One year in The Hot Place!

Hello, I've been here about a year now! Congratulations to me! And I still haven't burst into flames, huh. To think that last summer was so crazy with worry and packing and moving heavy objects and cats meowing!

This summer has been so peaceful --- empty even, in comparison to last. I still haven't gone any further with looking into house loans, because that would involve cold-calling people, and unfortunately I slipped out of my walks and walking group lately --- I tried walking super early this morning, but when it only drops into the 70s/80s overnight, it is already hot and yucky out in the sun even at dawn. (Side note: I am really appreciating my shady balcony in the morning because it faces south. Often it feels warm on my balcony and I decide to go for an early walk only to discover that I can't handle walking in a non shady area because it is so hot.) And my hiking group walks at 6 pm on a weekday which is actually the hottest part of the day, yuck. I hit some of the weekend hiking/camping and cheezed out on some of the others. I'm still more anxious about going places alone than I should be.

But what I have discovered is the pool. Not the lake, which is full of awesomeness and rents kayaks, but the pool in my apartment complex, which is not exactly awesome but has the advantage of not requiring any planning or driving, so I can procrastinate on things all morning and still go. It is almost too small to swim across, but I got some goggles and try anyway. I learned the hard way though that when I turn and flop back the other direction I set the waves sloshing so much that slides my suit top almost all the way around to the back. Not very dignified. Luckily ---- and bizarrely, I must say ---- the pool has been almost empty or empty every time I have been there. When it is 100 degrees, it is perfect pool weather. When it is 108 or 110, it is great pool weather if you stay in the water ---- and you can't even really sit on a mattress and hold a magazine out of the water or your hands will burn and be too hot. I also discovered that chapstick is not enough and you can get a lip burn, so you have to sunscreen them up and then slather on the chapstick. And for god's sake don't lick your lips. But the great thing about it being so desert-dry is if you stand up out of the water the breeze wicks the heat right off of you and you are shivering. If it is 95-100 you can then lay out in a partially shaded area and slowly get dry and warm. Over 105 or so it really is going to only take a minute to get from shivering to uncomfortably hot again so laying out isn't practicable.

Anyway I'm glad I finally got it together to go out to the pool regularly, although I am annoyed with myself that I still haven't spent a day at the lake and haven't done the kayak rentals. There was an ad for stand-up paddleboard lessons too, which I kind of want to try. There is even a stand-up paddleboard yoga class, which I am sure is not for me, as I can fall over easily without the added stressors of either yoga or standing on a board in water. It just wouldn't go well. My one complaint is that I still haven't really found a good group of people to hang with, and hiking and lake-visits and such are more entertaining when shared with friends. The people I know from work have basically scattered for the summer, and the local people I have met have regular jobs and can only do stuff on weekends or are retired and aren't necessarily into hanging out with me. But I will admit that I am partly to blame, since I haven't really been out there pounding the pavement for new acquaintances. If only I could do that from the couch or the pool.