What's IN/OUT this week

It’s officially the time of year where I start texting like an 1800s Irish immigrant stuck at sea. I’m sending messages like “I wonder when we’ll see the sun again” to friends. Dave’s receiving a midday, “May I have some cheese?” text. I’m three cloudy days from buying a rosary and turning to the bottle.

IN: Going out anyhow. Despite my very depressing opening paragraph (sorry!), I have been making a sincere effort to bop about despite the weather. Plus I’m taking my vitamin D every day. OUT: The music that ruined a bop. I went to a French bakery up the street the other morning, during that sort of drizzle/mist-funeral-in-London weather. Once the morning rush cleared at the bakery, and I was one of just a few folks posted up at their laptops, the staff behind the counter decided to put on their own playlist, which QUITE UNFORTUNATELY was all screamo. I have really waffled on being a jerk about this because, you know, I understand work sucks — and you gotta make it manageable. BUT!!! That is just simply not the right music for the ambiance, and you really gotta respect the ambiance. I’ve worked in the midst of top-40 playlists from the early aughts at coffee shops (fine, easy to ignore), and some real discordant playlists (jumping from easy listening to hip hop is a bit jarring, but all the beats were easy). I gotta draw a hard line at death growls at the French bakery, though. When I say I support workers’ rights, that includes health care and excludes unfettered access to the aux cord.

IN: The laundromat. There are a couple of machines in the basement of our building, but they’re not great and weirdly kind of small. There is, however, a laundromat a few blocks away, and I really do not mind spending a few hours on the ordeal. For starters, it’s always busy with customers and folks just trying to cross a chore off their list — and it’s nice to just be around your neighbors! Second, there’s a little bar up the block: We belly up there, split French fries, and have a drink or two — while taking turns running back to the laundromat to restart the dryers. Third, I can absolutely space out folding laundry and staring at a basic cable talk show I’ve never seen before in my life. OUT: Not having in-unit laundry. Let’s be serious, I can’t romanticize dragging all my crap to the laundromat THAT much. 

IN: Contemporary dance! I am pretty sure I’ve never seen a professional dance performance. In fact, the last time I saw dance of any kind might have been when my little sister played a mouse in the Nutcracker as a kid. And I think both my dad and I fell asleep. My friend Anne invited me to join her for a matinee performance by Hubbard Street Dance and it was INCREDIBLE. How anyone can have that sort of control over their body blows my mind. And even when they dance in unison, they each have a unique way of moving?? Unreal. OUT: The lack of control I have of my own body. Dottie and I got home from a run, I was casually checking my phone, and she suddenly saw a rabbit… while the running leash was still around my waist. She almost broke my spine in half. We had to play it very cool in front of the mailman who appeared right then, but I’m pretty sure getting out of bed tomorrow will ruin me.

IN: Little holidays. We are fast approaching Big Holidays, but yesterday was Beaujalais Nouveau Day. It was invented by the French to celebrate what was considered a moderately OK wine, and that rules. More celebrations of mediocrity, please! Parties for partying’s sake! I love this line from The Smithsonian’s history of the holiday: “First of all, people like to drink—and surely the opportunity to suck down a wine that carries symbolic value of the finished season while also demanding no tiresome critical analysis was refreshing for the French.” Hell yeah! Abbie was kind enough to accompany me to a wine tasting so I could celebrate the day via geeking out over some new bottle releases and eating a slice of pizza by a fire. OUT: Big Holiday panic. Not this year, Satan. I swear I’m going to be ready, not rushed. (To be continued….!!!!)

Tell me what you hated this week!