Diet Diary - Day 7

April 29, 2002
      Day 7 Monday April 22, 2002 Scorpian King and a Straying Cat

      I got up at 8AM by mentally yelling at myself, and immediately washed the kitchen floor, the part in front of the stove and sink. I left the cat litter pan area, which is currently buried under unfolded paper bags, for a later run. Put down the carpets. If I hadn't done this, the carpets would sun rot since I had them outside. I do this to more carpets for the kitchen!
     
      Took three hours to round up material, check off checklists, designate copies needed, figure out how much to pay to whom. Send certified or receipt on delivery. That green card thing. Filling out HIPP and COBRA forms. Began going over checklist. Made one call. Showered, tried my new make-up, and ran to Kinko's which is nearby. 19 pages! OK. I will pack and mail tomorrow. (Need to go to Post Office at 8AM. They are not open - but I can get in line.)
     
      Since I was nearby, (same parking lot) I went to Barnes & Noble for my monthly dose of Regencies. My reward for all this @$%@# paperwork! I am delighted. P. D. James and Martha Grimes (yes, Mystery authors) have new ones in paperback. Tra La! Picked up Muscle & Fitness for HER. Anne Perry's book I already consumed. I also read Spencer novels (still morning Robert) and Tony Hillerman's novels. And every Signet Regency novel I can get my hands on. Hundreds in the attic. I could open a used bookstore! Store clerk tells me that they come out every month (2-4 of them). I know this, as they are on the bottom shelf in the back and I get down on my knees to sort them out. Every month. I go book shopping in pants.
     
      Ran to bank to pay Visa (about 1/2 of what it has been running, good so far), deposit the $303 sent by my company for one month of COBRA. (Note that COBRA for two months is $1,175.70.) Cashed a check for cash so we can continue to go to movies. At least the cash is less than the deposit!
     
      Van transmission jammed on the street coming home. OK. Enough! Rolling from a dead stop out in 4th gear is not amusing. Time to replace that tranny and get the air conditioner repaired. $$$$ Planned expense. Right up there with the camper shell and bedliner for the truck. Also planned and on the list. Want to drive home without groceries flying out of the truck bed. We decided it should be a snug top.
     
      It is now 1:30 PM and I have had coffee, part of a brownie, one piece of toast from a multi-grain bread with jam, second coffee, this one without French Vanilla stir-in and my pills. Kid had toast (2) and eggs (2+whites). He did his workout with weights and was showering when I got back. I am a mental workout giant, the physical stuff for me can be later. Time to finish lunch and go see the Scorpion King. We go on Monday to avoid crowds. Crowds in a closed space are not on his to do list.
     
      Lunch is 1 Cup or less of lettuce, a can tuna in spring water, drained and fat-free dressing, one celery stick. For him, two slices of multi-grain bread, toasted with light touch of jam, for me, 1one slice. I also turn on the sprinklers and drive the pigeons nuts.
     
      We make the movie and there is no crowd (six people? eight?) He has a large Cherry Coke, and I have a medium diet coke. The movie is good and loud and it is fun. I like it when evil guys get theirs. I still cannot believe a 330 lb. black man in drag! Cute! The Rock has a hit. Picture this giant with a tiny baby daughter! Nearly naked women - my son noticed. Lots of ripped and buff men also half-dressed - I noticed. Swords! Snakes! Fire! Sandstorms! Comic relief! And the eyebrow - not overdone. Loved the camel.
     
      By 5:00 PM we are home and he is due for another meal. He is helpless in the kitchen (tired and doesn't bend well, if he falls he can't get up) so I make a sandwich, two slices of ham (these are large) and one slice of Swiss cheese, mustard, on multigrain bread, glass of Crystal Light. I skip the Pepperchiny things as he had some for his earlier lunch. I have a slice of fudgy, moist chocolaty brownie. It is the 22nd, three days before stopping the patch and the progesterone. Chocolate (with walnuts) is a required food to prevent PMS in full assault. I make a coffee, decaf.
     
      I suggest he specify dinner, pork, chicken or beef. He says beef. I grab a frozen block of same out of the freezer and toss it on the counter. "Dinner is now defrosting". I have no idea how I will cook it but it will be later this evening. After I digest the brownie.
     
      I found Amazon had delivered while we were out. Time to strip off the makeup and curl up with the Sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary, picturing Mr. Darcy all the while! Where's sequel movie? I'm ready already!
     
      Boy banged on door when I was settling down to read sequel, having finished advice book (which repeats things in the first novel - not worth it). He banged on the door and waved the Robinson Coruso DVD at me, which was due back to Blockbuster earlier today. I yelled and fumed. He yelled back and slammed his door. I called. Late fee = same as another rental. Fine. I want to see a naked man run around on an island. Also watch Castaway. Often. Rats! I will not rent a movie now for 2-3 months. Punishment for forgetting. Banged on kid's door. Yelled right back at son. "Just couldn't let me read peacefully about Mr. Darcy, could you!" Ha! Ate another fudge brownie and went back to my book.
     
