DAY EIGHT: Woke up early this morning and made my lemonade and salt water flush before I left. I had a busy morning full of lifting and washing and cleaning at the coffeeshop. I must have gone up and down the stairs at least two dozen times. By noon I was exhausted and tired.

I spoke a lot about the cleanse with my boss. I was totally bragging. About the fact that it's been seven days since I've eaten solid food and that I have lost over fifteen pounds. My boss' response: Did you check with your doctor before doing this?

I sputtered my lips together and rolled my eyes. I wanted to say, "Oh, did you forget that you don't provide insurance?" but instead I said, "What doctor?"

I suppose though, that this is a normal response from an isolated, insulated upper middle class woman like my boss. It is just silly of her to ask that after nine years of knowing me and knowing that when I go to the doctor, it's because I'm sick, and when I don't, it's because I'm broke.

Anyway, I have had a hard time trying to explain to people that even though I'm not eating food food, I'm still getting sustenance from the lemonade. They hardly seem convinced. But to me, the evidence is apparent, when I don't eat anything or wait too long to eat, I feel terrible. I am cranky, anxious, irritable, and can't concentrate on anything but when the food will come. During the cleanse, I've only gotten this way when I haven't had the lemonade for a long period of time.

But whatever. If people don't understand it, it's not my job to make it explainable. And if I end up in the hospital (which I won't) you can all say that you were right. There.

The other cleanse related item to report is that Eric met me at noon and wanted to eat somewhere. So I watched him eat a tray full of the sushi special at Green Tea, and that was the hardest thing. I really just wanted to reach over and grab a piece of the soft shell crab california maki. But I didn't. I want to finish this and then have all the sushi I want.