(no subject)
I've been saying it for months. Two weeks ago I finally followed through and went back to the gym. I've been paying for it all this time, well over a year since I've last been and there's been no other excuse. I've found that my cardio strength has been terrible and my back is bothering me more than it was but the cardio was the main thing that concerned me. So I did it. And it was hard. I went twice a week for the first two weeks and this week will start trying to go three times a week. I might not manage it some times but it was always thus. No trainer this time as i can't swing that. They're quite expensive and we have other things we need to reserve our funds for. I saw my old trainer yesterday, and we had a little catch up. He did offer to do a refresher session with me on Friday so I'll take that on. Gives me a bit more of a push and though I remember the kinds of exercises i was doing before, he might also come up with some good ideas.
I'm not throwing myself into it but then I never did. I would like to get myself back to where i was, though. I was able to go on the cross trainer for 20 minutes last going off. I don't run, I don't go fast and hard, but I was moving. I'm starting slowly because it will kill me if i try to push myself before my body is ready. 15 - 20 minutes on the treadmill or bike for now, plus weights and machines. After a little while, I'll start with the cross trainer, and even if i can just go 5 minutes at first, that's something that I can build on. I've set up my iPod playlists, very important. Can't do it without tunes.
Not a lot else to report. Weather's been quite good, even nicer than usual for this time of year. Municipal election last weekend. Turnout was appallingly low. I think there were 4 out of 16 council seats already acclaimed and one or two school board seats and I wonder if that's why people didn't bother to vote for other stuff, Mayor in particular. They reported that the pre-election evoting was down from last time, too but that's all probably the same issue. I'm sure there are lots of people that figure if they haven't got to vote for the councillor, they wouldn't bother voting for Mayor when the outcome was pretty much assured that the encumbent was going to win anyway. He did. I think there were about 90,000 that voted for the two candidates. There are approximately 280,000 eligible voters more or less.
This was the first time in nearly 20 year that I haven't been working on the election so i don't know the numbers exactly. They redid the election application and didn't write it in house as such. They used the Province's system and customized it for ourselves, with consultants doing the work. I wasn't involved other than information gathering at the start of the project. It also meant i didn't have to work on election night into the week hours. That was a blessed relief. I always ended up sitting here doing next to nothing untill all the results were in, then spent about 15 minutes running some scripts and reports. That's it. And by that time it was usually anywhere between 2 and 5 a.m. most times. One year they let me go home at midnight and come in on Sunday morning for 9 to do it. Every time there would be some glitch or issue and the people in charge would be in a state. There's a lot of pressure on them, from inside and from the media but as much as they wanted to blame the application or the database, it was never that which was the problem. I'm very happy it's not my part of my job anymore :) I've done my time.
I've read a book recently by an author called Ami McKay. She's born American but lives in Canada now, in Nova Scotia and her book took place near an area that I know, in the Annapolis Valley though it takes place about 100 years ago. The Birth House, it's called, and is about midwifery in the pre WWI days. I have another of her books, called The Virgin Cure and she's got a new one coming out next week. Turns out she's speaking at the Halifax Central Library next Wednesday night and I am going to go hear her. I think i'll even be able to get a copy of the book because it's released the day before according to the bookstore here. I'd like to get it signed if possible. G. said he'd go with me to keep me company. He's a good husband :) I knew it wasn't really his thing since it's not the kind of book he reads, but I wouldn't have seen him all day since it would have been very inconvenient to come home after work and turn right around and have to go out again. This way, we can get a bite to eat before the talk and head to the library. I am also hoping to meet someone that's in a Goodreads group that I follow for Canadian literature so that will be nice, as well.
I'm not throwing myself into it but then I never did. I would like to get myself back to where i was, though. I was able to go on the cross trainer for 20 minutes last going off. I don't run, I don't go fast and hard, but I was moving. I'm starting slowly because it will kill me if i try to push myself before my body is ready. 15 - 20 minutes on the treadmill or bike for now, plus weights and machines. After a little while, I'll start with the cross trainer, and even if i can just go 5 minutes at first, that's something that I can build on. I've set up my iPod playlists, very important. Can't do it without tunes.
Not a lot else to report. Weather's been quite good, even nicer than usual for this time of year. Municipal election last weekend. Turnout was appallingly low. I think there were 4 out of 16 council seats already acclaimed and one or two school board seats and I wonder if that's why people didn't bother to vote for other stuff, Mayor in particular. They reported that the pre-election evoting was down from last time, too but that's all probably the same issue. I'm sure there are lots of people that figure if they haven't got to vote for the councillor, they wouldn't bother voting for Mayor when the outcome was pretty much assured that the encumbent was going to win anyway. He did. I think there were about 90,000 that voted for the two candidates. There are approximately 280,000 eligible voters more or less.
This was the first time in nearly 20 year that I haven't been working on the election so i don't know the numbers exactly. They redid the election application and didn't write it in house as such. They used the Province's system and customized it for ourselves, with consultants doing the work. I wasn't involved other than information gathering at the start of the project. It also meant i didn't have to work on election night into the week hours. That was a blessed relief. I always ended up sitting here doing next to nothing untill all the results were in, then spent about 15 minutes running some scripts and reports. That's it. And by that time it was usually anywhere between 2 and 5 a.m. most times. One year they let me go home at midnight and come in on Sunday morning for 9 to do it. Every time there would be some glitch or issue and the people in charge would be in a state. There's a lot of pressure on them, from inside and from the media but as much as they wanted to blame the application or the database, it was never that which was the problem. I'm very happy it's not my part of my job anymore :) I've done my time.
I've read a book recently by an author called Ami McKay. She's born American but lives in Canada now, in Nova Scotia and her book took place near an area that I know, in the Annapolis Valley though it takes place about 100 years ago. The Birth House, it's called, and is about midwifery in the pre WWI days. I have another of her books, called The Virgin Cure and she's got a new one coming out next week. Turns out she's speaking at the Halifax Central Library next Wednesday night and I am going to go hear her. I think i'll even be able to get a copy of the book because it's released the day before according to the bookstore here. I'd like to get it signed if possible. G. said he'd go with me to keep me company. He's a good husband :) I knew it wasn't really his thing since it's not the kind of book he reads, but I wouldn't have seen him all day since it would have been very inconvenient to come home after work and turn right around and have to go out again. This way, we can get a bite to eat before the talk and head to the library. I am also hoping to meet someone that's in a Goodreads group that I follow for Canadian literature so that will be nice, as well.