Going Strong

Wow. I am really craving a bagel sandwich right now at this very moment. So anyways, Day 9 of the Master Cleanse, and I have been true to it every step of the way. What a way to instill discipline into your life! I mean, for real. I am proud that I have made it so far. I am excited that I am challening my mind and body. And mostly, I am ready to reap the rewards that are supposed to come AFTER THE CLEANSE IS DONE.

So, in general, I feel good today. There are moments where I am bursting with energy and then there are times that I am definitely dragging. I am bored of liquids and am dying for something solid. It's strange; I'm not hungry...exactly, I just want to eat something, anything, for that matter.

Here are a few thoughts about my first-ever cleansing experience:

My sense of smell is astounding.

So far, on this liquid cleanse, I don't need food; just seeing it, talking about it, or smelling is good enough. It's hard to explain, but it helps me experience it without doing it.

Food is a social convenience.

People are wary of cleanses.

People don't understand the desire to detox; they want to pass it off as a fad or crash diet.

Cleansing is enlightening, and if you allow it, it can be spiritual.

Cleansing is an individual experience. I would suggest doing it alone. You need to be self-motivated and self-contained in a lot of ways.

You need to want it for the right reasons.

More to come later, one more day and then I enter "Easing" back in to eating solids!

Open wide and say, "Ahhh"

So Day 4 and my body seems to have become accustomed to my new liquid lemonade routine. Yesterday at around 4 PM, I developed a pretty bad headache. I ended up not having to work so I took a nap when I got home. That was definitely needed. My body felt super run-down. I got up at 9 PM and had an amazing amount of energy and clarity. I accomplished a bunch of things I've been meaning to do and didn't fall back asleep until 2 AM.

When I awoke at 730 this morning, I felt invigorated and energized. I have felt pretty good all day with all the aforementioned symptoms... nothing crazy to report. My tongue is coated in white (that's the toxin release), but it's only a thin film, nothing to write home about. I feel pretty snazzy and have no real hunger, although the cravings are pretty abundant. I wonder if these will subside.

Apparently, on the fourth day, your body goes into "hibernation" mode, a safety mode of sorts, it realizes its not getting fed and in response, shuts down to save itself. I think that hunger is supposed to subside as a result. This is pretty much on target. Anyways, just a short update.

3 Down, 7 to Go

So, day 3 of the master cleanse, and so far, so good. I hear the first three days are the hardest and I am only now beginning to see that. Today, I want food. It's funny, the first two days, I hardly desired solid food at all. But, today is a different story. I want it. It's not a burning desire, but it's there. The cleanse is suddenly real to me. The commitment is suddenly huge. I am really throwing myself into this and it's not a picnic! (and if it was, it would suck...I mean a picnic with no food!)

So, yeah, I am craving dried fruit for some reason. Literally, the thought of dried cherries, raisins, dates, and prunes has got me salivating! I don't even know why. And I am also craving chocolate, dark and rich...holy crap, a combination of the two!! Chocolate covered dried fruit...oh god, I've gotten myself worked up into quite the frenzy now.

I woke up at 6 AM this morning with a burst of energy, I wanted to go running. Instead of acting on this, I crawled back into bed and forced myself to sleep until 7:30 AM...I got nervous I would run out of steam and I'm working both jobs today so I won't be off until 11 or 12...so I forced myself back into the sack. The energy felt nice, though. It felt real. It wasn't fueled by anything but myself, my core, if that makes any sense...

Other reactions: my head feels funny today ( a combo of a headache, dizziness, and an inability to focus) and I have been in the bathroom on the regular. Literally, it's been exhausting.

I have read a lot about the clarity and insight one can gain from cleansing/fasting and I am very excited to explore and experience the spiritual part of the cleanse. I'll keep you updated, don't you worry, my lil blog-o.

Sun Chips

So, believe it or not, yesterday was a breeze. Making dinner last night didn't pose too many problems either. Maybe it was because I left after I was sure everything was already cooking in the oven...watching them eat would have been torture!

Whenever I cook, which is a great passion of mine, I taste everything. I caught myself many a times food to lip and had to say no, habitual taster, no! Naughty conditioned nibbler! And I did catch myself and I was a true-blue cleanser. So that was that. I weathered the storm!

