i was bit by a big dog when i was about 5 years old. the dog my auntie was dog-sitting seemed gigantic at the time, but in reality, it might have been just a mid-size (compact?) dog. it had been friendly to me until that point, but having not grown up around pets (like many of you, it seems), i didn't know some key rules about interacting with domesticated animals. the foremost being do not bother something while it is eating.

it was eating something from its dish, and i was petting it gently. unfortunately, i started petting it on its head, perhaps a little too close to its face. it snapped at me and put a three-inch gash in the meaty part of my left hand. my mom had a hissy because she feared i had contracted rabies and made several worried phone calls to my dad back in sf (we were in seattle at the time) to consult the time-worn children's illnesses reference book. i'm sure my mom tried to explain to me why the dog had bitten me, but i didn't fully understand the lesson until years later, when, as i tried to annoy her while she was tiredly eating dinner, she too snapped at me. "stop it! didn't you learn when you got bit by the dog? people don't like to be bothered when they're eating!"

since then, eating meals has been a sort of sacred event, where i understood all too well the delicate equilibrium between calm and chaos. the ultimate sacrilege was disturbing the peace of a meal by any kind of bad news or argument. arguing over a meal can literally ruin the meal - it makes the food taste horrible. you cannot physically enjoy the taste. after the past few weeks, i've made it my new mission to spread the word of my new gospel - don't bring up bad news or anything that might provoke an argument over a meal. please, for me. i have such a bad relationship with food that i really don't need another thing to put me off eating.

in related news, i've decided to go on a health kick (my sister says "diet" is too severe). i'm going to start eating right and exercising more. the reason is that i've seen a bunch of DC folks in the past few weeks, and they've all either experienced extreme weight loss or maintained their 2003 weight. i, on the other hand, "look healthier," according to cherry, who assures me it's a good thing. apparently round faces are out. :( do not try to talk me out of it. i will not be dissuaded. i went running the past two days AND have been eating salad (and enjoying it!).

anyways. my scene for my playwriting class is due this week. god, help me write fast and not suck.