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Hockey skates!
Apr. 20th, 2014 10:28 pmToday I skated in my very own hockey skates for the first time!
Through a complicated series of grant-related issues, the periodic lab work I've been doing for Dr. K as a contractor pays in Amazon store credit at the moment. Normally this is just a couple hours every few months, but she recently needed me for a full day, so I found myself with a nice big chunk of money I couldn't really do anything responsible with. Well, I guess I could have saved it for household necessities or whatever. But no, I decided fuck it, I wanna pair of ice skates.
I tried on skates at Play It Again Sports in Lynnwood to decide which brand I wanted, which I recognize was sort of a dick move when I knew I wasn't going to buy from them, but I figured I'd go there for other hockey-related things eventually. And indeed, before using my new skates I needed to have them sharpened and heat-molded, so Play It Again got some of my money after all. I probably won't go there again unless I have to, though, because the guy behind the counter treated me like I didn't know anything about hockey after we had firmly established that I knew more than he did about recent Cup winners, current NHL team rosters, and the game that was being played on the TV in front of us. Like, I was in the middle of telling him why I thought a particular penalty would probably be called as charging rather than boarding, and he interrupted me to condescendingly explain what a boarding penalty is. (The penalty turned out to be--shocker!--charging. Douche.)
Anyway, that was yesterday, and today I went to Highland Ice Arena in Shoreline to try out the new kicks. It was completely dead; I think there were five people on the ice besides me. I asked the person up front whether it was always that empty, and she informed me that it was Easter Sunday, which explains it. But she did say it would probably be pretty low-traffic from now until the beginning of the next hockey season, so that's good. I like having room to move around.
I skated at Millennium Park in Chicago last December, but that was more a social thing than actually working on technique, and other than that I haven't skated in something like five years. So I was pretty pleased to have my right crossover back within about fifteen minutes, and my left crossover mostly working by the end of the hour I was out there. I also practiced skating backwards (slow going, but generally successful) and stopping (not successful, but then I've never been able to stop). I did not fall over at all, which I deem an accomplishment given my rustiness, and also given the horrendous state of the ice. I don't know what the hell was happening before I got there, but by the look of things I'm gonna guess landmine testing. So kudos to either my awesome skating skills or my awesome new skates for managing to handle that surface spill-free.
Best of all, my hip is giving me no trouble at all. For the last year or so, since that asshole phys ed teacher pushed me when I had an injury, I haven't been able to do more than a few miles of walking, running, biking, or elliptical without my hip killing me, so it's been tough to get a reasonable duration of cardio. Dancing is better, I can do about two hours of club-style dancing before the hip nopes out, but I don't really enjoy doing that outside an actual club context, and obviously I can't go clubbing often enough to get my cardio that way (enthusiastic as I'm sure Piper would be about that plan). But skating is more of a side-to-side motion, and doesn't ping the whiny muscle, so I can skate to... my heart's content. B) Which I plan to do!
Through a complicated series of grant-related issues, the periodic lab work I've been doing for Dr. K as a contractor pays in Amazon store credit at the moment. Normally this is just a couple hours every few months, but she recently needed me for a full day, so I found myself with a nice big chunk of money I couldn't really do anything responsible with. Well, I guess I could have saved it for household necessities or whatever. But no, I decided fuck it, I wanna pair of ice skates.
I tried on skates at Play It Again Sports in Lynnwood to decide which brand I wanted, which I recognize was sort of a dick move when I knew I wasn't going to buy from them, but I figured I'd go there for other hockey-related things eventually. And indeed, before using my new skates I needed to have them sharpened and heat-molded, so Play It Again got some of my money after all. I probably won't go there again unless I have to, though, because the guy behind the counter treated me like I didn't know anything about hockey after we had firmly established that I knew more than he did about recent Cup winners, current NHL team rosters, and the game that was being played on the TV in front of us. Like, I was in the middle of telling him why I thought a particular penalty would probably be called as charging rather than boarding, and he interrupted me to condescendingly explain what a boarding penalty is. (The penalty turned out to be--shocker!--charging. Douche.)
Anyway, that was yesterday, and today I went to Highland Ice Arena in Shoreline to try out the new kicks. It was completely dead; I think there were five people on the ice besides me. I asked the person up front whether it was always that empty, and she informed me that it was Easter Sunday, which explains it. But she did say it would probably be pretty low-traffic from now until the beginning of the next hockey season, so that's good. I like having room to move around.
I skated at Millennium Park in Chicago last December, but that was more a social thing than actually working on technique, and other than that I haven't skated in something like five years. So I was pretty pleased to have my right crossover back within about fifteen minutes, and my left crossover mostly working by the end of the hour I was out there. I also practiced skating backwards (slow going, but generally successful) and stopping (not successful, but then I've never been able to stop). I did not fall over at all, which I deem an accomplishment given my rustiness, and also given the horrendous state of the ice. I don't know what the hell was happening before I got there, but by the look of things I'm gonna guess landmine testing. So kudos to either my awesome skating skills or my awesome new skates for managing to handle that surface spill-free.
