Take Some Heat

I recently went to a spa for the first time. My wife and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary and decided to treat ourselves to a relaxing activity. So we booked an appointment at the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa in North Bonneville, Washington, which is about an hour away from Portland, Oregon.

I was greeted by an attendant, who described the bath treatment options I could take. I chose the alternating hot and cold bath. It consisted of alternating between sitting in a tub of hot water and a tub of cold water every few minutes, which according to google, stimulates the body to promote physical and emotional well-being and is called the Kneipp System. There was even a pitcher of water to drink and a bunch of grapes on a table beside the tubs. It doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

The hot water in the tub was supposed to be around 115 °F. How I handled it was pretty similar to how this guy did: (Note that the video is in Japanese but you won’t need a translator to figure out what’s going on)

The only difference was that there was no jiggling girl to motivate me to stay in the hot water. Most of the time, I sat at the edge of the tub with only my feet and ankles in the water, eating grapes and laughing quietly at how ridiculously hot it was.

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Be Superbad

All I’ve been thinking about in the last few days has been the movie Superbad. The previews and all of the promos for that movie have convinced me that I need to see it.

In case you haven’t seen any of the trailers, here’s one:

It doesn’t really make sense since I’m probably not even the target demographic for this movie. I’ve become a 30-something all hyped up to see a movie about high school. It could turn out to be a terrible movie, but at this point, it doesn’t matter.

I can still remember doing these two awkward and embarrassing things when I was in high school:

Make a Commitment

I once stopped dating a girl after a mildly heated discussion about “Forget Paris”, a movie starring Billy Crystal and Debra Winger. The debate centered around whether or not a relationship is supposed to be hard work, as portayed in the movie.

I somehow held the opinion that relationships were supposed to be tough.  I don’t actually remember why I thought this since at the time, I was only in my early 20’s and have only achieved several two-week-long relationships. In no way was I an expert on the subject. But I was naive and stubborn, which was a terrible combination for a healthy debate.

Coincidentally, the discussion occurred at the end of the second week of dating the girl. So was it really the movie that made me stop calling her?

Here’s a video of Jason Biggs looking for an answer to the question most guys dread: 

Get Some Culture

It’s been a long while since I’ve attended anything remotely cultural. So my wife and I went to the Obon Festival in Portland last Saturday. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect.

It turned out to be quite a good time. The main attraction was the bon odori dances (folk dances) that people could optionally participate in. Emphasis on optional.

Next year, I’d like them to add the Algorithm March dance to their list. The first half of the video demonstrates each step of the dance, including an English translation of the movements. The second half of the video displays how the dance all comes together when performed with a group.

If they decide to add this dance next year, I just might join in on the fun. I’ll be the one wearing the ninja outfit.

Simplify Your Life

I used to think that my college dorm room was tiny. The average dorm room is 200 square feet for two people. I thought it was amazing that two people could live in such a small space. Then I recently read a blog entry at Around the Sun about a woman who lives in an 84 square foot home. 84 square feet!

So it made me think that maybe I should consider simplifying my life a little. I’ll start out with only buying things I need.

Take, for example, this guy who bought something from QVC that he found to be very handy: