Life forces

     I had my skating class last night, which was fun, except for the fact that I was incredibly off balance throughout the entire lesson and kept tripping over myself and forgetting I was on ice skates.  At the end our instructors taught us the "lunge", which isn't actually on our level's test, but still fun.  Unfortunately, although I can do a lunge, I cannot come up out of it without falling.  Fortunately, though, since you are much closer to the ground doing a lunge than you would be doing many other skating maneuvers, the fall is not that bad.

     My skates are getting a bit scuffed, which saddened me at first, but then I decided that scuffs will only prove my dedication:

(it's kind of hard to see, but there are a couple scuffs toward the front of the boot near the sole)

     Jessica graciously drove me to Meijer this afternoon, where I bought lots and lots of food, including ingredients for a sandwich I had bought and devoured from Espresso Royal and that I had hoped to replicate.  I gave it a try tonight, and since I really liked how colorful my dinner looked, I decided to take a picture:

(Unfortunately, I don't have a food setting on my camera.  Sandwich: Ciabatta bread, sliced tomatoes and onion, goat cheese and pesto (I didn't find any at the store, so I made the poor woman's pesto: pre-grated parmesan cheese and olive oil))

Of course, my beverage of choice played an integral part in my dinner:

     Since I am a hypochondriac, I had my potassium checked because the two medications I am taking can increase potassium when taken together.  It turns out that my potassium is high, but still within the "normal" range (their range for "normal" is 3.5-4.9; my level is 4.7... whatever that means.)

     Tonight, I'm going to watch a movie about an Israeli soldier (?).  I hope to know more about the plot after having watched the movie!

Today I worked on my arms...

... by making puppy chow, hey-o!  Hey, all that stirring of chocolate and peanut butter and shaking of the nearly finished product in order to achieve full powdered sugary encrusted goodness takes it out of ya!

The finished product:

okay, it looks like any other red bowl filled with the puppy chow I have not yet eaten, but I figured I needed to share a visual.

Now take a look at this puppy:

got your tickets??!

owie ow ow ow my arm hurts from trying to flex!

Who knew Wal-mart sells food?!

Well, I certainly didn't, since I don't frequent it often.  I did buy some food there this evening, however, since Jessica and her roommate were going to go there and I needed groceries.  Most of their produce section is kind of questionable, so the only fresh fruit I bought was a bunch of Chiquita bananas.  I just made some apple dip so I could add more variety while going through my sack 'o apples.  I also bought ingredients for granola and cornbread (I'm going to try to make the latter with applesauce instead of eggs).  How domesticated of me.

I went ice skating this afternoon and followed this by a trip to Espresso Royale, where I bought a peanut butter brownie and a bottle of apple juice--Is there anything better after a trip to the ice arena?!--and ran into Dan B. pouring over some Balzac.

I am loving this weather, and it makes me feel all optimistic in general.

I'm also trying to walk with "my head held high" literally these days, as I normally tend to slouch and look at the ground, thus avoiding the frightening prospect of Eyecontact With A Stranger.  Speaking of characteristic walking postures, I randomly came across a genealogy page on my great-grandfather recently which included the following story:  

He walked to Dayton and started in a general direction toward his uncle's farm.  He was plodding along the dirt road when he met a road wagon, upon the seat of which a man was sitting.  The man shouted:  "Whoa!  Are you a Mayne?  You walk like a Mayne."  

Although my parents claim they don't quite understand what this means, I busted out laughing in total understanding.  Apparently, like myself, my great-grandfather was a walker, and walked great distances for the fun of it.  All these years, I have been consciously taking after my maternal grandmother in my tendency to walk long distances, but I had no idea that I had an ancestor on the other side of my family who had similar such habits.  It turns out my great-grandfather was pretty hardcore:

Columbus Sunday Dispatch, Sunday, April 7, 1935 p. 1 with photo.  Westerville Minister Walks 13 Miles in 'Record Time'"--Reverend Mayne Firmly Refuses Offers of Obliging Motorists.  By Hugh Fullerton The Rev. Joseph Hanson Mayne, Saturday morning established a new all-time, All-American record for retired ministers, 86 years old and upward, by walking 13 miles from Westerville to the Dispatch office, in the remarkable time of four hours and 30 minutes.  Dr. Mayne set out to establish the record for which Dr. George Scott, professor emeritus of Otterbein college, essayed to make at the same age.  Dr. Scott failed in his attempt because before he reached Alum creek a large and ferocious dog ripped the seat from his pants and stopped the adventure.  The Rev. Mr. Mayne escaped such a fate, and by firmly refusing the offers of a dozen or more motorists who mistook him for a hitch-hiker, reached his destination and delivered this account to the city editor of the Dispatch without mishap.

Awesome.