I Can Haz Fitnezz

Yep, hell has frozen over and I've joined a health club. Weight coming off was too inspiring; in fact I had dreams of waking up with it all suddenly back on if I didn't start exercising. Not to mention the weakness of my joints and back due to arthritis and other aging pains in the patooty. This is day three. If all I do is show up and do half an hour on the treadmill it's a tremendous victory for me. They have a row of machines you work your way through to work all of the major body muscles. I was pleasantly surprised to learn you do it every third day - not every day - to let your muscles "recover." Nark! I thought the idea was punishment and misery EVERY day which is why I've put it off lo these last 17 years. My rheumatologist recommended swimming to help the fibromyalgia and rotator cuff tendonitis (more than you wanted to know, I know...) and for awhile a year or so ago I did go with DF Bethie 3 times a week. Just couldn't face it this time. Had gotten over the trauma of undressing in the ladies locker room and showering with 12 other women - they were all Geezer Babes like me with traditionally built rolls of fat in all the usual places so it wasn't nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be. But just couldn't kick my own behind enough to get down there and go through all the prequel and sequel of getting in and out of the water. The club I joined is open 5-11 p.m., has a super cheap month-to-month rates, and I got a special summer deal where I didn't have to pay a join-up fee. It's 1.5 miles from the house eggzactly. I could walk there or back if I needed to with no problem! DF Gail is also a member and we are going to compassionately drag each other there when one of us is lagging. Could be sooooon Gail, could be soooon.....

Found out tonight (Sunday) that they close at 7 p.m. on the weekends. Rats! I WOULD join the only one in the city that wasn't open 24 hours (did I mention the club's name is 24-hour Fitness?) It costs about $10 more a month to have the pass that lets you into any of their club locations in town any time. Sounds worthwhile once I have been serious for a couple months and the pass would be a convenience, not to mention overcoming any excuse I had because I was running errands in another part of town that day. So for tonight - had to come home and grab the dog for a serious walk - she was deliriously happy about that! And the route I took was half an hour with little inclines the whole way. (Say GOOD GIRL real loud at this point!) Our previous much-missed doggies who have passed on (and never send so much as a POSTCARD from beyond) would just plant all four feet and refuse to move if the smells were really good, and by then my heart rate have gone back to normal. But the Trixie dog is a good walker. You know dogs - they invented "scratch and sniff" and at each point along the way where there's a tree, post, hydrant or tall stand of ivy, they have to stop and check their peemail. Not to mention that World Peace seems to depend on circling and finding the EXACT right place to empty out. Trixie is a fast walker and I can give her a light tug when she's found a new smell and she's off again. When you see people running with their dogs - the dogs didn't start out that way - they had to be trained not to stop and do all the doggie investigative things. So after coming home huffing and puffing (both of us) I tried to get her to drink water. No dice. This is the most water-resistant dog I've ever met. I soak her kibble and cover it with water in her twice-a-day meals so she'll go through the water and the food. Tonight? Showed her the water dish (pant,wheeze,stare), no dice. So we played bobbing for biskies. You wanna biscuit? (dropped four mini ones in the water dish), go get it! Worked great. Drink drink, chomp, drink chomp chomp. Sheesh.

So my first day at the club I had the free orientation with the young spandex-clad muscles-tight-as-rocks woman who had a lovely rictus smile on her face every time I asked a question. She showed me how to use all the core strength machines. When we got to the biceps and triceps machines I tried to convince her that I didn't think I actually had those muscles, but she insisted they were in there somewhere. This is one of the main reasons I wanted to go. In my youth - even tho I didn't do much exercise then either- I had terribly strong arms and hands. Now they are much weaker than average due to stuff you don't want to be bored with, so on some of those machines I could barely get the bars to move on the lightest weights. But, time will tell. I guess I've been afraid that even exercise wouldn't really bring back that strength - but I'm setting out to prove myself wrong. She also took my measurements and weight (shades of the swimming locker room) at her desk at the front of the gym (in front of a big WINDOW at the front of the gym). They put weights on their handy dad-burned scale that you almost trip over on your way in to make sure it's accurate. Turns out I've lost 4 more pounds. I just can't figure out why I'm not fingernails-down-the-blackboard struggling with the whole diet and exercise thing, but you can bet I'm going with the flow. The newly converted are often like this - even if they are a "retread" (word from the Overeaters' Anonymous Program meaning you succeeded, had it all, lost it, and are back to try again).

Homies Gail and Ryan and I are knitting at Top Pot on 35th at 70th in Wedgewood (mega-donuts and coffee place) more regularly now on Saturday mornings. Since Ryan and I are not morning people you know we consider this important and worthwhile! Sometimes we drown out the children with our guffaws. I ripped 5 rows of stockinette back on a lace shawl for Gail so she could fix her lace row that had an owee. Ryan and I bullied her into it. You KNOW how great it is when a friend rips for you - it's a gift to get you back where you were so you don't have the bleak ripping part to look forward to. I learned this from my wonderful knitting teacher Susanna Hansson (she of Bohus teaching and other fame). One thing she would always do for us in class if we noticed a boo boo (always 10-20 rows after the fact) would be to rip back for us and get us set to move ahead again. It's the ripping that's discouraging so you tell your self "I'll fudge it" when you KNOW you won't be happy until you fix it. And Gail charted something for me while I was ripping that I was struggling with. Ryan got to finally try on her "Good enough Gansey" and see that tho the armholes were a tad big, a few adjustments could quickly make them right.

Thought I had seen all the new Jamieson colors and hadda list of same, but Karen of Two Swans (no connection to the "Swan" Flu) brought a new one called Fool’s Gold (No. 289) to the last Feral's meeting. I'm in love! It's one of those mercurial colors that changes every time you look at it or put it next to something. Karen doesn't have all the new colors up on her site, but you can see most of them on the updated Camilla Valley page - tho on their page it's a dark olivey looking thing when it's really a much lighter goldish color - very matte, and goes beautifully with some of the other new colors like "Autumn, Paprika, Merlin, and Delph." Drool. I highly recommend buying from Karen (totally unsolicited plug) because she has everything you need for Fair Isle (Feral) knitting and is lightening quick with her shipments. Plus she's a nice person - at least, she's never bashed me personally! I have absolutely NO psychic scars from our encounters. Can't say THAT about everyone, now can you?

Fool's gold in shade. This picture conveys more of its matte and moody true self.

Fool's gold in sun. Thought this picture made it too bright at the time I took it - but it's still fairly true to the color. Will make a wonderful neutral to bounce brighter colors off of.