My muse insists on a few vacations every year — one for sure during the winter doldrums. I suspect she is in the islands at a pool bar with a drink in one hand and sweet talking a sailor for later. (Hey, what happens in the islands, stays in the islands.)
In the meantime I’m on my own.
Today was gym day. I’ve been going there for 2-1/2 years and the clientele turns over with some regularity. At the time I go, most are retirees but not all. Bald heads, gray hair and knobby legs threaded with blue blood vessels are par for the course.
There are a few originals but many have fallen off the wagon. Maybe they go somewhere else. Maybe they don’t exercise anymore. Maybe they are dead. (RIP. I wonder if their tombstone reads “I told you exercise wasn’t good for you!)
The guy who screamed at the air and the TV (and occasionally fellow exercisers) is gone. Not sure what his deal was but I don’t miss him.
Crazy lady who thinks all old white women (like me) look alike (yes, she’s old and white too) is in Florida for the winter. I’d love to do that except for the 20 hour drive with four cats. That’s too long to go without a cat fix. Not sure any sane person would rent to me either.
After a long absence, the middle-aged Asian woman at the gym is back. She has an accent but I’m not sure where she comes from. Her name is Terry. I love when people who are obviously not born here have American names. If I moved to another country, would I adopt a name that the locals can easily pronounce? Maybe there would be a compromise. (How do you say cat lady in Chinese? Or maybe goddess of the cats.)
Lots of illness going on and it’s not just the flu. A friend had a 48 hour something or other (probably a virus) that went through her family like gangbusters. To love is to share.
Today is hump day. If you work, it signals the midway point in the work week. If you are retired, it’s means diddly-squat. I plan to have a delightful diddly-squat day!
RC Cat is insisting we find her that ball room dance group and book them, we tried to explain it was an exercise class, but she just sniffed “Cats rock and roll all on their own and do not require instruction. This syncopated action can only be an entertainment group ”
(Maybe your muse was hanging out with the groundhog trying to coax him into longer snoozing?)
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More likely trying to him a drink!
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The exercise video above is inspiring, I might work out today. Ok, maybe not today, but tomorrow for sure. Okay, maybe a tuna treat will help me get motivated. Well, I need a nap. How about I just dream I was on the exercise ball too?
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You exercise like I do. Thinking of doing it is enough. Sweet dreams!
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Ain’t it the truth?
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. Maomi furen I’m not sue how to mark the accents! 🙂
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That’s good enough as I would speak it rather than write it!
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Your gym experience is vaguely similar to what happens in my classroom on occasion. When certain students are absent the day can be much quieter or run more smoothly. I hate to say it(because they are kids),but it makes such a difference. I definitely enjoy it more and the other students seem to as well.
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When I worked there were people like that. Sometimes when they turned in their resignation, co-workers would do a snoopy dance. Some people come with such drama.
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how peaceful it can be when some peeps are not there. they do it here with the name and make them “french”.. for me from a famous tsarina to somebody else… nice LOL
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You two weims are enough trouble all by yourselves.
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Glad the screamer and the crazy lady are gone, at least for now! Hopefully it means more peaceful gym time for you 🙂
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Yes it does but it also means less blog posts and sometimes it’s a little boring. Can’t have everything.
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Very true! I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks of wacky people and strange happenings as good blog fodder 🙂
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I wonder if the other gym members being “on vacation” gives you better access to the equipment? I hope the members you’re missing aren’t ill. I have made friends with other women at my yoga class and I don’t like it when they just stop coming. Now that I’m not working I find I attach some significance to the other participants–kind of like co-workers! 🙂
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One woman disappeared. I only know people by their first name. It took some sleuthing but another member and I got the story. She doesn’t drive and her husband had surgery so he couldn’t driver her. Usually people say when they won’t be in for a few weeks but she didn’t. The gym is big so equipment access is never an issue. At least at the time I go. I haven’t bonded with anyone. Mostly head nods but the woman who disappeared would talk to me.
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Sometimes there’s just a little comfort in the routine. I always miss people, even though I often don’t know them either. LOL!
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It is about the routine. They are not good friends but part of my comforting routine.
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The exercising cats are are a stitch. I belonged to an exercise club many decades ago (Elaine Powers) – it was not a fancy-schmany club, but arguments would always break out on who was hogging which piece of equipment.
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I remember Elaine Powers! I wasn’t a member but it was popular. My gym is very large so equipment is never an issue.
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Yes, it was kind a no-frills exercise place. No showers or pool but they had equipment and teachers led classes the top of each hour. I joined with two co-workers – we’d exercise then go out to eat afterward … we said we had cancelled out the calories at EP beforehand, but I don’t think that was true!
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I went to Curves for a while and it was like that. All women and no frills. I liked it but the place I go to now is a regular gym with all sorts of equipment, classes and people. I’m getting a much better workout here. I got frustrated with Curves because they were always doing something like food drives or charity sales or something like that. I don’t go to the gym for “do good” stuff. They had a lending library and that was great. Members brought in books they didn’t want and anyone could borrow. I read most of the Evanovich books through that.
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I remember Curves – we had a few of them and I just Googled to see if they were still in business. They are, but got a bad rating (2 stars only). We had several Vic Tanny places around here and people bought lifetime memberships, only for it to close and no refund.
