Caitlin decided yesterday that she was going on a three day "juice fast" starting today to detoxify her system. It was hard to tell that she was toxic prior to this declaration. We bought all sorts of juices yesterday - grapefruit, orange, cranberry - and she planned to use a bunch of herbal teas I was given as a gift but do not use because I have an intense dislike for herbal teas. Around noon today we got a call at work that she had a headache and an upset stomach and wanted one of us to come pick her up and take her home. I told her to eat something and take some Advil (I used up my empathy quota on something else today). When we got home this evening she made a plate of nachos and declared her fast over. She said next time she'll get herself better prepared mentally and will try for two days, then move on to three. When I questioned her about feeling ill today she admitted that she was just bored at school. I wish there was someone I could call when I'm bored or angry or just astonished at the stupidity displayed at work.

I've realized that my journal is like they call "plate lunch" in Hawaii - a little of this and a little of that and you never know what you're going to get from one day to the next. Not very nutritious, but it gets you through the lunch hour. When my husband did some work in Hawaii many years ago, I went along a couple of times. You could buy plate lunch from one of many lunch trucks for about $3. You'd get meatloaf or hot dogs or chicken plus various side dishes - whatever the cook had felt like making that day. Sort of prix fixe at a very low prix. My favorite restaurant in the world - La Boheme at 7th and Dolores in Carmel - is also prix fixe (and only one meal choice per day), but a good deal higher prix and three courses, none of which ever includes hot dogs. Although I suppose meat loaf is actuall pate de peasant, to further mangle the French language.

The painters are here, finally. They did ceilings today, leaving us with just enough paint scent to be annoying. Colors have been picked for most of the rooms, with a couple left to be selected. They paint a 12" x 18" piece of foamboard in the chosen colors so you get a better sense of the actual impact of the color than you can get from a miniscule paint chip. Who knew that Water Hawthorne would be way too grassy green, or that the ashy mauve of Hourglass would be better called Cremains of the Day (probably one of many names that have never been and will never be used for paint colors)? Blue Brilliance has been banished (too bold, too blue, too brilliant) and replaced with Pompeii (visions of a volcano raining fire are not accurate for this soft blue). Napoleon conquered Blue Visage, which was too pale for the bedroom, but perfect for the laundry room. And so it goes with the colorization of the house.

The kids want to get a dog. Just in time to pee on the new paint. Yippee.