      BBC America is running mysteries. Had to turn one off so I could focus. I am a BBC TV Murder Mystery addict. Inspector Morse. Crocker. Dalgleish. Hercule. etc. etc. PBS and now PBS and A & E run them. Now have them on BBC America! Greedy! Greedy! And May is mystery month. Probably why my Requiem for Amelia is a Regency murder mystery. I have pieces of it (start and end, parts of middle) all over the place. Not writing today on any of the books. Will write tomorrow. Also should go back to gym. Ha, Ha and Ha!
     
      About as realistic as getting onto a low carb diet. When I finish the brownies.
     
      8:30PM Getting into Mr. Darcy when son banged on door and demanded supper. Can't grasp this as I fed him 3 hours earlier. Tried for recipe in the Healthy Kitchen's Cookbook but no beef recipes. Son declared I never follow them anyway. Har har. So I grabbed the Ginzu knife and stripped up the partially thawed Beef Loin section. Fried in the $1500 electric skillet (I rescrew the handle once every three months, cook in it almost daily). Decided to add green peppers I was rescuing from spots. Too late. Green peppers have decided it is winter and they needed fur coats. Throw those out. Start with a new green Bell pepper and then a red pepper from the bottom of the veggie drawer that was (miraculously) not showing spots. Long and large. Cut up small yellow onion as well. Stirring frying meat and such as I went. Beef frying in Extra Light Olive Oil. Put on lid and warmed up flour tortillas. First has to find the tortillas that were hiding behind the milk cartons. Steamed them for 1 minute on top of beef and veggies in fry pan (with lid on). Voila! Added sliced up Tomato and hot sauce. Served boy.
     
      He complains that I need to be nicer to him. I served him breakfast lunch and dinner in bed! I mixed him drink (Crystal Light). I counted out his chemo pills! I give him shots! I kiss him when he isn't looking. (Else he fends me off.) I take him to movies! I fetch soda! Gak!
     
      He is upset because when he went to get dressed to work out earlier, his pants were no longer in a pile on the floor. Of course not! We have two cats! He is neutropinic on occasion (low counts). If it is on the floor, it needs washing. In a fit of domesticity, I had put wet clothes into dryer and clothes from floor into washer. Miraculously, after I had showered. He rolled his eyes. I gave him new pants (God forbid he walk into the 3rd bedroom cum closet and pull some out of a drawer.) Also gave him shorts.
     
      Have also now brought in a load and am running another. Clothes can be on floor of my room because it is too warm now to sleep under laundry. That is only good in wintertime. Have now done dishes. Will face that in the morning. Will fold laundry when run out of room on floor.
     
      I will now return to Mr. Darcy as dog is used to being fed after 11PM. Fed Chinchilla this morning. Checked on cats and fed them. Must remember to check that rabbit has water and push feed down. Also at 11PM. Rabbit still here and am running out of food. Grrr.
     
      10:30 PM Boy opened door and said, "Have you seen the cat?" The big orange fur-ball had, on seeing that I had brain-freezed and left garage door unlatched earlier, had gotten out. Again. How Ranger gets out of the garage or for that matter, out of the attic, I have yet to discover. I went looking. Saw door to garage bolt not turned to right. Went out, called the beast, fed dog, watered dog, checked on rabbit, watered rabbit and potted plant that looked dry. Called cat. Went to front door and on outside in my thin nightgown and called cat.
     
      Son said to stop bellowing. Cat appeared at back screen door (Little Bitch meowed at him and he strutted right in when I opened it. I chased him around the house with a broom for fun until I had an asthma attack (mild not breathing sort of thing - race to inhaler). Attack do to getting up out of semi-coma reading state under overheated feather comforter and racing about in thin nightgown.
     
      Make note. Replace the damn door latch! It is damaged because I locked myself out of the house while barefoot and in same thin night gown in winter and there was a hammer handy. I will not comment on propensity to lock myself out of my own house. Or truck. (New truck does not allow this. It opens the locks if the keys are in the ignition. Even when you are in the car. Cheeky.)
     
      While up, got out GCSF vial for shot. It must warm for 20 minutes at which point I can stab my child. He looks so forward to these events.
     
      2:30 AM Oh God! It's the monthly insomnia night! I changed the Estrogen patch and everything too! (They do not tell you that you must watch to see if the patch has fallen off and then take it off and do a fresh one twice a week.) Glued to the pages of the Diary sequel. Stumble out of bed. Rash on back of legs. (Heat? Reaction to gym clothes on chair seat? Has cat been on chair seat? Does cat need new Advantage?) Probably because of chocolate and nut fudge brownie peanut butter sandwich overload. Had grabbed a slice of multigrain and slathered it earlier. Comfort food. At this time in cycle, need nuts. Am slightly allergic to nuts.
     
      Son is also awake! He had obtained his oatmeal. Told me he went to make it and found I had made it and forgotten it in the microwave. So that's what the beeps were! Thought I had absent-mindedly made coffee. Went to sleep after I finished the book. 4:40 AM. Funny touch having the girls replay Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice jumping in the lake (he actually didn't do that - a stunt double did) and moaning over wet shirt. I also like the fencing scene, and the bathtub scene. With a DVD you can access these directly and skip rest of movie.