“Things I can’t wait to do when I go home.” I pushed back in my chair and looked at the Intern. “Top five answers are on the board.”
“Take off my shoes.” She yanked at the zipper of her knee-high boots.
“Put on pajamas.”
“Take a bath.”
Well, there we had it. Game over and the Intern had won. A bath it was.
Today had been long – the kind of long that slaps you hard in the face when you finally look up from your computer to find that it’s dark out, and you don’t remember having had lunch. That kind of long. So when I finally made it home and settled back into a hot bath, a deep sigh escaped up toward the bathroom skylight along with the steam.
Ahhhh.
That sigh was also one of satisfaction. Today, though long, had gone well. Very well. I wore a suit, superlatives were used, and I was carrying around a bit of hope in my back pocket. And I liked how it felt.
Now, in my post-bath stupor, I’m camped out on my bed, wrapped up in a white robe, basking in cozy. The stress of the day has gone out with the bathwater, and I’m feeling like a new girl. It’s amazing what a good soak can do for the attitude. Not unlike having a good secret, or a new pair of shoes, or, say, a plane ticket to the Bahamas.
Though, frankly, I gotta give the Bahamas thing credit for having done the most for my attitude.
Ahhhh….
I had the same kind of day today. Before I knew it, the clock read 8:00 p.m. and I was still working away.
A hot bath (with lots and lots of bubbles) is always a surefire cure to rejuvenate a busy girl.
Though Bahamas? Ooooooh now I’m jealous. Have a great time!!!
A bath to get rid of all the stresses of work sounds great. But we’re on water restrictions here (still in drought), so a swim after work will have to suffice!
Hey Fish,
I am not one to judge. I am one to call people on it when they are being hypocritical.
After Hurricane Katrina, you said you were going to give up some personal indulgences to help the storm victims who need a break a lot more than you do.
Your decisions are up to you bc you have to sleep at night and look yourself in the mirror. I’m just wondering what happened to your plan to give a little more and take a little less? Was it all BS?
Dear J,
Nice use of abbreviation,
Love Rich.
BAHAMAS!!!!!!! so jealous.. but great decision!!
and J… fyi.. i live in a region ravished by the tsunami and i said i’d cut down on personal expenses and contribute towards the rebuilding. and that i did. but i also took a fabulous holiday. y should fish give up a holiday? i’m sure she did her bit. and although my heart goes out for those who lost their family and homes.. i dont thk the rest of the country should give up everythg just cos katrina didnt come their way.
boy! i dont belv i just took up someone i’ve never met but this supposed mornal policing really pisses me off!
have a great, SPF-friendly time!
Yay for baths! And for the Bahamas! And for all Beautiful things starting with the letter B
Ignore all negative Js, though, Fish. So not worth your time.
Can I come too?
Have a great time and make us all jealous later by filling us in on the details.
As fo ignoring negatives J’s? I agree in this case but if you had done that in the past we wouldn’t all be here now ;o)
..hei fishh…maybe
its a thing..i wanna talk…to you…live..like…here
right now…the great big diffrence between a blog and a virgo girlfriend…is that….ha…someone just like u ,but reverssed…like…i think i am you…but in the mirror..wanna now why?!…check..the compatibility between us…none!:-)…love this!…something diffrent?!..yeah..maybe
i just wanted u to know my day…it was…i dont.know…how many days ago…:-)..but i know the details!..for this minut…so i have to be fast!…and sharp!..and ..were was i!?..oh yeah..in the fair…and i won a goldfish at astupid game that i did’nt wanna play…so…i took it home and since i am a romanian GIRL…in the big world named united states(united?!:-)…and i was happy to have a pet…yeah..”a sign” maybe…:-)…but the secon day…i just found my fish…DEAD!…I WAS CONFUSED…JUST FOR A SECOND…because i remembered an importannt and POZITIVE THING from my past…that with just 7 hours ago ive tried to search the internet the meaning of
…guess what!?…the fish…u know!…im a believer!:-)…in signs…so..what did i discovered!?…no…you’re not the reincarnation of my ded goldfish…:-)…but you are the replacement that i need for my mum…what did i said?!…no sorry…i was just feeling like…nostalgic…yeah…so in the feng shui…GUESS WHAT?!..(but just guess because people dont have THE PATIENCE TO KNOW ME…”…they say i talk too much?!…:-)sometimes…when i find the right people:-)…so THE FISH DEAD MENT THAT THE NEGATIVITY IN MY HOME IS GONE!…yeah!…that’s it!:-)…yeah an di was so happy for about ,,,,6 hours?!…until my husband came home and he was jealous as usually on the computer…yeah…sometime a men is not enough!?…maybe….its time for me to sleep!..thank u for sharing your life!…i like you!…child….honest…straight…passionate…curious..haha..like me…u know…curiosity killed the cat…BUT SOME PEOPLE JUST FEEL THAT THE CAT HAS 9 LIVES!?…ONLY NINE?!…:-)…depends on the cat!!!…and THE PRESENT
I want a bath.
And a trip to the Bahamas!
Errr….am I the only one slightly disturbed by the post above mine??And howdy to you Fish…. a bath is the best way to combat stress!! Think I’ll run myself one to when I get home from work…. long day but not quite as long as your’s. Was lucky enough to get out for a bite during lunch….
And yeah, have fun on your trip to the Bahamas!! We’ll all be waiting to know how it was…..
Cheers Chick!
Aw, J. You know one sliver of a very big story and look how you run with it.
How would you have the slightest idea what indulgencces I’ve given up?
If you were being so gauche refer to the *money* I spent on my ticket, perhaps you should be let in on the secret that it cost less to fly to the Bahamas than it does to see a movie. A nine-dollar plane ticket does not a hypocrite make.
