Boredom does some amazing things–including flipping your practices around to be the opposite of what you once knew.

I am not bored in a bad way, no, but I also have such a freedom with my time and my energy that I have been trying to fill it up with activities. Inevitably the activities turn into physical ones, simply for the fact that they are often free or inexpensive, and really the only things that end up making me feel productive emotionally. I am off on this meditative super healthy kick. My sister and I started a walk to run program a little over a week ago. I think, according to her master plan, that I should be running as of tomorrow but I doubt this will just happen like that. This is primarily because I have never been one for distance running. Short distances, sure…when I can exploit the speed I once had and fly past you. I tend to still walk like a New Yorker as well, running people down with my gait, which is actually not as long as most people assume. My torso is somehow the longest part of me, given my inseam is no more than 32/34 inches and given I am 5’11, the ratio leans heavily in the top’s direction. But when I move, I move fast, since where I came from never allowed for slow meandering. You got where you decided to go by moving fast, and if you didn’t go fast, you’d get caught up in the throngs of tourists, all looking up all over, never seeing you barreling towards them half the time.

I have been walking my speed walk pace, sometimes faster than the joggers in my little MBT’s, those shoes around long before the Sketcher’s shape ups. The main difference is the cost, given they hover around $255 a pair. Good thing I worked for a company which allowed me to choose a few pairs at no cost given we sold them and they were a good percentage of our business. I also am going to acupuncture today to get some stuff resolved with my wonky shoulder I think…a recommendation given to me by my Tai Chi/Qi Gong instructor (her husband in fact is the one putting needles in me today). I am also considering going to the pool here in 30 minutes for the adult open swim, but I am somewhat nervous about going into an enclosed space with a bunch of people I don’t know, covered in crazy scars, not knowing a soul. I had a plan I was devising to be that weirdo who showed up to the pool in costume given my swim cap is all retro and I have a bunch of retro suits. I also was going to try to do yoga on my off days–as my body having lost much of its fat has left me with a weird un-stretched foundation. I can usually touch the floor palms down but right now I am not so sweet with that.

At night I watch the people doing all of the team sports, the volleyball, the soccer. The people playing soccer look the most relaxed whereas the volleyball players here look a little more hardcore than the kids I used to F around with–so I decided I wanted to play soccer. I looked up an amateur league complete with a mini-boot camp I thought would be useful. I have played, but I tend to not speak of it very much given everyone I know is a little more hardcore serious about it all than I have ever been. F used to play one on one with me, and given I am somewhat of a sore loser, I don’t give up easily. With one-on-one competition I tend to get kinda nasty. No really, I throw fits. I just hate losing, and who wants to be a loser anyways? Not me. But I am scrapping the soccer until next year, at which point I will probably be in better shape than most people.

With this comes a diet overhaul, and as I was walking today I figured I could probably be pretty inspiring if I did some fitness training/nutrition training and advocate and support those who have had heart issues. I ride 6 miles at night, walk 3 in the morning and have a few little things in between–and I am leaning very favorably in the vegan direction since I am not exactly well internally–I figured it’s a natural transition given my predisposition to internal failure. I saw forksoverknives.com/ and watching it was a definite eye-opener. Though it didn’t show me much I did not know, to have it all compiled into one place allowed for a more compelling message than I usually get. I did try speaking with Dr. Fuhrman of the nutritarian fame, but he is kind of a greedy asshole who clearly didn’t participate in the film because it would not have brought him monetary fulfillment given it gives you free good information whereas he likes to charge for his. To the tune of $440 for a half hour phone session. Yeah, so about that–no way. Not only could they not give me any guarantees of getting me off my medication, but they also indicated followup charges were inevitable. The accupuncturist and Tai Chi instructors I have are actually real chinese medicine followers, where sharing information and getting people well is tantamount to getting lots of money from them. People who want to help people, not take all their money, how crazy is that?

I think what I will do is join the rec centers tomorrow, when I will have the full balance to satisfy the membership.  I will get dressed here in a minute and prepare for my adventure to the accupuncturist. Have a little lunch, do some exploring. Walk my pretty little head off. My new bike is gonna be ready here any day I hope. It’s got gears, and it’s a little scratched up, but they are redoing it better than brand new for my little butt. My cruiser cost me a hundred dollars in Brooklyn, a discount from the $600 ones I see here. My new hybrid bike is gonna cost me $99, and yes, that is clearly a discount from the ones I have been seeing, 6-10 times that cost. I am also scouring craigslist daily for scooter deals. I need one, or a motorcycle. River wants me to do a huge great lakes adventure in August to Canada on a motorcyle–and though he rode from Oregon to NY on his bike a month or so back, I am not sure a girl riding alone that long is so smart. Probably not, actually. I really want to do some crazy biking adventures…maybe start crossing off some major hikes from my list. Oh, hiking is killer, and though I haven’t been in some time, I think I am preparing my body better every day I go out and get that heart pumping.

Oh, and last but not least–I am gonna be the cutest little thing Saturday night. I am going to the 1940sball.org . I am going dateless since my sister seemed to think going as a couple of girls didn’t “look cute dancing 40’s style.” And clearly my dates have all tapered off to less than one a month these days. I am thinking, though that might not be true, I get her hesitation. I did post on their wall declaring that my dateless butt needed at least a possibility of a dancing partner since it is clearly so average for my experience to go to something big with no date. They do seem to have a singles registration area for those who would like to dance, but are coming without a date. Never a date or have a date to weddings (not even once!), never have a date to anything from the Second Chance Dance retro proms to all manner of balls I have gone to—the least of which was not the Anti-Valentine’s day Vampire Ball (yeah, laugh, we did), where I had to watch the date I should have had make out with a girl in front of me. I took lady Lisa then, and we were totally gorgeous, and though it wasn’t the first time I have been lied to and cheated on, it takes a certain kind of monster to do it in front of your face. And then turn around a year and a half later and ask you to get married via text message? Yeah, that guy. So I guess me having any idea of a date is just a bad omen. It does get a little tiring running around at events like these with no posse, but I have gotten so good alone that I can be whoever I want to be given nobody is there to think otherwise. I plan on winning an award for costuming since I am wearing a little cute wiggle dress, crossing my fingers no girl has the same, but with my beauty headbands, I will definitely score something there. I think I am gonna pumpkin out at midnight, especially considering I am going to be stranded out in Boulder…but I am thinking it might actually be something worth writing about, that whole night, if things go according to plan.