The members of my immediate family have many talents and interests, but cooking is not one of them. Therefore, breakfast staples have always included cereal, Pop-Tarts (or Pillsbury's Pastry Streudels), toast, and bagels. Of course, when we were younger, my brother and I did get to enjoy homemade waffles with strawberries, French toast, and pancakes (poured into shapes like cats and snowmen and Mickey Mouse) with more regularity, but now that everyone holds at least a part-time job, we have all exhausted whatever little energy we might have invested in making a hot meal for breakfast.

That said, I have had ample opportunity to study my own cereal-eating habits, which is obviously what one does when she has played all the games on the back of the cereal box and cannot find the Calvin & Hobbes books or the Sunday comics. Anyway, I am strictly cyclical when it comes to loving cereals. This month, I am devouring Honey Nut Cheerios like they're going out of style. Last month, it was Raisin Bran Crunch. For the four months preceding that, I was head-over-heels for Cinnamon Toast Crunch. (This overlapped with my brother's obsession with the same cereal, resulting in fits from yours truly when he would steal the last of the supply and stash it in his bedroom. We then started buying the cereal in bulk, which should really be the cue for my mother that the love boat is about to change course dramatically. I think we still have two boxes of the stuff hiding at the bottom of the pantry, undoubtedly working on some sort of plan to throw that cartoon bee and his bland cereal into the waiting and open mouth of the dog.)

I have since forgotten what my point was in writing this, but basically, I love cereal. If you have a recommendation for what should follow this Honey Nut Cheerios phase, let me know. Cereals I've already loved in the past year (in addition to those listed above): Frosted Mini Wheats, Lucky Charms, Frosted Mini Wheats again, and Froot Loops.

Edited to add: Yes, it does freak me out that my taste in cereal is getting blander over time. I hope my next passion is something sugary, so I know I'm not dying. Also, hey, another belatedly posted post! Please send all complaints via carrier pigeon.

I've been under the weather for days now, courtesy of a mystery disease that I dare not look up on WebMD. The major symptoms include stomach pain and a lingering queasiness. This has made me quite sensitive to smells and tastes, to the point where all I want to eat is applesauce, plain bagels with peanut butter, and biscotti. This isn't actually far from my regular diet, but it's severely lacking in pizza and chocolate.

(Thankfully, I live in a fairly odor-neutral world, so I'm spared a few tumbly tummies there. Although, this morning, the staff break room smelt of stale cheese fries and church coffee. Grosser than gross.)

Anyway, the point of that slightly incoherent ramble was to highlight how great it was that I was able to: finish editing a 26-page transcription of a 4-hour ordination ceremony, stay awake long enough to not get fired from my job, ship a super belated care package to a friend, sort out some sort of crazy mix-up with my UPS mailbox, enjoy the fabulous tradition of Friday Night Date Night with my mom, and resist dashing home at 11 a.m. to play with my new camera forever and ever and ever.

So high-five, self. This totally makes up for the horribly cliché "self-portrait in the mirror" move you just pulled and almost makes up for the fact that you just drooled all over yourself while reading the user manual.

Tomorrow, my very first dSLR camera will arrive in the mail. It's not the Nikon D80 I've wanted for years or the Nikon D90 I've come to want in the past few months. Instead, it's a Canon Rebel XS, which is roughly one quarter of the cost (for a body plus two lenses). I'm so excited that I could scream, but instead I think I'm going to spend the night coming up with a list of places and things that I most want to photograph. New Zealand, Paris, Rome, every inch of Chicago, a formal tea party with Juan Pedro the Sock Monkey and some of our stuffed animal friends, my cat (ad nauseum), a very specific sunset, and my immediate family and grandparents this Thanksgiving.

What are the things you most wish to capture on film or in your memories?