Today has been my first real day of elimination, this is where it gets gorey, by the way...and well, it hasn't been too crazy. Just relieving, in a way. I feel pretty energized overall and not at all hungry, like not even the slightest, which is nuts. However, I do have cravings. For example, I just had a meeting with my boss and the whole time, he was ripping through a bag of cheesey sun-chips. I literally found myself hanging on his every word, or more accurately, his every chip. And the smell! Oh, yum! What aromatic yumminess it was. And every crunch...music to my ears.

Let's just say that my sense of smell and taste are incredibly intense due to this cleanse. I am just so aware of food...everywhere! It's so social too, people do it together...and now I am that girl in the corner with a jug of pee-looking liquid, smelling kinda weird (yes, you give off an odor when you are cleansing, and mine is kinda garlicy...which I oddly like). It's an experience, I'll tell you that much. So in summary, here are some of the effects I am feeling: I am a VIP member of the bathroom, I am giving off an oddly pleasant garlic aroma, and I have been gifted with a very keen sense of smell. All in all, not too bad. No hunger yet, but my stomach has been growling quite a bit.

Anyways tonight I have to work, which will, no doubt, be hard. I work at an Italian restaurant where I pretty much love to snack on homeade bread, roasted rosemary potatoes, and cherry coke to my heart's delight. Tonight will be purely lemonade magic. It will be hard, but I am excited to test my strength. I shall endure because I am strong! (I gotta keep telling myself this).

Prime Rib

So, first day of the cleanse! And so far, not so bad. Granted, it is only 3:35 PM on day 1, but hey, I'm still giving myself credit. The lemonade mix actually does a good job of supressing any hunger. Although, I do have cravings. Actually, I really need to stop cruising the Food Network website. I'm already thinking about how I am going to reward myself!

So this weekend was "Ease In" weekend. Saturday, it was all veggies and fruit, although I did have two tablespoons of organic peanut butter because I wanted the energy boost between jobs. Sunday, I started with juiced oranges mixed with distilled water...and then I stuck to juiced carrots, celery, and apples to prepare my body for a liquid diet. All was well until we started cozying up and watching movies...and then came the rain. So it was full-fledge movie time equipped with rain, a cozy couch, and some snuggle time...it was almost unbearable without snacks. So I made some killer cookies. Chocolate chip, butterscotch, macadamia nut, to be precise. Then I ate four! I also ate some vanilla ice cream swirled with lucious rasberry and pomegranate...and it was well worth it! It might have done a number on my tummy before the cleanse, but it totally completed the whole experience. I figured it was a last hoorah! So that was the night before my Master Cleanse...one last killer party before I purify myself.

So back to today, I woke up early and eerily cheerful about what's to come. I prepped my magic lemonade and then..the Salt Water Cleanse, which is a little intense (you essentially have to chug a quart of warm salt water), but I did it with no problem, gagging only once. The day has been far from a challenge, but mind you, it is only the first day. Tonight might be a challenge, I have plans to cook dinner for some friends. Prime rib! I'm excited to see what it's like. I enjoy the mental as well as physical challenge that this cleanse may pose. Or is this torture? We will find out...

Temptation Stares Me Down

OK, so today I wanted to start preparing my body for the cleanse (see last entry...written approximately 20 minutes ago). Well, I just had a piece of birthday cake! I am weak! I figured it was a last farewell of sorts...right?! Or I'm just weak! Either way, I must train my mind to be stronger before the cleanse. Fight cravings. The cake was eaten out of cravings, not real hunger. Must learn to distinguish between the two. This cleanse is going to be nuts...and I can hardly wait!

A Time to Cleanse

Shame on me! I haven't blogged in 2 whole months! Oh geez, from now on, I am going to make a concierted effort to write in you, blog...and I apologize for neglecting you. But, you know, I've been busy... experiencing the many things that summer has to offer..and a lot has happened since I last blogged, but that's no matter. This is a new beginning of sorts. So let's move forward! Hm, well there is one new thing in my life: I started doing yoga last week! I have been meaning to get into yoga for forever, but something always got in the way (so typical!). And I am thankful to myself and to yoga, itself, that I did so. My sister has been quite the inspiration in getting me to just start, for god's sake...and well, I finally did. I just bit the bullet and made room for it in my life. So...thanks, Kerrry Annie! Overall, it has been invigorating, awakening, and inspiring. For real. Let's just say, I am very glad I finally just took some initiative and invited it into my life. Super sweet. More to come. Also, another crazy update: I am trying out the Master Cleanse, commencing this Monday! I have been researching it for about a year now and I figure now is as good a time as any to just throw myself into it. I need to be cleansed, for real. My body has been craving a detox for quite some time now and well, I'm taking the extreme route: lemonade, here I come! I think it's important to track this incredible journey, so that I shall do. Right here in my little blog-o. So to start, I need to begin preparing my body for it. In order to do that, today, I have ommitted processed foods from my diet and seriously increased my water intake. Tomorrow, I will feast on just veggies and fruit and then Sunday I will experiment with the Salt Water Flush in the morning and stick to mostly juiced veggies and fruits for the rest of the day. Then, Monday, here we come! That's the tentative plan, let's see how it pans out. I am more nervous and excited than I have been in a long time. Stay tuned for the very personal, gory details...

