Broken Hipped Cats on Ice

I like Spring. I LOVE the time between Spring and Summer, and the time between Summer and Fall... when it isn't too hot or too cold. You see, I am not a fan of extreme temperatures. I like temperate temperatures. I also like the ground I am walking on to stay in place while I am walking on it (i.e., not to crunch, slip, or 'founder' as we Newfoundlanders would say).

I would buy rainboots for this time of year, except it is still slippery outside, and that could be dangerous since rainboots are made of rubber. So unless my rainboots have cleats, that is not such a good idea.

So many things in this world p!ss me off.

Slippery road conditions, and slippery walking conditions are just two of them. When you have to walk like a cat with a broken hip just to do the most mundane things, like get to your vehicle, or walk to your door, or walk across the street, the very act of doing so enrages me to the point that I am pretty sure the top of my head could explode if I think too much about it.

So, Spring is here and things are melting, and I am glad of that.

I am very glad that I don't have to walk anywhere. It is much too wet out to have to walk anywhere - Dear God, there are huge puddles everywhere because the sewer system cannot handle the amount of water melting all at once.

Meanwhile, when the night comes, the temperature drops and things freeze up a little bit again. This is where things get nasty.

All the liquid that started running around during the day has started to make little rivers around the place, happily cutting through snow and ice, carving its way through everything in its path. Everything above, under, in front of, behind, on top, etc., is pushed out of the way by these little raging rivers of melted snow...

And then the night comes...

But because everything isn't melted, the upper layer of snow gets icy...

AND THE BOTTOM LAYER... oh, wait, there is no bottom layer, because the damn river washed it away.

So, here I am, walk walk walk like a broken hipped cat, trying not to slip on the frigging icy snowbanks, which have been made even worse near houses that have had water dripping off them all day, and every now and then... you just CRASH through the icy top layer of snow because there is nothing underneath.

It's like a field of landmines to get anywhere. Icy, icy, icy... walk here, oh wait - icy, careful careful AHHHH Crash!

Now it may just be a little Crash, but you go through the icy snow and hit whatever is underneath with a little jolt nonetheless. It may be only an inch or two, but an inch or two is enough when it is unexpected.

And then my temper rises.

And after a couple of these little jolts, I just want to hurl my purse, or bookbag, or dog at whatever is near me. I don't even care. I want to kick my vehicle and pull my hair out.

Sweet Sacred Heart of Jesus, melt already! Where in the blazes is the sun? Where is the 40 degree weather now? In July, we will all be dying for heavy rain or even just a couple of cool showers, but when we need a couple of days of that in March, where is it?

Nope, we get little rivers and icy goodness.

Seriously.

First, Mr Weather... *insert expletive here* off. You know what I am saying. Get your job done, and do it now. Straighten the hell out. No more icy layers on top of open air-like overhangs on cliffs. That is dangerous.

Second, it's time for Spring to man up and take over from Winter. Enough with this pussyfooting around.

Third, where the hell do you buy decent rainboots in this town? And a raincoat?

Fourth, where the hell do you buy cleats? What the hell do they look like? And do you attach them to

your shoes or are they shoes unto themselves?

Fifth, if we own all kinds of energy, can we do something about this freezing cold Arctic problem? Can someone turn on the heat up here so we don't have ice outdoors all the time? Let's lay some pipe underground throughout the entire city and somehow use it like in-floor heating. I don't care how it is done, obviously I just thought of it, so it is possible. Somebody better get on it ASAP. Call the scientists and engineers right now.

I am eco-friendly but this is important.

I know I am eco-friendly because I took an environmentally friendly test and I hit over 95% eco-friendly, so I have some wiggle-room here. I can tear up a bit of the environment for this very important heating system in an effort to stop ice and snow. This will cut down on anger problems, aggravation and medical bills from injuries sustained from both anger and slippery conditions. It's win-win.

I am proposing the City-Pipe Heating System.

CPHS will be no cost to anyone. In addition, we will also start making gas here, since we have the crude, and gas prices will go down for us, too. May as well have some benefits from living here, right?

The Weather will be no issue for us - we have the brains and willpower to fix this problem. No more Broken Hipped Cats on Ice. If we want ice from now on, we will have to make it, or head on down to MacIsland to the rink to use their ice.

Have fun.

"Try-Athletes": I Do What I Want

I went to Try-Club tonite & I was alone until I was putting my sneakers on... and in strolls Kash & Kirsten aka Scales... our two newest members. They decided to come out to do the Spin tonite, their first real foray into the Spin of things.

They were a bit anxious to start Spin because they were a bit terrified of Miguel. Somehow, Jenny had them informed that he was going to single them out and scream at them. I think they thought they were coming to the military or something. I told them to relax a bit, because it's really not like that. He was a bit rough on us during my first night there, but I don't know how he was with Lisa & Jenny on their first night with him. And by rough, I mean he doesn't put up with any sh!t.

