And this, the last day of February

My weekend, in a couple bullet points.

* Brian and I had lunch at a new (for us) place today, and it was absolutely delicious. When tasting a new restaurant, it is important to eat something that is basic for every restaurant of that cuisine (Mexican, in this case), so I had a shredded beef taco, cheese enchilada and rice and beans. I am excited to tell you that my meal was so good. Brian had a machaca breakfast burrito, which he also very much enjoyed. Next time, I shall try the carne asada fries, which were initially recommended to me.

* Also, we had Brian's belated birthday breakfast at Snooze on Saturday, which was as amazing as always.

* Laundry, laundry and more laundry.

* No PlayStation 5, nor have I read any books.

* We are mostly done watching "The Staircase" on Netflix. Brian started watching it with me at episode 5, I think, so I have to stop and do a lot of explaining as we watched today. We only have three episodes left, and I have several hot takes, and there's still a lot to be done before the resolution, and now I have to wait until B gets home tomorrow night before I can finish it.

* Got to chat with my mom a whole lot.

* Also, I can add a HUGE book royalty deposit from Amazon for the month of December: $5.96. We're going to Vegas!! VEGAS!!

Amend your plans and watch this instead

We watched a limited series on Netflix today, and I can't recommend it to you enough: "Amend: The Fight for America." I got home and Brian was mid-way through the first episode, and then we proceeded to sit and watch the last five directly following. It's a documentary series on the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, and the fights that led up to it, the fights to expand it, the fights to protect it, and the fights to embody it.

    I admit to being uneducated about the depth and breadth of the Amendment, and this series was a total eye-opener for me. I don't expect that everyone else is as ignorant of the nuances and blaring obviousness of the Amendment as I discovered that I was, so I will only say that the stories around and beyond it are heartbreaking, inspiring, maddening, frustrating, beautiful and motivating. How the 14th Amendment isn't as celebrated as the original Bill of Rights is a travesty, especially since so many of us have it to thank for all/most of our rights and privileges as United States citizens.

    No exaggeration, this series should be shown in every history class in the country. I wish I'd seen it 30 years ago, because I'm honestly horrified at my ignorance of most of the circumstances around it.

The shamrockiest shake isn't enough for me

In honor of it being almost March, and therefore being almost St. Patrick's Day, I did some holiday-appropriate experimenting. I have tasted, for the very first time, a Shamrock Shake at McDonald's.

    It was light green, which was adorable, and had the proper and right amount of whipped cream on it. I had read that the flavor itself was minty, and it was, but it really wasn't as minty as I would have liked. It was almost more vanilla than it should have been. I'd have liked more green and more mint flavor. It was definitely a vanilla shake with mint in it, and that does absolutely nothing for me. And even though it was named after the holiday's leafy plant, and it's a very cheesy way to celebrate, I don't think I'll have one again. But having said that, I'm seeing recipes online for at-home Shamrock Shakes, and I wonder if those will be much better.

    Also, I'm going to bring in my St. Patrick's Day decorations this weekend and shamrock up my house.

Sleep is a magnificent thing

I am four days into my Trazodone-kicking EXPECTATION, and as of now, it's beginning to go okay. I had cut down my dosage to one per night with my Advil PM at the end of January, and had intended to cut them out entirely at the end of this month. But I got eager because I didn't want to refill my prescription when it popped up into my email last week.

    Anyway, so I pulled back on the Trazodone entirely Saturday night. I didn't sleep well. I fell asleep easy enough, but I woke up several times during the night whenever I rolled over, or shifted positions, and my mind was very busy. And I even felt cold. Sunday night, same: woke whenever I moved, my brain wasn't resting, and felt chilled. So Monday I did myself a solid; I wore some sleeping socks for bed to keep me warmer. Bizarrely, with just that minimal change of comfort, I slept better. Still waking, but far fewer times, and I was more comfortable and rested. Last night, more of the same, and better.

