I did some good stuff the last couple of days and I guess I would like another couple of days of fun rather than of "cube." But this week holds possible fun, too. So, no whining here.
Urban Trekking
I met a woman, Elaine, who walks all over downtown for exercise. She knows all kinds of great urban trails, and on Saturday we walked from the Friendship Heights metro to the National Cathedral and back (5 miles! in the HEAT! and I didn't wuss out!!) I took pictures, but to save you the load time, I am only posting this small one:
Click the picture for another shot of the towers.
More photos:
Of course, I visited the gift shop, and got a little something for my Secret Pal!
The heat wasn't too bad on the way down, and there was even a nice breeze when we got to the Cathedral grounds. We sat in the garden for a bit and I worked a couple of rows on the Shell-I-Have-Not-Started-Yet (it was the lightest project I had). But the way back was quite a bit hotter and muggier. The stop at the corner farmer's market was VERY welcome. I got some of the best peaches and nectarines for me and some tart apples and hot peppers for my Sweet Baboo.
By the time we got back to the Metro, I was such a sweaty mess that the train ride home was actually cooling! But it was totally worth it. Elaine knows of some other trails in Bethesda as well as along the river. She is out every Saturday morning, so as often as I can I plan on joining her.
Personal Training
On Sunday I had a meeting with a personal trainer (my gym gives me a few freebies to suck me in to the exorbitantly priced service). Her name is Sara and she is very nice. This belies her obvious delight in kicking my ass via various free weights and torture machines. (I feel it today, and surely will be nearly paralyzed tomorrow... but it feels good to whittle away this buddha belly, even if by small degrees.) She has asked me how I can incorporate my favorite activities into ... well, more activity. When I told her that I what I lately love best is to sit and knit, she suggested maybe bringing some knitting to work on on the recumbent bike! Now tell me, if I could concentrate enough to knit, would I be getting much of a workout? AND what in the world would I want to work on in a sweaty ole' gym?!
Original graphics by "FAM" ~ It's ladies works!
Old Time mp3s
I also worked on another of her suggestions. I hate being stuck on those boring cardio machines for more than 30 minutes, and she has said I must do 45 minutes minimum, so to keep me interested, she recommended Books on CD—which for me is Books on mp3 (my little Rio is smaller than any CD player and holds much more music). I checked out Little Altars Everywhere, by Rebecca Wells from the library and ripped it to mp3 on Sunday afternoon. This morning on the Elliptical and Treadmill I listened to most of the first CD. Finally, I can catch up on my reading! I haven't yet learned to knit and read, so my must-read list is very long and getting dusty.
When I can't find a good book, I found a great resource for wonderful audio online: OTRCAT. They sell Old Time Radio shows on CD in mp3 or standard audio format, and many of the shows have a free downloadable episode. It is very hard to get bored while listening to vintage Abbot and Costello, or Burns and Allen. Plus, I beat Gypsy Rose Lee in guessing whodunit while listening to The Adventures of Ellery Queen. (I didn't know G.R. Lee was a detective either, but apparently she was a woman of many amazing talents.)
The site designers at OTRCAT include great historical tidbits on many of the shows, and the prices are incredibly reasonable for mp3 format disks (all 174 episodes of Burns and Allen will run you $20, while the relatively short run of Ellery Queen is $5). Regular audio disks cost a dollar less a piece, but hold about a tenth of the material (many new CD players can handle mp3 format).
And, yes knitting
Aside from the aforementioned few rows at the Cathedral, I did manage to get something accomplished on the Eyelet Cardi. She is over 300 stitches around with the sleeves added in, so the goin' is slow, but here are her first raglan decreases:
I will make sure the next picture is more legible.
Tonight is the Arlington SnB. I am hoping to get several more decreases done there, if the good conversation, amazing knitterly sights (including Linda's new FOs!), and tasty coffee treats afford me the time!
Also, a special note to my Secret Pal: rest assured, I like everything. I love books, and will buy them new only if I must. Like Norma, I love good used book finds. Like Greta, I take great comfort in rocks, especially if they come from a Special Place. I also hoard small-precious-things-of-a-wide-assortment, especially trinkets with stories attached to them or knick knacks that are thought-provoking. My favorite colors? Cool tones, from Blue and Green to Grey and Black, and warm Deep Reds, Rusts, and Ochres. I tend to avoid Pinks, Teals, and Lemony Yellows (but even those colors make good gifts for people in my life). See? You can't go wrong!
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