Thursday, January 24, 2008

The best of both worlds!

I'm tired today. And I'm cold. It's below zero outside and doesn't feel much warmer in here. My furnace is totally working, but it barely turns off these days. I am afraid to see what my gas bill will be!


My new position at work is kicking my butt, I have been going all day without any time for anything but - well - work! I like to ease into it a bit in the morning, but because the 'team' I'm on now is national, some of my co-workers are on the east coast, some on the west, and I'm right in the middle. I know that some of them on the east coast start work at something like 7:00am which means that by the time I get in at 8:30 some of those people have 2 and a half hours head start on me! So I get to work and hit the ground running.



It's not a race, but there is always competition and the feeling that people are looking at you sideways because look how much they have gotten done before you even get into work!


I am glad to have gotten the new position, happy to learn new things and even if I whine I really would rather be busy, this week has just flown by! Still - there is that lingering sense of not being good enough and needing to prove myself. So, I am working very hard.


Before leaving work I started my car and let it warm up for about 10 minutes, and when I crossed the frozen tundra that is our parking lot - got in the car - it.was.still.cold. Warmer than outside, on it's way to being warm, but even my car's heater has trouble keeping up with this cold. Br-r-r-r.


Stopped on my way home and got my hair cut because we all know it's a great idea to expose our ears to the fullest extent when the temps drop below zero! Seems I tend to do things backwards like that. Get the short haircuts when it's cold out and sweat with the hair on the back of my neck when it's warm.


Feeling all fancy with my new haircut I decided to stop at the drugstore. I have been out of makeup remover wipes, cloths, whatever you want to call them. I love the little plastic box where I can lift the lid and pull out a cloth as easily as a tissue. Realizing I was out a couple nights ago there was something like panic. Okay, mild panic. How will I get my makeup off!?!?!?!? As if I wasn't wearing makeup before these things were invented.


It's amazing how spoiled we are, I know I have easily slipped into the simpler way of doing
things. I remember having conversations with my daughter in particular, telling her there were no microwaves when I was a kid. No, there certainly wasn't any Internet because OH MY GOD there weren't even any personal computers back then. Our phones were rotary, cell phones didn't exist, and when they did - they were bolted into your car with a battery the size of a shoe box in the trunk!


I am glad we have all the things that make life easier now, but boy does anyone else get thrown for a loop when some convenience goes haywire, or runs out, or dies? The microwave is broken? Wailing - what will I do-o-o-o??! How will I cook??


Now though, I have a new convenience I am determined to acquire. Whether I can buy it or have to rig it myself, I have to have this. How much time do I spend on my laptop in the evenings? I don't even want to admit how much. So this, this is what I am determined to have. Okay? Even the Mayo Clinic is saying this is a good thing to do!



The object is not to run or even walk fast. The recommended way of doing it is to run the treadmill at a slow walking speed. Slow enough so you can use your laptop effectively, whether for work or for fun, it's 100% better than SITTING behind the computer!




Like I said, I don't know if there is something affordable I can buy, or if I can figure out how to set something up on my own, I have to confess that nothing holds my attention quite like the computer does these days.



This? $6500.00. Yeah, that's not happening anytime soon. At least I think the price includes the treadmill!
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7 comments:

  1. I swear to God that yesterday I was thinking of what could get me to exercise and I came up with Internet access on workout machines. And here you are with the answer. I'm just a measly $6500 away from my dream!

    I was in 9th grade when we got our first microwave. I first used the Internet in 1996. Now my four-year-old can surf the web and pay phones are a novelty.

    Kids nowadays... :)

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  2. Good thing I already have the treadmill!

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  3. Wow thats the thing !
    what a brilliant idea .... Im sure someone of your calibre can fix up something rather than spending 6500 whatever it was on the system you showed . But its right , if all that time we sat with the laptop ( in my case slouched in an armchair ) was spent walking , ( attached to a pedometer in my case ) we'd be laughing .
    better than a roomba .
    Keep us posted !

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  4. I want one of those! I could do with more exercise but with chores, beading and blogging, there's not much time to do anything else. So doubling up is a great idea.

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  5. I soooooo want that last one!! I would be able to stop feeling so guilty for being on the computer all the time!!

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  6. Brilliant idea, I want one as well. I spend far too long on the computer, especially when it's cold outside..

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  7. I am *so* loving that idea... gonna get hubby to start drawing up some plans...

    We always laugh at the panic in fast food joints (talk about convenience) brought on by a dodgy connection. Ever try to use a debit card? Or worse, watch them struggle as they try to figure out how much change you should be receiving!!! It really is sad, that we are so dependent... However, I'm just as guilty as the next guy!!!

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