I’ve been getting a lot of questions about acupuncture following this post; I intended to address the topic yesterday, but my head was in another place! Anyway, I’m not an expert by any means. All I know is that someone who works in the same place I do swears it helped her carpal tunnel sydrome, and since nothing else has worked to date, I figured it was worth a shot. Nobody spoke to the acupuncturist but me; I’m the one who told him I don’t have a period. As for those of you who are squeamish when it comes to needles, if you don’t look, you won’t even know that there’s a needle in your skin. You just feel a tiny pinprick of pressure for a second, and then for the next twenty minutes you can even take a little nap if you’d like. Which I did like. (And the knee / hip / thigh seems to be holding up pretty well … just a little residual dull ache. I’m pondering trying some light cardio tomorrow.)
Last night, my mom was cleaning out some kitchen cabinets. (Can I just say that I do not understand the concept of “cleaning for Pesach” when these cabinets are all going to be locked up for that week anyway?!) I needed to be present for the cabinets that have things in them which I use, because I’d never be able to find them again if I wasn’t there! Yesterday this was dubbed the “Peanut Butter Closet.”
Yikes. It looks kind of like a supermarket shelf, since they’re mostly PB&Co.!
On the topic of peanut butter, though, look what was in that closet:
OIAJ was on the menu, obviously.
Second day in a row of a “different breakfast.” Actually, I tasted some of the oat bran before I dumped it in the jar; it was just plain oat bran mixed with Truvia. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in adding a bunch of crazy things, I forget how good it is when I keep it plain and simple.
I foresee another OIAJ in the very near future, because this means that another jar is ready:
Yes, I know, it looks like poop on a log. I can’t spread peanut butter on a banana. It’s too slimy! My inability to do that is an ongoing problem.
Actually, that picture is from yesterday. After last week’s banana saga, I bought three this week. (Side point: three adorable, perfectly-sized organic bananas were less than $.50!) But now I have to find ways to use them! I took one to work with me today, but for reasons explained below, I didn’t wind up eating it there. I did use half of it when I got home, though…
Double chocolate chip muffin topper, vanilla yogurt, sliced banana.
Would you believe that this is the first time I’ve ever had banana in yogurt?
So, the reason why I did not eat this banana at work… I mentioned earlier this week that I was probably going to have to skip therapy. My therapist had some sort of meeting this morning, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be back by the time of my appointment (which, for the record, is 2.30). She was supposed to call me if she was going to make it. Since I don’t take a lunch break on therapy days, because that is my lunch break, here I was at 3.00 or so, lunch break still untaken. And I would have eaten the banana either on the way to my therapist’s office, or on the way back to work, because I am a crazy person and I won’t throw out any food-related item in the office trash can. And I am not about to bring home a banana peel to dispose of it! At that point, I decided that I would just leave work an hour early and consider it my lunch break. I ran this by Mr. J. He said okay. Then when I was leaving, he got all upset — “Where are you going? Oh, you’re leaving leaving?! That’s against departmental policy, you can’t take a lunch break after 4.00. Don’t do it again.” Okay, dude, whatever — I asked you about this! He drives me crazy.
Anyway, I texted my brother, who was home today, and asked him to test the water levels in the aquarium. The pH was a little low, but it usually is… and the ammonia didn’t sound too bad, so I decided to risk getting a new pleco. I didn’t take a picture of it, but you’ve seen enough of them on my blog by now. :p It isn’t even a bristlenose pleco, which means it will potentially get huge and ugly, but if it lives long enough to do that, I will be very happy indeed. I did another water change before transferring the pleco, and when I tested the water after that, the ammonia was at zero. Perfection.
To “reward” myself for being so “non-observant” or whatever you want to call it, this made an appearance:
This, or some variation of this, is pretty much a “go-to” meal for me. Vegetarian drumstick, bulgur, and a pile of steamed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, in this case). And garlic salt, obviously.
And oh! Purim is coming! (Yep, much as I’d like to deny it…)
I made hamantashen, because it’s a tradition for me to do that every year. It’s been ages since I’ve baked properly; I really love it, but I hate cleaning up afterwards! Usually, hamantashen are made by rolling out the dough, cutting out circles, putting the filling on the circle, and folding over the sides. I absolutely hate making cut-out cookies. A few years ago I had a stroke of brilliance, and now I use a linzer tart dough recipe. Basically, the dough is soft enough for me to roll it into a ball, flatten it, and then gently push up the sides around / over the filling to form a triangle. Makes my life so much easier. And everyone loves the linzer tarts, so this is a winner in all respects. Baker is happy, eaters are happy. 
And also in the Purim spirit, my brother conducted a little experiment.
Jello shots! (He made this brilliant observation about the jel: “It smells like sugar.” Nooo. Why would it?! It’s only, like, 100% sugar!)
As it turns out, we are staying home for Shabbos. My mom told me, “What, we’re going to leave you here to eat by yourself?!” Which is such rubbish, because what I want is never a deciding factor in these things. My dad probably said he didn’t want to go. Either way, I’m glad we’re not going to my brother. (Even though, to be honest, there is a small part of me that is upset about it because I know that I wouldn’t eat there, or at least a lot less than I will at home. But it’s a small part. Can I count that as a good thing?!)
That little bit of relief aside, I am still feeling stressed and anxious, and I decided that Katie’s suggestion was a good one.
I was actually going to do school reading in there. But I figured that probably would have been kind of counterproductive, considering I was supposed to be doing something relaxing, so I read a magazine instead. I’m trying to convince myself that I don’t feel guilty for just vegetating like that instead of being productive. (And also thinking that my poor butt wants me to invest in a padded bath mat!! Do such things even exist?!)
Work might be closed tomorrow due to the weather. (Yes, more snow.) Even if it’s not, I am taking off … for a totally self-indulgent “Me Day.” One which makes me cringe both because I always feel so selfish for it, and because it is going to be insanely expensive. I should be getting my hair cut every six to eight weeks. I do get my hair cut probably every six months. What can I say … once I’ve been to Ouidad, I can’t go anywhere else, and it’s too freaking expensive for me to go as often as I should. And I am also going to be extremely brave and get a massage… I still think it’s strange that I like massages, because I’m not a touchy-feely person at all. In fact, I am quite abhorrent of being touched! Maybe I’m masochistic and love having someone attack the knots and kinks in my back / neck / shoulders. And believe me, there are a lot of them!
I think I’ve babbled on long enough for one evening… and effectively negated any chance of my getting any work done before I pass out. I will shut up now.
Have a great weekend!
“Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.”
~Roald Dahl
(I love that guy. And this is very Purim-appropriate!)
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