I have ice cubes in my bra. I placed them there myself.
This may, you say, come under the heading of TMI - Too Much Information - and you may be right. I say this not to titillate, although it may have that effect upon some of you, for which I apologize and ask that you please put your hand out for the obligatory whacking thereof.
I tell you this only to let you know that I am willing to go to extraordinary lengths this summer in order to stay cool, even if it means bruising and frostbite in tender places. No risk is too great, no ice cube too large and no danger too... titillating to keep me cool this year.
Last summer was more than I could handle while still maintaining a semblance of normalcy. That's why I opted for the non-normalcy thing and went straight for the whacked-out, crazed, I'm-too-hot-to-live persona that so endeared me to my children and husband.
son: "MOM! Where are you?"
daughter: "Jerk, it's daylight out, where do you think she is?"
son: "Still? Isn't she ever going to come out of her room?"
daughter: "Nope. Says she won't come out until the fall, or until they make it legal for her to duct tape her children to the walls."
I didn't come out until the fall.
It's not entirely my fault. I blame it on my husband. He's too handy. You see, he installed an air-conditioning unit in our bedroom that essentially froze the entire space until it resembled the Arctic. When the air outside was too hot to breathe into your lungs, you could see your breath in my room. It was a little slice of heaven.
The unit had three settings: Low, Medium and Freeze Your Nether Regions Off. I picked the last and kept it a delightful 35 degrees in my bedroom. How many of you were able to sleep with a wool blanket covering you last summer? I did!
However, you can't live in your bedroom forever. Family will eventually drag you out with some nonsense about an intervention and depression, explaining to you that participating in life is actually a good thing. Like that is supposed to mean something to me when the mercury is climbing.
Apparently the summer we had last year was simply a precursor to the whole global-warming thing, which appears to be picking up speed here in the Pacific Northwest. Spring this year has involved sun-block slathering, an event heretofore unknown in these parts before August. Now that summer has kicked in with a vengeance I am not a happy person.
You see, I am one of a vanishing breed. I was born and raised here in the Great Pacific Northwest. My favorite color of sky is gray. My grass is green and mossy and, yes, the webbing between my toes is coming along nicely.
I am overcome with joy when the weatherperson on television says we're in for some really great weather; I expect his next sentence to be: "Rain, rain and more rain! Cloud cover from Everett to Olympia and not a speck of sunshine in the forecast for months!" I am sadly disappointed when he says we're in for blue skies, sunshine and rocketing temperatures. This is why ice cubes are my friends. Very close friends.
Ice cubes are only for drinks, you say? Pshaw! It's time to think outside the ice-cube tray, people. I say we create a bra that is hollow, and instead of filling it with foam padding, add water. Place bra in freezer overnight and voila! Instant cooling!
This could also come in handy as a lifesaving device when one is lost in the desert, miles from any water. Attachments for drinking straws would be sold separately, of course.
Belts that are ice cooled would work along the same principle. I envision an entire clothing line involving ice in various fashionable accoutrements. Chunks of ice as dangly earrings, melting as you wear them; workout ankle weights filled with water and frozen to keep you cool as you do your cardio. The possibilities are endless.
Until I can get this clothing line up and running, feel free to try the ice-cube-down-the-bra remedy. Just don't blame me if you get frostbite.
You can write Pamela Troeppl Kinnaird by email at PamelaTroeppl@comcast.net.[[In-content Ad]]
