Thursday, September 18, 2008

POST 6.2: WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

This semester I am taking Statistics. It's a strange class with an even stranger professor which I won't go into at the moment.

The point is...it's math...and I suck at math of any kind. Because of this (and the fact that I have a test on Monday) I asked Susan to help me (she's really smart) with a little tutor session tonight. I really wanted to find the time to work out, but with the drama mama that lives downstairs I knew the treadmill would be out of the question.

So on the way home I drove via Susan's house and measured the distance. 2 miles. I figured if I gave myself 45 minutes or even an hour, then I could plan on getting to her house when she did.

When I finally got home the missionaries were just walking in and I had cookies for them upstairs, so it took me an extra minute to run upstairs & return with the goodies. By the time I made a quick PB&J and changed my clothes I didn't get out of the house until about 7:20 p.m. (Susan would be home at about 8:15 p.m.)

I headed out and at first walked slow so I could eat my PB&J and frozen ice pop thingy...but then I got into it and walked at a more acceptable pace!

Some things I observed on my walk:
* GIVE A HOOT...DON'T POLLUTE! Dude, there were so many recyclables on the ground. I wish I had brought a trash bag along so I could pick it all up. Funny thing...in my Sci class I learned how horrible fast food restaurants are about their waste (or rather, our waste from those establishments) and I would say that the majority of what I passed on my walk was from McKing Bell types.

* HEY, GUESS WHAT? YOUR WINDOWS ARE NOT TINTED! Seriously...you can stare, it doesn't bother me. I am walking, it happens sometimes. Today I am doing it on purpose...saving some $4.15/gallon petrol, getting some exercise! Oh, but you there in that minivan, you are not invisible...I can actually see you through the glass.
* THE KEY IS "OUST!" I am not sure that they make it in a large enough dispenser, but they should. Susan guessed that the smell came from the waste water treatment facility and I would have to agree. Either that or all that recyclable garbage on the streets.
* WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS...man, I'm walking here! No, there is not a sidewalk or I would be on it. But please, don't let me get in your way...big huge UPS truck or grande 12 passenger van or little tee-tiny car that drives too fast. For the love, give a pedestrian a little room!

* WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS? When someone says "It's getting dark out." That really means in two seconds you will be walking down a dimly lit street with crappy sidewalks (finally), strange noises & shadows...walk a little faster.

All in all I had a great walk. I was a little slower than I expected, but I had to carry my backpack of school books and hey, it's heavy. Susan ended up picking me up at her corner, which still means I walked 2 miles tonight, since that's where I began my measurement.
Susan walks every morning and has invited me to join her...so brace yourselves...I am going to get a wake up call from Susan at 6:00 a.m. and join her for a little scripture study/quiet time and then a quick 45 minute walk around her neighborhood.

I am sure I will not make it every day ~ so don't get funny (Kelly & Justin) and start taking bets. Let's just see how it goes.

1 comment:

MonikaC said...

That is fantastic! I love having a walking buddy. It makes it easier to stick to it! You go!