do u have АSK.FM account? i love it, its like formspring but smth new. i would follow you there. ;)

No, I've never even heard of it! Gotta check it out now

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Master Cleanse Day #1a

So, I didn’t go to sleep last night until 3am-ish. That wasn’t a good look. I did, however, have a small BM before I got into bed (I knew that tea was working!). I set the alarm to go off at 5:05 to start with the Salt Water Flush (SWF), a mere two hours later. You know I damn near threw the phone across the room when I heard the alarm going off. I got up for real at 9, and I was just so relieved to have access to the bathroom. I really wanted to have a good 1^st day, since the next 36 hours are going to be really trying for me. My uncle has a very peculiar fixation with the bathroom. He likes to take unnecessary time washing up, constantly looking at himself in the mirror, just very…strange. And vain as hell, too. He’s even worse when he’s preparing for work: he jumps whenever my mom or I look like we’re headed to the bathroom. He always will say, “Oh! Oh man, I was just about to go get in there!” Whenever he ducks outta the bathroom to go eat breakfast, we’re praising the Lord for our 30-45 minute window to use it! And before you ask: yes. Yes, we have talked, screamed, argued, pleaded, and appealed to him, with him. And nothing works. Another thing I have to add is that he begins his day anywhere between 4:45-7am; when will I have time to drink the Salt Water Flush, wait for it to work, and then make my eliminations in peace? I’d rather get up late (after he’s gone by 11:30am), or just do them a few times a week as opposed to every morning. Or maybe on the days I don't do the SWF, I can just drink the laxative tea. sigh I’m definitely looking to eliminate DRAMA on this cleanse: is that possible? LOL

But my 1^st day progressed uneventfully, which is good. I do feel a bit fuzzy as the day draws to a close, though, and my mouth feels really gummy. I made enough lemonade for the entire day, which is about 64 oz. That’s ¾ cup of maple syrup, ¾ cup of juiced lemons, 60 oz. of distilled water, and ½ tsp. of cayenne pepper. I didn’t add the cayenne to the main mix because I read that the cayenne actually gets more potent if it sits in pre-mixed lemonade, so I just add it with each serving. Can I also tell you how annoying it was to juice these damn lemons? It take four lemons to make ¾ cup of juice. I bought a citrus juice a while back from Macy’s, a Cuisinart CCJ-100. It has a heavy motor base, two removable parts (the spout and the corer), and a clear lid. It has spins both clockwise and counterclockwise to get the most juice from the fruit, and it had a “final spin” to extract juice from all the leftover pulp. Easy to assemble and clean, awesome. But when I plugged the damn thing in, and put the lemon onto the corer, it totally “walked” all over the counter! So I had to hold down the machine with one hand, and press the lemon down with the other. That little thing packs some serious torque! So that part was annoying, and I’m not looking forward to juicing lemons for the next 30 days, for real. Furthermore, according to what I’ve read online (misplaced the directions), you’re supposed to press the clear lid over the corer with no fruit, and it’s supposed to extract (think of an industrial washing machine’s final spin) the rest of the pulp. So I pressed and leaned and nothing! I must have flushed a pound of good lemon pulp down the toilet! I made all that lemonade at about 4pm, and I’ve only gotten through half of it. So I’m gonna try to down the rest of it before I go to bed in an hour or so. After I drink it all, I’ve gotta drink the laxative tea. Blah.

On another note, I’m really enjoying “Detroit 1-8-7”. I don’t watch dramas, but this one isn’t bad. I’m able to follow the storylines, and I’m interested in more of the characters’ backstories. The acting is a little uneven at times—not so much with the leads, but definitely with the suspects. I see the writers are trying to be a bit edgy, too. Like I said on another forum, I’m not from the D so as far as authenticity, I really can’t call it. I heard some locals are not feeling it. But I hope they don’t cancel it anytime soon, I want to see more.

Master Cleanse Day #1

Okay, well like I said in my previous post, I’m embarking on a 30-day Master Cleanse. It’s ambitious, but I really want to kick start my new lifestyle and I think I should go big, dramatic with it. It’s also a huge plus that I’m not working at the moment—I have nothing but time to devote to getting myself together, especially physically. I weigh 202.5 lbs., and I'm 5'6" tall. I feel like I have the biggest waist of all time, due to poor eating habits and a lousy digestive schedule. I think I…go about twice a week, which I hate to even admit.