    From what I read abut Trazodone withdrawal, and yes that's a thing, I may deal with the after-effects of cutting out the medication for up to a week. For some people, it may last months, but in my case, I expect I'll have it kicked within this week, simply because I wasn't taking much, and I hadn't been taking it for that long. Still, I'm noticing with every night that goes by that I'm sleeping better and more restfully. EXPECTATIONs are falling like dominoes around here, you guys.

At least I can say I'm getting closer

I had the PlayStation 5 in the shopping cart. I had the shipping information filled out. I had entered all the payment numbers. And then f*cking Bank of America declined my purchase because I had ALSO debited a stop at Chick-fil-A for lunch and had ordered Pizza Hut for dinner today! They declined my purchase! And then I got the text that asked me if all these previous purchases had been authorized, and if so, go ahead and TRY the most recent purchase again! I'm like, "ASSHOLES THEY'RE ALL GONE NOW!!"

    I was so close, you guys, I could smell it. The debit and the reversal were both in my checking account. I had bought the damn thing and the bank screwed me over because we ate like teenage kids today! I am so mad I could just spit! I was shaking throughout the ordering process because I simply couldn't imagine that I was really going to get the damn thing. I was imagining how I was going to tell Brian that I'd finally secured one. And then, POOF. F*cking Bank of America.

That was never a good idea

I sat Sydney down to watch "Ocean's Eleven" a few days ago, and now I'm sitting here watching "Ocean's Twelve." This is notable because I don't like this movie, or more specifically, I don't like one portion of it in particular. The part when they have Julia Roberts play Julia Roberts is the most ridiculous plot contrivance I've ever seen in a movie and it has made me avoid seeing this film as best as I can. I'm watching it now because it's on Netflix and I can skip that part of the movie when it comes up.

    In fact, I just skipped it, and I feel vindicated and excited and relieved. It's all good stuff, my friends, and I recommend you do that for every film that you know has an objectionable part to it. Because this movie jumped the shark like nothing I've ver seen before, and I still resent it. Terrible, terrible idea.

Chromecast to the rescue ... tomorrow

I've gone ahead and made a technological change in my screen entertainments in my room today. As I think I've told you, Sydney and I have been enjoying "Gravity Falls" on Disney+ lately. But when Brian's home, we don't get unfettered access to the television downstairs, and by extension, the AppleTV downstairs. In my room, I have one of those Blu-Ray players that also streams Amazon Prime and Netflix. To my disappointment, the small machine won't add other services, such as Disney+ or Hulu.

    Sydney was saying how she wished we could watch "Gravity Falls" up in my room, when I remembered that I do have a years-old Google Chromecast device in the cabinet. Of course, when we tried to re-sync it with the TV and the wi-fi, it was very irritable and difficult and basically was too old to get all hooked up as it should. I asked her to check out how much a Chromecast was on Amazon, and upon discovering that it's not cost-prohibitive, we ordered one. It should be delivered tomorrow, and then all the entertainments will be available on my television upstairs.

    Also, I have watched "Rambo III" and am currently almost finished with the fourth installment, titled simply "Rambo." Once I'm done, there is only the latest, and last, Rambo movie, "Rambo: Last Blood." I'm still not super sure I want to see that one, because of the sex trafficking plot which I assume is super rapey, and I DO NOT like seeing that in my movies, so if I decide against that, at least I've seen the majority of the guy's story.

Ice cream is a food group

A couple things:

    I've finally found The Cheesecake Factory key lime cheesecake ice cream, and it is quite delicious. I've been looking for a decent key lime pie ice cream ever since EIGHT YEARS ago when Blue Bell had one and it was amazing! But then we moved away from Houston, and it was a seasonal flavor that they've never added back into the rotation, and I've been bereft without it since. I've tried every key lime ice cream that I've come across, and they've all been ... bad. But this one? This one may just be the winner. Because in all honesty, it's been so long that I don't even really remember the other one. But this is seriously delicious.

    I'm super pleased to report that Brian took care of all the (two) tasks I had listed on a sticky note for him for today. Cheers to a close-by and relatively unbusy emissions testing center for helping this task get accomplished with ease and a lack of static or whiny texts.

    This afternoon, I enthusiastically recommended that someone I know watch "Gravity Falls." And I have to tell you, you all should take the time to watch a few episodes of this cartoon, too. It's been mine and Sydney's lunchtime entertainment for a couple weeks now, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a delightful story with a sci-fi/mystery/adventure/super fun angle that can not be dismissed by any of you out there who may be saying to yourself right now, "A cartoon? Really?" Don't be snobby; check it out.

    Also, Brian started watching a show called "Fate: The Winx Saga" tonight, and I have left the room after three episodes because it is DRAMATIC. The story is very important, and the lead character is insanely important, and I know that because every other character seems to revolve around her and her issue-of-the-week situation. And they're all very, very DRAMATIC. I found myself rolling my eyes more than I was paying attention, and that is never a good idea, is it? So I left. I have no patience for that kind of thing.

"If I had a million dollars... "

On a whim this morning, I asked Alexa to play Barenaked Ladies for me during kitchen time. I have to tell you, that band makes for a very nice, poppy and fun morning entertainment!

    It was a delight to sing along with their fun stuff while we got ready for work and school. Even Sydney enjoyed it, which, in the morning, is really saying something. I think BNL will become a regular rotation on the morning playlists from now on, and I'm very pleased with that.

    Here's the thing though: Alexa says she shuffles the songs, but I don't think she really does. Have you noticed that? Ask her to play music by some band. Then after a fashion, a few songs or a while, ask her to stop. Wait some time and then ask her to play music by that band again. Sometimes she starts with the same song, or one of the first three songs she played earlier, and then some repeat. Like, that's not shuffling, that's listing and then switching them around a bit. That's an issue for me in my head, but it's annoying, for sure.

Like, really? Toss your paper where it goes!

So it's time for a Public Service Announcement. But that'll come after a fashion, and after I describe to you the offensive behavior that precedes the announcement.

    I visited the ladies room in my office's building. It's a "public" bathroom in the lobby, so while we're in a smaller building with very few strangers moving in and out, it's still not specifically in our office, so anyone who enters the building can use it. That's the bathroom we use, and while most times it's fine, sometimes it's not.

    Today, I entered a stall and found, to my horror, that someone had wiped and tossed their toilet paper behind them, but DID NOT ensure that the paper landed in the toilet, and then, LEFT IT ON THE FLOOR. I am repulsed and grossed out and incensed at the apathy that person showed to a public ladies bathroom stall. I just don't understand how someone can go ahead and take care of their business, and then not care to be sure that the bathroom experience is handled appropriately. Like, who doesn't make sure their toilet paper lands in the toilet?

    I understand that automatic toilets are amazing things, but people! They can't be sure the toilet paper AUTOMATICALLY makes it into the toilet! Look around and be sure your paper isn't on the floor!

    PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Check the stall and be sure everything gets taken care of properly!

Use letters, numbers and symbols and punctuation

I am irrationally upset at Google right now because it made me change my password because I logged in on my phone and that made it mad, I guess, and now I'm being punished. I enjoy the technological advances that has phones and computers saving passwords for you, but still, one needs to remember them. I will admit that so many of my passwords are plays on themselves, so they're all really just one of four or five options, but I hate having to change them.

    I feel like something happened today that I'm forgetting, and I've had this feeling for the entirety of my afternoon and evening. I did have some stuff happen, but that is not what's giving me this feeling of ... anxiety? There's a butterfly feeling, I think? I can't put my finger on it, and that's bugging me.

