The Rodeo went into the shop yet again today, this time to replace the starter. People keep telling me to sell it and get a new vehicle. But I love my car. It was the first thing I purchased in my new life, a transport from one world to the next. I can’t just give up on it. Besides, after this year I will be done paying it off. Then I can use the extra money for maintenance and bringing it back up to top form. If it were a computer, I might think differently, but I think there is a value in getting the most use out of everything you own instead of always upgrading to the next best thing.

If only I could upgrade my insides. Tomorrow I will make an appointment with the doctor to perhaps confirm my greatest fear: My body is rejecting wheat gluten, an ingredient present in the bulk of the foods I eat. I’ve been reading up on it and the consequences of not dealing with this aren’t merely physical discomforts but serious health risks. I eat bread as a snack item and just about every meal I enjoy includes something gluten-based. And I already have lactose intolerance. It’s like the major food groups are slowly closing their doors to me. Years from now I will have to subsist on injections of genetically engineered nutrients. Anyhow, my next shopping trip will be gluten free, as an experiment. Wish me luck.