September 18, 2002 | 9:38 PM

This turned out to be one of the best days ever.

Remember how I said I had the flu and was planning on going for hydrotherapy and acupuncture later in the afternoon?

Well.

Doing that was quite possibly one of the smartest decisions I ever made.

I�m sure ya�ll know what acupuncture is. It�s being poked with Needles until you look like that dude from hellraiser while Enya plays in the background. But it sure feels like heaven. Seriously, it�s kind of mind blowing. So fuck all you skeptics and haters out there. Don�t knock it til you try it.

Hydrotherapy�well, it�s kinda gross and though I personally have no problem discussing it, a fair number of people turn green when you start using phrases like colon cleansing or detoxifying your digestive sytstem or sucking all the shit out of your asshole through a large tube.

So I won�t go so much into detail about the particulars.

During the um� procedure, I started to get the shakes and the chills and my head was throbbing and I kept coughing and sweating. I was worried something was wrong so I asked the hydrotherapist,

Um, am I supposed to be feeling like a victim of a nuclear holocaust right now? I thought this was supposed to make me feel better?

And she said,

Your relieving your body of all the toxins and so you�re acutely being exposed to all of the junk that was in your system all at once. But once we�re all done you�ll feel much better.

And lo and behold, she was right.

People, not only did I feel much better, I can�t remember ever feeling this good in my entire adult life. I am not exaggerating. All of my flu symptoms save for a mild cough are completely gone. I had so much energy that I walked from Brookline to Cambridge just for fun. My head felt clear. I felt lighter and just overall fabulous. And I still do.

After consulting with the hydrotherapist and my doctor, I have started the fast today. Right now I am sipping water, cayenne pepper, organic maple syrup, and lemon juice and I feel fucking incredible. I�m going to try for ten days, which I cleared with my doctor and if I start feeling sickly or weak then I�ll stop. This isn�t about losing weight�it�s about just cleansing the pipes and really getting acquainted with my body. I�m fascinated by the process of cleansing and self healing right now.

But I�ll stop talking about it because it always turns into this Birkenstock-crystal-ball-gazing-dating-a-sensitive-pony-tail-growing-my-own-wheat-germ-and-banning-television kind of conversation devoid of any irony and all too earnest, and that shit makes me uncomfortable (even though I am kinda like that)

So on to the next part of the day.

I walked to Cambridge after my appointment and I went to my first history class.

And I loved it. I am awestruck. My teacher is a professor at Brown and he is so funny and fucking intelligent. I couldn�t even bring myself to take notes because it was just entertaining to watch and listen to him. He lectured on the causes of the great depression and the sociological changes brought about in the twenties, when man�s self image shifted from that of being a worker to a consumer, and self worth was found in what someone owned rather than what he did, and how the twenties was the birth of the modern marketplace and is very similar to the 90�s blah blah blah.

I feel so fucking happy right now I wish I had a kittie to pick up and snuggle because I just wanted to hug something soft and share the joy that is permeating my existence at this moment.

YAY!!!!

(P.S.-- thanks Hallie)