, can of pumpkin, can of evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice [although I've done the individual spices, I have no use for nutmeg the rest of the year]). The Cool Whip is an essential complement.

The canned cranberry sauce has been the victim of neglect a few times over the years. Sometimes we remember to put it in the fridge and simply forget to take it out. Sometimes someone will make the real thing and none of us will have the heart to say we prefer canned (“real” cranberry sauce is amazing, but there’s something about canned that feels like Thanksgiving).

We will start off by eating too many appetizers (veggies and dip and cheese and crackers); we will go back for seconds on the meal, and if there’s an alternate to the pumpkin pie, we’ll take both for dessert. With Cool Whip. No one should have to choose on Thanksgiving.

And of course, there are leftovers!

did someone say "leftovers?"

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are some of your family food traditions? Are there any foods or products that it just wouldn’t be the same without for a particular holiday?