    The last of the cinnamon jelly hearts went the way of the trash can this afternoon. I ate four as my snack, and then the rest got tossed out. And I don't feel bad about it. I do feel bad that Sydney and I finished the Valentine cake so I won't be able to eat that anymore.

And then the drawer opened ... more

I have an Ikea nightstand next to my bed that I love. It's white, has a drawer near the top, and shelf near the bottom, and as I mentioned in a post a couple days ago, now there's a shelf basket under that shelf to hold my magazines. The drawer has been an annoyance to me for several years because it doesn't open very far, and all the remotes and sundries in it have been difficult to place and remove.

    As one of my random projects this past weekend, I wanted to organize the drawer. In my opening and emptying, I got annoyed at its refusal to open farther, and so I just pulled at it. I muscled it as best I could, and the drawer finally gave for about two or three inches more. I don't know what it was caught up on, but suddenly, the drawer opens to a convenient distance. I don't have to twist and turn things to remove them anymore, and after a couple years, it feels weird to be able to just open the drawer and pull out the remote. It doesn't have to be finessed anymore!

It's stupid how big a deal this is for me. Convenience can not be understated.

Hearts and hearts and cake and hearts

I had a bizarrely almost perfect Valentine's Day today, and it was ridiculously unromantic, except for all the times Brian told me I was an awesome valentine.

    First and foremost, my valentine forgot to bring me my valentine mocha. So that was disappointing. But then we went to Costco, which is something I hate doing every day of the week so it's fitting that we'd do it one Valentine's Day. And then we went to Portillo's to pick up the Valentine's heart-shaped cake I ordered a month ago.

    We also got lunch at Portillo's and then we came home to eat and unload our Costco haul. After lunch, Brian and I watched "Rambo: First Blood Part II," which was so far from being a romantic date movie, but still something that I did want to watch because I'm on a Rambo quest. Then Brian made some oatmeal raisin cookies, which sounds really great, but I also had cake to eat, so my points were out of control today, for sure.

    For dinner: Pei Wei takeout and watching "Tenet" as a family, which was the best part of my day. My very unromantic Valentine's Day was pretty ideal. And since Sydney doesn't have school tomorrow, I even get to sleep in just a little bit in the morning.

Magazines are the best medium out there

There was a January a couple years ago when one of my EXPECTATIONs was to be more timely in reading my magazines. I stuck with it for an impressive amount of time, but I'll admit to having fallen off that particular wagon about a year ago. My magazine piles don't get out of hand, but I do have two or three "Entertainment Weekly [Monthly]" issues hanging out next to my bed, also one or two "Martha Stewart" and "Real Simple," and an Uncommon Goods catalog.

    I also have renewed my "Vanity Fair" subscription for a year (after a couple years without it), or at least I think I did. I haven't gotten one yet and now I wonder when I can expect it. But it's the first time I rolled the dice on another magazine to mostly sit in my pile.

    I also created a better space for my magazine pile; I attached one of those under-shelf baskets under my nightstand shelf, and it's holding my mags off the floor and I think I'm in love with that solution. I keep looking at the pile as I type this, and thinking that maybe I can get through a couple of them before bedtime tonight. Of course that motivation will probably be very fleeting, as I am yawning and getting sleepy.

The Green Beret and wizened spy always win

I have no idea how I have so much time to watch movies lately, but I do have the time and I have been watching them, so that's about that. Last night, Sydney and I watched "Iron Man 2," which is awesome. But tonight, I managed to sit and watch two movies that I had never seen before: "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "Rambo: First Blood."

    "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" is a very quiet and cerebral spy movie, starring Gary Oldman. I remember being vaguely intrigued by it when it came out, but never pursued it. Through the years, I never got around to it, no matter how many times I'd scrolled past it on my movie channels. But today I happened on it right as it started, in a particular moment of quiet, and I said whatever, let's watch it. I was not disappointed! It was quiet, as I said, for sure, but spy-ish and starring a bunch of other familiar faces, so I quite liked it.

