First Impressions

...you know, I had never intended in any way for this to be a daily blog, but the last few days...ha. I suppose it's the run-up to Christmas doing it, as I am just needing to vent things. Work's been stressful, of course, but the whole Food Orgy of Christmas doesn't make things much less stressful.

Still, there were two first impressions today that link back to the diet that I thought were worth mentioning. First of all, today was the birthday of one of my workmates, so naturally there was a shout at work from her. Now, the other day we were given at work by someone (a customer, maybe?) a box of Cadbury Continentals. Now, in New Zealand, as a thankyou you're apt to get either a box of Roses or Continentals. The latter are infinitely better, as the Roses' recipes have been altered beyond recognition over the last couple of years. So, while resisting Roses is easy enough, Continentals...well. Thing is, one of my workmates and I always used to compete for the little strawberry Continentals. And when one of my other workmates was digging in the box, I noticed a strawberry one, and shouted to my erstwhile rival: "Quick, quick, eat it before I do!" She then suggested to me that they save me one for Christmas Eve. I said "Oh, go on, then!" assuming nothing would come of it. We fight to the death over these things, after all. Still, the next day, I came in to work to find a strawberry Continental in a skillet with a prescription label declaring it as mine. So, I popped it in the fridge.

Because of this, the workmate whose birthday it was assumed my favourite Rose is the strawberry. It's my second favourite; I prefer the peppermint, even though the fondant is different enough now that it's not as nice (give me an After Dinner Mint any day!). But she bought me three strawberry Roses from the supermarket Pick n' Mix and gave them to me in lieu of being able to share in the shout. So, I popped them in the fridge, fairly undecided about what to do with them. Around two-thirty, exhaustion kicked in, and my brain was swimming. I decided to risk a sugar hit, and got one of the Roses. First impression of a chocolate in more than twelve weeks?

...wow. Not missing much, am I?

Quite seriously, I wasn't particularly impressed. Actually, for the first time in my life, not only did I eat a chocolate and not automatically reach for another, I debated even finishing the first one. I did, but...yeah. Either Cadbury's Roses have got even worse, or my tastes have really gone la-la. Ha. I debated trying the Continental as a comparison -- it's dark rather than milk chocolate -- but you know what? I wasn't hungry. And I didn't want it. So...that's very interesting. It will be equally interesting to see what I make of a baby Moro bar on Christmas Day. So...yes. I have learned something very intriguing about my tastes and my impulses, here. Eating for the sake of eating, and all that. Definitely something to mark down for future reference.

The other weight-loss first impression of the day came from an after-work drink. I've been messing around on an online dating site at my mother's insistence since some time late last year, though I never got to the point of meeting anyone. I was always too ashamed of my appearance. I've never had the same problem as such with other people I've met online through writing and anime groups, mostly because I already knew what I looked like? Wasn't what they were primarily interested in. It was my mind, and my thoughts. Whereas dating...yeah. More of an emphasis on first appearances, I guess. But tonight I bit the bullet and met up with a bloke after work, and...he was really nice. Not sure if anything is going to come of it -- we had a drink, talked for a bit, and then he had to go to his dance class -- but it was...nice. I wasn't at all nervous, either before meeting up or during. It's not confidence, exactly, more just...a sense of peace, with both myself and the way I look. It's nice. Probably also worth noting that we were in theory meeting for coffee, but while he had a latte I was a good girl and just had a Diet Coke. So, that has to count as a victory -- because while I am swiftly approaching a deviation, I am not treating it as an excuse to give up early and just stuff myself. I didn't really want a milky fatty sugar-laden coffee thing. I was happy with my kosher Diet Coke. And that...is where the learning starts.

And there's only one more day of work until Christmas. <3