Malady update: Went to an urgent care clinic on Saturday, and they began treating me for acute gastritis. Otherwise known as my stomach trying to eat itself with its own acids. Fun! I have antacids to take every day and a severely restricted diet for a few weeks: nothing oily, acidic, or remotely spiced; no coffee, tea, or chocolate; and no mint ( Read more... )

After I'm done getting a culinary degree or two, I'd like to run off and find work at some exotic vacation destination, really live and be there. I've never liked feeling like a tourist, an outsider; I want to take in more than the "sights" and "culture" that can be neatly giftwrapped and marketed. Hawaii's looking good right now. I can bring a ( Read more... )

I'm playing with the idea of just swearing off alcohol altogether. It wouldn't be much of a jump; I got a little silly at work once this month and a coworker accused me of having had a sip of wine. I think not drinking at all will leave me more comfort and dignity than having two and feeling bargly for an entire day.

God, it feels good to be ( Read more... )

My sister is getting married in six weeks. I am her maid of honor, and our childhood friend was to be a bridesmaid. Our families were close and we grew up together, but she announced today that her conscience will not allow her to participate. Her family are very conservative Catholics, and it seems that my sister, a lapsed-but-still-technically ( Read more... )

I was poking around my online banking the other day, scheduling payments, categorizing purchases, all the responsible budgety stuff. It was discovered that I've spent quite a lot on groceries this month; some of that can be excused by a stocking-up kind of trip to the Ginormous Asian Market, but I've noticed that my fridge runneth over and ( Read more... )

Happy New Year! I had a very good holiday season, spending a lot of time with family. This included Eric, and New Year's Eve was especially significant: that was our first date last year. Holy anniversary! A year! It's been wonderful and exciting.

I didn't make any resolutions, because the idea of "breaking" them seems so harsh: 100% or FAIL. ( Read more... )

It's hard to say which way the causation happens in each case, but I find that a number of things tend to coincide with me being happy. Drinking tea, listening to music, buying books, housecleaning, eating fresh food (yay clementines!), and dancing (even if in undignified fashion around my apartment) are counted among them. Seeing and hearing ( Read more... )

I should probably not buy groceries every other day, but finally getting to cook at home is just too exciting! Last night's dinner was so-so. I was doing braised chicken with preserved lemons; the latter are hella salty so I didn't add any other salt, but the sauce still had a bit much when I tasted after the chicken was cooked through. I ( Read more... )

A visit to the doctor yesterday (with insurance, for the first time in oh, five years!) concluded that my malady is probably viral, meaning there are no fun drugs to make it go away. I just wait it out, and it should be well on its way out. Should be. I really enjoyed not writing a huge check for that. Plus side: I got prescription-strength ( Read more... )

Butternut squash soup last night was a bit garlicky but otherwise a raving success. Yay purees! More veggies will be meeting my blender this season.

Had the brilliant though nearly belated idea of using a hot compress to ease the chest congestion. Microwaved a hot/cold pack and had a lie-down: it made everything go all melty, which felt a touch ( Read more... )