Getting Lazy
2007-02-01, 9:52 a.m.

Day 892

Lazy enough to have not even posted this on time. Here�s all about yesterday:

Man! Skipped the gym yesterday, sorta felt guilty about it. Guess that even though I�ve mostly renounced any organized religion, having been baptized catholic back in the day still carries with it some load of guilt, eh?

Actually made it to the gym this morning, but late. No spin class. Only ran 24 minutes on the treadmill. Started out fine, but the feet were starting to act up. Might be time to switch back to the ellipticals. Alternate elliptical work with spinning. It�s just that 5:30 comes so damn early.

Kinda concerned with the running too. Instead of going farther & faster, I seem to be going shorter and slower. Not exactly progress. Maybe time to get in a consult with one of the Y�s coaches, except lately most of the new ones seem to be in worse shape than I am. That�s not terrible, it�s just that you�d probably like a coach to be an example to live up to, right? Hate the thought of using a personal trainer. Mucho dinero. Not like I�m training for any big marathon, I just want to be able to burn up calories for longer periods of time without killing myself. Is that so wrong? (Think Harvey Fierstein on that. Gay guy, sure, but funny & talented too.) Maybe I need to find some realistic targets to shoot for to get the motivation back up where it belongs.

Ahem. From the �Be careful what you wish for department�: Remember a while back I was almost complaining about the lack of any real winter up in these parts? Guess what? Today marks the 20th straight day we�ve had snowfall. I�m not positive, but I think we haven�t seen the temps above freezing for that period either. I don�t think we�ll be going out golfing again anytime soon. We�d need orange balls and sled dogs.

Eric, off to school in the far western reaches of the state, said the other day his school actually cancelled evening classes. Snow was coming down at rates up to 5� per hour! Visibility was down to 100 feet or less. They picked up 15� of snow Tuesday evening alone. It�s a beautiful thing being stuck in a lake effect squall.

Cindy has made 4 days without a drink. It�ll be 5 tonight, if she can keep on her roll. Now, if I can manage to pull my head out of my butt long enough, maybe I can figure out a way to acknowledge that without being patronizing, smarmy, or just a plain dick. That�s kind of a fine line there. Maybe just bring home a small bouquet of flowers and not make a big deal of it? Yeah, understatement might work best. Present her some flowers and tell her �thanks for being you� or some such stuff. With any luck, I�ll need to stop at the grocery store for something anyhow and can slip the bouquet in amongst dish detergent, milk and a loaf of good bread (or something like that).

What a meeting last night. 5 people that were new to me. One was actually known to most of the veterans, leaving 4 that were new to the program. I think there were 13 or 14 people in the room. I was still the only male. After listening to the women for a while, it�s weird to hear my own voice when reading or commenting. It�s so much deeper and more resonant. Especially in that hard-walled room we�re in. Makes me scared to talk, it comes out so loud, with no effort at all.

Very odd happenings with the local paper today. First, in the local section, A guy I work out with was highlighted for his fundraising work for a local children�s hospital. Sheesh. I�ve seen the guy off & on at the Y for 2 years and never knew he did that stuff. Not much of a boaster, is he? It�s really great that he�s been so selfless about it. Now I may have to go do one or two of his fundraising races.

Second � a guy I work with was inducted into a local sports hall of fame. Life long runner, organizer of the local Highlander Bicycle tour, a brutal 100 mile lap around Canandaigua Lake that has more vertical climb that most of you would have thought possible in New York. Some sicko�s actually race it.

Third, a big article on my division here at the zoo, including mucho information on our divestiture, new corporate name, new parent company, pictures of our equipment with more people I know, yada, yada, yada.

I don�t want to look at the obits for fear someone else I know will show up there too.

Got to head to the scan lab and see what�s up. Just got an email about �problems with the laser board�. Never good news . . .

Ah well, fixed both problems, but could only definitively identify the fault on one board. Hate when that happens. Can�t let that other board go through production � zero confidence in it. I mean it works ok, but I don�t know why. Never actually FIXED anything, it just started working. Probably end up using it as a crash test dummy for some work we have coming up soon. No way I�d turn it loose on a customer. We�ll just end up eating the cost of the board and the hour I spent putzing around on it.

Have some photo�s of my wreck of an office uploaded. Not much to look at, just the usual wreck. It does include a gratuitous shot of my lone patent award � oh boy.

Ya know, I just passed by a box of candy bars left out by some parent, hawking them for their kids � support a cub scout troop, someone�s dance class, a youth hockey team � what ever. Broke down & shelled out a buck for a 3 pack of Reese�s cups cuz I felt a little hungry. Now they�re gone and I�m still hungry. Think I�d rather have had an apple. Fewer calories, less fat, more fiber (like I NEED more fiber) � what a dumb thing I did. Think I�ll bring in a spare apple tomorrow in case I get the mid afternoon munchies.

Obviously running out of meaningful things to contribute (actually ran out a while ago . . . )

Time to go home and see how the evening will unfold. I�m curious.

If you use a pop-up blocker, hit "Ctrl" when you click to leave a comment