I am Jester. Hear me whimper.

[Cat]

Did a simple hour hike, with 20 lbs in my pack.

Will have to start eating better next week....I'm letting this weekend be fun (too much good soccer to watch) and will be better about watching the food starting Monday

[trailerparkmedic]

Nothing against REI, but you'll get a better deal and a better bike (and have a better selection) at a dedicated bike store.

Just saying.

I've gotten far more attitude and far less respect for my (not that sad) budget than I deserve at local bike stores. Not to pull the "customer is always right" card, but here's what happened at three highly rated stores near my place.

Me: "I'm a noob and I want a comfortable bike to ride around town for $xxx."
Bike Store 1: "Try this bike. It's only twice your budget. Your budget wasn't firm, right? What do you mean you don't want to spend more than $xxx? That's just ridiculous."
Bike Store 2: "Why would you even want to buy a bike to just ride around town? Aren't you going to have bigger goals, like the MS 150? No, you just want to do a few miles at a time? I can't help you."
Bike Store 3: "You should try this bike. I don't care if you think it's uncomfortable, it's the best bike for you because of <technobabble>. If you're going to shop here, you should listen to my opinions."

I don't have the time or patience to deal with such asshattery. Sadly, Craigslist hasn't had anything interesting for a few weeks--that was my first choice. At least I have my 20% off coupon for REI to make me feel like I'm saving money.

[Jester]

Will have to start eating better next week....I'm letting this weekend be fun (too much good soccer to watch) and will be better about watching the food starting Monday

I would like to point out that eating better does not mean that eating will stop being fun. Most of the food I eat normally is considered somewhat healthy, and all I'm doing lately is cutting down on carbs. Obviously a lot depends on your goals and what you consider to be healthy, and what you want to cut out of your diet, but there are tons of ways to make healthy food and fun food one and the same. Hell, I do it every day!

I've gotten far more attitude and far less respect for my (not that sad) budget than I deserve at local bike stores.

Okay, I'll grant you that some bike stores can be a bit obnoxious, arrogant, or even rude. Of course they're going to try to upsell you....that is part of their job as salespeople, after all. But I have found that dealing with bike stores is sometimes like dealing with car salesmen.

YOU: "I want this for this, and this is what I have to spend."
THEM: "Oh, you probably want this bike. It's twice your budget, but--"
YOU: "I want this for this, and this is what I have to spend."
THEM: "Okay, well this is great because of [technobabble]."
YOU: "I want this for this, and this is what I have to spend."
THEM: "We want to sell you this, which we think is great, even if it doesn't fit what you said."
YOU: "I want this for this, and this is what I have to spend."

Just stay firm and stick to your guns.

I know whenever I've gone bike shopping (and with Amanda, it's been 15 years since I've had to), I always get them trying to put me on a bike of X size, which is technically designed for someone of my 5'8" stature. Problem is, bikes that are built for someone my size feel like little toys to me, and I ride rather tall. Amanda, for example, is technically designed for someone about 6'. But knowing what I ride, I have always stuck to my guns, and calmly but firmly and emphatically said, "I ride tall. I need something bigger. This will not do." And any attempts they make to convince me otherwise is met with a stony gaze and a repeat of my desires. They can think I'm crazy, stupid, retarded, whatever, I don't care. If I have my mind set on getting X and Y, they are NOT going to sell my F, Q, or BT.

In the end, unless they don't have anything that fits your demands, they are going to try to make the sale, even if it is less than what they were trying to sell you on.

If I were there, I would be more than happy to go with you to deal with the Bike People, as I am both a Bike Person and a certified No Nonsense Asshole.

[Jester]

Delays, delays, delays.

Slept in and didn't do shit today, knowing I'd go biking, then putting it off, sitting around, enjoying my day off. Then, right as I was about to go out to ride, get a call from the girl who would become my new roommate, saying she was half an hour away. (She was moving down here from the Great White North.*) So I had to put off the biking some more. Finally, after we sat down, figured out she'd be perfect, got rent taken care of, and I gave her the key, I set out on my ride. Didn't do The Loop precisely, so I don't know the mileage, but I was just out to ride and have fun for a while. Rode part of The Loop, down the beach (love the girls who walk/blade/run/bike the beach road, by the way...yummy!), then headed downtown, just for the heck of it, and to pick up one of my two water bottles that I had stupidly forgotten at work the night before. Saw a good friend down there, got said water bottle, biked back up and back around The Loop (some more lovely women to enjoy the view of), got home, showered, and went out to dinner with the new roomie, ordering smartly and within my diet of lower carbs (yeah, I had beer, but also had blackened mahi mahi, green beans, and corn on the cob).

