stuff i think

my first trip to the chamber....

I left the house this morning at O-dark-thirty, heading for the gym to work out. It seems remarkably foreign to write "I" and "work out" in the same sentence. Nevertheless, I did it. Key learnings are as follows:

1) I like the drive. Leaving the house at that hour has always felt good...the cool of the morning, the likelihood of seeing deer along near the creeks that seem to run everywhere in this area. Also, it's far enough to the gym that I can finish a pretty big cup of coffee en route.

2) First Thing in the Morning is a great time at the gym. I had the place to myself, except for two elderly folks - a woman on the recumbent bike reading a magazine and a gentleman on a treadmill who is apparently part of the Walk Yourself to Death Program. He was treading rubber when I arrived...and treading rubber when I left. On second thought, he may be a prop.

3) I like the elliptical machine. It is my friend. It does not hurt me, it shows measurable progress on it's little graphic display, and it is near the big tv with CNN. The swooshy motion is not unlike a ride at Disneyland, except there is no irritating music. Speaking of music, the machine is near the speakers that must have been tuned to "Everything I Ever Listened to in High School - FM", because I heard Don Henley, Prince, and Belinda Carlisle, all while swooshing along with my heart rate making like a ceiling fan with one bent blade.

4) The weight machines are evil. They should be reallocated to the US Navy for use as battleship anchors on the USS HURT ME. I did some upper body stuff (ironic, because I really don't have an upper body) and feel as if I've been beaten with a meat tenderizer in my sleep. When I left, I discovered it was hard to steer my truck. Keep in mind, I don't drive an eighteen wheeler or a rough old Jeep. I drive a giant cush-mobile designed for people who want to say they own a truck but would never own a gun rack.

Now that I'm home, I must say this coffee tastes even better than the first cup. Tom Planck, if you tell me that a second cup of coffee is undoing all the good I did this morning, I swear you'll never hear from me again. Except for fund raising letters.

Before you all try to lovingly hold my feet to the fire on this new lifestyle, keep in mind that I have not committed to anything. I just went to the gym. Once. A stand-alone event. I may go again. I may not. As for now, I need to crawl upstairs to the shower. Maybe one of the kids will turn the faucet on for me.