Let the Vacation Begin

I've just celebrated the beginning of my five-day vacation by enjoying a nice rainstorm on my porch. Which is good since, come tomorrow, I will have to haul all the delicate plants I dragged OUT on the porch two weeks ago back IN since the forecast is now calling for temperatures below freezing beginning tomorrow night and lasting through Friday.

None too happy about that.

I took the most delightful quiz today at the Newsweek site, and I insist that all of you take it too (this means you too Mom and Dad). It's a baby boomer car quiz and I scored a 60%. I quickly fowarded the test on to Satan who claims to have scored a 70%. This from a man who you probably won't be surprised to learn is FATALLY competitive.

Here's where you can find the quiz. E-mail me your score or leave it in the comments. Here's hoping somebody bests Satan!

Have I mentioned I'm working out on the BowFlex?

No?

I'm working out on the BowFlex. Have been since February.

Boy, is it miserable. I think they advertise the program as twenty minutes a day? Not quite. My work-out program took me an hour and a half to accomplish when I first started it due in large part to the amount of time it took to configure the equipment to each exercise. Now that I've gotten the hang of it, I can complete my routine in an hour exactly since I'm much quicker at configuring.

I will say that I'm seeing and feeling results very quickly. I've always read that working with weight is the quickest and most effective way of whipping yourself into some kind of shape, and this is proving to be true. I notice I have way more stamina and am noticeably stronger already. I know I need to incorporate some sort of aerobic training into my routine (Frankentraining, for instance) but, dang, I'm just too whiney right now. Sheesh.

Lastly, I must report that mine and Satan's most exiciting video viewing of late has been, uncharacteristically, had on cable television, a Sunday night series called Planet Earth. This eleven part series took five years to film and is the planetary equivalent of "Blue Planet". Through some HD photographic innovations that would make Marlin Perkins weep, this program brings the natural world to life in a way that I've never quite experienced before. I recommend watching and even buying it without reservation. See a video sample here.