Bllleurrggghhh!

We had a weekend of eating food at other people's houses - I love these, as I don't have to cook or dirty my kitchen, but I am always wary about eating too much and eating food I am not used to eating, due to my sensitive digestive system. First it was my nephew's 4th birthday party on Saturday - as usual, my sister organized a great & healthy spread - grilled chicken & big beef franks, orzo & grilled veggie salad - my Mom supplied a great oriental salad topped with crunchy noodles & I brought my famous watermelon feta salad (with red onions & fresh mint). Appetizers were fresh bakery tomato pizza & of course grilled sausages with different mustards. A vanilla Superman cake was a simple ending to the day. All was gooood! I tend to have intestinal attacks at my sister's place often at parties because something I eat will throw me off, but this time was attack-free & I was so happy!

Sunday was lunch at my in-laws for my sister-in-law Jo-Anna's birthday....Donini pizza & homemade salad....as soon as I saw the pizza, I was debating whether I'd be ok after eating it - I have a loooong history of not feeling well after ordered pizza & I usually have a lot of difficulty digesting it. But, since I've been ok for the last long while eating pizza from Angela's at my friend Julie's place (which is extra heavy on the cheese & not very well done) and I order often from Toniz in St. Laurent at work for a treat, I figured maybe my pizza digestion problem could be a thing of the past. Plus, I was starving - we had not eaten breakfast, as we always want to save our appetites for the customary huge lunches my mother-in-law usually prepares...so I could not imagine just eating salad, nor did I want to disturb my mil and ask for something else to eat....I had two slices of the vegetarian pizza & enjoyed it very much. Not long after though, I felt so stuffed & basically like I had a rock in the pit of my stomach....very little time passed before I started getting that perculation feeling down below & I had to make a beeline to Rimona's en-suite bathroom....even after a dose of Immodium, three more trips followed....because everyone's so used to seeing me in the toilet, no one probably even noticed anything out of the ordinary, including my hubby who was preoccupied with fixing his Dad's laptop....I was not happy about being ill, knowing that we were having dinner at Julie's sister Sophie's place that night. I should have known though about the Donini - we had nicknamed it Pizza "Don't Eat It" years ago, even most of my childhood friends who can stomach most junkfood often steered clear from ordering there as nausea or various digestive problems ensued!

This dinner had been planned for awhile, as Sophie had requested Shawn's help in diagnosing her computer and she wanted to repay us in the form of a home-cooked authentic Italian meal. She'd already checked our preferences with us & had been informed of what foods I was sensitive to, etc. So, when we get there, she's got the kitchen table set up like a bar, with any kind of alcohol you can think of & different mixers (we found out later that this was just a small portion of their collection!). I had my eyes on the Blue Raspberry & Cranberry martini mixes (she discovered these at Walmart & they have become a new staple at Julie's parties), so we waited for Julie to arrive as she's the xpert mixologist. It didn't take long before we each had a blue martini in hand & we were munching on corn chips & artichoke dip, as well as battered mozerella sticks - treats I splurge on only at parties...., Shawn got down to business with the computer checkup, and....2-3 more martinis later (ca clanchait!), my upset stomach was gone & forgotten. We snacked on an antipasto of good quality, nutty tasting olives, French stick with butter & mini bonconchini while waiting for dinner to be served. Dinner consisted of chicken breasts stuffed with sauteed red onions, different types of cheeses & ham, lightly dusted with a crumb mixture & topped with a honey dijon sauce, mashed potatoes (which I saw her add much butter, sour cream, milk & parmesean cheese to over the course of the afternoon), mixed veggies, and Italian salad. Oh yeah, and strong tasting, rich-bodied homemade red wine to drink. The menu varied slightly from what Sophie had discussed with me, but it all looked soooo good that we dug in with vigor (after I asked for a smaller helping of potatoes (something I very rarely eat!). Shawn, Julie & I were all stuffed after getting about half way through our plates, so we all reluctantly left behind some of the succulent chicken & Shawn could only down half of his huge helping of potatoes. Sophie disappeared into the kitchen to clean up & Julie & I retired to the living room. It wasn't long before we were both horizontal, snuggled in soft cuddly throws, our eyes half-closing...I warned Julie that I was drifting off & she said 'it's ok, go ahead & nap', so I quickly drifted off to dream world for a little bit. Julie & her dad ended up having to take off, so it was the 4 of us left for dessert, which Shawn had declined in advance, as he won't eat cheesecake (and was too full to eat another bite!).

