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I don’t have anything against juicing, but I do have something against our juicer. You see, our juicer is a runt. Whenever I juice I get 20% juice, 80% foam. It may look like a juicer. It may sound like a juicer. But I assure you, the only gears that get properly ground in the process of “juicing” are mine. I fantasize about going “Office Space” on my juicer every time I use it. Instead of it creating pulp I would gladly beat it to a pulp in the middle of a field 
When you avoid your juicer for as long as I have, you forget how good green juices make you feel. Focusing on the good, I suppose any green juice is good juice, even if it comes with a heaping side of foam. So, I’ve decided to juice in bulk. That way I can actually get enough juice to warrant having a go at the entire operation, and I can relish the days that I don’t have to clean it!
This week I have been juicing every other day, so every other day I drink about a liter of concentrated greens: kale, swiss chard, and celery are the norm. My skin is glowing, and I’ve acquired an edge in yoga that I haven’t had in months. I feel so good right now that I can’t believe I ever stopped juicing, so foam or no foam I’m going to juice dammit. Maybe I’ll just drink it out of a cappuccino mug and serve up a tall non-fat green juice with extra foam and stick it to Starbucks for good.
I love my Vespa. This morning she got me through a construction site via the sidewalk with gentle finesse. She parks herself readily on the sidewalk where no car may venture, right in front of the local bakery where the smells of freshly made pain au chocolate lure me in. It’s 8:30 am and the city it just starting to stir when Vespie and I have already had our first ride of the day. Later, we will venture Barks and Fitz where she will once again occupy a small piece of sidewalk real estate so I can purchase food and treats for the pups, who gingerly remind me every time they defecate that they have been without them since Friday. And after that, we will travel to yoga, where this granola girl will morph into a sweaty and very slippery pile of mush on her mat. The ride home will be blissful. There is nothing quite like taking Vespie on the ride home from hot yoga. The wind feels fantastic on my newly cleansed skin.
For all these reasons, selling her is close to impossible. But I am slowly letting go. After 4 days of avoiding an email from a man willing to buy her, I called him back. I tried my best to negotiate, as I won’t let her go without a fight. My dad says I need to be content with the price I sell her for, so I’m going no lower than a price that allows for a night full of sleep. I’d rather not be up regretting my decision. And I certainly don’t have to take the first offer that comes my way, but what other man would be willing to buy a yellow scooter?
I gave him a counter offer that made him wince, which just happens to be exactly half of what I paid for her 1 year ago this month, so I’m standing my ground. After all, she’s definitely worth more than that, and the worst that can happen is that Vespie and I remain friends. I’m being frugal in every other way, so maybe I can keep this one little indulgence? We’ll see.
In my quest to be frugal, I’ve been keeping a very close eye on my wallet. It likes to come up for air once and awhile when I’d rather it drown in the bottom of my bag. I was especially careful this past weekend in Montreal, because last time I was there I spent close to $1000 dollars! There were shoes, sweaters, jeans, and jackets…yes plural. The shopping in Montreal is fantastic!
This time around I decided to exercise my mind rather than my wallet. I am committed to drowning my debt. Although there were plenty of opportunities to shop, my greatest obstacle was a morning alone downtown. I was free to roam the stores unchaperoned for 2.5 hours and all I bought was a coffee and a bottle of water. I know, I know, coffee is an anti-nutrient and all that jazz but I made a deal with myself. I could sip and enjoy a coffee while browsing if I didn’t spend another cent. This allowed me to have a treat without that treat being a few hundred dollars worth of unnecessary apparel. I was content.
There were some close calls, however. I picked up a few items in one store, thinking, I’ll just try them on – no harm done. But after 10 minutes of walking around the store, I decided to toss them aside. No need to try anything on, because I wasn’t buying anything. I went to Chapters and found a few interesting reads. No need – I’ll just make a trip to the library when I return home – FREE! I am proud of myself for sure, and I am happy to report that the evil credit cards are still MIA in the black abyss that is the bottom of my bag
