DaY 1: Mickers

So I thought I was totally committed, but I forgot how hard the first day can be. I had to constantly rethink my day and all the emotional comfort that I place on food and drink. The frustration begun when I started my morning routine. On my way into the office, I usually stop into Peet's coffee for my small soy latte. Oh the pain of realizing I was not going to have the first satisfying sip of my latte, signaling the start of a beautiful day for my brain. I quickly jumped into my cleanse mode, realizing I would have to carefully select all activities for the next 10 days in order to stay true to the cleanse. I thought I had this down and would easily go through all 10 days without any problem, but was sadly mistaken.

I had to go to a conference around lunchtime and was handed a cup of jelly beans while I was chatting on the phone. I totally spaced and went into autopilot. Before, I knew it I had popped 3 jelly belly's into my mouth. Oh well! i stayed true to the cleanse the rest of the day. Even though my business partner did everything in his power to sway me. I even got an invite to a 10 course gourmet chinese dinner at one of the oldest chinese restaurants in the city for a special event this Friday and I resisted.

Feeling great tonight, came home cleaned the apartment and started tackling my pile of personal paperwork that I let sit for the last month. Once again, I feel more energy on the cleanse than what I usually feel in my normal routine. Time to watch Boston Legal. Until tomorrow...

Day 4: Laurs

I woke up with pretty bad headache today, which could have had something to do with last night's intense massage, but I'm due for a Cleanse headache and this may have been it. The headache went away after about 3 or 4 hours, but was oddly replaced with this weird nervous feeling. I've heard that people on the Cleanse have emotional responses like crying or getting angry out of the blue, but that didn't happen to me last time. Luckily, it only lasted 30 minutes or so. Before I knew it, it was time to go home...and I was ready.

On the way home, I picked up some more lemons and I decided it was time for a treat. So I bought some coconut lotion and a fancy bar of Brazil nut soap. I think the purchase was a substitute for Thai food, actually, but a legal one at that. Gearing up for Day 5....

Cleanse Eve: Mickers

So, I started this evening with my lovely Senna Tea and mixed up my first batch of the wonderful potion. Starting the with the salt water and the lemons tomorrow morning. Not feeling terribly excited, but was fun squeezing the lemons and making the drink for tomorrow.

Day 3: Laurs

Day 3 wasn't bad at all. I woke up around 9 (surprisingly late for a Cleanse morning) and hung out on my roof deck for a couple hours reading (it's been hot here!). In the afternoon, I attempted to walk to my massage apt at The Kabuki Springs and Spa but only got about 1/2 way before jumping on the bus. I have enough energy to get through a day, but an hour walk is a bit much when I'm not eating, I guess.

The massage was one of the best I've ever had and my night was shaping up to be a good one...until I got off the bus at 16th and had to walk down Valencia to get home. This may not sound like a big deal, but if you've ever walked between 16th and 21st on this street, you'll know what I mean. The area has been dubbed San Francisco's gourmet ghetto for a good reason: Chinese, Mediterranean, Vietnamese, Mexican, Japanese, Peruvian, Indian and every other kind of delicious restaurant lines the street--you name it, they're all there. And at 7 pm, precisely the time of my walk home, the kitchens were pumping out dish after dish and the street was full of all kinds of inviting smells.

Yet I resisted and returned home where I made myself a big cup of mint tea and got back to my book. Ugh.

Day 2: Laurs

I made it through Day 2 without a hitch. Just like during my first cleanse, I woke up before 8 AM and was immediately wide awake. I forced myself to down the salt water and enjoyed a cup of mint tea before starting in with the lemonade. Around 10:30 am, I met my friend Rob for a one sided breakfast (luckily what he ordered didn't look all that appealing) and we hung out in the park.

When my lemonade ran out, we walked back to my place and picked up some lemons for me along the way. It's incredible how quickly I go through them. After much consideration, I've decided the way to go is to buy lemons with a thin skin-they're easier to cut and produce way more juice than the kind with the thick skin.

Later in the day, my friend Marisa and I walked up to Mickey's house. He was deep into cleaning out his closet and had us make the final call on which shirts to part with. The boy has got one serious wardrobe. Unfortunately, he and his roommate had ordered Chinese food before I arrived. 20 minutes into our visit, the doorbell rang and the heavenly smell of Kung Pow tofu filled the apartment. Mickey apologized as he and Marisa filled their plates with all kinds of spicy goodness.

Speaking of Mickey, our boy is out again tonight. He's planning to start the cleanse either tonight or tomorrow night and I'm hoping for the former. I need him!

Day 1: Laurs

Here I am at the end of my first day. I just got back from a group dinner at Osha Thai which KILLED me since that's one of my favorite restaurants in SF--their pumpkin curry is like crack. Instead, I ordered hot water with lemon and drank lemonade from my Nalgene bottle while my friends each had an appetizer, a full meal and some colorful fancy drinks. Ouch.

So the day went OK. Beginning with a tall glass of salt water (I only drink 16 ounces since that's all I can handle) and then some bathroom visits, things were pretty much as I remember from the last time I did the Cleanse. I was definitly hungry all day, but, if memory serves, that will pass soon. I got really tired around 5 pm, which also happened to me last time on Day 1 (e.g. the infamous situation where I fell asleep during a conference call while holding a felt tipped pen in my hand which drew a long, blue line across my cheek as I peacefully drifted to sleep at boss' desk).

One thing I'm NOT looking forward to is the spaciness that sets in for me when I'm not eating. As a small, blond woman, I need every last one of those brian cells in order to pass as the intellectual equal of those around me and the Cleanse isn't doing me any favors in that department. I can already tell that I'm more easily losing my train of thought and that it takes me longer to recall everyday information like the name of someone's roommate or that phone number I used to know.

Off I go to drink some tea and hit the sac. I really wish Mickers had started with me this morning! Right now, he's knocking back margharitas at some hot new bar. Meanwhile, I'm using my last bit of energy to change into my pj's and pull up the covers.

Mickers Postpones His Start Date

I got a call from Mickers today with some breaking news--he's pushing back his start date until Monday, February 19th. It turns out that some good friends of his will be in town and he doesn't want to miss the chance to party with them--a respectable conundrum. Unfortunately, I can't delay my start date since my first couple days on the Cleanse are rough, and it's a bad idea for me to be at work during that time.

So, tomorrow I will begin on my own, a lone sailor navigating rough seas by her lonesome. The good news is that I'm going out in style after a Meditarean dinner (my favorite hummus combo from Ali Babba's in the Mission) and a night of drinking at Zeitghest. I'll miss those jack and gingers!