January 11, 2004 - 9:06 p.m.

Warming Up

After days of temperatures in the single digits and below zero wind chills, today the high was in the low 20's! Yippee! My first indication of the warming trend was that little ceramic heater with the built in thermostat finally turned itself off for a while this afternoon - meaning it had helped my room achieve 65 degrees! Sometimes I hate living in the basement...

In honor of the balmy weather, I decided to drag my lazy rear out of the house and go ice skating before my chorus rehearsal today. Some of you would have been miserable at an outdoor skating rink when it was about 22 degrees outside, but I was quite comfy. Except for my screaming shin muscles... See, I am not an accomplished skater. Rather, I skate like a little kid. I've gotten past the shuffling baby steps stage, but I am still pretty pathetic. Just when I start to get the hang of skating instead of hobbling, all those muscles in my legs that aren't used in my day to day life but are crucial to staying upright on the ice start complaining. No Michelle Kwan am I!

Still, as the half hour I spent skating wore on, I definitely felt more confident. Despite catching my toe pick (has anyone seen "The Cutting Edge"? "Toe pick!") in the ice a couple times, I never fell. Maybe if I actually get out and skate a few times this winter I'll get better. I think I need to enlist a friend to teach me how to stop, though. I live in fear of a child wiping out in front of me causing a disastrous combination of momentum, obstacle, and skate blades.

My goal this winter is to get outside every weekend and do something active. Skating is an easy option, since I own my own skates. I also intend to try cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. I often have trouble getting myself to the gym on the weekends, and all those activities are good exercise. I also don't take advantage enough of the beauty of winter up here, so getting out and enjoying nature will be good. We'll see how well I fulfill my goal. :)

today's project: staying upright on skates

musing about:whether it's too late to bother with dinner

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