Snowing While It Rains

I'm not quite sure how it's possible for snow to accumulate on our roof while it is raining and over 32F, yet it has happened more than once this week. I can't imagine that the snow is so cold that it is insulated from the other wetter particles falling from the sky. I do imagine that this precipitation is falling in layers, with the warmer moisture experienced as rain. Or perhaps the snow is just at 32F and dissolves into rain when touching anything even vaguely warm, except for the leaves, grass and rooftops? Meanwhile, the thermometer read 36F...

It looked just like this, but over
my house when I stood in the road

I fully expect there to be a few more wet snow days. We've experienced several in late Spring. 1996 was particularly memorable because heavy wet snows came every weekend, taking down power lines at least twice in April. There were 5 snow storms that month. This was before I had a standby generator, so my basement flooded and I lost heat, water and all the basic comforts of home. It was also the winter when I could see a great comet, Hyakutake, over my house for weeks no matter what time of day, like the Star over Bethlehem. But this was before everyone had great cameras in their cell phones, before everyone carried mobiles. I wish I'd been able to have captured that image...

My new propane tank is hooked up. It would've been cheaper to just let the old propane company do the fitting, but there was always the chance that the tech would just yell at me about the regulator being installed backwards, and charge me to fix it anyway. Even though it's their fault. The electrician is coming noon tomorrow. Which means I can get a quick workout done if I scurry out the door... Today I'm actually at the gym at a reasonable late morning time. But I see a gal who has expressed interest in having a standby installed at her home, and I hop off my elliptical to give her the electrician's info before she leaves. So, my 20 minutes of elliptical cardio isn't recorded, not that it really matters.

I do my pull ups and feel a tiny bit annoyed at the idiot juggling the battle ropes looped around the base of the Stretch Cage. What!? You can't wait 5 minutes? Whatever... I ignore that person as I walk back to the Mats for Core moves. I do all the basic moves, including the alternating bicycle and crunches. Of course, I realize that I should do the harder crunches first, and flip the order so that I do legs straight up first, then bent knees with feet flat on the floor last. That makes more sense... I know The Mayor is here because I could hear the din from the Cardio Platform. Ugh. I need better earbuds.

There's a little Latino guy on the Smith. I finish doing Core. When I'm done, I look up but I don't see him anywhere and the 45 lb plates are still on the bar. Ugh. I hate when people don't re-rack their weights! It looks a bit busy at that end of the gym so I wander back to the CF area to find the Hex Bar. There's no one in this area today. No one on the Expresso bikes or the Nexersys machines behind me. No one on the lone cable station. I'm not entirely comfortable using the Hex Bar, which I estimate to be about 50 lbs. The handles are thick so my grip feels iffy. I wish I could place my hands a bit closer together as well. I practice doing a basic RDL move with just the bar itself. (Honestly, I don't feel like wrestling with the plates, but I might in the future.) My left knee complains, which is weird because normally it's the right knee that's sensitive.

There are two Olympic bars on the ground too, so I pick up one and practice the basic RDL move, dragging the bar up my shins and thighs until it's just under my hips. It's only 45 lbs so I can easily do this 12 times. For fun, on the 12th rep, I bend my elbows and flip the bar upward to my front delts and then straighten to press the bar overhead. A rough Clean & Jerk. There's no jumping or split stance when I do this. Maybe if I were going heavier? I do this once at the end of each set, then wander back to the Smith. The 45 lb plates are still on the bar but there's no one at the apparatus. Which means it's mine.

The three middle fingers of my left hand feel odd today, verging on a sprain. Very weird. I jump my weights and only my hands complain under the callouses. Ugh. My knees don't bother me at all now. I pull most of the plates off but leave 80 lbs for RG BB Rows. Three sets of 25 seem plenty although I could probably drop the reps if I up the weight. Not sure I want to do that though... After I strip the bar, I position myself for a few low-bar squat shoulder stretches. The bar seems high on my back. If I do this enough, perhaps I'll be able to loosen this recalcitrant shoulder. I'm not sure if I've gained mobility, but my shoulder and elbow don't hurt as much this time.

Last to do is the Seated One-Arm Cable Row. The gym is busier now with the lunch crowd. I see regulars like Little R, Big Mustache and a few jocks I don't recognize. One fellow is wearing a skinny tank and leggings. Most guys who wear leggings usually have shorts on over them. Not this guy, with his pageboy hair pulled back into a tiny ponytail. Ugh. In my peripheral vision, I can see him on the Mat, foam rolling away. I hope he leaves soon so I don't have to deal with him when I stretch out. Eventually the Mat is vacant of annoying people. Yaaay me.

When I get home, I try on the Land's End swim shorts I ordered. I have a pair from last year which I truly should've returned, but didn't. Those were huge and noisy, with chafing seams inside the thighs. This year I ordered the exact same size (2) but in two different styles, figuring I'll return whichever one is worst. I like the print shorts but they seem shorter than the solid navy ones, even though they're both 5" water shorts. The navy shorts seem noisier. Both are better than the one I got last year. I like that they both have reasonable pockets as well, although I don't think the drawstring does much. And I love that they have liners because I'm done with godawful swim bottoms that always ride up and never stay put. Self-conscious? Yep! I also bought a boy's long-sleeve rash guard because honestly, boy's stuff is just more fun. (No V-neck though. I hope that's not a problem.) I've already appropriated an LLBean flannel shirt that my son stopped wearing last year. It's a tad big as an XL, but that's just how I like my clothes: soft, loose and comfy!

Pull Wednesday

Elliptical interrupted
Program 2
20 min

HGPU 30
Push-ups 60
Elbow Plank 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Bicycles 60
Crunches 30/30
Hex Bar RDL (knees)
Bar (50lbs) x 12 reps x 3 sets

Olympic Bar (45lbs) x 12r x 3 sets
(3 clean & jerk)

Smith RDLs
80lbs x 12
120 x 12
160 x 10
170 x 6, 5, 5

Smith RG BB Rows
80lbs x 25reps x 3 sets

Shoulder Stretch
3 x 10s

Seated 1-Arm Cable Rows
45lbs x 12 reps each x 3 sets