I Can Do That for Myself, Thanks

I've been meaning to do a post on the differences in language, and how it can trip me up sometimes. But not today. Today, I want to show you this:

I saw this ad in Sunday's paper. It's for aluminum doors or some such. Eyecatching, yes? I asked Stephen if breaking wind meant something different over here, and he said no. Allrighty then. The level of humor here is not extremely sophisticated.

Sweatin' to the Oldies

The gym is going good. At my first fitness assessment, the trainer had said that it's easier to get back into shape, as opposed to never having been fit. (I thought she was just saying that to make me feel good). This week, I had noticed that the aerobic portion of my workout was getting easier. After only a couple of weeks, my heart is working much more efficiently, and I had to nearly double my effort to get my heart rate where it needs to be during exercise. (Above 135 bpm, if anyone cares.) Two weeks ago, I wouldn't even look at the cross trainer, now I'm doing 10 minutes, at a fairly good clip. I have high hopes for creative visualization; I visualize my thighs and butt getting smaller and tighter as I exercise. Stephen is doing quite well, too. Only, the bike gave him irritation in a fairly sensitive spot. We got some diaper rash cream at the pharmacy- I can't imagine what they think of us there. I keep telling him we need to start patronizing a few, those women know way too much about what goes on with us - and they're not shy about asking, either.

Just Another Day in Paradise

Last week, we took some clothes to the drycleaners in town. I had a couple of designer skirts, silk, that I sent. When they came back, they were hung with these metal clips that had put holes in one of the skirts. Stephen took it back to them, and showed them the damage. Later that day, the owner called - and here's where it gets weird- he started right in abusing Stephen. Cursing at him, the whole nine. Well. I was dumbfounded. Australia has set the bar pretty low for customer service, but still, that's a bit much. The next day, we get another call - from the owner. It turns out that it was his senile father who had called the day before, and he made every effort to repair the damage. Even offered us free drycleaning. (As if I'm ever sending them any more clothes. "We don't see many silk skirts" he said. Yeah, no kidding.) But, it's nice that he made the effort, and he really needs to keep his father away from the customers.

Welcome Home

Space Shuttle Discovery is home, safe and sound. They were diverted to Edwards Air Force Base, instead of landing at Kennedy Space Center. I followed the whole drama on Nasa TV.

Spring is coming, the weather is getting warmer. I've been feeding the cat, we've become good buddies. As the weather warms, he's getting shaggy with shedding hair... I worry that maybe he doesn't have a home to go to. He wolfs down the food I give him, and seems so starved for affection. Today at the grocery store, Stephen asked if I wanted to get some cat food. I replied "We don't have a cat", which was my way of saying that I'm getting too attached to the mangy little bugger.

Our workouts are going swimmingly. It's been difficult to work out a schedule of going, but we're managing to get there most days. I do know my knee is looking and feeling much better. The cold aggravates the arthritis, and it was swollen for weeks... just wouldn't go down, I could barely bend it. Last week, Esther added some new weight machines to my workout. One of them, which works the hamstrings, is completely indecent. I'm lying down, with my legs wrapped around a bar, bending it towards my bum... you get the picture. Or maybe it's just me being dirty-minded.