don't sweat it

besides being  the kickoff to summer, this weekend has been the kickoff to summer heat. everyone who knows me knows that i can't take the heat. even as a child i couldn't . the school that i went to as a kid was backward and they finally got air conditioning installed when i was in sixth grade. until then they had the industrial strength fans which were so-so. as kids we would all sit with mini portable fans to cool ourselves off. when i was in third grade i fainted in class from the heat. i remember standing for shemonah esreh and then suddenly i found myself on the floor. it was so embarrassing.
except for my backward school, everyone where i grew up in the midwest had central air conditioning. i went to a small shul for awhile that had an air conditioning unit. it worked well, but it was so odd and foreign to me at the time.
when i was in college the dorm had a/c window units which i used as necessary.
i admit that i roughed it for awhile when i lived in a basement apartment, but even there it was a little cooler than if i had lived on a regular floor.
now that im an adult and i live in apartment on the top floor of my apartment building i would find the summers unbearable if i didn't have my air-conditioning  unit. i try not to be a shabbos guest to those who do not use a/c. the worst part is that some of those who do not use air conditioning also don't use fans.
the heat effects my skin . my psoriasis flares up and itches more in the summer. paying the extra fifty dollars a month is less money than buying medication to treat psoriasis and far more enjoyable.

the d3 debate

recently magazines have been recommending people to get at least 10 minutes of unprotected sun each day to fulfill one's vitamin d3 quota for the day. i have also had a few friends report to me that they have had sun damage removed from their bodies. thought none had cancer or pre-cancerous damage it was still quite scary. even if one is hyper neurotic about sun protection and sun exposure one still runs the risk of contracting skin cancer, nonetheless one still must be diligent about protecting one's skin . this is why i find it baffling that women's magazines are recommending sun exposure to meet their vitamin d3 requirement. sun exposure is a way of acquiring vitamin d3 but its not the only way  . one can also take vitamin d3 supplements and they work.
my vitamin d levels were tested a year ago. they were very low. i usually do have at least 10 minutes of  daily unprotected sun accidentally. i often forget to apply sunblock in the mornings as i am rushing to go to work. even if one is diligent about sun protection, most people are not as diligent as they should be. but guess what? unless you are a farmer who is scantily clad you probably still won't get enough sun exposure to provide adequate vitamin d3 levels..if one is a modestly dressed woman how much is exposed to sunlight even if you are outside without sunblock? this of course is where the supplements come in. and folks, vitamin d3 supplements do work. my vitamin d3 levels have gone up.
supplements do raise vitamin d3 levels. be smart about sun exposure and don't rely on it for achieving the proper level of vitamin d3.

memorial day

as a kid i never realized what the meaning of memorial day was. to me memorial day was just another welcome day off from school. as an adult i have thought about it . as an adult i am more aware of the wars that the united states has been involved in. i have become more aware of who has died defending the honor of their country which is the country that i live in.
because the plight of israel and war in israel has been so prominent in my life it overshadowed the reality of war anywhere else. the gulf war and 9/11 changed all that. it dawned on me that hate and destruction could happen anywhere and that it is important to appreciate those who have lost their lives trying to defend our right to freedom and our right to feel safe in our country of residence.

the ebb and flow

friendships like most things in life  wax and wane. one day a person could be BFFs with one set of friends and not long after be one the outs with the same crew. life changes, people change. perhaps this makes me anti-social, but sometimes the politics of friendship or rather the politics of group friendship often makes me want to retreat into my own world.of course this doesn't last long. no one is an island,  as much as id like to dump everyone and live on my own solo island after awhile i need to get out of my own head and mix with others. people can drive me crazy but they also keep me sane.
friendship may ebb and flow  but  mostly friendship flows. which is what i count  on.....

tact

tact is something not a lot of people have and   a lot of people need. often when i am in a social situation  non-whisperers  ask me who so and so is when so and so is standing within earshot.  though i usually do know who so and so is i am not very inclined to want to share my information when so and so is standing right within earshot. i always wish that i  could simulate an electric shock to whoever is so tactless .  even though i am not the one asking the tactless question i feel embarrassed when someone asks this of me in such a tact-free fashion.

he's a nice guy

often  after a date i will tell  friends or the person who set me up with them that the guy is a really nice person but he is not for me.  i mean it. both parts. he  really is a nice guy AND he is really not for me. this always confuses people. if i think he is a nice guy why do i not want to go out with him  again? i don't mean to be confusing, its just that though i think the guy is a good person there are things about him that i dislike/can't live with and therefore do not want to continue with him. does my not wanting to date him mean that i have to say that i think he is a dreadful human being? i know  that if i would say that every guy i don't want to date is dreadful  that would not go over well either. then i would be the woman who can't stand every man who is sent her way.  even though i don't want to continue dating someone  i don't want to diminish his dating prospects by saying lashon hara i don't believe about him just to shut people up  . i suppose i will continue to confuse people . its what i do best. after all i am a woman.

round vs square

many  restaurants i have eaten at have square tables. most  weddings i have attended have round tables. small square tables are okay  at a restaurant  if there are only 2-4 people at the table, otherwise its difficult to be a cohesive group.
at a wedding. one hopes those in attendance are united int their wishes for the new couple therefore there are round tables.
when i attend a large get together at restaurant it is  a treat when there are round tables. round tables are especially nice for a birthday party or other largely attended restaurant affairs. at a square table you are stuck just talking to to the few people across from or next to you. with a round table there can be interaction between all who are present.