Mandatory fun

Do you have mandatory social events at work?

We do. And today’s my lucky day. We have a picnic at the company owner’s house from 2:30 to 5:30. I don’t know about you, but 2:30 isn’t lunch time and it’s sure not dinner time either. So basically I’ll be at this social event up here in New Hampshire which means my evening commute will start later than usual. That’s never a good thing on a Friday in Boston, especially a Friday with good weather.

Don't get me wrong. I like most of my co-workers just fine; I like Kent and the kitties and home even better.

Some like it hot

But I don’t. Not when I’m in a yoga class that is.

I got an all-you-can-eat pass to a local yoga studio—$90 for as many yoga classes as I care to take between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This studio indicates whether a class is warmer than usual by describing it as heated or hot (apparently hot is really hot and heated is just a little hot). It’s also relevant to mention that the studio is on the second floor with mostly windows along one side; the windows face the sun and only one tiny pane opens. I've gone to a couple of classes and I've enjoyed them a lot.

Last night I went to the 5:30 class and to my utter surprise not only was the AC not on, the teacher was not all that interested in turning on the overhead fans or the two teeny tiny window fans. She finally relented on the fans when someone essentially begged/ordered her to turn them on. Otherwise we had no ventilation and no cooling. It was unusually sunny and warm in Boston yesterday so the room was broiling hot.

I asked her after class if that was how she’d be running the class all summer. Hey it’s her class, she can do as she pleases. But I need to know because that was nausea-inducing heat to me and I don’t want to go back if that’s how she likes it. She didn’t really give a solid answer one way or the other, so in the interest of not hurling, I don’t think I’ll go to her class again.

Lettuce!

I asked Kent if he were sure these weren't weeds. He said no but that they were baby lettuce until proven otherwise.

 

How to cool off

Sorry this isn’t about temperatures but about tempers, specifically my temper. I used to have a really hot temper and man that was exhausting. Fortunately time and age have helped me cool my jets a bit. While I’d love to say I’ve become quite saintly as I’ve gotten older, that’s just not the case. I think I’ve mostly run out of energy to get really steamed.

But there’s one exception and that’s the upstairs neighbors I call the Ferals. I’ve mentioned before the trouble he apparently has in parking straight in his spot (seriously there is NO shame in a 20 point turn in Boston, in fact that’s normal), and how he must wear steel clad boots because he’s so very loud and stompy when he walks around, and how he yells at his wife and kids all the time. Oh and let’s not forget the microwave that’s been languishing in our shared upstairs foyer for well over a year.

The Friday before Memorial Day, I parked my car and it was in fine shape. I know this because I regularly walk around my car. Yes, I’m weird, I walk around and check out my car and no, it’s not because the car is new. I just do that to make sure everything is OK. I did it with my CR-V too. So my car was A-OK Friday evening and then we flew to Kansas City for the weekend. Obviously the car stayed parked in its spot all three days and didn't go anywhere.

Tuesday when I got gas, I walked around and lo and behold I found a fairly serious scrape above the left front tire on the bumper. It’s a bad enough scrape that the bumper material is exposed and it will have to be repaired or else I’ll end up with rust. Plus it’s ugly.

Now that amount of damage couldn’t have been done without the other driver knowing he/she did the damage nor could it have been done by anyone not in the parking space to the left of me—the Ferals’ spot.

I had no note, no email, no nothing indicating that oops, sorry we damaged your car and here’s our phone number etc. Nope, not a word. You’d better believe I was steamed.

So for now, Kent and I have switched parking spaces. Now I park about a block away where I don’t have to see the Ferals' car and don’t have to wonder what the heck they are doing to do next. I’m still irate but at least it’s not cranking up my blood pressure.

So that's my anger management strategy. I am avoiding the source of the frustration.

Operation: Futility

That's what Kent calls our summer project; I should tell you that this project was his idea. I call it Operation: Crazy Optimist.

We came back from Kansas City very impressed with what my friend Kerry has done in her garden. In turn, Kent got inspired and while running errands Saturday without me, he bought seeds and small plants for a garden of our own. I’d show you a picture of the shelving he put up for the planter boxes but apparently my computer ate that picture.

Instead you get a picture of the tomato plant he also bought. Now, I am 95% sure we don’t have enough light for the poor thing to actually produce any fruit but what the heck—the plant cost maybe $5 and a lot of hope. We can spare both the money and the hope.

On a mission

This week, I found a pair of shoes online to replace a pair of shoes ruined in the flood. The ruined shoes looked a little bit athletic without screaming tennis shoe, plus they didn’t have laces. I like that when I travel. Even though the shoes I found don't come in narrow, they've got a tab across the heel so I figured I'd be able to cinch it up so the shoe would stay on.

The reviews for the replacement shoes said to order a half size larger; I wear a 7 ½ or 8 depending on the shoe but these weren't available in an 8. Even with shoes that run short, I can frequently get away with a 7 ½ because my feet are narrow—it just depends on the toe box. So I took a chance and ordered them anyway.

Well the reviews were right. I love the shoes but they most definitely run short. Back they go and my hunt continues.

I've looked at Zappos and Endless and Amazon plus three or four stores here in Boston. Got any other online shoe sites you like?

Edited to add that when I check out the reviews on places like Zappos, I’m just appalled at what people tolerate in terms of shoes fitting. I'll read things like “I only had a couple of small blisters” or “they just hurt for the first few wearings.”

I completely reject that as being OK in my shoes. I’m not going to tolerate pain in my tops or pants and I sure won’t take it in my shoes. So even though shoe shopping is difficult for me, I just won’t settle for ill-fitting shoes—no matter how much the salesperson pouts at me.

Things I should do

But I don’t.

• I don’t wash my face before I go to bed.
• I don’t brush my hair.
• I don’t put moisturizer on my face—hey I have oily skin so why would I add more?
• I don’t take a multi-vitamin (although I do take vitamin D).
• Nor do I take calcium or iron. I probably should take calcium.
• I’m late on the regular doctor checkups by about three years.
• I don’t go to the library. When I was a girl, I was always late returning the books and I’m scarred for life by the late fees and disapproving scowls.

I'm quite good at dentist check ups though. That should count for something.