I remember hanging out at the YMCA when I was but a wee lass [Ed. Update: this was a failed attempt at humor... three people have now commented. Yes, I know the difference between lass and lad]. Mostly I remember the swimming pool, which I mostly experienced while blurry-eyed and gasping for air from being the smallest kid in the pond, so to speak. Then again, there was a lot of soccer, which I think I was better at, and WATCHING soccer, a task at which I truly excelled. I occasionally snuck into the cardio rooms but they were unexciting affairs with machines that made funny noises and were impossible to adjust to my personal stature.

I’ve managed to make it out to the gym a few times lately, and I’m getting a little better at it. Tonight, I threw down for a long treadmill run. Yes, yes, the sign SAYS limit 30 minutes, but there was noone in the room, literally, so I didn’t see the harm. I got my pace going. I introduced myself to the system so it could track just how out of shape I was, and I even got my headset working, which was a coup since the last couple of times the rechargeable battery died before I could even get started. And then, alone, in the Y, I started watching the TV.

I had never actually watched an episode of “The Girls Next Door”, and, frankly, this did not seem to be the time nor place to start. In point of fact, I didn’t actually know that the show was about the girls in the Playboy mansion. Now you do too! How nice. I was familiar with the publication, don’t get me wrong — one of our illustrious college roommates had it delivered (Don’t worry, dude, I’ve lost the blackmail photos and I think everyone knows anyway, but I’ve got your back), and, hey, it’s all but impossible to cancel a magazine subscription, yes? If memory serves, we also got Cosmo that year, so,… yeah.

The TV show is like the magazine, but with no articles and the picture moves. While there was some garbled closed captioning at the YMCA, I couldn’t hear anything and didn’t read along. My guess is that this approach improved the show dramatically. Whoever does censoring for the E! channel is a true artist. The “blurring” was done with such grace that it didn’t look like there was any editing at all… mostly it seemed like people running around who genetically had no nipples and just a solid (but smooth) mass around the pelvis.

So, basically, I spent the evening at the YMCA (The C is for “Christian”) watching androgynous porn. Oh, and jogging.

I ran quite a bit further today than I have in the past… I’m guessing it was the new battery in the headphones that made the difference.

—Chip

So, we went through an uber-short period of insanity there, whereby I signed up to “run” the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon, and signed my brother up, too, just for fun. I expect you ALL to visit me at the hospital that afternoon.

This is another goal to motivate me to get in shape. My bowling team has a weight-loss bet going for the season, and our office has implemented a weight-loss challenge that just started. Heath and I have been trying to make it to the gym, and while I’m batting zero on morning jaunts (I am NOT a morning person), after work sessions are going promisingly well.

I’m down about seven pounds from my peak a month or so ago, and am feeling MUCH better than I have in quite a while. I’m trying to find a good website that has a good postable weightloss widget, so if you know of any say the word. I could write one, but that would put me in front of the computer just that much more, which is antithesis to the whole idea.

On top of that, I rejoined the U.S. Chess Federation, so I’m going to try to spend a little more time exercising that part of my mind. Work still has me relegated to doing PowerPoint, so my body AND mind are turning to mush. Hopefully we can turn it around.

Thanks, by the way, to everyone that’s already been inspirational and supportive!