I had a vegan vanilla cupcake for a snack this afternoon. So dense I had to cut it with a knife into several small slices.

I'm watching Countdown. Senator Obama was just on, trying very hard to drag the political conversation back to issues (good luck with that). One of the next segments is supposed to involve penguins painting. As in the birds creating the paintings. Countdown makes my head hurt in all the right ways.

So thankful I didn't eat my last slice of pie for breakfast this morning.

I've got more awesome pie ideas than I have crusts. Looks like I'm going to have to make more crusts.

I have never heard of Sambo before today. What's the connotation?

Also, for a good old-fashioned WASPy name, I present Elizabeth. It's been popular forever for a reason. Also, it has a list of nicknames a mile long. And yes, I did have ancestors on the Mayflower. But otherwise you're probably safe choosing the name of any American Girl doll. Surely there's a Charity or a Chastity somewhere.

Let's see - that was middle school so she must have been 13 or 14. She traveled to 5 countries in Europe over 2 weeks.

Wow, you're awesome. My mom didn't let me go to Europe by myself when I was 22.

Yay, Burbank, ita!!

And OMG. I started a diet TODAY for the first time ever. You guys are making me wanna cry about pie. Holy crap. How on earth does the diet business stay in business? I don't think I'm cut out for this nonsense. I want pie. Followed by a pizza pie.

I don't think I can finish my thesis. I sit down to work on it, and I stare at the screen or the paper, and I just can't get anything done. At all. It's like my brain has just blocked all thesis-related thoughts. I don't know what's wrong with me.

I had a vegan vanilla cupcake for a snack this afternoon. So dense I had to cut it with a knife into several small slices.

Sounds amazing. Would almost be a fabulous substitute for pie.

Aww, Hil. I suck at higher math, but is there anything I can do to help?

OOh, I would say the top layer of creaminess should be banana, but then there should be a layer of like, just thin thin chocolate. Not cream.

Sort of like the Dove ice creams with their layer of ganache. Which is not so much with the thin, but the idea is there.

Now I want ice cream. And pie. Mmm... warm berry pie with good vanilla ice cream.

Yeah, I'm on a diet too-- and my sweets/desserts calories were taken up with the Reese's peanut butter cup my son insisted on sharing with me because he's actually a good kid like that.

Thesis ~ma to Hil

Thanks, guys.

Everyone keeps suggesting I take a break. I'm not sure how taking a break will solve the problem of not doing work. I think that, tomorrow, I might try working on a different section than the one I've been working on -- maybe just thinking about a different topic might help.