Clancy and I took a trip out to Alexandria. This time we took the dog with us. While she was in an Alexandrian coffee shop sipping and doing paperwork, I had to keep the dog entertained. Not the entire time, of course, but something to prevent her from being left in the car for hours on end. As it turned out, I had the entire afternoon planned. Dog park, Petsmart, Walmart, and if time dog park again. So the only time she was really left alone was while I was shopping (though it turned out to be somewhere other than Walmart). Anyhow, there’s not a whole lot of shade at the dog park, so I ended up spending quite a bit of time in the sun. We got back tonight, and I feel washed.
When I told this to Clancy, she had no idea what “washed” meant. And as I thought about it, it is actually a term I’ve never heard anyone else use. Basically, it’s the sense of being “sapped by the sun.” What does this have to do with washing? I have no idea. If anything else, it’s the opposite. Being dried out. But for some reason, the word that comes to mind is washed. Like clothes that have been through the washer and dryer. A little faded (another opposite, since I’m a little redder) and wanting to lay limp on the ground - or the sofa.
So right now I am assessing the skin damage, which appears to be pretty minimal. I’m also catching up on hydration. The good news, I guess, is that I’m not very hungry. My appetite has been on an uptick in recent weeks, so this is actually a welcome development.
I recently met a guy who grew up in my little corner of Ohio. He is the only person I’ve ever met who has heard of the game “Smear the Queer.” (It’s like rugby, but without any rules.)
Anyway, I find it rare anymore to find anyone using the term “pop.”
Comment by Kirk — June 17, 2011 @ 11:52 pm
We had smear the queer in San Diego. I think it might even have been officially sanctioned for PE under the bowdlerized name “smear the clear,” though my memory’s a bit hazy on that point.
Comment by Brandon Berg — June 18, 2011 @ 3:50 am
I also have never heard the word “washed” used in that context before. I think you made it up.
Comment by Mike Hunt — June 20, 2011 @ 10:04 pm
We didn’t really play Smear, as far as I can remember. We did have a sport that was a cross between football and rugby, but it was called “Navy Football.” I tried googling it to see if it was a “real” sport, but google just seems to return a lot of links about the Midshipmen.
Kirk, you’re in Coke Country.
Mike, you’re probably right.
Comment by trumwill — June 21, 2011 @ 9:51 am