Oh wait. That’s because it is.

The obesity book I’m writing is kicking my butt. It’s the part of the job I was hired for that I have put off as long as (and longer than) I can and I finally publicly gave myself the artificial deadline of needing to finish it before I could go to the festival tomorrow.

The book consists of five “chapters,” an introduction, a conclusion, and the requisite back of the book materials.

My current progress:
Introduction: Done
Ch. 1: Done
Ch. 2: 80% done
Ch. 3: 30% done
Ch. 4: 60% done
Ch. 5: 90% done
Conclusion: Done
Back of the Book: 85% done

It’s nearly 1 a.m. I so do not want to go to bed without finishing this. I have taken a preemptive nap. Ch. 3 (where all that nasty science is contained) may be the part that defeats my plan. Or maybe I’ll fill it with junk science. Or just my opinion masquerading as science. You don’t think anyone will notice if I increase the amount of sugar the government recommends, will you? I mean, if I’m the expert they ought to believe me, right? Huh. So that’s how the bad guys do it…

Update: I did cheat mildly and decided to omit certain planned elements from my draft of the book. On one hand, we could say that I had been untrue to my original vision. On the other hand, the text file of the book currently stands at 55 pages and that’s before laying it out in book format. I’d like to think that it’s for the good of the reader tht I left those (less important) portions out.

The sun has risen, so I’m going to go to bed for a little while so I can be fresh for the festival in a few hours. (Or I could leave now, stop for breakfast, and get there when they open…)

I am looking forward to this weekend (which will begin at whatever time I get this albatross of an obesity book from around my neck). Tonight, should the stars align and a time machine be invented and I finish this book surprisingly earlier than I think I will, there is a Cinco de Mayo happy hour over in Barracks Row. Michael has promised Mexican wrestling masks, which has potential, I think, for some intriguing scenarios.

Tomorrow is Sheep and Wool. I mean, come on — sheep and wool! And alpacas and angora bunnies and llamas and goats and sheepdogs and spindles and spinning wheels and fresh-squeezed lemonade and eclairs the size of your head and … and … and …

No, I’m not that excited. Why do you ask?

Check back Saturday night or Sunday for photos and a recap of events and purchases.

Sunday brings the farmers’ market. We’re trying something new each market in May. Last week was stinging nettles, which Rudi turned into a yummy soup last night based on Clotilde’s recipe. It was bright green! Rhubarb has been promised to go with the season’s strawberries. That might be something to try as a dessert. Although it will be hard to beat the pairing two days ago of strawberries, fresh whipped cream, and the rest of the chocolate torte cake Gramma made at Easter. (I don’t know how it lasted that long in the fridge either; who hid it in plain sight?)

And then we have a baseball game. I don’t remember who’s playing the Nationals this weekend, but given our record, it is a distinct possibility they will beat us. Since I know it is not the Mets coming to town, I can root wholeheartedly for the Nats to stop losing.

I hope to squeeze a lot of fun (and a lot of sleep) into this weekend. Next week is going to be another rough one at work, so it would be nice to feel that there had been some sort of break in there.

Thursdays offer us a chance to slow down (metaphorically, if not in real life) and look back at all the beauty of the last week. I offer you three highlights:

1. Eri came down to visit last weekend. She and I were college roommates and have known each other now for 14 years — longer than all but two of my friends. We rode bikes and talked and went to the zoo. We ate at a new (for us) restaurant. We lazed Sunday morning with the paper. We watched The West Wing. We talked about old times. And new. And times to come. All in all a lovely visit.

2. In preparation of Eri’s visit (and in reaction to Jason and Essia’s), Rudi and I spent several days last week doing hard core cleaning. The process of cleaning itself is not beautiful, but the results are, and the Burrow is now at least twenty pounds lighter because of all the shredding we got done.

3. In the last few days, I’ve had the opportunity to deal with some unresolved knitting projects. As you saw earlier, the mousies got finished. And yesterday I sent off Jason’s hat, which I finished a day late way back in February. (I’m sure St. Louis is not still cold enough to require a wool hat (pictured here with the unfinished mousies), but now he has one for the first cold breeze next fall.) Last night the sock I’ve been knitting came off the needles so I can now use those needles (if necessary) to cast on Rudi’s summer socks. (I also will be casting on the shawl I’m making out of the yarn I bought last year at Sheep and Wool so I can go to this year’s festival with a clear conscience.)

The beginning of each month offers a chance to look back into the reading piles and new acquisitions of the past month.

I can’t believe I only read five books this month. I have no excuses. Clearly I’ve been slacking off. But I really couldn’t even tell you with what. Those were:
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Can anyone explain to me why when looking at obesity statistics, I cannot find numbers for certain ethnic groups? I can find numbers for Caucasians, African Americans, and Mexican Americans.

I cannot however find information on Latinos in general (I grew up in the Northeast and am well aware that there are obese Puerto Ricans out there — and that Puerto Ricans would be pretty insulted be classified as Mexicans.), Asian Americans, or Native Americans.

Why hasn’t the government tracked this information? And if they have, why have they hidden it away?

This makes writing a book using facts so much harder…

The medals plaza has been disassembled. The hotels’ vacancy signs have been up long enough to fade in the sun. And the only medalist we can name is the Flying Tomato. (more…)