Saturday, August 31, 2013

The Light in August

Have you ever noticed the light in August? It's...different. Somehow warmer, even when the air is cool.

The usual summer sights appear enhanced by this glow, like it has a filter.

It gives you a gentle embrace, making you believe everything is going to be ok.

Every year I forget about this change until I'm struck by the image of an area that I thought I knew so well. I wonder why it feels unchartered, yet still familiar. Then I remember it's August.

“. . .in August in Mississippi there’s a few days somewhere about the middle of the month when suddenly there’s a foretaste of fall, it’s cool, there’s a lambence, a soft, a luminous quality to the light, as though it came not from just today but from back in the old classic times. It might have fauns and satyrs and the gods and---from Greece, from Olympus in it somewhere. It lasts just for a day or two, then it’s gone. . ." -William Faulkner

Thank you, August, for being that comforting light which both reassures and gives closure, readying us all to move on to a new season.

Friday, August 30, 2013

Best Friends

I spent the afternoon totally entranced in the audiobook version of Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

You guys. Seriously. Mins and I need to be friends. She definitely should receive an Application for Friendship. I really should have been on that 10 years ago. Ah well. For now, I have the comfort of hearing her narrate the tales of her 20s to 30s in this utterly laugh-out-loud and identifiable tale.

Here is Mindy's Best Friend Code of Conduct. I am in total agreement. Even on the Indian food.

I CAN BORROW ALL YOUR CLOTHES
Anything in your closet, no matter how fancy, is co-owned by me, your best friend. I can borrow it for as long as I want. If I get something on it or I lose it, I should make all good faith attempts to get it cleaned or buy you a new one, but I don’t need to do that, and you still have to love me. If I ruin something of yours and I don’t replace it, you’re allowed to talk shit about me to our friends for one calendar year. That’s it. Then you have to get over it. One stipulation to borrowing your clothes is that you have to have worn the item at least once before I borrow it. I’m not a monster.

WE SLEEP IN THE SAME BED
If we’re on a trip or if our boyfriends are away, and there’s a bed bigger than a twin, we’re partnering up. It is super weird for us not to share a bed. How else will we talk until we fall asleep?

I MUST BE 100% HONEST ABOUT HOW YOU LOOK, BUT GENTLE
Look, your boyfriend is never going to tell you that your skirt is too tight and riding up too high on you. In fact, you shouldn’t have to even ask him, the poor guy. He wants to have sex with you no matter how pudgy you are. I am the only person besides your mom who has the right (and responsibility) to tell you that. I should never be overly harsh when something doesn’t look good on you, because I know you are fragile about this and so am I. I will employ the gentle, vague expression, “I’m not crazy about that on you,” which should mean to you: “Holy shit, take that off, that looks terrible.” I owe it to you to give feedback like a cattle prod: painful, but quick.

I CAN DITCH YOU, WITHIN REASON
I can ditch you to hang out with a guy, but only if that possibility has been discussed and getting-a-ride-home practicalities have been worked out prior to the event. In return, I need to talk about you a lot with that guy so he knows how much I love you.

I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOUR KID IF YOU DIE
I...can’t even talk about this, it’s too sad. But yes, I will do that. And you will have one awesome little kid who hears endless stories about how amazing and beautiful and perfect you were. Incidentally, your kid will grow up loving Indian food.

I WILL NURSE YOU BACK TO HEALTH
If you are crippled with pain because of a UTI, I need to haul ass to CVS and get you some medicine, fast. I should also try to pick up a fashion magazine and the candy that you like, because distracting you from your pain is part of nursing you back to health, too.

WE WILL TRADE OFF BEING SOCIAL ACTIVITIES CHAIR FOR OUR OUTINGS
On trips together, I promise to man up and be the person who drives the rental car sometimes, or uses my credit card and has people pay me back later. Someone needs to check on Yelp to see where the good brunch place is. Neither of us gets to be the princess all the time. I get that.

I WILL KEEP YOUR FAVORITE FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCT AT MY HOUSE
Even though no one uses maxi-pads anymore, like you do, weirdo, I will keep a box at my house for you when you come over.

SAME WITH YOUR CONTACT LENS SOLUTION
I can’t believe you won’t get Lasik already! You can afford it. I know you read someone went blind from it, but that was like twenty years ago. Not getting Lasik at this point is like being that girl in 2006 who didn’t have a cell phone.

I WILL TRY TO LIKE YOUR BOYFRIEND FIVE TIMES
That is a fair number of times to hang out with your boyfriend and withhold judgment.

WHEN I TAKE A SHOWER AT YOUR PLACE, I WON’T DROP THE TOWEL ON THE FLOOR
Your home isn’t a hotel. I forget that sometimes because you make it so comfortable for me.

IF YOU’RE DEPRESSED, I WILL BE THERE FOR YOU
As everyone knows, depressed people are some of the most boring people in the world. I know this because when I was depressed, people fled. Except my best friends. I will be there for you during your horrible breakup, or getting fired from your job, or if you're just having a bad couple of months, or a year. I will hate it and I will find you really tedious, but I promise I won't abandon you.

IF OUR PHONE CONVERSATION GETS DISCONNECTED, THERE'S NO NEED TO CALL BACK I get it, you get it. We take forever getting off the phone anyway, this was a blessing.

I WILL HATE AND RE-LIKE PEOPLE FOR YOU
But you can't get mad if I can’t keep track. Robby? Don’t we hate him? No, we love him? Okay, okay. Sorry.

IT IS OKAY TO TAKE ME FOR GRANTED
I know when you fall in love with someone that you will completely forget about me. That hurts my feelings, but it is okay. Please try to remember to text me, if you can, if you know I have something going on in my life, like a work promotion or something.

NO TWO PEOPLE ARE BETTER THAN US
We fucking rock. No one can beat us.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Nighty Night

No time to post - someone decided it would be a good idea to leave the home at 5:45am tomorrow morning to train. Hmph! OK, that someone is me. It's like I don't even know myself!

Anyway, time to hit the hay. I like to hit it like this:

Just got a new mattress pad. It is cushy, but with structure, and the memory foam gives a cooling effect. I know it looks pretty pricy, but you can easily find coupons to cut the price in half.