Breaking the fast - April 22

This entry is three weeks late, but it's worth trying to catch up to since I know people were curious about how my detox went. As you may remember, I began the Master Cleanse on April 12. For 10 days, I survived and eventually thrived on an all-organic meal plan of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, purified water and tea. Even now the idea seems foreign, since I returned to the world of the eating without so much as a headache. The body is a resilient thing.

The main question everyone asked was of course, "Did you lose any weight?" The amusing answer is no, and I'm willing to share the difference. I began the detox weighing in at 120 (I'm 5'5") and on the last day I weighed myself at 122. Two days after breaking the fast, I was down to 118 and I assume that's because I lost the water weight I'd been accumulating from doing the "salt water flush" each morning. I am now back to my normal 120, and am quite comfortable there.

I eased back into eating on April 22 with a breakfast of orange juice, a lunch of vegan split pea soup, and a dinner of vegetarian chili. I was determined to not slip into my old eating habits, but I made the mistake of thinking that I would "behave" myself on vacation. That of course, did not happen.



We flew out to Virginia on April 23 to attend Captain Trapp's change of command ceremony and visit Brian's family. I'll blog more on that after this post, but the important point is that we spent a week eating and drinking like we were on vacation - lots of excellent food, beer, grilling, eating out, etc. I should have made healthier decisions about what I ate, but I gave into the spirit of vacation and went right back to eating the way I did before the detox.

Now that we have been home for two weeks, I'm back to working on my eating habits. I still drink a ton of water (I dislike soda) and try to get fresh fruit and veggies into my diet, but I'm occasionally a sucker for a good burger. I've been taking vitamins recommended to me by Brian's mom and they give me a far better energy boost than any caffeine drink ever has. The treadmill is still not my friend, but I've been doing yoga every other day and I'd like to get my life back on a schedule even without the regularity of a work day.

Thank you to everyone who sent their support and encouragement my way throughout the detox. I'm not perfect and I certainly didn't come out of the detox as well as I could have, but I'm working on improving myself each day. Namaste :)

Personality tests galore

One fun facet of my philosophy class last quarter was the use of personality tests. These tests can be important for conflict resolution in working environments where different fundamental personality types often clash. Here are a few fun ones I've done recently:

My Personality
[Take this personality test]

Neuroticism	54
Extraversion	97
Openness to Experience	77
Agreeableness	50
Conscientiousness	51

You do not feel nervous in social situations, and have a good impression of what others think of you, however you feel strong cravings and urges that you have difficulty resisting. You tend to prefer short-term pleasures and rewards over long-term consequences. You like to speak out, take charge, and direct the activities of others. You are usually the leader in group activites. Familiar routines are good, but sometimes you like to spice up your life with a bit of adventure or activity. You are tenderhearted and compassionate, feeling the pain of others vicariously and are easily moved to pity, however you are not adverse to confrontation and will sometimes even intimidate others to get your own way. You have strong will-power and are able to overcome your reluctance to begin tasks. You are able to stay on track despite distractions.

[Take the MBTI test]

For those of you interested in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, I am an ENFJ. Other famous ENFJ's include Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, which I think is a pretty cool representation of the diversity within the personality type. I have tested as an ENTJ several times as well, but I think that my education has softened me up a little ;) ENFJ stands for "Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging," which is where the emphasis is placed in my behavior and thought/decision processes. I am empathetic, emotional, passionate, creative and hard-working, which apparently suits me ideally for a job as a teacher.

The Political Compass Test
Economic Left/Right: -3.50
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -1.33

The political compass above is a little more complex than the first two tests. It involves questions about economics, art, social responsibility and science. I skewed left of center (which is normal, since I'm a Dem) and a little to the libertarian side, which is cool since I do identify with some values from libertarian philosophy. I used to rate more on the authoritarian quadrant, so it's interesting to see the shift.

Feel free to take these tests and let me know how your results turn out :)

Diary of a detox

I hesitated to come out with discussing this because I knew I'd be met with skepticism and negativity, but I'm comfortable enough now that I'm willing to share it.

I'm doing a detox, specifically the Master Cleanse.

Tomorrow marks my halfway point, meaning that I haven't eaten in five days. The first half of the program is admittedly the hardest, and I'm genuinely surprised that I made it this far. As you can see on my blog sidebar, my life revolves around eating and drinking in excess.

I am tired, physically and spiritually, of being a slave to impulse. I have spent the majority of my life eating and buying what I want when I want it, giving little thought to where my food came from, how it was produced or grown, or what it meant for me to put it in my body. I can't remember the last time I looked at a nutritional label or said "no" to an offer to eat out.

This detox is a covenant with myself to respect my body and the miracle that is my health. I am so lucky that I have no major illnesses or injuries, and that I am loved and taken care of. There are so many people in the world who can't say that right now, and I want to appreciate that fact by taking my first step toward a healthier life.