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A lot of them come and go. Locally the owner got very ill and didn’t keep up. Equipment was run down and not updated. You have to do that to attract younger women. Open hours became shorter and she lost a lot of business. It wasn’t unusual to go there and have the door locked. She couldn’t pay staff so she cut back on more hours. At the end she wasn’t able to sell the business so she lost her initial investment. She did get income from it for 15 years or so.
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That is too bad. Here in Michigan we have Planet Fitness and the prices are great and they are everywhere. They are fully staffed 24/7 and advertise a lot on the radio. I think you can get a monthly membership and bring friends as well, which appears to be a big draw, especially now since it is Winter.
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We have Planet Fitness too. My gym membership is part of my health plan so as long as the gym is participating (and almost all are) I don’t have to worry about membership fees.
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Oh, that’s great … I signed up for e-mails from Silver Sneakers but have not had time to read them and keep shoving their e-mails into a folder to read later as they always look interesting. I know they mentioned health plans that include a gym and other exercise-related classes. That is good news as most gym memberships are pricey.
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Happy diddly-squat day to us! “Hump Day” always reminds me of that wonderful GEICO commercial with the camel… it always cracked me up.
Not nice of your muse to go on vacation without you… does she come back with a tan?
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Yes she does. She comes back with a tan and an attitude. The attitude is useful in writing! 😉
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I enjoy your sense of humor, which is saying something, since I’m in the grips of grief. 👍
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I’m glad I could help even for just a moment.
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I hope your muse didn’t go to Wuhan. If she did, you might not see her for awhile.
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Nope. No islands there!
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I’m diddly-squatting too, but in a different order today.
Great post Kate.
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Thanks!
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I love the kitties on exercise balls. Enjoy your thinking time!
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No! No thinking!
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Let’s hear it for diddly-squat days! Have a great workout. 🏋🏼♀️
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Love diddly-squat days! All of my days are diddly-squat!
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Mao Mama: cat mom in Mandarin (all with long As). It’s pretty close to the Cantonese version, I think. (Andy’s not here so I can’t check.)
I haven’t gotten much done this week either. Maybe today will be the day.
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I petered out on Monday. Had great plans but somehow my battery was dead! Mao Mama! That is me! Yesterday and today are much better. Wednesday is always a day I get a lot done and I don’t know why.
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I got all kinds of medical billing garbage cleared up today. So many calls to India.
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Argh! Hate those days.
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OMG! I love those cats! Thank God for hump day.😺🙀😽
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Yes, hump day is big for you!
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Some weeks it’s harder to get over that hump!
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Some weeks are longer than others. I vividly remember that about working.
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The weeks seem to fly, it’s just some days are harder…making that hump feel harder to climb over. Winter doesn’t make it any easier either!
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And lack of sun. The sun came out for us this afternoon but it’s been very cloudy this winter.
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Cloudy and rainy here…feeling like a depressed mushroom. 😦
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🙂
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And when you work seven days a week, Wednesday could be any day of the week. If it weren’t for my app telling me what day it is and what appointments I have I’d be clueless. If the app starts lying to me I’m sunk,
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For a short time a long time ago, I had a job with Thursdays off but I worked Saturday. That took getting used to. Also having 2 days in a row is much more restful than having them split.
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I look forward to days off. Been awhile!
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In your business you have to take a day off as it comes. The good news is that the “clients” you work with are furry and so much nicer than people.
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Most of the furry ones are nice…couple exceptions here and there!
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I enjoy watching the change of people in any place. I may be a lounge lizard at heart, but musing on what happened to them and why, who they might be… it’s great. Like this post. Happy Wednesday.
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Thanks. The gym is a great place to watch. Today we have a new person. Young woman, barely 30. She came in shorts (no one wears shorts there this time of year or any time actually). She stuck out partly because of her clothing but also because she was working to put together her routine (we all go through that). Sometimes we know what happens to people and sometimes it’s a mystery. There was a couple that came together regularly and then they were gone. I speculated that one may have had a surgery or some health issue and the other didn’t come without their partner.
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I love your delightfully diddly-squat day. Mind if I join you?
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Absolutely not! I may cook a nice stew later. You can join us.
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My spoon won’t reach that far, but thank you for including me.
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Um, I think I know Terry! And, if it is indeed the same person, she is a very nice lady!
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Dark short hair? Tallish (at least taller than me) and very pleasant. She’s lost weight although she never was what I would call overweight. WW?
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Nope not WW, she is a tax preparer and my Mom used her/
Works out of her home and is a very pleasant and caring lady.
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Today is the first day I’ve seen her since the holidays. Maybe setting up for tax season or the last vacation before the surge.
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Lobby legs and blue threads…….you are talking about me. 🙂 Very cute exercise cats. I am the dedicated mid-life (who am I kidding?!) over 60 year old yoga lady. I may fall in most of the poses. I may have some extra jiggle in my lululemons. Yet, I show up. Thank you for sharing your diddly-squat day, Kate. I will join you.
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Just showing up is a big win! I’ve upped my game since I started. I did it slowly. Some things you just can’t force.
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Kate, Autocorrect from knobby legs. Likely all the same. You are right on “can’t force.” This is when injuries occur and people completely stop. I will be channelling your mid week exercise karma at yoga today.
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I too am diddly-squatting and proud of it!
Hugs, Pam
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I love that I can do things when I’m in the mood. Makes a big difference.
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Agreed……..HUGE difference…….!
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