Saturday, November 2, 2019

Domestic Duties à la Longboat Key

Today is Saturday. We judiciously set our respective smartphone alarms last evening for seven o'clock this morning. We had an appointment scheduled at 9:00 am with the Vietnamese manicurists and pedicurists. The event though pleasurable by every standard nonetheless heralded what proved to be a series of functional obligations.  The cosmetic improvement by the young Vietnamese women was followed by grocery shopping at nearby Publix in the same mall.  Afterwards I paid my first visit of the season to the singularly colourful hair stylist (Michael) at The David Gregory Salon.

We miscalculated the time required to complete the successive undertakings. Our manis/pedis were elongated somewhat by having chosen the "deluxe" performance which included an extended and very soothing massage of the lower limbs and feet. When we later commenced our grocery shopping we foolishly walked there (it is practically next door). I say foolishly because it meant that when we later departed from the grocery store with our larger than expected spoils, we sheepishly awoke to the embarrassing realization that the car was at the other end of the parking lot where we had left it when going to have our nails done! This may seem to be of small consequence but the combination of extremely warm weather, a perfectly clear sky and blazing sunshine - and the enfeebling status of my neuropathy - meant that the relatively short walk to the car was for me approaching mortal punishment.  By way of defence my physical gusto in the past several days (during each of which I cycled 15 kms along the Gulf of Mexico) chose this occasion to manifest itself with incapacitating remorse. Such is the peril of an athlete!

Notwithstanding these intolerable delays I managed to complete my agenda with Michael on time.  I returned to the apartment anticipating a strengthening cup of coffee then a dip in the pool.  However upon examining my electronic receipt from Publix I noticed that I had been double-charged for the reading glasses I had purchased.  Given the amount ($35) it wasn't of course of catastrophic urgency; but in keeping with my inherent obsessiveness I felt it were better to clarify the matter upon the heels of its occurrence rather than await a subsequent moment.  This entailed removing the car from its covered parking spot (a normally simple undertaking aggravated by the recent appearance of a new vehicle in the adjacent space), driving to the store, parking, walking, dealing with the service counter clerk then returning home. Utter exhaustion doesn't begin to capture the nuance!

The fortifying coffee has now been made and we are amusing ourselves upon our respective computers, visiting preferred web sites, planning upcoming ventures, gulping the invigorating java and anticipating our late afternoon swim before settling into the preparation of the restorative evening meal.

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