So Scales and Kash (we are still working on a nickname for her) were prepared to be put through the wringer.

We got our bikes settled away and got on them, pedaling slowly. The girls wanted to warm up. They chatted with a couple of the other ladies there, some other newer teachers from the district. Kirsten was worried that she didn't have music because I brought my iPod. I like having a rhythm and background music to accompany me on my voyages into the other realms as my head 'spins' off as I pedal my arse away, but Miguel is all business and doesn't bring tunes. It's all good. I do what I want. Kirsten wanted to do the same but she forgot, I guess. She forgot to do what she wanted - she is not very good at being Oppositional Defiant, yet - she has to work on it, even though she works daily with the best OD kids in Fort McMurray.

I also told the girls that they don't have to do exactly what he says; they have to do what is right for their bodies. It was nice to be a 'veteran', so to speak. We are now the ones helping the newbies!! So while he was telling us to climb to gear 500, I was still on gear 10 and they were working on gear 8. You just gotta do what is right for you.

Because we were there on Saturday, Kirsten was having some difficulty with the bike seat. Awwww Yeah! The Vag Busters are back in town! It took a little bit for her to be able to sit comfortably on the bike, and it was a bit funny to see the pain radiating from her face, only because it was a perfect mirror of the pain we endured just 2 short months ago. As she said, "If nothing else, this is a perfect comedy routine."

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure I farted while I ran by an old lady tonite. I'm not 100% sure but that wasn't very nice. I didn't try to do it but that's it, I suppose. Sorry 'bout it.

I left Try-Club early, tonite, too. As I said, I do what I want :D... It's Parent/Teacher Interview Week, I have a ton of papers to grade, I have some stuff I need to make with a serious deadline approaching that I cannot miss (and that is difficult for a procrastinator like me!), and I figured I already did a couple of running laps and a bunch of biking so it's all good.

The running is not getting easier.

I'm jiggly and whatnot, so that's rough going.

Whatever about it, I'm still doing it.

All in all, I had a good night, though. I got on the bike at about 6:40, and we actually began class at about 7:15 or so, so I got in an extra few minutes of cardio. And I also ran, which I wasn't doing 2 months, or even 2 weeks, ago.

And you know what? I am not a morning person, so every morning that I get out of bed before 12-1pm is a day where I congratulate myself profusely for good behaviour. Anything after that is gravy. I am not kidding. You might think so, but I am not. I am an evening / night kind of person. I work best during that time, especially under strict deadlines.

Deadlines really seem to mean nothing these days, though.

Anyway, volunteering, working out, all that stuff - I congratulate myself if I do that stuff because lots of times, it's easier not to do it. I pat myself on the back even more if I attempt to do the hard stuff. For too long, I have been hard on myself. I am still my own toughest critic, but other than my mother, I am also my own biggest fan.

So I didn't do core tonite so I gotta get back to doing that. Jenny and I have been noticing a lot of differences in our bodies over the past month, especially. Our clothes fit us differently. Our legs are taking on different shapes. Mine are starting to reshape themselves from the knees and moving upwards - how weird is that?? My shoulders, waist and face are becoming smaller. Even my hands and feet are becoming smaller.

Jenny said her belly is becoming different, her arms are becoming more toned and the backs of her legs are becoming more muscular.

***

Jenny, Kirsten and Kash went swimming on Sunday. I was going to go but due to my Night Owl problem, I woke up at 4am and could not get back to sleep until about 8am so I didn't go. It's hard to function when you only have a couple of hours worth of sleep. I get contrary when that happens. It's better for me to not be around others at that point.

Jenny said the girls both swim like little fishies. Kash said the Swim Coach told her when she swims faster, her butt will stop moving around so much. LOL.

***

Once Upon A Time...

... we began making goals every 4 weeks, and we did ok with those goals, and then somehow, they started tapering off. Our first goal was to stay in Try-Club for 4 weeks, and we did. The second goal was to start eating better. Well, to tell you the truth, I ate better before I started Try-Club. But that was for Feb / early March, and things have since been amended and will continue to get better. I have been eating a lot of grains and eggs and milk, chicken and pasta, etc. I am getting back to normal.

So, I have to come up with a new goal.

I have April, May and June before this summer hits.

Jenny and I want to go to LA for a week or so at the end of June. We want to act like little kids at Universal Studios and pose with the stars on the Walk of Fame, and we want to look good when we go there.

The production happens during the first week of June.

Tri-Club finishes their indoor bike training in May but Jenny and I intend to continue Spin classes at MacIsland because we are afraid to ride bikes on the highway. Plus, we won't really have time during May and June.

So... our next 3 goals for each of the next 3 months...