By almost 8pm, I had hoped I would have digested enough to have a small hole to fit a piece of this cheesecake in that Sophie had worked so hard on (she told us when we arrived that she had hunt down old-fashioned individually wrapped caramels (the kind they only sell around Halloween time) & unwrap 34 caramels to make the sauce)...I felt so bad that she had gone to so much trouble to make us something so decadent, so even though I felt stuffed to the brim, I could not say no to a piece. She cut small slivers & topped them with the hot, bubbling caramel with walnuts mixed in. The caramel got thicker & slightly stickier as it cooled by the time we sat down to eat it. She had prepared me a green tea (after recovering from the shock that we don't drink cappuccino unless it is decaf!). I ate every morsel, despite the increasingly full stomach that was making me more & more uncomfortable by the second. Gina (their other sister) was not kidding when she told me the day before to wear jogging pants to this dinner and I wished I had heeded her advice (I was wearing jeans!). The tea was not helping me digest at all, and the caramel made me so thirsty that I downed a couple of glasses of milk (which may have been 2% MF or higher, as it seemed much creamier than the skim I am used to drinking).

After hanging out in the computer room for awhile, hearing Shawn's diagnosis of the pc (not good btw!), we had to start thinking about heading home, as it was getting pretty late. Only problem was, I could not shake this heavy feeling I had in my stomach & chest. I had not had indigestion like this in ages, and I had had this feeling maybe two other times in my life. I was worried about the long ride home, and had the feeling deep down inside that I wasn't leaving here without something coming out of me somehow! I just wasn't sure how long I'd have to wait before it happened, nor how bad I would be (i.e. how many bathroom trips I'd need before I felt better!). After mentioning that I was not feeling well to Sophie & Mauro, Sophie offered me a glass of mineral water. She said that is why they drink it after meals & this helps digestion. After drinking half a small glass, I felt like something was gonna come out of me, one way or another! I quickly rushed to the bathroom, and sitting down on the toilet won out over bending over it, which I did second! I could not believe that I was throwing up - it wasn't like drunk puking or anything though....basically all of the food I'd eaten at Sophie's came out, undigested, in the reverse order that it went in, starting with the dessert I'd just finished & ending with artichoke dip & corn chips! After my horror, an incredible sense of relief followed - I could breathe again!

My hostess luckily had not heard the upchucking (but my hubby did! he got used to hearing that while I was sick this winter...plus I've had some after-effects from nights of drinking in the past while...!), but she knew I was not well & I could tell she felt really bad (which I felt bad about!). We waited a few minutes to make sure I was ok to go and we finally got out of there around 10pm....I slept most of the night but it was not a restful sleep, I woke up exhausted & feeling very weak....my stomach was off up until late today actually....

So, what the hell? Was it the pizza that made me sick? Both times? It was so bad, it felt like food poisoning. But it was vegetarian plus other people ate it....Has my 6 yrs of change of lifestyle/diet made my stomach so sensitive that it can't eat 'normal people' food anymore? All of that rich food was too much of a mix to handle, maybe. Pretty sad if that is the case!!

Gooood life!

After a harrowing week of bad news after bad news at work, I am very much looking forward to my somewhat cultural weekend…

As I did some project management of the printing for the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, I was offered free tickets to a performance, so Shawn & I will be going to one tomorrow night featuring theme music from old & more modern movies. Although I am not really an orchestra music fan or a classical or jazz music aficionado, apparently these performances are really quite something to see, as they are given in St. James Church, East of downtown Montreal, and the music envelopes you with it’s high ceilings..the mood is set with many candles & lanterns…according to my boss, he says it will be quite enjoyable, so I’ve been very excited all week! We are also invited to the after-concert cocktail to meet the artists! At first I was worried about what to wear, as I really do not have many cocktails dresses in my closet at the moment that fit me right now, but I have chosen a dress that I like that I have, as I found out that the attire is smart casual…(& after quickly shopping around on my lunch hour yesterday & discovering that the only 2 dresses I was interested in buying cost $100/ea!). I am just worried about exposing my legs (with the many marks from all of the insect bites from my vacation in Jamaica!). I had planned on wearing long black boots, but I am worried that if it is as hot as it’s been all week, I’ll feel too warm & out of place….not sure what I’ll do yet!

Then Saturday night we are going to the Keg for dinner with a sizeable gift certificate Shawn got from work as a reward for revamping the company's corporate presentation.....we both love fancy dinners out , it’s our favourite date night activity! And when the meal is free (with all of the trimmings!), it somehow seems so much more enjoyable!

My ex-project director commented on the pics of our Jamaica vacation this week saying “you’re living the good life, I think!” – I laughed when I read that & then I thought about it, and, you know what – life is good, I must say! Especially knowing that fun stuff like this, as well as our upcoming annual cottage weekend in Valleyfield with Andrea & Morgan, Cyn & Rich, Gillian & maybe others, on Victoria Day weekend, is coming up soon. Even though they’re all just little things, keeps me going through tough weeks like the one I have just had. Then, of course, it's Mother's Day, so prep in between evening events & family visits (making & receiving!) with both sides on Sunday to look forward to, too.

Thank goodness for my friends & family, they break the mundane crap of 9-5 life without a doubt! And for free stuff & fun perks as breaks from the daily grind! Good life, indeed!