I am totally hooked. This really is the best workout for me - I get too easily bored by working out alone at the gym or outside, but I am not coordinated enought for any fancy step aerobics, tae bo or jazzercize-schmazzercize type of classes. Spinning, however, does not require any sort of coordination, as long as you can manage not to fall off the bike (or fly off, for that matter, during the speeding intervals). Yet, the two intsructors that I go to are so challenging and I feel extremely bad if I dare to even think to not follow what they say, especially since there are 20 other people around me busting their bums off (quite literally!). The bikes are also totally cool, not just plain old stationary bikes. You really feel like you are on steep hill when you pump up the resistance.
And the whole ride is to the beat of some amazing music. Amy (the instructor on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday) has this Euro haus and trance CD and I just close my eyes and completely shed off any stress, while biking uphill at a high speed. Tom (the guy for the rest of the week) had a CD with these old heavy metal and hard rock songs (think “Seek and Destroy” here), and they are awesome in their own way because I never really listen to that type of music, but it is so appropriate for the gruelling activity.
I am in a better mood, my headache is gone. I feel terrific for the 50 minutes and then for hours afterwards. I think I might be getting addicted to my own adrenaline If you care to try it, East Coast is givinig away free trial coupons for a week’s gym membership, so you should not even think twice. I promise you it will be the best thing!

All of you fellow TA’s and teachers are going to love this from a colleague political scientist. What a great start of the day!

This break, I climbed up and down the Eiffel tower 7 times. At my gym, on the funky new stairmaster machine. Admittedly, a very pathetic way to spend break, but at least I am in much better shape than a week ago.
I have always hated Sunday nights, tonight is no exception. Oh well, I guess in six months it will be summer break.

I went to my first spinning class last night. It was awesome, so great. I loved it. It was most certainly better than any other class at my gym that I have ever been to. Spinning has a mean reputation, but it really was not that horrible, just very intense. I was sweating like crazy and was totally out of breath by the end. Understandably, my behind definitely hurts today. But I don’t understand why my shoulders and neck hurt, I guess it’s from all the leaning against the bike that I did to make it easier on my legs. So, I will try to go 3 times a week. Wanna come?

It was fun. I think I had a small glass of every single type of alcoholic beverage available + 3 cups of coco rum and pineapple juice. Yet, years of practice at Colgate made me wise enough to take 2 excedrins with 2 glasses of water before I went to bed. I woke up feeling great, then I took the 47 glass and 5 plastic bottles to recycle, vacuumed, and destained the carpet. There are jumbled words on my kitchen dry erase board, in German (”Jeff ist verruckt!!!”), Korean (no clue) and English (”STATS 502, Whoa whoa whoa whoa bhuu”). I can’t decide whether I should erase them yet.

The bird flu virus looks worse than I imagined it. I don’t even know how I find these things online. I should stop reading the news and blogs, I should altogether stop even using the internet for non-productive uses.

The invites are out for Friday night. If you were invited, you know it. If you were not invited, you are probably at least 300 km away. If you were not invited, and you are not at least 300 km away - that’s too bad. Call me and we’ll fix it.

I will always associate bananas with Christmas and New Years. When I was a kid, bananas were a real scarcity all over the Eastern bloc - they only imported them during the winter, around the holidays, and there were long lines in the stores. Everyone was only allowed to buy 2 kgs. My dad always managed to find some for Christmas and my brother and I were so happy. We thought bananas were the best fruit on earth and dreamed about how great it would be to be able to buy them in the spring, and in the summer, and in the fall. We ate them slowly, spreading the 2 kgs over as long a period as possible.

Last night, I bought 4 pounds for $1.12 and almost wanted to cry. Now, both here and at home I can have all the bananas that I want, all year round, without waiting in any lines. It’s very literally a childhood dream come true. Yet, I would give anything to go back to the days when we only had them for Christmas.

I had a great childhood. I rationally know that communism was not good, that it was a corrupt and wrong system. But I was a kid and I was happy and never wanted anything more than we had. They say that childhood nostalgia is one of the signs that you are afraid of your future. Maybe. But the memories of these days help me get through today and as long as I have them, I will be OK.

After a day from hell, I lost my favorite thumb ring and now can’t fall asleep because I am too overwhelmed - not because of the material loss. Oh well, I hope better days are ahead.