Playing Catch-up

I've had a busy weekend, helping paint an entire bedroom furniture set in that sort of antiquey-whitewashed look where some of the original wood shows through - you know what I mean, right? I'll try to get a picture when it's finished to show you all. It's been back-breaking work, that's for sure. And I've fallen behind on the Best of '09 Challenge, so trying to play a quick bit of catch-up here.

December 11. The best place.

I wish I had something as poetic as this as a best place. Beautifully done, Gwen Bell.... I think hands-down my best place all year was our Thanksgiving dinner table with my family. With tears of sadness & joy both.

December 12. New food.

Three years ago, once I got over my fear of sushi, I discovered I loved it. Two years ago, I found out how much I liked Thai food. I haven't really gone exploring new food stuff lately. Instead, I've been a little preoccupied with a new intolerance to wheat. It took me a long time to realize that the problem was due to something I was eating, and then a little longer to learn what it was. And it's been months of war: my love for cookies, bread, and pasta vs. my now-sensitive stomach. I'm only just now starting to see these foods differently - seeing the discomfort they'll give me instead of the temporary deliciousness. I have no idea why I've developed this intolerance now, I can only handle the equivalent of 2 pieces of bread in a day, any more than that and I'll be paying for it. So, my "new food" is learning how to adjust my meals to really limit wheat servings.

December 13. What's the best change you made to the place you live?

As I've mentioned before, I moved this year. I'd been living with my parents again to pay off some debt. My brother was living there too, for his own reasons. The four of us living in the same house had become a toxic environment. There's plenty of blame on all sides for us not getting along, and it would take a long time to explain our dysfunctional family dynamics. Suffice it to say that getting into my own place, where my environment is as calm as I can make it, has done me a world of good. (Oh, and my moving had a chain reaction effect on the rest of them too, my brother finally moved out two months later, and my parents are downsizing & moving themselves in a week!)