Wednesday, December 06, 2006

 

maybe I should buy perfume...

This evening when I was commuting back to my apartment, this nice young teen asked me if I wanted the inside seat. I said yes, and sat down, opening my book and minding my own business, reading Catch-22 and trying to decide if I like it.

One stop down the line, he turned to me, and said, "You smell like carry-out."

I had no idea what he said, so I was like "huhhh...curry?"

He said, "No, carry-out." Seeing the blank look on my face, he goes, "CHINESE FOOD."

Instead of wailing "You jerkface! I do not!!" I somehow kept my composure, just smiled, and said, "Oh, really!" and went back to my book, with that strained grin plastered to my face.

I totally did not smell like Chinese food. Not like that's a bad thing to smell like, but I know that I did not. I may now, since I cooked up some fried rice 20 minutes ago, but I didn't have an odor on the metro. What was up with him? Way to mess up my focus. I was no longer concentrating on whether or not I liked my book, I was trying to figure out if he really thought that I smelled like Chinese food, or was just being stupid.

Anyhow. So Monday night I tried to jog—(actually, E and I, one of our resolutions is to give ourselves proper credit/not hide light under bushels, so, therefore...)—I was jogging, and my younger brother called me.

(I had my phone because E and C-note made me bring it along.)

Attempting to establish and maintain cool runner's poise, and miserably failing, I was flailing my arms and trying to catch my breath, windmilling up the hill. He quickly realized that I didn't know the information that he was seeking, so he hung up.

Forty minutes later, whilst I was collapsed across my bed, mightily pleased that I had done better than expected, my mom called. I bragged about my working out, and she told me that that was why she was calling: she and my dad didn't like the idea of me out running around at night, in the dark.

I got rather dramatic, and was all like "It's dark when I get up. It's dark when I get back from work. And there's no way I'm going to work out during lunch." I pulled out my now-favorite line. "I have to live my life, mom." She said that I should use the treadmill, and I told her that when I use the treadmill, all I can think about is how much I hate the gym, whereas when I'm outside, I'm thinking about a variety of things, such as: "oh my God, I'm going to die on this hill of death." and "why does my mouth hurt a lot? is that from the cold?" as well as "it's okay to walk. It's like the rotary: no one will know if you screw up."

The point of all this is that I can't believe we live in a world that has people (my parents, my roommates, my boss) worried about me when I go jogging in a little circle around my neighborhood. Where I live. That's ridiculous - not that they're worried, but that they feel like they have a reason to be worried. And the fact is, it's entirely plausible that I could be dragged into the woods or something. Especially since I move at a glacial pace.

So, it's like, I'll carry my pepper spray with me, stay in the well-lit areas, and looking menacing and bitchy to all who see me. But shouldn't there be a better way?

Comments:
It's annoying as hell and as endeering as can be. If they didn't worry, then it would suck. I know it's annoying (someday I'll post about "the donkeys will throw you over the edge!" and we can compare family horror stories), but they love you. Be glad.
 
Rowing? Very few dangers on the water.

V good exercise too.

-Wombat
 
Everytime I go home, my grandma asks me if I am still running and if I need more pepper spray. No grandma, I haven't run out of it. Anyways, yay running! :) I am trying to go in the mornings now and it is soooo tough to get motivated to wake up and work out.

Do I see a 5K in our future?;)
 
I ran four years of track in High School. I try and get back into it everynow and then but it's so hard because my natural pace is set so much faster than what I am capable of now and I always end up burning out really quickly - HOLY ANOTHER REALLY REALLY LONG SENTENCE
 
tc: I definitely appreciate their worry - I just wish they didn't have to!

wombat: it might be too good of exercise. just saying. :-)

jamie: you are a good motivator! keep checking on my progress! Someday...we will run together...on the gravel Mall. Or something.

rem: the key (because I obviously have the key to running with one jog under my belt) is to go slow. Don't tire yourself out.
 
On the Chinese food thread...I know that sometimes when I walk past one of those buffets, like SizEx or the front of O Salad, I can smell the Chinese food for at least another block. I'm sure you just walked past some place and carried the smell with you. I can attest, being near you at work every single day, that you don't smell like Chinese food at all!
 
M,

Catch-22 is such a timeless classic that you should be able to enjoy undisturbed even if you do smell like the China Palace!

Awesome that you're running. There's nothing like getting ahead on those New Year's resolutions... however, it may be a bit like back-dating stock options. Hmmm...

If you do live in some sketchy DC neighborhood, you should carry some good chemical mace... I got hit by that once, and wowwie-zowwie it hurt... for 3 days.

And it's very sweet of your roommates for caring.
 
is catch 22 any good?
as for jogging- well if you don't practice running you won't be in shape- not being in shape means that if you do get in trouble you'll have a harder time fighting off the culprit- if you carry pepper spray that chances that a guy in better shape than you hits you- grabs your pepper spray and turns it against you are high- therefore keep orking out- be safe about it- like stay in well lit areas and don't go late and I'm sure you'll be fine-
..sorry just read the other comments- actually rem is right- different people have different muscle capacity and "fast" runners can have more trouble with "slower" running and get tiered quiker as it is not an ideal pace for them- wombat does make an excellent point- rowing is fun too!
 
perhaps I should read my comments too and correct the spelling mistakes before publishing!! sorry, I know I do that a lot :(
 
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