An Apple a Day, and Other Offline Stuff

by Laura and Allegra

We were going to write about apples.  But some of us thought this was too boring--erm, mundane--and that we should stick to writing about multiplicity.  But as much as some of us would like it to be otherwise, our life is more than about being multiple.

Well, let's start with the apples and see where this takes us.  We like organic Red Delicious apples.  We're not an organic-ophile (is that a word?) by any stretch of the imagination, although we do recognize the importance of healthy eating.  It's just that we tried this kind of apple some time ago and found them way better-tasting than non-organic Red Delicious.  The non-organic ones taste like plastic or something, and they're bitter.  Organic tastes better because, well, it's real.

But that's the extent of our organic-philism.  Problem is, the stores seem to not stock these apples in  the summer.  We've wondered if every grocer in the area has some sort of conspiratory prejudice against organic Red Delicious.  And we've complained--or requested action--at more than one store.

And then our T told us something at last session.  She said that apples are picked in the fall and put into cold storage so that they last through the year.  Apparently the sellers underestimate the call for these particular apples, and for us it's frustrating.  People would rather buy cheap and less healthy [Laura: buy crap] than spend a little extra for something that tastes better and is healthier.  Or they've become so used to what's inferior that they don't know better, or don't care.

Changing subject....We bought a dehumidifier during the heat wave, and it's helped us a great deal.  This summer has been just about as humid as we can remember.  Maybe because during the past winter we bought an indoor-outdoor thermometer that also shows humidity levels.  So we've become more aware.  We'd bought this thermometer because the heating system in our house always over-dries the place during the winter, to the point where we get colds and other respiratory problems.  We counteracted the dryness by buying a humidifier, and now we've counteracted the humid summers by buying a dehumidifier.

It's the price of being a renter.  We've lived in our current apartment for seventeen years, and we have an unbelievable deal on the rent. Our landlord is an older guy who lives alone and just wants to make enough money to pay his own expenses.  Besides the fact that he's a bit dim on why the heating system is so problematic, he's been more than fair to us.  We don't want to move; this would take more time and effort than we have, and we'd never get as good a deal on the rent.  And we don't want the things that come with home ownership:  Property taxes, repair costs, maintenance....It's not just because we're multiple and don't want to grow up.  We just don't want to be encumbered.

Well, that's enough for now.  Time to listen to baseball on the radio.