Working Through

I skipped the gym yesterday as I intended to get some housecleaning done. The kitchen floor has been covered with mats and newspapers for what seems like forever. But before I do that, I check the fuel oil level on the tank in the basement. It's actually just a bit less than half full so I'm relieved. What I don't understand is why there's two inches of water on the basement floor. I also hear a weird sucking noise and discover that the salt tank for the water softener is empty. WTF?! I put 8 bags of salt in there just two months ago. That's 320 lbs of salt! Ugh.

I do a quick web search for water softener salt prices. The big box stores are selling for under $6 a bag, with a discount if you buy 10 or more. I see the prices are the same for Ace Hardware and remember that there's one in town. But when I get there, the prices for their salts are higher. They tell me they haven't been an Ace in years. I tell them that since I'm buying 10 bags, that difference amounts to $20, which is half a tank of gas. I drive to Home Depot and get my salt. Moving 10 bags of 40 lbs is a decent workout. Not great though.

While I'm unloading the salt, the sump kicks on and I hear a weird hissing noise. Ugh. The hose that snakes out of the basement and onto our lawn has sprung a leak, or rather, several leaks so only some of the water is being pumped out of our basement. Double ugh. I call the plumber but he can't get to me until the end of the month. I call the water softener company and they can come by, oh, say how about next Thursday. Ugh. I hope I haven't run through all the salt by then.

I don't get a lot of cleaning done before I need to take my son to his kung fu class. Today is better. I go to the gym and knock out my cardio by doing the Norwegian 4 x 4, followed by pull ups and push ups. I had hoped to use the Smith for Inclined Presses and baby RDLs but the guy who drapes himself over the ellipticals, is now draping himself over the Smith. Mostly what he does is yammer. I realize that my people-tolerance is at an all-time low this week, mostly because I haven't had enough sleep, and also, because I miss my old dog. I feel like I'm on the verge of biting someone's head off all the time. And when I'm not, then I just feel sad.

Just because I can't get on the Smith doesn't mean I give up the workout though. Nothing is set in stone! I do Inclined Presses on the Breaker Bench with the Olympic bar. It's harder, and a bit more nerve-wracking for me, especially since my small hands favor a dead man's thumbless grip. That's okay to use on the Smith which has built in safeties, but not on a standard Inclined Bench. I switch my grip back to normal. My hands start to go numb with just a tiny addition of weight, from just the bar (45 lbs) to 65 lbs. It's been several weeks since I lifted, so I'm perfectly happy to just do three sets at this weight. I follow up with my DB super set, and then a light set of skull crushers.

I happen to be wearing a raspberry tank top today. It's unfortunately the same color that Hollywood is wearing. She's a fairly pleasant early morning regular, with a slender build. She does work out hard, and her arms have the shapeliness to prove it. Her short wavy hair style and cat-eye glasses are why I call her Hollywood. She has that old-time actress look to her, as long as she doesn't open her mouth because the accent is pure New York. She's chatting up a guy at the Squat Rack. He's an early morning regular too, in good shape but by no means a heavy lifter. They make a cute couple, and I wonder if there's a gym romance brewing. I think guys go deaf when only their eyes are working.

I still need to do one more set of pull ups, but I figure I can rest my arms while doing core stuff like planks and crunches. Those are actually easier today, which is a pleasant surprise. I used to be a lot gentler doing pull ups, but lately I've been tossing caution to the wind and really heaving myself up to the bar, making the Stretch Cage shake. It's a bit worrisome.

After I shower and change, I go back to Kmart to buy the Holiday sweater I've looked at twice already. I've been looking for a red sweater with a bit of sparkle for the past several years. The local newspaper reported that Kmart had liquidators coming in to slash prices to 60-90%, and that layoffs would happen by the weekend. What?! There's no indication of any such thing at this store. I ask the floor manager when the store is closing and she said, "Oh not until January." I ask about the Poughkeepsie store, which a gal at the gym had told me was already in 90% Off Clearance Sales mode, and the floor manager said, "Oh that store's different. Their floor is caving in. They have to clear out." Yikes!

Because there's only one size Small in the red sweater, and in the raspberry sweater, and the cute black dress with white stars, I buy them all. (There's a good 4 or 5 in the L and XL sizes.) They won't be here by the time the Liquidators come, so if I want these items, I should buy them now. The parking lot is unusually full, probably because everyone in town has read the local news and they've all come for the bargains. They'll be disappointed. Or maybe they'll find something especially nice. I'm still looking for some flannel sheet sets for our beds this winter.

Friday Finale
Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 274
Miles 2.57
HR 142-190 (110)

HGPU 20
Push Ups 50

Breaker Inclined Press
Bar (45) x 15
65 x 12 x 3
(Hands going numb Raynauds)
DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
15lbs x 12/15 reps x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
30lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Crunches 30/20
Bicycles 50
Stretch

HGPU 20