(no subject)
I am not surprised at all I came down with this awful cold.
Indeed, it should have hit me sooner. It's hard to live on a college campus in a the middle of nowhere without a meal plan or a fridge; add a vegetarian to that mix and you've got a corpse on your hands after a few weeks.
I started out well enough, borrowing space in an unused (in the summertime) office with a full kitchen. My first weeks in Ripon I feasted on honeyed granola, vanilla yogurt and fresh mango slices; on lentil stew and jambalaya of my own concocting. I made couscous and bulgar with fresh, locally grown produce... It really was a wonderful life.
Last week the semester began. The office became full. I moved my food into a dorm kitchen (my building doesn't have a kitchen, so my milk and veggies were in some other residence hall communal kitchen). One morning that dorm fridge was warm--I thought maybe someone had left the door open overnight, but this morning I checked it, out of morbid curiosity, and it was still warm. Shit just broken.
I really have a problem with throwing out food; especially the Mexican rice and bean dish I'd made in my Crockpot only the night before. I feel guilty and wasteful about tossing a half gallon of milk I only drank one glass of. But it had all spoiled.
Guilt about waste aside, I'd already spent my food (read: total) budget for the week. Even if I wanted to go shopping for nonperishable replacement food to keep in my hot dorm room... I really can't. So I replaced a meal or two a day with spoonfuls of peanut butter, or coffee.
Thus I am sick. My head/ears/throat hurt. I sweat, I shiver, I sweat, I shiver.
On top of all of that nonsense, I broke my own health rules this week; I took over the counter meds because I didn't want the cold to get in the way of work. They didn't help at all. (In fact I believe they made me dizzier and drowsier than I would have been otherwise).
Possibly the worst breach of my self-imposed regimens: I decided to say "fuck it", risk the overdraft fees, and buy myself some goddamn food today. My options: fast food (which for veggies in this area means carbs and grease and little else). I HATE FAST FOOD. I hate the idea of it; I hate its success; I hate the taste; I hate the lack of nutrition; I hate that it's the only thing I can monetarily and circumstantially afford.
I. Feel. Disgusting.
Today I just wanted some muthaflippin orange juice, but the closest I could come in one-time-use bottles was Sunny D--somehow it has 100% of my daily vitamin C needs, but is only 5% juice. The sugar hurt my teeth.
Things will get better. Two coworkers offered me mini-fridges for my room today; sometime this week I'll be able to keep fruit and veg around me again. I renewed my NO PILLS vow; I'm drinking medicinal tea tonight and thinking pretty clearly. Rural Wisco won't beat me so easily...
Indeed, it should have hit me sooner. It's hard to live on a college campus in a the middle of nowhere without a meal plan or a fridge; add a vegetarian to that mix and you've got a corpse on your hands after a few weeks.
I started out well enough, borrowing space in an unused (in the summertime) office with a full kitchen. My first weeks in Ripon I feasted on honeyed granola, vanilla yogurt and fresh mango slices; on lentil stew and jambalaya of my own concocting. I made couscous and bulgar with fresh, locally grown produce... It really was a wonderful life.
Last week the semester began. The office became full. I moved my food into a dorm kitchen (my building doesn't have a kitchen, so my milk and veggies were in some other residence hall communal kitchen). One morning that dorm fridge was warm--I thought maybe someone had left the door open overnight, but this morning I checked it, out of morbid curiosity, and it was still warm. Shit just broken.
I really have a problem with throwing out food; especially the Mexican rice and bean dish I'd made in my Crockpot only the night before. I feel guilty and wasteful about tossing a half gallon of milk I only drank one glass of. But it had all spoiled.
Guilt about waste aside, I'd already spent my food (read: total) budget for the week. Even if I wanted to go shopping for nonperishable replacement food to keep in my hot dorm room... I really can't. So I replaced a meal or two a day with spoonfuls of peanut butter, or coffee.
Thus I am sick. My head/ears/throat hurt. I sweat, I shiver, I sweat, I shiver.
On top of all of that nonsense, I broke my own health rules this week; I took over the counter meds because I didn't want the cold to get in the way of work. They didn't help at all. (In fact I believe they made me dizzier and drowsier than I would have been otherwise).
Possibly the worst breach of my self-imposed regimens: I decided to say "fuck it", risk the overdraft fees, and buy myself some goddamn food today. My options: fast food (which for veggies in this area means carbs and grease and little else). I HATE FAST FOOD. I hate the idea of it; I hate its success; I hate the taste; I hate the lack of nutrition; I hate that it's the only thing I can monetarily and circumstantially afford.
I. Feel. Disgusting.
Today I just wanted some muthaflippin orange juice, but the closest I could come in one-time-use bottles was Sunny D--somehow it has 100% of my daily vitamin C needs, but is only 5% juice. The sugar hurt my teeth.
Things will get better. Two coworkers offered me mini-fridges for my room today; sometime this week I'll be able to keep fruit and veg around me again. I renewed my NO PILLS vow; I'm drinking medicinal tea tonight and thinking pretty clearly. Rural Wisco won't beat me so easily...