Shir, if you're not purposely doing anything to try to lose weight, then it doesn't sound like an eating disorder. (All standard "I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV" disclaimers here.) Maybe talk to a doctor to make sure there's not some other cause, and then try things like Ensure (or whatever the Israeli equivalent is -- those things that are a meal's worth of nutrients in a chocolatey drink) to make sure you're getting all the nutrition you need.

Shir, I think the braces could easily be the cause of the weight drop. Back in the day I would drop below healthy weight just be not paying attention until my family made me eat. Moms being moms, you might have to go to the doctor anyway just because...

Yay, askye! Have a blast.

Politics is making me crazy. I am avoiding all but recorded tv. Then the group of 4 people working on a project in my office were talking together about the idiocy of Bush, and Palin, and McCain, and I mentioned that they need to vote. ALL 4 of them were unregistered because they believe the whole thing is fixed and that "they" determine all this stuff at some vague fixing things place. It won't matter who votes, etc. Big conspiracy believing types. See me banging head on desk. I assured them that if McCain/Palin take Florida they are in deep trouble with me.

A couple f weeks ago, I left Target without spending one thin dime. I alerted Joe immediately to the impending doom of the world.

I do that all the time at the Target here in Brooklyn, but that's mostly because this particular Target has trouble keeping things in stock.

Yeah, Hil. I know it's not an eating disorder, but because of my ex-roommate I'm a little bit freaked out. Also, yes, we have Ensure here - that's what that roommate had for weeks when she tried to go back to normal weight again, but I don't think I'm there yet.

Or maybe I'm mostly freaking out about this because of me, the control freak.

Shir, yes it is worth paying attention - the braces may be the simplest, most likely explanation. So in your shoes, I would try using nutrition shakes for your snacks, as that will get around the problem with the unhappy teeth and gums. Try that for a couple weeks and see if that helps. Ensure is kind of expensive, but if you have Carnation Instant Breakfast powder available, mixing it with milk will give you a similar nutritional value to the Ensure (at least that is what the doctor told my mother when my grandmother needed the shakes to keep her strength up). But if that does not do the trick for you, then you really should go to the doctor.

he treats me with respect and love and I really like him and we can be really silly together.

It's nice to have a lot of stuff in common with your fella, but this is the real foundation of a relationship - respect, love and humor. Anything else is negotiable.

Yeah you can either not talk about politics or talk about them a lot - depending on whether or not you both love argument and know how to argue for sport with making it personal.

I have picked up my copy of Bust with Jilli in it! The sales clerk at the bookstore was a very nice, gothy looking girl. So, I showed her Jilli's picture and sent her toward Gothic Charm School. She was very pleased. Then, as I was leaving the bookstore, I saw the cutest little girl wearing a tiara, which I told her looked fabulous. It was a very buffista-like afternoon.

Now to make split pea soup and brown rice for dinner.

I couldn't walk out of Target without spending less than $50 to save my life.

I seem to have insuted my MiL. No idea what I did because she stopped speaking to any of us after breakfast. We decided to leave a day early rather than deal with the silent treatment.

Dude--she didn't even say good bye to Owen & Olivia. Which pissed me off to no end. It will be awhile before we go back.