Musings from my Boss

I overheard my coworker and boss chatting just a moment ago. This is how it went.

Boss: "What are your plans for the holiday?"
Coworker: "Relax and go to the Yankees game!"
Boss: "Anthony, do something interesting this weekend. What is in a game? Anyone can shoot a bloody gun at a target. Be something more than that."

I love my boss. He is always so introspective and funny, even when he doesn't mean to be. He recently asked me about my ring, a peach moonstone.

He said, "Kathleen, why do you waste such beauty?"
I replied, "What do you mean? I mean, I am wearing it. How am I not getting use out of it?"

He wisely informed me that the ring was not touching my body (being propped on its setting) and therefore, I was not receiving the intended effect of the stone, which, by the way, brings peace and tranquility. I, being the smart ass I am, flipped the ring over and closed my hand around it.

"There, now I am peaceful," I proudly declared.

He quoted Einsten and was gone. He's a bit all over the place, but what a wonderful man.

Snuggle Tent

For the past couple days, I have been sleeping in a tent. Yes, a tent. My boyfriend, being the oh-so sexy mountain man that he is, pitched a tent in our living room and accordingly, set up our bed inside of it. He is so adorable like that. Truth be told, I'm in love with it. I want to make a home in it...a cocoon, maybe. I could use a little hibernation...a little time away. I think that is why I am so drawn to this sleeping arrangement; you can zip yourself up in your own warm little world and just be. It's nice and kind of womb-like. And in the morning, you reemerge into the daylight, literally zipping yourself out and up into the morning. A rebirth of sorts. It brings whole new meaning to the metaphorical rise and shine. Now, if only we had enough room to pitch it in our backyard...

Paving my mind

When you look at the world in a certain way, it seems silly to ever get caught up in trivial things that often plague the mind. That is why it is important to not get caught up in the stuff that doesn't matter, otherwise, as they say, you will truly miss out on what is special. I have been trying to do this. But, isn't it funny (or, more often than not, sad) that it is so easy to busy your mind, and thus your life, with things that don't matter? Usually these things stem from misunderstanding, misconcenption, or simply because your mind runs away with itself. It is so important to try and not let this happen. Why fill your head with junk when it has so much room for hope and discovery? I think that maybe the former is easier than the latter, and that is why people so often focus on such things. I think it takes both awareness and confidence to lead your mind to wonderful places. It takes independent thinking and an ability to understand that life is full of different paths that cross in a million different ways and you are just one of them. You must accept that everyone has their own story and every bit of it is beautiful in its own way. You might drive yourself crazy if can't believe that.

Lessons Learned

Having a mentee in my life has been quite the experience, let me tell you. It has taught me so much about self-worth! It has made me realize how important recognition is and about how wonderful and effective constant encouragement can be. All these things aside, it's also tough. I had a vision of what being a mentor would be like before I got myself into the program. Here is what it looked like: Me, a supportive and sassy adult who can just be real with a teen who's about to emerge into the "real" world. Her: a young, excitable, and ever-curious bundle of life-energy in need of a little guidance. We would spend our time hiking or kicking around a soccer ball...a rootbeer float here, a friendship necklace there...you get the picture.

So far, it has not been like that. She is not like that. We are not like that (yet). She is obviously in this program for a reason and sadly enough, it's because she lacks anything even remotely close to my daydream scenario; and that is where I come in, I suppose. The truth is she lacks a lot and she needs me to make up for that...and well, that is intense and amazing, but mostly intense.

