Saturday Dec. 3
Up at 8:30. Fresh grapefruit and coffee, and 2 packs of instant Oatmeal from the giant box of 52 packs of oatmeal I brought with me from Sam’s Club. An email from (sister-in-law) Karen reveals that my blog is taking a long time to "load" onto the page because all the entries from last winter must download onto the page before you can start navigating and reading the CURRENT entries. After exploring a few options, I discover a website called blog2print.com. For $7.95, they will gather all the entries in your blog at you specify, and downloaded them to your computer in Adobe Acrobat as as single file (including your photos!). I can now take this file to a Staples office store, and have a hard copy made, like a book. What a great idea! So now, all of last winter's entries have been deleted from the blog, and it should load much faster now.
After thinking about it, I decided that I can get along without a whirlpool here at the complex, but I absolutely need a good place to work out, with access to it at all times. Regular exercise, I’ve found this past year, is the absolute key to regulating my blood sugar. Plus I am losing weight, and feel better and sleep better.
After thinking about it, I decided that I can get along without a whirlpool here at the complex, but I absolutely need a good place to work out, with access to it at all times. Regular exercise, I’ve found this past year, is the absolute key to regulating my blood sugar. Plus I am losing weight, and feel better and sleep better.
So I check online and find a “24 Hour Fitness” location about 6 miles from me. I can join for one month for $100. I pack my gym bag, set the GPS to the address, and head on over. It’s a lovely 2-story facility, set within a larger multipurpose building, in a tony neighborhood just north of downtown Orlando. Funny how in the this town you find these really nice 4-square block "enclaves of wealth" surrounded on all sides by blight. There’s a high rise condo right across the street from the center, and there’s also a Target store, and movie theater multiplex, and a sports stadium nearby. Underground parking is also available. I don’t know when this was all built, but I’m guessing it wasn’t here (or was at least under construction) when I was here last winter.
Anyway, I am introduced to “Keith” the salesman, who proceeds to try and upsell me on all sorts of extras, mostly a “special” on three sessions with a personal trainer for an additional $129. I pass, and sign the papers for a one-month membership. They set me up with a 10-digit passcode to get past the front desk, and they also take a fingerprint scan for biometric identity. Is this a bit of overkill, or is it just me? Anyway, I am now set up for my workouts, and the bonus is, this place also has a lap pool and a whirlpool (and yes, it does work!) so I have myself a fine workout (the first one since last Sunday), and top it off with a nice swim and soak. Today’s workout was worth $100 alone, so I’m sure I will get my money’s worth out of this. I’ll also have another place for shopping, eating (lots of restaurants), and a place to go for movies on rainy days.
The Millenia Mall up the street from me is absolute pandemonium today, with the holiday shopping season in full swing. Exits in both dirrections off Interstate exit to Conroy Road are backed up for almost half a mile. When I return to the condo from the Fitness Center, I take the exit BEFORE Conroy Road, and just let the GPS unit figure out an alternate route back to the condo. I take a short pause to admire my moment of cleverness, because I don’t have many.
I also did a couple “short loads” of laundry today, and am happy to report the washer/dryer in the unit work just fine. I sent a short email to Razmik Melikian, my landlord, advising him of the conditions of the whirlpool and the fitness center. I do not want a refund, I tell him, just want to advise him of the status of things. He sends a short, courteous reply thanking for the info, but basically states “that’s the way things are” right now with the rocky state of the real estate market. I wonder how many of the 50 or so units here have gone through foreclosure since the market crashed in 2008?
Dinner is a cheeseburger, using the last hamburger patty I brought with me from home, so pretty much all the leftovers are now used up. I watch a little TV, surf the ‘net, and head off the bed about 10:30 p.m.
Expenses:
Fitness center membership $100
Bruce
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