A Little Vacay

If you've been following this blog, I think you know that I've taken a long vacation from blogging. I've got no apologies for my absence, I wasn't doing anything fun and there certainly wasn't anything going on that I should have blogged about, but I'm feeling more like myself again.  So I'll be back to infrequently blogging. :)

On Friday I went down to D.C. for my high school's Alumni Reception. I won't spend much time on it, except to say that it was a good event.  There were current teachers and alumni spanning many decades there.  The food was delicious, I mingled and circulated, and had some good conversations.

After the reception, I just went back to my hotel and chilled.  Per usual, I dozed to T.V. I talked to Maya and she said that I seemed to like these weekend vacations and you know, I do!  I find that on these weekend trips I'm able to explore a city and do whatever I want.  So my D.C. mini-vacay on Saturday went like this:

• Went the fitness center...used the hotel's complimentary headphones (which I saved for later use at my own gym), ate complimentary fruit that was left for fitness center users
• Showered and didn't have to worry about strategically placing towels on the floor because the tiles were heated
• Got a complimentary cup of tea from the lobby
• Took the Metro and then enjoyed a walk to see the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

The memorial is cool, though not as large as I expected.  However, the strength of the memorial is the quotations from King that line the walls that surround it.

• Hopped on the metro again and went to get some cupcakes (and macaroons) from Food Network's Cupcake Wars Winner, The Sweet Lobby. 

By this point it was getting close to 12pm (check out time) and I was feeling hungry. So I...

• Got back on the Metro to return to the hotel to check out and enjoy some complimentary brunch...I got a voucher!
• Checked my bags, had some tea, potato leek soup, a salad and some bread at the hotel's restaurant.
• Jumped back on the Metro do to some shopping, my ideal Saturday activity...checked out Anthro and bought a shirt (see below) and a belt. I looked at Macy's and Ann Taylor Loft too, but didn't find anything.

• Hopped back on the Metro to pick up my bags from the hotel then I went to Union station.
• With 30 minutes to spare, I got a snack for the train from Potbelly sandwiches and then ignored the long line of people waiting to get on the train and merged in and got a seat in the quiet car.
• The train left on time and for the 4 hour ride, I napped and read and napped and ultimately finished the latest book in the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, I Am Half Sick of Shadows.
• I arrived in New Ro on time and daddy was there to greet me with two slices of pizza for dinner!

That was my mini-vacation...a day of doing the things that I enjoy most...exploring, eating and shopping, followed by naps. I find that lately my weekends are spent, working or volunteering, so a weekend away doing "nothing" is really exciting.

Reasons Why I Go to the Gym...***

As many of you know, I'm a gym-goer.  Sure I workout a bit in my house because I got a Wii fit, but typically five days of the week before work I hit the treadmills and pump iron at New York Sports Club.  Going to the gym is part of my routine and for the most part I go to stay fit and for general well-being. 

But I'll admit, at times my motivation for staying fit has shifted. I saw one of the Bourne movies and Matt Damon was running.  I think he was running across the beach and I thought, "Yeah, I should be able to run like that in case someone was after me."  Why I would think someone would be after me or that I should have the physical capabilities of trained assassin didn't factor in to my reasoning, I just thought I should be able to run.  Well, even though I have been working out consistently, I still can't run for too long and kind of hate jogging.  But when I'm short on time and need to dash through Grand Central or across 125th in order to catch my train...I can do it!

But I've learned that my going to the gym is all about being strong enough and having enough endurance to do random stuff...like walk from Pier 1 Store to Union Square subway station through the station and down the stairs to the 6 train to up the stairs through Grand Central to get on the New Haven Line train to Mount Vernon with a heavy mirrored dining room table base.  Or to walk across 125th in the rain with a 5x7 wool rug. As you can tell, in both instances I was carrying two items that are needed for my (still primarily empty) home.

So being able to do a 5K, a pull up, push ups and all that stuff is great, but being about to save some dough on cabs and movers because I'm fit (and frugal) enough is even better.

***I started this post in May and am just finishing in August. ahahahaha

I'm working out regularly again...but it's not my New Year's Resolution

We're at the very beginning of the New Year and you know what that means...RESOLUTIONS! This is the time when many people resolve to lose weight, watch what they eat and get back in shape. I haven't made weight loss my resolution for the New Year, but I am on the "Special K (lose up to 6 lbs) Challenge" for two weeks, and I'm getting back in to my gym routine again, after taking a few weeks off to rest my left hip.  I was getting physical therapy on my hip...apparently I have/had hip bursitis and a pelvis that was misaligned.

Anyway, in recognition of all these people who are bombarding the gym right now and will likely fall off by March, if not sooner, I'm going to list a few helpful hints that will make you the ideal gym-goer.  The gym regulars, like myself, will encourage and motivate, but only if you take my advice.

Locker Room Etiquette

1. Do not choose a locker that is immediately next to, above or below a locker that is already occupied. Why would you want to be that close to someone? You don't want to be standing next to or below someone who's sweaty and smelly after a long workout, do you? Create a buffer zone. 
2. Don't parade around completely naked. Towels are available (usually)...so use them! This goes for whether you are fit and toned or fat and mushy...cover up!
3. If, after you leave the shower, you notice lots of hair around the drain that wasn't there before...NEWSFLASH...it's your hair!  Get a paper towel, pick it up and take it away.  There is something about seeing someone else's wet hair around a drain that is really gross and it totally freaks me out.  Don't make others freak out, just wipe up your shed hair and keep it moving.
4. Connected to #2...don't squat and towel down facing people. Turn toward the locker, or, here's a novel idea, dry off right by the shower! No one wants to look at you naked in the first place and certainly not while you are bending and squatting to dry off your private areas. ICK!!

Gym Floor Etiquette

1. Wipe down the machines...  I don't like my own sweat, so I definitely don't like your sweat.  Wipe it away before you go to another machine.  Plus, don't you want to stop the spread of those nasty super germs that live and grow at the gym??
2. Similar to L.R.E. #1, if the gym is not busy, do not choose the treadmill, elliptical or bike that is immediately next to someone else unless there is something wrong with a machine that is a spot or two away.   This isn't the starting line of the NYC Marathon, there is no need to be on top of someone, and or spying on their speed and time to see if it's worse (or better) than yours.  Spread out...do your own thing!
3. In the stretching area, don't be the person who stretches out perpendicular to everyone else, thereby taking up 2/3 more space than you need.  You mess up the parallel pattern and make everyone nervous.
4. If you're not a trainer, don't tell someone they are exercising incorrectly.  **MEN, please take note of this**  It's creepy to think that you are watching someone so closely that you now think you can school them on their exercise moves. If the person isn't harming his or her body while doing the exercise, MIND YOUR BUSINESS or ask a trainer to give some advice. 

There might be few more "rules" that will come up, but this should be good to get your started and surely, if you ever work out with me, I won't be annoyed by you. :)  Happy Working Out!!