The reality finally hit me. This is really about two very different people learning to know each other and frankly, learning to like each other. It's a crash course in trust and growth and all in all, it is pretty fantastic. It's funny to see us fumble along trying to understand this process. And what a process it is! Once we figure out our relationship, I think we be able to really see each other, but it will undoubtably be a challenge. However, as with most volunteer work, it has been eye-opening and that is why I love it. But, man, oh man, it's not easy.

I must say that being the positive force in someone else's life is pretty rewarding. Offering chances, ideas, and experiences to someone who wouldn't otherwise be exposed to those things is like being Santa, only better. That is precisely what makes this so very worth it.

Circles in my head

Why is it so hard to really trust people? OK, it probably has something to do with vulnerability...but that is a bit hog-washy for me. It's a given. You open yourself up to someone else and in essence, it's an unveiling. You want it to be raw, I think. Better yet, you want it to be pure. I wish it was easier to be trustworthy of those that are close and important to you. Just to be totally comfortable when it comes to really getting to know yourself though someone else; not to have to follow rules or feel like you need to fit some mold. Just be yourself in your finest, realest form and have that be enough of a ground for true strength to build. I wish I had the ability to really see and understand people; really know and trust them. In a way, I think I've been blessed with this capacity, but after some consideration, I'm also convinced it's on a semi-superficial level. When I stop and think about it, I mean, how much of the real me is really knowing anyone else? I am in awe of how that can really happen. Like undeniably connecting with someone else and that just being it. No worries; just openness, trust, and growth. Maybe that's an ideal, but I think it's possible to find that in the real (per se, material) world, right? I wish I wasn't riddled with silly insecurities about myself. I wish I didn't doubt people's intentions. Real, solid, unsuperficial strength is hard to come by. Strength that really comes from somewhere deep and for the right reasons, not strength that is used to mask other things. I want this! Where do I find it? For a lil insight, I googled "where do i find strength?" (obviously!) I did learn a little bit about buidling muscle and losing fat, as well as about the importance of gaining strength through numbers in religion, but that's all. Despite popular belief, I suppose Google is not an all-knowing entity. Well, I guess I have to search a bit deeper than the web, eh? It must be something you can't read, instead it's something you must do. So I'll add that to my ever-lengthening list of to-do's: find strength in yourself for the right reasons. Learn to trust (and know) yourself, as well as others.

I need a lil spice in my life

Mondays can drag on like it's nobody's business. Even when you try to stay upbeat about things, monotony and routine rear their ugly heads and stare you down. Both have haunted me lately and well, to be honest, I feel stagnant...I know! I know! This is surely not a good thing. So how do I get out of this? To varietize my life might be a good place to start. Where do I start? The smallest details of one's everyday life can become exciting and different. Start small and work up! So there, that's what I will decidely pursue...change in small doses. I'll keep you posted.

Unexpected Insight

Sometimes something happens and all of a sudden, you are transported to a different place and time. You are back where you were years ago. You are in your memories and they are suddenly so much a part of who you are. A friend of mine passed away this week, very suddenly and very sadly, and when I heard the news, it stirred up things inside me that I hadn't felt or even thought about in many, many years. I blinked my eyes and I was back in my hometown; years back, remembering John and all the people, places, and things affiliated with him. And now, here we are, a short time later, and we have all moved on; everything still remains, but it has passed and is different...and now he, too, is gone. Things change in a flash, and become fleeting memories. It really makes you think about the fragility of life. About the beauty that one second in time holds. About appreciation. About giving thanks for every single thing you have. It makes me want to run home and just be with the people I grew up with. As we get older, our lives start to take on a life of their own; we mature into an older version of ourselves. We become who we are, with the aim of actualizing our full potential. But, where we come from and who we were before this transformation is just as important as the transformation itself because it roots us in ourselves. It's a part of us. We are all intertwined in eachother's lives and when one of those life lines is unexpectedly and tragicly torn out, it is a serious wake-up call.

