The Summer Sun Sets

Tonight is one of those nights where I don't feel like I am particularly interesting. I'm not entirely sure I've got anything to say that anyone will care to hear about. Most nights like this, I would just let go and let loose with another erotic post...but strangely, I don't feel like doing that either. Tonight I figured I might just talk, and see where the post leads me.

We're officially into summer now, here in the middle of nowhere. It seems like it came by sneak attack. One day it was spring, there was constant rain and I was still wearing hoodies in the morning and later in the evening. Now I'm forced to admit we've turned on our air conditioner, already. Normally its mid-july or august before we break down. I like the smell of the outside drifting through the house, and having the house cold forces me to employ blankets. In the summer, it seems silly. Alas, here we are, in the second week of june and the air is running full time. Its rather annoying.

Speaking of dress, I suppose I could tell you a little about my gas station family. I love them. See, I drive Kitten to work every morning. Usually its between 4:45 and 5:00 am when we leave the house. Its really, really early. As a treat to ourselves, and sometimes out of necessity, we stop at the gas station just up the road from our house. I stumble, bleary eyed and nearly incoherent, inside and usually grab some sort of hostess pastry (generally those little packages of six doughnuts, or a coffee cake) I get myself a soda and Kitten I make a coffee of half dark roast and half columbian.

Most mornings I'm not terribly fond of the attendants. A couple of them are young, and rather stupid. One of them always charges me for a 20 oz coffee when I only get a 16. I've given up correcting her. Why bother? Its ten cents...Another one is a larger guy that if I were to guess I would say is gay. He usually answers my "how are you today" with "I have another migraine." Super cheerful.

But there are two that I positively love. One, Danny, is a good looking guy about 40 or so. He has an adorable accent. If I place it right, he's Irish. Its not a put on either. He's always sweet, calls me darlin' or sweet'art and once, duckie. I love him. He's always got something nice to say. Its plesant to speak with him. There is another one, Gas STation Mom, who is probably close to my mom's age. I'm her sweetheart too. I love her because she has a lot of personality. She's the only one that wears shorts instead of Khakis. She's got peicings that aren't in her earlobes, and tatoos on both her ankles. She also has a penchant for really great paisley neckties. I always compliment her on them, since I have a tie fetish. One morning that new song by Adele was on as I was checking out, and commented that I have the album but its been so overplayed I don't even want to listen to it anymore. GSM laughed and said "really? I've never heard this..." and rolled her eyes. Its those kinds of sentiments that make me adore her.

The reason I thought of this when I spoke of dress is because normally I look a total wreck when I come into the station. Most winter mornings I have on a heavy coat, but as it got warmer Ileft that off for a hoodie. But the rest of my attire is unchanging: fleece plaid pajama pants, a mismatched t-shirt, no bra, mismatched fuzzy sleep socks and a pair of slip on pink and grey houndstooth shoes from the Gap. I normally haven't brushed my hair, and I have almost never brushed my teeth since I go back to bed when I get home and then I would have to brush them again, and that's bad for your enamel. But somehow, they always treat me just like the normally dressed people in the store that look at me like I've somehow offended them for running around in my sleep-gear. (not that I sleep in it...)

You should have seen their faces the first time both of them saw me in normal clothes, cleaned up and with makeup on. I laughed out loud. GSM smiled at me and looked at her watch. then she said something to the effect that I was about twelve hours late, but I looked very pretty. How sweet. Danny just stared. I remember because I came inside in a tiny skirt and a tank top with my hair done up. I didn't say anything, just smiled and asked for my Marlboro Reds like I always came in looking like that.

Anyway, seeing them makes me happy in the mornings for no good reason at all.

Summer also reminds me, I'm turning into a huge girl. Normally I won't shave my legs in the winter. Not terribly often anyway. Why bother when no one will see them? You know I am a relatively fastidious person when it comes to dress, but you know- shaving just seems like unneccesary maintenance when all it does is make you colder. Not so right now. I've changed, it seems. For one thing, I've shaved my legs a minimum of once a week for the last couple fo months. I don't know why. I don't normally wear shorts, but for some reason, I've taken to wearing those too. That means my legs have to be cleanshaven. Granted, its normally mesh shorts and I could just shave below my knees, but once this last week I actually wore a pair of seriously short shorts, and I was horrified to see I had prickles again. Back into the bathtub I went.

