Roller Blading

One gets an idea of how bad one is out of shape when one takes on a pair of blades and attempts to go 3 separate rounds with 3 separate dogs. The idea is to get the exercise and to get the dogs burned out.

Well, the dogs are full-fledged running the entire time. I do not allow them to slow down, sniff, bark at other dogs - whatever. I don't want or need to do that. If those dogs - or any individual dog - doesn't want to get with the program, that dog can stay home and I could care less. Prince is on the verge of that disqualifier. He wants to run, but he wants to stop and smell everything. I nearly ended up on my face when he decided to cut in front of me to go into a yard that had a dog out front.

I have very good balance on those things, fortunately, but I must say that after 3 dogs worth, my muscles were giving out. In fact, after the first run my leg muscles were burning - that's cause I took Coco - the Dane/Catahoula mix for a much longer run. She is MUCH easier to deal with and will obey my commands without hesitation. She is one of the best dogs I have ever owned - and to think she was headed to euthanization because of everyone else - fully 4 families before me - who said she was out-of-control and destructive. She is also in excellent condition - she can keep up with me longer than I can keep up with her, that's a fact. For now, anyway.

Whatever the case, roller blading is a great cardio exercise and that's what I'm looking for. But. The streets around here totally suck. The asphalt is old, full of cracks, very course, they all need to be resurfaced. It has needed it for a long time now. I don't care if the city of Phoenix is broke - they are resurfacing streets all over the place, I see it every day. This is my next campaign. I will start calling them - and calling them - and calling them - if need be until I get some results.

I am also considering stopping at a very large park on the way home from work, skip the dogs and use the cement walkway that goes around the entire circumference of the park. It is very nice, there is hardly ever anyone there and it would be far easier to get the workout I'm looking for without the dogs. I could still give the dogs a run, but this way I wouldn't have to worry about falling over the dogs, just concentrate on the workout at hand. It's at least 1/4 mile around that park.

Umm, those are some of the thoughts that consume me these days - growing old and getting fat. Can't stop the age part, everyone has the choice about fat, skinny or in-between. Right now, I'm in between. There are other thoughts as well, and not all of it is confined to the economy, finances and how to keep the house.

But I won't got there as it's almost my bedtime and I wore myself out. I wonder if, perhaps, that much of a workout as what I did earlier might help me sleep better? Or, conversely, it was too late to do such a workout and I will sleep even worse.

I'll find that out tonight and, of course, report it tomorrow.

OH!! I went to Fry's Food Stores - I always go to that place - at least 4 times a week anyway - to start using the gift card I was given. Well, the gift card didn't work. It was the same floor manager that had been ignoring the self-serve stations the other day that was there today. I don't dislike the lady - but please. If your job requires you to give full attention to something - most jobs do - then DO your job. It IS possible to gab and still do an efficient job in the case of grocery sales. You can talk with your customers while attending to them, I'm sure of it, I know because I do it every day. I don't miss a beat while getting what I need to get done - done - but I am always open to a good conversation with anyone, even a total stranger. Aren't you? Lol.

The point? They usually aren't talking with customers, when the "infractions" occur, they are talking with other employees and wasting a lot of valuable, customer time while they are at it. In the case of a customer like me, who wants in and out of the store as quickly as possible, it is VERY annoying. Well, this lady was all about business today. Took the card, fooled with it for a few minutes, asked if I wanted a new card to take it's place cause' that card isn't going to work every time I try to use it. Great. Sure. She half runs to the other end of the store and back, I'm serious. She was in a BIG hurry to either deal with me efficiently - or just get me OUT of there, lol.

Dunno, but I am usually always friendly with all of them and I bid her a great day while leaving and she did the same back. I say usually cause' if they get nasty with me when I have not been nasty with them, I either let emotion take over and give it right back - or usually - head straight to the manager's office for a nice conversation about employee

Well, it's bedtime -
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G'nite.

ben

Wednesday

No clue how it got to Wednesday so fast. Really. I slept okay last night - I have been having some really weird dreams that I am waking up out of when the alarm goes off in the morning, hence I am remembering some of them (verus usually not remembering any of them). Today's - would take far too long to go into all of it, but it is another horror flick movie style thing where a group of us were taken hostage, removed to a huge desert compound literally in the middle of nowhere - and the whole story was REALLY strange. I think they were aliens in human form, lol.

In all of this financial chaos I have been going through with non-paying tenants lately, I managed to keep my credit-stained fingers off of the credit cards. I remember an ordeal I was going through last year I think it was - no the year before? Anyway, I was using the gas card frequently and ran that up to $300. For credit, I guess many people think that's nothing. That's huge for me, I hate getting that far into debt for something that should be included in a monthly budget in cash, not credit. I have that almost paid down to zero now. I won't be getting rid of it when it is at zero balance - it lowers your credit score by getting rid of cards and what if I need to use it again in some financial mayhem that might come my way?

I don't want to rely on credit cards - and I don't anyway - but there are uses for them beyond credit scores and I think it's good to have a few - IF - you can be responsible about it and not use it as a store spending spree to buy everything you ever dreamed about - and then start making hundreds of dollars per month on card payments with a huge chunk of that money going to interest.

I ALMOST got myself into payments on a large screen TV, but thought better about it and ridded myself of that thought that grew to unbelievable sizes inside of my head - an almost intense desire after I lost my big-screen to the house fire 2-1/2 years ago. I REALLY want another one, but sanity returned to me before I fell for it. Yes, I want one, no, it isn't any time at all to add to the monthly payment load that I already have. In fact, the better plan is to save up for one. If I thought I could me whatever the payments were going to be, then I should be able to take that monthly payment and put it in a savings account instead, paying cash for it in the end which would be 2 full years from now.

Yes, well I haven't done that though I may start if my situation improves.

Anyway, work day is here, must be offa here.

G'day.

ben