The water imbibing continues. My second liter and a half is sitting here, next to my assorted salad and hard boiled egg. Again, only two cups of coffee today instead of the usual three, and I’m buzzing as if I’ve had six cups, although definitely not quite as jittery. The whole morning was non-stop crazy busy, so it could be I’m amped up from doing so many things simultaneously, but I do think I’m noticing a difference. The metallic taste was back, but this salad is helping. I’m envisioning moving to some kind of herbal tea habit, though I’m not sure what kind yet. So many options.

Nikki’s dad is in town. He checked the spot where Gia ripped the soapdish out of the wall last week. We have it patched up with plastic garbage bags and duct tape. Nikki did a fabulous job of making it look slightly less ghetto than it really is. At least we can still use the shower. Apparently, we’re looking at a bigger job than we’d hoped, somewhere in the neighborhood of a grand. That means it’ll probably cost much more. Good thing I don’t have the money right now, otherwise it would be gone, down the drain along with the little winged ants we have to wash away every morning. There are some roof issues as well. We knew that there was something going on, but it’s great to have someone point it out definitively so you can feel that much more neglectful as you let the time slip by. At least the house isn’t going to cave in. Maybe that will be the next phone call.

Ava’s trying to stand up. Last week, she just started crawling. Next week, I predict she will launch herself to some distant planet. We’ll miss her.

I’ve embarked on a water-drinking quest. I’ve spent years disregarding all that advice to drink x glasses of water a day, because that’s just the right thing to do, mainly because it’s got no taste, and I’m lazy. I like to taste the things I’m eating and drinking, except for whiskey, which is easy enough to make exception for. A couple of shots and who cares about the taste anymore? I’m easing off on that, as well.

The water adventure has been a long time in coming. I’ve known I needed to address the fact that I’m pushing 40, and I’d really like to be around and in shape enough to keep up with and enjoy my family. This includes being present for them emotionally as well as physically. Nikki’s talked about all sorts of cleanses, which are much more popular on the west coast than they are here, but I don’t think I’m quite ready to take that kind of plunge. Easy does it. I drink coffee, I’m easing off on the alcohol, and I figure I can start with water. After coming off the July 4th vacation, if you can call it a vacation, actually it was only a couple of extra days off from work, my exhaustion and resulting stress levels were way up there. Clearly my stamina ain’t what it used to be.

So some time around last Thursday, I started drinking the old H20. Previously, I’d drink maybe a pint a day. Now, I’m downing 7-8 pints or so.

The first night, there was cold sweat and crazy dreams. Second night, much of the same. There was an ongoing metallic taste. The cold sweat finally subsided, as did the metallic taste, but the dreams are still there. I’m thinking this is due to toxins being released. Great. If this is what cleansing is like, I’m terrified. There’s only so much dreaming of doomsday I can handle. At least I’m able to sleep. I feel pretty good right now, and the past two days, I’ve only had two cups of coffee per day, as opposed to my usual three cups. I have a 1.5 liter of Poland Spring sitting next to me, half finished. My eyes aren’t quite as bloodshot as they were yesterday. Maybe that’s just allergies or something, but I was really waiting for someone to ask me what I was smoking. No one did.

We’ve been stepping up our salad consumption as well. Over the weekend, we took a drive east to explore some of the farmland not far from where we live. It’s beautiful out there, Sound Ave. in Calverton. We stopped at Foster Farms, a little farm stand selling corn and produce, and picked up some Romaine lettuce and sweet corn. Last night, it was dinner time. We cooked up the 2 lbs. of organic salmon we had brining in the fridge for the past day, mixed the fresh Romaine with some organic herb salad, and of course, a couple of ears of the sweet corn.

I haven’t tasted corn like that in, well, I can’t remember how long it’s been. It’s corn like that makes me never want to leave Long Island. Or, maybe, it was the wine, or maybe I’m just drunk on all this water.

Took Friday off. Had four generations of family (in-laws) in town over the July 4th weekend, which was phenomenal, though we were all physically exhausted when it was over, so much so that I called in and took the day off yesterday. I would have been worthless anyway. Unfortunately, this led to an hour-and-a-half long anxiety attack while I sat in traffic this morning. I’m shot.

I haven’t had anxiety like that in a while. I think it was mainly due to an overdose of family stimulation. I’m used to my family at home, but I’m not used to having the extended family around. It’s been ages since I’ve been exposed to that. I miss it, but it’s exhausting.

Yesterday evening, Nikki remarked that I hadn’t touched my computer hardly at all over the weekend, no video games, nothing. Fact is, I could barely move yesterday. A friend of ours that we ran into during the festivities, someone we haven’t seen in a while, greeted me by patting my stomach. This threw me into a downward spiral of self-loathing that culminated yesterday, or probably this morning. I’m starting to snap out of it. The coffee helped. This would have been the wrong time to quit that stuff. As it is, it took me five hours to dig out from the accumulated e-mails. E-mail can really suck. If it weren’t for the caffeine, I’d be here til next Thursday.