I have been living in flipflops (Rainbows, but still flipflops) for far too long. Like 6 months of the year. My feet are less than thrilled and I don’t want to trash them, so I went out and bought sensible shoes. Several people have assured me they are not that bad, but I am unconvinced. They are, however, very comfortable and good for my feet.
BUT, when I was getting them, there was a total shame spiral:
Shoe Lady: What size shoes do you wear?
Me: Um… Can you measure me?
[note - not knowing what size shoes I wear is probably a shame spiral on it's own]
Me: I know I measure 6.5, but I never can actually fit into a 6.5, so I am not sure what is going on.
SL: Oh – I see what is going on. You are a 6.5. But see how your foot is VERY FULL?
Me: Um…
SL: See – it’s a little wide here, and also thick here.
Me: So, you are saying my feet are fat?
SL: No, just full.
Now – this is actually valuable information. My foot is tall behind my toes – I guess it’s like a high instep, but maybe starts closer to my toes. And my overall foot isn’t wide enough to need wide shoes. It is sort of like this foot. This explains why I need a bigger size when I buy heels – my fleshy foot doesn’t fit in right.
It’s not like this is a problem – I have always liked my feet, which are sort of stumpy an squat (because they ARE. Apparently.) But I just had NO idea. It was a giant shock – why did no one EVER tell me this? Ever? When I was little I needed narrow shoes! I knew I wasn’t “narrow”, but the idea that my feet were “full” – NO idea. NONE!!!!!
I am trying to rock the sensible shoes. Because they ARE comfortable. They also cover pedicure chips. So sort of a win? Maybe?
The Monday (Day 3) auto-feeder tie-up was still working on Tuesday – including hilarious pawprints on the lid. But then yesterday it was knocked over. I noticed she enlisted the help of a spider (not sure what spider did, but it stood on jumprope and looked menacing).
So, we could consider this a Lucy-Cat victory. Or, we could realize that it means that now I am feeding her out of a bowl and am in complete control of what that she eats. NOT that I am underfeeding or anything…
I am cat sitting. Ursula is cat sitting. She is the one who was asked and makes the big bucks. I simply remember to go, chauffeur and troubleshoot. Of course, Ursula enjoys scooping the litter box, so I guess she really IS the cat sitter.
This is at least the 5th time we have watched our beloved Lucy-Cat. It has always gone well – the first time she sort of avoided us and we rarely saw her, but since then, all has been well. Lucy-Cat has been on a new diet – 1 can of food 2x a day. But for this week, she is back on her dry food with the auto-feeder (she is a 10 minute drive from home, so we just check in once a day). Apparently, she is VERY unhappy with this.
Day One (Saturday) – auto feeder is tipped over, lid is off. I stand it back up.
Day Two – auto feeder is tipped over, lid is off and it’s separated from the bowl base. Ursula and I wedge it into a corner thinking she can’t tip it.
Day Three – auto feeder is tipped over, lid is off, bowl base is off and the food canister is separated from the dispensing part. Ursula and I have wedged feeder into a corner AND used a jump rope to tie it into place.
I have been mocked on Facebook, for saying I was refused to be outwitted by a cat. And it’s probably deserved – I don’t think the food dispenser dumping has stopped. And I’m running out of ideas. BUT, I know something Lucy-Cat doesn’t know (or does she?) – her family is bringing a puppy with them when they get home from vacation.
Have I mentioned how much I *hate* summer? I like the pool, the fun things we do and the general hanging out vibe. Also, popsicles. But the heat and sun are killing me!
I have been using spray sunblock, because I am lazy and it is easy. I buy it at an alarming rate (we use ~2 cans a week, depending on how much pool time), but never seem to stock up. Spray sunblock is vile. It is nasty. Yet I keep using it. First of all, I am sure it is full of vile things that are bad for me. And probably the ozone layer – using it probably makes me need MORE sunblock. But mostly, it’s vile because it leaves a horrible film all over me, yet still dries my skin out. I have been scrubbing in the shower with multiple bodywashes (first, one with scrubbing beads, then a moisturizing one. I’m using a washcloth (not my usual process) and scrubbing hard. Yet when I go to dry off, there is STILL a sunblocky haze on me.