    As a family, we sat on the sofa and happened on "First Blood," having just finished dinner and looking for something to put on the television. "First Blood" had started only 10 minutes prior, and I'd never seen it, so I stopped on it. I won't say we hate watched it, but it was pretty cheesy and very 80s, until the end when I almost cried because it was so unexpectedly sad and heartbreaking. It was better than I had thought it would be. The movie channel was showing "Rambo: First Blood Part II" and then "Rambo III" after it in a Rambo marathon, so of course I set the DVR to record them. I haven't seen those, either.

Joining the online movement: #FREEBRITNEY

I'm spending so much time watching things lately, but really, I'm waiting for a book at the library, and there's a lot of interesting stuff on the streaming services. Tonight though, I watched the rest of the Britney documentary, "Framing Britney Spears."

    Full disclosure: I am a huge Britney fan. I have been since she first hit it big, and I've thoroughly enjoyed most everything she's done and produced since then. The personal troubles she's had have always been a source of sadness for me, as she is awesome and should always be happy.

    The documentary, as I knew it would, made me super angry. How she's been handled, manipulated, demeaned and insulted throughout her career, and how she's being controlled now, is a travesty. As far as I can tell, based on the stuff I've read which can or can not be considered accurate, she's got her wits about her, is capable of making her own decisions and choices, and is a fully functioning adult who's making plenty of money to keep those controlling her in the lifestyles in which they've become accustomed. And therein lies the rub. Even if she needed a conservatorship like 20 years ago, she certainly doesn't seem to need one now. All that seems to be true is that the conservators themselves need her to be under the conservatorship. Then they can control her.

    I thought one of the statements made by Britney's brother in an interview featured in the documentary, and I'll paraphrase, that the women in the family are strong-minded and want to do what they want to do, was particularly telling. The interviewer, in a brief moment of clarity, responded that that trait is ... constitutional. And how the brother responded to that, by hemming and hawing and hiding his head, told us everything "we" needed to know. They (her father) just want to control her. She was getting too rich, famous, independent for their taste, and that had to stop.

    Sadly, Britney's emotional, mental, psychological meltdown all those years ago played right into their hands, and she's still suffering from that period of bad decision making. It's a serious shame that she can't regain her independence and live her life for herself. But the legal challenges to the conservatorship continue, and I will continue to be a fan. #FREEBRITNEY

He is ... Iron Man

It's pretty amazing that the entire crazy Marvel Cinematic Universe all started because of one little movie, "Iron Man." That was the up-next movie on the Disney+ Timeline Order, and we watched it this afternoon.

    It was the second time Sydney had seen the movie, which she totally loved the first time, so she was pleased and excited to sit and watch it with me this afternoon. And all I can say is that this movie completely and utterly delivers on the potential of the vision.

    It's weird to explain to someone who had seen almost all of the movies before she was a teenager how groundbreaking and mind-blowing that first MCU movie was. Like, we had no idea what was coming, and "Iron Man" just set the perfect tone for the entire Universe. So amazing. And Robert Downey Jr. is frickin' perfection from the beginning to the end(game). All amazing stuff there.

    And then Sydney had some RDJ questions for me. "What's your favorite non-Tony Stark role that Robert Downey Jr. has played?" Here it is: Sherlock Holmes, all day long. "What's you fave movie he was in but not the lead?" Aw, kid, are you ready? "Soapdish." That movie is weird RDJ perfection throughout. She looked him up in Google images from that movie, and has since giggled and gushed over his youth and cuteness.

    And next up is "Iron Man 2." All good stuff when beating up Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell, who dances, of course.

By all accounts, a decent Monday

I'm returning my library book unread tomorrow morning. I feel like I've been typing that quite a bit recently, but with this one, I really have had a hard time getting into it, and I think maybe I didn't read the last one in the series either because I have no idea how the characters are where they are at this point. So I will return it, and then wait for the book I'm on the waiting list for when it is released next Tuesday. So in effect, I've broken up with that author. And that's okay. Moving on ... 

