feom 4/16/2007

Wow, I had a good weekend! I took the day off work on Friday, and Maggie came over and helped me overhaul the apartment, and she did a Montessori-style makeover in my kitchen! She used to be a Mostessori teacher, and the whole idea is to make things as logical and user-friendly as possible. So, she completely rearranged my kitchen, and now it's wonderful! It's totally a hang-out spot now, instead of being a mess of stuff covering every available surface. Mags rocks.

And, my parents visited on Saturday/Sunday. They don't get to the big city very often, so it was a big deal. The arriving early Saturday afternoon, and I had a pot of pinto beans, some greens, some cornbread and some sassafrass tea waiting. That's southern hospitality, there. They loved it--especially my step-dad. He loves pinto beans, but my mom never makes them because she says they "smell funny".

It was really fun to see them because I hadn't seen them since xmas, so they hadn't seen me since the healthquest began. They were impressed. It was nice getting that reaction from someone who hadn't seen me in a while. I know I must look different than a few months ago, but I can't really tell that much. That was fun.

And, I just weighed in this morning, and I'm down 36 pounds now! So, I bumped it up to 2 pounds lost for last week. Sweet.

Then we went to the mall, because my mom's favorite pasttime is shopping, and because they wanted to get me a new pair of sneakers for my birthday. So, I'm rocking some new kicks, and they're real cute. Then we just drove around for a bit, seeing the sights, and then headed over to the Gypsy Cafe for dinner. Yum-my. We shared a bottle of chianti, and I had the dill-almond pesto with sauteed spring vegetables and a couple bites of some delicious desserts.

They left on Sunday morning after sitting around the kitchen table with coffee and snacks and just catching up. It was nice.

AND, ***big news*** I quit smoking! I quit on Friday, so I'm on my fourth day. It's tough. On Friday I had to throw a diva-style fit, but it's been getting a little easier each day. Like, I'm thinking of it every ten seconds now instead of every two. But, I'm taking the Chantix, using nicorette gum as needed, using an inhaler that I must've gotten from the co-op or something (you close your eyes, and inhale, and say "As I breathe in eucalyptus, lemon and pine, I feel the strength to give it up", drinking lots of water and just generally trying to stay busy. I'm really noticing what types of things make me really, really want a cigarette--sitting in my favorite place in the living room (where there were always a pack of cigarettes, a lighter and an ashtray), driving, after dinner, whenever I feel the need to take a step back from anything, etc. It's tough, but hopefully I can conquer it. I mean, it's hard to be taken seriously when you're talking about health stuff all the time, but have a ciggie hanging out of your mouth, right?

I've got a big week coming up. My inner introvert is freaking out a little bit, but my inner extrovert is thrilled.

Tonight, I'm going to see Alison Bechdel at CMU!!! I can't wait! I totally love her. She even emailed me once. Awesome! I heard that she may have some travel trouble because of the big storm in the northeast. I'm crossing all available appendages that she makes it.

Tomorrow E-dawg and I are going to see Our Daily Bread. Check out the info here: http://pghfilmmakers.org/exhibition/upcoming.html#dailybread. I've heard that it's amazing and eye-opening. And, I happen to like amazing and eye-opening.

Wednesday is the raw foods (un)cooking class at Whole Foods.

Thursday is the "buy the book" cooking class at Whole Foods. (ps. you can check out the schedule here:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/calendars/PTB.html).

Friday is Gist Street!

Saturday is Operation Sappho!

Sunday, I'd love to go to the Earth Day Dinner that SlowFoodsPgh is putting on, but I think I'll definitely need a day of rest. 'Cause Monday is the queer dinner!

Phew! If you're interested in joining in on any of the above, let me know!

ps.
I forgot to say that I bought a used bike this weekend! It's pretty small, only has a few gears, but it's cute, and makes me happy. I'd still like to get a better one with one million gears so I can eventually ride it up and down Troy Hill, but in the meantime, this little cutie is gonna do the trick. I'm going to try to get the K-Bear to run along beside me while I ride. He's afraid of bicycles, but hopefully he'll see the upside of playing along.

And, I made quinoa pudding last night. It's from the recipe I posted a while back from the Vegan Cooking Class at Whole Foods. So. freakin'. good. I had some for breakfast this morning, too. Mmm.