Sunday Stealing

OLOGY

MOUTHOLOGY
What is your least favorite salad dressing? I don't like the thin, vinegary ones
What is your least favorite fast food restaurant? Chipotle
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? I love my little neighborhood coffee shops
On average, what would cause you to flirt with the server? Nothing
What food could you eat every day just to "get along"? You mean, to survive? Chicken soup.
What pizza toppings would make you hurl? None. I mean, I'd rather just remove them with my fingers than puke.

If you're here, order the manicotti

What food is likely to get you "in the mood..."? The manicotti at LaCantina. It's so warm, so smooth ... Sigh.
What is your favorite type of gum to get off your shoe? I'm afraid it's all the same to me.

TECHNOLOGY 
Number of contacts you'd never let your significant other see on your cell phone? Don't know how to answer this because 1) I don't have a significant other and 2) if I did, I don't know why he'd have an occasion to check my phone anyway.
Number of contacts in your email address book that are exes? None
Do you judge others about the wallpaper on their computer? I note it, but it's certainly not a deal breaker.

Miss you!

What is your favorite technology from the past that is now obsolete? My original, old-school iPod
Do you have stuff on your computer that you'd never want someone to see? Yes

BIOLOGY 
Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right handed
Do you like your smile? It's too gummy
What's your best feature? My eyes
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Yes
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? Smell
When was the last time you had a cavity? It's been years
What is the heaviest item you lifted last? 10-lb. jug of litter
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? No

BULLCRAPOLOGY 
If you could, would you wanna know the day you were going to die? No
Is love for real? Yes
If you could change your first name, what would you change it to? Melinda Moorepark Tentrees
What color do you think looks best on you? Teal
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? Yes
Have you ever saved someone's life? Kinda. I went with my friend Kathleen to the hospital when she went into labor with her daughter. At admission, they asked her if she'd eaten in the last four hours. She said "no," but I reminded her of the chicken satay she'd absent mindedly munched on. That little recollection was important in case she needed anesthesia.
Has someone ever saved yours? Not that I know of.

DAREOLOGY 
Would you walk naked down a public street for $100,000? No
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? Yes
Would you cut off one of your little fingers for $200,000? No
Would you never blog again for $50,000? Yes
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? No. Also, magazines don't offer that kind of money for that anymore anyway. Not when you can see free photos of JLaw online.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? No
Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000? No

DUMBOLOGY 
What is in your left pocket? No pockets
Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house? Carpet
Do you sit or stand in the shower? Stand
Could you live with roommates? No
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? None. I hate that between-the-toes thing
Where were you born? Elgin, IL
Last time you had a run-in with the cops? About 10 years ago, a cop yelled at me for jay walking (control your shock and disappointment)
What do you want to be when you grow up? Taller

LASTOLOGY 
Friend you talked to? Barb
Last person you called? Barb
Person you hugged? Barb
All of the above happened at the same meeting. I called to ask if she was running late (she was), then she told me about her health woes and I gave her a hug.

FAVORITOLOGY 
Number? 7
Color? Blue
Season? Autumn

CURRENTOLOGY 
Missing someone? Sorta
 Mood? Unsettled
Listening to? MLK (documentary on CNN)
Watching? See above
Worrying about? My cat Joey. He's very old and has chronic health problems. Yet he seems happy. I aim to keep him that way.

RANDOMOLOGY 
First place you went this morning? Coffee shop

Miss you, too

What can you not wait to do? Eat cheese. My doctor advised me to avoid dairy until the end of the month.
What's the last movie you saw? Brooklyn. (See post below) It's delightful. Go see it.
When was the last time you got caught cheating? It's been a very long time.
Are you a sexy person? Sure, in that I like sex (at least as I recall it)
Now that the survey's (or meme) done what are you going to do? Go to sleep

Now this is more like it

I saw my favorite Oscar movie this afternoon. Brooklyn.

I loved it.

Character driven and affectionate, it had me from the first frames and never let me go. A girl lives in a tiny Irish village that holds no opportunity for her. With her mother's and especially her older sister's support, she heads to America to find her fortune.

She is overwhelmed, of course. But she's a good girl, in every sense of the word, and she gets a lot of support from the other immigrants, the other Catholics, the other young women she encounters along the way.

She faces a moral dilemma during the second half of the movie that broke my heart. I so wanted Ellis to do the right thing! Yet I completely understood her conflict.

What was at stake for Ellis wasn't as big and dramatic as the conflicts portrayed in Carol or The Big Short. Yet in the hands of this director and this cast. Ellis' conflict was far, far more engaging.

See this adorable little gem, any way you can.

Walking the walk

There's an evangelical Free Church in my community that has captured my attention and admiration. For they seem to be more about love than judgement or self promotion. Today, seeing their good works first hand in my neighborhood touched my heart.

It was 17º this fine, bright Saturday. Dangerously cold. Yet many of us still had to get to work, which entails waiting on a freezing el platform. Train stations are also relatively safe places for the homeless to go for shelter.

I stopped by the station to add value to my train pass. And there was the Free Church, handing out Blistex, hot coffee, Hershey's kisses and (best of all) gloves free to anyone who wanted them. Everyone who walked by was encouraged to partake, thereby eliminating embarrassment or stigma felt by anyone who really needed the handout. (They actually thanked me for taking my freebie.) The congregants manning the tables were happy and friendly and full of love.

Slipping my free tube of Blistex into my pocket, I looked around for a sign promoting a cause or an organization. Was this my village at work? The local Dunkin Donuts, perhaps? Finally I asked a gentleman who I should thank.

"Free Church," he said with a smile, squeezing my arm.

WHAT? No address was posted. No times of service advertised. No place to leave a donation. No literature. Just a smile, a greeting and material comfort for all on a frigid morning.

The aid they provided, and the sensitivity they served it with, felt so Christ like to me.

So I took a nap

I'm eating again. YEA! But my gut issues are not yet over.

I've eaten such a bland diet for so long (46 days) that my body has to work very hard to process foods that contain fiber. Thursday I had fresh watermelon. Friday I added a few slices of fresh peach. Saturday I had wheat toast. And no diarrhea. I was happy.

Saturday at about 5:00 I felt like this. Just going to the bathroom made me so tired I took a nap! And half the recommended adult dose of laxative. It seemed weird to take Dulcolax when I'd been battling the opposite problem for so long, but my body seems to need a digestion primer.

http://www.letstalkconstipation.com/living/

The specialist I saw Tuesday told me it would take two weeks for things to get back to normal. It's only been 4 days. I shouldn't expect too much of myself. With PI-IBS, my digestive tract is bruised and needs time. I must be patient.