My computer is finally back… after apparently not having had a problem. Which begs the question of why it would announce it that it had a Hard Disk Failure¹ ? In any case, it makes me appreciate my PC even more… things look really weird on dad’s laptop; some of Snark’s smileys seem to be turned around by about 45 degrees

My company decided to give its female employees a wonderful Women’s Day gift: a Gift Card to a fancy spa. This has kept me giddy most of the week, expecting some sort of miracle. Seeing that my figure is not exactly what one would call ideal, I did have a few misgivings, especially as a coworker had gone before me and got a man masseur; still a gift’s a gift, and I wasn’t about to let it go to waste. My mom, of course, had to try to dampen my good mood, right before I left:

Mom: Can’t you choose something other than that massage?
Me: I can… but I don’t want to.
Mom: Well… you can always refuse the massage part.
Me: WHAT?! It’s the spa of a 5-star hotel. Why would I want to refuse a massage?!
Mom: But it’s so intimate! I wouldn’t want to do that.
Me: I’m going for a massage… not for sex!

I obviously didn’t refuse the massage, however I was slightly disappointed. Unlike the heroines in my chiklit novels, I didn’t experience any kind of ecstatic feelings. It was good and relaxing (aside the part when I thought she - I got a woman masseuse - would tear off my right arm).

Any of you gone for a massage? If I ever decide to go again, what would you recommend I try?

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¹ for those you not keeping up with my various moans: a week ago, my PC suddenly slowed down and froze on me:, refusing to boot again, when I hit reset.

Thanks to an insufferable amount of nagging from dad, I finally decided to do something constructive about my weight and joined a gym. More specifically, I decided to attend aerobic classes almost every day of the week¹.

So obviously, I needed roughly two weeks to prepare myself, only to almost forget about it and startle Beth with my sudden ending of our IM conversation²… all this to merely subscribe.

Yesterday was my first class, after which it was painfully clear that the little physical condition I had ever possessed was long gone. I’m pathetic, really: they made us lift our legs high and mine were literally screeching in protest after 10 (out of 50) tries. The end of the class literally had me wobble into the changing room, only to wobble out and into the nearest store to buy some mineral water. Apparently my legs weren’t the only wobbly body parts, as I ‘neatly‘ dropped the change into the cashier’s booth³.

Deciding that for once in my life, I should keep my mom’s advice in mind, I immediately took an aspirin when I got home (I live 7 minutes walking distance from the gym)… followed by another one because I didn’t feel the taste of the first one.

The aspirins had one Hell of an effect, as I only felt a slight pulling in the back of my legs. Suffice to say, that I went in today much more determined to do well. Only to encounter… MY 12^th GRADE GERMAN TEACHER!!one11! I hadn’t seen her since Autumn 2003 (that’s when I started university).
We were sitting side by side and she suddenly turns to me saying

I know you… I can’t remember where from, but I DO know you!

I was not wearing my glasses, so I had to squint at her outline and hazard a very very wild guess:

Me: Were you a German teacher?
Her: YES!
Me: You taught me. I’m Vera.
Her: OH yes!

Considering the rest of my classmates had no interest whatsoever, while I practically inhaled every single word she said… not to mention I was among her first students⁴, I was very glad she remembered. It has been over 4 years since then. I also found out she’s not teaching anymore.

I probably tried harder, most especially since she was right next to me… of course I still barely managed to complete 40% of the exercises. My hand-eye-coordination is … what’s that again?

In conclusion: I’m on my way to becoming a drug addict (another 2 aspirins just got swallowed, this time taste and all)… and I should probably try and fish my watch out of the bottom of my backpack. Hopefully it’s still intact, after having tossed my sweat suit and trainers right on top of it…

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¹ the gym’s closed on Sunday.
² though by now she should be quite used to my airheadedness (yes, that’s a word =P )
³ no, it was not intentional, I had to bend over and fish them out, right afterwards.
⁴ she had finished university the same year we started 12^th grade (2002).