Success! For breakfast I had macaroni and cheese laced with broccoli bits, for lunch I had samosa chole chat; for dinner I had linguine in a tomatoed alfredo sauce; for my healthy snack I had 3 mandarins. I got plenty of exercise walking home from merryperseis's place. No junk food.

From the The Universal Household Assistant or What Every One Should Know (1884):

Toast and Water. — This is the most wholesome, and, if properly made, palatable drink for children and invalids. Toast two or three thin slices of bread thoroughly, until they are quite dry and of a red-brown color — not burned. Pour boiling water on them, and add a small piece of lemon peel. When cold, strain off into a jug for use.

For breakfast I had angel hair pasta in a garlic butter sauce; for lunch I had mutter paneer on rice; for dinner I had pizza, and for my healthy snack I had three mandarins. However, I didn't get any exercise and ate quite a bit of the left over Halloween candy. We only got two groups of trick or treaters, so there was a lot left over. Tomorrow is another day, perhaps the day I make this attempt work.

For breakfast I had creamy parmesan noodles, for lunch I had eggs and hashbrowns, for my healthy snack I had a mandarin and a sugar-free popsicle. I got in well over an hour of exercise walking from my place to merryperseis's place and back.

I would have made, except that my dinner wasn't exactly reasonable. I went to Rudy's with purpleglitter, zarthon, and Jeff. I ended up eating chili con queso, a jalapeño poppers, and a bean & cheese burrito. The popper and burrito would have been fine &ndash but the chips and chili con queso were not only too much, it's hard not to categorize them as junk food.

From the The Universal Household Assistant or What Every One Should Know (1884):

Things to try. — Try popcorn for nausea.    Try cranberries for malaria.    Try a sun-bath for rheumatism.    Try ginger ale for stomach cramps.    Try clam broth for a weak stomach.    Try cranberry poultice for erysipelas.    Try a wet towel to the back of the neck when sleepless.    Try swallowing saliva when troubled with sour stomach.    Try eating fresh radishes and yellow turnips for gravel.    Try eating onions and horseradish to relieve dropsical swellings.    Try buttermilk for removal of freckles, tan, and butternut stains.    Try taking your cod liver oil in tomato catsup, if you want to make it palatable.    Try hard cider -- a wine-glass three times a day -- for ague and rheumatism.    Try taking a nap in the afternoon if you are going to be out late in the evening.    Try breathing the fumes of turpentine or carbolic acid to remove whooping cough.    Try a cloth wrung out from cold water put about the neck at night for sore throat.    Try snuffing powdered borax up the nostrils for catarrhal "cold in the head."    Try walking with your hands behind you if you find yourself becoming bent forward.    Try a silk handkerchief over the face when obliged to go against a cold piercing wind.    Try planting sunflowers in your garden if compelled to live in a malarial district.

From the The Universal Household Assistant or What Every One Should Know (1884), posted at the request of kitsunekaboom

Ringworm — remedy for. — When the disease does not come from direct contagion, children are generally in a poor state of blood, and good living, sea air, and tonic medicines are of great benefit. The following application will frequently be found of much service: Wash the part effected with a little lemon juice; then rub in with the finger a little gunpowder which has been bruised in a mortar. Do this gently about twice a day. Be very careful not to make the skin sore.

Prince Henry's test results came back yesterday, and he got a clean bill of health. He got to fly with everyone else for the first time. Sir Dubbins freaked out and had to go back to his cage, but the budgies didn't seem mind him much. None of the budgies approached him too closely, but it was evident Skye wanted to. We're not going to have Prince Henry and Sir Dubbins out at the same time until they get a little more used to the idea of each other.

I went to a equinox dinner yesterday at lady_babalon's and sophiaserpentia's. I must say that sophiaserpentia makes the most excellent apple crisps. I was happy to see that x_bluerose_x was there to. We sat around the table and discussed what we viewed as our "harvests" this year, however I'm more planning for the spring then harvesting now. Of course, there were other topics, but that was the planned topic. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I had fun while I was there.

After leaving the equinox dinner, I went over to merryperseis's place, where I ate again. I knew that we would be having roasted cauliflower, so I intentionally ate sparingly at the early dinner. I brought her my serpent staff. I've known that my bird staff is what I'm meant to use at this point, and merryperseis told me she needed something that symbolized a serpent: so the transfer seemed right. I wanted to do it on the equinox for balance. There wasn't really any ceremony about the transfer, it was just done.

