A Harried Morning

The septic tank was scheduled to be pumped at noon today. They arrived at 9 instead. We have a non-traditional peat-moss system, installed courtesy of the East of Hudson organization. That foundation is tasked with preserving NYC's potable water by remedying failing septic systems in places that feed the many reservoirs that supply the City. 

It didn't cost us anything and all we need to do is have the system pumped and inspected every two years. It works so much better than the failed fields or the buoyant plastic yellow tank that kept emerging from the perpetually wet clay that sits over bedrock. Where we live, it's not uncommon for a new homeowner to discover that his "converted summer bungalow" relies on a series of buried oil drums connected by pipes as a waste system. 

What really had my attention was the horrible odor emanating from my son's room. I noticed a faint sour smell yesterday that only grew. He thought maybe a dead mouse somewhere. While he was in class online, I went through a couple of piles of clothes. The odor spread into the hallway. That's not a dead mouse. That's probably in the basement. Ugh. So, just as the pump truck arrives, I discover a full-grown but fully dead tabby cat in the basement. It looked like it had a large tumor on its belly. Since it was lying next to the boiler, I figured it was looking for a safe warm spot to lay down. The basement is only accessible from the outside, but there's a missing half-window that semi-feral cats have been known to use. Poor critter. At least it was warm and dry when it passed away. 

We got to the gym around noon and it wasn't horribly busy. Still, I'm disturbed by the number of members who pull their masks below their noses when they work out. Why take the chance you'll inhale aerosolized viral particles in a closed environment inhabited by other people also huffing and puffing? My concerns are purely selfish though. If someone contracts Covid-19 and it's traced back to the gym, chances are good that the gym will be forced to close. And I don't want that! 

I do Intervals on the elliptical. I feel slow and tired today. Maybe I'll skip the weights and just do cardio? Instead, I do just 3 sets of DB work for shoulders. It's a far cry from when I did 6-8 sets; now I have time constraints. To change things up a bit, I kick the StepMill up to level 6 from 5. It's just one level, but the difficulty seems exponential and after 2 minutes, I drop back down to 5 for the remaining time. I'm never able to recover either, with sweat streaming down the inside of my mask and me panting to catch my breath. Well, at least I'm not draped over the handles like sackcloth... my mouth is open so sweat is dripping past my lips. Or is that snot? It tastes salty and wet and I have no ability to wipe my face or blow my nose until I stop the machine. 

The gym re-opened 4 weeks ago and we've managed to make it about 4 times a week. While I haven't lost any weight per se, I also haven't gained any. It's a bit disheartening to realize that 45 minutes of cardio 4 times a week plus some calorie restrictions only amounts to stasis. I can't increase my gym time as much as I'd like to because the gym must remain at one-third capacity to stay open, and this means members have only a 2-hr window in which to exercise. Eating even less is going to be unpleasant. But I do want to fit into my old clothes again, so... 

18Sept2020 Freakin’Friday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program Intervals
HR 148, 188, 123
Cal 322
Distance 2.88

Crunches x 2 x 60
50 Bicycles
Piriformis Stretch
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Piriformis Stretch
Pushups 25
Quick Mat Stretch

15 lbs DB raises supersets x 3 sets
x 15 lateral standing
x 20 seated bent over

Matrix Step
Speed 6 @2min / 5 @ 13 min
Min 15
HR n/a
Cal 110
Steps 745
Floors 46