A Merry Christmas Eve

It’s been a pretty crazy week. On Thursday morning I took Koala to the vet because I suspected she had fleas. She has a lot of scabs and I have bug bites everywhere. We went to Urban Animal in Capitol Hill and I learned that my suspicions were correct.

Despite that, we had a great experience at Urban Animal. They don’t take appointments; you just show up. We were helped right away when we arrived at around noon. The staff was sweet, kind, and very knowledgeable. They didn’t pester me about Koala’s weight (yes, she is a huge cat, but she’s been on a diet since I got her 2 1/2 years ago. she’s just naturally robust!). And they’ve followed up with me a few times via phone and email to make sure Koala’s feeling okay.

In addition to her medicine, we got Koala a lion hair cut to make her more comfortable and help get rid of those pesky fleas. Now I just need to vacuum the apartment every day for the rest of my life. And I still don’t have any vacuum bags!!

Once Koala was done at the vet, Ben took her home and I headed right to the spa. He got me a spa day and massage at Hot House for our anniversary a little over a month ago and I finally was ready to use it. It was a very interesting and introspective experience. It was a spa only for women and everyone was naked. Silence was encouraged and it wasn’t the kind of place where you would strike up a conversation with your neighbor. Eye contact was avoided.

I got to the spa at a quarter after 4 and had a massage scheduled at 6:15. I learned that two hours is a long time to spend at a spa alone, especially at a place as tiny as Hot House. I did have a great time, but the spa was just a medium-sized room with a hot tub, sauna, steam room, and cold plunge shower. It was nothing like the huge mineral spa I went to in Budapest.

Szechenyi Bath and Spa

Since I didn’t have a lot of different minerals to test out, I did a lot of thinking at Hot House. And stretching. Honestly, I would not have stayed in the spa for two hours if I didn’t have a massage scheduled, but I’m glad I was forced to stick it out. It was interesting to feel like I was stuck in a spa prison (a very comfortable prison!) and after a while I began to really understand and love the steam room.

I got a half hour massage that focused on my shoulders and back but covered my whole body. She even massaged my face and head! I was massaged with the best cookie-smelling oil; it smelled and felt so good that I couldn’t bring myself to go back in the hot tub afterwards (even though I wanted to) because I didn’t want to wash the oil off.

Overall, I had an amazing experience at the Hot House and would love to pop back into the spa sometime. It’s only $15 and is open from noon to midnight.

All weekend Ben and I pretty much just worked and fought. It wasn’t very fun. Yesterday we made a pact to talk about our feelings and never fight again, so we’ll see how that works out. We did check out a new bar, Quarter Lounge, on Saturday night, and had a really great time there. I tried a Mac and Jack’s for the first time and do not understand the hype. It’s so sweet! I much prefer Manny’s.

We started talking to some drunk guys at the bar and they ended up being very nice. One of them is planning to propose to his girlfriend and asked us for ideas. He wants to organize an entire day of magic where a series of coincidences leads them to a proposal at the end. For example, a woman would drop her packages, this guy’s girlfriend would stop to help, and would receive tickets to something in return. Then they would stumble upon people with a broken-down car, stop to help them, learn they needed those tickets for some reason and give them away. And on and on. I need to brainstorm some ideas with Ben and contribute to this marriage proposal!

Now it’s Christmas Eve and I’m at work and waiting for Ben to finish making dough so I can practice making cookies in this kitchen. I’ve never baked in a commercial kitchen before! I’m making those peanut butter Hershey kiss cookies to bring to our friend/coworker Johann’s house tonight. He made us a huge Christmas Eve feast.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Despite your religion–I’m Jewish–it’s a national holiday and you have to plan carefully. Buses hardly run and most businesses are closed. I emailed someone about volunteering at a food bank but haven’t heard back. If nothing else, I think I will happily celebrate tomorrow in the traditional way with a movie and some Asian food. Ho ho ho!