Harvesting Addiction

I've been very productive lately. Oh yes I have.

Have you found a job yet?

No, but...

So have you winterized the van yet?
No, but...

Well, have you taken the kids to the dentist yet for their yearly cleaning?

Not yet, but...I achieved level 24 on Facebook FarmVille!!!

There may be an addiction afoot here. Are there 12 steps for cyber-farmers? Is there a drug on the market yet that can slow the effects of brain melt? Can something so creative, so fun and beautiful, be harmful? (depends on who you ask; even my teens are a contemplating an intervention).

Hint: you can level up faster and make more coin by setting up phantom accounts where you stock up on gifts and experience points by weeding neighbor's crops and chasing off pesky raccoons.

You're welcome.

Oh God, forgive me, it's the sickness talking.

Apparently I'm not alone and the stakes are higher than we thought:
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/techtonicshifts/archive/2009/11/06/is-facebook-a-paradise-for-scammers.aspx?GT1=43002
Used to be you could pack on the pounds reading racy novels and snarfing chocolate, or licking doughnut crumbs off your fingers in front of your flat screen TV, but now you can do the same thing in front of a computer screen, all hours of the day (or night, and believe me, I've done both).

But I'm in no mood to stop either one yet (farming or eating). It's DEFINITELY building a sense of confidence, an artistic accomplishment combined with good business sense (it takes skill to amass the coins and experience, not to mention master the levels) and a budding inclination towards agriculture. No, really.

Who knew?

My parents still don't.

24 Coke-free and Counting...

The story goes I ate the mums at my parent's wedding reception...but, I digress.

It's been 24 hours without a vanilla Coke (my own personal brand of heroin, for all you Twilighters). And I haven't displayed any wierd withdrawal symptoms, like killing my neighbors. Yet.

Although I came close when a bored--and apparently unsupervised--child in the building pulled the fire alarm. Not only did the Star Trek Enterprise screeching (red alert! red alert!) drive me from the condo, it brought the police, firemen, and paramedics to our quiet little corner of the world.

And is it just me, but do you have to be eye candy to work those professions? Everyone of those guys looked like they were on their way to a calendar shoot. Because they were looking mighty fine I forgot all about tracking down that little kid who interrupted my well-guarded blog writing time. But, I digress.

My Coke elimination strategy based on consuming raw foods--besides making me forgetful--has worked its magic so far, so I'd like to pass on the magic to you (in case you cared):

• Camomile tea with raw honey and lemon.
• Blueberries in plain, non-fat yogurt (hey there, Brown Cow).
• A couple bottles of water.
• Odwalla green smoothie and a handful of blueberries
• Ambrosia for the gods chocolate smoothie: 2 bananas, spring water, lucama powder (Peruvian superfood), raw cacao and hemp seeds. Seriously, I could LIVE on that.
• Too many raw larabars; coconut creme, cherry pie, pecan, and key lime.
• A salad of spring mix, and goji berry trail mix topper with a dressing made of tomatoes, fresh garlic, green onions, cilantro, apple cider vinegar and virgin olive oil.
• Hummus
• Synergy Kombucha, Superfruit flavor

Okay, it was all a little heavy on the sugar, but it felt good just to get off the refined sugar and caffeine. And yeah, the cacao powder IS caffeine but my story is, it's still healthier than Coke, and I'm sticking to it.

Maybe I should try eating the mums garnishing the dining room table next? They're raw...