Graveyard shift

So I started my new job last Sunday. Same company, different department. And, a much different shift–graveyard.

Last time I worked graveyard was 20 years ago, when I was on temporary duty due to injury, in the Navy. So this shift isn’t completely new to me.

I start work at 11pm and end my shift at 7:30am. If you’ve never worked these hours then you won’t know how badly it can mess with your head.

Here are some examples:

    I go to work one day and go home the next
    When entering dates on the computer, the day changes in the middle of your shift
    When entering times on your computer, particularly if you’re used to working days, the PM to AM shift can get confusing
    Instead of going to sleep and waking up when it’s dark, you’re doing it during daylight
    Concepts like “tomorrow morning” and “last night” occur during your 8 hour shift
    I’ll go to sleep, and when I wake up it’s still the same day

So you can imagine I’m pretty messed up right now. It’s been about a week, so I’m still getting used to the hours. I got my first solid 8 hours of sleep yesterday afternoon.

I still don’t know what day it is.

It’s true what they say

I’m tired of waiting for Android tablets to get better. And I’m tired of waiting for Android tablets to get good games. I’m tired of being an early adopter. I’m tired of fighting with my electronic devices.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 that I bought week one. It’s thin and light. But I’ve never been truly satisfied with the device. The performance has always been lacking. When I launch apps they are sometimes quite slow to respond. When I scroll up and down web pages they stop and stutter. These might seem like little nitpicky things, but over time they become quite annoying.

I’m tired of watching every good mobile game come out for Apple devices first. Maybe later they do an Android port. But more and more, this just isn’t happening. For example, one of my good friends works for a video game company and they have made some iOS games but no plans for Android devices. I don’t expect this to change any time soon.

I still love my Android phone, an HTC Incredible. I’m tempted to get a Nokia Windows Phone. That said, my next phone will probably be another HTC Android. I really like that HTC One X, and I hope it comes to Verizon this year. But enough about mobile phones.

I use my Android tablet less and less these days. The performance sucks and there are no good games. And I want a larger screened portable gaming platform. I’ve looked at Nintendo and Sony and I’m just not impressed.

So I guess that’s it, then. I’m going to get a new iPad.

I feel so defeated right now. I feel dirty. I hate Apple. And here I am, ready to buy an iDevice.

But this summer when I’m playing Baldurs Gate on my new iPad? It’s going to feel sooo good.

So it’s true what they say: Resistance *IS* futile.

Paleo-Primal Eating Out In Manteca

Since changing my diet over a year ago, I find it very hard to eat out. Most restaurants in this area of California serve pretty cheap food. And by cheap I don’t mean the price that they charge you–I mean the quality of the ingredients.

There are not many places I can eat in Manteca. I try to be as paleo-primal as possible. I avoid grains and other starches, legumes, and refined sugars. And this is a big problem here.

Manteca restaurants are mostly taquerias and chain restaurants. We’ve got Chilis, Applebees, Panda Express, and all the common fast food joints. These places put flour and sugar in just about everything.

So I’m looking for dishes that don’t contain the foods that I’m avoiding, and this is extremely difficult here. So where do I go? I can think of three establishments in Manteca, CA.

Chipotle is my go-to restaurant of choice in Manteca. The service and the portions are hit-or-miss but the quality of the food is always good. It’s easy for me to eat gluten-free, grain-free, and sugar-free at any Chipotle. I just get a bowl and skip the tortillas, rice, and beans.

In-N-Out is my budget restaurant. I get Double-Doubles without the bun, and skip the fries and soda. There are lots of other burgers in town, but I like In-N-Out the best. I think their burgers have the most fat–tender, tasty, juicy, and always delicious.

And finally, there is just one affordable restaurant here in Manteca where I can sit down and get some good ol’ traditional American food. And that is Johnny’s.

Johnny’s serves typical diner food. They close at 8:30pm every night. On Sundays they are full of people from various churches. Johnny’s is open early enough for truckers, seniors, and other early-risers to come in for breakfast. All the omelettes are good. For dinner I like the liver and onions with chopped bacon.

And then there’s the hot wings.

OB’s in Truckee (now closed) used to have the best hot wings I’ve ever tasted. But now that OB’s is closed, that award goes to Johnny’s. The sauce is perfect, not too hot. And the wings aren’t too greasy. I think they bake the wings instead of fry them, but they won’t tell me.

So that’s about it. Chipotle, In-N-Out, and Johnny’s. If you are trying to eat paleo, primal, or low carb in Manteca these are your best choices. You can just about skip everything else here.