I had a swell time at the x_bluerose_x's party last night. I very much liked the banana chocolate goodness of Sex in the TARDIS as well as the strange Liqor 43 brontosproximo brought. I got a little more sloshed than I intended, and while I was not falling down drunk (which I haven't been in many years), I still managed to achieve stupid drunk (which I haven't been in quite a while either).

The crowd was jolly, and the floor show at the end was... well... interesting.

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Crabapples:

purpleglitter and I went to Building 19¹/₂ Monday. Building 19 stores sell items other stores couldn't get off their shelves. They buy this stuff at a steep discount and it can be quite a bargain. Sometimes, it's easy to figure out why the item didn't sell very well...

I'm back in Boston. I had a great deal of fun with My sister, niece, brother-in-law, and mom. Maddie is a little ball of energy. Well, not little, she's quite big for a 7 year old. Smart and creative, but I just can't keep up with her.

The day I arrived, Thursday, we pretty much stayed around the house and relaxed. My mom had already been there for several days and was already settled in.

Friday, Christian stayed home while Maddie, Bridgette, my mom, and I went down to Georgetown. We hit Lush and Godiva and went to Dean & Deluca for lunch. While I've seen central meter machines in parking lots, I'd never seen a central machine for street parking before. I guess it is more efficient than having a separate parking meter for each spot, I'm just not used to it. The biggest disadvantage I see with the central machine system is that if it breaks down it disrupts the use of a number of parking spots at once.

Saturday we drove into Virginia through wine country and went to Linden Vineyards (nothing to do with Second Live). That was my favorite part of the trip down. Relaxing doesn't even begin to describe the place. Surrounded by rows of grapes and vine watching the clouds shadow-dance on the Blue Ridge Mountains. The cigar Christian gave me to smoke at the vineyard not only went perfectly with the cheese and wine, but also with the surrounding tranquility.

Sunday, I got up later than I had planned, but not so late that it caused any hassle in catching my flight. Upon leaving, Christian gave me some cigars, along with a 15-pack of Rocky Patel vintage 1992s, one of my favorites. My mom gave me a wonderful dragon cane when I arrived at the house and I was a bit worried about getting on the flight with 2 canes, but I didn't have any hassle and the return trip from Reagan National to Logan went smoothly.

I had hoped to get some good bird pictures, but unfortunately my birding camera is not working. I noticed it my first day there. It seems to be a connection problem with the battery prongs, which should be repairable. But, I was glad to see that Maddie loved birds and birdwatching despite her father's hatred of them.

Yesterday, as predicted, didn't work out for Project Five. For breakfast I had pizza; for lunch I had rotini and faux italian sausage in a jalapeño jack sauce; for dinner I had spaghetti in tomatoe sauce with portobello mushrooms and parmesan cheese; for my first healthy snack I had a clementine; for my second healthy snack I had tortillas with spinach and garlic hummus.

I also had a hand full of walnuts and the rest of the Godiva chocolate. Several people have argued that Godiva chocolate is a healthy snack. I'm still not ready to put it in that category – regardless, both the nuts and the Godiva were beyond the two healthy snack quota and would therefore be outside the Project Five plan whether or not the Godiva is healthy.

I didn't get my exercise in either. I need to find a good indoor exercise regimen that I can and will do.

Yesterday was Valentine's Days. purpleglitter gave me a heart of chocolates from Godiva, which is absolutely wonderful but ensures that I failed at Project Five yesterday and will again today. However, I can't entirely blame not making Project Five yesterday on the Godiva. I at a cheese danish, got no exercise, and had half a microwave pizza before bed.

For breakfast yesterday, I had pizza; for lunch I had spaghetti in tomatoe sauce with portobello mushrooms and parmesan cheese; for dinner I had arepa de choclo; for my first healthy snack I had a clementine; and for my second healthy snack I didn't have one.

I'll get back on track tomorrow.

For breakfast yesterday I had cream of mushroom soup; for lunch I had spaghetti o's topped with monterey jack; for dinner I had ricotta and spinach stuffed ravioli in tomatoe sauce with parmesan and green and blacks olives; for my first healthy snack I had a clementine, for my second health snack I had dried blueberries.

I didn't get in my exercise quota and I had a white chocolate Lindt ball. Mmm... it was good, but definitely not on the plan.

For breakfast yesterday I had rotini and faux italian sausage in a jalapeño jack sauce; for lunch I had a veggie burger with cheddar; for dinner I had french bread pizza topped with faux italian sausage; for my first healthy snack I had a clementine; for my second healthy snack I had pumpkin seeds.

I got in plenty of exercise with a non-direct cigar walk to Stop & Shop.

Success.