Ick. Sick.

Even a few days away makes a lot of work when you come home. Laundry, unpacking, catching up on email, etc. I frittered away a lot of time right after we got home doing the email thing, and going through a whole checklist of stuff that I thought of while we were gone, but that I couldn't do without access to a computer. So I did that stuff, then went to the grocery store, picked up Chipotlé for dinner, went for a walk, came home and did laundry, took out the trash, etc.

Toward evening I started getting a sore throat, which for me is almost always a precursor to a cold. I took a bunch of Vitamin C, and I'm still taking it today, and I still have the sore throat, although it hasn't matured into anything worse. Dave, at work, has a cold that he started getting last week, so I'm assuming that's where I got it. I'll just keep taking my vitamins and drinking water and hope that it passes on by.

Bob went to the store today and got my chicken broth and Jello, so if I get worse, at least I'll have something to eat.

I've decided I need to join a gym. Bob, and especially my parents, are worried about me walking by myself after dark, and although my mom suggested that perhaps Bob could just go with me, I don't think that's going to happen. I confess to feeling a little uncomfortable at times, but I think our neighborhood is generally safe, and I don't think it's terribly foolhardy to be out after dark.

But still, I understand the concern and won't minimize it.

So, a gym. A place to exercise that's lighted and safe, a track to walk on, maybe a pool to take an aqua aerobics class or something, a sauna to relax in, maybe yoga classes. Ideally, one of the women-only fitness centers--I've been doing research. I called Club La Femme on Thursday and made an appointment to go in to see them. When the woman on the phone asked me what I was looking for, I told her that I was a walker looking for a place out of the weather to walk, so I wanted a track, and I wanted a pool and sauna, and I was also interested in yoga classes.

She said great! Come on in and we can talk, so, knowing I was going to be in for a hard sell, I said okay. I was geared up for it, because you just can't really avoid it.

It wasn't bad, really, they were pretty nice. But they didn't have a track. Nor did they have a pool, or even a sauna. But, of course, walking really isn't all that good for you once you've been doing it awhile (they said), and swimming really isn't a very good exercise (they said), and sauna's dry out your skin (they said). What you really need (they said) is cardiovascular equipment and weights . . . Which they had in abundance. Frankly, I think they're probably right about most of that, and I actually might have gone ahead and joined, except that I think it's way too expensive for the amenities they have--$200 enrollment fee (which they would halve), plus $45/month with a two year contract.

It was the two year contract that got me. I'm not ready to make that kind of commitment, and I told them that, and they told me that I could have a one year contract if I paid it all at one time . . . Yeah, right.

And, of course, they couldn't guarantee anything if I didn't decide right then and there. So I walked.

I'm sure I can find something else, either something more like what I want, or something cheaper. My ideal: a place just for women, with a pool, a sauna, a track, cardio machines, nice locker rooms and showers, and a juice bar/café. Not too much, eh? I'll probably have to give up the just for women thing, because I don't really care for the Curves approach--I'm too much of a loner--and while there are other La Femme locations (I used to belong to one of them, a long time ago) that do have pools and saunas, I'm still not sure if I want to make a two year commitment.

I'll keep looking, I guess. I'm not too motivated right now, being sick, but as soon as I feel better . . .

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month