7:05am

i made an effort to be pretty today.

i just deleted a few self-deprecating remarks - way to go me.

Anyway...i got my hair done on Friday, so i took time to "do" it this morning. i also put on a blouse i bought on Saturday while Darrin and i were out shopping. i got a steal - about 80 bucks worth of stuff for $46. i got two blouses, two tanktops, and a supercute pair of patent leather Mary Jane style high heels. i was a little more careful with my makeup, i even put on lipgloss. O.o

Yesterday my slave was aching. Something nudged it awake, and i spent most of the night lost in that world. i even found myself doing little things with Darrin - like when we sat down for supper, his plate was made first, and i waited until he said something before i started eating. It just came natural - and as i was waiting, i was wondering why i was doing it...and a voice in my head said "Because you want to, stupid!" So, yeah.

The things i dream about...are extreme. i know now that it's impossible to jump into those waters and not expect to drown. But maybe with all the little things, i can wade into those waters.

Later...

i totally resisted Chinese food for dinner. *flex*

6:33am

It's my life
And it's now or never
'Cause I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
- Bon Jovi "It's My Life"

Heard that song on the radio this morning, and it just seemed appropriate for the changes i've been making.

i'm feeling better, though i still feel a little fragile. i felt better after talking to Darrin yesterday morning, and i mentioned to him that it seemed so strange that i lived in that state for so long. i really don't want to be that person anymore.

i really need a vacation. i realized recently that i haven't taken time off for 2 years...since i started this job. i can feel it starting to get to me. Darrin and i are planning a little getaway, going to up the Wisconsin Dells. i'm excited, because we've never really gone on a vacation before.

i actually feel like i'm getting a deeper understanding of Darrin. It sort of makes me a little sad, because i feel like after almost 5 years, i should already know these things. But we've had a lot of conversations, and he's been able to really talk to me more, and i'm realizing that...well, that he's not as clueless as i thought. =/

6:36am

i'm not sure how i'm feeling yet today...sometimes i think i'm feeling better, but other times not. It was extremely hard to get out of bed this morning...

Happy Administrative Professionals Day to me - and anyone else out there.

6:54am

Everyday is so wonderful...
Then suddenly...it's hard to breathe...
- Christina Aquilera

With how good everything has been going, i'm almost ashamed to write this. i feel...not sad, not upset...just...dull. i want to curl up against something much stronger than me and hide. i know that nothing happened to cause this...it's just a cycle, i'm sure, and it will pass just as it came.

That's always been why this aspect of me is so frustrating. i have no reason to be like this. There's nothing i can blame this on except myself - no abuse in my childhood, no traumatic events, no drug use or anything. It's. All. Me. i had a therapist once tell me that i was the most clear-cut case of a true chemical imbalance that she'd ever seen. i said thanks. =/

It will go away...i'm not hopeless. i need to just...ride it out, and come out the other side. So i have a bad day...big deal. So i want to sleep for a few days...okay. i need to take care of myself and listen to my body, and if it gets to the point where it begins to become a problem, then i can start worrying. One bad day = no worry. 5 bad days = worry. Sleeping for a day = no worry. Sleeping for 5 days = worry.

So...pardon me while i burrow.

Later:

i'm struggling. Please, just let it go away. i don't want to be like this, i want to be how i was before.

7:03am

"The high note is not the only thing." - Placido Domingo

i had a good weekend. =) Friday Darrin and i went out to a nice lunch, and then shopping for my mom's birthday and for groceries. It was fun, and we talked more about how things are going between us. It's nice to have those lines of communication open again, and i'm really grateful that he's not holding a grudge or anything like that. It sounds incredibly sappy, but we both said we were the lucky ones...so we decided that he'll keep on showing me how he's lucky, and i'll keep showing him how i'm lucky, and we'll both feel better. *L* Silly, i know.

Saturday we celebrated my mom's birthday - i made her cry, which makes me the champion. *flex* Before anyone asks...my sister and i have a little unofficial contest to see who can make mom cry. Not bad tears, but good ones...like when nice things are said, or she gets something thoughtful or sweet. So, yay me.

Sunday i was cramping pretty badly, but Darrin and i spent most of the day outside doing yardwork. i know, right? i did yardwork! i even have blisters!

Today's quote struck me, because this weekend really was full of all the good little things that make up everything else besides the high note.

6:49am - Wednesday

To be yourself is all that you can do
- Audioslave "Be Yourself"

Yeah.

Y'know...it's been a long time since i've felt like myself. Such a long time that i forgot what me felt like. i lost touch, stopped calling or writing, and took myself off my own mailing list. As i think back, i believe it's been ever since that first panic attack, 9 and a half years ago.

It makes me wonder...have i been so far away from myself that the people i've met have met...someone not me? i mean...obviously they have, but will my relationships change as i become more and more myself?

Confession time...

i haven't been doing very well with the food issue. i haven't been gorging or anything, but i definitely could be doing better. Maybe i need to go back to recording everything i consume, and adding in the calories. i know that when i was doing that, i felt very conscious of what i would have to record, so maybe that will help. i've gained a few pounds - nothing serious, and i know that it's because i'll be getting my period this week, so i'm a weebloatedfrog. i need to begin making better decisions, and nothing is going to do that for me.



7:03am - Thursday

i think i did better yesterday with the food stuff. i lost a pound, so that's good. i'm going to start doing two things before i eat anything - first, drink water...and second, ask myself if i'm really hungry, or if i'm feeling something else that i think food will help (being lonely, being happy, being irritated, etc...). i'm going to try to introduce myself to my emotions and have a sit-down with them.

It's...i don't know, a little overwhelming to me how invasive the effect food has on me has become. i never noticed it before, but...i feel like my eyes have never really been open before, either. i connect comfort with food...celebration with food...grieving with food. i need to change my connection with food...need to realize that it's just fuel, nothing more. i need to find other ways to connect with feelings.

I've got a right to be wrong
My mistakes will make me strong
I'm stepping out into the great unknown
I'm feeling wings though I've never flown
I've got a mind of my own
I'm flesh and blood to the bone
I'm not made of stone
Got a right to be wrong
So just leave me alone

I've got a right to be wrong
I've been held down too long
I've got to break free
So I can finally breathe
I've got a right to be wrong
Got to sing my own song
I might be singing out of key
But it sure feels good to me
Got a right to be wrong
So just leave me alone

You're entitled to your opinion
But it's really my decision
I can't turn back I'm on a mission
If you care don't you dare blur my vision
Let me be all that I can be
Don't smother me with negativity
Whatever's out there waiting for me
I'm going to faced it willingly

I've got a right to be wrong
My mistakes will make me strong
I'm stepping out into the great unknown
I'm feeling wings though I've never flown
I've got a mind of my own
Flesh and blood to the bone
See, I'm not made of stone
I've got a right to be wrong
So just leave me alone

- Joss Stone "Right To Be Wrong"

i heard this song this morning and i was struck at how well it fits me right now. i really do feel like i can finally breathe, like i've stripped off a heavy, oozy sludge from myself. Don't get me wrong - i know that the only person to blame for that ooze is myself. But...i'm really proud that i'm turning my life around, and i feel very good about the way things are going.

Okay...who's all wondering what kind of day i had?

Tsk...liar, liar...you wouldn't be here if you didn't care, silly...

Thanks for caring. i had a good day. =)

6:37am

i am moving forward. i am tired of being broken - there isn't much glory in exerting control over something that is kept broken. i feel nostalgic, but calm. i feel ready. i feel able to look at my past objectively, and remember the lessons from it, and not live in it. i feel ready to -not- be broken.

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live

- Switchfoot "Meant To Live"

i lost myself, but i'm finding me again - and i'm meant for so much more than what i've been in the past.

Thanks, jewels. =)

7:05am - Tuesday

You know...i really am grateful for everything that has happened. Every fear, every moment of walking on eggshells, every delirious pleasure, every state of confusion. i'm grateful for everything, because i feel like i've learned from them. i can't pick and choose what to be grateful for, because it's all helped me. i've learned what is healthy for me, what kinds of people i need to surround myself with, what kind of behaviors are detrimental to me. i have to remember (but not wallow in!) the bad things, so that i can adjust my aim and move in a better direction.

i really feel like i'm doing so much better. People have noticed when i talk to them that i just seem...well, brighter. i think that was the word used.

It's actually sort of interesting to me now...because i can see people falling back into negative behaviors. Not that i'm any kind of judge, but i can just recognize them now, and it gives me insight into those people.

Like Alanis says...i'm tired of being so masochistic. i'm tired of putting myself in such harmful experiences just because it's attention. i'm tired of putting my life aside for people that don't care about it, and use my loyalty as blackmail. i'm tired of hurting myself and beating myself up over and over and over again because i'm not a model of perfection. i'm tired of hiding behind my body. i'm tired of protecting my most inner being. i'm tired of being so selfish, and i'm tired of feeling guilty.

So i'm not gonna. i've got a good circle of people around me now, and i'm going to do everything in my power to give just as much as i'm receiving.

So if you're reading this, and you're smiling...i'm grateful for you.

Yep, even you.

8:26am - Wednesday

i forgot to pick up my prescription yesterday, and so i've been without happy pills for 2 days. i can definitely feel it today - i'm irritable and hermit-ish. i feel quite disgusted with myself, actually.

Later...

Not so disgusted with myself anymore...now i'm more disgusted with other people. All of a sudden, it's all blatantly clear just how...stupid i was for even involving myself with them.

How painfully honest can i be?

i've started reading a book called "The End Of Diets: Healing Emotional Hunger".

Hi. i'm an emotional eater.

i feel like...have you ever forced yourself to stand in front of the mirror, no matter how grossed out you felt, no matter how disgusted, no matter that you KNEW that if anyone was on the other side of the mirror, THEY'D be disgusted too?

Hi.

i'm pulling at my band-aids with agonizing slowness, revealing the pink, wounded flesh beneath. It's healing, but it's raw...and it hurts.

And it has everything to do with food...and the one thing i somehow can never bear to sit down with. my own emotions.

i relate food to comfort. Ice cream makes me happy. Macaroni and cheese soothes me. When i panic, i reach. When i cry, i reach. When i celebrate, i reach.

*takes a moment*

Why...can't i be alone with my emotions? Why do i have this...abusive relationship with myself?

Thank You - Alanis Morrissette

How about getting off of these antibiotics
How about stopping eating when I'm full up
How about them transparent dangling carrots
How about that ever elusive kudo

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

How about me not blaming you for everything
How about me enjoying the moment for once
How about how good it feels to finally forgive you
How about grieving it all one at a time

Thank you India
Thank you terror
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence

The moment I let go of it was
The moment I got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it was
The moment I touched down

How about no longer being masochistic
How about remembering your divinity
How about unabashedly bawling your eyes out
How about not equating death with stopping

Thank you India
Thank you providence
Thank you disillusionment
Thank you nothingness
Thank you clarity
Thank you thank you silence

7:49am

i hate Mondays. Everyone seems intent upon making my life crap the moment i walk in the door.

Bleh.

i finally got up this morning and did my exercise. Woot! This weekend i got to go out walking - on Friday with Darrin, and Saturday with fish. i think i might just drive over to the track in town after work and walk a couple laps before going home, too.

Things are continuing to get better at home, too. Not only with Darrin, but with fish too. i'm feeling really good - not really content because i want to keep moving forward, but happy with the direction things are going right now. i feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. =)

6:44am

i went home last night and had a really good talk with Darrin. i told him everything that had been going on, why i was in such a bad place for so long, and how that's all gone now. We talked about D/s stuff, about poly stuff, about general us stuff. What was so nice was that he was actually -talking- to me, he was just letting stuff come out instead of worrying over every single word. We talked for about an hour, and then we just layed down and snuggled for the rest of the night. It felt really good to get it all out, and good that he was really talking to me. i told him that we need to do that more often, because that really is our downfall. i asked him if he'd thought about breaking up with me during that period, and he said that there was one particular night that he was close to throwing me out of the house. Can't blame him, really...and i told him that i had told my parents i might have to move in, and that i applied for jobs in the Quad Cities. He didn't get upset with anything i said, he listened and responded, and i did the same.

It was just...really, really good.

i did tell him that i was considering my Gor experience, and he did say that he was glad about the steps that i've already taken as far as Gor goes, but that he wasn't sure that leaving was what i needed. i told him that during that bad time, i was actually flip-flopping rt and rp. i was projecting what i wanted rt into rp - having human emotions and drawing things into my life, and what i wanted in rp into rt - expecting Darrin to be this "Owner" and not able to understand why he couldn't accomplish it. It wasn't fair to anyone involved, and i think just recognizing that has helped me immensely.

Wednesday

6:54am

" 'To be or not to be' is not the question - because you can't have one without the other!" - Alan Watts

i relaxed last night and spent time with Darrin. i talked a bit with fish about stuff related to my writing yesterday, and things became a bit more clear.

my thought this morning is that...well, i allowed all this to happen. i made those choices. No one can force me to do anything - everything is my choice. And that's what hurts. Why have i put myself through such horrible things? Why have i allowed myself to be used, to be hurt by bad people, people who didn't care a single iota about me? Do i truly think so little of myself?

Not anymore. It's not going to be easy...already i can see a vague outline of what i need to do, and it's going to be really, really hard. Breaking habits built over 9 years. But i can't afford to live like this anymore. i can't afford to keep giving and giving and giving and getting nothing in return to replace that growing empty space. i can't be swayed by promises and poems, because lies can come in the prettiest packages.

i won't stop living...no, not hardly. What i need to do is re-evaluate what i give and who i give it to.

And now, i'm going to delete a few numbers from my cell. =)

12:36pm

Darrin called me this morning, and we talked for a little bit about something that was bothering him. Basically, it sounds like pretty much the same things i've been realizing. He wants to talk more tonight, but it shouldn't be too bad. Really, it has to do with my whole issue with Gor...in that i was trying to force something on him that couldn't happen. i hope that him and i can really talk, and continue to really talk to each other, because that really is our biggest problem. Sometimes i forget that he has the same emotions that i do.

6:49am

Lots of thoughts going through my head on the drive in to work this morning.

i'm beginning to realize, i think, that i - Jennifer - am not and won't ever be a Gorean slave. It just ain't gonna happen. i would love to be held in that state, but it's just an impossibility. i think i've clung so hard to Gor because i wanted that fantasy to be reality. And that's just...well, it's dumb. i'm a human, a female, and even though i am totally and completely service-driven, there is a very real and human part of me that needs to have basic human needs met. i can't completely lose my sense of self.

i began to think about my involvement with Gor as a relationship - and i wondered why i was staying. What am i getting out of it? It sucks to think that way, but that's the truth of it.

i'm putting a lot of effort in caring about what these people think...and i shouldn't. i really, really shouldn't. Most of these people don't even know my name, and if they do, there are only one or two of them that really care about me. Why am i exerting so much energy trying to please these people? i've learned a very hard lesson lately that people will say whatever they can to get what they want out of you. Why should i put myself in that position?

i don't know if i need to go to the extreme of actually leaving - but i definitely need to re-evaluate.

Stupidshittycrapaholicday.

i STAPLED my fucking FINGER.

--------------------

i got my emotional eating books today. It seems like i have a lot to work on. And now...i'm wondering what my need to be involved with Gor is. i'm not liking what i'm uncovering so far...but i guess that's the beauty of it, in order to change, recognition must be made.

Foods eaten: Banana, grilled pork chop, apple, Special K Bar, grilled hamburger, cashews

Total caloric intake: 860

Exercise: 1/2 mile walk, office work

Calories burned: 2320

Current weight: 256

6:30am

i got a Newsweek in the mail yesterday, and it had letters and emails from soldiers who have died in Iraq. Some of the letters were written specifically to be given to family members after the soldier died. i was in awe...i can't even imagine that thought process. How do you decide that you're going to write a letter to your family so that they have something of you after you die? How do you handle knowing that you're going to die, and sitting down to write a letter like that? What kind of emotions go through you when you get home safely after writing a letter like that?

One of the family members' comments said that it was no longer about being pro or anti-Bush, or pro or anti-war. It was simply about supporting the soldiers. i think that's very true.

On a much lighter note, i totally pigged out on cashews last night, and i actually felt ill. i didn't eat anything "bad" yesterday, but binging on cashews isn't exactly what i need, either. i just...zone out when i eat like that. Maybe i should stop taking snacks into the living room, because i'll just stare at the TV like an ugly mess and forget about what i'm doing - i.e. stuffing myself stupid.

7:34pm

Okay...i just looked at the link midori gave me for Prevention Magazine. (midori, you sweet thing, thank you for caring so much!) According to that, i should probably be eating something around 1500 calories a day. Really, that's only about 500-600 more a day than i have now. i feel actually a little scared about doing that - probably because i don't feel like i've created good habits yet, and i'm not good at staying with the exercise. If i was stable on the exercise part, i could probably keep up with my loss as it's been with eating that much.

Maybe for now, i'll try to increase it to 1000 a day, and keep trying to get back on the right track with the exercise.

Monday - 8:15am

"I know that I know nothing." - Socrates

That is pretty much how i feel today. Not a derogatory put-down of myself, just an acknowledgement that i'm not intheknow of everythingintheUniverse.

More things to think about today after last night. i don't like what i've been showing others...and though i think i've been better about than i have in the past, it's still -there- and still not pretty.

my past is just that - my past. Experience to learn from, but not to live in. i know i struggle with this, and i can only hope that i can show how i am learning from it, and moving on.

i did have a good weekend...went on a date with fish on Friday night, and she spent the night. The best part of that (besides going to see "300" and drooling over manly Spartans for 2 hours...hominahomina...) was on Saturday morning, fish crawled into bed with Darrin and i. The three of us snuggled up in bed with me in the middle, and it was just...really nice.

The tension is also much better between Darrin and i. We had a little talk on Saturday about the "status" of things - he said that he felt like i was much calmer, much happier than he's seen me in a long time. i told him that i'd been caught up in a lot of things online that i didn't need to be, and that those things have gone away now - either by my doing, or by their own. i told him that i feel like i have much better things to concentrate on now, and that it feels like i'm taking steps to not let that part of me rule my life anymore.

Tuesday - 7:03am

i had a good night last night. =) i had a surprisingly different thought process about something, and it felt really good. Instead of torturing myself (which i'm so good at), i just...waited with a smile. Yay me.

This week i should hit 30 pounds lost. i'm at 256, and 253 will be 30 pounds. i really can't believe it...there are times when i can physically feel it, and i know that i definitely feel better all around. my clothes are definitely fitting better, and people are starting to say nice things about it. Both fish and Darrin have said that i'm much different than i was before. i know that i can tell a difference when i eat heavier things...i -feel- heavier, and fish said that i have more personality now. She said that i used to be sluggish, and kind of monotone, which i can definitely see.

1:37pm

i want a donut so bad. =( i actually got up to get one, but someone came in at that same time. So now, i'm eating carrots like they're going out of style. GRRR. i was thinking to myself, why can't i just stop wanting the stuff that's bad for me? And i realized that there are probably a lot of people who feel the same way, with other kinds of addictions. i'm not addicted by a long shot, but the temptation is definitely there. So far, i am strong.

Just don't tell anyone i had Chinese food for dinner last night. O.o

i ordered two books about emotional eating, as a reward to myself.

Does that seem weird?

Foods eaten: Banana, grilled pork chop, green beans, Special K Bar, tilapia stuffed with shrimp and herbs, cottage cheese, cashews

Total caloric intake: 905

Exercise: 1/2 mile walk, office work

Calories burned: 2320

Current weight: 256

6:58am

i'm feeling introspective today. my thoughts are going all over the place...not bad things, just things. i don't feel upset or panicky, just...more quiet and thoughtful.

i can't really place what i'm thinking about, though. Right now, all i have are images, flashes of places and people in my head.

Someone did tell me last night that keeping my calorie count at 800 everyday was dangerous...i know that it could be, but right i feel okay with it. i'm not tired during the day, i don't really get hungry...my plan is to increase my calorie intake once i get in the habit of a normal exercise routine. i hoped to be able to do that by summer (July/August). i'm (obviously) not loosing weight at a rapid pace anymore - this morning i was down to 256. It's hard to imagine that two months ago i was 283. It's really only 27 pounds, but it seems like such a huge difference. i got compliments yesterday at work, and i'm able to wear clothes i haven't been able to in awhile.

Foods eaten: Banana, soup, yogurt, green beans, Special K bar, grilled pork chop, cottage cheese, cashews, 100 calorie snack pack

Total caloric intake: 815

Exercise: 1/2 mile walk, office work

Calories burned: 2329

Current weight: 257

Foods eaten: Special K Bar, banana, grilled chicken strips, green beans, yogurt, grilled fish, cottage cheese, cashews, 100 calorie pack snack

Total caloric intake: 845

Exercise: 1 mile walk, office work

Calories burned: 2474

Current weight: 258

7:29am

Sooooo i went to the doctor yesterday. i didn't go expecting some grand diagnosis or anything, and i didn't get one. Pretty much, the doctor agreed with me that it was a combination of the antibiotics and the sudden weight loss that was causing it. He wants to see what happens after this week, since i am supposed to get my regular period at the end of the week. He thinks that it should dissipate after that. i've got my fingers crossed. i know that i've been feeling better the past few days.

i feel -really- good this morning...really hopeful. For some reason, i wanted to wear pink today, so i am...and i'm in a good mood. i'm back down to 258, i did a good job yesterday with my food intake. i'm still not exercising, but once i get better i will be.

So...yay. frog feels good.

Foods eaten: Special K Bar, banana, soup, cottage cheese, yogurt, cashews, grilled chicken strips, green beans, and 100 calorie pack

Total caloric intake: 795

Exercise: 1/2 mile walk, office work

Calories burned: 2234

Current weight: 262


6:28am - Thursday

"Only one who makes no attempt to possess it cannot lose it." - Lao-Tsu

Hm. That brings up a lot of questions...

Does possession automatically mean loss? i suppose in a way it does. Everything goes away in the end, really - through changes inherant to nature or death.

i'm thinking about how this relates to slavery...cause...well, that's what i do.

One will never loose a slave They do not possess. Well, okay - that's easy enough to understand. But on the other side...i definitely know the sense of loss related to slavery, so does that mean that i have possessed something? i haven't possessed someONE, that's for sure...but i guess no matter what, slaves do possess basic human emotions. So the loss i felt was related to the emotions i had.

So...slaves cannot possess anything material, but what kind of slave would they be without emotions? What kind of slave would Someone master, if there were nothing there to master? Can emotions of a slave be possessed by another? That i'm not sure of...i know first hand the intensity of those feelings, and my body can be possessed. But my emotions? my first instinct is to say that i freely give my emotions, but i also believe that emotions can be trainable, and isn't that a form of possession in itself? If i do give over my emotions to someone else, how much is truly possessed?

7:03am - Monday

"Nothing will work unless you do." - Maya Angelou

Ain't that the damn truth.

i spent the weekend doing a whole lot of nothing, and eating a whole lot of everything. i didn't hurt as badly as i have been, mostly because i was able to lay down when it got painful. Last night though, i started to have this ache...it's kind of like a cross between cramps and being nauseous. Still have it this morning, so we'll see.

i got a little upset on Saturday, because fish told me she had sex with Ted. That's not the upsetting part - what was upsetting to me was the fact that i haven't had any in so long, and i kind of felt like...it's all because there's something wrong with me. Untouchable frog. Anyway.

9:45am

my moods are really going haywire with all this bleeding. Thursday i was so irritated i actually cried when i was trying to express my frustration to Darrin on the phone. i turned my phone off on Thursday night, and didn't turn it back on until yesterday. i didn't want to talk to anyone, look at anyone, HEAR anyone. i felt better on Friday, and then got all mauldin and crappy on Saturday. i started crying because Darrin wanted to go out with his friends, and i felt like i was so boring, i felt horrible that i wasn't more entertaining to him. Bleh.

