about getting from point A to point B in the most interesting ways possible

If you're a large woman in America, your whole life is an opportunity to feel self-conscious, embarrassed, resentful and way too big. You can hide in the corner or on the couch, you can go to therapy, or you can put on your lycra bike shorts and get out there and move.
—Jayne Williams, Slow Fat Triathlete

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January 5, 2005

helix permalink

It's clear and cold today in Portland. Really cold, for here. It was 27 degrees at 7 with 11mph winds when I started walking to work (I can't find the wind chill info online, but right now, it's 30 degrees with a 7mph wind, and a 23 degree windchill), and let's just say that it becomes much easier to walk fast and furiously pump your arms when you're underdressed and it's frigid outside.

(I know I'm getting soft, living here in Portland where it generally doesn't get too hot or too cold or too icy. So be it. I'm soft!)

I walked as far as the MAX train and came up on the platform just as a train was pulling up. A man saw me coming, and went to the door and swung his legs across the sensor so the door would stay open. Oh my gosh, that man is the nicest man on earth! Well, okay, there are several other men that I definitively know rank among the nicest men on earth, but I'm willing to nominate this guy too.

After that, went to the gym, hamstring blah blah blah.

Last night was my first of the nighttime pilates classes that I'm taking with Jill. The first order of business was finding the place, which involved walking around the parking structure and finding the helix. Now, when the security guy said helix, I was like, whaaaa? Come to find out, I guess that's the circular entrance or exit ramp in a parking structure. Live and learn. So, we finally find the class, and we're still early, but the class has already started. Whaaaa?

Suffice to say, it was 45 minutes of unpleasantness, made worse by my place right in front of the mirror. You know. The instructor cracks me up, and she breaks the mat exercises down into parts, which I appreciate a lot. But I have lots of work to do. (No news there)

This morning, the office is gripped with snow hysteria. The weatherman predicts snow on Thursday night to some insane degree, like a foot. We all get like little kids at the thought of it, and everyone is talking about the groceries they're going to stock up on, and what they're going to do while they're stuck in the house. I don't know what to think—I love snow, but I gots to get that 30K in this weekend, and it'll be kinda crazy to try to walk it in the house. Doable, but really crazy.


Posted at January 5, 2005

Comments

When I live in North Carolina, if they even mentioned the word snow on the weather, people would rush to the store and buy ALL the milk, bread, and toilet paper. I don't know how long they thought they'd be stuck in their homes. I saw one guy with his shopping cart filled so full of paper towels (out of toilet paper?) that the bagger had to walk out with him, holding his arms over the mound of towels so they didn't fall on the ground.

Wierd.

And the helix? I would have had no clue.

Posted by: Jon in Michigan at January 5, 2005 11:02 AM

there's a great book called "living solo" about people who live alone, by adrienne salinger, and as i recall one of the people profiled is a man who gets in his daily walking -- i think at least a mile -- entirely inside his house.

Posted by: sara at January 6, 2005 9:08 AM