Good for what ails you

Well, the aftermath of shingles continues to be as gross as having it. Little scabs are falling off. I know ... eeeewwww. Well! Imagine how I feel.

I have been continuing to run - I am doing the path along the river, which has been very pleasant and relaxing when the weather is not too humid. Even if it is humid, I walk it. People round here complain about the humidity, but I say they are wimps.

I have not been going to the gym because, as I said, I look hideous. And I felt it would be best not to subject other people my ex-personal trainer to the sight of it, lest they think that I will give them cooties even though I would happily give cooties to my ex-personal trainer.

I have been giving a lot of thought to my job search. It's been exhausting and no doubt largely responsible for the aforementioned cooties. Plus I was super-stressed out by not hearing back from the last interview. Incidentally, I did hear from them and they decided to go "in another direction." Is it tempting to write back and say they gave me shingles? YES.

Instead, I have been bursting with inspiration and creativity, prolly cause I'm back into the swing of improv. All my old story ideas have come back. Things like writing a musical based on Pat Benatar songs - I imagine a storyline about abuse victims and a flood and a daughter who hates her mom. It's good stuff. Or how about a campy, action-filled movie, filled with punchy one-liners and a great big giant sea monster. Or I could just write articles - I recently read an article written by a fellow improv troupe member on whether or not women are as funny as men. (Good news - yes, they are.) What kind of life would that be? Would I like it? Would I be able to eat? Would I get shingles again?

Enough of the existential debate - I had a cute thing happen yesterday that I really must share with you. I was leaving work for the day and I stopped at the little boulangerie that is right next to it. I selected a Coke to purchase. Yes, I did. I admit that I have occasionally had caffeine. Three times in the last month. BUT not yesterday. Why? Because the girl who works the boulangerie knows me and she knows that I always get ginger ale and she knows that I try to avoid caffeine. Just as I was setting the Coke on the counter, she started to say "Ginger ale for Ginger," and she stopped and gasped when she saw the Coke. Then she chastised me. She proceeded to give me quite a lecture about how I quit drinking caffeine and I always get ginger ale and why was I getting a Coke? So I put back the coke and I said thanks and I got the ginger ale. "That's better," she said. I was glad that she cared that much.