A few random thoughts

I've been blogging for several hours, but unfortunately it was building the template back (I think one of my cats walked over the keyboard at an inopportune moment). I've mostly been adding some regional blogs. The meetup was supposed to be tonight, but we didn't have enough people this time. So I've been digging up various blogs in Kentucky. I thought it might be nice to show how different the denizens here are, and not entirely stereotypical, much like I have for links to librarians. But I also decided I should actually post something. So, here's an update on how things are going in the world of the Rabid Librarian.

I just checked and my student loans have finally consolidated!!! (And there was much rejoicing!) It only took three years, as I'm sure those of you who have had to put up with my periodic whining know. The monies have been disbursed and except for the minority which are from third-party lenders, the original loans show up as paid. I'm assuming the others will update in a few days--the consolidation just went through on the 7th. Not only did I get a very low rate but this also means that they have to stop garnishing my wages. I think in the long run I'll actually be paying a little more per month, but that's not too bad. I think it'll run about $200 a month. Not wonderful--but doable, especially considering unconsolidated my payments would be more than I make in a month. :)

It seems so strange to say this...but...I joined a gym. I live directly between two of the facilities here in Lexington. Our workplace was able to negotiate a corporate rate of only $16/month; it's usually $40-$60 depending on the facility. A whole slew of people I know joined, too (really, that amount was too great to pass up), and so I'll have buddies. I figure at that price even if I went for only a couple times a month, it would still be worth it, and it's less in a year than most home gym equipment. I had to sign up for a year but there was no sign-up fee--I just paid $7.50 for this half of the month and I'm on my way. They have some interesting classes, including a cycling class where you ride whilst watching a movie, a power yoga class, etc. A trainer is supposed to get in touch with me in a day or two to set up an orientation. I haven't used fitness equipment since I lifted weights in high school. I may go over tomorrow though and at least take a look and maybe get on a treadmill. Dwana and some of her friends joined too, although she won't be starting until September due to her health issues.

The scary thing was I went to the website and they have a lot of tools for fitness and weight loss. They had a calculator to estimate your percentage of body fat. I am 272 lbs, with hips at 55" and waist (if I don't try to hold it in) at 48", bust at 50". (Ye Gods, I don't believe I'm telling random strangers that!) They estimate at 44% body fat (that's like 118lbs--a whole person!) That is scary. I figure for the cost of a couple of meals a month, anything I can do to feel better has got to be good. The same calculator at least recognises a good 'target weight' of 175-180lbs. If I followed some of the insurance tables my ideal weight would be something like 125-145, and I'd be painfully thin. I'm a solid person, short-waisted, with long legs. I'm never going to look like a model, and that's not my intent. I just want to be healthy. The good thing is that despite the diabetes I have a good heart rate (resting is about 68-70) and blood pressure (last time I gave blood it was 115/72; I suspect that if I lost weight I'd actually have low blood pressure).

I went ahead and transferred the most recent quiz pictures to my own webspace so this page should load much more quickly. Hope that helps.

Hmmm...anything else? I accidentally wound up on a porn site at work (one that even shocked me, because it was promoting incest). I was just trying to find pictures of racecars for a poster-sized card I made for the brother of one of my co-workers; he has cancer. We're having a benefit for him this weekend and we wanted everyone to be able to sign, and it was important that we not give a 20 year old a really girly or kid-like card. Anyway, I backed out of that one pretty fast and gave it to IT to block. Lord knows if we're going to have filters (and no, it doesn't make me happy, but I also have access to an unfiltered connexion), at least hopefully they'll work right.

Thank you Dwana for taking me by Taco Bell! I've been having cravings for a couple of weeks and they weren't going away until I had two seven-layer burritos. Here's to happy vegetarian 'Mexican' food (and yes, I know it's stretching, but I specifically wanted TB). Yo quiero Taco Bell!

The local news was pretty depressing today. I hadn't done more than skim the headlines for awhile but I watched the evening news tonight. There were several stories regarding sexual abuse--one man arrested in Louisville for molesting children in department stores in West Virginia and Ashland, another prowling Boyle county playgrounds and fairgrounds, another (similar description at least in Mercer county) who exposed himself to children in a couple of public libraries, and an ex-minister who walked out of a courtroom the day he was convicted on sex abuse charges who was finally caught. I don't know what's bringing all the sickos to Kentucky at the moment, but gee, can we stop whatever it is? Oh, and I didn't mention this before, but in late June right before the Junior League Horse Show someone went into a barn and injected five horses with what appears to have been acid. The saddlebreds were, I believed, going to attend the show. They had a report tonight that all horses are still being treated with hyberbaric chambers and the like, and they're just hoping they can keep the good legs strong long enough to let the others heal--but there's been a lot of damage in terms of the horses' health, costs, etc. I can't imagine why anyone would do such a thing. Argh!!! I followed this up with a documentary on bubonic plague (which I found interesting and not nearly as depressing) and the last bit of the movie Miss Congeniality which I love. So I'm feeling a little better about the world.

I find it interesting that Finland is experiencing a heat wave that's left it with temperatures around the same as ours. Apparently the reindeer are having a rough time of it, but Santa's hard at work in shorts. :) And in Rome they're so hot that Vatican guards and tourists are nearly coming to blows over the proscription of shorts and sleeveless shirts in area churches. The police in Rome are trying to keep people out of the fountains. One thing about living in the South--you forget that other people just aren't prepared for our sort of weather. It's like Canadians watching people in Atlanta panic over a half-inch of snow, I suppose. Kentucky's smack dab in the middle of things so we get a little bit of both, plus rain, drought, tornadoes, occasional earthquakes, etc.

Well, I told myself I would not take a nap earlier because I didn't want to sleep my night away, but it's 1 am and I can't fight anymore. Take care. I keep thinking tomorrow is Friday but it's not. :(