A Roseanne Roseannadanna Kind of Day

You have to be a certain age to remember Gilda Radner's character Roseanne Roseannadanna on the original Saturday Night Live show way back in the 70s. But we've all had those days where just when you think you've got it figured out, something else pops up. Leading us all to wail, "It's always something!" Today I got all excited because I figure I could drop by the auto repair shop after my workout and get my NYS inspection done. After all, I had over 50 miles on the mileage counter.

The gym's not as crowded as I expect for a rainy Thursday. Perhaps people have gone away for the long holiday weekend in spite of the dismal forecast for thunderstorms clear into next week. Again, my back is uncharacteristically sore and I'm tired. After a good showing on Interval 7, I punch in Manual mode 1 and leave everything else in the default setting (Level 1, elevation 10, resistance 1). I was peddling furiously but I barely made it past 4 miles. Still, altogether I logged in over eight and a half so I'm pretty happy with that. It's Leg Day and the Smith is free so I steel myself for a few sets. I've been ignoring the crunchy bubble sound emanating from my back when I squat heavy. My back also seems to snap crackle pop at the Cage Stretch, especially when I'm trying to keep my torso upright while I've got one foot straight up the Cage side, above my head.

Heel dip stretches calves

After Squats, which don't feel horrible in spite of my stiff lower back, I strip off my hoodie and play with a basic Dead Lift form with just the bar. I'm not used to it as it scrapes against my shins. Because the Smith bar is in a fixed track, it's harder to maneuver. I toss a pair of 25s on and it doesn't feel bad. I put another pair of 10s on. It's okay. Then another pair of 10s. Okay, now it's starting to feel heavy and my form is probably crap because I've noticed my stiff lower back. Drop sets follow. Then relaxation at the Cage! Followed by Seated Leg Curls, and Seated Leg Extensions. I up the Leg Curl weights because I know I can do them. I don't up the Leg Extensions even though 6 sets of 12 reps no longer burns the way it used to. I'd like shapelier leg biceps, but the quads are just the right size for me so I don't want them to get any bigger (it's darn hard to find pants that fit when the thighs are too tight and that's already an issue with my candy-colored Gap pants).

I notice gym rat regulars like RR, R, ZZ and Old Sweatshirt when I start my Mat Stretch. After 10 Dive Bomber Push Ups I play with varying my hand position and keeping my butt low when I pull back after the glide forward. It's quite the upper body workout. My splits are ok although, again the horizontal needs work. I notice R going to the fountain a lot. I've always wondered how people can work out and not bring water: the fountain water is absolutely metallic and horrid. When I gather my gear, I see RR and R chatting. I should probably say Hi but I don't. I'm not good with people and it's not at all helpful that Mo forced an introduction weeks earlier with RR. Having grown up in NYC in the 60s and 70s where you avoid eye-contact at all costs, I find it hard to make eye contact with people I don't know. Now it feels weird to say Hi, and I'm hoping someone else will be around to ask for a spot next when I bench. However, I do manage a quick wave at R in passing. I think he's used to my quirky anti-social behavior by now. He's much the same way, although lately he's been chatting up all the regulars. Perhaps he's working on his sociability. Maybe I should too.

Leg Day Work Out:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.57 + 35 min Manual = 4.04  Grand Total = 8.61 miles Yippee!
Smith Squats: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 135 / 2 x 12 @ 155 / 12 @ 135 / 12 @ 115 / 15 @ 95 / 25 @ bar (butt to heels)
Smith Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 95 / 12 @ 115 / 2 x 12 @ 135 / 12 @ 115 / 12 @ 95
Cage Stretch with Heel Dips and Side Kicks
Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 105 / 12 @ 112.5 / 3 x 6 @ 120 lbs (yay!)
Seated Leg Extension: 6 x 12 @ 75 lbs
Mat Stretch with 10 Dive Bomber Push Ups (and 5 Hands under waist) and Splits

The gym scale reads 109.6 lbs before I shower but after I drain my water bottle. I feel pretty good now but I have a lot of errands to run. I stop by the auto repair shop only to have them tell me that I need 9 continuous highway miles for the computer to read the exhaust system chip properly. Highway miles? 9 miles at a speed between 47 and 72 miles per hour. Good grief! I go home and map my location to and from various stores. Going to Staples off of Interstate-84 won't help me because it's too close. I'd have to go all the way to the Danbury Mall. Ugh. I map the newly opened Best Plumbing Showroom two exits down the Taconic Parkway. Only 5.9 highway miles. But if I get on the Taconic near Fahnestock State Park then it'd be 14.9 miles. Okay, nothing like driving miles out of your way, wasting fuel and time, just to get the computer chip to read properly so that the repair shop can do the annual safety inspection and put a sticker on your window.

What I've forgotten is that there is construction work on the Taconic to make several exits safer to enter and leave. I worry about having to slow down too much but manage to keep my car between 50 and 70 miles per hour while banking steep curves in a single lane dotted with orange safety markers. I get to the showroom and actually manage to pick out a fixture set that will be delivered to me next week. It's more expensive than I had planned, but looks similar to my old fixture and should hold up better. Now I just need to call the plumber to fix the whole mess.

When I get home I decide, just for giggles, to weigh myself and check all the readings. Everything seems to be back to normal: weight 107.4 lbs; Body Fat 19.3%; Total Water 52.2; Muscle 37.9%; Bone 4.6 lbs. Of course, it's ridiculous to think that I've gained and lost 3.2 ounces of bone in a few days. Everything else is presumably water.

Tomorrow I'm going to take my car to the auto repair shop again to see if they tell me something else. This afternoon I noticed that the decorative molding on the passenger rear door is coming loose. And the foam liner inside the door frame is also coming apart. Yep, it's always something.