Best of all, my hip is giving me no trouble at all. For the last year or so, since that asshole phys ed teacher pushed me when I had an injury, I haven't been able to do more than a few miles of walking, running, biking, or elliptical without my hip killing me, so it's been tough to get a reasonable duration of cardio. Dancing is better, I can do about two hours of club-style dancing before the hip nopes out, but I don't really enjoy doing that outside an actual club context, and obviously I can't go clubbing often enough to get my cardio that way (enthusiastic as I'm sure Piper would be about that plan). But skating is more of a side-to-side motion, and doesn't ping the whiny muscle, so I can skate to... my heart's content. B) Which I plan to do!
Muscles--I will has them
Oct. 20th, 2008 12:29 amI just did the first week of the One Hundred Pushups program and a ridiculous number of crunches, and am going to continue doing so on a regular basis. It is good for stress and also maybe I will be able to see a difference between my relaxed arm and my flexed arm! I'm excited.
I won't bore you guys with the details--the people over on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
rawr_comm will have to put up with that. This is just a hay-guyz-lookit post to motivate me to keep it up so as to be ready for people to ask me how the program's going in a month.
I won't bore you guys with the details--the people over on
rawr_comm will have to put up with that. This is just a hay-guyz-lookit post to motivate me to keep it up so as to be ready for people to ask me how the program's going in a month.
The why not in the why
Feb. 4th, 2007 03:53 amI just did over 200 crunches for the second day in a row. BOOYAH.
In other news, or lack of it, I thought the decision about the Penguins moving to Kansas City was going to be announced today, but I can't find anything about it. Oh, I guess I haven't mentioned that here yet, have I? Looks like I had the right idea, but the wrong sport. Hockey is now where it's at. I haven't watched a full game yet, but I've seen some clips (go here and check out the Tampa Bay one- I can't seem to watch it enough times) and I think I may have found a new obsession.Plus, Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux live together, according to Wikipedia, and that's just begging for some RPS PWP. Anyway, does anybody know what's up with the Penguins thing?
Gawd, it's 4:15am. I'm gonna be dead on my feet at church, but I can't skip for the third week in a row. Bedtime now.
In other news, or lack of it, I thought the decision about the Penguins moving to Kansas City was going to be announced today, but I can't find anything about it. Oh, I guess I haven't mentioned that here yet, have I? Looks like I had the right idea, but the wrong sport. Hockey is now where it's at. I haven't watched a full game yet, but I've seen some clips (go here and check out the Tampa Bay one- I can't seem to watch it enough times) and I think I may have found a new obsession.
Gawd, it's 4:15am. I'm gonna be dead on my feet at church, but I can't skip for the third week in a row. Bedtime now.
There's this study I read about recently that found that people are happier overall if they think about good things that happened during the day while they fall asleep. I tried that for a few days, but I kept either forgetting or simply crashing as soon as my head hit the pillow (in case you haven't noticed, I've been busy lately). So instead, I created a new LJ, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
happypurpleone. Every day, no matter how shitty it is, I'm going to think of good things that happened and list them there. I don't expect anyone to friend that journal; the items on the lists so far are mostly pretty mundane, and I'll post about anything interesting here. Just letting you know it exists.
I also joinedrawr_comm, an exercise community mostly consisting of NPL members. Puzzling and exercise; why not? I do karate twice a week, and that usually lasts about an hour and a half, but Sifu is really cracking down on us for not even stretching on the off-days, and I should exercise more than twice a week anyhow. I used to jog, but that required me to set a good chunk of time aside, and my shins started really hurting, and shin-splint stretches weren't helping at all. So I'm going to start stretching every day, doing crunches on a regular basis (because they're easy to do; no equipment or planning necessary), and pulling out the DDR mat more often. No, it's not going to prepare me for a marathon, but hey- I'm not trying to run a marathon. I'm just trying to move around a little more.
happypurpleone. Every day, no matter how shitty it is, I'm going to think of good things that happened and list them there. I don't expect anyone to friend that journal; the items on the lists so far are mostly pretty mundane, and I'll post about anything interesting here. Just letting you know it exists.I also joined
rawr_comm, an exercise community mostly consisting of NPL members. Puzzling and exercise; why not? I do karate twice a week, and that usually lasts about an hour and a half, but Sifu is really cracking down on us for not even stretching on the off-days, and I should exercise more than twice a week anyhow. I used to jog, but that required me to set a good chunk of time aside, and my shins started really hurting, and shin-splint stretches weren't helping at all. So I'm going to start stretching every day, doing crunches on a regular basis (because they're easy to do; no equipment or planning necessary), and pulling out the DDR mat more often. No, it's not going to prepare me for a marathon, but hey- I'm not trying to run a marathon. I'm just trying to move around a little more.
