Two birds with one stone, perhaps.

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The gum arrived.  Trident 12 pack, 18 stick, sugarfree, yum sticks.  I didn't think about it while ordering, but... the gum might be what I use to 'sweeten' the tea.  No, I don't mean adding the gum to the tea.  Simply, while chewing the gum, drinking the tea without otherwise flavoring/sweetening.  No, the gum is hopefully a temporary thing, to get me used to fasting.  Munching on something really does seem to help.  Though, as with anything else, everything really is bad for you, at some dose.  So, the goal is to use then limit use.  Still... perhaps even then, I might be able to use it for every other "glass" of tea?  Maybe.  Yeah, that is my tea glass.  You oughta see my beer stein!  *grins*

Wow... this gum keeps it's flavor a lot longer.  I ordered regular gum balls at first.  One man thought my description of the flavor to be... worth noting... sugar flavored sugar.  And it lasted just long enough to notice, almost.  Then I bought gourmet gum balls.  The flavor was much more pronounced, and identifiable, especially cherry.  However, the flavor, for all of them, must be, at least in part, based on the sugar.  And when the sugar is gone, so too the flavor.  Gourmet gum seemed to have figured out a way to make the flavor last a bit longer, but nothing like this sugarfree gum.  Nice.  Even drinking almost a quart, so far, over it.

I seem to be doing a little bit better than this morning.  I can't expect instant miracles.  I actually don't expect long term miracles.  I simply think I might be able to better arrange things.  Or not.  Worth a shot.  Can't really lose for trying.  Don't have to believe.  Actually... shouldn't believe.  Let the results create a believer.  Only fools go in believing without strong personal witness, or a call.  Later.