ta dah

I've made it through 9 days of the diet! I'm still going strong. Anyone know any good recipes for making goat cheese? Stop laughing - I'm serious. Didn't get enough sleep this weekend and picked up a virus but am doing much better. Being ill without mashed potatoes is not as much fun but I am more than surviving ;^)
Happy Birthday Mozart (Jan 27th) and Happy Birthday Jo (Jan 30th)!
News of note - the Palmer men's hockey team won their game last Friday. I can't wait till their next home game. I'm breaking out of my study shell and trying to get out more on the weekends. So far so good. With the help of friends I also discovered a really cool jazz bar with live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
Looking forward to the superbowl - GO STEELERS! I told my tutorial students that all of my sessions on Sunday would be over with by noon leaving more than enough time to get ready for the game.
That's all for now. My love to you all.

Up, up, up

Yay! The plumber is coming tomorrow to fix the toilet in the downstairs bathroom!!! It's been a great day - my car is fixed and it didn't cost an arm and a leg and I got all my points on my pelvic practical. Did well on my philosophy midterm as well. Two more quizzes this week and then I can rest a bit this weekend. It's going to be quite a ride till the end of the trimester. Taking it one day at a time.
Doing much better since I last posted. A lot has happened. Got a great adjustment this afternoon and at the recommendation of my DC I am going to bite the bullet and start the specific carbohydrate diet. I'm having my last hurrah before Monday when I swear off complex sugars, grains and non-fermented dairy products for a year. It is a choice I am making to heal my GI tract and get rid of some of my food sensitivities and intolerances. Over the next few days I will be saying goodbye to pizza, sushi, chocolate, ice cream, mashed potatoes, pancakes and other yummies.
Been working on my relationship with God and am developing my spirituality. Updates to follow. For those of you who pray - please keep me in your prayers as I embrace this opportunity to deepen my relationship with God and ask Him to heal my past wounds so that I can in every situation practice forgiveness.
Nuff for now. I get to sleep in tomorrow and want to take full advantage of the promise of extra sleep rather than just staying up later.

Pandora's Box

D called yesterday night in a panic - he couldn't find his passport and wondered if I remembered which box I had put it in. In true form he had waited until the last possible minute to get packed and ready for his trip to CR. I was mistaken in my earlier post - I thought he was leaving on the 1st but his flight leaves today, the 2nd. Ah, the agony that boy could avoid by preplanning. He insisted that he had looked everywhere and had his parents likewise tear apart their house looking for it. When I packed up my apartment I had made an effort to keep all of his important stuff together. A few shirts and CD got thrown in with my stuff as Julie and Jo helped me pack everything up but that was to be expected. After talking to him I decided to give the basement a once over since the possibility existed that his packet of important papers had been packed together with some of my papers. There it was in a bag with some of my other school books that had been in the living room at the old apartment. So, I called him to let him know that it had been located. He was rightfully overjoyed and I asked him when he wanted to come pick it up. He decided to stay at his apartment and pack more and then swing by in the morning on his way to Chicago. I was a bit bitchy with him on the phone and told him that this could have gone a hell of a lot easier had he not waited until the last minute. Yes, it was a moment of weakness, and I probably should have kept my mouth shut in retrospect. So I called him to apologize for being a bitch, and I got sucked back into the drama. For a moment I stepped right back into the revolving door. After a quick turn I was able to wake up and smell the metaphorical coffee and quickly end the conversation. So much for progress. This morning he called twice to say that he was running behind. When he arrived he wouldn't step across the threshold but waited in the sunroom for me to hand him his things. He said thanks and then was off. I went back to cleaning/straightening/organizing and the phone rang. He called to apologize for leaving so abruptly and said that he wasn't angry with me for having his passport and that this could have gone more smoothly, etc. He asked me to not worry about him. I told him that I had given that up for the new year. I think that took him off guard. I can't remember much else of the conversation other than that he started to grasp for straws again at the end and I told him that I needed to go. A half hour later he called again and I figured that if it was truly important he would leave a message. From now on I am not going to answer the phone if he calls. He can bloody well leave a message. We can stick to our agreement of he dropping off my stuff in the sunroom and I leaving the remainder of his things with his brother. I can't allow myself to be continually sucked back into his drama. Yesterday while walking the labyrinth I began to make peace with myself and where I am going. The process of cleaning and organizing the house is both a symbolic and practical exercise in cleaning out the old and ushering in the new. I've made a commitment to marching towards a greater understanding of what motivates me. If I am going to realize my full potential in this life I am going to need to consistently make choices to that end. That's all for now. I've an adjustment at 3 and then back to the task at hand. Be well all.

Trying to throw my arms around the world

Think this is going to be on the short side because I am beat and want to make it to church this morning. New Years was low key - snacks and cards at Nancy's house. I had a lot of fun and it was nice to have a relaxed new years for once. NYC last year was fun. I'm glad however that I got to ring in 2006 a bit more quietly. Talked with Rick briefly : ) and got to wish him a happy new year.
Texted the ex to wish him a happy new year. He surprised me by calling and asking me to wish him luck. He is taking off for Costa Rica tomorrow on a medical mission trip. When we broke up he told me that he had planned to ask me to marry him on our next trip to Costa Rica. He is nervous about going back to a place that holds so many memories. I think I succeeded in being compassionately detached. The tone of his voice suggested that he wanted to have a sentimental, long, drawn out conversation reminiscing about the past. I listened to what he had to say and ended the conversation after a short time. It is important for him to move on. At some point in the future I think we can be friends. For now I think it is all too fresh in his mind and I don't want him to slide backwards.
I'm excited for 2006. The future holds great promise. On my ride back to Iowa I talked with Josh for a bit. I shared with him that I am not yet ready to think about dating anyone seriously. The MIB and I share something special but with 600+ miles between us trying to cultivate a dating relationship is not feasible. As I barrel toward clinic I need to focus on my education and my plans for the near future as well as begin to think about post-graduation. My #1 project needs to be me right now.
I need to go to bed. A review of my winter break to follow. Cheers and Happy New Year to everyone!!!