Is it a human instinct to eat more when winter is approaching? I think it must be, because I've been eating scary amounts of food lately. (#32 on the How to Stay Single List: Saying that.) Isn't it dogs that would eat until they died if enough food was in front of them? I heard that once. I think I can relate.

With the oncoming winter, my first in two years, I've set up a cold tolerance regimen. It's a theory I've been turning over in my head for a number of years that if I expose myself to cold in certain ways and often enough, I will no longer feel cold EVER. I'm doing several things to accomplish this:

1-Switching the water from very hot to very cold several times during my showers. (Kellie's idea.. I love it.) It's exhilarating. I wish I could video tape the look on my face and the jerky movements of my body when freezing cold water washes over me. I think it's probably really funny.

2-Riding my bike at five o'clock in the morning. (My bike is so PIMP!)

3-Jumping into Lake Michigan. I did it a few weeks ago. So awesome.

4-Not wearing a jacket.

Whenever I'm cold, I just try to feel it, accept it, and concentrate on not letting it bother me. Because of course I'm not going to not be cold; my goal is just to not let it get to me. I learned this from a book by Tom Brown Jr., one of my favorite authors that my dad introduced me to when I was younger. Tom grew up in the pine barrens of New Jersey and learned wilderness survival and tracking from an old Indian man, his best friend's grandfather. He once brought the two boys far into the woods during a blizzard, took their clothes from them, and made them find their way back. After much suffering, they conquered their coldness, came home, and rolled around in their underwear, laughing, in the snow. Pretty soon you guys will see me in a lounge chair on the porch in the dead of winter, drinking iced tea and smoking a cigarette in shorts and a t shirt.

My phone service has been restored after several weeks of disconnectedness from the world. Someday I'll have my shit together and will pay my phone bill on time. (ha!).

I got a job at Starbucks. I work at the one in the Gaslight Village D&W with Denielle and Zach. It's pretty fun. Come in sometime, do your grocery shopping, and make fun of my khaki pants and hat. I'll give you a Starbucks coupon.

George just set up a g-rad blog for me, so I'll soon be switching over. I need help setting up the design of my page. If anyone knows how to do that and has a computer, can I come over? I'll bring beer and be very thankful.

OH! Who has cable? Anyone? I need to watch the season 4 premiere of "Project Runway" on Wednesday at 10pm. I SERIOUSLY need to, guys. Let me know.

And I want to be included when you guys do stuff, so call me.