A few people have inquired about how I'm doing on the Quantum Wellness cleanse, so I thought I'd update ...

Mostly, my food intake isn't much different than usual.  I'm eating plenty, though I do miss coffee a bit.  That's probably the most difficult part for me ... not drinking coffee.  Fortunately, I haven't had a caffeine-withdrawal headache, but I think it helps that I eased into the cleanse.  I don't even really feel like I'm missing out on anything else, and sometimes I even feel silly calling it a cleanse.  I'm adhering to the guidelines completely except for the fact that a few of my pseudo-meat products have a little bit of gluten in them.  I don't eat them every day, so I'm cool with that.  In fact, if you look at the recipes in the back of Quantum Wellness, they contain, not only these faux-meats, but also wheat rolls, wraps, etc.  I don't know what is up with that. 

Oddly enough, while I don't usually eat or crave sugary foods, I have the worst urge for Nature's Path Organic Frosted Cherry Pomegranate Toaster Pastries, which belong to X.  (Ingredient list can be found HERE by clicking on the appropriate product.)

On another note, my hollyhocks are blooming.

My other Quantum Wellness posts: 

• quantum wellness ... or, in praise of cheeses.
• NEWSFLASH: disclaimers and clarifications! 
• sweet baby cheeses. 
• cleanse schmeanse. 

Last week, my uncle gave me my dad's camera. (He died when I was six.)  My dad was the last person to use it, and his last (self) portrait was taken with it. The camera was even still set to self-timer. It has basically sat, untouched, for thirty years. Today, I loaded it with film and started shooting. I couldn't bear to clean it yet. Whatever dust is in the lens will be on the photos. I can't wait to get them developed.

This is just a short, short video showing two of my great-aunts and my grandma ... versus a normal-sized person.  They are Danish, which is a country known for its coffee drinkers, and looking at their stature you can see why people might thinking that drinking coffee stunts your growth. 

Have a good weekend, folks!

So, Mrs. G. had this idea, you see, and asked if her readers if they would like to blog about a room in their home.  I thought, "Sure, whenever I post a photo of my laundry room, people leave nice comments about the orderliness and color."  So, my plan was to take photos on Thursday.  Little did I know that my cheeriest room would become drabby from a cloudy day, difficult to photograph, and unusually small.  Huh.  Go figure.  Still, I moved forward ... I took photos of all the nooks and crannies, showing off my vintage guide books (birds, insects, etc), a lot of Pyrex, the shelves that theother23 built for me, and the view out of the window. 

None of those turned out.  Again, go figure. 

What almost turned out are photos of a cheap shelving unit that I bought at Target (on a whim) a few years back and a picture of my laundry detergent.  (Adding insult to injury, I just tried to resize the original photos and I'm having a computer malfunction; Sorry for the small pics.)  Go.  Figure.  Moments ago, I referenced said post of Mrs. G.'s to see if there were any specifics that I needed to know.  JUST THIS!

"Reader, where is the heart of your home? What room in your house makes you breathe easier-makes you feel genuinely content."

MY LAUNDRY ROOM?!!  GO FIGURE!

I realize this is a ridiculous post, so I leave you this little consolation prize, a short laundry room story:  Theother23 used to leave his shirts inside-out when he put them in with the dirty laundry.  So, I started folding his shirts inside-out.  He now turns them right-side-out. 

Continue reading →

Though summer has, technically, only just begun, I must say that I'm handling it rather well this year.  Generally, any temperature over 70 degrees Fahrenheit makes me pout, hide inside the house, and not answer the door.  The colder the outdoor temperature, the happier I am, and while that is still true ... I am SO trying to embrace all the seasons.  DESPITE descriptions like humid, MUGGY, and MURDER-BY-JUNGLE-HEAT-HELL-FIRE.

I'm not sure what is different for me thus far, maybe just my attitude, but I hope that it lasts through the next three months. 

PLEASE, I need it to last the next three months ... or, sign me up for summer hibernation.  Or, hara-kiri. 

I had hardly submitted yesterday's post when I began to think of things that I ought to have better defined, disclaimers that I should have made.  Then, I bought the book and began to read it -- Holy need-to-clarify, Batman! 

In light of that, let me add the following bullet points regarding my ATTEMPT at a 21-day cleanse and the book, Quantum Wellness ...

