What Im about to say will prove I have been living in California for too long, and I need to move back the good ole’ states that pride themselves on hedonism and debauchery - I have started a de-tox program. It lasts for twelve days, im on day three. Its not too weird. There is a list of foods you can eat, you can’t eat anything not on the list, and you take a bunch of vitamins with meals. It flushes out your system right-good. I can kind of feel my body eating itself, it made me queasy for the first couple of days (directions said it would), but today I feel damn good. It’s intended to be a pre-curser to a life-style change: new diet, exercise program, quitting smoking, etc. For the past several months my entire family has become consumed by a new diet, and we all have had tremendous success. I’ve started to think it really is the one, and the de-tox is so closely aligned with it...it just made so much sense. the new diet thing (its not a diet! its a lifestyle change, i know i know) started with this article which, in retrospect, seems like hyperactive ranting (and was eventually rebutted by this article), but had the general idea correct . then along came the scientific american aritcle which sums it all up in an elegant, not-claiming-too-much, scientific american kind of way.

i just got back from philly this morning from dave's grandfather's funeral. it was very sad, his grandmother is crushed, which is the worst. they elpoed when she was 18 and he 30. he died at 94, and i can only hope that in 64 years I love dave like she loved him. i also met his entire family at once (extended family: aunts uncles, etc.) and being the complete fucking spaz that i somehow manage to be...yesterday we get home from the funeral, everybody is sad. sitting around the house and eating, etc. i go up to change because dave and i are leaving soon. i change. carry my stuff down stairs. im holding my boots, sweater, and coke, what happens? BAM..bam bam...bam bam bam ... bam, as i fucking FALL DOWN A COMPLETE FLIGHT OF STAIRS. it was horrid. i swear i have never been more mortified. im totally fine, but can you just imagine, the ENTRIE house of like twenty people come rushing over. i am so embarassed.

it might have been worse though when the little girl sitting in front of me on my six hour plane ride this morning PUKED INTO MY PURSE. in my purse.
puke. the lovely mother chose not to inform me of this until after it had hardened into a stiff gold-fish cracker/bile paste.

what a weekend.

My valentines dinner was spent with dave and my father and step-mother. I enjoyed saying “government…issued…valentine” while moving arms and legs like a robot all weekend. I have never been a big fan of the enforced celebration of love, it must date back to being single feeling left out on top of being depressed about whoever I loved that didn’t love me back. Regardless, this year dave made me whole-wheat chocolate-chip oat-bran pancakes in the shape of “I heart you,” which was wonderful. my birthday in November, Christmas in December, his birthday in January, and now our getting engaged in January, I certainly don’t need valentines day. And I like this new government-mandated-love routine, so ill take that instead. And presents made with dried macaroni. (which reminds me, the dog ate my valentines macaroni present last year!) anyway, this ring has him off the hook in the present department for a good-couple of holidays.

maybe its not as bad as i think. i do live in san francisco, after all.

the other day, while wasting time at work, I explored around the internet looking at friend's picture pages. i was surprised at how many have pictures from the big san Francisco anti-war rally over MLK weekend. I’m surprised at how many friends of mine are dramatically “anti-war.” I suppose one could take the stance to never support war, no matter what the circumstances, but if that’s not the case why isn’t this war good enough? While Colin Powell’s speech this morning didn’t produce a grand-finale “smoking gun,” (nor was it supposed to) it seems plain to me that iraq has WMD. And I believe a country that uses these offensively should not be allowed to freely do what it wants. What is wrong with that? Why is that not a good thing? I don’t think Bush should go to war if the country is not behind him, but it seems to me like we really should be.