The first step in the process is drinking the herbal laxative tea the night before you wish to start. I drank about 16oz. of Yogi's Get Regular tea at 11pm, and I'm setting my alarm clock to 5am to start the Salt Water Flush: two teaspoons (maybe I'll try three) of sea salt in 32oz. of purified or spring water to cleanse the entire intestinal tract. Right now I'm just on the internet researching results on the MC, and listening to Omar Lyefook's "Saturday". Usually when I cleanse, I'll want to cut out TV and internet and music to clear my mind for optimal spiritual cleansing. This time, not so much: I would like to be mentally clear though, so I can really begin writing again. I have a few ideas for some fiction and for some songs that I need to get down on paper ASAP. Another thing I'd like to address with this cleanse is my lack of focus and motivation. I've read about the different experiences people have on the MC and one aspect that sticks out is how they can "smell" toxicity: in the air, on people. I really hope this fast will help me "smell" the toxicity in my house and help me clean up this place! How can I have an optimal cleansing experience in such a chi-reducing space? We shall see...

ETA: I'm feeling a bit gassy; I think that tea is already working. It's recommended that you wean off of meat and dairy products precluding the actual fast. But I went to a Chinese buffet with my mom, ate so much crap, then I drank an Arizona juice and had 9 (yes, nine!) strawberry-filled soft cookies. Lawd, my first few days will be hell, somebody pray for me...

My 30-day Master Cleanse Journey

I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog, but now I have a great reason: chronicling my experience with the Master Cleanse. I know I love reading other Master Cleanse journals online, and I hope that journaling will help me become consistent with this blog. Also, I'll need to be able to keep things in perspective, and writing helps with that, too.

Well, what is the Master Cleanse you say? It’s a detoxification process originated by the late Stanley Burroughs, a natural health enthusiast who later compiled all of his information in a book called The Master Cleanser with Special Needs and Problems in 1976. In short, Burroughs recommends that you drink a lemonade mixture, (no food, medications or supplements) anywhere from 10-40 days. The Master Cleanse is believed to aid in curing illness, obesity, and purifiying the system. The lemonade recipe is as follows:

· 2 Tablespoons lemon or lime juice (approx. ½ lemon)

· 2 Tablespoons genuine maple syrup (Not maple flavored sugar syrup)

· 1/10 Teaspoon cayenne pepper (red pepper) or to taste

· 8 oz water, room temperature

· Combine the juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper in a 10 oz glass jar w/lid and fill with the water.

· Shake it up and drink. (Cold water may be used if preferred.)

· Use fresh (organic) lemons or limes only, never canned lemon or lime juice nor frozen lemonade or frozen juice

To further aid your system in the detoxification process, Burroughs also recommends a natural herbal laxative tea at night to loosen the fecal matter from your colon, then a salt water solution to drink upon awakening to wash away the loosened matter. The Salt Water Flush is two teaspoons of non-iodized (table), pure sea salt in one quart (32 ounces) of room-temperature water. It’s to be consumed as quickly as you can manage. It’s a saline solution to flow through and further cleanse your entire GI tract. It’s the same volume as blood so it can’t be passed through your kidneys. It is very effective; it takes anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours before you see a bowel movement (or at least two—don't venture far from a toilet).

I attempted this cleanse in 2005, but I only made it to eight days, not too bad. Dr. Oz and others may argue the concept of “cleansing” or fasting for optimal health, but aside from annoying hemorrhoids (which I tend to have an ongoing problem with), I had a good experience. What made me a believer (which trumps the 10 lbs. I lost) was my skin. My skin glowed, and that was the best my complexion looked since…hell, childhood. I still have mild acne, with some scarring on my cheeks and a few dark marks. I use a 1% retinol solution a few times a month, and I purchased red/blue fluorescent acne lamp—both of which have improved my complexion immensely. But with this cleanse I hope to lose weight, gain mental clarity and focus, and improve my skin even more. My plan thereafter is to become vegan, perhaps eating 50% raw foods. I feel at my absolute optimum as a raw vegan, but I do like eating bean soup and homemade wheat bread and I won’t give those up. Not to mention my favorite brand of vegan cookies from the Alternative Baking Company… *drool*

With all that said, onward and upward!