• When I decided to do this cleanse and announced it via blog, I did not make reference to THE OTHER SEVEN THINGS that this book addresses and suggests that the reader incorporate, like meditation (which I've done for 20 years), SPIRITUALITY (not planning to discuss that; I believe that, or lack thereof, is a private matter ... unless I'm itching for a fight), and the whole idea of Quantum Wellness.  The OTHER SEVEN THINGS, or SIX of them, are already part of my life and I intend to continue as well as to further develop these practices.  I'm really skimming over that part of the book because it is SO been-there-done-that.  The focus of this cleanse, for me, is ... TO CLEANSE and to eat more consciously, which is something that I think needs improvement in my life. 
• The book emphasizes small steps and the sort of butterfly effect that they can produce, and that is something that I also already practice and believe.  For instance, I count the little successes ... any time that I choose water over coffee or beer, each yoga pose and each walk around the yard, reading a book instead of turning on the television, or avoiding a SECOND piece of four-year aged cheddar. 
• I DON'T WATCH OPRAH!!!  Okay, so sometimes I happen to see a show if there's going to be something or someone on that I am really curious about, but I DON'T WATCH OPRAH.  In general, she's just a little much for me, if you know what I mean. 
• The basics for the cleanse are no alcohol, no caffeine, no sugar, no gluten, and no animal products.  I am rather in the habit of, also, avoiding processed foods as much as possible.  However, I noticed ON OPRAH'S 21-DAY CLEANSE BLOG (yes, I read the blog) that the participants were eating Morningstar sausage patties and such.  I don't PLAN to do that, but I may as it seems the lesser of two evils if I, in full knowledge of the crime I'm about to commit, should choose to CHEAT.   

I've decided to 'pulse' what I eat ... meaning that I will post my meals and snacks via 'pulse' on Xanga.  You can find that link HERE.  Unfortunately, I can't find an RSS feed for the site.  I considered posting my food choices to Twitter, but I don't want to clutter up X's witty comments. 

I think that I'm going to start the cleanse today or tomorrow.  I don't know if I am anxious to start, or ... anxious to get it over with.   

My other Quantum Wellness posts: 

• quantum wellness ... or, in praise of cheeses.
• quantum wellness cleanse, day four.
• sweet baby cheeses. 
• cleanse schmeanse. 

I don't generally like to make announcements about what I'm going to do because you can be sure that, if I proclaim it, I will FAIL.  Does anyone recall my big spring cleaning project in March/April?  I PLANNED TO SPRING-CLEAN THE ENTIRE HOUSE. 

I did the laundry room and three-quarters of the kitchen. 

Um, yeah. 

Well, despite that massive FAIL, I'm going to go ahead and share my present intentions, and that is to do a cleanse.  In reality, I eat pretty damn healthy most of the time ... I avoid gluten.  I stay away from nitrates.  I eat loads of organic fruits and vegetables, locally grown when possible.  I include lots of GOOD FATS in my diet, like avocado, salmon, and olive oil.  I don't drink soda, diet or otherwise.  Sweets aren't my thing, so sugar and high-fructose corn syrup rarely touch my lips (or enter my digestive system).  I also do not care for french fries and whatever other deep-fried foods are ingested by the public en masse.   Ooh, and one more thing ... I'm already dairy-free and have been for ten years. 

Unless you count CHEESE. 

That said, I do have two cups of coffee each morning and, generally, another one (OR TWO!) in the afternoon.  Then, there's Stella Artois and Newcastle, and I tend to drink one (OR TWO!) with supper each night.   Yummy-hoppy goodness.  (In the words of Homer Simpson, "Homer no function beer well without," or "Here's to alcohol, the cause of—and solution to—all life's problems.")  (An aside: When theother23 is out-of-town, we both go on the wagon.  When he's not, we both have supper with our beer ... I mean, beer with our supper.)  I'm sure that I commit other sorts of dietary infractions, which I don't intend to entertain at this moment, but their absence will be glaringly obvious once I omit them from my life, albeit temporarily.  Or, not. 

So, I've been thinking about this for a few months.  LITERALLY.  Then, I watched an episode of Oprah with guest, Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness.  Ah-ha!  I knew immediately that I wanted to follow her guidelines for the cleanse.  I ordered the book from the library but, unfortunately, most of the library branches in the Southcentral system have not yet received their copy, so I'm still waiting ... 

A few days ago, Dooce blogged about doing the cleanse as well.  I mention this simply because I don't want to look like a copycat blogger.  The fact that we are both starting the cleanse in June of 2008 is merely coincidence. 

ANYHOW, I'm going to buy the book today (rather than wait on the library copy) and I intend to start the cleanse on Friday or Saturday of this week.  (Maybe I can wean myself down to one daily cup of coffee before then to make THAT transition easier, as the caffeine will potentially be the biggest challenge.  That and FOUR-YEAR AGED CHEDDAR.) 

Is anyone else interested in doing this?  Is anyone else ACTUALLY GOING TO DO IT?  If so, let me know.  I need other people to SUFFER with me while I attempt to get back into shape, like I was five years ago ... Continue reading →

I'm doing that now, even though there isn't a party to break from, just life ...

For her birthday, she wanted (and got) ... breakfast at the diner, a day of simple pleasures and things that she enjoys (like gaming), theother23's specially-prepared grilled hot dogs for dinner, and a movie (Be Kind, Rewind) for the three of us. 

Perfect.