What is especially perplexing is that the sunblock is very very drying to my skin. Well, that is not the perplexing part. The perplexing part is that my skin is flaking off due to the extreme dryness, but the sunblock remains. It is a horror. Please do not look closely at my legs. (Which are also bruised, but that is from bringing Trixie into the pool with me, an act that I am sure is at the top of her “things I hate about summer” list).
I finally had a dressing for the heat revelation and have been wearing mostly running clothes. Built is underwear IS cooler! Except Ursula does not believe I wear underwear – I’ll take off shorts and she is like “you do not have panties!!!!” (it is great to have this shouted out when I’m in a changing room). She doesn’t seem to believe that they are built in (even though I *showed her*!)
Of course, we are talking about a person who is preparing for her birthday (i.e. making room for new toys) by getting rid of underwear that is “hurts her”. She clearly has underwear issues (I have NO IDEA how this happened!). No one should wear uncomfortable underwear (which is why everyone in this house has enough underwear for a month. Or two.), but really, tossing 3 pairs of panties isn’t making room for a lot of new stuff.
Today marks half a year with Trixie! It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long since Bort died, yet it feels like we have had her FOREVER. She is sweet and adorable and a great little dog.
It is *also* Trixie’s 2nd birthday. How ironic! Or not really, but when they say “your dog is between 1 and 2″, I take that literally. We did not really celebrate today, but she was at the pool Sunday and Monday, and is going back tomorrow.
In other news, today is ALSO my Blogiversary. Seven years of Melissaland (in various incarnations). I am celebrating by being exhausted. The summer drains all my energy. Bleh….
Today I am going to attempt to blog all of the amusing and or irritating things Ursula does (usually, both). As it is already 9:36, many have already happened and been forgotten/mentally blocked.
Before now:
* Theorized endlessly about Trixie’s reverse sneezing
* Demanded an “envelotte” for breakfast, then ate ~30% (if I’m being generous).
* Flipped through an issue of EW, sharing her views on ever page (note: Sun’s wedding dress on Lost = inappropriate due to straplessness).
Right now (9:37am):
* Told Trixie “zebra’s speak English” while pulling on her paw and petting her.
9:42am
* Sitting extremely close to me on couch.
* For heck’s sake. As I am typing this she decides to mention that Isaac at school told her Santa is not real. Seriously?!?! You have been sitting on this for 6 months and bring it up NOW?!?!? Must go smooth this over.
9:49am
* Santa thing seems smoothed over. For NOW. I can’t handle the “sitting on info for months”.
12:41pm
Have had a few hours of peace – turning on SpongeBob and then making her play outside will do that. She did, however, interrupt me as I was getting ready to bathe to tell me she saw a bug outside and didn’t know it was nice and what should she do…
2:07pm
Ursula is Legoing and singing to herself. I am conducting a precise science experiement, comparing the insulating properties of my Starbucks tumbler and Dan’s similarly size Tervis tumbler.
4:39pm
* We are going to dinner. Not a fancy place, but fancy for a 5yo. She has selected a corduroy skirt with a cat applique. That is 3 years old.
* She is wrapped all around me as I type this.
* The ice experiment is going well. Tervis has a slight edge, but I would say each glass is still at least 50% ice after 2.5 hours.
9:59pm
* Nothing too eventful at dinner. Well except for screaming there was a stranger at the table. I forgot to mention one of the 11 people in our party when telling her who would be there (a person she’s met several times). After that, all was well.
* The ice is all melted in both cups. I think going 5 hours between ice check-ins was perhaps not the best scientific protocol.
While Ursula was at “Paintery Pottery” camp the other day (her term, not theirs), I went to Starbucks. I saw a super cute tumbler – it looks JUST like a frappucino cup. I asked about it, said I’d get it next time and the girl said “you might want to get it now”. So I did. And I love it.
Little did I know (has it been THAT long since I’ve been to Starbucks) that these are crazy popular and impossible to find. Like $55 BIN on eBay popular (though $40 seems to be the standard). Insane! Now if it could just get me to drink water…
BTW – if anyone sees one (Venti sized) and decides that rather than get rich on eBay, they’d like to sell it to me for retail, well, let me know. I need one for a gift (why didn’t I just buy TWO?).
