Monday, March 27, 2006

Squeaky Clean

I love to take baths. I always have. There is something SOOOO soothing about being in a tub of hot water. Not warm, mind you... steaming hot is the way I like both my showers and baths. Unfortunately, this sometimes prohibits me from enjoying the sensual, steamy moments that I would make my bath/shower time all the more enjoyable since the hubby's skin, and many of the other men along the way, is much more sensitive to hot water than mine is and anything not the exact right temperature for me feels too cold and therefore takes away the pleasure for ME. A real catch-22. Anyway, back to my point.

So, I love taking baths, but do not have that luxury at my current apartment. The tub is nasty. I did my best to make it work... repainted it, etc. but it still is not fit for lying naked within. So when I go on vacations, one of the things I really look forward to is the bathtub. You know it will be freshly cleaned and shiny and smooth. No chipping paint, no discoloration, no funky grouting issues. But some people think it's gross to bathe in a tub that is used by hundreds of people.

So the question is, can one only bathe in their own bathtub and then must it be a brand new tub at that? So only if you own a home, and hopefully a new development, or one with a newly installed tub, can you take the much-desired soak? And then what about hot tubs... are they more sanitary than a tub and if so, why??? I think that since the whole point of the bath is to get clean, if the tub is "dirty" because it's been used by others, then the mere act of bathing should negate that dirtiness. At least this is what I hope.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Two Thumbs Way Down

Either I have really high expectations of my friends/family or else I am so out-of-touch, that I don't know what "good" is anymore. What I'm talking about is recommendations that I am given for movies and books from people that I trust to know what I would like. I just read a book that two of my close friends praised highly, saying I would LOVE IT. Well, I did not love it and felt it was a total waste of my time to read it. I got through to the end (yes, I skipped a few pages here and there, due to complete lack of interest) and didn't feel like I got anything at all out of it. I thought the characters were developed poorly and their emotions and reactions were not true to life. I also did not get connected to the characters which is, of course, what I desire mostly out of a good book. Total waste of time.

Then, I just saw a movie, again based on a recommendation that it was "better than Shawshank". Since I thought The Shawshank Redemption was an awesome movie, I figured this pick would be a good fit for me. Oh my god... firstly, the movie was 3 hours long and moved slower than molasses on a winter's day. It ended... eventually, and I was happy. The movie could have been made into a good 1/2 hour short film. And I can't even blame just the friend who recommended the flick... the back of the box was full of accolades... Oscar nominations, fantastic actors, captivating plot.

It must be me. After all, I can spend an entire day devoted solely to VH1s "I Love..." series or watching "The Real World" marathon without complaint. Maybe I am just not deep enough anymore for films and movies that capture the rest of America's interest. I like to think that I am above the rest of you and just have very refined taste and therefore cannot subscribe to your lesser ideals. Or maybe television has damaged my attention span so much, that I squirm whenever I am forced to sit and concentrate on something for more than 23 minutes.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

I've Got Time to Kill...

So I've started a new position at my company. It's fun, so far. I like learning new things and working with new people and feeling like I've made a big change in my life when in actuality I am sitting right down the hall from my old life. It's like the Seinfeld episode when Elaine makes new friends, exactly the opposite of her old friends and feels awkward about it. Kind of like that.

Well, this new great job allows me to come in at 9:AM, take an hour lunch at my leisure, and leave at 5:PM. Not 5:30, not 6:00. 5:PM. This is such a new concept to me. I have so much time to do all the things that I couldn't do before. I can make plans. I can see friends. I can work out. I can go grocery shopping and cook dinner for my hubby. I can do it all! No, I have not yet done any of these things, but give me a break; it's only been a week since my "transition".

I almost feel as if I've been given some kind of a gift and now I don't know what to do with it. Like "here's your spaceship! Enjoy!" You sit and stare at it and marvel at how cool it looks, but then what. I feel totally guilty walking by my old co-workers as I'm leaving at 5... I don't want to gloat or make them feel jealous. I'm sure they are fine; after all, they are still making the overtime that I gave up so I could reclaim my life. But part of me feels badly about it, so walks extra quickly down the hall so they don't notice me leaving.

The point is, I'm BACK! I'm ready to start running again. I want to take some classes. I want to write more in my blog now that I have this new improved outlook on life. It's a kinder, gentler more well-rested Tracy... well, until tomorrow when I start bitching about my workload or my new co-workers or having too much time on my hands. But in the meantime, happy hour anyone????