    Also, about today: I ... am still feeling alright about my decision to no longer like Sprinkles cupcakes; ... spent an hour reading Super Bowl coverage when I shouldn't have been; ... watched "Captain Marvel," the second of the MCU movies in the Timeline Order on Disney+; ... ate only two cinnamon jelly hearts; ... wrote a letter; ... made some delicious mac and cheese; ... and finally sent that one email.

A productive weekend for me and Tom Brady

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY: Quite obviously, it was not my team that won the Super Bowl tonight, but it was my (previous) quarterback. I was super bummed when Tom Brady left the Patriots; optimistic when the team picked up Cam Newton; happy for Brady and Rob Gronkowski in their success during the season; weirded out when the Patriots didn't make the playoffs; and pleased for Brady and Gronk when they made it to the Super Bowl. My daughter asked me today if I was cheering for my "old quarterback." I said, "Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I am." I was pleased to be able to tell her tonight that my "old quarterback" won the game.

ALSO: I did get my Sprinkles cupcakes on Saturday, and I am somewhat happy to say that I didn't love them. I think I've put my finger on my issue with Sprinkles. It's the cake. It's super crumbly, and not terribly moist, like at all. The frostings can be good/great, but the cakes are where the experience falls apart for me. And now having nailed that down, I can easily avoid them with no temptation. They'll be for me like what Brian's once-a-year Big Mac experience is for him, something I try once a year that reminds me why I only partake once a year. I'm genuinely thinking of ending my social media follows of them, too.

EXPECTATION update: We finally got Sydney's bathroom all taken care of aesthetically. Her new shower curtain and towels look super good. I didn't get into the cabinet under the sink quite yet, but we've got the stuff ready for that task and I hope to power through it at some point this week.

Raspberry chocolate chip; that is all

I ate two cinnamon jelly hearts today, but no See's candy. Pretty sure that is in preparation for my day tomorrow when I pick up my order of cupcakes at Sprinkles. In that order, I have two raspberry chocolate chip, a triple cinnamon, and a lemon blueberry for Brian.

    Reminder that the raspberry chocolate chip is my favorite cupcake from Sprinkles, and that it only is available in the month of February. Even so, I don't go crazy during the month. In fact, I bet these are the only two I eat throughout the 28 days. And that'll do me fine.

    Aside: My second favorite I think is the strawberry; I could eat a cup of that strawberry frosting every single day and be a happy camper because of it.

    So because of the cupcakes, I kept a leash on my sweet tooth today, only to allow it free rein tomorrow. I honestly can't wait!

Too much candy in my house, you guys

I failed, utterly, miserably and horribly, at ordering a PlayStation 5 this afternoon. I refreshed and refreshed and refreshed but still, all the Internet geeks with bot programs snapped up all the PlayStation 5s before I could even get one in my shopping cart. And that sucks right out loud. I mean, really, why can't I get just one of those damn things?

    I finished the first season/part of "Lupin" tonight. Andrea told me that there is a place in Netflix where I can switch from subtitles to dubbed language, but I decided that I'd rather read the words and have the characters' mouths match their words than have different words come out of a moving mouth. Having the sound and words off from a person on a show or in a movie drives me CRAZY. So reading the words was/is always preferable. Also, challenge accepted, I will read the show and not travel the easier road.

    What's annoying is that the show doesn't end on a cliffhanger really, it ends like in the middle of a scene that's tense, and then the screen goes black. Not cool, Lupin; not cool.

    I ate four hearts today. And two scotchmallows.

I'm reading a new show on Netflix

Clearly, I am very much into watching shows on my television lately. I started a new one today, and, don't laugh, it's in French. I didn't mistype that. It's not just set in France, no sir; it's spoken in French. Subtitles, my friend. Subtitles are my jam here, I guess.

