(no subject)
Apologies to the folks who find my recent foray into the world of fitness etc. of zero interest - in recognition of that, I've put the next part of my post behind a cut so you can skip onto me whittering about other things instead!
Yes, I'm still going to the gym, though my previous plan to go regularly was somewhat scuppered by the fact that the building where I'd been going was suddenly shut down because the roof was about to fall in. They'd already known there was a problem, hence the surveyor being in to look at it with a view to repairs being done at some point (council finances permitting) but they got a worse report than they were expecting and that was that. I literally left the building at 6.30 after my Pilates class and got an email a couple of hours later to say that the building was going to be shut till an (at that point) undetermined date.
In the end, it's probably not going to be as long as all that, as they're looking at late June at the moment, but it's massively frustrating. The only gym I can go to now is right the other side of town and so I had last week off as I was feeling sorry for myself and tripped out there for the first time this afternoon. Fortunately, I have a car so it was a pain but not as bad as it could have been if I was dependent on public transport. There is another, shinier and newer building with a gym in it but the scheme I'm on doesn't let me use it, as it currently stands - I can't really complain too much, given than I'm not paying for any of this (except through my taxes and council tax).
Anyway, the first person I bumped into there was one of the guys from the gym I usually go to, who had been shipped off there to work and was decidedly unimpressed about how little communication there seems to have been about anything. He also managed to persuade me to try this bizarre machine which is a combination of a step machine and a nordic skiing thing - that seemed to be his mission in life this afternoon, as he spoke to at least three other people while I was there, getting them to try it as well. It's bloody hard work, whatever it is, so that might well get added in, we'll see.
I have to say, this gym is much more spacious - not difficult, since the one I've been going to previously is in a windowless room in the bowels of a Victorian-era swimming baths - and it seems to attract many more men who wants to stare at themselves in mirrors while lifting weights. I'm trying to work on both my overall fitness and my strength, but that doesn't mean I don't have time to see what other people are up to!
In other news, I get a week off fencing this week as it's a local election and the hall we use for practice is a polling station. I got my first fencing injury the other week, as I was fencing one of the other beginners and he kept hitting me on the bicep of my sword arm - not a valid target in foil, as you only get points for hitting your opponent's torso - and I told him "stop stabbing me in the arm" without any effect. Last week was Fight Night, which apparently happens on the last practice of the month, and they get the electronic scoring kit out so we get to wear yet another layer of clothing and also get tethered to the system like a dog on an extending lead. I lost both my bouts, which wasn't a great surprise, but I did get a couple of good hits in on both my opponents. I also managed to break a sword, which is another first!
In short, I'm enjoying it a lot, hope I keep improving but know I need to work on my stamina. Not to mention going to the optician to get the arms on my glasses adjusted so they don't move so much when I'm jumping about. It was suggested that I could fence without them, but my eyesight is so bad I'm not convinced that would work at all, not to mention having wire mesh just in front of my face for me to focus on instead and therefore have even less chance of seeing who wants to stab me!
In other news, well there's not a whole bunch to say. I'm still teaching two classes, though I've now been given a student teacher for a few weeks so she can see what life is like in adult education - she came today and I asked my learners to talk about their course and they immediately told her what a good teacher I was, which made me laugh a lot. I've been given an idea of what I'll be teaching from September and it's pretty much the same, unexpected funding cuts permitting!
I'm also reading a lot (no surprises there) and went to see Captain America: Civil War on Friday when it opened in the UK. It will probably come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I loved it, though I still prefer the Russos' previous movie. Without spoiling anyone, since I know it's only opening elsewhere this week, I'd say that it probably tries to do too much but still manages most of it. Also Chris Evans' eyelash game is very strong. ;)
Also posted at my Dreamwidth account - happy to receive comments on either post.
Yes, I'm still going to the gym, though my previous plan to go regularly was somewhat scuppered by the fact that the building where I'd been going was suddenly shut down because the roof was about to fall in. They'd already known there was a problem, hence the surveyor being in to look at it with a view to repairs being done at some point (council finances permitting) but they got a worse report than they were expecting and that was that. I literally left the building at 6.30 after my Pilates class and got an email a couple of hours later to say that the building was going to be shut till an (at that point) undetermined date.
In the end, it's probably not going to be as long as all that, as they're looking at late June at the moment, but it's massively frustrating. The only gym I can go to now is right the other side of town and so I had last week off as I was feeling sorry for myself and tripped out there for the first time this afternoon. Fortunately, I have a car so it was a pain but not as bad as it could have been if I was dependent on public transport. There is another, shinier and newer building with a gym in it but the scheme I'm on doesn't let me use it, as it currently stands - I can't really complain too much, given than I'm not paying for any of this (except through my taxes and council tax).
Anyway, the first person I bumped into there was one of the guys from the gym I usually go to, who had been shipped off there to work and was decidedly unimpressed about how little communication there seems to have been about anything. He also managed to persuade me to try this bizarre machine which is a combination of a step machine and a nordic skiing thing - that seemed to be his mission in life this afternoon, as he spoke to at least three other people while I was there, getting them to try it as well. It's bloody hard work, whatever it is, so that might well get added in, we'll see.
I have to say, this gym is much more spacious - not difficult, since the one I've been going to previously is in a windowless room in the bowels of a Victorian-era swimming baths - and it seems to attract many more men who wants to stare at themselves in mirrors while lifting weights. I'm trying to work on both my overall fitness and my strength, but that doesn't mean I don't have time to see what other people are up to!
In other news, I get a week off fencing this week as it's a local election and the hall we use for practice is a polling station. I got my first fencing injury the other week, as I was fencing one of the other beginners and he kept hitting me on the bicep of my sword arm - not a valid target in foil, as you only get points for hitting your opponent's torso - and I told him "stop stabbing me in the arm" without any effect. Last week was Fight Night, which apparently happens on the last practice of the month, and they get the electronic scoring kit out so we get to wear yet another layer of clothing and also get tethered to the system like a dog on an extending lead. I lost both my bouts, which wasn't a great surprise, but I did get a couple of good hits in on both my opponents. I also managed to break a sword, which is another first!
In short, I'm enjoying it a lot, hope I keep improving but know I need to work on my stamina. Not to mention going to the optician to get the arms on my glasses adjusted so they don't move so much when I'm jumping about. It was suggested that I could fence without them, but my eyesight is so bad I'm not convinced that would work at all, not to mention having wire mesh just in front of my face for me to focus on instead and therefore have even less chance of seeing who wants to stab me!
In other news, well there's not a whole bunch to say. I'm still teaching two classes, though I've now been given a student teacher for a few weeks so she can see what life is like in adult education - she came today and I asked my learners to talk about their course and they immediately told her what a good teacher I was, which made me laugh a lot. I've been given an idea of what I'll be teaching from September and it's pretty much the same, unexpected funding cuts permitting!
I'm also reading a lot (no surprises there) and went to see Captain America: Civil War on Friday when it opened in the UK. It will probably come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I loved it, though I still prefer the Russos' previous movie. Without spoiling anyone, since I know it's only opening elsewhere this week, I'd say that it probably tries to do too much but still manages most of it. Also Chris Evans' eyelash game is very strong. ;)
Also posted at my Dreamwidth account - happy to receive comments on either post.