Free Weights
2:01 p.m. - 2004-01-25


Finally the sun is out after days of fog and gloom. Sat next to the EG's at church as usual. During the sermon, the pastor was telling about how he had a tape worm as a child and had to take castor oil, then he went on to some other not too appetizing example when Eva Marie jumped up and ran out to the kitchen in the back and shut the door loudly. The pastor laughed about how he had chased his daughter out of the room with his sermon, but her morning sickness was activated by the subject matter. We all found it very funny, so I hope she was not too embarrassed.

Saw Alex last night at the birthday party, and he and Mary told us all about their recent trip to Italy. They hiked around and stayed in hostels and made sure to see all the famous art, that being the main purpose of the trip. Mary said the gelato was fabulous, as I have heard before. I was surprised when they told me that the museums were very expensive to get into, one was $30 apiece. Somehow I thought art was free, but I guess not. They mostly stayed away from the big cities and saw the small coastal towns and villages.

Evan BBQ'd the lamb at home then brought it over, and everyone said it was perfecto, but I'll have to take their word for it. Auntie M made the rice- she flavored it with chicken stock, thyme, and it had diced mushrooms and small-diced tomatoes in it. It was very good. Jason's worries about being saddled with leftover lamb came to nought because only 4 chops were left, and Eileen took two and Alex or one of January's boys took the other two. I was looking at Joel and thinking how he does not look like a guy in his fifties, maybe late thirties, and how old the people in my grandparents' day looked at that age. Jellie had another fundraiser pamphlet and we all bought something. She was gloating over the prizes she was going to win because, having so many relatives in one place, it is easy for her to sell a lot of stuff.

He is annoyed at the loud squeak that continues to come out of the healthrider no matter what lubricant he puts on it, so he decided to go to the Nordic Track store after church to see if he can get new washers for it (NT recently bought out Healthrider, he tells me). The NT store is no longer in the mall, but over in the new Pleasant Hill downtown section. He talked to the salesman and got the info he needed, while I looked at the equipment. I always thought they were incredibly expensive yuppie toys, but no, the prices were fairly reasonable. He remarked that some looked like medieval torture devices, but he noticed that there was a nice dumbell rack and weight bench combo. Then he bought it for me, so his quest for a few washers was a little more pricey, but now my weights are not all over the floor in front of the fireplace.

All this makes me feel guilty for not doing my exercises this morning, so I'd better go do them.