My landlords came to look at the mouse-infested cabinet today, and they cleaned it up and put some more steel wool in the hole. The mice seem to like brown rice.

And now I'm watching My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, which is giving me a ton of questions that the show doesn't seem to think need answers. Also, the voiceover keeps talking about how the women are so oppressed, but all the examples that they're giving are ridiculous -- like, "A properly subservient Traveller wife has to serve her husband" over footage of a woman putting some stew on a plate and handing it to her husband, who's standing right next to her at the stove. But then they'll throw in stuff like "50% of Traveller wives are physically abused by their husbands" in the middle of a discussion of wedding dresses, as if this is clearly less significant than the fact that women are expected to cook.

Moving back from Natter: I have done dishes, updated the password, and have printed resume. I'll proof it while I soak my feets. First, furminating Xusa and Frankie.

Furminated the animals (Bella doesn't like it, or really need it), dust mopped the house, scooped the pans, took out the trash, unpacked a box and put the cardboard where Bella is scratching off the paint by the litter pan (damn, cat). Next - food, pedicure, proof resume.

I'm having so much resistance to doing anything!

I did empty the dishwasher and clean up the kitchen.

I cooked a good lunch, walked Bartleby for an hour, took him to visit people and dog friends and...fell off the wagon.

The fall wasn't as big a bump as it could have been, but I'm having a bad reaction, none the less.

I've been totally sugar/gluten/starch/processed food free for 34 days.

I've resisted various urges, but today, I went out to visit the new gelato shop that opened this morning and to get a gluten free cupcake.

I want to the gelato shop and drooled over the 25 flavor offerings, but left without a purchase. It just didn't speak to me.

I got a chocolate cupcake and sat own to really, really enjoy it.

The buttercream was super-tasty at first bite. The cake was characteristically dense for gluten free, but didn't taste bad.

I got through 5/8ths of it and started to feel very ooky.

Now, my stomach is upset, I have a weird taste in my mouth, the skin over my lower sinuses feels prickly (that's the chocolate) and I think I might be getting a headache.

There must have been some sort of artificial sweetrner involved, though it was by no means sugar-free.

Ugh. I really wish I hadn't done that.

Aw, bonny. That sucks. Hope the unpleasantness passes quickly.

Took Frankie for a walk and talked to my neighbor for a while. *Now* food, pedicure, resume.

It's actually getting a bit worse.

I'm wondering if I should eat something else...is there a gastric fire extinguisher? Or, do something else.

Ick.

And I was SO looking forward to it.

My plan for this afternoon had been to go to the farmers market and then go for a bike ride. Instead, I went to the market, came home to put the produce away, and then lay down on the couch and slept for three hours.

Hil, have you tried those things you plug into the power sockets that make a high-pitched sound that's (pretty much) outside of human hearing range, but not mouse hearing range? When I lived in an old building in London, we had mice, and they really didn't like those things. It seemed to keep them in the basement, at least.

That's really frustrating, bonny. Lots of water? That's the best way I have for dealing with gluten ickiness. That and sleep.

Do you have any ginger? Or some peppermint tea?

Hil, have you tried those things you plug into the power sockets that make a high-pitched sound that's (pretty much) outside of human hearing range, but not mouse hearing range? When I lived in an old building in London, we had mice, and they really didn't like those things. It seemed to keep them in the basement, at least.

We can see the hole that they're coming in through, but the way that cabinet is designed, there's not really a good way to seal it up. The landlords are calling the contractor to see what he can do, though.

Do you have any ginger?

Ah HA.

Seska and smonster, I'm going to combine your suggestions with some boiled fresh ginger. This should settle the tum and I'm going to suck down as much water as possible.

I did just have a few bites of protein that I hope will cut the sugar.

Sigh.

Quite good lesson learned.

Again.

It's all or nothing with my system and I'm going to stay on the side of nothing (that triggers me).

Oh. Adding an Alleve will be required as well. I'm pretty sure this is a migraine coming on.