Hungry Thursday

So its been three days since I bathed, but today I may have to break down and wash myself. To do this I will probably also have to remove the bright red union suit long johns (see photo of me wearing them above - ain't I a handsome devil) I have been wearing most of the week. I am forced to make such concessions because I work at a fine dining establishment and rich people generally prefer to not have their $300-dinner-for-two accompanied by questionable body odor.

It has been damn cold in Cincinnati. Last Friday my water pipes froze. My handyman roommate Alex had the insightfulness to apply a heat gun to the affected area (although I have since been cautioned against this practice). This thawed out the cold water line running to my bathroom, but the hot water was still inoperable by the time I had to leave. I have to be clean for work, so I ended up taking a cold shower. Given that it was all of 12 degrees outside and about 50 degrees in my bathroom, I have to say this was the most invigorating shower I have ever had. Actually I was shrieking for some of it.

I missed my ever-exciting 'Topics in Math' course today and also missed breakfast at UC's smorgasbord cafeteria - which I am a huge fan of - because I was trying to straighten out some drama at home. But seriously folks, this all-you-can-eat cafeteria is amazing. All the eggs, sausage, fried 'taters, fresh fruit, cereal, milk, waffles, omelette's, biscuits, and gravy you can stomach for $5.41. What a value. I usually try to pick up a lot of fruit during the course of retrieving my several courses, and then smuggle it home in my bookbag. I figure this is a cost-effective way of ensuring my chronically underemployed roommates don't come down with scurvy.

Speaking of scurvy prevention - it will be time to dig for sassafras real soon. As soon as things thaw out a little. You wanna do this before the sap starts to rise for best results. Find a sassafras tree - overgrown fence rows and the edges of fields are good places to look - and then dig up a few small roots. Let them dry and then peel the bark. Boil for a delicious natural tea. Old folks used to use it as a spring tonic. One of the Foxfire books has a whole section on the tree's many uses.