serinde

In the midst of packing clothes not much used, I came across the closet where my prom dress and my wedding dress were hanging side by side. Now, the prom dress was the subject of a bet between Steve and me, back when I first determined to Do Something about my weight, lo these many years ago; I wagered[1] I would be able to fit into it again, which goal I never yet achieved. Of course I tried it on, and of course it is still too small, by a good margin; no brainer.

But then, moved by the usual sentiments this sort of situation generates, I tried on my wedding dress (silk satin and freshwater pearls, hand-made by nedlnthred, ably assisted by Kasia; I made the buttons and did the pearl-sewing-on). It is too big, which I knew--but it's too big in the same amount that I'm too big for my prom dress. So in theory, barring what I learned about women's bone structures continuing to grow, it's not that unreasonable a goal.

[1] I can't remember what I wagered. This is lame and vaguely disturbing.

It's college, and from what I can tell university, policy that for the middle chunk of the summer--end of June through early August (but not the week of Independence Day; don't ask), roughly--the place is Closed on Fridays. You can either work 8-5:30 and take a 45 minute lunch, or you can chalk the days up to your vacation balance; but you Do Not Show Up For Work On These Fridays.[1]

This year, the season starts on June 23. Unless you are the school gym, in which case summer is now, and anyone who wants to work out for the first three Fridays of the month is just screwed.

I am deeply vexed. I can't even go for a long walk for lunch, as my knee starts objecting[2], and the last thing I want to do is make it any worse; so weights, leavened with a judicious amount of elliptical, are my only option to burn off energy without committing mayhem.

[1] I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Fridays off, Holy Shit!. On the other, my transit suddenly becomes a Goddamn circus; I may end up forced to the 6:30am train, fuck you very much. We shall have to see how it shakes down.

[2] Yes, I'm getting it looked at. I can haz referrals, and I have a sports-medicine specialist appointment next week.

syringavulgaris: This looks like it might be interesting.
[time passes.]
elibalin: Yes, that does sound interesting.
syringavulgaris: I'm just not sure if the bar will be too, too hipster
syringavulgaris: afkdfjkdl
syringavulgaris: "Launched in part as a hangout for the members of Fall Out Boy..."
elibalin: Erm.
syringavulgaris: And their website is Dead On Arrival.
syringavulgaris: (you see what I did there)

Museum of the City of New York : Byron Company Collection On Line.

"This database contains digital images and descriptive information about individual works in the Byron Collection. The collection consists of over 22,000 photographs of New York City and its environs taken by the Byron Company between 1890 and 1942."

I think I just creamed my drawers.

Edit: Note to caelfinn: They have a whole section devoted to Delmonico's.

From: InfoSec at the Mothership
To: Lowly Individual-Colleges Scum

CUNY CIS/InfoSec is pleased to announce a new security application known as PGP.
[...]

(I should maybe have a separate books icon, I don't know.)

Have finished: Sarah Vowell, "Assassination Vacation". Loved it. Surprised at how much I learned, too. (And, even more sure than I was before that she and elibalin are meant for each other.)

Am reading: James Traub, "The Devil's Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square". Enjoying it so far.

Just got out: John Julius Norwich, "Kingdom in the Sun: The Norman Kingdom of Sicily, 1130 - 1194" and "English Court Culture in the Later Middle Ages", ed. V. J. Scattergood and J. W. Sherborne.

And a book I got out for nedlnthred which maybe I can finish before dropping it off to her: Kate Mertes, "The English Noble Household 1250-1600: Good Governance and Politic Rule".

My knee still hurts, but less hurty and more Not Quite Rightish, and I've been getting on towards the crazy from not doing serious exercise for two weeks, and my weight is starting to creep up because I have a fucking stupid over-efficient metabolism, so I ran anyways. Full 25 minutes at what I shall choose to call "lowest speed". Oh fine, it's 4.5mph. Mock away and let's see you do it.

I don't seem to have suffered any immediate ill effects. The knee was fine during the run, and returned to baseline wrong when I stopped. Though it should be noted it was mostly okay yesterday until I was walking home, when I started getting utterly random cripplingly stabbing pains through it, so I guess I shouldn't gloat just yet.

I was a little strapped for time today, so my business was truncated.

Started with 5 min. on the elliptical.

Modular shoulder press: 2 reps of 10 @ 3lbs
Lateral raise: 2 reps of 10 @ 2lbs
Fly: 2 reps of 10 @ 1lb, which went better.
10 situps on the angle bench.
Pullover: 1 rep of 10 @ 1lb, 1 rep of 10 @ 2lbs. <---new, replaced lat pull-down
Leg extension: 2 reps of 10 @ 2lbs
Assisted dip: 2 reps of 10 @ 115lbs
Assisted chin-up: 1 rep of 10 @ 115lbs.

Or, In Which A Bolt Drops From The Heavens This Afternoon:

To all ICIT Staff:

The first day of classes for the fall term is August 27. In line with ICIT policy, 
staff may not take annual leave time or other voluntary time off (personal days, etc) 
during the week before or the week of the start of classes. This year the block starts
August 20 and ends August 31. Please note that labor day is Monday, September 1. 

Why do I care? Because I really wanted and needed to go to Burning Man this year. It is exactly what my mind and spirit require. And, because this "policy" was in no wise communicated to me, nor is it written anywhere that I can find; it's just one of those things that Everyone Knows But No One Thinks To Tell You. I grow excessively weary of that class of things.

Didn't go to the gym yesterday, due to unfortunate confluence of meetings. Also, partially avoidance behavior, and partially that my bad knee has been giving me merry hell, as bad as it's been since I first hurt it. But last night I had a heck of a time sleeping on account of twitchiness, so made myself go today.

I started with five minutes on the elliptical (rather than exercise bike), thinking it would be usefully stretchy as well as aerobic.

Modular shoulder press: 2 reps of 10 @ 3lbs
Lateral pull-down: 2 reps of 10 @ 37.5lbs
Lateral raise: 2 reps of 10 @ 2lbs
Fly: 1 rep of 10 @ 1lb, which I was shaking by the end of. (What?)
15 situps on an angle bench. (Now that I've seen someone use it, and know how it works.) I was prepared to be exceedingly ashamed of that feeble exhibition, since in junior high I was accustomed to do 50 every morning, but Steve commented this evening that he always found it far, far more difficult to do them on an angle bench than flat on the floor. That is my excuse and I am sticking to it.
Leg extension: 2 reps of 10 @ 2lbs
Assisted dip: 2 reps of 10 @ 115lbs
Assisted chin-up: 1 rep of 10 @ 115lbs.

I haven't made any advances weights-wise, and indeed, have gone backwards here and there. I don't know what's up with that.

Before the assisted dip/chin-up machine, I tried running for a bit. My initial intent was to add this in as a way of having sprint practice (since my running days are concentrating on duration), but also I wanted to see if my knee would support such activity. I was fine for almost five minutes, but then, upon picking up the pace, there was a palpable twist followed by a jet of pain, and I had to hit the stop button or risk becoming a slapstick routine. I don't know if this is just from the running action, or from the speed--I had turned it up to .5 mph faster than my usual fastest speed. I will proceed cautiously tomorrow.

Am still being a right coward about stepping on the scale. Most of my work blouses remain loose (to the point of not looking trim), so I haven't lost much ground, I don't think. Tomorrow I shall stop being an ostrich and just fucking deal with the fucking numbers.