When it rains, it pours

This is unarguably a brilliant slogan for Morton Salt Company, but it’s also unfortunately true for the Romgi and I this part week.

As most of you know, we live in the land of Dumb Weather. One day it will be beautifully sunny and almost “warm,” then the next day is back to death snow. And last Tuesday night it had done the whole snow/melt cycle enough times to make a good layer of ice on the roads, covered by a fresh (but thin) layer of powdery snow. That’s when I went out to grab a Five Buck Pizza.

I drove carefully there, because I could tell the roads were bad. I took the street just north of our apartment and then went onto Freedom Blvd to the pizza place, but our car doesn’t do too well in snow and even going 15 mph it was losing traction and sliding all over the place. On my way home I decided it would be safer to take University Ave, since more people are on the road and it was probably less icy. That was fine, although I still drove slowly. Don’t think I’m exaggerating or trying to make myself sound more cautious than I really was! I hate driving, and I remember being nervous and paying close attention to how the car was handling everything.

Well…I made a left back onto 2nd North, stepping on the gas only enough to get into the turn and then letting off. But my efforts were in vain. We’ve been meaning to replace the front right tire, because it’s pretty much bald; since the streets here are kind of dome-shaped to let the water run into the gutters, the car completely lost traction and slid to the right. And of course, there was a wooden light pole that stopped my car.

I was pretty shaken up. I hadn’t brought the cell phone with me (should have learned my lesson then!), and didn’t know what to do, so I looked at the car, saw the front headlight and side were smashed, and drove VERY carefully back to our apartment. The Romgi was, of course, glad that I was alright, reassured me it wasn’t my fault, and assessed the damage. The next day we discovered that the passenger door no longer opens, and the now-bent front side scrapes the (already bald) tire when you turn left. Oh joy.

But it gets better! …Or worse, really. Friday night we went to the grocery store to get a few things, and since we were just stopping by, I wore slippers and left the cell phone (stupid!). When we finished shopping, we came out to the car and found that it wouldn’t start. Now, I don’t mean that the engine wouldn’t work; the key refuses to turn in the ignition. Absolutely will not. We tried for a full 45 minutes unsuccessfully — two car keys, and neither worked. Of course without a cell phone, it was impossible to get ahold of anyone…this seems to be a good reason for memorizing a few phone numbers.  So we walked back to our apartment with the groceries. I think I cried the whole way. So cold. So cold.

The car did start on Saturday, twice, so we got it back to our apartment and managed to run one errand later in the day, but by yesterday it stopped again. What are we supposed to do now?!

No Flour, No Sugar

I can’t recall exactly where I heard about the fad diet proposed by Dr. Peter Gott. His plan is simple: eliminate all milled grains and added sugars from your diet, and safely lose 1-2 lbs every week. For added bonus, be sure to exercise and watch your portions. Presto! Weight loss!

Now, dieting and weight loss are not really subjects I know anything about. What little I do know is that when the Romgi and I started eating more fresh foods, cutting down the amount of processed foods we ate, and trying to get a good balance of nutrients, we felt great. Sadly, we didn’t keep it up very long, but while we did, eating was fun — and so was cooking. There seemed to be more options for what we could eat, because there are thousands upon thousands of recipes that use basics like chicken, spinach, herbs, etc. Salads are a great side dish, a light dessert once a week is heavenly, and life in general is getting better and better.

So I ask you. Why would you eliminate flour from your diet? Maybe it’s just me, but I really don’t think flour is the bad guy here. Personally, I love bread. Krista gets extra rolls from her catering job and I eat six at a time. Yeah, I know, that isn’t moderation. But think for a minute. Isn’t the key to every successful diet finding the right combination of exercise, smaller portions, and healthy food? People have been eating milled grains for centuries, right, and they’ve been ok so far! The bigger problem is that as Americans we have little or no self-control; sure, trying to eliminate all flour and sugar from your diet will test your self-control, but I fully believe that it is much healthier to form eating habits that seek for balance. “No flour, no sugar” is an extreme, and I don’t particularly like extremes (except for some gospel ones: All people will be resurrected, for example).

That about finishes my tirade. I’m going to go eat some pizza now.

Oh, and here’s the link to Dr. Gott’s revolutionary book.