Spin Cycle: Happy in the Heat

I should have known I would back myself into a corner when agreeing for the next Spin Cycle to be Puppies and Unicorns.

Sure, I've got the obligatory dog stories starring everyone's favorite canine duo, Harry and Blue, but those seem to come only when they want to, never when I call them. I could tell you about when we found Harry at the pet store, and John dropped this little ball of varying levels of black fur into my hands and once I cuddled it, told me it was a mini Doberman. Not cool, John. Nevertheless, I fell in love with the five hundred dollar mutt (this was back when anything with a Yorkie in it added dollars to the price, and since I heard the mother was a Rat Terrier, the Yorkie was only in it for a minute) (BWHAHAHAHA!) (I don't care if you laugh or not, that is now my favorite joke ever.) and made John buy him. (Remember the good ole days when you could drop money on whatever you wanted? Now you only drop money on what the kid wants. Sigh. Stupid responsibility.)

I could also tell you about Sprite's Unicorn named Goldalicious, but the extent of that story is she has a Unicorn and she named it Goldalicious. The end.

Nope. I'm going to let you in on a little secret of mine. Something that makes me happy. It only lasts for a few minutes a day though.

I absolutely love the sweltering heat that awaits me in my car after leaving my office for the day.

Thanks to the fact that I live in Florida, the summer time usually brings with it temperatures far into the 90's, a heat that is unforgiving, despite the afternoon thunderstorms which never bring the relief, they just add steam. Now, also because I live in Florida, any building with more than one room has central air conditioning, and my office building is set to the mid-sixties. So I freeze all day.

When I walk out to my car, sure the sun is warm, but it's the extreme, dry, enveloping heat that hits me when I sit in my van that I crave.

For those first five minutes, I will drive with no A/C on, just letting my skin tighten in response to the burning temperature, like I just took a Snuggie straight out of the dryer and enveloped myself in it.

Every. Day. It's my little sauna after my 9-5 is over.

Of course, after the first minutes of bliss, I will jack up the freon to cool things off so Sprite isn't uncomfortable when I pick her up from school, but only reluctantly.

I thought I was alone in this and kept it to myself until one weekend not too long ago when my in-laws were visiting and I brought Sprite's Nana with us on an errand. After spending a good hour in an air-conditioned store, we stepped out and bee-lined for the van.

Would you believe the same sigh of contentment came out of her mouth at the same time as mine when we closed the van doors? We looked at each other and said, "You too?"

I'm one of my mother's-in-law biggest fans, but one more thing to bond over is pretty damn cool.

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And the Spinners are here!

Pseudo over at Pseudo's Spot

Jan over at Jan's Sushi Bar

KendraSue over at Life in the Slow Lane

Kathy over at My space.. my blog.. my life -New to the Spin Cycle! Forgiveness Spin which I didn't see until now! I am SO SORRY which is scarily in tune with the topic. Man, I need a mental health day...

Ve over at The Reconstruction of Self... -New to the Spin Cycle! Another Forgiveness Spin! Blargh! Forgetting needing the mental health day, I'm TAKING one! Again, so sorry!

Erin over at of synchronicity and distraction

Aimee over at Aimee Writes

Patty over at Pancakes Gone Awry

Stacy over at Stacy Uncorked

Kate over at Recommended Daily Dose

Gretchen over at Second Blooming

Michele over at It's A Dog's Life

Vandy over at The Testosterone Three and Me

Alaina over at View From Down Here

Peg over at Square Peg in a Round Hole -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

Mama Badger over at Out of the Boondocks and Into the Burbs... -Updated Friday! Fresh Spin!

If you got through these Spins without smiling, then you must have stayed up all night for Harry Potter..

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Next week's Spin Cycle Assignment: Food

I can hear Jan trilling with joy all the way up North. And is that Michele I hear dropping her coffee cup in excitement in the Lone Star state? Ooh, we'll probably get checked on by Gourmet Gretchen over in California later after she realizes this weekend's Carmageddon means staying home. And Casey, if she would update a post or two (that's a hint, Casey), would love to fill us in on the progress in her gluten free household.

