Wednesday, August 6, 2008

uncle, eggs, and heat

Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? To my faithful friends who check this blog, I'm impressed that you checked in again that by chance you might find something new. Here we are!

Here's a basic recap on the past few weeks. The highlight is that Uncle Brad came to visit. That would be single, bachelor Uncle Brad that the girls are perpetually trying to set up with one of their teachers, neighbors, or any cute girl in the 30-something range. We did some sightseeing with Brad, fed him lots of local food, and took a 3-day trip to a more villagey location.

Other than Uncle Brad visiting, the rest isn't very exciting. Our refrigerator broke down completely (yeah, the brand new one we bought in April '07). When that happened, I had to distribute my food in 4 different refrigerators at friends' houses. The repairman came, looked at it, and said he couldn't fix it that day. We survived on pb&j, and he returned the next day and got her up and running again. I recollected my food and now it's nice and cold. It's really nice and cold in the back where it actually freezes the food. Like ice on my veggies. Should I call the repairman again?

Did you know that if you get eggs at a market (they are not refrigerated there), and you put them in the fridge where they get cold, and then your fridge breaks down and the eggs get warm again, that no one gets sick if you eat them once the fridge gets repaired and they're cold again? I had a local tell me they'd be fine to eat. I took her word for it, and no one got sick. It was risky, but everyone was fine (eggs are not cheap here).

Other than Brad visiting and the fridge breaking down, I guess the only news (which really isn't news), is that it is just blazing hot! I daily have to remind myself why life is better without air conditioning. I'm reteaching my body that heat is good. I'm actually learning lots of tips on how to stay cool. So, here are my summer tips for staying cool:
  • Don't open your windows if it's higher than 80 degrees outside. Opening a door or window on a hot day is like a blast of heat from the oven. No kidding! It's actually cooler with the windows closed.
  • Wrap a blue ice pack in a washcloth and sleep with it like a little teddy bear.
  • Spritz sheets with cold water before going to bed.
  • Avoid the oven or stove! We have a gas stovetop, so when it's on there's an open flame going in our kitchen. We eat salads, sandwiches, smoothies, etc. About twice a week our dinner is sandwiches and a fresh smoothie (juicy fresh fruits from the market mixed with yogurt).
  • Go to the air-conditioned food court in the mall...linger for a very looooong time.
  • Eat outside in the shade. It's cooler than inside the apartment.
  • Have lots of squirt gun fights.
  • Fans are your friends.
  • Reminisce about summer camp and how much fun it was to be in that cabin without air conditioning. Just think...our kids get the same experience without the expense of camp.
  • Reminisce about your freshman year in college in the only dorm without air conditioning and relive all those precious memories before graduating to the other side of campus.
  • Know that sweat is cleansing your body from toxins.
  • Have contests on which melts faster in the kitchen...a piece of ice or a tablespoon of butter. Time the results and the loser buys ice cream.
  • Keep a positive attitude and know that fall's around the corner.

2 comments:

Bteacher99 said...

So who was the winner: the butter or the ice cube? Was it real butter? Would margarine make a difference? Was the butter frozen in the back of the fridge with the veggies?

Can you tell I'm back in town? The questions begin again!

Penny said...

Oh, this reminds me of my awesome, bachelorette, un-A/C apartment! Tank tops became my best friends. I think your body does re-learn what "normal" heat is. I found myself to be cold-natured after living there 4 years. Now I freeze in Dad's house on Sundays, the movies, the mall, etc--any place where the A/C blasts. I'll be interested to see if that is your experience when you return home.