Today in quotes
Oct. 19th, 2006 09:21 pmMe: *wearing the sparkly purple hat Mom knitted for me*
Dude who works the Atrium: Soy latte, right? Nice hat.
Sawnia: I like your hat.
Maureen: Great hat!
Karen: I love that hat.
Tutee: Is that your hat over there? I like it.
Sharai: I have nacho pasta and no fork, but I don't want to-
The dude who has a cat: *walks into the Spectrum newsroom*
Me: O.o
Sharai: o.O
Cat dude: *uses stapler, wanders back out*
Me: Um, do you...?
Cat dude: *is gone*
Sharai: ...?
Me: Was he... do you... did he...
Sharai: Nope. I've never seen him in here before.
Me: ...okay then.
Political science teacher: Y'all know about this habeus corpus thing?
Entire class except me and Sharai: ...Habeus what now?
Me: *explains*
Entire class except me and Sharai: Hey! They can't do that!
Teacher: They already did. You people need to be more informed.
Me: Hi, I'd like-
Taco Bell dude: Two seven-layers, no sour cream or cheese.
Me: Uh, yeah. So do I get a frequent customer discount?
Taco Bell dude: You like cinnamon twists?
Me: Sure.
Taco Bell dude (to other Taco Bell dude): Hey, give her some twists.
Other Taco Bell dude: Okay, boss.
Me: Muahahaha.
Sifu: Okay, everyone, defang the snake, two knives. Angle one! Angle three! Christa, pass, don't brush! Angle two! Good, Julia. Angle five! Angle three! Good, Julia, good!
...
Sifu: Hey, little tip for you all, it'll make things easier- odd numbers scissor in, even numbers scissor out. Remember that.
Me: *grinning madly because I'd figured that out when we first learned the moves*
...
Sifu: All right, Julia, your turn. Stay close to the ground, don't raise up, keep those knees bent... good job. Perfect.
Me: *on phone* Hey Sharai, are you and Josie still at Penn Valley?
Sharai: Yeah.
Me: I am way too tired to take the bus. Is Josie giving you a lift home?
Sharai: Dunno, but I ain't taking the bus.
Me: Could he give me-
Sharai: He says yeah.
Overall, it was an excellent day.
EDIT: Washington (AP) - Using grammar rules alongside test tubes, biologists may have found a promising new way to fight nasty bacteria, including drug-resistant microbes and anthrax. That is SO FREAKING COOL.
EDIT LE DEUXIÉME: Oh, and I did manage to finish a crossword puzzle today, too. These things are seriously addictive.
Dude who works the Atrium: Soy latte, right? Nice hat.
Sawnia: I like your hat.
Maureen: Great hat!
Karen: I love that hat.
Tutee: Is that your hat over there? I like it.
Sharai: I have nacho pasta and no fork, but I don't want to-
The dude who has a cat: *walks into the Spectrum newsroom*
Me: O.o
Sharai: o.O
Cat dude: *uses stapler, wanders back out*
Me: Um, do you...?
Cat dude: *is gone*
Sharai: ...?
Me: Was he... do you... did he...
Sharai: Nope. I've never seen him in here before.
Me: ...okay then.
Political science teacher: Y'all know about this habeus corpus thing?
Entire class except me and Sharai: ...Habeus what now?
Me: *explains*
Entire class except me and Sharai: Hey! They can't do that!
Teacher: They already did. You people need to be more informed.
Me: Hi, I'd like-
Taco Bell dude: Two seven-layers, no sour cream or cheese.
Me: Uh, yeah. So do I get a frequent customer discount?
Taco Bell dude: You like cinnamon twists?
Me: Sure.
Taco Bell dude (to other Taco Bell dude): Hey, give her some twists.
Other Taco Bell dude: Okay, boss.
Me: Muahahaha.
Sifu: Okay, everyone, defang the snake, two knives. Angle one! Angle three! Christa, pass, don't brush! Angle two! Good, Julia. Angle five! Angle three! Good, Julia, good!
...
Sifu: Hey, little tip for you all, it'll make things easier- odd numbers scissor in, even numbers scissor out. Remember that.
Me: *grinning madly because I'd figured that out when we first learned the moves*
...
Sifu: All right, Julia, your turn. Stay close to the ground, don't raise up, keep those knees bent... good job. Perfect.
Me: *on phone* Hey Sharai, are you and Josie still at Penn Valley?
Sharai: Yeah.
Me: I am way too tired to take the bus. Is Josie giving you a lift home?
Sharai: Dunno, but I ain't taking the bus.
Me: Could he give me-
Sharai: He says yeah.
Overall, it was an excellent day.
