Painted all day Friday, though towards the end it was increasing uncomfortable. By evening, I was violently ill, with hours of intense stomach pain. I was concerned that it was/is an ulcer, but Kevin insisted that it was my breakfast of coffee and lots of raw almonds of a questionable expiration date.

Feel more or less normal this morning, and thankful that it was a one night occurrence. Now faced with looking at the painting that I did yesterday. Want to put in the flag, and start pushing things back in the space down below, it bothers me a great deal how cacophonous it is, how everything is bright and pushing to the front of the canvas: I will begin to create some space in the Wal M*rt today.

Trying not to think about the fact that, by the end of next week, there will 13 people in my house: the first one arrives on Tuesday, and I have told my brother that he will be watching me paint for the first day or two. We will get our tree and do xmas cards this evening (I am making Moqueca for the first time, this amazing Brazilian fish stew with rice and coconut milk, although that is not sounding too great to me at the moment), and take a break from painting tomorrow to have some friends over to decorate the tree. All my shopping was done a few weeks ago. Plan to paint like a madwoman through Tues or Weds, then switch gears to baking/prepping for guests. By the time they are here, there will only be a few glazes left to do, and I can sneak upstairs at the end of the day to do them.