busy Saturday 1/21/06

I haven't been complaining about busy gym with New Year's resolution people this year so much. That is probably because once the school starts, I can only go after work hours and it is pretty busy anyway. However the gym is busy and personal trainers were walking around very often. Notably I feel Saturday mornings are a lot busier. Weekend mornings used to be very empty and I liked it, but now you have to pick a timing. It is often now that I don't get the machine available when I want. I am learning more Free Motion machines because those are less often used. Maybe in a month of so, people will start dropping out. Maybe after getting $25 gift certificate this month. Grrr.

Texas good food 1/20/06

If you live different parts of the world or country, you find some good food that are native and you can't get anywhere else. Green chile for New Mexico and kiwi and passion fruit for New Zealand for me. It has been over five months since I moved to Texas and I finally found Texas goodie. Grapefruits. I remember guys in trucks used to situate themselves on the street corner selling in Albuquerque. It is almost as good as oranges in California. I am experimenting how to eat because it is not the easiest thing to eat.

Lifetime Cafe purchase 1/19/06

Forgetfulness continues. As soon as I go to the gym straight from school, I start noticing I miss something every time. Today I forgot to bring water bottle. So I decided if my Club Tab is really working because I left my wallet in the car in the parking lot. I pad $2.25 for a liter of water and found out the tab system really worked. I usually don't go into the cafe and I found they actually sell some clothes and socks (which I often forget). But what caught my eyes were Japanese snacks sold at about $1.25 a small bag. おせんべい type thing. I guess Japanese snacking is healthier after all.

9th or 8th? 1/18/06

With this 16 visits motivational deal, I am totally hooked into (at least) going to the gym. Last semester, Wednesdays are usually some kind of faculty meeting day, if not Japan Club meeting day. It was also late finish day at 2:20, so it was harder to make it to the gym. Today we have general faculty meeting, which I assume will finish around 5pm. So I assumed I wouldn't make it to the gym. However Japan Club meeting time has not been set and I decided no matter how I try it, it is going to get dark by the time I get home. Going to take a walk with the dog or not doesn't really matter what time I get home. My favorite TV show, 100 Mexicanos dijeron, moved an hour late and I don't feel so bad if I get home after 7. So I might just try to make it to the gym today. I checked with the guy at the front desk and he said it was my 9th visit of the month. My log shows I did strength training 8 times. Maybe one day, I just came in cardio and swim or something and didn't record. But I am going to play it safe, come as much as I can, when I can and make sure to get the gift certificate!

16 times a month and $25 gift certificate! 1/17/06

I saw a little sign yesterday saying that if I show up at the gym more than 16 times a month, I may be eligible to earn a $25 gift certificate. So I emailed Eddie, the person who gave me the tour in June. He said just go see him at the end of the month and he will verify the attendance and I get the gift certificate! So even if I don't exercise, just show up and spend a few minutes in the steam bath will qualify. WOW.

steam bath 1/16/06

When I took my Mom to the gym, she tried something that I have never tried. She went into the steam bath (she described as ミストサウナ in Japanese). She raved about misty steam clearing out nose. So I tried after she left. It is getting a habit that I can't resist. As she said, the minty steam is really good for my nose and probably throat. Probably perfect thing to do if you are starting cold. I like it even more because 1) there is hardly anybody in the room and I can meditate, 2) more than anything else, my face, my skin feels very good, 3) I only need towels to cover myself, so I don't have to change to swim suits and 4) it is step out of my locker is in the women's locker room. They recommend spending no longer than 10 minutes inside, but I am afraid I have been doing longer. It will feel so minty and it is a little cold now, but it will feel great in summer, I am sure.

weight mystery 1/15/06

When I visited Ray, my former student, in Albuquerque, he was glad to see me and wasn't implicit about how I looked. He said I had lost weight, looked good and looked younger. The fact is, I have not lost weight since he saw me last time. I am, in fact, heavier by 8 pounds or so. So, I dunno.