    How this happened: I read an article today about shows that people shouldn't miss on Netflix. This particular show, "Lupin," was described as a heist-y, gentleman robber kind of thing, boasting excellent acting and good writing. Something totally up my alley. It did not say anywhere, that I remember anyways, that it was spoken in French. Maybe a note about it being a French show but maybe not? I don't know.

    Having said that, I realized it was in French when the title card came up and it was in French and there was an English subtitle at the bottom of the screen. I hesitated for a milli-second and then said out loud to myself in the room, "Hell yeah; let's do this!" The show has five episodes, or maybe four, with each one running about 45 minutes or so. I watched the first one.

    And here's the truth, it was really good. And I did read the subtitles all the way through, and after a while, I had forgotten that I was reading the dialogue instead of hearing it, and the show was just a show that I was enjoying.

    I took three years of French in high school, and I can understand maybe one in 30 words of this show. You know, the little words like yes, hello, thank you, food stuff names, maybe a random word here or there that I vaguely remember. Nevertheless, it's a good time ... in French!

Television-show stress made me do it

I finished watching "Night Stalker" on Netflix this afternoon. I was pretty fascinated by this show and I'll tell you why: I was a 12-year-old kid living in the LA area during this dude's murder/rape/assault spree. I remember knowing that there was someone breaking into people's houses and killing them, and I remember a general sense of panic in the adult populace. But the details and scope of this guy's activities were a complete mystery to me until I watched this show. And now I'm all, "Wtf was going on?!?!" I honestly don't have any commentary on this, and can only note that wow, I had no idea how truly gross and terrible this guy was.

    Also today, I ate four cinnamon jelly hearts. I did this because I forgot that I'd rather drink a cup of hot tea to sate my tummy and its afternoon snack desires, and I'd eaten some chips too that I didn't want to taste anymore. So that's that. Four hearts. But tomorrow is another day.

Aioli for every day, week, month and year

My local grocery store features an outdoor barbecue every day, and the food is quite delicious. I'm partial to the hamburgers and macaroni salad, as well as the baked beans, and a hot dog every once in a while, too. The barbecue has a condiment bar alongside, and in that condiment bar is a delicious, very special chipotle aioli, handmade by the mastermind behind the grill.

    I'm not usually one for spicy condiments, but this aioli is amazing, and tastes fantastic on practically everything. Neither Brian nor Sydney like it, so whenever we order from there, I ask for aioli for all, and then squirrel it away for myself. I use it on all my take-out hamburgers, on steak sandwiches, on chicken sandwiches and even on a hot dog. Since I get three little cups of it at a time, I use it liberally and as often as I want, and it's my own happy mealtime pleasure.

    But today, I realized that it's totally time to visit the barbecue again. I have only one little cup of aioli left in the fridge, and I had to crack it open this afternoon for my lunchtime hamburger. This last cup of aioli is stressing me out just a little bit, as I rarely have fewer than three in the fridge at a time. Yep, we're definitely having lunch at the barbecue this weekend.

LIMIT: Two hearts per day

So it's obvious that I can not be trusted in my house with cinnamon jelly hearts.

    At Target the other day, I thought to myself, "Well, Kimmie, you can control yourself to eating only two hearts per day." That blast of optimism led me to buy two bags to cover the entire Valentine holiday season. The first bag is in the container, and already has been dug into several more times than two hearts per day.

    Last year, after Valentine's Day, I gave Sydney the last of my hearts and asked her to hide them from me until after Thanksgiving. I could not stop eating them, and also couldn't bring myself to toss them out. She did hide them, and after Thanksgiving, I was doing well on my Weight Watchers that I didn't want them back. I believe she still has the bag somewhere in her bedroom.

    No matter, because I seem to have purchased my own demise for the season. So far, I have had only two today, and I only hope that I can continue to hold myself to that standard moving forward. Monday is another day!