Success... then failure.

The sisters have returned to their homeland (Florida) and Scott and I are left to pick up the bloated, hollow shreds of our bodies and wallets. Well, bloated bodies and hollow wallets anyway. As their farewell meal, the girls requested Meskerem. I love Ethiopian food. I had it for the first time back in August, when mom and Jess were visiting to paint... that's when I found out that Ethiopian food gives me the loudest braying-est burps known to man. I sound like Homer Simpson at his best. I thought it was an isolated incident, possibly unrelated to Ethiopian food. But after last night, I know better. But will I still eat the mushy good stuff with my hands? Yes, by golly, I will.

Today was also the first day of my self-imposed restriction on refined flour, caffeine and sugar. I had decaf coffee this morning (i know, i know it has trace amounts, but lets not split hairs or food particles over this...). Jennifer brought in celebratory danishes and left a platter of them on the reference desk to taunt me through the bleak pre-lunch hours of 11:00 to 1:00... but I resisted! Then I ate my lunch like a good girl, doin fine. Then the snacking/witching hour of 3:30 hit and I blithely ate a square of cherry and a square of apple. DUR. i am so weak. But I console myself with the face that the squares were very small (they were! i swear!) and that I only ate two. by this time last monday, under similar circumstances, i would have consume far far far (read: lots, perhaps 6) more. So the danish killed sugar and flour, but instead of feeling pissed and worthless, I feel like I still made a good start

It's ass-cold and extremely wind-ey out there today, and i'm not looking forward to the breathtaking dash to my car parked out in the paved tundra.

Speaking of the tundra, the gerbils are doing fine! I still haven't taken more pictures.... and on an unrelated note, I still haven't done my taxes. surprised? you shouldn't be.