People are like mirrors

People are like mirrors, they really are! I am a firm believer in the idea that you know yourself through other people. I have been out of touch with a dear friend of mine and as of late, we have been catching up via g-mail (mmmm g-mail, i salivate just thinking about you!). Anyways, it's crazy the way people's lives keep on going even when you aren't around. Things change, places change, people change, relationships change. Getting back in touch with her has reminded me of all these things and it makes me aware of things that are going on in my own life. Even when we can convince ourselve otherwise, things are impermanent, nothing is for certain, and we can never truly know anything. It's all perception. It's all what, when, and how you can handle things. Sometimes it seems right, sometimes it's not, and sometimes it changes into something else. But how do you handle that? I guess you have to adapt..be self-serving or self-preserving for that matter. But you know what else? You have to take risks. I think that is truly important. You have to challenge yourself. You even have to make the wrong decisions. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way, but who said that is a bad thing? I think it is a beautiful process. All of life, the highs and lows, in the end, are good for us. They make us who we are. Especially the hard times, I think this is when we really learn, when we really build our foundation, when we become truly rooted in ourselves. This is the energy that drives us. For fuck sake, it's the same energy that drags us down. But you know what they say, energy may neither be created nor destroyed, it just turns into something else. So what I keep telling myself (and you what you need to keep telling yourself) is that everything will change and become what it is supposed to become. However, there is one rule of thumb: you have to be level-headed and think things out. If you do that, you can't go wrong. My Dad (what a wise man!) once said to me, "Kathleen, patience and reason go a long way, and as you develop practical capabilities in both, you will experience true human happiness." That meant so much to me. It literally put my life in focus. So I'm passing it on. It's a simple, kinda obvious statement, but those are the best kinds, aren't they?

How ins"tire"ing

So today I dropped my car off to get it inspected (fingers crossed that it passes!). One of the mechanics drove me back to work and we listened to Sublime and got a little chummy. He is from Puerto Rico and we talked about the weather (how typical!) but it was nice to hear his spin on our climate...his appreciation for its variation, although he is pretty sure he will never really get used to it. It was also interesting that in the 5 minutes we spent together he mentioned his wife, his children, and his sisters. It just goes to show where his priorities are and it was refreshing to say the least. When he spoke about his family, he spoke in the present; even when he mentioned something about his sister that happened 16 years ago. I found this pretty fascinating...it seemed as though he lived in the moment, that memories to him were a part of a current flow of things, of things happening, not of those which have happened. Little did he know, but I really did learn something from our short conversation. He didn't say anything particularly inspiring, or particularly interesting, for that matter, but what he did say was meaningful to him and very present in his words and demeanor. He appreciated his family, his life, and they all really seemed to be a part of him. So much so that he spoke about his life like it was now, not then...because well, I guess it is. He seemed to embody the whole live in the moment thing and I was glad to have been exposed to that. That's the great thing about people. They give you perspective because they are perspective, you know? People's views are contagious and it's nice to see it take all shapes. It comes in so many forms, even a greased-up "tire guy" as he so honestly put it, can unknowingly inspire things in other people.

In Limbo

For the past year or so, I have intentionally tried living a more structured life; and I think (to the best of my knowledge, at least) that this has been a good thing for me. It has taught me about the importance of living a sensible existence. It has helped me make rational decisions; and from it, I have gained a sense of discipline, which I so clearly lacked beforehand. So here we are, and now life is monotonous and day in and day out, I feel further and further removed from “myself,” whoever that may be. I know this job is a “good experience” but I fear that it is stifling my creative, adventurous side. When will I feel fulfilled and free? I seek balance so bad I can taste it. But lately what I seek even more is excitement, frivolity, and spontaneity…sure, structure is important, but I think if we can gain insight into its importance and then live by it, we don’t actually need that structure, do you get me? If we can figure out how, we can infuse this structure into impulsivity…because in a way, it has already become a part of us. But, we must be aware of its presence so to not let structure define us nor hold us down. I guess it’s just the time old battle between structure and the individual. Today, I really understand what that means. I want more than anything to be there...on the middle path, be a little bit of both. I mean, don't we all?

Weather Report

When it comes to writing, it makes sense that mood is affected by setting. Especially when we're talking playwright and then well, setting pretty much creates mood. Isn't it funny, though, when this same principal is applied to everyday life? Take today, for example...it's a rainy Tuesday and it seems that everyone in the office is dragging their feet in a ho-hum I feel drippy on the inside kind of way. You get my drift? People are super responsive to the weather. It's like their disposition is acutally dictated by it. Me, on the other hand, I woke up feeling "sunny" today, maybe my insides didn't match the outside, but my internal forecast is set to bright today and aint nothing gonna tear that down. I am making a concierted effort today to be in the moment. Be happy with exactly what is going on at any given place in time. As I sloshed to work today in my suede pumps, I smiled. I took a deep breath and said to myself, enjoy the rain, just be with it; and I did and I was. The power of the mind is outrageous. Keep telling yourself something and it's almost as if your body starts to catch onto those things. If you can do this, it's easy to feel positive in any weather.

