Ahh, Sleep
I actually got a reasonable amount of sleep last night, and though it doesn't make up for the deficit of the past two weeks or so, it was glorious. I feel ten times better and might actually accomplish something today. In fact, I woke up this morning and did some yoga. Things are looking up, though I do feel as though a nap might be in order this afternoon.
I'm now much more ready to prepare for this party on Sunday. Only one month and one week after Booie's birthday, the family will be celebrating it. The wonders of summer scheduling. I try to choose a weekend that works for most of the family, but that can be very difficult with everyone taking vacations, weekend trips, going to weddings, and other various summertime activities. Sometimes it peeves me a little that I bend my schedule to be sure to attend other people's events, but I suppose I just shouldn't do that rather than complain that they don't do the same. It would be nice of others to make us the priority we have made them, but not everyone is so generous.
Anyway, my big project today is spiffing up the house. It needs it. I also made a bargain with John, so now I have to mow the lawn too. I may as well do it today while the weather is cooler rather than waiting until the last minute when it's sure to be back up to 90 degrees with humidity you can swim in.
I actually had the windows open yesterday until the sun started blazing in the front windows, heating the house up into the high 80s. I have them open again today, but I won't be waiting so long to turn on the AC as it's supposed to be a tad hotter today.
Remember my list? It's now extended to a second page, which was a very bad thing in the past. Except in the past, I wouldn't have gotten anything done on the original portion of the list. There are still many things on that original part, but I have gotten quite a bit done too. In fact, everything on the second page is crossed off (all two things). I think at last count I had only six things crossed off the list. Now there are seventeen. A lot of the original stuff is still there though, so I really need to work on those ones. I have to do at least one of those before the party.
Something not on the list that certainly needs done is menu planning. I don't know if I've talked about it here or just at the fitness (cough) journal, but I've given up red meat with a plan to move onto poultry and probably, finally fish. Still undecided on the fish thing though. I've always had a certain guilt about eating meat. I was vegetarian for a couple years back at the beginning of college when a lot of people dabble with vegetarianism . I wasn't any healthier of an eater back then though. In fact, I was worse, and I suffered some severe nutritional deficiency. Hair fell out. Skin was pasty. Tired all the time. I went to the doctor and was practically ordered to put meat back into my diet because I was a terrible vegetarian. I started eating meat again and buried the guilt. Now that I'm much more knowledgeable about nutrition and like more vegetables because I actually tried them, I think I can safely go vegetarian again.
I read Fast Food Nation, which made me thoroughly sick, and not just from the guilt of eating critters standpoint. There is a lot of scary stuff in meat. I knew where e. coli originates, but I passed it off as being a rarity and just figured it was about the same as the FDA standards of how many rat droppings and insect eggs are allowed in other processed foods. In fact, when I lived on Guam as a child, I remember first-hand what becomes of those insect eggs when it takes forever and a day to have them shipped across the Pacific Ocean. I don't remember how long it was before any of us ate Pop Tarts again. But what's in meat is much nastier than a few worms. Just realizing Mad Cow or a variation of it might actually be in our meat right now and isn't found because only 1 in 18.000 cows is tested with a test that isn't very accurate was in itself enough to turn me away. The fact that e. coli (a fecal contaminant, if you didn't know) is much more prevalent than I ever believed is in there is beyond gross too. Even without the guilt I feel of eating animals, I was sufficiently turned away from beef in particular.
I know pork and chicken processing is probably equally as disgusting and riddled with dangerous bacteria, but I haven't read a book on that stuff yet. Still, I did give up pork as well as beef, and I plan to take out chicken later. I don't need to read a book to know that blissful ignorance isn't going to protect me from what's in the meat, and it doesn't mean the horrible conditions in which those animals live doesn't exist either or that corporate farming isn't as corrupt as a thousand Enrons.
I don't intend to preach vegetarianism to anyone, but I also won't be serving hamburgers and hotdogs at my party. Since chicken is still on my list of edibles right now, I thought I might just grill a bunch of that and have a few sides. It's pretty easy to do, and it will make the family of carnivores happy. I doubt I'll make the kids follow a vegetarian diet anyway, though they won't be eating beef anymore.
I can't wait for the eye-rolling to begin.
One year ago
Nothing
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One Year Ago Today:
