Sun 23 Feb

Felt well enough yesterday to move around and eat and stay awake, but developed a pain/stiffness in my lower back on the right side that is still with me today. It limits my ability to bend forward and makes me grunt and move like an old person. (All right, an OLDER person.) It can go away any time. I did my ballet and salsa DVDs this morning, and could do most things, but needed to brace with my elbows to do rollups and simply could not do hip lifts. I hope for fast improvement. I am relieved that Dad figured out what us wrong with my back. On Thursday evening in Cedarburg, as we were walking back to the hotel, I hit a patch of invisible ice and nearly fell. I cascaded my arms out for balance, and Dad caught one which saved my fall, but jerked my spine in the process. The pain is right where I felt the jerk so that is certainly the cause of the discomfort. Nice to know and be able to plan for a few more days while it works its way out. Making Cook's Illustrated braised beef brisket with Costco beef today. Will cook while we're at choir. It is now in the oven, complete with sauce of awesomeness. Wish you were here to share some, but probably couldn't compete with the ice caves. Labor-intensive brisket will be paying off very soon. I'm salivating! It was delicious!! Food: 7:45 am Gibassier pastry (from European bakery), 1/2 grapefruit, 101 g blackberries, coffee 1:25 pm Crepe w/duck confit & chèvre (from Le Reve), clementine 2:25 pm 1 Toffifee 6:30 pm 3 oz brisket w/caramelized onion sauce, 1/2 c Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, 5 spears roasted asparagus Exercise: 5:50-6:40 am Ballet DVD 6:40-7:10 am Salsa Dance DVD 2:30-3:00 pm Jessica Smith Barefoot Fusion Walk YouTube 6:50-7:20 pm Jessica Smith Latin Walk YouTube