Freeing the feet

A friend and I started an annual tradition a couple years ago. When Spring starts to peek around the corner, we begin to talk about it and dream about the day we can:

free our feet from their sock bondage!

Now to most of you that might sound like a simple pedicure. And it is, but it is also more for us. Winter here is cold and damp and really just miserable. It is not that it is any colder than where we are from in Ohio. In fact, the temps here are usually warmer, but it is this strange thing that you just cannot get and stay warm. I am northern girl through and through (not a Southern magnolia unused to cold winters) and laughed when everyone told me how cold it got here. But a big factor is that inside it tends to be colder than outside. Somehow these concrete buildings (and that includes our house that is constructed primarily of concrete) act as refrigerators. Combine that with poor insulation and inefficient heating, and it leads to this chill that just never leaves you. So after one winter here, I decided I would react as the Chinese do -- and layer up. From the months of December to March, I live in long underwear. In January, I was even doubling up with tights, long underwear, and THEN jeans! For us our first pedicure of the year, means saying goodbye to our long underwear and saying hello to . . .

pretty toes!

Though I must mention as an aside something funny that happened during the pedicure. Since I have started running, my big toes often have a crack in them. It doesn't hurt so obviously, I keep running. The guy who was doing my toes inspected it, called someone else over and then they began to question me about it. I told them that I run long distances, this often happens and it is not a problem. That all they needed to do was cut and paint the nail. It is actually really common in runners. Here is an article about it. But clearly, they didn't believe me. In fact after my pedicure was done, the nail technician gave me some advice: 休息一会，别跑步。[meaning: Rest for a while, don't run.] Hmm, while I appreciate the thought somehow I don't think I will be following that advice.