"Change is inevitable, except from vending machines"

Fridays have this feel about them. It's like there's a buzz in the air, an energy, if you will. There is possibility in that feeling and well, I like it. Sure, I'll spend most of my day pressing my face against the wall in an attempt to feel the spring-time air, but I know at the end of the work day, I am free! The feeling it gives me reaffirms that I am simply not a 9 to 5er. I'm just not, god damnit. I have an interview this afternoon, very exciting...it feels so good to be job hunting; yes, it's a pain in the ass, but it reawakens things inside of me that I forgot about. It reconnects me with my passions. It reminds me who I am, what I can do, and boosts my self-worth. Life is forever changing and work is such a maleable thing, when you find something that makes sense, it just sticks, and then it just is. But then it starts to take on its own life form, suddenly you are your job...but where did you go? If you can't see yourself anymore, it's time to move on sista. Hit the road, take another path, just get out. That's where I am. On the brink...and it's a fantastic feeling, change, that is. Change holds so much potential; I can hardly wait for what lies ahead...

Aretha speaks to me

Today's topic is none other than (drum roll please)...Aretha Franklin. So where to start? My god, the woman...is just that, a WOAH MAN, right? I feel empowered just thinking about her! To begin, let's marvel at this statistic: the lady of mother fucking soul has won 19 Grammies and also holds the record for Best Female R&B Vocalist, with 11 to her name, bitch won consectively from 1968 to 1975, thank you Wikepedia! She was also the FIRST but not the last (damn straight!) woman to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a breakthrough that occurred in 1987. In that way, she pretty much put her foot in the door (or more accurately, kicked that door in) for all women who fancied rocking and rolling. She pretty much rules, wouldn't you agree? Her lyrical masterminding is poignantly charged with vigorous depth and a splash of innocent passion. Her words cut like a razor, simple and straightfoward... sure, I admit they might border on love sick/struck, but what saves her from sounding desperate is her sheer honesty; she knows how to love, love, love a man but she understands that to do so means heartbreak, heartbreak, heartbreak. She is brutally honest and her emotions are not bogged down by fanciful hoo-ha, which nowadays, a lot of music amounts to. She says it like it is, and her music makes me feel like nothing else I have ever, ever, ever felt...EVER. What sets her apart is the way she FEELS music, I mean, obviously all of the greats feel that shit, but Aretha exudes it, it seeps from her pours, man. Her voice makes me shiver and then quiver...and then shiver again. Her vocal range is rumored to be about 4 octaves and she has belted A5 in chest voice before. Her ability to inject her performances with gut wrenching soul and sheer conviction is unmatchable. On top of her mastery of soul, she is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, gospel, and even opera, yes she is a jack of all trades! AND, the state of Michigan has declared her voice to be a natural wonder (Really!). So wow, I am drained just thinking about her. Aretha, you really speak to me, I feel you all the way down into my toes! So as you can plainly see, I am forever blown away by her, what about you?

Lunch Lady Blues

Work, work, work. Weather(warm), Weather(warm), weather(warm). It might just be me, but the two canNOT coexist together. I have been trying to get outside as much as possible to soak up the wonderful weather. Today I had lunch outside. Sure, it seems like a novel idea, but let's break it down. The weather was immaculate, yes, that much is true, but I was limited to two pretty scary picnic table options. The first very slanted and a bit rotted and the second very much tilted since it was placed in the middle of a hill. I opted for the ladder and therefore had to secure my salad and water the whole time...for fear that it would slip off into the abyss of pesticide ridden landscape. Oh, did I mention there were yellow signs all over the grass with pesticide warnings all over them? Have no fear, my dear, they have been there for 2 days now...so the 24-hour period had already lapsed. Anyways, the splattering of yellow flags everywhere really set the mood. Plus for some reason, unbeknowest to me, there were flies everywhere!! So imagaine this, me slanted on a rickety picnic table, grasping onto my salad and drink/swatting flies, all the while trying to eat admist a flagged danger zone. Quite the scene, let me tell you. So there's a tid bit of my day. Just a little insight into my exciting lunch time drama.