Things have been a-changing in the Keeper household as of late. We're reading labels, watching content, expelling the nasty HFCS. All in the name of lifestyle changes. The incoming crap has been coming down while the grocery bill has been going up as we've been researching and reading and watching documentaries about food and where it comes from.

Poor Sprite's snack shelf never knew what hit it.

This week, tell us about food. What you like, recipes, anything you've nixed from your culinary world, anything you've added.

Full fat, reduced fat, non-fat, trans-fat, fatback, Baby got back, sugar free, meat free, reduced sodium, soy. (Breathe..) 

Do you believe in the organic existence? Vegan? Paleo? Do you think anything in moderation is the way to go? (I think we'll be seeing a lot of Spins from Jan..)

Disclaimer: keep it respectful. Some people do happen to have some extreme views, or they may be extreme to you. As long as we can play peacefully, we can keep playing.

Spin it up, serve it on a platter and call Doris over to take it to our table.

See you next week in the Spin Cycle!

Comments

[Jan]

I. Could. Kiss. You.

[Mary Anne]

Oh, I know your joy! My office is so frickin' cold that I will on occasion go out to my car at lunch time and sit in it just to get warm! I rarely turn on the AC on my way home, prefer the windows open after a day of being stuck inside.

[VandyJ]

I understand where you are coming from. When Nick and I were down there on our honeymoon, we were forever turning up the air conditioner in the hotel rooms. Coming in to the cold was not really my idea of a good time.

[Anne]

I have never participated in one of your Spin Cycles before but food is very close to my heart. Can I participate and post on Friday? Casey will vouch for my good nature (I hope).

[MamaBadger]

I love car heat! I almost wrote about that feeling when you get into the car on a "cool" summer morning and when the sun finally starts to warm your face through the windshield! I love that feeling! Sigh, heat. Oh, I'm up!

http://outoftheboondocks.blogspot.com/2011/07/spin-cycle-things-that-make-me.html

[Kate]

Mostly I'm pretty sure you're crazy about the heat. Although if it's dry heat, it's totally different than MN heat which is HUMIDx1,000. Yuck. Every once and awhile I do get that feeling of happiness in a warm car, but the condition is so rare here, it seems more like a dream. Certainly nothing that I could count on each day!

If it is something that gives you great happiness, then I'm happy for you!

[Pseudo]

The school I worked at for 10 years is the newest on the island and has giant buildings with central air, and was always too too cold (and yet, I have taken a 5% pay decrease while they still pump up that electricity bill out there.

I know that warmth and it's like a giant, heated blanket.

[Peg]

I know I'm old and spoiled... I get in the car and crank up the AC and pant until it cools down! You are a much better woman than I!

[Erin]

I hate Air Conditioning. Perhaps my tune will change this time next week. Other Half and I battle over AC from time to time. He loves it when I have hot flashes. :-)

[Peg]

I can't believe I am actually EARLY... Here's mine for food! http://pegbur7.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/now-were-cooking/

[Casey]

I hear your hint, loud and clear. ;)

I can't believe you like baking in your car..that is one of my biggest pet peeves. Especially since the homeowner's requires our stupid never-driven pickup to be parked in the garage and my mom-mobile gets stuck in the sweltering driveway all day so I've always got boobsweat going on.

[Keely]

Ha! I'm totally the same. It gets grossly hot here in the summer, and I can't stay out in it indefinitely, but the a/c chills me so (even when set a reasonable temp) that I must go out into the ridic heat to warm up.

(Every time I do I try to capture the moment to remember for when it's -40 in January.)

[Stacy Uncorked]

I wish I were freezing in air conditioning all day to embrace the scalding hot temperatures of the car when I enter it. Alas and alack, no central air for me - so I have to utilize my remote starter (when I remember) so I can breath that same sigh of contentment for the polar opposite reason. ;)

I'm such a putz! I totally forgot to visit the spinners last week - I've got some catching up to do before I start to get all drool-faced over this week's spin assignment...and I better start brainstorming on what mouthwatering temptation to write about too, eh? :) Apparently the heat is frying my brain. :)

[hubbyjohn]

so very cool, Hon.