EDIT: Washington (AP) - Using grammar rules alongside test tubes, biologists may have found a promising new way to fight nasty bacteria, including drug-resistant microbes and anthrax. That is SO FREAKING COOL.
EDIT LE DEUXIÉME: Oh, and I did manage to finish a crossword puzzle today, too. These things are seriously addictive.
For the record...
Aug. 29th, 2006 07:00 am...that is the last time I eat at the CHI-HOP half an hour before karate class.
Actually, make that the last time I eat at the CHI-HOP at all. The food isn't great, the service is terrible (both workers were yammering into their cell phones with their backs to the door when we walked in), and the bathrooms have big signs saying "DO NOT PUT TOILET PAPER INTO TOILET" which leaves me at rather a loss for options.
Actually, make that the last time I eat at the CHI-HOP at all. The food isn't great, the service is terrible (both workers were yammering into their cell phones with their backs to the door when we walked in), and the bathrooms have big signs saying "DO NOT PUT TOILET PAPER INTO TOILET" which leaves me at rather a loss for options.
I left the house this morning at 7:09, and walked in the door four minutes ago, at 9:58 PM. I love having a busy schedule.
Highlights of today:
-I called Dr. Landuyt, and this one-on-one honors seminar is going to be great. I get to pick the topic, and I get to pretty much do whatever I want to do as a project. I'm thinking maybe I'll write that homeschooling report I've been meaning to design for new and prospective homeschoolers, and just make it more in-depth than originally planned.
-One of the people in my group for the political science project on developing countries is from Haiti, so we picked that as our country. We can use anecdotal evidence from her and interview her Haitian friends. This will be awesome.
-I found the "I have a cat" dude and asked him about the statement, because I just had to know. It was exactly as random as it seemed. He had no reasoning behind it. I think I'm in love.
-I talked to Vicki Raine, the head of the Humanities department, and she sent out an e-mail about the literary magazine to an English teacher, my boss at the TLC, Mindy (Student Activities boss), and two deans. This is a Good Thing.
-Shannon met her husband when they were both working at Chuck E. Cheese's. He worked the cash register and she was the person that danced around in the mouse costume at birthday parties. Sharai and I both find that hilarious.
-Speaking of Sharai, she's Christian! Yes, she's been one of my best friends for months, and I've known her for about a year, and I've somehow never figured that out. I prefer to think that she just doesn't throw it in people's faces, rather than that I'm just supremely oblivious.
-Mia called to ask a question about her French homework, and ended up telling me about her first few days of classes. She's never been to school, so the people in the back row dicking around on the Internet while her English teacher read a story was very weird for her. It sounds like she's enjoying herself and doing well so far, though, so yay for Mia!
-My first karate class was tonight. It was fantastic. It was like exercise, only fun, and without the discomfort. Sean from the bookstore is in it, so I know one person, and the guy I got paired up with (we were matched by size) was really nice. I'm going to need to buy dark exercise pants and tennis shoes that fit, because I was definitely not properly attired for the class. At least I wore a sports bra.
Highlights of today:
-I called Dr. Landuyt, and this one-on-one honors seminar is going to be great. I get to pick the topic, and I get to pretty much do whatever I want to do as a project. I'm thinking maybe I'll write that homeschooling report I've been meaning to design for new and prospective homeschoolers, and just make it more in-depth than originally planned.
-One of the people in my group for the political science project on developing countries is from Haiti, so we picked that as our country. We can use anecdotal evidence from her and interview her Haitian friends. This will be awesome.
-I found the "I have a cat" dude and asked him about the statement, because I just had to know. It was exactly as random as it seemed. He had no reasoning behind it. I think I'm in love.
-I talked to Vicki Raine, the head of the Humanities department, and she sent out an e-mail about the literary magazine to an English teacher, my boss at the TLC, Mindy (Student Activities boss), and two deans. This is a Good Thing.
-Shannon met her husband when they were both working at Chuck E. Cheese's. He worked the cash register and she was the person that danced around in the mouse costume at birthday parties. Sharai and I both find that hilarious.
-Speaking of Sharai, she's Christian! Yes, she's been one of my best friends for months, and I've known her for about a year, and I've somehow never figured that out. I prefer to think that she just doesn't throw it in people's faces, rather than that I'm just supremely oblivious.
-Mia called to ask a question about her French homework, and ended up telling me about her first few days of classes. She's never been to school, so the people in the back row dicking around on the Internet while her English teacher read a story was very weird for her. It sounds like she's enjoying herself and doing well so far, though, so yay for Mia!
-My first karate class was tonight. It was fantastic. It was like exercise, only fun, and without the discomfort. Sean from the bookstore is in it, so I know one person, and the guy I got paired up with (we were matched by size) was really nice. I'm going to need to buy dark exercise pants and tennis shoes that fit, because I was definitely not properly attired for the class. At least I wore a sports bra.
