Although I went out last night for Mardi Gras (well, actually it was for Jen's birthday, which falls exactly 6 months before mine (and she is graduating almost exactly 6 months before me, so this works out nicely...i'm not the only old fogey)). Anyways, I didn't know it was Mardi Gras (I'm dense - the people dancing around earlier in the day wearing beads didn't do it for me) until we got to the bar and they were giving out Mardi Gras beads left and right and had live music (lots of songs about the south), and it was fun.
BUT, I failed to connect this with the fact that it is Ash Wednesday today. Which I didn't figure out until I was at the gym this morning and the Trinity kids came in and they all had ashes on. So then I felt really bad, since I hadn't gone to church, and then I had to go to work and then to class. And as the day went on, you just saw more and more people with ashes. Plus I forgot to give something up. Oops. Working on that. ALSO, it wasn't til I was almost done with work that I was reminded that I was supposed to be fasting (didn't really matter I guess because I had only eaten half a muffin the whole day), AND I realized I couldn't make my chicken dinner because that would equal meat.

Paul says I wouldn't have gone to church anyways (and yes it's true that I could still go at 11:15 tonight, but shhh), but I feel really bad about not going, or even REMEMBERING that it was lent, and here it is and I've probably already done the thing I was supposed to have given up!!! And MAYBE I would have gone, if I had remembered. You never know about these things. BUT, I figured that it's ok, because I read on CNN that the Pope didn't go either, and he's the Pope, so if he doesn't go, then it's ok for me, right? Audrey at work tried to make the argument that it's ok, because he's dying, but that fell right on its face when I pointed out that we're ALL dying, so if HE can use it as an excuse I certainly can.

This is very stressful for me.

At least I can make my yummy pesto-encrusted chicken with angel hair pasta and bruschetta tomorrow night. That will make me happy.