Can someone please explain how I could have gained 5 lbs on vacation while walking significantly more and eating somewhat less (at least post stomach ick)?

happiness

Booze? Wait, that's redundant.

No, depression made me gain weight; happiness was supposed to help me lose weight and get in shape a little bit so that I can finally have a baby dammit.

Sorry to be all ranty, but I feel like I keep trying hard to improve myself, and it has been about as effective as banging my head against a wall.

Vortex, I only drank alcohol on Friday. After that I didn't want to chance it.

Since I work 1/2 a day at home on Fridays, I tend to do the laundry and bake, etc., in between manuscripts.

I'm baking a quiche right now, so that it can cool and be a nice cold dinner later. Living with a vegetarian, I generally just do a basic spinach-and-pungent-cheese quiche. But a while ago, I had quiche at a restaurant that put in what I thought was edamame, slightly mooshed up. The server said it was actually peas. (Huh.)

We've been eating a lot of edamame this summer -- I cook up a big batch on Sunday night, and refrigerate it, and we eat it cold all week. (Are you sensing a theme? I might not eat any hot food until November.)

The current batch of refrigerator edamame is nearing the end of its life cycle, so when I made the quiche, I took a couple handfuls of edamame, mooshed them slightly, and then mixed them in with the spinach.

We'll see if that was a tragic error or the TASTIEST THING EVAR.

Stay tuned.

And I *have to* stop eating sugar, you guys. My IBS has been acting up horribly for a couple of months (I read some research that said that people with allergies are prone to get IBS/get bad IBS, because it's all an inflammatory thing gone horribly awry -- and hey, it's currently BADASS allergy season, whee), and sugar makes it So. Much. Worse.

And yet do I stop eating Trader Joe's version of Oreos? No, I do not. And then I pay dearly.

I cannot act in my own best interest, it seems.

That's part of the reason for having the refrigerator edamame -- yet another attempt to have something non-sugary around for me to eat instead of Joe-Joes.

I'm kind of terrified that they'll do a Real Housewives of Long Island at some point, which will pretty much involve going out to the Five Towns and finding the JAPpiest people they can.

You know what I discovered is really good in quiche-type things? Swiss chard. I made a tofu fritatta with rainbow chard yesterday, and it is fabulous.

You know what I discovered is really good in quiche-type things? Swiss chard.

Oooh, I'll have to try that. Spinach is my go-to dark leafy green, but I do like chard. I just never think about it.

And if you use red chard, you end up with really pretty pink spots all over the quiche.

I am unironically saddened by Jacko's death, and want to listen to Thriller today. I've heard snatches of Beat It, PYT and Billie Jean. It's making me want to hear the whole thing.

And I'm a little weirded out by my lack of irony, but the dude never had a clue what a normal life was like in all his days. However screwed up he was, I can't do anything but feel sorry for the man.

Also, I am steeping my first cup of Mighty Leaf Earl Grey in a couple of months, and the smell is the most delicious thing ever.

The edamame sounds very good, Teppy.

I'm going to stop ranting and attempt to be productive by dragging my ass out of the house to do some errands.