Dartboard

That was the advertisment I saw when I looked up "poor circulation" in google a few months ago.

Since my fingers and toes get cold very easily I decided to be more pro-active about the situation. I looked up online that rapidly moving your body from hot to cold temperatures can help because the blood rushes to and from your internal organs leaving your organs and skin more oxygenated. They suggested hydrotherapy (turning the water in the shower to as cold as you can handle, then back and forth from hot to cold about 5-6 times) ...but that doesn't sound like much fun.

However, I'm teaching English to a German physical therapist at Berlitz, and she also told me that I should do the hydrotherapy. So I've started doing it at the end of my showers--and the key is that I finish on a cold shower!

Now Boston winters are really cold, so the idea of getting out of a cold shower every morning sucks, but it doesn't seem as bad as doing it in Japan where there is no heat in the house and your body develops a layer permafrost for 3 months. I seriously wanted to hibernate in my futon all winter. Anyway, I'm doing the hot and cold treatments after my morning showers and it's not so bad. Actually, I can tolerate colder temperatures recently and my fingers warm up faster if they do get cold.

Other suggestions online were eating foods like ginger, garlic, gingko and cayenne--all of which I love! (Except the gingko--I ate a gingko seed in Japan once and it was so bitter!) Who knows whether it's my overspicing my chicken and dumplings with cayenne or my cold morning showers, but my fingers are much warmer these days despite the below freezing temperatures in Boston!

Tom is an alcoholic. I'm not sure if he knows it yet, but he is. He drinks every night. I'm not sure if this is related or not, but his hands are often shaking during the day. His girlfriend and I were driving in the car the other day and she started one of those "don't-tell-Tom-but..." conversations about his alcohol consumption. (Hence the password protection on my blog. I would like to discuss this seriously with my family and friends, but not when I don't know who might stumble upon the blog.)

Although I've had my suspicions before today I could never be sure how much he really consumes, but I do the recycling every other week, and I'm throwing out enough bottles to build a glass house. Tom's girlfriend confirmed that he is doing almost all of the drinking.

If there's any silver lining on this dark cloud, it's that Tom is a "happy drunk." At least I've never felt unsafe or uncomfortable with him. In fact--after picking him up from the bar is when I ask questions like, "Can I have a raise?"

It's not my place to say anything to him, but I'm not sure how long I really want to be living in this situation. I just don't like to be around someone who is so reckless with his body and his health. Like I said, we stand on opposite sides of the fence about most matters in life, but alcoholism is a little more serious.

I started looking for apartments in Allston and Brighton, which is very near to Approach ICS. I'm not going to move for at least another month or two, but I can't really see myself staying here through the spring.

Update: I wrote this over the weekend, but hesitated posting it. Tonight Tom's girlfriend, Charlotte, came and told me Tom has decided to stop drinking. Tom hasn't told me personally yet, but I bet he will soon. After giving Charlotte a high-five, she said, "but this is the beginning of a long road."

Also, tonight I get to share my bed with Charlotte's furry little man. His name is Jackson!