When the Cat's Away...

FMM: 3.5 mi

Top O' the Morning/Noon/Night,

With Bob in Belfast for 3 days, I am a playing mouse. While throwing frozen dinners in the oven, sorting socks, or checking the OJ supply aren't terribly demanding tasks, I'm still glad to be free of them. However, I have found myself slipping into the bad habits of the last time I was left completely alone. By 10:30 AM, I had consumed a bowl of Grape Nuts, apple juice , AND a mid-morning snack of four chocolate cookies, a bag of potato chips (it was small), a bag of pretzels (also small), and warm sticky toffee pudding with whipped cream (not small). After that, I ate my "official" lunch of rigatoni with tomato sauce, my last precious cup of applesauce (brought to me by Teresa Foster), and a carrot (small, but aren't you proud of me?). Thank heavens there is not a CCTV (closed circuit television) in my apartment or Jillian from _The Biggest Loser_ would have come in person to drag me off to "the ranch". At this point, I decided that I needed to get out of the apartment. I had a large box to mail to the U.S., so I ingeniously strapped it to my wheelie cart with a belt and a string and set off to Donnybrook Fair, an upscale grocery/deli which houses a post office outlet. I wish I had looked at my watch. I arrived at 1:05, the height of the lunch hour. I wheeled past 30 or so smartly dressed professionals (Did you know I live in a very upscale section of Dublin known as D4? ) lined up to order sushi or salmon salad or whatever health-conscious people eat. At least I didn't have my rain bonnet on. To my surprise, the cost to ship the box was $100. I was going to send a check to my niece Kit for a baby gift, but Bob persuaded me that that was an "old lady" thing to do and that I should buy a gift and send it. I do hope little Drew Kirby appreciates his old great-aunt's efforts. And, Emily, if you're reading this, you're getting a check!..If you're still reading this shameful account of my day, I'll tell you the rest. I walked to the library to view a _Picture of Dorian Gray_ digital painting which changes from a handsome Dorian to a hideous Dorian in 30 minutes. What else did I have to do? I sat and watched it. I then wandered home, ate a bagel, crackers, and cheese for dinner as well as a chocolate graham cracker that had hidden itself in the back of the cabinet hoping to escape my morning rampage. I then plopped on the couch and stayed there for 4 continous hours talking on the phone to Mom, Molly, Tim, Pam (2 hours - we were just getting started), and my brother Bob...Today is a new day. I have no "good" (aka "junk food") food left to ravage, and I am determined to clean up my act and set a sensible, mature example for all of you readers. Otherwise, I may have to set a mousetrap for myself...

Consuming your calories for you,

I remain

Tizzie/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth