Disaster Lunch Workout

Lately, I haven't had the chance to work out as much as I normally do. I used to workout at lunch and it was the ideal situation - a good break from work, but also a good time to fit in some activity. So, my friend Mandy mentioned she wanted to try an exercise class designed especially for IU Faculty and Staff over the lunch hour. Although I am not much for group exercise classes, it sounded perfect in terms of timing so I said I would tag along and give it a try. It is a 45-min strength training class, which is something I would really like to work on in 2008 anyway. We got to the gym at noon for a 12:15 class. Sounds like plenty of time to get ready, right? Well, we got totally lost in HPER, which is the building where the class is held. It is the old gym on campus. (It is actually a lot like Huff Hall or the Armory for my Illini friends.) There are gyms and workout areas in the building, but there are also classrooms and offices. Anyway, the women's locker room is being renovated, so we had to find the alternate locker room, which was on another floor and way on the other side of the building from the workout areas. So, by the time we found that and got ready, it was right at 12:15. We figured it would be close, but we would try to get to the class. Well, the numbering system in the building seems a little flawed because we walked in circles, asked for the directions, and finally found the room on a building map. Turns out this gym is behind another gym, so no wonder we missed the number! We got to the class at 12:25. So, not only were we 10 minutes late, but everyone in the room had equipment - mats, balls, dumbbells, etc. We had no idea where to get that stuff and with our luck, I am sure the class would have been over before we got everything together. So, we gave up and hit the cardio area for about 15 mins before changing and heading back to work.

My take:
10 laps around the HPER building - 60 calories
15 minutes on the elliptical - 115 calories
Resolve to make the class next week - priceless (after today's ordeal)

Friday Fog

So, I must have been in a fog this morning (maybe because this week has been more than I can take in one week), but Todd left the house wearing brown shoes, black socks, and navy pants. Yikes! He is bad about matching colors, but this takes the cake. Usually I catch those kind of mistakes and make him change, but he informed me at 4:30pm today of his fashion faux pas. I guess I was out of it this morning.

45-degrees: I'll take it!

Well, the 60-degree days are gone, but it was sunny and 45 yesterday. For mid-January, that is still considered an awesome day (especially compared to the cold, wet, and dreary day we have today). So, we took advantage and took Lucy out to a local park on Saturday. She retreived, swam, ran, and even met some other new doggie friends. We also try to keep her teeth clean, so Todd gave her a good brushing yesterday. It is not her favorite activity, as you can see from the picture! I also went for a run in longsleeves and shorts. It looks like shorts will not be an option for awhile when looking at the forecast for the next week or two. I am ready for spring! Hopefully the next two months will go fast!

A Short Rant

If I say much more, I'll probably say too much. So, my short rant is this: Be a good pet parent and neighborhood steward by picking up your dog's (or other domesticated animal's) poo from the sidewalk. Those that enjoy using public sidewalks to exercise, don't enjoy cleaning poo from the bottom of their shoes.

(Last night I spent 30 mins cleaning up dog poo piles from our backyard without stepping in anything, only to go for a quick 30 min run around the neighborhood and come home with the bottom of my shoes caked in poo. Just ask Todd how mad I was about that!)

January Heat Wave

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am enjoying the warm weather that we have had for the last few days. Thank you Mother Nature! I needed a break from the cold! In the winter I feel like I can never get warm, even in my own house with multiple layers on (I have to beg Todd turn it above 68 - he is like Scrooge when it comes to heating the place). Anyway, it got to 68 here in Bloomington today, which I believe broke the previous record from the 1890s. It is so hard to believe that snow is in the forcast for the upcoming weekend. So, I have been taking advantage of the warmth while I can. I even went running twice in shorts and a t-shirt - in January and in the Midwest. Awesome!! I wish it could stay this way year round. Hmm, maybe I should consider moving further south...

Back Online

As I make this post, I am typing on my new laptop and I am totally back online. Well, sort of. I am still setting up my laptop to be just the way I like it. I am also getting used to Vista. So far so good. I read a lot of reviews about Vista and people have had fewer and fewer negative comments about it. It also seemed like the right time to make the switch. I mean, at some point in time everyone will be using Vista since all new machines are coming pre-loaded with the Vista OS. Dell does have a few select desktops and laptops they they will still send with XP, but none of those were what I wanted. I also upgraded everything I possibly could. For my techie friends, the specs are: Dell XPS m1530 with Vista Ultimate OS, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7700 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache), 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz (2 Dimms), 256MB NVIDIA(r) GeForce(r) 8600M GT Video Card, Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Sound Card, and a 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive. I also have a built-in webcam (which is very cool) and a biometric finger print reader that can be used to enhance security. There are lots of other little upgrades, too. One of my favorites is the crimson cover I selected. I took it to work today to download and install software while eating lunch, but I didn't get very far. About five people stopped by my office to drool over how cool it is. One guy was looking at the same laptop and made the decision to go ahead and order one. So, so far so good. I'll keep you posted on how it goes as I use it more.