We've been trying to get out more too. I went for a walk with the girls last night, and it was lovely. But we were gone for three hours. Turns out I am out of shape, becuase this morning I was sore in my shoulders and neck. Not my legs, oh no- those are plenty strong. But apparently because we took a soccer ball with us and played with it as we walked, my body decided that was too much effort. I had to be sore. We went for another walk tonight, somewhere different, and only for an hour. I feel better. I'm hoping as summer goes on I will get into better shape.

I'm also starting to tan. Not lay in a bed tan, because that's stupid, but actually blossom under the onslaught of vitamin D I've been soaking up. Now, granted, every time I go in the sun Kitten reminds me to put on my sunscreen (and I do- liberally) but this doesn't seem to be keeping me from getting a little more gold and a little less pasty white. I like it. If I can keep from burning too often this summer I'll be delighted. I've promised myself I will get out as much as possible. I like being outdoors. Its been too long since I've been canoeing or camping or spent an entire day at the pool. I want to do that very much.

That's another thing that always suprises me. There are so many people that look at me and naturally assume I'm an indoor girl. I mean, I know I wear dresses and stuff. At work of course I wear makeup, because I make more money when I do. But other girls do that and I never assume they wouldn't like to go play in the mud with me. Most people look at me like I'm lying to them the first time I tell them I like to be outdoors, and that next to writing or reading there's nothing I love better than being muddy and wet. Of course, maybe its silly of me, but I naturally assume that most people like to be outside. Now, this may be a silly assumption on my part, since my mom thinks roughing it is a hotel with only one indoor pool....but I figure most active young people want to be outside enjoying nature. Is that silly?

Speaking of silly...(see- we're all over the map tonight) I've gotten myself into a little war on facebook. Not a bad one. A fun one. I have a friend that I used to work with, and she posts funny stuff every now and again. Well, I got into the habit in the last couple of weeks of getting on Youtube and looking for old songs I used to love when I was 18 and hitting the clubs. Then one day she posted about how she was listening to her PS3 while doing something and she kept getting boybands. Just like that, I was on youtube looking up old N*Sync videos. And then I was earworming them. Bad.

Now, if you don't know what an earworm is, I kindly suggest you run over to swisslet (check my sidebar) and learn from him. He's the master. Learn from him. Anyway, I had N*sync stuck in my head all day. To punish her, I posted one of their videos on my wall and tagged her in it. I figured she would see it, and get it stuck in her head too. She commented that it was funny of me, but that she'd moved on to teen queens. I warned her not to get me started, but alas, I was already searching up old Brittany videos. So I posted Wannabe by the Spice Girls on her wall.

A day later I had Genie In a Bottle by Christina Aguilara posted on mine. I returned with I Want it That Way, Backstreet Boys. I almost immediately received Because of You, 98 Degrees. This was not an acceptable earworm (how old were they anyway! Not a teen boyband!) so I posted Toxic, Brittany Spears. The next morning I woke up to The Thong Song. Things were rapidly getting out of hand, so I posted what I thought would be an unbeatable earworm- The Sign by Ace of Base. That clever, clever girl knows me far to well.

Yesterday She got on my wall and left me Sex and Candy. Since we went the sex route I returned Mouth by Merrill Bainbridge (do you know what that song is about???) Not to be outdone, Pepper left me Criminal by Fiona Apple tonight. I've given up the sex theme and stooped to How Bizzare by OMC. For that I was punished with Barbie Girl. My current shot is Return of the Mack, Mark Morrison. (as an update- I just got Gettin' Jiggy with it...god save me)
I've got some other options in the hopper. I've actually taken to writing down songs that are bound to irritate and make mad. I think I have a few good ones. Of course, if you have a suggestion, feel free to leave one in the comments. My only stipulation is that it must come from the 90's. The more annoying and catchy, the better.

That's about me for the night. Honestly, I fear I've bored you to death. But I had fun.

Take Care of Yourselves.
Leave me a comment. I get lonely.
And seriously, those song ideas.
AGxx

Incidentally, if you're curious: that's me last night on our walk down through our downtown area. We passed through the warehouses and I've always wanted tolet loose with a camera down there. I'm no photographer...but there's something beautiful about the abandoned buildings and their trappings of lonliness.