bits and pieces from October in Texas

A cryptic message

Most of the churches around have signboards in front of them with some sort of an inspirational message which is changed weekly. Somewhere, I'm sure that someone does a thriving business in making up books of these bon motes that the deacons, parsons, ministers, pastors, secretaries, church PR persons or whoever can use.

Recently on a bike ride, I came across one that read " God is our Pod" which left me wondering what was really meant. Did the author mean POD as in point of destination? Surely if you can have a POI (point of interest) labeled on a google map, than POD becomes a legitimate abbreviation for Point of Destination, or perhaps they are advocating free interpretation of the Bible and are using it as Point of Departure?

If they mean Pod as in iPod, a music listening device, then are they actually receiving messages from God on their iPod, are they expecting to be notified of the rapture via their iPod, or possibly their blue tooth?

Maybe they meant God was going to put them each in a body pod, much like the movie "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" in which aliens are transformed into human look a likes by the use of huge green pea pod like incubators.

Inquiring minds wonder about things like this and whether it is just me that finds the message odd.

Suffering from SOWW syndrome

The gym I work out at with my trainer has three sections. Upstairs it is all cardio machines including stair climbers, eliptical and precore trainers, stationary upright and recumbent bikes and treadmills. Downstairs, the front part of the space is devoted primarily to resistance and weight circuit machines while the back part is mirror lined on three sides and is for free weight training.

Since I am focusing on balance, endurance and response, the trainer and I have started spending quite a bit of time in the free weight area, much to the dismay and disgust of the local "inhabitants." These are the buff 20-40 something young men, getting their regular testosterone high by doing as many quick hard jerking repetitions at the greatest weight possible, as noisily as possible and then pausing to breath, strut, posture and check out the competition.

The other day Taylor, the trainer and I were located between two empty benches press benches in front of the mirror. Since my objective is long lean muscles, I rarely do exceedingly heavy weights, but do a long series of slow controlled repetitions of each exercise. As I was standing there doing 40 bicep curls at my maximum weight of 20 pounds in each hand, two of the locals came up and stood about 4 feet to either side of me, grabbed their 40 -60 pounds in each hand, executed a short burst of bicep curls, grunting with each lift, teeth clenched and bared, the slammed the weights down and walked off to the water fountain.

During the next exercise, two others came up and did a similar exhibition. When Taylor caught me rolling my eyes, he moved me down to the end where there was an empty space. The next time it happened, he quietly told the two guys to go find somewhere else to work out.

Obviously , they feel their territory was invaded and they were personally insulted because a SOWW (somewhat older white woman) had invaded their territory. It's becoming a title I wear proudly, but I would still like to get those guys out on a road bike and see if they can carry their muscle bulk any distance at all.

Miss Ike climbs the walls

The little kitten I rescued and adopted has had the run of the house during the day for the past week. She is reveling in the space, and in having three older cats to tease and pester. She seems particularly partial to flinging herself off the chairs or table on top of them as they pass underneath and then racing off madly in the very noisy scrabble that only a cat trying to get attention can achieve.

She is also a climber and delights in shinnying up my back, legs and anything vertical. This extends to trying to climb the walls as well. We have several dividers that are about 4" wide and just right for her to use a linemans' pole climbing technique to climb. She starts off about four feet away, runs at the space full tilt and leaps as high as she can, spread eagled around the divider. She tries to climb, but can't get enough traction and so instead, slides slowly down the wall with her claws scraping the stucco plaster like steel spikes on slate. We're hoping she outgrows this "endearing" habit real soon!