What I Did Yesterday

I spent a good part of yesterday reading up on how to wipe an old computer hard drive when the computer itself won't boot. Just because you can't get it to start doesn't mean some dedicated hacker can't access your sensitive info. Granted, the infamous blue and white power Mac G3s were discontinued in 1999 but data is data. There are no "big box retailers" in my county so I have to drive to the next state where Staples will take my old electronics. It's illegal in NY to toss such items in household trash or recycling bins: the fine is $100. I feel better taking the items to someplace that will recover any valuable components, but I'm not sure how to get the hard drive out until I watch a few YouTube videos. It's true: you CAN find a how-to for just about anything. 

I'll hang onto the hard drive until I figure out how to properly destroy it...maybe a sledgehammer since I don't have a fancy hard drive shredder or a drill press to put holes into it. Someone recommends spraying degreaser on it and soaking it in vinegar overnight since the acid will dissolve the magnetic tape eventually. A giant magnet works well too but who has one of those lying around? Not me. Maybe an auto salvage yard but perhaps that's something I saw in a movie once?

Because the dogs are spending several hours at the park in the morning (before temps become unbearably hot and unsafe), I've had to make sure I eat breakfast before I go: oatmeal with a beaten egg, dried cherries or raisins, and a splash of maple syrup. The egg makes the cereal fluffier, and with the added protein I'm full longer. However, I think it's making me fat. Seriously. I'm hungry again by the time I'm on the elliptical at the gym! 

The gym is a lot more crowded than I'm used to and I suspect that the HS there has let out early. Kids that normally don't arrive until after 2 pm are already gathered at the MaxRack doing squats. I do cardio, core, and stretches. I divide push-ups into two sets and am distressed to find them difficult, perhaps because I'm trying to keep my elbows closer to my body. But that makes my elbows click painfully so I adjust them outward with each rep until they don't hurt. I feel weak so it's a good thing that the Smith machine is available. Nothing like feeling like you've lost strength to encourage weight-lifting efforts.

I have to keep reminding myself that I'm a lot older than these youngsters although I don't think of myself as being old. Old is being in your 80s. Not sure about 70 since that's less than a decade away. I guess I should be happy I'm still able to do the routine that I do. My sciatica and the hip twinge barely register today although they're never completely gone. One careless step or "off angle" and there's discomfort. When I get home, there's a postcard addressed to me advertising funeral plots for "peace of mind" because I'm old and I should be planning for these eventualities. Ugh. Never mind that they've been sending me these reminders since I hit 50, when I was young!  

9 June 2021
Heatwave Humpday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 3
HR 81, 192-133, 92
Cal 319
Distance 2.86

Crunches x 60 x 2
Piriformis Stretch
40 Dead Bugs x 2
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25 x2
Mat stretch w Seated Twist

Smith Incl Bench
Bar (30) x 20 reps
+20 x 15
+30 x 15
+40 x 15
+50 x 12
+30 x 21