And for your further information, not all causes have an immediate result.
Go play passive aggressive somewhere else.
Nine dollars? I’ll give you $50 for it right now.
Fish deserves a bath, since Fish is good and Fish is Human.
Yowzah! The Bahamas is a great way to beat the stresses of a demanding life. For now, I’ll just settle for the bubble bath. And a cookie.
Have fun, Fish!
it costs more than 9 bucks for a movie ticket in New York? Geez Louise. I guess living in this dump called the motor city isn’t so bad after all.
You have a skylight in your bathroom? But you live in New York!
Are you rich?
Since when is sitting in a tub of water an unqualified indulgence? I fail to see how sacrificing time in the bath could potentially benefit anyone. I mean, it was a bath of tap water, right? It’s not like Fish is swimming around a pool of Champagne and eaten canned food that she stole from Second Harvest.
Last night I went to a reading and my friend Suzie and I looked around and said, “Who are all these people?” as in “What are all these people doing here and why aren’t they totally beat down after a day at work?”
Bath, Bahamas, book, whatever. It’s fabulous you’re taking care of yourself.
I am I the only one wondering what a previous post oh 12-13 posts earlier was really supposed to say or mean? I am trying really hard to understand both of them and it is not working.
As for the bath, I really need to learn how to do that..go home, relax and de-stress. Would love to hear more de-stressing ideas.. : ) . One thing I love about this blog, I learn something everytime I read it. Thank you to fish and all the other fishes. Even the negative J-fishes because that puts into perspective how glad I am, to be me.
Have a great Humpday!
For me, the R&R comes in the form of Vegas this weekend, after pulling a week of 15 hour days.
Drink a Red Stripe for me.
Debbie – no you’re not the only one who is puzzled/disturbed about the unusual posts….but hinking about a nice bath is , well, nicer.
oh and J …is it like this:
“if i take a bath, then the terrorists win”
lol..Thanks Susan! I was just checking
WARNING TO ALL: DO NOT TAKE A BATH – IT WILL CAUSE MORE GRIEF FOR PEOPLE IN THE WORLD FIGHTING HURRICANES; TSUNAMI SURVIVORS; TERRORISM; AND WORLD HUNGER.
Sorry had to add some sarcasm today, some post just bring it out of me.
I am going home to have a shower tonight!
Fish…you know, one of the greatest things about being a single woman is that you can come home from an incredibly long day, slip into a hot bath while ignoring the rest of the world, then slip into that white robe and curl into a ball on your own bed, and not be bothered by anyone!!! (as in…a man wanting to invade that delightful coziness you’ve just created for yourself!) nothing against men, mind you! love ‘em, can’t live without ‘em most of the time…but private alone time in the bath…well, it ranks close to great sex if the bubbles are good enough!
take care of yourself!!
(visit me at http://daffodildaze.blogspot.com/)
heather- Baths are not my thing, but almost nothing is nicer than getting to sponge warm water over the back of someone I love when they’ve had a hard day. washing and massaging her feet is up there with sponging.
How mean it is for someone to insult you for taking pleasure in you upcoming trip to the Bahamas. My only regret is not being the one who gets to see you in a bikini
Oana, the name poster #12 & #13 uses, claims to be “a romanian GIRL” [sic], and I get the impression she’s trying to enthusiastically share the connection she feels between the death of her beloved goldfish and “this fish” and the meaning of it all. I also think she’s using a really, really bad English-Romanian dictionary.
I hope you have a great time in the bahamas. Everyone needs a vacation now and then. Just one question, when you’re down there on the beach enjoying the sunshine, will that make you a tropical fish?
ratan, I don’t think you meant my post.
How do you get a $9 plane ticket?
Amen to baths. My roomate and I are moving out of the dorm second semester for several reasons. My favorite two:
a bathtub
a dishwasher
Life is so good in the little things. I can’t wait to soak a midterm out of my system, bubbles and all.
just where does one get a $9 ticket to the bahamas?? that sounds fabulous!
Spirit Airline’s $9 special. Seriously, heaven sent.
Why was I not invited to the Bahamas?
Or to the bath, for that matter!?
Wow, that doesn’t even cover gas or anything really. Why don’t they just give the tickets away, what’s with the $9. That is awesome though. Never heard of Spirit Airlines, way more choices in NYC.
Sometimes I sit down in the shower. But it’s just not the same.
I only sit down in the shower if I’m having a good cry.
Yay for you! I *love* the Bahamas, I’ve been there six times. I see you got the Spirit Airlines deal. We’re going to Jamaica later this month, thanks to Spirit.
Don’t miss the Straw Market and go see Atlantis. It’s beautiful, and the yachts anchored there are amazing. The aquarium area is worth seeing- not sure about the tour, we didn’t want to spend $30 or so per person.
mmm… post-bath afterglow. one of the best feelings in the world.
Nice post. 36 comments. Impressive for a space filler.
I think it is fine for J to ask what has become of Fish’s pledge. She shared it with the world, and he is asking for an update. Fish can choose to respond or not, but it isn’t out of line for J to ask about something in a previous post. Implying that he (she?) somehow already knows that Fish is over-indulging is presumptuous, however.
I look forward to a good cry.
hey fish,
thanks to Intern 12 I’ve gotten to discover some of your world…(I am intern 12′s ex NY roomie, the one from very far away, we met twice). Thanks to you I get good ideas everytime I read you…today will be the bath!
Cheers to you.
polkadot Cat
heather- In a previous post, did you pledge to stop taking baths? I don’t understand. If you did, it time to come clean
I can’t believe it. 43 comments, and not a single reference to “a fish out of water”…. and the streak is over.
Someone had to do it
the 2nd worst thing about pregnancy: no baths.
congrats!