Mildly Hellish

I do not want to be here in summer if this is how hot spring it. I guess I am really spoiled by the beautiful mild San Francisco temperatures. Today is not that bad, but it is still hot. I went to the gym and sweated a bit and stopped at the Disco and bought some fruit and now am enjoying my quiet, air-conditioned apartment.

If I had come down here to write a book, I could have written several by now. I didn't think I would be such a homebody here, but I don't know what I was thinking. I am a total homebody in SF and I actually like spending time at home. My apartment is really comfortable. The difference is that from my apartment I can take nice walks either through a beautiful national park, or to some interesting neighborhoods with good food. And, the walks are pleasant.

What I have discovered here is that it is hard to walk and there is no place to walk to. I watched a little Dr. Phil last night and he was talking to a woman who gets really irritated by little sounds her husband and kids make - like chewing, things they can't avoid doing. Dr. Phil told her she had an aggravated stress response. Today as I was walking to the gym and people were darting one way or another in front of me on the sidewalk, I could feel myself getting stressed out. It was not possible for me to walk one block without someone cutting in front of me from one side of the sidewalk to the other, or blocking the sidewalk. I could not walk in a straight line for one block. By the time I got to Callao, which is about 5 blocks from here, I realized how stressed I was and took a deep breath and thought about the Dr. Phil show last night. I don't know what to do about it, but for now it is an observation.

At some point between that deep breath on the corner and returning home, I came to a decision about next year.

As far as I know, I am supposed to spend 80% of the time I was awarded my sabbatical here. I don't think it specifies when that time needs to be specifically. Since it is too hot now and I am sure it is going to be even hotter in December, I don't want to be here this time next year. I actually liked June last year and July was a little cold, but still bearable. So, I am thinking that next year I will come from June to November, and then I will turn 50 in San Francisco with friends. I thought it would be fun turning 50 here, but it looks like I will be spending it alone (at the spa). Then, I'll be able to go somewhere early in December before prices shoot up for the holidays and maybe even be back in SF to do my family's traditional 7 fish Christmas Eve dinner (I want to do it here, but don't think I can find 7 different kinds of fish).

This is all feeling quite right to me. I can take tango classes before it gets too hot, and also I can do an intensive language class (whatever language I end up studying), and will only take one instead of two, still going to school twice a week. I've also decided I am going to look for another apartment, perhaps in Palermo, because I want to be able to walk to parks and be a little bit more away from the throbbing pulse of the city.

And for now I am planning on going to Buzios with Hernan.

It looks like we can't go after my classes are finished because Hernans' friend Catarina from Quebec is coming on December 17 and he needs to be back by then. So, I checked another travel agent and they have a package available from November 30, for 8 days. It would mean I'd miss my Arabic final, but I don't really need to take the final since I am not taking the class for credit. I'd also miss one more Italian class, but that is fine with me too.

I found a place that is on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Buzios has several different beaches and many of them are beautiful coves with clear blue water. It looks really lovely, like St. Tropez or something. If I like it, maybe next year I will take a trip there in July to escape a little BA winter!

And so, that is what I am up to these days other than trying to stay cool and get back to eating right and exercising. Hernan is stopping by later today and we'll discuss the plans for our little trip.