Spring Break Slip
Thoughts of Spring Break always conjure up images of sun and sand, drinks and tans, but this year was different, for Spring Break we went to a place where the daytime temperatures were colder than the nighttime temperatures in our home town of Albuquerque, New Mexico. No bathing suits, suntan lotion and fruity drinks for me (okay, some fruity drinks), we had business to take care of. My Father-in-law’s only request upon his death was to be buried in South Dakota in his family’s plot. So, with turtlenecks, hats and gloves packed, we headed north for Spring Break!
The last time we were with my husband Alan’s extended family was in 2010 in Santa Barbara, California for his cousin’s wedding. A very different occasion, there was sand, bathing suits and drinks, although not much sun, but enough to use the pool at the hotel.
I had just had Azul a couple of years prior and was not quite ready to let go of my maternity bathing suit, no matter how hideous it was, until the Santa Barbara trip. My new J Crew suit was awesome, a conservative cocoa color, one piece with a halter strap that fit tightly around the back of my neck. Although the neck line was not revealing, the halter strap made me much more comfortable. In addition to a new baby and a new suit, I had a new figure as well. Things were a little bigger than they used to be thanks to breast-feeding and the expansion of my pelvic bone, preparing for child-birth. But I was ready.
Jim, my father in-law, had flown to Albuquerque from Washington D.C., stayed a few days and then the four of us continued west to California. Most of the family stayed at the same hotel which was nice for family time, we don’t see everyone very often and this was the first time they would meet Azul.
One afternoon Jim, Alan, Azul and I went down to the pool. On the way we ran into the groom of the upcoming wedding, so he joined us as well. There was a lot going on, we were swimming and hot tubbing all while chit-chatting with Jim and company. In true fashion, my Father-in-law was able to read the newspaper at the table near the pool and talk at the same time.
Azul and Alan were sitting on the side of the hot tub and I decided to dive into the pool. Flawlessly I dove in, the coolness of the pool was exhilarating, and when I surfaced facing Alan’s family, I could feel the cold ocean breeze on my chest. Ahh. Then I realized, I felt it a little too much. I looked down and to my horror, although my halter strap was firmly in place, the front of my suit had slipped down below my breasts. I immediately covered myself and looked up to where my audience sat and they looked away. I don’t know how much they saw, I’m assuming everything, but they were perfect gentlemen and never spoke a word of it.
Soon more family joined us at the pool and we all moved on from the incident.
With much comfort this year, I was looking forward to greeting everyone in a Turtleneck sweater.
Gym Space
I do understand the whole “judgment free zone” thing, but really that’s not how I roll! So, the other day at the gym, I was on the treadmill which is near the back of the room with a good view of the other gym rats, all of us going nowhere on our elliptical machines, stationary bikes and treadmills. While running in place, yes sometimes I watch my contemporaries come and go and wonder what their deal is; why are they working out, what are they listening to, what do they do for a living which allows them to be at the gym at nine in the morning? Sometimes I make up scenarios for them, but I routinely do this to people no matter where I am. I’m just a people watcher and have an active imagination.
Well, this recent interaction, not with me, with two others I was watching left me confused. A couple of “guys” came in together, you know those guys at the gym who obviously need to be there, but act loud and obnoxious as if that behavior is going to distract you from the fact that they have disregarded their appearance since graduating high school. Well, those guys both got on elliptical machines, but skipped the one in between the two of them. Why?
Much of men’s behavior baffles me, but I think I might understand the “seat skipper” at a sporting event, but not at the gym. In stadiums the bucket seats are small and you are forced to be very close, so if there are enough seats available, just skip a seat. Right? Now, I am not a seat skipper, but I fit in a seat fairly comfortably and it doesn’t bother me to sit close to the person next to me either. Although I don’t do it, I can see why it is done.
Now back to the gym, these guys continue to talk to each other, but now they are breathing heavily and yelling in order to enable their voices to carry over the elliptical moat they’ve created. There is ample space between the machines and they are big enough to accommodate a large man, so why? Everyone knew they were there to work out together, they brought that attention upon themselves and then when they finished their 15 minute trek, they left together. So, they obviously weren’t afraid to be seen together and were friends.
Then shortly after they left, I watched two young women come in together and get on their sequential machines. They didn’t have to create a buffer zone between them and they were able to have a conversation we all didn’t have to hear. This made sense to me.
What’s the deal guys? I was so stricken by the “seat skipper” behavior, I forgot to make up a story for them. Still confused!
Spring Sucks!
Tis the time of year to get back outside and start cleaning and prepping the yard for the summer! I love working in the yard and right now is perfect, it’s not too hot yet, but warm enough to enjoy the sun. I decided to start in the front yard and use my blower/sucker to remove all the old leaves from under the bushes and trees. I do like my blower/sucker because it also mulches. It’s a smaller machine which is perfect for me to handle and it has a big strap I can put over my shoulder so I can carry it easily. In order to use the mulch option you must have it in suck mode. So, there I am, in full suck mode in my front yard.
We live in a dry climate and we haven’t received much moisture this year, so as you can expect there is a lot of dust that gets kicked up. So, I’m out in the front, sucker on high and it is loud! I didn’t realize how many leaves were actually out there and I filled my first bag fairly quickly. I dumped the bag’s mulched contents in my compost pile and went back at it for round two.
After removing the top layer with my first trip, this second time around seems much dustier! And it’s so loud, you really can’t pay attention or focus on anything but directing the nozzle into the compacted ground. Also, this second bag isn’t filling up as fast as the first, which is weird. Then I looked up for a second and there is dust everywhere! What is going on? I thought. Then I looked down and I am covered in dust! I paused for a moment and was overwhelmed with the feeling of being a total jackass. You know, when all of a sudden everything comes together and you know exactly what’s wrong.
I turned the sucker back on pointed the nozzle to the ground, watched some leaves get sucked up and then shoot straight out the back of the bag in tiny little pieces! I forgot to zip the bag back up after I dumped my first load! Although, the damage was already done, and I had been out there for almost an hour, of course I looked around to see if anyone had seen me. I’ll never know, but one thing I do know now is spring sucks!
Carmelina Hart 