bleh - mondays

[rivendellrose]

Why are weekends so short?

Looks like I'm going to be taking a trip to Arizona in a few months, to meet The Boy's mom. I'm really excited, but at the same time I can't decide whether I'm more nervous about meeting his mom... or about spending time in Arizona in June or July. o_O I have a hard enough time with heat in Seattle. I understand that it is a dry heat, though, and theoretically that will make a big difference? I hope?

It'll be really fun, really it will. It still means I'm going to be doing a small amount of panicking and shopping for heat-friendly clothes and so on. While still trying to look like a good girl to take home to mom. Wheee. ;)

In other news, does anybody know anything about gardening in boxes on balconies? We're going to try to build a box-garden over the next few months, and I realized that neither of us really know a damned thing about it. I mean, I've had gardens before... but always in the ground, you know? Kind of a different thing.

Lastly - it is totally unfair that the Fandom Wank headline "Ye Olde Time Travelling Urinal Wanke" is not about Doctor Who. Can't you just see it? ♥

Comments

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

I've been in Arizona in June/July before. It's definitely a dry, intense heat. It's manageable but very hot. You might want to bring a jacket or sweater though because many restaurants, malls, etc (any indoor business, really) are very over-air conditioned. So you go from an oven to the refrig very quickly.

Bring a purse or tote bag that allows you to carry a water bottle inside it.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's a good point about the A/C, thank you! And a great idea about the purse, too - I'll have to remember to pack my nice big purse. :)

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

When Sora and I were in Vegas (first week of July; 115-degree heat, no humidity), we bought one of those water bottles with the freezable ice core. That was nice.

I also made a habit of wetting down my hair whenever I was going to be outside for more than 30 seconds. The water didn't last long before it evaporated, but it was nice while it lasted. (May not work so well with longer hair, though, particularly if you remotely care how it looks afterwards.)

[hermionesviolin.livejournal.com]

I (who am native to Massachusetts) always thought people who said, "But it's a dry heat" were full of it, until I went to the Southwest with my family in July/August. Definitely be sure to keep yourself hydrated -- and I'd forgotten about the A/C issue the first commenter mentioned but yeah, good call.

[livii.livejournal.com]

I spent the Fourth of July in Vegas two years ago, and it was 115F. After the first time we went outside, it was too hot to sweat. My body simply couldn't. So hydrating, hydrating, hydrating is key. And SUNSCREEN.

The dry heat is a difference, you won't be sticky-gross like in the humidity, especially if like me, you can't sweat, or if it's a little cooler (last year we were in Phoenix in September and it was 90F, and there it felt a little stickier, but we still weren't all sweaty like if it was properly humid out).

Hope the visit is fun!!

[narsilion.livejournal.com]

That'll be a fun trip! Definitely the air conditioning is a big factor to be prepared for. Almost everything is air conditioned, and if you've only planned for the heat, you'll be uncomfortable alot of the time. And keeping hydrated. You are always good at remembering your sunscren, so I won't worry about you too much on that front, and I know his Mom will love you!
And yes....it seems sooo unfair that weekends are so terribly short!

[hoperomantic.livejournal.com]

Since everyone else has mentioned all the practical things in regards to the heat, I'll only add, have fun!

[windrose.livejournal.com]

Yes, dry heat makes a HUGE difference. Put it this way, yesterday's high was 83F, and I was frakking miserable because of the high humidity, whereas when I lived in Tucson, 83F felt downright comfy and didn't even require AC.

Desert Survival 101:

*Drink lots and lots (and lots and lots) of water.
*Wear a hat & sunglasses.
*Wear sunscreen.
*Clothing should be light, both in fabric and in color. Natural fabrics are best, esp. cotton.
*Drink lots and lots (and lots and lots) of water.
*Dress in layers.
*Deserts cool off fast when the sun goes down, so bring a jacket. There can be a 50 degree temperature differential between day and night.
*Drink lots and lots (and lots and lots) of water.
*Bring heavy-duty moisturizer because the lack of humidity will leech all the moisture out of your skin really damned fast.

Always carry water with you, especially if you have never been to the desert before, and make sure you drink it. If you start feeling woozy, drink gatorade along with your water, it really does help. You're fair skinned like me, so you may want to invest in a long-sleeved sunblock shirt like this one. I usually wear mine like a jacket over a light t-shirt.

Oh, and this may sound strange, but if you're going to be in AZ in July, bring an umbrella and raincoat. That's monsoon season, and the storms can be intense. Roads will turn into rivers, and dry washes will fill up and turn into torrents fast. Never but NEVER try to drive through a running wash, especially if there are barricades up. If your boy or his family try to do so, cite Arizona's aptly named Stupid Motorist Law.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm making a note of all this so I can keep it in mind when I'm shopping and packing. I wouldn't even have thought of the moisturizer thing! :)

[windrose.livejournal.com]

Well, it's already on my mind since I'm getting ready to head out west in May. *g* But yeah, the moisturizer thing is important. My skin turns to sandpaper when I'm in the desert, so I keep both lotion and water with me at all times. I find Aveeno works best, plus I use a heavy-duty night cream on my face before bed.

My usual desert attire is: jeans/cotton cargo pants/some flavor of cotton hippie skirt paired with a light t-shirt under a long-sleeved cotton shirt, the darkest sunglasses I can find and, if I'm gonna be outside any length of time, a hat. A baseball cap will do, but if you're going to be outdoors visiting the sites, I suggest something wide-brimmed.

Banana Boat makes a wonderful SPF 50 sunblock that works really well. I used that the whole time I lived in Tucson, and never once got a sunburn. Oh, and don't forget to check your shoes for scorpions before you put them on! And did I mention drinking lots and lots (and lots and lots) of water?

[tonsai.livejournal.com]

what part of arizona? the northern part (flagstaff/grand canyon) isn't that bad. the rest, well, they live indoors, where a/c is a necessity. it's all little a/c caves and the mall, and your car, where you squint and blast the a/c.

i don't know how people do arizona. i guess you just like dry heat and/or get used to it. i just miss the rain and gray here in san jose...

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

We're going to be in Prescott, which sounds like it's not nearly as bad as the major city areas - it's also in the mountains, so the heat isn't nearly as bad. At least so I'm told. :)

I know some people are really into the dry heat... for me, yeah, I'd miss the rain, too. I'm all about rain and shore-climates. And, y'know, water. :D

container gardening

[tonsai.livejournal.com]

^ is what you want to search for to find a wealth of info, on the other topic!

we have a yard (which gets a lot of afternoon sun but has somewhat of a wind tunnel effect), but most of our plants are in pots. i've tried and killed many plants in the past, but here they're surviving admirably. i have a cherry tomato plant that exploded after we got it pretty late in the season and it's still trying to grow and produce. pick things that will be hardy--grow oregano, thyme, tarragon, and rosemary, not cilantro and parsley--and DO NOT put them in super tiny containers. kevin's mom gave us some plants that she added things like bone meal in with the soil, which i guess some plants like. the energizer battery tomato plant lives in an unglazed terra cotta pot, which kevin's mom thinks it likes especially for moisture reasons. for anything you want to try to grow, make sure the light conditions on your porch are going to be amenable, and think about the type of potting soil you use/mix depending on the plant's moisture retention needs. in that sense, it's kind of better than in-ground gardening, since you can tailor each pot specifically to the plant.

i'm not well-informed on ornamentals, though we have a bunch. a lot of succulents that don't need much attention but are happy as clams. a really cool bronze fennel (bronze!) that i am waiting to explode so i can actually feed it to the bunnies. a star jasmine that wasn't too happy last year but is coming back now. a hibiscus, which is freaking GORGEOUS, but i'm pretty hopeless when it comes to fixing its issues. i have an in-ground dahlia bulb just sprouting, and a rosebush that came with the house that is intensely pleasing to prune the shit out of. i think some roses do well in containers (do your research!) and i find them rewarding: a little hands-on work with some pretty payoff.

yeah, so...do your research on individual plants that will work in the space you have, buy big pots, get good potting soils and useful additives (bone meal, peat moss, whatever), and check out local nurseries or farmers markets instead of getting crap from the big box's garden center.