Cheating and Reading

I apparently possess quite a weak disposition, which can be shown in how little I've accomplished this week.   First of all, I am a reader.  I should really capitalize that and say a READER.  I have something like 40 boxes of books and buy more all the time.  They take up a lot of space in a little house, but I can't help it. It's an addiction.  Feeding into that addiction, my friend Shannon recently introduced me to Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody mysteries.  OH MY.  They have the elements of interest-- historical setting, Egyptian archaeology, and mystery.  I am T-Totally addicted.  I am borrowing this series from her a couple at a time.  When she brought me the last installment (Monday), I ignored the books for two days because I knew they would take over my life.  And take over they did.  I read both books between Wednesday afternoon and early Friday morning. My house is a wreck, I haven't cooked dinner in days, and my eyes are burning even now as I look at the screen to type.   I'm obsessed.  I read in the car yesterday at redlights and started crying when a character died, all on the way to a job interview.  It's a wonder I didn't blow the interview solely based on my obsession with the books.  It's really not pretty. 


My other problem this week? I cheated.  On my diet.  I went gluten-free to keep from cooking more than one dish at a meal.  I found out that being gluten-free I felt tons better, and have stuck with it for a couple of months. I also started working out, and have felt overall fantastic.

Enter last weekend.  I went to lunch with a friend, and ordered pimento cheese crostinis, garnished with fresh jalapeno and bacon.  Yes, it was fabulous. Yes, I ordered the dish absolutely in a moment of weakness, knowing that NOONE in my family would eat it and I would love it.  I followed up on this by going home and eating a SuperPretzel and having a regular (gluten-filled) beer.

I woke up Monday morning feeling like it was pollen season.  I was sniffly, coughing, and achy.  It has thrown my entire week off.  Today is Friday and I still feel terrible.  This could be due to my attention to Amelia Peabody and also to do with the gluten.  I also skipped lunch yesterday to go to a job interview. 

In short, today's post is my confessional. I must show self restraint, both with books and food.  It is NOT worth feeling like this again.