Movies, Mice, Running, Feet

Hmm... I don't really know what to write about tonight, but my blog has been kind of neglected lately, so I feel I must write.

It's Friday night and I have just finished watching Possession, which I liked. It was a bit farfetched in some places (grave-robbing?) but a good story, and beautifully filmed. Gwyneth looked so pretty. And the scenery, even the indoor scenes, make me want to go live in a Victorian English library, complete with fur rugs, walls of bookshelves, wax flower arrangements under glass domes, butterfly collections, and all that. Too bad I'm allergic to England.

I'm also allergic to cats, unfortunately, because I really need to get one! I discovered another mouse in the house. (Now none of my friends are ever going to want to come and visit me.) Don't worry--it's gone now. I also discovered where, I believe, the little rascals are getting in. My room is heated by a thick pipe that runs from floor to ceiling, and whoever installed the floor in my bedroom did a bad job of lining it up flush with the pipe. There is a large triangular gap that could certainly fit a mouse through it. I don't know why I never plugged it up before, but now it is stuffed full of plastic. I need to get some steel wool and do a proper job, but this will do for now. Meanwhile, there are traps set everywhere, so if there are any more mice hanging out, they had better watch out. I guess it's time for a thorough Spring cleaning. Everything is getting washed and scrubbed!

My other Spring project is working myself back into shape. I've been so sedentary all winter. Unlike any previous job, I mostly sit down all day at work. Then when I get home it's dark and very cold. Sprinkle in a few dozen Dunkin Donuts shops that I pass daily, and I've got trouble. I mean, I haven't gained lots of weight--I'm just not fit or muscular like I want to be. Flabby, actually, if you really want to know. But this week I've gone running three times so far, and I have vowed not to eat any sugary junk food for a month. That includes donuts! It's been quite a challenge, actually, especially when E came home from the grocery store with two half-gallons of ice cream, tasted one, and declared she hated it so if I wanted, I could have it. I am happy to say that I was very very tempted, but I was very strong, and resisted. When I start to crave a cookie or a bowl of ice cream, I just visualize getting into my swimsuit when I'm at the beach next month, and that does the trick.

And it's still cold outside, but not so cold that I don't warm up when I run. And since its dark when I get home, I don't run through Harlem. I take the train downtown and run where its more populated, and where a jogger doesn't stand out. I swear, people in Harlem act like I'm an alien when I run through their neighborhoods. It's such an oddity to see a runner, that everyone stares and has a comment to make. So I go elsewhere. When it gets light, I will run in the Park, and it will be nice not to have to stop for red lights at every street corner.

My body feels better already. I feel more energetic, healthy, and alive. I know running is not for everyone, but I think exercise is so important to health. We've got to keep our bodies fit so that we can get the most out of life.

Actually, we've had two warm days, despite the prediction for snow on Sunday. I'm getting to the point where I can't bear to put on a coat or stockings. On Thursday I wore high-heeled open-toed sandals to work while everyone in New York is still walking around in their fur boots. That evening, I got on the bus and saw one guy do a double take. He glanced at my feet, looked back, and followed my bright red toenails with his eyes as I passed his seat. Sure, maybe he's a foot-fetish weirdo, but I tend to think he's like me--sick and tired of winter. It's been so long since he's seen toes that he was stunned by their sudden appearance on a city bus in the middle of February. Then again, I have been told before, by a stranger, that my feet are extraordinarily beautiful. But that is a story for another day... For now, maybe I'd best keep my feet in socks for few more weeks, so as not to overwhelm people.