Good day. Not great day, but good day. Tomorrow off from working out due to running the Tailgate Party at work.

*(We down here in the tropics consider anything north of, say, Orlando to be the Great White North.)

[Cat]

OH, I know eating healthy can be fun....I just meant cutting back on my vending machine visits at work. (which means no bringing $...that damn temptress)

[Jester]

Okay, I'll give you that...with few exceptions, vending machine food is NOT healthy.

[shankyknitter]

Managed to dance 3 days this week. AND I got hit on at the bar! I count this as progress toward not being as bad off as I was before. Got told from someone I had watch me dance that I am starting to develop a dancer's form. Well as much as a woman with an ass and boobs can develop a dancer's form.

Stretching is helping a lot and starting to work as I managed to get into half of the back bend I used to be able to do without hurting myself. And I can lay my forehead on my knees again.

Still don't have the endurance I remember having had a couple years ago but working on it as much as I can around classes.

Hopefully I'll get pictures or video up soon so I can at least see what I look like.

[trailerparkmedic]

Went running yesterday and today. Yesterday was great; today I felt like lead. I still finished what I intended to do, just very, very slowly.

I bought a new bike this weekend (from REI, because I simply do not have the time to deal with assholes who don't want my business and because the 20% off coupon didn't make me feel too bad about the price). I haven't had a chance to ride it yet. I wanted to go this afternoon but there have been storms on and off, so I'll probably wait until Wednesday.

[lupo pazzesco]

I haven't had a chance to ride it yet. I wanted to go this afternoon but there have been storms on and off, so I'll probably wait until Wednesday.

You and me, we gotta talk.

I have a bike I don't ride as much as I should (very little motivation after work... >.<

I also just HAPPEN to live right up the street from part of the bike trail around here.

*winkwinknudgenudge*

I usually get home around 5;00-5:30ish, usually plenty of light left to ride for at least an hour, no...?

Just...throwing that out there...

[Sapphire Silk]

Right now I'm sitting on my ass.

Why?

I'm sick. Like beyond sick. .

That sucks. I had a very similar nasty bug a couple of weeks ago. Laid me on my ass for 3 days, took another week before I was really over it.

Sounds like you are doing all the right things. Please take care of yourself. The gym will still be there when you're better

I've got TKD class in an hour. Knees are bothering me a bit today; I think it's the weather. There's a major wind front moving through right now.

I dug up a little gadget I bought about a year ago and am going to try it out again. It's called a "Fitbit." It's a pedometer that plugs into the computer when I'm done and will download my activity data onto the company web page. I can also keep track of my calories to see just what I'm burning.

[trailerparkmedic]

Lupo, only problem with that is my bike only fits in hubby's car, not mine, and he's always going on and on about how he HAS to work and how he has to work ALL day and no I can't borrow his car, he works all the way out on the toll road... he's no fun at all!
Maybe once the semester is over I can steal his car on a Saturday?

[Cat]

Proud of myself today: went to the gym for an hour on the treadmill.....3 mph, 15% incline....with my 20lb pack.

Mount Washington...I am closer to being ready for you. (please melt the snow by May)

[raw456]

Well, I've been a real slack arse the last few days and have not gone to the gym at all. I've been battling a stomach bug for 4 days (not necessarily and excuse) and have had a heap of stuff going on family wise that has just taken up my time. Rather than beat myself up over it, I will simply move on, and get back into it tonight.

For anyone intersted i have attached a piccy of the bike I'm buying.(isn't the basket just adorable?) I am trying to think of a suitable name for her.

[shankyknitter]

Today I was a slacker. Well kinda. Didn't manage to do anything athletic or good for me because I focused on getting all my homework for the week done. All I've got left is as much of a senior thesis paper I can write by thursday since we're work shopping what we've got in class that day. We'll see how much exercise I get tomorrow.

[AdminAssistant]

Trying to jump in here. My 10 year high school reunion is in June, and I'm nearly 100 lbs heaver now than I was then. Bleh. Plus, with the wedding in a little over a year, I need to get myself into shape. A while back, Fiance and I bought the EA Active game for the Wii. I finally got it out, chose the easiest workout...and got about 10 minutes through before collapsing. It provides a good workout (obviously), but relying on the technology sucks. Besides, the leg band (designed to keep the controller in place) barely fit around my leg. The workout included a lot of lunges and kicks, which is great for cardio, but not on my knees. So, I'm going to start going to the campus gym regularly to walk/elliptical.