If only G were not out of town, this is how we would have looked today. Instead, I forged out into the wilderness on my own, snowshoes strapped onto my boots, hood up and ski gloves on. The sun was like a 40-watt bulb, its pale yellow light barely cutting through the grey haze. The path was silent, the new snow muting my Yeti-like footfalls, and just one delicate waxwing flitting along beside me. I rounded a bend and there were three deer, noses to the ground. Another step toward them and they bounded away, their upturned tails like ivory plumes vanishing into the woods. (With the clarity that comes to me when I'm fasting, I realized that I will always have this place. When I'm old, I will return to it—in mind if not in body—and it will still afford me this sense of peace.) Back home, I had a steaming cup of mint-lemon balm tea, brewed from herbs dried from the garden this summer.

Since I'm fasting, there was no lunch to make, no dinner to ponder. So I decided to continue the detoxing with an exfoliating facial mask; an all-over body scrub with a dry vetiver loofah I brought home from India; and an apple cider vinegar clarifying rinse for my hair. Soft, smooth and sweet-smelling, I climbed into bed intent upon giving Julie & Julia another go. I found it to be just as insufferable as before. Meryl plays Julia like a cross between Renee Richards and Divine, but my real issue is with Julie. I usually like Amy Adams but even she can't redeem this drab creature. "I read somewhere that it's bad form to say 'yum' when you're eating, but YUM"—I mean, REALLY. Of course, Julia hated you. (And somebody please tell her that boeuf is pronounced "buff" and not "boof.") Fortunately, I had read Christine Muhlke's NY Times review of Julie Powell's new memoir "Cleaving," so when I was  really annoyed with our heroine, I was able to imagine her all trussed up in her favorite S&M poses. Guess she likes it spicy...CIDER VINEGAR RINSEfor 1 treatment
1/2 cup cider vinegar2 cups waterEssential oilCombine vinegar and water in a jar and take this and the oil into the shower. Wash hair with a gentle, balancing shampoo (I like Aesop's Dual Scalp Cleansing Shampoo) and follow with this rinse. Run a few (3-4) drops of your favorite essential oil (I used a blend of patchouli, lavender, vetiver, rose and geranium) through your hair and give it a final rinse. Let it air dry naturally and go to sleep without using any additional products. Sweet dreams!