Odd thoughts while the muse is vacationing

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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!

 

71 thoughts on “Odd thoughts while the muse is vacationing”

  1. 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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  2. 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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  4. 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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  7. 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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  8. 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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      • 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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                  • 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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  17. 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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    • 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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  21. 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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