Woof. The past 7-10 days have been next level. If I were in Los Angeles, I’m sure the locals would have paid tens of thousands of dollars to strip themselves as bare as what I endured last week. Let us say, I have been cleansed.

Enough people have reached out to ask if I am okay that I decided it was better to write a thorough blog with an update than try to put it in a social media post.

Mama’s birthday is January 19. I tried to do something nice for her as she is my caretaker and constant companion, never complaining and always helping. I call her my true lady-in-waiting: holding all of my accessories, handing me things as I need them, answering questions when she can tell I cannot talk. Anyway, Mama deserved a little celebration and I tried. I really did. We took a lovely 4-hour cultural tour and then went to dinner. I ordered the monkfish. Poor man’s lobster. Let me just tell you that I would happily have paid for lobster instead if it meant not getting sick.

Those of you that have known me for any length of time know I have owned several restaurants and run about a dozen concession stands. I know food. When the server brought the dish, on a towel, she reinforced twice that the dish was hot. I said to Mom, “if a dish it that hot, it was sitting under a heat lamp for far too long.” I know this from first-hand experience. When I touched the plate, it was heavy ceramic and hot to the core. The fish? Beautiful to look at but dried out. Wouldn’t even flake. I approached it with just a fork but needed a knife and fork to even peel off pieces. My Bad – #1.

I do confess that when we got home, I scarfed my leftover chocolate mousse (My Bad -#2) but within 90 minutes, I was miserable. I spent the next 4 1/2 days with what I can only imagine, is food poisoning – as I have never had it before. My oxygen plummeted because between the puking and coughing I couldn’t get enough air. My head tingled, my body was numb and my stomach felt like 3x’s the worst hangover of my life. A monkfish hangover. Ugh.

We had massage appointments ON her birthday, and they were kind enough not to penalize me at cancellation even though I only let them know last minute. I didn’t have the strength to hold my phone up to dial or speak. They did give Mom an extra 25 minutes since I wasn’t there, so at least she got a few moments of respite. But not I. I languished. I suffered. My insides were laid bare. I started an accidental juice cleanse because it was the first thing I could get down. Added Kombucha next.

Combined with the chaos that is unfolding in America, it seemed a good time to take a break from creating content. I certainly couldn’t speak to record anything and even holding the phone felt like exertion. It’s difficult as the eldest daughter, straight A kid always striving for an “atta girl” to ignore the constant pokes from Facebook to post. Don’t get me wrong, I make about $22/month on Facebook and though that’s laughably small, when you have no income, each dollar is appreciated! Taking a week off can cause more than a 25% dip, though it’s just 1/4 of the month. Momentum and organic views are a real thing.

Thank you everyone for the concern. I am alive, I am mended, I am refreshed. I can eat again! I am moving a bit slower as my endurance is so low, even one day being sedentary has lasting implications. I am spending my time preparing THROWS for the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans on February 8. I will take some pictures to share, as I’m not super artsy, so I’m awfully proud of what I’ve been creating. Mom and I are looking at houses in Florida because the weather in the northeast has been brutal and we have no intention of ever enduring that again. Things are looking up.