I have been having a HORRIBLE flare-up of the ol' IBS. I haven't had a real problem with it in over a year, so I don't know whence this originated.

Mine flared up for the first real time in at least a year and maybe two. Awful, awful pain. And the worst was I knew it wasn't a really big flare for me. So I feel for you, Tep.

I had oatmeal for 2 meals today, and I have taken more Rx IBS meds today than I probably did for the first 7 months of 2011 put together. Jesus. It can back the hell off now.

I want to pronounce it like "ita bang". Say it quick enough, it gets pretty catchy.

Now I'm thinking of the "poof BANG" of iambic verse.

I, too, kinda want to make the ! a click, or a sort of silent gulp/swallow. Dunno why. Maybe it indicates my fear of displeasing her? :)

I may have to refer to her as Ms. de la O (Or is it De La O?)

My doc just gave me steroid nasal spray for my sinus issues. She said use it once a day, but said I could choose morning or evening. Any suggestions?

Well, will it help you more to breathe at night, and if it's wearing off in the evening be OK? Or would you rather have it strong during work and wearing off at night?

I use mine in the morning because it jitters me a little and I don't notice it much in hte morning. Wake n bake breathe, man, wake n breathe.

I am creating another experimental bean salad tonight but the last one won me a boyfriend so I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Can I have the recipe?

Or is it De La O?

Absolutely de la O. Just the one capital letter in my name and it's the last one? Like I could resist that sort of temptation.

I have a cold. But I also have a new iPad to play with, so that makes everything better. SpaceTime is a really cool app.

Can I have the recipe?

tonight's salad is still sitting in the refrigerator untested because we had nothing but onion tart for dinner last night. It's edamame, jicama, craisins, a tiny tiny bit of fresh oregano, lime juice and a splash of champagne vinaigrette. It wasn't jelling when I first tossed it but I'm hoping the jicama absorbed the flavor from the lime and cranberries, will let you know after lunch.

The killer salad started with onions cooked in bacon grease, tossed with (canned) black beans (I bet it would be even better if you made them yourself) tossed with the white part of green onions, avocado, and tomatoes. I served that on a bed of romaine and cilantro topped with salsa, queso fresco, crema fresca, the green part of the green onions, yellow onions chopped with cilantro and crumbled lime-flavored tortilla chips.

The leftovers were fatastic served over the chips without the lettuce.