This column written today by my favorite columnist really helps explain why I chose to detox. It is not about weight loss and never should be - especially considering that I will gain the majority of any lost weight back as soon as I return to eating regular food. I plan to start cooking more often to incorporate fresh organic produce in our daily meals, and Brian is totally on board. I'm excited about creating bento boxes for our lunches as soon as we return from our Virginia trip, which will be the first week of May. For now, my schedule looks like this each day:

Morning:
32 oz. of water with 2 tsp. of salt

Throughout the day:
6-12 glasses of lemonade, which consists of:
purified water
fresh squeezed lemon juice
organic Grade B maple syrup
cayenne pepper

Evening:
Organic "Smooth Move" tea

And so it goes, over and over ad infinitum. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get bored of tasting the same thing all day everyday, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. My mental clarity, energy level, stamina and emotional balance have all centered and focused. I went through panic attacks in the first two days because I was so freaked out by doing this for ten days, but when I finally found my balance I realized I had never felt better. It is interesting to note that in the photo below, I have gone four days without eating and have not lost even a single pound. That's definitely okay with me.



As noted in the column, there is no official ruling from the medical community about whether detoxes are good or bad for your body - at worst, they do nothing. Either side of the argument can be argued with compelling research and case studies, so if you're planning to try to discourage me, I've probably already read the research :) Either way, empirical medical evidence cannot refute the prevalence of fasting in religious communities, which teach the virtues of patience, sacrifice and humility. I always admired my Muslim classmates who were able to fast during Ramadan with such tranquility, and I now understand where that sense of peace comes from.

I have a ton of other blog items that I need to catch up on, from my 25th birthday to my progress in school. For now, this is the most important item I want to update on so I will continue writing about it until April 22 when I complete the detox. The next day, I will step on a plane bound for Norfolk, VA :) Wish me luck!

A weekend in Napa and San Francisco

My friend Liz came home to NorCal this weekend with her family, and we had a blast. She and her husband Kevin both serve in the Air Force and live in Georgia, so it was a treat to take them out for fresh air and good wine. Their one-year-old son Issac is absolutely handsome (and walking already!) so I was excited to meet him too. You can check out my photos from the weekend here.



We started the afternoon at Flora Springs winery, where we sampled their truly stellar single-vineyard cabernet sauvignons. My favorite is the Holy Smoke, and Brian loves the Poggio del Papa. Liz and Kevin took home a sauvignon blanc blend that I absolutely adore, called the Soliloquy.



Inside the disco/zebra theme tasting room at Flora Springs:



Next we headed over to Alpha Omega, home to the sweetest (and most expensive, ugh) dessert wine that I've ever tried - the Late Harvest 2007. We had a beautiful view sitting out on the patio by the fountain, with table service provided by our favorite tasting expert, Jackie.





We finished with dinner and more amazing wine at Rutherford Grill, where I had the lamb tenderloin in place of my usual ostrich tenderloin. I swear the waitress broke my heart when she said they were no longer serving that dish :P





It was an excellent night with one of the sweetest couples on the face of the earth. It's really easy to see why the two of them just "click," they are perfect together and I'm so glad to see Liz so happy.

On Sunday, we took my niece Genevieve to the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. We had an absolutely wonderful time learning and playing with all the exhibits and creatures at the museum. Check out the video below, set to Genie's favorite song on our Zac Brown Band CD - "Sic 'Em On a Chicken." :)









It was a fun and busy weekend and I cannot wait for my birthday party this weekend!! Spring quarter starts today so I'm all ready with my ten(!!!) books in both Research Methods and Social Realities. It'll be an interesting quarter, no doubt.

My 25th birthday garden party!

I'm turning 25 next Sunday!! To celebrate, we're planning a Saturday afternoon garden party in my backyard. We've got a TON of yard work to do beforehand, so cross your fingers that we find the time and motivation to get it all done :) The weather is forecast as a SUNNY 70 degrees that day, so I'm really excited about enjoying the spring weather with my friends and family!



PHOTO CREDITS:

1. Silk tricotine Sophia short dress from J. Crew <--I'm wearing this for the party!
2. Girls Next Door at the Kentucky Derby
3. Brian and I at Sequoia Grove winery in Napa
4. Paper Lanterns
5. Mint Julep
6. Birthday Evite
7. Chandon champagne flute at Chandon Winery
8. Chickpea Radish Hors d'Oeuvres
9. My backyard, with Jubilee

Brian's dad's visit to California

Brian and I had the honor of hosting his dad at our house this past weekend. He was a great guest and I was really glad to repay the favor of hosting since we're always the ones visiting HIS house in Virginia. We had a blast trying out different restaurants in the area, as well as doing a LOT of overdue yard work. Last night we had dinner with my parents, and it was definitely awesome for them to finally meet each other after our three years of dating :)

Parent night in the Brown-Trapp household


Lunch at an excellent Korean BBQ restaurant


Pat with his former coworkers Olga and Steve


Brian and I at Dempsey's in Petaluma for dinner.


Pat watching tv in our living room


My parents and I


One of the wines we served with dinner: Poggio del Papa from Flora Springs.


Homemade tarragon vinaigrette


A snail family I found while pulling up weeds


Brian and his dad

I'm officially a senile dog lady.

Bruno is a vocal little friend. When he sees animals on TV, even if they're cartoons, he'll start barking to scare them away. My favorite trick to play on him is showing dachshund videos to make him think there's a dog in my screen. :) Here's his typical reaction: