Today's Workout.

Not too shabby a week; despite the intense time pressures of days without school, I managed to get to the gym three times this week, and have successfully closed in on 30 push-ups with my feet above my head and using a half-ball for my hands, which adds to the balance challenge. My heart rate is down to 145 during intense aerobics, which is where it ought to be for a guy my age (as opposed to 170, which is where it was last year when I started). My mobility is about the same, although I no longer fear falling down stairs from a knee blowout, and I haven't had a neck spasm for months. My dumbbell curls aren't going up in weight, but I've been able to do more reps.

All in all, I seem to be putting myself together pretty well. What was broken is not any longer, and I'm maintaining or improving my strength in most of the areas I care about.

Now if only I could get rid of the damned spare tire. It's only a small bicycle tire, really, but ... dammit.

Oh, and the "January surge" has begun. Yes, I know, it's February. But the Great Grey Lid of Seattle has lifted, the weather is turning nice again, and people are starting to realize that short sleeves and revealing dresses are just around the corner. I think those people who bought membership in January went once, decided it wasn't for them, and now realize that it might be for them after all.

"Servicing the Customer!"

I blogged a while ago about my bookbag giving up the ghost. I've been carrying it around ever since. True, the zipper's broken and it has no shoulder strap anymore, but dammit it still carries everything.

I decided the other day to try and do something about it. I'm rather picky about my bookbags, and what I want is something that looks rugged and, well, Indiana-Jonesy. Something khaki and canvas.

I walked into Bergman's Luggage, a downtown luggage shop, rather mid-to-high-end. It's next to Zanadu Comics, which is why I know of it. I was willing to pay upward of a C-note for a decent bag, maybe even exceed that. I've shopped at Bergman's luggage before, and even bought my laptop sleeve from them three years ago.

A woman greeted me. I presented my case: I was looking for a new laptop bag with a durable over-the-shoulder strap. That's all. I figured if I found what I wanted I'd know it, I just wanted her to lead me to the messenger bags and laptop attachés. I was dressed for work: my work drag is pure work drag: collared shirt, slacks (usually unironed), often with a day or two's worth of stubble but otherwise, y'know, software geek drag.

She took one look at me, up and down, and said, "You're probably not going to find what you want here. Maybe you'd be better off shopping on-line?"

I was stunned. She wasn't even going to try. "Fine," I said. "I'll do that." I'll take my business elsewhere.

But I have a small clue for her. Geeks are often very passionate about their bookbags. We have to carry them every day; they carry all our electronics and ephemera, and often much of our daily life is in the bag. They also get heavy, so we need to get one that's strong and sits well across the shoulder and back. And we need to know if they fit the big things, like the laptop. I don't want to shop "on-line" for a bookbag. I want to try them on, see how they balance, maybe slip my machine into it and make sure it fits well. I may not shop often, but when I do I try to find the best product possible for me.

I'm extremely annoyed that this woman took one glance at me and decided that she wasn't going to get a commission, and she said so. I mean, she should tell that to the last guy from the store who sold me something. Anyway, I'm just not going to shop there ever again.

Oh, nos! Theology!

I ought to be working on something commercial, but no, Muse likes the angel story so much I wrote another 1200 words into it today. We have our hero Gabriel, his girlfriend Jill, the "good" (for some definition) angel Mahazioth, whom you've met, and then we have the "bad" angel Lahmai and the "good" demoness Hushai, and I have a seven-days sort of outline.

The trouble is, day seven's outline entry reads simply, "And all hell breaks loose." And I'm not sure what Muse means by that.

Oh, and Muse also gave me an idea for a steampunk episode that fits in the Journal Entries universe. "But you can't write it until someone in Polestar talks about the missing ship from the Sterlings mission, so you'll have to finish Polestar first."

Two sick thoughts that go well together