Foods eaten: banana, soup, cottage cheese, yogurt, turkey breast wrap, chips, lemonade, 3 cookies and cashews

Total caloric intake: 855 + whatever the cookies were

Exercise: 1/2 mile walk, office work

Calories burned: 2070

Current weight: 259

6:29am

Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also
leaks through the holes
in the roof
of this ruined house.

- Shibiku

Now...i know i'm not ruined. Sometimes i feel like i am, but logically i know that i'm not...but that poem really, really connects with something in me. Maybe it's because sometimes i feel ruined...especially lately, with the bleeding and the issues regarding past friendships. The poem makes me...quietly hopeful. Not really sad...more like...contemplating the holes. i can see an image of me touching them, examining them, seeing how big they are and how much damage was done. But there's still moonlight coming through, my little shaft of light in the Oubliette.

i've thought about writing letters to people...but i think it's best to just let things lie. i think the best thing to do is learn the lessons from this experience, and turn it into something positive...which is what i hope they are doing as well.

1:45pm

The tiredness hit me much earlier today, around 10:30 this morning. So far i've been good, though - no snacks or anything. i might stop and get Subway tonight, if i have the money for it, because i can get a meal for 370 calories. That is a Turkey breast wrap with American cheese and light mayo, "Light" Lays chips, and a lemonade.

Foods eaten: peanut butter crackers, cookies, cottage cheese, yogurt, carrots, M&M's, Cheerios, cashews

Total caloric intake: i fucking lost count.

Exercise: 1/2 mile walk, office work

Calories burned: 2070

Current weight: 259

Yesterday:

7:23am

"Make your mind empty. Right there is the Buddha!" - Zen saying

So...still bleeding. It seemed to taper off some on Friday, but came back with a vengence. i can tell that it's not only making me tired (out of 72 hours in the weekend, i slept for 40), but it's affecting my moods as well. i'm alternating between too exhausted to feel anything, to feeling everything at once and getting all emotional. Which is exhausting in and of itself. Bleh.

i've been contemplating my mantra..."When the slave is ready, the Master will find her." And i figured...i'm not going to be ready until i find myself. i know i'm in the process of finding myself, so that's promising. i guess i can say that i'm found...but i'm not really sure what to do with it all yet.

Yay.

1:10pm

Have an appointment to see gyno on next Monday. i guess if it gets too bad, i'll just go up to the clinic or something, though i'm not really sure what all they can do for me.

i was doing pretty good this morning, but i'm wearing down now. i feel better after eating, but now all i want to do is nap. Stoopid bleeding frog.

Today:

6:32am

"We're all in this together - by ourselves." - Lily Tomlin

i was thinking (dwelling) on some things this morning on the drive to work. i was feeling bad, feeling sad and angry and lonely. But you know what? i'm getting TIRED of feeling that way. i'm getting tired of being MADE to feel that way. i'm not less of a person, i'm not less of a slave, i'm just different. i care about people i have relationships with, i don't just use them for my own gain. i make efforts to reach out, to let people know that i care. i can't just put people aside, without thought to their feelings.

So you know what? i'm done. i can't change the past - it's done, and i can't change people's minds. At this point, i don't think i'd even want to. If i continue the way i am, i'm going to go nowhere real fast...and i don't really want to go to nowhere. i've got a lot of good things in my life that i need to concentrate on, things that are healthy and positive and not related to drama in any form.

i was listening to the Evanescence song "Good Enough" on the drive here, and i realized that i really need to be "good enough" for myself. i think i'm getting there, definitely after this morning.

Speaking of...no more excuses, ms. frog. Stick to your plan, stick to your goal, and you'll be a happier, healthier person. You know you can already feel a difference, so keep at it.

11:38am

Well, i didn't. i felt so sick because i was hungry this morning, i broke down and went to the vending machine and got peanut butter crackers and cookies. i didn't NEED to, because i have things to eat here that would have been much better for me. i feel so crappy...last night i had chinese food for dinner, and i haven't exercised in the mornings at all. Ack, i feel so guilty just admitting that, even here. i am suck-frog.

5:01pm

A co-worker told me that his daughter recently got diagnosed with cervical cancer, and one of her symptoms was bleeding like mine.

i had a bag of M&M's.